Farming in the Tower Alone [EN]: Chapter 160

Sejun’s eyes widened. In front of him was a giant earthworm… or rather, a Black Earth Dragon! He couldn’t believe such a creature had appeared here on its own.

Sejun realized this huge creature could solve his farming problem quickly. It could eat the soil and make the land ready in no time. He imagined the dragon working hard in his field.

Looking at the massive dragon, Sejun wondered, “Will soil be enough food for something this big?” He started to think about how he would take care of it, even before it was friendly.

“It’s a giant earthworm, nya!” Teo yelled, pointing his paw at the dragon.

The ground shook as the dragon roared, “How dare you wake me! And call me an earthworm! You will pay for this!”

“Hmph! So what, nya! I’m still better, nya! I work for the great Black Dragon!” Teo puffed out his chest.

But the Black Earth Dragon interrupted, “What? *You* work for the Black Dragon? That’s impossible! If you really do, then prove it to me!”

“Hehe! See, nya!” Teo held up his paw, showing his paw pad.

Kkueng barked, “[Here it is!]” and raised his thumb.

Sejun rolled up his sleeve and showed the dragon tattoo on his arm.

The Black Earth Dragon stared at Sejun’s tattoo, stunned. ‘No… it can’t be…’ It wasn’t just the size of the tattoo. The dragon was furious. ‘The Black Dragon gave his mark to *them*? To such weak creatures?’ He had served the Black Tower for a thousand years and never received such a gift. Anger boiled inside him. Showing the mark had been a mistake.

“Die!” roared the Black Earth Dragon, swinging its huge tail at Sejun.

Suddenly, Iona’s voice screeched, “Kyu-kyu-kyu! What are you doing to *my* Magic Tower?!” She jumped up from Teo’s tail, eyes flashing. She was furious that her newly fixed tower was in danger again.

“Stones, attack! Turn into fire!”

Iona waved her hand, and stones rose from the ground. They flew towards the dragon’s tail, faster and faster, glowing red hot as they moved through the air. They smashed into the tail with a loud crash, stopping it in its tracks. Dust and bits of stone flew everywhere, heading straight for the Magic Tower. But then, *whoosh* – an invisible shield appeared around the tower, stopping everything.

“Gravity, make it heavy!” Iona shouted.

Suddenly, the Black Earth Dragon crashed to the ground with a *thud*. ‘Kuh…’ it groaned, sinking into the earth. Iona raised her hands again, ready to finish it off.

“Iona, wait!” Sejun called out quickly. “Don’t hurt it! We need it to help us farm!”

They reached the spot where the dragon had fallen. With a groan, the Black Earth Dragon pushed itself up, its head rising from the ground.

“Wait!” Sejun said. “I can give you a mark too…” He reached out his hand, hoping to make a deal. Suddenly, words appeared in front of him:

**[You touched the Black Earth Dragon, Helper of the Top Farmer.]**

**[New Quest!]**

**[Tame the Angry Black Earth Dragon and Give it a Name!]**

**Reward: The Black Earth Dragon will help you farm.**

“Helper?” Sejun said, surprised.

“What?!” the Black Earth Dragon boomed. “*You’re* the Top Farmer?!” It couldn’t believe it. Sejun looked so weak. ‘This is a disaster,’ the dragon thought. ‘A weak Top Farmer means the Tower will fall!’

“Yes,” Sejun said calmly. “So, let’s work together.” He was used to people thinking he was weak. Suddenly, the ground shook.

“I will never work for someone like you!” the dragon roared, and its tail shot out from the earth.

Kkueng barked loudly, “[Papa is in danger!]” He puffed up bigger and jumped in front of Sejun. *Wham!* The dragon’s tail slammed into Kkueng, but a flash of light burst from Kkueng’s thumb. The dragon tattoo glowed brightly and then vanished.

Kkueng looked at his thumb, then back at the dragon. “[My mark is gone!]” he barked, furious. He started hitting the Black Earth Dragon with his paws, *wham! crash!* “[Earthworm is bad! Earthworm is bad!]”

The Black Earth Dragon groaned, ‘Ugh! I can’t even move properly!’”

“Kkueng, stop, stop!” Sejun said, pulling Kkueng back. “That’s enough.” He took out a scale from Kaiser and touched Kkueng’s thumb. The dragon mark appeared again. Kkueng wagged his tail happily. “[Thank you, Papa! Mark is back!]” The Black Earth Dragon watched, confused. ‘How…?’”

“See?” Sejun said, holding up a handful of shiny scales. “Want a mark too? Come work for me, and I’ll give you one.” The Black Earth Dragon stared at the scales, then back at Sejun. ‘He may be weak… but…’”

Sejun did not like the smug look on the Black Earth Dragon’s face. The dragon stood tall and strong, but his smile was annoying.

“If you don’t like it, that’s your problem. Kkueng, hit him again.”

Kkueng made happy noises, like “Kkueng! Kkueng!” He seemed excited to hit the dragon again. “I will hit the naughty one more!” Kkueng seemed to say in his own way.

“Wait, no!” the Black Earth Dragon tried to say, but it was too late. *Wham!* Kkueng punched him hard. The dragon was hit again and again.

“Will you come with me, or not?” Sejun asked again. The Black Earth Dragon stayed silent. He did not want to be hurt anymore, but he also did not want to give in.

“I even have a great name for you,” Sejun said, knowing this would get the dragon’s attention. “Aren’t you curious?”

“My name?” the Black Earth Dragon asked, his eyes widening.

“Yes,” Sejun said with a smile. “I will call you… Earth Dragon.”

The Black Earth Dragon did not know that Sejun was secretly making fun of him. He was very happy with the name “Earth Dragon.” To have the word “dragon” in his name! He felt important and strong.

Sejun waited for an answer. The Black Earth Dragon looked down, then slowly nodded his big head. Sejun smiled. He knew the dragon would come with him. Earth Dragon would now work on his farm.

“Okay, Master, I will go with you,” the Earth Dragon said.

“Welcome, Earth Dragon,” Sejun replied happily. He touched the dragon’s head, and a small, green mark appeared there. It looked like a tiny dragon drawn on his skin.

“Welcome, youngest Earth Dragon!” a voice called out. A small black cat with bright eyes jumped onto Sejun’s shoulder. “I am Theo, the oldest brother, meow!”

Kkueng barked happily, “Kkueng! Kkueng!” Earth Dragon looked confused. “The youngest?” he asked.

“Yes, you are last, so you are the youngest, meow!” Theo the cat explained.

Kkueng barked again, “Kkueng! Kkueng! Sixth!” Theo then started to list them off, “Second is Fire, third is Black Rabbit…”

Earth Dragon now had a mark and a name. He also had five older brothers and sisters. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. *Five siblings?* Then he remembered something. “Wait,” he thought, “I am over two thousand years old!” Being called the youngest suddenly felt very wrong.

*On the 20th floor of the tower,* Han Taejun looked around at his students. “Is everyone here?” he asked. “Yes, Master!” they replied. These were students who had joined him on his journey up the tower.

Han Taejun frowned. He saw Janglin standing there, but Janglin was missing an arm! “Janglin! What are you doing here? You should be in the hospital!” Han Taejun said, his voice worried. “You are still hurt. It’s too dangerous for you here.”

“Master,” Janglin said urgently. “I need to help get revenge for our friends! I remember what the attackers looked like. If I’m not there, it will be harder to find them. Please, let me come with you!”

Han Taejun looked at Janglin’s determined face. He knew he could order Janglin to leave, but he could see Janglin would not listen. “Okay,” Han Taejun agreed. “But stay close to me. Don’t leave my side.”

“Yes, Master! Thank you!” Janglin said, relieved.

“First, tell me everything you remember,” Han Taejun said. “What did they look like?”

“The attackers were wearing black masks, black shirts, and black pants,” Janglin replied.

“Is there anything else?” Han Taejun asked. That description was not very helpful. Many bad people dress in black.

“Wait!” Janglin said suddenly. “There was one strange thing.”

“Strange thing?” Han Taejun asked, leaning forward.

“Yes. I saw a tattoo on one of their necks. It was a snake with three heads, inside a circle. I only saw it for a second.”

“Three heads?” Han Taejun repeated, surprised. “Are you sure you saw it clearly?”

“Yes… I think so,” Janglin said, sounding less certain.

Han Taejun thought hard. *A three-headed snake tattoo…* He knew about a dangerous group. People called them the Three-Headed Snake Society because of their tattoo.

This group was made up of very dangerous people – hunters who used to be in the Mafia, the Yakuza, and the Triads. If Janglin was right, they were in serious trouble. This was a problem bigger than Han Taejun and his students could handle alone. But they had to protect the Caladrius Scallion. They could not run away.

“We need help,” Han Taejun said. “We will go to the 40th floor of the tower.”

“Yes, Master!” his students replied. Han Taejun led them towards the stairs to the 40th floor. He hoped the cat merchants there could help them.

Sejun climbed onto Earth Dragon’s back, and the dragon carried him back to the farm. When they arrived, the sun had already set. “I will start working now!” Earth Dragon said eagerly. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he became tiny, no bigger than Sejun’s finger. He jumped into the field, ready to work.

“Okay, thank you for your help,” Sejun said to Earth Dragon. Kkueng barked sleepily, “Kkueng! Time for sleep!” “Good night, Kkueng,” Sejun said, smiling. He went inside his house. It had been a long, tiring day. Soon, Sejun, Theo the cat, and Iona were all asleep in their beds. They were so tired, they fell asleep almost as soon as their heads touched the pillows.

*Thump. Thump.* The bedroom door slowly opened, making almost no noise. A white shape slipped inside, moving quickly and quietly. Inside the room, Sejun and his friends were fast asleep. They did not hear the door open. They did not see the strange white figure searching through Sejun’s pockets.

“Got it,” a voice whispered. The white figure pulled a small leather bag from Sejun’s pocket. He opened it and reached for a seed inside, wanting to swallow it quickly. *Whack!* Suddenly, a paw blocked his hand. “What are you doing, meow?!” Theo hissed. “Kellion! Are you trying to steal?”

“Ah… no…” Kellion stammered, surprised. Theo stared at Kellion, his green eyes narrowed. “How did you find me, meow?” Kellion wondered, confused. He had waited until Kaiser was gone to try and steal Sejun’s special seed – the cherry tomato seed that held great magic.

Kellion had used powerful magic to sneak in without being seen or heard. He had even used magic to make people not notice him. But somehow, Theo had still caught him! “Thief! Thief!” Theo yowled loudly. “Wake up, Sejun! We have a thief, meow!” It seemed even though the day was ending, the night was just beginning.