NoveLight ™
Black Tower, 99th Floor.
“Hehehe. So, Tolyong, you’re saying there are treasures hidden in five different worlds?”
“Yes. To be precise…”
In response to Sejun’s question, Tolyong gave a more detailed explanation of the locations where the treasures were hidden.
“Tolyong, thanks for letting me know.”
Scratch, scratch.
Sejun stroked Tolyong’s enormous head as he spoke, causing Tolyong to wiggle happily.
Meanwhile…
Viiing…
[Jealous…]
Dalcom, watching Tolyong with envy, muttered to itself.
Next time, I’ll bring back even better information!
Dalcom resolved to visit Gale’s Pawnshop soon with an ample supply of alcohol, hoping to gather valuable information for Sejun.
After finishing his conversation with Tolyong, Sejun turned to his companions.
“Alright, time to eat.”
The group sat down to enjoy a dinner prepared by Sejun 12.
“Purr. Chairman Park’s grilled fish is the best, nyang!”
Of course, because of Theo, Sejun himself had grilled the fish.
Squeak?
[Butler, can I run just one lap?]
“Nope. Ten laps for one more piece of sweet potato jerky.”
Kamangi followed a strict diet plan: the more it exercised, the more it could eat.
Squeak-squeak! Squeak?!
[Hehe! Butler, did you put honey on this? Why is it so sweet?!]
Kamangi asked while devouring its sweet potato jerky after running ten laps.
“Purr. That’s my secret recipe.”
Sejun smirked mischievously.
Kamangi, it’s because you’re tired.
Food always tastes better when you’re exhausted.
After dinner…
“Purr.”
“Snort, snort.”
Quack-quack-quack.
The group lounged together, watching Kamangi run tirelessly for more sweet potato jerky.
But how do I reach the worlds Tolyong mentioned?
Sejun pondered how to find the worlds Tolyong described. They were places Sejun had never heard of, not connected to the Nine Towers.
It wasn’t impossible, though.
“Purr. We have Bet-Bet, don’t we?”
“Purr, that’s right, nyang!”
“Snort, snort. Yes!”
Queng!
The companions nodded in agreement, even though they had no idea what Sejun was talking about.
Although Iona’s dimensional magic could theoretically work, it required precise coordinates. Without them, the magic was highly unstable, potentially dropping them into a dimensional rift.
In contrast, Bet-Bet’s dimensional gates always connected safely to other worlds, making it the better option.
But this will take time…
Sejun worried about the strain on Bet-Bet, who would have to open and close gates repeatedly until they found the right worlds.
Still, with no other options, Sejun left a note with the names of the five worlds they needed to find—Dren, Uen, Cfps, Nyamyok, and Tsine—alongside some fruit for Bet-Bet. Then, he spent the rest of the evening playing with his companions before falling asleep.
Bet-Bet’s Night
After the lights dimmed…
(Bet-Bet. Good night, everyone.)
Bet-Bet’s time had come.
Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.
Mmm. These worlds: <Dren>, <Uen>, <Cfps>, <Nyamyok>, and <Tsine>. That’s where the treasures are, right?
Munching on the fruit Sejun left behind, Bet-Bet examined the note.
(Hehe. I’ll find them and make Sejun-nim happy!)
Motivated by the thought of treasure hunting with Sejun and playing with the group, Bet-Bet was ready for action.
First, Bet-Bet closed the gate connected to the Sky Bean Planet. It could only maintain one gate at a time.
Then…
Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.
Bet-Bet began cycling through dimensional gates, hopping between worlds in search of the five on the list.
After opening about a hundred gates…
(Bet-Bet. What world is this?)
“This world?”
The resident, a fellow bat-like creature, looked puzzled by Bet-Bet’s question.
It was a fair reaction. It was like asking a local what their country’s name was—it was something rarely thought about.
(Yes, what’s this world called?)
“Ah, it’s Uen. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
The resident, looking slightly bewildered, hurried off after answering.
(Bet-Bet. I found it!)
Bet-Bet was ecstatic. Considering there were billions of worlds, the odds of finding one so quickly were astronomically low.
I must be really lucky!
Feeling proud, Bet-Bet memorized Uen’s location, closed the gate, and reopened the one leading to the Sky Bean Planet.
(Bet-Bet~)
Humming a cheerful tune, Bet-Bet played until the night sky began to lighten.
(Hehe. Another fulfilling night!)
With a satisfied expression, Bet-Bet perched itself on Sejun’s left shoulder and…
Snore.
…fell asleep, its long and productive night finally over.
“Heave-ho!”
Sejun stretched as he got up in the morning.
“Purr…”
Squeak…
He gathered his companions and stepped outside, leisurely strolling through the farm.
As he walked, a series of messages appeared before him.
[The shepherd’s purse expresses gratitude for the farmer’s footsteps, contributing its strength.]
[The System 371 Connection Device has twisted causality in your favor by 1%.]
[The Great Return of Crops (Master) skill activates, increasing your Magic Stat Potential from 155,752 to 155,782.]
“Oh, not bad. For just 1%, that’s impressive.”
Typically, his Magic Stat Potential would only increase by 10 points with this skill, but now it had risen by 30—triple the usual amount. Even better, the mana consumption from twisting causality was less than he expected.
“I like it. Let’s keep this going.”
Feeling satisfied, Sejun continued his walk around the farm. However, the bonus didn’t repeat, and soon the stat increase returned to the usual +10 per activation.
Thud. Thud.
Roar! Roar!
“Sejun-nim, good morning.”
Pink Fur approached, carrying Queng in its mouth.
“Good morning.”
Roar, roar?
[Here’s Queng. But I noticed Queng was shedding a lot of feathers recently—what happened?]
Pink Fur asked in a concerned tone as it handed Queng over.
How did it notice? I tried to pluck them discreetly!
Sejun hesitated, unsure how to respond, before deciding to come clean.
“Well, the truth is… I used Queng’s feathers to make gloves…”
Roar, roar.
[Oh, that’s a relief. I thought it might be a case of alopecia!]
Pink Fur, who had been worried about something as severe as feather baldness, was so relieved by Sejun’s explanation that it let the matter go entirely.
“Wait here. I’ll get you some choco pies.”
Roar!
[Okay.]
Sejun went to the kitchen area where Sejun 12 had prepared a pile of choco pies, intending to replicate them.
On the table, he noticed a neatly written note:
“Already? That was fast.”
He chuckled to himself, realizing how much Bet-Bet wanted to join him on the adventure. Carefully folding the note in half, he placed it in his pocket. Then, he hurriedly replicated the choco pies, filling Pink Fur’s snack pouch.
“Here you go.”
Roar!
[Thank you!]
Thud. Thud.
Pink Fur walked off to the north, moving leisurely yet with surprising speed.
“Looks like its health is improving.”
Sejun commented as he watched Pink Fur’s retreating form.
Thanks to intense training and high-calorie meals, Pink Fur’s muscles were becoming more pronounced, and its size had increased noticeably. Sejun continued to support its growth, knowing that the stronger his companions were, the less danger they would face.
And during moments of crisis, they’d protect him too.
“Hehehe.”
Feeling reassured, Sejun smiled and got back to replicating. This time, he copied some seaweed soup Sejun 12 had made and sent it along with choco pies to Aileen. Then he sat down to enjoy breakfast with his companions.
Moving to the Sky Bean Planet
After breakfast, Sejun sipped his morning coffee and crossed a dimensional gate to the Sky Bean Planet.
“Summon the gate.”
Thud.
He opened a gate to the 10th Tower.
“Queng, bring it over.”
Queng!
Queng carried over Kraken’s body, which Sejun intended to use to further expand the Sky Bean Planet, turning it into a secure base.
Thump. Thump.
[You Are the Field (Master) activates.]
[You have planted Sky-Reaching Beans on the body of Kraken, the Calamity Apostle of the Sixth Throne, the Beast That Swallows the Sea.]
Sejun diligently planted beans.
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
“Purr. Heller-nim, hurry and bring out the Elixir of Harvest, nyang! Chairman Park is waiting, nyang!”
Theo urged Heller impatiently.
“Rhea, is it done yet?!”
Heller, in turn, rushed Rhea.
“Not yet… I’m trying to rest while—”
“What are you talking about?! Rest?! Do you have any idea how important this is? You need to strike while the iron’s hot! Get back to work!”
Driven by a desire for welfare points, Heller pushed Rhea relentlessly, leaving her no choice but to comply.
Finally, a single drop of the Elixir of Harvest was completed.
“Purr. Chairman Park, here it is, nyang!”
“Thanks.”
“Purr. If you’re grateful, pet my belly for ten minutes, nyang!”
In exchange for the elixir, Theo earned ten minutes of belly rubs from Sejun.
“I’m going to sleep now. Don’t wake me up for a whole day!”
Exhausted, Rhea collapsed into a deep sleep for the first time in a month.
Heller's Next Move
“Hehehe. Now it’s time to collect chocolate bricks, isn’t it?”
Heller, checking items off a list as if collecting loans, headed to find Mudd, the God of Clay.
Knock, knock.
Mudd, however, did not answer the door.
“Alright, that’s it for today. Let’s have lunch.”
Sejun and his companions returned to the 99th floor of the Black Tower through the dimensional gate.
“Purr. Sounds good, nyang!”
“Snort, snort, snort.”
Queng!
Squeak!
The group buzzed with excitement at the prospect of lunch.
Of course, when Sejun said he was done for the day, it was only an expression. Farming work never truly ended.
After lunch, I’ll set up the cornfield.
To Sejun, farming wasn’t work—it was as natural as breathing. He couldn’t imagine a day without it.
While they were eating lunch…
Sejun, having lunch?
Artemis appeared, looking for Sejun.
“Yes, Artemis-nim, hello. Did you manage to get the land deed?”
I did. Here’s the land deed.
Artemis handed Sejun the deed to the first floor of the Golden Tower.
I’ll leave it to you.
“Yes, leave it to me.”
After delivering the deed, Artemis departed.
I guess the cornfield will have to wait.
“Everyone, pack your things.”
Sejun prepared to leave with his companions.
A short while later…
“Aileen, we’re heading out.”
[The Tower’s Administrator wishes you a safe journey.]
“Don’t worry. I’ve got the gang with me.”
Sejun couldn’t bring himself to ask her to trust him entirely.
After saying his goodbyes to Aileen…
Swish.
Sejun unfolded the land deed and disappeared from the spot.
Golden Tower, First Floor
Squeak?!
[How can anyone have such bad luck?!]
Piyot chirped in disbelief.
“Muhahaha. Tastes good.”
Oblivious to the situation, Poyo was enthusiastically licking Yuren, who was currently being scolded.
Squeak!
[Poyo! This isn’t the time for that!]
“Okay…”
At Piyot’s reprimand, Poyo withdrew its tongue with a dejected look.
Meanwhile…
“Heheh. Sorry.”
Yuren scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly, clearly not taking Piyot’s words seriously.
The three of them had been traveling through the merchant’s passageways between towers when Yuren suddenly fell through a hole that appeared in the ground. Piyot and Poyo had followed after him.
However, instead of landing in the Black Tower as expected, they found themselves on the first floor of the Golden Tower.
This unexpected turn of events left Piyot flabbergasted.
At that moment…
“Huh?! Yuren?!”
“Purr. It’s Yuren, nyang!”
Sejun and Theo immediately recognized Yuren and called out to him.
This feeling…
“Not bad.”
Sejun grinned as he glanced between Theo and Yuren.
Pfft. Squeak!
[Hehe. Theo-nim!]
Piyot, who had been fuming with anger just moments ago, now rubbed its face affectionately against Theo’s paw, a bright smile replacing its previous frustration.