Chapter 31 – New Family Members Born

“Why is the tower not opening?!”

A man in his 50s with black hair and a cheerful face got angry while looking at the inactive portal.

Ten years and three days had passed since the last seizure of his granddaughter Aileen, but the portal remained the same.

“Patriarch, please calm down.”

A man in his 30s with the same black hair and a cheerful yet beautiful face spoke to the man in his 50s.

“Do I look like I can calm down right now! When I can’t even see our Aileen!”

“Father, please maintain your dignity. The other dragons are watching.”

Anton spoke quietly while looking at the dozens of dragons of the Pritani family waiting behind, carrying rare medicines to treat Aileen.

The two were Kaiser Pritani, the patriarch of the Pritani family, and Anton Pritani, Kaiser’s son and Aileen’s father.

“So what if they are all dragons of our Pritani family! Aren’t they also gathered here because they are worried about Aileen?”

“Aileen also has the blood of our Pritani family flowing in her. She will be overcoming the seizures well.”

Anton spoke coldly, as if talking about someone else.

“Anton, Aileen is your daughter. No dragon would say anything even if you show that you are worried.”

Kaiser felt frustrated and sorry that Anton treated his daughter Aileen coldly while mindful of the other dragons of the family.

The dragons of the Pritani family were making many sacrifices to save the hatchling Aileen.

The administrator’s space of the tower was originally a place where the dragons of the Pritani family took turns to cultivate their strength.

Although the overflowing mana in the administrator’s space of the tower made the dragons strong just by being there, the Pritani family dragons yielded all of that privilege to Aileen.

In addition, the dragons of the Pritani family were running around in all directions to find medicinal ingredients to treat Aileen.

Due to his feelings of guilt toward the dragons who yielded various privileges to Aileen like that, Anton could not show any signs of worrying about his daughter.

In such a situation, because the tower did not open and he had to wait for several days like this, Anton’s feeling of guilt was growing even larger.

Yet, he could not send them back either. Every time Aileen had a seizure, dozens of dragons had to inject mana along with medicine to resolve the imbalance in her body.

‘Did some good change occur in Aileen’s Dragon Heart?’

If so, it was a great relief, but…

Although Anton was happy that the portal did not open, he could not rejoice when looking at the dragons waiting behind.

“For now, wait here until the tower opens.”

“Yes!”

Kaiser, who gave the instruction, looked at the portal again.

“Is our granddaughter eating her meals well?”

Kaiser worried about his granddaughter, unaware that Aileen was currently indulged in gourmet food lately.

***

The cherry tomato field where a good harvest set in. Suddenly, flowers began to bloom additionally and rapidly on the cherry tomato branches.

And,

Buzz.

The poison honeybees approached the newly bloomed flowers and sucked nectar.

“So this is how it increases the harvest yield by 50%.”

He had thought it would give an additional 50% of the yield as items when harvesting, but it was different from Se-jun’s expectation.

Because flowers bloomed on the branches here and there, Se-jun had to pick cherry tomatoes one by one in the field with the good harvest, but since every single flower would produce a cherry tomato if he just waited a little, he had no complaints at all.

Having finished harvesting cherry tomatoes like that,

“Theo, you are reinstated as Representative Theo for the next week.”

Se-jun spoke to Theo, who had taken his spot near his head before sleeping.

Since Theo had drawn such an amazing item as Relic: Straw Hat of Patrick, the Saint of the Earth, this level of benefit was natural. Honestly, he wanted to extend the period more, but he refrained, thinking that if he did so, the effect of the Representative Theo title would fade later.

“R… Really, meow?! You are letting me be Representative Theo for a week, meow?!”

To think he would let him be Representative Theo for a week when he had not done anything special! Theo did not know that his hand was a golden hand.

Snore.

While Theo was deeply touched, Se-jun had already fallen into sleep.

Slide.

Theo, who was near Se-jun’s head, got up, climbed onto Se-jun’s belly, and lay down.

And,

Gororong.

Feeling a sense of stability on Se-jun’s belly that moved up and down, Theo also fell asleep quickly.

While everyone was sleeping deeply in the cave where silence fell like that,

Squeeee!!!

The scream of the wife rabbit echoed in the cave. The labor pains of the wife rabbit had begun.

Squeee!!!

Se-jun was not that surprised since he had already experienced it once, but

“W… What is it, meow?!”

Pyaa?!

Pyak?!

Theo and the baby rabbits were not so.

“It’s alright. Your younger siblings are coming out now.”

Se-jun sat up, called Theo and the rabbits, and calmed them down.

Pyaa…

Pyaak…

The offspring rabbits grabbed Se-jun’s legs and looked anxiously toward the cave where the rabbit couple was.

And,

Tremble, tremble.

Theo huddled his body tightly between Se-jun’s legs, trembling from whatever scared him. He was a real coward.

When about an hour passed,

Pyaa.

Pyaa.

The fragile cries of the newly born baby rabbits were heard from the rabbit couple’s cave.

Squeak!

The husband rabbit ran out of the cave, announcing the birth of the new rabbits.

However,

Snore.

Gororong.

Pyarorong.

Se-jun, Theo, and the rabbits, tired of waiting, had fallen asleep relying on each other.

In the dawn of the 179th day of being stranded, new cave family members were born.

***

Early morning.

Kkueng!

The baby bear poked his head out through the cave ceiling hole, announcing his appearance, and the cry of the baby bear echoed in the cave.

At the same time,

Pyaa!

Pyaa!

The cries of the baby rabbits were heard from the rabbit couple’s cave as if in response.

Kkueng?

While the baby bear tilted his head at the unfamiliar sound he heard for the first time,

Squeak!!!

The husband rabbit, who had barely fallen asleep after finally putting the baby rabbits to sleep, let out an angry shout.

“Shh!”

Se-jun, waking up, placed his index finger on his lips and silenced the baby bear.

Se-jun added a stroke to the wall and quietly prepared breakfast. The rabbits also moved quietly, looking at the rabbit couple’s cave from time to time.

Se-jun selected two grilled fish, green onion leaves, and two of the sturdiest carrots, and placed them in front of the rabbit couple’s cave.

And the breakfast that followed. Everyone had hollow faces because they could not sleep properly, mechanically putting food in their mouths and chewing.

“Now, let’s work.”

Pyaap!

The five white rabbits psyched themselves up, took their farming tool items, and went to the fields.

Pyak!

The black rabbit, knowing that they were short-handed, also stepped forward to help his siblings.

And,

“Now, let’s go too.”

Se-jun stood up carrying Theo.

“Huh? What does that mean, meow? Where are we going, meow?”

Theo, being held in Se-jun’s hands, asked in confusion.

“You did it last time, right? When I cut the cherry tomato branches and bring them, you just have to pick the cherry tomatoes and put them in your bundle. Although it would be difficult for other rabbits, it is too easy for our Representative Theo. Right, Representative Theo?”

Se-jun said as he put Theo down next to the cherry tomato field.

“Of course, meow! It is too easy for Representative Theo, meow!”

Theo was deployed into farming work in a daze due to Se-jun’s encouragement.

Although the rabbit couple was absent, Se-jun’s stats increased, making his work speed faster, and with the black rabbit and Theo joining the farming, they were able to finish all the morning work.

Theo bared his claws to show the dignity of Representative Theo midway, cutting the green onion leaves cleanly, which surprised Se-jun. Thanks to that, Theo ended up taking charge of cutting the green onion leaves as well…

When it became lunchtime, they placed food in front of the rabbit couple’s cave, and everyone came up to the surface to eat together. The food Se-jun had left in front of the rabbit couple’s cave in the morning had disappeared, having been taken at some point.

The lunchtime was very quiet and peaceful.

And Se-jun gave three squeezes of honey to the baby bear as dessert, and had a break time while drinking coffee.

Naturally, Theo and the black rabbit climbed onto Se-jun’s lap, and the baby bear held Se-jun in his arms and began to take a nap.

***

The 181st day of being stranded. Two days had passed since the baby rabbits were born.

And tomorrow was the day the seventh Blue Moon would rise since Se-jun was stranded. Today, perhaps due to the Blue Moon that would rise from midnight, the mother Crimson Giant Bear did not bring the baby bear.

Thanks to that, Se-jun and the rabbits were able to wake up on time for the first time in a long time.

“Heave-ho!”

When Se-jun got up, set Theo down next to him who was sleeping on his belly, and was drawing a stroke on the cave wall,

Squeak!

Squee!

Leaving behind the baby rabbits who were still sleeping, the rabbit couple came out of the burrow and greeted Se-jun in the morning.

And,

Pyaa!

Pyak!

From other rabbit burrows, the rabbits who had now become older brothers also came out and greeted him.

“Right. Good morning.”

Today, Se-jun and the rabbits hurried their work. It was to finish the work as quickly as possible and prepare for the Blue Moon.

“Representative Theo, wake up.”

“Hmm-nyang… I want to sleep more, meow.”

Se-jun placed Theo in front of the green onion leaves and

Slash.

went to the field and began harvesting while cutting the cherry tomato branches.

[You harvested 8 ripe Cherry Tomatoes of Mana at the same time.]

[Your job experience increased slightly.]

[The proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 4 increased slightly.]

[Due to the effect of Proficiency Boost Lv. 1, the proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 4 increased by an additional 5%.]

[You obtained 160 experience points.]

“I will show the dignity of Representative Theo, meow!”

Pabababat.

Theo, who woke up before he knew it, bared his claws, cut the green onion leaves, and showed off his ability to the sickle rabbit and the A-frame carrier rabbit.

Like that, the day passed quickly.

When evening came, the rabbits entered the cave and blocked the entrance, and the poison honeybees also blocked the entrance of their hive, preparing for the Blue Moon.

And,

“Representative Theo, what are you doing?”

“I am going to get inside here to avoid the Blue Moon, meow.”

Theo began to squeeze his body into the opening of the bundle. It was a bundle with more functions than expected.

“Representative Theo, then keep this too.”

Se-jun also entrusted the cocoon of the poison honeybee queen to Theo just in case.

A short while later, the Blue Moon began.

Kuuuong!

The roar of the Crimson Giant Bear was heard.

“I wonder if the mother Crimson Giant Bear and the baby bear will be okay.”

While Se-jun was worrying about the Crimson Giant Bear mother and cub,

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Something approached the cave.

“What is it?”

Grip.

The tense Se-jun gripped the dagger in his hand.

And just in case, he hurriedly put on earplugs, ate ten D-grade Cherry Tomatoes of Mana at once, and raised his magic power by 2.

Moooo!

A monster roared above the cave. It was a roar he had never heard before.

…!

Se-jun barely held onto his fading consciousness and regained his senses.

Fortunately, the monster ran amok above the cave, and then ran toward that direction after hearing the roar of another monster.

“Phew.”

While Se-jun sighed in relief and relaxed his tense body,

Sss.

Blue light began to form on the plants of the cherry tomato field where the good harvest set in. The blue light flowed along the stems into the cherry tomatoes, changing the cherry tomatoes to blue.

“Just how many is that?”

Even counting roughly, there were more than ten. The cherry tomatoes containing the energy of the Blue Moon were also in abundance.

While Se-jun was rejoicing looking at the cherry tomatoes like that,

Sss.

Blue light began to form on other fields as well.

“Huh?! Over there is…”

It was the cornfield that he wanted to harvest and taste quickly but had patiently held back while waiting for the ears to fill. The blue light formed on the corn leaves was seeping into the corn.

Hurrah!!!

Since the Blue Moon had not ended yet, Se-jun could not shout, but he stretched his hands toward the sky, expressing his uncontrollable excitement.

The 182nd day of being stranded. This morning was corn!