Watermelon? Suuubak?
There were a few reasons for supplying boiled eggs to the company cafeteria. The biggest one, of course, was to offload the surplus eggs. On top of that, the process of making boiled and baked eggs offered a chance to level up my Cooking skill. And the most important part? The money.
We'd agreed to supply 200 boiled eggs a day at 500 won each. That came out to 100,000 won daily, and if word got around, it could lead to even better profits. It wasn't a huge sum right now, but as side income went, it was easy money that didn't require much effort.
"I'm gonna get rich selling eggs!"
"You think that'll work, Assistant Manager Choi?"
Shin Mi-yeon, the employee behind me, must have overheard my embarrassing declaration. Hesitating like this was for amateurs.
"The key is to keep at it. Getting extra income on top of your salary is huge. You can't scoff at opportunities like this."
"Ah, I was just kidding..."
"Me too. Haha."
I smoothed things over and headed back to my desk. 100,000 won a day was nothing to sneeze at. I'd adjust the quantity based on sales. The poultry farm was growing, and egg production would only increase. Disposing of them and turning a profit was crucial.
Baekya's gonna have to eat a bit more.
I could've fetched a much higher price by advertising them as gate-produced, but the risks outweighed the gains, so I nixed that idea. Besides, the eggs were delicious in their own right. You could say an egg's just an egg no matter how good it tastes—but try one and you'll know.
That's when the phone rang.
"Yes, this is KF Assistant Manager Choi Si-woo."
"Hello? It's Tom."
"Ah, Tom. Did you get the samples okay?"
Tom handled a U.S. distributor and had urgently requested samples from me.
"Yes, thank you—they arrived safely. And wow! The effects are amazing."
"Haha, glad to hear it. It's the premium feed our company's been gearing up to launch."
"I figured as much. Especially my 20-year-old Mary—her health's improved visibly. She wasn't sick or anything; just weakened from old age."
He'd probably rushed the sample request for Mary. If Hoya were ailing and I saw a cure, I'd be desperate too.
"So, what do you think about a contract?"
"I talked it over with my boss, and we'd like to import KF's entire production."
"The entire output?"
"Yes. This is a revolution for pet food."
There was definitely something to that.
"You've checked the unit price, right?"
"Of course. Honestly, even if it cost more, I'd buy it. Speaking as a pet owner."
I nodded in agreement. Any pet lover would feel the same.
"I can't confirm full export off the bat—that's above my pay grade. And honestly, funneling everything to your company might not fly. Don't other pets deserve this feed too?"
"Fair point—greed got the better of me. Secure as much as you can, then, Choi."
"Got it. I'll push for the max."
After hanging up and reporting upstairs, everyone was buzzing. The Brann chickens—explained simply as "restores vitality"—were a cash cow. Gate owner Kang Mi-young could rake in a fortune with them. If they worked wonders in feed, imagine them for human consumption. They were probably selling like hotcakes there too.
"Makes me jealous."
The envy hit me. I needed a flagship product for my own gate.
"Eggs for now, at least."
It'd grow over time. Animals weren't my focus—I'd scout plants next. Something with unique effects like vitality restoration.
With that in mind, after work, I grabbed various seeds and headed home, straight into the gate.
"Let's see. Should be good for another 50 hours or so."
Kroong!
Splat!
Baekya's headbutt greeted me. But I wasn't as shaky these days.
"You rascal!"
I rolled around with him a bit. Hoya watched us with utter disdain, like we were pathetic. It irked me, but he was too cute to mind. Besides, even if I lunged, I'd lose.
"Baekya, I've got a special mission for you today."
Kroong?
"Hold on. Time for you to pull your weight."
I crafted a yoke first—the kind you strap to oxen for plowing. Baekya seemed up to it. Luckily, with my Woodworking skill, the "Hoya yoke"—er, "Baekya yoke"—came out decently sturdy. I fitted it on him while he was distracted by a snack bowl in front.
Kroong?
Only after scarfing it down did Baekya notice, shooting me a mildly annoyed glare.
"Double snacks."
Kroong!
He agreed instantly. That's the power of treats he knew. Truth be told, I was already giving more than double. He just didn't realize.
Prepped and ready, I led Baekya to plow the field. Way easier than digging by hand. No wonder ancient folks prized oxen so much.
"Hey, Hoya, no cows or horses in that forest?"
Prime livestock: cows and horses. Pigs and chickens too, but I'd seen wild boars, and chickens were thriving. Cows and horses intrigued me—especially a rideable horse. Galloping along the coast (not that vast, but still) sounded epic.
Nyaang?
No clue what that meant. Hoya's response was gibberish. Shrugging it off, I kept plowing. The fields were expanding. Veggies and fruits galore now. Apple, pear, and persimmon trees over there; pineapples, mangoes, bananas soon.
"Hoya, feels like this place is turning into our real home, huh?"
Nyaang.
Hoya swung lazily in the cat hammock I'd hung, half-assing his reply. Baekya eyed him enviously.
"That hammock... Think I could make one your size? Maybe rig something between those trees."
Wooden frames were tricky, but hammocking nearby trees? Doable.
"Next visit, bro'll hook you up."
Krang!
Did he get it? Baekya nuzzled his head against my chest. From scary beast to total softie. Up close, you could tell he was a young adult tiger. Getting cuter by the day.
And the system agreed.
Animal Affinity skill has leveled up to 4.
Baekya has been fully tamed.
Register Baekya as a tamed animal?
"Huh? Uh."
Baekya has been registered as a tamed animal.
Tamed animals have no numerical limit, unlike pets. Maintain ongoing affinity. If affinity drops below threshold, the animal reverts to wild.
So, taming was like my bond with Baekya now. The real special one was my pet bond with Hoya—unbreakable unless one of us died.
"Good work today, Baekya. Take a break."
Krang!
He flopped beside Hoya's hammock. Hoya jumped from it onto Baekya's belly, kneading away. Peaceful scene. It made me lazy too—I lay on Baekya's stomach. Hoya hopped over and licked my face. Loved that rough tongue. Our break time began.
Lately, my focus was creating a signature product like the Brann chickens. No stat-boosters, though—selling those would cause chaos.
So I inspected crops, and one fruit caught my eye.
◈ Though I have no seeds...
Though I have no seeds... That was the whole description. What did it mean? No seeds for it, but eaters get super fertile?
"Hoya, your thoughts?"
Nyaang?
Hoya shot me a furious glare.
"Ah, sorry."
Right—Hoya's nuts were already... surgically removed. My bad. Neutering adopted cats was standard. Heat cycles suck for them, lead to issues. Some skip it for "natural" reasons or couples, but I couldn't handle that, so I followed the vet's advice.
"Baekya, try this. Supposed to be great stuff."
Chomp. Munch munch.
"Male confirmed!"
Was Baekya even male? Hard to tell. Lions have manes, but tigers? Felt like a boy, though. Wrong guess? Oh well.
"Eats well. A tiger munching watermelon."
I wondered what it'd do for him. First, test on the poultry farm—plenty of melons. Chopped 'em up for the chickens; they devoured them.
Then, sword practice. Around 24 hours later...
Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cluck cluck!
Chaos at the coop. Chickens going berserk. Not immediate—after a day? Odd, but one thing mattered.
"Gotta take this outside."
This could be a premium seller.