Ara, who had been playing all day, slowly began to explore the inside of the cave.
No matter how much she played, Ara’s spirit of adventure could not be extinguished.
“I’ve trained hard. Now it’s time to explore.”
It was time to show the results of her training.
As she got up and looked around, the area behind the waterfall was bustling.
“Hmm!”
The cookies Ashu had made earlier were snacks made from crops grown right here.
Feeling the need to investigate further, Ara headed behind the waterfall, and Cheong hurriedly followed her.
“Sister, let’s go together!”
As they headed behind the waterfall, they saw Kyu-seong, who was diligently examining the plants.
Ara was pleased to see him but held back her excitement and ventured further inside.
“Hello, dad.”
“Oh, it’s Cheong. Is Ara there too? Be careful.”
“Yes.”
Cheong, who had been trailing behind Ara, waved at Kyu-seong as he passed by.
The space behind the waterfall was quite long.
In the dark and damp space that seemed to go on forever, Ara felt her heart beating faster.
“It’s an adventure!”
It seemed like there might be treasure.
And treasure was the flower of adventure.
Beep-beep!
(You shouldn’t go any further!)
An ancient slime blocked Ara’s path as she tried to go deeper.
“Why are you blocking me?”
Beep-boop!
(There is a sacred relic inside!)
“Ooooh! Is it treasure?”
Ara’s eyes sparkled.
This made the ancient slime even more anxious.
Beep-beep!
(It’s a relic of gluttony! You told me not to let anyone touch it!)
“Did I say that?”
Scratch-scratch.
Ara tilted her head and scratched it.
She couldn’t remember at all.
“I’m 3,501 years old! I’ve forgotten everything!”
Beep-long!
(That’s a boast! How can I remember it then!)
Sadly, Ara really didn’t remember. Eventually, the ancient slime just squeaked and shook its body.
Beep!
(Anyway, you can’t!)
“Can’t I even look?”
Beep-beep-long…
(Well, that’s…)
The ancient slime’s heart softened slightly.
Ara’s sparkling eyes looked a bit anxious, but eventually, it nodded.
Beep.
(You can only look.)
“Ooooh! It’s treasure!”
‘Should I really stop?’
The ancient slime sweated coldly as it nervously watched Ara’s excited demeanor.
Eventually, Ara, under the stern watch of the ancient slime, found a door.
“Ooooh!”
Anyone could see that treasures were hidden inside.
The door was not fancy but was decorated in an old-fashioned way.
“Sister, let’s go in!”
“Okay!”
Encouraged by Cheong, they both looked forward to what lay beyond the door with eager voices.
Creeeak.
Whooom.
As Ara pushed hard, the old door made a tremendous noise and opened.
Across the door was a small room with an architectural structure like an altar.
It looked similar to the altar where Ara had initially been discovered. It was now being used as an entrance to the dungeon of gluttony.
“What is this?”
Ara tilted her head and asked the ancient slime.
The ancient slime squinted its eyes as if questioning her for asking it now.
“Ah, I can see its expression.”
Beep-long!!
(It’s not about that now!!)
While Ara was crouching down and annoying the ancient slime by poking it, Cheong cautiously approached the altar.
“Is this yours, sister?”
“I don’t know.”
Beep-long!
(Why don’t you know!)
Slowly inspecting the altar, Cheong soon discovered something.
It looked like a keyhole.
“Sister! Look at this!”
“Oh! Have we found the treasure?”
Ara put down the ancient slime and dashed over. However, upon discovering it was not a treasure but a keyhole, she stroked her chin.
“Hmm! Do we need a key?”
Beep………
(Well……..)
As Ara exerted silent pressure, the ancient slime turned its head, pretending to be distracted.
Ara finally made up her mind.
“We need to find the key!”
Deciding to embark on a true adventure.
At Ara’s words, the flustered ancient slime frantically shook its body making noise.
Beep!
(The key cannot be disclosed!)
“Do you have it?”
Beep-roong.
(I hid it. It’s not here.)
“Ooooh! It’s an adventure!”
Ara, with her arms raised in a cheer, quickly grabbed Cheong’s arm.
Having confirmed that the treasure was hidden here, all they needed now was to find the key.
“My heart’s pounding.”
“We’re off to find the key!”
Beep!!
(No!!)
As they rushed back outside, they ran into Kyu-seong again.
Kyu-seong, seeing Ara running around, gestured to her.
“Ara, come here.”
“Okay!”
As Ara and Cheong ran over, Kyu-seong hugged them tightly.
He then stroked their heads and asked, “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
“It’s an adventure! We’re looking for treasure!”
“Oh? Really? Ara is really enthusiastic.”
Kyu-seong nodded nonchalantly at Ara’s words. Instead, he asked about the plants being managed by the ancient slimes.
“Can these be grown if we take them to the surface?”
“Um. We should check that out.”
Ara examined the plants Kyu-seong handed to her and then looked around at those growing naturally.
Ara’s gaze as she examined each one was that of a craftsman.
“Sister, you look cool.”
Cheong softly murmured in admiration.
Seeing Cheong, Kyu-seong smiled as if he found him cute.
‘But Cheong, aren’t you a slime too?’
Kyu-seong kept his true thoughts to himself.
Thus, forgetting about the key search for a while, Ara intensely inspected the plants and, pretending to wipe the sweat that wasn’t there, finally spoke.
“This is…….”
“This is?”
“It’s challenging. We need Mark2!”
“Ah, I see!”
Anticipating the response, Kyu-seong clapped and supported her statement.
Then, Ara sighed deeply as if she had accomplished something significant and shrugged her shoulders.
“Sister, what about the treasure hunt?”
“Treasure hunt!”
Reminded of the adventure she had forgotten, Ara hurriedly looked around.
At this, Kyu-seong tilted his head and asked, “Treasure hunt?”
“My heart’s pounding!”
“Okay. Be careful looking for the treasure! And come back whenever you’re hungry.”
“Okay!”
Soon after, Ara and Cheong emerged from the waterfall, watched anxiously by the ancient slime until the very end.
“First! We need to find companions for the adventure!”
“Let’s find companions!”
Ara called over Ras, Mammon, and Frey, who were still playing in the valley.
“We’re going on an adventure! We’re going to find treasure!”
-Treasure?
-I do not concern myself with trivial matters.
-What treasure, my lord?!
All showed interest, although they just said so, and Ras’s tailcopter spun furiously, waiting for Ara’s words.
“There is a relic of gluttony! We need a key!”
-Relic of gluttony?
-Oh! A relic! Just hearing about it smells like treasure.
-A relic, that’s interesting. I will also lend a hand.
Having formed her party, Ara moved on to the second plan.
“We need to decide the direction! Where should we go?”
-Since we are here in the south, how about heading north?
-South? North? What are those?
-I agree as well.
Following Mammon’s suggestion, they decided to head in the opposite direction. And in an adventure, food was essential.
Third plan for the adventure.
Gather daily rations!
Rushing back behind the waterfall, Ara stretched out her hand to Kyu-seong.
“Food is needed for an adventure!”
“Oh, right, I forgot about that. Well, I’ll lend you Bokkeum for a while.”
“That’s great!”
Kyu-seong accommodated Ara.
Watching Ara’s adorable actions, he prepared various things for her.
“How about taking a hat before you go?”
“Oh! That’s a great idea! A hat is essential for an adventure!”
Thud thud thud.
Ara quickly ran out, used a portal to enter the hat warehouse, and came out wearing a straw hat.
Indeed, basic fashion was best for such a day.
Having prepared even the hat, Ara, with Bokkeum on her back, approached the waiting companions.
“All preparations are complete!”
-Let’s go! To find the key!
-Finding treasure sounds so exciting!
-With my superior sense of smell, I will find it quickly.
“I’m excited!”
**
Listening to the boisterous cheers of the children outside, I couldn’t help but smile secretly.
Seeing them play so well on their own made me both proud and grateful.
“Ashu, don’t you need to go too?”
-Ashu needs to research cooking! Super busy!
Ashu, with a serious expression, held a light orb in each hand and examined it.
According to what Jae-seong said a little earlier, Ashu might have a particularly great talent as a patissier, that is, in sweets or baking.
‘It would be nice if she could take on the dessert duty.’
Perhaps it was the praise she had heard.
Ashu was much more passionate than usual about her cooking research.
“Ashu, I’m going down for a bit and will be back.”
“Okay. Ashu will go down in a bit too.”
I left Ashu, who was busily analyzing the light orbs, and went downstairs. Since I had already put the seeds suitable for planting on the surface into Bokkeum, I decided to postpone that and just stepped outside for a bit. I should check my messages at least once a day, but I had forgotten because I was only taking care of my parents. I should go out now and see if any messages have come in.
I greeted Jae-seong, Orie, and Mother, who were busy doing something on the surface, and left. I wasn’t sure where Seon-ah was, and it seemed like Father was fishing.
“Hm?”
When I went outside, there were a few messages waiting.
Among them was an unexpected one.
“A work of Ingo? Oh, it’s something Mammon made.”
It seemed like it had been a long time since I had handed over Mammon’s works. I had forgotten about them after passing them to the guild leader, but finally, news related to them had come.
The client had apparently come all the way to Korea.
‘They want to meet the artist in person and talk?’
This could be problematic.
I scratched my head slightly, pondering how to respond.
Revealing Mammon’s identity could be troublesome, so I might have to meet as his representative.
For now, I sent a text to the guild leader.
‘It’s difficult to meet the artist in person, but I can act as a representative and convey the necessary information.’
Considering they came all the way to Korea, they must be a foreigner, and I felt somewhat sorry for them.
After leaving that message and checking other messages, including news about a new drink made in Japan, the guild leader called.
Drrring.
“Yes, guild leader.”
-Ah, Kyu-seong. Are you available to talk right now?
“Yes, I am.”
-The guest who came this time… I didn’t expect it, but could you meet them for a moment? That’s why I’m contacting you.
“Ah, of course. But who is the guest? Someone famous in the industry?”
-Not only in the art industry, but you might also know them. Until now, they have only communicated through a representative and never shown themselves, but this time they have come in person…
“Who is it?”
There was a brief silence after my question.
Then, guild leader Han Seok-jun took a deep breath before speaking.
-The Great Witch.
“The Great Witch?”
What’s a Great Witch? A witch?
Then a figure flashed through my mind.
‘No way.’
Ho……
That couldn’t be.
But the guild leader had said it was someone I would know.
There was only one person who could be referred to by the title of Great Witch.
Katrina Smith, a Level 9 Awakener.
She was a representative Awakener of the United States.
Unlike the mysterious wanderer Kyler, who always moved secretly, she was an incredible expert representing the Awakening powerhouse of America.
And she was in Korea now?
-It’s already been reported in the media and it’s causing a bit of a stir. If it’s too much for you, you don’t have to come in person…
“No, I’ll come.”
We agreed to set a specific time and date later and hung up the phone.
After checking the internet, it was in an uproar.
[Great Witch Katrina Smith Visits Korea!]
[The world’s greatest Awakener visits South Korea, what could be the reason…]
[Let’s delve into Katrina’s airport look, showcasing her sophisticated fashion sense!]
The entire internet was plastered with news about Katrina.
I felt my energy being drained as I looked around the dungeon.
How should I explain the artwork?
Cliche Novel 