Farming in the Tower Alone [EN]: Chapter 180

Theo trembled, not from the cold cave air, but from the intense energy of the Blue Serpent. He had faced even stronger energy before, even a dragon’s aura, but something was different now.

“‘Mr. Park’s lap is gone, nyaa…'” Theo thought, his confidence plummeting without the comfort of Sejun’s lap.

“It’s time to bring that out, nyaa!” Theo declared, a determined glint in his eyes.

He reached into his bundle and pulled out his secret weapon.

Swish!

It was a piece of the blanket Sejun used during his cave life, specifically the part that covered Sejun’s lap. After Sejun discarded the blanket upon returning to the surface, Theo had secretly cut out this precious piece and kept it safe.

He draped the worn fabric over his shoulders like a hero’s cloak, tying the ends around his neck. The blanket still held a faint scent of Sejun, a comforting reminder of warmth and security.

“Puhuhu. Now I’ve recharged Mr. Park’s lap energy, nyaa!” Theo shouted, his spirit soaring. He felt a surge of power coursing through him.

“Trying to take Mr. Park’s crops! I’ll punish you, nyaa!” Theo confidently declared to the Blue Serpent, who blocked his path.

-Insolent creature! You dare stand before me? Feel the true terror of frost!

Icy wind swirled around the Blue Serpent, and frost began to cover the ground. The air turned freezing cold as the wind grew into a monstrous storm of ice, rushing towards Theo.

But Theo, now empowered by the blanket that had once covered Sejun’s lap, felt no fear.

“Don’t be cheeky, nyaa!”

Theo channeled all his magic into his dragon claw.

‘For some reason, magic is overflowing, nyaa! As expected, I am invincible with Mr. Park’s lap, nyaa!’ he thought, marveling at the surge of power. He knew it was thanks to the nourishing food Sejun provided, but in his mind, all the credit went to Sejun’s lap.

Whooom.

As Theo poured in more magic, his black dragon claw began to turn transparent, like a blade made of pure light. You could see the faint outline of his bones through the shimmering magic.

“Nyanyanyang! Nyanyanyang!”

Theo swung his completely transparent front paw as if he was mincing something with incredible speed.

Without a sound, everything in its path was sliced apart – the ice storm and the Blue Serpent itself.

-Kuh. That I should fall to such an insignificant thing…

Thud.

The Blue Serpent’s body fell, split into several pieces.

“Nyaa! I think I just did something amazing, nyaa!” Theo exclaimed, savoring the feeling of his newfound power.

“Puhuhu. I’ve decided, nyaa! The name of this technique is Vice Chairman Theo’s Secret NyanNyan Storm Fist, nyaa!”

Clink.

A bronze Tower Coin fell to the ground.

“Puhuhu. Now I can give this coin to Mr. Park too, nyaa!” Theo said with a rewarding look. He carefully placed the bronze coin and his precious blanket into his bundle, then donned his sunglasses.

“Humans, I have arrived, nyaa!” he announced, striding confidently towards the hunter’s camp.

“He’s here!”

“Master Theo has arrived!”

The hunters, with their smooth, bald heads that shone in the firelight, rushed over to greet him.

“I’m glad I used them, nyaa!” Theo thought, basking in the enthusiastic welcome. He moved to the center of the camp to begin the auction.

“Today, I’ll sell the newly brought crops first, nyaa?”

“New crops?” The hunters’ faces lit up with anticipation. Every time Theo introduced new crops, the medical community on Earth was revolutionized, solving problems that had long been considered impossible.

Cherry tomatoes that helped with healthy weight loss, corn that stimulated hair growth, leeks that cured liver cancer, and potatoes that cured stomach cancer – all delicious, with no side effects.

Hospitals now openly recommended Tower crops to patients who weren’t responding to traditional treatments. The prices were incredibly high, but the results were undeniable.

“Today, I’ll sell cucumbers of agility and radishes of stamina, nyaa!” Theo announced, displaying one cucumber and one radish for the hunters to see. They were unusually big and vibrantly colored.

“The cucumber activates kidney function!”

“The radish is for lung function!”

The hunters eagerly examined the crops.

“Now, I’ll start the auction, nyaa! First, I’ll sell 20 radishes of stamina, one at a time, nyaa!”

“Only 20?” someone grumbled. The quantity was far too small to meet the demand.

“150 Tower Coins!”

“155 Tower Coins!”

“160 Tower Coins!”

The price of the radish of stamina soared from the start. After crops that could cure liver or stomach cancer appeared, wealthy individuals with other ailments clamored for cures, driving up the competition.

“200 Tower Coins!”

“Sold, nyaa!”

The first radish of stamina was gone.

“The radish of stamina is now sold out, nyaa!” Theo announced. The remaining radishes were quickly snatched up, ending trading at an average price of 220 Tower Coins.

“Next is the cucumber of agility, nyaa! I’ll sell 100, 5 at a time, nyaa!”

“150 Tower Coins!”

“152 Tower Coins!”

“153 Tower Coins!”

Since kidney transplants could completely cure the ailments the cucumber addressed, the price didn’t rise as dramatically, averaging around 25 Tower Coins.

With the new crops sold, the auction for previously offered crops began: exploding stamina corn, hair loss treatment, detoxifying leeks for liver cancer, strength potatoes for stomach cancer, and strength sweet potatoes to increase absorption rates, in that order.

The other crops sold at similar prices, but the strength sweet potatoes, sold last, reached unprecedented heights.

“350,000 Tower Coins for 1000!”

“370,000 Tower Coins for 1000!”

“400,000 Tower Coins for 1000!”

The high price was due to the limited quantity of stamina radishes Theo had sold. Since five stamina radishes were needed to treat lung cancer, people were trying to compensate for the shortage with the strength sweet potato’s effects.

To get one stamina radish’s worth of benefit, they had to buy 1000 strength sweet potatoes for nearly 400 billion Tower Coins. But there were plenty of wealthy people on Earth willing to buy them, even one at a time.

Even if they sold the sweet potatoes at a slightly higher price than they paid, there were enough buyers to make it a worthwhile investment.

With the trading complete, Theo announced,

“Then, see you next time, nyaa!”

He quickly departed without even posing for photos.

“Hee hee. Suddenly, I feel so bad, nyaa! I need Mr. Park’s lap, nyaa!” Theo thought. The aftereffects of wielding so much magic during the fight with the Blue Serpent were catching up to him. He attributed it to being separated from Sejun’s lap. Dragging his tired body, he hurried back to the 49th floor of the Tower.

***

“Kkueng, let’s go now.”

Kkueng!

[Okay! Kkueng is getting on, Master!]

Having finished his lunch, Kkueng patted his belly, grew to a larger size, and knelt before Sejun.

“Let’s go.”

Sejun climbed onto Kkueng’s back, and they headed to the waypoint to return to the 49th floor of the Tower.

Clang.

“Kkueng, stay inside for a bit,” Sejun said as he opened the subspace warehouse upon arriving at the waypoint.

Kkueng!

[Okay!]

Kkueng eagerly tried to enter the subspace warehouse, envisioning himself diligently eating all the food stored inside until Sejun opened the door again.

“Kkueng, you can’t eat inside.”

Kkueng?

[Can’t eat inside?]

“Yes.”

Kkueng…

[Okay…]

Kkueng was deeply disappointed.

Clang.

[Arrived at the 49th floor of the Tower.]

Sejun closed the door and arrived at the 49th floor of the Tower using the waypoint.

“Sejun-nim, you’ve arrived!” Duku hurried to greet him.

“Yes. Was there anything unusual?”

“No! There wasn’t!”

“Okay. Then, good work… Ah! That’s right. Use this.” Sejun handed Duku a Dragon Tooth Soldier-Helmet.

“This is?”

“It’s made of dragon teeth.”

“Dragon teeth?! To a mole like me…” Duku carefully put on the helmet, his eyes wide with gratitude.

“The way to use it is…” Sejun explained how to summon and control the Dragon Tooth Soldiers.

Sejun was distributing Dragon Tooth Soldiers to the bosses of the floors with farms, ensuring they could defend their positions and making it safer for him to use the waypoint.

Thanks to this, Duku would later be known as Iron Wall Duku by the hunters.

Clang.

“Kkueng, come out.”

Sejun called Kkueng, who had been patiently waiting in the subspace warehouse.

Kkueng! Kkueng!

[Kkueng listened to Master well! Kkueng endured without eating!]

Kkueng emerged, proudly displaying a leather pouch filled to bursting with food. He had resisted the temptation to eat inside the subspace warehouse, and now it was time to feast!

“Okay. Good job.” Sejun smiled and stroked Kkueng’s head, appreciating his loyalty.

“Let’s go. Golden Bat, go to the persimmon farm first and sing a song.”

(Yes!)

The Golden Bat, who had been napping on Sejun’s back, quickly flew towards the persimmon farm.

Kkueng!

[Kkueng is getting on, Master!]

Sejun climbed onto Kkueng’s back, and they set off for the persimmon tree farm.

“Huh?! I can feel Theo’s energy?” Sejun’s internal “Theo detector” was activated. He suddenly felt a strange pull, a feeling that told him Theo was nearby and in trouble.

Sniff sniff.

Kkueng!

[Kkueng doesn’t smell Big Brother!]

Kkueng diligently sniffed the air, but couldn’t detect Theo’s scent. It seemed Sejun’s Theo detector had become even more sensitive.

“Really? But why am I so anxious? Kkueng, let’s go over there quickly for now.” Sejun pointed in the direction of Theo’s presence.

Kkueng!

[Okay!]

Thud. Thud.

Kkueng began to run at full speed.

After about 30 minutes of running,

Kkueng!

[Kkueng smells Big Brother!]

Kkueng finally caught Theo’s scent.

“There he is!”

After another 10 minutes, they found Theo lying on the ground.

“Vice Chairman Theo!”

Kkueng!

[Big Brother!]

Sejun and Kkueng rushed to Theo’s side.

“Vice Chairman Theo!” Sejun carefully scooped Theo into his arms.

“Mr. Park… lap…” Theo mumbled, barely opening his eyes.

“I know.” Sejun quickly settled Theo onto his lap.

“Puhu… hut. Mine… nyaa…” Theo smiled weakly, clinging to Sejun’s lap with all his might before fainting from relief.

“Why are you smiling like a fool when you’re in such a state?” Sejun said, looking at Theo with concern. He took out a rope and skillfully tied Theo to his lap, just as he had done before.

“But why is Theo’s magic depleted…?” Sejun, familiar with the signs of magic depletion, knew immediately that something serious had happened. He felt responsible for sending Theo down to the lower floors.

‘I won’t let it go!’ Sejun vowed to punish whoever or whatever had caused Theo’s condition.

“Kkueng, let’s go to the farm for now.”

Kkueng!

[Okay!]

Kkueng carried Sejun and Theo towards the persimmon tree farm.

Munch. Munch.

Sejun chewed a panacea-grade cherry tomato and gently placed it in Theo’s mouth. The panacea’s magic-boosting properties would help Theo recover quickly.

Thanks to the cherry tomato, Theo soon woke up.

“As expected, I am invincible when I’m with Mr. Park’s lap, nyaa! I’m overflowing with strength, nyaa!” Theo declared, once again attributing his power to Sejun’s lap.

“Why isn’t he pooping?” Sejun anxiously watched Theo, who had now eaten 20 panacea-grade cherry tomatoes.