75th Floor of the Tower, Mercenary Association Branch.

Bang!

“Puhuhut. Give me my bounty, meow!”

Theo, having retrieved 1.3 trillion Tower Coins that Uren had been scammed out of and the land deed for the 75th floor of the Tower, burst through the door of the Mercenary Association.

“Uhehehe.”

Behind Theo, holding the rope that tied up Baka, whose eyes were bruised blue, Uren entered with a satisfied expression.

“What? Who dares to…huh?!”

“Who dares to cause trouble in the Mercenary Association… huh?!”

The mercenaries, who had jumped up and drawn their weapons to punish the rogue who dared to roughly open the door of the Mercenary Association, quietly sat back down.

The mercenaries avoided making eye contact with Theo and his party as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have.

‘Whoa. Did I almost die just now?’

‘They didn’t see me frowning, did they?’

It wasn’t because of Theo.

“Kyoot Kyoot Kyoot.”

It was because of Iona, who was wrapped around Theo’s tail, laughing pleasantly.

Iona, the Wizard of Great Destruction.

She was one of the beings that mercenaries must be aware of if they were to survive.

She was not only the master of the Wizard Tower and the chairman of the Wizard Association, who were also major clients of the Mercenary Association,

but also because too many mercenaries had disappeared after underestimating Iona’s cute appearance.

Recognizing Iona was a very fortunate thing for the mercenaries,

but it’s a shame, meow!

It’s a shame. I would have gotten their stamps…

It was very regrettable for Theo and Piyot, who had missed the chance to make more slaves.

A little later.

“Here is the bounty for the client-killer Baka. The Mercenary Association’s bounty is 15 million Tower Coins, and including the bounties placed by other clients, the total comes to 103 million Tower Coins.”

The branch manager of the Mercenary Association, having heard that Iona had arrived, personally came out to calculate the bounty.

“Puhuhut. Thank you, meow!”

Thus, Theo handed over Baka and pocketed the bounty.

“Puhuhut. Now let’s go to the Lizard King, meow!”

Theo, Iona, Piyot, and Uren moved to the 69th floor of the Tower, where the Lizard King resided, to obtain the land deed for the 68th floor that Sejun had asked for.

***

99th floor of the Golden Tower.

[The Cherry Tomato Eating Contest is starting.]

With the message announcing the start of the contest, baskets filled with cherry tomatoes appeared in front of the participating elves.

And then,

“Oh! What’s this?!”

“Are these really cherry tomatoes?!”

The elves who ate the cherry tomatoes were astonished.

“These are the food for the eating contest, not the prize?!”

Cecilia was shocked in a different way than the other elves. This was because all the tomatoes in her basket were Magical Cherry Tomatoes.

‘Then what will they give as a prize?!’

I must win first place!

Cecilia, who had participated to obtain Magical Cherry Tomatoes, was fired up.

But despite her intense determination, Cecilia’s hands moved very slowly.

Cecilia’s limit was five cherry tomatoes. Even among elves who ate little, she ate particularly little.

Due to the lack of food, this was usually advantageous for survival,

“Ugh… I want to eat more…”

but today, it was incredibly frustrating.

[Cherry Tomato Eating Contest Rankings]

1st – Botni (30)

2nd – Erajin (29)

…

..

.

1920th – Cecilia (5)

In the end, Cecilia came in last place,

“Huh?! This cherry tomato is white?!”

“Wow! This is really delicious and increases Magic Power by 10!”

and could only watch as the elves who placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd ate the Elixir: Cherry Tomato Imbued with Powerful Magic Power.

So petty, they didn’t even offered me one!

Cecilia resented her ungrateful comrades and prepared for the next contest.

“The third contest must be a tomato wine drinking contest, right?”

Drinker Cecilia is coming!

Cecilia ate liver-friendly foods as she prepared for the third contest of the harvest festival.

***

Black Tower, 99th Floor.

“Guys, fill it up with water! Ice Cube!”

Kueng!

“Okay! Hyung! Water Ball!”

Kuooong!

Moo!

Following Sejun’s instructions, Cuengi, Ajax, Pink-fur, and the Black Minotaurs began pouring water into the massive stone pot.

Ajax used magic, while the others fetched water from the pond and the fountain to fill the pot.

At first, because the pot was so large, it seemed like trying to fill a broken jar, but over time, the water level gradually rose.

Once the pot was filled, Sejun added the ingredients for the spicy fish stew into the stone pot and

Snap.

with a flick of his fingers, he created a massive flame and threw it into the fire pit stacked with firewood.

Then,

Whoosh.

the firewood caught fire, and flames rose.

However, because Sejun had added ice to the pot to fill it with water, the temperature was low, and the water didn’t boil quickly.

“Cuengi, Kueng-fooo!”

Kueng! Kueng!

[Got it! I’ll use Kueng-fooo!]

Kuuuueeeeng!

At Sejun’s request, Cuengi blew a strong wind into the fire pit.

Then,

Whooosh.

the flames instantly became several times stronger.

Thanks to that, the massive stone pot filled with 1 million servings of spicy fish stew began to boil rapidly.

‘Hehehe. Cooking is all about the heat.’

Sejun then seasoned the boiling spicy fish stew.

“Great. It’s done. Ajax, go call Ramter~nim!”

“Okay! Hyung!”

Once the spicy fish stew was ready, he called Ramter immediately. There was no room, so it had to be cleared out quickly.

“Collect. Our Sejun has worked hard. Refresh.”

Ramter, who took the spicy fish stew in the stone pot, cast a recovery spell on Sejun and the other companions before leaving.

After Ramter left,

“Land Moving!”

Using his skill, Sejun created another giant stone pot over the fire pit.

And then,

“Guys, pour it!”

They began filling it with water again.

‘Hehehe. Just nine more times, and it’ll be done.’

When they were making the sixth batch of 1 million servings of spicy fish stew,

“Guys, hang in there just a little longer even if it’s tough!”

Sejun, drinking a blue mugwort juice potion to recover his magic, cheered on Ajax, Cuengi, Pink-fur, and the Black Minotaurs.

With a face that looked like he was dying from exhaustion.

However, his companions didn’t seem to share Sejun’s sentiments at all.

This isn’t tough at all.

All the others were perfectly fine. As usual, Sejun was still quite weak compared to anyone who might be concerned about others here.

Kking!

‘Hey! Don’t overdo it! You still have to make my food later!’

To the point that even Fenrir, the sunfish, was worried about him.

“Whew. I’ll rest for a bit.”

In the end, Sejun took a break alone.

“I’m so tired. I should at least have some coffee.”

As Sejun was grinding coffee beans, trying to endure with the power of caffeine,

[Your soul is filled with the great praise from the elves from the Golden Tower.]

[Mental Strength has increased by 30.]

a message appeared indicating his Mental Strength had increased.

“Golden Tower elves? Did Aileen sold to them too?”

Since he had no direct connection to the Golden Tower, Sejun thought that the crops Aileen sold must have reached the elves of the Golden Tower as he brewed his coffee.

Still, with his Mental Strength greatly increased, much of his fatigue disappeared.

“Ahh. This is good.”

Sejun was able to drink coffee in a good mood and go back to making spicy fish stew.

***

Black Tower, 69th Floor.

“Is this the place where the Lizard King is, meow?!”

Theo asked Piyot as they entered the boundary of the massive farm, Draken’s Grand Farm, where many Lizardmen were working.

Piyo!

[Yes!]

At that moment,

“Isn’t this the great golden cat, Theo Park, the subordinate of the great Black Dragon?”

Tamuro, the Lizardman Grand Warrior guarding Draken’s Grand Farm, noticed Theo and quickly greeted him.

Theo and Tamuro had met in the past when Locusts appeared on the 67th floor of the Tower.

Back then, Theo was just a beginner wandering merchant, but now he was traveling with Iona, the Wizard of Great Destruction, and Uren, the legendary merchant.

Theo had truly come a long way.

“Puhuhut. Nice to see you again, Tamuro, meow! But to be precise, I am the great golden cat with the deadly dragon claws, Theo Park, the subordinate of the great Black Dragon, meow!”

Theo kindly corrected Tamuro about his title.

“Ah. Yes. I see. So what brings you here?”

Tamuro cautiously asked Theo about his purpose.

As a Grand Warrior holding a significant position in the Lizard Kingdom, Tamuro was well-informed about the Tower’s affairs.

And that information included details about Theo, the Slave King.

Previously a naive and unscrupulous merchant, he had now evolved into a ruthless and bloodless Slave King, a highly dangerous individual to be wary of.

Thus, Tamuro quickly intervened to ensure that none of his subordinates became Theo’s slaves.

“I came to buy the land deed for the 68th floor from the Lizard King, meow!”

“The land deed for the 68th floor of the Tower?!”

“That’s right, meow! How much, meow?!”

‘I’ll let him make the first offer, meow! That way, I can haggle three times, meow!’

Theo was excited at the thought of using his three-time haggling tactic after a long time.

But,

“Um… Theo Park~nim, I am truly sorry. If the Lizard King had the land deed for the 68th floor, he would have gladly given it to you. But… the land deed for the 68th floor is in Dino, the capital of the Lizard Kingdom, located on the 70th floor of the Tower. We can’t give it to you.”

“Meow?! What do you mean, meow?! Then why not go to the 70th floor and bring it, meow?”

“Well, you see…”

The Lizard Kingdom originally ruled from the 65th to the 70th floors of the Tower.

However, while eradicating the Locusts on the 67th floor, their national power significantly declined. They tried to recover, but then…

To make matters worse, as Sejun disappeared to the 77th floor of the Tower, prompting the Black Minotaurs to march down in search of him.

This caused a massive horde of upper-level monsters to invade the 70th floor, putting the kingdom in jeopardy.

To prevent further disaster, the Lizard King sealed Dino, which had been the capital of the Lizard Kingdom for centuries, and retreated to the 69th floor.

After the monster invasion subsided, the Lizard King attempted to reclaim Dino with his forces,

but a gigantic Phoenix wreathed in intense flames had nested there. They had no choice but to return to the 69th floor in defeat.

“Puhuhut. So, if we get rid of the bird, we can obtain the land deed, meow?”

Theo asked after hearing Tamuro’s explanation.

“What?! It’s not just any bird, it’s a Ph…”

“Puhuhut. I understand, meow! Then we’ll split the treasure inside 50-50, meow! Quickly, stamp the contract, meow!”

Interrupting Tamuro, Theo handed him the contract.

“Just a moment. I’ll get permission from the Lizard King first.”

“Got it, meow!”

There’s no other way to reclaim the capital now anyway!

Thinking there was nothing to lose, Tamuro hurriedly grabbed the contract and ran to the tent in the center of Draken’s Grand Farm.

A little while later.

“Theo~nim, please, you must reclaim Dino, the capital of our Lizard Kingdom!”

Tamuro returned with the contract stamped with the Lizard King’s seal.

“Puhuhut. Don’t worry, meow!”

Taking the contract, Theo and his party ascended the Tower.

However, Theo didn’t stop at the 70th floor but kept moving.

“Kyoot Kyoot Kyoot. Theo~nim, you passed it.”

“Puhuhut. No, meow! We’re going to Chairman Park first, meow!”

“Kyoot Kyoot Kyoot. Why Sejun~nim?”

“Puhuhut. We’re going together with Chairman Park, meow! Chairman Park can go the 70th floor, meow!”

I’ll go to the 70th floor with Chairman Park, take down the bird, and give the Lizard Kingdom’s treasure and the 68th floor land deed to Chairman Park, meow!

Then we’ll move to the 68th floor and find the Power of Destruction with Chairman Park, meow!

Lastly, I’ll go to the 75th floor with Chairman Park, take the legendary merchant promotion test, and become a legendary merchant while receiving congratulations from Chairman Park, meow!

Theo was planning his journey with Sejun in his mind.

“Kyoot Kyoot Kyoot. That sounds fun!”

“Puhuhut. It will be fun, meow!”

As Theo thought about his journey with Sejun and moved to the 99th floor of the Tower,

“It’s done!”

Sejun, having handed over the 10th batch of spicy fish stew to Ramter, was shouting with joy.

Finally, I can rest!

*****