Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep-!
I woke up to the sound of the alarm.
Getting up earlier than usual, I left the still-sleeping Ara and went down to the field.
“Ah, good morning, guys.”
I had fallen asleep immediately after returning from completing the contracts with Ara Hongryeon and the Iron Blood Guild the previous day.
But I had to go out again today, so I woke up early.
‘Finally, I can buy the dungeon!’
I was able to buy the dungeon much sooner than I had expected, thanks to the contracts from the previous day.
‘A 1 billion won joining fee for Ara Hongryeon, a 1 billion won antidote contract with the Ironblood Guild, and a 1.8 billion won advance payment for a six-month item rental fee.’
I sold the antidotes at 200 million won each, selling five in total.
Additionally, there was an incentive clause in case Baek Seung-hyun’s condition showed signs of improvement. If that happened, I could sell the antidotes for 400 million won each.
Baek Tae-seop, the guild leader, was ready to give everything, but his secretary negotiated firmly.
Eventually, the price of the antidote was set at 200 million won each for the initial batch.
So, my total assets amounted to…
‘Exactly! 2.3 billion won!’
It was a bit regretful and anxious to spend all the money, but it made sense to buy the dungeon as soon as I had the funds.
It was better to buy it now than to keep delaying and spending money on minor things.
“Let’s see. The rough market price is…”
I stepped outside briefly to check the real estate listings on my phone.
The price of the dungeon seemed to have dropped since I last checked.
Exactly 2.2 billion won. I’d still have 100 million won left.
Since it was still early, I decided to start with some work. When I went back inside, Ara was waiting, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong… Where did you go…?”
“Oh, our princess is awake?”
Even though she wasn’t a little girl, I naturally called her a princess.
I picked up Ara, holding her close, and swayed her gently as we went downstairs. The slimes greeted Ara with morning greetings.
“Good morning!”
Ara, now fully awake, shouted energetically.
The slimes wobbled in their own ways, welcoming her.
“Today, we’re going to plant new crops.”
“New crops?”
“Yeah.”
I checked the seeds I had bought before visiting Ara Hongryeon the previous day.
Everything except for the strawberries had been harvested, and new crops were already planted. However, I had left a small portion of the land empty for adjustments.
‘I’m really running out of space.’
There wasn’t much room left for new crops, maybe one or two at most.
“Bell peppers!”
“That’s right, you remembered well.”
Ara, remembering the items we had looked at while buying seeds, smiled brightly.
“Are they delicious?”
“They are, when cooked.”
I had bought quite a variety of crops this time too.
Among them were bell peppers, which I planned to plant now.
The bell pepper seedlings, which I had bought as young plants, had already been stored and organized by Bokkeum the previous day.
As expected, the seedlings were neatly placed in the storage area.
‘With my experience growing eggplants, this should be a piece of cake.’
Honestly, the slimes did most of the work except for planting the seedlings.
So, Ara and I started planting the bell pepper seedlings, almost like playing with soil.
With her previous farming experience, Ara followed along quite well. Thanks to that, we finished the work much faster than I would have alone.
“Phew! That was rewarding!”
—
“Our Ara is now a full-fledged farmer.”
“Watering can! I’m going to water them!”
Ara dashed off to retrieve her watering can from where she had left her belongings. By the way, the item description of the watering can, which I had checked the previous day, was…
[Mysterious Watering Can (Common – Growth Type)]
[A watering can used by someone whose name is unknown. Helps crops grow.]
[- Crops watered with the water stored for a day grow 10% faster. Harvest yield increases by 5%.]
[- Has a low chance to trigger a [Bumper Harvest] effect.]
‘Not bad stats.’
It wouldn’t make a huge difference, but it was definitely better than nothing. Moreover, since it was a growth-type item, it would likely improve with use.
“Let’s hope for a bumper harvest.”
“Bumper harvest! But what is a bumper harvest?”
The description mentioned a low chance of triggering the bumper harvest effect, but unfortunately, there were no detailed explanations. We’d have to experience it to find out.
“A bumper harvest means all the crops grow healthy and strong, leading to a great yield.”
“Oh! Bumper harvest! Bumper harvest!”
Excited, Ara started watering the crops.
The watering can was definitely an item; it kept producing water far more than what had been poured into it.
It finally ran out after watering nearly 1,000 pyeong (about 3,300 square meters) of land.
“…This watering can is practically a water replicator. Isn’t that kind of overpowered?”
“Hehe! All watered! Now I’ll refill it!”
Using the watering can for the first time was quite satisfying.
Thanks to the slimes, there wasn’t a real need to water the crops, but it felt like giving them a bit of extra fertilizer.
Watching Ara refill the watering can, I checked my watch.
“Is it time yet?”
It was the time when people started going to work.
The real estate office should be opening soon. I should head out and make a call.
—
I called the real estate office to discuss the dungeon purchase. Soon, I was able to meet with the dungeon owner at the real estate office.
“Oh my, I didn’t expect the tenant to buy the dungeon.”
“Well, it turned out that way.”
The middle-aged woman smiled brightly and immediately handed over the contract, eager to finalize the deal.
‘She probably doesn’t know the dungeon has changed.’
Honestly, I felt a bit guilty, but I wasn’t naive enough to reveal the truth.
I signed the contract without negotiating the price.
The expressions of the real estate agent and the owner were priceless.
“Oh ho ho. You’ve made a wise decision. Honestly, the location might be a bit off, but there’s no other property like this.”
“Yes. I’ll transfer the money right away.”
“As expected of an Awakened, you earn well and spend big. Here are the documents and the deed. Make sure to keep them safe.”
The owner’s face showed relief at selling a troublesome property for a good price, which made me feel a bit guilty.
‘That dungeon is actually a goldmine.’
If she knew it allowed dual awakening and included the Gluttony Dungeon, she’d be hitting herself in regret.
Well, this is just the luck of the prepared.
And 2.2 billion won isn’t pocket change. Honestly, for an ordinary 100-pyeong infinite dungeon, she sold it for a high price.
‘I’ll take this secret to my grave.’
As long as these facts stayed hidden, everyone could be happy.
After completing the transaction, I left the real estate office and made a call. The person I called was none other than Young-seong.
“Hey, Kyu-seong.”
“Yes, brother. I’m ready.”
“Oh, already? That was fast. Just wait a moment.”
Young-seong, who had stepped out for a moment, came back and spoke to me.
“Can we meet around 11 o’clock?”
“11 o’clock? Got it. See you then.”
Before parting ways the previous day, we had made plans for Young-seong and his wife to visit what had now become my dungeon.
‘I should prepare in advance…’
After reporting the dungeon purchase to the local office, it was already 10 o’clock.
When I returned to the dungeon, Ara was waiting at the entrance. Though I had only been gone briefly, she looked displeased.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong! You said you’d be back soon!”
“Sorry, sorry. It took a bit longer than I thought.”
“Next time, I’m coming with you!”
“Alright. We’ll do that.”
I consoled Ara while getting our things ready.
Since I had roughly prepared everything the night before after completing the contract, we just needed to gather our belongings.
“Hmm, is it time to wait now? Ara, let’s go outside.”
“Aren’t we going to the dungeon?”
“We need to bring Young-seong and his wife here.”
“Oh!”
The dungeon was situated awkwardly on a mountainside, so we needed to go out to meet them. Besides, I wasn’t fully sure of Si-young’s condition and wanted to be ready to help her if necessary.
However, my concerns turned out to be unnecessary.
“Oh my, hello! Did you sleep well last night?”
“Gasp! Who are you?”
Ara, hiding behind my legs, exclaimed in surprise.
Standing before us was Si-young, looking healthy enough that you wouldn’t think she had been unwell.
“I saw you yesterday, but you’re such a cute child. I’m really envious.”
“Haha, thank you. Ara, this is Young-seong’s wife. You don’t need to be scared.”
It was unusual for Ara to be scared of people.
Did she sense her strong Awakened power?
Although Ara had seen her the previous day, she had fallen asleep before introducing herself.
“Oh! Nice to meet you! Are you Choi Young-seong’s mate?”
“Haha, yes, that’s right. Our Ara is so cute. Can I give you a hug?”
“You may if you become my subordinate!”
Si-young responded with amusement.
Meanwhile, Young-seong was unloading the car with an awkward expression.
“Oh! It’s Choi Young-seong! Your wife is pretty! Congratulations!”
“Uh, yeah. Thanks, Ara.”
He still seemed a bit wary of Ara, which contrasted amusingly with Si-young’s attitude.
“Kyu-seong, thank you again. I still can’t believe it. Am I dreaming right now?”
She twirled around with a bright smile, like a child full of wonder. It was really heartwarming to see.
Right after the contract was finalized, we visited Young-seong’s house along with the executives from Ara Hongryeon. They were so grateful that it was almost overwhelming.
‘It was a tearful moment.’
Since we had already expressed all our emotions, it was easier to face them calmly now.
“I’m so glad I could help. I’m really happy to see you so healthy.”
“No amount of gratitude can express how thankful I am, but I don’t want to burden you with it.”
“Haha, I can’t deny that.”
As Ara wandered around, puzzled by our laughter, she exclaimed, “Why are you laughing?”
“I heard you also gave an antidote to Awakened Baek Seung-hyun. Thank you so much, Kyu-seong.”
“It’s nothing. I didn’t give it for free; I received a fair price.”
Just then, Young-seong, who had finished unloading, announced that he was ready.
“Let’s go, Kyu-seong.”
“Yes.”
The walk to the dungeon was short.
Si-young climbed the mountain energetically, and Young-seong was also in good shape.
“This is my dungeon. I guess I should call it my home now.”
“Wow, did you decorate the inside like a house?”
“No, but I’m planning to now that it’s officially mine.”
The outside looked like a cave, but the scenery changed as we went inside. As soon as we entered the first floor of the dungeon, Young-seong and his wife marveled at the 100-pyeong field.
“Wow, seeing it in person is really amazing. I had an idea, but I didn’t expect you to be farming inside a dungeon.”
“We worked hard on it.”
At that moment, Si-young spotted a slime rolling around in the field and shouted in surprise.
“A slime? Is it okay to just leave it there?”
“Oh, it’s my familiar. It helps manage the field.”
“What? A slime managing a field?”
Her reaction was understandable.
There’s no common association between slimes and farming. No one would have imagined it.
After all, slimes are just wild monsters.
They can’t communicate or follow orders.
Only I could farm with slimes because the Slime Overlord’s ability made it possible.
‘…The intelligence of ordinary wild slimes is very low. Strangely, our slimes seem to be a bit smarter.’
Anyway, Young-seong and Si-young watched in fascination as the new slime Rookies managed the field.
“Choi Young-seong! Kim Si-young! There’s more to see here! I’ll show you around!”
Excitedly, Ara shouted to the two who were engrossed in the field and the slimes. They smiled and followed her.
And then…
“Oh my!”
“Wow! It’s this big? I never imagined! Look at these slimes, they’re so cute!”
Descending the ladder to the underground level, they were amazed. The 100-pyeong field on the first floor was already impressive, but discovering a field ten times that size was beyond their expectations.
Moreover, the cute slimes greeting the guests made it feel like stepping into a fairy tale.
‘Hehe.’
But this was just the beginning.
Compared to our real camping destination, the Gluttony Dungeon, this was just a small taste.
“Wow, honey! Look at this! Eggplants! And there are cherry tomatoes too!”
“So, what we ate came from here. Wow, this is incredible! I want to study this.”
Ara proudly guided them on a tour of the farm.
She explained various things in her own quirky way, making me smile.
“These are strawberries! They’ll turn red later! I haven’t tasted them yet, but they’re supposed to be very sweet and delicious!”
“Oh, really? Our Ara knows a lot!”
“Hmph! I’m amazing! I know a lot!”
Ara, with her nose in the air, spoke proudly.
Then she dashed off and returned with a freshly picked cherry tomato.
“Freshly picked cherry tomatoes are delicious! Kyu-seong Kyu-seong, the slimes, and I harvest them daily and eat them right away!”
“Wow, I’m so jealous. I want to live here too, Ara.”
“Hmph! I’ll think about it if you become my subordinate!”
Listening to Ara and Si-young’s cute conversation, Young-seong quietly asked me a question.
“Not bad. We’re camping here, right? It’s nice to experience the slimes and the farm.”
“Brother, this isn’t the place.”
“Hmm? Is there another level below this?!”
Oh, since we came down one floor, he might think there’s another level below. But unfortunately, that’s not the case, brother.
“Shall we head to the real camping spot?”
Cliche Novel 