Chapter 14 – Sold Out, Meow

“Huh?! It’s a traveling merchant.”

“Oh my! It’s a cat!”

“A cat traveling merchant!”

“Let’s go see what he’s selling.”

The hunters approached Theo with interest.

“Eh? Cherry tomatoes?”

The hunters who approached were disappointed when they saw the cherry tomatoes piled high on Theo’s mat. They had expected weapons or mysterious potions sold by a traveling merchant, but since it was cherry tomatoes that could be eaten outside as well, it was only natural.

“Foolish humans, I knew you would react like that, meow. This is different from the cherry tomatoes you knew.”

Because Se-jun had confirmed when selling items like the tumbler that Theo did what he was told quite well, he gave very detailed instructions.

“Different?”

“Yes, meow. Take a look at the options once, meow.”

Theo appealed that the cherry tomatoes were items, just as Se-jun instructed.

“Options?!”

“Was this an item?”

The hunters picked up the cherry tomatoes and began checking the options.

“Magical Cherry Tomato?”

“Magic power increases by 0.1 for 10 minutes?”

“It’s too low.”

As expected, the reaction of the male hunters was not that good. Their levels were 45 to 48. At their levels, even combining the options of equipment, a 0.1 magic power increase was a stat that made no difference whether they had it or not.

However,

“Decomposes 10g of fat just by eating this?”

“Is this really possible?”

The reaction of the female hunters was different. They recognized the true value of the product immediately. Once they went outside, there were countless women who wanted to maintain their figures while eating delicious food.

And above all, the options written on the item did not lie.

“How much is this?!”

Jessica, one of the female hunters, asked excitedly about the price of the cherry tomatoes. The moment she saw this, she thought of her younger sister Anna.

Anna had even undergone gastric sleeve surgery due to super morbid obesity, but since last year, she had started binge eating due to depression, and her weight went up to 120kg again.

To Jessica, who had many worries lately because of Anna’s health, the magical cherry tomato felt like a ray of light.

“It is 0.05 Tower Coins per Magical Cherry Tomato, meow.”

“What?!”

The other hunters were surprised at Theo’s words. Because it was absurdly expensive for the price of a single cherry tomato.

“I will buy half of what is here.”

“Eh?! Really, meow?! Half is 500 pieces, meow!”

At Jessica’s words, this time Theo was startled. 500 pieces meant 25 Tower Coins. In an instant, it far exceeded the sales amount of 5 Tower Coins in the contract. That meant he had to sell Se-jun’s crops forever.

“Yeah. I will buy 500. Here are 25 Tower Coins.”

Jessica handed over the money. Compared to the expenses she had already spent for Anna’s treatment, it was not even a large amount of money.

“H-how about thinking it over again, meow? Human, you are impulse buying, meow.”

Rather than trying to accept Jessica’s money, Theo discouraged the purchase in order to void the lifetime contract.

However, that backfired.

‘She says she will buy as many as 500, yet he discourages it?’

‘Is there something to this?’

‘Should I buy a few and give them to my girlfriend?’

Looking at Theo’s reluctant attitude to sell, the hunters grew curious instead.

“Give me 100 too.”

“50 for me.”

“50 for me too!”

The hunters competitively began to buy the cherry tomatoes. Although the price of a single cherry tomato was expensive, it was not a large amount of money for elite hunters like them.

That amount of Tower Coins was money they could easily earn with just a few days of hunting. They were fully willing to pay to satisfy their curiosity.

The hunters went back to hunt spider monsters once their rest ended.

“H-how can this be…”

Theo tearfully stared at the empty mat.

“I-it’s sold out, meow.”

The first sell-out in his feline life. The legend of the cat traveling merchant Theo was beginning.

***

The 134th day of distress.

“Heave-ho.”

Se-jun got up vigorously today as well.

Because he increased strength and stamina with bonus stats every time he leveled up, his physical condition was originally good, but now he overflowed with energy every morning. In addition, the job characteristic of a Tower Farmer, which was not suffering from minor illnesses, also felt subtly nice.

Scratch, scratch.

Se-jun went to the wall, drew a stroke out of habit, and started his day.

Squeak!

Squeee!

Pyah!

Pyak!

The white rabbits and the Black Rabbit woke up and greeted Se-jun for the morning.

“Yeah. Good morning.”

The rabbits, having greeted him, began their respective tasks. Se-jun also washed his face in the small pond and started harvesting cherry tomatoes.

Plop, plop.

[You have harvested a well-ripened Magical Cherry Tomato.]

[Your job experience increases very minutely.]

[Your proficiency in Harvesting Lv. 2 increases very minutely.]

[You have obtained 10 experience points.]

…

..

.

As he was harvesting cherry tomatoes like that,

[You have leveled up.]

[You have obtained 1 bonus stat point.]

It was a level-up after a long time since reaching level 10. Se-jun increased his strength with the bonus stat point.

“He must be doing well, right?”

Se-jun thought of Theo. He must have met the hunters by now.

“How many will he sell before returning?”

He didn’t even expect a sell-out. Because he was such a naive fellow, he had great worries about whether he could sell them properly.

“But since I also taught him my secret weapon. He will sell at least half, right?”

The secret weapons Se-jun had taught: free tasting and kneading service. However, Se-jun could not have imagined that the cherry tomatoes would be sold out in a few minutes even before Theo could use the secret weapons.

“If cherry tomatoes start selling, my name will also become known, right? Hehehe.”

Se-jun felt proud for no reason that crops bearing his name were selling.

At that moment,

Buzz, buzz.

the poison honeybee entered through the hole in the cave ceiling.

“You’re here?”

Rub, rub.

Today as well, the poison honeybee stamped her attendance while acting cute, rubbing her body against Se-jun’s face.

And,

Buzz, buzz.

she went to the cherry tomato field to suck nectar.

And how much time had passed?

Squeak!

The wife rabbit began to put dried green onion leaves into the fire. Before he knew it, it was lunch. As he harvested cherry tomatoes and helped the rabbits water the fields, time flew by.

Pyak! Pyak!

The Black Rabbit, who was training by striking the wall with its hammer, called Se-jun. Because it was the time of day when it could play the most active role, the Black Rabbit always waited for the piranha hunting time.

“Yeah. I’m coming.”

Se-jun quickly moved to the pond and waved the torch left and right.

Splash!

Squeak!

A clean hammer strike. Now, the Black Rabbit was very proficient at hunting piranhas.

When it caught five piranhas like that, the Black Rabbit’s body glowed briefly.

“Huh?! Did you level up?”

Nod, nod.

The Black Rabbit nodded its head vigorously.

He had seen the white rabbits level up while doing farm work a few times, but it was the first time he saw the Black Rabbit level up.

“Congratulations on leveling up.”

Pyak!

The Black Rabbit looked at Se-jun triumphantly, as if to say, “How am I?”

The Black Rabbit’s shoulders were squared to a slightly worrying degree. He worried that it might say it would go into the water to catch piranhas soon.

In the meantime, the Black Rabbit dashed to the other white rabbits and noisily announced the news of its level-up.

Squeak!

Squeee!

Pyah!

The white rabbits congratulated the Black Rabbit.

Thanks to that, lunch was a bit noisy. Se-jun, who finished lunch with grilled fish and roasted green onions while the rabbits chatted, stood up quietly. Lately, Se-jun had developed a pleasure after lunch.

“Hehehe. Time to drink coffee.”

Se-jun stood up and lifted the tumbler placed on his designated seat with light steps.

When he opened the tumbler to use it as a cup after Theo left,

“It’s coffee!”

Ten bags of Kanu were inside the tumbler. It seemed that neither the merchant who sold it to Theo nor Theo had even opened the tumbler.

A huge windfall. If Theo had sold coffee instead of the tumbler, Se-jun would have paid money.

Se-jun took the tumbler to the small pond and filled it about one-fourth with water,

Tap, tap.

holding the end of the Kanu packet, he lightly flicked his index finger to shake the end down. He could not miss a single coffee granule. Tearing open the packet of Kanu coffee that was thus prepared, he emptied it into the tumbler.

And,

Shake, shake.

he closed the lid and shook it to dissolve the coffee granules.

Click.

Slurp.

Opening the lid, Se-jun took a sip of the coffee.

Woosh.

The bitter taste emerged, and the fishy smell of the fish and the sweetness of the green onions were completely washed away by the black wave of coffee.

“Kuh. Sure enough, coffee is the best after a meal.”

Although he could not make hot coffee since there was no tool to boil water, nor iced coffee since there was no ice, coffee mixed with just cool pond water was not bad either.

Moreover,

Glug.

Se-jun poured a little of the honey he had collected in the plastic bottle.

“Ah, this is good.”

The bitter taste and sweet taste harmonized, creating a new flavor.

The rabbits shook their heads as if they could not understand Se-jun smiling while drinking coffee.

On the first day he made coffee, because the rabbits were curious, he gave them a little, but they shuddered after dabbing and tasting it once. It was the same for the coffee with honey. The rabbits’ tongues seemed to feel the bitterness of coffee more sensitively.

Having properly consumed even the coffee as dessert, Se-jun began the afternoon farming.

“Hum, hum, hum.”

Se-jun hummed, harvesting cherry tomatoes and watering the fields. Though he had only had a cup of coffee at lunch, he was joyful all afternoon.

Like that, he wrapped up the day in a good mood.

Squeak!

Squeee!

The rabbits greeted Se-jun and entered their burrow to prepare for sleep.

“Good night!”

Se-jun also greeted the rabbits, went to his sleeping spot, and patted the soil to make a place to sleep.

At that moment,

Buzz, buzz.

the poison honeybee was flying busily around the cave ceiling.

“You haven’t left yet?”

Although she came early and left late lately, it was the first time the poison honeybee had not returned by this time.

“Go sleep quickly.”

Buzz, buzz.

The poison honeybee ignored Se-jun’s words and flew around diligently.

“Alright. I’m going to sleep. See you tomorrow.”

Zzzzz.

Se-jun fell asleep as soon as he laid his head on the dirt pillow.

Buzz, buzz.

The poison honeybee diligently made something on the cave ceiling.

***

“Why isn’t he coming?”

Scaram, the goblin traveling merchant who had scammed Theo, waited for Theo to return. Surely, since he wouldn’t have been able to sell the items he handed over, it was about time he returned in disappointment.

‘And I will comfort the disappointed fellow, saying there is a bigger opportunity, and lend him money.’

To pay back the money borrowed at high interest for life, let alone the principal, he would work like a slave until death to pay off the interest that grew for life.

“Kehkehkeh. It’s been a really long time since I caught a proper sucker.”

Scaram wore a fishy smile.

Waiting for Theo like that, Scaram went to the bulletin board displaying the sales amount ranking of traveling merchants. Checking his ranking once a day and feeling proud was one of his life’s pleasures.

[Traveling Merchant Sales Amount Ranking]

…

..

.

999th – Scaram [45.2 Tower Coins] 1UP

“Kehkehkeh. Finally entered the top 1,000.”

He rose one step from 1,000th and became 999th. It was a ranking barely made by ripping off several novice traveling merchants.

Having checked his ranking, Scaram scanned the names of merchants ranked higher than him from the bottom. They were targets he had to step on and climb over someday.

At that moment, Scaram’s head tilted up a bit and stopped.

“Huh?!”

A name that was utterly impossible to be there caught his eye.

982nd – Theo [50 Tower Coins] NEW!

“How did this happen? He surely shouldn’t have been able to sell it…”

Scaram muttered as if unable to understand.

***

Buzz, buzz.

Se-jun woke up at the sound of the poison honeybee’s wings. Until the morning, the poison honeybee was flying busily around the ceiling.

At that moment,

“Huh? A beehive?”

A small beehive was visible to Se-jun’s eyes. It seemed she had been making this after moving busily since yesterday.

“Did you move in?”

Buzz, buzz.

Rub, rub.

At Se-jun’s question, the poison honeybee moved up and down three times and rubbed her body against Se-jun’s face as if saying, “Please look after me from now on.”

On the 135th day of distress, the poison honeybee became independent and moved into Se-jun’s cave.