Round 78

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It has been a few days since my family came to visit.

During that time, I have been diligently farming and synthesizing slimes.

“Phew.”

Today is finally the first delivery day.

It’s my turn to deliver my crops and fruit juices to the guild that has been taking care of me all this time.

Of course, I get paid, but since my items are rare and can’t be bought elsewhere, it feels like a fair trade.

“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong! It’s all done!”

“Oh! Good job!”

I packed the harvested crops into boxes and stacked them neatly.

Seeing the boxes piled up by type made me feel reassured.

The problem now was moving these outside and sending them to the guild…

Once the preparations were roughly finished, I stepped out of the dungeon.

There, guild employees were waiting.

Leading them was Hanul, who was looking at me with an expectant face.

“Kyu-seong, are you finished?”

“Yes. We just need to move them outside now.”

Hanul nodded and pulled out something.

A space-expansion artifact.

It was large enough to hold all my crop boxes.

“Hanul, you didn’t need to come personally; the staff could have just brought the artifact…”

“It’s the first delivery, so I need to be careful. You never know what might happen, Kyu-seong.”

Though I often saw Hanul, he always seemed unoccupied.

But in reality, the Ara Hongryeon Guild was a company comparable to a large corporation.

Having an executive-level person from such a company show up every time was slightly overwhelming.

I had no issue with Hanul himself; it was just the burden of his title as the Team 2 leader.

“Is it done?”

Ara peeked out from the dungeon, tilting her head.

Then she noticed familiar faces and waved her hand with a big smile.

“Hello!”

“Oh~! Our Ara has been working hard since the morning!”

“It’s fun! It’s not hard!”

“Haha! Alright, alright!”

After Ara and Kang Hanul greeted each other, they started moving the boxes in earnest.

100 boxes of cherry tomatoes, 50 boxes of carrots, 10 boxes of Layla, 100 boxes of potatoes, 70 boxes of sweet potatoes, 30 boxes of eggplants, 50 kg of Embergrill, and 50 boxes of strawberries.

Some items were rare, and some were not.

We packed them separately into boxes.

It was quite a large amount.

This was only manageable thanks to the slimes I had been consistently summoning every day.

‘I deliberately left out the cucumbers.’

Cucumbers… I thought they might cause a commotion, so I left them out.

The skincare benefits of cucumbers were quite significant.

Especially noticeable was Ara’s skin, which had become glossy and radiant from consuming a lot of cucumbers recently.

I’ll share them with my family.

Of course, without mentioning the effects.

“Haha! That’s a lot! A lot!”

“Hehe! Yes, a lot!”

Ara imitated Hanul’s laughter (though not quite similar) and then asked me,

“Are we going outside today?”

“Well, I could just hand it over and be done. Do you want to go out?”

“It’s been a while since I went out!”

True, I’ve been working hard since my family left, aligning with the delivery schedule.

And the crops planted in the Dungeon of Gluttony were nearing harvest time.

This might be the only time I could take a break.

“Awakened Kyu-seong, here is the advance payment in mana stones.”

“Oh, I see it.”

While the staff meticulously checked the quantities and placed them into the artifact, one staff member approached me with a small box.

I had agreed to receive part of the payment in mana stones, and it seemed they were handing it over now.

‘Since the Dungeon of Gluttony consumes mana stones…’

Half of today’s earnings were gone because of this.

Still, it was fine since I bought enough mana stones to fully recharge the Dungeon of Gluttony a few times.

“If we’re going out anyway, why don’t we go together?”

“Yes. Oh, just a moment. I need to change my clothes.”

I was still a bit grimy from working earlier. I didn’t mind, but our cute Ara should dress up nicely for an outing.

First, I returned to the dungeon with Ara to carefully store the mana stones.

“Ara, what should we wear today?”

“Hmmm…”

Ara’s expression turned thoughtful.

She now had so many clothes that it made her indecisive.

While waiting for Ara’s answer, I filled a basin with water and washed Ara’s face.

Ara obediently let me wash her face and then exclaimed,

“I want to wear this today!”

“The work clothes you’re wearing now?”

“Yes!”

Then she pointed somewhere.

It was where Ara’s other collection of hats was placed.

“A straw hat?”

“Yes!”

So today’s theme was farmer fashion.

Although the work clothes were a bit dirty, if Ara wanted to wear them, so be it.

After quickly washing her hands and face, I put the straw hat on Ara. The little tiger ears sticking out were cute.

“All set.”

Ara checked her reflection in the mirror with a serious face and clenched her fists.

It was just an outing, but she looked as serious as if heading into battle, which was a bit amusing.

‘I can never fully understand Ara.’

After getting Ara ready, I changed my clothes, washed my face, and quickly washed my hair before heading outside.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“Hm? Oh, I didn’t notice the time because I was working. You can go down first; we’re almost done here.”

I nodded, seeing how meticulously they were checking the crops.

After descending the mountain to wait, Hanul soon arrived. He smiled and pointed to a car.

“Haha! Get in!”

“Oh, is this your car, Brother?”

“I usually drive a company car, but I brought this one today to surprise you, Kyu-seong.”

“I see you so often that I wasn’t really surprised.”

“Ahem!”

It was one of the new mana stone cars. The design stood out, catching people’s attention as a luxury model.

Maybe I should get a car soon too.

Traveling with Ara and Gomgom made public transportation inconvenient.

“Why don’t you buy a car, Kyu-seong? You could get a guild discount.”

“Oh, there’s such a benefit? Then I might consider getting one.”

Parking might be an issue, but I could probably find a spot nearby.

“Ooh! Kyu-seong, are you getting a cool car like this?”

Ara exclaimed as she admired Hanul’s car, her eyes sparkling. The car’s robot-like appearance must have appealed to her.

“Shall we look at cars then? The payment for today’s delivery should come through soon.”

“Haha! Sounds good! But buying a car as soon as you get paid?”

“I’ve been needing a car for outings with Ara. We attract attention, and I have to take care of everything for long trips.”

“That makes sense. When you have a family, the first thing to get is a car.”

Family.

Thinking about it, I had quite a big family.

There were the slimes playing, or rather working, hard in the dungeon, the still-sleepy Gomgom, Ara beside me, and my family back home.

What a big family.

Of course, it’s just a thought unrelated to the car.

“Get in. I’ll take you to the dealership.”

“Yes.”

Ara wanted to sit in the front seat, so I held her in my arms and sat in the passenger seat.

As we started driving, Hanul asked,

“Kyu-seong, do you know what Choi Young-seong has been up to lately?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t heard from him since he took those sweet potatoes last time.”

“He went to Japan.”

“Japan?”

“He went to the brewery that Ino Junichi set up. They’re both working hard to make alcohol with your sweet potatoes. Haha!”

I guess he got in touch with Ino Junichi again.

I wonder if Jae-seong is doing well.

While chatting with Hanul and Ara was glued to the window, looking outside, we arrived at the car showroom.

‘I’m suddenly nervous.’

Coming without a plan made me second-guess if this was the right thing to do.

The mana stone cars on display were all dazzling, making me wonder if I was pushing myself too hard.

“…I think I’ll just look around today.”

“Hmm? Well, that’s not a bad idea. Cars aren’t only here. But this brand’s mana stone cars are the best.”

“Yes…”

No matter how much money I made, my courage was still that of an ordinary citizen. I should buy a car after making a few more deliveries and saving up some money.

As the engine turned off, a showroom employee ran over with a bright smile. Ara, who had jumped out of the passenger seat, said to the employee,

“I want to see the coolest one!”

“Haha. What a cute guest.”

Welcoming Ara’s enthusiasm, the employee politely bowed and guided us.

“Are you here to look at cars?”

“Yes, just to look around…”

“Please, this way.”

It should be fine just to look around, right?

We weren’t the only customers in the showroom. As someone else was looking at cars, they noticed us.

“Oh?!”

Startled, the person hurriedly came over.

“Oh! What brings you here, sir?”

It seemed he was an acquaintance of Hanul.

Stepping aside, I watched Hanul approach the person and say,

“Kim Dong-gil. What brings you here?”

“Oh! I’m looking for a car for my son.”

“I see.”

Hanul nodded and then pointed at me.

“Introduce yourself. He’s our new ace at Ara Hongryeon Guild.”

“Haha. Hello. I’m not an ace, just a new member, Lee Kyu-seong.”

Kim Dong-gil, as he was called, gave a meaningful look and then said,

“Could you be the person behind the hot rumor lately?”

“A hot rumor?”

What was he talking about now?

As I tilted my head, Hanul burst into laughter.

“Haha! Yes, it’s true! No need to hide it anymore! This Kyu-seong here is the creator of the sweet potato treats you ate last time!”

“Gasp!!”

Kim Dong-gil staggered in shock.

What is this about? Why are you two discussing stories about me that I don’t even know?

“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Lee Kyu-seong! I’m Kim Dong-gil, and I run a small guild called Bare Fists Guild.”

Mr. Kim hurriedly took out his business card and handed it to me with both hands. Bare Fists Guild was a fairly well-known mid-sized guild.

“Oh, nice to meet you. So, you’re the guild leader of Bare Fists Guild. It’s an honor for me to meet the leader of such a renowned guild.”

“Oh, renowned guild? Not at all. We’re just a small guild barely getting by. Haha.”

Though he waved his hands in modesty, he looked pleased. A simple man.

While we were exchanging pleasantries, Kim Dong-gil’s eyes turned to Ara.

“Is she your daughter?”

“Pardon? Oh, yes.”

I smiled at Ara, who had now fully become my daughter. She put her hands on her hips and said cutely,

“I am the daughter of Lee Kyu-seong!”

“Haha, your way of speaking is unique. What’s your name?”

“I am Ara!”

“Oh, then you must be Lee Ara?”

“Huh? I only said Ara, how did you know I’m Lee Ara?!”

Ara was surprised when Kim Dong-gil added the surname ‘Lee’ to her name. Her cute and innocent reaction made the rest of us smile.

“Well? How do you think I knew?”

“How did you know? Are you a psychic, mister?”

“Hahaha!”

Kim Dong-gil responded as if watching the adorable antics of a grandchild, completely forgetting about me and Hanul.

Our Ara truly had a charming presence.

We continued to look around the showroom. Ara, deep in thought, soon got absorbed in looking at the cars.

“This one is cool too!”

“Oh, your daughter has a good eye.”

Ara, that’s the most expensive car here.

In the end, I didn’t buy a car; we just looked around.

Kim Dong-gil also decided to delay his car purchase and stuck with us as if he were part of our group.

“Do either of you have any plans after this?”

“I don’t.”

“Neither do I.”

When Hanul and I shook our heads, Kim Dong-gil asked hopefully,

“Then how about visiting our guild for a bit and having a chat?”

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