Day 5 — The Problem Appears
Ryo woke up.
Didn't move.
"…If I don't move…"
"…Nothing can go wrong."
thump…
"…That's new."
THUMP…
"…That's worse."
He slowly turned his head.
"…No."
One of the crops was moving.
Not shaking.
Not vibrating.
Moving.
"…That's illegal."
The soil cracked open.
A plant slowly rose.
Larger than the others.
Darker.
"…WHY IS IT STANDING?!"
!!! System Alert !!!
Warning: Unstable Growth Detected
Mutation Level: High
Status: Active
"…ACTIVE?!"
"…WHY IS IT ACTIVE?!"
"I JUST WANTED FOOD!"
"WHY IS IT FIGHTING BACK?!"
The plant tilted slightly.
Like it was looking at him.
"…Nope."
Ryo turned.
Started walking.
Then running.
"I'm not dealing with this!"
Kiro stood nearby.
Watching.
"…Fascinating."
"…HELP ME!"
"…I'm observing."
"…YOU'RE USELESS!"
The plant lunged.
Slow.
But threatening.
"…WHY IS IT COMING OVER HERE?!"
! System Prompt !
Emergency Option Available: Harvest Forcefully
"…WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!"
The plant moved again.
Closer.
"…I don't like this."
Ryo grabbed the nearest tool.
A dull hoe.
"…I swear if this works…"
He swung.
Weakly.
Half-hearted.
bonk
The plant froze.
"…Huh?"
!! System Trigger !!
Lazy Condition Maintained
Effort Level: Low
Result: Critical Harvest
The plant collapsed.
THUD
"…What?"
! Loot Drop (???) !
The plant dissolved.
Leaving behind something glowing.
"…I hate everything."
Kiro walked over calmly.
Picked it up.
Eyes widened slightly.
"…This is extremely valuable."
"…Of course it is."
"…Do you know what this is?"
"…No."
"…Good."
"…That's not reassuring."
LEVEL UP → Lv. 5
New Unlock: Farm Boundary Expanded
"…Why is it getting bigger?"
"…More space, more profit."
"…More problems."
"…Also true."
Ryo looked at the field.
Now:
Bigger
More dangerous
More profitable
"…This isn't farming anymore."
"…Correct."
"…Then what is it?"
Kiro smiled.
"…Business."
"…I hate that word."
Ryo walked back.
Collapsed again.
thud
"…If I ignore it…"
"…it'll fix itself…"
zzz…
The wind blew.
The soil shifted.
New space formed.
And deeper underground—
Something else moved.
THUUUMP…
Kiro looked toward the ground.
"…That's going to be expensive."
pause