Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 190
Chapter Title: Nayeo-ju Saves the World Part 2 Episode 10
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“Aigoo, Im Cheong-su’s got the healer pinned down.”
It had already been four hours since we entered the jungle-type dungeon in Pocheon.
In this humid place where sweat poured out even if you just stood still, we’d been picking herbs exactly as ordered by Im Cheong-su—who was acting like a tyrannical boss—for a full four hours now.
He snorted at my dying groans and scolded me.
“What, complaining after picking so little?”
“Argh, I don’t know. I can’t do this anymore. I’m exhausted!”
I half-tossed my hoe and basket onto the ground and plopped down on my butt with a thud.
“Looks like they’re on break over there too.”
Seong Yona glanced at the practical exam site a short distance away and spoke up.
It’s a practical procedure, sure, but we’d been working just as hard as the mining team applicants who were getting paid daily wages and incentives.
We’d ended up working way too diligently for someone getting used for free by Im Cheong-su.
‘But strangely, it has a satisfying feel to it.’
Still, I’d have to slack off from now on.
Just as I was making that resolution, Im Cheong-su—who’d been nagging me moments ago—surreptitiously sat his own butt down and said,
“We just need to pick the El-Rosc now and we’re done. I saw some deeper in earlier.”
“Really? That’s it? How much are we taking?”
“About ten seedlings. This time, we’ll gather them all in one spot and plant them. Easier to handle if something like last time happens.”
“Yeah, that’s probably better. Easier to monitor if they’re all together.”
I was nodding along in agreement with Im Cheong-su’s plan when—
“Um, planting El-Rosc like that could be a big problem.”
“Ack, you scared me!”
“Gah! S-sorry! I heard ‘El-Rosc’ and just... blurted it out...”
The weary voice that had suddenly cut in belonged to the man who’d caught Seong Yona when she’d nearly tripped earlier.
He was drenched in sweat, exhaustion plain on his face. He couldn’t even meet our eyes as he hemmed and hawed, yet pressed on firmly.
“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, really! B-but I felt like I had to warn you it’s dangerous...”
“What is?”
“The El-Rosc. If you plant them too close...”
“My guidebook doesn’t say anything like that.”
Im Cheong-su’s curt tone—never very kind to strangers—made the man shrink back pitifully.
“Th-the guidebook... you mean...?”
“It’s my skill. Contains dungeon creature info.”
“Oh, r-right... S-sorry, I spoke out of turn. Don’t mind me...”
“No, it’s not in my guidebook, so I didn’t know. Does El-Rosc have a trait like that?”
Our kid’s got a sharp tongue, but he’s not a bad guy.
The man seemed to realize Im Cheong-su was genuinely curious and mustered some courage.
“Yes! When you plant El-Rosc seedlings close together in plant form, they compete with each other... which leads to overgrowth, and that raises the chance of them turning into monsters.”
“That’s exactly what happened once before.”
“Oh no, really? But basically, they’re pretty docile...”
Now that the conversation had opened up, the man began explaining to Im Cheong-su in a gentle, steady tone.
To Im Cheong-su, who had a guidebook skill that was basically an encyclopedia for dungeon creatures.
At this point, I got curious about the man’s skills.
I quietly activated Know as Much as You See.
Nothing about him screamed combat type, at any rate.
‘Urban Farmer?’
I could guess it was farming-related.
But the skill names didn’t give a clear picture of what they did.
Just then, a signal announced the end of the practical exam break.
“Uh, I should get going then. Good luck...”
Choi Su-won, who’d been eyeing Im Cheong-su’s basket, bowed to us.
I couldn’t just let him go like that.
He’d taught us info about a dungeon plant even S-grade guidebook skill Im Cheong-su didn’t know.
I quickly brushed off my butt and stood, asking Choi Su-won,
“Could you maybe help with gathering instead of mining?”
“Pardon? But I’m in the middle of my practical...”
“I’ll talk to the team leader. And of course, you’ll get paid daily wages.”
“I’d be grateful, but...”
“I’ll take responsibility to ensure you rejoin the practical schedule tomorrow without any issues. Today’s gathering is really crucial—would you help us out?”
After my earnest plea, the hesitant Choi Su-won nodded slightly.
“I’m not sure how much help I can be, but sure. I actually find this more fun than mining anyway... Ah! N-not that I can’t do mining!”
His pale face flushed red as he blurted his true feelings and waved his hands frantically.
I smiled reassuringly and extended my right hand.
“Nayeo-ju of Justice Guild. Looking forward to working with you today.”
After exchanging names, Choi Su-won thankfully grew more comfortable with us as time passed.
Im Cheong-su’s barrage of questions deserved most of the credit.
“Su-won hyung, can’t you grow this from seeds?”
“You could, but it’s like rice transplanting...”
Choi Su-won was definitely from the same mold as Im Cheong-su.
He could talk endlessly about topics he was passionate about.
I approached under the pretext of handing them cool drinks and struck up a conversation.
“Here, drink this while you work. By the way, Choi Su-won-ssi, your application mentioned a skill for loosening soil easily. Is that why the dirt around here is so soft?”
“Thanks! Yeah, it’s my skill. I have ‘Plow the Field,’ which loosens soil well and improves its quality too.”
“Ooh, that explains it.”
“It also clears out underground pests and rocks. Not super versatile, though.”
“Still seems super useful for farming.”
Choi Su-won spilled details about his skills so readily I felt bad for probing.
“My main skill’s farming-related too. ‘Urban Farmer’—it’s a passive that helps plants grow well.”
“Huh. Then why not farm for real...?”
Choi Su-won gave a wry smile at my question.
“It’s urban farmer. To grow meaningful amounts with the skill, I’d need to go rural, but it deactivates outside cities.”
“Aigoo.”
“So I just grow bean sprouts and lettuce in my studio, raise tomato and pepper seedlings. Saves on food costs.”
“Must be nice having a place where plants thrive like that.”
“Nah, it’s a semi-basement one-room.”
Growing enough plants to cut food costs in a dim semi-basement?
Was that even possible?
Im Cheong-su and Seong Yona tilted their heads with the same doubt, staring at Choi Su-won.
Caught in three gazes at once, he scratched his cheek awkwardly and answered the unspoken question.
“It’s my last skill. ‘Thrifty Mindset’—it boosts harvest yields a ton.”
Thud.
Im Cheong-su’s hoeing finally stopped.
He dusted the dirt off his hands and asked seriously,
“Does that skill apply to anything besides farming?”
“Hmm, nothing says it’s farming-only, so probably...”
No need to hear more.
Im Cheong-su waddled over to Choi Su-won at top speed, grabbed his hand, and said,
“Hyung, wanna see my greenhouse?”