Forest of Creation

[Hehe. Mission complete!]
[Well done, Flame Avatar #220.]
[I’m going to rest now.]

The body of Flame Avatar #220 disintegrated into dust as its consciousness returned to its main body, Flamey.

[Only one remains now…]

Flamey spoke with a mix of reluctance and determination.

Currently undergoing the fourth trial of the Tree of Creation, Flamey had only one barren land left to transform into a thriving, life-filled expanse to pass the trial.

Moments ago, Flame Avatar #225 had discovered the final barren land: <Eraial>.

Flamey’s feelings were conflicted.

Passing the trial would grant Flamey greater power, making it harder to meet Sejun. Yet, without becoming stronger, Flamey wouldn’t be able to protect Sejun from powerful adversaries.

It was a paradoxical situation.

But now was a time when strength was crucial to protect Sejun.

Though the world appeared peaceful on the surface, Flamey, who had connections to millions of worlds, knew the truth—this universe was deeply stained red. Danger was approaching, and only a few could sense it.

[When that time comes, I’ll need the power to protect Lord Sejun.]

Resolving to become stronger for Sejun’s sake, Flamey began the process of transforming the last barren land, <Eraial>, into a land teeming with life.

[You have arrived at the 99th floor of the Black Tower.]

After defeating the calamities in <Ticha>, Sejun returned to the waypoint on the 99th floor of the Black Tower.

“Aileen, I’m back.”

[The Tower Administrator commends you for your hard work.]
[The Tower Administrator asks if you’ve eaten dinner.]

“No, not yet. I was just about to.”

As Sejun conversed with Aileen:

Clink.

“Heh heh. Chairman Park, I missed you, nya!”
Queng!
Squeak!

The subspace warehouse opened, and Theo, Queng, and Kamangi’s family darted out, clinging to Sejun.

However:

Plop.

Sejun placed only Kamangi on the ground.

Squeak! Squeak!
[Let me go! The Great Kamangi doesn’t want to walk!]

Kamangi squirmed in protest, but Sejun was firm.

“Kamangi, you’re walking. You need the exercise to lose weight.”

Squeak…
[The Great Kamangi isn’t fat…]

Muttering complaints, Kamangi reluctantly followed Sejun to the kitchen.

“Sejun #12, prepare some pork cutlets, please.”

Sejun instructed his doppelganger to make his meal and then grilled fish for Theo.

For Iona, Sejun had already prepared roasted peanuts in bulk and stored them in her subspace pouch—roughly a ton’s worth. She wouldn’t need any more peanuts roasted for at least six months.

Once dinner was ready:

“Kamangi, since you’ve moved a lot today, you get two roasted sweet potato snacks.”

Giggle!

Sejun handed Kamangi his portion and sat down to eat.

As dinner was wrapping up:

Queng!
[Mom’s here!]

Queng, who had been burying his head in his food, suddenly turned toward the sound of heavy footsteps.

Thud. Thud.
Roar.

Pink Fur appeared, returning from training to pick up Queng and head home.

Hehe.

Queng quickly finished his meal, climbed onto Pink Fur’s chest like a koala, and waved at Sejun.

Queng!
[Dad, sleep well!]

“You too, Queng. Goodnight.”

Pink Fur and Queng departed, leaving Sejun and the others to finish their meal before heading to their sleeping quarters.

Soon after:

Snore… Rumble… Chirp… Gurgle…

The room filled with the sounds of snoring.

“Why… our kids…”

Though it seemed they were sleeping, Sejun and his companions were actually whispering apologies for their past pranks.

As the night deepened:

(Bet-Bet. Wishing everyone a good night.)

Bet-Bet woke up and began his activities.

Bet-Bet ate the fruits Sejun had prepared for him, refueling his energy before searching for treasure hidden in other worlds.

Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side that night, and he didn’t find the desired world. Morning arrived without success.

Morning

“Alright.”

Sejun got up energetically.

Though his mind worked tirelessly, his body had rested, leaving him refreshed. Thanks to his high mental power, Sejun felt no fatigue despite his continuous work. His physical strength had also reached the point where he could go ten days without sleep, and his mental power had surpassed 30,000, enabling him to stay awake for days without exhaustion.

Sleeping was more of a habit than a necessity at this point.

Even if he realized this, Sejun wouldn’t change his routine—he believed sleep was essential for good health.

After tending to Theo’s couple and Kamangi’s family, Sejun opened the subspace warehouse to check on his calamity farms.

“Let’s start with the locusts.”

Creak.

As Sejun opened the door to the locust farm:

Flap flap.

The room was so densely packed with locusts that there was barely any empty space.

“What?!”

White?

Sejun was startled.

[White Locusts]

The locusts had all evolved into white locusts.

Locusts typically grew stronger as their population increased. Given no interference and an ample food supply, their numbers had rapidly multiplied, leading to their final evolution.

“Heh heh. So they’re not just better; they’re way better now!”

For Sejun, this was excellent news.

Creak.

Next, he checked the giant bloodsucking leech farm.

“What?”

Inside, he found leeches that had preyed on one another and evolved into their ultimate form:

[Leeches of True Blood]

They were about Sejun’s height and crimson in color. Though smaller, Sejun was confident they’d be delicious.

Creak.

Finally, he eagerly opened the petrifying spider farm.

[Blue Petrifying Spiders]

The farm had blue-bodied spiders scattered throughout.

[Petrifying Ray Spiders]

“Whoa!”

The ultimate evolution was also present—spiders with blue bodies and green legs. Judging by their name, they could now petrify targets with a ray instead of a bite.

Creak.

The fire moth farm showed no significant changes.

Sejun then opened the door to the final farm, the slime farm.

Inside, alongside the usual brown slimes, there were darker brown and blackish-brown slimes, and among them stood five [Gold Slimes]—their ultimate evolution.

“Heh heh heh.”

What should I eat for breakfast today?

Sejun pondered this cheerful dilemma. After some thought, he decided:

“Alright, let’s keep it light with chicken for breakfast.”

He meant locust meat.

“Heh heh. Chairman Park, why is chicken considered a light breakfast, nya?”

Theo, confused by Sejun’s reasoning, questioned him.

“Heh. That’s because chickens are light—they have wings, after all.”

“Nya? What nonsense are you talking about?”

Is Chairman Park okay? Theo gazed at Sejun with concern.

“Honestly, I just felt like eating chicken.”

“Heh heh. Got it, nya!”

After placating Theo:

Slice. Slice.

[You have defeated the First Calamity, the White Locust.]
[You have gained 100 million experience points.]
[The title <Owner of the Calamity Farm> grants an additional 100 million experience points.]

Sejun harvested 100 white locusts from the locust farm.

“Sejun #12, please make some spicy chicken soup with this.”

He instructed his doppelganger and replicated seaweed soup and choco pies from earlier.

“Oh, and make some dragon-shaped chicken nuggets too.”

Sejun hadn’t forgotten about Ace. Though Ace’s favorability toward Sejun was already maxed out, Sejun continued to maintain his relationship.

Naturally, he also made efforts to care for Kaiser, Anton, and Elizabeth.

Meanwhile, Sejun used the Mirror of Longing to greet his parents.

“Hello, Mother and Father! Have you eaten yet?”

-“Yes. Aileen, did you eat too?”

“Yes, I did.”

Even Aileen diligently maintained her rapport with Sejun’s family.

“But Mother, aren’t you worried about not talking to Sejun directly?”

-“No. Sejun knows how to take care of himself. I prefer chatting with you, Aileen.”
-“Ahem. Me too.”

Sejun’s father, Park Chun-ho, chimed in. Aileen was even more popular with Sejun’s family than Sejun himself.

A little later:

“Aileen, here.”

Sejun sent her seaweed soup and choco pies.

Thud. Thud.

“Pink Fur, here.”

He also handed choco pies to Pink Fur, who had arrived with Queng in tow.

Hehe. Queng!
[Hehe. The chicken soup is delicious!]

Queng excitedly devoured the spicy chicken soup made from white locusts.

“Ahh. This is good.”

Sejun, sipping the rich broth, was equally satisfied.

However:

It would be perfect if it had fernbrake…

He sighed with a hint of disappointment.

Should I ask Theo to get some fernbrake seeds from Herr?

“No, I’m already asking Herr for a lot. I shouldn’t burden him further.”

If Herr had known, he would’ve jumped at the chance to earn Sejun’s goodwill points. Unfortunately, Herr missed this opportunity.

“Well, the Seed Store opens tomorrow.”

For now, Sejun decided to look forward to tomorrow’s prospects. Despite the slight disappointment, he finished his spicy chicken soup and washed it down with coffee brewed by Queng.

At that moment:

“Heh heh. Chairman Park, give me money, nya! I need it to open a new floor!”

Theo, getting ready for work, demanded funds.

As 30 days had passed, opening a new floor required 1 trillion tower coins.

“Here.”

With over 100,000 quadrillion tower coins stored in the subspace warehouse, Sejun handed Theo the required amount without hesitation.

“Heh heh. Thanks, nya!”

Theo deposited the coins into his merchant item, The Wandering Merchant’s Bundle of the Nine Towers.

“Iona, wait for me, nya!”

“Quack… Okay.”

Iona, clinging to Theo’s tail, reluctantly let go and watched him check the bundle’s destination.

Meanwhile, Sejun was contemplating his plans:

I’ll briefly visit <Kivid>, handle the urgent matters, and then return home.

Though he wanted to go home immediately, he couldn’t abandon <Kivid> to its fate. It was both a sense of responsibility and concern for Lemtor’s reaction should <Kivid> fall into ruin.

“Aileen, can you take care of these treasures for me?”

Sejun entrusted 90% of the subspace warehouse’s treasures to Aileen to prevent Theo from accidentally burning them all.

Given Theo’s track record, even this massive hoard wasn’t safe from his fiery whims.

Soon after, Theo emerged from the bundle.

“Where’s it connected to?”

“Heh heh. The 48th floor of the Blue Tower, nya! Chairman Park, I’ll go earn lots of money, nya! Iona, see you later, nya!”

Theo informed Sejun and Iona of the location before heading off to work.

“Quack…”

Iona, looking dejected, trudged back to the sleeping quarters, likely to hug her Theo doll until he returned.

Hehe. Queng!
[Hehe. Dad, Queng’s going to work too!]

“Okay. Harvest lots of herbs.”

Queng!
[Will do, Dad!]

Queng headed to the herb garden.

“Kamangi, let’s get to work.”

Sejun, too, began farming with Kamangi.

Squeak…

Kamangi wore a reluctant expression but perked up when Sejun added:

“For every thousand seeds you plant, I’ll give you one roasted sweet potato snack.”

Giggle. Squeak!
[Hehe. The Great Kamangi will plant seeds like a pro!]

The promise of rewards reinvigorated Kamangi.

From the 99th floor of the Black Tower to the 10th Tower, and then to the Sky Bean Planet, Sejun and Kamangi tirelessly worked the farms.

Squeak…
[The Great Kamangi gives up…]

Twenty roasted sweet potato snacks were enough. Kamangi collapsed before they reached the Sky Bean Planet.

Plop. Plop.

Arriving at the Sky Bean Planet, Sejun planted sky-reaching beans with vigor, steadily expanding the planet.

Though busier than ever with the calamity farms, Sejun found fulfillment in his work.

“Heh heh. It’s rewarding.”

For Sejun, the labor wasn’t tiring—it was meaningful.

[You have achieved the great creative feat of creating a planet.]

A new, satisfying accomplishment awaited Sejun.