Chapter 638: Is That Something to Brag About?

 

Black Tower, 99th Floor

Black Tower’s Magic Tower – Tower Master’s Office

“Squeak-squeak-squeak! From now on, the Tower Master of the Black Tower’s Magic Tower is Huxtor!”

Iona declared in an incredibly cheerful tone as she handed over her duties to Huxtor.

Huxtor, who had remarkable talent for magic, had improved his skills greatly under Iona’s relentless training.

Squeak-squeak-squeak! A successor has been found!

"Squeak-squeak-squeak! Huxtor, within a month, you’ll officially become the Tower Master!”

“What? Me?!”

"Squeak-squeak-squeak! Yes, just accept it!”

Iona had forcefully boosted Huxtor’s magic skills and molded him into her successor as Tower Master.

Finally, Iona freed herself from the dual role of the Magic Association’s president and the Black Tower’s Magic Tower Master.

She felt so liberated that she believed she could laugh off any insult thrown her way—though the consequences of actual insults would be the other party’s responsibility.

But where there is light, there is shadow.

"I’ll do my best…”

Unlike Iona, Huxtor’s voice was filled with gloom.

Of course, it was only natural. Things were already tough for him, and becoming Tower Master would multiply his workload.

Why am I so talented?

Huxtor lamented his own talent.

For some, becoming Tower Master might be a dream come true, but…

“I only get 10 hours of sleep every three days as it is…”

Will I even be able to sleep at all in the future?

Far from being thrilled, Huxtor felt anything but joy at his new title.

"Squeak-squeak-squeak! Good luck!”

And so, Iona, leaving a burdened Huxtor behind, merrily departed the Magic Tower.

Now I’ll have more time with Lord Theo!

Eager to share this wonderful news, she went to find Theo.

But…

"Squeak… Lord Theo is not here!”

Theo was nowhere in the Black Tower.

"Squeak… Search."

He must be by Master Sejun’s side.

Iona concentrated, quickly locating Sejun’s spatial storage. Using it as an anchor, she cast her dimensional teleportation spell to minimize mana consumption and stabilize the magic.

A moment later…

Found it!

"Squeak-squeak-squeak! Gate of Dimensions, open!"

With the spell cast, Iona disappeared from the 99th floor of the Black Tower.

 

<Avian>

“Everyone, time for dinner. Tonight’s dinner is fried calamari.”

Thud.

Sejun placed a massive plate of fried calamari in the center of the table.

"Queng!"

Queng celebrated with a wiggly butt dance and raised his little arms triumphantly.

“Come on, you too, have a seat.”

“Yes, sir…”

“Thank you…”

Reluctantly, Badhin and his subordinates, who had been hesitantly watching from the back, sat down at Sejun’s invitation.

The smell of the food was enticing, but…

Cooking with monsters as ingredients?!

They were visibly uneasy, knowing exactly what the calamari was made of.

But then…

Crunch.

The sound of Queng munching on the fried calamari echoed.

“Huh?!”

“What…?”

Their resolve began to waver.

Gulp.

Badhin and his subordinates swallowed hard.

Maybe… just one bite?

Tentatively, they picked up a piece, dipped it in soy sauce like Queng, and cautiously placed it in their mouths.

Crunch.

Their eyes widened in shock.

This… tastes amazing?!

Contrary to their expectations, the fried calamari was incredibly delicious. On top of that, it granted a special effect: enhanced fire-based attacks.

As they continued their meal, Badhin spoke up.

“Master Sejun, if you head north and take care of the Petrified Spiders, then head east to handle the Flesh Eaters, we should be on track.”

Badhin had a vast information network covering almost all of <Avian>. Using it, he pinpointed the locations of the disasters.

“Alright, then tomorrow morning’s breakfast will be crab ramen.”

"Queng!"

Queng cheered, pausing his eating to celebrate Sejun’s announcement.

“Let’s head out immediately.”

“Yes!”

Sejun and his companions mounted horses and began traveling through the dark desert.

Although flying would have been faster…

“I want to enjoy a desert tour.”

Sejun preferred traveling through the desert on horseback.

This was feasible because the majority of <Avian>'s residents were nomads. Thanks to Badhin’s information, they had moved to areas without disasters, minimizing the damage.

Unintentionally, Badhin had garnered a favorable reputation among <Avian>'s people.

Mounted atop a horse, ready for his desert tour, Sejun shouted, “Giddy up!”

Snort.

The horse didn’t budge.

But then…

"Purr-haha! Obey the great Hybrid Chairman Park’s command, nya! Move forward, nya!"

"Queng! Queng!"

[Stay still, and Dad will scold you!]

Whinny!

[Got it! I’ll behave!]

Once Theo and Queng intervened, the horse suddenly understood.

Tremble.

Although its legs shook slightly.

Kik-kik, squeak!

[Hee-hee. Too bad. The Great Commander Kamangi wanted to scold it.]

Kamangi added with a smug expression.

While it might have sounded like empty boasting, it wasn’t. If Kamangi had stepped in, the horse’s soul might have been extinguished.

After traveling northward for about five hours…

Screech!

Petrified Spiders came into view.

[Sejun Company employee, <Avian>'s hero, Shining Star of the Desert, Badhin, has defeated a Petrified Spider.]

[You have acquired 25% of Badhin’s experience points: 2.5 million.]

[Black Tower luck mascot Park Theo has...]

[...]

[Senior Herb Specialist Park Queng has...]

“Go get ’em, team!” Sejun cheered from atop his horse.

“Stay still!” he barked at his horse, for no reason.

Whinny…

[But I was staying still…]

Not long after…

[You have leveled up.]

Sejun reached level 170.

And then…

[A job quest has been generated.]

[Job Quest: A thousand years ago, <Avian> was a vast green grassland. However, due to an unknown source of heat, the grassland lost its vitality and turned into a desert. Eliminate the unknown source of heat and bloom 10,000 flowers in <Avian>.]

Reward: Unlock Level 171, 3 billion Tower Coins, +1000 to all stats

A quest message appeared before Sejun.

Eliminate an unknown source of heat and bloom 10,000 flowers?

“Let’s make some clouds!”

Sejun used the Thundercloud skill to form clouds in a 60-kilometer radius.

Rumble.

The sky darkened, and he amplified his mana by eating a Mana-Boosting Blue Bean and a Transcendent Black Bean. The radius expanded sixteenfold, completely enveloping the area in darkness.

“Let it rain.”

A light drizzle began to fall.

“Queng!”

[Butler! Everything’s getting wet!]

Kamangi grumbled about getting drenched.

“Alright.”

Clang.

Sejun opened the door to the spatial storage, stepping inside to watch his companions fight in the rain.

"Meow!"

"Queng!"

Theo and Queng handled 95% of the Petrified Spiders, while Badhin took care of the remaining 5%. His subordinates stood in the rain, watching—they weren’t equipped to handle the spiders without injury.

Eventually, the rain stopped as Sejun’s mana depleted.

"Purr-haha! Chairman Park, we’re done, nya!"

"Queng!"

[Hurry up, I want crab ramen!]

Theo and Queng returned, having finished off the spiders.

“Load them up!”

“Careful not to break the legs!”

Badhin and his subordinates loaded the spider corpses into the spatial storage.

“Hehe, hold on a bit.”

Meanwhile, Sejun prepared the ramen water and cleaned the spider legs. He also grilled three fish for Theo.

Once the ramen was ready…

Slurp.

The group began eating.

As Sejun slurped the broth, a spicy and refreshing warmth spread through his body, invigorating him like he’d just recovered from a hangover—even though he hadn’t been drinking.

“Who wants rice in the soup?”

"Queng!"

Queng eagerly raised his paw, and Badhin and his subordinates followed suit. They’d learned that mimicking Queng was the best way to enjoy food.

Sejun served them cold rice to mix into the broth.

After finishing breakfast, they headed east to deal with the Flesh Eaters.

 

Two hours later, a horde of Flesh Eaters appeared.

“We’ll handle this,” Badhin volunteered, stepping forward.

“Hold on.”

Sejun stopped him.

“Summon Door.”

Thud.

Sejun summoned a door leading to the 10th Tower.

Click.

He inserted a key and opened the door.

“Come on out!”

He called into the door.

Screech!

Out poured the Devourers of Doom, carrying an aura of destruction.

Screech!

The Flesh Eaters instinctively sensed the threat and reacted aggressively.

But the Devourers of Doom kept coming, surrounding the Flesh Eaters and consuming their destructive energy.

The quest recognized even neutralizing the Flesh Eaters as progress, so there was no need to destroy them outright.

A while later…

Screech!

The Flesh Eaters were gone, leaving only the Devourers of Doom behind.

“Alright, back inside.”

Sejun ordered them back.

Screech!

Obediently, the Devourers formed a line and returned to the 10th Tower.

Kik-kik, squeak!

[Hee-hee. Let me tell you about the Great Commander Kamangi’s exploits! Earlier, the butler…]

Kamangi began regaling the Devourers with his tale about resisting Sejun’s attempt to put him on a diet and preserving his roasted sweet potato strips.

Is that something to brag about? Sejun thought, watching Kamangi with disbelief.

Suddenly…

“Nya?!”

Theo began looking around cautiously.

“Vice-President Theo, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Iona, nya!”

Clang.

Theo hurriedly opened the spatial storage.

"Squeak-squeak-squeak! Lord Theo!"

Iona burst out of the door, launching herself at Theo.

"Purr-haha! Be careful, Iona! You’ll get hurt, nya!"

Theo caught her gently.

"Squeak-squeak-squeak! Yes, my Lord!"

Though she could’ve used flight magic to land safely, Iona was overjoyed that Theo showed concern for her.

“Iona, welcome.”

"Squeak-squeak-squeak! Hello, Master Sejun."

Iona joined the group, clinging to Theo’s tail.

“Badhin, where to next?”

“Southwest, where Giant Bloodsucking Leeches have appeared.”

“Alright, let’s move out.”

“Yes, sir!”

The group headed for their next target.

A short while later…

"Squeak-squeak-squeak! Power of gravity, drop the floating stones from the sky upon my enemies! Meteor!"

The Giant Bloodsucking Leeches were quickly turned into perfectly dried seaweed.

“Rain, again.”

Sejun summoned rainclouds and instructed Badhin and his subordinates on where to store the dried leeches.

Suddenly…

Hisss.

In one spot, the rain evaporated as soon as it hit the ground, creating steam.

"Queng?!"

Queng curiously approached the area, sniffing.

This smells like herbs!

A faint scent of herbs emanated from underground.

Hehe, Dad’s going to praise me for this!

Queng dug tens of kilometers into the ground to uncover the source. What he found was a lava lake.

And at its center…

[Baby Puppet Flame Herb]

In the middle of the lava lake lay an herb essential for Sejun to become an SS-grade Tower Farmer.

"Queng!"

[Queng found it!]

Excited to earn Sejun’s praise, Queng flew toward the small island in the center of the lake.

But then…

"Who dares disturb my slumber?!"

Rumble.

The small island began to rise.