Chapter 52 – Naming the Pet Plant

Hee-na’s mouth fell wide open.

“Uh?”

To think a plant could move so dynamically, it was like watching computer graphics. Both Hee-na and Hee-won opened their eyes wide at the sight.

!!!!How fascinating!!!!

Osaek-i also chipped in, finding it fascinating, as if he didn’t really know what it was.

“W-What on earth is this?”

Flustered, Hee-na took a step back while remaining seated. At the same time, Hee-won spotted something in the air and let out an exclamation.

“Wait. Hee-na, the second item of the quest has opened.”

It seemed the quest description window had opened. Half-terrified, Hee-na tugged at her brother’s collar.

“What does it say? Why is it moving like a bug?”

In fact, if it hadn’t been a plant her brother had raised so dearly, she might have used her ‘Pest Eradication’ skill to trample it right then and there.

Unaware of this, Hee-won diligently read the description window.

“Hmm… ‘Congratulations. The pet plant has awakened from a long sleep. As is always the case, one must name something to grow fond of it. Please give the newly awakened pet plant a friendly name’… is what it says.”

“The pet plant woke up? And why does it need a name?”

Hee-na furrowed her brow.

She should have known when it was called a ‘pet plant’ instead of a pet animal. In the first place, the system had never given the siblings anything proper or normal.

“Hmm… What should the name be? I have to name it right away.”

Meanwhile, Hee-won seemed fully immersed in the quest, busy thinking of a name for the pet plant. After pondering for a while, as if he had thought of a decent name, he shouted, “Ah!” and spoke toward the system window.

“Baduki! Let’s go with Baduki. Whether it’s a pet dog or a pet plant, Baduki is indeed the best name.”

He even nodded, seemingly very proud of his naming sense.

Hee-na was speechless and just watched the scene quietly.

Of course, it was unclear whether it was because of the pet plant that had suddenly started moving, or because of her brother, who accepted such a pet plant so casually and gave it the tacky name ‘Baduki.’

Swoosh, flash!

As soon as Hee-won named it Baduki, a faint light emanated from the pet plant—no, ‘Baduki’—which had been flapping frantically.

Sparkling powder of light fell from the leaves of Baduki, who was dancing here and there like Tinkerbell scattering fairy dust.

The powder of light sprinkled onto the dungeon soil and melted away like snow into the damp earth. It was a rather beautiful yet bizarre scene.

“Oh!”

Hee-won exclaimed, as if there was another event. Growing curious, Hee-na poked her brother’s side.

“Ouch!”

Hee-won grumbled while rubbing his ruthlessly poked side.

“I would have explained it after a while anyway, but you just couldn’t wait.”

“So what popped up in front of you? What did you see that surprised you so much?”

At that, Hee-won reached out and patted the ground where the possessed grass… no, Baduki, was planted with his bare hands. To be precise, it was the radius where the light powder had fallen.

“It said that the sparkling stuff fell to the ground and fertilized the soil, even if only slightly. It says the soil quality has become special.”

At that explanation, Hee-na thought to herself.

‘Was it golden poop powder instead of fairy dust?’

Unaware of what his sister was thinking, Hee-won gently touched the soil with his fingertips.

“Is it just my imagination? Somehow, the texture of the soil feels a bit better…”

Rustle, rustle.

Baduki gently wrapped itself around Hee-won’s finger. It was as if it was acting cute.

As she looked down at the scene, temporarily lost for words, Hee-na’s skill window sparkled in turn.

However, unlike usual when the edibility and rank would pop up in less than a second, it took quite a while this time.

About thirty seconds later, the result of the Wild Herb Gathering skill appeared before Hee-na’s eyes.

Instead of a simple ‘grass,’ the proper noun ‘Baduki’ appeared, along with a bunch of question marks instead of a rank.

“How strange…”

It was a result she had never seen before.

A plant that ‘must not’ be eaten rather than one that ‘cannot’ be eaten! Though its origin was already peculiar, it seemed Baduki was indeed no ordinary existence.

‘Judging by its appearance, it looks like a monster…’

It was while she was looking down at Baduki with such thoughts. Hee-won suddenly made a fuss and slapped Hee-na repeatedly.

“Wow! Hee-na! Look at this!”

“Heek.”

Hee-na opened her eyes wide in shock.

My goodness.

Osaek-i also typed an exclamation in the air. Apparently, it was a rather shocking sight even for a talking snail.

“What, this is actually alive and moving?”

After all, they might have seen plants that wriggled, like mimosa or Venus flytraps, but they had never heard of or seen a plant that moved its roots to walk with big strides.

Indeed. Baduki had pulled its roots out of the damp soil and was walking with big strides on the ground.

It was truly surreal. Hee-na, lost for words, could only roll her eyes and observe Baduki.

“Oh, how cute.”

Whether this scene did not look strange to a ‘Farmer,’ only Hee-won clapped his hands and cheered for Baduki’s first steps.

Encouraged by the cheers, Baduki hopped and bounced around Hee-won’s field. It was even faster than Osaek-i, who was an animal, despite being a plant.

After running around for a long time, Baduki began to spin around Hee-won, Hee-na, and Osaek-i. Watching a tiny, hand-sized plant move so busily was dizzying.

“Oppa, calm it down.”

Hee-na poked Hee-won’s side. Hee-won, who was wearing a fatherly smile, dodged the sharp finger with an ‘Oops.’

“It’s probably running around like that because walking is so fascinating to it. Leave it be. It’s young.”

Having completely fallen for this walking plant in the meantime, Hee-won took Baduki’s side.

Frivolous, frivolous, frivolous.

Osaek-i also pointed out Baduki’s frivolity, but Hee-won did not mind at all.

“It’s just energetic and nice.”

Rather, like an owner watching a cute puppy, he warmly enjoyed Baduki’s cute antics.

Fortunately, it did not take long for the newly born, young, and energetic Baduki to wear itself out.

After circling Hee-na’s party about forty times, Baduki stumbled on its own and flopped onto the soft ground.

Sitting with its roots spread on the ground, Baduki wiped its flower bud with a fluttering leaf, as if wiping away sweat. It had human-like aspects in strange ways.

Right then, Hee-won let out an exclamation of awe.

“Huh? A quest popped up.”

It seemed some task to perform had appeared before his eyes.

“What is it, what is it?”

At Hee-na’s urging, Hee-won summarized and read the quest details.

“It says to take care of the exhausted young Baduki. It needs nutrient intake.”

It was not even a nurturing game, yet it really demanded all sorts of things. Hee-na tilted her head.

“If it’s nutrient intake… do we need to buy fertilizer and sprinkle it? Will there be a flower shop open at this hour?”

“That’s not it. It says calcium intake is important during the growth phase, so feed it eggshells or bones.”

“Calcium all of a sudden? Do plants even have bones to strengthen?”

“Good point.”

It was a strange logic. But then again, how many of the things the system ordered made any sense?

As ordinary non-combat class awakeners, the siblings Hee-na and Hee-won had no choice but to do as the system commanded.

“It’s getting dark, so let’s bring it inside first.”

Hee-won brought a small flowerpot and scooped up some dungeon soil. Then he lifted Baduki and put it inside the pot. Baduki obediently accepted Hee-won’s touch.

It even showed a sluggish posture, leaning its stem against the rim of the pot as if taking a bath in a tub.

‘What on earth is its identity?’

Hee-na glared at Baduki with suspicious eyes. At any rate, since it was a plant the system told her brother to raise, she wanted to believe it was nothing strange.

When they bring Baduki inside, pot and all, its bud moved this way and that. It was as if it was looking around.

Though it was impossible to tell where the eyes were attached on that flower bud…

“For the food, we can just use the bone fragments that came out when we cleared the field.”

Hee-won went out to the field and rummaged through the mysterious pile of bones. Then, selecting only the small ones among them, he returned with a handful.

Having no more interest in Baduki, Hee-na headed to the kitchen.

She was busy preparing dinner, and not long after, Hee-won made a request.

“Hee-na. I’m sorry, but could you bring me some eggshells? There aren’t enough bones.”

Since they had gone grocery shopping not long ago, there were plenty of eggs in the refrigerator. Hee-na nodded casually.

‘I guess I’ll have to make an egg dish for dinner tonight.’

Hee-na cracked four eggs into a bowl and beat them. She planned to make a thick, bright yellow rolled omelet seasoned only with salt.

“Oppa, here, the eggshells. This should do.”

She placed the cleanly cracked eggshells in a bowl and handed them to Hee-won.

At that, Hee-won broke the shells into appropriate sizes and picked them up. There was no trace left of where the bones he had brought earlier went.

Thinking of the whereabouts of the bone fragments, she became curious about how Hee-won had fed the eggshells to Baduki.

Hee-na clung close to her brother’s side and observed the flowerpot. Osaek-i, also curious, climbed onto Hee-na’s head and stretched his feelers out long.

‘Will he spread them on the pot like fertilizer?’

But as expected, Baduki had a natural talent for defying everyone’s expectations.