"Master. Can you please use your available Dungeon Points. You'll need that basic item for planting." Peach instructed Peter.
The dungeon master followed his dungeon guide's command without complaint. He quietly opened his shop. He toggled to the Dungeon Shop. Then he headed towards the tools category.
...
Tools!
- Farming tools
- Rearing tools
...
Peted clicked farming tools where what he needed is probably available.
...
Farming tools!
Pail : 10 DP (owned[1])
Dipper : 10 DP (owned[1])
Watering can : 10 DP
Sickle : 10 DP (owned[1])
Hoe : 10 DP
Hammer : 10 DP
Ax : 10 DP
...
Peter chose the hoe that he needed to till the soil.
...
Are you sure you want to use your 10 Dungeon Points to buy one hoe?
Yes 👈 or No?
...
Peter bought it without hesitation. The dungeon master's heart ached when he saw his Dungeon Points vanished, still, he bought it since it's an investment to profit more in the future.
A hoe suddenly appeared on the floor in front of Peter.
"Perhaps you already have an idea how to plant master?"
"Of course, Peach. I know you didn't ask but I actually belong in a family of farmers back when I was still living on Earth. Even though rice is our main crop, I can say that I can use that knowledge here." Peter confidently pounded his chest.
"Excellent master!" Peach exclaimed as she clapped.
Peter picked up the sickle he had gotten from the wooden chest he found inside his house.
He was also carrying a bucket filled of water which came from the Magical Fountain of Life together with a dipper.
"Find a plot of land to plant the corn seeds, master."
"Can you open the dungeon map for me Peach?" Peter tenderly pleaded to Peach.
"No problem, master." Peach said, and as soon as she said it the virtual map of the Livelihood Dungeon appeared in front of Peter.
"Thank you."
"No problem, master. If you want you can open the map on your own. You just need to say the keyword, 'map open,' and 'close map,' if you want to close it!"
"Thank you very much, Peach." Peter immediately tried to do what he just learned too.
"Map close!" the map closed.
"Open map!" the virtual map appeared once more.
Peter slightly smiled. Just like opening his newly acquired dungeon, the method for opening the virtual map was also very simple.
On the map, he examined the entire dungeon. Only now did he notice that there were measurements written on the side of the map.
"100 square meter," it said.
Just imagine two American football fields connected side by side. That's how big a 100 square meter field is.
On the map, you can see that the entire dungeon has a perfect square shape.
He reexamined everything.
On the right side of the dungeon, in the upper corner, is the Magical Fountain of Life and Peter's Master's Lodge.
Not far away from those two is the sole tree of the dungeon. The exact location of that tree is a few meters below the Magical Fountain of Life.
Aside from those three, only the trashes and wastage were to be found on the map.
Grass, rocks and pieces of dry wood.
He examined the ground of the dungeon. Coincidentally, one of the cleanest spots was the vacant land near the banana tree.
Peter left the house after he was able to decide where to plant the seeds.
"Good boy! Good boy!" Peter affectionately praised the well-behaved Ichiro whose tail was crazily wagging. He was crazily rubbing the docile wolf's fur.
"Master. I'll just wait at home!" Peach's trembling voice was very obvious as she hid behind Peter. Even her giggling laughter can't mask the nervousness in her voice.
Peach's small fingers tightly gripped the hem of Peter's sleeve.
The little dungeon guide's fear was not unfounded. If Peter were in Peach's situation, he would certainly be afraid of the interest shown by a wild beast that was twice or triple his size.
If Peter hadn't stopped Ichiro, there's a good chance he would have already ended up hurting Peach somehow. You can easily read it from Ichiro's intense gaze and the wagging of his tail.
"Oh! That's not possible, Peach. I need you. If not you, who will help me? Don't worry. Just trust me. I won't let you get hurt." Peter promised Peach.
"Really, master?" said Peach. Her head tilted slightly.
"Of course." Peter's answer made Peach feel relieved and yet also felt embarrassed.
"Ichiro. Behave. This is Peach. She's our new family member. She's not food. Be nice to her." Peter reprimanded Ichiro in a stern tone.
Maybe it somehow managed to understand everything Peter said clearly because Ichiro only answered Peter with a sad groan.
Peter's stern face softened momentarily when he saw the gentle and pitiful look of his companion wolf. It seemed that Ichiro had great talent for making someone feel guilty.
"Master!" Peach called out of concern. The word food and her name being in the same sentence kept echoing in the little dungeon guide's mind. She was in an obvious state of panic.
"No, Ichiro! Don't be naughty. If you keep being a bad wolf I won't let you out of the dungeon later." Peter's statement was like a jolt of lightning that hit Ichiro. He was extremely shocked.
(Peter used blackmail! It's super effective!)
When Ichiro heard the word outside, he became attentive, sat up straight, and acted disciplined.
"Good boy, Ichiro!" Peter praised the wolf even patting it on its head which clearly enjoyed by the wolf. It licked its lips, feeling his master's caresses.
After that, Ichiro lost interest in Peach. The wolf started to behave like a kid, running around in circles. Peter took advantage of that. He started consulting Peach on planting the corn seeds.
"How deep and how far apart should each seeds be planted?" Peter asked as he showed Peach the package containing a dozen of corn seeds.
"An inch or two inches deep. As for the distance between the seeds, the most optimal should be around three to four inches apart, horizontally!" the giggling guide informed her master.
Peter listened attentively to Peach's planting tutorial.
"There's also a need to have a three-foot gap between each row of corn plants. If they are planted too close together, the produce will not be as good. The corn will be small. There is also a high possibility that the corncobs will become tangled!" Peach diligently explained.
"What is a corncob?" asked Peter.
"The heart of a corn or simply a corncob is the fruit of the corn plant. It is the central part of the fruit where numerous kernels of corns are attached," Peach patiently answered Peter's question.
"I got a clear understanding of it now thanks to you, Peach."
"It's really nothing master. You're my raison d'etre! Assisting you was the reason I was given this life. I will always be grateful from the bottom of my tiny heart. I will always be at your service!"
Peter began to work according to the detailed instructions given by Peach. He began by clearing the land he was going to use. He used the sickle to cut down the weeds with ease.
Peter just kept mowing down weeds with the sickle until he was able to determine the exact space needed to plant based on the image he had crafted in his mind.
A smooth rectangular space emerged, revealing the brown soil. The weeds had been finally cleared away, leaving only the bare land for planting. A jolly smile spread across Peter's lips as he stared at the rectangular shape of land he was going to plant. Peter wiped his sticky and heavily sweating body caused by being soaked directly in the sun's rays.
The ground shook softly at Peter's side as he let go of the sickle he just finished using.
Next, he picked up the hoe he planned to use. Using both of his hands, Peter tightly gripped the wooden handle of the instrument for tilling the land.
Peter forcefully lifted the farming tool above his head. He stretched his elbows all the way back.
Using his bent position as leverage, Peter slammed the hoe forward with all his might. With each blow, the earth in front of him was torn and crushed. Peter repeated this until all the soil had been turned over. When he stopped, he was gasping for breath from exhaustion.
Peter took a short rest to relieve his fatigue.
Upon recovering, the dungeon master quickly opened the package of corn seeds.
"Why did you open the package so quickly, master?" Peach asked her master in surprise.
"Please hold onto this for now, Peach." Peter pleaded with his assistant, blushing.
In our protagonist excitement, he have forgotten to polish the soil first. This part was probably the most time-consuming of this whole process.
After refining the soil used for planting, Peter retrieved the seeds being held by Peach.
Next, Peter began to carefully plant the seeds. Just as Peach had instructed, he planted each seed two inches deep. After finishing with the third seed, Peter moved to the second row. As Peach had instructed, he planted each seed three feet apart. Peter repeated this process until he reached the fourth row and had put the last piece of seed from a dozen seedlings in place. After that, he covered the corn seeds with the soil. And as the final step, he poured some water on the buried seeds which came from the Magical Fountain of Life.
As an individual from a family of farmers, for Peter, the most important detail that will dictate success in planting is the correct spacing and depth of the plants. Therefore, Peter can say that he has done his part. His crops will take care of the growing part.
"Congratulations, master!"
"I am pleased to inform you that your first activity inside your dungeon was successful.
Make sure you don't miss out on watering the corn seeds and it's a one hundred percent guaranteed that the corns will bear fruit abundantly!
The magical water from the Magical Fountain of Life is so powerful that it can guarantee your success as long as you water your crops with it every single day!
"There's one more thing. The magical water has another amazing side effect that you will definitely love. It has an ability to speed up the growth of your crops by two hundred percent!"
Peter smiled at Peach's wonderful news.
"I think I have an idea of what I'll be eating in the next few days." he smiled wryly as he said that.
Peter expectantly looked at the small plot of land where he planted the first crop in his dungeon.
"These few seedlings will serve as the seeds for an exciting start of my second chance at life." You can hear the anticipation in Peter's voice over the prospect of a new laid back kind of life.
"I will make sure my stay here will be a more fruitful one than my failed one on Earth."
Even with a smile still plastered on his now youthful face, the mere mention of Earth filled this newly minted dungeon master's eyes with longing and sadness. Although his last life venture was full of bitterness, failures and hardships, that world will always have a special place in his heart. After all there's where the people who showed Peter that unconditional love is currently living. There's where his parents who have lost their only beloved child is currently grieving.
...
As Peter left the dungeon, he arrived at the spot between the cliff where the goddess dropped him off and a woodlands near a forest he traversed to before arriving at the Village of Beginnings. It was the same forest outskirts where he had found his wolf, Ichiro.
Speaking of Ichiro, the wolf, that naughty one came out of the Livelihood Dungeon together with him. Peter promised earlier to let him out to find his own food.
Peter went to that forest outskirt because the reason he gave to the family of Richard is that he'll be picking out wild fruits on this woodlands. That's what exactly he did. He started picking out fruits to use as an alibi for his return.
The excited Ichiro quickly left.
While the wolf was busy hunting for his food somewhere in the forest outskirt, Peter on the other hand was on his own lonesome self and was having a slow and relaxing fruit picking session.
A loud rustling sound interrupted the man's quiet peace.
Peter looked alertly at the source of the rustling sound.
He nervously stared at the spot of thick amount of grass which was slightly moving with tension.
Peter was surprised by what he was seeing.
He encountered a strange creature.
It was slow.
It was soft.
It was constantly changing shape as it was continuously moving.
It seems like even an innocent child could effortlessly defeat it.
He didn't expect to have an encounter with it this early on.
Peter knew what type of creature in front of him very well.
It was that famous creature in Japanese novels.
Slime.
...