Chapter 40: The Second Home Garden – Part 2
“Your Gift is still as reckless as ever…”
“Seriously… if the pioneers who first cultivated this land could see it now, they’d probably be furious.”
Before us, the swamp had been utterly transformed, vanishing into an expansive, thriving garden.
“Uh, I’ve roughly marked out a suitable area for now. Do you think this will be enough?”
“I think it’s perfect. There’s never been a clear boundary anyway.”
Lilcarlia-san suggested that we could expand even further, but I decided that, for now, this was more than sufficient. After all, having too much space wouldn’t serve any immediate purpose.
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Geo’s Home Garden
Level 25 — 49/125
Garden Area: 201,000 / 840,000,000
Skills: Wall Creation, Barrier Creation, Guardian Creation, Mega Guardian Creation, Garden Concealment, Garden-to-Garden Transfer, Garden Relocation
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The garden area had jumped from a mere 1,000 to 201,000. Two hundred times larger than before… and yet, compared to 840 million, it was still tiny. No matter how you looked at it, I would never be able to fully utilize this space.
“…Monsters incoming.”
Shifa-san readied her spear.
Several creatures, displaced from their swampy homes, charged toward us in a frenzy of rage.
“Ah, don’t worry. The golems will handle them.”
I said this and immediately summoned four massive Mega Golems—the same ones that had defeated the bald thug before.
“What… is that!?”
Everyone gasped in astonishment as the colossal golems intercepted the advancing monsters. Towering five meters tall, their sheer power sent the creatures flying back one after another.
“They’ll probably wipe them all out if we just leave them to it.”
“This is way too reckless…”
Still, I wasn’t done. Using the Barrier Creation skill, I erected a five-meter-high wall to protect the garden. It had been useless in my previous cramped plots, but now, in this vast expanse, it could finally serve its purpose. At this height, almost no land-based monster could breach it.
“A home garden… is this really… a home garden?”
“Anii-san, don’t overthink it. You’ll just lose to it.”
By now, the golems had thoroughly dispatched the remaining monsters.
“Alright, now let’s try growing something.”
With this much space, almost anything could be cultivated. Ah… I had an idea.
This garden, acquired thanks to everyone’s help, deserved a little token of gratitude—a small surprise. I decided to plant a particular crop across the entirety of this vast garden.
“Since we have all this space, why don’t we have dinner here? A barbecue surrounded by the great outdoors.”
“You didn’t actually bring anything for that, did you?”
Anii frowned, skeptical, but I was confident that my plan would work.
“I’ll just pop home for a moment.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
〈Would you like to transfer between gardens?〉
Yes.
In an instant, the familiar sight of my own home garden appeared before me. This was our backyard plot.
“Meow!?”
Milk leapt in surprise at my sudden appearance.
Just as I had expected, the Garden-to-Garden Transfer skill allowed instant travel between gardens. I petted Milk for a moment while preparing for the barbecue, planning to harvest meat and vegetables from this garden.
“All set… Milk, want to come along? Sorry in advance if it doesn’t work out.”
“Meow?”
I scooped up Milk, who tilted her head curiously, and activated the skill again.
〈Would you like to transfer between gardens?〉
Yes.
“Whoa! Now Onii-chan’s here!? And Milk too!”
Sena’s eyes widened in astonishment. It seemed the transfer had worked perfectly.
“Meow-meow!”
Milk bolted across the vast open space in sheer delight. Indeed, this much room was perfect for her.
“Geo, what’s going on?”
“It seems I can freely transfer between gardens.”
“So… you just instantly returned home?”
“Yeah.”
With this ability, I could move back and forth alone, without worrying about monsters, and with zero travel time. Moreover, I could bring Milk along without being seen by townsfolk. It was an incredibly convenient skill.
“Alright, then. Let’s get this barbecue started.”
“Hey, look! Something’s growing all over the place!”
As we enjoyed freshly harvested meat and vegetables, Sena noticed something unusual and exclaimed.
Before us, the garden had come alive. Grass had sprouted and flourished across the entire plot. Upon closer inspection, tiny buds began to appear everywhere, bursting into bloom in a breathtaking spectacle.
“Wow…”
“So beautiful…”
“W-what is this?”
“This is incredible!”
Reds, blues, yellows, whites, greens, purples, oranges, and sky blues—the garden was awash with a riot of colors, as if a divine carpet of flowers had descended from the heavens.
“Uh… consider this a small token of my gratitude.”
“Geo-san, you’re surprisingly thoughtful for someone like you.”
I mentally rolled my eyes at the “someone like you” part.
“Could it be that today, you’re the coolest you’ve ever been, in your whole life—even in the future?”
“Hey! Don’t include the future!”
My sister always said cruel things, yet her face shone with a smile as radiant as the flowers around us.
“Anii? What’s wrong?”
“…N-nothing at all!”
Anii turned her face away from me, as if embarrassed. Perhaps the beauty of flowers was lost on someone as tomboyish as her.
“Geo, it’s really beautiful. Thank you.”
“I-If you’re pleased, then I’m glad too.”
Shifa-san was also stunning, in a way that rivaled even the flowers—but that was something I could never admit aloud.
“Meow-meow!”
“Ah! Milk!? Don’t ruin the flowers!”
Overcome with excitement at the vast flower field, Milk dashed about wildly. I hurried after her, trying to stop her before the blooms were trampled.