Chapter 169. Rice Planting Day (1)
"Alright, next item. What's the status of the seedbed water control, Hartok?"
"Yes, my lord. As commanded, we’re adjusting the depth of irrigation water according to day and night temperatures. At night, when the water cools down, we increase the depth to keep it warmer."
"Good. Excellent. Then, Combat Engineering Corps Commander? Any new updates from the royal capital?"
"Nothing of note yet. Some news came along with additional supplies, but…"
"What about word that Lady Artanis and Whitey have departed?"
"None. Sorry."
"It's not something you need to apologize for. It seems things are taking longer in the capital than expected."
"That does appear to be the case."
"Alright then. The seeds we sowed in the seedbed should start sprouting soon, so let’s work hard again today. Everyone! Chant!"
"A bountiful harvest! A blessing!"
This was the Demon King’s temporary farm hut, set up at the edge of the Swamp of Decay. Listening to the voices wrapping up the morning meeting, Tbong crouched low.
Then he crawled on all fours.
Creep, creep.
Making no sound.
As quietly as possible.
His round belly scraped a bit against the ground. It tickled. He almost burst out laughing.
‘If Dad finds me, I’m doomed!’
Tbong was in his own way desperate (?).
Somehow, he’d ended up playing outside and stayed out all night.
Dad must’ve been searching for Tbong all night long.
He felt a bit guilty.
But he had no choice.
‘… Tbong made a promise with Grandpa-Uncle.’
Suddenly, last night’s events came rushing back.
He’d wandered around the whole day in his first successful Polymorph state. On the way back to Dad, he’d run into Grandpa-Uncle.
Grandpa-Uncle didn’t know what to do, holding onto Tbong in a flustered panic. That reaction was fun. Someone trying so hard to play with Tbong—it had been a while.
Tbong was thrilled.
So he went along with whatever Grandpa-Uncle suggested. He even followed him into a dark, gloomy cave.
There, Grandpa-Uncle earnestly pleaded.
To hide well.
Not to tell anyone about this place.
To keep everything they were doing there a secret.
And if Tbong kept the promise, he’d bring something tasty tomorrow night too.
That got Tbong even more excited.
So they made a promise. To meet there again tomorrow night. Pinky swear. Stamp, stamp. Even signed it—chop, chop.
That’s why.
When Grandpa-Uncle said he had to go back to his quarters, Tbong wouldn’t let him leave. They played together deep into the night. Jacks, peek-a-boo, hide and seek.
Thanks to that, Grandpa-Uncle only barely returned to his quarters around dawn. Then Tbong, still in Polymorph, crept back to Dad’s hut.
…Creeeep!
Just a little more.
In front of the hut meeting room.
If he could just slip past there—
He wouldn’t get caught by Dad!
…Or so he thought.
"Tsk?"
From above!
Dad’s voice rang out!
“...!”
Startled!
Tbong froze on the spot.
"Tbong?"
"........."
Creeeak—he slowly turned his head.
And there, above him, was Dad, arms crossed, looking down at him.
"Tbong?"
"Where have you been all night, only coming back now?"
"Tbobong? Tbong?"
Ahhh.
Good thing he was no longer in Polymorph. Otherwise, hiding that awkward expression would’ve been even harder.
Tbong hurried to offer some kind of excuse.
"T-Tbong. Tbobong! Tbong!"
"Hmm, you say you were chasing dragonflies and before you knew it, the night had flown by?"
"T-Tbong!"
"Hmm, but you should come back and sleep snug at night. If you don’t sleep at night, you won’t grow tall."
"Tbooong?"
"It’s true. So from tomorrow on, come home early, okay?"
"T-Tbong...!"
Whew.
He didn’t get scolded too much.
And most importantly, he didn’t get caught about playing with Grandpa-Uncle or where they were.
Relieved (?), Tbong quickly scurried off. A wry smile formed on Kim Jangcheol’s lips.
“.........”
He felt strangely sorry.
Kim Jangcheol felt a pang of guilt toward Tbong.
‘Sorry, Dad’s always too busy working to play with you properly.’
Running around chasing dragonflies alone.
How bored must the kid have been?
The more he thought about it, the sorrier he felt.
At the same time, memories of his own elementary school days surfaced.
“.........”
He had grown up without his parents, raised by his grandmother. And he was much poorer than most kids. So poor, in fact, that he never even had the chance to go to private academies like most kids did.
That’s why.
He couldn’t go to cram school because they had no money—
Because he was poor, he couldn’t even wear nice clothes.
He often got scolded by the teacher, not for missing a workbook—he didn’t even have enough money for basic supplies.
So, he had no friends.
While the other kids hung out together after cram school, he had to play in the dirt alone.
“............”
That’s why he had to do better.
All the more reason he had to play with his kid more.
‘Once this job is done.’
He would definitely make it happen.
Kim Jangcheol made a firm resolution and shook off his thoughts.
Then, he focused on the matter at hand.
‘This moment is crucial.’
The seedbed had just been prepared, and the rice seeds had been sown. Soon, the sprouts would begin to emerge.
This is the critical phase.
‘How the young rice seedlings grow in the seedbed determines the success of the entire farming season after transplantation.’
In truth, most people assume that rice farming begins with transplanting. That’s what’s shown in TV programs and media.
But that’s not the case.
People don’t realize how much preparation, effort, and care it takes before the transplanting even begins.
“...Hmph!”
Kim Jangcheol stepped up to the shimmering water of the seedbed. He opened his eyes wide and glared at it.
For exactly 190 seconds.
Until the blood vessels in his eyes began to pop.
Ding-dong!
[Skill “Bloodshot Eyes” (Lv.2) has been activated.]
[Target: Seedbed No.10]
[Analyzing current state and predicting changes for the next 7 hours.]
[Current water temperature in Seedbed No.10 is 17.8°C. Algae, moss, and weed growth is currently suppressed near-perfectly.]
[Over the next 7 hours, the water temperature will rise by approximately 4°C, triggering the submerged irrigation phase where the seeds will begin sprouting and rooting in earnest.]
‘…Yes!’
Having verified the current and future status of the seedbed through Bloodshot Eyes, Kim Jangcheol clenched his fist.
He could finally relax a bit.
‘Thank goodness…’
Truthfully, he had been anxious.
The seed rice brought from the capital was a new variety. He had never cultivated this breed before. He wasn’t sure how it would respond to the methods he knew.
‘What if it doesn’t grow well… or worse, doesn’t sprout at all?’
It could also fall prey to unexpected pests or diseases.
For example, an overly warm temperature could lead to a bloom of algae, or the compost ratio might be off, making it hard for roots to establish.
Not to mention diseases like rice blast, root rot, or pests like those damn rice leaf beetles or leaf miners!
“...........”
If that happened, it would be game over.
They didn’t even have proper pesticides here.
So far, there were no signs of that, which was a huge relief.
‘…Still! I can’t let my guard down.’
Kim Jangcheol remained fully vigilant.
While he was at it, he used Bloodshot Eyes on all seedbeds from No.1 to No.100.
And that’s when it began.
Staring at each seedbed for 190 seconds each, his eyes bursting with blood vessels—pop, pop!
During the 10-second window to read results, his eyes would recover slightly(?)—tears rolling!
Then right onto the next bed, pupils wide open for another 190 seconds of capillary explosion—pop-pop-pop!
He repeated this 100 times.
Just using the Bloodshot Eyes skill and checking messages took a total of 330 minutes—over five and a half hours!
"Ahh, finally done…"
Drip.
Was what ran down his cheeks tears? Or blood?
He couldn’t tell anymore.
But a few things were clear:
All the seedbeds were safe.
And his eyes had lost all sensation.
Then, a welcome and unexpected message appeared:
Ding-dong!
[Skill “Bloodshot Eyes” (Lv.2) has leveled up!]
[You’ve stared fiercely into the truth, tirelessly bursting blood vessels and enduring dry eyes without fear. Your total burst capillaries have now exceeded a cumulative 3 kilometers in length.]
[Achievement Unlocked: 3km Pop-Pop Sticker]
[Skill: Bloodshot Eyes]
[Level: 2 → 3]
[The required no-blink duration is now shortened to 180 seconds. Future prediction window for targets has expanded to 10 hours.]
[According to an old saying, when a master of Bloodshot Eyes dies, the burst capillaries in their eyes form a chain, joining hands and crossing the wall to come greet them. I like this story very much.]
Fwooosh!
As the absurd and cryptic message faded away, no mystical energy welled in his eyes. Instead, they just felt drier and heavier.
“.........”
Worst. Level-up. Effect. Ever.
He sighed.
But there was no time to rest.
‘Earlier, I saw a 7-hour change window during my first round. But using Bloodshot Eyes took nearly 6 hours. Which means...’
He’d get maybe one hour of rest, then he’d have to use Bloodshot Eyes all over again.
Because now was the critical period.
He wasn’t growing a familiar variety.
Missing even the smallest change could ruin the seedlings—and with it, the entire season’s harvest!
“...Sigh.”
And so, it began.
Kim Jangcheol closed his eyes for one hour to let them rest.
Meanwhile, cheers came from the Farming Corps—the first sprouts had broken through the rice seeds.
An hour passed.
Flash!
He opened his eyes again.
Once more, he stared at each seedbed for 180 seconds, aggressively cultivating dry eye syndrome.
The more he stared, the redder his eyes became!
Even Zephyros and the farming corps members subtly avoided him, as if dodging someone infected with conjunctivitis.
That’s how the days passed.
Each day, Kim Jangcheol’s eyes grew redder.
Before long, Bloodshot Eyes reached level 5. Tbong secretly played with Grandpa-Uncle every night, earning sticker after sticker.
Meanwhile, the tiny seedlings grew strong enough to push their heads above the water.
And finally, after 40 days…
The long-awaited day of transplanting had arrived.
That same day, three visitors arrived in the Swamp of Decay, from the southeastern edge of the Abandoned Land.
They were diplomatic envoys—an elf, a dwarf, and a mage representative—dispatched after hearing that the kingdom had formally established relations with the demon race of the Abandoned Land.
This one is so exciting! I'm waiting for further interaction between Aged Kimchi and Kim Jangcheol!
I really enjoy reading this, and I adore the loyalty Credos' people held to him!