I’ve always fucking hated fighting since way back.
No matter how unfairly a fight came my way, I unconditionally avoided it.
Why? Because I hated spending energy on fighting.
Winning might be fun, but it required expending way too much energy to win. Whether it was a war of words or a physical brawl, I had zero talent for either.
Once, I tried playing that famously popular AOS game, but my control was so atrocious that when my teammates started asking after my parents’ well-being, I reported them and deleted the game that same day—that was my last experience with it.
Naturally, if I kept at it repeatedly, my skills would improve, but I had neither the energy nor the motivation for that.
When a lethargic person like me becomes an office worker, you can’t expect much from them.
Naturally, instead of blood-splattering combat where keyboard keys go flying, I started focusing mainly on the lifestyle content that existed, albeit small-scale, in every MMO game.
Even for someone like me, <Tower of Colossus> was a game worth pouring my time into.
The setting was a fictional medieval continent. Specifically, it was set across three countries: the Kingdom of Demihard, the Holy Nation of Benaro, and Caseria, an island with a magic tower.
It was a game that combined a Western fantasy setting where knights swing swords and priests bestow blessings with modern fantasy elements where random dungeons opened from other worlds, and both non-awakened Sword Masters and awakened Hunters closed these dungeons.
‘He who conquers the Tower shall become the eternal firmament of the continent.’
With this single declaration, the game’s story begins.
In the middle of the continent, the ‘Tower’—the worst dungeon in history—rose up.
The moment the declaration descended from the Tower, the existing gods were denied. All priests coughed up blood and died. The Tower itself became the new god.
Whoever conquers the Tower becomes the emperor of the continent.
The player is the one who challenges this Tower.
……No matter how you look at it, it’s a combat-oriented story, but the reality was a bit different. The developers were serious about the lifestyle systems.
‘Meaning you could completely ignore conquering the Tower and just farm, mine minerals, and live your life without any problems.’
Users could choose and develop one of three classes separate from combat classes: farmer, fisher, or miner. The status of lifestyle activities in the game was so high that even combat users armed with dazzling items had to keep at least one sickle hidden in their pockets.
If you succeeded in growing rare herbs on your farm, you could get potions supplied cheaply or practically free, or if you had handicraft levels when enhancing weapons, the success rate would increase.
In my case, I was a farmer-focused user who neglected combat classes entirely and went all-in on lifestyle content.
The reason was that the graphics shown during lifestyle content were healing.
Farmers had a field view with gently blowing breezes, fishers had an ocean view with rippling blue waves, and miners had a cave view with glittering quartz. Excellent graphics and natural gathering motions, various lifestyle items and over a thousand types of harvestable materials.
I was completely hooked from the game’s launch. Among farmer, fisher, and miner, my choice was farmer.
The reason was simple. Because the farmer’s cabin was most similar to the country house of my dreams.
Well, in reality, even if I had a country house, I wouldn’t be able to maintain it anyway.
‘I’d be lucky if I could save up enough money to buy even one apartment unit……’
I got a job immediately after graduating high school.
For me, someone without any particular dreams of starting a family or achieving success, my only desire was the dream of securing my own home.
I didn’t know how to do stocks or investments. I only saved my monthly salary and put it into installment savings to gather money. According to my calculations, I’d need to work another 11 years to buy a house. I figured it’d be good enough if I could buy one in my thirties.
I didn’t have any hobbies besides this game, and I didn’t meet with friends either.
The farm life in <Tower of Colossus> was my only hobby and breathing space.
While I was at work, I’d leave the auto-lifestyle function running on my home computer, and when I got off work and came back to my monthly rental room, the first thing I’d do was check the screen. I’d check and organize the rare items acquired in the meantime.
After making rounds checking all the crops that needed care, I’d set the auto-lifestyle function to run again during the early morning hours before going to sleep.
There’s a tall tale that my home computer hasn’t been turned off for 8 months…… Just kidding. I turned it off during regular maintenance. Sometimes I’d turn it off so the main unit wouldn’t explode too.
‘Thanks to that, I’m ranked 1st as a farmer. Even if my combat class is way outside the rankings as a nobody.’
When I took my eyes off the computer screen, it was 11:38 PM. For a brief moment I was a virtual farmer, but in reality, I’m an office worker facing Monday work the next day.
……Exactly one day passed, and Monday evening. In just one day, I’d become a human exhausted by fatigue again.
My eyelids were heavy and tears came out as if stinging slightly. I was too tired to look at the farm screen for long.
I set auto-gathering running and lay down on the bed without being able to do anything else. I ignored the piled-up housework and dishes.
The moment my back touched the bed, all other thoughts scattered. I fell asleep as if passing out.
“……”
Then suddenly I opened my eyes in the darkness.
I was so flustered that for a moment my brain didn’t work.
I definitely live alone, yet there was someone in my room.
Judging by the build, a man. Wrapped up entirely in dark-colored clothes with not a bit of skin showing. Wearing a hat pulled down low and a black mask.
Instinctively, my spine went cold.
As I tried to bolt upright, the masked assailant noticed I’d woken up and suddenly approached.
A sharp sting—a sharp blade pierced through my stomach.
Was it because I’d just woken up tired? I didn’t even have the capacity to respond. The moment I opened my mouth at the unfamiliar pain, a hand wearing pitch-black leather gloves covered my mouth.
When the hand left my mouth, something like packing tape was stuck over it.
When the assailant pulled out the knife, blood gushed out like a fountain.
I couldn’t come to my senses from the pain I was experiencing for the first time in my life. I should resist, I should stop the bleeding, but a helplessness beyond fear overtook me.
‘I’m screwed. I’m going to die from this.’
When the assailant wrapped me tightly in the blanket so I couldn’t even stop the bleeding, my life was finished.
Sprawled on the bed, my consciousness grew faint. Making rustling and clattering sounds, the assailant ransacked my room. Drawers, desk, every nook and cranny thoroughly searched, and finally opened the drawer inside the closet.
My eyes, which had been growing hazy and dim, suddenly snapped open.
The bankbook where I’d painstakingly saved my salary for the past 3 years. It was in the assailant’s hands.
The assailant who’d taken the bankbook leisurely left the room.
Tears flowed as profusely as the blood that soaked the blanket and still flowed out abundantly. Belatedly, I helplessly watched thoughts popping up one by one like candles going out.
That I hadn’t heard the sound of the front door being unlocked. Therefore, that assailant had spied on my home’s passcode and pressed the keypad to break in…….
Since they seemed to have planned and invaded with many things in mind, they might have…… figured out the bankbook password too.
*
Sunlight poured over my head. The brilliant colors of light tormented my half-opened eyelids. Dazzling green foliage warmly filled my vision.
‘This can’t be a hospital ceiling……’
As I fumblingly brought my hand up, my abdomen didn’t hurt at all.
Instead, I was wearing clothes like rags. A baggy shirt-like garment with a large string tying the waistband of my pants visible.
Now, finally, a sigh escaped me.
I didn’t immediately register the strange points and just lay there. I was so, so tired.
Resting a bit, thoughts gradually came to mind.
‘They stabbed me with a knife which is infuriating enough, but they took my bankbook too?’
So where is this? I sat up and looked around where I was.
Under the shade of a tree with lush leaves. There was exactly one tree. A half-collapsed fence surrounded the space I was in.
A cabin was visible straight ahead. It was a small house on the verge of completely falling apart.
A very familiar scenery.
However…… it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen this scenery.
Originally, this should be game graphics.
Plus, I’d hit max level ages ago and was ranked 1st in lifestyle, so this primordial state was something I hadn’t seen in ages…….
No way.
‘This is the starting background for the farm content.’
It wasn’t fake. Everything was real. The texture and smell of the soil crumbling beneath my feet. Things like the warmth of sunlight pouring over my body.
As I quietly looked down at the soil, a translucent window appeared before my eyes along with a message.
[Lv.0 Field Where Only Weeds Grow]
I was still experiencing phantom pain as if my stomach ached. Even in my dazed state, the moment I saw the system, I was instinctively moving.
I crouched down anywhere and pulled out the abundantly grown weeds.
‘Is this the unconscious behavior of someone who was 1st place integrated across all servers in lifestyle classes? I’m good at pulling weeds, myself……’
Dirt packed between the lines of my palms and under my fingernails. The feeling of moist soil crumbling beneath my palm was so unfamiliar.
I was a pale urbanite office worker who’d only claimed to be ranked 1st as a farmer in the game but had never actually touched soil even once.
Yet here, I naturally know how to pull weeds and do so. With my bare hands, no less.
I was about to utter a line that might appear in a novel like, ‘Don’t tell me I’ve possessed someone?’ but just gave up. Because it was somehow funny.
Was I always this simple? Why isn’t possession surprising?
Is it because being stabbed with a knife and dying was more surreal…… Or is it just that everything’s good because I don’t have to go to work?
“The wind feels nice.”
I accidentally muttered aloud to myself and then jumped up in surprise.
The voice that just came from my throat was different from my voice. A bit lower. And the slightly hoarse feeling from fatigue had completely disappeared.
‘Come to think of it, since I possessed into the game, has my appearance changed to match my game character too?’
There was no mirror in the basic state cabin. As a substitute, I looked at my reflection in a puddle of water.
The familiar face of my character, Kuma, had become my face exactly as it was.
From the beginning, I’d created my character with the intention of only doing farm life. So I customized it to look like an ordinary village youth 1.
Not particularly handsome, tanned skin with practical muscles. An appearance that suited a straw hat and overalls extremely well.
The look was so ordinary that it actually stood out among other users.
‘Fine. The face doesn’t matter.’
It’s not oddly shaped, so it doesn’t matter. More than that…… I looked around.
The space wasn’t large. One cabin. And one small garden plot—one yard that would be packed full if you cultivated it.
Beyond that was blocked by something like a hazy wall. It’s not actual land, but a system space where only I can enter my home.
Exactly like the farm in the game.
Right now it’s Lv.0, but if I level up, the land will expand and the cabin will improve too.
Wait, is this securing my own home?
‘The home I would’ve had to save like crazy for 5 more years to secure, I’ve obtained it right away like this, so is this a gain……?’
No, I’m absolutely not grateful to that bastard who stabbed me and took all my assets…… But anyway, is good still good?
Soon the translucent status window sent another message.
[You were ranked 1st as a farmer across all servers.]
[Special benefits according to the possessor’s status will be granted.]
[You know how to till the land, select seeds, plant seedlings, tend crops, make flowers bloom, bear fruit, store harvests, and utilize them.]
[Crops will heed your voice.]
[All handicraft skills related to nature increase.]
While seeing these dream-like words, my heart swelled with anticipation. It was a hope and exhilaration I’d never felt before.
There was a reward for only healing while others were passionate about rankings.
Thanks to that, I possessed into a place like this.
‘When others possess into combat games(?), thanks to only seeing good things, I possessed into a place like this.’
Right then, another status window appeared overlapping. If the farm status window was pale blue, the status window appearing now was yellow.
The color was dark, so it somehow seemed like a warning.
[The time given is 2 years.]
‘This is…… the game start dialogue.’
My spine grew increasingly cold. Soon all the blood in my body completely cooled.
You know that anxiety, right? That ominous premonition like Team Leader Kim is definitely going to make me work overtime today…… That sort of thing penetrated my entire body.
Sure enough.
[Become the continent’s greatest Hunter and be reborn as the emperor of this continent as the one person who conquered the Tower.]
A task even more absurd than working overtime on a Friday night dropped before me.
