The cliff on the 38th floors north side.

Search! There is a hideout of the Three Head Society nearby!

Yes, my Lord!

At Ulrichs command, the Black Orc soldiers dispersed to search. Originally, they had intended to have the captured hunter from the Three Head Society lead them directly to the hideout, but the hunter committed suicide while being transported. Or to be precise, he was forced into suicide.

The hunter had strangled himself to death

I sense the aura of curse magic.

Shaman Luken discovered traces of curse magic on the deceased hunters body. When the Three Head Society lost contact with the captured hunter, a pre-set curse by the Three Head Society had been activated.

Due to that, the Black Orcs had to personally search for the Three Head Society hideout.

Then,

My Lord! Theres a cave here.

One of the Black Orc soldiers who was searching down the cliff shouted.

Moments later,

Theres nothing inside?

Yes, my Lord. We saw the same symbol on the cave walls as the tattoo on the man who killed himself, so it must be the Three Head Societys hideout but it seems theyve already left.

The Black Orc soldiers who searched the cave returned and reported their findings.

Hmm Already?

Judging by the fact that they hadnt erased their own symbols from the walls, it seemed they must have left the hideout in a hurry.

These arent ordinary fellows

Considering their boldness in abandoning the hideout just because they lost contact with one member, Ulrich thought the Three Head Society was no ordinary group.

In that case, I must thoroughly track them down and wipe them out from the tower to ensure they dont interfere with the great Black Dragon and Lord Theos actions!

As Ulrich steeled his resolve,

Krrrung.

Another cat intern had relayed the message successfully, and Hegel, leading the Black Wolves, arrived. Elka and the Silverwolves had split off while descending to protect the Earth Defense Force members transporting sturdy blade green onion leaves.

Lord Hegel, youre here.

Yes, Lord Ulrich.

Ulrich and Hegel exchanged greetings. They had met several times since Ulrich became Theos subordinate.

Did you find the hideout?

Well

Ulrich explained the current situation.

Leave it to us. Well inspect the hideout briefly and return.

Thank you.

Hegel and the wolves entered the cliffside cave to search the Three Head Societys hideout.

And then,

Ive got their scent. Lets go.

Sniff sniff.

The wolves began to track the scent of the fleeing Three Head Society.

***

Its done!

Finally, after steaming all the rice cakes for the cake, Sejun shouted in joy.

Krueng!

[Cuengi can eat rice cakes after sleeping one more night!]

Cuengi was also excited at the thought of eating rice cakes soon. Father and son both were happy but for different reasons.

Lets begin.

Sejun began crafting the birthday cake with rice cakes.

First, lay down some banana leaves on the bottom

To prevent the rice cakes from getting dirty, Sejun placed many banana leaves on the ground and started stacking the rice cakes like bricks.

One hour. Two hours

Sejun concentrated on stacking the rice cakes.

And then,

Done! Ta-da! What do you think, Cuengi?

Sejun pointed at the towering 99-layer rice cake cake tower with a 2-meter diameter, asking Cuengis opinion.

Krueng!

[It looks delicious!]

No, I meant the shape?

Not getting the answer he wanted, Sejun asked again.

However,

Krueng! Krueng!

[Cuengi doesnt know! It just looks delicious!]

Cuengi had no interest in the shape of the rice cake. Sejun was a bit disappointed, but he understood.

After all they havent seen the tower from the outside.

The cake Sejun made resembled the Black Tower. He planned to have Iona dye it black with her magic later.

Hmm Is it not recognizable enough?

While looking at the Black Tower rice cake cake, Sejun began to make more rice cake dough.

As time passed,

Grrr.

Cuengis stomach grumbled, indicating it was dinner time.

Krueng!

[Dad, Cuengis hungry!]

Okay, just wait a little longer.

Sejun quickly prepared dinner. He made a sweet potato soup and added round balls made from the leftover rice cake dough to it, serving it to the animals.

Krueng!

[This is chewy and delicious!]

Cuengi enjoyed chewing the small balls.

Squeak!

Ook!

The rabbits and monkeys also loved it.

Theyre eating well.

As Sejun watched the animals enjoy their meal,

Chairman Park, I want a Churu too, meow!

Alright, Vice Chairman Theo, you can have a Churu too.

Lick lick lick.

Sejun gave Theo some churu.

At that moment,

Why do I feel so relaxed?

Sejun felt oddly at ease. He soon realized why.

I feel relaxed because I havent eaten.

Thanks to Aileens meatball, he wasnt hungry.

But is this a good thing? Its nice to be relaxed, but

Sejun felt a bit conflicted.

Chairman Park, if youre not busy, please rub my belly, meow! I think I feel unwell, meow!

Theo said, looking at Sejuns idle hand.

Thats not good.

Next time, Sejun thought he should drink some coffee instead instead of a meal next time, as he stroked Theos belly.

Pat-pat.

Meooow~

Lick lick lick.

Theo enjoyed the churu with delight.

When Theo finished eating,

Thud.

Krueng!

[It would be nice if dad patted Cuengis belly, too!]

Cuengi, who had quickly finished his meal, lay down next to Sejun. Cuengi knew exactly how to ask for what he needed.

Alright.

Without pause, Sejun used the hand that had been feeding Theo to rub Cuengis belly.

As dinner came to an end,

Rustle. Rustle.

Sejun made the last rice cake decoration for tomorrows birthday cake in the kitchen.

Chairman Park arent you sleeping, meow?

Theo hinted at Sejun to go to bed.

Vice Chairman Theo, just wait a little. Im almost done.

Okay, meow Ill wait, meow

Sejun still had work to do, so he asked Theo to wait. Theos voice was weak, but Sejun thought it was just because he was sleepy.

However,

Shiver.

Chairman Park Im cold, meow

About an hour later, Theo began to shiver.

Huh?! Vice Chairman Theo! Whats wrong?

Sejun finally sensed something was off and checked on Theo.

What the? Theo, why is your body so hot?!

Upon feeling Theos feverish body, Sejun was alarmed. Theos entire body felt like it was burning.

Moreover,

Heavy breathing.

Theos breathing had become rough.

I need to bring down Theos fever!

Sejun quickly laid Theo on some leaves and tried to cool him down with a wet towel, but

Tight grip.

I dont want to be apart, meow

Even in his weakened state, Theo clung to Sejuns lap, not wanting to be put down.

I understand.

For now, Sejun held Theo with one hand and with the other, wiped his body to reduce the fever. Then he tied himself and Theo together with a rope and headed outside.

Kaiser!

Upon reaching the fountain, Sejun urgently called out to Kaiser.

-Whats the matter? Why arent you asleep?

Kaiser, who was sipping some makgeolli, asked.

Theo is very ill! Please help!

Sejun pointed to Theo, who was clinging to his lap.

-Tsk, foolish kid. Heal.

Kaiser looked sternly at Theo and used dragon tongue magic.

Flash.

Theos body began to glow green.

-Its done.

Snore.

Thanks to Kaisers healing, Theo began to sleep comfortably.

But why did Theo suddenly fall ill?

-Its obvious. He overexerted himself.

What? Overexertion?

Sejun, having never seen Theo overwork himself, asked in confusion.

-Its natural to get sick after blocking the power of two dragons.

What?! But he looked perfectly fine!

-Thats because Theo is quite dense.

Theo, while with Sejun, felt invincible and didnt recognize his own physical condition. As Kaiser said, Theo had been overexerting himself recently.

Bearing the magic power from Aileen, a high level mature dragon, and then also the power of Ajax, it was inevitable for Theo, a mere cat merchant of the 75th floor, to feel the strain on his body.

Furthermore, in that condition, he overexerted himself caring for Sejun who had fainted and was in weakened condition, which eventually caught up to him.

On the other hand, Sejun, under the care of Theo and Cuengi and having consumed elixirs, quickly recovered due to his jobs characteristic of not being affected by minor ailments and his <Power: Indestructible Body>.

Thank you, Kaiser.

If youre thankful, you get it, huh?

Kaiser said, shaking the liquor bottle with his hand.

Yes! Ill bring you ten bottles of new wine next time.

Oh?! New wine?! Ill be looking forward to it! Hahaha!

Sejun left Kaiser, who was delighted at the news of the new drink, and went down to the fountain.

Theo needs some nourishment too.

Sejun thought of making a nourishing dish for Theo when suddenly,

Boom!

A loud noise came from the cave where Flamie was.

Flamie, what happened?

Looking down at the cave, Sejun asked Flamie.

[Master! A huge tuna suddenly came up here!]

Flamie answered, shaking its leaf exaggeratedly.

Huh?! A tuna came up?!

In front of Sejun, who had been thinking of preparing a nourishing dish for Theo, appeared a giant tuna. The timing was incredible.

As Sejun listened to Flamie and went down to the cave,

[Deep Sea Giant Tuna]

A really huge 30m-sized tuna was outside the pond. Unable to breathe, the tuna was already dead.

This will be perfect for Theos nourishing dish.

Swish.

As Sejun was happily dissecting the tuna,

Roll.

A blue bead rolled out from the tunas chest.

Huh?! Whats this?

Sejun picked up the bead and examined it.

[Deep Sea Giant Tunas Core]

This is the core of a giant tuna that has lived in the deep of the dimensional sea for over 2000 years.

It contains the power of healing and water.

Upon consumption, your magic power increases by 50, and you acquire the skill: Healing and the talent: Aquatic Affinity.

It has a strong fishy taste.

Usage restriction: Magic power over 200.

Grade: A+

A strong fishy taste? This was perfect for Theo. And if Theo acquired the talent: aquatic affinity, it would be convenient to give him baths later. Its like having a cat with the ability to be comfortable in water.

Vice Chairman Theo, lets eat something tasty.

Sejun carefully opened Theos mouth and put in the fishy-tasting deep sea giant tunas core.

Meow Mew~

At first, Theo resisted as Sejun forced his mouth open. But as the strongly fishy core entered his mouth, he made a pleasant sound. The core melted quickly in Theos mouth and was absorbed into his body.

Glow.

For a brief moment, Theos body glowed a faint blue and then the light disappeared.

And then,

Swish.

Sejun continued to dissect the tuna with his dagger, putting the tuna into a pot to boil. He planned to make tuna porridge.

Bubbling.

While boiling the tuna, Sejun continued making the rice cakes he had started earlier.

And by the time he finished the rice cakes,

Kyoot kyoot kyoot. Youre still awake?

Iona, who had gone to the wizard tower to complete the spell for fireworks with the wizards, returned.

Yes. I still have some work left. Iona, please dye the cake black for now.

Kyoot kyoot kyoot. Okay.

And on this rice cake

Sejun requested a separate spell for the freshly made rice cake from Iona.

Kyoot. Got it.

After all the work was done,

Lets sleep now.

Kyoot kyoot kyoot! Okay!

Iona quickly wrapped herself with Theos tail and naturally moved to Sejuns bedroom.

And then,

Snore.

Gororong.

Kyuororong.

Morning began to dawn after the night. Finally, the day everyone had been eagerly waiting for, the birthday party, had arrived.

*****

TL Notes:

1) The Birthday cake is made of rice cakes thats why I have used rice cake cake instead of simple rice cake.

*****