The Council's "Training Initiative"
By decree of the Global Awakeners Council, Choi Jaehyun's guild — The Fertile Few — was to begin "formal preparation" for the public demonstration.
What that meant in practice: ten hours of daily bureaucracy, endless mana-testing, and enough paperwork to bury a grown man alive.
Jaehyun groaned as another stack landed on his desk."Why are there 47 pages on 'proper hoeing etiquette'?"
Council Representative (unblinking): "Standard agricultural combat regulation, sir."
"Combat—what—are we fighting, weeds!?"
The representative scribbled something. "Noted. Subject shows emotional instability when questioned about weeds."
"DON'T WRITE THAT DOWN!"
The "Recruitment Drive" Disaster
While Jaehyun suffered under bureaucracy, Minho took charge of recruiting new members.He even set up a booth.
Yes.A booth.At the city plaza.With a handmade banner that said:"Join The Fertile Few! Grow Greatness! Free snacks!"
Passersby slowed down, drawn by the smell of freshly steamed sweet potatoes.
"Excuse me," one hesitant applicant said, "what's the requirement to join?"
Minho grinned proudly. "Simple! You just have to answer one question correctly!"
He pointed to a sign:
'Who is the Real Guild Master of The Fertile Few?'
The crowd looked at each other, murmuring.
"Isn't it Lady Choi Yeonjin? The beautiful strategist?""Maybe it's that baby who sleeps all day?""I heard it's the cabbage."
Minho nodded gravely at each answer."Good guesses. All wrong."
He leaned forward, voice low and dramatic."The real guild master… is a man of soil. A man of sorrow. A man who once cried because his bok choy got trampled."
Applicants gasped. "...He sounds mythical."
"No," Minho said solemnly. "He's my son."
The applicants immediately left.
The Miscommunication Epidemic
When Jaehyun finally visited the booth, he froze.
There were posters with his face on them — stylized, heroic art versions, captioned:
"THE GREEN MESSIAH — COMING TO SAVE YOUR SALADS!"
"Dad… what is this?"
Minho puffed his chest. "Marketing! You're trending again!"
Jaehyun buried his face in his hands. "I'm not supposed to trend! I'm supposed to blend!"
Yeonjin appeared, sipping coffee. "Don't worry, dear. I already trademarked your name. You're technically a brand now."
Jaehyun: "WHAT?!"
Yeonjin: "It's good for taxes."
Training Day: The Green Kindergarten Reunited
Back on the farm, Jaehyun gathered the Green Awakeners — mostly kids and frail retirees.
"Alright, team," he began, holding a rake like a sword. "This week, we're focusing on stable mana transfer. No spontaneous forests. No photosynthetic explosions. No turning chickens into shrubs again."
A chorus of tiny voices: "Yes, Teacher Jae!"
One child raised their hand. "Can we plant the mana potato again?"
"NO!"
Another kid tugged on his sleeve. "Teacher Jae, Bongyu's glowing again."
Everyone turned. Baby Bongyu floated mid-air, surrounded by tiny sprouts that spelled 'Nap' across the dirt.
Jaehyun sighed, dead-eyed. "He's spelling with photosynthesis now. Of course he is."
The Council Strategy Meeting
Meanwhile, in the Council fortress, chaos reigned.
Projected images showed the "training progress" feed from Jaehyun's farm:
Children riding sentient cabbages.
Old men arguing with vines.
A cow attempting to photosynthesize.
Councilwoman: "Is this… the legendary Green Guild?"
Secretary: "Technically, yes. Their leader is Choi Jaehyun. Occupation: Farmer."
"Farmer?!"
"Registered under 'Job Classification — Rank S: Agricultural Hazard.'"
The Councilwoman pinched the bridge of her nose. "We made a farmer the cornerstone of world mana balance."
"Yes, ma'am. And… he's trending on social media again."
She sighed. "Of course he is."
Jaehyun's Breakdown (Part 3)
That night, Jaehyun slumped in his farmhouse office, surrounded by glowing screens filled with performance data.
One by one, they displayed words like:
[SOIL PURIFICATION: 99%][MANA EFFICIENCY: 103%][MENTAL STABILITY: …ERROR.]
He muttered, "Figures."
Yeonjin appeared with tea. "You're doing well, dear."
"I'm losing my mind, Mom."
Minho poked his head in. "Hey! Guess how many people failed the guild question today!"
"Dad, please—"
"Thirty-seven!" Minho beamed. "One guy even cried when I told him the truth."
Jaehyun dropped his head to the desk. "You're scaring away potential recruits, Dad."
Minho patted his shoulder. "The worthy will understand."
"The worthy don't exist!"
The System Interference
As Jaehyun ranted, the air shimmered. A system window appeared mid-air — glowing, ornate, almost smug.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]Guild Recruitment Progress: 0/5Average Morale: 12%Suggestion: Replace Guild Leader.
Jaehyun stared in silent horror.
Yeonjin: "Ignore it, dear."Minho: "Yeah, son. You're doing great. Also, what's morale?"Jaehyun: "Apparently something I don't have."
Midnight Resolve — "If I Don't Lead, They'll All Starve"
Later that night, Jaehyun walked through the moonlit fields. The soft glow of mana fireflies danced over rows of vegetables.
Even with all the chaos — the council, the guild mess, his parents' antics — his crops were thriving.
He knelt, brushing dirt from a bok choy leaf.
"…Legendary aura, huh?" he whispered. "Then let's make something worth the legend."
Behind him, Bongyu floated sleepily, murmuring, "...Farm Daddy…"
Jaehyun twitched. "No. We are NOT making that a thing."
Ending Scene — The "Unexpected Applicant"
Just as Jaehyun returned home, a faint knock echoed from the farm gate.
A tall silhouette stood there — a hooded figure carrying a staff shaped like a dead branch.
The stranger bowed. "I heard this guild accepts those who still believe in life after ruin."
Jaehyun blinked. "...Depends. Do you like vegetables?"
The figure smiled faintly. "I once spoke to a dying tree."
Behind him, Minho whispered excitedly to Yeonjin, "We got a druid!"
Yeonjin smiled. "That's one down, dear."
Jaehyun groaned. "Only four more disasters to go."