Chapter 24: Silent Seed, Shattering Stone: Promotion Team’s Trial

The accommodations assigned to the Promotion Team in Boiling Hell were quite pleasant.

The walls, tinted black, seemed to be made from the same cold steelstone as the exercise equipment used by the lions of Boiling Hell.

Yet, the atmosphere inside was anything but pleasant.

“Now talk.”

Mujae hadn’t managed to say a single word on their way from the conference room back to the lodging.

He was the type who only became more brazen in times of crisis, yet now, Mujae sank to the floor and parted his trembling lips.

“I think… my hand touched the seed.”

“What? When?”

“I did as the Agriculture Team said—put water in the bottle with the seed, but…”

Turning on the faucet absent-mindedly had been the problem. The strong water pressure caused the seed to gush out in an instant.

Mujae had barely ‘caught’ it before it almost washed down the drain.

“…Given the circumstances, I’m pretty sure I touched it.”

The situation was more serious than expected, and both Hallakgoong and Zack fell silent.

A heavy silence hung in the air, and Hallakgoong, staring at the bottle with the seed, let out a long sigh.

Zack cautiously gestured.

‘Can you see the seed’s condition?’

“No.”

Hallakgoong shook his head.

No matter how much they peered into the bottle, there was nothing to be seen.

Concern.

Maybe it was because the shell was so thick, or maybe it was just an ancient seed, but nothing showed at all.

Honestly, if I’d found this, I’d have thought it was just a weird-looking rock.

Hallakgoong scratched his head.

“Even if we wanted to swap the seed, it’s not an ordinary seed… Going back to Seocheon again would be strange, too….”

‘So this is the only way left, after all.’

The expressions of the three as they looked at each other grew grim.

Sara’s Order came to mind—the one she’d given when she permitted the Promotion Team’s trip.

‘If the Seed of Fireheart Stoneflower doesn’t germinate right away after planting it—’

He had taken out the Saengbul Flower Seal, the symbol of Seocheon Flower Garden’s Flower Keeper.

‘Let Zack touch it and make it sprout into a Monster, if need be.’

‘Huh? Isn’t that too dangerous?!’

‘Nobody knows what the Fireheart Stoneflower really looks like, anyway.’

Sara had grinned like a villain as she laid out her plan for their expedition scam.

It seemed perfect.

‘The fire seed of Seocheon Flower Garden taking root in Boiling Hell—that sounds great, doesn’t it!’

Back then, they hadn’t considered Mujae as a variable.

Mujae, clutching at his hair, screamed.

“Because of me, again~!!”

Zack patted Mujae’s shoulder.

He remembered the last time he’d had to clean up after one of Mujae’s mishaps.

Even though he’d managed to blow up someone else’s greenhouse, no one suspected Mujae had killed the plants with his [Brown Thumb] ability.

But Hallakgoong raised an objection.

“But this time, it was the seed that was touched. Back then, it was a different grass that Mujae hadn’t killed that turned into a Monster.”

“…Right?”

“Can you even make a Monster out of a seed that’s already dead?”

Side-to-side.

Zack shook his head with a troubled expression and rapidly signed.

‘Now that I think about it, the grass Mujae killed never turned into a Monster—it was never a seed, anyway.’

“I’ve never touched a seed before, either.”

“Maybe seeds can’t actually die?”

There was no way Boiling Hell would have spare seeds just to experiment with.

After another round of silence, they finally reached the conclusion that they’d have to use Zack’s power.

The next morning.

Morning was a strange word for a cave of sheer rock with no sun or moon, but the lions of Boiling Hell were stretching their bodies energetically.

The External Cooperation Department Negotiator waved cheerfully at the Promotion Team from Seocheon Flower Garden.

“You’ve arrived!”

“Hello….”

In contrast, the Promotion Team, forced to hold a lengthy conference late into the night, looked exhausted.

Even the ever-energetic Zack had swollen eyes.

Seeing this, the Negotiator fussed.

“Oh no, were your accommodations uncomfortable? You all look absolutely exhausted!”

“Not at all, we slept well.”

Hallakgoong declared, his face not matching his words one bit.

The Negotiator clearly didn’t believe him, but since Hallakgoong insisted, what could he say?

Scratching his head, the Negotiator pointed toward the river.

Floating atop the Magmatic River was a boat that looked like nothing more than a thin slab of stone.

“We’ll use that boat to approach the cliff. The waterfall has been shut off in advance.”

“You stopped the waterfall?”

“Haha, you didn’t know? It’s artificial! Pretty convincing, right?”

The Negotiator was proud that the waterfall in Boiling Hell looked so natural.

But to those from outside, the fact that magma could be turned into a waterfall was even more shocking—a true Boiling Hell manager’s mindset.

Mujae forced a cheerful expression as he raised his camera.

“Please greet our subscribers~”

“Oh my, hello! Fellow Flower Keepers! I’m one of the Flower Keepers too!”

A truly good-natured Negotiator.

While Mujae conducted an interview with him, Hallakgoong and Zack were already approaching the lions of Boiling Hell, who were loading the boat with Climbing Equipment.

“Hello… um, doesn’t seem like there’s much equipment.”

“Pardon? We have everything we need. Ah, will the Seocheon Flower Garden folks be climbing, too?”

The lions looked around in surprise, as if they hadn’t expected the Promotion Team to be capable of rock climbing.

“Have you climbed before? If it’s your first time, it’ll be tough.”

“But we have to film….”

“We’ll film for you. It’s too dangerous.”

They adamantly shook their heads.

Their concern was genuine, but Zack and Hallakgoong needed to climb for a reason.

‘After they plant the seed, Zack has to make it a Monster!’

They had their own mission.

With the lions watching, Zack gestured.

‘I’ll go up alone. I’ve done it before, back in my hometown.’

“Oh, really?!”

A favorable reaction.

Zack nodded.

‘My hometown also has flowing magma. I’m used to the heat.’

“Wow~ so that’s why you’ve been so hearty, even without a heatproof suit since day one~”

Today, Hallakgoong, bundled in his heatproof suit, felt feebler than ever.

But since the mission could still proceed, he whispered to Zack in secret.

“Thank goodness at least you have climbing experience.”

Side-to-side.

Hm? Hallakgoong was surprised, and Zack gave him a sly wink.

But before Hallakgoong could say anything, the lions poured Climbing Equipment over Zack.

In an instant, Zack was geared up with a Harness.

They seemed to dote on Zack as if he were their youngest brother.

“We’re glad to work together again today!”

“All right, let’s get going~!”

Mujae and the Negotiator also boarded the boat.

A vessel that once seemed spacious became cramped once it carried six grown men and three boys.

Ropes and other climbing gear took up even more space.

“Hold on tight so you don’t fall!”

“Let’s go!”

A lion of Boiling Hell shouted and began to row.

They glided over the rolling red magma toward the cliff.

Viewers watching Mujae’s camera feed could almost feel as if they were riding the boat themselves.

@Pebble Rim: Whoa, just watching the screen, it feels hot kekeke

@Seven Flint Touch: kekekeke, that’s one scorching boat ride kekekeke

@key-cap: They just have to go plant the seed here too, crying

Up close, the cliff looked even more gigantic.

Even with the Magmatic Waterfall turned off, patches of magma still pooled and some sections had yet to fully cool.

As Zack prepared to climb, a lion from Boiling Hell explained.

“You may be experienced, and you’ve got gloves, but it’s best to touch only the spots that are completely cool. If you get startled and pull your hand away, it’s dangerous. Still, if something happens, we’re all connected by Chains….”

The lion showed off the Chain attached to his waist belt.

The Negotiator would take the lead, with each person following behind, one by one.

Zack would go last.

“Don’t worry too much. Don’t rush.”

Zack gulped nervously.

Truth is, I do need to hurry. I have to touch the seed after you plant it, in secret. So please, don’t pay attention to me…

After a desperate silent prayer for his wish to be granted, Zack flashed a calm smile at his anxious teammates.

‘I’ll be back.’

With his usual composed sign language.

The Negotiator gave a spirited call to start.

“Let’s go!!”

“Waaaah!!”

The lions of Boiling Hell sure loved to shout.

They split into two groups and began to climb the cliff.

The Negotiator at the front hammered Pitons into the rough granite with a hammer.

-Kang! Kang!

At first, the sound was dull, but it grew sharper and clearer with each strike.

Once the Piton was fully embedded, the Negotiator set up a Rope and called out.

“First anchor point secured!”

With every step the leaders took, the others followed behind, one by one.

It was all very orderly, but since they were pros, it progressed quickly.

In no time, it was Zack’s turn.

After checking his Harness, Zack put his foot on the cliff.

“!”

He was startled the moment he stepped—much hotter than he expected.

To make matters worse, the holds the lions had used ahead of him were quite far apart.

The Boiling Hell lion just ahead of Zack shouted down.

“Is something wrong?!”

Side-to-side.

Zack shook his head, trying to seem unbothered, but his arms started to tremble.

Step by step, he forced himself upward.

But sweat beaded on Zack’s forehead from the unexpected exertion.

“…Zack, you lied about climbing back home, didn’t you?”

…Nod.

Standing on the boat, Hallakgoong and Mujae could still make eye contact with him—Zack hadn’t made it far at all.

He’d only gone about 50cm up, and his legs were already shaking.

Mujae checked the live chat, where viewers were cheering Zack on in his struggle.

@Iron Flavor Dory: Hang in there, Zack! Everyone’s like that at first, crying

@Rock Climbing Cow: Is this really your first time, and you’re doing Boiling Hell’s cliff of all things??

@Seocheonji-gi 99: You’ve been working so hard since yesterday, crying

As Zack tried to muster up the courage for another step—

“Everyone, to your positions!!”

“!!”

The Negotiator had already reached the target spot.

Following his orders, the lions of Boiling Hell took their places as he shouted out energetically.

“Plant the seeds!”

“Yeah~!”

“Done!”

On Mujae’s live feed, the lions could be seen tucking seeds into cracks in the cliff in real time.

The speedy, seamless teamwork of Boiling Hell drew comments of admiration.

@Thousand Scents: Wow, they’re so fast. Are those even people? Oh wait, they’re not.

@Secret Cauldron: The Boiling Hell lions are seriously cool kekeke

@Eight Prisoner: That’s the seed? Is it going to go boom right now?

But Mujae saw something else.

Comments overflowing with excitement about the Seocheon Flower Garden seed.

@Haeryeok43: What do you mean, of course we have to wait

@Mandobok Peach: I came to see the Seocheon Flower Garden seed go boom, I’ll wait kekeke

@On Fire: Didn’t the Promotion Team say they brought something amazing? Be patient

I’m sorry, everyone… nothing’s probably going to happen!

As Mujae silently apologized to the subscribers, the Negotiator’s voice rang out from above.

“Should we wait a bit? Or come down nowww?”

The Promotion Team glanced at each other, all unable to hide their panic.

It was certain—the Seed of Fireheart Stoneflower had already lost its life to Mujae’s [Brown Thumb].

The Agriculture Team Representative had already said the germination rate for such an ancient seed was low, and now it was dead….

As the Negotiator, filming his own seed spot with a camera, shouted again,

“Coming downnnn?!”

“J-just come down…!”

In the end, Mujae shouted out.

They had to accept their failure.

Zack couldn’t climb any higher and gave up as well.

They never imagined their trip would end so anticlimactically.

@Climb On: Huh? You’re coming down already?

@Rock Climbing Dragon: Is this it? I thought the Seocheon Flower Garden seed would do something amazing

@Haeryeok43: It’s a seed, it’ll sprout later, I guess

The comments filled with disappointment and consolation.

Meanwhile, the lions of Boiling Hell, proud of a job well done, began climbing down briskly.

-Crack

A strange noise from above made the Negotiator look up.

For the first time, his ever-cheerful face clouded with dismay.

“Get down, now!”

-Crack, crack…

Cracks were spreading across the spot in the cliff where the seeds had been planted.

The live chat exploded again at the sight.

@Seocheon Resident 77: Oh my, oh my, that’s breaking!

@SoSo Nirvana: Is that a landslide?!