Chapter 194: Burning
“Argh! Damn human! Why do I have to scatter these?!!!”
Ajax, having moved to the Green Tower, grumbled as he diligently scattered the kudzu fruits on the 78th floor of the Green Tower. He couldn’t help but work hard because it was part of the contract.
Consequently, his irritation exploded, and in line with his emotions, his magic power also erupted, spreading in all directions.
Thanks to this, nearby monsters that were close to Ajax passed out from the intensity of his magic power. The bombing dragon, Ajax, unknowingly assisted Sejun in his revenge.
“Damn it! Why am I doing this…”
After scattering the kudzu fruits on the 56th floor of the Green Tower, the grumbling Ajax opened a land deed and returned to the White Tower.
Once Ajax disappeared,
Wriggle. Wriggle.
The kudzu fruits, having absorbed the magic power released by Ajax, began to take root in the ground and grew rapidly.
***
“Flamie, you’ve been well, right?”
[Yes, Master!]
After confirming that Ajax scattered 100 million kudzu fruits in the Green Tower, Sejun descended to the cave to find Flamie. He wanted to receive Flamie’s Flame Buff, specifically the Flame of Affinity buff, to burn down the kudzu fields on the 85th floor of the tower.
Sejun planned to burn the kudzu fields and then replant them with kudzu fruits. Since the entirety of the 85th floor was already a kudzu field, he had no concerns about the fruits spreading, and he had plenty of kudzus to plant.
Moreover, considering the vitality of the kudzus, even haphazard planting would yield robust growth, providing optimal conditions to complete his job quest.
[Hehe. Please wait a moment! Yap!]
Excited by the thought of being able to help Sejun, Flamie shouted energetically, causing one of the four leaves it had to turn yellow, and the yellow flame seeped into Sejun’s body. The flame seemed stronger than before.
[The Enhanced Flame of Affinity will imbue the user’s body for 3 hours.]
[The Enhanced Flame of Affinity greatly aids the user in controlling fire.]
“Hmm? Enhanced Flame of Affinity?”
[Hehe, I’ve been working hard for you, Master!]
“Oh! Thanks, Flamie.”
Touched by Flamie’s dedication, Sejun gently caressed its leaf.
[The Farmer’s Warm Touch Lv. 4 is activated.]
[While being touched, the growth rate of the apple tree slightly increases.]
Just then,
Pop!
A new leaf sprouted from Flamie. It was its fifth leaf.
[Oh! Master, I’ve grown!]
“Wow! Congratulations!”
[Hehe, it’s all thanks to you, Master!]
“No… what… haha. I’ll pat you more.”
Flattered by Flamie’s compliment, Sejun was shy as he attempted to stroke Flamie’s leaf again.
However,
[No, it’s okay. You can pat me later. You should go now. The duration of the Flame Buff is decreasing.]
Flamie stopped Sejun.
“Alright. I’ll come back and pat you next time.”
Appreciating Flamie’s consideration, Sejun quickly stood up. As Flamie said, the time he could use the Enhanced Flame of Affinity was running out.
Soon after Sejun hurriedly left to utilize the enhanced Flame of Affinity on the 85th floor,
[Hehe, I almost got caught].
Flamie began to grow in earnest.
Koogoogung
A single tree root appeared in the sky of the 98th floor as the entire 99th floor of the tower shook.
***
[You have arrived at the 85th floor.]
Clank.
“Guys, come out.”
Upon reaching the 85th floor using the waypoint, Sejun opened the void storage and called for Theo and Cuengi.
Dadadada.
“Meow!”
Krueng!
Responding to Sejun’s call, Theo and Cuengi came out of the void storage and jumped towards his knees.
Snap.
With the two of them equipped on his legs, Sejun headed towards the farm.
“Master Sejun, you’ve arrived?!”
As Sejun approached the farm, Elka, having sensed his presence, hurried over to greet him.
Swish. Swish.
Elka’s tail wagged from side to side, showing the sheer joy of seeing him.
“Yeah. Has everything been fine while I was gone?”
Sejun stroked Elka’s head as he inquired.
“Yes! There were no problems.”
While conversing with Elka, Sejun reached the farm.
“Hey, guys, I’m here!”
Sejun greeted the hardworking hedgehogs and poisonous honeybees at the 85th-floor farm.
Kwieek! Kwieek!
Upon Sejun’s arrival, Godori proudly showed him the kudzu fruits they had harvested. They had been working hard! There were roughly 30 million kudzu fruits piled up where Godori pointed.
Buzz! Buzz!
The Queen Poisonous Honeybee also presented their harvested honey to Sejun, as if to compete with the hedgehogs. Ten jars Sejun had left behind were filled with dark-colored kudzu honey, different from regular honey.
“Good job, guys.”
Kwieek! Kwieek!
Buzz! Buzz!
Delighted by Sejun’s praise, the hedgehogs and poisonous bees joyfully returned to their work.
And then,
“I wonder how this kudzu honey tastes?”
As Sejun held up a bottle of kudzu honey,
Krueng! Krueng!
[I’ve never seen this honey before! Cuengi wants to taste it!]
Cuengi became excited at the sight of the kudzu honey.
‘Should I use this just in case?’
Sejun first prepared a honey jelly and,
Scoop.
took a spoonful of kudzu honey to feed Cuengi.
Krueng?!
Initially, Cuengi made a strange face, but soon, a delighted expression appeared.
“Seems good.”
After observing Cuengi’s reaction, Sejun dipped his pinky into the kudzu honey to taste it.
“Wow!”
The moment the kudzu honey touched his tongue, he tasted a slightly bitter flavor mixed with a smooth sweetness. Additionally, the distinct aroma of kudzus filled his mouth, harmonizing the overall flavor.
While Sejun marveled at the taste of the kudzu honey,
Lick. Lick.
Cuengi enthusiastically licked the spoon, not wanting to waste a single drop.
At that moment,
Krueng!
[Dad, kudzu honey and garaetteok (rice cake)!]
A bright idea flashed in Cuengi’s mind, and he quickly exclaimed. It’s bound to be delicious!
“Garaetteok ? That sounds good!”
The combination of the slight bitterness and sweetness of the kudzu honey seemed like it would pair well with Garaetteok. Sejun hurriedly went to fetch the kudzu fruit and kudzu honey from the void storage, as well as the Relic: Wealth-devouring Rice Dough.
However,
“Ah…”
He remembered he left the relic in the brewery on the 99th floor.
“Considering it now, this isn’t the time for that.”
Furthermore, Sejun recalled the main reason for coming to the 85th floor. The buff duration given by Flamie was still decreasing.
“Cuengi, let’s have the Garaetteok later.”
Krueng? Krueng!
[Why later? Cuengi wants it now!]
Cuengi protested Sejun’s decision. Sejun then patiently explained why they couldn’t have the rice cake now.
“You understand, right, Cuengi?”
Krueng! Krueng!
[Cuengi understands, Dad! Cuengi will help you!]
Upon hearing Sejun’s explanation, Cuengi nodded in agreement. Dad needs to complete his quest quickly, obtain his job combat skill, and become stronger!
“Thank you.”
Pat. Pat.
Sejun gently patted Cuengi’s head.
“Chairman Park, I’m here too, meow!”
Seeing only Cuengi being pampered, Theo pointed to his head with a pitiable voice.
“Of course, Vice Chairman Theo, thank you as well.”
“Heh, meow! That’s right, meow! Chairman Park should always be thankful to me, meow!”
As Sejun began to pet him, Theo quickly changed his attitude, puffing up with pride. Just like that!
After petting them both,
“Follow me and work from behind.”
He directed the hedgehogs and poisonous bees behind him to prevent the fire from spreading.
Snap!
Once everyone moved behind, Sejun created a flame with a snap of his fingers.
Whoosh.
Thanks to the enhanced Flame of Affinity buff, the flame, which was originally the size of a coin, grew to the size of a palm.
Crackle.
Sejun ignited the dried kudzu root that Cuengi had dehydrated from squeezing their juice the day before.
Whooosh.
The flame quickly consumed the dried kudzu roots, spreading and growing stronger by burning the surrounding roots.
“Ice Cube.”
Feeling the heat of the fire, Sejun placed ice blocks to prevent it from spreading further towards him.
After some time, with the nearby kudzus all burned and the fire growing significantly,
“Cuengi, let’s do Kuwhooo!”
Krueng! Krueng!
[Understood! Kuwhooo!]
Upon Sejun’s command, Cuengi took a deep breath and climbed on top of the ice cubes.
Kuwhooo!
Cuengi shouted forcefully towards the fire. It was one of the techniques Cuengi had developed after the Cuengi Storm Fist. With Cuengi’s shout, a fierce wind pushed back the flames, causing the fire to spread rapidly.
“Cuengi, once more!”
Kuwhooo!
After using the Kuwhooo about ten times, the flames spread out over 100km.
Krueng! Krueng!
[Dad, Cuengi can’t do it anymore! Cuengi’s hungry now!]
Sejun had heard of feeling dizzy from blowing too much wind, but feeling hungry was a new one. However, for our Cuengi, it was possible.
“Just wait, Cuengi. Crop Gigantification.”
Sejun quickly took out a sweet potato and enlarged it.
Then he said,
“Vice Chairman Theo, go loosen up the ground.”
After feeding Cuengi, Sejun pointed to the scorched land and threw Theo into the sky.
Woosh.
“Understood, meow!”
Snap!
Maintaining his balance in mid-air, Theo unsheathed his dragon claws.
“Meow-meow Storm Fist! Meow-meow Storm Fist!”
Theo used his Meow-meow Storm Fist technique in mid-air, slicing the ground with transparent, sharp magical blades.
This process would cut the kudzu roots within the ground, making it suitable for planting kudzu fruits for a few days. Moreover, the gaps created in the ground would allow the trapped heat to escape, cooling the ground more quickly.
But that was a task for later.
“Pfft!”
Sejun burst into laughter, watching Theo flapping his paws in the air. The amusing sight of Theo in mid-air, flailing his cute little paws while releasing formidable magical blades, was quite the contrast. To Sejun’s eyes, it just looked like Theo was struggling.
“Chairman Park! I’m falling, meow!”
Having finished his task, Theo called out to Sejun. Hurry, catch me, meow!
“Got it.”
Gently,
Sejun stretched out his arms and safely caught Theo, placing him back on his knee.
Just then,
Thump.
“Huh?”
Krueng!
[Cuengi want to try it too!]
Cuengi grabbed Sejun’s leg and said.
“Okay, but you can’t use Cuengi Storm Fist from up there, understood?”
Given the vast impact of the Cuengi Storm Fist, Sejun cautioned him, then slipped his hands under Cuengi’s armpits and lifted him.
Then,
Woosh.
Sejun threw Cuengi high into the sky. Unlike Theo, Cuengi couldn’t balance himself in mid-air and started falling headfirst.
“Gotcha!”
Sejun caught Cuengi gently.
Kuehehehe. Krueng! Krueng!
[Hehehe. It’s fun! Cuengi want to do it again!]
Laughing, Cuengi adjusted his posture on Sejun’s arm, asking to be thrown again.
“Then here we go! Ha!”
That way, Sejun played with Cuengi, throwing him into the air, until the Flame of Affinity buff ran out.
Then,
[You’ve planted 89 kudzu.]
[Your job experience has increased slightly.]
[Your proficiency of Magic Seed Sowing Lv. 6 slightly increases.]
[Due to the effect of Magic Seed Sowing Lv. 6, the chance of kudzu taking root increases.]
[The sound of the farmer’s footsteps speeds up the growth of the kudzus.]
[You have 6,974,573 times left until the job quest completion.]
He began planting kudzu in earnest on the cooled ground.
Swish. Swish.
He didn’t infuse magic power into the ground, so the growth rate was slower than usual. However, upon scattering a handful of kudzu fruits, Sejun received a message that half had taken root, showcasing their remarkable vitality.
And while Sejun was comfortably planting the kudzus and increasing his job quest completion rate,
[You have achieved the feat of burning 3.3 million square meters of land occupied by harmful plants that interfere with farming.]
[As a reward for the Great Farmer’s achievement, you’ve learned the Job Skill: Fire Field Lv. 1.]
The fire, burning even the distant kudzus, granted Sejun a new job skill. The kudzus proved helpful in various ways.
On the 329th day of being stranded, Sejun obtained his seventh job skill, Fire Field(火田).
*****