Player Farming in the Dragon’s Lair - Chapter 6

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

6
First, he decided to acquire the knowledge.
If he just planted blindly, the results would be disastrous.
Besides, Ujin had a thick farming manual titled “You Can Do It! First Steps in Gardening” that he’d received from Iknyeong 3861.
He checked the table of contents first.
A orthodox book, beginning with a preface and ending with a conclusion.
The instructions for planting crops were organized alphabetically by crop name, making it easy to find what he needed.
“Hmm. Let me see. Cherry tomatoes, cherry tom… Found it.”
The section on cherry tomatoes was on page 250.
Ujin decided to read it carefully from beginning to end.
【Cherry tomatoes are a crop that even beginners can cultivate relatively easily, and it’s more stable to use seedlings rather than seeds. They love sunlight greatly, so it’s good to plant them in a location that gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. The soil must drain well while maintaining a certain level of moisture……】
It was written with illustrations for easy understanding.
After reading the passage carefully, Ujin kept the cherry tomato section open in front of him.
He had one hundred cherry tomato seedlings.
First, he’d need to prepare the soil.
The book said to space them about forty centimeters apart…….
Ujin looked around the soil area with his chin resting in his hand, calculating mentally this way and that.
Accounting for space to place support stakes, work space, and pathways to walk through later during harvest, he’d need to prepare a cherry tomato patch of about fifteen pyeong.
“Alright. Let’s get started.”
He had plenty of work tools.
Though they were just items from the real world with no Grade attached, it was far better than when he’d dug soil with his bare hands to plant seed potatoes, so he was satisfied.
Tap.
He first put on the work gloves.
They were the common red latex-coated gloves typically used in manual labor.
Ujin began by using the hoe to rake back the surface soil and outline the field.
Each time he lifted soil, damp earth came up with it.
The rich smell of soil.
“Soil Leveling, Soil Leveling!”
[Proficiency for Soil Leveling Lv. 2 increases.]
[Proficiency for Soil Leveling Lv. 2…….]
Rising proficiency was a bonus.
He pictured uniform spacing in his mind and dug holes one by one with a hand spade.
The depth was about a palm’s thickness.
He leveled the soil, adjusting it to be neither too shallow nor too deep.
[Proficiency for Soil Leveling Lv. 2…….]
When stones or clumps of soil appeared, he pushed them aside and tamped the bottom down again with the blade. As the row of holes grew longer, the field’s form became clearer.
Soon enough.
[You have acquired Soil Leveling Lv. 3.]
A small, precious garden patch for planting cherry tomato seedlings was complete.
Ujin felt a sense of pride welling up, but it was too early to celebrate.
“Let me see. Next…….”
Ujin carefully removed one cherry tomato seedling from the seedling tray. The book said it was important to lift it with the soil still wrapped around the roots so they wouldn’t be damaged.
He stood the seedling in the center of the hole he’d dug, then slowly gathered the surrounding soil to cover the root section.
Not too firmly pressed.
Instead, he had to press gently, as if soothing it, to secure it in place.
And so he planted the first cherry tomato seedling in the ground.
[Proficiency for Seed Planting Lv. 2 increases.]
“Oh? So this counts as Seed Planting too.”
The skill’s proficiency had risen.
His motivation rose with it.
Ahead of him lay ninety-nine more cherry tomato seedlings.
If he planted all of them, wouldn’t the Seed Planting skill reach Level 3 as well?
“Seed Planting, Seed Planting!”
Plant one, move to the next hole.
With each repetition, his hand movements grew steadier.
If a seedling tilted, he straightened it.
If the soil looked insufficient, he gathered a bit more from the surrounding area to fill it in.
Cherry tomato seedlings standing in straight rows at regular intervals grew in number, one by one.
[You have acquired Seed Planting Lv. 3.]
“Hehehehe.”
Finished planting the cherry tomato seedlings!
I thought all I had to do now was water them.
But then I opened the manual again.
【After planting cherry tomato seedlings, support stakes must be installed. It is best to set up the support stakes immediately after planting the seedlings……】
Phew.
I nearly forgot to install the support stakes.
Ujin brought over a hundred sets of support stakes and binding twine.
Ujin began setting up the stakes one by one beside each seedling.
Not too close, not too far from each plant.
Following the instructions in the book, he chose a spot that wouldn’t disturb the roots and drove the stake into the ground.
Tap, tap.
As he tapped the top with the hoe handle, the stake sank firmly into place.
Next, he took out the twine and loosely tied the stem to the support stake.
It couldn’t be tied too tight.
Accounting for the stem to thicken as it grew, he left enough slack for a finger to slip through before tying the knot.
He repeated this process for every single seedling.
Before he knew it, three hours had slipped away.
“Phew.”
The support stake installation was finished.
Ujin collapsed onto the ground.
His back ached and his stomach growled.
He needed to eat something.
He’d had far too much Yukgaejang Cup Ramen lately.
‘Iknyeong said he wouldn’t be reachable for five days, so I should post in the community and ask someone to deliver me some food.’
What would taste good?
Black bean noodles with crispy fried pork would hit the spot.
Just as Ujin was about to excitedly write a post in the community—
He stopped.
He shook his head at himself.
Ujin checked the Tower Resistance Potatoes piled up on the ground.
[Tower Resistance Potato]
– Grade: D
– Effects
– Upon consumption: permanently increases all Resistance by +0.002
– Description: A potato grown by someone. Eating it increases various resistances.
‘Let me just eat these for now.’
When he thought about it, there was no need to nervously post on the community three times a day begging for food delivery.
The Tower Resistance Potatoes were delicious enough.
And eating them permanently raised *all* resistance by 0.002 each.
A hundred potatoes would give him 0.2.
A thousand would give him 2.
He was going to keep planting and harvesting potatoes going forward.
If he kept eating them… wouldn’t his resistance climb significantly?
“Alright.”
He turned on the burner, filled a pot with water from the lake, and brought it to a boil.
Then he tossed in three Tower Resistance Potatoes and began boiling them.
Bubble, bubble…….
That was when it happened.
[You have acquired Cooking Lv. 1.]
“Oh?”
Another new skill.
This time it was Cooking.
[Cooking (Lv. 1)]
– Description: Use ingredients to prepare dishes. The taste of completed dishes improves slightly.
At the same moment—
[You have created Boiled Potato.]
[Boiled Potato]
– Grade: D
– Effects
– Taste Bonus: +10%
– Upon consumption, permanently increases all Resistance by +0.002
– Description: A Tower Resistance Potato that has been boiled. Still warm.
Gulp.
The smell seemed somehow better than before.
Ujin tossed the boiled potato back and forth between his hands to cool it down.
He carefully peeled away the skin and took a bite.
Phew.
“Ow, that’s hot.”
The inside was still scorching.
He rolled the boiled potato around on his tongue inside his mouth, letting it dissolve slowly.
He could feel the distinctive softness of a boiled potato.
“Wow, this tastes even better.”
Even before, when he’d eaten boiled Tower Resistance Potatoes, they’d tasted richer than ordinary potatoes—but now they were far more delicious than regular ones.
He was certain that if he made french fries from these, they’d be a hit.
Ujin devoured one boiled potato where he sat, then picked up a second one.
By now, the cold wind had cooled the outside to just the right temperature, so he no longer needed to roll it in his palm.
The inside was still hot.
And all the more delicious for it—a warmth that heated his insides.
After finishing the last boiled potato,
Ujin checked his stats.
– Resistance: 0.01
His Resistance had climbed all the way to 0.01!
“…Hmm.”
To another Adventurer, it would’ve been laughable.
But to Ujin, it felt invaluable.
Only a single day had passed,
but if a hundred days went by? His Resistance would be 1.
He’d raised his Resistance by 1 without equipping any Items whatsoever.
“Mm-hmm.”
Time to wash the dishes and get some sleep.
* * *
Eighth day in the tower.
Morning.
“Phew, phew!”
Ujin filled a metal pot with lake water and washed his face.
He squeezed a dab of facial cleanser into his palm, rubbed it vigorously to work up a lather, then scrubbed his face with no mercy.
Splash!
Personal hygiene. He had to be careful about sanitation.
If he caught an illness from bacteria or germs, his chances of survival would plummet.
In the outside world, he could go to a hospital, see a doctor, get checked, and take medicine to recover. But here there was no hospital, no doctor.
Breakfast was two boiled potatoes.
That left him with ninety-three remaining.
For lunch, he’d have Yukgaejang Cup Ramen (Small).
Ujin was living what might be called a deliberate (?) planned life.
Step.
He checked on the Garden Patch where he’d planted the Cherry Tomato Seedlings.
“Oh.”
The cherry tomato patch had changed noticeably overnight.
The seedlings, which had only been palm-sized yesterday, had grown to about mid-thigh height.
The stalks had thickened and were just barely brushing against the loosely tied Support Stakes. The leaves in particular were glossy and spread out wide.
Ujin stepped back thoughtfully and surveyed the entire patch.
They’d only been in the ground for just over a day, and they were growing this fast?
‘They really are growing incredibly quickly.’
He’d noticed it from the moment he planted and harvested the seed potatoes.
What would have taken a solid two to three months outside had taken only three days here—or rather, just three days.
‘Could it be connected to the fact that this is the Dragon Lair?’
Smiling, Ujin filled the Watering Can with lake water and moved between the cherry tomato plants, watering them.
“Grow big and strong now. Hehe.”
* * *
Meanwhile.
The heart of the Dragon Lair.
“…….”
The Dragon Lord.
A day had passed since he’d awakened from the deep sleep that had held him.
In a small hollow corner of his lair, he’d noticed a life force—barely more than dust, really—stirring with activity.
A cramped space boxed in on all sides by stone.
It connected to the lake and passages within the Dragon Lair, though only in the most tenuous way imaginable.
In any case.
He focused mana into his gaze, peering through the space beyond.
A pathetically weak human—just one—munching on something resembling grass and seeming utterly delighted about it.
“…….”
The Dragon Lord simply closed his eyes again.
It wasn’t worth his attention.
The Player Farming in the Dragon Lair (Serialized)
Author | Gaebyeok S
Publisher | Kim Juhyeong
Publishing House | J-Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing | Han Jaehyeok
Address | 401st Floor, Ace Techno Tower 8th, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong)
Email | [email protected]
Homepage | 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. No part of the contents may be used in any form or by any means without the permission of the company and the author.
Violation of this will result in 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
—————