[Skyscraper Guild, connected by the last dungeon break of Avarice………….]
[Skyscraper and Ara Hongryeon, for a guild-to-guild trade visit…….]
Despite the explanations, the aftermath still lingered among the public. If the public was this affected, the guild industry still found it a hot issue.
“It’s an honor to finally meet our busy guild leader,
Han Seok-jun.”
“Haha. I apologize. As you know, I’ve been very busy recently.”
“I understand, I understand.”
This impromptu meeting was arranged due to the Skyscraper Guild’s visit to Korea. The attendees were the leaders of South Korea’s top 10 guilds. Truly a gathering of VIPs. Even Terror Guild, which firmly holds the number one spot in Korea and has entered the world’s top 50 this year, was present. Due to the importance of the occasion, no one was absent. All had carved out time from their busy schedules to attend.
“There was a communiqué from the government, passed on by the Chinese side. It seems they have confirmed the complete eradication of Avarice.”
“The recent resolution of the dungeon break was fortunate in many ways. There were those who were poisoned, but thanks to Ara Hongryeon’s treatment, there were zero fatalities. It’s nothing short of a miracle.”
“Hmm, if we hadn’t been so busy at that time, our guild would have participated too…………”
As various discussions continued, Johann, the guild leader of Terror Guild, slowly began to speak.
“Guild Leader Han Seok-jun.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
Johann and Han Seok-jun. As soon as they started speaking, the meeting room fell silent. Everyone turned into listeners, focusing intently.
“I heard the Skyscraper Guild is here, but I’m curious about the situation. Why would the immovable Great Sage come all the way to Korea?”
“Haha. His actions are always unpredictable, so how would we know? We didn’t know he was visiting until we met him ourselves.”
They exchanged smiles while conversing, but there was an undercurrent of tension. As the others watched this intriguing scene, Baek Tae-seop suddenly spoke up.
“Guild Leader Johann, aren’t you being a bit impolite? Probing into private guild matters like this—it’s scary to think how we can have guild trades.”
In support of Ara Hongryeon, Baek Tae-seop’s remark made Johann smile calmly. He then looked around, observing the people’s faces.
“You’re right. However, with a colossal guild like Skyscraper making moves, its impact is bound to affect all guilds in our country. I simply asked to prepare for any eventuality.”
“Hmm…….”
“And I believe those in the know are already aware.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Johann alternated his gaze between Baek Tae-seop and Han Seok-jun.
“Awakened Kim Si-young and Awakened Baek Seung-hyun. Both are now completely cured without any prior symptoms.”
“And during the recent dungeon break of Avarice, the antidote that was remarkably effective—everyone’s being quiet about it, but Ara Hongryeon is showing explosive results, and even the recent visit from the Great Sage. Can all this really be a coincidence?”
“What are you implying?”
Han Seok-jun’s eyes grew sharper behind his glasses. Some guild leaders, noticing this, flinched and broke into a cold sweat. Although Han Seok-jun appeared very gentlemanly now, those who were active during his prime could never forget his fearsome presence.
“Awakened Lee Kyu-seong.”
“Hmm!”
Baek Tae-seop snorted strongly, as if to say not to delve further into sensitive matters.
“You came because of him, didn’t you?”
“Well…”
Han Seok-jun feigned ignorance. Baek Tae-seop, experienced as he was, maintained a poker face, revealing nothing.
“Haha, aren’t you two being a bit too greedy? Even if you two were close during your active days, this is too much.”
“What do you mean, too much? Guild Leader Johann, you should watch your words.”
“Awakened Lee Kyu-seong is—!”
Johann suddenly stood up, shouting. His abrupt action startled everyone, causing them to freeze.
“He’s a national treasure. It’s a detriment to the country for two guilds to monopolize someone of his caliber.”
“Huh, haha.”
Baek Tae-seop laughed as if in disbelief. Meanwhile, Han Seok-jun, who remained calm despite Johann’s sudden outburst, observed the situation with an unreadable expression.
“No, I think that’s a bit off…………..”
At that moment, a completely unexpected third party intervened. It was Kim Dong-gil of the Bare Fist Guild, which recently cleared a 7th-grade dungeon and skyrocketed to the top 10 guilds.
“First, I’d like to express my gratitude to Guild Leader Johann. Honestly, it’s right to say that I’m here because of him. Thanks to him, I could attend this meeting…………….”
“Thank you. But what do you mean by that?”
“Guild Leader Johann, have you met Awakened Lee Kyu-seong?”
“I’ve recently greeted him.”
“I see. You may not know, but Kyu-seong is an incredibly magnanimous person.”
“Magnanimous? What do you mean by that?”
“He helps anyone who seeks his assistance. I don’t know about his relationship with Representative Baek Tae-seop of Iron Blood, but I assure you, if you sought his help, he wouldn’t turn you away.”
The presence of Kyu-seong, who had recently been emerging more publicly, and the power of the crops and items he created were already well-known in the awakened community. Especially over the past six months, Ara Hongryeon’s rapid rise was impossible to conceal. While everyone stayed quiet, they were all secretly scrambling to gather information.
In that situation, when Kim Dong-gil pretended to know Kyu-seong, Johann looked at him with interest.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve heard that Guild Master Kim Dong-gil was miraculously saved by a potion from Awakened Lee Kyu-seong.”
“That’s correct. And the cost of that potion was nothing more than the market price. Kyu-seong isn’t monopolized by any particular group. And honestly speaking, since he belongs to Ara Hongryeon, isn’t it natural for him to work for Ara Hongryeon? If you put it that way, would the Terror Guild share their exterminators with other guilds?”
Kim Dong-gil, who suddenly became agitated, realized his mistake and turned pale, shaking his hands.
“That, I got too excited for a moment…”
“Hahahaha!”
Johann suddenly burst into laughter. Seeing Kim Dong-gil’s face grow even paler, Johann wiped his tears and waved his hand.
“Haha, ha. It’s okay, Guild Master. Thank you for your honest opinion.”
“Yes, yes…”
“You are right. I was just trying to make a point. But thanks to you, I learned something valuable. So, that’s the kind of person Kyu-seong is.”
Johann smiled and turned his gaze to Han Seok-jun.
“Since it has come to this, Guild Master Han Seok-jun, please take care of us as well.”
“If you give something, you should receive something in return, right?”
“Alright. What does Ara Hongryeon want?”
Hearing the expected answer, Han Seok-jun’s lips curved into a smile.
***
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Ara was running while carrying a log larger than her body. Although she wasn’t faster than Purr, she was incredibly quick.
“Ara, are you not tired?”
“Nope!”
With Frey on my shoulder, I ran alongside Purr to match Ara’s pace as we headed back to the field to make ice cream. Ara was gathering logs to build a greenhouse in the field.
I had planned to buy a metal frame and cover it with leaves, but Ara wanted to make it herself, so she was carrying a log.
Thump!
“We’ve arrived!”
When she put down the massive log, I felt as if the ground shook slightly. Or was it just my imagination?
Out of curiosity, I tried to lift the log Ara had put down, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Why is this so heavy?!”
The log was only slightly bigger than me, but its weight was beyond my expectations. Even though I’m a Level 1 Awakened, I couldn’t lift this log?
“Hehehe! Kyu-seong has no strength!”
“Ugh.”
I tried, but it was impossible.
When we made a greenhouse in the flower garden with branches, it felt oddly heavy. The tree itself must have a high density.
‘Ara, who used to eat these logs, must have been… truly amazing to have carved out the insides of the World Tree to create a home for fairies. She ate this solid log just like that.’
Leaving the log behind, I gathered the ingredients to make ice cream.
The most important ingredient was strawberries.
I also prepared tomatoes, carrots, Layla, and sweet potatoes.
Personally, I was looking forward to the tomatoes and Layla. They’re juicy crops.
“Kyu-seong!”
Thud!
When I told her to gather some snow, a snowball came flying at me. Although she threw it gently and it didn’t hurt, Ara giggled with delight when I flinched from the impact.
“…Ara, do you know something?”
“Hmm?”
“I used to be the snowball fight king.”
I immediately gathered snow from the ground and launched a counterattack. The snowball I threw landed softly on Ara’s head.
“Gasp! Kyu-seong, you’re the snowball fight king?!”
“Hehehe, did you see that? This is the skill of a king.”
“Aaah! It’s war!”
Ara started making snowballs with her tiny hands. Her awkward attempts at making snowballs made me grin as I showed her the difference in our skills.
Thud, thud, thud!
“Aaaah! You really are the snowball fight king!”
“Hahaha!”
While Ara made one snowball, I made five and threw them at her. Soon, Ara retreated, waving her arms wildly.
“It’s war! Defeat the snowball fight king!”
Pok!
The watching Bokkeum and Gomgom chased after Ara, sweating. Thanks to this, they also became targets for my snowballs.
“Hahahaha!”
Just as I was enjoying throwing snowballs, a sudden counterattack hit me.
Thud.
A giant snowball, big enough to cover my face. I wiped the snow off my face, trying to grasp what had just happened.
“Gasp!”
Ara was holding another snowball the size of my head. Where did she get such a thing all of a sudden?
Looking around, I saw that the nearby Kkumuris and slimes were busy making snowballs for Ara.
“That’s cheating!”
“I… am a legion.”
Ara, in a solemn voice, quoted a line she must have heard somewhere, then threw the snowball. Along with that, Gomgom and Kkumuris bombarded me with their puny snowballs.
-Hehe! A chance to attack the overlord!
Whoosh.
Plop.
Frey’s snowball, thrown with all her might, fell pathetically to the ground. It might have gone 10 cm. Despite her enthusiastic efforts to make and throw snowballs, nothing changed.
-Uh…
“Drop snow while riding Starlight Beetle, Frey!”
-Ohh!
“This… this is unfair!”
Frey tried an aerial attack from the back of Starlight Beetle. Her fist-sized snowball gently landed on my head.
-Successful attack!
Facing the full-scale assault of Ara’s army, I eventually raised the white flag.
“I surrender!”
“Wow! We won! We defeated the snowball fight king!”
-We won! Long live Lord Ara!
Before I knew it, I was buried in a pile of snow with only my head sticking out. The snow was soft and felt quite pleasant. Cool and refreshing!
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong!”
“Congratulations on your victory, Lord Ara!”
“Hehehe!”
Plop!
Ara threw herself into the snow pile I was buried in and disappeared with a soft “poof.” She floundered around and swam towards me, then took a big bite of the snow.
Crunch!
“Yum! It’s refreshing!”
“Since I lost, I shall present you with ice cream.”
“Hehehe! That’s wonderful!”
Ara, overjoyed and throwing her hands up in victory, quickly jumped out of the snow and shouted.
“As a reward for victory, we get ice cream!”
-Hoho!
-Roar!
-Hehe.
Wriggle!
Their cheering was so cute. I’d better make it quickly to not disappoint them.
Cliche Novel 