When I Returned to Farming, National-level Big Juniors Flock - Chapter 2



Only Krnovel

2. Ability that no one knew about

Inside the rattling vehicle.

Oh Hyun-seong, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looked out the window at the quiet scenery passing by.

“I didn’t know you would come all the way to Seoul to pick me up.”

“It’s been five years since I’ve seen a friend’s face, so I deserve this level of service. Why, are you a little touched?”

“Until you say that.”

“ha ha ha!”

This man who is talking nonsense is my old hometown friend, Kwon Kyung-min.

A guy from the city who was self-employed suddenly settled down in the countryside and even got married.

Since then, whenever he met Oh Hyeon-seong, he strongly encouraged him to follow him and become a farmer.

In this case, as soon as the topic of returning to farming was brought up, he drove all the way to Seoul.

“I was so surprised when a guy who never listened to me when I said that suddenly said he wanted to become a farmer.”

“As you get older, your thoughts change.”

“Is it because of that?”

“That thing?”

“You were injured. When you suddenly lost contact, I wondered what happened, and you were seriously injured. You’ve been undergoing surgery and rehabilitation… How bad was your injury? Didn’t you say you work in an office?”

“That’s… I went out to the scene where I thought the monster subjugation was over and got involved in an accident. I was unlucky.”

Oh Hyun-seong spoke while beating around the bush.

He completely gave up his life as a hunter and retired.

He submitted his resignation from the helicopter he was being transported in using his superhuman mental strength, and as he had previously received a promise from the government, his resignation was accepted immediately.

But that doesn’t mean I could immediately move on to other activities.

Due to the serious injuries he sustained in his last field, it took him over three years to regain consciousness after surgery.

In addition, he had to stay in the hospital for additional treatment and rehabilitation.

Five years have already passed since the last mission.

Even now, the doctor has advised us to refrain from strenuous movement as much as possible.

“Damn, what the hell is that?”

“That’s all in the past. I’m not returning to farming because of an injury. More than that, I don’t know if it’s okay to move so suddenly.”

“Huh, you’re only just now thinking about that?”

Kwon Kyung-min smiled faintly.

“If possible, you should go to a place where you have a connection to farming. You don’t have a family, but I have you, so don’t worry.”

“Now that you’re married, you know how to say manly things.”

“Are you kidding me? I’ve been a man since birth. Anyway, you don’t have to worry. Farming isn’t as easy as you think, but I’ve paved the way and proven it myself. There’s no prejudice and everyone is nice. There are quite a few young people too.”

Kwon Kyung-min began to tell stories about the village.

Oh Hyeon-seong listened carefully, as this was his new home.

I didn’t want to leave the city and become an outsider who couldn’t mix with the locals.

While we were chatting about this and that, it soon became meal time.

Feeling hungry, the two men stopped at a highway rest stop and ordered some food.

“Oh, this is so disgusting.”

Kwon Kyung-min said, putting the sausage down.

Of course, the sweet potato that Oh Hyun-seong was holding was also terribly tasteless.

“What the hell is that, factory-made potatoes made out of sawdust and cheap synthetic meat?”

“What can I do? Everyone has become tough since the gate appeared. But we still have to eat to survive.”

“Oh my, how do you eat this kind of stuff in the city?”

“It’s the same in rural areas, right? Even natural crops are affected by the toxic gas emitted by monsters.”

Since the advent of the Gate, a huge upheaval has occurred in the human diet.

The hunters came out and eliminated the monsters, but the toxic gas they had emitted still remained and had a direct and indirect effect on the environment.

Of course, the remaining turbidity did not have a significant effect on people.

However, the toxic air that seeped deep into the ground hindered the growth of crops and livestock and caused them to become sick.

As a result, human food production has plummeted.

To overcome this and somehow supply food, synthetic meat and crops made in corporate factories have been released.

These new foods were truly economical and efficient.

It just didn’t taste terribly good.

Although genetic engineering has enabled us to obtain wild crops and livestock that are resistant to pesticides, these are also not very tasty.

Compared to factory-made products, productivity was greatly sacrificed, but a slight improvement in taste was achieved.

As the wealthy flock to high-end, custom-made synthetic crops, these small-scale farming communities are left to promote wild crops.

“No, but it’s not like this. Wild-caught is much better. What kind of meat is this? The texture feels like chewing on colored paper.”

Kwon Kyung-min protested strongly.

It is certainly true that natural foods are tastier than cheap factory-made ones.

Of course, to be more precise here, you can see that the taste and price are proportional in this order: top quality synthetic meat > natural meat > cheap synthetic meat.

However, all three of these were terrible compared to the meat we used to eat.

Even the upper class who enjoy steaks worth millions of won are said to be eating meals that are worse than the scrap meat from the neighborhood butcher shop of the past.

Oh Hyun-seong was now at a point where he couldn’t even remember the original taste.

Isn’t the scary thing about humans that we eventually adapt to these tastes and live indifferently?

“I never thought that the foods I used to eat without knowing when I was young would feel so precious to me now. It’s not something grand, just a single potato… I wish I could eat them again at least once before I die.”

“Will that work? We’ll have to raid some secret seed vault buried somewhere.”

The two men left, laughing loudly.

***

A truck carrying two men lurched up the steep road.

As soon as they arrived in front of the house, which was their destination, Kwon Kyung-min immediately started dragging him around.

“The previous owner had to go up to Seoul in a hurry, so he was trying to sell it for cheap, but I snatched it up. He said he would have lived here his whole life if it weren’t for his chronic illness, but since it was a land I had my eye on, I bought it without even thinking twice. I’ve been keeping it for you.”

“Huh… What would you have done if I hadn’t come?”

“It took longer than I thought, but I think it would work out in the end. You looked, how should I put it, tired back then.”

“Was it that obvious?”

Oh Hyun-seong smiled bitterly.

“How is it, are you feeling better?”

“The house is in much better condition than I expected. But… isn’t the house too big? If you add an annex, it could easily accommodate a large family.”

“Isn’t it great? City people are crazy about spacious apartments.”

“If someone saw you, they’d think you’d lived here for decades.”

“Hahaha!”

Kwon Kyung-min laughed heartily.

He took the lead, saying that the house was not important, and dragged Oh Hyeon-seong across the yard.

And then he said something unexpected.

“Everything up and down here is private property. From there to over there.”

“What? That’s all? Are you kidding me?”

Oh Hyun-seong’s mouth fell open.

I thought it would be just a small vegetable garden since I heard there was land for farming, but it is probably at least several thousand pyeong.

Of course, I didn’t receive all of them, and there were some long and empty lots, but on the way up, I thought they were the villagers’ fields.

“I’m not joking.”

“Are you kidding me? I said I was going to farm, not do business? I can’t possibly manage this much land by myself…”

“You don’t have to write everything down. This place is different from the city, so it’s not awkward to play around on the land. If you have nothing to do, build a pavilion and play in the fresh air. Then stop mumbling and look over there.”

Oh Hyeon-seong turned his gaze at Kwon Kyung-min’s words.

While we were talking while looking at each other’s faces, what did he tell me to look forward to?

But when he actually turned his gaze there, he was completely taken aback.

A panoramic view overlooking the village.

The view was truly spectacular.

I thought to myself that it wasn’t for nothing that he had been complaining about the land he had been eyeing for several years.

“It’s a little far from the village, but I think you’ll like it even more.”

“… That’s correct.”

Kwon Kyung-min, upon seeing Oh Hyeon-seong, chuckled and patted his shoulder.

“I have something to do, so I’ll go first. I’m going to say hello to my new house. See you tomorrow.”

***

Oh Hyeon-seong, who ended up taking on houses and lands he never thought he would own.

He stared blankly at the scenery, shook his head, and began to unpack his luggage.

Since I’m not the type to carry a lot of luggage, organizing was quick.

The house was so ridiculously large that you could pretty much cram everything in.

“Okay, everyone come out.”

Boom boom!

Oh Hyeon-seong came out into the yard and summoned the spirits.

The space will also be spacious.

Thanks to summoning them all, hundreds of tiny spirits poured out.

Spirits running around excitedly.

“I guess you like your new house.”

A pleased smile appeared on his lips as he looked at the guys.

Although they do not have combat capabilities and do not join us on the battlefield, they are the ones who have been together since the beginning of their awakening.

But it seemed like this was the first time I had seen him like this so much recently.

‘Well, the city must have been stifling for these guys.’

The lower spirits who made a contract with him each had the attributes of fire, water, life, and earth, and their appearances also differed depending on their attributes.

Oh Hyeonseong was the only one among all the awakened people in the world who had the four elemental attributes.

It was a story that now makes me wonder what it means.

In any case, I would prefer a place full of natural elements rather than a city filled with concrete.

“Then I guess I should do something too.”

Oh Hyeon-seong headed to the small garden attached to the yard.

The large pieces of land beyond the yard are too burdensome to do anything there, so I start by touching the small garden.

Even if you retire and become a farmer, you can’t just stay unemployed.

Of course, even this garden cannot be taken lightly.

He had been killing monsters all his life without any idea of ​​what it was like, and he knew nothing about farming.

Even when I first thought about going farming, it was just a vague wish and an impulse.

That’s why Oh Hyeon-seong took out his secret weapon from his pocket.

‘First, the easiest one!’

What he was holding in his hand was ‘lettuce seeds’ that he had brought from Seoul in advance.

Lettuce that grows quickly just by giving it water.

He had heard somewhere that they grow it on apartment balconies, so it was the easiest target for him.

Oh Hyun-seong began to sow seeds while searching on his cell phone.

Of course, we didn’t spread compost or lime in advance or anything like that.

We’re not going to do any grand farming right away, so we’re just going to try and make a quick buck.

Boom boom!

The spirits who had been looking at Oh Hyeonseong’s appearance with wonder began to gather one by one.

The tiny spirits gathered around the spot where the seeds had been planted and began to dance around them.

He chuckled at the sight of the kids playing around, drawing small circles.

“You shouldn’t break it?”

The spirits nodded confidently.

Oh Hyeon-seong, whose work was finished, shook off the dirt on his palm and went into the room.

As you finish organizing your move, the day will pass by in no time.

***

The next day.

Oh Hyeon-seong stood in front of the garden with a puzzled expression.

The lettuce that had taken root and grown overnight was growing so fresh and in perfect condition.

In just one night.

“…What is this?”

────────────────────────────────────

────────────────────────────────────