Solo Farming In The Tower Chapter 1: Is Anyone Here?

"Sigh… I'm so tired… totally wiped out."

Even though his monthly paycheck hardly hits 2 million won, Sejun squeezes out 1 million won in savings every month by slashing his daily costs after covering rent and student loan payments. Thanks to this, he's built up 12 million won in his bank account. Still, that's nowhere near enough for what Sejun dreams of achieving.

"Phew. When on earth will I scrape together enough for a ticket? Is it even possible?"

Another heavy sigh escaped Sejun as the weight of his tough goal pressed down on him.

Ten years back, a bizarre black tower with 99 floors popped up suddenly right in the middle of Seoul's Gangnam district. Its surface was etched with strange geometric designs, and its build laughed in the face of normal physics.

Similar towers sprang up at the same moment in 100 different cities worldwide. Every nation sent teams to probe the one that appeared in their territory, but the results were mostly useless.

What they learned was that the structure reached 990 meters high, built from some indestructible substance that could shrug off a nuclear blast, and it had no obvious way in.

Then, out of the blue, folks began stepping out from inside the tower, phasing right through its walls like it was nothing.

The investigators quickly zeroed in on these returnees, discovering they were recent missing persons.

"How exactly did you get inside the tower?"

When questioned by the investigators, the escapees described not entering at all—instead, they'd been pulled into a black hole. Upon waking, they were already on the tower's first level.

From there, bits and pieces about the tower started leaking out via the stories of those who made it back.

Nobody could figure out why these towers existed. Yet one fact stood clear: scaling the heights inside brought riches. Treasures pulled from the tower sold for fortunes back on Earth.

One key item among them was known as a "ticket." These tickets formed a major cash flow for the awakened, often dropping one or more when a floor got cleared.

Awakened individuals who were already in the know didn't need tickets to step inside. But regular folks could use a ticket to gain entry.

Entry meant awakening and earning the right to climb higher. As a result, tickets weren't bargain-priced or simple to snag.

In Korea, the Korean Awakened Association snapped up tickets from hunters in large batches and flipped them to the public.

They priced each at 150 million won. With demand skyrocketing, rumors swirled that the cost would jump to 200 million won in just a week. Scores of eager buyers had already shelled out deposits, lining up for their shot.

"I won't back down!"

Watching constant reports of folks striking it rich via tower tickets, Sejun steeled his resolve with a daring plan.

Grow his own crops at home!

This meant pinching pennies even harder. He wasn't aiming for fancy stuff—just some easy-to-tend plants to cut down on grocery bills.

"Time to kick things off today."

Grabbing some green onions and a couple other basics from the supermarket, he headed straight home.

"Hehehe…"

Sejun chuckled to himself, buzzing with fresh motivation.

By starting a little home garden with fruits and veggies, I'll slash my food costs and have plenty of fresh eats on hand.

"That's my path to saving up for a ticket and diving into the tower. Once there, I'll rake in the cash for Serang and me…"

"Hehehe…"

Sejun's mind wandered to Serang, the star from Korea's hottest girl group, Moonlight Fairy. Pure imagination on his part, of course.

As Sejun strolled along, lost in his silly daydream with a dopey smile plastered on his face, a black hole yawned open in the empty air ahead.

And just like that…

Whoosh.

It started pulling in nearby objects with fierce hunger.

"What the—?! What's going on?!"

Sejun jolted in shock at the sight of the black hole, its far side hidden from view.

"It's a Vanishing!"

Vanishing referred to the eerie event where people got yanked straight into the tower. Every original awakened had kicked off that way…

Whatever the case, it's an incredible stroke of luck—rarer than hitting the jackpot!

In a rush, Sejun fired off quick texts to his family, fearing they'd panic if he vanished without warning.

Once the messages were sent,

"Why haven't I gone in yet?"

"If this thing's pulling me, I should've been gone ages ago…"

Sejun fixed his gaze on the black hole, expecting it to drag him away any second. But the pull didn't intensify at all.

"Come on, suck me in already! Wait—what?! It's getting smaller?!"

The opening was actually shrinking before his eyes.

"No way! Not my dreams! Serang!!!"

Sejun summoned his courage. The bold ones shape their destiny.

"You got it! I'm jumping in!"

With a burst of speed, Sejun hurled himself toward the hole. In an instant, he was swallowed by the inky void.

***

"Where the heck am I?"

Emerging from the hole, Sejun instantly sensed something wrong. The tales he'd heard about the tower's first floor clashed wildly with his surroundings.

Reports described opulent chandeliers casting golden light, polished white marble underfoot, a vast plaza bustling with shops hawking gear and potions, plus training grounds for warriors and mages to hone their abilities.

Instead, he stood in a rocky cavern, utterly devoid of shops or training spots.

The lone match to the first floor's description was its sheer size.

At least, rather than fancy chandeliers, a lone shaft of sunlight pierced the gloom from a ceiling hole.

"First things first, scout for an exit."

Sejun scanned the area for any way out.

The ceiling gap caught his eye as a prime candidate. But scaling the sheer walls to that curved opening? No chance without superpowers like Spider-Man's.

"On to the next spot."

Dropping his bag on a nearby boulder, Sejun set off to probe the cavern.

Shortly after.

"This place is massive… way bigger than I figured."

The cavern stretched far beyond expectations. Its distant reaches drowned in shadow, untouched by the sun's rays.

"Gotta save battery, but…"

Reluctantly, Sejun dimmed his phone's flashlight and pressed on into the dark.

Three hours in.

The search wrapped up. Every path ended in solid rock walls. He'd poked at cracks and fragile spots, but nothing screamed "escape route."

"No way out… Am I stuck for good?"

Muttering like a man unhinged, Sejun shuffled back to the sunlit patch under the ceiling hole.

"What now…"

He faced facts: breaking out solo was a pipe dream.

"Hello—! Anybody out there—!!!"

In desperation, Sejun bellowed up toward the ceiling opening.

But

"Hey~ I'm down here~!"

His frantic cries bounced around the cavern walls, trapped inside.

"Hello! Anyone around?!"

Sejun yelled until his voice cracked. Yet no soul, not even a hint of movement, stirred above.

"Darn it! Can somebody hear me?!!!"

Thump!

Frustration boiling over, Sejun lashed out with a random kick at the ground. And with that, a full day slipped away.

Day 2 of being trapped.

[May 11th, 6 AM]

Beep-beep-beep.

His work alarm blared as usual.

"Ugh…"

Sejun hauled himself up from the rough sleeping spot and silenced the phone.

"………"

Freshly awake, Sejun spent the day glued to the ceiling hole, watching and waiting.

Hours dragged by with zero signs of life overhead.

"Anybody there?!"

His calls rebounded off the moist stones, echoing back in hollow despair.

Grrr.

Hunger gnawed at Sejun's belly. Worry aside, he needed fuel to keep going.

"Ugh… Starving over here."

It hit him—he hadn't touched food since clocking out yesterday.

'What to munch on?'

Sejun plopped down on a level stone.

And then

Rustle.

From his bag, he pulled a plastic-wrapped apple. A clean one gifted by an office buddy.

'Thanks a ton, Minjun.'

Sejun vowed to treat Minjun to sweet and sour pork if he ever escaped. Not Minjun's fave, but Sejun was jonesing for it alongside some black bean noodles.

With that promise set, he tore into the wrapper and chomped down on the apple.

Crunch.

Sweet, tangy juice burst across his tongue.

'Tastes amazing!'

Hunger surged back full force now that his taste buds woke up.

Crunch. Crunch.

Sejun tore into it like a man possessed.

"Ah."

Gazing sadly at the leftover core and seeds, he knew it wasn't enough.

Thump. Thump.

Using his foot, Sejun scraped out a shallow pit and tucked away the core and seeds.

Next, he unpacked his bag's contents.

A laptop, the last 500ml of office water, green onions, cherry tomatoes, and sweet potatoes bought for home planting.

"One, two, three…"

Sejun tallied the cherry tomatoes in their container, gauging his rations precisely.

27 cherry tomatoes, 10 green onion stalks, and 7 sweet potatoes.

He went ahead and planted every green onion, 3 cherry tomatoes, and 2 sweet potatoes, saving the rest for meals.

Cherry tomatoes pack tons of seeds, so three could sprout plenty. Sweet potatoes offered carb-heavy eats, but he held back on planting more.

'Gotta eat something first.'

Sejun rinsed one sweet potato and five cherry tomatoes in the tiny pond.

Luckily, a small pool sat in the cavern's corner—water, at least, wasn't an issue.

'Wish there were fish in it…'

No tadpoles or anything swam there. Scanning around, Sejun noted the absence of bugs or rodents too.

He usually freaked at bugs or mice, but their total lack felt off now. Movies often showed survivors chowing down on such critters in famines.

'If supplies dwindle, I might resort to that.'

Ideally, he'd bail before rations hit zero.

Chewing the sweet potato brought a satisfying crunch, clearing his jumbled mind. Time to savor it fully.

Yum yum.

Delish! The more he munched, the sweeter it got. He typically cooked them, but raw worked fine in a pinch.

"Alright, farming time."

Done with the sweet potato and five tomatoes, Sejun grabbed a green onion.

Then,

He snapped off roughly a third of the leafy top from the base, setting it aside on the dirt.

'Save it for later.'

Tasteless or not, survival might demand it.

Into the soft, sun-dappled soil, Sejun planted the onion's white root section. Nearby, he added two sweet potatoes to the left and cherry tomato seeds to the right.

The sweet potatoes got buried straight, while he squished tomatoes to extract and sow the seeds.

Licking tomato juice from his fingers, he headed to the pond, filled his 500mL bottle with water, and gave the new plants a good soak.

Task complete, Sejun sprawled on a rock, eyes on the ceiling, hoping for passersby. To stretch his limited food, he conserved energy, hollering now and then, "Anyone out there?!"

Still, nobody came.

Beep beep. Beep beep.

[May 12th, 6 AM]

Day 3 of being lost.