Ch.11. I’ll Give You an Old House, Give Me a New One

Warm sunlight streams through the wide windows.

High ceilings.

Elegant artwork adorning the walls.

The softness of the plush bed that envelops my entire body and the luxurious silk blanket announce a refreshing morning.

“Mmmmm.”

[10:00 AM]

I rubbed my eyes and stretched as I looked at the system displaying the time.

“Yaaawn.”

Rather than thinking about sleeping in longer, I got up, went to the bathroom, washed my face at the classically decorated sink, and came back out.

My room is located at the far end of the second floor.

Opening the large door reveals the interior of a massive mansion.

As expected, numerous artworks and ceramics decorate the walls and pillars.

The ceiling soars high above, adorned with paintings.

The enormous mansion, reminiscent of something from the medieval era, is maintained by NPC servants of various races.

“Good morning, Master.”

“Master! Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Casually acknowledging their greetings, I descended the stairs and headed for the main entrance.

Opening the door, a cool breeze blew away any remaining drowsiness, and a clear, open plain came into view.

Between my line of sight stretching to the horizon were beautifully arranged gardens, flower beds perfect for strolling, small ponds, and streams surrounding the mansion, all harmoniously blending with nature.

“Wow…”

I should be used to it by now, but every time I see it, I can’t help but be amazed enough to curse in awe.

To think that someone like me, with absolutely no aesthetic sense, could create such an impressive mansion and garden.

I did get help from NPCs specialized in relevant fields and only provided ideas, but still, it’s my own mansion with my own thoughts incorporated, so I have no regrets.

Ten minutes or so.

The mansion is so vast that it’s difficult to see everything even if you just look around the perimeter.

A wide road extends from the open main gate.

There are high walls outside the garden to prevent outsiders from entering, but even those are beautifully harmonious as they incorporate natural elements to reduce visual discomfort.

Heading to the side of the mansion and through a passage lined with vines, I was greeted by greenhouses larger than the mansion itself.

And beyond them, farms equipped with automated systems.

They have features that automatically refill and spray water daily, as well as dispense nutrients and fertilizers needed for crops to grow.

“Master, you’re here?”

Here too, NPCs who help manage and cultivate crops are stationed 24 hours a day, guarding and maintaining these greenhouses, which could be considered the foundation of this estate.

“Everything okay?”

“Of course. Harvest is in three days. Will you be aging them into wine again this time?”

“Don’t we have plenty in stock? Just age all the extras.”

“Understood!”

The large warehouses spread out beside the greenhouses are all used to store crops and collected materials.

Those warehouses have gradually increased to five.

And beyond that, there’s a small village concept with a blacksmith, alchemy shop, potion store, and more.

The village centered around the mansion was essentially my own world.

And extending from that center are the lands of this world that I’ve pioneered.

I built roads, made the surroundings safe, and developed mining areas.

[Farming World]

Farming World.

It’s a virtual reality game that’s been out for quite some time, with a name that means a world for farming items.

It can be played both in single-player and multiplayer modes, where players choose their own worlds, farm maps, and create their own kingdoms.

With its high degree of freedom and realism, it briefly held the number one spot among virtual reality games when it was released, surpassing RPGs, FPSs, and AOSs in popularity.

Now, of course, virtual reality games themselves have declined to the point of near extinction, so it’s just past glory.

Anyway, I’ve been playing Farming World for 10 years since its launch.

Day and night.

There’s no particular reason.

While Farming World is often played in multiplayer, in single-player mode, you can create whatever world you want without worrying about others, which is an advantage over stressful games like RPGs, AOSs, or FPSs that involve competition.

Does that mean I’m bad at games?

That’s not exactly true either.

Before Farming World came out, I was fairly well-known in the RPGs and FPSs I played for fun, even if I wasn’t exceptionally skilled.

But it was just preference.

After starting Farming World, I quit all other games I had been playing.

With the thought that I had been living for this game all along, I poured my life into Farming World.

I’m 26 years old now.

Excluding the times from my childhood that I can’t even remember, I’ve spent so much time in Farming World that, with a bit of exaggeration, it might be more than the time I’ve spent living in reality.

This is the result.

Resource Deposits: SS

Resource Rarity: S

Map Size: SS

Overall Difficulty: SS-

These are my achievements in the game’s highest difficulty map.

While unlocking maps costs 9,900 won and can be done even when first starting the game, I’ve been playing on the highest difficulty map for 10 years from the beginning.

Given the difficulty level, survival wasn’t easy, of course.

Now I have a huge mansion with large farms, warehouses, a blacksmith, and even a village I built myself, with numerous NPCs under my command, but at first, I started the game with just a small hut in the middle of nowhere.

I died many times.

There are many resources with high rarity, but there are also corresponding monsters and traps, so it took a very long time to obtain them.

I did a lot of grinding too.

So those 10 years represent my achievements embodied in this mansion and farm.

“Nothing to do.”

And only now could I utter these words in this game.

I wonder if there’s anyone else as qualified as me in Farming World.

With monsters appearing in the real world, not just the ones in this barren plain, Farming World and even AOS genres like League of Legends have collapsed, and even sports-related games have completely failed. It’s unlikely that many people are seeking healing in virtual reality games.

Still, it’s satisfying.

I no longer need to grind, and although there are still some unexplored places in this vast map, I’ve left them untouched like snacks saved for later.

A map that I could complete anytime I wanted.

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

I’ve invested so much time for this moment, so why would I quit?

Although reality is a miserable, trashy life, here in my escape, I’m the king of NPCs, as if I’ve used an infinite money cheat code.

Just waking up in the mansion and spending a leisurely day is happiness for me.

So I had absolutely no intention of giving this map to anyone.

[Hello, Suhyun. I would like to purchase your Farming World.]

An email I received recently.

It wasn’t sent to my email but was placed in the mailbox at the entrance of my mansion, which is used for receiving quests.

At some point, I had completed all quests, and the mailbox was just decorative, but I was happy to see mail after a long time, only to end up annoyed.

[I will provide you with Farming World’s hidden map, the Secret Farming Map. This map has Resource Deposits: Immeasurable, Resource Rarity: SSS, Map Size: Immeasurable, and will be a sufficient reward when linked to your world. Please think about it for 7 days, and I look forward to your favorable response.]

Is this a quest too?

It feels like a hidden quest that opens up something beyond the highest difficulty map, now that I’ve achieved everything.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.

Even this current map has abundant resources with rare items that can make virtual reality feel like reality.

How many great resources would there be in a map with immeasurable deposits and SSS rarity?

But the request to sell my map felt unsettling.

If they were just offering to open a new map, I would have gladly started a new one.

I could keep this one as a retreat, visit once or twice a day for healing, and take on a new challenge.

But to give up this map for a new one?

This map has 10 years of my life poured into it.

Farming World is definitely my life, and while I’d like to take on the challenge of a hidden map if there is one…

“Am I getting old?”

10 years.

Perhaps it would take even longer to build up a higher difficulty map.

Could I start again with the same passion I had in my teens, which might last until my mid-30s or 40s?

“Unfortunately…”

I’ve become too seasoned in life to go through that damn grind again.

The 7-day deadline is today.

Dong- Dong-

The noon bell rings, announcing 12 o’clock.

“I’ll have to decline.”

I thought I could just ignore it, but then…

[Thank you for your cooperation. We will reclaim Suhyun’s Farming World 1 and provide the Secret Farming Map.]

“What?”

The whole world went dark.