Chapter 9: Farming Rematch!

Kasia shoved three or four pieces of meat into her mouth at once and stood up from her seat.

She walked slowly toward the field, chanting a spell.

• Nature, the source of all things. Earth that supports everything. With the power of the earth spirits, expel all impurities!

Kugugugung.

As the spell ended, glittering dust like starlight flew above the field, and the ground began to shake as if an earthquake had struck.

Then, the densely packed weeds were pulled out entirely, roots and all, in one smooth motion.

“…This is amazing, even to me.”

“Right?! This is incredible! No need to pull weeds one by one anymore. Thanks, Kasia.”

However, it wasn’t just weeds that were pulled out.

“Wh-what’s that?!”

Where the sparkling things had gathered and emitted a strong light, there swarmed tiny bugs no bigger than grains of rice.

-Hmm? Why are these here…? Ah, so that’s why the soil was so healthy.

“Do you know these bugs? I can’t believe so many were hiding in the field… ugh!”

“They’re small and cute compared to monsters. There are a lot, though.”

I had seen countless bugs while farming until now, but this species was entirely new to me.

Could they have come along with Kasia?

But that’s too many for that to be true.

・These are beneficial insects among the bugs living in Eliya. They don’t have specific names, but we elves call them the ‘Farmers of Eliya.’

“Farmers? So you’re saying these bugs actually farm?”

• Ah, not that they farm. How would bugs farm?

“…I wondered if bugs from another world might even farm.”

-Pfft. They’re called that simply because the land they live on becomes fertile and everything grows well. They’re not true farmers, naive one.

When I turned my head, I saw Minjun smirking with one corner of his mouth raised.

Damn it, this is frustrating.

If I stayed quiet, I’d probably get by halfway, but how can I hold back my curiosity?

“Then the reason the weeds grew so thick…”

-Hmm, it seems the Farmers of Eliya were tending the land.

“But if so many are hiding, shouldn’t we reduce their numbers?”

-There’s no need. They regulate their population themselves depending on the surrounding environment.

In other words, these were exactly the bugs I needed.

They not only made the soil ideal for farming but also controlled their own numbers so they wouldn’t become too many.

There was no downside at all.

“Kasia, did they come with you when you arrived?”

-That’s not the case. If they had come with me, I would know. Hmm… The only time they could have crossed over is when you returned from Eliya. Didn’t you have any guesses?

“Hmm…”

Three years ago, after returning from the Dungeon, I lived like a shut-in, so there wasn’t much that stood out. Then suddenly, something that had heavily influenced my decision to farm flashed through my mind.

“Plants! Every plant I tried growing in pots grew well. I guess these guys were around since then?”

“That explains it. You said you had a talent for horticulture when you decided to farm, but kept failing at it.”

I shot Minjun a glare for dredging up a painful memory I’d almost forgotten.

“Hmm. So even with these guys, I’d still fail at farming like before? Maybe I should switch entirely to poultry farming…”

-Don’t worry about that. Your farming failed because these bugs were actually encouraging the growth of weeds. Since I’ve completely removed the weeds, none will grow in this field for the time being.

Just as everything exists for a reason, weeds do too.

They help stabilize the soil, retain moisture, and decompose dead plants into organic matter—playing positive roles.

But too much of a good thing becomes harmful.

As weeds absorb nutrients from around them, crops wither, leading to farming failure.

“You can’t prevent weeds from spreading forever anyway. Let’s try again once they’ve been removed.”

I wasn’t blaming weeds for the failed farming, but somehow I felt good about this time.

The weeds had been thoroughly removed, and the Farmers of Eliya were here, so the chances of success must be higher, right?

-If you need it, just say so anytime. I’ll remove the weeds again. Ugh!

Kasia seemed to have overexerted herself and held her head, staggering.

I caught her safely, wrapping my arms around her waist so she wouldn’t fall to the ground.

Ahem, thank you. Looks like you pushed yourself a bit too hard.

“I told you to eat plenty of meat. It’s good for anemia, so eat up. Minjun bought a lot.”

“…He didn’t buy it.”

-I don’t really want meat… but if it helps recover energy, I guess eating it isn’t bad…

So you just want to eat more meat, right?

Supporting Kasia, who wanted to taste more meat, we returned to the barbecue spot.

-By the way, what are those red and white things? Earth really has so many things I’ve never seen before.

“This? This is called Red Sauce, and this is Salt. Both are dipped in when eating meat. They might be a little strong, but want to try?”

She placed a perilla leaf on top of a lettuce leaf, then a large piece of crimson meat with a bit of Red Sauce, and folded it into a ssam.

Just the right size to fit in one bite.

“Ah~ try it.”

• Ah… You mean eat it?

I nodded, and Kasia hesitated a bit, looking shy before opening her mouth with an ‘Ah~.’ I fed it to her, and she slowly chewed, her eyes widening in slow motion. This is the real pleasure of ssam—folding it up and feeding it by hand.

• Wow… Beef really is tasty, but I thought it would be a bit greasy. Red Sauce is truly amazing! The savory and spicy flavors cut through the greasiness, and the crisp texture of the ssam vegetables delighted my mouth.

Kasia kept showering compliments, her appetite fully awakened.

This is the very K-sauce that even foreigners are captivated by.

“Try some with salt too.”

-I really like Red Sauce.

Kasia was so smitten with Red Sauce that she refused Minjun’s recommendation.

But salt has its own charm.

“I should have told you to try salt first. It’s a different flavor, so just dip lightly.”

• I like ssam better…

Hearing this, Kasia glanced at the salt, then seemed determined and lightly dipped the corner of the beef into the salt.

But when it came time to eat, unlike with ssam, the raw red juices of the beef were clearly visible, and she couldn’t bring herself to put it in her mouth immediately.

She trembled slightly, caught in inner conflict.

After only eating vegetables, eating red meat isn’t easy…

Or so I thought.

Gulp.

• Looks delicious. My saliva is gushing out like an endless mana fountain.

Actually, it was withdrawal symptoms!

After being impressed by the taste of Red Sauce, I was trembling with anticipation for the new flavor, trying to calm myself.

-Hmm. This salty taste is different from Red Sauce. Hmm? It’s not as complex as Red Sauce, but just a little dip neutralized the richness of the large beef piece! Also! Is there anything else to eat with it?

Kasia’s reluctance to eat was completely gone, replaced by an explosive reaction.

Of course, there are plenty of side foods.

Koreans don’t eat food in only one way.

Isn’t ssam enough? Eating it all at once would be boring. I’ll introduce salt next time you eat.

-Hmm. You’re right. The longer the wait, the greater the satisfaction.

Kasia spoke quite maturely.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’ll introduce you to other delicious foods too.”

-Really? I want to try other foods quickly! Deciding to stay here was definitely the right choice. Haha, that’s my insight.

Minjun, who had been quietly watching, burst out laughing.

He said settling in Korea was good because of the delicious beef.

His unexpectedly cute reaction for his age naturally made me smile.

Thus, our friendship was forged through beef.

The next day.

Usually, I’d wake up alone and prepare the chickens’ breakfast.

But today, I wasn’t alone.

Minjun had to return to Seoul at dawn for a Dungeon raid schedule, but…

• Awake? Are all humans as lazy as you?

I’m used to waking early to feed the chickens before they get hungry, but Kasia had already gotten up and was waiting in the living room.

“You’re up early. When did you get up?”

• A while ago. I’ve already been around the neighborhood and am on my way back.

“I see. There’s not much to see around here.”

-It felt more satisfying than usual because I was enjoying freedom for the first time in a while.

“Freedom? Is there any reason you wouldn’t be free in the elf world?”

There is. You don’t need to know.

Kasia closed her mouth tightly.

She didn’t want to talk about it, so I didn’t press.

“Since Kasia pulled all the weeds yesterday, I’m thinking about planting crops. Let’s do the important tasks first.”

• Important tasks?

I led Kasia to the chicken coop.

These had become routine things.

I scattered plenty of feed in the center.

And in case I couldn’t always feed them, I stacked feed bags against the wall so the chickens could feed themselves.

That was possible because of Goldie.

Then I petted each chicken and collected the eggs—though it felt like I was stealing eggs while the hens were away.

At that moment, bustling movement was detected in the corner.

“Hmm? Oh! Chicks?! They’ve already hatched!”

-Hooh. Such cute creatures.

It seemed the eggs I’d left alone, partly to check if Rapid Growth applied to newly hatched chicks and partly to increase their numbers, had hatched.

Fortunately, they all appeared healthy.

“Come here~”

I reached out, but the chicks were startled and peeped, retreating and crowding into a corner.

“Oh, you were scared! Sorry, Daddy~”

-You should be careful. Didn’t the little ones get scared?

I took a handful of feed and scattered it widely between me and the chicks.

One by one, the chicks slowly approached and pecked at the feed.

“Aww~ so cute.”

I gently rubbed a chick’s head with my finger.

Its soft down tickled my finger.

Then Kasia, watching the chicks over my shoulder, stretched out her long hand and imitated me.

-Cute… indeed.

At that moment, Goldie approached, perhaps after finishing his feed.

(We were like that too once. Back then, we followed our owner really well, so maybe they need some training.)

“I’m fine. They’re cute, aren’t they?”

(They’re all cute because they look like us.)

Goldie nodded and approached the chicks, saying something too quiet for me to hear.

After a moment, the chicks rubbed their heads against my hand, chirping excitedly.

(Glad to meet you!)
(Owner, we remember you.)
(Heard you’re a good owner.)
(I said from the start we should trust you! It’s because of you!)

Though they were barely born, these chicks seemed to be good friends, probably because they were the same age.

‘Oh! I have to check Rapid Growth.’

I pressed the shining text flashing in a corner of my vision.

The Skill Window appeared.

[Communication-Chicken(+)]

• As an initial bonding benefit, ‘Rapid Growth’ has been applied. (Applied to 58 individuals)

I confirmed that the number of applied individuals had increased from 20 to 58.

“It’s applied. Then when these chicks grow up, the number of harvestable eggs will increase. I’ll be rich in no time, huh?”

Kasia, quietly stroking the chicks, spoke up.

-Rich? So I’ll be able to eat plenty of beef? You said that yesterday…

“Ah? Haha, yeah. If you get rich, you can eat as much as you want, but the chicks have to grow into chickens that lay eggs, which become chicks, then chickens… it’ll take some time anyway.”

• Ah…

Kasia looked noticeably disappointed.

Then she remembered our conversation from yesterday and her eyes sparkled as she asked.

• If we farm, we can shorten that time, right? You said you’d plant crops later, so getting rich is just a matter of time?

“Well…”

Seeds take time to grow into crops. Even wild plants take time. Farming too.

Kasia’s shoulders drooped again.

“We should collect the eggs laid today. Kasia, can you help? Carefully pick them up and place one in each slot on the egg tray.”

• Understood…

Thanks to the ‘One Chicken Two Eggs’ effect, 38 eggs hatched into chicks in just one day.

Since Rapid Growth was confirmed, there’s no need to rush increasing the numbers.

‘Let’s decide on increasing numbers after confirming the gender.’

For now, the egg tray isn’t full, but it will be once the chicks grow.

‘Chicks are in a growth phase, so they must eat a lot of feed, right?’

Checking the storage, I realized the remaining feed wasn’t much.

Remembering raising Goldie, it was clear we’d run out.

He had such a huge appetite.

“I need to plant crops and visit the Market as well. Kasia, let’s go to the Market together later.”

• Market?

“Oh, Kasia probably didn’t have one where you lived. It’s a place where you buy and sell all sorts of goods.”

• Sounds fun! You have to take me with you.

First, it was time to plant crops.

Since all the weeds in the field were gone, anything planted now would grow well.

So I chose…

Peanut!

Last time, when I decided to retry farming, I had bought red peanuts (seed peanuts).

I bought them because I heard they were easy to grow, and since it was May, the planting season was perfect.

I brought the bag of red peanuts stored with a moisture absorber from the warehouse.

They’re called red peanuts because they still have the shell (red skin) on them.

So they contain raw peanuts inside.

“If you press the shell like this, two peanuts are inside. Want to try, Kasia?”

While I was focused on teaching Kasia how to easily peel peanut shells, Goldie, who was wandering nearby looking for something to eat, approached.

(Target locked!)

Goldie’s shadow gradually spread over the pile of peanuts.