With Just Hao

When the medicinal plaster on the leg began to dry, the medicinal herb woman finally spoke.

"You were right. Whatever it is, the herb's effect is just amazing. It's all healed."

"Right? I told you it was a good herb."

When Ian brushed off the plaster, fresh white skin had grown over the wound on her leg.

The medicinal herb woman touched her own leg curiously, as if it was a wonder.

"Thank you. You even treated me yourself."

"Of course I had to treat you. The wound was because of Hao."

"It's all healed now so it's fine, but keep that dog tied up tight. And make sure it never barks at night."

The medicinal herb woman nagged out of habit, then stopped herself with a sudden look of realization.

She shouldn't get on the young man's bad side.

"Yes. Don't worry. There's no chance Hao will cause harm anymore."

Fortunately, Ian replied with a smile, putting her at ease.

"Wow, this is really incredible. It's been healed completely in no time!"

"He's like Hua Tuo, Hua Tuo!"

"Ahn Bin is such a capable young lad, isn't he? Hunting, herb healing, there's nothing he can't do!"

"That's what I'm saying. He's really a gem among the young return-to-farmers."

The villagers who had been watching all praised Ian.

Ian brushed off his hands and stood up.

He'd heard so many compliments he almost felt full. Although, he was literally full after eating a hearty hangover soup.

"Looks like everything's settled. No monsters, and the wound is treated."

"Ah, right. That's all sorted. Let's all head out. Time to disperse!"

As Kim Yongcheol tactfully spoke, everyone started moving.

"Yeah. We've gotta work."

"Had to run out here twice today, and it's already afternoon."

"Take care, everyone."

The villagers shuffled away, heading down towards the community center. All of them had to go below, except for Ian.

As he watched the group go, Ian turned to leave but Jeongnam came up to him.

"I didn't get to see any monster hunting, but seeing your healing work was really impressive, Ahn Bin."

"Ah, thank you."

"In times like these, having the ability to heal is a rare talent. Even the medicinal herb woman seemed quite surprised, didn't she?"

Apparently, he'd been watching closely.

"The herb is just very effective."

Ian tried to keep it vague, but Jeongnam firmly shook his hand.

"I'll be in touch again soon. I think there are many things we should talk about."

"Sure. Take care."

As Ian let go, Jeongnam gave him a polite nod and turned to follow the others down.

Ian watched for a moment before heading up towards his house, but just then, someone grabbed his arm.

"Uh, excuse me..."

It was the medicinal herb woman. She seemed to have waited until everyone else had left to speak to him.

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Young man, about this herb, could I get a few more? With the roots, if possible."

She was holding a specimen of the herb Ian had brought to show her.

"Ah, you want to plant it? Sure, I'll bring you some."

Apparently she was so convinced of the herb's value, she'd begun to covet it.

She told him that the monster—well, the slime—had devoured all the herbs she had been drying.

The medicinal herb woman and the villagers didn't know it, but actually, the slimes were also Ian's responsibility.

So it seemed only right for him to compensate for the herbs the creature had eaten. Since it even ate her bench and all.

Well, he didn't intend to replace the bench, though.

There was plenty of herb in the field, so sharing it wasn't a problem. In fact, it could turn out to be a good opportunity.

'She's an herb gatherer, so she must know good sales routes, right?'

Farming begins with sowing seeds but doesn't end with the harvest.

A harvest needs to be collected and sold to people. That's how farmers earn money, and that becomes the foundation of their lives.

The lord who governs a domain takes up, distributes, and sells or opens sales channels for his people's crops.

Enriching his people's lives as a result, that is a lord's job.

'If my people thrive, I thrive.'

This was the thought that ran in the blood of Ian, the master of a great farm and a high lord.

Although to be honest, Ian was now closer to a farmer than a lord.

'Good. Instead of just growing vegetables, maybe I'll try growing herbs in earnest.'

He decided to show the medicinal herb woman a few herbs and see if she could help explore new markets.

"Please rest here a moment. I'll go get some herbs from my field."

"Oh, really? Thank you."

The medicinal herb woman looked genuinely grateful.

If she knew the whole story, she probably wouldn't be, though.

With a bit of guilt, Ian hurried off.

It seemed that the only reason the medicinal herb woman didn't follow him up—despite her curiosity about the field—was thanks to Hao.

Quickly Ian climbed the slope. Thinking of Hao waiting for him at home made him happy.

"Hao!"

He called out, just because.

There had been ups and downs, but now he officially got to live with Hao.

That thought was delightful.

"Woof woof!"

Hao answered.

Ian, startled, immediately issued an order with his mind.

'Hao, don't bark!'

Hao's barking was not only very loud, but Ian was worried about the echoes it might create.

After all, just with its bark, the creature called Hao could accomplish a lot.

When Ian entered the yard, Hao was waiting for him with a puzzled look.

Those large black eyes beneath tufted white fur seemed to wonder why he shouldn't bark.

"You shouldn't bark too loudly. This is a world where little humans live."

Ian gently explained, reaching over to stroke Hao's back.

It was a warm afternoon, sunlight streaming down. In a pretty yard surrounded by hills, the large Hao was sprawled contentedly.

"Cute fellow. Lovely fellow."

When Ian stroked Hao's back and scratched his neck, Hao wagged his bushy tail happily.

Ian felt like he could spend hours absentmindedly petting Hao like this.

It was pure peace.

"You really are the best, right Hao?"

Woof, woof.

This time Hao barked very quietly. Even as a whisper, it resonated deeply.

'Will Hao's bark produce an echo even on Earth?'

Curious, Ian looked around.

He sensed some small movement from the field. The pests eating the crops were fleeing.

"Oh? It works."

Normally, when Hao barks, wild animals can't approach and even pests flee.

With just its bark, Hao could tend livestock and help with farming.

Hao accomplished all this as easily as breathing. On Praeri, there is even a proverb: "With just one Hao, ten Moglee will fatten up."

Moglee are a short-lived race on Praeri, small-bodied with slick, hairless skin.

They mostly live in the woods, but if you try to put them to work on a farm, they're hopeless.

With those bodies, they barely survive in the woods, and don't live very long.

'Come to think of it, they're a bit like humans on Earth...?'

Anyway, the saying about Hao doing the work of ten Moglee was true.

"You're the best, Hao."

Woof, woof.

Hao understood and was pleased.

Though Hao barked quietly again, the resonance spread, and weeds in the fields shriveled up on their own.

With just Hao, there was nothing in that field that required any effort from Ian.

"This place is called Earth. It's strange, isn't it? But it's an interesting place, so let's do our best here together."

After petting Hao a few more times, Ian brushed off his pants and stood up.

"Hao, keep quietly weeding the field, okay? I'll be back soon."

Woof, woof.

Hao understood and immediately dashed off to the field.

'Let's just hurry and pick a few useful herbs from inside.'

Ian headed for the back garden portal.

"Mmm, this is nice."

As Ian stepped into the portal, the fragrant air of Praeri greeted him.

His mood lifted right away. Not only his mood—just breathing there charged up his vitality.

Some people feel assured by stacks of money in a safe, others by having rare food stored up. But Ian didn't need any of that.

He had the portal.

And beyond the portal, there was Praeri land that had followed Ian here.

All sorts of treasures would come right from Praeri land.

Even if it was just a fragment of Praeri.

Even on holiday, having his home right at his back was a deep reassurance.

He strolled through the field, recharging his energy.

"The air is so sweet."

The pleasant, warm feeling of a field at perfect temperature and humidity.

Not only was the air clear and refreshing, it was fragrant. All sorts of wildflowers produced a soft, sweet scent.

There was absolutely no sign of pollution—pure nature, just as it was.

"Now, what should I bring from here? Something that can benefit humans on Earth, and be profitable for me..."

Compensation and a gift for the medicinal herb woman, which might also help him explore sales channels and eventually bring prosperity to the farm.

Ian looked around Praeri to find suitable plants.

The vast Praeri stretched out before his eyes... but then?

"Huh? The terrain looks a little different?"

Looking carefully, the scenery definitely had changed.

To the left, the forest reached much farther out. It wasn't what he'd seen yesterday.

It seemed Praeri dimension fragment wasn't fixed in place after all.

It made sense—it would be odder to think a fragment of a dimension stayed constant.

It only appeared as a fragment due to spatial distortion; the dimension itself wasn't actually split.

Just as an iceberg's tip looks different when the sea shifts, this landscape probably looked different depending on the moment.

"There's a lot I need to study."

He needed to figure out how the dimensional travel portal had broken and caused all this, and find a way to restore the spatial distortion.

To do that he'd first need to open a channel to Praeri and consult with experts and technicians in space and portals. For that,

"More than anything, I need to regain my full vitality, now that I've possessed a human body..."

But there was no rush. For long-lifers, time was endless, and besides, Ian was on a holiday trip right now.

"Anyway, this worked out well."

He'd come in search of herbs, and now that the forest was wider, his options expanded.

Ian strode toward the woods.

"Which would be good?"

On Praeri, everyone knew a thing or two about herbs. But even among them, Ian's knowledge was unique.

Yet he needed knowledge not of Praeri herbs, but of Earth's.

"What would be most similar to Mount Jiri herbs...? Ahn Bin, do you know anything about herbs?"

He asked just in case, but Ahn Bin's memories didn't respond. Apparently Ahn Bin knew nothing about herbs.

But after a short pause, something did surface—knowledge of poisonous mushrooms and plants.

It was something Ahn Bin had picked up at work retreats while working at a company that sold outdoor gear.

"That's not helpful. I'm not taking any poisonous ones..."

Any plant or mushroom with poison, Ian could sense immediately just by getting close.

"Oh well. I'll just pick things that look suitable."

Ian wandered through the forest, picking out those that caught his fancy.

He gathered herbs good for treating wounds, willow bark that worked as a painkiller, and also an armful of butterfly mushrooms.

Butterfly mushrooms gave a person an exquisite feeling of ecstasy when eaten.

Not because they were psychoactive, but thanks to their ability to thoroughly purify one's body of impurities.

They also had the bonus effect of cleansing the blood vessels. A flawless product of nature.

"Humans will love this. It feels good, and it keeps your blood vessels clean."

This much would suffice for now.

Ian turned for the portal, taking one last look around Praeri.

"No sign of any slimes today. Or any other creatures for that matter."

It was odd how silent the woods were, with no sign of animals.

Where had they all gone? Could more creatures have snuck out through the portal like Hao?

That didn't seem likely. If the escapees had made it to the village, there would have been an uproar.

Maybe they'd gone out another way.

'Could it be connected to the portal that appeared in Seoul?'

If not just slimes but forest creatures had escaped, there might be even bigger chaos.

Because some pretty ferocious beasts lived in those woods.

"I'd better check out Seoul."

There was suddenly a lot to do.

Ian quickly stepped out of the portal.

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