Treasure Hunt (1)
“Phew, it’s hot! This blasted heat just won’t let up!”
The joy of finally succeeding at his diet and reclaiming his old figure lasted only a moment. Fieldwork, which had been quiet for a while, came crashing down all at once. It was time to pull up the crops that had generously borne fruit all summer. The fruit trees, too, were entering their season of rest. But the land itself could not be left idle. Before the cold winds arrived, he had to quickly restore the fields and plant the crops that would thrive on the last of the scorching heat. Especially the late-summer plantings would determine Patrick’s happiness index for the coming winter.
“Cabbage, radish, green onions… Ah, right. Spinach can go in again too. I’ll have to ask the village chief later if he has any seeds left.”
Now that he could get chili powder and garlic, it was finally time to prepare for proper kimchi-making. The cabbages here were smaller than the ones from his previous life, but they were tightly packed and sweet. They say sweet cabbages are the best, and here they’re all sweet, so no need to pick and choose. That’s convenient.
The pale yellow hearts of the cabbages, with their subtle sweetness that grew stronger the more you chewed, were delicious even raw. And when you slathered them with well-seasoned kimchi paste and buried them underground for the winter… That’s what turns rice into a feast! Hah! Just thinking about it made Patrick’s mouth water. He had shed tears of joy eating cucumber kimchi and cubed radish kimchi, but nothing compared to tearing off a piece of properly fermented cabbage kimchi and laying it over a bowl of steaming white rice.
“Still, this is such a pain. Isn’t there some kind of portal that could open up? In novels they pop up all the time. Why don’t I get a portal or even a status window?”
If he wasn’t going to get anything, the least they could do was give him a spirit!
“Dig, dig!”
Thud, thud.
Even as he used magic to turn the soil, Patrick couldn’t quite let go of his greed for the things he lacked. The spots where he had harvested the spring radishes in early summer had already been fertilized and left to rest. Whether two short months counted as fallow land or not, Patrick figured the earth had rested long enough and it was time to work again.
“Spring radishes for dongchimi, autumn radishes for seokbakji.”
He had barely started sowing seeds, yet his plans already stretched to the horizon. If I make dongchimi tomorrow, I could have naengmyeon in winter, right? No, no millet, so maybe milmyeon instead? Milmyeon would be good too! If he made a spicy sauce and tossed it in, that would taste amazing as well. Farm work never got any easier, but it was still far better than being seasick on a boat.
Next time Oren visits, I should ask him to put in an order at the blacksmith. He needed a proper hoe. The toy-like trowel had become familiar in his hands, but nothing beat the grip of a real hoe. They said a master didn’t blame his tools, but as a beginner, Patrick figured a little “tool advantage” was necessary just to keep up with half of what everyone else could do. That wasn’t greed—it was practicality.
“Grow up nice and strong. And don’t you dare betray me, got it?”
After working the soil all morning, Patrick finally scattered cabbage seeds just before lunchtime. As he covered them with soil, his patting hands and focused gaze gave him the distinct air of a proper farmer. At this rate, haven’t I basically leveled up? Heh heh.
His shoulders lifted with pride at how skilled he had become. I really was meant to live with nature all along! Convinced that his dream of becoming a nature man hadn’t been escapism but destiny, he hummed a little tune as he finished up.
“Heave-ho.”
A bead of sweat fell from beneath his straw hat. Plenty of crops had already been cleared, stripping away much of the greenery, yet the sight of the bare ochre soil somehow made him feel full without having eaten. Guess I should go find some spinach seeds. While he was at it, maybe he could even score a meal from the lady of the house!
Descending the hill path, Patrick thought today had been a perfectly good day. The coffee he’d drunk early that morning had tasted wonderful, and the omelet with vegetables and bacon had been flawless. The weather was bright, and he had finished his fieldwork without any major issues. If every day went like this, the idyllic rural life he dreamed of might be within reach in a year or two.
Roll, roll—
Just then, a glass bottle tumbled down and came to a stop at his feet.
“……?”
Looking up the slope, he saw a small stream running alongside the path. Perhaps the bottle had been washed down by the water that had risen slightly after last night’s rain. Though the glass looked old and cloudy with age, it was still clear enough to see what was inside.
“……Paper?”
Realizing the rolled-up object was paper, Patrick glanced around once, then casually picked up the bottle. A glass bottle that had drifted down after the rain, marked by years of wear, containing a faded sheet of paper inside? A treasure map!
Patrick’s heart began to pound. Thump— thump— thump—. He swallowed. Just moments ago he had been grumbling about not having a status window or a portal, but it seemed his life genre wasn’t a fantasy novel after all—it was Pirates of the Caribbean. Any thought of spinach seeds had long since flown from his mind. Who cared about spinach seeds when he had a treasure to find?
“Huff— huff—”
Breathing like Gollum who had just claimed the One Ring, Patrick started back up the hill. But he hadn’t gone far before his steps halted. The kids should be arriving soon. He had told them to come after lunch since he needed to work the fields in the morning. Which meant the ever-transparent children would soon be swarming in.
— What’s that?
— Isn’t that a treasure map? Looks fun!
— Let’s find it together. Huh? We have to share the treasure?
The worst-case scenario flashed through his mind. No way. I’m the one who found the map, and I’m the one who’ll have to drag the kids around. And now I have to share the treasure too? Without even unrolling the paper to see what was written on it, Patrick’s eyes narrowed as he firmly decided it was a treasure map.
He bit his lower lip for a moment, standing in the middle of the path lost in thought. Then, as if reaching a decision, he turned his steps—not toward home, but toward a narrow forest trail.
“This should be far enough, right?”
He had explored the woods near the house countless times. In spring he had come often to gather herbs, greens, and mushrooms, and even in summer he had wandered through after rain to collect certain medicinal plants. The area was familiar. But today he was heading much deeper than usual. He couldn’t explain it logically, but somehow a treasure map simply had to be unrolled while crouched inside a cave. It was pure, unnecessary romance.
“The kids said it was a little farther in… Ah, is that it? Huh? This is supposed to be a cave? More like a hole in the ground.”
The children had bragged about crisscrossing the entire island and setting up hideouts everywhere. Patrick had mostly tuned them out and forgotten, but he did remember this small cave near the house.
— There’s a flower field near the cave. It’s nice and flat, perfect for playing tag. We go there a lot.
Just as the children had described, a small clearing spread out before the cave entrance, carpeted with countless white flowers of an unknown species. The sight was so beautiful it looked as though someone had deliberately arranged it.
If I’d known it was this nice, I should’ve come along earlier.
Promising himself to explore the children’s other hideouts once he found the treasure, Patrick caught his breath and finally pulled the cork from the bottle with trembling hands.
Pop!
The cork was stiff, but it came out more easily than expected. The real tension began now.
“Please, just this once!”
Even in his previous life, the best he had ever won in the lottery was fifth place. Was a single ray of luck finally shining on him? If this turns out to be some chain letter, I’m burning it on the spot.
Staring at the rolled paper in his hand as though he might cast a spell at any moment, he steadied himself and slowly unrolled it.
“……”
Slowly, carefully, the aged paper rustled open.
“……It— it’s real!”
Patrick dropped to his knees and thrust both arms toward the sky, letting out a roar.
“Waaaaah! Hup!”
Then, worried the children below might hear, he quickly clamped both hands over his mouth. If anyone had been watching, they would have applauded what was quite the impressive one-man show. Still, for Patrick, the shout had been entirely justified.
He had half-expected it to be someone’s love letter, but the unfolded paper was unmistakably a treasure map, no matter how you looked at it. A drawing of an island shaped like a snowman. That’s definitely Dunbrook Island.
The cluster of small dots along the western coastline clearly marked the village’s location. The highest point of the island was drawn as a triangle, suggesting a mountain, while the northern vineyards and southern valley were carefully recorded as well. But what made it a treasure map were the marks that followed.
Gulp—
Patrick began counting on his fingers as he studied the map.
“One, two, three……”
There were five places marked with red X’s in total.
“Five spots… Even if a couple have vanished over time or are hidden too well for me to find, I should still be able to get one or two, right?”
Treasures in stories like this were rarely just money—they were usually sparkling gems, ancient antiques, famous artworks. What if some magical items turn up? Spirits had appeared in the bamboo forest, so finding a few ancient magical tools in a treasure chest seemed perfectly realistic. Heh.
Patrick’s lips slowly curled upward.
“No matter how I look at it, it has to be around here somewhere.”
Unfortunately, as was typical of treasure maps, the terrain and locations weren’t drawn in detail. Only the most obvious landmarks were roughly marked. Still, if there was a flower field after the bamboo grove and the first X was right beside this cave, then this had to be the spot, didn’t it?
“I had a feeling things were going smoothly since morning!”
Today was clearly going to be his lucky day.
“That cave……”
He had fixed the coordinates. But whether the treasure was inside the cave, beside it, or somewhere in the flower field nearby, he couldn’t be sure.
“When in doubt, you’ve got to try everything!”
Patrick’s gaze turned toward the cave’s interior.