IRHGZA 52

Chapter 52

Damn Farm Owner!

Nana grumbled softly as she tapped the blinking alarm icon in the corner.

With a burst of fanfare, a popup announcing the opening of the starter package appeared, and its contents lined up in front of her.

<You have acquired a new skill, “Hawk’s Eye,” as part of the starter package.
You can now see the status and grade of everything in this world. Humans are no exception.>

Not bad… What else is there?

The moment the message disappeared, a dazzling light flashed and triumphant music played. The weapon floating in the air dropped neatly into Nana’s hands.

“T-This is…!”

<Iron Crowbar (SSS+): More commonly known as a pry bar. A light, satisfying weapon to swing, and it hurts a lot when it hits.>

…Seriously, I’ve felt this before, but this system does such a sloppy job. What kind of item description is that?

‘There’s nothing else, right?’

Just as she was about to put the crowbar into her inventory, a brief flash of light appeared in the empty air, and a book materialized along with a message.

[The Farm Owner Who Reached Max Level Alone Hides His Power]

A notification window popped up alongside the book.

<The now out-of-print farmer’s guide, “The Farm Owner Who Reached Max Level Alone Hides His Power”:
You’re probably wondering why a book is considered a weapon. A weapon is not limited to physical means of attack. Vast knowledge can also be a powerful weapon. In that sense, this book will become the greatest weapon for you, the farm owner, and protect you.>

What is this… that ridiculously generic fantasy novel title?

But the absurdity wasn’t limited to the title. The heavy book in Nana’s hands was just as thick as it was weighty. Whoever the author was, she couldn’t help but respect them in a strange way.

As Nana flipped through the pages casually, a section titled Skill caught her attention.

[When it comes to growing plants, the most important things are effort and care. However, there is a skill that fulfills both at once: “Plants Are My Friends.”

Improving crop quality has always depended on a farmer’s one-sided love and dedication. But what if it weren’t one-sided? What if humans and plants could communicate with each other? And what if you could make them your friends?

Not only would this guarantee crop quality, but plants that become your friends will provide great help to the farmer. After all, plants are the most sincere beings when it comes to valuing friendship. Furthermore…]

Just as she reached that point, a small message window appeared over the open book.

<Congratulations, Adrien Logitten. You have successfully acquired the knowledge from the page you just read.>

<Skill Level Up!>

<“Plants Are My Friends” has leveled up to Lv. 3.
Previously, you could only guess the condition of plants. Now, you can also sense their emotions.
Skills improve as they level up.
Books contain vast knowledge. Continue acquiring more knowledge to strengthen your skills!>

Jackpot. This is better than I expected.

The book she thought she’d use as a pot stand turned out to be a perfect skill book for her profession.

In an instant, what seemed like a useless burden had been promoted to a treasure.

* * *

Back to the present.

Nana looked at Sam, who stood across from her, and spoke.

“I can’t explain everything, but I need to go to the capital. You’re heading there too, right? So let’s go together.”

“Hey, wait—we? Don’t tell me you’re bringing that barba— I mean! Slip of the tongue! Put your fist down. Anyway, you’re planning to take that guy with us?”

“Of course. I can’t just leave Isha alone at the farm.”

Sam scratched his head and muttered with a sigh, “Man, this just got complicated.”

“I’m not asking you to get along with him. Just promise me one thing. Never mention Isha’s identity, and treat him like a citizen of the kingdom.”

“You don’t even know what he is. And you’re asking a royal, who’s responsible for protecting this country, to bring a mysterious figure into the capital?”

“Isha is just an ordinary butcher. As long as you don’t cause unnecessary trouble, no one will find out he’s from another race. Even Mr. Brody and Sir Lucas don’t seem to have noticed.”

“……”

“If you can’t even promise that, I’ll just go to the capital on my own—”

“Hey, wait! Who said I wouldn’t? Fine, I’ll do it your way. But I’ve got one request too.”

“What is it? If it’s something ridiculous, I’m leaving.”

“It’s a request… from a friend.”

Nana was momentarily speechless.

Friend.

How long had it been since she’d heard that word?

Even when she lived as Song Nana in the modern world, she didn’t really have anyone she could call a friend.

Coworkers became strangers the moment work ended. Her college friendships faded one by one.

Some went abroad, some got married, some just drifted away. The messages stopped. The check-ins disappeared.

After entering the game, she began adapting and making connections, but that didn’t last long. After the zombie apocalypse, everyone she once called a friend was gone.

Now, only Ishanka and Sam remained by her side. But calling them “friends” felt… uncertain. They had always been together, yet there was still a subtle distance—more like comrades than friends.

So when Sam casually used that word, it stirred something unexpected in her.

“What’s with that face? Don’t tell me you never even thought of me as a friend?”

“Ah… you caught me.”

She tried to brush it off jokingly, but the fleeting hurt in Sam’s expression made her chest tighten.

‘What’s with him? Why does he actually look hurt?’

Feeling strangely guilty, Nana tried to explain.

“I just thought… you wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. Even before everything happened, you always wanted to get out of the village, didn’t you?”

“You can be pretty cold, you know that? Friends don’t have to stay in the same place. You can still be friends even if you’re far apart.”

“Well, it’s not like we were that close before—”

“Anyway, we’re friends now, so just hear me out. That’s what friends are for, right?”

Sam started whining stubbornly.

Ugh, what an annoying prince.

“Fine. I’ll listen first.”

Nana sighed, but the corners of her lips lifted slightly.

Friend.

That simple word lingered in her mind longer than she expected.

* * *

Once they decided to head to the capital together, things moved quickly.

Brody and Lucas had originally come to escort Sam to the capital, so they readily agreed.

As for Ishanka, instead of forcing him, Nana chose to ask for his opinion and give him the choice. She didn’t want to drag him along unwillingly. If he refused, she planned to let him go freely.

But her concern was unnecessary.

“I will go with you.”

Ishanka replied calmly.

“Really? I’d be happy if you came, but weren’t you traveling the world to find something?”

She remembered a conversation they once had over lunch about why he had come all the way to this remote countryside.

“I already found it, so there’s no need to worry.”

He didn’t mention that what he found was his troublesome relative.

“The capital will be far more dangerous than here. I am your worker, so it is my duty to stay by your side and protect you.”

His voice was warm—so much so that it almost felt like he was speaking to someone he loved.

“Alright, then it’s settled—we’re going together!”

She quickly turned away, almost fleeing.

I didn’t look flustered, right? I almost blushed back there.

As the distance between them grew, Nana’s steps gradually slowed.

Lately, she had been noticing something different about Ishanka.

Whenever she felt a gaze and turned around, he would be staring at her. When they spoke, his voice sounded softer, almost lighter than usual…

Nana shook her head as if to scatter the unnecessary thoughts. One mistake in the past was more than enough.

But messy emotions don’t disappear so easily.

Her memories drifted back.

Song Nana’s office life had been ordinary.

Work, lunch, small talk with teammates, more work, then going home.

That day had been no different.

“Hello, Team Leader Song Nana.”

The man greeted her shyly, handing her a cup of coffee.

So this is the experienced new hire in the sales team?

Nana assumed it was just a polite gesture.

“Do you take the subway toward OO Station too? I go that way as well! That’s great—I’ve been bored commuting alone.”

To Nana, who was used to purely professional relationships, his gentle gaze and smile felt unfamiliar.

But she didn’t dislike it.

It had been so long since she had conversations that weren’t about work.

Even though she kept things professional, whenever he smiled—dimples forming—her heart fluttered just a little.

And just when his presence no longer felt unfamiliar…

One day, a single sentence shattered her happiness into pieces.