It was the quest window that I hadn’t seen in a long time. Considering that I once risked my life for quests, I realized how much things had changed.
“As expected, the dungeon’s name is ‘Gluttony’.”
I paid more attention to the name of this place than the content of the quest. I had anticipated it, but it was indeed the System-certified Gluttony Dungeon.
But when I checked the content of the quest again, surprisingly, it didn’t seem too difficult. Well, if it were someone else, they might have thought, ‘What kind of absurd quest is this?’ But to me, it was just another quest, almost like a bonus.
“Since I planned to farm here anyway, might as well clear the quest while I’m at it.”
Come to think of it, this wasn’t the first time I had received quests. With a mindset of wanting to check it out after a long time, I glanced at the quest list.
[Awakening Quest: Hunt Monsters]
[Hunt monsters using slimes.]
[Goblin: 0/10]
[Awakening Quest: Offer Tributes]
[Gather the specified items and submit them.]
[Directly harvested dungeon fruits: 10/10]
[Directly harvested Lv.2 magic-infused crops: 0/50]
[Quest: Develop a New Crop]
[Discover or develop a new crop.]
[New crop: ⅓]
Others may have just one quest, but I had a whopping four quests piled up, considering I had just received one more. Yet, considering the time I had spent without taking quests, it hadn’t been that long.
“…There were times when I couldn’t clear a quest for three years and struggled.”
Now, my life’s value wasn’t solely based on quests, but still, there was no harm in clearing them.
But for now, let’s survey the surroundings.
The slimes that came with me were marveling at the unfamiliar environment, bouncing around.
“Shall we take a stroll around?”
“We’ll take a stroll!”
Right ahead, a giant tree caught my eye. It was so enormous that the distance seemed ambiguous compared to the tree that served as a marker for the return route. Although it looked like we could reach it with just a little walk, in reality, it could be much farther.
“Shall we go to that tree?”
“Twinkle-twinkle tree! Let’s go!”
“Is that tree called Twinkle-twinkle tree?”
“I named it!”
The tree didn’t particularly shine, so why did Ara name it Twinkle-twinkle tree?
Except for its unrealistic size, there were no other notable features about the lush green leaves of the tree.
“Why Twinkle-twinkle tree?”
“It twinkles and shines! It becomes beautiful when it shines!”
“Oh? It shines, too?”
“That’s right!”
That sounds interesting. Maybe there’s something special about such a huge tree shining.
“Alright, let’s go check it out, kids.”
“We’re going!”
I called the slimes, who were still bouncing around, gathered them, and headed towards the Twinkle-twinkle tree.
***
“It worked, it worked!”
Choi Young-seong, who was checking the computer, suddenly jumped up and shouted.
At the sudden noise, Kim Si-young, who was in the room next door, peeked her head out.
“Honey? What’s going on?”
Now that she had recovered enough to get up from her seat, she looked at her husband with a face full of curiosity.
“Oh! Finally, we got definite data!”
“Data? About my poison?”
“Exactly! The simulation results show a 99.99% chance of recovery!”
“And what’s new? I’m already getting better, so isn’t it obvious?”
“Still, just to be sure, we collected data for several days. Even though you’re improving now, there’s no guarantee of complete recovery.”
With a wide grin, Choi Young-seong approached Kim Si-young and showed her the computer screen.
“Look at this. Can you see it? The recovery probability. You can just consider it confirmed. Decoding is over now!”
“You’re really something. You’re even happier looking at the computer screen when the results are already proving it with my body.”
While shaking her head, Kim Si-young couldn’t hide the smile on her lips. Then, as if something occurred to her, she shook Choi Young-seong’s shoulder.
“Honey.”
“Hmm?”
“Besides me, there are other people who are addicted. Most of them have unfortunately passed away, but…”
“Ah!”
Choi Young-seong, who had been preoccupied with Kim Si-young’s concerns, exclaimed with surprise.
“Can that child be cured too?”
“Of course! As long as we have the vegetable juice…”
Choi Young-seong’s voice trailed off. He could solve addiction. But the ability wasn’t his. It belonged solely to Lee Kyu-seong.
“It feels a bit presumptuous to ask. Kyu-seong isn’t that kind of person, but for us to intervene…”
“It’s not about asking. We can make it a mutually beneficial deal.”
Seeing Choi Young-seong’s dark expression, Kim Si-young chuckled. Her smile resembled the one from the days when she roamed the dungeons, known as the ‘Queen of Lightning.’
“I wouldn’t dare to disrespect a benefactor like him. And besides, apart from me, there’s only one awakened person suffering from poisoning in Korea. You know who that is, right?”
“Of course.”
“To repay Kyu-seong and to check on our old colleagues, I’ll contact them. Let’s confirm Kyu-seong’s condition first.”
At that time, the awakened individuals who were addicted with her were once renowned figures.
Although they might not have the same wealth or influence as they did back then, they still had enough. Moreover, once the poison was cured with Kyu-seong’s vegetable juice, it was only a matter of time before they regained their original positions.
“Now that the data is out, they won’t doubt it if we send them the information. If necessary, I can go myself.”
“Honey, you haven’t fully recovered…”
“That child is probably still struggling in hopeless agony.”
Kim Si-young’s eyes gazed into the distance, as if recalling the difficult days she had once experienced alongside them.
“I want to let them know there’s still hope, that they don’t have to suffer anymore.”
“…Okay. Then let me contact Kyu-seong first. I’ll also find out how Baek Seung-hyeon, the Level 7 awakened, is doing.”
Baek Seung-hyeon, a Level 7 awakened.
He was known as the greatest supporter in Korea.
Although he was only one level below Kim Si-young, he participated in the takedown of the Dungeon of Greed due to his remarkable abilities.
Furthermore, his guild, the ‘Iron Blood Guild,’ was a top-tier guild in Korea, so even when he returned from addiction, they were still working hard to save Baek Seung-hyeon.
“Moreover, Baek Seung-hyeon is the son of the guild master of the Iron Blood Guild. He would never give up on his son’s life.”
If there was a way to cure him, they would probably try everything they could.
“…By the way, many of the people who were addicted at that time are also abroad. Since the takedown team was a multinational guild alliance.”
“Yeah. Since it was the first attempt at a 9th-grade dungeon, all the awakened individuals around the world were interested back then.”
“If we handle this well…”
Choi Young-seong fell into thought.
There might not be many people alive now, but one thing was clear: if the addicted awakened individuals abroad were treated with Kyu-seong’s abilities, the impact would be tremendous.
“I should talk to Kyu-seong about this.”
Choi Young-seong and Kim Si-young pondered how they could help Kyu-seong while ensuring things went smoothly.
***
Around that time, rumors were circulating among domestic guilds, causing a stir.
“What? Food as an item?”
“Are you talking about potions? Well, there are all sorts of potions out there. Of course, you have to do some box farming in the dungeons.”
“That’s not it? Just regular food that’s also an item, with abilities attached?”
And most of the awakened individuals who heard the rumors exclaimed together.
“This can’t be true!”
But the rumors only grew louder.
Eventually, some of them visited the Iron Fist Guild, which was the first to bring out information on this matter, to verify the truth.
And Kim Dong-gil of the Iron Fist Guild, who had been cautious about secretly investigating, denied knowing anything about it.
“Isn’t that suspicious?”
However, such behavior only raised suspicions.
Since most people already knew that Kim Dong-gil had personally inquired about the information, they began to take the rumors more seriously.
Then one day, a decisive incident occurred.
“Well, it just won’t work.”
As usual, Kang Hanul, attending the Gourmet meeting, leaned his forehead against his hands, lost in thought.
“I’ve… become a body that can’t survive without his food. It’s a curse.”
“Huh? Hanul?”
Kim Dong-gil, who was sitting next to him, called out to him with an anxious expression.
But Kang Hanul continued his soliloquy without responding to Kim Dong-gil’s call.
“Is it tastier because it’s an item?”
“Gasp!”
Kim Dong-gil was taken aback and quickly suppressed his surprise, pretending nothing had happened.
Most of the attendees at the Gourmet meeting didn’t show much reaction to Kang Hanul’s eccentric words, but they now paid close attention to Kim Dong-gil’s unusual reaction.
“Was it really true?”
“Regular food as an item?”
“And it even tastes good? Hanul’s reaction was strange last time too.”
Kim Dong-gil felt uneasy.
He felt as if he had been caught red-handed, having his coveted food exposed.
And with the competition growing, even Kang Hanul couldn’t obtain much of the precious resource.
“Hmm, come to think of it, didn’t he mention opening a restaurant a while ago?”
Kang Hanul’s soliloquy continued.
Until then, the attendees, who hadn’t paid much attention to his soliloquy, now listened intently, as if they could hear ants crawling.
Kim Dong-gil felt the saliva pooling in his mouth involuntarily at the mention of a restaurant.
‘Opening a restaurant! That’s… amazing!’
But unlike Kim Dong-gil, who had never tasted the food, other attendees at the gourmet meeting were more focused on the effects of the item.
If, as Kang Hanul said, a restaurant opened, and if it really was as rumored, an item with various abilities attached, then visiting it before entering the dungeon would become a must-do.
Of course, this was a rational judgment made by those who hadn’t tasted Lee Kyu-seong’s crops.
“Um…. Is it really true that they’re opening a restaurant?”
Kim Dong-gil finally decided not to hide and asked directly. Since the information was already out, asking whether it was true was the most urgent matter.
The sweet potato candy from that day had given Kim Dong-gil a feeling of a turning point in life.
‘Wait a minute! Opening a restaurant means there’s more than just sweet potato candy on the menu, right?’
Because his attention had been focused solely on the sweet potato candy until now, his vision had been narrow. But upon further thought, a restaurant meant more than just one menu item…
‘…Even one menu item could be a hit, right?’
As Kim Dong-gil was imagining all this alone, Kang Hanul chuckled and said,
“It’s a joke. Hahaha!”
“….”
“Since you’re spreading rumors everywhere, I decided to play a joke. Hahaha!”
Kim Dong-gil couldn’t retort due to the sting he felt. But Kang Hanul didn’t know yet.
That Lee Kyu-seong was actually considering opening a restaurant. And that his younger brother, Lee Jae-seong, was researching cooking with Kyu-seong’s crops.
“Anyway, since it seems like the rumor is true, couldn’t you let us know a bit?”
“I’d like to try that rumored food too.”
One by one, the participants of the Gourmet meeting expressed their curiosity. Hearing this, Kang Hanul crossed his arms and fell into thought.
“Hmm, I’ll ask once.”
Isn’t this suddenly getting too big? Kang Hanul, slightly worried about Kyu-seong, soon thought calmly. If any problems arise from this incident, he would step forward to protect and resolve them for Kyu-seong. Or better yet, why not just become his sponsor? Who in South Korea would dare to touch someone sponsored by Kang Hanul!
“Hahaha!”
Kang Hanul’s laughter, as he alone unfolded the wings of imagination, continued endlessly.
* * *
“My ears are itching. Who’s talking about me?”
Lee Kyu-seong, inspecting the Dungeon of Gluttony, scratched his ear.
Just a mere Level 1 awakened individual, Lee Kyu-seong. He had become a mysterious figure with influence spreading in all directions.
Cliche Novel 