It was supposed to be a simple party, but somehow it turned into a grand feast.
Every crop from the storage, along with all the seafood we’d gathered, was used in various dishes.
At this rate, I might even qualify as a chef worth boasting about.
‘Thanks to the sauces, cooking has become easier, and the variety of dishes I can make has increased.’
Seafood dishes, in particular, relied heavily on sauces. Ever since I perfected soy sauce, doenjang, and gochujang, all it took was proper grilling to create delicious meals.
“Delicious is coming! Delicious is coming!”
Cheong kept expressing his amazement in his unique way every time he tasted something.
As expected from a slime, he neither tired nor stopped eating.
I thought he’d eventually get full, but even with his belly visibly swollen, he continued eating non-stop.
“My belly is round!”
Ara pointed to her belly and then Cheong’s. By now, Frey and the other children had already filled their stomachs and were napping beside Seon-ah.
“Fullness is coming.”
“Finally full! As expected, my little brother!”
At the mention of “little brother,” Soo glanced over with a slightly jealous look.
—Kyuuit!
“Soo is also my little brother!”
Ara hastily reassured Soo, who immediately broke into a smile.
Meanwhile, I finished cooking and finally had a chance to rest.
“Good work!”
“Thank you, oppa.”
Indeed, it was a lot of work. This experience once again made me realize the need to hire professional chefs.
The slimes that had been playing in the fields returned to devour the food I had prepared. The ones who ate first crowded around me, showing off their affection.
“So soft and squishy.”
I grabbed and played with the headbutting slime I hadn’t seen in a while, stretching and squishing it. What a surprise to find it here instead of at the mines.
“Aaah!”
Ara brought over a large piece of fish on a fork.
I accepted it with a quick bite, and Cheong, watching intently, darted his eyes around before picking up something himself.
“Th-this…”
He shyly handed it over. In his tiny hands was a strand of pasta I had made earlier.
“Do you want to eat this?”
“Oh? Oh, thank you.”
He had picked it up so neatly.
As I struggled to eat the pasta from Cheong’s hand, I gave him a thumbs-up.
“It’s delicious!”
“Delicious is coming!”
His beaming smile couldn’t have been any cuter.
As I ate the fish Ara gave me along with the pasta Cheong offered, a thought came to mind.
“Status window.”
Soon, Cheong’s status window appeared before my eyes.
[Cheong (Azure of Apocalypse)]
[One of the Four Horsemen and the Knight of Death]
[A slime with unknown potential]
[Lee Kyuseong’s familiar]
[Abilities: Plague, Chivalry]
I was momentarily speechless and reread the status window twice, even three times.
Then, I looked at Cheong, who, perhaps full now, was dozing off beside me while keeping a wary eye on his surroundings.
How could such a fierce description be attached to this adorable little one? A Knight of Death?
‘A knight? Like the ones from medieval times?’
Come to think of it, Ara was described as a demon of gluttony.
It wasn’t exactly surprising… no, it was still quite surprising.
I checked her two listed abilities.
[Plague LV.??]
Mastery over all kinds of diseases.
That’s it? That’s the entire explanation, status window?
This is deeply unsettling.
What does “all kinds of diseases” even mean? Is it literally every disease, or is there a limit to what he can control? And what does “mastery” imply?
I have no idea!
‘What the heck is chivalry supposed to mean?’
[Chivalry LV.??]
If one wishes to protect, they are already a knight.
‘What kind of nonsense is this?’
So, what exactly is this ability? Who asked for your poetic musings on chivalry, status window?!
Feeling dizzy from the vague explanations, I decided to focus solely on the plague ability for now.
I didn’t understand the details, but at least I could tell it was extraordinary.
‘It’s probably similar to Mammon’s poison ability.’
Mammon, who could create and wield all sorts of versatile and powerful poisons, was the closest comparison I could think of.
If so, wouldn’t Cheong also have the ability to handle various diseases?
Thinking about it that way, Cheong’s ability seemed incredibly impressive. Of course, I’d have to verify it properly later.
After finishing my review of Cheong’s status window, I looked around. Everyone had fallen asleep, likely drowsy from their full stomachs.
Even Cheong, who had been keeping watch, was now fast asleep, cuddled up with Ara.
Looking at him like this, he didn’t seem like a slime at all—more like a human child.
When I gently stroked his head, it felt slightly damp, as if it had absorbed a bit of moisture.
“Fascinating.”
Hmm, but the status window mentioned he’s one of the Four Horsemen. Does that mean there are three more?
Are the others also slimes?
No clue.
For now, I’d take them on a tour of the dungeon once they woke up.
Pant, pant, pant!
“Waaaah!”
Cheong burst into tears after being pounced on by Woofy. Woofy, who was just excited to greet him, wagged its tail enthusiastically, completely oblivious to his reaction.
“Woofy, stop it already!”
Thankfully, Woofy understood Ara’s words and backed off. Ara quickly ran over and helped Cheong, who had fallen, to his feet.
Cheong immediately hid behind Ara.
“Sniff, sis, it’s scary…”
“You’re still such a crybaby! You haven’t changed a bit!”
Ara exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air as if in amazement.
Cheong, still hiding behind Ara, hesitated but mimicked her gesture, raising his hands in the air as well.
Woof!
“Waaaah!”
Woofy, thinking the raised hands meant it was time for a hug, eagerly nudged its nose forward again. What an adorable scene.
“Since Cheong is a slime, do you think she likes farming?”
“Not everyone’s the same. Cheong might not like it,” Seon-ah replied thoughtfully, and I had to admit her reasoning made sense.
Judging from Cheong’s personality, he didn’t seem particularly interested in farming… but I decided to show him the fields anyway.
“Alright, everyone, let’s go to the fields.”
“Okay!”
“F-fields! Let’s go!”
I took all the kids to the fields.
The sprawling farmland stretched endlessly before us, filling me with a deep sense of pride.
“Wow.”
The once-small field that had barely covered ten acres was now tens of times larger. Watching the slimes wriggling around—working, or maybe just playing—was heartwarming.
“Wow!”
Seeing the fields for the first time, Cheong’s mouth hung open in awe.
Contrary to my expectations, he seemed genuinely interested.
Soon enough, the children all ran excitedly into the fields. Following them at a slower pace, I caught up to Cheong, who was inspecting the crops.
“What’s this?”
“Potatoes.”
“Potatoes! This is amazing.”
The potatoes were still growing, their lush green leaves swaying gently in the breeze.
Cheong gently brushed his tiny hands over the leaves.
“They’ll grow really well.”
“Oh, what did you do?”
“I gave the potatoes a good disease!”
A disease? What does that even mean?
When I thought about it, diseases often involved bacteria and microorganisms. Could it be that Cheong applied some beneficial bacteria or microorganisms to the plants?
“I never thought of this.”
“Why, what is it? What did our Cheong do?”
“Cheong… can handle diseases.”
“Diseases?” Seon-ah tilted her head in curiosity.
Meanwhile, the kids had already dashed off toward another field.
“This is strawberries! I love strawberries!”
“I’ll make these healthy too!”
This was a completely unexpected way to utilize Cheong’s powers. Who would’ve thought the plague ability could be used like this?
“Wait, if I remember correctly, certain wines use grapes infected with specific molds… Grapes! I need to plant grapes immediately!”
If I entrusted Cheong with their care, I might be able to produce the ultimate grapes for winemaking!
Not that I have any particular interest in wine, of course.
“Even if I don’t care about wine, the idea of creating the best of something in the world is thrilling!”
Cheong’s ability wasn’t the kind that showed immediate results. According to him, it could take anywhere from a few days to several months.
Even though the crops were already delicious, how much better could they become in that time? Just thinking about it made my heart race.
“I can soothe things that are hurting.”
“Our Cheong is amazing!”
“This makes me happy! Hehe.”
Cheong smiled shyly yet brightly.
So, he could heal things that were suffering? That likely extended beyond plants to animals as well.
“This is an incredible ability.”
It was different from when I healed Baek Seung-hyun, Si-young’s wife, or Ryu Cheon in the past.
Those cases involved using my crops to counteract poisons or congenital imbalances.
Cheong’s ability, however, was specifically tailored to bacteria and microorganisms. It was a power to manage diseases—literally to heal. A completely different ability from mine.
And being able to monitor and improve the condition of plants made it all the more remarkable.
Since most plant issues stem from microorganisms, this ability could potentially solve all such problems.
“No matter how I think about it, our Cheong is incredible.”
“Amazing, my little brother!”
Ara puffed out her chest proudly and declared, her eyes half-lidded in smugness.
Ara, why are you acting so proud? If someone overheard, they’d think we were praising you.
We continued to explore the fields for some time.
Cheong went around using his powers on all the plants, improving the health of the weaker ones and enhancing the already healthy ones.
“This is fun!”
Apparently, even Cheong the slime enjoyed farming. He smiled brightly as he hugged Woofy she had befriended, the two now inseparable.
When I checked the time, the day had already begun to fade into evening.
It had been such a long day. There was still so much to show and teach Cheong, our newest family member.
“I’ll need to take him to the lake, the hot springs, the fairy village, and Gnoll Village too.”
I’d planned to show him the ocean as well, but it seemed there wouldn’t be enough time to fit everything into a single day. I’d take it step by step.
Seeing the potential of Cheong’s ability also made me think I should contact the guild to see if there were any sick people in need of help.
If his powers could resolve their ailments, he should absolutely help.
“Let’s head back. Our comrades are waiting.”
“It’s already bedtime. Sleep is a form of training. I shall take my leave.”
“May I sleep here, Great Lord?”
As everyone began to disperse, Cheong’s eyes wavered.
“Are you leaving? This makes me sad.”
“Uh…?”
“We’ll see each other again! We’re just next door!”
Mammon and Ras, caught off guard, tried to reassure him. But as they noticed the tears welling in his eyes, they scratched their heads awkwardly.
“Great Lord! May we sleep here with everyone tonight? Hehe.”
“I grant permission to sleep while stroking my fur.”
Of course, I agreed, and we decided to all sleep together for the first time in a while.
Under the dreamlike night sky, we laid out bedding outdoors and counted the stars in the Milky Way.
Cheong, seeing the brightly glowing World Tree for the first time, stared in awe, mouth agape.
“Welcome to the family, Cheong.”
“Welcome!”
“Welcome, Cheong.”
“I shall accept you as one of my subordinates. Strive for greatness.”
“Cheong is adorable.”
As if on cue, everyone spoke in unison. Cheong’s face lit up in a radiant smile.
“This makes me happy!”
Cliche Novel 