Farming in the Tower Alone [EN]: Chapter 75

Inside a warehouse packed with treasures Israel had collected over his life.

Swoosh.

Theo was scanning the items in the warehouse with his front paws.

Iona watched Theo move his front paws here and there and asked, “Theo, what are you doing?”

“Looking for a pull, nya?” Theo responded.

“A pull?” Iona asked.

“That’s right, nya. I’m looking for an item that my front paws are drawn to, nya!” Theo explained.

“Ah!”

Iona had heard about Theo’s golden front paws from Sejun.

She felt a twinge of jealousy toward Theo, who was praised by Sejun. ‘Hmph. It’s just a hunch anyway. It can’t beat my high-dimensional magic.’

Iona’s competitive spirit as a mage flared up.

“Theo, let’s have a match!” Iona challenged.

“What kind of match, nya?” Theo asked.

“The one who finds the item with the higher grade wins!” Iona declared.

“Good, nya!” Theo agreed confidently.

Although his opponent was the president of the Magic Association, Theo wasn’t worried at all. His confidence came from Sejun.

‘Puhu! Victory is mine, nya! Because Park Sejun said my front paws are amazing, nya,’ Theo thought.

And so, Theo and Iona’s treasure hunt match began.

Floor 75 of the Tower: Zenka Lake.

Whoosh.

[You have arrived at Zenka Lake on Floor 75 of the Tower.]

[Find and eliminate the cause of the blue carp’s endangerment.]

Sejun, the Black Rabbit, and Kkuenge appeared.

“Wow! A different floor!” Sejun exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder.

Ppyak!!!

Kkuenge!!!

Sejun, the Black Rabbit, and Kkuenge didn’t care about the mission at all. All three were newbies who had never left the 99th floor of the Tower. Everything was just amazing to them.

“What is this?” Sejun wondered, beginning to examine the plants around the lake.

Ppyak!

Kkuenge!

The Black Rabbit and Kkuenge were amazed by the wide, blue lake they were seeing for the first time and immediately jumped into the water.

As Sejun walked around the lake, looking at the plants, he saw a plant that looked very familiar.

A fruit shaped like a giant pinecone in the middle of a widely spread leaf, and a green stem sprouting from it! It was a pineapple.

“Hehehe. Why is there a pineapple here?” Sejun chuckled.

Scritch.

Sejun excitedly took out his dagger and cut the pineapple.

Plop.

He plucked off the stem and put it in his bag, planning to take it to the 99th floor and plant it so he could grow pineapples again.

Scritch.

Sejun cut the pineapple into quarters and took a bite of one piece.

“Ugh!”

At first, the sour taste sent shivers down his spine, but the more he chewed the flesh, the less sour and the more sweet it became.

“Wow! Delicious!” Sejun exclaimed, having eaten a whole pineapple in an instant.

He stood up to count how many pineapples there were.

“There are only 12 in total,” he said, disappointed that there weren’t that many.

Scritch. Scritch.

Sejun harvested all the pineapples first.

As he was happily eating his second pineapple, he heard something approaching from behind.

Thud. Thud.

“Huh?!” Sejun turned around.

Ribbit. Ribbit.

A 3m tall, bipedal frog was drooling as it looked at Sejun.

[Frog]

Why is a frog walking on two feet?! While Sejun was panicking, the frog attacked.

Ribbit.

Swoosh.

The Frog opened its mouth and attacked Sejun with its tongue.

“Hmph! Even so, I’ve rolled around on the 99th floor of the Tower!” Sejun said confidently.

Sejun dodged the Frog’s tongue and took out his hand axe, throwing it at the Frog.

Thwack!

The hand axe hit the Frog’s head accurately.

[You have defeated the Frog.]

[You have gained 500 experience.]

“Hmph. This is nothing to me. Retrieve!” Sejun said.

Fighting a water monster on land was already a significant advantage, but Sejun was still proud of himself.

As Sejun was getting conceited, he received system messages.

[Subordinate 1 has defeated the Frog.]

[Subordinate 2 has defeated the Frog.]

It seemed the Black Rabbit and Kkuenge were also fighting in the water.

[You have found one of the causes of the blue carp’s endangerment in Zenka Lake on Floor 75 of the Tower.]

[A mid-level manager quest has been generated.]

[Mid-level Manager Quest: Defeat all 2291 Frogs in Zenka Lake.]

Frogs 0/2291

Reward: 10,000 experience, 1000 Tower Coins

Failure: You cannot return to your original location until the quest is completed.

“There are over 2000 of these frogs?!” Sejun exclaimed in disbelief.

Sejun quickly ran to Zenka Lake, put his face in the water, and looked inside.

In the water, he saw the Black Rabbit and Kkuenge diligently chasing after the fleeing Frogs. Their swimming skills, honed in the pond, were top-notch, but the Frogs were water monsters. Despite the large number of Frogs, it took a tremendous effort to hunt down a single Frog.

‘At this rate, when will they catch them all?’ Sejun wondered.

While watching the Black Rabbit and Kkuenge fight, Sejun suddenly became curious.

“But what do they taste like?”

So, he started a fire and began preparing a dish using Frog meat.

While Theo and Iona were having a match in the warehouse, a black wolf, who was scouting Zenka Lake, ran over to his chief.

“Chief Hegel, something terrible has happened,” the wolf reported breathlessly.

“What is it?” Hegel asked, not particularly impressed by his subordinate’s report, especially after his near-death experience with Iona.

“Suspicious guys have appeared at Zenka Lake,” the wolf said.

“Suspicious guys?” Hegel repeated.

“Yes… they are grilling Frogs,” the wolf explained.

“What?! Grilling Frogs?!” Hegel exclaimed, shocked.

“Yes! But it tastes so good! Slurp,” the black wolf smacked his lips and said.

“Taste? What are you talking about? You didn’t eat Frog meat, did you?” Hegel asked, concerned. He knew frog meat is poisonous and cannot be eaten.

“Let’s go, quickly!” The wolf, eager to return to Zenka Lake, urged Hegel.

“Ahem. Elka, I’ll be back from Zenka Lake for a bit, so please explain to Representative Theo,” Hegel instructed.

“Yes, I understand,” Elka replied.

Hegel hurried to Zenka Lake.

“Here it is, Mr. Sejun,” the wolves said, coming out of the water and grabbing the necks of the fainted Frogs, dragging them to Sejun.

“Thank you,” Sejun said.

Thwack! Thwack!

[You have defeated the Frog.]

[You have gained 500 experience.]

[You have defeated the Frog.]

[You have gained 500 experience.]

Sejun defeated two Frogs with his hand axe and handed the wolves Frog and green onion rolls.

“So chewy!”

“Delicious!”

The wolves finished eating and returned to the water.

An hour before, Sejun, curious about the taste of the frogs, started a small fire. He carefully prepared the frog meat, placing a bundle of special green onions in the center to remove any toxins. Then, he rolled it all up and began grilling it over the flames.

Thinking ahead, Sejun always carried detoxifying green onions, like a first-aid kit, unsure of what poisons might lurk in the ingredients he found.

As the dish finished cooking, a message appeared.

[You have created Frog and Green Onion Rolls for the first time in the Tower!]

[The recipe for Frog and Green Onion Rolls has been registered at Cooking Level 3.]

[Your Cooking skill is improving quickly!]

[Your Cooking skill is now at Level 4!]

Sejun’s cooking skill had leveled up!

And then another message popped up.

[Because you reached Cooking Level 4, your Frog and Green Onion Rolls now have a special power: Comfortable Underwater Movement.]

“Special power?” Sejun wondered.

The dish now had a special ability, a new perk from reaching cooking level 4. Sejun examined the finished dish.

[Frog and Green Onion Rolls]

[Frog meat wrapped around special green onions and grilled to perfection.]

[The frog meat and special green onions are expertly grilled, making it incredibly delicious. The special green onions have neutralized any toxins in the frog meat.]

[Special Power: Comfortable Underwater Movement]

[Cook: Top Farmer Park Sejun]

[Expiration Date: 5 days]

[Grade: C+]

As Sejun checked the details of his Frog and Green Onion Rolls, Peep… Kooeng…

The black rabbit and Kooeng, tired from chasing frogs, emerged from the water.

Peep!

Kooeng!

The two hungry creatures eagerly ate the Frog and Green Onion Rolls, wiggling their shoulders with delight.

“Should I try some too?” Sejun wondered.

Sejun picked up a frog roll and took a bite.

Crunch.

‘This really does taste like chicken,’ he thought.

The texture was soft, like unseasoned chicken.

Gulp.

[You have eaten Frog and Green Onion Rolls.]

[Due to the special power: Comfortable Underwater Movement, moving underwater will be easier for the next 30 minutes.]

“I should have brought salt…” Sejun said, a little disappointed.

Just then, a low growl rumbled through the air.

“Grrrr… No!”

Five black wolves emerged from the trees, their eyes fixed on Sejun and the food. They moved slowly, cautiously, their black fur bristling slightly. A deeper growl came again.

“No!” They sounded worried, not angry.

“What is it?” Sejun asked.

Peep!

Kooeng!

Sejun and his companions tensed, ready to defend themselves.

“There’s poison in the frog meat!” one of the wolves said.

“Yeah! Spit it out! Quick!” another wolf whined.

The black wolves looked at them with worried expressions.

“Ah! Thank you,” Sejun replied. “But it’s been detoxified. Would you like to try one?”

Sejun took another bite of the Frog and Green Onion Roll to show them it was safe. He figured if it was good enough for him, it was probably okay.

The wolves hesitated.

As Sejun ate his third Frog and Green Onion Roll, he swallowed.

“Um… I’ll just have one,” one of the wolves mumbled.

“Me too…” said another.

“Here,” Sejun said, offering them the rolls.

The black wolves accepted the Frog and Green Onion Rolls and ate them.

“Huh?! Underwater movement becomes easier?” The black wolves exclaimed, surprised by the message that appeared after eating the food.

“With this…”

To test the effect, the black wolves leaped into Lake Jenka. Maybe this would finally allow them to complete the task they had been struggling with.

A little later, the black wolves emerged from the water, each carrying a frog by the neck, successful in their hunt.

Awoo!

The black wolf called out to its companions.

“Where’s the good restaurant?!”

Tap tap tap.

The black wolves rushed over to eat more of Sejun’s cooking.

Hegel watched the scene unfold at Lake Jenka, speechless.

The wolves were hunting frogs in the lake and bringing them to the black-haired human, who was preparing the frogs. Then, the wolves who received the cooked meat went back into the water.

Just then, Palka, the tribe leader, ran over.

“Chief Hegel!”

“Tribe Leader Palka, what’s going on?” Hegel asked.

“First, try eating this,” Palka said, handing Hegel the Frog and Green Onion Roll he was holding.

Crunch crunch.

“Oh! This is delicious!” Hegel exclaimed, eating the Frog and Green Onion Roll. It was the best meat he had tasted since coming here to request this task.

Gulp.

Then, a message appeared.

“Could it be?! Is it because of this dish that our wolves can hunt frogs?”

“Yes. Thanks to that human’s cooking, we can finally complete the request,” Palka said, pointing to Sejun.

“Is that so? Then I must thank him,” Hegel said.

“Yes. Let’s go,” Palka replied.

Palka led Hegel to Sejun.

“Sejun, this is Hegel, the chief of our Black Wolf tribe,” Palka announced.

‘Sejun?’ Hegel’s mind went blank at Palka’s words.

The name the great black dragon Elka had told him: Park Sejun. And the black dragon tattoo visible on Sejun’s right hand. That was a tattoo only allowed to members of the black dragon clan.

‘He is the great black dragon!’ Hegel thought.

“I greet the great black dragon!” Hegel cried, prostrating himself before Sejun.

“I greet the great black dragon!” The other black wolves followed Hegel’s lead and prostrated themselves before Sejun.

Bbyarorong.

Kkulorong.

The exhausted black rabbit and Kooeng slept soundly, undisturbed by the black wolves’ loud cries.

“Meow?!” Theo, who was searching through the items in the warehouse, felt a strange sensation.

‘I can feel Park Sejun’s lap nearby, meow!’ he thought.

It made no sense, but Theo trusted his Sejun-lap-detecting ability.

“Iona, I have to go out, meow!” Theo exclaimed, hurrying out of the warehouse.

“Kkyut kkyut kkyut. My victory, kkyut,” Iona cheered, lifting the B-grade item she had found in the warehouse, striking a victor’s pose. Only time would tell who the real winner was.