As soon as I opened my eyes, I left Seon-ah and Ara, who were still sleeping, and went to check the crops.
First, I headed to the storage in the slime dungeon.
“Hmm…”
Except for the cucumbers and Laylas, which aren’t particularly useful for the hunt?
Tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, eggplants, embergrills, and strawberries.
There were quite a lot of them.
The most important among these is the tomatoes.
To prepare for Mammon, who uses powerful poison, tomatoes are essential. Moreover, they must be made into vegetable juice.
“Let’s create a new recipe.”
Tomatoes are a must.
Adding strawberries seemed like a good idea. Until now, strawberries were collected separately to make potions, so this was the first time trying to make vegetable juice with them.
“Huh?”
While selecting ingredients for the antidote, I discovered something for the first time. Something left in a corner of the storage…
“What is this?”
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong…”
At that moment, Ara, who had woken up at some point, rubbed her eyes and looked for me.
When I squatted down, Ara slowly waddled over and plopped into my arms.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes.”
“What about Seon-ah?”
“She is still sleeping.”
Holding Ara, who still seemed sleepy, I headed back to the corner of the storage. Then Ara, now fully awake, asked me.
“What is that?”
“…I really must have been out of my mind. Ara, do you remember when we planted the bell peppers?”
“Bell peppers!”
It was so long ago that I barely remembered planting them.
Mark2 and Poispois, who originally managed this place, moved to the Dungeon of Gluttony, so there was no one to report to me.
Whenever we harvested new crops, I used to get a report, a gesture called ‘report,’ but that was no more.
“Shall we check it out?”
“Yes!”
I gently lifted the bell peppers covered in slime secretion. Then I went straight to the pond to wash them clean.
[Magic-infused Bell Pepper LV.1]
[It contains faint magic.]
[Consistent consumption enhances mana circulation.]
“Oh!”
An unexpected ability appeared.
Unlike other crops, it didn’t have an immediate effect upon consumption but required continuous intake to be beneficial.
The fact that it improved mana circulation would make it highly desirable to Awakeners.
‘I don’t know the extent of its effectiveness, though.’
The harvested bell peppers seemed to be around 400 in total. Of those, about half, or 200, were judged as items.
Ara and I sorted all the seeds from those 200 bell peppers. We decided to plant those seeds again immediately.
“Since there’s not enough land, we’ll have to plant the rest in the Dungeon of Gluttony.”
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong, can I eat it?”
“Of course.”
Even after removing the seeds, the item effect of the bell pepper remained. Ara gave a big, happy greeting and eagerly bit into the bell pepper.
Crunch!
With a crisp sound, Ara munched on the bell pepper non-stop.
“Yum!”
“Is it tasty?”
“You should try it!”
After neatly organizing the seeds, I took a bite of the bell pepper Ara handed me.
Crunch!
“Mm?!”
It was juicier than I expected.
The juice from the bell pepper burst out with a surprisingly sweet flavor.
I thought it would have a more bitter vegetable taste, but there was none of that.
“It’s delicious.”
“Yes!”
This would be perfect to include in the new vegetable juice.
It was juicy and had mana-related abilities, making it ideal.
However, since these were magic-infused bell peppers, I wanted to make the juice with the improved magic bell peppers, but I wasn’t sure about the harvest speed.
‘Let’s plant them first!’
Just as I was marveling at the unexpected taste and abilities of the bell peppers, I saw Seon-ah coming down the ladder.
“Ara, give one to Seon-ah too.”
“Okay!”
Holding bell peppers in both hands, Ara ran to Seon-ah. She seemed fully awake now.
Seon-ah, scratching her disheveled hair with a groggy expression, brightened up instantly when Ara approached and hugged her tightly.
“Ara~!”
“Ugh.”
It felt like watching a tipsy aunt.
Indeed, from the outside, they did look like an aunt and niece.
“My cute Ara, did you sleep well?”
“I slept well!”
Ara, a bit startled by Seon-ah’s sudden display of affection, hurriedly handed her a bell pepper.
“Eat this!”
“Oh, what’s this? Something new? A bell pepper?”
“Yes!”
“Hehe, thanks. I’ll enjoy this bell pepper Ara gave me.”
“Uh, okay.”
Since I don’t usually express affection so boldly, Ara seemed unaccustomed to Seon-ah’s enthusiasm. Nonetheless, Seon-ah accepted the bell pepper and took a bite without much thought.
“Mm! Mmm! Mmm!”
“Finish eating before you speak.”
Leaving Seon-ah, who was excitedly mumbling, I planted the bell pepper seeds in the dungeon’s vacant soil. As I buried each seed, a slime followed me, moistening the soil. Cute little thing.
“Is this really a bell pepper? It’s amazing.”
“Why the surprise?”
Seon-ah, having finally swallowed the bell pepper, exclaimed in awe.
“I didn’t like bell peppers before. But this is so tasty! You have to put this in the salad later.”
“Hehe, you can add it yourself.”
While playfully bantering with Seon-ah, I finished planting the seeds. Since the remaining land was limited, it didn’t take long.
‘We still have plenty of bell pepper seeds left.’
Shall we head to the Dungeon of Gluttony? I can make the vegetable juice anytime today.
Glancing over, I saw the kids sitting together, eating bell peppers.
“Let’s go over there.”
“Okay!”
Seon-ah, chewing on a bell pepper, took something out. It looked like a camera. I had no idea when she bought it.
“You’re serious about this.”
“I bought it with the money you gave me.”
“Good job.”
Entering the Dungeon of Gluttony with Seon-ah and Ara, I heard a familiar notification.
[Confirming the dungeon owner, Lee Kyu-seong]
[Entry is permitted]
[Remaining mana: 6/20]
‘Hmm?’
Something had changed.
The dungeon owner had been changed to me. Moreover, the maximum mana had increased to 20. Was this due to the ‘Master of Gluttony’ title I received after completing the last quest?
Increasing the maximum mana wasn’t bad, but it didn’t particularly make me happy.
‘If only they could get rid of it entirely.’
Considering the cost of mana stones for each entry, I could have bought a studio apartment in the metropolitan area by now.
“Ah! It’s been a while!”
Seon-ah stretched, enjoying the breeze.
Just then, something swiftly flew down from the sky.
– Chirp!
“Oh, chirpy, how have you been?”
It was the blade swallow, Chirpy.
By the way, Ara named all the newly joined familiars: Chirpy, Woofy, and Purr. Purr was named after its ghostly characteristics.
‘I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.’
If I had named them, they would have been given cool names like Flame Wolf, Flash Swallow, and Ghost Phantom!
I lamented my inability to protect them from Ara’s naming skills as I let Chirpy perch on my hand.
“What’s that?! Isn’t it a Blade Swallow!”
“Ara picked it up.”
“…Picked up? A monster?”
As expected from a Dungeon Monster Research major, she immediately recognized the Blade Swallow. Her observation skills as a dungeon and awakening enthusiast were impressive.
“Hello there!”
As Ara raised one hand in greeting, Chirpy promptly moved from my hand to hers.
“Wow, to see a Blade Swallow up close like this. It’s said to be a monster that’s hard to bond with, even if tamed as a familiar…”
“Really?”
Indeed, Ara’s affinity was unmatched, especially with monsters. Actually, it probably worked on people too.
‘Because she’s the cutest in the world. Hehe.’
While my thoughts wandered, I noticed something red rapidly approaching from afar. Though it wasn’t visible, the Phantom horse, Purr, was likely beside it.
“Flame Wolf!”
“Ara picked up a few things.”
“Picked up? This is beyond picking up! A Level 5 monster? A high-ranking monster?”
Ignoring Seon-ah’s astonished comments, I approached and petted Woofy. Despite its name, Flame Wolf, its appearance and behavior were more like a retriever.
“Good boy, good boy.”
-Neigh.
“Oh, right. Purr, you’ve been well too?”
“…A Phantom horse? Where did you even…”
While Seon-ah looked too stunned to react further, I lifted her by the waist.
“W-What are you doing!”
“You need to ride. Or do you want to ride Woofy? I can make him bigger.”
“What?!”
As Seon-ah flustered, Ara quickly climbed onto Purr. Confidently, she patted the spot behind her.
“Ride behind me, Seon-ah Seon-ah.”
“Uhh…”
Even as a Dungeon Monster Research major, she probably hadn’t ridden a monster before. I promptly placed Seon-ah behind Ara and petted Woofy.
Understanding my intention, Woofy immediately grew in size and lowered himself to make it easier for me to mount.
“Thank you.”
Once I was on Woofy, we started our run.
“Waaah!”
“Hahaha!”
Although it wasn’t insanely fast, the perceived speed was quite high. Seon-ah clung tightly to Ara, yet…
‘She’s still holding the camera and recording.’
Her professional spirit was commendable. She could probably handle anything.
In about two minutes, we arrived at the fields.
“Wow!”
“How is it? Quite a change, right?”
“It’s so beautiful!”
The last time I brought the family here, there were only a few scattered small houses.
But now, it looked like a village from a fairy tale, with neatly built small buildings, cute roads connecting them, and beautiful landscaping.
“Ara, Ara. Stand there. Yes, just like that. Look here. Oh! Gomgom! You were here! Come, let’s take a picture together. Perfect!”
My sister was clearly very excited.
As soon as we arrived, Gomgom, the rest of the slimes, and other familiars greeted us, making the scene look like a dream. Leading the group was Mark2, who wiggled to greet me.
“Mark2, I have new things to plant.”
Goo?
At my words, Mark2 naturally led me to an empty field.
“Nice.”
Once again, I realized how spacious it was.
The reclaimed land was already vast, but the untouched land was even more extensive.
It seemed like even if we planted all the bell pepper seeds we brought, it wouldn’t make a noticeable difference.
“Let’s work hard.”
While Seon-ah was busy filming with the kids, I fulfilled my duty as a farmer. Since we had much more to plant than in the slime dungeon, it took quite a while this time.
“Phew.”
“Kyu-seong-Kyu-seong. Should I plant here?”
“Oh, Ara, you’re here?”
At some point, Ara had come over to help.
And Seon-ah was quietly filming Ara’s efforts.
“Dear sister, this brother of yours is deeply concerned that you only show such sides. How can you not even say a word about helping this brother…”
“Shh.”
Having been bluntly rejected, I focused back on my work.
With Ara’s help, the planting was quickly finished.
“It’s done!”
“Wow, great job. Now, shall we have a snack?”
“Snack! Snack!”
To those who work hard, rewards are due!
We entrusted the fields to the slimes and headed to the storage. The storage, built by the Kkumuris, had a unique and charming appearance and color.
“How about we make some pizza today?”
“Pizza!”
Ara danced with joy. Though her dance was still amusing, she had gotten cuter thanks to the rhythms she learned at the orphanage recently.
“Since we harvested bell peppers, we should use them as pizza toppings.”
We gathered the ingredients and headed to the kiln.
Somehow, word had spread, and a bunch of kids were already gathered around the kiln.
Of course, anticipating this, I had brought plenty of ingredients.
Patpat!
-୧(๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭
“Huh?”
Just as I was about to light the kiln, I suddenly heard a voice from Alfheim. Looking up, I saw one of the Alfheim waving from atop an insect.
“What’s going on?”
“Poispois!”
Understanding, Ara exclaimed immediately.
“Poispois? What about Poispois?”
“Poispois discovered something interesting! Frey is also there!”
“Something interesting?”
I had a feeling.
With Poispois reaching level 5 and awakening mana detection, it was surely something other than mana stones that he found.
“But before that…”
We should eat the pizza.
Cliche Novel 