Chapter 28 – Increasing Agility

Kkueng!

“Mmm…”

Se-jun woke up hearing the cry of the baby bear.

Recently, the mother Crimson Giant Bear’s commute time was getting slightly faster. Did she feel like quickly dropping off her cub here? Come to think of it, the time she came to pick up the baby bear was also getting later. What was it?

Scratch.

Se-jun got up and added a stroke to the cave wall. Five completed characters on the fourth line. The morning of the 175th day of being stranded started with the cry of the baby bear.

Squeak!

Pyang!

Pyak!

Buzz.

The rabbits and the poison honeybees greeted Se-jun in the morning.

Se-jun washed his face and walked toward the dried roasted sweet potato chews drying on the green onion leaves.

Since the dried roasted sweet potato cheches he had made were all gone, Se-jun roasted 50 new sweet potatoes yesterday, sliced them, and made new dried roasted sweet potato chews.

Naturally, yesterday’s menu was roasted sweet potatoes, and he ate them very deliciously with the rabbits and the administrator of the tower.

And there was one fact he learned. He realized that sweet potatoes became more delicious as time passed after harvesting.

Thanks to that, everyone ate so hard they did not even realize soot was smeared on their faces while eating the sweeter roasted sweet potatoes.

Grab.

Se-jun picked up a well-dried roasted sweet potato chew and put it in his mouth.

Munch, munch.

“Mmm…”

The chew, which had become chewy after absorbing plenty of sunlight, released warmth along with sweetness in his mouth. It woke up his brain by sending a signal that energy was entering the hungry brain after sleep.

Gulp.

“Hum, hum, hum. They dried well.”

Confirming that the dried roasted sweet potato chews were well-finished, Se-jun hummed, set aside the portion to eat for breakfast, and put the rest in a leather pouch.

Crunch, crunch.

The rabbits were eating carrots and waiting for when Se-jun would give them the dried roasted sweet potato chews.

“Now, let’s eat the dried roasted sweet potato chews.”

Se-jun gave three dried roasted sweet potato chews to each rabbit.

And he gave six, double the amount, to the wife rabbit. The wife rabbit’s appetite had become very good as her belly swelled.

After having breakfast with the dried roasted sweet potato chews like that, he started the morning farming. Se-jun cut the green onion leaves and harvested cherry tomatoes right away.

“Oh, this is a big one!”

Slash.

Se-jun cut the branch where cherry tomatoes were hanging in clusters.

[You harvested 10 ripe Cherry Tomatoes of Mana at the same time.]

[Your job experience increased slightly.]

[The proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 3 increased slightly.]

[Due to the effect of Proficiency Boost Lv. 1, the proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 3 increased by an additional 5%.]

[The proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 3 was filled, causing the level to increase.]

[A new effect was added to Harvesting Lv. 3.]

[You obtained 200 experience points.]

“Oh!”

At the message that a new effect was added to the Harvesting skill, Se-jun hurriedly checked the skill.

[Job Skill – Harvesting Lv. 4]

-Brings slightly underripe or overripe fruits to the optimal state when harvesting.

-Allows harvesting crops one grade higher than standard harvestable crops with a very low probability.

Although it was ambiguous because it was a very low probability, to be able to harvest a grade one step higher… Just imagining eating more delicious cherry tomatoes made him feel good.

“Does a skill effect get added when a job skill reaches level 4?”

Se-jun decided to check when other job skills reached level 4 for now, and harvested cherry tomatoes again to bring them to the wife rabbit.

While he was harvesting cherry tomatoes like that,

Pyak!

The black rabbit called Se-jun. It was lunchtime.

“Understood.”

Se-jun went to the pond, moved the piranhas caught by the black rabbit to the fireside, seasoned them with salt and pepper, and grilled the fish. Of course, because the white rabbits could not eat pepper, the white rabbits’ grilled fish was seasoned only with salt.

As the grilled fish neared completion,

Kkueng! Kkueng!

Smelling the delicious aroma, the baby bear began to cry out that he was hungry. However, Se-jun and the rabbits, who were now experienced, did not panic and hurriedly packed their things.

And,

“Pull!”

Kku! Eng! Kku! Eng!

The baby bear began to pull Se-jun and the rabbits up.

When they went up to the surface, about ten tree branches around the thickness of Se-jun’s forearm were piled up next to the baby bear.

This was something Se-jun had asked the baby bear for, showing his forearm and asking him to bring branches of a similar thickness, and the baby bear had been picking up a few from yesterday.

He had planned to make a ladder and other daily necessities, but he did not have time because of the farming work.

Although the workforce would increase once the baby rabbits were born in the future, the fields would expand even faster as Se-jun had many plans and things he wanted to plant.

He had thought that only strength and stamina were needed for farming, but speed was also required. Therefore, he planned to raise his agility stat in the future.

Kkueng?

The baby bear looked at Se-jun with a proud expression as if asking to be praised quickly. “Did I do well?”

“Good job.”

Pat, pat.

Se-jun patted the rump of the baby bear, who was already taller than him. And he began to eat lunch.

“Here, try this.”

Se-jun handed a roasted sweet potato to the baby bear. Since the baby bear went home early yesterday and could not eat roasted sweet potatoes, Se-jun had saved five roasted sweet potatoes to give to the baby bear. Because of this, the administrator of the tower pouted, asking why he set aside food for the baby bear separately.

Chomp.

The baby bear put the roasted sweet potato into his mouth in one bite without even peeling the skin.

Kkueng!

The baby bear chewed the roasted sweet potato, and finding it so delicious, he swayed his body to express its deliciousness. “It’s delicious!”

Chomp.

Chomp.

Chomp.

The baby bear put the roasted sweet potatoes in his mouth again and again.

And,

Kkueng…

The baby bear contemplated while holding the last remaining roasted sweet potato, and then stood up from his spot.

“Huh?”

Pyak?

Se-jun and the black rabbit, who had never seen the baby bear stand up before finishing his food until now, looked at the baby bear.

Dig.

The baby bear went to the field, dug the ground, and buried his roasted sweet potato in the soil. Then, he covered the roasted sweet potato with soil and patted the ground.

Having learned sowing, the baby bear had planted the roasted sweet potato, thinking that anything would grow if he just planted it in the ground.

“Pfft!”

Watching this, Se-jun burst into laughter at the baby bear’s silly behavior.

The black rabbit hurriedly ran to the baby bear. It was time for a big brother’s teaching.

Pyak!

When the black rabbit told him to take the roasted sweet potato out again,

Kkueng.

The baby bear tilted his head. “Hyung said that if I plant this, I can eat a lot of it later.”

Pyak.

The black rabbit shook his head and replied, “Things cooked with fire won’t work.”

Kkueng!

Gaining a great realization from the black rabbit’s words, the baby bear dug up the roasted sweet potato again, put it in his mouth, and returned to his spot.

When the pleasant lunchtime ended like that, Se-jun offered his lap to the baby bear and the black rabbit, drank coffee, and had a brief break.

And,

“Wake up now.”

He woke up the baby bear and the black rabbit, who were taking a nap, and went to the field to plant the carrot tops left over by the rabbits before going down to the cave again.

Then,

“Huh? Why is there a fishy smell from the ground?”

A strong fishy smell was rising from the ground.

Dig.

Feeling something strange, Se-jun dug up the place where the smell came from,

“Gasp!”

Se-jun was flustered by what appeared from the ground.

Smile.

A piranha head welcomed Se-jun.

“Why did you bury this upright?!”

Se-jun looked at the culprit who planted this here in annoyance.

Kkuuueng!

Filled with energy after eating lunch, the baby bear was turning the ground with his front paws like an excavator. Perhaps he was thinking of planting a piranha there too.

It seemed that the baby bear needed a make-up lesson.

***

The 75th floor of the tower.

Theo, thinking about sitting on Se-jun’s lap and receiving Churu, moved diligently and arrived at the shopping area.

“Kettle, blanket, 5 glass jars for honey, tongs. Kettle…”

Theo, repeating what Se-jun ordered to not forget it, entered the general store, bought the items, and left the shop.

“Puhuhu. I succeeded in bargaining today too, meow.”

Theo purchased the items for 1.7 tower coins today as well, shaving off 0.4 tower coins from the owner who demanded 2.1 tower coins through bargaining three times.

And on the way to the blacksmith shop, the final stop.

“Hello, Representative Theo.”

Someone spoke.

“Uh? You?!”

Theo recognized the other party.

“Aren’t you the pushover who was almost scammed by Scaram, meow?”

“T-That’s right. I am Jeras.”

Jeras barely held back his rising anger at Theo’s words and replied. Jeras was even more furious because he already knew through his investigation that Theo had also been scammed by Scaram. To be treated as a pushover by a pushover!

“But what is it, meow?”

“I couldn’t repay you last time, so perhaps a meal…”

“I decline, meow. I’m busy, meow!”

Theo passed right by Jeras. He had to quickly draw equipment from the blacksmith shop and go to Se-jun. Theo’s gut feeling was telling him.

‘Something was unsettling, meow. Someone was targeting Park Se-jun’s lap, meow!’

“Representative Theo, then at least some tea!”

Jeras hurriedly followed Theo.

“Why are you following me, meow?”

Arriving at the blacksmith shop, Theo asked Jeras, who had followed behind him.

“Ah… I also have business at the blacksmith shop…”

Because Theo did not accept his proposal, Jeras had just followed him blindly.

“Alright, meow.”

Theo passed by Jeras, paid the money to the blacksmith shop owner to draw equipment for 13 tower coins just like last time, and went to the drawing corner.

And Theo carefully examined the equipment in the drawing corner.

Then,

“Oh, that’s the one, meow!”

There was an item that pulled Theo’s hand.

When Theo was about to grab the item,

“Wait a minute! Are you really going to choose that?!”

Jeras, who was watching secretly, could not hold back and stepped forward. That was going way too far.

“Yes, meow. Why, meow?”

“What do you mean why?! How can you choose that in a blacksmith shop?!”

Jeras pointed in excitement at the item Theo was trying to pick up. There was a straw hat there that did not suit a blacksmith shop at all. In Jeras’s eyes, that was a 100% trash item.

“It is fine, meow. Mind your own business, meow.”

Theo confidently chose the straw hat and left the blacksmith shop.

‘Park Se-jun told me to draw whatever I wanted, meow.’

Se-jun had given Theo full authority over drawing.

“Ah, this isn’t right…”

Watching Theo leave the blacksmith shop like that, Jeras returned to the Secret Inspection Bureau without any results.

“Jeras, did you hear the news?”

A fellow agent sitting next to Jeras spoke to him.

“What news?”

“I heard that a thief broke into the warehouse of Grid, the great landlord of the 55th floor, this time.”

“Really?”

Jeras thought in his mind that it served him right. The great landlord Grid was famous as a wicked landlord who exploited tenant farmers to the bone.

“And this is the list of stolen items. The director told us to look over it.”

“Understood.”

Jeras casually scanned the list and flipped through a few pages.

Then,

“Huh?!”

A familiar item appeared on the stolen list. A plain straw hat. It was similar to the straw hat he saw at the blacksmith shop a moment ago.

However,

“No way, it couldn’t be.”

Even if one just went to a general store, there were hundreds of such straw hats.

Jeras closed the list of stolen items and again contemplated ways to dig into Theo’s background, which was his mission.

***

In the afternoon, he re-educated the baby bear on sowing, and harvested seeds from the carrot flowers, which he had postponed because he was busy in the meantime.

It was because of the rabbits who kept urging Se-jun when the stored amount of carrots was reduced to half.

Shake, shake.

Shake, shake.

When Se-jun shook the bone-dry carrot flowers, carrot seeds showered down.

[You obtained 50 carrot seeds from the carrot flower.]

[Your job experience increased slightly.]

[The proficiency of Seed Harvesting Lv. 1 increased slightly.]

[Due to the effect of Proficiency Boost Lv. 1, the proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 1 increased by an additional 5%.]

[You obtained 35 carrot seeds from the carrot flower.]

…

..

.

The carrot seeds obtained like that were roughly 2,000. Se-jun and the rabbits planted half of the harvested carrot seeds in the cave and the other half in the surface fields.

And when the planting of carrots in the surface fields was completely finished,

[You created a 250-pyeong carrot field.]

[You obtained 500 experience points.]

[You leveled up.]

[You obtained 1 bonus stat.]

Se-jun raised his agility with the bonus stat to increase his work speed.

On the 175th day of being stranded, Se-jun planted 2,000 carrots and raised his agility.