Chapter 610: No Matter What, the Creator God Can’t Fool Detective Sherlock Sejun.

 

Inside Theo's Mind.

Thump. Thump.

“Puhuhu. It's been a while, Battler! What's the reason for your visit, nya?”

Theo appeared, clinging to the massive knee of Chairman Park No. 2.

“Hahaha. Vice-Chairman Theo, these two said they want to join Sejun Company, so I brought them here,” Battler said with a hearty laugh, gesturing to Beb and Thunder.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Beb, the God of Valor who supports the brave.”

“I am Thunder, the God of Storms, who commands wind and lightning.”

They introduced themselves to Theo.

“Puhuhu. I am Park Theo, the Great Hybrid Chairman’s right hand, deadly dragon claw, the Hybrid Golden Cat, and bearer of great luck, nya!” Theo introduced himself with equal confidence.

After the introductions were over:

“Puhuhu. Mr. Beb, Mr. Thunder, please stamp your pawprints here, nya!” Theo held out a contract stamped with his and Kamangi’s pawprints.

Not knowing when this day might come, Theo had prepared thousands of contracts in advance, giving Kamangi a roasted sweet potato jerky to get them made.

Thump.

Thump.

As they stamped the contracts:

“Puhuhu. Welcome to Sejun Company, Mr. Beb and Mr. Thunder, nya!”

Theo welcomed them warmly.

Then:

“Hahaha. Beb, now that you’ve stamped that, you should show proper respect to me from now on, got it?!”

Battler quickly asserted his authority over Beb.

“What? Since when was that a rule? Isn’t Sejun Company supposed to be free from seniority?”

“Wha?! Are you challenging authority here?! Vice-Chairman Theo, Beb’s being insubordinate here!”

“I didn’t…”

As Beb tried to argue, Battler tattled to Theo.

However:

“Puhuhu. It's fine, nya!”

“Eh? But it's insubordination?”

Contrary to Battler’s expectations, Theo didn’t get angry.

“Because Mr. Beb will be managing the full-time battle gods from now on, nya!”

So, it wasn’t insubordination after all.

“Alright!” Beb exclaimed, while Battler’s expression fell.

To Theo, this was only logical.

Battler had caused more trouble for Sejun, whereas Beb, although a bit of a nuisance, had contributed greatly and willingly joined Sejun Company, making him a good employee.

“Now, gods, go back! As Vice-Chairman, I need to sleep soon so I can hang out with Chairman Park, nya!”

With that, Theo sent the gods out of his mental realm, and the battle gods returned to the Combat Shop Headquarters.

Later,

“Battler.”

“Yes?”

“Kneel.”

“Understood.”

Without a word, Battler accepted his discipline from Beb.

 

Inside Sejun’s Mind.

“Where am I?”

Sejun, who had passed out after drinking Samyangju, regained consciousness in his mental realm.

At that moment:

–Sejun, what did you consume for your soul to feel so invigorated?

Before him, the Creator God descended in a radiant light.

“Oh…aren’t you that one from before?” Sejun asked, squinting.

Today, Sejun’s soul felt fuller, which allowed him to see the Creator God more clearly than usual.

Since the appearance varied every time, Sejun needed to confirm.

–Yes, it is I.

The Creator God replied in a gentle voice.

–Did you receive the gift sent by the Creator?

Feigning innocence, he asked Sejun about the gift.

However,

“A gift? Did the Creator God send me a gift?!”

Sejun looked surprised.

–Yes. On Christmas, the Creator twisted the winds of causality to create Santa Sejun…

“Eh? Santa Sejun was created by Theo!”

–What? What are you talking about?! It was created by the Creator!

“No, no! Theo made it…”

And so began the argument over who had made Santa Sejun.

–That insolent cat! Daring to steal the Creator’s glory?!

The Creator’s anger turned toward Theo.

“No! Theo made Santa Sejun! And if you touch Theo, I won’t stand for it!”

Sejun warned the Creator God, defending Theo against his wrath.

–No, I wasn’t planning on doing anything to Theo…

The Creator calmed himself.

What are we even doing here?

He felt a sudden wave of frustration. Talking to Sejun seemed to be an exercise in futility.

–Actually, I came here to tell you something important.

So, he shifted to the main reason for his visit.

“Something important?”

–Yes.

“What is it?”

–Look beneath the ocean. There should be a monument of the Creator there.

“What?! The Creator’s monument is underwater? But I’ve already searched everywhere…”

–It’s there. And this is your gift.

With a slightly irked tone, the Creator sent Sejun a bundle of blue light.

It gently drifted toward Sejun and absorbed into his body.

[The Creator’s Power is being converted into the ability best suited for Sejun Park, Black Tower Farmer, to survive.]

[All stats increased by 1000.]

[Mental Potential increased by 10,000.]

A series of messages appeared.

“Thank you. But, who exactly are you?” Sejun asked, as he was still unsure who the Creator God truly was.

–I cannot tell you yet.

The Creator shook his head, declining to reveal his identity.

“Then, do you know the Creator God’s First Apostle, Emilia?”

–I do. Why are you looking for her?

“Well, I happen to have a few drops of unrefined Creator’s Tears…”

Sejun explained that he hoped to ask Emilia to turn the raw Creator’s Tears into an Elixir of Grand Growth.

–Oh! Have they been purified as well?! Haha. Very well, I shall pass on a quest request to Emilia.

“Thank you. But could I ask one more thing?”

–Of course. Go ahead.

Hearing that Sejun purified the Tears of Destruction, the Creator’s voice became benevolent once more.

“Do you know anything about the runaway Creator God?”

–I am not a runaway!

“Huh? Why are you so worked up? I meant the other Creator God…”

–Out!

The Creator hurriedly expelled Sejun from his subconscious back to the waking world.

 

Blue Tower, Floor 77.

“Hmm…”

As Sejun opened his eyes,

Thump. Thump.

He saw Theo diligently stepping on his face.

“Vice-Chairman Theo, when did you wake up?”

“Puhuhu. I just woke up a little while ago, nya!”

“Really? Vice-Chairman, let me ask…”

Sejun shared what he had learned from the Creator God and asked if Theo felt any pull toward the ocean.

“Nya…”

Theo extended his front paw, trying to sense a pull from the ocean.

However,

“There’s nothing, nya… I’m sorry, Chairman Park, I couldn’t be of help, nya…”

With no sense of a pull, Theo’s ears drooped as he looked apologetic.

“It’s fine. We’ll head back into the ocean and search again. And if we can’t find it, we’ll just leave. I don’t really trust him anyway. Every time I bring up the runaway Creator God, he seems weirdly angry…”

At that moment,

“Huh?!”

Puzzle pieces clicked together in Sejun’s mind.

Wait… Could that have been the Creator God himself?!

Sejun realized that the being in his mental realm was the Creator God.

Heh. No matter what, even the Creator God can’t fool Detective Sherlock Sejun.

Sejun felt proud of his deduction.

Of course, Sejun’s deduction skills hadn’t improved overnight. The Creator God had simply left so many clues that even oblivious Sejun could figure it out.

Acting like he hadn’t sent a gift, revealing the monument’s location, knowing the Apostle, and only getting defensive about the runaway Creator God.

The Creator God was practically spilling the secret without trying to hide it.

As Sejun basked in his deduction,

Thump. Thump.

Theo stepped on Sejun’s face again.

“Chairman Park, two new full-time employees have joined Sejun Company, nya!”

He spoke cheerfully, happy to relieve some of Sejun’s stress.

“Two? Where are they?”

Sejun, half-expecting that Theo had encountered bandits or pirates, looked around.

“Puhuhu. They’re gods, so they’re not here, nya!”

Seeing Sejun’s reaction, Theo couldn’t help but feel proud.

“Gods?”

“Puhuhu. Yes, nya! Mr. Beb and Mr. Thunder came into my mental realm to apply for Sejun Company! I got their signatures on the contract and accepted them as full-time employees, nya!”

A completely new route into Sejun Company.

“Really?! Mr. Beb and Mr. Thunder actually went into Vice-Chairman Theo’s mind and willingly signed a contract? Not brought in by force?!”

Sejun asked in disbelief.

“Puhuhu. That’s right, nya!”

Theo nodded firmly.

Are we that prestigious now?! A company where even gods line up to join?

Suddenly, Sejun felt like Sejun Company’s prestige had skyrocketed.

“And I’m the chairman of such a company.”

His chest swelled with pride.

“Puhuhu. And I am the Vice-Chairman of Sejun Company, nya!”

“Yes. Our Vice-Chairman has done a great job.”

Sejun praised Theo, rubbing his head fondly.

I should set up an achievement to commemorate their joining.

Deciding to honor the two gods who had joined Sejun Company, despite usually being a hassle to him and Kuengi, he made plans to establish an achievement in their name.

“Vice-Chairman Theo, let’s put out a recruitment notice through Lord Herr.”

“Puhuhu. Understood, nya! But what should it say, nya?”

“If someone joins Sejun Company as a full-time employee, they’ll receive an achievement for their accomplishment.”

Planning to entice more gods to apply, Sejun drafted a recruitment notice.

“Puhuhu. Got it, nya! Lord Herr, please announce the recruitment, nya!”

Theo immediately conveyed Sejun’s message to Herr.

[The God of Commerce, Herr, asks if he can apply too.]

Herr had immediately shown interest in joining Sejun Company. With nothing left to lose, he decided to fully bet on Sejun's success.

“Puhuhu. Of course, nya! Lord Herr, come by when I’m asleep!”

[The God of Commerce, Herr, says he’ll visit later to apply.]

After ending his conversation with Herr,

“Puhuhu. As expected, Chairman Park is a genius, nya! Lord Herr applied for a job, nya!”

Theo praised Sejun.

“Hahaha. It’s nothing, really.”

Sejun grinned, pretending to be modest.

“Puhuhu.”

Theo chuckled along with him.

With the recruitment notice for gods now out and achievement rewards promised, Sejun felt satisfied.

Then,

Growl.

Kuengi’s stomach let out a rumble in his sleep.

“Puhuhu. Chairman Park, it’s dinnertime, nya!”

Even while asleep, Kuengi’s stomach was accurate.

“Everyone, let’s eat.”

After waking up the team,

“Is it dry enough?”

Sejun checked the seaweed he had laid out on the rock.

Crunch.

A pleasant crunch indicated it was perfectly dried.

“Good. Completely dry.”

Sejun lightly brushed sesame oil on the crispy seaweed and sprinkled a little salt.

Then,

Flame.

He toasted the seaweed quickly, careful not to let it burn, allowing the aroma of sesame oil, seaweed, and salt to mingle.

Kuengi? Kuengi!

[What is that smell? It must be delicious!]

“Here. Open up.”

Sejun, seeing Kuengi’s excitement, fed him a piece.

Crunch.

Kuengi!

After tasting the seaweed, Kuengi quickly brought over rice.

True to his foodie nature, he realized that seaweed was the perfect side dish for rice.

“Vice-Chairman Theo and Kamangi, would you like to try some too?”

“No, nya! I’ll wait for the grilled fish that Chairman Park makes, nya!”

Whimper!

[No thanks! I want the roasted sweet potato jerky made by my caretaker!]

Of course, Theo and Kamangi refused.

“Kuengi, try wrapping the rice in the seaweed. It’s even better that way.”

Kuengi! Kuengi!

[Dad, you’re a genius! It’s even more delicious!]

As Sejun taught Kuengi how to eat the seaweed with rice, they enjoyed their meal together.

Cooing.

Purring sounds filled the air as they drifted off to sleep.

Later,

“What?! Sejun Company’s employees get an achievement for joining?!”

“Not only that, Herr says the new achievement is on a whole other level compared to existing ones!”

News of Sejun recruiting full-time employees with achievement rewards stirred up excitement in the Seed Shop Headquarters.