Chapter 22: I Am Seriously Addicted To Farming

“Healing, blessing, courage.”

Whenever divine power surged, Johanna shared blessings with her fellow warriors, glancing at Ark through the eyes of her avatar.

………Why is he dancing?

At the sight of his ridiculous movements, Johanna couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

Well, even though he seems to act without a care in the world.

In the end, it’s all for us.

For the growth and happiness of the warriors.

Perhaps there’s some meaning of encouragement in that strange dance, Johanna thought.

Of course, she would never understand that it was purely born of malice and trolling, something the Saintess would never comprehend.

And then.

‘What is that……?’

Johanna began to feel a slight sense of unease.

As the Saintess who served the goddess most closely.

Just as she had been the first to recognize the Revelator and guide him to the warriors—

Johanna could see with her own eyes what the other warriors could only vaguely sense.

The first time she met him.

And the Revelator who had left her shortly after.

A faint glow enveloped his body, and a halo floated above his head like a crown.

Like an angel from myth.

And yet.

Ark’s body bore no such glow, so at first, she had denied it.

But.

When Ark removed his hood and handed her the contract, a faint trace of a halo lingered above his head as well.

Strangely, it disappeared whenever he put his hood back on.

So, to avoid any potential issues, she had asked him to keep his hood on as much as possible.

She had even coordinated with the other warriors.

‘Sigh.’

A rebellious man who kept trying to take off his hood whenever he got the chance.

“The stars are whispering today. It’s going to be a lucky day.”

Thinking of Ark, Johanna sighed, but a smile crept onto her lips as she quietly recited a prayer.

Ultimate Skill. 

‘Whisper of the Stars and Goddess’.

As if the goddess herself had descended behind her, an infinite surge of divinity rose.

“Kyahaha, gum-stuck Saintess! Zuuuuuuk!”

“Myaaah, woof!”

“Thank you, Johanna.”

Seeing her comrades’ drained stamina rapidly recover and their vigor overflow, Johanna smiled.

“Tina? Can you take a look at that later?”

“Hieeeek……! Cancel, cancel!”

Watching the tide of battle firmly turn in their favor.

Johanna continued her contemplation.

This time, she turned her gaze to the side of Ark.

To the otherworldly Revelator beside him, whose face was flushed with frustration and anger.

Above his head——

There was no halo.

But a faint glow accompanied him.

Through several, or rather, dozens of battles.

She had met otherworldly Revelators with no halo but a glow.

And those with both a halo and a glow.

What could be the difference?

I’ll have to reread the Revelations when I get back.

***

“Woof! Demon, stay there!”

“Hieeeek……!”

Rest time.

In the lounge of the guild house.

As I absentmindedly watched the spectacle of Rumi chasing Tina, biting her tail, Johanna approached.

“Ark?”

She had locked herself in her room upon returning, immersed in her books.

Now, she began to barrage me with questions.

“……But there’s nothing about it in the Revelations. I thought you might have some idea. Do you feel anything?”

The studious Saintess neatly summarized her doubts and explained them to me.

I perfectly understood the question, and the situation.

Aha.

No wonder.

While I was enthusiastically watching the Gilpp Dance.

There were those who screamed ‘Ihaaaaaaak……………!’ 

And fell backward, their reactions too ‘human-like’.

So, she’s talking about that halo? 

That must mean they’re logged in.

The one who first shouted ‘Rise, Fall, and Ruin’ probably had both a halo and a glow.

I’m not a true Revelator.

But I’m not treated as a full player either, so I have a half-halo, and my app is a DEBUG app.

Something like that.

I was about to explain it to Johanna as I understood it, but.

“Ah, well.

Hmm.

This again.

“So that’s it…… Knowledge that Johanna cannot yet comprehend…………… Ah! Aah! It hurts, it really hurts…………!”

Johanna kept kicking my shin with her boot.

Apparently, I need to tone down the isekai Japanese speech patterns and Kelsier talk.

What other concept should I try?

“I’m not joking, it’s true………….! Ark noi…… I can’t explain my knowledge, wahhhh!”

The tutorial guidebook (by Saintess standards, the Revelations) was slammed into my head.

For a moment, I saw stars.

It wasn’t just a comic exaggeration.

“Huuu……. Please use calm and normal speech.”

“Okay.”

Gulp.

The Saintess is scary when she’s angry……………

Anyway, that’s how it was.

In the past, when I first met Johanna, I couldn’t fully explain smartphones either.

And earlier, when I tried to talk to those otherworldly Revelators or whatever, I couldn’t ask what I wanted to ask.

“I’m not joking or teasing, really, when I try to explain that knowledge, something gets stuck and I can’t speak.”

“A restriction, perhaps…… I see…….”

The Saintess finally nodded seriously.

Well.

I didn’t really care much.

At this point, I couldn’t deny that I couldn’t return to reality.

Following the cliché progression,

Conquering the tower might be the trigger to return to reality.

After all, the concept itself is a ‘tower that grants wishes.’

“It’s okay, I’m having a great time right now.”

98% of that is sincere.

Building houses, cooking, doing the dishes,

Earning money to give them allowances, investing every resource into their growth,

Even providing top-notch psychological counseling from time to time…..

………

I’m basically a housekeeper, aren’t I?

But still.

Seeing the faces of our warriors, just looking at them fills me with joy.

Is there any greater paradise than this?

This is paradise.

Cam girl? Vtubers?  Cosplay?

I see them in 3D.

Para! dise! Para! dise!

The only downside is that the content is a bit too wholesome………………

Of course, I’m human too.

Sometimes, about 2% of the time, I feel a wave of longing.

“Ah, I want to drink cola…….”

“Bruise?”

Whenever I’m overwhelmed by longing for modern comforts.

I pat Rumi’s head.

“OFF”

Hmm.

Feels like my brain is melting.

Tyuutyaa…………!

Uuu……… Rabui………

***

With a lump on the crown of my head, I melted away the stamina I hadn’t fully recovered earlier———

No, I entered the tower again for the noble mission of climbing it.

But.

There was a serious problem.

8th floor. 1st zone.

Traps, none.

The only monster present.

“Kuuuuu…… Kkokko…….”

Level 8 ‘Cockatrice on the verge of death from illness.’ Just one.

Originally, this area should have been filled with orc warriors and shamans going ‘Kuuik kuuik.’

Ah, come on.

[Tower of Wishes 8th Floor – Orc Village 1st Zone Cleared!]

2nd zone.

Level 9. A squirrel that’s been starving for three days.

3rd zone. Level 2. 

A dog that’s been neutered and is very sulky.

“Kiiiiuuuu……Kiiiiuuuu…….”

Rumi let out a pitiful whine.

…….Did she empathize?

Personally, it was a very sad situation.

But I sent the poor dog off peacefully.

What else could I do? The living must live.

And in the 4th zone.

A level 6 ‘Freshly caught eel’ flopped around on the ground, dying.

“Tina, can you call Ellis?”

I was angry.

Show yourself!

Why are you running your business like this!

As I was about to file a complaint.

“Oh my, do you already miss me? Are you ready to accept me?”

Swoosh.

A blood-red haze gathered in front of me and transformed into Ellis.

Wow!

Boobcat!

……That aside.

The important matter now—well, it’s important, but anyway, the important matter isn’t about boobs but something more high-level.

“Ellis, what are you trying to pull here?”

“Huh……?”

I had to confront her.

“Stop messing around and restore the monsters. We can’t farm like this. Ah, traps are annoying, so don’t set them, just spawn a lot of monsters. Make them nutritious ones.”

“Uh, uh……?”

“Didn’t you say you’d surrender? Ah, right. It’s a bit annoying to hunt monsters, so can’t you just drop a lot of materials or loot?”

“Th-that’s against the rules…….”

“Really? There’s a rule like that? You’re a demon, but you’re so inflexible. Anyway, you’re seriously affecting our business right now, so please restore things as soon as possible. Preferably with monsters that drop a lot of materials.”

“Y-yes……♡”

Why the heart at the end?

With that, Ellis disappeared into the air.

[Tower of Wishes 8th Floor – Orc Village 4th Zone Cleared!]

As the eel died (from suffocation), the clear pop-up appeared.

“Let’s wait a bit before heading to the 5th zone. I’m sure she got the message…………? Huh? Is there a problem?”

Warriors?

Why are you looking at me like that?

I’m a little scared………

Johanna strode over to me.

“Ark? Let’s have a little talk.”

“Huh.”

Then she grabbed me and dragged me away.

I have a bad feeling about this………!

I couldn’t break free; the Saintess’s strength far surpassed mine………!

Rumi, save me!

“Ugh……”

Why are you looking at me with such pity…………?

Tina?

“A master more demonic than the demon…………….”

Why are you shaking your head and avoiding me………..?

Saha…….

“Johanna. Please scold him thoroughly.”

Saha……………! You too……………!

With my last hope, I looked at Ari.

“Ark? Those puppy-dog eyes won’t work on me……………? Just listen to the lecture quietly, okay?”

My hope shattered completely.

That day.

So, invoking the demon’s name within the tower is taboo, and negotiating with the demon that appears is clearly a violation of the rules.

I was reminded once again that the purpose of the tower is not to farm loot but to embark on a sacred journey to reach the top.

I was also repeatedly reminded not to prioritize material gains excessively.

For two hours, I was ‘educated.’

My knowledge grew.