– Hmm!
Mammon smiled with satisfaction.
Around him, his escort goblins stood guard vigilantly.
In front of him, numerous goblins waited for his command.
Soon, the weapons prepared with Mammon’s poison were resupplied to the goblins.
Mammon needed some preparation time as he couldn’t produce poison indefinitely.
However, the goblins looked cheerful.
Anyone could see that they were in a position of advantage.
And Mammon’s speech was the finishing touch.
– From now on, this land is ours. We will drive out the wicked humans and build our own kingdom! We will no longer go hungry!
– Kirik! Long live the king!
– I always believed! Victory! Oh, I mean, long live!
It had only been about a month since they came out, but they had already established a territory.
However, Mammon was not satisfied.
More land! More treasures!
Of course, the goblins under his command were in need of immediate food.
– Ahem, as you all know, the ones we encountered last time were quite dangerous. I, Mammon, was almost defeated by them.
– How dare they… our great king… Kirik!
– Protect the king!
The goblins’ enthusiastic response filled the air.
Watching their reactions, Mammon slowly raised his hand to draw attention.
– But I, Mammon, defeated those dangerous humans! Now, nothing stands in our way!
– Woah! Long live the king!
– Starvation pro… Oh, I mean, long live!
The first objective, safely coming out from the dungeon, was successfully completed.
Mammon and the goblins immediately began preparations for the second objective.
…Unaware that his nemesis was approaching.
* * *
After the call ended, I started to prepare.
Surprisingly, Young-seong didn’t stop me.
Although his response was slightly delayed, he agreed to come to the guild after some consideration.
I quickly packed my things and got Bokkeum and Ara ready. I wasn’t too worried since I could summon the others through the Master of Gluttony.
Honestly, I wanted to leave Ara in the dungeon…
‘Who is worried about whom here.’
It was time to worry more about myself than Ara.
With everything ready, I arrived at the guild, and an unexpected person greeted me.
“You’re here?”
“Si-young?”
Si-young greeted me.
She smiled at my bewildered expression and reached out to Ara in my arms.
Taking Ara from me, she rubbed her cheek against Ara, showing affection.
“Ara, have you been well?”
“I have been well.”
Ara, who was particularly calm in front of Si-young, nodded vigorously and answered calmly. Her cheeks shook cutely with each nod.
“Have you decided to return?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, congratulations. But shouldn’t you take more rest…?”
“I originally planned to, but I can’t rest while everyone else is working hard.”
Si-young turned her head to look at the towering building of Ara Hongryeon.
“Ara Hongryeon is like my hometown. A hometown I built myself.”
“Oh…”
“But in the end, people are what matter. Without our guild members, the name Ara Hongryeon is just an empty title.”
There was a subtle nuance in her words.
Could it be…
“I will accompany you to Guangzhou as your bodyguard. Please take care of me.”
“N-no, Si-young!”
I was shocked when Si-young said she would accompany me. She had suffered for ten years from Mammon’s poison, and now she wanted to go to where Mammon was…
Honestly, I couldn’t blame her if she had trauma, but her courage to go where Mammon was without hesitation was truly impressive.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Didn’t Young-seong say anything?”
“…We had a long conversation, but he eventually gave his permission.”
Si-young spoke bitterly but then looked at me with determination in her eyes.
“Pain needs to be resolved. I have no intention of dwelling in the past.”
“…”
“But you don’t have to worry too much. I’m only going to be there as your bodyguard. I don’t plan to jump into the battlefield myself.”
I barely managed to nod.
Honestly, I had no say in this matter.
She had made up her mind, and Young-seong had given his permission, so there was nothing I could do.
All I could do was hope for a safe return.
I entered the building with Si-young. Inside, it was noticeably quieter than before. The once-bustling guild now had only a few people left, busily moving about.
“Oh, Kyu-seong.”
Young-seong, whom I hadn’t seen in a few days, looked exhausted. His haggard appearance made me ask without thinking.
“Are you okay?”
“No. I want to soak in the hot spring at your house right now.”
“…It looks that way.”
Only the non-awakened guild members were left to handle the remaining tasks and support the Guangzhou mission, so they seemed busy.
At that moment, Ara, who had been squirming in Si-young’s arms, got down and approached Young-seong. Normally, he would have recoiled in fear, but he just watched her quietly this time.
“Good, good. You’ve been working hard.”
Unable to reach his head, Ara patted his pants instead. A smile spread across Young-seong’s face.
“Thank you, Ara.”
“Do your best and come to play again, Young-seong.”
She usually called him by his full name, Choi Young-seong, but today she called him like I do.
Young-seong smiled broadly and patted Ara’s head. It was nice to see him interacting with her so warmly.
“Did you get everything ready?”
“Yes.”
“The plane at the airport is ready. It’s scheduled to send supplies, so you and Si-young can depart immediately.”
“Thank you.”
“…Kyu-seong.”
Young-seong called me seriously.
“I understand your reasoning, so I didn’t stop you, but unexpected situations can arise. To minimize variables, I agreed to Si-young’s request.”
“Yes, thank you. Both of you.”
“Take care. Let’s meet again soon.”
“Yes!”
I made one last call to my family.
They all seemed worried, but in the end, they supported my decision, which left me a bit flustered.
– Come back anytime if it gets too hard.
– Eat well and don’t do anything dangerous!
– Be careful, brother. See you later.
– If Ara gets hurt even a little, I’ll come find you!
Ignoring the last remark, I headed to the airport with Si-young.
* * *
Ryu Cheon slowly opened his eyes.
It was an unfamiliar ceiling… No, she checked his surroundings first.
She was in a medical facility for the injured. She had been here once before.
‘Mammon.’
The last thing she remembered was struggling to return while leading the poisoned casualties. Although she himself was poisoned, she endured it with the powerful magic of a Level 8 awakened one, successfully rescuing and escaping with the attack team.
But now, waking up like this…
“Ah! Lady Ryu Cheon!”
Turning her head at the familiar voice, she saw the assistant from the same Skyscraper Guild rushing over. She was one of the few awakened ones who hadn’t been poisoned among the attack team.
“How is your body? It’s a relief that you’ve woken up so quickly! I should have taken better care of you, but my inadequacy…”
Before she could respond, Ryu Cheon just checked her physical condition while listening to the assistant’s torrent of words.
‘Huh?’
Something felt different. Her body, usually cold and uncomfortable, felt exceptionally light today. Confused by this unprecedented state, she tilted her head.
“Why, what’s wrong? Are you in pain?”
“No.”
In fact, it felt so good that it was almost problematic.
This was the first time in her life she felt such an unfamiliar, almost dizzying, sense of well-being. Ryu Cheon stood up immediately.
“Ah, miss! You should lie down a bit longer…”
“I’m fine. What about the others?”
She couldn’t understand her peculiar condition, but she was more concerned about the others.
At Ryu Cheon’s question, the assistant quickly made a radio call.
“Ah, ah. The lady has woken up. All personnel within the base, please assemble at the treatment center.”
“…I just asked if they were okay.”
Ryu Cheon felt it wasn’t necessary to call everyone, but seeing the Skyscraper Guild members rush in, she felt a surge of emotion.
“Miss!”
“Is your body okay? Are you in any discomfort?”
“Ugh! I should have gone with you! I’m sorry! It’s my fault!”
Looking around at the faces, Ryu Cheon noticed some missing people. She realized the missing ones were those who had been deployed with her in the attack team.
“Where are Myungmyung and Gaho?”
“…They are still lying down.”
“We were short on antidotes.”
Realizing that the antidote had been used on her first, Ryu Cheon fell silent.
Just then, an unexpected visitor appeared.
“Hello, everyone.”
All eyes turned at the sudden greeting.
There stood a handsome man with glasses and a pale complexion.
“Ara Hongryeon Guild Master.”
“Han Seok-jun.”
Recognizing his identity, the Skyscraper Guild members bowed slightly. Considering that Ara Hongryeon had provided the antidote, they were in a position of gratitude towards him.
“Guild Master Han Seok-jun.”
“How are you feeling?”
His fluent Chinese was impressive, as always. Ryu Cheon had met him several times before at exchange meetings, but his language skills never ceased to amaze her.
“Thanks to you. I am grateful.”
“Other members will be able to detoxify soon.”
“…Thank you very much.”
Ryu Cheon bowed her head.
“We also received help. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have been able to break through the encirclement. I was worried because you seemed to be pushing yourself despite being poisoned, but I’m really glad.”
“Yes.”
Ryu Cheon wanted to cast aside her pride and ask Han Seok-jun if there were any spare antidotes. She knew there were others waiting for their turn, but her urgent concern for her guild members overwhelmed her.
“Uh…!”
Unable to hold back, she was about to ask.
But Han Seok-jun spoke up at just the right moment.
“A card will arrive.”
“What?”
“It will arrive here by tomorrow.”
What on earth did that mean?
While everyone was puzzled, Ryu Cheon suddenly realized something.
“…Is the creator of the antidote coming in person?”
“As expected of Ryu Cheon. You figured it out right away.”
Hearing that the creator of the antidote was coming, people were surprised but also uplifted.
Although the presence of the creator wouldn’t change the situation directly, it would alleviate concerns about the supply of antidotes, which had faced various obstacles.
‘…Is my body feeling exceptionally light also related to the antidote?’
She had already checked the information about the antidote item on the first day.
[Magical Vegetable Juice LV.2]
[Ingredients: Magical Cherry Tomato, Magical Strawberry, Magical Embergrill, Magical Sweet Potato, World Tree Mushroom, Magical Bell Pepper]
[Upon consumption, triggers mild healing, detoxification, and pain relief effects based on the mana possessed
Upon consumption, triggers mild stamina recovery
Upon consumption, triggers mild mana circulation]
Could the last line be the key…?
It felt like she had found a key to solving her chronic condition from an unexpected source.
And soon, she would meet the owner of the antidote.
‘…What kind of person will it be?’
In that moment, the youngest Level 8 awakened one of the mega-guild Skyscraper showed interest in Kyu-seong.
Cliche Novel 