Chapter Eighteen: The Gardener!

The Gardener... it turned out to be the Gardener!
Why was he here?
Both Ashes and Not-a-Sword-Saint halted their steps, an indescribable expression crossing their faces.
In contrast, the burly man, as massive as a mountain, greeted them with a friendly smile, “You must be the pest exterminators invited by the Farmer, right? My name is Gardener. I’m terribly sorry—due to my negligence, the pest infestation has gotten out of hand, and it’s ended up troubling you, our guests, to fulfill responsibilities that should have been mine. I truly feel quite guilty about it.”
The Gardener’s attire was simple—leather armor and trousers with not a single decorative pattern. His manner was guileless, and as he looked at Ashes and his companion, his face bore a sincere, foolish smile. “Did you encounter a bug nest on your way here? If you managed to clear it out, I’ll offer you some extra reward as compensation for your trouble.”
[Prompt: Will you accept the side quest—“Clear the Bug Nest”?]
[Prompt: To complete the quest, you must turn in the quest item “Broken Tree Heart.”]
A quest already completed, can it be repeated?
But even if accepted, there was no way to finish it! The “Broken Tree Heart” obtained from the bug nest had long since been handed over to the Strange Tree Guardian; those embedded in the spell array had turned to ashes when dismantled. Ashes shook his head slightly at Not-a-Sword-Saint, who understood and together, the two refused.
“Mr. Gardener, the bug nest you mentioned has already been destroyed. Rest assured, we also gave the Broken Tree Heart from the nest to the Strange Tree Guardian, who keeps mentioning that you should come soon to see if you can revive its companions!” Ashes, with remarkable self-control, kept a calm expression and began probing with words.
“Is that so? That’s wonderful!”
The Gardener's joy revealed no flaw; his gaze swept over the plant companion enhancer on Ashes' shoulder, then pointed to the other side of the plant sector. “If you don’t mind, I need another small favor. Earlier, another guest took the bug nest-clearing quest from me but hasn’t returned for a long while, which worries me. Could I trouble you to check on them? If that nest remains, perhaps I’ll need your strength.”
[Prompt: Will you accept the side quest—“Clear the Bug Nest” (Second Phase)?]
...
Quest Name: [Clear the Bug Nest] (Second Phase)
Objective: Completely destroy the second bug nest in the plant sector
Reward: Contribution Points, Credit Points
Description: The Gardener hopes you can help him resolve the pest problem in the plant sector and will reward you upon completion.
...
“Of course, clearing bug nests is also our responsibility.”

This time, Ashes chose to accept the quest, as there was really no reason to refuse. After speaking, he feigned setting out to exterminate pests, brushing past the Gardener until darkness threatened to swallow the man's silhouette.
Throughout, the Gardener’s gaze was fixed on them, his posture relaxed, lips curled in a smile, as if seeing heroes off on their journey.
“Oh! Right, I almost forgot the most important thing!”
Ashes suddenly stopped and turned sharply, instantly catching a fleeting strange expression on the Gardener’s face. Ready for battle, Ashes launched another verbal assault. “Mr. Gardener, you must know our true purpose in visiting the manor, don’t you?”
“Of course... of course. I heard some important people noticed unusual spatial fluctuations near the Dark Shroud Forest, so they sent you here to investigate.” The Gardener’s expression grew somewhat confused. “But I work in the manor every day and have never sensed anything strange. The plants here, the animals here, are almost one with the manor—they can sense every gust of wind or movement, yet none have noticed anything unusual.”
At this point, the Gardener’s simple face lost some of its simplicity. “Could it be that you’ve found something?”
“Certainly not, just curious. We’ll carry out the bug nest clearing task right away, so we won’t trouble you further.”
Ashes smiled, lingered no longer, and quickly left the forest center, away from the burly man exuding a terrifying aura.
After swimming fifty meters across the river in one breath, Ashes still felt uneasy and began keeping watch. Not-a-Sword-Saint was puzzled, but after Ashes shared the Gardener’s attributes, he gasped in shock.
...
Name: [Gardener] (Human-derived Entity / Friendly Creature)
Health: 150/150
Attack Level: Average
Defense Level: Weak
Attack Speed: Extremely Fast
Alert Range: Far
Skills: Nature Affinity, Beast Tracking, Unknown, Unknown
Description: The Gardener is the only human-derived entity in the manor, responsible for tending all things. Both Farmer and Shepherd trust him deeply, and he is close with all plants and animals. Yet, despite his simple appearance, when enraged he erupts like a volcano, capable of destroying anything with ease.
...
“Now I understand why the Cursed Fox called the Gardener the true master of this manor.” Ashes furrowed his brow, his gaze cold. “I actually considered provoking the Gardener with the Wolf Valley incident to see if I could trigger a special event, but after seeing his stats, I abandoned the idea entirely. Even if we had the Level 3 Peashooter, we’d be crushed in a head-on fight.”
“What do we do then?”

Not-a-Sword-Saint, who had been confident about the remaining game time, now realized things weren’t so simple. “Should we find Moonlit Water and Little Bean? Team up with other players, maybe even the opposing side?”
“Exactly!” Ashes nodded firmly. “We overlooked that this is actually an eight-person instance. With internal player friction and power growth, taking down the final boss likely requires four players working together. By myself, even with skill plug-ins or enhancement chips, my chance of victory wouldn’t exceed ten percent. For a perfect clear, at least two players need to reach that level.”
“Makes sense.” Not-a-Sword-Saint mused, then grumbled, “Does that mean our hard-earned hidden items have to go to someone else?”
“We’ll see when the time comes. Maybe they have exclusive items we need!”
Having received the system prompt, Ashes replaced his now fully-formed Level 3 Peashooter. Compared to the basic version, its most notable upgrade was the four gun barrels, arranged like a Gatling, giving it a formidable combat appearance. Its sharp bean eyes scanned everywhere, ever vigilant.
“At last, time’s up!”
Not-a-Sword-Saint sighed with relief; the Gardener’s delayed arrival had eased his tension.
Ashes nodded gently, but his expression remained unsmoothed. “I still can’t fathom why the Gardener appeared where he did. Did we miss his spawn time, or has he been there since the start of the assessment? His existence contradicts the Strange Tree Guardian’s description, and even the Cursed Fox’s account differs. Along with the spell array in the cabin, the Gardener must be linked to the bug swarm outbreak. What’s odd is that he actively asks players to clear bug nests. What does that mean?”
“He knows the Farmer and Shepherd have loosened restrictions and allowed players into the Dark Shroud Forest. If he doesn’t erase evidence, his actions will be exposed. So he deliberately lets players clear the bug nests, while strictly guarding the true core. That’s probably why the Cursed Fox watches over the Gardener’s cabin.”
“If everything you say is true, then once the Gardener realizes he’s been found out, he’ll do whatever it takes to cover up, and even if he can’t, he’ll try to wipe us out in rage.” Ashes no longer lingered, turning toward another Gardener’s cabin. “So the key for us is timing—when will the Gardener awaken to the truth? Is it at twenty-eight minutes, thirty, or forty?”
Not-a-Sword-Saint agreed, “Twenty-eight minutes is exactly when the Level 3 Peashooter is ready, marking the mid-to-late stages of the assessment. Perhaps the Gardener is already suspicious and plans to check if his cabin’s secret has been exposed. But I think the timing should be pushed further—because we haven’t wasted a moment from the start. If I’m right, the Gardener is still waiting for updates on the bug nests; unless something happens or all nests are cleared, he shouldn’t act before thirty minutes.”
“So our two goals now are: ignore the bug nest quest, quickly explore the second Gardener’s cabin, and rally all players, preparing for the final battle before the Gardener’s true nature is revealed.” Ashes concluded, locking in their next destination.
“That’s sound reasoning. Let’s hurry.”
“But I have another question.”
“What is it?”
“In theory, clearing bug nests isn’t too hard—even a solo player should have exhausted the swarms by now. So why hasn’t Moonlit Water finished the quest yet?”