Round 28

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Unexpectedly, despite the attention of my siblings and Ara, I examined the description of the item.

[Magic Sweet Potato Matang]

[Obtain Physical Enhancement LV.1 for 3 hours.]

The description was brief.

But it was definitely different from regular sweet potatoes.

‘It was a slight physical enhancement for 3 minutes, but now it’s turned into an awakening ability.’

Though it was only for 3 hours and just level 1, the addition of an awakening ability was astonishing. Such a thing was thought impossible unless one was like me, with dual awakening abilities, and now it became possible just by eating food.

“That’s crazy.”

“Why? What’s wrong, bro?”

“Your cooking has gained an awakening ability.”

“…What does that mean?”

Jae-seong’s eyes wavered.

At the same time, Seon-ah looked excitedly at the candies.

“An awakening ability?!”

“I’m not sure if it works on ordinary people, but the description says it grants an awakening ability for physical enhancement for 3 hours.”

“Is it okay for us to eat this?”

Seon-ah calmed down after hearing my words.

Just then, Ara, still drooling, looked upset.

“Is it not okay to eat?”

“Ah…”

Seon-ah’s expression faltered.

I smiled at them both.

“Just eat it. We can always make more if needed.”

Whether the same effects could be replicated or if it could turn into an item again was uncertain, but it didn’t really matter.

Feeding Ara good food, good items, enhanced her abilities. The efficiency might drop a bit, but…

‘Seeing Ara and my siblings happy while eating delicious things is a reward for me, too.’

Having established ourselves to some extent, I wasn’t in a rush. With my abilities, I could achieve far greater results than what this one candy could offer.

“Let’s eat.”

“Bro, can’t we try making it just once more? Just in case.”

“Then it’ll get cold.”

“Sweet potato candies are still good when cold.”

Jae-seong and Seon-ah sent me intense looks.

These kids didn’t have the same peace of mind as me. I understood them well enough.

“Ara, can you wait a little longer? If I make one more, you can have it all to yourself.”

“Ugh… Okay then.”

Seon-ah wiped the drool from beneath Ara’s chin.

Thus, the torturous wait continued for Ara as we prepared to cook the sweet potato again.

I felt we could have just let her eat one in the meantime, but feared the side effects might be too severe, so I endured.

“You’ve waited a long time? The sweet potato candies are done again.”

“Candies! Candies!”

The awaited moment.

I checked the newly made sweet potato candies.

[Magic Sweet Potato Matang]

[Obtain Physical Enhancement LV.1 for 2 hours 13 minutes.]

Oh? The time has changed slightly.

“How about it, bro?”

“It’s done. The item description showed up.”

“Awesome!”

Seon-ah cheered on behalf of Jae-seong and me. Being well-versed in awakened beings, she seemed to truly grasp the magnitude of this event.

“But earlier it was for 3 hours, now it’s showing 2 hours 13 minutes.”

“Ah… I rushed this batch a bit, so the quality might have dropped. Could that be why?”

It was a reasonable assumption. To me, both batches seemed tasty, but Jae-seong, who did the cooking, would know better.

‘Now that I think about it, creating items from my crops… This could sell well.’

I wasn’t sure if mass production was feasible, but if handled well, Jae-seong wouldn’t have to worry about his restaurant failing in the future. Of course, even without these effects, the taste alone was competitive enough.

“Candies!”

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s eat now.”

We decided to start by eating the candies that had cooled down enough.

The candies, coated in syrup, had hardened like candy but still retained their golden allure, even seeming more lustrous…

‘They must have looked dazzling while being cooked.’

As I picked one up and popped it into my mouth, a familiar sweetness hit me.

It felt ordinary at first, but as I chewed, it transformed dramatically.

“Umm!!”

We moaned simultaneously, looking at each other as if to say, ‘You feel it too, right?’

The sweetness of this batch of sweet potatoes was much more pronounced than before, but it didn’t upset the balance at all.

The concentrated flavor and sweetness of the sweet potatoes burst like a water balloon, hidden under the coating of sugar and syrup.

This dramatic presentation made eating them feel not just like having food but like experiencing the climax of an orchestra concert.

“This isn’t just food…”

As I muttered unknowingly, Jae-seong nodded vigorously as if he understood.

“You could feel the thrill of a course meal in just one piece of this sweet potato candy! This is a revolution in the culinary world!”

Excited, Jae-seong picked up another candy.

However, he didn’t put it in his mouth right away but examined it intensely while holding it.

“If we intentionally arrange a course meal with these kinds of foods, it wouldn’t just be eating; it would be an experience as profound as watching a play or a concert.”

While we chatted, Seon-ah savored the candy with her eyes closed, and Ara, with her tiny hands, inhaled them as if possessed.

“This is so delicious!”

Feeling my gaze, Ara shouted with her mouth full of candies. Then, startled, she picked up the bowl with the second batch of candies.

“You can have all of those to yourself.”

I thought Ara was being greedy, but then she surprised me with her actions.

“I’m going to share them downstairs! Delicious things should be shared!”

“Ah!”

Blinded by the idea of items, I had completely forgotten about the slimes.

I quickly helped Ara, who was trying to carry a stack of candies as tall as her tiny body.

“Ah, how can our Ara be so thoughtfully adorable?”

“Why is Ara ‘our’ Ara?”

I teased Seon-ah with her own words as we all headed downstairs. The slimes, probably drawn by the smell, gathered around.

Considering Ara’s appetite, I had made plenty of candies, enough to share with the slimes.

Squish! Squish!

Pop!

The candies smelled less than roasted or steamed sweet potatoes, but all the flavor and aroma were concentrated inside.

That’s probably why, to the slimes, the nearly scentless candies just seemed like a joyful treat.

“Hehe. You guys, this is what sweet potato candies are.”

“It’s candies!”

“Pop? Squirm?”

Brrrr!!

The slimes reacted immediately after eating the sweet potato candies, shaking their bodies as if to say, ‘What did I just eat?’

“Hehe! Everyone likes it! As expected, these candies are unbeatable!”

Ara, who understood the language of the slimes, happily ate one herself as if it was her own accomplishment, then clenched her hands and shivered.

“It’s delicious! Indeed, this is Jae-seong’s doing!”

Watching the joyful Ara and slimes, I too ate a candy. It was a sophisticated yet snack-like taste, melting away all my worries into bliss.

Yes, this is what happiness is—what else could it be?

‘I want to share this feeling with others.’

The first people who came to mind were naturally my parents.

I should ask my siblings to take some crops from the storage later so that they can enjoy them with our parents.

Next would obviously be Young-seong and Kang Hanul, the awakened ones.

I had been planning to contact them anyway, but now it seems like a good time for an outing.

I also wanted to spread this happiness to strangers.

‘Once I handle the dungeon issue, I’ll help Jae-seong open his restaurant quickly.’

Just imagining it filled my heart.

* * *

After the candy commotion, we packed up.

Unfortunately, the effects of the candies did not manifest in Jae-seong and Seon-ah, who were ordinary people.

“Bro, how about we just take Ara out with us?”

Jae-seong asked worriedly as I was preparing for the outing. Seon-ah supported his suggestion.

“Yeah, brother. Ara would probably enjoy that too…”

“I’d like to take her out, but Ara’s appearance is not exactly ordinary…”

Golden blonde hair, eyes like a tiger, and tiger ears.

Plus, overwhelmingly cute.

It might be fortunate that she doesn’t have a tail, but her appearance was still very conspicuous.

I worried about how to handle the situation if someone felt something was off and reported it.

“There’s only one solution I can think of.”

“Oh? You have a method?”

Seon-ah spoke confidently, and next to me, Ara, clutching my leg, looked up at Seon-ah with hopeful eyes.

“Join a guild.”

“Ah…”

“There are many types of awakened beings, right? Some have summoning abilities, and there are tamers. You could register in such a way that you can legally bring Ara along.”

“That seems like the right approach. Of course, it would still be noticeable.”

I had never heard of humanoid familiars before.

While there might be humanoid familiars or demons in other countries that I’m not aware of, there certainly weren’t any in South Korea.

“Do you have connections with the Ara Hongryeon Guild? Maybe you should consult with them?”

“Hmm…”

While eating the candies, I recounted what had happened recently. Jae-seong was somewhat distracted by inspiration for his cooking, but Seon-ah was very interested.

“If that’s too burdensome, maybe talk to Kang Hanul first.”

“Kang Hanul? Hmm, I’ll think about it a bit.”

Whatever happens, if Ara isn’t going to spend her life only in dungeons, this is a problem we’ll need to address eventually.

Plus, once Ara grows more, we’ll likely go dungeon raiding together, so it’s something I need to consider in advance.

‘After all, there are hardly any people who can see Ara’s information.’

There are awakened beings who can see information about monsters, but they are extremely rare. So rare, in fact, that there is only one such person in our country.

As I was lost in thought, Ara rubbed her face against my leg.

“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong.”

“Yeah. I’ll be back quickly this time too. I’ll bring back lots of tasty treats.”

“Okay.”

Seeing Ara looking so disheartened made me feel like I was somehow a major criminal.

…I suppose I really should arrange a meeting with the Ara Hongryeon Guild through Young-seong or Awakener Kang Hanul.

“No, let’s just go together.”

“Together!?”

Ara’s head shot up, her eyes sparkling.

And my siblings nodded, smiling as if they knew this would be my decision.

“It will be noticeable as you said, bro. But in times like these, I think there’s no need to worry too much.”

“Right, brother. From what I see, you’re being too overprotective.”

Indeed, looking at the appearances of other awakeners nowadays, Ara’s unique features wouldn’t even be considered unusual.

Many had their appearances changed by the manifestation of their powers or were adorned with all sorts of gear and accessories collected from dungeons.

It had become normal in the current era, unlike the past. My siblings were right; I was worrying too much.

‘I tried not to be overprotective…’

And yet, here I was, being called overprotective by Seon-ah.

But anyone would become overprotective if they had someone like Ara to look after.

“Still, we should probably cover her ears?”

“No, if she’s just wearing a straw hat, it should be fine. People probably won’t even think they’re real ears and will assume they’re just decorations on the hat.”

“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong! We’re going together! I’ll behave well!”

After thinking if there was anything more to prepare, I nodded.

“Alright, let’s go!”

“Wow! We’re going out!”

And so, Ara’s first outing was decided.

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