Solo Farming In The Tower Chapter 2: Which floor is this?!
Previously on Solo Farming In The Tower...
Thud.
Lying on the ground made his body ache all over. The advantage here was the absence of darkness. Thus, resting in a spot with ideal sunlight allowed for a cozy slumber at a comfortable warmth.
Splash! Splash!
Sejun quickly rinsed his face at the pond.
Following that,
splash, swish, swash.
He cleaned the sweet potatoes and cherry tomatoes meant for his meal that day.
“Does it feel odd to clean them using the same water from my face wash?”
Setting aside his unease, Sejun took a bite of a sweet potato.
Crunch.
The longer he chewed, the sweeter the flavor grew.
Back in the day, had he ever savored such a sweet treat leisurely without rushing to the office?
He settled on a sun-warmed patch of soil, spread out his bag, and nibbled slowly on the sweet potato. Silence enveloped everything save for his munching. His pulse gradually eased, and tranquility settled over his thoughts.
He remained trapped, with supplies dwindling to mere days. Starvation loomed as a real threat.
‘Odd indeed.’
Sejun cocked his head in wonder at his own composure. Still, it beat constant worry.
“Whenever Manager Go summoned me with ‘Sejun, could you step over here a moment,’ my heart pounded. Yet now, everything feels so serene.”
Sejun savored the sweet potato at a relaxed pace, cherishing the calm he rarely experienced before.
“Time for the next dish?”
Once the sweet potato was gone, Sejun popped a cherry tomato into his mouth and began to chew.
Pop.
The cherry tomato's skin gave way under Sejun’s bite, bursting open. Tangy juices flooded his mouth as the fruit exploded.
“So tasty…”
The flavor was so intense that he questioned if it matched the cherry tomatoes from his normal life. Maybe his senses had sharpened from the pangs of hunger.
Sejun concentrated entirely on the cherry tomato’s taste, munching deliberately. Yet, prolonging the chew didn’t enhance it further, so the five tomatoes vanished swiftly into his mouth.
With breakfast done, Sejun started his everyday tasks.
Gazing up at the ceiling gap.
“······”
Sejun gazed emptily at the ceiling’s opening.
“Ah··· This boredom is killing me.”
Naturally, he sometimes yelled, “Is anyone out there?!” Though even then, his eyes stayed fixed upward. Hours of ceiling-staring left him exhausted, nearly driving him mad.
“What can I occupy myself with?”
Sejun searched for any activity.
‘Time to irrigate the plants first.’
Filling his water container, Sejun sprinkled the onions, cherry tomatoes, and sweet potatoes.
Joljoljol.
“Sprout quickly. Get massive. Your dad’s famished.”
He made three trips to the pond, drenching the soil around the plants completely.
Next,
Ggororug.
His belly signaled empty reserves. Even slight exertion brought hunger surging back. Sejun tipped the leftover water from his bottle straight down his throat.
Gulp. Gulp.
A sense of fullness returned somewhat. Back at his place, Sejun resumed watching the ceiling hole.
Several hours passed.
“……”
Sejun blankly eyed the ceiling when
Beep-beep. Beep-beep.
The alarm sounded.
[May 12th, 10 PM]
No evenings occurred here. He relied on the alarm to time his rest.
“Bedtime already.”
Sejun rose and readied himself for sleep. Preparations were minimal.
Tap tap.
He smoothed the dirt where he’d lie and draped his bag over his head to block the sunlight. That concluded his nightly routine.
Curiously, drowsiness overtook him swiftly.
*****
Midnight, by Sejun’s reckoning.
Grrrr…
Grrrr…
Grr…!
Ground-trembling rumbles jolted Sejun awake.
“Hmm… what’s that noise?”
Right then,
Grrr!
A powerful shake hit nearby.
“…!”
Sejun yanked the bag off his face and sprang up.
What he saw next was utterly strange.
“Wh… what in the world?!”
The glow from the cave ceiling had shifted to blue.
And
Screech!
Caw!
Eerie, menacing cries echoed.
At that instant,
Roar!
A massive black dragon emerged in the heavens, bellowing fiercely. Its solitary flight soaring through the azure beams was breathtakingly majestic.
The dragon bellowed once more before vanishing elegantly. The remaining beasts fell quiet, likely terrified by its call.
Yet Sejun’s thoughts churned wildly.
“Monsters… this isn’t real…”
Something felt terribly off to Sejun. He’d assumed this spot was part of the tower’s first level. He clung to the idea that the constant cave light mimicked the first floor’s fixtures. But no monsters roamed the first floor.
This implied Sejun wasn’t on the ground level.
Plus, the blue moon, when daylight turns azure.
Every level enjoyed perpetual sunshine. Yet periodically, the light blued out on each. Hunters dubbed this the Blue Moon.
In Blue Moon phases, beasts grew fiercer and stronger, prompting hunters to steer clear of affected floors.
‘Blue Moons only strike from the 10th floor upward…’
Sejun must be at least ten floors up. Rescue remained possible.
Still,
‘Here’s the problem.’
The dragon posed the issue.
Since the tower’s arrival a decade back, Earth’s mightiest, the Phoenix Guild, had just conquered the 37th floor lately.
Floors 31 through 37 saw guilds clashing secretly, withholding details. Below 30, though, plenty of clearance clips hit YouTube for cash or fame.
From cleared footage, skeletons haunted floors 2-10, goblins 11-20, orcs 21-30. Starting at 31, spiders lurked, sans videos.
This intel held weight, backed by hunter interviews.
Dragons went unmentioned. No one even whispered of reptile-like foes in the tower.
‘What level am I on?!’
Sejun gripped his head and groaned. He could be marooned beyond elite hunters’ reach.
‘Why me?’
Under the blue-lit ceiling hole, Sejun gazed upward with dread.
His outlook shifted now. Before, he’d scanned for passersby; post-dragon, he prayed none came. The beast revealed monsters dwelled here.
Beep beep. Beep beep.
[May 13th, 6 AM]
Alarm blared.
Sejun met the fourth day with weary, unrested eyes after vigil all night. Luckily, by 4 AM, the blue moon faded to normal yellow glow.
Five hours on.
“……”
Guard duty wore Sejun down, head nodding. He plunged into profound sleep. It made sense; he’d fixated on the ceiling since the prior day.
“Ugh… water…”
Awake at last, scorching thirst gripped him. He groped for the nearby water bottle.
Then
Gulp, gulp.
He downed it all at once.
“Whew! That hits the spot.”
Thirst eased, but appetite roared.
At the pond, he swiftly splashed his face and selected five sweet potatoes plus cherry tomatoes.
Chewing a sweet potato, Sejun eyed the ceiling gap.
‘No clue on location, but past 40 floors means rescue odds near zero.’
Self-reliance was key.
Sejun eyed his planted field.
‘Time to water?’
Embracing solo survival elevated the crops’ value.
He irrigated them.
“Stay tough, you all.”
“Sweet potatoes, bulk up.”
“Tomatoes, produce plenty.”
“Green Onion… well… just thrive robustly.”
While watering, he offered gentle words to the plants. News bits claimed music aided growth, so kind talk couldn’t harm.
Post-watering, Sejun sat and resumed ceiling-watching.
Boredom struck fast.
“Maybe snack on this?”
Sejun spotted the green onion leaves plucked during initial planting.
“Ugh… so pungent.”
Popping a green onion leaf into his mouth unleashed spicy fire and robust aroma. Sun-drying intensified the flavor over days.
Sejun chewed on without gulping.
‘Green onions hide sweetness too.’
Persistent munching dulled the heat, unveiling the subtle sweet notes.
‘Perfect!’
Munching the green onion leaf helped him weather the sleepy afternoon.
And so
Beep beep. Beep beep.
[May 13th, 10 PM]
The fourth night of hardship arrived.
“Can I make it through tonight?”
Sleep evaded Sejun easily.
Blue moon had stirred monsters at dawn. Non-blue times didn’t make them harmless, though.
Sejun chose a dark sleep spot for safety. Chilly, yes, but survival trumped comfort.
No sun-sleep needed, so he folded his bag into a pillow.
Then
Srrrrr.
Head on the bag, Sejun dozed off with snores.
As Sejun slept on.
The rooted scallions sprouted vigorously.
*****
Beep-beep. Beep-beep.
Alarm rang.
[May 14th, 6:00 AM]
Day five of endurance dawned.
Sejun’s eyes snapped open.
“Ugh! Why the sudden lightness?”
Sejun stretched with vigor. Mornings usually dragged heavily, but today his frame felt featherweight. Plus, he’d expected chill without sunlight, yet warmth prevailed.
“Relief from office exhaustion, perhaps?”
Perplexed, Sejun headed to the pond.
Splash! Splash!
He cleansed his face and chose today’s sweet potatoes and cherry tomatoes.
“Uh…”
Grabbing portions, he noted half the plastic container’s contents gone. Stores were critically low.
‘Halve portions starting now?’
Musing, Sejun rinsed the selected items.
Pop. Pop.
And
Snap.
Splitting a sweet potato, he stashed half plus three cherry tomatoes back. Supplies already scarce, rationing further soured his mood.
“Sigh.”
Sejun exhaled deeply and claimed his sunlit flat-rock seat.
Something nagged, though. Shade enveloped him.
“Huh? What’s going on?”
The scallion, now rivaling Sejun’s stature, obstructed the ever-present sun.
Yesterday’s watering showed no such growth… nor before bedtime. Overnight, the scallions had surged dramatically.
“How’d it expand so fast?”
Approaching for inspection, the root section thickened to wrist-width. Sejun seized a fresh scallion leaf and yanked.
“Uh?!”
“What?!”
Wind-whipped leaves seemed delicate, but proved resilient.
“Ugh!”
With force, Sejun ripped the leaf free.
“What’s with this sudden toughness?”
Evidently, environment shaped plant traits.
“Wonder about the flavor?”
He wished taste matched the transformation.
Sejun inserted the scallion leaf and began chewing.