“Fire Field?”
Sejun checked his new skill.
[Job Skill – Fire Field Lv. 1]
– Burns grass and trees slightly better.
– Planting crops in the fire field can yield stronger crops.
“Yield stronger crops?” .
It was a vague description.
“Well, that’s not the main concern right now.”
Even if they grew stronger, they would be burned in the end. Sejun began scattering kudzu seeds again to complete his job quest.
[You’ve planted 76 kudzus in the fire field.]
[Your job experience has increased slightly.]
[Your proficiency of Fire Field Lv. 1 has increases slightly.]
[Your proficiency of Magic Seed Sowing Lv. 6 has slightly increases.]
[Due to the effect of Fire Field Lv. 1, the kudzus grow stronger.]
[Due to the effect of Magic Seed Sowing Lv. 6, the chance of kudzu taking root increases.]
[The kudzus grow faster, hearing the farmer’s footsteps.]
[You have 6,901,354 times left until the job quest completion.]
While Sejun was busy scattering the kudzu seeds,
Krueng!
[It’s time for Cuengi to see grandma!]
Cuengi sat down and infused magic power into the bronze mirror of longing.
“Is it time for Mom to cook?”
Sejun said, looking at Cuengi staring intently at the bronze mirror. Cuengi had an uncanny knack for such things. It was clearly dinner time.
However,
Krueng! Krueng!
[Dad, it’s weird! Grandma hasn’t started cooking yet!]
“Really?”
Had Cuengi’s instincts been wrong? Sejun wondered and looked into the mirror.
“Huh? Mr. Tae-jun?”
Inside the mirror, Sejun’s family and Han Tae-jun were seated at the dining table, talking.
***
“Recently, we located a terrorist hideout planning to attack here and subdued 150 terrorists.”
Han Tae-jun spoke gravely to Sejun’s family at the dining table. By subdued, he meant that all had been killed after a violent armed resistance.
For this operation, Han Tae-jun, with a team of Korean hunters from special forces, had raided the base of the Three Head Society.
After the raid, they were shocked to find not just handguns but military rifles, grenades, and even surface-to-air missiles in the Three Head Society’s hideout.
It was fortunate that the Three Head Society was stopped before it could act. Without this information from the U.S., a massive terror event could have occurred in Korea, where guns are prohibited.
‘If it wasn’t for the information from the U.S., it would’ve been a disaster.’
The Sturdy Blade Green Onions, which the U.S. demanded as payment for the intel, were probably being delivered right now.
“It looks like we’ll have to move.”
Sejun’s father, Park Chun-ho, who had been deep in thought, spoke. He had previously declined Han Tae-jun’s suggestions to move multiple times, thinking nothing major would occur due to Sejun’s crops.
“Yes. Sejun has prepared a place in Hannam-dong for you.”
“Hannam-dong?!”
“Yes. Hannam-dong is home to many conglomerates and celebrities, so the neighborhood security is tight.”
“Oh?! Who lives nearby?”
Se-dol, excited by Han Tae-jun’s mention of celebrities, asked with enthusiasm.
“Well, who was it… Dong-sik, you tell them. You live next door.”
Han Tae-jun, unable to recall, turned to his youngest disciple, Kim Dong-sik, seated on the living room sofa.
“Nearby, the chairman of Shipman Electronics, New World, and Hankicha conglomerates reside.”
“I see…”
Se-dol’s voice dripped with disappointment at Dong-sik’s answer.
“Do you like girl groups?”
Dong-sik asked the disappointed Se-dol. Something about the smirk on his face suggested he had something to boast about.
“Girl groups? Of course, I love them!”
“Oh! Really? Do you know Moonlight Fairy?”
“Of course, I do! If you don’t know Moonlight Fairy in Korea, aren’t you a spy?!”
“Right? Actually, there’s one more neighbor I haven’t mentioned…”
“Who is it?”
Just as Kim Dong-sik was about to whisper something seemingly tremendous into Se-dol’s ear,
“Dong-sik, this rascal’s daughter is Serang from ‘Moonlight Fairy’. Sigh. Do you really want to brag about your daughter that much?”
Han Tae-jun gave Dong-sik a pitiful look.
“No, it was ‘Highlight’…”
Kim Dong-sik, whose hobby was to brag about being the father of Moonlight Fairy’s Serang, spoke in a regretful voice.
And then,
“Father, please accept my bow!”
‘Thanks, bro!’ Se-dol bowed to Kim Dong-sik, silently thanking Sejun in his heart. Se-dol was a fan of Serang too.
***
“Who’s that person, and why is Se-dol suddenly bowing to him?”
Sejun, unaware of the situation, was curious when,
“That human is Kim Dong-sik, meow!”
Theo informed Sejun. Sejun had made a contract with Dong-sik but had never seen his face in person.
“Ah, so that’s Mr. Kim Dong-sik. But why is Se-dol bowing to him?”
Krueng! Krueng!
[Cuengi knows! Little dad is trying to get New Year’s money!]
Cuengi responded, acting smart. Cuengi knows everything!
“Pfft! I see. So uncle is out of money.”
Sejun laughed at Cuengi’s amusing answer.
‘So cute!’
Sejun smiled and patted Cuengi’s head. Of course, he also stroked Theo’s head to avoid any jealousy. Sejun was increasingly confused about who was taking care of whom.
While patting Theo and Cuengi, Sejun observed his family for a bit longer. Nothing unusual happened. Soon after, Han Tae-jun and Kim Dong-sik left.
Then,
Krueng!
[It’s time for Cuengi’s Grandma to start cooking!]
Finally, the cooking show Cuengi had been waiting for, featuring Kim Mi-ran, began.
“Here, eat this while watching.”
Sejun gave Cuengi, who would be hungry while watching the cooking show, a giant sweet potato he’d enlarged and,
Whik. Whik.
he began planting kudzus again.
About three hours after he started planting the kudzus,
[All the encroaching kudzus on the farm have been removed.]
[The quest has been completed.]
[As a reward for completing the quest, you are recognized as the rightful owner of the land deed.]
[You have acquired a tangerine tree as a reward for completing the quest.]
[Land Deed’s Skill: Farmland Information Lv. Max is activated.]
Upon completing the quest, a tree appeared in the center of the farm.
“Huh?!”
Sejun was taken aback. He had been actively planting kudzus on the farm.
“What? Are the ones I planted okay?”
There was no other explanation. For now, Sejun picked up the scattered kudzu seeds he had scattered near the tangerine tree and spread them elsewhere.
“Should we eat now?”
He had fed Cuengi a giant sweet potato earlier, but it was almost time for Cuengi to get hungry again.
“Raise the ground.”
Sejun used Myler’s hoe to set up a cooking area.
As he was taking out the cooking utensils from the void storage,
“Meow?!”
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Suddenly, Theo started moving his paws back and forth.
“Vice Chairman Theo, what’s wrong?”
“The attraction on my front paw suddenly disappeared, meow!”
“Huh? It’s gone?”
Sejun replied in a disappointed voice at Theo’s words. He had hoped that upon climbing up, he’d receive another piece of equipment, like Farmer’s Footstep Shoes, helpful for farming. It seemed he had spent too much time planting kudzu seeds.
“Chairman Park, cheer up, meow! I’ll find another good thing for you, meow!”
Tap. Tap.
To comfort him, Theo gently patted Sejun’s head.
At that moment,
Krueng!
[Cuengi found something that will make dad stronger!]
Cuengi, who was playing by himself, came over with a small kudzu root. Sejun was 100% certain it would taste bitter since Cuengi, who would normally put anything tasty in his mouth, hadn’t taken a bite.
“Thank you, Cuengi.”
Sejun praised Cuengi and took the kudzu root. The special thing about it was that it had a distinct golden glow.
Upon examining the kudzu root,
[Golden Kudzu Root of Life]
→ A kudzu root that has grown by absorbing all the nutrients from surrounding kudzu roots due to its strong will to survive.
→ Upon consumption, it increases the stamina stat by 50 or the potential of the stamina stat by 25.
→ Upon consumption, the talent ‘Sturdy Vitality’ can be awakened.
→ It has a bitter and incredibly sour taste.
→ Usage Restrictions: Lv. 50 and above, Stamina stat 100 and above
→ Grade: A+
“Huh?!”
He had expected it to be bitter, but sour? And incredibly sour at that?
Gulp.
Sejun swallowed, his mouth salivating involuntarily.
Krueng!
[Daddy, be strong and eat it!]
Cuengi cheered Sejun from the side.
It’s good for the body, so let’s eat it! Sejun closed his eyes tightly, put the kudzu root in his mouth, and chewed.
Chomp. Chomp.
“Urgh!”
The combination of bitterness and sourness was truly the worst. Desperately holding back the urge to spit it out, Sejun swallowed the kudzu root.
Gulp.
[You have consumed the Golden Kudzu Root of Life.]
[Your potential of stamina increases by 25.]
[Talent: Sturdy Vitality is awakened.]
After seeing the message, Sejun hurriedly drank water and rinsed his mouth.
He then reviewed the reward for his hardship.
[Talent: Sturdy Vitality]
– The more obsessed you are with life, the more your stamina increases.
– Stamina can increase up to a maximum of 10 points.
– Every time you overcome a near-death experience, your maximum stamina increases.
– Current increase in stamina: 10
“What is this?”
The talent seemed too trivial. Moreover, why was his stamina increase already at 10?
“Have I been this obsessed with life?”
Sejun’s obsession with life, even acknowledged by the kudzu, was something he wasn’t consciously aware of. If he hadn’t had such a strong will to survive on the 99th floor of the tower, he might not have made it this far.
With a newfound realization about his state, Sejun prepared lunch, ate with the animals, and began sowing kudzu seeds again.
Then, about two hours later,
[You planted 72 kudzus in the fire field.]
[Your job experience slightly increases.]
[Your proficiency of Fire Field Lv. 1 increases slightly.]
[Firefield Lv. 1 proficiency has been filled, and the level increases.]
[Your proficiency of Magic Seed Sowing Lv. 6 slightly increases.]
[Due to the effect of Fire Field Lv. 1, kudzus grow stronger.]
[Due to the effect of Magic Seed Sowing Lv. 6, the chance of kudzu taking root increases.] 𝘪𝑎.𝘤𝑜𝑚
[The kudzus grow faster, hearing the farmer’s footsteps.]
[You have 599,6357 times left until the job quest completion.]
The proficiency of the Firefield skill accumulated, leveling up. Sejun checked if there were any changes to the skill, but there weren’t any significant differences.
At that moment,
Sniff. Sniff.
Krueng!
[Dad, Cuengi smells second brother nearby!]
Cuengi, who was playing with the golden bat on Sejun’s back, sniffed the air and said.
“Black rabbit?”
(I’ll check!)
The golden bat flew up to survey the surroundings.
And then,
(It’s true! The second brother is coming!)
The golden bat pointed in the direction of the approaching black rabbit.
A short while later,
“Booo!”
Squeaaak!
Sejun, trying to surprise the sneaky black rabbit, ended up startling him instead, causing the rabbit to let out a shriek. Hehehe. It was revenge for last time!
Squeak! Squeak!
[I wasn’t scared! It was just a shout!]
The black rabbit made excuses trying to hide his fright, but
“Yeah, yeah, sure.”
Sejun teased him even more. Truly a mischievous uncle.
Squeak!
In the end, only when the angry black rabbit took out his hammer did Sejun stop teasing.
“I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”
Sejun stopped teasing.
At that moment,
[You’ve overcome a near-death experience.]
[Due to the Talent: Sturdy Vitality, you maximum stamina increases to 11 points.]
A message indicating he’d overcome a near-death experience appeared.
“Huh?”
Did I almost die just now?! The black rabbit, in jest, was trying to make a light attack, but for Sejun, it could have been fatal.
“But why are you here? With the country’s founding ceremony and your wedding preparations, you must be busy, right?”
Sejun quickly changed the topic and asked the black rabbit. It was indeed the time to be busy preparing for a wedding.
Squeak!
[I came to give this to you!]
In response to Sejun’s question, the black rabbit opened the treasure vault with a sullen voice and took out a document. It was the land deed of the tower’s 55th floor, which he had his subordinates acquire with difficulty. The black rabbit, although mischievous, had a kind heart to care for his mean uncle.
*****
𝑖.𝘤ℴ𝘮