Disturber of the Ecosystem.
A game enjoyed by hundreds of millions around the world: Overlord.
The company running it: Blackhole.
But today, there’s a crisis at Blackhole’s First Operations Team.
Beep! Beep!
“What’s going on? What happened?”
Kang Minsu, the Team Leader of the First Operations Team, jumped up in shock at the sudden alarm.
“Min-cheol, what’s happening?”
“Uh… well…”
Kang Minsu looked for his team member, Kim Min-cheol.
“You need to see this,” Kim Min-cheol said, displaying a message on his screen.
[Hidden Piece Discovered!]
[Spirit Realm Unlocked!]
[Forgotten God’s Sanctuary Found.]
Kang Minsu’s face paled in surprise.
The Spirit Realm unlocked!?
And the Forgotten God’s Sanctuary!?
“What’s going on? How can the Spirit Realm be unlocked?”
Overlord is marketed as a player-driven game.
But the reality was different.
The game was carefully controlled by the company to follow predetermined scenarios.
Every variable, big or small, was accounted for to maintain order within acceptable limits.
Over the past year, many unexpected events had occurred, but they were always manageable.
But today… another unpredictable event emerged.
“Why…?”
According to the script, discovering the Spirit Realm should have happened much later.
“Why now?”
“It seems a player found a Hidden Piece.”
Hidden Pieces in Overlord are like a treasure hunt—players receive massive rewards for discovering them.
These Hidden Pieces are a key factor in keeping the game’s popularity alive.
But for the Operations Team…
“Another Hidden Piece!?”
Hidden Pieces were major variables.
Depending on their impact, they could create uncontrollable chaos.
Ding!
“What’s this…? An alarm…”
At that moment, new messages appeared on Kim Min-cheol’s screen:
[Quest ‘Clue to the Spirit Realm’ Deleted.]
[Linked Quest ‘Whispers of Spirits from Afar’ Deleted.]
[Linked Quest ‘The Girl Who Sees Spirits’ Deleted.]
[Linked Quest ‘I Am My Friend!’ Deleted.]
[Hidden Quest ‘Gate to the Spirit Realm’ Deleted.]
[Hidden Quest ‘Unseen But Present Beings…’ Deleted.]
[Quest Item ‘Altar’ Deleted.]
[Quest…]
The two were left speechless.
All the deleted quests had been designed to lead players to the Spirit Realm.
According to the set scenario, players had to complete these quests to find the path to the Spirit Realm.
But now, because of the Hidden Piece, the process was skipped, and only the ‘result’ was reached.
“All the quests… are gone.”
“Since a player already found the Spirit Realm, they’ve been deemed unnecessary.”
“Damn… Hidden Pieces…”
Kang Minsu gritted his teeth.
Everything seemed bleak.
While they’d managed to handle numerous Hidden Pieces before, this one was different.
This time, it was the Spirit Realm.
Over 100 quests and items were deleted, and even related NPCs were now in a state of confusion.
A bug could easily occur if not handled properly.
“Team Leader… what should we do? To fix this…”
“What else? We already know what needs to be done.”
“What is it?”
“What else.”
Kang Minsu let out a deep sigh.
“We’re working overtime today.”
“Oh…”
At those words, Kim Min-cheol also let out a long sigh.
‘Guess we’ll be stuck here for a few more days…’
Whenever a Hidden Piece was discovered, it always led to long work hours, so he was already used to it.
Kim Min-cheol thought they’d be able to manage it after a few tough days, just like before.
But he was unaware of what was to come.
Ding!
[You have obtained the Seed of the Spirit.]
[The power of the Spirit dwells within you.]
[You have earned the Hidden Title, Discoverer of the Spirit Realm.]
[You are transitioning to a special job.]
[Special job…]
This was just the beginning.
***
“Where am I?”
Hiro looked around.
Just a moment ago, he had been in the vegetable garden of Plants Village, but now he found himself in a strange forest.
Behind him stood…
“A temple?”
It looked like a temple of some sort.
The old, worn-down structure gave off a sense of abandonment.
“This place would be perfect for a courage test… but… where am I, exactly?”
Ding!
[You are the first Revelator to discover the Spirit Realm.]
[You have earned the Hidden Title, Discoverer of the Spirit Realm.]
[Discoverer of the Spirit Realm]
– Rank: Hidden (Unique)
– Requirement: Be the first Revelator to visit the Spirit Realm.
– Options: Spirit Power +30
Spirit Power Recovery Speed +20%
Spirit Magic Attack +5%
– Description: This place is truly the new continent!!!
“The Spirit Realm?”
Hiro was shocked.
Just a moment ago, he had been in the beginner town of Plants, and now suddenly, he was in the Spirit Realm.
“Could it be because of that light?”
Hiro opened his palm, which still held the mysterious seed.
“What is… this?”
The color of the seed had changed.
What was once a dull, dark color was now glowing a radiant green.
Then…
It slowly seeped into Hiro’s palm.
Ding!
[You have absorbed the Seed of the Spirit.]
[You have transitioned to the special job, Spirit Farmer.]
[A special attribute, Spirit Power, has been added.]
[Mana is replaced by Spirit Power.]
“What is this…?”
The series of unexpected events left Hiro feeling slightly dizzy.
But he quickly regained his composure.
“Let’s check the status window.”
Hiro opened his status window.
[Status Window]
– Name: Hiro
– Level: 1
– Experience: 0.00%
– Job: Spirit Farmer
– Title: Discoverer of the Spirit Realm
– Health: 500/500
– Spirit Power: 3,500/3,500
– Satiation: 95%
<Attributes>
– Strength: 5
– Endurance: 5
– Agility: 5
– Wisdom: 5
– Luck: 5
<Special Attributes>
– Spirit Power: 5 + 30
– Remaining Attribute Points: 5
“My job has changed?”
Hiro had originally been a Farmer, but now he was a Spirit Farmer with a new special attribute called Spirit Power.
“A special job, Spirit Farmer, huh…”
Hiro was deep in thought.
The reason he started playing Overlord was to become a successful farmer.
He wanted to build his own farm and achieve his dream of prosperity.
But suddenly being given a special job was unexpected.
“Since a Spirit Farmer is still a farmer, I guess it’s not too different?”
“Job Description.”
Ding!
[Spirit Farmer]
– Rank: EX (Unique)
– Description: A highly unique job that allows you to farm using the power of spirits.
Crops grown and harvested by the Spirit Farmer are imbued with special powers.
A Spirit Farmer can grow special seeds that ordinary farmers cannot.
“EX rank?”
Hiro was startled.
Even within special jobs, there were different ranks.
The ranks ranged from at least F up to EX.
As far as Hiro knew, the current top-ranked player, Dragon Knight, held an SSS rank job.
Which meant…
“Does this mean my job is better than Dragon Knight’s?”
“…But I’m still a farmer.”
The matchup between a warrior wielding the power of dragons and a farmer holding a hoe felt surreal.
His heart started to race.
“For now…”
He couldn’t make any rash moves.
Hiro’s level was only 1, and despite having an EX-ranked job, he was still a farmer.
“I don’t know where I am, so I can’t move recklessly.”
Since he was the first to discover this uncharted area, he had no information.
He couldn’t predict what kind of monsters might be nearby.
“Maybe… I should check inside the temple?”
Hiro ventured into the temple.
[You are the first to visit the Forgotten God’s Sanctuary.]
“Huh… It’s not that big.”
The place was covered in a thick layer of dust, having been abandoned for a long time.
He could feel the weight of time.
“A sanctuary chamber?”
Entering the room marked as a sanctuary chamber, Hiro found nothing but a lone altar.
“There’s nothing special here.”
Still wary of potential monsters, Hiro searched the temple thoroughly but found nothing.
“Hmm… What should I do?”
Hiro started Overlord to fulfill his dream of becoming a farmer, a dream he couldn’t achieve in real life.
Originally, he intended to start from the bottom in Plants Village and work his way up slowly.
But now…
“The Spirit Realm… Can I farm here?”
The temple’s floor was hard stone, making it difficult to create a field.
“So I’ll have to go outside.”
Hiro stepped outside the temple.
Then, something caught his eye.
“Was there a field here?”
There were traces of an old field.
Of course, it had been abandoned for a long time and needed some cleaning up.
Nearby, there was also a well with some remaining water, which seemed usable.
“Looks like this place could work.”
He had to make a decision.
He needed to farm here.
Even if he wanted to create a new character, deleting one meant he couldn’t create another for a year.
This rule was in place to prevent cheating.
In the early days, players who tried to exploit the game by deleting and remaking characters were stopped by this rule.
“And even if you create a new character, you can’t change the ID, right?”
In any case, deleting his character here meant he’d have to sit idle for a year.
Hiro didn’t want to wait that long.
“No other choice.”
Hiro grabbed his hoe.
Although he hadn’t fully grasped the surroundings, he needed to survive here.
The most important thing was food.
“If my Satiation drops too low, I could starve, right?”
He had obtained a special job—an EX-ranked job, no less.
If he could farm even in the Spirit Realm, he could fulfill his long-held dream of building his own farm and achieving success.
“It’s possible.”
Hiro spoke with hope as he started plowing the field.
[You used the Land Clearing skill.]
– Work Speed +10%
– Stamina Consumption during Work -10%
– Land has been cleared.
– Skill experience for Land Clearing has slightly increased.
– Job experience has been obtained.
As he cleared the land, his passive skill activated.
“So farmers gain experience by clearing land?”
Farmers could earn experience by clearing land, planting seeds, and harvesting crops.
Thump, thump, thump!
Hiro continued to clear the land around him.
“The soil isn’t too bad.”
Despite being abandoned for a long time, the soil was in better condition than he had expected.
Ding!
[Quest ‘Creating a Field’ has been generated.]
[Creating a Field]
– Rank: E
– Description: The beginning of farming starts with creating a field.
Let’s make your own field.
– Success Conditions: Clear 100 field tiles.
– Rewards: Experience, 100 gold, Beginner Farmer’s Hat.
– Penalty for Failure: None.
“Alright.”
Hiro accepted the quest and continued clearing the land.
Since he had done this a few times when trying to farm in real life, it was easier than expected.
[You have cleared the quest ‘Creating a Field.’]
[You have gained experience.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have obtained 100 gold.]
[You have obtained the Beginner Farmer’s Hat.]
“Phew… Is that it?”
The field started to look quite decent, and Hiro completed the quest and received his rewards.
He checked the Beginner Farmer’s Hat.
[Beginner Farmer’s Hat]
– Rank: F
– Description: A perfect hat for beginner farmers working under the blazing sun. Wearing it reduces fatigue.
– Requirements: Farmer class.
– Durability: 500/500
– Options: Stamina Consumption during Work -5%, Work Speed +5%
“Not bad.”
Since F rank was the lowest item rank, he wasn’t too concerned.
“Then…”
Hiro took out 100 sweet potato seeds from his bag.
“It’s really a relief…”
He thought about how disastrous it would have been if he had moved here before buying the seeds.
“Let’s plant the seeds…”
Ding!
[Quest ‘Sowing Seeds’ has been generated.]
[Would you like to accept it?]
Hiro smiled slightly at the new quest.
“Accept.”
[You have accepted the quest.]
“Well then… Shall we continue?”
It had only been a day since he started Overlord.
Hiro had already begun farming in the Spirit Realm.
Cliche Novel 