Into the healing farming game

17th Day of Spring

Thousands of crops have been collected. The garlic and kale have fully grown, so I harvested them, and the cauliflower was ready as well, so I cleaned it up nicely. I’m half happy to finally start making money, but another part of me feels like I want to scream if I can’t relieve the pain that’s become unbearable.

I continue harvesting crops with a strange sense of calm. In the darkness, I gather them one by one, relying on the sparkling light of my ring. The once bright fields quickly dry up. Since I planted them haphazardly, the overturned earth looks a bit messy.

My body, exhausted from battle, cools down in fatigue. After washing up, my throbbing body is so worn out it makes me want to sleep. There’s one painkiller at my bedside, and something else clenched tightly in my hand.

I prepared for the pain in advance. Naturally, I didn’t forget to take the painkiller before bed, just in case. I turn the glass bottle of the purple painkiller upside down and pour it into my mouth.

“Ugh…”

The taste was even worse than I imagined. The initial sensation was indescribably awful—like tasting dried tree bark or rubber. My tongue curls as the taste slowly fades away, leaving a unique numbness behind. I couldn’t sleep, but I forced myself to toss and turn until I finally did.

[Achieved Farming Intermediate Level 1! Select an intermediate achievement effect!]

[1. Crop value increases by 10%]

[2. Crop growth speed increases by 10%]

[Achieved Intermediate Combat Level 1! Select an intermediate achievement effect!]

[1. Weapon Expert]

[2. Equipment efficiency increases by 15%]

Both my farming and combat have reached intermediate level. While I was happy about my steady progress, the thought of the inevitable pain dampened my excitement. They say people remember negative sensations more vividly than positive ones. I’m starting to believe that.

I didn’t need to worry much about farming. The crop value increase wouldn’t apply to Abel’s store or other merchants. Selling to the system would increase the price by 10%, but I don’t plan to sell it with the system, so it’s inefficient. In the end, I chose the 10% increase in growth speed. It was an easy choice since the alternative didn’t offer much value.

The real dilemma was in combat. What does “Weapon Expert” even mean? The UI doesn’t provide any details, just the vague title. On the other hand, option 2 is straightforward: all my current equipment becomes 15% more efficient.

After much deliberation, I finally chose option 1. Both choices would benefit me anyway, and every decision since reaching the intermediate level has been like that—whatever I choose, it’s in my favor. I rationalized it to myself and selected the “Weapon Expert” option, romanticizing the idea of mastering weapons.

After making my selections, I head straight to the store to check crop prices. I had around 3,000 crops, a mix of garlic, kale, and cauliflower. Selling them here would earn me 1628 gold. At Abel’s store, I could get 2290 gold. The amount of gold was growing fast, especially when considering the mid-range quality of my crops. It’s okay to sell expensive crops here and sell the rest of the regular crops to Abel’s store.

After selling some kale at the store and making some spare gold, I waited quietly as sleep slowly overtook me. A deep, dreamless sleep called to me.

“Off…”

It feels like needles are pricking my head. My entire body, not just my head, tingles. Still, it’s much better than when I was writhing on the floor, drooling and unable to think. I suppose the painkillers helped—at least I was able to sleep and regain enough composure to function.

I grabbed the painkiller and swallowed it. The taste? It wasn’t nearly as bad this time. Suppressing my groans, I could feel it sliding down my throat.

“Whew… whew…”

After a few deep breaths, the pain began to fade, and a subtle drowsiness spread through me. The pain was suppressed, and I could finally appreciate the sunlight coming through the window. I smiled and jumped out of bed—it was the start of a perfect day.

I had reached Intermediate Combat Level 1, Farming Level 4, and Fishing Level 7. Except for logging, all my other skills were at the intermediate level. Mining had also reached Intermediate Level 1. Logging was still at Beginner Level 5 since I hadn’t cut down many trees.

It was a relief knowing that I wouldn’t have to deal with as much pain while leveling up in skills like magic, exploration, or cooking. There’s so much to do, and so many skills to improve in the future.

The musk melons I planted on the first day have bloomed beautifully. I harvested the sweet-smelling ones, just a small amount, but enough to sell at Abel’s store.

I started the morning by watering the crops. I’ll need to expand my farm eventually, which means I should upgrade my tools, like the watering can and hoe. I had gathered enough iron and gold ore from treasure chests and mining to make ingots, so I had enough materials.

Fueled by painkillers, I ran ahead, focused on my tasks. After gathering materials, I checked my bag—plenty of iron ingots, enough to enchant two tools. Without hesitation, I rushed to enchantment and upgraded my ax and watering can. Honestly, I was curious about how the watering can would improve.

“Hm?”

From the outside, there wasn’t much difference. The material seemed to reflect light a bit better, but that was it. I wondered if I’d notice a difference while watering, so I tested it. The change wasn’t as dramatic as I’d hoped. The can felt lighter, but that was about it. It was disappointing, considering I used 25 iron ingots—250 pieces of iron ore, mined over an entire day—and there wasn’t much change.

“What? Is that all?”

However, when I filled the can, it seemed to hold five times more water than before. It felt lighter despite the increased capacity. Okay, this upgrade wasn’t as bad as I thought. It would save me time on the farm since I wouldn’t need to water as frequently.

With some time left before Abel’s store opened, I did some logging. My body had grown stronger, and with the improved ax, chopping trees was faster than ever.

The crackling sound of the tree being dented was clearly audible to the naked ear.

I remembered panting on the first day. It’s been just about two weeks now. I was proud of myself for how much progress I had made during this time. It was proof that I was adapting well to this world and working hard.

After gathering around 100 pieces of wood, I headed to Abel’s. When I returned, I still had to do laundry and cook, so I quickened my pace.

“Oh, Minho! Welcome back.”

“You’re as diligent as ever.”

“I don’t have a choice if I want to make a living. You seem busy too.”

Abel’s wide grin stretched across his face. Seeing him move around in the morning, it’s clear he never gains weight. Does he like to eat a lot?

“I brought some crops today, too.”

“Oh, really? I was just waiting. There’s been talk that your crops are excellent. We already have several customers waiting for your garlic. They say it has a unique scent or something like that.”

“That works for me. I can supply as much as you need.”

“Haha. Great! How much did you bring?”

“1,200 garlic bulbs and about 1,000 kale plants. Can we sell the rest of the crops as well?”

“Hmm, all the garlic should sell, but kale might be harder. There’s not much demand for it, and I don’t have a market for it. Want to show me the rest?”

That was disappointing but not unexpected. It seemed like kale would have to be sold through other means. Even though garlic had been selling well since the middle of the year, I felt like I was losing out by reverting to the system instead of maximizing my profits.

I took out 1,200 garlic bulbs, 5 musk melons, and 5 cauliflowers.

“Oh! Melons and cauliflower! Hmm… melons are worth 2 gold each, and cauliflowers are about 30 silver each.”

The prices were more disappointing than expected. While the melon was priced decently, cauliflower seemed ridiculously cheap. It was clear Abel’s store wasn’t omnipotent.

“These are musk melons.”

“Musk melons? Oh, really? In that case, you can get up to 5 gold each. Fruits with high sugar content are in demand year-round.”

“5 gold each?”

“Of course. How many musk melons do you have?”

“I’ve got about 10.”

“How much more can you produce going forward?”

“I think we can get a few hundred in total.”

“They’ll come in weekly, right?”

“For now, it seems they’ll come every two weeks.”

The growing period for musk melons is 13 days, reduced by 10%, making it about 12 days. So, roughly speaking, two weeks is accurate.

“Alright then. Sell them to me. I’ll give you a good price. If the word spreads that your produce is high quality, you could get up to 8 gold each.”

“That’s good for me. I’ll count on you in the future.”

“That’s what I should be saying. Please keep me in mind when the time comes.”

In fact, we signed an exclusive contract with Abel for garlic and musk melons. I was happy to secure a good price, and Abel worked hard to develop sales channels, selling the produce far and wide. It was a win-win situation for both of us.

“Here’s a check for 1,000 gold. You’re okay with a check, right?”

“Of course.”

“I also prepared the remaining 10 gold in cash. Please continue to work with me.”

“I’ll be sure to drop by.”

1,010 gold. The four-digit number felt substantial. Farming certainly pays off, especially with large sums coming in all at once.

This is the essence of farming. This is the feeling of farming success.

The path ahead became clear: garlic and musk melons. The future of my farming efforts would focus on selecting a few crops, evaluating their quality, and concentrating on cultivating them.

Now that I had more money, I felt more at ease. I’d been living under pressure due to constant fighting, medical expenses, and the like, so having some freedom felt like a relief.

Humming a tune, I made my way home. As expected, the core of healing farming games is… farming.

Garlic and musk melons brought in 1,000 gold. Just thinking about it made me happy.

When I arrived home, I saw a half-ruined field, signaling it was time for harvest. Planning to clean it up tomorrow, I lit a bonfire and started cooking. Although I had enough money to expand my house, I didn’t want to make any impulsive decisions. Cooking like this was enough for now. It was a little inconvenient, but it’s always uncomfortable when you’re short on money.

After eating the meat that still didn’t offer any buffs, I checked my materials at enchantment table one more time. In terms of tool upgrades, gold ingots come next after iron ingots.

Naturally, tools made of gold are soft and not very efficient. However, there’s a strange upgrade system involving enchantments here.

[Enchant To Gold Tools] [Required Material: 25 Gold Bars] [Effect Granted: Tool level +15]

[Add Features to Tools] [Required Material: 25 Silver Bars] [Effect Granted: Random additional effect +1]

I had 28 gold bars and 33 silver bars. I had been fishing a lot recently, and the treasure chests I found had been rewarding. While some bars came from mining, the amount from treasure chests was significant.

I boldly invested everything in my pickaxe. The equipment from the treasure chests was already at its best, so further enhancement wasn’t possible. I needed a stronger pickaxe to make it easier to upgrade the rest of my gear while exploring the mines.

I enchanted the pickaxe twice at the granting table, adding both the gold enchantment and additional features.

[Pickaxe (Gold Enchantment)] [Equipment Level: 35] [Effect: Luck +1]

Holding the gleaming golden pickaxe, I admired its majesty. As an experiment, I tapped a stone in the yard and immediately noticed the difference in texture. This must be why people are so particular about their tools and gear.

My plans to leisurely fish and raise my fishing level to advanced status were temporarily shelved. It would be a huge waste not to explore the mines with such a powerful tool.

Before leaving, I finished my laundry and hung my clothes and towels outside. The wooden drying rack was sturdy enough to hold the weight.

The sunlight was bright, and the laundry dried well. I was already looking forward to the warm, fresh texture of well-dried clothes.

After completing the household chores, I headed to the mine. The occasional monsters didn’t scare me anymore. If I could roam dungeons, what was there to fear in a mine?

With confidence, I stepped into the damp, musty interior of the mine.

Today’s goal: Break through to the 20th floor.