Pao's Bountiful Forage
Pao hadn't gone to the Dungeon Prison just to help Han Ji-woo out of some noble impulse, racking his brains for ideas. He couldn't have cared less about why the Salt Mine had appeared in the first place. While Han Ji-woo was lost in thought, Pao had grown terribly bored. So he'd wandered around looking for something to do and suddenly remembered he could come and go from the Dungeon Prison as he pleased. With the idea of checking on the crops there, he'd activated his skill.
But the moment he landed in the Orc Village and spotted Turkan approaching, a vague memory of the unidentified presence deep in the Salt Mine flashed through his mind. It filled Pao with an inexplicable dread. He didn't want to live in fear of it, and curiosity gnawed at him—what was it? So he'd asked Turkan on a whim, figuring the orc might know something since they hailed from the same continent, as Pao had gleaned while teaching him farming before.
He hadn't expected much, but Turkan's response was surprisingly direct.
"I know. Quik!"
"You know?"
"Yeah."
Pao swallowed hard and pressed further.
"What is it? The thing in there?"
"Don't know."
"...?"
Pao wondered if he was dreaming. Turkan had just said he knew, and now he claimed ignorance—what the hell? Fortunately, before Pao's mind could tangle further, Turkan clarified.
"I know the Salt Mine where something scary is sealed. But I don't know what exactly is trapped inside. Quiiiik!"
It took Pao a while to process that, but he finally nodded slowly.
"Got it. Let's farm."
"Good. Quik! Lads~ Let's go! Quiiiiik!"
At Turkan's shout, three hundred orcs grabbed their weapons—no, their farming tools—in unison. Following Pao's orders, they set to tending the fields. As time passed, word spread, and other monsters trickled in to lend a hand. Just like that, a wave of agriculture swept through the Dungeon Prison, and the crops flourished more with each passing moment.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of hammering echoed once more through the Hidden Space. It was well past lunchtime, and Pao still hadn't returned. At first, Han Ji-woo had searched for the goblin, wondering where he'd vanished to, but once he guessed the Dungeon Prison was the culprit, he'd let it go.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The 30-pyeong mansion was gradually taking shape, its framework coming together. Four pillars now stood at each corner, and trimmed logs were being stacked methodically between them to form the walls. Come to think of it, the foundation on the 30-pyeong plot was logs, the pillars were logs, and even the walls were all logs. They'd used wood for the Orc Village mansions too, but nothing quite this rustic.
Approaching the construction site, Han Ji-woo offered a brief impression.
"Not sure about the looks, but it'll be sturdy, that's for damn sure."
"Hmph! With the crappy building materials I've got, I can't afford to fuss over aesthetics!"
"You built the Orc Village mansions with the same stuff, though?"
"Flashy, but not as durable. And why should I waste my effort building sturdy homes for those lowly beasts?"
"So this time it's durability over flash. Makes sense. If you're going for tough, don't you need bricks?"
"What'll you use to bind 'em solid? At least with wooden pillars, I can nail 'em down."
"Ah, right."
"Don't distract me—keep quiet!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Osgeelro refocused on his hammering. He hadn't taken a single proper measurement while building the mansion. Yet the floor was perfectly level, and the steadily rising walls showed no warping or misalignment anywhere. It was skill worthy of calling him a god of architecture.
If it's a log cabin, it should at least serve as a shelter in a pinch, right?
He'd have loved to forge the whole thing from solid metal, but even combining every scrap of ore he and Han Ji-woo had, it wouldn't come close. Far from it. Disappointing, sure, but having a mansion like this beat nothing at all.
Nyaah~
Lucy, perched on Han Ji-woo's shoulder, let out a lazy yawn, only for her stomach to rumble right after.
Grrrrowl.
"Hungry, Lucy? Time for chow?"
Nyaaang!
Lucy's eyes lit up at the word "food," and she started kneading his shoulder with her paws. It was unbearably cute.
"Alright, alright~ Let's eat. That's what it's all for anyway. But seriously, how long is Pao planning to hole up in the prison? Eating there too?"
Muttering to himself, Han Ji-woo rinsed some rice without soaking it properly, then salted and grilled some prepped fish. The savory aroma rising as it cooked made his mouth water, but a craving hit him too.
Something spicy sounds good.
Grilled fish was great, but he yearned for fish simmered in a spicy red broth.
If only I had gochujang, I could at least try...
Humans were never satisfied. At first, he'd been thrilled with anything edible, but as food supplies grew and diversified, his wants multiplied.
Sizzle—
As he fried an egg, Han Ji-woo gulped down saliva.
Mix a bowl of rice with egg and soy sauce... Ugh!
Now soy sauce was calling to him. Rice with fried egg and soy sauce made perfect egg fried rice. Sesame oil would make it divine, but that was pushing it.
He plated the finished fried egg on a Dungeon weed leaf. It was tempting to dig in, but grateful for Osgeelro's hard work all day, he decided to grill a bit of beef too.
Sizzle—!
The mad cow sirloin sizzled deliciously on the stone slab.
Man... Dipped in ssamjang, it'd be heaven.
It hit him anew how vital jang—fermented pastes like soy sauce, doenjang, gochujang, ssamjang—was to Korean cuisine. He spent the whole lunch prep consumed by thoughts of jang.
And then.
[Wish Flower blooming: 77/100%]
The greater Han Ji-woo's longing grew, the faster the Wish Flower raced toward bloom.
Pao was bustling energetically through the nooks and crannies of the Dungeon Prison. In the old days, wandering alone in this dangerous place would've made him monster chow. But with the Ogre King—Turkan—having decreed no harm come to him, Pao's safety was assured.
The reason for his glee? He could forage unexpected edibles. Back when Han Ji-woo had been trapped here, there'd been no time to hunt for food amid the chaos—no leisure for it. But Pao roamed like it was a spring picnic. Plus, with his Great Harvest skill, he knew virtually everything about crops.
Thus, with a massive wooden basket strapped to his back, he scoured the forest, stuffing it with edibles. Shockingly, it brimmed with lettuce, onions, and chilies.
Not huge yields, but scattered points throughout the Dungeon Prison forest grew lettuce, onions, and chilies. Develop those spots, cultivate them right, and they could expand into vast fields for massive harvests!
But for now, delivering these new crops to his master took priority. Basket overflowing, Pao excitedly activated his Prison Key skill—and vanished in a puff.
Dungeon Floor 8.
The mood among the group hung heavy. Because of Munghutur's death.
At first, they'd suspected Andra Marshall of foul play. But examining the body revealed round holes punched through his back and the barracks floor. Something had burrowed up from below, piercing his spine.
That's when it clicked: the last monster moved underground, evading detection.
But another puzzle arose. Munghutur must've felt agony being impaled—why no scream?
Pierre Rasbon provided the answer.
"Dig Worm. A monster that tunnels underground and devours prey hearts. Before striking, it injects neurotoxin via tentacles, paralyzing the body—no reaction to pain."
Info from his Monster Encyclopedia skill—undeniable.
Pierre frowned at the end. His skill was still immature. His mind held data on all monsters, but it wasn't like flipping through a real book anytime. Pages only opened when a monster was visible.
Until now, he'd assumed that was it, fixating on spotting them. But now he realized: even clear monster traces didn't trigger pages unless the beast was in sight.
If my skill had been stronger, I could've accessed stealthy monsters' info without seeing them or their traces.
Munghutur might've lived.
Self-reproach crept in. But regret always came too late. Pierre shook it off, focusing on next steps.
Yui Ishihara ground her teeth and demanded, "Pierre! How do we catch the bastard?"
"It hides underground—we've got no surefire way..."
Then Seol Ara pointed. "No one here digs better than that guy, right?"
Her finger aimed at Duduk-i, obliviously scratching his neck.
"Oh, yeah."
Soon after, Kim Jung-min tasked Duduk-i with locating the Dig Worm.
"No fighting, got it? Just find it—we'll handle the rest."
Duduk-i nodded vigorously and burrowed underground. That was hours ago.
Lunchtime now, still no word. Kim Jung-min could telepath with Duduk-i, checking periodically. As the tense wait dragged on...
"...Found it."
Kim Jung-min's eyes widened. He bolted to a spot, pointing at the ground.
"Right below. Asleep about two meters down."
Darkest under the lamp—the thing had been near them the whole time.
Suddenly, something plummeted from above. Doll-like features, impassive face, small frame. Red.
"Duduk-i, dodge!"
Kim Jung-min's shout and—
KABOOOM!
—Red's fist slammed the floor. Duduk-i shot out nearby, shrieking.
Piiiii—!
Kim Jung-min dove, scooping him up. Dirt erupted everywhere from the tiny fist's impact, carving a massive crater. At least two meters deep, it held Red and the Dig Worm's shredded corpse, torn by shockwave.
Red's skill boasted insane destructive power. No one knew its name, but it flashed before his eyes each use.
One Shot!
That was Red's skill. One Shot stacked up to 10x his attack power without use, gaining 1 per second with short charge time. But at 30 MP cost, it wasn't for sustained fights—pure one-hit kill.
Like now.
[Remaining Monsters: 0/100]
[Quest - Forest Survival] CLEARED!
Rewards: Food Box, Random Weapon Chest, 5 Stat Enhancement Tickets, 1,000 Dungeon Coins.
With Duduk-i and Red's efforts, the Dig Worm fell, clearing Dungeon Floor 8 at last.
"Pao! What kept you?"
Han Ji-woo, just about to eat, welcomed the returning Pao. But instead of greetings, Pao thrust forward a wooden basket from who-knows-where.
"What's this... Whoa!"
Inside brimmed with crops impossible in Hidden Space.
"Onions, lettuce! Chilies too? Where'd you score all this?"
"Found in Dungeon Prison."
"Whoa, Pao, you struck gold!"
Han Ji-woo scooped Pao into a hug, then inspected the haul.
"All welcome, but lettuce and chilies especially."
Tempted to wrap beef in lettuce right then, but without gochujang or ssamjang, pointless. Chilies needed jang too—making his longing sharper.
Then.
[Wish Flower blooming: 100/100%]
The Wish Flower burst open with yellow petals.
The Wish Flower has bloomed, fueled by your deepest longing.