Spirit 10

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[Quest ‘Tomato to the Altar!’ has been cleared.]  

[You’ve gained experience points.]  

[You’ve leveled up.]  

[Level up…]  

[You’ve obtained the key to the food storage warehouse.]  

***

The First Operations Team of the Overlord game.  

Team Leader Kang Min-su and team member Kim Min-cheol stared at the message on the monitor with disbelief.  

“What the…?”  

“This… is insane…”  

“How could they get the key like that…?” Kang Min-su exclaimed in frustration.  

His reaction was understandable.  

The key to the warehouse, which was earned after clearing the quest, wasn’t supposed to be obtained in such a manner.  

“Ugh…”  

In the Spirit Realm lies the Temple of the Forgotten God.  

This place is pivotal in the future main storyline of the Spirit Realm.  

Valuable treasures were hidden within the temple.  

‘Originally, a Spirit Master would have found the temple, uncovered its secrets, and claimed the hidden treasures.’  

The temple was filled with valuable items, anticipating the main storyline.  

Even undisclosed EX-tier items were hidden deep within.  

Finding them later wouldn’t be an issue.  

However, finding such items now could lead to chaos.  

“At least it’s a relief,” Kang Min-su said.  

“What’s a relief?” asked Kim Min-cheol.  

“It’s just the key to the food storage warehouse. It’s empty, just meant for storing food, so it’s not a big deal.”  

“True.”  

“Better than finding the key to the weapon storage, right?”  

If the weapon storage key had been found, there could have been serious consequences.  

While there were no EX-tier items inside, there were still high-grade weapons.  

“If they had obtained that key…”  

“… I wouldn’t even know where to start with the cleanup.”  

Just the thought of it was horrifying.  

The players who obtained the items would be thrilled, but the operators managing them could be overwhelmed with work.  

They were already struggling to clean up the mess caused by Hiro entering the Spirit Realm, which had disrupted the plans.  

Adding more complications could mean never leaving work.  

“But still, giving away the food storage key so easily… isn’t that going too far?”  

The temple is a crucial location in the main storyline.  

Originally, the key to the food storage was only obtainable through a series of linked quests.  

But now…  

“That cursed god… blinded by tomatoes…”  

[Quests related to the Temple of the Forgotten God.]  

[53 quests related to the food storage key have been deleted.]  

[113 items related to the food storage key have been deleted.]  

All quests and items created for the food storage key were being systematically removed.  

It was only natural.  

Since the player already obtained the key, there was no reason to keep them.  

“No matter how high the freedom in Overlord is… isn’t this too much?”  

They knew the game had a high degree of freedom.  

NPCs were not mere 0s and 1s; they were almost like real beings.  

Overlord was essentially another world.  

Unlike a typical game that followed predetermined paths, Overlord was full of variables that could disrupt the scenario at any time.  

The Operations Team’s job was to manage these variables and keep the storyline on track.  

“Damn it… one messes up, and the other cleans up… typical…”  

It was always someone else’s mess that someone else had to clean up.  

Just thinking about the cleanup for the food storage key was overwhelming.  

“Forget it… let’s start working.”  

“Understood. We’ll first stabilize the confused NPCs due to the deleted quests… and replace the removed items with other ones…”  

Kim Min-cheol diligently tapped away on his keyboard, focusing on the cleanup.  

Little did they know…  

[Reward for completion: Weapon Storage Key, Weapon Storage Access.]  

Someday, what they feared would come to pass.

But that was a story for later.  

***

“Food Storage Key?”  

Hiro examined the key they received after clearing the quest.  

[Food Storage Key]  

– Grade: B  

– Description: A key that opens the food storage in the Temple of the Forgotten God.  

– Only those possessing the key have the right to access the food storage.  

– Requirement: Hiro.  

– Option: Key retrieval.  

– Binding: Bound to the owner.  

“What? The requirement is me?”  

It was even a bound item.  

Bound items couldn’t be used by others and could only be utilized by the player to whom they were bound.  

‘And retrieval?’  

Curious, Hiro threw the key far away.  

“Kyuu–!?”  

Pepper, noticing the thrown key, quickly dashed off and brought it back.  

“… I didn’t tell you to fetch it.”  

“Kyuu? Really, kyuu?”  

“Yeah. Just watch for now.”  

Hiro threw the key far again.  

“Key retrieval!”  

[The Food Storage Key has returned to the owner’s bag.]  

With a hum, the distant key vanished.  

When Hiro opened the bag, the key was back inside.  

“So, it works like this?”  

With this mechanism, there was no need to worry about losing the key.  

“Well then, should I go check it out?”  

“Kyuu!”  

Hiro recalled seeing the food storage before.  

He quickly found the food storage hidden in a corner of the temple.  

“Here it is.”  

He tried to turn the doorknob.  

[You cannot enter.]  

[You do not have permission.]  

Such messages popped up.  

Hiro pulled out the key, inserted it into the doorknob, and turned it.  

Ding!  

[You have used the Food Storage Key.]  

[You have been granted permission.]  

[You are now the owner of the food storage.]  

[You have achieved an incredible feat.]  

[You have acquired the food storage in the Temple of the Forgotten God through a unique method.]  

“Unique method? I just offered a tomato.”  

[This is a truly astonishing achievement.]  

[You have earned the title ‘Master of the Food Storage.’]  

[Master of the Food Storage]  

– Grade: B (Unique)  

– Requirement: Gain access to the food storage in the Temple of the Forgotten God.  

– Options: +50% food storage capacity, +1,000% storage duration for stored crops.  

– Description: The one who dominates the food storage, and consequently, the ruler of late-night snacks.  

Hiro had gained a new title. He then entered the food storage.  

Ding!  

[You have entered the food storage.]  

[You can now access information about the food storage.]  

[Would you like to view it?]  

The sudden messages appeared, and Hiro nodded.  

“Sure.”  

[Food Storage]  

– Grade: ???  

– Description: An ancient food storage once used by an unknown entity.  

– Enchanted with ancient magic.  

– Maintains a constant temperature.  

– Preserves the freshness of stored food.  

– Protective magic was cast on it due to the greed of a gluttonous entity.  

– Options: +500% storage duration, freshness maintained, temperature controlled, humidity controlled.  

The mention of a “gluttonous entity” was a bit concerning, but overall, the description wasn’t unusual.  

“Wow.”  

“Kyuu!”  

Hiro couldn’t help but be impressed.  

Unlike its exterior, the inside of the storage was spacious and tall.  

Shelves were arranged for easy placement of crops, and empty baskets were stacked on one side.  

‘Feels a bit chilly here.’  

“Does it have temperature control? This place should be suitable for storing crops.”  

“Kyuu! That’s right!”  

“Then…”  

Hiro placed a few empty baskets into his bag and exited.  

“Okay, put them here.”  

“Kyuu!”

Hiro and Pepper filled the empty baskets with tomatoes, not forgetting to include some sweet potatoes.  

“This is pretty heavy.”  

“Kyuuung…!!”  

“That’s too heavy. You need to fill it just right.”  

“Kyuu…”  

Hiro removed a few tomatoes from Pepper’s basket.  

“How about now?”  

“Kyuu!”  

“Let’s go.”  

Hiro led the way, and Pepper followed, carrying the basket of tomatoes in its mouth.  

Inside the spacious storage, Hiro neatly stored the crops.  

There was quite a lot, but with Pepper’s help, they finished quickly.  

“This should be enough, right?”  

“Kyuu!”  

It was certainly enough here.  

The space was large, and the storage options allowed the crops to be kept for a long time.  

‘With this amount, I can steadily gather more until I’m able to use the auction house.’  

“Before that… Status Window!”  

Hiro opened the status window.  

[Status Window]  

– Name: Hiro  

– Level: 10 (Experience: 68.75%)  

– Class: Spirit Farmer  

– Title: Discoverer of the Spirit Realm  

– Health: 2,500/2,500  

– Spirit Power: 8,500/8,500  

– Satiety: 63%  

<Attributes>  

– Strength: 15 + 10  

– Stamina: 15 + 10  

– Agility: 5 + 10  

– Wisdom: 5 + 10  

– Luck: 10 + 10  

<Special Attributes>  

– Spirit Power: 10 + 75  

– Available Attribute Points: 25  

Hiro had gained experience from harvesting tomatoes and from clearing the quest, resulting in a level increase from 5 to 10.  

‘As for the attributes…’  

After a moment of hesitation, Hiro allocated 10 points each to Strength and Agility, and 5 points to Spirit Power.  

There was a tip on the farmer’s board:  

‘Increasing Agility allows for faster movement, which is helpful during harvesting, right?’  

Agility was indeed an important attribute not to be overlooked.  

‘Balance is key.’  

Since once assigned, attributes couldn’t be changed, it was crucial to be careful.  

“Kyuu!”  

“Yeah, you did well.”  

“Hehe…”  

“Now then.”  

Having finished the work, Hiro and Pepper stepped outside the temple and sat down to take a short break.  

“Hm… To build a farm here, I’ll need a few things.”  

Sitting on the ground forever wasn’t an option; chairs or even a proper resting space would be nice.  

Given that Hiro spent most of his time managing the farm, having a rest area wouldn’t be bad.  

‘A farmhouse would be useful… Should I build one?’  

Hiro looked around.  

Building a farmhouse with bare hands and no proper tools would be challenging.  

If there were a farmer’s guild, they might have a solution.  

However, being isolated in the Spirit Realm, Hiro had limited options.  

‘At least there’s the temple.’  

With the temple, he could take shelter from the rain.  

Without it, he might’ve had to dig with a shovel and create a burrow to live in.  

Crunch, crunch.  

Crunch, crunch.  

Hiro and Pepper were munching on raw sweet potatoes.  

While sweet potatoes tasted great when roasted, they were also delicious when eaten raw.  

The more they chewed, the nuttier and sweeter the taste became.  

“Tasty, right?”  

“Kyuuuu! Crunch, crunch!”  

Watching Pepper enjoy the sweet potatoes made Hiro, who had grown them himself, feel pleased.  

It was genuinely delightful to see someone enjoy the crops he’d cultivated.  

‘This is the heart of a farmer.’  

“Alright! Now that we’re done eating…”  

“Kyuu!”  

“… it’s time to plant more tomatoes.”  

The work didn’t end with harvesting.  

After harvesting, it was necessary to clean up and sow new seeds.  

If he wanted to sell tomatoes later, he needed to build up a stockpile.  

“Let’s keep going!”  

“Kyuu!!”  

It had been 28 days in real time since Hiro became isolated in the Spirit Realm.  

Hiro had obtained the food storage.

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