“Guardian, did something else arrive?”
Aria looked at the box with curious eyes.
I opened the box and first took out the letter inside to read it.
**[A Letter from Halfling O’Donnell]**
Hello, my friend! I was truly grateful that you perfectly prepared 100 servings in just one day. It didn’t feel right to stay silent, so I’m sending you some special seeds I gathered while traveling through the front zones. In our world, these crops are treated as precious because the climate and environment result in low yields. Why don’t you try growing them in your world?
“O’Donnell sent seeds, saying he appreciated the hard work of preparing the supplies.”
“What kind of seeds are they?”
“The note says Honey Scented Corn, Maple Carrot, and Snow White Cabbage seeds.”
“Wow! I want to try the corn!”
“No! These corn kernels are seeds.”
“Aww.”
“You can eat it once it grows.”
“Who’s going to grow it, and when?”
“I’ll have to find someone.”
Naturally, I couldn’t be the one to grow them.
I didn’t have any land to plant them in the first place.
Besides, there were professionals for this.
‘I’d like to sell them directly to Farmer Hunters if possible.’
If I put them up on the Rocket Store without any restrictions, people would definitely buy them out of curiosity. However, unlike the Cream Potatoes or Candy Sweet Potatoes, these were in seed form.
**[! In addition to the Dispatch Contract, you can now draft a Standard Contract.]**
Just then, a voice like the one I heard during the tutorial gave me advice.
“Was there another type of contract?”
I immediately checked the exclusive shop, and indeed, a new contract had been added. I wasn’t sure if it was added naturally because the Rocket Store’s level went up or if it was because of the current situation, but that didn’t matter.
**[Standard Contract (150,000 coins)]**
Can be used to establish a general contract.
‘If I use this, can I contract with Earth’s Hunters as well as other races?’
Without hesitation, I purchased the Standard Contract and wrote a limited recruitment notice.
**[Farmer Hunter Only — Special Cultivation Contract]**
Target: Only Farmer Hunters may apply.
Content: Contract for the cultivation of rare crops from the Halfling world.
Honey Scented Corn, Maple Carrot, Snow White Cabbage.
Upon success: Exclusive supply rights and profit sharing.
Trial seeds: 100g of each variety provided for free.
Recruitment: Until seeds run out.
Now that the notice was up…
I was about to wrap up my schedule for the day, but a support message arrived immediately after the posting.
**[Application Message]**
Sender: Farmer Hunter Kim Do-yoon (D-rank)
Content: Hello! I’m applying immediately after seeing the notice you just posted. I currently run an orchard and a field—though they aren’t large—and I have a great interest in cultivating new crops. Crops from the Halfling world… I’m really looking forward to this!
“Oh? Already an applicant?”
I checked Kim Do-yoon’s profile.
He was a D-rank Farmer Hunter who successfully operated the Black Apple Farm, which showed up if you searched for it on portal sites. He lived in Daegwallyeong.
‘He seems like the right person.’
I contracted with Kim Do-yoon and asked which variety he was interested in.
**[Contract Finalized Notification]**
Congratulations! Kim Do-yoon has been selected.
If there is a specific seed you are interested in, I will send it to you.
Before long, a reply came saying he wanted the Snow White Cabbage.
“Then should I start by sending enough seeds for a trial?”
I packed 100g of Snow White Cabbage seeds and sent them to Kim Do-yoon. Soon, a message popped up saying the Rocket Delivery of seeds had arrived safely.
**[Message from Kim Do-yoon]**
I have received and checked the seeds. I will start the trial in my greenhouse and field starting tomorrow. I’m already excited because I feel like the results will be great!
“He’s very motivated.”
I smiled with satisfaction. As expected, a professional was different.
“Guardian, are we getting a new farm now?”
“That’s right. If special crops from the Halfling world can grow on Earth, it’ll be an entirely new business.”
Filled with anticipation, I decided to wait for Kim Do-yoon’s cultivation results.
“I really should sleep now.”
“Goodnight!”
“Yeah. You too, Aria!”
However, I didn’t feel as tired as usual. In fact, my mind was quite alert.
‘Well, all I did today was wait for the ingredients O’Donnell requested to be sorted, watch O’Donnell’s group cook, and observe Han Seo-yeon’s live broadcast.’
It was truly the life of a lucky unemployed person. It was natural that I couldn’t fall asleep.
‘Maybe I’ll check the requests.’
Conveniently, a new request had just been updated. I figured I could register this one and then head to bed.
“Huh? It’s a new race.”
**[Bait Purchase]**
Requester: Beastkin Great Warrior Gray
Content: twenty Glow Larvae and one Titan Larva to be used as fishing bait. Must be alive.
Reward: five Crystal Trouts.
I was surprised by the new class, but what was even more puzzling was that a Great Warrior was fishing.
‘The Beastkin tribe? And a Great Warrior at that… Are they fishing instead of catching them directly?’
The image of a Beastkin, who likely resembled a wolf, sitting on a pier or a rock while fishing… It was hard to imagine. Furthermore, the request was as brief as Barbarian Kargar’s.
“He only wrote exactly what was needed. Is he the practical and silent type?”
The problem was the condition that the monsters had to be alive. Glow Larvae were common monsters found in rifts or the Tower, but the Titan Larva was a mid-tier monster.
‘It might take quite a while to find one.’
Still, if I registered the payment on the Rocket Store, wouldn’t someone put it up? I wondered if it would be difficult to get them while they were still alive.
‘Now that I’ve checked the request, I should really sleep.’
However, while I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom, a notification popped up.
**[Purchase of one Titan Larva complete]**
“Huh? Already?”
The Titan Larva, which had been the biggest issue, was resolved in an instant. If that was the case, waiting for twenty Glow Larvae was nothing.
“That’s impressive.”
I immediately sent all the bait to Gray.
**[A new review has been registered on the Rocket Store.]**
Purchaser: Beastkin Great Warrior Gray
Rating: ★★★★★
Review: Much appreciated, human. As promised, I will send you the Crystal Trouts I caught myself.
**[Obtained five Crystal Trouts]**
**[Reputation with the Beastkin Tribe has increased]**
‘He really is a man of few words. Since I can’t sleep, maybe I’ll watch Gray fish?’
Lying in bed, I turned on the hologram feature to check on Gray. On the screen, I saw the Great Beastkin sitting by the river, preparing his fishing rod. Gray had a more gentle impression than I had expected. Unlike his profession as a Great Warrior, he was preparing to fish with a peaceful expression.
“This is the perfect calm video to watch before bed.”
Starting with the small Glow Larvae as bait, Gray consecutively reeled in several Crystal Trouts.
“Wow. He’s really skilled.”
Beautiful fish with transparent bodies that sparkled like crystals splashed under the moonlight as if they were dancing. The twenty Glow Larvae I sent were used up in no time. Or had I just lost track of time while watching?
“Yawn.”
Having caught enough Crystal Trout, Gray began to change his gear. He swapped his rod for a much thicker and sturdier one and used the Titan Larva as bait.
“He’s really using a Titan Larva as bait?”
The sight of Gray hooking a giant caterpillar monster—one larger than most small dogs—onto his hook was impressive. It probably would have been impossible without the strength of a Great Warrior.
“But what is he trying to catch with such a large bait?”
I continued to watch out of curiosity, but after casting the giant bait, Gray became a completely different person. He stopped moving entirely, like a stone statue. His hands holding the rod, his shoulders, and even his tail remained perfectly still in total silence.
“Wow. He can concentrate like that?”
Gray’s eyes were fixed solely on the float on the water’s surface. Even when the wind blew and his fur swayed, or when small bugs flew right in front of his nose, he didn’t care at all. 10 minutes passed, then 20, then 30, and Gray still didn’t budge. It felt as if time had stopped.
‘He’s like an ancient sage fishing for time. But is he actually going to catch anything?’
That absolute silence and concentration actually had a hypnotic effect. Without realizing it, the gentle sound of the water wrapped around my ears like a lullaby. My eyelids began to grow heavy.
‘I wonder what he’s catching… I’m curious, but so sleepy…’
With that final thought, I watched the statue-like, motionless Gray and drifted off to sleep.
***
At first, it was a small sound.
*Splash, splash.*
Just a ripple in the calm river. But soon.
*Splaaaaaaaash!*
I woke up to the violent sound of water being torn apart.
“What is that noise? Don’t tell me he was like that all night?”
Because I had fallen asleep in the middle of it, the hologram was still on. Looking at the screen, Gray was quietly wrestling with his fishing rod, and the scale of it was enormous.
“W-What is that?”
The water surged violently, and then an incredibly massive monster fish revealed itself. It was on a completely different level from the Crystal Trout. Yet, Gray remained calm. Even in a struggle of strength against the giant monster, his expression didn’t change as he silently faced the creature.
“Wow! That’s truly amazing.”
It was a great sight to see right after waking up. Without realizing it, I was watching the tense struggle and naturally cheering for Gray.
“Guardian? What’s going on?”
Aria, woken up by the loud noise, approached with sleepy eyes and was startled when she saw the screen.
“What is that monster fish?”
“I don’t really know either. I guess he was fishing all night to find that thing.”
“All night?”
“Yeah.”
Come to think of it, the Crystal Trouts Gray had caught earlier were nowhere to be seen. It seemed they were just meals he had caught to stave off hunger while he sat there waiting for this monster.
We held our breath and watched the scene. After a long struggle lasting several hours, Gray finally succeeded in reeling in the massive monster fish.
“Whoa!”
“He did it!”
Aria cried out in admiration, and I found myself clapping. Right then, an unexpected system message appeared.
**[Achievement! Witnessed a Rare Sight]**
**[Witnessed the capture of a spirit creature.]**
**[Your Mana stat increases permanently by +2.]**
“Huh? A spirit creature? And I got it just for watching?”
I had experienced many things since awakening my Rocket Delivery ability, but I never expected to complete an achievement this way.
“Guardian, what’s wrong?”
“I unlocked an achievement, and my stats went up. I’m wide awake now.”
The strange experience had completely shaken off my drowsiness. Meanwhile, the second day for O’Donnell’s group had dawned. Lee Jun-ho and the other survival chefs began their busy day by preparing a traditional Halfling breakfast. With the kitchen as a backdrop—hectic as if a cooking competition were underway—Aria and I also had a simple breakfast.
Even the chefs took a brief moment to eat. O’Donnell picked up his spoon and then put it down, looking restless.
‘Does he have something to say?’
“Um… actually, I have one more favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
Lee Jun-ho asked with a curious expression.
“The leader of the expedition for this task is a friend of mine, but he’s hit a flavor slump. I want to show him a special taste.”
“A flavor slump?”
Park Min-su tilted his head. O’Donnell explained.
“Halflings sometimes have periods where their sense of taste dulls. Usually, all food starts to taste bland. At those times, they need very stimulating and strong flavors.”
“Then we’d be happy to help!”
Kim Da-young answered readily.
“But what kind of flavor should we show him? If he’s a Halfling, he must be incredibly picky. Will our skills be of any help?”
Lee Jun-ho looked worried. Watching through the screen, I suddenly remembered Finch’s case.
‘It’s my turn to step in.’
I immediately prepared a Rocket Delivery.
“Oh? It’s a Rocket Delivery!”
Lee Jun-ho received the box with a surprised expression.
“These are some very stimulating ingredients!”
“Ooh! This is going to produce a truly intense flavor!”
O’Donnell’s eyes sparkled.
“It seems you’ve experienced something similar before.”
“I think we can make something special with this!”
“This time, I’ll be the one asking you for a favor,” Park Min-su said with a confident expression. “Don’t worry. Thanks to yesterday and today, my cooking skills have improved a lot. I’m happy to have a chance to repay the favor.”
“Me too.”
“I’m grateful!”
“Well, then. If we want to prepare lunch too, let’s start quickly.”
“Yes!”
“We’re ready!”
“Thank you, everyone. I’ll prepare a special reward as well.”
I also added a word.
— Let me know if you need anything else!
**[You’ve been watching since early this morning. I received the delivery well. Then, I won’t hesitate to ask.]**
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