The Farmer’s Growth

Garam didn’t believe that Lee Jaehun was really a Ranker.

Sure, there couldn’t possibly be two lunatics in the world who carried around flowerpots everywhere they went — but still, imitation was common.

Wherever there’s a number one, there’s always some wannabe trying to copy him.

‘He’s probably just that kind of guy.’

After all, what kind of Ranker would live quietly in the middle of nowhere like this?

Jaehun occasionally went out to clear monsters from the area, but for the most part, he lived a silent, uneventful life.

‘If he were the real one, he’d be climbing the Tower, not stuck here babysitting me.’

Either way, it didn’t matter.

Whether Jaehun was a Ranker or not, Garam still couldn’t escape.

His days were filled with tending the fields and taking care of that damned flowerpot.

‘That cursed flowerpot!’

Garam sighed and tilted his watering can.

He had worried there wouldn’t be enough water, but it turned out to hold plenty — enough for all 150 seeds he had planted.

By the time he finished watering them all, his arms felt like jelly.

Ding!

A pleasant chime echoed in the air, and a translucent blue window appeared in front of him.

[You planted seeds for the first time.
EXP +1]

It popped up about 150 times.

“What kind of inefficient grind is this…”

Garam’s whole body trembled with frustration — but the notifications didn’t stop.

“Why’s he shaking like that again?”

“No idea, hyung.”

Those idiots.

Garam shot the two of them a glare, then turned back to the floating messages.

[You watered plants for the first time.
EXP +1]

That message appeared 150 more times.

He stared blankly into space, exhausted, until finally — a different message appeared.

[Level Up!
You have reached Level 2.]

[Quest: Use your skills to build proficiency.
Grow crops from your Starter Seed Set.
Each successful harvest grants +2 EXP.]

“So that’s what Jaehun meant.”

Garam nodded to himself.

It was time to use his skill.

‘Sunlight’s Touch!’

A skill that could help plants grow — or heal them slightly.

He focused on the nearest seed and shouted,

“Sunlight’s Touch!”

Nothing happened.

‘Of course.’

What had he expected?

He sighed in defeat, until Jaehun stepped out of the house and set down a box beside him.

Inside were rows and rows of blue mana potions.

“…No way.”

Jaehun nodded silently.

Of course.

Time for another round of mana-fueled torture.

Garam groaned but raised his hand again, repeating the skill over and over as Jaehun watched.

By the time the moon was high, Jaehun finally let him rest.

Still — there were results.

Tiny sprouts were poking through the dirt.

“By the way,” Jung-bae muttered nearby, “what even is his class? Who yells something that fancy every five seconds?”

“Maybe he’s an alchemist?” Deok-pal guessed.

“I’m a farmer,” Garam said flatly.

“Farmer? That’s not even a real class!”

“It is now.”

“Hey, you gonna stop talking down to me or what?”

“I’ll respect you when you earn it.”

Ignoring the grumbling behind him, Garam smiled down at his newborn sprouts.

It had been so long since he’d seen something alive that wasn’t trying to eat him.

Just looking at those fragile green shoots made his heart swell.

Fresh carrots.

Sweet potatoes.

Potatoes.

Real food.

The thought alone made his mouth water.

Fresh carrots had that crisp, earthy sweetness — delicious raw or cooked.

And maybe, just maybe, he could sneak a little cooking oil from the kitchen later.

He’d seen a bottle there once when Jaehun wasn’t around.

Garam’s heart fluttered with small, silly dreams.

‘My precious little sprouts… you’re so cute.’

Before he knew it, he had grown attached.

He even named some of them — Carrot 1, Carrot 2, Carrot 3.

The sweet potatoes and potatoes each got their own grand titles too.

Even Jaehun’s grueling exercise routines couldn’t dampen Garam’s spirits now.

He was too busy dreaming about his crops — until Jaehun ruined the mood.

“You smell.”

“…Do I smell that bad?”

Well, maybe.

It wasn’t like he’d had many chances to bathe — clean water was rare, and he’d mostly relied on rain.

And it’s not like the other two smelled any better.

Jaehun nodded and pushed him toward a small room in the back.

To Garam’s shock, it was a shower room.

There was even running water!

No temperature control, but still — water was water.

For the first time in ages, Garam scrubbed himself clean with soap, rinsing off layers of grime.

‘If only I could trim my hair too…’

He glanced in the mirror and spotted a pair of scissors in the corner.

Without hesitation, he snipped away his long bangs.

He’d grown them out to hide his face, but now… maybe that wasn’t necessary anymore.

‘Sure, the world’s full of creeps.’

‘But at least this one’s not that kind of creep.’

Jaehun was insane, sure — always hugging that flowerpot and threatening to chop off limbs — but not in that way.

When Garam stepped out, drying his hair with a towel, Jaehun was standing by the table, staring intently at his flowerpot again.

‘Yep. Definitely insane.’

Who the hell adored a potted plant like that?

No one — except the man standing right in front of him.

“I’m done showering,” Garam announced proudly.

He even had new clothes on — a simple farmer’s outfit, the reward from leveling up.

No special stats, but who cared? It was clean, and that was enough.

Jaehun glanced at him once — then went back to his plant.

He didn’t seem remotely interested in Garam’s appearance.

Only the flower mattered.

‘That’s fine. I prefer it that way.’

Garam yawned.

It was getting late.

He quietly lay down on the floor again, just like the night before.

There was a sofa, but… somehow, it didn’t feel right to sleep there.

“Sleep on the sofa.”

“…Really?”

Jaehun nodded.

Delighted, Garam climbed up.

The sofa was soft — gloriously soft compared to the cold, hard floor.

Within minutes, exhaustion swept him away.

His eyes closed, and sleep took him.

Early the next morning, Garam yawned as he made his way to the field.

“Morning!”

“Morning, my ass,” Jung-bae grumbled.

“Calm down, hyung,” Deok-pal sighed.

“You always tell me to calm down! I’ve been calm for days! Wait, hold up — who the hell is that?”

“Are you talking about me?” Garam squinted.

“Who else? You sound the same, but you look different.”

Deok-pal turned, blinking in surprise.

“Wait, seriously… who are you?”

“Park Garam. Did you forget my name already?”

“That’s not it,” Deok-pal muttered.

Jung-bae smacked him on the back.

“Don’t lie. I didn’t recognize him either.”

“Because I’m clean now?”

“That, and you actually look decent with your bangs cut. Why didn’t you do that sooner?”

“Because out there, it’s safer to stay hidden.”

Garam knew his own face wasn’t bad — too soft, even pretty.

And in a world crawling with lunatics, that was dangerous.

Better to stay unseen.

‘At least Jaehun doesn’t seem interested in people’s looks.’

‘Or anything that isn’t his flowerpot.’

And as for these two…

Well, they were slaves like him.

He’d realized over time that Jung-bae and Deok-pal weren’t bad people — just beaten into obedience.

And as long as Jaehun was around, they were safe.

“Anyway! Let’s get to work!”

“Didn’t you already plant the seeds? What’s left?”

“Yeah, what else can we even do?”

“I’ve got plenty to do,” Garam said cheerfully.

“We don’t.”

That was fair.

They’d been brought here to move rocks, not farm.

“Fine. Let’s ask if we can go outside, then.”

Jung-bae puffed up his chest.

“Think he’ll say yes, hyung?” Deok-pal asked.

“If not, I’ll make him say yes!”

Jung-bae marched to the front door and knocked loudly.

A short “conversation” followed — mostly the kind that involved fists.

When he came back out, both eyes were swollen.

“From now on,” he wheezed, “I’m the bodyguard.”

He tried to grin heroically, which only made him look more pitiful.

“I’ll protect you with my life, kid.”

“Can you even fight?” Deok-pal asked, rubbing his own bruises.

“Of course! I’m a tank!”

“Where’s your shield?”

“…I used to have a really cool one, but someone made me lose it.”

That someone was obvious.

“I’m a berserker,” Deok-pal said with a crooked smile.

“The kind that goes crazy when they see blood?”

“Not until I activate the skill.”

“Great.”

Both of them sounded terribly unreliable.

Garam gave them a long, skeptical look — then turned back to his sprouts.

Better to spend his energy where it mattered.

“Hehehe, you’ve grown so much, my little ones.”

He smiled creepily as he stroked the tender leaves.

“Yeah,” Jung-bae muttered behind him. “He’s not normal either.”

Garam ignored him completely.

He had more important things to care about.

Like his plants — and the small, fragile hope they represented.