Chapter 474: Isn't Dad the Best?
While Theo was handling the aftermath of rescuing Uren,
[All-Devouring Jelly Seed (50 gulps)]
"Alright, it's up to 50 gulps now."
Sejun was squeezing juice into the All-Devouring Jelly Seed with Cuengi.
Kueng!
[It's coming out!]
Squeeze, squeeze.
Even crops that were almost devoid of moisture obediently released their juices in front of the Cuengi the Juicer.
Feeding the growth elixir to the All-Devouring Jelly Seed alongside the squeezed juice, it reached 70 gulps, and the seed had grown to the size of a small walnut.
But apart from the slight change in its name and description, there wasn't much difference.
"There's no sign of sprouting at all."
And now, there was no more liquid to feed it...
As Sejun was deep in thought,
[Sejun-nim, how about feeding the seed some of your cooking?]
Flamie gave Sejun a hint.
"Cooking?"
[Yes! Soup dishes!]
"Ah!"
That's right! The Jelly Seed can drink the broth from the dishes too.
"Thanks, Flamie!"
[Hehe, I'm just happy to be helpful to my master.]
While Sejun was praising Flamie,
Ssss, ssss.
Kuehehehe.
Uhehehe.
Kkihihit.
Cuengi, Uren, Blackie, and their followers, overhearing the conversation were laughing and kept wiping their drooling mouths.
If Sejun was going to make soup to feed the seed, that meant they could also eat the dish!
"Well then, let's start cooking."
As everyone watched Sejun prepare a dish,
"Puhuhut. Chairman Park, I'm back, meow!"
Theo, who had quickly finished the aftermath, returned.
And then,
"Puhuhut."
Now I just need to pay off a little of Uren's debt and I can go to Uren's house, meow!
Theo, having gathered information on the Daemon family through Machun, smiled mischievously at Uren,
Shudder shudder.
'What is this?'
Why was his body suddenly shivering?
Uren trembled.
"Chairman Park, Uren seems sick, meow! Quickly give him some hot soup, meow!"
Theo, who had been watching Uren, urged Sejun and
"Uren, are you not feeling well? Then try sprinkling some red pepper powder on this and eat it."
Sejun handed over a bowl of Five-colored Bean Sprout Soup and a container of chili powder made from Sundried Red Peppers.
[Five-colored Bean Sprout Soup]
→ Five-colored beans, fully absorbing the nutrients from the Tower, were grown with light blocked and only water provided.
→ Upon consumption, all stats increase by 11% for 10 seconds.
→ Due to the effects of Cooking Lv. 10, the ingredients' effects are increased by 10%.
→ Chef: Tower Farmer Park Sejun
→ Expiration Date: 5 days
→ Grade: A
[Sundried Red Pepper Chili Powder]
→ This powder is made by drying and grinding Sun-dried Red Peppers grown inside the tower.
→ Upon consumption, one randomly chosen stat will increase by 5.5 if sufficient light is received. (The effect only appears if 2g, the amount equivalent to one Sundried Red Pepper, is consumed.)
→ Due to the effects of Cooking Lv. 10, the ingredients' effects are increased by 10%.
→ Cultivator: Tower Farmer Park Sejun
→ Expiration Date: 300 days
→ Grade: A
"Uhehe... Thank you."
If I pretend to be sick, I can be the first to get food, right?
Uren wasn't really sick, but he decided to continue pretending so he could eat first.
However,
Slurp.
As soon as he took a bite, his stomach immediately felt better...
"Ahh! Sejun-nim, this is so delicious! Can I mix it with rice?"
The Five-colored Bean Sprout Soup with chili powder was too delicious for Uren to keep up the act of being sick.
[The Tower Administrator praises your cooking skills once again, saying they are truly excellent.]
Kueng!
[Dad's cooking is the best!]
Kkihihit. Kking?! Kking?!
[Hehe. Did you see that?! My butler's cooking skills!]
Thanks to Sejun making a variety of dishes, everyone was enjoying a win-win situation.
"Puhuhut. If you want to eat, pay up, or become an employee, meow!"
Theo, having now joined the win-win team, had already taken some of Sejun's dishes outside, selling them while simultaneously recruiting new employees.
"Get in line!"
"If you come at me, I'll make you an employee!"
Theo handled the food delivery, while the Black Bears managed the food sales and recruitment of employees.
"Puhuhut. Chairman Park, make me some stir-fried slime and stir-fried squid, meow!"
When Theo brought Sejun a container with the necessary ingredients for the dishes,
"Got it."
Woong.
Sejun infused the dish with magic using his cooking skill and prepared the meal.
Just like the saying, 'Even a dog recites poetry after three years at the village school', Theo, after 300 days of sitting on Sejun's knees, had perfected his understanding of the ingredients needed for each dish. (TL: 'Even a dog recites poetry after three years at the village school' is a korean proverb which is a metaphorical expression that even someone with no knowledge or experience in a specific field can reach a certain level if they spend a long time in that field.)
While Sejun was cooking,
"Puhuhut. Money and employees are increasing, meow!"
Theo was thrilled as the number of employees and the money kept growing.
[You have gained 20 slaves.]
[Due to the effect of <Title: Slave King>, all stats increase by 0.2.]
[Your soul is filled with overflowing praise.]
[Mental Strength increases by 2.]
[You have fed 100 people to their fill.]
[Due to the effect of <Title: Saint of Feeding>, all stats increase by 10.]
Hehehe.
Sejun was also pleased as his Mental Strength and stats steadily increased. The Tower system recognized them as slaves, even though their titles had been changed to employees.
A short while later,
"Phew. I'm completely burned out."
[All-Devouring Jelly Seed (95 gulps)]
After making 25 different dishes over three hours, Sejun had achieved 95 gulps.
"We're done for today."
Kueng?
[Already?]
I need to avenge my defeat in the last carrot eating competition!
Cuengi, who had been warming up for the grape eating competition happening tomorrow, looked disappointed at Sejun's words.
For Cuengi, whose seal had been released, 25 dishes felt like eating just one macaron.
"Well, fine. Just eat 10 more servings and then sleep, okay?"
Feeling softhearted seeing Cuengi's disappointed face, Sejun began preparing more food.
Kuehehehe. Kueng!
[Hehehe. Got it! Dad's the best!]
Cuengi rubbed his face against Sejun's arm, acting cute.
And then,
"Hehehe. Right? Isn't Dad the best?"
Kueng! Kueng!
[That's right! Dad's the best!]
"Hehehe."
Falling for Cuengi's charm, Sejun ended up making three more types of dishes, totaling 30 servings, before going to bed.
Even though his body was utterly exhausted,
Hehehe. Cuengi said I'm the best.
His face was full of smiles.
***
Seed Shop Headquarters.
'Alright. Once Park Sejun wakes up, the second event of the Harvest Festival, the grape eating competition, will begin.'
Uncle, the God of Grapevines, looked toward the center of the headquarters in anticipation of the upcoming grape eating competition.
[Time remaining until the Grape Eating Competition - 8:00:00]
Having heard about Sejun's situation in detail through Podori, Uncle discarded all the grapes prepared for the competition and made new ones.
Initially, he had planned to offer seedless grapes for beginners, which had no stat-boosting effects and were simply tasty.
But wouldn't Park Sejun get angry at that?
Already being on Sejun's bad side once, Uncle decided to be careful.
So, he used a lot of divine power to hurriedly replace the prepared grapes with better ones.
Of course, thanks to the large amount of divine power he received from the first competition, he wasn't running low.
With this event, I will make up for all my mistakes with Park Sejun!
The reward for this competition would be incredibly tasty grapes with great effects, so Uncle's confidence was sky-high.
"Alright. Since I'm in such a good mood, how about shouting 'Trust-in-Park' together?!"
"Yeah! Sounds good!"
"Alright! Let's shout it until the competition begins!"
As the other non-combat gods responded to Uncle's suggestion, preparing to shout 'Trust-in-Park' together,
"Cuengi, you're eating so much! Have you finally decided to bulk up and become a warrior...?! Ack! I got blocked again!"
They heard the frustrated cry of Thunder, the God of Storms, who couldn't resist Bev's words to be patient and tried to talk to Cuengi, only to get blocked, from beyond the wall.
"...Ahem. Should we do it later?"
"Maybe. Now that I think about it, I'm a bit thirsty."
"Let's go grab some water."
The non-combat gods went to drink water and returned about three hours later.
And then,
"Trust-in-Park..."
"Trust-in-Park."
"Trust-in-Park!"
"Trust-in-Park!!"
They started chanting louder and louder, gauging the reactions from beyond the wall.
***
Morning of the 4th day of the Harvest Festival.
"Alright."
Sejun, who had slept well again today, opened his eyes.
[Due to the Blessing of a Single Stream of Magic Power, your Magic Power increases by 3 for one hour.]
[Due to the Blessing of a Single Stream of Magic Power, your Magic Power increases by 3 for one hour.]
...
..
.
"Hehehe."
My magic power is rising even though I'm doing nothing.
The messages showing his rising magic power overnight made Sejun feel good.
Others might have gained more, but for the sake of his mental health, Sejun didn't bother worrying about others' magic power.
At that moment,
"Huh?"
Feeling something heavy pressing on his chest, Sejun looked down.
His shirt bulging as if about to tear on the right side, and Blackie, who had been pushed to Sejun's left chest, barely clinging on and drooling while sleeping.
"What is this?"
When Sejun looked inside his shirt,
[All-Devouring Jelly Seed (100 gulps)]
Wasn't it just 98 gulps and about the size of a golf ball yesterday?
Now, it had grown into a watermelon-sized All-Devouring Jelly Seed, with its name and size having changed.
Sejun quickly pulled the seed out from his shirt and checked its description.
[All-Devouring Jelly Seed (100 gulps)]
→ ???
→ You can check the options after harvesting.
→ It has swallowed water, honey, sugarcane juice... World Tree Sapling Nutrient, and World Tree Mature Tree Nutrient.
→ The seed's growth enthusiasm is extraordinary.
→ Please plant it quickly before its motivation falters!
"Huh? What's World Tree Sapling Nutrient and World Tree Mature Tree Nutrient?"
Sejun saw two types of items he hadn't fed it.
Who fed it these?
As Sejun was pondering who might have fed the items he didn't,
[Master, you need to plant the seed quickly!]
Flamie urged Sejun.
"That's right. This isn't the time to be standing around."
He needed to plant the seed before its will to grow diminished.
Clank.
Sejun hurriedly opened the Void Storage and went inside to plant the seed.
[You Are a Field Lv. 8 activates.]
[You have planted the All-Devouring Jelly Seed into the body of Alice, the Mesmerizing Spider and 9th seat of the Apostle of Destruction.]
...
..
.
Crack.
As soon as the seed was planted, a sprout rapidly shot up. The sprout thickened and quickly grew taller.
"Wow."
In no time, it transformed into a 3-meter tall tree.
And then,
[Tower Farmer Park Sejun of the Black Tower has achieved the great feat of sprouting a transcendence-grade seed for the first time.]
[As a reward for achieving the great feat of creation, your stay fees on the 0th floor of the Black Tower are reduced by 5%.]
A message announcing his feat of creation appeared.
Good. Now the cost of going home has been reduced by 17%.
Although he didn't plan on going home anytime soon since he had just recently been there, reducing the cost of visiting home was always good news.
"Huh?"
But what's that?
Sejun's eyes caught sight of jelly-like objects resembling ping pong balls hanging from the All-Devouring Jelly Tree.
[Honey-Flavored Growth Elixir Jelly], [Watered-Down World Tree Sapling Nutrient Jelly], [Carrot Grape Green Onion Jelly], and so on.
The jellies came in various colors, combining ingredients Sejun had fed the seed. Most had two ingredients mixed, and occasionally, some had three.
It doesn't use the same ingredients repeatedly.
While examining the jellies, Sejun confirmed that there were no jellies containing the same ingredient.
Pluck.
[You have harvested Black Bean Medicinal Mugwort Sugarcane Jelly.]
[You're a Field Lv. 6 has been activated, dealing additional damage.]
...
..
.
Sejun checked the options of the Black Bean Medicinal Mugwort Sugarcane Jelly he harvested.
[Black Bean Medicinal Mugwort Sugarcane Jelly]
→ A jelly made from Transcendence Black Beans (+2), Medicinal Mugwort, and Sugarcane.
→ Upon consumption, all stats increase by 50.
→ Lifespan increases by 7.5 months.
→ It is slightly sweet with a subtle bitterness.
→ Expiration Date: 7 days
→ Grade: SS
"Whoa!"
Sejun was astonished as he looked at the options.
The effect of +20 to all stats and +3 months lifespan from the Medicinal Mugwort was increased by 2.5 times due to the Transcendence Black Bean.
The bitterness of the Medicinal Mugwort seemed to have been masked by the sweetness of the sugarcane, which had been enhanced by the Transcendence Black Bean.
Sejun immediately put the Black Bean Medicinal Mugwort Sugarcane Jelly into his mouth.
Chew, chew.
104.28.193.250
True to its jelly nature, the texture was chewy, and the more he chewed, the sweeter it became.
Gulp.
[You have consumed the Black Bean Medicinal Mugwort Sugarcane Jelly.]
[All stats increase by 50.]
[Your lifespan increases by 7.5 months.]
To think I could eat Medicinal Mugwort and not pass out!
Overjoyed, Sejun was about to harvest more jellies when—
[The second event of the Harvest Festival, the Grape Eating Competition, will begin shortly.]
[Participants who wish to join the competition, please gather in front of the Bountiful Grape Cluster Altar.]
A message appeared, announcing the start of the second event of the Harvest Festival.
*****