“Is it cooked?”
Sejun poked the sweet potatoes and potatoes he was roasting with chopsticks.
Thunk.
The chopsticks went in smoothly, without resistance.
“It’s done.”
Sejun took the pot off the fire and removed the sweet potatoes and potatoes to let them cool.
While cooling the sweet potatoes and potatoes, he checked on the grilled fish for Theo and the purple locust meat for Cuengi, placing the cooked items in bowls.
Iona’s stir-fried peanuts were already cooked, spread on a wide plate, and cooling off.
Just then,
Kreong! Kreong!
Cuengi came up from the cave, carrying a massive fish. “Big brother Theo! I caught a big fish!”
Upon hearing news of Sejun’s party, Flamie had driven a giant fish from the sea of dimensions for Cuengi to catch.
“It’s tuna, meow!”
Theo was thrilled to see the 20-meter long fish that Cuengi had brought.
“President Park! When does the party start, meow?!”
Theo, growing impatient due to the tuna, was stamping his feet and urging Sejun.
“President Theo, wait. We also need time to grill the tuna.”
“Got it, meow! Cuengi, hurry and grill the tuna, meow!”
Kreong?
[How do I grill it?]
Cuengi tried to grill the tuna, moving it this way and that over the fire, larger than the fish itself.
But
“That’s not how you do it, meow!”
To Theo, a grilled fish enthusiast, it looked hopelessly unskilled.
“Iona, help me, meow!”
“Kyoot kyoot kyoot. What can I help you with?”
Iona, delightedly looking at the stir-fried peanuts, asked with a bright voice.
“Make a fire, meow!”
“Kyoot Kyoot Kyoot. That’s easy. Oh, power of fire, follow my command and burn everything! Blaze of Incineration!”
Iona cheerfully created a fire at Theo’s request—a very big and hot fire.
“That’s not the fire, meow! Are you planning to burn all my tuna, meow?!”
Theo screamed in alarm at the fire Iona had made. Just lightly touching it seemed like it would reduce his tuna to ashes.
“Kyoo- then you should have said so.”
Although Theo’s raised voice made Iona’s mood soured, Theo was an essential existence providing her sound sleep. So she patiently bore with him.
If it were anyone else, she would have immediately sent Hellfire. But she held back because it was Theo.
“Is it alright?”
Iona patiently met Theo’s demands, lowering the fire’s temperature.
But
“Reduce the fire size on the bottom and a bit of the upper part, meow!”
“Kyoo- is this enough?”
“No, meow! Increase the size in the middle, meow!”
Theo’s demands were endless, and Iona’s patience started to wane.
“Kyoo-Kyoo- Is this okay?”
Anger stage two: Iona’s anger gauge steadily rose. Theo, seemingly unaware that he was endangering his life, kept ordering Iona around.
“You’ve reduced it too much this time, meow!”
“Kyoo-kyoo-kyoo- you’re too fussy.”
Just when Iona’s patience was reaching its limit
“It’s done, meow!”
Fortunately, the fire’s shape and temperature reached the state Theo wanted.
“Cuengi, put the tuna in the fire, meow!”
Kreong!
At Theo’s command, Cuengi placed the tuna in the fire, and the fire perfectly matched the tuna’s shape. It would have been easier if he had asked for the fire to be shaped like the tuna earlier.
“Just wait for two hours, and it’ll be done, meow!”
While Theo waited for the tuna to be grilled,
“Kyoo-kyoo-”
Iona wrapped Theo’s tail around herself, seeking peace of mind.
“Guys, let’s start the party!”
While Theo argued with Iona and grilled the tuna, Sejun had finished steaming the songpyeon (rice cake) and setting up the prepared food.
“Meow meow meow! President Park, let’s go up there quickly, meow!”
Theo, excited, grabbed Sejun’s leg and led him atop the well-grilled tuna’s body.
“Hold on.”
There was something else to do first. Sejun took two bowls filled with songpyeon to the dragons.
“Kaiser, Kellion, please try this. It’s a dish called songpyeon.”
This way of personally taking food to the dragons pleased them, and it also made it easier for the other animals to eat comfortably.
-Ahem. Shall we try it?
-It’s called songpyeon?
Kaiser and Kellion asked with anticipation.
“Yes. Inside, it’s filled with a mixture of sweet potato, potato, and honey…”
While Sejun was explaining
Swallow.
Upon hearing that sweet potatoes were inside, Kaiser and Kellion stuffed songpyeon into the mouths of the dragon statues.
And then
-……
-……
The two dragon statues were silent. They seemed to be busy tasting the songpyeon.
“Then enjoy your meal.”
Sejun greeted the two dragon statues and returned to his seat.
“President Park, over here, meow!”
Bang! Bang!
Unable to wait, Theo, who had jumped onto the grilled tuna, tapped the body of the tuna and called Sejun.
“Alright.”
Sejun scooped food for himself into a bowl and climbed up to the grilled tuna. Meanwhile, the rabbits sat down and waited for Sejun to eat.
“Let’s eat.”
Along with Sejun’s words, the animals began to eat.
“President Park, hurry up and give me a Churu, meow!”
Theo, who had sprawled on Sejun’s lap, looked at Sejun and spoke confidently. It was only natural for him to be confident.
Because
‘I am the star of this party, meow!’
Although it was a party to celebrate Sejun’s quest completion, at some point, in Theo’s mind, this party had become one for himself.
The reason for hosting the party? It didn’t matter, meow! All that mattered were Sejun’s lap, Churu, and a big fish.
Rip.
As Sejun tore the Churu pouch and squeezed it for Theo to eat,
Slurp, slurp, slurp.
Theo started eating earnestly.
And then
Crunch, crunch.
“Kyoot Kyoot Kyoot”
Iona also started munching on the stir-fried peanuts she had buried in Theo’s tail, grasping them greedily with both hands.
Nom, nom.
Sejun also ate the songpyeon he had made.
“Sweet potato.”
The first rice cake he picked up was made with sweet potato filling. The chewy dough and soft sweet potato mixed together as he chewed, providing a chewy yet tender texture.
And at first, there was only the sweetness of the sweet potato, but soon, the sweetness of the rice began to blend with it, giving the taste a new variation as he became accustomed to the flavor of the sweet potato.
Gulp.
After eating one songpyeon, he picked up the next one.
Nom, nom.
This time, it was a songpyeon made with a mixture of potato and honey filling. The texture was similar, but the density of the sweetness was different.
If the sweet potato songpyeon was a gentle drizzle, the potato and honey mixture was a pouring downpour, where everything mixed together.
The sweetness of the rice was swept away by the honey, becoming indistinguishable. That didn’t mean it lacked flavor, though. The heaviness of the honey acted like gravity, absorbing the other sweet flavors and creating a three-dimensional taste.
“Nothing beats honey flavor.”
Just as Sejun had enjoyed about 10 songpyeon,
“But where did Cuengi go?”
Sejun looked around for Cuengi. The eating champion of the 99th floor, Cuengi, was nowhere to be seen.
“Cuengi!”
When Sejun called for Cuengi,
Kreong…
A faint voice came from below, along with a slight vibration.
“Huh? Cuengi!”
When Sejun called for Cuengi again,
Rustle, rustle.
Cuengi came out, opening the mouth of the tuna. He had been busily eating the grilled tuna from the inside. The golden bat was sitting on Cuengi’s forehead, shining.
“You?!”
Sejun quickly checked on Theo.
Slurp, slurp, slurp.
Theo was still eating Churu, unaware that Cuengi had touched his tuna.
‘That was close.’
“Cuengi, eat the songpyeon now.”
Kreong!
At Sejun’s words, Cuengi responded energetically and began eating the songpyeon on the table.
And then
Sip, sip.
The golden bat was seen sucking the juice of cherry tomatoes that Sejun had put on the Sip, sip. as a garnish.
“Ah…”
Sejun realized that he had not prepared anything for the golden bat at the party.
‘Is there something the golden bat might like?’
Sejun fell into thought.
And then
“Aha!”
He suddenly remembered the fruit. There was a pineapple he had brought from the 75th floor. Seeing it eat cherry tomatoes, he was sure that the sweet and sour juice of the pineapple would be to its liking.
“Just a moment.”
“Meow?”
“Kyoot?”
Sejun hurriedly went to the field where he had planted pineapples, with Theo and Iona hanging on his leg.
“Oh! They’ve grown quite large.”
Although Sejun hadn’t paid much attention to them, the pineapple crowns had taken root and were growing well, producing pineapples the size of fists.
Pleased with the uniqueness of the pineapples, Sejun gently stroked each one.
[Farmer’s Touch Lv. 2 is activated.]
[The growth of the pineapple accelerates slightly while being touched.]
While doing so, he examined which pineapple to pick. As he was gently stroking each pineapple,
Chuk.
As soon as Sejun touched it,
[Farmer’s Touch Lv. 3 is activated.]
[The growth of the screaming pineapple accelerates slightly while being touched.]
There was a pineapple with a different name.
“A screaming pineapple?”
A new variety had emerged. But the name was too ominous to simply harvest.
“Guys, support me.”
“President Park, trust me, meow!”
“Kyoot Kyoot Kyoot. Leave it to me!”
Upon Sejun’s request for help, Theo and Iona shouted loudly and prepared to protect him.
Then,
“I’m cutting it now.”
Sejun signaled to Theo and Iona.
Then,
Serk.
He grabbed the pineapple crown like a tuft of hair and cut the stem connecting the fruit with his dagger.
[You have harvested an unripe screaming pineapple.]
[Your job experience has increased slightly.]
[Your proficiency in Harvesting Lv. 6 has increased slightly.]
[You have gained 30 experience points.]
“…Phew.”
Fortunately, nothing happened, perhaps because it was still unripe.
‘It’ll taste fine even if it’s not ripe, right?
While Sejun was thinking about whether the golden bat would enjoy the unripe pineapple,
Crack.
The middle of the screaming pineapple split open as if opening its mouth.
“Huh?!”
“It’s dangerous, meow!”
Feeling the unusual magic from the pineapple, Theo hurriedly covered Sejun’s ears with his front paw and
“Shield!”
Iona quickly cast a shield spell on Sejun’s body.
Soon
Kiiiiiiiiiieeeek!!!
A sharp scream filled with magical power came from the pineapple.
Whoosh.
Although it only screamed, a wind arose, creating a light dust storm. It was fortunate. Without the protection of the two, Sejun’s ears might have been deafened, or his insides might have been seriously shaken by the shockwave.
“President Park would have had a close call without me, meow!”
“Kyoot Kyoot Kyoot.”
Theo acted smug as usual, and Iona laughed ominously.
Then,
[You have achieved the achievement of creating a new variety in the tower.]
[The tower recognizes your exclusive cultivation rights for the new variety.]
[Without your permission, no one can cultivate the screaming pineapple.]
[Your job experience has increased slightly.]
[Your proficiency in Harvesting Lv. 6 has increased slightly.]
The achievement message of acquiring a new variety appeared.
“But what was that scream earlier?”
Sejun checked the half-split pineapple.
[Screaming Pineapple]
→ A pineapple grown in the tower, full of nutrients, and delicious.
→ When harvested, the stored mana explodes, splitting the side of the pineapple and releasing a scream-like sound and a mana-filled shockwave.
→ Harvested in an unripe state, the intensity of the shockwave has greatly decreased.
→ Cultivator: Tower Farmer Park Sejun
→ Expiration Date: 30 days
→ Grade: C-
“This is a greatly decreased shockwave?!”
He might have had to risk his life if he had tried to harvest a fully ripened one.
“Now even the crops…”
The things he had to risk his life for were gradually increasing.
As Sejun grumbled, holding the pineapple, and headed to the golden bat,
Pat.
“President Park, cheer up, meow.”
Theo comforted him, resting his chin on Sejun’s head and stroking it with his front paw.
And then,
Pippip.
(Sejun, thank you! It’s tangy and delicious!)
Fortunately, the unripe pineapple’s juice was to the golden bat’s taste, and the golden bat was delighted.
