Chapter 14
The morning after finally eating a delicious meal...
I woke up in a wonderful mood.
A smile naturally appeared as I stared at the Mythic seed resting in my palm.
What in the world will come out of this?
A seed left by spirits that ruled the ancient earth.
Whatever emerged had to have incredible farming abilities.
But before planting the Mythic seed, I had something else to take care of.
The potatoes I had planted earlier were finally ready for harvest.
I practically skipped toward the field.
I was excited about planting the mysterious seed.
But honestly...
I was also having far too much fun farming potatoes.
They were responsible for the survival of our tribe, after all.
Holding the stone I used instead of a hoe, I carefully dug through the soil.
[D-Rank Potato harvested.]
[D-Rank Potato harvested.]
Ordinary potatoes appeared one after another.
These were precious food supplies that needed to be stored in the warehouse for the Great Famine approaching this winter.
After finishing the important harvest...
It was time for today’s main event.
“Good. Finally time to plant this.”
I took the from my clothes.
A Mythic item.
Even after looking again, its smooth surface was beautiful.
Where should I plant it?
I chose the absolute best spot.
The center of my field.
Plenty of sunlight.
Good drainage.
I carefully dug a hole.
Then placed the smooth, stone-like seed inside.
As I covered it with soil and gently patted the ground...
I thought I felt something twitch.
Was I imagining things?
Ding!
[You have planted a Mythic Seed!]
[First Achievement Accomplished!]
[Title Acquired: ]
[A large amount of Experience has been acquired.]
[Title Effect: Intelligence +1, Stat Point +1, Fame +1.]
[Special Title Reward: 1 acquired.]
[Special Title Reward: Trait acquired.]
[Level Up!]
[You have reached Level 6.]
[Lv.5 → Lv.6]
[Level increase grants Stat Point +1.]
[Class Skill Proficiency has increased.]
“Huh?”
I stared blankly at the flood of messages covering my vision.
I was used to earning stat points through titles.
But what were these other things?
Random Draw Ticket?
This game had a gacha system too?
And what was this Affinity trait?
Getting this many rewards meant one thing.
This seed must be extremely important within the System.
First...
I should finish planting it.
I patted the soil and activated my skill.
“BARBARIAAN!”
The Warrior’s Roar echoed.
Growth Acceleration entered the seed.
[Mythic Seed - Time Until Germination: 5 days 23:59:00]
“That’s long...”
Normal potatoes only took around two days now.
This was almost three times longer.
But considering it was Mythic...
It actually felt surprisingly short.
More importantly...
The fact that there was a countdown meant it could germinate!
“Grow well.”
I patted the soil.
“Drink good water. Get warm sunlight.”
Then I looked threateningly toward the nearby potato plants.
“Potatoes, don’t steal its food.”
After offering my sincere farmer’s blessing and unnecessarily threatening innocent potatoes, I opened my Status Window.
The new Trait immediately caught my attention.
==========
【Trait Information】
• Name: Affinity
• Type: Passive
【Description】
• Crops grow better.
• Spirits, nature-type magical beasts, and animals feel less hostility toward you and are more likely to like you.
• Slightly increases the chance of taming spirits, nature-type magical beasts, and animals.
==========
“Nice.”
I naturally smiled.
At first glance, it seemed like a simple trait.
But for someone living directly beside the Black Barrier, it was an enormous survival bonus.
What kind of creature will be born?
It was called a Spirit Tree Seed.
Maybe it would be something like the cute earth spirits that appeared in novels and games.
A fairy with translucent wings.
Or perhaps a tiny fluffy creature made from soil.
My heart already began pounding with excitement.
And with that anticipation...
Time, which had felt like it would never move, slowly passed.
Finally...
The morning of the expected germination day arrived.
The sun hadn’t fully risen yet.
Suddenly, a scream tore through the peaceful village.
“Izak! Izak! Big problem!”
The entrance of my tent nearly broke apart as Malko charged inside.
The enormous warrior was shaking as though he had seen a ghost.
Because he was ugly, the sight was somehow even scarier.
“W-What happened?”
“Your field! The shaman’s sacred field!”
His face was pale.
“A strange magical beast appeared! Big problem! Everything is ruined! You need to come immediately!”
My heart dropped.
A magical beast?
In my precious field?
That field contained the potatoes that would protect us through winter.
More importantly...
It contained the Mythic Seed of the Ancient Spirit Tree I had carefully planted.
What if that monster had eaten it?
Oh God.
No!
I didn’t even properly dress.
I grabbed a kitchen knife and ran outside with Malko.
At one side of the village...
Barbarian warriors had already gathered in a circle around my field.
Chief Zakan stood there too.
His greatsword was drawn.
His expression was tense.
“What happened?!”
Strangely...
These fierce, brave barbarian warriors weren’t entering the field.
They were standing outside like nervous dogs that badly needed to use the bathroom.
“Move! I’ll go!”
I pushed through the crowd.
Zakan raised a hand and stopped me.
“Dangerous, Izak.”
His eyes were serious.
“It is extremely violent and dangerous! We cannot lose our precious shaman.”
“Then you go, Zakan.”
“...”
His face stiffened.
Then he quietly looked away.
What the hell were these idiots scared of?
I leaned around Zakan’s wide shoulder.
And the moment I saw what was standing in the middle of my precious field...
My thoughts stopped.
“That is...”
“Scary! Too scary!”
The barbarians whispered fearfully.
In the dim light of dawn...
Something was angrily breathing in the middle of the rows I had carefully dug.
How tall was it?
About the size of my palm?
It was tiny.
Its body was plump.
Round.
