"We should always respect the land and everything that grows on it."

That was the first sentence my geology teacher said to the class in the first semester of agronomy school. Many ignored it, others found it cheesy, but I understood what she meant. As a child, I walked on the earth with my bare feet and felt the sand between my toes. It relaxed me. I liked digging and planting the seeds I didn't eat from apples. An apple tree grew from that, right in the middle of the park. It was uprooted by the city hall a year later.

Now, after coming to this world, I was faced with that phrase again. I needed to dig, plow the land, fertilize, and plant. Over time, the plants would grow, and I could see life emerging from the earth, just as I always wanted. Unfortunately, I had to drop out of school halfway to work and take care of my father. But now, everything was different. Now, I had the freedom to create what was mine.

The mission was simple, plant ten turnips. However, the challenge was much greater than I had imagined. The open area for planting was overrun with weeds, tree trunks, rocks, and trees. I first had to clear an area of all that to plant. And as in the game, it would take me a long time to clear everything.

"It's going to be a lot of work..." I looked at that mess with the scythe in my hands. "But it wouldn't be fun if it were too easy, right?"

I took a deep breath, knelt near the first weed, and with one stroke, I removed it. It came out whole, just like in the game. It felt strange at first because it was too easy.

Energy - 198/200

My energy had decreased by two. So, would each of these movements cost me two energy? I couldn't tell if that was a little or a lot. I guess I would only know by testing. Approaching more, I tried something different. This time I made a big swing, hitting three weeds at once. All three were removed at once, just like the first one. No effort at all, no fatigue. I was doing great, and seeing that brought a smile to my face.

"So, this is going to be easier than I thought!"

Energy - 192/200

"Or not..."

So, no matter what I did, I would lose two energy per weed, not per movement.

"Would this apply to mining and cutting down trees?"

I made a move to go to the toolbox, but as I turned to it, I noticed they weren't there. The box was empty, and the only tool I had was the scythe in my hands.

"What's happening here..."

Had someone stolen them? But that couldn't be possible. Did I lose them? But how could I have lost them so quickly? What could I do? These tools were given by the mayor, and it would be very disrespectful to lose them like this.

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"I really needed that pickaxe..." And as if by magic, the scythe disappeared from my hand with a faint blue glow, and in its place, the old pickaxe that had been in the toolbox appeared.

"How is this possible...?"

I twirled the pickaxe in my hands and saw that it was indeed real. Soon, an idea occurred to me. What if I thought about other tools? I quickly thought of the axe, and just like the pickaxe, it materialized in my hands. The same happened with the hoe, watering can, and rice cakes.

"I have an inventory..."

As I said that, I realized how foolish I was being. "Of course, it would appear like this. I'm in a game!" I thought about the inventory, and the window with all my items appeared in front of me.

Inventory:

- 1x Watering Can

- 1x Axe

- 1x Scythe

- 1x Hoe

- 1x Pickaxe

- 2x Rice Cakes

- 1x Cell Phone

Feeling excited, I immediately wielded the pickaxe and struck the first rock I saw. It split without any difficulty, and even though the impact of the blow shook my arms, I felt good, with energy for much more.

Energy - 190/200

I quickly switched to the axe and took a swing at the huge log in front of me. But to my surprise, the axe rebounded at once, pulling my arms backward. The log had repelled the attack, making me recoil and feel pain in my hands. The swing had cost me two energy points, but the hard wood of the log had not suffered any scratches.

"It... it's just like the game. I forgot I need better tools to clear these things..."

Putting a little focus into my mind, I did what I had to do. I cleared the planting area, cutting down trees, removing weeds, and the trees in the way. Time passed while I did this, as if it passed more quickly while I worked than normal, but it should only be an impression from my busy mind.

Somehow, I got too carried away. I ended up clearing more than I should have, and it used up more energy than necessary. I would run out of energy to plant this way.

Energy - 40/200

"Unless I eat a rice cake. If it's a game, it should work."

I equipped the rice cake and took a bite at once. It was a fresh, well-made food, but it didn't have much flavor. But for its intended purpose, it served very well.

Energy - 90/200

"Fifty energy, huh? Not bad." I said, satisfied. "Not bad at all."

With more energy, I plowed the land carefully, leaving ten spaces, and precisely planted and watered. I did everything in the best possible way, so those turnips could grow well. In the future, I would fertilize that soil and have the best quality vegetables possible, but for now, I wanted everything to be perfect the way it could be. I could say I was very focused. So focused on cutting, mining, and planting that I didn't notice the basics. My breathing was getting heavy, my body didn't feel as willing, and my movements were slow.

Attention: You are entering fatigue!

The system warned me. Maybe it had warned me before, but I was too focused on my tasks. It was already night, but I didn't know how late it was, and before I knew it, my vision suddenly blurred, and everything darkened. I had just planted the turnips. The mission was complete, but due to carelessness and my habit of overworking, I ended up fainting with no energy left.

"I... I did it..."

Consciousness abandoned me, but the smile on my lips didn't. I was dirty, tired, and my body ached from hard work, but this time, I was tired because of something I wanted to do. Now, I would sleep under the stars in that endless sky. I just didn't know that I would wake up somewhere other than my farm.