Chapter 84 – Harvesting Peanuts

The 67th floor of the tower.

“Let’s pack quickly!”

“Yes!”

At Borori’s words, the wolves and cat interns answered energetically and packed the red locust carcasses into their bundles. Before they knew it, they were moving like a single pack.

The wolves did not ignore or mercilessly order the cat interns around. They worked together, and the wolves even shared some of the compensation Se-jun gave them with the cat interns.

Moved by the wolves’ attitude, the interns worked hard without slacking off.

At that moment,

“Huh?”

Intern Larry, who was packing the red locust carcasses, felt something strange looking at one carcass. The blue color that had begun to show on the red locust carcasses was not visible at all. The traces of degeneration had disappeared.

“Borori-nim, something is strange.”

Larry called Borori.

“Intern Larry, what is it?”

“This red locust carcass doesn’t show any blue at all. This might be a sign that the number of red locusts is going to increase again.”

“Really? Hmm… for now, I must report this to Se-jun-nim. Intern Larry, that was a good report. I will suggest shortening the contract period by five days to Se-jun-nim.”

“Thank you!”

Larry was deeply moved by Borori’s words, thinking that it would be nice to keep working here while being recognized.

***

“Ah! The black rabbit is actually…”

As Se-jun, who was heading to the farm, tried to turn around to tell the black rabbit’s hastily fabricated status,

Cueng!

Cuengi suddenly tucked the hive under his arm, grabbed Se-jun with his left hand, and began to run. It was to prevent Se-jun from looking back.

“Uh?! Cuengi, what’s wrong?”

Cueng!

[I want to quickly go back and eat honey-da-yo!]

“Wait a moment! I’m going to tell her that the black rabbit has a secret of birth to help the black rabbit’s dating endeavors.”

It was Se-jun’s intention to give the black rabbit an air of mystery.

However,

Cueng!

[Staying still is what helps-da-yo!]

He was cut off by Cuengi.

“Huh? What does that mean?”

Cueng!

[You have no tact at all-da-yo!]

Thus, Se-jun arrived at the farm after being treated as tactless by Cuengi.

And,

“Here, honey.”

Se-jun put two glass jars filled with honey into Cuengi’s snack pouch.

And when he was looking to see if there was any remaining work on the farm,

“Kyu-kyu-kyu. Se-jun-nim, there’s a sweet scent coming from here, what is it?!”

Iona pointed at the peanut field, excited.

“Ah. This is the peanut field. In any case, it’s about time to harvest them, shall we dig some up?”

Rattle.

When Se-jun pulled on a peanut stem,

[You have simultaneously harvested 36 well-ripened peanut pods.]

[Your job experience points increase significantly.]

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

[You have gained 1,080 experience points.]

Along with the stem, yellow peanut pods with clear net-like patterns came dangling up in abundance.

“Wow!”

“Kyu-kyu-kyu. Se-jun-nim, please give me just one of those peanuts!”

Iona forgot the dignity of the Guildmaster of the Mages Association and clung to Se-jun’s leg, begging for a peanut.

“Just a moment.”

Pluck.

Se-jun detached a peanut pod from the stem. Then he took out two raw peanuts from inside the pod.

[Peanut of Mana]

Grown inside the tower, it has absorbed sufficient nutrients and is delicious.

Cultivated by a tower farmer accustomed to farming, its taste and efficiency have improved.

Upon consumption, it breaks down 15g of fat in the body, increasing magic power by 0.25 for 10 minutes.

The effect stacks up to 20 times within an hour.

When consumed by a non-awakened person, it breaks down 15g of fat and enhances brain activity.

Grower: Tower Farmer Park Se-jun

Expiration Date: 90 days

Grade: C

Perhaps because one pod was one fruit, the effect was halved. Instead, stacking up to 20 times was possible.

“What a pity. If I had this in college, I would have gotten good grades.”

Se-jun felt regretful, looking at the brain activity enhancement effect of the peanut.

“Here you go.”

“Kyu-kyu-kyu. Thank you!”

When Se-jun gave Iona a single peanut,

Nibble, nibble.

Iona peeled the peanut shell and began to diligently nibble on the peanut.

‘She’s eating it so deliciously.’

Seeing Iona eat so deliciously made Se-jun want to eat one too. Se-jun put the remaining peanut in his mouth.

When he chewed the peanut, perhaps because it was raw, the texture was closer to the soft yet crunchy texture of a soybean rather than the hard texture of roasted peanuts eaten outside.

As for the taste, since it was a raw peanut, there was a grassy bean flavor, but the unique nuttiness of the peanut was still there.

“Delicious.”

Thanks to the unexpectedly delicious taste, Se-jun this time peeled five peanut pods and threw ten peanuts into his mouth at once.

Munch, munch.

Chewing the peanuts, Se-jun began to harvest the peanuts in earnest.

Rattle.

[You have simultaneously harvested 40 well-ripened peanuts.]

…

..

.

When he had harvested about half of the peanuts like that,

Burning.

“Huh?”

Se-jun felt an intense gaze directed at him.

“What is it?”

Se-jun looked at the being casting the intense gaze, Iona, who wanted to eat more peanuts, was staring intently at him.

“Do you want to eat more peanuts?”

“Yes! May I?!”

Iona, who had been waiting for the timing to speak to Se-jun, answered quickly.

“Of course.”

Se-jun took out two peanuts from a peanut pod and handed them to Iona.

“Kyu-kyu-kyu. Thank you for the meal!”

Nibble, nibble.

Iona began to nibble on the peanuts again while humming.

Then,

Cueng?

Cuengi, who smelled the nutty scent from afar, began to peer into the peanut field.

“Should I give Cuengi peanuts too?”

Cueng!

At Se-jun’s words, Cuengi nodded his head vigorously.

Tap. Tap.

Se-jun peeled peanut pods and placed 100 peanuts into Cuengi’s hand.

“Now, chew it thoroughly. Don’t fill your stomach with this. Got it?”

Cueng!

Cuengi answered as he threw the peanuts into his mouth all at once and began to chew them thoroughly.

Munch, munch.

Cueeeeng!

Perhaps because he was pleased with the nutty and sweet taste, Cuengi began to shake his body and dance his own cheerful dance.

“Cute…”

Se-jun watched Cuengi’s dance and then harvested peanuts again.

While he was harvesting peanuts like that, an obstacle that interfered with Se-jun’s work appeared.

“Nnngh!”

A peanut stem that would not be pulled out no matter how much strength Se-jun applied appeared.

“Argh! Hup!”

No matter how much he grunted, the peanut stem did not budge.

Cueng!

Cuengi, who was watching from the side, seemed frustrated, so he grabbed the peanut stem from behind Se-jun and pulled together.

“Pull!”

Cueeeeng!

As they pulled the peanut stem together at Se-jun’s signal,

Crack.

Sliiiip.

The ground cracked, and a giant three-meter-long peanut pod slipped out.

[You have harvested a giant peanut pod.]

[Your job experience points increase minutely.]

[The proficiency of Harvesting Lv. 4 increases minutely.]

[You have gained 30 experience points.]

“A giant peanut pod?”

Se-jun cut the giant peanut pod with his dagger, there were two giant peanuts inside.

[Giant Peanut]

Grown inside the tower, it has absorbed sufficient nutrients and is tasty, but it used all its nutrients solely for growth.

It has no effect when consumed.

It will not sprout even if planted.

Grower: Tower Farmer Park Se-jun

Expiration Date: 45 days

Grade: C

Although it had absolutely no effect as an item, it was the best in terms of quantity.

“Cuengi, take this to your mom.”

This size was enough for the mother Crimson Giant Bear to sufficiently taste it.

Cueng!

Cuengi grew giant, picked up the two giant peanuts, and went to his mom.

And Se-jun continued harvesting peanuts, and

“Whew. It’s finished.”

Se-jun harvested 3,481 peanut pods. Leveling up in the process, Se-jun reached level 32.

“Cuengi, hold this.”

Cueng!

Se-jun gathered 200 peanut stems separately and had Cuengi, who had returned after delivering the giant peanuts to the mother Crimson Giant Bear, hold them.

And,

“Iona, please move this.”

He said to Iona, pointing to the remaining 500 peanut stems.

“Yes. Float!”

Iona, who had eaten all the peanuts and was eating the peanut crumbs that fell on her fur, sprang up and cast float magic.

Float, float.

The harvested peanut stems floated into the air.

“Wow.”

Cueng!

Se-jun and Cuengi stared blankly at the peanut stems floating in the sky. The peanut stems floating in the sky were quite a sight. Indeed, it was magic skill worthy of the Archmage of Destruction.

“Kyu-kyu-kyu. Where should I move them?”

Iona, seeing Se-jun and Cuengi’s reaction, asked with a pleasant laugh.

“Shake off the dirt and spread them out over there so they don’t overlap.”

Se-jun pointed to the land where fields had not been made yet. He planned to spread the peanuts out widely to dry and after-ripen.

“Yes.”

While Iona moved the peanut stems to the place Se-jun specified, Se-jun instructed Cuengi to place half of the peanut stems in front of the house and move the rest to the storage.

And,

Splaaash.

Cuengi took the peanut stems placed in front of the house to the tap area and washed off the dirt on the peanut pods.

The tap area was a facility made by installing a thin wooden pipe coming down vertically from the fountain tower and making a cover that could be opened and closed.

Rattle, rattle.

He detached the peanut pods washed clean in water from the stems and put the pods as they were into three pots. Then he began to boil them. Fresh peanuts boiled or steamed are another delicacy.

“This is best eaten in autumn.”

It was a bit regrettable that there were no seasons here. Once they had been boiling for over ten minutes, Se-jun took out peanuts here and there to check their state. Under-boiling would leave a grassy smell, while over-boiling would make them soggy.

“Okay. They’re done.”

Once the peanuts were boiled well, Se-jun lifted the pots from the fire.

And,

“Guys! Let’s have a snack!”

Se-jun called the rabbits of the farm.

“Aileen, try this.”

Se-jun sent a whole pot full of boiled peanuts to Aileen, who could eat magic-raising crops again as her talent grew.

Having become an intermediate administrator, Se-jun was now able to send items without a quest.

[The administrator of the tower says thank you.]

[The administrator of the tower tells you to wait just a little longer.]

[The administrator of the tower is excited, saying it seems you can meet if you wait for about 250 more years.]

“Sure.”

Se-jun barely held back the words ‘I’ll already be dead by then’ from bursting out. This was because Anton and Kaiser had requested him to refrain from saying words that would make Aileen’s mind anxious.

Still, they said the state of the Dragon Heart had improved, and the waiting time was reduced from 300 years to 250 years.

‘If things go well, I might even see Aileen while I’m alive?’

Honestly, he didn’t have high expectations. The opponent was a dragon. What would they even do if they met?

‘Should I ask her to let me ride on her back?’

While Se-jun was thinking about what to do if he met Aileen,

Munch, munch.

Squeak!

Pyaa!

Pyupyu!

The rabbits came and began to eat the boiled peanuts. Pyupyu, the princess of the Red Ribbon Kingdom, quickly became friendly with the other rabbits and was getting along well without any awkwardness.

And,

Pyak!

looking at the black rabbit sitting on his lap and eating boiled peanuts deliciously, Se-jun’s heart ached.

“Black Rabbit, eat a lot.”

Pyak!

Se-jun kept worrying about the black rabbit, not even knowing that feelings for each other were already arising between the two.

***

“Kyu… this isn’t it…”

Taking her place on the lap of the sleeping Se-jun, Iona fell into serious contemplation.

Iona, who had suffered from insomnia for hundreds of years, had fallen asleep as soon as she lay down for the first time in hundreds of years, pillowing on Se-jun’s lap by Lake Jenka on the 75th floor of the tower.

So she thought the reason for the sweet sleep was Se-jun’s lap… but something was lacking. She fell asleep quickly, but she couldn’t sleep deeply.

‘The bottom feels perfect, but the top doesn’t feel perfect. I feel like I need to cover myself with something…’

So she tried covering herself with Se-jun’s blanket and even with the expensive bedding she had brought, but she could not sleep deeply.

In the meantime, Iona thought about what she had done when she had a sweet sleep at Lake Jenka.

And she remembered that she had slept covering herself with Theo’s tail.

‘Ah! Only when I have Representative Theo’s tail blanket as well can I have a perfect sweet sleep!’

However,

“Kyu… I won’t be able to sleep well today.”

Some time was still needed for Theo to arrive.

“It can’t be helped.”

Iona slept while repeating waking and sleeping.

“Kyu-kyu-kyu.”

Still, on top of Se-jun’s lap, Iona did not have nightmares.