The Gardener in a Hunter World

Hunters are often referred to as drug addicts. When a dungeon opens, the army alerts the surroundings and calls the hunters on duty, who carry dozens of potions. I don’t know what kind of monsters and ecosystems are in the dungeon, so I have to prepare for all cases. Although all of them were lumped together as a potion, the effect varied greatly depending on the material and the maker. The stamina potion that was made by Ji-ha cost less than 100,000 won (approx. $77), but the potion made by a professional artisan far exceeds 1 million won (approx. $770). It was only natural to invest in expensive potions, as resources that were worth billions of won could come out of just one category 3 dungeon. Ji-ha brought the potion that had been placed on the shelf in the shop into the workshop. 

“Let’s try a combination.  The recipe……”

His slender fingers flipped through the book containing the potion recipe. The recipe is almost standardized as the resources from the dungeon are used there. One or two ingredients are normally added or omitted by recipe, and the price varies dramatically depending on the purity of the ingredients. The effect of Ji-ha’s potion is reliable, but the store is narrow and shabby, so it is not very popular. 

“Prepare purified water… Where are Undine’s tears… Oh, there you are.”

There is one thing common to potions, and that is purified water. Water that is stagnant in the roots of huge trees that can be found inside the dungeon and was essential for making potions. I had no choice but to use bottled water instead of purified water. Because of this, the effect would be halved. 

“First of all, I’m going to refine the material……”

A slender white hand busily moved back and forth on the alchemy table. All kinds of tools needed to make potions were placed on the table. The potion production method is almost standardized, and the four steps of crushing, blending, concentration, and purification are standard. The performance of a crafting tool had little effect, and depends a lot on the purity of the material and the skill of the preparer. 

*Pong, jjorororok, push sisit*

The studio was filled with acrid smoke, and suspicious bubbles rose up from the small cauldron. Potions that are made this way have one thing in common: they are tasteless. Even if you grind and pour in sugar and flavoring agents, the flavor will not come out. To be precise, the taste was horrible. So when hunters drank potions they make faces. They are sick and tired, but even the potion has a horrible taste, so I can’t help but feel annoyed. 

“Finally, if you add herbal liquid.”

The golden liquid flowed down the glass tube into the potion bottle with a drip, drip, drip. The moment that I finally finished filling the bottle and sealed it with a cork, text appeared on the status window. 

{Apply Blessing of XXX LVL 1 Attribute}

{Apply Great Success Judgement}

{Special Potion LVL 1 Completion}

{Special Potion LVL 1: Reduces Ether consumption of all skills to 0 for 14 seconds}

{Acquire Alchemy LVL 1 Skill}

“…….”

Why did this appear? Ji-ha stayed frozen and stared blankly at the status window for a while. Does this phrase come out when you originally make the potion? Moreover, it was really awkward to have the explanation listed next to the potion bottle. It was like seeing augmented reality that was really popular in the past. Moreover, it was an alchemy skill that I had never heard of before. Numerous self-proclaimed alchemists prepared potions, but none had gained the alchemy skill. 

“It must have been the effect of entering the forest in my dreams.”

The explanation did not disappear even after tapping and shaking the bottle. Considering the reliability of the system that hunters use, the accuracy of this explanation can be considered 100%. In other words, if you drink this potion, the ether consumption for all skills will be 0 for 14 seconds. 

“This… Can I sell it?”

Ji-ha shook the bottle and fell into troubled thoughts. How much should I sell it for? Can I make the hunters understand this rare effect? What if I am asked where I got it from?

“It’s good enough to say that you’ve been scraping resources from a category 0 dungeon. They will just think that I am a lucky guy.”

The next step was to make people believe in the effect of the potion. It was difficult to sell it on its own, so I decided to mix it in with a health potion. 

“Let’s mix in some sun apples.”

Turning the apples into juice, he added it to the health potion. If people make a potion like this, it usually messes up, but for some reason it seemed like it would work. When the juice of the sun apple was mixed into the special potion, something amazing happened. The description of the potion changed after the Blessing attribute of courtesy and the text indicating a Great Success judgement appeared. 

{Special Potion LVL 1: Ether consumption of all skills becomes 0 for 14 seconds. Recovers 14% of maximum HP over 15 seconds.}

“This effect is overkill.”

I don’t know the exact number, but the 20% increase in the effect of the sun apple was mixed in with great success and it seemed that this was the result. 

“This blessing attribute is really great.”

In addition to the Great Success Judgement, what kind of function might it have that should be gradually tested in the future. But how does this taste? Ji-ha tasted the potion and fell in love with the sweet scent and taste. 

“This is delicious.”

Compared to most potions that boast a disgusting taste and smell, this potion tasted like heaven. He continued making potions. A new phrase appeared on the status window and then quickly disappeared. 

{Apply Alchemy LVL 1 Skill}

{Apply Great Success Judgement}

***

Sometimes, there are days when potions run out of stock. This phenomenon occurs when a dungeon is opened intensively in one area and hunters flock to it. Demand is overflowing, but the supply is limited, so it’s hard to find even when the price is skyrocketing. In ‘Hunting Ground’, which aims to be a high-quality hunter supply store, they trained their employees to respond to the flocking hunters. There are now 5 open dungeons in District 7 alone. The entire district 7 was very noisy due to armored vehicles, police cars, ambulances, and luxury vehicles that were carrying hunters.

“Do you have any paralysis resistance potions left?”

“I’m sorry, the supply of paralysis resistance potions secured at our shop is running out……”

“When are you getting more?”

“I think it will take at least an hour. Because there are dungeons open in other areas as well.”

“You say no? Jihoon! Have you been somewhere else?”

“Not even in the Witch’s Cauldron! I am contacting Pyramid right now!”

“If we aren’t properly prepared, another guild might get a chance!”

“Oh, let’s contact the Five Star Alliance too!”

“Tell them to call me quickly. Anyone who can bring it right now. He said he would pay it off later.”

“Yes!”

Hunters in and out of the Hunting Ground made contact with each other after failing. Some hunters also ordered to urgently airlift potions from the guild’s warehouse. At that time, a sports car appeared in the parking lot in front of the Hunting Grounds. In this era when the sea was blocked by monsters and oil could not be easily imported, driving a personal vehicle was only possible for the wealthy. Hunters paid attention to the vehicle because they knew who the owner was. Seo Hye-jin, who is ranked 12th in the Korean hunter rankings, appeared. 

“Hey, it’s Seo Hye-jin, Seo Hye-jin.”

“Wow… Is that what she is wearing? Armor from a category 4 dungeon.”

“What body type do armors fit these days?”

“It’s a rare artifact.”

Seo Hye-jin had an appearance that was not lacking to attract the attention of various hunters. From jet-black hair that was down to her waist, armor that clings to her body, and a single sword on her back. If it was the same as in the past, she would have received glares for the kind of outfit she was wearing, but now everyone looks at her with envy. It’s because they know how strong Seo Hye-jin is and how much money she makes. Some hunters fell in love with her looks, not her ability, but the probability that she would set her sights on any many other than Han Seung-hyuk was close to zero. 

“……”

Seo Hye-jin got out of the car and looked up at the colorful signboard of the Hunting Ground for a while. As if waiting, the manager jumped out of the store and bowed in front of her. 

“We are preparing the amount of potions. If you wait a little bit……”

“You really don’t have it? A stamina potion?”

Her voice was very cold. The manager was quick to respond. 

“I don’t have it right now, but it will be ready in an hour!”

“That makes things difficult.”

It’s really difficult. This was because she had to finish all the preparations and enter the dungeon within the next 30 minutes. Ignoring the manager, she took out her smartphone and flicked through it until she found something. There is another place nearby that sells potions. Soon, Seo-Hye-jin’s sports car made a loud engine sound and took off down the road. The place she was headed was an old general store. 

***

Hye-jin entered the general store located on the outskirts of District 7. She looked at the young man who seemed to be the owner of the shop. With black horn-rimmed glasses and fair skin, he looked up while reading a book. Overall, he gave off a harmless impression. 

“Welcome.”

“……”

Instead of answering, Hye-jin looked around the store. There was the stamina potion that she wanted. But can you trust the potion from such an old store? Isn’t a place run by a large corporation like ‘Hunting Ground’ or ‘Witch’s Cauldron’ better? Hye-jin glanced at her watch and asked him. 

“How is the potion effect?”

The young man smiled softly at her question. It’s a face that looks like a good person, but with the smile added to it, it makes her feel that he is quite handsome. Of course, Hye-jin has no interest in men other than Seung-hyuk. He is handsome, that’s it. The important thing now it the potion. 

“It’s nothing great, but I won’t disappoint my customers.”

Any merchant would say that. However, she liked the young man’s unexaggerated manner of speaking. Trust is important because potions do not always have the perfect effect. But in a store like this, it’s a little difficult to ask about each and every one. 

“What is the price?”

“Oh, the price……”

The price the young man said could never be said to be high by today’s standards, when prices can pierce the sky. This is especially true for Hye-jin, who drinks over 1 million won worth of potions like she is drinking water. She ran her finger across the shelf and stopped. 

“From here to here. I do not have time.”

It must mean that she wants to finish the calculation quickly because there is no time. Ji-ha wrapped the potion bottle well, handed over the black card, and finished the checkout. 

“Thank you.”

Hye-jin nodded once and took the potions out of the store. The sound of glass bottles colliding could be heard. 

“… it will be fine.”

It is unreasonable to expect a great effect from a cheap potion bought at an old general store. Since there is an existing potion, she thought that this was a reserve and there was nothing else to use. If you do need it, at least try it. If it doesn’t live up to expectations… she won’t use this place again. She drove towards the designated dungeon. 

***

Seo Hye-jin is a swordsman. If you ask what is different from the general swordsman class, you can say that it summons an intangible sword and performs various techniques. When the flashy movement of the intangible sword that adds flair to the battlefield is added to her beautiful appearance, nothing but admiration comes out. However, she heard that her personality was not very good. Most people are ignored by her, and even some skilled hunters find it difficult to have a conversation. A hunter who was acquainted with her said this. 

“Hye-jin is not fundamentally a bad person. She became more like this after Seung-hyuk disappeared… I hope you don’t hate her too much.”

Seung-hyuk Han. He was a hunter who was ranked No. 1 in Korea. He was the object of envy of all hunters. It was Korea’s representative hunter with endless strength, beautiful appearance, and leadership. He, who was a lover, entered a category 5 dungeon with his guild members and he alone went missing. Hye-jin, who was absent at the time, even after the dungeon disappeared wandered around the area for several days and cried. Maybe it was from then. Seo Hye-jin’s face turned cold and her personality changed. She recklessly jumped into dungeons regardless of their level. Her purpose was not clear. Rather than trying to find even the slightest clue to the disappearance of Han Seung-hyuk, people only speculated. Because she did not decline even low-difficulty dungeons, she unintentionally protected her junior hunters. Today, she jumped into a category 2 dungeon. She was already familiar with the scenery inside the dungeon, which was slightly different from the Earth’s forest. During the splendid intangible sword baptism by the Sword Witch, the level monsters of the dungeon, which seemed to be sloppy and skinny, were swept away as a group. The hunters assigned to this dungeon had nothing to do but pick up Ether Stones because all the monsters were taken care of with her skill baptism. 

*Chow ah!*

Three intangible swords protruded from the air and pierced the bodies of the five creatures hiding in the ground. The mole-shaped corpse disappeared and all that was left was the brilliant golden Ether Stone. At this point, Ether Stone is treated like money. Hye-jin didn’t even look at it, and the hunters hurriedly picked up the small stones. 

“We have nothing to do.”

“It’s nice because it’s comfortable, but isn’t it bad? We also need to improve our skills.”

“What did the guild say?”

“Since the Sword Witch jumped in, she told me to give up for now and just follow her. They say it hurts if you touch it.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the forest changed dramatically. Unknown birds flew up, and grotesque cries spread throughout. The dungeon’s characteristic that felt light had a shady air that seemed to spread all over the place. The hunters started to get very nervous, and Seo Hye-jin grabbed the physical sword behind her back. 

“…Run away.”

“Huh? I beg your pardon?”

“I told you to run away.”

“No, what’s this all of a sudden……”

When a male hunter tried to object, something burst out of the forest with a roar.

*Sasasac!*

A scorpion monster the size of an armored car. Where the eyes should have been, a half-crushed human body stood tall. Man Stalker. It is a hate grade monster that only appears in category 4 dungeons. It was a creature whose appearance frequency was extremely rare, and so no strategy had been accumulated. All that the hunters know about it is that it exhibits agile behavior that would be unimaginable from its size and that its poison is dangerous. As soon as he appeared, the quest received upon entering the dungeon was renewed, but only Hye-jin noticed. 

“Everyone run away!”

Seo Hye-jin shouted loudly. The rookie hunter’s complexion changed when they saw the Man Stalkers hideous appearance. In particular, its thick tail contains an extremely poisonous poison that cannot be withstanded for even one minute even with moderate poison resistance. Knowing that they wouldn’t do any good holding out, they hurriedly ran away. Instead of chasing the hunters, the Man Stalker glared at Seo Hye-jin. 

*Sureureung!*

Her sword was pulled out of its scabbard and floated in the air. It is a swordsman’s unique intangible sword that swings from side to side. The moment that Hye-jin lifted her eyes, the Man Stalker’s tail trembled, and something came out of the tip. 

***

The Man Stalker called out its cubs. Although Hye-jin has superhuman reflexes and agility, it was impossible to avoid the claws and poison needles of dozens of Man Stalkers. Despite her high poison resistance, her stamina kept dropping. Hye-jin hid in the forest and found a stamina potion from in her belt and drank it. 

“Ha…hmm.”

The taste and smell of things called potions were terrible, so she frowned in advance without realizing it. It is a kind of defense mechanism. But the liquid that flowed down her throat was very sweet. It was to the point where it could be mistaken for a drink, and the scent was nice. 

“Why does it taste like this?”

Even if you pour sweeteners, including sugar, into the potion, it won’t taste like this. In any case, Man Stalker’s extreme poison quickly consumed her stamina, and she began to recover. Alright, now to distract the pups and run…… Thinking about the amount of ether consumed by the secret sword, she confirmed that the ether item on the status window had turned golden. 

Is this what happened when I drank that ether potion? 

Could it be that the potion I just drank had a hidden effect that reduced the ether consumption value to 0?

“… I need to check.”

The thought of running away disappeared. Among the skills she has learned, the most ether consuming is the Sword Dance. The time has come to unleash the skill. Characteristic Checker. Hye-Jin’s feet kicked the ground, and the longsword Arondite threw her into the air. In an instant, she was looking down at dozens of Man Stalkers. Still, they haven’t noticed yet. Quickly, before they notice…… A golden glow radiated from her whole body. Arondite split into dozens of intangible swords in and instant and fired at the Man Stalkers. 

*Papapapa……*

It was a wave of swords dancing. Following Hye-jin’s gesture, the intangible sword that had cut off the tail of the baby Man Stalker drew an arc and went back to aim at them again. Dozens of swords were fired, so even the Man Stalkers had no time to react. 

*Keaaaak!*

 “I can do it… I’m doing it!”

Hye-jin felt extreme joy. The ether consumption was so great that it was difficult to perform for even 3 seconds. This time though, the secret sword dance continued for nearly 10 seconds. The intangible sword cuts Man Stalker’s pincers and separates its tail. And when several swords were stabbed into the back of the final one, the mother Man Stalker, it let out a scream of despair and swung its tail as if in a fit of fuss. 

*Puck!*

Hye-jin’s armor was shattered, and a burning pain spread from her shoulder, The Man Stalker’s group was completely annihilated with that blow, and presented her with Essence, the essence of life. But her condition was not good. The poison broke through 25% of the poison resistance and entered her body. She fell off her Sword Arondite and crawled on the ground. 

“Shit, damn it……”

She took out a poison resistance potion from her gear belt. It’s an unreliable potion, but it’s still better than not drinking it. Her vision blurred and her hands trembled. She opened the stopper and poured the potion into her mouth as is. All that was left was to pray for the potion to overcome the poison. 

“Ha…ha……”

Fortunately, the Man Stalker’s poison couldn’t overcome the potion’s power. However, the nasty pain and lethargy that weighed down the whole body was still there. Hye-jin groaned and stood up, trying to forcefully support her wobbly legs. 

“What the hell happened……”

If it wasn’t for the potion that provided ether for over 10 seconds, she wouldn’t have dared to deal with the Man Stalkers. Did she buy it at the general store?

“Not that hunter, Mr. Hunter……”

He was young enough to be called an uncle, but she remembered buying potions at his general store. She needs to check where she got it. Hye-jin only retrieved the largest Ether Stone and collapsed while walking. The pain from the poison did not subside easily. She was only breathing for a while, but was rescued by some rookie hunters who were running late. They were horrified to learn that dozens of Man Stalkers had come out. 

“Ten, eleven, twelve…thirteen by yourself?”

“Eh, this is a Man Stalker’s Ether Stone, right? Aren’t you stupid?”

“Looks like Man Stalker… Look at the discoloration of the ground. Poison doesn’t go away easily.”

“Yes……”

“Look at the Sword Witch……”

“Hey, shhhh.”

“We do not have time. We need to move quickly before the dungeon closes.”

The three hunters supported Hye-jin and quickly got out of the dungeon. The soldiers who were on the lookout for monsters outside applauded in unison. The hunters had to diligently explain that they did not clear the dungeon. 

***

“You’re here again.”

The hunter came again. Ji-ha put a bookmark in the book he was reading and stood up to greet her. As a result of belatedly looking for information, he knew that she was Seo Hye-jin, who was 12th place in the hunter rankings. The reason why she, a top-tier hunter, cam e back here is probably…… thick lips opened. 

“The potion sold to me was strange.”

“What did you find strange about it?”

“For a low-level potion, it strangely fills up health quickly, and it has a strange effect. The ether didn’t decrease.”

The effect was real. 

Ji-ha laughed inwardly but didn’t say anything. She informed him that she had dealt with a group of Man Stalkers. 

“isn’t that a hate grade monster? It’s really amazing to handle that alone……”

“I am not that great. Without that potion, I would have died. Where did you get it from? Did you make it?”

Ji-ha took out a yellow fruit from a basket on the display stand instead of answering. 

“It’s called a Sun Apple, would you like to eat it?”

“Ah, that……”

Hye-jin also knows the identity of the yellow fruit. You can occasionally find them while wandering through the dungeons. Most of the dungeon quests had a time limit attached, and most of them were far away, so I had no choice but to pass them by. That it came out of this young man’s hand. 

*Gulp.*

Hye-jin involuntarily swallowed her saliva. She doesn’t know if the yellow fruit is delicious. However, she could see the thoughts in the young man’s kind face. It’s delicious, and you won’t regret eating it. She might be the first hunter to eat the fruit named Sun Apple. No, is it the second? She nodded and pulled out a small chair and sat down. She came to ask about the effect of the potion, but the young woman laughed at her situation as she waited only for the fruit to be cut. 

“I can’t believe I’m laughing.”

It was a strange thing. I swore I wouldn’t laugh until I found him again. Hye-jin bit her lip and frowned. On the other hand, Ji-ha was perplexed as he did not know why this lady laughed and then cried. What do you not like? A silent protest to quickly cut the fruit? When the skin of the Sun Apple was peeled off, a yellow egg came out. I cut it into bite-sized pieces with a knife, placed it on a plate, stuck a fork in it, and held it out for her. Hye-jin hesitated, then took a bite of the Sun Apple and widened her eyes. It was so sweet and fragrant that she thought there had been honey poured on it. 

“Did you put this fruit in the potion?”

“That is correct, but I don’t know what effect it has. The ether didn’t decrease?”

“Exactly what……”

She glanced at the young man and said that she had been using her skills for over 10 seconds to deal with a bunch of monsters. He said that he wasn’t a proper hunter, but he would know that it wasn’t normal. He was a little surprised to hear that she had dealt with a group of monsters alone. 

“Okay. Thanks to a small dungeon that opened behind the shop, I was able to pick the Sun Apple from there. I was lucky.”

Finally, the answer she had been waiting for came out. It seems that the category 0 dungeon opened for a short time and then closed. 

“How was it inside? The scenery.”

“It was a small forest. I haven’t received any quests. There were no monsters either. The time was so short that I could only come out with a Sun Apple.”

“Hmm. That’s how it happened.”

Category 0 dungeons are also called safe dungeons. There are no monsters, but there are as many resources. It’s small, and the time you can stay is short. The question is answered. There was no need to ask how the Sun Apples were processed to make potions. That was the work of the alchemists, not her business. 

“First of all, let me say thank you. And I think that I bought that potion too cheaply… give me your account number.”

“No, I think I priced it in moderation.”

Hye-jin lowered her eyes slightly. 

 “Is that the only potion that provides Ether for more than 10 seconds?”

“Because I intentionally sold it that way. I wasn’t sure of the potion’s effectiveness, so I priced it moderately. After selling it to the customer, I had a delicious lunch. That is good enough.”

This person doesn’t have much greed. She recognized the kind of man he was and offered no further invitations. 

“What is your name?”

“I’m telling you to keep it.”

“I think I’ve heard of it somewhere.”

He laughed lightly. 

“It will be the name of a hunter that is famous for having no skills or traits.”

“Ah.”

Only then did the name and face match. He is famous throughout the world as the lowest ranked hunter. There was a saying that if you want to know the number of hunters registered in Korea, you can look at his ranking. Looking at the vivid golden eyes, it is clear that the awakening has happened. But in any case, the debt of the heart must be relieved. Hye-jin took out her wallet, put a bunch of bills on a simple chair, and left the store. 

“Excuse me……”

Before he could catch her, he heard the loud engine sounds characteristic of a sports car. Ji-ha glanced at the money. It’s quite thick and looks like several hundred thousand won. It’s already been given to him, so why not use it wisely? He happily waited for the time he could return to the forest. As he fell asleep, an amazing landscape greeted him.