“Ugh!”
A few days had passed since returning to daily life after camping. Now, I was checking on the newly planted sweet potatoes.
“I thought the potatoes would grow first, but this is different.”
When I first planted potatoes and sweet potatoes, I harvested the potatoes first. However, this time, the sweet potatoes grew much faster.
The strawberries, still bearing fruit from the first planting, had yet to be harvested, which was quite puzzling.
Squirm!
“Is it ready to harvest soon? Today? Or in a few days?”
Squeak!
“It’s today! Sweet potato candy, sweet potato candy!”
Ara translated with hopeful eyes. As sweet potato candy was her favorite food, she was visibly excited. Moreover, these sweet potatoes were different from the last batch. Having planted magical sweet potatoes, I was anticipating how they might have transformed.
Thump.
At that moment, I saw Star Bear squirming as it climbed onto Mark2. For reference, Star Bear had followed Ara after the last camping trip.
“Gomgom! It’s sweet potato candy!”
This time too, the name was chosen by Ara. Gomgom wobbled on top of Mark2 and then spread its arms wide with a “ta-da!”
“Wow!”
Ara’s eyes sparkled as she watched. After watching the children’s antics, I looked around at the other crops, lost in thought.
“I need to plant dungeon plants too, but it’s tricky.”
Plants that tasted like bread. It seemed impossible to cultivate them in this small dungeon. Eventually, I would need to cultivate a field in the Dungeon of Gluttony as well.
“Next on the agenda is Dasom Orphanage.”
After visiting the orphanage, I would try creating a field in the Dungeon of Gluttony.
“Orphanage!”
“Yes, it’s already tomorrow.”
“We’ll see So-yeon and Jun! And the teacher too!”
Ara danced with excitement, and Gomgom clumsily followed her. Feeling I wouldn’t be bored with these kids around, I sat down.
Squeak!
As if waiting for me to sit, Mark2 raised an exclamation mark above its head.
“It’s sweet potato time!”
“What, suddenly?”
The slimes moved in unison toward the sweet potato field. I had planned to rest, but I ended up moving along.
“Sweet potato candy, sweet potato candy!”
Ara sang a work song while watching the slimes.
Poof!
“Wow, it’s huge.”
A massive sweet potato emerged.
But is it really a sweet potato? It looked round like a potato. Its size was almost like a bowling ball, far from ordinary.
Ba-ba-bam!
[A new crop has been discovered.]
[Please name it]
“Magical sweet potato.”
I named it immediately. Just as I was about to check the abilities of the newly harvested magical sweet potato:
[Quest: Develop a new crop]
[Discover or develop a new crop]
[New crops: 3/3]
A quest window appeared, informing me that the quest was completed.
“Ah!”
I had forgotten about the quest, but it resolved naturally. It felt like finding unexpected pocket money.
“So, what’s the reward for clearing it?”
This was my first quest. I had never encountered one before, so I was curious about the reward. Surely, it wouldn’t be nothing.
Pop!
Suddenly, something materialized in front of me. It felt similar to when I summoned slimes, but the silhouette was different.
“A hoe?”
“Wow! Kyu-seong Kyu-seong, you’re amazing!”
What appeared in front of me was none other than a hoe. It was a tool for plowing fields, and I never imagined I would receive such an item.
I grabbed the hoe first. It fit snugly in my hand, and I felt an unexpected surge of energy.
“Is this what it means to be an item?”
Curious about its stats, I checked immediately.
[Mysterious Hoe (Unique-Growth)]
A hoe used by someone whose name remains unknown. It aids in the growth of crops.
– Makes plowing fields easier.
– Increases strength.
– Fields created with this hoe are immune to pests and diseases.
– Crops harvested from fields created with this hoe have a chance to gain additional effects.
– Triggers the [Soil Adaptation] effect with a general probability.
Mysterious hoe? It has the same name as the watering can?
I read through the list of effects attached to it. It boasted much more impressive specs than the watering can, and upon closer inspection, I saw that the item’s grade was “Unique.”
If a watering can of only “Common” grade could become this good when upgraded, it was impressive.
“This is amazing.”
I needed to create a field in the Dungeon of Gluttony anyway, and now I had the perfect item for it.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong, you’re amazing!”
“Hey. Ara, do you want to try it?”
As I handed her the hoe, Ara took it and tilted her head in curiosity.
“What do you use this for?”
“It’s for plowing fields.”
“Oh!”
Ara’s eyes sparkled as she lifted the hoe high, almost as if she were worshiping it.
Meanwhile, the slimes were diligently harvesting sweet potatoes. I slyly suggested to Ara,
“Ara, why don’t you try digging up a sweet potato with that hoe?”
“Oh! I’ll give it a try!”
Ara’s eager expression was adorable. She soon swung the hoe energetically in the sweet potato field.
Crunch!
“Oh?”
I worried that the sweet potatoes might get damaged by the hoe, but they emerged from the ground without a scratch.
Seeing this, Ara’s body trembled with excitement, and she swung the hoe again.
“They keep coming out!”
Ara’s voice, filled with exhilaration, was followed by a massive spill of sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes, almost the size of Ara’s head, rolled around the field in all directions.
Before I knew it, the slimes had left the harvesting to Ara and focused all their efforts on transporting the sweet potatoes to the storage area.
Squeak!
Mark2 wobbled, seemingly impressed.
Did you see that, Mark2? This is the power of an item!
“I should help too.”
The sweet potatoes were large and heavy, so it took two or three slimes to carry just one. I tucked a sweet potato under each arm and headed to the storage area. As I did, I casually checked the status window of the sweet potatoes.
[Magical Sweet Potato LV.1]
[A crop imbued with magic]
[Upon consumption, grants [Indestructible] for 0.3 seconds]
[Permanently increases health stats significantly. The permanent effect can stack up to 5 times]
“Indestructible?”
What was this? It sounded like a skill, but it didn’t have a level attached to it. And what could you do with 0.3 seconds?
“Does that mean it’s a very powerful ability?”
I guessed it might be an ability that hardens the body, but I wouldn’t know for sure until I tried it. Did I have to eat an entire sweet potato to activate the ability? That seemed… impractical.
It seemed like an ability that would only be useful for someone like Ara, who could probably eat a whole sweet potato by herself.
We harvested a total of 212 sweet potatoes. Considering their size, it was quite a lot.
“Hehehe! I’m invincible!”
Ara, enthralled by the hoe, raised it with one hand and shouted. Beside her, Gomgom imitated her stance and made a noise.
Roar!
Meanwhile, I sorted through the harvested sweet potatoes, selecting the best ones for eating.
“But how do I prepare these?”
They were round but not perfectly so, with a bumpy texture similar to an old pumpkin. I thought I could cook them like pumpkins.
“Should I boil them first…?”
Thinking of them as pumpkins, I instinctively opted for the all-purpose boiling method. Fortunately, I had a giant pot that could hold 50 servings, big enough for the sweet potatoes.
“Ara, I’ll boil them for you.”
“Okay!”
Ara, always happy with whatever I cooked, answered cheerfully as I fetched the pot. I put the sweet potatoes in, finding it could hold about three. I added water and started boiling them.
“Ara, this might take a while.”
“Can we eat them raw?”
“Sure. Let’s eat while we wait.”
Ara grabbed a whole sweet potato and washed the dirt off in the pond. As the slimes and Gomgom watched, Ara spoke.
“Can we share it?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll share it! Everyone line up!”
Ara set her sweet potato aside and lined up the slimes. Gomgom watched and then joined the line.
Roar?
It was cute how Gomgom mimicked the slimes without knowing why. We divided the sweet potatoes among the slimes, two to a group, distributing 12 sweet potatoes in total.
Roar!
“Gomgom is small, so you can share with this little one.”
Gomgom teamed up with a Rookie and received a sweet potato. They waddled off with the sweet potato and the slime, finding a place to sit and eat.
At that moment, a slime that hadn’t formed a pair wandered in front of Ara, looking troubled.
“Let’s eat together.”
Squeak!
Raw sweet potatoes might not taste very good, but maybe mine would be different?
Finally, Ara gave me and Rookie our sweet potatoes as the last ones in line. We split the sweet potato in half.
Snap!
“Oh?”
A golden hue glistened. It didn’t have the explosive feel of a magic-infused sweet potato, but it exuded a refined, subtle glow.
I handed one half to the slime and held the other half in both hands.
“Smells good.”
The fragrant, sweet aroma tickled my nose, almost as if it had been dipped in honey.
Looking around, I saw the children already munching on their sweet potatoes. Ara’s cheeks were puffed out with happiness, smiling brightly. Gomgom, not knowing how to eat, was licking the exposed flesh of the sweet potato that the slime had bitten into.
“Alright, let’s eat.”
Crunch!
As expected from a raw sweet potato, the texture was crisp.
“Mmm!”
A wave of delight washed over me.
Is this really raw sweet potato?
I had suspected it from the smell, but the taste was simply astonishing. It had a floral fragrance and a creamy sweetness that gently enveloped my mouth. The texture was firm but pleasantly so.
Gulp.
“Ah…”
Swallowing felt like sipping rich honey. It tasted so good, I wondered if there was any need to cook it.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong, can I have another one?”
“Eat as much as you want.”
“Wow! You’re the best, Kyu-seong Kyu-seong! So generous!”
Where did you learn such words, Ara? Your vocabulary is improving day by day.
While Ara quickly devoured another sweet potato, I checked on the ones in the pot.
“Is it about time?”
I poked them with a stick, then turned off the heat and drained the water. Soon, I pulled out the steaming sweet potatoes.
“Mmm!”
“Eat first, then talk.”
Gulp!
“It smells delicious!”
It definitely had a different aroma from the raw sweet potatoes. Raw sweet potatoes had a wild, soft fragrance, whereas boiled sweet potatoes had a richer, more intense smell.
Squeak, squeak.
Mark2, having finished its share of raw sweet potato, now eyed the boiled ones. It seemed I’d need to boil more.
While boiling another batch, Ara peeled the softened skin off the boiled sweet potatoes, releasing a fragrant, rich scent that filled the dungeon.
“Hehe. I’m satisfied just with the smell.”
“Haha. Let’s try eating it first.”
“Okay!”
The peeled sweet potato looked a bit paler compared to its raw state. Despite this, the aroma was even more mouthwatering.
Blowing on the steaming sweet potato, I took a bite.
“Mmm!”
As expected, it was delicious.
It couldn’t possibly taste bad. After all, it was a sweet potato I grew.
While the raw sweet potato had a hidden rich flavor that burst out, the boiled one revealed a different depth. Both had distinct characteristics, so I couldn’t say which was better, but I personally preferred the boiled one.
Roar.
However, Gomgom seemed to prefer the raw sweet potato, going back to it.
Lick, lick.
At this rate, it would take all day for Gomgom to finish eating like that.
Watching Ara devour the boiled sweet potato without feeling the heat, I asked her,
“Which do you like better? Raw sweet potato or boiled sweet potato?”
“I like both! But…”
“But?”
“Sweet potato candy is the best!”
Her answer made me laugh, as I had expected it.
“Alright. How about we take the sweet potatoes home and ask Jae-seong’ to make sweet potato candy?”
“Yes! Let’s go to Lord Jae-seong’s place!”
Even Jae-seong’s name had grown longer.
We finished eating our sweet potatoes and started packing up.
I wasn’t planning to visit the orphanage empty-handed, and harvesting the sweet potatoes came at the perfect time.
“I’m curious about So-yeon’s reaction too.”
How would she react to tasting the freshly harvested sweet potatoes?
Several people came to mind whom I wanted to share the sweet potatoes with, especially Hanul.
“I heard he went to Japan. I wonder if he’s back yet?”
Cliche Novel 