Something was caught at the end of the fishing line.
When I reeled it in, something was being dragged in without resistance.
But it was much smaller than expected.
Just when we were thinking it might actually be the real Levi, Seon-ah raised her hand.
“Stop!”
“Huh?”
Well, it’s still way bigger than Levi.
It just didn’t meet our expectations, but what appeared was actually something enormous.
It was about the size that three adults could barely wrap their arms around.
“I’ve never seen a clam this big before.”
That’s right.
What I had caught was, surprisingly, a giant clam.
Even more shocking was the fact that this clam had dragged a whole boat.
“But does this count for the bet?”
“Even if it does, you still didn’t win.”
“……Huh? You’re right.”
Even if it was the strongest catch so far, it wasn’t the biggest.
The biggest fish, as always, belonged to Emily, who seemed to have Lady Luck on her side.
She had reeled in a tuna-like creature that was over 5 meters long.
In comparison, my clam was about 4 meters.
When Emily brought over the tuna to compare, it was indeed slightly bigger.
“I won, uncle!”
“Ugh.”
After all that struggle, who would’ve thought it was just a clam?
The clam had seemingly exhausted its strength, lying there with its shell wide open.
Hmm, kinda creepy.
“We eat it right away!”
—Sizzle!
Before we knew it, Ara had hugged Levi and shouted.
Then Ashu, looking super excited, started putting on an apron.
—Even Ashu has never seen a clam this big!
“This will be delicious!”
Alright, let’s see you cook it, then.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere naturally shifted to cooking and mealtime.
We set up a table right in the middle of the beach and everyone helped with preparations.
On one side, a boat anchored on the sand made for a picture-perfect view, while on the other, Ashu was showing off her incredible cooking skills.
Chop chop chop chop!
Clatter clatter!
Sizzle sizzle!
Ashu was handling food for dozens of people all on her own.
At this point, I wonder if her cooking skills got a buff from the Demon King’s power.
—Kyu-seong Kyu-seong!
While cooking, Ashu suddenly called for me.
I stopped what I was doing and walked over to her.
There, my giant clam greeted us with its mouth wide open………….
“Uh?”
Wait, is that……………..
A pearl?!
—Looks like a pearl!
“Mammon!”
I immediately called out to Mammon.
Mammon, who had been helping my mother set the table, quickly came running.
—Did you call for me?
“This is a pearl, right?”
—A pearl? Gasp!
Mammon’s eyes widened as he confirmed the giant clam’s pearl.
A big and beautiful pearl.
The white pearl shimmered with mysterious hues every time the light hit it.
“Let’s try taking it out.”
—L-Let me do it!
As if not wanting a single scratch on it, Mammon stepped forward.
But then Ashu, who had been nearby, intervened.
—Ashu doing it would be safer!
—R-Really?
—Leave it to Ashu! I’ll get that pearl out without a scratch!
Soon, others and the kids who had heard the commotion came to watch Ashu’s clam dissection show.
“Could that really be a pearl?”
“Yes, it seems so.”
“Oh my, I’ve never seen a pearl that big before.”
It felt like a pearl of that size had never been discovered in Earth’s history.
Just from its rarity, it was clearly of immense value.
Then, with swift and decisive movements, Ashu began extracting the pearl from between the clam meat.
“Ooooh!”
“It’s so pretty!”
“Amazing!”
As expected, the girls—especially Seon-ah—were the most interested.
But… it’s a bit too big to be made into jewelry.
‘More than a bit—probably impossible.’
Still, the pearl was beautiful just as it was.
It was about the size of a large watermelon, and when Ashu pulled it out, it was a perfectly shaped sphere.
“Shape is a pass!”
Seon-ah exclaimed.
Mammon, who was standing next to her, also inspected the pearl Ashu was holding and nodded.
—It’s perfect.
After the pearl evaluation, we placed it on the table for a bit.
“Hmm…….”
Then Kyler, who had been looking at the pearl, reached out and touched it.
“It’s a bit strange.”
“Sorry?”
“It feels like there’s some magical energy……”
Then Ara also placed her hand on the pearl and said,
“It has magical power!”
“Ooh, really?”
A pearl imbued with magic!
But… what do we use it for?
In the meantime, my mother came over with food.
“Food’s ready, everyone.”
“Food!”
Ara, completely excited, let go of the pearl and ran to my mother.
I followed her and continued helping serve the dishes Ashu had made.
Soon, the table was filled with luxurious dishes.
Gulp.
The smell was heavenly.
As expected of seafood, it was the kind you can never get enough of.
There were all kinds of fish, along with squid, octopus, conch, crabs, lobsters, and many more dishes on the table.
We also had sashimi and spicy fish stew, which my father loves.
On top of that, Kyler ran straight home and brought a bottle of liquor.
“When do I get to taste it?”
Ara looked at the drink with curiosity.
Sorry, Ara, but not until there’s dirt in my eyes.
Please forgive your strict father.
We offered her juice instead, and finally, we picked up our spoons.
“Now, today’s fishing king is……!”
“Fishing king! Fishing king!”
“Emily Lukers!”
“Wooo! Congrats, Emily!”
Amidst everyone’s cheers, Emily proudly stood up as the fishing king.
“Today’s glory goes to Grandpa, who took us out on this amazing boat!”
“Heh heh!”
Father’s mouth stretched into a wide smile.
Anyway, Emily was a sweet, lovable child who knew how to charm others.
“Well then, shall we all eat together?”
“Let’s eat!”
Nom nom.
What followed was a full-on feast.
The dishes weren’t just simple fish—they had been cooked with my own crops, making the flavors even more amazing and unforgettable.
“Mmm!”
The white fish steak that tasted like chicken, and the dish made with the clam I caught, were especially to my liking.
It was a taste I could enjoy all day without getting tired of it.
Thanks to that, the mountain of food quickly vanished.
“Urgh.”
Burp.
After the satisfying meal, we all gave our thanks to Ashu.
—Leave it to Ashu anytime!
“Thanks, Ashu. But your cooking skills keep improving every day. At this rate, you might really become a god of cooking.”
—Ashu will become a god of cooking!
Ashu declared with strong determination.
She looked so serious, but to me, she just seemed adorable.
“Haah, I’m so full.”
Lick.
Dad patted his belly, while Bell licked his paws.
The two of them had devoured several kilos of sashimi.
They had surprisingly compatible appetites.
“Kyu-seong.”
“Yes, Dad?”
“Thank you.”
When Dad suddenly thanked me, I stared at him, and he awkwardly turned his gaze away.
At that, Mom let out a girlish giggle and patted me on the back.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen him act shy. Kyu-seong, thanks to you, I saw something amazing today.”
“Haha.”
It seemed the alcohol had made him sentimental.
I poured him another drink and bowed slightly.
“Thank you too, Dad. And thank you, Mom.”
“What are you thanking us for? You grew up just fine all on your own.”
Dad took a drink while trying to hide his reddened ears.
I could feel everyone around us watching with warm smiles, which made my face flush a little too.
“Ahem. There’s still plenty of food left, so enjoy slowly. I’ll step out for a bit.”
“Oh? You’re leaving already, Kyu-seong?”
“Yeah. I just have something to check.”
There was nothing to check.
I must’ve taken after Dad—feeling awkward in these kinds of moments, I just needed to get up and move.
As I stepped through the portal, the peaceful village scene came into view.
And before I knew it, the World Tree was sparkling, signaling the arrival of night.
“Whew.”
I always felt this, but I really was a lucky guy.
Honestly, I hadn’t done anything special—this was all thanks to the slimes.
Gloop?
A slime that happened to be passing by paused and stared at me.
When I picked it up and gave it a good squish, it jiggled happily.
Ahh, another healing moment today.
And ending with the best texture imaginable.
Gloop?
***
Nathan quietly departed for Korea, without anyone knowing.
Still, it was certain that his enemies would’ve heard the news by now.
And Nathan’s hunch proved to be spot on.
“Red Clown, Wolf Rex, and Titanium Shield have made their move.”
All three were powerful mercenary organizations.
Especially dangerous ones that specialized in shady operations.
The United States, a superpower of awakeners, had two faces to its coin.
By loosening regulations on awakeners, it had become a nation of power—but in doing so, the underworld had flourished as well.
“Of all groups, why those three?”
Nathan gave a bitter laugh.
Ironically, he had occasionally hired those very groups himself in the past.
Feeling the truth in the saying that there are no eternal allies or enemies, Nathan arrived in Korea.
The mercenary groups would likely follow him here soon.
He hadn’t contacted Kyu-seong on purpose—just in case—and it seemed like the right call.
‘I can’t drag him into this.’
It couldn’t be helped that he was already in Korea, but at the very least, he would avoid involving Kyu-seong in anything further.
“Sarah, thank you for everything. And for staying by my side.”
Nathan bowed to the intelligence agent Sarah, who had followed him all the way.
Sarah quietly spoke.
“Call Kyler.”
“…”
“I know he’s in Korea. You should ask him for help.”
“I don’t want to drag him into this anymore. And even if those three organizations are on the move, not even Kyler could handle that.”
Naturally.
Kyler had once been cornered by just two of those groups.
Now there were three.
Even a level 9 awakener like Kyler couldn’t take on all of them.
“Director has done so much for him. Isn’t it time he repaid that debt?”
“If Kyler could solve this, I would’ve begged him no matter what. But you know as well as I do—this is beyond even him.”
“But still…….”
At that moment.
Sarah received a call.
They both froze and stared at the ringing phone.
It was a device meant only for outgoing calls.
It should never be ringing.
“Pick it up.”
“…Understood.”
The mercenaries were already coming. It was over.
Answering the call wouldn’t change that.
Click.
“Hello?”
There was a moment of silence on the other end.
Then a familiar voice came through.
—It’s me.
“Kyler?!”
An unexpected caller.
Sarah’s eyes widened, and Nathan stared in shock.
—Be at the Ambassador Seoul Gangnam by 10:28 AM. Bring Nathan too.
“Ah, understood.”
—Don’t worry about the rest. I’ll handle it.
That was all the call said.
Nathan let out a dry chuckle at the stunning news.
“We really underestimated Kyler. Then again, he’s been dodging the whole world until now.”
“What in the world is he planning?”
“Hmm, I’m sure he has something up his sleeve.”
Yeah, if it’s him, then surely…………..
A glimmer of hope returned to Nathan’s eyes.
Cliche Novel 