Translated by Demonic Dog
Read it only at utoon.net
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Chapter 24 – Harvesting D-Rank Crops
“Meow?”
Squeak?
Theo and the black rabbit, who slept tightly hugging each other all night, woke up at the same time and made eye contact.
Blink, blink.
The two fell into deep thought about how to resolve this awkward situation.
“Did you sleep well, meow?”
Squeak!
Both of them were so flustered that they forgot what happened yesterday and got up as if nothing had occurred.
“Are you awake?”
At the sound of the conversation between Theo and the black rabbit, Se-jun also woke up.
“That’s right, meow!”
Squeak!
Glare!
Glare!
The two answered at the same time and realized what they had to fight for.
Swish.
While Se-jun added a stroke to the cave wall to begin the 162nd day of being stranded,
Hiss! Hiss!
Squeak! Squeak!
Triggered by Se-jun’s voice, Theo and the black rabbit glared at each other like sworn enemies and stood on guard again.
Theo bared his hidden claws, and the black rabbit gripped his hammer tightly with both hands, ready to swing it at any moment.
A clash between cat and rabbit. A fight between yellow and black. The atmosphere grew increasingly hostile.
At that moment,
“You have to get along.”
“Meow?”
Squeak?
Returning after washing his face, Se-jun picked up the scruffs of the two, which felt like sticky rice cakes, and placed Theo and the black rabbit on each of his knees.
And then,
Pop.
Pop.
Pop.
He popped a dried sweet potato chew into his own mouth, and a Churu and a carrot into the mouths of Theo and the black rabbit.
Lick, lick, lick.
Crunch, crunch.
The two glared at each other for a bit longer, but gradually focused on eating, and the fight ended anticlimactically. In that way, Theo and the black rabbit acknowledged each other’s territory.
Having eaten a simple breakfast, Se-jun immediately began his morning farming. He hurried his work due to his fluttering heart. The reason was none other than Keynes’s Training Dagger held in his hand. He wanted to try using it quickly.
Se-jun first went to the field to plant the four carrot tops the rabbits had eaten.
Dig, dig.
As expected, the named dagger dug the ground well too. A named weapon worth hundreds of millions of won meant for slaying monsters was relegated to a farming tool in Se-jun’s hands.
Swoosh, swoosh.
Se-jun planted a carrot top in the hole he made with the dagger.
[You planted the top of a carrot root.]
[The probability of the carrot taking root increased due to the effect of Sowing Lv. 3.]
[Your job experience increased very slightly.]
[The proficiency of Sowing Lv. 3 increased very slightly.]
[The proficiency of Sowing Lv. 3 increased by an additional 5% due to the effect of Proficiency Increase Lv. 1.]
“Huh?! This increases proficiency too?”
Se-jun, who thought it only applied to combat, reread the options of Keynes’s Training Dagger.
[Proficiency Increase Lv. 1]
The proficiency of all skills used with this dagger increased 5% faster.
“All skills using the dagger?”
As expected of a B-grade named item, it was indeed different.
“Hehehe. I should raise my proficiency diligently.”
Se-jun’s motivation burned. After planting the remaining three carrot tops in no time, Se-jun went to the cherry tomato field.
Se-jun cut the stem containing several cherry tomatoes with the dagger.
Slice.
The tough cherry tomato stem was cut too easily. Since there were more cherry tomatoes to harvest lately, he was harvesting them by the stem like this.
[You harvested seven ripe magical cherry tomatoes at the same time.]
[Your job experience increased slightly.]
[The proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 3 increased slightly.]
[The proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 3 increased by an additional 5% due to the effect of Proficiency Increase Lv. 1.]
[You obtained 70 experience points.]
“Wow.”
It really felt worthwhile to work.
Slice, slice.
Se-jun diligently cut the cherry tomato stems to harvest several cherry tomatoes at once.
And the work of plucking the cherry tomatoes from the harvested stems was Theo’s responsibility. Theo plucked the cherry tomatoes and put them straight into his bundle.
When Se-jun brought the cut cherry tomato stems to Theo,
“I am the representative, so why am I doing this, meow?”
Theo asked grumblingly.
“Then what about me? I am the chairman, yet I am working.”
“What, meow? Was Mr. Se-jun the chairman?”
“Right. So do it quickly, Representative Theo.”
“I understand, meow. But is the chairman higher than the representative, meow?”
Theo’s eyes sparkled as if he had discovered a target to climb even higher.
‘Puhuhut. Once I become the chairman, I will monopolize Park Se-jun’s hands and knees, meow!’
Theo imagined lying on Se-jun’s lap, with Se-jun stroking his belly with one hand and feeding him a Churu with the other.
“That’s right.”
“Oh! I learned something good, meow! I should work harder, meow!”
“Do it while eating.”
“This tastes bad, meow.”
Theo disliked cherry tomatoes. Se-jun inspired Theo’s motivation like that and harvested cherry tomatoes again.
At that moment,
Squeak!
Perhaps because lunchtime drew near, the black rabbit called Se-jun to move the caught piranhas. Since they had to give Theo his weekly wage today, they caught more piranhas than usual.
Before wrapping the piranhas with green onion leaves, Se-jun seasoned them with salt and pepper.
Since he did not know if the rabbits and Theo could eat them, he first grilled only three fish in three different ways: one with pepper and salt, one with salt, and one with pepper.
“If there are leftovers, I can just eat them.”
With a fluttering heart, Se-jun wrapped the remaining piranhas in green onion leaves and put them into the fire.
Then, he waited for the grilled fish to be completed. Today had many exciting things.
After a while, as the aroma of grilled fish began to drift throughout the cave,
“Let’s eat!”
Se-jun called the white rabbits.
Squeak!
Squeak!
The white rabbits answered Se-jun’s words and prepared the rest of the meal. The wife rabbit grilled green onions, and the other white rabbits brought sweet potatoes and carrots from the storage.
Crunch.
While the rabbits ate carrots and waited for the other dishes to be completed, Se-jun did not put anything in his mouth.
When hungry, the taste cells in the mouth would become sensitive. Se-jun waited and waited to focus all his taste cells on the seasoned grilled fish.
And then,
“It’s done!”
After a long wait, the grilled fish Se-jun had been waiting for was finally completed. When he removed the green onion leaves covering the piranha, steam rose and the aroma of pepper spread out.
The first grilled fish he took out was the piranha seasoned only with pepper.
“Inhale.”
Se-jun inhaled the scent deep into his nose.
“Now, shall I eat? Do you guys want to eat too?”
Se-jun cut the pepper-seasoned grilled fish into small pieces and distributed them to the rabbits.
However,
Cough, cough.
The white rabbits began to cough, perhaps because the pepper was spicy.
Squeak!
Fortunately, the black rabbit cheered as if he had encountered a new world and ate diligently.
And then,
“Representative Theo, do you want to try it?”
“I decline, meow. Are you playing tricks on the fish, meow?”
Theo was a pure fish lover.
Fortunately, the white rabbits ate the salt-seasoned grilled fish deliciously.
Thus, pepper became the seasoning solely for Se-jun and the black rabbit.
When lunch was over,
Slurp.
Se-jun sat in his designated seat where the sun shone for the first time in a while and drank coffee.
Except for the carrots blooming flowers to harvest seeds, the carrot harvesting was finished. Since there was no afternoon farming other than cherry tomato harvesting, he had leisure.
“I’m sleepy, meow…”
Squeak…
As Se-jun sat down, Theo and the black rabbit naturally took their spots on his knees and took a nap.
Purr, purr.
Squeak, purr.
The two quickly fell asleep. Thanks to this, Se-jun, who became unable to get up, spent time staring blankly at the sky for the first time in a while.
At that moment,
Buzz, buzz!
Three newborn baby poison honey bees, about the size of a thumb, came out of the hive to explore the world. As flowers bloomed in full in the newly planted cherry tomato field, the queen poison honey bee began to lay eggs in earnest.
And now, with three to five baby poison honey bees being born every day, the number of poison honey bees exceeded fifty before he knew it. To be precise, it was fifty-three.
Buzz, buzz.
The poison honey bees began to teach the newly born baby poison honey bees how to work.
It was a peaceful scene. Se-jun finished his coffee while watching the poison honey bees teaching the baby poison honey bees.
“Get up now.”
Se-jun woke up Theo and the black rabbit.
“Five more minutes, meow.”
Squeak…
Theo and the black rabbit threw a sleeping tantrum.
Grab.
Se-jun grabbed the soft scruffs of Theo and the black rabbit, placed them on the ground, and stood up.
“We should work now.”
Se-jun went back to the cherry tomato field and harvested cherry tomatoes.
Slice, slice.
“Hum, hum, hum. It cuts well.”
Thanks to the stems that were cut so easily, Se-jun naturally hummed with excitement.
How much time had passed since Se-jun became absorbed in harvesting cherry tomatoes like that?
“I am leaving now, meow!”
As soon as Theo filled his bundle with cherry tomatoes, he saved his remaining time as Representative Theo and prepared to descend the tower.
Since the amount of carrots and sweet potatoes was insufficient even for the rabbits and himself to eat, he planned to sell them only after the next harvest was completed.
“Already? Take this grilled fish.”
“Thank you, meow.”
Theo carefully put the grilled fish Se-jun packed as his weekly wage into his bundle.
“If you stop by the shop district, make sure to visit the blacksmith’s and draw something from the draw corner.”
“I understand, meow.”
Se-jun had Theo buy the necessary items from the shop this time as well. He also had him try drawing equipment from the blacksmith while he was at it. He could not let Theo’s dazzling talent go to waste.
“I will be back, meow.”
Theo descended the tower again for his fourth transaction.
While he was harvesting cherry tomatoes after sending Theo off like that,
[You harvested six ripe magical cherry tomatoes at the same time.]
[Your job experience increased significantly.]
[The proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 3 increased significantly.]
[The proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 3 increased by an additional 5% due to the effect of Proficiency Increase Lv. 1.]
[You obtained 90 experience points.]
“Huh? 90 experience points?”
It was not an amount of experience points one could obtain from harvesting six cherry tomatoes.
Se-jun examined the harvested cherry tomatoes.
Three of them were the original cherry tomatoes, but the remaining three were different.
[Magical Cherry Tomato]
Grown inside the tower, it absorbed sufficient nutrients and tasted delicious.
Upon consumption, it breaks down 20g of fat in the body and increases magic power by 0.2 for 10 minutes.
The effect stacks up to a maximum of 10 within an hour.
When consumed by a non-awakened person, it breaks down 20g of fat and vitalizes the body.
Cultivated by a tower farmer whose farming was just becoming practiced, the taste became even better.
Grower: Tower Farmer Park Se-jun
Expiration Date: 60 days
Grade: D
It was a D-grade crop.
The fat decomposition amount, magic power increase, and expiration date all doubled.
However, there was something else that caught Se-jun’s eye.
“The taste became even better?”
Se-jun immediately put a D-grade magical cherry tomato in his mouth.
Pop.
Gush.
As soon as he bit into the cherry tomato, an even stronger sweet and sour flavor swept through his mouth.
“Delicious… gasp!”
Se-jun quickly regained his senses and hurriedly put the D-grade cherry tomatoes separately into his pocket. He did not know from where the tower’s administrator might be watching him eagerly. And the black rabbit as well.
But he was already caught.
Squeak?!
The black rabbit, who had been watching Se-jun closely since earlier, dashed over and squeaked, asking what he was eating alone.
Shh!
Putting his index finger to his lips, Se-jun quietly led the black rabbit to a corner of the cave. Since there were only three D-grade cherry tomatoes, the other white rabbits might feel hurt if they found out.
“You must eat quietly. Got it? We are accomplices now.”
Se-jun gave the black rabbit a D-grade cherry tomato while warning him.
Squeak!
The black rabbit nodded and answered confidently, telling him not to worry.
“Right.”
Se-jun trusted the black rabbit, returned, and began to harvest the cherry tomatoes again.
And after a while,
Slurp! Slurp! Slurp!
The sound of the black rabbit sucking cherry tomato juice echoed in the cave. Hey! You told me not to worry!
Fortunately, he had harvested ten additional D-grade cherry tomatoes before that, so the white rabbits did not end up feeling hurt.
[The administrator of the tower felt hurt, saying that Se-jun did not give him any.]
“I was planning to give you some.”
162nd day of being stranded. Indeed, everyone tasted the D-grade magical cherry tomatoes without anyone feeling left out.
“Huh?! I feel left out somehow, meow.”
Theo went down the tower, feeling a strangely left-out sensation.