The SSS-Class Hunter’s Garden Log Chapter 13

“Seo Kanghyun, are you really going to be okay?”

 

Yoon Taegyeom hovered around Seo Kanghyun like a restless puppy as he returned from the meeting. 

 

“If it weren’t for the call, I would’ve gone with you.”

 

Yoon Taegyeom pouted as he complained about why a Gate had to burst open at a time like this. 

 

“This won’t do. Kanghyun, at least take some of the others with you.” 

 

“Am I a kid?”

 

“Hey now, if you listen to your hyung, you’ll find blessings even in—” 

 

“Forget it. They’ll just be dead weight.”

 

“Hey, hey! Kanghyun-ah!”

 

Leaving behind the jumping Yoon Taegyeom, Seo Kanghyun headed to the Gangnam Station Gate.

 

The area around Gangnam Station had turned into an ashen street without a single sign of human presence.

 

Only a desolate silence hung over the once-bustling downtown area.

 

The moment he crossed the yellow police line, the air grew significantly heavier. 

 

An area dyed gray like dead land.

 

Seo Kanghyun bent down and entered past the police line.

 

With just a few leaps using his long legs, Seo Kanghyun easily arrived in front of the entrance.

 

The pitch-black entrance looked like a gaping pit to the abyss.

 

Staring down the entrance with eyes whose depth couldn’t be fathomed, Seo Kanghyun entered the gate.

 

“They said there was an energy reaction here.”

 

He approached the entrance, but the system window showed no reaction.

 

It wasn’t the worst-case scenario where the Gate was re-activating. 

 

However, just as the Association had said, a biological energy response had certainly been detected. 

 

Seo Kanghyun took out an energy measuring device. 

 

The gauge bar was wavering very faintly, but definitely.

 

A momentary tremor passed over Kanghyun’s face as his lips tightened.

 

The idea that someone was really alive inside here. 

 

“This makes me want to get my hopes up.”

 

That you might be alive, Sunbae.

 

Uncharacteristically, Seo Kanghyun couldn’t easily take a step.

 

His firm chest expanded with a deep breath.

 

Kanghyun, who began to move in the direction the gauge bar reacted to, spotted something shining.

 

What was deeply embedded in the dried-up ground was a familiar dagger.

 

A Magic Core Dagger—unaffected by the system window—that he had once gifted to Hunter ‘1’.

 

It was a very special weapon made by embedding the core of an S-rank monster.

 

“…So this was here.”

 

‘Oh ho, Hoobae-nim. Are you giving this to me? How can I use it when it’s so precious? I should keep it as a family heirloom!’

 

It’s funny. 

 

The corners of Seo Kanghyun’s mouth twisted.

 

Family heirloom, my ass. Throwing it anywhere like this.

 

As if trying to shake off the afterimage of that bright voice, Seo Kanghyun forcefully gripped the hilt of the dagger.

 

And the moment he pulled it out.

 

From the crack in the ground where the dagger had been embedded, black smoke surged up along with a burning heat.

 

Kanghyun reflexively covered his nose with his arm.

 

However, as the smoke touched his skin, a system notification rang.

 

To think it was something tricky that penetrated the body just through contact, even if he held his breath.

 

【SYSTEM】

 

< Abnormal reaction occurred: Hallucinatory external toxic energy is resonating with residual poison in the body. > 

 

Normally, he wouldn’t even flinch at something like this. 

 

But of all things, the remaining poison from a wound he sustained in a raid two days ago reacted.

 

He had dismissed it as a mild poisoning at the time, but the two poisons—which were not threatening individually—stimulated each other, creating a synergistic reaction for the worse. 

 

【SYSTEM】 

 

<Do you wish to proceed with detoxification? The longer the exposure time, the stronger the hallucinatory reaction will become.>

 

“Proceed.”

 

However, the speed of poisoning was faster than the activation of the skill.

 

【SYSTEM】 

 

< Displaying the user’s subconscious through hallucinations. >

 

A small hand overlapped Seo Kanghyun’s back of the hand, where an ember had been rising.

 

His dry gray eyes stared intently at that opaque hand before slowly lifting his gaze.

 

“What, did you appear to curse at me for being the only one to survive?”

 

The figure standing before his eyes was more vivid than a nightmare.

 

The sparks of the skill that had gathered at Kanghyun’s fingertips promptly died out. 

 

As always, ‘1’ was wearing a mask like broken mosaic.

 

That phantom scattered like fog, connecting to a new scene.

 

This place, three years ago. 

 

That day, just before the collapse of the Gangnam Station Gate, revived before his eyes.

 

Just before the gate collapsed, the silhouette visible beyond the closing entrance.

 

And the final words heard through the radio.

 

-Thank goodness. That everyone is safe.

 

As the single phrase ‘1’ had said right before the gate burst played back, his breath caught in his throat.

 

Sparks flew from Kanghyun’s eyes.

 

Thank goodness? What’s so good about it?

 

You were about to die. Do you have no pride? 

 

Kanghyun reversed his grip on the dagger. And began to stride towards the gate in the hallucination.

 

Unable to distinguish between reality and hallucination, Kanghyun raised the tip of his sword.

 

“I’m not leaving you behind this time. I have something to say to you, Sunbae. Ten years ago, you—” 

 

His heavy, low voice was swallowed by the blazing flames.

 

Just as the enlarged flames were about to swallow the entire gate.

 

Fortunately, the system window intervened.

 

【SYSTEM】 

<Warning! Collapse of distinction between reality and hallucination.> 

<No threatening presence detected in the surroundings. Activating mental protection protocol for the User’s safety.>

 

The system, detecting his mind had reached its limit, automatically blocked his consciousness.

 

“Ugh.”

 

He tried to endure, but his vision blurred white.

 

Soon, Seo Kanghyun’s sturdy body tilted forward just like that.

 

And at that moment.

 

“Kyang!” 

 

A small shadow jumped over a bush and charged at Kanghyun.

 

Green leaves fluttering in all directions, something with a round appearance hopped as if flying.

 

“Kkyang!”

 

The creature, running over while wagging its tail wildly, began to lick Kanghyun’s cheek with its tongue.

 

“Kking, kkiing!”

 

* * *

 

【SYSTEM】  

< Detected crop that has finished growing within the Gate >

<Mission: Recover the first harvested crop and check its quality> 

<Reward: D-rank Survival Points + Bonus based on the rank of the grown crop> 

<※ Caution: Failure to harvest will result in point deduction and decrease in growth value>

 

“Oh? It finished growing already?” 

 

Hana was impressed. 

 

It felt like it hadn’t even been a week since she planted the seed. It was a truly phenomenal growth speed.

 

“I knew it from the moment it swallowed my potatoes whole.”

 

Hana looked at one side of the empty potato patch with sad eyes.

 

Still, since she gave up the potatoes and got a new crop, does that make them even?

 

“Let’s think positively.”

 

Right. Although the greenhouse garden had become a bit hollow, it had found peace again. 

 

After dusting the soil off her hands with satisfaction, Hana pulled a cart out from the shed. 

 

Loading sacks of fertilizer onto it, she opened the doggy door leading to the gate garden.

 

Still, because her level had gone up a bit, the entrance had gotten larger, so passing through with this much was a breeze now.

 

Squinting at the white light pouring from the doggy door, she passed through, and a fresh breeze blew over.

 

As her bangs flipped from the cool wind, Hana’s eyes sparkled as she smiled.

 

“Nice. Peaceful again today.”

 

In just one week, the gate garden had completely changed 180 degrees.

 

Lush green grass. Healthy soil.

 

You couldn’t find the wasteland from before no matter how hard you looked.

 

“It’s my own skill, but it’s still amazing.” 

 

Clatter, clatter. 

 

Pulling the cart into the garden, Hana narrowed her eyes.

 

“Huh? What is that?”

 

A round, unidentified presence was approaching.

 

Perhaps because its legs were short. Hopping along with a thump thump.

 

“Kkiang!”

 

The bizarre creature leaped high and charged toward Hana as if to dive into her arms. 

 

“Ack!”

 

Hana reflexively pulled out her shovel. 

 

Then, seeing the appearance of the attacking presence, she blinked rapidly.

 

A cute head with green leaves and a body like a white cotton ball.

 

Kernels resembling corn were attached squishily, and something similar to roots hung from its legs.

 

And on top of that, a wagging tail.

 

At first glance, it looked like a puppy, but looking closely, there were corn kernels stuck to its forehead.

 

“Wait a minute, what are you? You’re a monster, right? Why is a monster here?”

 

【SYSTEM】

 <Mission Success! Crop recovery complete.> 

<This entity is the growth result of a ‘Rare Rank Crop-type Monster Seed’.> 

<Name: Sweet Corn Sprout Lv.1> 

<Attribute: Plant/Fire/Healing/Detoxification> 

<Disposition: Docile>

 

“This… is what I planted?”

 

No. You said it was a crop. 

 

【SYSTEM】 

 

<The ‘Sweet Corn Sprout’ recognizes User ‘Yoon Hana’ as its master.> 

< Combat Power: None >

 <※ This entity is a bound non-combat monster, strictly for support.>

 

“To think it’s a bound monster. Aren’t all monsters hostile towards humans?”

 

The monster, which had settled between Hana’s legs as if it were its own home, wagged its tail wildly.

 

Her bewilderment at a combination she was seeing for the first time in her life, and a monster abruptly throwing itself into a person’s arms, was only brief.

 

Hana’s fingers twitched.

 

Looking at its cute appearance, the urge to pet it surged up uncontrollably.

 

Unable to hold back, she stroked the fluffy fur, and the monster rubbed its face against Hana’s leg before curling its body into a ball.

 

Trembling as if it felt good, the monster unfurled its back.

 

Pop! Pop pop pop!

 

The lumps that looked like corn kernels popped up white briefly.

 

A small flame puffed out from the monster’s round snout, and the corn kernels fluttering in the air popped, scattering popcorn everywhere. 

 

“…What, this is popcorn?”