The time when the day’s schedule begins.
Every morning at 5 AM, the government announces an auction. The various dungeons discovered the previous day are put up for auction with priority given to guilds based on their location.
Reporting a discovered dungeon to the government earns a reward. This has led to the rise of professional dungeon explorers. Conversely, guilds also employ these explorers.
“Ugh, it looks like Ara Hongryeon will take this level 6 dungeon.”
A senior member of the Terror Guild sighed as he checked the government announcement. His prediction was spot-on, as Ara Hongryeon’s participation in the auction was confirmed online in real-time.
Due to the location, Ara Hongryeon had priority.
“There’s nothing we can do about it this time. Let’s aim for the level 5 dungeon that appeared in Gangwon-do.”
“Yes, we should. Oh? Take a look at this.”
“What is it?”
The senior member who initially voiced his disappointment tilted his head. He was pointing to the list of dungeon participants.
“Ara Hongryeon is sending only Team 1?”
“What? Level 6 Awakened Jeong So-yeon? Are they perhaps collaborating with Team 2…?”
“No, just Team 1 is on the list. What’s their plan? Sure, Jeong So-yeon is a level 6 Awakened, but this seems too bold.”
After participating in the auction, the list of personnel to subdue the dungeon must be submitted.
However, it was noted that Ara Hongryeon only listed Team 1 for the level 6 dungeon.
“Do you think we could take it from them?”
The Terror Guild considered subtly stepping in, knowing the government might adjust the auction priority based on such listings.
But the level 6 dungeon was promptly auctioned off, as if to cut off any such thoughts.
“What? It’s already done?”
“This is strange. The Awakened Management Bureau must have contacted Ara Hongryeon, sensing something was off.”
The ‘Awakened Management Bureau,’ a government-operated organization, manages and coordinates between the government and guilds.
If something unusual happened, they would investigate, so the swift auction meant discussions had already taken place.
“What could it be? How did they convince them?”
“Should we look into it?”
“Hmm, no. A level 6 dungeon is manageable. We don’t need to antagonize Ara Hongryeon over this.”
Though suspicious, that was the end of it. Ara Hongryeon must have had some strategy. Perhaps they acquired a useful item in a recent dungeon farming or developed a new buff potion through their research team, which they presented to the Bureau for approval.
‘The only certainty is they’ve improved their capabilities.’
The guild member’s suggestion to investigate further implied uncovering the reason behind this power increase.
“By the way, I heard there’s an interesting Rookie at Ara Hongryeon.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“A few days ago, Ara Hongryeon took in a new guild member, who’s only a level 1 Awakened.”
“Level 1? Are you sure you checked correctly?”
This seemed even more implausible than the level 6 dungeon auction. Despite Ara Hongryeon being called a ‘toothless tiger,’ it wasn’t weak enough to accept just a level 1 Awakened.
“It was so odd that I conducted a separate investigation. Here’s the report.”
“Alright, let’s see it.”
Though the Terror Guild was relatively new compared to other guilds, their ability to compete for the top spot stemmed from their information-gathering prowess.
If they wanted to know something, they found out.
The report contained detailed information about Lee Kyu-seong.
“He’s been awakened for three years but is still level 1? And he’s been unaffiliated until now? His ability is ‘Liquid Synthesis.’”
The Terror Guild’s information network was extensive, enough to uncover the specifics of an Awakened individual’s abilities, indicating their infiltration into government-held data.
“What could ‘Liquid Synthesis’ be? Why did Ara Hongryeon take him in?”
“According to his past activities, it appears he made a living by combining two types of potions into one. The efficacy is reduced, but it’s still a useful ability. However, it seems the problem was the cooldown time. It’s speculated that he could only use it once a day.”
“Using it only once a day is quite limiting. But did Ara Hongryeon find a groundbreaking way to utilize this single use?”
“That’s what our information analysis team believes. Come to think of it, the reason they could immediately secure the level 6 dungeon in today’s auction might be related to this.”
“That’s possible. But even so, it doesn’t make sense. After all, he’s just a level 1. No matter how ingenious his ability is, the limitations are too clear.”
Unexpectedly, there was lively discussion about Kyu-seong. This ability to gather and analyze information was the driving force behind the new Terror Guild aiming for the top spot domestically.
“And there’s one more thing we found out.”
“What is it?”
“The contract with Ara Hongryeon is only for two years.”
“What? Two years? What does that mean? Do they plan to use him and then discard him quickly?”
“Considering the contract terms, it seems unlikely. Take a look.”
The Terror Guild had already obtained the contract details. Upon reviewing it, the senior member of the guild quietly expressed his amazement.
“Wow, these terms are very generous. This isn’t typical treatment for a level 1 Awakened.”
“The short contract duration is probably a considerate measure.”
“This is getting more intriguing. Plus, a two-year contract means we have a chance to scout him afterward.”
“Exactly.”
“Good. Let’s assign someone to keep a close watch on Lee Kyu-seong. Gather all information about him. And if it turns out there’s something special, let’s prepare to recruit him in advance.”
“Understood.”
It wasn’t just the Terror Guild. The Iron Blood Guild, already aware of Lee Kyu-seong’s identity, was preparing an unprecedented offer for two years later. Other leading domestic guilds, their eyes wide open due to the effectiveness of certain ingredients, were also beginning to notice Kyu-seong’s potential.
* * *
Jae-seong’s study abroad preparations happened swiftly. He informed our parents over the phone and left without any luggage, following Junichi onto a plane. Awakening and arranging to study abroad happened in one fell swoop.
‘It all happened so fast.’
The saving grace was that it would be easy to return home. It was only a two-hour flight, so he could come and go whenever needed. It was surprising that both brothers had awakened. While not common, it did happen occasionally.
-What’s going on! What about me!
My younger sister Seon-ah was outraged when she found out, given her keen interest in Awakened individuals. Her frustration was understandable.
But what could I do? I wasn’t someone who could grant awakenings. I hadn’t expected Jae-seong to awaken either.
After the whirlwind of Jae-seong’s story ended and we returned to the dungeon, we were greeted by a few slimes.
Something felt missing…
“Gomgom is missing!”
Ara exclaimed, scanning the surroundings with wide eyes. Just then, a strange sound came from deeper inside.
-…Kkwaang.
“Huh? Did you hear something?”
“Gomgom! It’s Gomgom!”
Listening closely, the sound came from the direction of the stairs leading to the Dungeon of Gluttony. Heading there with Ara, I saw slimes clustered around the entrance to the stairs.
Squirm!
Mark2, spotting us, squirmed as if asking for help. What’s going on here?
-Kkwaaang!
Looking down, I saw Gomgom and a few slimes unable to climb the stairs. They greeted me with sorrowful cries when they noticed me.
“What’s going on? Why are you here?”
“Gomgom! Poispois! Rookie!”
Ara dashed down the stairs. I followed, picking up slimes scattered along the way. It seemed the slimes got stuck trying to help Gomgom. These slimes usually never came here, so my guess was likely correct.
– Kkuwang!
Gomgom, meeting Ara, let out a sorrowful cry, shedding large tears. Ara patted Gomgom’s head, comforting him.
“Were you scared? Don’t worry!”
“How did you get here? Come on.”
It seemed Gomgom had managed to climb a few steps by stepping on the heads of the slimes, but the slimes that sacrificed their heads were left behind, so he couldn’t make it all the way up.
I lifted Ara, who was holding Gomgom, into my arms. At the same time, I placed the slimes stuck with Gomgom on my shoulders, head, and remaining arm, and climbed the stairs.
“It must have been scary. We need to install some structure on the stairs so they can go up and down safely.”
Finally, Gomgom and the slimes reached the surface. They must have been stuck there since Ara and I left in the morning.
– Kkwaang!
“Oh dear. Were you feeling sad? Let’s have some honey.”
Gomgom, still sobbing, was comforted with honey. In the bright light, he calmed down a bit and quickly started eating the honey.
“But why were you there?”
“Why were you there!”
When Ara asked, Gomgom whimpered and began explaining. Ara translated Gomgom’s words.
– Kkuwoong!
“He wanted to help!”
– Kkuwoong! Kkuwoong!
“There’s a delicious mushroom! He wanted to give it to the kind giant! …What’s a kind giant?”
– Kkwaang!
“It wasn’t here! It was where he came from!”
So, Gomgom wanted to get mushrooms for me and tried to return to the Dungeon of Gluttony. But the door didn’t open.
I couldn’t help but smile at Gomgom’s adorable intention.
Mushrooms, huh…
An unexpected ingredient emerged.
‘So far, all the mushrooms found in the industry were poisonous, right?’
Awakened individuals subdue dozens of dungeons daily. Globally, the number is even higher.
It wouldn’t make sense if no mushrooms were found.
But all the mushrooms discovered and investigated so far were poisonous.
If Gomgom didn’t have resistance to poison, he must be indicating that there are edible mushrooms.
“I don’t recall seeing mushrooms in the Dungeon of Gluttony, but that’s interesting. Is there a colony somewhere?”
As I mumbled to myself, Ara translated my words to Gomgom. Gomgom then made all sorts of gestures and sounds.
“They’re buried underground! Gomgom can sniff them out and dig them up!”
“Oh?!”
This was surprising.
Thinking about it, truffle mushrooms, once considered one of the world’s top three delicacies before the dungeons appeared, were also buried underground.
There was a reason I hadn’t found any while thoroughly exploring the Dungeon of Gluttony.
– Kkwaang! Kkuang!
“They’re delicious! Sweet potatoes are good, but mushrooms are delicious too!”
“If Gomgom says they’re delicious, I’m looking forward to it.”
Gomgom was a monster that lived around the World Tree.
There’s a high probability that these mushrooms were nourished by the World Tree’s roots.
Mushrooms absorbing nutrients from the World Tree?
They couldn’t possibly taste bad!
“Shall we go right away?”
“Wow! That’s great!”
– Kkuong?
Cliche Novel 