“Life has been so comfortable lately.”
It had already been over a week since I went to the hospital at Minjun’s request.
Since then, many things had changed.
The Kanghan Group was now handling all the transactions, so I only had to focus on the farmland, which felt incredibly convenient.
“Ahh… so this is the taste of capital and power. It’s probably hard to go back to my old life.”
Chairman Kang Daehan didn’t just pull Kim Sanghyun, a staff member from the Auction House, into the position of his secretary—he also bought up all the land on a small mountain near our house.
It was for the elves who would be moving here soon.
Of course, to keep the elves’ residential area strictly confidential, the purchases were completed before any related legislation was proposed.
Thanks to that, the farmland expanded, allowing me to grow more crops over a wider area.
“So all this land is mine…”
I didn’t get the entire area around my house for free.
Kang Daehan was a businessman, not a volunteer.
He must have meant that since he was going to monopolize the agricultural products I sold, he wanted me to increase production.
There was some benefit for my convenience as well, of course.
“And on top of that, they even pick up the harvested crops for me.”
It would be great if they also harvested the crops, but when Kanghan Group staff came to do it, no Stat Boost was applied.
Apparently, if someone else harvests the crops, the grade doesn’t increase.
Still, it was convenient that they collected and sold the produce for me.
I didn’t have to worry about setting the right prices or transporting the goods for sale myself.
“Hehe. Now that the farmland’s bigger, maybe I should plant some new crops? Strength? Stamina? Agility? I wonder what kind of abilities will sprout. This is exciting.”
-Why are you muttering like a crazy person?
Lately, I’d been walking around with a smile on my face, which seemed to displease someone.
My usual serious and diligent demeanor was apparently nowhere to be found.
“I’m just thinking about what to plant today. Hey, Kasia, can you recommend something?”
-Do you want to grow whatever I recommend?
Kasia nodded with satisfaction.
-I’ve decided! Kimchi!
“Kimchi?”
She’d recently become obsessed and talked about kimchi every day, but now she wanted me to grow it myself?
-It’s a food that pairs well with anything. That’s why it captivated my taste buds.
“Then I’ll plant baechu (Korean cabbage).”
-Kimchi! Not baechu, kimchi! Didn’t you say you’d grow whatever I recommended? The power of Koreans—kimchi!
Kasia threw a fit, having misunderstood that I was going to grow baechu instead of kimchi.
She really seemed to love kimchi.
Well, considering all the foods Kasia had eaten—beef, kimchi fried rice, and curry—they all paired well with kimchi.
“Hahaha, Kasia, baechu is what you use to make baechu kimchi.”
I searched for how to make baechu kimchi on my Smartphone and showed it to Kasia to help her understand.
-Wow! It really is made with baechu!
Kasia watched the video for a long time, amazed.
-And there are so many ingredients! I thought it was just red, so I didn’t realize. It’s true that difficult recipes often taste better!
“But Koreans make it every kimjang season and eat it all year round.”
-Koreans are amazing people… From the looks of how it’s made, it can’t taste bad. Baechu! Plant baechu!
We decided to plant baechu.
Since elves would be moving to Korea soon, I wanted to entrust farming to them, but I thought it would be good to get some experience through Kasia first.
‘It’s a huge waste to keep a thousand people idle.’
I planned to teach Kasia farming first, and if she could handle the crops reasonably well, gradually expand the operation.
Then the elf tribe would be able to be self-sufficient without human hands.
“Kasia, do all elves handle Spirit Power well?”
-Of course. The elf race is born connected to nature’s love and linked with the spirits.
“Impressive. Perfect. Kasia, don’t you want to try farming?”
-Farming? You mean growing plants? Hmm. I’m curious, but it seems difficult…
“It’s actually fun. Watching crops grow feels rewarding. Since you handle spirits, it should help with farming. After all, plants are gifts from nature.”
Even if Kasia didn’t find farming fun, she could enjoy watching TV indoors.
I used to be like that before I started farming.
But once I started, if I didn’t work, my body felt stiff and empty.
-“Nature’s gift, huh… That’s true. Then can I try growing baechu?”
“Of course. Shall we go buy baechu seeds at the market?”
-Great!
Just in case, I disguised Kasia’s elf ears to look like human ears, just like the last time she visited the market, and headed there.
At the market, while looking for baechu seeds, we noticed baechu seedlings already planted in trays.
“Shall we plant these? It takes too long to grow from seeds.”
- Oh! That’s good. Since it’s my first time, I want to grow them quickly.
After getting Kasia’s agreement to grow the baechu herself, I inspected the seedlings.
They looked fresh and green—this was acceptable.
“Let’s buy these. The roots look strong.”
-How do you know the roots are strong?
“Look down here. See how the roots are tangled and firmly holding the soil? It’s the same with other seedlings.”
I taught her how to pick good seedlings for the future.
Seeing her focused on listening made me think she’d do well.
‘If you’re going to farm yourself, you need to know how to buy seedlings too.’
We bought just the baechu seedlings without delay and hurried home.
Since teaching and planting would take time, we needed to finish before lunch.
“Baechu needs soft and loose soil to take root well. So you have to water it a lot to keep a certain amount of moisture.”
-Hmm, hmm.
Kasia took notes with a notebook I didn’t know where she got.
Though the characters were strange and unreadable, seeing her diligently write made me eager to teach.
“Kasia, normally you have to till the soil multiple times—”
-Huh, student? I’m not a student…?
“Oh come on! Anyone who learns is a student.”
-Understood. Then, Minho teacher, what should I do?
I doubted whether my Sympathy Ability correctly translated Kasia’s thoughts.
Did she really say that?
“You have to till the soil several times and mix in fertilizer when planting crops.”
-So that’s why you want me to farm. Because I can cultivate the soil with spirit power.
“Right. If you do well, I plan to teach the elves who will be moving here farming too.”
-Understood. I’ll learn hard and pass everything on exactly as you say.
Kasia expressed her confident resolve.
She was no longer the innocent elf who lived only in the forest and knew nothing.
She now understood intentions through actions and could even plan for the future.
“Kasia’s grown a lot. She wasn’t like this when she first came.”
-What was I like? I haven’t changed.
Back then, she seemed to think she didn’t need anything as long as she had me, and even when trying to do something, she found it bothersome and just wanted to watch TV.
It was just like the saying: frogs don’t remember when they were tadpoles.
I watched Kasia plant the baechu seedlings several times, guiding and supervising her.
She learned quickly and now planted them well on her own.
After finishing and watering them thoroughly, I straightened my back just as Minjun called.
“Hey, Minjun. You woke up? That’s a relief. Huh, at my place? Today? Great. Yeah.”
-Minjun? Isn’t that your younger brother?
He had suddenly gone to Seoul recently and explained what happened with Kasia.
He also mentioned that Hunter Park Janghyeon hadn’t woken up yet.
“Park Janghyeon Hunter woke up. So we’re having a party at my place today.”
-Oh! The great hunter who sacrificed for his comrades. So what’s the plan? I’m curious if he’s really as great as they say.
I was about to say we were having a party but felt strange and shut my mouth again.
Curious about Park Janghyeon Hunter?
Why?
“Should I cancel the party…?”
-Didn’t you say you’d have it? Why cancel suddenly?
Ah, I must have accidentally spoken my thoughts aloud.
I dodged by saying we should just prepare to welcome the guests.
Still, I worried about what dishes to prepare.
Though he was fully recovered, he had been in the hospital for about a week, so he’d probably want something spicy.
‘Hospital meals are all healthy and bland.’
Spicy dishes made me think of delivery food.
But this place didn’t have much delivery service.
I’d have to go into town and get takeout.
Might as well cook myself.
I suddenly remembered something I’d wanted to eat for a while.
Freshly fried food in hot, boiling oil!
‘Yeah, I’ll try doing an omakase like at a Japanese restaurant.’
While thinking about the menu and ingredients, I packed my fishing gear and headed to the sea.
“I hope we catch enough. How many people are there again…?”
Six in total.
Do Minho, Kasia, Do Minjun, Park Janghyeon, Bae Jinsu, Han Suyeon.
Four party members plus the three of us.
“It’s going to be busy preparing ingredients for six. Need to get ready ahead.”
Superhumans eat more than regular people, so thinking about a standard six servings wouldn’t suffice.
Besides seafood, we’d need plenty of other ingredients too.
I’d have to buy other ingredients at the market.
‘Let’s think while fishing first.’
Sometimes good ideas come when zoning out fishing.
First, we moved to the Stone Jetty.
Since breakwaters are coastal structures, we could throw traps into deeper waters.
Especially on the Gangwon Province East Sea coast, the water is deep.
If you slip, you’d fall to your death, so I concentrated on my footing.
Step by step, carefully, I walked along the breakwater and threw the trap at a good spot.
“All right, now let’s enjoy fishing while waiting for the trap to catch something.”
Time flew by while I fished with a blank mind.
To avoid the guests having to wait, I set an alarm and cast the rod.
I deliberately scattered some bait nearby, and it seemed the scent attracted fish because the float kept moving.
“Now!”
I quickly pulled up the rod and something long was hanging on the line.
“Huh? Oh… an ojingeo?”
I thought it was a small fish since it didn’t require much force to pull, but suddenly an ojingeo I knew well was dragged up.
No way, could it really be?
I was about to put it in a container filled with seawater when the ojingeo kicked off my palm, hooked the fishing hook again, and started growing.
“Ah!? It’s real…!”
-Ah, hello. Ah, abara.
A man caressed his mouth.
It was the Squid Prince who had tried to escape when I bought him at the market before.
He wiped blood from his mouth with his hand.
“Are you okay? Looks like the fishing hook hurt you. What should I do?”
-I’m fine. That’s nothing.
!?
How was he communicating?
Ding~
[ Communication-Merfolk ]
Communication with the Merfolk, a different race, was possible.
*Active Skill: Disabled
*Passive Skill: (1) Benefactor of the Sea’s Love, (2) Disabled
-Benefactor of the Sea’s Love:
Increases success rate for all fishing.
[Merfolk Sympathy 100% Complete]
(Condition 1) Saved a Merfolk’s life – Fulfilled
(Condition 2) A chance reunion in the vast sea – Fulfilled
100% Completion Effect: Communication possible with Merfolk.
‘Ah! My Sympathy Ability activated.’
“Well, what are the chances of meeting again in this vast ocean? That’s fate.”
-Benefactor and fate… yes. I regretted not thanking you properly before, so I’m glad. Thank you again.
The Squid Prince now seemed to have healed from the fishing hook wound and spoke clearly.
I knew he looked a bit different from humans, but seeing him again, he was handsome and dignified.
“Sorry about the hook. But how did you end up here?”
-That’s my question. This is my home.
“Oh, right. I came to find some cooking ingredients… Uh, it’s okay to eat seafood, right…? Not fellow Merfolk or anything…”
-Haha… it’s fine. I’m a Merfolk who is loved by the sea, and they’re just sea creatures.
He explained that even Merfolk hunted sea creatures to eat.
I worried I’d have to give up on ingredients if I met a Merfolk, but thankfully not.
However, he seemed restless.
“Is something wrong? You look uncomfortable.”
-Could you help me, or rather, help our kind?
“What? Is something wrong with the Merfolk?”
The Merfolk were initially inside a dungeon deep underwater.
Of course, they weren’t treated as monsters, but the dungeon could only be closed after dealing with the ocean monsters in their world.
However, because the dungeon was in the deep sea and had not been cleared, they escaped through a Dungeon Break.
“So that’s how you came to live on Earth. Then the problem is…”
-There’s too much trash in the Earth’s oceans. Many Merfolk died after unknowingly swallowing it at first. Now they’ve adapted and can distinguish trash, but the young can’t yet.
“Oh… I apologize on behalf of humans. We must protect nature and the sea…”
What the Merfolk wanted was at least to collect the trash from the Donghae Coast area, their territory.
But even though it was just that area, I couldn’t collect it all alone.
–
・That’s difficult… I hadn’t thought the benefactor would lack gills or fins. Please forget you heard that.
“No, there must be a way. I’ll try to find one.”
-Thank you for even trying. Don’t overwork yourself. I wouldn’t want you to be in pain.
I’d gotten used to being called a benefactor.
Kasia, the Squid Prince… and Minjun’s party too.
Had I really saved this many lives?
Maybe I’d go to heaven when I died.
I pushed away such pointless thoughts and promised to help the Merfolk as best as I could.
Then, after setting a signal to let me know if a method came up, I sent him off.
Unexpectedly, the encounter delayed me quite a bit.
I noticed the alarm ringing.
‘I wanted to catch and cook myself, but I guess I have to buy some from the market. Let’s get the trap and go back quickly.’
I trudged to the breakwater to retrieve the trap I had thrown.
“What the! How did we catch so much? Wait, why did we catch you again?”
By some luck, the trap had caught not only fish but also crabs and octopuses—variety was abundant.
And among them, the squid was still flapping.
When I pulled it up toward the Stone Jetty, the Squid Prince transformed back into the embarrassed-looking man.
-It smelled so delicious… Sorry. I’ll really leave now.
Splash~!
Thanks to my skills, we now had plenty of ingredients for cooking.