Greenhouse Flowers in the Wild
After spending Saturday tending to greenhouse plants, exercising, and training, the day flew by in a flash. And so Sunday morning arrived. Breathing in the refreshing scent of grass, I reached the academy's portal station, where the kiosk greeted me.
> [Enter destination.]
It was early morning, so the portal station was quiet and deserted. I entered Gangwon-do Jeongseon, the meeting spot for the hunting circle, and printed my ticket.
> [Identity confirmed: Cadet Imir, 1 person]
> [Destination: Gangwon-do Jeongseon Field Hunting Ground]
> [Hunting Circle Discount: 20%]
> [New Cadet Discount: 10%]
> [Automatic payment completed.]
Damn, this automated system is convenient. No need to deal with some staffer's tired mug first thing in the morning.
"Yawwwn~."
Stretching as I headed to the portal, I heard footsteps behind me. Glancing back, there stood a girl with pointed ears like an elf's, her golden hair swaying. Ha Yeon-si.
"Oh... hey."
She blinked lazily at my greeting, looking half-asleep, then brushed past me to print her ticket. Even someone two-faced like her must be weak in the early mornings. Her eyes were all unfocused.
"Uh...."
After finishing, she finally noticed me and spoke up.
"Ah, hey... good morning. You're... Imir, right?"
"Yeah."
"You in the hunting circle too?"
"Yeah, you too?"
"Yeah, me too."
She doesn't bother acknowledging worthless people. A calculating type who moves only when it suits her interests. Looks like I've got some value right now. Probably curious about my sudden jump in the cadet rankings, the dungeon practice incident on Tuesday, and all the rumors floating around about me.
"Figures you didn't climb the ranks for nothing. It's still hours till the circle meetup, and you're already heading out. Impressive. You must be super diligent usually."
She praised me subtly while tapping my shoulder. That kind of casual touch would melt most guys. Not me.
"Got stuff to prep."
"Prep? What kind?"
Ha Yeon-si's eyes sparkled.
"Just... you know. First time hunting monsters in the field. Better check things out, scout the medic spots, that kinda prep."
"Ah, right."
Her sparkling eyes dimmed just like that. I smirked inwardly. Yeah, she's not great at hiding her expressions yet. Emotions plain as day.
Ha Yeon-si spoke up.
"But hey, about that dungeon practice...."
"What?"
"Rumor has it... you took out that monster that popped up all by yourself. True?"
Right, that was her real goal. If I wanna get close to her, better spill some truth.
"Yeah."
"Oh. For real? Without any instructor help?"
"Yep."
"Whoa, badass."
Her pointed ears perked up. That's genuine surprise.
"But it's a bit different from the rumors."
"Different how?"
"Yeah."
"How? Spill."
Damn, cute. Staring into those eager eyes almost makes me feel guilty about lying. But can't stretch it too far. Gotta keep it plausible. She tends to avoid people she can't control.
"Wasn't the queen ant. Just a regular one."
"...Hmm. But the rumors specifically said queen ant.... Even the instructors said so, right?"
"Instructors hyped it up."
"Why?"
"To make us more cautious, probably. If it was a queen ant, would I even be standing here?"
Alive and kicking, actually.
"Fair point...."
Her perked ears drooped. Interest fading. But her thoughtful look said she wasn't totally done with it.
"Let's hit the portal."
We stepped inside and fed our tickets into the slot. Moments later, the portal hummed to life, and the scenery shifted. Opening my eyes, we were in Gangwon-do Jeongseon Field—the original market-style hunting ground.
About 150 years ago, after the Tower appeared, monsters rained down across the globe like a storm. The Korean Peninsula, pushed all the way to Busan by the invasion, was reclaimed south of Gangwon-do thanks to the heroes. Right where the old 38th parallel used to be. From there, with Tower artifacts, advances in magitech, and hyper-industrialization, human civilization boomed—and monsters stopped being a threat. They became resources. Money.
The government expanded hunting and gathering rights to private zones to meet demand, but slapped on a pro certification requirement. That's how academies were born. Rights kept expanding: graduate from certified spots like agent academies, cadet schools, or hunter institutes, and you could hunt monsters. Just finishing a pro program granted access to field hunting grounds and dungeons.
Which is why most fresh-out-of-cadet-school newbies, Ha Yeon-si included, were hitting field hunting grounds for the first time.
"...Hey. To grow stats fast, is real combat hunting better than the training grounds? What's your take?"
She could've hit a hunting ground right after graduation but, as a greenhouse flower, this was her debut hunt today. And today, ironically, her greenhouse protection and newbie luck would trigger at once, leading her to a special dungeon.
"Real combat's better for honing instincts. But for balanced stat growth, training grounds win."
"Oh.... Why's that?"
"Monsters are risky, and fights are irregular. Hard to control rest and battle times yourself. Training grounds let you dictate everything. Less real feel, but way more efficient for pure training."
"Huh... you're weirdly on the same wavelength as me."
Cadet-level common sense? Nah, hero-level basics. As the portal opened and people trickled in, Ha Yeon-si—who'd been chatting away—froze mid-sentence.
"......"
Her stiff pose was unnatural, so I followed her gaze. There stood Yoo Seong-won, gripping his long spear. And right beside him? Mo Ye-ji.
I let out an inner whistle at the juicy scene. Ha Yeon-si likes Yoo Seong-won. Yoo Seong-won likes Mo Ye-ji. Mo Ye-ji likes no one—just her vow to become a hero. She graduates aloof as a crane, no mingling, no interests. Her formal speech to peers her age? That's her vow in action.
Then Mo Ye-ji glanced our way. Her pupils shook hard—probably Ha Yeon-si's glare hit like a laser. The rivals locked eyes, proving their beef. Mo Ye-ji turned away first, and Yoo Seong-won scurried after her like a lost puppy.
"......Tch."
Ha Yeon-si scowled, still staring daggers at them.
"Hey, Imir."
"Yeah?"
"...Wanna team up today? Circles require pairs minimum anyway. You and me... we click."
I agreed happily. Was planning to tail them anyway—her offer was perfect.
"Feel free to roam the hunting grounds solo. For emergencies or crises, call me or a circle officer."
Hunting circle president Yoo I-min announced.
"It's 10 a.m. now—handle lunch yourselves, back at the portal station by 6 p.m. sharp. No tardies."
Cadets scattered, and Ha Yeon-si and I headed to a sparse area. Opposite Yoo Seong-won's direction. Ignoring trails, we blazed our own—zero people, zero monsters. The few that popped were plant-types, worthless for the market.
Monster value scales with risk. Plant-types? Safe, but trash-tier loot.
How long had we trekked? Suddenly, massive monster footprints scarred the ground. Sharp claws—high-danger vibes. We followed them to a dead end: blood pooling where they cut off.
"Ah."
It clicked. Classic greenhouse flower. Can't do shit on her own—just grows pampered in the glasshouse.
Ha Yeon-si got it too.
"...Haa, doing it again. I said no interference this time...."
She knew the culprits. The greenhouse around her.
She gripped her sword like a staff and stood. To them, a magic prodigy wielding a blade? Just a kid's tantrum.
Haa, and she has to claim magic suits her better? What a clusterfuck. My own mess is hopeless too. Worn-out cliché on cliché. Better than swords: rapiers. Clubs. Bows. Spears. Fists. Hell, one novel had better than swords: rice.
Sword vs. magic book? At least that's semi-decent.
"Hey, check that way?"
Ha Yeon-si scanned around, pointed irritably at a cave. Anyone could tell: enter and you're fucked.