<CHAPTER 4>

While everyone else slept, I quietly slipped out of the house.

My destination was Cheongwang Mountain, which rose behind our village.

There was a very good reason for heading there in the dead of night.

“To restore my divine power, there’s nothing better than immersing myself directly in nature.”

So I snuck out without a sound, making sure no one noticed me as I walked.

“Still… it’s so dark I can barely see a thing.”

Unlike the city, the countryside at night was enveloped in almost complete darkness.

Streetlights were few and far between, and it would have been quicker to count the houses with their lights still on. Everyone here turned in early.

Only the songs of insects, heralding the slow approach of autumn, echoed through the tranquil night.

I silently recited a spell.

Night Vision.

As I stirred a tiny amount of divine power, the darkness melted away. My surroundings brightened, and the outline of the mountain became perfectly clear.

It was one of the most practical abilities I could use with only a small amount of divine energy.

Back in that other world, where I had wandered day and night without rest, it had been practically indispensable.

As I removed my shoes and climbed the mountain barefoot, I could feel my divine power slowly, ever so slowly, returning.

Even so, disappointment gradually settled into my heart.

“This place isn’t nearly as rich in natural energy as I’d hoped.”

Compared to the city, it was abundant.

But it still wasn’t enough to satisfy me.

The nearby villages had probably diluted the mountain’s spiritual energy.

Where humans gathered, nature inevitably withered, and with it, the life force the land carried.

That truth never changed, no matter which world you lived in.

Though it was undoubtedly worse here.

“Well… it can’t be helped. Complaining won’t change anything. I’ll just make the best of what I’ve got.”

Before I knew it, a mountain stream spread out before me.

The moment I dipped one foot into the water, the icy chill shot through my body so intensely that my hair stood on end.

I quickly stripped off my clothes until only my underwear remained and slowly stepped into the stream.

When the freezing water reached my thighs, my body immediately began trembling uncontrollably.

“C-Cold…! It’s f-freezing…!”

But no method restored divine power more effectively than this.

Water was nature’s purest embodiment.

Natural energy flowed most abundantly through water, and absorbing that energy was the fastest way for me to replenish my divine power.

Countless years of experience had proven it.

So all I could do… was endure.

“J-Just… a l-little… l-longer…! I-I’ll… m-make it… worth… it…!”

…I promised.

I’ll buy toys and stuffed animals for my little munchkins.

I’ll become the kind of uncle who can afford to send them to taekwondo classes and private academies.

And my sister…

I’ll make enough money that she never has to break her back working the fields again.

I’ll make sure she can finally live a more comfortable life…

“Uwoooogh… blub… blub…!”

Submerging myself completely beneath the water, I focused on absorbing every ounce of the stream’s natural energy.

The life force I absorbed transformed into divine power inside my body.

Then I released a portion of it back into nature.

It was necessary to preserve the balance of the natural cycle.

If I greedily absorbed everything, the stream’s spiritual energy would dry up, leaving lasting damage on the environment.

Balance was what mattered most.

Not too much.

Just enough.

And…

At this rate, I’d probably have to keep doing this for quite a long time.

“Ugh… it’s so cold…”

Shivering from head to toe, I climbed back onto the bank and used the small amount of recovered divine power to instantly dry myself.

As I pulled my clothes back on, the realization that I’d have to repeat this routine over and over made my future look incredibly bleak.

“Still… once I increase my divine power to a certain level, the recovery speed will double. I just have to endure until then.”

I wanted to travel somewhere with far richer natural energy and devote myself entirely to cultivation.

But for now…

I couldn’t leave this place.

“Well, time to head home. What time is it?”

I pulled my old cell phone from my pocket.

It was almost five in the morning.

Which meant I’d spent four straight hours struggling in that ice-cold stream.

Yet somehow…

My body felt astonishingly refreshed.

Despite staying awake all night, I wasn’t sleepy in the slightest.

Both my body and mind felt lighter than they had in ages.

Just as I turned to leave—

“Hm?”

A strange sound drifted over from somewhere nearby.

Splash… splash…

Water being kicked.

At this hour?

Out here in the mountains?

Thinking some lunatic had come swimming before dawn, I cautiously followed the sound.

“…A puppy?”

A tiny brown puppy was happily splashing around at the water’s edge.

Its short little legs paddled furiously while its tail wagged with all its might.

Every now and then it dunked its face beneath the surface before popping back up, clearly having the time of its life.

…That was adorable.

Who knew a puppy playing in the water could be this unbearably cute?

Wasn’t this cheating?

I found myself completely captivated.

Then—

“…”

“…”

Perhaps sensing my gaze, the puppy turned its head.

Our eyes met.

Its wagging tail gradually froze.

Its eyes grew wider and wider.

I cautiously raised one hand.

“Hi—”

Before I could even finish saying “hello,” the puppy frantically paddled its tiny legs and bolted toward the opposite side of the stream.

Unfortunately, the stream was much wider—and much deeper—than it looked to a little puppy.

After several failed attempts, it gave up and returned to the shore, slowly backing away while watching me with obvious caution.

“Hm.”

A stray dog?

Seeing it all alone in the mountains, it seemed likely.

Where’s its mother?

I released a small thread of divine power to scan the surroundings.

No other nearby life shared a similar presence.

If that was the case…

There was a good chance the little guy had been abandoned.

Should I catch it and contact an animal shelter?

Then again… shelters aren’t always the happy ending people imagine.

If no one adopted it…

The outcome was often euthanasia.

Life as a stray was harsh.

But I wasn’t convinced a shelter would necessarily offer a better fate.

“Tsk.”

I’ll leave it alone for now.

If a real pack of wild dogs ever appeared and threatened the village, I’d deal with it then.

At the moment, it hadn’t harmed anyone.

Having made up my mind, I turned away from the still-wary puppy and resumed walking.

Hmm.

It’s coming.

It’s following me.

With my heightened senses sharpened by divine power, I clearly heard the tiny footsteps drawing closer behind me.

When I glanced back…

The puppy, which had been secretly trailing me from a safe distance, hurriedly hid behind a tree.

“Hmmm…”

Even if there were fewer predators in the mountains these days, a puppy that young couldn’t survive alone for long.

Well…

Maybe this was fate.

I decided to take it home.

As I turned around, the puppy peeking from behind the tree flinched in surprise.

But it didn’t run away.

Heh… Watch closely. Time to show off the skills I perfected befriending magical beasts in another world!

I crouched low and rested one hand on the ground.

Then—

“There, there~ Come on, Tofu. Want to play together? I’m not a scary person~ Come here now~”

I curled my finger invitingly and deliberately softened my voice into a playful tone.

Every gesture radiated harmlessness.

No animal had ever resisted my legendary “animal-charming pose.”

Perhaps affinity with animals was one of the Goddess of Abundance’s divine blessings.

My divine power certainly made such things possible.

“That’s a good boy~ Come here~”

The puppy studied me for a moment.

Then, as though sensing something, its tail slowly lowered…

Only to explode into a full-speed helicopter wag.

Heh. I knew it. You want to be friends too.

It cautiously approached until it reached my fingertips and began sniffing my hand.

Its nose is cool and damp. Looks perfectly healthy.

Considering it had been playing in freezing water, there weren’t even signs of a cold.

No runny nose.

No shivering.

The puppy rubbed itself affectionately against my hand with a content little rumble.

Perfect.

I’ve got you now.

All that remained was to gently stroke its head…

CHOMP!

“…Chomp?”

A very unsettling sound effect.

The sharp sting shooting through my finger yanked me from my sweet fantasy back into cruel reality.

Still clamped onto my finger, the puppy shook its head with surprising ferocity before releasing me and sprinting away at full speed.

“…”

Yeah.

Wild dogs weren’t pets.

If I brought home a violent little menace like that, my nieces and nephews would be in danger too.

I had absolutely no intention of forcing an unwilling puppy to come with me.

“H-Hmph… Even if you regret it later… ngh… it’s… too late.”

These tears were because my finger hurt.

Absolutely not because that stupid little mutt rejected me.

Nope.

Not at all.

And so, my chance encounter with Tofu ended in what could only be described as heartbreak.

—

“Hm? The village hall?”

Halfway through breakfast, I tilted my head at my sister’s words.

“That’s right. The village hall. Come by after you drop the kids off at kindergarten.”

“All of a sudden? Why?”

Whenever people gathered at the village hall, it usually meant the village chief and all the elders were holding a meeting.

I’d hardly ever attended one myself.

After all, my sister was the head of our household.

“We’re having a meeting about repairing the damage from the typhoon.”

“Then you don’t really need me there, do you?”

“I do. Come say hello to everyone. They should see that you’ve been discharged from the hospital and that you’re doing well.”

That was true.

It probably wouldn’t hurt to show my face after being away for so long.

“Uncle… aaah~”

“Mm. Aaah~”

Jiwoo sat glued to my side like a baby bird, happily opening his mouth while I fed him.

Jia, meanwhile, was eating perfectly well by herself.

But she kept glaring at Jiwoo and me.

It was the unmistakable look of someone unhappy that her seat beside me had been stolen…

And just a little jealous that Jiwoo was getting all the attention.

“By the way… where did you go before dawn?”

“Cough! Cough-cough! Wh-What?”

I choked on my food.

Startled, Jiwoo immediately patted my back with his tiny hand, while Jia hurriedly handed me a glass of water.

…Why did it feel like the kids were taking care of me instead?

Only after catching my breath did I answer my sister.

“B-Before dawn? Oh… I couldn’t sleep, so I just took a walk around the village. Why?”

“Why? You were discharged from the hospital yesterday! Try thinking about your body for once.”

“I was thinking about my body. It was just some light exercise and a walk. You don’t have to worry so much.”

“I wouldn’t worry if you stopped giving me reasons to. Anyway, stop by the village hall, then come straight home and get some proper rest. Got it?”

“…Got it.”

It seemed no younger sibling could ever win against an older sister’s nagging.

Watching the exchange with great amusement, the two little ones quietly placed extra side dishes onto my rice as if comforting me.

…Surely they didn’t see me as the slightly hopeless uncle too, did they?