“The investigation is complete. Thank you for your patience.”
“It was a tough time!”
Hearing the HQ staff’s farewell, I came out holding Ara in my arms.
Fortunately, the investigation concluded quickly.
“The guild is really great. I’m glad I joined.”
Most legal issues had already been resolved by the Ara Hongryeon side, so the testimony investigation ended as a mere formality.
After all, Ara wasn’t human but a monster.
“Everyone was so amazed.”
Thanks to Guild Leader Han Seok-jun proving in advance that Ara was my familiar, everyone in the HQ stared as we passed through.
Ara, not knowing anything, waved innocently each time, and some kind-hearted staff even brought her snacks, finding her cute.
At first, I wondered why Ara garnered so much attention, but then I was startled after seeing a video shown by an employee.
It showed Ara throwing a Level 4 physical-type Awakened.
That was beyond what I knew of Ara’s abilities.
Although it’s been some time since her last physical examination, had she grown strong enough to easily defeat a Level 4 Awakened already?
I checked Ara’s status window, which I hadn’t seen in a while.
[Ara (Gluttony)]
[A demon of Gluttony, one of the Seven Deadly Sins]
[A slime with unknown potential, and Lee Kyu-seong’s familiar]
[Abilities: Gluttony, Breath, Physical Enhancement, Mental Enhancement, Magic Increase, Affinity, Clairvoyance, Insight, Indestructibility, Poison Immunity, Debuff Resistance, Mana Restoration, Self-Healing, Beautiful Skin, Close Combat Immunity]
“What, what is this…!”
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
I was overwhelmed by the list of abilities filling my vision.
In terms of Awakened, how many stages does this make her? Is she a multi-awakened?
‘Abilities like ‘Indestructibility,’ ‘Clairvoyance,’ and ‘Insight’ were especially eye-popping’
“Gluttony is indeed a cheat ability.”
Probably the most broken ability in the world, even among the Seven Deadly Sins, they’d have to bow to Ara.
As I stood in the hallway in a daze, someone bumped my shoulder hard.
Nearly falling, I steadied myself and bowed my head.
“Oh! I’m sorry.”
I was so absorbed in checking Ara’s status window.
“Sorry is all you’ve got?”
“? ?”
As I was blaming myself, an unexpected response came.
I looked up to see the person’s face properly.
“Not a staff member of the Awakened HQ?”
He seemed like another visitor, probably an Awakened.
“Hey, you think ‘sorry’ is enough?”
“……I inadvertently blocked your way. I apologize.”
“So, ‘sorry’ solves everything?”
“Then what do you want me to do?”
Wrong person to mess with.
Can’t you just let it slide?
I tried to defuse the situation, but the guy grinned maliciously and tapped my shoulder again.
“Why are you talking like that? It sounds like it’s my fault.”
“If you have nothing else to say, I’ll be on my way.”
“What? Ha! You’re gonna leave after causing trouble?”
Ara, although silent, trembled in my arms, ready to spring out.
“Growl.”
I stroked Ara’s head to calm her, ignoring the guy and turning around.
Not avoiding out of fear, but because it’s dirty to engage.
“This bastard…!”
Sensing him approaching angrily from behind, I wondered how to respond when—
“Lee Kyu-seong?”
Someone called my name.
Turning around, I recognized the face from before.
“Oh, Awakened Oh Min-joo?!”
A slightly cold-looking woman, a senior member of the Iron Blood Guild and lover of Baek Seung-hyun, whom I had cured.
Unlike at the Iron Blood Guild, she radiated coldness now, approaching with a bright smile and taking my hand.
“I didn’t expect to see you here! I noticed you earlier but wasn’t sure. What’s happening?”
She glanced at the Awakened behind me, then her face hardened.
“Ah, just a little argument.”
“Argument?”
Min-joo released my hand and approached the other Awakened.
He, looking timid now, couldn’t meet her eyes.
“Your name and affiliation?”
“Huh? Uh, no, I was just—”
“You know Awakened have keen hearing, right? I overheard that Kyu-seong was just standing here, but you bumped into him intentionally?”
“No, it’s not like that, I was just walking, and someone bumped me—”
“Lies!”
Ara, in my arms, chirped.
“Kyu-seong was just standing still, and that guy bumped him first!”
“Hmm? That’s what they say.”
“N-No…”
“Is ‘no’ the only thing you can say? Why can’t you speak properly?”
As expected, her reputation was undeniable.
Oh Min-joo was a well-known figure among the Awakened, and even among civilians.
She held a high position in the Iron Blood Guild and was a Level 7 Awakened.
Thanks to her title, the other person shrank back, unable to speak properly.
Wow, it really pays to be successful.
I hope one day I’ll be famous enough not to be disregarded…
“Kyu-seong, let’s resolve this legally.”
“…What?”
“I’ve heard that the legal team at Ara Hongryeon is quite formidable. You probably won’t have to lift a finger to handle this. Physical contact by an Awakened cannot be overlooked.”
Is this escalating…?
“A-Ara Hongryeon?!”
When I hesitated to respond, the other person, who hadn’t anticipated that I was associated with Ara Hongryeon, turned pale.
“Uh, um…”
Seeing him struggle to speak, both Oh Min-joo and I stared at him. Suddenly, he bowed deeply.
“I-I’m sorry. I was having a bad day and ended up making a big deal out of nothing…”
“Having a bad day doesn’t justify acting out. Since we’re at the Awakened HQ, let’s contact Ara Hongryeon, Kyu-seong. They can handle legal issues among the Awakened here.”
“A-Ah…”
The other person, now not just pale but ghostly white, looked at me pleadingly for mercy. At that moment, Ara jumped out of my arms, raised her head, and shouted.
“Are you sorry?!”
“Huh? Y-Yes… I’m sorry.”
“Then you must be punished!”
Ara patted her chest and shouted again.
“You hit Kyu-seong! I will hit you as punishment!”
The Awakened, Oh Min-joo, and I all looked at Ara with different expressions—confusion, curiosity, and concern respectively.
Knowing Ara’s strength, I spoke to the other person.
“To be honest, it wasn’t pleasant. Even if I was standing in the way, it’s not like the hallway was narrow. And even though I apologized first, you mocked me.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“But I don’t want to stoop to your level. Let’s end this here.”
“Ah! Thank you!”
“But Ara doesn’t seem to have forgiven you. So, take a hit from her.”
“Ara? From this child? Of course.”
I wasn’t just a pushover.
The person, thinking he was getting off easy, relaxed and bent over, making it easier for Ara to hit him.
Seeing this, Ara swung her fists around playfully.
It looked like a child’s cute antics, and the other person even bent down to make it easier for her.
“I will kick your butt! Stick out your butt!”
“Huh? Uh, okay.”
Seeing Ara preparing to kick instead of punch, I started to worry.
“Ara, don’t hit too hard.”
“Okay!”
The other person and Oh Min-joo, unaware of Ara’s true power, were enjoying the situation. But I knew Ara’s strength.
If Ara hits him…
He’ll have a tough time for a few days.
“Wait, is this child…?”
Oh Min-joo muttered as she seemed to recognize Ara. But it was too late.
Thud!
“Ouch!”
As soon as the person stuck out his butt, Ara kicked him hard.
Caught off guard by the unexpected force, the person fell, clutching his butt.
He probably won’t be sitting comfortably for a while.
Leaving him writhing in pain, I smiled at Oh Min-joo.
“Anyway, I didn’t expect to see you here, Oh Min-joo. Is Seung-hyun doing well?”
“Oh? Yes, he’s been eating well and feeling great, thanks to you.”
While having a friendly chat, Ara poked the fallen person with her finger.
“Are you okay?”
“Ugh…”
“Kyu-seong, this person looks like he’s dying.”
“That wouldn’t be good. Should I call an employee? We’d have to explain everything then…”
“No, no! I’m fine! Thank you for your mercy! Ugh.”
Oh Min-joo looked at Ara, clearly curious. She hadn’t seen Ara before since I wasn’t with her last time.
“This is my familiar, Ara.”
“Could it be the one from Yongsan…?”
“Haha, our Ara is becoming famous.”
“She’s as cute as I heard. Though her strength isn’t cute…”
Suppressing a feeling of triumph, I patted Ara’s head.
Ara, feeling satisfied, waved at the person disappearing while clutching his butt.
“By the way, what brings you here, Oh Min-joo?”
“Important news was delivered to our guild. I’m sure Ara Hongryeon has received the news too.”
“Important news?”
“Yes. Originally, the Guild Leader and Seung-hyun were supposed to come with me, but they both had personal matters to attend to, so I came alone today.”
Oh, what could this be about?
Noticing my curious expression, Oh Min-joo quickly explained.
“We received a message from China.”
“China?”
I tilted my head at the unexpected word.
“The Dungeon of Greed is located in China.”
“Oh! Ah?”
I knew that the Dungeon of Greed was in China. So far, three dungeons of the Seven Deadly Sins had been discovered, and one of them, the Dungeon of Greed, was in Guangzhou, China.
The emergence of a Level 9 dungeon in a major city had caused a global uproar nearly ten years ago.
‘It’s already been almost ten years since then.’
But why is she bringing this up now?
“They say there’s a crack in the Dungeon of Greed.”
“…Dungeon Break!”
“It’s about time. It’s the oldest of the Seven Deadly Sins dungeons.”
I had momentarily forgotten that if a dungeon is left unchecked, the monsters inside can freely come out.
This wasn’t just a minor issue confined to the Iron Blood Guild. This meant that the monster that had rendered the most renowned Awakened across the globe combat-incapable at the time was about to emerge.
Naturally, the news had reached Ara Hongryeon as well.
“This is a big deal, isn’t it?!”
“Yes. It is a big deal. Since our country is close to China, it’s a state of emergency. Although the media hasn’t reported it yet, the government and top guilds are on high alert.”
Ring-ring-
Just then, my phone rang.
I saw that it was Guild Leader Han Seok-jun.
“Oh, Guild Leader.”
“Take the call first.”
“Thank you.”
I answered the call, and the Guild Leader’s calm but serious voice came through.
“Kyu-seong, I apologize for the sudden call. It seems you’re out at the moment.”
“Yes, Guild Leader.”
“If you have time today, could you visit the guild?”
“Is this about China…?”
“Yes, I see you’ve heard. There’s something we need to discuss with you regarding that.”
“…I’ll come right away.”
The Dungeon of Greed.
A place with a boss that is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, like Ara.
I sensed a strange connection.
Cliche Novel 