The Gardener in a Hunter World

Profit. The door opened and Cha Hwa-yeon entered the general store with great energy. 

“Welcome.”

As always, Ji-ha lifted his head and greeted her, and she came right in front of him and opened her mouth.

“Something like that……”

“Yes?”

“You were pretending you didn’t know anything while making me tear it up.”

“Hmm… I don’t know what you mean.”

She pulled out a small chair and sat down. They were so close that they were knee-to-knee. This bright red haired hunter looks pretty excited. 

‘The scroll must have worked.’

In the first place, in the dungeon, items that are harmful to the hunter are rarely dropped. I thought that the Infinite Magic Book would give a similar buff, but the effect seemed to be very good. Hwa-yeon talked with her arms and legs crossed. 

“I am dumbfounded. Did you hear the news? That our guild broke the record for clearing a Spiger Dungeon in the shortest time.”

“No.”

“No, as a hunter, what do you do without looking for such information?”

“So the main factor in that renewal is the guest?”

When Ji-ha spoke, she closed her eyes slightly as if her teeth were shaking, then opened them.

“The firepower has increased tremendously, so at first this did something. Is it a dungeon characteristic? Or the effect of an artifact I don’t know about? When I asked someone else, they said that if you tear only the scrolls in your shop, the magic damage increases strangely. Anything to say?”

“Because I picked up ones that dropped.”

“Where?”

“Why are there category 0 dungeons?”

This again. It must have been difficult for this incompetent person to rip the scroll and measure its value. That’s why they talked about a good luck message and let me tear it up for free. Hwa-yeon took out her phone and clicked on the screen. 

“Our guild earned over 2.7 billion in revenue from clearing the Spiger Dungeon, and even without a single casualty. Call the account.”

Ji-ha moved his chair back a little. 

“No, I won’t.”

Her eyes turned into ax eyes. 

“Why don’t you accept it? Of course you have to take it.”

“I already sold it. I have no reason to accept it.”

“Don’t talk. I can’t live with this debt.”

“It’s okay.”

Hwa-yeon realized that breaking the will of a stubborn person was as difficult as breaking through the category 0 dungeon alone. Why is a person who looks gentle on the outside so obstinate?

“Then you are not going to sell that for money? What? Why isn’t there any? Did they rip it all up in the meantime?”

There were no scrolls in the jar. I’m sure there were a couple of them in the jar two days ago. 

“There were a lot of people who bought a potion and tore it up. In the first place, there was not a large stock.”

Hwa-yeon let out a deep sigh.

“Ha… You really don’t know the value of that scroll. Even if you sell it for 100 million, no, 200 to 300 million, it will sell like hot cakes. Why are you giving up that money? A few hundred million isn’t even money for you?”

Ji-ha laughed a little.

“It wasn’t like that, because I didn’t think it was money that I was going to get. That……”

“It’s not your money? What do you mean?”

You urge people on before you can answer anything. After talking a few times, it seemed that Hwa-yeon’s tone was originally like this. Ji-ha said while closing the book instead of answering. 

“There is such a thing. And I am doing just fine without the money.”

Is this a good life? Hwa-yeon looked around the store and clicked her tongue lightly at the pathetic feeling that came over her. Even if you don’t have greed, you shouldn’t have it in moderation, this isn’t some kind of monk, does it make sense to live a life close to avarice?

“…It’s good. Because I have no authority to force your life. But you, it’s dangerous if you keep selling things that come out of dungeons like this. Come into our guild. I will protect you.”

“I will decline that too.”

That’s it. Hwa-yeon realized that no matter what she said, she could not break this young man’s stubbornness. Well, it’s not that dangerous because it’s a crowded District 7 and there are some hunters who I know. She stood up, loosening her twisted legs.

“Sigh… I can’t. It’s up to you.”

She pauses for a moment as she exits the entrance. 

“…You’re not in another guild or anything, right? Whoever offers money to you, I’ll give you more, so you’d better come.”

“Well, that is my heart. But that won’t happen.”

“Hmm.”

The conversation ended there. Hwa-yeon drove away and ji-ha opened the book again. He looked at the humming bell planted in a pot on one side of the store. The invasion of the devil ants was warned, so it will warn of other dangers in advance.

“Can you protect me?”

*Woo woo woo*

The humming bell made a low sound. 

***

“Phew”

Just finished the work. Strangely, this forest is a mess every time you enter. Ji-ha straightened his back, wiping the sweat from his forehead. A berry tree grew large in his own space of about 100 pyeong. The name is strange, but it’s really written that way, so I can’t help it. 

‘As long as it’s delicious, well.’

This tree has already produced fruit because it grows much faster than the tree planted in the middle. 

{Berry LVL 1: Effect Random}

‘This isn’t some kind of random box.’

The effect is different every time you pick a fruit the size of a plum and extract the juice. However, most of the effects were weak, so it seemed that they could not be used as ingredients for potions. Ji-ha used this fruit to flavor potions. Potions with sun apples or winter berries are sweet, but other potions boast a nasty bitter taste. If you add a few drops of fruit juice, the sweet and refreshing taste will come out, so it’s pretty good. Smells better too. 

‘Are those guys doing well?’

Ji-ha went to the creek and knelt down to look at the fish. The ones the size of killifish have grown quite large, but their names have yet to be seen. Crayfish were hiding under stones, and small clams and shrimp were also visible. 

‘He lives well in such a small place.’

It’s amazing where small creatures appear. It was night, and Ji-ha settled down in the cave. Tonight, I prepared in advance to read a book while staying up all night. As I was reading a book with a backpack with a torch on the wall and a bonfire lit with a kindling stone, I was immediately immersed in my world. But then I heard a strange noise. Vague…crying sound?

‘Is this a cat noise?’

It sounded like a pretty big cat crying. JI-ha concentrated and tried to figure out the direction of the sound. Why don’t the humming bells ring?

‘It could be because it is not dangerous.’

He got up and walked around the fog. Even the Theradron came out of a hole in the ground and was busy trying to find the source of the sound. Then, the Theradron Warrior flew and landed in a corner. 

‘There it is.’

As I moved, the cry grew louder. It’s very feeble at that point, but Ji-ha found the guy anyway. A cat lying on the border between fog and forest, so messed up that it was mistaken for a mop. 

{Arctus}

Do you mean arcing teeth? However, it was quite large and had thick feet. Is it about twice the size of an average cat? Despite such a theme, his body and face are round like a baby. Ji-ha stood there blankly, then lifted him up and put his ear close to him. I heard very shallow, irregular breathing. 

‘Backpack, backpack.’

Ji-ha’s backpack contains potions by type. I hurriedly went to the cave, spread a cloth on the floor and laid the cat down. It was so soft that it felt like it had no bones. 

‘It shouldn’t die.’

I poured the stamina potion into my hand and brought it to his snout, but he didn’t budge. Ji-ha opened the cat’s snout slightly in a hurry and poured the potion little by little.

‘Done.’

I could see the red scars all over its body slowly healing. The irregular breathing became quite comfortable. When I put it on the floor, I heard a groaning sound. 

‘Can I leave it like this? What should I do?’

What do you need to know about cats to take action? But isn’t the Theradron Warrior poking Ji-ha’s finger with its pincers? I looked up and saw that he had drawn a picture of a fish on the floor.

“Oh, you want to eat that?”

Well, there is a conventional wisdom that cats love fish. But how did this insect know that?

‘Certainly this guy has intelligence.’

It’s a dream existence, so there is nothing strange about it. Ji-ha put the Warrior in the palm of his hand, approached the stream and looked at the fish. The fish the size of his fingers swarmed around him as soon as he put his hand in it. Perhaps because of his animal-friendly skills, he doesn’t struggle at all even when he catches it. Ji-ha caught two small fish, killed them, put them on a bonfire and roasted them. 

*Tak-tak-*

The smell of grilled fish wafted around. The nose of the cat named Arctus twitched.

“Oh.”

The guy responded. Starting with the nose, the entire muzzle twitched and the guy blinked open his eyes. The eyes, which originally looked sky blue, were very muddy. As if seeing that, the Warrior pointed its pincers at the potion bottles lined up on the floor. 

“Huh? Give it to him? Is that an ether consumption potion?”

*Swish-swipe-*

“Oh, what’s in my backpack instead of that?”

All I have in my backpack is a potion of poison resistance… Is the cat poisoned?

‘Warrior, how did he know that?’

It is an insect that displays extraordinary abilities in many ways. Anyway, when I poured the poison resistance potion into my hand and gave it to Arctus, I wondered if he was giggling a little. The cat’s condition improved markedly. The slightly curved back straightened, and the yellow eyes returned to a beautiful light blue color. There was a very strong roaring sound. Finally he moved his legs and tried to turn over. 

“Wake up, wake up.”

When Ji-ha helped him by holding his hand, he sat down in a loaf of bread position with a low cry. 

“Cute.”

It’s still matted, but if you wash it well, the pretty hair color will be revealed. Ji-ha stroked his hair, and the guy rubbed it as if he didn’t hate the touch. 

‘I’ve become a butler.’

Since I was acting as the butler, I wanted to make sure that I tore off the flesh of a well-cooked fish and placed it in front of him. Little by little.

“Oh, that’s good.”

Arctus was so hungry that he ate the little flesh in an instant. Then he climbed up into JI-ha’s lap, rolled up and fell asleep. 

‘It’s heavy.’

If the cub was this big and heavy, I have no idea what an adult would be like. 

‘I can’t move like this.’

He was nervous about waking the baby, so he gave up and opened the book. The Theradron Warrior returned to the hole in the ground as if he were relieved at that time. I became a butler. 

***

The next morning, Arctus was washing himself by the creek. What can I say when I see a boy who looks like he has just been born taking a bath and licking his fur with his tongue. It certainly didn’t look like a normal cat. When Ji-ha came out of the cave with his hardened body, the guy came running. The gray fur with black spots is impressive, and it looks very similar to a snow leopard. 

“Hey, are you awake? Dry off your body.”

The guy didn’t care and clung to Ji-ha. It was too much for Ji-ha to have a baby, almost the size of a human body, hang like this. Come on. Are you asking for food?

“Yes, yes. Are you hungry?”

But there is not much that he can eat in this forest. The fish in the creek were so small that they would not go to the liver and the crawfish were similar. Ji-ha, thinking about buying cat food, remembered that there was an ocean outside the cave. 

‘Hmm… It’s the sea……’

He had a vague fear of the deep sea. I will never forget the sight of a monster named Mantis Crayfish leaping out of the deep sea and killing people. Still, the pale sea will be okay, right?

 ‘It will be fine…maybe.’

At that time, the Theradrons came with their long stems. It was as thin as thread, so it looked like it could be used as a fishing line. it’s a fishing rod, as long as you properly trim the branches. You can use crayfish and clam meat as bait. As Ji-ha wandered around the forest to prepare for fishing, Arctus chased after him. It seems he had been marked as a butler. 

***

A day later, shadow grapes grew large in the dream forest. 

{Shadow Grape LVL 1: When combined with Ether Potion, recovery amount increases by 20%, duration reduced to 80%}

‘It’s almost like the Sun Apple.’

The only other thing is to mix it into an ether potion. When I picked one grape and put it in my mouth, the juicy and sweet taste exploded at the same time. It was the same as a sun apple or a tree fruit, but with a different taste. 

“It’s delicious.”

Ji-ha continued admiring the taste and ate every single one.

“……”

I felt sorry for Arctus and the Theradron Warrior, who were sitting quietly next to me, so I picked them up. Now it’s time to go fishing. Ji-ha had never been fishing before. However, I thought it would be possible to make a fishing rod, prepare it, and cast it into the sea. Normally, that doesn’t mean much. Because the mysterious act of fishing is like art in which numerous experiences and unpredictable natural environments meet and unfold. But Ji-ha is under the power of a strange system. Animal-friendly skills and even the help of Theradron. 

“Come with me.”

Arctus. This cat, which looked like a snow leopard, seemed to have dog-cat attributes. When you gently touch its thick tail, it will wah and follow you around on its own. In the dark cave, he led the way out, and then, when he reached the beach, he stiffened for a while. it doesn’t seem to have adapted to the new environment. When Ji-ha took off his shoes and walked on the sandy beach, he cried out in pain. Why are you crying for leaving me?

“Come here, come here.”

When he called out with a gesture, he hesitated and stepped forward. Perhaps he knew nothing was wrong, so he mustered up the courage and started running. Ji-ha took him to find a good terrain for fishing.

‘What should I know about fishing.’

There is no fish that will be easily caught just by arranging a spot and casting a fishing rod. But this is a special place. It feels like a space created just for you. As he crossed the shallow sea with Arctus, fish gathered around him. “Catch me like that!” they seemed to be shouting. The big cat was startled by the school of fish and turned around. Then he hurriedly ran to the beach and only cried.  

“Ha ha, coward.”

You’re still a kid, so what can you do? Ji-ha stopped with the fishing rod at a place where the water was moderately deep. The bait is clam meat. It’s a really clumsy piece of equipment made from materials from the forest, but it’s perfect for attracting these fish. 

‘I think I can just catch it with a harpoon or something?’

Perhaps if he stretches out his hand, he will be able to catch it. But since I made a fishing rod, I should try it. Soon after, a large fish jumped out of the sand and snapped at the bait. Ji-ha chamfered and raised a fishing rod. The line tightened and a large sand flounder came up in the sunlight. 

{Sand Flounder: The food of Arctus. Preferred.}

“Wow, that’s big.”

It was much bigger than the flatfish you see very rarely in traditional markets. When Ji-ha took it and went to the beach, Arctus panicked and ran away. But even that was short-lived, and when the smell of grilling fish spread, he cried tenderly and put his legs on the thighs of Ji-ha. Wow.

“Okay, wait a minute.”

After the sand flounder was finished grilling, the flesh was removed and cooled on a wooden plate. Arctus ate that much as if he were drinking it. 

‘Look at what you eat… You can’t become a pig kitty later.’

You look pretty hungry right now, so let’s eat. It seems like I heard somewhere that there is never enough food when it is young. Ji-ha caught another sand flounder and fed it to him. As I was listening to the sound of waves in the sea, I remembered something I needed to do. 

‘I need to build a house.’

I don’t need anything grandiose, just something like a hut I can live in by myself. When Ji-ha finished cleaning up and stood up, Arctus followed after licking his lips. After a while, Ji-ha was able to complete a hut on the beach. Arctus came with palm tree bark or leaves, and the Theradrons came out decisively. How the hell did these little insects get here? Dozens of Theradrons cut leaves and bark to help make JI-ha a good place to surround the hut. Even the thin palm trees were trimmed, which took a while but was well done. 

“You guys are really great.”

It’s like this now, but how great will it be when it grows bigger in the future? The theradrons, which used to be the size of a fingernail, have now grown the size of a finger, and the leader, the Warrior, is twice that size. What can I do for these wonderful guys?

‘As expected, the best thing to eat.’

Ji-ha thought that the water was scary, so he went fishing with Arctus hanging on his back and caught a strange fish called the two-legged fish. When you’re in the water, it looks like it is walking on two-feet, so that must be where it got its name. When I handed the fish to the theradrons who were waiting with their pincers on the beach, they crawled to the cave after receiving it. 

‘They’re so cute.’

Ji-ha lay down in the hut and put on an arm pillow. Arctus tapped him on the stomach with his thick paws and noticed. 

“What? Do you want to come up here?”

Wow. I can’t refuse when I see him crying tenderly and rubbing his hair. I tapped his stomach with the palm of my hand, and he quickly got up and fell down. 

‘The hair is so soft.’

Perhaps because it was a baby, it was as soft as silk. The two fell asleep listening to the sound of the sea.

***

“This.”

Ji-ha woke up and felt something heavy on his stomach. I took Arctus and returned to the single room. Ji-ha quietly put the sleeping guy down next to him. Fortunately, he only licked his lips and didn’t wake up. But is this ok?

‘Let’s search.’

Searching on HunterNet, it seems that there is nothing strictly managed except for Ether Stones. Well, there’s no way the government can afford to intervene that far. In addition, even at this moment, unheard of and unseen items and materials were being discovered. It is difficult to register and manage them all. Looking through the posts, it was rare, but there were people who brought animals and plants from dungeons and raised them. 

‘Mostly plants…’

Larger animals were rarely taken out because they were so fast and the hunters didn’t pay attention to them. There’s a time limit, so who cares about animals. 

‘Arctus…Arctus……’

I searched for the cat’s species name, but nothing came up. Anyway, how would you name this guy?

‘Ding… no, that’s not the name. Let’s go with Beom¹Note: Beom means tiger..’

Since it’s a cat similar to a snow leopard.  I could hear the sound of scratching the ground as if he had just woken up. After leaving the single room, he found Ji-ha and quickly climbed into his lap. 

“Your name is Beom, Beom. Okay?”

COme on. A crying tiger stretching his back. I don’t know what that means, but I don’t feel bad. Ji-ha prepared to open the store with the guy on his back. 

‘He’s incredibly strong.’

Its skeleton was different from that of a normal cat. After cleaning and opening the store, the first customer was surprised to see Beom. 

“Wow, surprise… Uncle, what is that cat? It looks very cute.”

“I decided to raise it because it followed me in a certain dungeon. His name is Beom.”

“Hello Beom?”

The female hunter tried to touch Beom, who had a mean face for some reason, to see if he liked it. However. 

*Haha-*

Beom didn’t want to accept her touch. When she stretched out her hand, wouldn’t he knock it away with a reckless forefoot?

“Cute… He’s so cute. Did you find him in the snow mountain dungeon?”

“Yes. It was so cold that I tried to go back, but he was clinging to my pants before I knew it.”

After waiting for a while, Beom must have been exhausted and went up to the table in the middle and curled up. The thick tail fluttered, and the Hunter tried to touch it, but when she faced with his jaws, she sulked. In the end, she returned without touching Beom. After that, guests came and made a fuss about Beom as being cute. 

“Awesome, great. Really cute.”

“By the way, was there such a cat? It is a bit big for a cat isn’t it?”

“That’s a snow leopard. Guys who live in the Himalayas. It’s just like them.”

Beom’s every action caught the attention of the guests. Fortunately, no one was forced to touch him. Is everyone losing their minds over these cute creatures? In the afternoon, Hye-jin visited the store. When she saw Ji-ha, she put on a slightly happy face, but when she saw Beom, she completely hardened. 

“That…Ji, Mr. Ji-ha, what is this?”

After explaining the situation, Hye-jin came inside. The 12th in the Hunter Ranking, called the Witch of the Sword, is just looking at a cat. He even flinched when Beom let out a long yawn. She handed the envelope to Ji-ha, trying to avoid attracting Beom’s attention as much as possible. 

“This… It’s coffee. Have it.”

“Are you giving it to me?”

“Yes, because I was served fruit before. Of course, I don’t mean to replace that fruit with this one.”

“Thank you, I will drink it.”

At that time, Beom intervened between the two of them and stretched his neck and cried tenderly. 

“Uh? Huh? Why? What do you need?”

“I think he is asking for a stroke.”

“Do you want a stroke?”

“Because you are putting your head in.”

Hye-jin hesitated, then put two fingers on Beom’s head and timidly stroked it. A smile spreads across her lips as if her soft fur made her feel better. 

“I guess you don’t like cats very much?”

For reference, there was not a single person who disliked Beom among the customers who had come in so far. Although it is a cat, it may have been more friendly because it looked a little like a dog. 

“I don’t hate it that much. Just… I was afraid of it scratching……”

“Is that so? This guy won’t show his claws carelessly.”

He sometimes lowers his jaw at people he doesn’t like, but he doesn’t reveal his claws. He is quite calm even when he is petted by Hye-jin, whom he has never seen before. Seung-hyuk also really liked cats. Hye-jin patted Beom for a long time, then sighed and sat down on a simple chair. 

“I heard the story. I heard you let me rip  a buff scroll for free? Right now, HunterNet is in a frenzy because of that.”

Ji-ha calmly opened the book.

“The Eternal flame Guild Leader came anyway.”

Hye-jin knows the outcome. Rumors spread that Cha Hwa-yeon was rejected by the general store owner. At the same time, interest in this young man increased among the hunters. It’s not a huge issue yet. Wow. Beom jumped into the arms of Ji-ha. The motion of raising one’s arms to hold a cat and placing a book on it is very natural. To Hye-jin, Ji-ha, wearing glasses and reading a book while holding a cat, looked very comfortable. 

‘You’ve lived like that until now.’

So maybe I will try to live like that in the future. A person without greed. Someone who doesn’t show any feelings towards her and is comfortable with her. Hye-jin didn’t feel pressured by him. Ordinary men show bluffs or show excessive interest in order to impress her, but he maintained a simple attitude. 

‘Is that why I come here often?’

I thought I could be friends with this person. Perhaps. While Hye-jin was thinking about that, Ji-ha decided to enter the dungeon as a latecomer after a long time. 

‘Suddenly the ingredients are gone.’

Not everyone will be able to enter the late stage, but if you ask, it will be accepted. As I was writing down the list of ingredients I needed in my notebook, Hye-jin approached and looked at me. 

“What are you writing down?”

“This is a list of materials to bring after entering the dungeon.”

“Can’t we just go to the wholesale center and buy it?”

“If you buy it like that, the unit price goes up. I have to eat and live.”

Like, it feels very ironic. A person who sells potions and scrolls at a low price goes into the dungeon as a latecomer to get materials cheaply. Maybe this is his way of life. She doesn’t understand, but he said he would live like that, so she couldn’t say anything. 

“Tomorrow……”

As she was about to say something, a siren suddenly blared. The humming bell rang at the same time. Hye-jin’s complexion changed. It was a warning about the catastrophe of the dungeon. 

• 1Note: Beom means tiger.