Chapter 41: The Time Has Come

Park Seong-yeon could not easily find the words to continue.

Park Ki-beom did not rush his nephew. Instead, he was the first to speak. It was thanks to Park Seong-yeon moving up a decision he had delayed for a long time.

"Seong-yeon, as soon as you are fully recovered, start your official activities. The time has come to reveal your abilities."

"Uncle!"

"Guild Master?"

"..."

Only Jeong Sang-myeong silently nodded his head.

"You are a Healer! Who would dare to ignore or threaten a Healer? With this level of ability, you should be boasting and showing off openly. Do you think those people will leave you alone just because you hide?"

"..."

Park Seong-yeon could not answer. The reason he had hidden his awakened ability until now was precisely because he was a Healer.

Healers were known as the flowers of the awakened world, the life support of any team. However, Park Seong-yeon’s ability had been too weak, and he had hidden it all this time out of fear that it would only invite unwanted attention. But even that had been futile.

'Those people' had tried to kill him even when they thought he was just a low-rank Hunter struggling in the lower floors of the Labyrinth. It was actually safer to boldly enter the succession race.

Park Seong-yeon knew this truth better than anyone. Yet, he could not bring himself to answer immediately. The deaths of his father and mother, and the assassination threat he himself had barely escaped—it all remained as trauma that weighed him down for a long time. Since childhood, he had always stood a step behind others, extremely wary of stepping forward or being known.

But what had he gained by doing that?

After a few minutes that felt like an eternity, Park Seong-yeon raised his head.

"Yes, I'll do it, Uncle!"

Park Seong-yeon’s eyes were strong and steady.

"…!"

Park Ki-beom clenched his fists, swallowing his emotion. The timid, fearful child was breaking out of his shell and proudly declaring that he would become the successor of Saeron. But there was a separate reason for this welcome change.

Park Seong-yeon made a request with a confident expression.

"Uncle, to do that, please allow me to trade directly with Brother Nam-tae! It’s something I absolutely must do!"

"Go Nam-tae? You mean that man?"

"Yes, him. If things continue like this, Jae-won’s father’s shop might be in danger too..."

Park Seong-yeon calmly explained the reason for requesting a 'direct trade.' His reasoning was very sound, and Park Ki-beom welcomed it. He even felt a bit of pity for his nephew, who had spoken up after such a difficult resolution.

"I originally intended to request a direct trade myself, but Brother Nam-tae told me I must get your permission first, Uncle."

"I would actually welcome that if possible! But why did you find it so hard to say? Is there something you’re hiding?"

"It—it’s not that I’m hiding anything..."

Fidgeting, Park Seong-yeon became timid again as he carefully continued.

"You know that the way Brother Nam-tae delivers goods is through a spatial ability, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, that spatial ability looks a bit... prone to misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?"

"It’s..."

Pausing one more time, Park Seong-yeon finally forced himself to speak.

"A Rift. It looks just like a Rift."

"…!"

---

While the fire fairy warmed up the kiln, Go Nam-tae went into the vegetable garden. Holding a handful of golden stalks, Go Nam-tae lifted them like a victory trophy.

"Finally, flour!"

Go Nam-tae had finally harvested the wheat he had first accelerated into seeds and planted. The wheat, which had been slow to turn into seeds, was also slow to grow. Of course, that was only a relative speed; compared to rice or corn, it had only taken a few days longer.

It was because it came from Earth, not from the boss’s warehouse. This, too, would stabilize after a few generations.

'Should I have a savory pancake feast today?'

'It's a feast!'

'Savory pancakes!'

'Wait, is it raining today?'

Except for Ha-gye, who asked the random question, everyone cheered.

On rainy days, Go Nam-tae was truly like a tree frog. Hadn't he finished off all the remaining flour in a single day back then? His reason must have been washed away along with the sound of the rain.

...That was a thing of the past now. Because from now on, he would never run out of flour.

However, Danhong only tilted her head with a curious look. The moment her eyes met Go Nam-tae's, the little one flinched and backed away.

-You—you don't have to stay by the kiln all the time. You can just look in like this occasionally.

It was pitiful to see her making excuses ahead of time. Instead of replying, Go Nam-tae stroked Danhong’s head. The warm flame touching his palm seemed to tremble.

"It’s okay if things like dishes break. We’re doing all this just to eat well. Got it? So you don’t have to worry."

-Re—really?

"Of course! And family is supposed to eat together. Understand?"

-Eat together...

Suddenly, something fell to the ground with a clatter. Having spilled a pile of red gems on the floor, the little one rubbed her eyes and turned away.

-I—I’ll go check on the fire! Call me when it’s done!

Heung-bok chased after her. His tendrils picked up the fallen gems one by one and tucked them into her pocket.

*Sniff, sniff.* The sound of sobbing drifted over slower than the wind. He felt he really needed to show her how good savory pancakes tasted.

The wheat he had planted 'a little' in the garden turned out to be just under 100 kilograms once ground into flour. Considering the appetites of his family, it was an amount that wouldn't last a few days, but it was fine. The wheat that had become seeds through the proper waiting process was already sown.

He used every ingredient he had for the pancakes. Zucchini, peppers, green onions, chives... and kimchi too! For now, this was all, but soon eggs would be added, and one day, the day would come when seafood would be mixed in as well.

As the smell of sizzling oil spread, the cheers of the Kin joined in.

'Delicious!'

'Delicious, I love it!'

-Nom nom, this is delicious! ...But I think I like rice cakes just a little bit more!

That was the review from Tteoksun, who had devoured a pancake more than three times her body size.

---

The kiln opened. The dishes that had endured the hot air revealed themselves.

'Whoa, whoa, whoa!'

'So pretty!'

'It worked!'

The cheers of the Kin began to erupt. In truth, to call it a success, they all had minor flaws. Some were slightly tilted, some had cracks on the inside, or the glaze had stopped running halfway.

A craftsman would have thrown them all away, but for a beginner, it was something to be grateful for.

As Go Nam-tae examined them one by one, the Kin watched his face anxiously. It was because the plates had their respective symbols drawn on them.

The Sasin-su had the patterns of the Four Auspicious Beasts. Ha-eul's family had each chosen one of the Ten Symbols of Longevity. On Danhong’s dish, he had embedded her gems.

They were fidgeting, worried that Go Nam-tae might break them all again this time. Go Nam-tae asked, pretending not to notice.

"Do you like them?"

'Yes!'

-Kyaaaaah!

He definitely needed to train his hearing urgently.

"They look a bit warped though..."

'It’s fine!'

-It’s good, it’s very good!

They seemed ready to defend them with their lives. If he broke even one of them, a tragedy of wailing would surely occur.

Looking at the Kin's dead-serious eyes, Go Nam-tae had to pinch his thigh to keep from laughing. Meanwhile, Danhong bowed her head solemnly.

-I—I’m sorry. I messed up.

"Huh?"

He wondered what kind of random thing she was saying now...

-I really thought I could do well... but it still turned out a mess. It’s my fault.

'Oh...!'

He couldn't even laugh at this. Danhong was a 'castaway child.'

Even if it felt like ancient history now, Ha-eul's family had also trembled and watched his every move in the beginning. Their relationship had only changed slightly after Ha-byeong’s accident. It was a memory he didn't want to relive.

Go Nam-tae acted as if it were no big deal and placed Danhong on his shoulder.

"Thanks to you, the first successful pieces came out. Don't you think the next ones will be even better?"

Danhong’s head snapped up.

-That’s right! The next ones will be much better!

*Clink...!*

The little one, who had shaken Go Nam-tae’s eardrums with her thunderous shout, urged him on.

-Hurry, hurry, make other things too! If we make lots and lots more, more successful ones will come out!

At this rate, it seemed he would be shaping clay all day. Fortunately, there was a very effective brake for this gluttonous girl.

"Now that everyone has new dishes, shouldn't we try putting some new rice cakes in them?"

-Oh, yeah! Rice cakes!

*Thump, thud, thump, thud!*

The rice cake board became even noisier. Another one had joined in holding a mallet, and Heung-bok was surprisingly good at matching her pace.

-Flip it, left! Strike it, right! Flip it again! Heung-bok, keep the rhythm!

Was it thanks to her leadership? The new rice cakes in the new dishes were also a success. And that success continued a bit longer.

---

-Whoa, whoa, it’s huge!

Danhong spun around a cucumber, letting out continuous exclamations of admiration. Cucumbers hung in clusters on stalks that soared high without a single support.

"Shall we each have one?"

Today’s snack was cucumbers. Park Seong-yeon had also been horrified at first by the color, which looked like it would taste 'healthy,' but now he sought out cucumbers as a necessity. However, it didn't seem to apply to the picky rice cake lover.

-Boss, do I really have to eat all of this...?

Those words were exactly like what Go Nam-tae had said long ago.

'Dad, do I have to eat this?'

It was about tomatoes. Go Nam-tae hated tomatoes. What had his father replied back then...?

'Our Nam-tae takes after his mother in this, too.'

A smile had formed on his father’s face as he shook his head. Go Nam-tae, who 'took after his mother,' was liberated from tomatoes.

But his father had planted tomatoes every year. Where did all those tomatoes go...?

"You don't have to eat it if you don't want to. How about watermelon then?"

Every one of Go Nam-tae’s crops loved the sky without exception. The watermelons growing next to the cucumbers were also creating a sky ladder with their vines. The watermelons hanging there were large enough that with a bit of exaggeration, they could transform into Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage.

He had sent a few to Kim Gu-bok for a tasting, and he expected him to like them quite a bit. But the rice cake lover, already tired of the cucumbers, had lost interest in the watermelons.

-Boss, I want to go see the kiln!

'It’s a taste you’ll regret not eating...'

But Go Nam-tae did not force her. They were kindred spirits, both equally picky eaters.

"Eat it later if you want."

-Okay!

Go Nam-tae shook his head as he watched the little one run away in excitement. That image of him was the spitting image of his father. As he reached for a watermelon, a vine quickly stretched out.

'I'll pick it!'

It was fun to watch Heung-bok harvest and move the watermelons. They would bounce from the vine onto the leaves and then slide down along the stems. Not even a conveyor belt could keep up with Heung-bok.

While he was back in the warehouse organizing the harvest, a message came in from Kim Jae-won. Thanks to frequently keeping the pinhole door open lately, they were in near-real-time contact.

-Brother, the watermelons! The watermelons are... is this really a watermelon...? Brother, you’re going to sell these too, right? Right? But the side effects... well, not side effects... anyway, it was really something!

Behind the ellipsis of emotions that he couldn't fully express in words, the business he had been waiting for also arrived.

-Brother, Seong-yeon wants you to contact him!

The time had come. I wonder what he’s going to say?