101 – Jjol?
When I arrived at the plant research club club room at the back of the botanical garden, I changed into the same work clothes that Kryssia was wearing.
‘It’s more comfortable than I thought.’
It was a work uniform that looked quite dull on the outside, but there was no inconvenience in wearing it and moving around.
‘… But why are the work uniforms of the plant research club better than ordinary leather armor?’
I left the club despite having doubts about the unusually high defense power of the work clothes I examined through [Emotion].
“Wow! It looks good on you, Seonwoo!”
“It’s definitely a foundation, so it goes well with work clothes! Isn’t that right, Nut?”
“……Tch.”
Chrysia clapping softly while looking at me, Riz Beren looking at me with admiring eyes, and Nutpinner clicking her tongue and turning her head.
When I was about to take my steps to join them who were waiting in the vacant lot.
“Beep…?”
Suddenly Baekmyeon stuck his head out of his pocket and looked in a certain direction.
“That…”
When I turned my head to follow Baekmyeon’s gaze, I saw a bird with impressive blue feathers perched on a dense tree branch, looking at me with curious eyes.
‘Spirit beast? … No, it may be decades from now, but not yet. Is this someone’s familiar?’
When I looked closely, I could sense a slight intelligence and magic in the blue bird’s eyes.
“Huh? Mr. Seonwoo? Why are you looking at me like that…Aha! It’s that kid~!”
“Do you know? Are you by any chance Krysia’s familiar?”
“No, he follows me well, but he is not a familiar~. That child is the mascot of our plant research club! The magic-imbued fruit thrown by the club members and the residue that fell while preparing the cultivated elixir “Some animals that drank the water awakened their magical powers, and that child is the leader of those children.”
Even while Krishia was explaining, Baek’s gaze did not leave the blue bird.
I’m sure he’s curious because it’s his first time seeing an animal of a different s*x than himself.
I spoke while gently stroking the white face.
“Baek, go and play.”
“Beep…? (Is that okay…?)”
“Yes, it’s okay. Come play. I’ll pick you up when I go later.”
“Beep…!! (I love you! Master!)”
Baekmyeon jumped out of his pocket and rubbed his head against my cheek. He quickly flew towards the bluebird, fretted as if he was talking, and soon disappeared beyond the forest with the bluebird.
After seeing that person off with happy eyes. As I moved into the botanical garden with my companions, I asked about ‘harvest’, which I hadn’t heard much about before.
“Chrissia. You asked me to help you with the ‘harvest’. What exactly does that mean?”
“Ah, to talk about that, I have to first briefly explain what our Does~! Seonwoo, do you know anything about our club~?”
“Hmm, I think I’ve heard it a few times…”
I spoke to Krishia, recalling something I had heard at first glance while chatting with other students in the past.
“Among all the clubs, it is a very large club that is ranked among the top five,
This is a club where most elf and wooden magic students, as well as production students who have learned alchemy, join.
All ingredients except meat used in the academy come from here.
In the innermost part of the botanical garden, there is a place called the depths, and it is an extremely dangerous area where even a strong person who has reached the level of a demon can easily die….”
“Hmm~. That’s all true!”
“Ugh.”
… The last one was a joke, but it’s real?
“The depth of the botanical garden is really dangerous, so students can’t go in~. Ah, no matter how much Seonwoo says he wants to see it, you can’t~?”
“No, I’m not saying that…”
I smiled mischievously and shook my head with a shocked expression as Kryssia added.
‘If you ask me if I’m curious, I’m not, but going to a place where my life is dangerous because of curiosity is a bit….’
…… But later, when I get stronger, I’ll ask you to show it to me….
As if such a thought had crossed my face, Krishia let out a small laugh as if she couldn’t stop me.
“hehehehe. Anyway, what our club does is artificially cultivate valuable plants that are used as ingredients for potions and medicine, or collect various species from the continent and crossbreed them to produce trees that bear nutritious fruits, and to tree wizards. “I work on creating and researching special new plants, such as helpful combat plants.”
“The by-products from there are supplied to the academy’s cafeteria or exported to the outside world. The only place with more diverse plants than this botanical garden is the elf city, Green Isle, right?”
“I felt that the food served at the Academy’s cafeteria was very fresh. I guess it was because of the ingredients served here…”
I nodded, thinking of the assorted salad served in the academy cafeteria, which was said to be a special delicacy for students who loved vegetables.
“As there are thousands of types of plants, the harvesting season is also different. Some trees bear fruit in 10 days, while others take a year to produce. So, sometimes more than half of the plants are harvested. There are days when the seasons overlap, and this day is called ‘Harvest Day’ and all club members gather together to harvest.”
“Then what is today?”
“Yes~ It’s Harvest Day~.”
“So…?”
But considering that all members of a very large club are gathered together, there are not as many people as expected….
I had a question as I looked at the people around me who seemed confused.
“Ah~. That’s probably because there are no third-year seniors right now. Unfortunately, this Harvest Day and the third-year students’ external training overlapped… Thanks to that, the second-year students’ responsibilities became too much.”
“…The average quota for second graders on this Harvest Day is at least 7 times more than on other Harvest Days.”
Senior Liz spoke with a weak smile as if she had read the question on my face, and Senior Nutt, who was silently walking next to her, added in a tired voice.
I turned away from the seniors, who had the look on their faces as if they were office workers who had decided to work overtime for four days in a row, and spoke to Krysia, who was humming her tune, with her hands linked with mine.
“Chrissia. But was it necessary to call me? I’m unfamiliar with this part, so I don’t think it will be of much help…”
In fact, she has And [Emotion A], So she is confident that she can do it more skillfully than most club members, but it was a little strange that Krishia called me because she didn’t know that I had that ability.
“Ugh~. …I guess it’s because of the throat…Scent…?”
“Huh? It was so small I couldn’t hear it clearly. What was that?
“I said it was a high elf’s persimmon~!”
“…Hmm?”
It was almost like mumbling in my mouth, so I couldn’t hear it properly with my senses, but I don’t think that was what it said… ?
“I can barely see the ‘Three-Forked Square’~.”
Seeing Krishia pointing to a large vacant lot at the end of the path she was walking on, I swallowed what I was about to ask her again and turned my gaze away from her.
What appeared at the end of the road was a wide vacant lot measuring over hundreds of pyeong. Hundreds of people were busy going through that vacant lot, piling up the fruits, vegetables, and herbs that they had harvested in a corner, and many more carefully sorting them out. It looked like he was doing it.
“Seonwoo, that’s where we have to go.”
As I was looking at the scene in admiration, Krysia took my hand and led me to one side of the vacant lot.
When we finally arrived, there were three large doors standing there.
On the door, the words , , And Were written in large letters in the continent’s official language.
“We are here~”
The place Kryshia pointed to was a door marked .
“Chrissia, this area is…”
“It is divided according to the risk level of the plants being cultivated~. The Is a field with plants that even beginners can easily handle if they listen to the explanation carefully, and the Is a field with difficult plants that must be handled by experienced people. A field where plants are gathered. And the , Which is the highest grade zone except for the deep zone where entry is prohibited, is a place where only 3rd graders are allowed to enter, and it is a place where dangerous plants are gathered that even veterans will get into trouble if they dare. .”
I was momentarily intrigued by those words and tried to focus my sensitive senses as much as possible on the inside of the door of the .
And I listened closely to the voice full of shouts and screams that came at that moment.
“Shibaaa!!!! The hairless mushrooms have spread spores as a group—!!! Run away right now—!!! If you touch the spores even a little, all the hair on your body will fall out—! !!”
“Hey, senior? You dropped that, do you mind if I don’t pick it up?”
“What!? There’s nothing to drop in the first place!”
“Senior’s hair.”
“…What? ……Kiiaaa!!! My honey complimented me on how cool it was! My hair I’m proud of…!!!
“Senior! Senior! 3 Second rule, 3 second rule! It’s not too late!”
“For hair loss! The 3 second rule! Where is it!!! You idiot!!!”
.
.
.
“Babe. I brought you the pain relieving flowers and sensory blocking flowers you asked for.”
“Oh. Good job…? …Hey, you bastard!!! Those are ‘Pain Reproduction Flowers’ and ‘Sense Sharing Flowers’───Gyaaah!!!”
“Kkkkiyaaah!!! This, this! The terrible pain of urinary stones that I experienced before…!!!”
“”KIeeeK──!!!””
.
.
.
“…Oh my god.”
What on earth is going on in there? ….
I quickly regained my concentration and wiped the cold sweat flowing down with the back of my hand.
“?”
Looking at me, Krishia tilted her head and opened her mouth.
“Are you worried about the ? We are in charge of the intermediate area… If Mr. Seonwoo wants, we can go to the …”
“No. Let’s go to the . Right now. Quickly.”
I was afraid that someone might ask me to go to that danger zone, so I said with a straight face.
Krishia questioned my urging and moved towards the .
******
“The first thing we will harvest… Is that!”
Krysia, who was making a drumming sound with her mouth and dragging her words on with her playful face, pointed to a plant.
What she was pointing at was a plant with unusual trap-shaped leaves that looked exactly like what is called bug trap in modern times.
… Except the barrel is the size of an adult head.
“That plant is called ‘Earth Nepenthes’! It has the characteristic of converting the magic power and nutrients sucked from the earth into honey and storing it in that big container!”
“It is used as a material for high-level potions, but honey itself has similar efficacy to the lowest-level elixir, so it is very precious. Oh, but you shouldn’t approach it carelessly? If you get close without thinking… “
Senior Liz grabbed a stone the size of her fist that was around her and lightly threw it towards Nepenthes.
Sigh-
A rock that flies at a speed of about 100 km per hour even though it is thrown lightly, as thrown by someone who has reached the level of a superman.
The moment the stone gets somewhat closer to Earth Nepenthes.
Sweet!
Bwak-!
Thick vines sprouted from the ground near Earth Nepenthes and lashed out, shattering the stones.
The speed was comparable to that of a whip wielded by an experienced warrior.
“Because it’s that dangerous. Even a superhuman would get seriously injured if he got hit wrong?”
“For your information, you should not damage the vines. If you do so, the amount of honey in the container will decrease and the purity of the honey will also decrease, so its effectiveness will drop drastically.”
…… In this world, working as a farmer is not normal.
It’s a plant that can’t be grown unless you’re a superhuman….
“Here, in the spirit of setting an example for my seniors, I…”
“No, Rizberen. I will demonstrate first here.”
Senior Nut, who pushed senior Liz who was warming up and trying to step forward, glared at me with harsh eyes and began to approach Earth Nepenthes.
And when the distance from Nepenthes reached about 10 meters.
Sweet!
Nepenthes’ two vines swung with a sound that tore the air apart.
“…Hmph!”
When he saw the vine swinging towards him, the man snorted as if it were ridiculous and bent his upper body back as if he was used to it.
A vine passed by in vain in the air where the Nut Pinner’s upper body had been just a moment ago.
Blame!
And then Nut, who quickly regained his stance, took a step and instantly narrowed the distance to Earth Nepenthes, who was defenseless because the vines had not recovered yet.
With a natural, flowing motion, he took out a bottle from his waist and filled it with Nepenthes honey. He left the place immediately.
A skillful movement that feels as if the same action has been performed hundreds of times.
The vine, which was recovered only after the nut had already broken away, wriggled violently as if it were angry.
“It’s so fast~!”
“Heh. Of course, princess. The experience is different from that of a beginner.”
“Wow. It’s ugly….”
Despite Riz Beren’s quizzical expression, her man raised her head and looked down at me with hostile eyes.
What is in her eyes is ‘Can you do it?’ It was an encouragement so blatant that even a child could understand it.
It was a childish provocation by her older brother who had deprived him of his beloved younger brother’s affection….
If you endure this, you are not a man.
“I’ll try it this time.”
I took a glass bottle and quickly approached the other Earth Nepenthes.
And, awakening my sensitive senses so that I could react even if an attack came at any moment, I continued to move without hesitation into Nepenthes’ territory.
When it passed five steps, I felt something strange.
‘Why…….’
… No attacks?
“…Huh?”
“What, why… Isn’t Earth Nepenthes attacking…?”
Rizberen and Nut, who saw this, were perplexed and rubbed their eyes as if they had seen something wrong….
“…I see, as expected~.”
Chrissia was looking at the scene smiling very brightly.
From Noble mtl dot com
Regardless of what the outside world said, I approached Earth Nepenthes without any hindrance and took a glass bottle to fill the honey.
“???”
Squeak-
The second embarrassing thing happened.
“…Nut. Unless my eyes are wrong, I think the Earth Nepenthes pours the honey on its own…”
“…What a coincidence, Rizberen. I see it that way too.”
The two people made eye contact and nodded.
“After the harvest, I have to go to the temple and ask for a look.”
“I’ll go with you too.”
“Where do you mean?”
Holding a glass bottle filled with honey that somehow glowed brightly in one hand, I approached the two people who were looking far away.
“It’s nothing, junior. And I don’t know how you did it, but it was an excellent collection.”
“Thank you. Ah, but this honey… Isn’t it somehow different from the one that Senior Nut collected?”
“Oh, that’s because the purity of the honey is of the highest quality… The highest quality…?! It’s the highest quality honey that can only be obtained from Earth Nepenthes grown in the optimal environment…!? The highest quality is the highest quality in artificially grown Earth Nepenthes. Would you?!”
I handed the honey in her hand to senior Liz, who was staring at the honey while tilting her head to make a swooshing sound.
She made eye contact with Senior Nutt, who was frowning as if he had drank extremely bitter coffee next to her.
“I heard it was difficult… But it’s easier than I thought.”
She raised one corner of her mouth and smiled.
…… Crack!
Nut gritted her teeth once, forced the corners of her twitching mouth up, and spoke with a distorted smile.
“…Ha! You can say that it’s easy after just trying this. There’s nothing wrong with saying that inexperienced guys are impatient.”
“Hmm? Then who is faster, would you like to have a competition?”
“hehehe, this is why beginners don’t do it. You have to pay attention to safety and take things slow…”
“What?”
“Follow me now! I’ll show you the power of the elves, who are called natural farmers!”
Nut stood up in exasperation at a word that would always be known to men regardless of the world.
The cold eyes of Lee Seon-woo, who was smiling slyly, clashed with the angry eyes of Nut, the veins on his forehead rising.
“”…… Goes!””
The moment their eyes fell, the two quickly rushed towards the remaining Earth Nepenthes.
“They say men die quickly… I understand why.”
Liz Beren, who was watching that scene, shook her head.
Chrysia, with a slightly worried expression, approached Liz Beren and opened her mouth.
“Is it okay if I don’t stop you? It’s still dangerous if you rush, right?”
“It’s okay, girl. I think the only thing dangerous is the nut. If you get hurt, you can take it to the temple. Besides, it’s good because our work will decrease quickly.”
“That’s true, but… I feel sorry for Nut, so I have to stop him…”
“For your information, if we keep this pace, we will finish before lunch, so you and your junior will have more time alone…”
“Nut~! Please hurry~!”
“…Puhahahahaha!!!”
Seeing Chrysia, who stopped interrupting her in an instant and started to urge her, Liz Beren held her stomach and burst into laughter.