Chapter 7
I wasn’t sure what part of my clumsy hoeing made her think that,
but I swallowed a bitter smile and answered quietly.
“No, I’m not.”
I’d already quit the guild, and my body was so messed up that I couldn’t even hold a mana gun anymore.
I couldn’t call myself a hunter now.
“That so…”
The old woman’s tone held a faint trace of disappointment.
She looked off somewhere far away for a moment, then suddenly turned around to head back home.
Ah, no. I couldn’t let her leave like that.
“Wait, Grandma! Just a moment, please!”
“Huh? You got something else to plant?”
“Just—wait a second!”
I dashed into the house, grabbed a few things — the moving-in gift (a set of tonics from <Baekam Guild>) and the corn rice cakes and sikhye I’d bought earlier at the market — then hurried back outside.
“This isn’t much, but… thank you for helping me today.”
“……”
“Uh, Grandma!”
She didn’t even look at what I was offering. Instead, she turned briskly and headed straight home.
I tried to follow her, but she walked surprisingly fast — within moments, I heard the sound of her gate opening next door.
Was the gift too shabby?
No way — that tonic was really good stuff.
Maybe I should’ve brought something else instead.
Just as I was lost in thought—
Creak.
The gate opened again.
The old woman reappeared, holding a heavy black plastic bag.
“Here. Take this.”
When I opened it, it was full of big, plump sweet potatoes.
“I grew them myself. Try them.”
She didn’t look at me as she handed them over, just turned and walked back toward her house.
I hurriedly called after her.
“Thank you! I’ll enjoy them!”
Her back barely moved — just the faintest nod, as if she were shy.
Now I had a pile of big, delicious-looking sweet potatoes.
“Mmm, it smells so good, darling! How do you eat these?”
I could boil or steam them, but since it was a special occasion, I decided to make roasted sweet potatoes.
I’d always wanted to try it — roasting them in an old-fashioned furnace.
There was still some firewood left in the shed, so I threw it into the furnace, lit the fire, and wrapped the cleaned sweet potatoes in foil before putting them inside.
[The Mythic Dimensional Dragon’s Blessing ‘Blessing of Cooking’ has been activated.]
A status window appeared right in front of my eyes.
Now that I thought about it, it didn’t appear when I bought those glutinous rice donuts at the market.
‘So it only works when I personally cook something, huh.’
For something called a dragon’s blessing, it felt kind of modest.
Anyway, now I just had to wait.
Crackle, crackle—
I stared blankly into the flickering flames, lost in thought.
Before I knew it, it was night.
Even though it was spring, the evening air was still chilly — the warmth of the fire made me relax without realizing it.
The sweet smell of roasting sweet potatoes filled the air, and Lor started thumping his tail against the floor impatiently.
“I’m hungry! Is it done yet?!”
“Hmm… just a little longer.”
I soothed the impatient dragonling and tended the fire until I finally pulled the sweet potatoes out with tongs.
“Ah, hot!”
Even with gloves, they were scorching.
I carefully peeled back the foil, revealing perfectly roasted sweet potatoes — their skins slightly charred and fragrant.
Crunch—
When I split one open, the crisp skin cracked apart, revealing golden flesh that glistened like honey.
They looked absolutely perfect.
“Wow!”
The rich, sweet aroma spread through the air, and Lor lunged forward in excitement.
“Lor, careful. It’s hot, so slowly—”
“…Hot! H-hot!!!”
“You didn’t listen, did you.”
After calming the poor creature down, we sat side by side and tasted the roasted sweet potatoes together.
Steam rose gently from the golden halves, glowing in the firelight.
“Phew… ha…”
I blew softly and took a bite.
A deep sweetness spread through my mouth, filling every corner.
Even though it was hot, the texture melted like snow on my tongue.
The sweetness was so rich, my hands wouldn’t stop reaching for more.
“wow… I can’t believe something this delicious exists…”
[<Cooking> Roasted Sweet Potato]
Roasted directly over fire in a furnace.
A honey-sweet roasted sweet potato.Lor’s Gourmet Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
Lor’s One-Line Review: “Ahhhh! Don’t burn your tongue!”
Lor clearly loved it.
But something still felt missing… ah, that’s right.
I went into the kitchen and brought out some milk.
I poured a cup full of creamy white milk — only then realizing how dry my throat had gotten.
A sip cooled my mouth instantly, washing away the sweetness and leaving a soft, refreshing finish.
The combination was perfect.
“…Hmmmm, this white liquid is delicious too!”
Lor grinned, his mouth covered in milk foam.
It had been a fulfilling day.
I’d gone to the market, tended the field, and even got these sweet potatoes as a gift.
My guild days had been busier,
but this quiet, peaceful satisfaction…
it filled me in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time.
I looked up at the night sky.
Unlike in Seoul, it was full of stars.
And for a brief moment, I thought—
“I’m glad I came here.”
“One more! I want another!”
“Alright, alright.”
His appetite never stopped, breaking my calm thoughts with laughter.
I peeled another sweet potato for him.
It really was delicious.
After a day of work and a full stomach of roasted sweet potatoes, sleep came easily that night.
I’d gone to the market, tended the field, and even received these delicious sweet potatoes.
Even though life in the guild had been much busier, a completely different kind of fulfillment filled my chest now.
I lifted my head and looked up at the sky.
Unlike in Seoul, it was brimming with stars.
And suddenly, a thought crossed my mind—
“I’m glad I came here.”
“One more! I want to eat another one!”
“Alright, alright.”
This dragon’s appetite never gave me a moment to stay sentimental.
I chuckled and peeled another roasted sweet potato for Lor.
Mmm, delicious.
After a full afternoon of farm work and a full stomach, drowsiness soon crept over me.
Having eaten our fill of roasted sweet potatoes, Lor and I fell asleep early that night.
And then, the next morning.
Thud! Thud!
I woke up to the sound of something heavy knocking against the wooden floor.
“ Got it!”
What now? Was Lor playing around again?
Still half-asleep, I fumbled for my phone and checked the time — 6 a.m.
Back in the day, I’d already be up and getting ready for work by now.
But I wasn’t a hunter anymore.
“Ughhh…”
I set the phone aside and closed my eyes again.
Sleep started to take me once more.
I’d worked hard yesterday — I deserved to sleep in today.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“haha! Finally caught it! …Munch, munch.”
Lor’s cheerful voice — followed by a sound of chewing.
Instantly, my sleep vanished like it had been splashed with cold water.
Wait— caught what?
<…What did you catch?>
<A brown… small… thing with legs…>
<N-no, stop right there!>
<Why? I’m just helping!>
No way.
A brown, small thing… with legs…?
“Oh no…”
I shot up and flung the door open.
In the yard sat Lor’s small, round backside.
“Lor!”
He didn’t even turn around — he was digging at the dirt with his little claws.
Then, with a satisfied motion, he scooped something up and put it straight into his mouth.
From the distance, I couldn’t make out exactly what it was,
but it was brown… small… and had legs.
A shiver ran down my spine.
I sprinted toward him, shouting in panic.
“Lor, no! Bad! Drop it!”
“Munch, munch…”
“Don’t eat that! If you do, no breakfast for you!”
“…Bye! Byeeee!”
At the mention of breakfast, Lor froze and reluctantly spat out whatever was in his mouth.
Phew.
At least we avoided the worst-case scenario.
I grabbed a long stick and cautiously approached to throw away whatever it was.
I wasn’t scared of bugs. Definitely not.
“Ugh…”
It’s not moving, right?
…Right?
Turning my head away, eyes squeezed shut, I nudged the brown thing with the stick—
“Thank you for saving me.”
“…Huh? Lor, did you just say something?”
“What? I said nothing!”
Weird. I was sure I’d just heard a deep, steady voice.
I glanced around, searching for the source,
when the polite voice came again.
“Down here.”
It was coming from near my feet.
When I looked down, I saw… a small lump of dirt.
Half of its body was damp with dragon drool,
and the tiny dirt clump was waving at me.
Apparently, what Lor had been chewing wasn’t a bug at all —
it was this little clod of living dirt.
“…So it wasn’t a bug.”
“Hey! Why would I eat something like that? Give me breakfast already!”
“Well, I mean…”
He had only said “a small brown thing with legs,”
never that it was a bug — but still.
Anyone in the countryside would think of insects first,
not some oddly-shaped, talking lump of earth.
“Phew… got scared for nothing this morning.”
Wait— no, hold on.
That dirt clump talked, didn’t it?
I crouched down and took a closer look.
It was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand,
with crudely shaped arms, legs, and even a little face.
It looked exactly like a clay figurine.
“…You’re the one who spoke?”
“Yes, that was me.”
Despite its tiny, adorable appearance, the clay doll’s voice was firm and dignified.
