Having made pizza before, the key question was how much the taste would change. Even using store-bought ingredients with just tomato sauce and toppings added had been delicious, so it would be a problem if it didn’t taste at least that good.
Goso-goso was still an unproven cooking ingredient. However, the moment I smelled its freshly baked aroma…
“This is going to be good, isn’t it?”
The rich, nutty scent that had been hidden when eaten raw spread in all directions. It was so strong it almost masked the toppings’ smell.
“This is going to be delicious…”
Before I knew it, Ara was drooling and murmuring. I had made her wait too long.
There was still more dough left.
I had enough to make about three pizzas, but I decided to make just one first and give Ara a bite.
“Let me take the first bite.”
“Mmm, okay.”
Hearing Ara’s disappointed response, I quickly took a bite of the pizza. It had been out for a bit, so it wasn’t too hot.
Stretch!
The cheese stretched endlessly.
At the same time, a cozy aroma filled my mouth.
“Mmm!”
It was good! No, it wasn’t just good, it was revolutionary!
The soft and chewy texture of the dough was excellent. Moreover, the nutty aroma of goso-goso, which started to shine when cooked, enveloped my entire mouth.
“This is amazing!”
Chewing the remaining pizza in my mouth, I enjoyed the harmonious combination of tomato sauce, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.
It was the epitome of luxury.
The flavors of each ingredient exploded, and the goso-goso tied everything together perfectly. The balance was just right.
The only regret was the cheese.
The cheese got a bit overshadowed, but it was still incredibly delicious.
“Ara, try this.”
“Wow!”
Ara, who had been drooling like a waterfall, cheered as she received the pizza. It wasn’t large, but it was enough to fill both of her hands.
“Nom!”
Ara munched happily.
Meanwhile, I took out the remaining dough to make more.
“Mmm!!”
“Ha ha. Is it good?”
“It’s fantastic! Goso-goso has been upgraded!”
Listening to Ara’s high praise, I added tomato sauce and different toppings again. This time, I tried world tree mushrooms and freshly harvested onions and garlic from this place, wondering how it would taste.
I made two pizzas. However, the oven was small, so only one could fit at a time.
While baking one, I looked around briefly.
“Nice.”
The crops I had newly planted, like garlic, onions, and lettuce, were growing green and lush.
The beans and peppers, which had not yet been harvested, were growing slower than expected, but they had reached knee height.
“Once the peppers and beans grow, we can harvest them multiple times.”
On one side, I had already planted rice.
I had created a new paddy field near the river, slightly away from the hot spring, but it was unclear when it would be fully grown.
“Mmm! Mmm!”
Suddenly, Ara, with her cheeks puffed out with pizza, grabbed my pants leg and shook it.
“What’s wrong, suddenly—huh!”
I looked down, thinking it was Ara shaking me, and was startled, my body freezing.
There, a different creature, not Ara, was holding onto my pants.
It had a white body and clumsy limbs.
Its size was smaller than Gomgom, but its perpetually smiling yet dazed expression was cute. On its head were clumsy ears that stood upright, resembling Ara’s tiger ears.
“Heheng?”
“What are you?” I asked reflexively, startled. At that moment, Ara swallowed the pizza she was eating and shouted, “There are more of them!”
“Huh?”
Looking up, I saw creatures similar to the one holding my pants scattered around, clumsily examining their surroundings. Some floated aimlessly in the honey-sweet hot spring, others scratched their heads while looking around, and some just ran around frantically for no apparent reason. About a dozen of these creatures, which looked like company mascots, were wandering around.
“Could these be the new settlers?”
I carefully lifted the one clinging to my pants. It felt very light, like it would gently float down if I let go.
“Heheng?”
“Can’t you talk?”
Ara chimed in, translating, “It’s saying hello!”
“Hello?”
“That’s right!”
What a carefree creature. What if I were a bad person? Why would it approach so boldly like this? But looking at the others that appeared with it, it was clear they all had similarly carefree personalities. They seemed like bundles of pure innocence.
Meanwhile, Gomgom and the slimes showed interest in the newcomers.
“Heheng.”
“Groong?”
“Squirm.”
Soon enough, as if like attracted like, they started playing together.
“What are you guys?”
I understood they were new settlers from a quest, but what exactly were they?
‘Do I need carrot juice?’
There was a fruit juice in the slime dungeon that could provide information about monsters. But leaving to get it right now seemed inconvenient.
“Heheng.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Before I knew it, Ara was conversing with the one by my side, in a language I couldn’t understand, just like with Gomgom.
“Heheng.”
“That’s unfortunate! But don’t worry! As the owner of this dungeon, I allow you to live here!”
Ding!
[The happiness of the settlers has increased!]
“……”
You guys. You’re much simpler than you look, aren’t you?
The white cotton-like creatures that had been scattered around gathered around me.
“Ara, what were you talking about just now?”
“The place where the Kkumuris lived was destroyed by an attack from a bad monster! They fled here!”
“Kkumuris?”
“These creatures are called Kkumuris!”
Ara’s naming sense was at it again.
Even though they didn’t squirm around, if Ara wanted to call them that, so be it.
At that moment, the Kkumuris started showing interest in the oven where the pizza was being baked.
I thought it was because of the delicious smell, but then they suddenly began banging on the oven.
“Hey, hey. You can’t break that.”
Suddenly, the Kkumuris collectively clung to the oven.
One of them started licking the oven, and another rubbed its back against it like a bear scratching its back.
“Oh, oh!”
Ara cheered with sparkling eyes.
I wondered if there was something to their reaction…
“What, what is this?”
The oven was gradually transforming.
The mini oven, which I thought was pretty well-made for a first attempt, began to take on the perfect shape like the ones you’d see on TV.
-Heheh.
One of the Kkumuris, who had been playing in the hot spring, was now constantly hauling mud.
Looking closely, it wasn’t just any wet dirt we had used, but proper loess mud.
“Is this the Kkumuris’ ability?”
Though they seemed insignificant at first glance, their creation skills were impressive.
As the oven was being upgraded, something fluttered and flew over.
-My lord! My lord!
“Oh, isn’t it Frey? What brings you here?”
-W-We have a big problem right now. Luckily, you’re here too! There are invaders! Invaders have appeared!
The Kkumuris made their characteristic dumb-sounding noises as they wriggled, watching Frey who had flown in on an insect.
-Heheh.
-Ugh! These terrifying invaders! You will now face the wrath of our great lord!
I didn’t know how to respond to Frey’s fuss.
“The Kkumuris are not bad. Everyone should get along peacefully!”
Ara stepped in to mediate.
Then Frey asked back with wide eyes.
-K-Kkumuris?
“The Kkumuris have decided to live in my dungeon! They are poor creatures who lost their home!”
-Ah! So, they are migrants like us!
Frey, who had suddenly changed his attitude as if flipping a switch, sighed in relief.
-Then they’re not invaders! That’s a relief!
“……”
Well…
I guess it’s a good thing?
Just then, as the upgrade of the oven was completed, the pizza was also baked to a perfect golden brown.
“Since you’re here, have some before you go.”
– “Hmm? What is that?”
“It’s called pizza. I’ll cut it for you, so wait a moment.”
I let the pizza cool down a bit and then cut it into small pieces that Frey could eat. The toppings on it were World Tree mushrooms.
“I’ll have a bite. You can have a bite too.”
Do Kkumuris eat food? They probably do.
The Kkumuris, with their eyes sparkling, were looking up at me as I held the pizza.
‘Our family… has grown a lot, hasn’t it?’
This is becoming quite troublesome.
* * *
The 7th-grade dungeon in Gangwon Province was cleared.
This news quickly spread online and even made it to the news.
For the Terror Guild, it was already their eighth 7th-grade dungeon.
And the Bare Fists Guild, although only a sub-party, managed to clear a 7th-grade dungeon on their first attempt without any casualties, earning them a title.
‘Hmm…’
However, Director Choi was more interested in something else.
The Terror Guild had prepared a celebration for clearing the 7th-grade dungeon. In the midst of this, Director Choi, one of the key figures in the dungeon raid, was quietly lost in thought.
“Ha ha ha! Order more, order more!”
“Manager, would you like some meat?”
“Wow, looks like we’ll have a vacation for a while. Lucky us.”
At that moment, a guild member approached the quiet Director Choi and spoke.
“Are you still reflecting on the raid?”
“Hmm? Oh, Assistant Yoo.”
Director Choi nodded at Assistant Yoo, who was trying to strike up a conversation.
Even though they had titles like director and assistant, the conversation flowed freely, just like in any other guild.
“Since we just got out of the dungeon, I can’t help but keep reflecting on it.”
“Usually, you would have given us a break first and then held the celebration, but this time, it was rushed due to the president’s next schedule.”
“That’s fine. I don’t dislike this kind of atmosphere either.”
With that, Director Choi took a sip of his beer. Watching him, Assistant Yoo asked a question.
“What part are you reflecting on?”
“Hmm… it’s nothing special, just a curious item I found.”
“A curious item?”
“It was a healing potion used by the Bare Fists Guild leader. It was uniquely named ‘Strawberry Potion’.”
“Strawberry Potion? The creator must have an interesting taste.”
“But its effects were undeniable. The healing was proportional to the amount of mana one had, and the Bare Fists Guild leader, who seemed seriously injured, recovered instantly.”
“Proportional to the amount of mana?”
“I heard it’s related to the Ara Hongryeon Guild…”
Director Choi took another sip of his beer after saying that.
“Oh? Ara Hongryeon?”
“Do you have any news about them?”
“According to the information department, Ara Hongryeon has shown tremendous performance in the past two months. They are at the top of all performance indicators. It is analyzed that they might have recruited a new potion maker…”
“As expected.”
Director Choi nodded.
With items of that caliber, it was no wonder the guild’s performance improved. They were probably producing items with abilities beyond just healing.
“The information department suspects it’s related to the irregular who recently joined Ara Hongryeon.”
“Oh, you mean that Level 1 awakened one? I remember. That makes sense. There was a reason they recruited him despite his Level 1 status.”
“As expected of Director Choi. You know everything.”
“Hmm. It looks like I need to visit the Ara Hongryeon Guild myself.”
“…Is it that important?”
At Assistant Yoo’s surprised voice, Director Choi nodded.
“I’ll go visit as soon as I get my vacation.”
Cliche Novel 