Chapter 1

001.

White.

The whole world was white.

Above, below.

An infinite white space where I could not even distinguish the ground beneath my feet.

I sat with a blank expression in the middle of a temple where dreamlike mist curled around my ankles.

“Um…… I’m really sorry.”

And in front of me was a woman fidgeting nervously, completely out of place in this unreal space.

As she spoke, she fiddled with her fingers.

Brilliantly shining golden hair, an elegant dress, even a faint halo glowing behind her.

Anyone could tell she had ‘Goddess’ written all over her, yet she looked like an elementary school student who had been called before the teacher for not doing her homework.

“So…… to summarize.”

I rubbed my face dryly and asked.

“You’re saying it was a mistake?”

“Yeah…….”

“I wasn’t supposed to die, but you got me mixed up?”

“Well…… one of the Excel cells got shifted over by one…….”

The goddess Irea made her excuse in a barely audible voice.

So even gods use Excel to handle their work in modern times.

Anyway, the lightning bolt meant to take away an infamous serial killer had instead struck the crown of Kang Jin-ho, an innocent, hardworking young man.

“So how are you going to take responsibility?”

“R-responsibility?”

Irea’s eyes widened.

I deliberately put on a stern expression.

Truthfully, I wasn’t angry.

If anything, I felt indifferent.

After all, I had grown up an orphan and spent my life working fourteen-hour shifts in cramped kitchens.

My right leg was also impaired from the aftereffects of childhood polio, and my perfectionist personality meant I lived under constant stress.

Rather than feeling wronged by my death, I almost felt relieved at the thought that I could finally rest.

‘That’s that, though. I should still get whatever I can. Of course, it’d be a different story if this really were the end of my life.’

Thinking that to myself, I looked at Irea.

From the moment she said she had made a mistake, I already had a plan in mind.

“You said I can’t return because my original body has already been cremated. Then shouldn’t you at least compensate me properly?”

“Y-yes! I’ll grant you anything you want!”

The goddess exclaimed, brightening.

“Please let me…… live the life I want.”

“Th-that’s all? Fine. Wish in your heart for the life you desire. What kind of place you want to live in, and what kind of person you want to be. With my divine authority, I’ll create the most perfect body and environment for you.”

She waved her hand through the air, and a cluster of sparkling lights surrounded me.

Watching it, I slowly closed my eyes.

The life I desired…….

I wanted to be able to stand on two healthy legs.

I wanted to breathe clean air instead of city exhaust.

Somewhere without cutthroat competition or constant ranking.

‘I hope I can be born with a healthy, sturdy body and quietly spend my life farming somewhere with beautiful scenery.’

That would be enough.

Perhaps my humble wish had reached her, because a dreamlike voice echoed beside my ear.

[Very well, I shall grant your wish. May you find happiness there…….]

As my consciousness faded, I smiled.

This time, I was really going to live my life properly.

But…….

But, Goddess.

I never said I wanted to be a barbarian!

.

.

.

“Gasp!”

My eyes flew open with a scream like a death cry.

Cold, dry air rushed deep into my lungs.

What? Ah, right.

I’d been promised a new life.

This was the world where I would begin that new life.

“……!”

I froze halfway through taking a breath.

Because of the being in front of me.

He was enormous. His trapezius muscles bulged like jagged rocks, scars were carved across his forearms like medals, and a necklace made from animal bones rattled around his neck.

‘What’s with those eyes…….’

Like a butcher looking at a cow just before slaughter, or a starving beast.

He was staring straight through me.

White ash smeared over his sickly pale skin made his appearance even more grotesque.

‘That’s…… a person?’

I couldn’t even scream.

They said overwhelming fear could paralyze your vocal cords, and that was exactly what had happened.

Without exaggeration, he was the most terrifying-looking thing I had ever seen in my life.

“Izak.”

The man spoke in a thick, low voice.

What does that mean? Does it mean he’s going to kill me?

When I remained frozen without answering, his brow furrowed.

It felt as though that enormous palm could crush my head like a watermelon at any moment.

That was when it happened.

- Tap, tap.

I felt a dull sensation against my side.

I turned my stiff neck and looked beside me.

Then I sucked in another breath.

“Gasp.”

If the guy in front of me was the scariest-looking man in the world, then the guy beside me was the ugliest.

‘His facial features were parked in all the wrong places…….’

The distance between his eyes was as vast as the Pacific Ocean, his nose was blunt, and his jaw jutted out like comb-pattern pottery.

“……?”

The ugly man blinked at me.

His eyes looked stupid.

Once again, he jabbed my ribs with his thick finger. It hurt.

“Izak. Go out. Food.”

Food? The instant that one word registered in my ears, he forcibly hauled me to my feet.

My body floated up regardless of my will.

Only after standing did I realize something.

My viewpoint was unnaturally high.

And my forearms were as thick as my thighs had been in my previous life.

‘This is…… my body?’

My body, clad in rough leather clothing, looked hardly different from those monsters around me.

Pale skin, a muscular physique, and a wild aura surrounding my entire body.

At least I did seem healthy and sturdy.

Still bewildered, I was pushed forward and began walking.

The ugly man beside me gave me a tap and shoved something resembling a dented washbasin into my hands.

Now that I looked, a large cauldron hung in front of the scary man, and he was holding something like a ladle.

I awkwardly held out the bowl.

- Splat

The ladle dumped its contents into the bowl.

Looking inside, I saw a thin, grayish liquid.

There were hardly any solids, and a few unidentified roots floated on the surface.

I gave it a sniff.

The smell of muddy water mixed with something sour rose up.

‘This is supposed to be food?’

This wasn’t food. It was food waste.

As a former chef, I glared at this insult to cuisine, but the others were too busy ravenously gulping down what looked like water used to rinse a filthy rag.

The sound of smacking lips came from all around me.

“Izak. Not eat?”

The ugly man asked with gray broth smeared around his mouth.

Izak seemed to be my name.

I could feel everyone’s gaze turning toward me at once.

Especially the terrifying stare of the man in front of the cauldron.

What would happen if they discovered there was something strange about me?

The sudden fear that I might end up inside that cauldron as tonight’s dinner made me squeeze my eyes shut.

‘Survive first.’

Gulp, gulp.

The lukewarm, fishy liquid slid down my throat.

The horrible sensation against my tongue made me gag, but I forcibly suppressed it.

As a former chef, I had a particularly sensitive palate, which made it even harder to endure.

Only after I emptied the bowl did they finally look away.

I fled the area and slumped down between some rocks at the edge of the village.

“Haa…….”

Spitting out the lingering dryness in my mouth, I slowly looked around.

The view was spectacular.

A canyon split the earth, surrounded by magnificent red cliffs like folding screens.

The endless wasteland stretching between them looked like a sculpture carved by a god.

A perfectly clear sky. Whenever the wind blew, a whistling sound echoed through the canyon.

And pale-skinned giants with white ash smeared over their bodies.

‘The chief’s name was…… Zakan, right.’

The fragmented pieces of information in my mind began fitting together.

Because this was the game <​Legacy Of Chronicles>, abbreviated L.O.C., or ‘LOC,’ my one and only hobby!

This was the world inside that game.

And I had become neither a soldier of the Human Empire nor a magnificent mage…… but a barbarian who gets wiped out during the tutorial.

“Crazy goddess…….”

A curse slipped from my mouth before I realized it.

I wished to be healthy and sturdy…… and, well, I did seem healthy and sturdy.

I wished to live somewhere with beautiful scenery…… and the scenery certainly was beautiful.

I wished to live by farming…… how the hell was I supposed to do that? What kind of barbarian faaarms?!

This had originally been an open-world survival action MMORPG with a high degree of freedom.

I screamed wildly inside my head.

‘Whew…… calm down.’

Because there was a bigger problem than my anger.

I knew the game’s story.

The barbarians I belonged to did not survive the first winter after the game began.

The Great Famine. The canonical story was that a record-breaking cold wave and starvation wiped out the entire tribe, with only Chief Zakan surviving to become a mercenary.

I looked up at the sky. The sunlight filtering between the blue clouds was still warm.

‘Is it spring?’

If it was spring now, then there were at most about six months until winter……?

Cold sweat ran down my back.

I die in six months!

Either from starvation or from freezing to death.

To survive, we needed to secure food…… but what could we possibly do in this barren land?

Hunting? Should we hunt?

That was when it happened. A clear bell rang inside my head.

[Ding-!]

A translucent blue window appeared before my eyes.

[A barbarian has worried about the ‘future’ and established something called a ‘plan’!]

[The system is moved by intelligence that transcends the limits of the race.]

[Changing class to a Hidden Class.]

“What?”

What kind of bullshit is this now?

There’s a system too? This really is a game?

No, more importantly, a class change? For a barbarian, it would normally be something like Berserker or Raider.

“Status Window.”

I muttered in a trembling voice.

==========

【Player Information】

• Name : Izak (Kang Jin-ho)

• Race : Barbarian (Northern Rock Tribe)

• Class : Novice Farmer

• Level : 1

【Basic Stats】

• Strength : 20

• Agility : 15

• Constitution : 22

• Intelligence : 20

• Mental Strength : 8

• Fame : 0

【Traits and Skills】

• Unique Traits

① Barbarian Spirit

- Your soul belongs to a noble modern person, but your body is that of a true barbarian.

- The lower the player’s Mental Strength, the more you will speak and act like a barbarian.

② Warrior’s Roar

- A barbarian’s body rejects magic.

- You can only use skills by roaring, Barbarian!

• Acquired Skills

- Farmland Reclamation : Converts a designated area into land imbued with life.

- Growth Acceleration : Crops grow faster.

- ?????

【Farming Journal】

• Registered Crops : None

【Owned Titles】

• None

==========

“…….”

I was speechless.

Ah, so she really did let me farm?

The goddess had granted my wish very faithfully and precisely.

Apparently, I was supposed to live as a sturdy barbarian, farming in a scenic place.

‘Crazy…… how the hell is a barbarian supposed to farm!’

I clutched my head and screamed.

Wait. Maybe I can.

First, I needed to understand the situation.

I had to check how much food we had left.

Only then could I make a plan.

Just then, the ugly guy from earlier happened to walk past. Without warning, I grabbed him by the collar and demanded.

“How much food have we got!”

What the hell was that!

I’d meant to ask normally, but this Barbarian Spirit was incredible!

My body moved on its own, and words came flying out of my mouth on their own.

But apparently unbothered by my aggressive behavior, the guy answered without giving it any thought.

“Potatoes! Many. Barbarians rich!”

“Potatoes. How many!”

A stupid conversation went back and forth.

Good grief.

“Hmm…… one, twooo…… threeee…….”

He extended his thick fingers and began folding them down one by one.

After counting to five, he opened his other hand and counted to ten. Then he stopped, and deep wrinkles formed between his brows.

“Elevennn…… twelveee…… twelveee…… tw-twelveee…….”

He even brought his toes into the count, but he could not get past twelve.

Whew…… just as my patience was reaching its limit.

“Argh! Go see yourself, then know!”

He sprang to his feet and began walking ahead.

I quickly followed him, and a shabby tent without even a door appeared.

Surely this isn’t the warehouse?

“Here. Warehouse.”

Good grief.

Once I stepped inside, the sight was unbelievable.

The only thing inside the large warehouse was a single old leather sack.

The ugly guy strode over, lifted the old leather sack, and dumped it onto the ground.

Clatter-

Shriveled potatoes rolled across the floor.

I quickly counted them. Exactly twenty.

“See! Potatoes many. Barbarians rich!”

From what I had seen while we were eating earlier, there were roughly forty members of the tribe.

Forget the Great Famine. It wouldn’t be strange if we starved to death tomorrow.

This is worse than I thought.

Then, as I stood there dumbfounded, realization struck me like lightning.

Wait. I’m a farmer……?

And thirty minutes later.

.

.

.

“Chief, chief! Big trouble. Bad barbarian here! Report bad barbarian!”

I…… was arrested.

Just one hour after arriving in this world.

Ah, right.

These guys were barbarians…….