Farming In The Tower Alone [EN]: Chapter 498

The Abyss of Fog was Fogra’s mind, a dark and misty place. It felt like stepping into a nightmare, where shadows danced and whispers echoed.

A chorus of voices echoed through the fog. “Let us become one!” they cried. “We will live forever with Lord Fogra!”

Fog-like figures, once people Fogra had eaten, rushed at Blacky and his friends. They were a mix of terrifying shapes – some looked like fallen heroes with broken armor, others were twisted monsters with sharp claws, and some glowed with strange light, like angry gods or dark demons.

“Get out of the way!” Blacky roared, his paws hitting the ground with heavy *thuds*.

He smashed through the fog-minions, heading towards a dark castle in the distance – Fogra’s soul-home. Around him, his friends fought fiercely.

Karr yelled, “Harvest of Death!” and dark energy exploded outwards. Kkomi spun webs of light, “Severing Spiderweb!” trapping enemies. Jaki’s “Crystal Explosion!” sent shards flying. Shari’s “Ice Rain of Screams!” froze figures solid. Boulder’s fist, with a shout of “Mountain-Shattering Boulder Punch!” crushed foes. Kabi’s “Earth of Decay!” turned the ground to dust. They fought side-by-side, clearing a path for Blacky.

Fenrir yawned, unimpressed. “This is child’s play,” he grumbled.

*Wham!* With a casual flick of his massive paw, he sent a charging demon flying backwards, crashing into the fog-wall.

After battling through the endless waves of fog-minions, Blacky reached the castle. With a mighty *KABOOM!*, he smashed through the dark stone walls, sending debris flying. Inside, on a gaudy golden throne, sat Fogra. He was a grotesque figure, pale and bloated, with wide, bulging eyes and a fearful look, like a cornered toad.

“*Screeeech!*” Fogra shrieked, his voice cracking with fear. “Fenrir… spare me… please…” He begged for his life.

Then, a chorus of whispers seemed to come from *behind* him. His back rippled, and shadowy faces appeared, mouths moving but no sound coming out, except for the echoing voices. “I… will… give… you…” the voices rasped, overlapping each other. “The souls… all… of them…” It was a tempting offer, dripping with false sweetness.

But Blacky just snorted. “No. That sounds like a messy stomach ache waiting to happen.”

*CRUNCH!* Without another thought, he slammed his paw down on Fogra, crushing him instantly.

[You have achieved the great creation achievement of annihilating the immortal being, Fogra, the Abyss of Fog.]

[As a reward for the great creation achievement, you have acquired >Title: Wolf Who Annihilated Immortality>.]

[Due to the effect of >Title: Wolf Who Annihilated Immortality>, you become stronger when fighting immortal beings.]

Fogra, who gifted Blacky with a wonderful title, vanished.

“Huh?” Blacky discovered two orbs that had fallen where Fogra had disappeared: gray and red orbs.

[Authority Stone: Abyss of Fog]

[Authority Stone: Soul Extraction]

From inside the red orb came desperate cries. “Let us out!” one voice wailed. “Fogra is dead! Are we still trapped?!” another screamed. “Demon! You will pay!” a third shrieked.

Looking into the red orb, Blacky saw a swirling chaos of tormented faces, a tiny prison of endless suffering.

“Wait,” Blacky thought, looking at the red orb. “He was going to give *that* to me? Even after death?” He stared into the swirling red chaos, hearing the trapped cries. Then, he looked at the gray orb in his paw. “Heehee. This one for Butler.”

But looking back at the red orb, he frowned. “All those trapped souls… that’s just wrong.”

*Jijiji!* “And it looks dirty!” *WHAM!* He smashed the red orb with his paw, freeing the trapped souls with a burst of light.

[You have achieved the great creation achievement of saving billions of souls who were being exploited even in death.]

[As a reward for the great creation achievement, you have been granted >Authority: Requiem(鎭魂)>.]

>Authority: Requiem(鎭魂)> Every time you save a soul, all stats increase. The stronger the soul you save, or the greater the number, the greater the stats increase.

‘Another creation achievement?’ Blacky thought, wrinkling his nose. ‘Ugh, that word again. Makes me sound like some kind of… gardener. I’m a wolf!’ He shook his head, feeling uncomfortable with the word, and turned to leave Fogra’s mental world as it crumbled around him.

Suddenly, Blacky stumbled, gray mist pouring off him like smoke. *Thump!* He collapsed onto the ground.

“Blacky!” Sejun cried, rushing forward, fear gripping his heart.

Fortunately, the gray mist quickly pulled back, disappearing with Fogra. Sejun breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Blacky and his group. *Kkirorong. Eomrorong.* Strange snores filled the air.

“Huh?” Sejun wondered, looking closer. Blacky’s family was fast asleep, snoring loudly! He almost laughed with relief. They were just sleeping! Still, sleeping on the cold floor…

*Swoosh.* Carefully, Sejun scooped up Blacky and all his sleeping friends, gently placing them in his sling bag.

With a final *crackling* sound, like stone breaking, the last of the mist vanished, and Fogra was gone. *Clink.* A small, black orb dropped to the floor where Fogra had been.

[Fenrir’s Core Fragment (15%)] Sejun picked it up, examining it closely. “A 15% fragment…” A shiver ran down his spine. If Blacky hadn’t defeated Fogra, things could have been very bad.

“Theo, can you pick up that core fragment?” Sejun asked.

“Yes, Master!” Theo replied, carefully taking the black orb. Sejun turned to Blacky, gently stroking his fur. “Blacky, you were amazing. You deserve all the dried sweet potato you can eat.”

*Whimper…* Blacky stirred, waking up. “Blacky, want some sweet potato?” Sejun asked again.

*Ptooey!* Instead of answering, Blacky spat something wet and gray onto the ground. *Kkihihit! Whimper! Whimper!* [Heehee. Butler! Look! I got you a present! It’s really good!]

Blacky, tail wagging, pushed the gray, saliva-covered orb towards Sejun with his paws, looking incredibly proud. [Authority Stone: Abyss of Fog] Sejun blinked, confused. *Why is he giving me this… slobbery stone?* He couldn’t see what it was, but seeing Blacky’s happy face…

*Drip. Drip.* “Oh… Thank you, Blacky,” Sejun said softly, taking the wet stone, saliva dripping onto his hand. He knew, even without understanding what it was, that Blacky was giving him something precious.

“Check.”

Sejun used only two fingers to pick up the grey marble that Ggang-maengi offered.

“Give this to the butler!”

Ggang-maengi commanded, indicating Sejun should keep the Authority Stone.

[Authority Stone of the Abyss Fog, Fogra: You have acquired the Abyss Fog.]

[Authority Stone of the Abyss Fog, Fogra: Absorbing the >Authority: Abyss Fog> contained within the Abyss Fog.]

“Authority Stone?”

Sejun read the messages about the grey stone. That’s how he learned it was called an Authority Stone.

[The power of the target to absorb the Authority is significantly insufficient.]

[>Authority: Abyss Fog> cannot be properly absorbed.]

[Adjusting the Authority to match the target’s power.]

[The power of the Authority is greatly reduced.]

Sejun read the message and laughed. “Heh heh heh. It’s always like this for me,” he thought.

He obtained an Authority so weak, even the name was sad: ‘Faint Breath of the Abyss.’

Just then,

“Kking?!”

[Hey! I thought you were going to give me roasted sweet potato jerky?!]

“I gave you something good too!”

Ggang-maengi spoke and urged Sejun, who was standing still.

“Okay, okay.”

Sejun gave Ggang-maengi the roasted sweet potato jerky.

“Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.”

Sejun listened to the boisterous sounds of Ggang-maengi and his subordinates eating the roasted sweet potato jerky as he checked his Authority.

>Authority: Faint Breath of the Abyss>

You exhale a very faint, almost invisible Abyss Fog.

The Abyss Fog lingers around the wielder of the Authority and disappears after 3 days.

‘Exhale the Abyss Fog?’

“Hoo. Hoo. Hoo.”

Sejun exhaled diligently, but…

[Abyss Smoke lingers around you.]

Nothing changed except for the message.

‘Is there anything to it?’

He wanted to test it, but Theo and Kkuoei were too strong, capable of killing him with a light attack, and Ggang-maengi’s family was too weak to even harm him.

‘There’s no in-between.’

‘Should I hit myself?’

Sejun considered slapping his own cheek, but then thought,

‘Well, I can check it later.’

He decided not to do it. He didn’t like pain.

And so, Sejun obtained the Authority.

“Theo, Vice President, the core fragment.”

“Puhuhu. Here it is, meow!”

He received the Fenrir’s core fragment from Theo.

As Sejun held the core fragment in his hand,

[You have acquired a fragment of the door leading to the 10th Tower.]

As he held it, a piece of wood, already shaped like part of a door, broke off. Sejun realized, this must be the last piece! He remembered the other four fragments he had collected…

[You have collected all five fragments of the door leading to the 10th Tower.]

[Completing the door leading to the 10th Tower.]

Thud!

A door appeared in front of Sejun. It was made of dark, heavy wood, older than any tree he had ever seen. Simple carvings twisted around the edges, like vines in a deep forest.

Then,

[You have achieved the great creation achievement of completing the door leading to the 10th Tower.]

[As a reward for the great creation achievement, you have acquired the >Title: One Who Completed the Door Leading to the 10th Tower>.]

[Due to the effect of >Title: One Who Completed the Door Leading to the 10th Tower>, you can now summon the door leading to the 10th Tower from anywhere.]

[As a reward for the great creation achievement, the cost of staying on the 0th floor of the Black Tower will be reduced by 1.5% from now on.]

Achievement messages appeared.

[Quest completed.]

[As a quest completion reward, you have acquired 3 drops of Enhancement Potion.]

[As a quest completion reward, you have acquired 10 billion Tower Coins.]

[As a quest completion reward, all stats have increased by 50.]

Following this, Hamer’s quest was also completed, and reward messages appeared.

“Hehehe. Finally, I get to use this.”

Sejun smiled as he took out the key to the 10th Tower.

And then,

Check.

He inserted the key into the keyhole on the wooden door’s handle.

Clang…

It should click and turn…

“Huh?! Why isn’t it turning?”

The key wouldn’t turn.

“Eek.”

No matter how hard he tried, the key wouldn’t turn.

“Patrick, sir? Hello? The key… it’s not working. Is it stuck? Am I doing something wrong?”

Sejun sent a message to Patrick, the Earth God of the 10th Tower, asking for help.

[The Earth God Patrick says he will check, so please wait a moment.]

“Okay. Kids, shall we have some snacks?”

“Puhuhu. Good, meow! Give me Churu, meow!”

“Kkuhehehe. Kkueng!”

[Hehehe. Kkuoei wants to eat rice cake!]

“Kkihihit. Kking!”

[Hehe. Butler! Give me roasted sweet potato jerky!]

Sejun ate snacks with Theo, Kkuoei, and Ggang-maengi while waiting for Patrick’s reply.

10 minutes later.

[The Earth God Patrick asks if your Strength is perhaps not over 100,000.]

“Huh? Strength of 100,000? Of course, it’s not.”

[The Earth God Patrick says that’s why the key isn’t turning.]

[The Earth God Patrick says you need a Strength of over 100,000 to turn the key.]

‘Are you kidding me?!’ Sejun thought, his eyes wide with disbelief. He had worked so hard for this door! ‘100,000 Strength?!’ He felt a surge of anger. ‘That’s impossible!’

“I’m not going.”

Sejun, feeling offended, declared his refusal to enter the 10th Tower.

10th Tower Management Area.

[Black Tower Farmer Park Sejun says in an angry voice that he will not go to the 10th Tower.]

“Oh!? Sejun!”

Patrick was taken aback by Sejun’s reaction.

‘No! There’s still hope!’

“If his Strength is lacking…”

‘He can just increase it!’

He hurriedly began searching for a way to increase Sejun’s Strength.

“That’s it! That’s the way!”

He moved to the 5th floor of the 10th Tower and shouted,

“Landrox, wake up!”

He shouted towards the massive land.

Rumble.

“Patrick, sir, what’s going on?”

The giant, who he thought was land, moved and answered.

“I’m going to take some of your blood!”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

Patrick, having received permission from the Earth Giant Landrox, drew Landrox’s blood and said,

“Sejun, drink this and try again! It’s too early to give up!”

He sent a message to Sejun, trying to persuade him.

“You want me to drink this?”

[Earth Giant Landrox’s Lava Bloodstone]

Landrox’s blood was lava, and it cooled down and turned into stone while being delivered to Sejun.

Suddenly, a small, glowing stone appeared in front of Sejun. It pulsed with a red light, and even from a distance, Sejun could feel heat coming from it. Landrox’s blood was lava, and it had cooled into stone, but it was still hot.

“Ouch. It’s hot!”

Of course, it was still very hot for Sejun to touch.