Gangnam, Seocho District.
The guild members of Ara Hongryeon , who had returned to the guild, took some time to recover from the lingering emotions, slowly coming back to reality.
“Ironsight?!”
An unexpected piece of news from the Awakening Headquarters.
Thanks to this, they began rushing around like a colt with its tail on fire as soon as they returned.
“Why suddenly Ironsight?”
“Isn’t that a guild unrelated to our country?”
“Some of the American guilds interact with our country, but Ironsight isn’t one of them…”
However, there was no need for suspicion.
From the start, the Ironsight Guild had left a message asking if they could visit Ara Hongryeon .
“This is because of Kyu-seong.”
“It’s because of Mr. Kyu-seong.”
“They’re coming to see Kyu-seong.”
Everyone nodded in agreement as they mentioned Kyu-seong’s name in unison.
Han Seok-jun also had an expression that seemed to say, “It was bound to happen.”
In fact, it was strange that countries like the U.S., known for their awakened powers, had not noticed Kyu-seong’s presence until now.
“But this situation feels a bit unstable.”
“What do you mean?”
Han Seok-jun asked, responding to Choi Young-seong’s comment.
“There have also been unsettling movements from China lately. So far, we’ve been holding them back with the help of the Dungeon of Avarice and the power of the Skyscraper Guild, but now they’re starting to show interest in Kyu-seong.”
“Hm…”
The already serious expressions of the people grew even more grim.
However, only Jeong So-yeon looked unbothered, dispelling the unease of those around her with her calm demeanor.
“It won’t be a big problem. Even if others target Mr. Kyu-seong, I’m sure he has no intention of leaving.”
“How can you be so sure Kyu-seong won’t leave?”
“With Mr. Kyu-seong’s abilities, he wouldn’t need to stay in Korea up to this point if he didn’t want to. His abilities are special enough that he could have left long ago if he wished.”
“Well… that’s true.”
“So, the only thing we can do is protect Mr. Kyu-seong. That’s something we’re all capable of, right?”
Everyone’s expressions relaxed at Jeong So-yeon’s clear and confident words.
She wasn’t wrong.
Even though Kyu-seong was a first or second rank awakener, with his abilities, he would receive tremendous treatment wherever he went in the world.
Surely, he knew that himself.
The fact that he had not left meant that something far more precious than material value remained for him here.
“Haha! What’s this? Our little one finally says something right!”
“What do you mean ‘finally’? I’m the Team 1 leader. I always make the right calls!”
“Sure, sure. Our little one!”
“Ugh! I’m not little!”
Riiiiing!
Han Seok-jun’s phone rang.
After checking it immediately and taking the call, the conversation ended shortly.
“They said they’re almost in Korea.”
“We’ll have to go out to meet them. It’s busy, busy.”
“For now, I, Team 2 leader, and the vice-guild master will go out to greet them. Also, please send a message to Mr. Kyu-seong in advance.”
“Understood.”
After returning from what felt like a dreamlike vacation, the guild members were quickly preparing for battle.
An atmosphere like the calm before the storm filled the air.
“Wow, this is really…”
***
I wandered around the massive cavity that Ras and Mammon had discovered, inspecting the surroundings.
There was nothing here except for luminescent stones and the shell of Gluttony, but even so, its size was staggering.
It was about the size of an Olympic stadium.
Of course, I don’t really know how big an Olympic stadium is, but it was wide enough that I thought it might be roughly that size.
And the shell of Gluttony was so massive that it nearly filled the entire space.
…They said it ate the World Tree…?
I hadn’t been able to imagine it before, but seeing this size, it now seemed entirely plausible.
When I touched it lightly, the shell of Gluttony had a texture that was unlike any other slime.
To be precise, it had the texture of slime, but also the hard properties of minerals or glass.
“This is really such a strange feeling.”
—It’s amazing!
Before I knew it, the others were also touching the shell of Gluttony. It had a unique property where it was sticky like slime, but also instantly hard like a rock.
If you punched it, your fist would be crushed, but if you grabbed it and pulled, it would stretch. When you let go, it would snap back to its original shape like rubber.
“Whoa.”
The more I touched it, the more fascinating it became.
Even when I tried to check for more information, only the name [Shell of Gluttony] appeared, with no additional details.
It seemed best to bring Ara here to examine it.
“By the way, I’ve never seen this glowing mineral before. Have you mined anything like this?”
—No, we have not.
Mammon shook his head as he answered, but his hands were still touching the shell.
—Kyu-seong.
“Hmm?”
—May I tear a piece of this off?
Ras, with his great strength, was casually pulling at the shell with one hand. The tensile strength was high, so it should have been difficult, but he looked completely unbothered.
“Could we show it to Ara first and then test it?”
—Oh, could this be what Ara looked like in the past!
—When she was Gula! Ohhh!
It seemed Ras and Mammon hadn’t realized this earlier.
Well, they might have adapted to her current appearance, so they probably didn’t think of it right away.
—T-this is what Her Majesty’s original form looked like…?
Frey stared at the shell, which was illuminated by the glowing stones.
She looked amazed by its overwhelming size and grandeur.
—I’ll control the subordinates for now.
“Alright. Once Ara checks it out, we’ll discuss what to do next. For now, should we take it out?”
—Let’s call Ara first!
“Right.”
After finishing the conversation, I left Ras, Mammon, and Frey to watch over the area and went back outside.
I wanted to show this amazing discovery to Ara right away.
‘Ara didn’t seem to know there was a shell here.’
It was such a long time ago, she might not remember. She couldn’t recall the geography of the Dungeon of Gluttony either.
And after all, she claims to be 3,501 years old.
It’s understandable.
Checking the minimap, I saw that Ara had already left the Forest of Purr and was now in the Slime Village.
I quickly rode Woofy over to Ara, where Ryu Cheon and Yu Bihong were waiting for me.
“We’re about to head back now.”
“Oh! Did you enjoy the dungeon?”
“Yes! We’d love to visit again. If you permit us, Kyu-seong!”
“If you give me a heads-up, you’re welcome anytime!”
As I was warmly exchanging greetings with Yu Bihong, a tearful scene was unfolding beside us.
“See you again sometime.”
“We can see each other anytime!”
“It’s so sad.”
“S-sadness is not allowed! W-would you like to eat some of my saved snacks? It’s chocolate!”
A flustered Ara and a tearful Ryu Cheon.
And Seon-ah, snapping pictures of the two, was diligently taking photos.
“…Seon-ah, do you really need to take pictures of everything? No matter how much you like Awakeners or how cute Ara is.”
After finishing the brief goodbyes, I saw off Ryu Cheon and Yu Bihong.
As I waved them off and they disappeared from view, I returned to the dungeon and immediately brought up the topic of the shell.
“Sigh, I’m exhausted. You worked hard, Ara.”
“Now’s not the time to say that. We’ve discovered something incredible.”
“Incredible?”
Seon-ah gave me a look as if wondering what nonsense I was spouting again, while Ara, on the other hand, looked excited, her eyes sparkling at the mention of discovering something amazing.
“Something incredible! What is it?!”
“We found something in the mine. Let’s go check it out together.”
“Okay!”
Seon-ah, who was still tired, grumbled under her breath about how it better not be something trivial, but I ignored her and brought them along.
When we arrived at the mine, Mammon and Frey were already outside, greeting us.
—You’ve arrived!
—And Seon-ah has come as well!
It seemed Mammon had been giving instructions to the others, telling them not to touch the area where the shell was located.
Everyone had been sitting attentively, but when we arrived, they seemed to forget everything Mammon had been saying, welcoming me and Seon-ah enthusiastically.
—Kirik!
—Kang-kang!
Like excited puppies, the others crowded around us. Seeing their affectionate behavior, Ara got caught up in the excitement and started rubbing against them as well.
“Hehe, so fluffy!”
Ara must have been enjoying the feel of their soft fur.
After enjoying the warm welcome from the children for a bit, we headed deeper into the mine.
Since no one was likely to cause trouble, we decided to let everyone come along.
The cavity was so large that even with all of us, there was plenty of space.
“What’s this?”
Seon-ah’s curiosity was piqued when she spotted the luminescent stones.
Unlike the usual glowstones we knew, these were more like metallic minerals. I thought it would be worth mining them later for research.
As we moved deeper inside and the surroundings grew brighter, both Seon-ah and Ara began to marvel at the sight. Finally, we arrived at the large cavity.
“Whoa! What is this?!”
“It’s huge! R-really huge!”
Ara spread her arms wide to emphasize the size. But even with this, there was no reaction from her that suggested she recognized the shell.
I had thought she would recognize it at first glance, but it seemed she had no idea.
“Oppa! What is this? And what is this place?!”
“I’m not entirely sure where this is either. But as an Awakener, I have a rough idea of what this big thing is.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a shell.”
“A shell?”
Seon-ah looked at the shell of Gluttony with a puzzled expression. I didn’t feel the need to mention the word “Gluttony” just yet.
“Ara.”
“Hmm?”
“Isn’t this a shell you shed?”
“A shell I shed?”
Ara tilted her head in confusion.
Then, she furrowed her brows and stared intently at the discarded shell.
“Oooh!”
Ara let out an exclamation.
Could it be Ara’s doing? Did she finally remember something?
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong! We must head back to the village!”
“Huh?”
Suddenly?
But Ara, looking as if in a hurry, grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the door, gesturing for me to follow.
“We need to bring something from the village!”
“Bring something? What is it?”
“That! That thing! Uh…,” Ara trailed off, seemingly unable to recall the word. She suddenly fell deep into thought.
After waiting a moment, she plopped down on the spot and started to seriously ponder.
“By the way, oppa, can I touch that?”
“Huh? Oh, sure. The texture’s fascinating. It’s not like ordinary slime.”
“Huh? That’s slime?”
“Uh? Yeah, I think it’s slime’s shed skin. Probably?”
“Slimes shed their skin?”
We whispered to avoid disturbing Ara, continuing our conversation. But honestly, I didn’t know slimes could shed their skin either. How would I know that?
“That’s it.”
“Huh?”
At that moment, Ara spoke to me with a serious expression.
“That’s it.”
“That?”
“The transformation item Grandpa gave me. Crybaby!”
“Grandpa’s transformation item? Crybaby?”
Grandpa? My dad?
But Ara calls my parents *Grand Lords.* Then the person she’s referring to as Grandpa must be…
‘Baek Chairman?’
Suddenly, the image of Baek Ta-eseop, chairman of Iron Blood Guild, came to mind.
And then I remembered the slime core he had given us. The transformation item was actually a container for storing the core.
“The slime fragment!”
Memories of receiving such an item came flooding back. It had been so useless that I’d forgotten all about it, especially since I’d handed it over to Ara.
Now that I think about it, Ara had been caring for it daily—washing it, feeding it, and treating it almost like a pet. It had become such a part of her daily routine that I’d stopped paying attention.
“Yes! Crybaby!”
“Oh, right, Ara, you used to call the slime fragment Crybaby.”
Her naming sense… Well, that’s not the issue here.
Somehow, the shed skin of gluttony seemed connected to the slime fragment.
So, does that mean the shed skin wasn’t Ara’s after all?
I couldn’t be sure.
“We need to bring Crybaby!”
“Alright, let’s do that.”
The shed skin of gluttony and the mysterious slime fragment—what would happen when the two were brought together?
With rising anticipation, I set off with Ara toward the slime village.
Cliche Novel 