My Reliable Friend… Is a Fighter?

Garum began making the scarecrow with clumsy hands!

First, he rolled up a white shirt into a ball and stuffed it with cotton.

Then came the face drawing.

“You have no talent for drawing, do you?”

“Shut up!”

With trembling hands, Garum drew a face that looked… somewhat scary.

“That looks stupid.”

Kang Jungbae threw in a rude comment, but Garum ignored him.

He stuck the mop handle into the completed head and tied the neck with rope.

Then he struggled to attach the arms and get the work uniform on.

“Wouldn’t it be better to put the uniform on first and then attach the arms?”

“……”

Garum undid the arms, put the uniform on, and this time the process went more smoothly.

After reattaching the arms and placing a straw hat on, it was finished.

It looked a bit unsettling, but scarecrows were supposed to scare things off, so appearance didn’t matter.

Garum dragged the scarecrow—about his own height—to the center of the planted field.

Then he shouted:

“My Reliable Friend!”

The moment he shouted, he felt something drain out of his body.

What would happen now?

With a pounding heart, he stared at the scarecrow.

Nothing happened.

Even after waiting, nothing changed.

“I told you it was pointless.”

Kang Jungbae smirked and walked up to it, casually flicking the straw hat.

It bothered Garum.

He had put effort into making it, after all.

“Don’t—”

Before he could say “don’t,” Garum and Park Deokpal saw something bizarre.

The scarecrow’s arm suddenly twisted smoothly and struck Kang Jungbae in the neck.

“Ggahk!”

And that wasn’t all.

Left hook, right hook—its movements were sharp and fast.

The two could only gape as the scarecrow beat Kang Jungbae relentlessly.

“Aaagh! Stop! Ack!”

Recovering late, Kang Jungbae swung his fists back, but the scarecrow’s thin body made it hard to hit.

“What the hell is this?!”

Eventually, the one-sided battle ended only because Kang Jungbae managed to escape out of the field.

“What the— that thing’s insane! Why is the scarecrow moving?!”

He yelled while backing away, but the scarecrow stood still again.

“Hey, Park Deokpal. Go closer.”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“No thanks.”

He shook his head.

“Then you go.”

Garum walked over without hesitation.

‘As expected.’

It didn’t attack its master.

“Hit it once.”

Thwack.

He tapped it lightly, but the scarecrow didn’t move.

“Wow, it can distinguish people?”

“Of course it can, hyungnim.”

“Whose side are you on?”

“The side that’s winning!”

“Fine. I was caught off guard earlier. Round two!”

Kang Jungbae charged at the scarecrow again.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Garum warned, but he clearly didn’t hear.

“Hiyahhh!”

With a loud shout, Kang Jungbae uppercut the scarecrow.

It immediately returned the same uppercut back at him.

“Ggghh!”

Then came the repeated “pig being slaughtered” noises.

“You’re not going to stop him?”

Garum, already out of the field, asked Park Deokpal.

“Well, hyungnim should get some exercise sometimes.”

Was that exercise?

It was just one-sided beating.

Garum narrowed his eyes but didn’t interfere.

The “fight”—or rather, the beating—ended only after Kang Jungbae crawled out of the field.

After things calmed down, Garum checked the scarecrow’s status window.

[Scarecrow made by a novice farmer.
Repels those who invade the field.
Grows stronger the more hits it takes.
Does not attack registered individuals.

Current craftable quantity: 0

Registered: Park Garum (Master)]

It seemed the number he could create increased with level.

And “registered individuals”… That must be for his field workers.

‘I should register those two as well.’

Entertaining as the beating was, he needed them for work.

Registration was simple: touch the scarecrow and say their names.

Kang Jungbae had simply suffered for nothing.

Days passed with them working diligently.

Aside from Lee Jaehun visiting once every evening, nothing special happened.

Or so Garum thought.

After all, he didn’t know anyone here.

So he didn’t hear the rumors spreading.

Haechi Guild Laboratory.

A researcher returning from lunch rushed to Im Hyena.

“Directorrr!”

“What?”

“Do you know what I heard outside?!”

“What is it?”

“They said our Guild Leader has a lover now!”

Im Hyena spit out her tea.

“Cough—! What nonsense is that?!”

“I thought so too, but apparently it’s true!”

“If you have time for nonsense, finish the research on the new potatoes and sweet potatoes.”

“But it’s real! They said he brought someone from outside, and he visits their room every evening! And he even gave them an artificial farm!”

In reality, the land was given for farming.

But others firmly believed he gifted already cultivated farmland to his lover.

“An artificial farm! You know how expensive that is!”

“I know. But is that really possible? People have liked the Guild Leader before, but they were all ignored—worse than the potted plant he dotes on.”

“Maybe this person can even love that potted plant?”

“Why not assume they’re a healer who can heal plants?”

“No way. You know healers can’t heal anything except animals.”

The researcher grinned.

“Same for potions. They tried it before, but it was impossible.”

“That’s true.”

“Well, it’s good, right? People even called the Guild Leader impotent before.”

“Please shut your mouth.
Shut it and work.
That’s better for both of us.”

“Shut my mouth? Like this?”

She zipped her lips with her fingers and acted like she couldn’t open them.

“Mmmph!”

“I can’t live like this.”

Im Hyena scratched her head and sighed deeply.

Later, she would learn the rumor wasn’t false.

In fact—
it had already spread everywhere and become accepted as truth.