Chapter 15 – The Name Remains Unknown

On the first day she ate honey in Se-jun’s cave, the poison honeybee realized that a change had begun in her body. Since then, every time she ate honey daily, a slightly deeper scent began to emanate from her body, and her body also gradually grew plump.

At first she did not know what kind of change it was, but when the queen bee in the hive began to guard against her a while ago, she realized what it was. She had also become able to lay eggs. Therefore, the poison honeybee decided to become independent.

The place to become independent was, of course, Se-jun’s cave, close to the food source. Since an enormous amount of cherry tomato flowers would bloom in a little while, the food seemed sufficient even if the family increased.

Buzz, buzz.

For that, she rubbed her body against the cave owner every day to show friendliness, letting him know she was not an enemy, and received permission (?) to live in the cave. Of course, Se-jun would never know when he had given permission.

Rub, rub.

It was the poison honeybee starting her day today by rubbing her body against the cave owner again.

And,

“Let’s work.”

Squeak!

Squeee!

Pyah!

Pyak!

Morning began with Se-jun and the rabbits also doing their respective work.

“Hmm… Is it roughly 70%?”

Se-jun said, looking at the carrot sprouts that had grown to about ankle height. Although he waited for the sprouts to grow while continuously watering without giving up, only 700 out of 1,000 carrot seeds purchased from the Seed Shop and planted sprouted.

And as for the 1,200 cherry tomato seeds harvested from the magical cherry tomatoes and planted, the probability here was about 10% lower than that of the carrot seeds. Germination rate of 61%. 732 out of 1,200 had sprouted and were growing.

The germination rates of the corn seeds purchased from the Seed Shop and planted, and the sweet potato shoots planted directly, were also around 70% and 60%, similar to the germination rates of the carrots and cherry tomatoes.

“Hehehe. Thank you for growing.”

Although about 1,000 of the planted ones died and his efforts became useless, seeing the sprouts that did not die and lived on made such complaints vanish quickly, and a smile formed on his face.

Just then, a message appeared in Se-jun’s eyes.

[An additional quest has occurred.]

[Quest: Give 10 Magical Cherry Tomatoes to the tower administrator!]

Reward: None

Upon refusal: Disappointment

The tower administrator, having her quests continuously put on hold by Se-jun and having watched the trade between Se-jun and Theo, had apparently realized something, as she did not make excessive demands.

And the word ‘offer’ or the threat to kill upon refusal also disappeared.

Instead, she expressed disappointment like that. Since even a sour relationship was still a relationship, and she acted so pitifully, he couldn’t help but give them.

“Take it.”

Ten cherry tomatoes that were in Se-jun’s storage disappeared.

[You have completed the quest.]

[The tower administrator is grateful for your kindness.]

Now she was even grateful. As the other party was grateful, he felt pleased.

“Huh?!”

Se-jun, who was wearing a pleased smile, quickly erased the smile.

‘I looked a bit like a pushover just now.’

He had to be careful. Se-jun focused on farming again, steeling his heart.

However, seeing the fresh green waves in the fields, a pleased smile was quickly drawn on his lips.

It was not that he was a pushover, but that his heart had grown broader, but Se-jun did not realize it.

***

The 143rd day of distress.

“I’m back, meow!”

Theo leaped down from the ceiling hole and announced his return. As he returned after selling out, his voice was filled with strength.

But,

“You?! What?!”

At the earlier-than-expected return, Se-jun’s voice went up. Se-jun meant it as a rebuke for why he returned without selling everything, but Theo took it differently.

“I made a mistake, meow. Next time, even if I sell out, I will come back right away without playing on other floors, meow.”

Theo confessed his mistake immediately.

“What?! You played? For how many days?”

“I played for four days, meow. I made a mistake, meow…”

As Se-jun’s voice lowered, Theo, who was reading his expression, quickly grabbed Se-jun’s leg and begged for forgiveness.

However, Se-jun’s serious expression did not soften. In his head, he was calculating diligently after listening to Theo’s words.

According to Theo’s words, it took about ten days to make a round trip to the 30s floors where the hunters were.

‘But even after selling out, he had time to play for four days?’

Considering he returned fourteen days after leaving, it meant he sold out as soon as he went down.

“Tell me in detail. Or I will show you the terror of Party A.”

Se-jun threatened and scared Theo. Well, since he was already reading Se-jun’s expression diligently, it seemed there was no need to scare him anyway.

“I understand, meow…”

Shrunk back completely, Theo began his explanation.

“That was what happened, meow… The humans bought everything as soon as I said just a few words, meow.”

Theo, perhaps having some final wits, left out the part where he had discouraged the purchase.

“Really? Without even using the secret weapons?”

“Yes, meow.”

Se-jun realized that the response to the cherry tomatoes was hotter than he thought after listening to Theo’s words.

“Here is 50 Tower Coins, meow.”

“Good job, Employee Theo. Here is the incentive.”

Se-jun handed Theo 2 Tower Coins, which was 4% of the sales amount.

“Huh? Am I not Representative Theo, meow?”

“You were just demoted. Where is a representative who plays for four days and then returns? If you work hard in the future, I will make you representative again. And when you become representative, I will raise your incentive to 5%.”

“Understood, meow! I will work hard to become representative, meow!”

Theo answered passionately at Se-jun’s words.

“But what’s with your way of speaking?”

“I just decided to live like this, meow.”

After realizing that the Granier dialect gave humans a favorable impression, his inferiority complex about the dialect disappeared.

“Hehehe. Now my name will become known.”

“What do you mean by that, meow?”

“The grower is displayed on the cherry tomato’s options. So, won’t people know that I made those cherry tomatoes.”

…!

Theo fidgeted at Se-jun’s words.

Traveling merchants had various systems, and one of them was a function that forcibly hid the source of goods, such as the creator or grower, sold by novice traveling merchants with low sales.

It couldn’t even be told in words. It would be processed as a beep. If one truly wanted to let it be known, the only way was to bring them to that location.

To prevent the clients of novice traveling merchants from being revealed, so that wealthy traveling merchants could not steal the clients of novice traveling merchants, this was the policy.

In other words, it meant the grower mark indicating Se-jun had grown them was not displayed on the magical cherry tomatoes Theo sold.

And the only way to lift this restriction was to achieve a sales amount of 1,000 Tower Coins and become a mid-tier traveling merchant.

‘This is trouble, meow.’

Theo felt that if he disclosed this fact to Se-jun here, he would somehow be demoted another step from employee and his incentive would be cut to 3%.

Still, he was too chicken-hearted to keep it hidden.

If so, there was only one way. To escape from this spot!

“Give me the magical cherry tomatoes, meow. I will set off right away, meow.”

“Already? Rest for a few days before leaving. You should also receive your weekly wage.”

“No, meow! I will receive it later, meow. I want to earn money quickly, meow!”

Theo hurriedly packed the magical cherry tomatoes full in his bundle and left.

“The kid has become obsessed with money.”

Se-jun misunderstood, not knowing Theo’s mind.

***

While Se-jun firmly believed that cherry tomatoes bearing his name had spread, the hunters who bought the magical cherry tomatoes were feeling the effects of the cherry tomatoes.

“Dad! Dad! You have to buy more of this next time. Okay? Definitely! This is so good!”

The twenty magical cherry tomatoes that Kim Dong-sik, the leader of the Phoenix Guild, bought to satisfy his curiosity and for his daughter who starved herself daily to diet.

After eating the magical cherry tomatoes, the daughter no longer threw tantrums due to dieting, and peace returned to the household.

While she ate three a day at first, lately she ate only one in the morning, saying she was saving them.

The option that doled out physical vitality along with decomposing 10g of fat.

This was because the vitality effect was maintained for a long time, so her body overflowed with energy even when she ate less, and since it was not exhausting, she moved more, creating additional calorie consumption and aiding her diet.

‘I shouldn’t have yielded back then.’

He did not know she would like it this much. Because he yielded since other team members said they would buy them and only bought twenty, seeing his daughter’s reaction, he regretted buying so few.

“Alright. Trust only me. I will definitely get them for you.”

It was truly a long time since his daughter had demanded something like this. Kim Dong-sik desperately wanted to get the magical cherry tomatoes for his daughter.

– We will enter the tower in three days.

Kim Dong-sik sent a text message summoning his team members to enter the tower earlier than scheduled.

Although team members’ complaints were expected, this time he planned to use the leader’s authority to hunt spider monsters and wait around the place where they had met the traveling merchant on the 38th floor, since they did not know when the cat traveling merchant would appear.

‘If I meet the traveling merchant this time, I should request a regular trade.’

At that moment,

Ring, ring.

The team members’ replies arrived.

– Yes.

– We’re ready.

– Let’s go today! Right now!

Kim Dong-sik expected the team members to grumble, but the team members said they would enter the tower as if they had been waiting. Rather, they urged that they wanted to enter even faster.

They were also in a similar situation as Dong-sik.

***

As soon as Jessica returned home after finishing her hunt, she handed the magical cherry tomatoes to her younger sister Anna.

She did not have high expectations.

However,

“Sister, where did you get this cherry tomato?!”

Anna, who had eaten about twenty cherry tomatoes, asked Jessica excitedly, pointing to the magical cherry tomatoes.

“Why? Is something wrong?!”

“No. It’s so good. I’m not depressed anymore. I’m overflowing with energy! I just want to move!”

“What?!”

Jessica stared at Anna’s reply in disbelief. To get Anna to exercise, she had to scold and plead for hours just for her to pretend to move for about ten minutes. Yet she wanted to move on her own.

“Sister, I want to walk.”

“Alright. Let’s go out.”

Jessica returned home that day after completing a lap around the neighborhood with Anna for three hours.

As a few days passed like that, Anna’s weight quickly decreased and became 80kg.

Now, even without being told, Anna ate her diet meals and magical cherry tomatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and returned after walking around the neighborhood three times a day by herself.

The number of magical cherry tomatoes, which required eating twenty at first to gain energy, also decreased to thirteen as her body became lighter.

It seemed that Anna would be able to find her normal daily life in a month or two.

However, the magical cherry tomatoes were hitting the bottom.

‘I have to enter the tower again and meet the traveling merchant.’

At that moment,

– We will enter the tower in three days.

A text message came from the leader saying they should enter the tower.

– Let’s go today! Right now!

Jessica hurriedly replied and began packing her gear.

***

“I came out for now, but what do I do, meow?”

Theo fell into worry as he went down to the lower floors of the tower.

“When will I achieve a sales amount of 1,000 Tower Coins, meow?”

This time, he packed the magical cherry tomatoes full in his bundle, putting in 1,500.

But even if he sold 1,500 at a time like this, he had to go back and forth more than ten times.

“I have to earn money as quickly as possible, meow.”

He needed a way to quickly achieve a sales amount of 1,000 Tower Coins and become a mid-tier merchant.

He did not want to get caught by Se-jun that the grower mark was hidden and be demoted below employee.

“I want to become representative quickly, meow.”

Having had what he once possessed taken away made him want it even more.

Theo walked listlessly like that, carrying the bundle full of magical cherry tomatoes, and went to the 38th floor where he had traded with the humans a few days ago.

Since it was the place where he made the first trade, he planned to drop by once and, if no one was there, go down to the lower floors.

At that moment,

“Oh! The traveling merchant has come!”

“Why did you come so late?!”

“We’ve been waiting for you.”

The humans he had traded with a few days ago ran toward him.

“Human, were you waiting for me, meow?”

Theo asked, looking at the humans blankly.

“Yeah. We waited for three days.”

“Was that so, meow?”

Seeing the humans waiting for him, a good idea occurred to him.

“Do you have the magical cherry tomatoes?”

“Huhut. I have them, but the price went up, meow.”

The salesmanship of Theo, who wanted to sit in the representative position again, bloomed.