We headed to the World Tree with Mark2, who had reached level 6. Since I had upgraded Mark2 as the World Tree requested, it was time to move on to the next step. As soon as we arrived at the World Tree, Frey greeted us warmly.
“Lord! You’ve arrived!”
“Yo, Frey. I’ve come after growing Mark2 just as the World Tree asked.”
“Mark2 Apostle! You look even more impressive now!”
Though Mark2’s appearance hadn’t really changed, Frey complimented him enthusiastically with shining eyes. I smiled and playfully ruffled Frey’s hair before approaching the World Tree.
“Hello? I’ve returned as a slime.”
Mark2 wobbled toward the World Tree too, just like before, and stuck to it. Soon, he became quiet and focused, not moving for a while as he remained attached to the World Tree.
“So, is there nothing else we need to do, Brother?”
Seon-ah, who had come along, asked, and I shrugged as I looked at Frey. Frey tilted her head and responded:
“We’d have to ask, but last I heard, there’s nothing in particular!”
“Let’s wait a bit, then.”
What I thought would be a quick interaction between Mark2 and the World Tree ended up taking longer than expected. Meanwhile, I took the chance to visit Meluca’s flower garden, where I met Poispois and checked the state of the fields.
“Wobble.”
“You’re doing well.”
“Poispois! It’s been a while!”
Ara hugged Poispois and rubbed her face against him. Seeing Poispois reminded me that, like Mark2, he also had a phrase that hinted at unlocking unknown potential.
‘Will Poispois evolve when he levels up too?’
Poison slime? Could it evolve into something like that?
Curious, I decided to level up Poispois soon as well. So busy, so much to do.
Meluca’s flower garden was now fully operational. Fairies were busy harvesting honey from the blooming Meluca flowers, all with happy expressions.
“I wonder what Meluca honey tastes like.”
“I’m curious too!”
I decided to ask Frey to let me taste some later. After taking a tour of the vast Meluca flower garden, I returned to the World Tree, where Mark2 was already waiting, having finished his interaction.
“Are you done?”
Wobble!
Mark2 nodded affirmatively. I asked him what he and the World Tree had talked about.
Wobble!
“You need to supply enough nutrients!”
Wobble wobble!
“Fertilizer is needed!”
“Fertilizer?”
The unexpected word made me scratch my head in confusion.
“Brother, you haven’t been using any fertilizer?”
“Huh? Oh, no, the slimes have been taking care of that.”
But what should I use as fertilizer for the World Tree?
Seeing me in distress, Mark2 wobbled reassuringly.
Wobble!
“We already have fertilizer!”
“Huh? We do?”
Wobble wobble!
“The plants in the field are the fertilizer! After harvesting the crops and the plants wither, you can use them as fertilizer!”
“Oh, really?”
Crops like sweet potatoes, potatoes, and carrots that need to be replanted after each harvest had their stems and shoots tidied up. Even crops that could be harvested multiple times would eventually wither and stop bearing fruit. It seemed I could use those plants as fertilizer once they were cleared.
‘But how much fertilizer will I need for such a massive World Tree?’
I looked up at the towering tree with a bit of concern. As if sensing my worry, Mark2 wobbled again reassuringly.
Wobble!
“Take it slow and steady, and eventually, you’ll get there. There’s no need to rush.”
“Really? Yeah, I guess. There’s no need to hurry.”
Even if it takes a long time for the flowers to bloom, it doesn’t really matter.
Since blooming isn’t absolutely necessary, it seemed fine to me.
“Frey, it’s okay if the flowers bloom a little late, right?”
-Of course!
“Okay. Let’s just take our time and make steady progress.”
With the World Tree taken care of, now it’s time to seriously talk to Ara and Mammon.
The plan to conquer the Dungeon of Wrath.
I should start working on it now.
***
In a remote area of Austria, the scene looked like a quiet rural village.
However, this place was under strict control, preventing outsiders from entering.
Especially in the forest next to the village, with its tall walls, barbed wire, and high-level security measures, anyone would find it suspicious.
This was the location of one of the Seven Deadly Sins dungeons, specifically the Dungeon of Wrath.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
A large magic stone truck was approaching the forest.
The guards stationed by the wall, already informed in advance, slowly guided the truck to the entrance.
“The truck has arrived.”
“Ah, Director, you’re here.”
“Yes.”
The wall manager appeared and looked at the truck.
He was an awakened one from France who had been stationed here for several years.
The Austrian government wasn’t too happy about a foreign awakened person managing their dungeon, but they had no choice under the watchful eyes of the Union.
“That truck has the supplies, right?”
“Yes, this is the first delivery.”
“Hmm, I’m curious. I’ve heard nothing but praise from those who’ve already tried it…”
“It’s not just items; there are also standard supplies. I’ve heard there’s no difference in taste.”
While they conversed, the truck slowly entered the gate.
The wall lifted again as the truck parked between the outer and inner walls.
“We’ll begin the scan.”
A flash of light emitted from the advanced equipment powered by magic stones.
After confirming no anomalies, the inner wall lowered, allowing the truck to move further inside.
“Where should we park the truck?”
“Follow me.”
The director personally guided the truck to the supply storage, specifically to where consumable items were stockpiled.
“Once you unload here, they’ll take care of the rest. Good work.”
The truck’s back opened, revealing boxes piled high.
Even the boxes weren’t ordinary; they were equipped with advanced technology using magic stones.
“Alright, let’s unload.”
“Set that aside! That’s for general supplies.”
People began moving the boxes into the storage.
Meanwhile, the director pointed at the box labeled general supplies and said:
“Take this one to the cafeteria. I’ve already informed them.”
“Yes, sir.”
After unloading all the boxes, the truck quietly left.
The remaining personnel organized the supplies by type and reported to the Union that the delivery had been made safely.
“How many more deliveries are scheduled?”
“There are three more deliveries planned before the execution of the plan. After that, we’ll assess consumption and adjust the delivery quantities.”
“Hmm, understood.”
As they were finishing up, a message came from the cafeteria.
The food was already prepared.
“I’m curious. Let’s head there once we’re done here.”
“Yes, sir.”
After organizing all the supplies, the director and his aide headed to the office.
There, staff who had been waiting brought in the food from the cafeteria and placed it on the table.
“It’s soup and bread.”
The smell was incredible.
From the soup to the bread, nothing smelled ordinary.
When he first heard about it, he didn’t expect much, but now that the food was in front of me, my mouth started watering.
“Should I dip the bread in the soup?”
“Let’s first try them separately, and then we can eat them together.”
He grabbed the bread first.
Compared to the rich-looking soup, the bread seemed simple, but the soft texture immediately told him it was anything but ordinary.
“There’s filling inside?”
Something orange was dotted throughout the bread.
When he tore off a piece and put it in his mouth, he realized what it was.
‘Carrots.’
Before he could even process his thoughts, the soft texture and fragrant bread aroma hit him.
The bread carried a strangely familiar yet unfamiliar scent, and he could guess there were potatoes mixed into the dough.
Chew, chew.
Both of them were busy chewing, completely absorbed.
The conversation that had flowed naturally until now had disappeared entirely.
As they continued eating this bread, clearly made with ingredients other than just potatoes, carrots, and flour, before they knew it, there was nothing left in this hands.
“Ah…”
The Director was dumbfounded.
He had intended to eat the bread with the soup, but the piece he had planned to only take a bite of was gone without a crumb left behind.
“Hmm. It tastes much better than I expected. It seems the praise wasn’t exaggerated.”
Trying to maintain his composure, the director glanced eagerly at the soup.
The smell alone was enough to confirm that the soup couldn’t possibly taste bad.
“Shall we try it?”
The director’s aide, eyes half-dazed, eagerly awaited the director to take the first spoonful.
“Alright. Let’s taste it.”
“Thank you for the meal.”
The director shook his head as he watched his aide hurriedly grab a spoon, thinking the reaction was a bit much, even though he couldn’t deny the deliciousness.
‘At the end of the day, it’s just food. The bread was good, but not enough to warrant that reaction…’
Slurp.
“Mm?!”
Slurp, slurp.
“Mm!!!”
Without realizing it, the director began making strange sounds and lifted the bowl to gulp it down.
He could feel the various vegetable chunks blending together perfectly.
The savory richness of the broth was so intense he couldn’t understand what it was made of.
The slightly spicy kick that matched the reddish hue of the soup was exceptional.
It was addictively delicious.
There was no escaping it.
Gulp, gulp.
Slurp!
The only sound in the office was of the director and his aide gulping down the soup.
Clank!
Finally, they both set their empty bowls down simultaneously, even licking the bowls in disappointment.
Gasp!
The director, shocked by his own undignified behavior, quickly regained his composure, but the bowl was already shining clean.
His aide was still licking the bowl, trying to get the last bit of soup.
“Ahem! Get a hold of yourself.”
“My apologies, Director.”
The director couldn’t bring himself to say anything more.
After all, he had just been licking his bowl too.
“…It was incredibly delicious.”
“Yes, I agree. I never imagined such a dish existed. I’ve never heard of or tasted anything like this.”
“I wonder how it would have tasted if we had dipped the bread in the soup…”
“Ahh… why did I eat it all?”
The two of them, filled with regret, vowed to keep their composure if they ever had the chance to eat it again.
Though whether they’d actually keep that promise remained to be seen.
As they reminisced about the lingering taste and shared their thoughts on the meal, the director suddenly brought up another topic.
“The owner of these crops is that Korean awakened one, Lee Kyu-seong, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“I heard he’s been issued something called a pass. There’s no way he’d actually come here, right?”
“That’s impossible. This isn’t some low-tier dungeon, and no one would come here unless they had a death wish.”
“Still, since the pass has been issued, even if it’s only a 0.1% chance, we should prepare a manual just in case.”
“I’ll take care of it. Leave it to me.”
“Alright, then.”
Meanwhile, back in Korea…
“Return Stone, you’re mine!”
Lee Kyu-seong, who had just purchased a Return Stone, was steadily preparing for his trip to Austria.
Cliche Novel 