“Wow! Water! It’s huge! Hau!”
At their side were Leon and Aria.
Leon, a large creature with gentle eyes, wagged his tail nonstop the moment he saw the pond.
Even when they first came to Earth following Sang-woong, Leon loved water so much that he would play all day long in the valley.
As if he had received a wonderful gift, Leon ran ahead of the children to the edge of the pond and sniffed deeply the fresh scent of the new water.
Aria also looked joyful as she circled above the pond, scattering sparkling water droplets reflecting the sunlight.
“Leon, come on in with us! Hau!”
The bravest child shouted as they leapt into the pond.
Frontline!
The cool splash of water erupted, delivering a refreshing sensation.
“Wow!”
The children’s clear laughter echoed along the pond’s edge.
Soon after, the other children jumped into the water without hesitation, and Leon plunged in as if he had been waiting, swimming excitedly alongside them.
“Come this way! The water’s really cold! Hau!”
One child shouted, and the others rushed over in a crowd.
Sang-woong couldn’t help but smile at the children’s joyful expressions.
As he slowly walked along the pond’s shore, just this was enough to feel the pride of having created the pond.
The pond wasn’t just a simple pool of water.
It was a place where the children’s laughter and happiness would bloom.
A few days later, in the clear and transparent waters of the pond, astonishing life began to stir.
Under the sunlight, silvery fish darted about with shimmering scales, and freshwater shrimp scuttled along the bottom, waving their tiny claws.
In an instant, the pond transformed into a rich and abundant ecosystem.
“Oh? Look at that! It’s sparkling and beautiful! Hau!”
One child pointed into the water excitedly.
The others also peered in, filled with wonder.
“It’s for real! There are so many fish!”
Curious, Sang-woong made a crude fishing rod on the spot using nearby twigs and a vine.
He cast the fishing line into the pond, and before long, the float twitched sharply.
Carefully, he reeled it in, pulling up a fish about the size of his palm, flapping wildly.
At the same time, his appraisal skill activated, and a window appeared showing the fish’s details.
-Smeraad. Edible. Has a light and clean flavor.
“This one looks just like a mudfish.”
As Sang-woong held the Smeraad fish in his hand, another message appeared.
-The owner of the land has acquired Smeraad. It can be sold at the store for 10 Points. Would you like to sell?
“10 Points… not a bad price.”
Enjoying fishing while gaining Points was a win-win.
“Wow! Fish! Sang-woong caught it! Hau!”
The children cheered.
Afterwards, Sang-woong caught several more fish and, together with the children, cleaned and roasted them over a forest fire.
The golden aroma of the cooking fish whetted the children’s appetites even more.
“Wow, it smells delicious! Hau!”
“I want to eat it already! Hau!”
Finally tasting the roasted fish, the children’s eyes grew wide as they exclaimed in delight.
“Mm! It’s really tasty! Hau!”
“Master, it’s really delicious!”
Aria, with bits stuck around her mouth, also praised it.
“Com, com, com.”
Leon, wanting to eat too, sent Sang-woong pleading eyes from beside him.
“Usually you never listen, but when it comes to food, you’re the closest friend.”
Sang-woong chuckled as he tossed a well-cooked fish, and Leon jumped up gracefully, catching it in one bite.
“This is the best fish I’ve ever eaten!”
Sang-woong was also amazed by the fish’s clean yet subtly sweet flavor.
Everything from the pond was special.
A few days later, he decided to make broth using freshwater shrimp caught in the pond.
In his hands was a short-handled, square-framed net.
He cautiously stepped into the water.
The cold water wrapped around his ankles, but he paid no mind and walked toward the dense grass.
He placed the net in front of the grass and stirred the plants with his foot.
At that moment, startled freshwater shrimp darted rapidly through the water.
Sang-woong quickly lifted the net.
“Wow, they’re easier to catch than I thought.”
Inside the net, hundreds of small freshwater shrimp flapped around.
-Freshwater Shrimp. Features a light, clean taste with a subtle sweetness and nutty umami. Brings peace of mind.
As he checked the shrimp with his appraisal skill—
Splash!
Leon suddenly jumped beside Sang-woong and started vigorously splashing through the water.
Because of his sudden actions, most of the carefully caught freshwater shrimp were scattered.
“Leon! What are you doing? You messed it all up!”
Sang-woong yelled angrily, but Leon didn’t look back and leisurely swam away.
It was clear he was just teasing Sang-woong out of boredom.
“Ugh, he’s becoming more of a troublemaker by the day.”
Sang-woong sighed and started catching freshwater shrimp again.
He tried grabbing them by hand to see if they had any value but a message popped up showing their value was zero Points.
“Well, it’d be ridiculous to earn Points from such tiny shrimp. Still, since they have some use, they’re pretty handy.”
After putting the shrimp into a pot and letting it bubble gently, a deep, rich aroma spread by the pond.
When the broth was finally done, Sang-woong carefully tasted it with a ladle.
“Kr…”
An involuntary exclamation escaped him.
The refreshing coolness mixed with a deep umami was better than any broth made from the finest ingredients.
This broth, filled with the energy of the pond, felt like it was imbued with vitality.
Everything that came from his land was truly special.
“With this broth, the soup will be absolutely delicious.”
Sang-woong mumbled with a face full of anticipation.
It was a deep umami flavor of a different kind than that from plants.
At his words, the children of the Ahoa Tribe had already gathered around him, their eyes shining with eager expectation.
“Sang-woong, I’m hungry. Hau!”
“Master, I’m hungry too. Hau!”
“The smell is so good! Hau!”
Sang-woong pondered what dish to make with the broth for the children and took out fish cake and some vegetables from his inventory.
He added the fish cake and vegetables into the broth and simmered it, making the soup’s flavor more complex and profound.
After seasoning with salt, he skewered fish cakes one by one onto wooden sticks and handed them to the children.
“Wow, thank you! Hau!”
“Looks delicious. Hau!”
The children happily held their fish cake skewers.
The Ahoa Tribe gathered by the pond every time farming was done without fail.
After toiling under the hot sun, soaking their feet in the cool pond water or swimming was the perfect rest for them.
The children still splashed happily in the water, while the adults sat by the shore, gazing at the gently rippling surface, forgetting the day’s exhaustion.
“Dad, the water is really cool. Hau!”
One child said to his father.
The father smiled and patted the child’s head.
“I’m glad you’re having fun. Hau!”
As the pond formed, the Ahoa Tribe enjoyed a richer life.
At night, they often gathered by the pond to look up at the night sky.
Stars poured down, reflecting off the water’s surface, creating a breathtaking scene as if the sky itself had settled there.
The Ahoa Tribe felt deep gratitude for the vitality and abundance the pond had brought them.
***
A different kind of energy thrummed in Sang-woong’s restaurant apart from the peaceful daily life on his land.
Today, Lee Ji-an and Gu Eun-woo returned from school and took their seats for lunch.
Soon after, Sang-woong brought out a steaming bowl of soybean paste stew and placed it in the center of the table.
After a hurried bite, Ji-an froze.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“Mister, what did you do to this soybean paste stew?”
Gu Eun-woo, sitting across from her, also stared blankly at Sang-woong, stunned by the taste.
“It’s okay, right? I put some extra effort into this one.”
Sang-woong shrugged nonchalantly.
“Wow, just look at that. If it tastes this good, I agree!”
Ji-an smiled in admiration and gave Sang-woong a thumbs-up.
The deep and special umami of this soybean paste stew was all thanks to the dried freshwater shrimp caught in the new pond, ground into powder.
Sang-woong had added this new ingredient to the stew, making the flavor richer and deeper.
While their praise for the stew continued, Sang-woong suddenly changed the subject.
Ji-an and Gu Eun-woo shifted their gaze toward him.
“By the way, how’s your YouTube going?”
Ji-an asked with a confident smile.
“Of course. Viewers are hooked on my charm and growing steadily.”
She made a gesture, flicking her hair slightly.
Sang-woong frowned as if seeing something he shouldn’t.
Ji-an laughed mischievously and confessed her true thoughts.
“Ahaha, it’s not because of my looks—it’s because of ‘Minky’ that it’s growing fast.”
“Why? Minky?”
“Minky is about to give birth. So people are paying a lot of attention.”
“That’s good. Will you start getting advertisements and stuff?”
Sang-woong asked seriously.
“That’s true, but it’s also exhausting.”
Gu Eun-woo quietly joined the conversation.
There was worry in his voice.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
Sang-woong looked at Gu Eun-woo’s concerned expression and asked.
Gu Eun-woo hesitated but soon revealed his true feelings.
“Because Minky is popular, we’re getting a lot of inquiries about selling babies. We’re just friends, not owners of Minky, so no matter how much we explain we have no plans or rights to sell, some people are pushy and it’s tiring.”
His eyes showed sincere helplessness and fatigue.
“There are always people like that anywhere. Eun-woo, just ignore them. Dealing with them only causes stress.”
Sang-woong said casually.
“I’m trying, but I’m worried someone might steal Minky or the babies. Since we live in the forest, we can’t guard them 24/7.”
After hearing Gu Eun-woo’s heartfelt concerns, Sang-woong softened his expression and smiled gently.
“Hahaha, our Eun-woo is really thoughtful. It makes sense you’re worried. You have a good heart.”
Sang-woong’s praise made Gu Eun-woo blush all the way to his ears.
His once prickly demeanor was almost gone.
“Hey, mister.”
Ji-an suddenly stopped while holding her water cup.
“Have you seen Hye-won unni? I haven’t seen her lately.”
Ji-an felt secretly happy that a new person had moved in.
This place had good air, nice people—everything was great—but it was too quiet for a high school student like Ji-an.
She didn’t know Hye-won personally, but the word ‘celebrity’ sparked her curiosity.
She wanted to get close quickly but hadn’t seen her face since their brief introduction.
Sang-woong paused thoughtfully before answering.
“I heard Lee Hye-won came down to rest because she was very stressed.”
“Oh, I see. Well, there’s no better place to rest than here. Good air, quiet, and amazing scenery.”
Ji-an nodded in understanding.
In truth, Sang-woong also worried a lot about Lee Hye-won.
Except for the day she first arrived, he hadn’t seen her face even once.