Chapter 34
Everyone’s eyes were filled with hope. They had thought they would spend six months here, but now a perfect solution had appeared.
“How did you come up with this?”
Yangmu looked at Yohan with a newfound sense of amazement. This was understandable because Yangmu had only used this skill once after meeting Yohan.
“Well, maybe it’s born from a desperate desire to leave?”
“You really didn’t become the top ranker for nothing. Even I didn’t think this skill could be used in this way.”
The effectiveness of a skill isn’t determined solely by its destructive power. Every seemingly trivial aspect can be utilized in various ways, so always considering its potential uses is a fundamental quality of a Tracer.
“Ugh, is it the god of life or the god of bullshit? What trouble have we gone through because of that guy?”
Hangsuk grumbled, and everyone agreed. People generally think of gods as beings who watch over life and dedicate themselves to the land. However, we had not experienced a god. What we felt was only the immense pain that made us wish for divine salvation.
“I don’t mind farming, but it’s annoying that it’s dedicated to that guy.”
“Shh, he might be listening somewhere! If he’s a god, his hearing must be sharp.”
Kalmo looked aghast at our complaints. His reaction was even more intense because he had personally experienced that pettiness.
“To hell with it, whether he hears it or not! He’s not even a god of our world! He can just go eat shit.”
Kim Sang-sik raised his middle finger to the sky. Well, even if he were a god, he would be a god of this world, not Earth’s.
‘I’m a representative of the god of the dead, but what could go wrong?’
“Isn’t everyone looking really relieved?”
Kalmo and the other villagers were holding their stomachs and looking ecstatic. They spoke as if they hadn’t been able to curse for ten years.
“Should I do it again?”
“No, this is enough. Ah, so refreshing.”
“Yangmu, please lead us now. We are all ignorant about farming.”
Yangmu nodded. He knew exactly what he needed to do.
“By the way, I was the son of a farmer. After my discharge, I helped my father grow rice and various crops. I’ve handled almost all kinds of crops. That’s probably how I acquired this skill.”
“Oh, a farmer!”
“This is a windfall!”
“First, tell us about your skill.”
Yangmu talked about the core skill of the quest.
“Rapid Growth is a skill that helps the growth of plants. Depending on the amount of mana used, it can accelerate growth up to 10,000 times.”
“Are there any side effects?”
“The plants I used the skill on during battles were all from another world. I haven’t used it on crops yet, so I don’t know what effects it will have.”
Seo-jun imagined the scene where plants were grown in an instant to block ants. With such speed, the quest would likely be completed in no time.
“That’s surprising. If you had farmed with this skill, you would have been a benefactor who solved the global food problem.”
“My father’s principle was never to play around with food. It couldn’t be helped.”
A simple calculation shows that you could make one second equal to about three hours. It means you could harvest rice, which normally takes 180 days, in just 24 minutes.
“The problem is that this is the first attempt, so we’ll need to go through trial and error here.”
“Let’s take it step by step. Even if there are more than ten trials and errors, it won’t take six months.”
“Is that so? I don’t mind. It’s a chance to also improve my skill.”
Despite knowing it would be a tough journey, Yangmu showed no hesitation. This was also the reason Yohan respected Yangmu so much.
“First, the growth rate of 10,000 times can only be maintained for one minute. Assuming the skill exhausts you to the point where you can’t use it for a while, it will still take at least this long to grow a single rice plant.”
“Two days, that’s a fast pace. If you push it a little, it should take about four days.”
There are six types of crops to be grown. Since some crops have short growing periods, harvesting should be completed in about two weeks.
Considering Yangmu’s stamina, this was the right amount of time. Six months reduced to fourteen days—a time frame that’s less than 10% of the original.
The C-grade exam was out of the question, but exams could always be taken later.
“There’s one problem. My skill accelerates time, but it doesn’t create the necessary nutrients.”
“So, you still need to perform the required tasks for farming, such as providing fertilizers and water.”
Smiling
“Indeed, the story is moving quickly. Before we start in earnest, we need to secure sufficient fertilizer and fresh water—at least 50 bags of fertilizer and about 1 ton of water.”
“We have enough fertilizer. The reservoir isn’t far from here, so I can guide you.”
Kalmo stood up eagerly, showing how desperate she was to leave this village.
“I will help with anything I can. Just let me know anytime.”
“Thank you, Village Chief. But first, there’s something I need to check.”
“Check?”
Without hesitation, Yohan approached Kalmo and pointed the ceremonial dagger at her.
“Yohan!”
“Why all of a sudden?!”
A startled Kalmo raised her hands, and Yangmu and his group also stood up, drawing their weapons. Everyone looked confused.
“What is this? Why are you suddenly doing this?”
Kalmo looked somewhat angry, her expression filled with betrayal.
“I have one question. Have you, apart from the Devs, harmed any other living beings, specifically humans?”
Kalmo widened her eyes in shock at the unexpected question, her words faltering.
“I found bloodstains in the building. It obviously wasn’t yours, right? All the people here look perfectly fine with no injuries.”
“Th-that’s animal blood. We need any kind of blood to survive.”
“We can’t just take your word for it, especially since we’ve just met today. It could be a lie.”
Kalmo swallowed hard. Yohan recalled the quest conditions:
– Harvest rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, radishes, onions, and garlic on behalf of Kalmo and the villagers. The portal will reopen once the crops are harvested.
There was no mention of protecting the villagers. This could be interpreted as they not being entirely on their side.
‘I’ve gathered all the necessary information. Now, it’s time to eliminate any potential threats.’
The quest could be completed without them. If they posed a danger to safety, it would be better to nip it in the bud.
Yohan wasn’t foolish enough to move forward without considering the enemies behind him.
“It’s true that you’re in a difficult situation, but we need to be prepared for threats.”
“What do you mean?”
“We can trust the humans, but we can’t trust you, who have become vampires and struggle with your instincts.”
Yes, they might be innocent villagers now, but that could change when they can no longer suppress their instincts.
“Are you asking us to prove our innocence?”
“Yes, you must prove it.”
Swish
Yohan cut his own palm.
Drip drip
Blood flowed to the ground.
Swallow
Those seeing the blood swallowed nervously. The previously innocent villagers’ eyes began to narrow like snakes.
“Endure it. If you succeed, I will help you; if you fail, I will kill you first.”
With the change in atmosphere, others started drawing their weapons one by one.
Yangmu also seemed to understand the situation and took out his weapon.
“It’s necessary to clarify things. There’s no guarantee this isn’t a trap.”
“Do we really have to be tested like this?”
Kalmo said somewhat indignantly. But this test was essential.
“Our lives are at stake too. Vampires who can’t control their instincts are ticking time bombs.”
Instincts were speaking. There would definitely be hardships in the trial. There was no doubt that the petty god would cause interference. If these people joined in, things could get completely out of control.
‘Please, hold on.’
Time passed relentlessly.
Kalmo, who was closest to the smell of blood, staggered with dizziness.
“Village Chief!”
“Everyone! Don’t move and hold on!”
Kalmo desperately stopped those trying to move. She knew that proving they were not monsters was necessary for their own sake as well.
“We are human. Although we’re swayed by even the smallest temptation, we are people with willpower. Damn it!”
The villagers, sensing Kalmo’s sincerity, slapped their faces to stay awake. They too were determined to endure.
“Yes, when did we ever live off blood!”
“We can’t become worse than beasts!”
“Mom, if we endure this, can we become human again?”
“Of course! Everything will go back to normal!”
Their resolve to overcome their instincts was engraved in their blood.
They were just as desperate as anyone.
‘This should be enough to pass.’
The bleeding slowly stopped. Those who had suppressed their instincts for nearly ten minutes would at least avoid the worst situations.
Swish
Yohan put down his hand.
Looking at Kalmo’s questioning face, Yohan nodded.
“Is it… alright?”
“Yes. Now, let’s take revenge on that damn god.”
The administration office was in an uproar. The Tracers who had entered the dungeon hadn’t come out even after a day.
The staff member who had briefly left the post found that the Tracers hadn’t exited the dungeon even after ten hours. He immediately armed himself and entered the dungeon.
If Tracers didn’t come out after a certain period, it meant one of two things: They either hadn’t completed the mission or had died.
As soon as the staff member entered the dungeon, he saw rocks piled up to the extent that it was impossible to advance.
He tried pushing the rocks, but they didn’t budge.
“This… I need to request support from higher-ups. This is beyond what I can handle.”
The staff member, Alex, quickly requested support from Team 1 of the administration office and rushed to the dungeon as soon as the request was received.
Yohan’s name was on the dungeon’s entry list.
“Didn’t you check for overlapping requests?”
“W-well… As soon as the team that applied for the request arrived, we received the support request, so we didn’t have time to check.”
The staff member, who was rarely so sharp, stammered in response.
The ferocity of a B-grade awakener was too much for a mere subordinate to withstand.
Instead of getting angry, Alex entered the portal with the staff member.
The dungeon they encountered was extremely dark.
“It’s tightly blocked. We’ll have to break through everything to get in.”
“This is maddening. You really seem to bring misfortune wherever you go.”
He was pulling his hair out.
Why was it that every place Yohan went, strange incidents followed?
Maybe that’s why he left the team.
Putting aside unnecessary thoughts, everyone focused on quickly clearing the rocks.
The narrow cave didn’t allow space to move the rocks, so they had to repeatedly break and melt them.
‘If the entrance is in this condition, the inside must be completely blocked as well.’
He shook his head. It wasn’t a situation he could be sure about, so he needed to verify.
The area outside where they had cleared the rocks was in the same condition.
Except for a small space of about 5 pyeong (a traditional Korean unit of area), most parts were blocked.
“What is this?”
In one part of the empty space, something was shining.
Surprisingly, it was another portal, not the one they had just come through.
“What kind of nonsensical situation is this?”
There had never been another portal appearing within a dungeon before. Alex’s mind momentarily stopped working due to the incomprehensible situation.
After regaining his composure, Alex left the team to handle the rocks and went to check the portal.
“It’s stable. It doesn’t seem to be a runaway portal.”
Crackle
When he reached out to enter the portal, a powerful spark erupted.
He quickly withdrew his hand from the pain that felt like it might cut him.
The power that seemed to reject existence was too immense for Alex to withstand.
In fact, the power was of a different type, completely blocking the entry of all beings.
Neither he nor anyone else could pass through this portal, not even an S-grade awakener.
“Team Leader! The area behind the rocks is completely blocked. It has collapsed perfectly with no gaps.”
“Any traces?”
“There are footprints here.”
In front of the collapsed rocks, there were footprints that seemed to belong to a man.
These footprints disappeared from where Alex stood in front of the portal.
“If they’re not dead… they must be inside this portal. All of them.”
The entrance and the dungeon path were completely blocked, and a portal had appeared in between.
Traces of weapons were found near the place where the rocks had fallen.
‘That means they intentionally caused the rocks to fall. Probably because of a monster.’
There must have been no other way, except for seeking refuge in this portal.
“Do we just have to hope they come out on their own?”
Unable to enter, all they could do was hope they would come out.
He was frustrated by the sight of the destination right in front of him but being unable to enter.
Why were such inexplicable events happening?
He worried that a second great catastrophe might occur.
“Please come out safely and explain the situation. Mr. Yohan, if hope like yours fades, we will face even greater despair.”
Alex prayed. He hoped Yohan would be safe and that the newfound hope wouldn’t be shattered.
“Call the clairvoyants. There might be survivors inside, so let’s finish the rescue operation quickly.”
They decided to check for any remaining traces.
The only thing they could do now was to ensure a safe path for their exit.
