The sound of giggling caught my attention.
Curious, I approached to find Seon-ah surrounded by fairies perched all over her, engaging in animated conversation.
Ever since she developed the ability to communicate with them, she had become a frequent visitor to the fairy village.
“Kyu-seong, you’re here!”
“Yes, I am.”
Jung So-hyeon and Ara waved enthusiastically.
Si-young was nowhere in sight, but she soon appeared with Frey, emerging from the World Tree.
Gomgom was with them too, wobbling under the weight of a pile of freshly harvested World Tree mushrooms.
Si-young, empty-handed, must have insisted that Gomgom carry everything despite his struggles.
“Hello, Grand Lord!”
“Kyu-seong, look at this one.”
Si-young gestured at Gomgom with a laugh.
Despite her amusement, Gomgom seemed utterly proud, showing no intention of sharing the mushrooms he had claimed as his trophy.
“Gomgom, can you manage all that on your own?”
“Kuwaang!”
Gomgom waddled off somewhere, with Ara chasing after him.
He eventually stopped where Purr was lying in the grass.
“Oh, Purr’s here too?”
Gomgom began transferring the mushrooms to Purr, with Ara assisting him as if it were second nature.
“Gomgom must have harvested a lot.”
“Yeah, looks like we won’t be running out of World Tree mushrooms anytime soon.”
The mushrooms were a delicacy, so much so that they were now included in almost every dish.
Lately, thanks to Jae-seong, we’d been drying and using them in powdered form as well.
Once all the mushrooms were loaded, Purr began heading toward the village on its own.
“It feels a bit strange, doesn’t it?”
I couldn’t help but marvel at the seamless teamwork between Gomgom and Purr, despite not having instructed them.
They must have been harvesting and transporting mushrooms like this without my involvement all along.
Watching the mushrooms safely on their way to the village, I turned to the guests.
“I was thinking we could all visit Sky Island later. What do you think?”
“I’ve been looking forward to it! Seeing the sky that close must be incredible,” said Jung So-hyeon.
“I can’t wait to go either,” added Si-young, her face brimming with excitement.
“You’re going to love it! There are slimes there with eyes and mouths too!”
Seeing Seon-ah’s excitement made me smile.
Once upon a time, these people had seemed so distant and awe-inspiring.
Now, we were close friends enjoying each other’s company.
After playing with the fairies for a while, everyone rose to leave.
A few fairies clung to our shoulders and heads, eager to come along.
“Grand Lord, Grand Lord! I want to see the floating lights!”
“The floating lights? Sure, let’s go see them together.”
The lights, a strange plant species we’d named Glowbulbs, grew naturally in the caves of Sky Island.
Though I hadn’t cultivated them myself, I’d once shown them to the fairies after harvesting.
Since then, they had only heard stories about the glowing orbs and were eager to see them again.
“Wait, but Gomgom is here. Where’s Soo?”
“Soo? Oh!”
Seon-ah suddenly looked startled and glanced around.
Soo was nowhere to be seen.
“Why not check the minimap?”
Pulling up the minimap, I expected to find Soo in the village.
But his icon wasn’t in the slime village.
Scanning the map further, I spotted Soo’s icon, strangely isolated in an unexplored, fog-covered area.
“What? Why is Soo there?”
“Where? Where is he?”
It was a place I had never been before, completely shrouded in mist on the minimap.
Slightly alarmed, I asked Seon-ah and the others to wait in the village for a while.
“Purr!”
Upon arriving at the village, Purr had already handed over the mushrooms to the rabbits.
I immediately climbed onto Purr’s back, ready to head toward Soo’s location.
“I’m coming with you!”
“Alright. Let’s go together, Ara.”
With Ara seated in front of me, we set off.
Purr sped up, cutting through the wind as we ventured in an unfamiliar direction.
Soo’s location was quite far, making me wonder how he had managed to get there.
Imagining his small body tirelessly walking such a distance felt a bit odd.
Why had he gone to such a place alone?
If his icon hadn’t appeared on the minimap, I might have been truly alarmed.
It took about ten minutes on Purr.
Considering Purr’s speed, this was an exceptionally long journey.
For Soo, who was much slower, it must have been an enormous distance.
“Soo!”
As soon as we reached the location indicated by the icon, I called out to him.
The icon showed he was nearby, but he wasn’t immediately visible.
The area we arrived at was a sprawling flower field.
Had it not been for Soo’s disappearance, I might have been captivated by its beauty.
“Soo! Where are you?”
Ara’s eyes sparkled as she used her abilities to search for him.
Suddenly, she jumped excitedly, as though she had found something.
“I found him!”
“Where?”
Ara dashed off somewhere, and I quickly followed her.
What we saw next was something completely unexpected.
“Soooo?”
Soo looked at us with a surprised expression.
Surrounding him were tiny versions of himself, all gathered together and staring at us curiously.
“What… What is this…?”
There were five—no, six—tiny Soos.
Each was about the size of my palm, similar to the fairies in scale.
Still in shock, I could only stare blankly until Ara exclaimed with bright eyes.
“Did he have babies?”
“Soo… had babies? What are you talking about?”
I… I didn’t want to know!
The idea of Soo having babies was too bizarre to process.
“Sooo!”
But Soo shook his head firmly, as if to say that wasn’t the case.
“Then… what are these little ones?”
“Sooo!”
Soo tried to explain with animated gestures in response to Ara’s question.
“Five Elemental Cycle? Is that what this is?”
“Sooo~!”
Though I didn’t fully understand, it seemed that this phenomenon had something to do with Soo’s abilities.
“So, you’re saying these aren’t your children?”
“Sooo!!”
Soo gave me a look that clearly said, ‘Are you seriously still asking that?’
But the tiny ones looked so much like him!
The small creatures stared at us silently, their expressions vacant, like puppies just opening their eyes and beginning to crawl.
Confused and unsure of what to do, I cautiously approached Soo.
“Can I touch one?”
“Sooo.”
Soo gestured that it was fine.
I gently picked up one of the tiny creatures.
“Soooo!”
This little one made the same sounds as Soo.
No matter how I looked at them, they seemed like Soo’s offspring.
‘Are they really Soo’s children?’
Ultimately, it was true that Soo had created them.
All the tiny ones had the appearance of thick roots, each with a small, unique sprout on its head.
“There doesn’t seem to be a status window for them.”
It seemed these creatures were treated as regular monsters, not my familiars.
In that case, a bit of carrot juice would do.
However, in my haste, I had left Bokkeum behind.
“Soooo.”
“They have to grow here?”
“Soooo.”
It appeared this place was their home.
I hadn’t taken great care of Soo lately, but to think he’d been growing a family here was unexpected.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Soooo.”
What was he saying?
Ara quickly translated for me.
“He dreamed of an herbal army. Now, it’s just a mere dream.”
“An herbal army?”
What on earth was that?
What were you plotting, Soo?
I was stunned by this unexpected confession.
Soo then made an effort to explain further, squeaking indignantly.
“Sooo, Sooo, Soooo!!”
“He plans to continue cultivating the herbal army! He wants to turn this place into a village of herbs and eventually cover the entire world in herbs!!”
“Wow.”
Clap, clap, clap.
I applauded Soo’s passionate explanation.
To think he’d been harboring such audacious ideas—it was too adorable to resist hugging him.
“Soo, then how are these little ones created?”
“Soooo!”
Soo, like a tiny mage, waved his body cutely, seemingly using telekinesis.
Suddenly, a nearby flower began to grow rapidly.
Rustle!
It shook off the dirt and emerged!
“!”
“Wow!”
In an instant, another tiny creature was born.
The newly created “choco-mi” had a flower on its head and initially stared blankly before cautiously exploring its surroundings.
“Sooo?”
It slowly got up and waddled around.
“Wow, so the Five Element Cycle can do this too?”
I’d once relied on the Five Element Cycle ability to create an elixir for Frey’s awakening.
But I hadn’t imagined it could be used like this.
“Soooo!”
“I will definitely create an herbal army!”
Soo’s dream remained unwavering.
Thinking about how he must have been traveling here every day to create the choco-mis made me admire his dedication.
“Soo, from now on, when you come here, ask Purr or Mungmungie for help.”
“Soooo, Soooo!!!”
“Really? I can do that?”
“Of course.”
Considering how slow Soo was, it must have taken him hours to get here, nearly a full day for a round trip.
Still, knowing there wasn’t any real problem was a relief.
It just made me laugh to think he had been secretly creating these adorable creatures.
“Soo, I’ll leave Purr here, so bring him along next time, okay?”
“Soooo!”
Soo nodded enthusiastically, clearly pleased.
After spending some time playing with the choco-mis Soo had created, I remembered the others who were waiting and hurried back.
“This is terrifying,” Ara muttered.
“Huh? What is?”
“Soo creating an herbal army! I won’t lose to him!”
Ara, showing a peculiar sense of rivalry, made me laugh as I patted her head.
***
The Sky Island tour was a success.
We all admired the dungeon scenery from above, touched the clouds that felt within reach, and explored the ancient slime village.
“I wish we could spend the night here!”
Si-young, in particular, seemed to fall in love with Sky Island, as it suited her free-spirited nature.
Since it wasn’t time to sleep yet, we all gathered around to enjoy the lively cooking of Jae-seong, Orie, and Ashu.
“Hahaha! The liquor tastes great!”
“Just for today! Only a little for today!”
Hanul, Young-seong, and Father enjoyed some light drinks, while the rest of us savored freshly made dishes as we placed our orders.
‘It feels even more fun with so many people around.’
I hoped Jae-seong’s restaurant could capture a similar atmosphere—where everyone could laugh and chat, or quietly enjoy themselves, all finding happiness in their own way.
After finishing our hearty meal, we headed to the hot springs for a relaxing soak before bed.
“This is heaven. Haaaah!”
Jung So-hyeon sighed deeply, sounding like an old man.
But the after-service wasn’t over yet.
Boing boing.
Suddenly, the rabbits appeared, carrying something in their little paws.
Those of us soaking in the hot springs looked at them curiously as they began distributing cool drinks.
Beep!
It was adorable how each rabbit seemed eager to have us try their creation.
Smiling at their earnestness, we gratefully accepted and drank every beverage they brought.
“Come join us for a bath,” I said to the rabbits.
At my invitation, they jumped in.
Splash!
Their white fur became soaked, revealing their slim, streamlined bodies underneath.
“Puhaha!”
“So all that fluff was just fur, huh?”
Hanul and Young-seong chuckled, finding the drenched rabbits irresistibly cute.
Just then, distant chatter and the sound of footsteps signaled the arrival of more guests.
-(“><“)♡
A group of fairies had come to join us.
Frey, already soaking with us, pointed indignantly at the newcomers.
“So, you planned this without me! Nobody told me about a hot spring day!”
-(0-0)°
-(~~~)
The fairies teased Frey in their whimsical way, making playful gestures.
Their antics felt so peaceful that drowsiness began to wash over me.
‘I can’t fall asleep here,’ I reminded myself.
What a joyful day it had been.
I couldn’t help but wonder—what surprises would tomorrow bring?
Cliche Novel 