Chapter 267 – So Now It’s Time to Get Off Work, Meow

The 79th floor of the tower.

Cobb, the kingdom of birds that has prospered for hundreds of years and built a brilliant civilization.

However, a problem arose in the kingdom from a few decades ago as all lakes within the territory completely dried up.

A drought of unknown reason had come. All the land of the Cobb Kingdom cracked severely due to water shortage.

Prana, the queen of the Cobb Kingdom, solved the problem to some extent by quickly bringing water from other floors, but there was one problem that could not be solved.

That was the withering Mother Tree. Even though many birds kept pouring and pouring water, the condition of the Mother Tree only got worse.

The Mother Tree had a great meaning to the birds of the Cobb Kingdom. This was because all the birds of the Cobb Kingdom were born from the flowers bloomed by the Mother Tree.

To them, the Mother Tree was indeed their mother.

Since such a Mother Tree was withering, the birds’ worry was no small matter.

The biggest problem was that as the Mother Tree withered, the number of birds being born was gradually decreasing.

And since last year, the chirping of baby birds had almost disappeared from the Cobb Kingdom.

As a result, the lively atmosphere of the kingdom’s capital vanished, and it was currently encroached by deep despair.

A mountain towering in the center of such a capital.

At the top of the mountain was a beautiful rainbow-colored castle. It was the Rainbow Castle, the royal castle of Cobb that had guarded one spot for hundreds of years.

“Prana, will the messenger birds bring back someone to save the Mother Tree this time?”

“Rui, we must believe. They are children chosen by the Shrine Maiden of the Tree. They will surely bring back someone who can save the Mother Tree.”

At her husband’s worry, Prana, the queen of the Cobb Kingdom, replied in a confident voice without a single tremor.

The Shrine Maiden of the Tree who could hear the voice of the Mother Tree.

The Shrine Maiden of the Tree appointed birds selected by the Mother Tree as messengers every year to go outside the kingdom and find a hero who could treat the Mother Tree.

For as long as ten years, they sent messenger birds outside and brought back many, but no one had even found out why the Mother Tree was withering.

“Prana, then I will go fetch water again.”

“Yes.”

As her husband Rui jumped off from the castle’s terrace and flew in the sky to leave for another floor like that,

Sigh.

Prana let out a deep sigh she had been holding back.

Actually, she was also anxious. It was just that if even she showed a shaken appearance, the kingdom would shake, so she did not show it.

“This year, for sure…”

Prana looked at the Mother Tree visible in the distance and prayed earnestly that one of the messenger birds would bring a being who could save the Mother Tree.

***

‘Puhuhut. Since making subordinates is also work, I am working hard, meow! I think today’s work is finished, meow!’

While Theo was looking proudly at his subordinate Ppiyot-i,

Chirp! Chirp?

[Boss! But what should I call you?]

Although what was written in the contract was not its name, Ppiyot-i, who had already decided to become the subordinate of Theo who saved him, looked at Theo and asked.

“Puhuhut. Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself, meow! I am the subordinate of the Great Black Dragon, the Fatal Dragon Claws Golden Cat, Theo Park, meow! For your information, I am Chairman Park’s right arm, meow!”

Ppiyot-i, who had come out not long after being born and didn’t know what a black dragon was.

Chirp!

[It is an honor to become Lord Theo’s subordinate!]

He was just happy to become Theo’s subordinate. Here was another kid who knew nothing of the world.

“Puhuhut. That’s right, meow! Becoming the subordinate of me, Vice President Theo, is a tremendous honor, meow!”

Theo said triumphantly, looking at Ppiyot-i who was watching him with respectful eyes.

Then,

Rumble.

A rumbling sound came from Ppiyot-i’s stomach. A state where he had eaten nothing while fighting the white snakes here for a few days.

“Puhuhut. Wait just a moment, meow!”

Theo, thinking he could show a cool appearance to his subordinate, opened his bundle.

But,

Rummage, rummage.

Even when he put his front paw into the bundle, nothing was caught.

“There is nothing, meow!”

Theo only then realized that the bundle was empty.

“Ppiyot-i, eat this at least, meow!”

Theo took out peanuts from his pocket, which he had kept separately to give to Iona.

“Thank you!”

Peck, peck, peck.

Ppiyot-i began to diligently peck and crack the peanuts.

And,

Chirp

[It’s delicious!]

Peck-peck-peck.

Ppiyot-i, who tasted the peanuts, began to eat the cracked peanuts in earnest.

“Puhuhut. Eat a lot, meow!”

Theo said, crushing the peanuts into powder so that Ppiyot-i could eat them comfortably.

Chirp!

[Lord Theo, thank you!]

“Puhuhut. No need to thank me, meow!”

Theo laughed slyly as he watched Ppiyot-i eating the peanuts.

‘50 Tower Coins per peanut, service fee of 100 Tower Coins since I crushed the peanuts myself, and since it’s 5 peanuts in total, it’s 750 Tower Coins, meow!’

Theo, fitting for the right arm of Se-jun who loved money, never gave anything for free.

Chirp!

[I’m full now!]

Ppiyot-i holding his belly after eating five peanuts.

“Puhuhut. Ppiyot-i, if you’ve finished eating, let’s settle the bill, meow!”

Theo said, holding out his front paw.

Chirp?

[Settle the bill?]

“That’s right, meow! If you eat, you pay money, meow!”

Chirp… Chirp…

[I don’t have money… maybe this at least…]

Ppiyot-i pulled out an egg as big as his own body from the small bag he was carrying.

The Mother Tree bore eggs as fruit in addition to bringing birds into existence, and birds sometimes packed them as a lunch box substitute when embarking on a long journey like Ppiyot-i.

“Meow?! That is?!”

Theo was surprised to see the egg Ppiyot-i pulled out. It was a fried egg Chairman Park likes, meow!

Although fried egg is a type of dish made with eggs, Theo had the name engraved in his head after seeing Se-jun getting excited upon seeing fried eggs.

Ki-ki-ki. Chirp!

[Hehehe. I have a lot of these! I will give you all of them! Let’s trade for peanuts instead!]

Seeing Theo’s good reaction, Ppiyot-i hurriedly shouted. Ppiyot-i was excited at the thought of handing over all the not-so-tasty eggs and trading them for peanuts.

“Good, meow! Then let’s get out of here first, meow! Ppiyot-i, stay close behind me, meow!”

Chirp!

[Yes!]

As Ppiyot-i moved behind Theo,

Shing!

“Meow!”

Theo drew the dragon claws and swung his front paw greatly from top to bottom. It was Theo’s second technique, Single Meow Slash.

Crack.

Five lines were drawn on the body of the Jormungandr fragment, turning it into six parts,

Fray.

The dead Jormungandr fragment turned into powder and disappeared.

Clink.

White coins falling to the ground.

Chirp!!! Chirp!!!

[Lord Theo!!! Amazing!!!]

Ppiyot-i was surprised at the sight he saw for the first time in his life.

“Ppiyot-i, go pick up the coins, meow!”

Theo instructed Ppiyot-i to pick up the coins.

Chirp!

[Yes!]

Ppiyot-i, who came to respect Theo even more, flew quickly and brought the coins to Theo in his beak.

Once all the coins were collected like that,

‘Puhuhut. Since I even obtained the fried eggs Chairman Park likes, me, Vice President Theo, worked overtime today, meow! So now it’s time to get off work, meow!’

“Ppiyot-i, follow me, meow!”

Theo, who was proud of himself, spoke in a confident voice to Ppiyot-i as he turned his steps in the direction of ascending the tower.

Chirp! Chirp!

[Yes! I want to eat peanuts quickly!]

Ppiyot-i, blinded by peanuts. He followed Theo closely, forgetting even his duty as a messenger bird to save the Mother Tree.

***

Kheu. Coffee is indeed about the handmade touch.

Se-jun grimaced as he drank the coffee he had hand-dripped himself after lunch using the beans and dripper Black Rabbit had packed for him.

“It’s not good…”

It was not the taste he had at the castle. It was just bitter and had an unpleasant sour taste that made him frown.

Slurp.

Still, because he had to replenish caffeine, Se-jun drank the coffee while bearing it.

As he finished drinking all the coffee while bearing the bitter taste,

[You have ingested medicine with a bitter taste.]

[Talent: Good Medicine for Stamina Tastes Bitter is activated.]

[Stamina increases by 3.]

Perhaps treating coffee as medicine, his Stamina rose by 3.

“My Stamina rose by as much as 3?”

Thanks to that, Se-jun found out how bitter the coffee he brewed was.

“Now I should go make the rice noodle dough.”

Se-jun went to the kitchen, put money into the Relic: Wealth-Swallowing Rice Dough, drew dough, and began to make the rice noodle dough.

Thump, thump.

While he was kneading the dough for a long time like that,

Kkueng!

[Papa, Kkueng is back, kkueng!]

Kkueng, who had dug up herbs in the western forest, returned.

“Our Kkueng, did you dig up a lot of herbs?”

Kkueng! Kkueng!

[Indeed, kkueng! Kkueng brought a lot of herbs, kkueng!]

Tada!

At Se-jun’s question, Kkueng answered while showing his snack bag.

Inside the snack bag, there were twenty sweet blue kudzu roots and three extremely bitter white kudzu roots.

And,

“Huh?”

There was one light green kudzu root seen for the first time.

Kkueng! Kkueng!

[This has an extremely sour smell, kkueng! Just smelling it makes my mouth water, kkueng!]

Kkueng said, looking at the light green kudzu root.

“Is that so?”

Hearing Kkueng’s words, Se-jun smelled the light green kudzu root.

“Oh! It smells like lime here? Gulp.”

Sensing the refreshing smell, his mouth naturally watered.

“Fortunately, it is not bitter.”

Se-jun was relieved and examined the light green kudzu root closely.

[Kudzu Root of Overflowing Mana]

Unlike other kudzu roots that absorb vitality from a living host, this is a root of kudzu that absorbs mana from the surrounding kudzu.

Having absorbed the mana of dozens of kudzu roots of tough vitality, its medicinal properties are good.

Upon ingestion, Mana increases by 50 or Mana potential increases by 25.

Upon ingestion, there is a low probability of awakening a talent related to absorption.

It has a strong sour taste.

Cultivator: Tower Farmer Park Se-jun

Expiration date: 210 days

Grade: A+

“Tonight’s dinner is grilled fish.”

Upon smelling the lime scent, Se-jun wanted to eat the grilled fish after squeezing the juice of the Kudzu Root of Overflowing Mana, which had a lime scent, onto it.

Kkueng!

[Sounds great, kkueng!]

Kkueng cheered at Se-jun’s words. Any dish Papa makes is good, kkueng!

“Then, since Papa will make grilled fish, Kkueng eat this and press some rice noodles for me.”

Se-jun spoke while putting five honey jellies into Kkueng’s mouth.

Kkuhehehe. Kkueng!

[Hehehe. Got it, kkueng!]

Kkueng, melting the honey jellies in his mouth, lifted the black noodle press hanging on the kitchen wall, put the rice noodle dough Se-jun made inside, and

Kkuee-eng!

Pressed the dough and began to make noodles.

And,

Clack.

Se-jun took out fish from the subdimensional warehouse in the meantime, put them on skewers, and began to grill them.

Like that, when Se-jun had grilled nearly 300 fish,

[You have completed the grilled piranha.]

[The proficiency of Cooking Lv. 7 rises minutely.]

[The proficiency of Cooking Lv. 7 is filled, and its level rises.]

With the message that the cooking level rose appearing, Se-jun’s Cooking skill level rose to 8.

Then,

“Chairman Park, I’m back, meow!”

Theo shouted as he threw his body toward Se-jun.

Swish.

Again, this time avoiding Se-jun’s hand,

Hug.

Theo hugged Se-jun’s face with his body.

“Ptooey! Ptooey! You’re back?”

Thanks to that, Se-jun had to spit out Theo’s fur this time too. I should make one more Theo Ball.

“Puhuhut. That’s right, meow!”

“You must have gone with nothing in your bundle, but you look so pleased? Did you work hard?”

“Puhuhut. Of course, meow! Me, Vice President Theo, went and worked extremely hard, meow! I even rescued a subordinate over there, meow!”

As Theo spoke confidently and turned around to introduce Ppiyot-i,

Kkueng?

[Who is it, kkueng?]

Chirp. Chirp.

[Great Black Dragon Chairman Park, hello. I am Ppiyot-i, the subordinate of Lord Theo.]

Ppiyot-i was seen politely bowing to Kkueng, who was pressing the rice noodles. He had judged Kkueng, the strongest here, as Theo’s boss.

Kkueng!

[Kkueng is not Chairman Park, kkueng. Papa is Chairman Park, kkueng!]

Chirp?!

[What?!]

Ppiyot-i, turning his gaze following Kkueng’s front paw, made eye contact with Se-jun.

‘I’m ruined…’

Ppiyot-i, who ruined his first meeting with Se-jun, was frustrated.