Chapter 5
To explain how I ended up picking up a lunatic, I need to rewind to four days ago.
It was Saturday. The sky was overcast, heavy with dark clouds.
‘Purify.’
Fwaaah!
As usual, I was cleansing the contaminated land near my cabin when the system suddenly popped up.
Pop-pop-pop!
Accompanied by the deafening crack of fireworks.
Purification Skill Level Up!
Lv. 2 → Lv. 3
You may now use this skill up to 2 times per day.
Remaining Purification Uses: 2
(※ As a level-up reward, your remaining uses have been reset.)
“Oh….”
Finally, my daily purification uses had increased.
Twice a day meant I could make even more fields than before…!
“Let’s see, how many garden plots do I have now….”
One, two, three, four… and I purified once earlier, so that makes five total.
I already had five plots, but because I was short on coins, I’d planted nothing but the cheapest thing—potatoes.
‘I want to plant strawberries…. And cherry tomatoes, too….’
But strawberries and cherry tomatoes were ridiculously expensive.
Strawberry Seedlings: 500 coins each
Cherry Tomato Seedlings: 350 coins each
‘Couldn’t they at least give a discount…. Or give me more quests that reward more coins.’
I was grumbling internally when the system abruptly cut in, as if it had been peeking into my head.
Sudden Quest Triggered!!!!!!!!!
“Ah—holy crap!”
My heart practically leapt out of my chest!
〈Let’s Explore the Forest!〉 Quest♡
The forest near your cabin is filled with many useful resources.
Explore the forest and gather resources!
Forest exploration (0/1)
Success Reward: 850 coins
Failure Penalty: None
“Explore the forest…?”
A quest that actually sounded kind of fun had popped up.
I lifted my head and glanced toward the dark forest behind the cabin.
‘That forest doesn’t look that dangerous….’
I hadn’t heard of wolves or bears living there, and even if the animals were contaminated, most of them were herbivores. They’d run away rather than attack me.
Still, if I went deeper into the forest, monsters might appear. There were plenty of sightings like that in the original story.
‘I still have two purification uses left today….’
Maybe I could head in and look for bird eggs or mushrooms?
Honestly, I was getting sick of eating nothing but potatoes….
And if I completed the quest, I’d get 850 coins.
“Hm.”
Alright. Let’s do this.
Having decided to explore the forest, I tied my hair up tight and grabbed my only tool—my hoe.
I couldn’t expect much in the way of attack power, but it was better than going in empty-handed.
‘Going alone is scary… I should bring Slave No. 1 with me.’
“Ninabel! Get over here!”
—Yeees~! Master!
Ninabel, who had been hanging out by the spring, came scampering over at my call.
Still in her hamster-shaped dewdrop rice cake form, the spirit spun in circles around me.
“You’re making me dizzy.”
“Hing….”
When Ninabel was farther away, her voice didn’t hit my eardrums—it echoed directly inside my head.
I didn’t know the mechanics, but apparently it was because I’d “formed a contract” with Nini.
‘When exactly did that contract even happen, anyway?’
There was no doubt this affection-starved masochist of a spirit had signed me up without my consent.
I snatched the little water droplet and tucked her under my arm.
“Slave No. 1, today we’re exploring the forest.”
“The forest? There might be monsters! Of course, Nini will go anywhere with Master!”
“If monsters show up, I’m using you as a shield and running.”
“T-th-that’s cruel…! B-but if I can be Master’s shield, Nini would gladly die…!”
What a deranged spirit….
Shaking my head, I marched toward the forest.
Just thinking about exploring the unknown made my heart thrum in a pleasantly excited way.
About ten minutes after entering the forest—
“A mushroom!”
I’d found a mushroom that looked incredibly delicious!
It was a vivid red, beautifully shaped like a stag’s antlers—an impressive-looking mushroom.
“Doesn’t this look amazing? Right?”
“It looks poisonous, Master!!”
“No way, it can’t be…!”
That was when—
Mushroom Appraisal (D) — Skill Awakened!
You can appraise all mushrooms in the world.
Appraised mushrooms will be added to the 〈Field Guide〉.
※ This skill has a unique rank and cannot be upgraded.
Heol.1 Jackpot.
I can appraise mushrooms now.
I’m actually competent now!
〈Tip〉 To use the skill, stare at the mushroom for at least 3 seconds while thinking of appraising it.
Following the system’s instructions, I stared intently at the red, elongated mushroom in front of me, focusing on appraising it.
A moment later, a popup appeared.
Red Stag-Horn Mushroom
Class: Basidiomycota
Order: Agaricales
Family: Clavariaceae2
A bright red, stag-horn-shaped highly toxic mushroom.
Consumption may cause diarrhea, fever, and impaired consciousness.
Even touching it can cause skin inflammation—handle with care.
“…….”
So it was a lethal mushroom….
It even kindly warned me—in a stiff, formal font—that touching it was dangerous. Wow, system. You’re serious about this.
‘It looked so tasty, though….’
All the anticipation about its flavor vanished in an instant. I quietly backed away from the red mushroom.
“Edible mushrooms…. Let’s find edible mushrooms….”
For the next thirty minutes, I wandered through the forest like a zombie in search of mushrooms.
But the only mushrooms around were those same damn red poisonous ones…!
“What is this nonsense…!”
“Please give up already, Master~!”
“I’m sick of potatoes, okay?!”
After trudging around the forest, my stamina ended up completely drained, so I flopped down onto the ground.
And then the little dewdrop rice cake started hopping around in a panic.
“Maasteeer~! You can’t just lie down anywhere like that! At least lie on me!”
“Lie on you…? Oh….”
I sprawled out on the spirit, who abandoned her hamster shape and spread herself wide. It felt like reclining on a hammock made of water.
“This is amazing…. Cool and comfy.”
“I’m so happy I can be of help to Master…!”
Yeah, yeah, you little masochist….
It was while I was enjoying that brief rest—
Rustle.
Something moved in the nearby grass.
“…!”
I stiffened reflexively, then sprang to my feet and stared hard in that direction.
‘What is it?’
A wild animal…?
Or… a monster?
‘If it’s a real monster, I’m running faster than anyone!’
And then, bursting out of the grass at last—
“…?!”
…A rabbit?
I froze.
Two perky ears, short front legs, fluffy-looking fur—aside from the eerie purple tint, probably due to contamination—
It was unmistakably a rabbit.
“Master! It’s a rabbit! It looks tasty!”
Hey, how would you know what rabbit tastes like? You’re a spirit!
I smacked the dewdrop spirit lightly as a warning to be quiet.
Then I lowered myself and observed the rabbit.
It looked like a wild rabbit, but it didn’t run away even when it saw me. It didn’t seem hostile either.
‘Is it… kind of dumb?’
It had zero sense of caution; it was a miracle it had survived in the wild this long.
…Hm. Should I try purifying it?
If things went well, maybe I could raise it!
Ding!
〈Guide〉 Nutrient-Rich Rabbit Stew Recipe♡
Ingredients: Tender fresh rabbit meat, herbs (rosemary recommended), salt, pepper, tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, olive oil
- Season the prepared rabbit meat with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a pan and sear the meat until golden on the outside.
- Add chopped vegetables and stir-fry together with the meat.
- Once the vegetables are fully cooked, add water……
‘Are you insane?’
I didn’t even finish reading before dismissing it. Telling me to eat something this cute—what kind of psychopath does that?
The rabbit just sat there, completely still.
…Yeah, something really was off about it.
So as not to startle it, I slowly reached out my hand.
‘Purify.’
A bright, warm light gently wrapped around the rabbit’s body.
When the glow faded, what stood there was—
A clean, uncontaminated rabbit with soft brown fur, looking up at me with sparkling eyes.
And above its head… a pink heart icon.
‘…Huh?’
Target’s Affection Toward You: 9♡
“…?”
What is this, a dating sim? Why is there an affection meter?
I was dumbfounded by the system’s endless features when the rabbit suddenly hopped up and leapt straight into my arms.
“Ugh—!”
It happened so fast I almost dropped it.
The rabbit burrowed into my chest, rubbing its face against my clothes. It was warm, soft, and squishy….
‘So cute…!’
“Y-you! You little rabbit brat! How dare a mere food source make a move on Master! Unforgivableee!!”
The spirit, obsessively attached to me, went berserk—but I lightly ignored her and kept petting the rabbit.
Another message appeared right after.
Animal Husbandry (Lv. 1) — Skill Awakened!
Docile herbivorous and omnivorous animals will follow you.
Sub-skill: Sacred Shepherd’s Touch (Lv. 1)
〈List of Tamed Beasts〉
- Brown Forest Rabbit (Lv. 1): A common brown rabbit that lives in the forest. Its meat is tender and flavorful.
“Oh….”
This could be really useful.
I could probably raise chickens, goats, even sheep on my farm someday.
Not that I could afford to bring those animals in yet—I was still flat broke.
‘Still, I’ve got an adorable rabbit now…!’
Overwhelmed, I showered the rabbit with affection. …Wait, what do rabbits even eat?
When I returned to the cabin with the rabbit, the quest completion notice popped up.
〈Let’s Explore the Forest!〉 Quest Complete!
You have received 850 coins as a success reward.
‘Yes!’
I’d been scraping together 10 coins, 30 coins, 50 coins at a time, and it had been driving me insane. Getting 850 coins at once felt like winning the lottery.
Balance: 950 coins
“Hehehe.”
Now I could buy strawberries, cherry tomatoes—and ah, I needed rabbit feed too….
“Maasteeer…! You have cute and capable Nini, so why some stupid beast like that!”
“If you don’t shut up, I’ll toss you in a pot and boil you.”
“Kyaaaah! That’s cruel~!!”
Ninabel ran off crying, but came back in less than three minutes, whining that it was lonely to be alone.
After dinner, a light rain began to fall.
For a bit of post-meal exercise, I built a little rabbit hutch in the barn.
The materials—fencing, hay, and so on—all came from the coin shop.
The cutest rabbit in the universe seemed to like its new home, hopping around before flopping onto the hay.
‘Adorable.’
Smiling contentedly, I left the barn.
Outside, it was dark, and the rain had grown heavier.
‘It’s about time to head to bed….’
“…?”
That was when it happened.
Sensing something off at the edge of my vision, I froze mid-turn.
Something unidentified… was lying collapsed on top of my precious garden plots.
“W-what is that?”
A monster? A forest animal?
No….
Looking closer, it was a person.
And a fairly large one, at that.
Why was someone passed out in my field? This was a contaminated zone—no one should even be passing through here…
‘Is he in danger? Is he hurt?’
I hurried over and examined him more closely.
From afar, his face had been blurry, but up close, I couldn’t help but gasp.
‘Wow… that face….’
Early twenties, maybe?
A man so overwhelmingly handsome I found myself staring blankly—no, “pretty” suited him better.
‘What is this…? This absolute idol-center visual?’