Into the healing farming game

4th day of spring

What greeted me with the morning were vivid memories and experiences that sparked my mind.
The chill of fishing.
A sudden sting of logging.
The heat and monotony of mining.

It’s always fulfilling when a day’s efforts translate into progress and build my skills.
This morning, although filled with unfamiliar aches, left me with a greater sense of achievement.

I earned 68 gold and 20 silver in my dream, a good sum.
After just two days of fishing, I already felt like an experienced angler.
Logging is level 4, mining is level 2, and fishing has reached level 8.
Even though these are just beginner levels, it’s satisfying growth.

If I level up my fishing skills a bit more, I’ll hit the intermediate stage, where treasure chests and high-quality items become available.
I might reach that level as early as tomorrow. That anticipation keeps me motivated.

Stepping outside, I was greeted by fresh signs of life.

Being the 4th day means the crops I planted on the 1st day have grown.
It was nice to see the yellow kernels peeking out, exuding a green vitality.
Water parsley and sugar carrots—whether these crops exist in reality, I don’t know, but here, they’re real enough.
I had 20 crops in total, but they don’t yield as much profit as fishing.
However, considering Starwind Valley is a game that thrives on large-scale farming, I knew this was just the beginning. Feeling proud of my first harvest, I nodded to myself, collecting the crops into my bag.

Today, as usual, I planned to combine fishing, logging, and mining.
My arm, which should have been fine, felt strangely numb—probably the lingering strain from pulling fish for over 20 hours in the past two days.

I swung my arms to loosen them up and headed towards the forest.
To avoid another incident like yesterday, I took my lantern along.

Same spot.
The fishing rods were lined up in a familiar setting. The soft plop of the float hitting the water sent gentle ripples, signaling the start of my day.

Starwind Valley is beloved for many reasons, but its freedom and extensive content are key.

If you love exploration, you can be an adventurer. If you prefer magic, you can become a wizard. If you enjoy the story, you can follow as it goes.

Unfortunately, I don’t get to choose any of that.
I’m not sure what the true ending is, but I know that every task—every achievement—must be completed.

In other words
I have to do everything including adventuring, mining, farming, logging, and fishing.

Farming is the foundation for doing this most efficiently.
That’s why this game is known as a farming game, though some refer to it as an efficient ‘kimchi-style’ farm simulator disguised as a relaxing experience.

“Tsk!”

Catching fish had become easier. It was almost effortless. Putting them into my bag had become second nature.

Chop a tree with an ax.
Break stone with a pickaxe.
Toss the fishing line into the lake.

Though these tasks required less energy than before, they remained physically demanding. Tool quality became a critical factor here. Better tools meant less stamina consumption and increased productivity.

Ultimately, mining is a necessary task for progress. Swinging a pickaxe in your yard yields only rocks. To obtain valuable metals like iron, you must enter the mine.

But then, you’re forced to face monsters. While dungeons and mines are technically different, monsters inhabit both.
Imagine a modern person, untrained in combat, suddenly having to face these creatures?
Well, I’m not confident I’d fare well in battle.

To improve combat skills, though, you must first engage in combat.
That initial battle is always the riskiest, perhaps even the most dangerous you’ll ever face.

And that’s why I’m focusing on fishing first.
Partly for initial capital, but also for something more.
The treasure chest that unlocks after reaching the intermediate level of fishing is vital.
In the game, it contained rare equipment and materials.
I don’t know how it will be implemented in reality, but it was a valuable gacha element in the game that gave various rare equipment and materials.
Fishing is said to be the golden path early on—a milk-and-honey opportunity.

Among items ranging from level 1 to 100, the thrill of fishing lies in possibly scoring level 30 equipment early on.
Even before stepping into a dungeon, you could be fully geared just from fishing.
That’s precisely what I’m aiming for.
Over-preparation never hurt anyone.

All I can hope is that the treasure chest exists here.
Without it, my plans would be derailed.
It existed in the game, but this place may be different. I still remember missing out on the first day because I lacked proper bags and storage.

“Now that I think of it, I need to cook, too.”

I muttered to myself, eyeing the fish wriggling on my rod.
Cooking isn’t exactly mandatory, but it certainly makes life more comfortable.

It could be for stamina recovery, energy replenishment, or simply hunger, but the primary reason is the buff.
Since this isn’t just a game, the food experience might hold more importance here. After all, people feel stronger when they eat something delicious.

There are various buffs—reduced stamina consumption, enhanced skill growth—but the speed buff, especially the movement speed boost, is the game-changer.
Without teleportation magic or warps early on, your speed determines how quickly you get things done. With this buff, you could significantly cut down on travel time. In the game, it also made hit-and-run tactics easier in battle.

With so much to handle, cooking was an essential part of survival here. In the end, it’s something that must be done, whether it’s for utility or just the motivation to keep going.

‘Are there any fish recipes?’

I wasn’t sure. Could I find out by opening the UI? The lack of initial information left me feeling stuck, forcing me into repetitive tasks. Trying to do too much at once only led to frustration.

Was I lost in thought?
Or perhaps imagining some future battle filled with clashing blades and spilled blood?

Time passed faster than I realized as I entered a deep concentration.
When the blue sky began to darken into deep purple hues, I lit my lantern.
Its soft scarlet glow bathed the night in a strange yet fitting ambiance. The yellowish reflection on the lake’s surface was a rare sight, only visible under the lantern’s light.

I was almost certain I’d hit intermediate today, but I fished a little longer just in case. As darkness enveloped the surroundings, my focus sharpened on fishing, when I heard faint footsteps in the distance.

In the pitch black where nothing could be seen, the sound grew closer.
My ears perked up. The unfamiliar footsteps and the rustling of grass soon revealed the figure of a scarlet-clad woman.

“Nice to see you again.”

Her voice was calm, unwavering. I blinked slowly and nodded.

“Hello. Out for a night walk?”

“Yes. The night air in the forest holds the best scents, along with the dawn.”

At Evangeline’s words, I inhaled quietly. The crisp, cool night air contrasted with the warmth of the day. I wasn’t sure about picking up scents, but I understood the change.

“Thank you for the lantern. It’s been very useful.”

“Nothing much. I guess you like fishing?”

“Ah, Rather than saying I like it…”

Splash—

A fish wriggled on the line as I reeled it in. Without thinking, I tossed it into my bag, then felt a pang of regret.

“Uh… yes, I suppose.”

What if she found my bag strange? That thought made my response awkward.

“Maxim would love to see this. He’s the village’s only fisherman. Have you met him?”

“Yes, this rod was a gift from him.”

“I thought so. It looked familiar.”

Evangeline’s eyes sparkled with a gentle smile. She didn’t seem like a character from a game, just a woman with natural charm. Someone who looked good in scarlet.

“You know,”
she began softly, her tone easy, without rising at the end.
“You’re quite famous in town.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You’re new, and your grandfather used to lived here too.”

“Ah, now that you mention it, I’ve been so busy I haven’t greeted the villagers yet.”

” I’m not putting pressure on you. I just wanted to say I like having you here. We don’t see many new faces, especially young ones. Starwind Valley is a rural area.”

“It’s a great place to relax.”

“Is it?”

Evangeline tucked her hair behind her ear, the slow, graceful movement casting a faint shadow in the lantern’s light.

“Well, I’ll be off. I hope we meet again at night.”

“Take care.”

As quietly as she had come, Evangeline disappeared into the darkness. She moved like a scarlet ghost, leaving nothing behind except a gently swaying fishing rod.

“Tsk, tsk.”

With the rhythmic flick of my rod, I resumed fishing, the soft sounds of the night accompanying my effort. After catching a dozen more fish, I packed up.

Thanks to the lantern, the way home was clear. Seeing the path made all the difference, and unlike yesterday, I arrived without getting lost.

As always, once I washed up and collapsed into bed, sleep overtook me quickly.

*
[Fishing Intermediate Level 1 achieved! Select an intermediate achievement effect!]

[1. 30% increase in fish value]
[2. Chance of treasure chest appearing increases by 12%]

Was this new?
This system had never existed before.
I’m unsure if it was added or if it’s something entirely new.
In any case, while it’s a good thing overall, it’s not exactly pleasant when unexpected changes pop up without warning.

“Hmm.”

After thinking for a moment, I tapped the option for increasing the chance of a treasure chest appearing.

Considering the supply and demand for gold in the early to mid-levels, boosting the fish value seemed logical.

However, the possibility of obtaining rare equipment or materials through treasure chests couldn’t be overlooked. Since I was planning to gear up for exploring mines and dungeons, it made sense to increase the probability and shorten the grind.

Of course, if this were a regular game, I wouldn’t have hesitated to choose the fish value boost. But here, the treasure chest seemed like the better option.

‘Good thing they included the treasure chest,’
I thought. Without it, there wouldn’t have been any option to raise its appearance rate.

I headed to the economic section to tally today’s earnings—91 gold and 35 silver.
This also included the sale of 20 four-day crops. Though I wasn’t sure how much of the total came from them, every bit helped.

I purchased a few supplies from the economy tab.
To have a productive day, you need to eat well.
After buying this and that, I was left with 211 gold. If I could gather about 300 more, I’d be able to unlock a new feature in the UI.

In the pure white room, I absentmindedly opened the achievements section while tapping on items provided by the system.
Some of the previously locked gray achievement slots had turned white.

[Achievement] Do you like fishing?
(Obtain 100 fish)

[Achievement] Novice Escape Complete!
(Reach intermediate level in one of your skills)

It felt like quite the accomplishment.
Although there weren’t any rewards for them, certain items could only be unlocked after achieving specific milestones. So, it was something I’d have to complete eventually.
As soon as I finished going through everything, I felt my consciousness slip away, as though the dreamlike state was erasing itself.
For me, a true day of rest had just begun.