031
031
Messages popped up one after another. It was a text saying rooms 101 to 104 had been secured in an instant.
There was almost no delay.
'How did he do it?'
Even if there was just one zombie per house, it should be normal to have a gap between each house.
My curiosity was satisfied when Kang Mu-yeol, having finished his mission, came back up.
"Ah, that? I just opened all the doors at once and made some noise to lure the zombies inside out."
"Ah... that actually worked?"
"Yes."
Since the person involved said that's how it happened, there was nothing more to add.
It was also a method that wouldn't be easy to attempt if it weren't for Kang Mu-yeol.
Even if only one came out of each house, that's four.
There's no guarantee only one comes out.
If three or four come rushing out, getting surrounded happens in an instant.
It wouldn't be easy to even think about breaking through if it weren't for Kang Mu-yeol.
It was a method possible only because it was Kang Mu-yeol.
"Anyway, thank you for your hard work. The villa is now a Safe Zone. Since we're down on the first floor, let's go rescue Im Do-young and head back up. We have to share this good news with the tenants."
"Sounds good."
Kang Mu-yeol went into the hardware store to get Im Do-young.
And then, there was no word from them.
It wasn't because of zombies.
Kang Mu-yeol sent a message via the Communication Skill.
-He says he's busy right now because he has to craft while inspiration strikes.
"Hold on."
I sent a message to Im Do-young.
"Do-young-ssi, Ji-ah-ssi is waiting for you."
-Noona? Ah... but I can't. Could you tell Noona I'll be there in a bit?
"Do-young-ssi, you're going to promote soon. Your perspective will broaden even more than it is now."
-My perspective will broaden more than now? My head feels like it's going to explode as it is. Ah, in a good way. Anyway, that means even more ideas will pour out, right? Hmm....
After a moment of hesitation, Im Do-young made a decision.
"Noona is more important. I'm coming now."
Is it really because of Noona? It seems like it's because I brought up the promotion....
Because it's true that I'm going to promote him.
It was a relief he listened.
Kang Mu-yeol returned with Im Do-young.
The three of us went up to the 4th floor and gathered all the tenants.
I briefly explained what had just happened.
From the intrusion of the high-level Looter to the attack of the Zombie Wave. And the story of how we secured the entire villa as a Safe Zone in the process.
"That much happened? Is anyone hurt?"
At Ju Hye-kyung's question, I glanced at Kang Mu-yeol. The only person who could have been injured was Kang Mu-yeol.
"Yes?"
Kang Mu-yeol asked with a bewildered expression, so I shook my head and said no.
"Everyone is fine."
"That's a relief. But how could no one get hurt...?"
I smiled awkwardly and glossed over it. In truth, Kang Mu-yeol had been scratched and bitten by zombies. He was just fine, perhaps thanks to his job traits.
"Oh, then there won't be any need to clean up corpses inside the villa anymore!"
Nam Hyun-sik exclaimed in admiration.
Come to think of it, disposing of corpses inside the villa wouldn't have been an easy task.
Because they would have had to take them out of the villa to dispose of them.
Now, that won't be necessary.
All future work will be external.
I didn't mention anything about Kang Mu-yeol and Im Do-young's level-ups and promotions.
It might unnecessarily stir up jealousy among the tenants.
In any case, I had absolutely no intention of dumping everything into one person.
I plan to raise them evenly.
There were no flawed jobs.
And after reaching level 10, promoting caused a dramatic change in the job.
Like in Kang Mu-yeol's case.
Kang Mu-yeol, who became a Berserker, doesn't turn into a zombie even if bitten or scratched by one.
Immune.
In a zombie apocalypse world, could there be a more reassuring word than this?
I don't know how that works, but since the person involved says he's fine, that's that.
Naturally, curiosity arose.
How would other jobs change upon promotion?
What if Im Ji-ah, the Chef, promotes?
'She wouldn't promote to something like a Michelin Chef, would she?'
If the food gets tastier, that's a good thing in its own right, but isn't there no major merit to it?
Because excellent ingredients also play a part in the taste of food.
The ingredients I can get right now are limited to supermarket quality.
It's not that supermarket ingredients are bad. It's just that freshly caught fish and packaged fish are bound to be different.
Actually, I didn't think only her cooking skills would improve upon promotion.
Just looking at Kang Mu-yeol's case was enough.
It wasn't just a level where his combat sense improved upon promotion.
Combat sense improved just by leveling up.
Promotion granted Kang Mu-yeol an exceptional ability.
Like immunity to the zombie virus.
A Chef would also gain a new ability upon promotion.
'I'm looking forward to it. Should I go with Im Ji-ah for the next promotion?'
For now, Im Do-young was first.
By securing the entire villa, I also collected 100 Coins.
I conveyed everything I needed to tell the tenants.
Since we were all gathered, we had a meal.
Nam Hyun-sik's family took care of cleaning up after the meal.
Bubble bubble bubble—
The water in the electric kettle boiled.
Trickle.
I poured water into the paper cups lined up one by one.
"Anyone want instant coffee?"
The adults had instant coffee.
Nam Yi-seo and Im Do-young, who were still minors, had hot chocolate.
I had hot chocolate too.
"To think the day would come again where I could drink instant coffee in peace..."
Nam Hyun-sik muttered while looking down at his paper cup.
His wife, Ju Hye-kyung, smiled as she gazed at her daughter, Nam Yi-seo's face.
Having enjoyed a moment of leisure, Ju Hye-kyung asked me.
"Sajang-nim, what will you do now? You've secured this building, too.... Is there anything else to do? Or anything I can help with?"
This villa is now mine.
Since I secured the villa, I could be considered a landlord in the conventional sense.
But is it the end just because the landlord owns the house?
No.
Maintenance?
Of course, that's the landlord's role.
But that's not what I meant.
"For starters, I should take in more tenants."
Taking in tenants is the very privilege that only a landlord can exercise.
There is such a thing as a sublease agreement where a tenant rents out the space, but if done without the landlord's permission, there's a high probability of civil legal issues arising.
'...Wait a minute. Legally, I'm not the landlord, am I?'
We're a bit past the stage of worrying about the law.
Looter groups are occupying large supermarkets and looting the surroundings, yet public authority isn't functioning.
Even if I went to the community service center, there wouldn't be any staff there.
I wonder if the real landlord is even alive.
Legally, this villa was a multi-household housing unit, but it was a building where a single landlord owned all the units.
I think I heard they were a big real estate player.
'If they come and claim ownership, that'll be a headache.'
Though I doubt they'd bother coming in this dangerous situation.
Besides, the ownership of this villa was guaranteed by the System.
If anyone tried to intrude, they wouldn't even be able to set foot in this villa, which is a Safe Zone.
'I feel a little sorry for the original landlord, though....'
Since they were already a real estate tycoon, I should just hope they are staying safely in a better house than this villa.
Let's just consider it rented while the zombie situation continues.
Thanks to my ability, I even remodeled every house neatly. Except for my own.
"Since the whole villa has become a Safe Zone, I'll go take a look around."
Nam Hyun-sik's family finished their tea time and got up.
"How about you come along too, Im Ji-ah-ssi? I haven't seen you yet. I've seen Kang Mu-yeol-ssi and Im Do-young-ssi."
"Is that so? Then would it be okay if I went with you?"
"Unni, let's go together!"
Nam Yi-seo linked her arm with Im Ji-ah's.
When did they get so close?
"Just in case, could I ask Kang Mu-yeol-ssi to guide you?"
"Understood."
Nam Hyun-sik's family, Im Ji-ah, and Kang Mu-yeol left the house.
The only people left in the house were me and Im Do-young.
"Im Do-young-ssi, let's do your promotion now."
"Oh, great."
No need to wait.
Now that everyone is away is the perfect time.
I pulled up Im Do-young's status window.
「Promotion costs 100 Coins.」
「Will you promote?」
I pressed the promotion button.
Im Do-young's body glowed brightly.
Promotion complete.
Im Do-young promoted from Repairman to Blacksmith.
"...Huh?"
Blacksmith?
The feeling was so different from the Blacksmith I knew.
When you think of a Blacksmith, don't you usually imagine a bearded man or a dwarf sweating profusely while hammering iron at a furnace?
Im Do-young was completely different from the image of a Blacksmith.
He was on the thin side and had no beard.
'Maybe it's because he's past puberty, he has some facial hair, but it's just fuzz....'
He didn't seem to fit with a red-hot furnace either.
But a Blacksmith.
It wasn't just Im Do-young's problem.
I had never seen a furnace in my life.
Is there a Blacksmith who doesn't use a furnace?
"...Oh! You're right, Sajang-nim! Inspiration is striking! Please guide me to the Blacksmith's workshop!"
"Ah... the Blacksmith's workshop?"
Where on earth is a Blacksmith's workshop?
I thought everything would be solved just by having a hardware store.
「Not enough workbenches to assign a Blacksmith.」
「Will you build a workbench in the hardware store?」
「Consumes 50 Coins」
"Ah."
This should do it.
50 Coins?
A bit short.
"To safely go back and forth to the hardware store, we need to clear the surroundings first. We'll set up barricades on the way. Let's go now."
I mobilized the tenants to clean up around the villa.
Kang Mu-yeol caught zombies to earn Coins.
Nam Hyun-sik cleaned the surroundings to earn Coins.
Im Do-young crafted makeshift barricades to earn Coins.
I didn't leave the villa entrance.
'50 Coins collected.'
I built a workbench in the hardware store immediately.
Light flashed from the hardware store, and something appeared next to it.
It was equipment like a furnace, an anvil, and a grinder.
'Didn't need a full-blown furnace after all.'
It looks like a pizza oven.
So that's what he uses.
Im Do-young ran to the hardware store with a bright smile.
We watched Im Do-young's back with satisfied smiles.
It felt like watching a young child running toward a gift.
Im Do-young spent most of his waking hours in the hardware store.
I could hear clanging sounds, as if he was making something.
A few days later, Im Do-young handed me a pouch.
Looking inside the pouch, there were steel balls.
It was admirable.
To think he made them himself like this, even though steel balls can actually be received as supplies.
Should I say it has sincerity put into it?
A satisfied smile formed on its own.
'I'll have to use these sparingly.'
"It's an Explosive Shell. When it receives an impact, metal fragments burst in all directions."
"Ah. I'll really have to use this sparingly."
Can you make things like this in a Blacksmith's workshop?