The Gardener in a Hunter World

Disclaimer: This is an edited MTL. Thus, I can’t guarantee that my editing to be proficient. But I hope you enjoy this story with me. If there are any corrections or questions, it is highly encourage to leave a comment.

T/n: Another extra chapter. Thank you for suporting me in ko-fi.

Great Plains of Calia.

A vast land where the blood of many races flowed during the Great War.

A long time has passed since then, but the horrors of the war have not disappeared.

A natural god in the form of a wolf who is called the most faithful servant of the great god slaughtered numerous monsters in the great war.

Growler¹

. The growler was there.

His arrogant head, which seemed to pierce the sky, drooped.

His thick gray fur was stained with blood.

Its size has become terribly small, and its combat power has plummeted, making it difficult to defeat even a disaster-grade monster.

Yet he still fought.

From the Great War to the present as if he was possessed.

He doesn’t know who or what makes him fight.

However, it was clear that the monsters were treating him as a plaything.

A really powerful monster of extinction grade didn’t even show a nose.

Perhaps they judged that the erosion of the Gehenna continent was more urgent.

Nonetheless.

Growler, the faithful servant of the God, was still living today fighting monsters.

Its existence was immortal, so there was no death.

If you fall, get up, if you get hurt, recover.

Nevertheless, the odds of winning did not seem high.

Monsters flocked from somewhere on the Great Plains.

Arctus, who appeared through the clouds, glared at him from a distance.

—You’re pathetic.

Growler, who was sitting there, cast a glare at him.

Blood dripped from his forehead, covering one eye.

—I was wondering who it was. You’re in a perfect situation. Doesn’t that mean you’re fallen with the world tree’s candy, huh?

—I don’t know why it’s so twisted, Growler.

—It is you who are twisted. Don’t get me wrong

Arctus decided to surrender the fight with Growler.

It’s natural for that guy to growl in the first place.

—So, have you had any success?

—As you can see, it’s bad. I don’t know where these damn monsters are popping up.

—You know that well, don’t you? As long as the source is not eliminated, the monsters will continue to appear.

—Yeah, the reason you came here must be to work with me to destroy the source, God’s Tooth, huh? Isn’t it?

—No. I’m here to take you.

Growler tilted his head slightly.

It is a habit seen in canines, but in this case, the connection is the opposite.

Canines inherited the habit from Growler.

—Take me? Where do you mean??

—To the Garden of the World Tree, where there is a worker who will heal you and help you build up your strength. To me now, he’s my owner.

—Heh heh… Great God’s Tooth. You, the cat, who slaughtered tens of thousands of monsters and eventually fell into the World Tree’s trick! Now you’re trying to seduce me.

—Don’t call me a cat, mutt.

—Whatever I call you, it doesn’t change that you’re a cat. If you don’t want to hear it, stop licking your front paws.

Actus, who was actually licking his front paw, was startled and lowered his foot.

—What am I supposed to do when I’m born like this?

—Right. So, fate cannot be avoided. In my case, it must have been my destiny to fight with monsters. I’m afraid I can’t.

Arctus felt there was no point in arguing with this exhausted mutt, so he decided to get to the point.

—It’s noisy and you should go to the garden with me. There is a master who accepts even a defeated mutt.

—The guy who works in the garden of the World Tree… He must be strong, ambitious, and runs in a straight line to achieve his goal, isn’t he?

—No. The man I’ve seen is a fool, good-natured, even the most indecisive human I’ve ever seen. It’s like he doesn’t have combat skills, and he likes books.

—What?

Growler was taken aback by the absurd remark.

Did the world tree choose such a human being?

—I don’t understand. Why a human being like that?

—Because he is such a human being, he was chosen by the World Tree. Why not check it yourself why?

—It’s useless.

But there was a hint of curiosity in Growler’s eyes.

If you push it a little more, he’ll try to find that person.

Then a high-pitched cry was heard in the distance.

It was a bizarre sound that no living thing could possibly make.

Growler growled, raising his hair, and Arctus said dejectedly.

—It seems to have noticed my existence. It’ll be here in a little while… If you don’t want to go, it can’t be help. I have no choice but to go back on my own.

As Arctus turned and posed for a leap forward, Growler stopped him.

—Hold on.

—What? We have no time.

A sarcastic tone of speech is definitely an act.

Growler didn’t care and climbed on Arctus’ back.

—I want to see that person. If I don’t like him, I’ll run away so guide me.

—Does it make sense to go in and out of the garden of the World Tree at will?

—What do you know about the area of ​​that fuzzy tree? Just guide me.

—I can’t help it.

When Arctus stomped, the dimension approached in an instant, and the two disappeared.

All that was left of the great plains was the remnants of a fierce battle.

***

“Ummm….”

When he saw Beom and a puppy suddenly appearing, Ji-Ha was puzzled.

[Growler]²

Where did he come from?

Maybe it was Beom who brought it.

He resembled a wolf, and his eyes were quite fierce.

He’s pretty cute because the snout is blunt, and the body is round.

“Did Beom bring him here?”

When asked, Beom licked his front paws eagerly.

He is saying that since he brought him here, so Ji-Ha should take care of them.

Yoo Ji-Ha opened up an ancient book and looked for a similar natural god.

‘Similar to the growler… It says it look like a wolf.’

Is this puppy also a natural god?

“Come here, come here.”

He called him, but he didn’t budge.

He just threw a sullen look, as if he was calling from somewhere.

‘Is there something you don’t like?’

Yoo Ji-Ha wanted to take care of him.

Its small body was covered in blood and dirt, and it looked as if it were severely exhausted.

Nevertheless, the look in his eyes that was wary of him did not change.

The distance between them is about 10m.

There is no way to close the distance because as he approaches it, it steps back.

Ji-Ha gave up trying to approach him.

If he forces him to do it, he will only get half of it.

‘I wonder if I can catch it.’

Instead, he worked as usual.

He took care of the garden and planted the seeds brought by the Theradrones.

He brought a clumsy ladder he made and began to harvest high-hanging sun apples.

Beom sent a doctor to Growler.

—What do you think? This place is in the niche of two dimensions. Peaceful and prosperous.

—I was wondering what you were doing with the world tree, and you were playing house.

—The World Tree decided that the play was necessary now.

—If that’s the case, it should have done something a little nicer. What could that idiot do?

—But he’s nice and knows how to share with others.

—If you explain a clear plan, anyone can do it.

—Is it Really? You probably don’t even know how those who contracted with us behaved.

—…..

Growler lowered his head to the floor at that point.

It was really depressing.

The World Tree generously imparts its power to others.

But those who received power tried to use that power for their own sake.

It was good up to there.

In the end, they recognized that it was a gateway that they had to go through in order to achieve their final goal.

However, the World Tree and the Immortals witnessed how ugly the human race could become for power.

Beom jumped onto the back of Yoo Ji-Ha.

Seeing the two happy, Growler recalled the past.

Is his contractor in the womb of WorldEater by now?

—You look happy, cat.

—So, you too should relax, because this is the dimension the World Tree has prepared for us.

—Is it okay to play here and accumulate power and attack monsters?

—No, that’s for later. Also, we don’t have to step in, and my master will take care of everything.

—It’s not that human, it’s the meaning of the world tree.

—It’s the same. Because my master is like a tree in a way. So far, he has a good understanding of the meaning of the world tree.

—That’s ridiculous. Doesn’t that mean he don’t have any desires? That’s why he’s amazing. So, what kind of great work is he going to do?

—I keep telling you the same words, that’s why he was chosen by the World tree.

Growler shut his mouth and looked at Yoo Ji-Ha.

The action is clumsy and slow.

But it was fun to see him work.

He seemed to be immersed in his hobbies rather than his work.

When the Theradrons asked for something, he helped as if it were their own work, and they played around with Arctus.

As he sat under the pillar of the World Tree and opened the book, he overlapped with someone.

Supreme god arc.

He is the true god who planted the world tree and the father of all immortals.

—Nonsense.

Growler shook his head to shake off his thoughts.

It is absurd that the supreme god and that idiot are alike.

Are the images simply similar?

In any case, it was undoubtedly true that there was peace in this garden.

It would be natural as it is a space created by the World Tree, but it was clear that that human was also acting naturally without going against it.

—No greed……

He wonders if such a human would be able to follow the dream of the world tree.

If used wisely, he will have tremendous power, but will he be able to reject such a desire?

—I’ll watch over you.

Growler got up and took a step.

Yoo Ji-Ha did not overreact to such a guy and just watched.

‘It’s not good to provoke a vigilant puppy.’

If he behaves normally, he’ll loosen his guard and show interest… Well, that’s what he thought.

Surely this puppy can’t stand his curiosity about people, so he’s sneaking closer.

Yoo Ji-Ha reached out and lightly touched the tip of his nose.

Thump thump.

The puppy smelled him.

Then he suddenly jumped at him.

“So cute.”

Yoo Ji-Ha grabbed the guy’s body and lifted him up into the sky.

His eyes are still fierce, but its struggle is just cute.

If he could give this guy a name, what would it be?

“It’s similar to a wolf or a dog… Okay, let’s go with Daeng.”

Wolf = Dog = Puppy = Mongmong-i³Childish name for puppy = DaengDaeng-i⁴Childish name doggy = Daeng is a great name that came out of it in an instant.

Beom, who had come down from his back, walked around and chattered.

—Hello, Daeng. My name is beom.

—Shut up.

Daeng struggled in Ji-Ha’s hands.

He let go of him and hurriedly threw a vine ball he had made to play with him.

—Hey, hey!

Driven by his instincts, Daeng chased the ball, and Beom behind him sarcastically said.

—Even if you pretend you don’t like it, your body is honest. Isn’t it?

—Shut up, cat.

The garden became lively as Daeng ran around.

Apparently, the cat, Beom, didn’t move that much.

However, Daeng go around Ji-Ha with excitement and come at it again and again.

Whenever that happened, the joyful laughter of Yoo Ji-Ha spread through the garden.

The World Tree looked down on them with a golden glow.

***

After Daeng arrived, the general store became livelier.

There were many customers who liked Daeng who wags his tail at anyone rather than the rude Beom.

He’s a medium size, not a very small cub and in personality.

Hunters looking at the general stores liked Daeng, saying it looked like a Siberian Husky.

Thanks to this, he was able to eat a lot of delicious things from customers.

Beom’s sarcasm is a bonus.

—Oh my gosh, it is truly deplorable that the immortal who tore and killed countless monsters is flattering at mere humans.

—Where the hell did you learn that way of speaking?

—He appeared often on TV.

It was clear that the two of them became the mascots of the general store, whatever their feelings are.

The owner is also kind and nice.

The price is less expensive than nearby franchises, and the quality is excellent.

The only downside was that if you didn’t go in the morning, you couldn’t buy anything.

Before the afternoon, everything is sold out, and in that case, there was nothing, so Ji-Ha often consulted hunters and talked.

It easily became a social venue, but the general store was too small.

If one or two people enter, with Yoo Ji-Ha, Beom, and Daeng, it will fill up and there is nothing you can do no matter what you try.

‘Should I expand the store?’

Although the store was passed down to him by his parents, it is meaningful to continue doing business, but he did not have much attachment to the building itself.

While thinking about expanding, Yoo Ji-Ha entered the garden with two pets.

But it’s weird today.

Aren’t these two guys pulling the hem of his pants?

Passing through the cave and going to the beach, he saw rainbow-colored stone that caught his eye.

‘Soul Stone…?’

It’s a grand name, but does it contain a real soul?

It is said that if a stone suddenly hits the beach, there is a possibility that it is the molten incense⁵

whale vomit. For more reading Ambergris, The Valuable ‘Whale Vomit’ That’s Been Compared To Gold (allthatsinteresting.com) that a whale spits out.

When he lifted it up and sniffed it, it smelled surprisingly good.

Where the hell did it come from?

‘I can make candles out of it because it smells good.’

In order to feel a good scent for a longtime, incense candles are the best.

However, there is a possibility that there is a real soul in it, so he decided to watch it for the time being.

Yoo Ji-Ha grunted and moved the stone into the garden.

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• 3Childish name for puppy
• 4Childish name doggy
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  whale vomit. For more reading Ambergris, The Valuable ‘Whale Vomit’ That’s Been Compared To Gold (allthatsinteresting.com)