The Way to the New House (3)
Thanks to the sudden appearance of an A-rank gate, we arrived at the officetel recommended by S-Rank Slime a little later than planned, but we made it safely.
“What the hell is this?”
I spotted a man smoking a cigarette right in front of the entrance of the officetel, furiously tapping away at his smartphone.
Watching that scene, I thought that even in this era of great upheaval, smoking in common spaces was still the norm.
To give him a proper lesson, I gathered Pitch-Black Mana and slowly began to conjure the Dokkaebi Club.
But Mark One stopped me and whispered softly.
「That guy is S-Rank Slime. I’ve met him before when I went for a lesson, so I remember his face at least.」
“Oh, got it? If he’s the building owner, that’s fine.”
It had been a common saying in Korea that the building owner was like a god, passed down like folklore.
Since my dream had always been to become a building owner, that settled it.
But smoking in the common space? That was a bit much, wasn’t it?
With a hint of doubt, I waved my hand loudly and shouted.
“Oi!! S-Rank Slime, you bastard! I saw you, yet you don’t greet me!?”
“…?”
Kim Gunwoo, who had tossed the cigarette he was holding onto the ground after being pulled by the wide-area aggro, turned his head to identify the source of the voice.
Seeing a short, middle-school-aged kid approaching while calling out his fixed community nickname, his mood soured.
In the end, he committed another regrettable mistake.
“What the hell is this little brat? How did you know my fixed nickname? The guy next to you looks like a hunter?”
“…….”
“Why aren’t you talking? Or rather, this little shit is so rude, you don’t know who I am? I’m a B-rank hunter Kim Gun… Kueek!!!”
“…….”
Kim Gunwoo’s shocking words left Mark Two, Ibella, Alkerniman, and Mordane frozen in place without moving.
Only Mark One, who quickly judged the situation, rushed forward and tried to punch him in the stomach to knock him out before he could say more.
But it was already too late.
Mark One mercilessly stomped on Kim Gunwoo’s back several times, then approached Ha Yuna, who was still bowing her head in silence.
「Master, please have mercy… This guy just made a mistake because he’s stupid and has too much pride.」
“…….”
Even after Mark One’s words, Ha Yuna kept her head bowed, staring quietly at the unconscious Kim Gunwoo.
On the surface, no words or emotions were shown, but Mark One, Mark Two, Ibella, and the two old men all knew.
That one word from earlier.
‘This little brat…’
It had gone far beyond mere rudeness.
Ignoring respect for the master’s appearance was a crime worthy of death.
If she had said it was cute or beautiful, the master would have been satisfied, but now it was all meaningless.
Since the words had already been spoken, they couldn’t be taken back.
Mordane quietly wiped away his sweat.
「M-Master… Have you calmed down…?」
“Hic… Hoo.”
Ha Yuna slowly took a breath and exhaled.
“…… Mark One.”
「Yes.」
“Wake him up.”
Before the words were even finished— Mark One’s palm touched Kim Gunwoo’s chin exactly with a ‘tick’.
“Kuek—!! Kkak—!! Hwaaaak!!!”
A crazy scream that shot up immediately upon waking.
Kim Gunwoo convulsed in place, body shaking as if half standing on his head.
“Aaaah what the hell!! What was that just now— kuck…!”
When Kim Gunwoo opened his eyes, he saw Mark One back to his normal self and broke out in cold sweat.
“Ah… Ah!! You… You can’t be…”
「… I learned the words to describe this situation from the master. Probably ‘I’m sorry for not being able to protect you, I lost.’ or something.」
“Ah… No way, this can’t be. You… You are the NecroEmpress?!”
Soon after fully understanding the situation, Kim Gunwoo slowly turned his head and looked up at Ha Yuna, who was casually looking down at him.
“PT Gymnastics full course 100 times.”
One beat pause.
“If you rest even a little, start over from the beginning.”
“…….”
“…….”
… Silence.
Kim Gunwoo’s pupils shook uncontrollably.
“W-Wait a minute… That’s… That’s going to kill a person…! The full PT course is used even in active special forces—”
“Mark Two. Hold him down.”
「Yes! Command received!!」
Mark Two immediately bound Kim Gunwoo’s body with red-black mana chains.
Whoosh—
The person was lifted like a paper bag.
When placed on the floor with a bang, the command exploded.
“Start.”
“P-Please, just once—!!”
“Si~t.”
「Hot! One! Two! Three! One!!!」
「Two! Two! Three! Two!!!」
Push-ups → Squats → Burpees → Lunges → Abs → Comprehensive jump → Back push → Plank → Sit-ups → Back to start.
After 10 minutes, Kim Gunwoo was already stuck to the floor with drool, snot, and tears.
“Hah… Hah… Fuck… Save me… More…”
Mark Two didn’t stop the command.
「Hot!! Two!! Three!! One!!!」
20 minutes.
30 minutes.
40 minutes.
Then, miraculously, as the 100th full course was almost complete.
Kim Gunwoo collapsed on the floor without even breathing in.
But… he survived.
And the reason he could survive was one thing.
His desire to live and quick assessment of the situation.
He staggered, knelt on his knees, and prostrated himself on both hands and feet.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!!!!!!!”
He literally rubbed his face on the ground and shouted.
“I… I… I was human trash!!!! I’m garbage, a cockroach, a loach, I have nothing to say even if I die— kuhk!!!”
I raised my finger.
“Stop, that’s enough.”
“… .」
After hearing my words, Kim Gunwoo froze like a doll with the stop button pressed.
I slowly lowered my gaze.
“Hey, S-Rank Slime, you know where you went wrong now, right?”
“Yes!!! It was wrong from the moment I was born!!!!!!”
“… Not to that extent, but anyway.”
I nodded lightly.
“From now on, don’t talk nonsense… Got it?”
Kim Gunwoo lifted his head from the prone position.
“I understand! Thank you so much for showing mercy!!”
“Alright, more importantly, is the room I’ll stay in properly prepared?”
“Yes! Of course!!”
“Lead the way.”
“Please follow me!!!」
Kim Gunwoo jumped up from his spot and started guiding us to his officetel building.
Even though his thighs and arms were trembling as if he might collapse at any moment, his spirit was the fastest among us.
In short — the drive to survive.
“Th-The elevator is this way!! Be careful!!! If the master twists even an ankle, I’ll die immediately!!!”
“Shh, keep your voice down. People are looking.”
“Yes yes!!!”
We boarded the elevator and quickly went up to the 20th floor.
When the door opened, the quiet, sparkling corridor unique to upper floors unfolded.
“Here it is. Unit 2003.”
Kim Gunwoo quickly entered the password and clasped his hands, bowing his head.
“Master… Please enter…!!”
“Alright… No, why does this brat keep calling me master? Do you want to become undead too?”
“No!! Sorry!!”
“See, read the room and act accordingly?”
“Yes!!”
I lightly squeezed Kim Gunwoo’s tension and slowly reached out to push the door.
And the officetel interior that unfolded before my eyes was beyond expectation.
It was on a level that couldn’t be compared to the previous semi-basement one-room.
Beyond the large windows filling the living room, the Seoul landscape was laid out like a sculpture,
and the ceiling and wall lights softly enveloped the space in a subtle orange hue.
The living room floor was high-strength tiles in sand gray tone.
The kitchen had induction, marble countertop, stainless sink. Air purifier and heating/cooling were all built-in.
The dressing room and bedroom were separated by sliding doors, and there was even a small study and work space.
I slowly, very slowly walked around the entire house.
Unlike before, I didn’t say anything.
I tapped one side of the wall with my fingertips twice.
Opened the windows to check ventilation and soundproofing.
Checked the positions of the sink, shower booth, floor heating, drain, outlets, lighting… really, that eye when viewing a house.
Mordane, watching, muttered reverently.
「… The master has entered ‘residence inspection mode.」」
Mark Two quietly nodded.
「That mode… It was the exact same appearance as when the master conquered Cartea, personally evaluating the stone architecture of the royal palace…」
Alkerniman clasped his hands and admired.
「As expected of the master… For a moment, pure… S-So cute… Slowly…」
“Shut up.”
「Sorry.」
Ibella had already turned on the camera and was filming Ha Yuna, who was checking the room structure with a serious expression that didn’t match her cute appearance.
At that moment.
“Hmm.”
Ha Yuna stopped in front of the window as if she had found something.
And she smiled very slightly.
“Perfect! I really like it.”
The undead simultaneously cheered.
「The master is satisfied!!」
「Congratulations, Master!! New home, long live!!」
「Elder Lich Ha Yuna, long live!!!」
“Ah, enough.”
Ha Yuna waved her hand lightly to calm the undead, and lifted her chin towards Mordane.
“Old man, how does the building structure look?”
Mordane had already analyzed the walls, floor, ceiling, heating pipes, steel frames, and slab vibrations.
He said confidently.
「First, this building is a newly built three years ago, so the quake-resistant design and slab structure are proper. It should be able to withstand our mana waves. Large portals are out of the question, but…」
“Medium gates?”
Mordane raised the corners of his mouth proudly.
「It seems installation is possible everywhere. It’s expected that individual space portals for Mark One, Mark Two, and Alkerniman can also be installed individually.」
“So it is.”
My own mouth corners slowly rose.
“Old man… Your quick execution ability is highly praised.”
At those words, Mordane immediately dropped to the ground and bowed.
「It is an honor!!!!」
「Master… Now we really have a house.」
「… The master has finally… secured the throne in the human world!!!」
「Filming complete. Title is ‘New Nest Tour Vlog Episode 1’, how is it?」
“…… Ibella, you adapt too quickly. Do you want to be a YouTuber too?”
While we were chatting happily about our new residence, Kim Gunwoo was leaning against one side of the entrance door wall, crying.
“Hah… I survived. I really survived… I live… I live….”
And at that moment.
The sound of the entrance door lock motor automatically turning was heard.
All eyes turned to the door at that sound.
The keypad flickered alone.
Bii— Bii— Ddo—
Password being input from outside.
In the sudden situation, I was momentarily surprised, but calmly looked at the one hiding in the corner and asked.
“S-Rank Slime? Is there anyone coming?”
“Yes… Yes!?”
“Is there anyone who can come in here besides you, you bastard.”
“Uh… Uh, that’s.”
Kim Gunwoo’s face turned white as paper instantly.
“It seems like a noona. I told the new tenant who would be moving into 2003 today… Probably came because of that. To say hello or something…”
“Hey… Even if you’re saying hello, you can’t just open someone else’s house door?”
“Th-That’s because I’m still giving a house tour… .」
“…….”
… Silence.
And— clank. The entrance door opened.