Chapter 13: The Corn Dragon Accidentally Goes Viral

Five days later.

“Kiing… Ugh.”

Far from the Promotion Team’s field, there was a small farmhouse.

Atop it, Shinsomi of Farming Team 3 pulled out a telescope.

Through it, she could see the Promotion Team’s field, lush with vibrant green leaves.

“…Hmm?”

Tilting her head in curiosity, she set the telescope down and pulled out her phone to start taking photographic evidence.

From below, another Shinsomi shouted.

“See anything?”

“It’s weird~”

“What’s weird?”

“It’s already green~”

“What?!”

Startled, the Shinsomi below quickly climbed the ladder. The Shinsomi on top snorted.

“Hmph, you’re always scared of heights, but you’re pretty quick now.”

“I’m just curious~ Let me have the telescope.”

Snatching away the telescope, the other Shinsomi scanned the area and spotted the Promotion Team’s field.

She was so surprised she almost jumped.

“What! What is that!”

“See? Isn’t it strange?”

“There’s nothing around there, though?!”

It had only been five days since the Promotion Team hauled away a cart full of seeds and seedlings.

Even for seedlings, this would be barely enough time for roots to take hold.

And yet, the Promotion Team’s field was already bursting with green leaves.

Even more…

“…Didn’t they say they boiled the seeds before giving them?”

“…I think we need to check this out ourselves.”

They had discreetly parboiled the seeds before handing them over.

Having been so underhanded themselves, they were determined to uncover whatever sly trick the other side had used.

Just then—

“Hello there!”

“Gasp.”

“You’re from the Farming Team, right? What are you doing up there?”

It was the ever-smiling ‘Promotion Team Leader.’

After several joint meetings, Mujae was now simply called the Promotion Team Leader by the Farming Team.

The Farming Team climbed down the ladder, unable to hide their embarrassment.

“Uh, sometimes we just do rounds around here.”

“Ah, I see! We’re about to start a live broadcast—would you like to join?”

Mujae was as energetic as ever, holding a basket filled with steaming hot rice.

“We’ve got so much perilla leaves and lettuce, so instead of going to the cafeteria, we thought we’d do a mukbang live stream here.”

“Really? Then we could…”

“No!”

Shinsomi from Farming Team 3 quickly grabbed her teammate, who was about to follow Mujae without a second thought, and forced an awkward smile.

“We have another appointment, so we’ll have to get going.”

“That’s too bad. Come visit next time~”

“Ah…”

After Mujae left with a cheerful wave, a hand came flying at the disappointed teammate.

“Ow!”

“Hey, the boss said not to get caught on camera, even by accident!”

“I know, but… if we just eat at the side…”

“And what if the Promotion Team swings the camera around?!”

“Yeah, true.”

Shinsomi from Farming Team 3 looked genuinely disappointed, really wanting to go.

But, mixed with both suspicion and regret, they dragged their heavy feet away.

If they had followed Mujae that day…

“I brought the rice!”

“The soup’s ready too!”

“Great! Let’s just set the table and start the live~!”

If they had gone, would the Farming Team have been able to avoid getting blindsided by the Promotion Team again?

“Zack, come on over!”

Mujae called out to Zack, who had finished setting up the camera.

They all sat together on a wooden platform overlooking the field.

In front of them were rice, soup, and fresh-picked lettuce, perilla leaves, peppers, and all sorts of crisp greens.

@CrossingTheRiver: Is there a place like that in the afterlife?

@SeocheonLover: Are you already harvesting today?!

@wing22: There’s so much stuff lol

Comments flooded in fast.

Amazingly, the Promotion Team’s livestreams were broadcast every day at roughly the same time, planned and punctual.

Thanks to this, subscribers had watched the entire process—from sowing seeds and planting seedlings to today’s mukbang.

Exactly the interactive content Mujae dreamed of!

Subscribers were farming right alongside them.

“Can you all see this? We’ve already had our first harvest~”

@TortureExpert: Huh, already?

@TakeItEasy: Lol, how long’s it been since you planted those seeds ㅠㅠㅠ

@PinePollenD: Did you get those from somewhere else?

Despite the disbelief, the Promotion Team’s farming speed was astonishing.

Even for lettuce and perilla leaves, five days was just impossible. But Mujae shamelessly declared,

“It’s really our lettuce! We just picked it!”

“Ahem, that’s because the soil here at Seocheon Flower Garden is so rich and fertile…”

While Mujae and Hallakgoong boasted about the lettuce, Zack had already started eating.

A spoonful of rice wrapped in a crisp lettuce leaf, with a dab of ssamjang, and a bite of pepper… Watching him, Mujae burst into laughter.

“Zack, who taught you to eat like that?”

Mumble mumble. Zack gestured vaguely, but Mujae understood.

“Oh! The Fertilizer Team!”

“Who? The one with the bob haircut?”

“Yeah, that’s right. When we first went to the fertilizer shed…”

Just then, a gray cat with black patches appeared from nowhere and approached under the platform.

It sniffed at the lettuce and perilla leaves, circling gently.

Zack was the first to notice, and a smile spread across his face.

‘Ah…’

But then he realized he didn’t have any snacks to offer the cat, and he looked troubled.

Blink.

The cat and Zack locked eyes.

“!!”

At that moment, Zack thought the cat was about to bolt.

-Thunk!

The jumping cat bumped into the camera tripod, knocking it and the equipment over.

The livestream viewers, happily watching the mukbang, suddenly found themselves staring at the sky and ground, as if on a rollercoaster.

@8LivingWithDragons: What was that just now?

@FrogSuki: Oh, I saw the cat earlier—did it cause trouble?

@HeavenlyGhost: Got motion sickness watching this mukbang ㅠㅠㅠ

Startled, the Promotion Team scrambled off the platform. Mujae quickly grabbed the camera—

@HellInProgress: What was that just now?

@Dawn666: ???

A huge, yellow beast appeared on the livestream for a moment.

Unaware of what viewers were seeing, Mujae only worried about the expensive camera.

“Oh, thank goodness! Everything’s okay!”

“Mujae!”

Hallakgoong whispered urgently.

Only then did Mujae see what should never have been seen.

Before the shoot, the Promotion Team had covered it all with a huge tarp, but the cat had ripped the tarp away along with the camera.

-Grrr…

“Ah.”

Mujae felt his nonexistent heart plummet.

He glanced around and saw Hallakgoong with a hand to his forehead and Zack, pale as a ghost.

He forced himself to check the livestream screen—coming face to face with his own terrified expression.

Stammering, he tried to explain.

“Everyone, that must have been a shock, right? Um… oh.”

Comments scrolled by faster than ever. In the middle, one caught Mujae’s eye.

@EasyPeasy: Wow, Seocheon Flower Garden’s scale is insane!

“…!?”

The comments were full of awe.

People wondered what exactly had just flashed across the screen—was it that dragon from last time?

Could they get a better look, and so on… Mujae looked up and met the gaze of ‘that thing.’

-Grr.

It made a satisfied rumbling noise, as if it understood the situation.

It was at least three meters tall, its body covered not in scales but in kernels of corn, with soft, corn-silk-like fur growing out…

‘That thing’ was the corn monster Zack had created.

Carefully, Mujae turned the camera again, framing both the corn monster and himself.

Viewers were amused at the sight of the creature.

@ShallowLavaWater: Is that the dragon from last time?

@RunAround: I guess this is normal in Seocheon, so funny lol

@PrimitiveDemonKing: Seeing it again, it’s kind of cute

@wing22: Can you use that kind of monster for farming?

Seeing the comments, a smile returned to Mujae’s face.

“You’re all not as surprised as I thought?”

@MugwortSprout: There’s always weird stuff in Seocheon

@ThreeAtThatTime: Is this a new plant? It looks like a jangseung lol

@NinetyDegreesNow: If you plant that in a field, it’d be a great guard

-Grr!

The corn monster made a proud, boastful growl. Did it know the mood was good? Though at a loss, Mujae smoothly introduced the corn monster.

“Actually, we were planning to show this after our mukbang. It’s a new crop our Promotion Team has been developing!”

@UnderworldMole: Promotion Team is up to all sorts of things

@CelestialSocialite: Do you eat it too?!?!?!

-Grr! Sniff!

“No, we haven’t tried eating it yet…”

Quickly, Zack covered their food with a cloth and pushed it aside.

Hallakgoong rapidly scribbled a word on a sketchpad.

[Trial]

Mujae understood, and spoke to the corn monster.

“SuSu, can you show us that thing?”

-Grrr…

The corn monster rumbled as if clearing its throat, making a sound like a purring cat.

Then, it opened its jaws wide and spat something out.

-Kwaaaaaa!

A yellow breath burst forth from the corn monster’s mouth, washing over the crops in the field.

The spray even covered the camera lens, sending the comments section into chaos.

@BillionComingDown: What is this lololol

@PhoenixEgg: Suddenly it’s a chemical warfare livestream

“Are you all okay?!”

Mujae quickly wiped the camera lens. The livestream returned to normal, and viewers saw an incredible sight.

The plants in the field were growing at a remarkable speed.

@BigForest: Are my eyes playing tricks on me?

@wing22: A real-time growth enhancer for plants?!

“Amazing, isn’t it? This is the secret behind our farming!”

Mujae shouted proudly.

Even as he spoke, the plants kept growing.

Carrots popped out of the soil in an instant, cabbages swelled so quickly they looked ready to burst, and the lettuce and perilla leaves they’d just picked grew lush once more.

@SunlightHunter: Can you get this if you visit Seocheon?!

The comments section exploded.