The place we ran to following Pururuk was south of the World Tree. If we were to be precise, it was east of the dungeon entrance. The slime village was to the west of the dungeon entrance, and the World Tree was to the north. We were heading into an area we had never visited before.
“The minimap sure is convenient.”
Even as I rode Purr, I kept checking the minimap now and then. I noticed cute icons representing me, Ara, and Mammon.
“Wow.”
As we followed Pururuk deeper, we entered a space that felt like a forest, different from the World Tree’s forest.
“If the World Tree’s forest feels like a refreshing forest of giant metasequoias with its large roots soaring high into the sky…”
This place exuded a mysterious atmosphere, like something out of a fantasy world. There were all sorts of vines, unknown deformed plants, and various peculiar trees covered with moss, creating a dreamy ambiance.
Could a wizard live in such a forest? And with Pururuk running ahead like a mythical creature, it was a fitting scene.
-Grr.
Pururuk, who had the appearance of a wild beast, was gradually slowing down. We seemed to be almost there.
“Wow.”
As the speed decreased, I started noticing things I hadn’t seen before. There were all sorts of insects, but instead of being creepy, they seemed mystical and cute.
And the numerous signs of life around us. Upon closer inspection, other Pururuks, who were timid and hiding, were wandering around us.
“Ara, do you remember this place?”
“Hmm? Hmm…”
Ara tilted her head cutely, trying not to say she couldn’t remember.
When I looked back, Mammon, who was holding onto my waist tightly, was watching the surroundings with an open mouth.
-Life is overflowing…
What kind of dungeon have you been living in? The scenery was indeed enough to leave anyone in awe.
-Hmph, but our village is prettier!
-No way! Our village will be the prettiest once it’s completed!
Leaving the quarreling kids behind, we arrived at a shallow plain. It was a very small plain, perhaps more like a basin, with a single Pururuk crouched in the middle, watching us.
It was the horned leader, Pururuk.
“Pururuk!”
Ara quickly got off Purr and ran towards it. If it were an alert Pururuk, it might have been startled and run away, but the leader Pururuk just glanced at Ara weakly.
‘It does seem to be in pain.’
But why, and where does it hurt?
There were no visible injuries on the surface, so perhaps it was an illness?
I got off Purr and approached carefully. The leader Pururuk lifted its head to check me out and then drooped weakly.
“Ara, can you ask where it hurts?”
“Okay.”
Ara then communicated with the leader Pururuk using gestures and movements. The leader Pururuk weakly shook its head in response.
“It says its stomach hurts.”
“Stomach? Hmm…”
What should we do if its stomach hurts? I took out the emergency medicine we carried from Bokkeum.
Strawberry potion!
It was a potion I always carried around, just in case.
“Where should we put it? Should I feed it directly?”
“What’s that over there?”
Ara pointed to a plant with wide leaves, perfect for use as a bowl. Ara quickly ran and picked a leaf. We poured the strawberry potion into the broad and concave leaf.
“Try drinking this.”
“Give it a try.”
When we handed the leaf over, the leader Pururuk flinched slightly. However, as if sensing our sincerity, it slowly brought its head over and started licking the strawberry potion.
“Good, good.”
Ara crouched next to Pururuk and gently petted it. Pururuk seemed to enjoy Ara’s touch, as it flapped its ears and drank the potion.
“Do you feel better?”
Though it’s a bit awkward to say it myself, the efficacy of my strawberry potion is quite good. The effect is immediate. After finishing the potion, Pururuk slumped back down.
“Hmm…?”
It seemed the effect wasn’t as great as I hoped. I was worried that Pururuk’s condition might be more severe than expected. If my potion couldn’t solve it, it meant it wasn’t an internal or external injury.
“Is it a disease, after all?”
In that case, maybe I should seek Mammon’s help. I should also check with Frey if they know anything.
“Hmm!”
“Uh-huh…”
But it seemed that neither Mammon nor Frey had any solutions either.
“We could use an antidote as a treatment, but it would be difficult without knowing why this creature is sick.”
“That’s true.”
Simply saying that its stomach hurts makes it hard to determine the exact illness or what precisely is wrong.
Moreover, Pururuk is a monster, so asking a veterinarian for help would be tricky. Of course, a vet might have a much higher chance of discovering something than someone like me.
“Taking Pururuk outside? That’s impossible, too.”
It’s such a sensitive and delicate creature that taking it out of the dungeon would be a major ordeal. It might even cause more trouble due to stress as soon as it leaves.
“Are you okay…!”
Ara’s eyes had become moist. It was a heartbreaking realization that there was nothing we could do, despite our concern.
Afterward, we tried feeding it detoxifying carrots and fruit juices, just in case, but it made no significant difference.
“This isn’t working.”
We couldn’t handle it on our own. We might have to bring a veterinarian from outside.
I felt uneasy about showing my dungeon to someone unfamiliar, but right now, Pururuk was more important than that. If I hadn’t known about its pain, it might have been different, but since I knew, I had to do my best to help.
“Let’s go outside first. We’ll need to ask around.”
“Where are we going?”
“Outside the dungeon. I’m going to ask some people I know.”
Ara looked at the lying Pururuk with a worried expression. Then she spoke to Mammon and Frey.
“Could you stay with Pururuk?”
“Of course, my lord!”
“Yes, leave it to us.”
When they agreed to stay, Ara finally felt reassured and nodded. Then she looked up at me and clenched her fist with determination.
“Let’s go right away!”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
We quickly rode Purr toward the dungeon entrance. We could run in a straight line thanks to the minimap.
I felt we weren’t as far from the entrance as I thought when we arrived.
“Thank you, Purr.”
Giving Purr a carrot, we stepped outside.
Now, who should I contact?
After a moment of thought, I made a call based on a sudden idea.
Ring, ring, ring.
The person on the other end picked up immediately.
“Hello? What’s up?”
It was Seon-ah.
There were many people I could contact, but I didn’t want to bother anyone with my personal matters, so I reached out to Seon-ah first.
“Seon-ah, are there veterinarians for monsters?”
“What? What do you mean by that all of a sudden?”
Seon-ah suddenly got excited as we spoke.
“What’s going on! Is someone sick? Who is it? Is it Gomgom? Kkumuri? Or is it a slime? It’s not Ara, is it?!”
“You’ve seen them before, remember those little deer-like creatures?”
“Oh! Pururuk?”
She remembered it right away, even after seeing it just once. I nodded, even though she couldn’t see it, and continued.
“Yes, that’s right. One of the Pururuks seems to be sick, but I can’t figure out why. I contacted you first just in case.”
“Hmm. Hold on a second.”
Seon-ah paused for a moment and then, after about three minutes, started speaking again.
“I’ll come over there now.”
“What? Why you?”
“Well, I’m actually majoring in dungeon studies. I’ve taken monster anatomy classes and studied a lot about monsters. I’ve even done some work in veterinary medicine.”
“Still…”
“Is Pururuk’s condition really serious?”
“No, it’s not that bad. It just seems a bit listless for now.”
“Then I’ll come and take a look first. After that, we can use any connections you have to find more help.”
I knew Seon-ah studied hard, but does it have anything to do with a sick monster?
‘She is a passionate dungeon enthusiast, but… hmm…’
Still, I should trust my sister for now. If it seemed urgent, I would have contacted Ara Hongryeon or Iron Blood from the start.
But since I knew it wasn’t a severe condition, I contacted Seon-ah first.
“When can you get here?”
“If I leave now, it’ll take about an hour or so.”
“Alright. I’ll wait with Ara at a nearby café.”
“Okay, I’ll head over right away.”
As soon as the call ended, I saw Ara waiting curiously for me.
“Seon-ah said she’ll come and check it out.”
“Wow! Seon-ah Seon-ah!”
Ara just beamed with excitement, her eyes sparkling.
So we came down from the mountain and waited for Seon-ah at a nearby café.
“Huff, huff, did you wait long? Let’s go right away.”
Seon-ah arrived, breathing heavily as if she had run, and urged us to hurry. Although I wanted to let her rest a bit, she seemed unlikely to listen, so I got up.
As we headed to the dungeon, Seon-ah naturally greeted the workers we passed by.
“Is it far?”
“No, it’s just a short distance.”
As soon as we entered, Purr was waiting at the entrance as if it had been anticipating us. I hadn’t said anything in advance, but Purr was quite considerate.
“Woof!”
“I’m sorry, Woofy, but we’ll be back soon.”
“Whine.”
Since Woofy’s appearance might make Pururuks wary, I soothed the excited Woofy by petting its chin.
Then, I sat behind Seon-ah and Ara on Purr.
“Let’s go.”
As we rode toward Pururuk’s forest, Seon-ah looked around in awe at the unfamiliar scenery.
“Is there a place like this?”
“Doesn’t it feel like a scene from a fantasy comic?”
“Yeah, it’s amazing.”
We soon reached the place where the leader Pururuk was. There, Mammon and Frey were quietly bickering next to Pururuk.
“I’ll take better care of it, you dwarf!”
“Who are you calling a dwarf, you little kid!”
Seon-ah widened her eyes at the sight of Mammon.
“A goblin?”
Hearing Seon-ah’s voice, both Mammon and Frey reacted.
“Oh! Seon-ah, you’re here?”
“Gasp…”
Mammon froze at the unexpected encounter with Seon-ah, revealing a surprisingly shy side.
“This is Mammon, one of our family.”
“Oh, is this the goblin you told me about?”
I had mentioned a few times that I had recruited a goblin. Seeing Mammon in person was a bit much for him, so he had avoided it until now.
“Hello?”
“H-hello. I am Mammon, the Goblin King. It’s an honor to meet the sister of the great lord.”
“You’re so cute, and you speak so well.”
Mammon blushed at Seon-ah’s compliment. What an adorable little creature.
After the introductions, Seon-ah immediately checked on Pururuk. Having built some rapport through her experiences with Layla, Seon-ah had become friendlier, and Pururuk didn’t seem to mind her much.
“Oh?!”
“What is it? Do you know what’s wrong already?”
Seon-ah exclaimed in surprise as she examined Pururuk, touching it directly. Did she really find the cause so quickly?
However, Seon-ah remained silent for a moment, continuing to feel Pururuk, especially around its belly. Her expression gradually became more serious.
Is it something serious? I hoped that wasn’t the case.
Finally, Seon-ah removed her hands and looked at Pururuk with a still serious expression.
“This one…”
Gulp
Ara clenched her hands and listened intently to Seon-ah’s words.
“I think it might be pregnant.”
“…What?”
Pregnant?
I looked at the horned leader Pururuk.
Aren’t you a male?!
Cliche Novel 