Chapter 278 – Thanks to You, I Wasn’t Lonely

Deep underground, where the roots of the Mother Tree were located.

Cre···ak···

The Mother Tree was moving with difficulty to escape tens of millions of red tentacles tightly wrapped around its roots.

However, the resistance of the Mother Tree, which was already exhausted to the limit, was infinitely weak.

While the Mother Tree was resisting like that,

Sizzle. Sizzle.

The red tentacles emitting hot heat burned the roots of the Mother Tree with fire to make wounds, and

Gulp. Gulp.

Sucked life force through the wounds and supplied it somewhere. And at the end of it, there was a giant red praying mantis. It was the Mantis Queen, the queen of the Mantises.

The Mantis Queen had been aiming for the power of conception possessed by the Mother Tree for a long time.

The power of conception is the power to make what one desires be born.

The reason the Mother Tree could make birds be born from the flowers it bloomed was also due to the power of conception.

Therefore, in order to obtain the power of conception, the Mantis Queen used her own power of fire to eliminate the water on the 79th floor of the tower and waited for the Mother Tree to weaken.

And as the Mother Tree’s power weakened, she approached the roots like this and tried to steal the power of conception.

But the Mantis Queen had not been able to obtain the power of conception for several years and was only absorbing the life force of the Mother Tree.

This was because the Mother Tree, even while dying, was holding out while protecting the power of conception with its own life force.

The phenomenon of the recent rapid increase in the number of Mantises was due to the Mantis Queen giving birth to many offspring to dispose of the overflowing life force she absorbed from the Mother Tree.

However, this too would end in a short while. Finally, the moment was coming when the efforts of the Mantis Queen, who had waited for decades, would bear fruit.

The life force of the Mother Tree was almost completely depleted.

Once the life force was depleted, the power of conception that the Mother Tree had been protecting so desperately would become hers.

At that time,

Creak.

The Mother Tree, which had recovered its energy to some extent through the treatment of Se-jun and the animals, began to move its roots.

However, the roots were tightly wrapped in tens of millions of red tentacles and could not budge.

Crunch.

Instead, the tentacles tightened and locked down even more strongly on the roots of the Mother Tree, which was trying to escape with stronger force than usual.

However,

Creak. Creak.

Knowing that right now, while receiving treatment, was the last opportunity it could do something, the Mother Tree also violently moved its roots again with all its might, and

Snap.

Finally, one of the tentacles wrapping around the roots of the Mother Tree snapped.

Snap. Snap.

Once the breakthrough was made, the tentacles snapped more and more, one by one.

Kweeeek?!!!

The Mantis Queen, realizing that someone was helping the Mother Tree, became enraged.

And,

Kweeeeeek!

Ordered all Mantises to march toward the Mother Tree.

***

Kwek!

At the Mantis Queen’s command, 1,000,000 Mantises marched rapidly toward the Mother Tree, and

Kwuoooo!

Kkyuoooo!

The duo in charge of destruction flew rapidly toward them, emitting a sinister energy.

After a moment,

“Kyut-kyut-kyut-O power of the meteor. Fall toward the enemy. Meteor.”

Kaboom!

A meteor fell from the sky, and

Kkueng! Kkueng!

[You disturbed Cuengi’s sleep-da-yo! I will punish you-da-yo!]

Kaboom!

As the giant Club of Justice was swung from right to left,

Splat.

The 1,000,000 Mantises were wiped out.

[Guardian Iona has defeated a male Mantis.]

[You have acquired 1,000 experience points, which is 50% of the experience points acquired by Guardian Iona.]

[Herb Collector Cuengi has defeated a female Mantis.]

[You have acquired 2,500 experience points, which is 50% of the experience points acquired by Herb Collector Cuengi.]

…

..

.

[You have leveled up.]

[You have acquired 1 bonus stat.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have acquired 1 bonus stat.]

Thanks to that, gaining an immense amount of experience, Se-jun leveled up twice, and

[A quest has generated.]

[Job Quest: Gather Precious Seeds in Large, Large Quantities.]

Use the Seed Harvesting skill 1,000,000 times (0/1,000,000)

Reward: Unlock level 71, 10,000,000 Tower Coins, all stats +100

Reaching level 70, the job quest to reach level 71 appeared.

Using the Seed Harvesting skill 1,000,000 times. It was the third consecutive grinding quest following using the Harvesting skill 100,000 times and planting 10,000,000 seeds.

Still, he really liked that all stats would increase by 100 in the rewards.

“Harvesting seeds a million times? Well… I’ll get it done quickly as I do it.”

Se-jun burned moderate motivation while looking at the quest contents. This state was just right.

Because if one burned their motivation too hotly from the start, the motivation would fade later.

“And now is not the time to think about other things.”

Touch.

[Farmer’s Warm Touch Lv. 7 is activated.]

[While touched, the damaged roots of the Mother Tree are slightly healed.]

Se-jun placed his hand on the Mother Tree and began treatment again.

After a moment,

“Hum-hum-hum.”

When Se-jun hummed while treating the Mother Tree,

Knead. Knead.

“Nyan-nyan-nyan.”

Theo naturally did kneads on the Mother Tree, pressed his butt against Se-jun’s leg, and hummed.

(Bat-bat.)

Ppiyot. Ppiyot.

Subsequently, the Golden Bat and Ppiyot-i also climbed onto Se-jun’s shoulders and sang.

The Golden Bat sang a song to heal the Mother Tree, and Ppiyot-i sang a song to cheer everyone on.

And,

Kkueng…

[I’m sleepy-da-yo…]

“Kyut-kyut-I’m sleepy.”

Cuengi and Iona, who returned after defeating the Mantises, also went to their respective spots and began to sleep. Cuengi inside Se-jun’s arms, Iona in Theo’s tail.

Kkurolong.

Kkyurolong.

Soon, when even the snoring sounds of the two were heard,

Hum. Bat. Kkuro. Yot. Nyan-nyan. Kkyuro. Bat. Ppi. Long.

The various sounds combined and became a pleasant music. Infatuated by the highly harmonious sound, Se-jun and the animals sang hard without even realizing it.

While Se-jun hummed and focused on treating the Mother Tree like that,

[The Mother Tree moved its roots and completely escaped from the being that absorbs its life force.]

A message appeared saying that the roots of the Mother Tree had completely escaped from something harmful.

“When Cuengi wakes up, I should tell him to handle the thing underground together with Toryong-i.”

If Cuengi, the earth-digging expert, and Toryong-i were together, they would quickly find the being that tormented the Mother Tree.

At that time,

Rumble.

The ground vibrated, and something began to rise from the ground.

But,

“Chairman Park, it’s dangerous, meow! Nya-nya-nyan! Nya-nya-nyan!”

Before that something could even rise from the ground, it was eliminated by the Meow Meow Storm Fist of Theo, who was in charge of treatment but also served as Se-jun’s bodyguard.

[Guardian Theo has defeated Mantis Queen Itra of Flame.]

[You have acquired 50,000,000 experience points, which is 50% of the experience points acquired by Guardian Theo.]

Of course, because of the job quest, the experience points were not acquired.

‘What a waste…’

While Se-jun felt regretful,

“Puhut. I, Vice President Theo, protected Chairman Park, meow!”

Theo boasted, spreading his toes to make a V sign.

“No, you didn’t! I became stronger, so I could have won this time!”

When Se-jun, who was cranky for no reason, countered,

“No, you couldn’t, meow! Chairman Park is weak, so you couldn’t win, meow!”

Theo replied as if he could not lose. Praise me quickly, meow!

“No, I could!”

“Yes, you couldn’t, meow!”

While Se-jun and Theo were bickering like that,

-O Tower Farmer.

Someone called Se-jun.

“Huh?”

Se-jun looked around, but could not find the being that spoke to him.

At that time,

Tremble.

-O Tower Farmer. It is me, the Mother Tree.

The Mother Tree spoke to Se-jun again, shaking its barren branches.

“Ah. It was you, Mother Tree? How is your body?”

Now that they could communicate, Se-jun asked if his treatment was going well.

-O Tower Farmer. You may stop my treatment.

“Huh?! Why? It seems we still need to treat you a lot, though?”

-I have lived all of my given life and will die soon. Instead, please accept this child.

“A child?”

While Se-jun wondered,

[A quest has generated.]

[Quest: Plant the Mother Tree seed on the farm and grow it into a mature tree.]

Reward: Recognition as the rightful owner of the land deed

The land deed quest appeared.

And he could also tell what the child the Mother Tree mentioned referred to.

While Se-jun verified the quest, a fresh flower bud that did not suit the barren branches was formed in front of Se-jun.

The Mother Tree, whose life force was entirely taken by the Mantis Queen. The Mother Tree was burning its remaining life force to bloom the last flower of its life in front of Se-jun.

Saruruk.

The bud burst open, and a white flower with a light green, fist-sized seed inside bloomed in full glory.

“……”

The flower bloomed by the Mother Tree was beautiful to the point that he could not take his eyes off it. More so than any flower he had seen so far.

Perhaps it was even more sorrowful because he intuitively knew that the beautiful flower would soon wither.

“This is the child you spoke of?”

-Yes.

Just as Se-jun was about to pluck the light green seed from the Mother Tree’s flower like that,

“Mother!”

Led by Prana, the Queen of the Cobb Kingdom, all the birds of the Cobb Kingdom flew toward the Mother Tree.

As soon as he saw the march of the Mantises, Rui reported to Prana, and Prana led all the birds to protect the Mother Tree.

-It is a relief. That there is time to say goodbye like this.

“Pardon? Mother, what do you mean by saying goodbye?!”

-Prana, my daughter. There is not much left of my life. Instead, a Mother Tree to replace me will be born from this seed.

“Mother…”

-Prana, help the tower farmer here so that the tree can grow well.

“Yes. Mother.”

The Mother Tree, which finished speaking with Prana like that.

-O Tower Farmer. I request you to take care of my remaining children.

The Mother Tree requested Se-jun once again to take care of the seed and the birds it had given birth to.

“Yes. Rest in peace.”

-Thank you.

The Mother Tree laid down its life, which had continued for hundreds of years, relieved by Se-jun’s reply that he would take care of its children.

Plop.

Starting with the light green bead falling from the flower, the white petals withered.

-Thanks to you all, I was not lonely.

That was the final word of the Mother Tree.

The Mother Tree, which had been lonely alone keeping one place for a long time. It accidentally obtained the power of conception and since then gave birth to birds, so it was not lonely.

“Mother, goodbye.”

Kkarook…

Chirrr…

Cuckoo…

Ppiyot…

Thanks to that, the Mother Tree was able to end its life comfortably while being seen off by the countless birds it had given birth to.

Crumble.

As the vitality supporting the giant weight disappeared, the tree collapsed all too easily and crumbled into powder.

“Lord Se-jun, please take care of the Mother Tree’s seed. I will go immediately after holding Mother’s funeral.”

Prana requested Se-jun to take care of the Mother Tree’s seed and began funeral preparations.

And when Se-jun was about to search for the Mother Tree’s seed buried in the powder,

“Chairman Park, here it is, meow!”

Theo, who had secured the Mother Tree’s seed beforehand before the powder piled up, stretched out the seed to Se-jun.

To be precise, it was not that he secured it, but Theo secured the seed that rolled in front of him.

And,

“Take this too, meow!”

Theo handed over a red bead this time.

“What is this… Huh?! Theo, but what’s wrong with you?”

Se-jun, who was receiving the red bead, belatedly discovered that Theo was completely covered in dust.

“Puhut. It happened while searching to give something good to Chairman Park, meow! So stroke me quickly, meow!”

Theo rushed at the face of Se-jun, who held the Mother Tree seed and the red bead one in each hand.

“Hey! Ptooey! Ptooey!”

Se-jun, whose mouth got filled with fur and dust in an defenseless state, shouted in irritation.

However, the corners of Se-jun’s mouth were slightly raised.

Because he knew that Theo, who hated baths but was good at grooming, had covered himself in dust for him. He felt good about that.

‘Hehehe. I’ll let you off this once.’

‘Puhut. Chairman Park is in a good mood, meow! I can demand more, meow!’

Like that, the two were smiling brightly looking at each other.