Lee Kyu-seong’s Infinite Dungeon.
Today, Gomgom, who couldn’t go out with them, was playing with the slimes.
For Gomgom, who always wandered the forest alone, the presence of the slimes, Ara, and Lee Kyu-seong was very significant.
Roar.
‘I’m happy.’
While playing happily, Gomgom noticed other slimes working in the field.
Roar!
‘That looks fun!’
Although he didn’t know what they were doing, it looked quite fun, so Gomgom waddled over to try something himself, but it didn’t go as he wanted.
Groan.
‘It’s high.’
The tomatoes were hanging high.
The slimes worked together to harvest the tomatoes, but no matter how much Gomgom stretched his arms, he couldn’t reach them.
Groan!
‘I can do it!’
But Gomgom didn’t give up.
Soon, the slimes gathered around and started cheering for Gomgom.
Grabbing the tomato stem, Gomgom began climbing like he was scaling a tree.
Snap!
Groan!
‘I did it!’
Gomgom, who climbed up to where the tomatoes were, succeeded in his first harvest.
Wriggle- wriggle-
Bounce!
The slimes welcomed Gomgom, rejoicing as if it was their own accomplishment.
Gomgom, who brought down a cherry tomato, proudly offered it after climbing down the stem.
Groan!
‘How’s this!’
Everyone danced with joy at Gomgom’s gesture.
Gomgom also danced with the slimes before he promptly ate the tomato he had harvested.
Pop!
Groan!
‘Delicious!’
The tomato he harvested himself tasted much better than the ones he ate before.
Although Gomgom realized the joy of harvest, he was satisfied with just one tomato.
Roar! Roar!
‘Tomatoes are from a kind giant!’
Gomgom thought of Lee Kyu-seong as a kind giant.
At first, he was a very fearful and terrifying existence, but now he seemed like an angel.
Roar?
‘When is he coming back?’
Gomgom glanced around and, seeing the slimes working hard again, he wanted to help too.
He wanted to repay the kind giant who gave him delicious food and always made Ara happy.
Sniff sniff sniff.
Gomgom started sniffing, just like when he was in the Gluttony Dungeon.
The Alfheims were mistaken, but in reality, the main diet of the Star Bears wasn’t flowers.
Flowers and honey were more like delicacies; their real staple food was the fruits and mushrooms of certain plants.
Sniff sniff sniff!
Crawling around the 1,000-pyeong field and sniffing, Gomgom soon became sullen.
There were no mushrooms that Gomgom was looking for in this place.
Groan…
‘There were plenty over there.’
Then, he suddenly thought, why not go back to where he used to be and get the mushrooms?
Roar!?
‘How do I get there!?’
Lost in thought, Gomgom suddenly panicked and waddled towards the place with the altar.
Poispois, who had nothing else to do, followed behind Gomgom.
Roar~!
‘I’m going down~!’
Gomgom found the stairs and began to slowly descend them one step at a time, each step as tall as he was. Poispois also followed behind, watching over him.
Roar!
‘I made it!’
Gomgom and Poispois arrived in front of the door and stood there, looking at each other.
Roar?
‘What do we do now?’
Wriggle?
‘Not sure.’
The two of them tilted their heads, then decided to work together.
Gomgom exerted his tremendous strength, lifting the wobbling Poispois over his head. Poispois then grabbed the door handle and turned it.
[Confirming the dungeon master, Ara (Gluttony)]
[Entry is not permitted]
[Remaining mana: 0/10]
[No mana available]
If Kyu-seong had been there, he would have seen the notification.
However, Poispois and Gomgom just tilted their heads, staring at the door that wouldn’t open.
Roar?
‘It’s not working?’
Wriggle!
‘It seems only the overlord can do it!’
Gomgom and Poispois quickly gave up and forgot why they had come there in the first place. They looked back at the path they had come from.
Roar!
‘Oh no! It’s too high!’
Wriggle!?
‘How do we get back!?’
They hadn’t realized it while coming down, but going back up the stairs was too much for them. Eventually, Gomgom and Poispois, struggling hard, knelt before the great obstacle of the stairs.
Roar! Roar!
‘No! Help us!’
***
In the Ara Hongryeon Guild’s measurement room.
Everyone was waiting for the results of an unexpected occurrence.
“Hm, it seems….”
A member of the research team murmured while looking at the computer screen.
“It doesn’t seem to be combat-specialized. No, it might be, but it’s very ambiguous.”
“Hm….”
Hanul, who was present, seemed deep in thought. Jae-seong had vaguely described his ability, so everyone was expecting something, but the results were unclear.
“Hmm. The output is not very high. Checking the mana, it seems to be around Level 1.”
“I see.”
Guild Master Han Seok-jun nodded.
However, there was no sign of disappointment.
The others had similar reactions.
Normally, hearing “Level 1” would have prompted a negative response, but they didn’t seem to care much.
“Um… is it bad?”
“Huh? No, well. It’s not particularly good, but….”
Jae-seong asked with an anxious face, and the research team member gave an ambiguous answer.
For a moment, everyone’s gaze focused on me.
Then they smiled and reassured Jae-seong.
“The type of ability is what matters, even if it’s Level 1.”
“You’re right, you’re right. Look at your brother, Kyu-seong.”
What about me?
Of course, I knew they were talking about awakening ranks, but it still made me feel a bit upset.
“So, your ability is called ‘Absolute Sense,’ right?”
“It’s an ability to temporarily maximize one of the five senses. But since I’m Level 1, I can only maintain it for about a second.”
Ah, that’s disappointing.
It sounded quite useful from the explanation, but one second of duration is too short.
However, Guild Master Han Seok-jun approached Jae-seong without a hint of concern and asked, “Mr. Jae-seong, do you plan to stop cooking if you become an awakened?”
“Huh? No. I think I’ll continue cooking.”
“That’s great. This awakening will actually be a blessing for you, Mr. Jae-seong.”
Of course, it’s better than not having it.
Everyone nodded at the Guild Master’s words. He smiled and patted Jae-seong’s shoulder.
“This ability can be especially good for cooking. Even if it lasts only for a second, that second can be incredibly helpful when you’re cooking.”
“Yes, indeed. It will be useful for smelling or tasting.”
“I’ve heard that the ability to control heat is crucial in cooking. If you can freely use your sense of touch, you can make much better dishes.”
Moreover, becoming an awakened would mean better physical strength and athletic ability compared to an ordinary person. This transformation doesn’t happen instantly but takes about a year to adjust to the awakened state.
“This is impressive. Our Chef Shimomoto might have to be on alert. Who would have thought a chef would awaken? And with such a useful ability for cooking, no less. Haha.”
Junichi, who had been with us, already seemed excited, rubbing his palms together.
Next to Junichi, Shimomoto Orie, who had cooked with Jae-seong, looked on with an unreadable expression.
Whisper, whisper.
Orie whispered something to Junichi, who then widened his eyes and turned to me with an excited look.
“Mr. Kyu-seong and Mr. Jae-seong.”
“Yes, Mr. Junichi.”
“If it’s alright with both of you, may we scout Mr. Jae-seong to join our kitchen?”
“Uh…”
Both Jae-seong and I were taken aback by the unexpected proposal. At that moment, Hanul shouted in protest.
“Junichi, you rascal! Are you trying to steal our talent again?”
“Haha! Calm down, my friend. Chef Orié just expressed interest in working with Mr. Jae-seong. We were thinking of it more as a culinary study abroad opportunity.”
“Study abroad?”
Honestly, Jae-seong’s opinion mattered more than mine.
When I looked at Jae-seong, he seemed already swayed by Chef Orié’s proposal.
“Working under Chef Orié…”
His mind was already picturing working with her.
“It might sound like boasting, but I personally run seven different restaurants. Among them, the one Chef Orié directly operates is highly coveted among chefs.”
“That’s definitely boasting!”
Ignoring Hanul’s teasing, I looked back at Jae-seong. Meeting my gaze, he nodded vigorously and said,
“Exactly! It’s a place called ‘Oriental Cuisine,’ known for its fusion of Eastern and Western dishes. It’s incredibly famous among chefs!”
Then he suddenly looked serious.
“…Do you think I should go?”
“If you want to go, then go.”
“But, I was supposed to work with you…”
“Come on. Are you planning to stay there forever? You’ll have your own restaurant too.”
“Y-Yeah, that’s true.”
“Go ahead. Learn everything you can. And while you’re at it, why not explore other places? Experience Europe too. Don’t worry about the money.”
“Brother…”
Why is he being so emotional?
I shrugged off Jae-seong, who was looking at me with a moved expression, and spoke with a mock disgusted tone.
“So it’s settled then, Mr. Junichi.”
“Hahaha! Excellent! Very good! Then, Mr. Kyu-seong, if it’s alright with you, could we also receive some of your crops?”
“Huh? Junichi, now you’re really crossing the line!”
This time, even So-yeon looked on with fierce determination, as if she wouldn’t tolerate it.
Popular people sure have it tough.
“In return! In return, we will send tributes to Ara Hongryeon regularly!”
“Tributes?”
Just as Hanul was stepping forward to confront Junichi, he blurted out in a hurry.
“For your information, I also run two breweries! One specializes in sake, the traditional Japanese liquor, and the other in Western liquors like whiskey.”
“Wait, could it be…?”
“I’ll provide you with the finest sake that money can’t buy! And of course, I’ll also pay a generous price for the goods!”
I knew that Hanul was quite a drinker. He often drank with Young-seong, and hearing that Junichi would offer liquor immediately changed his expression.
“Kyu-seong, I’ll let it slide this time.”
“…”
What’s he letting slide?
Anyway, it wasn’t a bad proposal for me either. As someone sending my brother abroad, I wanted to leave a good impression and take care of him as much as possible.
“If Mr. Kyu-seong is alright with it, we can facilitate the trade at the guild level.”
The guild master stepped in at the right moment.
I nodded in agreement.
“Yes. Thank you. Let’s do business, Mr. Junichi!”
“Hahaha! Wonderful!”
Wait a minute.
Come to think of it, Young-seong was looking into making liquor…
“Mr. Junichi. May I bring up one more thing?”
“Of course.”
“I’m thinking of making liquor from the crops I’ve grown. What do you think?”
“…”
Junichi froze. Not only him but even Hanul beside him gaped and seemed to malfunction.
“Liquor made from Mr. Kyu-seong’s crops… I can’t believe I didn’t think of such a simple idea…”
Does that mean he likes the idea?
Junichi appeared to be collecting his thoughts, then suddenly approached and grabbed my hands.
“Please! Please work with us, Mr. Kyu-seong!”
“You, let go of my brother right now!”
Hanul’s voice came trailing along like a thread attached to a needle.
Cliche Novel 