A battle of 1 vs 12,000. Even if Theo was a being from the 75th floor, he couldn’t handle over 10,000 enemies on his own. But Theo had faith.
“My slave Gaeron, come forth, meow!”
Theo cried out, holding the rainbow-colored necklace he was wearing. He had an excellent slave named Gaeron, a bug hunter who had once been a racial god in the past.
Ribbit!
The ground beneath Theo’s feet transformed into a black swamp, and Gaeron, a giant 30-meter frog, emerged.
“Gaeron, punish the enemies, meow!”
Theo cried out, looking down at Ulrich and other giant black orcs from atop Gaeron’s head.
-Yes, Master Theo!
Then,
“How dare you! Do you proclaim to be a subordinate of the great black dragon in my presence?!”
The king of the giant black orcs, Ulrich, shouted in anger.
He was the king of millions of black orcs and a devoted follower of the great black dragon, desiring to be the dragon’s subordinate. And yet, this lowly cat merchant dared to impersonate as a subordinate of the great black dragon?!
“You bastard! How dare you insult me? Kill him!”
Pwoooo.
At Ulrich’s command, his subordinates began blowing their horns.
Then
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Footsteps echoed from all directions. The millions of black orc soldiers who were conquering the 40th floor gathered, beginning to surround Theo.
“Meow?! What, meow?”
The enemy leader who was suddenly outraged called all his subordinates, as their god was insulted, and as their numbers increased to 5 million,
“I am really the subordinate of the great black dragon, the deadly yellow cat Theo Park, meow! It’s even written on this gold badge, proof that I’m an elite wandering merchant, meow!”
Theo, flustered, took out his prized gold plaque and tried to resolve the misunderstanding with the enemy.
However,
“Hmph! Who do you take me for, a fool?! Isn’t that something you can write as you please?! Fine! If you are really a subordinate of the great black dragon, show me proof!”
“What proof are you talking about, meow?!”
“If you are a follower of the great black dragon, surely you have significant proof!”
“Meow? There’s no such thing, meow. Chairman Park didn’t give me any, meow…”
A disheartened Theo answered, his voice filled with sorrow. Chairman Park hadn’t even provided proof… I’m so sad, meow…
“No proof? Then just die!!! Attack!”
Pwooooom!
With Ulrich’s command, the horns sounded again.
“Waaaaah! Kill the enemy!”
Driven by the sound of the horns, 5 million black orcs charged to kill just Theo.
So began the battle of 2 vs 5 million.
“Gaeron, can we win, meow?”
-Master Theo, I’m a bug hunter, you know…
Though Gaeron was strong against insects, he was weak in this kind of battle. Besides, there was no water around to help him unleash his full strength.
“Then there’s no other way, meow! Iona, wake up, meow!”
Although he didn’t want to ask for help, it was an emergency. It was not the time to consider such things. Theo hurriedly awakened Iona, who was hanging from his tail. Iona had been brought along in the rush.
“Kyoo- Vice Chairman Theo, what’s going on?”
Iona, annoyed at being awakened by Theo, got up. If she was awakened for nothing, she wouldn’t let it go. Her anger gauge was at level 1.
“Iona! Now’s not the time to sleep, meow!”
“Kyoo-? Not time to sleep… huh?! Black orcs?”
Upon Theo’s words, Iona looked around and discovered 5 million black orcs charging in their direction.
“Kyoo-Kyoo-what’s happening?”
Iona’s anger gauge increased. How dare they disturb her sleep! Just as she was preparing to cast a magic spell to punish the black orcs who had awakened her, when
“Eh?! Stop! Black orcs, stop the attack!!!!”
From afar, Ulrich, who had spotted Iona, hurriedly shouted at the black orcs. It was almost a scream.
“Everyone stop! The king commands you to stop the attack!”
From the back, the black orcs who had heard the command rushed forward to forcibly stop the charging black orcs. Fortunately, no black orc had attacked yet.
“Phew.”
Ulrich, who had just prevented the extinction of the Black Orc tribe, wiped his cold sweat and sighed in relief. It was just one more enemy, but because of that one, Ulrich gave up the fight. In fact, it was practically a surrender.
“Why is the great destructive wizard, Iona, coming out of that cat merchant’s tail?!’
Ulrich looked at Theo and Iona with an incomprehensible expression.
“Meow?! They suddenly stopped attacking, meow?! It must be because they recognized the great Black Dragon’s subordinate, the deadly yellow cat Theo Park, meow! Iona, I’m sorry for waking you up for nothing, meow!”
It was Iona that made them stop, but Theo thought it was thanks to the protection of Sejun’s knee. And such a knee’s protection made him deadly, meow!
“Puhuhut. Move aside, meow!”
Theo, who had reversed summoned Gaeron, confidently strode through the Black Orcs toward Ulrich.
And then,
“Ulrich! Quickly release the suckers… I mean, humans, meow! They’re my precious customers, meow!”
Theo, looking at Ulrich, spoke confidently. Iona was glaring at Ulrich from behind Theo. If you don’t listen, your whole tribe will be exterminated! Iona was only thinking of resolving the situation quickly and going to sleep.
“Phew. Alright.”
“What, meow?! ‘Alright?’ How dare you talk informally to the great black dragon’s subordinate, the deadly yellow cat Theo Park, meow?!”
Seeing Ulrich back down, Theo’s arrogance seemed to worsen.
“…Understood. Release the humans.”
A moment later,
“We brought them here.”
The Black Orcs brought the captured hunters.
“Release them quickly, meow!”
“Yes!”
At Theo’s command, the Black Orcs released the hunters.
“Thank you, Theo.”
“Thank you so much.”
The hunters expressed their gratitude to Theo and hurriedly tried to leave. Though they were released thanks to Theo, they could still see hostility in the eyes of the Orcs. They didn’t know when they might be attacked again.
At that moment,
“Where are you going, meow? If you’re thankful, show some sincerity, meow! Stamp here, meow!”
Theo, who wouldn’t just save them for free, handed the hunters a contract.
“What?! Uh…”
“Um…”
Fearing they might be captured by the Black Orcs again if they refused, the hunters reluctantly stamped the contract.
“Welcome, meow! You are now members of the Earth Defense Force 2nd Generation, meow!”
The contract stated that they would be part of the Earth Defense Force, and as 2nd Generation members, they had to donate 50 Tower coins monthly for the peace of Earth.
“You can go to Han tae-jun and tell him I sent you, meow!”
“Okay.”
After sending off the hunters who had become Earth Defense Force members,
“Ulrich, you stamp it too, meow!”
Theo handed a contract to Ulrich as well. Since Ulrich had tried to kill him, he had to pay for it. The compensation was set at 5 million Tower coins. I’m the Vice Chairman, so my life is expensive, meow!
“Fine.”
Thump.
Ulrich carefully read the contract and stamped it.
‘Puhuhut. I’ll be praised by Chairman Park again, meow!’
Theo looked at Ulrich and smiled. Theo had gained 100 Earth Defense Force members and 5 million Black Orc workers in an instant swelled with anticipation of praise from Sejun.
However,
“Here it is.”
Thud!
Ulrich placed a box containing 5 million Tower coins in front of Theo.
“Meow?!”
Clink.
Theo’s imagination of being praised by Sejun shattered. Theo couldn’t believe he’d give 5 million Tower coins so easily. To Ulrich, the king of the 49th floor, this was not a large sum.
“Retreat!”
Ulrich, having given Theo the money, withdrew to the 41st floor with the Black Orcs.
“My workers are leaving, meow…”
As Theo watched the departing Black Orcs with a desolate expression,
“But Vice Chairman Theo, why did you come down to the 40th floor all of a sudden?”
Iona, who had planned to conquer the southern fire ants of the 99th floor and build a wizard tower tomorrow, asked. They needed to leave now to arrive by dawn.
“Meow?! I totally forgot, meow!”
Theo remembered why he had come here, completely forgetting about the Golden Bat in his thought of creating workers.
“Wait for me, meow!”
Theo hurriedly followed the Earth Defense Force 2nd Generation members descending to the 39th floor to convey his message to Han tae-jun.
-Protect the Golden Bat at all costs!
And then,
“The Black Orcs went up to the 41st floor, so the 40th floor is safe, meow!”
He also conveyed that they could use the 40th floor again. They needed to work hard to earn money to buy Sejun’s crops.
With his tasks completed, Iona said,
“Let’s go, Vice Chairman Theo!”
“Got it, meow!”
Theo, with Iona hanging from his tail, hurried back to the 99th floor.
“Kyoot, Kyoot, Kyoot.”
Iona, holding onto Theo’s swaying tail, happily fell asleep again.
***
“Hmm?”
When Sejun opened his eyes in the morning, he felt a moderate weight and warmth on his knee.
Then
Gororong.
Kyuororong.
The sound of Theo and Iona snoring. Theo and Iona were sleeping on Sejun’s knee.
“They must have returned at dawn. Should I wake up later?”
Sejun closed his eyes again for Theo and Iona, who must have been tired from traveling to the 40th floor.
But
Krueng!
[Daddy, Cuengi is hungry!]
About 30 minutes after sleeping, Cuengi came to wake up Sejun.
“Okay, let’s eat.”
As Sejun got up,
“Meow… Chairman Park, let’s sleep more, meow…”
Theo, was talking in his sleep.
“Alright. Vice Chairman Theo, sleep more.”
Sejun patted Theo’s butt and carried him on his knee to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
[Relic: Wealth-devouring Rice Dough has swallowed 10 Tower coins and produced 50kg of the highest quality rice flour.]
The breakfast was baekseolgi (rice cake), which was pushed aside by the stir-fried squid yesterday.
“Kids, let’s eat!”
Krueng!
Squeak!
At Sejun’s call, Cuengi and the rabbits came and started eating baekseolgi.
Then,
“Chairman Park, I’m so upset, meow!”
Theo, who had just woken up, looked at Sejun with a world-weary expression.
“Vice Chairman Theo, what’s wrong?”
Theo, who usually acted arrogantly, had droopy ears today.
“I am Chairman Park’s subordinate… Why don’t I have a badge, meow?”
“A badge? Did something happen?”
Theo talked about what had happened with Ulrich.
“So I want a badge too, meow!”
Krueng!
[Daddy, Cuengi wants a badge too!]
Cuengi, who wants everything his older sibling has, began to pester Sejun.
‘A badge all of a sudden?’
Sejun made a troubled face.
Then
“Ah! Kaiser’s scale!”
A good idea came to Sejun. If there’s a scale with Kaiser’s magic engraved, it’ll look like a badge and even provide protection in dangerous situations.
-What?! You want my scales?
“Yes! They are for me and the other kids. In return, I will give you 100 bottles of makgeolli (rice wine) for each scale.”
-How many do you need?
“Hmm… About 5?”
Sejun answered, watching Kaiser’s reaction. He needed five: one for himself, Theo, Black Rabbit, Cuengi, and the Golden Bat.
-What?! 5?!
Kaiser’s voice rose. Was it too many?
“Then······.”
As Sejun was thinking of excluding himself and the Golden Bat when,
-You don’t value your life, you brat! You should have at least 10 of my scales!
On the 293rd day of being stranded, Kaiser, who was greedy for makgeolli, forcibly sold Sejun 20 scales engraved with the Dragon Tribe skill – Dragon Skin. For Sejun, it was a trade for which he was very grateful.
