Chapter 004
[Chapter 004]
< Owner of the Garden Plot >
4
The creature before my eyes.
-Hmyoot?
The sound it made while tilting its head was a silly sound, like pressing a squeaky toy.
I still couldn't understand the situation before my eyes, but I had no choice but to judge it.
But.
‘The size is incredibly small?’
Its height was about the size of my middle finger, and its body was just a bit thicker than a thumb.
If I didn't open my eyes wide to look, it was hard to even distinguish it from the stones on the ground.
Its body was snow-white like a smooth white porcelain without a single seam, and its tail was long and elegantly drawn.
Overall, it was an awkward appearance as if a tail and horns were roughly attached to a glutinous rice cake.
‘...A dragon?’
Nevertheless, the basis for deducing this strange creature as a dragon was clear.
Even if the small horns sprouted on its head were cute, I had seen that form across the Rift.
‘Dragon-type monsters classified as a high-risk group.’
According to the reports, all dragon-type individuals had a single commonality regardless of rank or type.
Specifically, horns in a form that spreads out in several branches like a tree limb.
The horns on this glutinous rice cake's head were also as small as newly sprouted buds, but the ends were clearly and cutely split into two.
Of course, if that was a dragon's horn, it was a situation where all the dragons in the world would wail.
-Hmyoot!
This creature must have liked me, as it waddled closer and began to rub its head against my leg.
A warm touch was transmitted through my pants.
-Hmyoo....
Seeing it make a satisfied sound like a cat meeting its butler, my guard melted away.
Anyway, I didn't feel like it would do any harm.
“You, what is your name?”
At my question, the strange creature raised its head and stared at me.
And then it opened its mouth into a triangle.
-Mu-nyo-o-o-ng-!
“...Your name is Muryong?”
-Hmyoot!
It wagged its tail excitedly in response.
Even its name was silly.
[A stray who crossed dimensions is looking for an out-of-spec (EX) Awakener master.]
‘It clearly said a stray.’
Perhaps looking for an EX Awakener refers to me.
If so, it meant the system was referring to this organism not as a simple monster or animal, but as a unique personality.
It was then.
Rustle!
Something popped out from the cornfield at the edge of the field far away.
Two eyes flashing even in the darkness. It made a rough sound and dashed toward us across the field.
“No way... is that a Gorani?”
It was.
It was the Gorani the old lady had mentioned.
But it looked like a fierce wild boar with the size of an adult male rather than a Gorani.
-H··· Hmyoooo?!
Having grasped the situation at my feet, Muryong let out a scream in terror.
Far from fighting bravely, it started to turn tail and run without looking back the moment it discovered the Gorani.
‘You’re a dragon in name, right?’
Muryong’s goal was only one: the open house.
It started to flee while moving its short, chubby legs so fast they couldn't be seen.
That appearance was quite··· desperate, but it just looked like a white dumpling rolling on the ground.
“Get inside quickly!”
I shouted, hoping Muryong would land safely inside the house.
But unfortunately, Muryong’s escape route and the Gorani’s charge route overlapped perfectly.
-Hmyoot?!
Seeing the giant Gorani’s hoof covering it like a shadow, Muryong tried to turn direction hastily.
Slid-
But was it because it was too hurried?
Its small legs got tangled and it fell flat on the spot.
And.
Crunch!
As if an elephant walking by inadvertently stepped on a glutinous rice cake fallen on the ground, the Gorani’s heavy front hoof stepped over Muryong as it was.
-Hmyoo....
Muryong, stuck flat on the ground, let out a thin scream like a broken doll.
The situation ended in 1 second.
“...Oh.”
No, there’s no time to be watching.
I quickly peeled Muryong, flattened on the ground, and threw it into the open house.
And I closed the door and faced the Gorani again.
‘Calm down. This much is fine.’
6 years as a Bureau field agent.
I had faced low-rank monsters of this size until I was sick of it.
‘But that Gorani... what on earth is it?’
The old lady's words weren't an exaggeration.
A size a head taller than an average adult male, hooves that seemed like they could dig out even solid asphalt, and even sharp fangs protruding out of its mouth.
‘It’s way too big!’
Of course, back then I wore a thick protective suit and held at least weapons provided by the Bureau like mana disruptors or stun guns, but.
Weapon.
Weapon?
I quickly scanned the surroundings.
The hoe and hand hoe I had leaned next to the veranda entered my eyes.
‘Right, let's at least grab those.’
It would be better than bare hands.
Bang-!
The moment I picked up the hand hoe, the Gorani charged while kicking the ground.
As I quickly dodged, the Gorani’s fangs rammed the wooden pillar where I had been standing just a moment ago.
Crack-!
The old pillar broke down.
It was dangerous. Fighting head-on was impossible.
But I couldn't back down here.
‘This house is a Gorani den?’
No, now that I had returned, I had to clearly show who the owner of this house was.
Strength entered my hand as I readjusted the grip on the hand hoe.
Thump, thump thump!
The Gorani stamped its feet threateningly.
And it charged fiercely across the field.
When the Gorani came right in front of me, I rolled sideways as if throwing my body.
At the same time, I swung the hand hoe in my hand toward the Gorani’s front leg with all my might.
Clang-!
The dull sound of metal and bone colliding.
The hand hoe bounced off and my wrist stung.
“Kking!”
The Gorani let out a short scream and faltered.
The skin of its front leg was torn, and dark red blood was falling in drops.
Drip drip-
But at that moment, I saw the blood that touched the soil instantly soak into the ground and a faint green light rise like a haze from the entire field.
“...?”
Simultaneously.
The ferocious momentum of the Gorani, which had looked like it would kill me, subsided like a lie.
Those red eyes turned into gentle black eyes in an instant.
And then.
“Heh, heh!”
It started to wag its short tail attached to its butt.
That fierce beast that had been trying to ram and kill me just a moment ago suddenly turned like a puppy that met its master.
The Gorani hopped and approached me, then held out its torn front leg toward me.
“No way, are you saying it hurts?”
“Kkiiing....”
As if acting out of pain while showing the hurting part.
Then it even flopped down on the ground and showed its belly.
Thanks to that, I could see Gorani testicles very closely for the first time in my life.
‘...Surrender?’
I stood there blankly, holding the blood-stained hand hoe.
What on earth happened?
-Hmyoo?
Just then, Muryong popped out, peeking its head from inside the house.
-Hmyooooo!
Muryong tried hard to take the place by bumping the Gorani’s side with its head as it lay with its belly up. Even so, it was like hitting a rock with an egg.
The Gorani flicked Muryong away with its tail as if it was annoying.
-Mu-nyong!
“...What on earth is this situation?”
This was not surrender, but obedience.
* * *
Next morning.
I was sitting on the veranda, carefully applying medicine to Muryong’s body, which was bruised from being stepped on by the Gorani yesterday.
-Hmyooo, hmyoot···.
Seeing Muryong trembling its small body, I felt it was absurd yet pitiful.
I recalled last night's commotion.
Thinking about the time I was flustered when the Gorani invaded, and how the Gorani stayed and played here all night with its belly up until around dawn.
“Is it because of this field?”
Judging by the circumstances, the cause of everything was the field.
The status window I hadn't been able to look at properly because I was distracted by the Gorani incident came to mind again.
-Hmyoot?
Leaving Muryong on the veranda, I headed straight to the field.
And I opened the status window once more.
[Jang Kang-hyun]
Rank: EX
Trait: [Earth's Contractor]
Skill: [Absolute's Herb Garden (EX)]
‘Absolute's Herb Garden.’
[Description: By infusing the energy connected to the source of life into a designated area, you can cultivate legendary vegetation (spiritual herbs) that transcends all laws. The owner of the field, the ‘Earth's Contractor’, can strengthen physical abilities by borrowing the power of the field and tame beings belonging to the field.]
‘...Can tame beings belonging to the field.’
I repeated the last sentence several times.
And I recalled the mysterious commotion of last night.
When I injured it with the hand hoe, the Gorani’s blood fell on the soil of the field.
And at that very moment, its attitude changed.
‘Could it be that if a creature that enters the territory of this field bleeds, it becomes a being belonging to the field through that blood as a medium?’
I looked at the Gorani, which was leisurely grazing behind my back.
Seeing it wagging its tail as if it had been waiting when it felt my gaze.
“...Alright, let's try planting something for now.”
Since it seemed like there were many secrets of this ability I still didn't know, I had no choice but to face them one by one.
For the next few days, I started to find useful things while cleaning the house.
I could go out and get some, but I had expectations that there would surely be something considering the personality of Mom, who enjoyed garden farming.
Creak-
The small room my deceased mother used in the annex.
When I opened the old wardrobe door, hand-worn old clothes revealed themselves along with the smell of mothballs.
In the deepest part of the wardrobe, I found a small wooden box next to the mother's cherished mother-of-pearl jewelry box.
“What is this?”
When I wiped off the dust and opened the lid, a small paper envelope wrapped carefully in a silk pouch was inside along with old herbal medicines.
On the envelope, familiar and long-missed neat handwriting remained.
[Hasuo Seeds - Because they say it’s good for our So-ye’s body···]
Next to the writing, a number that seemed to be the date the seeds were obtained was faintly written.
It was the very week So-ye was first diagnosed with the disease and hospitalized.
“...Right, I must plant these.”
Holding the envelope containing the seeds, I headed straight to the field.
In the middle of the field where the sun was setting.
I carefully dug a hole in the place that looked the most fertile.
Thinking that I was planting Mom's heart as well, I carefully placed the reddish Hasuo seeds.
And I gathered my two hands and prayed earnestly.
Please.
Let them sprout.
* * *
That night.
When the world was submerged in quiet darkness, the closed room door was very carefully opened just a bit.
-Hmyoot?
The small, glutinous rice cake dumpling-like Muryong poked its small head out.
After checking that Kang-hyun was deep asleep while looking left and right, it stepped down the veranda like a stray cat.
The destination was only one.
It was the spot where Kang-hyun had carefully planted the seeds during the day.
Waddle waddle!
Muryong, having arrived in the middle of the field without even making small footsteps, began to sniff.
The very sweet and powerful energy of life wafting from inside the ground.
It was enough to stimulate the appetite of a newborn dragon.
-Hmyooo....
Muryong, who gulped, began to carefully dig up the soil with its small front paws.
Soon it opened its mouth wide.
And then, like a squirrel trying to hide a very precious treasure, it began to vomit something from inside its mouth.
Roll-
A small bead emitting a brilliant rainbow light.
It was Dragon's Tear (Yong-ru), the essence of a primordial dragon condensed.
It placed it carefully right next to the Hasuo seeds.
And then, as if nothing had happened, it covered the soil again and returned to the room with quick steps.
< Owner of the Garden Plot > END