Chapter 12 of 100
Chapter 12. Proposing a Partnership.
8 min read1,899 words
Chapter 12. Proposing a Partnership.
[The Seed Shop is now open.]
[Three types of seeds for sale today are randomly displayed.]
[At this level, you can only purchase seeds once.]
The seeds appeared.
[10 Watermelon Seeds - 5 Tower Coins]
[50 Butternut Squash Seeds - 1 Tower Coin]
[200 Sweet Corn Seeds - 0.5 Tower Coins]
The prices of these seeds were very different from the ones that appeared last time.
Sejun had only 0.9 Tower Coins. The only thing he could buy was the sweet corn seeds.
'If they're this expensive, I won't be able to buy anything next time...'
But there was no way to increase his money here.
Hunters have three ways to earn Tower Coins in the tower. There might be other methods, but Sejun didn't know them.
The first way to earn Tower Coins is by clearing a floor and receiving the clear reward. Although the amount earned at once is large, since the clear reward can only be received once per floor, it doesn't make up a significant portion of the actual income hunters earn.
The second way is by hunting monsters. Hunters can sell monster corpses to wandering merchants who roam the tower or to the shop on the first floor to earn Tower Coins. Since this can provide a steady income, it is the main source of income for hunters.
The third way is by completing quests and receiving rewards. Quest rewards vary widely, making it difficult to describe them.
For Sejun, clearing a floor was out of the question since he couldn't even leave the cave, and even if he did, his chances of surviving among the vicious monsters were low.
Hunting monsters was also out of the question since, except for the piranhas he ate for meals, the rest were family. Moreover, there was no place to sell the fish bones, and he doubted he could sell them even if there was.
Crunch. Crunch.
Recently, the rabbits had been drying the piranha bones in the sun and using them as snacks. Sejun tried them too, and the crunchy texture and the increasingly savory taste as he chewed made him keep reaching for more.
Thus, the only remaining way for Sejun to earn Tower Coins was...
'The almost extortionate quests given by the tower's manager...'
So after the seed shop transaction, when he asked the tower's manager for Tower Coins as a quest completion reward...
[The tower's manager says he doesn't know what that is but will give it to him when he grows up.]
He said something strange. The tower's manager doesn't know what Tower Coins are? Does that even make sense?! And "when he grows up"...
"How old are you?"
Sejun calmed down and asked.
[The tower's manager says it's a secret.]
"Then how many years will it take to grow up?"
[The tower's manager says about 300 years.]
"...Are you kidding?! So I have to record all the Tower Coins I earn and pass them down through generations until my seventh descendant receives them?! And I can't even have descendants right now!"
[......]
Sejun grumbled and got angry, and the manager ran away again. He disappears when it's difficult to answer. So Sejun gave up on earning Tower Coins here.
"Sigh. Thinking about it makes me angry again."
Sejun calmed down and looked at the seeds in the seed shop again.
The only thing he could buy was the sweet corn.
"Corn isn't bad, though."
It's delicious whether boiled or grilled. Plus, it can be ground into flour to make bread-like food.
"Slurp..."
Just imagining eating boiled corn made Sejun's mouth water. Indeed, the known taste is more tempting.
"Great! Sweet corn!"
Sejun bought the sweet corn seeds.
[200 Sweet Corn Seeds purchased.]
[0.5 Tower Coins deducted from Park Sejun's Seed Bank account.]
[5 Seed Shop Mileage points earned.]
[Thank you for using the Seed Shop.]
[You can use the Seed Shop Level 1 again after 30 days.]
A leather pouch containing 200 sweet corn seeds appeared in Sejun's hand. The pouch was indeed the most luxurious.
When Sejun opened the high-quality leather pouch and poured the seeds into his hand,
Rustle.
The shiny sweet corn seeds spilled out.
Squeak!
Squeak!
Squeak!
The rabbits saw the shiny sweet corn seeds and ran to the field.
They started tilling the field where the leek seeds collected from the leek flowers in the morning were planted, as if urging him to plant quickly.
[The tower's manager is excited.]
[The tower's manager is urging you to plant quickly.]
"I'll plant them even if you don't say anything."
You ask a lot without giving any rewards. Although the tower's manager was annoying, he was the only one Sejun could have a proper conversation with.
Sejun went to the field the rabbits were preparing and started planting the corn seeds.
[200 Sweet Corn Seeds planted.]
[The probability of the seeds taking root increases due to the effect of Seed Sowing Level 2.]
[The proficiency of Seed Sowing Level 2 increases slightly.]
...
..
.
This was a task he had done thousands of times, and since the number of sweet corn seeds was small, planting them was done quickly.
Swish.
The father rabbit and the baby rabbits, each holding a watering can, took turns watering the field carefully, and the planting of the sweet corn was completed before bedtime.
Thanks to this, he could go to bed on time without staying up all night.
***
Day 128 of the Stranding.
While eating breakfast and doing morning chores with the white rabbits,
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The black rabbit was practicing by hitting the cave wall with a hammer. No matter how many times he hit it, the wall remained intact.
It's unclear if this was effective, but the black rabbit's efforts to help the family were endearing.
While everyone was doing their own tasks,
Buzz.
The venomous bees came to work. They arrived earlier than usual, and recently they had been spending more time here.
Buzz.
"Come on in."
The venomous bee rubbed its body against Sejun's face while he was harvesting cherry tomatoes, marking its attendance, and then sat on a flower to start collecting nectar.
After some time,
Squeak.
The wife rabbit started preparing lunch by putting dry leek leaves into the fire.
"Black rabbit!"
Squeak!
The black rabbit ran over at Sejun's call.
"It's hunting time!"
Squeak!
The black rabbit shouted bravely, picked up its hammer, and ran to the pond.
Squeak! Squeak!
At the pond, the black rabbit got into a hunting stance and urged Sejun to hurry. It seemed eager to show the results of its training.
"Got it."
Encouraged by the black rabbit, Sejun quickly went to the pond, picked up a torch, and waved it over the water.
Splash!
The piranhas, sensing the movement, immediately jumped up.
Jump.
Bang!
The black rabbit's hammer, honed through repeated training, cleanly hit the piranha's body, sending it flying out of the water.
And
Thud.
Using the recoil, the black rabbit landed perfectly outside the pond.
At first, Sejun had to save the black rabbit from falling into the water a few times... It was very proud.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Sejun clapped and praised the black rabbit.
Squeak!
Encouraged by Sejun's praise, the rabbit got back into position. The black rabbit's passion was burning.
Thanks to the black rabbit's burning passion, they had a very generous fish fry for lunch. Everyone ate more than usual, but there were still five fish left.
Squeak...
Squeak...
Squeak...
The rabbits, unable to eat any more, lay on the ground with their bellies sticking out.
"Ah, I'm full."
Sejun, unable to eat any more, put down the fish fry he was eating.
At that moment,
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Water droplets fell from Sejun's hand.
"What?!"
Could it be a monster?!
Sejun quickly looked up.
"Huh? A cat?!"
Through a hole in the cave ceiling, a yellow cheese cat was drooling and staring intently at the fish fry.
Squeak!
Squeak!
The rabbits quickly ran into the cave,
Jump. Jump.
Squeak!
The black rabbit, a warrior, climbed onto Sejun's shoulder and got ready to attack the cat.
And
Buzz.
The venomous bee also prepared for battle, extending a sharp stinger from its tail.
"Ah! Please don't misunderstand! I'm not a shameless cat who came to steal food!"
The cat, distracted by the fish fry, quickly regained its senses and waved its front paws, shouting.
"Then why are you here?"
"Are you Mr. Park Sejun?"
"Uh, I'm Park Sejun. Why?"
Jump.
Spin. Spin. Spin.
Thud.
The cat leaped from the hole, did a triple somersault in the air, and landed gracefully.
"Hello. I'm Theo, a wandering merchant."
Theo knelt on one knee, placed one hand on his chest, and introduced himself impressively.
"A wandering merchant?"
Sejun looked at Theo curiously. He had heard that you might encounter them while climbing the tower, but he had never heard of a cat wandering merchant.
"Yes. I heard a new member joined the Seed Shop, so I came to greet and do some business."
While talking to Sejun, Theo kept glancing at the fish fry. The strong smell of fish was clouding his judgment.
'Theo! No! Don't lose your mind!'
Theo tried to shake his head and regain his senses, but
Rumble.
His body was honest.
"Ah! I'm sorry."
Theo quickly apologized to Sejun. To make such a mistake in front of a potential customer!
"It's okay. If you haven't eaten, do you want to have some of this fish fry?"
"It's fine."
"Anyway, this is leftover. You can have it."
"Then... Can I have one?"
Theo cautiously picked up a piece of fish fry and put it in his mouth.
Slurp.
The fish fry melted in his mouth as soon as he put it in.
"Delicious!"
After shouting that, he lost his memory. When he regained his senses, Theo was busy licking fish bones. The area was filled with fish bones. He had eaten all five pieces of fish fry.
The rabbits and the bee looked at Theo pitifully.
And Sejun was smiling brightly.
"Now, let's start the transaction. Let's settle the fish fry first."
From the moment Theo started talking about the transaction, Sejun had a feeling. This guy is a pushover.
"Huh?"
Theo was taken aback by Sejun's words.
"Didn't I give it to you for free?"
"Where is there such a thing as free in this world? You said you came to do business, right?"
'I got tricked.'
Theo realized his mistake too late.
So Theo agreed to pay 0.5 Tower Coins for the five pieces of fish fry, and the transaction began.
He was supposed to take money from the customer but ended up giving it. Starting a business at a loss.
'I will definitely sell!'
Theo resolved and laid out his goods from his backpack.
"Ta-da! How about it? These are fresh items from other floors."
Sejun looked at the items Theo confidently took out.
[Tumbler - 5 Tower Coins]
[Mini Fan - 3 Tower Coins]
[Portable Hand Warmer - 5 Tower Coins]
"Are these items from outside the tower?"
"Wow! You're sharp! This tumbler has a preservation spell on it. If you put hot or cold things in it, the temperature is maintained. It's an amazing item!"
"And this mini fan has a wind spell enchanted on it.