When I Returned to Farming, National-level Big Juniors Flock - Chapter 45



Only Krnovel

45. Don’t misunderstand

Chaenggrang!

Oh Hyun-seong dropped the chopsticks he was holding.

It was because of a piece of meat that entered my mouth.

A moment of salvation for the tongue that had been trampled by the terrible taste and smell just a moment ago.

“oh my god…”

When was the last time you had meat that tasted like meat?

It was such a long time ago when I was young that I don’t even remember the taste.

But with just one bite of this pork belly, all his perceptions of meat were shattered.

The ultimate taste that makes even the best synthetic meat worth 10 million won a serving look like fake meat.

Turup!

Half-awake, he began to eat the meat voraciously.

Only after he had completely emptied the meat on the grill did he regain his senses.

He enjoyed the aftertaste lingering in his mouth for a moment and then looked back at Alyssa.

“What have you done?”

“?”

Alyssa blinked and looked at him.

The light she created transformed the hideous meat.

It drove out the turbidity remaining inside the meat.

‘Other spirits are also capable of purifying the takgi. However, they can only do so within their own domain.’

The water spirit provides clean water.

The spirits of the earth created an environment in which the earth was healthy and free of toxic air.

That’s how we were able to produce such delicious crops.

But Alyssa is not a meat spirit.

It is the purification of turbid energy in areas that have nothing to do with one’s own attributes.

If she had special purifying powers, she would be able to remove not only healthy food but also the accumulated toxic energy in the human body.

“…”

But Alyssa shook her head.

Even with her abilities, fundamental human healing was impossible.

Projection is only possible on objects.

This is a regrettable fact for Oh Hyeon-seong, who had even considered treating his own body.

But this alone was still a great achievement.

Not only has the range of dishes you can make with it expanded dramatically, but there are also many other ways to use it.

“Oh, come to think of it, I was the only one who ate without paying attention. Here, here.”

He grilled some more meat and handed one to Alyssa.

Even the most picky eater wouldn’t turn down this much meat.

But this time she didn’t open her mouth.

“You’re not going to eat this either? Hmm… why? I don’t really know what your taste is.”

“…It’s messy.”

“Huh? Messy?”

Oh Hyun-seong was startled by her sudden remark.

Messy?

These were spirit crops grown in the cleanest environment on Earth, and meat purified directly with her abilities.

It didn’t really fit with the word messy.

This is completely nonsense.

Ring ring ring!

In the midst of all this, he received a phone call.

When I looked, it was Choi Jeong-il.

“what’s the matter?”

– Senior, the analysis results are out!

“As for the analysis results… that sample I sent you last time?”

– Yes, that’s right.

The voice of Choi Jeong-il, who was quite familiar with the topic, was heard over the phone.

It seemed like they had salvaged something.

– When I compared the potato samples you gave me by type, the results were interesting. As you said, the cheaper varieties were indeed superior. Not just in terms of taste, but also in terms of their ability to neutralize toxins.

“…I guess it wasn’t just my imagination. But why, why? There’s no reason why the cheap variety would taste better.”

– We also found it strange and analyzed it, and found that the high-quality varieties sold at high prices were improved by the companies several times. On the other hand, the cheap varieties went through relatively less of that process. In short, they were less transformed.

“If it’s a transformation… ah.”

Oh Hyun-seong nodded.

Only then did I realize why this phenomenon had occurred.

“In an environment where spirits touch, it would be more advantageous to have a species that is closer to the original. It’s not that they’ve been genetically modified to resist the elements or improve the taste.”

– That’s right. After all, the environment itself has completely changed compared to the past when there was no turbidity.

“Thanks for the information. One of my questions has been answered. Thanks for letting me know.”

– I will let you know as soon as I have additional results.

Oh Hyun-seong, who had hung up the phone with Choi Jeong-il, was lost in thought for a moment.

‘Then… without having to search for various varieties, the original is the most delicious and effective in neutralizing turbidity.’

The originals mentioned here refer to the varieties that existed before the Gate incident broke out.

The question is, ‘Will the original still remain in this world?’

In today’s era, where the concept of takgi has emerged, crop varieties from the past could not survive.

This isn’t a story from a few years ago, it’s been over a dozen years since the great chaos of the Gate incident.

Even if it exists, it is nearly impossible for an individual to obtain it.

‘No, no. There’s a guy who would know this kind of thing.’

He nodded as a person suddenly came to mind.

***

The National Security Agency’s notoriety is well known.

And as their notoriety is known, their offices are deeply engraved as places of fear.

It was a level 1 security facility that no one could access, but even if they were permitted to do so, it was a place that no one wanted to go.

There is no reason to go there first unless you are being dragged there.

But there was a man who went to such a place in broad daylight and confidently knocked on the front door.

He even had a young child next to him.

Horok.

Oh Hyun-seong nodded while drinking coffee.

As expected, it tastes so dirty.

“I… I would like to apologize on behalf of our employee for being rude.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t care.”

The woman serving the coffee is named Seo Ho-yeon.

He wasn’t the type of person to be flustered by an outsider he was meeting for the first time, but right now he was bowing his head without even having time to think about it.

‘He’s the senior of that Baek department head. What the…’

Bam!

“Ah, sir!”

“Go out.”

Seo Ho-yeon bowed her head and left.

Baek Ji-soo sat down across from him.

“They’re so polite to each other as managers. They don’t look like they’re of the same rank.”

“I’m only here in name. It’s because I’m an envoy who gets called around by politicians like Han Su-yeon. More importantly, are you a new spirit?”

Baek Ji-soo looked at Alyssa and asked.

She couldn’t sense the magic unless it was revealed first, and although it looked exactly like a human, she quickly figured it out.

“I signed a new contract this time.”

“It’s not strange since your strength has been restored, but it’s strange. It’s different from the spirits you contracted with before.”

“Right? Right now, we’re in the process of getting to know each other. By the way, aren’t you eating these days?”

Oh Hyun-seong said, staring intently at her face.

He looked thinner than when I saw him last time, and he seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight.

Like a starving person.

“Oh, by chance.”

“No matter what, you have to eat properly. I told you that reducing the time you eat only reduces efficiency, right?”

“I never thought I’d hear someone nagging me here…”

“Be quiet, take it.”

Thud!

Oh Hyun-seong placed a large lunch box on top.

This is an ambitiously packed lunch made with pork stir-fry and carefully selected side dishes.

This was his first time packing a full-fledged lunchbox in his life and he was very satisfied with the result.

“The taste is…well, that’s okay, but you’ll feel full. Eat it for dinner later.”

The taste may mean nothing to her since she has already lost her sense of taste, but at least it will be good for her body.

One meal won’t have a dramatic effect, but she’ll probably have a lot of accumulated turbid energy in her body.

“…Thank you, I’ll enjoy it.”

She looked at the lunch box blankly for a moment, then took care of him.

Contrary to Oh Hyun-seong’s expectations of a lukewarm response, a somewhat friendly response emerged.

It seems like he’s a little happy.

I guess it could be a mistake.

“But this isn’t why you came. I didn’t know you would come to see me first. Is something wrong?”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Seeing my senior come out like this, it must be something important.”

“yes.”

It is a very important matter for him.

Because it was an important key to meeting the spirits again.

“We need seeds that haven’t been genetically modified. More specifically, seeds from before the Gate incident.”

“So… you need the original seeds from the past?”

“Yes, it doesn’t matter what type it is. I came to you because I wanted to find out its location, whether it’s domestic or international.”

“I didn’t expect that at all. You asked me to find something like that. But you know this isn’t an ordinary thing, right?”

“I know it’s hard to find. That’s why I came to you.”

In today’s world covered in dust, it was necessary to find the complete original, and it was by no means an easy task.

Let alone planting them in the current soil, if you store them even slightly incorrectly, the seeds will rot.

But if it was the National Security Agency, it could have been possible.

Because they are experts who handle the most extensive information in the country and have their ears spread all over the world.

Knock knock!

Baek Ji-soo got up from her seat.

“Okay, fine. I’ll help you.”

“You’re more accepting than I thought. Even before I told you the conditions.”

“There’s no need for any conditions.”

“…You’ll help me without asking for anything in return?”

“As the timing is strange, I heard some news from within the country. The matter itself will be simple.”

Oh Hyun-seong looked at her as if he was very surprised.

Given her personality, I thought she would get something in return for helping me, but I didn’t expect her to be this cooperative.

Baek Ji-su turned around and picked up her lunch box and spoke quietly.

“More than anything… I’ve already received the price, it’s more than enough.”

***

Crunch!

As the two left the room, Seo Ho-yeon, who had been waiting outside, approached them, nodding her head.

“Have you finished talking?”

“Director Seo, there was something unusual that was released on the black market a while ago, right? It’s called rice seeds.”

“Oh, yes! Did you read the report yourself?”

“Our senior wants to retrieve it. Please guide him.”

“Ah… Me?”

Seo Ho-yeon looked at Oh Hyeon-seong and asked in a bewildered manner.

She was an elite member of the Security Bureau, a high-ranking hunter of the 11th rank and held the position of Director of the Public Security Bureau.

A person who was at the vice-ministerial level in the government organization, but in reality, was a top-level official with even greater authority.

Unless some president is coming, it’s not something that can be assigned to just one person.

“Then should I tell the newbie who came last month to do it?”

“Oh, no! Please, follow me.”

Seo Ho-yeon was startled and said to Oh Hyeon-seong.

Baek Ji-soo, who had said she had to go on a business trip to another region, seemed to be busy as she headed straight out.

Following her guidance, Oh Hyeon-seong went to the public security office and was handed a thick stack of documents.

The police station was also in charge of gathering information on the domestic part, and the secret situation was also within their sight.

“Recently, we have received information that original rice seed samples have been leaking into the domestic black market. Since no improvement has been done, there is naturally no resistance to turbidity. It seems that there are circumstances that prevent them from being sold to seed companies, etc., and they are planning to put them up for auction. We have also confirmed that they have been registered on the actual auction item list.”

Seo Ho-yeon, standing next to him, continued the explanation.

“The exact source has not been identified yet, and we will have to investigate further to know whether it is true… but if it is true, it is probably worth the price.”

“Sure… I don’t think it’s possible to get it for a few hundred million won. Especially if it’s the original rice seeds.”

“We can handle it reasonably if it’s around 10 billion won, but it will be a much larger amount.”

Seo Ho-yeon glanced at him and said.

The original seeds of rice disappeared in the distant past, and are something that food companies would be eager to find.

Although it did not receive much attention in the past, now that food has become so valuable worldwide, the original seeds are of great value for research purposes.

But I wondered why an individual would want to get it.

He didn’t look like the type of collector who would collect such things.

“Well, actually, money doesn’t matter.”

“Is there any other way?”

“Before this auction begins, I’d like to meet the owner of the item. Can you give me some information?”

“Of course it is possible. It is a good idea, but wouldn’t it cost a lot of money?”

She asked cautiously.

Then Oh Hyeon-seong shook his head.

“There’s no need to trade. Aren’t they all illegal anyway?”

“So… you’re saying you’re going to rob them?”

“No. It’s not about taking things. It’s about enforcing justice. It’s about eliminating criminals who operate in the black market.”

“Ah. I, I see. Indeed…”

Seo Ho-yeon nodded her head repeatedly in admiration.

She felt truly impressed by Director Baek’s seniority and felt that she had learned something from him.

────────────────────────────────────

────────────────────────────────────