Into the healing farming game

15th Day of Spring

Living each day to the fullest, it’s normal to collapse from exhaustion. However, your body, which recovers overnight, doesn’t let you feel it. Even if you fall asleep exhausted, a new day begins when you close and open your eyes. It’s also the start of a refreshing, albeit forced, day.

“Ugh…”

I lets out a zombie-like groan and clutches my throbbing body. Sleep restores stamina and energy, but it doesn’t seem to help with wound recovery.

When I wake up in the morning, I feel the tickling sensation of the potion more acutely. The stimulation lightly taps the brain. This is thanks to reaching level 8 in combat. Due to the fierce battle, my level rose by five levels.

I am not tired, but I feel pain here and there on my body. The plan to enter the dungeon two days in a row was canceled. After doing some morning work, I’ll go fishing and enjoy Evangeline’s cooking.

There’s no planting of seeds to start the morning because I didn’t make any money yesterday, and there’s no gold left. The impact of not fishing is significant.

I trudge along and see the crops in front of the house. Cauliflower and muskmelon are growing well. I want to find painkillers before those two mature. As I water the plants, the weight of the watering can feels particularly heavy, and I get lost in thought.

Carrying my heavy body, I head to the lake.

I have no energy at all.

With a tired mind, I absentmindedly sit on a stone by the lakeside and stare at the calm waters edged with fishing rods. Fishing skills trained beyond proficiency allow you to perform tasks mechanically regardless of fatigue.

I absentmindedly count the fish I catch:

Carp

Sea bream

Minnow

Open eyes

Rockfish

Gizzard shad

Since I don’t know much about cooking, I have no idea which fish is best for cooking. From the perspective of an ingredient procurer, the best option is to bring a variety and leave the selection of ingredients to the chef.

After fishing for a while, I move to her house. I remember stopping by Evangeline’s house the first time to say hello to someone new in town. Thanks to that, I arrive at her house around noon without getting lost.

There’s no doorbell. I knock on the door to announce my arrival.

“Who is it?”

“Fish.”

“Ah.”

Evangeline opens the door with a smile. The house is filled with the scent of wood, and it smells delicious, as if something is being prepared.

“Now that I think about it, you didn’t tell me the time you would come, so I was getting ready in the morning.”

“If I had come in the evening, I would have been in big trouble.”

“It’s okay. Please come in.”

The house is cozy, not very spacious. I see a staircase leading to the second floor and a living room with no clear room structure. The household items in what appears to be the kitchen are very familiar— a medieval house mixed with modern times. It seems that this unique and special sight, which can only be seen in games, has been realized in reality.

“I didn’t know which one would taste good, so I brought them all.”

“Yes?”

It’s fun to have a sink. Then, the fish are taken out one by one. Another highlight is seeing Evangeline’s mouth slowly open as the colorful fish come out of the bag.

“You caught a lot.”

“Take your pick.”

“Hmm… I think using just three sea bream, rockfish, and gizzard shad will be enough. Please wait a bit. It will be ready in no time.”

“It’s okay to take it slow.”

“My brother might come down from the second floor, so don’t be too surprised.”

Evangeline, smiling like that, takes out one of her kitchen knives and starts cutting the ingredients without hesitation. The crunching sound made when the scales are removed and the fish touches the knife stimulates curiosity.

He’s my younger brother. Does Evangeline’s younger brother have the same scarlet hair?

Bubbling sound. The sound of something being stirred regularly. The sound of sizzling and cooking. It was a good cooking process that satisfied both the senses of smell and hearing.

“Does it smell good?”

“I’m good at cooking.”

Evangeline’s voice is still calm. She looks unwavering even while cooking. I can’t help but think that she is who she is.

She sneaks a look at the cooking. In fact, I don’t know what’s being served, so I don’t know what kind of dish it is. One thing I can tell is that it smells like steamed food and is spicy. However, it’s enough to see delicious-looking dishes being laid out on the table one by one.

When the dishes are brought to the table and a total of five people are present, Evangeline takes off her apron and sits down. Soon, she starts explaining each dish step by step with her hands.

“This is sea bream ceviche. I made sea bream meunière with the rest, and grilled the gizzard shad. Since it’s spring, there’s a little less oil, but I still like fish, so it will be delicious. I made steamed rockfish and maeun stew.”

“Wow… Isn’t that amazing? It looks really delicious.”

“Thank you. I’ll go upstairs and pick up my brother.”

“Okay.”

He’s her younger brother. I was curious, but I was also more curious about the taste of the food.

Sea bream ceviche.

ea bream meunière.

Grilled shad.

Steamed rockfish and spicy stew.

Intuitively, the things I see are quite gorgeous. She said she was confident in her cooking, and I guess that wasn’t a lie. More than anything, I was impressed by the culinary knowledge that crossed between Korean and Western cuisines when compared to Earth. Even if I don’t know what it is, cooking at this level in this world shows that she is quite capable.

“This is Jack. He’s not good at speaking, so I’ll say hello instead. Jack, this is Minho. He’s the one who gave us the fish we’re eating today.”

“Uh oh…”

Did not being able to speak well mean there was a language problem?

Little boy. Jack, who looks exactly like his older sister and has curly scarlet hair, keeps his distance from me as if it’s awkward.

“Hi Jack. My name is Minho. Please take care of me.”

“Ugh.”

Jack’s eyes turn white. Even if he can’t speak, you can still feel something in his expression. Just as Evangeline’s reaction is fully revealed in her body language.

Using a wooden spoon to scoop up the spicy fish stew soup is an instinctive move.

Spicy food.

Spicy taste.

My Korean blood craves hot soup.

“Oh. Is it delicious?”

Evangeline’s eyes form half moons. I nods wordlessly and she places raw fish with a splash of lemon juice on the plate in front of me. Was it the dish called ceviche earlier?

The fresh and chewy flesh is delicious. The spiciness is strange, but it’s still okay.

“You’re a good cook.”

I’m serious. It’s really delicious.

“Thanks to the good ingredients.”

“Ugh.”

I see Jack nodding his head furiously. Does he agree with my opinion that his sister is a good cook?

If you have cooking skills like that, you can eat delicious food every day. The thought that I could be happy every day crossed my mind.

As I thought about that, my eyes naturally went to Evangeline’s face.

Intelligent appearance.

An appearance that combines beauty and wisdom.

The emotionlessness in her voice further emphasizes this feeling.

Because I was hungry, I ate the food quickly. Store-bought dishes cannot compare to this taste. The comparison itself was rude. After not being able to eat the right food, I end up touching all the food on the table as if the reins were loose.

“Did you enjoy it?.”

I give a thumbs up while putting food in my mouth. What. Is there a need for a separate answer? I wonder if there is an answer beyond eating deliciously.

As soon as I finished eating, something strange occurred to me.

[Sea Bream Ceviche]

[Duration: 06:00:00]

[Effect: Fishing +1, Luck +1]

[Rockfish Spicy Stew]

[Duration: 06:00:00]

[Effect: Fishing +1, Stamina +1]

Buff? I get a buff from a dish I didn’t make?

I am a little shocked by this fact. If that’s the case, there’s no need for me to learn how to cook. If I strengthen my friendship with Evangeline, I can continue to enjoy dishes like this. This means that eating it before going to work is very, very helpful.

A smile fills my face at the unexpected benefit. Delicious food and fun buffs. It was unexpected information, but this kind of information is always welcome.

After finishing the meal in a fighting manner, I enjoy a little after-heat. The leisurely feeling of leaning back on a chair with a slightly full stomach and a tired body. Soaked in that state, I drink the tea provided by Evangeline.

It was a tea filled with the scent of the forest. A tea that suits the feeling of enjoying nighttime walks.

“I don’t think there’s any need to ask more whether you enjoyed your meal.”

“Oh. I ate a bit too much, didn’t I?”

I scratch my head shyly. This could be seen just by looking at how little food waste was left behind. The reason Jack stopped eating in the middle and looked at me intently was because it was his first time seeing someone eat like this.

“Ugh. Uh…”

“Huh? Ah. You want to go for a walk?”

“Ah.”

“Take care. Don’t go too far. Stick to the route you always take, okay?”

“Ugh.”

“Okay. Have a nice trip.”

“Yiyi.”

Jack holds out his hand to me. Not knowing what it meant, I glanced at Evangeline and took his hand in a handshake. He holds out his hand and takes it. The softness and weak strength I feel in his still young hands make me shake them up and down.

“Jack must have liked you. He likes to hold hands.”

“Really? We can hold hands as much as he want.”

“You…”

Jack leaves, and Evangeline shows a slight look of concern on her face. Without realizing it, I didn’t even bring up the issue related to her parents.

She is a woman who appears to have just become an adult. A family that seems to consist of just the two of them.

You can guess what’s going on. Even if her parents are not dead, they might have gone on a long trip. I don’t want to take any risks. Bringing up such an issue for no reason and making the atmosphere awkward is not what I want. It’s hard to endure that kind of atmosphere.

“Can I help you with the dishes?”

“It’s okay. Customers are here to be treated well, not to work.”

“The guests may be so impressed by the dish that they want to help the chef with the work.”

“Hot. It’s okay. Just sit down and rest.”

You have a kind heart too. As I slurp my tea, I slowly think about the existence of Jack.

Okay. Jack. Originally, he wasn’t there.

Evangeline’s younger brother? He didn’t exist in the game. Yes, he doesn’t exist in the game, but he definitely exists here. It is necessary to separate the Starwind Valley in the game from the Starwind Valley where I live. Because this isn’t a game.

Another reality disguised as a game. The game information has been contaminated. The information is not absolute and immutable. You can probably recognize it that way.

Although there is still information available, the information coming from relationships has changed significantly. Although it may not be a waste of time, it is unfortunate that as a game user, you cannot enjoy much future information.

Knowing the future and taking advantage of it is a huge benefit.

Instead, since that way of thinking is gone, the world is less perceived as a game. Another world I live in. I might go back someday, but I don’t know when.

I wonder if it’s easy to escape from a world where there’s so much I don’t know about.

The growth rate is rapid, but growth alone cannot solve everything.

Of course, it’s still only two weeks.

It’s the second week of spring of the first year.

There is still a lot to do and a lot to adapt to. There is also the immediate problem of painkillers. There is no need to rush. Because I think I’m living really hard enough.

“What are you thinking like that?”

“Huh? Ah.”

Before I knew it, Evangeline’s face was right before my eyes. Her face filled my vision. I slowly step back.

Even if it’s beautiful, being too close is burdensome. The scent wafting as we get closer is familiar. Something I often smell in the forest.

If I go to the forest often, will I get that smell? Or, will the fishy smell come from frequent encounters with fish? I sincerely hope it is not the latter.

“I thought the dish was delicious.”

“Glad you enjoyed it. I was proud of myself when making it.”

“Thanks for making it delicious. Can I ask for it more often from now on? I’ll give you all the ingredients.”

“If you have the ingredients, there’s nothing you else to ask.”

Yes!

I internally clench my fists. We have a great cook—an extremely talented chef. Above all, a chef who can give you buffs.

You also receive buffs while eating delicious food. Wouldn’t it be an extremely beautiful choice?

“I’ll leave first. Thank you for the meal today.”

“Nothing much to say. If you enjoyed it so much, I can make it as much as you want.”

“Thank you. See you next time.”

“Go in carefully.”

Buff. I have to work in the remaining time with the buff.

Buffs of +2 Fishing, +1 Luck, and +1 Stamina.

How powerful is the buff?

I walked toward the fishing spot with a happy heart.

Today was the most healing day I’ve ever had.

The day when the word ‘healing’ written in the letter on the first day best suits it. It would be nice if days like this could continue, but then it would be difficult to really go home.

Did they say that those who do not work will not eat?

Okay.

I still had a lot of work to do.