After visiting the Dungeon of Lust, Kyler returned to his hideout, groaning in discomfort.
As a Level 9 Awakener with exceptional adaptability, his physical suffering was unlikely, pointing instead to a mental issue.
“Ugh.”
The dungeon experience with Kyu-seong was indescribably bizarre. Even now, Kyler found it hard to believe what he had undergone, with no one to confide in except Nathan, the Director of Intelligence.
“I can’t tell Nathan about this.”
The information was too unbelievable to share. Even if believed, it posed a problem, especially since Kyu-seong had asked Kyler to turn a blind eye before they parted ways.
Normally, Kyler wouldn’t blink at another’s request, but Kyu-seong was different—a Tamer of tremendous talent who not only might cure his daughter but had also tamed the White Nightmare, enhancing his prowess as an all-powerful Awakener.
“Of course, just the White Nightmare alone is a bit iffy.”
The White Nightmare was strong, but not invincible, specializing in assassination due to its speed. However, without other means to protect its master Kyu-seong, it was still vulnerable to attack—though, usually, it would strike first.
For now, Kyu-seong had decided to try farming as a solution to Emily’s treatment.
If that failed, he and his familiar, the White Nightmare, could take on the Seven Sins. Moreover, “I had forgotten…”
Kyu-seong also had other powerful familiars like Ara, who had caught up to him in speed and even inflicted wounds, though slightly weaker than the White Nightmare but still above a Level 8 Awakener.
Unknown to Kyler, Ara was actually stronger than Ashu, the so-called White Nightmare, and Kyu-seong was accompanied by other formidable beings like Mammon and Ras. Kyu-seong had already become the strongest Awakener on Earth, yet even the world-wise Kyler hadn’t fully grasped this fact.
Anyway, collaborating with such a Kyu-seong could only be beneficial, so Kyler decided to embrace a positive mindset.
***
Back home, everyone was enjoying themselves in the Dungeon of Slimes, since the Dungeon of Gluttony was closed.
“You’re back soon?” Seon-ah was surprised by my early return, contrary to the lengthy duration I had predicted.
Immediately, she rushed to hug the children, causing a delightful commotion.
“I was working on the restaurant design,” Jae-seong greeted me warmly, showing the design plans instead of a simple greeting.
“The construction will start this month, and you’ll be paying for it with your money.”
“Yes, yes.”
With no other expenses, my bank account was overflowing, a situation best resolved by spending rather than losing it all to taxes.
Jae-seong and Father explained the elaborate designs for the restaurant, which felt grandiose for a dining establishment but pleasingly so.
“Let’s make it spectacular.”
“It’s not flashy, but the concept focuses on a sophisticated and cozy feel.”
“That’s what you say!”
After the conversation, I hurriedly wanted to descend into the dungeon, prompting curious inquiries from my family and Chef Orie.
“Why the rush? Is something wrong?” My mother asked, as I exchanged smiles with our children, chuckling.
“We’ve got new members in the house!”
“New members?! How, when you were in the U.S.?”
“I can move them with my abilities. So, I’ve transferred the kids from the U.S. to my dungeon.”
As everyone was surprised by the mention of new members, especially Seon-ah who swallowed dryly and asked, “Are they cute?”
“Well…”
“Don’t be like that, tell me! Are they like him? He’s cute too but he’s just too big…”
Hey, are you discriminating based on looks now!
I suggested they see for themselves and headed towards the dungeon.
It had only been four days, but it felt like a long time since I was back in the dungeon. As soon as we entered, we were greeted by numerous colorful furballs frolicking in a meadow covered with snow.
“Kids, have you been well?”
-Peep?
-Beep!
The rabbits noticed my return and perked up their ears, rushing over competitively.
Then, something white flashed by faster than anyone else.
-Ashu! Enter!
Pong!
Ashu landed lightly despite her incredible speed. Just then, my family entered the dungeon and witnessed this scene.
“What is this adorable creature?”
And Ashu caught exactly Seon-ah’s eye.
Ashu, seeing our family for the first time, tilted her head and then shouted at me with sparkling eyes,
-You brought friends for Ashu to cook for! Thank you, Lee Kyu-seong!
“Ha ha. No, they’re my family. My parents and my siblings.”
Should I call Chef Orie sister-in-law? Would she understand if I say it’s because she’s dating my brother?
Anyway, my family reacted joyfully to Ashu and the breed as I expected.
“Oh my, how can there be such pretty kids.”
“Ashu? That’s its name! It’s so cute!!”
Especially, my mother and Seon-ah really loved them.
Then, Ara approached Ashu and pointed at Jae-seong.
“This is Jae-seong! The god of cooking!”
-The god of cooking?!
Ashu shrugged off Seon-ah’s hand and rushed towards Jae-seong, who was petting the breed along with Orie.
-Are you Jae-seong?
“Uh? Yes, I’m Jae-seong.”
-Jae-seong? Not Jae-seong Jae-seong?
“That’s just a nickname Ara uses,”
-Then Ashu will call you Jae-seong Jae-seong too!
The conversation almost went off track, but soon they started an enthusiastic discussion about cooking.
Ashu, not knowing professional terms or common names of crops and words we use, somehow kept the conversation going, which was amazing.
Chef Orie also understood Ashu directly, as she was right there listening.
“What? Ashu can cook too?”
“They’re all chefs. I hired them.”
“What?!”
Seon-ah was startled.
She then picked up one of the breed and asked while squishing its cheeks, “You know how to cook?”
-Peep.
The rabbit simply enjoyed the cheek massage and made a content sound.
“Should we have a cooking battle right now? Ashu, aren’t you curious about the dishes Jae-seong made?”
-Curious!
“Great. It’s about time for dinner anyway, so this works out.”
The slimes and Kkumuris had also noticed our return and were gathering.
Looks like we’ll have to host a welcoming party for the new members and a cooking contest.
-Woof!
-Growl.
Purr came with Soo and Gomgom riding on his back.
Soo was sleeping cozily on the warm back of Purr.
We headed to the village, chatting with the kids we hadn’t seen in a while. Walking on the snow-covered road felt like a leisurely stroll, and we soon arrived.
As expected, the quaint, cute view of the village.
I felt warm-hearted, as if I had come back home.
“Kyu-seong, can I go fishing for a while? Call me when you’re done.” Wanting to fish in the winter, Father said this as he took Ara, Mammon, Ras, and Cheong with him to the sea.
Perhaps he felt lonely fishing alone, so he took all the children with him. I thought looking after the kids might take more time than fishing itself, but since he took them himself, I couldn’t really say anything. Soon, the kitchen became busy with rabbits, Jae-seong, and Chef Orie starting to cook seriously.
“Wow.”
Seon-ah unusually chose not to follow to the sea and stayed here instead, watching over the new rabbit members, her curiosity quite evident.
“How many new kids, or rather, how many new members have arrived?”
“1,314,” I replied.
“Oh my,” my mother exclaimed, astonished by the number. I realized we might need to build a separate village for the rabbits.
Although they were half the size of the other monsters, their numbers were three to four times larger, so it seemed better to create an entire village for them. While everyone was busy with their tasks, I checked the quests I had cleared in the dungeon.
[Awakening Quest: Get Stronger]
[Evolve 2 slimes into higher species]
[Higher Species Slime: 2/2]
“Wait, when did I complete this…?”
This annoying quest window. It doesn’t clear automatically unless checked manually.
When did Poispois become a Slime of Greed, and only now it’s cleared!
[Slime Fusion: Slightly increased chance of higher species slime appearance]
[Slime Summoning: Minutely increased chance of higher species slime appearance]
[Slime Summoning now possible twice a day]
The effects were quite good. From being able to summon a slime once a day, now I could do it twice.
If I’m lucky, I could summon four in one day. Plus, there was now a chance to summon higher species slimes.
“I’m really becoming a Slime Overlord.”
It seemed that as I continued to complete quests, even the overlooked Slime Overlord abilities could become formidable.
[Awakening Quest: Stronger Hunting!]
[Use slimes to hunt 3 random mid-level monsters]
[Mid-level Monsters: 0/3]
The next quest was another hunting quest.
Of course, up till now, I had cleared them all just with Ara’s persuasive skills and my coaxing abilities.
“What level are mid-level monsters exactly?”
It’s hard to gauge.
They rated monsters on a human scale, so it’s hard to know what mid-level really means. Maybe Level 3 or 4 monsters?
Well, I’ll think about it slowly. No rush. Next up…
[!!Special Hidden Quest!!: The Seven Deadly Sins]
Gluttony has begun its conquest!
Conquer the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins!
Pride: X
Greed: 0
Envy: X
Wrath: 0
Lust: 0
Sloth: X
“Wow.”
I had already conquered more than half of the Seven Deadly Sins. Though it was peaceful enough not to really call it conquest, the results proved it. Soon, the quest reward was given.
[Portal +1]
As expected, an additional portal was given. But the rewards didn’t end there.
[Usage limit of the Gluttony Master Skill increases to twice a day]
Oh! Now I could open the dungeon entrance twice a day! It was just from once to twice, but it was a significant difference.
“Now I don’t have to be nervous!”
Being able to use it once a day meant I had to be very careful, but now I could be a bit less anxious. However, then unexpected text appeared.
[Warning! The conquest rate of the Seven Deadly Sins has exceeded 50%.]
[Causality in effect]
[Soon, a hero from another world will be selected!]
“Huh?”
What does this mean?
I understand the 50% achievement rate, but causality? A hero from another world? What’s all this?
[Be careful of the hero!]
The last message appeared, and then it was quiet. Be careful of the hero? Aren’t heroes usually on the good side? Why do I need to be careful? It felt like something was off.
Cliche Novel 
So Emily who is connected to the 7 deadly sins will awaken as the Hero?
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