TL: Hanguk
-Don’t worry too much. It’s just the worst-case scenario.
Kaiser reassured Sejun, who looked tense. For the Apostle of Destruction to enter the tower, it needs to mix its own aura with another aura, and it won’t be easy to find a strong aura that can sufficiently mix with the aura of the Apostle of Destruction.
Just then,
Krueng?! Krueng!
[Daddy, where are you?! Cuengi is hungry!]
Having spent enough time with the Pink-fur, Cuengi started looking for Sejun. It was dinner time.
“Has it gotten this late already?”
Sejun quickly got up and headed to the kitchen.
Then,
-Hmm, I haven’t had roasted sweet potatoes recently…
Kaiser mumbled to himself, following Sejun, as if wanting someone to hear.
Krueng!
[Daddy!]
On his way to the kitchen, Cuengi spotted Sejun and rushed towards him.
“Cuengi, are you hungry? Wait a bit. Cuengi’s good, so you can wait patiently, right?”
Krueng! Krueng!
[Cuengi is good and can wait patiently! But if you give me a snack, I can wait even better!]
Even though I’m good, when I’m hungry, I can become fierce. So, give me a snack. You had to interpret the Baby Beast’s words correctly.
“Well… alright.”
Sejun took out a handful of chestnuts from the storage and placed them on Cuengi’s front paws.
Munch, munch.
Kuehehehe! Krueng!
[Hehehe! Now, Cuengi can wait patiently!]
After eating half the chestnuts Sejun gave him, Cuengi wagged his tail and danced happily. That’s Baby Beast’s behavior when he’s happy from eating something delicious. But it also means he gets hungry again quickly. Sejun had to hurry.
Swooosh.
Sejun quickly filled a pot with water and put it on the fire. Then, Sejun used the Relic: Wealth-devouring Rice Dough. He then quickly made dough and began steaming Baekseolgi (rice cake).
Tatatata.
Next, he chopped up locust meat and vegetables, added them to a new pot, and boiled them.
“Phew, now I just need to grill the fish?”
Taking a breather, Sejun skewered the fish on wooden sticks and began grilling. In the meantime, he also wrapped sweet potatoes in green onion leaves and put them on the fire, making roasted sweet potatoes for Kaiser.
While Sejun was busy, the delicious aroma from the kitchen spread outside.
And then,
Squeak!
Ook!
Rabbits and monkeys started hovering around the kitchen. They’ve been waiting for Sejun’s cooking for days.
“Come in and eat this first.”
Sejun shared the freshly grilled fish with the rabbits and monkeys.
“It’s delicious, meow! I’d give this fish grill a full score, meow!”
Of course, Theo, who was beside Sejun, also enjoyed the meal.
While Sejun took out the finished rice cakes from the pot, let them cool, served the soup, and prepared for the final boss,
Krueng!
[Cuengi can’t wait any longer!]
Just in time, Cuengi, about to get angry, entered the kitchen.
“Alright, Mr. Cuengi, please take a seat here.”
Acting as a waiter, Sejun pulled out a chair for Cuengi.
Kuehem! Krueng!
[Ahem! Bring me the dish you’re most proud of!]
Cuengi immediately took on the role of a customer, sat down, and ordered. Sejun quickly placed the prepared dishes in front of Cuengi. The first dish was a cake-sized Baekseolgi.
Glug glug glug.
As a special touch, Sejun then poured three dollops of honey over the Baekseolgi for sweetness.
Krueng!
[This looks delicious!]
The sight of honey made baby beast cheer. In an instant, he went from being the fierce final boss to the cute Cuengi again. That’s how Sejun satisfied Cuengi and then placed the soup and grilled fish in front of him.
“Now, should I eat too?”
Sejun sat down and began his meal.
After dinner,
“Finish the dishes quickly, meow! Cuengi, clean them better, meow!”
Under Theo’s command, who wanted to quickly return to Sejun’s lap, the animals washed the pots and dishes.
Sip.
Watching the animals, Sejun leisurely sipped a cup of coffee. It was a brief but sweet moment of rest.
Then,
Squeak!
The father rabbit approached Sejun.
“What is it? What’s going on?”
Squeak!
[It’s time to harvest the radishes, napa cabbages, and cucumbers!]
The Father Rabbit responded to Sejun’s question. It was time to harvest the crops that had been planted before, and Father Rabbit had come to ask Sejun whether he should continue to nurture them for seeds or harvest them now.
“Really? Let’s go and see.”
Sejun went with the Father Rabbit to the place where the crops were planted.
“Wow!”
The first things that caught Sejun’s eye were the fully grown cucumbers and plump napa cabbages.
Thunk.
Sejun plucked a cucumber first.
[You have obtained the Agility Cucumber.]
[Your job experience has increased slightly.]
[Your proficiency in Harvesting Lv. 7 has increased slightly.]
[You have gained 50 experience points.]
“Looks like it boosts the agility stat, huh?”
From its name, Sejun inferred the cucumber’s ability and checked its detailed options. The cucumber had an effect that improved kidney function.
“Ah! Delicious.”
Crunch.
After quickly wiping the cucumber on his clothes, Sejun took a bite. It tasted fresh with a hint of sweetness.
“Here, you try some too.”
Sejun cut the cucumber in half and gave it to the father rabbit. Then,
Snap.
Next, he sliced off the bottom of a napa cabbage.
[You have obtained the Wind Napa Cabbage.]
…
..
.
“Wind Napa Cabbage?”
Intrigued by the peculiar name, Sejun checked the napa cabbage’s options.
[Wind Napa Cabbage]
→ A napa cabbage grown inside the tower, it is full of nutrients and tastes delicious.
→ Cultivated by a farmer familiar with farming, enhancing the napa cabbage’s sweetness.
→ Upon consumption, affinity with wind attributes temporarily increases slightly.
→ If digested, there’s a chance to awaken intermediate or lower wind-related talents.
→ Cultivator: Tower Farmer, Park Sejun
→ Expiration: 90 days
→ Grade: B
“Oh! This is great!”
It seemed like a crop popular among mages using wind attributes. He felt he could sell it for a high price in Iona’s Wizard Tower.
While Sejun was considering how much to sell it for,
Squeak.
A noise came from below.
“Huh?”
Looking towards the sound, the father rabbit was gazing eagerly at the napa cabbage Sejun was holding. It must have looked delicious.
Squish.
“Here.”
Sejun cut a napa cabbage leaf and gave it to the father rabbit.
Squeak!
[Thank you!]
Crunch. Crunch.
The father rabbit expressed gratitude and began eating the napa cabbage leaf fervently.
Squish.
Crunch. Crunch.
Sejun also tasted a napa cabbage leaf. It was even sweeter than the cucumber.
“I should try the radish too.”
Pull.
While eating the napa cabbage, Sejun reached for a radish next to him and pulled it out. It was a big radish, as big as his calf.
[You have obtained the Stamina Radish.]
…
..
.
Upon checking, the Stamina Radish had an effect that improved lung function.
Chop. Chop.
“Here.”
Sejun sliced the radish and shared a piece with the father rabbit.
Crunch.
As he bit into the radish, a crunchy texture and a sweet, refreshing taste spread in his mouth. He couldn’t help but imagine a refreshing radish soup and a Maeuntang (spicy fish stew).
“That sounds delicious.”
Sejun’s mouth watered.
Just then,
“Cuengi, look! Chairman Park is eating something by himself, meow!”
Theo, who was looking for Sejun on Cuengi’s back, shouted upon seeing Sejun.
And then,
Krueng!
[Is Dad eating alone?!]
Cuengi, with Theo on his back, charged towards Sejun. Fortunately, the sweetness of the cucumber, napa cabbage, and radish wasn’t too strong, so Cuengi quickly lost interest after tasting them.
“Vice Chairman Theo, pack 20 radishes and 100 cucumbers in your bag.”
“Got it, meow…”
Sejun instructed Theo to pack the cucumbers and radishes. He planned to sow the rest later.
The reason Sejun asked Theo to pack the crops separately was that he intended to send him down soon to trade with the hunters. It was about time for Theo to get back to work.
“Meow…”
Theo looked a little sad, realizing this.
“Cheer up, Vice Chairman Theo. You’ll be back soon. And I have to go back down anyway.”
Sejun had to return to the 49th floor of the tower to check on the sky-reaching beans he had planted. Although Theo would go down alone, when coming back up he’d only need to travel from the 40th to the 49th floor.
If he moved quickly, it was a distance that could be covered in less than an hour.
“Puhuhut, alright, meow! Let’s go to sleep now, meow!”
Realizing he wouldn’t be away from Sejun’s lap for too long, Theo’s spirits lifted again.
***
White Tower’s Administrator Area.
As soon as Kellion arrived, he ordered the leaders of each floor to report any suspicious beings they had noticed recently.
“So, there have been reports of hunters with purple crystals embedded in their hands or foreheads recently?”
Kellion received reports of these suspicious beings.
From the moment he heard about the purple crystal, Kellion instinctively felt it was connected to Violet, the Crystal Giant of Destruction, who was located at the 11th seat among the 12 Apostles of Destruction.
“I will verify this myself.”
Kellion went directly to the areas reported by the leaders where these suspicious entities’ hideouts were located to confirm the facts.
His mere presence implied a massacre. Kellion warned others to avoid the area so that no other entities would be harmed.
Upon Kellion’s arrival, merely releasing his aura killed every nearby being.
-It’s been a while, Kellion.
A fragment of the Crystal Giant of Destruction, Violet, revealed itself. Of course, since the fragment contained the aura of an Apostle of Destruction, Kellion disposed of it easily.
Clang.
When the fragment of the Apostle of Destruction, Violet, was destroyed, a purple coin dropped.
“To think that there were as many as five apostles of destruction in our tower…”
Kellion visited the suspicious areas and looked at the 5 purple coins he had acquired during the process, wearing a grave expression. The Apostles of Destruction had infiltrated the tower.
And,
-Kekekeke. Wondering why we came into the tower? Obviously, it’s for the tower’s destruction!
Their goal was the tower’s destruction. The Apostles of Destruction intended to destroy the tower first, before the battle that would ensue when the Black Moon fully appeared.
***
The next morning.
Blink.
Sejun’s eyes opened early at dawn.
And then,
Gororong.
Kyuororong.
“Huh?”
When Sejun sat up due to the unexpected snoring, he saw Iona wrapped around Theo’s tail and sleeping. She seemed to have come in late at night.
Swoosh.
Although he woke up earlier than usual, Sejun got up from his bed without going back to sleep.
“Meow…”
Starting his day early, Sejun marked the date on his bedroom wall with Theo on his lap.
“Kkwek.”
When Sejun arrived in the kitchen, he discreetly called for the ant mushrooms by imitating their sound.
Kkwek. Kkwek. Kkwek.
Three mushroom ants proudly approached, antennas held high. Naturally, each of them had a special mushroom on their back.
Having reached the 99th floor of the tower the previous day, Sejun briefly visited the mushroom ant colony to check on the elixir mushrooms and secretly arranged to meet them early this dawn.
“Hehehe. Thanks for coming out this early.”
Kkwek!.
In response to Sejun’s words, the mushroom ants offered their backs, and Sejun harvested all three mushrooms. There were two regular elixir mushrooms – a shiitake mushroom and an oyster mushroom, and one enhanced elixir mushroon– a white truffle.
Gulp.
Sejun quickly consumed the two regular elixirs mushrooms. Leaving the Enhanced White Truffle mushroom untouched on the table and began preparing breakfast.
Krueng!
[It smells delicious!]
As morning approached, Cuengi, awakened by hunger, was lured by the aroma, came to the kitchen.
Then,
“Look at this, Cuengi. I really wanted to eat it, but I waited so we could share.”
Showing the White Truffle mushroom, Sejun spoke. Its aroma completely masked the scent of the elixir mushrooms Sejun consumed. This was Sejun’s evolved trick.
Krueng! Krueng!
[I’m so happy Dad waited for Cuengi!]
Elated by Sejun’s words, Cuengi danced joyfully. While Sejun might have been a tad deceitful, he did indeed wait to share the last piece, so it wasn’t a complete lie.
“Here.”
Sejun shared the delicious White Truffle with Cuengi, and thanks to that, the morning of the 324th day of being stranded began peacefully.
Krueng!
[Dad is the best!]
“Hmm…”
Sejun thought that next time, he’d secretly eat just one. Of course, sharing them all would be the best approach, but Sejun, being the weakest, longed to break free from this condition.
*****
Chapter 177: Harvesting Cucumbers, Napa Cabbages, and Radishes
*****
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