Chapter 411 – I’m Kkamang-i with a Core Now

The Tiger tribe territory in Neta.

“Plant the Sturdy Blade Green Onions quickly before the locusts arrive!”

“Yes!”

“No need to plant them too closely! Plant them sparsely at intervals of about 1 meter!”

Theseus, who had received advice from Theo on how to plant the Sturdy Blade Green Onions for maximum efficiency, gave instructions to his subordinates.

Thanks to this, unlike other tribes, they were able to plant the Sturdy Blade Green Onions without trial and error.

Becoming slaves unintentionally turned out to be a stroke of good fortune instead.

At that time,

“Lord Theseus! 500,000 Red Locusts are flying toward us. And purple spots have been discovered on their bodies!”

A subordinate who had gone out scouting rushed over and reported.

“Really? Plant these Detoxifying Green Onions in between as well!”

Theseus took out the Detoxifying Green Onions from the pouch that Theo had packed for him and distributed them to his subordinates.

Theo took meticulous care of his slaves.

He had provided Theseus with the Detoxifying Green Onions in case the locusts evolved into Purple Locusts.

A moment later.

Flutter.

Stab.

The flying locusts were stabbed to death by the Sturdy Blade Green Onions, and after eating the Detoxifying Green Onions, their poison was neutralized and they began to die.

“Th… this is amazing.”

“Exactly! To think we can handle the locusts so easily, meow!”

“Meow?”

“To show my respect for Lord Theo, I decided to copy his way of speaking, meow!”

“…Yeah. I see.”

While they were watching the locusts eat the green onions, the 500,000 locusts were completely wiped out.

In the process, the population decreased and the purple spots also disappeared.

“We don’t know when they will come again! Move the corpses!”

Theseus remembered Theo’s advice and cleared the corpses piled up around the Sturdy Blade Green Onions.

Because if the Sturdy Blade Green Onions were covered by the locust corpses, the locusts would not be able to perceive the green onions.

‘Hesaid it’s fine to eat the locust corpses if eaten together with the Detoxifying Green Onions.’

To defeat the locusts and resolve the food supply at the same time was killing two birds with one stone.

“Only good things happen thanks to Lord Theo… meow.”

Theseus quietly appended the word ‘meow’ at the end as a sign of respect for Theo.

***

The Black Tower administrator area.

[Remaining time until the Black Great Tower’s growth: 798 days]

Due to Se-jun’s harvest of the new variety, the remaining time until the growth of the Black Great Tower was shortened by 300 days.

“Khehehe. As expected, our Se-jun is amazing! Ah. The cooking must be done.”

Aileen laughed pleasantly and opened the pot lid.

And,

“Ugh!”

Aileen smelled the odor flowing out from inside the pot and hurriedly covered her nose.

“I clearly made soup…”

There was no soup, and a foul-smelling liquid was boiling inside instead.

“Still, it might taste good!”

Without giving up, Aileen boldly dipped a spoon into her creation, took a tiny bit, and put it in her mouth,

“Pah, spit!”

And spat it out immediately.

“Khing. It’s a failure.”

Aileen became depressed.

“I should watch our Se-jun to change my mood.”

Aileen looked for Se-jun through the crystal ball.

***

Inside the kitchen area of the 99th floor of the Black Tower.

“Hum, hum, hum.”

Se-jun was humming a tune while preparing dinner.

The menu was Budae-jjigae. Although there was no ham, he put in a heap of sausages instead.

Next, he added onions, garlic, green onions, and potatoes,

“One spoonful of doenjang, one spoonful of gochujang…”

And seasoned it.

The gochujang was made from some of the Solar Peppers set aside from the massive harvest during the dragons’ meeting a while ago.

And finally, he added the noodles. The ramen noodles were replaced with freshly pulled raw noodles pulled by the noodle-pulling master Cuengi.

‘Hehehe. It is completely healthy noodles. I’m not envious at all of ramen fried in oil! I’m not envious! Anyway, that’s how it is.’

As the Budae-jjigae began to boil,

“Guys, let’s eat.”

Se-jun called his group.

Before the group arrived,

“First, this is for Aileen. Eat up, Aileen.”

Se-jun evenly dished out the noodles, sausages, and vegetables, and sent them to Aileen.

[The tower administrator says she will enjoy the food.]

[The tower administrator says that your cooking is delicious indeed.]

“Yeah. Enjoy it.”

[The tower administrator says she will finish eating this and make another effort to practice cooking.]

“…Yeah.”

‘Don’t make another effort!’

While having the conversation with Aileen,

“Puhuhut. Chairman Park, where is my grilled fish, meow?!”

Kkueng!

[It smells delicious, yo!]

Kkihikit. Kking!

[Hihit. It’s sausage!]

Theo, Cuengi, and Kkamang-i, who were playing outside, entered the kitchen area.

“Here. Grilled fish for Vice President Te.”

“Puhuhut. It’s a grilled fish filled with Chairman Park’s sincerity, meow!”

When Se-jun took out the grilled fish placed on the hearth and gave it to Theo, Theo naturally sat on Se-jun’s lap and began eating the grilled fish.

“Cuengi, scoop and eat with the ladle, and Kkamang-i, here.”

Se-jun placed sausages and potatoes in Kkamang-i’s exclusive food bowl.

Kking?

[Why don’t I have much?]

Kkamang-i protested to Se-jun after looking once at Cuengi’s giant bowl, which was generously filled using the ladle, and then at his own tiny bowl.

“You left food behind last time too, only being greedy. I’ll give you more when you finish it.”

Kking!

[Yes!]

‘Hihit. I’m not the core-less Kkamang-i of the past anymore! I’m Kkamang-i with a core now!’

Thus, it seemed like one more glutton was being added to the 99th floor of the tower, but

Kkihikit. Kking! Kking!

[Hihit. I finished eating! Give me more!]

“…But it’s all eaten?”

The Budae-jjigae had already vanished.

Although Kkamang-i needed time to digest the food to turn it into his core,

Kking?!

[Eh?! Where did it all go?!]

Kkueng. Kkueng.

[Kkamang-i, I’m sorry, yo. Cuengi ate it all, yo.]

In the meantime, Cuengi had eaten it all.

Kking…

[My sausage…]

“Kkamang-i, let’s eat this at least.”

When Se-jun put a dried roasted sweet potato slice in the mouth of the grieving Kkamang-i,

Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.

Kkamang-i deliciously ate the dried roasted sweet potato slice as if he had never been sad.

‘Hihit. Dried roasted sweet potato slices are the best!’

He preferred dried roasted sweet potato slices over sausage.

When the meal was finished like that,

“Puhuhut.”

Theo rubbed his head against Se-jun’s lap and smiled pleasantly,

Kkirorong.

And Kkamang-i slept inside the sling bag that Se-jun wore.

And,

Kkuhehehe.

Cuengi put his butt against Se-jun’s hip and patted his belly, enjoying the feeling of fullness.

While Se-jun and his group were enjoying the post-meal drowsiness,

[Kahahahaha. Now, with just 500 billion Tower Coins, I will be able to drink the Golden Samyangju.]

Kaiser spoke in a boasting voice, as if wanting the other dragons to hear.

[Unfair bastard. We could have deployed too…]

[Seriously, just to become VVIP by himself…]

Ramta and Tier looked at Kaiser resentfully.

The Golden Samyangju that they had tasted only a single glass of during the dragons’ meeting. Just thinking about that moment made the corners of their mouths rise even now.

The patriarchs naturally went to Se-jun to buy the Golden Samyangju, but Se-jun flatly refused.

Because of the quest to serve a glass to every dragon.

Still, he did not completely refuse to sell it, but attached one condition.

VVIP rank could purchase one bottle of Golden Samyangju per month.

Thanks to this, the patriarchs, holding the hope of drinking the Golden Samyangju, earned money every day to become VVIPs, purchasing Transcendental Black Beans and Samyangju from Se-jun.

But… Kaiser had pulled ahead overwhelmingly by defeating Fenrir’s thoughts containing 15% of Fenrir’s power that appeared in the Black Tower.

[Khehehehe. I’ll give you a glass each later when I buy the Golden Samyangju.]

[For real?!]

[I just recorded that!]

[Got it. But what is wrong with him?]

Kaiser asked while looking at Kellion, who was grinning to himself.

[No idea.]

[He’s been in that state for a while.]

[What is it?]

Kaiser waved his hand in front of Kellion’s eyes, but

[Ehehehe.]

There was no response at all.

***

The White Tower administrator area.

“Grandpa! Look at this! I can do this too now!”

“Yes. Our grandson is amazing!”

Kellion praised Ajax, who created dozens of orbs of light around himself and manipulated them at will.

One might ask what was so great about manipulating light, but the light Ajax manipulated was not magic.

He was just manipulating it. Light itself.

And to do that, one had to go through a process called awakening.

Since one had to become familiar with the attribute and required a lot of magic power, dragons usually awakened between 1,500 and 2,000 years of age, but Ajax had accomplished it at 500 years old.

Considering that even dragons who awakened early only did so at around 1,000 years of age, it was a truly rapid pace.

Although the magic power came from eating elixir-grade cherry tomatoes, and the attribute was thanks to sunbathing in the Black Tower and the Lightspot seed, it would have been impossible if not for Ajax’s talent.

Indeed. Though he seemed lacking, Ajax was a genius.

“Oh my. Our grandson is doing so well!”

‘Our grandson is a genius!’

That was why Kellion looked at Ajax with eyes dripping with honey.

“Grandpa, I want to go see Brother Se-jun now! Seal me.”

“Okay. Seal.”

When Kellion sealed Ajax’s abilities, Ajax’s size shrank.

“Eheehit. I must show off to Brother! Brother Se-jun, call me!”

A moment later, Ajax disappeared.

“Ah. Come to think of it, when one awakens, one’s abilities become about 10 times stronger…”

‘Still, since our Se-jun has also become stronger, it should be fine, right?’

“Guys, our Ajax…”

Kellion put his worries behind and began to boast about his grandson to the other dragons.

***

[The slave of the White Tower asks you to summon him.]

“Ajax?”

‘What’s the matter?’

“Ajax, Summon.”

Se-jun summoned Ajax.

At this,

Rumble.

“Brother! I’m out!”

Ajax appeared, emitting a massive pressure.

“Ugh…”

Se-jun let out a slight groan, and

Kking…?

[What is it…?]

Kkamang-i fainted.

“Vice President Te, cover Kkamang-i for a bit.”

Se-jun spoke to Theo while looking at the fainted Kkamang-i.

“Understood, meow!”

Theo reduced the energy heading toward Se-jun and Kkamang-i using Energy Drain.

“Ajax, if you became stronger, you should have told me. Kkamang-i fainted.”

Se-jun scolded Ajax, feeling a bit more comfortable. It had almost been a disaster. For both him and Kkamang-i.

“Brother. Sorry…”

“But how did you suddenly become strong?”

“Brother! I awakened! It’s all thanks to you!”

When Ajax, excited again at Se-jun’s question, tried to hug Se-jun,

“No way!”

Se-jun hurriedly raised his hand to block Ajax. Speaking like this was fine, but touching was a no. Contact was a different story.

I can’t faint again.

“Ajax, but what is awakening?”

Se-jun asked Ajax, showing his determination to absolutely not faint.

“Ah. Awakening is…”

Ajax explained awakening passionately to show how amazing the awakening he had done was.

“So, only after awakening are you treated as a real adult dragon? And your abilities also become about 10 times stronger?”

“Yeah! Brother!”

To be precise, it did not mean that stats multiplied by 10 upon awakening, but rather that one obtained something called , which allowed using power equivalent to 10 times one’s stats.

Thus, although Ajax had become stronger, Se-jun’s stats had not increased. What a pity.

“Then, for Ajax to awaken at 500 years old, it’s extremely amazing?”

“Yeah! Although I’m not a real adult dragon yet since I’m not 1,000 years old. Eheehit.”

At Se-jun’s praise, Ajax scratched his head in embarrassment.

“By the way, did Aileen awaken too?”

Se-jun, suddenly curious, asked Aileen.

[The tower administrator says that she has not awakened yet.]

“Really?”

‘Then, if she awakens, she will become 10 times stronger?’

If Aileen became 10 times stronger from here…

Shudder.

Se-jun unconsciously trembled, thinking of Aileen, who would be 10 times stronger.