Round 17

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“Eeiyacha!”

As I stretched my back, I looked around.

Before I knew it, thick vegetation had filled over 1,000 pyeong of land.

I couldn’t clearly see what the slimes crawling around were up to, but they were certainly busy.

Gloop!

“Hmm, what? Oh, you need help with this?”

Now somewhat able to understand the gestures of the slimes, I went with the level 1 Rookie I had summoned the day before to the area where we had planted sweet potatoes.

It seemed they were in the middle of thinning them out, as the sweet potato vines had been neatly arranged.

Thud.

“Ouch. I guess we need a cushion here.”

I sat down beside the slime and together we thinned the sweet potato vines. It was simple labor, so my hands moved unconsciously, allowing my mind to wander.

“Cooking, huh…”

Just before returning to the dungeon, I had met with my younger brother Jae-seong and we had discussed things.

The conclusion we reached was that he should first try cooking with the crops I had grown and see if the results were satisfactory.

“Honestly, I just want to send him abroad right away…”

While studying abroad wasn’t necessarily the answer, I felt a responsibility as an older brother and guilt over our family’s financial decline made me want to do something for him.

But, mature as he was, he didn’t want to just accept support without being convinced himself, which he made clear to me.

“Whatever I try to do for him, he always has so much to say.”

In any case, I also resolved to work hard, taking a leaf out of my younger brother’s book. Since the study abroad idea was on hold, I had set my mind on buying the dungeon first.

The asking price for this slime dungeon I live in was about 2.35 billion won.

My bank account only had 43 million won, all of which had come in over the past few days.

“There’s still a long way to go!”

Though I said this, a smile lingered on my lips. It was a natural reaction since I had earned this money in just a few days.

And I hadn’t even used today’s abilities yet. It was about time for the cooldown to end, and tasting the money had me deep in thought.

Slimes and fruit juices.

Which should I use my power on?

“One at a time.”

I decided to use it on each.

Growing slimes was an investment for the future, and the fruit juice was a means to bring in money immediately.

Both were important to me, so I planned to take care of both.

“I wonder if Hanul has cleared that dungeon.”

Given that the dungeon had appeared in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, a failure would certainly bring strong criticism.

If that happened, it would ultimately mean losing priority to other guilds and decreasing our influence in the Awakened society.

I could go check now, but since subjugations could take days, it might not be over yet.

“Alright, the cooldown is over, let’s start with the synthesis!”

Today was the big day when Mark2 would reach level 3. Honestly, it felt different because of this guy; he’s the reason we’ve come this far.

“I’m nervous.”

I called over the Runner and Mark2. As they oozed towards me, I immediately used the liquid synthesis whose cooldown had just ended.

[Slime LV.2 and Slime LV.2 are synthesizing.]

[The merging slimes share all memories and experiences.]

[Agriculture] [Running]

It was obviously agriculture.

Maybe the way to raise the level of crops was right here.

[Slime LV.3 has been completed.]

[Slime LV.3]

[It’s a rather ordinary slime.]

[Capable of liquid synthesis]

Ability: Agriculture LV.2

Gloop!

Mark2 has reached level 3.

And its appearance has changed significantly.

“Straw hat?”

A straw hat appeared, the kind that old-time farmers might wear. I couldn’t understand how it was attached to Mark2, but it made him easier to identify.

[Agriculture LV.2]

[Promotes the growth of crops.]

[Increases yield.]

[Improves the quality of crops.]

The last statement caught my eye.

The description of improving the quality of crops, previously absent, now gave me confidence in my guess.

“Can we finally see level 2 crops?”

What will change as the level of crops increases?

The taste? Or the effect?

Either way, it was certain to change for the better.

“Ah, this is it.”

I picked up Mark2 and examined it from all angles.

A strangely cool and pleasant sensation was felt through the palm of my hand.

The straw hat seemed like a part of its body and was inseparable from Mark2. Despite its appearance, it felt no different from the slime itself.

“Hmm! Let’s work hard, Mark2!”

Gloop!

Watching us, the surrounding slimes suddenly approached.

What, are you jealous?

“Hehehe.”

I played around, holding Poooh, Poispois, and Mark2, along with the Rookie in my arms.

Thinking about it, it seems I’ve been running around busy ever since I awakened the ability of a Slime Lord.

Poooh-

“Poooh, you have the nicest texture. Is it the dignity of level 10?”

I haven’t yet solved Poooh’s riddle, but it didn’t really matter.

“Hmm, I should check the stairs too.”

The place where I found Poooh was still the same. I was too busy with many things right now.

Let’s buy the dungeon first.

I’ll check the altar and stairs after buying them.

Who knows? Touching them carelessly might cause a change noticeable enough for the dungeon owner to catch on.

That could lead to a price increase, and the owner might even decide not to sell the dungeon.

Poooh—

Playing with Poooh like clay, I lost track of time.

With the remaining Layla and a bit of magic tomato, I made some fruit juice. Halfway through eating some tomatoes, I started feeling hungry.

“Should we eat something? But what’s left?”

Needing a place to store crops, I examined the storage made from the dirt on the ground and slime fluids.

Of course, I had already taken all the harvested magic cherry tomatoes yesterday, so it was a thoughtless action. But then…

“What!”

Discovering something, I hurriedly went back outside to check the field and then alternated checking inside the storage.

“Why is this here?”

Gloop?

Inside the storage were piles of potatoes that I hadn’t seen before. I checked if the field was empty, but in the field, there was still…

“Ah, what’s going on here…”

Approaching the field, I understood the reason.

“Looks like some harvesting was done?”

Not all were harvested.

There were patches that were empty, but from afar, they weren’t noticeable due to the lush leaves.

“But why weren’t they all harvested?”

Gloop! Gloop!

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, but there must be some reason.”

It seems they had done some harvesting while I was away. Fortunately, the harvested potatoes were wrapped in slime fluids, preventing them from rotting.

“Let’s see.”

I picked up a potato expecting an item label to appear. However, contrary to my expectation, no window appeared in my view.

“Huh?”

Not an item?

So, this can happen too.

I thought everything harvested would be an item, but now I realized that wasn’t the case.

So, what about the remaining unharvested potatoes?

“They’re likely to be items.”

It was just a guess, but it seemed plausible.

Then, Mark2 and Poooh approached, rubbing against me as if they had done well.

Poooh-

Gloop!

“Yeah, yeah. You worked hard while I was away.”

It would have been nicer if they had told me they harvested, but that was also possible.

And now that I look at it, the amount of potatoes wasn’t even that much. It seemed like the slimes had eaten them on their own.

“Since it’s not an item anyway, might as well fill up on this.”

Potatoes… Potatoes…

I didn’t know how to cook.

Even in the dungeon, I only ever cooked instant food or ramen; I had never bought ingredients to cook something.

“Just boil them, that’ll do.”

I naturally had basic ingredients like salt and sugar.

I went up to grab a gas burner, salt, sugar, pepper, etc., and ordered the Rookies who were working to come down.

“It tastes better when eaten together.”

From my experience, these guys could taste flavors too.

Well, it would be nice to eat delicious food together!

‘I really am a good boss.’

I am someone with a kind heart, who also considers the welfare of my employees.

First, I fetched some water from the pond and started boiling it on the gas burner, adding about half a spoon of salt.

Since there were many mouths to feed, I would probably have to repeat this several times, but for now, I didn’t mind and just boiled the water.

‘How many minutes should I boil it? Roughly 20 minutes?’

I wanted to search it on the internet, but going out of the dungeon to search was too bothersome.

Just roughly cook them and poke them with chopsticks to check.

Bubbling-

The water boiled quickly.

Then I washed the potatoes thoroughly and put as many as the large pot could hold and covered it with a lid.

Squish?

“Wait and see. I’ll feed you something much tastier than raw potatoes.”

Squish!

The slimes seemed to react with eager anticipation to my words.

Hmm, seeing them like this felt quite rewarding.

So I massaged the slimes again while having a healing time. Then, after about 30 minutes, I poked them with chopsticks.

“There are too many potatoes, so they’re not cooking fast.”

But it seemed they were almost done.

After waiting another 5 minutes, all the potatoes were finally cooked.

“Hot.”

I took out all the potatoes and threw in new ones into the pot. I added a little more water and didn’t forget the salt.

“Shall we try eating the second batch of potatoes while they cook?”

I picked up one of the round boiled potatoes from the floor. I dusted off any dirt and peeled it before biting into it right away.

Puff puff-

Chew chew! Gulp!

“Mmm… this is it.”

The texture was similar to that of ordinary potatoes.

But there was a difference in taste.

“Even though it’s not an item, it’s different from ordinary potatoes.”

The nuttiness was doubled.

What should I call this? The unique subtle sweetness of the potato was definitely felt, yet it had a depth of flavor as if it had been buttered.

Actually, it wasn’t butter, but it was hard to put into words.

“Just… really tasty.”

Tasty.

That was enough to say.

As they were hot, I blew on them while eating, and the slimes started eating the boiled potatoes on the floor. But their speed was beyond my expectations.

…Can’t they feel the heat?

“This is unfair.” 

While I barely managed to cool down one to eat, all the boiled potatoes have disappeared.

Gulurung! Gulurung!

Poo-woo-woo—!

The slimes seem to be clamoring for more at the same time.

Those guys must have eaten at least three or four each. They’re going too far.

‘Wait. I’ll keep boiling more for you.’

You guys are living the good life meeting me.

Which slime would ever get to eat such things?

But at this rate of eating, the harvested potatoes will all be gone.

‘Well, I can always harvest more potatoes. But I need to save just one for Jae-seong.’

It’s like an automated farm that does everything from growing to harvesting, so a few potatoes are nothing to keep feeding them.

‘Today is a potato party!’

Ah! I need to ask Jae-seong what I can make with these potatoes since the slimes like them so much. I want to try feeding them other things too.

But isn’t this just raising their taste too much?

* * *

In front of a building in Yeongdeungpo.

The area was cordoned off by the police, and reporters from various media were waiting.

Oh, a reporter from the Awakened News, with a straw in his coffee, asked another reporter next to him.

“How long do you think it will take?”

“Well, it’s a Level 4, but since Ara Hongryeon Teams 1 and 2 both went in, maybe around four days? Ah, but it might take longer because of the unidentified monster.”

“What’s the chance they’ll fail again?”

“I doubt it. The Predator has gone in as well.”

“True. With that guy stepping in, a Level 4 is just a walk after a meal.”

As Oh muttered, he glanced at the dungeon entrance hidden behind the banners and sucked on his coffee again.

“It’s still disappointing that the Predator has to step in. In my opinion, Jeong So-yeon, the leader of Ara Hongryeon Team 1, is overrated.”

“There’s a lot of talk like that these days. But still, she’s impressive for her age, isn’t she?”

“Objectively, yes. But the public’s expectations have become too high. They’ve seen what she can do.”

“I personally find it a bit sad. She’s barely an adult, and she’s risking her life in dungeons with all eyes on her.”

“What life-risking? You talk as if Jeong So-yeon is tackling Level 7 or 8 dungeons. She’s just a Level 6 Awakened.”

“Well, still…”

Just then, the surroundings suddenly became noisy.

The two reporters stopped their conversation and looked around.

‘What?’

Then Oh saw the Awakened from the Ara Hongryeon Guild coming out of the dungeon.

‘What? They failed again? Even with the Predator joining them?’

It was unthinkable.

Especially since they had only been in the dungeon for 27 hours.

Click! Click!

A flurry of camera shutters followed.

Oh quickly gestured to the Awakened News’s cameraman to turn on the recorder and ran forward.

Jeong So-yeon was leading the group as she emerged.

“Awakened Jeong So-yeon! Did you fail again? How can you fail a Level 4 dungeon twice…”

But Oh’s words were cut off.

The Awakened following her were dragging out the corpse of an unidentified monster.

“What is that?”

The corpse was so striking that it captured everyone’s attention.

It fluttered with a translucent body, resembling a giant stingray.

Koong!

‘Hup!’

Startled by someone landing next to him, Oh suddenly sat down.

A fierce aura made Oh’s body stiffen.

“Who…”

A hostile energy enveloped the place.

The sound of camera shutters ceased, and everyone froze.

The man who dominated the crowd.

“Failed, you say?”

Kang Hanul grinned menacingly.

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