“There are quite a lot of them.”
Those were the first words from my father when he saw the Kkumuriss. He had changed from his fishing clothes into work clothes and was now inspecting the creations made by the Kkumuris.
“They’re not efficient, but purely from an aesthetic standpoint, they have good sense. And surprisingly, they’re quite sturdy.”
“Really?”
“Hm? Looking closely, these materials are….”
My father’s eyes gradually widened as he examined the slimes’ house more closely.
“No way, they built this with these materials? Haha, amazing.”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s not that it’s wrong. I’m just a bit surprised they managed to pull off something so incredible. Well, since they aren’t human, they might be able to use magic…”
The Kkumuriss had crafted everything using ordinary materials from around the field. Out of curiosity, I asked the Kkumuriss to build a new structure, and they quickly made a statue of a Kkumuris.
– Heh heh.
A Kkumuris, looking proud, made a sound with a blank expression.
My father, who had watched the entire building process, kept chuckling in disbelief.
“If we just tweak the design a bit, I wouldn’t have anything else to do.”
“Is it that good?”
“It’s just magic. They’re doing something unbelievable.”
Well, spirits do use magic. But the spirit magic I know is for attacking monsters, not for construction.
While my father and I were chatting, Seon-ah was filming as usual, and my mother was playing with Ara and Gomgom.
By the way, how long is she going to keep filming?
“Didn’t you say you’re going to upload it on YouTube?”
“I’m learning to edit. I’m going to do it in earnest.”
Seon-ah answered without taking her eyes off the camera. Her posture was as professional as it could get.
My mother was casually cooking with the newly harvested crops, using tools made by the Kkumuris. The mini furnace they initially made had been upgraded to a large kitchen.
Upon seeing this, my mother was impressed, saying it was better than our home kitchen, which couldn’t be true.
Though I just laughed it off earlier, my father, who had finished his inspection, said:
“You know products made from magic stones are getting popular these days, right?”
“Yes, it’s a growing trend. They’re eco-friendly and easily decomposable once used up.”
“What I’ve been studying lately is interior design and construction using magic stones. I was thinking of trying it out, so let’s start by making that kitchen work with magic stones. The good thing about magic stones is that they don’t need separate electrical wiring.”
“You’re still studying? I thought you retired.”
“People learn their entire lives.”
I didn’t know my father was still studying. Anyway, if we did this, the kitchen here might really become better than the one at home.
“But you’re buying the magic stones.”
“Of course. This is my place, so I should pay for it.”
“Then let’s upgrade the kitchen first before we start any serious construction or planning. It’ll be a good experiment.”
With newfound enthusiasm, my father started checking things on the tablet he brought.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong ! Time to eat!”
Meanwhile, Ara called me as my mother finished cooking. The slimes were gathering around too.
“With all these kids to feed, it must be hard for you.”
“I don’t cook for them. They just eat on their own.”
“But isn’t it burdensome to have so many new family members all of a sudden?”
“That’s why I hurriedly expanded the field a bit.”
Of course, we have enough food for ourselves now, but considering guild deliveries and other factors, we did need surplus production. So, I quickly planted some crops in the field that had been tilled but left empty.
Before I knew it, the first carrots and tomatoes we planted had reached level 3, and they tasted even better with each level they gained. Now, there’s quite a difference compared to the level 1 crops we initially harvested.
‘…If they reach level 10, could we conquer the world with food?’ A novel-like thought crossed my mind, but I just laughed it off.
As I was enjoying the happiness of eating the potato pancakes and green onion pancakes my mother made, something fluttered and flew toward us from a distance.
“Oh, Frey. How did you know to come here?”
-Everyone is here! Kkumuri told me. They seem to be connected and share information about what’s happening.
“What?”
I didn’t know they had such a function. We had been living together for days, but I was completely unaware.
‘If I use this well, I could monitor the field and other places too.’
It was an unexpected function of the Kkumuris.
-How have you been, mother and father?
“Oh, we meet again, our Frey. How have you been?”
-Yes, I’ve been living peacefully.
Speaking of which, there was no news about the Meluca flower. It had been quite some time since we planted the seeds, but there was no update. It’s been over two weeks since we last visited after harvesting the World Tree mushrooms.
“Frey, how’s the flower?”
-Sigh, I urgently came to discuss that with you, Great Lord.
Judging by the sigh, there seemed to be a problem. I started thinking about Poispois’s evolution that I had prepared in advance and spoke to Frey.
“Shall we go talk?”
-Yes.
I left my family behind and only took Bokkeum and Mark2 with me. With my parents and Seon-ah around, I could leave Ara in their care. This might be the first time I’m away from Ara since we met.
“Ara, I’m heading out. Have fun and behave, okay?”
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong , come back safely! Call if it’s dangerous!”
Oh, come to think of it, if I take a Kkumuri with me, it could relay any situation to them. Although I can’t understand the Kkumuri’s language, Frey can translate for me here, and Ara can translate there.
As Ara waved her hand, Gomgom followed suit beside her. Soon, the Kkumuris also waved their hands blankly, which was quite funny. I picked up one of the waving Kkumuris.
Since I needed one to communicate, the one I picked up made a sound with a blank expression.
-Heh heh.
Hey, you’ve just been kidnapped.
* * *
I ran, matching the speed of the Starlight Beetle. As always, it felt like the place where the Alfheim live was too far from the field and the entrance.
‘It was so quick when I rode Purruk…’
Can’t I tame Purruk? Taming it just for riding seems a bit much, but if they’re okay with it, then it’s not a problem, right?
Brrr-!
Suddenly, Mark2 and the Kkumuris in my arms shivered. Why? They were catching the wind as I ran, but did they get cold? Anyway, thinking warmly about the welfare of monsters, I arrived at the village.
-Heh heh.
-Heh heh?
The Kkumuris greeted us cheerfully. They were hanging leisurely from the roots and trunk of the World Tree, and surprisingly, they fit in well with the Alfheim.
“You seem to be doing well.”
-They are quite helpful. There’s nothing they can’t make!
It looks like they’re coexisting well. I’m glad.
The only concern was whether there was enough food. When I asked Frey about this, she tilted his head.
“Food? They don’t eat. They just play around or make things all day.”
“Really?”
As I looked at the Kkumuris I brought, it sensed my gaze and made a sound.
-Heh heh?
Come to think of it, there were Kkumuris here too, so I didn’t need to bring one!
“Frey, can you communicate with this guy?”
-Yes, I can.
“Can you ask it if it really needs to eat?”
I assumed they needed food because they ate so happily. But was that not the case? Frey asked on my behalf, and the slime responded with its characteristic blank cry.
-Heh heh.
-It says they need to eat. Oh! They share everything.
“Share?”
Do they share the food and nutrients they eat? What kind of creatures are they? No wonder their eating habits were similar to our Kkumuris, despite having over a dozen of them… It seemed our Kkumuris were supplying the nutrients for the ones here too. Or perhaps they were spread throughout the entire dungeon…?
‘I don’t know how many there are, but, hmm. I don’t think they were in other places.’
With my curiosity satisfied, we moved further inside and saw the Meluca flower field.
“Oh.”
-As you can see, the condition is a bit…
The stems and leaves of the Meluca had grown magnificently. They were so large it was hard to believe they were this big. However, the flowers hadn’t bloomed. Flower buds had formed but looked withered and seemed ready to fall off.
The slimes tending to the Meluca greeted me.
“Hey, guys. Good job. Let’s have some food first.”
They lived on the food provided by the fairies here, but I brought them special treats each time I visited. Today, it was the pancakes my mother made.
While the slimes happily wobbled and ate the pancakes, Mark2 and I strolled through the field.
“Was the poison too weak?”
-When we used the poison you provided last time, the buds formed. But they didn’t bloom in the end.
I had been worried about this. I conversed with Mark2 through Frey.
Mark2 suggested that maybe the poison was too weak for the flowers to bloom.
“I’ll bring a stronger poison.”
-Oh! As expected of the Great Lord! We always trust in you, Great Lord!
There wasn’t even a hint of doubt about how I would obtain it. They just believed I would manage somehow.
The highest-level slimes I had were Mark2 and Poispois, both at level 4. Over the past days, I had prepared another level 4 slime. I was deciding whether to level up Mark2 or Poispois to level 5 first, and I chose Poispois.
‘If level 5 isn’t enough, it’ll be a bit troublesome…’
Still, since the buds formed at level 4, wouldn’t they bloom at level 5?
“By the way, are you still okay? Isn’t your honey supply running low?”
-We’re still fine! We stored enough food for this winter. The problem is next year…
“By the way, when does winter start?”
-Winter is coming soon. Maybe in about a hundred nights?
“Three months?”
It felt like a long time and also not that far off. Winter wasn’t particularly welcome for someone who had just started farming here.
‘Should I make a greenhouse?’
Just in time, there were Kkumuris here.
It would be a shame to just leave it as it is, so I should prepare something to maintain the field even in winter. Since my father was trying to make a kitchen powered by magic stones, using his gained expertise to create a magic stone greenhouse could be a good idea.
“Frey, I’ll be back soon.”
-What?! Can you get the poison that quickly?!
“Yeah, it should be doable right away.”
-As expected of the Great Lord!
Frey’s eyes sparkled as she praised me. I scratched my head, having grown quite accustomed to Frey’s reactions, and took another look around the field.
Oh, before I go…
“I’ll take some honey.”
I think there was a pizza that you dip in honey.
Let’s try it out.
Cliche Novel 