TL: Hanguk
The sky had turned a crimson ash color, and the land and rivers were dead.
And then,
“Haah. It’s all over now.”
“No matter what we do, we’re all going to die.”
Between them were the residents of <Recia> , sighing as they sensed their impending end.
In the distance, they could see terrifying calamities approaching their city, but no one attempted to fight.
They had fought for a long time against the first calamity, the Locusts, and the second calamity, the Giant Bloodsucking Leeches.
Recently, by using the crops bestowed by the Great Blue Dragon, they achieved consecutive major victories against both calamities and began to nurture a sense of hope for ‘peace’.
On top of that, as the calamities retreated and their numbers dwindled significantly, the residents of <Recia> were almost in a celebratory mood.
It felt as if peace would come with just a little more effort. Just a little more…
However, their hopes were shattered into pieces when, a few days ago, five calamities suddenly descended, ranging from the first calamity, the Locusts, to the fifth calamity, the Slimes.
The five calamities moved together, with the Fire Moth burning down the Sturdy Blade Green Onions, which were the Locusts’ weakness, and the Petrifying Spider turning the Vitality-Infused Fragrant Grapes, the weakness of the Giant Bloodsucking Leeches, into stone, neutralizing Sejun’s crops.
The calamities advanced with unstoppable momentum, swiftly capturing 80 of the Blue Towers, leaving only 5 Blue Towers remaining in <Recia>.
It was a downfall from what they believed was within reach at the summit.
The residents, who had plummeted from hope to despair in an instant, could not shake off the shock and quietly prepared to accept their end.
“Take up your weapons! Are you going to die like this?! Get up!”
Of course, there were those with an unyielding heart, like King Gaeroro of Frog City.
But the residents, like candles with only wicks left, had nothing more to burn. They needed a new fuel called hope.
However, Gaeroro could not give them such hope. He was already struggling just to keep his own flame alive.
Thus, Gaeroro’s shouts rang hollow.
Phirr…
Soon, the faint but increasingly clear sound of the Locusts’ wings, the fastest of the calamities, began to reach their ears.
“So, in the end, I’m alone.”
It didn’t matter.
A king’s position was always a lonely one. From the moment he became king, he had never known anything but solitude.
Gaeroro stood alone at the entrance of Frog City, facing the oncoming enemies.
Schwing.
Gaeroro drew his sword as he looked at the Locusts darkening the sky.
Unlike Gaeroro’s heart burning with its last flame, the sword’s edge was piercingly cold.
***
[You have arrived at <Recia>.]
“Camouflage.”
Though this world had no one stronger than Sejun, as a naturally cautious being, Sejun hid himself first.
104.28.193.250
Then he looked around.
What’s this? Why is this place like this?
It was the first time he’d seen a city so devoid of vitality.
The frog residents of the city were breathing and alive, but their eyes were all dead.
Just then,
Kkwek! Kkwek!
Whirr! Whirr!
The Mushroom Ants and Poisonous Bees that had come with Sejun began searching frantically for him, distressed at not being able to see him.
“Guys, I’m over here.”
Sejun quickly deactivated his Camouflage and revealed himself.
Kkwek!
Whirr!
The Mushroom Ants and Poisonous Bees swarmed around Sejun in relief and joy.
“Alright. You must’ve been really worried, huh?”
Sejun soothed them and opened his Void Storage.
But,
[Syncing the Void Storage of Black Tower’s Park Sejun with <Recia>.]
[1 hour remaining until synchronization is complete.]
An unexpected issue had arisen, synchronization.
“Synchronization?”
How am I supposed to survive alone for an hour without the others?!
Sejun was flustered.
Just then,
Boom!
A loud explosion sounded from nearby.
“What was that?!”
As Sejun cautiously approached the source of the sound,
“Die!”
He saw a frog slightly larger than the others, swinging his sword while surrounded by an enormous number of Locusts.
He’s strong?
The frog was indeed powerful.
But,
“Heh. He’s still weaker than me.”
He was far weaker than Sejun.
Both Gaeroro and the calamities were no match for Sejun.
Although the sunfish was looked down upon on the 99th floor of the Black Tower, there were hardly any beings who could threaten him elsewhere.
Hehehe. This place seems worth getting involved with.
“Guys, it’s dangerous, so stay back.”
Realizing he could handle things here, Sejun instructed the Mushroom Ants and Poisonous Bees that had followed him to stand back.
Clink.
He picked up a sword lying on the ground.
Whoosh.
He lightly swung it toward the sky, where the Locusts were swarming.
And then,
Whooong!
With a loud sound disproportionate to its strength, a sword wind sliced through the Locusts.
Though it was a crude attack relying only on strength, but,
[You have slain the first calamity, the Locust.]
…
..
.
It was more than enough to tear the Locusts to shreds.
Whoong! Whoong!
Like swatting flies, Sejun kept swinging the sword, taking down the Locusts.
Crack.
The sword broke midway through, but there were plenty of swords lying around, so he picked up another and continued killing the Locusts.
In the meantime, Giant Bloodsucking Leeches, Fire Moths, and Petrifying Spiders joined forces with the Locusts to start blocking Sejun’s sword-wind attacks.
Crash!
But Sejun hurled the sword with full force, as if it were a throwing star, taking down the calamities.
[You have slain the second calamity, the Giant Bloodsucking Leech.]
[You have slain the third calamity, the Fire Moth.]
[You have slain the fourth calamity, the Petrifying Spider.]
…
..
.
With each throw of the sword, calamities fell in droves wherever the blade landed.
Kkwek!
Whirr!
The quick-thinking Mushroom Ants and Poisonous Bees, as if in sync with Sejun, brought him more swords from the surroundings, allowing him to keep throwing swords without pause.
Crash! Crash!
The number of calamities dwindled rapidly.
At that moment,
Slosh. Slosh.
Slowly, yet unstoppably, the fifth calamity, the Slime, approached where Sejun was.
The Slime devoured the corpses of the fallen calamities as it advanced toward him.
“Don’t touch my meat! Create Thundercloud!” (TL: It’s been a long time since this has been used, but if you guys don’t remember, it’s one of the first skills he gained for creating rain and clouds.)
I haven’t even tasted the Fire Moths and Petrifying Spiders yet!
Enraged at the Slime stealing his meat, Sejun created Thundercloud in the sky and then
“Throw Thunder!”
Crash!
As the lightning struck the Slime, the scent of delicious roasted pork began wafting through the air.
“Who… who is that?”
Gaeroro, who had paused his battle, looked at Sejun with awe-filled eyes.
The power to kill thousands of calamities with a mere gesture.
And to wield divine lightning on top of that.
Could he be a god?
As Gaeroro recalled the long-lost god of the frogs,
KUOOOOO!
Thud. Thud.
From afar, an aura of malevolence began closing in, as the sixth calamity, the Ogre, who had been directing the others from the shadows, now started charging toward Frog City.
Oh, god. Please save us.
Gaeroro prayed as he looked at Sejun.
But,
“Camouflage.”
Sejun quickly hid himself. A sunfish must know when to strike and when to retreat.
***
Combat Shop Headquarters.
“What’s that book, Battler? Are you thinking of adopting a cat?”
Bev asked, who had entered the house with Thunder.
“Something like that. Don’t ask.”
Battler, holding back a surge of emotions, answered quietly. He couldn’t exactly explain that he had become a slave.
“Really?”
So prickly.
As Bev was about to switch topics,
[Park Sejun, the Tower Farmer of the Black Tower, is now confronting an unbeatable foe, the Sixth Calamity Ogre.]
A message appeared before Bev.
“Kuhahaha! As expected of our Park Sejun! Truly a brave warrior!”
I knew I could count on him!
Bev laughed heartily.
“This is the perfect time! I’ll bestow upon you the Achievement of Courage! And if you defeat it one-on-one, I’ll grant you five Achievements of Courage!”
Bev hurriedly sent the offer to Sejun.
“Huh?! Blocked?! Why?!”
But once again, he was blocked.
Then,
“Park Sejun? You mean that farmer from the Black Tower?”
Hearing a familiar name, Battler asked Bev.
“Hahaha, that’s right. Battler, it seems you’ve already had your eye on our Park Sejun too. Well, Park Sejun is a great and brave warrior, you as the God of Battle might be inter—”
“What nonsense?! Why would I be interested in such a weak farmer?!”
“Weak?! I mean… well, that’s true. But still, our Park Sejun is a fearless warrior who even fought against an Apostle of Destruction!”
“Hmph. Instead of him, keep an eye on the cat next to him. Park Theo is truly extraordinary.”
When Bev praised Theo, Thunder jumped in with his own opinion.
“What are you talking about?! Cuengi Park, who’s next to Park Sejun, is the best! That guy is a born warrior!”
Thunder passionately defended Cuengi, whom he’d pegged as a true warrior.
“What are you saying?! Park Sejun is the most courageous!”
“Park Theo is the real fearsome one, I’m telling you!”
“No one can match Cuengi’s natural talent!”
And so, they ended up in a heated debate over who was the most outstanding warrior among Sejun, Theo, and Cuengi.
However, it was a completely meaningless conversation.
Sejun, Theo, and Cuengi had absolutely no interest in becoming warriors.
The pointless argument continued for quite a while until,
“Alright, you guys, just go home.”
Battler finally kicked Bev and Thunder out.
He had important things to take care of now.
“Good. Time for practice.”
Having finally mastered 1000 Ways to Completely Win a Cat’s Heart, Battler was ready to put it into action.
“First, I should probably win him over with some food, right?”
For cat food…
“Obviously, it has to be a live mouse.”
Battler sent Theo a live mouse. And of all things, it was a hamster.
“The book said not to act friendly right after giving food, so… yawn Should I get some sleep?”
Battler, who hadn’t slept a wink while mastering the book, yawned, lay down on his bed, and immediately fell asleep.
And then,
“Eek! Spare me! I’m sorry!”
That night, Battler had a nightmare.
“Kyoo-Kyoo-Kyoo-Kyoo-Kyoo!”
“Puhuhut. Battler! Stop right there, meow!”
It was a dream where a giant Theo, with a strange-sounding white hamster attached to his tail, was chasing him.
***
<Recia>
[Bev, the God of Courage, offers you 5 Achievements of Courage if you fight the Sixth Calamity Ogre, one-on-one.]
‘How am I supposed to fight that thing one-on-one?! Blocked!’
Sejun, faced with the terrifyingly fierce gaze of the Ogre in front of him, immediately blocked Bev.
Sniff sniff.
The Ogre was busy sniffing around near Sejun, who was using his Camouflage skill. It seemed to sense a familiar presence.
The Durable Spider Silk Camouflage Suit made by Ggomi perfectly concealed Sejun’s energy, but,
The Ogre, highly sensitive to any trace of battle aura, had picked up on even the tiniest hint of Sejun’s energy.
‘Please, just go away!’
As a result, Sejun was holding his breath, feeling like he was going to die from the tension.
The only fortunate thing was that the Ogre’s full attention was on him, which meant that the Mushroom Ants, Poisonous Bees, and the residents of Frog City, who were hiding under Sejun’s orders, were safe.
Sniff sniff.
While the Ogre was busy sniffing for Sejun’s scent
Since I can endure once as a Master of Deflection anyway.
Sejun prepared for battle.
Plan A.
Take out the Orb of Death’s Energy and use the Harvester of Death skill to kill the Ogre.
If the first attack failed?
Plan B.
Eat the Black Bean Set.
Then, rely on his talent: Master of Deflection, which guarantees a 99% chance of deflecting the first attack, to survive the incoming blow.
With his enhanced strength, he would then summon the divine relic, Earth Blade, and use <Power: Earth Blade> .
‘Alright. Perfect.’
Just as Sejun was finalizing his plan and preparing to attack the Ogre,
Clang.
“Chairman Park, I missed you, meow!”
The Void Storage opened, and Theo launched himself at Sejun.
“Meow?!”
Kuoh?
In mid-air, Theo’s eyes met those of the Ogre standing next to Sejun.
Don’t you dare scare Chairman Park, meow!
Wham!
Quickly stepping through the air to change direction, Theo swung around and struck the Ogre on the back of the head, knocking it out cold.
And then,
Chuee! Chuee! Chuee!
[As expected of Sejun Company’s unrivaled second-in-command! The great hybrid, Vice Chairman Theo~nim! Absolutely splendid!]
Clap! Clap! Clap!
At the entrance of the Void Storage, a brown hamster, one Sejun had never seen before, was clapping enthusiastically, praising Theo for saving his life.
*****
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