Spirit 1

TOC I Next

“Hiro, what do you want to do when you finish your military service?”  

“Me?”  

“Yes, what will you do? Will you get a job right away?”  

“No, I’m going to farm.”  

“Farm?”  

“Yes. My dream has always been to return to the countryside and farm. So once I save up enough money, I’ll head back and start farming.”  

Hiro’s answer never changed when asked about his dream.  

He always wanted to farm.  

Watching his grandparents work on their farm in the countryside looked enjoyable.  

Helping them dig up sweet potatoes, harvest potatoes, and pick strawberries as a child left him with a deep sense of fulfillment.  

Hiro turned his dream into action.  

Though he couldn’t do it immediately, he worked hard until he was 30 to save up the minimum capital needed.  

On his 31st birthday, he quit his job and moved back to the countryside.  

“Luckily, my grandfather’s house was still intact, so I saved on housing costs.”  

After his grandfather passed away, his parents hadn’t sold the house, which allowed Hiro to save significantly on expenses and made his move possible.  

At first, he was thrilled.  

“Finally, my dream is coming true!”  

He had returned to the countryside!  

Hiro’s ultimate dream was to have a large farm of his own.  

Now that he was back in the countryside, he thought that dream was within reach.  

However, reality wasn’t as easy as Hiro had imagined.  

“Who are you? This is the Kang family’s house.”  

“You’re the grandson of Mr. Kang?”  

“You came back to farm? Young people are always welcome.”  

“We’ve been short on helping hands, so this is perfect.”  

Initially, people welcomed Hiro warmly.  

Young labor was scarce in the countryside, so there was no reason to turn him away.  

Feeling the warm welcome, Hiro believed his move was a success.  

But it took less than two months for people to reveal their true colors.  

“Hiro, can you help us out?”  

At first, he helped out willingly.  

But, as the saying goes, “Kindness, if continued, becomes expected.”  

People started treating Hiro like a slave, as if it were only natural.  

Even worse—  

“Hiro, now that you’ve settled here, shouldn’t you contribute to the village?”  

“We’re pooling money to buy a communal truck for the village; would you like to chip in?”  

“It’s all for the village. A young man like you should contribute more.”  

The village head began pressuring him to pay a development fee for the village.  

Patronizing remarks and territorial behavior soon followed.  

Because of this, Hiro’s first attempt at farming failed miserably.  

He had no choice but to return to Seoul.  

“If I’d stayed any longer, I might’ve died from the stress.”  

“But I can’t give up.”  

Hiro had no intention of abandoning his dream of farming.  

However, having been burned once, he was hesitant to take action.  

Then, it happened.  

[Great Overlord! You can become anything you want!]  

[Exciting adventures! Become the Hero you read about in comics, novels, and fairy tales!]  

[An expansive storyline, ultra-realistic graphics, and living, breathing NPCs!]  

A commercial for a game appeared on TV.  

Great Overlord.  

Though a year had passed since its release, it remained at the top of the popularity charts.  

“I think… this game is a complete remake of a game I played ten years ago, rebranded as Great Overlord.”  

Ten years ago, Hiro had enjoyed a game called *Illusion*.  

He played it briefly before his military service, but it had shut down while he was enlisted.  

Great Overlord was a newly released remake of that game.  

“Game… game…”  

[Great Overlord is a player-driven game. You can craft divine weapons or become the lord of a territory!]  

“You can do anything.”  

Those words resonated deeply with Hiro.  

“Do I really need to farm in reality?”  

It was worth considering a broader perspective.  

There was no rule that said farming had to be done in real life.  

“Can’t I do it in the game? I should be able to farm there, right?”  

Hiro quickly accessed the Great Overlord website on his phone and checked the available professions.  

[Farmer]  

It existed.  

Great Overlord offered such a remarkable level of freedom that it was said to be faster to count the jobs it didn’t have than to list the ones it did.  

Of course, there was a farmer class.  

“Well then…”  

Out of curiosity, Hiro checked the price of a game access capsule.  

The cheapest one cost 40 million won.  

He had the money.  

If he combined the money he’d saved so far with the money from selling his grandfather’s house (with his parents’ permission), he’d have about 100 million won.  

“Still, 40 million won is… too much.”  

“Ugh… no, it’s too expensive. How could I… my parents would definitely say something if they found out…”  

His rational mind was telling him not to do it.  

But—  

“Gah!”  

Hiro’s eyes widened in shock.  

Despite his rational thoughts, his finger had already clicked the purchase button.  

His finger had betrayed him.  

“Well, I guess there’s no turning back now.”  

Though his first attempt at farming had failed in reality, he was determined to succeed in Great Overlord.  

Hiro resolved to gather information as he grabbed his phone.  

***  

The access device was a large capsule big enough to accommodate one person.  

Installation was simple.  

The day after he ordered it, a technician arrived, set it up in ten minutes, and left.  

“Amazing.”  

It really was impressive.  

“How did they even get something this big in here?”  

The capsule was large enough for a person to lie down inside.  

It wasn’t small enough to fit through the door of Hiro’s room, but the technician tinkered with it for a bit and set it up anyway.  

When Hiro looked at him in wonder, the technician, clearly accustomed to this, smiled and said:  

“After a few thousand installations, this becomes easy.”  

Was this the work of a professional?  

Hiro found it quite impressive.  

Beep.  

When Hiro pressed the side of the capsule, the lid opened, revealing the interior.  

It had a seat similar to a massage chair.  

Without hesitation, Hiro climbed inside and sat down.  

Beep.  

The lid closed automatically.  

A helmet descended and was placed on Hiro’s head.  

As the capsule’s operating sounds filled the air, a voice pierced his ears.  

[Please select a game to launch.]  

“Great Overlord.”  

[Launching Great Overlord.]  

[No account detected. Would you like to create one?]  

“Yes.”  

[Creating account…]  

Account creation was simple, requiring only verification through a national ID number, email, and phone number.  

[Account creation complete.]  

[Launching Great Overlord.]  

With a loud *whoosh*, the surrounding scenery changed, and Hiro found himself in a white space.  

In front of him stood a single mirror in an otherwise empty room.  

“What is this…”  

“Hello?”  

A voice called out.  

Turning his head, Hiro saw a small fairy flapping its wings, smiling at him.  

‘Is this the guide fairy?’  

Guide fairies helped new users with avatar creation and village recommendations upon their first login.  

It looked similar to fairies from old fairy tales.  

“Welcome, prospective Overlord! I am…”  

“Skip.”  

“What?”  

“Skip. I don’t need the explanation.”  

“But… sniff… okay… then, avatar settings…”  

“Keep it as it is.”  

“Name…”  

“Hiro.”  

“Well then, your vi…”  

“Plants Village.”  

Having gathered information beforehand, Hiro quickly skipped through the dialogue and even selected a village.  

The fairy seemed to tear up a bit each time.  

“…sniff… Alright. As you wish, prospective Overlord…”  

“Skip.”  

“I’ll send you there.”  

Wooong.  

Light enveloped Hiro’s body.  

[Transporting to beginner village, Plants Village.]  

‘Huh?’  

Just before he vanished, Hiro saw the fairy muttering something.  

Judging by its mouth movements, it seemed to be saying:  

“Annoying herald…”  

Simultaneously, Hiro’s body was fully engulfed in light, and when he opened his eyes again—  

“Is this the Beginner’s Training Ground?”  

He had completely entered the game.  

“Wow…”  

Hiro was amazed.  

He now understood why so many people were obsessed with Great Overlord.  

The realism was so convincing that he could have believed it was the real world.  

The sensation of the wind brushing against his skin and the lively sounds filling his ears were incredibly authentic.  

Who could call this just a game?  

Hiro knelt down and touched the soil.  

“The texture feels good. I think I can do it here.”  

Return to farming.  

It seemed possible.  

It wouldn’t have been feasible in other games, but with Great Overlord’s high degree of freedom, it was achievable.  

“Hey, are you a newcomer?”  

“Hm?”  

“I’m asking if you’re a newcomer.”  

“Oh, yes, that’s right.”  

Turning his head, Hiro saw a soldier with a rather stern expression standing nearby.  

It was Hans, the Beginner Training Instructor.  

“Welcome to Plants Village.”  

Plants Village.  

It was not known as a particularly good place for beginners to start.  

Unlike other beginner villages, its surroundings weren’t very friendly.  

[I’m a beginner! Any recommendations for a village?]  

ᄂ Rendor Village. It’s beginner-friendly, with nearby villages and diverse monsters.  

ᄂ Yep, start at Rendor Village. Just avoid Plants Village!  

ᄂ ?? Why?  

ᄂ Plants Village has lots of land but few monsters nearby, making it hard to reach the second village.  

ᄂ I chose it and almost died trying to get to the second village. I nearly quit halfway.  

The reviews about Plants Village weren’t great.  

But Hiro chose it anyway.  

The reason was simple:  

“Lots of land? Then it’s perfect for farming.”  

His goal wasn’t hunting or anything of the sort but to create his own farm.  

He preferred more land over more monsters.  

“So, why are you touching the dirt? Dirt isn’t for eating.”  

“I’m not eating it.”  

“Either way, it’s been a while since a herald showed up in Plants Village.”  

[Beginner Training Instructor Hans’ affection has increased.]  

“Alright! Let’s start the training!”  

Ding!  

[A beginner quest, ‘Beginner Training,’ has been generated.]  

[Beginner Training] Rank: F  

Description: It’s time to choose a weapon for the prospective Overlord.  

Select your preferred weapon and defeat a ‘Beginner Goblin.’  

Success Condition: Win against the Beginner Goblin.  

Reward: Equipment, 100 gold, skill.  

Failure Penalty: Activation of the follow-up quest, ‘Beginner Training 2.’  

“Now! Fight this goblin and win.”  

A small goblin appeared in front of Hiro.  

[Beginner Goblin LV. 1]  

The Level 1 goblin was unarmed.  

It was exactly as Hiro had read online.  

The game taught basic combat techniques to help new players adapt easily.  

Kieek!  

“You can choose any weapon. Pick one from over there.”  

The direction Hans pointed to had a variety of equipment.  

Swords, spears, shields, bows—there was truly a wide selection.  

Among them, something familiar caught Hiro’s eye.  

“This is…”  

[You have selected a Beginner’s Shovel.]  

“…Why did you pick that shovel?”  

“Uh, I’m used to it?”  

When playing *Illusion*, Hiro had chosen the shovel as his weapon.  

Maybe that’s why it felt right?  

The grip wasn’t bad at all.  

“Are you really planning to use… that?”  

“Yes, it’s fine, right?”  

“Well… yes, it’s fine. You have quite a unique taste as a herald.”  

“Haha.”  

A “herald.”  

It’s the term used for players in *Great Overlord*.  

It symbolizes noble beings who can only become Overlords after receiving a divine revelation.  

Whirr! 

Whirr! 

Hiro swung the shovel a few times.  

“Have you used a shovel often?”  

“Yeah, quite a lot.”  

“But…”  

Is that how you use a shovel?  

A shovel is usually meant for digging, but Hiro’s stance was clearly one for striking.  

It was a swing that didn’t match the tool’s typical purpose.  

‘He’s truly a peculiar herald.’  

“Alright then, go for it.”  

Ding!  

[Hans’ affection has increased.]  

[Use the shovel to defeat the Beginner Goblin.]  

[Upon victory, you can receive a special gift from Hans.]  

“Alright, let’s do this.”  

TOC I Next