Chapter 224 – Call Me Sister-in-Law from Now On

[You have consumed a Seedless Grape for Beginners.]

[All stats increase by 1.]

[You have consumed a Seedless Grape for Beginners.]

[All stats increase by 1.]

…

..

.

“Pui, pui. Ugh… so astringent.”

Se-jun, who ate all the remaining astringent grapes, frowned. Since it raised his stats, he couldn’t not eat it… Thanks to that, as a reward for his patience in enduring the astringent taste, all of his stats rose by 23.

“Why did you make such a tasteless grape?! Huh?!”

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 said while stroking the grapevine as if scolding it. The grapevine was innocent, but he did so because he was angry about not being able to eat the grapes he had expected.

After Se-jun scolded the grapevine by himself for a while like that,

Nom.

[You have consumed a piece of Aileen’s Healthy Fist Meat.]

[The effect is applied only when all of the food is consumed.]

[60 pieces remaining.]

Se-jun, who lost his appetite due to the astringent taste, made do for breakfast with the meat Aileen had given him.

And,

“I should make rice.”

Se-jun went to the kitchen and made breakfast.

***

The Black Tower’s administrator area.

[Growth Conditions of the Great Black Tower]

[-Tower Farmer (Grade A): Achieved]

[-Create 10 or more new varieties: Unachieved]

[-Cultivate 100 million pyeong or more of farmland: Unachieved]

[-Grow the World Tree: ?]

[-Secure 10,000 or more pieces of World Energy: Unachieved]

[-Own 5 or more relics: Unachieved]

[-Accomplish 3 great achievements: Unachieved]

[-Increase the entrances of the Black Tower to 120: Unachieved]

“Hehehe. Thanks to Se-jun, I’ve achieved one of the growth conditions for the great tower!”

Aileen, who checked the conditions to grow into a great tower after a long time, spoke with a bright smile. She did not know what was good about growing into a great tower, but she was just happy.

“Huh?! But why did growing the World Tree change to a question mark?”

While Aileen, who remembered that it was definitely unachieved when she checked it at Se-jun’s request to verify if Flamie was a World Tree before, was wondering about it,

[The repair of the Bronze Mirror of Yearning has been completed.]

An alarm appeared on the crystal ball.

“Hehehe. The repair of the relic is finished!”

Aileen, who wanted to quickly give the repaired relic to Se-jun, ran to the equipment that repaired relics.

The reason Aileen could confidently boast to Se-jun that she could repair relics was thanks to this relic repair equipment, which appeared as the status of the Black Tower rose.

Aileen held the repaired bronze mirror in her hand.

“Wait! Shouldn’t I greet Se-jun’s mother too?”

Aileen was envious of Cuengi greeting Se-jun’s mother.

“Alright. I should just greet her briefly!”

Aileen, having decided to greet Se-jun’s mother, hurriedly checked her status.

“Polymorphed, dressed, clean face, and done!”

After checking her status, Aileen put mana into the bronze mirror while recalling the face of Se-jun’s mother, Kim Mi-ran.

Since Aileen had also watched Se-jun and Cuengi seeing their family through the bronze mirror on the crystal ball, she knew all of their faces.

After a while,

“Mother, hello!”

When Kim Mi-ran appeared in the bronze mirror, Aileen bowed politely to her.

“Oh my?! Who are you?”

Kim Mi-ran was flustered as she looked at the black-haired beauty who suddenly appeared in the mirror. She was so beautiful that it felt as if she were not a person of this world.

“Yes! I am Se-jun’s lover, Aileen Pritani!”

“Yes?! Our Se-jun’s girlfriend…? Ah! They said our Se-jun’s girlfriend was a beauty, and it was true! Hohoho.”

Kim Mi-ran, who had been flustered by Aileen’s answer, recalled Flamie’s words and rejoiced. Having such a pretty girlfriend, my child is great!

“Mother, have you heard about me before?”

“Yes. Flamie told me.”

“Ah. Flamie told you in advance.”

Aileen felt she understood a bit why Flamie had become a question mark status. Because Flamie had gone outside the tower, the tower could not make a judgment. Look at this? She had been playing innocent all this time?

Just as Aileen was thinking that she should talk to Flamie later,

“Excuse me… are you really my brother’s girlfriend?”

Se-dol, who was next to Kim Mi-ran just in time, asked with an unbelieving expression. There is no way my brother has a girlfriend!

“Kuhik! Then are you saying I am lying?!”

Aileen, thinking she was insulted by Se-dol’s attitude of not believing her words, flared up and glared at Se-dol. Still, because he was Se-jun’s family, she restrained herself as much as possible…

However, that was only Aileen’s thought, and Se-dol, receiving Aileen’s gaze, felt as if a giant black dragon was baring its sharp teeth and growling at him right in front of his eyes.

“N… No! Lord Aileen, I am sorry!”

Se-dol immediately whined and apologized.

However,

“Your title is wrong!”

Aileen scolded Se-dol, pointing out his title.

“Yes?!”

“Call me sister-in-law from now on.”

“Yes! Sister-in-law!”

Se-dol immediately corrected the title at Aileen’s words.

“Good. Let’s get along well in the future.”

“Yes! Sister-in-law!”

Se-dol answered in a voice full of discipline like a private. My brother’s girlfriend is too scary!

At that moment,

Crack, crack.

Fortunately for Se-dol, cracks began to form on the bronze mirror.

“Mother, then I will greet you again later.”

“Yes. Our Aileen, take care too.”

“Yes, Mother. Goodbye!”

Crash!

Fortunately, after they finished their greetings, the bronze mirror broke.

“I must repair it again.”

Thus, just five minutes after the repair was finished, the bronze mirror went back into the relic repair equipment.

And,

“Flamie, let’s talk for a moment.”

Aileen called Flamie and quietly talked with her.

***

Patter, patter.

“Kkueng!”

[Dad, Cuengi brought something good-da-yo!]

When afternoon came, Cuengi, who had gone to the western forest, returned with a kudzu root.

“Kkueng!”

[Here is for Dad-da-yo!]

“Yes. Thank you.”

Se-jun stroked Cuengi’s head while receiving the ten blue kudzu roots handed to him by Cuengi.

Munch, munch.

“Cuengi, you eat this.”

While Se-jun was eating the kudzu roots and giving honey jelly to Cuengi like that,

“Kkueng?”

(Lalala~ I hope it tastes sweet~)

The sound of the Golden Bat singing reached Cuengi’s ears. Just in case, Se-jun had fertilized the grapevine and had the Golden Bat sing to it. Although there seemed to be no reaction.

However,

Doomchit, doomchit.

A reaction came from elsewhere. Cuengi, excited by the Golden Bat’s song, shook his body and began to dance near the grapevine.

And,

“Puhuhut. When it comes to dancing, it is me, Vice President Theo, meow!”

Theo, who wanted to show off to his younger siblings, stepped forward and began to dance.

“Nya, nya, nyan, nya, nya, nyan.”

Three times to the left, three times to the right. Theo, dancing while tilting his two front paws, danced more plausibly than expected. Moreover, he was even cute.

“Everyone is playing well.”

While Se-jun sat under the shaded grapevine and watched the singing and dancing animals with a warm expression,

[I… feel… wronged…]

A voice reached Se-jun’s ears. Or more precisely, it was heard inside his head.

“Uh?! What is that sound?”

Se-jun hurriedly looked around, searching for the entity that had spoken to him.

At that moment,

[I… am… the… grapevine…]

The voice was heard inside Se-jun’s head again.

“Grapevine? Was that you speaking just now?!”

When Se-jun placed his hand on the grapevine, concentrated his consciousness, and asked,

[Yes… it is me. I… really… feel… wronged…]

This time, the grapevine’s words were heard more clearly.

“Wronged?”

[Yes… earlier… you… scolded me… saying… I… couldn’t… make… delicious grapes.]

The grapevine was saying it felt wronged for being scolded by Se-jun earlier.

“Sorry… my words were too harsh earlier.”

When Se-jun apologized to the grapevine,

[No… it is the truth… excuse me, if it is alright… please… help me… so that… I can… make… delicious grapes… again.]

The grapevine requested help from Se-jun.

“Of course! I will help you!”

Se-jun answered quickly to the grapevine’s words. Since Se-jun also desired for the grapevine to produce delicious grapes, the goals of both were perfectly aligned.

“But how should I help you?”

[That is… originally, I used to produce delicious grapes…]

The grapevine spoke of what it had experienced at Se-jun’s question. Se-jun was able to hear more detailed circumstances through the conversation with the grapevine.

“So, you are saying the original owner improved you to raise the consumption effects, and because of that, the taste became astringent?!”

[Yes.]

“Giving up on taste to raise effects! Is that something a farmer should do?!” Se-jun was furious at the grapevine’s words. Moreover, it was said that as a side effect, it could no longer produce seeds.

“I know that feeling. I know. Species reproduction is the instinct of all living things. Don’t worry. Hyung will help you.”

Se-jun, who technically had seeds but was practically seedless. Se-jun understood the grapevine’s feelings all too well.

[Sob, sob, sob… thank you…]

The grapevine felt grateful to Se-jun, who was angry and empathized with its story, and sobbed from its accumulated sorrow.

At that moment,

[You have sincerely sympathized with the words of the Seedless Grapevine for Beginners and decided to help.]

[A job quest has been generated.]

[Job Quest: Improve the Seedless Grapevine for Beginners so that the grapevine can produce delicious grapes again!]

[Reward: Exclusive cultivation rights of the newly improved grapes, Relic: Violet Ring]

“A quest was generated.”

“Oh! This is good!”

If he completed the quest, he would get delicious grapes, the exclusive cultivation rights for the delicious grapes, and even a relic item. Motivation welled up infinitely.

“So, what do I need to do now?”

Se-jun asked the grapevine.

[First… please… break… all… of my branches.]

“Your branches?!”

[Yes. Only then…]

The grapevine gave an additional explanation so that Se-jun could understand. It said that if he grafted its branches onto other crops and delicious grapes were produced, he could graft that branch back onto its own branch.

“I understand. Cuengi, please break some branches of the grapevine for me.”

When Se-jun requested this of Cuengi,

“Kkueng!”

[I understand-da-yo!]

The gigantified Cuengi carefully broke the grapevine’s branches and gave them to Se-jun.

And,

[You Are a Field! Lv. 2 is activated.]

[You have planted a Seedless Grapevine branch for Beginners in the Magical Cherry Tomato.]

[Job experience points increase slightly.]

[The proficiency of You Are a Field! Lv. 2 increases slightly.]

He grafted the grape branches onto other crops.

Se-jun grafted about 300 grape branches onto all compatible crops, including cherry tomatoes, sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, carrots, and pineapples.

***

The President’s Office of the Korean Awakened Association.

“There seems to be no movement from the enemy. It is certain that they are all dead.”

Five days after the nuclear missile fell on Niue Island, an American agent spoke while showing Han Tae-jun satellite footage of Niue Island.

“But what was that silhouette?”

Han Tae-jun asked about the giant silhouette that had been seen inside the mushroom cloud.

“We also had various discussions about it, but we think it might be a phenomenon that occurred as the locusts burned all at once. For now, as you can see from the island’s footage, nothing living remains.”

“Yes. Understood for now.”

Not long after the American agent left, fish whose body fluids were sucked out like mummies began to float to the surface in the Pacific Ocean.

And the corpses of the fish were stretching in a long line toward Hawaii.