The Life of a Returned Genius Farmer

Chapter 9: Blessed – Part 1

[Translation By Divinity]

“The Hand of Verdure skill too?”

“Yes, nya! Of course, it’s a skill I’ve never heard of before! But the Goddess Gaia is known for her benevolence, so it must be a good skill!”

Lee Han reread the text on the skill window before him.

No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like nothing more than a farming skill.

‘Could this really be such a good skill?’ he wondered, shrugging.

‘Well, I have to live as a farmer anyway, so it must be useful.’

He didn’t know how much the quality would increase, but if it worked as described, it wouldn’t be bad at all.

Lee Han turned his head and looked at the statue of the goddess. The benevolent expression on her face seemed to offer him a gentle smile.

“Maybe I should come and pray here every day?” he mused aloud.

“Nya nya! That might be a good idea,” Seolmyeong agreed. “Hmm. Maybe you received the blessing because no one in the Great Forest worships the Goddess Gaia.”

“No one worships the goddess of the earth?” Lee Han was surprised.

“The god the beastfolk worship is Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and wild animals!”

“Then why is this statue here?”

“Perhaps it’s a remnant of the humans who once lived here. I heard they lived here a long time ago!”

Beastfolk were much taller and larger than humans. Their tools and equipment might be difficult for him to use, but if there were items left behind by humans, he might be able to use them. If so, they could be a great help in his survival. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to search for such remnants.

“It won’t be easy, nya,” Seolmyeong cautioned.

“I have nothing else to do anyway,” Lee Han replied with a shrug.

“That’s true, nya! Then how about asking the beastfolk when they come next time?”

“That’s not a bad idea either.”

Feeling optimistic after receiving the blessing, Lee Han continued his farming. He planted the Honey Sweet Potato seedlings in the prepared field and the Sweet Radish seedlings in the adjacent plot. Now all that was left was to spread fertilizer and water them regularly.

“I wonder if any special options will appear if I water them with the Detoxification Bowl?” He mused, recalling how the bowl made with purified water had gained a detoxification property.

As Lee Han pondered this, Seolmyeong jumped onto his shoulder and nudged him with its tail.

“It wouldn’t hurt to try, nya!”

“Then let’s do that. I’m curious to see if we can grow Detoxification Honey Sweet Potatoes.”

“If the Honey Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Radishes grow well, we can eat a lot, right, nya?!”

“That’s right. Then it’s sweet potato party time!”

“Yay~!”

Pleased with their progress, Lee Han and Seolmyeong finished tidying up and left the field. It was time to use his last ability.

“Soil Enhancement.”

He channeled his power into the already fertile soil, further enriching it with the fertilizer. The crops would surely flourish now.

“Now we just have to wait a few days,” he said with a satisfied smile. “Let’s go get some rest.”

“Aren’t you going to keep using Growth Acceleration, nya?” Seolmyeong asked. “Then we could harvest right away!”

“We can do that in urgent cases, but it’s not urgent now, is it? I get tired if I keep using my abilities.”

He remembered the time in the tower when everyone was starving, and many were in danger if they couldn’t eat right away. At that time, it was an urgent situation, so he had stayed in the field, tirelessly using Growth Acceleration and Soil Enhancement to force a harvest in a single day.

But now, there was no such urgency. It wouldn’t hurt to take things at a more leisurely pace.

“Okay, nya!” Seolmyeong agreed.

Lee Han and Seolmyeong headed back to their base, humming happily.

They had been walking for a while when Seolmyeong’s fur suddenly bristled.

“There’s something near the base, nya.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a monster, nya!”

At the word ‘monster’, Lee Han frowned. It had been peaceful so far, but this was a place where monsters existed alongside beastfolk. The riverside was a no-combat zone for beastfolk, but that didn’t apply to monsters.

‘What should I do?’

Peering through the foliage, he saw three black tiger-like monsters with blade-like protrusions on their backs, prowling near the fish traps. Lee Han’s eyes narrowed as he watched them. One of the fish traps was already broken.

“Nya! Nya! That’s ours!” Seolmyeong cried out, pointing to a monster gnawing on a Red Trout, presumably from the destroyed trap. It was now heading towards another trap.

Lee Han clenched his fist. He had avoided fighting as much as possible since returning to this world, but there was no backing down now. If he let them be, they might destroy all the traps and even threaten his base.

It was better to fight than to let that happen. Just as Lee Han was about to step forward…

Crack!

From out of nowhere, a wolf beastfolk with silver fur lunged at the monsters, smashing one’s head with a single blow.

Surprised by the sudden attack, the remaining monsters snarled, their sharp spines bristling. But the wolf beastfolk effortlessly dodged their attacks, his own claws flashing.

With three swift strikes, one for each monster, the wolf beastfolk dispatched them all. Lee Han and Seolmyeong watched in awe.

The wolf beastfolk glanced around, then waved at them. “Hey! If you were staying back because of the monsters, it’s safe to come out now!”

“Thank you,” Lee Han called back, relieved.

“Haha. It was nothing,” the wolf beastfolk replied, approaching them. “I was half-expecting it to be a rumor when I heard a human had appeared by the river. I didn’t think it would actually be true.”

“Thank you, nya!” Seolmyeong added.

“You’re welcome. Oh, and there’s no need for formalities. I don’t care about age or anything.”

Despite his fearsome display of combat prowess, the wolf beastfolk had a playful and easygoing demeanor. If it weren’t for the mangled corpses of the monsters lying nearby, the atmosphere would have been quite pleasant.

Lee Han smiled awkwardly and nodded. “My name is Lee Han. This is Seolmyeong.”

“Oh, I see. Nice to meet you, Lee Han. I’m… well, you can call me Shredder.”

“I guess that’s not your real name?”

☆☆☆

“Well, that’s part of it,” Shredder admitted. “But honestly, I haven’t had a reason to be called by my name. Beastfolk tend to identify each other by scent rather than names. Only you humans and those elves living outside the Great Forest care about names.”

“Aha,” Lee Han replied, filing away the information about elves for later.

“Nyaa!,” Seolmyeong piped up, “can you travel in and out of the Great Forest?”

“Hmm? Well, a skilled beastfolk like me can certainly manage that.”

“Oh? So you’re a Great Forest merchant?”

“A merchant? Well, I do sell things while I’m traveling…”

This was perfect. Lee Han seized the opportunity. “Can you take me outside the Great Forest? Or at least introduce me to other races? I’ll pay you for your services.”

Shredder hesitated. “I wouldn’t recommend going outside. The blade winds outside the Great Forest are incredibly strong… A frail human like you would be severely injured.”

“How dangerous could it be…?” Lee Han pressed.

“Well, for starters, what do you have to offer that would make such a journey worthwhile?”

“I was planning to trade Honey Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Radishes. I heard merchants trade crops too.”

“Oooh!” Shredder’s eyes lit up. “I’d gladly accept those… but you don’t have any on hand, do you?”

“I’m growing them in the field over there,” Lee Han said, pointing towards his crops.

Shredder crossed his arms and grinned. “Can I see them?”

“Of course.”

After all, Shredder had just saved his fish traps and his base. Showing him the field was the least he could do.

Lee Han led Shredder to the field. The wolf beastfolk’s eyes widened in surprise as he surveyed the burgeoning crops.

“Impressive! If the Honey Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Radishes grow well, let’s make a deal. I love both of those.”

“I’m happy to trade, but I’m not sure what I could get from you in return.”

“You’re trying to meet other races outside the forest to acquire useful items, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

“I have a solution,” Shredder interrupted. “I possess a special box called an Exchange Box. If you put valuable items in it, it exchanges them for other valuable items. I’ll bring it with me next time, and we can trade. And as a bonus, I’ll introduce you to some elves.”

“That sounds great.”

“Wonderful! I’ll be counting on you then. By the way, when will these crops be ready to harvest?”

“Well…” Lee Han hesitated.

Normally, it would take several months, but with his abilities, the harvest time could be significantly reduced. However, these were crops from another world, so he couldn’t be certain. Based on their current growth rate, he estimated it would take at least a few more days.

“I’ll check in on you from time to time. Good luck!”

With that, Shredder hoisted the monster corpses onto his back and vanished as quickly as he had appeared.

Lee Han watched him go, then his gaze fell upon the broken fish trap.

“We need to make another fish trap, nya,” Seolmyeong said, its voice dejected.

“Yeah…” Lee Han sighed. It seemed there was always more work to be done.

A few days had passed since they started farming.

Thanks to the combined effects of Growth Acceleration, Soil Enhancement, the Hand of Verdure, or perhaps even the Goddess Gaia statue he prayed to daily, the crops were growing at an astonishing pace, far exceeding his expectations.

“If things continue like this, we can start harvesting tomorrow,” Lee Han remarked with satisfaction.

“That’s great, nya!” Seolmyeong cheered, breaking into a joyful dance.

Lee Han chuckled at the cat’s antics, but his smile faded as he heard a rustling in the bushes.

“Yo! How’s it going?”

It was Shredder. He had said he would visit occasionally, but he had been coming by every day, his eagerness for the Honey Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Radishes evident.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Shredder asked, noticing Lee Han’s bemused expression.

“I’ll trade the Honey Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Radishes fairly, so you don’t have to keep visiting like this,” Lee Han replied. “If you want to come, you’re welcome to do so empty-handed.”

“Hey, I’m just stopping by for a meal too!”

True to his word, Shredder wasn’t empty-handed this time either. He held a large chunk of meat in his hand. Lee Han brushed the dirt off his hands.

“Shall we have lunch then?”

“Nya~! That sounds good!” Seolmyeong chimed in eagerly.

They returned to their base, and Lee Han sliced the meat Shredder had brought, seasoning it with rock salt.

Shredder watched Lee Han prepare the food, drooling slightly. “Ah, I can’t grill meat like that.”

“You’ll get the hang of it with practice.”

“Wouldn’t you get a cooking skill at this point?”

“Not yet,” Lee Han replied with a shrug.

Perhaps he hadn’t prepared enough proper dishes yet. He made a mental note to try again once he had more seasonings. He grilled the meat to a perfect medium-rare and handed a portion to Shredder.

“Thanks for the food!” Shredder exclaimed, tearing into the juicy meat with his claws. After devouring his share, he licked the remaining juices from his fingers and asked,

“Hey, do you have some time after lunch?”

“Why?” Lee Han asked, curious. He had planned to continue making pottery today.

Shredder grinned. “There’s a place I’d like to take you.”

“Where?”

“I found some human ruins.”