Global pharmaceutical company Mohaim.
One day, chaos broke out within Mohaim, from its lowest-level employees to its executives.
“Is this even possible?”
“Find out if it’s true, immediately!”
“This might be achievable, but how could even this…?”
The reason for their astonishment was none other than a patented dementia treatment from Ara Hongryeon.
The sudden emergence of this treatment had begun making waves across global pharmaceutical companies.
As a result, Mohaim hadn’t turned off its lights for 48 hours since the news broke.
The entire company was in turmoil, with employees pulling all-nighters and running around in a frenzy.
The discovery of the dementia cure was nothing short of astonishing.
Particularly for Mohaim, there was a legendary trio of treatments often considered mythical: a cure for dementia, a cure for baldness, and a miracle diet pill.
Though these products existed, they were more myth than reality—plagued by severe side effects and minimal efficacy.
But now, the news of a genuine dementia cure had taken the industry by storm.
“I figured this day might come someday, but…”
Since the appearance of dungeons in the world, phenomena and substances defying scientific explanation had begun to surface.
Paradoxically, whenever science managed to explain them, humanity made significant leaps forward.
This dementia cure was one such example.
Many believed that someday, something originating from a dungeon would help humanity conquer previously unsolvable problems.
However, Mohaim firmly believed that they should have been the ones to lead such breakthroughs.
“Ara Hongryeon! Of course, it’s them again!”
The South Korean guild Ara Hongryeon had become a household name.
Their consumable items had already captivated the attention of pharmaceutical companies, including Mohaim, which had tried various means to steal and reverse-engineer them.
Despite their efforts to replicate these items by analyzing the ingredients, the results had been futile.
Now, the appearance of a dementia cure was an even greater shock.
“What happened to the employees we sent? What about the mercenaries?”
“The South Korean government has fortified its security. Most foreigners entering Korea are currently under suspicion of being industrial spies.”
“Anticipating this, we also sent mercenaries with Korean citizenship!”
“Approaching Ara Hongryeon itself seems to be nearly impossible. They appear to have thoroughly prepared before filing for the patent…”
Despite their frustration, there was little Mohaim could do.
Just as tempers were flaring, another message arrived—this time from their Chinese collaborators.
Though headquartered in the UK, Mohaim was also a joint venture with Chinese pharmaceutical companies, making it natural for the two sides to discuss this development together.
– Have you made any progress in Korea?
“No progress,” the Mohaim executive admitted.
There was, quite literally, nothing they could do.
A Chinese contact then hesitantly suggested,
– One of China’s guilds, the Skyscraper Guild, has a cooperative relationship with Ara Hongryeon.
“The Skyscraper Guild? Could they assist us?”
– Fortunately, we have someone in our support network who is an executive in the Skyscraper Guild. They’re in contact now. Please wait a little longer.
This news came as a relief.
The Skyscraper Guild was a well-known giant, even to the Mohaim executive.
Since resolving the infamous dungeon break in Insaek, the guild had gained immense clout in China, ranking among the top five guilds in the nation.
“That’s excellent news! Let’s hope for a successful connection!”
– We’ll update you soon.
The executive hung up, feeling hopeful that this Chinese connection might be their last chance.
As time passed, with report after report bringing only bad news, the awaited follow-up from China finally arrived.
“What’s the update?” the Mohaim executive asked urgently.
The Chinese contact hesitated before speaking slowly.
– We’re sorry.
“Does that mean we’ve failed?”
– It’s beyond failure…
“What do you mean?”
– The Skyscraper Guild has issued a warning. They explicitly stated that any further attempts to approach Ara Hongryeon or the awakened individual Lee Kyu-seong will not be tolerated.
“What?!”
It was reported that the Skyscraper Guild had issued a warning.
For them, a warning was never just empty words.
In the current world, it was no exaggeration to say that awakened individuals were at the center of everything.
And the organizations where these awakened individuals gathered were the guilds.
Among those guilds, the Skyscraper Guild was one of immense power and influence.
“Gulp.”
A warning from such a guild was not something to be taken lightly.
Even for Mohaim, a global pharmaceutical company, it implied potential direct consequences for the company itself.
– I-I’m sorry. We didn’t expect the Skyscraper Guild to respond so forcefully.
“Ah… uh…”
The Mohaim executive was at a loss for words.
He knew it was meaningless to blame the Chinese contact.
Finally, he stood up and spoke.
“I’ll go and apologize in person. Could you help me set up another meeting?”
– I’ll ask, but there’s a chance the Skyscraper Guild might refuse.
“Please, I’d appreciate it.”
The call ended there.
The Mohaim executive now dreaded reporting this matter to his superiors.
As an executive, his “superiors” ultimately referred to the chairman.
“Sigh…”
They had truly messed up this time.
***
After hosting some visitors, life had returned to normal.
While not much had changed, one thing was different—Kyler’s house was under construction.
“Who would’ve thought the first house built in our dungeon would be Kyler’s?”
“This feels oddly embarrassing yet humbling,” Kyler said, scratching his head, his expression now far softer than before.
When we first met, he seemed like a secret agent.
Now, he just looked like your typical dad, utterly smitten with his daughter.
The house was being built outside the Slime Village, a bit of a distance away.
The plot of land was chosen by a stream, and the water and sewage systems were meticulously planned.
Kyler had co-designed the house with my father, and the quality of their plans was surprisingly high.
All the materials came from the dungeon, and goblins, gnolls, and even slimes were busy constructing it.
Of course, Kyler insisted on building his own house, hammer and saw in hand, bustling around with enthusiasm.
‘It should be done in a few days.’
Meanwhile, Jae-seong’s restaurant construction was also progressing.
The foremen and workers—friends of my father—were diligently building on the plot in front of the dungeon.
Thanks to their efforts, Jae-seong was spending all day supervising the site.
“By the way, aren’t you planning to build a house, Kyu-seong?”
“Ah, I wanted to at first, but I kept putting it off. Eventually, I just accepted that the entire dungeon feels like my home anyway.”
“True, the dungeon is essentially your house.”
“But seeing Kyler build his home has made me want one, too. I’ll have to give it a shot someday.”
“When the time comes, I’ll gladly help you.”
After exchanging some warm words, I greeted Kyler and returned to the village.
Having wrapped up most of my tasks for the day, I finally had some leisure time.
Checking the minimap, I saw that the kids were playing in the fairy village.
‘I should continue working on the hero training.’
Lately, my greatest joy had been completing quests with Emily.
The system kept warning me to be cautious of heroes, but why should I?
I hadn’t done anything wrong.
And Emily, who seemed destined to become a hero, was practically family—a niece, of sorts.
Helping her grow gave me immense satisfaction.
‘I’m going to create the strongest awakened being ever!’
That’s what I told myself, but in reality, Emily spent most of her time running around the dungeon with the kids.
‘Come to think of it, Emily did mention she loved K-pop and dramas.’
She had self-taught herself Korean through her love of Hallyu culture and was now practically fluent.
Given her interests, I wanted to show her more of Korea.
“Hm…”
I thought about checking for any updates from the outside world and decided it was time to contact Iron Blood after a long while.
I wondered how Director Kim Tae-yang was doing.
We hadn’t been in touch lately.
As I stepped out of the Dungeon of Gluttony, I noticed a construction site bustling with activity.
The workers, the foreman, my father, and Jae-seong were all there—oh, Orie was there too.
‘Those two seem like… they’re going to get married.’
Kids these days are so fast, I thought, laughing to myself.
As I greeted everyone, they welcomed me warmly.
Before long, Jae-seong noticed me and came running over energetically.
Despite being built like a bear, his actions were as childlike as ever.
“Brother! Look at this! What do you think of this structure?”
“It looks great. Who came up with this idea?”
“The foreman suggested it. Isn’t the design cool?”
The restaurant had a modern design that stood out.
They were even reshaping parts of the dungeon terrain to build it, and their passion was infectious.
It looked like it would become an amazing restaurant.
“What brings you out here?” my father asked, approaching quietly.
“I just came to check if I had any messages.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
After saying goodbye to everyone, I headed outside.
As usual, I had several messages waiting.
Since the delivery date was approaching, most of them were about that.
“Let’s see…”
Director Kim Tae-yang seemed like the most approachable.
Though I was closer to CEO Baek, he was the head of Iron Blood, so contacting him for something trivial felt inappropriate.
‘Then again, the director is in a similar position, isn’t he?’
After all, he was a Level 8 awakened individual in Korea.
But to me, he just felt like an employee of Iron Blood Entertainment.
“Hmm.”
Maybe I should just contact Actress Seo Ye-eun?
I even had her manager’s number.
“Ah, whatever.”
After some deliberation, I ended up messaging Kim Tae-yang, who was practically in charge of the company.
The message was simple: Could we visit for a tour?
After sending it, I decided to take a short walk and enjoy the fresh air.
Before long, my phone rang.
Beep-beep.
“Yes, Director!”
– Long time no see. You haven’t contacted me in ages.
“Haha, sorry about that. But I’ve sent you occasional messages and even some snacks…”
– Hearing your voice and seeing your face is what matters. I felt a bit neglected.
His playful tone was all too familiar.
It was obvious he was teasing me.
– So, why the sudden request? A tour, you say?
“Ah, I’ve got a kid who’s like a niece living with me now. She’s really into Hallyu culture. She’s from the U.S., by the way.”
– Ah, I see. In that case, I’ll arrange something for tomorrow.
“What? Really? Is that okay?”
– Of course. I’ll send a vehicle to your place tomorrow morning. You can use it to come here. I’ll also prepare the itinerary. Expect a packed schedule.
“Wait, what? Isn’t this supposed to be just a tour?”
– It is a tour. So don’t be late. I’ll send the car at 8 a.m.
Click.
The call ended abruptly.
I was a bit taken aback, but when I thought about how excited Emily and the kids would be, I couldn’t help but smile.
How thrilled they would be.
Iron Blood wasn’t a small company, so there was even a chance Emily might meet celebrities she knew.
“I need to go tell her right away.”
Cliche Novel 