Chapter 214: What's in the Sky?

"Vice Chairman Theo, what does this say?"

Since the characters inscribed on the stone tablet were unreadable to Sejun, he asked Theo for help.

"I don't know either, meow! Let's ask Sister Aileen, meow!"

"Right. Aileen, please read this for us."

The two who had suddenly become illiterate asked Aileen for help.

And then,

[The Tower's Administrator asks you to wait a moment.]

Aileen translated the characters on the stone tablet and informed them.

"What?! Only the Tower Farmer can prevent the destruction?!"

Sejun was startled by Aileen's words.

'Me? Am I supposed to fight the Apostle of Destruction?'

No, they should at least give a proper combat skill before telling to fight! This isn't right!

"Right. It said 'can prevent' destruction, not 'will win'. It doesn't necessarily mean I have to fight directly."

Sejun, who was terrible at combat, naturally thought of ways to avoid fighting. Believing that he could prevent destruction through means other than combat, fitting for his job as a Tower Farmer.

Then

Thump thump!

Krueng?! Krueng?!

[What's happening?! Are you okay, Dad?!]

Cuengi, who noticed an explosion of light from afar and had rushed over, arrived.

"It's nothing serious. You came because you were worried about me?"

Krueng!

[Yes, that's right!]

Cuengi answered, hugging Sejun's leg tightly. Hehehe. Cute. Sejun stroked Cuengi, who had rushed over out of concern for him.

And then,

"But what is this rock, and why does it have something like this written on it?"

Sejun, curious, placed his hand on the rock.

[Creator God's Tablet]

→ This is one of the ten tablets left by the Creator God.

→ The divine power of the Creator God, which benefits the surroundings, flows from it.

→ The more tablets you collect, the stronger the divine power of the Creator God becomes.

→ ???

→ Grade: Unmeasurable

"Huh?! The Creator God's Tablet?"

Sejun was puzzled as he examined the stone. Its name had changed from 'Fragment of the Divine Stone' to 'Creator God's Tablet.'

"But who is the Creator God? Aileen, do you know who the Creator God is?"

Sejun, who had become curious, asked Aileen, and she started to enthusiastically explain, showing off her knowledge.

Three hours later,

[The Tower's Administrator says your eyes look glazed over.]

[The Tower's Administrator asks if you are listening properly.]

"Uh?! Oh! Yes, I was listening! So, the Creator God made the tower 3000 years ago and then disappeared, right?"

Sejun hastily replied.

[The Tower's Administrator is glad you are listening properly.]

[The Tower's Administrator says it's all important, so listen carefully.]

"Yes!"

'Phew. That was close.'

Sejun inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, having narrowly averted a crisis.

It wasn't that Aileen's story was boring, but Sejun was getting exhausted as Aileen, full of enthusiasm, started from the very beginning of the Creator God's myth. His concentration was reaching its limits.

As Sejun was half-listening, drifting in and out,

[The Tower's Administrator says that with this much knowledge, you won't be disregarded anywhere for not knowing about the Creator God.]

Aileen's explanation had come to an end.

"Yes! Thank you!"

Sejun's eyes regained their spark with the conclusion of Aileen's words.

Then

Grrrumble, rumble.

The belly alarm of Cuengi, clinging to Sejun's leg, went off. Hungry after a brief rest, Cuengi was waiting for Sejun.

"Cuengi, eat this."

He gave Cuengi ten giant peanuts created with his skill and headed towards the cooking area.

And then

"Guys! Let's have dinner!"

Sejun called the animals to eat dinner and ended the day with dinner.

***

In the Administrator's area.

"Kehehehe. Grandfather!"

Aileen, who had explained about the Creator God to Sejun, hurriedly called for Kaiser. She was eager to boast to him that Sejun was the one who could prevent destruction.

-Kekeke, my granddaughter, did you miss your grandpa?

At Aileen's call, the black dragon statue began to move. Kaiser had been preoccupied with external affairs and had not been using the black dragon statue.

"Grandpa, Sejun is said to be the one who will prevent the destruction!"

-What?! What do you mean? How can that weakling prevent destruction? I'd believe it if Cuengi were to prevent it.

Kaiser shook his head in disbelief at Aileen's words.

"Really! Look here!"

Ignored by Kaiser, a frustrated Aileen showed him the Creator God's tablet through the crystal orb.

-Huh?! What's this?

Kaiser was surprised by the writing on the tablet.

"Right?! Our Sejun is going to stop the destruction!"

Aileen said with a proud expression.

'It says Tower Farmer, not Sejun specifically...'

Kaiser quietly kept the words he wanted to say to himself.

"Keeheehee. This isn't the time! I need to finish the gift for Sejun quickly!"

Aileen went to engrave magic on the fragment of Kai-ra's Dragon Heart, which was to be Sejun's gift.

And then

-Strange...

Left alone, Kaiser found it odd that the Creator God's tablet was unsealed without any damage. When the seal was lifted, the aura of the Creator God should have flowed out.

But the 99th floor of the tower was perfectly intact and peaceful. There was something he didn't know.

***

The next morning.

"Ugh!"

Sejun woke up from sleep, opening his eyes.

"Meow..."

First, he gently picked up Theo, who was sleeping on his knees, and get up, then placed Theo back on his knee.

And then

Swoosh.

He marked the date on the bedroom wall, beginning the 337th day since being stranded. When Sejun came out, there was a signpost that hadn't been there the day before, erected in front of the tablet.

Last night, Sejun had Theo translate the writing on the tablet into a language everyone could read and put it on the signpost.

"Today, I feel like eating baekseolgi."

Sejun went to the kitchen and put coins into the 'Wealth-devouring Rice Dough Relic' to get rice flour. After receiving the flour, he placed it into a steamer.

As he waited for the rice cake,

Krueng!

[Good morning, Dad!]

Cuengi came to the kitchen to greet Sejun. Seeing Sejun was already preparing breakfast, Cuengi was quite docile today.

"Yep. Did you sleep well, Cuengi?"

Krueng!

[Cuengi slept really well!]

Cuengi answered, naturally climbing onto Sejun's lap.

Swoosh, swoosh.

Sejun stroked Theo and Cuengi lying on his knees, waiting for the rice cakes to be done.

After a while

"Guys, let's eat!"

When the rice cakes were ready, Sejun called the other animals to eat breakfast.

After all the animals had eaten their breakfast and the dishes were done,

"Just gather around for a moment. I have an important announcement."

Sejun had all the workers of the 99th floor gather in front of the tablet.

And then

"Take a look here."

He had them read the writing on the sign in front of the tablet.

"Hehehe. See? I am the hero who will save the world from destruction."

Sejun, who had no intention of fighting himself but wanted to boast, spoke to the animals with his arms crossed and a smug expression."

"Puhuhut. See, meow? I am the right hand of Chairman Park, who will save the world, meow!"

Keuhehehe. Krueng? Krueng!

[Hehehe. See? Cuengi is Dad's bodyguard who will save the world!]

Following Sejun, Theo and Cuengi stood to his left and right, arrogantly showing off their grandeur with their arms crossed.

"Let's head down now."

After the bragging, Sejun prepared to go down the tower with Theo and Cuengi to remove the kudzu that had likely regrown on the 85th floor in the past few days.

Though the stems were burnt, the roots were still alive, and the kudzu had not completely disappeared. It was necessary to go down periodically and remove the kudzu.

So Sejun went down to the 85th floor to burn the kudzu.

But

"Huh?!"

Emoo?!

There was no need. On the 85th floor, Black Minotaurs were not only devouring the growing kudzu vines but were also digging up and eating the roots.

"We can go back now."

After checking the state of the tangerine tree, Sejun was about to return to the 99th floor when he casually asked the Minotaur King to eat all the kudzu on the 85th floor and chatted about various things. During the conversation,

Emoo! Emoo!

[Right! I found this on the 98th floor!]

The Minotaur King handed over a light green fruit he had found on the 98th floor of the tower. It was a fruit with a rough, net-like pattern on the outside.

"Huh? Isn't this a melon?!"

Sejun recognized the fruit immediately.

Emoo!

[This is incredibly delicious!]

As Sejun recognized the melon, the excited Minotaur King snorted and replied.

So, Sejun quickly changed his mind about returning to the 99th floor of the tower and switched his next destination to the 98th floor. It seemed like a good opportunity to check with the monsters living on the lower floors if there was any difference between floors.

Then

Krueng! Krueng!

[Cuengi found something for Dad! You have to eat it!]

Cuengi, who had been out of sight for a while, held out a golden kudzu root to Sejun.

And

"Kuh..."

Gulp.

He chewed and swallowed the kudzu root right away.

[You have consumed the Kudzu Root of Life.]

[Your Stamina has increased by 50.]

[You have consumed a bitter medicine.]

[Talent: A Medicine That's Bitter is Good for Stamina activates due to its bitterness.]

[Your Stamina has increased by 3.]

So this is the bitterness of a 3. Sejun made a bitter face as he read the message. Still, thanks to Cuengi's enthusiasm, Sejun's Stamina was almost reaching 300.

"Guys, go inside the void storage."

"Got it, meow!"

Krueng!

[Got it!]

Sejun put Theo and Cuengi into the void storage and unfolded the land deed for the 98th floor of the tower.

***

Creak.

The white dragon statue, which hadn't moved on the roof of Sejun's house, began to move.

-Ah. I want a drink.

Kellion, tired from a lot of work to move the tower and settling it in place in the world, looked for alcohol first.

Then

-Huh?!

Kellion discovered the Creator God's tablet in front of Sejun's house.

-Only the Tower Farmer can prevent destruction?!

Kellion was thrilled by the words on the tablet. Of course, my grandson! That meant Ajax was the one who would prevent destruction.

But then, he remembered something.

-But what happens if he's become Sejun's slave for 100 years?

Kellion was momentarily confused but then

-Eh. To prevent destruction, we need someone like our Ajax. Sejun is... well...

He lightly dismissed Sejun as a candidate for preventing destruction.

And

-Kaiser! Let's drink! Where are you?!

He began calling for Kaiser, his drinking buddy.

***

[You have arrived at the 98th-floor farm of the Black Tower.]

[You have moved from the highest floor, the 99th floor, to the 98th floor.]

[You have descended one floor.]

[Due to the effect of <Title: Retrogressor>, all stats increase by 1.]

"Wow!"

As he arrived at the 98th floor, there were delicious-looking melons hanging all around. The Minotaur King had cleaned up the area well, so there were no monsters lurking around as expected.

"Come out, guys."

Sejun called Theo and Cuengi from the void storage.

"Got it, meow!"

Swoosh.

As always, only Theo ran out to Sejun's call. Cuengi was busily filling up his snack pouch.

Snap.

Theo clung to Sejun's leg. Sejun left the void storage open for Cuengi, who was filling up his snack pouch, and began harvesting melons from the melon trees.

"Hehehe. Delicious."

Of course, he tasted the melons in between.

Then

Krueng!

[It smells delicious!]

Cuengi, who had come out after filling up his snack pouch, rushed to Sejun after smelling the sweet scent of melons and opened his mouth wide to receive some.

"Here you go. Tasty, isn't it?"

Sejun said as he fed the melon into Cuengi's mouth. It was definitely a flavor that would make one dance with joy.

But Cuengi's mouth did not close.

Kooong.

Cuengi looked up at the sky with a dazed expression.

"Cuengi, what's wrong? What's in the Sky?"

Sensing something odd, Sejun followed Cuengi's gaze and looked up at the sky.

And

"Huh?! What's that?"

Sejun discovered a gigantic tree root floating in the sky.