The Gardener in a Hunter World

Disclaimer: This is an edited MTL. Thus, I can’t guarantee that my editing to be proficient. But I hope you enjoy this story with me. If there are any corrections, it is highly encourage to leave a comment.

The landscape of the forest changed again.

About an area of 20 pyeong was added, and it was full of trees and bushes he had never seen before.

Above all, Yoo Ji-Ha’s recently planted branch already looked quite like a tree, filling him with a sense of pride.

‘That’s a cave…’

The entrance to the cave was located near the edge of the fog.

He didn’t want to go inside so he looked around.

‘The Etheric Herb and the Solar Apple are bearing.’

The Solar Apple tree already bore more fruits.

He couldn’t harvest it before because it was small, and he thought it wouldn’t take too long.

Yoo Ji-Ha was stunned by its growth rate.

Could it be that there is some kind of magic here that sped up crop growth?

‘That’s a strawberry.’

A new fruit-bearing tree that wasn’t here before came into view.

【Winter Strawberry LV1: Increases cold resistance by 20% for 30 minutes.】

It’s a simple explanation, but the effect was great.

Resistance-raising items are rare, and even if it was attached to an artifact, it only gave about 5% or 10%.

Seasoned Hunters equipped all kinds of artifacts acquired from dungeons on their person, but it rarely exceeds 20%.

Cold Resistance potions are very rare and were often sold by Hunters.

‘This rate is higher than any other Cold Resistance potion.’

Yoo Ji-Ha remembered that Hunters kept failing to capture a Polar dungeon.

It was said that they all ran away because it was too cold and couldn’t withstand the cold attributed attacks of monsters.

Even in Korea, where the dungeon capturing success rate is high, other countries couldn’t even dare attempt to dive.

It’s also troublesome because you can’t bring various cold protection items made with cutting-edge science into the dungeon.

‘Is it possible to attack such a dungeon with these Winter Strawberries?’

Although it’s only a possibility, there will be no monster breakout.

Yoo Ji-Ha focused on the figure of LV1 in the winter strawberries.

Does that mean he’ll see LV2 someday?

‘Maybe I can reorganize this garden to look nice.’

With that thought in mind, he rolled up his sleeves and started cleaning the area.

It would have been convenient if he had brought all sorts of cleaning tools in his dimensional pocket.

‘I’ll be sure to bring some next time.’

As he was clearing the messy bushes and spreading the soil evenly, sweat was forming on his forehead.

While working, Yoo Ji-Ha found small insects.

【Theradrone】

Earthworms also had a grand name, Terra Firma worm, but this little insect was called Theradrone.

‘Look at this.’

The little guys were carrying something under the Winter Strawberry tree.

‘It’s a strawberry that fell to the ground.’

It was quite impressive to see a group of small insects gathering and carrying strawberries and digging the ground.

Are they building a house?

‘Let me help you a bit.’

When he used his fingers, the insects retreated in astonishment.

But it didn’t run away at all, that was surprising.

Usually, insects run away when they see something big.

After digging an appropriate hole, they started digging up the soil inside.

‘Working hard.’

When he looked into the hole, he could see a big bum and hind legs scooping up the dirt.

They demonstrated the technique of digging holes by clumping the soil and passing it to the back.

It was no different with a person relaying a load backward.

‘It’s pretty cute.’

He never knew insects could be so cute.

Yoo Ji-Ha removed his attention from the little guys and continued to work.

He moved carefully to avoid destroying the insect’s nest, then he looked into the entrance of the cave.

‘What’s inside?’

Strange wind noises were heard from the entrance, large enough to fit two people.

It seems to be connected somewhere.

But he was too scared to go into the dark space.

‘If there are monsters inside, it’s a big deal.’

He awakened, but he was a Hunter with no Skills or Attributes, so if he encountered a monster, he had no other choice but to die.

Besides, there’s nowhere to run.

But suddenly, it started to rain.

The raindrops fell with a plock-plock, and it soon turned into a heavy downpour that seemed to sweep the forest away.

Yoo Ji-Ha confirmed that insects had entered and taken refuge in a cave.

‘It’s like asking me to go into the cave.’

It seemed like someone was teasing him, but he couldn’t help it.

He squatted at the entrance of the cave, waiting for the rain to stop.

Alas-

The rain seemed like it wouldn’t stop right away.

Bored, he thought about sleeping on the floor, but he soon changed his mind.

Since he already entered the cave, he thought it would be better to explore the inside.

If there’s a monster inside, you’re bound to die one way or another, so it’s better to do something before that.

“Whoooh, nothing will come out.”

Carefully following the walls of the cave and going inside.

It wasn’t as dark as he expected because of some light source.

‘It’s because of this.’

A light shone from the stones scattered on the walls and floor.

【Glow stone】

‘Is it just a shining stone?’

When he touched it with his hand, bits and pieces of the area the stone was buried fell.

The cave wall is breakable, so he thinks he can dig it out with a pickaxe.

He decided to bring tools next time when coming back here.

Two glowing stones appeared next in the dark wall.

【Ignition stone】

‘After the Glow stone, it’s an Ignition stone… Can I light a fire with it?’

Should he hit two stones like flint?

The inside was getting narrower.

The thought of going into that dark cave tightened his chest.

Yoo Ji-Ha gave up exploring further and went back to the entrance.

He felt like he had to go to the hardware store and get some tools.

He fell asleep listening to the rain.

***

The rain stopped.

After he bought various tools on the other side and put them in the leather pocket, he began to clean up the forest after the rain with great care.

The fallen trees were cut and removed with a saw, the floor was leveled, and even the bushes were cleared.

After removing all the grass and branches that had fallen to the ground, he was sweating profusely.

“Whooh.”

After washing his neck and face with cool water, he felt better.

Yoo Ji-Ha sat under the Solar Apple tree for a while, eating the chocolate bar he brought with him, and cooled himself.

‘Let’s take the Glow stone, Ignition stone, and the Winter berries.’

What he can do in this forest is limited, there’s nothing else he can do here but sightsee.

The best thing to do is do what you need and then go to sleep.

Taking a breath, he took a pickaxe and entered the cave.

Kang, Kang.

When he hit the area around the Glow stone with a pickaxe, it dug deep as expected.

It’s definitely a soft wall.

After 30 minutes of picking, Yoo Ji-Ha was able to obtain a Glow stone the size of a fist.

“It’s pretty.”

A Glow stone with a soft light.

With this, he will be able to see in the dark.

He decided to only take two out of the five he saw and continued to dig up the wall with a pickaxe.

‘I can’t help it because I need two Ignition stones.’

He took the Ignition stone and went out and started harvesting Winter Strawberries.

Not all, but only half.

‘Let’s not be greedy.’

Up until now, Yoo Ji-Ha has lived without much greed.

If there’s one thing he has learned while living alone after losing his parents, it’s that if he doesn’t get too greedy, it’s okay to live.

He was not pessimistic about his situation compared to other Hunters.

It must have been fate, he accepted it and was satisfied with his life.

‘So, you gave me a present?’

There must be a huge number of people who conform to fate as he does, but not like this.

Carrying the leather bag on his back, he contemplated how to use the Glow stone.

He thought it would be better to use it like a torch by attaching it to a handle.

Tie a few long pieces of wood together and insert the Glow stone at the end to make a suitable torch.

‘If I convert the leather pouch into a backpack and put a torch in it, I will be able to use both hands.’

As the fog grows wider, the space he can explore also grows.

Maybe one day, he will be able to roam the forest like a real adventurer?

‘I have to go inside the cave once.’

All of this may be thanks to the branch planted in the middle of the forest.

It was growing rapidly and at a speed different from that of other trees.

After thanking the tree, he lay down on the floor of the cave.

As he fell asleep, the trees in the middle of the forest were dyed in gold and radiated light in all directions.

***

On the Korean intranet, there is a community called Hunternet, that only hunters can use.

One of the most viewed places on Hunternet was none other than the review board.

Many hunters challenge a dungeon, capture it, and sometimes share their experiences.

Because it uses a real-name system, it was rare to see nonsense.

Although the occasional irregulars scratch the hunters’ hearts, it is said that they cannot be systematically blocked.

A post was posted on the review board today.

But it wasn’t an ordinary review.

└Bae KangMin: It’s baffling that Seo HyeJin destroyed a dozen Manstalkers, isn’t it?

└Hyun SeungAh: Who did?

└Bae KangMin: When I saw the battle reports from the juniors, that’s what it said.

└Ashley: That information is interesting. I’d like to hear it in detail if possible.

└Hyun SeungAh: Wait, when did that happen?

└Bae KangMin: It was just yesterday. There’s an open dungeon in the 11th Area of District 7, right? It was originally a Category 2 dungeon, but suddenly it changed to Category 4.

└Cha HwaYeon : Is that true?

└Bae KangMin: Yes, I’m not deceiving you. It’s real.

└Park SeongHo: I’ve heard that rumor. The official battle report hasn’t been released yet, so I’m still unsure.

└Cha HwaYeon : That makes no sense. In our guild’s first guild mobilization, we only managed to kill four of them. You can’t kill them all at once, you know how fast they regenerate, right? A lot of firepower is needed.

└Ashley: A Manstalker’s regenerative ability is known to be superior even among Hate-class monsters.

└Park SeongHo: Still, those hunters wouldn’t have lied…

└Hyun SeungAh: It could be just a rumor. Maybe it wasn’t a Manstalker, maybe it was a blue scorpion or something, they could have exaggerated it.

└Bae KangMin: I can’t let that pass. Are you saying the juniors lied to me?

└Hyun SeungAh: I’m not saying it’s a lie, it just doesn’t make sense. Dungeon quests change abruptly from time to time, that’s true, but thirteen Manstalkers?

└Bae KangMin: Oh, I forgot something, only one was an adult. The rest are cubs.

└Cha HwaYeon : Why are you saying that now? So, it’s dumb.

└Bae KangMin: I forgot for a moment. So, is it convincing if there are thirteen of them and only one adult?

└Hyun SeungAh: Still, it’s difficult to kill it alone… Their stings are no joke. Even if you pour out your Skills at the beginning, it won’t last long, so you’ll have to avoid the poison stings.

└Park SeongHo: Then, how did HyeJin kill them?

At this point, several hunters interfered, and each shared their experiences.

Their doubts about the legitimacy of the report annoyed Bae KangMin, but he did not back down saying that he trusted his juniors until the end.

At that time, a Hunter explicitly asked a question.

└Kim ChulSoo: What would it be like if it was Han SeungHyuk?

└Hyun SeungAh: Why is that oppa here suddenly?

└Kim ChulSoo: It’s nothing special, I’m just curious. Because he was the immovable Number 1 in ranking.

└Cha HwaYeon : If it were that person, he would have killed all the Manstalkers alone. He’s in a different league.

└Bae KangMin: I agree. SeungHyuk had his Damage Amplification characteristics, didn’t he? If you use an ether blade and charge, most monsters will be cut.

└Hyun SeungAh: I remember when we had a fight with a Disaster-grade monster before. He was the person who fought it alone in the end, even shouting at everyone to run away.

└Park SeongHo: Let’s stop talking about the missing person.

After that, everyone went back to HyeJin and suggested the possibility that she used a Ether Consumption potion.

└Bae KangMin: This is the most probable one, but among the Ether Consumption potions on Hunter Mania, how much was the longest?

└Hyun SeungAh: I check all the Special potions, but the 4 second one was sold 3 days ago. Of course, it’s not unlikely that HyeJin bought it.

└Cha HwaYeon : 4 seconds, including her ether, 7 seconds… Still, it’s a little lacking.

└Bae KangMin: I’m really frustrated. Does anyone have HyeJin’s number?

└Cha HwaYeon : Even if I have, she won’t answer. I’d like to talk a little bit more about the Manstalker rather than that.

Long fingers tapped the keyboard.

Cha HwaYeon, the head of the Eternal Flame Guild, chatted for a while and gathered information about Seo HyeJin and the Manstalker.

She then contacted the guild’s chief alchemist, Choi CheolHeon.

—What do you think of Seo HyeJin?

—Well… I don’t know about this kind of information. What’s obvious is that HyeJin cannot take down a horde of Manstalkers alone.

Actually, it’s not just HyeJin, but anyone can’t kill it alone.

—She has a helper or received some help from an artifact.

—The number of people entering the dungeon cannot be hidden. And it’s hard to believe that HyeJin hunted with anyone. You’re probably right that she got help from artifacts. I’ll check HyeJin’s movement from the past month.

The movements of the top rankers were almost always revealed.

Because so many people know about them.

HwaYeon opened the file and checked HyeJin’s movements.

—She’s so out of her mind. Does it make sense to just go back and forth between her house, the shop, and the dungeon? She’s a girl. A girl!

—Well, since her lover is missing, isn’t it obvious? She went to the hospital yesterday.

—It’s been three years; how long will she remain like that? Sometimes it’s good to just forget about it.

—Tell her directly.

—That’s okay. But where is she going? A general store? Why is HyeJin going into this corner? There doesn’t seem to be anything here.

—She stopped by before entering the Manstalker dungeon. And she stopped by there again after clearing the dungeon. Don’t you smell something fishy?

HwaYeon twirled her red hair in her hands.

It was a habit she did when she had something to think about.

Her finger tapped the keyboard again.

—Check it out.

—I’ll go by myself.

So, the conversation ended.

HwaYeon turned on the map and checked the general view of the general store.

“It’s okay.”

It was a shabby shop.

With only a single review, she thought it would be like this if there were no customers.

She sighed and closed her laptop.

While conversations took place in the high-rise building, Yoo Ji-Ha was concentrating on making potions in the shabby workshop.

And an amazing thing happened when the Alchemy Skill level rose to 2.