Chapter 178: Making Soju

TL: Hanguk

"Is Ajax doing well?"

After breakfast, Sejun checked if Ajax was doing the task he had assigned properly.

[Current tasks assigned to Ajax Mambube, the tower farmer of the White Tower]

- Planting seeds of Elixir: Cherry Tomato Imbued with Powerful Magic Power (50,000/100,000)

- Harvesting Elixir: Cherry Tomato Imbued with Powerful Magic Power (3,920/28,000)

A new task of planting seeds had been added to what was assigned to Ajax.

When Sejun realized that eating the elixir-grade cherry tomatoes had no effect, he kept only a portion and harvested seeds from 3,000 of them, obtaining 100,000 seeds.

He then used the tower's transportation to send those seeds to Ajax with instructions to plant them. Of course, Ajax had to pay the 1 million tower coins for the delivery.

It would have been easier to have Ajax directly plant the harvested elixir-grade cherry tomatoes directly, but that would infringe on the exclusive cultivation rights. Sejun had to give permission and hand over the seeds himself.

It was a bit bothersome, but in return, it ensured the preservation of exclusive cultivation rights, so there was no complaint.

"He's doing well."

Seeing Ajax diligently completing his tasks, Sejun commented with satisfaction. Judging by the harvest, it seemed he would soon need to use the Tower's transport system again.

There were some grievances, though. Ajax's slow work pace wasn't to Sejun's liking. However, since he was following instructions, no penalty could be given, nor was it a breach of contract.

Rather than confronting him, Sejun planned to ask Aileen to have a chat with Ajax when the opportunity arose.

After checking on Ajax, Sejun headed to the brewery. It was to make the new alcohol he had promised Kaiser and deliver 10 bottles.

Upon arriving at the brewery:

Ook! Ook!

The monkeys, about to start their work, greeted Sejun.

"Do we have any finished makgeolli stored?"

Ook!

In response to Sejun's question, the monkeys pointed to the massive glass jars containing makgeolli.

"Great. Pour it in here."

Ook!

With the help of the monkeys, Sejun took out a massive pot, filled it with makgeolli, and sealed it.

Chomp.

[You have consumed a Sturdy Strength Yellow Bean that boosts strength.]

[Strength stat is increased by 100% for 1 minute.]

[Strength stat increased by 33.]

Grip. Grip.

After eating the yellow bean, Sejun used his enhanced strength to seal the pot and its lid so that no steam could escape.

Then,

Poke.

He made a hole in the center of the lid and attached a U-shaped tube, which was made by stretching out a fire ant carapace by Cuengi, ensuring it wouldn't tear, and then rolling it thin following Sejun's detailed instructions.

While making this, Sejun had requested a lot of details, so during the process to appease the annoyed Cuengi, 10 bottles of honey went into his snack pouch.

After attaching the tube to the pot lid and sealing any gaps with rice dough, Sejun placed the pot over the fire and began boiling it. Initially, he kept the fire strong, but when it started boiling, he reduced the heat.

After some time,

Drip. Drip.

Drops of liquid began to fall from the end of the tube, and the strong scent of alcohol permeated the surroundings. Sejun was in the process of distilling the alcohol to make soju.

Sniff Sniff.

Krueng!

[Big bro, it smells!]

Cuengi, who was playing with Theo at the entrance of the brewery, said while inhaling deeply. Theo was playing with Cuengi since he wasn't allowed inside.

Of course, it wasn't Theo's choice; Sejun had placed him there before entering.

"Smells like alcohol, right?"

Theo responded while licking himself.

Krueng! Krueng!

[Yes! Cuengi wants to try it too!]

Cuengi, imitating his big brother, followed Theo's gesture and licked his body in response. He occasionally lost his balance and fell.

"Puhuhut, Cuengi, you're still too young, meow! Alcohol is for adults only, meow!"

Theo replied with pride.

Krueng...

[So jealous...]

Cuengi gazed enviously at Theo.

"Puhuhut, should I have a sip, meow?"

With Cuengi's eyes on him, Theo entered the brewery. Although he typically disliked alcohol, he took out a bottle and began drinking. Initially, he only wanted to show off, but...

Krueng!

[Big bro, Cuengi's envious! Being an adult is cool!]

Gulp. Gulp.

Theo, feeling the envious gaze of Cuengi, got excited and drank a whole bottle of high-alcohol content soju that Sejun had just distilled.

“Hick, meow! How is it, meow? Puhuhut. Aren’t I cool, meow?! But why is the ground moving, meow! Stay still, meow!”

Theo, who had gotten quite drunk, scolded the ground as he staggered towards Cuengi.

Krueng?

[Big brother, are you okay?]

Cuengi asked Theo with a concerned tone, watching Theo sway.

“Puhuhut. Of course I'm fine...”

Theo wasn't particularly good at drinking nor could he handle his alcohol, and certainly not strong alcohol. So after downing a bottle of freshly distilled soju in one go, he was bound to feel its effects.

Thud.

Theo fell to the ground.

Krueng!

[Dad, big brother is dead!]

In a rush, Cuengi desperately called out to Sejun from the entrance of the brewery.

***

Flap. Flap.

The white dragon statue flew in front of the black dragon statue.

-Kellion, how did your mission go?

-I found 5 fragments of the Apostle of Destruction.

-What?! Five?! Were you also up against Hydra?

-No. It was Violet, the Crystal Giant of Destruction of the 11th seat, who invaded our tower.

-Not just Hydra, but Violet too... The situation seems worse than we thought.

It was possible that all the towers had already been infiltrated by the Apostle of Destruction.

-We should inform the other dragons. Violet said their goal is to destroy the towers.

-Destroy the towers? But why?

Kaiser seemed puzzled. The existence of the towers had no effect on their battles with the Apostle of Destruction. Only the dragons could fight the Apostle.

But even if the tower was destroyed, the dragons would not be harmed at all, though it might hurt their pride for not being able to defend it.

However, even if it's just a small fraction of their power, the Apostles of Destruction were sending fragments to the towers, which would have no influence on the battle during the Black Moon.

-There must be another reason...

Then,

-Huh?! What's this smell?

Kellion suddenly followed a scent with his eyes.

-Smell?

Kaiser's black dragon statue was equipped for sight and hearing, but not for other senses.

-It's a strong scent of alcohol. It's coming from the brewery.

In contrast, the dragon statue Kellion crafted contained his soul, allowing him to experience all five senses.

-Alcohol scent?!

Flap. Flap.

Kaiser quickly flew towards the brewery,

-Kaiser, wait for me!

Kellion followed him.

***

“Sigh. How can you drink that much when you can't even handle alcohol?”

Sejun carried the unconscious Theo to his room and laid him on the bed.

“Keep an eye on him, Cuengi. If something happens, call me.”

Krueng! Krueng?

[Is big brother going to be okay? He's not going to die, right?]

Cuengi asked with worried eyes.

“Yes, he'll be fine. He just needs some time to recover.”

Sejun answered and headed back to the brewery.

-Oh! Sejun!

-What kind of alcohol is this?

Upon reaching the brewery, he found Kaiser and Kellion drinking the soju from a bottle.

“That was supposed to be for you, Lord Kaiser...”

-What?!

Hearing Sejun's words, Kaiser quickly snatched the bottle of soju that Kellion was holding.

-Hey! How stingy!

-Who's being stingy?! Didn't you hear Sejun? It's my soju!

Kaiser clutched the bottle of soju defensively, clearly showing he had no intentions of sharing.

-Sejun, make some soju for me too!

In the end, Kellion requested Sejun to produce more soju. After having a few glasses, Kellion became completely enchanted by its flavor.

This soju tasted entirely different from makgeolli. It had a clean yet rich and deep flavor. If its alcohol content was slightly higher, it could even compete with the quality of the legendary dragon's liquor.

“Making soju isn't that hard... but the cost...”

-One Dragon Tooth Warrior for 10 bottles of soju!

A Dragon Tooth Warrior can be traded for 1,000 bottles of makgeolli. However, with 1,000 bottles of makgeolli, one can produce 300 bottles of distilled soju. It was a good deal. Actually, it was an incredibly profitable deal.

But,

“Hmm... I'll consider it for two Dragon Tooth Warriors for 10 bottles of soju. And I'll give you 10 bottles of soju today!”

Sejun wasn't satisfied and decided to haggle.

-Deal!

Kellion, eager to drink the soju, immediately handed over the two Dragon Tooth Warriors.

“Wait a bit.”

Sejun began filling a new pot with makgeolli.

"Lord Kellion, could you please seal this for me?”

This time, instead of consuming the Sturdy Strength Yellow Bean, Sejun requested Kellion's assistance.

-Seal.

Kellion quickly sealed the pot. Sejun then plugged a U-shaped tube, which he had made as a backup, into the sealed pot made by Kellion and then repeated the same distillation process to make the soju.

"Just watch this for a moment."

Ook!

Ook!

After confirming that the alcohol was properly distilled, Sejun left the brewery to the monkeys and moved to the kitchen.

And

"Open the storage."

Creak.

Sejun took out a large pot from the secret storage that he kept hidden from Cuengi, and began warming up tuna porridge he scooped into a smaller pot.

Dadada.

Sejun finely chopped detoxifying green onions and elixir-grade A cherry tomatoes into the tuna porridge, ensuring that Theo, who only eats grilled fish and churu, wouldn't notice.

The detoxifying green onion was for detoxifying alcohol, and the elixir-grade A cherry tomatoes were for nourishment.

"It's ready."

Sejun, holding the finished tuna porridge, approached the bedroom.

"Ugh, meow! My head hurts so much, meow... Am I... dying, meow?"

Where Theo, holding his head, weakly spoke with a pale face.

Krueng!

[Big brother, you can't die!]

Cuengi cried, holding onto Theo's front paw.

"I'm sorry, Cuengi, meow... I think this is the end for me, meow... If I die, please take care of Chairman Park's knees, meow..."

The two were being melodramatic.

“That's just a hangover.”

Sejun said, sitting next to Theo.

"I knew it would be a deadly disease, meow!"

You idiot, it's just a hangover... Theo seemed convinced he was dying.

"Here, eat this quickly! It'll make you feel better."

To prevent Theo from having any more negative thoughts, Sejun hurriedly scooped the tuna porridge and brought it to him.

"My appetite is... Meow?"

Slurp, slurp, slurp.

Drawn by the appetizing smell, Theo eagerly licked up the tuna porridge. Thankfully, the finely chopped green onions and cherry tomatoes were undetectable, Theo enjoyed the meal.

A short while later,

"Phew! I'm cured, meow! Chairman Park is amazing, meow!"

Thanks to the detoxifying green onions, Theo, having detoxified the alcohol, sprung up energetically and clung to Sejun's lap.

Krueng!

[It's a relief, big brother!]

Cuengi was delighted to see Theo in good health again. And Cuengi vowed never to drink alcohol even when he grew up. Believing drinking alcohol leads to a deadly disease called hangover! Theo had set a good example for Cuengi.

Sejun, having cured Theo's hangover, proceeded to make more soju.

The next morning.

"Chairman Park, I'll be right back, meow!"

Sejun quickly sent Theo off, hoping he wouldn't get into any trouble.

And,

"Taru, long time no see, meow!"

Theo confidently headed straight for the 75th-floor lost and found storage.

"Why are you here again?"

Taru tried to sound indifferent, but couldn't completely hide the joy. Theo's visits made things less boring.

"Silly¹, meow! Of course, I came to draw, meow! Here's 1,000 tower coins, meow!"

Theo proudly handed over the money.

'Puhuhut. I'm going to bring something impressive to Chairman Park and will surely receive praise, meow~!'

Laughing, Theo entered the lost and found storage.

*****

TL Notes:

1) Here, the Korean word used is a friendly way of saying 'fool' or 'idiot,' so I have used 'silly,' which does sound a bit odd, but I couldn't think of any other way of representing it.

*****

2/5