I fell back on the soft, damp soil in the garden, completely and utterly exhausted.  I''d removed my chef''s coat a while ago to work in my tank top, so the freshly tilled soil was cool and refreshing against my skin as I laid there.  My entire body ached from cleaning up the garden, including muscles I didn''t even know I had.  I took deep breaths, inhaling the earthy scent of freshly dug up soil.


    The little dirt slimes were having a blast, jumping in and out of the ground like this was the best game they''d ever played.  I smiled as one hopped onto my stomach while the others jumped over me and into the ground on the other side like I was an obstacle in this new game of theirs.  Their joy made all the effort worth it.


    Working hard with no thanks was one thing, but working hard to see those beautiful slime smiles was another.  I would spend every day out here digging up this soil and watering them just to catch a moment of their bliss.


    One of the slimes hopped onto my chest, staring down at me quizzically.  Thankfully they weighed next to nothing.


    "I''m okay," I said, my breathing almost back to normal.  "I''m just resting for a minute."


    The slime nodded, then rolled off me to go play with the others again.  Their happy little noises as they wiggled in the soil made my heart soar.  This made everything worth it.


    The quest hadn''t been completed yet though, which meant I had more gardening to do.  My body felt heavier at the thought, sinking into the soil.  I tried to lift my arm, but it took so much effort.  How long had I been out here?  It was hard to know without the sun''s movements or a clock, but it felt like hours.  Maybe longer?


    "Hey, system?" I called out.  "Mind adding my last stat point to endurance, please?"


    [If you''re that tired, maybe you should rest]


    "I''ll rest later.  When I''m out of this dungeon."


    [...]


    [Endurance: 3]


    My body glowed a soft white as cool air swept over me, taking my aches and pains with it.  I let out a breath, closing my eyes to enjoy the feeling of recovery.  Man, that endurance stat was like magic.


    "Thank you."


    I sat up, stretching my arms above my head with a happy sigh.  It was time to get back to work.


    The dirt slimes and I got back to it, pulling weeds and removing dead leaves.  I added it all to my inventory, not sure where else to put it yet that would count as clean. I should really make a compost bin for stuff like this.  Along the way, I''d been gathering whatever wood and stones I could find, but there wasn''t much.  I was only at 2 wood and 3 stones for the cafe expansion quest.


    The plants had all been carefully trimmed except for one, the debris cleared up, the soil was tilled, and everything was watered.  I gazed out at the large garden, immensely satisfied with the work we''d done.  The dirt slimes were happy, but I was pretty happy too.  This was our garden and we were going to make the most of it.


    "What do you think, Mossy?" I asked the big dirt slime who hadn''t moved from the middle of the garden while this all went on.  "Mind if I trim those chives?"


    Each little dirt slime had a single plant growing from their mossy heads, but the big guy had about five or six, some of which had overtaken the others.  Those were the only plants I hadn''t touched yet, so I had a feeling that''s why the quest was still incomplete.


    Mossy wiggled deeper into the earth, lowering himself until his eyes were at ground level and I could reach the plants on top of him.  I smiled, walking over slowly so I didn''t scare him off.  So far he''d just been watching, as if waiting to see how I treated the little dirt slimes.  This felt like I''d gained his approval, so I didn''t want to screw it up now.


    I reached up, leaning against his squishy body to trim the chives.  They''d spread everywhere, smothering the carrots and radishes.  Mossy sighed, closing his eyes as I tended to the plants.  I smiled, suddenly feeling like a strange kind of hair stylist for the slimes.


    "There, all done." I stepped back to admire my work just as a message box appeared.


    [Quest Completed: Garden Cleanup]


    [Rewards: Various seeds, bottomless watering can, and a new garden plot]


    Bags of seeds rained down from the sky along with a golden watering can.  I reached out to grab that before it went into my inventory.  What made it bottomless?  I watered Mossy since he hadn''t gotten any the first time around, walking around his big body to make sure I got all of him.  He sighed in contentment again, wiggling just a bit deeper into the ground.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Even after I''d watered him and everything around him, the watering can was still full!  These rewards were so perfectly themed for exactly what I wanted most.


    "Thank you, sweet potato."


    [...you''re welcome, Hazel]


    Reading my name felt so good, reminding me that I was real and had had a life before this place.  A life I had to get back to as soon as possible.  I sank onto the ground to sort through the new seeds I''d gotten.  There were seeds and cuttings for strawberries, apple trees, garlic, sweet potatoes of course, vanilla, and lots of tea.  My hands froze as I saw those words.  Vanilla and tea?


    Could I even grow those?  I had little to no gardening experience, so I was kind of counting on the slimes to do most of the work.  But if they could grow vanilla and tea, that would be so helpful.  A cafe needed drinks to serve people and tea would be the easiest, plus vanilla went in most baked goods.


    These were boss-level rewards.


    I blinked tears away as a surge of emotions swept over me.  I''d worked hard and gotten rewarded for it.  That hadn''t happened in, well, I had no idea how long.  But it felt good, down to my very soul it felt good.  Hard work didn''t feel so hard when I not only got to see happy slimes, but also got gifts too.  I''d treasure these seeds and make good use of the plants that grew from them.


    While I''d been browsing through my inventory, Mossy had shifted to support my back.  I patted his side.


    "I''m okay," I said softly, still a bit overwhelmed.


    The system had mentioned a new garden plot, but I wasn''t sure how that part worked.  I went through my menus, finding a new one called "cafe".  There was an upgrade tree similar to my skill trees, but it was mostly locked out.  The section on the garden had a message about a new plot available though. I pressed it.


    [Where would you like the new garden plot?]


    [To the left, the right, or behind the current one?]


    Closer to the cafe would be good since the scent of vanilla and tea could draw in customers.  I wasn''t sure what kind of environment they preferred though.  I felt like vanilla grew on vines, kind of like beans?  So I''d need a trellis or trees or something.  I could plant the apple trees nearby and make some kind of apple tree vanilla combo plant.


    I laughed. I was definitely a baker, not a gardener.  The slimes and I would make it work somehow though.


    "Let''s go with to the right."


    The message box glowed blue before the ground started shaking.  The grass and weeds in the area next to the garden disappeared, sinking into the ground as fresh soil took their place almost like somebody had flipped garden tiles upside down.  That was so strange, but I was grateful I wouldn''t have to do it all by hand.


    "Think any of the slimes would want to help me plant new seeds?" I asked Mossy, who just blinked at me.  Guess I should ask the slimes themselves then.  I wandered over to where Jellybean was bouncing with the tiny dirt slimes, kneeling to play with them.  "Anyone want some tasty seeds?  I''m about to start a new garden."


    Their eyes widened as three of them bounced faster, gaining more height than usual.  I laughed, pulling the seeds and cuttings out for them to look at.  I wasn''t really sure how they grew the plants, so I waited to see what they''d do.


    The slimes leaned down as if sniffing the new rewards, then moved to the next, until they''d investigated all their options.  Then the smallest slime gobbled up the strawberry seeds and a tiny plant sprouted from her head.  Ohhh that was so cool.  I pat the slime carefully as she spun in circles as if trying to see the plant on the top of her head.  I couldn''t help but laugh, picturing a dog chasing their tail.


    The other slimes chose vanilla and the sweet potatoes, but sadly none of them wanted the tea plants or the apple trees, which felt like a good call.  Growing an entire tree out of your head seemed like a terrible idea.  I shouldn''t have even offered that one, but I wasn''t sure what the plants required.  Some preferred shade while others preferred full sun and I had a feeling the type of soil mattered too.  So many things to consider...


    Maybe a skill could help?


    I opened my menu again since I still had two skill points to use.  There were so many options now between my Culinary Mage skills, Slime Guardian skills, and my new Cafe Owner skill tree.  Things like Customer Happiness and Ambiance Alteration sounded great once I actually had customers, but not as useful right now. I browsed through my options, landing on one called Green Thumb.


    "What''s Green Thumb do?"


    [Green Thumb is a passive skill that increases your chances at successfully growing plants]


    "Even if I screw something up?"


    [Especially then.  This skill will make you feel like an expert gardener eventually, even if you plant those potatoes in the river]


    "Well I know enough not to do that," I said with a laugh.  "It sounds like a good skill though, so I''ll take it.  What about the Growth Boost one?"


    [Growth Boost gives any plants you tend to a slight increase in growth speed]


    That would be really useful to get things up and running quickly.  I used my last skill point on that, feeling pretty good.  These skills were honestly so useful.  I couldn''t wait to level up and see what other options were available. I wanted to start baking as much as I could, but I still only had the tiny portable stove to work with.


    I wanted a real kitchen, with a stove and room to organize ingredients.  A place to set dishes out and raise bread or cool pies.  I wanted it all and I was starting to think I might be able to get it with enough hard work.


    The slimes and I made our way to the new garden plot to try out my new green thumb skill.  I planted the apple trees at the edge of the garden in the back, almost like a fence line, followed by the vanilla and potatoes.  Then I planted the tea in the front, hoping it would grow nice and strong.  Beautiful green balls of light swirled around everything I touched, like fireflies in the night, boosting my plants growth and health with magic.  Seeing things like this would never get old.


    Now that all the gardening was done, there was one last thing on my to-do list for now.  Dirt covered my clothing, streaking across my skin like dried mud, and my shirt was starting to smell bad...


    I needed a bath.