Chapter 55: Aiming for the Perfect Crime

Chapter 55: Aiming for the Perfect Crime

A Great Garlic?!

Leon, who was about to rush down to the first floor of the tower to fetch the sharp-toothed spider sword from the guild storage, quickly turned his head.

The same went for the other hunters.

"What?! A Great Garlic?!"

They were all stuck at the 38th floor of the tower, unable to proceed due to the boss, the Lethal Tarantula.

The bell tomatoes sold by the cat itinerant merchant were already extraordinary, so there was no way a garlic could be ordinary. Moreover, it had the word "antidote" in its name.

"Theo, can we see the Great Garlic?"

"I want to see it too!"

"Me too!"

"Show it to our Wizard Guild first!"

"What are you talking about! Our Royal Knight will see it first!"

The hunters from the Royal Knight and Wizard Guilds, who were trying to be the first to break through the 38th floor before the Phoenix Guild, swarmed around Theo.

"Line up, kitty!"

Theo, who had regained his confidence, put the Great Garlic back into his bot bag and called out arrogantly. His voice was full of strength.

'As expected, Park Sejun's words are the truth, kitty!'

When the Great Garlic, which Theo never thought would sell, became very popular among humans, he decided to listen to Sejun's words more carefully.

Meanwhile, the hunters lined up neatly in a single file as Theo instructed. Thanks to the courtesy of his guildmates, Leon was able to stand third in line.

"Wow! It's real!"

The first hunter from the Royal Knight Guild who got to see the Great Garlic let out an exclamation of amazement.

While Leon was anxiously waiting for his turn, the Royal Knight Guild hunter returned to his place with a serious look on his face.

It was visible that the Royal Knight Guild members were pooling all their money together. Their faces showed a strong determination to buy the Great Garlic no matter how much it cost.

A little while later

"That should be enough..."

After the Wizard Guild hunter who checked the Great Garlic's options left, the situation was similar. The Wizard Guild members also started pooling their money together.

'What's so special about it?'

"Here it is, kitty!"

"Thank you."

Finally, it was Leon's turn to check the Great Garlic that Theo handed over arrogantly.

[Great Garlic]

Garlic grown inside the tower, rich in nutrients and delicious.

When consumed, it detoxifies D-grade or lower poisons for 1 hour.

When consumed by a non-awakened person, it activates the liver to detoxify for 24 hours.

Cultivator: Tower Farmer Park Sejun

Expiry Date: 60 days

Grade: D

'D-grade?'

The Great Garlic was D-grade, unlike the Magic Bell Tomato.

But that was enough. The Lethal Tarantula's poison gas attack causes E+ grade poison damage. Since it spews this poison gas during battles, it is lethal.

"Hey, Theo, how many Great Garlics do you have?"

"100, kitty!"

100? It was an ambiguous number. The maximum number of people for a boss raid is 50, but the more people there are, the lower the chance of getting good rewards. Therefore, it's common to raid the boss with 15-25 people.

Moreover, a boss raid usually takes more than 3 hours.

The Royal Knight and Wizard Guilds would likely raid the boss with about 20 people. That means they would need at least 60 Great Garlics to raid the 38th floor boss.

However, since they had antidotes from a quest and the sharp-toothed spider sword could reduce the raid team to about 18 people, securing 50 Great Garlics would be enough to raid the boss.

'We have the upper hand. But how much money do we have?'

Leon, who had spent all his money on the Magic Bell Tomatoes a little while ago, became anxious.

"Jeffrey, gather the money from our guild members here!"

"Sure!"

Leon gave instructions to the leader of Team 1 and contacted the deputy guild leader, Catherine, via hunter phone to send the sharp-toothed spider sword quickly. Leon's hunter phone, which cost 500 million each, could communicate with the special receiver installed at the guild headquarters from the first floor.

'The 38th floor boss, we, the Phoenix Guild, will raid it today.'

As Leon was steeling his resolve,

"I'm starting the auction now, kitty! I'll sell the Great Garlics in sets of 10, kitty!"

As Theo announced the start of the auction,

"10 for 50 Tower Coins!"

"10 for 60 Tower Coins!"

"10 for 70 Tower Coins!"

The hunters from the Royal Knight and Wizard Guilds aggressively bid, causing the price of the Great Garlics to skyrocket.

"10 for 130 Tower Coins!"

"10 for 131 Tower Coins!"

"10 for 132 Tower Coins!"

The auction was fiercely competitive, with no room for compromise.

Then,

"10 for 155 Tower Coins!"

With Leon's bid, the first set of Great Garlics was won by the Phoenix Guild.

"Great!"

The next three auctions were also won by the Phoenix Guild for 157, 162, and 170 Tower Coins.

'Just one more set and we're done!'

But,

"10 for 130 Tower Coins!"

"10 for 131 Tower Coins!"

"10 for 10..."

As Leon was about to bid, the leader of Team 1 urgently stopped him.

"Jeffrey, what's wrong?"

"Guild Master, we don't have enough money."

Due to the continuous price hikes by the opposing guilds, the Phoenix Guild, which had won at high prices, had little money left.

"10 for 132 Tower Coins!"

"Auctioned, kitty!"

"10 for 135 Tower Coins!"

"Auctioned, kitty!"

Thus, the Royal Knight and Wizard Guilds, with the remaining money of the Phoenix Guild, each won 30 of the remaining 60 Great Garlics.

"Damn!"

Leon regretted not buying more Magic Bell Tomatoes earlier, but it was too late.

While Leon was blaming himself,

"Anyone who wants to take a photo with me, line up, kitty!"

Theo started his side business. Feeling good after the high sales of the Magic Bell Tomatoes and Great Garlics, Theo provided proper service to female hunters and ended the photo session.

'Hehehe. I got 100 Churrs and 50 of what Park Sejun likes. 50 hours of Theo's boss time, kitty!'

Theo happily put the rewards from his side business into his bot bag and looked around.

'But where is Dongshik, kitty?'

While Theo, who had a problem to deal with Dongshik, was looking around for him,

"Guild Master, I've brought the equipment."

"Thank you, Leader of Team 5."

Leon's requested equipment was brought by the leader of Team 5, Dongshik.

"Then I have something to do..."

After finishing his conversation with Leon, Dongshik hurriedly approached Theo.

"Dongshik! Why are you so late, kitty? I was looking for you, kitty!"

Theo stomped his feet in anger. He needed Dongshik today.

"Sorry, but I had a reason."

Dongshik explained that he was guarding Sejun's family and reported the situation outside.

"Really, kitty?! Is the president's family in danger, kitty?!"

"Don't worry. We're protecting them well. More importantly, do you have the answer to my proposal?"

"Sure, kitty! The president agreed, kitty!"

Theo showed Dongshik 200 Magic Bell Tomatoes, 10 Great Garlics, and 15 Sun Sweet Potatoes from his bot bag.

"200 Magic Bell Tomatoes are three months' advance, kitty. And the president will sell other crops at a lower price, kitty! Especially this one is really good, kitty!"

Theo placed the Sun Sweet Potatoes on top for Dongshik to see clearly.

'Hehehe. If Dongshik takes this, no one will know about my mistake, kitty!'

Theo was aiming for the perfect crime.

'What is this?'

Dongshik checked the options of the Sun Sweet Potatoes and Great Garlics. Since he arrived late, he didn't know about the Great Garlics.

"What?!"

The Great Garlics were essential for raiding the 38th floor boss, and the fire resistance effect of the Sun Sweet Potatoes could temporarily solve the curse of the master.

"I'll buy them all!!!"

"I knew you would, kitty! Good choice, kitty!"

Theo, who had been waiting anxiously for Dongshik's answer, sighed in relief.

"Great Garlics and Sun Sweet Potatoes, 7 Tower Coins each, kitty!"

"Really?!"

The Great Garlics were D-grade, and the Sun Sweet Potatoes were C-grade, yet they were the same price? Surprised by the bargain price, Dongshik asked.

"Sure, kitty! This is a one-time offer, kitty!"

Theo, who needed to destroy the evidence, sold the Sun Sweet Potatoes at a lower price.

"Great!"

Dongshik happily paid 175 Tower Coins.

"See you next time, kitty!"

Theo hurriedly left to check if the people who owed him money were still around.

"Take care!"

Dongshik waved goodbye to Theo with a bright smile.

'With this, I can get at least three anti-beating coupons from the master.'

Theo and Dongshik were in similar situations.

After finishing the transaction with Theo and turning around,

"Leader of Team 5!"

Leon called out to Dongshik, looking intensely at the Great Garlics in his right hand.

That day, the Phoenix Guild officially became the first to raid the 38th floor, and Dongshik, who made a significant contribution, was promoted to the leader of Team 3.

***

Day 221 of the Stranding.

Rustle. Rustle.

Sejun was near the peanut field, where the queen venom bee was struggling to emerge from the cocoon he had prepared for her.

Sejun carefully placed a branch with Magic Bell Tomato flowers inside the nest and covered it with garlic leaves.

Then,

Crunch. Crunch.

He chewed on some dried squid and waited quietly.

Today, he stopped all construction and farming activities and made sure no one would come near. The queen venom bee would recognize the first thing she saw as her owner.

As the afternoon approached,

Buzz. Buzz.

A delicate fluttering sound came from under the garlic leaves.

'Is she awake?'

Sejun gently opened the garlic leaves, and his eyes met the queen venom bee's.

[You have successfully hatched the queen venom bee's cocoon.]

[The newly born queen venom bee has recognized you as her owner.]

[Your Beekeeping skill level 3 proficiency has increased slightly.]

Buzz. Buzz.

The new queen venom bee rubbed against Sejun and then returned to the nest to start sucking the nectar from the flowers.

"Eat well."

Sejun covered the nest with garlic leaves again and went down to the cave.

"Come up now."

Squeak.

Squish.

The rabbits, who had a lot to do on the surface, hurriedly climbed up. They went to the Sun Sweet Potato field. If the Sun Sweet Potato sprouts hadn't been planted in advance, the seeds would have been lost.

"It must have been Theo."

Sejun identified Theo as the culprit. At that time, Gweung couldn't come down to the cave, so if it wasn't Theo, no other animal could have caused the incident.

Moreover, the yellow fur around where the Sun Sweet Potatoes were kept solidified Sejun's suspicion.

"Wait until he comes here."

While Sejun was thinking about how to deal with Theo,

Squish!

Gweung!

He saw the black rabbit and Gweung hunting diligently in the pond. Sejun's worry that Gweung would target the storage was unfounded.

Gweung is a predator. Gweung prefers to hunt and eat its own prey. Except for honey.

Thanks to this, Gweung no longer needed to bring food from the pond to the surface, making Sejun's life easier.

***

75th Floor of the Tower.

Theo arrived at the market street.

The hunters he caught on the 38th floor had no money, so he released them after instructing them to earn money and bring it back, as he had a contract with them.

Since he couldn't bring humans around, he planned to ask Sejun what to do in such situations.

'President Park would definitely know how to get money from humans, kitty!'

After passing the problem of the hunters to Sejun,

"Meow meow meow."

Theo, thinking he had completely erased the traces of his mistake, walked down the market street, whistling happily.

"I'm an amazing itinerant merchant, kitty!"

He had earned a whopping 15,750 Tower Coins from selling the Magic Bell Tomatoes and Great Garlics!

Feeling proud of his huge sales, Theo's shoulders were puffed up. No one could see him since he was underground, but the wolves following him made the merchants give way.

Then,

"What, kitty?!"

A group was blocking Theo's path. Or rather, a small hamster.

"Do you know who I am? Move aside!"

Hamster Iona, the president of the Mage Association, said to Theo.

"Do you know who I am, kitty?!"

Theo looked at Elka with hopeful eyes, as if asking her to introduce him.