Chapter 257: I Can't Control My Power?
TL: Hanguk
“Don’t come any closer!!!”
“Huh?! Why···?”
Sejun was momentarily startled by Kim Dong-sik's frightened voice.
“Ah. It can be scary if a stranger suddenly runs towards you in such a place.”
Sejun himself thought it would have been scary if an unknown person suddenly called his name and approached him. He had made a mistake in his excitement to meet someone after so long.
"Dong-sik~nim! It's me, Park Sejun!"
So, Sejun carefully revealed his name.
“Really? Is it really you, Sejun~nim?"
Since Kim Dong-sik only saw someone approaching, he was somewhat relieved to hear it was Sejun.
"Yes! It's me! Nice to meet you!"
"Me too! I'm glad to meet you!"
In this way, Sejun managed to alleviate Kim Dong-sik's fears through conversation. Surely, this should be enough to dispel his wariness?
"Dong-sik~nim, let’s talk more as we get closer!”
Sejun tried to approach Dong-sik again.
However,
“No! That won’t do! Please don’t come any closer! Sejun~nim, let's talk from this distance!"
Kim Dong-sik once again made an X with his arms to prevent Sejun from approaching. His voice was still filled with fear.
"What?! Why?!"
Sejun couldn't understand Kim Dong-sik's reaction.
***
Hunters aware of Sejun's existence had one question in mind.
'Why doesn't Park Sejun come out of the tower?'
Thanks to Sejun’s crops, patients on the brink of death were revived and thwarted attacks from Earth-threatening locusts.
If Sejun wished, he could enjoy immense wealth and honor.
However, for some reason, Sejun, despite having such wealth and honor, had not stepped out of the tower.
There were various speculations about the reason, but none were convincing due to the lack of information about Sejun.
And then,
‘So this was it!’
Having met Sejun, Kim Dong-sik understood why Sejun hadn’t left the tower.
'The reason Sejun~nim doesn't leave the tower is because he's too powerful.'
Even as a hunter in the top 5% on Earth, Dong-sik felt a deathly fear from the energy emanating from Sejun, even at a distance of over 1 km.
An ordinary person would probably need to keep a distance of at least 10 km from Sejun for safety. Any closer would mean certain death.
Just his mere existence exerted this much influence. If Sejun were to get even slightly excited and intensify his energy, the consequences would be unimaginable.
'Sejun~nim is staying in the tower to protect us.'
He must be aware that leaving the tower could cause immense human casualties.
Thus, unbeknownst to Sejun, a plausible reason for his staying in the tower was formed.
'How hard must it be for him?'
Kim Dong-sik felt concerned for Sejun. He didn’t even know Sejun kept animals around to alleviate his loneliness.
'We have to help!'
Kim Dong-sik resolved to assist Sejun in the tower.
"Sejun~nim, do you need anything?!"
Thus, Kim Dong-sik asked if there was anything Sejun desired, considering he couldn't leave the tower.
Just then,
Sssss!
"Huh!"
The oppressive energy intensified suddenly, overwhelming Kim Dong-sik.
***
"Sejun~nim, do you need anything?!"
When Kim Dong-sik asked Sejun,
"Need something?"
Sejun pondered. There was so much he wanted.
Then,
Krueng!
[Cuengi, Cuengi wants to eat the kimchi stew made by Cuengi's Grandma!]
Cuengi exclaimed excitedly, inadvertently increasing the intensity of his energy.
"Should we? I've also been wanting to eat my mom's kimchi stew. And..."
Kuehehehe.
Sejun, excitedly talking with Cuengi, discussed what he needed.
"Ah. I should also ask my mom for her kimchi recipe."
Sejun planned to make kimchi himself in the future, so he needed the recipe. After all, the taste of kimchi stew depends largely on the kimchi.
In other words, if Sejun fermented kimchi using the same recipe as at home, he could enjoy kimchi stew in the tower just like he would at home.
'Hehehe. This will certainly upgrade my diet a bit more.'
As Sejun was happy about the increase in his food options,
"Chairman Park, Dong-sik is running away, meow!"
Theo alerted Sejun, noticing Kim Dong-sik trying to create distance by running away.
"What?! Dong-sik~nim, where are you going?!"
Sejun hurriedly chased after Kim Dong-sik.
'Why is he running away?'
Sejun ran, wondering why Kim Dong-sik was fleeing. Sejun's agility was several times higher than Kim Dong-sik's, so he quickly closed the distance between them.
And then,
Thud.
As Sejun got closer, Dong-sik, unable to withstand Cuengi's energy, fainted.
“No. Why?! What did I do to make him faint?”
This was typically what the animals thought when they saw Sejun faint, but Sejun had no idea about it.
"Dong-sik~nim! Come to your senses!"
As Sejun rushed to check on the fainted Kim Dong-sik,
Twitch. Twitch.
Kim Dong-sik convulsed, trembling as he struggled unconsciously in a desperate bid for survival.
"Why is Dong-sik~nim like this?"
Sejun grew even more worried and approached Dong-sik.
"Chairman Park, stay here, meow! I, Vice Chairman Theo, will handle it, meow!"
Theo stopped Sejun.
“Why? I’ll go too.”
"No, meow! Chairman Park can't control his power, and it will worsen Dong-sik's condition, meow!"
"I can't control my power?"
"That's right, meow! Chairman Park, stay back, meow!"
But I'm weak, aren’t I? Sejun, the weakest on the 99th floor of the tower, was confused by Theo's unexpected comment.
However, like Cuengi, Sejun was also unable to control his power, unlike Theo and Iona.
That's because Sejun constantly emitted his energy at maximum capacity, unknowingly, to withstand the energy of the tower's 99th-floor animals.
Sejun only knew how to emit energy to counteract the surrounding energy; he didn't know how to conceal it.
Being able to emit energy strong enough to withstand the energy of the 99th-floor monsters was an impressive feat.
However, this was the reason Sejun couldn't approach Kim Dong-sik.
Therefore, if Sejun, who was recklessly emitting energy, got close to Kim Dong-sik, who was severely internally injured by Cuengi’s energy, the situation could only worsen.
"Alright. Vice Chairman Theo, please take good care of Dong-sik~nim. Oh, and make sure to deliver my message."
Sejun entrusted the fainted Kim Dong-sik to Theo and asked him to convey his need for his mother's kimchi stew recipe and other essentials.
"Understood, meow!"
With that, Sejun left the unconscious Kim Dong-sik in Theo's care and returned to where Cuengi and the Cross of Death were set up.
Then,
Slap, slap.
"Wake up, Dong-sik, meow!"
Once Sejun had left, Theo started tapping Kim Dong-sik's face with his front paws, trying to wake him up. The kind gentle kneading that Theo used when Sejun's face was 'ugly' was absent this time.
Still, Theo used healing magic to help Kim Dong-sik regain consciousness quicker. Thanks to this, Kim Dong-sik gained a slight improvement in his appearance.
A little later,
"Umm... Vice Chairman Theo?"
Kim Dong-sik regained consciousness under Theo's care.
"That's right, meow! It's me, meow!"
"Where's Sejun~nim?"
As soon as he came to his senses, Kim Dong-sik, still fearful of Sejun’s energy, immediately checked for Sejun’s location.
"Chairman Park went back because Dong-sik is too weak, meow!"
“Oh, I see···.”
Realizing that he couldn't even withstand the energy Sejun casually emitted, Kim Dong-sik wore a bitter expression upon hearing Theo's words.
Then, he quickly checked his body.
"To think it would be this bad... Ugh!"
Just being exposed to the energy, his body’s abilities had dropped by about 50%. Every movement caused pain throughout his body.
"Chairman Park..."
To Kim Dong-sik, who was in this state, Theo conveyed the message from Sejun, and then,
"Iona, please heal Dong-sik, meow!"
Theo asked Iona, who was resting on his tail, to heal Kim Dong-sik. It was necessary for Kim Dong-sik to recover quickly so he could carry out Sejun's orders.
"Kyoot, kyoot, kyoot. Okay. Power of magic, restore this body to its original state. Recovery."
Iona, accepting Theo's request, healed Kim Dong-sik's body with magic.
Swirl.
A yellow light seeped into Kim Dong-sik's body.
"Oh! Thank you..."
Kim Dong-sik, amazed at the instantaneous healing of injuries that would have normally required three months of recuperation, was about to pat Iona's head in gratitude when
Swoosh.
"What?!"
Theo and Iona suddenly disappeared, leaving Kim Dong-sik swiping at thin air.
"It was so cute... too bad."
Kim Dong-sik, unaware that he had just narrowly avoided losing his wrist, regretted not being able to pat Iona's head.
"This isn't the time. I need to quickly convey Sejun~nim's message to his mother."
Kim Dong-sik got up and hurriedly moved towards the waypoint.
***
While Sejun was returning after meeting Kim Dong-sik,
Rattle. Rattle.
[The Cross of Death resurrects absorbed souls as Black Skeletons.]
[850 Black Skeletons have gathered.]
The Cross of Death continued to resurrect Black Skeletons by absorbing wandering souls around it.
"Just a little longer and I can go back. Toryong."
Sejun called Toryong, who was playing underground with him, as he might have to return before the grape farm was completed.
Kooong.
- Master, did you call me?
Toryong quietly poked its head out in response to Sejun's call.
"Yeah. Please level the ground for me."
- Yes!
Sejun had Toryong level the ground and started planting grape seeds in earnest.
Pitter-patter.
Sejun scattered grape seeds on the ground and
"Land Moving."
as he struck the ground with his hoe,
[The earth moves favorably for you.]
[The magic power consumption for moving the earth is reduced by half.]
[You have planted 1500 Vitality-Infused Fragrant Grape seeds in the land imbued with magic power.]
...
..
.
The land moved, planting the grape seeds evenly.
By the time Sejun had swiftly planted 10,000 grapes, completing the grape farm,
[The Cross of Death resurrects absorbed souls as Black Skeletons.]
[950 Black Skeletons have gathered.]
It was almost time to return.
Shortly after,
[The Cross of Death resurrects absorbed souls as Black Skeletons.]
[1,000 Black Skeletons have gathered.]
1,000 Black Skeletons were resurrected, and
[The Mid-level Administrator Quest has been completed.]
[You have acquired 10 million experience points as a quest completion reward.]
[You have acquired 10 million Tower Coins as a quest completion reward.]
[You have completed the duties of a Mid-level Administrator.]
[You will return to the 55th floor of the tower in 30 seconds.]
With the message that the quest was completed, Sejun returned to the 55th floor of the tower where he originally was.
And then,
Ppyak! Ppyak...
[Uncle! Thank goodness...]
The black rabbit, who had been anxiously waiting for Sejun in his room, felt relieved seeing Sejun along with Theo, Cuengi, and Iona.
Day 356 of being stranded. On the evening before the black rabbit's wedding, Sejun safely returned to the White Castle.
***
- Have you been well? It's been a long time.
The Apostle of Destruction, the Crow of Death, Halphas, spoke leisurely, surrounded by the nine dragon clan leaders and 900 dragons.
"Hmph! Acting all relaxed, are you?!"
Crisella Hisron, the leader of the Silver Dragons and the one in charge of this matter, scoffed at Halphas.
Even though an Apostle of Destruction was incredibly powerful, if three of the nine dragon clan leaders joined forces, they could defeat him.
Besides, Halphas was currently in a weaker state than when they had previously confronted him.
- Is this really being relaxed?
"What?!"
Crisella felt something was off seeing Halphas so relaxed.
Then,
Creak.
Two additional eyes opened around Halphas's eyes, and
Grrrrr.
Suddenly, Halphas's power doubled.
However, even that wasn't enough to stand against the dragons.
"Was that what made you so confident?"
Crisella, seeing Halphas's hidden trump card, felt reassured when
- Not yet.
Creak.
Another pair of eyes opened on Halphas, and his power doubled again. Twice the power, then twice again. Halphas's strength increased fourfold in an instant.
Rumble.
Halphas began to emit a tremendous power that overwhelmed the dragons surrounding him.
"Gasp!"
"How can this be...?"
As the dragons panicked under Halphas's overwhelming power,
"I'll handle this."
Gulp.
Kaiser spoke to the other dragons and swallowed four beans.
****
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