Liam finished college convinced that everything would start there, that he would get a job and be able to enjoy spending some money in his free time, play video games, buy monthly passes in one gacha game or another, and maybe even find a partner.
But in the end, nothing started.
Two years looking for work. Two years of interviews that led nowhere, ignored emails, calls that never came. He lived in a small apartment, with cheap furniture and an almost empty fridge.
The diploma hanging on the wall didn't pay the rent, and he could only get by thanks to a job as a house cleaner.
He slept poorly on a sand-filled mattress he'd been using since he was a child.
He ate even worse, only able to afford rice with an egg at every meal because it was the cheapest option, except for breakfast, when he ate a single Saltín Noel cracker with water, imagining it was hot coffee with milk.
That trick was what kept the hunger away the longest on his tight budget.
But everything came to an end with a death that was simple. Too simple.
A collapse in the street while he was coming back from yet another useless interview. A sharp pain in his chest, dizziness, the ground rushing up. No one arrived in time.
Diagnosis: heart failure due to stress and prolonged neglect. He was in his twenties, and he was done.
That should have been the end. But it wasn't.
He opened his eyes expecting a hospital. But for some reason, all he saw was a mountainous landscape overlooking the sea. It didn't take long for him to realize he was on a bus.
He tried to remember how he'd ended up there, and all he got was a sharp headache and fragmented memories.
A gray cubicle. Gray walls. Gray people typing without expression. A clock marking the exact time with an unbearable tick. He recognized the place immediately.
"Joja…?"
Before he could get up from the chair, the scene vanished as if someone had closed a program.
When everything seemed to end, he noticed the paper hanging from his hand, which he was gripping unconsciously.
He started reading it with high expectations, hoping for "For my grandson."
His hands trembled slightly as he opened it.
He read.
"If you're reading this, you must be in dire need of a change. The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life... real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong."
— Grandpa's Letter
He closed the letter slowly.
He didn't feel sadness. Quite the opposite, he wanted whatever was happening to him not to end.
He checked his body. He didn't feel the exhaustion that had followed him throughout the last year. He smiled for the first time in a long while.
"So… is this real?"
He remembered that game he used to play all the time, but that for some reason he always finished in year two before starting a new run.
The fact that he had another chance to keep living, especially as the farmer who would become completely rich.
The scenery outside the window changed as the hours passed.
He leaned against the window and touched his chest.
"Reincarnation, transmigration, possession, none of that matters now…"
His mind wouldn't stop thinking about the game he'd played for a long time: Stardew Valley.
A world where effort was rewarded and where it was fun to progress steadily. Knowing about several events, he could take advantage of them, but what he remembered most about Stardew Valley were its characters.
Lots of girls.
His thoughts went there directly, without shame.
Abigail, Haley, Leah, Penny, Emily, Maru, even the ones who already had a partner or a ring, like Jodi and Caroline.
'I'm not going to play at being a saint. I already lost an entire life being proper.'
The bus slowed down.
A wooden sign appeared outside the window.
"Stardew Valley 0.8 km"
After a few minutes, the driver spoke for the first time.
"Last stop."
He stood up and checked his belongings, but he had nothing besides the letter and the clothes on his back, so he simply got off the bus.
The air was fresh, different from the heat he remembered from where he lived in his past life. In front of him stretched a dirt road surrounded by a few trees. "So this is it…" he thought.
"Hello!"
The voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
He turned his head and saw her.
A tall red-haired woman, wearing work clothes and an open smile, was approaching him. She had tools hanging from her belt and a firm posture, clearly used to physical labor.
She was attractive. No debate.
'Good start.'
"You must be Liam," she said, extending her hand. "I'm Robin, the local carpenter."
Liam shook her hand.
"Nice to meet you."
"Mayor Lewis asked me to come get you. He told me you'd be arriving today and that I should show you the way to your new home. He's already waiting for you there, making sure everything is ready for your arrival."
She pointed toward the path leading between the town and the farm.
"The farm's this way. It's not exactly in the best condition, but I suppose you already know that."
"I can manage," Liam replied. "I've survived worse."
Robin looked at him for a second longer than usual, evaluating him.
"That's good. Stardew Valley rewards persistent people."
They began to walk.
The sound of their footsteps on the dirt, the crunch of leaves, and the birdsong filled the silence. Liam observed everything carefully. This was no longer a game, and this was the place where he would live from now on.
Robin walked ahead of him, leading the way.
After about half an hour of walking, they reached the entrance to the farm. There stood an abandoned shack that looked like it could collapse in a strong storm. It had a window in the front and another in the back, and to one side there was a pile of stacked logs.
"This is StarFarm."
Liam felt moved as he looked at it. Even though it was run-down, it was his own house—a place where he wouldn't have to worry about someone showing up to charge him an outrageous amount for a space that wasn't worth it.
Robin, seeing him staring at the house, misunderstood his reaction.
"What's wrong? It's true, it's a bit neglected, but there's quality soil under all this mess."
Hearing her, Liam tried to clear up the misunderstanding, but he was interrupted when the door opened and a somewhat graying man appeared, despite not looking very old.
Seeing Liam and Robin, he spoke enthusiastically.
"Well, the town's new addition!"
He approached them.
"Welcome to Pelican Town! I'm Lewis, the mayor of Pelican Town."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lewis. My grandfather told me about you when I was just a child."
"That makes me very happy!"
Lewis looked a bit nervous upon hearing that, so he changed the subject.
"You know, everyone's talking about you. It's not every day someone moves here, it's quite an event."
"Yes, I never thought I'd live in such a remote place. It's a whole new experience, so I hope to get along very well with everyone in Stardew Valley."
"I'm glad to hear your optimism!"
Lewis smiled, but then looked at the house with a touch of melancholy.
"So… you're moving into your grandfather's old cabin."
He gave it another look before commenting.
"It's a very… rustic house."
Robin, with a bright smile, chimed in.
"Rustic? You could say that…"
She paused before delivering the final blow.
"Though I'd say it's more like falling apart."
Then she laughed softly.
The mayor was a bit annoyed by the comment.
"How rude!"
He turned to Liam and tried to comfort him.
"Don't mind her, Liam. She tries to make you feel bad so you'll ask her to upgrade the house."
Robin seemed to take it a little personally, until she heard Liam's response.
"Don't worry, Lewis. I know it's a place that's gone years without any care, so what Robin said isn't far from the truth."
Then he turned to her.
"I hope to count on your skills in the future, when I can afford the price of your work."
Robin was touched when she heard that.
"Of course you can count on me! I'm very good at my job, and I won't let you down."
"Well, that's all for today. Liam, you must be very tired from the trip, and it's already getting dark."
Lewis pointed to the cabin.
"I left you some food inside, courtesy of Gus. It's best that you rest. Tomorrow you should explore the town and introduce yourself to the neighbors, they'll really appreciate it."
"See you later."
"See you!" Robin said before walking away alongside Lewis.
However, the mayor seemed to remember something and turned back.
"Oh, I almost forgot. If you have anything to sell, place it in this box here and lock it. There's a spare key in the cabin. I'll stop by before dawn to collect the goods. I'll take whatever Pierre wants to buy, and I'll sell the rest wholesale outside the valley."
"I wish you good luck!"
When both of them left, Liam entered the cabin. The interior looked much better than the exterior. Lewis must have cleaned it.
There was a fireplace, a bed, a table with a chair and a bowl. There was also a television that seemed to get a signal thanks to an antenna. What surprised Liam the most was that it wasn't plugged into anything.
He turned on the TV, and a witch appeared casting magic. She talked about spirits and mentioned that the viewer would have good luck that day before the screen shut off. He changed the channel, and a reporter appeared announcing that tomorrow would be sunny, before it shut off the same way.
"This brings back old memories," he murmured.
He ate the potatoes with fried fish and the salad that had been left for him. Although he wasn't a fan of raw vegetables, his experience surviving on rice and egg, and the days he'd gone hungry, had taught him not to waste a single crumb. He devoured everything eagerly before shedding a few tears of happiness.
He lay down on the bed, which was much softer and more comfortable compared to the one he'd used in his past life. He felt exhausted from the hours on the bus and from how sudden everything had been.
Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep.