If it's the home of a high-income hunter, it must be expensive. There's probably a bathtub deep enough to soak my entire body. And considering it's the building where the nation's hero lives, the security must practically make it a fortress.
In this age of dungeon shocks, an invitation from the number-one-ranked hunter was nothing short of a windfall. In the end, Giryeo couldn't resist the temptation and followed the Earthling.
"If I get in like this, I'll soak the back seat. Should I climb in through the trunk instead?"
"Haha."
"Why are you laughing?"
"You weren't joking?"
By the time the two reached the parked car, a minor misunderstanding had arisen. In any case, the friction between them was short-lived.
***
< One hour later, at Jung Haseong's house >
Dirring.
From somewhere came a clear voice, carrying the metallic resonance of a chime.
First floor.
"Doh."
This was a high-rise apartment building in southeastern Seoul. I was currently on my way to the home of the Earthling who had invited me, and if ever there was a place worthy of being called "another world," this was it. Even the entrance was filled with all sorts of unfamiliar modern devices.
"An elevator button you press with your foot?"
Well, humans have four limbs. It only makes sense that technology should develop in ways that let them make use of all four.
Haseong lightly tapped the hallway sensor with the tip of his shoe, then straightened and waited. Shortly afterward, the apartment elevator arrived before me, and there was plenty inside to admire as well.
"Ahn Younseong's place was on a lower floor, so I always took the stairs, but now that I'm seeing this, you really can tell how different high-end buildings are!"
Aren't elevators normally supposed to have a close-door button that's worn out and barely works, huge advertisements plastered all over the walls, and a corner steeped in the cloying scent of cheap air freshener?
"Hmm."
But the building where Haseong lived was nothing like that. The spacious elevator, trimmed in gold, was immaculately maintained. Everything worked perfectly, and tasteful classical music played softly in the background.
Haseong pressed the button in front of him. A moment later, a soft, luxurious daylight-colored glow appeared around the button for a particular floor.
"23rd floor."
So he doesn't live on the top floor. As I felt the elevator begin to rise, I subtly turned my head toward him.
"Jung Haseong."
At the same time, I asked my fellow passenger a question.
"By the way, you live in a place like this too."
"Yes?"
"I ended up settling in a building where lots of people live, but I thought you'd live in a detached house."
"Well... apartments are convenient, after all. But what made you think I'd live in a single-family home?"
The following was a brief conversation that lasted until the elevator reached its destination.
"If an S-rank hunter lives in the same building, there's bound to be someone who comes asking for help right away. Back at that one-room place, some guy suddenly knocked on my door because an E-rank mob had appeared near the intersection by the mart down the street."
"Ah~"
Jung Haseong responded as though he understood.
"I see what you mean. I think something like that happened to me at the place I used to live, too."
"Right!"
"But ever since I moved here, not really..."
Oh, so you don't get pestered by the other residents anymore? When we entered the building earlier, a young awakened guard had greeted us politely at the entrance. So perhaps, with security this thorough, the residents didn't make a fuss whenever some random monster appeared?
I nodded along with that foolish conclusion, only for the reality that followed to be completely different from what I'd imagined.
"-_-."
"Right after I bought this place, I was often running dungeons at three in the morning or traveling to other regions for work. My family told me people kept coming by for a while, but I suppose they eventually gave up and stopped on their own."
Well, if the homeowner is never home, of course they'd eventually give up.
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
"By the way, Hunter Kim, you must've had a difficult time. Having neighbors come barging over and knocking on your door just because some E-rank monster appeared."
I drew in an awkward breath, as though I'd bitten into an unripe persimmon, while Jung Haseong smiled and continued.
"But knowing your personality, Hunter, I'm sure you firmly refused such unreasonable requests. After all, having an S-rank respond every single time an E-rank monster appears would be inefficient—and could even cause bigger problems."
I remained silent.
First of all, it was true that I had refused my neighbor's request, just as the national hero said. But the underlying reason had been entirely different.
"Back when I'd only just defeated the Inevitable Malice, I didn't have [Hydra] or the [Sacred Tree Seedling], so even an E-rank could've killed me if I wasn't careful..."
I turned away with hollow eyes. Seeing me like that, Jung Haseong seemed to sympathize, apparently thinking, 'As expected of an S-rank hunter, you must have endured hardships of your own.'
"Sometimes, it still feels strange that I have something in common with someone as capable as you, Hunter Kim."
And then.
Ding.
The elevator finally arrived at its destination.
[Twenty-third floor.]
The doors opened.
The moment I saw the hallway beyond them, covered in luxurious carpeting, anticipation welled up inside me once more.
'A house belonging to an Awakener who readily spends billions on tutoring fees.'
There had merely been the temporary complication of an alien magician entering the equation. In reality, wasn't it perfectly normal for high earners like S-rank hunters to live in dazzling residences?
'As expected, the floors here must be marble too. The cold temperature isn't bad at all for someone from the deep sea.'
Tik.
Jung Haseong scanned his fingerprint against the door lock.
"Here. Please, make yourself comfortable."
Incidentally, I'd already dried off the worst of the water soaking me with a blood-and-dust-stained towel that my colleague in the industry kept in his trunk. So, without a second thought, I stepped through the open door.
"Anyway, I guess it was a good thing I listened to my mother and furnished the guest room. Back then, I hardly ever invited anyone over, so I used to wonder why I'd even bothered buying all that furniture..."
At last, I entered the house.
Then I stopped short as soon as I reached the living room and took in the sight before me.
"Why are you doing that?"
The basic structure, at least, wasn't bad.
The natural marble floor couldn't even be compared to the cracked, dust-covered flooring of some cheap studio apartment. More than anything, Jung Haseong's home was every bit as spacious as I had imagined.
But the problem was.
"Hunter Kim?"
The house is a little dirty...
Surely someone who earned that much money could afford a proper trash can, yet an open standard garbage bag sat brazenly in plain sight right at the entrance to the living room. Worse still, half-folded laundry was strewn haphazardly across the sofa. Towels and plain T-shirts hadn't been neatly tucked away in drawers, but simply left lying around the living room to °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° be grabbed whenever needed.
And when I ran a hand across the top of the nearby air purifier, an untimely winter frost appeared across the apricot-colored fingertips of this mammal.
To put it simply, it was covered in dust.
"-_-."
"-_-."
Expressionless, I stared at the other person without moving so much as a millimeter.
Of course, his expression hardly changed either. Only after seeing my reaction did he finally seem to break into a cold sweat.
In any case, it was downright shocking.
Even after taking time off to recover mentally, he still made every effort to appear neat and composed in public. Just as he'd stood waiting for the elevator a moment ago, even his ordinary posture was impeccable—the very image of the so-called perfect Hunter.
And yet, in complete contrast to his polished appearance, his home was a total mess.
"Isn't this how everyone lives anyway?"
Thus, the hunters' training camp began with the revelation of an unexpected truth.
***
Day 1 of Parasite.
"No, Hunter-nim!"
The weather was clear today.
I gazed at the dazzling summer sunlight pouring through the windows of the south-facing house.
"I told you to get plenty of rest. Did you clean the place while I was gone?"
Monthly rent: 0 won.
Maintenance fee: 0 won.
And because the landlord was wealthy, the house was filled with top-of-the-line appliances, each costing millions of won. I even had the opportunity to freely experience machines representing the very pinnacle of mammalian technology.
Could there possibly be another paradise like this in the world?
"I, I used to hire a separate cleaning service to take care of the house. But I've been busy with work lately, so I ended up neglecting it for a while."
"You have cleaning machines all over the house, and you still hire someone else to clean?"
"I'm sorry. From now on, I'll take care of it immediately."
Naturally, with Earthlings watching me, I wouldn't be able to conduct any strange experiments or research for a while.
Still, this was more than good enough for me.
Ignoring the landlord's stunned words as he stared at the now-spotless kitchen table, I headed farther inside and began organizing my schedule.
"Let's see."
Kang Changho had contacted me later to say that because compensation for the damaged studio had to be processed under a different name, the payment would be delayed.
"I've suddenly become a gentleman who owns exactly one set of clothes."
Ah, I really shouldn't keep throwing around the word 'clean' in front of these uncivilized mammals...
So I decided to go out and buy myself a new suit.
More precisely, I followed Haseong's advice and first went to the community center to have my lost ID reissued. With the temporary identification they gave me, I went to the bank and got a new check card, and with that money, I headed to the phone store to...
Damn it, why are there so many things to do?
'Damn it.'
Still, there was nothing I could do about it.
Besides, from now on, I probably wouldn't have to deal with that contractor anymore. Grateful for that small victory, I left the apartment.
.
.
.
A full eight hours later, I finally returned to my luxury apartment.
"Hunter Kim..."
It seemed Jung Ha-seong had come home from work early today as well.
The kind mammalian alien greeted the blond soldier who staggered into the house with concern in his voice—but I had no words with which to answer him.
"Did you happen to stop somewhere and clear a dungeon break on your way back? Otherwise, why are you so late?"
What kind of reaction would I get if I told him that, being an alien, I inevitably had certain weaknesses when it came to Earth-style capitalist transactions?
'I had to read and understand every tiny clause in all the contracts the bank clerk and phone salesperson handed me, so it took a little while...'
Anyway, I had no idea how the customers beside me could so casually sign such lengthy documents.
Even if they'd already memorized the standard contract forms, wouldn't it be a serious problem if the other party had quietly changed some of the wording?
"Phew."
I barely managed to carry the aluminum phone I'd hunted down into the guest room.
It was unfortunate to lose yet another trophy belonging to this body's original owner. Still, the new device performed so well that any lingering regret quickly faded.
Most importantly, the internet was unbelievably fast.
"Maybe Earthlings really are gods...?"
It was around then, just as I once again began to revere mammalian technology.
"Hmm."
The landlord had said he wouldn't mind even if I stayed here permanently, and that I could take as much time as I wanted to choose a new place.
But since I'd eventually have to move out if I wanted to conduct my research properly, I needed to start looking into real estate law right away.
So I went online and began searching.
[Today's Economic Headlines]
[World Artifact Expo held in Tokyo, Japan]
But as so often happens with mammals, the moment I opened the portal site, my attention was immediately drawn to something entirely unrelated to my original purpose.
'An Artifact Expo?'
An auction of high-tier Epic-grade items on the second day of the event...?
I skimmed the reporter's article.
Then—
a single photograph embedded in the middle of it abruptly caught my eye.
"Huh."
Since it was only a digital photograph, I couldn't be completely certain about the texture, which left me somewhat unsure—
but isn't that 'that' item?
"Hmm."
But no matter how much I coveted it from the comfort of my room, there was practically no chance I'd ever get my hands on that particular artifact being exhibited at the expo.
'I'm already far behind the ordinary S-rank hunters I'm competing against. And lately, they even had Kang Changho implant a core to prepare for him—just perfect.'
Of course, there was enough money in my bank account to make the average person green with envy.
But a proper Epic-grade item could easily cost hundreds of billions of won.
'Looks like I won't be getting any new equipment.'
Nothing would change just because I checked, but I figured I might as well confirm my bank balance anyway.
So I reinstalled the banking app I'd deleted, completed the security verification, linked my main account to my phone, and soon the number displayed on the screen was...
[Savings account balance: 103,228,709,652 won]
[July 18, 17:00]
[Deposit 100,000,000,000 won - MABAR Corporation]
"?"
Huh.
What is this?
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