+6 Enhancement.
Rarely, when an enhancement succeeds, it can trigger a continuous success to the next level.
Right now, I managed to reach +6 for the cost of a +2 enhancement.
‘It's like winning 50 million won in the lottery.’
"Are you alright?!"
Startled by my sudden shriek, Belsus came running over in a panic.
He looked greatly shocked to see me throwing rapid punches into the empty air.
"Fuck, fuck, this is crazy!"
"Crazy? Are you talking about me?"
I spun around abruptly. Unable to control the rush of dopamine flooding my brain, I threw my arms around Belsus in a sudden hug.
Ah, but this bastard wasn't wearing a shirt.
My face pressed against his bulky, bare chest, making me feel quite uncomfortable, but even that couldn't stop my absolute euphoria. I threw a few more wild punches into the air.
"Phew..."
After jumping around in excitement, reality began to set in along with a moment of clarity.
Only then did my eyes trace down to the handle I was gripping so tightly.
Right, this isn't a sword, it's a sickle... Hah, if only this had been a sword.
Oh well, it can't be helped.
"Hey."
Belsus, who had been watching me with concerned eyes as if wondering if I had gone mad, flinched when I turned my gaze to him. He cautiously asked me what was wrong.
"Do you want to try being a pure DPS with a sickle?"
It was a weapon I only intended to use temporarily, but it had gotten way too strong.
---
Belsus had exactly one rule he had to follow in order to live on Heean's farm:
Do not come near the cabin. And do not peek inside the cabin.
"It's my private space, so we need some separation, right?"
He fully understood. How uncomfortable must it be to live with a total stranger?
Belsus followed this rule faithfully. He never went near the cabin and only used the space designated for him.
Today, as usual, he was swinging his sickle instead of a sword, basking in the warm sunlight in the designated workout area next to the field. Belsus, who had been completely engrossed until sweat flew off him, took a brief breather and noticed something.
Heean's field was full of lush green leaves. They were the same leaves he saw every day, but something felt off.
On top of the green leaves, he saw something wriggling. Small caterpillars were munching away at the crop with a crunch crunch sound.
Belsus threw his sickle aside and rushed over in a panic. Forgetting the unwritten rule he was never supposed to break, he yanked Heean's cabin door wide open.
And then, his two eyes witnessed a sight far more shocking than bugs on the crops.
Inside Heean's cabin was...
It was in its original, shockingly dilapidated state. If it rained, water would leak in; it smelled of mold, and it was damp because no sunlight reached inside.
In the middle of all this, Heean was lying down resting. Forget the soft bedding he had given Belsus; Heean was lying on a bare wooden plank—something too embarrassing to even call a bed.
Heean had been funneling all the EXP that should have gone into his own space into renovating Belsus's barn into an annex. He had only changed the exterior of his cabin to look neat, completely deceiving Belsus.
The reason he had strictly warned him not to enter or peek inside was precisely to prevent this reality from being discovered.
Belsus froze in the doorway without a single movement. Heean jumped to his feet.
"What are you doing?!" Heean shouted, looking more terrified than usual.
"I just wanted to tell you there were bugs on the crops..."
This time, Belsus was about half as angry as he had been when he saw Heean being threatened by Calain. When his anger gauge filled up to about 50%, the pushover was capable of exactly this action:
"..."
Opening his eyes wide in silence and sending a glare that demanded an explanation from Heean.
Flustered, Heean let out a fake cough.
"Well, as the landlord, I have my pride... How could I let my lodger live in a gloomy dump?"
It wasn't convincing at all.
Belsus's eyes, which had been blankly scanning the room, gradually softened.
Even so, he just stared intently at Heean's face.
"Why do you treat me so..."
A dazed voice leaked from the man, who looked as if his soul had been drained.
Heean took a deep breath and got up completely from the worn-out bed. He tapped Belsus on the chest, subtly pushing him out the door.
"Seeing you eat meals made with good ingredients and sleeping with your back on a clean, warm bed is a huge joy for me. Got it?"
Belsus looked like he half-believed it and half-didn't. His gaze was somewhat peculiar.
Should I call it an upset look...? Heean briefly wondered if his assumption was correct. Why would he be upset?
Besides, rather than just being upset, it seemed mixed with a bit of wonder or confusion.
"Also, I let the bugs munch on them on purpose." Heean quickly changed the subject. "That's lettuce, and we have a ton of it anyway. Letting bugs spawn and then catching them gives you slightly more EXP. I left them there knowing that, so don't be alarmed."
The explanation was over, but there was still an unresolved issue.
However, Heean blocked the doorway and crossed his arms confidently, acting as if he hadn't done anything wrong. Glared. A sharp gaze pierced Belsus's face.
Belsus silently dropped to his knees. But then, realizing that doing so would only make Heean sigh more, he quickly stood back up. Awkwardly, he closed the cabin door for him. Then, facing the closed door, he whispered, "If I could turn back time, I would."
Belsus made a resolution. Since Heean was so smart and he was so foolish, he would just let Heean do whatever he wanted without questioning it.
Furthermore, he didn't have the heart or the power to yell at Heean to force him to improve his own living space.
‘If I pick Heean up while he's sleeping... carry him to my room, and sleep in that cabin myself, Heean would probably try to kill me.’
Sadly, Belsus had no other option.
---
Lettuce was a plant that grew exceptionally well, so selling the surplus crops to the System didn't yield a large profit.
It was a decent market price if you were in a hurry and didn't want to bother, but later on, trading with game NPCs would probably fetch a higher price.
But that would be for later when the crop yield was larger. Right now, the amount was barely enough to share with next-door neighbors, so selling to the System to build up initial capital was much more profitable.
Currently, Heean had only successfully harvested lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and garlic.
The plants on the farm followed the rules of this subspace. The most prominent feature was rapid growth.
Although it varied depending on the crop, farm level, the day's weather, and sheer luck, basically what would normally take a week to grow matured in just a single day.
However, this meant they sucked up the soil's nutrients just as fast, requiring him to work without a moment's rest. He watered them several times a day and pulled weeds three or four times daily.
As fast as the crops grew, the farmer had to move just as diligently.
Heean didn't know. He was only doing what naturally needed to be done, but Belsus, who was always watching him while exercising nearby, couldn't help but develop a warm, simmering affection for him.
The cucumbers that Heean had been particularly pampering finally bore their first fruit.
‘Heean likes cucumbers.’
Heean hopped up and down in joy. Yet, even when jumping around, Heean couldn't surpass his height.
Then, he caught Belsus staring intently at him.
"What are you looking at?"
He looked more sheepish than annoyed. Belsus turned his head away just in time.
Just a moment ago, when the sunlight descended upon the rejoicing Heean's head...
Heean looked exactly like... a squirrel thrilled after gathering a heap of acorns.
Belsus was flustered with himself, having never thought of such an analogy for a person before. To think Heean resembled a squirrel more than a little child did.
This... was because the sunlight inside the subspace was special. (It was exactly the same sunlight as outside.)
Moreover, it was because Heean was short. (He failed to realize that actual children were much shorter.) And because Heean just looked like one.
His tanned skin was smooth and soft, bringing to mind a warm, brown little animal.
Right at that moment, Belsus suddenly felt a sensation like a slight static shock to his head.
Heean had used Reading in a surprise attack and read his mind!
Belsus flinched. Though not enough to show on the outside.
What was I just thinking about?
Heean had been at a loss for words then.
> "Can I ever repay the kindness of him feeding me and letting me sleep here?"
What a pushover...
> "Does Heean like potatoes or sweet potatoes? I want to eat the one he doesn't like."
---
Still a pushover.
Why is he wondering about something so personal like whether I prefer potatoes or sweet potatoes? Does he have the luxury to worry about that? He should be thinking about making his return as a Hunter instead of wasting time on that.
It's also ridiculous that he has these thoughts and wonders about them internally without even asking me directly when I'm standing right next to him.
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