One day at fifteen, Rudis suddenly found herself inside a game.

She wasn’t sure exactly what kind of game it was, but one thing was certain—it was a farm management game. After farming like crazy for 2-3 years, that much was obvious. Of course, farming wasn’t the only option. She could raise livestock like chickens and sheep, and even fight monsters. On top of that, she needed to manage villagers’ affinity through various quests. While it started as farm management, these games typically became a mishmash of everything by the end.

There was a time when she felt overwhelmed by the sudden system messages and quests, but now she was in her eighth year. Her farm, once a barren wasteland, had transformed into an unimaginably prosperous land filled with diverse crops and livestock.

To reach this point, Rudis had completed countless quests and worked tirelessly. Now there were more repeating quests than new ones. Eight whole years—that’s a long time to have done almost everything possible. She wasn’t just experienced; she was a veteran.

But in all those eight years, she had never received a quest to attend a festival.

Something feels off.

Suspicion settled in Rudis’s eyes as she stared at the system window. The representative continued to watch her with that subtle smile that made people uncomfortable.

“I’ll see you at the festival, then.”

With those words, the representative vanished—completely gone, just like he had never been there.

Rudis felt bewitched. She shook her head several times and continued on her way. She still had many quests to complete.

* * *

Time passed, and evening arrived at 8 PM. Rudis made her way to the village plaza.

She had no choice in the matter. Even if it hadn’t been a quest, hunting grounds were off-limits after 7 PM. She hadn’t known about this restriction because she had always attended “The Last Night” without giving it much thought.

This basically counts as forced participation!

Rudis grumbled internally, but soon stopped in her tracks.

The scene before her was beautiful enough to swallow all complaints. Stars scattered across the sky glowed softly, while the village buzzed with the festival’s lights. Streets decorated with lanterns filled the air with warm light, and people’s laughter spread through the night under the swaying illumination. Everywhere she looked, she saw only happy faces. The village radiated peace and enchantment, resembling a scene from a dream.

“Rudis! Come sit over here! The last night of winter already—time really flies, doesn’t it?”

“Thanks, Sandra.”

“Next year I’m wishing to open my own clothing shop. What are you going to wish for?”

“I’m going to—”

“It’s starting!”

Bang! Bang! With thunderous sounds, colorful fireworks bloomed brilliantly. Red and blue flames blossomed alternately, and golden afterimages embroidered the sky—creating a beautiful, fantastic dreamscape.

“So pretty!”

Rudis smiled softly. Though she had seen them every year for eight years, they still created new emotions each time—truly a beautiful sight. Rudis quietly gazed at the night sky.

As the fireworks that had colored the sky disappeared one by one, the night sky became quiet again. But this was just the beginning. The real event of “The Last Night” was about to start.

“It’s falling!”

Everyone held their breath, looking up at the darkness-stained sky. A point of light flickered, breaking through the darkness. A shooting star began to slowly fall, drawing a long, delicate trajectory.

The light of the shooting star crossed the night sky, soft and subtle like melting golden thread. Though it lasted only a moment, it created a vivid and captivating scene. The world seemed to pause in that brilliant instant.

A shooting star falling at the same time, on the same day, in the same sky every year? Impossible—unless you were in a game.

“Hurry and make a wish!”

Rudis stared blankly at the sky with a hollow smile when Sandra urged her. Sandra’s eyes sparkled, reflecting the light of the shooting star.

“This is a divine blessing. The god Pathos might grant your wish!”

Ralph added to Sandra’s words.

Following Ralph’s gentle encouragement, Rudis put her hands together. Though she didn’t believe in gods, just enjoying this moment didn’t seem so bad.

‘Please let me complete my guidebook.’

Eight years since suddenly entering the game. After eight years, Rudis’s first wish wasn’t to return to reality or see the game’s ending. Her life in the original world had been the epitome of misfortune, so she had no lingering attachments.

Rather, she wanted to live here as long as possible—preferably until she died of old age. The “it was all just a dream” ending was the worst nightmare Rudis could imagine.

Despite her sudden incarnation, Rudis had found her own happiness. A world where anything was possible with effort. Rudis lived diligently, never wasting a single day. From early dawn until late at night, she hadn’t wasted a single day in these eight years. Rudis now owned the largest plot of land and the biggest house in the village—well, excluding the lord’s castle, of course.

Anyway, she had farmed, raised livestock, completed quests every day without fail, and tried pretty much everything possible, but…

[Guidebook Completion: 80%]

It was a heartbreaking figure. Three years ago, it had been 78%. She had relentlessly pursued every hidden event that only occurred at specific times and places, gathering hints through endless conversations with villagers—all to achieve this number.

Rudis hadn’t known she could be so obsessive. At some point, seeing incomplete quests made her skin itch, and looking at the unfilled guidebook completion gauge made her chest tight. Some might think she was crazy, but for the past three years, Rudis had devoted herself solely to filling the guidebook. Despite her efforts, the results weren’t great, and she couldn’t figure out why.

That’s why she was alone in the hunting grounds after access restrictions were lifted, while everyone else gathered at the tavern after the official “Last Night” events.

All to complete the guidebook.

[Quest Name: Everything Has Its Use

Quest Description: Collect the following materials to restore the “Suspicious Artifact.”

Summer Crystal 1/1. Autumn Crystal 1/1. Winter Crystal 0/1

Reward: ???]

To restore the suspicious item she had bought from a traveling merchant last spring, she needed to find the final winter material.

Literally, today was winter’s final night. The season would change at 6 AM tomorrow. So today was her only chance to obtain the “Winter Crystal.”

I can’t leave a quest incomplete for three seasons.

Already feeling that itchy sensation, Rudis defeated monsters with even more determination. She had realized when obtaining the summer and autumn crystals that these materials appeared purely by chance. Moreover, the probability seemed to decrease with each passing season. The Summer Crystal had been relatively easy to obtain, but the Winter Crystal hadn’t appeared despite hunting throughout the entire season.

If the probability is low, I just need to defeat more monsters.

Rudis had been hunting monsters for hours. Despite the monotonous repetition, her movements remained precise and quick, like a machine. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, but Rudis’s eyes showed no sign of fatigue. A mixture of anxiety and determination drove her to be even sharper.

[It’s getting late. You will be forced to sleep at 2 AM.]

Rudis wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and glared at the screen. Her heart dropped. She jerked her head up to check the clock on the system window. The ticking second hand moved several times faster than usual.

“Please…!”

The desperate voice escaped her lips. Rudis swallowed a sigh and raised her firmly gripped sword again. Time was running out. Her heart beat faster with growing anxiety. Suppressing these feelings, Rudis swung her sword once more. Her movements became increasingly rough as she cut down monsters, and her fingertips trembled with desperation.

Ah… Today seemed lucky… I found Mr. Colin right away. So just one more, just one more monster.

Rudis gritted her teeth and defeated one monster after another.

Just one more, the very last one!

Rudis lunged toward another shadow in the darkness. At that very moment,

[Forced sleep activated.]

With this message, Rudis’s vision went black.