After taking a short nap for about an hour, I woke up to a luxurious meal. It was evident that Gaston was being considerate of me, and it wasn’t a bad feeling at all.
“Mmm~! That was delicious,” Ara said, patting her belly with a satisfied expression. I couldn’t forget the look on Gaston’s face and the people here as they watched Ara eat endlessly.
After returning to our room, we quietly rested while calculating the remaining time. A little while later…
“Is it time?”
I peeked outside. The sky was already pitch black. It was only 9 PM, but unlike Korea, it was incredibly dark here. Ara followed me outside, tiptoeing as she walked carefully.
‘I think it’s time.’
Despite us stepping outside, no one paid attention to us. There weren’t as many people compared to the morning, but that was expected. Confirming that Mammon’s perception-distorting poison was working properly, I returned to the room and thought about our next steps.
‘I can only use the “Master of Gluttony” once a day. I should save it for now, just in case.’
I debated bringing Purr for concealment and heading straight into the Dungeon of Wrath, but I decided against it for now. I should save it, just in case something happens inside.
“Ara, follow the plan.”
“Okay.”
Ara nodded with a serious expression and headed to the bathroom attached to the lodging. Using her immense strength, she ripped off the door.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, apologizing for the damage caused, and took the door with her. Carrying that around would surely attract attention, but Mammon’s poison was still in effect. Only Ara and I, who had taken the antidote, were unaffected.
“Let’s go.”
“Alright.”
Ara carried the door on her head, and we stepped outside the lodging once again. Even though she was holding a door, people still didn’t notice us, which confirmed that Mammon’s poison was working perfectly.
‘This is incredible.’
Experiencing it firsthand made Mammon’s abilities feel even more impressive. The poisoned individuals couldn’t perceive those who had taken the antidote, and those who took the antidote didn’t get affected by the poison. Both the poison and antidote were Mammon’s creations.
If we spoke to them, they would be able to notice us, but until then, we were just part of the scenery, according to Mammon’s explanation.
“The entrance looks a bit intense.”
We arrived at the entrance to the Dungeon of Wrath, carrying the door. The area was filled with all sorts of high-tech devices, and quite a few people were moving about. However, there was no one guarding the place, which was easy to understand.
‘There’s no need to guard this place since only people who have passed through the barbed wire and breached the wall could get here.’
Reaching this point was already incredibly difficult, so there was no reason to suspect those who made it this far. Additionally, the Dungeon of Wrath was a ninth-tier dungeon. Thanks to the earlier process, there were no large groups entering, and going in alone was practically suicidal.
In other words, the lack of security meant it would be easy for us to enter.
“Sneaky-sneaky, it is.”
Ara spoke, her excitement barely contained. It seemed like this situation felt like a game to her.
“Alright, let’s sneak in.”
“Got it.”
We quietly conversed as we approached the Dungeon of Wrath. Even then, no one noticed us. We finally got within arm’s reach of the entrance and took a deep breath before attempting to enter. I held Ara’s hand tightly.
Buzz–.
***
“Hmm?”
Researcher A suddenly turned towards the Dungeon of Wrath, as if he had heard a noise. However, there was nothing there, and the dungeon looked as it always did.
“Was it just my imagination?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I thought I heard a sound.”
“What? Where? From the dungeon?”
“Yeah, but I guess it was nothing.”
At Researcher A’s words, his colleague looked at him with concern.
“Aren’t you overworking yourself lately? Maybe you should take a break.”
“No way. We’re so close to cracking this. We might become the first to conquer the Seven Deadly Sins dungeons. I can’t rest now.”
“That might be true, but taking a short break won’t ruin your progress. Besides, we’ve already significantly improved the success rate.”
Researcher A nodded at his colleague’s advice. At that moment, he felt like he was on the verge of remembering something.
What was it? There was definitely something that had dramatically increased their chances of success…
“Ah, the items.”
“That’s right, the items. We just got them delivered.”
“Exactly. And I’m currently testing their efficiency and effects.”
But why did he suddenly struggle to recall that? Researcher A began to wonder if he was truly that exhausted.
‘Maybe I should rest for just an hour.’
He figured he should take a short break before getting back to work. After three nights of all-nighters, his head felt foggy.
“I’m exhausted too. My brain isn’t functioning well.”
“Yeah, let’s take this chance to rest. I’ll nap for just an hour.”
“Alright.”
After informing the others that they were going to rest, the researcher and his colleague headed to their lodging.
Lodging?
Something else popped into his mind when he thought about the lodging, but his head felt too fuzzy to grasp it. Maybe he was really just too tired. With that thought, the researcher laid down for a short nap.
But this phenomenon wasn’t only happening to him.
“What? You’re coming here? In person?”
Director Gaston was surprised by the sudden news and repeated the message. After receiving confirmation from the other side, he nodded at the unseen person on the line.
“Understood. We’ll be ready for your arrival.”
Upon hearing that Michael was flying in on his private jet, Director Gaston became busy. Why was he coming at this late hour, though?
‘He said he’s coming to see Lee Kyu-seong.’
But…
Who is Lee Kyu-seong?
Is he one of the staff here?
There were a few Asian researchers and staff working at the facility, so he figured Lee Kyu-seong must be one of them. But he couldn’t understand why Michael was coming all this way just to see him.
“Check if we have a staff member or researcher named Lee Kyu-seong! Michael said he’s coming!”
Upon Director Gaston’s orders, his subordinates started scanning through the staff list.
However, ironically, there was no one by the name of Lee Kyu-seong on any of the rosters.
“What? Did he get the name wrong?”
It was possible. Michael wasn’t exactly known for remembering names well.
In the end, Director Gaston had no choice but to contact Michael’s secretary once again.
***
Our perspective shifted as we successfully entered the dungeon.
And the sight that greeted us…
Woosh!
Crackle!
“What in the world is this…?”
It was a volcanic, no—lava field.
I thought it perfectly suited the name “Dungeon of Wrath” as I pulled out the full armor of the Phoenix King from my bag.
I had already gotten permission from Ara for this.
Quickly, I donned the full-body armor.
‘So warm…’
Normally, the intense heat would have had me writhing in pain, but the Phoenix King’s full armor automatically regulated my body temperature.
Ara?
Ara was unstoppable.
“Hmm, I wonder how big it is.”
“I’ll find the way, Lee Kyu-seong!”
“Alright. Let’s trust Ara’s instincts this time. Hand me the door.”
Ara handed the door to me and, with a glimmer in her eyes, took the lead. When I say her eyes were gleaming, I don’t mean it figuratively; they were actually glowing with a strange light. It seemed like Ara was using some kind of ability—probably something like clairvoyance or heightened senses.
Thud, thud, thud!
I walked behind Ara for about ten minutes when she suddenly picked up her pace. Following closely, maintaining a bit of tension, we eventually came across some signs of something.
“What is this?”
“….”
Finally, we arrived at a location. There were traces of something partially eaten and large footprints imprinted in the ground.
But something felt off.
Didn’t they say Wrath was supposed to be like a game?
“It’s huge!”
“Indeed.”
The size of the footprints was enormous. The traces of something being eaten weren’t from a small creature, but something massive had left behind these crumbs. It looked like the remains of a monster’s egg, and the size of the egg was unsettling.
‘There’s more than one type of monster here.’
It was obvious, but I had been so focused on Wrath that I hadn’t even considered the possibility of a monster this big. After all, based on what I’d seen with Mammon and Ara, only they were powerful, while their subordinates were just ordinary lower-level monsters.
“Of course, it’s no ordinary dungeon of the Seven Deadly Sins.”
I had never been to the Dungeon of Greed, but Mammon had told me stories about it. He had used his powers to pacify all monsters except for the goblins. That, in turn, ruined the ecosystem, he had said with a laugh.
‘This could be dangerous.’
I thought about using the return stone immediately or perhaps using the door to summon the Master of Gluttony as I followed Ara.
Bubble, bubble.
Just then, a strange noise came from the lava river beside us. The bright red lava flowed in a steady stream, and soon, something began to emerge from it.
“Huh?!”
Startled, I looked at the figure that poked its head out. It was a massive monster with the appearance of a crocodile.
“We’re just passing through. Mess with us, and you’ll regret it!”
Ara warned the giant crocodile that had shown its face. The sight was almost laughable, but knowing Ara’s strength, I silently cheered her on.
Bubble, bubble.
Apparently, the crocodile thought the same as me. It seemed to think, “Who is this tiny thing daring to warn me?” as it began to emerge fully from the lava.
“Oh no…”
Even when it was still half-submerged, its head looked massive, but as it came out completely, the size became even more daunting. It had to be over 10 meters long, though it might have been even larger than that—hard to tell by just eyeballing it.
Snap!
The giant crocodile opened its jaws wide and then snapped them shut, sending waves of searing heat towards us.
“A disobedient crocodile gets a smack!”
Ara rolled up her sleeves and started walking towards it.
“A-Ara!”
I knew how strong Ara was, but visually, it looked like she was about to get swallowed in one bite. Instinctively, I reached out to stop her.
But Ara was faster.
Swish!
In the blink of an eye, Ara disappeared from sight, almost like she had teleported. Before I knew it, she was standing on the crocodile’s snout, her fist clenched tightly.
And just as she promised, she flicked its forehead
—flick!
-Kuugh! Kuugh! Kuugh!
The crocodile, caught off guard by Ara’s sudden appearance and the flick to its forehead, let out a strange cry and staggered back. In a panic, it hurriedly retreated back into the lava.
“Wow.”
As expected, Ara was unbeatable. Without even needing to use her breath weapon, she had overpowered the massive monster with just her raw physical strength.
“You’re amazing, Ara!”
“Heh! Heh! Heh! Heh!”
It had been a while since I last checked, but she must have surpassed even fifth-tier physical awakeners by now. Thanks to her continuously growing stronger from eating my crops, she had become much more powerful. The ability of Gluttony had no limits, and Ara’s monstrous strength was proof of that.
Once again, I was reminded how well Ara’s endless growth and my farming worked together. If I had met Ara but hadn’t taken up farming—if I had chosen a different path, like dungeon hunting as a normal awakener—things wouldn’t have turned out like this.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong! Let’s go find Ras!”
“Oh, right! Thanks to you, Ara, I feel much more at ease!”
With Ara’s brilliant display of strength just now, my worries eased. We had about an hour and a half left, so let’s make the most of it and see if we can track down Ras!
Cliche Novel 