A Realistic Dream and an Unexpected Test

"Ah! I only know how to sign my name in block letters..."

"Just sign it like that, then."

"But that looks so childish..."

"Oh, for crying out loud!"

At the landlord's exasperated outburst, Yunjae nodded with a dejected look on his face.

"Fine! Just bring me that contract, and I won't charge you rent for five months! Five whole months!"

"Wait, you're not going to sneakily charge us maintenance fees on top of that, are you?"

"Huh?"

At Yunjae's surprisingly meticulous question, the landlord's pupils shook.

"Well, waiving the maintenance fees too is a bit much..."

"Do the maintenance fees include water, electricity, internet, and gas? Is it city gas?"

"Water is obviously included!"

"So electricity and internet are separate? Gas too? Is it city gas? Exactly how much are the maintenance fees?"

Slender Forearms, this kid! He's no pushover!

"Don't be so cheap. Waive the maintenance fees too! It's not like you're actually paying anything out of pocket!" Mari chimed in, backing Yunjae up.

"Fine, fine! No maintenance fees either! Just bring me that contract! I'm really doing you a massive favor here!"

The landlord's scheme to recoup the rent through maintenance fees was completely foiled.

"Ah, I'm really taking a loss on this!"

In truth, the building was completely empty. It had been remodeled for residential use because commercial tenants wouldn't take it. Hiring hunters to retrieve the contract would be far more expensive, so this was actually a steal for him. But playing up his supposed sacrifice, the landlord pushed the contract forward.

"Here, five months. See?"

"Yes!"

"I'll write the conditions here. The moment you bring back all the land deeds from my car..."

"Exactly how many land deeds are there? You're not going to say it doesn't count if even a single page is missing, right?"

"..."

He was the absolute epitome of a timid, anxious overthinker who left absolutely no room for loopholes!

"Good grief. Look here. Do you really think I'm the kind of person who'd make you go through all that trouble and then say, 'Oh, one page is missing, so no deal'? How can you be so untrusting!"

"Ah! I'm so sorry! But this is our first time meeting, and since we're strangers who might never see each other again, it's only natural that we might try to play dumb and ignore our promises!"

He might be timid and anxious, but he still said everything he wanted to say! Since Yunjae was far from a pushover despite his appearance, the landlord felt himself getting swept up in the youth's pace.

"A-all right! Fine! Let's just say you only need to bring back that document folder!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Then sign here. And don't go trashing the room! I know you're a grown man and woman living together, but still!"

"Cut the crap, landlord!" Mari, who had been listening quietly, snapped at his insinuation.

"Haha, my bad. Anyway, no structural modifications! You're just staying there! Got it?"

Since it was an empty building anyway, the landlord just wanted to make sure they didn't alter anything. Yunjae nodded and signed the paper.

"Yes! We'll only sleep and watch TV! There, all done!"

It wasn't his own purchased home, but he had finally secured a place of his own after fifty-seven years! With a bright, joyful face, Yunjae handed over the contract. The landlord looked down at the signature and nodded.

"Well, then..."

Suddenly, the landlord froze.

"Huh?"

Wondering if he had misspoken, the landlord tilted his head and stared at the contract again.

"Wait, hold on! Why does it say fifteen months? What! Why did the duration increase?!"

"Ah! I'm so sorry! It's because my reward is multiplied by 300%!"

"W-what?!"

Fifteen months of free rent! That was a massive loss. The landlord's jaw dropped.

"No, we have to do it as agreed!"

He tried to edit the contract, but—

"What's wrong with this! It won't change! What on earth is this!"

He wanted to change it back to five months, but as if Mamon's Grace was exerting its conceptual force, the "15 months" written on the contract could not be erased or rewritten.

"No, this is wrong! This is—!"

The panicked landlord screamed in denial, but—

"Ah, I'm so sorry! But this is a binding force, so..."

It seemed like something beyond human power to alter.

"What on earth is that supposed to mean?!"

"Well, landlord, that's just how life goes."

Mari, who had anticipated this and made Yunjae sign, shrugged her shoulders.

"We'll go get your car now. What's the model and license plate number?"

"Ah, no, this is..."

"Landlord?"

"Urgh! I got played by you kids! To think someone got the better of me, Kim Myeonggu! Impressive!"

To think he would get outsmarted! It was bitter, but he decided to be cool about it, realizing that surviving in this chaotic world required some flexibility.

"It's a Mercedes E-Class, Seoul plate Ma 6759."

The landlord made a surprisingly quick decision. He realized that no matter how good his business acumen was, trying to scam an awakened ability user like Yunjae was futile.

"We'll be right back!"

"Urgh! I'm counting on you!"

With that, Yunjae and Mari stepped out of the real estate office.

"How about it? Why don't we use this opportunity to officially..."

"Whew, I had no choice since we needed a place to live. It's like a tutorial quest, so it couldn't be helped. This will really be my last hunt!"

"Just partner up with me and work as a hunter. Come on. Honestly, I won't be of much help in combat, but I can handle all the administrative stuff like I am now! We can make a fortune and live comfortably. Forget about paying rent!"

Mari tried to seize the opportunity to persuade him, but—

"I'm sorry, Mari. If it were a partnership for a waitstaff job, maybe, but..."

As expected, he was resolute.

"You idiot, do you think I came all the way to Korea just to work as a waitress?"

"Ah! I'm sorry! I just thought you and I would have great chemistry as co-workers, so..."

"I'm not interested in that kind of chemistry!"

She snapped in frustration, but ultimately, Yunjae held all the cards.

But I can't just let him go. He's stronger than Demian!

Still, he was soft-hearted, so if she begged and pleaded, he would surely grant her a favor at least once.

"Let's finish this first!"

When Yunjae pointed out that securing their home was the priority, Mari nodded.

"Yeah, let's do that."

"Please wait here for a moment."

"Huh?"

"I'll be right back."

In that instant, he vanished like magic.

"What..."

He had moved in the blink of an eye when he defeated the Red-tailed Monster, but this time—

Thud!

"I'm back."

"...Excuse me?"

This time, he had truly vanished and reappeared like a magician.

"You... you carried the whole car back?"

Along with the Mercedes E-Class that the landlord had lost.

How on earth did he bring it here? And what was with this insane speed?

Not only did he use magic-like abilities, but he also used summoning, and his physical strength seemed to transcend imagination.

"Just between us, the landlord doesn't have a good face. He looks like the type who'd scam us and try to back out. I figured if we just brought the documents, he'd find some excuse, like saying something was missing, to force us to rewrite the contract. So I just brought everything."

For someone so timid and anxious, his actions were utterly outrageous!

"Uh... but how did you carry a car?"

"Ah, since I'm max level, I had stat points to spare, so I maxed out everything! Even though my arms look like this..."

Urgh.

If only she had that kind of power!

Sigh.

But knowing that was impossible, she let out a deep sigh. She had to find a way to persuade him to be her partner.

"Haaah..."

But would that really work? Still, she felt a strange sense of security that as long as she was with him, she could live a stable, settled life. She let out a dry laugh.

"Let's just move in first."

"Yes! Mari!"

And the moment the two of them turned to walk back toward the real estate office—

"...It really is Slender Forearms."

Having easily located him thanks to the numerous sightings reported on social media, Akemi stared with a look of surprise.

"His arms are whiter and thinner than mine!"

"It's right here!"

At landlord Kim Myeonggu's words, Mari let out a heavy sigh.

Grab!

"You scammer! This is a commercial storefront!"

"Ah, it only looks like that from the outside! Once you go inside, it has everything, everything!"

"It looks completely abandoned!"

"That makes it even better! No noise complaints from neighbors!"

"Hmph!"

The commercial building, located not far from the real estate office, was so close to the portal zone that it was practically impossible to leave. What sane person would ever run a business here?

"We might end up living here completely alone for the next fifteen months."

And that went for the residents as well!

"Hey, don't say that! If you do, I'll starve to death!"

"Ah! You're planning to use us! Because having a hunter and an awakened ability user here makes the building safe!"

For someone so timid, Yunjae was incredibly quick-witted.

"It's not using you, it's a win-win! Besides, fifteen months is a bit much! I even waived the maintenance fees!"

Kim Myeonggu's hands still trembled at the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thought of being outsmarted by the 300% reward. To think that he, notorious for being a cheapskate, was letting them live here for free for a year and three months without even charging maintenance fees!

Because Slender Forearms had brought the entire car back, he couldn't find a single loophole and had to honor the contract exactly as written.

"Anyway, thank you, landlord."

"I won't get tricked next time!"

"Are you going to try to scam us next time?"

"Heh! Just you wait!"

Despite his shady nature, he was surprisingly cool about his defeat.

"Well, I'm off! The passcode is 6969! Keep it wholesome!"

"Hey! Why on earth is that the passcode?"

"Don't misunderstand! It's just my favorite number!"

"Haaah..."

"See ya!"

As landlord Kim Myeonggu hurried away, Mari shook her head, thinking that in this corrupt world, his antics were practically cute. She had met humans far worse than monsters; this was nothing to be flustered about.

"This is my home!"

Meanwhile, Yunjae seemed highly satisfied with the house he had obtained after completing his "tutorial."

"We haven't even gone inside yet."

"But it's the owner's suite! Having an owner's suite was my realistic dream!"

"...What?"

"Ah, an apartment was out of reach, but I thought if I saved up diligently, I might be able to afford an owner's suite, so..."

What on earth was he talking about now?

"Anyway..."

Just as she was about to tell him to go inside—

"Huh?"

Not far from where Mari and Yunjae were standing, a beautiful girl dressed in Gothic Lolita fashion suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Wait, there was definitely no one there a second ago?

It was Akemi, a Japanese girl wearing a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠classic Gothic Lolita outfit that looked like a mini maid dress!

"Slender Forearms really has whiter and thinner arms than me. They're so pretty. And his face is pretty too! Even though he's a boy, he's prettier than me! I can see why Demian was searching for him so desperately!"

Leaving the startled Mari behind, Akemi spoke into her bluetooth earpiece, communicating with Ryu Taejun, the leader of the Blast Guild.

—I don't think that's the important part, Akemi. Are you hyper-focusing on something useless again?

She possessed the incredible ability of teleportation. But despite being an exceptionally powerful awakened user, her biggest flaw was her unpredictable personality—specifically, her tendency to obsess over the strangest things.

"...But his arms are so white and slender! I really want those arms!"

Even though he couldn't see her flushed face, Taejun seemed to picture the scene perfectly, and his sigh-filled telepathic voice reached her ears.

—Just do as instructed.

At that, she smiled brightly and looked at Yunjae, who was still swept up in his own emotions.

"Got it! Initiating the test now!"

She disconnected the call.

"Let's see if you're just pretty, Slender Forearms!"

Flash!

In an instant, she vanished.

"...Eh?"

Mari, who had been keeping a close eye on Akemi due to her sudden appearance, was utterly bewildered when the girl vanished once more.

"Y-Yunjae! There was a person there just now!"

"Huh? Ah! I'm sorry, Mari! I was thinking about the house, so I didn't see!"

"A person was there, and then they just vanished!"

"Ah, more importantly, I hope it's a loft! I want to live in a pretty loft!"

As Yunjae babbled on, thinking of nothing but his dream home, a figure materialized right behind him.

Whoosh!

"Ah!"

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Gothic Lolita girl, Akemi, had reappeared.

He didn't even sense me!

To her, he seemed like a completely ordinary person.

"Watch out!"

Mari was the first to react.

Whoosh!

Akemi's powerful kick, enhanced by nanomachines, swung through the air, aiming directly for Yunjae's head.

"Huh? What is?"

She felt like her foot had connected, but there was no impact. What on earth was this?

The moment she thought she had struck him, a hollow sensation washed over Akemi, as if space itself had distorted around him.

"W-what is this!"

Having a decisive strike miss was incredibly frustrating, whether in a game or in reality.

"You idiot! You're being ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠attacked!"

"But the interior design is much more important!"

And when the opponent acted like this despite knowing they were being targeted—

"Grr!"

It was infinitely more infuriating.

Flash!

"She vanished!"

At Mari's shout, Yunjae merely let out a shy, soft chuckle, completely unbothered.

"Do you think it's fully furnished? With the landlord's personality, there's no way it is, right?"

"Yunjae! You're being attacked right now!"

No sooner had Mari's panicked cry rang out—

"I'll break you, Slender Forearms!"

Her pride wounded by the previous miss, Akemi began unleashing a barrage of attacks, utilizing her teleportation to its absolute limit.

"Haaah!"

From above, from behind, from the front, and from both sides!

She rained down attacks at a dizzying speed, but—

The only result was a beautiful symphony of misses!