“How dare you eat my ramen?! Take this! Boo-boo-boo-boop!”
Sejun vented his anger at Cuengi, who had stolen his ramen, by blowing raspberries¹.
However,
Kkuhehehe. Kruoing!
[Hehehehe. This is fun!]
Cuengi, feeling good with Sejun’s raspberries, stuck out his belly for more.
Just then, a message announcing the start of the third event of the Harvest Festival appeared.
“A Carrot Wine Drinking Competition?”
‘If I could just eat the detoxifying green onions, I might be able to win?’
However, considering that other buffs were deactivated for fairness in the carrot harvesting competition, it was highly likely that detoxifying green onions wouldn’t work.
“Should I give it a try?”
As Sejun was about to go to the giant carrot altar for the competition,
“President Park, give our youngest some New Year’s gift money too, meow!”
Theo, who received a Churu as a gift, began to take care of the golden bat. He was even upgraded to be called ‘our youngest.’
“Oh! Of course, I should.”
Sejun readily agreed. It was a golden bat that brought a whole packet of ramen. It deserved not only New Year’s gift money, but even more.
(Sejun, please accept my bow!)
As the golden bat bowed respectfully, folding its wings,
“Good. Here’s your New Year’s gift money. Stay healthy, golden bat.”
(Yes! Thank you!)
Sejun gave the golden bat some New Year’s gift money.
And then,
“Let’s go.”
He headed towards the giant carrot altar with the animals.
At the giant carrot altar, there were already a mother Crimson Giant Bear, Black Minotaurs, and adult rabbits waiting for the Carrot Wine Drinking Competition to start.
Kreong!
Cuengi ran towards his mother.
However,
Kreong!
While the two were talking, the mother crimson giant bear shook her head,
Krooeeeng!
Cuengi began to lie on the floor and started crying.
“He must be throwing a tantrum to participate in the contest too.”
It was obvious even without looking. All the contests held at the Harvest Festival so far were eating contests.
However, this time it was a drinking contest. The underage Cuengi couldn’t participate. Sejun silently wished the mother Crimson Giant Bear good luck and headed under the giant carrot altar.
[Time remaining for registration – 7 minutes 51 seconds]
[Current number of applications – 532]
Certainly, because it was a drinking contest, young rabbits couldn’t participate, so the number of participants was low.
“The black rabbit is obviously participating, and Theo will participate, right?”
“Of course, meow!”
Although Theo didn’t like alcohol, but he participated in the contest to stay on Sejun’s lap.
[Current number of registrations – 535]
At that time,
Kreong!
The mother Crimson Giant Bear sent Sejun an apologetic glance while pointing at him.
And then
Krooeeeng!
The crying Cuengi started running towards him.
‘No. Why is she sending him to me? Even though I’ve been taking care of Cuengi recently, this isn’t right!’
Sejun thought he would have to talk to the mother Crimson Giant Bear later as he hurriedly took out honey from void storage. He planned to appease Cuengi with honey for now.
Krooeeeng!
The cry asking for honey as soon as he pulled it out. As expected of a Honey Bear, Cuengi immediately stopped crying as soon as it saw the honey.
“If you eat this and wait quietly, I’ll give you another bottle of honey when it’s over. Can our Cuengi wait quietly?”
Lick lick lick.
Kreong!
While Cuengi, who was too busy licking the honey, didn’t even raise his gaze, he responded loudly.
After calming Cuengi and heading under the giant carrot,
[The competition begins.]
A message announcing the start of the competition appeared, and a semi-transparent red wall blocked off the surrounding area.
And then,
Boom!
A 10m size wine bottle filled with giant carrots appeared in the center, along with a drinking glass in front of the participants.
“Wow!”
It was the first time he saw such a big carrot.
“I wonder if the wine tastes good?”
Sejun, who had never tasted wine made with carrots, looked at the drinking glass that appeared in front of him with eyes filled with anticipation. The transparent liquid in the glass was carrot wine.
He lifted the drinking glass and slowly smelled the scent of the carrot wine. He wasn’t even thinking about winning, so he focused on enjoying the drink.
“Hmm.”
A delicious sweet aroma, along with the unique flavor of carrot, was felt from the drink
Having smelled it, now it was time to taste it.
Sip.
He took a sip of the drink.
“Hmm.”
As soon as the drink entered his mouth, the deep flavor of grain and carrot, along with a mild bitterness, filled his mouth.
Gulp.
The drink smoothly went down his throat, independent of his will.
Haaaa.
As the cool energy of wine slid down his esophagus, a faint sweetness of grain lingered in his mouth, which cleared away any remnants of bitterness left by the wine.
“Ah, it’s really delicious.”
Gulp.
Sejun, who had fallen for the taste of carrot wine, ended up drinking another glass that was already filled up.
As he proceeded to drink five more glasses without any side dishes,
“Huh? I’m feeling a little drunk?”
Sejun tried to take out a detoxifying green onion to sober up, but
[For the fairness of the competition, you cannot use other items.]
As expected, its use was restricted.
“Should I stop drinking?”
Sejun tried to stop drinking and leave, but
[You cannot leave until either you have emptied all the wine in the bottle or all participants have passed out.]
He couldn’t leave until the competition was over.
“Should I wait?”
“Meow, meow, meow.”
While Sejun was waiting for the competition to end and stroking Theo’s belly,
Roar!
Moo!
Squeak!
The animals were making noises in admiration as they drank the wine.
Slowly.
Sejun’s hand, craving more alcohol, gradually moved towards his glass.
“Just one more glass.”
Sejun lifted his glass.
Gulp.
“Ah.”
The taste that naturally made him gasp. The more he drank, the more he craved the wine.
“I want to drink just one more glass.”
‘Drink! After all, you only live once. Who knows when you will drink again after today?’
‘No! Get a grip! What if you make a mistake? You’re going to die right away!’
The whispers of instinct and reason echoed in his head.
However,
“I need to empty the bottle quickly!”
It was the victory of instinct today. Sejun, looking at the half-full bottle in the center, decided to put his effort into emptying the bottle.
***
55th floor of the tower.
“What?! Tariq is dead?!”
Grid was startled at the news of Tariq’s death. He had been trying to find out his whereabouts after losing contact for a few days, but he didn’t expect that he was dead.
“Yes! He was caught feeding locusts on the 67th floor of the tower by Iona, the chairman of the Wizard’s Association, and was killed on the spot.”
“How dare they kill the elder of our Boar Tribe?!”
Bang!
Unable to contain his anger, Grid broke the desk in half with his fist.
“Lord Grid, please calm down. I have received a message that Chairman Mason is moving his agents from the Secret Inspection Bureau in an attempt to link you to this incident and deal with you all at once. You need to quickly erase all connections with Tariq.”
Mason, who had always regarded Grid as a thorn in his side, moved as secretly as possible to finish Grid off, but Grid’s intelligence network was not to be underestimated.
Grid had long spent effort turning several of the Secret Inspection Bureau agents, operated secretly by the Wandering Merchant Guild, into his own people.
“There’s no need to worry. There won’t be any evidence.”
As soon as he lost contact with Tariq, Grid ordered all traces connecting him to Tariq to be removed in preparation for this situation, and his assassination team obliterated several villages to eliminate any witnesses.
“What about the white rabbits that were at the farm? They’re all gone?”
“Yes. They disappeared without a trace even though dozens of guards were watching them.”
“It’s almost time for the harvest. Either find the missing white rabbits, or catch other white rabbits. By any means necessary, bring me those white rabbits!”
“Yes! I’ll get on it right away!”
As his subordinate hurriedly left to secure the white rabbits,
Creak.
Grid stood up from his seat and pushed aside the bookshelf in the office, revealing stairs leading to the basement.
Thud. Thud.
Grid descended down the stairs into the basement. The stairs led to an underground passage, and the passage led to a massive square.
And in the center of the square was a white dragon statue.
“I, Grid, pay my respects to the great White Dragon.”
Thud!
Landlord Grid, with his massive body, bowed towards the 1-meter tall white dragon statue.
***
“Heeheehee. I’ve learned it all! Now I can see Sejun!”
Aileen, who had fully mastered the polymorph spell, shouted with a happy face.
Now all she had to do was wait for Kaiser to signal.
“Heeheehee. I can’t wait to see Sejun!”
Aileen looked at Sejun through the crystal orb with an excited expression.
-Ah, this is great.
Sejun, who participated in the carrot wine drinking competition, kept exclaiming as he drank.
“Is it really that good?”
Aileen became curious.
-Ah, this is good.
-It’s so good!
-good.
Sejun kept exclaiming ‘good’ every time he drank. Aileen’s face gradually hardened as she watched Sejun.
‘Humph! Is it better than me?!’
***
[The tower administrator asks if you like the drink more than her.]
“What?! What does that mean?!”
[The tower administrator is angry asking why you keep saying it’s good! It’s good! when you drink.]
“Heeheehee. Our Aileen is jealous of a drink?”
[The tower administrator denies ever being jealous.]
“Heeheehee. Don’t worry. You’re the only one for me.”
Sejun, who was drunk and feeling good, spoke playfully.
[……]
Then
[The carrot wine drinking competition has ended early as all the prepared carrot wine has been consumed.]
The rankings were determined as the participants drank all the wine in the bottles.
[Carrot Wine Drinking Competition Ranking]
1st – Red Fur (1000L)
2nd – Minotaur 102 (103L)
3rd – Minotaur 72 (102.5L)
…
..
.
The amount was incomprehensible considering the small glasses. Sejun didn’t know it, but when the alcohol in the glass was emptied, more alcohol kept filling up so he could drink continuously.
[Rewards will be given to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners of the Carrot Wine Drinking Competition.]
The reward was a beer bottle-sized bottle of alcohol filled with carrots.
[You have received 10 carrot seeds as a participation prize in the Carrot Wine Drinking Competition.]
Sejun received carrot seeds as a participation prize.
Then
“Wait!”
This time, Sejun called out to the mother Crimson Giant Bear, Minotaur 102, and Minotaur 72, who were hurrying to leave without giving Sejun the reward.
“Why aren’t you giving it to me this time? Give me the reward!”
Sejun, who was drunk, confidently extended his hand.
“You guys better not move!”
Although he couldn’t control his body and was swaying, Sejun angrily told the innocent animals to stay put.
“Give me the reward quickly!”
Kreong!
Emooo!
At Sejun’s demand, the mother Crimson Giant Bear and the Black Minotaurs shook their heads hard with their alcohol bottles.
“Heeheehee. Did you guys plan to eat all the delicious stuff alone?!”
Sejun was convinced. Looking at the animals’ reactions, it was clear that the reward this time was something delicious.
“President Theo, go!”
“Got it, meow!”
Theo quickly took the alcohol bottle that Minotaur 72 was holding. Normally, Theo wouldn’t have been able to take it from Minotaur 72, but now he was drunk. His reaction was slow.
“Here it is, meow!”
“Well done, meow!”
Pfft.
Sejun mimicked Theo’s way of speaking and opened the cap of the bottle that Theo had brought.
And just as Sejun was about to drink the alcohol in the bottle,
“You idiot! You’ll die if you drink that!”
Puck!
Along with the surprised woman’s voice, something hit Sejun’s back of the head.
[Your body has taken a fatal hit.]
[<Power: Indestructible Body> has been activated.]
[Magic Power is consumed to protect the body from breaking.]
[You have an extreme lack of Magic Power.]
[Dragon Tribe Skill – Dragon Skin is activated.]
[The scale of the great Black Dragon Kaiser has been destroyed.]
The scale of Kaiser disappeared into nothingness.
*****
*****
TL Notes:
1) Blowing Raspberries : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowing_a_raspberry
