Chapter 129 – I Was an Insider

The effect of the insecticide developed by Gagel was outstanding. Just two days after spraying the insecticide on a large scale with drones, reports came in from all over Africa that the locusts were almost eradicated.

An achievement that could be called a great success. As the locusts were rapidly eradicated, the heads of each country even made personal thank-you calls to Watson, the director of Gagel’s African business division.

However, five days after spraying the insecticide, other reports began to come in. The content stated that the number of locusts was increasing again.

Watson thought that the amount of insecticide sprayed was insufficient and sprayed the same amount of insecticide as when he first sprayed it in the reported areas, but this time, there was no effect.

No, rather, reports came in that the number of locusts had increased even more, as if a reverse effect had occurred. Along with reports that the locusts were indiscriminately attacking and eating everything in sight, including humans and animals.

Thanks to that, Watson was receiving immense protests from African governments, questioning if the insecticide had created a new mutation.

“How do we handle this?”

Although it was unbelievable, it was clear that the locusts had developed resistance to the insecticide in that short period of time.

While Watson was holding his head over the troublesome problem,

Thud.

A sound came from the office window.

“Did a bird crash?”

Where Watson was located was the top floor of a 50-meter-tall building. Since three sides of the office were made of floor-to-ceiling windows, sometimes passing birds could not see the windows and crashed.

Just as Watson was trying to concentrate on his work again,

Thud, thud.

Thud, thud.

The sound came from the window again.

“What is it?!”

Sensing something strange at the increasingly loud sound, Watson turned his head toward the window, and,

“Huh?!”

In Watson’s eyes, birds filling the sky were seen. And also swarms of locusts chasing behind the birds.

“Huh?… What on earth is all that?!”

While Watson was startled and flustered,

Thud, thud, thud.

The birds rushed toward the window regardless of whether their heads would break.

‘Don’t tell me?!’

Watson recalled the report that the locusts were eating even humans and animals.

Meanwhile,

Crack.

Unable to withstand the birds’ rush, the glass began to crack.

‘I must run away!’

Just as Watson hurriedly ran to the elevator,

Crash!

Flutter, flutter!

The glass, which could not withstand the birds’ rush, broke, and the birds and locusts poured through the window and attacked Watson.

“Argh! Help me!”

Lagos, Nigeria, suffered great damage from the invasion of the locusts.

***

“Heave-ho.”

Just as Se-jun, who opened his eyes, was about to start a vigorous morning,

Pat.

“Ugh!”

Cuengi pressed Se-jun’s chest with his front paw so he could not get up.

“Cueng…”

[Dad, don’t go anywhere-da-yo…]

Cuengi, who wanted to sleep more with his dad, had pressed Se-jun’s chest while talking in his sleep.

“Hmm… Shall I lie down a bit longer?”

Since Cuengi wanted to lie down together, Se-jun decided to lie down a bit longer. It was absolutely not because he could not lift Cuengi’s front paw.

He lay like that, but since sleep did not come, Se-jun examined the authority he obtained yesterday and his evolved talent.

Increases mana by 50, regardless of the body’s potential.

An authority that simply raised mana by 50. It was nothing special.

“He spent 100 million Tower Coins on something like this?”

Although it was money with no other use anyway, Se-jun felt it was a waste. However, if Se-jun had known about potential, he would not have said such words.

Because there were few hunters who had grown to the peak of their potential, it was not well known, but there was a limit to the stats that an individual could not raise even if they wanted to. It was an authority that other existences would have been extremely envious of if they had known.

However, it was still a level Se-jun could not know. After checking the authority, Se-jun next checked the evolved talent.

[Talent: Enhanced Mana Circuit]

-A talent that allows efficient use of mana by establishing a powerful circuit through which mana can circulate throughout the body.

-Possessed Mana Stat +6%

-Mana Recovery Speed +150%

-Effect when consuming mana-increasing items +55%

There were no special options added, and only the numbers increased slightly.

‘It increased by 1%, 50%, and 5%.’

While Se-jun was calculating the increased numbers,

“Cueng!”

[I’m hungry-da-yo!]

Sensing hunger, Cuengi announced his hunger as soon as he opened his eyes.

“Is our Cuengi hungry?”

When Se-jun asked, tickling Cuengi’s armpits and belly,

“Kkuhehehe.”

Cuengi laughed hysterically, as if thinking that, as expected, playing with Dad was the most fun.

While Se-jun and Cuengi were playing,

“Ukki!”

The monkeys brought out breakfast.

‘What is it?’

Se-jun felt that the atmosphere was somewhat strange. Clearly, even up until yesterday, the monkeys had served him with extreme devotion.

However,

“Cueng!”

[I want to eat more of this-da-yo!]

“Ukki!”

Today, most of the monkeys were clinging to Cuengi.

‘Is power indeed authority?’

While Se-jun was feeling disappointed at being treated like cold rice,

“Do not be too disappointed, meow! Chairman Park has me, the loyal cat, doesn’t he, meow?!”

Theo lay on Se-jun’s lap and asserted his presence.

“Right.”

Se-jun patted the belly of Theo, who was comforting him.

“Chairman Park, I am hungry, meow!”

“Alright.”

Se-jun opened a Churu and gave it to Theo.

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

‘But is this right?’

Watching Theo lying on his lap and eating the Churu he was fed, Se-jun thought something was wrong, but he did not realize what was wrong. Se-jun was already too used to putting Theo on his lap.

***

The cave on the 99th floor of the tower.

[Master…]

Se-jun had disappeared, but since she had no way to save him, Flamie was sad. At the same time, she felt a sense of helplessness.

However,

[I cannot just be sad like this!]

Flamie clenched her leaves and shouted. Just because she was sad like this did not mean a way to save Se-jun would appear.

And,

[I will do what I can do!]

She did what she, as a tree, could do. That was putting down roots.

Crack.

Flamie extended her roots into the sea of dimensions, which had more nutrients, accelerating her growth in earnest.

***

After eating breakfast, Se-jun took the animals and moved to heal the banana trees.

The path to the banana farm.

“Cueng! Cueng!”

[It’s honey-da-yo! I’m excited-da-yo!]

Cuengi, who had packed his snack pouch tightly with honey again, was excited to be with Se-jun.

“Shall we start now?”

When Se-jun, who arrived at the banana farm with the excited Cuengi, placed his hand on a banana tree,

[Farmer’s Warm Touch Lv. 3 is activated.]

[While touched, the banana tree’s disease is gradually healed.]

The banana tree’s disease began to heal, and after about a minute,

[The banana tree’s disease has been healed.]

[The proficiency of Farmer’s Warm Touch Lv. 3 increases slightly.]

[While touched, the banana tree grows slightly.]

As the disease was healed, the skill proficiency rose, and the banana tree was able to grow.

To reduce time, he tried placing one hand on each of two trees at once, but at that time, the skill only activated on the tree touched first.

“It would be fast if I could heal two trees at once…”

While Se-jun was healing the banana trees with regret,

“Bat-bat.”

The golden bat sang songs to energize the banana trees Se-jun had not yet healed.

And Theo and Cuengi, who had nothing to do. However, they were busy in their own ways.

As Se-jun finished healing a banana tree and moved to another tree,

“Moving, meow!”

Theo, who was hanging onto Se-jun’s leg, shouted.

At that,

“Cueng!”

Cuengi moved, following closely behind Se-jun.

As Se-jun stopped and began healing the banana trees again,

Thud.

Cuengi sat down, pressing his butt tightly against Se-jun’s foot.

While Se-jun, who healed 200 banana trees in the morning in that way, was eating lunch with the animals that had consumed calories in different ways,

“Se-jun-nim!”

“Pyak!”

The Silver Wolf tribe and the black rabbit came to find Se-jun. Because Cuengi had cleared the path cleanly(?), they arrived comfortably, almost as if traveling.

“Why did even you guys come?”

Although he spoke as if they came in vain, Se-jun’s inner feelings were quite the opposite, as he was truly happy. To think so many existences moved just because he alone disappeared. Even on Earth, he had not been able to build such a network of contacts.

‘Hehehe. I was an insider of the Black Tower.’

Se-jun’s mood grew better for no reason, and the corners of his mouth went up.

“The Black Wolf tribe has also come.”

“The Black Wolf tribe too?”

“Yes! They have probably joined the Black Minotaurs by now.”

“Bring the other guys here for now.”

Although Se-jun would stay here for a few days to heal the banana trees, he planned to move to the 99th floor of the tower soon.

If things went as planned, they could return the Black Minotaurs since he could register the 77th-floor waypoint and safely move straight to the 99th-floor waypoint.

However, he did not know what kind of variables might arise in the middle. Therefore, he was bringing the Black Minotaurs and the Black Wolf tribe just in case. Safety was first.

“Yes!”

At Se-jun’s instruction, several wolves hurriedly departed to fetch the Black Minotaurs and the Black Wolf tribe.

“Now, let’s start the afternoon work!”

(Bat-bat! Yes!)

The afternoon was the same as the morning. However, if there was anything different, it was that the black rabbit joined and hung onto Se-jun’s other leg, starting to play together.

As the afternoon passed in that way and evening drew near,

[The proficiency of Farmer’s Warm Touch Lv. 3 is filled, and its level increases.]

The level of the Farmer’s Warm Touch skill rose to 4.

And,

-The skill activates separately even if hands are placed on different trees with each hand.

The new effect that appeared upon reaching level 4 was exactly what Se-jun had wanted.

“Nice!”

Thanks to that, the speed of work became much faster, and before returning to the monkeys’ village for dinner, Se-jun was able to raise his final pitch and heal 300 banana trees.

“Let’s go back now.”

Just as Se-jun was about to return to the monkeys’ village with the animals,

“Moo!”

The cries of the Minotaurs were heard from afar.

After a while,

“Moo!”

“We greet Se-jun-nim.”

The Black Minotaurs and the Black Wolf tribe members, who had come carried on the shoulders of the Black Minotaurs, were seen. It seemed the Black Minotaurs had carried the wolves, who had weak stamina, and run at full speed.

“Hmm… Let’s camp here today.”

Thinking about it, the monkeys’ village was too small to bring 500 Black Minotaurs, 300 Black Wolves, and 300 Silver Wolves.

“Theo, Black Rabbit, and Cuengi, take out the grass for the Minotaurs to eat.”

Clank.

As Se-jun opened the sub-space warehouse and spoke,

“Understood, meow!”

“Pyak!”

“Cueng!”

Theo, the black rabbit, and Cuengi went into the warehouse and took out the grass for the Black Minotaurs to eat.

And,

“Golden Bat, tell the monkeys to come for dinner.”

He had the golden bat bring the monkeys.

(Yes!)

Flutter, flutter.

The golden bat replied and flew rapidly toward the monkeys’ village.

“First, light the fire.”

Snap.

Fwoosh.

After finishing his instructions to the animals, Se-jun flicked his fingers to light the firewood and prepared to cook. For now, he made the soup that could give a feeling of fullness.

Since he had trimmed the soup ingredients and kept them frozen when he was free, he just had to put them in a pot and boil them.

After putting the soup on the fire in that way, Se-jun prepared roasted sweet potatoes and potato pancakes.

And around the time the cooking was completed,

“Ukki!”

The monkeys arrived. Gratefully, the monkeys came carrying loads of mangoes and watermelons.

“Let’s eat.”

At Se-jun’s words, the animals ate dinner eagerly.

At that moment,

Rumble.

The ground shook, and a light earthquake occurred.

And,

“Moo?!”

“Nyang?!”

“Pyak?!”

“Cueng?!”

“Ukki?!”

Feeling an immense mana wave, everyone’s eyes turned toward the source of the vibration. Se-jun, unable to feel the mana wave, turned his head following the animals’ gaze.

“What is that?”

The direction where the animals’ attention was focused. A blue light rising from the ground reached up to the sky.

At that time.

Rumble.

Rumble.

The eastern land of the mana stone mine began to shake.