Chapter 17: Black Kitty and Whitey?

Baek Seonwoo, a non-combat superhuman, possesses the skill of Alchemy.

And she happened to be researching how to make potions.

“With alchemy, can you make other elixirs or something like that?”

“Yes, that’s right. But I’m not planning to research anything else until I perfect making potions.”

“Why focus only on potions?”

“That’s…”

Baek Seonwoo hesitated, as if about to speak but holding back.

“If it’s something difficult to talk about, you don’t have to say it.”

“No, it’s just… some old memories came up.”

She said she used to have an older brother, just five years ago.

He had successfully awakened as a superhuman, gaining powerful combat skills, and was a promising Hunter with a bright future ahead.

“Back then, potions were extremely rare. Of course, even now they’re precious and expensive, so they’re not easy to obtain.”

“Right, it wasn’t long since Dungeons appeared and people started awakening as superhumans.”

Just when the brother and sister were poised to rise to great heights, tragedy struck around that time.

“He got injured in a Dungeon. But even after going to the hospital and receiving Recovery Skills from Healers, his wounds didn’t heal and only worsened…”

Her eyes grew moist as if staring into the distance, recalling that moment from the past.

I couldn’t offer any consolation.

No words can soothe the pain of losing family.

“I looked around everywhere and they said he needed potions along with healing to recover…”

From that moment, she began searching for anything that could be an ingredient for potions.

Then, upon awakening as a superhuman, she acquired the ‘Alchemy’ skill, but by then it was already too late.

“In the end, my brother… ugh!”

Her tears finally spilled out.

I silently patted her shoulder.

After crying for a while, she seemed to have calmed down and spoke again.

“I’m sorry. I thought I was okay now… but maybe not yet. That’s why I decided to keep researching potions, so no one like my brother will ever appear again.”

Her swollen eyes smiled faintly, and my heart ached.

Who would have guessed such a bright, innocent face held such a heartbreaking story?

I wanted to give her hope.

“I debated whether to say this, but I think I found that ingredient. It’s growing right now.”

“What ingredient… huh!? Potion ingredient!? That’s not funny.”

She seemed skeptical and her voice trembled slightly.

“No, I’m serious. It’s planted in the field now. Want to see it?”

“I-I do want to! You’re not lying, right?”

“I’m telling the truth.”

I led her toward the Porti field next to the Peanut Field I had made.

There were two rows of Porti planted exactly as Kasia had given the seeds, and behind them stretched a long line of small sprouts.

“Isn’t this… mugwort?”

“They look similar, but the seeds and characteristics are different. I heard it has wound-healing effects.”

Swallowing nervously, Baek Seonwoo cautiously spoke up.

“Would you mind if I researched it?”

“Of course not. That’s why I told you.”

“Wow! Thank you so much!”

Her face brightened as if she had never cried before.

“Though I haven’t succeeded in growing it properly yet, so it might take some time.”

“That’s okay. Research rarely yields results immediately anyway.”

She carefully took the two Porti plants and seemed absorbed in examining the leaves and roots in detail.

I decided to quickly finish tidying up.

Thud! Thud!

‘That sound…!’

Knowing the noise, I jumped up and ran toward it.

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

Baek Seonwoo started running after me.

Leaving her behind, I dashed toward where the noise came from.

“Ddakkongi! What’s going on?!”

“W-w-what is it?!”

Stepping outside, the situation became clear at once.

Ddakkongi was facing off against something.

“The white cat we called Baekho before… no, this isn’t it. This one’s new.”

(Please dodge! New ones have come! I will handle this!)

“What’s Ddakkongi? And what’s this Baekho you mentioned?”

I briefly explained to Baek Seonwoo, who hadn’t understood the situation—starting with Ddakkongi, the Peanut Guardian, the field he protected, and the white cat that threatened the chickens.

“But that black cat is really pretty! And the dog next to it is so cute too!”

“Yeah, but if they threaten our chickens, we can’t just watch.”

Thud! Thud!

The black cat took a step forward, and Ddakkongi immediately fired a warning shot.

(Stay still! This is your final warning! If you move again, the gun barrel, Heukho, will point right at you!)

The black cat called Heukho seemed to understand and withdrew its paw.

At that moment, Baek Seonwoo, who had been thinking deeply, made a suggestion.

“Could they be attacking because they’re hungry? Hmm… what if we feed them? If they’re full, they wouldn’t attack! Then there’d be no need to fight.”

“That’s true. Hmm… maybe it’s time to open the reserved tuna cans.”

Despite having brought tuna cans, the standoff between Ddakkongi and the black cat continued.

The white dog just watched from a distance, but the black cat glared at Ddakkongi, ready to pounce anytime.

“Hey! Stop fighting! Ddakkongi, put the gun down, and you too… uh, alright. Blackie, step back!”

I accidentally gave the black cat a nickname.

Since I called the black cat Heuknyang (Blackie), the white dog would be Hindungi (Whitie)!

Heuknyang seemed to recognize me as a new enemy and backed away warily, casting guarded glances.

As I got closer, the cat arched its back and fluffed its fur.

(Yowwwl!)

“It’s okay, it’s okay. You’re just hungry, right? Want some of this?”

Still highly cautious, the cat stopped halfway as I approached.

I opened two cans of tuna, placed them on the ground, and backed away.

Hindungi immediately wagged its tail upon seeing me and came over to eat the tuna eagerly.

Heuknyang, however, kept watching from afar, raising and lowering its front paw as if debating what to do.

“Should we step back a bit? Ddakkongi, can you move back too?”

Heuknyang seemed wary but began moving.

Its body headed toward the tuna, but its gaze stayed fixed on us.

After a brief hesitation, it finally ate from the can.

It must have been really hungry, devouring it greedily.

“From now on, if you’re hungry, call me here. I’ll bring you food. Hindungi, you too.”

I spoke as kindly as I could, though unsure if they understood.

Hindungi wagged its tail wildly, clearly recognizing it was called.

I gently petted its head, and it wagged its tail even more vigorously, as if it might fly away.

Riding this momentum, I tried approaching Heuknyang subtly, but it immediately noticed and hissed.

I’ll have to try again when we’re better acquainted.

“So, you won’t fight anymore, right? Tell me about Ddakkongi! He’s so cute… where did he come from?”

She was completely smitten by the cuteness.

“Sorry for the late introduction. This is Ddakkongi, the Peanut Guardian. He was born because I carefully tended the peanuts. My ability isn’t just for communication. Also, he doesn’t only protect the peanut field—he watches over this entire area. Ddakkongi, this is…”

“I’ll introduce myself! I’m Baek Seonwoo. You’re really cute.”

Baek Seonwoo lightly tapped Ddakkongi’s helmet with her fingertip.

But Ddakkongi, born to be a soldier, saluted without a twitch.

(Hello sir! I am Ddakkongi!)

A soldier wearing armor made of peanut shells and standing knee-high…

How could he not be adorable?

While Baek Seonwoo squealed and took pictures, I kept an eye on the wild animals.

Soon they finished eating and moved away.

Heuknyang left coolly, true to its nature, while Hindungi kept turning back to stare at me.

(I will return to duty now!)

Confident in protecting us from intruders, Ddakkongi returned to the center of the peanut field, satisfied he had done his job.

A few days later, I received a call from Mr. Kim.

Someone wanted to purchase Eggs.

“Yes! Thank you for letting me know!”

I carefully arranged the eggs stacked in the refrigerator, making sure none broke, then put them back in.

The fridge was full of Eggs.

I was going to need a proper storage space soon.

Since I didn’t have money to buy a warehouse or storage yet, I’d have to think about it slowly.

Mr. Kim was coming in the afternoon, so I headed to the peanut field to work until then.

“Huh? The lower leaves are wilting.”

It seemed the time to harvest the peanuts had come.

Normally, it would take a few months, but thanks to the Peanut Guardian’s ‘Rapid Growth’ effect, they grew quickly.

It would have been easier if Baek Seonwoo was here, but she had already taken the Porti and returned to Seoul, so I had to harvest the peanuts alone.

‘I wish peanuts had grades like Eggs. How nice would it be if they were A Grade, like Seonwoo said.’

I pulled up a peanut plant with yellowing leaves.

‘Definitely ready to harvest.’

When it’s time to harvest, nutrients shift from the leaves to the peanuts, so the leaves turn yellow.

Also, when you pull out the peanuts, if the netting on the shells is clear and defined, it means they grew well.

Some were still underdeveloped, so I harvested only the mature ones, judging by the leaves.

One by one, I continued until the sun began to set.

“Oof!”

I placed my hands on my aching waist and stretched backward with relief.

“Ah, that feels good.”

Seeing the cart next to me filled to the brim with peanuts, a sense of pride welled up.

Each plant had clusters of peanuts hanging from the roots—a bumper harvest.

‘Is this the synergy between nutrient-rich soil and Rapid Growth? Incredible.’

The amount looked twice as much as the peanuts I’d known before.

Usually, they say if you mound soil on top of peanuts (‘Banking Soil’), the yield increases.

But since they grew so fast, I missed the timing to bank the soil this time.

Even so, the harvest was this abundant…

So how much more would it increase with banking soil?

If I grow them in the intense summer sun and bank soil too, I can’t even imagine how big the harvest would be. Heh heh heh.

A happy smile spread across my face.

(Owner, there’s an amazing smell coming from the peanuts. Can I try some?)

“You mean the peanuts? Sure, you can have some. Try one.”

Goldie skillfully picked a peanut, broke the shell with his beak, and ate only the nut inside.

“How is it?”

(Of course. It tastes amazing compared to feed. The nut is firm and savory.)

“Really? Sounds like you like it. Since we harvested a lot, I’ll save some for you guys. But could you separate the peanuts from the roots with the other chickens?”

(Of course! We’ll separate them neatly. But we expect at least three peanuts each in return!)

“Sounds great. Deal!”

Goldie gathered the chickens and started separating peanuts.

Holding the stem with one leg and plucking peanuts with the other, they worked at an incredible speed.

“Wow… you guys are better farmers than me. Haha.”

After the chickens separated the peanuts, I washed them for storage.

Just rinsing the shells under running water wasn’t difficult at all.

With the work divided this way, and the peanuts laid out to dry, the harvest finished quickly and smoothly.

“Oh right! I forgot to check the peanut grades.”

I picked up a peanut and brought up the information window.

[Peanut – A]
Peanuts grown in harmony with the farmer.
Though they didn’t grow under the strong midsummer sun, they received daily care and love from the farmer, resulting in good quality peanuts.
Guardian Bonus: +1 Grade
*Permanently increases Stamina by 1 upon consumption. (One-time only)

“Oh? Peanuts raise stats like Eggs? And it’s A Grade. The Guardian Bonus bumped it up a level.”

Just as Baek Seonwoo said, A Grade peanuts appeared.

There were some B Grades mixed in, but most were A Grade, proving the peanut farming was a great success.

And judging by the description, growing them in midsummer might yield even higher grades.

‘I wonder if there’s an S Grade crop?’

Since this was the countryside, I’d never seen S Grade crops in markets or stores.

If there are S Grade Hunters, there must be S Grade crops too.

While I pondered this, Ddakkongi wiggled and stood up.

Happy to see him, I hurried over.

“You’re up? You’re such a good boy! Thanks to you, we got A Grade peanuts! Thank you, Ddakkongi.”

Still half asleep and a bit confused, Ddakkongi brightened at his master’s praise.

(Hehe. I’m always grateful too!)

His half-open eyes and bright smile were truly adorable.

Not just a guardian, but giving Guardian Bonuses as well.

Having such a perfect kid born from my hands made me feel my decision to become a farmer was the best choice I ever made.