After finishing the meal, the meeting continued for a while.
Before long, the day passed without reaching a conclusion.
“We have no choice but to directly ask Mr. Kyu-seong for his opinion.”
Jeong So-yeon said with a sullen expression.
The others nodded silently, agreeing with her.
“It’s 1.2 billion dollars. It’s beyond what we can handle.”
“They raised it by another 200 million dollars. We knew it, but the strength of the top 10 guilds in the U.S. is truly remarkable.”
Choi Young-seong and Assistant Team Leader Lee Hae-sol muttered with weary faces.
“It seems like having them taste Mr. Kyu-seong’s food ended up provoking them.”
“Hmmm…
“Even if that wasn’t the case, we can say this situation has gone beyond our control. I think it’s right to contact Mr. Kyu-seong and ask his thoughts first.”
“Understood. Let’s send him a message right away.”
Han Seok-jun nodded calmly.
Although he was a bit tired, he couldn’t show it.
‘This kind of thing will happen more in the future.’
Currently, Kyu-seong’s abilities were exceptional.
In fact, this situation had been almost predictable since the dungeon incident.
China had noticed, and the European Union acknowledged it.
From now on, not only the large guilds across the U.S., but perhaps even the U.S. government might take an interest in Kyu-seong.
And amidst this complex political situation, they intended to respect Kyu-seong’s choice as much as possible.
If he wanted to go to the U.S…
“Phew.”
The thought alone wasn’t pleasant, but they were ready to fully support him.
The guild members of Ara Hongryeon weren’t just colleagues; they were like family. Seeing family do well should be something to celebrate.
But if…
If he didn’t want to leave,
‘We’ll protect him at all costs.’
Even if it means risking everything.
***
After introducing Kongkong’s babies to everyone, I returned to the forest.
-Plurp!
Boing! Boing!
Watching the lively little ones, I felt my heart brighten.
Babyhood really is the purest time.
They were just so cute.
Some of the babies had lost their fear and clung to me, tugging at my clothes with their mouths as if they were trying to drag me somewhere.
It felt like they were treating me as the person who brings tasty food.
‘When it comes to winning over innocent kids, food really is the best.’
Thinking about all the creatures I’d tamed so far, this seemed like the correct answer. Now I understand why adults always warn kids not to follow strangers who offer food.
‘But I’m not suspicious!’
I’m a monster caretaker.
See?! Look at how happy the kids are living here!
“Oppa, what are you doing?”
“Huh? What?”
I realized too late that I had been clenching my fist alone.
By then, all of Kongkong’s babies had already gone to Ara.
The kids were playing so adorably, like a scene from a fairy tale, while Ara, overwhelmed by the baby Pururuks was lying on the ground getting licked all over.
“Kyaahahaha!”
Ara screamed from the tickling, her face full of smiles.
“Seon-ah, keep an eye on the kids for a bit. I’m going to check if I’ve gotten any messages.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
I shouted to Ara that I’d be right back, and went outside.
Even though the baby Pururuks were keeping me busy, a small part of me was still worried about the situation with the U.S.
‘Did it get resolved?’
When I checked my phone, there was a message as expected.
After reading the text, I rubbed my eyes for a moment.
“1.2 billion dollars? That’s 1.6 trillion won?!”
What on earth is going on?!
Without thinking, I looked around.
There was no one near the dungeon, but I couldn’t help being cautious.
‘1 trillion? How much is 1 trillion, really?’
The number was so unreal that it didn’t feel real at all.
For now, I decided to discuss it directly, as the message from Young-seong hyung suggested.
I immediately called, and he answered as if he had been waiting.
“Hello?”
-Oh, Kyu-seong, did you see the message?
“Yes, I did.”
-It looks like they’ve made up their minds over there. We decided to discuss it again tomorrow, so do you have time?
“Of course. What time should I be there tomorrow?”
-Come to the guild by 9 a.m.
“Got it.”
-Kyu-seong.
Young-seong hyung’s voice suddenly turned serious.
I became tense for no reason and listened attentively.
-You can probably guess, but this isn’t an ordinary matter. This contract amount is rare even if you look through the history of the global awakening industry.
“Yes.”
-If you consider it, it’s a contract that ranks among the top ten. The Iron Sight Guild values your worth that highly.
“I see.”
To rank among the top ten…
Why not call it a top-five contract while you’re at it?
As I was having such silly thoughts, Young-seong hyung continued speaking.
-If you want, I’ve already spoken with the guild master to release you from your remaining contract period with Ara Hongryeon.
“Ah, you really didn’t need to go that far…”
-Kyu-seong, your potential can reach the whole world. It may sound strange coming from a guild executive like me, but Ara Hongryeon is too small to contain you.
“Hyung, but I have no intention of going anywhere.”
-…Huh?
“Size isn’t the issue; I just want to live as I am.”
Why would I go live in a foreign country where they don’t even speak Korean?
Sure, they offered a huge sum, but what would I use it for?
‘Could that amount create a new Dungeon of Gluttony? Or could it attract a cute, bubbly slime like Ara?!’
At some point, I’d always emphasized that my life’s goal was no longer about money.
It’s not that having money as a goal is wrong.
It’s just that, for me, something else was more valuable.
“Let’s go and discuss it tomorrow. But I have no intention of leaving, no matter what amount they offer—whether it’s 1.2 billion dollars or 12 billion dollars.”
-Y-Yeah.
“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow at 9 a.m. Can I bring Ara along?”
-S-Sure.
I hung up and returned to the dungeon.
Suddenly, I felt the beauty and peace of the scenery anew.
Our world, which no amount of money could replace.
Money was just one means of achieving happiness in the first place.
I was already living happily.
In fact, that kind of money coming in would only create unnecessary trouble.
That’s why I actually felt more at ease.
My worries about the U.S. also seemed to ease a bit.
At that moment, I was more curious about the Shell that had merged with the slime fragment.
“I need to check on it again!”
I should bring Ara, too.
When I opened the minimap, I saw she was still in the Pururuk Forest.
Looks like she really liked the baby Pururuks.
As I rode Purr toward the forest, the Pururuks quickly hid, then cautiously crept out again when they realized it was me.
The babies, still lacking a sense of caution, froze in place and observed me carefully. When they recognized me, they wagged their tails.
“Ara, let’s go check out the slime in the mine!”
“Ooh! Did it change?”
“I don’t know. Let’s go see!”
Not even 24 hours had passed, so it was unlikely anything had changed, but you never know.
Seon-ah decided to stay behind to care for and study the baby Pururuks. Thanks to Seon-ah, I could delegate various tasks, which was a relief.
When we reached the mine, we saw the goblins and gnolls still working diligently.
-Kirik!
“Oh, yeah, yeah. Keep up the good work!”
I handed out some snacks to the kids who greeted me and went inside.
They had already cleared a path to the Shell.
As expected, Mammon and Ras were thorough in their work.
Gnolls and Kkumuris were busy paving the path even now.
-Kekang!
“Oh, yeah, yeah. Thanks for your hard work.”
I nodded to each of the kids working, as if I were the site manager.
Seeing me, Ara started imitating my gestures.
“Oh, yeah, yeah, you’re doing well. Mm-hmm.”
I’d better not do anything weird.
Kids really are mirrors of adults…
But they’re so cute!
As I moved further inside, I saw Mammon and Ras, who I thought would be in the village.
Huh? Frey is here too?
“Hey, guys!”
“Oh, yeah, yeah. So you were all here.”
Ara still hadn’t changed that peculiar way of speaking.
The kids welcomed us with bright smiles upon our arrival.
-Lord!
-You’ve arrived! Perfect timing.
-I was just about to come and call you, but you arrived right on time. Well done.
Hearing that they were looking for me, I wondered if there had been a change in the Shell.
“Why? Did something happen?”
-It’s shaking! The slime is shaking!
Shaking?
I immediately headed to the location of the Shell with the kids.
Sure enough, as they had described, the Shell was shaking vigorously.
Twinkle, twinkle!
Simultaneously, I could see the slime fragment, which had become the core of the slime, pulsing inside.
The dramatic change stunned me, making me freeze for a moment. Meanwhile, Ara, unfazed by my reaction, ran straight to the slime and touched it.
“Oooh! It’s wiggling! It’s a King Wiggle!”
No way. If left alone, the new slime would end up being named King Wiggle! I had to prevent that!
“Ara, isn’t this the slime you already knew?!”
“Huh? Uh-huh.”
“Then don’t you remember its name?”
“Hmm…”
Ara pretended to think hard, putting her finger to her head, but to me, it seemed like she’d forgotten.
Well, I guess it’s possible to forget after a long time.
I wasn’t really expecting much; I’d just blurted it out to prevent the slime from being named King Wiggle.
After temporarily rendering Ara speechless, I approached King Wiggle—no, the slime.
Wobble, wobble!
The slime’s movement was more of a playful wiggle than an intense shake. I checked if I could see the status window, just in case.
[A Forgotten Slime is awakening.]
[A dense energy is overflowing.]
[3 days until awakening.]
“Oh! It’s finally showing up!”
Seeing how many days were left made me feel less anxious. But what did it mean that dense energy was overflowing?
‘It seems like it was one of Ara’s subordinates… Is it weaker than Ara? Though slimes aren’t usually strong, it could be unusual like Ara.’
-It seems I remember.
Suddenly, Ras spoke up.
“You remember? What?”
-There was one that used to follow Gula—no, Ara. It inherited a power similar to ours.
“Huh?”
A slime that followed Ara? No, that wasn’t the main point—it inherited a power similar to the Seven Deadly Sins?!
What kind of creature was it, then?
Eagerly, I awaited Ras’s next words.
-It possessed a power even I couldn’t underestimate, but it used to cry at the drop of a hat, which was troublesome.
“Huh?”
-If it’s the same personality as before… Kyu-seong, you’re in for a tough time.
Ara did mention it was a crybaby, but was it bad enough to be worrisome?
While I was feeling a bit concerned, Ara’s eyes suddenly lit up, as if she’d finally realized something!
“Ooh! I figured it out!”
“What is it?”
“I figured out that I forgot! So, I’ll give it a new name!”
Our Ara…
Just grow up healthy.
Cliche Novel 