Into the healing farming game

5th Day of Spring

“Ugh…”

I groaned. This morning felt different. Each day, the intensity of the pain from growth varied.

A sharp, bitter coldness accompanied by wetness and a tingling sensation, like cuts along my skin, crept over me.
Pain mingled with new knowledge—how to get treasure chests, the quality of fish depending on the color, how to pick a fishing spot, and how to handle a rod properly. All this knowledge swirled together, cluttering my mind with pain.

My consciousness, scattered and disheveled, woke up with a drool-stained pillow beneath me.

“F*ck…”

My mouth throbbed, maybe from clenching my teeth without realizing it. The strange pain, reaching all the way to the tips of my teeth, woke me up entirely.

Do I have to endure this pain every time I hit intermediate level? An indescribable fear froze my body. Cold sweat broke out across my skin, tension building up inside me.

The pain was brief but overwhelming. At least there weren’t any lingering aftereffects. But the shock of it… I almost wished I could stay at beginner level 9 forever.

My shoulders were sore, likely from tensing up too much. I rotated my head back and forth, trying to loosen up my stiff body.

I sat at the table and drank cold water. As it flowed down my throat, I felt a bit more alive. I finished the glass and poured the rest over my head.

“Ah…”

The cold water running down my scalp felt entirely different from the icy wet sensation inside my brain.
I didn’t know how long I sprawled there in my chair, half-stretched out. Eventually, I stood up, my damp clothes sticking uncomfortably to my skin.

That was… a really shitty experience. The unfiltered, indescribable pain wasn’t something I’d care to repeat.

I shook my head, trying to dispel the remaining discomfort. Water droplets flew off, and my hair swayed. The subtle weight made my head feel light, almost empty.

With sluggish movements, I leaned on the table and stumbled outside. Despite the exhaustion, there was a sense of excitement that came with reaching the intermediate level.
The prospect of treasure chests and increased fish profits brightened my outlook.

Taking a deep breath of the cold morning air, I felt the fresh, spring-like scent of grass fill my lungs. I forced myself to spread my arms wide.

“Whew.”

I exhaled, pushing out the last remnants of pain. In reality, it was short and intense, leaving nothing behind but the memory. But the shock of it… That’s what lingered.

It was like a clean, spicy taste. The kind that’s so overpowering, you’ll remember it forever—a flavor so intense you’d cut out your own tongue if you had to taste it again.

I began gathering my gear for the lake—food, water, a lantern, and my fishing rod. It wasn’t much different from yesterday, but I felt different. Something had shifted.

I craved something sweet.

Forcing my tired legs to move, I headed toward the lakeside.
No matter my mood or condition, I still had work to do. If I fished for a few hours, maybe I’d feel better.
When your mind is cluttered, focusing on one task can help you forget. Though, forgetting this pain wouldn’t come easy.

My newly honed senses guided me toward the lake, and as I reached the intermediate level, I could feel the water’s flow.
I instinctively knew where to cast my line for the best fish. I could even see the paths fish traveled—both the common routes and the rarer, more secretive ones.

I followed my instincts and cast my float. After a few seconds, a fish appeared, accompanied by a softly glowing yellow one with brown undertones.

“A carp.”

The name slipped out reflexively.
Was this part of reaching the intermediate level?
My head ached from all the new knowledge—fishing tips, common sense, and random information crammed into my brain.

The brown, glowing hue was a new quality, one I’d unlocked after leveling up.
There were three main qualities: gold, silver, and bronze. Each came with additional value—100%, 65%, and 30%, respectively.
As long as I caught one, it was a benefit. Judging by the subtle brown border, I figured this fish was of the same quality.

Not that I could tell how much it was worth. I simply tossed it into my bag. My rod gently disturbed the surface of the lake, creating faint ripples that reflected the sunlight. It all felt different from before.
The tempo of fishing had picked up significantly. At this rate, I could easily catch hundreds of fish in a day if I maintained my stamina.

Just yesterday, I’d been thrilled with catching 100.
My growth was fast—probably because I spent half my day fishing. I guess if you fish for 12 hours straight, progress is inevitable.

The rod jerked. My reflexes had improved, too. Reaching intermediate level was paying off, proving the pain hadn’t been for nothing.

Unfortunately, the fish was ordinary. No special quality.

But then a translucent box appeared in the air. A luxurious brown wooden box with a gold trim spun slowly before opening. Inside was a smooth, shiny silver ingot.

“Is this a treasure chest?”

I felt a wave of relief. I’d wondered if I could actually get one. It was reassuring to know that it was possible just through fishing.

The downside was that there was no UI. I couldn’t tell if this was iron or silver, nor could I check equipment stats later on. But that was a problem for another day.
I stashed the ingot in my bag, and the treasure chest’s image dissolved into dust.

It was amusing. Fishing up ingots… What kind of life was this?

I chuckled to myself, thinking about how I was now a man who fished for treasure chests, mining achievements from lakes and rivers. The randomness of it all made fishing even more enjoyable.

As the day wore on, treasure chests and high-quality fish appeared frequently. The golden, dazzling fish I occasionally caught were almost blinding. The quicker pace of fishing meant I burned through stamina faster, but my growing skill helped offset the cost.

The pain of reaching intermediate level had been immense, but the rewards were just as great. If not for the pain, I’d have celebrated this new level with unbridled excitement.

Over time, the treasure chests produced a variety of items—boots, strange trash, driftwood, wooden swords and shields. The gacha-like randomness kept me hooked, and I fished well into the night, catching hundreds of fish and miscellaneous items.
*
[Current gold held: 523G]

The power of fishing was astounding. I can’t believe I earned over 300 gold in a single day. Does growth really come with pain? Because this harvest is so massive, I almost feel foolish.

Earning that much was enough to reach a small, initial goal: opening the UI. With a few swift finger movements, I navigated through the mode. Finally, I boldly clicked on [More UI-500G], which gleamed brightly in white.

The sparkling light flickered slightly, and soon the layout of my items shifted.

“Oh…”

The bag slot appeared on the screen: ’22/100,’ including sold items. I had 100 slots in total, but it felt like less than I’d imagined. Items that stacked were consolidated into one slot, like 30 carp fitting into a single space.
It was surprisingly efficient.

[Driftwood]
[Wet trash]
[Wooden sword]
[Wet boots]
[Iron Ingot] x3
[Iron Piece] x11
[Silver Ingot]
…

A total of 22 items appeared. Starwind Valley suddenly felt more like a game than reality.

To me, the line between game and reality blurred in Starwind Valley. But I was glad for it.
How many could imagine that something learned in a game would apply to real life, with their own bodies? It’s not like I asked for this experience—just thrown into this wild, game-like world.

Unfortunately, nothing too useful appeared in my bag—mostly junk and crafting materials. I sold all the garbage since it was just the first day.

Then, one piece of equipment caught my eye, a fishing rod that Maxim had given me on the second day.

[Fishing Rod of Silver Time]
Lv.56
“Fishing is about strength!” -40% reduction in stamina consumption.
“Enchanting Float” – Increases the chance of fish biting the Float by 30%.

“Oh.”

I rubbed my eyes. The rod’s special name glowed brightly.

No wonder fishing had seemed too easy. This rod’s unique effect and its Lv.56 bonus made fishing smoother, reducing stamina usage and boosting the chances of catching higher-quality fish.

I silently thanked Maxim once again, vowing to use this rod with more care from now on.

I browsed the store for seeds since they were now available. Unlike before, prices, post-harvest values, and growth periods were clearly displayed.

It felt like a weight had lifted off my shoulders.
All hail the UI.
Spending 500 gold to unlock it was definitely worth it.

It had been a risky decision. If I’d spent all my gold on seeds and started farming immediately, I could’ve laid a foundation for wealth much faster. But the reward of unlocking the UI was worth the gamble.

With 23 gold left, I used 20 of it to buy seeds. I picked seeds with good efficiency, like muskmelon, garlic, kale, and cauliflower.
Each seed could be exchanged at a decent rate of 3 to 10 per dream coin.
About 100 seeds were now in my bag, and the thought of starting farming filled me with excitement.

The tiring day ended with that last purchase. It had been less than a week since arriving here, but it felt like the hardest day so far.