Reporter Kim Doo-cheol of the Balhae Daily was able to get a piece of news through his informant.
“Ironblood, Terror, Ara Hongryeon?”
Something was strange about the movements of the major guilds in South Korea.
It was as if they were gathering, but the scale seemed unusual.
Normally, only a few members of each guild would meet casually and be done, but this time the numbers were off.
It looked like they were heading together to clear some dungeon.
However, according to what Kim Doo-cheol had investigated, there was no dungeon in South Korea that would require three major guilds to join forces.
‘Especially recently, Ara Hongryeon has been particularly formidable. Their achievements are such that they don’t need help from anyone.’
In the end, Kim Doo-cheol decided to go and check it out himself.
Hearing about it through information alone didn’t give him a clear picture, and in fact, he couldn’t quite believe it.
Recently, the three guilds seemed to be getting along remarkably well, and this could be an opportunity to uncover the secret behind it.
Perhaps he could even land an incredible scoop?
Rustle!
After getting permission from his superiors, he quickly set off.
His target was Ara Hongryeon, as his informant had mentioned.
Luckily, it wasn’t far, so he packed only the essentials and headed to where Ara Hongryeon was.
“Hmm?”
However, upon arriving, Kim Doo-cheol was greeted with an unexpected sight.
“Wait, Reporter Jo? Why are you here…?”
“Oh, Doo-cheol, you’re here too. Seems like the rumor’s already spread, huh.”
“Wait, did you come here after hearing the news too?”
“Not just me. Look over there. They’re all staking out.”
When Kim Doo-cheol turned his gaze, he could naturally spot reporters scattered around, just like paparazzi.
Seeing them, Kim Doo-cheol realized how naive he had been.
“I thought I was the first to check this out, but I guess I’m late.”
“You’re not late. If you were, no one would still be here.”
“So, do you know anything, Reporter Jo?”
“Know what?”
“Come on, don’t act like this when we’ve come this far.”
“No, seriously, I don’t know. That’s why I’m here in person. If I knew, I wouldn’t be here—I’d be at my computer writing the article already.”
“Really?”
At that moment, someone suddenly made a quick move.
Following suit, the other hidden reporters also began swiftly relocating.
“What’s going on?”
“Ah! The underground parking lot! Maybe a car just pulled out!”
“Huh? Let’s go!”
Kim Doo-cheol ran hard.
Thanks to this, he was able to witness the procession of countless vehicles coming out of Ara Hongryeon’s underground parking lot.
Click, click!
Cameras flashed as people quickly took pictures.
At the same time, Kim Doo-cheol tried to catch a taxi.
‘I have to follow them!’
Even if it caused trouble later, he had to at least find out where they were headed.
“Kim Doo-cheol?”
“Yes?”
A strange voice called his name.
When he turned, Kim Doo-cheol was shocked.
“W-What? Team Leader Kang?”
It was Kang Kyung-heon, the team leader from the Awakening Bureau.
His sudden appearance left all the reporters frozen in place.
Why was someone from the Awakening Bureau here?
Before the confusion could settle, Kang Kyung-heon addressed the crowd.
“Alright, everyone. I’m sure you’re all very busy, but please don’t conduct illegal investigations like this. Submit formal interview requests instead. Kim Doo-cheol, you weren’t trying to stalk, were you?”
“Ah, no, that’s not…”
“It’s fine. I’ll let you take a look just once. You might be curious.”
At Kang Kyung-heon’s words, the reporters’ eyes burned with even more intensity.
What in the world was happening for the Awakening Bureau to step in and control the situation?
“We have the right to inform the public about such matters…”
“This is an invasion of privacy. Didn’t we come out here because we knew you all would behave like this?”
“Then at least tell us what’s going on!”
“It’s nothing serious. Just a simple dinner gathering.”
“…Dinner?”
At this unexpected and bizarre word, everyone present tilted their heads in confusion.
Are they joking right now?
“So please, no more following and harassing.”
“Why is a dinner gathering so large… and what about Ara Hongryeon, Terror, and Ironblood?”
“We’re not obligated to answer that.”
Kang Kyung-heon replied firmly and then called the Bureau staff over.
Other reporters who hadn’t been captured yet were now being held.
Seeing this, Kim Doo-cheol swallowed nervously and backed off.
‘This… this is some kind of conspiracy. A mastermind? A hidden force? There’s definitely something!’
The government and the business world were moving together.
Kim Doo-cheol realized the scope of this event was bigger than he’d initially thought, and his passion burned even more fiercely.
First, a strategic retreat.
But he wouldn’t give up.
He would uncover exactly what was happening.
And at that moment…
Lee Kyu-seong, who had become the hidden mastermind of South Korea, scratched his itchy ear and woke up from his nap.
“Is it time to go out and greet them?”
Lee Kyu-seong, now a figure shaking the political and business worlds of South Korea, yet not entirely wrong, started moving.
***
“Wow, I’ve had group dinners before, but never on this scale.”
On the way to Kyu-seong’s dungeon, Jeong So-yeon, looking excited, spoke up.
In response, Choi Young-seong and his wife, Kim Si-young, gave curious looks and glanced at Han Seok-jun.
“Yeah, it does seem like this is the first time everyone is attending without a single person missing.”
“And not just that, even Ironblood and Terror are involved.”
“I heard that Junichi and Ryu Cheon have already arrived at the dungeon. This might end up being the largest gathering for a dinner in history.”
“Wow.”
Jeong So-yeon’s eyes sparkled, and Kim Si-young, finding her cute, gently patted her head.
Though she was Ara Hongryeon’s Team Leader 1, Jeong So-yeon was the youngest and had an innocent side, which made her well-loved.
“Do you think this will be too much for Kyu-seong?”
“That’s what I was most concerned about. I sent Team 2 ahead, but with a gathering this large, there’s still a lot of preparation and work involved…”
“We all need to help clean up after. Otherwise, we’ll feel too guilty to face Kyu-seong anymore.”
“Agreed. After we have fun, we all need to pitch in to clean up.”
As they chatted, the vehicle soon arrived at Kyu-seong’s dungeon.
A procession of nearly 20 vehicles, including buses.
Thankfully, the site was spacious enough to accommodate all the cars.
“There’s Kyu-seong.”
Choi Young-seong spotted Kyu-seong standing at the dungeon entrance.
Soon, people started pouring out of the vehicles.
“Wow, hello everyone.”
“Greetings!”
Peek!
Ara, who had been hiding behind Kyu-seong, also stepped out and greeted everyone.
“Ara!”
“So-yeon So-yeon! Why have you been so hard to find lately?”
“Hi, Ara.”
“Is that Kim Si-young? Then is Young-seong hyung here too?”
Ara, excited to see familiar faces, joyfully greeted them, and everyone smiled warmly, as if looking at their own children.
“Thank you so much for inviting us today, Kyu-seong.”
“No problem. Shall we head inside now?”
“Oh, would it be alright if we wait a bit? Ironblood and Terror haven’t arrived yet.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than vehicles started climbing up the hill below.
Two cars.
One from Ironblood, the other from Terror.
“Perfect timing.”
The two vehicles soon parked, and the people got out.
Ironblood’s CEO, Baek Tae-seop, and Director Kim Tae-yang.
Along with Baek Seung-hyun and his fiancée, Oh Min-joo.
From Terror, Guildmaster Johan and the Choi brothers arrived.
“Greetings, everyone! It’s a great day!”
“Thank you all for inviting us.”
Baek Seung-hyun and Johann greeted the group as they approached.
The atmosphere became lively as everyone exchanged greetings and caught up.
“Ha, my guild members were complaining, calling me stingy! They wanted to come along too.”
“It was the same for us. I could only bring Director Choi and Choi Seong-hyeok, to be considerate.”
“Well, you have more restraint than we do! We brought four people, haha!”
Sensing that the conversation could continue endlessly, Kyu-seong quickly wrapped it up.
“Alright, shall we all head inside now? Everything is ready.”
“Wow, it’s been so long. I’m excited.”
Among the group, only Jeong So-yeon and the Choi Young-seong couple had experienced Kyu-seong’s dungeon before.
Thus, everyone else was waiting with curious expressions for Kyu-seong’s guidance.
Soon, Kyu-seong and Ara took the lead and guided them forward.
Over 200 people in total.
It was the result of gathering all members of Ara Hongryeon.
As they all entered the dungeon, it felt completely packed with no room to move.
“Whoa.”
“This place…?”
Even the slimes in the garden were startled by the sudden crowd and quickly hid among the crops.
People, momentarily surprised, looked toward Kyu-seong, but he just smiled awkwardly and continued leading them.
“Please be careful as you come down. One at a time, please.”
With so many people, it took quite some time to move.
After everyone finally managed to descend underground, the journey to the entrance of the Dungeon of Gluttony began.
“Please enter in a single line!”
Seon-ah, who had come out to help Kyu-seong, shouted energetically.
Her eyes darted around as she diligently kept track of the awakened ones.
“Alright, once you enter, Team Leader 2 will guide you. Please go in one at a time.”
Following Kyu-seong’s instructions, they entered the Dungeon of Gluttony one by one, with Ara also crossing over while observing the crowd.
Actually, Ara went in first because she was eager to see people’s surprised reactions.
Kyu-seong and Seon-ah smiled at her cute antics while continuing their tasks.
“Is that everyone?”
Kyu-seong checked the last person to make sure no one was left behind.
“Looks like that’s everyone. 216!”
“216? That’s correct. Let’s head in too.”
After confirming that everything was in order, Kyu-seong and Seon-ah also entered the dungeon.
Before their eyes stood over 200 people, now gathered in one place.
“Wow!”
“So, this is Kyu-seong’s residence?”
“This is where all the ingredients we’ve been eating come from.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a dungeon of this size. I haven’t been in a dungeon this large since the Level 8 dungeon.”
The group marveled in awe.
And there was Ara, happily watching them from the side.
“Hehehe.”
“Ahahaha!”
As Kang Hanul chuckled along with Ara, Kyu-seong shook his head, smiling.
“Brother, weren’t you supposed to help manage the crowd?”
“Ahem! I got caught up in the moment. Kyu-seong, does this mean you enjoy this every time?”
“Exactly. Every time we have guests, seeing their reactions is a big part of the fun.”
“I can understand that!”
Everyone had different reactions.
But they all remained in their spots, calmly taking in the surroundings.
“Alright, everyone! Shall we move to the dining area now?”
“Huh? Isn’t this the place?”
“This is part of it, but we have a specific area prepared. Follow me.”
For this gathering, Kyu-seong and Ara Hongryeon’s Team 2 had set up a special location just for the event.
It was a banquet space hurriedly created next to the Slime Village.
Thanks to the help of Kkumuris, it turned out to be quite an impressive venue.
Cliche Novel 