The SSS-Class Hunter’s Garden Log Chapter 54

Hana immediately shook her head.

 

“Ey, working you like a slave, what do you mean? Let’s call it cooperation.” 

 

And bending deeply at her waist, she expressed her gratitude to Kanghyun. 

 

“I resolved it safely thanks to Seo Kanghyun-ssi. I’m truly grateful. As a reward for today, I’ll help with whatever I can.”

 

It was a greeting filled with sincerity, devoid of any playfulness.

 

Faced with this, Kanghyun had nothing more to say.

 

It was absurd, but it was awkward to argue further when she bowed her head like that.

 

Above all, it was practically the same as him helping voluntarily.

 

Kanghyun rubbed the furrow between his brows to smooth it out.

 

At first, he intended to observe her because she resembled his senior, but somehow, as the time they spent together increased, he felt more and more like he was being swayed by Yoon Hana herself.

 

“It’s fine; there’s no need for a reward. As Yoon Hana-ssi said, these crops were going to come to Haechi anyway.”

 

“I’m even more grateful if you say it like that.”

 

Hana’s cheeks lifted in a beam, and the corners of her eyes curved into half-moons.

 

Perhaps it was because her smile was so bright.

 

Kanghyun almost momentarily forgot that he was inside the Gangnam Station Gate, a place that remained as a hellish memory for him.

 

Kanghyun’s hand, which had been tidying his clothes, faltered.

 

‘…Come to think of it, how am I fine?’

 

Kanghyun realized the fact that he was perfectly fine.

 

Just thinking about this Gangnam Station Gate used to crush him with guilt.

 

Even though he was standing in the middle of it, he didn’t feel like he was dying.

 

Even though this was the place that appeared in his nightmares every day and strangled him.

 

‘Could it be because of Yoon Hana?’

 

Kanghyun looked at Hana, who was crouched down checking the transplanted crops.

 

Then, because Hana suddenly raised her head, Kanghyun’s broad shoulders flinched.

 

“By the way, I can’t use the cabin for a while. Where will Seo Kanghyun-ssi take his naps now?”

 

“…The location doesn’t matter. There’s the guild, too.”

 

“Well, that’s a relief then.”

 

It was then, while such light conversation continued.

 

Hana’s expression gradually stiffened.

 

“Huh?”

 

The leaves of the newly planted potatoes were drooping.

 

It was because the ground where the crops had been transplanted was coarse and parched land.

 

“Ah, right. I can’t just plant them like this.”

 

After a moment of fluster, Hana regained her composure, stood up while dusting off her hands, and cast a new skill.

 

【SYSTEM】

 

<Casting skill ‘Give the Soil Plenty of Nutrients Lv.1 (D-rank)’>

 

As Hana used the skill, the cracked soil turned soft, and the rough surface gradually became moist.

 

Up to this point, it was the same as before.

 

However, perhaps because of the accumulated experience points she had gathered so far, the change didn’t stop there but continued to spread to the surroundings.

 

Even the rough land around the garden gradually changed color.

 

Small sprouts burst forth from between the cracks in the rocks.

 

In an instant, the ground they stood upon transformed into an environment no different from Earth.

 

Watching the process, Kanghyun’s eyelids trembled.

 

The ability to Earthform the ecological environment inside a gate.

 

As far as he knew, there was only one being who could create such a change.

 

Kanghyun caught hold of Hana with a low voice.

 

“What did you just do?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“How did Yoon Hana-ssi use Terraforming?”

 

Kanghyun bit the tender flesh inside his mouth.

 

He kept seeing his Sunbae overlapping with Yoon Hana.

 

Terraforming.

 

Hunter ‘1’ was the only one who could use it.

 

“Terraforming?”

 

Hana, who had no way of knowing Kanghyun’s thoughts, asked back with a face that looked like she truly didn’t know.

 

‘What is Terraforming.’

 

Hana’s round pupils rolled.

 

Now that she thought about it, she felt like she had seen it while looking up various things about hunters after seeing the system window for the first time in the hospital room.

 

That among legendary-rank skills, there was a cheat-level skill that could change the interior of a gate into Earth’s environment.

 

She felt like the name of that skill was Terraforming?

 

Hana’s eyelashes fluttered.

 

Only then did she realize Kanghyun had misunderstood.

 

Because the skill she just used looked, at a glance, like it was changing the ecological environment.

 

‘Actually, I’m just making the soil high-quality so it’s good for farming.’

 

To think it was Terraforming.

 

Hana, feeling unnecessarily bashful at the fact that it was confused with such a massive skill, laughed sheepishly.

 

“Ah, you must have misunderstood. The skill I used is…”

 

However, when she tried to actually say the skill name out loud, the words wouldn’t come easily.

 

Her ears turned slightly red.

 

Just when would she be able to say this damn skill name with dignity?

 

Then, Chirpy suddenly cut in.

 

【SYSTEM】

 

<Surely you aren’t embarrassed by the names I took such care to create? ヾ(｀ε´)ﾉ>

 

Hana was startled.

 

‘Aww, how did it know. It’s too quick-witted.’

 

【SYSTEM】

 

<To not recognize such artistic sensibility. It’s truly sad, sob sob. ᗜ• ̯•̥ᗜ>

 

‘Ayy, alright. I just have to say it, say it.’ 

 

Watching Chirpy prattle on frantically, Hana squeezed her eyes shut.

 

“It’s ‘Give the Soil Plenty of Nutrients’!”

 

“Give the soil… plenty of nutrients?”

 

Kanghyun repeated Hana’s words exactly.

 

And he looked around his surroundings once more. 

 

This was not simply a level where nutrients were added.

 

The texture of the soil and the quality of the air were subtly different.

 

“That can’t be. This is clearly—”

 

However, the moment he was about to bring the word terraforming to his lips once again. 

 

The watch on Kanghyun’s wrist rang sharply, cutting him off.

 

Checking the watch, Kanghyun lowered his eyes for a long time.

 

It was a message from Taegyeom.

 

[Hey, Kanghyun. It’s chaos right now. Hana-ssi’s garden has completely disappeared!]

 

* * *

 

“What do you mean! The crops in the garden suddenly disappeared!”

 

The Vice Chairman, who rushed to Yangpyeong after receiving the news, almost ran toward the garden as soon as he got out of the car.

 

The smell of soil stung his nose.

 

Arriving in front of the garden while gasping for breath, the Vice Chairman’s body froze like a stone statue.

 

“…What.”

 

When he received the call and rushed here, he thought some crazy bastard was talking nonsense.

 

The garden was empty.

 

Truly.

 

As if someone had accurately scooped out only the crops with a giant shovel, only the soil filled with holes remained in the field.

 

The rows of potato leaves and the cherry tomato vines—there was not a single trace left.

 

The Vice Chairman took a step forward.

 

His shoes crushed the dry soil.

 

The crunching sound felt exceptionally loud.

 

“This can’t be happening.”

 

This makes no sense.

 

Until just a moment ago, the goose that laid the golden eggs was here.

 

Thinking about holding Hana’s crops and distributing them at a high price, and offering them to his superiors while taking credit for such precious items.

 

The Vice Chairman, who had been filled with dreams, clutched his head.

 

“No.”

 

The Vice Chairman shook his head frantically as if he couldn’t believe reality.

 

“She must have hidden them somewhere. I’m sure of it.”

 

He began to rummage through the surroundings like a madman.

 

He looked inside the nearby greenhouse and threw open the cabin door.

 

But it was all in vain. Not a single grain of seed remained.

 

Even so, he didn’t give up and snatched the appraisal equipment almost forcefully from the employee’s hand.

 

Then he personally applied the crude, metal-detector-shaped machine to the soil.

 

Beep—.

 

With a refreshing chime, the words <No Response> soon appeared on the machine. 

 

“U-Uuugh!”

 

The Vice Chairman’s face gradually distorted.

 

Soon, he kicked the equipment as if to break it, then picked it up and hurled it outside the garden.

 

A loud clank echoed.

 

“Where did they all go! All those crops! All of them, gone without a trace?!”

 

The Vice Chairman’s roar echoed over the empty garden.

 

* * *

 

While a storm was raging outside like that.

 

The garden inside the Gangnam Station Gate was incredibly peaceful.

 

Green leaves swayed gently in the windless space, and a subtle scent of earth rose from the moistened soil.

 

One by one, people began to gather in the center.

 

“Wow, so you moved the whole garden here?”

 

Yoon Taegyeom, who rushed over as soon as he received the contact, clapped his hands lightly as he looked around the lush green garden that didn’t suit the interior of a gate at all.

 

“Hana-ssi, if you’re going to pull off a massive event like this, you should have at least given me a hint. Do you know how surprised I was when I went to the garden?”

 

“Ahaha, I’m sorry. In my haste, I didn’t consider that far.”

 

Hana scratched the back of her head.

 

Haechan and Choi Kwon, who followed Taegyeom into the gate, also added their words.

 

“Th-that’s right. I was r-really s-surprised. Because everything s-suddenly vanished……. M-moreover, the people from the Hunter Association were roaming around the garden, so it was h-hard to avoid bumping into them.”

 

“Exactly!”

 

“B-but it’s amazing, Hana-ssi. H-how did you change the gate s-soil like this?”

 

Haechan tentatively poked the soil with his finger.

 

Then, his eyes widened at the soft texture.

 

In the midst of that, Choi Kwon was whipping his head around looking for something.

 

“By the way, what about my rice seeds? Did you bring the rice seeds safely too?”