Kyler couldn’t believe everything he was seeing. It was unbelievable, and it felt like he was dreaming.
‘That one is the infamous White Nightmare?’
The White Nightmare was a term used to describe the boss of Dungeon of Lust. In America, it was also a nickname for Ashu, synonymous with terror. Now, that being was…
“Ashu loves Kyu-seong Kyu-seong!” Nestled in Kyu-seong’s arms, Ashu was cooing and showing affection. It was the White Nightmare itself!
The shocking reality of the White Nightmare, who stirred up the entire U.S. and could even stop a crying child, made Kyler naturally spoon up some sujaebi.
“What is this…?” Kyler had tasted Kyu-seong’s food before. It had been raw produce then, and the taste had been surprising. But the dish he was eating now was so good that it shook his very values. The broth was spicy and refreshing, and the flavor of various vegetables infused in the broth was heavenly. When he bit into the doughy lumps known as sujaebi, mixed with various vegetables, he couldn’t be more satisfied. It was truly a taste of heaven, something that celestial beings might enjoy.
‘It’s so delicious!!’
According to the words of the Awakened who had been confined in the dungeon and then released, they had suffered terrible food torture.
‘With such excellent food, I’d gladly accept being ‘food tortured.’ Please, I hope they do.’
And as if fulfilling Kyler’s wish, the rest of the rabbit creatures began to complete their dishes one by one.
“Wow! This is delicious!”
“It’s coming deliciously.”
The others have improved their skills considerably.
‘Hmm, I like it. I’ll appoint them as my master chefs.’
A full-course feast of dishes was enjoyed. Although the dishes were diverse and not harmonious in flavor, the ingredients were so good that there were no failures.
Just when Kyler was starting to feel full, he began to worry about the still-being-prepared dishes. However, his worries were unfounded.
“Waguwagu!”
“It’s coming delicious! It’s coming delicious!”
Due to the presence of two incredible food fighters, the seemingly endless supply of food quickly vanished.
-Beep! Beep!
-Beeeep!
Every time the food was enjoyed, the Breeding clan let out cheers of joy. Ashu too, looked on with emotional eyes.
-Ashu and our clan’s food has never been completely eaten like this before by anyone!
“There’s more to eat!”
Ara raised her hands triumphantly, and next to her, Cheong, clueless, imitated Ara’s actions.
“Did you enjoy your meal, Kyler?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. Uh…”
This isn’t a dream, right? Kyler still couldn’t grasp the surreal situation. He might actually be experiencing the afterlife, having died in a battle with the White Nightmare just moments ago. Or perhaps he had lost consciousness after the battle and was simply dreaming.
As the meal, which he thought would take a long time, ended quickly, Kyler relaxed a bit. Meanwhile, Kyu-seong suddenly stood up and spoke to Ashu.
“Is there a large space where you can gather all the children?”
-Yes!
Ashu immediately began to lead the way, and Kyler tried to follow Kyu-seong, but Kyu-seong smiled and said, “Please rest. I’m just going to say a few words and come back.”
“But it’s dangerous.”
“Excuse me?”
At Kyler’s remark about danger, Kyu-seong tilted his head, causing Kyler to blush. Kyu-seong had already subdued the White Nightmare as his familiar. What could possibly be dangerous now? If anything, it was dangerous for those who dared to challenge Kyu-seong.
‘Now that the White Nightmare has become Kyu-seong’s familiar, there is no Awakened who can defeat him.’
Even before subjugating Ashu, Kyu-seong was already a Tamer without equal.
However, Kyler, who was unaware of this fact, realized that he couldn’t treat him carelessly just knowing that he had tamed the White Nightmare.
“…So what happens now?”
If all that has happened up to now is not a dream, the world has now produced an incredible Awakener who has tamed the Seven Deadly Sin as a familiar.
With the power of the White Nightmare, he could clear dungeons that had never been solved before, or if he took the wrong path, he could quickly become a big shot in the underworld.
Though it seems unlikely that Kyu-seong would act maliciously given his nature, it’s uncertain what a person might do.
While Kyler was deeply pondering with a serious expression, Kyu-seong returned.
“Let’s go now.”
“Huh? What about the White Nightmare…?”
“The White Nightmare? What’s that?”
“The boss of lust.”
“Oh, I’ve dispelled the summon.”
Dispelled the summon. Ah, so it has become a familiar.
Kyler almost nodded, but then he tilted his head in confusion.
Didn’t Kyu-seong say he doesn’t have the ability related to summoning and hence couldn’t dispel summons? That’s why he was just dragging the other kids around.
But he didn’t ask about it.
“But shouldn’t we summon again? Unfortunately, the return stone doesn’t work in the dungeon. So, to get out of this rabbit hole first…”
“That won’t be a problem. Ara, can you do it?”
“Yes!”
Soon, Ara’s eyes sparkled. She walked ahead and then said, “Follow me!”
Ara strode forward, and although Kyler was skeptical, since everyone was following Ara, he had no choice but to join.
As they walked through the tunnel for a while, Kyler suddenly noticed something strange.
“Huh? There’s no one?”
There were quite a few rabbits in the tunnel. But now, it seemed eerily quiet, as if nothing had ever been there.
He focused all his senses, but still, nothing caught his attention. The rabbits had vanished without a trace.
Faced with this bizarre phenomenon, Kyler couldn’t help but suspect Kyu-seong.
‘Could it be that he registered all the other rabbits as familiars too, in that short amount of time?’
If he had dispelled everyone’s summon, it was a somewhat possible story.
However, among the tamers he knew, there was no Awakener who could handle so many familiars simultaneously.
‘Kyu-seong, what exactly are you…’
Kyler, a level 9 Awakener, thought he had no rivals in this world, but he was increasingly becoming fearful of Kyu-seong.
**
Ashu and the rabbits were all moved to the Dungeon of Gluttony.
I briefly went over the precautions and said I would be back soon.
‘I’ve cleared the quest, but I need to go back and check.’
The Quest of Conquering the Seven Deadly Sins. What reward would it give this time?
I secretly hoped they would add another portal. Then I can look around other areas…
“We’ve arrived!”
Following Ara, we had somehow reached the outside.
And like we had agreed, Kyler and I used the return stone.
Woong~!
Instantly, our view shifted, and we were back at the entrance of the dungeon we had left earlier.
“You can use that ring again here.”
“Ah.”
Still gazing at the empty dungeon entrance, I used the ring that Kyler had given me earlier.
Then we were able to return to the infirmary.
It was a very simple and quick operation.
If it weren’t for Kyler, it would have taken ages to meet Ashu.
‘Maybe I would have never met her.’
Anyway, thanks to him, I even got Ashu, so I was just grateful to Kyler.
Of course, he didn’t know it would turn out this way, but he indeed tried to help me.
“But you’re saying that Emily’s illness is related to the dungeons of the other Seven Deadly Sins?”
“That’s right. Of course, I’m not 100% sure, it’s just speculation.”
Having said that, Kyler said he had to go and slipped away after retrieving the ring.
When I checked the time, about three hours had passed.
Achieving such a feat as visiting the Dungeon of Lust and acquiring its boss in just three hours was almost unbelievable.
“It feels too easy.”
I scratched my head, deciding to return to Choi Sung-hyuk and Jeong So-yeon, who were waiting for me.
When I arrived, the two of them, along with Emily, seemed unbothered by any worries.
Emily, who had somehow grown close to Choi Sung-hyuk and Jeong So-yeon, was calling them “brother” and “sister.”
“I really want to visit Korea!”
It seemed her desire to visit Korea had grown even stronger after hearing some stories.
“Then Emily needs to get healthy.”
“Can I really get better?”
“Of course!”
Emily smiled bitterly at my enthusiastic response, and Jeong So-yeon, perhaps feeling a pang of heartache from Emily’s reaction, subtly tugged at my sleeve.
“Did you find a way to treat her?”
“I can’t be sure it will work, but there’s something I can try.”
And for that, I needed to return quickly.
Ultimately, the key lay in either cultivating golden crops or tackling the Seven Deadly Sins, as Kyler had suggested.
But as a farmer, my task was, naturally, farming.
Conquering dungeons of the Seven Deadly Sins seemed absurd for me, a mere level 2 Awakener, though I was not an ordinary level 2.
‘I will continue my non-violence approach.’
Of course, conquering the Seven Deadly Sins didn’t seem inherently violent.
I might not know which of the sins it would involve, but as always, maybe coaxing with food or figuring out some other way would reveal an answer.
While I wanted to return and dedicate myself to farming, I stayed two more days since I had come this far.
During that time, Emily seemed reluctant to part from the children she had become fond of, but eventually, the time to say goodbye arrived.
“I’ll definitely get better and come visit Ara’s house!”
“Yes! Make sure you come, Emily!”
Ara responded enthusiastically, waving her hands vigorously.
And so, my short trip to America ended, and we could return to Korea.
Despite the shorter-than-expected trip, Choi Sung-hyuk and the members of the Ara Hongryeon Guild seemed relaxed, and Young-seong spoke to me during our journey back.
“Kyu-seong.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Do you remember the Meluca fruit you gave me last time?”
“Oh, I remember.”
I remembered, though it felt like a distant memory from long ago.
[Meluca Fruit]
A rare fruit from the Meluca plant containing a small amount of poison.
Consuming the poison in the fruit can regenerate and prevent the destruction of brain nerve cells.
However, excessive consumption can damage organs.
It was an item with such effects and seemed to have miraculous abilities.
“That fruit, it’s not confirmed yet, but it might be a breakthrough.”
“A breakthrough?”
“That fruit you gave might be the key to solving dementia.”
“What?!”
Can it really treat dementia? I thought dementia was untreatable. That was almost like saying you could treat aging, which isn’t considered a treatable condition.
“But let me clarify, it’s not confirmed yet. It’s just a possibility we’re seeing.”
“Wow.”
“So, could you give me some more of those fruits? As many as possible, if you can.”
“Of course!”
If it turns out we can treat dementia, it would cause a stir in the medical community. It could also lead to clues for treating other conditions. And most importantly, it meant that Hanul hyung’s mother might be treatable.
“I’ll check as soon as I get back.”
Farming really is the solution to everything!
***
And now that I could focus solely on farming with the influx of workers dedicated to cooking, everything seemed possible.
“Ha ha ha!”
“The Devil’s laugh!!”
Ara pointed at me and shouted, but I didn’t stop laughing.
Wait for me, Dungeon of Gluttony!
Here I come!
Cliche Novel 