Chapter 2
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Building a House in the Demon World
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‘A monster with regenerative cells must have incredible recovery. Its fur should grow back in a few days.’
He had spent his entire life hunting monsters. In the past, he would have killed it the moment he sensed it reviving, but not anymore.
The creature was completely drained, sprawled out without even the strength to stand. He felt no urge to kill something in that state.
“Looks like we’re both lucky. It’s a second life, so let’s make the most of it. If fate allows, we’ll meet again somewhere.”
Cheon Doun turned away without a second thought.
A short while after he left, the monster, having regained some of its strength, pushed itself up.
Its body was round like a ball, with short, chick-like wings on either side.
It would have looked cute if it were covered in soft fur.
But without its pelt, it resembled a giant mass of muscle.
-Grrrr.
Two legs shot out from its round body—muscular, horse-like legs.
*Thud-thud-thud-thud.*
The chunk of meat with horse legs began to run. Anyone who saw it would have screamed and fainted.
After running for a while, the monster glanced back in the direction Cheon Doun had disappeared.
In its current state, having only its hide cleanly removed was a stroke of luck. For a human, it would be like having a malignant tumor perfectly excised through surgery.
-If it weren't for him, I really would have died. He looks like a person, but his aura feels like a monster… What is he?
The monster tilted its head. Again, it would have been a cute gesture if it had fur. Now, it just looked like a giant meatball flexing its muscles.
-If fate allows, we’ll meet again, he said… Yes. If we meet again, I will be sure to help him, just once.
The monster galloped across the rocky mountain on its muscular legs.
A rare monster with intelligence equal to that of a human.
This sentient monster, born from an infinitesimal chance, formed a small bond of fate with Cheon Doun and vanished.
* * *
After parting with the monster, Cheon Doun surveyed his surroundings.
The necessities of human life are food, clothing, and shelter. Now that he had clothes, he wanted a house.
“I guess I’ll have to build that myself, too.”
In the Demon World, everything was self-sufficient. He was about to dive into construction without a single piece of architectural knowledge, but he smiled.
If he could make clothes, why not a house?
With a relaxed mind, he wandered in search of a place to build. His homeless life continued, but it wasn't uncomfortable.
He slept in trees and ate his prey on the spot before moving on.
The threat of monster attacks was a non-issue. That was never a concern for Cheon Doun in the first place.
‘I feel like I could just live like this forever.’
The thought crossed his mind for a moment, but his desire for a house didn't fade.
Three months passed as he roamed aimlessly. Finally, Cheon Doun found a place that he truly loved.
He stood at the edge of a cliff where a waterfall cascaded down. Below, the valley water formed a massive pool.
“What a view. The water’s clear, too.”
So clear that he could see the bottom of the valley.
Schools of fish swam leisurely in the water. They were aquatic monsters that moved in swarms, like piranhas.
“And a natural fish farm. Perfect.”
The fish, a source of terror for most people, were reduced to daily sustenance for Cheon Doun.
‘Catching them one by one for a fresh grill would feel like camping, wouldn’t it? A log cabin nearby would be fantastic.’
A valley and a lush forest. A handsome wooden house nestled within.
Just imagining it made the corners of his mouth lift.
His decision made, he leaped off the cliff.
* * *
Cheon Doun landed in a forest about ten minutes away from the waterfall.
It was a suitable distance, where the sound of the falling water wasn't too loud. The trees were dense, but that was a simple matter of clearing them out.
"First, let's clear the site."
He raised his arms as if cheering.
Threads shot out from the tips of his ten fingers, spreading out like a fine-meshed casting net and settling over the area.
*Shhh-shhhk.* The threads instantly shredded the surrounding trees and grass. After repeating the process dozens of times, a clearing large enough for a house was complete.
“Alright. This should be enough space.”
Next, he needed lumber. He went into the forest to find suitable trees. He felled them with his threads, trimmed the branches, and bound the logs with vines.
The sun had already begun to set, but it wasn't a problem.
The number of monster species mixed within him was 527. Among them were many nocturnal monsters.
His body, a blend of various monster traits, was perfectly optimized for life in the Demon World.
"This should be enough lumber."
After trimming and stacking the trees, a mountain of logs of a uniform thickness had formed.
"Where should I start? First… right. I'll set up the posts to get a sense of the house's size."
Cheon Doun drew a rectangle of about 700 square feet on the ground. He drove a log into each corner.
The sight of him effortlessly lifting a massive tree and slamming it into the ground would have made anyone’s jaw drop.
"I guess I can just lay the floor to match the size of the posts."
He wasn't sure if it would work, so he decided to just try it and see. Cheon Doun used his threads to shape the remaining lumber.
His limitless stamina, once renowned during his time as a Chimera Hunter, was now being used for home construction.
The materials and methods were all improvised. Even so, his face was filled with joy.
“The floor should be about done.”
He laid thinly sliced wood in overlapping layers on the ground.
The self-made foundation was crude, but Cheon Doun didn't mind.
He wasn't aiming for a perfect house.
He had no dream of becoming an architect, so he simply let his hands move as he pleased.
"How should I stack the walls? If I just pile them up, they'll collapse. And I don't have any nails to secure them…"
Cheon Doun looked at his hands.
His primary ability was to produce razor-sharp threads from his body.
It was the power of the S+-class monster, the Silk Thread Caterpillar.
It was the first monster cell to be mixed with his, and thus, the ability he could use most skillfully.
"This is useless right now. Let's see. For now… maybe I'll try this."
Cheon Doun slid a log between two walls. He stroked the top surface of the log with his palm.
A green liquid oozing from his palm began to soak into the wood.
Green spiderweb.
A mucus known among hunters as spiderweb for its unique stickiness.
Though it was called that, it wasn't actually a spiderweb. It was the slime of a snail-type monster.
‘This feels a bit like using glue, which makes me nervous. But its viscosity is top-notch, so it probably won’t collapse, right?’
Once it hardened, it would become as solid as rock, so it should serve well as an adhesive.
Cheon Doun applied the green spiderweb and stacked another log on top. He repeated the process until one wall was complete.
“This looks better than I thought. It’s quite sturdy.”
Repeating the same process, all four walls were erected. While he was at it, he spread the viscous liquid on the floor as well to keep bugs out.
He built the roof in the same way, and soon, completion was in sight.
* * *
It took five days to finish the house.
Cheon Doun looked over the house with a satisfied expression.
The house he built was a perfect rectangle, like a shipping container. Because he had simply stacked the logs, it had no windows.
With no sunlight, the interior was pitch-black, and the walls, hardened with streaks of dripping green spiderweb, added to the gloomy atmosphere.
“It looks more like a trap than a house… but hey, this is great.”
Cheon Doun was pleased with the result. If he found anything inconvenient while living in it, he could just fix it.
If it was too small, he could build another house next to it, knock down a wall, and connect them.
“If it collapses, I can just try building it a different way.”
Thinking optimistically, he smiled with satisfaction.
Now, only the final step remained: leaving a mark to prevent monsters from destroying the house while he was away.
Cheon Doun extended his arms. Threads shot from his fingertips and engulfed the house.
It was the ability of his favored Silk Thread Caterpillar, but these threads were different from the ones he usually used.
Cocoon threads.
As the name suggested, these threads were used to build cocoons; they were not sharp, but durable.
It was also the thread the Silk Thread Caterpillar used to mark its territory.
In an instant, the wooden house was covered in white threads.
With the threads drooping onto the nearby trees and ground, the scene looked like something out of a horror movie.
This was a declaration of war, an announcement that this entire area was his.
“This should be enough.”
Having turned his already grim house into a haunted mansion, he wore a look of satisfaction.
What others might think was unimportant. Cheon Doun was thoroughly pleased with the house he had built.
* * *
He had clothes and a home. He also had a waterfall and a natural fish farm. Could there be a more perfect spot?
With his basic needs met, a sense of fulfillment filled a corner of his heart. But humans are creatures of desire, and that satisfaction gave rise to a new sense of lack.
‘Something’s still missing. Something… human. I need something more. What is it?’
Pacing back and forth, he stopped as he looked at the clearing in front of his house.
“A garden?”
A house with a garden full of flowering trees.
It was the dream home for most people, but Cheon Doun’s expression was uncertain.
“Flowering trees…”
He looked around. His house was already in the middle of a forest. Everywhere he looked, there were trees and plants.
Tending a garden in a place like this seemed pointless.
"Many of the flowers in the Demon World are carnivorous. Planting them would just ruin the scenery."
He didn't want to start his day by watching flowers eat monsters.
"So, a garden is out. Hmm… should I make a vegetable patch? That seems practical."
Most plants in the Demon World were poisonous. But for Cheon Doun, who was immune to all sorts of toxins, that was no problem.
‘If I plant fruit-bearing plants, I can pick and eat them. That’s good. Something I can dig up and plant right now would be…’
A certain plant flashed through Cheon Doun’s mind.
A top-grade medicinal herb, with a single root worth tens of millions. A plant-type monster that turned into a deadly poison if prepared incorrectly.
A fantastical plant with an SSS+ cultivation difficulty.
“Should I plant a Mandragora?”
Cheon Doun nonchalantly said something that would make most people scream.