Chapter 60
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Enhancing the Farm
-----------------------------------------------------------------
There were two skills of Miyoung's that I needed to invest in first.
One was to expand the size of the farmland her skill affected, and the other was to strengthen her Fertile Touch skill to boost growth speed.
"Here, take 200 coins and expand the farmland size first."
"Ah, okay."
Her current skill covered just three square meters, increasing by one square meter per 100 coins, so making it around five square meters should be plenty for now.
There was no point in making it huge right away since we didn't have the means to cultivate that much land immediately, and food wasn't so scarce that we needed it desperately yet.
I figured setting it up to harvest modest amounts before food really became an issue would do the trick.
It felt just like people tending small home gardens before the zombie apocalypse hit.
"I've expanded the farmland size as you asked."
"Good. Next up is strengthening Fertile Touch... Not sure how much to invest, though. Take 100 coins for now, upgrade it, and let's check the skill."
Miyoung used the coins I'd given her to upgrade the skill, then showed it to me.
Fertile Touch Lv. 2
Makes designated farmland fertile, promoting crop growth.
Promotion rate increases with skill level.
Crop Growth Promotion: 15%
The growth promotion had just jumped by 5% from before.
Did that mean it rose by 5% per level?
To hit 100%, she'd need to level it up another 18 times from here, which would cost a fortune in coins.
But if it reached 100%, harvest times would halve, making it worth the investment.
If that was possible, food worries would be a thing of the past. And if 100% wasn't even the cap, it could go even faster.
I had no idea what the upper limit was, so I handed Miyoung 200 more coins and had her upgrade it again. Sure enough, the promotion rose another 5%.
That confirmed it rose 5% per level. If only I knew whether there was a cap or not.
Either way, coins suddenly seemed way more valuable than I'd thought. I was already spending plenty on myself, and investing more in Yejin or Miyoung meant I'd need better ways to farm them.
Still, no need to get hasty. My coin haul was insane only because black magic let me wipe out zombies en masse. Regular Awakeners probably hadn't even hit level 10, and Combat Specialists might have pushed a skill or two to level 3 or 4 at best.
Anyone with other traits was likely leeching off Combat types, unable to level up or earn coins on their own.
Compared to them, my life was a cakewalk, so no rush to hoard coins frantically.
But more was always better—might as well stockpile while I could.
"For now, treat it like setting up a sunny garden plot and nurture it well. We can upgrade the skills gradually."
"Got it. But what should I grow?"
"No seeds on hand right now, but I remember the shop selling some. It'll reopen this Saturday, so we can buy then. Or I'll grab some from a mart while I'm out today."
I recalled the shop listing seeds for carrots, radishes, beans, green onions, and more last week. Back then, with no way to farm, I'd skipped them.
But now with a Farmer like Miyoung, they were useful. Homegrown meals sounded nice.
Down the line, more coins could expand the base radius and farmland into massive fields and paddies.
"Let's go with that plan. I should head out soon."
Time to prep for the outside, so I waved to Miyoung and headed into the officetel.
"Oh? I thought you'd gone out already."
Yejin was tidying up the bedding in the room. Freshly awake and still undressed, she was gathering the bedsheets and blankets stained with last night's passionate remnants to wash them.
"Just stepped out to the yard. Heading out for real now."
"No zombies out today, right? You could rest."
"Can't. More coins now means more benefits later. Plus, I need to clear them before someone else claims the loot."
Zombies were scarce around here, but probably not elsewhere. The rankings proved it.
[1st: Kim Jaehwan]
- Kills: 12,578
[2nd: Son Daewi]
- Kills: 1,614
[3rd: Shin Jeonghyeon]
- Kills: 954
That was just from my two-day spree around the base.
But look at second place and below—they were nowhere close. That meant zombies were still swarming other areas.
So I had to sweep them up for coins before other Awakeners got to them.
Speaking of which, first time checking rankings since day one, and there were new names.
Whoever Son Daewi was, they'd racked up a solid kill count. The gap between second and third was surprising too—different orders of magnitude, just like mine over second.
Day one had me first, Shin Jeonghyeon second, Kang Sohee third. New blood rising. Shin Jeonghyeon seemed like just another regular Awakener I'd run into, but Son Daewi felt different.
No way they'd climb that high solo otherwise. Much like how my black magic let me dominate.
Wonder who they are. Might be worth meeting someday.
If they threatened me, off with their head on the spot. If useful, spare them.
Geared up, I stepped out and pondered my route. Yeouido, which I'd skipped yesterday? Or elsewhere?
North was thinned out from yesterday's bell toll, worse than Guro—so I'd need to go much farther up.
East led to Haedong Faction territory, no need to overlap hunts. West or south it was.
West I'd hit clearing Chilsung Faction, so south for fresh ground.
Decision made—time to move.
I leaped onto rooftops, bounding building to building at speed.
No zombies near the base, thanks to last night's barbecue drawing them in—and Sohee and I wiping them out.
About ten minutes south, zombies started appearing sporadically. As expected, outside my area, they were untouched—people hiding, praying out the wave.
Some hunted for rankings, sure, but survival trumped that for most.
The main quest hadn't demanded killing all zombies—just surviving seven days.
The system makers probably saw my zombie massacres as some insane glitch.
Still, no real gripes with whoever unleashed this apocalypse and the system. Early black magic kills not counting pissed me off, but now? Perfect.
If they still didn't count, I wouldn't have upgraded skills much, or bought zombie antidote. Miyoung would've turned, and Sohee might've died grieving her by now.
As I moved, zombie packs thickened. Time to aggro and black magic them like before—until I spotted something odd.
- Vroooom~
My zombie senses were sharp now, so minimal noise unless baiting them. I made sounds to lure, but this guy was revving a motorcycle like he wanted zombies chasing.
And they did—four to five hundred, chasing full tilt.
Oddly few, though. School bell experience said that noise should've drawn double what I saw.
Mystery solved quick.
- Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunshots rang out, thinning the horde.
Muzzles poked from nearby building windows—not one structure, several scattered.
Explained the low numbers here.
Organized group hunt: biker maxes aggro, others snipe from cover.
I'd assumed no one else was killing zombies with my lead, but nope.
Soon after, zombies cleared, hunters descended, gathering below.
Way more than expected—over 40 easy.
About ten packed guns—gun shop, military, or shop-bought? Others gripped anti-zombie weapons.
Why no rankings? My solo sweeps hoarded kills; theirs split the count.
Divide my kills by their numbers? Around 200 each. No ranking, but clearing locals.
While I watched from afar, they wrapped up and moved out—back to base?
Clear group vibe sparked curiosity.
Tail them?
If I could turn it to my advantage, great.>