Black Tower, 99th Floor

Sizzle.

“Dragon Chicken~ Chicken~”

(Bebeb. It's delicious~ Anything made by Sejun-nim is always delicious~)

Sejun had risen early, singing the “Dragon Chicken Song” with Bebeb as they prepared breakfast.

To ensure the dragons could enjoy their seaweed soup and Choco Pies on time, he had to start cooking before dawn.

As they sang while cooking, the song naturally morphed into a rap.

“Yo! Yo! Deep-frying dragon chicken in oil!”

(Beb! Beb! The temperature matters when frying! Preheat required! 180 degrees for 10 minutes!)

“And don’t forget! The magic spell to make it delicious!”

Caught up in the rhythm, the two rapped enthusiastically.

(Bebeb! Get↗ Del↗i↗cious↗!!!)

The song ended with Bebeb’s impressive five-note high pitch.

“Hehehe.”

(Behehe.)

As the two laughed in satisfaction after finishing their performance…

Thud. Thud.

A pink-furred figure appeared, carrying Queng in its mouth.

“Pink Fur, why are you here so early?”

Roar. Roar.

[I had early morning training today. Here’s Queng.]

“Alright.”

When Sejun carefully took Queng into his arms…

Quueeeng…

The little creature whimpered softly and buried its face in Sejun’s embrace. It squirmed for a moment before latching onto his side.

Kuroooong.

Soon, the sound of soft snoring could be heard.

Once Queng was deeply asleep again, Sejun turned to Pink Fur.

“Here.”

He filled Pink Fur’s snack pouch with Choco Pies and handed it over.

Roar.

[Thank you, Sejun-nim.]

With the pouch now stuffed with Choco Pies, Pink Fur smiled broadly.

Roar.

[Sejun-nim, I’ll take my leave now.]

“Alright. Good luck with your training.”

Roar.

[Of course.]

Brimming with confidence, Pink Fur strode off. Its body seemed even larger and sturdier than before, likely thanks to its rigorous training.

Is this gap going to widen further?

Seeing Pink Fur’s growth, Sejun felt a twinge of anxiety.

I have to keep growing, too.

He didn’t aim to match its strength—he just wanted to ensure the gap didn’t grow so wide that they couldn’t stand side by side anymore.

A little later:

“Aileen, here. And this one is just for you.”

Sejun handed Aileen seaweed soup, Choco Pies, and a specially made chocolate cake just for her.

However…

[The Tower Administrator says they’re deeply moved.]

‘Hehehe. It’s not that big of a deal.’

[The Tower Administrator admits they’ve been slacking off lately.]

‘Huh? What do you mean, slacking off?’

Suddenly, he felt a chill.

[The Tower Administrator declares they’ll create a dish to move you just as much.]

The chocolate cake seemed to have reignited Aileen’s dormant passion for cooking.

“No, really, it’s fine! I’m already touched just by you enjoying the food I make!”

No! This is bad! Please, gods, stop Aileen from cooking!

Even as Sejun desperately tried to persuade Aileen and prayed to the gods, his efforts were futile.

[The Tower Administrator says they’ve been struck with inspiration.]

His prayers had not reached the gods—or even if they had, nothing had changed.

[The Tower Administrator says they may not respond while they’re focused, so you shouldn’t feel neglected.]

“Aileen~!”

Sejun called out urgently, but there was no response. Aileen was already in full concentration mode.

Ah… I’m doomed…

Sejun began seriously considering escaping to another world. But none of the great dragons had yet managed to retrieve the land deed for the first floor of the tower.

A little later:

“Puhuhut. Chairman Park, I’ll go earn lots of money, nya!”

Queng!

[Queng will gather lots of herbs too, queng!]

Theo and Queng left for their daily work.

“Kamangi, let’s go.”

Neigh-neigh! Whee!

[Got it! Let’s go!]

Sejun headed out with Kamangi to start the morning’s farmwork.

Meanwhile, Iona was snuggled in Sejun’s bed, clutching her Theo plushie as she slept. Taking advantage of her rare vacation, she seemed intent on doing nothing but sleep for the next few days.

Sejun began by harvesting crops on the 99th-floor farm.

“Gate summon.”

He then moved to the 10th tower.

Clank.

Opening his subspace warehouse, he arranged the Creation God’s Monument to absorb the energy of creation.

[‘You Are the Field (Master)’ activates.]

[You have planted a Seed of the Cataclysm Pioneer into the body of Leviathan, the Calamity Apostle of the 12th Seat, the Serpent That Calls the Tides.]

…

…

.

He planted both the Cataclysm Pioneer and Cataclysm Devourer seeds.

At that moment:

“Huh?!”

He realized something.

I can’t plant any more.

Sejun instinctively felt it—the body of Leviathan was nearing its limit. If he planted even one more seed, Leviathan’s life force would be exhausted, and it would vanish.

But…

I can’t level up yet.

Sejun couldn’t afford to level up now.

Even if I could, it’s not the right time.

His job quest was nearing completion, and wasting experience points on leveling up would be inefficient.

“This goes into the subspace warehouse for now.”

He stored Leviathan’s body in the warehouse and retrieved Kraken’s body from the 2nd tower.

“This is the last one.”

The good times are over.

Sejun sighed wistfully as he looked at Kraken’s body.

Even without the bodies of the Calamity Apostles, he could still reap some benefits. But it wouldn’t be the same sweet reward he’d been enjoying.

Of course, Jörmungandr’s body was still available. But that one was too massive to move to the 10th tower and would have to be saved for transportation purposes.

Poof. Poof.

Sejun sighed wistfully as he planted another seed.

And then…

“Kamangi, let’s go eat.”

Neigh-neigh! Whee! Whee!

[Got it! Hey, everyone, the Great Leader Kamangi is off to accomplish another legendary feat!]

Sejun returned to the Black Tower with Kamangi and sat down for lunch.

Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.

Neigh-neigh! Whee!

[Hehe. Butler, give me more roasted sweet potato strips.]

“Alright.”

When Sejun handed more roasted sweet potato strips to Kamangi…

Hehe.

Kamangi slyly hid them under its belly, planning to stash them away in the food storage later.

“Hey, didn’t I tell you not to hoard food?”

Whee!

[No way!]

Of course, Sejun caught him and confiscated the stash.

Whee! Whee! Whee?!

[Give it back! You stingy butler! How can you take back what you gave?!]

Kamangi whined and fussed, trying his best to reclaim the strips.

“You stingy butler?! Are you calling me stingy? Me, the generous Sejun-nim?!”

Sejun growled back, refusing to give in.

On the surface, it was a squabble between a human and a pet, but if you looked closer, it was a battle between a 27-year-old human and a 30,000-year-old (and counting) being.

Whichever way you looked at it, the scene was equally ridiculous.

Whee!

[I hate you, Butler!]

Chomp!

In a fit of anger, Kamangi bit down on Sejun’s shoe. Fortunately, it was made from golden dragon leather, so it didn’t leave a mark—just a slight pressure.

“What?! Kamangi, did you just bite my foot?!”

Whee! Whee!

[Yeah! Now give me back the sweet potato strips!]

Kamangi wore a smug expression.

You thought I wouldn’t bite?

Chomp!

Sejun retaliated by biting Kamangi’s front paw—both of them, at the same time.

Whee!

[Let go!]

“Hehehe. Nope.”

As the two continued their petty bickering…

“Brother-in-law~!”

Ace called out to Sejun.

“What’s up, Ace?”

“Brother-in-law, we’re running low on alcohol.”

“Alcohol? The elemental brew?”

“Yes.”

Since Sejun had been away from the tower often, he hadn’t brewed much alcohol recently, leaving their supply low.

“Why are you the one telling me this, though?”

“Sister told me not to disturb her while she’s cooking, so I’m the only one left to handle the Dragon Market…”

Ace, venting his frustrations, spilled everything about the hours of torment he’d endured.

“Got it. I’ll talk to Aileen and make sure she doesn’t leave the entire market to you.”

“Really?! Hahaha! Brother-in-law, thank you so much!”

Ace beamed with gratitude, thrilled that Sejun would bring it up with his sister.

No, I’m the one who’s grateful.

Sejun, in turn, appreciated Ace for giving him an excuse to rein in Aileen.

“Aileen, can we talk for a moment?”

He cautiously called out to her.

[The Tower Administrator says it’s their break time, so they’re available.]

Sejun carefully explained the importance of not leaving all the responsibility of the Dragon Market on Ace, subtly framing it as a matter of accountability.

He was careful not to let Ace become collateral damage.

[The Tower Administrator admits they were short-sighted and vows to become a responsible, great black dragon.]

“No, it’s not that you were short-sighted…”

Phew. That worked.

Sejun felt relieved that his persuasion had worked.

But then…

[The Tower Administrator declares they’ll also take responsibility for making a dish that impresses you.]

It seemed his persuasion had only half worked.

Well… at least I bought some time. That’s good enough.

With that, Sejun wrapped up the conversation with Aileen.

“Kamangi, take this and go play outside.”

Neigh-neigh! Whee! Whee!

[Hehe. Got it! The Great Kamangi will play hard!]

Sejun handed Kamangi some roasted sweet potato strips to keep him busy outside and headed to the brewery to start making alcohol.

 

Five Hours Later

“Ah, I miss the days when Sejun No. 2 was here…”

Having finished brewing, Sejun stepped out of the brewery, reminiscing about Sejun No. 2, who used to take care of the brewing for him.

At that moment…

“Puhuhut. Chairman Park, I’m back, nya!”

Queng!

[Queng is back too!]

Theo and Queng leapt into Sejun’s arms—Theo nestling into his face, while Queng buried itself in his chest.

“Nyaa…”

“You both did great.”

Sejun gently removed Theo from his face and welcomed them warmly.

Neigh-neigh! Whee!

[Hehe. Butler! I played so hard today!]

Kamangi also came bounding over, wagging its tail enthusiastically.

Then…

Hop. Hop.

Whee!

[Butler! Pick me up quickly!]

Kamangi jumped up and down insistently, demanding to be held, its entire body covered in dirt.

“First, we’re going to take a bath.”

Sejun made the decision as he took in Kamangi’s messy state.

Queng! Queng!

[It’s bath time! I’m so excited!]

Queng cheered.

“Alright, nyan.”

Theo didn’t seem thrilled but didn’t object either.

Whee!

[No!]

Kamangi, however, strongly protested.

“Come on, let’s go.”

Whee!

[Let me go!]

Of course, Kamangi, despite its protests, had no choice in the matter.

Sploosh.

Sejun and his companions soaked in the hot water, enjoying a moment of relaxation before dinner.

“Ah, I don’t feel like making dinner.”

Feeling drowsy from the warmth, Sejun’s motivation to cook dwindled.

“Theo, can you ask Herr if there’s any way we can get some Dragon Fruit?”

“Puhuhut. Got it, nyan!”

Sejun casually asked Theo to request Dragon Fruit from Herr, hoping to create a Sejun No. 2 to handle dinner preparation.

It was a lighthearted request, but…

Herr, get me some Dragon Fruit, nyan!

[A designated quest from Vice President Park Theo of Sejun Company has been issued.]

[Designated recipient: Herr, God of Merchants.]

[<Pawnbroker> Herr, the God of Merchants: Oh! Yes!]

Both Theo and Herr took the request seriously.

Herr hurried off to find Myrna, the Dragon God.

“Myrna!”

He called out in front of Myrna’s home.

“Herr?”

Myrna opened the door, surprised to see Herr.

“Myrna, sell me some Dragon Fruit!”

“What? Dragon Fruit? Why do you need that…?”

Myrna was puzzled—Herr typically had no use for Dragon Fruit.

“Theo asked me to get some.”

“Theo?”

The name Theo made her freeze.

“That insufferable cat?”

“Yep!”

“Wait a moment!”

Myrna dashed inside, and the sound of things crashing echoed from within.

Then…

“Take it all!”

Panting heavily, Myrna returned with five Dragon Fruits she had painstakingly cultivated and handed them all over to Herr.

It was a no-brainer. Selling Dragon Fruit seeds through a seed shop required overcoming near-impossible odds. But with Herr, it was guaranteed.

Moreover, transcendent-grade seeds didn’t just have incredible sale value; their germination rewards were extraordinary.

So, of course, giving them to Herr was the best choice.

“What?!”

She gave me all of this for free?!

Thanks to Myrna’s generosity, Herr acquired the Dragon Fruits at no cost.

He prepared to send them to Theo immediately, but…

[To send 1 transcendent-grade Dragon Fruit seed, 20 Sejun Company welfare points are required.]
[Would you like to proceed?]

The familiar [SJC System] notification appeared before Herr.

“No.”

Sending them like this would only result in losses.

Naturally, Herr declined.

Then…

[A Divine Rank Advancement Quest has been triggered.]
[Divine Rank Advancement Quest: Deliver 100 transcendent-grade seeds requested by Chairman Park of Sejun Company using the Sejun Company seed delivery network.]
Reward: Promotion to "God of Targets," 5% shares in the Sejun Company seed delivery network.

The [SJC System] offered Herr an irresistible reward.