24. Let's build a monster farm.
24. Let's build a monster farm.
This was the final block. The Monster Farm was already operational. Well, "operational" just meant that monsters were spawning normally, but I confirmed that even though I was standing on the ceiling, and even though the sun was still up, I could hear the Gueooo sounds of zombies from below. Thanks to some reality-bending, it wasn't very audible unless you pressed your ear against the planks. It was a relief that the soundproofing was good. If it weren't soundproofed, it would be hard for me to enjoy my "happy time" alone later when I built houses for all my companions.
I placed the last half-block on the ceiling and came back down through the stairs I had made in advance. It seemed best to leave the stairs as they were. The key was how quickly I could get iron ingots through the Monster Farm, because the drop rate for iron ingots was abysmal. It was clearly going to be a battle of probability, so I had to keep the Monster Farm running until I collected all the iron ingots I needed. Even after I got all the iron ingots, I couldn't operate a proper Monster Tower until I found water, so this was a place that had to keep running until I found water.
"Are you all done?"
"Yeah. I confirmed that monsters are spawning inside. Now we just need to check if it's possible to hunt them safely."
"Safely? Can you really hunt monsters safely?"
"It was possible in the game if you built it like this. I'm not sure about now, though."
It would be possible as long as the monsters didn't lower their heads to attack. That was the reason I had deliberately made the monster spawning area very narrow. If it turned out to be possible, I was willing to expand the monster spawn zone a little. That would improve the monster spawn rate accordingly. However, if I did that, I had to be careful because arrows or potions might fly through the gaps if skeletons or witches spawned.
"Shall we go in and take a look?"
"Already?"
"We just need to catch one or two to see if the monsters attack us or not."
Answering Ranma, I finished preparing to go inside. The preparation wasn't anything grand. Even if I had torches, I couldn't light them inside right now. Because that would become a light source, which might lower the monster spawn rate. I was in a situation where I had to go into a pitch-black sealed room to hunt. I was worried that it would be mentally stressful.
"Let's go in."
The only preparation needed to hunt in the Monster Farm was to bring a wooden sword to attack the monsters. It would be better to empty my inventory, but all I was going to do was catch a monster or two and experiment. Unlike Ranma, who was asking me this and that and actively trying to enter the Monster Farm, Asagi was hesitating and didn't seem to want to go in.
"Asagi-ssi? Shall we go in?"
"Um... can't I go in alone later?"
"......"
Is it because of my smell? That might not be the reason. For example, she might have claustrophobia. Or maybe darkophobia. But as someone who had been dissed by Asagi several times because of my smell, I couldn't think of anything else.
"We just need to check it for now. If you don't want to go in, Asagi-ssi, you can go in after we've confirmed everything is safe."
I nodded at Asagi's request. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. That a beauty like Asagi hated my smell. Am I like a walking condom? I felt depressed thinking that, at least from Asagi's perspective, that might be the case.
"Um... I'm sorry. Normally, I, as a combatant, should be the one going in."
"Don't worry. You have me!"
As Asagi apologized in a voice as quiet as a mouse, Ranma, who had been staring blankly from the side, laughed confidently and thumped his chest. I saw Asagi smile at Ranma's reaction. She looked damn pretty. She didn't smile at me! She only smiled at Ranma! Is this how I have to live!
"We'll go in and check, so what will you do, Asagi-ssi?"
"Hmm... I'll wait for now. If you guys are late coming out, I'll go in too. It might have become dangerous."
"I don't think that will happen, but... um. Understood."
I said that and walked carefully toward the entrance of the Monster Farm I had built. The corridor I made for myself to move through was also very narrow. A gap of about 50cm at my eye level was cut through both sides along the corridor. This was the path where monsters would pass. I would be able to see the monsters' legs through this gap. I just had to attack those legs.
"Does this mean you're going to kill them by attacking only their legs like this?"
"Yeah."
"Will that work? Even if they are monsters..."
"Checking whether it works or not is what we need to do right now."
"How many are you going to experiment on?"
"By type, there should be Creepers too."
"Creeper!?"
When I mentioned the Creeper, Ranma's eyes widened. That was because I had brainwashed him about the terror of the Creeper. It was surely stronger than the bombs that Happosai, who held the position of the unlucky perverted old man in Ranma's world, threw every day.
"Creepers won't explode if they can't see me. Don't worry."
"That's exactly why I'm worried, since it hasn't been confirmed yet."
"Let's just try it."
I soothed Ranma while watching his bitter expression. If I'm in danger, you're the only one I can rely on! You can't be scared! If something goes wrong, carry me on your back and run to the entrance!
I thought that to myself as I walked down the corridor. Ranma couldn't walk next to me because the corridor itself was narrow. He followed behind me.
"But there are no monsters in this corridor we're walking in?"
"The coordinates here don't fall on integers."
"Then you said monsters wouldn't appear?"
"Yeah. Only the coordinates up here, where we have to swing our swords, are integers. So that's the only place monsters spawn."
"That's amazing."
Ranma opened his mouth, truly impressed by my words. But this is a fact that most people who play Minecraft know as a basic. Even if you call someone a hardcore player, it's about having a lot of this stuff in your head because you've done it a lot, and how skilled you are at using techniques, but honestly, it was a stretch to call me a hardcore player. Because I'm not good at handling Redstone.
I was surprised to see someone running the Doom game inside Minecraft using Redstone. I started playing Minecraft because I was amazed that such things were possible in a game, but I gave up immediately after getting a taste of how Redstone works.
Because that's only possible for people who are truly crazy about Minecraft.
If I had studied that hard, wouldn't I have easily passed the entrance exam for Seoul National University?
I was walking down the corridor with useless thoughts when I finally reached the place where zombies were spawning. 24m around me. It's a place where monsters absolutely do not spawn. It's the same as saying I walked 24m from the entrance.
This Monster Farm has a primary distance of 75m. I was thinking of extending it twice as long later when I had more materials and time, but not now. Because I first need to know if the Monster Farm is working properly.
"I'm going to hit it."
"Yeah."
I walked until the zombie's feet visible through the gap were close. The zombie was walking around as if nothing was wrong. As I took the wooden sword out of my inventory, I saw Ranma step back a little so as not to interfere with my sword swing. I swung the wooden sword toward the shin of the zombie visible right in front of my eyes.
Ppak!
Gueooo!
The zombie whose shin was hit by the wooden sword screamed. Do zombies feel pain too? Well, shins do hurt. I quickly pulled the wooden sword back and watched for a moment to see how the zombie reacted. The zombie didn't do anything and was just wandering around. It looked like someone who felt they had been hit but didn't know where it came from.
"Looks like it worked?"
"Amazing..."
At my words, Ranma opened his mouth and stared at the zombie's feet moving back and forth in front of him. I felt my heart at ease. I swung the wooden sword again.
Ppak! Ppak! Ppak! Ppak!
Gueooo!
The wooden sword's attack power is 4.
The zombie's health is 20. Basically, it dies after 5 hits when a critical hit doesn't occur. This zombie died and disappeared exactly according to that setting. I saw a grotesque, lumpy piece of flesh drop. A yellow orb also fell, which was the first experience orb I'd ever eaten since coming here. When I caught the Enderman, I was too flustered to even know there were experience orbs, but it definitely gives experience orbs when I catch it with my own hands.
"It's a success."
"Awesome. Seriously awesome. To be able to hunt monsters this easily."
"Why?"
"Actually, when I first fought, I thought there was no answer if they came out in such large numbers."
"Same here."
Me too. I said that and moved again. This time, the feet were a bit strange. Green feet that looked like they were wrapped in leaves. Four small legs were attached to a thin body.
I know what that is.
"It's a Creeper."
"What?"
"A Creeper. I don't think I'll ever be able to see that thing."
"Ugh.... What if it explodes?"
"Then we'll be in heaven together."
".... Don't try to scare me."
Ranma growled, glaring at me. I shrugged my shoulders, held the wooden sword, and took a deep breath. Now is the situation where I really have to experiment. If the Creeper doesn't self-destruct here either, it's a golden opportunity to get gunpowder. Well, it's useless on its own, though.
My wooden sword sliced through the air. Actually, it just swung. It's not like there's any great technique or meaning in me swinging a sword. The wooden sword struck the base of the Creeper visible through the gap, and the Creeper jumped in surprise.
"Hiik!"
"Duck!"
I immediately ducked with Ranma. I did that hoping I'd get hurt a little less. In that state, I calmly counted to 3. If it were a Creeper, it would have exploded a long time ago if it were going to. The Creeper didn't explode.
We can catch Creepers.
"Whoa!"
"We can catch Creepers!"
Ranma and I jumped up and down in joy. Actually, catching a Creeper right now doesn't mean much. Skeletons and zombies are much more useful monsters. But I caught a Creeper and got one gunpowder. I thought about throwing it away, but it seemed good to collect it for now. Because there are many things I can make if I just get zombies.
Like that, after catching even a skeleton, I could truly be sure. Even someone like me who can't fight at all could kill monsters in this place. It was definitely tiring to catch just 3 monsters, but still, that's something. I had essentially laid the foundation to safely catch zombies and collect iron ingots. Ranma and I came out of the Monster Farm with happy faces and showed the items we had caught to Asagi, who was waiting outside. Asagi looked surprised when she saw the items. She was holding her nose with one hand.
Holy shit.
"Is... this... what you brought?"
"Yes! We were able to kill the monsters safely!"
"......."
I didn't say anything. Doesn't the intensity of Asagi's disgust seem to be getting stronger? Isn't it about time she got a little used to it? I thought that, but I didn't say it out loud. I didn't want to say anything that would worsen my relationship with Asagi. If I keep smelling like this, Asagi's patience might explode someday and she might pick a big fight with me, but I had to find a way to deal with this smell before then.
I hope it rains soon so I can wash again.
"Anyway, all the work for today is done. Shall we go back to the hut?"
"Ah. Right. Are we going to sleep now?"
"That's right. Phantoms might appear, so I'll lie down on the bed for a moment."
"Ah...."
When I said that, Asagi opened her mouth and let out an exclamation as if she were a person who had forgotten until now. It was a reaction that felt like she was stabbing daggers into my heart one by one.
"Should I go in first and come out? Or wouldn't it be easier if we went in together and only I came out?"
"No. You go in first and come out. Then I'll go in."
At my suggestion, Asagi shook her head and ordered me to go in first. It was so, so despicable. I felt terrible because it seemed like she didn't even want to be in the same space as me.
"Let's do that."
I nodded, opened the door to the hut where Asagi lived alone, and went inside. Asagi's scent! It feels like Asagi's scent is here! I quickly jumped onto the white bed where Asagi must have been sleeping.
You! You insolent bed! Insolent Asagi! Am I that dirty!? Do I smell that bad!? This is punishment! Take this punishment!
I lay on the bed where Asagi slept, and rubbed my body like crazy. I struggled to get my scent on it by rubbing my whole body all over the bed. I even spread my arms to rub off all the smells coming from my body as quickly as possible. I even breathed loudly on purpose. Just in case I have bad breath, so my bad breath spreads into the air!
Die, covered in my scent.
Since Phantoms don't appear if you just lie down, the time given to me was very short. After succeeding in staining the entire bed that Asagi would soon have to lie on with my scent while struggling as much as I could, I nodded satisfactorily, opened the door, and came out with an indifferent expression.
Outside, Asagi was waiting for me to come out.
"Are you done?"
"Yes. Phantoms won't appear now. Ranma needs to lie down once tomorrow."
"Got it. You should rest too. You worked hard today."
"You too, Asagi."
"I didn't do anything today."
"Even so. You were waiting while worrying that we might get into danger."
".... I'm going in. Sleep well."
Asagi couldn't continue her words for a moment at my remark, but eventually ended the conversation and went into the hut. It was a shame that I had such a short conversation with Asagi, but it was actually better that Asagi went in early. Because if she goes in early, she'll properly smell my scent and writhe in agony.
Hehe. Insolent Asagi. This is the best revenge I can take.
I walked with a bounce in my step, humming, and entered my hut where I had to sleep with Ranma. Ah.
I should have expanded the hut.