Chapter 97: Temple of the Moon Part 2

– Phew~~!

"…Huh?"

Just then, a strange thing happened. The phew-ing marshmallow jumped onto a small dirt mound. With its short limbs, it gathered the dirt neatly and hugged the withered weed tightly. Suddenly, a blue light sparkled.

No way…

Thinking it might be a mistake, I grabbed another handful of dirt. Instead of the dry crumbly soil, I felt moist rich earth. The marshmallow had revived the dead land.

…With this, I might be able to do it.

Feeling the rich soil, my lost motivation surged back. I jumped up and headed towards the temple again. I hoped there might be some basic tools left inside to cultivate the land.

-Bam!

I flung open the temple doors and started searching inside. Most of the items were excessively old and weak from long neglect.

-Clatter.

-Thud!

-Clunk!

-Clang~!

After searching the temple for a while, I finally found a usable hoe. To think there were only primitive tools left… In the end, it was telling me to do the labor myself?

– The land lives off a person's devotion.

Whether it was my father or grandfather who said this, I couldn't quite remember as it was a story from when I was very young. I picked up the hoe with my dusty hands and stood up.

"Ha, if only Ayla were here, digging this ground would be easier."

But it seemed this was a test and trial meant solely for me. I was supposed to cultivate and care for the land myself. I looked up at the sky for a moment.

"You're lucky I'm a man of Korea. Do you know how much shoveling I did in the military?"

Of course, there was no reply.

With the marshmallow following me like a goldfish, I began to dig the ground in earnest. Marshmallow… no, it's a bit odd to keep calling it that. Since it keeps making Phew~ Phew~ sounds, maybe I'll call it Phew? As I tilled the soil with the hoe, Phew busily ran over the turned earth. Amazingly, the once dry soil began to turn moist and rich. It was literally a miraculous effect.

I don't know what kind of ability that little creature has, but if we keep this up, we can definitely restore this place to its original state.

The problem was that I had only one body and Phew had only one body too. The garden was vast, but there were only the two of us working, so it didn't seem like we were making any progress. It was driving me crazy. At this rate, it would take at least a month, no, maybe two months.

That would mess up the schedule.

If I could have used my skills, I could have restored this land in half a day. Why is my magical power restricted? I glared at the darkness creeping at the edge of the garden.

It must be because of that.

The darkness enveloped the entire forest. In this area, the power of the darkness felt particularly strong.

Magical power was not just a person's complete power. It was like air or water, shared with the world. Therefore, after using it, it could be replenished in my "body" which was the "vessel".

But here, the surrounding darkness blocked that flow. As a result, I couldn't use my skills…. This would be the same for other beings as well. It's strange that even the gods couldn't intervene.

Still, I should do what I can.

I looked at the setting sun and slung the hoe over my shoulder. My vision sparkled.

[The sun is setting.]

[Avoid the darkness.]

What?

As I checked the words in front of me and looked around, I saw darkness quickly closing in. Damn it, is this the danger that comes when the sun sets? I quickly picked up Phew and ran towards the temple. I entered the temple before the sun completely set, firmly locked the door, and peeked outside through a small window. The darkness was ravenously closing in like a wolf.

Now I understand why there are no people here.

No one could survive in a place like this, except maybe monsters or beasts.

-Phew!

Phew burrowed into my arms and started trembling. This wasn't the first time this had happened. Did it endure that darkness alone all this time? I patted its soft head. It trembled pitifully and didn't leave my embrace.

-Clang!

-Thud!

-Creak!

I felt the surroundings shaking as if darkness were trying to invade the temple. However, perhaps it was thanks to the power of the goddesses, the darkness never entered the temple. After checking that the door was securely locked, I slowly inspected the interior of the temple, hoping to find something useful.

"Oh, this is here."

I found seeds buried among dried petals. They looked like morning star seeds, but unlike the ones I knew, they had a silver sheen. I wouldn't know their exact nature until they bloomed.

Regardless, these were precious seeds. I carefully placed them in a cloth pouch and tucked them into my robe. Once the ground was fully prepared, I would plant these seeds.

-Growl…

But I was hungry. I had fed all the dried fruits I had to Phew, leaving nothing to fill my stomach. There was nothing I could do. I clutched my empty stomach and tried to sleep in a corner of the temple.

The next day.

-Phew~!

-Phew~!

"…Huh?"

When I opened my eyes, I was amazed to see Phew in front of me, but …

"Why are there two of you?"

There were two of them. What on earth was going on? Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I poked Phew to make sure I wasn't imagining things. Both of them had the same marshmallow-like softness. They were real.

"Can you reproduce on your own?"

I remembered something from school about creatures that multiply when you cut them in half, but I couldn't recall exactly. Was it leeches? Of course, Phew was far too cute to be compared to leeches. The thought of cutting it was horrifying. Something magical must have happened while I was unaware. That was the only explanation I could accept.

I opened the firmly locked temple door and looked outside. Thanks to the rising sun, the darkness that had lingered around the previous night was gone. Of course, the outer edges of the garden were still dark.

When I stepped outside, I saw unidentified sprouts growing on the ground I had cultivated the day before. Ah, there was hope. I knelt on one knee and gently placed my hand on the ground. A pleasant warmth spread through me. The warmth of life. Moreover…

I can feel magical power.

Could it be because life had returned to this place? I felt a bit of magical power flowing back into my body, which had previously lacked even a fingernail's worth of magical power. It wasn't a significant amount yet. Just enough to use a few low-level skills. If only I could use the [Fertile Earth] skill like I did in the dark elf villages, but I didn't have that much magical power. So… I could use [Power of the Wild] or [Breath of the Forest]. That would be enough.

Though it felt like I could only use it once. Since I needed to cultivate the land, I decided to use [Power of the Wild]. I used the skill and gripped the hoe tightly.

Now, the mad digging begins. I entered a trance-like state, plowing the dead land as if I were an ox. Following behind me, the two Phews were patting the soil, rolling around, and generally having a great time. The land they ran across quickly became fertile, and sprouts began to emerge.

Good, with this, the land would regain its life force and the magical power I could use would also increase. By the time the sun set, I had exhausted all my [Power of the Wild] and returned to the temple with the two Phews before locking the door behind us. Now, it was the time of darkness.

During the dark hours, I busied myself organizing the inside of the temple. Even though it had been abandoned, it was still a temple of the gods, and leaving it in such a state felt wrong.

Well, if the goddesses are pleased and grant me blessings, that would be even better.

I couldn't deny that I was hoping for a bit of luck. I hummed a tune and wiped away the dust with a dry cloth until I fell asleep.

And then, the next day.

-Phew~!

-Phew!

-Phew Phew~!

-Phew~!

"…This time, four of you?"

Did their numbers double as time passed? What exactly were the conditions? I yawned widely and poked the rolling Phews around me. They still felt like marshmallows.

There were other changes besides the increase in Phews. Water had filled the once-dry lake. It was a surprising event. The Phews drank the little water happily and followed me energetically. I worked like crazy until sunset, shoveling during the day and organizing the temple at night. Was this the life of a monk? Or more like a slave? Still, it was nice to see the garden coming to life and the temple looking clean.

Three days, four days… with each passing day, the number of Phews doubled. Now, thirty-two Phews were following me around. Thanks to the increasing number of Phews, the task of tilling the land was quickly finished.

It was finally time to plant the seeds.

I carefully handed out the seeds I had been keeping to the Phews and made rows in the ground with a hoe. Sixteen Phews diligently planted the seeds and covered them with soil. The remaining Phews drank plenty of water from the now large lake and watered the planted seeds.

Now it was my turn.

I cautiously adjusted the amount of magical power and used [Breath of the Forest]. Then, small sprouts began to emerge from the moist ground.

"Phew, it's a success."

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with my dirty hands. It had been a long time since I had tilled the soil and sprouted seeds, and it felt refreshing. The sprouts growing vigorously, the lake filling with clean water, the cool breeze… soon, I had forgotten all about the darkness.

By sunset, the flowers will bloom.

I led the thirty-two Phews back to the temple. The grown sprouts were now preparing to bud. I looked at the scene with a contented face. Like a parent looking at their child.

The sun set. Darkness was approaching. It was quite a pity that I couldn't witness the flowers blooming.

-Clank!

As if sensing my feelings, the firmly locked door of the temple shook roughly.