Chapter 38 – Hiring

[Cherry Tomato of Mana]

“Is this the D-grade Cherry Tomato of Mana that was newly sold this time? It’s truly amazing that just eating this breaks down 20g of fat.”

Michael McLaren, the vice president of Gagel, a giant food enterprise controlling 39% of the world’s food market, said while looking at a red cherry tomato. Because he was an Awakened, he could see the options of the Cherry Tomato of Mana.

“What are the results of planting the E-grade Cherry Tomato of Mana on Earth?”

Michael had obtained the Cherry Tomato of Mana to conduct research on it since several months ago, and recently had the first harvest.

“We planted them in a place with the best conditions for cherry tomatoes to grow, but perhaps because the environment is different from the tower, they grew into general cherry tomatoes we know, not items.”

“Hmm…”

Michael McLaren fell into thought.

Ten years ago, when Michael was learning company business under his father’s instructions, the tower appeared.

And when a few months had passed after the tower appeared, Michael was lucky enough to enter the tower through Vanishing.

Unlike how it looked from the outside, the tower was incredibly vast. Even if they properly settled down on just one floor, it was enough to harvest 5% of the crops currently produced by Gagel.

Moreover, since the sun rose 24 hours a day inside the tower, the harvest cycle was also short. If they could only grow crops in the tower, dominating the entire global food market was not a dream.

As soon as Michael came out of the tower, he persuaded his father, the chairman of Gagel, to lead the Tower Farm Project to build a large-scale farm in the tower.

Everything was going smoothly. However, a problem arose in an unexpected place. For some reason, the seeds the Tower Farm Project team brought into the tower did not germinate.

They tried various methods, such as changing the germination conditions and environment, and bringing in seedlings, but all failed.

And it was through a research report from another research team that they learned the cause of their failure.

-A Study on the Reasons for Infertility in Awakened

The content of the research report was shocking. That the moment they enter the tower, the Awakened lose their reproductive ability.

Although it was now known to be a temporary side effect of mana adaptation, and that reproductive ability was mostly restored once an Awakened’s level exceeded 10, it had caused a huge shock to society in the early days when the tower appeared.

Losing fertility applied equally to plants, and having no way to raise the level of the seeds, Michael gave up on the method of bringing in seeds from the outside.

Instead, he chose the method of obtaining seeds directly. Food made using various crops was also sold in the tower. So when they tried to purchase seeds from the merchants in the tower,

“Seeds? Those are monopolized by a greedy guy named Grid on the 55th floor, so they aren’t for sale.”

Like that, Michael’s Tower Farm Project was discarded, hearing remarks that it was a project ahead of its time that could only try something once they reached the 55th floor.

However, with the appearance of the Cherry Tomato of Mana in the world, Michael’s motivation for the Tower Farm Project flared up again.

“What are the results of planting the Cherry Tomato of Mana in the tower?”

“As a test, we sowed 100 E-grade Cherry Tomatoes of Mana on the 1st floor of the tower, and 10 succeeded in germinating and are soon awaiting harvest.”

“Really?!”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Although the germination rate was 10% now, Michael thought that using the know-how possessed by Gagel, raising the germination rate would be a piece of cake.

“I will pass the budget for the Tower Farm Project immediately, so hire Awakened and wipe out the monsters around the place where we will build the farm.”

Like that, the stopped Tower Farm Project of Gagel, the giant food enterprise, was reactivated thanks to Se-jun’s cherry tomatoes.

***

Moo?!!!

At Theo’s words, Woo Chun-sam was enraged. Are you saying that I, a warrior, committed theft?!!!

“Th… that’s right, meow. Or else, let’s go and ask Park Se-jun, meow!”

Theo flinched at Woo Chun-sam’s anger, but soon recovered his confidence. He had Park Se-jun. If it was Park Se-jun, he would solve everything, meow.

Moo!

Woo Chun-sam stood up, breathing hot air through his nose. Lead the way!

“Follow me, meow!”

Theo took Woo Chun-sam and went to the cave.

***

The cave where everyone was asleep.

Poke. Poke.

“Mmm… Theo?”

Se-jun woke up because of Theo pressing his cheek with his paw.

“Chairman, I have returned, meow!”

“Good job. Let’s sleep for now.”

Se-jun reached out to hug Theo and sleep, but

Swish.

Theo blocked Se-jun’s hand with his paw.

“You can’t, meow! You have to go outside with me right now, meow!”

“Outside?”

“That’s right, meow! I caught a thief, meow! Consider it an honor, meow! A cat that catches thieves this well is not common, meow!”

Theo said boastfully.

‘Did he bring a mouse?’

Se-jun took Theo’s words lightly.

“Can’t we check in the morning?”

“No, meow! The thief might run away, meow! Let’s go outside quickly, meow!”

“Alright.”

At Theo’s urging, Se-jun got up from his spot and went up to the surface.

Huff. Huff.

Having gone up to the surface like that, Se-jun made eye contact with a 12-meter horned black monster that was fiercely snorting.

[Black Minotaur]

He was only fine because he had adapted to the giant size of the mother Crimson Giant Bear. Otherwise, he might have collapsed from the pressure emanating from the Black Minotaur’s size.

“Theo, is this guy the thief you caught?”

“That’s right, meow! This guy is the thief, meow! Woo Chun-sam stole the Chairman’s grass, meow!”

Theo said to Se-jun as if telling on him.

Moo! Moo!

At Theo’s words, Woo Chun-sam strongly protested, feeling wronged. No! I picked it up!

“No, meow! Woo Chun-sam is a thief, meow!”

The two began to fight over whether he was a thief or not. No matter how much Woo Chun-sam snorted, Theo was not intimidated. Theo, who was with Se-jun, was full of high spirits.

What is this? Watching the two, Se-jun quickly assessed the situation.

Judging by the horns on its head, it was the guy that had made a mess of his fields during the Blue Moon. But hearing Theo’s words, it seemed like stealing the green onion leaves and corn plants that had covered the fields last time was also this guy’s doing.

And today, he got caught by Theo while coming to steal green onion leaves again. The Black Minotaur Woo Chun-sam was feeling wronged, claiming under Theo’s interrogation that he picked up what fell on the ground.

“To catch a thief when you’re not even a dog.”

There was no puppy-cat like this. Moreover, the thief he caught was not just any thief, but a strong thief helpful for farming. Se-jun looked at Theo commendably.

“Chairman, your expression is strange right now, meow!”

“Huh?!”

“More than that, quickly tell Woo Chun-sam whether you discarded the grass or not, meow.”

“Of course I didn’t discard it.”

Se-jun said, shaking his head firmly. He would have denied it even if he had discarded it.

“Tell Woo Chun-sam that I am claiming 100 Tower Coins as damages for making a mess of the fields and stealing the grass I worked hard to lay out.”

Se-jun called out an enormous amount. It was too excessive as compensation for ruining the fields and stealing the grass.

“Got it, meow!”

Moo…

As Theo conveyed Se-jun’s words, Woo Chun-sam wore a despairing expression. I have no money…

“Chairman, Woo Chun-sam says he has no money, what should we do, meow?”

“What do you mean what should we do? If he has no money, he must pay with his body. If he works here, I will give him 1 Tower Coin a day.”

Se-jun offered Woo Chun-sam a job. Calling out an excessive price was all bait for this. Of course, there was also some grudge for ruining his fields and making him work multiple times.

“Ah! Something like that works too, meow?!”

At Se-jun’s words, Theo was impressed.

‘So if you have no money, you can pay with your body, meow.’

Theo realized a new means of transaction.

Moo!

Woo Chun-sam nodded at Se-jun’s proposal. As a warrior of the Black Minotaur, he could not commit the act of stealing others’ things.

“Tell him to go rest and report to work in the morning.”

“Got it, meow.”

It didn’t seem like Woo Chun-sam would flee. He was a monster that would come back anyway because of the green onion leaves. If so, employing him while giving green onion leaves as pay could be a win-win for both.

Although it would be overwhelmingly advantageous to Se-jun…

Theo conveyed Se-jun’s words to Woo Chun-sam,

Moo.

Woo Chun-sam returned with a gloomy face. Like that, Se-jun hired a powerful black ox… no, Black Minotaur to plow the fields.

“Theo, well done.”

“Did I do well, meow?”

Theo said, looking at Se-jun. His expression seemed to say, ‘You know what you should give me if I did well, right?’

“Representative Theo, a one-month extension.”

“Offer more, meow!”

Theo attempting to bargain with Se-jun.

However,

Rip.

as Se-jun ripped a Churu bag and brought it in front of Theo,

Chwap, chwap, chwap.

his thoughts about bargaining flew away to the other side in no time.

Grab.

Se-jun held Theo, who was indulging in the Churu, in one hand, went down to the cave, and fell back asleep.

The 192nd day of being stranded. Se-jun slept like a log comfortably while holding Theo.

***

Kuuuong?!(Why are you here?!)

Moooo!!(I came to pay my debt!!)

Kkueng!!(Brothers, I’m here!)

As morning came, a commotion arose on the surface due to the mother Crimson Giant Bear and the Black Minotaur Woo Chun-sam.

“I forgot.”

“What is it, meow?!”

Se-jun hurriedly went up to the surface with the Theo translator, who was sleeping on his belly, strapped to his back. It would be trouble if either of them got hurt.

Going up to the surface, the mother Crimson Giant Bear and Woo Chun-sam were growling at each other, circling around the cave.

It was a touch-and-go situation.

“Wait!”

Se-jun shouted for now, stopping the two.

Kuuung!

“She says it’s dangerous, so go inside, meow.”

Moo!

“He says he came to pay his debt, meow.”

Kkueng!

“Chairman, he is asking for Churu again, meow! Scold him quickly, meow!”

Theo, who was translating, grew excited, pointing at the baby bear.

“Everyone calm down first. And…”

Se-jun brought out the magic words that would resolve the chaos in one go.

“Let’s eat first and talk.”

Kkueng!

At Se-jun’s words, Kkueng hurriedly sat in his spot,

Kuuung…

Mooo…

and the mother Crimson Giant Bear and Woo Chun-sam also sat down awkwardly.

***

Kuuuong.

After eating piranhas and crayfish, the mother Crimson Giant Bear stood up to patrol. Having heard the whole story from Se-jun while eating breakfast, she let down her guard against Woo Chun-sam.

Crunch, crunch.

Moo?

Chewing green onion leaves and cherry tomato branches, Woo Chun-sam approached Theo and asked. What do I do?

“Woo Chun-sam is asking what he should do, meow!”

“What do you mean what? You should flip the ground.”

Se-jun took Woo Chun-sam to the pit Woo Chun-sam had made during the Blue Moon.

“Make a pit like this.”

Moo!

At Se-jun’s words, Woo Chun-sam drove his horn, about 1 meter in length, into the ground,

Creak.

and lengthened the horn. The horn penetrated the ground and lengthened up to 7 meters.

And,

Moooooooo!

Rumble.

as Woo Chun-sam raised his head with a shout, the ground lifted along with it.

“Good. You just have to do this until lunch.”

Moo?!

Woo Chun-sam wore a moved expression. You give lunch too?!

“Of course. I’m not that vicious of an employer.”

Although it was a harsh labor condition to the point where he would be immediately sued at the Labor Bureau if on the outside, in the tower, if he fed them while making them work, he was a very excellent employer.

Like that, Se-jun set Woo Chun-sam to work and went down to the cave with Theo.

At that moment,

Pyaang!

Pyap!

Pyaat!

the baby rabbits ran toward Theo.

“Nephews, your cool uncle is here, meow!”

Theo welcomed the baby rabbits with open arms. However, the baby rabbits bypassed Theo and ran to Se-jun. In the baby rabbits’ short lives, Theo was already a stranger.

“How can you change so easily, meow!”

Theo cried out sorrowfully to the baby rabbits who had changed their minds, but the baby rabbits did not even pretend to hear.

Se-jun played with the baby rabbits a bit and sent them to the rabbit couple. He had to settle this transaction with Theo.

“I sold out this time too and earned 612 Tower Coins, meow.”

And,

Clatter.

Theo grabbed the bundle, shook it upside down, and poured out the Churu and coffee obtained from taking photos, and the items bought from the general store.

“This time there weren’t many hunters waiting for me, meow… I could only take photos with two people, meow.”

Theo’s ears drooped.

“It’s okay. What about the draw?”

“This time, there was nothing calling to my hand, so I just came, meow.”

“Good job. Here is your incentive.”

Se-jun handed 35 Tower Coins to Theo as an incentive.

“Thank you, meow!”

“And this is the incentive for catching the thief.”

Since he decided to put Woo Chun-sam to work worth 100 Tower Coins thanks to Theo, he paid an additional 20 Tower Coins, which was 20% of 100 Tower Coins.

“Th… then if we add it all up, it’s 55 Tower Coins, meow!!!”

Theo looked at the money placed on his two paws with a moved expression. He earned more money in one go than the 50 Tower Coins he had brought when leaving his hometown.

‘As expected, if I am with Park Se-jun, I will succeed, meow! As expected, Park Se-jun’s lap must be mine, meow!’

Theo lay flat on his back to occupy all of Se-jun’s lap.

“Hey, move now. I have to work.”

“I don’t want to, meow!”

The 193rd day of being stranded. Se-jun had a hard time peeling off Theo, who clung to his lap whenever there was a gap today.