Chapter 18 of 100
Chapter 18: Obtaining the Beekeeping Skill
8 min read1,979 words
Sejun steeled his resolve.
I'll make this place my home!
With this determination, Sejun roasted the remaining piranhas to give to Theo.
Sizzle. Sizzle.
As he watched the fire burn, he thought to himself.
‘What do I need to live well and eat well?’
He didn’t plan to use the tower coins even if they appeared, thinking he would be rescued by hunters soon.
Therefore, he didn’t try to increase anything other than the crops and the cave family.
However, now that he had decided to settle here, he thought he should gradually fix the inconveniences and explore the area around the cave.
“Theo, are there any monsters near the cave?”
“No, there aren’t any nearby!”
Theo answered brightly as Sejun’s mood improved.
“But there are some a bit further away!”
“What kind of monsters?”
“Crimson Giant Bears.”
“Crimson Giant Bears?”
For some reason, he thought of the red-furred monster that had tried to attack the cave during the third Blue Moon.
“They’re really scary. They glare at me every time I pass by.”
Theo shivered as he spoke.
Indeed, leaving the cave was still dangerous.
“But things will be different in about a month.”
Sejun felt a sense of grandeur as he looked at the 732 bell tomatoes growing vigorously.
Soon, thousands of flowers will bloom on the bell tomato plants. And as the number of flowers increases, the queen of the venomous bees will lay more eggs, and the number of venomous bees will significantly increase.
“If that happens...”
In a month, with the increased number of venomous bees patrolling around the cave, he could create a safe zone where monsters couldn’t approach.
“And if I use the leaves to make strings to make the venomous bees fly...”
Sejun, thinking of ways to leave the cave, grabbed his stomach.
Fortunately, thanks to the magic bell tomatoes that had broken down his fat, he had no belly fat.
“Theo, then this time...”
Sejun gave a few instructions to Theo, who was leaving again to trade.
“Got it! Just trust me!”
Theo, having received a major task, went back down the tower.
***
Day 153 of being stranded, the morning came after Theo left yesterday.
“Yawn.”
Unlike usual, Sejun woke up yawning, having not slept well due to his troubled mind.
Squeak!
Squeak!
Squeak!
Squeak!
The rabbits came out of their burrows in a line, greeting the morning.
“Right. Good morning.”
Buzz.
The venomous bees also came out of the hive and started their morning routine. Their wing sounds were more energetic than usual, and their size was now almost the same as adult venomous bees.
“They’ve grown up.”
The venomous bees truly grew rapidly.
Sejun ate breakfast with the rabbits and started his work.
Tap. Tap.
While Sejun was harvesting bell tomatoes as usual,
[You have harvested a well-ripened magic bell tomato.]
[Your job experience has increased slightly.]
[Your Harvesting Level 2 proficiency has increased slightly.]
[You have gained 12 experience points.]
“Is this a plus grade?”
Sejun checked the experience points of the other bell tomatoes. Out of the bell tomatoes harvested today, five were already plus grade.
[Magic Bell Tomato]
A bell tomato grown inside the tower, it is delicious due to its sufficient nutrition.
When consumed, it breaks down 10g of fat in the body and increases magic power by 0.1 for 10 minutes.
The effect can be stacked up to 10 times within an hour.
When consumed by a non-awakened person, it breaks down 10g of fat and gives the body vitality.
Cultivator: Tower Farmer Park Sejun
Expiry Date: 45 days
Grade: E+
The only improvement with the plus grade was the extended shelf life.
However, thinking about it differently, the extended shelf life of crops was a significant advantage.
“Since it can be stored longer.”
Crunch.
Sejun put a bell tomato in his mouth.
Squish.
The sweet and sour juice filled his mouth.
“Mmm. Good.”
It wasn’t the bland taste from the supermarket. Not knowing the taste of freshly picked bell tomatoes for 27 years was truly a pity.
Squeak!
Seeing Sejun eating alone, the black rabbit ran over and pointed at itself with its finger. Me too!
“Alright. Let’s take a short break!”
Sejun gave the black rabbit a bell tomato and shared the harvest with the other rabbits.
Suck. Suck. Suck.
The rabbits started to suck on the bell tomatoes one by one.
“I want to drink too...”
Sejun looked enviously at the rabbits.
“Ah!”
Sejun had a sudden idea and got up.
He brought a tumbler and started squeezing the bell tomato juice.
Squirt! Squirt!
After squeezing about 50 bell tomatoes, he got enough for one sip.
Swallow.
The rich juice of the bell tomato filled his mouth.
“Mmm!”
Sejun squeezed another 50 bell tomatoes into the tumbler.
And
Swirl.
This time, he added a swirl of honey.
Another shot.
“Mmm!”
The sweet and sour taste, combined with the heavy body of the honey, created a smooth blend of flavors, filling the gap between the sour and sweet notes.
“Delicious.”
At that moment, all his worries disappeared.
Squeak!
Squeak!
Squeak!
The rabbits, seeing Sejun’s face, offered their bell tomatoes. Honey, please!
“Alright.”
Sejun carefully dropped a drop of honey on each bell tomato to prevent it from dripping.
Suck. Suck. Suck.
The rabbits’ eyes widened as they ate the bell tomatoes with honey. They had discovered a new flavor combination.
At that moment, the tower manager, who had been watching, sent a message.
[A new quest has appeared.]
[Quest: Treat the tower manager with a glass of honey-infused magic bell tomato juice that you drank!]
Reward: One job skill
If refused: Very disappointed
“I need to work now...”
He was just taking a break. It was time to get back to work.
“I’ll give it to you later.”
[The tower manager requests to feel like he’s drinking it together.]
[The tower manager emphasizes that the skill he will give as a reward for this quest is a good one.]
“Really?”
[The tower manager loudly insists that you should trust him.]
“Alright.”
Though not entirely trustworthy, he decided to trust him.
Sejun squeezed 100 bell tomatoes into the tumbler and added honey.
[The tower manager flutters his wings, very curious about the taste.]
‘Is it that good?’
He had wings. Sejun learned another fact about the tower manager.
“Here you go.”
Sejun sent the bell tomato juice to the tower manager, and the juice in the tumbler disappeared.
[The tower manager praises the juice, saying it’s delicious.]
[Quest completed.]
[As a reward for completing the quest, you have obtained a special job skill: Beekeeping Level 1.]
“Special job skill?”
[Special job skill - Beekeeping Level 1 registers the venomous bee hives owned by the skill user.]
[The number of hives that can be registered with Special job skill - Beekeeping Level 1 is full.]
The venomous bee hive in Sejun’s cave was automatically registered to his Beekeeping skill.
“What is this?”
Sejun checked the details of the Beekeeping skill.
[Special job skill - Beekeeping Level 1]
- Allows beekeeping if you own a hive.
- The bees in the owned hives do not attack the owner.
- You can give more specific instructions to the bees in the owned hives.
- The activity range of the bees in the owned hives increases slightly.
- The egg-laying speed of the queen bee increases slightly.
- The honey collection speed of the bees increases slightly.
- The pollination probability increases slightly.
- Currently owned hives (1/1): Venomous bee hive
“Oh.”
He was worried if the venomous bees would understand and follow his instructions to patrol outside, but this skill seemed to alleviate that concern.
The skill effects were indeed minor, but the good thing was that it applied to many aspects.
And although it was minor now, it felt like a seed that would grow into a big fruit later.
“Thank you.”
Sejun said to the tower manager.
[The tower manager requests another glass of honey-infused magic bell tomato juice if you are grateful.]
“I need to work now. I’ll give it to you in the evening.”
[The tower manager says he understands and licks the juice off the cup.]
Sejun started harvesting bell tomatoes again.
***
[You have obtained 1mL of honey from bell tomato flowers.]
[The proficiency of Beekeeping Level 1 has increased slightly.]
[You have obtained 1mL of honey from bell tomato flowers.]
[The proficiency of Beekeeping Level 1 has increased slightly.]
...
..
.
Messages appeared each time the venomous bees added honey to the water bottle Sejun had fixed with soil to prevent it from falling.
“Good job.”
Sejun smiled as he read the messages.
At that moment,
Buzz. Buzz.
Five new baby venomous bees appeared from the hive. Thanks to the skill effect, the baby venomous bees didn’t draw their stingers even though they were seeing Sejun for the first time.
And
Buzz. Buzz.
The baby venomous bees started to suck honey, following the almost fully grown venomous bees. As a result, the honey production increased by about 20mL.
Although it was a small amount, the situation in the cave was gradually improving.
Sejun watched the baby venomous bees working hard with a satisfied smile when
Squeak!!
Squeak!!
Squeak! Squeak!
Excited rabbits gathered in the carrot field and called Sejun. The reason the rabbits were excited in the carrot field was obvious: carrots.
“Are the carrots ready?”
When Sejun went to the carrot field, a few carrots were ready to be pulled, their orange bodies visible above the soil. It was finally time to harvest the carrots.
Squeak!
Squeak!
Squeak!
The rabbits puffed out their hot breath and looked at Sejun. Their intense gaze said, “We’re ready! Ready to eat!”
“Alright.”
Snap.
Sejun grabbed a carrot stem and pulled it up, and an orange carrot came out smoothly. This carrot was thinner than the ones harvested during the Blue Moon but was still a good carrot, about the thickness of three fingers.
[You have harvested an Agility Carrot.]
[Your job experience has increased slightly.]
[The proficiency of Harvesting Level 2 has increased slightly.]
[You have gained 10 experience points.]
Sejun checked the options of the carrot.
[Agility Carrot]
A carrot grown inside the tower, it is delicious due to its sufficient nutrition.
When consumed, it breaks down 10g of fat in the body and increases agility by 0.1 for 10 minutes.
The effect can be stacked up to 10 times within an hour.
When consumed by a non-awakened person, it breaks down 10g of fat and improves vision.
Cultivator: Tower Farmer Park Sejun
Expiry Date: 30 days
Grade: E
“Here.”
Sejun gave the carrots to the rabbits after checking the options.
Shake. Shake.
The rabbits shook their heads, offering the carrots to Sejun. They had already eaten the carrots with Blue Moon energy first, so it seemed they felt guilty about eating these first.
But
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Drooling, they said...
“Eat first. I can eat later.”
When Sejun insisted,
Squeak!
Squeak!
Squeak!
The rabbits bowed in unison and took the carrots from Sejun’s hands.
Do they really need to bow?
Sejun quickly pulled out the carrots and gave them to the rabbits one by one.
Chomp. Chomp.
The rabbits held the carrots in their paws and started eating enthusiastically. Their faces were full of smiles, showing how delicious the carrots were.
Sejun, watching the happy rabbits, washed a carrot, wiped off the dirt, and took a bite.
Chomp.
A crisp sound accompanied the unique flavor of the carrot spreading in his mouth.
And
Crunch. Crunch.
The sweetness that came with each bite was delicious.
Squeak?
The black rabbit, holding its carrot, sat next to Sejun and asked, “Delicious, right?”
“Yeah.”
Sejun nodded and gave a thumbs up.
On Day 153 of being stranded, he could now eat carrots every day.