Tower 43rd Floor.
Kkuiik!!
Dozens of wild boars, engulfed in flames, were chasing after a human.
The Burning Wild Boar was once the boss of the 53rd floor of the tower.
However, everything changed due to the commotion of the Black Minotaurs moving down the tower in search of Sejun, who had been moved because of the 77th floor’s land deed document.
Scared by the descent of the Black Minotaurs, the monsters of the upper floors also moved to lower floors, pushing the Burning Wild Boars down to the lower floors.
Thus, the Burning Wild Boars settled on the 43rd floor after moving down ten floors.
And
“Master! Master, where are you?!”
The human being chased by the Burning Wild Boars was Kim Dong-sik, who was undergoing special training with Han Tae-jun.
“Master!!”
Kim Dong-sik desperately called for Han Tae-jun, having brought the Burning Wild Boars to the agreed location, but Han Tae-jun was nowhere to be seen.
Dadadada.
In the meantime, the Burning Wild Boars rapidly closed the distance with Kim Dong-sik.
And
Whooosh.
A fireball, the size of a head, brushed past Kim Dong-sik.
Kwang!
The fireball that brushed past Kim Dong-sik exploded upon hitting a rock, creating a huge explosion.
“Huh! Master, where are you?!!!”
Startled, Kim Dong-sik called out for Han Tae-jun once more when
“Dong-sik, dodge! Magic Missile!”
Kwaagwagwang!
Hundreds of magic missiles began to carpet bomb the spot where Kim Dong-sik had just been.
After the magic missile bombardment,
Kkuiik···
Half of the Burning Wild Boars were dead, and the rest were either with broken legs or parts of their bodies blown off, rendering them incapable of combat.
“Dong-sik, finish them off.”
“Huff huff. Master, can I take a break? I think I’m going to die!”
Exhausted, Kim Dong-sik lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for air.
But
“Really? If you want to rest comfortably… just rest forever…”
“Ah… No! Die, you pigs!”
Prompted by Han Tae-jun’s words, Kim Dong-sik quickly got up and started to slay the Burning Wild Boars with his sword.
After dealing with the Burning Wild Boars,
“Dong-sik, you’ve rested enough, now go back.”
“What?! When did I rest…”
Although he had recovered some stamina by leveling up and defeating monsters, it was far from complete. Moreover, there was the mental fatigue…
However,
“You just rested.”
To his master, this was considered a break.
“Yes…”
Knowing that arguing would only lead to more trouble, Kim Dong-sik resignedly began to run again to lure the monsters.
***
99th Floor of the Tower.
Gugugung.
“Hmm hmm hmm.”
Sejun was moving to the eastern region of the forest where the Poisonous Queen Bee resided, riding on Toryong.
“Hehehe. I wonder what she wants to give me?”
Sejun said excitedly.
30 minutes ago
Wiiing! Wiiing!
[Sejun-nim, hello! The Poisonous Queen Bee says she has something to give you and asks you to come by!]
A honeybee flew to Sejun, who was working in the field after lunch, delivering the Poisonous Queen Bee’s message,
“Really?!”
Sejun immediately rode on Toryong and started moving.
“Toryong, let’s go faster.”
-Yes! Master!
Urging Toryong, Sejun soon arrived in front of a giant mountain where the Poisonous Queen Bee’s hive was located.
“Wait here.”
-Yes.
Sejun left Toryong waiting and
Srrung.
“So many have ripened.”
Seeing the well-ripened crops, he took out the Sickle of Freshness.
And
Serk.
[You have harvested 6 Magical Cherry Tomatoes.]
[Your job experience slightly increases.]
[Your proficiency in Harvesting Lv. 7 has slightly increased.]
[Due to the Cold energy imbued in the Sickle of Freshness, the expiration date of the harvested crops has increased by 5 days.]
[You have gained 420 experience points.]
While harvesting the crops, Sejun moved towards the Poisonous Queen Bee’s beehive.
While he was harvesting the various crops planted in front of the Poisonous Queen Bee’s beehive,
“Huh?! This one looks a bit different.”
Sejun discovered a small, bright red Cheongyang chili pepper.
“What’s this?”
Serk.
Sejun harvested the Cheongyang chili pepper, puzzled,
[You have harvested the Cheongyang Chili Pepper of Agony.]
[Your job experience has increased slightly.]
[Your proficiency in Harvesting Lv. 7 has increased slightly.]
[Due to the Cold energy imbued in the Sickle of Freshness, the expiration date of the harvested crops has increased by 5 days.]
[You have gained 70 experience points.]
Messages appeared with the name of the Cheongyang chili pepper that Sejun saw for the first time.
“Cheongyang Chili Pepper of Agony?”
Just by the name, it was something Sejun definitely didn’t want to eat.
[You have achieved the feat of creating a new variety in the tower.]
[The tower recognizes your exclusive right to cultivate the Cheongyang Chili Pepper of Agony.]
[Without your permission, no one can cultivate the Cheongyang Chili Pepper of Agony.]
[Your job experience has increased significantly.]
[As a job trait, all stats increase by 10.]
Still, it was good news that it was a new variety.
[To complete the third trial of the 10th tower, 5 more new varieties are needed.]
Thanks to that, the number of new varieties needed for the third trial decreased from 6 to 5.
“Let’s see.”
Sejun examined the Cheongyang Chili Pepper of Agony.
[Cheongyang Chili Pepper of Agony]
→ A Cheongyang chili pepper grown in the tower, fully nourished but strangely transformed its flavor into an extremely spicy taste that brings pain to the body.
→ Cultivated by an agricultural expert, its taste and efficiency are enhanced.
→ Consumption causes unbearable pain on the tongue and damages vitality.
→ Eating too much will weaken the effect. (The effect returns to normal after a certain time.)
→ Cultivator: Tower Farmer Park Sejun
→ Shelf Life: 155 days
→ Grade: A
“This is for torture.”
Sejun thought he must never eat it by mistake and carefully placed the Cheongyang Chili Pepper of Agony into the void storage.
And
Serk.Serk.
Continuing to harvest the crops, Sejun arrived at the entrance to the Poisonous Queen Bee’s beehive when
Wiiing. Wiiing.
[Sejun-nim, welcome. I will guide you to the Poisonous Queen Bee.]
A honeybee that was waiting for Sejun guided him to the Poisonous Queen Bee.
***
Flap! Flap!
Piyo!
[I’ll come too!]
Following Theo on King Loui’s back, Piyot energetically flapped its wings.
However, the distance between Loui and Piyot only grew. Piyot’s small and fragile wings couldn’t keep up with Loui’s much larger and stronger wings.
Piyo…
[Theo~nim…]
As Piyot looked forlornly at the diminishing figure of Theo,
Piyo?
Suddenly, Theo’s figure began to grow larger.
“Piyot, hurry up and get on, meow!”
After telling Loui to turn around, Theo stretched out his front paw towards Piyot.
Piyo!
[Yes!]
Delighted that Theo was looking out for him, Piyot happily
Flap! Flap!
flapped its wings powerfully and landed on Theo’s right front paw.
Shortly after,
“Here we are.”
In just 10 minutes, Loui traveled tens of kilometers to arrive in front of a giant tree over 100 meters tall and about 50 meters wide.
The tree was huge but lifeless, with only bare branches remaining – the Mother Tree.
Dozens of egg fruits hanging from its frail branches seemed to indicate that the Mother Tree didn’t have much time left.
“Loui, don’t forget the promise, meow!”
“Yes. I will give you anything if you just heal the Mother Tree.”
“Puhuhut. Alright, meow!”
After discussing the rewards for healing the Mother Tree during their journey, Theo once again confirmed the promise with Loui and confidently stepped forward.
And
Thump, thump.
Using his front paws, Theo pressed on the Mother Tree and used his healing power.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Theo diligently massaged the Mother Tree.
Piyo!Piyo!
In the meantime, Piyot diligently picked the egg fruits that had grown on the Mother Tree and placed them in a bag.
One hour later.
Ppop.
A small leaf sprouted on the branch of the Mother Tree, which had received Theo’s healing power.
“This is unbelievable…”
Loui, who was about to suggest leaving, was astonished to see the green leaf on the branch. Honestly, Loui hadn’t expected much from Theo, who was brought by Piyot.
Many messenger birds had brought individuals claiming they could heal the Mother Tree, but none had made any progress.
Moreover, Piyot was still a naive chick. Though it was sent out by the tree’s priestess as a messenger bird out of necessity, Loui thought it would be fortunate enough if Piyot returned unharmed.
When Piyot not only remembered its mission to find a being that could heal the Mother Tree but also safely returned with someone,
“How commendable.”
Loui personally took action to transport Theo, brought by Piyot, to the Mother Tree, admiring Piyot’s diligence.
The intention behind leaving Piyot behind was to spare it from potential disappointment. But then…
“Pirururur Yotra, you’ve done a great job!”
Pirorong.
Loui looked proudly at Piyot, who was nodding off on Theo’s bag while they were talking.
Then,
“Meow… I can’t do it anymore, meow!”
Theo collapsed on the ground, exhausted from pouring an immense amount of magic power into the Mother Tree for an hour.
“Theo-nim, are you alright? If there’s anything you need, please let me know. I’ll prepare everything you wish for so that you can recover quickly.”
After healing the Mother Tree, Theo’s treatment was suddenly elevated to that of a VIP in the Kingdom of Kov.
However,
“Piyot, wake up, meow! Let’s go, meow!”
Piyo!
[Yes!]
Theo, preparing to leave with Piyot, didn’t have Sejun there.
Chairman Park’s lap is needed! Theo planned to return to the 99th floor of the tower to rest in Sejun’s lap.
“What?! Where are you going?!”
Loui asked urgently upon hearing Theo’s words. They had just found the being capable of healing the Mother Tree…
“Puhuhut. Loui, don’t worry, meow! This isn’t my area of expertise, meow! I’ll bring Chairman Park, the expert, meow!”
Theo told Loui he would bring Sejun, realizing that healing the Mother Tree was something Sejun was better suited for than himself.
“Oh! There’s someone even more specialized than Theo-nim?”
“Puhuhut. Yes, meow! So, give me the land deed document of the 79th floor, meow!”
“The land deed document of here?”
“Yes, meow! That’s necessary for Chairman Park to come here, meow!”
“Well… it’s not difficult to give it to you… but that area is the territory of Mantises.”
Loui spoke hesitantly.
Mantises, resembling praying mantises, occasionally invaded the Kingdom of Kov in large numbers to prey on birds.
In the past, they conducted annual Mantises hunts to decrease their numbers, but recently, the birth rate of birds decreased, reducing the number of soldiers available for the hunts.
The last Mantises hunt was five years ago.
Over those five years, the Mantises increased their numbers and expanded their territory, making the land of the deed document’s farm fall within their domain.
“Puhuhut. That’s a good thing, meow! Give me the land document, meow!”
Theo, excited at the thought of leveling up Sejun, stretched out his paw to request the land deed document from Loui.
“If you insist… Here it is. Please make sure to bring Chairman Park, the expert. Get on. Piyot, you too.”
“Understood, meow!”
Piyo!
[Yes!]
Loui carried Theo and Piyot on his back, dropping them off in front of the merchant’s passage,
“I need Chairman Park’s lap recharge, meow!”
Theo quickly headed towards the 99th floor of the tower.
And,
Sneak.
Struggling to keep up with Theo’s pace, Piyot carefully sat on Theo’s bag, comfortably making its way to the 99th floor. Puhuhut. How nice.
A small badge indicating Piyot’s status as a diplomat of the Kingdom of Kov was pinned to Piyot’s chest.
*****
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