Farming in the Tower Alone [EN]: Chapter 538

Eileen giggled, clapping her hands with delight. “Khee hee! I have a baby brother coming!”

Her smile was as bright as the morning sun streaming through the tall windows of the Administrator Zone. Just moments ago, Anton had shared wonderful news: Mother Elizabeth was getting stronger, thanks to Sejun’s help, and… her own little brother would soon hatch from his egg!

“Sejun is like a lucky charm!” Eileen thought, her heart warm with happiness. Ever since he arrived at the Black Tower, it felt like only good things happened.

“Right, work to do,” she said, though her happy mood made even paperwork feel lighter. Eileen settled at her desk, a smile still playing on her lips, ready to manage the tower.

Oong…

A low hum vibrated through the air, making the crystal ball on her desk tremble slightly.

And then,

[Former Administrator Elizabeth Britany has been detected.]

[Initiating the return protocol that was not executed in the past.]

[Elizabeth Britany will return here in 3 seconds.]

“Huh?! Mom’s coming?! No way!”

Mom hasn’t recovered enough to meet us yet!

“Is there another place we can send Mom to?!”

Eileen hurriedly searched for another place to return Elizabeth to, and

[You can return to the 99th floor of the Black Tower.]

“Then let’s do that!”

[Return protocol initiated.]

The great Black Dragon Elizabeth Britany returned after 150 years. To the 99th floor.

Black Tower 99th floor.

Gooooo.

Elizabeth appeared in the sky, her presence immense. Her shadow fell like a dark cloud over the 99th floor, and the air crackled with her power.

Ummer?!

Kuoong?!

The Cow King and Pink Fur, startled by the sudden appearance of the great Black Dragon, hurriedly bowed towards the sky.

Kkeaack!

Whirr!

The Mushroom Ants and Poison Honeybees also hastily lowered their heads at the appearance of the great being.

And then,

-Oh! Isn’t that Elizabeth?!

-It’s been a while.

-You’ve worked hard.

Kellion, Lamter, and Tia welcomed Elizabeth’s return.

Omid

Press. Press. Press.

“But can the baby dragon talk as soon as he’s born?” Sejun asked Anton while Theo massaged him. “Do dragons receive education in the egg?” He was curious how the little one could speak right away.

-It’s not so much education as it is a transfer. They transfer basic knowledge through knowledge transfer magic.

“Oh.”

Knowledge transfer magic… imagine how much easier school would have been! No more late nights memorizing boring facts.

“Heave-ho. Shall we give our little brother a name?” Sejun asked, holding the frightened baby Black Dragon in his arms.

“Dad, help me!” The baby Black Dragon squirmed, sending Anton pleading eyes.

But

Hehehe. Our Sejun handles children well. I should leave the kids to Sejun sometimes.

Anton, unable to see his child’s plea for rescue, simply looked at Sejun with a pleased expression.

No! Dad is also being deceived by his brother-in-law’s appearance. I saw it just now! The evil demon hidden behind his smiling face!

‘I need to stay sharp!’ I will unmask my brother-in-law!

The baby Black Dragon firmly resolved that he would never be deceived by his brother-in-law. However,

“Brother-in-law.”

“Yes, Brother-in-law.”

“Do you want a good name?”

“Yes!”

The baby Black Dragon, who had not yet received a name, quickly forgot his previous resolution and nodded eagerly.

“Really? That’s not the voice of someone who wants a good name.”

“No! Brother-in-law! I really want a good name!!!” the baby dragon said, his voice louder this time, almost a tiny roar.

“Hehehe. I understand. I’ll think about it.”

Pat. Pat.

As Sejun patted the baby Black Dragon’s bottom,

Warm…

Phoooo-phooo-

The baby Black Dragon soon fell asleep.

Let’s see if our little brother’s heart is okay.

Anton had already checked his health, but Sejun decided to check again. Because our little brother is precious.

Sejun put his ear to the baby Black Dragon’s chest,

Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

His heart was beating incredibly fast.

“Huh?” Do dragons’ hearts originally beat this fast?

As Sejun wondered,

In the baby Black Dragon’s dream.

“How dare you call the butler an idiot?!”

“Waaah! I’m sorry!”

The baby Black Dragon was running away from the Blackie Family, including a giant wolf, a stone giant, a spider, and a butterfly.

A moment later.

“Aargh! I’m sorry!”

The baby Black Dragon woke up from his dream, screaming.

“Brother-in-law is weak. I need to feed him some health food.”

Hehe. Brother-in-law is fragile.

Sejun smiled contentedly, put the baby Black Dragon on his back, and began making rice porridge to feed him.

But

“Huh?!”

“Wow! Brother-in-law, this is really delicious!”

The baby Black Dragon boldly scooped up Sejun’s rice instead of the porridge with a spoon and ate it.

How dare you eat your brother-in-law’s rice?!

Sejun thought about correcting his impudent brother-in-law but stopped. Upon closer inspection, the Black Dragon already had strong teeth in his mouth, enough to tear apart meat. It was his mistake.

“Brother-in-law, is your brother-in-law’s cooking delicious?”

“Yes! Brother-in-law’s cooking is the best!”

The baby Black Dragon started his first meal with Sejun’s cooking. Thanks to that, his resistance to bad-tasting food greatly decreased.

“Hehehe. Brother-in-law, eat a lot.”

“Yes!”

The baby Black Dragon diligently ate Sejun’s cooking.

Doom.

He became twice as strong after eating just one meal.

Great dragons had slightly different powers and talents, but they were fundamentally beings that produced several times the efficiency no matter what they ate.

If this goes on for a few more days, my brother-in-law will become stronger than me?

Sejun felt threatened by the baby Black Dragon’s rapid growth.

I’ll be stronger for at least a month!

Thinking that he wouldn’t be able to beat his brother-in-law forever if not now, Sejun ate diligently and tried harder.

“Ugh. I’m full.”

As Sejun patted his stomach,

“Huh?!”

Sejun felt his back getting wet.

Phoooo-phooo-

The baby Black Dragon, sleeping on Sejun’s back, had drooled and soaked his back.

Sejun thought about laying the baby Black Dragon on the floor, but

“Phee hee hee…”

Hearing the laughter of his brother-in-law, who was holding onto his clothes and smiling faintly, he decided to carry him a little longer.

And he thought. He now had a special skill to win when fighting his brother-in-law.

I raised you on my back.

Sejun chuckled, holding up a small, strange-looking plant. “Hee hee hee. Good. This will definitely work against my brother-in-law for at least a year!”

He was very happy because he thought he had found the perfect plan to beat his brother-in-law.

Anton watched Sejun and smiled warmly, his eyes crinkling at the corners. ‘To think he can smile like that, even with dragon drool on his back,’ Anton thought, amused. ‘Sejun is so kind.’

Then, Anton spoke in a gentle voice, “Okay, I think it’s time to go back now. Are you ready, Sejun?”

“Yes,” Sejun replied, quickly packing his things.

Dragons usually stay in one place for years after hatching, but this baby dragon had no mother to care for it. Luckily, Sejun’s cooking had made the baby dragon strong enough for a short trip.

Baet-baet, the small, furry creature on Sejun’s shoulder, glowed. A shimmering doorway appeared in the air. Sejun and Anton stepped through it.

Meanwhile, in Hamk, the capital city of the Ddunham Empire, trouble was brewing.

“You have confessed your own sins!” a very large hamster shouted. He was so big he could barely move, and his voice boomed through the courtroom.

“I don’t know! I don’t know! Why are you doing this to me?!” Galchi cried, struggling against the guards holding him.

Galchi was on trial because of his religion.

The charge was serious: “Did you spread the silly story that there is a cat who does not respect our great hamster gods?! How dare you praise a cat in the great Hamster Empire?! Are you saying you are not guilty of worshipping cats, which is forbidden?!”

Cat worship. In the Ddunham Empire, hamsters were the only ones to be praised. Cats were seen as bad. Galchi had told the story of a cat named Theo to the other hamsters in his village. This story had spread quickly and reached the religious leaders.

“Worship?! I was just telling the truth…” Galchi started to say.

“Silence, heretic!” the large hamster judge yelled. “You are clearly controlled by a cat demon! Guards! Take this heretic to prison! In ten days, we will burn him in front of everyone to get rid of the demon!”

“No! That’s not true!” Galchi shouted, but it was too late. He was dragged away to a dark prison.

About five days later, strange things started to happen. People noticed grasshoppers, more than usual, flying around Hamk. Then, the next day, terrible creatures appeared – the Six Calamities.

KROOOOAH!

With a loud roar like thunder, an ogre, one of the Calamities, attacked the Ddunham Empire.

Sejun was back on the 99th floor of the Black Tower. He stepped out of the shimmering dimension door.

*In Sejun’s mind, Baet-baet’s voice sounded tired.* ‘Baet-baet… Sejun, can I close the door now?’

Baet-baet, the small creature on Sejun’s palm, was exhausted from keeping the door open for so long.

“Yes. Close it quickly,” Sejun said gently.

*’Baet-baet. Okay,’* Baet-baet replied in his mind. The shimmering doorway disappeared.

“Baet-baet, you’ve worked hard,” Sejun said aloud, placing Baet-baet on his shoulder and gently stroking his soft fur.

*’Bae hee hee hee,’* Baet-baet purred happily and quickly fell asleep, becoming invisible as he rested.

Sejun carefully adjusted the sleeping Baet-baet on his shoulder. He was about to relax when a voice called out.

“Park, come in!”

A woman came out of a nearby kitchen. She looked like Aileen, but older, maybe ten years older. She had kind eyes and a warm smile.

“Mother-in-law?!” Sejun exclaimed, surprised.

“Yes, welcome back,” she said warmly. “Thank you for bringing our baby home. Are you hungry? I’ve made some food. Come in and eat.”

“Yes, thank you. Is Father-in-law here too…?” Sejun started to ask, but then he noticed something was missing. Anton was gone! “Huh?!”

Where did he go? Sejun tilted his head, puzzled, and followed Elizabeth into the kitchen.

“Wow!” Sejun gasped as he entered the kitchen.

The table was covered in dishes piled high with food. Roasted meats, colorful vegetables, and steaming bowls filled the space. It all *looked* amazing.

‘Kuh. This is definitely mother-in-law’s love!’ Sejun thought, touched by Elizabeth’s effort.

The kitchen smelled wonderful, like warm bread and sweet spices.

Sejun thought about Aileen’s cooking. It was… not good. ‘If Aileen had grown up with her mother, she would be a great cook,’ he thought sadly. ‘Then I wouldn’t have had to eat so much bad food.’ He remembered eating Aileen’s meals, even though they tasted terrible, because he loved her.

“Mother-in-law, thank you,” Sejun said politely. “I will enjoy this meal.”

He thanked Elizabeth and took a big bite of a piece of roasted meat.

And then…

…?!

He suddenly understood why Anton had disappeared.

The food *looked* and *smelled* different from Aileen’s, but the taste… it was the same! It was bland and a little burnt, with a strange aftertaste.

No, wait. Aileen’s cooking was actually a little *better* now.

“Park, what’s wrong?” Elizabeth asked, noticing his face. “Don’t you like it?”

“…No, it’s delicious,” Sejun said in a flat voice, forcing himself to chew and swallow. “Ha. Ha. Ha. It’s really delicious.”

*’Guys, help me!’* he thought desperately, calling out to his companions in his mind.

But they were no help.

“Nya… I have to go do my important cat work, meow!” Theo said quickly, running out the door.

“Kkueng…” Kkuengi mumbled, also heading outside. “[Kkuengi needs to find special herbs, yo…]”

“Kking! [Brothers, wait for me! Save me from this!]” Kking cried, following them.

They all ran away, leaving Sejun alone.

“Traitors!” Sejun thought angrily.

Just then, the baby black dragon woke up on his back. “Huh?! Mom!” he chirped happily.

“Oh my, our baby, did you sleep well?” Elizabeth cooed. “Are you hungry? Try some of the food your mom made.”

“Yes!” the baby dragon squeaked.

Elizabeth held out a spoonful of her cooking.

*’This is my chance!’* Sejun thought quickly. “Brother-in-law,” he said to the baby dragon, “let your brother-in-law feed you.”

“Yes! Ah-!” The baby dragon opened his mouth wide.

*’I’m sorry, brother-in-law, but I have to survive this,’* Sejun thought, feeling a little guilty. He put a spoonful of Elizabeth’s food into the baby dragon’s mouth.

And then…

“…Huh?!” The baby dragon froze, his eyes wide with shock.

It was no surprise. This food was terrible for a baby dragon who was used to Sejun’s amazing cooking.

*’Yes! Cry out, brother-in-law!’* Sejun thought, hoping the baby dragon would save him.

“Waaah! This isn’t food!” the baby dragon wailed loudly. “It’s trash!”

Somewhere else in the Black Tower, in a room filled with glowing screens, Aileen watched Sejun in the kitchen through a magic screen.

“Heh heh heh,” she chuckled. “I guess I cook just like Mom.”

‘So, my bad cooking comes from her,’ Aileen thought, smiling mischievously.

Suddenly, the magic screen began to shake and vibrate loudly.

**VIBRATION. VIBRATION.**

Words appeared on the screen:

**[The Black Tower has detected Hamk, a world in danger of being destroyed.]**

**[The Black Tower will begin protecting Hamk.]**

**[One hundred and twenty Black Towers will be sent to Hamk to help.]**

**The Black Tower is now connected to Hamk.**