Chapter 40 – Harvesting Green Onions

The outer area of the 1st floor of the tower.

10 Awakened were waiting for someone.

Today was the day to harvest the E-grade Cherry Tomatoes of Mana planted by Gagel’s Tower Farm Project team. Michael McLaren, the vice president of Gagel, personally visited the farm.

“Vice President, this way.”

The research team leader guided Michael to the Tower Farmer Project headquarters. On the 1st floor of the tower, individuals or groups could rent buildings to use if they paid money.

“How did the securing of the site to build the large-scale farm go?”

“Currently, the slaves are driving out the Goblin villages on the 2nd floor of the tower and securing the land.”

Those they called slaves were Awakened whom Gagel had forcefully signed into slave contracts using the tower’s contract forms, after purchasing the debts of people who had borrowed from private loan sharks, and then awakened them with tickets.

They could not even go outside the tower and were only working to repay debts they could never pay off even if they worked their entire lives.

While walking and talking about securing the large farm site like that, when Michael arrived at the headquarters’ yard, a field where cherry tomatoes hung in clusters was seen.

“Finally…”

Pluck.

The excited Michael approached the field, harvested a well-ripened red cherry tomato, and examined it. Even when examining closely, no description appeared.

“It’s not an item.”

Michael, who had been expecting a little, was disappointed. However, he decided to find meaning in having obtained seeds to start the Tower Farm Project.

‘How does it taste?’

Michael put the cherry tomato in his mouth.

Pop.

Squirt.

The cherry tomato burst, and the juice inside squirted out.

…?

Munch, munch.

Michael’s expression hardened, and he chewed the cherry tomato carefully.

And,

Ptooey!

Michael spat out the cherry tomato.

And,

Pluck. Pluck. Pluck.

Michael’s hands urgently harvested other cherry tomatoes as well and tasted them one by one.

However,

“What is going on?!”

Michael shouted, throwing the cherry tomatoes in his hand.

“Vice President, what is the matter?”

“What’s the matter?! This tastes like nothing!”

“Yes?!”

At Michael’s words, the research team members who grew the cherry tomatoes hurriedly began to taste them.

“There’s no way… How can it taste like this…”

The research team leader wore a look of disbelief. Even though they injected all the necessary nutrients, the cherry tomatoes tasted like nothing.

Michael came out of the tower with the research team leader and instructed the research team leader to analyze the cherry tomatoes.

Still, using the company’s technology, they might be able to improve the cherry tomato variety and enhance the taste.

A few hours later, the research team leader came with a report analyzing the cherry tomatoes harvested from the tower.

“How did it go?”

“All components are below the standard values. It is the lowest grade and has no marketability at all. In addition, for some reason, there are no seeds inside.”

“No seeds?!”

“Yes.”

If there were no seeds, let alone variety improvement, the cultivation of cherry tomatoes itself was impossible.

“Phew. When the trade opens on the 38th floor this time, secure all the D-grade Cherry Tomatoes of Mana by any means necessary and cultivate them again! Got it?!”

“Yes!”

Michael decided to pin his hopes on the D-grade Cherry Tomato of Mana if E-grade didn’t work.

‘It will be different if the grade is higher.’

Thanks to Michael’s instructions, Theo’s sales were scheduled to hit an all-time high once again.

***

After Theo left, Se-jun, who spent the entire morning cutting only grass, prepared lunch.

Today’s menu was piranha spicy fish stew, seasoned with red pepper powder and salt, putting piranhas, green onions, and carrots in a pot. While organizing the items Theo bought, Se-jun had found red pepper powder inside the pot.

“That Theo rascal, he should have told me earlier if he had such a precious thing. Hehehe.”

Se-jun thought that when Theo arrived, he would give him 5 hours of Representative Theo’s time, place him on his lap, and let him eat Churu to his heart’s content, while taking a spoonful of the soup in the pot.

Slurp.

“Kueh…”

The spiciness of the red pepper powder made from Cheongyang chili pepper made Se-jun’s mouth tingle.

Pyak?

The Black Rabbit cautiously dabbed the ominous red liquid with his front paw and tasted it. The Black Rabbit was someone who felt satisfied only after trying everything Se-jun ate first.

Pyak!!

Having eaten the spicy fish stew soup, the Black Rabbit hurriedly went to the pond and gulped down water as if his mouth was on fire.

Since the piranha spicy fish stew was given up by even the Black Rabbit, who had eaten black pepper, shaking his head, Se-jun alone could monopolize the piranha spicy fish stew.

Although the taste was lacking compared to the spicy fish stew eaten outside due to the lack of ingredients, Se-jun ate the piranha spicy fish stew cleanly and deliciously until the bottom showed, thanks to the spicy flavor eaten in almost 200 days.

“Hiss. Phew. It’s hot, hot.”

Se-jun went into manufacturing cherry tomato juice to soothe the spiciness.

Squeeze! Squeeze!

As Se-jun began to squeeze cherry tomato juice into the empty pot,

Buzz, buzz.

the poison honeybees flew over and dropped honey inside the pot. Just as Se-jun, who completed the sweet cherry tomato juice like that, was soothing the spiciness by scooping the juice into his tumbler with a ladle,

[The administrator of the tower says she also wants to eat the cherry tomato juice.]

“I made a lot, knowing you would. Give me the quest.”

[A quest has occurred.]

[Quest: Serve cherry tomato juice with honey to the administrator of the tower.]

Reward: Aileen’s favor

Upon Rejection: Disappointment

“Here, take it.”

The cherry tomato juice inside the pot held by Se-jun disappeared, completing the quest.

[The administrator of the tower rejoices in the cherry tomato juice, which is delicious and good for the body.]

[The administrator of the tower asks why you aren’t giving the crayfish she ate last time again.]

“We must save and eat that. Let’s wait and eat it next week.”

[The administrator of the tower says she can wait patiently.]

Perhaps because the number of crayfish was not large, after luring them a few times with their companions’ blood, the number of swarming crayfish gradually decreased, and now only about 1 to 3 gathered even when lured with blood.

Therefore, Se-jun decided to eat them only once a week to protect the crayfish population.

While Se-jun was drinking cherry tomato juice and talking with the administrator of the tower like that,

Kkueng.

Cuengi approached Se-jun, holding a glass bottle containing honey. Give me honey!

“Alright.”

Click.

Se-jun opened the lid of the glass bottle Cuengi brought and poured 1 glug of honey onto Cuengi’s front paw.

Since the mouth of the glass bottle was much larger than the mouth of the water bottle, 1 glug of the glass bottle was about the amount of 20 glugs in the past.

Lick, lick.

Cuengi quickly licked the honey flowing down his paw. The reason Cuengi was able to eat so much honey was because the honey harvest had increased significantly as the number of poison honeybees grew.

Currently, combining the two beehives, the number of poison honeybees was approximately 400. Currently, the poison honeybees patrolled up to about 100 meters away from the cave.

And perhaps stimulated by the appearance of the second beehive, the poison honeybee queen of the first beehive also increased the number of eggs she laid.

Thanks to that, these days, about 15 baby poison honeybees were born a day combining both beehives, and the number of poison honeybees was increasing even faster.

Kkueng…

In the meantime, Cuengi, who licked all the honey, prepared to sleep by Se-jun’s side, and the Black Rabbit, sensing the vibe, also came to Se-jun’s lap and fell asleep. Se-jun was someone whose lap never had a moment to be empty.

Having taken a nap like that, feeling the body heat of the Black Rabbit and Cuengi, Se-jun went down to the cave in the afternoon and harvested cherry tomatoes.

Since he harvested even the amount not harvested in the morning, the harvest amount was quite large, but Se-jun finished the harvest without difficulty.

And,

Slash.

he cut 10 shoots from the Solar Honey Sweet Potatoes planted in the ground. It was to plant them in the empty spaces left by splitting and planting green onions on the surface.

Stab.

Se-jun planted the Solar Honey Sweet Potato shoots in the holes he made with his dagger.

[You planted Solar Honey Sweet Potato shoots.]

[Due to the effect of Sowing Lv. 3, the probability of the Solar Honey Sweet Potato shoots taking root increases.]

[Your job experience increased very slightly.]

[The proficiency of Sowing Lv. 3 increased very slightly.]

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

Having planted all the Solar Honey Sweet Potato shoots like that, Se-jun examined the green onions planted by obtaining seeds through seed harvesting.

Even until two weeks ago, they were only about the thickness of thin green onions, but at some point, they had thickened to the thickness of two fingers.

“Can I harvest them now?”

Slash.

Se-jun cut the green onion leaves. However, a message saying he harvested them did not appear.

“Is it because it’s not a fruit?”

Pop.

Se-jun pulled out the green onion whole, just in case.

[You harvested a Detoxifying Green Onion.]

[Due to the effect of Harvesting Lv. 4, you harvested a crop of one grade higher.]

[Your job experience increased significantly.]

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

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

[You obtained 36 experience points.]

“Uh?! A crop of one grade higher?”

Se-jun hurriedly checked the options of the green onion.

[Detoxifying Green Onion]

A green onion grown inside the tower that absorbed sufficient nutrients and is delicious.

Upon consumption, it detoxifies poison of C+ grade or below for 1 hour.

Upon consumption by a non-awakened person, the function of the liver to detoxify becomes active for 24 hours.

Grower: Tower Farmer Park Se-jun

Expiration Date: 135 days

Grade: C+

It did not have the fat breakdown option popular outside the tower. And whether it was originally D+ grade, the grade rose by one level and became C+ grade.

“Is it good? Well, as long as it’s delicious, it’s fine.”

To Se-jun, who had no reason to get poisoned, the Detoxifying Green Onion was also just a delicious green onion. Leaving a few green onions for seed harvesting, Se-jun harvested about 200 roots of green onions.

***

The headquarters of the Phoenix Guild on the 1st floor of the tower.

“Lately, the frequency of guild members going to the 38th floor of the tower has increased a lot. What is the sudden matter?”

Leon, the guild leader of the Phoenix Guild, asked while looking at the tower entry and exit records. He had just returned after performing quests for 3 months on the 36th floor of the tower.

“Lately, as guild members have been getting passionate about trading with the traveling merchant on the 38th floor, the time they stay in the tower is naturally becoming longer.”

Catherine, the vice guild leader, answered.

“Traveling merchant?”

“Yes. Guild Leader, look at this. Cute, right?”

Catherine showed the photo taken with Theo.

“A cat?”

“Yes. He is a traveling merchant named Theo. And he is selling this Cherry Tomato of Mana.”

Catherine showed Leon the D-grade Cherry Tomato of Mana.

“Magic power 0.2? It won’t be of much help in battle.”

“You don’t know anything. Try taking this to your wife. The treatment will change immediately.”

“Really?”

Leon was tempted by Catherine’s words. Honestly, he was self-conscious about returning home after 3 months while doing this here.

“Here. I also obtained them with difficulty, but I will give you 10.”

“Thank you.”

“More than that, was there any quest outcome?”

“Now I barely gathered 3 bottles of antidote.”

Leon answered in a weak voice. The Deadly Tarantula, the boss of the 38th floor of the tower, had a pattern of spraying strong poison gas as soon as the battle started.

Therefore, an antidote was needed to target the boss, but there was no place to obtain an antidote that could detoxify the strong poison of the Deadly Tarantula.

While having difficulty targeting the 38th floor like that, Leon accidentally met an alchemist studying spider poison on the 36th floor of the tower.

And he received a quest to bring the carcasses of 100 Poison Spiders, which occasionally appeared in a specific area of the 36th floor of the tower, and receive one antidote.

And as a result of hunting Poison Spiders along with the 1st and 2nd teams of the Phoenix Guild, he completed the quest 3 times in 3 months and obtained 3 bottles of antidote.

One month to obtain one antidote. Since at least 20 people were needed to target the 38th floor boss, it meant 17 months had to pass to target the 38th floor boss.

“Phew.”

“Go home first and get some rest before coming back.”

“Alright.”

Leon, who returned home after 3 months, was able to receive his wife’s warm welcome thanks to the Cherry Tomato of Mana Catherine packed for him.

***

“Meow meow meow.”

“He’s coming over there.”

“Pounce when I signal.”

“Yes.”

Watching Theo coming out humming a song from the merchant passage leading from the 70th floor to the 60th floor, the three silver wolves took a posture to rush out.

And,

“Now!”

Grr. The three silver wolves rushed out and surrounded Theo.

At that moment,

“…!”

“…!”

“…Chief?”

Following Theo, the Black Minotaurs Woo Chun-sam and Woo Chun-sa came out of the merchant passage.

“Puhuhu. Now it’s my turn, meow!”

Theo looked at the silver wolves, laughing like a villain.