Chapter: 04
Gulp
Maintaining his tension, Minhyuk carefully moved deeper into the jungle.
‘Even though I have the baby meerkat…….’
It could only detect the presence of nearby monsters.
It wasn’t something that could protect Minhyuk or bravely fight against monsters for him.
It was more like an early warning system.
Because of that, even while entering deeper into the jungle, Minhyuk frequently looked behind him and carefully secured his escape route.
‘If something feels suspicious…….’
He would immediately run away without looking back.
However, fortunately, there were no suspicious creatures detected by the baby meerkat’s radar.
Trickle trickle—
Before long, he discovered water.
“I-I found it!”
A small stream of water flowing like a creek.
Judging by its appearance, it seemed to branch off from a river somewhere farther away and flow all the way here.
Gulp gulp—!
“Ahhh—!”
Minhyuk scooped up water with his hands and drank.
The refreshing moisture that couldn’t be fully satisfied by cucumbers filled his throat.
Krrung! Krrung!
What?
You want to drink too?
Lick! Lick! Krrung—!
The baby meerkat licked the water from Minhyuk’s palm with its tiny tongue and trembled.
“You were thirsty too?”
Minhyuk smiled and slightly turned his head toward a fallen leaf on the ground.
A gigantic leaf that could never be seen on Earth.
It was almost the size of a picnic mat.
Fold— fold fold—
He folded it neatly like the lid of a cup noodle container.
An eco-friendly water basket was complete.
“Hup!”
Minhyuk immediately scooped up a basket full of water.
Sway—
The water moved around and overflowed from the surface, but fortunately, it didn’t leak through the bottom of the leaf.
Moreover, it was the perfect amount to water crops for one day.
“Alright. Let’s go back!”
Krrung!
Holding the leaf basket full of water, Minhyuk left the jungle with the baby meerkat guarding him.
[You have entered the Safe Zone.]
The sandy beach he had returned to.
Minhyuk smoothly entered the Safe Zone.
However—
Krrung……?
The baby meerkat couldn’t enter the Safe Zone, as if it had hit an invisible wall.
It almost looked like it was performing a mime.
“What are you doing there?”
[The baby meerkat wishes to enter the Safe Zone.]
[Would you like to accept?]
Ah?
So that was why.
Minhyuk thought for a moment.
‘If I officially accept the baby meerkat as a member…….’
His food expenses would inevitably increase.
But at least it wouldn’t be useless.
After all, it only ate half a cucumber, so its efficiency was quite good.
‘Besides, being alone bothers me…….’
Meerkats were animals that lived in groups.
Especially babies.
They were cared for very carefully.
If its family was nearby, they should have rushed over by now to take care of the baby meerkat.
But this one……
“Did you lose your family?”
Krrung…….
The baby meerkat sadly nodded.
Poor thing.
That was heartbreaking.
“Do you want to stay with me until you find your family?”
Krrung krrung!
The baby meerkat nodded vigorously.
Okay.
If both sides wanted the same thing, there was no reason to refuse.
“Come in.”
After Minhyuk accepted, the baby meerkat quickly entered the Safe Zone.
“You’ll be called Kkrung from now on. I’m busy right now, so go over there and play quietly with Wilson.”
Krrung!
Tap tap tap—!
Kkrung happily cried and took a place beside Wilson.
‘The most important thing, water, is ready.’
Now it was time to seriously start growing cucumbers.
Dig— dig— dig—
First, he dug the ground to plant the seeds.
Maybe because it was sandy soil?
Even without special tools, it was easy to dig with his bare hands.
Now, he needed to obtain cucumber seeds.
Minhyuk looked toward the food storage area.
“……Huh?”
The cucumber he had stuck into Wilson’s mouth a few days ago.
The cucumber had now turned yellow like a melon.
Unlike before, an item window appeared above it.
[Old Cucumber]
- Rank 》 None
- Effect 》 None
- Description 》 A fully ripened cucumber. Since the aging process is complete, cucumber seeds can be collected.
※ Obtainable seeds 》 5.
Seeds could be collected?
“Wilson…… you had a plan all along……?”
Minhyuk, who had originally planned to cut open a normal cucumber and collect the seeds, quickly reached toward the old cucumber that had been in Wilson’s mouth.
[You have obtained 5 cucumber seeds.]
With this, all preparations were complete.
Now he only had to put the seeds into the holes he had dug, cover them with sand, and carefully pour water from the leaf basket over them.
“……Is this really right?”
The shocking appearance looked as if he had simply played with water on the beach.
Minhyuk tilted his head.
‘Well, I don’t know…….’
The 「Fertile Land」 effect said crops could grow regardless of the land environment.
“So…… it should be fine.”
After finishing today’s task of planting cucumbers, Minhyuk called Kkrung, who was playing with sand.
“Kkrung! Come here.”
Krrung krrung!
The original strategy had been collecting 20 cucumbers per day from the jungle.
A low-risk, low-return strategy.
But now that he had a miniature radar detector, it was time to change strategies.
“Let’s go!”
Krrung!
[The baby meerkat has entered 「Observation Mode」.]
He would gather more cucumbers while gaining experience and expanding the Safe Zone.
[The baby meerkat has detected 「Danger」.]
K-Krrung……! Krrrung……!
“Kyaaaaak—!”
Of course, he didn’t manage to gather many.
“Waaaah! Run!”
K-Krrung—!
Still, he survived.
That was enough.
Day 11.
Sprout—
On the sandy ground he had been uncertain about, a small sprout appeared.
“Ohhh!”
Minhyuk shouted excitedly as he looked at the fresh green sprout.
The result he achieved only one day after planting the seeds.
[Fertile Land LV.1]
Soil nutrients +20%, crop growth speed ++ boost.
Just as the description said, the seeds sprouted quickly.
Even without fertilizer, only by providing water, they grew rapidly.
Minhyuk looked at the tiny sprout poking out and smiled proudly.
“Hehe. Why does this make me so happy?”
When he was an office worker, even successfully completing huge projects only brought him irritation and exhaustion instead of satisfaction.
But here, just seeing a tiny sprout grow gave him an indescribable sense of accomplishment and pride.
‘Am I suited to being a farmer?’
Was this his true calling?
‘Maybe I should have become a farmer instead of getting a job.’
Thinking that, Minhyuk watered the sprout.
Trickle trickle—
Drink plenty.
Grow quickly.
Day 14.
Grow grow—
While the tiny sprout that had once been the size of a finger grew into a proud cucumber vine,
a change also occurred in Minhyuk’s Safe Zone.
[Safe Zone LV.3 》 LV.4]
[The Safe Zone will expand!]
The Safe Zone increased to 12 pyeong.
However, no additional level-up reward was given.
“Hmm…… this is a little disappointing.”
He received rewards when reaching levels 2 and 3.
So they weren’t given every time?
Instead, an unexpected reward was provided.
[You have consumed more than a certain amount of cucumbers.]
[The trait 「Jack of All Trades (S)」 has activated.]
[You have obtained the title 「Cucumber Slayer」.]
Because cucumbers tasted good and didn’t get boring, he had eaten plenty.
And now he received a title.
━━「Cucumber Slayer」━━
◆ Description 》 A being considered a nightmare by cucumbers.
◆ Effect 》 When consuming cucumbers, obtain an additional 10% of the ‘Agility’ stat.
The feeling was strange.
He, a natural cucumber hater, had obtained the terrifying reputation of Cucumber Slayer.
The effect was—
[By consuming cucumber, ‘Agility’ has increased by 0.011.]
[By consuming cucumber, ‘Agility’ has increased by 0.011.]
[By consuming cucumber, ‘Agility’ has increased by 0.011…….]
Spin spin—
After eating three cucumbers in a row, Minhyuk lightly rotated his arm.
The rotation speed was impressive.
‘Does my body feel lighter than before?’
Anyway.
Crashhhhhhh—
Under a clear blue sky without a single cloud, warm sunlight poured down.
Waves from the vast ocean crashed into white foam.
A peaceful afternoon on a deserted island.
“Yaaawn…….”
Minhyuk lazily yawned.
He had been busy since morning.
Gathering the cucumbers he would eat today.
Going deeper into the jungle with Kkrung to bring back water.
Watering the cucumber vines.
Putting an old cucumber into Wilson’s mouth to make more seeds.
It had been a very productive day.
“I should take a nap too.”
For reference, Kkrung was already sleeping deeply with its belly exposed.
Purr purr…….
Minhyuk lay down and closed his eyes.
However, because of the strong sunlight, he couldn’t fall asleep easily.
A problem caused by taking a nap for the first time.
But he couldn’t take a nap inside the jungle where there was shade either.
Purr purr…….
At that moment, a good idea suddenly appeared in Minhyuk’s mind.
Krrung…….
Minhyuk picked up the limp Kkrung and placed it over his eyes.
‘Hmm, this is perfect.’
The size and length were just right.
And its fluffy fur made him feel sleepy.
Day 18.
[The cucumbers can now be harvested.]
[Effect activated!]
[The crops grown in 「Fertile Land」 have gained special energy!]
Finally, the cucumbers had fully grown.
It was the result achieved in only one week.
The tiny sprouts that seemed uncertain on the first day had grown rapidly.
Now cucumber vines covered almost the entire Safe Zone except for his sleeping area.
“Ahhh— look at that quality.”
Minhyuk admired the cucumbers hanging from the vines.
People always said their own children looked the most beautiful.
Even considering that, the cucumbers Minhyuk personally grew seemed special.
That brilliant appearance.
That shining surface.
Whoever grew them, they were certainly beautiful and delicious-looking.
“Shall I taste one?”
Minhyuk reached toward a cucumber with excitement.
Krrung krrung!
Kkrung stretched out its tiny hands as if asking for one too.
But unfortunately, no.
There was order even in cold water.
The farmer who grew them should be the first to taste them.
The moment Minhyuk picked a cucumber from the vine—
Ding—!
A new item window appeared.
[Deserted Island Cucumber]
Rank 》 F
Effect 》 When consumed, ‘Agility’ permanently increases by 0.01.
└ Special Effect 》 Skin inflammation reduction +30%, skin regeneration +30%, wound recovery ++ boost.
Description 》 A cucumber grown while receiving the blessing of a special land.
※ Someone personally cultivated it.
Huh?
Something was strange.
A lot more information had been added compared to before.
The fact that the bottom line had additional information was one thing.
But—
‘Special Effect……?’
Minhyuk blinked.
‘It reduces skin inflammation and heals wounds?’
Cucumbers were originally known to be good for skin.
But with such an obvious special effect attached, the actual effect must be incredible.
“Wow…… it feels like a waste to eat this alone.”
A cucumber that tasted good, benefited the body, and even improved skin.
Wasn’t this the true superfood?
A superfood with an obvious selling point that would sell out instantly the moment it was released.
At that moment—
[You have harvested cucumbers that you personally grew!]
[Achievement completed!]
[You have succeeded in 「Farming」!]
Messages appeared one after another.
[The second tech tree of the class 「Survivor」 has been unlocked!]
[Reading data……!]
[Survival Route ━ 「Agriculture」 unlocked!]
Minhyuk stared blankly at the messages.
[Due to the influence of the new tech tree, access permission to the 「Tower Dimension Shop」 has been granted!]
[The Tower’s restrictions have been suppressed!]
[Searching for designated merchant…….]
[Matching complete!]
[From now on, 「Calling Merchant」 is available!]
“C-Calling Merchant……?”
What?
Was this actually something he could sell?
