I Grow Crops with a System

Ethan first used his stone axe to finish off the Red Trout, then scaled it, opened its belly, and cleaned out the innards with practiced hands.

He eyed the prepped fish with a hint of regret. "Some oil or fat would make this taste much better."

"You can use Yellow Olives, meow!" Pearl suggested.

"Yellow Olives?"

"A type of fruit with lots of oil inside, meow. I think I saw some on the way here. Come on, I’ll show you!"

Pearl leapt off his shoulder and darted toward the forest, Ethan right behind.

Before long, they reached a patch of shrubs heavy with golden-yellow fruit.

"I assumed Yellow Olives would look like actual olives. Not like this." Ethan looked at the fruits in surprise — they were the size of oranges.

He picked one and gave it a gentle squeeze. Golden oil streamed out at once.

"Not bad. Let’s take a few more back."

"Meow, meow! It’s been so long since I had grilled fish, meow~!"

"What do you usually eat?"

"Hmph~! Troll meat, lizard meat, wild boar meat, meow. None of it tastes good at all!" Pearl’s face twisted in utter disgust.

Watching the cat hop around the bushes, tail wagging as it picked fruit, Ethan couldn’t help laughing.

"Alright. Time to start a fire."

He had gathered dry branches and hay earlier. He laid them out, then picked up a wooden stick.

Friction fire.

No flint, no matches — only the most primitive method there was. After a long stretch of effort, a small flame finally caught.

"...Modern civilization really is great," Ethan sighed. If he had known this was coming, he would have brought a lighter. He shook his head. At least the fire was lit.

Next, the fish. He found a flat stone and set it over the flames to heat.

Sizzle—!

Once the stone was scorching hot, he squeezed Yellow Olive oil across it and laid the prepared Red Trout on top. Oil popped and crackled as the fish slowly turned a tantalizing golden-brown.

Pearl paced circles around the campfire, tail wagging non-stop.

"Grilled fish! Grilled fish! Meow~!"

"It’s just grilled fish. Is it worth this much excitement?" Ethan smiled.

"Once we have proper ingredients, I’ll make you something even better."

Grilled fillets. Braised fish. He had plenty of excellent recipes in his head — a pity he had neither the ingredients nor the tools, and could only imagine them.

Pearl’s eyes instantly lit up. "You can cook other dishes too, meow?!"

"No one has ever complained about my cooking."

Pearl pounced straight into his arms, tail wrapping around his wrist. "This vacation is going to be incredible, meow!"

"Alright, the fish should be done."

Ethan cut off a piece of the golden, crispy fish and handed it over. Pearl bit in without a moment’s patience — and its eyes narrowed in bliss.

"Delicious, meow!!"

Ethan tried a piece himself. Maybe it was the Yellow Olive oil — the meat was so tender it practically melted on his tongue, the skin charred and crisp, the inside juicy.

The grilled fish was a massive success.

One man and one cat feasted until not a scrap of the Red Trout remained.

No special effects from the meal, though. Ethan recalled that his Opening of the Eyes had activated only after his third crafted item. Cooking probably followed a similar rule.

Full and content, they sprawled on the ground and soaked in the afternoon sun.

"Ah~ so comfortable..."

"That was so good, meow~! What now, meow?"

"Fish traps."

They knew the river held fish, so it was best to prepare early. Ethan brought out the branches and bark left over from building the shelter.

’I picked up the Crafting skill earlier, didn’t I? How do I even use it?’

As he wondered, he gathered the materials together and opened the Crafting interface.

Silver light flashed. The materials assembled themselves before his eyes into a rudimentary fish trap.

[Simple Fish Trap]

[A fish trap made from branches and tree bark. Can be used to catch fish.]

[Crafting Difficulty: ★]

"It actually works!"

No Well-crafted bonus this time, unfortunately. Ethan made three traps in one go, then glanced at the sinking sun. "We should catch something by morning."

"Wow! Really, meow?! I hope we catch a lot of fish, meow!"

He stuffed the cleaned-out fish innards into the traps as bait, then walked to the river and sank them in place.

That done, he returned to the shelter and sat down by the campfire.

"Phew..."

Too much had happened in one day. Transmigrating to another world, the long trek, all that manual labor. He fed a few more branches into the flames, then gathered Pearl into his arms.

The soft, fluffy fur radiated warmth.

"It’s getting late. Let’s rest."

"Alright, meow... meow~"

Pearl yawned, curled up against his chest, and closed its eyes. Ethan held the little cat close and soon drifted off after it.

The next day, Ethan woke before dawn. Years of farming had carved early rising into his bones — wilderness or not.

"Meow~ you’re up early too, meow."

Sleeping in his arms, Pearl had woken right along with him. It stretched long and lazy, rubbed its sleepy eyes, and hopped down to follow.

"Where are we going, meow?"

"To see if the traps caught anything."

"Let’s go, let’s go, meow!"

Pearl watched, brimming with anticipation, as Ethan pulled up the first trap.

Empty.

"Sigh..." Pearl gripped his shoulder, trembling with tension.

Ethan smiled wryly and patted its head, then opened the second.

Still nothing.

"Wuu, wuu..." Pearl looked ready to cry.

Another pat on the head. Then Ethan hauled up the final trap.

"Caught one!"

A vibrant blue fish thrashed vigorously inside.

"Meow-ahhhh—! That’s great, meow! It’s a Blue Scale Fish, and it’s edible, meow! This is awesome, meow~!" Pearl bounced back and forth, celebrating the morning’s harvest.

Just as they set the fish over the fire to roast, heavy footsteps sounded in the distance.

"Moo~!"

Ethan looked up at the familiar call. The Minotaur from yesterday was walking over — but unlike yesterday, it carried a broken stone axe in its hands.

"Looks like the handle snapped."

"Meow, meow. He probably came to ask you to repair it, meow."

Pearl guessed right. The Minotaur walked up and held out the heavy axe head and its splintered handle.

Ethan turned the pieces over in his hands. ’Crafting has a chance to trigger Well-crafted. I wonder — does repairing count too?’

"Moo-roar-roar-roar!"

"He says if you fix his axe, he’ll catch you a Horned Rabbit in exchange, meow!"

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