Chapter 6
“Growing potatoes in one day? That’s nonsense.”
Even as he loaded the potatoes onto the truck, his uncle grumbled about why he had to give them away in one day after buying them.
“Please hurry back.”
“I know, I know.”
The next day, evening.
His uncle, who had finished work, gave in to Woojin’s enthusiasm and left the house with the truck.
The first person he visited was his friend of 40 years who lived in Okcheon.
He was one of his best friends who had been with him since Okcheon Elementary School.
He was also the benefactor who introduced him to the new world of computer dramas and games.
“Hey, come out.”
“What? Baek Jin-hyung really came?”
“Of course. Do you think I was lying?”
“Why did you suddenly say you were going to throw potatoes at me? I thought it was a joke. And what’s with the potatoes?”
“My nephew asked me to bring them as a gift.”
“Woojin?”
“Yeah.”
Woojin’s uncle, Baek Jin-hyung, took out a box of potatoes from the cargo bed.
They looked ripe and delicious to cook and eat.
His best friend Kim Joo-han took the box from him.
“Does he farm?”
He had already heard through the phone that Woojin had taken a leave of absence and came down to Okcheon.
“Do I have any land?”
“That’s true. Then did you order them from somewhere else?”
“Yeah. Woojin bought them.”
“Woojin is really nice. He even gave potatoes as a gift to his uncle’s friend.”
“Anyway, enjoy them. Are you coming over tonight?”
“Hmm, it might be hard on weekdays. I have to watch out for my wife too.”
“Okay. Then I guess I’ll have to watch some drama tonight.”
Baek Jin-hyung muttered with a disappointed face and left.
“Honey, what did you get?”
As soon as he entered the house, his wife came out to the entrance.
“Potatoes.”
“Potatoes? This many?”
“I guess my nephew wanted to give them as a gift.”
“Oh my, thank you.”
His wife liked to eat potatoes and sweet potatoes.
There would be a lot of potatoes on the dinner table tonight.
As expected, tonight’s dinner was a potato field.
From potato soup to potato stir-fry.
And even a salad made from mashed potatoes.
“Uh… there are a lot of potatoes?”
“So you don’t like it?”
“I love it so much.”
It was because there were so many potatoes. His wife’s cooking skills were top-notch.
Kim Joo-han picked up some potato stir-fry with his chopsticks and tasted it.
“Oh, what is this? The potato stir-fry is amazing?”
It was already top-notch, but this potato stir-fry was the best ever.
He didn’t know how she seasoned the potatoes, but the sweetness and saltiness were harmonious, and there was an appetizing flavor that made him reach for more.
He reflected on himself for being disappointed that it was a potato field today.
His wife smiled happily at Kim Joo-han’s eating.
“It’s delicious, right? The potatoes we got this time are really tasty.”
“The potatoes? Not sweet potatoes, but potatoes are all the same, aren’t they?”
“No way~ Don’t you feel it while eating the potatoes?”
“Definitely…”
These potatoes.
They were different from ordinary plain potatoes.
It was his first time having potatoes that made him keep reaching for them.
“Honey, call your friend and ask where he bought these potatoes.”
“Huh? You want to buy some?”
“We have to buy more when we run out. These are the most delicious potatoes I’ve ever had.”
His wife also exclaimed as she ate the potatoes.
Although it was only potatoes, the dinner table was warm and cozy.
“I’ll have to dig up the rest of the potatoes later.”
As soon as he got off work today, his uncle said he had given four boxes to his friends and declared that he would leave them alone for now because he was tired and locked himself in his room.
“I think he’s not tired, but just making an excuse. Right, Uyu?”
“Meow-”
Uyu also agreed with a positive cry.
“Then that one box is… I’ll have to give it to Yoojung.”
I’ll have to go to Seoul sometime soon.
Then what about the potatoes in the field?
He dug up five boxes, but there were still a lot more potatoes left.
“I’ll have to think about it after I come back from traveling.”
The next destination is another dimension.
He had camped by the lake, so this time he wanted to go a little further away.
He planned to pull out the truck after choosing a place.
It would be a loss for him if something happened while driving the truck in another world.
[You have spent more than 100 hours in the space.]
[A new ability has been unlocked.]
[The lock on coordinate setting is released.]
He was taking out the battery to prepare for camping, when a new message popped up.
It was the same hologram message as when the previous dimension opened.
But this time, it wasn’t a dimension, but a different ability that was unlocked.
“Coordinate setting?”
Hunters have their own unique abilities.
The system window is a privilege that only awakeners can enjoy, and it varies slightly depending on the ability.
In front of Woojin’s eyes, there were two huge maps.
They were so large that they were rolled up thickly.
[Coordinate Setting]
-Set the desired area as a coordinate and open the space.
-However, you must be inside the space to use it.
Isn’t this a completely cheating ability?
Does that mean I can just mark the coordinates and move around whenever I feel like it?
Woojin unfolded one of the rolled-up maps.
Then a huge map that filled the entire space appeared.
[Earth No. 1127]
It was a map that marked all the regions of Earth.
“So I can go abroad just by marking it?”
The current arrow was pointing to Okcheon, Korea.
If he got bored of domestic travel, he could go abroad anytime he wanted.
Then what about the next map?
He rolled up the map again and unfolded the next roll.
[Argonia No. 223]
Argonia.
It was the name of the dimension that Woojin could cross over to.
Argonia had a similar shape to Earth.
“So I was in the Lefre Forest.”
The arrow pointed to the Lefre Forest, located in the southern part of the continent.
“Wow, the range of choices has increased a lot, huh?”
Woojin pondered with the map of Argonia spread out.
The scenery of the lake had captivated his heart in an instant.
Then wouldn’t there be other nice places besides the lake?
He felt like it would be a new feeling wherever he went since it wasn’t Earth.
Woojin decided to set the coordinates to the Raul Mountains in the north.
Then the portal disappeared and a new portal appeared.
The dense mountain peaks in the background were passing by like a carousel.
“Since it’s a mountain range… I guess the truck is a bit too much?”
Woojin turned his gaze to the tent he had tucked away in the corner.
He had to change his plan.
This time, he would go camping instead of car camping.
He entered the house to tell his uncle that he would go to Seoul for a while.
“Woojin! Why are you so late!”
He sensed that there was something else going on with his uncle’s enthusiastic greeting.
“What is it this time?”
“Well… it’s about the potatoes.”
“Potatoes?”
“Yeah! Where did you buy them?”
He still didn’t believe him when he said he grew them himself.
“…”
When Woojin narrowed his eyes, his uncle awkwardly smiled and scratched his head.
“My friend said he really liked the potatoes and asked me to tell him where I bought them.”
“I told you I grew them myself, didn’t I?”
“Hey… honestly, if you say you grew potatoes in less than a day, who would believe you?”
“Anyway, I’m going to Seoul for a while, so just know that.”
“Why are you going to Seoul all of a sudden?”
“I’m going to give Yoojung some of the remaining box of potatoes.”
“Tell me where you bought them before you go.”
“I told you I grew them myself, didn’t I?”
“…Really?”
“Yes. There are still a lot of potatoes left to dig up. Tell me when you run out of potatoes. I can give you some more.”
His uncle backed down at his firm attitude.
“I don’t get it… how did you grow them in one day?”
“There’s a way.”
“Is that one of your abilities too?”
“It’s not an ability. I just got some help from outside.”
“I don’t understand very well, but anyway, you’re saying you grew them…?”
“Yes.”
“Woojin, you’re my proud nephew.”
His uncle hugged Woojin tightly.
“Wow, what’s with the change of attitude after doubting me all this time?”
“I believe you now!”
He was speechless.
Raul Mountains.
Woojin crossed over from the space and set up his camera and climbed up the mountain.
He captured every tree and plant that he couldn’t see in the Lefre Forest with his camera.
He had been climbing hard for three hours.
Woojin stopped at the foot of the mountain peak.
“Should I pitch my tent here?”
It would be awkward to set up a tent if he went any further.
Woojin chose a spot under a rock he had marked on his way up and took out the camping equipment he had stored in the space.
He set up the tent first.
It was a four-person tent that he bought second-hand online.
He laid out a camping mat inside and tucked away a sleeping bag rolled up in a corner.
It would be dark at night, so he installed LED lanterns inside and outside the tent.
“I’ve secured a place to sleep.”
Woojin unfolded a camping chair and a folding table in front of the tent.
Finally, he set up his camera on a tripod in front of and around the tent and launched a drone into the sky.
The scenery captured from the top of the mountain was very beautiful.
He felt like he understood why people liked climbing mountains.
“Uyu, do you want to come out?”
Uyu, who was curled up in the nursery in the space, ran over and hugged him.
“Meow.”
Uyu licked Woojin’s palm hard as if he was lonely.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you alone.”
He reflected on himself for neglecting Uyu because he was preparing for camping.
Woojin took out some formula, a cat bottle and a thermos filled with warm water from his backpack.
He had been soaking dry food to make it easier for him to chew, but he wanted to give him some formula as well as food, so he bought it.
Fortunately, Uyu seemed to like it and sucked on the bottle filled with formula.
“Eat a lot and grow up fast.”
A baby cat that was still small enough to fit in one hand.
He wished he would grow up healthy as soon as possible.
Uyu emptied the bottle of formula.
Then he yawned and went into the tent, satisfied with his fullness.
“Then shall we have dinner?”
Tonight’s dinner was curry.
Of course, he didn’t plan to use fire.
“That’s why I prepared this.”
What Woojin took out was a self-heating lunch box that looked like a combat ration.
Since he came camping in the mountains, he wanted to eat something suitable for safety.
“It works with cold water too.”
He took out all the contents and put rice and curry sauce in a small pack according to his preference.
Then he poured some self-heating pack and cold water into a large pack, and finally put the pack with food in it and zipped it tightly.
Then the cold water inside started to boil slightly and steam rose up.
“It’s done.”
He waited for 10 minutes and the rice inside was fully cooked.
Woojin took out the pack with rice and put another ziplock bag with boiled potatoes in the large pack and zipped it again.
There was still some heat left, so he didn’t want to waste it and decided to heat up some potatoes to eat.
Thud thud.
Then, he heard footsteps nearby.
Woojin quickly went to the tent and took care of Uyu first.
If it was a beast, he planned to open the space and escape.
Soon, the owner of the footsteps showed himself.
“Huh…?”
The owner of the footsteps was none other than a person.
And a young boy who looked about 10 years old.
Woojin’s guard was somewhat lowered.
“What? It was just a kid.”
“Smells delicious…”
The boy’s eyes were fixed on the curry rice that Woojin had put down.
“Huh?”
Woojin narrowed his eyes slightly.
For some reason, he understood all the incomprehensible language that the boy uttered.
