Round 5

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Honestly, I had taken it for granted.

Watching Mark2 farm, one could easily mistake Slimes for farming monsters.

“Poison?”

Could it be that the abilities generated during synthesis are random?

But if we cool down and think about it, randomness might be better.

If the Slime’s ability were limited to farming, our options would be restricted, but with such diverse abilities available, they could be utilized in many ways.

Squish-

Of course, seeing its slow, squirming form, one might think it’s far from being ready for hunting with just a poison ability.

[Poison LV.1]

[Emits a toxin that poisons the opponent.]

[The poisoned opponent will be paralyzed after at least 10 minutes.]

It was as expected.

Even though it’s a paralyzing poison, it takes 10 minutes for the effect to appear…

‘If I must use it, there’s a way, but I don’t know how strong the paralysis is.’

Let’s think positively just for seeing the potential. Who knows, maybe the poison level might increase later and become truly powerful.

“You are Poispois.”

Squish?

“From now on, your name is Poispois.”

Squish!

I was reaching a point where I could understand the gestures of the Slime. Could this be the influence of the Slime Lord ability?

“Poispois, how do you use the poison? Do you spit it out, or is it a fluid that comes out of your body?”

Squirm-

Bloop-

Suddenly, something like a mouth appeared on Poispois and it spat something out.

“Oh, so you spit it out?”

Squirm-

“No?”

Squish squish!

“You can do both?”

Squish!

I was amazed that we could somewhat communicate.

After watching Poispois’s poison show for a while, I realized it was time.

“Hold on. I’ll make a friend for you first.”

Just then, the cooldown ended and I used the Slime Lord ability to summon a level 1 slime.

Pop?!

A familiar-looking slime popped out, squirming as if asking where it was.

Poispois approached and squirmed towards the newcomer.

Squish- Squish-

Squirm?

While they engaged in what seemed like a high-level conversation, Mark2 came back to me from the garden.

Squirm!

“Hmm? Is it already time to harvest?”

Squish!

Mark2, urging me forward, led the way, and sure enough, stopped at a plot where carrots were planted.

“Oh!”

The leaves were unusually large.

Though the carrots were hidden in the soil, the peeking orange bodies were clearly larger than the sizes I was used to.

Gulp.

Was it because it was our first cultivation and harvest?

Or because of the unusual size?

Feeling oddly tense, I stared at the carrots as Mark2, oblivious, pulled one out.

Pop!

“Wow!”

An uncontrollable admiration burst out once again.

A brilliantly shining, translucent orange carrot was fully revealed.

It was much bigger than expected, but not unrealistically so. It was more like, “Oh? There are carrots this size?”

“But the color…”

It wasn’t hyperbole or exaggeration.

It’s almost gem-like, translucent body shone like glass in the light.

“Is it even safe to eat?”

Just then, Mark2 brought over the carrot he had pulled, proudly showing it to me. As I cautiously took the carrot from Mark2, he made a fuss as if it needed to be handled with care.

Pop! Squish! Squirm!

“Alright, alright. I’ll be careful.”

It’s just an ingredient after all, but I wrapped it up preciously nonetheless.

[Magic-Infused Carrot LV.1]

[It contains a faint magical power.]

[Upon consumption, depending on the amount of mana you have, your vision will improve for 3 minutes, followed by a very slight permanent increase in vision.]

This is…

Am I seeing this correctly?

“A carrot getting an item classification…”

I couldn’t hide my astonishment at the item window that appeared in front of me. The display of an item window meant that this carrot had literally received an item classification.

Not everything from Earth and even items from dungeons get classified as items.

“Is it because it’s imbued with magic?”

In dungeons, some fruits and berries receive item classifications, and some do not.

Moreover, those that are classified as items are usually plants or berries that serve as excellent ingredients for powerful elixirs.

“Could it be that all the carrots planted here are items?”

I wasn’t hoping for that much, but the thought that it might be possible crossed my mind.

“Is it okay to harvest all of these now?”

Squish!

With Mark2’s approval, we began harvesting the carrots.

It was only a 100-pyeong garden, so there wasn’t a large amount, but since we had planted over 300 carrots, it took some time.

“Phew.”

While I dug up one, Mark2 dug up three.

I took my time being careful, but Mark2 expertly pulled them out without damaging any.

‘Mark2 is such a good worker.’

In many ways, I felt like my life was flourishing thanks to Mark2.

After the two of us had dug up just over 300 carrots, flowers started to bloom on the cherry tomatoes.

“Huh? Come to think of it, did you also handle the pollination?”

Squirm!

Managing all this garden by himself, and keeping up with the rapid growth was truly impressive.

Mark2, after harvesting the carrots, casually signaled that I should take over their management and went to tend to the tomatoes.

“He doesn’t look it, but he’s reliable.”

He might appear slow and a bit simple, but when it comes to work, he definitely gets it done.

Thanks to him, I suddenly found myself wondering how to manage all the harvested carrots.

“I had no idea we’d be harvesting this quickly.”

Who would have thought that what hadn’t sprouted in three years would be harvested in just two days?

“Poispois, and you, new friend. It’s time for you to work too.”

I called over the two who were still engaged in their high-level conversation, to help sort and move the carrots.

I told Poispois not to emit poison unless specifically commanded, just in case it might contaminate anything.

“Wow, all of these are items?”

I had my suspicions, but it turned out to be true.

There were a total of 309 carrots, and every single one was classified as an item.

Since they were also quite large, I set aside 10 for quest purposes and pondered what to do with the rest.

“Maybe I should try eating just one.”

Honestly, it felt a bit wasteful just to eat it. After all, three years and a great deal of resources were invested just for this.

“Ah, but now that I have Mark2, I can grow them anytime.”

I decided to trust myself and my slimes.

With that resolve, I was about to bite into a carrot but then hesitated.

Squish-

Mark2, who was tending to the tomatoes, stared blankly at me as I was about to eat the carrot.

“Why? What?”

Squish-

“Are you saying not to eat it?”

Squish-

Mark2 casually approached and picked up a carrot himself. It’s impressive how well he could hold it without hands.

“Do you want to eat too?”

Squirm!

“Of course! I can’t give you all, but, um… I’ll allow up to 10.”

At that moment, Poispois and the newbie each grabbed a carrot.

“…You two get five each.”

Squish!

The slimes, as if thanking me, ate their carrots before I did. I thought they didn’t need to eat, but apparently, that’s not the case.

“Hey, I’m the lord here and I haven’t even tasted it yet, and you guys go first?”

Crunch!

After making a joke, I finally bit into the carrot. As I chewed, the juice flowed out and wet my hands.

“Mmm!?”

Is this really a carrot?

Yes, it definitely was a carrot.

It had the texture of a carrot and the taste of a carrot.

However, the overflowing juice, the rich flavor of the carrot, and the characteristic sweetness were maximized, overwhelming my taste buds.

[Your vision will increase for 3 minutes.]

Along with a system window that delivered the final verdict that what I ate was indeed an item.

‘No, vision isn’t what’s important here!’

A heavenly vegetable.

I wanted to name it that.

This was a taste on a whole different level compared to ordinary carrots.

Crunch- Crunch-

The more I chewed, the sweeter it got.

But this sweetness wasn’t cloying or overbearing; it was more like the lingering taste of a scented coffee or tea.

I don’t drink alcohol, but it was akin to the luxurious aroma of expensive whiskey or wine lingering around the lips.

I had only taken one bite, but the aftertaste lasted long. The funny thing was, since it was larger than a typical carrot, there was still a lot of it left.

“…This is insane.”

This, clearly, could work.

It seemed possible not just to farm for quests, but to farm for success.

“Of course, I need to complete quests too. The more I develop my abilities, the higher the chances of successful farming.”

Ultimately, all this was possible thanks to my abilities.

I thought I could only use it for potions, a liquid synthesis with a cooldown of a day.

I only gave commands as the Slime Lord, who could summon just one slime per day. Each of them seemed lacking on their own, but together they created an incredible synergy.

Squirm!

Moreover, these remarkable creatures were cute too.

…Or is that just me seeing them that way?

“Huh?”

While I was lost in admiration, the slimes had finished all the carrots allocated to them.

The pace at which they ate was alarming; I would have been sweating bullets if I hadn’t set a limit.

“Wow, you guys eat more than I thought, huh?”

I tried to sound nonchalant, but an alarm was going off in my head.

‘What if slimes are actually creatures that need to eat a lot?’

It had only been two days.

That was the amount of time I had been interested in these monsters called slimes.

I still knew very little about slimes, only that they were harmless to humans.

“Do you die if you don’t eat?”

It seemed like a natural question for any living being, but I asked just in case. Then, Mark2 squirmed, trying to communicate something.

“If you die, move to the right; if not, to the left.”

Squish-

The slimes uniformly moved to the right.

“Ha, I asked something obvious, haha.”

I forced a laugh, but cold sweat began to trickle down my back.

“So, how much do you need to eat per day? Tell me in terms of the number of carrots.”

The slimes then began to lay out the carrots they needed.

I figured they might need about ten each, the amount they had just eaten.

But the number they laid out was beyond my expectations, and my face stiffened.

“…Don’t lie. What kind of slime eats that much?”

I snapped harshly, but it was unavoidable.

Mark2 kept moving carrots non-stop, and by my estimate, he was already past 30.

Poispois stopped at exactly 25.

The newbie had 12.

“Ma-Mark2?”

Squish?

Mark2 paused in moving the carrots and tilted as if asking why.

“You’re talking about daily food intake, right?”

Squish!

I was doomed.

The carrots we had just harvested wouldn’t even cover the slimes’ “wages.”

Of course, having harvested over 300 carrots in just two days meant it wasn’t a huge problem.

However, the joy of the first harvest had momentarily blinded me, sigh.

“40 each? Well, you do work a lot, so you must need to eat a lot.”

I decided not to be greedy.

After all, all this was possible thanks to the slimes, so naturally, they should be my top priority.

“So, that’s 77 carrots a day. Since they went without yesterday, that’s 154. But if we harvest the tomatoes tomorrow, they won’t starve.”

I did the calculations alone and then told the slimes.

“I’ll keep 10 for myself, and you guys figure out how to make the rest last. We can’t have our guys starving.”

Squish! Squirm!

The slimes danced joyously.

Seeing them hungrily gobble up the carrots made me realize I had been too thoughtless.

“I need to head out right away.”

I only went out once a month, but I had to go out again immediately.

I planned to request an analysis of the carrot components, get a ladder for going underground, and buy various seeds and seedlings.

I also intended to gather information on slimes and take samples of Mark2’s body fluid and Poispois’ poison for analysis.

“Should I check on the tomatoes before I go?”

Their growth was so rapid that it seemed like the tomatoes could be harvested soon. If so, I could finally make juice infused with magical fruit…

“Should I also plant He Shou Wu seeds?”

After three years, it was time to complete the quest.

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