We traveled across the site in a vehicle resembling an armored car.
“Wow!”
Ara was in an extremely excited state.
From the moment she saw the armored car, she was utterly captivated.
Its interior was equally fascinating, leaving Cheong overwhelmed, while Ara and Emily sparkled with curiosity.
“Monsters below level 5 can’t even scratch it. It’s equipped with state-of-the-art technology, combining level-7 magic stones and the hide of level-8 monsters.”
“Wow, that’s amazing! Did it use the Rector Cannon method Dr. Müller published in his recent paper?”
“Ah! Yes! You’re well-informed, Seon-ah!”
“I’m preparing my thesis, so I’ve been studying hard. Hehe.”
Seon-ah seemed to connect well with the discussion about dungeons, making me puff up my chest a little with pride.
“By the way, apart from the monster hides, is the rest made of standard alloys?”
“Hmm, that part was tricky. Titanium aluminide is excellent for strength, but it doesn’t bond well with the non-metallic properties of monster materials.”
Wow, what are they even talking about?
I could vaguely understand that combining the materials wasn’t straightforward.
Listening to their conversation with half an ear, I turned my attention to the strangely designed windows, through which one couldn’t see inside from the outside, and took in the scenery.
Leisurely moving monsters.
Most were herbivorous, low-ranked, and famous as edible monsters.
Having tasted some of them before, I couldn’t help but salivate at the memory of their flavor.
“Brother! Are you listening?”
“Huh? Oh, uh, what?”
Seon-ah suddenly shook me, calling out my name.
Caught off guard, I looked at her and Yoo Bihong, breaking out of my quiet contemplation.
“We were just talking about the minerals you have, Brother.”
“What? Out of nowhere?”
“Yes. If possible, they could be researched at skyscraper, right?”
“Uh… yeah…”
Recently, I had even received a call from Ara Hongryeon.
For the crops I provided, research was manageable, but they suggested outsourcing the minerals to specialized firms for proper analysis.
While Ara Hongryeon was a major guild in our country, they couldn’t handle everything.
So, I had been postponing any decision until now, but the conversation about the armored car materials naturally shifted to the minerals I had.
Luckily, I had them with me.
As someone who carried all sorts of things, I quickly took out samples of mithril, adamantium, and both raw and processed Ara Star materials.
They were about the size of a thumbnail, making them suitable as samples.
“Oh, this is…”
Yoo Bihong’s interest was immediately piqued.
She asked for permission and carefully examined them.
“May I take these for further analysis?”
“Of course.”
I was vaguely aware of their uses and benefits.
I just didn’t know the diverse applications, such as chemical reactions or how they interacted with other materials, as Seon-ah and Yoo Bihong had discussed.
Ara Hongryeon’s guild members already owned equipment made of mithril and Ara Star.
Further research could make them even better, so I had high expectations.
Perhaps something useful would emerge from skyscraper.
While we continued our conversation, we arrived at our destination.
Looking around, I saw an isolated area.
Ryu Wang-jin and Ryu Cheon were already there.
Even Director Baek was present.
As we disembarked, Ryu Cheon hurriedly ran toward us.
Grabbing Ara’s hand with one hand and Cheong’s with the other, she stood there confidently.
Seon-ah looked at Ryu Cheon with a speechless gaze, taken aback by her bold actions.
“Welcome,” Ryu Wang-jin greeted.
Then, he quickly got to the point.
“This is the quarantine zone for the horned oxen. They’ve been isolated due to an epidemic.”
“An epidemic?”
Seon-ah repeated with a serious expression.
An epidemic? Like a contagious disease?
My gaze instinctively turned to Cheong.
‘When it comes to illnesses and bacteria, Cheong’s the expert.’
While I was lost in thought, Ryu Wang-jin continued.
“The reason we summoned you directly is to request your help. I heard you can communicate with monsters.”
“Yes, sir!”
Seon-ah responded like a disciplined recruit.
Amused by her serious demeanor, I chuckled softly, but her sharp glare quickly followed.
“We’d like you to diagnose the situation. Could you do that?”
“I’ll give it a try! Leave it to me!”
Seon-ah sounded confident.
I wondered where she got her confidence, only to see her sneak up to Cheong and say,
“Cheong, I’ll need your help.”
As expected, Seon-ah had Cheong in mind all along.
Her endearing gesture made me smile again as I walked a bit further.
Soon, I spotted the herd of groaning horned oxen.
“They’re all unwell.”
Ara approached them with a worried expression, checking their condition.
The skyscraper team tried to stop her in panic, fearing the disease might spread, but I assured them it was fine.
Our Ara was immune to all diseases.
She was also immune to poisons.
‘Don’t underestimate Ara!’
Of course, those unaware of her abilities would find her actions surprising.
While Ara examined the oxen, we donned peculiar protective suits.
Approaching the oxen carefully, they truly seemed sick, even for creatures typically sensitive to disturbances.
“Brother.”
“Yeah?”
“I think we should first identify the cause of their illness before using Cheong’s abilities. If we don’t know the root cause, it might recur even if treated.”
“You’re right. Let’s do that.”
But when I think about it, with Ara around, is Seon-ah’s communication ability even necessary?
Hmm.
I pondered for a moment but figured it could still be helpful.
Seon-ah had a lot of specialized knowledge and had been studying diligently lately.
Even if it’s the same type of communication, if Ara were handling it, it would probably go like this:
“It’s really sick!”
“It’s super dizzy?”
“It’s burning up with fever!”
…That would be the extent of the conversation.
In contrast, Seon-ah was likely to integrate the information and deliver a more concrete diagnosis.
“Let me check first.”
Seon-ah pulled out a notebook and pen, jotting down notes.
She then began a form of dialogue with one of the horned oxen.
‘Wow.’
Her serious demeanor rendered me speechless, and I could only observe quietly. Everyone else watched silently as well.
Seon-ah systematically questioned several horned oxen, categorizing them by gender and age, nodding to herself and writing in her notebook.
“Hmm…”
After finishing her communication, Seon-ah scrutinized her notes.
Next to her, Ara, who had been watching, asked, “Can they be cured? I’m worried.”
“Of course!”
Seon-ah reassured her with a smile, patting Ara on the cheek. Ara beamed back happily.
“With Cheong on our side, it’ll be fine! Right, Cheong?”
“Ugh, I’m scared. What if I can’t do it?”
“Cheong can do it!”
As I listened to their conversation, Seon-ah made her diagnosis—or rather, she posed a request.
“Can we check all the food the horned oxen have been eating?”
“Of course.”
Ryu Wang-jin nodded.
It seemed they had already conducted a thorough investigation.
Well, that was expected.
A giant guild like skyscraper wouldn’t entrust us with the task without doing their own homework.
After examining the feed components, dried grass, and fresh grass, Seon-ah asked another question.
“Can I see the analysis reports for plants from the dungeon as well?”
“If they’ve just been brought from the dungeon, we have them.”
“No, I mean before they were brought to Earth. I need the data from inside the dungeon.”
At Seon-ah’s request, Ryu Wang-jin and his team exchanged glances.
Then they replied to her, “We haven’t checked inside the dungeon yet…”
“It’s possible that the air on Earth triggered mutations the moment the plants came into contact with it.”
“Wait a second. If the feed is the problem, why are only these horned oxen affected and not the others?”
“Not all plants may have mutated, or this might not even be the root cause. I just want to confirm first.”
“Hmm, understood. We’ll compile and analyze the data by tomorrow.”
Ryu Wang-jin nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Seon-ah began her second approach.
“Cheong, can you figure out why this one is sick?”
“Let me try.”
Cheong cautiously approached a juvenile horned ox.
The creature stared at Cheong with glassy eyes as he drew closer.
“I’ll be careful not to hurt you,” Cheong gestured gently.
Everyone watched as Cheong closed his eyes, moving his hands as if directing unseen forces.
“Mr. Kyu-seong, what is he…?”
“Our Cheong, um, he… heals sicknesses or, uh, extracts something, um…”
“…??”
It was hard to explain straightforwardly, so I muddled through an answer.
“He has… abilities!”
“Ah, I see…”
Yoo Bihong nodded, seemingly understanding my reluctance to elaborate.
By then, Cheong had finished his work.
“This is…!”
“What is it?”
“She just seems… out of energy.”
Cheong replied with a blank expression, prompting Seon-ah to murmur, “Just as I thought…” before stroking Cheong’s head.
“I’ll share my findings now.”
“Go ahead.”
“It seems like malnutrition.”
“What?!”
Everyone, caught off guard by Seon-ah’s diagnosis, hurried to examine the horned oxen.
“Not an illness…?”
“Malnutrition can also be considered an illness. It seems the plants brought from the dungeon might lose some critical components when exposed to Earth’s atmosphere.”
As Seon-ah explained, one of the nearby staff members suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!”
“Hmm? Did you find something?”
“Well, it’s nothing significant, but we noticed a slight decrease in certain components in the hay the horned oxen were eating. The reduction was so minimal we didn’t think much of it…”
The staff member pulled up the analysis data on a tablet and showed it to Ryu Wang-jin.
“It’s truly negligible. It’s within the margin of error.”
“Exactly. That’s why we didn’t consider it a major issue, but now we think this tiny difference might have accumulated, causing malnutrition in the horned oxen.”
The puzzle was gradually coming together.
We agreed to identify the missing nutrients and supplement them.
“If this doesn’t resolve the issue, the only solution might be to cultivate dungeon plants on Earth…”
At the suggestion, Ryu Wang-jin and his team let out groans of frustration.
“Guild Leader.”
“Yes?”
“Should I try growing feed for the horned oxen?”
“You?”
Ryu Wang-jin looked at me in surprise, as did Yoo Bihong, Ryu Cheon, and the rest of the Iron Blood Guild members.
It wasn’t that difficult of a task, but the sudden attention was a bit overwhelming.
To be precise, I wouldn’t be doing it myself—the slimes would handle it all.
“Leave it to me. I’ll give it a shot.”
Cliche Novel 