NOVEL WEB Chapter 11
11. Level 0 Biome Village
A biome is a cluster of flora and fauna adapted to specific climate conditions.
In Farming World-type games, biomes often extend in different directions from a central hub, each with distinct ecosystems, animals, and resources.
There are Tropical Biomes, Desert Biomes, and many more.
Since each biome offers unique characteristics, they can serve as content divisions. By assigning levels to biomes, games can create a progression system where players feel their growth as they move up through the ranks.
In Farming World, biomes were commonly classified by levels.
The area surrounding the central hub—where NPC villages and low-tier F-rank resources are available—was designated as the Level 0 Biome.
Level 0 Biomes are essentially temperate zones.
They have four distinct seasons, with neither extreme heat nor cold. Various plants and animals exist depending on the season, making it a well-balanced and hospitable region.
Simply put, it offers good, stable weather.
In the early game, just surviving—finding food, gathering crops, and fending off monsters—is already a challenge. If the climate fluctuated too drastically, adapting would become an additional struggle.
That’s why Day 1 in most cases begins in Spring, Day 1.
The slight chill of early spring represents the hardest seasonal difficulty.
However, as the weather warms, hibernating monsters remain sluggish and inactive, making it a relatively safe time of year.
Each biome contains key locations that, when discovered, unlock significant rewards and content. In the Level 0 Biome, these primary locations include: NPC Village, Copper Mine, Sewers, and Orchards. Of course, in a map as massive as an SSS+ size world, there are plenty of smaller resource spots worth exploring.
However, meticulously combing through every single spot can consume a significant amount of time, and before you know it, you might notice that the bright areas in the Level 0 biome have started to outnumber the dark ones.
This method, often called sweeping exploration, is favored by completionists who obsessively reveal the entire map.
But in reality, it’s inefficient in the early game.
Rather than methodically exploring every inch of a biome at its intended level, it’s 100 times easier and more efficient to return later with better mobility and upgraded resource-gathering tools.
There’s no real loss in postponing exploration. Resources won’t depreciate in value just because they’re gathered later. In fact, quickly collecting just enough materials to skip to the next level is often the smarter move.
And of course, that’s exactly what I intended to do.
"I’ll unlock the key locations and move straight to Level 1."
The Secret Farming Map is, in essence, a gold mine. There’s an old saying: ‘Dig the ground, does money come out?’ But here, that logic doesn’t apply.
In the outside world—even in reality—money comes out of dungeons.
But if you want big money, you either have to hunt rare monsters or find a dungeon rich in valuable resources.
That’s why gatherer-type Hunters who specialize in excavation and dungeon resource collection outnumber combat-focused Hunters.
Of course, before you can mine a dungeon’s resources, it has to be cleared—meaning every single guardian monster must be eliminated.
That’s why high-level combat Hunters still hold value because they pave the way for everyone else.
But for me?
I don’t need to compete with any of them.
I’m in a blue ocean—a market with zero competition.
Just by exploring this world, I can rake in endless profits.
"Ten years? I’m going to milk this world dry until I drop dead."
For me, Farming World isn’t work. People say that even if you do something you love for a living, it eventually becomes just another job.
As someone who’s been a proud NEET for 26 years, I don’t really understand that logic.
And I’m certain, that even if this became my reality and my career, I would never find it dull or tiring. Right now, I don’t even want to sleep. I just want to keep exploring and lighting up the map.
…Of course, I should probably exercise some caution.
This isn’t a game.
If I die, it’s over.
"Lulu."
"Yes, Master?"
"If I die here… do I respawn? Or do I just die?"
I had to be sure and live accordingly, but since Lulu, a fairy who was essentially the manager of this dimension, was here, I decided to ask.
Since Lulu had a previous master, I could just ask whether he had died of old age or failed to resurrect.
Lulu let out a giggle at my serious question.
"Master, didn’t you conduct a test on the Rift Dimension before coming here?"
"...Huh?"
At the sudden mention of Farming World from the fairy, I hesitated for a moment.
Lulu was, essentially, an NPC.
A fairy.
In games, if you asked NPCs whether they knew they were programmed NPCs, none of them would ever answer yes.
They would simply say they were residents of this world.
So, was it right for me to say yes?
I hesitated for a moment, then realized that this might not be Farming World at all.
"Uh... yeah, I did."
"The system there applies most of the 'rules' that are in effect in the Rift Dimension you are currently in. To become the owner of a Rift Dimension, one needs to qualify. From what I know, only those who pass numerous tests and prove themselves worthy of owning a Rift Dimension are chosen as its master."
"What are those qualifications?"
The letter that suddenly arrived in my Farming World.
And the events that followed.
It seemed to be about that, so I listened closely.
Lulu rested her tiny hand on her chin, looking troubled.
"That, I don’t know either. It’s decided by the god who manages the Rift Dimension... But from what I heard from my previous master, the letter said that the god liked his world the most."
"..."
Surely, the criteria weren’t just about decorating the world well?
Or was it about playing for a long time and achieving close to 100% development progress?
The latter seemed more plausible than the former.
If this really had been a test, then my Secret Farming Map, which was said to be an SSS+ rank Rift Dimension, was probably meant to be completely developed someday as my main mission.
Well, it wasn’t important.
I wasn’t curious about that anymore.
"Anyway, Master revives if you die. Hmm, no... To be exact, when you reach 'death,' you consume 'Farm Points' to avoid 'death.' Since managing a Rift Dimension is difficult, you could consider it a power granted by the god? So Farm Points is an extremely important resource. You must collect it diligently!"
"It actually works?"
Honestly, I was surprised.
I didn’t think it would.
In Farming World, reviving was a given. If dying once meant your character got deleted, no one would play the game, so it allowed resurrection in exchange for a price.
But wasn’t this reality?
But it really revives me?
Even if it requires paying Farm Points as a price?
"How many times can I revive?"
"As long as you have Farm Points, infinitely."
"How much Farm Points does it cost?"
"Hmm… It depends on your level. But right now, Master can revive once without paying any Farm Points. It’s a gift from the god."
"..."
Lulu’s words gave me immense courage, but at the same time, a bit of unease crept in—could I really trust this tiny, rat-sized fairy?
Of course, just because I had one free chance didn’t mean I had any intention of testing it. In the end, the day I did test it would be when I faced unavoidable death. I had no choice but to trust it.
Still, it put my mind at ease.
It was real.
"After that, up to level 9, it costs 1,000 Farm Points. Up to level 19, it's 50,000 Farm Points. Up to level 29, it's 1,000,000 Farm Points..."
"Stop."
It was probably better not to hear the rest.
I needed to know the exact numbers to make sure I had enough spare Farm Points, but if what she was saying was true, a single death would leave me broke—not just for a few days, but at higher levels, possibly for months.
I had to work harder.
If I wanted to live long, even if fate kept trying to screw me over until I died of old age.
I steeled myself once again.
Then, I started preparing to head for the village.
I planned to log out, come back in, organize my inventory, and chat with Lulu before going to sleep, then depart in the morning.
Since it was about 2 km away, I’d have to move diligently.
I might not be able to finish in a day, and I might have to carve out a path, return, rest, and then go again.
As I was making plans—
[Sub Quest]
[Achievement – Beginner Explorer 1]
[The true master of a dimension begins by knowing the entire map.]
[Reveal at least 80% of the level 0 biome.]
[Reward: 1 Achievement Point, 3,000 Farm Points, +5 Farming Stats, Base +10P, Random Base Box (D) ×5]
A quest appeared, completely shattering my plans.
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(T/N): NEET stands for ‘Not in Education, Employment, or Training.’