Today is a truly strange day.
Why, just why, do I have such an ominous feeling?
"......."
Kim Jangcheol looked around the field with a stiff expression.
The field was bustling with noise.
Of course it was.
Today was harvest day. Finally, the day they would gather the corn they had sweat over with such care, a joyful and happy day.
"Everyone! Listen carefully!"
Hartok shouted loudly.
"Harvesting corn is a battle against time! Now, what reason did I tell you for that earlier?"
"....Because we want to eat quickly!"
"Wrong!"
Hartok's voice grew even louder, piercing everyone's ears.
"From the moment corn is picked, its sugar starts turning into starch! So the longer it sits after being picked, the worse it tastes! To prevent that, what did I tell you we have to do?"
".....Munch it down right after picking!"
"Wrong again!"
Veins bulged at Hartok's temple.
"If you eat it right after picking, what will you eat later, you idiots! You can't eat it all at once! You have to steam it in boiling water to stop the sugar from turning into starch!"
"...Uwooo!"
"Truly amazing, Chief Captain!"
"How does he even know things like that!"
"We can't even remember what he told us ten minutes ago!"
"Baal can't even remember Baal's own birthday!"
"......."
Tsk tsk, these idiots.
Hartok felt exasperation toward everyone. And at the same time, his shoulders trembled slightly with a sense of relative superiority.
This was the climax of his self-esteem.
The happiness of beautiful intellectual achievement.
Thus, he vowed to himself once more to continue receiving private lessons diligently from the Demon King.
With a hearty shout, Hartok yelled.
"Alright, everyone move! Boil the water! And...let's sing the song of bountiful harvest!"
"Bountiful harvest! Bountiful harvest!"
Sweat poured down the foreheads of the farming corps members. Meanwhile, the harvested corn steamed and boiled in the cauldrons.
Big smiles filled everyone's faces. The joy of the harvest made them forget all the hardship they had endured. The satisfying weight of the large, sturdy corn.
'I never thought a day like this would come...'
One farming corps member thought.
And he remembered.
What he himself had been like around this time just a year ago, what his companions had looked like.
Yes.
I was so terribly hungry.
But there was nothing to eat.
I quenched the gnawing hunger that came every night with nothing but water. I wiped away my tears and hid them. I roared fiercely to cover the shameful growling of my stomach.
And I prayed.
That I wouldn't be devoured by someone stronger than me. That such a thing wouldn't happen to me, to my family. I offered prayers into the hollow of my hunger, not even knowing who I was praying to.
'But today, just one year later...'
I'm picking corn bigger than my arm, smiling broadly. I'm bursting with anticipation to steam it deliciously and share it with my family.
Unbelievably.
Like a dream.
'This...really isn't a dream, right?'
Another 3rd Star Legion soldier thought.
If this was a dream, please don't let it end. It was so happy, so blissful, that he felt he might burst into tears without even realizing it.
"......"
Yes.
Tears.
Once, I had to tear into the flesh of family and friends who had closed their eyes from starvation. Shedding bloody tears, wrenching my grief-stricken heart, I struggled just to continue my pitiful life.
But now, it was different.
Everything had changed.
"Baal! This corn, Baal likes it! It's big! It's heavy! Baal wants to use it as a weapon instead!"
"......Ahh, General Baal? Please don't swing the corn around like a twin axe!"
"It fits perfectly in Baal's hands! Baal is excited!"
"If you keep doing that......I'll tattle to the Demon King!"
".....What!"
"I'll say you're playing with food!"
"...Baal! Baal is sorry!"
A silly smile.
An overwhelming sense of pride.
Through it all, the cauldrons spewed steam, and the scent of freshly steamed corn rose into the air.
There wasn't a single corn shorter than a meter. As for thickness? It was about as thick as a human thigh.
Thanks to that, everyone was both amazed and satisfied. They said that just one cob would feed a family for dinner and even breakfast the next day.
Of course, there were exceptions.
'No...this isn't the normal size for corn, you fools...'
Kim Jangcheol let out a deep sigh.
Corn of a size that shattered all common sense. Watching it, he too wanted to simply enjoy it like the farming corps members.
But he couldn't.
He was the one in charge.
He had to lead everyone.
He had to take responsibility, literally.
So at the very least, he himself must never let down his guard. He must not relax. At the very least, he must be vigilant.
That's why.
That evening, he brought separately selected corn, pumpkins, and some beans—meant for seed stock—to his farmhouse. Then he started peeling them one by one.
'First, the corn.'
...Thump, thump.
His heart raced instinctively.
The abnormally giant corn.
Every time he looked at the size, the nightmare of last season's super potato came rushing back.
'Back then, at first it seemed good too. A complete bountiful harvest. But when we opened it up, it wasn't. That super potato, huge in size but without a single sprout.'
A literal dud (?)
Just a Great Dud with a big body.
That was the true nature of last season's super potato.
Because of that, they had to go through every hardship imaginable to get new seed stock from the human realm.
"......."
It had been pure luck he hadn't gotten killed by Aged Kimchi back then. He never wanted to experience that again. He definitely didn't want to go back to the human realm where that guy lurked.
'.....So please!'
Desperately praying, he plucked a kernel of corn and tore it open with his fingernail. Then, squinting, he peeked inside.
But...
"......"
There was nothing.
He couldn't see it.
The seed that should obviously have been inside the kernel...wasn't there!
"....."
No, no.
It's still too early to be disappointed.
His hands moved busily.
Kim Jangcheol pulled out the corn kernels, popping them out roughly. He peeled them apart one by one, as if disassembling them, inspecting the inside.
But still, there was nothing.
He couldn't see it.
Not a single seed.
"......."
Damn it.
Just in case, he peeled other corns too, but it was the same. He even split open the giant pumpkin the size of a gym ball, and hastily checked the kidney beans, but it was the same!
"...No pumpkin seeds in sight, the kidney beans are all smooth without any sprout points...is this for real..."
This fact meant only one thing.
He would have to go back to the human realm to buy seeds for the next season.
"...."
It was from then.
He silently stared at the disassembled corn kernels. For 190 seconds. Without blinking once.
The response came immediately.
Ding-dong!
[Bloodshot Eyes (Lv.2) skill is activated.]
[Target of observation: disassembled corn kernels]
[You see the current state of the 'disassembled corn kernels' you have observed for 190 seconds, and elements that will change over the next 7 hours.]
First, he wanted to know the cause.
Last time with the super potato, it had been due to the nutrients spread by the death of the 2nd Star Master.
'It won't be the same reason again, right?'
'No way again...'
Kim Jangcheol quickly read the following message.
[The 'disassembled corn kernels' you observed have undergone genetic mutation due to the plentiful curse embedded in the planted farmland. Compared to normal C4 photosynthesizing corn, this corn has improved suppression of light respiration, minimizing energy consumption used to eliminate reactive oxygen species during growth. Thanks to this, the corn could gather far more nutrients and produce enormous kernels, but as a price, it has lost its reproductive ability.]
[Over the next 7 hours, the 'disassembled corn kernels' will cry out like this: "I am a dud!"]
"......"
Fuck.
Now he understood.
'The curse left behind by that 2nd Star Master when he died...wasn't a one-time effect.'
A heavy sigh escaped him.
The curse etched into this land—how long would it last?
One year? Ten years? Or, fifty, maybe a hundred years?
He went outside and tried using Bloodshot Eyes on the ground. But he found no information about the "expiration date" of the curse.
"......"
Kim Jangcheol closed his eyes.
Then, faintly, countless sounds reached his ears. The laughter of the farming corps from somewhere far off. The warm, happy conversations of families chatting.
Listening to that, Kim Jangcheol calmed himself.
'Right, Jangcheol. Don't waver.'
I am the responsible one.
I have to lead everyone.
I have to literally bear the responsibility.
Therefore, at least I must not be shaken, no matter what hardship I encounter. I must not crumble. At least I must, without fail.
...Just as he was vowing to himself, pondering countermeasures—
"Lord!"
A bright, urgent voice came rushing toward him.
When he turned around, it was Zephyros, whom he had sent off earlier.
"A, a huge problem has occurred!"
Zephyros shouted as he ran, panting heavily.
It was such an urgent expression.
An expression so unlike the always-calm Zephyros.
"What happened?"
Kim Jangcheol also naturally turned serious.
Zephyros was not someone who panicked easily. For him to run over so breathlessly and anxiously, something serious must have happened.
"Huff, huff, my lord...! A, a huge...!"
"Calm down. Tell me slowly."
But even then, Zephyros, unlike usual, wore a pale, ashen face.
"I...I don't even know how to explain it...."
"What? Just what could have happened..."
Why was the normally calm and composed Zephyros showing such a face? Was this what it felt like for one's heart to sink?
Zephyros continued urgently.
"It would be better if you saw it yourself. Please, this way."
"......"
Without even waiting for an answer, Zephyros turned and dashed off. Just how serious was this situation?
Kim Jangcheol ran after him.
All the while, his heart was pounding.
Thump, thump, with anxiety.
Each time, he repeated to himself—
'No matter what situation I face, I must not panic.'
I am the responsible one.
I must lead everyone.
I have to literally bear the responsibility.
Therefore, I must not, no matter what, lose my composure. I must not fall into panic. At least I must, without fail.
...Just as he was vowing again—
"This way."
Had they finally arrived at the scene?
Zephyros pointed to a farmhouse.
"This is...Hartok's farmhouse?"
"My lord, please, inside."
"......"
Has something happened to Hartok?
Was it something so serious that he had to brace himself?
Without realizing, he bit his lip.
Steeling his heart, he entered the farmhouse.
It was that moment.
Pop!
"...!"
Something burst in front of his eyes.
For a moment, he was startled.
'A surprise attack?'
Reflexively, he entered battle stance.
I am the responsible one.
I must lead everyone.
I have to literally bear the responsibility.
Therefore, I must not, no matter who the enemy, allow myself to fall easily. I must not collapse. At least I must, without fail—
"...Waaaah!"
Bang! Pop-pop! Bang! Clap clap clap clap!
Magical fireworks exploded, sparkling before his eyes.
Cheerful singing and clapping filled his ears.
Only then did Kim Jangcheol realize.
Hartok and Baal, Asurat and Sirgi, Zephyros and the third Star Master.
As if knowing the burden he carried alone, as if telling him not to bear it all alone, silently standing by to comfort him.
They shouted in unison toward him.
"...Congratulations on the 1st Anniversary of the Farming Declaration, Demon King!"
The moment he heard that—
Kim Jangcheol thought.
"........"
Today is truly a strange day.
Why, just why, does my nose sting and tingle like this, even though I'm not sick with a cold?