"Oh, oh... oh."
Kai muttered as he tried to steady himself after suddenly landing in an unfamiliar place.
"What is this place?"
He asked while glancing around. In front of him stretched a barren field, with nothing but patches of wild grass. Beyond that, he could see a fenced pasture.
Behind him stood a shabby-looking house and, next to it, a rather large red barn.
"This is the farm you will take care of,"
the Fairy Goddess answered, floating gracefully at his side. Kai couldn't help but envy how easily she moved through the air.
"Are you serious?"
Kai asked, doubting whether he could possibly manage a field that looked this neglected.
"Of course."
The Fairy Goddess responded with a bright smile, completely ignoring the worry in Kai's voice.
"So... this is where I'll be living from now on?"
Kai pointed at the only house in sight, though he wasn't even sure if it could really be called a house.
"Yes. For starters, your home will look like this... but if you manage to earn enough money, you can hire a carpenter in the village to build you a bigger one."
"Eeeeh!? Why not just give me a larger and better house from the start!?"
"That's simply part of the rules, so I cannot."
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Even though this was supposed to be the real world, it all felt more like the logic of a game.
"And now, let us begin the tutorial."
The Goddess cheerfully announced, as if this were the opening of some video game.
"Tutorial? Aren't we just going to farm here?"
"Yes, that's true… but before starting anything, it's always better to begin with a tutorial."
"Eeeeh! Can't we just skip it?"
"Sorry, that's not possible!"
Kai was the type who always skipped tutorials whenever he played a game, so he had absolutely no enthusiasm for what they were about to do.
"So, what's the first thing I have to do?"
"First, let's take a look at the field."
The two of them walked closer to the farmland ahead. The nearer they got, the more Kai realized just how messy it was.
"This area contains plots you can use to grow trees, which will eventually bear fruits and vegetables you can sell… there are ten sections, each containing five plots, making fifty in total for you to cultivate."
Kai could already see that much without her explanation. The real problem, however, was something else entirely.
"How am I supposed to grow anything here when the place is covered in weeds and stones?"
Every single plot was overrun with wild grass and rocks. From the looks of it, there seemed to be three different types of stones scattered around.
"Of course, before you can use the plots, you'll need to clear the obstructions… you can use a sickle to cut away the weeds, and a pickaxe to remove the stones."
Once again, something that felt straight out of a game appeared here.
"Can't you make it a little easier to deal with?"
"Sorry, that's just how the rules go."
It seemed Kai had no choice but to follow those rules.
"Then where am I supposed to get those tools?"
"Why, I've already prepared some farming tools for you to use… here they are!"
Out of nowhere, the Fairy Goddess suddenly produced a pouch, small enough to be tied around one's waist.
"Wait… are you telling me that little bag can store all of my farming tools?"
"Yes, and not just farming tools, but also your harvests!"
Amazing—something like magic was now right before his eyes. Well, there was already a Fairy Goddess standing in front of him, so an enchanted bag wasn't exactly shocking anymore.
Kai accepted the bag from the Fairy Goddess and strapped it around his waist. Strangely enough, the bag didn't fall off even though he had simply placed it against his waist. What a peculiar bag.
"Now, you can pull out any tool stored inside whenever you want."
A large, transparent screen suddenly appeared in front of Kai. On it, he could see farming tools such as a hoe, a sickle, and a watering can.
"I don't see the pickaxe you mentioned earlier," he said with a frown.
"Sorry, but certain tools need to be purchased first before you can use them."
"What!? Why don't you just make things easier!?"
"I'm really sorry, but those are the rules."
Kai was visibly frustrated by the news. She was the one who had asked for his help, yet she didn't seem to want to make his life any easier. Perhaps it wasn't entirely fair to blame the Fairy Goddess, since she seemed bound by the laws of this world—but still, he couldn't help but dislike how this was turning out.
"For now, let's start by equipping the sickle to clear out the weeds,"
the Fairy Goddess suggested, trying to continue the tutorial and smooth over Kai's sour mood.
Kai tapped the sickle icon on the screen. The display vanished, and in his hand appeared a real sickle.
"All you need to do is swing the sickle at the weeds, and they'll be cut down."
Following her instructions, Kai swung the sickle at a patch of wild grass nearby. Instantly, the weeds disappeared without a trace.
"Any weeds you cut will automatically be stored in the barn over there. Later on, you'll be able to use them as fodder once you've bought your own livestock."
The Fairy Goddess gestured toward a barn Kai had noticed earlier. He couldn't help but wonder how weeds he cut here ended up transported all the way into that barn. But he quickly gave up trying to make sense of it. After all, this world was 100% the same as a game. Logic had no place here.
Kai then cut down all the weeds nearby without saying much."So, now I'm supposed to use the hoe?" he asked after clearing the five closest plots.
"Yes, that's right… before you can plant seeds, you'll need to till the soil in those plots first."
Kai swapped the sickle in his hand for a hoe."Hoe, hoe, dig it deep… plant the hoe in our little field!"For some reason, Kai began to sing as he tilled the soil in front of him. But suddenly, he stopped mid-swing.
"Wait a second! How deep am I supposed to dig before I can plant the seeds?"He shot a questioning glance at the Fairy Goddess.
"Um… actually, you only need to till it once. That's enough to plant the seed on top and then water it."
"Why didn't you say that earlier!?"
"Sorry, it's just… you seemed so enthusiastic, so…"
Kai grumbled as he struck each plot of soil with a single swing of the hoe. The tilled soil immediately looked different from the untouched ground, yet it was no different from the spots he had over-dug earlier. So clearly, digging multiple times had been pointless.
"Ah, I almost forgot… you have a limit to how many times you can till and cut weeds each day before you become exhausted and can't keep working. So you'll need to be careful… oh, but since this is the tutorial, you can dig the same spot as much as you want."
Once again, the Fairy Goddess explained something that sounded like it came straight out of a game.
"So what you're saying is… I basically have a stamina bar for farming?"
"Yes, exactly… but you can increase that stamina bar by eating special fruits."
"And where exactly do I find these special fruits?"
"Sorry, you'll have to discover that on your own."
"You really don't intend to make this easy for me, do you."
"My apologies, but… those are the rules."
The goddess's smile faltered for a moment. She looked as if she felt a little guilty for not being able to help Kai any further.
"So, where are the seeds?"
He couldn't exactly start farming without them.
"Ah, here they are!"
With a snap of her fingers, the Fairy Goddess produced a pouch decorated with a bright red tomato and handed it to him.
"Just tip the pouch over the soil you've tilled, and the seeds will plant themselves."
Kai followed her instructions without a word. By now, he was slowly getting used to how bizarre this world was.
But when he emptied the pouch over the fifth plot of land, it suddenly vanished from his hand.
"Huh? What just happened?"
Kai stared blankly at his empty palm.
"Seed pouches disappear once they're used up," the goddess said matter-of-factly.
"I see… well, I guess that makes things simpler."
At least he wouldn't have to deal with piles of trash.
"Alright, time to water them. Don't forget—any seeds left unwatered will be gone by tomorrow morning."
Kai didn't even bother asking where the seeds would "go." He already knew what her answer would be: That's just how the rules work.
He grabbed a watering can and walked over to the well beside the field. It looked like it could hold an endless supply of water.
"Dip the can into the well, and it'll refill automatically," she explained. "But whatever you do, don't let go of it. If you drop it, you'll need to buy a new one."
Kai listened carefully and made sure to hold on tight. Sure enough, just lowering the can near the well was enough—it filled up on its own. He never even touched the water, yet the weight in his hand grew heavier until it was full.
"Oh, and one more thing," the goddess added quickly. "Don't water them more than once a day. Too much, and they'll wither."
The Fairy Goddess gave a warning as Kai watered the seeds he had just planted.
Kai didn't mind the rule, since it actually made his work easier. But there was one problem…
"What about rain? What will happen if it rains?"
Kai asked after finishing all the watering.
"If it rains, you won't need to water your crops. But you must be careful, because some of them might wither the next day."
"What should I do to prevent that from happening?"
"Unfortunately, nothing… you can only replace the withered plants with new ones."
The rule was very similar to the farming games Kai knew, so he wasn't too surprised. Even though it was a bit troublesome, it was probably what made those games interesting.
"Now we just need to wait five days for the seeds to grow and bear fruit. After that, you can harvest them every three days."
"Only five days? That's really fast!"
"Yes, but remember, every plant has a different growing and harvesting time."
Even so, Kai was sure no crop would take more than ten days to grow, which was still much faster than in the real world.
"Now, let's check the barn over there! Even though you don't have any animals yet, it's still important to learn the basics."
The two of them entered the barn. Inside were several pens. After counting them, Kai found there were eight.
"You can keep six cows and two horses here."
"So the maximum is six cows, huh… but I'm surprised I can actually have two horses. Normally, in games like this, you can only have one, right?"
"Yes, that's true. Amazing, right? But that's not all. You can also expand this barn if you ask the carpenter to make it bigger. That way, you can increase both the number and types of animals you raise… of course, it will cost a lot of money."
"I see, so the barn can level up too."
"Something like that."
The Fairy Goddess then walked—or rather, flew—toward the corner of the room.
"This is where the grass you cut is stored. By using the grass here, you can feed all the livestock you keep in this barn."
"I see… that'll save money, so I don't have a problem with it."
Kai commented as he looked around the grass storage room in the corner. Inside, he saw dried grass. He was certain the grass he had cut earlier had been green, yet now its color had already turned brownish.
"I'll explain more about this place once you actually have livestock here."
"Got it."
"Now then, how about we check the chicken coop? It's right next to this barn."
Kai nodded in response.
They walked over to the coop the Fairy Goddess mentioned. Just as she said, it was right beside the barn, but since the massive barn had blocked his view, he hadn't been able to see it when he first arrived.
"This is where your chickens will live. Since they're smaller animals, they can't stay inside the barn."
The Fairy Goddess explained as they stepped inside.
"You can hatch chicks by placing an egg inside that incubator over there."She continued, pointing toward a small glass-covered container with a nest of straw inside.
"You can only place one egg at a time, and it will hatch in five days. Then, it'll take about a week for the chick to grow into an adult chicken, which will start laying eggs every day."
"So they'll all turn out to be hens, huh?"
"Yes, that's right… they don't need a rooster to lay eggs."
A bitter truth for the men of the game world.
"Actually, the same goes for cows and the other animals here. They can produce milk, and if you give them a special medicine, they can even become pregnant."
"Well, that's something I've seen in other games, so I guess it's not really surprising."
There might be more animals in this world that only exist as one gender, but Kai was sure that the horses in the game he played were stallions. So it didn't make sense for only female animals to exist here.
"Oh, right… you should remember that every chicken here has its own coop. So don't go feeding the wrong one… you might waste your feed if you place it in the wrong coop."
There were only six coops inside, which meant Kai could raise up to six chickens at the same time.
"So where can I get chicken eggs to hatch?" he asked.
"You can get them by befriending the chicken farmer or buying them… but I'd recommend getting them for free from the farmer instead of buying, since you'll gain an advantage that way."
"An advantage? What kind of advantage?"
"Not only will you get free eggs, but you'll also build a friendship with the farmer. Trust me, you'll benefit from it."
"I see… I'll keep that in mind."
Kai wasn't really convinced why he needed to befriend the chicken farmer, but for now, there was no need to think too deeply about it.
"Now then, let's check out your house!"
Finally, they arrived at the moment Kai had been dreading—inspecting that shabby-looking house. He wasn't excited about it in the slightest.
The house was made entirely of old, weathered wood. It had just a few windows and a single front door.
Inside, there was only one room. Since the outside already looked so poor, Kai hadn't expected much from the interior, so he wasn't too disappointed.
"For now, you can only eat and sleep in this house. But once you expand it, you'll get a kitchen where you can cook."
Kai glanced around at the simple bed and dining table—it really did seem like that was all he could do here.
His eyes then landed on a calendar hanging above a small table beside the bed.
"What's this?"
Kai asked as he looked at the calendar. What he was really questioning wasn't the object itself, but the dates and months written on it.The calendar only showed the words Spring with thirty blank squares, each marked with a small number in the top-left corner. There were three sheets labeled Spring before it shifted to Summer, then Autumn, and finally Winter.
"That's the calendar of this world. We only recognize seasons here—there are no such things as months."
"So each season here lasts for 90 days, which is basically three months?"
"Yes, that's right… it's not all that different from your own world, is it?"
It was true. Even though the number of days in a year here was shorter than in his world, the seasonal system wasn't too far off.
"Just so you know, rain always comes at the start of spring, the end of autumn, and throughout the entire winter… though sometimes during winter, it'll snow for thirty days straight, so you'd better be ready for that disaster."
"I understand."
It was basically the same as the game he used to play, so Kai wasn't too worried. He was confident he could handle it.
"So, what else can I do here? Don't tell me farming is the only thing!"
"Of course not. You can also help out villagers, go exploring, or even earn some extra money by taking part-time jobs at shops or other farms that need a hand."
"I see… that way, the game won't get boring."
"Exactly. And if you grow close to one of the girls here and win her heart, you can even marry her!"
"Wha—What did you just say!?"
"Hm? I said you can marry her. Why? What's the matter?"
That's when Kai remembered. The games he used to play also had a marriage system. So of course, he could marry a beautiful girl here as well. Why had he only just realized that now?
"By the way, how many girls can I marry!?"
Kai asked excitedly, raising one hand in the air.
"Eh!? Obviously, you can only marry one girl."
"Wait—don't tell me I can't marry all of them!?"
"No… that…"
"Can't you do something about it!?"
The Fairy Goddess felt cornered by Kai's sudden outburst and selfish desire.
"I can't do anything about other people's feelings… if you can make them all fall in love with you and they're willing to share you, then I suppose you could marry them all… maybe."
Since she wasn't sure what else to say, the Fairy Goddess gave that hesitant answer.
"I see… well then, it can't be helped."
But Kai looked very satisfied with that response.
The Fairy Goddess was actually curious why he would say such a thing, but she decided not to ask. She was too afraid of what his answer might be.
"Do you want to meet the villagers here?"
"Yeah, of course!"
Kai couldn't wait to see what his future brides might look like, so naturally, he was excited.
"In that case, let's go!"
The two of them then set off to meet the other villagers.