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I woke up and immediately started tending to the field.  

This was one of the routines that rarely changed.  

Honestly, there wasn’t much I had to do, but it was something so fundamental to me that I did it as naturally as breathing.  

“It’s already level 6.”  

I looked over the freshly harvested tomato.  

What was fascinating was that once crops reached level 5, they began to show variety in species.  

The level 6 tomato I had just harvested wasn’t a cherry tomato like before, but a tomato about the size of Ara’s fist.  

Too big for a single bite, but you could finish it in about two.  

The effect hadn’t changed much, but the flavor had. It lost a bit of its sweetness and gained a fresher taste.  

Though “fresh” might feel vague, there was no better word to describe the taste.  

Maybe I just lacked vocabulary?  

“Yum yum.”  

Ara was happily tasting the tomato, holding one in each hand with a bright smile.  

Next to her, Cheong, who loved the field more than anyone else, was pouting at the sight.  

“You have to work hard too, sister!”  

“Okay!”  

“Sister, you’re only good at answering!”  

“Okay!”  

Ara was a bit unusual in that, unlike other slimes, she preferred eating to working in the field.  

Other slimes would go crazy over farming and rush in, but Ara had emotions more similar to a human’s.  

Thanks to that, I rarely saw her working the fields outside the early days. Of course, she helped, but only to the extent I did.  

“Is this about done?”  

“Yes!”  

“Okay!”  

“Then shall we move the items the merfolk brought yesterday?”  

Mammon would probably love them.  

The guild master even asked last time when the next piece was coming out.  

‘Maybe I should send Katrina a gift too…’  

The guild master and Katrina were diehard fans of Mammon.  

I couldn’t quite understand that world of art, but Mammon’s work seemed to have a fervent following over there.  

Leaving Cheong behind to play in the field a little longer, Ara and I took the cart together. Our destination was the Cat Village, where Mammon lived.  

“You’ve been in the Nyang Village every day lately.”  

“A big! Furnace is there!”  

“Yeah. If I knew you’d love it this much, I would’ve made one in Gnoll Village too.”  

“Let’s build one!”  

“Shall we? No need to overthink it.”  

I decided to build a large furnace in Gnoll Village too.  

Of course, after discussing it with the others.  

On the way to the Cat Village, we planned to stop by the ranch.  

Piglets that weren’t even three days old yet.  

Romrom’s babies were growing fast.  

– Oink.  

“Yeah, yeah.”  

Romrom had become a total sweetheart now.  

As soon as she saw Ara and me, she pressed her nose against us affectionately.  

Ara handed Romrom a freshly harvested tomato.  

– Oink!  

Romrom happily munched on the tomato.  

Meanwhile, I checked on the piglets clinging to her belly.  

Sixteen piglets in total.  

They were starting to show signs of opening their eyes.  

“They’re growing so fast.”  

“Growing up strong, they are!”  

Ara picked up one particularly dark-colored piglet and examined it.  

The little black piglet squirmed as if to say, “Don’t touch me.”  

– Squeak!  

“Hehe, so cute.”  

Ara rubbed the piglet against her cheek.  

I thought about taking a photo of that moment and sending it to Seon-ah.  

Recently, Seon-ah had been able to visit after work and had restarted Ara’s daily life channel.  

Thanks to that, the YouTube channel began to regain some of its former energy, though not quite as much as before.  

Now sponsorship offers were flooding in.  

Though I hadn’t signed any contracts yet because it was a hassle.  

“You’re all adjusting well. You’ve been working hard.”  

– Chirp!  

– Meep!  

Gnolls and goblins, who now looked like they were the same species.  

They were always together.  

Gnolls, goblins, and the Breeding Tribe were in charge of ranch management. Rabbits handled distribution. Gnolls took care of fence repair and construction, while goblins tended the livestock.  

The wild boars recently captured from Chiyon had successfully integrated with the existing ones.  

There were some issues at first, but food quickly solved them.  

“Deliciousness is justice.”  

I learned this painful truth while conquering six of the Seven Deadly Sins.  

And my crops just kept getting tastier—  

Not to mention, more diverse.  

Thanks to Jae-seong’s requests, I’d been planting all sorts of things.  

It became harder to keep track of each crop like I used to.  

These days, most of the fieldwork was left to the slimes, and I had taken a step back to manage things more diligently.  

“Eat well and work hard.”  

After handing out freshly picked tomatoes to the hardworking folks, I got back on the cart.  

Soon, in less than ten minutes, we arrived at the Cat Village.  

The first thing we saw were the adorable little back-of-the-heads.  

“Hey guys, morning? Did you sleep well?”  

– Grand Lord!  

– Grand Lord, you’re here? 

Hehe.  

Mammon, Frey, and Bell were there.  

Frey was constantly showing off her head like she was proud—probably flaunting her tiara.  

– We were just making Ara’s crown!  

“Oh, really?”  

– Meow.  

Instead of replying, Bell greeted us with a cry and swung his hammer around haphazardly.  

But despite his clumsy appearance, the work was progressing quickly.  

– Meow.  

– Nyaa!  

As the assisting cats scurried around, Ara’s crown was nearing completion.  

“Ooooh!”  

Ara’s eyes sparkled as she hopped around.  

In the meantime, I handed over the ornaments the merfolk had retrieved to Mammon and Frey.  

– Oh my! This is…!  

– Wow, so pretty!  

Beautiful corals, seashells, and mysterious minerals were scattered throughout.  

– Ooooh, there are pearls too.  

“Pearls? Where?”  

Looking at the shell Mammon pointed to, there really was a pearl inside.  

So they’d hidden them in there.  

We opened the closed shells and took out the pearls.  

It seemed they’d done this deliberately for easier transport.  

– The quality is excellent. This is premium-grade.  

“Really?”  

Since Mammon was an expert in minerals and gems, I trusted his judgment.  

Pearls were gemstones too, so he’d definitely know.  

– Back when the sea existed, we often dealt with pearls like these. But these are even better quality than those.  

“Even someone like me with no knowledge can tell they look great.”  

Not only were they big, but their shape and luster were beautiful.  

Some had a pink tint, while others shimmered with black.  

We sorted the pearls by color, and the coral and shells by type.  

– Can I use these?!  

“Of course.”  

– Yay! They’ll look so pretty when added into the designs!

– Since we’re on the topic, maybe we could use these for Ara’s crown or your tiara too?  

– Oh! That’s actually a good idea, coming from you, Mammon!  

– What’s that supposed to mean.  

I stepped in to stop the two from bickering again and started working in one corner of the forge.  

First, I sorted the seashells properly.  

Then I began to polish them.  

“Huh? This isn’t how I remember it.”  

– What do you mean?  

“I saw somewhere that you only use the flat parts of the shell. I think it’s called najeonchilgi?”  

– I want to know more!  

Frey stopped polishing the shell, clearly eager to check right away.  

Hmm, too bad we don’t have internet here.  

Thanks to Son Ogon, we had been working on wiring for electricity, but Wi-Fi was still out of reach.  

Actually, even the electricity wasn’t fully installed yet, so this kind of stuff was still inconvenient.  

“I’ll step out and download a najeonchilgi video real quick.”  

– I’ll keep working in the meantime!  

– I’m curious too! New techniques always get my heart racing!  

For Frey and Mammon’s sake, I had to bring back some najeonchilgi footage.  

And I was planning to head out anyway to see if the Demon King’s powers worked on guild members too—perfect timing.  

I told them I’d be back shortly and took the cart toward the dungeon entrance.  

Once outside, I spotted some staff prepping the restaurant.  

“Good morning.”  

“Oh, boss!”  

I had been in charge of bringing them into the dungeon at scheduled times, so they were a bit surprised to see me out early today.  

“I’ll be back shortly.”  

“Yes! Have a safe trip!”  

I waved at lively Jung-yul’s greeting.  

He had become even more enthusiastic after getting his star rating.  

‘He was already passionate before, but now it’s on another level.’  

Outside, I checked my phone and found a pile of messages.  

But most were routine matters—nothing related to the Demon King’s powers.  

Still, just in case, I contacted the guild leader.  

Brrr.  

Click.  

“Hello, Guild Leader.”  

– Ah, Mr. Kyuseong! Good morning.  

The Guild Leader responded warmly.  

I asked if anything unusual had happened lately.  

Well… other than the Saudis constantly shouting “Korea, Korea” every day, not really.  

“Ah, haha.”  

I gave an awkward laugh and confirmed there was nothing serious, then hung up.  

It seemed my powers didn’t extend to guild members—probably for the best.  

While I was outside, I downloaded three videos on najeonchilgi, then returned to the dungeon.  

Just as I arrived, Jae-seong, who seemed to be finishing preparations, greeted me.  

“You’re working hard, Jae-seong.”  

“Hehe. Not at all. It’s not hard—I’m having fun every day.”  

Look at that innocent bear-like expression.  

How are we three siblings all so different?  

“Oh, Jae-seong. The merfolk found something in the sea.”  

I pulled out what looked like gemstones—but were actually salt—and handed them to Jae-seong.  

They came in various colors, looking like transparent crayons.  

“What is this? Huh? Is it salt?”  

“Wow, as expected of a chef. How’d you know?”  

“I think I could taste a bit of saltiness.”  

… Wait, he could tell just by looking?  

These salt chunks were less salty than regular salt, but he sensed it just by sight?  

Just as I was admiring Jae-seong’s extraordinary senses, he quickly tasted one.  

“Mmm! It’s salt, but the flavor is so rich! And it’s not artificial—this tastes like pure natural seasoning.”  

“How is it? Think it’ll be useful for cooking?”  

“Absolutely! I’m already imagining how I can use it!”  

Seeing him that happy made me feel proud too.  

I told him I’d bring more of the salt later and said goodbye.  

Returning to the dungeon, I headed toward the ones who must’ve been waiting impatiently for me.  

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”  

– Not at all! In fact—  

Mammon pointed at Frey, who was deeply focused.  

Frey was crouched down, carefully carving her tiara.  

“So cute.”  

She didn’t even notice I had arrived.  

Next to her, Bell was still working on Ara’s crown, with Ara watching closely.  

“Here, take a look at this.”  

– Ooooh.  

Mammon watched as I handed over my phone and pulled up the najeonchilgi video.  

After watching for about five minutes, Mammon let out a gasp.  

– I never even considered this method of processing. Why didn’t I think of this before?  

At that moment, Frey snapped out of her concentration.  

– Whew! Ah, Grand Lord! You’re back!  

“Yeah. You were really focused, weren’t you, Frey?”  

– Yes! Oh, is that the video? Can I watch it too?  

“Of course.”  

The two of them then watched the video together from the beginning.  

They discussed it excitedly, exchanging ideas as they watched it to the end.  

Seeing them huddled so close, they looked like the best of friends—despite all the bickering they did every day.  

– Let’s try it right away!  

– Yeah!  

The two of them enthusiastically began slicing the pile of seashells.  

I was really curious how their version of najeonchilgi would turn out.  

– Everyone’s working so hard.  

“Huh? Verna?”  

At the sound of a voice behind me, I turned and saw Verna fluttering over with her wings.  

“It’s Verna! Verna’s tiara is ready too!”  

Ara, noticing Verna’s arrival, pointed to a tiara that looked similar to Frey’s but had its own unique design.  

– Hoho! I knew it would be ready!  

“So you came for your tiara, huh?”  

– That’s right.  

Verna replied boldly, then flew up with a regal expression and quickly placed the tiara on her head.  

– Hmm, perfect fit. I give it 97 points.  

“Huh? Why not 100?”  

– Just because! If I give out 100 too easily, it feels like I’m being too generous.  

Hmph, our Verna.  

For some reason, she reminded me of the old Frey.  

But then, suddenly—  

Ding!  

[The Goddess of Mercy, Verna, has fallen due to the Tiara of Sloth.]

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The newly acquired ability, [Lord of Salvation].  

One of its effects was clearly that the abilities of all my subordinates and familiars under my command would increase by one level.  

‘No way?’  

An ability level increase by one stage.  

I thought this simply meant getting a little stronger…  

But now that I see it, it literally meant a full-level upgrade.  

Thanks to that, Kyler, who was a Level 9 Awakener, became a Level 10 Awakener.  

“This is just unbelievable…”  

A Level 10 Awakener!  

There were only seven Level 9 Awakener individuals in the entire world.  

And even they had cleared all their quests and exhausted all their potential, unable to grow any further. They had essentially hit the ceiling.  

But I had just forcibly broken through that ceiling.  

No matter how I looked at it, it felt like a cheat.  

“I-I just acquired a new ability, and I think that’s the reason.”  

“A new ability? Are you saying you’ve had a second Awakening? No, wait! Kyu-seong is already a dual Awakener…”  

Kyler, who already looked pale while speaking, now turned completely white.  

“Tr-Triple Awakening.”  

Scratch scratch.  

“That’s what happened.”  

As I scratched my head and spoke, Kyler stood frozen without a single reaction.  

He seemed to be in deep shock, which was somewhat understandable.  

I might be the only person in the entire world with a triple Awakening.  

But I felt somewhat justified.  

‘After all that hardship!’  

Of course, I didn’t go through all that hoping for an Awakening, but I now had six of the Seven Deadly Sins as my subordinates and even had territory in another dimension.  

Who else could have pulled that off!  

‘Only… I could…’  

I even indulged in thoughts like I was the protagonist of a comic.  

“Kyu-seong, this doesn’t seem like something to take lightly.”  

“Really?”  

“When I just became a Level 10 Awakener, I discovered that from Level 10 onward, abilities become unique.”  

“Unique abilities?”  

What’s that supposed to mean?  

Upon hearing Kyler’s explanation, I learned that his original ability, [Adaptation], had become a unique ability called [Homunculus].  

“Ohh. That sounds kind of cool.”  

“W-Well… it literally means a small human in a flask, or artificial lifeform…”  

“Still, it sounds like something that can adapt to anything.”  

“That part is true.”  

“Ah, then did Emily become a Level 9 as well this time?”  

“Yes. Emily has also reached Level 9. Thanks to that, future quests should be much easier to complete. The difficulty of the quests remains the same.”  

“That’s great!”  

Could this ability of mine also apply to the members of our Ara Hongryeon guild?  

I should go out and check.  

“Kyu-seong.”  

“Yes?”  

“Does this new ability only apply to Awakener like me and Emily?”  

“No. It applies to all my subordinates.”  

“Does that include the Seven Deadly Sins under your command…?”  

“Yes, that’s right.”  

Kyler’s complexion, which had just started to return to normal, began to turn pale again.  

“Then… does that mean all the Seven Deadly Sins have also gotten one level stronger?”  

“T-That seems to be the case?”  

No wonder everyone had been making such a fuss about feeling stronger—turns out they became way stronger than I thought!  

The Seven Deadly Sins were about the level of Level 9 boss monsters.  

They were only manageable with a party of Level 9 Awakener.  

Now they’d need a party of Level 10 Awakener just to be handled?  

“Ha ha.”  

It was finally sinking in.  

The ability I just Awakener as a Demon King was actually an absurdly powerful one.  

At first, I only thought, “Oh? This is pretty good,” because it made my territories free from poor harvests.  

“Kyler…”  

“Yes, Kyu-seong?”  

“I think I might be invincible now.”  

“…That does seem to be the case.”  

It sounded ridiculous, but it wasn’t wrong.  

As I was enjoying the not-so-joking joke, Ara suddenly popped! and appeared.  

She literally jumped out from empty space, and both Kyler and I were startled mid-conversation.  

“Ara! How did you do that?!”  

“I copied Grandpa.”  

“Grandpa? Hassan?”  

“Yep!”  

Ara answered casually.  

I looked at her in disbelief, then glanced at Kyler, who was mumbling in despair.  

“I became a Level 10 and still didn’t notice…”  

“Well then.”  

Should I feel sorry for him or not?  

In any case, it was all good news.  

With little humans discovering a city of other races and tensions rising, everyone getting stronger was a relief.  

“I’m going to take Levi to the sea!”  

“Huh? Oh. Yeah, let’s do that.”  

I was still dazed from all the shocking information.  

Before I knew it, Levi was flapping eagerly, wanting water.  

—Ssshhhk.  

“Sorry, sorry. Let’s go now.”  

Ara hugged the waiting Levi, and we headed for the sea.  

When we crossed into the ocean, we were met by a crowd of very excited merfolk.  

—Kyu-seong!  

“Oh, Red Scale. What brings you here?”  

—I’m suddenly bursting with strength! Thanks to you…!  

I looked at the spot Red Scale gestured toward and saw a huge pile of items.  

Luxurious corals, shells, and various seafoods were stacked high.  

—I’m overflowing with power! Wahaha!  

“That’s great to hear.”  

—Yes! Thanks to you, it looks like our children will have siblings!  

“T-That’s wonderful news.”  

Is this guy bragging about his happy marriage life right now?!  

Bragging about your marriage in front of a single person is a crime!  

“Oh, Father was here too.”  

“Sure.”  

Now, my father was so used to the mermaids that he didn’t even pay them any mind as he fished.  

At this rate, he might even build a boat himself and go on a fishing trip out at sea.  

‘Not bad.’  

Before, I used to strongly oppose it, thinking it might be dangerous.  

But now, we had mermaids and Levi.  

As long as I asked them for help, there likely wouldn’t be any danger for my father.  

Next to him, the mermaid prince and princess were quietly watching him fish.  

They clapped and laughed every time he caught a fish.  

Though he didn’t show it, I could see the corners of my father’s mouth twitch every time the siblings expressed joy.  

“I’m going to swim too!”  

At some point, Ara had changed into her swimsuit and began warming up with Levi.  

These days, Ara did everything by herself without needing me to watch over her.  

She’d grown so much before I even realized it…  

“Ara, don’t grow up too fast.”  

“What are you talking about! I’m going to grow up fast!”  

“Ugh.”  

So this is what it feels like to be a father.  

Hearing Ara’s blunt reply, I began preparing to enter the water too.  

Once Ara, Levi, the mermaids, and I were underwater, I spotted something unfamiliar in the distance.  

‘Oh?’  

A coral city, similar to the one I’d seen in the Dungeon of Envy, had taken shape.  

It hadn’t been long since they moved, yet so much had already been built.  

After eating a Water Breathing Mushroom, I swam toward the city.  

Ara, seemingly curious about the mermaid city under construction, joined me.  

‘Wow, it’s beautiful!’  

The mermaid city was a kaleidoscope of colors.  

The height of splendor.  

Corals, rocks, shells, and various seaweeds decorated the city, all in vivid colors.  

If the Dungeon of Envy hadn’t been corrupted, maybe it would’ve originally looked this beautiful too.  

—Thanks to moving to such a great place, we’re building a record-breaking city. Thank you, Kyu-seong.  

“Grrk.”  

I nodded in response and gave a thumbs-up.  

Red Scale led me around for a tour, and I could tell that an underwater city was truly something special.  

What surprised me most were the aquafarms for seaweed, shellfish, and crustaceans.  

“Grrrrk.”  

—It’s not in full operation yet, but the seaweed farm should be ready in about a month.  

—The rest will be completed at one-month intervals.  

Wow, I didn’t expect that at all.  

It was a twist, in the best way.  

I had been a little worried that the influx of merfolk might deplete the local water resources, but if they had aquafarms, that wouldn’t be a problem.  

After touring the mermaid city, we returned to land and examined the various seafood and luxury goods the merfolk had delivered.  

Sorting all this was going to take quite a bit of time.  

Just as I thought that, the mermaids came out and started organizing everything.  

—This goes here.  

—And this one goes there.  

Neatly stacked piles of items.  

I began transporting the sorted goods to the Slime Village’s food storage using Bokkeum.  

When I saw Ashu nearby, I let her know, and she immediately began helping.  

—Ashu is a pro at this!  

The storage rooms had become so complicated, even I couldn’t remember everything anymore.  

I had a rough idea of where things were, but ever since I left the cooking to the Breeding Tribe, I’d forgotten a lot.  

Following Ashu around, I took out and placed items wherever she told me to using Bokkeum.  

“Looking at it now, it’s really gotten huge!”  

—It’s still getting bigger! Bigger! Ashu’s dream is growing that much too!  

Ashu’s wide-armed gesture was so cute I couldn’t resist squishing her cheeks.  

“Yeah, yeah. You’re doing great, Ashu.”  

—Ashu is really thankful to Kyu-seong Kyu-seong!  

—If not for Kyu-seong Kyu-seong, Ashu would still be boiling soup with dirt.  

“That actually makes me a bit curious? Wait, no. I didn’t mean that. Not curious at all.”  

Seeing Ashu’s eyes sparkle, I quickly changed the subject.  

“By the way, Ashu, you don’t seem to work at Jae-seong’s restaurant as much as I thought.”  

—Yeah! I do cooking research with them, but I want to cook for the people here in the dungeon!  

—We can’t only serve good food at the restaurant!  

“As expected of our Ashu. No one thinks of us the way you do!”  

—No, no! It’s actually good for everyone! Our tribe’s skills have grown fast thanks to real restaurant experience, and they bring that back here!  

She had a point.  

The Breeding Tribe bunnies worked on a rotating schedule at Jae-seong’s restaurant.  

There were some inconveniences with needing to retrain them constantly, but we’d decided to accept that.  

‘By now, the first rotation should be done, right?’  

They’d all likely had at least one shift at the restaurant, so things should be smoother now.  

In any case, Jae-seong’s restaurant, which had just earned its first star, was fully booked every day and wildly successful.  

There were even times when Hanul, Young-seong, and the Guildmaster stopped by the restaurant without even visiting me.  

It made me wonder if their obsession with me had finally started to fade, which was a relief.  

“Ah, once I finish sorting all this, I should head out for a bit.”  

—Why?  

“I need to check something. Didn’t you say you felt like you got a bit faster? I want to see if others are experiencing the same effect.”  

—Ah-ha!  

With that, I made a few more trips using Bokkeum to transfer the remaining seafood to storage.  

“Whew!”  

Now all that was left were corals, shells, and such.  

Looking closely, I noticed something that resembled gemstones.  

“What’s this?”  

—It’s a type of salt.  

“Salt?”  

I thought it was a luxury item, but it was salt?  

But I’d never seen salt like this before.  

It looked like uncut gemstones, each in different colors.  

It was stunningly beautiful.  

—It’s also the first time we’ve discovered this kind of salt in this sea.  

—Please try tasting it.  

At Red Scale’s suggestion, Ara and I gave it a lick.  

Crunch.  

Ara just bit into it. That must be salty.  

Lick.  

“Hm?”  

It wasn’t as salty as I expected.  

It was definitely salt, but the flavor was slightly different.  

“Umami?”  

I couldn’t quite describe it, but it had a taste similar to umami.  

Especially the kind you get from seafood.  

—Each color has a different flavor.  

—It seems the salt changes color depending on its mineral composition.  

“That’s fascinating.”  

Ara gave a thumbs-up as she happily munched on the salt.  

I was glad she liked it.  

Once we separated the salts, we found there was a good amount.  

As a new ingredient, it seemed like something Ashu and the restaurant staff would love.  

“I guess we can give the rest to the cats or the goblins.”  

Man, so busy, so busy!  

I wanted to go outside and check something, but time had flown, and it was already late evening.  

I guess I’ll get some sleep and finish the rest tomorrow, then head out.

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The time allowed to visit Chiyon, where the little humans live, was only 30 minutes.  

However, since it was an invasion, there didn’t seem to be any limit on how many people could be brought along.  

Thanks to that, it was an all-star gathering for the first time in a while!  

– Ready to go!  

Mammon, the stingy goblin.  

– I shall recite poetry of elegance.  

Ras, the enraged gnoll.  

– A place where Angel live!  

Fairy Queen Frey.  

– Ashu will go spread delicious cuisine.  

Ashu, of the lustful breeding tribe.  

– Uegh. I’m going too, nya~.  

Bell Faust, the slothful cat-smith.  

– Sssshh.  

Levi, the jealous sea dragon.  

Then there were GomGom, Soo, the thunder spirit Son Ogong, Woofy, Purr Headbutt, ClingCling, KkuMul………….  

Even among the goblins, gnolls, and breeding tribe children, we accepted volunteers to join the dimensional invasion.  

– ( ‘~’)/  

– \ (•w•)>  

Of course, we couldn’t forget the volunteers from the fairies.  

“We are ready!”  

“Dad, I’m ready too!”  

Even Ara and Cheong were all set.  

Just then, Choro stepped through the portal.  

“Waaah!!”  

Seeing all the gathered kids, Choro let out a surprised exclamation.  

“We just finished getting ready, Choro.”  

“W-We’re really bringing a lot of people. I’m worried the city might be too small…………….”  

This was already a heavily reduced number.  

I also shared Choro’s concerns and had to make the painful decision to leave out many volunteers.  

“Think it’ll be okay?”  

“Hmm, let’s head over first. If it’s really not possible, they can just stay outside the city.”  

“Right.”  

After all, the time we could spend there was only 30 minutes.  

Probably a blink-and-it’s-gone kind of time.  

“Let’s go!”  

“Ooooh!”  

Shouting together with everyone, we crossed through the portal.  

[Dimensional Invasion Begins.]  

[Time Limit: 30 minutes]  

The moment we passed through the portal, the scenery instantly changed and a new view spread out before us.  

“We made it!”  

“We have arrived!”  

The first to arrive were Ara and me.  

We looked around.  

Then the little humans welcomed us with fluttering petals.  

Even so, they barely reached up to our knees.  

“Waaaah!”  

“The Demon King has personally descended!”  

“Raise your glasses in celebration!”  

“Hail the Demon King! Hail!”  

Encouraged by their enthusiastic welcome, I slowly waved my hand.  

Then the residents who saw me for the first time erupted in another wave of cheers.  

“So many!”  

Just as Ara said, it felt like every little human had poured out, and the area was packed.  

Right then, Choro, who had followed behind us, held back the residents.  

“A large number of people are going to come through! Everyone, please step back!”  

Then Ppoko and Toto, who had been on standby, cleared the crowd and opened a path.  

And then came a flood of our children.  

Each time, loud cheers and applause echoed.  

“Daddy, Daddy! There’s clapping!”  

“Yeah. They’re all welcoming us.”  

“Yay! They’re welcoming us!”  

Cheong seemed to really like this place and fully enjoyed the mood.  

Seeing shy little Cheong like this made me proud for no reason.  

I guess because the little humans were so tiny, they didn’t feel overwhelming.  

– Ohh, so this is the place!  

– Are they welcoming me?  

– Hi! I’m Ashu!  

– So this is the home of the Angel! It’s as beautiful as expected!  

–……  

Like a parade, the children entered one by one, waving at the people.  

With every new child that appeared, the cheers grew louder.  

Once everyone had crossed over, the city felt full.  

‘But now that I see it, it’s way bigger in person.’  

I had worried there might not even be room to step, but it was still larger than a World Cup stadium.  

“Thank you all for the warm welcome. My name is Lee Kyu-seong.”  

“Demon King! Demon King! Demon King!”  

No, I’m not the Demon King……………  

I felt a bit wronged, but judging by the atmosphere, the title was already set in stone.  

And at that moment.  

Ding!  

[The Demon King has entered his own territory in another dimension for the first time.]  

[The residents of the territory warmly welcome the Demon King.]  

[You are now the true Demon King.]  

“Oh boy.”  

I really got branded as the Demon King now!  

And as if that wasn’t the end, I suddenly felt a strange power rise from my body.  

Ding!  

[Awakening complete!]  

What? Awakening complete?  

What’s going on?  

I was too dumbfounded to react properly.  

Somehow, I felt like I’d been through something like this twice already.  

“T-Third awakening?!”  

No way!!  

I hurriedly opened my status window.  

And there it was, listed proudly alongside Liquid Synthesis and Slime Overlord, a strangely named ability.  

[Lord of Salvation LV.1]  

“Oooooh!”  

Lord of Salvation!  

Huh? That name looks familiar………  

Somehow, it felt like it might exist in another world too.  

Looking at the odd name, I checked the description first.  

[Lord of Salvation]  

[All the abilities of minions and subordinates under your command rise by 1 level. ] 

[You gain the power to control monsters.]  

[Poor harvests are eradicated in your territory.]  

“Hmmm.”  

Being a Demon King, I expected some incredible power.  

But once I opened it, it was just a normal ability.  

Maybe not that normal, but still, not a combat power this time either.  

‘How can I awaken three abilities and still not get a single combat skill?’  

Other people fly around just from one awakening, yet I awakened three and they’re all vague.  

“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong!!”  

“Huh? Oh, Ara. Sorry, I was checking something.”  

“That’s not it! Look at this!”  

What is she trying to show me?  

Suddenly excited, Ara spoke to me while flexing her thin arms.  

Of course, her slim arms didn’t bulge into muscles or anything.  

Just soft and adorable little arms.  

“I’ve gotten stronger! How did this happen?”  

“You got stronger?”  

“Yes! Look at this! My mighty arm!”  

It seemed our Ara didn’t quite understand what “mighty” meant.  

As I stood there, a bit dumbfounded, the other kids also came up to me and chimed in.  

– Oooooh! My Lord! I feel an unknown power!!  

– I feel like I could ascend to immortality at any moment.  

– I think I can cook even faster! Ashu is brimming with strength!  

– Hohoho, now I can fly while lying down. Look at this trick!  

Apparently, the ability boost from the “Lord of Salvation” was having more impact than expected.  

To be honest, it didn’t seem like that great of an ability to me, but if the kids were happy, then it was a good thing.  

Not only that, even the little humans seemed affected and were chattering joyfully, saying they felt full of energy.  

Their pure reactions melted my heart.  

“This really is a nice place.”  

“It’s all thanks to you, Lord.”  

Suddenly bursting with strength, Choro swung his sword and hurriedly responded to my words.  

“No, it’s thanks to everyone’s hard work.”  

“Ah, by the way! Lord! We’ve harvested this season’s grain. So we prepared our traditional dish. Would you like to try it?”  

“Of course I have to try it!”  

Soon, the food was brought out.  

They had prepared enough so that all the kids who came through the portal could eat.  

“Wasn’t that too much?”  

“Thanks to the food you provided, there’s no problem at all!”  

I carefully accepted the bowl Choro handed me and inspected it.  

It looked like oatmeal.  

The texture was somewhat like porridge, but I took a spoonful anyway.  

Slurp.  

Hmm?  

Contrary to its appearance, it was surprisingly good.  

A nutty aroma and flavor, and a firmer texture than expected.  

The other kids also seemed to like it, munching cutely on their oatmeal.  

“U-Um, does it suit your taste?”  

“Oh! It’s good!”  

“Thank goodness! Honestly, I was really worried the ingredients you provided were too good, and this wouldn’t compare.”  

“No, no. This has a different kind of charm. Just because I find something else tasty doesn’t mean this isn’t.”  

When I smiled and said that, Choro relaxed.  

“Actually, the crops we harvested with the slimes this time taste much better than what we used to eat. Before, it wasn’t this delicious. It used to be a bit bland.”  

“Ah, I see.”  

As expected, slimes are the best.  

Since we were talking about it, I finished the oatmeal and went to see the fields.  

Since it was still dangerous to farm outside the city walls, they had set up farmland within the city.  

There, slime creatures the size of fists were busily wriggling around.  

“How cute!”  

They were about a quarter the size of the slimes I summoned, which made them extra adorable.  

Ara must’ve liked them too — she hugged one and rubbed her face against it.  

Pyoing?  

“Hehehe.”  

Just watching was healing.  

After a short walk around the fields, it was already time to return.  

“That really was too short.”  

Thirty minutes — a bit harsh, honestly.  

The little humans seemed able to stay in our dungeon for much longer, so why only us?  

Still, we had to go.  

Whining wouldn’t make time longer.  

“We’ll head back now.”  

At that moment, Cheong hesitantly led Ashu away from the group, who had still been passionately teaching recipes to the residents.  

We said our farewells.  

“I’ll come along too. There was something I wanted to tell you.”  

Choro spoke while subtly shifting his gaze.  

There stood Frey, deep in conversation with Verna.  

I wondered what they were discussing so seriously.  

– How can I make my wings shinier?  

– So Angel worry about that too. Actually, me too!  

…Yeah, let’s not look into that further.  

Anyway, whatever Choro wanted to talk about could be handled back home.  

Though brief, our 30-minute trip had been quite enjoyable.  

And there was even a big harvest.  

This humble being had become the Lord of Salvation, after all.  

Wow, even the name sounds amazing.  

It really made me feel like I’d become a legendary protagonist.  

When we returned to the dungeon, everyone scattered.  

They all seemed full of energy and eager to test their powers.  

Was the effect that noticeable?  

– As I tilted my head in thought, Choro spoke up.  

“Lord, the goddess has discovered something new.”  

“Something new?”  

“Yes. She has confirmed the existence of another city. And apparently, another race lives there.”  

“Oh! Another race?”  

Now what’s this? Another race?  

I asked Choro, surprised by the sudden revelation.  

“There were other races before?”  

“Yes. Before the monsters took over the continent, there were occasional interactions between other races and humans. Of course, the relationships weren’t always friendly, but if it was beneficial, they often interacted.”  

“Then, are relations bad even now?”  

“Hmm, I wouldn’t say they’re good. Honestly, I didn’t even know they were still alive.”  

“Hmmm.”  

Another race, huh…  

For the current little humans, they were like a double-edged sword.  

They could be a danger.  

But to treat them as enemies from the start would be difficult, especially with the common threat of monsters.  

The situation in Chiyon was complicated.  

With my help, they had opened a path to survival,  

but that was about it.  

Apparently, the monsters nearby were still on the weaker side.  

The deeper into the continent you went, the stronger the monsters became, and they were the ones who had swallowed up the lands — that was the current state of Chiyon.  

“Should we put it on hold for now? Just knowing they exist means we can start preparing, so it’s a relief.”  

“That seems like a good idea.”  

At that moment, we felt something approaching with intense energy from far away.  

Choro noticed too and immediately went on alert.  

But upon closer look, it was Kyler.  

“Kyler? What’s going on?”  

“Kyu-seooooooong!!”  

“What’s the matter?”  

Kyler shouted as he ran over in a hurry.  

He was usually so calm, but now he looked unusually excited.  

“What in the world is going on?!”  

“Eh?”  

“A notification just popped up saying my level increased because of the Demon King’s power!”  

“Ah, that must be from my sudden awakening—”  

…Wait, hold on a second?  

Did he say level increased?  

Just as I was realizing what that meant, Kyler’s eyes widened, and he shouted:  

“Level T-Ten!”  

“Uh……”  

“I’ve become a Level 10 Awakener!!”

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The next morning.  

We were taking care of the day’s tasks from early on.  

Since most of the things needed to connect to the World Tree were related to elves, we had only made the Awakening Elixir of the Fairy Queen for now.  

To do that, I met Soo, who was still dreaming of rebellion, for the first time in a while and asked for a favor.  

-Kkyuit!  

Even while casting the Five Elemental Circulation, his eyes darted around nervously.  

He looked like he was plotting something again.  

He seemed anxious, worried he might be found out.  

I found him cute and pretended not to notice, but Ara didn’t seem to think the same.  

“Lee Soo! What are you scheming!”  

-Kkyuiiit!!  

Soo protested as if it was unfair.  

But his no-nonsense sister, Ara, wasn’t going to let him off.  

“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong! We must go check! Lee Soo is up to something!”  

Ara grabbed my hand and pulled me along.  

Soo flailed his arms and legs trying to stop us, which only made him look more pitiful.  

-Kkyuit! Kkyuuit!  

“Haha.”  

I simply enjoyed the moment and followed Ara’s lead.  

After all, we had come to see Soo anyway, so it didn’t take long for Soo’s plan to be exposed.  

“Ooh!”  

“Wow. Soo did this?”  

What Soo was trying hard to hide was a massive flower field.  

And judging by the looks of it, all the flowers in this field were probably Soo’s minions.  

Lee Soo, you terrifying creature.  

You’ve been building a massive army of biological weapons here!  

Soo trembled as he tried to avert his gaze.  

Ara narrowed her eyes at him, and only then did Soo spread his arms wide and confess his wrongdoing.  

-Kkyuing…….  

“It’s okay, Soo. Go ahead and try your best. Trying to surpass me isn’t such a bad thing.”  

-Kkyuit?!  

“Ehh? Are you really okay with this, Kyu-seong Kyu-seong!”  

When I gave him permission to rebel, Soo’s eyes sparkled.  

“I’m actually looking forward to it. Let’s see if our Soo can really surpass me.”  

-Soooooo!!  

Soo nodded eagerly, his dream of rebellion glowing brightly.  

With Soo’s help, we were able to make the Awakening Elixir of the Fairy Queen and come this far.  

“Is everyone ready?”  

“We are ready!”  

-Yes!  

-Ashu is ready too!  

Today, we were joined by Frey and Ashu.  

Bell, Ras, Mammon, and Levi were busy with their own work, so only the remaining Seven Deadly Sins members were here.  

As for the others…  

Kyler checked the luggage.  

Emily was helping her dad.  

And Ryu Cheon and Yu Bihong, who came from China.  

‘Just in case.’  

You never know.  

Maybe Ryu Cheon’s mother is over there.  

“Let’s go.”  

Ryu Cheon said with a blank face.  

After the final check, we entered the portal.  

Ryu Cheon and Yu Bihong, fully armed and looking determined, followed behind, and they looked a little cute.  

Wooooong.  

As we entered, it picked up again from where it had stopped the previous day.  

If we kept moving like this for about two weeks, we’d probably arrive at the village.  

“You’ve arrived.”  

“You’re here.”  

Just like last time, two elves greeted us.  

“You’ve waited a long time, haven’t you?”  

“It wasn’t long for us, so don’t worry. But I see some new faces.”  

“These are my acquaintances. This is Ryu Cheon, and this is Yu Bihong.”  

“Greetings, elves. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”  

Yu Bihong greeted them politely.  

The two elves also introduced themselves in return.  

“Ryu Cheon.”  

And, as always, Ryu Cheon introduced herself curtly. Still holding Ara in her arms.  

Looking at them like this, I felt that without Ara, It would’ve been really hard to become close to Ryu Cheon.  

“There’s a familiar scent of kin.”  

“Are you related to elves by any chance?”  

Are elves bloodhounds or something?  

They instantly sensed that Ryu Cheon had some connection to elves.  

“Ryu Cheon is a half-elf.”  

“I thought so—the scent of kin is strong.”  

After that, we briefly explained.  

Ryu Cheon is a half-elf who was separated from her mother, and she came along hoping she might be here.  

“Hmm, she might be in our village.”  

“Well, it wouldn’t hurt to go and check together.”  

We asked just in case, But they clearly had no idea.  

We thought half-elves weren’t that common, So we figured they might know something, But no luck.  

“Well then, I’ll tell you when I arrive at the elf village next time. For now, just think of this as a trial run.”  

No need to come here every day.  

Afterward, we shared some of the ingredients we brought with the elves.  

“Thank you.”  

“Can’t wait to try it.”  

They spoke casually, but their expressions showed excitement.  

As they began to taste a little, I casually asked, “Is that World Tree connected to other World Trees?”  

“It used to be.”  

“Used to be? So it’s not anymore?”  

“After the world shattered, the connection was severed. I don’t know if it can be restored.”  

Janya followed up after Dorohan’s words.  

“We were hoping to receive the Fairy Queen’s help for that reason. A disconnected World Tree will eventually wither and die. And when that happens, high elves are affected. If high elves perish, then our entire elf race will go extinct.”  

It was more serious than I had imagined.

One thing I was curious about was what exactly Frey could do.  

“Why do we need the Fairy Queen?”  

“Originally, fairies and elves coexisted in the World Tree and took care of it. Of course, that alone isn’t enough, which is why the connection is necessary……”  

In the end, Frey wasn’t a fundamental solution either.  

Then…  

“What if I can connect the World Tree?”  

“You can connect the World Tree?”  

“But I’ll need your help.”  

At my words, the elves widened their eyes in disbelief.  

Since they usually had blank expressions, the change in their faces felt dramatic.  

“Is it possible?”  

“Yes. But I’ll need the elves’ magic and the High Elf’s ancient relic.”  

“What kind of magic exactly…”  

“Well, I’m not sure. I don’t know.”  

Should I ask Mark2 again?  

But Dorohan shook his head and said,  

“The High Elf will know.”  

“Hmm, then I just need to meet the High Elf.”  

“But she’s not in good condition right now. She can barely stay conscious for one day out of the week.”  

“Ah…”  

I wondered if we could bring the High Elf here, But it seemed we’d have to go to the village ourselves.  

When I asked, it would take about 12 days from here to the village.  

If we ran fast, that might change things.  

“Then let’s run, shall we?”  

“Is that really okay?”  

The elves looked at the children with concern.  

“Don’t worry. I’m probably the slowest one here.”  

“Alright. Then we’ll guide the way, so please follow us.”  

After getting approval from Ryu Cheon and Yu Bihong, we started running after the elves.  

Naturally, I was the slowest.  

The elves seemed slightly surprised to see us keeping up so well.  

“At this pace, it’ll only take three days!”  

I nodded at Janya’s words and ran with all my strength.  

I glanced to the side and saw the group running playfully with calm expressions.  

‘Hmph!’  

Thinking I was the slowest made me feel a bit guilty.  

So I immediately used the Authority of the Grand Lord.  

The designated slime was Ara!  

[Using the Authority of the Grand Lord.]  

[Borrowing magic enhancement ability for 30 minutes.]  

‘Oh! Jackpot!’  

My body felt lighter due to the increased mana.  

I felt so much stronger.  

Even though I only borrowed 30% of Ara’s abilities, it felt like I could fly.  

Thanks to that, as I picked up speed, the elves now had a hard time keeping up with us.  

“Oh wind’s blessing…”  

“Let light footsteps cling to the earth…”  

As one of the elves mumbled incomprehensible words, their speed suddenly increased.  

It seemed they had used magic.  

“Ohh! Let’s go!”  

Ara dashed and ran alongside the elves. Seeing Ara keep up even though they used magic made their eyes widen in shock.  

“Run! Run! Lord Ara, run!”  

Frey clung to Ara’s shoulder and cheered her on enthusiastically, while I chased behind them with difficulty.  

“Huff, huff… Wait for me!”  

Even with the magic enhancement, my base level was only Level 3.  

As everyone else picked up speed, I started falling behind, but Ashu pushed me forward from behind.  

“Go with Ashu!”  

“Thanks, Ashu.”  

Even Mammon, the physically weakest among the Seven Sins, had the physical specs of a Level 5 Awakener.  

I still had a long way to go.  

Eventually, even Emily got excited and ran ahead, while I fell further behind.  

“H-Hey! Don’t leave us behind!”  

Before I knew it, it had become a full-on race. Only Yu Bihong and Kyler remained at my side.  

Ryu Cheon?  

She was running just to keep watching Ara.  

“It’s been a while since I had this much fun. It feels like I’ve found my childhood again.”  

“Huff, huff… Is that so? I’m glad.”  

After about three hours of running, We were finally forcefully summoned back.  

We couldn’t even say proper goodbyes.  

I think they’re still running, unaware that we’ve disappeared.  

“Phew.”  

“Good job, Kyu-seong Kyu-seong.”  

Ashu patted me as I lay collapsed, and Ara brought back some honey hot spring water.  

“Gulp, gulp. Ahhh!”  

Now I could finally breathe again.  

After thanking Ara, I also said goodbye to Ryu Cheon and Yu Bihong.  

“When we reach the elf village, I’ll contact you through Seon-ah. It should take about three days.”  

“Understood. Thank you, Mr. Kyuseong.”  

We hadn’t gained any major clues about Ryu Cheon’s mother, But we’d have to investigate further.  

After the two of them left and I rested a bit more, I asked Kyler, “You heard about Ryu Cheon, right?”  

“Unintentionally.”  

“Do you think she’s in the elf village?”  

“Hmm, honestly, I don’t think the odds are high. Seeing the natives found in the dungeon, there seem to be many different dimensions, and there appear to be multiple elf-inhabited ones too.”  

Apparently, there are dimensions where elves and humans coexist, And others populated by all kinds of different races.  

But the dimension we found seemed to be, though not certain, one inhabited solely by elves.  

“Hmm.”  

“But you never know. From what I heard, connecting the World Tree might trigger something new. That could lead to a clue…”  

“You’re right. If the World Trees become connected, we might even be able to interact with elves from other dimensions someday. I’ll give it a try.”  

After finishing our talk, we headed straight for the hot spring.  

After sweating that much, it was time to rest a bit.  

Ara excitedly changed into her swimsuit and bounced around.  

Ashu and Frey were with her, and before we knew it, the fairies had joined too.  

->=<

-=><=  

Seeing the fairies greet us happily, I gently patted them and let my body soak in the hot spring.  

So warm. So nice.  

“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong! Kyu-seong Kyu-seong!”  

“Yeah?”  

“Tomorrow is a fun day!”  

“Tomorrow? Oh, that’s right.”  

Tomorrow we’re finally visiting the little humans’ dimension.  

I didn’t have any real role there, But since I was going anyway, I’d greet the residents and see how they were doing…  

**  

Meanwhile, at the same time, in Chiyon.  

“We found a city!”  

Everyone was shocked by Verna’s outburst.  

“A city?”  

“A city, really?!”  

Then Verna continued the explanation she hadn’t managed to give earlier.  

“It’s a city where other races live!”  

“Other… races?”  

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‘Wasn’t that something you shouldn’t say so lightly?’

Come to think of it, I had never once heard anything about Ryu Cheon’s parents.

It was truly strange that no one knew who the parents were of a successor from such a famous guild like Skyscraper—especially one with the title of the youngest Level 8 Awakener.

Other than her grandfather, Ryu Wang-jin, there was no known information about her blood relatives.

Even Yu Bihong, who stuck to her like a sister, wasn’t actually related by blood.

Watching Ryu Cheon still tilting her head in confusion, I subtly gave Yu Bihong a look.

“Should we pretend we didn’t hear that?”

“Sigh.”

Yu Bihong shook her head as if there was no helping it.

Regardless, Ryu Cheon looked blank, as if she had no idea why Yu Bihong had sighed.

“It doesn’t matter anyway.”

“What do you mean, it doesn’t matter, miss…?”

“Mr. Kyu-seong isn’t a stranger. Ara is my family.”

At some point, without us realizing, we’d become part of her family.

“My father was an Awakener. He met my mother in a dungeon, and that’s how I was born.”

“That’s really unexpected.”

“I was born with strong mana and a weak body because of that.”

So that was it. No wonder—it had been an unprecedented case so far.

She was born Awakener, and not just that, but Level 8 from birth.

From what we learned about elves, they seemed to wield magic, so maybe they were naturally gifted with mana from birth.

“Mr. Kyu-seong, why did you suddenly bring up elves…?”

“Oh, I happened to come across an elf by chance. So I was curious if you knew anything about them.”

“You met an elf?”

Yu Bihong asked again, startled.

Ryu Cheon also looked at me with wide, round eyes.

“Yes. It just happened by chance.”

“‘Happened by chance,’ you say…”

Though my words sounded a bit ridiculous, the two of them nodded slowly, seemingly accepting it.

Then Ryu Cheon finally spoke up.

“I don’t know much, but I’ll tell you everything I do know.”

But when I actually tried to ask, I wasn’t quite sure what to ask about.

Honestly, I found myself more curious about Ryu Cheon’s parents than elves.

“Hmm, first, I’m curious about the elves’ culture and habits. I did a bit of research through the guild, but there wasn’t much data.”

“I’ve heard they don’t lie. So by human standards, they might come across as a little strange.”

“Do you happen to know anything about their magic?”

“Oh, right. Elves don’t go through an Awakening like we do, but they’re born with mana. I’ve heard they use that to perform what we call magic.”

That seemed to be something common not just to the elves we met, but all elves.

But if her mother was an elf, wouldn’t she have seen it herself? Yet for some reason, Ryu Cheon’s words all sounded like secondhand information.

‘I want to ask, but it would be rude.’

From Yu Bihong’s expression, I could tell it wasn’t something to ask unless she brought it up herself.

“Ryu Cheon, is your mother an elf?”

Then!

Our Ara asked the very question that had been scratching at my curiosity.

She must’ve been thinking about it this whole time, tilting her head, waiting for the right moment to ask.

“You do look a little similar!”

“I do?”

“Yeah! You’re pretty!”

“…You’re cute.”

Staring blankly at Ara for a moment, Ryu Cheon finally confessed the thing we’d all been wondering.

“My father was a promising Awakener. You may or may not have heard of him—his name was Ryu Hwei. He was fairly well known.”

That was the first time I’d heard that name.

As both Ara and I looked puzzled, Yu Bihong added an explanation.

“He wasn’t famous enough for his name to reach Korea. He was a rising star, really. At the time, he was ranked 5.”

So maybe he had some recognition within China, even if not internationally.

As Ara and I listened, eyes wide with interest, Ryu Cheon continued her story.

“Then one day, he happened to discover a dungeon inhabited by native beings. That’s where he met the elves.”

“Aha.”

“My father fell for the elves’ charm and ended up living with them. That’s probably when he married my mother. He didn’t even tell my grandfather, of course.”

“…Huh?”

Wait, he acted completely on his own like that?

If it was Ryu Wang-jin back then, he must have exploded with rage.

“He lived in secret with the elves and eventually had me. But because I was born with a weak body, my father eventually decided to return to the outside world.”

“Oh dear.”

Didn’t even need to see it to imagine.

His son, who had vanished for over a year, suddenly reappeared with a newborn daughter.

And that daughter was in very poor health.

I couldn’t imagine how Ryu Wang-jin or Skyscraper felt back then.

‘I don’t even want to picture it.’

It seemed Ryu Cheon’s father had a very different personality from mine.

“Then… what about your father now…?”

I didn’t think he would’ve gone back to the dungeon after bringing Ryu Cheon out.

“He passed away.”

“Ah! I–I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay. I don’t really remember him anyway.”

I had put my foot in my mouth.

I hadn’t expected that he was already gone.

I didn’t know how he died, but what a turbulent life it must have been.

And now I understood a bit better why Ryu Wang-jin doted on his granddaughter so much.

“The dungeon where my mother lived—there’s been no word from it since. My father never told anyone the location, so we don’t even know where it is. We don’t know if it was cleared or if a Break occurred.”

What happens to a dungeon when it’s cleared?

Many scholars had proposed theories, but no one knew for sure.

When a dungeon is cleared, the raiding team is allowed to exit, and the entrance closes.

So what happens to the dungeon itself?

Does it remain?

‘It’s possible.’

Considering things like the infinite dungeon I’ve been staying in, clearing it doesn’t seem to make the dungeon disappear.

Maybe only the passage connecting Earth and the dungeon vanishes, while the dungeon itself remains.

If so, then there’s a high chance Ryu Cheon’s mother is still alive, somewhere in another dimension.

“No way.”

“Yes?”

“Oh! It’s nothing. I was just thinking about something.”

…Could Ryu Cheon’s mother be in the dimension I ended up in?

Still, you never know.

I’ll try casually asking next time I visit tomorrow.

“Ryu Cheon, don’t you ever want to see your mother?”

“I am curious, but that’s all.”

Ryu Cheon shook her head side to side.

Her expression didn’t show a single hint of emotion.

Well, she had been brought outside as a newborn, so she probably never even felt their presence.

And judging by how Ryu Wang-jin treated her, it seemed she’d received plenty of love.

‘Though that must’ve come with its own struggles.’

While we were exchanging stories about Ryu Cheon’s past and the elves, Jung So-yeon—who had briefly stepped away—returned with someone.

“Mr. Kyu-seong, you have a visitor.”

“A visitor? Oh, Elder!”

It was Hassan.

Everyone seemed a bit taken aback by the sudden appearance of a Level 9 Awakener.

“Hoho, sorry about that. As soon as I came through the portal, this young lady caught me.”

“Uh, everyone. This is Elder Hassan. Elder, this is Ryu Cheon and Yu Bihong from the Skyscraper Guild, and Ms. Jung So-yeon of Ara Hongryeon.”

“Are you Hassan al-Din Sinan? It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Yu Bihong of Skyscraper Guild.”

“Ryu Cheon.”

After a brief round of introductions, Hassan explained why he’d come.

“There seems to be something unusual happening with the World Tree. Mark2 keeps going bbyong bbyong.”

“Mark2’s going bbyong bbyong?”

What’s going on?

We politely excused ourselves from the guests and decided to follow Hassan.

Since it was just a quick trip through the portal, it wasn’t much of a burden.

As soon as we crossed over and headed toward the World Tree, we could see that it had already grown to a dizzying height.

‘That was fast.’

We’d barely moved since exiting the portal, and yet the World Tree was already in sight—at this rate, in about a year, it might be like the one in the dungeon.

Judging by its size, it could easily hold an entire village inside.

Bbyorong!

“Mark2! What’s going on?”

“Mark2! Long time no see!”

Mark2 popped out just in time and greeted us warmly.

And then, an unexpected person appeared behind him.

“Huh? Hello there.”

It was Eli, the Harmonizer.

He bowed slightly and greeted us like he knew us.

Was this just a random visit?

—That thought crossed my mind just as Eli spoke.

“Thanks to you, I’m doing well.”

“Oh, are you living here now?”

“Yes.”

Seems like he’s settled in for good.

Unexpected.

“Hello, indeed.”

“Hi.”

While he exchanged greetings with Ara, Mark2 was saying something to me.

Bbyong bbyong!

“He really is going bbyong bbyong.”

From what I could gather, the World Tree had entered adolescence.

And now, it seemed like it might be possible to connect it to the one in the dungeon.

If I understood Mark2 this well, then I was definitely getting better at deciphering him.

Still, just in case, I asked Ara to translate, and it turned out I was pretty much right.

“Oooh, fascinating.”

“The World Trees will be connected…?”

Hassan and Eli were both surprised by this revelation.

Especially Eli, who seemed intrigued by the fact that there was another World Tree in the dungeon I stayed in.

“So that’s why you had the World Tree seed.”

“Yes. But it’s not like you can just get a World Tree seed easily.”

“Of course. If such an incredible tree were that easy to grow, that would be even more strange.”

But ever since earlier, Eli had been unusually friendly and gentle.

He hadn’t seemed this polite the last time I saw him.

“Have you taken a liking to this place?”

“Hm? Ah, I won’t deny it. These days, I feel at peace, like I’m living a second life.”

“That’s wonderful!”

It looked like Eli had become a prisoner to the World Tree.

Which, from my point of view, wasn’t a bad thing at all.

“Well then, let’s find out how to make the connection.”

“Mark2! How do we do it?”

When I asked Mark2 how to connect the World Trees, he started explaining enthusiastically, complete with bbyong bbyong sounds.

“You’ll need fairy enchantments and elf magic.”

“…Fairy enchantments and elf magic?”

What kind of requirement is that?

Honestly, I thought once the World Tree grew enough, the connection would just happen automatically.

But thinking about it, of course it wouldn’t be that easy.

“This is more complicated than I expected.”

“Fairy enchantments? Elf magic?”

Hassan and Eli were also surprised by the unexpected list of ingredients.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

“You’ll also need the ancient blessing of a High Elf!”

“Oh come on…”

Why does the list keep getting longer?

“And the Awakening Elixir of the Fairy Queen! Plus, an elven relic!”

“T-That’s a lot of stuff?!”

But if I think about it…

I actually have all of it.

‘If I manage to build enough trust with the elves, I might be able to ask for their help?!’

The problem was, I couldn’t bring the elves outside the portal.

I wasn’t sure of the exact requirements, but  if the elves needed to directly interact with the World Tree, then this could become a real challenge.

‘Wait a second! Doesn’t the elf village have its own World Tree too?’

…This might work.

Maybe I can try linking to the elf village’s World Tree first!

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