Maybe Our Gate Is a Jackpot
It wasn't that I'd ignored Father's insight, but I hadn't expected him to figure it out quite so quickly. Hiding it from him now would be even more ridiculous.
"Yes, a gate appeared in my room."
"Hmm... I figured as much. So that wild boar meat you brought last time was from there too?"
"Exactly—it's meat that boosts stamina by 5. That's probably why our whole family's stamina improved after eating it."
"I knew it wasn't ordinary. So that's what it was? What about these new ones?"
"Fish raises intelligence by 3, green onions boost strength by 1, onions and cabbage each give stamina +1, peppers agility +1, radish spirit +1, and strawberries intelligence +1. The first time you eat them, the effect kicks in immediately, and with regular consumption afterward, it builds up steadily."
"Isn't that pretty amazing?"
I nodded at Father's words.
"If word got out, yeah, it would be."
"But does it work the same on people who don't have status windows?"
That was the part I was most curious about too.
"Father, how did you feel after eating that boar meat last time?"
"I definitely felt my stamina improve."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Then try eating the stuff I keep bringing. And crops grow super fast inside the gate. These are all grown from the seeds you gave me last time."
Father's eyes widened in surprise. He might only be a few years into farming, but he was still a farmer. He knew just how absurd this was.
"Why's that? Do crops grow well there?"
"They seem to, and the time flow is different. One hour here is five hours there."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"That's... wouldn't someone like me age faster in there?"
Thinking about it, he had a point. If time flowed differently, aging five years there would be like one year here.
But there was one counterexample.
"Hoya."
Nyaang!
Hoya leaped toward me in a flash. If that looked like an attack, I'd be the world's worst filial son right in front of Father. But thankfully, Hoya landed lightly, nestling protectively against me.
Hoya had spent at least a decade inside there. When Hoya went missing, he was seven. That made him around twenty now, and the average housecat lifespan is about sixteen years. Strays live even shorter—especially in Korea. Sure, some pampered cats hit thirty, but Hoya showed zero signs of aging.
Cats don't change dramatically with age, but there are tells: their faces get a bit gaunt, like a human's cheeks hollowing out. Hoya's round face was as youthful as ever. So maybe aging just didn't happen inside the gate—or at least, it was different from Earth.
The reverse might hold too—if something from there came here.
Of course, that was just a hypothesis.
"Hoya actually went missing because he entered the gate."
"What?"
"He probably spent over ten years in there before reuniting with me."
"Whoa..."
Father stroked Hoya with a sympathetic gaze.
Nyaang.
Hoya purred contentedly under the touch. Seeing him like that made me think I wouldn't age in there either.
"Can we go into this gate too?"
"Of course. But we should think carefully if it's really best for our family."
Father nodded at my words.
"Never give anything from the gate to outsiders. It might seem greedy, but treasure's only valuable if you can protect it."
"I think the same, Father."
Ingredients that boosted stats. Who knew what ripples they'd cause? I sure didn't.
"At first, I thought everything from the gate had effects like that..."
"First I've heard of it."
"Yeah. Everyone must've been keeping it secret. But apparently not."
"If gates produced stuff like this, the world would've gone nuts. Or maybe, like you said, a select few are hoarding the secret."
Father was right. Maybe it was unique to my gate, or maybe the elite enforced silence.
"But one thing's clear."
"What's that?"
"The seeds you gave me. From planting to harvest took about a day in real time."
"So you could mass-produce crops."
"Exactly. Would there even be a need to keep that secret?"
Harvest fast-growing crops, and plenty could share. Sure, they'd cost a premium. But I'd never heard of it.
"They might still keep it secret. Don't assume their thinking matches ours."
"True enough."
"Anyway, let's focus on keeping it under wraps for now. If the secret leaks, I'll grab your mom and Si-yeon and head straight to you."
His words put me at ease.
"Yes. Come right away if anything feels off."
"Got it."
For now, Father and I shared a secret.
After dinner with the family, I learned new seeds and farming methods, then headed home. I crossed into the gate right away.
It was night, so I could've slept at home, but sleeping inside let me rest much longer thanks to the time dilation. The camping cot from Seon-woo was incredibly comfy—almost too good to be true.
"They make these so well these days, huh?"
Nyaang.
I'd set up a special hammock bed just for Hoya. Cats love them. He especially adored this one, so I bought a new one and installed it.
"Like it?"
Nyang!
Hoya flopped onto his back, belly up, grinning at me—or so it seemed. Some say animals have no expressions, but pet owners know better. That was Hoya's "I'm thrilled" face. The one I'd longed for, cried over missing for years.
Coming home to no Hoya greeting had broken my heart countless times. Honestly, reuniting with him beat becoming a gate owner.
"Still, gotta plant those seeds, right?"
Nyawoong.
Hoya stayed sprawled, looking lazy. I gave him a pet, then headed out to till the soil with tools from my parents' place.
I plowed, sowed, and watered. Luckily, I found a spring nearby—endless fresh water, great taste too.
This field was big: watermelons, melons, bell peppers, chives, and more. I'd planted the previous batch before visiting my parents.
Farming skill level has risen to 2.
Skill up.
First time for that. Probably from scaling up the field.
"Nice reward."
Level 2 revealed details invisible at 1, so I tweaked everything. Harvest tomorrow after work, I figured.
"Now, let's check."
The Brann chickens: three brooding eggs, ten hatched chicks. Started with six, now this? Insane breeding.
"Jackpot."
I didn't know egg-to-chick time, but livestock grew fast like crops.
"Whoa, I thought this gate was just a lame vacation spot... but it's looking like a total winner."
It really was. The question was how to protect it—and what to do with it.
"Bedtime for now."
I scooped up Hoya and crashed on the cot.
Felt like coming back from a long vacation. Made me think:
"Ah, should I just quit the company?"
Originally, getting skills was for honey-potting at work. But realizing the gate wasn't a dud—maybe a massive hit—flipped priorities. Humans are so fickle.
"Gotta go anyway. Quitting suddenly would be weird. Hoya, Dad's off to work. Play in the gate if bored."
Nyaang!
With a "life's a drag" look, he rubbed my leg, then climbed the cat tower for sunbathing.
"If I reincarnate, I wanna be you. You be me next time. Deal?"
I grumbled playfully at Hoya and headed out.
Then to the office.
"Choi, get some good rest yesterday?"
"Was that rest? Wasn't it quarantine?"
Jung Manager flinched but recovered like a pro. Maybe he had Calmness or Deception.
"Nonsense! It was for your sake."
"Sure, I'll take your word. Results back?"
"Yeah, just now. Wanna see?"
"Obviously."
I scanned the test sheet and said confidently,
"What does this even say?"
It was Korean and English, but barely legible. I could only make out the title.
"Good news, basically. Great for sick pets if added to our feed. Which means..."
"Expensive."
"Bingo. Time for signature feed."
Feed production sounds simple but is precise and complex. That's why Koreans feed foreign brands to pets—they're superior. Ours weren't bad, but closing the gap with veterans was tough.
But add gate-grown Brann chicken? Depending on dosage, it'd be a bestseller. For an exporter like me, finally something to brag about abroad.
"Sample timeline?"
"Soon. Choi, secure that chicken supply with a contract—no hiccups."
"That's my job too?"
"Last hurrah of slacking. It'll get crazy once production starts."
Fair point. And great for my exports role.
"This is the place."
I didn't refuse. I was curious about the other gate owner anyway.