Chapter 9: Air

It didn’t take long for the Goblin Shaman’s gleeful smile to fade into a dumbfounded expression.

It was as if it had bitten into what it thought was delicious candy, only to find a stone!

Despite being pelted by the ferocious barrage of stones, Sang-woong charged straight toward the Goblin Shaman with the same relentless speed he had started with.

At this rate, he’d reach his target in no time.

“KEHHH! KIYAAA!”

The Goblin Shaman frantically waved its staff, shrieking.

At its command, the goblins immediately blocked Sang-woong’s path.

A hundred goblins aligned like an army, ready to confront him.

“Huh, was a Goblin Shaman this cunning?”

In his past life, Sang-woong had encountered Goblin Shamans a few times, but none were this clever.

Still, he wasn’t intimidated.

Ants scattering or grouping up were still just ants.

In fact, this made things easier.

No need to chase them down individually.

Sang-woong and the hundred goblins clashed fiercely.

The outcome was as expected.

The goblins fell like autumn leaves in a storm, shrieking.

Despite their ferocity as monsters, refusing to flee and stubbornly attacking, Sang-woong was almost grateful.

Slash! Thud! Crack! Swoosh!

He unleashed the seasoned prowess of a Rank 8 Hunter.

Brandishing his sharp sword, he struck with heavy fists and delivered powerful kicks without hesitation.

The battlefield was soon filled with the stench of their vile blood.

Before long, the goblins were annihilated.

Now, only the treacherous Goblin Shaman remained, trembling with fear, leaning on its staff as its legs shook.

“KIIK!”

Its panicked breaths and violently trembling eyes betrayed its terror, as if an earthquake had struck.

As Sang-woong approached, the Goblin Shaman stumbled backward.

“This guy sends his minions to their deaths while retreating himself? Monsters or humans, the higher-ups are always the sleaziest.”

In his previous life, Sang-woong had witnessed countless unjust situations.

Leaders who boasted they’d take responsibility, only to shift blame to their subordinates when things went south.

“I’ll make sure you die painfully.”

Sang-woong kicked a stone at his feet.

The stone shot forward like a fastball, striking the Goblin Shaman’s stomach with a sickening thud.

It was as if the stone had vanished into its body.

“KEHHHH!”

An earsplitting scream erupted.

Unable to bear the pain, the Goblin Shaman rolled on the ground, writhing.

“Man, that thing’s got some lungs.”

As expected of a commander of goblins, it had an impressive voice.

Sang-woong slowly walked to the bleeding Goblin Shaman.

Despite its ruptured insides and impending death, it looked at him with pleading eyes, begging to be spared.

“Fine, try to survive.”

Sang-woong didn’t bother ignoring its final wish.

“By the way, I got the points, but now there’s a ton of work to do. Ugh, isn’t there someone who can do this for me?”

Farming was enjoyable, but fighting monsters and harvesting mana stones was growing increasingly tiresome.

Strange, considering it was something he used to do as routinely as eating.

As Sang-woong extracted about thirty mana stones, the Goblin Shaman’s life force finally faded.

“Wait a minute, I don’t have to do all this myself.”

He glanced at the idle Wood Golems.

Though specialized for combat, they could likely handle this task without issue.

He issued a command.

The golem, perhaps not suited for delicate work, clumsily tore into a goblin’s stomach to retrieve a mana stone.

It didn’t matter.

Goblin corpses were worthless anyway.

After collecting all the mana stones, the Wood Golem began digging with its massive hands.

“It’s like a walking excavator.”

Sang-woong buried all the goblins and returned to the land.

He washed himself with water from a pond he’d made by digging part of a stream.

Though he had dealt with all the invading goblins, his expression was grim.

“I messed up. I should’ve secured more Wood Golems before expanding the land.”

The moment the Goblin Shaman appeared, he realized how reckless it was to expand the land just to earn more points.

The reason there had been no monster invasions before was that the land’s energy was weak.

But with the recent expansion, the land’s energy had been restored.

As a result, it spread further, attracting a Goblin Shaman, a creature he hadn’t seen before.

To handle such troublesome monsters, he needed far more Wood Golems than he currently had.

If a Goblin Shaman appeared while he was away… he didn’t even want to imagine the consequences.

He’d be helpless, and the land would be lost.

That would mean losing his own life as well.

Ultimately, securing enough Wood Golems to fend off powerful monsters like the Goblin Shaman was urgent.

This meant he’d have to guard the land himself until he gathered enough points to buy them.

“No choice, then.”

Not knowing how long it would take, Sang-woong returned to the restaurant, put up a “Closed” sign, and came back.

“Wow, Master! You’re staying here for a while?”

“Probably.”

Aria’s eyes lit up with joy at the news.

Her excitement eased Sang-woong’s heavy heart.

He got to work diligently.

First, he began reclaiming the newly expanded land.

Clearing the barren soil, picking out stones, and carefully checking for plants with special effects.

Then, his eyes caught an unfamiliar plant with green leaves, which he identified with his Appraisal Skill.

• Solaris. Edible. Improves skin condition. –

“Oh, found one. Let’s transplant this.”

Sang-woong carefully dug it up, ensuring no roots were damaged.

• The Master of the Land has acquired a valuable item. A well-grown superior Solaris plant can be sold for 500 points in the shop window. Would you like to sell it? –

“Oh, that’s a good price!”

Grinning at the high value, Sang-woong transplanted it to the field reserved for effective land plants.

Besides the newly discovered Solaris, there were many other effective land plants already present.

“This way, I’ll rack up points in no time.”

While reclaiming the land, he transplanted all the effective plants he found.

Whenever monsters invaded, Sang-woong swiftly dealt with them and continued working the land diligently.

“What should I plant this time?”

He pondered what to plant in the newly reclaimed land.

Avoiding crops he’d already planted, he wanted to try something new.

“How delicious will these new crops be?”

The thought alone made his mouth water.

And if possible, he wanted to grow high-value crops.

“Expensive crops fetch more points, so what’s good?”

Indeed, sweet potatoes were pricier than lettuce, and cherry tomatoes were pricier than sweet potatoes.

“I’ll plant my favorite Shine Muscat grapes, and maybe apple mangoes. Oh, and bamboo shoots too.”

While deliberating, he spotted a cut tree from the reclamation.

The sight sparked an idea.

“Right, mushrooms! I forgot about mushrooms!”

Mushrooms were an excellent crop.

Not only were they tasty, but they yielded high output per area and had a short growth period.

They also required less labor, making them ideal.

The catch was that temperature and humidity were critical, but Sang-woong wasn’t too worried.

Since all the crops he’d planted so far thrived, he believed mushrooms would too.

Over time, with the points he gathered, Sang-woong bought 20 Wood Golems.

That should be enough to feel secure.

“Aria, see you later.”

“Yes, Master, come back safely.”

After finishing everything, he left the dungeon, and two days had passed.

He was relieved to reopen the restaurant sooner than expected.

Blinding sunlight poured through the window, tickling Sang-woong’s face.

A small bird perched on the windowsill, chirping melodiously.

Like a natural alarm clock, its song filled Sang-woong’s ears.

“Wow…”

The dazzling sunlight and birdsong prompted Sang-woong to slowly open his eyes.

Rubbing his eyes drowsily, he stretched.

“Yawn, slept well. I feel like my body’s been better since going in and out of the dungeon.”

Thinking of the dungeon again, Sang-woong quickened his pace.

He washed up quickly and changed clothes.

“I wonder if the newly planted crops are growing well.”

He had finished planting new crops and saplings in the expanded land yesterday.

By now, about five days would have passed in dungeon time, so it was time to check if they were adapting well.

With a flutter of excitement, Sang-woong headed to the dungeon.

As he passed through the gate, a message appeared, signaling traces of recent invaders.

“No Goblin Shaman this time, thankfully.”

Without a Goblin Shaman, defense would be manageable.

The Wood Golems likely sustained minimal damage.

After checking the message, Sang-woong walked toward the land, and as always, Aria was the first to greet him.

“Aria, I told you not to come out this far.”

Sang-woong raised his voice slightly.

Though close to the land, this area wasn’t under his control, and monsters could appear.

The land was safe with the Wood Golems, but an attack here would be disastrous.

“Master, I’m fine. I’ve gotten stronger lately and can fly faster. Want to see how fast?”

Thanks to regular spirit food and snacks, Aria was much healthier than when they first met.

Her complexion was brighter, and her chubby cheeks added to her cuteness.

To show off her speed, Aria zipped around playfully.

“You stubborn thing.”

Sang-woong shook his head lightly, as if giving up.

“Eee, but I wanted to see you sooner, Master.”

Pouting and acting coy, Aria resembled a lovable child.

Sang-woong burst into laughter.

“Hahaha, alright. But always be aware of your surroundings. It could be dangerous.”

“Hehe, yes, Master.”

Aria smiled brightly in response.

Stepping onto his land, Sang-woong took a deep breath, as was his habit.

“Ah, if air had a taste, would it be like this?”

He could feel with his whole body that the bad air was being purified.