Farming in the Tower Alone [EN]: Chapter 8

A soft hiss, like steam escaping, drifted through the quiet air. The sweet potato vine, its leaves shimmering with a faint blue light, seemed to pulse with energy. This magical energy, drawn from the Blue Moon above, flowed down the vine and gently seeped into the dark earth below.

Sejun blinked, surprised. *Sweet potatoes? Here?*

All the sweet potatoes planted this time were for seedlings. Once the sweet potato sprouts grew to a certain size, the plan was to cut and transplant them.

That way, sweet potatoes could be propagated endlessly.

“So, I wasn’t even expecting sweet potatoes…”

“Tsk…”

The thought of eating sweet potatoes made Sejun unconsciously drool.

“Should I eat them raw? Roasted? I wonder if steaming is out of the question?”

Sejun pondered how to eat the sweet potatoes, wide awake as he greeted the dawn of his 92nd day of being stranded.

Following his daily routine, he first drew a line on the wall and then moved to the sweet potato patch.

Sejun carefully began to dig around the area where the Blue Moon’s energy had flowed into the ground.

“Oh-!”

He hadn’t even dug much with his hands when the head of a blue sweet potato was already visible.

Calming his quickening hands, Sejun carefully removed the soil around the sweet potato, as if studying an archaeological relic.

After a while, Sejun carefully lifted a fist-sized blue sweet potato from the ground.

[You have harvested a Power Sweet Potato infused with the Blue Moon’s energy.]

[Your job experience has greatly increased.]

[Proficiency in Harvesting Lv. 1 has greatly increased.]

[Harvesting Lv. 1 has reached its maximum proficiency, leveling up.]

[You have gained 50 experience points.]

The job experience and skill proficiency, which had been increasing only slightly, rose significantly. Moreover, the skill even leveled up.

But right now, none of that mattered to Sejun.

Sejun stared at the sweet potato in his hand.

[Power Sweet Potato infused with the Blue Moon’s energy]

Grown inside the tower, it is delicious due to sufficient nutrition. Furthermore, infused with the Blue Moon’s energy, the taste has become even better. Consuming it will permanently increase Strength by 0.05.

Cultivator: Tower Farmer Park Sejun

Expiration Date: 30 days

Grade: E

The description said it was already delicious, but now it’s even more delicious.

Sejun went to the cherry tomato patch and harvested the blue cherry tomatoes infused with the Blue Moon’s energy as well.

[You have harvested Magic Cherry Tomatoes infused with the Blue Moon’s energy.]

[Your job experience has greatly increased.]

[Proficiency in Harvesting Lv. 2 has increased a little more than usual.]

[You have gained 50 experience points.]

Perhaps because the Harvesting skill had just leveled up, the increase in skill proficiency was smaller this time.

“Heh heh heh.”

Holding a blue sweet potato in his right hand and blue cherry tomatoes in his left, he felt like he had the whole world.

Just then…

[An additional quest has been generated.]

A message appeared, ruining Sejun’s mood.

‘I knew it.’

The threat from the looter disguised as a quest, always eyeing Sejun’s crops, had begun.

[Quest: Offer the Power Sweet Potato infused with the Blue Moon’s energy to the Tower’s Administrator.]

Reward: None

Rejection: The Administrator will be greatly displeased.

[Quest: Offer the Magic Cherry Tomatoes infused with the Blue Moon’s energy to the Tower’s Administrator.]

Reward: None

Rejection: The Administrator will be greatly displeased.

Two quests appeared simultaneously.

‘This time it’s a bit strong, isn’t it?’

Judging by the exclamation marks, he could tell how desperate the Administrator was.

‘What should I do?’

If he refused and the Administrator got too upset, it would be a disaster. He would really die.

But this time, he didn’t want to concede. So, he decided to complete the unfinished quest first to appease the Administrator.

“I offer the remaining Magic Cherry Tomatoes.”

[Quest completed.]

The quest to offer 500 Magic Cherry Tomatoes was completed.

[The Administrator is delighted with the basket full of Magic Cherry Tomatoes.]

[It hastily grumbles, asking what this is all about.]

He tried to hide his liking for them, but it was all evident through the messages. The Administrator was simpler than he thought.

And now, he wasn’t in a bad mood. So, he decided not to concede today.

“I’ll give these to you next time.”

Sejun accepted both quests and put them on hold. Last time, he didn’t know any better and got them taken away, but he couldn’t let these delicious treats be taken.

‘Let’s try them myself!’

[The Tower’s Administrator warns that you must give them next time.]

Sejun was annoyed by the Administrator’s attitude of demanding them as if receiving a debt, but he decided to endure it today.

He didn’t want to let such things disturb his enjoyment.

“But what should I do with these?”

The sweet potato had grown to a size that could be shared with the rabbits, but the cherry tomatoes were too small.

“Then there’s only one way.”

Eat them quickly and destroy the evidence!

He decided to give the rabbits plenty of Magic Cherry Tomatoes.

Sejun put a blue cherry tomato in his mouth.

The skin of the cherry tomato infused with the Blue Moon’s energy burst in his mouth like a chewy jelly.

The cherry tomato juice filled Sejun’s mouth, and the sweet and sour flavors danced around as if bouncing.

If the Magic Cherry Tomatoes were a humble local festival, the Magic Cherry Tomatoes infused with the Blue Moon’s energy were a dazzling city festival.

[You have consumed Magic Cherry Tomatoes infused with the Blue Moon’s energy.]

[Magic has permanently increased by 0.05.]

“Mmm…”

Even after swallowing, the lingering sweet and sour taste filled his mouth, and he didn’t even notice the message.

Having eaten the blue cherry tomatoes, Sejun went to the fireplace.

“It’s a shame I don’t have aluminum foil…”

Sejun had the all-purpose green onion leaves.

He broke off a green onion and wrapped the sweet potato in its leaves.

He waited, humming with anticipation for his roasted sweet potato.

He could have caught piranhas or harvested cherry tomatoes in the meantime, but he didn’t today. It was the day he would experience roasted sweet potato for the first time in this place. He reverently guarded the fireplace to prevent any unfortunate incidents of the sweet potato burning.

‘Waiting for something delicious is the happiest thing, after all.’

How much time had passed?

As he was happily listening to the sound of the leaves crackling as firewood…

The rabbit family came out of the burrow in a rush. The rabbits, emerging from their burrow, closed their eyes and were naturally drawn to the fireplace by the rich, caramel-like aroma of the roasting sweet potato.

“Wait a little bit, I’ll let you eat something delicious.”

The baby rabbits cheered at Sejun’s words. The rabbit couple also crossed their arms in the back and waited happily.

After waiting a bit, the smell of burnt roasted sweet potato began to waft.

The baby rabbits began to worry that the sweet potato was burning.

But Sejun didn’t get impatient. Timing was important from here on out. If he took it out too early, only the outside would be cooked, and if he took it out too late, the outside would be completely burnt.

Sejun carefully watched and waited for the smell to ripen.

Sejun quickly took the green onion leaves wrapped around the sweet potato out of the fireplace and peeled off the blackened green onion leaves.

Then, he saw the sweet potato with a slightly scorched bottom.

Sejun carefully poked the sweet potato with a fishbone. Smoothly, the fishbone went all the way to the center of the sweet potato.

‘It’s done! Perfect!’

Sejun grinned and used the fishbone like chopsticks to lift the roasted sweet potato onto a clean green onion leaf.

Then, he cut the green onion leaf into small pieces and began to peel the skin of the roasted sweet potato, holding onto the end.

“Ouch, it’s hot!”

The roasted sweet potato was so hot that his hands peeling the skin were burning, but he endured it, thinking about the sweet potato he would soon eat.

Each time he peeled the skin, precious sweet potato stuck to it and fell off.

‘I’ll have to eat these later by myself.’

Sejun secretly gathered the sweet potato skins in one place without anyone noticing.

The baby rabbits had already smelled it and were grabbing the sweet potato skins one by one, diligently licking the sweet potato stuck to them.

‘Smart little ones.’

He was impressed by the rabbits’ actions, learning on their own without being taught. It turned out they were genius rabbits who knew heat without being taught.

As the baby rabbits snatched the skins, Sejun peeled all but the end of the sweet potato.

Seeing the hot steam rising from the roasted sweet potato, revealing its yellow flesh, made him smile involuntarily.

The baby rabbits, who had eaten the skins so clean that they were spotless, were clamoring for sweet potato.

“Alright.”

Sejun cut the roasted sweet potato into small pieces on each of their leaf plates. Sharing the sweet potato meant they wouldn’t get the strength-boosting effect.

However…

I don’t care.

As it was the first crop he had harvested, he wanted to eat it with his family. With so many mouths to feed, the amount each of them got was small.

“No!”

The baby rabbits were taken aback when Sejun stopped them from eating the roasted sweet potato in front of them.

“We have to eat together. Bring your parents.”

At Sejun’s words, the baby rabbits ran off and brought the rabbit couple as if carrying them.

Everyone sat down in front of their leaf plates.

“Alright, let’s eat!”

The rabbits put the roasted sweet potato in their mouths and hastily spat it out. It seemed they thought it had cooled down because there was no steam.

“Heh heh heh. You have to cool it down before eating. Hoo. Hoo.”

Sejun showed them how to cool the roasted sweet potato by blowing on it sufficiently.

The rabbits also blew on the sweet potato, following Sejun’s example.

“Shall we try eating it now?”

Sejun took a large bite of the roasted sweet potato, and the hot steam filled with sweetness spread in his mouth. As expected, the inside of the sweet potato was still hot.

But Sejun had an advanced skill.

“Huff. Huff.”

Sejun cooled the sweet potato with the air in his mouth, rolling it around. Of course, the downside was that it looked a bit undignified.

Having given up on appearances, Sejun carefully chewed the cooled sweet potato. The butternut sweet potato mashed softly. It felt like it was already splitting and making way before Sejun even used his teeth. And finally, the sweetness he had been waiting for exploded. It was as if the whole world turned yellow.

‘It’s heavenly.’

Of course, it would have been better with milk and kimchi, but it wasn’t lacking as it was.

Rather, because there were no other distractions, he could focus on the pure sweetness of the butternut sweet potato. The butternut sweet potato competed fairly with just its sweetness, but it was never boring or tiresome.

“It was a good match.”

Sejun had already peeled and eaten it clean.

‘If anyone ever looks down on sweet potatoes as famine food in the future, I’ll have to say something. Sweet potatoes are good competitors.’

Sejun got up from his seat, lost in thought.

His stomach made a noise.

“Why?”

He felt like he had eaten a lot, but his stomach was complaining that it was empty.

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, all he had eaten in the morning was one cherry tomato and a little bit of roasted sweet potato.

It was natural to be hungry.

The baby rabbits began to whine from hunger.

The rabbit couple hurriedly broke off green onions and grilled them over the fire, preparing breakfast.

“Wait a little bit.”

Sejun also brought cherry tomatoes from the storage and gave them to the babies one by one, then ran to the pond to catch piranhas.

Thanks to the cherry tomatoes, the baby rabbits quieted down.

And so, the 4th Blue Moon passed without any major incidents.