Farming in the Tower Alone [EN]: Chapter 18

Sejun felt determined.

“Let’s make this place our home!”

With that thought, Sejun cooked the rest of the piranhas for Theo.

Crack. Crackle.

Watching the flames, he wondered, “What do I need to live well here?”

He hadn’t used any Tower Coins, always thinking he would leave eventually. He thought hunters would rescue him soon.

So, besides crops and his cave family, he hadn’t added anything new.

But now that he was settling in, he thought it was time to fix things and explore the cave’s surroundings.

Sejun asked, “Theo, are there any monsters near the cave?”

“Not nearby, nya!” Theo replied.

Sejun’s good mood made Theo happy too.

“But there are some further away, nya!” Theo added.

“What kind of monsters?” Sejun asked.

“Crimson Giant Bears,” Theo answered.

“Crimson Giant Bears?” Sejun repeated.

He remembered the red-furred monster that tried to attack the cave during the third Blue Moon.

“They’re really scary, nya. They glare at me every time they pass by, nya,” Theo said, trembling.

It was clear that leaving the cave was still risky.

“Still, things will be different in about a month,” Sejun thought.

Sejun looked at the 732 cherry tomato plants growing quickly. He felt proud.

Soon, thousands of flowers would bloom on the cherry tomato trees. With more flowers, the Poison Honeybee Queen would lay more eggs, and there would be many more Poison Honeybees.

“If that happens…”

In a month, he could have the Poison Honeybees patrol the cave’s surroundings, making a safe zone without monsters.

“And if I use vines from Pi Papi leaves to have the Poison Honeybees lift me…”

Sejun thought about ways to leave the cave, touching his stomach.

The magic cherry tomatoes had been breaking down the fat, so he didn’t have a big stomach.

“Theo, this time…”

Sejun gave Theo some instructions as he left for another trade.

“Got it, nya! Trust me, nya!” Theo said.

Theo took the important mission and went down the Tower again.

Day 153 of being stranded. Theo left yesterday, and morning came again.

“Ugh, yawn.”

Sejun yawned as he woke up, not like usual. He hadn’t slept well because he was worried.

Squeak!

Squeak!

Squeak!

Squeak!

The rabbits came out of their burrows in a line, greeting him.

“Good morning to you too,” Sejun said.

Whirr.

The Poison Honeybees also came out of their hive, starting their day. The sound of their wings was louder than yesterday. They were also almost as big as adult Poison Honeybees.

“They’ve grown so much,” Sejun said.

The Poison Honeybees seemed to grow bigger every day.

Sejun had breakfast with the rabbits and started his day.

Tap. Tap.

As Sejun was picking cherry tomatoes,

[You have picked a ripe magic cherry tomato.]

[Your job experience has increased a little.]

[Your skill level in Harvesting Lv. 2 has increased a little.]

[You have gained 12 experience.]

“Is this also a Plus grade?” Sejun wondered.

Sejun looked at the cherry tomatoes and saw that he had already picked five Plus grade ones today.

[Magic Cherry Tomato]

[Grown inside the Tower, these cherry tomatoes are full of nutrients and taste great.]

[Eating one will break down 10g of fat in your body and increase your magic power by 0.1 for 10 minutes.]

[The effects can stack up to 10 times in an hour.]

[When a non-awakened person eats one, it breaks down 10g of fat and makes them feel better.]

[Grower: Tower Farmer Park Sejun]

[Expiration Date: 45 days]

[Grade: E+]

The + on the grade only made the expiration date longer.

But thinking about it, having crops that last longer was a good thing.

“I can keep them for longer, after all,” Sejun said.

Pop.

Sejun put a cherry tomato in his mouth.

Splash.

The sweet and sour juice filled his mouth.

“Mmm. Good,” Sejun said.

It didn’t taste like the ones from the supermarket. He wished he had known what fresh cherry tomatoes tasted like for the last 27 years.

Squeak!

Seeing Sejun eating alone, the black rabbit ran over and pointed at itself. “Me too!”

“Alright. Let’s take a break!” Sejun said.

Sejun gave the black rabbit a cherry tomato and took a break with the other rabbits, eating cherry tomatoes.

Slurp slurp slurp.

The rabbits each grabbed a cherry tomato and started to suck on them.

“I want to drink it too…” Sejun said, watching the rabbits.

“Ah!”

Sejun jumped up, having an idea.

He grabbed a cup and started squeezing cherry tomato juice.

Squish! Squish!

After squeezing about 50 cherry tomatoes, he had enough for a mouthful.

Gulp.

He felt the rich juice of cherry tomatoes filling his mouth.

“Krooooh!”

Sejun squeezed another 50 cherry tomatoes into the cup.

And then,

Glug.

This time, he added some honey.

Another shot.

“Krooooh!”

The honey made the sweet and sour taste even better. It mixed everything together smoothly.

It filled the gaps between the two tastes, smoothly connecting the changes in flavor between the sweet and sour.

“Delicious,” Sejun said.

At that moment, all worries disappeared.

Squeak!

Squeak!

Squeak!

The rabbits looked at Sejun’s face and offered their cherry tomatoes. “Honey, please!”

“Alright,” Sejun said.

Sejun carefully put a drop of honey on each cherry tomato, making sure it didn’t drip.

Slurp slurp slurp.

The rabbits’ eyes widened as they ate the cherry tomatoes with honey. They had found a new favorite: honey and cherry tomatoes.

Just then, the Tower’s administrator sent a message.

[A new quest has appeared!]

[Quest: Give a cup of magic cherry tomato juice with honey to the Tower’s administrator!]

[Reward: 1 job skill]

[Failure: Extreme disappointment]

“I need to work now…” Sejun thought.

He was just taking a break. It was time to get back to work.

“I’ll give it to you later,” Sejun said.

[The Tower’s administrator wants to share the feeling of drinking together.]

[The Tower’s administrator says that the skill you get for this quest is a good one.]

“Really?” Sejun asked.

[The Tower’s administrator says they trust you!]

“Alright,” Sejun said.

He wasn’t sure, but he decided to trust them.

Sejun squeezed 100 cherry tomatoes into the cup and added honey.

[The Tower’s administrator is flapping their wings, wondering what it will taste like.]

“Is it that good?” Sejun wondered.

But they had wings. Sejun learned something new about the Tower’s administrator.

“Here you go,” Sejun said.

As Sejun sent the cherry tomato juice to the Tower’s administrator, the juice in the cup disappeared.

[The Tower’s administrator says the juice is amazing!]

[Quest complete!]

[You have earned the special job skill: Beekeeping Lv. 1!]

“Special job skill?” Sejun asked.

[Special Job Skill – Beekeeping Lv. 1 connects the Poison Honeybee hive to the skill user.]

[The number of hives that can be connected to Special Job Skill – Beekeeping Lv. 1 is full.]

The Poison Honeybee hive in Sejun’s cave was automatically connected to Sejun’s Beekeeping skill.

“What is this?” Sejun wondered.

Sejun checked the details of the Beekeeping skill.

[Special Job Skill – Beekeeping Lv. 1]

-You can keep bees when you have a hive.

-The bees in your hive will not hurt you.

-You can give the bees in your hive instructions.

-The bees in your hive can fly a little further.

-The queen bee will lay eggs a little faster.

-The bees will collect honey a little faster.

-The pollination rate increases a little.

-Current hive (1/1): Poison Honeybee Hive

“Oh,” Sejun said.

He was worried that the Poison Honeybees wouldn’t understand his instructions to patrol outside, but with this skill, he didn’t have to worry as much.

The skill effects were small. But the good thing was that the skill helped in many ways.

And even though it was small now, he felt like it would grow like a seed into a big fruit later.

“Thank you,” Sejun said to the Tower’s administrator.

[The Tower’s administrator asks that if you are thankful, make another cup of magic cherry tomato juice with honey.]

“I need to work now. I’ll give it to you in the evening,” Sejun said.

[The Tower’s administrator says okay and shakes the juice off the cup and puts it in their mouth.]

Sejun started picking cherry tomatoes again.

[You have collected 1mL of honey from the cherry tomato flower.]

[Your skill level in Beekeeping Lv. 1 has increased a little.]

[You have collected 1mL of honey from the cherry tomato flower.]

[Your skill level in Beekeeping Lv. 1 has increased a little.]

Messages appeared every time the Poison Honeybees put honey into the plastic water bottle that Sejun had secured with soil to keep it from falling.

“They’re doing well,” Sejun said, smiling as he looked at the messages.

Then,

Buzz buzz.

Five new baby Poison Honeybees came out of the hive. Because of the skill, the baby Poison Honeybees didn’t take out their stingers even though they were seeing Sejun for the first time.

And then,

Whirr.

Buzz buzz.

The baby Poison Honeybees started sucking honey, following the almost fully grown Poison Honeybees. Because of them, the honey production increased by about 20mL.

The situation in the cave was getting better, little by little.

As Sejun was happily watching the baby Poison Honeybees sucking honey,

Squeak!

Squeak!

Squeak! Squeak!

The excited rabbits gathered in the carrot field and called for Sejun. The rabbits were excited because of the carrots.

“Are there carrots already?” Sejun asked.

When Sejun went to the carrot field, he saw several carrots with their orange bodies showing above the soil, ready to be pulled out. It was time to harvest the carrots.

Squeak!

Squeak!

Squeak!

The rabbits looked at Sejun, breathing heavily. They were saying, “We’re ready! Ready to eat!”

“Alright,” Sejun said.

Pluck.

Sejun grabbed the carrot and pulled it up. The orange carrot came out easily. It was thinner than the carrots from the Blue Moon. But it was still a good carrot, about as thick as three fingers.

[You have harvested a Carrot of Agility.]

[Your job experience has increased a little.]

[Your skill level in Harvesting Lv. 2 has increased a little.]

[You have gained 10 experience.]

Sejun checked the carrot’s details.

[Carrot of Agility]

[Grown inside the Tower, this carrot is full of nutrients and tastes great.]

[Eating one will break down 10g of fat in your body and increase your agility by 0.1 for 10 minutes.]

[The effects can stack up to 10 times in an hour.]

[When a non-awakened person eats one, it breaks down 10g of fat and improves eyesight.]

[Grower: Tower Farmer Park Sejun]

[Expiration Date: 30 days]

[Grade: E]

“Here,” Sejun said.

Sejun checked the details and gave the carrots to the rabbits.

Shake shake.

The rabbits shook their heads, wanting Sejun to eat first. They had eaten the carrots from the Blue Moon first, and they felt bad about eating this one first too.

But

Drip. Drip. Drip.

They were drooling…

“Eat first. I can eat later,” Sejun said.

When Sejun told them again,

Squeak!

Squeak!

Squeak!

The rabbits bowed to thank him and took the carrots from Sejun’s hand.

“Was it really something to bow for?” Sejun wondered.

Sejun quickly pulled out the carrots and gave them to the rabbits, one by one.

Crunch. Crunch.

The rabbits hugged the carrots and started eating. They looked happy, showing how good the carrots were.

Sejun watched the happy rabbits, washed a carrot in water to clean it, and took a bite.

Crunch.

The carrot’s flavor filled his mouth.

And then,

Chomp. Chomp.

The sweetness came out with each bite. It was so good.

Squeak?

The black rabbit held up its carrot, sat next to Sejun, and asked, “Delicious, right?”

“Yeah,” Sejun said, giving a thumbs up.

Day 153 of being stranded. He could now eat carrots every day.