Chapter 96
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Housewarming (1)
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“Wow, this is some house! Talk about a self-made man, Hunter Kim Hanul!”
Ma Dongpal burst in, a 30-pack of toilet paper cradled in his arms.
I had invited him because I figured he’d eat more heartily than anyone else.
But looking at his overwhelmingly imposing figure now, I felt a slight twinge of regret.
Maybe I should have just invited Asha from the start and avoided this whole situation.
‘Well, it’ll probably be fine.’
I shook off the uneasy thought and welcomed them in.
It’s fine. The worst-case scenario won’t happen.
‘There’s no way the guild masters of the top three guilds will all end up gathering at my house.’
The only guild master I had actually invited was Sanarae.
I’d already promised Sancheon that I would invite her to the housewarming.
However, for better or worse, Sanarae had declined due to a scheduling conflict.
After that, I invited Ma Dongpal to help finish the ingredients I’d bought.
Even he had expressed his deep regret, saying he had a gate expedition today and had to turn down the invitation.
‘Sanarae definitely can’t make it, and I didn’t invite Choi Kangwoo. Knowing his personality, he wouldn’t just tag along with Yoon Sua or Yoon Suhyeok.’
So, the worst-case scenario of the three guild masters facing off in my home was impossible.
*Ding-dong.*
Just as I was thinking that, the doorbell rang.
When I opened the door, a woman in a beige coat bowed her head.
“Ah, hello, Hunter Kim Hanul!”
It was Yoon Sua. I’d let my guard down. Right, she was also a master of showing up early.
But the blond young man I’d invited with her was nowhere to be seen.
“Yes, thank you for coming. But Suhyeok-ssi is…?”
“Ah, my brother suddenly got an upset stomach today… He’s holed up in the guild office, groaning in pain.”
“Oh, dear.”
What could an Incarnation contracted to a Divine Seat possibly have eaten to get an upset stomach?
But that question was completely washed away by the aftershock that followed.
“So, instead, he…”
“?”
This time, a sense of ‘seriousness’ loomed from behind Yoon Sua.
“It’s been a while, Hunter Kim Hanul.”
A man with thick eyebrows and the face of a tiger revealed himself.
“?”
Uh, wait. This isn’t supposed to happen.
“Guild Master of Pungbaek…?”
“Suhyeok was making such a fuss. He was practically on his deathbed, insisting I couldn’t let the leader of Operations Team 2 go alone, so he made me come with her. I have some leftover work to attend to, so I’ll have to leave soon anyway. Please don’t feel burdened.”
“I-I see.”
“Yes. …Hmm.”
Suddenly, Choi Kangwoo’s eyes shifted to a point behind me.
I didn’t need to turn around to know whose gaze he had met.
“I didn’t expect to see you here. It’s been a long time, Guild Master of Aegis.”
“Haha, you can say that again. Never thought I’d see your face in a place like this.”
A low growl from Ma Dongpal.
Right, I knew this would happen. Choi Kangwoo didn’t really have any feelings about Ma Dongpal, but the same couldn’t be said for this bear.
Just as I was wondering how to get out of this situation…
*Ting!*
The elevator doors opened.
“Hmm? What’s this? Why is everyone gathered out here?”
The voice of the meddlesome old man from Mullae-dong grumbled.
And following that…
“Oh?”
A voice that should absolutely not be heard in this situation followed.
“This looks like fun.”
A voice as cool as a snake’s. The chilly atmosphere intensified in response.
The sage perched on my shoulder quietly sent a message to my status window.
[The Sage announces the arrival of catastrophe~]
[(งᐖ)ว]
No, there’s still a chance. There has to be a way to resolve this…!
As I wracked my brain for about thirty seconds, trying to come up with a solution…
*Ting!*
This time, the doors of the other elevator opened.
“CrappyGame-bro, I’m he…”
A young man in horn-rimmed glasses emerged, his eyes widening as he froze on the spot.
“Whoa, what the? Holy crap! This is insane! Are the top three guild masters all gathered right in front of me? Bro, Brooooo! GameHanul-bro, who in the world are you…?!”
I smiled brightly.
This housewarming was already ruined. Time to give up.
* * *
What is a housewarming?
It’s a kind of home party where acquaintances gather to celebrate a move, laughing and chatting while making the host shine.
My housewarming was supposed to be the same.
It met the essential criteria of a home party: delicious food and a spacious area to accommodate many people.
Especially the food.
“Ooh! This is amazing! CrappyGame-nim, this is the most fantastic meat pie I’ve ever eaten!”
“This is delicious too. The mustard sauce for the assorted cold jellyfish is just right… And this pilaf is so well-fried, I want to learn how to make it myself.”
“Indeed. Same goes for this Chinese-style egg fried rice. Do you have a personal mana stove? I’d like to see it.”
A torrent of high praise followed.
The dishes, created by my butler with all sorts of ingredients from around the world, perfectly suited everyone’s tastes, regardless of their nationality or style.
“Hohoho. Well, this is where a butler finds his true calling.”
It would have been more perfect if it weren’t for Andro, whose shoulders and nose were rising in tandem as he listened to the compliments.
“Unni, try this! Damn, even the cookies are perfect!”
“Okay. Asha, do you drink coffee?”
“Nah, it’s bitter, I don’t like it… You got any ssanghwa-cha?”
“Ssanghwa-cha…?”
Fortunately, Yoon Sua and Asha also became fast friends.
Yoon Sua’s easygoing personality and Asha’s cheerfulness were a good match.
Besides, they’d seen each other quite a few times during expeditions.
“So you’re saying this wasn’t made with a mana stove?”
“Hohoho, that’s correct. Simply increasing the heat won’t coat each grain of rice with egg. The snap of the wrist is what’s most important.”
Sancheon also hit it off quite well with Andro, whom I had introduced as my servant.
And Jeong Taewoo, true to his username ‘CrappyGame-bro’s Stalker Fan’…
“Taewoo, let’s not stare so intently while we’re eating.”
“*Sniff*, I’m sorry, CrappyGame-bro. To think I’d be eating a meal with you, in your house.”
“Taewoo.”
“At a table full of such renowned hunters, no less. *Sob*. And to think, to think Bald is the Strongest was the famous Mother Russia, Anastasia! That she was Anastasia-nunim!”
“…Stop crying and eat.”
“Yes, CrappyGame-bro!”
Jeong Taewoo shoved pasta into his mouth, shedding tears of emotion.
The truly ironic thing was…
…that Jeong Taewoo’s behavior was the most civilized of the lot.
At least his display fit the original purpose of a housewarming party.
It was the peaceful scene I had hoped for.
Yes.
“…”
It was much better than the three people sitting in the living room, engaged in a war of nerves like relatives gathered for a holiday.
At a housewarming, the focus is naturally supposed to be on the host who moved.
Of course, over there, the main character was also me, the host.
However…
…the topic of conversation they were having about the host was a little twisted.
“Hahaha, so here’s the thing. I’m a man who has faced death alongside Hunter Kim Hanul. You all know how dangerous a Fusion-type Gate is, right? The one who saw Hunter Kim Hanul’s heroics right before his very eyes was none other than me, Ma Dongpal!”
Ma Dongpal was the most talkative.
When he fanned the flames like that…
“Is that so. It seems you shared quite a valuable experience.”
Choi Kangwoo took a sip of the soup on the folding table and spoke.
“Damn right. So leave everything concerning Hunter Kim Hanul to our Aegis Guild and…”
“But I have also faced death with him. We were in a dungeon together for over a week.”
Ma Dongpal was taken aback by Choi Kangwoo’s refusal to back down.
He crossed his thick arms and provoked him.
“Hmph, I assume you’re talking about the Ogre’s Sanctuary. You never even made an official announcement about what happened in there, did you? For all we know, you didn’t face death together; you just clung to Hunter Kim Hanul, begging him to join Pungbaek.”
“We…”
For a moment, Choi Kangwoo’s gaze fell on me.
His eyes were quite desperate.
*Let me speak, let me spill every detail about what you and I accomplished in there!* An gaze filled with that very will.
Nope, not happening.
I just smiled and shook my head.
“…In any case, a lot more happened than the Aegis Guild Master might think.”
“Hahaha! That’s rich, it doesn’t matter. Besides, our Asha is so close to Hunter Kim Hanul. They, uh, message each other personally. Of course, the same goes for me. I’ve even made plans to go hiking with Hunter Kim Hanul soon.”
I never made any such plans.
Could my reply of ‘I’ll think about it’ to his text about hiking have been so twisted?
And just then…
Sanarae, who had been sitting quietly with a smile, uttered a single sentence.
“So, what have you two done for Hunter Kim Hanul?”
“What do you mean, what have we done?”
“Listening to your stories, it sounds like you both just received help from Hunter Kim Hanul. Am I wrong? That’s how I see it.”
“Ahem, what is this fox trying to say…!”
“The Aegis Guild Master conquered a gate with insufficient prior investigation by borrowing Hunter Kim Hanul’s power.”
“That…”
Ma Dongpal’s face turned pale.
Sanarae’s arrow immediately turned to Choi Kangwoo.
“And the Pungbaek Guild Master… I’m sure you know without me having to say it.”
“…”
When Sanarae winked, Choi Kangwoo silently drained his glass of water.
“On the other hand, I’ve helped Hunter Kim Hanul in various ways. Of course, I’ve received help too, but at this point, I’d say we’re about even.”
Ma Dongpal and Choi Kangwoo’s eyes simultaneously turned to me.
…I think I’m going to get indigestion.
Of course, I didn’t answer this time either. I just wished someone would put an end to this pointless war of nerves.
As if my wish had been heard…
“Why is everyone wasting their energy on such pointless talk?”
“Listen here, Asha. This woman…”
There was a savior after all. Asha, having finished her meal, managed to find some ssanghwa-cha and joined the fray.
You’re the best, Asha! Now just steer the conversation in a different direction.
But instead, she veered the arrow in a strange direction.
“Anyway, looks like our captain is the only one who brought a housewarming gift. Isn’t the game over right there? Everyone else came empty-handed. Oh, except for Sua-unni.”
At her words, Yoon Sua’s face flushed.
Come to think of it, she had given me a box with a high-end handkerchief as a housewarming gift.
‘Hmm, that’s right.’
I hadn’t thought about gifts at all.
“Oh, ooh!”
It seemed Ma Dongpal hadn’t either, as he nodded with a triumphant expression.
“That’s our Asha! Yes, that’s it. As a housewarming gift for Hunter Kim Hanul, hm? See that over there? That mountain of toilet paper is all my gift!”
“Ah, I was wondering why there was so much toilet paper. The Aegis Guild Master brought it? It must have been tough carrying all that. Especially for someone without a subspace skill.”
“Hahaha! That’s right. So don’t come here empty-handed and talk nonsense about giving help! What right do people who don’t even show a small token of sincerity have to…”
Sanarae, looking at the triumphant Ma Dongpal, spoke to me.
“Hanul-ssi. It’ll arrive within the month, so look forward to it.”
“Pardon?”
“My housewarming gift. It’s being shipped from overseas, so it’s taking a little while.”
“?”
Ma Dongpal, who had been laughing heartily, froze with a blank expression.
“Shipped from overseas… you say?”
“Hmm, it seems Guild Master Sanarae has beaten me to it.”
This time, Choi Kangwoo, who had been silently sipping his tea, spoke up.
“My… no, Pungbaek Guild’s small gift will also arrive within a few weeks.”
“?!”
Mouth agape, Ma Dongpal stared back and forth between Choi Kangwoo and Sanarae.
I was just as surprised and had to struggle to keep my expression neutral.
Hey, you people. What on earth did you buy as a housewarming gift?
“The gift is a secret.”
Sanarae said with a laugh, having read my expression.
Then, she returned to her usual languid expression and continued.
“Sorry. It’s a gift, so I should have ordered it in advance and brought it myself, but I’ve been so busy lately.”
Sanarae was always busy, so I quickly understood.
However, the way Choi Kangwoo and Ma Dongpal nodded in agreement felt different.
As if they knew the exact reason.
“Hmph, well. You’re not the only one who’s busy. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be living at the guild headquarters all day.”
“I see. Today is, in a way, the last day we can afford to relax.”
Choi Kangwoo and Ma Dongpal said as much, but they didn’t mention the reason.
Yoon Sua and Asha also seemed to be avoiding the topic.
Just as I was about to wonder if there was something I didn’t know…
“Oh. This Speedwagon here thinks he knows why the top three guild masters are so busy!”
Jeong Taewoo, who had been snacking on dessert in the kitchen, shot his hand up.
“It’s because of the upcoming exchange, right? Right, right? I heard there’s a rumor that China’s Jeokryongdan is going to face off against our country’s top three guilds! So it was true after all!”
“…”
And then, the icy glares of the three guild masters turned towards CrappyGame-bro’s Stalker Fan.