[Katrina’s One-Week Visit to Korea: “An Unforgettable Experience.”]
[Katrina Expresses Interest in Revisiting Korea.]
[America’s Representative Awakener Forms Collaborations with Prominent Domestic Guilds!]
Even after Katrina’s departure, the impact she left behind remained profound.
In particular, as she spent quite some time with the
Ara Hongryeon Guild, domestic media focused all their attention on the guild.
“Hey! It’s coming on, it’s coming on!”
“Ms. Jeong So-yeon! So-yeon, just a moment, please!”
“This is Kim Dongsoo from All World Media! Can I have a quick word with you?!”
“Deputy Team Leader Ko Kang-yeon! I’m Han Kiuk. Can we have a brief talk?”
The Ara Hongryeon Guild, which had been bustling with visitors ever since Katrina’s arrival, was still receiving a steady stream of guests.
Not only reporters but also numerous other visitors came by, prompting the guild to impose restrictions on entry—a rare occurrence.
“It’s chaotic! Hahaha!”
“It’ll settle down soon enough. But I can’t say the attention feels bad.”
“By the way, isn’t it time for the performance reports? I’m looking forward to this quarter’s results!”
“Projections suggest we’ll narrowly clinch the number one spot in domestic performance. Thanks to that, we’re expected to rise to third place in the provisional guild rankings.”
“Hahaha! Third place! Third place…!”
Kang Hanul looked up at the ceiling with a deeply emotional expression.
It had been nearly 20 years since he and Han Seok-jun established the guild.
As the nation’s first guild at the time, they naturally held the number one spot for nearly a decade, but their rank gradually began to decline.
Eventually, before Kyu-seong joined, they barely remained in the top five, and even that was only a matter of time.
“Even creating a shift in the entrenched guild rankings is an incredible achievement.”
“True. The three strongest guilds were practically set in stone by now.”
“Once the guild rankings are announced at the end of the year, it’ll cause quite a stir. We’ve overtaken the Gojoseon Guild, after all.”
Even more than Katrina’s visit, industry insiders were buzzing about the ranking changes.
Though it wasn’t yet public knowledge, every guild in the top 10 had their eyes wide open, closely watching
Ara Hongryeon’s extraordinary growth.
And while no one openly said it, everyone knew
Lee Kyu-seong was at the center of it all.
However, since Kyu-seong had less than a year remaining on his contract and was under government protection, he managed to stay out of trouble. Still, numerous guilds were eagerly eyeing him as his impending freedom loomed.
“Even foreign entities are making moves.”
Lee Hae-sol’s sharp eyes glinted meaningfully.
Neighboring Japan and China, as well as the far-off European Union and the United States, were all in motion.
Even Middle Eastern guilds with no prior connections to Kyu-seong were operating covertly.
Although Kyu-seong rarely ventured out, and the Korean government ensured his strict protection, the industry was in a fierce state of competition.
“Do you think Kyu-seong will renew his contract with us?”
“Hm? Renewal? That’s hard to say.”
“Are we just going to watch idly?”
“You know how extraordinary Kyu-seong’s abilities are, rookie. He’s too big for us to contain.”
“But considering his personality and character…”
“Well, yeah. If we’re lucky, he might renew. But that’s just our hope for now. Even Katrina seemed interested in Kyu-seong, so who knows how it’ll turn out.”
At Kang Hanul’s laid-back comment, Lee Hae-sol sighed. But it wasn’t entirely wrong, so there wasn’t much to argue against.
“Sigh.”
Meanwhile, on Katrina’s private plane heading to the United States, she reflected deeply on the dungeon experience she had with Kyu-seong the day before.
“How was your trip?”
“Not bad.”
At Katrina’s response, her secretary’s face lit up.
It was, in fact, the highest praise Katrina could offer.
The secretary cautiously observed her mood before handing over a report.
“Here’s more detailed information about Awakener Lee Kyu-seong.”
“Destroy it.”
“…Pardon?”
“I said destroy it. And erase all traces that we conducted any investigation.”
“Ah, understood.”
The directive to eliminate all work she had requested before leaving for Korea was difficult to comprehend.
Katrina’s secretary, herself a formidable Level 6 Awakener, had been her trusted aide, handling numerous tasks until now.
Given her experience, she thought she had understood the intent behind Katrina’s orders this time…
‘Was she displeased? But her evaluation didn’t suggest that…’
She had fully expected Katrina to devise a scheme to secretly recruit Lee Kyu-seong.
Katrina, a Level 9 Awakener, was the head of her guild.
Although most management responsibilities were delegated to professionals and her role was primarily symbolic, her authority as the leader was undeniable.
Even if she were just a figurehead, attempting to take over her guild was an impossibility, given her sheer power as a Level 9 Awakener.
One thing she was particularly zealous about as a guild leader, however, was recruiting talent.
She would acquire outstanding individuals from all over the world, sometimes through legitimate means and sometimes through methods best left undisclosed.
“Have you given up on Awakener Lee Kyu-seong?”
“…”
Katrina turned to look at her secretary and then smirked, flipping through the photos she had taken again.
“Giving up… Should I call it that? Or perhaps, should I call it an act of God?”
“Did someone interfere? Was it the Korean government?”
“The Korean government? Haha. Do you think I’d be bothered by something like that?”
“Then…?”
Katrina said no more.
Revealing the truth would bring nothing good.
If the fact that Lee Kyu-seong controlled multiple “Seven Deadly Sins” creatures became known, it would cause unimaginable chaos.
‘One must never anger Lee Kyu-seong.’
Even for Katrina, a Level 9 Awakener, he was a figure she dared not challenge.
In truth, calling him the strongest Awakener on Earth would not be an exaggeration.
If someone were to provoke Lee Kyu-seong…
The survival of their organization or even their country could no longer be guaranteed.
“Gulp.”
A chill ran down her spine.
Reflecting on it, it was as if she had narrowly escaped a tiger’s den.
Had Lee Kyu-seong harbored ill intent, could she have resisted?
The likelihood was high that she would have vanished without leaving a trace.
“Whew, so that’s why he warned me not to provoke him. At least I managed to part ways amicably.”
Katrina murmured to herself, drawing a puzzled look from her secretary, though she refrained from asking further questions.
Instead, the secretary provided Katrina with updated information to catch her up on what she had missed during her absence.
“While monitoring recent information and trends regarding Awakener Lee Kyu-seong, we’ve confirmed that other entities are also making efforts to recruit him. However, there are indications that some groups are attempting excessive methods.”
“Excessive methods?”
“Such as the use of force…”
The secretary hesitated slightly, gauging Katrina’s reaction as she spoke. But Katrina found it absurd.
“Using force? Against whom? Against Lee Kyu-seong? Hahaha!”
Knowing Kyu-seong’s power, the idea that someone would try to overpower him seemed utterly laughable to Katrina.
Who would dare to think they could suppress someone like him by force?
She found it hard to believe such fools existed and was curious to see their faces.
Of course, she conveniently forgot that she had been one of those fools herself not too long ago.
“Who are they? Can you identify them and report back to me?”
“We’ve already identified them.”
Regardless, Katrina wanted to confirm the identities of those fools personally.
And if she could handle them herself, she preferred to clean up the matter discreetly.
Touching Lee Kyu-seong would not only spell disaster for those directly involved but also potentially affect larger entities and even nations.
The United States itself could be shaken to its core.
‘That can’t be allowed to happen.’
Katrina wanted to maintain a peaceful life.
***
“Hmm, it’s not here either.”
Despite multiple failures, Ara remained undaunted and burned with determination.
Nod, nod.
Cheong, the last one remaining by Ara’s side, was dozing off with a tired expression.
“That’s it for today. Tomorrow, we shall continue the adventure!”
Their goal was to find the key to the place where the Relic of Gluttony lay dormant.
Ara’s unrelenting passion made her heart race with excitement. However, if she delayed any longer, Kyu-seong might start worrying.
It was already past bedtime, and even now, it was late to prepare for bed after washing up.
“Kyu-seong would be worried. I must hurry back.”
Carrying the drowsy Cheong on her back, Ara began moving toward the way they came.
“!”
In the distance, she spotted something glowing faintly.
Unbeknownst to Ara, it was a resonance phenomenon caused by the World Tree’s illumination at night, but she simply followed the light.
The glow was farther and dimmer than expected, and without Ara’s ability of the Third Eye, she wouldn’t have noticed the faint occurrence.
Eventually, Ara reached her destination with Cheong still on her back.
“Ooooh.”
Why hadn’t she discovered this place earlier?
Ara had stumbled upon an open space with remnants of ancient civilization, much like the location her group had initially found.
The difference was that this space featured an intact and majestic structure in the middle, unaffected by the ravages of time, with mysterious inscriptions etched onto it.
And Ara could decipher the text.
“A place where the key is hidden! A key has been hidden, so no one should find it! Ooooh! I’ve found the key’s hiding place!”
The blatant announcement of the key’s hiding spot. But Ara didn’t doubt it at all.
As she ventured into the structure, it seemed to scream its purpose as a hiding place for the key.
“I found it!”
“Mm? You found something?”
Cheong, waking up and rubbing his eyes, asked from Ara’s back.
Before them was a podium holding an unidentifiable key.
“Wow! Sister did it! She found the key!”
“Yes! I did it!”
Grasping the key in her hand, Ara raised her arms in victory.
Cheong, just as excited, joined in with his own cheer.
“Are we going to use the key right away?”
“Yes!”
Ara nodded energetically, but then her expression turned blank before she vigorously shook her head.
“No, we can’t! Kyu-seong would be worried.”
“Huh? Is it already that late? Oh no, this is bad!”
Cheong panicked, stomping his feet in alarm.
Realizing how worried Kyu-seong must be, the two carefully placed the key in their pouch and ran as fast as they could toward the portal.
Upon returning to the Slime Village, as expected, Kyu-seong was waiting for them.
“You’re a bit late today! I was getting worried.”
“Hehe, sorry about that!”
Ara tried to soothe him with an adorable gesture, spreading her arms wide.
Kyu-seong couldn’t resist her cuteness and laughed, pulling her into a hug.
“Me too! Hug me too!”
“Come here, Cheong. That’s right.”
Holding both of them, Kyu-seong headed to the stream to wash up.
Ara pulled the key from her pocket and showed it to Kyu-seong.
“Kyu-seong! I finally found it! A treasure!”
“Huh?”
Kyu-seong was startled as he examined the key.
When Ara had gone on her adventures, he had thought it was merely child’s play. He never imagined she would actually find something.
“What is this?”
“It’s the key to the room holding the Relic of Gluttony! …Probably!”
Though her last words trailed off uncertainly, Kyu-seong couldn’t ignore the intensity of the phrase “Relic of Gluttony.”
A Relic of Gluttony?
Just hearing the name made it sound like an extraordinary object.
“Tomorrow, you’re coming with me. Let’s see what it is!”
“Alright! Let’s all go together!”
Cliche Novel 
This little girl is scary.
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