Solo Farming In The Tower-Chapter 681: You’re Nocturnal, Bat-Bat.

<Nya-Mok>

“Kids, Mama’s home!”

Hiren shouted as she arrived at Eryon Castle, addressing her "collection."

Inside the vast circular prison, her young captives, adorned in high-quality clothing, looked at her with nervous eyes.

“Nyahaha. Where should I put my darling?”

Hiren relished the apprehensive glances of her collection, slowly circling the prison as she pondered where to place Bat-Bat.

Their unease was proof of life.

Hiren, the Heroine of Nya-Mok, hailed as the Witch of Dawn.

Once revered by all, she had built a loving family and enjoyed a brief period of ordinary happiness.

But that bliss was short-lived.

A sudden accident took both her husband and child, leaving Hiren devastated and broken.

Revenge wasn’t an option—it was nothing more than an unfortunate accident.

In her grief, she seemed to regain composure, but a strange obsession for collecting had taken root.

At first, she started with saplings and baby animals, trying to fill the void left by her loss.

Yet, the fleeting comfort only deepened her emptiness. Her compulsion spiraled out of control, turning into an addiction.

She captured anything young, indiscriminate of species, to quell her ever-growing emptiness.

In time, Hiren had gathered every juvenile lifeform in Nya-Mok. Even that wasn’t enough.

Then, when she was at her lowest, Bat-Bat appeared.

“Nyahaha. This spot is perfect for my darling.”

Hiren grinned as she placed Bat-Bat into the prison.

However...

“...”

Her expression froze as she turned away. The void that seemed momentarily filled swelled into a gaping chasm of emptiness.

Let’s find a new collection. That one was slightly satisfying. The next will be better.

“Yes.”

The endless void demanded another sacrifice.

Meanwhile...

Sejun... I’m scared...

Bat-Bat barely regained consciousness, trembling in fear.

It had seen the horrifying corruption emanating from Hiren’s shadow—a grotesque figure with distorted features whispering into her ear and consuming her.

Sejun... Please... Save me...

Just as Bat-Bat’s consciousness began to fade again...

Oh? You saw me?

The corruption licked its lips while staring at Bat-Bat.

“Quack-quack-quack! Sejun, over there!”

Iona pointed to the massive white castle.

And...

“Puhuhut. Chairman Park, my paws are tingling, nyang!”

Theo raised his paw dramatically.

“Really?!”

That settled it. Bat-Bat was definitely searching for treasure here!

Reassured, Sejun felt a surge of confidence.

But then...

No. If Bat-Bat heard my voice, it would’ve come to find me.

Worry crept back into his mind.

With mounting concern, Sejun and his companions approached Eryon Castle.

A chilling sight awaited them—a group of twenty humanoid figures made of black sludge, all wearing aprons.

[Servants of the Abyss]

These weren’t ordinary guards but creations Hiren had made to care for her imprisoned collection—a workforce for menial labor.

“Puhuhut. Servants? Ha! I, Park Sejun, am the master of shadow servants! Come forth, Shadow Servants!”

With a flourish, Sejun summoned his own shadow servants.

Confidently, Sejun commanded a total of 200 shadow servants, each bearing 5% of his stats.

[Shadow Servants of Park Sejun]

Strength: 7,755Vitality: 7,293Agility: 7,214Mana: 7,581Unique Skill: Son of Darkness (Master)

Despite their immense stats, they struggled against the servants of the Abyss, who easily overpowered them.

“Why are the guards so strong?!”

Sejun refused to admit they were mere workers. It was less humiliating to think of them as guards.

The 200 vs. 20 battle ended in Sejun’s defeat.

“Still, we took down one servant! So I won, didn’t I?”

Sejun consoled himself with a shaky smile.

“Puhuhut. Vengeance for Sejun’s shadow, nyang!”

“Quack-quack-quack! This is frustrating! Flame power, activate!”

With their combined efforts, the party defeated the remaining servants.

As they prepared to enter the castle...

“How dare you intrude upon my castle?! Who are you?!”

Hiren appeared, sensing something was wrong with her servants.

Her greedy gaze swept over the party.

“Nyahahah! Such adorable collections!”

But then...

“You and you—get out of my sight! Ugly things have no place here!”

“What?!”

“Nyang?!”

Hiren pointed coldly at Sejun and Theo. Her eyes held no trace of greed when looking at them.

Sejun’s rugged appearance disqualified him as a collection, and Theo... well, by feline standards, he was considered unattractive.

This stung more than it should have.

“What do you mean I’m ugly?!”

“Hiss! I admit Chairman Park is ugly, but not me, nyang!”

While the two fumed, someone else grew even angrier.

How dare you call Lord Theo ugly?!

“Quuuu—!”

Iona’s magic surged in fury, connecting to eight magical streams.

“Dimensional power... Parallel World.”

She unleashed her ultimate spell, temporarily trapping her opponent in an alternate timeline.

“Power of meteors... Meteor Shower!”

BOOM!

Hiren was finally taking the full brunt of Iona’s attacks.

Until now, Iona had held back out of concern for Sejun’s safety and her own image in front of Theo. But now, she unleashed her power without reservation.

“Gah! Abyssal Barrier! Abyssal Cloud! Abyssal Arrows!”

Hiren rapidly cast her skills to fend off Iona’s relentless assault, but...

“Power of gravity... Black Hole.”

“Gah!”

“Meteor Shower!”

Iona strategically added just enough pressure to push Hiren to her limit.

“How dare you! Lord Theo is incredibly handsome!!!”

With those words, Iona channeled all her fury into her attacks.

Meanwhile, as Iona pummeled Hiren...

“Bat-Bat!”

“Bat-Bat, where are you, nyang?!”

Quack?!

[Where is Bat-Bat?!]

Squeak~!

[Bat-Bat hyung~!]

Sejun and his group frantically searched for Bat-Bat.

Queng and Camang tried to track his scent, but the prison’s ventilation system was too effective, leaving no trace.

“What is all this? Kids, come out.”

Sejun used Theo’s dragon claws to cut the locks, freeing the young captives while continuing his search for Bat-Bat.

However...

“We’re not leaving!”

“We’ll stay here!”

Bang!

Even with the doors open, some of the children refused to leave and closed the doors behind them.

These were the young feline inhabitants of Nya-Mok.

The truth was, Nya-Mok had been devastated by a calamity, leaving its population nearly wiped out.

The children had voluntarily entered Hiren’s territory in a desperate bid to survive.

The nervous glances they had cast at Hiren earlier weren’t out of fear of her but out of fear of being cast out of the only safe haven they knew.

“Oh... I see. Then stay here.”

Feeling strangely like the villain, Sejun continued his search.

“Bat-Bat!”

At that moment...

“Excuse me... Are you looking for a golden bat?”

A child approached Sejun hesitantly.

“Yes. Do you know where he is?”

“Yeah. Hiren put him over there earlier.”

“Thanks. Here’s something for you.”

Sejun handed the child a piece of dried sweet potato.

Squeak! Squeak!

[No, butler! That’s for the Great Camang only!]

Camang protested vehemently but was quickly pacified when Sejun handed it a piece as well.

“Here you go. You’ve worked hard, too.”

Squeak!

Munching happily, Camang quieted down instantly.

“Bat-Bat...”

Sejun carefully approached the prison where Bat-Bat was held and called out softly.

Inside, Bat-Bat was trembling, shackled and terrified—a sight that painfully reminded Sejun of their first meeting.

Click.

Sejun gently cut through the lock and opened the door.

Slowly, he cupped Bat-Bat in his hands and lifted him out.

Click.

Using Theo’s dragon claws, Sejun broke the shackles around Bat-Bat’s tiny legs.

(“Bat-Bat... Sejun...?”)

Bat-Bat opened his eyes weakly.

“Yes, it’s me. Bat-Bat, are you okay?!”

(“Heheh... Yes...”)

Bat-Bat forced a smile, trying to appear cheerful, but his effort only made Sejun’s heart ache more.

“Bat-Bat, you don’t have to smile if it’s too hard. It’s okay.”

(“...Bat-Bat... Okay...”)

Bat-Bat’s voice was faint but carried a sense of relief as he stopped pretending to be okay.

“Quack! Quack! Bat-Bat, are you alright?!”

Squeak!

[Bat-Bat hyung, are you okay?!]

Queng and Camang leaned in, their faces casting a shadow over Bat-Bat.

(“No! I hate the dark! It’s scary!”)

Bat-Bat began trembling violently, the darkness triggering his worsening trauma.

Sejun quickly lifted Bat-Bat higher to chase away the shadows, speaking in a calm voice.

“Bat-Bat, darkness isn’t something to fear. You actually like the dark, remember?”

(“Bat-Bat... I like the dark?”)

“Of course you do. You’re nocturnal, Bat-Bat. It’s just those bad memories making the dark seem scary. Let’s work together to make peace with it. I’ll help you.”

(“Heheh. Okay.”)

Reassured by Sejun’s words, Bat-Bat finally smiled genuinely.

At that moment...

Fwoosh.

Bat-Bat’s body began to glow with a black light.

Sizzle.

The light burned away the faint traces of corruption that had been fueling his trauma.

Did my words really help him overcome his trauma so easily?!

Sejun was taken aback, unaware of just how much Bat-Bat relied on him.

Moments later...

(“Heheh. Sejun, thank you. Because of you, I awakened the Authority: Child of Darkness!”)

Bat-Bat had gained a new power that allowed him to grow up to ten times stronger in the dark.

Sejun, the man who could awaken powers with just a few words.

“Sejun! Help me awaken, too! Get up!”

He half-jokingly tried speaking to himself, but unsurprisingly, nothing happened.

Suddenly...

(“Bat-Bat! Sejun, there’s corruption here!”)

Bat-Bat’s realization came too late as he pointed out the lingering corruption.

“Corruption? Where?”

(“Bat-Bat! In Hiren’s shadow!”)

“What?!”

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

If it was in Hiren’s shadow...

“Iona’s in danger!”

“Iona’s in danger, nyang!”

Just as Sejun and Theo realized the threat, a deafening explosion roared from outside.