Chapter 617: Lord Ramter, Are You Angry?!

 

Morning on the 99th Floor of the Black Tower.

"Heh heh heh."

I’m seriously loaded now.

Sejun woke up with a big grin, remembering the rewards he received from Tyr yesterday.

Combining the advance payment and the success bonus, he had amassed a total of 4 trillion Tower Coins, 40 liters of dragon’s blood, 20,000 scales, and 4 kilograms of claws—just the thought made his heart swell with satisfaction.

"Alright! Let’s get to work!"

Feeling extra energetic, Sejun got up.

"Mrow…"

Pii…

After gathering Theo and Kamangi, he began his daily routine, starting with a walk around the farm.

"Does that guy ever get tired?"

As he strolled, Sejun spotted Sejun No. 3 practicing swordsmanship with fervor.

Despite endless training, Sejun No. 3’s skills hadn’t improved. Sejun couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty toward him, who, like Sejun himself, seemed to lack talent.

After passing by Sejun No. 3, he continued his walk until he spotted Kuengi.

Pii!

[Good morning, Dad!]

Kuengi had just woken up and found Sejun.

"Good morning! Did you sleep well, Kuengi?"

Sejun picked up Kuengi, who nuzzled up to him, and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

A little later...

After breakfast, Theo declared, "Hmph, Chairman Park, I’m off to make lots of money!"

Pii!

[Kuengi is going to gather lots of herbs!]

"Alright, see you later."

Sejun sent Theo and Kuengi off to work, then continued with the rest of his farm duties.

[You are the Field (Master) skill has activated.]

[You have planted a Destruction Pioneer Seed in the body of the Eighth Apostle of Ruin, Delia, the Demon of Decay.]

…

…

Afterward, he stopped by the 10th Tower floor and planted the accumulated Destruction Pioneer Seeds and Destruction Devourer Seeds.

Meanwhile, Kamangi was busy playing the role of leader.

Pii?! Pii! Pii!

[Have you guys ever eaten a green onion?! It’s incredibly spicy! But the Great Kamangi Chief managed to eat five of them!]

Kyah kyah?

Kiki?

Kamangi boasted about his achievement of eating five green onions to his subordinates.

At that moment...

[You have defeated the Eighth Apostle of Ruin, Delia, the Demon of Decay.]

[You have gained 470 billion experience points.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have acquired 1 bonus stat point.]

[Strength has increased by 30.]

[Strength potential has increased by 1%.]

…

As Sejun planted the seeds, Delia’s body faded, and a level-up message appeared four times in a row.

"Heh heh heh, excellent. I’m now level 166."

Sejun chuckled, pleased with the notifications.

Just two left.

Only two Ruin Apostles remained: the Kraken on the 2nd Tower floor and the Leviathan on the 3rd Tower floor.

"Kamangi, I’m heading to the 3rd floor."

I need to bring Leviathan’s body down to the 1st floor.

Sejun informed Kamangi.

Pii! Pii!

[No! I’m coming with you!]

Kamangi insisted on tagging along.

Moments later...

"Urgh!"

After eating a bean set that amplified his strength sixteenfold, Sejun loaded Leviathan’s massive body into the subspace storage.

Pii! Pii!

[My master is amazing! Keep it up!]

Kamangi, sitting comfortably in the sling bag, cheered Sejun on with his mouth.

Pii! Pii!

[Master, cheering is hard work. I’m hungry. Give me some roasted sweet potatoes!]

Kamangi demanded food without hesitation.

"If you’re just going to cheer from there, why did you even come along?"

With a slight smile, Sejun handed Kamangi a peejan and slipped a piece of roasted sweet potato into his mouth.

Snicker.

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

As Kamangi enjoyed the sweet potato, Sejun transported Leviathan’s body to the 1st floor.

And...

Pii! Pii?

[Hey, where did I leave off?]

Kya kya!

Kiki!

Kamangi eagerly resumed boasting about his feats to his subordinates, while Sejun continued planting the remaining seeds.

 

27th Floor of the Red Tower

"Hmph, the auction will now begin!"

Theo announced to the merchants and Grima hunters gathered on the 27th floor.

Thump! Thump!

Cheering filled the air, mainly from fist-sized bean bugs—Grima hunters from the 3rd-level realm, Grima.

These hunters had developed a unique fighting style to protect their soft bodies, wearing durable yet flexible armor on their backs and curling into tight rolls during combat.

"And today’s item is… a chestnut burr!"

Thump! Thump!

The hunters buzzed with excitement. Theo’s chestnut burrs were lightweight yet sturdy, making them the hottest item among the Grima hunters.

Moments later...

"Hmph, sold out!"

Theo had emptied the Grima hunters' wallets once again.

"Hmph, next up is…"

He then offered another of Sejun’s farm products, sweeping up more of the merchants’ money.

"Hmph, now it’s snack time."

With a satisfied smile, Theo took out a treat from his bag.

"Ahem. Greetings. I am Brinks, the Red Tower Manager."

At that moment, a figure approached Theo—a flame leopard named Brinks, his red fur adorned with yellow spots that shimmered like fire, and he spoke in a calm, respectful tone.

"Hmph, Brinks! Are you here to become Vice President Theo’s subordinate?"

Hmph. For the Red Tower’s manager to come to me directly, Sejun Company’s fame must have spread far and wide. How delightful!

With a smug smile, Theo began pulling out the company seal.

What?! Asking if I want to be a subordinate?!

Brinks' eyebrows subtly furrowed in irritation, though he kept his composure to avoid giving Theo any reason for hostility.

Black Tower Manager, Park Theo.

Also known as the "Slave Hunter."

Any who challenged Theo and didn’t get stamped with the slave seal were unheard of.

Moreover, Brinks wasn’t here with good intentions, so he was even more cautious.

"Hahaha, hardly. I still have things I’d like to pursue on my own."

Brinks chuckled and shook his head.

"Then what is it?!"

Theo asked, looking slightly disappointed.

"I came to express concern about how much money you’re taking from the Red Tower. If this continues, our esteemed Red Dragon might be displeased."

Brinks spoke as if he was genuinely worried for Theo, though he was more upset about the amount of money Theo was drawing from the Red Tower.

But what Brinks hadn’t considered was…

"What?! Would Lord Ramter get angry over something like that? Is Lord Ramter mad?!"

"Excuse me? Lord Ramter? Who…?"

Theo was someone who could communicate directly with Ramter.

[The Red Tower administrator asks why he would be angry about this.]

"Huh? So Lord Ramter wouldn’t be mad if I took lots of money from the Red Tower?"

[The Red Tower administrator replies that since it’s ultimately going to Sejun anyway, he doesn’t care about a bit of money. He even says to ask if you need anything.]

On top of that...

"Hmph! Then, Lord Ramter, I, Vice President Theo, would like permission to stamp the Red Tower manager with my seal!"

Theo had no reservations about making demands, even to the mighty dragons.

[The Red Tower administrator says to go ahead and stamp as you please.]

"Hmph! Brinks, Lord Ramter has given permission for the stamp! Come here and receive it!"

"W-what?!"

Brinks was stunned by Theo’s abrupt statement.

[The Red Tower administrator orders Brinks to go and receive Theo’s stamp.]

A message from the Red Tower administrator—a rare occurrence.

Normally, this would be considered an honor for Brinks’ family, but not today.

"Yes…"

Resigned, Brinks quietly presented his rear. Living in the Red Tower meant he couldn’t disobey the mighty Red Dragon’s command.

And then…

"Hmph."

Another stamp added to the list!

Thunk.

Theo stamped Brinks' rear with a beaming smile.

 

<Earthworm> Realm

As Sejun entered through the dimensional portal…

Gurgle, gurgle.

…fifteen drops of Destruction’s Tear transformed into copies of Sejun.

"Hey, guys."

Sejun greeted the fifteen Destruction Sejuns.

Meanwhile…

Spit, spit, spit.

The Destruction Devourers, ready to release seeds, spat them into the hands of the Destruction Sejuns.

Plop, plop.

The fifteen Destruction Sejuns caught the seeds and planted them without hesitation.

"And here you all are."

Sejun collected the ten immature Tears of the Creator left behind by ten Destruction Sejuns who had vanished.

"Here you go."

He sent the collected Tears to Emilia.

[You have completed the quest ten times.]

[You have received 50 drops of the Elixir of Grand Growth as a quest reward.]

He received a glass vial filled halfway with a faintly red liquid.

Two drops each for Theo, Kuengi, Bae-Bae, and Kamangi’s family…

And I’ll take 20 drops.

Heh heh heh, it’s fair since the first digit is the same.

"Perfectly balanced."

Feeling a bit guilty, Sejun muttered to himself before swallowing 20 drops of the Elixir of Grand Growth.

[You have consumed 20 drops of the Elixir of Grand Growth.]

[You have gained 200 million experience points.]

[Your lowest stat, Agility, has increased by 2000.]

[Your Warm Hands of the Farmer skill proficiency has increased.]

…

His skill proficiency rose twenty times, but unfortunately, none of his skills leveled up.

"Alright, let’s get to work!"

Sejun joined the Destruction Sejuns in planting the Destruction Devourer Seeds.

Meanwhile…

Pii! Pii!

[Hey, guys, yesterday, the Great Kamangi Chief ate something called a green onion, and it was incredibly spicy!]

Kamangi gathered the Destruction Devourers and started bragging about his green onion feat once again.

Pii!

[And the Great Kamangi Chief ate five green onions all at once!]

Apparently thinking that eating five separately was unimpressive, Kamangi started embellishing, claiming he ate them all at once.

 

Herb Garden on the West Side of the Black Tower’s 99th Floor

Boom!

Smash!

Pink Fur was clearing obstacles like rocks and roots with powerful swipes of her paws to help expand Kuengi’s herb garden.

At that moment...

Growl.

Growl.

Kuengi and Pink Fur’s stomachs simultaneously sounded their lunchtime alarm.

Pii!

[Mom, it’s time for lunch!]

Kuengi hurried over to Pink Fur and began unpacking the lunchbox that Sejun had prepared.

Hehehe! Pii!

[Hehehe! Enjoy, Mom!]

Sitting between Pink Fur’s legs, Kuengi happily started eating while Pink Fur shielded him from the sun and ate her share.

Then...

…?

Pink Fur noticed a single black hair on Kuengi’s head.

Seeing it filled her with a profound sadness.

Is it really time to let him go?

Pink Fur quietly prepared herself mentally.

Hehehe! Pii!

[Hehehe! Dad’s cooking is the best!]

Kuengi, oblivious to Pink Fur’s feelings, cheerfully ate his lunch, praising Sejun’s cooking.

Though Pink Fur felt a pang of jealousy at the mention of Sejun, she quickly dismissed it.

It’s not Sejun-nim’s fault. Just like the natural flow of things, it’s time for Kuengi to go.

She tried to calm herself.

But...

—Heh heh heh. Time to let go? Are you really going to let your son, Kuengi, be taken by that Sejun?

A sinister voice echoed in her mind, stirring her emotions like a ship caught in a storm.

I’m not losing him! Just like beginnings have endings, it’s simply time for Kuengi to go.

Pink Fur fought to steady herself.

But deep down, it felt like an excuse, not her true conviction, leaving a wound on her heart.

—You think it’ll be that easy to let him go? Oh, so Kuengi’s not really your son?

The voice sneered, driving the wound even deeper.

No! Not once have I thought that Kuengi wasn’t my son!

Desperately rejecting the voice’s words, Pink Fur’s eyes began to glow a faint red.

—Oh, really? If you truly see Kuengi as your child, why are you so ready to let him go? Could it be that you…

ROOOAR!

[No!]

Losing control to the voice’s provocation, Pink Fur let out a fierce roar, her eyes now blood-red.

And then…

Pii?

A black hair, singed during Kuengi’s fire play, drifted away on the breeze.