Episode 27 - Room 103, Room of Curses - 'Animal Farm' (1)
[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)
Date: Day 10
Current Location: Layer 1, Room 103 (Room of Curses - Animal Farm)
Sage's Advice: 3]
The first evening of farm life began.
Based on what we could all gather about our surroundings, here is what we know:
1. The farm is inhabited by a family of four: the couple Brian/Amy, and their son and daughter Peter/May.
2. The four of us—me (Black Cow), Yu Song-i (Goose), Elena (Dog), and Kim A-ri (Cat)—are the farm's livestock or pets.
3. Cha Jin-cheol (Wild Boar), Kim Muk-seong (Mouse), Park Seung-yeop (Wolf), and Lee Eun-sol (Snake) are wild animals around the farm.
Of course, it was largely Elena and A-ri who uncovered these facts.
Truthfully, ever since becoming a Black Cow, I've been locked in the barn and couldn't do anything!
Also, while using KakaoTalk with extremely limited 'message capacity,' everyone naturally mastered a conversation style using only essential keywords.
Mouse King (Muk-seong): Everyone tense. Danger will occur.
Kim Cat (A-ri): I'll monitor at night
Elena Woof (Elena): I'll check during the day
Black Cow (Ga-in): Can't go out
Song Goose (Song-i): Me neither can't go out
Piglet (Jin-cheol): Mouse won't come down from my head
Mouse King (Muk-seong): Considering movement efficiency.
Piglet (Jin-cheol): Want to headbutt
Smart Snake (Eun-sol): No wasting message capacity
Wolf Boy (Seung-yeop): Can I sleep?
Smart Snake (Eun-sol): Sleep for now. Check properly tomorrow.
Everyone's so proactive. Saying things like "I'll monitor at night" or "I'll handle the day" or "I'll move like this."
Meanwhile, I can't do anything in the barn except go "MoooOOOo."
I let out deep sighs and forced my eyes shut.
The only silver lining is that after becoming a cow, the grass actually tastes delicious.
---------------------------
The sunset fades.
Just as the sun slowly loses its light, darkness draped over the entire farm.
Finally, a sensation of vitality coursing through my entire body. Obviously.
Because I'm a cat.
I emerged from the small basket that seemed to have been given as my bed and wandered around the farm.
The atmosphere of the farm was somewhat bizarre.
Four people, and an absurd amount of livestock. There were even eight animals with intelligence.
It was an environment where noise was bound to break out here and there...
Yet surprisingly, once night fell, the entire farm grew quiet.
Just as I was about to slip slightly outside from the family's living quarters where I was staying, I was grabbed by the scruff of my neck.
"Oh my! A-ri. You shouldn't go outside at night! Don't you know goblins appear?"
Ah, seriously, even though I'm in a cat's body right now, being picked up by the scruff and shoved into a basket is incredibly unpleasant.
I wanted to ruthlessly scratch the owner's daughter's arm, but I figured acting like a somewhat well-behaved cat would give me more freedom of movement, so I held back.
As I waited quietly in the basket and watched for an opportunity, I eventually sensed that even May had fallen asleep on her bed.
Now I can finally go out.
But... 'Goblins'? Was that just said to mean I shouldn't go out at night?
This kind of thing can only be known by actually going out.
I carefully lifted my paws and slipped out through the window.
Sitting on the windowsill and looking toward the farm, nothing particularly special stood out...
Just as I thought, "It's unusually quiet, isn't it?"
A dim, dark figure was walking outside.
I could guarantee it was neither human nor livestock.
Humans aren't that big, and livestock don't walk on two legs.
The height was roughly 5 to 6 meters, and the shape was blurry so I couldn't be certain, but overall it appeared to be something humanoid.
Are those 'Goblins'? Fortunately, the goblins didn't particularly rummage through the inside of the farm.
They just... indifferently looked around here and there as if observing.
Even though I was openly watching them from the windowsill, they didn't seem conscious of me at all.
The information to share tomorrow has increased.
With this, haven't I roughly done what I need to do today?
Maybe it's because I've become a cat, but I feel like lazing around and sleeping a lot, very cat-like.
Since I didn't feel the need to do anything more, I decided to call it a night here.
[User: Han Ga-in (Wisdom)
Date: Day 11
Current Location: Layer 1, Room 103 (Room of Curses - Animal Farm)
Sage's Advice: 3]
Mouse King (Muk-seong): Monsters only appear at night?
Kim Cat (A-ri): Yeah couldn't confirm danger level
Smart Snake (Eun-sol): Other info?
Kim Cat (A-ri): x
Elena Woof (Elena): Good work. I'll gather info now
Wolf Boy (Seung-yeop): Lots of other wolves
Piglet (Jin-cheol): Will wolves attack the farm?
Wolf Boy (Seung-yeop): I'll monitor the wolf pack
Mouse King (Muk-seong): Me and pig are searching escape routes
Smart Snake (Eun-sol): I'm monitoring farm perimeter
Black Cow (Ga-in): Good work everyone
Song Goose (Song-i): Thank you
As the brief conversation ended, Elena felt herself unconsciously brimming with energy.
Everyone's roles had been roughly decided.
Kim A-ri (Cat): Nighttime information gathering
Elena (Dog): Daytime information gathering
Cha Jin-cheol (Wild Boar) - Kim Muk-seong (Mouse): Escape route exploration
Park Seung-yeop (Wolf): Monitoring wolf pack movements
Lee Eun-sol (Snake): Farm perimeter surveillance
Since Song-i and Ga-in were confined, it was difficult for them to take on any roles for now.
Ah! Now it's my turn.
Honestly, during the previous Room 102, the Haunted Mansion, I died on the first day without doing anything, and I felt so sorry about it.
Though I didn't say it, my heart ached whenever I heard how much Ga-in and Eun-sol unni suffered afterward.
Fortunately, unlike the others who had their actions restricted by being assigned livestock or wild animal roles, I was a Golden Retriever!
If cats were for the night, then dogs were surely for the day.
I resolved to actively gather information and help everyone.
What's the start of any operation? Being loved, isn't it?
Everyone's guard drops around adorable beings, and they tend to let things slide—that's the way of the world.
I became an adorable Golden Retriever and licked Brian's palm as he was busy organizing the farm fence.
"Whoops, Elena, it's a bit dangerous here. Hehe, you're so good, so good. Go stay with your mom~"
Brian patted my head and nudged me a few times, pointing toward Amy.
If I keep doing this a few times, everyone will like me.
But... what information should I actually gather?
A-ri saw goblins as soon as night fell, but I couldn't see any monsters, and I didn't know what to do.
After that, I wandered around for over 3 hours.
Honestly, it's not that hard. I just wag my tail and go woof woof, and before I know it, food appears in front of me and everyone pets my head.
The life of a loved dog is ridiculously easy.
While wandering around, I saw Brian and Amy having a serious conversation.
"Let's pluck some of the geese around evening. A few of them seem to have enough feathers."
"I don't think they'll sell well yet... Wouldn't it be better to wait?"
"Prices don't just keep going up because we wait. It's better to pluck and sell as we go."
"Then I'll let Peter know."
Roughly this kind of content. A typical farm conversation.
Is that so... I thought, before suddenly flinching.
Wait, Song-i is a goose!
As far as I knew, goose feathers were plucked while the goose was still alive, and some geese even died from the process.
What should I do about this? Let's talk to everyone first.
Elena Woof (Elena): Emergency emergency
Mouse King (Muk-seong): What happened?
Elena Woof (Elena): Goose plucking tomorrow
Song Goose (Song-i): Whaaaaaaaat????????????
Smart Snake (Eun-sol): Quiet quiet any countermeasures?
Kim Cat (A-ri): Hide in corner when they come to pluck?
Mouse King (Muk-seong): If you hide they'll probably pick another goose
Elena Woof (Elena): I'll follow along just in case
Song Goose (Song-i): Please everyone help me...
Black Cow (Ga-in): MoooOOOoo
The general conversation ended.
First, when they come to pluck, Song-i would hide in a corner on her own to guide them to pick another goose.
But if Brian still chose Song-i to pluck...
I had to try doing something. It was my turn to repay the debt of doing nothing in Room 102.
Smart Snake (Eun-sol): Anything else discovered?
Mouse King (Muk-seong): Forest is ridiculously huge.
Piglet (Jin-cheol): No end no matter how far we go. Request to change chat name.
Wolf Boy (Seung-yeop): Wolves are hunting deer nearby
Black Cow (Ga-in): MooooOOOOoo!
Smart Snake (Eun-sol): Cow no wasting message capacity
About 3 hours passed since everyone silently performed their roles under tension.
I slowly felt evening approaching.
Suddenly I grew curious. I was being given feed at every meal by the farm couple, but how were the others managing?
If I asked, I'd probably just hear sad stories about catching bugs or small animals to eat. Better not to ask.
More importantly, protecting Song-i during the goose plucking tonight was the priority.
In the long run, we needed to resolve this situation itself somehow... but honestly, I still had no clue how.
For now, surviving while protecting each person one by one was the only path forward.
As I half-heartedly ate my feed while keeping an eye on the owner's family, the couple and their son Peter naturally got up.
This is it! If I chased after them too obviously, they'd probably lock me in a room, so I carefully approached.
If I got caught, I'd just lick their hand with my tongue. They'd probably let it slide.
And...
Truly, to prepare for a worst-case scenario, I had devised a slight strategy with Seung-yeop.
Now I could really feel at ease. In Room 103, I would definitely make a contribution and hear everyone say thank you.
Author's Note
Each person's transformed animal:
Han Ga-in: Cow
Cha Jin-cheol: Pig
Lee Eun-sol: Snake
Yu Song-i: Goose
Park Seung-yeop: Wolf
Elena: Dog
Kim A-ri: Cat
Kim Muk-seong: Mouse