Bad Sweet Potatoes
[Would you like to log out?]
“Yeah.”
[Logging out.]
[You may experience slight dizziness immediately after logging out.]
After logging out, Yeong-ung took off the headgear he had been wearing and stepped out when the capsule door opened.
“Phew…… I’m a little dizzy.”
He felt slightly dizzy, but it passed quickly.
‘I planted all the potatoes for now…….’
After finishing the logging, cleaning up the area, expanding the garden plots, and sowing the Potato Seeds, he had logged out of the game.
‘I should eat something.’
“What a hassle.”
He had eaten inside Overlord, but a game was still just a game.
No matter how much he ate in the game, his real body had not eaten anything.
He had to log out periodically to have meals.
“For now…… should I go grocery shopping?”
The refrigerator was empty.
There was nothing he could do about it.
Recently, he had become completely absorbed in farming in Overlord and focused only on that, so the state of his home had gotten a little messy.
‘Can’t be helped. It’s fun.’
Farming was fun.
Other people might ask what was so enjoyable about it, but Yeong-ung genuinely loved farming.
Just as there were people who loved fishing, and people who loved hiking, there could also be people who loved farming.
Yeong-ung enjoyed steadily building things up through farming so much that he could not stop.
“For now…… should I go shopping first?”
***
Yeong-ung stopped by the supermarket, bought some easy-to-eat food, and returned home.
“This should last me a while, right?”
Yeong-ung neatly arranged everything he had bought in the refrigerator, then cleaned the house.
WHIRRRRR.
The loud sound of the vacuum cleaner echoed through the house.
‘Hmm. It’s been a while since I cleaned, so quite a bit of dust has built up…….’
Well, all he did at home was lie in the capsule and play games, so dust was bound to accumulate.
After finishing all the housework he had neglected, Yeong-ung took out the sweet potatoes he had bought at the supermarket.
“Should I cook some?”
He ate them often in Overlord, but it had been a very long time since he had bought sweet potatoes to eat in real life.
‘I couldn’t eat them for a while because the reality check hit me too hard.’
After his miserable failure at moving to the countryside to farm, the shock had hit him so hard that for a while he could not even think about eating sweet potatoes or anything similar.
Even now, remembering how hard things had been back then was enough to make him shudder.
“Let’s see…….”
Yeong-ung skillfully prepared to boil the sweet potatoes.
First, he washed them thoroughly, placed them in a pot, and added water.
The right amount was enough to leave about one-third of the sweet potatoes above the water.
He started over high heat, then once bubbles began to rise, lowered it to medium-low and boiled them for ten minutes.
It was best to turn them over every five minutes and continue cooking until all the water had evaporated.
“Smells good.”
The aroma of boiling sweet potatoes filled the room.
“Let’s see…….”
Yeong-ung gently poked one with a chopstick.
The chopstick slid in smoothly, so the sweet potatoes seemed to be cooked well.
‘If this were the game…….’
[You have completed Delicious Boiled Sweet Potatoes.]
[Cooking skill experience has slightly…….]
A message like that would probably have appeared.
“Then shall I try one?”
It had been a long time since he had eaten sweet potatoes in real life, so Yeong-ung looked slightly expectant as he took a bite.
NOM!
MUNCH, MUNCH.
“Hmm…….”
Yeong-ung’s expression became subtle as he ate the boiled sweet potato.
Maybe because it was a Dangjin sweet potato, it tasted good.
It was good, but…….
“Hmm…….”
After finishing one sweet potato, Yeong-ung immediately lay down in the capsule and logged into Overlord.
“Squee!? Master, you’re back, squee!?”
The moment he logged into Overlord, Pepper greeted him as though it had been waiting for him.
“Yeah, I’m back.”
“Squee!”
“But first…… let’s eat some sweet potatoes.”
“Squee?”
“Wait a second.”
Yeong-ung brought over some Earth Sweet Potatoes.
Since he had asked Hote to make him a pot, he prepared them exactly as he had in reality and made boiled sweet potatoes.
[You have completed Delicious Boiled Sweet Potatoes.]
[Cooking skill experience has increased slightly.]
A rich, sweet aroma spread through the air.
“Squee…… It smells delicious, squee…….”
Pepper’s nostrils flared as it sniffed the sweet potatoes and drooled.
Yeong-ung took a large bite first.
[You have consumed Boiled Earth Sweet Potato.]
[The effect of the title, ‘Eating Is Part of Cooking!’, has activated.]
[Due to the effect of the hidden title, ‘Greedy Farmer,’ the options of monopolized crops are applied at double value.]
[The options will remain active for 72 minutes.]
[Stamina + 24]
[Defense + 12%]
[Health + 12%]
[Health Recovery + 2,500]
[Satiety + 30%]
[Cooking skill experience has increased slightly.]
“Mmmm!”
Delicious!
A rich nuttiness and sweetness impossible to experience in reality blended together and filled his mouth.
The more he chewed, the deeper flavor of the sweet potato delighted his tongue.
“Pepper.”
“Squee?”
“This is a bad sweet potato.”
“Squee!? The sweet potato is bad, squee!?”
Pepper looked shocked when Yeong-ung said the sweet potato was bad.
A bad sweet potato!?
Sweet potatoes were wonderful things that were always delicious and filled your stomach.
But now it turned out sweet potatoes were bad.
Did that mean it would not be able to eat sweet potatoes anymore?
Pepper became dejected.
“A bad sweet potato, squee…… But it’s delicious, squee…….”
“Do you know why it’s bad?”
“I don’t know, squee…….”
“Because I’ve become a man who can’t be satisfied unless it’s this sweet potato.”
Sweet potatoes in reality were delicious too.
The problem was that the sweet potatoes he grew himself in Overlord were far more delicious.
He had already tasted something heavenly.
No matter how good the sweet potatoes sold in reality were, none of them would taste as good as these.
His tongue had already become accustomed to these sweet potatoes, so ordinary sweet potatoes in reality could no longer satisfy him.
“Seriously…… What a truly bad sweet potato!”
MUNCH, MUNCH!
“Squee!?”
“You eat some too. It’s a bad sweet potato.”
“Squee! Bad sweet potato!”
SMACK, SMACK!
Since Yeong-ung had said it was bad, Pepper first slapped the sweet potato several times with its front paws, then started eating it with him.
The sweet potatoes were truly delicious.
***
“They’ve grown quite a bit.”
After filling his Satiety with sweet potatoes, Yeong-ung went out to the garden plot and checked the Refri Herbs.
He had not sown many seeds, but the Refri Herbs had grown more than expected.
“Let’s harvest them first.”
“Squee!”
[You have used the Harvesting skill.]
[Harvest Speed + 13%]
[Stamina Consumption While Harvesting – 13%]
[Crop Condition Adjustment.]
[You have harvested Spirit Refri Herbs.]
[Harvesting skill experience has increased slightly.]
[You have gained Class Experience.]
It seemed Refri Herbs benefited from the skill’s effects as well.
That was a relief.
“They smell good too.”
Since Yeong-ung had cultivated the Spirit Refri Herbs himself, they were more effective than the herbs that grew wild.
“These would be perfect to sell.”
Yeong-ung thought about it.
He had passed level 20, but he still could not use the Auction House, so he could not sell his crops to other players.
Then what should he do?
Yeong-ung decided to change his approach.
‘If I can’t sell them to players, I can sell them to NPCs.’
Hote had told him.
Various other races lived in the Spirit Realm.
Then perhaps he could sell his crops to those races.
It seemed entirely possible.
He did not know whether they used gold the same way, but there was still a chance.
‘And he said there are villages belonging to other races too, so if I’m lucky, maybe I can get an Auction House Access Permit there.’
“For now, let’s collect seeds first.”
Yeong-ung had harvested only six Spirit Refri Herbs.
He needed to increase their numbers.
“Seed Collection!”
[You have used the Seed Collection skill.]
[Collecting seeds from Spirit Refri Herb.]
DING!
[Seed Collection successful.]
[You have obtained 1 Spirit Refri Herb Seed.]
[Seed Collection skill experience has increased slightly.]
[Due to the effect of the title, 1+1 Seed Collection, you have obtained an additional seed.]
[You have gained Class Experience.]
“Is this all?”
“Squee!”
Perhaps because the success rate was still low, he managed to obtain only six seeds.
It was because the skill level was low.
“Let’s at least plant these.”
Yeong-ung picked up the hoe, quickly turned over the soil, shaped the plot, and sowed the seeds.
“Pepper! Watering!”
“Squeeeee! Pffft!!”
[You have used the Watering skill.]
[Crop Growth Acceleration + 20%]
[Germination Rate + 5%]
[Watering skill experience has increased slightly.]
[You have gained Class Experience.]
[Skill Level Up!]
[Watering LV. 1 -> Watering LV. 2]
“Oh, the skill leveled up.”
[Watering LV. 2]
Grade: E
Classification: Active.
Experience: 3.75%
Description: Sprinkles water imbued with the power of spirits to help crops grow better.
Spirit Power Cost: 350
Cooldown: 1 second.
Effects: Crop Growth Acceleration + 21%
Germination Rate + 6%
The skill’s effects had become slightly stronger.
‘I should keep raising my skill levels steadily too.’
According to what he had found online, higher skill levels did not merely strengthen the effects. They could also add special options.
He needed to keep leveling them steadily.
“Good work.”
“Hehehe…….”
When Yeong-ung stroked Pepper, it enjoyed the touch happily.
Yeong-ung narrowed his eyes as he looked at Pepper.
Maybe because it had been digging around earlier while trying to help,
‘It’s gotten pretty dirty…… I should give it a bath.’
Whether Pepper knew what Yeong-ung was thinking or not,
“Squee~” it merely smiled happily.
***
“This really is far.”
After leaving Yeong-ung’s Farm, Hote returned to his village.
Entering through a hole in the middle of an enormous rocky mountain led to the dwarf village.
There was a door at the end of the passage.
KNOCK, KNOCK.
“Password.”
“Stop talking nonsense and open the door.”
“I will not open it unless you give the password.”
“Tch. Don’t annoy me. I’m already exhausted after traveling such a long way. Open it before I kill you.”
“Oh, that temper! It really is Hote.”
CLICK.
When the door opened, a dwarf stood on the other side with a mischievous grin.
“Hoke, I told you not to play those kinds of jokes. It’s annoying.”
“Why? It’s fun.”
“Fun, my ass…… You’re probably the only dwarf who likes that kind of thing.”
Hoke shrugged.
“How did it go?”
“I got it.”
“Oh! That must’ve been hard to find. Good work.”
“Enough. Where’s the elder?”
“At home, as always. You know that. His back hurts so much he can barely move.”
“True.”
Hote started walking to meet the elder.
Before leaving, Hote handed Hoke one of the sweet potatoes Yeong-ung had given him.
“Eat this.”
“It’s a sweet potato? Oh, where did you get this?”
“Found it on the way.”
“As if.”
“I got it from someone too.”
“Lucky you. To think you even got a sweet potato.”
Hoke’s eyes sparkled as he looked at it.
Sweet potatoes had become crops that were difficult to find in the Spirit Realm.
And it was not just sweet potatoes.
Other crops were difficult to obtain as well, to the point that they had recently begun suffering from food shortages.
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Sure.”
Leaving Hoke behind, Hote headed toward the elder’s house.
He could hear Hoke shouting, “It’s delicious!” from behind him, but he did not pay much attention.
Hote arrived at the elder’s house.
KNOCK, KNOCK.
“Elder. It’s Hote.”
He knocked, but there was no response from inside.
Hote knocked again.
KNOCK, KNOCK.
“Elder? It’s me, Hote.”
“……Urgh……!!!”
Then, a THUD came from inside the house, followed by a cry of pain.
Startled and worried that something had happened to the elder, Hote smashed the door open and rushed inside.
“Elder! What happened!? Elder…… Elder?”
Hote saw him.
The elder was lying facedown on the floor, trembling!!
Worried that someone might have attacked him, Hote hurried over.
“Elder! Are you all right!? Pull yourself together! Did someone attack you!?”
“Urgh…… Hey…….”
“Elder! Speak clearly…… Who in the world……!”
“……Hey…….”
“Yes?”
“……My back…… hurts…….”
“…….”
“I stood up too suddenly, and my back went out again…….”
“…….”
That was right.
The elder—
“Did your back go out again?”
Nod. had a herniated disc.