Turns out Chirpy had been on Sky Island all this time.
After traveling far and wide, the longest stay was indeed on Sky Island. A little conversation through Ara made it clear that Chirpy returned to share the location.
“Sky Island…”
It was an intriguing place indeed. An island floating in the sky seemed like something straight out of a movie. I wanted to visit immediately, but decided to take it slow. After introducing the kids to Chirpy, who were having a blast, I started preparing dinner. Dinner was a bit late today due to our roaming, but we had the essential food for a valley setting ready.
“Ramen!”
Ahhh, the noodles and broth made by Jae-seong himself! They were truly authentic ramen noodles. Making them was very easy. Just boil water, add noodles and broth, along with various seasonings, minced garlic, chili powder, and kelp, and boil it lightly again. I should really plant some green onions soon; I always miss having them around.
Bubble, bubble.
I reduced the heat and transferred the boiling ramen into bowls. The children from the tribe helped with this process.
“Kids! Let’s eat and play!”
“Does it taste good?!”
Cheong was the first to run over. He had been watching us ever since the ramen started to emit its delicious smell.
Later, the kids joyously playing in the water began to come out one by one.
‘Winter swimming, that’s something.’
Although it wasn’t exactly winter temperature, it was definitely cooler than usual, especially with the snow piling up thickly.
Shake, shake, shake.
“Kyaha!”
Ras shook off the water next to Ara, and soon Seon-ah, Orie, and Mother came over with towels to dry them off.
“Oh, so cute.”
“Heh.”
Seon-ah pretended to clean Ara’s face while skillfully kneading it.
“Your face will wear out. Stop it.”
“The ramen will get soggy.”
At my word, the kids hurried over and we all sat down together. Everyone eagerly slurped up their bowls of ramen.
Slurp, slurp~!
The irresistible taste was evident from the smell. Watching the kids gulp down the noodles and broth made me swallow involuntarily. Soon after everyone was served, we also scooped up a bowl of ramen for ourselves.
“There’s still ramen left, help yourselves if you want more!”
“Okay!”
“Yeah~!”
The spicy aroma was piercing, yet the stimulating scent of the ramen could not be masked. Despite cooking in large quantity, the noodles retained their chewy texture, which was intriguing. I scooped some noodles with my chopsticks, blew on them, and popped them directly into my mouth.
Slurp!
The ramen noodles, soaked with spicy broth, slid into my mouth. The taste of the spicy broth was intensified by the hot warmth.
Gulp.
The slightly spicy yet refreshing broth moved down my Oesophagus, and as it passed to my stomach, my body felt as if it entered a warm spring.
“Phew.”
I blew on my breath and chewed the ramen in my mouth. The chewy texture of the noodles and the deepening flavor of the broth with each chew, mixed with the commonly known stimulating taste of ramen and its hidden depth, made it seem like I could live on ramen alone for a lifetime.
“Delicious…….”
I closed my eyes and savored the taste further. Soon, I felt the noodles disappear down my throat and started slurping again.
Slurp, slurp!
This time, I slurped up even more, scooping up extra broth!
Gulp, gulp!
“Ah.”
The cool broth was exquisite. The seafood kelp mixed with the land ingredients I cultivated created an insane broth.
Looking around belatedly, everyone was vacuuming up the ramen. Ara was even shaking the bowl directly to her mouth without using chopsticks.
“Bro, we need to make more ramen.”
“Let’s do it.”
Seeing how well the kids were eating, it seemed like we were running out of ramen.
Well, I understood why. The valley and ramen, what a fantastic combination. The moment of warming up a chilled body with hot ramen in the valley was like being caught in an inescapable trap.
Eventually, we made more ramen, and just as we expected, the ramen we had prepared earlier quickly ran out.
“Look! I knew it and started making more!”
“Woah! Awesome, Jae-seong! The best!”
Ara was holding up a sparkling clean bowl, apparently having licked it clean.
Thus, we refilled the ramen and the satisfying meal ended.
The kids who wanted to play more continued playing, and the rest began to prepare for bed. Even though we rode Woofy here, it was a great distance, and we were tired.
“Alright, alright.”
Soon, it transformed into a perfect campsite. After Jeong So-yeon bought camping gear, I also intermittently purchased various items. Now, with plenty of money and no one to mind, camping became my only hobby.
Having bought many tents just in case, some were finally being used. Until now, there was no need to take out the tents since we were sleeping in the village.
“The world has really improved.”
“Right? Everything is resolved with just a touch now.”
Watching the tent unfold itself at the press of a button, my father nodded.
I had given my father a tent to take to the sea just in case, but it seemed he had never used it.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong!”
“Oh, Ara.”
“I’m going to sleep now.”
Ara, soaked with water, approached rubbing her eyes. I wiped her off with a towel while checking on the other children.
They still had energy, especially Cheong, who was playing enthusiastically.
“Change your clothes, and let’s go.”
“Let’s go.”
“Hooray!”
“Hooray.”
Ara sleepily repeated my words.
Soon, Seon-ah came over to help.
“Should we pinch our Ara’s nose?”
“Yes. She’s going to sleep.”
“Sleep with me. Come here.”
“Mmm.”
Soon, Ara was nodding off in my arms. I held her in a princess carry and put her to bed.
“It might be uncomfortable.”
“Shoo, shoo.”
Beat it. Who dares to target our Ara?
As I put Ara to sleep in my arms, the other children also returned one by one.
Tap, tap.
We sat around the campfire we had started, snacking, and some of the kids were already nodding off on the ground.
“So soft. Oh, so cute.”
I moved the tribe’s rabbits, who had fallen asleep by the fire, into the tents. Soon, everyone entered the tents to sleep. I also sought rest, holding both Cheong, who was looking for his sister, and Ara, who had already fallen asleep.
Although we couldn’t find a place to install the portal, it had been a fun day.
***
The next day.
I decided to visit Sky Island with Chirpy. The group included me, Ara, and the rest of the Seven Sins. Frey, who has wings, also joined us. The others decided to return to the village. Seon-ah wanted to come, but she backed off quietly when I mentioned I would install a portal and come back.
“But can we really get up to an island floating in the sky?”
There was one, or rather a significant issue to consider. The Sky Island, true to its name, floated above. Could we, unable to fly, reach it?
-Leave it to me!
Frey exclaimed, thumping her chest.
-I’ll go up and lower a rope!
“Wow! As expected of Frey! Reliable!”
The key issue was how high the island was floating. No matter how much rope Frey could lower, if the island was too high, it would be difficult.
-The amount of rope Frey can carry is limited.
Of course, it was possible to carry up multiple short ropes several times and tie them together from above. Let’s just go and see. It seemed necessary to check it out with our own eyes.
-Chirp!
“Let’s go!”
I heard it was quite a distance. Since Woofy was taking everyone back, I had to ride Purr with the kids. It was a bit cramped, but somehow everyone managed to get on.
“Be careful not to fall off, kids.”
-Don’t worry!
-I, the grand master, will not fall.
-If Ashu falls, I’ll run and catch up!
Thinking about it, I wasn’t sure who was worrying about whom. No matter how strong they are, to my eyes, they are just adorable kids, so I can’t help but worry habitually.
We finished preparing and set off immediately. Chirpy led the way. Purr chased after the vigorously flying Chirpy.
‘It was north, right?’
I had heard we needed to go up quite a bit. It could be a journey that might take days. But I wasn’t worried. I had already installed a portal in Slime Village.
Portals had to be installed in pairs, one for each direction, and they were easy to install and remove. That is, if it got late while we were heading to Sky Island, we could install a portal right there and return to the village. It was possible because the installation and removal were flexible.
……Now that I think about it, I didn’t have to send my family away on Woofy. I could have temporarily installed a portal in the valley to send my family back to the village and then removed it. Well, what’s done is done, and these are all memories now. Haha.
I sent a quiet consolation to the kids and family members struggling on their way back and pressed on.
First day. The journey ended without any incidents. When I mentioned forgetting the portal, I got a telling-off from Seon-ah.
Second day. We encountered a giant river. We had to cross it, but luckily, Ras’s strength resolved the situation.
Thump!
He broke a tree and instantly created a bridge. I wonder if it’s an occupational habit, but he neatly processed the broken tree to form a smooth bridge.
Third day.
This time, we encountered a mountain. But it wasn’t just any mountain—it was a gorge. The question was whether to go around it or cross over it. This time, there were no trees to make a bridge.
-This time, I’ll handle it.
With that, Ras picked us up and jumped across the gorge.
‘Uaaa!’
Although I trusted Ras’s physical abilities, the fear was inevitable. Amidst the dizzying view below, Ras leapt across the gorge, carrying me, Mammon, Purr, and Cheong to the other side.
“Let’s give it a try!”
Ara and Ashu declared they would cross on their own. It was a fairly wide gorge, and honestly, it made me nervous…
‘Ara is indestructible.’
Ara was practically invincible. My main worry was Ashu, but having seen her fight Kyler before, I wasn’t too concerned.
“Hup!”
Ara jumped first.
“Oooo!!”
Wow, our Ara seemed to have developed incredible physical abilities. It looked risky, but she crossed it effortlessly.
Next was Ashu’s turn. Ashu took a run-up and then jumped explosively.
“Uh?”
But instead of a long jump, it felt more like a high jump.
Yet, with her incredible jumping power, she managed to get across the gorge.
“Wow, such impressive jumping power!”
-Ashu is the fastest and can jump the highest among the tribe!
Of course, that would be expected. The other kids are just ordinary rabbit monsters, and you’re one of the Seven Sins.
Anyway, that took us clear to the cliff.
Over the next two days, the fourth and fifth, we faced various challenges as we continued towards Sky Island.
‘Couldn’t have made it without the kids?’
Traveling with four of the Seven Sins. With such a luxurious lineup, there was nothing we couldn’t solve.
By the seventh day, we finally saw something in the distance.
“Woah!!!”
“It’s amazing! It’s amazing!”
The kids were noisy with excitement. But I was simply spellbound.
The island was much larger than expected. And it was floating quite high. And it wasn’t alone. Several smaller islands floated around the large one like satellites.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong! It’s an adventure! Let’s go!”
“Uh? Uh, yeah, let’s go.”
There’s no danger, right? But, was it even possible for islands to float in the sky like this?
…What exactly are they?
With all these questions in mind, I followed the kids.
Cliche Novel 