[Millennium Ginseng Infused with Magic (千年何首乌)]
[A precious herb cultivated over a thousand years, now imbued with the magic of the dungeon.]
[When consumed, significantly increases magic power in inverse proportion to the magic power already possessed.]
[When consumed, slightly increases resistance and affinity to all elements.]
[When consumed, increases all health-related attributes.]
[When consumed, dispels one random debuff currently held.]
[When consumed, weakens all current illnesses, and enhances the body’s strength; if consumed by a body-strengthening ability holder, their ability level increases.]
The array of effects is overwhelming.
Just reading the description took quite a while.
“Millennium Ginseng…….”
Who would have thought I’d find this here.
Memories of completing a quest where I had to submit magic-infused Millennium Ginseng after encountering a slime came flooding back.
It seemed I had a fated connection with Millennium Ginseng.
“Gulp.”
At some point, Ara was beside me, drooling as she looked at the Millennium Ginseng.
She clutched the full-body armor of Mountain King that I had given her tightly.
“How is it? Do you like the gift?”
“It’s too much for me.”
“Huh. As I said before, it’s not an excessive gift at all. I’m more regretful that I couldn’t give you more! I think I’ll have to go around the dungeon myself to find more items worthy of you.”
“Oh, no, there’s no need for that….”
Both gifts were incredibly valuable.
Their worth was immeasurable.
And no matter how precious an item is, it’s meaningless if I can’t use it.
But these two items were something I could use.
‘Legendary equipment items, and this Millennium Ginseng…Perhaps…’
I already had a quest to submit an elixir I cultivated myself for my awakening, so I thought I’d try cultivating this Millennium Ginseng.
Of course, cultivating a Millennium Ginseng wouldn’t yield another Millennium Ginseng.
It would just be regular Millennium Ginseng.
But even so, if I succeeded in cultivating it, it would certainly not be ordinary Millennium Ginseng.
After all, it’s a magic-infused Millennium Ginseng!
“Me too!”
“You want to watch?”
“Yeah!”
Ara looked dangerously eager, but she wasn’t a thoughtless child.
As I handed over the wooden box, Ara carefully accepted it and her eyes sparkled with admiration.
“Wow!”
“Ara knows the value of precious things.”
“It smells delicious!”
A delicious smell?
I could sense a refreshing and rich herbal scent, but it didn’t seem delicious to me.
Well, if Ara said so, it must be true.
As I admired the gift, constantly exclaiming in awe, I realized I had been too engrossed and looked around.
Smile.
My worry seemed unfounded as Ryu Wang-jin, Ryu Cheon, and Yu Bihong were all watching Ara and me with satisfied expressions.
“Your reactions are amusing.”
Yu Bihong said playfully as our eyes met.
I awkwardly smiled, thinking I might have seemed too materialistic.
“We’re glad you like it so much. Would you like to stay a little longer?”
“Um…”
“I’m sorry, but I have urgent business to attend to.”
“We wouldn’t want to trouble you. If you reconsider, please come back and visit us again.”
“Oh, then I’ll make sure to visit next time.”
“Uh…”
I needed to return now to collect the World Tree’s dew.
Although Frey and the Alfheims would take care of it, I wanted to be there just in case.
Despite my refusal, Ryu Wang-jin and Ryu Cheon smiled with satisfaction.
Ryu Cheon, in particular, seemed half-regretful and half-joyful, as if sensing it was time to part with Ara.
“Guild Master, if you ever visit Korea, please let me know.”
“Sure!”
With a warm atmosphere, we finished opening the gifts.
Ryu Wang-jin then stood up, saying he had other commitments and apologized for not being able to see us off on our way back to Korea.
“Until next time, my friend Sonogong!”
“Yes! See you again, Ara!”
She no longer mispronounced Sonogong’s name as we parted.
We were then escorted back to the airport by Ryu Cheon and Yu Bihong.
“Please board our private jet for your return.”
“Thank you. I’ll gladly accept your hospitality.”
We had some time before takeoff, so we chatted for a while inside the plane.
I talked with Yu Bihong, and Ara paired up with Ryu Cheon for conversation.
“Mr. Kyu-seong’s items are showing remarkable effects. It seems that the young lady and I will visit Korea often.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, it’s much more efficient for us to go and consume the items directly in Korea than to deliver them to China.
Although our schedule is busy, we have prioritized visiting Korea.”
“I hope I’m not making you too busy with the frequent visits.”
“No, no. You don’t need to feel sorry or burdened. We are more concerned about bothering you too much with our frequent visits.”
As I was deep in conversation with Yu Bihong, Ryu Cheon suddenly interrupted.
“Mr. Kyu-seong.”
“Yes, Ms. Ryu Cheon.”
“May I dress Ara in the outfit now?”
Outfit? What outfit?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Ara held out the tiger pajamas, or rather, Mountain King’s full-body armor.
“I want to try it on now!”
“Ah! You meant that outfit?”
To me, it felt more like a legendary item than just clothing, so I was briefly confused.
I was curious anyway.
How much stronger would Ara become if she wore that legendary item, even though she was already quite powerful?
Of course, Ara and Ryu Cheon seemed more interested in the appearance of the item than its effects.
“Alright, let’s try it on. We should show the gift to the ones who gave it.”
“Yay!”
Ara expressed her joy by dancing excitedly.
Then I noticed Ryu Cheon hesitating, her hands trembling as she debated whether to hug Ara.
Dressing her was simple.
There was no need to change; she just had to put on the tiger pajamas, or rather, Mountain King’s full-body armor over her current clothes.
Since the current size of the armor was suitable for an adult male, Ara’s body fit in easily.
Whoosh!
As Ara slipped into the outfit, Mountain King’s full-body armor gradually adjusted its size until it fit perfectly.
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
It looked odd at first, but it was indeed a unique item.
Although there were many more amazing things, seeing the size change before my eyes felt unusual.
“How do you like it?”
“Wow, it fits perfectly! It suits you better than I thought!”
Ara struck her signature pose with her hands on her hips and proudly lifted her head.
Wearing the tiger pajamas, she couldn’t have looked cuter.
Click! Click!
Ryu Cheon, speechless, simply took photos and videos of Ara in a trance.
Seeing her reminded me strangely of Seon-ah, which was a bit unsettling.
“It suits her well.”
“Where are you looking?”
Ara stood on tiptoe to see herself in the mirror inside the airplane. It wasn’t a full-length mirror but one installed at the height of an adult’s upper body, making her struggle adorably, making one feel the urge to tease her.
“Up we go!”
“Oh, oh!”
As I lifted Ara’s torso, she was reflected in the mirror, dressed in cute tiger pajamas with a tiger head hood pulled over.
“Ohhh! How majestic! How cool!”
“Majestic?”
No matter how I looked at it, she was just a kid in cute tiger pajamas. But to Ara, she probably saw herself as a majestic and cool tiger.
“I like it!”
“I’m glad you like it. It suits you very well.”
“I will wear it when we go out! I will show everyone my majesty!”
Maybe Ara’s idea of majesty was silencing people with cuteness. After wriggling out of my grasp, she sat calmly in her seat with a strangely dignified expression, exuding a sense of arrogance.
“I am majestic.”
“You’re cute.”
As I and Yu Bihong looked on in disbelief, Ryu Cheon repeatedly exclaimed how cute she was. With that, it was time to leave after the tiger pajama commotion. Ryu Cheon and Yu Bihong waved us off by the plane.
“We’ll see you again! Take care!”
Ara eagerly chattered at the window, knowing they couldn’t hear. After waving for a while, she sat back in her seat, adopting a serious and dignified pose again. Is it too late to strike a pose now, Ara?
“Did you have fun?”
“Yes, it was fun.”
“Let’s come again next time when we have time.”
“Sounds good! No, sounds greaat!”
Excited by the idea of visiting again, Ara shouted but then lowered her voice to respond, trying to maintain her dignity. She was so adorable that I barely managed to resist pinching her soft cheeks to keep her majesty intact.
‘Phew, I barely held back.’
***
As soon as we returned, we decided to visit the guild. Deputy Team Leader Lee Hae-sol, who had come to pick us up at the airport, was there.
“Sorry for the inconvenience despite your busy schedule.”
“It’s no trouble. I happened to have some free time.”
Since the last event at the orphanage, Deputy Team Leader Lee Hae-sol seemed to take more care of me, but honestly, I couldn’t figure out why.
His sly smile and inscrutable eyes made it hard to read him, making me reflect on whether I had done something wrong.
“How was the trip? With such a short duration of just one night and two days, I doubt you could enjoy everything.”
“It was fun. I felt guilty for receiving so much hospitality.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s impressive that the great Skyscraper took such good care of you, Kyu-seong.”
“Haha, not at all. I was just lucky.”
As we chatted, we arrived at the guild. Until then, Ara, still in her tiger pajamas and maintaining her serious mode, quickly got out of the car. I wondered why she seemed so hurried but soon understood.
“Brother Kang Hanul, where is Jeong So-yeon?”
She was eager to show off her majestic appearance. Lee Hae-sol’s mild reaction must not have satisfied her.
“They’re both out right now. Team Leader 1 is in a meeting, and Team Leader 2 is in a dungeon.”
“Gasp!”
Ara’s serious mode was broken by Lee Hae-sol’s calm words, leaving her stunned. Her shoulders slumped.
“They’re not here…?”
“Ara, since we just got back from abroad, we should go say hello to your grandparents and Seon-ah.”
“Oh! Are we going to the main house?”
“Yes. Let’s go and greet them.”
“Oooh! That’s great!”
Ara, who had been dejected, quickly perked up. Seeing this, Lee Hae-sol looked at me with an expression of admiration.
“Kyu-seong, you’re quite skilled.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re adept at handling Ara.”
I scratched my head and laughed off Lee Hae-sol’s remark. It wasn’t that I was particularly skilled; Ara was just easygoing, making it simple to deal with her.
After the little commotion, we met Guild Leader Han Seok-jun. He was busy checking documents but stopped as soon as he saw me.
“I hope I’m not interrupting your work.”
“No, not at all. I just finished. How was Skyscraper?”
“It was quite fun. There were many fascinating things.”
At that moment, Ara subtly stepped forward, trying to show off her appearance without looking obvious. The considerate Guild Leader Han Seok-jun immediately took the bait.
“Oh, Ara, you got new clothes? They look great on you.”
“Hmm.”
“You look very majestic. Very cool.”
“Do you really think so? You have a good eye!”
I looked at Han Seok-jun in surprise. How could he come up with such a comment immediately upon seeing her? Was this the feeling Haesol had when he looked at me in admiration earlier?
“Did Skyscraper give you those clothes?”
“Yes, it was a gift. I love it.”
“Ah, Skyscraper must have seen your majestic appearance and chosen the perfect gift. I’ll have to work harder too.”
“Hmm! It’s fine. You always treat me well, so I’ll overlook it.”
“Thank you, Ara. I’ll continue to do my best for you.”
Listening to the conversation between Han Seok-jun and Ara, I couldn’t help but ask,
“Guild Leader, are you married?”
“Hmm? Yes, I am.”
“Oh, then do you have children…?”
“I have a son and a daughter. Should I arrange a meeting with Ara next time?”
Nodding naturally at the ongoing conversation, I suddenly felt I had been impolite and was about to apologize when Han Seok-jun burst into laughter.
“It seems I’ve been too formal until now. Let’s have more personal conversations in the future.”
“Ah, I’m sorry, I just realized I didn’t know anything about you.”
“It’s okay. I never mentioned it. Now that you know, let’s continue to get along well.”
Looking at the handsome man with a friendly smile, I wondered who managed to win his heart. If his children inherited his looks, they must be adorable and beautiful.
“Guild Leader, I got sidetracked. I have something to report.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“The clothes Ara is wearing are actually legendary equipment.”
“Ah! Legendary equipment?”
Han Seok-jun’s face froze in place. Seeing him motionless, even his breathing seemed to have stopped, I also held my breath.
“…Legendary equipment?”
When he finally moved, his eyes shook like a stormy sea.
Cliche Novel 