Chapter 20: Somi Becomes Leader of the Earth Rabbits

Bbiee—

Bbiee-bbiee

Rustle rustle

You’re leisurely taking a nap, so why all the commotion?

Turning over in my spot, I locked eyes with the three brothers.

They looked like kids caught doing something wrong.

Hurriedly, they hid something.

“What are you guys up to?”

Bbyak!

Bbyak froze in panic.

Quickly, he stretched out his wings wide.

Bbiee—

Somi?

She deliberately stared off into the distance.

Pa.. pachi.

Toto even stutters.

It’s suspicious.

The three brothers had never done this before, not even once.

“You’re telling me you weren’t doing anything? Fine.”

Pretending not to care at all, I looked away, but in an instant—

I stood up and checked behind the three brothers.

Five fluffy rabbits.

Their bodies looked very familiar.

Exactly like Somi before she evolved.

White, thick fur.

Small in size, ears about this long.

Five earth rabbits I had never seen before were eating from the automatic feeding station.

It seemed like the three brothers had gathered wild vegetables nearby.

They were taking care of these lost, hungry ground rabbits.

“Why didn’t you say anything if that’s the case?”

Bbyak.

“Are you worried about me?”

Big brother said he hated it when Somi struggled.

Look at how kind they are.

How could I not like these three brothers?

But that’s one thing, and this is another.

How dare they try to hide things from me?

They have to be punished.

“Bbyak, come here first.”

Catching the fleeing Bbyak, I swiftly pressed him down.

Then—

Pffft pffft pffft.

An explosion of belly farts!

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry from the ticklish sensation.

Somi and Toto tried to sneak away quietly.

No way.

I grabbed both of them with my hands and tickled them one by one.

Bbiee bbiee—

Pachi pachi!

From now on, if anything like this happens, you have to tell me first, got it?

I fully satisfied my personal amusement disguised as punishment.

The three brothers lay sprawled on the floor.

But more importantly, what should I do with these lost ground rabbits?

Bbiee—

A large ground rabbit that looked like the father cautiously approached.

Then, using gestures, he began explaining something.

“You can farm, huh?”

Bbiee bbiee!

He nodded his head.

The father earth rabbit’s profession was a farmer.

There was a suitable plot of land nearby.

I had been wondering what to grow; this was perfect.

Next was the mother rabbit’s introduction.

She was a cook.

Apparently, she was the best cook among the ground rabbits?

She claimed she could make delicious meals from wild vegetables.

She also strongly insisted she could handle the automatic feeding station and water supply.

Lastly, the baby ground rabbits?

One was a miner.

One was a fisherman.

One was a woodcutter.

Thus, ground rabbits with different professions gathered.

Including Somi, that made six in total.

Inventor, farmer, cook, miner, fisherman, woodcutter.

Each with their own unique skills.

That was actually good.

Especially since Somi had made some tools.

“Somi, you’re going to be the leader of the earth rabbits from now on. Got it?”

Bbiee!

Somi said to just trust her.

Reassuring.

Before I knew it, the earth rabbit family took off, and started making various things in the workshop.

Hoes, kitchen tools, grains, fishing rods, axes.

They made equipment suited for each profession.

Then our Somi, the leader, gave strict orders.

What did she say?

The rabbits obediently followed Somi’s orders without question.

Pat—pat—

The father rabbit was sharpening the hoe.

Chomp chomp chomp

The mother rabbit was cooking with wild vegetables.

kkangkang—

Thump thump—

Whirl. Pot!

Each skillfully did their own tasks.

Yet the efficiency was abnormal.

In no time, seeds were planted, and meals completed.

A tree taller than a person suddenly withered, and a huge fish was caught easily.

Moreover—

“Isn’t that ore?”

The miner rabbit had somehow gathered ore.

Not a small amount either.

Even guessing roughly, it looked over 10 kg.

Such a small body but immense strength.

Don’t underestimate these monsters.

They were genuine monsters living in the tower.

Totally different from wild monsters.

After all, Somi was exceptional from the start.

She had helped scale the 48th floor of Seolha Tower by making a 10 billion won hair spray, flower bracelets, and more.

There was nothing she couldn’t make.

Now the earth rabbits looked new to me.

So what if they weren’t good at fighting?

They could just do what they were good at.

It was then.

Our leader Somi came over to me.

Bbiee bbiee.

She was earnestly explaining something.

“Really? So all the earth rabbits lost their homes?”

Bbiee…

Somi explained.

The ground rabbit village on the 11th floor of the tower had been attacked by monsters.

They fled down to the 10th floor but got lost wandering.

Then they happened upon this place.

“Then tell them all to come here.”

Bbiee?

Are you sure it’s okay?

Of course.

No, actually it’s better.

Look at how capable these ground rabbits are.

They may not be fighters, but they are competent workers.

To develop the vast plains, a lot of labor is needed.

Honestly, I was a bit lost on how to manage this huge area.

There weren’t enough ore or people.

There were too many things to do alone, from start to finish.

But if the earth rabbits come?

The plains will literally explode in growth.

“Papa earth rabbit.”

Bbiee—

I couldn’t just ignore such an important matter.

I had to act quickly.

“Bring all the earth rabbits from the village here. They can live here from now on.”

Hearing my words, the father rabbit looked touched and clasped his hands, shaking them up and down.

Could it really be this good?

Honestly, I was the one grateful.

They farm the fields, catch fish.

On top of that, they mine ore.

They really are blessings.

Killing two birds with one stone, reaping all the rewards.

I get skilled workers, and the ground rabbits get a safe home.

The plains have welcomed a new family.

From now on, I have high expectations.

***

“This is the item Mr. Kang mentioned?”

James muttered while examining the flower bracelet on his wrist.

As soon as the contract was signed to pay 1,000 tons of ore, the goods arrived by the fastest plane.

Only one person came with the goods.

It was Dohyun.

“The item’s performance is definitely guaranteed.”

“Of course I trust Mr. Kang, but it’s hard to believe.”

James’s reaction wasn’t unusual.

Being a veteran player, he immediately verified the item’s abilities.

Self-luminous, heat absorption, vitality increase.

All excellent effects packed together.

I understood why Dohyun said the rental fee was so expensive.

Just seeing the item made you greedy.

A relic worn by a holy maiden?

From the team’s perspective, it was almost a cheat-level item.

However, that only boosted the abilities of other party members.

It had no direct effect on the user.

But this bracelet was different.

Just wearing it made you feel powerful.

It was like regaining the vitality you first felt when awakening.

“Philia, I’m going to enter the gate right now.”

James said to Philia while stretching his body.

Like him, she was a young woman in charge of rank 5 in Team Hero.

The red-haired Flame Witch.

Her figure engulfed in wide flames was identical to her in-game appearance.

“Now? Wouldn’t it be better to wait until after player support arrives?”

“We’re entering as an item test. If it’s too much, I’ll come back out. Don’t worry.”

“If James insists, fine. I’ll go with you.”

Philia pulled out her staff adorned with a red gem and prepared.

They entered the gate immediately.

The poisonous red glow carpeted the area.

The cries of baby frogs made my head start hurting.

“Let’s block the flame walls first.”

Philia raised her staff and said.

They were creating a safe zone where the baby frogs couldn’t attack.

But James shook his head.

“Philia, can you shoot flames at me?”

“What?”

Philia frowned, not understanding his request.

“I want to see the effects of the item.”

“What kind of item is it? It’s not hard, but are you sure it’s okay?”

“Well, even so, I’m ranked number one in America.”

James laughed heartily.

Philia sighed helplessly and shot a flame at him.

“Make it a little stronger, please.”

“Hmm, got it.”

Although she was adjusting her power just in case, James wanted stronger flames.

The bracelet absorbed the strong flames of a rank 5 player, and an immense power I had never experienced before was felt.

It wasn’t hot at all.

Rather, his body overflowed with energy.

Is this what they mean when they say it gets stronger by absorbing heat?

The uniform made of super-strong fibers struggled to contain his pumped muscles.

“Thanks, Philia. Go rest outside.”

James saluted stylishly with two fingers and jumped off the floor.

Just watching him brought familiar cheers to my mind.

He straightened his legs and did a superhero landing.

The impact sent hundreds of baby frogs flying.

Croak!

Though he just landed, the power he radiated was on another level.

It felt like he could topple everything in an instant.

Bending his knees, he generated propulsion.

Then—

Bang!

He shot forward at incredible speed.

He broke the sound barrier.

The reincarnation of Superman in a movie.

Wherever he passed, only frog corpses remained.

“Really a tempting item.”

In an instant, James reached the big giant frog and muttered while looking at the bracelet.

Though he didn’t usually give good reviews of tower items, this bracelet was one he coveted.

With this, he could easily scale the 47th floor and even the 50th floor.

Dig!

The big giant frog raged at the death of its babies.

Its massive throat inflated, releasing poisonous red fog.

However, even this wasn’t enough to hit James, empowered by the bracelet.

The frog’s saliva dripping onto the floor sizzled and corroded everything nearby.

But as long as it didn’t hit him, it was fine.

Dodging attacks at incredible speed, James eyed the boss monster.

His ability was superhuman enhancement.

Strength, agility, reaction speed—all far beyond human limits.

A perfectly balanced hexagonal all-rounder.

In other words, no special abilities.

But now?

Thanks to the flower bracelet containing the power of the immortal phoenix, all his stats rose overwhelmingly.

Meaning, no weaknesses.

“Let’s see if you can block this too, you pig-like toad!”

James placed his hands on his hips and drew energy from his dantian.

Then—

Jiiik—

His eyes shone brightly, golden light shooting out.

Powerful destructive force.

James poured all his energy into a finishing move.

Eventually—

Kruaaak!

The monstrous toad, which seemed impossible to bring down, let out a dreadful roar and collapsed.