The SSS+ Rank Hunter Who Farms

1. Trading an Old House for a New One

Warm sunlight streamed in through the wide windows.

A high ceiling.

Luxurious artworks hanging on the walls.

A soft bed that swallowed my entire body and the smooth touch of the finest silk blanket signaled the start of a refreshing morning.

"Uuugh."

[10:00 AM]

I rubbed my eyes and stretched, glancing at the system displaying the time.

“Yaaaawn.”

Instead of the thought of sleeping in a bit longer, I got up, walked into the bathroom, turned on the water in the elegantly designed sink, washed my face, and stepped out.

My room was at the far end of the second floor.

As I opened the large door, the vast interior of the mansion unfolded before me.

As expected, the walls and pillars were adorned with countless artworks and ceramics.

The ceiling soared high into the sky, with grand paintings decorating it.

This massive mansion, reminiscent of something straight out of the medieval era, was managed by NPCs of various races who served as butlers.

"Have you woken up, Master?"

"Master! Did you sleep well?"

"Oh. Yeah, yeah."

Responding briefly, I made my way down the stairs toward the front entrance.

As soon as I opened the door, a cool breeze swept away the lingering drowsiness, and an expansive plain stretched out before my eyes.

Between the vast horizon, beautifully arranged gardens, flower fields perfect for strolling, small ponds, and streams encircling the mansion harmonized with nature in breathtaking beauty.

"Wow..."

I should be used to this by now, but every time I see it, I can’t help but mutter, ‘fuck" in admiration.

I have zero sense of aesthetics, yet I managed to create such a magnificent mansion and garden.

Of course, I had help from NPCs specializing in the field, and I only contributed the ideas, but still, the fact that this was my own mansion, built with my own vision, left no room for regret.

Even just circling the mansion took over ten minutes—this place was massive.

A wide road led out from the grand entrance.

There was a tall wall preventing outsiders from entering, but even that was blended naturally with the surroundings to avoid obstructing the view, making the entire landscape beautifully harmonious.

Stepping through a vine-covered passage beside the mansion, I was greeted by a greenhouse even larger than the mansion itself.

And beyond it, a fully automated farming system.

Water refilled and sprayed automatically each day, and the system managed the nutrients and fertilizers required for the crops to grow.

"Master, you’re here?"

Just like the mansion, NPCs were stationed here 24/7 to oversee the crops and maintain the greenhouse—the very foundation of this estate.

"Everything going smoothly?"

"Of course! The next harvest is in three days. Are you going to age it into wine again?"

"We have plenty stored up, right? Just age whatever’s left over."

"Understood!"

The massive warehouses lined up next to the greenhouse were used to store harvested crops and gathered materials.

At some point, those warehouses had increased to five in number.

On top of that, there was a small village-like area I had decorated, complete with a blacksmith’s forge, an alchemy lab, and a potion shop.

The mansion at the center, surrounded by my personal domain, was practically its own world.

And from this center, the lands I had cultivated stretched outward.

I built roads, secured the surroundings, and developed mining sites.

[Farming World]

Farming World.

A virtual reality game that means ‘a world where you farm items.’ It’s been quite a while since its release.

It’s a game where you can play solo or in multiplayer, choosing different worlds, farming maps, and building your own kingdom.

With its immense freedom and realism, it was so popular upon release that it briefly took the number one spot among virtual reality games, surpassing RPGs, FPS, and AOS games.

Of course, now, the entire virtual reality gaming industry is practically dead, making it a relic of the past.

Still, I’ve been playing Farming World for ten years—ever since the game’s launch.

Day and night.

Not for any particular reason.

Farming World was often played in multiplayer, but playing solo meant I didn’t have to worry about anyone else. I could build the world I wanted, exactly the way I wanted. Unlike RPGs, AOS, or FPS games that stressed me out with competition, this game was different.

That didn’t mean I was bad at other games.

I wasn’t particularly great, but before Farming World came out, I was well-known enough in RPGs and FPS games that people recognized my name.

But in the end, it was just a matter of preference.

Once I started Farming World, I dropped every other game I had been playing.

It felt like I had been living my life just for this game.

And so, I threw my entire life into Farming World.

I’m 26 years old now.

If I exclude the years I was too young to remember, I might as well say I’ve spent more of my conscious life inside the Farming World than outside of it.

And this is the result:

Resource Deposits: SS

Resource Rarity: S

Map Size: SS

Overall Difficulty: SS-

These were the achievements I cultivated on the game’s highest-difficulty map.

Anyone could unlock new maps by paying 9,900 won, even as a beginner. So from the very start, I chose the hardest map and played on it for ten years.

Naturally, survival wasn’t easy.

Now, I have a massive mansion, a large farm, storage warehouses, a blacksmith, and even a fully developed village filled with NPCs. But when I first started, I had nothing—just a single small hut in the middle of a vast, empty plain.

I died countless times.

The map had abundant resources and rare materials, but it was filled with monsters and traps that matched its difficulty, making resource gathering a slow and dangerous process.

I grinded endlessly.

In the end, these ten years are embedded in this mansion and farm—every bit of effort, every hour spent.

"There’s nothing left to do."

And finally, I found myself saying those words in this game.

Would there even be another player in Farming World who reached my level?

Ever since real-life monsters started appearing, Farming World—along with AOS games like Legend of League—collapsed. Even the sports industry was in ruins. It’s not like people had the luxury to relax in a virtual reality game anymore.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel proud.

I didn’t have to grind anymore.

There were still a few unexplored places left on the vast map, but I left them alone, treating them like a snack I could enjoy later.

At this point, I could declare the game complete whenever I wanted.

Of course, I had no intention of quitting this game.

I poured so much time into this moment—why would I quit now?

Reality may be a miserable, trashy existence, but in this sanctuary, I am the undisputed ruler of NPCs with infinite money cheat codes.

Just waking up in my mansion and living a leisurely life was happiness itself.

So, there wasn’t a single part of me that ever considered giving this map to anyone.

[Hello, Su-hyeon. I would like to purchase your Farming World.]

A message that arrived a few days ago.

It didn’t come through email. Instead, it was placed inside the mailbox at my mansion’s entrance—the one meant for receiving quest letters.

At some point, after completing every single quest, that mailbox had become nothing more than a decoration. So, when I saw a new letter inside after all this time, I was excited… only to have my mood ruined.

[In exchange, I will grant you access to the secret hidden map—‘Secret Farming Map.’ This map has the following attributes:

Resource Deposits: Unmeasurable

Resource Rarity: SSS

Map Size: Unmeasurable

It will be linked to your world and provide sufficient rewards. Please consider this for seven days, and I look forward to your response.]

Was this… a quest?

It felt like some kind of ultimate hidden quest—one that unlocked something beyond even the highest-difficulty map after achieving everything there was to achieve.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t intrigued.

Even this current map overflowed with resources, and its high rarity level allowed me to create things I had only imagined.

But unmeasurable resources and SSS rarity? How incredible would that be?

And yet, something about selling my map left a bad taste in my mouth.

If they were simply offering to unlock a new map for free, I would’ve accepted in a heartbeat.

I could leave this place as a vacation retreat—drop by once or twice a day to relax—while taking on a new challenge.

But handing over my map in exchange for a new one?

This world was built on ten years of my life.

Farming World was undoubtedly my life. And while the idea of challenging a hidden map was tempting…

"Am I getting old?"

Ten years.

This new world might take even longer to develop—long enough that by the time I finished, I could be well into my mid-30s or 40s.

Back when I was a teenager, I had the energy to start over. Could I do it again?

"As tempting as it is..."

I no longer had the patience for that hellish grind.

Today was the deadline.

* * *

Ding— Dang—

The clock struck noon.

"I’ll just ignore it and decline."

That was my plan.

Just ignore it.

Or so I thought.

[Thank you for your cooperation. Retrieving ‘Su-hyeon’s Farming World 1’ and issuing ‘Secret Farming Map.’]

"What?"

The entire world went dark.