The Perils of Harvesting

As if mocking me for stepping into the Trial Zone with my nerves wound tight, the sight that unfolded before my eyes was nothing more than an ordinary, peaceful-looking forest. As I stood there looking around the forest, Yang Sora scowled deeply and barked at me.

"Hey, snake! Hurry the hell up!"

"S-Sora..."

"What? He's moving like a snail!"

I quickly picked up my pace and caught up to the two walking ahead.

"Sorry about that. It's my first time in here, and I didn't expect it to look like this. I guess I spaced out for a second, haha..."

"Hmph!"

Though I offered an awkward laugh and apologized, Yang Sora merely whipped her head away in annoyance, ignoring me as she kept walking.

"I'm sorry... Sora is always a bit prickly around strangers..."

Once Yang Sora had stormed ahead, Lee Yoonseo stepped up beside me, clasping her hands together with an apologetic expression. I gave her an awkward smile.

"Haha... It's fine. Anyone would be like that in this situation... especially after my first impression..."

"Ah, ahaha..."

As I scratched my head and brought up the embarrassing memory of exposing my 'snake,' Yoonseo averted her eyes and laughed awkwardly.

In an instant, we both fell silent, and the atmosphere froze over. Seeking to break the ice, I spoke up first.

"So, um, have you and Sora been coming to the Trial Zone for a while?"

"Yes! We've been coming here since the very first day!"

"I see... Just the two of you?"

"Ah..."

Yoonseo seemed momentarily flustered by my question, but she quickly regained her smile and continued.

"On the... first day, we came in with some other people, but we had some creative differences... so we decided to go our separate ways."

"Ah, I see. Have you two known each other for a long time?"

"Yes! We're childhood friends who grew up in the same neighborhood!"

"Hey! Get over here, now! Yoonseo, stop hanging around that pervert and get over here!"

"Oh, come on~ Why are you being like this again~"

Just as we were breaking the ice with some light conversation, Sora turned around and barked another irritated remark. Yoonseo quickly jogged over to Sora's side, placating her. I, too, hurried my steps to keep up with them before I could get scolded any further.

"So, from now on, we just need to gather the items listed in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quest, right?"

"Well, obviously. What else would we do?"

Sora really seemed to despise me. Just looking at how her face contorted in irritation every time I spoke made it perfectly clear where I stood with her.

"Sora, stop being like that! Yes, Seong-gi, we just need to gather the herbs and fruits currently displayed on the quest screen!"

I could see Yoonseo doing her best to play mediator between Sora and me.

"Hmm... The quest window shows what they look like, but..."

"Seong-gi, look over there! Why don't you try harvesting that herb?"

"Huh?"

Yoonseo pointed to a patch of grass growing sparsely around the base of a tree. Following her instructions, I walked over and carefully plucked the herb.

"Now that you've picked it, could you hold it and look at it for a moment?"

Doing as she said, I placed the harvested herb on my palm and stared at it. A moment later, a status-like window popped up above the plant.

"Whoa!"

"How is it?"

"I can actually see its information!"

"Right?"

Yoonseo smiled warmly as she watched my amazed reaction, while Sora clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed by my ignorance.

"Now, you just have to identify and gather them like that. If you bring them to the resident at the entrance, they'll give you points, and it'll count toward your quest progress!"

"Ohh..."

Like a kind senior mentoring a newly hired rookie, she began teaching me the ropes. She explained that even if we didn't complete the quest entirely, bringing the herbs to the resident would yield a certain amount of Points based on the quantity. She also warned me that gathering everything wouldn't be easy, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we'd likely have to spend two to three days doing nothing but harvesting.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Because many other players were also harvesting near the entrance, herbs were scarcer than expected. However, venturing deeper meant risking attacks from the monsters residing in the Trial Zone. Looking around, I could indeed see a few other players scattered about, busy harvesting.

"Then you and Sora must have gathered quite a bit by now?"

"Yes! If we gather a decent amount today, we should be finished with our harvesting quest!"

"Ah... Then I'd better work twice as hard to catch up."

Even if Sora and Yoonseo finished their quest today, they wouldn't just ditch me to party with others, given that they had avoided partying with anyone else for some reason. Still, with Sora constantly breathing down my neck, taking my sweet time might cause them to dissolve the party. I steeled my expression and made a silent vow to work hard.

"Don't worry. Once Sora and I finish our share, we'll help you!"

"Hey! Why should we?!"

"Sora, he's going to be our party member from now on. It's only right to help him~ Besides, it'll be hard for just the two of us to tackle the second trial anyway. Helping Seong-gi catch up is the fastest way for all of us to move forward, right?"

"Ugh... Urgh..."

Sora grimaced, clearly hating Yoonseo's logic, but she bit her lip, unable to find a proper counterargument. Yoonseo watched her with a bright, teasing smile, finding her reaction amusing.

"Sigh... Fine... I'll do what you say..."

"Yay! Good girl, Sora~"

"Geez... Stop it..."

Yoonseo patted Sora's head as if praising a child. Sora blushed in embarrassment and lightly swatted Yoonseo's hand away.

"Hey, snake! We're going to help you, but don't you dare slack off just because of that, got it? If you find less than I do, you're dead!"

"Ahaha... Yes, ma'am! I'll search with everything I've got."

With that settled, the three of us found a spot away from the crowds and began scanning the ground for the target herbs. Since it was my first time, I had to check almost every single plant, but the other two harvested at a much faster pace, clearly showing the fruits of their experience over the past few days.

For the next few hours, we did nothing but stare at the ground and pluck herbs. When darkness finally began to drape over the sky, Yoonseo called out to us, and we headed back to the entrance to wrap up our first day as a party.

Back at the entrance, we handed our harvested herbs to the Tower Resident who had given us the quest that morning. After inspecting our haul, the Dwarf tapped at something in the air, and a notification window popped up before my eyes.

"Oh!"

"Hehe, did you get your points?"

"Yes!"

Earning points for the first time since arriving here felt exactly like receiving my very first paycheck. As I grinned with excitement, Yoonseo giggled, looking at me like a kindergarten teacher watching a child who had just received a new toy.

"I learned so much thanks to you two. Thank you!"

"Oh, please~ We're party members now, we should help each other out~"

"Tsk..."

I bowed deeply to express my gratitude. Yoonseo responded with a warm smile, while Sora merely clicked her tongue.

"Well, let's disband for today! Let's meet back here at the entrance tomorrow morning. As for the time, hmm..."

Yoonseo tapped her index finger against her lips in thought. She stared into the empty air as if checking her status window. Come to think of it, there was a set of numbers indicating the time in the top-right corner of the status window.

"Since the time is displayed on the status window, how about we meet around nine?"

"Yes, that works perfectly for me!"

"Great, see you tomorrow at nine then! You did a wonderful job today~"

With those parting words, Yoonseo and Sora disappeared down the street. I also headed toward the market district before it got any darker. After buying a small loaf of bread for dinner, I returned straight to my lodging, tossed the bread onto the table, sat down, and wolfed it down. Then, I collapsed onto the bed. Though our party was built on a lie, the relief of surviving another day, combined with the exhaustion of bending over all day, pulled my eyelids shut.

Perhaps because I had slept so deeply, my steps toward the Trial Zone felt incredibly light the next morning. Arriving at the entrance a bit early, I waited for a short while before spotting the now-familiar duo—one yellow-haired, one blue-haired—approaching from a distance.

"Hello~ Good morning! You're early!"

"Yes, good morning. I woke up a bit early today and hurried over."

Unlike Yoonseo, who greeted me cheerfully as she approached, Sora glared at me with narrowed eyes. She clearly still despised my very existence.

"Shall we go finish up your remaining quest items today, Seong-gi? With three of us working together, we might even finish today if we're lucky!"

"Yes! I'm in your hands again today. Thank you so much!"

After exchanging greetings, we entered the Trial Zone just like yesterday, found a suitable spot, and focused on harvesting. Having done it once, my eyes had grown accustomed to the herbs, allowing me to gather them much faster than the day before.

With three of us working together, the herb gathering was nearly complete. The only thing left was the Mauls Tree Fruit. Since these fruits were incredibly rare to begin with, players kept their eyes peeled and competed fiercely for them, making them exceptionally difficult to find.

"As expected, the Mauls Tree Fruits are the real bottleneck... We only need a few more of the other things..."

Yoonseo sighed regretfully as she plucked another herb.

"Ugh... My back is killing me... and it's all because of that snake bastard..."

"Haha... I'm sorry..."

Sora straightened her back, massaging her waist while glaring daggers at me. I offered a meek apology under her fierce gaze. Still, thanks to Yoonseo's constant mediation since yesterday, I could tell Sora's hostility toward me was slowly, bit by bit, beginning to thaw.

"Hmm... How about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we split up a bit to search? Let's not go too far, though—just within shouting distance!"

After pondering for a moment, Yoonseo made the suggestion to the two of us standing awkwardly. We both nodded in agreement.

"Then I'll head this way to search."

"I'll go this way, then."

Sora pointed in the exact opposite direction of where I was heading.

"And I'll check this way!"

"Yoonseo, if anything happens, call me right away, okay?"

"I will! You too, Sora! And Seong-gi, if anything happens, make sure to call us immediately!"

"Got it!"

With that, we split up temporarily to search for the Mauls Tree Fruits.

After parting ways with the girls, I searched high and low, but the fruits remained elusive. On the rare occasion I spotted one in the distance and ran toward it, another player would beat me to the punch and snatch it away.

"Damn it... So close..."

Muttering in disappointment, I looked around and saw a few other players looking equally dejected, having also targeted the same fruit. Fortunately, because the gathering quest only required finding and delivering items, it rarely escalated into physical altercations. Everyone knew it was only the first trial, and getting injured in a fight would only set them back.

"Whew... Let's look somewhere else..."

Just as I gave up on that spot and began moving around to search elsewhere...

"Hey, snake!"

A familiar voice echoed from not too far away. There was only one person who would call me by that nickname. I ran toward the sound as fast as my legs could carry me, knowing how fiercely she would glare at me if I was even a second late.

"Over here!"

After jogging a short distance, I saw Sora pointing upward, calling out to me. Following her finger, I saw a Mauls Tree Fruit hanging from a rather high branch.

"Hey! This is too high for me to reach! Hurry up and grab it!"

Judging by the height, it was indeed out of Sora's reach, but I could manage it with a decent stretch. I quickened my pace toward her. Just then, I sensed several presences nearby.

"Ah!"

It was other players. Sora's loud voice had drawn their attention, and seeing the fruit, they immediately sprinted forward to claim it. Since I had started running first, I had a slight head start, but my slow running speed meant they were rapidly closing the gap.

"Snake! Hurry!"

Sora urged me on, her voice laced with panic. Driven by urgency, I pushed my legs to the limit. The fruit was now right in front of my nose.

"Urgh!"

I could feel them—several players charging fiercely right behind me. I leaped with all my might toward the fruit dangling before my eyes, and at that exact moment, the other players lunged for it as well.

"Agh! Where do you think you're jumping?!"

Sora, who was standing directly beneath the fruit, tried to dodge when she saw me leap, but it was already too late. I collided with her mid-air, my hands outstretched, and we crashed to the ground in a tangled heap.

Thud!

"Aaaagh... Son of a..."

Even in my dazed state, I could hear Sora's voice, thick with pain and irritation. My head was spinning, but the heavy, substantial weight in my hand gave me the certainty that I had grabbed the fruit first. Barely fluttering my eyes open, I managed to speak.

"Ugh... I'm so sorry, Sora... But at least I got the fruit..."

Squish!

Huh? Was the fruit always this soft and squishy? Confused by the unfamiliar texture, I forced my heavy eyelids open to look at what I was holding.

"Uh... wait...?"

My hand was gripping something far larger than a fruit.

"Ugh... You actually got it...? Huh?"

Groaning in pain, Sora also opened her eyes and looked down at my hand. In an instant, both of our brains short-circuited, and we froze.

"Y-Y-You... You perverted bastard!!!!!"

"Aaaaagh! I-I'm so sorry!!!!!"

"Oh my?"

Indeed, I hadn't grabbed the fruit. Instead, my hand was planted squarely on Sora's breast, which was much larger than any fruit, and I was actively squeezing it. Right at that moment, Yoonseo arrived. Taking in the sight, she gasped and covered her mouth in shock.

"L-Let go of me this instant! Do you want to die?!"

"Hup! Y-Yes, ma'am!"

My body had frozen in sheer panic, but Sora's screech snapped me back to reality. I quickly pulled my hand away and scrambled to my feet. As soon as I got up, Sora, who had been pinned beneath me, stood up and marched toward me with a murderous glare.

"You fucking pervert!!!!!"

"Argh!!!"

Sora lunged forward and kicked me squarely in the shin. I collapsed instantly, clutching my leg as I rolled around on the ground in agony.

"I'm seriously going to kill this bastard!"

"S-Sora, stop!"

Yoonseo barely managed to hold back Sora, who was kicking the air as if she truly intended to end my life. As I writhed in agony, I caught sight of another player tossing the red fruit up and down in the air, snickering at my misfortune. A single tear welled up in my eye.