Chapter 222: Receiving the First Trial
TL: Hanguk
Krueng!
[Delicious!]
Cuengi was happily enjoying the honey-flavored kudzu root.
Then,
Swoosh.
Suddenly, someone grabbed his scruff, making Cuengi angry for being disturbed while eating.
'How dare someone mess with me, Crimson Giant Honeybear Cuengi?!'
Just as Cuengi was about to transform and teach the disturber a lesson,
“Got you! You rascal!”
Recognizing Sejun's familiar voice, Cuengi’s eyes widened and his heart sank in shock.
Krueng?
[Why do I hear Dad's voice?]
Creak. Creak.
Feeling ominous, Cuengi struggled to turn its head back.
And,
“Cuengi, do you realize your mistake?!”
Cuengi's eyes met Sejun's, who held his scruff with an 'I got you!' expression. Cuengi’s eyes were shaking, realizing his fault.
Krueng... Krueng...
[I'm sorry, Dad... Cuengi just love the honey taste too much...]
Cuengi, with drooping ears, tearfully confessed its mistake to Sejun. What if Dad hates me now...
Cuengi trembled, in fear of being hated by Sejun's.
'He's so cute!'
Sejun's lips twitched, struggling not to smile at Cuengi’s adorable state.
But,
‘No, I mustn't!’
Sejun disciplined his softening heart. He knew he had to properly reprimand Cuengi. Overlooking this now would only worsen Cuengi’s behavior.
“Cuengi, you admit it was wrong to eat all the tasty stuff yourself, right?”
Sejun let go of Cuengi’s scruff and placed his hands under Cuengi’s armpits, and looked him in the eyes.
Kooueng... Kooueng...
[Yes... I'm sorry, Dad...]
Cuengi tearfully responded to Sejun's question, his eyes starting to water.
“If you did wrong, you should be punished, right?”
Sejun sternly spoke, fighting the urge to be lenient as he saw Cuengi's tears.
Kooueng... Kooueng...
[Yes... Cuengi did wrong and should be punished...]
Cuengi nodded in agreement.
“Then, as a punishment, you'll eat only bitter kudzu roots for the next ten days. Reflect on your actions while eating them."
There was no personal vendetta. Definitely not revenge. It was all to teach Cuengi a lesson...
Sejun convinced himself, reaffirming his intentions internally while,
Krueng!
[Understood!]
Though Cuengi never liked bitter food, he accepted the punishment, acknowledging his fault.
“Good. But Dad's still not happy yet.”
Sejun maintained a stern face while wiping the tears around Cuengi’s eyes and then,
“This is the punishment for eating something tasty alone! Bubububub!”
He pressed his face against Cuengi’s belly and playfully blew raspberries on his belly.
Koouee...? Kuehehehe!
[Does Dad feel better now...? Hehehe!]
Cuengi, initially scared of being scolded, soon realized Sejun wasn't angry anymore and started laughing.
“Cuengi, you know if you cry and then laugh, you'll grow hair on your butt?¹” (TL: See note below)
Sejun teased Cuengi playfully.
But,
Krueng? Krueng!
[What do you mean? Cuengi already has hair on his butt!"
Cuengi displayed his buttocks while speaking. It was indeed a very natural thing for Cuengi.
“Yeah?! Then take more of my punishment! Bubububub.”
Kuehehehe.
After a bit more playful belly raspberries,
“This is the honey-flavored kudzu root, right?”
Krueng!
[Yes!]
Sejun examined the blue kudzu root harvested by Cuengi.
[Blue Kudzu Root of Potential]
→ A kudzu root that has grown by absorbing life force from a living host.
→ It has absorbed almost the maximum life force from its host, making it highly effective.
→ Rich in nutrients, it offers high satiety and lasts long.
→ Consuming it increases all stat potentials by 5.
→ Tastes like honey.
→ Cultivator: Tower Farmer Park Sejun
→ Expiration Date: 180 days
→ Grade: B
Understanding why Cuengi hadn’t asked for food made sense now.
“This increases all stats' potentials.”
After checking the root's properties, Sejun put the kudzu root in his mouth and chewed.
Munch. Munch.
The texture of the kudzu root was similar to radish, but each chew released a honey flavor, reminiscent of eating a pear.
Gulp.
[You have consumed the Blue Kudzu Root of Potential.]
[All stat potentials have increased by 5.]
"Wow! It's incredibly sweet!"
Overjoyed by the sweet taste, after having only eaten bitter kudzu roots, Sejun put another blue kudzu root in his mouth.
Munch. Munch.
Krueng! Krueng!
[Yes! It's tasty because it tastes like honey!]
Cuengi, eating the bitter kudzu roots on the side, answered with a grimace.
"Here, Eat one, Cuengi."
Sejun offered a blue kudzu root to Cuengi, who seemed to be suffering with the bitterness.
Sejun's punishment for Cuengi wasn't just to eat bitter roots, but to eat all the bitter ones he dug up, though he could still have some sweet ones.
But,
Krueng! Krueng!
[No! Cuengi did wrong, so Cuengi will only eat bitter kudzu roots for ten days!]
Cuengi, being stricter on himself , refused the sweet kudzu root.
"Really?! Then you won't have honey either?"
As Sejun took out a jar of honey from the void storage,
Krueng! Krueng!
[No! That's different!]
Dadadada.
Cuengi rushed towards Sejun, politely extending his front paws.
"Okay, from now on, I'll give you one bottle a day. Have it as a way to clear your mouth of the bitter taste."
Krueng! Krueng!
[Thank you, Dad! Cuengi will enjoy it!]
Sejun handed over the jar,
Click.
and Cuengi quickly opened it, starting to greedily lick the honey.
'I know how you feel.'
Watching Cuengi savor the honey, Sejun nodded understandingly.
Shortly after,
Krueng! Krueng!
[I'm okay now! I'll go dig up more kudzu roots!]
"Let's go together."
After finishing its snack, Cuengi got up to dig more roots, and Sejun followed.
While they were digging,
Gororong.
Gurgle.
Kyuororong.
Among the snoring sounds of Theo and Iona, another sound joined in.
Cuengi's stomach clock, which usually rang at meal times, growled unexpectedly as he hadn't eaten properly in the morning.
Glance. Glance.
Feeling guilty for his wrongdoing, Cuengi sneakily glanced at Sejun, unable to voice his hunger.
"Are you hungry, Cuengi?"
Krueng... Krueng...
[Yes... I'm hungry...]
Cuengi timidly responded.
"Have this for now. Crop Gigantification."
Sejun used his skill to enlarge a giant sweet potato for Cuengi and gathered nearby wood and stones to create a simple cooking hearth.
Snap!
With a flick of his fingers, Sejun ignited the fire in the hearth,
Whoosh.
and the twigs started burning.
"That should do it."
Once the fire was stable, Sejun placed a pot on it,
Swoosh swoosh swoosh.
and quickly sliced hundreds of potatoes while the pot heated up. He was making stir-fried potatoes, a dish that cooks quickly due to thinly sliced potatoes.
Sizzle.
After slicing, Sejun melted tuna fat in the hot pot and then,
Swish.
added the sliced potatoes, seasoning them with honey and salt for a sweet and savory flavor.
Shortly after,
[You have achieved the feat of making Sweet and Savory Stir-Fried Potatoes in the Tower for the first time.]
[The recipe for Sweet and Savory Stir-Fried Potatoes is registered in Cooking Lv. 7.]
[Proficiency in Cooking Lv. 7 increases slightly.]
A message appeared indicating the achievement of a new dish.
"Come and eat, Cuengi."
Krueng! Krueng!
[It smells delicious! It must be tasty!]
Responding to Sejun's call, Cuengi, who had been drooling in anticipation, hurried over.
And,
Krueng!
[Thank you, Dad! I'll enjoy it!]
Cuengi bowed at a 90-degree angle in gratitude to Sejun and began eating the stir-fried potatoes.
Krueng! Krueng!
[It's so delicious! Dad's cooking is the best!]
Delighted by the tasty food, Cuengi continued to eat the stir-fried potatoes, shaking his hips and body in excitement.
'He's eating well.'
Sejun watched Cuengi with a content smile.
6 hours later,
"Let's go back now."
Krueng!
[Understood!]
As dinner time approached, Sejun called Cuengi, and they headed home.
***
The next morning.
"Are you guys ready?!"
Sejun called out to the animals in the brewery, where 3,000 jars and 300,000 glass bottles were piled up.
"Yes, meow!"
Krueng!
[Yes!]
Squeak!
Ook!
The animals responded. Today was the day to transfer Samyangju from 3,000 jars into bottles. As there were many bottles to fill, Sejun had asked other animals for help.
The 300,000 glass bottles were obtained in exchange for providing cherry tomatoes to Iona's wizard tower, made diligently by the wizards.
"Let's start!"
As Sejun was about to begin,
-Kahaha! Let me help!
-Sure. We'll help too!
Kaiser and Kellion joined in. They had a vested interest in helping Sejun finish quickly so they could receive their share of Samyangju.
-Fill them up.
At Kaiser's command, Samyangju from 100 jars began transferring into 10,000 glass bottles, and
-Fill them up.
Kellion also started transferring Samyangju from jars to bottles.
When the two dragons had almost finished transferring the Samyangju from 3,000 jars,
[You have supplied 30,000 bottles of Samyangju to each dragon clan.]
[Quest completed.]
[As a quest completion reward, you have gained a large amount of job experience.]
[Your job experience has greatly increased.]
[As a quest completion reward, all your stat potentials have increased by 100.]
[As a quest completion reward, you are now eligible to challenge the 10th Tower's trial.].
A message appeared indicating the quest completion.
And,
[As a congratulatory gift for earning the right to challenge the 10th Tower's trial, you are awarded a seedless grapevine for beginners.]
"A grapevine?"
[The 10th Tower's first trial has been initiated.]
[The 10th Tower's First Trial: To farm, you need a strong body that won't succumb to minor ailments. Grow the grapevine, eat its grapes, and raise all stats to over 300.]
A robust grapevine without any fruit appeared before Sejun, marking the start of the first trial.
"Since when did having all stats over 300 become the standard for strength?"
Swoosh. Swoosh.
[Farmer's Warm Touch Lv. 4 is activated.]
[The growth of the seedless grapevine for beginners is slightly accelerated by your touch.]
Reading the trial's requirements, Sejun diligently stroked the grapevine. He planned to grow the grapevine earnestly.
"Hehe, I wonder when it will bear fruit?"
Sejun had been craving grapes lately.
***
In the Black Dragon's Territory.
Boom.
“What's that sound?”
As the great black dragon, Miles, soared into the sky to locate the source of the sound,
“Where is this vibration coming from?”
“I don't know.”
Other dragons from different territories also flew, trying to pinpoint the origin of the vibration.
Then,
“What?! There’s something moving down there!”
One dragon pointed to the lower part of the destruction, encircled by nine towers.
“Where?!”
Following the gaze of the dragon who had located the source of the sound,
Boom.
A cone-shaped, pointed gray tower was slowly rising.
“What?! That's a tower!”
“What kind of tower is it?”
As the dragons tensely observed the emergence of a new tower,
Thud.
The gray tower rose about 10 meters high and then stopped moving.
"We must report this to our clans head first!"
The dragons hurried to inform the heads of their clans about the emergence of the new tower.
TL Notes:
1) If you start laughing in the midst of crying, you will grow hair out of your butt. Small horns will also grow out of your butt. When horns and hair grow out of your butt, it has a bad connotation.
Read More here --> http://folklore.usc.edu/tears-and-laughter-together-are-bad-luck/
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