Jinwoo headed to the hospital room.
Resurrection was a skill that could bring people back to life.
He’d been worried since he thought it could only be used on one person, but fortunately, it looked like he’d be able to save both of Hoyoun’s parents.
(The Last Chef): One is in real danger, but the other isn’t quite so bad.
It was the same at the hospital.
The driver’s life was at risk, but the person in the passenger seat wasn’t in critical condition.
Because of that, by controlling the amount of the resurrection skill, he could save them both.
Hoyoun sat by his parents’ side, reading aloud a letter he’d written while crying.
Since Jinwoo had revealed he was a Spirit Master, Hoyoun read the letter with a desperate hope that maybe, just maybe, Jinwoo’s power might awaken his parents.
That’s what Hunters were to ordinary people—beings with supernatural powers.
And as a Spirit Master, Jinwoo could even heal, so Hoyoun’s heart clung desperately to that faint hope.
Perhaps it was that very hope and prayer of Hoyoun’s that reached him.
Jinwoo truly had that power.
He quietly divided the resurrection skill and used it on the elderly couple lying in the hospital room.
Paaat―!
A green light shimmered.
Only Jinwoo could see this light.
Hoyoun, unaware, continued to read the letter with a trembling voice.
And then—
Hoyoun’s parents slowly opened their eyes.
The moment Hoyoun saw it, he looked at Jinwoo.
Jinwoo simply smiled, as if he had done nothing, and Hoyoun immediately grasped his parents’ hands.
Jinwoo went to call the doctor.
And just like that, Hoyoun’s prayer was answered.
*****
The doctor’s opinion was that Hoyoun’s parents’ condition had improved to the point it was nearly a miracle.
After hearing that, Hoyoun broke into tears, thanking me over and over.
I insisted I hadn’t done anything, that I didn’t have that kind of power, but still, he thanked me.
He said it felt like luck had come because I was there with him.
It wasn’t that Hoyoun was simple-minded—he just wanted to seize even the smallest bit of luck while pushed to the brink.
Knowing that, I gave him a wry smile and patted his shoulder.
I bought the kid a warm meal, thinking about how much he must’ve worried and suffered, and stayed to watch as he reunited joyfully with his parents.
Seeing his parents cry tears of happiness while lying in their hospital beds was heartwarming.
(Anonymous 1): Satisfying to see.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Indeed. It was a good thing to save them.
“Hyung, take care on your way. I’ll make sure to keep in touch.”
“Yeah, take good care of your parents.”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll be sure to contact you!”
“Alright, see you again soon.”
With that, I returned to the camper van.
Byeol and the spirits, who’d already gotten there, were playing with Eric, while Maru was farming alone.
No—strictly speaking, he was farming with the Constellation.
(Father of Crops): No, you have to put in just a little spirit energy. There’s already plenty in the seeds, isn’t there? Just because there’s a lot of natural energy doesn’t mean it’s always better.
― Hm… But if there’s more natural energy, doesn’t it give better buffs?
(Father of Crops): No, more isn’t always better. Even the biggest bowl will eventually overflow if you keep pouring water into it. If the water pressure is too strong, the bowl could break. You have to fill it according to the bowl’s size. The same goes for spirit energy.
― Then is there a way to make the bowl bigger?
(Father of Crops): To make the bowl bigger… you have to improve the seed’s variety. But listen! I told you, more spirit energy isn’t always better! If you want to master farming, you have to achieve great results with just a little spirit energy! Natural energy isn’t infinite!
― If Byeol-noona is nearby, infinite energy comes out!
(Father of Crops): Hmm… Well, that’s true. But you can’t always be with Byeol, right?
― I’m going to live with Byeol-noona forever!
“Right, I have to live with Maru forever too! Hehe.”
(Father of Crops): …Anyway! For now, just use a little spirit energy. You have to farm according to the seed. Check the seed’s condition and use the appropriate method for it.
― …Alrighty. I’ll listen to you, Constellation-nim.
(Father of Crops): Whew, finally we’re on the same page.
“Haha, what are you two arguing about?”
― We weren’t arguing!
(Father of Crops): Who said we were fighting? It was a healthy debate. It’s been so long since I’ve had a discussion like this. Haah, it finally feels like I’m living!
(Anonymous 1): Even farmers have their own debates, like swordsmanship debates.
(Father of Crops): Don’t look down on farming. Listen, if there’s no farming, everyone starves to death. Once, our continent had a drought, right? So all the commoners died, and even the nobles’ grain stores ran out. At that point, so many people died. But I succeeded in growing crops without water! Huh? Are you listening? You guys are listening, right? So, what I’m saying about farming is…
‘….’
(Oracle of Cheongha): Exhausting.
(Anonymous 1): Should we kill him?
(Father of Crops): That’s why, without farming, it’s tricky. You get what I’m saying? On Earth, they call it the primary industry, right? In a way, farming is instinct!
Father of Crops left his thoughts about farming in a lengthy message that lasted for thirty minutes.
Long enough to fill a whole book.
Maru was the only one who read the chat with interest.
― Master…!
(Father of Crops): Yes, my disciple! You’ve finally understood your master’s heart!
For some reason, the two of them reaffirmed their bond.
The normally mischievous and rather quiet Father of Crops had become a chatterbox—amazing, really.
Hmm… Maybe he should talk a little less, though.
“Dad! Where are we going now?”
“Since we’ve come all the way to Andong, we should visit Hahoe Village.”
It was getting close to evening.
We’d eat jjimdak in the camper and then head to Hahoe Village.
Andong meant jjimdak, but the Constellations weren’t excited by most restaurant food anymore.
Even if they didn’t like farming talk, they only wanted to eat dishes made from Father of Crops’ produce and my buffs.
Father of Crops gave me pears, jujubes, and chestnuts.
I already had peppers, so I didn’t need more.
First, I’d use pear, soy sauce, jujube, chestnut, and dried peppers to get that rich umami flavor.
There was a simpler version, but since we had the time, we might as well do it properly.
On top of that, there was the sword from Yulian that surpassed all limits.
If I transformed that into a frying pan and cooked with it, I could whip up a massive batch in no time.
There’s nothing an EX-class item can’t do.
‘…Ah, right.’
(Anonymous 1): What?
“We don’t have any chicken.”
(Anonymous 1): Go buy some.
(God of Rain and Sunlight): Ah, I’m starving!
(Endless Waiting): I can wait.
(Oracle of Cheongha): Take your time, descendant. I can wait, so don’t hurry.
“If I just use regular chicken again, you’ll all complain, right? Don’t I need to use something like a Black Bird to satisfy you?”
(Anonymous 1): Thinking back to last time, regular chicken was fine… but since you mentioned Black Bird, now I can’t eat anything else!
Like that, they whined like middle schoolers in puberty.
“Lord, shall I go?”
“Hmm… just a moment.”
It would be best to send Eric.
If Eric fought, the Constellations would love it.
After all, Eric’s swordsmanship and magic skills rivaled even Anonymous.
If he raided a dungeon, I’d enjoy watching, and so would the Constellations.
“Sometimes you’ve got to watch a growth-type protagonist.”
(Anonymous 1): And who’s that, you? You’re already a munchkin.
(Oracle of Cheongha): Hmm, true. But what’s a munchkin?
(Anonymous 1): I know you’re just playing a character. Doesn’t work anymore.
(Oracle of Cheongha): You’ve caught me, haha.
I smiled wryly at Anonymous’s teasing.
“I’m going to call Alton.”
Alton had established himself as an excellent Demon King in the Demon Realm.
He was smart and handled the demons well, but he wasn’t particularly strong.
‘Wasn’t it me who helped Alton become Demon King? I should see it through to the end.’
I summoned Alton.
“Hyungnim, did you call for me?”
“Good to see you.”
“I’ve been waiting.”
“That’s a relief.”
“What lesson will you give me today?”
“I’d let you rest if I could, but I want to give you some training. Is that alright?”
“It’s what I want. Even if I try to make a Demon Realm that doesn’t need brute force, it’s not easy. In the end, the Demon Realm is a world where the strong eat the weak. No matter how much I try to manage things well, if my strength is lacking, it’s not easy.”
Objectively, Alton wasn’t weak.
Since so many evil ones had died, the overall combat strength of the Demon Realm had dropped sharply.
As Demon King, Alton was strong compared to most there.
But in any world, there are always experts as plentiful as grains of sand.
No matter how much political power you have, no matter how skilled your management, or how many underlings you command, you still need strength.
Alton seemed to be learning that lesson the hard way lately.
“Go raid with Eric. After you’re done, come eat with us.”
“Understood. For good food… I’ll be back within 30 minutes.”
For Alton, hunting a regular Black Bird alone would be easy.
But since Black Birds fly and have unpredictable attack patterns, it’d be good training for him to develop flexible thinking.
And if Eric gave him advice, Alton would only grow stronger.
On top of that, the boss monster, the Alpha Black Bird, might be tough for Alton to handle if he was worn out.
I wanted Alton to keep growing at this pace.
“Eric, teach Alton well. I’m counting on you.”
“Don’t worry, Lord. We’ll be back soon.”
“Head to the Alpha Black Bird Dungeon, and be sure to bring back the boss monster.”
While they were gone, I prepared the ingredients.
I chopped potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers, green onions, and set aside starch syrup, pepper, and sugar.
I minced garlic ahead of time, too.
‘Once the Black Bird gets here, all I’ll need to do is prep it and start cooking.’
I watched Alton and Eric enter the dungeon through Eric’s joint livestream.
*****
Alton’s heart was pounding.
It thrilled him that Jinwoo thought of him this way, and that he’d be showing his combat to the Constellations.
More than anything, he could get Eric’s guidance.
He’d been Demon King for a while now, growing stronger and managing much more power.
He could faintly sense Eric’s deep mana.
Being trained by someone that powerful—surely he could get even stronger.
“Alton, what’s your weapon?”
“I condense demonic energy and make it explode. I don’t carry an actual weapon.”
“So you use magic.”
“That’s right. I use demonic energy, not mana, though.”
“Good. Show me. Since I’ve slain a Demon King before, I can teach you.”
A chill ran down Alton’s spine.
…He’s joking, right?
(Anonymous 1): That Demon King wasn’t a weak one like you, Alton. He was known as the Demon God.
…For real? He’s not going to kill me too, is he?
“Don’t worry. Just move.”
Alton laughed awkwardly and said with a sheepish grin, “…Understood. I’m no Demon God, and I’m a nice Demon King, so please don’t kill me!”
For a Demon King who could joke like this, Eric gave a wry smile.