Chapter 172

“How insolent!”

“How dare you casually address our King Ulrich by his name!”

As Theo mentioned Ulrich’s name casually, the Black Orc soldiers, filled with rage, closed in on Sejun and Theo, preparing to attack.

“What’s going on? Vice Chairman Theo, weren’t they supposed to be the subordinates of your subordinate?”

“That’s right, meow! But it seems like they don’t recognize me, meow!”

“Did you lie about it?”

“No, meow! I never lie to Chairman Park, meow! They are the fools, meow!”

Despite being surrounded by hundreds of menacing-looking Black Orcs, Sejun remained utterly calm, exchanging words and jests with Theo. He seemed completely at ease.

But Sejun had reasons to be confident. His armor – Dragon Warrior Helmet, Kaiser’s Scales, and the <Power: Indestructible Body> meant he had formidable defenses. Moreover, the fierce beast Cuengi was nearby.

“Damn! How dare they call us fools!”

“Attack those two...”

Just as the Black Orcs prepared to attack Sejun and Theo,

“Soldiers, halt your attack! Stop immediately!”

Following the soldiers from behind, Luken recognized Theo, who was hanging on Sejun’s knee, and shouted as he hurriedly approached.

Then,

Thud!

“Lord Theo! We have committed a grave offense! Please forgive our impertinence!”

Luken knelt and pleaded earnestly.

“Lord Luken, why...”

As the soldiers were perplexed by Luken’s behavior,

“You fools! Show your respect! That is Theo Park, who bestowed the mark of the great Black Dragon upon our King Ulrich!”

Luken shouted at the soldiers, reprimanding them,

“What?!”

Thud. Thud.

“We pay our respects to Theo Park, the deadly yellow cat and a subordinate of the great Black Dragon! Please forgive our rudeness!”

The soldiers hurriedly knelt alongside Luken, begging for forgiveness.

“Puhuhut, Chairman Park, did you see, meow? They are indeed the subordinates of my subordinates, meow!”

Seeing the Black Orcs’ change in attitude, Theo bragged.

“Indeed, it’s true!”

Sejun looked at the over 300 Black Orcs with delight. They seemed strong and capable.

“Puhuhut, I had instructed them to set up a farm on the 41st floor, so these Black Orcs even know farming, meow!”

As if reading Sejun’s thoughts, Theo commented.

“Oh! Even a farm?”

“Puhuhut, how’s that, meow?”

“Quite impressive!”

“Praise me some more, meow!”

Thus, upon receiving Sejun’s praise, Theo puffed up with pride.

“But haven’t you guys heard the latest news, meow?”

Suddenly, Theo began to berate Luken.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Now, I am Theo Park, the Deadly Yellow Cat with the Dragon’s Claw and subordinate of the great Black Dragon, meow!”

Ping!

Theo flaunted his claw and made Luken memorize his new introduction.

“Oh! The great Black Dragon personally bestowed his claw upon you?! Lord Theo! That’s truly remarkable!”

“Puhuhut, that’s right, meow! I received it after accomplishing a great feat, meow!”

As Theo enjoyed Luken’s admiration,

Krueng?!

[Is dad okay?!]

Cuengi suddenly emerged from the ground, asking the question. The suspicious monsters surrounding the persimmon farm had caused the moles to move through their tunnels.

“Yes, there was a slight misunderstanding, but it’s resolved now.”

Sejun reassured Cuengi while patting its head.

“Did you teach all the moles?”

Krueng! Krueng!

[Yes! They are currently trying out planting!]

“Then you’ve taught them well. Good job, Cuengi.”

Sejun patted Cuengi’s back in praise,

Kkuehehehe.

Delighted by Sejun’s praise, Cuengi gently hugged Sejun’s leg and presented its back for more affection, eager for more praise.

Then,

Tatatat.

The Black Orcs began to move quickly.

“What are you planting?”

Sejun looked at the Black Orcs with eager eyes, hoping they had some new seed.

But then,

“Huh?!”

Seeing the Black Orcs burying a young Black Orc into the ground, he felt that something was wrong.

“Ulrich, what are you doing?!”

“We’re planting young Black Orcs! When grown in the ground, they can harness the power of the Earth.”

“What?!”

The stone he stumbled upon turned out to be a diamond. The young Black Orcs, when buried, absorbed the Earth’s energy, gaining the ability to harden their bodies with its power.

As a result, Ulrich actively recommended planting young Black Orcs.

“Sigh. Everyone, stop what you’re doing!”

Sejun sighed and spoke.

“Great Black Dragon, why? Did we do something wrong...?”

Ulrich looked worriedly at Sejun as he ordered them to stop.

“That’s not what I meant by planting. Cuengi, teach the Black Orcs how to plant as well.”

Krueng! Krueng!

[Understood! Black Orcs, follow Cuengi!]

Cuengi began teaching the Black Orc soldiers how to sow seeds.

At that moment,

“Chairman Park, give Ulrich a mark too, meow!”

Theo asked Sejun to give Ulrich a mark. Theo felt sorry seeing a black dragon tattoo imprinted on Ulrich’s forehead, right along with his own footprint, and wanted to use this chance to erase it.

“A mark?”

Sejun, who was already thankful to Ulrich for happily mobilizing 4 million troops while discussing with the wolves and tracking the Three Head Society, asked.

“Alright. Ulrich, follow me.”

“Yes!”

Sejun beckoned Ulrich aside.

Then,

“Lie down.”

“Yes!”

On Ulrich’s forehead, he placed a scale of Kaiser and began engraving the mark of the black dragon. This time, the mark wasn’t a mere copy, so instead of Theo’s paw, the dragon tattoo covered the entire head based on Ulrich’s own power.

“Puhuhut. Ulrich, you should be very thankful to me, meow! Understand, meow?!”

Theo, apart from his feelings of guilt, seemed extremely pleased.

Thud.

“Thank you, Lord Sejun, Lord Theo. I, Ulrich, pledge my loyalty to you until my last breath!”

Ulrich, who had received the genuine mark of the black dragon, made a heartfelt vow of loyalty with his eyes full of gratitude to Sejun and Theo, bowing deeply.

“Alright. We’ll be counting on you.”

After engraving the mark on Ulrich and discussing various matters with him for a few hours, Sejun, who had risen to treat the persimmon tree, asked,

“Ah! By the way, how did you know the Three Head Society was on the 49th floor and pursued them?”

He remembered the question he meant to ask the wolves earlier and posed it to Ulrich.

The Three Head Society must have been hunters, so to move between floors, they would have to use waypoints. Sejun couldn’t understand how the wolves had managed to track the scent of the Three Head Society.

“We came up through a secret passage.”

“A secret passage?”

“Yes!”

Ulrich explained about the secret passage he discovered while tracking the Three Head Society.

“So you’re saying there are two secret passages connecting the 49th floor with the 39th floor and the 39th floor with the 33rd floor that even hunters can use?”

“Yes!”

“To think that such a secret passage existed...”

Sejun’s heart raced. If the Three Head Society used the passage to ascend, it meant he could use it to descend. This implies he could meet other hunters.

“Ulrich, guide me to the secret passage right away.”

“Understood.”

Ulrich began preparations to leave with a few of his subordinates.

“Cuengi!”

Sejun also called Cuengi, his bodyguard. The Black Orcs had already learned planting techniques from Cuengi and were diligently planting green onion seeds.

And just as they were about to head to the secret passage,

“Lord Sejun! We’ve found it!”

The Black Wolves had located the Three Head Society’s hideout sooner than expected.

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