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.

Is this real or just a dream?

‘Has the sea always been this close?’

Was the terrain he thought to be a forest, actually a sea?

It didn’t even smell like brine, so he didn’t know about it until now.

‘Or maybe there’s something like a portal somewhere in the cave.’

At the narrowest point in the cave, he felt a strange sensation as if his whole body shook.

At first, he thought it was vertigo, but after a while, it didn’t seem to go away.

‘Maybe the entrance going back is blocked…’

It was only by hurriedly returning to the cave and getting out of it then the forest that Yoo Ji-Ha was reassured.

He came back to the sea and took off his shoes.

Because it felt like a crime to leave shoe prints on the white sand where nothing existed.

The soft sand tickled the soles of his feet, and the subtle scent of the sea brushed the tip of his nose.

It’s a really nice view, but it was a bit hot, so he took off his jacket and put it in his backpack.

‘If the weather is this hot, it’s probably not in the same dimension…’

The forest and the sea here are in different dimensions. He thought it would be better to interpret it that way.

Yoo Ji-Ha walked along the white sandy beach and approached the sea.

‘I’m walking on the white sand…’

The sea was the object of fear for modern people, including him.

There were so many monsters that it was difficult to sail a ship and trying to escort it with a warship was not excessive.

So, most of the imports and exports these days are done by air.

‘I thought there was nothing, but…’

The coconut crabs clinging to the palm trees and the hundreds of sand crabs busily roaming the white sand caught his attention.

What was even more surprising is that the Coconut crabs have a special effect, just like the Solar Apples and Winter Strawberries.

【Coconut Crab: Acquire Pain Resistance LV1 for 30 minutes.】

‘Pain Resistance? That’s the first time I’ve seen it.’

First of all, there is no Pain Resistance stat.

If that’s the case, then it should be considered a Characteristic. Among the Hunters, there are those who have exceptional pain tolerance, and they’re Hunters who are active as tanks.

Wouldn’t it be the same as the Characteristics of those people?

‘If that’s the case, then this is great.’

If you can use someone else’s Characteristic, they’ll come rushing to you with money.

However, Yoo Ji-Ha was not greedy for this kind of buff.

Most of all, he was scared of the Coconut crabs which are as big as a human.

‘It’s like a monster.’

If Yoo Ji-Ha tried to defeat that, he might be the one that’ll get killed instead.

He turned his gaze away from the Coconut crab and looked around further.

The nimble sand crab didn’t have a special buff but the large one looked delicious.

‘It’s been almost 10 years since I last ate crab.’

Seafood became extremely difficult to eat because the seas and oceans were seized by monsters.

Importing from overseas is done by air, so the unit price is extremely expensive.

If you’re rich, then you could splurge some money to eat seafood.

As a result, countries with low self-sufficiency food are said to be on the verge of collapse.

‘It’s unfortunate.’

For some reason, the sand crabs didn’t run away from Yoo Ji-Ha.

Perhaps it is the effect of the Animal-Friendly skill.

It didn’t struggle too much when he picked one up and opened the crab.

Yoo Ji-Ha unconsciously gulped.

“I’m sorry, please be my food.”

Shortly, a bonfire was lit on the border between the white sand beach and the palm grove.

It was made by collecting dried palm leaves and branches and finally, kindling it with an Ignition stone.

“It catches well.”

The branches had a lot of fiber, so they caught fire very easily.

Yoo Ji-Ha’s knife was put in the mouth of the sand crab, and it was pierced through with a thin wooden skewer and then roasted over fire.

Tatatak.

The smell of grilled crab meat was no joke.

And as the sand crab’s carapace became roughly red, Yoo Ji-Ha took it from the fire and began to eat.

“It’s hot.”

Although it was hot, he was able to see the red flesh using a branch as chopsticks and cutting the carapace with a camping knife.

Slurping.

“Ah, so delicious.”

The chewy texture and the rich umami flavor filled with the smell of the sea were mouthwatering.

Yoo Ji-Ha indulged in crab meat without hesitation.

Until now, the only thing similar to crab meat was the meat sold in the supermarket.

Even then, fish meat was expensive, so he didn’t eat it too often.

After gulping the flesh, crab shells piled up on the floor.

‘I have to take what I ate.’

He wrapped it in plastic, put it in the backpack and cleaned up the area.

There was barely any trace of fire left when he finished.

He wanted to eat one more sand crab but decided not to.

In the first place, he didn’t eat much.

‘By the way, that guy…’

His gaze reached the Coconut crab clinging to the palm tree.

Sand crabs are so delicious, what about that guy?

He wanted to check out the Pain Tolerance buff and to taste it.

Yoo Ji-Ha stared at it intensely.

tuk.

Suddenly, the Coconut crab fell.

“Great.”

***

Some dungeons have a long-time limit.

There are places that last for more than a few days, and in cases that they enter such places, Hunters bring food.

When it comes to food, the mainstream is high-calorie and easy-to-eat.

It’s not like they’re going to be luxurious in the dungeon.

Anyway, Hunters don’t spare money on supplies for hunting.

Therefore, each company gave the canned food a special name: Survival Wheat or Special Food.

Yoo Ji-Ha has tried to make it a few times, but this market is not easy and he couldn’t beat the ready-made ones.

‘Well.’

Yoo Ji-Ha was now staring at the flesh of the Coconut crab.

Perhaps due to its weight, the Coconut crab that fell died on the spot so Yoo Ji-Ha succeeded in skinning and dissecting it.

Due to its size, the carapace was extremely thick, so he had to bring a pickaxe and break it.

The amount of meat it contained was no joke, it seemed like it would be enough for 4 to 5 people.

“How do I make this buff work?”

After experimenting around, he found that the Pain Tolerance buff of Coconut crabs needs its flesh to be cooked for it to take effect.

‘It would be better to make it similar to a pemmican.’

Pemmican is a preserved food made by mixing animal meat, fat, flour, fruits, and nuts.

Making it in the form of a bar is convenient to carry and has a lot of calories per piece, so it was a to-go food for Hunters.

However, he was worried about whether it could be replaced with Coconut crab flesh as the original main ingredient is beef.

‘Let’s try it first.’

Yoo Ji-Ha brought the flesh of Coconut crab to his place and started cooking in the kitchen.

The well-roasted flesh was pounded with a meat hammer, dried, and ground until it turned into fine flour.

Pemmican is completed by adding fruits, nuts and adding fat, which is used to solidify it.

‘How about the taste?’

He took a bite, and it was edible before it was even done.

At the same time, Yoo Ji-Ha’s status window was updated.

【Characteristics: XXX blessing LV1, Pain Resistance LV1.】

“It’s real.”

And as a result of searching for Pain Tolerance on Hunternet, it is stated that it’s a Characteristic of some Hunters focused on melee combat.

Yoo Ji-Ha read the comments of some Hunters curiously.

└ Lee Myeongjong: Ha… An article about me… I’m a loser who is not resistant to pain…

└ Park Chang-soo: Haha, can you say that you are not intolerant of pain?

└ Lee Myeongiong: It doesn’t matter… Everyone knows anyway…

└ Han Chae-rim: Ah… Where can I get the Pain Resistance potion from?

└ Lee Myeongjong: You’re dreaming. When a Characteristic comes out as a potion, what do you think Hunters will do?

└ Park Chang-soo: That’s right. When it comes out, it will be a complete mess.

└ Han Chae-rim: I also don’t want to get hurt too much while I’m defending against monsters! My god…

Since then, there have been a lot of comments from Hunters expressing their sympathy for him and/or her.

Yoo Ji-Ha was able to feel the pain of those Hunters just by reading it.

‘It’s great to be able to reduce pain.’

Wounds can be healed with healing skills or potions, but pain is difficult to reduce.

The reason why Warrior-type Hunters receive a lot more cut distribution is probably because their job is so dangerous and troublesome.

According to the experiences of the Hunters, even if the Pain Resistance is LV1, the pain of being pounded with a hammer is lessened to the like of being hit by a fist.

Yoo Ji-Ha was planning to give this to SeongHo Hyung tomorrow.

‘Monsters appear even in Polar dungeons.’

Even if SeongHo notices the Pain Tolerance trait, no one will suspect that it was Yoo Ji-Ha.

Not everything in the dungeon has been identified, so some strange things happen.

In particular, no one would doubt that they developed a Characteristic by eating something like a pemmican.

But you might eventually get caught if it repeats too often.

‘It doesn’t really matter if they know it was my doing.’

Yoo Ji-Ha cleaned up the kitchen in case he was caught.

He was picking Winter Strawberries and packing for the Polar dungeon diving tomorrow when a sports car parked in front of the store.

Seo HyeJin is here.

“Welcome.”

As always, Yoo Ji-Ha greeted her as usual.

 ***

Seo HyeJin came to this general store for one reason.

She felt uncomfortable with the service of the existing Hunter supply stores.

It’s a franchise of a large corporation and quick services were the basics.

When Seo HyeJin visits the store, two employees follow her.

She felt an indescribable sense of discomfort from it, when she just wanted to take a leisurely look at what’s new.

In the past, there were no other options, but now there is a general store.

Obviously, the owner of the general store was just lucky and she thought he would never be able to recreate a potion that would open her wallet again.

But it’s okay to just look around.

‘Maybe I can eat a Solar Apple.’

Seo HyeJin, who was driving the car, felt a little excitement at the thought of the fruit.

If she asks her manager to buy one, she will receive a box of imported fruits within a few days.

However, the Solar Apple she ate was different from the sold fruits from Earth.

She will never forget its crispy flesh and sweet and sour taste.

So Seo HyeJin drove to the general store.

‘As expected.’

This young owner welcomed her just as then.

He gave her one glance, but when she looked at the display, he started looking at the book again.

It was a pleasant thing for Seo HyeJin, who has difficulties in interpersonal relationships, and it was nice to be able to slowly browse the shelves.

‘There are some basic things, but…’

This general store had basic potions such as Health potions, Stamina potions, and Poison Resistance, but minor ones were rare.

For example, a Paralysis Resistance potion.

It’s a small store, so you won’t be able to stock up on a large variety of things.

HyeJin looked through the shelves and found the Solar Apple.

And next to it was an unidentified raspberry-like thing in a basket.

“What is this?”

“Oh, that’s… I was lucky enough to find it in a dungeon. I named it Winter Strawberry.”

She rolled her eyes.

A Category 0 dungeon appeared twice for one person?

‘Well, it’s possible.’

HyeJin was a person who values results.

As long as the result was right in front of her, she didn’t ask too much.

She wondered what effect these strawberries had.

“Have you tried it? Like that Solar Apple?”

“Yes. It is delicious to eat as is, and when I made a potion with it, it gave a Cold Resistance buff.”

“And you didn’t know about the effect of the Ether potion?”

“I tried it, but nothing changed.”

Well, this young man has neither Skills nor Characteristics.

Skill is needed to consume ether.

The Cold Resistance doesn’t use ether, so he could tell right away.

When HyeJin touched a bottle of blue liquid, she was informed by Yoo Ji-Ha that it was a 32% buff.

Her hand stopped.

“32%? Really?”

“Yes. I don’t lie. The buff lasts over 40 minutes.”

If that’s true, then HyeJin can run through the Polar Dungeon alone.

She pointed to the potion rack with a trembling hand.

“From here to here.”

“Well… There is one problem, I haven’t decided on a price yet.”

“You can search for it on Hunter Mania.”

It’s strange to have a conversation with this young man.

HyeJin, who has never talked to anyone other than her manager, can’t stand it because she’s an awkward person.

She’s been living a routine of only going home, the shops, and the dungeons and vice-versa for three years, all her friends and colleagues are gone.

Her manager doesn’t have a lot of conversations with her because she takes care of the things needed to do so she feels comfortable in her life.

Sometimes they didn’t even talk all day.

However, whenever she comes here, it’s strange that she talks a lot.

The two put their heads together and searched for a price.

The result was beyond their imaginations.

“It’s too expensive.”

“It’s worth it. Calculate the total amount.”

“Well… I’ll give you a discount at this price.”

HyeJin couldn’t understand the young man who dared to sell his products at a discount, but she tried to.

After the deposit was completed, Yoo Ji-Ha brought some Winter Strawberries on a plate.

“This is delicious, try it.”

“It’s precious, is it okay to eat it?”

“It’s okay to treat guests like this.”

She has felt it before, but it seems that money is a good thing for this person, whether he receives a lot or just a bit.

HyeJin picked up a dark red strawberry and brought it to her mouth.

Munch. Munch.

Where does this little flesh come from with such a rich aroma and refreshing taste?

It was a really delicious fruit that made her cry.

Without noticing, she ate the strawberry in a hurry.

In the blink of an eye, she had emptied the plate, and Seo HyeJin felt embarrassed.

“I’m sorry, but this is all I got.”

“That, no… it’s okay. I shouldn’t have been greedy.”

After taking the bottle, she nodded and asked.

“Mister, can I come back?”

That was a weird question.

If there’s something to buy in the store, just come.

Yoo Ji-Ha answered without hesitation. “Of course.”

Coming here made her feel at ease and good things happen here.

HyeJin left the store with a light heart.

‘When I visited before, I thought I would never come back…’

She was wrong.

Without realizing it, HyeJin drove the car with a smile on her lips.

Yoo Ji-Ha saw her off from behind.