Chapter 222 – Receiving the First Trial

“Kkueng!”

[It is delicious-da-yo!]

Cuengi was eating the honey-tasting kudzu roots deliciously.

At that moment,

Grab.

Cuengi grew angry when someone suddenly grabbed the scruff of his neck. It was because his eating was interrupted.

‘How dare someone touch the great Crimson Giant Honey Bear Cuengi-da-yo?!’

Just as Cuengi was about to gigantify and punish the being who interrupted his meal,

“Caught you! You bastard!”

When a familiar voice reached his ears, Cuengi’s pupils dilated upon hearing Se-jun’s voice, and his heart sank.

“Kkueng?”

[Why do I hear Dad’s voice-da-yo?]

Creak, creak.

Cuengi turned his head back with difficulty, feeling a sense of foreboding.

And,

“Cuengi, do you know your sin?!”

His eyes locked with Se-jun, who was holding him by the scruff of his neck with an expression that said, ‘Got you! You bastard!’ Cuengi’s pupils trembled violently as if he knew his wrongdoing.

“Kkueng… Kkueng…”

[Dad, I am sorry-da-yo… Cuengi liked the honey taste so much…]

Cuengi, with his ears drooping, meekly confessed his wrongdoing to Se-jun and sobbed. What if Dad hates me-da-yo…

Cuengi trembled with anxiety that he might be hated by Se-jun.

‘He’s cute!’

Watching such a Cuengi, the corners of Se-jun’s mouth twitched and began to rise little by little.

However,

‘No!’

Se-jun reined in his softening heart. When scolding, one had to scold properly. If he let it slide here, it would only spoil his habits further.

“Cuengi, you admit that eating delicious things all by yourself was wrong, right?”

Se-jun let go of Cuengi’s scruff, placed his hands under Cuengi’s armpits, and asked while making eye contact with him.

“Kkueng… Kkueng…”

[That is true-da-yo… Dad, I am sorry-da-yo…]

Cuengi answered tearfully to Se-jun’s question. Moisture began to form around Cuengi’s eyes.

“If you did wrong, you must be punished, right?”

Steeling his heart, which was about to weaken at Cuengi’s tears, Se-jun asked in a stern voice.

“Kkueng… Kkueng…”

[That is true-da-yo… Cuengi did wrong, so I must be punished-da-yo…]

Cuengi nodded at Se-jun’s words.

“Then, as punishment, the bitter kudzu roots are Cuengi’s share for the next ten days. Reflect on your actions while eating the bitter kudzu roots.”

There was no personal feelings. It was absolutely not revenge. It was all to teach Cuengi a lesson…

While Se-jun repeated in his mind that there were absolutely no personal feelings in the punishment,

“Kkueng!”

[I understand-da-yo!]

Although Cuengi was someone who absolutely never ate bitter things, he admitted his mistake and meekly answered that he would accept the punishment.

“Good. But Dad’s anger hasn’t cooled down yet.”

Se-jun wiped the moisture around Cuengi’s eyes with a stern expression,

“This is retribution for eating delicious food all by yourself! Pbbbt!”

He brought his face to Cuengi’s belly and blew a raspberry, making a farting sound.

“Kkwe…?! Kkuhehehe!”

[I hope Dad releases his anger-da-yo…? Hehehe!]

Cuengi thought it was a scolding atmosphere at first, but soon realized Se-jun’s anger had cooled and began to laugh.

“Cuengi, if you laugh after crying, hair grows on your butt, you know?”

Se-jun teased Cuengi.

However,

“Kkueng? Kkueng!”

[What does that mean-da-yo? Cuengi originally has hair on my butt-da-yo!]

Cuengi said, showing his butt. Come to think of it, it was only natural for Cuengi.

“Really?! Then take more of my retribution! Pbbbt.”

“Kkuhehehe.”

So he blew a raspberry on Cuengi a bit more, and then,

“Is this the honey-tasting kudzu root?”

“Kkueng!”

[That is true-da-yo!]

Se-jun examined the blue kudzu root that Cuengi had harvested.

[Kudzu Root of Blue Potential]

[A root of kudzu grown by absorbing life force from a living host.]

[It absorbed the host’s life force almost to the maximum, yielding excellent medicinal properties.]

[High in good nutrients, providing high and long-lasting satiety.]

[Upon consumption, all stat potentials increase by 5.]

[It tastes like honey.]

[Grower: Tower Farmer Park Se-jun]

[Expiration Date: 180 days]

[Grade: B]

Looking at the explanation, he felt he knew the reason why Cuengi had not looked for food.

“This increases all stat potentials.”

After confirming the options of the blue kudzu root, Se-jun put the kudzu root in his mouth and chewed.

Crunch, crunch.

The texture was similar to a radish, but it tasted like honey every time he chewed, making it feel like eating a pear.

Gulp.

[You have consumed the Kudzu Root of Blue Potential.]

[All stat potentials increase by 5.]

“Oh! It’s super sweet!”

Se-jun, who had always eaten only bitter-tasting kudzu roots, was deeply moved,

Crunch, crunch.

And put another blue kudzu root into his mouth.

And,

Crunch, crunch.

“Kkuep! Kkuep!”

[That is true-da-yo! It tastes like honey, so it is delicious-da-yo!]

Beside him, Cuengi, who was eating the bitter-tasting kudzu root, replied while making a grimace.

“Cuengi, you eat one too.”

Se-jun handed a blue kudzu root to Cuengi, who was suffering from the bitterness.

The punishment Se-jun gave Cuengi was not that he could only eat the bitter kudzu roots among the ones he dug up, but that he could also eat the honey-tasting ones as long as he ate all of the bitter ones.

However,

“Kkuep! Kkuep!”

[No-da-yo! Cuengi did wrong, so I will eat only bitter kudzu roots for ten days-da-yo!]

Cuengi refused the honey-tasting kudzu root, imposing a stricter punishment on himself.

“Really?! Then are you not eating honey either?”

When Se-jun took out a glass jar filled with honey from the subdimensional warehouse,

“Kkueng! Kkueng!”

[No-da-yo! That is different-da-yo!]

Patter, patter.

Cuengi hurriedly ran in front of Se-jun and politely held out both of his front paws.

“Here, I will give you one jar a day from now on. Rinse your mouth.”

“Kkueng! Kkueng!”

[Thank you, Dad-da-yo! I will eat well-da-yo!]

When Se-jun handed over the glass jar,

Click.

Cuengi hurriedly opened the glass jar,

Dip.

Lick, lick, lick.

He dipped his front paw into the honey and began to lick it up greedily.

‘I know that feeling too.’

Se-jun nodded while watching Cuengi rinsing his mouth with honey.

After a while,

“Kkueng! Kkueng!”

[I am fine now-da-yo! I will go dig up kudzu roots again-da-yo!]

“Let’s go together.”

When Cuengi, who had finished rinsing his mouth, stood up to dig up kudzu roots, Se-jun also stood up and followed behind him.

While they were digging up kudzu roots like that,

Purr.

Rumble.

Kyu-purr.

Before long, another sound broke in between the snoring of the sleeping Theo and Iona.

Cuengi’s belly clock, which always rang right on time, rang loudly at an awkward hour that was neither breakfast nor lunch. It was because he had come here without eating breakfast properly.

Glance, glance.

Because of his wrongdoing, Cuengi could not even speak to Se-jun and only looked at Se-jun’s reaction.

“Cuengi, you are hungry, right?”

“Kkueng… Kkueng…”

[That is true-da-yo… I am hungry-da-yo…]

Cuengi answered cautiously to Se-jun’s words.

“Eat this for now. Crop Gigantification.”

Se-jun used his skill to give Cuengi a giant sweet potato, and gathered surrounding wood and stones to build a simple stove where he could cook.

Snap!

When Se-jun lit the stove by snapping his fingers to create fire,

Whoosh.

The tree branches began to burn.

“It’s done.”

After confirming that the fire had caught properly, Se-jun placed a pot on the stove,

Chop, chop, chop.

While the pot was heating, Se-jun quickly julienned hundreds of potatoes. The dish Se-jun was making now was stir-fried potatoes. Because the potatoes were julienned, they cooked quickly, allowing for fast cooking.

Sizzle.

After finishing the slicing, Se-jun put tuna fat into the heated pot to melt it, and then,

Pour!

He poured the julienned potatoes into the pot, stir-fried them, and seasoned them with honey and salt for a sweet and salty flavor.

After a while,

[You have achieved the achievement of making the first sweet and salty stir-fried potatoes in the tower.]

[The recipe for sweet and salty stir-fried potatoes has been registered in Cooking Lv. 7.]

[The proficiency of Cooking Lv. 7 has increased slightly.]

As the cooking was completed, a message stating that the achievement was accomplished appeared.

“Cuengi, come and eat.”

“Kkueng! Kkueng!”

[It smells delicious-da-yo! It looks delicious-da-yo!]

At Se-jun’s call, Cuengi, who had been drooling and waiting for the dish to be completed since earlier, ran over hurriedly.

And,

“Kkueng!”

[Dad, I will eat well-da-yo!]

He bowed 90 degrees to Se-jun, who had cooked for him, and began to eat the stir-fried potatoes.

“Kkueng! Kkueng!”

[It is extremely delicious-da-yo! As expected, Dad’s cooking is the best-da-yo!]

Cuengi, excited from eating delicious food, continued to eat the stir-fried potatoes while shaking his butt and body.

‘He eats well.’

Se-jun watched Cuengi warmly.

Six hours later,

“Let’s go back now.”

“Kkueng!”

[I understand-da-yo!]

When it became time for dinner, Se-jun called Cuengi and returned home.

***

The next morning.

“Everyone, are you ready?!”

When Se-jun spoke while looking at the animals in the brewery, where 3,000 jars and 300,000 glass bottles were stacked,

“Yes, meow!”

“Kkueng!”

[Yes-da-yo!]

Squeak!

Ukki!

The animals replied. Today was the day to transfer the Samyangju brewed in 3,000 jars into bottles. Because there were many bottles to fill, Se-jun requested help from the other animals.

The 300,000 glass bottles were received in lieu of payment for the cherry tomatoes provided to Iona’s magic tower, and the mages had worked hard to make them.

“Now, let’s begin!”

Just as Se-jun was about to start the work,

-Kahahahaha. I will help you!

-Indeed. We shall help!

Kaiser and Kellion stepped forward. Since Se-jun’s work had to finish quickly for the Samyangju to return to them sooner, there was no reason for them not to step forward.

-Be filled.

At Kaiser’s single word, the Samyangju in 100 jars began to be filled into 10,000 glass bottles,

-Be filled.

Beside him, Kellion also filled the Samyangju from the jars into the bottles.

When the two dragons had transferred almost all the Samyangju from the 3,000 jars into the glass bottles like that,

[You have distributed 30,000 bottles of Samyangju to each dragon clan.]

[The quest has been completed.]

[As a reward for completing the quest, you have obtained a large amount of job experience points.]

[Job experience points increase significantly.]

[As a reward for completing the quest, all stat potentials increase by 100.]

[As a reward for completing the quest, you are granted the qualification to challenge the 10th tower’s trial.]

[As a congratulatory gift for obtaining the qualification to challenge the 10th tower’s trial, one Seedless Grapevine for Beginners is provided.]

“Uh?! A grapevine?”

[The first trial of the 10th tower begins.]

[The First Trial of the 10th Tower: In order to farm, a sturdy body that does not suffer from minor illnesses is required. Grow the grapevine well, eat the grape fruits, and make all stats 300 or higher.]

A robust grapevine without fruit appeared in front of Se-jun, and the first trial began.

“No, since when did the standard for sturdiness become 300 for all stats?”

Stroke, stroke.

[Farmer’s Warm Touch Lv. 4 is activated.]

[During the contact, the growth of the Seedless Grapevine for Beginners accelerates slightly.]

Se-jun stroked the grapevine diligently while reading the absurd trial content. For now, he intended to grow the grapevine with all his effort.

“Hehehe. When will it bear fruit?”

In any case, Se-jun had been wanting to eat grapes lately.

***

The Black Dragon’s domain

Rumble.

“What is this sound?”

When the great black dragon Miles flew up into the sky to find the source of the sound,

“Where is this vibration coming from?”

“I don’t know either.”

Dragons living in other domains were also flying in the sky, searching for the source of the vibration.

At that moment,

“Uh?! There is some movement down there!”

One dragon pointed toward the lower part of the Ruin surrounded by the nine towers.

“Where?!”

When the dragons followed the gaze of the dragon who had found the source of the sound,

Rumble.

A cone-shaped, pointed gray tower was seen slowly rising.

“Uh?! That’s a tower!”

“What tower is it?”

While the dragons grew tense at the appearance of the new tower,

Thud.

The gray tower rose to a height of about ten meters and stopped moving.

“We should report this to the family head first!”

The dragons hurriedly reported the appearance of the new tower to the heads of their respective families.