Farming in the Tower Alone [EN]: Chapter 85

Sejun woke up and sat up in his bed. *Plop*. Something soft and white fell from his leg. “Huh?” Sejun looked down. It was Iona! She was curled up in a ball of white fur, floating gently in the air instead of falling to the floor. She must have been sleeping on his lap.

Carefully and gently, Sejun picked up Iona. She was so light! He placed her softly on his blanket. “Kyuu-” Iona grumbled sleepily, curling herself into an even tighter ball. “Didn’t you sleep well, little one?” Sejun whispered. Her sleepy grumble told him she needed more rest.

Sejun quietly left Iona to sleep and went outside. *Squeak! Pyaa! Ppyu ppyu!* The rabbits, already awake, hopped around excitedly to greet him. “Good morning,” Sejun said with a smile. He quickly washed his face with cold water at the faucet, feeling the fresh morning air. Then, he went into the kitchen to make breakfast.

Breakfast was Chef’s special soup, which was always cooking and ready to eat. Today, Sejun added pieces of roasted sweet potato to it.

“Breakfast time!” he called out. The rabbits, who had been stretching and playing in the front yard, quickly lined up, their noses twitching with excitement for their food. They gathered together to eat, munching happily.

And then, “Good morning, Flame,” Sejun said. He took his bowl of soup and went down into the cave to see Flame.

*[Master! Good morning!]* Flame greeted him happily, its leaves waving like excited hands. “Are you doing well?” Sejun asked.

*[Yes! But even better news! My leaf power is back! Show me the seed of the Fallen Ent! I’m ready to purify it perfectly this time!]* Flame showed Sejun its first leaf, which was bright green again.

“Oh! Your leaf is green again?” Sejun said, looking closely at Flame’s leaves. He saw that the first and third leaves, except for the second one he had used before, were green again.

*[Yes! Yes! Now, please get the seed of the Fallen Ent!]* Flame urged.

“Okay, okay,” Sejun chuckled. He took the seed of the Fallen Ent from his pocket.

*[Iyaaaap!]* Flame cried out with energy. *Whirr*. The green leaf glowed white, and a pure white flame shot out towards the seed of the Fallen Ent. The flame gently surrounded the seed, like a soft blanket of light. Slowly, the seed changed color, from a dark blue to a bright sky blue.

“Flame, you did amazing!” Sejun said, stroking Flame’s leaf, which was now white after using its power.

*[Hehe! More! More!]* Flame giggled, wanting to do it again. Sejun smiled, stroking Flame with one hand while eating his breakfast with the other. It was time to start his morning farming.

*Scritch, scritch*. The sound of Sejun picking cherry tomatoes filled the cave. Suddenly, *Squeak! Kkueng!* The black rabbit and Kkueng came bounding down into the cave, making encouraging noises.

“Hey guys,” Sejun greeted them. “Could you get me some crayfish from the pond for lunch today?”

*Squeak! Kkueng!* They nodded eagerly and hurried towards the pond.

After a while, Sejun finished picking all the ripe cherry tomatoes. He climbed the ladder back up to the surface.

“Huh?” As he reached the top of the ladder, Sejun felt something strange. “Why is it like this?” he wondered. The ladder, which was used to go between the cave and the surface, was now about the width of a hand higher than it used to be. It was as if the ground had moved upwards.

“That’s odd,” Sejun thought. “Is the ladder getting longer?” It seemed strange, but it wasn’t a big problem, so he shrugged and climbed onto the surface, looking around.

Up on the surface, the white rabbits were already busy with their morning farming. The gray rabbits and the strong black minotaurs were working hard on building the waterway. Ppyu Ppyu was helping them with magic! She was cutting trees into the right sizes for the waterway and floating heavy stones with magic, making the work much easier.

“Her magic is really helpful,” Sejun said, impressed.

“Kkyut kkyut kkyut. Of course! She is my student!” Iona said proudly from behind Sejun. He hadn’t even noticed she had woken up.

“Well…” Iona continued, sounding a little shy. “It’s a bit embarrassing to brag about my student’s magic in front of *you*, Sejun.”

“Huh?” Sejun was confused.

“I know your secret!” Iona said with a knowing smile. “You’re playing a game, aren’t you? You’re pretending to be weak on purpose, right?” Iona thought Sejun was acting like he was the weakest person, even though he was surrounded by strong monsters who protected him.

“Oh… uh, yes, that’s right,” Sejun said, deciding to go along with her idea. It was too awkward to explain the truth now. Since she already thought this, he decided to just play along with her misunderstanding.

“Iona,” Sejun said, pretending to be helpless. “Could you please help Ppyu Ppyu with the waterway? I can’t use my strength, you know, because of my… game.”

“Yes! Of course! Leave it to me!” Iona said confidently. “We’ll finish it today!” And just like that, Iona joined the waterway construction team. She talked with the gray rabbits for a few minutes, understanding exactly what they needed, and then she started using her magic.

“Stone Wall!” Iona shouted. *Boom!* Her magic was much stronger than Ppyu Ppyu’s. Suddenly, dozens of huge stone pillars shot up from the ground, perfectly placed to support the waterway. They were exactly the right thickness and height that the gray rabbits needed! It might seem strange that magic that can destroy things could also be so precise, but to control such powerful magic, you needed to be very accurate. Thanks to Iona’s amazing magic, by late afternoon, the one-kilometer-long waterway going north was finished. It was the first of the four waterways – east, west, south, and north – to be completed.

*Kkueng! Thud!* Kkueng, hearing that the waterway was done, excitedly brought out the Kkuengi-ho again. The gray rabbits had really changed it! It was now a proper boat. At the front, there was a carved wooden head that looked just like Kkueng. They had also made comfortable seats in the front and back, with plenty of space for everyone to ride.

*Kkueng!* Kkueng jumped into the front seat of the Kkuengi-ho and called out to Sejun to come.

“Okay!” Sejun replied, getting into the boat. This time, it looked much safer now that the waterway was finished. As Sejun stepped onto the boat, *Squeak!* The black rabbit, already sitting in the back seat, greeted him.

“Wow, it’s changed so much!” Sejun said, looking around. Inside, a wide wooden plank had been made into a comfortable seat, and there was even a handle to hold onto.

While Sejun was still looking at the boat, “We want to ride too!” Ppyu Ppyu chirped. Iona and Ppyu Ppyu climbed into the Kkuengi-ho as well.

“Okay, let’s go to the fountain,” Iona said. “Levitation!” As Iona used her magic, *Thud*. The boat gently floated up into the air.

Just then, a furious voice shouted, “You wicked hamster! How dare you try to kidnap Park Sejun?!” Theo, who had suddenly appeared and jumped onto Sejun’s lap, glared at Iona.

“Because I got here so fast, I’ve won!” Theo thought to himself. He had rushed the wolves and interns, telling them to hurry and arrive hours earlier. He was sure he had won and reached the 99th floor of the tower first.

“I’ll go ahead!” he told them. “You guys can follow slowly!”

“Yes!” the others replied. Theo hurried towards Sejun’s farm. He didn’t know that Iona had already arrived yesterday using a special fast path for merchants. But something felt wrong. His instincts were telling him that Sejun’s lap was in danger!

*Park Sejun’s lap is in danger!* Theo thought with worry. He ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, getting closer and closer to Sejun’s farm.

“What?!” In the distance, he saw Iona trying to kidnap Sejun, putting him on a boat! “I knew it! My feelings were right! How dare you try to steal my lap and run away?!” Theo ran at full speed and jumped onto the boat. Actually, he jumped right onto Sejun’s lap. And then he shouted at the “lap thief”.

“Don’t worry, Chairman Park! I will protect you!” Theo declared dramatically to Sejun, who was supposedly being kidnapped. Theo puffed out his chest and covered Sejun’s lap with his body.

“Kidnapping? What are you talking about?” Sejun asked, confused. “We’re just going for a boat ride.”

“What? Boat ride? What boat ride?” Theo asked, still suspicious.

“We’re going to ride the boat down that way,” Sejun explained, pointing to the new waterway.

“Oh. Is that… all?” Theo asked, starting to understand.

“Yes,” Sejun said. “So, you should apologize to Iona for calling her a ‘wicked hamster’.”

“I don’t want to! She might not be kidnapping you, but she’s still wicked!” Theo grumbled.

“President Theo,” Sejun said in a serious voice, “are you going to listen to me?”

“Tch! Okay, fine,” Theo said, giving in. He knew when Sejun was serious.

And then, “Iona,” Theo said, walking towards her slowly, “I’m sorry for calling you a ‘wicked hamster’. I got too excited.”

“It’s okay, President Theo,” Iona said, quickly accepting his apology and even smiling warmly at him. “Welcome!” Finally, her perfect nap plan was coming together.

*Splash*. The Kkuengi-ho floated to the top of the fountain. *Gently*, Iona used her magic to place the boat at the very start of the new waterway. *Thud*. The boat began to slide down the waterway.

*Whoosh*. The Kkuengi-ho moved forward, gliding smoothly through the water. The slope of the waterway was gentle, so the boat moved slowly and peacefully. Sejun and the animals enjoyed the cool breeze and looked at the beautiful view of the farm from above. “Has my farm really grown this much?” Sejun said in surprise, looking down at his fields and gardens. He realized just how big his farm had become.

While Sejun was enjoying the view, *I won’t relax!* Theo thought, still clinging tightly to Sejun’s lap and watching Iona closely.

“Kkyut kkyut kkyut,” Iona chuckled, looking at them. But to Theo, it seemed like she was still planning to steal Sejun’s lap! Actually, Iona was just smiling at how funny Theo was, especially his fluffy tail twitching with jealousy.

While Theo was busy being suspicious of Iona, *Splash*. The Kkuengi-ho reached the end of the one-kilometer waterway. To go back, Kkueng carefully picked up the Kkuengi-ho with everyone inside and walked the kilometer back to the fountain.

“Something’s missing,” Sejun said as he stepped out of the Kkuengi-ho.

“What is it?” Iona asked.

“It’s not thrilling enough,” Sejun said. “The waterway is too gentle. The boat didn’t go fast enough to be exciting.”

“I don’t know about ‘thrilling’,” Theo said, “but I’m missing something too! I need Churu!” Theo pulled out a Churu treat from his bundle and jumped back onto Sejun’s lap.

“Peel it for me!” Theo demanded, confidently handing Sejun the Churu. *Because I am President Theo!* And he had done very well in the auction recently. He deserved Churu.

“Okay, okay,” Sejun chuckled. He peeled the Churu and held it out to Theo’s mouth. “Here you go.”

“I’ll eat well!” Theo said happily. *Chomp*. Just as Theo was about to lick the delicious treat, a voice called out, “Sejun, we’re back!” An unexpected group arrived. It was Elka, returning late with the wolves, the interns, and a strange figure – the criminal Skaram.

“Who is that goblin?” Sejun asked, pointing at Skaram, who was being dragged along with his hands tied.

“That’s Skaram! He cheated me!” Theo shouted, completely forgetting about the Churu. He glared angrily at Skaram.

“Ah, that’s the Skaram guy,” Sejun said, smiling slightly as he looked at Skaram. *Maybe now I can find out how to get things from Earth*, he thought.

Just then, a furious voice boomed from the black dragon statue, “You scoundrel! What are you doing here?!” It was Kaiser! And before anyone could react, Kaiser shouted, “Vanish!” In an instant, Skaram disappeared completely. *Thud*. Only Skaram’s clothes fell to the ground, empty and lifeless.

“Huh?!” Sejun gasped, shocked. *No! Why?! What about my ramen?!* Sejun stared at the black dragon statue, his eyes asking for an explanation.

“What? Why what?” Kaiser asked in a bold voice, pretending to be innocent. Then, with a *flutter flutter* of his wings, Kaiser quickly flew back to the fountain.

“Don’t worry, Chairman Park! It’s not too late to give up yet!” Theo said, trying to comfort Sejun. Then, he started searching around the spot where Skaram had disappeared. He hadn’t noticed anything before, but suddenly, he felt a tug on his front paw.

“Chairman Park, I found something!” Theo exclaimed, pointing to a small object on the floor. It was a small metal key.

“What’s this?” Sejun asked, picking up the key. Suddenly, words appeared in his mind: *[The key to the secret prison now belongs to Tower Farmer Park Sejun.]*

“Prison?” Sejun repeated, surprised. At the same moment, a small hole appeared in front of Sejun, just the right size for the key.

“Should I put it in here?” Sejun wondered. He put the key into the hole and turned it. *Clang*. The sound of a heavy door opening echoed around them. A door to a secret prison had opened.