Cliche Novel

Strike 185

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Support funds alone amounted to 800 million won.

It was clearly an exceptional amount.

“Uh… the fees…”

The support money had to be shared with the platform.

Since all the guild members had also broadcasted together, this was to be shared as well.

Hye-in sent a message on KakaoTalk.

[Kim Hye-in: I will negotiate with AJ Internet Broadcasting Station to get a broadcasting fee depending on the viewer count. The broadcasting fee looks to be substantial, and of that amount, 20% will go to the territory development fund, 30% to the guild members. The remaining 50%. So, about 400 million won will be yours, Hyun-soo.]

[Kang Hyun-soo: Isn’t my share too much?]

[Kim Hye-in: Actually, you and Ian caught everything ^^;;]

And then in the guild chat.

[Ian: I also got a hefty sum ^^]

[Lee Jin-sung: I’m rich so I’m fine ^^]

[Kang Hyuk-soo: I’m also wealthy!]

Hyun-soo felt that some guild members were considerate.

And since it was true that Hyun-soo had done most of the hunting, he gratefully accepted it.

‘How much did we gather?’

Now, Hyun-soo didn’t have to worry about hospital bills.

Burn treatment fees and his father’s hospital expenses.

Also, the wrist rehabilitation costs were fully paid.

Through this, Hyun-soo was saving bit by bit.

Hyun-soo checked his personal bank account.

[2,500,004,010 won.]

Including the amount to be deposited soon, it would total a whopping 2.9 billion won.

The biggest contributor to the saved amount was the sale of Jumong’s bow to Ian.

Hye-in called him.

-You’ve gathered quite a lot, haven’t you?

It was as if Hye-in could see into Hyun-soo’s mind.

-Instead of just keeping it in your bank account, it would be better to buy a car or something. Remember, Hyun-soo, you are the first user to be designated as a king’s successor. You deserve to enjoy it.

A lot had changed for Hyun-soo in a year.

Hospital bills that had piled up like a mountain were now like money stacked in his bank account.

Hye-in’s words meant that it was okay for him to spend accordingly.

But Hye-in didn’t realize how much Hyun-soo had changed.

“I’ve actually set a new goal.”

-Oh, really? What is it? A car? Or an apartment?

Hyun-soo now harbored a big dream.

“As you said, I’m the first user to be designated as a king’s successor. I’m thinking about becoming a king in reality too.”

-A king in reality? Becoming a king with money. That’s a very profound statement. How do you become a king in reality?

The rich are kings.

Hye-in realized that his words meant something deeper.

After hearing everything, Hye-in was impressed.

-Maybe you’re right about being a king in reality.

***

Located in Mapo District, a shabby real estate agency.

“Ah, the one selling that is a lucky guy.”

Real estate agent Kim Pil-do sighed.

He then poured water into a cup of ramen and waited.

Recently, a building worth 20 billion won was listed for sale in the Mapo District where his real estate agency was located.

Real estate agents were desperate.

Selling it would bring a commission that was astonishingly high.

However, Pil-doo, who is inherently conscientious and famous for sending back customers after explaining things like defects thoroughly, saw it as an unattainable dream.

“I still have to sell it honestly.”

That was his conviction.

Then.

Ding-dong—

A customer entered.

It was a tall, broad-shouldered young man wearing a hat.

“Welcome, are you here to see the studio apartment?”

It was a good thing for someone to visit this shabbiest real estate in the area!

But then the young man said something curious.

“Could I take a look at the building in front of this one?”

“This big building?”

“Yes.”

It was exactly that property.

His eyes widened in surprise, then he smiled bitterly.

“Ha, a young man full of dreams?”

Every now and then, there were customers who came with goals like, ‘I’ll buy it when I make a lot of money.’

“Ah, sure. I’ll show you.”

“Have you eaten?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Pil-doo shook his head as he looked at his overcooked cup noodles.

Still, wasn’t this a customer?

He took the customer to the building and did his best to explain various things.

He explained the defects and passionately talked about the good points.

“You really explain well.”

“It’s my own son!”

“Other real estate agents wouldn’t show this, but you explain so kindly.”

Pil-doo realized the reason.

The young man had come to see a 20 billion won building and must have been turned away elsewhere.

Pil-doo thought of those real estate agents who only liked rich clients and lords, and inwardly scoffed.

The two returned to the real estate office.

Pil-doo sat down again in front of his overcooked cup noodles.

He was about to say,

‘Even if friends like you have such goals and strive towards them, how lovely is that!? If you work hard, you could become the king of kings, a building owner!’ But then…

“I’ll buy this building.”

‘Eh?’

The building owner had arrived.

“I’ve transferred the 10% deposit.”

‘Gasp?’

The man wrote the name Kang Hyun-soo in the signature space.

‘Gasp!’

After all the contracts were signed, the man said,

“Thank you for explaining everything well, I’ve made a good deal. I’ll transfer the agent’s fee right away. Take care.”

And the agent’s fee was deposited.

‘Gasp!’

Pil-doo, pushing aside his overcooked cup noodles, was stunned.

‘What on earth does this young man do…?’

***

After finishing the building contract, Hyun-soo left the real estate office.

“Congratulations, Hyun-soo. The value of that building will keep rising. Just match the amount by the balance payment date, and take out a loan for the rest, and now the building is yours. Haha!”

Before purchasing the building, Hyun-soo had many discussions with Hyuk-su.

As he left the real estate, he looked up at the building.

The contract period was set very generously.

“I plan to minimize loans and pay as much as I can with my own money.”

Hyuk-su’s voice was slightly surprised.

-That’s right, you’ve gained confidence. That building can be used as the Hyun’s Forge as you mentioned.

It was quite common for large guilds to buy buildings.

Hyun-soo planned to use this building for the Hyun’s Forge in the future.

After ending the call, Hyun-soo looked up at the building.

Becoming a king in reality.

That meant becoming a building owner.

The balance payment was set for 10 months later.

During that period, he planned to save up gradually to pay it all at once.

His fists clenched tightly.

‘I’ve done it again…’

It was a refreshing feeling.

He liked how confident he had become.

Especially since he said he would pay with his own money, not through loans.

But he did not rest on his laurels.

Hyun-soo was always someone who reflected on his shortcomings and worked to address them.

‘If I had been stronger back then…’

Of course, he had succeeded in the Helena raid.

But it had been possible because his guild members were there with him.

To compensate for that, there was one thing Hyun-soo could do now.

‘Create a calamity just for me.’

Hyun-soo hesitated as he was about to head home to log into Ares.

Suddenly, people became noisy.

“What, really?”

“Wow…”

“Huh, a massive event!?”

Hyun-soo looked puzzled.

The mention of a massive event brought Ares to mind.

Soon, Hye-in called.

“What’s going on? People are shocked. They say a massive event is starting.”

-Exactly. The greatest event since the opening of Ares, called the Continental War, is about to start.

“Continental War?”

Hyun-soo looked puzzled.

-World Ares has published an article about it. And the rewards are special. It might be even more special for you, Hyun-soo.

Hyun-soo looked puzzled.

‘It might be even more special for me?’

After ending the call, Hyun-soo accessed World Ares on his smartphone.

Then, he checked the rewards for this Continental War.

‘Insane…!’

Hyun-soo was astounded.

It indeed had a significant impact on him, just as Hye-in had said.

***

One hour ago.

Lee Se-jin was conducting a video call with directors from various countries.

The massive event called the Continental War, which Blue Inc. had been preparing for a long time, could be considered a small territorial battle between two nations.

Before publicizing the article on World Ares, they discussed the rewards.

These rewards were for the users.

Naturally, participants would receive rewards.

And, of course, the reward for the most outstanding participant had to be special.

“Does everyone agree with the MVP reward selection?”

Video chat with directors from different parts of the world.

The first Continental War.

MVP reward for the most outstanding user in Korea vs. China.

It was decided based on the collective opinions of all directors.

-No objections.

-We believe it’s the most suitable.

-It seems most appropriate to give the MVP a prize of one billion won and the choice among three options.

These three options were as follows.

Rewards displayed in the top left that they could choose from.

1. The highest grade legendary artifact of the desired type.

2. The highest grade legendary skill of the desired type.

3. A new grade of minerals and crafting materials.

All were incredible things.

Additionally, the MVP would also receive a cash prize of one billion won.

Isn’t that excessive for a game?

Absolutely not.

It’s a game enjoyed by over 2.5 billion people.

Think about the rewards given to players who win the World Cup. They claim prizes worth over 50 billion.

Moreover, the new grade of minerals and crafting materials was proposed by directors from China, the USA, Russia, and other countries.

-Formality is necessary.

-The non-combat class ratio in Ares is merely 15%. They would raise their voices, claiming discrimination if there were no rewards for them. Therefore, we need to prepare an appealing bag of snacks, albeit filled mostly with nitrogen.

Se-jin agreed.

Soon, he said.

“I will vote.”

Everyone unanimously approved the rewards, and Se-jin was among them.

“I’ll call World Ares now. The official announcement will go out soon.”

After ending the video chat, Lee Se-jin smirked.

It was natural for non-combat classes to play a lesser role in territorial battles.

They needed packaging, just as they had said.

‘The issue is whether the contents inside the packaging are nitrogen or fully stuffed snacks. That depends on who opens it.’

They had proposed adding new minerals as a superficial gesture.

In doing so, they did not consider Hyun at all.

He himself didn’t think very highly of Hyun either.

But.

‘What if the user Hyun-soo becomes the one to open that bag of snacks?’

Then, the contents might no longer be nitrogen, but could turn out to be very tasty and excellent snacks.

Se-jin stepped out the door.

Now, the Korean headquarters also had to accelerate preparations for the Continental War.

‘Is there 14 days left until the Continental War?’

He smirked.

‘I wonder if user Hyun-soo has seen the rewards by now?’

Lee Se-jin knew that user Hyun-soo was the one who best understood what these newly opened rewards meant.

***

Hyun-soo’s eyes trembled as he read the article content through World Ares.

[MVP. A title given to the single user who records the highest achievement.]

[Rewards, including a prize of one billion won, are given and one of three options can be chosen.]

Hyun-soo read through the reward details.

However, nothing else caught his eye.

Only one reward stood out.

‘What…?’

Because it was an unbelievably incredible reward.

But others reacted like this:

-What’s up with the last reward LOL

-What? A new grade of minerals or materials? LOL, does anyone even know how to handle that?

-Hah, obviously it sounds like it’s something with a level limit of 500.

-Why give us something we can’t use, you jerks at Blue Inc.!

-Non-combat classes can’t be MVPs, right?

-That seems about right.

-Who the hell chooses materials as a reward. Just pick the most reliable top-grade legendary skill or item.

-Top-grade legendary items or skills are seriously insane.

Yes, this reward was a bag full of snacks only for Hyun-soo.

And they didn’t know, but Hyun-soo knew the truth.

‘New grade minerals? Then these minerals must be transcendental grade?’

And those were minerals that only Hyun-soo could handle.

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Patron 2

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Three months had passed since Alon rescued Yutia Bludia, who would become a human extermination machine in 10 years. During those three months, Alon faithfully lived each day and managed to locate the second Sin that needed saving.

About a month later.

“As you instructed, I rescued the child from the illegal slave market and sent them to the orphanage managed by Yutia.”

Alon, who was in the study on some business, heard the report from Evan.

“You treated them well, as I said?”

“Yes.”

“There were no fights?”

“Of course.”

Alon, accustomed to Evan’s reports after nearly half a year, nodded as if satisfied. But once again, Evan hesitantly asked a question.

“…But may I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Why did you send the child you went to such lengths to find to the orphanage…? I hesitate to say this, but the child you rescued this time also has an extraordinary talent.”

Understanding Evan’s meaning immediately, Alon nodded thoughtfully.

‘Not just extraordinary—it’s world-ending level talent.’

The man Alon had rescued this time from the illegal slave market in the Kingdom of Kalian, the central nation of the allied kingdoms, was none other than Deus.

Deus Macallian.

One of the bosses in Psychedelia, who would become the “Sin of Sloth,” one of the Five Great Sins in 10 years, and, like the Sin of Wrath, he would erase several allied kingdoms, including the Kingdom of Asteria, from the continent as soon as he appeared.

And he did so in the worst possible way.

Even as a player, Alon had frowned at the gory depiction, and there were instances in Psychedelia-related communities where players would have visceral reactions just from reading about Sloth’s portrayal.

‘And for a Sloth, he sure holds a grudge.’

The reason Alon had told Evan to treat Deus well after rescuing him came to mind. Realizing that Evan was still waiting for an answer, Alon casually offered an excuse.

“It’s the same as before. The time hasn’t come yet.”

“The time, you say.”

Watching Evan mull over his excuse, Alon thought to himself.

‘He’s curious about a lot.’

In truth, Alon would have preferred a knight who silently followed orders without asking questions over Evan, who inquired about everything each time he received an order. Unfortunately, he had no choice in the matter.

Or rather, he had already used that choice on Evan half a year ago.

Evan was a character in Psychedelia who, while not a main protagonist, would appear several times depending on certain routes as a supporting character.

Moreover, he was a top-tier supporting character who, once a certain level of trust was established, would never betray you and would uphold his loyalty until the end. In a fantasy world where betrayal and backstabbing were as common as daily meals, Alon knew how valuable it was to have someone who wouldn’t stab him in the back. Fortunately, he had encountered Evan while he was passing through the territory and had hired him as a knight without hesitation.

“…I understand.”

While Alon was lost in thought, Evan nodded firmly, as if he understood everything, and asked another question.

“So, when do you plan to meet the ones you’ve rescued?”

“I don’t particularly plan to.”

“…But wouldn’t it be better to meet them at least once?”

“Hmm.”

Alon was aware.

Ideally, it would be beneficial to maintain a close relationship with the Five Great Sins, and the best way to build rapport would be through direct interaction.

However, despite this awareness, the reason Alon chose not to meet them directly and instead maintained a relationship through sponsorship was due to their personalities, specifically their character flaws.

According to what he knew, the personalities of the Five Great Sins were dreadful even before they became the Five Great Sins.

One only needed to watch the flashback scenes that played after defeating the bosses of the Five Great Sins in Psychedelia to understand.

Their personalities were so vile that Satan and Lucifer would clap their hands in approval from the depths of hell.

‘Of course, the process that leads them to become the Five Great Sins is even more horrific.’

Alon thought briefly before continuing.

‘…Well, I did save them before their personalities could fully deteriorate, so it shouldn’t get that bad… But then again, I did only save them halfway through.’

In conclusion, the personalities of the Five Great Sins were bound to be twisted in some way, which gave him reason to hesitate.

“…Maybe in about five years.”

By then, Evan would have gathered enough data to accurately assess the average personalities of the Sins.

When Alon gave this somewhat optimistic answer, Evan nodded, just as the door to the study suddenly burst open.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Alon!”

At the sound of the familiar voice calling his name, Alon frowned slightly and let out a sigh.

He knew the owner of that voice all too well.

“Why is my illiterate brother in here, hmm?”

Turning to the source of the voice, he saw a man approaching with a sly expression.

Or rather,

“When your elder brother speaks, shouldn’t you respond?”

It was Tonio, the second son of the Palatio Count’s family, known as one of the scoundrel brothers of the Count’s family. He wore a grin that was unpleasant at first glance and casually placed his arm on Alon’s head as he sat.

A blatantly disrespectful act.

“I just stopped by to look for something.”

Even as Tonio deliberately pressed down on his head, causing a slight pain, Alon calmly answered as if nothing was wrong, thinking to himself.

‘Here we go again.’

This wasn’t the first time either the eldest or the second son had treated Alon like this.

In fact, they had openly bullied him since the moment he had reincarnated.

Even before he took over Alon’s body, the original Alon must have been subjected to such harassment continuously.

However, the reason Alon chose not to react and let it pass, despite the annoyance, was because his desire to maintain a peaceful noble life was stronger.

‘If I mess with these bastards, my plan will be ruined from the start.’

If his opponents were truly on the level of the Count’s scoundrel duo, Alon would have loved to crush them thoroughly. But the problem was that their level was not that simple.

‘Dealing with a drug lord and a pimp king is tricky.’

Alon glanced upward.

There, the second son of the Count’s family, who ran a drug cartel with the grand name of “Avalon” in the underworld, gazed down at him with a blatant sneer.

Of course, the cartel wasn’t a large organization by any means, only known to some extent within the kingdom. But unfortunately, the current Alon was incapable of dealing with a piece of trash who could, with a snap of his fingers, order dozens of assassins from the underworld to eliminate him without leaving a trace.

Even if he managed to get rid of him, he would then have to face the eldest son, who was in a power struggle with the second son and ran the prostitution rings instead. Given that the eldest was highly sensitive about the succession issue, he would never let Alon, who had defeated the second son, go unpunished.

In other words, Alon knew that once he reacted, there would be no turning back.

“It seems my elder brother wishes to use the study, so I’ll be leaving now.”

“At least you know your place.”

Alon respectfully bowed to Tonio, whose face was full of scorn, and left the study with Evan to return to his room.

Soon, Evan handed him Yutia’s letter.

“This time, I brought it personally.”

“Did you?”

Since rescuing Yutia, Alon had been exchanging letters with her on a monthly basis. The content of the letters usually consisted of simple greetings and updates about each other’s daily lives. It had been Alon who suggested they exchange letters in the first place.

‘She might feel closer to a pen pal than if we met in person.’

Recalling the friends he once felt closer to in online chat rooms than in real life, Alon opened the letter and began to read.

“Hmm…”

The letter contained nothing special. As usual, Yutia wrote a brief greeting and shared some stories about a few of the orphans.

To summarize a bit, it mentioned that a boy named Hidan was very good at playing “war games” and that a girl named Yuna was excellent at “hide and seek.”

Reading through the ordinary stories, Alon pondered what he should write in his reply and decided to faithfully recount what had happened that day.

He figured that instead of only writing pleasant things, sharing some of his worries might help them grow closer psychologically.

With that in mind, Alon wrote about the events of the day and sent the letter to Yutia at the orphanage.

It was just an ordinary day.

***

At that time.

“Hmm~”

Yutia was observing Deus Macallian, a man with ominous, eerie, violet eyes that seemed void.

On the surface, he appeared fine.

His limbs were intact, though his body bore numerous signs of abuse, he didn’t seem physically hindered.

But that was only on the surface. If anyone else saw Deus Macallian, they would be convinced that he was broken.

His body might have been intact, but his eyes, which should have shown some emotion, were empty, staring blankly into space.

He was like a man whose mind had been shattered by mental magic, expressionless and motionless, staring vacantly at a single spot.

He was the very image of a broken man.

However, Yutia smiled deeply as she looked at him.

‘The traces left by that thing… Allowing to take direct revenge, you’re truly considerate.’

More than just smiling, Yutia clearly understood the intent behind why he had sent Deus here and spoke.

“Black Goat.”

“!”

Just a single word.

But that single word was enough to elicit a response from Deus, who had been no different from a broken man until just moments ago.

What filled his once-empty eyes was neither intelligence nor awareness, but pure hatred, anger, and fear.

Confirming this, Yutia smiled and spoke.

“Don’t you want revenge?”

At Yutia’s words, Deus’s vacant gaze shifted to her.

His eyes were filled with hatred, murderous intent, and curiosity.

Noticing this easily, Yutia didn’t say anything more.

She simply scattered a light amount of mana.

A mana that he had granted, meant solely to confront the black ones.

“Congratulations, he has chosen you. So, you will gain power.”

She didn’t elaborate further on the mana she had released.

No, there was no need to.

The second one he had chosen possessed a talent so exceptional that it could be explained with a single action.

Thus,

“So all you need to do is remain loyal to him. Then you’ll get your revenge.”

Yutia smiled as she looked at Deus.

And so, as a week passed since Deus arrived at the orphanage, Yutia received another letter from Alon, as usual.

“I see.”

After reading the letter, she smiled.

***

As a year passed since Deus had been placed in the orphanage and Yutia and Alon continued to exchange ordinary letters, Alon was starting to feel a headache over not being able to find the third boss to save.

That was when a piece of news reached his ears.

“…The scoundrel is dead?”

The second son of the Palatio Count’s family was dead.

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Round 99

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“You arrived quickly.”

As we waited outside the dungeon, my father and Seon-ah arrived.

However, my father seemed unusually serious.

“Father?”

“Yes?”

“Why did you bring fishing gear?”

“I’m just taking care of two things at once.”

Every time he visits, he enjoys fishing, and it seems to me that the real reason for his visits is more than just about the mine.

“By the way, Father, did you hear why Seon-ah called you?”

“Yes, I heard. Let’s go and see first.”

“Oh, could you take Ara and Seon-ah to check it out first?”

“Got it.”

My father nodded calmly, picked up his fishing bag, and headed towards the dungeon.

“Why are we going first? What about Brother?”

“An acquaintance is coming. He’s not an expert in this field, but he’s quite impressive.”

“Impressive?”

“The head of research at Ara Hongryeon.”

“What?!”

Seon-ah, who is well-versed in awakened knowledge, understood the significance of the title “head of research at Ara Hongryeon.”

Her wide-eyed expression was amusing, little sister.

“That’s how amazing I am. Remember to treat me well from now on.”

“What are you talking about?”

She tried to compose herself, holding Ara, but I could see the anticipation in her eyes about meeting the head of research.

I entered the dungeon of gluttony with the three of them and then returned alone.

As I was leaving, Ara shouted.

“See you later! Kyu-seong Kyu-seong!”

“Yes, yes.”

Seeing Ara wave from Seon-ah’s arms, I stepped outside again. Since Young-seong was coming soon, I decided to wait for him.

As I descended the mountain, I wondered how much it would cost to buy the entire mountain with my dungeon. Maybe I should find out the price, though it might not be for sale.

The original owner of the dungeon would be the owner of this mountain. Contacting them wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Lost in these thoughts, I reached the bottom and soon Young-seong arrived. Beside him was his wife.

“Hi, Brother.”

“Long time no see, Kyu-seong.”

I greeted Si-young, Young-seong and watched as Young-seong struggled to take something out of the trunk.

“What’s that, Brother?”

“You said you might have found a mine, so I brought some equipment.”

“If that was the case, I would have brought Bokkeum…”

Isn’t there a spatial expansion artifact? Why carry it all by hand when he has the money?

“That’s not possible. This equipment is quite sensitive and needs to be carried directly.”

“Oh.”

Since I don’t know much about it, I trusted Young-seong. I didn’t expect his wife to come too, and I could imagine Seon-ah’s surprised reaction.

“I heard from the guild master that you’ve been getting a lot of requests?”

“It’s not much, just business as usual. I was going to ask you for advice on that too.”

“Really? Let’s go inside first.”

His wife, who had been watching playfully, ended up carrying the equipment. Unlike Brother who struggled, she lifted it easily, as expected from an Level 8 awakener.

“It’s been a while!”

“Come visit anytime.”

“Really? You heard that, right? We can visit anytime.”

“He’s just being polite, honey.”

“What? It was just a polite invitation?”

They still made a good couple.

Listening to their banter, we entered the dungeon. The couple greeted the slimes as we headed to the gluttony dungeon.

“…It’s an unfamiliar sight.”

“Ah, this is so refreshing.”

Since it had been a while since their last visit, they both stopped to enjoy the air. Just then, I saw something running towards us in the distance.

“Oh, oh?”

“Flame wolf!”

“Oh, they are also my familiars.”

“What?!”

Leaving the surprised couple behind, I petted the mane of the approaching woofy. Then, Purr, who had been hiding in the air, suddenly appeared.

“There, there.”

“A Phantom horse too?”

“You must have tempted them with food.”

I didn’t bother correcting their misunderstanding since it was partly true. These creatures loved my crops.

‘Woffy had to go vegetarian, though.’

Anyway, I had them ride Purr while I mounted Woffy. Then we headed straight towards the mine.

“Yay!”

“Ugh.”

The scenery whizzed past quickly.

Si-young seemed to be enjoying herself, while Young-seong clung to Purr, barely holding on.

Thanks to our quick pace, we reached the rocky mountain where the mine was discovered in less than an hour. Young-seong looked exhausted, though.

“Kyu-seong, Lee Kyu-seong is here! Kyu-seong is here!”

When we arrived, our group was already waiting for us. Ara waved excitedly and then spotted Young-seong, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.

“Hehe. You came, huh?”

“Ah, Ara, long time no see? Ha, haha.”

While Young-seong greeted her awkwardly, Si-young rushed over and hugged Ara. Then she greeted my father and Seon-ah.

“Hello! It’s nice to finally meet you, Kyu-seong’s father and sister! I’m Kim Si-young.”

“Kim, Kim Si-young? Could it be the Empress Kim Si-young?!”

Seon-ah’s jaw practically dropped.

Hearing this, my father’s eyes widened in disbelief, unable to respond.

“Kim Si-young? The one who appeared on TV?”

It seemed my father recognized her as she was a famous awakener known to many.

“Yes, Father. This is Choi Young-seong, the former head of research at Ara Hongryeon, and his wife, Kim Si-young.”

“Oh, uh, hello.”

Seon-ah bowed deeply while glancing at me with a betrayed look, as if asking why I hadn’t told her earlier.

I didn’t know Si-young would come either.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Lee Hyun-woo, Kyu-seong’s father.”

“I’m Choi Young-seong. Your son has helped us a lot.”

“Helped?”

“My wife was very ill, but your son treated her.”

Young-seong looked at me as if asking, ‘Didn’t you tell them?’ Of course, I didn’t go around boasting about what I did, so I just shrugged.

“He’s an amazing son! I suffered for ten years, on the verge of death, but now I’m like this…”

Si-young twirled around holding Ara. Ara just quietly let herself be held.

“I’m completely healed!”

“Did my brother really do such a great thing? I heard you recently recovered, but I didn’t know it was thanks to my brother…”

At Seon-ah’s astonished question, I cleared my throat.

“Ahem. Now you understand, little sister, the greatness of your brother.”

“…”

Even though I tried to joke, Seon-ah’s face still showed her shock. To emphasize it further, Si-young added,

“Not only me, but he also treated Baek Seung-hyun from the Iron Blood Guild recently. Isn’t he amazing?”

“Iron Blood…”

Seon-ah still looked incredulous, but my father, who had been listening quietly, patted my shoulder.

“Well done.”

“Yes.”

Just one word, but it felt strange.

Even though I had been busy lately, I never thought of myself as remarkable. But hearing it from my father made it feel real.

‘I’ve been doing well.’

Recognition from my father stirred a unique feeling in me, something I hadn’t felt even when other great awakeners praised me or expressed their gratitude.

“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong is amazing! Helping many good people!”

“Yes, you’re right. Our Ara knows her dad the best. Kyu-seong, you’re lucky to have such a cute daughter.”

“Dad? Lee Kyu-seong? Dad!”

Smiling brightly, Ara stretched her arms towards me. Naturally, I approached and took Ara from Si-young’s arms.

“Let’s keep helping people, Ara.”

“Okay.”

I patted Ara’s head and then refocused on our purpose for being here. There were too many important tasks at hand to get lost in emotions.

Tasks that were crucial for the lives of those dear to me.

“This is the place we suspect to be the mine. Seon-ah, you’ve shown it to Father already, right?”

“Yes.”

At my words, Young-seong took out the device his wife had brought and began checking something. With a puzzled expression, he spoke to me.

“This is unusual.”

“What is it?”

“This equipment detects minerals in the surrounding area. It shows the composition. I can usually identify the mineral from the composition, but this one is new to me.”

It was surprising that even an expert like Young-seong hadn’t seen it before. But given that this place continually revealed unknown plants and monsters, it made sense.

“So, this mineral might be newly discovered?”

“That’s quite likely.”

“By the way, I brought a small piece that looks like a gemstone. Here it is.”

I handed over a small fragment that Poispois and Frey had retrieved. The unprocessed gem sparkled with a mysterious color, beautiful even in its raw form.

“Ohh.”

Si-young, watching from the side, let out an admiring sound, and my father, seeing it for the first time, looked at it with curiosity.

“Indeed, I’ve never seen a mineral like this before. With this color and features…”

“I can sense a faint magic aura from it.”

Si-young reached out and snatched the gem, commenting as she examined it.

“Magic?”

“Yes. Honey, don’t we have an item that detects magic?”

“Yes, we do. Hold on a moment!”

Young-seong, suddenly excited, rummaged through the box containing his equipment. I tilted my head, wondering if this was such a big deal, when Seon-ah mumbled in a stunned voice.

“Oh my… A mineral containing magic? Is that even possible?”

“Why? Is that so surprising?”

“Of course!!”

Whoa, why are you yelling like that?

To me, it didn’t seem all that surprising for a mineral to contain magic. After all, if items can come out of dungeons, why wouldn’t there be minerals with magic?

“So far, the only mineral that contained magic was magic stone. But this clearly has different properties from a magic stone. Of course, it could be a type of magic stone, but that needs to be confirmed,” Young-seong explained further as I scratched my head. Seon-ah spoke gently.

“If that’s not a magic stone but still contains magic, it’s a tremendous discovery. Imagine making equipment for awakeners out of that mineral!”

“Oh? So, you’re saying we could make items out of it?”

“It’s a bit different. Even if we made something out of it, it wouldn’t have the same properties or effects as items. But awakeners could significantly enhance their protective abilities using the magic contained in the mineral.”

…Did I find something much more amazing than I thought?

After examining the gem for a while, Young-seong sighed.

“It’s definitely not a magic stone. We can’t determine its properties here; we need to take it to the lab.”

“That’s a good sign, right?”

“Yes. As your sister just said, if we can make protective equipment for awakeners from this, it will offer tremendous protection. We need to confirm it, but it’s almost certain.”

“Wow!”

This is really incredible!

The burden of the dungeon of avarice seemed to lighten a bit. The issue now is how much of that gem is buried here.

“I can’t believe we discovered something like this. This will cause an uproar in the industry and academia.”

“There are many other things inside, but I’m curious about the amount of that gem that’s buried here.”

“…What?”

“Huh? No, I mean, I’m curious about how much of that gem is buried here.”

“No, before that.”

“There are many other things…”

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

Why? What’s going on?

“This isn’t the only one?”

“Yes. Yes.”

“This is insane. This place is truly insane.”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“Usually, finding something like this means it’s related to the magic flowing through the mine. But there are other minerals too? It’s highly likely they won’t be ordinary, just like this gem.”

So, does that mean…

We really found a gold mine?!

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Palace 32

Impact-Site-Verification: 81600cf2-e4b4-468d-8a58-027c769bb43f

Inside the Magic Tower, the stern voice of an old man with white hair echoed.

“Have all the disciples of the Magic Tower gathered?”

At the shout of the Magic Tower Master Galileo, a young mage hesitated, raising his hand and speaking.

“W-well, Deus hasn’t arrived yet.”

“What did you say?”

In the past, that rascal would have obeyed his master’s every word without question, but ever since he got absorbed in magical engineering, he’s been dodging and avoiding his gaze.

Just as Galileo was about to forcibly summon Deus using magic, a small glimmer of light appeared in the corner of the Magic Tower.

“Even a dragon appears when you talk about it. Looks like you’re not going to have an easy life either.”

Deus respectfully responded to the Magic Tower Master’s words.

“It’s been a while, Master. Did you enjoy your travels?”

“Hoho, have you had some kind of change of heart recently? The same rascal who’s been dodging me at every turn is suddenly showing respect like in the old days.”

“Thanks to your generosity, Master, I’ve achieved great accomplishments not only in elemental magic but also in magical engineering.”

“I’ve told you countless times that focusing on magical engineering is a waste of your talent and time. If you’d only pursued elemental magic, you would have surpassed me by now… tch, tch.”

“It was none other than you, Master, who told me that a mage must carve their own path.”

As the two continued speaking without yielding an inch, Ian couldn’t help but marvel. Even the stubborn executives he had dealt with in the company weren’t as rigid as these two.

“I distinctly said the Magic Tower was in lockdown. So why have you brought along an extra burden?”

When Galileo pointed at Ian standing behind Deus, Ian stepped forward and spoke.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Master of the Magic Tower. I am Ian Helios, the Third Prince. I couldn’t greet you properly last time since you weren’t here.”

“Well, at least you have more manners than that First Prince brat. So, what brings you here?”

The sharp look in Galileo’s eyes reminded Ian of facing the Emperor himself.

“I’ve come to discuss something important with you, Master of the Magic Tower.”

“Is it something you can’t say here?”

Seeing the Magic Tower Master pretend not to know why he had come, Ian realized that negotiating for Deus might not be easy.

“Yes.”

At Ian’s response, the Magic Tower Master, looking as if everything was a hassle, sent all the other disciples back to their rooms, leaving only Deus behind.

“Now, speak.”

“I need to take Deus with me.”

“What did you say? Did I mishear you? Don’t you understand what it means when the Magic Tower is in lockdown?”

“Would you please take a look at this?”

Ian pulled out a piece of paper from his bosom, and the Magic Tower Master used magic to bring the paper to himself, holding it in his hand.

“It’s a decree from His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Yes, it is. This is a direct order from His Majesty regarding Deus, sealed with the Imperial seal. The content is as you see.”

Galileo skimmed through the decree that he had snatched from Ian.

The decree stated that the mage belonging to the Magic Tower, ‘Deus,’ was to be temporarily assigned to the Third Prince’s palace to carry out essential work related to the development of the empire’s administrative system, specifically to develop detectors, scanners, and pads.

“Detectors, scanners, pads… There are many words here I’ve never heard of. So this is an order from His Majesty?”

“Then, may I take Deus with me?”

“Hmm, I see.”

Upon realizing the hidden card Ian had, Deus smiled brightly.

He had thought that Ian would simply offer a bag of money after hearing that the Magic Tower Master was sensitive about the budget, but presenting an Imperial decree—Deus was impressed by how thoroughly Ian had prepared.

Deus got the sense that Ian would never let him go. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling of being restrained.

On the other hand, Galileo clicked his tongue as if something displeased him.

“Even so, I cannot let him go.”

“Are you thinking of defying His Majesty’s order?”

“Defy? I never even saw the decree in the first place. It seems, unfortunately, that you’ve lost it.”

The Magic Tower Master used magic to burn the decree in front of everyone’s eyes, reducing it to ashes in his hand.

“Oh dear, since I have no memory of receiving the decree, it would be difficult to send Deus away.”

“Master! How can you be so unreasonable?”

Despite Deus’s protests, the Magic Tower Master continued speaking without changing his expression.

“When have I ever been unreasonable? Isn’t the true unreasonable act tempting you away from the Magic Tower in my absence? Besides, I genuinely don’t remember receiving any decree.”

As Deus looked at Galileo with a frustrated gaze, the Magic Tower Master remained unmoved.

In contrast, Galileo found Ian’s expression, which remained unchanged despite the obvious absurdity, rather intriguing.

“I expected this might happen.”

Ian had anticipated that the eccentric Magic Tower Master might pull such a stunt. After all, he had the power to turn such absurdity into “fact.”

In reality, more people trusted the Magic Tower Master’s words over Ian’s at this point.

Ian decided it was time to reveal another weapon he had prepared. He needed to show the power of money to this miser.

“How much will it take?”

“What?”

Galileo was taken aback by Ian’s provocative question.

“W-what did you just say?”

“I asked how much it will take.”

“Ian, have you lost your mind? Master, Ian didn’t mean anything bad by it.”

Deus thought that Ian had been shocked by his master’s absurdity and tried to shut him up, but he was unable to move because of Galileo’s magic.

“Hahaha, there sure are a lot of amusing youngsters these days. That rascal Blake and now you—you’re both quite entertaining.”

Seeing that the Magic Tower Master regarded Duke Blake as someone beneath him, Ian decided to stand even more confidently.

“If one can buy time with money, isn’t that the right choice? Since Deus is someone who can maximize the value of my time, how could I not propose a deal?”

“Very well, how much are you willing to pay?”

“Since Deus will be temporarily assigned to my palace, I’ll pay him an appropriate wage. One gold coin per day.”

Considering that one gold coin was worth about a million Korean won, it was by no means a small amount. An ordinary citizen of the empire could live on one gold coin a month.

Though the money Ian would make through Deus in the future would be akin to a sparrow before a dragon, it was still a significant offer.

Deus couldn’t help but grin at Ian’s valuation of him, while the Magic Tower Master’s expression remained unchanged.

“You little brat, you’re seriously undervaluing the worth of the Magic Tower. I should get at least five.”

‘Five…’

At the mention of five gold coins, Deus beamed at his master, his eyes filled with admiration.

“How about two gold coins?”

At Ian’s counteroffer of two gold coins, Deus looked at him with a disappointed expression, but Ian calmly awaited Galileo’s response.

“So, you’re trying to negotiate with me, the Master of the Magic Tower. Fine, let’s settle on three. I won’t budge any further.”

“Let’s do that. Should I send the payment to the Magic Tower or directly to your purse, Master?”

“You’re a funny one. Send it to the Magic Tower. I’ll take care of it.”

Ian inwardly shook his head at Galileo’s frankness about pocketing Deus’s wages.

“So, can I take him now?”

“Take him? The Chancellor is going to pay Deus’s wages from the budget anyway. What will you offer me?”

Truly a shrewd old fox.

So, this is where it ends.

“Is there anything you desire from me?”

“You’ll have to give me something better than what Blake offered me if you want me to be even slightly moved. I don’t like people who try to take credit using someone else’s gifts.”

Deus openly shook his head, surprised at how much his master was after money.

“Deus, you fool! I’m teaching you how not to get swindled out there. Tsk tsk, raising a disciple is utterly useless.”

Deus tried to open his mouth to retort, but under the silencing spell cast by his master, he could only speak with his eyes.

“What’s your price, then?”

“Five high-grade mana stones and one top-grade mana stone.”

‘Duke Blake… you’re more wary of me than I expected.’

Seeing Duke Blake’s bold investment, Ian realized he would have to expedite his plans.

Deus looked at Ian with concern, shocked by the number of mana stones his master had requested.

The empire typically allocated around 30 to 40 high-grade mana stones in the budget each year. If they were lucky, they might get three top-grade mana stones.

“Considering the sincerity that rascal Blake showed me, I think I’ll need at least a year of handover, but I’m curious to hear the opinion of our self-assured Third Prince.”

Galileo asked again, seeing that Ian’s expression hadn’t changed despite his words.

“Have you given up on the deal?”

Seeing Ian’s demeanor, which suggested he had abandoned the negotiation, the Magic Tower Master smacked his lips. However, Ian’s next words were quite provocative.

“I can give you more than that in mana stones.”

“Hahaha, do you really think you can gather more than what that rascal Blake barely managed? Do you think I’ve never seen fools who try to deceive their superiors with lies? That’s exactly why I don’t deal with such people.”

Despite the Magic Tower Master’s attempt to dismiss the deal and end the conversation, Ian was undeterred. He met Galileo’s eyes directly and spoke.

“Don’t compare me to such fools. Just give me six months.”

“Then I’ll keep Deus with me for six months and release him afterward.”

Seeing that the Magic Tower Master was unwilling to make any concessions, Ian put on a defeated expression and spoke.

“I’ll pay three high-grade mana stones as a down payment within three months. And every year, I’ll ensure you receive as much as Duke Blake has given you.”

“Hmm…?”

The Magic Tower Master was tempted by Ian’s attractive offer, but he still asked in a skeptical tone, doubting its feasibility.

“Didn’t I just say I don’t like liars? Where do you expect to find such mana stones?”

“How can I earn your trust?”

“Write a promissory note.”

At the mention of a promissory note, Deus widened his eyes, but Ian merely smiled. Why would he refuse to write a note for something he was sure to obtain?

“What would you like it to say?”

“If you fail to deliver on your promise within three months, swear that Deus will work as a laborer for as long as he has worked in the Imperial Palace.”

At the mention of labor, Deus looked at Ian.

“That’s not a bad condition. If I don’t fulfill my promise within the deadline, Deus will work for double the duration as a mere laborer. After six months, he might even grow fond of you, Master.”

“Hahaha, good. I’m curious to see if you can maintain this confidence three months from now.”

With a wave of the Magic Tower Master’s hand, a magical contract appeared before Ian. After verifying its contents, Ian signed it without hesitation.

“Can I take him now?”

“Go ahead.”

As Galileo watched Ian and Deus disappear, he found himself looking forward to what would happen in three months. The thought of ordering a proud royal to work as a laborer for six months made him feel like there was no need to travel outside the palace for entertainment.

Meanwhile, after successfully taking Deus with him, Ian immediately headed to Count Liam.

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Round 98

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We all ate pizza and followed behind Alfheim, who had arrived on the Starlight Bug.

By the way, the pizza with paprika on it wasn’t bad.

I should bring it along when I visit Iron Blood again.

Riding Purr and Woffy, we quickly arrived at World Tree.

-(~˙∇˙)~

-(╹ਊ╹)/

The fairies of the Alfheim village waved their hands and greeted us warmly.

“……What is this? Can’t we stay here a bit longer before we go?”

This must be Seon-ah’s first time here.

The fairies gathering and welcoming us seems to have really touched Seon-ah, who loves cute things.

“Let’s just go and come back.”

“Uh… okay…”

With Seon-ah half in a daze as she responded, we set off again.

The fairy guiding us continued beyond the World Tree.

“This is the first time I’m going past here.”

“It’s an adventure!”

We’d always stopped at the village in World Tree, never venturing beyond.

Following the fairy, we ran towards the unknown land.

For a while, the forest thick with the roots of World Tree continued, but soon, something enormous came into view in the distance.

“Wow!”

“What is that? But Ara, are you surprised too?”

“It’s been a long time!”

What we found was a massive rocky mountain.

And astonishingly, there were floating rocks around it.

Seon-ah murmured seriously, looking at the rocks.

“Could it be floating stones?”

“What’s that?”

“A special mineral. It’s not found in just any dungeon and it’s pretty rare. Sometimes you see magic stone motorcycles and cars made using those floating stones.”

“Oh! Those expensive half-floating cars?”

“Yes.”

As expected of an otaku, she knew more about dungeons than I did.

It’s nice to have explanations as we go along.

But such a rare thing here?

The scene of the rocky mountain was surreal.

A shallow mist hung around, and in between, rocks presumed to be floating stones were suspended in midair.

Moreover, there were plants on the rocky mountain that we had never seen before.

This called for a thorough investigation.

-٩(•ิ˓̭ •ิ )ง

“Okay, let’s go, let’s go.”

As we slowed down to take in the sights, the fairy in front gestured for us to follow.

Chasing after them, we finally confronted the rocky mountain.

“Wow, it’s tall.”

“The big tree we saw earlier was impressive, but this rocky mountain is no joke. Is this really a level 1 dungeon?”

Feeling a bit nervous, I kept quiet.

I must never say that this is a Seven Sins dungeon.

-(๑•̀ – •́)و

Following the fairy to the end, we discovered a tiny crevice in the rocky mountain.

As I was considering this, a voice suddenly came from somewhere.

-Lord!

Frey’s voice echoed from inside the crevice.

“Hey, I’m here. Are you inside?”

-Yes! Please wait a moment!

Soon, Frey wriggled out from the crevice.

She looked quite cute, though she seemed unaware of it.

-Lord! Lord! Lord’s sister! Welcome!

“Hello, Frey.”

“Hello!”

Seon-ah greeted, still holding her camera.

By the way, you mentioned finding something—could it be inside this crevice?

Pop!

As if answering my question, Poispois oozed out from the crevice with its characteristic liquid-like body.

“Poispois, how have you been?”

Pop! Ploop!

I picked up Poispois, who was shaking with excitement.

It looked proudly at its horn as if it had accomplished something great.

“Okay. What did our Poispois find?”

-Ore! Ore!

“Ore?”

-Not just ore, but also many gemstones seem to be buried here!

“It’s a mine!”

The discovery of a mine was unexpected.

Who would have thought Poispois could find something like this?

‘I guessed it wouldn’t just find magic stones, but…’

This is on a whole different scale.

Before I could be overwhelmed, a sound snapped me out of it.

“Ugh!”

-Kuh!

Ara and Gomgom were trying to squeeze through the crevice where Poispois and Frey had emerged, but it seemed impossible.

“Ah…”

A mine? That’s great.

But how do we get in?

“Would making the entrance bigger cause it to collapse?”

“Well, I don’t know. But listening to you, it suddenly seems dangerous.”

Frey, who had been listening to our conversation, muttered with wide eyes.

-I hadn’t thought of that!

“…….”

-What should we do?

How should I know?

In the end, it seemed only Alfheim and the slimes could squeeze through that tiny crevice.

But wait, Ara, aren’t you a slime too?

“Ahem.”

While pondering, something came to mind.

I currently own 72 slimes.

Despite synthesizing them over time, it’s still an impressive number.

Although the Dungeon of Gluttony is vast, making it not feel like a lot, the number seems significant when you count it.

And among them, 33 slimes have traits of level 2 or higher.

This number excludes Mark2, Poispois, and Bokkeum.

‘…I might have forgotten, but isn’t there a slime with abilities related to ore among those 33?’

I should check. If there’s a slime with mining traits, it could be employed as a miner here…

“Hehehe.”

“Ah! Kyu-seong Kyu-seong is thinking something bad again!”

Bad? Ara, it’s all for us.

However, even if we luckily had a mining-capable slime, there was still a problem.

“Even if we make a slime mine, we can’t get the ores out.”

“That’s true.”

A slime can easily pass through the crevice.

But what about the mined ores and gems?

Ultimately, the entrance needs to be widened.

“Let’s ask Dad.”

Seon-ah said as if she had a good idea.

Hmm, Father?

“Father? But he’s in construction.”

“Yes, but who knows? Dad might solve it. He has many connections.”

“Hmm, little sister, it’s been a while since you said something sensible.”

“Whatever.”

In the end, we could only confirm the existence of the mine and return.

However, before leaving, Poispois and Frey squeezed through the crevice again and brought out some small fragments, which were amazing.

“They’re beautiful.”

They didn’t look like minerals, but more like raw gems.

Their colors resembled the sky of the Dungeon of Gluttony, dark blue with a sparkling galaxy-like pattern.

Although the fragments were only about half the size of a pinky nail, making them too small to process, they raised our expectations.

“You go get Father. I need to check on the slimes one by one.”

“What are you checking?”

“To see if any of them specialize in mining.”

“Can you really check that?”

“Of course. Who do you think I am?”

“You’re so annoying.”

Postponing our tour of Alfheim village, Seon-ah immediately left the dungeon to bring Father.

In the meantime, I gathered the slimes in the dungeon in one place.

Pop! Ploop!

Wobble, wobble.

Squirm!

“Wow! So many!”

-Kwung!

All the level 2 slimes, except for the Rookies, had gathered.

The level 3 ones were showing their unique traits.

“Okay, anyone with abilities related to ore or gems, raise your hand!”

Ploop?

The slimes, hearing me, wobbled as if asking, “Where do we have hands?”

“If you have such abilities, step forward.”

Ploop!

Silence.

Well, it’s not like slimes with the perfect traits appear whenever we need them…

Tap, tap.

“Huh?”

I noticed a slime tapping my foot.

It seemed like a level 2 slime with no distinct features.

“Do you have related abilities?”

Squirm!

With great confidence, the slime looked up at me.

It was as if it was saying, “Yes, I’m the one! How do you like that! Haha!”

…I didn’t expect there really to be one.

I immediately checked its abilities.

[Slime LV.2]

[A typical slime]

[Liquid Synthesis Possible]

[Ability: Ore Combination LV.1]

“Ore Combination?”

This isn’t quite what I expected…

What use is this ability?

The name suggested that it could combine minerals. Could it be a similar ability to my Liquid Synthesis?

‘I need to test this out.’

Looking around, there wasn’t anything specifically mineral-like, so I just brought over a hoe used for farming and a random stone that the squirming slimes had been playing with.

“Give it a try.”

Squirm?

“Combine the minerals.”

With everyone watching, the slime took its stance as if facing its lifelong nemesis. Its serious attitude made me tense up without realizing it.

‘……I must be imagining things, thinking it looks like Headbutt.’

By the way, Headbutt is still doing well as a level 2 slime. Oh, there it is.

Anyway, as I watched Mineral Combination again, the slime slowly enveloped the stone and the hoe together and began to work diligently.

Squirm- squirm-

Wobble- wobble-

Then…

Pop!

With a reaction that seemed to say “Ta-da!” with sound effects, it showed me the result.

“It… stuck?”

It had stuck.

But that was it.

The iron part of the hoe was naturally fused with the stone. It was literally a combination.

It was undoubtedly an amazing scene. Combining two completely different substances, like stone and iron, so seamlessly was no easy feat.

But what could this be used for?

Pop!

The slime kept watching my reaction, like a child waiting for praise.

“Uh… Oh! Good job!”

Wobble! Wobble!

My awkward reaction aside, the slime was purely delighted, and I scratched my chin as I watched.

“Wow! It’s stuck!”

-Kwung!

Meanwhile, Ara and Gomgom were playing with the hoe, now fused with the stone, marveling at it. The Mineral Combination Slime was growing more and more confident with each of their reactions.

“…There are no more, right? No other slimes?”

Squirm-

None of the other slimes seemed to have related abilities. In the end, I dismissed the others and kept the Mineral Combination Slime.

Even if I didn’t know what to use it for, it seemed better to keep it.

‘Who knows, it might come in handy someday?’

I might not recognize its value due to my lack of knowledge in this area, but Father or Young-seong might be surprised.

…Hopefully, they would be.

“Since things have turned out this way, should I contact Young-seong too?”

I had planned to discuss the new fruit and vegetable juice for delivery to Ara Hongryeon anyway, and now we had luckily discovered a mine.

I didn’t know what types of minerals were in the mine. But if anyone could find out, it was Young-seong. If not, he could take samples to his lab for analysis.

‘If it’s a usable mine, it could be added to the inventory for the upcoming Dungeons of Avarice supplies.’

This isn’t just any ordinary dungeon; it’s a Seven Sins dungeon.

Surely, the minerals from this mine wouldn’t be ordinary either.

If we could make equipment from those exceptional minerals, it could improve our guild members’ survival rates.

I genuinely hoped no one would get hurt. Lately, Ara Hongryeon felt more like family.

‘They are family.’

They eat my crops, so they are family.

“Stickstick!”

“Huh?”

“It’s Stickstick now!”

Ara pointed at the slime and shouted.

“Oh, okay. You’re Stickstick now. Got it?”

Another victim of Ara’s naming sense was born. But Stickstick just wobbled happily, as if it loved the name.

I would have named it something cooler like Combination Slime, but oh well.

“Now’s not the time for this. Let’s step out and call Young-seong.”

“Okay!”

Strike while the iron is hot; I needed to get Young-seong here right away. If anyone could identify the mine’s value, it was him.

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Palace 31

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A dark figure pulled out a bundle of papers from his bosom and spoke to the Duke.

“Your Excellency, these are the recent activities of the Third Prince that you requested.”

Duke Blake swiftly skimmed through the documents handed over by Oyoung, who was in charge of information within the Shadow Unit.

“The Third Prince has been meeting with different individuals each time.”

‘The person he mentioned was someone called Deus, the chief disciple of the Magic Tower Master, if I recall correctly.’

“Yes, Your Excellency. All of them are presumed to be related to the Magic Tower, but we were unable to accurately identify their true identities.”

“What’s the likelihood that illusion magic was used?”

“To cast illusion magic, one would need to be at least a 5th Circle mage. There aren’t many people who meet that criterion.”

“How about this person, Deus, the chief disciple of the Magic Tower Master?”

“If he is indeed the chief disciple of the Magic Tower Master, it’s definitely possible. However, as far as we know, Deus has been close to the Second Prince, Adrian, and doesn’t seem to have any separate relationship with the Third Prince.”

As Oyoung continued his report, Duke Blake stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Oyoung, I want you to investigate what the Third Prince is doing with Deus at the Magic Tower. Also, dig deeper into this person named Deus. See if he has any weaknesses we could exploit.”

“How much priority should I place on this task?”

“Consider it just below our grand plan.”

Upon hearing the Duke’s order to prioritize the matter just below the grand plan, Oyoung nearly questioned the significance of the Third Prince. Though the Third Prince had been making waves recently, he didn’t seem important enough to warrant such attention.

Seeing Oyoung hesitate to respond immediately, which was unusual, Duke Blake chuckled.

“Why, do you think I’m being overly cautious about the Third Prince?”

“My apologies, Your Excellency. I allowed myself to think, which was inappropriate. I will carry out your orders.”

“No need to apologize. For someone who deals with information like you, the more you understand the purpose and background of a task, the better you can perform. I’m not looking for subordinates who blindly follow orders like golems, you know.”

Hearing Duke Blake’s willingness to explain, Oyoung immediately bowed his head to the ground in apology.

“I’ve been disrespectful.”

A shadow who serves his master must not question his master’s orders. Having been trained this way, Oyoung prostrated himself flat on the ground.

Duke Blake smiled with satisfaction at Oyoung’s display of knowing his place.

“Originally, I didn’t want to pay much attention. But twice now, the Third Prince has become an obstacle in my path. The very same Third Prince who was infamous as a scoundrel. Do you know how our family has managed to maintain our position all this time?”

Despite the Duke’s question, Oyoung kept his head bowed.

“Contrary to what the history books might say, our family started as mere barons. How did a baron’s family rise to such success? We framed those who tried to frame us, and eliminated those who sought to betray us. And now, it seems it’s the Third Prince’s turn.”

Even though Duke Blake’s words could cause a significant stir if they were leaked, Oyoung remained prostrate.

“Stand up.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency. Is there anything else you would like me to do?”

Oyoung’s words made Duke Blake recall the conversation he had just had with Adrian.

“Assign more people to the Second Prince. This Second Prince, who has always been timid in front of me, suddenly told me in a confident voice not to touch his younger brother. It’s clear that there has been some emotional change. If things go well, he might become a ‘good’ card for us.”

“I will do so.”

At the Duke’s gesture for him to leave, the dark figure disappeared as if he had never been there.

Left alone, Duke Blake slowly reflected on the conversation he had with the Second Prince.

The smile he had when the word “Magic Tower” was mentioned, the excessive defense of the Third Prince that seemed unnaturally forced.

If the Second Prince’s actions were meant to make him notice something, it might be best to follow along with his intentions.

After finishing his thoughts, Duke Blake called for the attendant outside.

“Your Excellency, did you call for me?”

“Find out how many high-grade and top-grade mana stones I currently have available.”

“I will do so.”

High-grade mana stones could be obtained if one had enough money, but top-grade mana stones were notoriously difficult to acquire unless you were royalty.

Duke Blake frowned at the thought of meeting the Magic Tower Master after such a long time.

The stingy and eccentric Magic Tower Master had always been unpredictable. Sometimes he acted in a way that benefited the Duke, and other times in a way that favored the Emperor.

Still, with the high-grade and top-grade mana stones he had prepared, even the Magic Tower Master would likely accept his proposal.

Duke Blake was curious about what kind of expression the Third Prince would have when he realized the gift that awaited him.

***

After finishing his conversation with Adrian, Ian returned to his palace, but he couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling in his chest.

It reminded him of something his senior had once said when he worked in the strategic planning team in the past.

Sometimes, in the rush to meet project deadlines, you overlook the warning signs that arise in the current situation.

In such cases, it’s crucial to address those warning signs, even if it takes more time.

Ian took out his notebook from his desk and began categorizing the key information needed for his upcoming decisions.

What he currently had.

What he needed to obtain.

Opportunities.

Risks.

‘The most urgent thing to obtain is the power to support me openly, isn’t it?’

It would be best if the First Prince’s side found out about Irelia being his personal guard as late as possible.

Knock, knock.

“What is it?”

“Your Highness, Deus is here.”

“Let him in.”

Deus entered the room with a somber expression and spoke to Ian.

“Ian, we’re in big trouble. I might not be able to leave the Magic Tower for a while.”

Hearing that Deus might not be able to leave the Magic Tower at such a critical time, Ian steadied his mind.

‘Has something happened to my all-purpose mage?’

Ian asked in a calm voice.

“What do you mean all of a sudden? I’ve prepared a proposal that will set your research ablaze with passion.”

“Well, the old man—no, my master—came back and suddenly declared that the Magic Tower is closing its doors.”

The Magic Tower, closing its doors out of the blue?

Even though the Emperor had granted the Magic Tower a significant level of independence, it was still rare for them to abruptly declare a lockdown.

‘Something’s going on. But who could it be?’

“It doesn’t make sense for the Magic Tower Master to suddenly do this unless he’s lost his mind.”

“Well… my master is a bit crazy. Maybe I should say he’s eccentric? Hmm, what should we do?”

As Deus wore a gloomy expression, Ian slowly approached him and pretended to console him by placing his right hand on Deus’s right shoulder and giving it a gentle pat.

When Deus looked at Ian with eyes full of emotion, grateful for the encouragement despite the disappointing news, Ian, without a moment’s hesitation, put him in a headlock.

“Ow, Ian, I can’t breathe! What are you doing?”

“Deus, seeing you so down makes me feel down too! How can you be so glum when we have so much work to do? Are you just looking for an excuse to slack off and avoid developing the ideas I’ve planned?”

“Ian! That’s not what I meant at all!”

Despite Deus’s excuses, Ian only tightened his grip.

“Ian! You don’t understand my master’s stubbornness. It would take something like five years’ worth of budget from His Majesty the Emperor to change his mind.”

‘Hmm, a money issue…’

Ian knew that the Magic Tower Master was notoriously stingy. For him to do something so out of character, someone must have satisfied his greed.

“Ian! I’m really going to die here!”

“Shall I see if you really do?”

As Deus started coughing, Ian released the headlock.

“There’s got to be a reason the Magic Tower Master is doing this. Was there anything suspicious recently?”

“Hmmm… Honestly, predicting my master’s behavior is pointless. As you know, apart from His Majesty the Emperor, no one in the Empire can control him.”

“Then, has there been any recent visitor to the Magic Tower?”

Deus, realizing something, quickly cast a spell to check the visitor log device he had secretly installed in the Magic Tower.

It was a device he had developed with mana stones he received from Ian to avoid the nagging of his master, who disapproved of his research into magical engineering.

As Deus began to check the faces of those who had visited the Magic Tower, he paused as if he had found something.

“Hmmm, this person… their face looks familiar.”

“If it’s someone from outside the Magic Tower, I might know them better. Show me.”

Deus cast a spell to project the face of the person he had seen to Ian.

“You don’t recognize this person?”

“Is he famous? He does look somewhat familiar but also doesn’t at the same time.”

Seeing Ian’s puzzled expression, Deus pondered for a moment before confidently stating.

“I’m pretty sure this is someone I’ve never seen before.”

At Deus’s confident attitude, Ian sighed deeply.

“That’s Duke Blake.”

“This is the Duke Blake I’ve only heard about? Now I see why they call him the old fox.”

“Deus, since you’re now working with me, shouldn’t you start memorizing the faces of key figures in the Imperial Palace?”

“Ian, using my talents for something like that is a waste of energy. Why should I bother remembering the face of an old fox?”

“Deus.”

At Ian’s low, commanding tone, Deus shook his head vigorously.

“Sigh. Alright. So, the old fox came to the Magic Tower, and now the Tower is in lockdown. That means there’s a high chance Duke Blake has figured out our connection.”

“Exactly. But what’s more important is that Duke Blake moved personally. What does that mean? It means that something I did seriously bothered him.”

In the original work, whenever Duke Blake moved personally, the target would soon be erased from the story.

‘This… I’ll have to live each day like it’s two.’

“Hmm. How did he find out… I’ve been using illusion magic to change my appearance every time I came here to prevent something like this.”

At that moment, both Deus and Ian thought of ‘Adrian,’ whom they had met early in the morning.

Deus trusted his friend but asked Ian in a slightly probing tone, just to be sure.

“Ian, you’re not thinking of Adrian, are you?”

Ian almost said “yes” but hesitated.

In the original work, Adrian had always looked out for his younger brother until the day he died. Though he tried not to suspect him, the uneasy feeling wouldn’t go away. It felt like when Director Park stole credit for the project Ian had poured his heart into.

“Ian, you’re not seriously suspecting Adrian, are you? That’s going too far.”

“Then why did you think of Adrian as well? Isn’t it because you had the same thought as me?”

Ian’s words hit the mark, causing Deus to cough awkwardly.

“Ahem, ahem. It’s not proper for a mere mage to get involved in matters between brothers.”

Seeing Deus take a step back, Ian smirked.

“Deus, the important thing now is getting you out of the Magic Tower.”

“Do you have a way?”

“I’ve prepared for this.”

At Ian’s confident response, Deus smiled brightly.

“As expected, I can only rely on the Third Prince.”

“Well, when you want to bring in an excellent talent, you have to prepare in advance. After all, the other side won’t just sit back and let you take them.”

Deus let out a sigh of relief at Ian’s confident words. It was a good thing he had come to see Ian right after hearing about the lockdown.

“Deus, I need to confirm one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Your master, he’s really stingy and sensitive about the budget, right?”

Deus nodded repeatedly at Ian’s question.

Seeing Deus’s vigorous nodding, Ian grinned widely.

Money was no problem; after all, his subspace pocket was overflowing with gold coins.

Prev | TOC I Next

Patron 1

TOC I Next

In the Asteria Kingdom, located east of the continent’s center.

In a small room on the right side of the second floor of the Count Palatio’s residence in the southern region.

“……Did you successfully carry out the order?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

The knight, standing, lowered his head in response to the man sitting on the bed.

“As you commanded, I rescued the orphans in the small village in the eastern part of the kingdom… No, rather, the orphans in the facility for human experimentation.”

“And did you ensure the orphanage was properly managed?”

“Yes, just as you instructed, I left the orphanage in the hands of a girl named Yutia.”

“…Did you finish the discussion with the baron’s family managing that village?”

“Yes, as soon as I showed them the documents related to the human experimentation, they obediently accepted all our demands, including the entire castle.”

With that, the knight, Evan, pulled out a leather pouch from his chest and placed it in front of Alon’s side table.

“Good.”

Alon opened the pouch and smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the gold coins inside.

“Young Master, if I may ask one thing…?”

After a moment of silence, Evan spoke.

“What is it?”

“You said the reason you attacked the human experimentation facility in Baron Alfon’s territory was to save that girl, Yutia, right?”

As Alon nodded, gesturing for him to continue, Evan spoke further.

“…Indeed, she was extraordinary. I’ve lived a long time as a mercenary myself.”

Evan paused as if to gather his thoughts, then continued.

“But it’s hard to understand why such a powerful girl was locked up in that facility.”

“And?”

“…Why did you just leave her at the orphanage?”

Alon remained silent in response to the question, which carried a tone of slight incomprehension.

In truth, Evan’s question was entirely reasonable. Rescuing a girl like Yutia without making use of her in any way was an act that brought no benefit.

But that was only from Evan’s perspective. The situation looked quite different from Alon’s viewpoint.

‘I removed one of the world’s destruction flags, and that’s enough for now.’

Yutia.

Her real name was Yutia Bludia.

In 10 years, she would become one of the Five Great Sins, the “Sin of Wrath,” and wipe out two of the five allied kingdoms from the continent, causing hundreds of thousands of casualties.

If someone were to ask how Alon knew what would happen 10 years later, it was because he was a person who had been reincarnated. Moreover, he was aware that this world would be utterly destroyed in 10 years as a dark fantasy RPG game called “Psychedelia.”

“Sigh.”

Alon clutched his throbbing head as he remembered the moment he first regained consciousness two months ago and let out a deep sigh.

‘At first, just realizing that this was a fantasy world made me bedridden for three days, and then discovering that it was 10 years before the main plot of Psychedelia started made me sick for ten more.’

Initially, when Alon thought he had merely reincarnated into a fantasy world, he despaired for about three days. However, as he began to adapt to the world, the situation didn’t seem so bad.

Surprisingly, being a noble was quite manageable.

The life of a noble was incredibly comfortable. He could wake up whenever he wanted, sleep whenever he wanted, do whatever he wanted, and eat whenever he felt like it.

Although he was the third son of a count and held no real power, he was in a position where he could fully enjoy the pleasures of life without responsibility.

That’s why, at first, he was somewhat happy.

For someone who had worked 78 hours a week at a low-paying job, the life of a noble was unbelievably luxurious.

Of course, not being able to access the internet, the pinnacle of modern civilization, was a severe drawback. Still, the life of a noble was satisfying enough to overlook that.

But that only lasted for a while.

Alon’s mood darkened rapidly once he realized that this continent was named Ampelan.

…And even more so when he recalled that the noble family he had reincarnated into was the Count Palatio’s family.

Ampelan was the name of the continent in Psychedelia, the game he had played during his sparse free time while slaving away at work.

And the Count Palatio’s family was briefly mentioned in one of the game’s quests.

Moreover, the despair he felt upon realizing that this was 10 years before the main plot of Psychedelia began was as crushing as the time when his paycheck had been delayed for three consecutive months.

The world of Psychedelia was one where all living creatures, whether nobles or commoners, would be mercilessly ground to dust in 10 years.

Among the most doomed was the Asteria Kingdom, to which the Count Palatio’s family belonged. In any game route, the moment one of the Five Great Sins appeared, the kingdom was wiped off the map.

In other words, it was destroyed.

The kingdom would disappear. The nobility would vanish. Cities would be obliterated.

In short, Alon’s noble life as the third son of the Count Palatio family would inevitably come to an end in 10 years.

Thus, if Alon wished to continue enjoying his peaceful noble life, he would have to eliminate all Five Great Sins, who were destined to become human-killing machines in the future.

And what he was doing now was part of that plan.

“Well… that’s it.”

However, there was no way he could explain all this to Evan.

“It’s just that the time hasn’t come yet.”

“…The time hasn’t come?”

“Yes. Anyway, make sure this matter doesn’t leak to the outside, and continue supporting the orphanage as requested. Oh, and one more thing.”

Alon pulled out a letter from his chest and handed it over.

“Deliver this letter to her.”

“…This letter?”

Evan asked curiously, and Alon replied.

“Yes.”

Strictly speaking, it was something important.

The letter contained a phrase that always appeared in a mandatory event when encountering the Sin of Wrath in the game Psychedelia.

‘The suffering of the dark, the enlightenment of the light. A single despair and belonging.’

This phrase was uttered by a slightly suspicious archbishop NPC from a certain holy country, who would accompany the protagonist and attempt to calm the Sin of Wrath. However, the moment he spoke, the archbishop would turn into a pile of blood, and the Sin of Wrath would, with an irritated expression, say, “It’s too late,” before the battle began.

The reason Alon now chose to use this phrase was because the current time was what the Sin of Wrath referred to as “the past” during the game.

He had seen the phrase repeatedly while playing the game over and over, labeled as a “spell that could befriend the Bloodline,” as stated by the archbishop NPC.

‘Of course, it’s ridiculous to think that reciting one spell would turn you into a friend of those insane creatures who make pacts with Cthulhu and wield power… But considering these are people who worship such beings, it oddly makes sense.’

It was impossible to predict the thoughts of those whose minds bordered on fanaticism.

As Alon watched the mercenary knight bow respectfully and leave the room, he shrugged and thought to himself.

‘Now that I’ve removed the first landmine, it’s time for the second.’

***

A few days later.

“Here’s the letter.”

Evan, having received Alon’s orders, arrived at the orphanage once again and handed the letter to her, unable to hide his unease.

It was understandable, given that the girl, Yutia, standing before him, was strange.

Her red eyes, in stark contrast to her white hair, held no emotion whatsoever.

No, not even a trace of emotion could be detected.

Complete apathy.

The girl, who looked as if she regarded every being in the world as mere objects, extended her hand and accepted the letter with the same expression she had when Evan first rescued her from the orphanage.

Rustle, rustle—

Yutia silently began to open the letter.

Evan’s expression remained puzzled, unable to comprehend why she had been confined in such a facility.

Although he hadn’t reached mastery, Evan could manipulate mana, and with that came the ability to sense the energy of others.

Moreover, Evan’s talent for sensing mana was significantly superior to that of other knights, allowing him to perceive it with far greater accuracy.

That’s why he could tell.

‘No matter how you look at it, this doesn’t make sense.’

The girl standing before him was far too formidable to have been locked up in such a place.

And as Evan pondered this, another question arose in his mind.

It was about the third son of the Count Palatio family who had hired him a few months ago at a tavern.

During his time as a mercenary, Evan had heard that the third son of the Count Palatio family was treated as a virtual outcast, the typical untalented bastard child of a noble house.

Additionally, there were rumors that, due to his timid nature, he was often bullied by his notorious elder brothers, who were known as scoundrels.

So how did such a third son of the count know about the secret human experimentation that the baron’s family was conducting in that hidden facility?

‘I don’t understand at all.’

As Evan was lost in thought, his eyes suddenly widened.

The reason was…

The expressionless Yutia, who had been standing there until a moment ago, now had a broad smile on her lips.

No, it was more than just a smile.

‘Her mana… is becoming visible to the naked eye…?!’

Displaying a skill that could only be shown by those who had reached a certain level of mastery, she was doing so effortlessly.

And then…

“The person who sent this letter… was it Sir Alon?”

As Yutia spoke, her vertical pupils, characteristic of the Bloodline, similar to a reptile’s, gazed directly at Evan.

Even with that mere glance, Evan, who had reached the rank of an expert, felt an instinctive warning from his senses, and though he silently gasped in shock, he quickly composed himself and replied.

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t he call me?”

Yutia’s question.

Although the thought crossed his mind that he didn’t know, Evan refrained from saying it carelessly.

His instincts told him it would be a bad idea.

Instead, Evan recalled a casual remark Alon had made and responded.

“…He said the time wasn’t right.”

“I see.”

A short reply.

But it was the correct answer, as evidenced by the long, curved smile on her lips.

She…

Yutia Bludia—no.

“…I understand.”

The first daughter of the Bloodline, Yutia Bloody Queen, moved her enchanting red lips and said,

“I understand his will.”

With the letter containing a secret phrase known only to her master held close, she twisted her lips into a bizarre smile.

TOC I Next

Survival 140

Prev I TOC I Next

The hidden boss of ‘Sanctuary of Spirits’, the ‘Evolved Lesser Spirit’.

Normally, even if the current Academy students swarmed together, they couldn’t guarantee victory.

‘Well, this should be a piece of cake.’

I’ve memorized all its attack patterns.

Plus, I have the ultimate weapon beside me.

“This is… the hidden boss room.”

In the secret path within the cave, Rene mumbled absentmindedly.

The Saintess.

A character with the undisputedly broken buff skill, ‘Blessing’.

With the support of her steadily accumulated abilities as a possessor, I should be able to handle this alone.

“How do you even know about this? This info wasn’t even on the community boards…”

“Well, I do rely on them sometimes, but such information doesn’t come out without pioneers, you know?”

Out of respect, they’re called pioneers.

Generally, they’re people obsessed with the game.

[East Abyssal Crossroads Dungeon 22nd Try Record + 10th Amendment]

[…]

[Finally achieved results! The ‘Emerald Crystal Compass’, whose purpose was unknown despite being a relic, greatly helped in navigating the dungeon’s maze.]

[This relic can be obtained by helping the elves during the southern story arc. It’s a bit troublesome, but make sure to get it in advance.]

[You’ll probably encounter the boss after navigating the maze. A detailed strategy for the boss fight and rewards will be updated later.]

ᄂCrazy, how much time did the 22nd try take?

L3 days

ᄂThree days for one dungeon?? I respect you, teacher.

ᄂEmerald Crystal?? So it did have a use.

Of course, there were times when I dug out valuable information from the community like this.

However, ‘Under the Chandelier’ had so many hidden elements that it was hard to tell if it was a dating sim or an exploration game.

Sometimes I had to become the pioneer and tackle challenges head-on.

That’s how it was when I strategized ‘Deceptive Dusk’.

I ran this place, the midterm-exclusive dungeon, dozens of times during finals.

“You just stay back and cast buffs. I’ll handle the rest.”

“Hmph. Fine. Well, since you said you’ve seen the ending, I suppose you can brag. Here.”

From her hand, a bright yellow aura of magic surged and soon enveloped me.

‘Oh, I do feel lighter.’

I tested by stomping my foot.

A free leap, as if I had just been unshackled from invisible chains.

“It’s not called the Saintess’s Blessing for nothing.”

“Everyone who receives it is satisfied.”

I chuckled as Rene, her nose seemingly reaching the stalactites, looked proud.

“You’re still a novice, so increase your magic power more. That way, the buff will be even better.”

“Do you know how hard it is?! It’s really tough to raise stats in this game!”

Ignoring her outburst, I recalled the boss once more.

[Evolved Lesser Spirit]

[Changes form to ice, fire, earth, and lightning attributes at regular intervals]

[Each attribute alters all stats except health]

I made a rough estimate.

With my current strength and the Saintess’s Blessing added?

‘If I can’t do this, I can’t say I’ve seen the ending.’

A picture of an easy victory formed in my mind.

Though I hadn’t even defeated it yet, I was already salivating over the rewards it would drop.

“Alright, let’s finish this quickly, find the scattered others, and return. If we can defeat the dungeon master in the shortest time, good grades are guaranteed, right?”

Rene flinched at the mention of grades.

A very honest reaction.

Having just lost the second rank, she must be keen to reclaim it.

“Hurry up! If you’re the vanguard, lead the way!”

“Calling me the vanguard might be a bit much, but… with this party composition, it can’t be helped.”

One priest and one rogue.

There was no reliable warrior to hold the front line, but avoiding everything would suffice.

With that thought, I stepped into the side path.

A strangely bright and spacious cavern.

It was a space clearly prepared for a large monster to make its nest.

Licking my lips.

“Ugh, was the cave always this cold? If I had known, I would’ve dressed warmer…”

Indeed.

She was shivering, hugging her arms, and her words were somewhat odd.

‘All the trash mobs are ice spirits.’

Originally, this place should have a variety of elemental spirits, serving as a good training ground for combat.

The information I got from Wolbaek, as well as my own experiences in the dungeon, felt quite different.

The ones we encountered earlier only used ice magic.

‘This is troublesome.’

I furrowed my brows in thought.

Ice spirits have weaker attack power, smaller attack range, and slower attack speed compared to other spirits.

Their true strength lies in their durability.

They protect their fragile bodies with solid ice, making them much harder to deal with than others.

“…Maybe the boss has taken on an ice form or something.”

Still.

It’s just tricky, not difficult.

Because it’s a spirit.

Boss-level spirits show multiple phases.

If I can strike at its core when it changes form, I should easily seize victory.

With that thought, I approached the center of the cavern.

As expected, a huge iceberg was situated there.

-Grr… An intruder?

White mist, emerging from extreme cold.

Was the chill causing goosebumps on my skin?

Or was it the immense magic power faintly felt within?

“It’s much bigger than I thought. And the overwhelming pressure…! As expected of a hidden boss! I, I’ll trust you.”

The saintess clenched her fists and looked at me with trusting eyes.

As if pleading to quickly take care of it, since it was beyond her capability.

However, it was only a matter of time before her gaze turned to despair.

“…What is that?”

“Huh?!”

From behind me, a bewildered shout.

It was the sound of someone feeling betrayed by their trusted ally.

But I ignored it.

No.

This isn’t the boss I know.

[Boss]

[Ice Spirit Awaiting Resurrection]

This is no mere lesser spirit.

Judging by its ability to speak, it’s at least a mid-level spirit.

No, considering the magic power that could form complete sentences, it’s a high-level spirit.

Moreover…

-Hmm? You look familiar.

The face of an old man etched onto the massive iceberg.

How could I forget?

‘Why is he here?’

Should I call this the butterfly effect?

A high-level spirit who should have been quietly staying in the Count’s mansion now stands here as a boss.

‘He even seems stronger than before.’

It seems he has successfully recuperated, befitting the dungeon’s name, Sanctuary.

A dungeon supposedly for lesser spirits.

I entered earlier than the final exams, only to encounter him?

‘What kind of fate is this?’

I tried to deny it, but…

His sharp gaze seemed to hold a semblance of certainty.

“Of course, it’s you.”

-Indeed! You’re the one who ran around like a rat back at Count Baltrion’s estate!

The spirit arched his carved eyebrows and rose his massive body.

-I must thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to escape from that family’s mansion!

“Ha ha. Is that so? Well, I’m glad you regained your freedom. And now you’ve been able to revive so splendidly!”

Sneaking a glance at the saintess, I also began to step back.

Clearly, this enemy was much stronger than I had anticipated.

Moreover, the match-up with me was the worst.

‘I don’t know its patterns, and its defense is too strong.’

The solid durability of ice, among the highest among spirits.

With my meager attacks, breaking through it seemed extremely difficult, even on a rough estimate.

Even back then, I barely managed to defeat it by targeting its life vessel concept spirit stone…!

My plan to handle the boss alone was already thrown into the distant trash bin, and I was slowly trying to retreat.

-Hmm. Yes, I should thank you for that. But, don’t we still have a debt between us?

“A debt? Well, I’m not sure I…”

-Don’t play dumb!

The cave echoed with a roar filled with magic.

-The humiliation of being mocked and ridiculed by you! I will never forget it for the rest of my life! Atone with your life, human!

Mocking, huh.

In battles, it’s natural to use provocation tactics and sometimes mock in the heat of the moment.

But it seemed this petty ice spirit couldn’t grasp such concepts.

Shhh, shhhhhh-

White smoke started to billow out.

Was it the chilling mist exuded by the ice spirit?

Or steam from its rising temper?

It was hard to tell just by listening.

Therefore, I…

“Um, do you know that boss?”

“Can’t you tell by looking? Run fast!”

The thirty-sixth stratagem: flee.

That was the best I could do against this monster.

“Hey, two steps to the right!”

“Eek! Crazy! I almost died!”

The saintess shrieked as an ice spear narrowly missed her feet.

Fortunately, its pattern wasn’t much different from before.

Ice spear throwing with spikes.

The slow speed, a weakness of ice magic, made the lethal paths clearly visible, so the attack wasn’t very threatening.

There was even enough leeway for me to brief and advise the panicking saintess to dodge.

‘But, I don’t have any effective attacks either.’

The cold itself caused frostbite or slowed buffs just by being nearby.

For a close-combat dealer like me, it was the worst match-up.

The saintess was out of the question.

Ultimately, neither of our attacks were effective.

In the long run, the side with no health limits had the advantage.

-Are you sure you don’t need my help?

While I was pondering what to do, a worried telepathic message came from the shadows.

Despite the concern, I hurriedly replied, startled.

-Of course. Having Lady Bathory step in would be like using a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken, no, a rat.

“Understood. But if your life is in danger, I will step in immediately. Rest assured.”

-Just the words are enough. However, please refrain from revealing your power for my sake.

I have plenty of artifacts accumulated over time.

If necessary, I can handle this.

But.

‘It’s only impossible as Hans Byron.’

Everything I used as ‘Frost Mane’ is unusable.

The same goes for Bathory. If she steps in, it would only be considered cheating during the midterms.

Moreover, her background as a demon would inevitably raise suspicions from the dean.

We need a better stage.

A setting that provides irrefutable evidence that she’s on our side, even if she is a demon.

‘Until that’s set up, please stay quiet.’

Fortunately, she had been quite obedient to my words lately.

The shadow that wouldn’t stop trembling even when I did nothing had returned to normal.

“Well, at least it’s not chasing us here.”

“Because it’s a side path, it’s difficult for it to follow with that huge body.”

The creature was still recovering in its iceberg form, only throwing ice spears to keep us in check and unable to properly pursue.

It was obvious that it hadn’t finished recovering, hence unable to shed its shell.

-Thunk! Rumble!

However, it was only a matter of time.

The sound of the cave walls being broken echoed clearly from the other side.

Soon, the saintess’s face twisted in horror.

“What are we going to do about that?!”

“What do you mean? Are you planning to give up on the midterms?”

Ignoring its rampage, I hurriedly moved on.

“Follow me. First, we need to find our teammates.”

“Are you planning to fight the boss? Isn’t that impossible?”

“Not right now.”

A rogue and a priest.

With such a makeshift combination.

“Let’s find our teammates first.”

But, considering the other members who entered this dungeon.

Rene’s buffs.

Oparn’s tanking and Theodore’s damage dealing in the vanguard.

Luke’s stable long-range attacks with magic.

Finally, with my leadership, it’s not impossible to face it.

After listening to my explanation, the saintess frowned.

“Why don’t I feel convinced? Are you really the possessor who saw the ending?”

“Doubt what you should. Even after finding the hidden boss, you can’t catch it.”

“You bragged so much and yet…”

“Talk a lot for a passenger on this bus. Want to do it alone from now on?”

“…Ugh.”

She was a woman who wouldn’t lose in spirit.

***

Even if they didn’t want each other, there were times they had to stick together.

Because they were engaged.

Because they had to consider the eyes of those around them.

“Your Highness….”

“Be quiet. We had to form a group because of priority, so don’t misunderstand.”

But, it seemed the other person didn’t think so.

-Hans’ group has departed, so the remaining groups will be formed based on grades. The top group, please come forward.

-Oh, Professor Marks. I haven’t finished forming my group yet, so please start with others…

-What are you doing, Luciana, let’s go.

A faint disappointment appeared in Luciana’s blue eyes.

Professor Marks’s words about forming groups based on grades, except for Hans’ group.

That seemed to be the sole purpose for forming a group with him.

‘I must endure. I am his fiancée. Moreover, when he ascends to the highest position, I must be by his side to support him.’

Even as she resolved herself, a sense of futility lingered.

“Your Highness, let’s go quickly.”

“Don’t rush me.”

His hand touched the cheek of the Count Caspera’s young lady.

Ignoring the rule that all regional members must be evenly distributed among the groups, the crown prince forcibly pushed through with his authority.

As a result, Lady Caspera, a member from the central region who normally couldn’t be in the same group as the crown prince, was included.

For Luciana, who valued rules, this was unpleasant.

-What matters now is restoring the dignity of the crown prince. Are you trying to exclude me to maintain your top position?

Such a retort left her unable to speak.

“I’ll grant your wish later.”

“I don’t care.”

This display of affection, never shown to her, as he caressed the violet hair of the Count Caspera’s young lady, shook Luciana’s resolve more and more.

Jealousy? No.

It was closer to emptiness than such base and sticky emotions.

An engagement devoid of emotion, leaving only loyalty to the family, made it even more so.

‘…Composure.’

Yes.

Rather than worrying about her fiancé, it was better to focus on the test.

Luciana’s expression became even colder.

Therefore.

When the spirit appeared, she was rather glad.

Even the ice surrounding the ice spirits was helpless before her aura.

Her anger-filled strike shattered it into nothingness.

But.

…Grit.

Even with that venting, composure was not easily found.

‘Tsk, my training is lacking.’

Luciana grasped her sword and steadied her breathing.

To eliminate her aimless emotions, moving her body was the most efficient method.

Faster.

And more decisively.

Her unfocused anger led to a massacre of spirits, at a moment when she was far from the crown prince’s group.

The floor, walls, and ceiling of the cave.

Everything surrounding her suddenly started to move.

“So, this is the spirits’ trickery the professor mentioned.”

If there was a fortunate point, it was that the hated scene in the distance completely disappeared with the changing terrain.

No.

Moreover, an unexpected fortune came as well.

“Huh? Lady Luciana?”

“…Hans?”

“Well, what a coincidence. I was nervous since the next group had entered, but to meet like this!”

Her lips twitched at the sight of her servant bowing and showing his sly manners.

“Ugh, Lady Speda…”

“…Saintess?”

Had it not been for the blonde girl beside him, her lips might have curled up entirely.

“Where are the other members of your group? Are you two alone?”

The unpleasantness quickly turned into a cold tone.

Faced with this, the saintess, Rene, trembled like a forlorn aspen tree.

Prev I TOC I Next

Round 97

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As soon as I opened my eyes, I left Seon-ah and Ara, who were still sleeping, and went to check the crops.

First, I headed to the storage in the slime dungeon.

“Hmm…”

Except for the cucumbers and Laylas, which aren’t particularly useful for the hunt?

Tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, eggplants, embergrills, and strawberries.

There were quite a lot of them.

The most important among these is the tomatoes.

To prepare for Mammon, who uses powerful poison, tomatoes are essential. Moreover, they must be made into vegetable juice.

“Let’s create a new recipe.”

Tomatoes are a must.

Adding strawberries seemed like a good idea. Until now, strawberries were collected separately to make potions, so this was the first time trying to make vegetable juice with them.

“Huh?”

While selecting ingredients for the antidote, I discovered something for the first time. Something left in a corner of the storage…

“What is this?”

“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong…”

At that moment, Ara, who had woken up at some point, rubbed her eyes and looked for me.

When I squatted down, Ara slowly waddled over and plopped into my arms.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes.”

“What about Seon-ah?”

“She is still sleeping.”

Holding Ara, who still seemed sleepy, I headed back to the corner of the storage. Then Ara, now fully awake, asked me.

“What is that?”

“…I really must have been out of my mind. Ara, do you remember when we planted the bell peppers?”

“Bell peppers!”

It was so long ago that I barely remembered planting them.

Mark2 and Poispois, who originally managed this place, moved to the Dungeon of Gluttony, so there was no one to report to me.

Whenever we harvested new crops, I used to get a report, a gesture called ‘report,’ but that was no more.

“Shall we check it out?”

“Yes!”

I gently lifted the bell peppers covered in slime secretion. Then I went straight to the pond to wash them clean.

[Magic-infused Bell Pepper LV.1]

[It contains faint magic.]

[Consistent consumption enhances mana circulation.]

“Oh!”

An unexpected ability appeared.

Unlike other crops, it didn’t have an immediate effect upon consumption but required continuous intake to be beneficial.

The fact that it improved mana circulation would make it highly desirable to Awakeners.

‘I don’t know the extent of its effectiveness, though.’

The harvested bell peppers seemed to be around 400 in total. Of those, about half, or 200, were judged as items.

Ara and I sorted all the seeds from those 200 bell peppers. We decided to plant those seeds again immediately.

“Since there’s not enough land, we’ll have to plant the rest in the Dungeon of Gluttony.”

“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong, can I eat it?”

“Of course.”

Even after removing the seeds, the item effect of the bell pepper remained. Ara gave a big, happy greeting and eagerly bit into the bell pepper.

Crunch!

With a crisp sound, Ara munched on the bell pepper non-stop.

“Yum!”

“Is it tasty?”

“You should try it!”

After neatly organizing the seeds, I took a bite of the bell pepper Ara handed me.

Crunch!

“Mm?!”

It was juicier than I expected.

The juice from the bell pepper burst out with a surprisingly sweet flavor.

I thought it would have a more bitter vegetable taste, but there was none of that.

“It’s delicious.”

“Yes!”

This would be perfect to include in the new vegetable juice.

It was juicy and had mana-related abilities, making it ideal.

However, since these were magic-infused bell peppers, I wanted to make the juice with the improved magic bell peppers, but I wasn’t sure about the harvest speed.

‘Let’s plant them first!’

Just as I was marveling at the unexpected taste and abilities of the bell peppers, I saw Seon-ah coming down the ladder.

“Ara, give one to Seon-ah too.”

“Okay!”

Holding bell peppers in both hands, Ara ran to Seon-ah. She seemed fully awake now.

Seon-ah, scratching her disheveled hair with a groggy expression, brightened up instantly when Ara approached and hugged her tightly.

“Ara~!”

“Ugh.”

It felt like watching a tipsy aunt.

Indeed, from the outside, they did look like an aunt and niece.

“My cute Ara, did you sleep well?”

“I slept well!”

Ara, a bit startled by Seon-ah’s sudden display of affection, hurriedly handed her a bell pepper.

“Eat this!”

“Oh, what’s this? Something new? A bell pepper?”

“Yes!”

“Hehe, thanks. I’ll enjoy this bell pepper Ara gave me.”

“Uh, okay.”

Since I don’t usually express affection so boldly, Ara seemed unaccustomed to Seon-ah’s enthusiasm. Nonetheless, Seon-ah accepted the bell pepper and took a bite without much thought.

“Mm! Mmm! Mmm!”

“Finish eating before you speak.”

Leaving Seon-ah, who was excitedly mumbling, I planted the bell pepper seeds in the dungeon’s vacant soil. As I buried each seed, a slime followed me, moistening the soil. Cute little thing.

“Is this really a bell pepper? It’s amazing.”

“Why the surprise?”

Seon-ah, having finally swallowed the bell pepper, exclaimed in awe.

“I didn’t like bell peppers before. But this is so tasty! You have to put this in the salad later.”

“Hehe, you can add it yourself.”

While playfully bantering with Seon-ah, I finished planting the seeds. Since the remaining land was limited, it didn’t take long.

‘We still have plenty of bell pepper seeds left.’

Shall we head to the Dungeon of Gluttony? I can make the vegetable juice anytime today.

Glancing over, I saw the kids sitting together, eating bell peppers.

“Let’s go over there.”

“Okay!”

Seon-ah, chewing on a bell pepper, took something out. It looked like a camera. I had no idea when she bought it.

“You’re serious about this.”

“I bought it with the money you gave me.”

“Good job.”

Entering the Dungeon of Gluttony with Seon-ah and Ara, I heard a familiar notification.

[Confirming the dungeon owner, Lee Kyu-seong]

[Entry is permitted]

[Remaining mana: 6/20]

‘Hmm?’

Something had changed.

The dungeon owner had been changed to me. Moreover, the maximum mana had increased to 20. Was this due to the ‘Master of Gluttony’ title I received after completing the last quest?

Increasing the maximum mana wasn’t bad, but it didn’t particularly make me happy.

‘If only they could get rid of it entirely.’

Considering the cost of mana stones for each entry, I could have bought a studio apartment in the metropolitan area by now.

“Ah! It’s been a while!”

Seon-ah stretched, enjoying the breeze.

Just then, something swiftly flew down from the sky.

– Chirp!

“Oh, chirpy, how have you been?”

It was the blade swallow, Chirpy.

By the way, Ara named all the newly joined familiars: Chirpy, Woofy, and Purr. Purr was named after its ghostly characteristics.

‘I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.’

If I had named them, they would have been given cool names like Flame Wolf, Flash Swallow, and Ghost Phantom!

I lamented my inability to protect them from Ara’s naming skills as I let Chirpy perch on my hand.

“What’s that?! Isn’t it a Blade Swallow!”

“Ara picked it up.”

“…Picked up? A monster?”

As expected from a Dungeon Monster Research major, she immediately recognized the Blade Swallow. Her observation skills as a dungeon and awakening enthusiast were impressive.

“Hello there!”

As Ara raised one hand in greeting, Chirpy promptly moved from my hand to hers.

“Wow, to see a Blade Swallow up close like this. It’s said to be a monster that’s hard to bond with, even if tamed as a familiar…”

“Really?”

Indeed, Ara’s affinity was unmatched, especially with monsters. Actually, it probably worked on people too.

‘Because she’s the cutest in the world. Hehe.’

While my thoughts wandered, I noticed something red rapidly approaching from afar. Though it wasn’t visible, the Phantom horse, Purr, was likely beside it.

“Flame Wolf!”

“Ara picked up a few things.”

“Picked up? This is beyond picking up! A Level 5 monster? A high-ranking monster?”

Ignoring Seon-ah’s astonished comments, I approached and petted Woofy. Despite its name, Flame Wolf, its appearance and behavior were more like a retriever.

“Good boy, good boy.”

-Neigh.

“Oh, right. Purr, you’ve been well too?”

“…A Phantom horse? Where did you even…”

While Seon-ah looked too stunned to react further, I lifted her by the waist.

“W-What are you doing!”

“You need to ride. Or do you want to ride Woofy? I can make him bigger.”

“What?!”

As Seon-ah flustered, Ara quickly climbed onto Purr. Confidently, she patted the spot behind her.

“Ride behind me, Seon-ah Seon-ah.”

“Uhh…”

Even as a Dungeon Monster Research major, she probably hadn’t ridden a monster before. I promptly placed Seon-ah behind Ara and petted Woofy.

Understanding my intention, Woofy immediately grew in size and lowered himself to make it easier for me to mount.

“Thank you.”

Once I was on Woofy, we started our run.

“Waaah!”

“Hahaha!”

Although it wasn’t insanely fast, the perceived speed was quite high. Seon-ah clung tightly to Ara, yet…

‘She’s still holding the camera and recording.’

Her professional spirit was commendable. She could probably handle anything.

In about two minutes, we arrived at the fields.

“Wow!”

“How is it? Quite a change, right?”

“It’s so beautiful!”

The last time I brought the family here, there were only a few scattered small houses.

But now, it looked like a village from a fairy tale, with neatly built small buildings, cute roads connecting them, and beautiful landscaping.

“Ara, Ara. Stand there. Yes, just like that. Look here. Oh! Gomgom! You were here! Come, let’s take a picture together. Perfect!”

My sister was clearly very excited.

As soon as we arrived, Gomgom, the rest of the slimes, and other familiars greeted us, making the scene look like a dream. Leading the group was Mark2, who wiggled to greet me.

“Mark2, I have new things to plant.”

Goo?

At my words, Mark2 naturally led me to an empty field.

“Nice.”

Once again, I realized how spacious it was.

The reclaimed land was already vast, but the untouched land was even more extensive.

It seemed like even if we planted all the bell pepper seeds we brought, it wouldn’t make a noticeable difference.

“Let’s work hard.”

While Seon-ah was busy filming with the kids, I fulfilled my duty as a farmer. Since we had much more to plant than in the slime dungeon, it took quite a while this time.

“Phew.”

“Kyu-seong-Kyu-seong. Should I plant here?”

“Oh, Ara, you’re here?”

At some point, Ara had come over to help.

And Seon-ah was quietly filming Ara’s efforts.

“Dear sister, this brother of yours is deeply concerned that you only show such sides. How can you not even say a word about helping this brother…”

“Shh.”

Having been bluntly rejected, I focused back on my work.

With Ara’s help, the planting was quickly finished.

“It’s done!”

“Wow, great job. Now, shall we have a snack?”

“Snack! Snack!”

To those who work hard, rewards are due!

We entrusted the fields to the slimes and headed to the storage. The storage, built by the Kkumuris, had a unique and charming appearance and color.

“How about we make some pizza today?”

“Pizza!”

Ara danced with joy. Though her dance was still amusing, she had gotten cuter thanks to the rhythms she learned at the orphanage recently.

“Since we harvested bell peppers, we should use them as pizza toppings.”

We gathered the ingredients and headed to the kiln.

Somehow, word had spread, and a bunch of kids were already gathered around the kiln.

Of course, anticipating this, I had brought plenty of ingredients.

Patpat!

-୧(๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭

“Huh?”

Just as I was about to light the kiln, I suddenly heard a voice from Alfheim. Looking up, I saw one of the Alfheim waving from atop an insect.

“What’s going on?”

“Poispois!”

Understanding, Ara exclaimed immediately.

“Poispois? What about Poispois?”

“Poispois discovered something interesting! Frey is also there!”

“Something interesting?”

I had a feeling.

With Poispois reaching level 5 and awakening mana detection, it was surely something other than mana stones that he found.

“But before that…”

We should eat the pizza.

Prev | TOC | Next

Round 96

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After parting ways with Oh Min-joo, who had business at the Awakening Headquarters, I headed to Ara Hongryeon.

Upon arriving at the guild, I was immediately called to the executive meeting room. At this point, I was starting to get confused about whether I was just a guild member or an executive.

“Welcome, Kyu-seong.”

“You’re here, Kyu-seong!”

Inside the meeting room, not only was Guild Leader Han Seok-jun present, but several other executives were gathered as well. It seemed like all the executives, except for Jeong So-yeon, were present.

“Please take a seat.”

Ko Kang-yeon, the deputy leader of Team 1, pointed to the seat next to him. I nodded and sat down with Ara in my arms.

“Since the meeting is already in progress, it would be appreciated if Awakener Lee Kyu-seong could receive the briefings afterward.”

“Understood.”

“Then let’s continue.”

The dungeon located in Guangzhou, China.

The main monsters were goblins, a rather unremarkable Level 2 monster.

However, the dungeon boss, the Red Goblin, was an impressive Level 9 monster.

“As you can see from the pictures, the fissure has grown uncontrollably large.”

Deputy Team Leader Lee Hae-sol of Team 2 continued her briefing. The screen showed a massive red crack. Those who saw it were speechless, watching the image in silence.

“The peculiar thing is that despite the exterior appearance suggesting a dungeon break should have occurred already, no monsters have emerged.”

“Hmm.”

“That’s quite unusual. As expected, it doesn’t follow typical patterns.”

The screen changed, revealing a photo of a red goblin I had never seen before.

This was the final monster of the dungeon of Avarice.

It was one of the Seven Deadly Sins that had poisoned many Level 7 and 8 Awakeners. It was impressive that they managed to take a picture inside the dungeon.

“The goblin in this photo is the boss monster, Mammon. Surprisingly, it’s a monster capable of communicating with humans.”

“Mammon!”

Suddenly, Ara sprang up from my lap and shouted. Her outburst drew everyone’s attention to us.

“I’m sorry. Ara, you need to stay quiet.”

Knowing that Ara was my familiar and allowing her to attend the meeting was a courtesy, but causing a disturbance was problematic.

Ara, pointing at the goblin on the screen, seemed very agitated but didn’t say anything further, likely sensing my warning look.

…Wait a moment.

Come to think of it, Ara is also one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Could she possibly know this goblin named Mammon?

“If a dungeon break occurs, the regular goblins are no issue. The problem is this Red Goblin, Mammon. It’s a formidable monster that can target specific individuals with its powerful, odorless, colorless poison.”

While I was lost in thought, the briefing continued. Ara was still restless in my arms, as if she wanted to say something.

‘I need to keep the fact that Ara is one of the Seven Deadly Sins hidden.’

After joining Ara Hongryeon, I disclosed almost everything, except that Ara was a Gluttony Slime.

“…Ultimately, the key factor is Kyu-seong’s ability.”

“Huh?”

Snapped out of my thoughts by the mention of my name, I realized everyone was looking at me.

“Given that Deputy Guild Leader Kim Si-young and Awakener Baek Seung-hyun of Iron Blood will be returning soon, Kyu-seong’s detoxification ability increases our chances of defeating Mammon.”

“That’s right. With Kyu-seong’s antidote, we can mitigate some risks. Even if it doesn’t completely neutralize the poison, it can create an opening to attack Mammon.”

So this was why they called me to the executive meeting. Indeed, my antidote might not be able to prevent poisoning completely, but it could save lives.

However, there was one concern. Even with my antidote, once poisoned, even the strongest Awakeners would have to leave the battlefield. Given Mammon’s ability to poison numerous Awakeners at once, I wondered if my antidote would be enough…

“It’s not just about the antidote.”

“Ohhh.”

Deputy Team Leader Lee Hae-sol changed the screen.

On the screen appeared familiar items, no, food items.

Each item was detailed with its specific abilities.

“Since Awakener Lee Kyu-seong joined Ara Hongryeon, we’ve achieved tremendous performance improvements. This is all thanks to Kyu-seong’s doping and support items.”

“That’s right. Thanks to Kyu-seong’s items, we can clear dungeons faster and safer than ever before. We’ve even managed to run low-tier dungeons twice in one day.”

Deputy Team Leader Ko Kang-yeon nodded in agreement. All the other executives in the room also showed their agreement.

Their reactions left me feeling awkward. For a moment, I wondered, ‘Is it really that much?’ but upon reflection, I realized my abilities were indeed remarkable.

I could mass-produce items with awakening abilities. Though they were time-limited buff items, they could simply be consumed again once the time expired.

Most of the items, except for a few crops like cucumbers for skin care, were extremely useful. These were items that any Awakener would be eager to get their hands on.

“We have not only antidotes but also these powerful consumable items. And we have enough production capacity to stockpile them.”

“Hahaha! Our Kyu-seong is truly a blessing to Ara Hongryeon! No, if we conquer the Dungeon of Avarice, he will be a blessing to the entire world!”

“Thanks to the new strawberry potion, our team’s youngest member successfully cleared a Level 5 dungeon for the first time. Normally, our team wouldn’t have the strength for a Level 5 dungeon. Kyu-seong’s ability is not just the power of a single Awakener!”

The executives stood up and began praising me enthusiastically. Flustered and unsure of how to react, I noticed Ara in my arms closing her eyes and savoring the praise.

“More! More praise!”

“Long live Kyu-seong!”

“Awakener Lee Kyu-seong is a god, and his items are invincible!”

“Hahaha! Who brought Kyu-seong to Ara Hongryeon? It was me!”

Clap!

Just as the commotion was about to escalate, Guild Leader Han Seok-jun clapped his hands. Immediately, everyone sat down and fell silent as if it had all been a joke.

“Kyu-seong.”

“Yes, Guild Leader.”

“As you have heard, we will likely need your help a lot this time. Would it be possible to temporarily increase your supply?”

I thought deeply about Han Seok-jun’s request.

Currently, most of my supplies, except for my family’s share, were already being delivered.

‘…I haven’t supplied the newly harvested crops yet, though.’

We hadn’t yet supplied the sesame seeds, lettuce, onions, and garlic grown in the Dungeon of Gluttony. It wasn’t intentional; they were still in the mana improvement stage and, except for the seeds to be replanted, they were used as food for the slimes and familiars.

Harvest time for the mana crops was approaching. I should be able to harvest mana garlic within a week…

“It’s difficult to increase the supply immediately, but I’ll try my best. I’ll aim to stockpile as much as possible.”

“Thank you. It seems it will take some time to prepare for the raid on the Dungeon of Avarice in China, so we will keep you updated.”

“Understood.”

Fortunately, I could now perform liquid synthesis three times a day, so I should start making plenty of antidotes. Preparing for the Dungeon of Avarice should take precedence over slime synthesis for now.

“This concludes the briefing.”

* * *

After stopping by Dasom Orphanage, I returned to the dungeon. It was night by then, and I encountered an unexpected visitor.

“Why are you so late?”

“Why are you here?”

Seon-ah was holding and playing with a slime. As she squeezed it, the slime squished, and I asked her what she was doing. Ignoring my question, she spread her arms towards Ara.

“Ara! Your sister is here!”

“Seon-ah Seon-ah!”

Ara ran over and jumped into Seon-ah’s arms with a plop. The slime already in Seon-ah’s arms made a squelching sound as it got squished.

“What are you doing here?”

“A little sister can come by sometimes. Besides, I didn’t come to see you, I came to see Ara. Hehe.”

“Well, it’s just that it’s quite late.”

Seon-ah, rubbing her cheek against Ara’s, suddenly smiled mischievously and approached me with Ara in her arms.

“Brother, do you watch YouTube?”

“YouTube? I can’t watch it here. There’s no data or Wi-Fi.”

“Hehehe.”

“What’s with that laugh?”

“Brother, the video I took of Ara last time… it went viral!”

What was she talking about now?

Of course, I knew Seon-ah had been filming Ara and the rest of us like crazy. And that she edited and uploaded the videos on YouTube.

But she hadn’t filmed any new videos or given any updates for a while, and now suddenly it went viral?

“Anyway, I was feeling down because there were no reactions, but suddenly it became popular, and now I’m motivated again.”

“Oh, so you came to shoot more videos?”

“That’s right.”

I crossed my arms and watched my sister for a moment before waving my hand dismissively.

“Do whatever you want. But we’re going to sleep now, so start filming tomorrow.”

“Already going to bed?”

“Do you know what time it is? You were having so much fun with the slimes you didn’t notice the time.”

“What time is it? It’s only 10 PM!”

“Farmers go to bed early and wake up early. It’s already late.”

I had no intention of stopping Seon-ah from filming. She only filmed us playing around anyway.

Besides, the current YouTube is flooded with all kinds of videos, including dungeon explorations and Awakener vlogs, so Ara’s vlog was pretty standard.

The only difference might be that there probably weren’t any vlogs with someone as cute as Ara filming in a dungeon?

‘Hehe. Ara is indeed cute. No wonder it went viral.’

As I was feeling pleased with myself, Seon-ah, carrying Ara, headed straight to the bed.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“What?”

“Aren’t you going home?”

“How can I go down the mountain at this hour? I’m going to sleep with Ara.”

While I was left speechless, Ara cheered with joy.

“Wow! Are we sleeping here together tonight?”

“Yes! Let’s sleep together, Ara.”

How shameless. As expected of my sister.

I decided to let it go for a night. I spend every day with Ara anyway, so it’s not a big deal.

…Though it is a bit bittersweet.

* * *

Shanghai, China.

With its large population and vast land, China had many Awakeners and related organizations.

In Shanghai, there was even a super-large guild.

The building known as Skyscraper, which was also the name of the guild.

From the upper meeting room of this towering building reaching into the clouds, people were pouring out.

“Ugh, finally it’s over. A meeting lasting 13 hours…”

“I hate to admit it, but if I weren’t an Awakener, I would’ve wet my pants.”

“Can you talk about disgusting things elsewhere? It’s unpleasant.”

Various talented individuals vented their pent-up feelings and took a breath. These people found meetings more exhausting than clearing dungeons.

“Can’t be helped. It’s not just any dungeon; it’s the Dungeon of Avarice.”

“But for a 13-hour meeting, didn’t we come away with nothing? How are we supposed to stop Mammon?”

“Well, other guilds will be thinking of alternatives too.”

As they engaged in small talk or hurried off for other matters, someone walked out, sat in a lounge chair, and checked their phone.

A woman with strikingly white hair.

Her actions weren’t particularly noteworthy, except for the fact that she was the granddaughter of the owner of this very Skyscraper.

“Oh, the meeting’s over, but you didn’t leave right away, miss. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. I just need to check this first.”

“Just take a quick look and then go for your check-up. Even though the Guild Master is strict, he shouldn’t be harsh on someone who’s unwell.”

Ryu Cheon, the only granddaughter and only child of the Skyscraper Guild Master, was born with exceptionally strong magical power. Born under an unprecedented case globally, she achieved the remarkable status of an 8th-Level Awakener at the young age of 24.

However, such powerful abilities came with significant drawbacks.

Born awakened, she possessed strong magical power but a frail body. Her blood and energy were particularly weak, causing problems such as coughing up blood with even slight overuse of mana.

Because of this, her 8th-Level status was often ridiculed as a scarecrow Level abroad.

“Hmm, miss.”

“……”

After the long 13-hour meeting, she should have gone straight for a check-up. Yet, sitting still and looking at her phone, the woman who had spoken to her asked again.

“What are you looking at?”

“A cute kid and a bear.”

Ryu Cheon was watching YouTube. However, the others in the Skyscraper Guild, unfamiliar with YouTube, didn’t know what she was looking at.

“A video site?”

“Yes.”

“They are cute.”

“This is a newly uploaded video. I’m happy because it’s been a while.”

Ryu Cheon’s expression remained stoic. Yet, the woman who could read the faint happiness within that stoic demeanor smiled slightly.

“That’s good to hear.”

Having grown up experiencing all sorts of things from a young age, Ryu Cheon rarely expressed emotions. Now, she was nearly emotionally dry.

The woman, a longtime guild member who had watched over Ryu Cheon for years, felt a surge of joy at seeing her positive emotion after so long.

“I want to see them in person.”

“Are they from our country? If so, should we invite them to the guild?”

“No. They seem to be speaking Korean. So, it must be Korea.”

“Well, I’ll look into it for you, miss. If it’s Korea, it’s right next door, so there won’t be any problem.”

“…It’s okay. I want to see them, but for now, I just want to support them quietly.”

What faint joy Ryu Cheon felt came from watching Seon-ah’s uploaded vlog of Ara.

– So, so, so, so cute. I want to touch her cheeks. I want to pat her head. I want to hug her… (continues)

Recently, Ryu Cheon had been learning Korean because of Ara’s vlogs.

Thanks to this, she left a lengthy comment in Hangul, pressed the like button, and saved the video offline before standing up. She planned to rewatch the video about ten more times that day.

Thus, without anyone knowing, Ara and Gomgom were gaining fans even in China.

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