Ch.120120. The Naru Tribe

In Farming World, natives are extremely important beings.

Not only do they have their own stories, but they’re also the ones who generously hand out quests if you play your cards right.

While users are beings assigned to settle and cultivate the map they receive, natives are indigenous people who have lived here since the map was created.

That’s how it is in Farming World, but what about in the Rift Dimension?

After Lulu’s previous owner died, she fell into a long sleep for hundreds or thousands of years—but during that time, did time in this dimension also stop?

It might have, or it might not have.

If it did, or if it didn’t, what happened to the lives of monsters and natives living here during that time?

I was curious, but there was no one to answer my questions.

I just wanted to confirm if there were natives here.

“They really do exist.”

And they’re not even some strange species, but humans.

Or are they?

They’re covered in mud so it’s impossible to confirm properly, but at least their arms, legs, and torso appear human-like.

Seeing them shoot arrows gives me a slight feeling they might be elves, but that’s not really important right now.

Swoosh—

I deflect the incoming arrow.

It didn’t even require any special technique.

It wasn’t particularly fast, nor did it carry powerful force.

I suppose that’s to be expected in a Level 1 biome.

“Answer me if you understand what I’m saying!!! I know you understand!”

There’s no way they could understand Korean.

But in the Rift Dimension, there’s a user adjustment function that allows languages to be mutually understood.

That’s also why Lulu and I can communicate properly.

Because of this, that guy should understand what I’m saying.

Swoosh—

He understands but simply chooses not to answer.

I get it.

If some crazy person came to my hut, waving their hands in greeting, I too would be thinking about how to kill this lunatic threatening my farm rather than responding warmly.

Still, I didn’t attack.

In Farming World, there’s a kind of law, or rather, a tip.

A basic and obvious rule passed down among users.

One of them is: be kind to natives when you see them.

Natives are benefactors who will provide tremendous help in growing your farm.

Whether you’re playing solo or multiplayer with friends, you’ll eventually feel that even with 30 people, it’s not enough to enjoy the massive and extensive content of this game.

Moreover, most people seek fun gameplay and want to feel a sense of growth, so who would want to do boring, tedious grinding all day, every day, until the end of the game?

Even if you initially do it as a stepping stone for growth, eventually you’ll want to automate it—that’s human nature.

Even those who enjoy such grinding would prefer to do it at their own pace.

That’s when these natives become necessary.

The natives of Farming World.

In user terms, serfs.

I already have 135 Black Monkeys and 10 Goblins as serfs, but the difference between these slightly dim-witted monsters and intelligent beings doesn’t need explanation.

Black Monkeys can at best perform tasks they’re ordered to do, but delicate work is beyond their capabilities.

So everything has its role.

These natives can replace my position… no, Kim Sujeong’s position, and handle more delicate tasks.

That’s why I wasn’t particularly angry even when they attacked me.

It’s understandable.

To become friends, you sometimes need to clash and tumble together—that’s how you get closer faster.

Swoosh—

As another arrow flies toward me, I use [Leap] to appear beside the shooter.

“Eek!”

The guy is startled a beat late.

I grab him by the scruff of his neck as he tries to flee, and he struggles in the tree.

Trembling and thrashing about, he seems to be from a tribe that isn’t particularly strong in this swamp area.

To intimidate him a bit, I kick away the bow he’s holding.

Though he was gripping it tightly, there’s no way he could withstand my strength.

The bow falls from quite a height.

In an instant, a swamp alligator leaps up and snatches it.

“Let… let go!!”

The native finally speaks after seeing that.

“Let go?”

“I said let go!!”

I did as he asked.

“Aaaaargh!”

Living in trees suggests he has enough skill to ensure safety up there, but that’s only when there’s something to step on—he didn’t seem capable of preventing himself from falling when struggling in mid-air.

“S-save me!!”

“Sigh. First you say let go, then you ask to be saved. Which is it?”

I caught him again as he fell and climbed back up the tree.

Once more, a swamp alligator leaped up to the position where the native would have fallen, trying to snatch him.

If I hadn’t caught him, his small body would probably have been bitten by that huge alligator and dragged into the swamp.

“Hiiik.”

“If you throw one more tantrum, I’ll cut off your limbs and feed them to the alligators, leaving only your mouth intact.”

“…”

These were threats I used in Farming World, and they still seemed effective.

With threats, what matters isn’t the threatener’s will but demonstrating that you’re capable of following through.

Even if I have no intention of harming this native, showing that I could makes it difficult for the recipient to provoke or gamble unnecessarily.

“You. Are you an elf?”

Now that he’s quieted down and become docile, I look him over.

The most noticeable feature is his ears.

Ears more pointed and elongated than normal human ears.

When you see such ears, the first thing that comes to mind is an elf.

But the reason I asked with doubt is because those ears were somewhat ambiguous to be called elven.

I’ve seen elves before.

Many in Farming World, and even in the Rift Dimension—the elf of elves, Queen Liere.

Farming World might be a different game from here, so appearances could differ, but Liere in the Rift Dimension is a real elf.

Liere had all the typical characteristics of elves that I imagined.

Pointed ears are basic, along with appearance and skin.

She was someone you’d immediately recognize as an elf, but this one is…

“You look like an elf, but also not quite.”

I couldn’t check his skin covered in mud, but his ears were definitely ambiguous.

They were too pointed and alien to be human, but not quite enough to be considered elven.

“I-I’m a half-blood…!”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes!”

“Mixed with what?”

“Our tribe is human and elf…”

“Elves mixing blood with humans? Don’t lie.”

“It’s true!! That’s why we were driven out of the elven village and live here now.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Hup!”

I thought his ears might not have fully grown since he didn’t seem like an adult yet, but from what I heard, that wasn’t the case.

Half-human, half-elf.

Well, even dogs can produce mixed-breed puppies when their blood mixes, so there’s no law saying humans can’t mix with other species.

On Earth, there are no sentient species besides humans, so humans only breed with each other.

In Farming World, while not common, such mixed-bloods did exist if you looked.

Considering the elves’ loftiness and pride in looking down on humans, it wouldn’t be easy—I hadn’t even seen such half-bloods in Suhyeon’s Farming World 1.

Think about it.

A species that considers humans inferior and views them as mere dogs that happen to look similar—breeding with them and having children?

From a human perspective, it would be like breeding with a monkey.

When I think about it that way, it does seem a bit disgusting.

Anyway.

Since elves dislike it, half-human, half-elves were driven out and formed their own tribe, so it’s not for me to judge.

From my perspective, it doesn’t matter whether this native is an elf or not.

“Then how did the first half-blood come to be? Who bred with whom to have a child? Elf? Human? To form a village, you’d need both, right?”

“…”

He wasn’t going to answer that.

I asked him directly:

“Guide me to your village.”

“No!”

“What did I say I’d do if you said no one more time?”

“Eek! No, that was a tantrum.”

“This is also a tantrum.”

“No. We can’t bring outsiders to the village.”

Hmm.

This is why people need basic education.

Growing up like a wild animal in this swamp, even someone who looks half-adult seems childish.

I explained in a way he could understand:

“Your village has a problem, right? I’m here to solve it.”

“…How did you know?”

“How would I know? I received a request from the elven village. Kid, why else would I greet you like this? You shot several arrows at me.”

“That’s true.”

“So guide me. This is an opportunity for you all. The elven village sent me. To help you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, man.”

I have 10 years of experience in Farming World.

I’ve done countless quests and seen countless sub-stories.

Making up a plausible story wasn’t difficult.

I finally put him on the branch after he nodded.

He seemed to ponder for a moment before taking the lead.

I called him back.

“What’s your name?”

Calling him “this guy” or “that guy” doesn’t feel right.

He’s the first native I’ve met in Farming World, so I should at least remember his name.

“I am…”

“Actually, never mind.”

“…Huh?”

“From now on, your name is Chunsik.”

I thought it would be better to have a name that’s easy for me to call.