I Grow Crops with a System

Ethan gulped.

Right. He had already transmigrated to another world. Compared to that, a talking cat wasn’t so strange.

Slowly, he lowered the stone axe.

"You mentioned an ’Opening of the Eyes’? What is that?"

"Didn’t an information box just appear before your eyes, meow? That’s the Opening of the Eyes, meow," the white cat explained. "Generally speaking, there are two ways to trigger it, meow!"

"The first, during combat. By hovering on the brink of life and death again and again, one can stimulate their potential and gain the ability to Open the Eyes, meow."

"The second, during crafting. Those with clever hands and minds who use their talents to craft excellent items have a chance to gain it, meow."

"You definitely fall into the second category, meow! Opening the Eyes this quickly is incredibly rare, meow!"

’This cat is quite the talker.’

It padded over with elegant steps and sat down across from Ethan, tail swishing as it chattered on. Then it took a long, deliberate look at the straw sandals on his feet and the shelter behind him.

"Have you only made these three things so far, meow? Nothing else, meow?"

"Just these."

"Then you’ve set a new record, meow!" the cat said in surprise.

"According to the Lady Witch’s records, anyone who Opens the Eyes through crafting takes at least ten attempts to make something excellent. You did it in three, meow!"

Listening to the endless chatter, Ethan latched onto the part he didn’t understand.

"The Lady Witch... who is that?"

"The Lady Witch is the ruler of this Great Forest, a master of all the magic in the world, meow."

"The Great Forest?" Ethan grew even more puzzled.

"You don’t know the Great Forest? How strange, meow." The cat tilted its head, bewildered.

"Well..." Ethan smiled awkwardly and glanced around, an unfamiliar land, an unfamiliar world, and a talking cat.

"I think I might have transmigrated from another world."

The cat’s eyes went wide — every bit as shocked as Ethan had been when it first spoke, he briefly explained his situation.

The white cat sighed in sympathy. "Don’t be too sad, meow! You can survive here too, meow!"

"Mm... thank you."

"Meow? But it seems you can’t even tell what’s edible right now."

"Right."

He had Opened his Eyes, but so far the information only appeared on things he had crafted himself, everything else stayed silent, no matter how hard he stared.

The cat seemed to have expected this. It patted its chest and declared, "Then follow me, meow! I will help you survive in this world, meow!"

...

"Meow, meow, meow~! Meow, meow~!"

Humming happily, the white cat wove through the tall grass.

"Look, meow! That’s a Sun Mushroom, meow! It grows by absorbing sunlight — the more sun it gets, the spicier it becomes, meow! It’s very rare and incredibly spicy, so handle it carefully, meow!"

"A spicy mushroom?"

"Long ago, Argus the Hundred-Eyed Giant ate one and cried from the spice, meow! A hundred eyes shedding tears at once — what a spectacular sight that was, meow!"

...

"Ah! That’s Fast-Growing Grass, meow! It grows a whole section in a single day, and it’s fresh and crisp, meow! But it has a bitter taste that most people can’t stomach, meow!"

Ethan followed its gaze to a plant that looked like sugarcane, only much thinner.

"Rumor says eating it makes you grow taller, meow! That’s why the dwarves dug it all up long ago and transplanted it into their cities, meow. Nowadays you rarely see it outside the Great Forest, meow!"

"Dwarves..."

"Ah! Over there, meow! That’s a Slimming Fruit, meow! Eat it and you lose weight, meow! Sweet and delicious, but almost no nutrition whatsoever, meow!"

"..."

"That’s Hay, meow. Many beastmen live in the Great Forest, and the herbivorous ones love it the most, meow."

The cat was exceptionally talkative. In no time at all, Ethan had learned about dozens of plants.

"So other races live in this forest?" he asked as they walked.

"Of course, meow! The Great Forest is vast and boundless, home to many races, meow. The most numerous are the kobolds, meow!"

’Kobolds, huh. I wonder what they look like.’

While he was picturing it, the cat suddenly leapt onto his shoulder.

"That’s a Night Apple, meow! Juicy, sweet, and delicious — but judging by the color, it’s not ripe yet, meow. Unripe Night Apples are so sour that nobody eats them, meow!"

The cat gazed regretfully at a fruit tree a short distance away. It stood about as tall as a man, laden with green, plum-sized fruits.

Ethan walked up and rested a hand on one of the unripe fruits.

"Growth Acceleration."

At his whisper, a strange energy surged from his palm and swept over the tree. Before their eyes, the green fruits ripened into an enticing shade of red.

"What did you do, meow?!" the cat cried in astonishment.

"One of my abilities. It lets plants grow rapidly," Ethan explained. "They should be edible now, right?"

"Of course they are, meow!"

He picked two, handed one to the cat, and bit into his own.

Crunch!

Just as promised — juicy, sweet, delicious. Several times better than any apple on Earth. He hadn’t eaten all day, and the flavor sank into him with deep satisfaction.

"Ah! Dig that up, quickly, meow! That’s a Sweet Beet, meow! Every beastman in the Great Forest loves it, meow! Gather plenty — you can trade it for things later, meow!"

The cat pointed excitedly at an utterly unremarkable plant nearby: a single leaf resting flat on the ground.

Ethan dug into the soil with his stone axe and unearthed a massive tuber.

"Meow? Want a taste."

"Of course."

He peeled off the skin with the axe and took a bite.

Crunch!

Fresh, sweet juice flooded his mouth.

"Not bad!"

"Give me a bite, meow!"

Man and cat sat on the ground, sharing the Sweet Beet between them. It must have been rich in energy — by the time they finished, all the stamina Ethan had burned through the day felt fully restored.

"By the way, what’s your name?" he asked.

"A name? I don’t have one, meow!" the cat said, tapping its own head with its tail.

Ethan thought for a moment. "How about Pearl?"

"...Why, meow?"

"I think it sounds nice. Right — I’m Ethan."

"Hello, meow! Ethan!"

They wrapped up the day’s gathering and returned to the shelter. After all that walking, Ethan was starting to feel the fatigue.

He took some fruit from his pack and asked between bites, "By the way, Pearl — is it safe for us to stay here?"

"Of course it’s safe, meow! This is a No-Combat Zone, meow!" Pearl declared confidently.

"A No-Combat Zone?"

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