Chapter 46: Harvesting Potatoes

After the decision was made on how to handle the wolves, Sejun and the rabbits went down to the cave to prepare breakfast. Then,

"Follow me, nya!"

Téo led the wolves around, introducing Sejun’s farm as if it were his own.

"This is the leek field, nya! And this is..."

However, Téo’s explanation soon came to a halt. The green sprouts all looked similar to him.

As Téo’s explanation faltered,

"Kweh!"

Kweh stepped forward and informed them. They had planted peanuts there!

Having played near the fields every day, Kweh knew exactly what was planted where.

"This is the peanut field, nya!"

While Téo received Kweh’s support and explained the fields to the wolves,

"Let’s eat breakfast."

Sejun, who had prepared breakfast, called everyone over.

The original breakfast menu was supposed to be leeks and cherry tomatoes... but after hearing from the black rabbit that there were other carcasses besides the giant electric eel, Sejun suggested that the wolves eat piranhas and crayfish.

In truth, Sejun really wanted to eat something substantial. He had also gained some knowledge on how to bring the carcasses more easily after fetching the eel meat yesterday.

The black rabbit had gone down with several ropes, tying up the dead piranhas, crayfish, and eel meat, so Sejun could pull them up like fishing.

Thanks to the low water temperature, the carcasses had not rotted and were still delicious. Of course, they had to eat the detoxifying leeks.

After finishing their hearty breakfast, Sejun and the rabbits started the morning farming.

Then,

"Téo, put the leek leaves in the basket."

Téo was tasked with putting the leek leaves in the basket. There was a place to take the leek leaves.

"Got it, nya! Wolves, follow me, nya!"

"Yes, Manager Téo."

The wolves, who had eaten their fill for the first time in a while, moved enthusiastically at Téo’s command. Téo, following Sejun’s instructions, led the wolves and filled the basket with leek leaves.

Meanwhile,

Swoosh. Swoosh.

Sejun quickly harvested the cherry tomatoes.

Then,

[You have harvested 9 fully ripe magical cherry tomatoes simultaneously.]

[Your job experience has increased slightly.]

[Your job experience has maxed out.]

[Your Tower Farmer (D) rank has increased.]

[You have become a Tower Farmer (C).]

Sejun’s job rank had increased.

"Great."

Sejun was delighted that he could now harvest more delicious C-grade crops.

[Your job rank has increased, enhancing your job traits.]

[Your new trait, 'Friend of Nature,' has awakened due to your affinity with nature.]

"Huh? A new trait has awakened?!"

Sejun was greatly surprised by the message about the awakened trait. He had never heard of a hunter awakening a new trait besides their original one.

Of course, there were hunters like Sejun who awakened new traits, but they kept it hidden, so Sejun, as a civilian, had never encountered such a case.

[Your Harvesting skill proficiency at level 4 has increased slightly.]

[Your Harvesting skill proficiency at level 4 has increased by 5% due to the level 1 proficiency boost.]

[You have gained 208 experience points.]

As Sejun hurried to check his new trait,

[Relic: Saint Patrick’s Straw Hat has detected your job rank increase.]

[Your Tower Farmer (C) rank has been confirmed.]

[Relic: Saint Patrick’s Straw Hat has increased to rank C.]

[The C-rank limit has been lifted.]

[The limit on the skill - Earth’s Blessing (level 4) has been lifted.]

[The limit on the skill - Farmer’s Body (level 3) has been lifted.]

[The limit on the skill - Bountiful Harvest (level 2) has been lifted.]

[The skill - Growth Promotion (level 1) has been unlocked.]

A lot had changed with just one rank increase.

Sejun checked his new trait again.

[Trait: Friend of Nature]

- A trait that significantly increases your affinity with nature.

- Communication with plants and animals that do not share a common language becomes smoother upon contact.

"Communication becomes smoother upon contact?"

As Sejun approached Kweh, who was playing alone on the ground,

Kweh?

Kweh tilted her head, wondering what was happening, and looked at Sejun. Why?

Snap.

Sejun grabbed Kweh’s front paw.

Kweh?

[Daddy, are you going to play with me?]

Kweh’s cries began to translate into words.

"Wow, that’s amazing!"

Sejun was surprised by the new trait but paused. Daddy? To someone who isn’t even married?! Isn’t that the problem? We’re different species!

Sejun decided to explain to Kweh later, taking his time. If he tried to explain that he wasn’t her daddy and Kweh got upset and hit him, he would die.

People often think of their pets as children. Sejun thought he just had a slightly larger pet bear. He wasn’t rationalizing it to stay alive. It couldn’t be.

After confirming his new trait, Sejun checked the skills of Saint Patrick’s Straw Hat.

Earth’s Blessing now slightly to moderately increased mental recovery, Farmer’s Body increased all stats from 3 to 5, and Bountiful Harvest expanded the area of a bountiful harvest from 100 to 300 square meters.

And the new skill, Growth Promotion.

[Growth Promotion (Level 1)]

Active Skill

Promotes the growth of 10 crops for one week without side effects.

Cooldown: 10 days

The ability to promote the growth of crops for a week! Sejun thought of the potato field that was almost ready to harvest. If he used the skill on the potato field?

Today’s lunch will be steamed potatoes!

Sejun hurried to the potato field.

Then,

"Is this how you use it? Growth Promotion."

Sejun, using the active skill for the first time, awkwardly extended his hand and used the skill on the potato field.

[You have used Growth Promotion (Level 1).]

[The growth of 10 potatoes has been promoted for one week.]

Light shone on 10 potato plants near Sejun.

Although the appearance didn’t change much,

Crack.

The sound of potatoes growing in the ground could be heard.

Sejun waited a moment, then pulled the nearest potato plant to harvest the potatoes.

Thud.

Fist-sized potatoes dangled from the plant.

[You have harvested 20 fully ripe Power Potatoes simultaneously.]

[Your job experience has increased slightly.]

[Your Harvesting skill proficiency at level 4 has increased slightly.]

[Your Harvesting skill proficiency at level 4 has increased by 5% due to the level 1 proficiency boost.]

[You have gained 600 experience points.]

Fortunately, the potatoes had grown well.

"Power Potatoes?"

Sejun checked the options of the harvested potatoes.

[Power Potatoes]

Potatoes grown inside the tower, rich in nutrients and delicious.

Cultivated by an experienced farmer, improving taste and efficiency.

Consuming them decomposes 30g of fat in the body, increasing strength by 0.5 for 10 minutes.

Up to 10 can be consumed within an hour for cumulative effects.

For non-awakened individuals, consuming them decomposes 30g of fat and enhances the above functions.

Cultivator: Tower Farmer Park Sejun

Expiry Date: 90 days

Grade: C

Thanks to Sejun’s job rank increasing to C, a new line was added to the options: "Cultivated by an experienced farmer, improving taste and efficiency."

The efficiency improvement also increased the stat gain from decomposing 30g of fat from 0.3 to 0.5.

"Even low-level hunters might be interested in this."

With D-grade crops, eating 10 would only increase stats by 2, but now it would increase by 5. That’s enough to create the stats needed to equip a level 5 item at level 1. But that wasn’t the most important thing right now.

"We don’t have much to eat."

Sejun thought he would sell the potatoes to hunters later when the harvest was larger and quickly harvested the rest of the potatoes.

The option for enhanced functions wasn’t a big concern for Sejun, who digested easily, so he quickly forgot about it.

In total, he harvested 197 potatoes.

"Humming."

Sejun whistled while washing the potatoes. He lined the bottom of three pots with leek leaves, filled them with potatoes, and started steaming them. He wrapped the remaining potatoes in leek leaves to make baked potatoes for a quick meal.

While the potatoes were cooking, Sejun hurried to the pond and pulled a rope tied to a branch stuck in the ground.

He was preparing to grill eels for the mother Crimson Giant Bear to eat.

Soon, the eel meat chunks came up the rope, pre-cut and tied by the black rabbit.

Snap!

As Sejun pulled the rope, the black rabbit, who was patrolling the pond with a piece of the giant electric eel, came out. The black rabbit had come out to help after realizing Sejun was preparing lunch.

Sejun and the black rabbit grilled the eels.

Then,

Clatter. Clatter.

Steam started to escape from under the pot lids.

"Are they done?"

Sejun opened a pot lid and poked a potato with a stick he had whittled.

Poke. Slide.

The stick easily pierced the potato. The steamed potatoes were ready.

And,

Roar.

The mother Crimson Giant Bear, who had just finished patrolling, returned.

"Let’s eat lunch!"

At Sejun’s call, the animals gathered around the cave.

Sejun first placed the grilled eels on a plate and gave them to the mother Crimson Giant Bear.

Then, he carried the steamed and baked potatoes wrapped in leek leaves to the ground and placed them in the center where the animals were sitting in a circle.

"Be careful, they’re hot."

The rabbits started to grab and cool the potatoes.

But the mother and baby Crimson Giant Bears and the two Black Minotaurs grabbed several hot potatoes at once and stuffed them in their mouths.

Chomp. Chomp.

Smoke was coming out of their mouths, but they swallowed the potatoes without any trouble and grabbed more. They were scary...

At such times, monsters were indeed monsters. As Sejun watched the voracious monsters eating the hot potatoes, the potatoes quickly disappeared.

"Huh?!"

Sejun quickly gathered two steamed and two baked potatoes for himself.

Then,

"Whoa. Whoa."

He blew on the steamed potato and carefully peeled the skin. After peeling about half of it,

Mmm.

Sejun took a bite of the potato.

"Ouch. It’s hot."

Although it was hot, he didn’t spit it out. Instead, he chewed it while cooling it in his mouth.

"Mmm. So delicious!"

Sejun was thrilled by the fluffy texture of the potato. In no time, he finished one steamed potato and peeled another, this time dipping it in salt.

Sejun usually liked to dip steamed potatoes in sugar, but he was disappointed that there was no sugar.

"Mmm. Delicious."

Dipping it in salt was also good.

After the warm and cozy lunch, which was like the potatoes, was over,

"Manager Téo, the leek leaves?"

"Filled to the brim, nya!"

In response to Sejun’s question, Téo, who had learned it from somewhere, saluted and answered.

"Shall we go a bit further to digest? Wuchansam, lead us to the Horse King."

Sejun decided to go to a place far from the cave for the first time to claim the reward for the Horse King’s meal.

When Téo relayed Sejun’s words to Wuchansam,

Neigh?

Wuchansam, who had just remembered the Horse King’s instructions, was startled.

"Just bringing some leek leaves and having a chat."

Sejun didn’t tell Wuchansam about the Horse King’s meal-stealing yet. He could use this to gain an advantage in negotiations, so there was no reason to give it up.

Neigh!

Wuchansam was delighted at Sejun’s words. By leading Sejun, he would ultimately fulfill the Horse King’s orders.

Neigh!

Wuchansam happily agreed to lead Sejun to the Horse King.

On the 208th day of being stranded, Sejun finally left the cave to tackle the boss of the 99th floor of the tower.