Multi-story Farming

Slurp, slurp.

Munch, munch.

"Um?"

Sejun woke up to the sound of something being eaten and hurriedly checked beside him.

"It's not here…"

The baby bear, which should have been sleeping next to him, was nowhere to be seen. Sejun had a hunch about who was making the eating noise. The baby bear seemed to have woken up hungry and started eating something.

As Sejun got up from his spot and headed towards the source of the sound,

Bang!

Whoosh, whoosh.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The black rabbit rushed out of the burrow and swung its hammer at the food thief as punishment.

Kueeeng?

Confused and crying, the baby bear didn't understand why the black rabbit, which had treated it well until yesterday, was hitting it. Big Brother, why are you doing this?

However,

Bang!

The black rabbit showed no mercy. Who dared to touch their storage?

Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang!

The white rabbits also came out and surrounded the baby bear, stomping the ground with their feet to express their displeasure. They were angry that their carefully grown crops were being stolen and eaten without Sejun's permission.

"Don't be too mad. How much can a baby eat… Huh?!"

The first thing Sejun noticed was that the baby bear had grown to the size of a medium-sized dog. Considering that it was the size of a small dog just yesterday, its growth rate was astonishing.

And the thought that followed,

How much would it have to eat to grow so fast?

Sejun hurriedly checked the storage.

"…!"

The storage was significantly empty. About a third of the stored sweet potatoes and carrots had disappeared. The fact that the cherry tomatoes hadn't been touched somehow felt more irritating.

Kueeeng!

As soon as the baby bear saw Sejun, it rushed towards him, expecting him to protect it and asking to be hugged.

Thud.

It felt much heavier than yesterday, and its strength was completely different.

"Did bears always grow this fast?"

Sejun worried that having the bear around would eventually cause problems in their cave. It might even eat them if it got hungry enough. He suddenly felt a sense of crisis.

And there was one more being that felt the same sense of crisis.

[The tower administrator is surprised why there's a baby Crimson Giant Bear here.]

[The tower administrator says that baby Crimson Giant Bears are gluttonous creatures that can easily eat 100kg a day if there's enough food.]

The tower administrator was annoyed. Human's food storage was being plundered.

They had been struggling to establish connections with the humans and were barely receiving anything in return…

Of course, making connections with this human was quite satisfying.

However…

A baby Crimson Giant Bear stealing food from human storage was unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable!

[The tower administrator is furious at the baby Crimson Giant Bear.]

[A quest has been generated.]

[Quest: Drive the baby Crimson Giant Bear out of the cave!]

Reward: 1 job skill

Penalty for refusal: Death due to starvation!!!

The tower administrator was so angry that they even a reward was offered.

[The tower administrator urges you to hurry.]

[The tower administrator says that in just a few days, the baby Crimson Giant Bear will grow too big to leave the cave.]

Seojun felt the seriousness in the tower administrator's words. His survival instincts rang an alarm. He needed a plan!

However,

"Uhm…"

He couldn't come up with any ideas.

"Let's have a glass of honey water and think."

He thought that supplying energy to his brain would bring good ideas.

As Seojun picked up his tumbler and walked towards the bottle filled with honey,

Waddle waddle.

The baby bear diligently followed Seojun. Since the rabbits were angry at the bear, the only existence to protect it was the human in front of it.

Gurgle. Gurgle.

While Seojun was putting honey into the tumbler,

Drip. Drip.

The baby bear drooled on the floor, staring at the honey. Seojun's heart softened at the pitiful sight.

"Here."

Seojun poured a little honey on the baby bear's paw.

Munch!

The baby bear finally achieved its purpose of following the sweet scent here.

Slurp.

The ultimate sweetness felt on its tongue was the first time the baby bear had ever tasted such sweetness. Delicious!

Lick lick.

The baby bear hurriedly licked its paw.

Meanwhile, Seojun made honey water and shared it with the rabbits while thinking of a plan to send the baby bear away.

That's when

"Ah! That should work."

Suddenly, an idea to send the baby bear away popped into Seojun's head.

"It really works when energy goes into the brain."

Tap. Tap.

Seojun carefully knocked on the poisonous honeybees' hive with his fingers. The poisonous honeybees were essential for this task.

Buzz buzz.

The bees quickly came out when their hive was disturbed.

"Guys, sorry for waking you up. Please help me."

Buzz buzz.

The bees circled in response to Seojun's words.

"Thank you. Please move this outside."

Seojun pointed to a rope he had woven from leaves to use for escape. He planned to lift the baby bear with it.

"Rabbits, you go up and receive the rope."

Squeak!

Swoosh!

Swish!

The rabbits replied and went up to the hole in the cave ceiling. They would have liked to bring the rope up themselves, but the rope's weight made it impossible to jump out of the cave while carrying it.

Buzz buzz.

Buzz buzz.

Meanwhile, the poisonous honeybees clung to the end of the rope and flew towards the hole in the ceiling.

And then

He tied the other end of the rope around the baby bear's body.

Munch?

The baby bear looked confused as to why it was being tied up.

"Now it's time to go to your mom."

Munch! Munch!

The baby bear started crying at the mention of its mom. It seemed to have just remembered her.

The poisonous honeybees carried the rope up, and the rabbits received it.

"Pull!"

Seojun raised the baby bear's body and shouted with his hands up in the air.

Squeak!

Swoosh!

Swish!

Buzz! Buzz!

The rabbits and the poisonous honeybees joined forces to pull the rope.

However,

...

Slurp. Slurp.

The baby bear just kept licking its paw without moving.

"Let's try it again. This time, we'll pull simultaneously on 'two!' Ready? One! Two!"

Squeak!

Swoosh!

Swish!

Buzz! Buzz!

At Seojun's second count, the rabbits and poisonous honeybees pulled with all their strength.

The baby bear's body moved 5cm.

"It's working!"

"One! Two! One! Two!"

Following Sejun's command, the rabbits and honey bees managed to lift the bear cub, and after an hour, they finally got the cub out of the cave.

[Quest Completed.]

[As a quest reward, you have acquired the Job Skill – Seed Harvesting Lv. 1.]

"Seed Harvesting?"

Sejun checked the skill.

[Job Skill – Seed Harvesting Lv. 1]

→Slightly increases the probability of obtaining better seeds when harvesting crops.

While Sejun was checking the skill,

Peek.

Pah.

The rabbits untied the ropes wrapped around the bear cub's body.

When the rabbits had untied all the ropes,

Kuoooong!

The roar of the mother Crimson Giant Bear, searching for her cub in the distance, echoed.

Kuoong! Kuoong!

The bear cub ran towards its mother, calling for her.

"Phew. You guys did a great job."

Sejun reached out his hand to the rabbits jumping into the hole.

However,

Swish.

The rabbits used their long ears to change direction, avoiding Sejun's hand, stepping on his shoulder or head, and landing on the ground.

And,

Buzz buzz.

The honey bees headed to the cherry tomato field to replenish their energy.

On the 166th day of being stranded, Sejun, the rabbits, and the honey bees protected the cave's food supply and peace from the bear cub that would grow into a fearsome predator.

***

Tower 75th floor, Wandering Merchant Association's Secret Inspection Bureau, Director's Office.

"Agent Jeras, I will give you a new mission."

"Yes!"

After the failed capture of Skaram, Jeras, who had been waiting for a new mission, answered enthusiastically.

"This mission is to investigate a wandering merchant."

"An investigation?"

"Yes. A new wandering merchant's sales have suddenly surged recently, and it's suspicious. Find out what caused the increase in sales."

"Leave it to me!"

"Here is the information of the wandering merchant to investigate. Study it and dispose of it."

"Yes!"

Jeras left the director's office and turned the first page of the document containing information about the subject of his investigation.

"…!"

In the portrait, there was a cat with a bewildered expression. But the face looked quite familiar.

'Could it be?!'

Jeras hurriedly checked the name.

Name: Theo

It was him. The wandering cat merchant who had interfered with his Skaram capture operation.

'Theo! I got you now! I'll expose your corruption!'

Jeras gritted his teeth and moved to dig up Theo's corruption.

***

"Alright!"

As soon as Sejun opened his eyes, he added a line on the cave wall.

It was the morning of the 170th day.

Peep!

Paa!

Peng!

The rabbits came out of the burrow, greeting him in the morning.

"Right. Good morning."

Buzz buzz.

The honeybees also came and rubbed their tails, greeting him in the morning.

Just as Sejun was exchanging morning greetings with the cave family,

Gooeung!

The baby bear poked its head through the ceiling hole. The baby bear, which appeared after 4 days, had grown larger than a large dog.

If they hadn't let the baby bear out then… just thinking about it was dizzying.

However,

Kooeung.

This time, the mother Crimson Giant Bear was with them. The mother Crimson Giant Bear was so big that her body couldn't be seen properly.

"…!"

…!

The flustered Sejun and the rabbits 😫. No matter how hard the black rabbits had hit, calling the mother like this?

Kooeureung.

[The Tower's Administrator conveys that the Crimson Giant Bear wants to feed honey to her cub.]

Fortunately, the Tower's Administrator interpreted the mother Crimson Giant Bear's words.

"Oh?! Honey?"

Fortunately, it seemed the baby bear wasn't here because they hurt.

Kooeureung.

[The Tower's Administrator conveys that the Crimson Giant Bear will protect the surrounding area in exchange for giving honey.]

"Alright."

If the Crimson Giant Bear protects the surroundings, they can secure enough safety when going outside the cave.

As Sejun agreed,

Kooeureureureung.

The mother Crimson Giant Bear growled softly and left the cub behind before leaving the area, as a way of marking its territory.

Gooeung. Gooeung.

The baby bear asked for honey as soon as its mother left.

"Wait."

As Sejun wondered how to give the honey,

"Wait a minute?!"

A good idea came to mind. With that size, the baby bear could lift Sejun, couldn't it?

Sejun had the honeybees give a rope to the baby bear.

And then,

"Pull!"

Gooeueung!

The baby bear effortlessly pulled Sejun up. It was like a baby bear elevator..

Jureureuk.

Climbing up the rope, Sejun looked down. He saw the crops he had grown.

"I'm finally leaving this place."

As the rope went up, Sejun's heart raced with tension and anticipation for the 99th floor of the Tower.

Chuk.

Finally, Sejun stepped onto the ground of the 99th floor.

However,

"What is this?"

What Sejun saw as soon as he left the cave was an endless wasteland. There was not a single blade of grass around.

And in the distance, a red beam of light shot into the sky.

"That must be the waypoint."

He need to go there to find a way out of this tower.

However, Sejun didn't have the power to go through the monsters to get there.

The deal with the Crimson Giant Bear was to protect this place, not to take him there.

Of course, he tried to ask the Crimson Giant Bear through the Tower's Administrator to take him there, but

[The Tower's Administrator conveys that the Crimson Giant Bear has refused.]

[The Tower's Administrator says you'll need to defeat approximately 3,000 monsters to reach the waypoint.]

"Phew."

Sejun looked at the waypoint with regret.

"But still it's better than not being able to see it."

Sejun focused on the improved situation and gave the baby bear two spoonfuls of honey on its paw.

And then,

"Let's plow the field."

With two shovel rabbits, Sejun began to create a new field on the 99th floor.

On the 170th day of being stranded, Sejun attempted multi-story farming for the first time.

*****