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Chapter 10
“Serfs… no, workers wanted.”
Sweet Little Village was the heart of every player’s nostalgia and a sanctuary for newbies.
The game’s core concept was farm-healing, so running a farm was the main content—but MarsFarm offered freedom beyond agriculture.
Want a combat character? You could grind dungeons to boost stats. Mining, gathering, weaving, brewing… you name it, you could do it. If desired, players could even weave multiple romance plots for reverse harem play.
But even combat players started with farm life. Every player began by running a farm, so all farming materials were available in Sweet Little Village.
Even as Nana saw the broken, desolate village with her own eyes, it didn’t feel real.
‘No one survived… really?’
The dry wind answered her question, sweeping across the blackened, lifeless land. Dead leaves rolled past her feet.
“Well… there’s no way anyone survived.”
Since the zombie outbreak, Nana hadn’t returned to Sweet Little Village until today. She feared the zombies, yes, but she also didn’t want to admit that she might be the only survivor.
“After searching thoroughly, I found nothing. No humans, not even life of any kind.”
Ishanka spoke, informing her of the village’s state—leaving out that he had sent a note to the East Bridge with the current situation and his engagement break with the Bilona tribe.
“I see… then let’s head to the blacksmith. There’s no point staying here. Soon, it’ll be so dark you won’t see a thing.”
The weight of reality—that no one was left—pressed down. Nana tried to mask her sinking spirits with a bright voice, urging Ishanka along.
It wasn’t hard for Nana and Ishanka to reach the blacksmith. As Ishanka had said, they hadn’t seen a single zombie along the way. Yet the building was partially destroyed—the walls and roof collapsed, barely leaving the frame.
They cautiously entered what had once been a blacksmith’s shop. Fortunately, the farm tools weren’t hard to find.
“While we’re here, let’s take everything we can. No one’s coming back for these items.”
Nana opened her inventory and swept in the tools as if the pockets themselves were sucking them up.
“Please, come see this.”
“Whoa! You scared me! At least make some noise before appearing!”
Nana dropped her hoe with a clatter, startled by Ishanka silently appearing behind her. Always quiet, he moved like a cat—perhaps more like a black panther.
“Sorry to startle you, but I want to show you something.”
He led her to a section of the floor behind the counter where the blacksmith would sit daily.
“While exploring earlier, I found this spot. Knock on it—the sound is different. It seems hollow underneath.”
Ishanka demonstrated, tapping both outer and inner floorboards. The difference was clear.
“A secret storage, perhaps?”
“Could be, but it might be a trap. Some shops exploited the expectation of a hidden safe, installing traps instead to catch thieves.”
His logic made sense. The blacksmith had eccentric tendencies—enough that it wouldn’t surprise anyone.
“I’m not from this village, so I didn’t open it. Do you know anything about it?”
“I don’t. The blacksmith once asked me to run small errands, but never mentioned this spot.”
Nana hadn’t seen any mention of it in MarsFarm community tips either.
“Let’s try opening it. Even if it’s a trap, I doubt a small shop would rig something that could destroy the building. The blacksmith was proud of his belongings, and he cherished the workshop. And…”
Nana glanced around before speaking.
“The workshop’s already in ruins. There’s nothing to lose. And if worse comes to worst, Isha will protect me.”
Her clear, practical answer brought a rare smile to Ishanka’s usually calm face. A man with that composure smiling—and handsome to boot—was almost dizzying.
Nana watched from a safe distance as Ishanka lifted the floorboard. Even if a trap appeared, he could dodge; she couldn’t.
“It’s…”
Beneath the floorboard lay a sword. Its black iron gave it an almost ominous sheen. Nana’s eyes widened.
‘Huh? Why is this here?’
Even uninterested in combat, she recognized it instantly. The legendary sword “Aion Araph”—a notorious overpowered item among combat players.
MarsFarm had initially attracted players through famous character designs more than farming. Gorgeous characters, romance, and casual farm play—plus viral videos from popular YouTubers—had drawn a huge player base.
But after the novelty wore off, most players moved on. The developers were in crisis.
To retain players, they released new content, high-freedom gameplay, and overpowered items as quest rewards. Among them was this black longsword.
“May I hold it?”
Without a word, Ishanka handed it to Nana. She gripped the leather-wrapped hilt—and the system menu popped up.
<Hidden Item: Masterpiece forged by Vulcanus, the continent’s greatest blacksmith—‘Aion Araph’ acquired! Stats are as follows…>
Even knowing it was overpowered, the stats stunned her. No wonder combat players went crazy.
The sword had been a premium limited item, originally designed to retain early players. Later, it became rare and highly sought after on the community market.
‘I could sell this for two cows… then make cheese and butter.’
A new system message appeared:
<**If you sell this sword, you can trigger one ending—becoming rich in the Rositten Count family.
Ending Reward: Return to your original world.
Returning erases your memory of this place and you cannot return.>**>
An ending? This sword wasn’t just a premium item. Its value was immense, hidden in a rural blacksmith’s workshop.
Her hands trembled. Escape from the ruined game to her real world… no more zombies, no more fear.
The images came back—rotting zombies tearing into survivors, her own escape, the guilt of being the sole survivor.
All that horror could be erased. Returning to the real world would blur the memories of this place.
‘This isn’t my fault. Why am I trapped here? Why should I keep suffering?’
She tightened her grip.
‘If I go back… it’s all over.’
Nana slowly lifted her head, decision forming in her eyes.
