Healing in the Country Side with a Baby Dragon - CHAPTER 17 (Apple of Life)

In front of me, a cluster of small fur balls was kneeling on the dirt.

“We have committed a mortal sin!”

“Please forgive us, Great Master!”

The earth fairies were all on their knees, desperately begging for my forgiveness. Since they usually just grew crops on their own—and had never grown a whole tree before—they seemed utterly terrified of getting into trouble.

To be honest, though, my interest lay entirely elsewhere.

“Where on earth did this apple tree even come from?”

Seriously, how did a whole apple tree just spring up overnight? Looking at the system message, it clearly wasn't a normal apple; it was definitely a mystical crop from beyond the Gate. Even the golden bell tomatoes that fell from the sky had been given to me by the hunter Lee Na-yeon, so I never expected to find a whole tree just sitting here.

A magical creature from beyond the Gate...

“Did it come from those guys?”

I glanced over at the three puppy brothers. Nurungji, Siru, and Seolgi were just shivering nearby, looking completely innocent. I hadn't brought any seeds home with me.

“It was in the dog poop!” one fairy squeaked.

“I found the seed in the dung and grew it as fast as I could!” another chimed in.

“We didn’t know it would grow into a whole tree!”

The earth fairies, observing my reaction for a moment, completely forgot their fears of being scolded and began chattering away at maximum volume.

Dog poop? Ah. Maybe the three brothers had swallowed the seeds of this Apple of Life before they were rescued from the dungeon. It all clicked. That explained their miraculously fast recovery at the vet. It wasn't just because they were S-class hellhounds—they had actually ingested something that hyper-accelerated their healing.

The earth fairies had simply discovered the seeds mixed in the droppings and cultivated them. The mystery was solved.

I turned my gaze toward one specific earth fairy, Yonsuk.

“So you’re telling me you managed to cultivate a legendary seed found in puppy droppings?”

“That is exactly what happened!” Yonsuk beamed, puffing out his furry chest.

“Our underground secret fairy group operates entirely in the shadows!”

The little guys, completely failing to read the room, excitedly began bragging about their covert operation.

“Wait... isn't the ground above us dangerous right now?” one whispered.

“My instincts are whispering 'danger'.” another murmured.

The few who were quick-witted finally sensed the chilling aura I was giving off and began to slowly back away.

“But this is a gift prepared especially for the Great Master!”

“The Great Master will soon shed tears of pure emotion!”

*Thump, thump, thump!*

Unfortunately, the vast majority were still too busy celebrating their own achievements to notice my expression.

“So,” I said, my voice dropping an octave, “you're telling me you grew a crop you didn't even recognize? In 'my' garden? Without 'my' permission?”

“Earth...?”

Only then did the earth fairies realize they had crossed a line. They flinched in unison.

“You guys, line up. Right now. You're all getting punished.”

It was already too late to run.

*Dud, dud, dud.*

“If you keep squishing us like that, we’re going to end up completely flat!”

“Please forgive us just this once, Great Master!”

Every time I poked or lightly pressed down on them, the little fur balls wept tears as large as chicken droppings and repented dramatically.

“The headquarters of the secret fairy order is right under the golden bell tomatoes!” one shouted, cracking under the pressure.

“I’ve been secretly growing extra lettuce every day!” another confessed.

Some of them were so panicked they started blurting out secrets I hadn't even asked about.

“How could you reveal the location of the Fairy Order's base, you traitor?!”

Within seconds, they forgot all about me and started bickering among themselves. They began batting at each other with their tiny palms, but because they were so buried in their own thick fur, it looked less like a brawl and more like they were dancing a clumsy waltz.

“Stop. Everyone stop.”

A single word from me froze them instantly. Watching the earth fairies tremble in absolute terror was so ridiculous that I couldn't help but chuckle.

“I appreciate your hard work.” I said, softening my tone. “But if mysterious crops just keep popping up out of nowhere like this, it creates a lot of complications for me, don't you think?”

“Earth...”

“Soil...”

“I think it would be best if you came and told me whenever something important happens.”

“Is it really okay if we just tell you the story?”

“Of course. But you have to ask for permission first, got it?”

“We can do that!”

In the end, I couldn't resist their sheer cuteness anymore. I reached down and began gently patting their tiny heads.

“All right. Please take good care of the property moving forward, my little garden secret agents.”

The earth fairies instantly regained their explosive energy, bouncing up and down around my feet with soft *thump-thump* sounds. Seol-ah, completely delighted by the display, toddled over to join in, keeping herself busy by petting every single fur ball she could reach.

Now, it was time to check the most important detail.

“How long will it take for these apples to ripen?”

The name itself was the 'Apple of Life'. A grand title like that made it sound like a fruit that would take years of painstaking care to harvest.

But the earth fairies proudly jutted out their chests—or at least, the front halves of their spherical, furry bodies—and declared confidently:

“One day! We can make the tree bear fruit in just one day!”

“Really?”

It was shocking enough that they could sprout a tree from a discarded seed overnight, but forcing it to bear fruit in a single day sounded impossible. Seeing my astonished expression, the fairies fluffed up their fur even more, basking in the praise.

“Nothing is impossible for the fairies of the earth!”

“Alright then. Let’s see what our garden's secret weapon can really do. Just make sure I have a few apples by tomorrow.”

*Knock, knock, knock!* 

"Permission has been officially granted!”

“Everyone, move out!”

The earth fairies swarmed the apple tree in perfect, synchronized unison.

“The apple tree is growing beautifully!”

“It grows by absorbing the deep energy of the earth, the crisp coolness of the wind, and the brilliant warmth of the sun!”

They chanted their praises to the tree, dancing around its trunk in a miniature version of a traditional 'Ganggangsullae' circle dance.

Sure enough, the very next day, a fairy came bouncing in with the news.

“Great Master! The apples are fully grown!”

The moment I heard the announcement, I scooped up Seol-ah and rushed out to the garden. A handful of apples hung from a tree that was barely taller than I was. When it came to pure agricultural speed, these fairies were absolute geniuses.

However, my excitement dampened slightly when I looked closer. The fruits were still pale green and completely unripened.

[Apple of Life - Grade: C]

[Delicious apples grown by the earth fairies. They are not fully ripe yet due to a lack of concentrated life energy inside, but they still taste wonderful! Natural healing power increases slightly.]

It was only a C-grade item. Unlike the massive potential I had sensed from the tree itself, the healing properties attached to these green fruits were minimal.

“How long will it take for them to fully mature?” I asked.

“It takes a week at the absolute fastest, and a month at the slowest.” a fairy replied, looking a bit sheepish. 

“They have to be slowly infused with pure vitality.”

“Hmm. I suppose there’s no skipping that process, then.”

“There is no choice but to wait...”

The earth fairies’ shoulders slumped, and a gloomy atmosphere instantly washed over them. I quickly waved my hands to reassure them.

“Hey, don't look so down. I’m not blaming you guys at all. I was just curious. Waiting a week or a month is completely fine by me. I can wait as long as it takes.”

Honestly, the timeline didn't bother me. What I was truly curious about was something else entirely.

‘Will a fully ripened version of this fruit be able to heal someone with paraplegia?’

I couldn't help but wonder if the natural healing properties of a max-grade apple could help fix Hyung-seok’s legs.

Statistically, it wasn't my problem to worry about. I was just a simple farmer trying to live a quiet life. But no matter how hard I tried to brush it off, I kept picturing Hyung-seok collapsed on that dirt slope, trembling, and his grandmother desperately crying out his name.

I remembered what Park Ji-soo had told me at So-yoon’s house.

‘Going out on those crutches was probably just Hyung-seok’s stubborn pride. His grandmother usually pushes his wheelchair, but he just couldn't bear it anymore.’

‘The grandmother claims she’s just doing it for her grandson, but her heart breaks for him every single day. She feels so incredibly guilty.’

Hyung-seok had lost his parents at an early age and was raised entirely by his grandmother. It must have been an agonizing pain for her to lose her own child, but to have her sole remaining grandson return home paralyzed must have completely shattered her world. Yet, despite her old age, she still insisted on pushing his wheelchair outside every single day, just so he could feel the sunlight. She swallowed her own pain and begged him to walk beside her.

To be completely honest...

‘I want to see them walking together, holding hands.’

I genuinely hoped that Hyung-seok would recover, stand on his own two feet, and hold his grandmother’s hand. I wanted to grant them the kind of familial happiness that I never got to experience myself.

The last time I decided to keep cultivating the golden bell tomatoes after reading that heartbreaking post on the Atopy Cafe, I had been driven by this exact same sentiment. Seeing how much those parents loved their suffering children touched something deep inside me.

Even though I never received that kind of parental affection growing up, I could feel its warmth vicariously through Seol-ah and the stories shared by the people online.

‘My parents probably felt the exact same way about me.’

It gave me a strange sense of peace, allowing me to believe that whoever left me behind must have loved me just as deeply.

Happiness comes in many different forms. When I first packed up and moved out to the countryside, I thought happiness meant living comfortably and entirely alone. But then I met Seol-ah, and my definition changed; watching her grow up healthy became my entire world. Now, growing golden bell tomatoes and easing someone else's chronic pain had become yet another profound source of joy.

My journey of healing was continuing beautifully, even if the methods were shifting along the way.

Suddenly, a system window pinged in front of my eyes.

[Healing Life of a Beginner Farmer]

[Harvest a fully ripe apple!]

[An apple tree has successfully taken root in your garden. Please gift some of these deliciously ripe apples to your neighbors. They will bring you good fortune as sweet and plump as the fruit itself!]

I stared at the glowing blue text and smirked. 

'Look at that. Even the system agrees with me.'

Right at that moment...

“Bam!”

Seol-ah stepped forward, toddling toward me with her tiny arms stretched wide open.

'Huh? She wants a hug?'

I automatically reached down to scoop her up, but as soon as she was nestled in my arms, she pointed her little finger upward toward the sky.

'Higher?'

Assuming she wanted to play, I gripped her hands firmly and raised her high above my head, swinging her through the air to play the airplane game.

“Brrrrrr—!”

She burst into a brilliant, throat-clearing laugh, kicking her legs in pure delight.

“Whew— whew—!”

We soared through the sky like that a few more times until Seol-ah suddenly gasped, remembering what she had actually set out to do.

“Huh? Huh—!”

The transparent horn resting on her forehead—the undeniable Mark of the Dragon—began to pulse with a faint light. Seol-ah brought both of her tiny hands together, placed them right against her forehead, and closed her eyes in deep concentration.

A famous technique from a classic fighting manga instantly flashed through my mind.

‘Is she about to unleash a Solar Flare?!’

Instead of a blinding flash, the horn began to act like a prism under the clear sky, catching the pouring sunlight and magnifying it. The beams passing through Seol-ah’s horn coalesced into a dense sphere of raw energy, which she carefully directed straight toward the unripened apple tree.

Within seconds, a brilliant, shimmering rainbow cascaded downward, enveloping the entire tree.

It was a breathtaking sight. My beautiful daughter laughing radiantly, a rainbow of pure mana cascading from her horn onto the young tree, and the earth fairies dancing wildly beneath branches that swayed to an invisible wind.

Seol-ah wasn't just using magic; she was actively drawing out the literal vitality of nature itself.

Before long, the green apples began to visibly shift.

‘Wow... it's actually changing.’

Right before my eyes, the pale green skin bled into a vibrant pink, then a deep crimson, as the two colors swirled together in a mystical display. The fruit darkened rapidly until it was a flawless, rich red. Only after every single apple on the branches was perfectly mature did Seol-ah finally stop and lower her hands.

“Thank you, Seol-ah. You did amazing.”

“Bya—!”

Seol-ah beamed at the praise, demanding a few more minutes of the airplane game as her reward before letting me set her down.

I walked over to the tree and carefully plucked one of the ripe fruits. The tree was still incredibly young, so the apples were only about the size of a fist, but the color was unlike anything I had ever seen. It was so impossibly red and pristine that it looked practically translucent under the sun. If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn I was holding a carved ruby.

[Apple of Life - Grade: A]

[A miraculous fruit cultivated by earth fairies and infused with the pure life energy of a dragon. It possesses a staggering fragrance and a divine flavor that will captivate anyone who tastes it. It is highly recommended to eat it with the skin intact. Greatly increases natural healing power.]

> 

“Perfect.” I murmured.

Finally, the exact grade and option I needed had manifested. There were exactly ten gleaming apples hanging from the branches. Before I packaged them up to take down the road, I looked down at my daughter.

“Hey, Seol-ah. Do you want to try one first?”

“Bam!”

We definitely needed to do a quick quality check since it grew in our own backyard. I washed one of the apples thoroughly, pulled out a small knife, and sliced it open. I usually prefer to peel my fruit, but this time, I decided to trust the system message explicitly and left the skin on.

I cut off a tiny, bite-sized sliver and handed it to Seol-ah. The moment she chewed it, her little lips puckered up. She wrinkled her tiny nose and shivered from head to toe.

“Byaa—!”

Judging by the way she bounded on the balls of her feet, it was an overwhelming success.

Now, it was my turn. I popped a slice into my mouth and bit down.

An incredibly crisp texture shattered between my teeth, and an explosion of refreshing, intense sweetness flooded my palate. 

'Wow. This is insanely sweet!' 

It didn't just taste like a good apple—it tasted as though literal wild honey had been injected directly into the core. Yet, just when the sweetness threatened to become heavy or cloying, the natural, bright acidity of the apple cut through it, perfectly balancing the flavor profile.

But the most shocking part was the aroma.

“The scent is absolutely insane...”

The crisp, clean fragrance of the apple rushed up through the back of my throat. It was so rich and potent that it didn't just refresh my mouth; it felt like it cleared out my entire head, leaving me feeling completely rejuvenated. I had never tasted anything remotely like this in my entire life. It was hard to believe something this perfect could exist in the mortal world.

I quickly sliced up the rest of the fruit and handed pieces to the waiting fairies.

“Om nom, om nom... it’s so delicious!"

The earth fairies literally began crying tears of joy at the sheer flavor of the fruit they had helped raise. Finally, I crushed a few pieces into tiny, soft bits for the three puppy brothers, since their mouths were still small and their teeth hadn't fully developed. The pups eagerly lapped up the fruit, making frantic *slurp-slurp* sounds.

“Oh my goodness, is it really so good that it makes you cry?”

Sure enough, the puppies' eyes were welling up with tears as they chewed. It was an incredibly precious sight. Seol-ah, the fairies, and I huddled around them, completely captivated by their cuteness.

'Right, let’s not get distracted and forget the mission here.'

Shaking myself out of the cute trance, I quickly harvested a few more apples from the tree, placed them safely in a basket, and began walking down toward Grandma Kim’s house.

Before I even reached the front gate, I spotted them in the yard.

“Hello, Grandma.”

“Oh, Mr. Jin-sol! Thank you again for your help yesterday.”

“No, please don't mention it. It was the natural thing to do.”

I walked into the yard to greet Grandma Kim and her grandson. She was currently holding the handles of Hyung-seok’s wheelchair. Unlike his grandmother, who welcomed me with a bright smile, Hyung-seok immediately ducked his head, his face flushing with embarrassment.

I purposefully didn't bring up yesterday's incident. If he wanted to hide his vulnerability, the least I could do was respect his pride.

“Oh, by the way,” I said, lifting the basket, “these are some apples I grew myself in my garden. They just finished ripening, so I wanted to bring a few over for you to try.”

“Oh? Apples?” Grandma Kim looked puzzled. 

“Since when do you grow apples, young man?”

“Well, somehow, an apple tree just ended up sprouting out of nowhere.” I chuckled scratched the back of my neck.

Despite her confusion, a warm smile spread across her face as she accepted the vibrant red fruits.

“Hyung-seok absolutely loves apples, so this is wonderful. Thank you so much, young man.”

“I hope you enjoy them.”

“We will eat them well.” she promised.

Just as I turned around to walk away, a quiet voice called out to my back.

“Excuse me...”

I paused and looked back. Hyung-seok was staring at me, his shoulders slightly less slumped than before.

“Thank you... for saving me yesterday.”

He bowed his head deeply, offering a sincere expression of gratitude. I gave him a warm, encouraging nod, bowed politely to his grandmother, and walked out of the yard.

‘If the Apple of Life works its magic, maybe the next time I see him, his face will be a little brighter.’ 

I truly hoped that the next time we crossed paths, he would be standing tall, looking out at the world with confidence.

A familiar holographic notification chimed in the crisp air.

[You have shared the ripe fruits of your labor with your neighbors!]

[You gave your neighbor a fully ripened apple. They are bound to love it! Good luck will now rain down upon you, as sweet and unexpected as a perfectly ripe piece of fruit falling into your lap!]

I smiled, feeling a genuine sense of fulfillment wash over me as I read the message. It felt good to do something kind.

But just as I was basking in the reward...

“Uh?”

My eyes widened. 

Looking up past the horizon, I saw something massive plummeting directly toward the orange roof of my house.