Securing a House
President Min Jae-hyeok staggered back, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
Yet his eyes remained fixed on the figure before him, never once looking away.
Red armor gleamed with a blood-red sheen, the greatsword dripping with crimson mana from its tip.
Mark Two slowly turned his head.
“Republic of Korea Hunter Association President, Min Jae-hyeok. Identity confirmed. I have come to find you at my lord’s command.”
“M-my lord…?”
Mark Two casually lifted the massive greatsword and slung it over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing.
“The command is simple. You have insulted my lord’s knight, Mark One. Therefore, as compensation, you will perform PT Gymnastics 6, 3,000 times. That is all.”
“W-what…?”
For a brief moment, Min Jae-hyeok’s mind failed to comprehend the words of the mysterious being.
But Mark Two continued to explain with surprising kindness, as if completely unconcerned.
“You have nothing to fear. It’s only 3,000 reps. If you fail, instant death… no, I won’t let you fail. Don’t worry. Start now.”
“What does that mean…?”
Mark Two showed no further need for explanation and drove the greatsword into the floor with a resounding clang.
At that moment, the red mana flowing from the tip pierced the floor and bound the president’s arms and legs, forcibly locking him into the PT Gymnastics 6 position.
“Gwaaah!! Wait!! Negotiate!! I can negotiate—!”
“One! Two! Three! Go!!!”
Mark Two’s voice echoed throughout the walls, ceiling, and floor.
The Death Knight’s command was the very essence of military drill instructors, enough to make even army drill sergeants cry.
“Gwaaak!!!”
And so, the PT Gymnastics 6 with legs spread began.
One hour later.
Muscle tremors. Blood mixed with vomit. Overbreathing.
The smell coming from the mouth had surpassed the level of unbearable stench.
The president was in a state where his soul had almost left his body.
But miraculously, he had endured up to 2,998 reps.
“Hah… hah… hah… I-I did it—
“No. Two more left.”
“Ugh…! Kuuk… uwaaaaaak!!”
Min Jae-hyeok squeezed out his last strength and completed the two more reps, finally finishing the 3,000th PT Gymnastics 6.
He collapsed to the floor, unable to even lift his face, but hope for survival flickered in his eyes.
“Hoo… huo, I-I did all 3,000. As promised… you… you will spare… me…?”
At those words, Mark Two nodded.
And immediately added,
“Originally, I should have, but out of caution, I asked my lord one last time. After informing you of your humanity, what should we do with this trash?”
“H-hic… hiiick…”
Mark Two slowly pulled out the greatsword.
The reflected blade showed the president’s face filled with terror.
“My lord said this.”
Crimson mana began to burn the blade.
““Those like you deserve to die so that the Republic of Korea can become a little cleaner.””
“A- wait, wait!! I-!”
Swish— slash—!
The sound of the neck being severed was surprisingly clean and quiet.
Simultaneously, the room fell eerily silent, as if a lie.
Only the sound of blood dripping on the floor: tick, tick, tick.
Mark Two wiped the greatsword with an expressionless face.
And turned his head toward the secretary who was trembling beside him.
The secretary, terrified, opened his mouth to scream in fear.
But no scream came out.
Mark Two gently grabbed the secretary’s chin with two fingers and said,
“Don’t worry. You are merely a victim, so all you need is to be silenced.”
“Kk… kuuk…”
In an instant, Silence Magic and Confusion Magic were cast, and the secretary lost consciousness and collapsed.
“Mission complete.”
Mark Two walked slowly toward the gate and looked at the now cold corpse one last time.
“I hope that the final moment you, who insulted your lord, all of you will clearly imprint upon everyone.”
***
After sleeping for a little over an hour, I woke up from Mark Two’s sudden contact and couldn’t go back to sleep, instead rolling around on the bed, scrolling through the community.
“Hmm… there doesn’t seem to be anything interesting here.”
I was slightly curious about the post warning about gore, but as someone who had already seen far too many undead and corpses, it didn’t spark any real interest.
While scrolling through the posts that came up, I eventually found one that could provoke interest.
But I confirmed that the news of the president, who had bid farewell to the world at the hands of Mark Two, hadn’t been released yet.
Eventually, I pulled the blanket over myself and groaned in extreme boredom before deciding to write a post myself.
I’m so bored. I’m so bored. I’m so bored. I’m so bored. I’m so bored. I’m so bored. I’m so bored. I’m so bored. I’m so bored. I’m so bored. I’m so bored. I’m so bored. I’m so bored. I’m so bored. Play with me!!
- NecroEmpress: Is NecroEmpress here? Didn’t you come earlier? The bait has already burned away.
- NecroEmpress: What was the bait?
- S-Rank Slime: Hello, may I explain about the bait, NecroEmpress-nim?
- What? This guy said he was going to drink with the D-rank healer he was flirting with hard earlier? What are you doing here?
- S-Rank Slime: Shut up, S1bal. If you don’t want to die.
“What the hell is this guy?”
I was just about to mess around with some nonsense or go bother Alkerniman when the slime friend who had been educated by Mark One came back.
- NecroEmpress: You? Did you undergo mental education and turn over a new leaf?
- S-Rank Slime: Of course! Thanks to that person, I’ve learned how foolish and stupid I used to be. From now on, I’ll live properly.
- NecroEmpress: But why are you insulting an anonymous friend? You want to die?
- S-Rank Slime: I’m sorry! I’ll correct it. I’m really sorry for insulting everyone and messing up until now!!!
- What kind of person is this? Suddenly the whole person changed? Is the community replaceable these days?
- Impossible? Each Awakened has their own code? Apparently, you can only have one account per person, and replacing is not allowed.
- Then why is that S12sin, one of the five major villains in our community, trembling like this?
- Speaking of which, didn’t those two clash earlier? What was that about? Wasn’t the bait still circulating?
- Yeah, S-Rank Slime was picking a fight with a newbie as usual and even revealed the address.
- Then Kim Gunwoo got beaten up by that new awakened today? What a pitiful sight?
- Did Dmitry Lighten, the Hunter Association, and Kim Gunwoo all get properly dealt with by newbies today? Just quit being a hunter lol
“I’m fired up.”
The comments burned with reactions, though not as intense as when Dmitry Lighten was involved, but still enough to hook.
That Kim Gunwoo guy must have been quite the villain.
Anyway, while watching S-Rank Slime get insulted by other users, a good idea suddenly popped into my head, and I immediately replied to the guy.
- NecroEmpress: Hey, S-Rank Slime. I heard you’re the building owner, right?
- S-Rank Slime: Yes! I own a neighborhood shopping center in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, and an officetel in Mapo Gongdeok.
- This guy is really rich lol
- Rich, but why did your speech suddenly turn into complete groveling?
- NecroEmpress: Okay, good. What’s the officetel like? Size, structure, floor, management condition.
- S-Rank Slime: Very close to Gongdeok Station, semi-finished (3 years since move-in), 20th floor, 1.5-room structure (bedroom + dressing room as study), ceiling height 2.9m (not duplex), double slab so almost no floor noise between units, separate sprinkler and evacuation area per household.
- S-Rank Slime: Security is lobby double gates + 24-hour security, triple door locks at the household entrance (card/fingerprint/pin). 4 elevators, 2 underground parking levels or more!
- NecroEmpress: Hmm. Okay. Then I’ll stay there for a week temporarily. Can you leave one spot empty?
- S-Rank Slime: You mean the room?
- NecroEmpress: Yeah, I’ll pay the accommodation fee in a week.
- S-Rank Slime: Accommodation fee is not needed! I’ll provide it free of charge immediately. In exchange, please forgive the rudeness I committed!
- NecroEmpress: Okay, cool. But there’s one condition.
I quickly created a list hoping to escape from this garbage dump of a one-room and sent it to the guy in a private message.
[Condition List]
Full room soundproofing modification. (Including magic devices)
All entry/exit and monitoring devices OFF. (CCTV, door sensors in common areas are up to you)
Permission for the knight and friends I met that day to enter and exit.
In case of noise or mana disturbance complaints, you respond frontally.
Full rent, management fee, and deposit 0 won until move-in day.
- NecroEmpress: How about it? All possible?
- S-Rank Slime: Of course! Everything is possible! If there’s a complaint, I, S-Rank Slime, will handle it myself. I’ll contact the security room and the resident representative…!
- NecroEmpress: Okay okay, good. Send the location via DM. I’m going to check the site now.
- S-Rank Slime: Sent. Did you check?
- NecroEmpress: Checked, location looks good. What do I say to the security and management room?
- S-Rank Slime: I’ll say it’s a friend of mine. I’ll prepare all the master keys.
- NecroEmpress: Ah, and there are those power interference prevention stickers in the elevator hall, right? Stick one of those on. If the sensors beep when my friends pass through, it’ll be annoying.
- S-Rank Slime: Understood! I’ll also switch the fire shutters to manual mode.
- NecroEmpress: Okay, see you later.
“Great!! Finally, I’m free from this empire’s garbage dump!!!”
I jumped up from the bed, shouting, and ran into the gate where Alkerniman and Mordane were.
“Hey!! Everyone, pack your stuff!! We have a house!”
“Is that true? How?”
“Somehow, a hunter who accumulated connections ended up giving me an officetel to stay in for a week. Hurry and pack!”
At my explanation, the two old men looked at each other at the same time, nodded once, and shouted.
“Uwaaaah!!! Finally, we have a proper place to live!! Actually, this gate could collapse at any moment, so we’ve been on edge, but it’s really a relief!”
“Long live the master! Master is the best!! Master is the cutest in the world!!”
“Fufufu, am I cool? This is me, who am I? The ultimate being, the Elder Lich who destroyed dozens of kingdoms in Barzena and even caused the fall of a thousand-year empire!!”
“Elder Lich long live!! Ha Yuna-nim long live!! Elder Lich long live!! Ha Yuna-nim long live!! Elder Lich long live!! Ha Yuna-nim long live!! Elder Lich long live!! Ha Yuna-nim long live!! Elder Lich long live!! Ha Yuna-nim long live!!”
“Master is the strongest!! No one can block Ha Yuna-nim’s path!!”
Our cheers continued until Mark One and Mark Two, and Ibella returned after completing all the missions.