Chapter 27: Cows! I Need Delicious Ones!
-Animal Affinity (Passive) skill has leveled up to 5.
Animal Affinity skill has leveled up.
Animal Affinity (Passive)
Level increased to 5
That explained why the chickens had understood me.
"Baekya, Kkamangi."
At my call, the two came bounding over, nuzzling up affectionately. Hoya was already in my arms, so no need to summon her.
As I looked at them, I couldn't sense any change in the skill at all. Maybe they just understood me a bit better now? I had no idea what was different.
Still, if this skill kept leveling up, maybe I'd be able to chat with Hoya more smoothly. That was my hope.
Hoya was the most important thing to me, after all. Honestly, my life could be divided into before Hoya and after Hoya without exaggeration.
She was family—everything to me.
How could any living creature be this adorable!
I really loved Hoya so—
Thwack!
"Ow, why?!"
Nyang.
"What? I was looking at you all lovingly, and that upset you? Daddy was just admiring his precious Hoya."
Nyang!
"Don't be ridiculous? Such harsh words!"
Come to think of it, I already understood most of what Hoya said. But I still wanted to know more, to grasp the nuances better.
"Baekya!"
Krroong!
"From now on, keep a close eye on the chicken coop. Eat any that don't listen!"
Kraa!
Baekya looked thrilled. That made sense—he could think that way.
But could he really eat chickens that understood me? Would he hold back? Then what was the point of raising them?
The system never said the chickens were tamed animals of mine. Sure, one could argue I was being narrow-minded about animals, but survival meant eating.
I might take a liking to one someday and tame it, but for now, these chickens were just food sources. Tamed pets and livestock were different in my mind.
"Gotta expand the chicken coop today."
Seeing the owner of the Brann Gate running such a massive operation had made me a little envious. Of course, she had tons of workers at her command, so labor was easier for her.
But I was all about self-sufficiency, so it was solo mode for me.
Still, I wouldn't go overboard—just enough space for the chickens to roam and grow comfortably. Even if they were for eating, I had no intention of abusing them.
Truth be told, some industrial chicken farms on Earth looked downright questionable. Cramming birds into spaces where they could barely move.
Even for food, there had to be basic standards, right? That was my personal take. Not that I'd ever run one myself, so I couldn't judge harshly.
Rather than calling them bad, I just did what I could.
Besides, expanding the coop was also an experiment to see if my space grew. The more fields I added, the bigger the space expanded—literally stretching out.
The footprint on the island stayed the same, but the interior ballooned, like that forest.
"Someday I'll venture into those woods."
Not yet, though. I'd thought Baekya was tough at first, but now he seemed mid-tier. Hoya was probably top-class, but even she recoiled from those massive trees—something monstrous might lurk nearby.
"Alright, time to work!"
I'd made Kkamangi another plow that Baekya had happily yielded. With two beasts who could pull, using just one would breed resentment.
Labor was sacred—fairness was key.
Why not Hoya? Anyone asking that, I'd question their sanity.
My tiny, cute, lovable Hoya doing manual labor...? She could, being stronger than me, but deploying her for chores could turn my blissful life into hell.
Hoya held grudges forever. No way I'd risk it. She wasn't a tamed minion—she was my pet.
Expanding the coop went smoothly. I even whipped up an extra cart for Kkamangi, and efficiency skyrocketed.
"You guys tired?"
Hiiing. Krung.
Both said yes. Fair enough—plows and carts weren't easy.
So I dangled a deal.
"Look closely. Find ones like this in the forest."
I started sketching on my pad. What? A cow, obviously. The minotaur didn't count—too humanoid.
I needed a proper cow. A delicious one would be ideal.
Once done, Baekya scowled at the drawing for ages. Impressively, I'd nailed it.
Drawing (Active)
Level 1 created
I refined the sketch, and Baekya scowled harder.
Krroong.
"Ah, the one chasing you last time? That walked on two legs—this one's four, like you or Kkamangi."
Krrrng.
Baekya pondered. He'd have to fetch it from the forest. Hoya was stronger, but against non-felines, killing was easy—transporting, not so much. And bossing Hoya around? Impossible. She was basically my lord.
I was honest, weak to the strong! No shame.
"Seen any like this in the woods?"
Krroong.
He had.
"Bring one back alive—no eating. Keep it intact. Succeed, and five chickens are yours!"
Chicken numbers were booming, so I fed some to carnivores like Baekya. Soon he might handle the surplus daily.
I wasn't overproducing without purpose.
'Maybe open a fried chicken joint...'
Serious thought, but revealing gate secrets? Nah, shelved.
Krrrng.
Baekya burned with motivation.
"Bonus one based on condition!"
Kraa!
Baekya bolted into the forest. Rewards worked wonders—look at him go.
Then Kkamangi licked my cheek.
"Huh? What?"
Hiiing.
"You can catch one too?"
Hiiing.
"Got it. Fetch one, and a basket of your favorite veggies. Prime condition? Two baskets."
Kkamangi wasn't full carnivore—just craved special meat now and then. Veggies were her jam.
And the ace: "Kkamangi, try this."
Sugar cubes from outside. Horses loved them, hence the movie title.
Kkamangi eyed it suspiciously, big eyes blinking—adorably.
"It's food. They say your kind loves it."
She nibbled cautiously. Then...
Hiiiiiiiing!
Most intense reaction yet. Sugar cubes slayed horses too.
"Five more for you!"
Prurrrng!
Kkamangi charged off without a glance back. She knew her paths, so I trusted her.
With them gone, I prepped my planned project: a frame via woodworking, plus a huge cauldron from outside.
Today's creation: tofu. Black bean tofu.
Selling raw beans felt wasteful—processing into tofu for sale or gifts made sense.
Island black beans were protein-packed, nutrient-rich, even promoted hair health.
Most fixated on hair, but I eyed the protein and nutrition.
Modern ills abounded, none more chronic than diabetes—unconquered lifetime foe.
In Korea, 1 in 10 over 30 had it; prediabetes made it 1 in 3. Official stats.
Even cats and dogs were rising cases.
Plant protein and nutrients were diabetes gold. Hence, tofu.
Making it wasn't hard per se—tedious, hands-on, love-infused.
This island was surrounded by sea. I'd researched Gangneung tofu using seawater instead of nigari—supple, tasty.
Our water was purer, so it'd work as coagulant.
Company practice plus Cooking skill made it smooth.
Hoya watched from the hammock, swaying. Face screaming, Why that junk? Snacks or tribute, now.
She rarely interrupted work. If bored, she'd demand play, but usually lounged.
I healed with glances amid tasks.
"Now we wait, huh?"
Tofu took hours, so I moved to other chores post-setup.
The fields rivaled any decent farm now. Pineapples and watermelons got extra love—high-value crops.
Pineapples: harvest, jam them for portability and gifting.
Watermelons: moderate yields, chicken feed boosting flock size.
"Huh? That?"
Unsown trees caught my eye. No forest here. I'd planted none.
Yet trees—fruit trees, no less. Grapes. My favorites.
Not just any grapes. Monstrous ones.