TL: Hanguk
Black Tower Administrator’s Area.
When Sweetie, who had returned from the tour of the Seed Shop Headquarters, tattled to Aileen about the Non-Combat Gods’ misdeeds,
“What?! They thought you were?!”
Those Non-Combat Gods dared to pair up Sweetie with my Sejun?!
Aileen, enraged, began to gather her energy.
Then,
Kuooooo!
Aileen’s overwhelming aura spread around her.
Ace, who had been playing happily nearby, turned pale with fear.
“Hmm. Alright. Thanks for letting me know.”
Just as Aileen’s mood improved slightly after hearing Sweetie’s words,
Thud!
Several dragons entered the Administrator’s Area, each holding baby dragons in their arms.
“Aileen, we’re here!”
“Hello!”
“It’s been a while!”
The baby dragons, as soon as they left their parents’ embrace, ran to Aileen and greeted her.
“Welcome, everyone!”
Aileen also greeted them warmly.
“Welcome. You must have had a hard time getting here.”
She didn’t forget to greet the adult dragons as well.
Normally, baby dragons wouldn’t need to be so polite since adults would dote on them regardless, but
Khehehe. If I build up my reputation like this, it’ll help Sejun later!
Thinking of Sejun, Aileen treated the adult dragons with great respect. Some of this she had even learned from Sejun.
“What do you mean ‘hard time’? Aileen has it harder than us.”
“Yeah, we heard the Dragon Market has been super busy lately.”
“It’s fine since unnie and oppa have been helping out now and then.”
“Hohoho. Is that your way of asking us to come more often?”
“Khehehe. Did you catch on?”
“Hohoho. Alright, we’ll come more often.”
“Well, we’ll chat with Elizabeth for a bit, so call us if you need anything.”
“Yes.”
The parent dragons, after having a pleasant conversation with Aileen, left the Administrator’s Area to find Elizabeth.
While Aileen was seeing them off,
“Huh?! Ace, what’s wrong with him?”
Garrick noticed Ace, who was revving up for a dramatic wail.
“Puhing! I was scared!”
Ace finally burst into tears.
“Ace, don’t cry! We’ll play with you!”
“Yeah, stop crying and come play with Sylvia noona!”
“What are you talking about?! Of course, Ace should play with Pobi hyung!”
As the baby dragons comforted Ace,
“Puhihihi. What are we gonna play?”
Ace grinned and asked.
“Superhero landing?”
“Hide and seek?”
When the baby dragons mentioned games Aileen had taught them,
“Puhihihi. Let’s play something even more fun!”
“Something more fun?”
“Puhihihi. Yes! Let’s play farming!”
“Huh?!”
“Eh?!”
Ace beamed and pulled out a shovel.
And then,
“I tried it with brother-in-law, and it was really fun!”
“Really?”
“So this is the game that the Tower Farmer Park Sejun plays?”
Hearing that this was the game played by Sejun, who was very popular among dragons, the baby dragons’ interest piqued.
***
99th Floor of the Black Tower.
“That’s weird. I’m sure I got stronger…”
Whiir.
Kkwek.
Sejun frowned as he watched Poisonous Bees and Mushroom Ants pass by him.
His stats had increased tremendously, yet the Poisonous Bees were still faster than him, and the Mushroom Ants were still stronger.
“Why?”
I got stronger!
Sejun began to doubt his own growth.
I should go see the Minotaur King and get tested after a long time.
Determined, he stood up.
Then,
“Meow?! Chairman Park, where are you going, meow?!”
Kueng?
Kking?
Theo, Cuengi, and Blackie also got up and asked.
“I’m going to see the Minotaur King.”
“Puhuhut. Let’s go, meow!”
Kueng!
Kking!
With that, Sejun and his companions set off to find the Minotaur King.
Moo.
[Sejun-nim, you lasted 2 minutes and 50 seconds under my two fingers.]
The Minotaur King had measured Sejun’s combat power.
However,
“Huh? 2 minutes and 50 seconds?”
Hearing the Minotaur King’s words, Sejun was shocked.
I actually lasted 10 seconds less?!
His endurance against the Minotaur King’s fingers had decreased.
While Sejun had been growing, the residents of the 99th floor of the Tower hadn’t been slacking off either.
And the main culprit behind the 99th floor’s power inflation was,
[Hehe. Sejun-nim, keep it up! If you take lots of the supplements I gave you, next time you’ll last five minutes!]
“Mm. Thanks.”
It was Flamie, who was comforting Sejun while offering him more supplements.
Not only the Poisonous Bees and Mushroom Ants, but even other beings in the Tower had been absorbing Flamie’s energy, cooperating to help her stay there. ℞аΝỗ𝖇ЕS̈
Naturally, the Minotaur King and Pink-fur, who had greater potential than the others, had consumed multiple doses of Flamie’s lowest-tier supplements, resulting in their massive growth.
However, the Blessing of Sacred Fire from the Fire Apple that Sejun had eaten wasn’t present in any of the other supplements.
That was something Flamie had to put extra effort into making, so only Sejun received it.
Despite all this growth,
“I’m still the weakest again…”
Since everyone had grown together, Sejun had once again become the bottom rung, leaving him feeling dejected as he returned home.
And then,
“Ugh, I feel down. I need something spicy.”
After sweating it out with Tteokbokki made with Sundried Red Pepper gochujang and Cheongyang chili peppers,
“Phew. That hit the spot.”
Sejun’s mood improved in no time.
Kueng!
[Since Dad ate something spicy today, it’s time for sweet chocolate milk!]
On top of that, Cuengi, showing great sense, brought cold chocolate milk instead of coffee.
“Hehehe. Thanks.”
Slurp.
Thanks to that, Sejun’s condition bounced back to peak levels as if he had never been down in the first place.
As he relaxed with his group, sipping on chocolate milk,
“Aileen, did you enjoy the Tteokbokki?”
He asked Aileen.
Then,
[The Tower Administrator says she’s upset that the oppas don’t appreciate the taste of spicy Tteokbokki.]
That was Aileen’s response.
Hearing that baby dragons from other towers had come to visit Aileen, Sejun made more Tteokbokki and sent it to her.
One batch spicy, the other soy sauce-based.
“Well, that’s understandable.”
“Would it?”
Well, making it isn’t difficult. I can just mass-produce it using my cooking skill.
As he continued chatting with Aileen,
Kking… Kking…
At some point, Blackie, who had been apologizing to souls again, encountered Corruption and began whimpering.
He’s working too hard.
Seeing Blackie excessively devoted to his apologizing lately, Sejun gently rubbed his belly.
A little while later,
Kking!
[Butler! Give me Roasted and Dried Sweet Potato!]
Having snapped back to reality, Blackie urgently demanded dried sweet potato slices.
“Alright.”
On any other day, Sejun might have teased him, saying, ‘Did you leave some here?’ but today, he didn’t.
104.28.193.250
Because Blackie was acting extremely anxious. Though it didn’t seem like he had caused any trouble.
Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.
Unlike usual, Blackie didn’t smile but devoured the dried sweet potato slices in a hurry,
Kkirorong.
Then, he once again bit into the World’s Energy and fell asleep.
Going to apologize to the souls again.
What’s going on with him?
Sejun watched Blackie with concern.
No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t like him. He seemed to be rushing, as if something was chasing him.
“I feel like I shouldn’t just leave this alone… Vice Chairman Theo, help me out.”
“Puhuhut. Great Hybrid Chairman Park, what do you need help with, meow?! I, Vice Chairman Theo, will help with anything, meow!”
Theo asked excitedly at Sejun’s request for help.
“Help me enter Blackie’s mental world.”
“Puhuhut. Understood, meow!”
Super Giant Chairman Park No. 2, come help, meow!
Theo placed his front paws on Sejun’s forehead and Blackie’s head, calling for assistance from the Super Giant Chairman Park No. 2 within his mental world.
The ultra super giant Chairman Park becoming Santa Sejun, the God of Christmas, in Theo’s empty mental world.
However, during Christmas, the Great Black Dragons had visited, leaving behind an overflow of powerful energy.
Puhuhut. Now I can quickly grow Chairman Park No. 2, meow!
Using his Talent: Energy Absorption, Theo greedily absorbed the abundant energy of the Great Dragons.
Thanks to that, Chairman Park No. 2 rapidly grew into Super Giant Chairman Park No. 2 the moment he was born.
Kurrrr.
Gororong.
Kkirorong.
…
..
.
As Sejun, Theo, and the Blackie Family fell asleep,
Kueng?
Even Cuengi, imitating Theo, placed both of his front paws on the heads of passing Poisonous Bees and Mushroom Ants as if trying to do the same thing.
***
Blackie’s Mental World.
“I’m sorry. Here’s a gift of apology.”
“I’m really sorry.”
Blackie and his subordinates handed out Roasted and Dried Sweet Potato slices to the souls, apologizing and asking for their forgiveness.
But,
“We’ve apologized properly now. Can’t you just forgive us already?”
Why aren’t they forgiving me quickly?!
Growing anxious, Blackie started to get frustrated with the souls that weren’t immediately forgiving him.
Naturally, his discontent showed on the surface.
“Cannot… forgive…”
The more Blackie acted that way, the redder the souls’ eyes became, refusing to forgive him.
And then,
Grrr…
Feeling uneasy, Blackie grew angrier, trapping himself in an endless vicious cycle.
The more the cycle continued, the greater his anxiety became.
If I become a burden like this, I’ll be abandoned again! Butler will betray me!
His biggest fear was Sejun betraying him.
Unbeknownst to him, the seed of distrust that Corruption had planted had begun to take root in his trauma.
At that moment,
Boom!
“Blackie! What kind of apology is that?!”
“That’s right, meow! Apologize properly, meow!”
Sejun and Theo, watching from the shoulders of Super Giant Chairman Park No. 2, shouted.
“Huh?! Butler?! I, uh…”
Caught off guard by Sejun’s sudden appearance, Blackie fumbled, trying to explain himself.
But,
“I knew this would happen!”
“That’s right, meow! I knew it too, meow!”
“Theo, slice this up for me.”
“Puhuhut. Got it, meow!”
Sejun and Theo, having descended from Super Giant Chairman Park No. 2, quickly began making Roasted and Dried Sweet Potato slices.
“I know our Blackie did wrong, but he’s still learning how to apologize properly. Eat this and calm down, okay?”
They handed out sweet potato slices to the souls.
Since this was the mental world, summoning food was effortless, and the Roasted and Dried Sweet Potatoes were made in an instant.
“Puhuhut. Forgive our Blackie, meow! Otherwise, I’ll stamp you with my seal-”
“Hey, you!”
Just as Theo was about to stamp the souls with his seal, Sejun grabbed him. Now, Theo dangled quietly from Sejun’s knee.
“Meow, meow, meow.”
Of course, for Theo, this was an even better situation.
As Sejun diligently handed out sweet potato slices to the souls,
“Forgiveness is something you grant, not something I should force onto you… I’m truly sorry.”
“I’m sorry…”
Blackie family, following Sejun’s example, sincerely apologized to the souls once again.
Fortunately, the souls’ once-red eyes began to clear one by one.
“I forgive… you.”
Some of the souls finally forgave the Blackie Family.
Compared to before, the process was painfully slow, but with Sejun by his side, Blackie felt less anxious and was able to apologize wholeheartedly.
Considering how poorly Blackie family had acted earlier, just having some souls forgive them was already a blessing.
Fwoosh!
This time, the red aura that had seeped from the souls dispersed and vanished the moment it reached Sejun’s gaze.
Thanks to that, there was no confrontation with Corruption, and Sejun and his companions were able to apologize to the souls in peace and
“…!”
“Huh?”
Kueng!
[Dad, wake up!]
Sejun snapped back to his senses at the sound of Cuengi’s voice waking him.
“…?”
Why is it bright around me?
When I closed my eyes, it was dark, but now it’s bright?
Kueng!
[Dad, it’s morning!]
“It’s already morning?”
Kueng!
[That’s right!]
Turns out, Sejun had been handing out Roasted and Dried Sweet Potato slices in Blackie’s mental world all night long.
…So now I have to work again?!
And so, another new day began for Sejun.