99th Floor of the Black Tower.

Morning of the 444th day since entering the tower.

Snore.

Sejun was sleeping in late.

Due to the fatigue from the battle(?) with Delia that hadn’t yet worn off, and the exhaustion from transporting Destruction Devourers all day yesterday, the tiredness had piled up again.

Gororong.

Since Sejun hadn’t woken up, it was natural that Theo also hadn’t woken up.

Kkirorong.

Eomorong.

Kkirurung.

Sharorong.

Blackie and his subordinates were also enjoying a rare late sleep.

At that moment,

Tiptoe, tiptoe.

A pure white baby rabbit, as white as a snowflake, cautiously approached Sejun’s pillow.

PPIIII!!!!!

The rabbit screamed loudly right into Sejun’s ear.

“Aaaagh!!!”

Ouch, my ears!

Sejun woke up screaming from the sudden high-pitched sound.

“What, meow?! Who dares to disturb our great Chairman Park, meow?!”

Kking?! Kking?!

[Who is it?! Who touched the butler?!]

“Great Blackie~nim, open your eyes! It’s not that side, it’s this side!”

Kkiruk!

Shalarrang!

Thanks to Sejun’s scream, Theo and the entire Blackie family were startled awake, causing a commotion.

And then,

Phehehe.

A baby rabbit with three black dots on its back, holding a tiny hammer about 1/100th the size of Black Rabbit’s, was giggling while looking at Sejun.

‘What’s with this little guy?’

It looks similar to Black Rabbit?

As Sejun thought of Black Rabbit while looking at the baby rabbit,

Ppyak!

[Black Rabbit Jr.! Didn’t I tell you to stay put!]

Black Rabbit hurriedly rushed into the bedroom and scolded the baby rabbit.

“Black Rabbit Jr.?”

So, is it Black Rabbit’s son?! You did it, Black Rabbit!

Sejun looked at Black Rabbit with pride.

‘But if you shout at a kid like that…’

Having already experienced raising rabbits, he could naturally foresee the next situation.

Ppaeaeaeg! Ppaeaeaeg!

[Dad yelled at me! I hate you, Dad!]

As Sejun expected, the baby rabbit started crying sorrowfully after being scolded by Black Rabbit.

Ppyak… Ppyak?!

[Black Rabbit Jr., why… why are you crying?!]

Black Rabbit, flustered after making his son cry, was utterly at a loss.

The crying of a 10-day-old baby rabbit was pure terror for the novice father Black Rabbit.

An invincible move that couldn’t be defended against.

Uncle, help me!

Black Rabbit, at a loss for what to do, sent Sejun a pleading look for help, and

Hehe. Is it time for me to step in?

Sejun grinned confidently and pulled out some sugarcane from his pocket.

“Why are you crying? Here. Eat this. It’s really tasty, you know?”

As Sejun patted Black Rabbit Jr.’s back and naturally placed the sugarcane in its mouth,

Ppae…aeaeg?

Crunch. Crunch.

Black Rabbit Jr. quickly stopped crying and started chewing on the sugarcane, focusing intently on its sweet juice.

Ppyak! Ppyak!

Meanwhile, Sejun managed to ask Black Rabbit why he brought Black Rabbit Jr. to the 99th floor of the tower.

He said there was a legend in the Red Ribbon Kingdom about the strongest black rabbit born with three black dots on its back.

A being destined to lead the Red Ribbon Kingdom to a golden age with its immense power.

Black Rabbit said that he came to the 99th floor of the tower, where the Minotaur King resides, to have his son, who was destined for such a fate, undergo the best training from a young age.

“Isn’t it too early for him to receive special training from the Minotaur King?”

Ppaerorong.

As Sejun asked in a concerned voice while looking at Black Rabbit Jr., who had already fallen asleep in his arms after finishing the sugarcane,

Ppyak! Ppyak!

[No way! My son is probably stronger than Uncle!]

“Eh?! That can’t be right!”

No matter how weak I am, I’m not weak enough to lose to a 10 day old rabbit.

Ppyak! Ppyak!

[No way! My son was born strong!]

“Then let’s go ask the Minotaur King.”

Ppyak!

[Alright!]

Thus, Sejun and Black Rabbit decided to go ask the Minotaur King who was stronger.

In the middle, Theo and Cuengi greeted Black Rabbit before heading off to the Green Tower and the Western Forest for work.

A little later.

Moo.

[Sejun~nim lasted 3 minutes with two fingers, while this one lasted 2 minutes and 40 seconds.]

“See! What did I tell you?!”

Heh. As expected, I’m stronger.

Sejun, who beat Black Rabbit Jr. by a 20 second difference, smiled brightly at Minotaur King’s words.

And then,

“Heave-ho!”

After Sejun underwent his special training,

Ppiiii!!!

Next, as Black Rabbit Jr. endured Minotaur King’s two fingers during his special training,

Ppyak!

[Uncle, could you give our son a name?]

Black Rabbit cautiously approached Sejun and made a careful request.

“A name? I thought Black Rabbit Jr. was his name?”

Ppyak! Ppyak!

[That’s just what we’ve been calling him because he doesn’t have a name yet, and I’d like Uncle to name our son! ChuChu also said she’d like Uncle to name him!]

There was a tradition among rabbits that the higher the being who named them, the longer and more prosperous their life would be.

So Black Rabbit asked Sejun, the highest being in the Black Tower except for the dragons, to name Black Rabbit Jr.

“Really?! Alright, give me a moment.”

And so, Sejun’s naming shop, which had been closed for just a few days, reopened.

Sejun hurriedly started thinking of a name that would suit Black Rabbit Jr.

Since he has three black spots on his back, so… Jeomsami. (TL: 점삼 which means Three Dots)

Since he’s Black Rabbit Jr., maybe… BlackTwo. (TL: BlackTwo or Heuktoo which is just a combination of Black & 2 )

104.28.193.250

Since he says Ppaegppaeg… Ppaegppaegi. (TL: Ppaegppaeg is the sound Black Rabbit Jr. makes while talking)

“Hmm…”

It’s tough to choose.

For some reason, all the names he came up with today seemed perfect.

At that moment, a sudden question popped into his mind.

“Black Rabbit, will those dots on his back stay forever?”

This was a very important issue because if the dots disappeared, he wouldn’t be Jeomsami anymore.

Ppyak!

[They will disappear eventually!]

That was close. Jeomsami is out.

It was also really fortunate for Black Rabbit Jr.

Just as Sejun was about to dismiss the name Jeomsami,

“Huh?!”

He noticed the small hammer on Black Rabbit Jr.’s back.

A rabbit and a hammer… Torch? (TL: The word ‘Torch’ is a combination of ‘rabbit’ and ‘hammer’. ‘토끼’ (tokki) means ‘rabbit’, hence ‘To’ is derived from ‘rabbit’. ‘망치’ (mangchi) means ‘hammer’, so ‘Chi’ is derived from ‘hammer’, making it ‘Tochi’ (토치) which is a Korean translitration for English word ‘Torch’. )

Torch.

It had a nice ring to it.

But it lacks a bit of impact… Since he’s Black Rabbit…

“Black Torch?!” (TL: The alternatives would be ‘Heuk tochi’ [Here Heuk means black] or ‘Black Ramer’ or ‘Black Tochi’. Let me know which one you guys prefer.)

Oh my goodness!

Sejun was amazed that he had come up with such an excellent name. A thrill ran through his whole body and he got goosebumps.

And then,

Shiver.

Black Rabbit Jr., who was receiving special training from the Minotaur King, no, the poor rabbit who was about to receive the new name Black Torch, also shivered.

Moo. Moo.

[2 minutes and 40 seconds are up. Next, Black Rabbit, come on.]

Ppyak!

As Black Torch’s special training ended, the Minotaur King called Black Rabbit for his turn.

And then,

Ppeeee…

Exhausted after the training, Black Torch collapsed onto the ground.

Kihihit. Kking! Kking!

[Hehehe. Welcome, rookie! From now on, your name is Black Torch!]

“Nice to meet you, Black Torch!”

Kkiruk!

Shalarrang!

Blackie and his subordinates warmly welcomed Black Torch, who had just received his name from Sejun.

However,

Ppyek! Ppyek! Ppyek!

[I hate Black Torch! I’m just going to stick with Black Rabbit Jr.! And don’t you guys act all high and mighty when you’re weaker than me!]

Black Torch stomped the ground angrily, rejecting the embarrassing name Sejun had given him, ignoring Blackie and his subordinates.

And then,

Kking! Kking?! Kking!

[Black Torch is actually a really good name among those the butler has given! And you dare say we’re weak?! Guys, show him how scary we can be!]

“Yes! Great Blackie~nim!”

Kkiruk!

Shalarrang!

Thud.

Black Torch had to pay a terrifying price after receiving the pitiful headbutts from Blackie and his subordinates.

Thirty seconds later.

Ppyek!

[Great Captain Blackie~nim, please accept my greeting! Rookie Black Torch reporting in!]

After being exorcised by Blackie and his subordinates, Black Torch transformed into a very polite rookie.

Kihihit.

Blackie looked at his exorcism success with satisfaction.

But there were two beings that even Blackie couldn’t exorcise.

One was Theo, who had the giant Sejun.

Blackie once secretly entered Theo’s mental world while he was sleeping, only to hurriedly exit upon encountering the giant butler about the size of his own.

Theo was a crazy cat who only cared about Sejun.

Thanks to this, Blackie realized just how terrifying a fanatic could be.

The other being was Cuengi.

Inside Cuengi, a red bear with terrifying power was curled up, sleeping.

Srrrk.

The bear slightly opened its right eye, as if annoyed by Blackie’s appearance in the mental world.

Even that slight movement was starting to impact Blackie’s mental state.

The moment Blackie faced the bear, he realized its true identity.

The Beast of the Apocalypse…

If creation and destruction are like a repeating cycle of life and death, the apocalypse is the existence that breaks that cycle.

That’s why it’s also called ‘The End Bringer’.

When the Beast of the Apocalypse awakens, it means everything returns to nothingness.

– Leave. It is not yet time for me to awaken.

At the bear’s command, Blackie was expelled from Cuengi’s mental world.

As a result, Blackie couldn’t defy Theo or Cuengi.

Theo was crazy and unpredictable, while if the entity inside Cuengi were to awaken, his happy life would come to an end.

As Blackie was lost in thought for a moment while looking at the rookie,

Moo!

[Done!]

Ppyak!

[Thank you for your hard work!]

Black Rabbit, who had endured the Minotaur King’s punches with his own two fists for 10 minutes, bowed to the Minotaur King.

Then,

Ppyak!

[Uncle, I’ll be back in about a week!]

Black Rabbit prepared to go down the tower with Black Torch. Since Black Torch was still growing, he couldn’t undergo the Minotaur King’s special training every day.

“Won’t you have a meal before you go?”

Ppyak! Ppyak!

[I’ll eat later! I have something important to do this afternoon!]

Ppyek!

[Goodbye, Uncle Grandpa!]

And with that, the Black Rabbit father and son hurriedly left.

Ugh!

Grandpa?!

Sejun suffered a serious internal injury from Black Torch’s innocent words.

After the Black Rabbit father and son duo left,

“Then let’s eat by ourselves.”

Sejun returned home and had lunch with his companions.

***

On the outskirts of Destruction.

“Leviathan, have you heard when the other Apostles of Destruction are coming?”

“No, I haven’t.”

Leviathan shook his head at Halphas’s question. It was natural, as he hadn’t come here of his own accord either.

At that moment,

-Leviathan, where are you? There’s a lot of food here! Come eat with us! Jǫrmungandr~nim is here too!

Kraken had reached out to him.

Even among the Apostles of Destruction, there were groups that formed based on their characteristics or levels of closeness.

Halphas, Melpheus, and Delia, who all had wings.

Jǫrmungandr, Hydra, and Leviathan, who were all snakes, along with Kraken, who was close to Leviathan as they were both sea creatures.

They were called the Wing Faction and the Snake Faction.

Meanwhile, Fenrir, Krueger, Violet, Alice, and Shasha, who preferred to act alone, were simply categorized as the Solo Faction.

-Kraken, help! Tell Jǫrmungandr~nim that I’m with Halphas~nim, so hurry and come over!

Just as Leviathan was asking Kraken for help,

“I feel Krueger’s presence here…”

Violet, the Crystal Giant of Destruction and the 11th seat of the Apostle of Destruction followed Krueger due to their shared rock attributes.

A fragment of Violet was moving from the 72nd floor of the Black Tower towards the upper levels, following Krueger’s energy.

And then,

“This time I’m sure! It must be here!”

Piyo?

[Really?]

“That’s… Oh?!”

Uren, who was leading the way while boasting loudly to Piyot, encountered them from the opposite direction.

***

[You’re a Field! Lv. 8 has been activated.]

[The seed of the Destruction Devourer has been planted in the body of Krueger, 7th seat of the Apostle of Destruction, the Destroyer of Mountains.]

…

..

.

After lunch, Sejun was planting Destruction Devourer seeds in the Void Storage.

Kya-kya!

Kya-kya!

Around Sejun, 70 Destruction Pioneers were diligently planting Destruction Devourer seeds.

And then,

Kihihit! Kking!

[Hehe. Everyone, devour it all!]

Kiki!

Under Blackie’s command, the Destruction Devourers were eagerly consuming the energy of destruction.

Gulp! Gulp!

The energy of destruction they digested began to transform into a blue mist, which started mixing with the atmosphere of the 99th floor of the tower.

At that moment,

Srrrk.

[Come!]

Some of that energy seeped into Podori’s branches.

Pop!

[It’s done! I finally did it!]

Podori exclaimed in delight, having absorbed the energy of creation to produce a grape cluster resembling an altar.

How long and arduous had this journey been?

Countless hours of scorn and humiliation when Flamie nagged that it couldn’t make an altar.

Under Flamie’s relentless pressure, Podori had finally absorbed enough of the energy of creation to create a bountiful grape cluster altar that could hold a harvest festival.

As Podori was rejoicing,

[Now that it’s made, you should quickly inform Master. What are you waiting for?]

Flamie’s voice echoed.

Flamie had undergone a rapid increase in level and power after passing one of the three trials needed to become a Tree of Creation a few months ago.

Because of this, Flamie could no longer appear in front of Sejun and had pressured Podori into creating the altar for the Harvest Festival as a means to meet with him.

With the help of the Harvest Festival, Flamie hoped to appear before Sejun just as Aileen had done in the past.

[Sejun~nim, please harvest this!]

Worried about receiving more pressure from Flamie, Podori hurriedly called out to Sejun.

A little while later.

Pluck.

As Sejun harvested the grape cluster altar,

[You have harvested the bountiful grape cluster altar.]

[Your Job Experience has greatly increased.]

[Your proficiency in Harvesting Lv. 9 has greatly increased.]

[You have gained 10,000 Experience Points.]

Along with the messages, the purple grape cluster grew to a massive size and floated in the air, with vines extending from the grape cluster to support the altar.

And then,

[A quest has been generated.]

[Quest: Within 24 hours, offer 100 of each of 10 different crops to the bountiful grape cluster altar and hold the Harvest Festival of Abundance!]

Reward: Hosting the Harvest Festival of Abundance

A quest to hold the Harvest Festival of Abundance had appeared.

*****

5/5

*****