Chapter 198 – Hehehe. I Expected as Much

“You Are a Field?”

Se-jun was disappointed by the name of the newly obtained combat skill. The name did not go well with a combat skill. He was slightly anxious.

“Let’s check it first!”

Se-jun hurriedly checked the newly obtained skill.

[Job Combat Skill – You Are a Field! Lv. 1]

-Allows you to plant crops on a living enemy. (However, you cannot plant them on an enemy whose skin cannot be pierced.)

-When using Sowing on an enemy, the planted seed takes root in the enemy’s body and grows rapidly by absorbing life force. (Some seeds generate special effects.)

-When harvesting crops grown on an enemy’s body using Harvesting, you can inflict additional damage. (With an extremely slim probability, you can randomly harvest the target’s stats.)

“What is this?”

The newly obtained combat skill allowed the Sowing and Harvesting skills to be used as combat skills. But to be able to plant crops on a living subject… was it like a parasitic plant?

He wanted to test it, but there were no enemies here.

“Cuengi, let’s go back.”

Se-jun prepared to return with Cuengi for now. This was because the 12th Blue Moon he would face since entering the tower would begin soon. Since he had burned down all the surrounding kudzu, the area around the tangerine tree on the 83rd floor of the tower was safe for the time being.

Pitter-patter.

Kkueng!

[Cuengi is going home!]

At the words that they were going home, Cuengi ran quickly while holding the harvested kudzu roots.

Se-jun returned to the 99th floor of the tower with Cuengi using the waypoint.

***

“Meow meow meow. Humans, I have come, meow!”

Humming a song, Theo arrived at the camp on the 40th floor of the tower and announced his appearance.

But,

“Meow?!”

The camp on the 40th floor of the tower was empty.

“What is this, meow?! Where did all my suckers go, meow?!”

His first task after becoming the official Vice President Theo. There were no Hunters to buy Chairman Park’s crops, meow! Things were getting tangled up from the start.

“This cannot be, meow!”

Theo hurriedly looked around the camp to figure out what was going on. Perhaps they had left in a hurry, as the tents were full of items the Hunters had failed to pack, and there were also signs of the Hunters moving in a group toward one side.

The conclusion Theo reached after grasping the surroundings like that was:

“The humans must have fallen into danger, meow! Just like Chairman Park, all humans are weak, meow! Puhahat. So I should rescue them and make them my slaves, meow!”

A sudden leap in thought. It was not a normal way of thinking.

“Meow! It’s the coffee that Chairman Park likes, meow!”

Just as Theo, who found coffee inside a tent, was about to pack the coffee,

“Vice President Theo, have you come?!”

Eom Jeong-sik, a member of the Earth Defense Force who woke up from sleeping inside another tent, called Theo.

And Theo was able to hear from Eom Jeong-sik where the Hunters had gone.

“Meow? You mean the humans went to the 41st floor of the tower, meow?!”

“Yes! They all ran, saying a traveling merchant selling equipment appeared a while ago.”

‘It wasn’t a kidnapping, meow…’

Theo was greatly disappointed at Eom Jeong-sik’s words. His plan to make a bunch of slaves and please Chairman Park…

“I should go there too, meow!”

He was curious about who the traveling merchant was that dared to bewitch his suckers.

“Tell Han Tae-jun that I want information on Chairman Park’s family, meow!”

“Actually, a report sent by Tae… no, Captain K, arrived just a moment ago.”

Eom Jeong-sik handed the report to Theo. The report included detailed details on the recent sweep of the Three-Headed Society’s hideout.

“Thanks, meow! Eat this, meow!”

Theo pulled out a small pouch the size of his front paw and poured it onto Eom Jeong-sik’s palm, about 20 peanuts spilled out. It was a peanut pouch dropped by Iona that he had picked up.

“Thank you!”

“Eat it deliciously, meow!”

After Theo left for the 41st floor of the tower,

“This is?!”

Eom Jeong-sik checked the peanut’s options and was astonished. It was a new crop. On top of that, it had an effect that increased brain activity.

“I must give this to my daughter.”

Looking at the peanut’s options, Eom Jeong-sik thought of his daughter, who would soon prepare for the college entrance exam.

“Mr. Theo Park, have you come?”

When Theo arrived at the 41st floor of the tower, the Black Orcs standing guard spotted Theo and saluted.

“I heard there is a traveling merchant here, where is he, meow?!”

“A traveling merchant?”

At Theo’s words, the Black Orcs were puzzled.

“I heard he is a traveling merchant selling equipment, meow!”

“Ah… if it’s about selling equipment, a skilled blacksmith has been visiting periodically lately.”

“Where is that blacksmith, meow?!”

“Over there!”

The Black Orc pointed in the direction where the blacksmith was.

A short while later, as Theo approached the place where the blacksmith was,

“I grabbed it first!”

“What do you mean?! You haven’t paid yet!”

“What?!”

About 30 to 50 Hunters clung to each piece of equipment, fighting over who would buy it.

And,

“Excuse… me… please don’t fight.”

In the center, a penguin with a pure white belly and a blue back, who had set up a street stall, was trying to stop the Hunters in a tiny voice that could barely be heard, looking restless. It was the blacksmith, the culprit of this commotion.

There was a fairly thick smell of a sucker. A sucker recognizes a sucker. Looking at that small penguin, he was reminded of his past self.

‘I should help him, meow!’ Thinking of how Se-jun had helped him when he was a sucker in the past, Theo stepped forward. ‘Of course, I was far less sucker-like than him, meow!’

“Puhahat. Do you need help, meow?”

Theo approached the blacksmith and asked with a villain-like laugh.

“Yes?”

“I will help you, meow! How much were you trying to sell that for, meow?!”

Theo, who usually had interns gather and report information on Hunters, knew the market prices of equipment well.

Theo asked, pointing at the shield the Hunters were fighting to possess, to check the price of the item the blacksmith was selling.

“That is C-grade equipment, so I’m trying to sell it for 50 Tower Coins…”

The base price of a C-grade shield was usually about 100 Tower Coins. But since he was selling it at half the price for 50 Tower Coins, it was natural that the Hunters were excited.

“How much is that one, meow?”

Theo this time pointed at a blue sword. Seeing that the most Hunters were gathered around it, it seemed to be the best sword here.

“That is A-grade equipment, so I’m trying to sell it for 300 Tower Coins. It’s a bit expensive, right? As expected, should I lower the price for it to sell well?”

So far, only five A-grade pieces of equipment had been released on Earth. A-grade equipment was worth whatever was asked. But to sell it for 300 coins while thinking of lowering the price… Puhahat. He is a guy with absolutely no sense of economy, meow!

His immense sucker-like qualities made Theo feel like helping him.

Scribble. Scribble.

“By the way, what is your name, meow?”

Theo quickly drafted a contract and asked the blacksmith his name.

“Kona.”

“Kona, stamp your seal here, meow! Of course, refusal is refused, meow!”

It was a contract agreeing to delegate the sale of the equipment to Theo.

“Yes? What does that…”

“Stamp it quickly, meow!”

“Yes…”

Stamp.

Kona reluctantly stamped the contract under Theo’s coercion. Although he was clearly helping, his attitude was nothing short of a cat thug.

“Puhahat. Leave it to me from now on, meow! I will sell them at a high price, meow!”

Theo stepped forward and boasted to Kona.

And,

“Humans, put the items back in their places quickly, meow! The equipment will be sold by auction, meow!”

He shouted to the Hunters.

“Huh?! Theo?”

“Why is Theo here?”

“But didn’t he say auction just now?”

A brief commotion arose at Theo’s appearance.

“Theo, by what right do you…”

The Hunters were about to argue, since it was not Theo who was selling the equipment.

However,

Thrust.

When Theo thrust the contract delegated by Kona, the Hunters obediently began to put the equipment back on the stall.

“Then I will start the equipment auction, meow!”

Thanks to that, Kona’s equipment fetched prices close to the market rate, and in the case of the A-grade equipment, it sold for a whopping 5,500 Tower Coins.

“Here it is, meow.”

Theo handed over all the proceeds from selling the equipment to Kona.

And,

“Now I will start the crop auction, meow!”

Subsequently, Theo sold Se-jun’s crops through auction.

“Wow… amazing…”

Kona stared at Theo with respect at Theo’s presence that overwhelmed the crowd. In Kona’s eyes, a dazzling aura was visible around Theo.

“It’s a sellout, meow! See you next time, meow!”

Theo hurriedly tried to leave to return to Se-jun’s knees.

At that moment,

“Excuse me… Mr. Theo…”

Kona called Theo.

“Kona, what is it, meow?”

“Um… could I ask you to sell the equipment next time too? I beg of you!”

Kona’s earnest voice. Kona had a desperate reason to collect a lot of money.

“Hmm, meow…”

Theo, lost in thought, pulled out a contract.

“Then from next time, I will take 10% of the sales proceeds as a commission, meow. Stamp your seal if you agree, meow!”

“Yes! Thank you!”

Stamp.

Kona, who had no confidence in selling the equipment as expensively as Theo, immediately stamped the contract at Theo’s words.

“Follow me for a moment, meow! I have a subordinate to introduce to you, meow!”

“Yes!”

Theo took Kona and moved to the center of the Black Orc camp.

“Mr. Theo, here is…”

Following Theo, Kona looked around with a fearful expression. This was because the King of the Black Orcs was here. When Kona first came here, he had entered all the way here without knowing any better and almost died.

However,

“I greet Mr. Theo Park.”

Contrary to Kona’s expectations, the Black Orcs standing guard actually greeted Theo and made way.

On top of that,

“I greet Mr. Theo Park!”

“Urchi, protect this fellow well when he comes in the future, meow!”

Even giving orders to the Black Orc King. ‘Mr. Theo… you are amazing!’ Kona stared at Theo with eyes full of respect.

“I will let the interns know, meow! When you come next time, ask another cat to sell the equipment, meow!”

“Yes!”

Having helped Kona like that, Theo quickly headed for the 99th floor of the tower.

***

“Cuengi, take position.”

Se-jun said to Cuengi in a quiet voice while looking at the ten fire ant workers visible ahead.

As soon as Se-jun arrived at the 99th floor of the tower, he tried to capture fire ants alive in the southern region to try using the newly obtained combat skill.

However,

Kkueng!

[Understood!]

Cuengi answered loudly as usual.

Kieeeek!

Thanks to that, Se-jun’s plan to stealthily attack the fire ant workers failed.

“Cuengi, just subdue them! Create Dark Clouds!”

As Se-jun used the skill, the sky darkened, and thick dark clouds were created overhead.

And,

“Throw Thunder!”

Se-jun adjusted his mana and used the skill with enough power to make the fire ants faint.

Rumble.

Kieek…

Hit by Se-jun’s thunder, the fire ant fainted.

Meanwhile,

[The Herb Collector Cuengi has defeated the fire ant worker.]

[You have obtained 500 experience points, which is 50% of the experience points obtained by the Herb Collector Cuengi.]

…

..

.

Cuengi defeated the remaining fire ants. Fortunately, even after changing his class to Herb Collector, the Guardian’s effect was applied as is.

Kkueng!

[Defeated them all!]

Having easily defeated the fire ants, Cuengi approached Se-jun.

“Good job.”

Se-jun praised Cuengi and approached the fainted fire ant. Then he planted the seed in his hand into the fire ant’s body.

[Combat Skill – You Are a Field! Lv. 1 is activated.]

Finally! Se-jun held expectations and exerted force on the hand holding the seed.

[You cannot plant the seed because you cannot pierce the enemy’s skin.]

As expected, nothing went easily. Hehehe. I expected as much. I didn’t come without any preparation!

“Cuengi, poke a hole here.”

Kkueng!

[Understood!]

Poke.

A hole was easily pierced as Cuengi pressed the fire ant’s carapace with his toe.

“It’s not that I must be the one to pierce the hole!”

Se-jun laughed and planted the seed again in the hole made by Cuengi.

[Combat Skill – You Are a Field! Lv. 1 is activated.]

[You have planted a kudzu fruit in the body of the fire ant worker.]

[Your job experience increases slightly.]

[The proficiency of Combat Skill – You Are a Field! Lv. 1 increases slightly.]

…

..

.

[The kudzu grows rapidly by absorbing the life force of the fire ant worker.]

The kudzu that had taken root in the fire ant worker’s body began to grow in an instant.