Chapter 2
āHealing Farm Life?ā
Isn’t that the farming game I used to play in my hospital room?
There weren’t many things a patient could do while staying in a hospital.
Among my limited choices, I mostly spent my time reading novels and playing games.
Healing Farm Life was the game I enjoyed the most.
But the system in front of me was a little different from that game.
Name: Muriel Terni Winterberg
Age: 21
Race: Human
Titles: Sacrifice of the Terni Family, Scapegoat, Terrible Farmer
Blessing: ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ’s Blessing (ā”ā” Bonus)
Stats: [ā¶ Click!]
Skills: Purification (Lv. 1), Cultivation (Lv. 1), ??? (Locked), ??? (Locked)…
Status Effect
You are married to Raul Winterberg.
Please collect coins as quickly as possible and purchase the “Fate Distortion” item.
In other words, it was like a character profile.
That game had never included anything like this.
The thing that caught my attention the most was the mysterious blessing hidden behind black squares.
And why was there a line crossing out “Winterberg”?
It looked like I had to click separately to check my stats.
As for my skills…
Purification?
Cultivation?
“Purification… Does that mean I can cleanse contaminated land?”
I quickly checked the skill description.
Purification (Lv. 1)
Purifies contamination within an area of 1 pyeong (about 3.3 square meters).
Can be used once per day.
“Wow… It really can.”
Only one pyeong, and only once a day.
A little disappointing.
The Cultivation skill was exactly what its name suggested.
Cultivation (Lv. 1)
Can cultivate two types of crops.
Crop growth speed increased to 120%, regardless of season or temperature.
Sub Skill: Holy Touch (Lv. 1)
“…Holy Touch?”
What was that?
As soon as I lightly touched the description, another explanation appeared.
Holy Touch (Lv. 1)
Accelerates crop growth and grants special effects to crops.
“Oh…”
It sounded incredibly overpowered.
I didn’t know what the “special effects” were, but still…
Healing Farm Life had been much more realistic and difficult.
This system, on the other hand…
It practically handed out cheat codes.
ćTipć
To begin farming, you must first purify contaminated land.
Approach contaminated ground and use the Purification skill.
“Hmm…”
I stared at the floating message before slowly standing up.
If I wanted to survive here, I’d have to do whatever I could.
Even if it meant trusting this mysterious system.
As I slowly walked toward the contaminated land, another window immediately appeared.
Contaminated Land (Danger Level: B)
The resentment flowing from a dead spirit is corrupting nature.
To use Purification, designate the area and whisper “Purify” in your heart.
The source of this world’s contamination was something called the Spirit Hunt, which had happened long ago.
What was a Spirit Hunt?
Exactly what it sounded like.
Hunting and killing spirits.
Rustle.
Just then, my status window flipped like the pages of a book.
It transformed into an old yellow parchment.
Words slowly appeared across it, as though someone were writing them with a quill.
Spirits naturally disappear over time.
However, someone discovered a way to kill spirits and steal their power.
Thus began the Spirit Hunt.
My eyes widened.
It was even explaining the original story to me!
Was this another benefit of being reincarnated?
After the madness known as the Spirit Hunt came to an end, many parts of the continent became contaminated by the curse of the spirits.
Plants and animals could continue living in contaminated land, although their appearances became grotesque.
Humans, however, could no longer survive there.
Everything produced in contaminated land was poisonous to humans.
You couldn’t hunt animals.
You couldn’t gather plants.
You couldn’t drink the water.
And farming?
That was completely impossible.
Unless the contamination was purified.
I knelt on the ground.
Placing both hands on the contaminated earth, I imagined purifying this exact spot.
Purify.
At that instant, brilliant rainbow-colored light burst from my hands.
“…!”
Startled, my eyes widened.
The light seeped into the ground before slowly fading away.
The earth that absorbed the light…
It changed from a dull blackish-purple into a rich brown!
I quickly scooped up a handful of soil.
Not to eat itā
Just to smell it.
Instead of the sharp stench of corruption, it carried the fresh scent of healthy earth.
Exactly one pyeong of land had become fertile soil where crops could grow.
The area was small…
But it was still incredible.
If I purify one pyeong every day, then after ten days I’ll have ten pyeong!
And if I grew vegetables or fruit there…
My food shortage would be solved!
“…But where do I get seeds or seedlings?”
The moment I said that, another window appeared.
First Purification Successful!
You have earned 10 Coins.
Coins can be spent in the shop.
ā¶ Enter Shop
Whoa.
I only purified the land, yet I got coins as a bonus.
There’s even a shop!
This already sounds incredibly useful.
Filled with excitement, I pressed [ā¶ Enter Shop].
The window expanded into something that looked exactly like an online shopping mall.
āThe Universal ShopāWe Sell Everything!ā
“Wow…”
Excited, I browsed through the items for sale.
Seeds.
Seedlings.
Saplings.
Even fully grown trees.
There were mature fruit trees and flowering trees…
But they were ridiculously expensive.
Paradise Apple Tree
Produces Ruby Apples every day.
2,000 Coins
Lilac Tree Blessed by the Goddess of Summer
2,500 Coins
I only have ten coins…
How was I supposed to save up two thousand?
“Let’s just buy potatoes…”
With so many products, searching seemed much faster.
When I clicked the search bar, a keyboard appeared.
I searched for seed potatoes.
Whoosh.
The screen changed instantly.
At the top was exactly what I wanted.
The price…
Seed Potato
1 Coin each
That’s cheap!
Compared to those suspicious trees costing thousands of coins, ordinary seed potatoes were incredibly affordable.
“Great! I’ll buy ten seed potatoes rightā”
Wait!
“Eh?”
A system message suddenly interrupted me.
You need farming tools to plant and harvest crops.
Recommended Tool: Hoe
Ah…
Right.
I can’t dig the soil with my bare hands.
I put five seed potatoes into my cart before searching for a hoe.
Several sizes appeared.
The most basic one cost five coins.
That makes exactly ten coins.
It was disappointing that I could only buy five seed potatoes…
Still.
After putting both the hoe and the potatoes into my cart, I pressed Purchase.
The status window suddenly turned into something like a black hole.
Then…
It spat the items out.
Instead of plastic or vinyl packaging like in modern society, the five pieces of seed potato and the hoe were wrapped in paper.
Well… Shall I try planting them?
Carefully hugging the potatoes and the hoe, I hurried toward my tiny one-pyeong field.
* * *
Meanwhile, at Winterberg Ducal Castle…
After returning to his office, Raul soon received a report from one of the servants.
“We’ve delivered a month’s worth of daily necessities and food to the cabin.”
“Good. You’ve worked hard. You may leave.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
In reality, the servant had stolen all of the supplies and food for himself.
Yet he shamelessly lied.
He didn’t think it mattered.
After all…
His lord probably wanted that woman to die anyway.
If that wicked woman starved to death out there, it would only save His Grace the trouble.
The duke had instructed the servants to visit the cabin once every week to make sure the villainess was still alive.
But…
There’s no need for that.
The death of Terni’s villainess is everyone’s wish.
Only after the cruel Muriel Terni died could the duke finally become happy.
The servant truly believed that.
After the servant left and closed the door…
Raul set down his papers and looked out the window.
What was the woman abandoned in that old cabin doing right now?
For the pampered daughter of House Terni, life there would be unbearably difficult.
She brought all of this upon herself.
If that villainess had simply behaved herself after arriving at Winterberg Castle…
None of this would have happened.
But Muriel had continued committing one cruel act after another.
Eventually, Raul had reached the limit of his patience.
So even if she died there…
“…”
As he lifted his teacup, Raul suddenly stopped.
Without warning…
The memory of the first time he had met Muriel surfaced in his mind.
“M-My name is… Muriel Terni…”
She had introduced herself with her head lowered.
Her voice had been timid and uncertain.
The tips of her ears, barely visible beneath her emerald-silver hair, had been bright red.
Her clear green eyes, cautiously glancing at him, had seemed innocent.
“…”
Raul took a sip of tea before letting out a quiet laugh.
It had all been an act.
She was a disgusting woman.
And yet…
He couldn’t be certain.
Do I really want that woman to die?
…Perhaps it would be better if she simply died there.
Then everything would be settled neatly.
The peace treaty with House Terni could be broken.
The woman who irritated him would disappear forever.
Yes.
So…
Whether she lived or died…
He shouldn’t care anymore.
Muriel Terniā
That villainess was a stain that should be erased from his life.
