Player Farming in the Dragon’s Lair - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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104
Between the ramen mixed with rice and the strawberry banana smoothie, a wave of drowsiness had crashed over him, and he’d slept for an hour.
When he blinked his eyes open,
the natural sunlight streaming down from the cavern ceiling was warm and inviting.
“Ah, blood sugar spike—that’s what got me.”
Ordinarily a light walk would’ve done wonders, but Lee Woo-jin simply sprawled where he lay and decided to check the community instead.
He hadn’t logged into the community in days.
The forum topics were varied, but with the Rankers increasingly active lately, the popular posts were dominated entirely by Ranker-related news.
“What?”
Lee Woo-jin stiffened.
Every post was focused on Ethan Coldwell—and the gist was that he was dying, having even written a will.
Ethan Coldwell.
The world’s number one Ranker.
An American Awakener who held the record for Hard Difficulty Stage 34.
Lee Woo-jin had heard how he’d received the S-rank weapon, the Lightning Sword, and climbed the tower steadily ever since—and now suddenly a last will?
– To you all, I have lived happily.
– I was born and raised in a small town, spending my childhood without much abundance. Then one day, I was blessed to Awaken, and by fortune’s grace, I came to hold the glory of world ranking number one and live in prosperity.
– (excerpt omitted)
– My only regret is that I never had a girlfriend, though perhaps that too was the hand of fate.
– I should have approached Stage 38 with more caution, but my own arrogance has become my death.
– Why is it, suddenly, that I think of kimchi fried rice? 🙂
– My mother, who worked at the Korean Restaurant, would sometimes bring home a container of kimchi fried rice on her way home from work. I miss it.
– (excerpt omitted)
– Now I shall depart.
– Rather than remain here and wait to starve, I will collide with those dark shadows lurking beyond.
– Please, I ask for your blessing on my path forward.
“Gasp!”
The community was in an uproar—this was like a bolt from the blue.
The will had been posted twenty minutes ago.
Lee Woo-jin immediately requested a chat with Ethan Coldwell.
[Requesting chat with Ethan Coldwell.]
[Requesting chat with Ethan Coldwell…]
The chat request was not accepted.
“Woo-jin, what’s wrong?”
“I’m heading up to the Hard tower for a bit!”
Lee Woo-jin immediately rushed toward Stage 50 of the tower, where the Transfer Gate lay.
.
.
.
Ethan Coldwell.
He was trapped on Hard Difficulty Stage 38.
In a place called the Shadow Cave.
More precisely, in a hidden chamber within the Shadow Cave itself.
He had first arrived at Stage 38 four days ago.
Until that point, Ethan Coldwell had never imagined that such a thing could happen.
Tower Stages fell into three broad categories.
First: Hunting.
Second: Escape.
Third: Gimmick Breaking.
Stage 38 was an Escape objective.
[Stage 38 Objective]
– Escape Shadow Cave (0/1)
[Stage 38 Information]
– You are a wandering sellsword.
– While making your living by completing Guild requests, you received a proposal from another party to venture into the Shadow Cave together.
– The Shadow Cave was a place you’d heard whispered about countless times. It was a legendary location said to hold mountains of gold and treasures.
– (excerpt omitted)
– You came to regret entering the Shadow Cave.
– In the darkness, the shadows were invincible. Your attacks had no effect whatsoever, and the cavern was a complete labyrinth!
– As you fled searching for an exit, you discovered a hidden secret chamber and slipped inside. The shadows did not seem able to enter this place.
When Ethan Coldwell had first arrived at the 38th Floor with high hopes and checked the information, he’d felt confident. With an A-rank weapon like the Lightning Sword, he’d believed he could face any Hard Difficulty monster calmly and emerge victorious.
But the shadows were different.
His attacks didn’t land.
No—worse, the moment he attacked, they struck back with equal force.
The shadows vanished and reappeared endlessly in the darkened cave, and it was terrifyingly horrific.
What frightened him most was that they could emerge from anywhere his shadow fell.
Eventually, unable to find an exit, he’d retreated to this hidden chamber and caught his breath.
At first, he’d felt grateful.
When he stayed in the hidden chamber, the shadows didn’t appear.
It was a safe place.
Ethan Coldwell had decided to devise a new strategy here. But then he faced another terror—though not from the shadows.
[You cannot access the Auction House in this location.]
He couldn’t trade with other users.
Which meant he couldn’t obtain food or water.
This had never happened before.
Awakeners didn’t bring food into the Tower. The reason was simple: it was cumbersome, and there was no need to eat.
Awakeners maintained peak condition before ascending the Tower. They replenished fluids thoroughly, attended to bodily needs, and entered fully satiated.
Most clears didn’t take long.
A few hours at most.
If necessary, one could carry water.
But even that could hinder movement due to its weight, so it was natural to avoid it.
But what if a clear took longer, requiring fluid intake and hunger relief?
Simple—use the Auction House.
Even if food items weren’t listed, it didn’t matter.
You’d pay the proper cost—Coins—request someone list an item, or conduct a direct trade.
Ethan Coldwell had relied on the Auction House and direct trading.
But what came back was:
[You cannot access the Auction House in this location.]
An Auction House access restriction.
A message he’d never heard of or seen before appeared before his eyes.
He couldn’t obtain food or water.
The terror was indescribable.
He would die.
From dehydration.
Beyond bewilderment lay shock.
And fear.
Primal fear.
Ethan Coldwell had reported this fact to the community.
People immediately offered to find him food and drink, but the system prevented them.
Time passed.
It was now the third day without food or water.
Ethan Coldwell made his decision.
Before it was too late, he would leave this place and clash with the shadows while searching for an exit.
If more time passed, dehydration and hunger would make it impossible to walk properly.
He wrote what he believed would be his final will.
It wasn’t long.
As he wrote, his entire life from birth flashed before him like a lantern show.
‘I was happy.’
Despite their poverty, he’d grown up loved by parents with warm hearts.
After awakening by chance, his fortune soared.
He’d claimed the title of world’s number one and repaid his parents’ kindness completely.
His life held no regrets.
Well.
Never having dated a woman—that might be a small regret.
Growl.
His hunger was overwhelming.
Ethan Coldwell’s mind drifted again to kimchi fried rice.
When he’d first eaten it, the spice and dry grain texture had repelled him, but as he grew accustomed to it, he’d eventually found it genuinely delicious.
‘Time to go.’
He gripped the Lightning Sword tight.
Opening that door would summon shadows to greet them from the corridor.
‘It’s not about attacking. I have to ignore the shadows and press forward. That’s the answer.’
After hours of thought spent trapped in that chamber, that was the conclusion he’d reached.
The moment Ethan Coldwell reached for the handle to open the door—
A young man who appeared to be Korean materialized before him.
“……?”
* * *
The moment Lee Woo-jin entered Hard Top Floor 38, a message appeared.
[The shadows are now enslaved through the Doppelganger Summon effect.]
[The Doppelganger, having reclaimed the shadows, grows one tier stronger.]
[The Doppelganger can now summon a ‘clone’.]
‘What is this?’
In any case.
Ethan Coldwell stood before him.
A global superstar he’d only ever seen through TV screens, smartphones, photos and videos!
“Hello! Nice to meet you!”
“W-who are you?”
“I’m Woo-jin.”
Right.
Now that he thought about it, there was no need for English.
Within the Tower, Language Correction operated automatically, allowing seamless communication across any language barrier—which was why people speaking different tongues could chat freely in the community.
Anyway.
“Are you alright? I saw the letter you posted in the community and came running as fast as I could.”
“Are you… perhaps an Adventurer?”
“Yes. I’m a Korean Awakener. And…”
Woo-jin pointed to the Lightning Sword Ethan was holding.
“That person gave it to me.”
“……What?!”
Ethan Coldwell was taken aback.
The one who’d given him the Lightning Sword was Anonymous 58,763.
He couldn’t believe that person was Korean.
Not only that.
“How did you even get here?”
Officially, only four Adventurers were climbing the Hard Difficulty worldwide.
Ethan Coldwell from the USA.
Li Wei from China.
Kamiya Ren from Japan.
And finally, Kang Min-woo from Korea, who’d been rising rapidly of late.
Even among them, they were on a floor far above where he stood.
In other words, this meant it shouldn’t have been possible for another Awakener to reach this place.
“One way or another, I made it up. The details would take forever to explain. I saw your post in the community saying you hadn’t eaten anything in days, so I got worried and came right away.”
Woo-jin rummaged through his Subspace Backpack and began pulling out ingredients.
Since Ethan had mentioned wanting kimchi-fried rice, that’s what he’d prepare.
Woo-jin withdrew the Unknown Stone Frying Pan.
He planned to grill the pork belly and kimchi together first, eat some, then stir-fry the rice in the remaining oil.
Clink.
Clink.
“Huh! P-pork? Rice! Kimchi!”
“Yep.”
Woo-jin pulled out the Wooden Cup.
“Rainfall!”
Splash, splash, splash.
“Here, drink a cup of water first.”
Tears welled up in Ethan Coldwell’s eyes.
So the divine truly existed in this world.
Gulp, gulp, gulp!
Cool, refreshing water filled his parched body, replenishing every ounce of moisture.
The Player Farming at the Dragon Lair (Serialized)
Author │ Gaebuk S
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Publisher │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyeok
Address │ 401, Ace Techno Tower 8th, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
© Gaebyeok S2026
※ This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder, and the contents may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
Violation of this may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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