Chapter 246 – I Do Not Fall for Sales Tactics

“I have something else to prepare. Please go ahead.”

“Is that so? Got it.”

At Yuren’s words, Se-jun came out of the tent with the animals.

At that moment,

“From now on, finalists of the Food Fighter Selection, please come up onto the stage!”

The Food Fighter contest staff began to guide the participants.

“Cuengi, fighting! Eat a lot!”

Se-jun cheered on Cuengi, who was heading to the stage holding his finals ticket.

Kkueng! Kkueng!

[Understood! Cuengi will eat a lot and win!]

At Se-jun’s cheering, Cuengi gave a thumbs-up confidently as if telling him to trust only him, and spoke.

“Khwahahaha! The little fellow has big ambitions.”

“Indeed. He will go home crying after coming out for nothing. Keke.”

Although the large participants who heard Cuengi’s words ridiculed and laughed at him,

Ummeo?!

[What did you just say to our Cuengi?!]

“Gasp!”

“N-no…”

Such large fellows were easily dealt with by the Black Minotaurs participating in the contest glaring at them.

After a while, all 100 participants took their seats, and Se-jun also settled in the spectator seats with the animals.

Kkueng!

[Dad, Cuengi is here!]

Cuengi, who had been anxious because he could not see Se-jun for a moment, spotted Se-jun sitting in the spectator seats and waved his front paw,

“Yeah. Cuengi, fighting!”

And Se-jun also waved his hand back, cheering on Cuengi.

“It’s a pity there is no camera.”

Se-jun spoke in a regretful voice. Cuengi, squeezed between large powerhouses and waving his front paw toward him, was too cute.

In that way, Se-jun waited for the contest to begin while watching the cute Cuengi.

“But why isn’t Yuren coming out when he said he had something else to prepare?”

He became curious about Yuren, who had not yet come up onto the finals stage. ‘He hasn’t ended up in a life-threatening crisis somewhere in the meantime, right?’

Se-jun, worrying about Yuren despite being as weak as a sunfish.

At that moment,

“Then, the host of the Food Fighter contest and the legend of the Food Fighter contest who has never once missed a championship, Great Merchant Yuren-nim will enter!”

Bbam-bba-ra-bam.

Along with the host’s introduction, a fanfare resounded, and

Cheolkong.

The floor of the highest seat on the finals stage opened.

And,

Thud.

Yuren jumped up from the floor. Yuren, wearing a golden crown and wrapped in a golden cloak.

Kquik!

As Yuren let out a roar containing his will to win,

“Waaaa!”

“It’s the legendary food fighter Yuren!”

“The great pig Yuren!”

The crowd sent cheers to Yuren. Waving his hand to such a crowd, Yuren sat down in his seat. It seemed this was what he was preparing.

“But the host of this contest was Yuren?”

‘What on earth is he doing?’ Se-jun was dumbfounded. Considering the information heard from Theo and what he did, it felt like he could never earn money.

“How does he make money?”

As Se-jun harbored doubts about how Yuren became a Great Merchant,

“Now. Since all participants have taken their seats, I will explain the Food Fighter contest format. The Food Fighter contest is…”

The explanation was long, but to summarize, because it was held in the Red Ribbon Kingdom, all dishes served would use carrots as the main ingredient.

And it meant that one would win by eating all five appetizers served in front of them and eating the most of the main dish served at the end.

In other words, the appetizers could be considered just practice games, and the main dish was the real game.

“Then, we will prepare the first appetizer!”

Along with the host’s words, dozens of pigs began to place bowls, which were almost the size of small cars, containing carrot soup in front of the participants one by one.

“That is an appetizer?!”

Perhaps because it was an appetizer for a Food Fighter contest, the scale was different from the start.

As the food was placed in front of all participants like that,

“Then, please taste the first appetizer, carrot soup!”

With the host’s shout, the participants began to eat the carrot soup.

And,

Hurururuk.

Hurururuk.

Slam!

Slam!

Yuren and Cuengi emptied the carrot soup at a speed that overwhelmed the other participants, and laid down their bowls almost simultaneously.

Kkueng?!

“?!”

Cuengi and Yuren, who heard each other’s sound of laying down the bowls.

Kkueng!

[Cuengi is still hungry!]

“That is the same for me! It does not even feel like I ate.”

At Cuengi’s provocation, Yuren also fought back without losing.

Glare.

Cuengi and Yuren burning with competitive spirit as they looked at each other.

“Oh?! Contestant number 7, who emptied the carrot soup at the same speed as Yuren-nim! I look forward to the future match!”

The host, who grasped that Cuengi’s eating power was unusual, began to create a competitive structure between Cuengi and Yuren.

Usually, Yuren’s speed was so overwhelming that it was hard to host, but today it seemed he could bring tension to the match.

At that moment,

Kkueng!

[My name is Cuengi Park!]

Since the host did not call his name, Cuengi asserted his name toward the host.

“Ah. Yes. You were Contestant Cuengi Park. I will call you by name from now on.”

As time passed like that,

“Then, we will prepare the second appetizer!”

Once the participants finished all the carrot soup, the host had the second appetizer brought out.

This time, the pigs brought carrot salad with julienned carrots piled up like a mountain on a huge plate.

***

White Castle, the King’s Office.

Pyak?!

[Uncle told you to deliver this?!]

Ppak!

[That is correct!]

The Black Rabbit was surprised to see the land deeds Se-jun delivered.

‘To think he solved it in just a few hours.’

He had not expected the case to be resolved this quickly. Uncle is amazing!

Although he received a report that Theo, Cuengi, and the Golden Bat played the key roles in solving the case, he thought it would have been impossible without Se-jun as the central point.

Pyak. Pyak…

[This is the land deed of the 25th floor of the tower, which Radson’s family reported missing. This is…]

While the Black Rabbit, who received the land deeds, was checking if there was a land deed that matched the details of the reported damage,

Pyak?! Pyak?

[Huh?! This is not the land deed of the Black Tower?]

The Black Rabbit discovered a land deed of another tower between the Black Tower land deeds.

[Land Deed of the 80th Floor of the Purple Tower]

It was a land deed no one had reported. If so, it meant the culprit had possessed this. Thanks to this, he felt he knew who the mastermind was. Was it the Purple Tower?

Pyak!

[Deliver this to Uncle!]

Ppak!

[Yes!]

Coco, holding the Purple Tower land deed, hurriedly ran toward the place where Se-jun was.

***

“Now. We will prepare the third appetizer!”

Along with the host’s words, this time the pigs brought out carrot juice in giant glasses and set up the food.

While the food was being set up,

“It must have been hard for you just watching the participants eat. From now on, we will also sell the food the participants eat to the audience, so those who wish to eat the food, please raise your hand and order.”

Along with the host’s words, they began to sell the food the participants were eating to the audience as well, and

“Carrot soup for me!”

“Six carrot salads here!”

The audience, who became hungry while watching the participants eat, hurriedly ordered food.

“Oh. This is decent.”

Se-jun, looking at that, thought it was a decent marketing tactic.

But,

“Hmph. I do not fall for sales tactics.”

Se-jun, who had no intention of falling for sales tactics, did not buy and eat.

“Then, please taste the third appetizer, carrot juice! From now on, the audience can also order carrot juice!”

As the carrot juice was set up in the meantime, the participants began to drink the carrot juice with the host’s shout.

Gulp. Gulp.

Slam!

This time too, Cuengi and Yuren drank the carrot juice at an overwhelming speed and laid down their glasses simultaneously.

Kkueng!

Kquik!

Glare.

While the two engaged in a battle of nerves, glaring at each other like that,

“I… eup… I will give up…”

“Ugh!”

Dropouts appeared.

After a short while,

Once the remaining participants finished drinking the carrot juice,

“Now the remaining participants number 75. Then, we will prepare the next appetizer!”

Along with the host’s words, the pigs began to bring out plates containing the fourth appetizer.

At that moment,

“Huh?!”

Se-jun, who spotted the fourth appetizer, let his eyes shine and began to pull out money.

And,

“Then, participants, please taste the fourth appetizer! From now on, the audience can also order carrot cake!”

Along with the host’s words,

“Ten carrot cakes here!”

Se-jun ordered the food.

‘Since I originally wanted to eat it, this is not falling for sales tactics.’

While convincing himself that he had not fallen for sales tactics.

***

Black Tower Administrator Area.

“Did you dare tell our Se-jun to get lost?! Huh?!”

Boom!

As Aileen, who transformed into her true form to punish the Holy Stone that had spoken harsh words to Se-jun, firmly stepped on the white gem with her right foot,

-Egyagyak! Aileen-nim, I was wrong! Please forgive me!

The Holy Stone screamed and begged for forgiveness.

“Then, you will listen to our Se-jun well from now on, right?”

Aileen asked as if coaxing the Holy Stone, reducing the weight she had placed on her foot. Still, it was the item Se-jun had requested. She wanted to resolve it peacefully if possible.

But,

-That is… how can I listen to such a weak fellow…

The Holy Stone, which still had not regained its senses.

“What?! Fellow?! Did you just call our Se-jun a fellow?! How dare you ignore our Se-jun?!”

Press.

Aileen, enraged by the Holy Stone’s words, began to place weight on her foot again. This time, even stronger.

Crack.

As the threshold the Holy Stone could endure was crossed, hairline cracks began to form on the Holy Stone.

-Egyagyak! Save the Holy Stone! I am breaking!

“Hmph! Let it break! I will shatter anyone who ignores our Se-jun!”

Press.

Aileen placed more weight on her foot. Aileen pushed the Holy Stone even further to the limit.

A Holy Stone that does not obey its master is dangerous. Moreover, even more so for Se-jun, who did not have the ability to suppress the Holy Stone by force.

Therefore, if the Holy Stone was not tamed, Aileen intended to destroy the Holy Stone without regret. That was for Se-jun’s sake.

“Obey our Se-jun!”

Crack.

Although Aileen strove to tame the Holy Stone for a long time like that,

-Egyagyak! Even so…

The Holy Stone held out stubbornly.

‘Is it not working? It cannot be helped then.’

Aileen gave up on taming the Holy Stone. She tried to load all the weight of her true form onto her foot to destroy the Holy Stone.

At that moment,

-Egyagyak! I surrender! I will obey Se-jun-nim from now on!

In the end, the Holy Stone declared surrender.

“You will really obey our Se-jun, right?”

Upon the Holy Stone’s surrender, Aileen asked while reducing the weight placed on her foot.

-Of course!

“Then, swear that you will obey Se-jun.”

-No. There is no need to go as far as a swear…

“You still haven’t regained your senses.”

As Aileen tried to place weight on her foot again,

-No! I will swear! I, the Holy Stone Piercing, swear to obey Se-jun-nim for the rest of my life!

The Holy Stone made a vow of obedience and surrendered completely.

“You should have done that from the start. Recover.”

Aileen used magic to heal the cracks on the Holy Stone.

And,

“Keuhihihi. Shall I appraise this now?”

Aileen, whose mood improved after making the Holy Stone submit, picked up the black coal Theo had brought and appraised it,

-Who is it?! Who dares wake up the heart of me, Dark, the God of Darkness?!

A majestic voice resounded from the coal. It turned out it was not coal, but the heart of Dark, the God of Darkness.

“Keuhing! Again?!”

Looking at the magic power wafting from the heart, it seemed it would take far more time than the Holy Stone to make it so Se-jun could handle it.

“Heit!”

Thud!

Aileen, showing her annoyance, threw the heart of Dark, the God of Darkness onto the floor, seizing the initiative.

But,

-What?! Who dares…

The heart was indeed not discouraged.

Boom!

Aileen stomped her foot strongly, stepping on the heart.

-Uhuk! What is this?!

The heart, which did not know the reason, asked,

Boom! Boom!

Aileen continued to stomp without answer. Aileen was one who realized while taming the Holy Stone that, anyway, such fellows should not be dealt with through words.