Player Farming in the Dragon’s Lair - Chapter 102
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
102
The tteokbokki Woo-jin had made was genuinely delicious.
A seasoning that was spicy yet sweet, with a savory bite.
Chewy rice cakes.
Utterly satisfying.
“Mm, this is really good.”
“Agreed.”
For the past few days, the two Apostles had been living in contentment.
They were aware that they’d entered the Abandoned Dungeon and been bound by Amwol, trapped in this place, yet they found themselves oddly at peace.
It wasn’t merely because they were eating delicious food.
The Apostles’ purpose was to bring about the world’s destruction alongside the Calamity.
It was grueling work.
Building their influence, amassing dark magic force, summoning the Calamity—none of it was easy. Honestly, they’d never truly rested. Not once.
They felt their spirit and body wasting away, but for the sake of their great work, they’d accepted the sacrifice of everything they had. They embraced it as the fate of Apostles, repeating the same exhausting labor day after day.
But now, everything felt light. Everything felt at ease.
Simply by remaining still, their bodies found comfort.
Without the compulsion to summon and nurture the Calamity, their minds too had found peace.
The descent of the great Calamity, the Kraken—something Paimon had spent so long preparing for.
None of that mattered anymore. For the first time in ages, they could simply meditate and savor a moment of leisure.
“Heh heh. That was delicious.”
“Perhaps it tastes so fine because it is the food of a god.”
They’d scraped the tteokbokki sauce so thoroughly that the bowls gleamed clean.
Kkamangi had said it would collect the empty dishes, so they set them aside respectfully.
Paimon began to murmur.
“But what on earth could Lee Woo-jin be thinking?”
“Hmm?”
“Buer, think about it. The gods have never once interfered in the affairs of the lower realms. Not once—save for that single time when Amwol dared to challenge the power of the heavens themselves.”
The tale of how the arrogant Amwol had declared himself a god and received divine discipline at the hands of the gods was far too famous among the Apostles to need retelling.
“Yet that god appeared in person. Moreover, he destroyed the Calamity. That surely means he’s made a declaration of intent to cleanse the forces of dark magic that seek to destroy the world, does it not?”
“B-but then why did he spare us?”
“… An opportunity. It is an opportunity.”
“What kind of opportunity?”
Paimon’s eyes gleamed with realization.
“We must join the Lee Woo-jin Agricultural Management Company!”
“What?”
“Didn’t the Manager say it earlier? That he is the president and Lee Woo-jin is the chairman? But if we enter his organization, if we work beneath him, then from Lee Woo-jin’s perspective we cease to be a dark magic force. We become his subordinates.”
“S-subordinates!”
“It’s not impossible. Consider the evidence: he spared Amwol. That shows he doesn’t simply eradicate anyone aligned with dark magic forces. And beyond that! Why do you think he bothers to give us delicious food? It proves he has the will to let us live!”
At Paimon’s speech, Buer’s eyes widened.
Paimon’s reasoning certainly had merit.
“When the Manager comes back for the dishes, let’s ask—let’s say we want to join the Lee Woo-jin Agricultural Management Company.”
“Yes!”
* * *
“Woo-jin, I brought the dishes, meow.”
“Thanks for your work.”
Kkamangi waddled over with the tteokbokki bowl in its mouth and set it down before him.
“Here, have one Churu stick.”
“Thank you, meow! I’ll treasure it, meow!”
Kkamangi picked up the Churu stick and carried it off to the cardboard box that served as his home, rest space, and snack storage, setting it down inside.
“By the way, the Apostles were asking if they could join the company, meow?”
“The company? What company?”
Kkamangi let out a soft laugh.
“Why, the Lee Woo-jin Agricultural Management Company, of course, meow.”
“… Oh!”
Woo-jin’s eyes went wide.
Of course—the Lee Woo-jin Agricultural Management Company wasn’t a real, officially registered enterprise. It was merely a makeshift ‘concept’ that had been thrown together on a whim, the sort of thing the children engaged in when they played pretend.
“How in the world did they find out about that?”
“Heh heh. I told them, meow. I let them know you’re the chairman and I’m the president, meow!”
A sigh.
Woo-jin breathed out slowly.
What else can I do?
The words are already out of my mouth.
‘It’s not like anything terrible has happened. I’ll just go along with them a bit and let them out.’
Keeping the Apostles locked in the dungeon had been nagging at me anyway. How much longer was I going to leave them confined there?
I decided to go play the role of accepting them as company employees and then release them.
Walking along the Manager’s corridor for a short distance, I arrived at the dungeon.
I’d considered leaving a teleportation ring here too, but since it wasn’t far from the 99th floor, I’d been walking back and forth.
In any case.
“Gasp!”
“We greet you, Lee Woo-jin!”
“So you all want to join our company, is that right?”
At my question, the Apostles nodded vigorously.
“We truly wish to join!”
“If you’ll just let us in, we’ll do anything! Just give us orders!”
“Oh? You’ll do anything?”
Truth be told, I didn’t really have much work to give them.
Farming was already covered by the Doppelganger.
Dishwashing and laundry—the Doppelganger handled those skillfully too.
Even if we were short-handed, with Kkamangi and the Dungeon Mouse pitching in, there was nothing to fear.
“Fine. From now on, you’re all employees of Lee Woo-jin Agricultural… what was it again? Ah, Lee Woo-jin Agricultural Management Company. Okay?”
“Yes! That sounds wonderful!”
“Your position is staff member. You understand?”
“Yes!”
I chuckled softly.
“I’m going to release you all now. Just a moment.”
I pulled Amwol from my Subspace Backpack.
It was in the form of a garden spade at the moment.
“Amwol, can you undo the restraints on these fellows?”
— Master.
“Hmm?”
— These creatures are currently bound by my power, unable to use their dark magic force. If I release the restraints, they could summon their strength and attack immediately.
Though even if they did, it wouldn’t matter much—I had Absolute Concealment, so their attacks wouldn’t land anyway.
The Apostles, hearing Amwol’s words, flinched in alarm and waved their hands frantically.
“No, no! Such a thing would never happen! We would never be so mad as to lay hands upon a god! We’re not insane!”
“That’s right! Please believe us! And you don’t need to undo the restraints—we can stay here just fine!”
“Yes! Please let us continue to stay!”
Amwol studied them carefully.
There was no hint of falsehood in their words.
If this was an act, these creatures would be worthy of becoming the world’s greatest performers.
— It seems genuine.
— Master, but just to be safe, what about binding them with a seal?
“A seal?”
— A contract. The same sort you and I have made.
“Ah, I see.”
It would certainly be better if the contract gave us binding power.
It could also prevent any unfortunate incidents before they occur.
The Apostles responded positively.
In fact, they looked pleased.
[The God of Order says he will intervene in the contract if needed.]
Now that I thought about it, I recalled the God of Order overseeing me when I’d made the contract with Amwol last time.
“We would be grateful if you would do so!”
[The God of Order smiles and says this is naturally the least he should do.]
Flash!
A brilliant beam of light appeared from high in the dungeon’s ceiling.
As if the cavern roof had vanished and a single radiant star was twinkling in a vast night sky.
The Apostles could hardly fail to understand what this meant.
A god had appeared.
And the Apostles believed that star was summoned by Lee Woo-jin himself.
The Apostles prostrated themselves flat.
First they said I wasn’t a god, and now they’re openly revealing their true nature to me!
“Then shall we proceed with the contract?”
“Yes!!!”
[Lee Woo-jin presents the contract terms.]
1. You shall obey my words
2. You shall not contradict me
“These are the same conditions I gave Amwol. Is there anything you’d like to modify?”
“There isn’t, sire!”
I went through the contracts with Paimon and Buer in turn.
Nothing much changed in appearance.
But I could sense clearly that the contracts had been established.
Once the contracts were complete, all trace of the God of Order vanished.
The interior of the Abandoned Dungeon reverted to its former state—a dark, murky cavern as if nothing had happened.
– Hmm, I suppose I can release the restraints now.
Crack.
The binding shackles that had held the apostles’ hands and feet shattered and dissolved.
“You must have felt cooped up. Go on out and get some fresh air. Well then, I’m off. Farewell.”
“Please go carefully, Chairman!”
The apostles bowed deeply, bending at ninety-degree angles.
Lee Woo-jin left them behind and departed.
.
.
.
Back at the Dragon Lair, Lee Woo-jin settled in.
For dinner, he caught rockfish and made a spicy fish stew.
Lunch had been tteokbokki.
Dinner was maeuntang.
The thought of making red pepper powder from his harvested peppers and eating well-prepared meals at noon and evening filled him with satisfaction.
Splash!
“Ahhh, this is the life.”
Soaking in the warm broth beneath the moonlight filtering through the hole in the Dragon Lair’s ceiling felt like paradise itself.
Bob-bob.
The Dungeon Mouse floated lazily in the stew, sprawled on its back.
– Squeak. (This is heaven.)
“A bath before bed is essential, after all.”
(……) Nod.
Eating dinner and bathing had become a routine.
After soaking in the hot water for a while, I climbed out and washed my hair with shampoo, my face with cleansing foam, and scrubbed my body thoroughly with body wash.
Changing into fresh underwear and a short-sleeved shirt left my whole body feeling crisp and clean.
I patted some lotion onto my face.
That was when it happened.
Something tickled my back, and when I turned around, I saw a branch of the World Tree.
More precisely, something hanging from the tip of that branch…….
“Wait! Is that a strawberry?”
– F… o… r… y… o… u……?
“Is it a gift for me?”
– Y… e… s…….
[World Tree’s Status-Anomaly Recovery Strawberry]
– Grade: A
– Effect: Upon consumption, immediately recovers from status anomalies (burns, freezing, fear, poison, etc.).
– Description: A strawberry borne by the still-young World Tree. Possesses tremendous efficacy.
Immediate recovery from status anomalies, no less.
Was there really such an absurdly overpowered strawberry?
It was about the size of a premium strawberry you’d buy at a market.
I opened my mouth wide and ate it in one bite.
Munch-munch.
“Delicious!”
– H… e… h…….
It was tart and sweet.
The World Tree placed the strawberry in a basket for me.
There were so many of them.
– Dr… W… Ye…….
“It has a tart taste, nya!”
Day 54 since arriving at the Tower.
A Player Farming in the Dragon Lair (serialized)
Author │ Gaebyeok S
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Publishing House │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ 401, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Ace Techno Tower 8th)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Gaebyeok S 2026
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder, and the content cannot be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
Violation of this shall subject the violator to criminal and civil legal liability.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————