episode_0016

Misty Forest, Day 33.

Front yard farm.

“Delicious!!!”

Floren shouted in excitement.

It had only been a week.

The crops had grown.

It was possible because they had cultivated the crops at the optimal time when the stems bore fruit.

The taste matched Floren’s reaction.

Not to mention the fruits.

Even the vegetables had a hint of sweetness.

You could enjoy eating them one by one without even bothering to cook.

And what was even more astonishing was…

“The nutrients have increased….”

They confirmed that the crops’ nutrients and mana had increased. It was expected that they would decrease upon bearing fruit, but that was not the case. The crops generated energy through their own magnetism.

Sending down roots.

Synthesizing nutrients.

Absorbing water for circulation.

And even the countless microorganisms continuously emerging.

In other words, with proper soil management, nutrients amplify. The rich nutrition contained in those fruits was evidence of this.

Come to think of it, I’m similar.

Without hunting, just resting quietly fills me with mana and nutrients. The larger the body, the faster this process was.

Moreover…

“My stats have increased!! Agility permanently increased by 1! Additionally, temporarily, other stats have also increased by 1 each. How is this even possible?”

Power was inherent in the fruits themselves.

Just by cooking and eating them, your stats would increase, allowing you to exert greater strength for a day.

So, it was necessary to make use of these advantages.

[Everyone, gather.]

“Yes!”

“Have you called us, Lord Shin?”

“We are prepared to follow any orders.”

The elves are my avatars.

By commanding with will, the elves understood my intentions and assembled before me.

Their number was ten.

More workers were replenished from the sixth to the tenth born.

For reference, here are their names and genders.

6. Lapherdion – Female

7. Germion – Female

8. Fermion – Male

9. Gertion – Male

10. Elashion – Female.

Honestly, I can’t remember them all.

Once I get used to it, I’ll call them by name, except for Illian, starting from the sixth, seventh, and so on.

First, I asked them about the farm.

“I plan to expand the farmland. So, I am considering increasing the workers. What do you think?”

Illian responded as the representative.

“Regarding the workers? If that’s the case, why not leave it to us. Since Lord Shin is still growing, it’s best to conserve your strength.”

“You guys? How?”

“Please share a part of yourself with us. We will create our kin.”

“Hmm?”

It was unexpected.

If they found it challenging, I had intended to create successors myself, but they said that if I lent them the stems, they would create their own kin.

How exactly?

Curious, I decided to entrust them.

*

“What on earth is this sight?….”

Floren blankly stared ahead.

A new farm had been built in front of them.

Namely,

Elf Conception Farm.

Illian and the elves planted and nurtured the stems they received from me, communicating with them, enveloped in a subtle green light.

They are my avatars and part of me.

They could control the stems and produce fruits like me.

Above all, one thing was felt strongly.

Their wish.

They strongly desired the prosperity of their kin.

However, if I did not permit it, they would not be able to be born.

So, I willingly let go.

The stems separated from me, and the independent stems transformed according to the elves’ will. With their power, new life began to sprout.

Interestingly, the stems did not directly turn into fruits from the beginning; instead, they grew like ordinary plants and bore small elf fruits.

It was different from my method.

In this case, it took over 10 days for the fruits to grow and ripen, but they could continuously bear several.

With proper care, elves would steadily be born.

“I wonder if elves will also come out from there?”

“Probably. Would you like to try too?”

“…Me?”

“Just in case.”

Drip.

Pop.

I pushed up a strand of root from the ground, grabbed it, and extended it towards Floren.

He accepted it without much thought.

“Could it be… If I do this, can I create an elf too?”

“I don’t know. I gave it to you out of curiosity.”

“You say you don’t know.”

“I don’t know much about myself either. Just give it a try.”

“Well, then there’s no other choice. I will raise a very cool and handsome elf!!”

Seems like he’s getting into it.

Quite a diverse taste he has.

Snap!!

Floren also joined the elf farm.

He planted a root and followed the surrounding elves, tending to the plants just like them.

How much time had passed?

When I took a moment to rest and look around, a lonely stem stood unchanged, guarding its place.

It was a failure.

*

35th day in the Misty Forest.

“A truly amazing transformation.”

Creating elves was a great decision.

The house underwent remodeling for several days.

They themselves decorated the house by shaping the stems, creating pots, plants, drawers, and closets.

The once empty house now felt like a home.

But Shaela won’t be able to see this….

“Shaela.”

I approached Shaela sitting on the bed.

Getting no response, I made a fruit and offered it to her.

“Is it tasty?”

Surprisingly, she savored the fruit.

Her sense of taste seemed to be recovering.

Checking Shaela’s condition briefly:

Touch senses were almost restored.

Hearing had slightly improved.

Taste was in the process of recovery.

Vision still had unfocused pupils.

Smell was uncertain.

Roughly this much.

“Eat more.”

I placed the harvested crops in a basket and placed it in front of Shaela. She picked out fruits one by one and ate them.

Pat pat.

Aww~

Such a cute sight.

Initially appearing scary and irritable, now he was endlessly gentle.

Pet pet~

I stroked his head.

The slight upward curve of his mouth seemed to indicate some expression could be made.

Despite the lack of focus in his eyes, what mattered now was that he was regaining his senses along with the lost expressions.

Hopefully, vision can also be regained.

“Lord Shin, humans have arrived outside.”

While looking after Shaela.

Ilian’s voice was heard while working in the fields.

“Human…?”

I frowned.

This is a dumping ground.

Someone is abandoned here every day.

However, the Misty Forest is vast, encounters are rare, and even if screams are heard after Floren, I did not go to rescue anyone. Naturally, the elves followed my instructions.

But now the situation is different.

Humans have stepped directly into my domain.

Clearing the surrounding trees and establishing a farm made this place more noticeable, and even if foggy, the surroundings were open.

It’s easy to be discovered.

What should I do?

If it were a monster, I would kill it as usual and use it as fertilizer, but I wasn’t inclined to immediately kill an unknown human.

Then I have no choice but to meet them.

Whoosh! –

Moved consciousness.

Left the body and returned to the original form.

In less than a second, a new perspective unfolded.

Front yard of the house.

Somewhere outside the farm.

Five humans standing in front of Ilian.

Three men.

Two women.

“Please help us!! We barely escaped from the monster and made it here.”

One man pleaded as the spokesperson.

Please help.

“These people fled here chased by a monster. We killed the monster, but we don’t know how to deal with the humans, so we called Lord Shin.”

Nearby lay a giant dinosaur-like monster, seemingly dealt with using mere fists.

Taking control of Ilian’s body, I opened my mouth.

“What exactly do you need help with?”

“Allow us to stay here. We understand how dangerous this place is. We cannot escape on our own. But it seems that monsters do not roam near the elves.”

“Just provide us with a meal, and we’ll leave after eating it, if that’s possible.”

“Huh?….”

“Why should I engage in such a losing proposition?”

“Well….”

The man fell silent.

He seemed quite flustered.

But I won’t just accept it without a thought. There’s nothing in it for me.

Protecting someone is no easy task.

Unless it benefits like Floren.

So.

“If you want protection here, work for it. In that case, I might consider offering some conveniences.”

“Work means….”

“Farming. You might also make clothes or other things if needed.”

“Um, could you give me some time to think about it?”

A nod.

The man promptly discussed with his companion.

Whether to leave the Misty Forest.

Or to stay here.

Naturally, the former option carries a high probability of death, while the latter is safe. However, I’m unsure how to assign work, which might cause anxiety.

But what choice do I have?

I must do whatever it takes to survive.

“I will do anything. Please accept us.”

An expected outcome, perhaps.

Human companions were acquired.

I hope they work as diligently as Floren… but that remains to be seen.

This incident solidified my decision.

Incoming humans will be accepted as laborers.

When patrolling to expand territory, if humans are spotted, I will not avoid them but instead rescue them. However, this applies only to those willing to work.

The rules are simple.

They will work as much as assigned.

They will eat food and vegetables they cultivate themselves.

To survive, they must work.

Additionally.

Expel complainers.

Expel those who don’t work.

Expel rebels.

Expel troublemakers.

Several rules were established.

Floren was appointed as the overall manager of human companions, and the elves can also manage them.

This will accelerate the expansion of the farm.

Thus.

This is a small village in the Misty Forest.

It has become a place that recycles abandoned humans.

Floor 0 of the Tower.

Somewhere in a city.

“Hey. The delivery deadline has passed.”

“I apologize. Jake, who was tasked with slave training, hasn’t returned, causing delays.”

Slave Trade Association.

A well-decorated counter where a pink-haired woman with pale skin conversed with a black-haired man.

The man’s name is Raclue.

A powerful vampire.

He expressed doubt at the woman’s words.

“Jake was quite good at training slaves. He hasn’t returned? What happened to him?”

“Well, due to the slave he was handling dying, he went to the Misty Forest to hunt for a new one himself… but we haven’t heard from him since then.”

“Oh dear. Went out for slave hunting and ended up dead in the Misty Forest. What a pity.”

Here, slavery is commonplace.

97% are slaves.

3% are nobles.

Of these, only 0.1% are rulers.

Commoners do not exist.

For ages, this culture has prevailed.

Building power by using discarded individuals as slaves, with slave hunters enjoying the luxurious life of nobles, creating an abnormal society.

“Please wait a little longer. We’ve sent an expedition to capture new slaves, so we’ll provide better education and treat them as higher-quality slaves than requested. Additionally, we’ll offer other slaves in the meantime.”

“Fine. I want to personally train a slave. I need to go to the Misty Forest.”

“Huh?”

“Just in case. Who knows, maybe I’ll become a great slave hunter. Hahaha!!”

“…Yes.”

Vampire Raclue.

Armed, he headed towards the Misty Forest.

Overconfident in his abilities, Raclue ventured much deeper into the mist than Jake.

In the direction where the Elven farm was located.