Chapter 629: You Evil System! At Least Leave Me Some Money for Business!

 

Herl’s Pawnshop

"Ugh... Water..."

Herl, who had blacked out from drinking the high-proof Samyangju given by the Earth Dragon, groaned as she crawled out from under her blanket.

Clatter.

Empty bottles rolled around on the floor as she moved, but she paid them no mind and went straight to the table.

Gulp. Gulp.

She chugged water directly from the bottle.

"Ah! That’s refreshing."

With her thirst quenched, Herl finally looked around.

"What?! What happened to my pawnshop?! Who did this?!"

She grew agitated, seeing her pawnshop in utter disarray.

"Ahh!"

A sharp headache struck, and she clutched her head.

After a while.

"What did I do...?"

Memories of her drunken antics gradually returned, and Herl slumped to the floor with a dazed look.

She had gone to the Seed Store headquarters, singing loudly.

She had gone to the Combat Store headquarters and danced wildly, though it was hardly recognizable as a dance.

Those were bearable; she could handle a bit of teasing and embarrassment.

But—

"I shouldn’t have said that..."

Her accidental slip to the Earth Dragon was too severe.

[You revealed forbidden knowledge.]

[A penalty of 10 billion Divine Power has been deducted.]

[You are short by 300 million Divine Power.]

[Future earnings of 300 million Divine Power will be forcibly deducted.]

"I'm ruined..."

Even with all the Samyangju the Earth Dragon gave her, she’d only gained 3,000 Divine Power. Losing 10 billion was a massive loss.

While wallowing in misery,

"No, that’s not right!"

I’m the God of Merchants! I never take a loss!

"Think, Herl, think of a solution!"

Staring intently at the ten remaining bottles of well-aged, golden Samyangju,

"Huh?!"

An idea suddenly came to her.

Who made these?

"Mutdakbak made them."

...!!!

"That’s it! These are crafted by Mutdakbak!"

That gives them collector’s value!

It’s a sure thing! Her merchant’s intuition told her she couldn’t go wrong.

"Hehehe. Time to make some money."

With a confident smile, Herl gathered the bottles and headed toward the Seed Store headquarters, where Mutdakbak fanatics were abundant.

 

99th Floor of the Black Tower

Purr. "Chairman Park, I’m back!"

Theo returned from the White Tower.

Meow?! "Chairman Park, what’s this?!"

He asked, eyeing the massive monument in front of the house.

"A money-eating beast."

Meow?! "This is a beast?!"

"Something like that."

As Sejun explained the Creation God's Monument to Theo,

Hehehe. Squeak?!

[Hehe. Butler! Can I eat my lunch now?!]

Kamangi wagged his tail excitedly as he asked.

"No, it’s not lunchtime yet."

Squeak...

Kamangi looked disappointed at Sejun’s response.

Purr. "Money-eating beast, hand over the money you devoured to our great hybrid Chairman Park!"

Meanwhile, Theo was trying to extort money from the Creation God's Monument.

Our Vice-President is doing well. Go ahead and take some.

Sejun chuckled, watching Theo boldly demand money from the monument, delighted at the thought of trying to shake down such an enormous entity.

He laughed as he observed Kamangi whining about his lunch and Theo attempting to rob the monument.

"Let’s go to the herb field and have lunch with Kuengi."

Purr. "Sounds good!"

Hehehe. Squeak!

[Hehe. Let’s go already!]

They made their way to the herb field, where Kuengi was.

When they arrived,

"Wow, it’s gotten so much bigger."

The herb field had expanded several dozen times since Sejun last visited.

"Oh, there’s Kuengi."

Hehehe.

Sejun spotted Kuengi busily tending to the herbs.

Swish. Swish.

"Huh? Squirrels?"

He noticed five white squirrels darting around the field, diligently working.

They were the Sugar Gliders who had once tried to raid Sejun’s house but got caught by Pink Fur.

Pink Fur, not wanting to see blood on the 99th floor of the tower, had given them a choice:

Roar. Roar. Roar.

[If it turns out you’re thieves, you’ll die. If you try to leave, you’ll die. If the herbs die, you’ll die.]

And so, the Sugar Gliders, with the desperate thought of “if the herbs die, we die,” ran themselves ragged caring for the plants.

They actually had a knack for it, and the herbs thrived under their care.

Then,

Squeak?!

[Daddy, you’re here?!]

Kuengi, catching Sejun’s scent, eagerly waved his front paw toward him.

Then,

Squeak!

[Kuengi’s herb crew, assemble!]

He called over the Sugar Gliders.

Hehehe. Squeak!

[Hehe. Daddy, these are Kuengi’s herbalist subordinates! Mommy brought them!]

"Hello, Mr. Sejun!"

Is that guy the richest man in the Black Tower, Chairman Park of Sejun Company?!

The Sugar Gliders, trembling with fear and resentment, bowed politely at a 90-degree angle.

Meow?!

They thought Theo was Sejun, as he was the fanciest-looking one there.

If there were other figures around, that might have changed, but among Sejun’s family, Theo, Black Moon Robe, and Bae-Bae had the most luxurious appearances.

Not that the bar was particularly high.

Squeak! Squeak!

[No! My daddy is over here!]

Seeing Sejun’s displeased expression, Kuengi quickly corrected the Sugar Gliders.

"Ah! I’m sorry, Mr. Sejun!"

The Sugar Gliders apologized and bowed again to Sejun.

"Hmph. I’ll need to see if you’re fit to work in my Kuengi’s herb field."

Sejun’s pride was clearly bruised.

"What?!"

Oh no! If we get kicked out, Pink Fur will kill us!

The Sugar Gliders in Kuengi’s herb crew panicked at Sejun’s words.

However,

"If you fail to pass the three tests, you’ll be dismissed. Let’s start the first test."

Sejun, speaking in a dignified tone, began the test without concern for the panicking Sugar Gliders.

Gulp.

Kuengi watched nervously, wondering if his subordinates could pass Sejun’s test.

Then,

"Alright, you pass the first test."

Because they’re cute.

The Sugar Gliders passed Sejun’s first test easily.

A cute follower of Kuengi had to be cute.

"Huh?!"

What just happened?

The Sugar Gliders were confused, not understanding what had just happened.

"Let’s start the second test."

Sejun announced, pulling various items from his subspace storage before beginning to cook.

To be a follower of Kuengi, one must be able to eat well.

After all, if they didn’t eat enthusiastically, Kuengi’s appetite would diminish, and he’d eat only half as much.

Anyone who spoiled Kuengi’s appetite couldn’t be a follower!

Sejun began preparing food.

"Here. Eat up."

He set up a buffet for the Sugar Gliders.

"Huh?! Thank you for the food!"

The Sugar Gliders, who had been subsisting on weed roots, eagerly ate the meal Sejun had prepared, grateful for the bounty.

Just then,

Thump. Thump.

Pink Fur, who had been training with the Ox King, arrived to have lunch with Kuengi.

Shake shake.

The Sugar Gliders trembled at Pink Fur’s approach.

"Alright, you pass the second and third tests as well."

Sejun declared them successful, seeing that they ate well and didn’t run from Pink Fur.

Of course, the Sugar Gliders couldn’t run away because they’d be punished, but Sejun didn’t know that.

Hehehe. Squeak!

[Hehe. Mommy, eat this!]

Roar.

[You try this too, son.]

As Kuengi and Pink Fur enjoyed the packed lunch Sejun had prepared,

Hehehe. Squeak?!

[Hehe. Butler! Can I eat my lunch now?!]

Kamangi asked excitedly.

"Yes, go ahead."

Hehehe.

Kamangi hurriedly shrugged off his bag and began eating his lunch.

Then,

Purr. "Chairman Park, grill some fish for me too!"

Ignoring his own lunch, Theo asked Sejun to grill him some fish.

"Alright."

Resigned to Theo’s persistence, Sejun grilled fish for him while preparing more food for everyone.

It ended up becoming a picnic in the herb field.

After they finished lunch,

Squeak!

[Daddy, I’ll let you lean on me!]

Kuengi, growing larger, made a comfortable spot for Sejun to rest.

"Oh, that’s nice."

Sejun leaned into Kuengi’s soft fur.

Then,

Purr.

Hehehe.

Theo and Kamangi nestled beside Sejun.

Snore.

Squeak.

Squeak.

...

...

.

They started to nap.

"Hehehe. Shall we nap too?"

"Why not?"

The Sugar Gliders tried to snuggle between Sejun and Kuengi, but

Grr...

Pink Fur growled softly.

"Ah! I just remembered some overdue work!"

"Me too!"

"Suddenly, I feel like working!"

They shot up and started working.

Once the Sugar Gliders scurried away, Pink Fur carefully lay down to cast shade for Kuengi and the others, ensuring they could sleep comfortably.

Watching them sleep, Pink Fur left quietly when it was time to resume her training.

After a while,

"Mmm."

Sejun woke up, and so did the others.

At that moment,

Meow?!

Theo suddenly started moving his front paws back and forth.

"Vice-President, what’s going on?"

"I feel a pull!"

"A pull?!"

Finally!

At Theo’s words, Sejun watched him excitedly.

"Chairman Park, this way!"

Following the sensation, Theo led Sejun to the ginseng field.

"Here!"

Theo pointed to a single ginseng plant in the ground.

Squeak?

[This one?]

Kuengi carefully pulled out the ginseng Theo had indicated.

Then,

Flash.

With a faint pop, a tiny golden ginseng root emerged, shining brilliantly.

Squeak! Squeak!

[Daddy, you keep this! But it doesn’t seem safe to eat right away!]

[Baby Doll Ginseng]

Kuengi handed Sejun the freshly harvested ginseng.

[You have discovered a clue to becoming an SS-grade Tower Farmer.]

[A promotion quest has been initiated.]

[Promotion Quest: Cultivate Baby Doll Ginseng, Baby Doll He Shou Wu, Baby Doll Extreme Ice Grass, Baby Doll Extreme Flame Grass, and Baby Doll Poison Plant to maturity and produce complete elixirs.]

Reward: SS-grade Tower Farmer promotion.

A quest message appeared in front of Sejun.

Cultivate them carefully?

Sejun examined the Baby Doll Ginseng Kuengi had given him.

[Baby Doll Ginseng]

A rare ginseng that has absorbed spirit energy, greatly enhancing its medicinal properties. However, its effects are still limited due to its immature growth.

Consuming it raises all stats by 1,000 but also places the consumer under a curse that halts all growth for one year.

Usage restrictions: Level 70 and above, minimum 10,000 in all stats.

Grade: SS

Guess I’ll have to replant it.

Aside from the quest, the curse would stop all growth for a year—a devastating drawback for Sejun, who was already struggling to keep up with the rapid growth of his companions.

Sejun carefully stored the Baby Doll Ginseng in his subspace storage.

Then,

"Alright, let’s go."

He and his companions returned home, where he planted the Baby Doll Ginseng with care.

At that moment,

[The tower administrator says to receive the dragon blood and scales here.]

Aileen had collected dragon blood and scales from the Nine Dragon clans, delivering them to Sejun.

Aileen, visiting the dragons at the Dragon Market, offered them choice liquor or black beans in exchange for one liter of blood or ten scales each.

Aileen was more dedicated to completing the Creation God's Monument quest than even Sejun was.

"Thanks."

Sejun expressed his gratitude to Aileen and brought the collected dragon blood and scales to the Creation God's Monument.

The monument quickly absorbed them, a faint red aura shimmering over it before fading away.

 

Seed Store Headquarters

"We will now begin the auction for well-aged golden Samyangju made by Mutdakbak! Starting bid is 100 million Divine Power!"

The confident shout from Herl, the God of Merchants, marked the beginning of the auction.

However,

"...."

"...."

None of the non-combat gods, though clearly desperate for it, dared to bid. Or rather, they couldn’t.

The Seed Store headquarters had been expanding rapidly, but few non-combat gods possessed such a vast amount of Divine Power.

"Alright, then, starting bid is 10 million...?"

Lowering it to a tenth of the initial price yielded no response.

"One million?"

Still no bids.

"One hundred thousand?"

With a despairing look, Herl kept lowering the starting bid.

"Starting bid is 10,000! I can’t go any lower! I’ll also accept unwanted relics, valued at 100 Divine Power per piece!"

In a final attempt,

"10,000!"

"10,000 and five relics!"

The first bids finally came in.

After a short while.

"Sold out!"

Herl managed to sell all ten bottles of well-aged golden Samyangju.

"Hehehe. A total of 679,000 Divine Power and 300 relics."

Just as she was tallying up her earnings with glee,

[Forced deduction of 679,000 Divine Power.]

[Forced deduction of remaining 299,321,000 Divine Power.]

"Aaaah! No!"

You evil system! At least leave me some money for business!

Herl, having all her hard-earned Divine Power confiscated, was once again penniless.

"Impeach the system!!!"

She joined the movement to overthrow the system.