Player Farming in the Dragon’s Lair - Chapter 81
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
81
After harvesting the corn, the first thing Woo-jin did was craft a steamer. There was no way to prepare steamed corn without one.
Scritch, scritch.
[Sculpture Lv. 5’s proficiency has increased.]
[You have completed an enigmatic stone steamer.]
– Grade: C
– Effects
– Moisture Retention +30%
– Taste Bonus +10%
– Description: A steamer carved from the enigmatic stone that composes Dragon Lair. It has the property of holding steam for extended periods, making it effective at preserving the natural flavors of ingredients.
…… Tilt?
The Doppelgänger, noticing the section riddled with holes through the middle, tilted its head in bewilderment.
A steamer’s structure consists of three tiers.
The first is a pot.
The second is a perforated rack.
The third is a lid.
The first tier serves as the pot where water boils from below.
When the fire is lit, the water inside comes to a boil first.
The second tier is the perforated rack.
When you place the corn on it, the hot steam rising from below passes through the holes and cooks the ingredients.
And the third tier is the lid.
It prevents heat and steam from escaping from above.
In other words, you don’t put the corn directly into the water and boil it.
Instead, you slowly cook it using the steam rising from the boiling water.
“What do you think?”
…… Thumbs up!
After hearing Woo-jin’s explanation, the Doppelgänger raised its thumb decisively, as if to say that this steamer was absolutely magnificent.
“Rainfall!”
He filled the steamer with water, removed the husks and silk from the corn stalks, separated just the kernels, placed them on the second-tier rack, and covered it with the lid.
Whoosh!
He lit the kindling and began heating the water in the steamer.
Since cooking would take some time, he decided to have some tea in the meantime.
He placed water and corn silk in a pot and began boiling it.
The longer it boiled, the more the corn silk would steep, creating a rich tea flavor.
[You have completed ‘Corn Silk Tea’.]
[Corn Silk Tea]
– Grade: C
– Effects
– Cold Resistance +10% for 60 minutes upon consumption
– Agility +1 for 60 minutes upon consumption
– Description: A tea carefully steeped in hot water using the silk left over after harvesting corn. The savory aroma and subtle sweetness blend beautifully, bringing calm to the mind.
Slurp.
He took a sip.
It tasted very much like the corn silk tea sold in small plastic bottles at convenience stores.
“Everyone, have a cup.”
He gave a cup each to Kkamangi, the Doppelgänger, and the Dungeon Rat, and even gave Corn Silk Tea to the gods to drink, and by the time they were all sipping away, the steamed corn was ready.
[You have completed ‘Steamed Corn’.]
[Cooking Lv. 7’s proficiency increases slightly.]
[Steamed Corn]
– Grade: C
– Effects
– Taste Bonus +30%
– Agility +0.01 permanently upon consumption
– Description: Steamed corn from the tower with agility properties. It’s piping hot.
The distinctive warm, sweet aroma of freshly steamed corn filled the Dragon Lair. It was exactly the same smell that wafted from food truck stalls whenever you passed by during festivals and events.
– Squeak! (This, this taste—!)
– Squeak…… (A taste of heaven……)
The Dungeon Rat, having tasted the steamed corn, fell backward and went rigid. When Woo-jin hurriedly righted it, the creature resumed gnawing on the steamed corn as if nothing had happened.
[The God of Adventure remarks that the chewy, sticky texture is absolutely delightful.]
[The God of Authority nods repeatedly in acknowledgment.]
“Heh heh. Let me try some…….”
The moment he reached for the steamed corn.
Amwol came darting through the manager’s corridor.
– Master, I’ve returned.
An intruder had appeared at the Abandoned Dungeon, so he’d sent Amwol to scout.
“Is it that witch, Eldora, from last time?”
– No, it’s someone different this time.
– Not a witch—an Apostle.
“An Apostle?”
– I could handle them easily enough, but they’re formidable in their own right. Apostles are the most powerful dark creatures that wield cursed magic—think of them that way.
– I’ve bound them and sealed their power as you commanded.
“Thanks, Amwol. I’ll go take a look.”
Woo-jin grabbed another steamed ear of corn.
* * *
[Consuming steamed corn has permanently increased agility by 0.01.]
Holding a whole ear and turning it as he plucked off kernels, Woo-jin felt like there was nothing in the world to envy.
The tender, sweet kernels crunched between his teeth.
When he sucked on the cob, the juice inside flowed into his mouth—the taste was exquisitely sweet.
Eating the steamed corn this way, Woo-jin walked through the manager’s corridor and arrived at the Abandoned Dungeon, where he spotted a man bound not far away.
“……!”
“Hello there?”
“G-Good heavens! I am in the presence of a noble!”
“Excuse me?”
The man suddenly threw himself into a deep bow.
Woo-jin was flustered, but he soon shrugged.
Then he pulled a steamed ear of corn from his subspace pouch.
“Here, please have some.”
“Th-This is?”
“Steamed corn. Since you’ve come to our dungeon, I thought I’d offer you some hospitality (?) of sorts. But what’s your name?”
“I-I am the Tenth Apostle, and my name is Buer!”
“I see. I’m Lee Woo-jin.”
After introducing himself,
Woo-jin resumed eating his steamed corn.
Buer, who had been watching quietly, took a large bite of the steamed corn, thinking it wise not to displease his host.
With a crack, a quarter of the cob tore away.
Buer began chewing both the kernels and the cob together.
‘This… is delicious!’
The sweet, tender, nutty flavor was exquisite.
Never in his life had he tasted something so delicious.
Woo-jin was about to mention that you’re not supposed to eat the cob, but seeing Buer enjoy it so much, he decided it didn’t matter how one ate it and simply let it be.
Crunch!
Smack smack smack!
Buer finished the steamed corn in no time.
Woo-jin pulled a wooden cup from his subspace pouch and poured Corn Silk Tea for him.
“Please have some tea as well.”
Buer accepted the wooden cup with both hands respectfully.
After taking a sip of the Corn Silk Tea, Buer closed his eyes and a faint smile crossed his face.
“A-Ah, I-I’m terribly sorry!”
“Why? I’m happy when you enjoy it like that.”
“The tea is absolutely delicious!”
After finishing his tea,
Buer straightened his posture like a private standing rigidly beside a commanding officer.
“But why did you come to this place?”
“Ah, w-well, that is……
Buer’s eyes darted about.
He’d come to the Abandoned Dungeon to verify with his own eyes whether Amwol truly served an Adventurer as his master, just as Rabbit had said.
If in the process he’d found that Amwol’s existence was a lie,
and the Adventurer was just a worthless fool, he’d have killed him on the spot and returned to the Calamity Cult to execute both Rabbit and Eldora.
But if he told the truth now?
‘I’m dead.’
What was there to say?
After giving it considerable thought, Buer had come to a realization.
The one thing that wouldn’t seem strange at all to find in an abandoned dungeon was none other than “Calamity.”
The description in the Apocalypse Prophecy concerning the first Calamity.
In order to learn more about it, he’d investigated various places, and had decided to check out this abandoned dungeon as well—that would be his explanation.
‘All right. Let’s go with this.’
Buer cleared his throat with a deliberate cough, gathering himself.
“Do you happen to know anything about Calamity?”
“Calamity? Ah, I did discover one recently.”
“What? W-where did you discover it? The reason I came to this place was, was actually to find Calamity. You see, there’s something called the Apocalypse Prophecy, and the recent prophecy mentions that the first Calamity has arrived, so, ha, haha!”
Lee Woo-jin gave a slight shrug.
“I just happened to find it while passing through.”
Could you p-perhaps tell me its location? It’s quite important to us, you see…….”
Buer realized he was no longer in his right mind.
Was he really asking a god for the location of a Calamity?
Had he ever seen such madness?
He wanted to take it back immediately, but once words left your mouth, you couldn’t put them back in.
Buer clenched his wits and held his tongue.
Lee Woo-jin, of course, knew nothing of what lay in Buer’s heart.
He simply thought Buer was terrified because of Amwol’s great power.
He was under the impression that the reason Buer was acting so deferentially was solely because he had Amwol backing him—nothing more, nothing less.
In any case.
“Telling you the location seems pointless. I ended up killing it, it seems.”
“What?”
Lee Woo-jin reached into his dimensional pouch and rummaged around for something.
He pulled out a single black gem.
Calamity Stone
– Description: The remains of the first Calamity, the pathogenic swarm of death.
“Huuuh-what?!”
Shock.
Warning lights flashed in Buer’s mind.
He was certain now.
Lee Woo-jin was a god.
There was no way an ordinary Adventurer could have Amwol as a subordinate, defeat the pathogenic swarm of death, and possess a Calamity Stone.
Moreover, there was only one reason he would deliberately show him the Calamity Stone like this.
– You want to end up like this?
– Mind your manners.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
Thud!
“I have misspoken! I am truly, deeply sorry!”
What was there to apologize for?
Lee Woo-jin placed the Calamity Stone back in his dimensional pouch and retrieved it.
While he was at it, he drained the last of his Corn Silk Tea and put the empty wooden cup into the dimensional pouch as well.
“It’s fine. And I should tell you—I can’t release you right now. You understand that, don’t you?”
After all, it was Amwol who had bound Buer in the first place.
Only Amwol could undo it, naturally.
Lee Woo-jin could do nothing about it.
But Buer’s interpretation was.
– I’ll decide whether to let you live based on how you act.
This was the only way he could take it.
“I w-will keep that in mind!”
“I’ll be heading out now.”
Lee Woo-jin stood up with a slight gesture and walked toward the Manager’s Passage.
Once Lee Woo-jin’s figure had completely vanished, Buer let out a long sigh of relief as if a decade had been lifted from his shoulders.
Farming in the Dragon’s Lair (Serialized)
Author │ Gaebyeok S
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyung
Published by │ J-P Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyuk
Address │ Room 401, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Ace Tech Tower 8)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Kaepyeok S2026
※This work is published by Jay Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder, and the content 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.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————