“Okay, one, two. One, two.”
Watching Ara wobble along made me involuntarily smile. She was good at almost everything and had great physical abilities, but her clumsy dancing was cute.
While watching Ara’s dance, I also started my own preparations.
“Ahem. Kyu-seong, do you need some help?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Hanul, who had been watching, began moving the ingredients I was taking out. I soon felt the eyes of others watching us.
Just as we were finishing up the snacks, Jeong So-yeon, who had gone somewhere, spoke to me.
“Kyu-seong, something unexpected came up. Mr. Baek Tae-seop just contacted us.”
“The Iron-blood Guild leader?”
“It seems news has spread that Director Choi from the Terror Guild visited our guild. The Iron-blood Guild always keeps a close eye on the Terror Guild…”
“Is Awakened Baek Seung-hyun coming too?”
“I don’t think so. Although the antidote worked, Awakened Baek Seung-hyun is a supporter-type and still needs more time to rehabilitate.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than a grand vehicle entered the orphanage grounds. Seeing this, we knew that Baek Tae-seop had arrived.
“Oh, and Mr. Baek is also a sponsor of the orphanage.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“You wouldn’t have. He only started recently. It’s actually thanks to you, Mr. Kyu-seong.”
“Thanks to me?”
What was she talking about?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Jeong So-yeon smiled gently.
“Mr. Baek Tae-seop seems to have become quite fond of you. After confirming your connection to our orphanage, he generously decided to sponsor us.”
“Oh, that’s good news.”
“We’re really grateful for Mr. Baek’s support. It’s not just the money; his influence is significant…”
Indeed, Dasom Orphanage was already receiving substantial support from Jeong So-yeon and Ara Hongryeon. It didn’t seem like an orphanage lacking funds.
But having Baek Tae-seop as a sponsor meant more than financial help; it could bring various other benefits.
‘The Iron-blood Guild isn’t just a metaphor; it’s actually a guild under a conglomerate group.’
We went out to greet the vehicle.
The director, who had heard the news, also came out and gave me a sly smile.
“Mr. Kyu-seong, nice job.”
“?”
Well, knowing that Iron-blood was sponsoring them thanks to me didn’t feel bad. I was rather grateful.
The car stopped, and a familiar face got out.
It was Baek Tae-seop and his secretary.
“Oh! Kyu-seong!”
As soon as he saw me, Mr. Baek ran up and hugged me fiercely. His sudden action prompted his secretary to run over and try to restrain him.
“S-Sir…”
Even so, I couldn’t push Mr. Baek away, understanding his emotions somewhat.
Nearly a decade had passed. I had saved his son’s life, who had been thought to have no hope.
“Kyu-seong! You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to contact you! Look! Look at this!”
Suddenly, Mr. Baek pulled out his phone and started showing me pictures. They depicted what seemed to be his son, Baek Seung-hyun, gradually recovering.
“This is all thanks to you, Kyu-seong! Truly! Thank you so much!”
“S-Sir, please stand up.”
Now, Mr. Baek was suddenly bowing down to me on the ground, which was awkward. While I appreciated his joy, he needed to calm down a bit.
At that moment, Hanul, who had finished moving my crops, noticed the scene.
“Why is that old man here! Did he come to kidnap Kyu-seong, that persistent old man!”
Brother, your imagination is too wild.
Eventually, the secretary of the Iron-blood Guild, angered by Hanul’s comment, started arguing while Mr. Baek carefully handed something to me.
“This is…?”
“I brought this because it seemed like you were looking for an item related to slimes last time. Please accept it.”
“Oh!”
Mr. Baek had been considerate of something I had forgotten about. This was quite touching.
I took the item he handed me and immediately checked it out.
It was contained in a precious-looking box with various advanced devices attached.
What on earth is this to require such measures?
“If you press the button there, the box will open.”
Click!
As he instructed, I pressed the button and the lid opened.
Inside was something round and mysterious.
[Fragment of an Unknown Slime]
[A fragment left by an unusual slime.]
[It contains unusual magical power.]
[You can feel the pulse of life.]
At first glance, it looked like a blue gem.
Engraved on its sparkling surface were some unknown patterns or characters.
What is this?
I had no idea what it was for. It was definitely related to slimes, but…
‘Do you eat it?’
That couldn’t be right; there were no indications of consumption effects, and the phrase “pulse of life” was intriguing.
“We managed to bring it over as a precious item, but we couldn’t determine its use. However, the amount of magic contained within it is equivalent to, or possibly greater than, a 7th-grade magic stone.”
“7th grade?!”
“7th grade?!”
Even Jeong So-yeon, who was beside me, exclaimed in surprise. The reputation of a 7th-grade magic stone was that high.
‘A 7th-grade magic stone is worth at least 2 billion, at least!’
But this item might have even more magical power than such a stone. Although it couldn’t be used like a magic stone, as Mr. Baek said, it was definitely not an ordinary item.
“Is it okay for you to give me something like this?”
“Of course. Although it has the magic power of a 7th-grade stone, it cannot be used as a magic stone, so its value is lower. Depending on how it can be utilized, its price can vary greatly, but we believe it would be better for you, who knows more about slimes, to have it rather than us.”
“Thank you. I’ll gratefully accept it.”
I did not hesitate and expressed my thanks.
If it were a 7th-grade magic stone, it would have been burdensome, but since this item’s exact use was still a mystery, it was better to accept it for now.
Ara might know what it is.
“Kyu-seong! Let’s start the party! Hahaha!”
Hanul, who had somehow gotten friendly with Iron-blood’s secretary despite their earlier fight, called out to me. When did they become so close again?
Ignoring Hanul’s peculiar ability to befriend anyone, I headed toward the orphanage building. Meals were already being served, and when the director tried to introduce me to the children, I shook my head.
“It’s okay. Let’s just eat!”
Jeong So-yeon and Hanul quickly joined the serving line.
“Mr. Baek, why don’t you have a quick bite too?”
“Is that alright?”
Noticing that the food was mine, Mr. Baek looked apologetic. I nodded affirmatively.
“Of course! Ah, and the pizza you mentioned last time is ready. I didn’t prepare it because I didn’t expect to see you today.”
“Oh! You remembered that promise?”
“You remembered me too, didn’t you? Honestly, I had forgotten about the slime item. Haha.”
Given the situation, I decided to invite him to the dungeon. If we had the ingredients, we could make pizza outside using a rented oven, but I wanted to offer healing to Mr. Baek, who had gone through a lot, and Awakened Baek Seung-hyun, who needed to recuperate.
‘A hot spring would help.’
For both of them.
There’s no harm in getting closer to Mr. Baek, so I should take this opportunity to earn some points.
“Oh! This is… incredibly delicious!”
Judging by his reaction, it seems I’ve already earned quite a few points…
Before I knew it, Ara, who had been practicing dancing, came over and started eating enthusiastically beside me. Her cheeks were puffed up, making me want to pinch them.
“So, Ara, how’s the dancing? Is it fun?”
“It’s fun! It’s nice to do it together with everyone!”
I should make sure to visit often so she can hang out with her friends.
“Dancing? Ara is learning to dance?”
“Oh, we happened to drop by today, and the kids were practicing for an event at the end of the year. Ara wanted to join, so we did it together.”
“Hmm.”
Mr. Baek paused his eating and stared intently at Ara. Despite his gaze, Ara was too busy shoveling food into her mouth to notice.
“Dancing, huh…”
“Is there something wrong?”
“Oh! No, it’s nothing. I just thought Ara would look cute dancing.”
Is that really all there is to it?
Mr. Baek’s eyes had the cold calculation of a businessman. Come to think of it, didn’t the Iron-blood Group have an entertainment division?
“What is that?”
Ara, who had piled up a tower of dishes in front of her, pointed to the box I was holding. I had planned to show it to her in the dungeon, but since she was interested, I decided to show it now.
Click!
When I pressed the button, the lid opened just like before.
Inside was a radiant blue gem.
“Oh!”
However, Ara seemed more interested in the box than the slime fragment inside. She was fascinated by how the lid opened with the press of a button, like a transforming robot.
“Ara, do you know what this is inside the box?”
“Hmm?”
Ara, who had been examining the box’s exterior, finally noticed the slime fragment. She tilted her head in curiosity and reached out without hesitation.
“Uh, Ara, that’s not something you eat.”
“Okay!”
Ara answered brightly and held the slime fragment, inspecting it closely. I hoped touching it wouldn’t harm her. Mr. Baek would have warned me if it was dangerous, right?
As Ara examined the fragment, Mr. Baek seemed intrigued and focused his attention.
“Oh!”
“Did you find something out? What is it?”
“It’s pretty!”
“…”
I had hoped Ara would recognize something about it, but her cute reaction left me awkwardly silent.
“It feels tingly! Kyu-seong Kyu-seong! Can I have this?”
“Uh? Well…”
I couldn’t say no to Ara’s bright, expectant eyes. Mr. Baek looked at me as if I had lost my mind.
“Take it along with the box. It’s better to keep it in there.”
“Oh!! You’re giving me the box too! Kyu-seong Kyu-seong is the best!”
In the end, I gave Ara the slime fragment. Though giving it to Ara didn’t mean it was out of my control.
“Mr. Kyu-seong, no matter how extraordinary Ara is, we don’t know what that item does…”
“It’s okay. Ara is strong and rarely gets hurt. Unless the item is extremely dangerous, there’s no need to worry.”
In the worst case, Ara could just eat it.
“No, I meant it’s a precious item…”
“Oh, that’s what you meant. Haha.”
From Mr. Baek’s perspective, it must have been shocking to see me casually hand over an item with the power of a 7th-grade magic stone to a child.
“The reason I was looking for slime-related items in the first place was to give them to Ara, so it’s as intended.”
“Uh? Does that mean Ara is…?”
Mr. Baek didn’t know that Ara was a slime.
Now that I think about it, the only people who knew Ara was a slime were our guild members and my family.
“Huh.”
Mr. Baek still seemed in disbelief as he stared at Ara, opening and closing his mouth as if he wanted to ask something but held back. It was understandable; with her appearance, no one would guess she was a slime.
“Oh! Kyu-seong Kyu-seong!”
“Yes? What is it?”
“I think I know what this is!”
“What!?”
Ara, who had been closely examining the slime fragment along with the box, suddenly spoke up.
Cliche Novel 