Chapter 22

Chapter 22

* * *

Bang!

“Ugh, I’m still sleeping… Oh, what?”

I opened my eyes with a start.

I thought something had happened again, so I jumped up, but the sound turned out to be from the TV.

“...”

Usually, Meeum would have scratched the floor, demanding food as soon as I woke up, but she was unusually quiet.

Upon closer inspection, she was completely engrossed in the TV. A daily drama rerun was playing, and the scene showed an actor slamming a door and entering roughly.

After returning from the tutorial dungeon yesterday, I immediately watered the branches. Then, I filled my stomach with the remaining kimbap and fell asleep right away.

I had a sore back and a throbbing headache, probably from the fatigue of walking around in the dungeon.

I should go check if the tree has grown well. This time, it must have taken root properly without wilting.

However, Meeum remained seated even after I finished washing up. I had never seen her so quiet.

“Meeum, let’s go see the branches.”

“...”

“Meeum, are you not hungry? Do you want some food?”

“...”

“Meeum, is it interesting?”

“Meow, it’s a crucial scene right now. The villain is about to be exposed for switching the protagonist’s child. The abandoned child, who has amnesia and can’t remember his mother, was adopted by a wealthy family and awakened as the youngest hunter. In the last episode, he almost met his mother, but the villain’s scheme caused them to miss each other...”

“Oh, I see...”

Meeum, if you’re happy, I’m glad...

Before I knew it, I had listened to the entire story of the drama from beginning to end. Meeum only got up after the final scene and the preview ended.

“Do you like that drama?”

“Meow! I just happened to watch it.”

“The next episode is on at 2 PM.”

“Who said I would watch it... 2 PM, got it.”

What a straightforward cat.

I went downstairs with Meeum and headed to the space.

However, as we passed through the blue door in the wall, I hit my head on something.

“Ouch.”

What did I hit? I rubbed my sore forehead and looked up.

“...Ah.”

I had hit my head on a huge branch.

A branch as big as my torso.

The branch was as thick as my torso, and the trunk was so thick that I couldn’t wrap my arms around it. Each branch was covered with small, reddish fruits.

A massive tree filled the space, welcoming me.

The status window said it would grow in a day, but I didn’t expect it to grow so large in just one night.

If trees could grow like this, the problem of global warming could be solved quickly.

“...”

It’s a bit, no, quite absurd...

Anyway, it’s time to make coffee.

[Congratulations! You have completed the side quest: 'Our Green Mountains, Green Mountains.']

[Please claim your reward.]

[You have obtained 3 Golden Draw Tickets.]

The moment I confirmed the huge Yggdrasil, the quest completion notification sounded.

The quest name was strange, but it must be because the tree grew so large.

The shimmering Golden Draw Tickets in my inventory.

I wanted to draw immediately, but I decided to wait. Drawing should be done with a reverent heart.

“Never heard such a story, whyow.”

Meeum cried, saying it was unbelievable.

“It was a stormy night...”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?!”

“I was about to reach the top of the game rankings that day.”

“What does that have to do with the storm?!”

Paw, her paw flew at me.

Reaching the top of the rankings without spending money was a difficult and lonely journey.

From selling personal information to watching ads and walking... I did every odd job I could to gather free in-game currency.

My precious cafe, grown through my endless odd jobs.

But I couldn’t get the ‘Platinum Royal Gorgeous Teacup Set’ and thus couldn’t reach the top.

Just as I was about to give up.

I accidentally touched the draw button.

You can probably guess the ending. I drew the Platinum Teacup Set and finally reached the top.

“...I learned something from this.”

“What did you learn, whyow!”

“Drawing should be done in a state of no thoughts. And...”

“And?”

“Keep drawing until you get it, and it’s 100% guaranteed.”

“...”

Receiving a cold stare from a cat made me feel a bit threatened as a human.

Anyway, I was about to close the notification window when it dinged again.

[Achievement: 'Guardian of the World Tree' has been unlocked. Rewards have been applied.]

[Achievement: Guardian of the World Tree

You have successfully saved the World Tree Yggdrasil.

The World Tree expresses its gratitude to you.

Reward: +10 Strength]

The new achievement notification made me feel good.

It’s not just because of the reward. Being called the ‘Guardian of the World Tree’ sounds pretty cool. It felt like I had accomplished something significant.

Moreover, +10 Strength is a pretty good reward.

I instantly reached level 5 thanks to Kiuyun killing the boss in the tutorial dungeon, but my Strength was still only 10.

Now it’s 20. Thanks to the achievement, it’s doubled. How strong is that?

I rolled up my sleeve and flexed my arm, but no bicep appeared no matter how hard I tried.

Meeum, who couldn’t bear to watch, muttered from the side.

“That’s not how you use it.”

“...Really?”

...I received a cold stare from a cat twice.

Embarrassed, I rolled down my sleeve and approached the tree, picking a fruit from a branch.

It was round like a cherry, with a reddish skin and a distinctive smell... When I took a bite, it was sour yet sweet.

It’s really a coffee fruit.

The World Tree Yggdrasil, with such a grand name, bearing coffee fruits... It’s both insignificant and significant.

Now I need to make coffee from these fruits...

‘Aether-Wiki.’

[Verifying qualifications... Complete.]

[Eligible: Rights confirmed...]

‘Skip’

I skipped the text and opened the ‘How to Make Coffee Beans’ section.

《How to Make Coffee Beans》

Category: Food, Beverage > Coffee

Description: Explains how to make coffee beans from fresh Yggdrasil fruits.

Method:

1) Wash the harvested fruits with water, remove the flesh, and leave only the seeds.

2) Dry the seeds in the sun.

3) It will be ready in about four days.

Is it that simple?

Related: Roasting

The description was simpler than I expected.

It’s not as easy as it sounds, but let’s try a little.

I returned to the store and filled a bucket with the fruits.

The bucket, full of fruits, was heavier than expected, but thanks to my increased Strength, I could carry it without much difficulty.

Ah, so that’s why my Strength was increased?

Because I have a lot of work to do from now on?

Nah, probably not...

But thinking about the fully grown fruits and the remaining process, it seems to be the case. Maybe the World Tree Yggdrasil is showing mercy to me, who will be working hard.

Next, I washed the fruits thoroughly at the sink to remove impurities. Then, I brought a plastic sheet from the storage and returned to the space.

“Huff, huff...”

In a corner of the space, surrounded by dense forest, where the branches didn’t block the sunlight, I laid the plastic sheet and poured the fruits.

The fruits, already heavy, felt twice as heavy when wet, and sweat formed on my forehead.

Now, I just need to separate the seeds from these fruits.

But how?

I read the Aether-Wiki again, but it only said ‘remove the flesh’ without detailed instructions.

I decided to try peeling the flesh off with my hands. By pressing and peeling gently, only the green seeds inside came out.

Good, this works.

“Whyow...”

Meeum also helped by peeling the coffee fruits with her claws. Thanks to her sharp claws, she did a pretty good job.

However, there was a limit to doing it by hand. Despite our efforts, the remaining fruits didn’t seem to decrease.

Can we finish peeling all of these today? My back and waist ached from bending over and focusing on the small fruits.

Is drinking an Americano so difficult?

“This isn’t right...”

“Meow! What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Something felt wrong.

Where did it go wrong? This isn’t right.

...Why am I working so hard?

When I decided to quit my job and open a cafe here after regressing, didn’t I have a resolution?

To work less and rest more.

I planned to work 2 days a week and rest 5 days.

No, I can’t let myself fall for the system’s temptation and lose my初心.

Being lured by Golden Draw Tickets as an innocent cafe owner.

‘Scary system...’

If it’s a system, shouldn’t there be a way to solve things efficiently instead of doing everything by hand?

I searched on my phone and found a machine that peels the flesh automatically.

‘Ah, it would be nice to have such a machine.’

But it’s hard to find in Korea, which isn’t a coffee-producing country, and I don’t have a place for it. Besides, I want to open a cafe, not a coffee farm.

I didn’t have the energy to peel the remaining flesh by hand either.

“Let’s take a short break.”

I sat down at the base of the Yggdrasil. A cool breeze refreshed my slightly sweaty body.

Ah, now that I think about it, I brought sugarcane from the tutorial dungeon. Is there a good place to plant it?

I opened my inventory to take out the sugarcane from the dungeon.

But there was a red ball I hadn’t seen before in my inventory.

Oh, did I put this in?

After I awakened and got an inventory, I put things in it for convenience, like wet wipes, band-aids, hand cream, leftover coins and receipts, earphones, etc.

But I don’t remember putting in a ball.

I took the red ball out of my inventory. As soon as it was out, it grew larger and landed on the ground.

“Squish.”

A familiar cry.

“Squish, squish.”

A translucent, jelly-like body that glows red, this cry, and the elastic movements.

It was the red slime I met in the tutorial dungeon.