Beep. Beep. Beep.
An alarm rang out, announcing the arrival of midnight.
Jinhyuk straightened up from his strength training.
"It's climbing time!"
"We need to get dressed!"
Kancho and Momo, who had been gaming side by side in the living room, rushed into the bedroom.
Having suffered through the cold last time, the Kan-Mo duo now dressed themselves properly without being told.
"Hey, Granny! You fake priest! Can't you hear the alarm?! Why are you sipping tea so leisurely?!"
At Kancho's shout, Elia and Camella set down their teacups.
Then, with serious expressions, they spoke.
"Saint Sage, you said you'd tell me once it's ready, right? I'll take care of using it."
Camella nodded gravely.
"You mean the talisman to put the Yodels into eternal sleep? I'll hurry. Judging from the evil spirit's condition, it's quite serious."
Just moments ago, the two had been chatting about centuries-old adventures and experiences over tea.
It seemed they had also discussed how to deal with Kancho, the public enemy.
"If you make something like that, I'll take it as a declaration of war! I'll destroy Granny's evil workshop first!"
Kancho puffed out his chest and threatened fiercely.
He'd mixed up "declaration of war" with "preemptive declaration," but close enough.
Jinhyuk looked around.
Where were Seira and Dark?
He wondered briefly.
Creak.
The door opened, and Seira and Dark walked in side by side.
The two, who usually snarled at each other like cats and dogs, looked oddly close.
Had they finally ended their long feud and signed a peace treaty?
'Nope.'
Seeing how close they were, Jinhyuk's face fell.
"Ugh…"
The Kan-Mo duo stepped back, grimacing.
Dark looked completely battered.
"I ignored the drawing I worked on all night, so I had a little ranking match with her."
"I already told you, that doesn't count. The weight class difference was too big. Get ready to get smashed next time."
"You all say the same thing after losing. A trait of the weak."
"I'm looking forward to smashing that noble knight's mouth."
Truly worthy of his title—Dark Castro, the man who never dies.
With injuries like that, speaking should've been impossible.
After waiting for his face to regenerate, Jinhyuk pressed the button.
[Entering Floor 12 of the Mythical Tower: Frostheim.]
The moment they entered, a blizzard roared to life.
Without a word, everyone rushed toward the bonfire inside the barrier.
Jinhyuk quickly grabbed Camella, who was trying to escape.
"Camella. Greenhouse."
"Oh. I forgot. It's too cold."
She changed direction and walked to the prepared spot.
Grandpa Saburo once said that Hanamori seeds could grow anywhere, but they needed care during germination.
After settling down, Camella scattered black ink around and tore up several talismans.
"If we can block the blizzard, this will be much easier."
"I'll handle it. Can you endure the cold?"
Instead of answering, Camella wrapped herself in a small barrier and nodded.
Dark placed his hands beneath the snow.
Crack—crackle!
A massive wall of frozen ice surged upward, forming a protective barrier.
Since everything was already frozen, it formed much faster than usual.
"Good."
Smiling, Camella closed her eyes and clasped her hands.
Countless beams of light flowed out, stacking into a dome.
Soon, a barrier that blocked not only the blizzard but Frostheim's cold itself was complete.
"Nice, nice."
Jinhyuk crouched and pulled out a tiny shovel.
It was the Yodel Ranger field shovel he had borrowed from Kancho.
He dug deep and placed the seed he'd received from Saburo inside.
'Please grow well.'
He clasped his hands and prayed.
Failure wasn't an option.
If this failed, they'd be truly stuck.
He covered the seed with snow and stood up.
Normally, germination and blooming took about three months.
Now all they had to do was wait.
But they couldn't stay on Floor 12 for three months.
"Eliaaa!!"
He waved.
Elia, who had been warming herself by the fire, hurried over.
Crumbs around her mouth suggested she'd been enjoying cookies.
"Please."
"Mm! Leave it to me. I prepared something ambitious."
She rubbed her hands excitedly.
After checking the floor's conditions, Jinhyuk had asked her to make a growth-boosting potion.
He stepped closer and took a small sip.
Ding!
[Created by a master alchemist! A potion that greatly, greatly, greatly accelerates plant growth! Only affects plants! Extremely potent—use in moderation!]
It worked perfectly—
Guh—blegh!
Jinhyuk covered his mouth.
That was close.
It tasted horrific.
No wonder Elia had backed away earlier.
She patted his shoulder.
"You endured that? You've grown stronger, Master."
"It tastes awful."
"I put in some amazing ingredients. Want to know?"
"No. I'm good."
He gave her a thumbs-up and stepped back.
She nodded.
"Ready?"
It was a powerful potion.
He decided to trust Elia with the dosage.
Glug—glug—glug!!
"Huh?!"
He reached out, but it was too late.
She had poured everything out.
Every last drop.
He swallowed dryly.
It'll be fine, right? She must've calculated it…
Elia scratched her head.
"Is it okay to use it all? Well, more means faster growth, right?"
Jinhyuk shut his eyes.
He'd forgotten.
Her 'it'll work out somehow' mindset.
He clasped his hands.
What's done is done.
All he could do was pray.
Hanamori seed.
Hang in there.
Time passed.
Then, the ground began to tremble.
The shaking grew stronger, like an earthquake.
"Whoa—"
Jinhyuk grabbed Elia as she stumbled and rushed to the bonfire.
The tea party there had become a mess.
Everyone stared toward the source.
Then—
Rumble—crash!!
Snow shot skyward inside the barrier.
"The snow's flying!"
"A rainbow's coming!"
Jinhyuk stared.
"Wow…"
A massive tree emerged, pushing away the snow.
"A giant tree!!"
"Bigger than Grandpa Toto's old tree!"
Even Jinhyuk had never seen anything like it.
And it wasn't done.
It kept growing.
Not just upward.
Branches spread endlessly.
"Hmm… just as expected."
Elia crossed her arms and nodded.
Sweat trickled down her face.
Even she hadn't expected this much growth.
"We don't need the walls."
"Or the barrier."
Dark and Camella removed their protections.
The blizzard returned, but the tree didn't budge.
It kept growing.
Then—
"It stopped!"
With a final tremor, it halted.
Its branches filled their entire view.
Jinhyuk's eyes widened.
Only its size had stopped.
The change wasn't over.
Pop.
Buds swelled and formed.
Soft pink.
Then—
Whoooosh!!
All at once, they burst into bloom.
"Wooooow!!"
"Flowers!!!"
The Kan-Mo duo cheered.
"Wow…"
Jinhyuk whispered.
This wasn't just blooming.
It was full bloom.
"First time seeing something this beautiful."
Elia nodded.
She had seen countless worlds.
Still, nothing like this.
For 3,271 years.
The blizzard still raged.
But now, pink petals mixed with white snow.
A scene found nowhere else.
"Heh…"
Dark let out a quiet laugh.
A faint smile appeared.
This was Frostheim.
A land where nothing lived.
Yet now—
Flowers bloomed.
Not one.
Enough to cover the entire land.
"Dark… have you ever seen flowers bloom in snow?"
Luka's voice echoed in his memory.
He wasn't there.
Still, Dark answered silently.
Yes.
I'm seeing them now.
He walked to Jinhyuk and stood beside him.
"Thanks to you, Master… I've seen the impossible bloom."
"That's why it's so beautiful. I've never gone flower-viewing, but nothing could compare to this."
They stood quietly.
Dark raised his fist.
Still watching the blossoms.
Jinhyuk did the same.
Tap.
Their fists met lightly.
Jinhyuk smiled.
No words were needed.
Ding!
[You have made immortal flowers bloom in the barren land of Frostheim!]
[A legendary spectacle recorded in history! All quest conditions met!]
[Dark Castro's Epic Promotion Quest "A Flower Blooming in the Snowfield" completed!]
Light flowed from Dark's body.
His next Episode had begun.
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T/N:
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