Round 30

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The measuring device was in tatters.

Where numbers should have been displayed on the sign, instead, a jumble of unrecognizable alphabets was mixed up.

“What’s going on?!”

Then, a family voice came from behind.

It was Young-seong, who had arrived unnoticed.

“Ah, Chief  Young-seong.”

“I apologize for intruding so suddenly, Guild Leader. I heard that Kyu-seong was here and was waiting in the observation room…”

Young-seong’s gaze turned towards Ara.

Ara looked refreshingly relaxed, seemingly unaware of the ramifications of what she had initiated.

“Chief, this should not be discussed openly.”

“I understand. But is that child an awakened being?”

Han Seok-jun looked at me with a troubled expression. Meeting his gaze, I scratched my head and said,

“She’s my Familiar.”

“…A familiar?”

“She’s not human.”

At my words, Young-seong’s face looked utterly shocked.

“She’s a monster.”

* * *

After leaving the measurement room, we entered another room similar to a conference room.

After moving around and even using her breath attack, Ara was hungrily eating the tomatoes and carrots I had brought.

“You never know with people. Who would have thought Kyu-seong would have a Familiar.”

“Right.”

Though there were actually more than ten familiars in the dungeon, I kept quiet about that.

“Mr. Kyu-seong.”

“Yes, Guild Leader.”

“The data has been extracted by the computer. About that breath’s power.”

I nodded with a tense expression.

“Surprisingly, the figures exceed even the final technique of a Level 8 awakener. Technically, it’s just the numbers, but in reality, even an Level 8 awakener might find it difficult to achieve such results.”

“Hehehe.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Glancing at Ara, who was eagerly devouring the food, she noticed my gaze and gave me a bright smile.

‘…Does the breath grow too?’

With her ability of gluttony, Ara is continuously growing.

If she becomes stronger than this, I’ll be living with an absurdly strong slime.

“Of course, considering the preparation time and the immediacy of the attack, most monsters or awakeners with a certain level could avoid this skill.”

“That…makes sense.”

“However, if the conditions are met, that is, if it hits, it might be the strongest skill in Korea.”

The more I heard, the more unbelievable it seemed, and Ara looked increasingly impressive. After all, she was one of the infamous Seven Deadly Sins, and it would be strange if she were weak.

Her cute appearance and behavior had briefly made me forget that she was one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

‘Only three of the Seven Deadly Sins have been revealed so far. Including Ara, that makes four now.’

Ara was on par with the bosses of the nine-grade dungeons, which existed only three in the entire world.

Compared to those creatures, she still felt weak.

But as she continues to grow by eating the crops I grow through her gluttony?

BAM!

“Is the test over?”

Kang Hanul entered the conference room and, seeing the vegetables Ara was eating, his eyes popped.

“Oh! Kyu-seong’s crops! Does Ara eat these every day? I’m envious!”

“They are delicious! Will you join us?”

“You’re cute and also so kind! Hahaha! Take a bite!”

Kang Hanul didn’t seem very interested in the results of the test.

Well, just by looking at Ara’s appearance, it seems like no one would be curious.

“Kyu-seong, what will you do?”

Watching Kang Hanul and Ara eating enthusiastically, I fell into a moment of contemplation. However, nothing would really change for Ara.

“Do you have any advice? Honestly, I’m quite satisfied with how things are now. I don’t have much ambition, and I think I would be happy just continuing like this.”

Growing crops and sharing the joy of the harvest with those around me, taking care of family and enjoying everyday life with Ara was all I dreamed of.

I had some ambitions before, but after three years of hard work, I finally realized what was truly important.

“Hehe.”

Han Seok-jun suddenly smiled seeing my state. Wondering why he reacted like that, he opened his mouth.

“I’ve felt this before, but Mr. Kyu-seong, you seem very down-to-earth. And I find that very appealing.”

“That… thank you?”

Was that a compliment?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Han Seok-jun continued smiling and added,

“How about joining the Ara Hongryeon Guild?”

“The guild?”

“If anything happens, you can be protected within the guild’s framework. After all, you never know what might happen in life.”

“Wouldn’t joining a guild necessarily mean having certain obligations and responsibilities? I prefer freedom…”

“It’s an offer of goodwill.”

“Excuse me?”

“You can just be listed in the guild roster. Obligations like dungeon raids that are expected of awakeners? I would never impose such things on you.”

So he’s offering unilateral help from the guild without expecting anything in return?

Is there such a deal anywhere?

“That…”

“You can continue as you are now. You can just join the guild and be like a ghost.”

“But then, wouldn’t the guild gain nothing from this?”

“By offering my goodwill, I could gain yours.”

“Excuse me?”

“Gaining your goodwill. For us, that would be the greatest benefit.”

Young-seong and Kang Hanul, who had been watching the conversation, smiled sneakily, munching on baby carrots.

“Don’t try to understand. The Guild Leader is always like that.”

“Hehe! Seok-jun always knows how to make a heartfelt gesture. Although he doesn’t look much like a man. Hahaha!”

It was an unbelievable offer.

Han Seok-jun, seeming to understand my thoughts, smiled and stood up.

“There’s no need to decide right now. It’s okay to refuse. Think it over and speak freely.”

“Yes…”

“I’ll leave first as I have some work piled up. Feel free to stay as long as you like. Team Leader Hanul will take care of guiding you.”

With that, Han Seok-jun left the conference room, leaving a ripple in my mind.

* * *

‘I need space expansion items, not just dungeon acquisitions.’

I gave some surplus harvests to Hanul, and Young-seong took some fruit juice.

Having accomplished all my goals for this outing, I watched Ara eating ice cream and felt the need for a bag.

Eventually, the issue of transporting crops would be resolved since the dungeon’s location made transportation awkward.

I had to carry it myself, but this time, coming out with Ara, carrying a lot of luggage made me realize the inconvenience.

‘When Jae-seong sets up a restaurant or when it’s time to supply the Ara Hongryeon Guild, it will definitely be necessary.’

“But the space-expanding backpacks and items were astronomically expensive. Aside from items directly linked to life, they were among the most expensive.

“Huh? Kyu-seong?”

Lost in thought, I had just left the Ara Hongryeon  building and was walking toward the subway station when I heard someone calling me.

“Ah! Awakener Jeong So-yeon!”

Jeong So-yeon, who seemed to have just stepped out for a while, was walking towards the guild.

“Nyum- Nyum-“

“Huh? Who is that…?”

Jeong So-yeon, upon spotting Ara eating ice cream, asked with her attention completely captured.

“Uh… that, my niece?”

“Wow, your niece is really cute.”

If we were inside the guild building, I would have simply said she was a familiar, but since we were outside, I ended up giving a vague answer.

Ara, seeing Jeong So-yeon, flicked her tongue while eating her ice cream and suddenly exclaimed.

“She’s pretty!”

“Uh, uh? Thank you. Thanks for saying I’m pretty.”

Taken aback by the sudden comment, Jeong So-yeon blushed and soon burst into a sheepish smile. Ara, in turn, giggled and toddled closer.

“Do you know Kyu-seong Kyu-seong?”

“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong? Oh, yes, I know Mr. Kyu-seong.”

“Then you must be a good person! All of Kyu-seong Kyu-seong’s friends were good!”

Though it’s unclear why she reached that conclusion, Jeong So-yeon felt a bit odd about Ara’s unique way of speaking and I tried to change the subject.

“Are you heading to the guild?”

“Yes. I just stopped by my parents’ house.”

“Your parents’ house?”

Did she visit her parents?

“It seems like you had a nice break.”

“I just stopped by briefly. I’ve been too busy to visit often lately.”

Hearing Jeong So-yeon’s words suddenly reminded me of my own parents. Did my siblings return safely? Have they tried the sweet potatoes by now?

“That hat is really pretty. Your clothes are cute too.”

“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong bought them for me! Ah! This is called ice cream! Kyu-seong Kyu-seong bought this too! If you want, I can share a bite!”

While I was momentarily distracted thinking about my parents, the conversation between the two resumed. However, there was something peculiar in Jeong So-yeon’s eyes.

It was as if she was seeing Seon-ah’s eyes when she first saw Ara…

‘It feels like she’s barely holding back the urge to hug her.’

Jeong So-yeon ended up squatting right where she was, matching Ara’s gaze and chatting away.

The cute and pretty conversation between the two created a heartwarming atmosphere just by watching.

“Ah! I’m sorry, Kyu-seong. Ara is so cute; I got carried away chatting.”

“No, it’s fine. Ara seems to like it too.”

“Did Mr. Kyu-seong have some business with our guild?” Her gaze subtly shifted towards my backpack as if she were checking to see if there were any leftover vegetables or fruits. Fortunately, I had some left over from feeding Ara during our travels, so I took off my bag and pulled out a roasted sweet potato.

“No, it’s just that…”

Jeong So-yeon, perhaps embarrassed at having her gaze caught, blushed slightly and looked down. Still, she didn’t refuse, which seemed to confirm my guess.

“These are freshly harvested sweet potatoes. Please try one.”

“Ah… Thank you.”

She looked embarrassed but her face was filled with anticipation. Ara, who had been eating ice cream, stared blankly at the sweet potato, so focused that she didn’t even notice her ice cream melting and dripping down her hand.

“Should I give one to Ara too?”

“Yes!”

While wiping the ice cream off Ara’s hand, I pulled out another sweet potato. Truthfully, I wanted one too, but since there was only one left, I held back.

…There are still some left in the dungeon, so I’ll hold off.

“Matang! Matang!”

Ara, looking at the roasted sweet potato, sang about Matang (candied sweet potato) and then bit into it, skin and all. Jeong So-yeon, who had taken a sweet potato for herself, was holding it in her hand, but when she saw Ara eating, you could see her swallowing her saliva.

Golden hues were revealed in the bite marks.

And the lingering aroma of the roasted sweet potato gently spread around.

“Uuuuum!”

Ara wrapped her cheeks with her hands, showing a blissful expression.

Eventually, Jeong So-yeon couldn’t hold back any longer and quickly peeled the skin off her sweet potato.

“Ah-ah!”

Startled by the shining sweet potato, she quickly stuffed it into her mouth.

And then.

“Hmm?!”

With eyes wide open, Jeong So-yeon looked at me incredulously, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just eaten was a sweet potato.

“Delicious, isn’t it?”

It’s a pity I couldn’t bring more sweet potato mattang because we’ve eaten them all!

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