First, confirming the nature of Greed’s ability was essential.
After hugging Poispois, who insisted he had no intention of taking Mammon’s place, Kyu-seong proceeded to check the ability.
[Greed LV. ??]
[Absorb high-value items]
[The absorbed items allow the ability to grow]
It sounded familiar somehow.
Kyu-seong also checked Ara’s Devour skill.
[Devour LV. ??]
[Can consume anything.]
[Ability grows based on what is consumed.]
[Satiety and growth limits disappear]
“Oh, it’s similar!”
While it couldn’t be called better than Devour, it was quite similar—like a minor version of it.
“Are you inheriting the throne, Poispois?”
Poispois wiggled, shaking his head adorably, making Kyu-seong laugh for a while before he looked over the description again.
“Absorb high-value items?”
What exactly counted as high-value items? And what would happen once absorbed?
After pondering, Kyu-seong decided to give it a try.
Something high-value…
He thought about it and brought over some crops.
‘My crops might be considered valuable, right?’ he mused to himself.
“Poispois, try absorbing this.”
At Kyu-seong’s words, Poispois positioned himself in front of the crops and began to focus.
Thinking it would just be a matter of eating, Kyu-seong encouraged him.
“Poispois! You can do it!”
“Yes, go for it, Poispois! You’re inheriting the throne!”
About two minutes passed… nothing happened.
Kyu-seong, still clinging to hope, waited for Poispois to absorb the crops, but Poispois eventually shook his head.
“Wiggle… wiggle…”
“Oh… uh…”
Realizing he might have been expecting too much, Kyu-seong started thinking again.
“Ara, what’s something valuable we could use?”
“Hmm, pajamas?”
“No, that won’t work.”
Mountain Tiger’s full-body armor was indeed valuable, but it felt like too much to absorb!
Scratching his head, Kyu-seong pondered once more.
“Something valuable, something valuable…”
“Kyu-seong! How about a shiny stone?”
“A shiny stone? What’s that?”
“It’s the Ara Star!”
Ah, gemstones!
True, gemstones were often the epitome of valuable items.
“Guess I’ll be going back to the mine.”
With the materials stored near the mine and Gnoll Village, Kyu-seong prepared to return there.
He headed for the mine on Purr, who diligently worked every day. When the children noticed Kyu-seong’s return, they reacted with excitement.
Though they saw him daily, their warm welcome made him smile awkwardly.
“Uh, uh, yeah. You’re all doing well, right?”
-Kiririk!
-Kyengkyeng!
He soon made his way to the mineral storage.
“Wow! They’re mining new minerals!”
The glowing stones from the location where Gluttony’s Shell had been discovered were partially visible.
Thinking these might also qualify as valuable, Kyu-seong was about to try absorption but paused.
‘I’ll have the lab check it first.’
He knew that something as precious as Mountain Tiger’s full-body armor couldn’t be taken lightly. Although he doubted the glowing stones were that rare, he thought it best to be cautious.
Deciding to start with the Ara Star, which was aesthetically pleasing, he sent it to the lab.
After testing, it was confirmed to have a slight mana flow, though not enough for practical use like mithril or adamantium.
Thus, Kyu-seong decided the Ara Star would simply be used as a decorative gem.
‘The mana flow makes it shimmer like a galaxy, making it perfect for aesthetics!’
While the mana’s properties weren’t entirely useless, they made Ara Stars ideal for visual appeal.
From then on, Kyu-seong stored the Ara Stars as they were mined, intending to have goblins process them later.
“Now, Poispois, can you absorb this?”
Wiggle?
When Kyu-seong handed over an unprocessed Ara Star about the size of a ping-pong ball, Poispois tilted his head and focused again.
Kyu-seong and Ara watched anxiously, wondering if it would fail again.
Then suddenly—
Poispois wrapped himself around the Ara Star and gulped it down in one go.
“Oh?”
“Did he eat it? Was it tasty?”
As Kyu-seong and Ara reacted, Poispois wiggled and let out a tiny burp.
Pop.
“Did he absorb it?”
Kyu-seong immediately checked Poispois’s status screen.
[Poispois (The Greedy Slime) LV. 6]
[A special slime. He is Lee Kyu-seong’s familiar]
[A new potential has been awakened]
[Liquid Synthesis Available]
[Abilities: Universal Poison LV. 5, Mana Detection LV. 2, Greed]
[Greed LV. ??]
[Can absorb high-value items]
[The abilities possessed grow based on the absorbed items]
[Absorbed items: Ara Star (Mana Detection Bonus) ]
There was now an entry under Greed for the absorbed item.
It seemed like one of Poispois’s abilities had gained a bonus.
“That’s interesting!”
Unlike Ara, he didn’t gain a new ability, but his existing ones were enhanced, which wasn’t bad.
On closer inspection, Mana Detection had changed to Magic Detection, though he wasn’t sure what the difference was.
Curious, Kyu-seong decided to ask Poispois about the change in Magic Detection, with Ara helping as translator.
“What’s different about Magic Detection?”
“What has changed?”
Wiggle wiggle?!
“The range is wider, and I can pinpoint specific things! I can find anything that has a mana flow!”
“Wow!”
“But the ability isn’t that strong yet, so it would be best to develop it more!”
“Wow!”
Previously, Poispois could sense mana but not identify specifics.
Now he could specifically target what he wanted to find.
Hearing that he could detect anything with mana flow, Kyu-seong had a thought.
‘Could he locate the dungeons of the Seven Deadly Sins?’
Dungeons have mana flowing through them.
While he wasn’t sure if Poispois could pick out only the Seven Deadly Sins dungeons, there was potential.
“Poispois, we’re dungeon hunters now.”
Wiggle?!
“I think we need a new name for you. Should we call you our treasure hunter?”
Wiggle~!
Poispois shook his head, seemingly against the idea.
Amused by Poispois’s cuteness, Kyu-seong laughed heartily.
“You’re really thinking about changing it!”
“I was kidding.”
“Phew, you startled me!”
Ara’s playful wiping of imaginary sweat was so adorable that Kyu-seong hugged both Ara and Poispois, rubbing his face against them.
“Are we off to find a dungeon now?”
“Hmm…”
Only one dungeon of the Seven Deadly Sins remained: the Dungeon of Lust in the U.S.
But this could also mean that other dungeons of the Seven Deadly Sins hadn’t been discovered yet.
‘They might not have appeared yet, but it’s also possible they just haven’t been found.’
In that case, Poispois’s ability could be extremely useful.
If Greed’s power continued to grow, he could potentially locate all dungeons on Earth.
“We’ll need to be fully prepared when the time comes.”
Exploring a dungeon was actually quite dangerous.
And Kyu-seong was only a Level 2 Awakened, not even a combat-capable one.
So if he ever entered a dungeon, he planned to use every asset available.
‘I’ll bring Ara, Mammon, and Ras along. Maybe even Woofy and Purr? And that one, too!’
Frankly, in terms of visuals, that one looked the strongest, and his power was estimated just below that of the Seven Deadly Sins.
“Poispois, is there anything else you can eat?”
Wiggle.
While Ara and Poispois had slipped out of Kyu-seong’s arms, they took out another Ara Star to discuss.
After hearing Ara’s suggestion, Poispois shook his body to indicate a “no.”
“Ah, so it looks like he can’t absorb the same item twice.”
This was another difference from Ara’s Devour ability.
Greed wasn’t quite as strong.
Though it was natural to fall short compared to the Seven Deadly Sins’ powers, Kyu-seong couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of disappointment.
‘Come to think of it, do Mammon and Ras each have their own Avarice and Wrath abilities? I wonder what powers they have.’
Curiosity suddenly flared up.
Now that Poispois had gained a new ability, Kyu-seong considered going on a dungeon exploration with Ara, Mammon, and Ras.
They should be able to breeze through a low-tier dungeon without any danger, right?
“All right. Let’s go!”
“Yes! Let’s go!”
Not knowing where they’d be going but happily echoing Kyu-seong’s words, Ara joined in.
Impulsively planning his next move, Kyu-seong immediately set out to find Mammon and Ras.
A quick check of the minimap showed they were together in Gnoll Village.
“Mammon! Ras!”
-Your Lordship!
-You’re here.
Mammon greeted him with a bright smile, while Ras gave a dignified bow.
Looking at the two, Kyu-seong spoke.
“It’s been a while… no, it’s actually the first time.”
-What?
-The first time?
“Do you guys want to go out for a bit?”
At Kyu-seong’s unexpected suggestion, Mammon and Ras exchanged glances.
Seeing this, Ara excitedly shouted.
“We’re going on an outing together!”
“Yes, think of it as visiting a different dungeon rather than just walking around outside.”
Kyu-seong wanted to take them outside, not just within the dungeon.
The method was simple.
With Mammon’s poison skill, they could use perception disruption, making people see Mammon and Ras as children.
-Hah, let’s give it a try.
-I’m on board.
“All right, let’s go! Time for a dungeon outing!”
I’ll just tell Seon-ah, and then we’re off!
Thus began Kyu-seong and his Seven Deadly Sins familiars’ first adventure outside.
***
Click.
James, after checking the gear, also inspected the team members who had come along.
These were Awakened individuals, trained for specific purposes—experts in their field.
This time, they were acting on a request from the Venom Guild. Having already arrived in Korea, they rented out an entire small hotel to use as their base of operations.
“A Level 1 Awakened should be easy enough to handle, but staging it as an accident afterward could be challenging.”
“We’ll need to keep a close watch on his movements. From what I hear, he rarely leaves his residence.”
At that moment, the hacker on the team, who had been discreetly surveilling Kyu-seong’s residence with all sorts of advanced equipment, reported in.
“The target has been spotted leaving his residence. There are three others with him, making a total of four, including the target.”
“Four?”
That wasn’t what they had been told.
The information had indicated he usually moved with only one familiar. But this time, there were four…
“The other three besides the target are small in build.”
“Perhaps additional familiars. No matter.”
“Should we gather a bit more information?”
“Hmm, we’ll get closer for now. This target doesn’t leave his residence often, so if we miss this opportunity, who knows how long we’ll have to wait.”
“Understood.”
“If the opportunity presents itself, elimination is also a good option. Let’s proceed with Plan F-3.”
“How will you structure the team?”
“For now, our primary objective is to confirm the situation outside.”
“Understood.”
As Kyu-seong ventured outside, the shadowy hands of this covert team were closing in.
Cliche Novel 