Chapter 4

As I stood before the field, which had transformed from a patch of hard, weed-infested soil to neat rows promising a bountiful harvest of delicious vegetables, I was lost in my thoughts.

This was a rather mundane spell, the first one I successfully cast on my own in this world where magic exists, unlike in my previous life.

But, I was still overjoyed.

I even wondered if I had ever worked this hard to achieve something before.

Reflecting on it, in my past life, I could usually find out most things in advance.

Becoming capable of using magic from a complete zero was undoubtedly a significant step in my life in this world.

As I was thinking about these things, my stomach growled.

The physical sensation of hunger brought me back to reality from my reverie.

Right.

No matter what, I had something more important than magic to deal with right now.

I had to find a way to get something to eat.

"Alright, let's plant these right away."

My body, which was still growling from hunger, was barely being held in check by my rational mind as I picked up the vegetables I had prepared.

The vegetable I intended to plant in the field was a type of root vegetable.

It was a short-term crop that could be found in most poor farmers' fields and could be harvested in about 20 days.

However, this vegetable, known as "Hatsuka," was also famous for being unpopular.

It tasted incredibly bad.

It had a hard stem with blackish lumps and an unappealing appearance, and it was generally used as animal feed.

Thus, it was considered a low-quality vegetable for poor farmers.

I planted the Hatsuka at equal intervals in the rows I had cultivated with magic.

Even though Hatsuka had a bad reputation, I didn't care.

I was that hungry.

To be honest, if my magic hadn't worked today, I might have deeply regretted being reincarnated into this world.

I was beginning to realize just how difficult poverty could be, even at a young age.

***

"Huh, that's strange?"

I muttered to myself as I came to tend the field, a daily routine by now.

It had been several days since I first successfully cast the spell.

I had been casting the spell on the field's soil once a day.

Thanks to this, a considerable area of the once-barren land had transformed into soft, fertile soil.

However, as the area expanded, a new problem became apparent.

It was watering.

There was no faucet or hose here.

I had to fill a bucket with water from a water jar at home and carry it to the field.

Watering the field was an unimaginably heavy labor for my immature and small 3-year-old body.

The best solution would be to use magic to produce water, but I couldn't get it to work properly, which was frustrating.

On this day, I was panting heavily as I managed to finish watering the field.

Then, something caught my eye.

It was the Hatsuka I had planted on the first day.

Hatsuka is a root vegetable with a thin, hard stem and several small, spherical roots at the base.

After about 20 days, flowers bloom on the stem, signaling that it's ready to be harvested.

However, the Hatsuka I planted on the first day already had flowers blooming.

It was clearly too early.

It was so early that it was almost unbelievable.

The Hatsuka, which had bloomed at an abnormal speed, was clearly unusual.

However, even though I knew it was abnormal, I couldn't just leave it alone.

I placed my hand on my chest to calm my racing heart, took a deep breath, and reached out to the stem of the Hatsuka.

I gripped the stem firmly, leaning my small body's full weight into it, and pulled it out with a single, swift motion.

"Wow, that's a lot."

I was surprised when the Hatsuka, which had been firmly rooted in the ground, was pulled out, revealing its entire form.

Normally, a Hatsuka would have only a few edible root lumps at the end of the stem.

However, this Hatsuka, which I had pulled from the field, had over a dozen spherical roots.

I plucked one of the roots and knocked it against my hand to remove the dirt.

Then, I dipped it in the remaining water in the bucket to wash off all the fine soil.

"Crunch."

I bit into the Hatsuka with a determined crunch.

Instantly, a bitter taste spread in my mouth.

The awful taste almost made me spit it out.

But, I didn't.

I already knew it wasn't delicious.

"Ugh, it's so bad."

I said this almost unconsciously.

However, despite my words, my eyes were smiling.

Finally, I had a glimmer of hope to escape from hunger.

And so, my agricultural revolution began.

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