Chapter 33: Feeling the Void

TL: Hanguk

After Theo left for the 38th floor, Se-jun and the rabbits finished their morning farming and had lunch.

The rabbit couple ate in the cave due to the baby rabbits, and only Se-jun and the adult rabbits ate on the surface with the baby bear.

Growl!

The baby bear ate 30 piranhas and growled, looking at Se-jun’s grilled fish with regret. It wanted to eat more!

As its growth was fast, its appetite was also increasing.

“Here.”

Se-jun cut his grilled fish in half and handed it to the baby bear.

Growl!

The baby bear bowed its head and accepted the grilled fish. It would eat it with great delight!

Chomp. Chomp.

The baby bear put the grilled fish in its mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed it whole, bones and all.

Then,

Growl.

This time, the baby bear cried while looking at the carrot the black rabbit was eating. It wanted that too.

However,

Squeal!

The black rabbit firmly refused. It couldn’t give up its carrot!

Growl...

The rejected baby bear turned away from the black rabbit. It was upset...

After lunch,

Slurp.

Se-jun strolled through the ruined field while drinking coffee.

Although he had been too dispirited to inspect it when the field he had diligently created was destroyed yesterday, he couldn’t always be like that. He had to till the ruined field again.

“Fortunately, not everything was destroyed.”

While he initially thought that the destruction of the field had completely ruined his farming, there were quite a few surviving crops.

While Se-jun was looking around the field,

“Huh?!”

He saw several dirt mounds about 7 meters high about 1 km away from the cave. What was that? It hadn’t been there before. Se-jun approached the dirt mounds out of curiosity.

“What?!”

There were square holes about 7 meters deep next to the dirt mounds. Judging by the two round marks at the start of the hole, it seemed like a horned monster had poked the ground hard and dug in.

“How strong must it be...”

Se-jun was appalled by the monster’s strength and looked at the highest part of the dirt mound. Only the end was a different color. It was black.

Thud. Thud.

Se-jun cautiously climbed up the dirt mound, stabbing it with his dagger and examined the black soil. The texture was different from the barren soil on the surface. It was not dry but soft and had adequate moisture content.

At a glance, it was soil full of nutrients. Such soil was beneath the barren land. If only he could turn the soil over and mix it...

But in the current situation, without farming equipment like a excavator or tractor, digging 7 meters deep into the ground was an unimaginable task.

It might be possible to do a little bit every day if he asked the mother Crimson Giant Bear, but recently due to the Blue Moon, the territories of the monsters were shaken, making the mother Crimson Giant Bear busy patrolling.

Se-jun decided to be satisfied with the fact that he now knew there was high-quality soil under the ground.

Having looked around the field and returned to where he had lunch,

Squeak.

Growl.

The black rabbit and baby bear who had been waiting for Se-jun were holding each other and sleeping, apparently having made up at some point.

“Hey, wake up.”

Se-jun woke them from sleep by patting their fluffy buttocks.

Squeak...

Growl...

The black rabbit and the baby bear opened their eyes slightly while remaining in a sleepy state.

“Guys, what do you think this is?”

When Se-jun brought out dried sweet potatoes and honey,

Squeak!

Growl!

Both barely opened their eyes and asked Se-jun for food.

Munch munch.

Lick lick.

The black rabbit and baby bear woke up from sleep while eating the snacks Se-jun gave them.

“Guys, let’s work.”

The snacks weren’t given for nothing.

Growl!

The baby bear, awake from sleep, dug its front paws into the ground and, like a plow, turned the soil by stepping backward lightly,

Squeak, squeak!

The black rabbit flattened the ground with a hammer.

And then,

Thud. Thud.

The shovel rabbits scooped out the soil and made a furrow.

Finally, when the small field was completed, Se-jun planted sweet potato stems that he had cut from the sweet potatoes he had planted in the cave.

[You have created a 10-square meter sweet potato field.]

[You have gained 20 experience points.]

After planting all the sweet potato stems, Se-jun left the baby bear and rabbits making the field and went down to the cave.

It was time to harvest the corn in earnest. Se-jun began to pick corn from the field.

“Huh?! I’ve grown? Grrr.”

Aileen made a pleased noise and was admiring her appearance for a while when

“Huh?! What was I going to do?”

She suddenly felt like she was forgetting something important.

Oh no!

This wasn’t the time. Aileen rushed to the crystal ball.

“Just as I thought! That human was trying to eat something delicious without me!”

Just then, Se-jun was taking steamed corn out of the pot in the crystal ball. It was perfect timing. Aileen, who always had good luck with food, felt lucky once again.

***

Tonight’s dinner was dishes made with corn – steamed corn and grilled corn.

“It’s done.”

Sejun started taking out the steamed corn one by one from the pot on the fire.

Just then,

[The Tower Administrator says they wants to taste the corn too.]

[The Tower Administrator says they would be happy with just one.]

[A quest has been generated.]

[Quest: Give corn dishes to the hungry Tower Administrator.]

Reward: Very Grateful

If declined: Very Disappointed.

“Just wait a bit. It’s not ready yet.”

[The Tower Administrator nods, saying they can wait.]

While the steamed corn was cooling down, Sejun went to the charcoal fire where the grilled corn was being prepared.

The rabbits were slowly turning corn on a stick, pierced through a corn stalk, over the charcoal made from the wood the bear cub had brought. The corn was getting nicely grilled in the heat.

Beside the rabbits, there was a tall stack of already grilled corn, about 30 pieces.

“You can stop grilling now.”

Squeak!

Bleeak!

Bling!

At Sejun’s words, the rabbits started taking one steamed corn and one grilled corn each from their spots.

And then, Sejun picked up five pieces of steamed corn and five pieces of grilled corn.

“Aileen, enjoy your meal.”

[You have completed the quest.]

[As a reward for completing the quest, the Tower Administrator is very grateful.]

“Alright.”

Sejun gave the corn to Aileen and started eating his corn along with the rabbits.

The baby rabbits, eating corn beside Sejun without Theo around.

Bleeap!

Bling!

The baby rabbits tried to eat the corn, but it was still too big and hard for them to eat.

“Let’s eat like this.”

Drruk.

Sejun took the corn that the baby rabbit was eating, scraped off the corn kernels with a spoon, put them in a bowl, and gave it to the baby rabbits.

Nom nom.

The baby rabbits began to eat the corn kernels from the bowl with their front paws.

After a while,

Bleea!

Bleam!

Bleat!

The baby rabbits showed their empty bowls and cried out to Sejun for more corn. They had already eaten quite a lot.

“Just wait a moment.”

When Sejun picked up another corn and turned his head to get the bowl,

“Pff! What is this?”

Laughter burst out at the sight of the baby rabbits. The baby rabbits were covered with corn kernels all over.

About half of the corn kernels were eaten by the baby rabbits. The rest were stuck in their fur.

Bleea!

Bleam!

Bleat!

The baby rabbits had corn kernels all over their bodies and were protesting for more.

“That’s why you run out.”

Sejun picked off the corn kernels stuck to the body of the baby rabbits one by one and put them in the baby rabbits mouths.

Blee!

Blee!

Blee!

The baby rabbits stuck out their tiny mouths like baby birds and fought each other to eat.

“Hey! Wait! I won’t give any to a moving rabbit.”

Sejun sternly held a baby rabbit and picked off the corn kernels stuck to its body one by one and fed them to the baby rabbits.

“It was easier when Theo was here...”

For the first time, Sejun felt Theo’s absence. He missed Representative Theo.

*****

Some work came up, so I had to delay the posting of this chapter. Anyway, enjoy! ????