Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World

Kim Haru wasn't disappointed; in fact, he felt relieved.

"I told you, it can't be that easy to catch something. Last time must have been just luck, a fluke," he mused. He even harbored a faint suspicion that the wild chicken might have been off; the root system of those plants on its legs seemed somewhat suspicious.

Now it seemed like it really was just luck.

"Let's go, let's go. I'll check again the next time I come back." Kim Haru turned to leave. If he did manage to catch a piglet or something, he wouldn't even know where to keep it; the small farm didn't even have a pigpen.

Ah, speaking of pigpens, he really should expand the farm buildings. He wanted to bring back a donkey to help with grinding, so he needed to build a shed for the donkey as well. If he were to get cows, horses, or ducks, he'd also need to build the appropriate structures for raising them.

With the current size of the small farm, it was hardly enough.

He also needed to expand the scale of planting; clearing more land was imperative.

As he mentally planned the farm's development, Kim Haru glanced at the seemingly unresponsive system and couldn't help but complain, "Which farming game requires players not only to farm but also to build houses? I'm not omnipotent. I can barely manage a chicken coop, let alone a pigpen or cow barn."

Kim Haru didn't expect a response from the system, but surprisingly, this time it did reply.

[ Upgrading the farm can unlock livestock-related buildings and more features. ]

Oh, so it turns out he didn't have a high enough level.

"So how do I upgrade this?" Taking advantage of the system's willingness to respond, Kim Haru quickly asked.

[ You are seven types of mature plants away from the 'Small Farmer' level. Please keep up the good work.]

Kim Haru calculated that he had only grown four types of plants so far: cabbage, potatoes, soybeans, and wheat, and wheat was still far from maturity. If he had to wait for ten types of plants to mature, when would that be?
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Kim Haru pondered, counting on his fingers what fast-growing plants could be planted in the autumn.

Just after harvesting the soybeans, he received a message from Jang Dojang via a sound-transmitting snail.

"Mr. Kim, the searching team heading to Gochang County is scheduled to depart tomorrow. Do you think you can arrange things on your end in time?"

"Mm." Kim Haru agreed.

After learning about the conditions for upgrading the farm, he grew increasingly eager to find new seeds. He really didn't want to start from scratch to build a pigpen, cow barn, and donkey shed. Given the current conditions, he would likely need to figure out how to make bricks.

Oh, he wouldn't be able to make bricks; at most, he could make a mud wall like the chicken coop.

But even for a mud wall, you'd need straw to mix in, otherwise it would collapse within days.

Those cows, pigs, and donkeys aren't like Little Nugget and Sir Peckington. If the houses aren't sturdy, the animals would knock them down with just a touch. Kim Haru couldn't bear the pain of constantly repairing the buildings every day.

Fortunately, he had just harvested the soybeans, so he could take them to the shop on the way.

Speaking of Kim Haru's vegetable shop, even though he had limited the amount each customer could buy, the remaining stock sold out entirely by the morning of the second day. Not a single leaf was left.

Hwa Jian had informed Kim Haru in advance via a sound-trqnsmitting snail about the situation, but since Kim Haru didn't have any new stock ready, he had no choice but to tell Hwa Jian to hang a "Restocking" sign and close the shop temporarily.

Kim Haru would occasionally check on the shop through the system, where he could still see little avatars representing customers gathered outside the shop door. It was clear they were waiting for it to reopen.

Haru planned to lower the limit per person even further, from one pound to half a pound. This would also help prevent resellers from taking advantage. Once his production increased, he would gradually raise the limit again.

On the day of the planned departure, Kim Haru got up early.

The watering system was installed, the chicken coop door was left half-open, and food and water were set out for Little Nugget and Sir Peckington. After checking his backpack one last time, the timing was just right.

He didn't ask Jang Dojang to send someone to pick him up; instead, Kim Haru rode his balance scooter to the safety zone.

There was still plenty of time before the team was set to depart, so Kim Haru went to the shop first and met up with Hwa Jian, who had been waiting for him. Together, they headed to the plant research institute.

He had an appointment to meet with Baek Wonyeon.

Along the way, Hwa Jian was dying of curiosity about what his boss was up to, but he played his role as a good assistant perfectly—following instructions without asking questions.

At the research institute, Baek Wonyeon was already waiting for Kim Haru. When he saw him arrive, he greeted him with a wide smile, "Sir, you've finally made it. Let me tell you, those two seeds you brought are growing very well. The data looks great, just as you predicted. There is still some mutagenic virus content, but the level is very low.

If this continues, they'll definitely be graded as Level SS!"

Baek Wonyeon was ecstatic.

"Oh, by the way, I heard that Researcher Lee's cabbage is doing quite well too. It's already sprouted several leaves, though the hydroponic solution still isn't as effective as soil. He's working on a new nutrient mix, which is why he didn't come today."

"As for Researcher Seo's potatoes, the results are still unknown. He pulled an all-nighter yesterday and only went home early this morning to catch up on sleep, so I didn't call him."