26. Iron ingots won't drop
26. Iron ingots won't drop
Now that it's morning, my eyes open naturally. I guess if the nights are dangerous, I become an early bird. Sleeping in the hut at night is the best for survival. Thinking that, I looked down at Ranma, who was still asleep. Does he sleep a lot? It's amazing that he sleeps so well even on such a hard floor. I feel like I've been beaten all over every time I wake up in the morning.
Since I'm up, I have to keep hunting monsters starting today. Until when? Until I collect 7 Iron Ingots. That's not the end of it; once I get a Cauldron, I have to wait for rain. If you place a Cauldron on a rainy day, there's a brutal probability that it will fill up with 1/3 of its capacity. If you fill it three times, you get enough water to fill a Bucket. That's how you create a Water Source Block. Until then, the item we have to consume is the Water Bottle that drops from Witches. If we don't have that, we might end up in a situation where we have to hold a Rain Ritual until we can fill the water twice.
What I saw when I went outside was Asagi swinging a Wooden Sword. She's going to sweat at that rate. Is it already too late? Seeing the bangs covering her forehead soaked in sweat, it seems it is.
"Asagi-ssi, you're up?"
"Ah! Ju...! No. Never mind. You're up?"
"Ju? What's 'Ju'?"
"It's nothing."
Asagi hurriedly shook her head at my question. Judging by her expression, she has no intention of telling me. I didn't think we were close enough to pester her to tell me, so even though I was curious, I just held it in. Stopping mid-sentence like that—she really knows how to drive someone crazy with curiosity.
As soon as I came out, Asagi stopped swinging the Wooden Sword and took a step away from me. It seemed she still hated the fact that I smelled. They say the human nose gets paralyzed after about 7 seconds? Or is it 6? And you can't feel the smell anymore. Should I tell Asagi and test it out? If she just smells it for 6 seconds, she'll be paralyzed and won't smell it anymore. But I can't exactly say, "Hey, sniff me!" so I'm stuck in a situation where I can't do anything.
Is it just that I'm dirty?
Fuck.
"Are we hunting monsters today?"
"Yes. But there are two ways. Both are annoying, though."
"What are they?"
"If I go in there, monsters won't spawn in the Monster Farm within a 24m radius. You know that, right?"
At my question, Asagi nodded. It didn't seem like she had forgotten what I told her before.
"So, if I go in, the monster spawn rate drops by that much."
"Then? Are you or Ranma going in?"
"Sometimes I'll have to go in to loot items, though."
"Hmm..."
Asagi's expression soured at the mention of me going in. I could understand that immediately. The Monster Farm is a completely sealed room. No air circulation. If I go in, my smell would fill the Monster Farm. It seemed she hated that.
"Why don't you just not go in, Asagi-ssi?"
"That is..."
Asagi hesitated at my question. Well, it's not like I don't understand. Hunting monsters in the Monster Farm would be the hardest job, so not doing it would be the same as Asagi slacking off. She must be very self-conscious about it.
"Can you handle the logging? If you do that, Ranma and I will go in instead."
"Would that be okay?"
"The monster spawn rate will drop, but it won't stop completely, so we'll be able to get what we want after some time."
My logic was correct. The Monster Farm I built was larger than the 24m no-spawn zone around the player. Since I had to account for me going in to fight, it was long enough. Even if I walked around, the spawn area wouldn't disappear completely. The only problem was that I'd have to walk 24m to hunt monsters.
"Is that really okay? If you say it's possible, I'd like to do that."
Asagi accepted my suggestion with a brightened expression. I gave a bitter smile. No matter how I think about it, it's nasty. It feels like she hates me as a person, which is even more stressful. But the most painful part is that I can't get angry or fight back. Why? Because Asagi is better at fighting than I am.
If I weren't a Minecraft player, I would have died. Asagi could actually live like a queen here, and Ranma and I wouldn't have a say. Even though Ranma is a martial artist, I don't think he could beat Asagi. Maybe it's a good thing for me that Asagi feels sorry for me.
This isn't a mental victory.
Isn't it a gain if someone who can do whatever they want feels sorry for you?
That's what I think.
Don't think about other things, Byeong-sun.
Don't think about complaints.
Asagi only has a Wooden Sword, but a Wooden Sword is a lethal weapon even in reality. Asagi is holding a lethal weapon. Plus, she's set up to be a master of various martial arts. It could be a big problem if I mess with her.
I gave Asagi a very bright, good-natured smile and answered.
"Please do that. You need a Wooden Axe, right?"
"Right. Just give me a Wooden Axe and I'll do all the logging. That's better."
Asagi nodded vigorously and held out her hand to me. What? I instinctively grabbed Asagi's hand.
"Hiiiiiik!"
"Huh? You didn't want me to hold your hand?"
Asagi recoiled, disgusted, and shook off my hand. I was wounded in my heart again, but I acted like nothing was wrong and asked Asagi. Asagi's hand is incredibly soft! It was an amazing texture!
Asagi blushed deeply and shook her head from side to side. It didn't seem like she meant for me to hold her hand.
Actually, I knew.
I just wanted to hold it, so I did.
I put on an expression like I had realized, took a Wooden Axe out of my Inventory, and handed it to her. Asagi quickly took the Wooden Axe and headed toward the Oak Tree field where the Oak Tree saplings were just starting to become full-grown trees. Since I had nothing to do until Ranma woke up, I walked to the Oak Tree field with Asagi. It seemed Asagi didn't like me following her.
"Why are you...?"
"I have nothing to do until Ranma wakes up."
When I said that, Asagi stopped walking toward the Oak Tree field and walked toward my hut where Ranma was sleeping. I was wounded again.
Do you hate being with me that much?
Asagi banged on the door of my hut, which she had reached with quick steps.
"Ranma! Ranma! Wake up! Wake up!"
Asagi banged on it for a while. It seemed she intended to be noisy until Ranma woke up. While I watched Asagi's behavior from behind, after some time, Ranma came walking out, rubbing his eyes.
"Why are you up so early... I'm still sleepy..."
"The sun is high. Wake up and do today's work."
Asagi coaxed Ranma. She didn't seem to back away because of the smell like she did with me. That's another wound. The difference in temperature between how she treats me and how she treats Ranma was like heaven and earth.
I'm getting stubborn.
"Ranma. You're going to the Monster Farm with me starting today."
"Eh? Not logging? What about Asagi-ssi?"
Ranma frowned as if asking what I was talking about. Asagi, whose expression had softened just after waking Ranma up, ignored Ranma's reaction and avoided eye contact. Look at that, it's like she's telling me to handle it.
I didn't really have any intention of taking Asagi's side.
"Asagi-ssi hates going in with me, so it's decided that Asagi-ssi will do the logging, and you'll come with me to the Monster Farm."
"Really?"
"Ugh..."
At my words, Asagi tried to say something with a strange expression, as if she had nothing to say but also had something to say, but eventually gave up and bowed her head. She wouldn't have anything to say, would she? If she did, is she even human? I'm the one who has been suffering from the smell for days.
Thinking that, I took Ranma, who had finally woken up, and moved to the entrance of the Monster Farm. Asagi looked like she had something to say, but when I left with Ranma, she eventually moved to the Oak Tree field alone.
I don't intend to be on bad terms with Asagi, but honestly, I don't know how to treat her right now. It was true that Asagi didn't want to be with me.
"Are we going straight to the Monster Farm?"
"That's right. It's safe anyway. It's better to move fast if we want to get Iron Ingots quickly. It's a game of probability."
"Haa..."
Ranma sighed at my words. The inside of the Monster Farm is very dark. It seemed he was sighing at the thought of having to be there all day.
I smirked at Ranma's reaction. Anyway, hunting monsters in the Monster Farm is something we absolutely have to do. From now on, we have to grind like crazy to get Iron Ingots. I know well that Iron Ingots don't drop often.
"Grab your Wooden Sword and let's go in."
"Got it."
In the end, the two of us, Ranma and I, went inside the Monster Farm.