Chapter 16 of 100

Chapter 16

7 min read1,663 words

A few days had passed since the busy day in the city. One day, a loud voice came from somewhere as we were walking through the village with Mau and Meala, taking a morning stroll.

"Uaaaaaaaah! I failed again!"

"What's wrong? Uga," Mau asked.

The source of the voice was from the back of Uga's house, one of the three members of the Beowulf trio. When we approached, we saw Uga holding his head and shouting to the sky.

"Hey, Mako. It's like this..."

Uga's gaze fell to a field. However, the state of the plants in the field was terrible. The seedlings, neatly planted in rows, had all withered.

"What happened to them?" I asked.

"Well, you see, I've been trying to grow various vegetables in the field...," Uga said with a deep sigh.

"It seems I failed again. I've been watering them properly and even fertilizing them, but they always end up like this."

Another poor harvest... Uga groaned, looking up to the sky. Hmm, I've been watering them and giving them fertilizer. If that's the case, it's unusual for them to end up in such a state...

"The only things this village exports are the strange furs and dried meat from the mountains, some random wild vegetables, fruits, and mushrooms. So, I thought if I could grow fresh vegetables, it would bring in more income," Uga explained.

"No, no, selling strange animals and wild vegetables is not a good idea..."

However, Uga seemed serious about growing vegetables and was genuinely concerned about the plants.

"Ah, I failed again... I even bought tomato seedlings from the city," Uga lamented.

"These were tomatoes?" Mau and Meala squatted down to look at the withered tomato seedlings.

"But they haven't produced any fruit at all."

"Can't you do something, Mako?" Mau asked worriedly.

"Let me think for a moment."

I squatted down and touched the soil with my hand. The soil was rough and seemed somewhat dry despite being tilled.

"Maybe the soil isn't suitable for growing tomatoes or other vegetables..."

While I don't know the characteristics of the soil in this world, I thought about it based on my knowledge. Crops are grown according to the region, climate, and soil properties. It's possible that the vegetables simply don't match the soil here.

As I was thinking this, something happened.

"...Huh?"

A status window, which I hadn't seen in a long time, opened in my mind.

---

【Title】: Based on the title "Green Master," the skill "Soil Analysis" has awakened.

---

"Oh, right, I had the title 'Green Master'..."

I had completely forgotten about it. However, the skill "Soil Analysis" awakening at this moment was quite timely. I tried to infuse magic power into the soil while touching it.

"Whoa! Mako, what's happening!?"

Mau, who saw me emitting light, exclaimed in surprise. Meanwhile, a different window opened in my mind.

---

Cultivation Target: Tomato

Type: Vegetable

【Soil Analysis Results】◎=Excellent 〇=Good ×=Poor

Acidity: 〇

Nutrition: ×

---

"Hmm, I see... The soil's acidity doesn't seem to be a problem for growing tomatoes, but the nutrition is extremely poor."

I muttered, looking at the analysis results in my mind. The soil's acidity can be adjusted with lime or other substances before planting. This soil seems to have a pH suitable for growing tomatoes.

"But why is the nutrition so extremely poor? Is there any reason for this?"

Mau, Meala, and Uga were silent in response to my question.

"I don't know... This place was originally called an unexplored frontier where humans didn't even approach. There are many things we don't know, even though we've lived here for a long time," Uga said.

"Hmm... By the way, what kind of fertilizer are you using?"

"The stuff I bought from the market."

Uga brought one of the burlap bags stacked next to the field and opened it. I looked at the fertilizer inside.

"What kind of fertilizer is this? Chicken manure? Cow manure?"

"I don't know, but the seller said that as long as I used this, everything would be fine."

Uga's eyes widened as if he had just realized something.

"Ah, did I get scammed? Did I buy a dud?"

"That's a possibility."

I said this while touching the fertilizer in the bag with my fingers. It contained twigs and small stones, and the smell was very weak. This doesn't feel like proper fertilizer.

"Fertilizer is supposed to provide nutrients, so if it were real, the plants wouldn't be in such a bad state."

"Damn, I got scammed!"

Uga threw his arms wide and looked up to the sky, as if abandoned by the gods.

(...But, it's true that he had a rough time...)

Uga, who was seriously trying to grow vegetables for the village, was pitiful. I wanted to help him.

"If only we had chemical fertilizers like in the modern world..."

I muttered while touching the poor-quality fertilizer. Well, that's impossible...

"Huh?"

A status window opened in my mind again.

---

【Title】: Based on the title "Green Master," the skill "Liquid Fertilizer" has awakened.

---

"...It seems 'Green Master' is finally getting some use after being inactive for so long."

I smiled and stood up.

"Uga! Leave it to me!"

I said to Uga, who was on all fours, looking dejected and being comforted by Mau and Meala.

"I might be able to help you!"

I infused magic power, and light burst from my body. In the next moment, three thin containers, like glass test tubes, appeared in my hand. Each contained a liquid: green, pink, and orange.

"Could these be... 'Ampoules'?"

An "Ampoule" is a container with a liquid growth enhancer, mainly used by inserting it into plant pots. It doesn't contain fertilizer and is used to improve water and nutrient absorption in weak plants. However, this time, based on the skill name "Liquid Fertilizer," I suspected that these contained liquid nutrients.

"Hey, Mako, those..."

Uga pointed at the three "Ampoules" I had created, trembling.

"Are those potions?"

"Potions?"

...What is that?

I've heard the name somewhere before...

"Magic potions, created by mages. They're said to heal any wound or illness with just one drink. They're incredible stuff!"

"Wow... Ah, no, I don't think these are---"

"Perfect timing! I've had a sore back since this morning. Thanks, Mako! Your thoughtfulness is really appreciated!"

Without listening, Uga took one of the ampoules from my hand and immediately put it to his mouth.

"No, Uga, wait! These aren't potions---"

"Yuck!"

Instantly, Uga screamed and collapsed, foaming at the mouth. He had fainted from the terrible taste. After all, it was fertilizer.

"Mau, Meala, go get some adults. We need to take Uga home."

"Okay, but..."

"Mako, what are you going to do with those?"

Mau asked, and I looked at the two ampoules in my hand and the one I had taken back from Uga.

"...Hmm?"

I noticed that there were letters written on the surface of each glass bottle. The letters looked somewhat like the alphabet. The green liquid had an 'N', the pink liquid had a 'P', and the orange liquid had a 'K'. Seeing these, I realized what they were.

"...I see."

These were the symbols for the elements: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). Chemical fertilizers are primarily made by combining these three nutrients. Each nutrient affects different parts of the plant's growth. Nitrogen promotes leaf and stem growth, Phosphorus promotes flower and fruit growth, and Potassium promotes root growth. I poured the other two liquid fertilizers into the pink one, which Uga had partially consumed, and mixed them to create a new liquid fertilizer. Since the plant was a tomato, which needs to produce fruit, I prioritized the pink liquid fertilizer. I mixed it with the green and orange liquids in appropriate amounts and created a single liquid fertilizer. I then inserted the ampoule into the center of the field.

"Will this work?"

"I'm not sure, but let's see what happens."

"Hey, what's going on in the morning?"

"Whoa, Uga, what are you doing?"

Lam and Bagoz, called by Meala, were surprised to see Uga unconscious. They helped carry Uga into his house, and we watered the field. We also set up stakes as a precaution. Now, let's see what happens...

---

The next day.

We gathered in front of Uga's field.

"Wow..."

"Amazing..."

"Hey, I've never seen anything like this in this village!"

Lam and Bagoz were astonished. The plants that had been withered the day before were now growing vigorously. The tomato seedlings were thriving, and the green tomatoes were already growing large.

"Amazing, Mako! The vegetables grew in just one day!"

Mau was delighted, and I was still in shock.

Well, I did use magic, so it's not that surprising... But I didn't expect that "Liquid Fertilizer" to be so powerful...

"Ugh... My head hurts..."

Uga, holding his head, slowly approached.

"Hey, Uga! You'll be surprised! Look at this---"

"What the hell is this!"

Uga was shocked by the green field and fainted, hitting his head and passing out again. ...This guy, he's a good person, but is he really that stupid...?

---

The next day, we gathered in front of Uga's field again.