Chapter 20 – Harvesting a New Breed

157th day of being stranded, morning.

Crunch, crunch.

“Listen well, everyone. Finally, that day has come.”

Se-jun made a major announcement in front of the rabbits who were diligently eating their morning carrots.

Pyik?

Pyaa?

Pyak?

The rabbits had no idea what Se-jun was talking about. So they opened their eyes roundly. What day?

“Today is the day we harvest sweet potatoes.”

It felt like just yesterday when he planted 450 sweet potato shoots, but the sweet potato shoots had already taken root and grown, and the time to harvest the sweet potatoes had come.

Pyik!!!

Pyaa!!!

Pyak!!!

The rabbits were excited at the word ‘sweet potato’. They seemed to recall the taste of the roasted sweet potato they had eaten last time.

And a better reason was that there was nothing for them to do. Since the harvesting would be done by Se-jun alone anyway.

However, the rabbits did not remember what they had done before eating the roasted sweet potatoes.

“Well, so. Today we will finish all work in the morning and plant sweet potato shoots in the afternoon.”

Before digging up the sweet potatoes, all the sweet potato vines had to be cleared. Se-jun could not just throw away the sweet potato shoots that would yield sweet potatoes if only planted.

Pyik?!

Pya?!

Pyak?!

The rabbits hurriedly checked the sweet potato field. In the sweet potato field, sweet potato shoots were growing thickly. To think they would cut and plant all of those. The rabbits were flustered by Se-jun’s words.

Still, they felt relieved. The harvesting and planting of the sweet potato shoots were entirely Se-jun’s share.

However,

“And there is one more major announcement. Today, I’ve decided not to monopolize the joy of planting sweet potato shoots.”

As the fields became wider now, it was exceeding the amount of work Se-jun could do alone in a day. So he decided to give up on the proficiency of the Sowing skill.

Farming was timing. He could not ruin farming because of skill proficiency.

The morning farming began like that.

The two rabbits holding watering cans watered the fields, and when the wife rabbit and the rabbit with a sickle cut green onion leaves, the rabbit with an A-frame carrier loaded the green onion leaves onto the carrier and moved them.

And the Black Rabbit and the rabbits with shovels made ridges to plant the sweet potato shoots in advance.

Pyabyabyapyak!!

When the Black Rabbit, for whom everything was warrior’s training, ran forward making the ground flat by dragging the hammer with its flat part facing down,

Thud. Thud.

Thud. Thud.

the two rabbits with shovels dug furrows and raised ridges while scooping soil and putting it on the side.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Se-jun also quickly harvested cherry tomatoes. To finish all the work in the morning, he had to move frantically.

The morning farming finished like that.

“Whew.”

Pyi…

Pyai…

Pyak…

Se-jun and the rabbits all collapsed from excessive labor. Perhaps because they sweated a lot, their throats were parched.

“At times like this, cold honey water is the best.”

Se-jun poured the honey that was in the plastic water bottle into the tumbler.

Glug. Glug.

He poured two glugs of honey into the tumbler and filled it with pond water.

And,

Shake it, shake it.

he shook it so that the honey would mix well.

“Is it mixed well?”

When Se-jun was about to take a sip of the honey water,

Pyak?!

The Black Rabbit called Se-jun, asking if he was drinking all by himself.

In the Black Rabbit’s hand, a carrot cup made by hollow-eating the inside of a carrot was held. To think of making a cup out of a carrot… What a genius?!

Pour, pour, pour.

Se-jun poured honey water into the Black Rabbit’s carrot cup. In the meantime, as he poured honey water for the white rabbits who made carrot cups following the Black Rabbit, about half of the honey water remained in the tumbler.

Gulp, gulp.

Se-jun downed the honey water in one shot. As the honey water entered his mouth, the sweetness woke up Se-jun’s brain cells, and the coolness going down his esophagus seemed to relieve the fatigue of his entire body.

“Kyaah!”

Pyaak!

The Black Rabbit copied Se-jun and downed the honey water in his carrot cup in one shot. It was called a cup, but it was almost a basin to the Black Rabbit, yet he held it with both hands and drank it all.

And,

Tap, tap.

he turned the cleanly emptied carrot cup upside down over his head and shook it. Where did you learn such a thing? Even my father doesn’t do that after drinking.

Crunch, crunch.

The rabbits ate up the carrot cups stained with honey water after finishing the honey water. It was an eco-friendly cup.

Se-jun, who recovered his energy after drinking the honey water, quickly ate lunch and began planting sweet potato shoots.

Today, they did a more efficient division of labor.

When the wife rabbit and the rabbit with a sickle cut the sweet potato shoots, the rabbit with the carrier and the Black Rabbit moved the sweet potato shoots, and the rest of the rabbits and Se-jun planted the sweet potato shoots.

The sweet potato shoots were incredibly numerous, but since there were many hands, they finished it all in just a few hours.

“It’s finished!”

The field planted with 1,500 sweet potato shoots was completed.

[You have made 150 pyeong of sweet potato field.]

[You have obtained 150 experience points.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have obtained 1 bonus stat.]

Se-jun learned one good piece of information. Even if he did not plant the crops alone, he could fully obtain the experience points received for making fields.

Since the bonus stat obtained at level 11 was spent on strength, this time he increased the stamina stat by 1.

And,

“Now, let’s go dig up sweet potatoes!”

Finally, today’s highlight, the sweet potato harvest, began. When the sweet potato vines were cleared away, only about 270 out of the 450 planted sweet potato shoots had successfully grown.

Thud. Thud.

When the rabbits with shovels pushed their shovels deep into the soil to lift the ground briefly and then pulled them out and passed, Se-jun dug up the sweet potatoes.

He had tried to do this with the rabbits as well, but since the size of one sweet potato was as big as the rabbits’ bodies like the carrots, Se-jun ended up having to dig them up alone.

Rrrrrip.

When he was lucky, even just pulling the stem brought out ten sweet potatoes at once.

[You have harvested a Honey Sweet Potato of Strength.]

[Your job experience increases very slightly.]

[The proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 2 increases very slightly.]

[You have obtained 10 experience points.]

…

..

.

“Feels good.”

While Se-jun was wearing a proud expression looking at the sweet potatoes harvested ten at a time,

Pyiiik~

Pyaaa~

Pyak! Pyak!

The rabbits were humming and wrapping the sweet potatoes in green onion leaves to make roasted sweet potatoes.

[The tower administrator shouts ‘Roasted sweet potatoes! Roasted sweet potatoes!’]

Wherever they had been, their timing was amazing.

Se-jun continued the sweet potato harvest alone. Next to him, the sweet potatoes harvested by Se-jun were piled high. Roughly 3,000. He harvested roughly 10 to 13 sweet potatoes per stem.

As the harvest was almost finishing like that,

“Huh?!”

A golden light came out from the ground where the soil was cleared. Se-jun’s hands quickened, and he hurriedly dug up the object emitting the golden light.

Flash.

Light exploded to the point of being blinding.

“Uwah!”

Se-jun quickly covered his eyes with his hands at the light that was bright enough to be blinding.

[You have harvested a Solar Honey Sweet Potato.]

[Your job experience increases very slightly.]

[The proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 2 increases very slightly.]

[You have obtained 10 experience points.]

A shabby message compared to the dramatic appearance.

At that moment,

[You have achieved the achievement of birthing a new breed in the tower.]

[The tower grants you the exclusive cultivation right for the new breed.]

[The Solar Honey Sweet Potato cannot be cultivated without your permission.]

[Your job experience increases significantly.]

[Your job experience is full.]

[The grade of Tower Farmer (E) increases.]

[You have become a Tower Farmer (D).]

[As your job grade increases, your job characteristics are strengthened.]

[The proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 2 increases greatly.]

[The proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 2 is filled, and the level increases.]

Perhaps because the new breed was great, his job grade and skill level rose at once. Se-jun quickly checked the options of the pumpkin sweet potato emitting golden light.

[Solar Honey Sweet Potato]

A mutant pumpkin sweet potato that had fully absorbed sunlight at the highest point of the tower and harbored the solar energy.

A pumpkin sweet potato grown inside the tower, which was delicious due to absorbing sufficient nutrients.

Upon consumption, it decomposes 100g of body fat and increases fire resistance for 1 hour.

When consumed by a non-awakened person, it decomposes 100g of fat and makes them not easily feel the cold for 24 hours.

Grower: Tower Farmer Se-jun Park

Expiration date: 30 days

Grade: E

“A new breed…”

Se-jun looked at the golden sweet potato held in his hand.

The fact that it was a new breed meant that he was the only being with this sweet potato in this tower. In addition, even if Se-jun harvested and sold the sweet potatoes, it granted him exclusive cultivation rights so that others could not grow the Solar Honey Sweet Potato.

“I must grow this no matter what.”

Se-jun was curious about the taste of the Solar Honey Sweet Potato, but decided to plant it first to increase the yield of the sweet potato.

“Grow rapidly.”

Se-jun planted the Solar Honey Sweet Potato with care and poured water on it until the ground was thoroughly soaked.

At that moment,

Pyak!

The Black Rabbit called Se-jun urgently. It smells burnt!

The rabbits seemed anxious again when the burning smell began to rise.

“Alright. Let’s go!”

When Se-jun went to the fire, the rabbits were staring intently at the sweet potatoes in the fire with expectant eyes.

But the smell was not yet ripe. Se-jun watched the sweet potatoes and waited for the timing.

‘Now!’

Se-jun pulled the roasted sweet potatoes out of the fire.

[The tower administrator wipes their drool and waits for their turn.]

“Here, 10 roasted sweet potatoes.”

Since there were many roasted sweet potatoes, Se-jun gave 10 roasted sweet potatoes to the tower administrator.

[The tower administrator thanks you, saying they will eat them deliciously.]

“Right. Let’s eat too.”

Se-jun untied the green onion leaves, peeled the skin of the steaming pumpkin sweet potato, and distributed them to the rabbits.

Hoo, hoo.

Hoo, hoo.

Pooo.

The rabbits blew on the roasted sweet potatoes to cool them down.

And the rabbits began to eat the roasted sweet potatoes.

Pyik!

Pyap!

Pyak!

The rabbits cheered with sweetness as they ate the roasted sweet potatoes.

Munch, munch.

Se-jun also took a bite of the roasted sweet potato.

“Ah. It’s delicious. But is Theo doing well?”

Theo would have arrived at the 38th floor by now.

***

Just as Se-jun expected, Theo, who had diligently descended the tower, arrived at the 38th floor.

“Oh?! He’s here!”

“It must be that cat!

The Phoenix Guild hunters who discovered Theo ran over. However, the number had doubled compared to before.

It had become this many because a few of Kim Dong-sik’s party members spread rumors about the magical cherry tomatoes. The miraculous cherry tomatoes that made one lose weight just by eating them. Hunters gathered out of curiosity.

“I’ll buy all of them!”

One hunter who couldn’t buy them last time shouted.

“You can’t, meow! I changed the selling method starting today, meow.”

Theo had received new instructions from Se-jun.

“Starting today, I will sell the cherry tomatoes in sets of 500 to the human who calls the highest price, meow!”

That was indeed selling the magical cherry tomatoes through an auction.

“40 Tower Coins for 500!”

As soon as Theo finished speaking, Kim Dong-sik shouted. 0.08 Tower Coins each. Kim Dong-sik, whose status at home had risen lately due to the magical cherry tomatoes, could not give up on the magical cherry tomatoes.

However,

“41 Tower Coins!”

Other hunters who couldn’t purchase last time immediately raised the price.

“45 Tower Coins!”

“45.5 Tower Coins!”

On top of that, other hunters who came to watch joined in, and the price began to rise.

At that moment,

“100 Tower Coins!”

Chris bid a huge sum of money. 0.2 Tower Coins each. He bought 500 cherry tomatoes, not just one, at 200,000 won each.

Chris had bought 30 magical cherry tomatoes in the first transaction and given them to his older sister Jena, the president of the pharmaceutical company.

It was because he remembered her complaining lately about gaining weight since she only sat all day. And Jena, after eating a few cherry tomatoes, was surprised by the efficacy and began to study the magical cherry tomatoes.

However, she kept failing to extract the ingredients and had asked Chris for the magical cherry tomatoes again.

‘Because sister said she would pay the money.’

Therefore, Chris bid without burden and purchased all 1,500 magical cherry tomatoes, paying a total of 273 Tower Coins.

When the auction ended, female hunters approached.

“Theo, can we take a picture together?”

“You can, meow. Instead, give me coffee, meow.”

“Coffee?”

Coffee instead of Churu? The female hunters who brought plenty of Churu were flustered.

“Wait a minute. Max, give me some coffee!”

The female hunters snatched coffee from their companions.

“Or seasonings like pepper are also fine, meow. If you want to take a picture with me, show your sincerity, meow.”

Theo was becoming a begging cat in his greed to become Representative.