Farming in the Tower Alone [EN]: Chapter 169

Outside Brasilia, to the Southeast.

The air was still after the wave of Locusts had passed. Soldiers from the Earth Defense Force rested, tired and hot. Suddenly, a huge BOOM! shook the ground. Dust and dirt flew into the air where they had been standing.

“KRAAAH!” a soldier screamed.

“What was that?!” another shouted, his voice shaking. “Was it a Locust?”

People panicked, looking around wildly.

Plop. A soft sound, then a grunt of pain. “Ugh!”

Before anyone could react, dark figures jumped out from hiding. They were Hunters, who had secretly gotten close.

“Attack!” one of the Hunters yelled.

More Hunters rushed in from all sides, like a wave of shadows.

“Hunters! We’re under attack by Hunters!” soldiers cried.

“Form lines! Everyone, get in formation!” Luciola, the wizard leader, shouted over the noise. She quickly started to prepare magic. She needed to give the soldiers time to get ready. Luciola was best at fire magic, but she couldn’t use fire here. The strange, strong plants called Blade Thickets were all around, and fire might hurt them. So, she had to use ice magic to slow down the Hunters.

Luciola cast her ice spells, and the soldiers formed a line, weapons ready.

But it was no use.

“There are too many of them!” someone yelled.

Only about fifty soldiers were left, standing together. Around them, there were thousands of enemies – maybe a thousand Hunters and two thousand other people, their faces blank and empty, like they were being controlled.

“Block them! Don’t let them through!”

“Hold the line!”

The soldiers fought hard, but the enemies kept coming. They were pushed back, step by step, away from the Blade Thickets they had planted.

“Kugh!” A soldier fell.

Luciola and just a few soldiers were still fighting, barely holding on. Then, a voice shouted, “We have the plants! Retreat!”

The masked Hunters suddenly turned and ran away.

Luciola and the soldiers, confused but relieved, went back to where the Blade Thickets had been. But there was nothing there. Just empty ground.

“Damn it!” Luciola cursed, her voice full of anger and despair. The masked men had taken all the Blade Thickets.

Sejun smiled, counting the empty baskets. “I ate five of those delicious cherry tomatoes,” he said to Kkweang, who was perched on his shoulder.

Kkweang tilted its head, eyes wide. “Kkweang only got one?!” it squeaked, sounding very upset.

Kkweang turned its back to Sejun, feathers ruffled in disappointment. Hmph! Sulking! it seemed to say.

“Oh, no, Kkweang, wait!” Sejun quickly explained. “You were sleeping! I was going to give you more if you tried one and liked it.” He reached into Theo’s woven pouch and pulled out more of the special cherry tomatoes. These weren’t just any tomatoes. They were elixir-grade, glowing with a faint, warm light, and smelled incredibly sweet.

“Here,” Sejun said gently, holding a tomato in front of Kkweang. “Eat.”

He carefully placed the juicy red tomato in Kkweang’s beak. Kkweang crunched it happily.

“Kkweang!” it chirped, eyes bright. “Delicious!”

Kkweang happily ate ten more of the elixir-grade cherry tomatoes that Sejun offered. Then, suddenly, Kkweang puffed out its chest.

“Kkweang will catch the thief who stole Daddy’s yummy tomatoes!” it declared.

Kkweang sniffed the air, tiny nose twitching. It was tracking the sweet scent of the stolen tomatoes. And so, the unlikely team to catch the tomato thief was formed:

Kkweang, strong and good at tracking scents.

Theo, who could make contracts and get them signed (or stamped!).

And Sejun, the poor victim, whose precious tomatoes had been stolen. Though, Sejun thought, maybe he wasn’t really needed for the catching part…

“But Kkweang,” Sejun asked, a little worried. “Are you okay? You ate so many tomatoes. Do you need to… you know… go to the bathroom? Or do you feel strange at all?” Kkweang had eaten eleven of the powerful tomatoes in a short time. Sejun knew they made creatures stronger, but he hoped it wasn’t too much for Kkweang’s small body.

“Kkweang! Kkweang!” Kkweang chirped back, shaking its head. “Kkweang hasn’t eaten nearly enough to need the bathroom! And Kkweang feels great! Super strong!”

Sejun chuckled. Of course Kkweang was fine. He worried too much.

Why do I always worry so much about everyone? Even Kkweang… Sejun thought to himself, shaking his head.

Just then, Kkweang called out excitedly, “Daddy, hurry! I smell them! I found the scent!”

Kkweang was already hopping towards the edge of the field, following the trail of the stolen tomatoes.

“Already?!” Sejun exclaimed, surprised. “Alright, let’s go!” He quickly followed Kkweang, ready for an adventure.

Mato Grosso, Central Brazil. A vast, modern soybean farm stretched as far as the eye could see.

The sound of polished shoes on concrete, tap, tap, echoed as two men in black suits walked across the farmyard. Behind them, their assistants waited quietly in the shade.

Michael McLaren, the stern-faced Vice President of the powerful Gagel Corporation, stopped and looked at the masked man beside him. The man was known only as “Mr. 3,” and wore a plain white mask with the number ‘3’ painted on it in black.

“Mr. 3,” McLaren said, his voice sharp with displeasure, “the number of Blade Thickets is less than we agreed. Much less.” He had paid for enough plants to completely surround and protect his vast land in southeast Mato Grosso. What he saw was not enough.

Mr. 3, calm and unhurried, glanced at his watch. “Please be patient, Mr. McLaren. The rest will arrive shortly.”

Just then, the distant rumble of engines grew louder. Vroom. Soon, a convoy of trucks, dozens of them, came into view, loaded high with bundles of the strange, spiky Blade Thickets.

McLaren raised an eyebrow, surprised. “Oh? How did you manage to get so many so quickly?”

Mr. 3 simply replied, “Just transfer the agreed payment.”

McLaren nodded curtly. “Of course.” He pulled out his smartphone and quickly sent the large sum of money.

“Payment sent,” he announced.

“Thank you,” Mr. 3 said, with a slight nod. “We will take our leave then.” He turned to go.

But just then, a young man in a suit, McLaren’s secretary, came running towards them, face pale and panicked. “Vice President! We have a serious problem!”

McLaren frowned, annoyed at the interruption. “What is it now? Just tell the workers to start planting the Blade Thickets immediately.”

“That’s not it, sir! Look at this!” The secretary thrust his smartphone into McLaren’s hand, his finger pointing at a video playing on the screen. It showed chaotic scenes of Brasilia, swarming with monstrous Locusts.

“What is this nonsense?” McLaren said dismissively, trying to hand back the phone. He wasn’t interested in some local trouble. He had bigger things to worry about.

But the secretary insisted, “Sir, you need to see! Because of what Mr. 3 did to get these plants so fast…”

The secretary hesitated, then blurted out the shocking news. “The Black Tower… it’s gone. It has disappeared.”

“What?!” McLaren stopped, finally looking at the video properly. “The Black Tower disappeared?”

He watched the video now, his eyes widening in disbelief. The footage showed thousands of Locusts pouring into Brasilia, all flying towards one central point. He recognized the tall, dark shape in the distance – the Black Tower.

Then, as the Locusts surrounded the Tower, there was a strange, silent ripple in the air. Swoosh. And the Black Tower… vanished. One moment it was there, a solid, imposing structure, and the next, it was simply gone, leaving empty sky.

“The… the Black Tower… disappeared…” McLaren stammered, his face losing its color. This was not expected. This was a disaster.

The creatures who had stolen and eaten the elixir-grade cherry tomatoes slowly started to wake up. They blinked, confused, and tried to act normal, hiding the fact that they had just tasted something incredibly delicious. But Kkweang’s nose was too good.

“I smell something! I smell something sweet!” Sejun said in a playful voice, pretending to be a detective. “Right, Detective Kku?”

“Kkweang! Kkweang!” Kkweang chirped proudly. “That’s right! I smell two who ate the yummy tomatoes!” Kkweang hopped onto the shoulder of one of the creatures, a large, furry monster named Woochul, and sniffed around his mouth. Kkweang’s amazing sense of smell could even tell exactly how many tomatoes someone had eaten!

“Hehe,” Sejun chuckled. “Vice President Theo, it seems like two of them are guilty.” He was teasing Theo, calling him “Vice President” because Theo was always acting important and business-like.

“Understood, nyan!” Theo purred, pretending to be very serious. Swish, swish, went his paws as he quickly changed the words on the magical contract he held. These contracts were special. Anyone who stole from Sejun had to sign a contract to work for him as punishment. Theo had just changed the contract from “working for free for 10 years” to “working for free for 20 years.” A bit mischievous, perhaps, but Theo thought it was fair.

“Puhu!” Theo chuckled, a soft, cat-like sound. “Sign here, please, nyan!” He presented the contract to Woochul with a flourish, looking like a tiny, furry lawyer. It was supposed to be about catching a thief and getting a reward, but it did look a little like a loan shark collecting debts, Sejun thought with a smile.

“Good job, Detective Kkweang!” Sejun praised, giving Kkweang a piece of sweet potato as a treat. While Theo got Woochul’s paw print on the contract – which acted like a magical signature – Sejun encouraged Kkweang to find the next tomato thief.

“Kkweang! Kkweang!” Kkweang chirped excitedly. “I smell another one!”

“Okay, wait a moment,” Sejun said. “Just need to get the stamp.”

Kkweang, thrilled by the praise and the sweet potato, quickly found the next guilty creature.

“The criminal is here!” Kkweang announced proudly.

“Stamp it, nyan!” Theo said, ready with the contract.

Thanks to Sejun’s fun detective game and Theo’s quick contract skills, they caught all the tomato thieves in about three hours and collected over a thousand contracts! They were definitely a dream team. Though, Sejun thought, if he hadn’t been there, it probably would have only taken two hours.

“Puhu,” Theo purred again, looking at the stack of contracts in his paws. He smiled, pleased.

“My workforce is growing, nyan!” he said happily. He loved having more creatures to boss around and give orders to.

When all the cherry tomato thieves were caught and signing their contracts, a familiar voice echoed in Sejun’s mind.

(Sejun! I’m here!)

It was the Golden Bat! He had been busy all day, guiding the Poison Honeybees to the chestnut farm far away on the 83rd floor of the Tower. It was a long journey, but he had finally returned, just before the end of Sejun’s birthday party.

“Golden Bat! Welcome back! Thank you for all your hard work,” Sejun said warmly. “And happy birthday! You made it back just in time. Here, have a treat.” He offered the Golden Bat a special white cherry tomato. These were even rarer and sweeter than the red ones. The Golden Bat had missed most of the party because he had been helping Sejun, so he deserved something special.

(Thank you, Sejun! Happy birthday to you too!) the Golden Bat replied gratefully.

Slurp. He eagerly began to suck the sweet juice from the white cherry tomato.

(Oh! This is delicious!) he exclaimed happily.

Just then, Kkweang’s stomach rumbled loudly. Grumble.

“Kkweang is hungry!” Kkweang chirped, reminding everyone it was dinner time.

“Right, dinner time!” Sejun chuckled. “Just a moment.” He quickly brought out the prepared food. Tonight’s special meal was Eileen’s Special Meat Pieces. As Sejun served the food, a message appeared in his mind:

[You have consumed Eileen’s Special Meat Piece.]

[The full effect will be activated when all the food is eaten.]

[98 pieces remaining.]

Sejun ate his fill of Eileen’s delicious meat, feeling his strength returning after a long day. Then, he turned to the final part of the birthday celebration – the fireworks!

“Okay, everyone, get ready!” Sejun announced. “Dark clouds, please!” He used his magic to spread thick, dark clouds across the sky, covering the stars and moon. The farm became dark, quiet, and expectant.

“Iona, are you ready?” Sejun asked.

“Kkyut kkyut kkyut! Yes, Sejun! Power of fire… power of light…” Iona, a skilled wizard who had come to celebrate Sejun’s birthday with her friends, began to chant, her voice filled with magical energy.

At Sejun’s nod, Iona and the other wizards raised their hands. Bang! Bang! The first fireworks exploded in the dark sky, bursts of brilliant color lighting up the night. Each firework was different, showing images of Sejun and his animal friends – Kkweang soaring through the air, Theo looking mischievous, Eileen breathing fire.

“Kkweang! Look! There’s Kkweang in the sky!” Kkweang chirped excitedly, pointing with a wing at a firework shaped like a bird.

Everyone cheered and laughed, enjoying the beautiful display. Then, for the grand finale, a huge roar echoed through the farm. KROOOOH!

Kaiser, the mighty black dragon, appeared in the sky, a magnificent figure of roaring flames. This was the climax of the fireworks show!

Kaiser will love this, right? Sejun thought, smiling, and looked towards the dragon statue where Kaiser usually sat. But…

“Huh?” Sejun frowned. Kaiser wasn’t there. Neither was Kellion, the white dragon. “Where did they go?” he wondered aloud. “Eileen, watch carefully, your firework is next!”

Just as Sejun spoke, another roar filled the air, even louder than Kaiser’s. KROOOOH! This time, it was Kellion, the giant white dragon, appearing in a blaze of white flames, majestic and powerful.

“Where did Kaiser and Kellion disappear to?” Sejun repeated, puzzled.

Suddenly, Eileen’s voice, usually calm and gentle, sounded urgent in his mind. [Sejun! The Tower Administrator says there is something terribly wrong with Earth!]

“What?! What is it?” Sejun asked, his heart suddenly pounding.

[The Administrator says… one of the Black Towers on Earth… it has disappeared!]

“Disappeared?!” Sejun exclaimed in shock. “The Tower disappeared?”

-I can explain that.

Kaiser appeared beside Eileen, his dragon form now looking less like a firework and more like a creature of worry. -All Black Towers are designed to self-destruct their entrances when they face destruction. It’s a safety measure, to protect what’s inside.

“But… what about the Hunters who went into that Tower?” Sejun asked, remembering the attack earlier.

-They are trapped, Kaiser said grimly. -But that is not our biggest concern right now. If nine more Towers disappear, making a total of ten, then all the Black Towers will vanish from Earth.

“What?!” Sejun gasped, horrified. “All the Towers gone? What does that mean?”

-It means Earth will be lost, Kaiser said, his voice heavy. -Destroyed. We will have to abandon it.

“No!” Sejun cried out. “There must be a way to stop it! Can’t we prevent the Towers from disappearing?”

Kaiser’s answer was bleak. -Unfortunately, no. It is a law set by the Creator God himself. We can only try to delay the destruction, to buy more time. For Kaiser, usually so arrogant and confident, this was a shockingly negative answer.

At that moment, with a final, deafening BANG! the largest firework of the night exploded in the sky. It was Eileen’s firework, a giant black dragon of flame, roaring powerfully before slowly fading away.

Sejun stared at the fading embers of the firework, his heart heavy with the terrible news.

“President Park, cheer up, nyan!” Theo said, nudging Sejun’s hand with his head. “I don’t know what’s wrong, but Vice President Theo will help you fix it, nyan!”

“Kkweang will help Daddy too!” Kkweang chirped, puffing out his chest bravely.

Even Eileen’s gentle voice offered comfort. [The Tower Administrator says he will help you as well, Sejun.]

Sejun looked at his friends, their faces full of concern and support. A small spark of hope flickered within him.

“Okay,” Sejun said, stroking Theo and Kkweang’s fur. “Thank you, everyone! We’ll figure this out. Together.” It will be hard, impossible even, alone, he thought. But maybe, just maybe, if we all work together, we can find a way to save Earth.