4
# Chapter 4
Mana Herbs.
This plant, which looked similar to aloe vera, stored mana from the atmosphere inside its body in the form of sap.
And although the mixtures varied from manufacturer to manufacturer, all kinds of potions necessarily contained mana herb sap.
Naturally, a poor harvest of mana herbs was devastating to the hunter world.
For hunters who risked their lives at work, a sudden rise in potion prices was bound to be a sensitive issue.
If hunters became cautious and stopped taking risks, the danger of dungeon breaks would increase. It would also cause significant economic damage to guilds and the dungeon industry.
However, in the past, although it took time, wise people had resolved the problem properly, so I had decided not to worry about it.
But Ye-eun seemed unable to ignore it.
“Then we should do it.”
“Mr. Taejun, seeing you up close, you really are a doting father.”
“The person we’re talking about is Ye-eun.”
“···It’s frustrating, but I can’t argue with that.”
Our gazes naturally turned toward the person who had started all this, and Ye-eun smiled brightly.
“Hehe.”
“Let’s grow mana herbs! They look just like aloe vera, so how difficult could it be?”
“I’m glad you’re so motivated.”
In truth, mana herbs were difficult to grow because they were highly dependent on their environment.
However, I didn’t say anything to the two people looking at me with such anticipation.
‘Because I’m confident.’
Mana herbs were certainly difficult to cultivate. But here, there was an Archdruid and a young World Tree.
With the two of us together, would mana herbs really be a problem? I felt we could grow even most elixirs without much trouble.
Perhaps they would grow to some extent simply by being planted.
“How many are you planning to plant?”
“Considering the situation, I’m thinking of planting them throughout the entire yard.”
“I heard there’s a poor harvest. Wouldn’t it be difficult to obtain seeds?”
“Ah, that’s fine.”
I took seeds from my inventory and planted them in one corner of the yard. As soon as I infused them with mana, they grew rapidly.
“I had kept a few for research purposes, but I guess I’ll be putting them to use like this.”
“But didn’t you say that growing them this way would eliminate their effectiveness?”
“You remembered that well. That’s right. The sap needed for potion production contains mana, but growing them this way removes their effectiveness. So I’m planning to use these like this.”
I removed all the leaves from the mana herbs and planted them around the World Tree at regular intervals.
There were only a few seeds, and this method would also allow the mana herbs to grow faster.
“Although I might be wrong since I’ve never grown mana herbs before.”
“We’ll just have to try. I searched it up, and apparently mana herbs naturally take a long time to grow. If they don’t seem to grow well after planting them like this, we can change our approach.”
“That’s true. It’s not like we’re trying to accomplish something extraordinary.”
Since the effects of the World Tree were still unknown, we decided to take things easy.
Besides, this entire endeavor wasn’t really about saving people through some grand undertaking. I simply wanted to do what the child wanted.
Once we began planting the mana herbs, Ye-eun, dressed in a straw hat and rain boots, hopped around excitedly.
“Daddy, look at this!”
“Pfft. I think our Ye-eun could become a farmer.”
“Really?! I should hurry and show Unnie Jia too!”
I replanted a mana herb that had fallen sideways from the impact of Ye-eun’s running, burying it a little deeper.
Soon, Ye-eun brought Ms. Jia over and proudly showed off her work.
“Ta-da! I planted it well, right?”
“Wow, Ye-eun, you really did plant it well. I think you did better than Unnie.”
“Eek!”
Ye-eun twisted her body, her eyes sparkling brightly.
Perhaps she had roughly understood the situation from my expression, because Ms. Jia sent me a secretive glance.
‘Cute, right?’
‘Very cute.’
This was one of those moments when I regretted leaving my phone at home.
‘Should I buy a camera······?’
Why did it feel so good when things I had once thought I would never need in my life were becoming necessary because of my child?
“Let’s go~!”
“Let’s go!”
Ye-eun, now filled with enthusiasm, began planting mana herbs, while Ms. Jia happily joined her.
I really needed to look into buying a camera.
---
Since the yard was quite large, we took a short break from planting mana herbs.
The sun was already high in the sky, so we gathered in the old pavilion to escape the sunlight and catch our breath.
“Huff, huff.”
“Ye-eun, if you’re getting tired, Daddy can take care of the rest.”
“No! Ye-eun said we should do it! So I can do it! I’m going to work hard so the hunter uncles don’t get hurt.”
“Pfft. Okay, okay. But don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Okay!”
Her desire to help the hunter uncles was so admirable that I wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead.
At the same time, I lightly snapped my fingers.
[Refreshing Healing Breeze (C)]
It was a druid healing skill. Its effects weren’t particularly powerful, but it was enough to dispel fatigue.
A fresh grassy scent gently enveloped the child.
“I feel good~.”
“How is it? Do you feel more energetic?”
“Yes! I think Ye-eun can do all the rest!”
“Oh~? Then are you not going to eat your snack? That won’t do. Unnie and Daddy will have to eat it all.”
“N-No! Ye-eun will eat it!”
Ye-eun jumped at Ms. Jia’s playful words.
“Then, Ye-eun, what do you have to do before eating?”
“Wash my hands!”
“That’s right.”
“Let’s go, Daddy!”
I had been looking at Ye-eun when I froze at the hand she held out toward me.
Her smile and tiny hand were so vivid beneath the sunlight that I suddenly felt as though I might cry.
“Daddy?”
“Y-Yes, we should go. We need to wash our hands before eating.”
“Okay!”
The hand wearing a glove felt warm against the child’s unique body temperature. I held it even tighter, unwilling to let go.
At the same time, Ye-eun, who was in my arms, sniffed.
“Daddy smells like a forest.”
“Not like sweat?”
“No, it’s a nice smell. I want to keep smelling it.”
“Haha! Even better than the smell of meat?”
“Hmm······.”
She looked incredibly cute as she seriously considered the question. I lifted Ye-eun high into the air and immediately put her on my shoulders.
“All right, Daddy’s train is departing. The next destination is handwashing. Handwashing. Good children, please fasten your seat belts.”
“Kyahaha! Yes~.”
“Then we’re departing.”
After washing our hands and returning, we smelled like milk soap. It was a warm, slightly sweet scent of happiness.
It lingered until we sat down at the dining table.
“There isn’t much, but please eat as much as you like.”
“This is already a magnificent feast.”
“That’s right!”
I had already sensed it from the size of the tray, but there was freshly boiled pork, well-fermented napa cabbage kimchi, dipping sauce, and various leafy vegetables for wrapping the meat.
What else could you call this if not a magnificent feast?
“Mmm~. It’s yummy!”
“Then shall Daddy have a bite too?”
“I’ll feed you. Say ah~.”
“Ahh~.”
“Eek!”
I playfully bit her finger along with the wrap, making her burst into laughter.
Then Ms. Jia placed a small wrap into Ye-eun’s mouth, and the meal continued amid laughter.
“Thank you for preparing even our snack. You must have worked hard.”
“Hehe, Ye-eun and Mr. Taejun worked hard too. Everyone simply did their best at their respective tasks.”
“That makes me even more grateful.”
“Thank you~!”
“Hehe, thank you for eating so well too, Ye-eun.”
“Hehe!”
I stroked Ye-eun’s head as she smiled proudly and looked over the field we had worked so hard to cultivate.
“If we plant just a little more, we should be more or less finished.”
“I hope they grow well.”
“Grow well~.”
Suddenly, Ye-eun raised both arms and began performing an adorable little dance.
“Is that a magic spell?”
“Yes! They say the sprouts will grow well if we cheer them on like this.”
“···The sprouts?”
“They’re over there~.”
Ye-eun pointed toward the Young World Tree in the center of the field.
No way···?
The Young World Tree, which had caught my gaze, waved its cotyledons as though it were waving its hands.
[The Young World Tree waves its leaves.]
Surely, this was a case of the impossible becoming possible. My expression turned strange.
“Sprout···.”
“Is this really happening?”
Ms. Jia couldn’t see the messages, but she seemed to have noticed what was happening and made a peculiar expression.
Despite our reactions, the child continued waving enthusiastically.
“Hello, Sprout~.”
Sway, sway~.
The child and the cotyledons waved at each other as though greeting one another.
It was a strange sight, but also rather cute. So I pleaded with Ms. Jia, who had brought her phone outside.
“Could you send those to me too?”
“I’ll take the pictures first.”
“Yes, please.”
Click, click, click!
As she took pictures from different angles, I decided to remain still.
One of those pictures would become my phone’s wallpaper.
---
The following morning, I woke up as the early dawn light began to enter the room.
Cock-a-doodle-doo!
Outside, I could hear the crowing of chickens raised in the nearby village, along with the songs of birds that had begun their hunt.
“Should I wash up?”
I scratched my tangled hair and left the room to wash.
But then······.
“Daddy···.”
“Ye-eun?!”
When I saw her standing in the darkness and looking at me, I rushed over, wondering if she had suffered a nightmare.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
She shook her head.
“Then why are you standing here like this?”
“I was worried···.”
“Worried about what?”
“I was worried about whether the plants were growing well···. But it was dark outside, so I was waiting for Daddy.”
“Oh, my.”
What was I supposed to do with this adorable child? Her eyes were filled with worry, yet they sparkled with anticipation. It was unbearably cute.
“Ye-eun, plants don’t normally grow overnight like that. They might not have grown as much as you expected. Even so, do you want to go and see them?”
“Daddy grew them super fast before. So they’ll grow like that again this time.”
“Oh, dear.”
I must have confused her by showing off my abilities too much in front of her.
Still, Sprout was there, and we couldn’t be certain of the results yet, so I decided to go outside and check.
“Let’s go take a look before Unnie Jia arrives. How does that sound?”
“Eek! Good!”
“But it’s still cold, so dress warmly.”
“Okay!”
She ran off and picked up her favorite light-green jacket. I couldn’t help but smile.
But just as we opened the door and stepped outside······.
“Oh? It’s Unnie Jia.”
Just as Ye-eun said, Ms. Jia was running toward us from the backyard, looking extremely startled by something.
“Ms. Jia, is something wrong?”
“I-It’s a disaster!”
“Please calm down first.”
I lightly activated a skill.
[Natural Fragrance (C)]
It was a simple skill that released the scent of nature to help calm the other person.
However, when the refreshing forest fragrance spread through the air, Ms. Jia, who had been running toward us while breathing heavily in her panic, visibly began to recover.
‘Hmm? Was this skill always this effective?’
I tilted my head, but listening to Ms. Jia came first.
“The village elders said that wild animals have been ruining the fields lately···. So I came early to check the field, but the field is···!”
“Ah···!”
There was no danger of Sprout being harmed. Animals that followed their instincts would feel fear in the presence of such a massive existence.
But what if the mana herbs we had worked so hard to plant had been destroyed···?
‘Ye-eun would be sad.’
I rushed over, intending to fix the field before the child could see it.
But what I actually saw when I reached the field was······.
Countless mana herbs that had grown as high as Ye-eun’s waist.
[The Young World Tree proudly waves its leaves.]
“No······.”
The World Tree’s effect was too much.
As I stood there letting out an incredulous laugh, Ye-eun came running behind me and let out a shriek at the sight.
“Wooow!”
The joy she couldn’t express through words overflowed from her bouncing steps, warming the hearts of everyone watching.
I had been racking my brain over an unexpected situation, but the sight before me made all that unnecessary. My strength drained away, and I muttered,
“If mana herbs grew this much every day, then at least South Korea wouldn’t need to worry about potion shortages.”
“···You must have been surprised. I’m sorry. The plants suddenly grew that much overnight.”
“Haha! Not at all. Even I would be surprised if they grew like this.”
I was dumbfounded because I hadn’t imagined this much growth either. I wondered how shocked Ms. Jia, an ordinary person, must have been.
“But what kind of skill is this? It’s amazing. You made the flowers grow, awakened something as incredible as the World Tree yesterday, and now even the mana herbs······.”
“The flowers were grown by applying a plant growth skill that druids learn after becoming druids. As for the World Tree and mana herbs······.”
Since neither of them was the result of an ordinary situation, I simply shrugged.
“You’re amazing···!”
Ms. Jia’s eyes sparkled at that alone. It seemed she had once again added to her misconceptions about druids.
For now, I decided to change the subject.
“Hmm, we can’t let them grow any further, so let’s harvest them first. We can leave the plants themselves and just remove the leaves.”
“Breakfast will be a little late···.”
“They say hunger is the best sauce. Besides, I doubt Ye-eun will be able to eat properly while she’s in that state.”
I pointed toward Ye-eun, who was now rubbing her face against the mana herbs. Ms. Jia laughed as though she agreed.
“I’ll bring gloves and boxes or bags to put them in.”
“I’ll reward you with a generous bonus.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
And so began the unexpected harvest of mana herbs.
---
The harvest didn’t finish until well past noon.
We ate cup noodles for breakfast and lunch, and took frequent breaks so Ye-eun wouldn’t overexert herself.
Even so, I felt proud when I looked at the mana herbs we had harvested.
“What should we do with all of this?”
“Hmm, just a moment.”
After thinking for a while, I called Team Leader Ham Gilyeong.
If I contacted the Gangrim Guild, they would certainly help me, but I felt uncomfortable receiving assistance from them after having left the guild.
‘The Hunter Association must also be having a headache over the potion shortage by now.’
The result of my call confirmed that this was indeed the case.
“Hello, Mr. Taejun. Crash! Hey, he’s getting away! Who tied him up like this?!”
“···You seem busy. Should I call again later?”
“Ah··· I’m sorry. You know how there’s been a shortage of potions recently? The black market is flourishing, so we’re conducting an investigation···.”
“That worked out perfectly. I think I might be able to help with the potion shortage.”
“Pardon?”
“I have··· quite a large amount of mana herbs. As for their condition, well, they were grown where they were grown, so I’m sure you understand without me having to explain.”
The team leader had witnessed Sprout’s awakening, so he would immediately understand what I meant.
Thanks to that, the situation on the other end became chaotic.
“Team Leader?!”
“Where are you going?!”
“Work! You lot, hurry up and catch the guy who just escaped!”
“This is tyranny!!”
The sorrowful cries of his abandoned subordinates echoed through the phone.
Perhaps the team leader couldn’t bring himself to ignore them.
“Mr. Taejun··· I don’t think I’ll be able to give you an answer today. Could you wait until tomorrow? There are quite a few places I need to discuss this with······.”
“There’s no need to rush. Take your time coming over. I’m not planning to trade with anyone else yet.”
Of course, if the Hunter Association tried to gain an excessive profit from this, I would hand the herbs over to someone else.
I had contacted them first because of the team leader.
And he knew that, so he answered in a serious voice.
“I’m truly grateful for your consideration. Then I’ll visit your home sometime tomorrow morning. Ah, by the way, does Ye-eun like dolls?”
“She probably does.”
“Haha, then I’ll have to prepare something that will make the princess very surprised. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes. See you tomorrow.”
The call ended.
I recalled the team leader’s words and chuckled.
“Team Leader, you’re going to be more surprised than Ye-eun.”
After all, two small hills would be waiting for him tomorrow.
---
However, at that very moment.
While the mana herbs were growing vigorously under the blessing and moonlight of Sprout, the Young World Tree, their sweet fragrance spread far into the distance.
And how could honeybees possibly ignore such a scent?
Sensing the rich fragrance of mana, the creature finished chewing and swallowing its prey before standing up.
Sniff, sniff.
Its unending hunger cried out for the sweet scent.
And the beast, which had never once resisted the cries of its hunger, ran toward the source of the fragrance.
Its speed as it crossed the mountain in an instant reminded one of a fierce wind, while its eyes gleamed eerily beneath the moonlight.
At last, the beast arrived at the field and, excited by the paradise spread out before its eyes, pounded the ground with its hind legs.
At the same time, Sprout noticed the beast and swung its cotyledons.
Flap, flap!
A sacred aura flowed out.
The beast sensed that presence and hesitated. A massive being was guarding this place.
But as mentioned earlier, the beast had never ignored the cries of its hunger.
Flash!
Despite Sprout’s warning, the beast bared its blade-sharp teeth and lunged at the mana herbs.
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
After quickly devouring a leaf, the beast’s eyes gleamed.
Sprout realized that its warning had been ignored and lowered its cotyledons dejectedly.
But the beast, already captivated by the taste of the mana herbs, trembled its short tail.
“Kyuu!”
The greedy beast targeted the next leaf as the moonlight, clouds, and Sprout watched over it.
Crunch, crunch!
In the dead of night, while everyone slept, the beast of moonlight enjoyed its feast.
However, there was one thing even that beast didn’t know.
Its greed was greater than it had imagined.
The next morning.
“Daddy!!”
“Why~?”
“A rabbit! There’s a rabbit here! But I think it’s a pig-rabbit!”
The beast of moonlight, awakened by the noisy voice, snarled fiercely at the little human in front of it.
“Kyuiik!”
To Taejun, however, it looked like nothing more than a rabbit struggling beneath its bloated stomach.
A pig-rabbit.
No.
It was the meeting between the beast of moonlight and the Archdruid.