After returning from the Dungeon of Gluttony, I checked on the cucumbers and eggplants, then got to work on the backlog.
There was plenty to do: clearing out the mountains of pruned sprouts, checking and organizing seeds and crops, managing the fruits I brought back from the dungeon, and checking on the slimes’ condition, among other tasks.
Even though it wasn’t a lot, it was all my responsibility, so I had to go through the process.
“By the way, strawberries take a really long time.”
Out of all the crops I planted, strawberries were the only ones not yet harvested.
Now, they were just starting to turn white, and it would take a few more days until they were ready.
“Are you going out?”
“Yeah.”
Having finished the overdue dungeon work, it was time to handle outdoor tasks.
By now, the vegetable juice I’d given to Young-seong would have run out, and I needed to deliver freshly harvested cucumbers and eggplants to Jae-seong.
‘Come to think of it, I feel like I’m forgetting something…’
As I pondered, I realized I’d forgotten about receiving the reward for preventing the dungeon break.
It wasn’t urgent, so I figured it could wait.
I had Bokkeum gather my things and put him in my bag, completing the expanded storage backpack.
“This is so convenient.”
Slurp-
Bokkeum, understanding my words, would spit out only the needed items when asked.
Plus, it was lightweight, making it a superior alternative to most spatial expansion items.
“Vegetable juice?”
“Got it!”
“Cucumbers and eggplants?”
“Got it!”
“Ara’s snacks?”
“Got it!”
“Great, everything’s packed? Let’s go.”
Having finished the dungeon exploration, it was time to start saving money.
It was time to prepare funds to buy a dungeon and set up a restaurant.
I left the dungeon.
And as soon as I checked my phone…
“Why do I have so many messages?”
No exaggeration, I had hundreds of messages.
There were dozens of missed calls, mostly from unknown numbers.
Wondering if something had happened while I was gone, I called my mother at home.
-Hello? Is that Kyu-seong?
“Yes, Mom. I’m out right now, but did something happen at home?”
-Oh! The police came by twice recently, and someone from Ara Hongryeon came by with a contract once.
“The police?”
-Yes. They said they were giving an award and a reward. It’s been noisy around here because of that.
“I see, I thought something happened.”
-Something did happen! Why didn’t you tell me about it? And you had Ara with you too?
“Did the police tell you what happened?”
-Of course! It was even on online news and appeared on the TV once.
“…What?”
It was even on the news?
Thinking about it slowly, it made sense. After all, it was a sudden dungeon break in downtown Seoul.
-Are you coming home now?
“Yes. I just harvested new cucumbers and eggplants.”
-You don’t even know what’s happening in the neighborhood, being so engrossed in farming!
It seemed the situation was more of an issue than I had thought.
I remembered the dozens of missed calls from unknown numbers.
‘It must be because of this.’
Last time, I managed to fight off the enemies, but the guilds, having assessed the situation, must have tried to contact me for information.
After ending the call with my mother, I checked the piled-up messages, confirming my guess.
“Kyu-seong, an awakener from Haemosu Guild. Would you like to have a meal sometime…? Foxfire Guild, if you have time, please contact us…”
There were messages from well-known guilds and unfamiliar ones.
How did they get my number?
Then, I noticed a message from Dasom Orphanage, where the boy Hong-Jun, whom Ara and I had saved, lived.
The message, sent through Jeong So-yeon, expressed gratitude and mentioned they wanted to show their appreciation sometime.
“I can’t accept a reward from an orphanage.”
However, I did intend to visit them sometime.
After all, it’s where Ara’s first friend of similar age lived, and I owed Jeong So-yeon.
“Ara, do you remember Hong-Jun?”
“The tiny kid!”
“Right. We’re planning to visit him. How does that sound?”
“Ooh! Sounds good! Are we going today?”
“Let’s contact them first. If not today, we can go another time.”
“Hehe! I want to eat delicious food with him!”
First, I decided to stop by home.
I needed to deliver the cucumbers and eggplants and check the contract from Ara Hongryeon.
With Ara in my arms, I descended the mountain and arrived home, where my mother greeted us warmly.
“Oh my! Ara, you’re here? Did you miss Grandma?”
“Great Lord! It’s been a while! I missed you so much!”
At times like these, Ara’s social skills were truly admirable.
However, I felt a bit awkward hearing my mother refer to herself as Grandma, as she wasn’t quite at that age yet.
‘In the first place, Ara is not my daughter….’
…Let’s just say she’s right to call herself Grandma. Ara is indeed my daughter.
Once inside the house, I could take Bokkeum out of the bag. As I made Bokkeum spit out the cucumbers and eggplants, my mother, who was having a cute conversation with Ara, was startled and asked, “What is this?”
“Eggplants and cucumbers.”
“No, I mean this wriggling thing.”
“Oh! I’m so used to it that I forgot to explain. This is a slime. They’re my companions.”
I introduced Bokkeum to my mother. “Bokkeum, this is my mother, Kim Hyun-Mi. Mom, this is Bokkeum, a slime like Ara.”
“A slime like Ara?”
“They look quite different, but yes. Ara is unique.”
Leaving my confused mother for a moment, I organized the cucumbers and eggplants and put them in the fridge.
“Where’s Jae-seong?”
“He went out for some groceries. But this Bokkeum?”
“Yes, his name is Bokkeum. Ara named him.”
“Is he safe?”
“Yes. You can touch him. Haven’t you seen slimes on TV? They’re quite famous.”
“I know, but I never thought I’d see one in person.”
My mother cautiously touched Bokkeum, who rippled shyly.
“Oh my, look at him.”
She seemed to like Bokkeum, gently stroking him without any reluctance.
“Ugh!”
Ara, seeing this, felt jealous. She pouted and squirmed.
“Grandma, touch me too, Great Lord!”
“Oh, of course, my princess. Come here!”
“Hehe.”
Seeing Ara smile again while being held by my mother was endearing. Simple as she was, that’s what made her cute.
“Mom, where’s the contract?”
“Oh, I left it in the top drawer of the master bedroom.”
I immediately checked the contract. For a moment, I thought I must have misread it, so I checked again.
“Mom.”
“Yeah?”
“Did you see this?”
“Yes!”
“But, aren’t you shocked? Shouldn’t you be more surprised?”
The reason I was so startled was the contract amount. It mentioned a signing bonus of 1 billion won.
“I showed it to Seon-ah since she knows these things well. She said it’s nothing much.”
“Mom! Even though it’s common for other awakeners to receive such amounts, aren’t you surprised by the sheer amount?”
“I was initially, but after hearing Seon-ah talk about it for a few days, it didn’t seem like a big deal. Besides, you need that money to buy the place you’re living in now, right?”
Oh! Thanks to my mother, I remembered something I had forgotten. I was so shocked that it slipped my mind, but I did need the money.
However, accepting this money would mean joining Ara Hongryeon. Although it’s a guild that others are eager to join, I had to be cautious.
‘Objectively, my ability is unique and unprecedented.’
If I did everything alone, it would be far more profitable than joining a guild. However, things in life never go as smoothly as planned. Awakeners aren’t fools; there’s no reason to join a guild and give up a portion of the dungeon settlement fees.
“But the terms are really favorable.”
The contract period was set for two years.
The profit-sharing ratio was 9:1, with me getting 9 and the guild getting 1.
Although even 1% could be significant, the standard contracts in the awakener industry typically had a 6:4 or, at best, a 7:3 ratio.
Moreover, the guild would likely offer a higher percentage for various advertising and media revenue streams, aside from the dungeon settlement fees.
‘The guild does a lot of work. They manage schedules, handle legal disputes, sort out the complex accounting of dungeon by-products, and bring in jobs and uncharted dungeons. Signing a contract with them isn’t a loss.’
For someone like me, they also promised to handle the distribution of the items I created. This would be quite helpful for someone who didn’t have clear channels for sales or supplies.
And the immediate payout of 1 billion won was very appealing. I had planned to save money quickly to buy a dungeon after returning from the Dungeon of Gluttony, and 1 billion won would cover half of that already.
“I should sign the contract.”
I needed to sign a contract with someone anyway.
I only had one body. I didn’t have enough time to develop sales channels, handle distribution, management, and sales all by myself.
The best option was a place with good conditions and many people who viewed me favorably.
“Mom, what do you think about me joining this guild?”
“I don’t know much about these things. I can only tell you to be cautious when signing contracts. But the lady and gentleman who came by last time seemed like decent people.”
“Lady and gentleman?”
“Seon-ah later made a big fuss, saying they were famous people. She was about to eat Jae-seong alive for not getting their autographs.”
Ah, it must have been Jeong So-yeon who came by. Since we had met before, she must have come in person.
‘…But considering her position as the Team Leader of Ara Hongryeon, it’s quite impressive.’
Given her high position, she must be busy, so I felt a bit sorry and thankful that she took the time to visit. I wasn’t even there.
It could have been a high-level sales tactic to make me feel this way, but it seemed to have worked well.
“I think I should sign the contract.”
“Yes, if my son thinks it’s the right choice, then it is. You’ll do well, my son.”
Thank you for the encouragement, Mother.
But why is your gaze fixed on Ara in your arms while you’re talking to me?
“Oh! The police who came by last time seemed to be quite interested in you too.”
“The police?”
“My son has become quite popular.”
To be honest, I wasn’t interested in the police.
It’s a good job, no doubt. If you’re righteous and dedicated, being a police officer is perfect.
But my goal was simply to live happily and peacefully with my family. Ideally, with some affluence.
Unfortunately, being a police officer didn’t fit into that picture.
“I’ll have to decline the police offer.”
“Oh my, Ara! Is it tasty?”
Now mumbling to myself, I reviewed the contract once again. Though I wasn’t an expert in law, I couldn’t find any problematic clauses.
“Seon-ah already took it to a legal consulting office for review. The lawyer was actually surprised by how favorable the conditions were and checked it twice or thrice to see if there were any traps. He found none.”
“You should have told me that earlier; I worried for nothing.”
With that settled, I should contact Young-seong and arrange a meeting, then visit Ara Hongryeon. Strike while the iron is hot and seal the deal.
Unless a stronger guild than Ara Hongryeon suddenly offered me a place, I wouldn’t change my mind.
Well, that’s unlikely, right? Ha ha.
Cliche Novel 