Chapter 3: I Begin My Home Garden
〈Designate as a garden plot?〉
A mysterious voice echoed inside my head, and a section of the yard—a perfectly cut rectangle—began to flicker with a soft, almost hypnotic glow.
“Huh? What… is this?”
I froze, caught between curiosity and disbelief. Something this surreal shouldn’t be happening. Was it an auditory hallucination? A trick of the light? Or some kind of strange magic?
〈Designate as a garden plot?〉
The voice repeated, calm and insistent.
“Y-yes?” I answered hesitantly, nodding without fully understanding.
〈Garden plot designated〉
This time, the flickering stopped instantly. At the same moment, the unruly weeds that had overtaken the area vanished completely, leaving behind a neatly tilled, pristine patch of earth. It was roughly three meters by two meters in size, just enough to make my jaw drop.
“What… is happening here…?”
The transformation had affected only the rectangular section that had been flickering. Everything else around it remained overgrown and wild. Swallowing my unease, I stepped cautiously into the freshly formed plot.
“This is definitely a garden… right?”
Then, out of the corner of my eye, mysterious text appeared, floating in midair:
―――――――――――
Geo’s Home Garden
Level 1 0/5
Garden Area: 50/50
Skill: None
―――――――――――
“What… is this? Level? Skill? 0/5? 50/50?”
The voice inside my head spoke again.
〈Start cultivation?〉
Below it appeared a list, stretching across my vision:
▼Wheat Medium Quality
Barley Medium Quality
Rice Medium Quality
Potatoes Medium Quality
Carrots Medium Quality
Onions Medium Quality
Tomatoes Medium Quality
Eggplants Medium Quality
Pumpkins Medium Quality
Garlic Medium Quality
Chinese Cabbage Medium Quality
Lettuce Medium Quality
Cucumbers Medium Quality
Turnips Medium Quality
Bell Peppers Medium Quality
Fifteen types of crops, neatly lined up, each one waiting for me to choose.
“What… does this mean? Oh, this ▼ moves… so I can select which crop to grow?”
I moved the cursor to potatoes and pressed the mental “select.”
〈Cultivate potatoes?〉
“…Yes.”
〈Specify quantity〉
1/50
Apparently, I could choose anywhere from one to fifty. I settled on one for now.
〈Specify location〉
A ▼ appeared on the garden. To my surprise, the soil was now divided into a precise grid of squares, exactly fifty of them. The cursor followed my gaze as I moved it across the grid, finally stopping at the furthest square.
〈Is this location okay?〉
“…Yes.”
〈Potato cultivation has begun〉
Wait… I haven’t even planted any seeds. Is this really how it works?
I knew nothing about farming, so I had no idea. But it cost nothing, so why not experiment with other crops too?
It seemed each crop needed one square per unit, though I could assign multiple units at once. I decided to spread my selections: five squares each for potatoes, carrots, onions, tomatoes, eggplants, pumpkins, garlic, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, and cucumbers. That filled all fifty squares.
Feeling satisfied with my work, I turned to head back inside—only to notice tiny sprouts already emerging from the potato square I had planted first.
“Whoa… they’re sprouting faster than I expected.”
An hour passed.
By the time I looked out again, my yard had been transformed into a flourishing home garden.
“This is incredible… the vegetables are already growing.”
Bright red tomatoes glistened in the sunlight, their skins taut and glossy. Each square didn’t just hold one tomato—they were practically bursting with five or six fruits apiece. Nearby, plump eggplants hung heavily from the vines, while large pumpkins rested on the ground; though there were only three, their sheer size made them more than sufficient.
Vegetables that had only been planted an hour ago were now ready for harvest.
“Growing vegetables can really be this easy?”
I had heard farming was grueling work, but this seemed effortless. Maybe it was the power of my gift at work…? On second thought, harvesting might actually be the harder part.
〈Harvest?〉
The voice echoed in my mind again, perfectly attuned to my thoughts.
I nodded.
Then, astonishingly, the vegetables began to move on their own. They leapt from the soil, floated in the air, and gathered neatly at my feet. Multiple baskets had appeared out of nowhere, and the vegetables jumped directly into them, automatically sorted by type.
Before I realized it, the entire harvest was complete—without my hands ever touching the soil.
I reached out, cautiously touching a vegetable. Nothing stirred. Nothing was alive.
“Okay to eat… right?”
I picked up a tomato, one that could be eaten raw, and after a moment of hesitation, bit into it.
“!?”
My eyes widened.
“It’s… delicious!”
The flesh was firm, yet the jelly-like interior oozed with flavor, spreading instantly across my tongue.
“And… it’s sweet!”
The sweetness was almost fruit-like, perfectly balanced with a hint of tangy acidity. I devoured the tomato in seconds, reaching for another before catching myself.
This was just a taste test—no need to eat more than one.
“…But, with so many… maybe it’s okay.”
I gave in instantly, biting into the next tomato. One was never enough—I could eat dozens.
Before I knew it, I had consumed five in total. Patting my now full stomach, I whispered in disbelief:
“And this is just medium quality…?”