After finishing the day and entering his room, Nathan checked a belatedly sent report.
The report contained detailed information about Kyu-seong’s personal background, his familiar, and the abilities of his crops.
“Ironsight, Venom… they certainly had reasons to rampage.”
“He was a person of interest in many ways, with ties to China and Japan. His observation level was steadily rising as well,” Sarah said.
Nathan nodded in agreement, reaching out naturally. His hand landed on the dog chew(?) Kyu-seong had given him.
“Mm…”
Nathan chewed the dog chew noisily, expressing admiration once again.
Seeing this, Sarah also grabbed a chew and began to gnaw on it.
For a while, the two of them were busy chewing on the dog chews while flipping through the report.
“We need to approach this a little differently.”
“What do you mean?”
“Originally, I was planning to forcefully take over the investigation authority, but I think it’s better to avoid stepping on his toes if possible.”
“Agreed.”
They had both been swayed by the taste of Kyu-seong’s food. More precisely, they were worried that if they upset him, they might never get to eat his food again.
Even these two, known for their clear distinction between work and personal matters and their cold rationality, were acting this way. Kyu-seong’s cooking was, in essence, something beyond mere food.
After coming to an agreement, Sarah left briefly to report the changes to the White House.
While she was gone, Nathan took out something and began transmitting data. It was a dungeon artifact used as a communication device.
In a flash, he sent the data along with a variety of messages. As he thought of the person who would receive the data, a thought crossed his mind:
…If Kyu-seong meets Kyler…
The childhood friend of Level 9 awakener Kyler.
That person was none other than Nathan, the director of the U.S. Intelligence Agency.
***
“I missed you all so much!”
Although I’d only been away for a day, my feelings were genuine.
From the entrance of the village, I embraced the welcoming slimes, Kkumuris, and even Gomgom and Soo, rubbing my cheeks against theirs.
These adorable creatures—I would never let them go!
“You’re back early,” Seon-ah greeted me, holding a laptop as if she had just finished editing.
She was already standing next to Ara.
“Yeah. Nothing much happened, right?”
“Oppa, don’t you think you should be a bit more cautious?”
“Cautious?”
“Yeah, like hiring a bodyguard or something.”
“A bodyguard? I already have one.”
“Here?”
Confused, Seon-ah looked at me, and I pointed at Ara.
“My bodyguard is Ara. Go ahead and introduce yourselves.”
“…I’m not joking.”
“Neither am I. Ara is my bodyguard.”
“I am indeed the bodyguard!” Ara declared, confidently thumping her chest.
Seon-ah’s eyes briefly glazed over at Ara’s antics but soon regained focus as she spoke again.
“What kind of bodyguard is Ara? If something had gone wrong recently, Ara could’ve gotten hurt too!”
“Ah, you’re so frustrating, little sister. You still don’t understand how amazing Ara is?”
“Seon-ah-Seon-ah doesn’t know. Tsk. Such a shame,” Ara chimed in, shaking her head alongside me playfully.
Thinking we were teasing her, Seon-ah glared at us with half-closed eyes.
But I felt wronged. I couldn’t tell her Ara was one of the Seven Deadly Sins, nor could I easily prove she wasn’t weak.
‘Should I just have her breathe fire?’
If I don’t reveal she’s one of the Seven Deadly Sins, how should I prove her abilities?
Hmm…
“Ara, we have no choice. Let’s show Seon-ah your power.”
“Oooh! Time to show my power!” Ara cheered, raising her arms triumphantly.
Seon-ah watched our antics with a faint smirk of disbelief.
This won’t do. I need to knock her down a peg.
“Let me show you Ara’s true abilities!”
“Show them I shall!”
What should we show her?
Ah, yes! Let’s start by erasing a mountain—just a small one!
Looking at a distant hill, I said, “If we casually make a mountain disappear, Seon-ah will believe in Ara’s power, won’t she?”
“…What?”
“Ara, prepare your breath attack!”
At my words, Ara began to stretch and loosen up. She soon positioned herself, aiming toward a small hill in the distance, and got ready to unleash her breath attack.
“What are you two even doing? This isn’t funny,” Seon-ah said.
“Watch closely. This is Ara!”
A low hum resonated through the air.
As an awakened being, I could feel the mana around us trembling.
‘Wow.’
The energy felt different—stronger than before.
Thinking about it, this would be Ara’s first full-power breath attack since the guild’s test nearly a year ago. Since then, she had grown considerably, gaining new abilities and improving her base stats. Her breath attack was bound to be far stronger now.
The air shimmered as mana gathered in front of Ara’s mouth.
A blue orb began to form, glowing intensely. The ground beneath Ara began to sink slightly from the sheer concentration of power.
“W-What’s going on?! What is this?!” Seon-ah exclaimed, her eyes widening to the point of no return as she stared at Ara in shock.
Once the mana had sufficiently condensed, Ara fired the glowing blue orb with a deafening roar.
KWA-AAAAAAAAAH!!
A brilliant blue beam shot forward in a straight line, its sheer force creating an enormous shockwave that nearly sent Seon-ah flying. I managed to grab her just in time.
Even Ara herself was pushed back, carving trenches into the ground as she unleashed her attack. The power was overwhelming.
The breath attack gradually dimmed and finally vanished, as though it had never existed. The small hill we had targeted was now completely gone, reduced to barren, glowing red earth. Heat waves shimmered visibly, rising from the scorched ground.
“Ahh, refreshing,” Ara said, smacking her lips as she turned to look at Seon-ah and me. A faint, satisfied smile played across her face.
“Well? How’s that?” I asked.
Seon-ah didn’t reply. She simply stared at Ara in awe. After a moment, she rushed over, knelt down, and hugged Ara tightly.
“Ara, you’re amazing!!”
“I am amazing indeed!”
“I can’t believe you have such power! Is there anything Ara can’t do?!”
“I can do everything!” Ara declared, puffing out her chest proudly.
Seon-ah showered Ara with endless praise, completely captivated.
“So, Seon-ah, about the bodyguard thing… Can we drop it now? It’s safe to say we don’t need one, right?”
Completely ignored, I scratched my head and glanced toward the area where Ara had unleashed her breath. The mountain was gone, leaving only smoldering remnants. Ara was undeniably stronger than before.
At this level, there probably wasn’t much that could withstand Ara’s attacks.
Her offensive power might be the best in the world.
Even back then, people were astonished, calling her attack comparable to the ultimate skills of a level 8 awakened. Now? What would they say?
The ultimate skill of a Level 9 awakened?
“Level 9…”
That rank was practically mythical.
In the world of awakened beings, the “Level 9” was an honorary rank spoken of with reverence. Officially, it didn’t exist. The highest official rank in the awakened industry was level 8. However, individuals with abilities too unique or overwhelmingly powerful to be categorized as level 8 were sometimes referred to as Level 9.
Considering Ara’s breath attack, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her a Level 9. In fact, as one of the Seven Deadly Sins, being considered Level 9 was only natural.
“Oppa!”
“Yeah? Finished talking?”
As I was lost in thought, Seon-ah approached, holding Ara tightly in her arms.
“Is Ara’s ability limited to just that?!”
“Huh? No, she has plenty more.”
I took another moment to review Ara’s stats:
[Ara (Gluttony)]
[One of the Seven Deadly Sins and the demon representing Gluttony]
[A slime with immeasurable potential]
[Familiar of Lee Kyu-seong]
[Abilities:
– Gluttony
– Breath
– Unity of Mind and Body
– Mana Amplification
– Affinity
– Third Eye
– Diamond Body
– Immunity to All Poisons
– Debuff Resistance
– Mana Restoration
– Regeneration
– Smooth Skin
– Immunity to All Diseases
– Mana Circulation
– Elemental Affinity
– Underwater Breathing
– Intimidation
– Projectile Reflection
– Mana Absorption]
Her abilities had expanded further, and some seemed to have combined. At this point, Ara was practically a walking awakened guild. There wasn’t a single ability missing.
Explaining all of this felt tedious, so I decided to simplify:
“Ara can see everything—far away, through objects—there’s nothing she can’t see.”
“What does that even mean?”
“And Ara is invincible. She doesn’t get hurt, poisoned, or sick. Her body is so strong that even if she somehow gets injured, she heals immediately.”
“…What…”
“When it comes to mana, just think of her as its master. There’s nothing she can’t do—recovery, absorption, control—it’s all possible.”
Seon-ah’s eyes narrowed suspiciously again, but after witnessing the breath attack earlier, her skepticism didn’t deepen.
“I am amazing!” Ara declared confidently.
“Yes, our Ara is amazing!” I affirmed.
Looking at Ara’s abilities again filled me with a sudden greed. I wanted to see how far her stats could go, listing abilities so extensive it would be hard to read.
I’ll need new crops for that.
Coincidentally, I had recently taken an interest in fruit trees. While farming, I’d neglected fruits—not intentionally, just kept forgetting.
‘Apples, grapes, tangerines, peaches… what else is there?’
I wanted to try tropical fruits as well.
Might as well grow everything I can! After all, I’m not the one doing the work!
“Heh heh heh.”
“Lee Kyu-seong is laughing evilly again!” Ara exclaimed.
Once things with the U.S. settle down, I’ll get some fruit seeds and start planting.
Speaking of fruit, another thought popped into my head—something I had almost forgotten.
“Has the gochujang fermented yet?”
“Gochujang? Oh, I totally forgot about that.”
Seon-ah seemed busy these days caring for Pururuk’s babies. I should’ve kept track, but I’d been too caught up in external matters.
“I wish we had someone to handle food management.”
Luckily, I already had someone in mind.
“When’s Jae-seong coming back from Korea? We need to start setting up the restaurant soon.”
Not to mention the cute rabbits we need to bring along.
“Seon-ah, there are Seven Deadly Sins in America, right?”
“Yeah? Yeah. Three locations—China, Austria, and the U.S.”
“Are the others still undiscovered?”
“Yeah, we suspect there are seven total, but some haven’t been found, or their dungeons haven’t manifested yet. Why the sudden interest in the Seven Deadly Sins?”
“Oh, just curious.”
The U.S., huh…
Since I was already entangled with America, maybe I’d get a chance to visit one.
Like my visit to the European Union, it’d be great if I got an opportunity to see one of the Sins directly.
I’ll have to think about how to approach this.
For now, I’m in a position of power—both as the victim of this incident and someone entitled to compensation. With luck, I might create an opening to investigate further.
I’ll just have to express my interest subtly to avoid suspicion.
“…Let’s check on the gochujang first.”
“It should be ready by now, right? The soy sauce and doenjang fermented quickly.”
“True. Longer fermentation improves the flavor, but let’s check anyway.”
If the gochujang is ready, it’ll expand our cooking options. I can finally make the rich doenjang stew I promised Hanul hyung, along with spicy pork stir-fry using the gochujang.
“Gulp.”
I could already feel my mouth watering.
First, I’ll check the gochujang. If it’s ready, I’ll cook something immediately!
Cliche Novel 
At this point I don’t think he needs to keep it a secret tbh
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