Player Farming in the Dragon’s Lair - Chapter 89

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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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89
On my forty-ninth day in the Tower.
Tomorrow would be my first venture outside in a long time.
I’d originally meant to find chili pepper seeds and red bean seeds on this trip, but I’d already sourced the chili peppers unexpectedly from within the Tower, so all that remained was to find red bean seeds.
Why did I need red beans?
To make red bean shaved ice, of course!
Since ice was available in unlimited quantities on the 15th Floor of the Hard Tower, making red bean shaved ice would be perfect.
[Your Doenjang has fermented.]
[Your Cooking proficiency (Lv. 8) has increased.]
The messages flickered before my eyes as I lounged on my back, rolling around and eating an apple.
It had only been about a day since I’d made the Doenjang and left it in the fermentation jar, yet it was already fully fermented!
I bolted upright and headed toward where the fermentation jar sat.
Chewing the apple, I made my way to the jar I’d carefully stored in one corner.
Doenjang made from soybeans.
I’d been meaning to open the jar and do a midway check to see how well the Doenjang was fermenting, and now this welcome message appeared telling me it was done.
I carefully lifted the lid of the jar.
Swish.
A salty, rich, umami-laden aroma poured out.
The salt water in which I’d submerged the Meju had taken on a deep brown hue, and the charcoal I’d floated on top was gently bobbing on the surface of the Ganjang Liquid.
Just then, the Dungeon Rat, who’d been napping in a shadowy corner, scurried over and climbed onto one of my shoulders. It looked down into the jar and squeaked.
– Squeak. (That smells kind of funky.)
– Squeak? (Is this a trap the master set?)
“A trap? This is delicious Doenjang.”
The Dungeon Rat tilted its head as if it couldn’t understand.
Visually, it didn’t look particularly appealing. But when I sniffed more carefully, it wasn’t funky at all—it carried a rich, savory, slightly salty fragrance.
I was about to pull the Meju out of the jar with my bare hands, but then I grabbed a clean wooden spatula instead.
If I touched the Meju directly, its shape might fall apart, so I thought it would be better to use two wooden spatulas to lift each piece out one at a time.
Whoop.
As I carefully lifted the Meju that had been submerged at the bottom, it looked completely different from the brick-hard state it had been in before.
The surface had absorbed the Ganjang Liquid and turned a deep brown, and both outside and inside had become moist and soft, loosened into a far more yielding texture.
A thin, soft layer of white mold coated the surface of the Meju.
And from some spots, a rich, earthy-yellow Doenjang oozed out, glistening with moisture.
Not decay—the clear marks of normal fermentation.
“Doppelgänger, could you bring me another empty jar?”
(……) Nod!
The Doppelgänger slid an empty new jar toward me.
I began lifting the Meju pieces one by one from the original jar and transferring them to the new one.
Once I’d moved all the Meju to the new jar, I began the serious work of Doenjang Separation.
Using the wooden spatula, I pressed down on the Meju and mashed it; the lumps saturated with Ganjang Liquid slowly broke apart.
Whump.
Squelch!
The Meju, which had started as solid chunks, gradually transformed into a thick, brown paste. The soybean forms had nearly disappeared, and I could feel the rich, creamy texture of finished Doenjang.
I packed the mashed Meju down into the jar, pressing down occasionally with my palm to squeeze out air pockets.
The finely mashed Doenjang paste built up in layers within the jar.
[You have completed Tower’s Doenjang.]
[Your Craftsmanship (Lv. 4) enhances Tower’s Doenjang, drawing out a deeper, richer flavor.]
[Tower’s Doenjang]
– Grade: A
– Effects
– Flavor Bonus +100%
– When used to cook, skill-related bonus effects are applied.
– Description: Handmade Doenjang crafted from Tower Skill Beans. Cooking with this feels like good fortune is sure to follow.
“I actually made real Doenjang!”
I turned the jar this way and that in disbelief, a smile spreading across my face.
“Woo-jin, can you make something tasty with this now?”
“Of course. Tonight’s dinner is Doenjang-jjigae.”
The God of Adventure reacted immediately at the mention of Doenjang-jjigae.
[The God of Adventure shouts “Doenjang-jjigae!” and cheers in celebration.]
It was a dish they’d never tasted before, surely.
Yet they reacted as if they were someone who’d always loved it.
Then the God of Dominion spoke.
[The God of Dominion says that when you went out last time, he saw the Doenjang-jjigae you ate at home and it looked so delicious that the gods wanted to eat it too.]
“Ah, I see.”
He was referring to the time Kang Min-woo came home and they ate Doenjang-jjigae together. That day, Kim Mi-sook’s Doenjang-jjigae had been exceptional.
He had most of the ingredients needed to make Doenjang.
Depending on which type of Doenjang he made, the ingredients would vary slightly, but ultimately the most crucial ingredient was Doenjang itself.
There was even a saying that the flavor of Doenjang-jjigae hinged entirely on the quality of the Doenjang.
And Lee Woo-jin had an excellent batch of Doenjang right in front of him.
‘I should bring some home tomorrow and share it.’
What would his mother think when he told her his son had made Doenjang?
She’d surely be astonished.
‘Now for the Ganjang.’
He consulted the blog post he’d saved previously.
[When performing Doenjang Separation, first extract the Meju from the fermentation vessel and knead it separately, then transfer it to a container for Doenjang. The Ganjang Liquid remaining in the fermentation vessel should then be strained through a sieve or cloth to filter out the fine sediment.]
[It is beneficial to bring the filtered Ganjang Liquid to a boil once. Remove the foam and impurities that rise to the surface, boil gently for a while, then cool. This process makes the flavor more refined and the liquid easier to store.]
[Once the Ganjang Liquid has cooled sufficiently, transfer it to a clean fermentation vessel or glass bottle for storage. This separated Ganjang Liquid is what becomes your Ganjang, and as time passes, its color and aroma deepen further.]
“Mm-hmm. Okay.”
Lee Woo-jin reviewed the saved information once more and nodded.
The Doenjang was already transferred to a new fermentation vessel.
All that remained was to separate the Ganjang Liquid still in the original fermentation vessel into Ganjang.
Lee Woo-jin fetched a large stone bowl and a strainer.
He laid a clean cloth over the strainer—a fine filter to catch even the smallest Meju particles cleanly.
“Doppelgänger, hold this for me.”
(…) Nod!
The Doppelgänger gripped both sides of the strainer and bowl firmly so they wouldn’t shift. Lee Woo-jin carefully lifted the fermentation vessel with both hands and tilted it.
Splash.
The deep brown Ganjang Liquid poured over the strainer.
Meju crumbs and charcoal sediment remained on the cloth, while the much cleaner Ganjang Liquid collected neatly in the bowl below.
Once all the Ganjang Liquid had been collected, Lee Woo-jin brought out the Black Mithril Pot.
He transferred the freshly strained Ganjang Liquid into the pot.
Whoosh.
As the deep brown liquid filled the pot, Lee Woo-jin immediately kindled a flame beneath it.
Crackle.
Pop, pop.
Soon the edges began to simmer gently, and light foam rose to the surface.
He skimmed away the foam with a wooden ladle and boiled it a bit longer.
[Tower’s Ganjang has been completed.]
[Due to the effects of Craftsmanship Lv. 4, Tower’s Ganjang draws out an even deeper flavor.]
[Tower’s Ganjang]
– Grade: A
– Effects
– Taste Bonus +100%
– When cooking with Tower’s Ganjang, skill-related bonus effects apply
– Description: Homemade Ganjang made using Tower’s Skill Beans. Cooking with this makes you feel like something good will happen.
Lee Woo-jin poured the Ganjang into a fermentation vessel and placed it beside the one holding the Doenjang.
That completed the Doenjang and Ganjang preparation.
Two large fermentation vessels now held Doenjang and Ganjang.
‘I’ll portion them out tomorrow when I go home.’
He’d use the lock-and-lock containers he’d brought from home for the Doenjang.
The Ganjang would do well in a glass bottle.
* * *
Evening meal time had arrived.
He added washed rice and water to the Black Mithril Pot and lit a wood fire to cook it. While the delicious rice was cooking, it was time to make the Doenjang-jjigae in earnest.
Tap, tap, tap!
The vegetables on the cutting board were sliced diagonally.
He sliced the onion and scallion.
Then he minced the garlic finely with a kitchen knife.
Next, he added a touch of olive oil to the Black Mithril Pot and stir-fried the minced garlic, onion, and scallion for about thirty seconds.
Sizzle!
The fragrant vegetable oil developed.
The pungent aroma of minced garlic rose up.
Now he spooned in generous amounts of Tower’s Doenjang and stir-fried it all together.
Sizzle!
He poured water into the pot and brought it to a boil.
The remaining red pepper flakes were scattered in as well.
The stew’s color deepened and reddened.
Tap-tap-tap!
Tofu—essential to any proper doenjang-jjigae.
Cut into bite-sized pieces, it went into the pot.
The doenjang-jjigae began to bubble and boil.
The broth seeped beautifully into the tofu.
Lee Woo-jin covered the pot with its lid and waited for it to finish cooking.
.
.
.
[You have created a Doenjang-jjigae through Cooking.]
[Your Proficiency with Cooking Lv. 8 rises significantly.]
[Doenjang-jjigae]
– Grade: A
– Effects
– Taste Bonus +100%
– Upon consumption: Strength and Stamina +30%
– Upon consumption: Attack Skill Damage +30% for 60 minutes
– Upon consumption: All Skill Levels rise one tier for 180 minutes
– Upon consumption: Cures poison status
– Description: A stew made by boiling Tower’s Doenjang together with various vegetables.
The moment he opened the lid, admiration spilled from his lips.
As the pot lid lifted, a rush of savory fragrance mingled with the sharp bite of red pepper—but it was the effects listed on the doenjang-jjigae that truly took his breath away.
The buffs were absolutely insane.
In any case.
“Let’s eat!”
Lee Woo-jin scooped a full bowl of white rice into his bowl.
He filled a soup bowl with the doenjang-jjigae, loading in plenty of the delicious tofu as well.
(……) Anticipation!
He distributed a bowl to each of them.
“I’ve made plenty of rice and stew, so if anyone needs more, just say the word.”
[The God of Adventure nods vigorously, up and down.]
Lee Woo-jin took the first spoonful of doenjang-jjigae and tasted it.
His eyes widened.
It tasted different from the doenjang-jjigae he’d eaten at home.
But this too was extraordinarily delicious.
He tried another spoonful together with some tofu.
The seasoning was perfectly balanced, and the tofu was saturated with rich broth.
Placing doenjang-jjigae, tofu, and vegetables on top of the rice, mixing it together, and taking a generous spoonful—it was nothing short of heaven.
“This is seriously delicious!”
[The God of Fate marvels, saying: So this is what doenjang-jjigae truly is.]
[The God of Order lets out a cry of delight and devours the doenjang-jjigae.]
Day 49 in the Tower.
Having doenjang-jjigae for dinner.
A Player Farming on the Dragon Rare Floors (Serialized)
Author | Gaebeokg S
Publisher | Kim Ju-hyeong
Published by | J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing | Han Jae-hyeok
Address | 401, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Ace Techno Tower 8th)
Email | [email protected]
Website | www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Gaebeokk S 2026
※ This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder, and its contents may not be used in any form or by any means without the permission of 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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