Round 133

Prev | TOC | Next

I woke up at the scheduled time and carried Ara, who was still drowsy, on my back.

Wriggle wriggle-

The slimes were also huddled together, sleeping. Only a few were rolling around in the field and greeted me happily when they saw me.

Squish!

“Alright, I’ll be back.”

I patted them once and descended with a keen appetite.

As I passed through the door, I saw the dungeon where the snowfall had subsided. Come to think of it, I hadn’t asked how long the winter would last.

“But it’ll last for at least a month, right?”

The leaf house had also taken shape considerably. I had only worked on the iron frame, but while I was in China, the kids had covered it well.

-Neigh.

Purr approached, munching on a carrot. It seemed pleased as it munched away with crunching sounds.

“Let’s head straight to the World Tree.”

-Neigh!

I rode Purr with Ara on my back, moving at a steady pace. As we moved forward, Ara woke up and rubbed her eyes.

“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong …?”

“Ara, you’re awake?”

“…”

Ara, still half-asleep, nodded as if to say she was fine and then buried her face in my back, breathing softly again.

Before long, we arrived at the World Tree. All its leaves had fallen, leaving only bare branches, making it seem as if the last leaf had fallen too.

-CД’)>”

-(>ᄆ<)>

The fairies greeted me with enthusiastic reactions. They were full of energy since dawn!

“Where is Frey?”

-(。・・・。)?

Ara was sleeping, and it was difficult to communicate with the fairies when Frey appeared, riding a starlight bug.

-Great Lord!

“Ah, Frey. Am I late?”

-Not at all! You arrived exactly on time!

Frey pointed excitedly upwards.

-There! Do you see it?

“…Hmm. No, I can’t see it.”

Then suddenly, I remembered Ara’s clairvoyance.

‘Is it now?’

[Skill: Majesty of the Great Lord. Allows the use of a random ability from a designated slime for 10 minutes.] 

Finally, a proper time to use it! I had used it a few times before but was cautious because it would be problematic if the skill was on cooldown during a crucial moment.

Just like with the first liquid synthesis, the Majesty of the Great Lord skill also had a bothersome cooldown of once per day.

‘Majesty of the Great Lord.’

[Designated Slime: Ara]

[One random ability will be copied at 20% of its original effect.]

The skill activated immediately, and an ability was copied.

[Physical Enhancement has been copied.]

[Duration: 10 minutes]

“That’s a bust.”

I dejectedly checked the copied ability.

[Physical Enhancement LV.1]

The Majesty of the Great Lord skill was great, but its randomness was disappointing. Of course, using it on slimes like Mark2 or Bokkeum, who had only one ability, guaranteed the desired ability, but I wanted to use Ara’s incredible abilities.

-Great Lord?

“It’s nothing. By the way, when do we collect the dew?”

-I’ve already sent scouts ahead. They will signal as soon as the dew forms.

“Is there nothing I need to do separately?”

-That’s right! Thank you for your concern, Great Lord!

Since there was nothing for me to do, I decided to just wait. After all, Ara was still sleepy, so there was no rush.

“Didn’t you say last time that we needed one more ingredient?”

-You mean the honey of the starflower! Of course, I prepared it in advance! Ever since meeting you, Great Lord, I’ve been waiting for this moment!

“What about the Meluca flower? Weren’t you waiting for more Meluca to grow?”

-Yes, of course, we were waiting for more Meluca flowers to grow! It was just a coincidence!

Frey’s true feelings slipped out, and it was amusing to see the nearby fairies’ gazes suddenly change.

– \ (• \ • )/

“Huh? Something’s coming down from above.”

-The dew has formed! I’ll be right back!

-(。>▼ <%)/!

At the news that the dew had formed, the fairies’ mood heated up as if a festival had begun.

Thanks to this, Ara, who was still buried in my back, started to stir and wake up.

“Uhm…….”

“Ara, are you awake?”

“Where is this place……………?”

When I told her it was the World Tree, Ara, wearing the full armor of the Mountain King, looked around. She was so cute that despite my neck aching from turning to look at her, I couldn’t help but watch.

-Gasp!

At that moment, I heard an urgent voice from above. What is it? In that instant, a small droplet of water falling from the sky caught my eye.

Normally, I wouldn’t have even noticed such a small droplet. But somehow, not only did I notice it, but I also quickly moved and reached the spot where it was falling.

Plop!

I barely managed to extend my hands and catch the droplet in my palm. Though some of it evaporated, it would have been absorbed into the soil if it had hit the ground.

Clap clap clap clap.

“Oh! Kyu-seong Kyu-seong !”

Ara, seeing me, clapped her hands brightly, though she didn’t seem to understand what was happening.

‘Thanks to copying the physical enhancement ability, I managed to move in time.’

I had wanted an ability like clairvoyance, but this turned out to be very fortunate.

-Great Lord!

Frey, who had come down late on the starlight bug, looked at me in surprise. I proudly showed the cupped liquid in my hands.

“I saved it.”

-Is that so? As expected of you, Great Lord.

Frey’s response felt awkward for some reason.

Just as I wondered why, other fairies came down on starlight bugs, each carrying small containers made from the World Tree.

“?”

When I looked at these fairies quizzically, Frey awkwardly exclaimed.

-Tada! We’ve brought the dew of the World Tree!

I shifted my gaze to the liquid in my palm.

-We spilled a drop of dew earlier, and I couldn’t help but cry out in regret. But fortunately, you caught it, Great Lord.

“Doesn’t dew only form one drop at a time?”

-Hehe. As you can see ……………… 

Though the containers were small, they held a total of about 50 ml.

“Would you like to taste the dew you collected as a memento?”

I felt embarrassed for being so proud. 

As I stood there silently and blankly, Ara came over and licked her lips.

“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong , can I taste it?”

“…Yes. Here it is.”

Lick.

Ara’s tongue on my palm tickled. 

With a bit of commotion, we gathered together in Alfheim village. Transparent leaves were used as cushions on the snow, keeping us dry and comfortable.

“This is the honey of the starflower!”

Frey, who had brought honey from inside the World Tree, handed it to me with a hopeful expression. It seemed she hadn’t been this excited even when the Meluca flower budded…

The honey and dew didn’t display any item indicators. Honestly, I was slightly worried that Frey might have misunderstood the awakening method.

‘If it doesn’t work even after I help, she will be greatly disappointed…’

In that case, we would have to find another method. We should verify whether the traditional awakening method was incorrect.

For now, I gathered the dew of the World Tree and the honey of the starflower in one place. Then, I used simple liquid synthesis on them.

Whoosh-

The liquids mixed instantly.

The combined liquids shimmered clearly.

“Is it done?”

Frey’s expression was grim. I recalled that the World Tree’s Tears, which should form from mixing the two liquids, were supposed to be sky blue.

However, the liquid synthesized was clearly transparent.

“Ah…”

A disappointed sigh escaped me unintentionally.

But then, upon closer inspection, an item indicator that hadn’t appeared before came into view.

[Incomplete Elixir]

[A liquid that is almost a mystical potion. It can become complete if supplemented with missing ingredients and processes.] 

It has no effect if consumed.

“An elixir?”

I widened my eyes and read the item description again. It wasn’t a mistake.

Elixir. 

The legendary potion everyone has heard of at least once, appearing in numerous fantasy novels and games.

Of course, it didn’t exist in reality, yet here it was in front of me.

-What’s wrong, Great Lord?

“Frey, it’s too early to give up.”

-What?

“This isn’t complete. It seems we’re missing an ingredient.”

Frey, looking dejected, tilted her head in confusion at my words.

-So, it wasn’t a failure?

“It wasn’t a failure. It seems we’re short on ingredients.”

-?!

Frey looked at the incomplete elixir with a surprised expression.

“Do you have any idea? It seems something was missed when the information was passed down.”

-We moved here in a hurry, so we might not have received the complete information! It wasn’t wrong after all!

Frey, who had been speaking brightly, soon became gloomy again.

-But I have no idea what it could be…

“Hmm.”

Just then, Ara, who had been listening to our conversation, suddenly reached out to me.

“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong ! I will check it myself!”

“Check?”

“Yes!”

I shrugged and handed the incomplete elixir to Ara. Her eyes sparkled as she took the elixir.

“Hmph!”

I watched Ara stare intently at the elixir, wondering what she was doing. Then, she relaxed her gaze and proudly spoke.

“Hmph! I can see it!”

“See? What can you see?”

“I can tell what’s missing!”

“You can see it?!”

-Is that true, Lady Ara?!

Frey and I were both astonished as we looked at Ara. Then I remembered Ara’s ability.

“Clairvoyance!”

“Yes!”

Ara stood confidently, hands on her hips.

“Something cold, hard, cozy, hot, or fresh needs to be mixed in. Any of these five will work.”

…Huh?

What on earth are you talking about, Ara?

As I made a puzzled sound, unable to comprehend, Ara explained again.

“The liquid changes depending on what you mix in! Cold, hard, cozy, hot, or fresh!”

“Frey, do you understand what she means?”

It was definitely Korean, but I couldn’t grasp the meaning. It wasn’t just me; Frey’s eyes were spinning in confusion too.

-Cold? Hot? Cozy? Hard? What’s fresh?

“Ara, can we add something like this snow if it’s cold?”

Not expecting Frey to answer, I asked again.

“No, it needs to have strong energy.”

“Strong energy? Like a potion?”

Wait a minute.

I remembered a potion I had stored with Bokkeum. A valuable item obtained during the recent skyscraper visit.

It was none other than the Millennium Ginseng.

The effect of the Millennium Ginsengwas to enhance the energy of all five elements.

‘The Five Elements!’

Water, Metal, Earth, Fire, Wood.

Cold, hard, cozy, hot, fresh. It seemed to refer to the energy of the five elements.

“Ara! I understand what you mean!”

“Oh! Kyu-seong Kyu-seong ! You finally understand me!”

-Oh! Great Lord! Have you figured it out?

Wait a moment!

I stopped my celebration and glanced at the elixir.

…Do I need the Millennium Ginseng?

Hmm.

I couldn’t refuse to help Frey, but…

I pondered deeply, and Frey and Ara watched me, tilting their heads.

“Frey.”

I made up my mind and slowly began to speak.

-Yes, Great Lord!

“I think I know what ingredient needs to be added.”

-What is it?!

“It must be a potion containing the energy of the elements.”

-A potion containing the energy of the elements?

It was an easy explanation for an awakened being to understand, but it seemed difficult for Frey. So I explained a bit more simply.

“It seems we need an herb that contains strong mana energy.”

“Ohh…….”

Frey nodded, somewhat understanding, but realized how difficult it would be to obtain such an ingredient, looking disappointed.

“Frey, I have such an herb.”

-Gasp!

Frey’s eyes widened in surprise, but she soon looked downcast again. Her changing expressions were quite endearing.

-That’s such a precious thing. I can’t dare to wish for it. I shouldn’t even hope for it.

“Honestly, it is precious.”

-Right…

Frey’s eyes became teary as she trailed off. Watching her, I spoke.

“Frey, can you give me some time?”

-Time?

“I’m a Great Lord of Slimes. My specialty is farming.”

-Farming…? Gasp! Could it be!

I intended to try it anyway, and even if I failed, there was nothing to lose.

“I’ll try to cultivate the herb.”

-Oh!!

Even if I failed in cultivation, the original Millennium Ginsengwould remain intact. While I wasn’t sure it would stay completely unscathed, I was confident there would be enough left for Frey.

“Can you wait?”

-Of course!

“Hehe! That’s great!”

Frey shouted with teary eyes, and Ara cheered beside her.

Alright, let’s discuss this with Mark2!

Prev | TOC | Next