Taesan and Jungkeun continued to explore the basement. Their search was fruitful; they discovered three more intact packets of seeds.

“Done here,” Taesan announced upon returning to City Hall, where he summoned the people.

“Anyone here have experience with farming?”

After a moment, several hesitant individuals came forward. With a population of a hundred thousand, the number was not small.

Most of them were from the Easy and Normal modes.

“Can these seeds be cultivated?”

The group examined the seeds and concluded, “It seems possible. They are old but well-preserved.”

“Then please proceed with planting them,” Taesan instructed.

The farmers cautiously replied, “Even if we plant now, it will take a while before we can harvest any food.”

“And with this small amount, it won’t even last a day as food. Farming uses a lot of water, and in the current situation…”

It was clear that the efficiency would be very low. Hwihyun Kim approached upon hearing the news.

“Have you already obtained what you wanted?”

“I’m trying to start farming,” Taesan replied, holding a bag of seeds. Kim, like the others, looked puzzled.

“Are you seriously going to plant them?”

“How did you acquire skills in the labyrinth?”

“When I used the effects of a skill… Ah.”

Kim realized, and so did the others who had been handling the seeds.

Skills were acquired by replicating their effects.

Thus, if successful, there was a possibility that cultivating these seeds could yield new skills.

“It’s not certain, but isn’t it worth a gamble?”

“You’re right. You thought that far ahead,” Kim remarked with admiration.

It was not just Taesan’s insight alone.

In the previous world, they had also been concerned about food. Even if they found any, without producers, they inevitably ran out.

But that realization had come too late. By the time they could look for seeds, most were ruined. Due to the rifts in the sky, it hardly rained, and most plants had rotted.

Moreover, their range of movement had gradually narrowed, limiting their ability to explore.

Eventually, they risked their lives searching all over Korea.

Finally, they found some potatoes that had survived in the wild.

Though a few seed potatoes were far from enough, they had chosen to cultivate them, learning rudimentary farming in the process.

It was then that they rapidly sought anything else that could be cultivated, but to no avail.

Thus, Taesan had prepared in advance.

“Such a skill would indeed be a big help… Everyone, please put your best efforts into this.”

“Uh, then…”

The recipients hesitated, and Kim, realizing what they were about to say, assured them naturally.

“Of course, there will be benefits for you. Once the sprouts emerge, you will definitely receive something. Don’t worry and just focus on farming.”

They took the seeds with hopeful expressions.

Taesan also kept some and planted them in the ground.

Hours later, those who had gone out to gather food returned. The number of returnees and the amount of food they brought back brightened Kim’s expression.

No one had died. Since it was their first foraging attempt, the food collected was more than expected.

“We’ll distribute the food now!”

Though the quantities were small, the food was distributed among the people. The hardest and Solo Mode players received the most, followed by Normal Mode, and then Easy Mode players.

But there was no significant protest. The oppression they had endured in Yongin had significantly lowered their expectations, and the food provided was enough to stave off hunger. The first distribution passed without incident.

What followed was a repetition of the same tasks: gathering and distributing food. Occasionally, they managed their strength by sparring with each other, making for a rather uneventful week.

And the seeds they had planted were slowly sprouting.

“I thought it would be difficult without sunlight, but they are growing better than I expected.”

Green roots were emerging from the ground, but their expressions remained somber.

“Still, they won’t grow enough to be edible. The conditions are too harsh.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

If the sprouts grew enough to meet the criteria for acquiring skills, that was enough. Taesan had confirmed as much in the previous world.

As the seeds Taesan planted began to sprout, the first wave of monsters started.

“The first wave has begun.”

“Rewards will be distributed based on performance upon returning to the labyrinth.”

Monsters filled the horizon as far as the eye could see.

“Ah… How can there be so many!”

The faces of the overwhelmed crowd paled. Kim composed herself and shouted.

“We can survive this!”

And the battle began. Somehow, a hundred thousand people managed to fend off the monsters using whatever weapons they could wield.

“Ha!”

Monsters were cleaved apart as Taesan sped past Lee Taeyeon. Every swing of his blade severed limbs and torsos.

The force of his punches not only burst monsters but sent others flying. Taesan used magic and skills to defeat tens of thousands of monsters.

After a full day, the last monster fell.

“We’ve won!”

“We survived!”

Everyone cheered jubilantly. Kim’s face was not somber; the dead were few. Most had survived this ordeal.

With newfound hope, they diligently continued to cultivate seeds and gather food, strengthening themselves. Thanks to their efforts, they successfully repelled a second wave a week later without significant casualties.

While everyone was celebrating, only Taesan looked up at the sky with a troubled expression.

“What’s the matter?”

It wasn’t strange that they had managed to fend off the wave.

The monsters in the second return were not particularly strong, mostly consisting of contract-level and a few Grade E monsters.

Hard Mode players, like those of the present, could easily handle Grade E monsters using combinations of attacks.

The deaths during the second return were due to clashes between different modes and a lack of food, not because of the monsters. These issues had been resolved, thanks to Taesan, so no major incidents were expected.

However, Taesan’s expression was grim.

“How far will they go?”

The power emanating from the rift in the sky.

It had grown approximately twice as strong as when they first returned.

“That’s dangerous.”

Taesan’s grim expression deepened. Initially, he had expected only one monster, at most of Grade C level, which he could handle.

But with this level of power increase…

“How many will die?”

Taesan looked towards City Hall.

The people were celebrating their victory, unaware that the food supply was dwindling and some were already feeling hungry. Yet, no one was in despair.

The Easy and Normal Mode players were weak.

Though Taesan had once said to Commissioner Seo that there was no difference between them and the Easy and Normal Mode players, it was just to break Seo’s pride. The difference was clear.

If there had been no Hard Mode players in his previous life, surviving would have been highly unlikely.

The fact that he, a Solo Mode player, had survived alone was telling.

In reality, death was almost certain for all Easy Mode players. Taesan knew this because he had seen it to the end.

But knowing did not provide a solution. He had informed others about skills in his past life, but no one had learned them.

Survival required a completely different approach—something other than skills or items.

Three weeks had passed since their return to Earth. They had faced three waves and survived all with minimal sacrifices.

Those who overestimated themselves or strayed from the group were the only exceptions.

But the food supply was dwindling. The time taken to forage was getting longer, and the food brought back was insufficient. Even the substantial amounts Taesan managed to gather were not enough for the nearly hundred thousand people.

“I’m hungry…”

Just when everyone was starting to feel the pinch of hunger, the crops finally showed their worth.

“Wow!”

A man cultivating corn shouted into the air. Others also expressed their astonishment with surprised exclamations.

Taesan looked up as well.

[Special Always Active Skill: Rudimentary Cultivation]

[Proficiency: 1%]

[Speeds up all cultivation processes. Unaffected by geothermal energy. Plants grow better and are unaffected by sunlight. Requires less water and seeds have a higher germination rate.]

[Since you are out of the labyrinth, you cannot acquire skills. [Rudimentary Cultivation] has been sealed.]

Rudimentary Cultivation could be acquired after planting, once a certain time had passed, typically between three to four weeks.

That was the time it took for those cultivating the plants to acquire their skills. They informed Kim Hwihyun with bright faces. Upon hearing the news, she rushed to the cultivation site, astonished.

“What kind of skill is it?”

“Just as it says.”

Taesan explained, brightening her expression.

“That’s great! We’ll worry less about food! How effective is it?”

“We’ll see once we enter the labyrinth.”

Skills could not be acquired on Earth. Even if a very special method met the acquisition criteria, they could only be used after returning to the labyrinth.

So, the immediate effects were not verifiable. Kim was slightly disappointed, but still hopeful.

“Still, it’s good news. If all goes well, we might not have any more food issues.”

Kim clenched her fist with resolve. Her greatest concern had been food, and the prospect of resolving that issue was more than welcome.

“We only need to hold out for another week! Just endure that, and we’ll be fine!”

Their faces were all bright. They had managed to repel three waves without significant casualties and had even acquired a skill that could solve their food problems.

Hope was clearly visible on their faces.

Taesan silently watched the scene.

With only a day left until the fourth wave began, everyone had their weapons ready as Taesan looked up at the sky.

The power emanating from the sky’s rift had grown even stronger than before.

“This is troublesome.”

With such increased strength, what kind of monster would appear?

Initially, he had thought it would be just one, at most a Grade C level, so he hadn’t been overly concerned. With his current abilities, he could have managed a Grade C monster.

But now, the monster might not be Grade C.

Maybe Grade B.

This monster was not from the second return.

“They really want us dead, don’t they?”

Taesan curled his lips in a smirk.

The invaders of Earth were the defeated ancient gods. They were gathering their strength to kill Taesan.

“It won’t be easy.”

Taesan gripped his sword.