“It doesn’t even feel like a few grams…”
It seems like a sincere gesture, but those gold nuggets are only big by their standards. Here, they’re the size of mouse droppings.
Still, they’re bigger than the gold coins I got before, and since gold is literally worth its weight in gold,
I guess I’ve made some financial gain.
[That’s what they say!]
They say if you plant a fairy seed and nurture the plant, a fairy princess will be born from its fruit.
Like an elf with pointy ears?
“Hey, RiceCookerMan, what happened to those spirits carrying the will of the fairy race? Haven’t they crossed over yet?”
[Unfortunately, they seem to have died from the keep-warm function!]
Uh… that’s unfortunate.
“So they were beings capable of communication?”
[They could have been!]
So cheerful.
I feel a bit uneasy hearing that.
Come to think of it, the Mutation King that appeared first tried to communicate.
And the skeleton soldiers knocked out by the fan were talking to each other too.
I plan to take out everything that invades my tiny studio apartment.
But mindlessly slaughtering doesn’t seem entirely right.
Judging by what these invaders do and RiceCookerMan’s testimony,
They’re probably things that deserve to die.
Still, maybe I should try talking first.
“So, they’re really coming here because there’s nothing left to hunt in their world?”
[Yes. I heard even the spirits and fairies that regulate the world were taken out!]
You talk about extinction so cheerfully, I can’t believe you.
But if even the people in this world had levels above their heads and could steal them, civilization itself would probably turn chaotic.
“Hmmmmm.”
The items that drop are so tiny they’re easy to store in a pouch.
I’m collecting the small gold nuggets and coins in it for now.
Among these items,
I need to think more about the fairy seed.
It seems the spirit’s soul has merged with RiceCookerMan, but a fairy seed…
If the fairy grows to human size, that’d be a problem.
If it’s born as small as the monsters, like snack crumbs, I could handle raising it.
If it’s an inanimate object like RiceCookerMan, there’d be no maintenance costs.
But, like peppers that turn into bell peppers, paprika, or regular peppers depending on where they’re planted,
If Earth’s nutrients are too rich and instead of a Thumbelina-sized fairy,
A human-sized fairy is born, I don’t think I could live in this studio.
“So, how big do fairies get?”
[I heard their past life’s memories are passed down. When they awaken those memories, they’re reborn with the body they had when they died.]
“How much do I need to raise them?”
[It depends on love, they say!]
And I have no idea how big the plant will grow when I plant it.
Their situation is pitiful, but I don’t have a reason to help…
Not unlocked. Only activated for those of demon, fairy, or spirit lineage. Acquired affinity with them is required to use it.
What’s this magic thing?
If it’s real magic, like teleportation,
I could return home in a flash no matter where I am.
If that’s possible,
Earning money through sports with strength, speed, and stamina isn’t impossible.
I don’t want to go to work, but I don’t want to stay cooped up in this room either.
No, to be precise, staying only in a studio like this makes me a shut-in…
It says if I get close to the fairy, it’ll activate my magic.
“Are there skills like teleportation among the things I can use by raising magic?”
[I heard there are. This gate itself is a form of space, isn’t it?]
“Oh, that’s true. Will getting close to you give me magic?”
[Fairies are more accustomed to magic.]
“The elf girl I raise… might be nice, no, wait.”
It might be nice? But then again, maybe not.
[What do you mean?]
“If I raise a fairy, how old do they live to, how many years to become an adult, do you know that?”
If it’s like the settings I’ve seen in media, where elves age one year every ten and live for thousands of years,
Raising one for 50 years would only get them to the level of a three-year-old in preschool, not even potty-trained.
I don’t want to support that.
I’m not against having a pet like a dog or cat to ease loneliness,
But I haven’t gotten one because I don’t have the confidence to care for it.
[Well, since they’re reborn with spirits, they grow as plants from seeds, bear fruit, and then the fairy is born. For a while, they hang in the pot without memories, but once they awaken their past life, they regain their previous form and mind.]
“How big are they?”
[I don’t know that!]
“Come on, beans grow from beans, red beans from red beans.”
It’s a tiny seed, so it’ll probably be something like Thumbelina.
Since I’ve stumbled into this weird opportunity, growing a plant doesn’t sound bad.
It’s kind of fun.
The next day, I went out to grab a fast-food breakfast set and bought soil from Daiso.
If I took the subway to the market near the station, I could get a pot and fertilized soil from an agricultural store,
But that’s too much hassle.
So, I bought soil and a pot, filled it with soil,
And planted the fairy seed.
Then I took a picture.
Keep giving it love and attention!
As expected, the photo came with an explanation.
What kind of magic is this?
There’s a number written, 0/15000—does that mean it’s quantified?
“Does your smartphone have a spirit too?”
[It’s not impossible. I don’t know for sure.]
“How do I give it love? Hug it and sleep?”
[That’s probably not necessary! Could you sleep hugging me?!]
I’ve never raised a plant, so I don’t know anything.
I looked it up online and posted a question…
Title: It says to give a plant love and attention, what does that mean?
– Saying “I love you” makes it happy. See the onion experiment (link)
That’s the only comment.
Other posts mentioned playing music for it,
But…
It doesn’t seem very helpful.
Playing music seems doable, but saying “I love you” feels weird.
“Water, light, ventilation. And fertilizer.”
Would the debris in the mini vacuum cleaner work as fertilizer?
It’s my first time raising a plant.
I knew how to raise characters in games, but I’ve never really raised anything in real life.
I did raise a chick fed with Maishin.
“Chick…”
[Yes?]
“No, nothing.”
I already talked to myself a lot while living alone, but now that the rice cooker responds, I’m doing it even more.
If I could perfectly control an animal, it might help block things coming out of the gate.
For now, I ate the hamburger I bought.
[Instead of that unhealthy flour bread, why not eat rice? I can confidently make it for you. Koreans should eat rice!]
This guy’s localization is pretty quick…
“Is your rice really tasty?”
[Leave it to me. I’m confident in that.]
“I don’t have side dishes. Sorry.”
[Truly delicious rice tastes good even without side dishes.]
“You need at least some kimchi. Oh, I got a hamburger. I’ll eat it next time, next time.”
[…I see.]
RiceCookerMan seems sulky.
Can I live on plain rice?
I don’t eat rice often because it’s a hassle to cook.
At school, I ate cafeteria food.
Then some lettuce slipped and fell on the floor.
If it fell on my clean floor, I’d just pick it up and eat it.
But with the wall broken and monster debris on the ground,
I put it in the pot I just planted.
[+1 Plant-based fertilizer]
“Huh?”
When I checked again with my smartphone,
0/15000 became 1/15000.
So this quantifies the plant’s growth?
I tried putting some crumbs from the hamburger patty as fertilizer.
The pot absorbed it like it was eating, and a message appeared.
[+1 Animal-based fertilizer]
It works as fertilizer.
But if it only goes up by 1, how long will this take?
I clicked on 2/15000,
And a window opened.
Watering (Once a day, 50 points. Overuse reduces points.)
Sunlight (Only during the day, 10 points per hour, up to 50 points.)
Fertilizing (Up to 5 times a day, points vary by fertilizer.)
Playing music (2 points per hour, up to 10 points a day.)
Taking for a walk (1 point per hour, no limit.)
Saying “I love you” (10 points per time, up to 10 times a day.)
“It’s really raised with love.”
Since it’s 15,000, it’ll take about 150 days of saying “I love you” to the pot to make it sprout.
Watering and sunlight give 250 points, so about 60 days.
It varies slightly depending on the fertilizer,
But the easiest is definitely saying it.
“Uh, ahem, I love you.”
[+10 Deep affection for the pot]
Wow.
A man saying “I love you” to a pot ten times a day.
What a romantic gardener.
Doing it feels like I’m crazy, but to a plant, it feels like I’m a serious plant person.
***
I heard noise from outside the front door, where soundproofing is poor.
The studio has some security, so deliveries or couriers are received at the main entrance on the first floor with a passcode,
But people sometimes follow students in.
“Yes, yes, come this way. This is the room.”
It was the sound of multiple footsteps, including the landlord grandpa.
“The window’s missing one.”
It’s an older lady’s voice.
“Open the door to the hallway, and it’s fine. There’s CCTV, and the entrance has a door.”
What else would be at the entrance if not a door?
The CCTV is running, but didn’t they see me carrying rolls of wallpaper and coming out with plaster on my face from the next room?
Someone’s probably here to see the room.
Awkward timing.
The usual moving season is February, before the semester starts.
This is a neighborhood with two major national universities, so it’s a student studio area.
Probably a student returning for the second semester.
It makes sense if they’re checking out the room with their parents.
As they enter the empty room next door, I’m breaking out in a cold sweat.
“The wallpaper looks new, and it’s cleaned up. Seems well-maintained.”
“Looks good. I’ll live here.”
Hmm.
I thought I’d take responsibility for damaging someone else’s place where I’m staying,
But they’re moving in too quickly?
I filled it with plaster since internet searches said it helps with noise and soundproofing,
But this studio had construction issues from the start, and the hole I made probably doesn’t help.
“Yeah, for this price, it’s got a window and is right by the main road. It’s good.”
“Don’t need to see more?”
I can hear everything.
“It’s fine, I said. Why do you keep asking? Going further out is too far and inconvenient.”
“Let’s talk then. It’s cheap for a vacancy during the semester.”
With the same options, I’m paying 10 million deposit and 350,000 monthly. I’d feel less guilty about the hole if it was cheaper.