2050, AI has taken over the vast majority of jobs in the world. However, one new job appeared that was humans-only; gold farming in VRMMOs (Virtual Reality MMO). Ken worked as a gold farmer in the popular fantasy VRMMO Avantheim Online. However one day, while gold farming in AO, he was suddenly teleported into another VR world, where he soon realizes that he and his NPC allies are far stronger than anyone else in this new world.
After discovering a forest full of unimaginable treasures, Ken takes his first step in conquering the world and becoming the greatest gold farmer ever.
My Opinion: It’s 140 pages, currently $0.99 as a promotional price but normal price is $2.99. Available on Kindle Unlimited.
Setup very similarly to the manga and animated series Overlord. Ken, a VR gold farmer is accidently loaded into a different VR world than he’s used to. He’s sent to a new VR world where it’s much harder to level and people are paying a premium price for items and gold. The only catch? There is permadeath here. Ken has to use his wits, his army of NPCs, and his top notch gaming skills to make the most of this opportunity. But if he makes a single mistake, he could lose the character he’s spent so much time playing forever.
Not everyone liked this story. It has a 3 out of 5 star rating on Amazon. The most common complaints are that it doesn’t explain enough about the character abilities enough, the main character is overpowered, and that it’s too much like Overlord fanfiction.
Having said that, I liked the story. The author at the end of the story, readily acknowledges that he was heavily inspired by Overlord. The thing people don’t like about this Gold Farmer are similar complaints people have about that anime/manga.
The premise of the story is a great setup. While the main character could be considered over powered. However, the addition of the threat of permadeath for his character adds a needed level of danger. From the first few sentences of the story, I had a really good time reading it. It didn’t feel rushed. The author took the time they needed to explain both the characters motivation for progression and their reasoning for their strategic actions. If you liked the anime/manga series, Overlord, you’re sure to like this too.
Score: 6 out of 10
The Gold Farmer - Treasure Forest: (Book 1) LitRPG series