<CHAPTER 2>

“Ahhh! This countryside scenery, this countryside atmosphere, this countryside smell!”

As the familiar landscape outside gradually came into view, I rolled down the passenger-side window and shouted at the top of my lungs.

Even the wind slapping against my face felt welcoming.

Objectively speaking, the other world—with its far less developed civilization—had cleaner, fresher air.

But to me, nothing smelled better than this place.

Because it was the scent of the hometown I’d longed so desperately to return to.

“Well, this is a surprise. Before your accident, you swore you’d rather die than stay in this backwater.”

From the driver’s seat, my older sister clicked her tongue in disbelief.

“I’m trying to see things more positively from now on.”

“Hm? Look who’s grown up.”

“You could say it’s thirty years’ worth of growth.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

She shook her head as if I were speaking complete nonsense.

Today marked exactly one week since I’d opened my eyes in the hospital.

After finishing the discharge paperwork, I was finally on my way home in my sister’s truck.

The fact that I’d even woken up had been enough of a miracle to leave my attending physician speechless.

But there was something even more astonishing.

“You know you were in the ICU for three whole weeks, right? You showed no signs of improvement, but every test came back perfectly normal. Then we finally moved you to a regular room, and ten days later you woke up. If that isn’t a miracle, I don’t know what is.”

It really was a miracle.

As if the thirty years I’d spent in that other world had been nothing more than a dream, they had left absolutely no trace on my body here.

It was as though time itself had skipped over me.

Thirty years there had been only one month here.

And I was still twenty years old.

Besides…

My divine power is still here.

I still had my youthful body.

And on top of that, I still possessed the power to command nature.

There wasn’t much I couldn’t accomplish in this world.

There couldn’t be a better ability for farming than this.

Crops unaffected by the weather.

Plants that could thrive regardless of soil quality.

Land that wouldn’t collapse even under natural disasters.

To any farmer, that sounded like a dream.

My fist clenched tightly.

I won’t be a burden to my sister anymore.

My sister and I had been abandoned by our parents as children and raised in an orphanage.

When my older sister, Ji-hye, became old enough to leave, I’d naturally taken her hand and followed her.

We drifted from place to place, struggling to survive.

Just when it seemed she’d finally found happiness after getting married, my brother-in-law’s accident shattered everything.

The only reason we’d managed to endure…

…was because of my nieces.

Jia and Ji-woo.

Those two children gave us the strength to stand back up again.

Four years ago, we’d finally settled down in Cheongun Village and thought we were beginning to build a stable life.

Then lightning struck me.

I’d collapsed and fallen into a coma.

After dragging me away and working me like a slave for thirty years, did the Goddess of Abundance suddenly start feeling guilty?

Considering how generously she packed my severance pay before sending me off…

Perhaps the Goddess of Abundance wasn’t completely heartless after all.

In any case…

With this power, I could give my sister and my nieces the life they deserved.

While I was making that silent vow, the truck entered our hometown of Cheongun Village.

But the closer we got to home…

…the stranger the feeling of unease became.

Why isn’t anyone out working in the fields?

And then—

“The roofs…?”

Blue rooftops lay scattered right in the middle of the rice paddies.

“A huge typhoon hit not long ago.”

My sister spoke calmly.

“There’s barely a single field left untouched. Every greenhouse was blown away, livestock barns collapsed… the whole village’s in mourning.”

“…”

“At least no one was seriously hurt.”

It was fortunate there had been no casualties.

But that also meant something else.

Before I could start anything with my newfound power…

…there was an entire mountain of damage that needed fixing.

—

“Uncle!”

“Unca!”

The moment we stopped in front of the house, Jia and Ji-woo came sprinting over from our neighbor’s home, where they’d been staying.

“Magic! Show us your magic, Uncle!”

“I bragged to everyone at kindergarten! I told them my uncle’s a magician!”

…They’re still believing that?

“Magic?”

“Ahem! Cough! They mean it’s like magic that I woke up.”

“Ohhh.”

My sister tilted her head, unconvinced, but carried the luggage inside first.

The instant she disappeared indoors, I hurriedly whispered to the kids.

“Shh! Did you forget our promise? We pinky-swore, remember?”

“We did! But if there’s no penalty fee, it’s okay to break promises!”

“…Who told you that?”

…What kind of logic is that?

“Apparently it’s from one of those children’s shows everyone’s watching these days.”

My sister answered after returning outside.

I couldn’t help tilting my head.

Is that really something children should be watching?

“You should come inside too. Get cleaned up and rest.”

“Oh, and we’re having meat for dinner.”

“Meat?!”

“Meat!”

My nieces bounced around the house chanting “meat,” looking both adorable…

…and strangely pitiful.

…Have they not eaten meat in a while?

Then again, the hospital bills must’ve been enormous. And after the typhoon damage…

Surely she didn’t even cash out all her savings…?

As it turned out…

That fear wasn’t unfounded.

“So it really isn’t in good shape.”

One look around the property was enough.

The stone wall had collapsed.

The row of traditional earthenware jars that used to stand in the yard had completely vanished.

Even the lawn my sister had lovingly cared for so the children could play was riddled with holes.

The flood damage had been far worse than I’d imagined.

“I doubt the greenhouse survived either.”

When we’d first settled here, we were complete beginners at farming.

We’d started with a single 100-pyeong greenhouse, growing cherry tomatoes.

Now, in our fourth year, we’d been preparing to expand it to 200 pyeong.

But judging by the condition of the village…

There was little chance the greenhouse had escaped unscathed.

“First, I need to see how much power I have left.”

After confirming my sister and the children had gone inside…

I took off my shoes and socks and stepped barefoot into the yard.

The sensation beneath my feet felt both unfamiliar…

…and deeply familiar.

It was a feeling I’d experienced countless times in the other world.

The very first connection I’d always established before wielding divine power.

Please don’t tell me there’s no response at all.

This wasn’t like making a droplet of water float in the hospital.

This was different.

Here, I was standing upon nature itself.

Upon the earth.

Taking a slow, steady breath, I stepped forward.

Carefully, I released the tiny amount of divine power I’d painstakingly gathered in the hospital into the ground.

Nothing happened.

For a brief instant, my heart sank.

Don’t tell me…

It doesn’t work…?

Then—

A tiny sound rose from beneath my feet.

My breathing stopped.

…It works.

The soil trembled ever so slightly.

Like something that had slept for ages was grumbling as it slowly woke.

“Wake up.”

I whispered softly.

At once, the earth beneath every footprint I left behind began swelling upward.

Small figures gradually emerged.

Crude little dolls that looked like awkward mixtures of humans and animals stretched themselves sleepily.

The Children of the Earth.

Or simply…

the Earth Children.

“Well… you lot don’t look so great either.”

Back then, they had been larger and much more distinct.

Their clumsy appearance now was proof that my divine power had weakened considerably.

Still, there was only one reason I’d summoned them.

“Restore the yard first. Got it?”

“—…!”

The little creatures nodded vigorously before scurrying all over the yard.

Wherever they ran, holes filled themselves with fresh soil.

The dead grass slowly lifted its head once more.

Watching the Earth Children busily toddle around, I became certain.

I could still use my powers in this world.

To be honest, I’d been worried before coming home.

Unlike the other world, this one had suffered so much environmental destruction that I’d wondered whether the Earth Children could still fully use their abilities.

But they had answered my call.

“I wonder if the vegetable garden survived.”

I headed straight to the backyard.

The condition there was even worse than I’d expected.

Weeds had tangled together wildly.

The vegetables that remained had broken stems and shriveled leaves.

“…Sis must’ve really had her hands full.”

This had once been the place she tended every single day.

A place where she’d planted seeds with the children.

Watered them together.

Laughed together.

Now…

It looked like abandoned land.

The thought that she’d been so overwhelmed she hadn’t even been able to care for this tiny garden filled me with guilt.

I stepped into the center of the garden.

Then slowly raised both arms.

“We’ll start here first.

Come on, everyone.”

A faint stream of divine power flowed from my fingertips.

I murmured under my breath and snapped my fingers.

The Earth Children instantly dove into the soil.

Rummmble—

The ground resonated.

The entire garden seemed to inhale as one.

Moving with that pulse, I swept my arms wide.

The current of divine power sliced through the air.

Rustle—

The moment the light touched the earth…

Everything began to change.

The soil came first.

Its dry, hardened surface loosened, becoming soft and alive once more.

Beneath it, hidden roots stirred gently.

Wilted stems slowly straightened.

Fresh green spread along every leaf vein.

Whoosh—

The crop planted here…

…was cucumbers.

The shriveled, dying vines filled out again.

As though time itself were flowing backward.

I watched the transformation until the very end.

My breathing grew heavier.

I could clearly feel my already limited divine power draining away, nearly to the last drop.

It’s definitely nothing like before.

But…

Crunch.

The moment I picked a newly ripened cucumber and bit into it…

A deep sense of satisfaction spread throughout my body.

Its taste.

Its nutrients.

Its quality.

Everything was exceptional.

“Just as I thought…”

My power had returned.

Not completely.

But undeniably.

Most importantly…

The cucumber itself contained divine power.

A smile naturally formed on my face.

At this level…

Anything I grew would possess extraordinary commercial value.

The real problem…

…was whether the harvest would justify the amount of divine power required.

Even now, after pouring so much power into this tiny vegetable garden…

The amount stored inside the cucumbers wasn’t all that great.

“I’m short on divine power…

And growing crops this way isn’t exactly efficient for the effort involved…”

Well…

That’s something I could figure out little by little.

“For now…

I’ll focus on fixing our home first…”

Just as I muttered those words and stood up—

The Earth Children, who had been busily running around…

…all suddenly collapsed at once.

“Huh?”

Why are they—

The answer came immediately.

“What exactly do ya think you’re doin’?”

“Gah!”

An elderly villager was glaring at me over the low stone wall, eyes wide with shock.