When I Returned to Farming, National-level Big Juniors Flock - Chapter 84



Only Krnovel

84. You, be a sprinkler

Oh Hyun-seong set the table.

If it were a normal meal, I would have eaten a lot of side dishes, but this meal was all potatoes.

“I feel like I’ve gone back to the beginning.”

Oh Hyun-seong, who was reminded of the past.

However, the only thing that is different from that time is the condition of the potatoes that have come up.

The potatoes, which had been shining brightly white, showed off a soft, splendid sheen even after being steamed.

Oh Hyun-seong took a big bite of the potato.

Then, the taste of soft potatoes filled my mouth, and I felt a strong sense of satisfaction.

‘Is this… a rare potato?’

Although he had eaten countless delicious foods over the years, this felt different.

But it wasn’t just about the taste.

I really felt like my magical powers increased when I ate potatoes.

Of course, compared to Oh Hyeonseong’s vast magical power, it was obviously a small amount.

When I killed the monsters in the Misty Mountain and absorbed their souls, my magical power increased even more than it does now.

In fact, this is natural since we have caught dozens of S-rank bosses.

But it was a great thing that the horsepower increased even by a small amount.

It is not that I have trained or gained experience, but that my magical power has increased simply through the act of eating.

‘Since there are grades for crops, I guess it’s possible to grow crops of a higher grade than this. Higher grade crops will definitely have greater effects than this.’

Also, the sheep itself appeared as only one potato in that vast field with this special effect.

If it were possible to produce more of these crops, his magical power might reach infinite levels of duplication.

Also, it had various effects other than just magic power, so magic power wasn’t everything.

‘If that happens, the time when I can reunite with that guy I broke up with will also come sooner.’

Priya, the supreme spirit of life.

It was the first spirit he contracted with, the most powerful spirit, and the one he still couldn’t summon again.

You have to become strong enough to accept the powerful upper spirit and summon it again.

Motivation sprouted in Oh Hyeon-seong’s heart.

‘Then isn’t there a way to improve the quality a little more?’

Ultimately, the key was to improve crop quality.

Phrases such as “He grew up exceptionally well” or “He received a lot of care from the spirits.”

It seemed that these effects were especially evident in things of exceptional quality.

Ultimately, the appearance of many special crops and higher grade crops was a matter of improving quality.

But that method wasn’t very effective.

The spirits had already done their part.

The seeds he was using were also original seeds taken from a secret vault, and were considered to be the best quality.

It is something that can be done if sufficient growing period is given and maturation occurs, but this part is something that requires time rather than something that can be done right away.

‘I don’t want to just wait around… Isn’t there a way to increase efficiency here?’

Oh Hyeon-seong is deep in thought.

He soon slapped his palm.

‘A good idea occurred to me.’

A method that the average farmer would never dream of.

No, an extravagant idea that even a decent country would not be able to implement occurred to him.

*

A few days later.

Oh Hyeon-seong returned to Mt. Anmi.

It was because there was a message from Noya to come and receive the weapon, and when I returned, there was indeed a completed weapon.

“Here, take this.”

Ugh.

Oh Hyeon-seong received a dagger from him.

Danwol, one of the 13 weapons of the past, had a new appearance with a different scabbard, and when he pulled out the sword, a smoothly drawn blade was revealed.

The smooth silver blade glowed as if bathed in moonlight.

“I didn’t know that even my appearance would change like this.”

“A great craftsman never falls behind the flow.”

His weapon was old and once badly broken.

Although Choi Jeong-il had restored it thoroughly using valuable relics, it was inevitably showing signs of age.

However, after this retouch, it has become much neater and its appearance has also become much more refined.

It was like a weapon from a recently released luxury brand… no, it was more than that.

“But appearances are just appearances. You’ll know its true worth when you try it yourself.”

“thank you.”

Oh Hyeon-seong packed the dagger.

I only brought a dagger, but it felt sturdy.

It felt much more stable than when I was walking around naked.

It’s a weapon that I don’t really use anymore, but I guess I can’t help it since I’ve been a hunter all these years.

Besides, I couldn’t tell the quality of Oh Hyeon-seong even though I hadn’t tried it myself yet.

If the previous dagger was the best weapon ever made by the craftsmen of Earth.

This time, it didn’t seem to be inferior at all to the relic weapon in terms of durability or power.

However, it is not like it has useless effects like a relic weapon and cannot be given spirit attributes, so it is a weapon that Oh Hyeon-seong can be very satisfied with.

“But there’s one thing I’d like to ask you.”

“Tell me.”

“If you look at the weapon that has been strengthened like this, does it mean that you can also use monster corpses to create artifacts?”

“I see you have a favor to ask.”

The old man said with a faint smile.

Then Oh Hyeon-seong nodded.

“Can the effects of the artifacts being produced also be set in the desired direction?”

“Depending on the materials used, or the characteristics of the monster, a relic with different effects is created. Of course, due to the nature of relics, there is a tendency for them to manifest in ways that are different from the creator’s intentions, but now it is possible to control them to some extent.”

The old man continued speaking.

“If there’s an artifact you need, I can make it for you. There aren’t many people as trustworthy as you, so it would be nice if I could also obtain quality materials.”

“Then… I have something I’d like to ask you.”

***

Oh Hyeon-seong left home for a while and went up to Seoul.

Because we need the monster’s corpse.

Now that I’m retired, I don’t suddenly need combat gear or combat artifacts.

The purpose was to request the production of an artifact that would be helpful for farming.

‘To obtain rare crops, we need to farm a little more densely, but we can’t ask too much of the spirits. We didn’t sign the contract to make them do labor.’

The spirits are already doing their part.

But the fields he had cleared were larger than before, and needed to be automated a little more.

What I was trying to ask Noya for was also an artifact for automation.

Just as smart farms with automated facilities can be operated more efficiently than simple, labor-intensive farming.

If you can create an artifact that can contain the spirit’s energy or attributes, you will be able to manage your fields a little more easily.

‘If there’s a problem, it would be where to get such monsters.’

Korea is a country with very good gate control.

The system for gates was one of the best in the world, and the actual civilian casualties were also among the lowest in the world.

This is because it is a country with high hunter power by default, but it is a figure that is impossible with just strong hunter power.

It meant that they had identified the gate in advance and were very good at responding to it initially.

‘There is no country in the world where this agency is not a target of criticism, but in Korea, the management office is actually quite competent, judging from the fact that public opinion is favorable to it.’

However, this also means that, conversely, it has become extremely difficult to access the gate without permission.

The idea was to identify almost all the gates in advance and dry up the seeds to prevent monsters from running wild within the country.

It was nearly impossible to encounter monsters without going through the government systematically.

Of course, with the help of Han Su-yeon, the head of the Disaster Management Agency, it could be resolved very simply.

But it’s not something that can be done in one go, and I can’t keep asking and bothering her since she’s already busy.

There is no need to involve her, a high-ranking official who has even stepped into the realm of politics, in something that could expose her weaknesses.

“Hmm… Then shall we do that?”

Oh Hyun-seong nodded and moved.

The place he headed to was a building located in the center of Seoul.

As we entered the fairly decent-looking building, we could see a dilapidated sign that said “Mercenary Office.”

‘Your aesthetic sense is really old, then and now. You should be making a lot more money now.’

Nowadays, most private industry hunters have entered an era where they sign contracts with management and agency companies.

But not everyone chose that path.

A place where freelance mercenaries without any affiliation gather to find work.

That place was the mercenary office.

“Hey, how about we take a move together today?”

“The positions for the supernatural hunters are already filled.”

“Damn. Why aren’t there any decent kids left today?”

“Haha, let’s meet alive tomorrow.”

As I entered, I could see that quite a few mercenaries had gathered there by this time.

Even if it is a low-level gate, the government rarely gives permission to attack it alone.

Because the safety of not only the hunter himself but also the nearby citizens is at stake.

That’s why these unaffiliated mercenaries gather in one place.

‘Then where, should I become a mercenary too?’

He went through the registration process at the office.

There were a few things he had to hide, including his real specs, but it was no problem for Oh Hyeon-seong, who was able to infiltrate the enemy territory without any problems.

After completing his Hunter-level evaluation using the measuring equipment provided by the office, he was matched with team members who would go out into the field.

“Nice to meet you. Let’s do our best.”

A team of three, all male.

Among them, the man who seemed to be the leader of the group, Jeong Tae-woon, looked at Oh Hyeon-seong with a slight frown.

According to his profile, he was the only 9th-rank hunter.

Lee Young-jae and Kim Jin-su, standing next to him, were said to be 8th-grade hunters.

These are some of the most powerful mercenaries among us.

It’s not that I don’t belong because I have no corner to hide from.

Perhaps you have a tendency to really hate being tied down somewhere, or you are the type that dislikes having your agency share in the profits.

However, they seemed to know each other well and did not seem to welcome the addition of a new person.

“… That guy is an 8th-rank hunter? I’ve never seen his face before.”

“Where did you parachute it in?”

“There’s nothing we can do. Let’s just keep going like this. We need at least 4 people for our level. Since there’s no one today, we can’t even match up, so we can’t waste any more time here.”

They walked ahead and whispered.

Usually, if you are at a level where you can clear an A-rank gate, your name or face is likely to be somewhat known in this area.

But in Oh Hyun-seong’s case, his face was completely unknown, so that’s why he reacted that way.

‘I can hear you all.’

Oh Hyun-seong smiled and shook his head.

Actually, their reaction wasn’t that hard to understand.

But there was no need for him to bother trying to clear up the misunderstanding.

Since there was no need for a relationship of trust anyway, they headed to the scene without much conversation.

*

The place they were assigned to was an A-rank gate that appeared in the southern part of Seoul.

Once inside the controlled environment, they were given a brief explanation of the situation and then went inside.

Although it was a heavy A-rank gate, it was a gate with no special patterns, so all you had to do was enter, subdue the monsters, and disable the gate.

The group that entered like that moved forward smoothly after only a few brief skirmishes.

However, one problem occurred during this process.

“Is everyone following along?”

“Hey, wait a minute! One person is missing!”

“what?”

Jeong Tae-woon, who had been at the forefront, turned around.

Then it really turned out that there were only two people.

One person who disappeared without a trace was, of course, the man who had joined today.

“What the hell, did you go to the bathroom or something?”

“He didn’t die in battle, but it seems he was left behind.”

Jeong Tae-woon put his hand on his forehead.

But while they were venting their anger, Oh Hyeon-seong had already far surpassed them.

He had already cleared the entire dungeon and reached the final location without even fighting any of the regular monsters.

Thud!

The boss monster we encountered like that.

“Krrrrrrr…”

The boss of the gate, whose entire body was covered in turquoise scales, faced Oh Hyeonseong.

The guy with his mouth wide open poured a large amount of water at him.

It was a torrential downpour, like a small tsunami, that swallowed him up in an instant.

Tsk tsk tsk!

But surprisingly, the large amount of water that had covered him did not spill onto the floor but just stood there.

And then, defying gravity, he floated into the air.

As the water cleared, Oh Hyeon-seong appeared in his field of vision, and he could see Albert appearing next to him.

Not the cute otters that usually swim in the lake of Changyeong-ri, but the majestic appearance of a higher spirit of water.

“Ugh, ugh?”

The monster was so flustered that it flinched and stepped back as the ‘water’ it was handling was reversed and controlled.

But there was nowhere to run.

Oh Hyun-seong’s eyes were already sparkling as he looked at the guy.

“I found it. A watering can.”

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