Ding-dong!
At last, the sound arrived.
A message, like a barely-reached lifeline amidst the hellish storm of noise.
'...It's here.'
Kim Jangcheol, who had been doing the Farming Corps' official exercise for six straight days,
He opened his bloodshot eyes wide, the capillaries so burst that they seemed to pop.
There, a results window floated up, triggered by the Bloodshot Eyes skill.
[Bloodshot Eyes (Lv.1) skill activated.]
[Observed Target: Corn No. 423]
[You have discerned the current state of "Corn No. 423" observed for 200 seconds, as well as its changes over the next 6 hours.]
It was the Bloodshot Eyes skill, finally succeeded through unbearable hardship.
The reason?
There were plenty.
He hadn't slept a wink for six days.
Because of that storm-like Metal Spirit performance played by the Artanis Group. Forget sleep, it felt like his eardrums had burst and recovered at least 500 times.
Because of that, his eyes became unbearably dry from lack of sleep.
And because he constantly used Bloodshot Eyes to check the corn's condition, it only worsened.
Body recovery thanks to the Healing Song?
Moisture restored to the eyes by the Healing Metal Song?
Physically, it seemed like there were no issues, right?
'No issues, my ass!'
The human body is a truly strange thing. Even if there are no real issues, depending on one's mood and mental state, one could still feel something's wrong.
Right now, that's exactly how Kim Jangcheol felt.
And the same went for the demon race Farming Corps soldiers, who endured their pain and sublimated it through group exercise with him.
The Healing Song had restored their bodies, but it did absolutely nothing for their mental state.
Thus, it was excruciating!
Because they couldn't sleep!
Because they had to keep moving!
And amidst all that, Kim Jangcheol kept using Bloodshot Eyes with his bloodshot gaze!
'Kuaaaah!'
Kim Jangcheol burned up his last remaining focus to read the message.
[The "Corn No. 423" you observed has completely overcome the corn leaf blight that once infected it. It is now singing a song of joy for its complete recovery.]
[Over the next six hours, this corn's growth rate will increase by 200%.]
"..."
Cured.
He did it.
Something he thought was absolutely impossible.
Something he never even dreamed of back in Korea.
Back then, they said the only answer was burning the infected crops. Prevention was the only strategy. That was the common sense.
But now... he overcame it!
By a completely absurd method!
...Shiver.
Kim Jangcheol's body trembled with emotion.
But, it wasn't time to relax yet.
His steps quickened.
He hurried to the field on the other side.
There, he used Bloodshot Eyes again.
And the result was, once again...
'Cured!'
Exactly the same as before.
Even so, he forced himself to stay composed. He kept moving through the fields, frantically using Bloodshot Eyes until his eyes nearly exploded.
And finally, the moment arrived when he confirmed that all the cornfields were fully cured.
Ding-dong!
Another notification sound rang out.
A completely unexpected message popped up before his eyes.
[With your courageous heart, undeterred by worsening dry eye syndrome, you have used the Bloodshot Eyes skill continuously within a short time.]
[Also, through your persistent use of Bloodshot Eyes, you have ruptured countless capillaries in your eyes.]
[As a result, the combined length of all the burst blood vessels in your eyes has exceeded 1 kilometer.]
[Achievement: 1-Kilometer Sticker Acquired!]
[As a reward for this achievement, the level of Bloodshot Eyes has increased.]
[Bloodshot Eyes (Lv.2): The no-blink time required for activation is reduced from 200 seconds to 190 seconds. The duration of future state predictions for observed targets is extended from 6 hours to 7 hours.]
"......"
Bursting 1 kilometer's worth of capillaries.
He felt... something grand(?).
But the rewards didn't end there.
Ding-dong-dong!
[You have withstood sound waves exceeding 180 decibels, which could cause hearing damage and cognitive impairment, for over 140 hours.]
[By any objective standard, this is an insanely reckless act.]
[Successfully enduring this madness has strengthened and trained your body.]
[Two of your stats have increased.]
[Stamina: 30% -> 40%]
[Mana: 30% -> 40%]
[From now on, you can draw out and use up to 40% of the physical stamina and mana originally belonging to your body's owner, Credos.]
[Also, all demons who fought alongside you and endured this madness will have their stamina increased by 10%.]
...Huuuuup!
The reaction was immediate.
The moment he finished reading the message, a hot power surged through his body. It felt like he had downed 10 liters of concentrated uranium latte in one gulp.
Maybe thanks to that,
Jiaaang! Kung-kung-kwang! Kiaeeeng! Jajajangjang! Jangjangchwangkwang!
The deafening Metal Spirit performance that had been blaring for over six days—
the noise, no, the music— now felt a little less painful.
Probably thanks to his now overflowing stamina.
In any case...
'Time to make them stop the performance.'
He couldn't bear to listen to it any longer... no, it wasn't needed anymore.
The corn had been cured.
Thus, now...
"Lady Artanis!"
He approached the center of the performance.
He shouted at Artanis, who was pounding the beat with dozens of chains.
"You can stop the performance nowwww!"
Kung-kung-tung! Kung-kung-tung!
"The corn! It's all healed! It's all thanks to you, Lady Artanis!"
Toong-toong-kwang! Toong-toong-kwang!
"I mean, seriouslyyy! Lady Artanis!"
Jwag! Chwang! Wow yeah!
"........"
Was my voice... not reaching them?
Or maybe, were all their eardrums already blown out too?
Thinking about it, that seemed pretty likely.
Even those listening from a distance had their eardrums pop so violently,
so how could the eardrums of the ones playing directly survive?
"Everyone..."
They had willingly embraced such a massive sacrifice.
A surge of emotion welled up inside him.
And then, at that moment...
-Hmm?
Artanis, who had been pounding out the beat with chains, opened her eyes.
Had she finally noticed him? She moved her free hand and traced a question in the air.
-What's wrong? Should I play harder?
"No!"
He shook his head frantically.
Her next question was drawn into the air again.
-Then? Should I speed up the tempo?
"No, no! That's not it!"
-It's not?
"Yes! The performance! Let's stop here! It's enough now!"
It seemed Artanis really couldn't hear his voice. So he desperately pleaded through gestures and expressions for her to stop the performance.
Fortunately (?), it seemed she understood his intentions.
Thump!
She raised a clenched fist.
The performances of the three loyal followers stopped.
At that moment, as if it were a lie, peace returned.
...Saaaah.
The sound of the wind blowing.
The smile of the drifting clouds.
The fragrance of rustling corn leaves.
Ah.
Yes.
The world was originally this peaceful and beautiful. If it weren't for that damned Metal Spirit performance, it could have been like this all along.
'Why are my eyes... teary...'
Drip.
Without even realizing it, his eyes welled up.
But at the same time, he also worried about Artanis and the three loyal followers,
who must have endured the destructive performance up close for over six days.
'Are they alright.'
Would their eardrums recover properly?
Wouldn't there be any lasting hearing damage?
Honestly, he was worried.
He asked Artanis.
"Um, are you alright?"
He asked.
But Artanis just stared at him with wide-open eyes.
"......."
She couldn't hear.
His voice.
Any small sounds.
She had the expression of someone who couldn't hear a thing.
'They did all that... for us......'
Instantly, he was overwhelmed with guilt.
No, he almost felt guilty for a moment.
-Ah.
Artanis's expression changed, as if she realized something.
She brought her hands to both ears and pulled something out from deep inside.
Pop.
It was earplugs.
Created by magic.
Looking extremely sturdy and reliable.
-Sorry. I couldn't hear your voice because I had earplugs in.
"........"
-So, what's the matter? Why were you looking at me like you were about to cry... and now making such a wronged expression?
"Uh, well...…"
-Well?
"Is your hearing, completely fine, Lady Artanis?"
-Yes. Thanks to these earplugs.
"Even during the thunderous noise that exploded during the performance… you were fine?"
-Of course. Thanks to these earplugs.
"So, throughout the entire performance…..? No problems at all..."
Whenever we play the Healing Song, we always wear these. Thanks to that, we can't hear any sounds.
"...Not even your own performance?"
-Correct. Not even our own performance.
"Why!"
-...Hm?
"What! Are you cicadas or something!"
-...Cicadas? What on earth are you trying to say?
"Graaaaagh!"
-......
Something, very, seriously unfair welled up inside him.
But, well, what could he do?
Thanks to that performance, the farming season that was on the verge of complete ruin had been saved.
"...No, thank you very much."
-And yet, your expression doesn't look very thankful.
"No way, come on."
-Yet earlier, you shouted something about cicadas. Sounded like it was directed at us.
"Cicadas are insects that deliver beautiful performances. They're not here, but in the human world, you can easily find them every summer."
-I know what cicadas are.
"....You do?"
-Of course. I've been to the human world quite a bit.
"How?"
-Invasion and occupation.
"Ahhh."
Come to think of it, he remembered.
When she was still the Demon King, before being bound by the seal artifact,
Artanis had conquered half of the human world, apparently.
"......"
Once again, he was struck by how strong she truly was.
It made him curious too.
What level would her true power be, without the seal artifact?
Could she, perhaps, stand against Aged Kimchi?
'Well, not like there's any reason to go back to the human world now anyway.'
He wouldn't have to face Aged Kimchi again.
There mustn't be such an apocalyptic event.
'So... checking her seal-less version's level with Bloodshot Eyes will have to wait for when I have time...'
Now, it was time to focus back on farming.
Corn, beans, and pumpkins.
The Three Sisters farming method was reaching its end for the season.
It started from that day.
He focused on farming.
He worked hard.
He sweated.
Together with the Farming Corps soldiers.
Together with the Four Heavenly Kings, who were getting better at farming every day.
Together with Artanis and the three loyal followers, who were clumsily but earnestly learning farmwork.
And together with Tbong, who ran around lalala, stamping reward stickers on everyone.
Day by day, time flew by.
Even in the barren Demon King's Castle region, the seasons changed.
During that time, the corn grew.
To the size of baseball bats.
The pumpkins became massive.
As big as gym balls.
The beans swelled.
As big as ping-pong balls.
"......."
What was this, this ominous feeling.
Why, did the memories of last season's super potato—huge in size but utterly useless—suddenly, creep up, slithering back into his mind.
'No way, surely not.'
As the harvest season approached, seeing the corn, pumpkins, and beans grow abnormally bigger by the day,
The Farming Corps cheered.
They felt proud and happy every day.
Meanwhile, Kim Jangcheol?
Day by day, a bad feeling crept up inside him.
'This... maybe....'
Maybe soon, to get seeds for the next season's farming, to sell off these monstrous things, he'd have to venture once more, into the terrifying human world where Aged Kimchi lurked.
And, as expected, that bad feeling turned out to be right.