“Huh? Flamie, what’s wrong?”
Pop. Pop.
Using a leaf like a shovel to dig into the ground,
[Eyup!]
Sejun asked as he watched Flamie bury herself in a small hole.
[Hehe. Because the soil here is good.]
Flamie answered with an awkward laugh. It was because, contrary to expectations, her roots couldn’t find her location, so she had to bury her body in the ground and call for her roots.
“Hehehe. Is that so?”
The soil is good? Is it because of the power I used? Sejun felt inexplicably happy at Flamie’s words.
Whooosh.
“It might get cold, so I’ll light a fire for you.”
[Hehe, thank you.]
Sejun lit a fire next to Flamie, worrying it might be cold,
“Guys, let’s pick some Egg Fruits before dinner.”
He called the animals.
Kueng! Kueng!
[Cuengi will lift Dad high! Hold onto Cuengi tight!]
As Cuengi said, enlarging his body to about Sejun’s chest height and spreading his front legs to the side,
Whoosh.
Sejun tightly hugged Cuengi.
Kueng! Kueng~!
[Docking complete! Let’s go~!]
Bang!
With Cuengi’s shout, Sejun and Cuengi shot up to the top of the Birds Bearing Tree at an incredible speed. Of course, the other animals hanging onto Sejun’s body were also with them.
Once alone,
[Roots! Over here! Over here!]
Flamie started to call for her roots earnestly, spreading her leaves wide like filling up a WiFi signal to full bars.
And then,
[What’s your name?]
She asked the Birds Bearing Tree while waiting for her roots.
However,
-Sssrk!
The Birds Bearing Tree was a complete baby tree and didn’t know how to speak.
-Sssrk! Sssrk!
Still, happy to meet Flamie, who could listen to its words, the tree chattered energetically,
[Is that so?]
Flamie listened as attentively as she could to the tree’s story.
***
On the outskirts of destruction.
“Once Halphas’s recovery is complete, all of you will attack the nine towers guarded by dragons simultaneously.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
The Apostles of Destruction from the 4th to the 12th seats answered in unison to the command of Fenrir, the 1st seat Apostle of Destruction.
The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd seats among the 12 Apostles of Destruction held a much higher rank, allowing them to command the other Apostles.
“And in the meantime, Jǫrmungandr, create a fragment to burn my psyche and infiltrate the Black Tower.”
“Fenrir, why do you insist on infiltrating the tower with a complete psyche instead of a fragment?”
The 3rd seat Apostle of Destruction, Jǫrmungandr, the world-devouring serpent, asked Fenrir with a puzzled expression.
Entering the tower with a complete psyche meant instant annihilation upon death.
It wasn’t that they were worried about Fenrir’s annihilation reducing their strength.
If Fenrir were to be annihilated, another Apostle of Destruction would be born to replace his position, so there was no loss in their power.
However, Jǫrmungandr didn’t understand why Fenrir would take such a risk.
“It’s because I am a noble wolf.”
“···Alright.”
Jǫrmungandr gave up trying to understand and decided to comply with Fenrir’s request.
Otherwise, he would nag until it was done.
***
Early morning on the 79th floor of the tower.
“Uhaaaa.”
Sejun stretched as he woke up on Cuengi’s belly,
“Meowwww.”
Kueeeng.
Piyiyo.
The animals stretched too.
“Cuengi, tighten your belly!”
Kueng!
[Strength!]
At Sejun’s command, Cuengi tightened his belly!
Wobble.
Cuengi’s belly wobbled.
“Alright!”
Using the rebound, Sejun launched himself into the air,
Thud.
And landed on the ground.
Then,
Swoosh.
He went over to the extinguished fire from last night, rummaging through the still warm ashes to start gathering the Egg Fruits.
Yesterday, before Sejun went to bed, he had prepared them in advance so that cooking them at high temperatures would cause the Maillard reaction, turning the egg whites brown and creating Maillard eggs.
Kueng! Kueng!
[It’s amazing! The Egg Fruit was colorless, but now it has color! It’s like magic!]
Cuengi was amazed by the brown eggs.
“Hehehe. Cuengi, try tasting it. The taste will be amazing too.”
Sejun said with a smile. Maillard eggs have a different texture and taste compared to regular boiled eggs. The texture is more bouncy, and the taste is richer.
Kueng! Kueng!
[Kuo! Dad is amazing!]
“Hehehe. Right? Eat a lot.”
Sejun’s shoulders lifted with pride as he and Cuengi earnestly ate the Maillard eggs.
After Sejun had filled his stomach,
“Aileen, was everything okay this morning?”
He asked Aileen with a slightly nervous voice. Today marked the 362nd day of being stranded. The 99th floor of the tower saw the Blue Moon rise and set at dawn.
Of course, with Aileen and the dragons, there shouldn’t be any big problems, but since it was their first time leaving the farm during the Blue Moon, Sejun was a bit worried.
[The tower’s administrator says she has taken care of everything itself.]
“Thank you.”
[The tower’s administrator says you should continue to trust her with such things.]
“Okay. Aileen, try this.”
Sejun tried to offer a Maillard egg to Aileen but
[……]
“Aileen?”
Aileen suddenly stopped responding.
“Must be busy. Guys, wake up.”
“Meowww…”
Piyooo…
Sejun put the Maillard egg meant for Aileen into the void storage and woke up Theo and Piyot to feed them breakfast.
(Pip-pip. It’s delicious!)
Slurp. Slurp.
A golden bat, appearing from nowhere, also eagerly sucked up the Elixir: Cherry Tomato Juice that Sejun had taken out.
“Flamie, did you sleep well?”
Sejun approached Flamie, who was buried in the ground, and asked.
[Yes! Did you sleep well, Master?!]
“Yeah, I slept well. Flamie, is there anything you want to eat?”
Sejun asked Flamie, unsure of what to feed it.
Normally, water would suffice, but seeing how it moved, its dietary preferences might have changed.
[No. I just need Master’s attention, the sun, and water. Hehe.]
“Is that so.”
Pat. Pat.
Sejun stroked Flamie’s leaves, which only said lovely things. Grow big, our Flamie.
While Sejun was petting Flamie,
‘Puhuhut. I ate too much, meow! I need Chairman Park’s patting on my belly to digest it, meow!’
Theo, having finished eating the grilled fish, swayed its tail and walked towards Sejun, thinking of getting its belly rubbed.
However,
“What, meow?!”
He found Sejun sitting on the ground, affectionately petting Flamie.
“That’s right, meow! It’s Flamie’s first time going around with Chairman Park, so I, Vice Chairman Theo, can understand…not, meow!”
Jealous Theo quickly climbed onto Sejun’s lap.
“Theo, did you finish the grilled fish?”
“Puhuhut. Yes, meow! As expected, Chairman Park’s grilled fish is the best, meow!”
Theo answered while lying sprawled on Sejun’s lap.
And then,
Pop. Pop.
“Chairman Park, my stomach hurts because I overate, meow!”
“Really?”
“Yes, meow!”
With a pitiful expression, he started tapping his belly with his front paws, pretending to be sick.
However,
‘Hehehe. Where did you learn to pretend to be sick…?’
Sejun immediately realized Theo wasn’t really in pain because its voice was too energetic.
“Vice Chairman Theo, if your stomach hurts, it might be indigestion. Then you need to be bled…”
“Meow? What’s bleeding?”
“It’s when you prick here with a needle this big to let out some blood.”
Sejun spread his arms wide to indicate the size of a gigantic needle, then pointed at Theo’s front paw’s thumb.
“Meow?! Are you really going to prick my thumb with a needle that big? Then my thumb might disappear, meow!”
Theo, terrified by Sejun’s words, made a scared expression.
“But it has to be done. If not treated, you might die.”
“Chairman Park, I’m not in pain anymore, meow! I think I’m all better, meow!”
Theo suddenly tried to get up from Sejun’s lap and run away.
However,
“Vice Chairman Theo, where are you running off to? We still need to treat you.”
Hehehe. Where do you think you’re going, you little malingerer? Knowing Theo would try to run, Sejun quickly caught him.
“No…no, meow! I wasn’t really in pain, meow!”
“Okay. Treatment complete.”
“Meow?”
“Hehehe. I meant the treatment for malingering is complete. Now, lie down.”
Sejun petted Theo, whose feigned illness was “cured”.
And then,
‘What, meow? What just happened, meow?’
Theo still didn’t understand the situation.
Pat. Pat.
‘I’m feeling sleepy, meow…’
Theo, who had been tense, gradually relaxed under Sejun’s stroking.
Gororong.
Thus ended the small incident during breakfast,
“Now let’s get to work.”
Sejun began working with the animals.
(Yes! The cherry tomatoes taste like tomatoes, and the grapes taste like grapes~)
Responding to Sejun, the golden bat circled around the Birds Bearing Tree, singing a song to aid its growth.
Once again, it seemed that the lyrics of the song being sung to the tree had no effect whatsoever.
And then,
[Farmer’s Warm Touch Lv. 7 has been activated.]
[The growth of the Birds Bearing Tree speeds up slightly while being touched.]
[Your proficiency of Farmer’s Warm Touch Lv. 7 has increased slightly.]
Sejun, with Theo and Cuengi hanging, used the Farmer’s Warm Touch skill moving up and down the Birds Bearing Tree, aiding its growth.
It was three birds with one stone: helping the tree grow, increasing skill proficiency, and exercising.
Piyo!
In the meantime, Piyot harvested Egg Fruits and stored them in its bag, then
Piyo!
[Vice Chairman Theo, here are some Egg Fruits!]
“Puhuhut, good job, meow!”
Once the bag was full, it transferred the Egg Fruits to the bundle hanging on Sejun’s waist, where Theo was.
Then,
“Cuengi, increase the weight a bit.”
As Sejun got used to climbing the tree, he spoke to Cuengi,
Kueng!
[Understood!]
Cuengi slightly reduced the effect of its talent for lightness.
Then,
Thud.
Cuengi’s body weight increased.
“Good.”
Sejun, with Cuengi now weighing 1000kg, climbed the tree again.
While Sejun was sweating, climbing, and treating the tree,
Rumble.
The ground vibrated, and the tree shook violently.
“Whoa!”
Sejun, unable to withstand the rebound of the shaking tree, was flung from it.
Boing. Boing.
Fortunately, Cuengi’s psychokinesis prevented a fall.
Kueng! Kueng!
[Dad, you’re too weak! Work harder!]
However, he had to endure a tremendous nagging instead.
As Sejun climbed the tree again, listening to Cuengi’s scolding,
[Master, sorry. But still, docking was a success!]
Flamie, who caused the earthquake, apologized to Sejun while connecting its body and roots.
And then, it passed one of the nutrients it had given to Podori to the roots of the Birds Bearing Tree.
-Sssrk?
[Yes. You can eat it. It’s tasty.]
-Sssrk!
Encouraged by Flamie, the tree eagerly absorbed the nutrient.
[Were you hungry? Eat more.]
-Sssrk!
Flamie took out another nutrient from her roots and offered it to the tree.
[If only Podori would eat like this too. Eat more.]
While Flamie was pleased to see the tree enjoying the nutrients,
[The Birds Bearing Tree has grown into a mature tree.]
[You have completed the quest.]
[As a reward for completing the quest, you are recognized as the rightful owner of the land deed.]
[Land Deed’s Skill: Farm Information Lv. Max has been activated.]
A message appeared in front of Sejun, indicating the completion of the land deed quest.
“Oh! The quest is finished! Good job, everyone!”
Unaware that Flamie had shared her nutrients with the Birds Bearing Tree, Sejun naturally thought the achievement was due to his and the animals’ efforts.
And then,
“Farm info…”
As Sejun was about to use the land deed skill to check the farm information,
Rumble.
The ground shook once again.
“Ugh!”
This time, Sejun clung tightly to the tree, avoiding being flung off and spared from Cuengi’s nagging.
“What’s happening? Is the ground here unstable?”
Sejun grew anxious with the continuous earthquakes.
However, the cause of the earthquake was again Flamie’s roots.
Flamie quickly withdrew its roots from the farm to avoid revealing its identity when Sejun was about to use the farm information skill.
Then,
Swish.
The buds of the tree that had grown into a mature tree started to open, and flowers began to bloom.
And then,
Chirp! Chirp!
Kyaoh!
Coo!
Dozens of birds, big and small, were born from the flowers, announcing their birth with vigorous cries.
“Wow.”
Sejun was in awe of the beautiful flowers and the birds being born from them when,
Piyo! Piyo!
[Welcome, comrades! I am your senior, Pirururur Yotra!]
Piyot stepped forward to discipline its juniors.
However,
Whoosh.
A few birds, with a challenging look of ‘You’re the senior?’ in their eyes, created flames on their bodies as they looked at Piyot.
Thanks to absorbing Flamie’s nutrients, strong birds with the ability to use fire were born.
‘They’re pretty strong?’
Piyot quietly climbed onto Sejun’s foot and looked desperately at Theo. Vice Chairman Theo, please discipline them!
*****
2/10
