“Grown this much already?”
Amazed, Sang-woong asked, and Zepha puffed out his chest proudly.
“The Afua Tribe can grow any plant splendidly, hua!”
Curious, Sang-woong carefully picked a well-grown shiitake mushroom.
The earthy scent mixed with a woody aroma tickled his nose, and a message appeared.
- The Master of the Land has acquired a valuable item. A high-grade shiitake mushroom has a slight detoxifying effect on a hunter’s contamination. It can be sold at the shop for 50 points. Would you like to sell it? –
Reading the message, Sang-woong’s heart raced.
The 50-point price was surprising, but the fact that an Earth crop gained the effects of a land plant was astonishing.
Moreover, its ability to purify a hunter’s contamination was a remarkable discovery.
He popped the mushroom into his mouth and chewed.
Its chewy texture and subtle meaty flavor spread, followed by a deep savoriness.
“Wow, the mushrooms grown by the Afua are something else. The taste is top-notch!”
While savoring it, he opened his status window.
- Name: Park Sang-woong
Level: 50
Rank: 8th-grade Hunter
Talent: 0-grade Hunter
Strength: 156
Agility: 161
Stamina: 153
Mana: 160
Contamination: 66.999%
Skills: Body Enhancement (4.5), Appraisal (0.2), Inventory (0.2)
Trait: Master of the Land
Points: 28,030 –
Checking the status, he confirmed his contamination had dropped by 0.001% to 66.999%.
Compared to a detox potion worth 5 million won, which reduced contamination by about 0.1%, the mushroom’s effect was minimal.
But Sang-woong wasn’t disappointed.
The effect could be improved.
“With 100 shiitake mushrooms, I could make a potion matching a standard detox potion!”
He sprang into action.
Carefully washing the mushrooms, he added clear water and began simmering them in a pot.
As they cooked, the water turned a light brown, deepening as it simmered.
“Wow, this smell is pure art!”
The savory mushroom aroma filled the air, gradually shifting to a subtle chocolate-like scent.
Once it reached the right concentration, he turned off the heat, cooled the pot in cold water, and tasted the shiitake extract.
“This is seriously delicious!”
It was worlds apart from the nauseating detox potions.
Their vile taste was unbearable, endured only for survival.
Checking his status after drinking, he confirmed a 0.1% contamination drop, as expected.
“Jackpot!”
Unable to contain his excitement, he danced joyfully, his enthusiasm infecting Zepha, who joined in, swaying his shoulders.
“I’ll stuff you with cola! No, cider and Fanta too! Haha!”
His hearty laughter echoed across the land.
He immediately planned to massively expand shiitake cultivation.
Selling this magical extract would end his money worries.
“Zepha, we’ll grow only shiitake mushrooms, clearing out other crops.”
Zepha’s eyes widened in disbelief, staring at him.
“No way, hua!” he shook his head firmly, opposing the idea.
Caught off guard by Zepha’s staunch refusal, Sang-woong was flustered.
“Zepha, why not? We need to bet everything on shiitakes now!”
Zepha, with his characteristic seriousness, shook his head.
“Each crop brings different happiness, hua! Growing only one would make us unhappy, hua!”
Stunned by Zepha’s philosophical argument, Sang-woong hesitated.
Realizing he couldn’t sway him, they compromised on growing shiitakes on half the land.
This was possible only because Sang-woong promised to expand the land soon.
Land expansion was progressing steadily.
Thanks to the Afua’s dedicated help, he earned points quickly, successfully planting all 100 coral saplings required for the first expansion.
During planting, he injected five land elixirs, and now only one more was needed to expand.
Today, he finally gathered enough points to level up the shop.
He avoided repeating his past mistake of rushing expansion.
Safety was paramount.
Monster invasions were relentless, with sturdy wood golems fiercely defending the land.
As the land’s energy recovered and expanded, stronger monsters might appear unpredictably.
Thus, ensuring safety before expanding was wise.
Upgrading the shop to level 3 cost a whopping 20,000 points.
“Man, I worked hard for this,” he said, proudly eyeing his points.
- Would you like to upgrade the shop level? –
“Yes.”
- 20,000 points deducted. –
The points vanished instantly, and the level 3 shop appeared.
The first item he noticed was an inventory skill potion.
At 5,000 points, it would double his inventory space.
No more multiple trips to haul ingredients for the Afua.
“No appraisal skill potion this time. Is level 2 its max? Makes sense, there’s not much room to improve its function.”
Swallowing his disappointment, he checked the next item.
Lapis plant.
It served the same role as the coral saplings from the level 2 shop.
To expand the land, he needed to plant 1,000 lapis plants.
Priced at 200 points each—twice the coral saplings—but having experienced price hikes, he accepted it calmly.
Spirit food doubled to 2,000 points, and land elixirs jumped to 4,000 points.
“I’ll need a lot of elixirs this time too.”
Last expansion required six, so this one would likely need more.
Next, he saw sturdier, larger level 2 fences.
Though unneeded now with the small land, they’d be essential later.
At 20 points, the price reflected their improved size and strength.
“They’re recyclable even if broken, so not too pricey.”
Then, stronger wood golem equipment: level 2 armor, shields, and various weapons.
Even a single weapon would multiply their attack power.
Finally, new items at shop level 3.
The first was Arachnoite seeds.
Checking their effects, Sang-woong’s eyes widened, rubbing them in disbelief.
“No way, such seeds exist?”
Arachnoite seeds could enhance a hunter’s talent.
They could unlock innate potential, allowing growth into a stronger hunter.
Originally, Sang-woong’s talent capped at 0-grade.
Through grueling effort, he reached 8th-grade, but knew that was his limit.
Cultivating and consuming these seeds could awaken dormant abilities, making him a stronger hunter.
This was a game-changer.
Though unspoken, anxiety always lingered.
The wood golems protected the land well now, but as it expanded, stronger, more sinister monsters would come.
He constantly worried if his current abilities could protect this precious land against a formidable monster one day.
But with Arachnoite seeds, he could enhance his talent, face future threats, and safeguard the land.
Breaking his limit meant growing stronger without directly fighting monsters.
The golems’ hunting experience transferred to him, leveling him up effortlessly.
However, there were two drawbacks.
First, the exorbitant price: 1,000 points per seed.
Second, Arachnoite plants couldn’t be propagated.
His secret plan to mass-produce them with the Afua’s farming skills was thwarted by a sudden message.
- Arachnoite plants cannot be propagated. –
He realized the only option was to buy and carefully grow the 1,000-point seeds.
Next, he saw farming tools tailored for the Afua.
Their current tools, brought from Earth, were designed for humans, inconvenient for the Afua.
The new tools at shop level 3 went beyond customization, offering special functions.
- Using these tools significantly increases crop yield. –
“Jackpot!”
Sang-woong’s jaw dropped.
These were as impactful as land expansion, practically magical tools.
But what truly stunned him was something else.
A pond.
Unbelievably, the shop sold a pond for 30,000 points.
“Is this even possible? Selling a pond in the shop?”
Clicking the pond icon, a detailed description appeared.
- Creates a 50-meter pond. –
Water shortages had been a concern.
The stream’s flow barely sustained current crops.
A massive pond from the shop would eliminate water worries for farming forever.