Camilla had been playing her new game for about two hours now, and she still couldn't get enough of Seasons of Harvest 4. The joy of playing her favourite farming sim, mixed with the excitement of trying it out on her brand new VR headset she had picked up exclusively to play it, alongside with the fact she managed to get her hands on a copy of the game before it was publicly released (Thank you Slavic torreters!) kept her energy high. She even surprised herself with the accelerated pace at which she had been ploughing through the game. Her farm and farmer level were already 9, and barely 10, she just needed to complete a few more minor tasks.
She looked at her reflection in-game, checking how her new overalls and straw hat looked on her. It was a pretty basic look truth be told, but she hasn't unlocked that many customizable options yet.
She turned and posed, seeing how the overalls hugged her small bust and petite derriere. Her long ginger hair bounced as she twirled around. The fact the game was able to make such a faithful recreation of her real self as an avatar really elevated this game to highs never seen before. Hell, as she smiled, she even noticed how the game got the dimples on her face right too!
With a bounce in her step, she made her out of her cosy virtual house. She glanced around her virtual farm, her "Gran-Gran's" once dilapidated farmstate was looking a lot better now that she was in charge of it.
"Man, this is so freaking gorgeous," she muttered, picking up and lifting a seed bag over her shoulder. Her virtual gloves made the weight feel tangible, and the texture of the bag added to the immersion. If being a farmer in real life was this fun, she would move to the countryside in a heartbeat.
After 10 minutes of hard work, with its familiar jingle, a quest notification blinked into view:
New Quest Unlocked: Cattle Expansion!
You know what every farm needs but it's missing from yours? A Cow. Beter start preparing the stall for the new resident.
Unlock Cow Stall.
Camilla tilted her head, squinting her eyes. "Uh, first time I've seen a typo so far." She mumbled, her gaze going to the barnyard. "Weird, but okay. Let's see what this is about!"
This first task was straightforward as they got: gather wood and nails to fix the old barnyard, alongside with constructing the first stall. Camilla got to work, hauling materials she had stored to the barn and began hammering everything into place. Each motion required her to bend, lift, and swing her arms around, making her work up quite the sweat.
As she nailed the final plank into place, the stall shimmered with a golden glow. A small brass cowbell hung from the gate, right under a blank spot, that would logically be the place where the cow's name goes.
"Done and done," she said with a grin, dusting her hands off. The quest immediately transitioned to the next step: Customize Your Stall.
The options offered were surprising in number, but Camilla stuck to something quite basic, straw bales on the edges of the stall, cow-patterned painting and a changed the nameplate to a heart-shape.
With the stall complete, Camilla took a step back, hands on her hips, admiring her handiwork. A soft new chime echoed in her eyes, the ringing of it bouncing inside her head for far longer than normal.
Congartulations!!! You Unlocked a New Class! Do You Want to Change your Class to Milkmaid?
Camilla arched an eyebrow, as she looked at the new notification. "I unlocked a class? I didn't know the game had more classes." She said, not even noticing the new mistake.
She tapped the glowing 'Yes' button and the moment she pressed on it, her whole screen went black. "What the fuck!?" She shouted. Her confusion was short lived as her vision quickly came back with a light show that almost made her lose her balance and fall to the ground. Words flashed in front of her, too fast to properly read or understand...for her conscious mind...
Immersion Level Enhanced. New Class Equipped
The ginger woman rubbed the side of her head, trying to shake off the lingering effects of the flashbang. "Fuck that was...what the hell is this!?" She shrieked as she saw what she was wearing now. Her overalls and straw hat were gone, replaced by a snug, cow-print bikini that clung to her body, leaving all her pale skin exposed. A tiny cowbell dangled from a ribbon around her neck, making a pleasant chime each time she turned and moved.
Camilla blushed furiously as she covered her exposed body with her hands. "Okay, who the fuck programmed this!?" Even if she knew she was still wearing her pyjamas in real life, the bikini felt unnervingly real, so much so she swore she could feel the warm sunlight hit her skin or feel the goosebumps as the wind blew against her skin.
Frozen there for a moment, she glanced around nervously as though expecting someone to jump out and tease her due to her predicament. Of course, she was alone in her room, but the uncanny realism of the VR game was making her feel self-conscious in ways she hadn't anticipated. She glanced at her class HUD, just to learn more about her new class.
Milkmaid Class: Boosts efficiency for all cattle-related tasks: +25% speed for building, feeding and milking. Unlock exclusive cattle care abilities!
Camilla let out a loud, annoyed groan. The stat boost was too good to pass out, and it wasn't like she'd run into anyone wearing this embarrassing bikini in-game.
As she straightened up, the next part of her task updated at the corner of her vision.
Test the Stall for Comfort.
Camilla read the name of the task twice, and then a third time to make sure she read it correctly. "Seriously?" She asked, her brow furrowing. Shaking her head from side to side, she let out a long exasperated sigh. "Alright, fine. Let's get this over with. I want my cows."
"Stupid immersive farming experience..." she grumbled, lowering herself down to all fours, her weight sinking her further on the straw underneath.
