House-Building Begins (3)

Kang So-hyun awkwardly smiled, as if she knew she'd messed up by collapsing an entire house. There's a saying, you can't spit on a smiling face.... This girl was definitely doing it on purpose. Did she think I'd spent those 20 years together with her in vain?

"I told you not to mess around, right? What are you gonna do about this!"

"S-Sorry.... We were gonna demolish it anyway...?"

"I wanted to test something!"

I'd wanted to check if I could reshape it with my Skill even if it wasn't completely destroyed. Well, what was done was done, and it was true we planned to tear it down anyway.... I decided not to make a bigger fuss.

"You really... If I'd been even a little late, you'd have been seriously hurt, you know?"

"Y-Yeah, I know...."

"Good thing my Agility is high!"

"Got it already! Bro, you're bragging about your Agility right now...?"

"How'd you know? This bro's awesome, so I can swoop in and save you like that! Other bros couldn't!"

"Whatever, just let me go already!"

"Such a temper...."

I let her go just as she wanted. Of course, I wasn't gentle about it. Figured her high Strength meant she'd handle it, so I basically tossed her. So-hyun landed hard on her butt in the dirt.

Thud—!

She shot me a sharp glare.

"Oppa—?!"

It didn't seem to hurt too bad; she popped right up and brushed the dirt off her butt. Guess high Strength boosts defense too. Nice discovery!

"What happened...?"

"Dad.... Mom...."

While So-hyun was still dusting herself off, Mom and Dad came rushing over, along with Seo-rin and Da-on. They'd heard the collapse and gotten worried.

"You're in big trouble now."

"Oppa, what happened?"

"Nothing much. Let's step away for a bit."

So-hyun, already chewed out by me, got another round from Mom and Dad. Meanwhile, I took the others aside. Served her right!

While she was getting scolded, I checked out the debris that had at least vaguely resembled a building until moments ago. This was gonna be a tough haul.

"First things first, gotta clear all this out before we can make progress....!"

"When are we ever gonna finish this...?"

"Well, gotta give it a shot!"

Once So-hyun finished her scolding, we jumped right into work. We shoved the debris to one side. This was probably gonna be the toughest part of building the house. No doubt it'd take forever, so we started immediately.

We worked like oxen all day. Dad and So-hyun helped the most, and Seo-rin and Da-on pitched in whenever they came and went from the house. My boosted Strength made the labor itself feel manageable, but clearing a whole house with just five people? The end was nowhere in sight.

I tossed a comment at So-hyun as she panted for breath, drenched in sweat.

"You can't just dump all your Coins into Strength—invest in your other Stats too!"

"Huff... huff...."

Her Class made Strength the top priority, sure, but this imbalance was ridiculous. Even orcs weren't this lopsided. I'd nagged her about it nonstop, but now she finally seemed to get it, staring into space as she leveled her Stats. Her breathing eased up a bit.

At least she'd saved her spare Coins like I told her.

"Whoa~ The world's looking different now! Feels like I could go all day!"

"You're overdoing it...."

And 30 minutes later, she collapsed from pushing herself too hard. I shook my head.

She's not human....

The work dragged on until sunset. As darkness fell and we headed home, I took one last look at the site. Felt like we hadn't accomplished squat.

Seo-rin wiped the sweat beading on her forehead.

"This is really doable, right...?"

"Gotta be...."

Still, we had no choice. Tough or not, what could we do...? But sticking to this nonstop was definitely a burden. It kept me from progressing, and no one else could grow either. Who knew when stronger monsters might attack?

Hanging onto this is inefficient...!

I explained the issue to the group, and after discussing, we decided to use our time more efficiently starting tomorrow. Mornings for monster hunting, afternoons for debris cleanup. That way, we'd thin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out nearby monsters, earn Coins, and invest them in Stats to boost work efficiency. Couldn't think of a better plan right now. Recruiting more helpers would've been ideal, but that was pure luck.... Where was I gonna find trustworthy people anyway...?

Day two of house-building. After breakfast as planned, we headed out to hunt.

We'd clear every monster in sight until lunchtime. Battles got way smoother with So-hyun joining. Her high Strength—and thus high defense—made her a perfect tank up front, doing her role to a T. Seo-rin and Da-on supported from the rear, while I held the middle, backing up both sides for max safety.

Only possible thanks to my balanced Stats and the spear's long reach.

This formation made short work of monsters. Not just weaklings— it shone against strong ones too.

'Blink Wolf'—Lv. 8 beast-type monster, wolf-like with brown fur. Strength on par with an orc, but way faster. As the name implied, it could blink short distances. About a meter per jump.

Would've been tricky ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with just the original three, no doubt. But So-hyun tanking upfront neutralized a lot of their special ability.

"Coming from behind—!"

So-hyun held three Blink Wolves. Two blinked past ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her to target the rear. I intercepted them and called to So-hyun.

"Can you hold by yourself?"

"Duh!"

She was cocky, so I'd trust her. I focused on the ones charging me.

Seo-rin nailed the timing with her spell.

Kiiieek...?

The Blink Wolf flinched at Seo-rin's flames.

"Nice!"

I didn't miss the opening, thrusting my spear. With my Stats already surpassing a Blink Wolf, teamwork made this a breeze.

I didn't stop, rushing to back up So-hyun. The Blink Wolves were so fast she hadn't downed a single one, but holding without injury was impressive enough.

"Held up great!"

"I could've finished solo!"

"Liar...!"

With my help creating breathing room, plus Seo-rin's magic, So-hyun landed her slow but devastating punches. One hit sent a wolf flying ten meters, eyes rolling back as it died.

"See?!"

"Got it—focus!"

Two left—no, three. One had hung back watching, now stepping forward.

I focused on it, checking its name.

'Alpha,' huh...?

I'd assumed it was the same since it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠looked identical, but way higher level. Up close, it was bulkier too. Those eyes screamed pack leader.

Grrrrr....

The Alpha growled low, and the two facing off retreated sideways in fear.

"Trash like that? My Power Strike one-shots it!"

So-hyun charged ahead. No time to stop her.

"Wait—!"

Her powerful blow hurtled toward the Alpha Blink Wolf. No denying it could've one-shot even an alpha if it landed—but missing made it useless. It blinked aside effortlessly.

"So fast...?!"

Grraaah!

The Alpha's blink cast was lightning-quick compared to the normals. Good news: blink range was similar. It targeted So-hyun's back.

But she wasn't alone. I shadowed it, protecting her. Missed wounding the Alpha, though.

It blinked farther away.

"I told you to think before acting!"

"Didn't expect it to be that fast!"

"No good. You and Seo-rin handle those two stragglers!"

"H-Huh? Then what about you, Oppa...?"

"I got this solo!"

"For real...? You sure...?"

"Unlike you, I actually think!"

"Ugh, show-off... Fine, hold on—we'll wrap 'em quick and back you up!"

So-hyun teamed with Seo-rin to deal with the remaining Blink Wolves as instructed. Now it was just me and the Alpha. It eyed me like, you sure you can handle this solo?

Tough in my current state, but...

I dumped my saved Coins into Stats high enough to win.

"Quit standing there—come on, you mangy mutt!"

Woof—!

"Even barks like a dog!"

The Alpha Blink Wolf charged as if it understood me. Fast, sure. But not beyond my eyes. I dodged its gaping bite for my throat.

It landed and blinked behind me instantly.

"Wha...?"

Grrraaah—!

It lunged savagely at my back. Da-on, who'd been chilling in the rear, yelped in shock.

"Oppa...?!"

Seo-rin and So-hyun glanced over too. Everyone fretted—but I stayed calm. My General Spear Technique at Lv. 2 felt worlds different. Others might not notice, but I sure did.

So this is how you wield a spear!

I parried its attack with the spear's shaft.

Grrraah...?

Even its sure-kill strike blocked, the monster panicked. My turn.

The spear danced elegantly; the Alpha could barely react, like it was entranced. And it wasn't the only one captivated.

"So cool....!"

"Was Oppa always this strong...?"

"So-hyun, eyes front!"

"R-Right!"

The Alpha's wounds piled up. Its simple patterns? I read them every time. Finally, my spear pierced its heart, ending it.

"Drop the 'Alpha' from your name!"

Facing all six from the start would've doubled the hassle. Wolves and their damn pride.

"Huh...?"

"Oppa, you took it down solo?"

"Oppa, amazing!"

"Nice job...."

Seo-rin, Da-on, and So-hyun finished their two and regrouped. Seo-rin muttered her praise just loud enough to hear.

But I ignored them, staring at the fallen Alpha.

"What's up...?"

"Nah, feels like something's inside...."

"Inside what...?"

I sliced open its chest with my spear and rummaged inside.

"Oppa, that's gross—what're you doing?"

The girls grimaced at the gore; I hated it too. I pulled my hand out, clutching a purple... gem-like stone.

"What's this...?"