Night settled quietly over the farmhouse, the crickets outside chirping in a soft, familiar rhythm.
The dinner dishes had long been cleaned, and the day's chaos faded into a gentle calm.
Inside the softly lit bedroom, Kana was curled up under the blanket, fast asleep.
Her breathing was steady, soft as a whisper, her head resting peacefully against the pillow beside him.
Venzel lay beside her, still awake, eyes on the ceiling. His mind wandered, exhausted, yet restless.
With a quiet sigh, he turned his head to look at her sleeping form, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Then, gently, careful not to disturb her, he reached over to the nightstand and picked up his phone.
The screen lit up with a glow, illuminating his face in the dark.
Farm Tycoon.
He stared at the icon for a moment, thumb hesitating over it. Then, with a resigned huff through his nose, he tapped.
The game loaded. Level 1 stared back at him, mocking in its plainness.
"...Sigh."
A new prompt blinked on screen.
Tutorial – Tap to Begin.
Venzel smirked bitterly. "Yeah, yeah. Back to square one, huh?"
Still, with nothing better to do, he tapped Play Tutorial.
But instead of the usual opening; plowing soil, planting seeds, watching an animated chicken lay its first pixel egg.... his character was instantly pulled toward a swirling portal on the screen.
A bright vortex of light opened in the center of the game, glowing and humming.
"...What the—?"
His brows furrowed as he leaned in, blinking rapidly.
The character on screen didn't pick up a shovel. Didn't even touch the soil.
Instead, it was transported into a strange, colorful village with oversized flowers and floating windmills that turned without wind.
A new notification popped up:
[The villagers of Toon Town are shocked by the visit of an unknown being. Go to the marked location and meet: Ashy.]
Venzel sat up slightly in bed, careful not to wake Kana.
The blanket rustled as he shifted, and Kana stirred a little, mumbling something in her sleep before settling again.
He turned his attention back to the game.
On the screen, his character stood in the center of a whimsical town. Everything was overly round and pastel-colored.
Buildings looked like frosted cakes, and the sky was dotted with floating balloons shaped like fruit.
He tapped the joystick. The avatar jogged forward toward a glowing spot on the map.
When he reaches the spot..
He saw a small, pink blob with tiny cat-like ears and shiny black eyes.
Round and squishy-looking, it had no mouth or limbs, just a soft, wobbly body that seemed made for cuddles.
It looked up with a quiet curiosity, as if trying to understand the world one blink at a time.
Its name floated above it: Ashy.
"What… in the world is this…" he muttered under his breath.
It blinked twice and opened its tiny mouth.
Venzel leaned in again.
"Oh boy," he whispered. "Guess I'm not just farming anymore…"
A soft chime rang from the phone as the notification popped up:
[Ashy has assigned you a task]
The screen flashed brightly with cheerful colors:
[Welcome to Toon Town, farmer!
Here's your beginner pack.]
[If you want to explore the whole of Toon Town, follow the chain of tasks prepared for you.]
Venzel blinked at the message, reading the current task:
[Current task: Sell 100kg of potatoes.]
He blinked again, mouth slightly agape.
"Kilograms? Not units?" he muttered, brow furrowed. "Since when do they weigh stuff in this game?"
He rubbed his chin, confused. After months of playing, he knew the mechanics inside and out.... or so he had thought.
[Do you want to use your beginner pack?] the prompt asked.
His eyes locked on the Yes button.
He gave a resigned sigh and tapped it.
Then, just like that, a solid box materialized right in front of him... not on the screen, but physically in the room.
Venzel's eyes went wide.
His whole body jerked, nearly leaping backward in surprise.
He swallowed hard, heart pounding a little faster.
His hand shot out instinctively to catch the box, steadying it carefully on his lap.
He glanced nervously over his shoulder.
Kana was still asleep, her chest rising and falling in steady rhythm.
He breathed out slowly, as he stared at the box now resting on his lap.
His breath slowed. His hands didn't move.
There was no panic, just silence and stillness.
His eyes narrowed, fixated on the object that had quite literally popped into existence.
It was real. Solid. He could feel the faint weight of it through the blanket.
His mind scrambled for logic, for anything that made sense.
What sorcery is this…?
He reached out slowly, fingers hovering just over the lid. He didn't open it. Not yet. Not until he understood what had just happened.
Then—
Ping!
A soft glow pulsed from his phone again, pulling his attention back to the screen. A new message had appeared:
[You have unlocked the Inter-Dimensional Object Movement System.]
Please give the system a name.
[Items from the game can now be brought out and used in real time.]
Congratulations on reaching Level 100!
Venzel's lips parted in disbelief.
He stared at the message, then back at the box, then again at the screen.
His heartbeat had steadied but his thoughts were a storm.
Real time?
Inter-dimensional?
This is a farming game, not sci-fi fantasy… what even is this?!
Was this a hidden feature? A glitch? Or… am I dreaming?
He glanced to his side.
Kana, blissfully unaware, shifted slightly, her soft breathing a gentle tether to reality in a moment that had slipped far beyond it.
Venzel slowly turned back to the box, shoulders still tense.
He whispered under his breath,
"…I'm going to need a minute."