Above the Negotiator’s head, the cracks in the cliff face were drawing ever closer.
The Negotiator shouted in a panic.
“Hurry down! Everyone to the boat!”
The Boiling Hell envoys began rappelling down the rope in a rush.
Zack, who had been waiting below the cliff, was just about to hurry as well.
“H!”
At the instant Mujae shouted, a tremor shook the entire cliff.
-Kururuk… Kuruk….
A deep, resonant vibration shook the entire rock face.
It moved with a beat, just like a colossal heart.
Even the live stream viewers watching this scene were thrown into a frenzy.
@Posehandon : ???? What on earth is that sound????
@NaruNaru : Oh no, is something bad about to happen?
@FlowerGardenKeeper88: What kind of Seed did they even bring, seriously
As excitement and fear mixed together, a red glow began to seep from the cracks in the cliff.
-Kururururuk!
“Hurry!”
This time, the tremor was even stronger.
The Boiling Hell envoys scrambled onto the boat as quickly as possible.
In the meantime, pieces of stone started flying out from between the split cliffs.
“…That’s a flower.”
Hallakgoong’s eyes were shaking in shock.
The vitality of the Seed of Fireheart Stoneflower, which he hadn’t noticed before, was now burning fiercely before his eyes.
The cliff split open, revealing a giant petal-shaped red crystal.
They would only later realize that what looked so clear as crimson crystal was actually that hot.
A flower bloomed from the cleaved cliff, and at its center surged forth… magma.
-Kulruk!
The magma erupted.
The Seeds planted by the Boiling Hell envoys were all awakening at once.
All over the cliff, massive Seed of Fireheart Stoneflowers bloomed, splitting the cliff face into flower-like patterns and flooding the fissures with magma.
“Row! Row, now!!”
The Negotiator, last to board, shouted in horror.
From the gaping cracks in the cliff, scalding magma gushed forth.
@WesternHeavenResident99: Is that really a plant????
@NaruNaru : Wow, it really was a flower! That Seed!
@Onfire: The Seocheon Flower Garden’s Seeds are terrifying lolololol
“Evacuate! Get out of here!”
Everyone shouted desperately, but the tremendous magma waterfall was plunging straight for their boat.
The Promotion Team, eyes meeting, instinctively clung to each other.
The Boiling Hell envoys, bracing for pain, also huddled together at that instant.
-Woooooooooong!
Suddenly, a powerful wind blew in from somewhere.
It was so strong that the magma pouring onto the boat was blown aside by the gale.
No one knew what was happening, so they looked up—and then a familiar voice rang out.
“Is everyone alright?!”
It was Supreme King Cho-gang, appearing with a resounding voice.
From his right hand, standing atop the magma, a tremendous wind continued to surge.
“Your Majesty Chogang!”
The Negotiator wept tears of relief.
Supreme King Cho-gang, still conjuring wind with his right hand, stretched out his left.
“Throw the rope! I’ll pull you in!”
Zack, who happened to be sitting by the rope, hurled it with all his might.
Supreme King Cho-gang grabbed the rope with his left hand and hauled it powerfully.
-Whiiish!
“Everyone, row! Get out of here, now!”
At his command, the Boiling Hell envoys rowed with all their strength.
Only once the boat had reached a safe distance did they finally look back.
Now the entire cliff face was awash with magma.
Every split in the cliff, shaped like the petals of a massive Seed of Fireheart Stoneflower, spewed magma in waterfalls.
All present were awestruck by the beautiful and wondrous sight.
It was Boiling Hell’s own ‘Garden of Fire.’
@WapagangThief : Whoa! That’s terrifying!
@BurnToGo: That’s really from Seocheon Flower Garden??? Wasn’t that thing native to Boiling Hell??
@FlowerGardenKeeper123 Amazing, seriously crazy
@DriftingGhost : Can we visit that place??
The number of live viewers was skyrocketing in real time.
[Currently 539,472 watching]
It was a staggering number.
But Mujae, Hallakgoong, and Zack had no energy left to react to anything.
Supreme King Cho-gang, watching them, frowned.
“Is everyone alright?”
One of the Boiling Hell envoys checked on the Promotion Team.
Mujae answered in a trembling voice.
“Yes… We’re alright.”
Zack was still so stunned that he couldn’t take his eyes off the Seed of Fireheart Stoneflower.
Hallakgoong, too, was mesmerized by the grandeur of the ancient plant.
Supreme King Cho-gang, watching them, furrowed his brow, displeased.
“Let’s move somewhere safe for now.”
As the live stream ended, those whose hearts were pounding dispersed.
But the Promotion Team was soon summoned again—this time, not to the Meeting Room, but to Supreme King Cho-gang’s Office.
The walls of the Office of the Great King were lined with imposing, colossal weapons—powerful relics, their use and origin unknown.
Already weakened, the Promotion Team shrank back even more.
“Who gave you that Seed?”
Supreme King Cho-gang had no intention of being gentle.
As soon as the Promotion Team sat down, a blunt question flew at them.
The Promotion Team looked at each other.
Mujae cautiously replied.
“It was stored in the Great Celestial Treasure Storehouse, and given to us by Ggotgam Officer-nim.”
“That old fox….”
Supreme King Cho-gang muttered under his breath.
It was as if he had expected as much, but the Promotion Team was on high alert.
The terrifying secret of the ancient Seed—Mujae had triggered it, Zack hadn’t dared to touch it, and they still couldn’t figure out what was really going on.
Gritting his teeth, Supreme King Cho-gang spoke again.
“It seems you’ve returned it to its original place.”
“Pardon?”
“Give my thanks to Ggotgam Officer. Tell him I will definitely repay this favor…”
Why does it feel like he’s threatening us while talking about favors?
Either way, Mujae nodded for the sake of survival.
“Yes, I’ll make sure to tell him.”
“And one more thing.”
Supreme King Cho-gang pointed out the window at the Seed of Fireheart Stoneflower, still pumping magma into the air even now.
“Do you do after-sales service too?”
After a long day, the Promotion Team returned to their lodgings in a daze.
[Views: 1,532,648]
[Likes: 312,891]
[Subscribers: +632,847]
“This… is this real?”
Hallakgoong asked, disbelief written all over his face.
Zack nodded, still stunned.
[Current Subscribers: 853,847]
Behind them, through the window, a new magma waterfall was putting on a spectacular show.
So much had happened that they could hardly believe night had not yet fallen.
It was Mujae who broke the long silence.
“…We need to do an 800K subscriber event.”
“Let’s do it. But what?”
“Earlier, those seniors were talking about a Boiling Hell Tourist Course.”
Zack, it seemed, had gotten close enough to address the Boiling Hell envoys as brothers.
Mujae grinned.
“Not bad. Should we hand out Boiling Hell tour tickets?”
“Father definitely knew something.”
Hallakgoong frowned, the shock finally giving way to anger.
“That old geezer, giving us something like this? If it doesn’t germinate, just awaken it as a monster? If we’d done that, what on earth would have happened?”
Zack’s eyes went wide at Hallakgoong’s words.
He shuddered as goosebumps ran over him, shaking his head.
‘Thank goodness I couldn’t climb that cliff.’
Had he made it all the way up, who knew how he would’ve gotten back down.
There had already been too much today, so Zack felt grateful he hadn’t tried the cliff climb.
“Hoo….”
“The ground’s going to cave in at this rate.”
Hallakgoong clicked his tongue at Zack and Mujae, both sighing in unison.
Meanwhile, the Promotion Team’s group chat was blowing up as usual.
-Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!
Annoyed, Hallakgoong turned on his phone.
Flower Sara : Subscribers 853,847!!!
Flower Sara : 650,000 people just rolled in at once!!!
Flower Sara what the heck happened ^ᄆ^ this efficiency is crazy ahahaha
…All because of one person…. Seeing the chat, Hallakgoong’s anger flared again.
“Ugh, this useless old man!!”
“Calm down, Hallakgoong!!”
Mujae and Zack grabbed him from either side, now doing it reflexively from so much practice.
Hallakgoong gave a wry laugh.
“Hey, how am I supposed to calm down right now? That old geezer, just wait till I get back!!”
“Huh?”
This time, it was Mujae who froze, having checked the group chat too.
Sensing something was off, Hallakgoong and Zack looked again.
Sara’s messages kept popping up, as lively as ever.
Flower Sara: You guys are blowing up in popularity
Flower Sara : So many invitations, I don’t know where to start
Flower Sara : I figured it’d be hard for you guys to choose, so I picked for you
Flower Sara : Since you’ve been somewhere hot, time for something cool
Flower Sara : Tomorrow we head to Northern Ice Hell, ok?
Trembling…
Hallakgoong’s hand, gripping the phone, shook like a trembling tree.
Zack and Mujae’s arms, which had been holding Hallakgoong, quietly let go.
The two shared the same thought.
“We did our best, Zack.”
Nod, nod.
Now free, Hallakgoong immediately called Sara.
“Father!!”