NoveLight ™
Chapter 626: Kuengi, Aren't You Going to Eat?
On the 99th floor of the Black Tower.
"Isn’t this a bit much?”
Sejun grumbled to himself, looking at the requirements for upgrading the Brown Tower.
[Brown Tower Growth Requirements (0/8)]
Not a single requirement was met yet.
At least the count for Sacred Artifacts and Great Feats gave him some comfort.
“Vice President Theo, could you fetch me eight Sacred Artifacts?”
“Puhuhut. Got it, nya!”
Theo promptly requested the artifacts from the deities, giving them quests to fulfill. Soon after, the deities sent the artifacts to Theo, who passed them to Sejun.
“Puhuhut. Here you go, Chairman Park!”
“Thanks, Vice President Theo. Great job.”
“Puhuhut. That’s right, nya! Appreciate my hard work!”
“Sure.”
Sejun patted Theo’s head, complimenting him for proudly showing off his accomplishment.
“Here you go, Grave.”
Handing over the eight Sacred Artifacts from Theo to Grave, Sejun managed to meet two of the growth requirements.
‘Now for the others...’
Sejun contemplated how to fulfill the remaining conditions.
If he could raise Orik to an A-grade Tower Farmer, that would cover one condition.
“We have magic-powered beans, so why hasn’t the spirit level increased?”
It seemed likely that something was obstructing the Brown Tower’s spirit, as it had for the other towers.
If he could eliminate whatever was causing it, the spirit level should easily exceed 50%, which would complete two requirements.
Achieving five Great Feats seemed doable since he was sure he could fulfill at least two more.
After roughly calculating, Sejun realized he would be short by two growth conditions.
“Alright, everyone, gather up.”
To set off for the Brown Tower, Sejun called his companions.
“Puhuhut. I’m already here, nya!”
Theo had been clinging to Sejun’s lap for some time.
“Kueng!”
[Mom, I’ll be back!]
Smooch!
After enjoying Pink Fur’s warmth, Kuengi gave her a quick peck before flying over to Sejun.
Then...
“Ki-hi-hit. Ki!”
[Hey, caretaker! Let’s go already!]
Kamangi and his family came running, carrying the sling bag they’d use to ride along.
Once everyone was ready...
“Well, we’re off.”
Sejun bid farewell to the Black Tower residents and set off for the Brown Tower.
[You have arrived on the 99th floor of the Brown Tower.]
...
..
.
“Kelkelkel. Welcome, Sejun!”
As soon as he arrived, Orik, the Tower Farmer of the Brown Tower, warmly greeted him.
“Did you find out what I asked about?”
“Kelkelkel. Yes. However, we didn’t find any monsters or phenomena disrupting the spirit of the Brown Tower.”
“Really?”
Then why wasn’t the spirit level rising?
Sejun pondered.
Just then...
“Kelkelkel. Sejun, the Red Goblins have prepared a banquet for you on the 77th floor. Shall we go? Here’s the deed for the 77th floor.”
“Sounds good.”
Taking the 77th-floor deed from Orik, Sejun chuckled. He hadn’t been able to relax at the Golden Tower, so this was his chance to unwind.
However...
“What... What’s that smell?!”
“Kelkelkel. This is the traditional food of the Red Goblin tribe.”
Just as Orik proudly introduced the food, Sejun’s hopes were shattered.
He remembered that the Red Goblins had a habit of eating food after it started to rot.
And there was that ominous feeling he’d had earlier...
[You are surrounded by A-grade toxic fumes.]
[Your talent: C-grade Poison Resistance is trying to resist.]
[Resistance failed.]
[You have been poisoned by A-grade toxins.]
[You will lose 0.5% health every second.]
[Exposure to a strong toxin has upgraded your talent: C-grade Poison Resistance to C+.]
While his resistance had improved, Sejun was not happy.
“Green onion!”
“Puhuhut. Here it is, nya!”
Theo kindly shoved the detoxifying green onion into Sejun’s mouth.
Crunch, crunch.
Sejun chewed it quickly to neutralize the poison.
I’d rather go home and eat Aileen’s food.
As the urge to go home intensified...
“Kueng!”
[This is not food!]
Kuengi, who had initially thought it might be tasty, let out a disappointed cry.
Even Kuengi, a notorious glutton, refused this so-called food. No, calling it food was an insult—it was food waste.
“This won’t do. Grave...”
Sejun contacted Grave, threatening to stop working with him unless the Red Goblin tribe’s traditional dishes were banned.
“Ah?!”
At that moment, Sejun witnessed a shocking sight.
Red Goblins scratched their butts, picked their noses, and touched their feet with hands that had just prepared food.
“Grave, weekly hygiene training is also a must.”
If he wanted the Brown Tower to grow, banning traditional Red Goblin cuisine and implementing weekly hygiene education would be essential.
A moment later, under the stern command of the Great Brown Dragon, the Red Goblins hurriedly cleared away the food and attended Sejun’s hygiene class.
While Sejun wasn’t a hygiene expert, he was still leagues ahead of the Red Goblins, who lacked basic hygiene practices.
“Hey! What’s wrong with food that’s fallen on the ground?”
“Why does it need to be eaten within three seconds?!”
The Red Goblins even treated the “three-second rule” as a culture shock.
After the brief hygiene class...
Plop. Plop.
[Magic-Infused Bean Sprouts have been planted in the soil.]
[Your job experience has slightly increased.]
[Master of Magic Sowing proficiency has slightly increased.]
...
..
.
“Kelkelkel. It’s great to work with you like this, Sejun.”
“Orik, less talking, more working.”
“Kelkelkel. I can work and talk at the same time, you know.”
“Just work quietly!”
“Kelkelkel. If you say so.”
Sejun continued planting the beans with Orik, who chuckled obnoxiously.
By making Orik an A-grade Tower Farmer and raising the spirit simultaneously, he killed two birds with one stone.
An hour later, they had almost finished planting 50,000 pyeong of bean sprouts.
“Grave, has the spirit level increased?”
[The Brown Tower’s administrator reports that the spirit level has risen to 40.5%.]
“Is that so?”
Calculating that 0.1% equated to about 10,000 pyeong, Sejun figured that with 1,000,000 more pyeong, he’d reach the target.
Why didn’t they just do this sooner?
Just then...
[The Brown Tower’s administrator reports that the spirit level has suddenly dropped to 35%.]
“What?!”
The spirit level had decreased, even lower than it was before they’d started planting.
Why is the spirit level dropping?!
Baffled, Sejun muttered to himself.
“Time for Detective Sherlock Sejun to step in.”
With a serious tone, Sejun placed a stylish red pipe, gifted by Ramter, in his mouth. Named [Flame Devourer], the pipe absorbed all fire-based attacks thanks to a fire seed inside that generated fire essence.
As Sejun began his detective routine...
“Puhuhut. Then Assistant Theotson shall join, nya!”
Lick, lick, lick.
Theo licked the churu-filled end of his own pipe.
“Kueng!”
[Hehe. Detective Kunang will join too!]
Kuengi held a honey-filled pipe, eagerly joining in.
Then...
“Ki-hi-hit. Ki!”
[Alright, caretaker! Detective Kapang is on the case!]
Kamangi, having emptied his pipe of roasted sweet potato slices, joined as well.
When Sejun received the Flame Devourer from Ramter...
“I want one like the chairman’s, too!” Theo had demanded.
“Kueng!”
“Ki!”
All of them had wanted pipes identical to Sejun’s.
So Sejun asked Ramter to make identical pipes without the fire-absorption ability and filled each with treats his companions liked.
With their pipes in hand, Sejun and his team set out to find the source of the declining spirit.
They began searching near the Red Goblin village.
“What’s that smell?”
Soon, they noticed a strong stench coming from a nearby stream.
“Is something upstream? Detective Kunang, let’s fly up and investigate.”
“Kueng!”
With Kuengi’s psychokinesis, Sejun floated upstream.
“What is all this?!”
He saw a massive pile of rotting food waste—or more accurately, the Red Goblins’ food storage.
No wonder the spirit level was dropping...
With such a large pile of decomposing waste, it was more surprising that the spirit level hadn’t plummeted further.
So the Red Goblins were the main culprits behind the deteriorating spirit.
“How should I deal with this?”
Sejun pondered for a moment.
Bubbling.
He noticed bubbles rising from the stagnant water around the food waste, indicating gases from fermentation.
“I just need to blow it up.”
Snap.
When Sejun created a flame with a snap of his fingers, the Flame Devourer absorbed it, glowing red.
“Oh.”
Right. It absorbs fire.
Stowing the Flame Devourer in his dimensional warehouse, Sejun created another flame.
Tossing a lit stick into the waste heap...
Boom!
A hot blast followed.
Bang!
A massive second explosion ensued, as the gases trapped underground ignited.
Splatter.
The explosion sent rotting food flying in all directions.
“Kueng!”
Thankfully, Sejun was protected by Kuengi’s psychokinesis.
“Puhuhut. Case clo—”
Just as he thought the case was closed...
“How dare you destroy my home?!!!”
A tiny dung-colored orb emerged from the waste heap.
[A Sin That Corrupts the Earth, Reeking Decay]
“...”
“Kuengi, you don’t want to eat that, do you?”
Shaking his head violently, Kuengi replied.
[No way! I’m not eating that! It’s nasty!]
“Yeah, I wouldn’t want it either...”
“Alright, Cabi, it’s yours.”
“Sha-rarang?!”
Cabi was visibly horrified.
“What’s wrong? You have decay powers; it’s right up your alley.”
[No way! We’re on totally different levels!]
Then...
“Ki?! Ki!”
[Hey, Cabi, are you talking back to our caretaker? Open your mouth, everyone!]
[No! Just end it now!]
Kamangi jumped at Cabi, prying his mouth open, as Sejun prepared to feed him the growth elixir.
Sometimes, it’s important to set an example for the others.
So, the decision was made for Cabi to consume Decay.
“How dare you mock me?!”
Pooof!
Decay unleashed a foul yellow cloud that spread visibly.
“Ugh! This is too much! Kuengi, just finish it off!”
“Kueng!”
Wham!
[Herb Specialist Park Kuengi has defeated A Sin That Corrupts the Earth, Reeking Decay.]
[Herb Specialist Park Kuengi has earned 700 billion experience points, half of the total XP gained.]
With a thunderous blow from Kuengi, Decay was eliminated.
As the stench disappeared, the spirit level quickly rose without further intervention.
[The Brown Tower’s administrator happily reports that the spirit level has reached 55%, an excess achievement.]
Two more growth conditions had been met.
“Puhuhut. Case closed.”
Sejun, pleased with the results, declared the case solved.
Then...
“Vice President Theo, let’s hire some employees.”
“Puhuhut. Got it, nya!”
Sejun began recruiting, aiming to achieve more Great Feats.
This might take a while...
Since Sejun Company wasn’t well-known in the Brown Tower, he expected it to be a slow process.
“What?! You’re the one who destroyed our food storage?!”
“Kill him!”
“Don’t let him get away!”
Brown Tower residents came swarming from every floor, making the requirement easier to fulfill.
Unbeknownst to him, the food storage he’d blown up was shared among various Brown Tower residents.
“Everyone, let’s start hiring.”
Seeing how enthusiastic they were about food, Sejun figured they’d be motivated.
Soon after...
The Black Tower’s official employee network was merged with that of the Brown Tower.