“The final assignment for the provisional system administrator is farming.”

Teacher Myeongwoo announced. Huh?

“Why farming all of a sudden?”

“You must successfully grow crops within the given space. The system administrator must regulate the environment for crop growth and also prevent pests and disease.”

In other words, it seemed like a lesson in dungeon environment management. After all, one of a system administrator’s main duties would be dungeon upkeep.

“But isn’t this going a bit too far into actual administrator work?”

“Of course, there’s an auxiliary system in place. Even I find it odd to teach this much....”

Myeongwoo furrowed his brow slightly and trailed off.

“Both of you must be candidates.”

“Candidates?”

“Potential transcedents who will take on system management.”

I reflexively glanced at Seong Hyunjae beside me. His golden eyes shifted slightly as he looked down at me.

“I get his side, but me too? They say an F-rank can grow outside the system, but it’d still take hundreds of years—and I’d be dead before then. My lifespan changes day by day, remember?”

“Even if you don’t become a transcendent, you could still use it.”

Myeongwoo said without hiding his displeasure.

“If you cease to be a ‘living being,’ your lifespan can extend indefinitely depending on management status.”

“...Right.”

Suddenly I felt a pang in my chest. I’d considered that myself. Since a young chaos being could turn a creature into a sword, other transcendants could do the same. Even Chatterbox had tried to change me.

“Guildmaster Kang would be a textbook transcendent candidate, though.”

“But she’s not accepting scouts.”

If another transcendent recruited her, it’d be a double contract. I grew curious.

“What happens if you contract with two transcents at once?”

“Usually the second contract is voided—unless the difference in rank between the two transcents is enough to break the first contract. That almost never happens. To outrank one transcendent with another, you’d need an SSS-rank transcendent. That’s the level of gap required.”

So between the same rank, whoever signs first wins. I glanced at Seong Hyunjae again. Even if Diarma’s contract revived and entangled him with other transcents, it wouldn’t invalidate the Crescent contract. Crescent seemed among the highest of transcents, after all.

“...How’s your household?”

“Who knows. They might feel a bit hurt.”

“What are you even talking about? Why would they?”

I’d be hurt, but he always did as he pleased. Seong Hyunjae lowered his eyes and sighed regretfully.

“He was more approachable then, even if he kept his guard up.”

“Look who’s talking! He’s not that different, but at least he was a bit less insufferable.”

Even after returning, Seong Hyunjae did plenty of foolish things, but he was still slightly less obnoxious than now.

“On the less adorable side.”

His golden eyes appraised me as if inspecting a precious object.

“You still don’t understand, do you?”

“Speak clearly. You get it, but you keep it to yourself.”

He curled the corner of his lips with that smug expression. I felt like slapping him.

“You’ll have the same time and we’ll score by yield and quality. In that space, crop growth time is one hour per week—16 weeks, 16 hours, roughly four months. Farming tools will be provided; you may use skills but no items.”

“Is it safe to operate without a license, Teacher?”

“It’s not machinery.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hoe, sickle, hoe blade, carrying frame, plow, etc.”

“Wait, Teacher Myeongwoo! This is totally unfair to me! Look at the size difference!”

I pressed close to Seong Hyunjae in protest. See? He’s at least a handspan taller!

“My forearm’s twice as thick! He only looks slender with clothes on, but the muscle’s no joke—you wouldn’t need an ox to plow with me.”

“Have I ever stripped you?”

“I’ve threatened to strip you, but still—”

Technically I only meant to pull at the yarn. Even with machines, farming requires stamina—plowing by hand with a plow? I can’t win that.

“This isn’t a competition. Just pass.”

“But if we’re doing it, we might as well win! Besides, you won’t pass. Unless you can’t fail the farming.”

One hour per week. If I mismanage the environment and a drought hits, who knows how many trips I’ll have to make hauling water in that hour. And harvesting? Even a small plot takes hours to harvest before everything withers.

“You four in each main room is enough, right?”

“Yes!”

Ugh, with Yuhyun and Yerim we could farm this all ourselves. Seong Hyunjae’s team—I know Director Song and Hyunah, but who are the other two?

“The harvest will be delivered to the transcents, and there may be rewards accordingly.”

“Really? The transcents?”

“Food you produce right away and crops you grow yourself are different. You can’t easily extract crops from a world they can’t interfere with. And transcents are too lazy to farm themselves. Besides, if they grow crops, their power inevitably seeps in.”

So ordinary food trades at high prices, Myeongwoo said.

“Even though we control time and environment, it’s still our own product, so they agreed to take it.”

“Myeongwoo, you really know a lot about transcents, don’t you?”

“I’m just the system’s assistant. I can’t tell you anything beyond the limited info. Yujin, don’t go snooping either.”

“Okay.”

“No.”

“Okay.”

Of course the system stores transcendent info too. Myeongwoo glared at me and we were both transported. Everything went dark for a moment, then brightened again. I stood in a small clearing in a dense forest. I checked the space via the system.

“...An island?”

Not very large. A pond in the center and forest everywhere else. I saw farming tools piled to one side of the clearing.

“And straw hats and clothes?”

When I slipped on red work gloves, a message appeared.

[Task begins in 10 minutes]

A window the size of a tablet PC popped up.

[You may scout and contact the opposing team.]

Through the window I saw another similar island. Seong Hyunjae was removing his coat and gloves, donning the same red work gloves.

“You should change your clothes too. Farming in dress pants really doesn’t suit you.”

[New hobby, is it?]

“Excuse me?”

[Stripping people.]

“I’ve never stripped you! I’ve only seen Yuhyun’s arms, and Noah’s, and Hyunah’s, and Director Song’s, etc.”

[Stripping people is your hobby—]

“Swimming pool, swimming pool!”

Director Song wasn’t at a pool, of course. I’ve seen Yuhyun bare since childhood. °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° Come to think of it, the only one I stripped was Yuhyun...

“Anyway, I’ll win again, so I’ll let it slide.”

Confidently, he teleported his team members. Yuhyun, Yerim, Noah, and Riet appeared and looked around.

“Uncle! Where is this?”

“Some unnamed island. We’re farming here from now on.”

“Farming? I did a school garden in elementary—grew kidney beans.”

They said school curriculums changed a lot, but people still grow beans. Yuhyun and I did too. I explained the assignment to the four.

“Clear the forest?”

Riet sounded ready to transform into a dragon. We’d have to clear it for a field—but—

“No. There’s no fertilizer.”

To grow healthy crops, soil needs nutrients. Here, the forest probably drained them all. In this case—

“Yuhyun, burn it all.”

The traditional slash-and-burn. Burning plants makes ash fertilizer. It’s banned nowadays, but—

“Leave plenty of ash. Can you keep it close to a normal fire? Clear the forest quickly without harming the pond, just enough for farming.”

“Yeah. I can do it.”

Willow leaves scattered as Yuhyun soared. Yerim flew up too, and Noah in his wyvern form scorched the area around me and Riet. The ten-minute countdown reached zero.

[Begin the task!]

“Yuhyun, now!”

Flares—

A red flame, neither black nor blue, leapt from Yuhyun’s fingertips. It caught the willow leaves, which drifted down from high above. Living wood drenched with moisture doesn’t ignite easily, but wherever the ember fell—

Flare.

Flames shot up instantly. The fire grew stronger and spread through the forest. Despite no wind, it advanced at incredible speed—and left the pond untouched. Crack! Trees engulfed in flames toppled one after another, smoke billowing. Noah flapped his wings fiercely to blow the smoke away.

“Nice. Put it out when it’s just right!”

They’d finish clearing the forest in under thirty minutes. I’d win this, too. Seong Hyunjae’s team might clear the forest quickly, but they’d have no fertilizer. Burning slowly would take half a day in real time, and we wouldn’t have time to farm.

I checked on Seong Hyunjae’s progress through the window. Rumbling—sounds of the ground shaking softly outside. That was Hyunah. Without items, she wielded an axe, felling trees with a single blow. She chopped, kicked, and broke trees as she ran.

On the other side, I saw Director Song in a light shirt and work gloves, fists clenched, charging through the forest. With each step, shoulder, and punch, trees tumbled like a human bulldozer.

And one more person.

“Huh?”

Samir, holding sickles in both hands. Why is the kidnapped prince here? Was Seong Hyunjae the kidnapper? While those three worked furiously, Seong Hyunjae was... erecting a gazebo. Beside him stood Mari in a straw hat. Mari?

“That team’s composition is... unexpected.”

Mari and Samir, and we have little intel on them. In contrast, Seong Hyunjae likely knew our team’s abilities well—he’d received information from current Seong Hyunjae and could easily research from the Chatterbox party broadcast.

“Passing all the work to teammates and relaxing, are we?”

I can’t do much now, but he’s different. Strip off your shirt and clear the forest too.

[My turn starts now.]

Seong Hyunjae said as he surveyed the cleared area. Uprooted trees lay everywhere, revealing barren soil. The three pushed the logs into the sea, and moments later—

Drip, drip.

Rain began to fall. Ah, environment control. I quickly checked the system.

[Rain

Wind

Sunlight

You can adjust temperature with the above three factors.]

Each had clear limits. Rain only controlled precipitation amount—you can’t flood the place. Wind and sunlight were similarly constrained. Basically, you can’t use them offensively.

‘So in team battles later, you can’t directly damage with environment control either.’

You could still use it indirectly—say, rain in Yerim’s battle. But an opponent could stop the rain, too. We need practice.

Crack!

Thunder boomed beyond the window. What’s that? Weather control can’t summon lightning.

“What are you doing?”

It was Seong Hyunjae. He was scattering bolts of lightning.

[I’m fertilizing the soil.]

“...Excuse me?”

What kind of thunderbolt nonsense is this?

[Have you never heard that frequent lightning brings a bountiful harvest?]

“...That’s a superstition, right?”

[Lightning’s energy breaks nitrogen in the air into oxygen and combines it. That’s nitrogen oxides—commonly called nitrogen fertilizer.]

“Fertilizer?”

Lightning makes fertilizer? This helps farming? I’m definitely taking Seong Hyunjae if I ever go to a deserted island. What can’t he do?

‘Now the conditions are almost equal.’

I thought his team couldn’t produce fertilizer—just a bit of ash. The lower forest was nearly all charred. Once the ash is raked and mixed with soil, we’re ready to sow.

“Next, Riet—ugh!”

Riet behind me suddenly grabbed my waist hard. Noah turned his head in surprise.

– Yujin?

“Hey! Don’t touch me!”

“She looks delicious as ever, Sweetie.”

“What?”

Hands where? Hey!

“It’s just, um, an illusion? Skill effect! I’ve got a lot to do with draconic genes!”

“Mm, I’m more drawn to it. It’s darker than before.”

– Hyun-ssi, please let Yujin go!

At first it was just the Dragon Slayer trait. But then Diarma’s draconic power came, and Gyeol was born with both the dragonkin’s magic stone and the hybrid’s. And with the black dragon involved, it’s no wonder Riet feels this way.

“I won’t do anything unless I like someone!”

“I like you, Sweetie.”

Her whispered voice in my ear made my face flush. It’s just her title and other reasons—calm down.

“Enough, let go.”

Valerie’s skill made an impact too, and thinking about it made me a little sad.

“Riet Hunter, release my brother.”

Yuhyun strode through the willow leaves to stand beside us and spoke coldly. Riet laughed and hugged my neck, stroking my hair. Hey!

“I’m just showing affection~ Sweetie siblings hug and kiss too! Like I do with Noah!”

“No kissing!”

“Why not? Being close to someone you like feels good—warm and comforting. Skinship is better the more you have~ Noah liked it too!”

Noah, watching us, blinked. He didn’t seem to hate Riet’s touch. Yeah, skinship is nice. Thinking back, Peace and Gyeol get light kisses, and I carry them around. Koreans should show more affection!

“Yuhyun, come here too!”

“Okay, hyung.”

Yuhyun bowed eagerly. Despite awkwardness, I hugged him and even kissed his cheek after a long time. Then Yerim—

“I refuse.”

Yerim crossed her arms with a displeased look.

“It’s not that I don’t like you, but I don’t want to brush cheeks indirectly through Yuhyun.”

...His cheeks are clean though.

“And I saw it in Paris. French people make a ‘smooch’ sound but it’s not a real kiss.”

“...What? It isn’t? But—”

“Riet-unnie is Riet-unnie. I saw it on the street, so maybe family members kiss for real.”

“Everyone does it~”

Riet declared confidently. Is this for real? But we kissed cheeks a lot as kids here too.

“...Let’s plow the field.”

It’s best to be cautious in front of others. Riet agreed, then transformed into a massive black dragon. The dragon stomped, ripping the earth. Soil and ash flew upward. This year’s harvest will be good.