21. Let's build a monster farm.
21. Let's build a monster farm.
The basic framework of a Monster Farm can be divided into distance from the player, a dark area, and a gap where only I can hit. To make hunting even safer, I just need to make sure monsters absolutely cannot appear where I am.
This means the foothold and the path I have to walk on must have a Y-coordinate of 0.5. Since I can't build a Monster Tower, I decided it would be better to build a corridor-style dungeon. I'd create a path in the middle, build corridors on both sides where monsters spawn, and then line them with Oak Planks and Oak Slabs. The height would be one block, but for the second block, I'd install an upper slab to create a space below where I could swing my sword. From my perspective, I'd only be able to see the monsters' feet.
For now, I'd work with the ceiling open, but I needed to aim for a length of at least 72 blocks. Since monsters spawn outside a 24m radius from the player, I had to make sure they would keep spawning while I moved back and forth, ensuring the Monster Farm would run without stopping. Spiders wouldn't spawn. Spiders need a 3x3x2 space to spawn. With a height of only 2 blocks, the condition for a height of 3 isn't met, so spiders would never spawn. Because the height is limited, zombies and skeletons wouldn't spawn in huge numbers either, but that was actually a good thing. I'm stuck using a wooden sword anyway. If there were too many mobs, it would definitely be annoying.
I kept working on the Monster Farm without doing anything else, leaving the ceiling open. The sun was about to set by the time I finished one wall. This is driving me crazy. At this rate, when will I ever finish? Since Ranma can't plant Oak Saplings, it took even longer. I had to return every time an Oak Sapling grew into a tree to plant another one. The trees grew like crazy. They grew so much that I had to make chests because of the insane rate at which I was getting apples and everything else. I didn't make many chests because I didn't have the time right now, but once the Monster Farm was fully built, I'd need to add a lot more. Now, obtaining materials from monsters would become easier. If I store everything in separate chests according to the material, it'll be easier to find the items I need later.
Anyone who has played Minecraft knows that storage organization is essential to gameplay.
"Done for today. Tomorrow, next."
"Hey, don't you think you built that too far? Won't monsters spawn? Like Creepers."
When I returned without finishing the entire Monster Farm, Ranma pointed at the Monster Farm behind me with an anxious expression. It was certainly much longer than the Monster Farm we had built before. I'd have to cover the ceiling later so items would drop even during the day, and the amount of Oak needed was ridiculously high. But since Oak is a material that can be generated infinitely as long as there are saplings, I wasn't worried. Time was the only issue; other than that, there was nothing to worry about.
"I laid down slabs on top, so monsters won't spawn."
I deliberately set the Y-coordinate to 0.5 before returning. I would feel devastated if I woke up and saw a Creeper walking around on top of the Monster Farm I had worked so hard to build. I had already decided in my heart not to deal with Creepers, so if a Creeper appeared, it would be better to rebuild it even if it was a huge hassle.
"Anyway, the work for today is done, right? Let's grab a few apples and head back. Apples just keep piling up."
"We should eat the apples before they rot."
"They won't rot in this world. It's just hard to eat other food."
"...How long are we going to eat only apples?"
"Who knows. Once the Monster Farm is built, we'll be able to eat other things."
I shrugged at Ranma's gloomy question and answered. At least we'd be able to make bread. Wheat seeds are easy to find. If we catch zombies and get potatoes and carrots, we can grow those too. Come to think of it, I knew it was possible to farm with bones even without water. As long as I kept the Monster Farm running, it seemed like I'd at least be able to eat wheat, carrots, and potatoes until I got sick of them.
"It'll be done by tomorrow, right?"
Ranma clasped his hands together in a prayer-like gesture with a hopeful expression. Ranma has also been eating only apples for 3 days. You're not human if you don't get sick of it. I really want to eat meat, but I need specific mobs to appear to get meat. The problem is that they don't show up at all.
I need to keep adding to the Monster Farm until I get 7 iron ingots. The final goal is a Monster Farm with 3 corridors. I'll build it so that 3 people—me, Ranma, and Asagi—can enter at the same time, and I plan to install beds by catching spiders at the entrance. It would be a bit more comfortable if I made a place that felt like a waiting room.
"Probably? By tomorrow, Asagi-ssi and I can rotate catching monsters."
"Eh? What about me?"
At my words, Ranma asked, pointing his thumb at himself. Why would you catch monsters? You're the woodcutter. A lumberjack. It would be most convenient for Ranma to do the logging rather than anyone else.
Since he has absurd strength as a protagonist of a comedy manga, the logging Ranma does is on a different level from me or Asagi.
"You're the woodcutter."
"You're telling me to just cut wood? No way!"
Ranma shouted at me with a resentful expression. But what can I do, Ranma? The Monster Farm I built is the kind where you just have to go in and swing your sword through a gap. You can't have heart-pounding combat.
"It doesn't matter if you go in, but I think you'll want to come out as soon as you enter?"
"We'll see about that! I'm strong, so I can hunt monsters anytime!"
I doubt you can. It's not the battlefield you're imagining. It's closer to a factory.
I left Ranma, who was huffing and puffing in frustration, and took 6 apples out of the chest, tossing 4 of them to Ranma. Ranma's eyes went wide when I handed him as many as 4.
"What? Why are you giving me 4?"
"It's not just your mouth. Asagi-ssi must have been groaning in pain all day today, so I'm giving you hers to take to her. It's 4, so 2 each, got it?"
"Aha."
At my explanation, Ranma nodded as if he understood and headed toward Asagi's hut. I could see the door I had built and hung. I knew she would definitely make a fuss about me smelling, so I headed to my own hut, which I had built next to theirs.
I entered the empty hut, flopped down anywhere, and let out a deep sigh.
I need to hurry up and make a bed to install. Sleeping on a hard plank is making me feel like my physical condition is rapidly deteriorating. I'm curious about what Asagi is doing right now, but I'm the smelly guy. I won't be able to show my face to Asagi until the next time it rains and I can wash my body.
I really hope it rains soon.
It's really annoying that I have to come into the hut as soon as the sun sets. I thought that maybe the most important thing for us right now is a light source. Since I can't see anything because it's pitch black as soon as the sun sets, I didn't want to move when the sun went down unless it was something like the Monster Farm work from the previous day. It's a hundred times better to just rest. It would be nice if I could at least make a torch, but I have no coal, and making charcoal is impossible right now.
I hope the Monster Farm gets built quickly, and a witch comes out of it. Witches drop glowstone dust. If I collect 4 glowstone dusts, I can make a Glowstone Block. That would be enough to at least brightly illuminate the inside of the hut.
I need to sleep soon so I can wake up early tomorrow and work, but I can't fall asleep. I closed my eyes and lay still. It's something I do to fall asleep quickly. Should I count sheep? As I thought that and tossed and turned to get comfortable, I heard a knock on the door. I got goosebumps all over.
"Who is it?"
It's the night in a world where there's nothing. The only people here are me, Ranma, and Asagi, so logically, the only people who would knock on my door are Ranma or Asagi. Since it was my first time experiencing something like this, I was scared shitless.
Oh, fuck.
"Who is it?"
I shouted again. I heard mumbling from outside the door. I couldn't hear a thing, so I got up and headed toward the door.
[It's me. Open the door.]
That's Ranma's voice?
I quickly opened the door to check outside. Just like when he was about to go into the hut earlier, Ranma was waiting for me to come out with his face flushed bright red.
"What? Is something wrong?"
When I asked, Ranma opened his mouth to speak to me, fidgeting as if he were embarrassed.
"Well... come to think of it, Asagi-ssi is a woman and I'm a man, right? It's funny that I sleep with Asagi-ssi and you sleep alone. Let's have men sleep with men, and women sleep with women. Asagi-ssi is the only woman, but it's much better than sleeping with men, right?"
"Why? Did something happen with Asagi-ssi?"
"......."
At my question, Ranma didn't answer and just entered the hut where I was staying. Then, he flopped down, closed his eyes, and said just one thing in a voice that sounded like he was muttering to himself.
"You have to keep it a secret for Asagi-ssi's honor...."
What is it?