The First House

Building a house one step at a time wasn't all that difficult thanks to Demolition & Construction. The more I used the skill, the better I got at figuring out how to apply it. The biggest hurdle at first was stacking another wall on top of the one I'd already built. There was no way I could pile all the materials needed for a full wall onto such a narrow surface. Doing it little by little would've taken forever. Then I realized I didn't actually have to stand right on the wall to build it. If the materials were nearby, I could just place them underneath where the next layer would go and activate the skill. The materials would float up on their own and form the wall. Of course, it cost more mana that way, but that was only natural since the process had extra steps.

Because of that, I was constantly short on mana, so I decided to make a serious investment.

I dumped ten levels straight into mana. Now it was the highest stat I had. On top of that, Demolition & Construction had already leveled up once. Spending the whole day on construction made the experience gain ridiculous. I skipped hunting entirely and focused only on this. Thanks to the mana boost, my efficiency went up even more, and with help from my family, Seorin, and Daon, the outline of the house took shape in just two days.

Seorin looked at what was now clearly recognizable as a house and spoke up.

“Whoa, it’s actually starting to look like something!”

“Yeah, now we just need to handle the details!”

It might’ve looked shabby to some. Only one room, not enough doors or windows. Still, my motivation kept burning hotter. What would this place look like in a month? In a year? We spent two more days on finishing touches. Unlike concrete, which you can’t undo once it sets, I could reshape everything like clay. My dad’s help was huge here—he ran an interior design company, after all. I’d only studied this stuff in books; this was my first time on an actual site. Books and reality were definitely different. Dad poured out all the know-how he’d earned over his career without holding anything back. Getting that kind of knowledge for free was a huge stroke of luck. He looked happier than I’d ever seen him.

And just like that—!

A house sturdy enough that even a mace snail’s spikes would probably break on impact. It was finally complete!

Rare Skill! The joy of finishing the house lasted only a moment. Now it was time for a Rare Skill. What would it be…?

There were only three options. Was that because it was a Rare Skill? I had to think much harder than when I picked a Normal skill. A mistake with a Normal skill wouldn’t change much, but a Rare one was different. Especially since it was Class-exclusive! Whichever I chose would greatly affect how things went from here on out. So I had to be extra careful.

What should I pick? All three looked good. It was driving me crazy.

Material Storage would probably let me store materials, which meant I wouldn’t have to haul away debris after demolition. Terrain Scan was important too— no matter how sturdy the house, it’d collapse if the ground was soft. Safety Inspection was the same. Even if I built it with a skill, there could still be weak spots. Terrain Scan and Safety Inspection weren’t urgent with such a small house now, but they’d become critical once I started building bigger structures.

That was all just guesswork, though. The real problem was that I wouldn’t know what the skill actually did until I chose it. It might not match what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I imagined, or the efficiency could be terrible. What if Material Storage only held one kilogram? That’d be completely useless. Sure, the capacity would grow as the level increased, but how long would that take…?

Argh, this was so frustrating!

Good thing I was alone. If anyone saw me right now, what kind of face would they make? I kept pacing around like a puppy that really needed to go.

After about ten minutes of this, a simple thought hit me: “Does worrying actually change anything?” It was all speculation anyway. I wouldn’t know the skill’s effect until I got it.

“Screw it, I’m just picking one!”

Done hesitating, I chose the one that felt right in the moment. Please be good!

I checked the description of the skill I’d selected.

“Oh!”

Not bad at all. See? Worrying really was pointless. I should’ve trusted my first instinct!

The skill was exactly what I wanted. Being linked to Demolition & Construction probably meant I could store and retrieve materials instantly without extra steps. I decided to test the parts I didn’t understand right away.

I headed straight outside to a pile of rubble and found a decent-sized chunk of concrete to destroy. Imagining the debris going straight into Material Storage, the broken pieces vanished as if sucked away the moment they shattered. In my mind, I could see exactly how much material was stored and what it was.

54.5 kilograms… This was insane!

Next, I tried pulling from the storage to create a concrete square block. Debris floated out of thin air and formed the block right in front of me. It used twice as much mana as building normally, but convenience was everything.

“It’s not far off now……!”

The day ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I’d have my perfect house!

I was so happy that I actually felt calmer. While I was lost in thoughts of the future, the quest’s other reward arrived.

Right, there was this too. After reading the message, I went back inside the house I’d built and headed to the spot I’d already picked out. What would appear?

I designated the location and accepted. In the blink of an eye, a gorgeous bed materialized in front of me. It was the same way items appeared when bought from the Coin Shop.

“Isn’t this thing way too big?”

Size aside, it was so flashy it didn’t match the house at all. Still, one thing was certain—it was definitely high-grade. Anything labeled “high-grade” in the Coin Shop was ridiculously expensive. I wondered how much this one would’ve cost.

Since I had the bed now, I obviously had to check it out. I ran over and plopped down on it. It absorbed the impact without much shaking. Soft, but not so soft that it sank in.

“What the heck……?”

I’d never seen a bed like this in my entire life. No wonder the System called it high-grade with such confidence!

Sitting on it made me want to lie down. As if possessed, I slowly lowered myself onto it. It was incredibly soft. The mattress gently cradled my body. Lying on a cloud might be impossible, but if I ever did, I bet it would feel just like this.

“This thing is seriously insane……!”

I was even happier now than when I’d gotten the Rare Skill. My body relaxed completely, and my mouth curled up into a grin without permission.

“This is…… making me sleepy……. ……Maybe just a quick nap.”

——And just like that, I fell asleep.

Seorin left the house and headed next door. Dohyun had told her there wasn’t much she could help with today and that she should rest for once, but after moving nonstop every day, sitting still actually felt harder. So, out of boredom, she decided to go see what he was up to.

‘Might as well help if there’s anything left……’

She opened the gate to the neighboring house and stepped inside. It was strangely quiet. The front door was open……

“Is he doing okay? Looks like the exterior’s mostly done, at least.”

Doors installed, walls painted. She stepped inside. It was small, but it was still a house. The first thing she noticed was a massive bed that looked completely out of place in such a tiny home. And lying on it was Dohyun.

“What’s with that bed? Is he seriously sleeping like that right now?”

She was dumbfounded for a moment before remembering something. She was pretty sure the quest reward included a bed like that once the house was finished.

“Did he actually complete it?”

For some reason, she felt genuinely happy. Seorin smiled and looked around the rest of the house. Well, she’d helped build most of it, so of course she’d feel that way—but there was another emotion mixed in. The joy of seeing Dohyun achieve even a small dream. She didn’t question why she, an outsider, felt that way.

Seorin took off her shoes and approached Dohyun. He was sleeping soundly, completely unaware of the world. She sat beside him and looked at his sleeping face. The words just slipped out.

“You worked hard……!”

A warm smile spread across her face.

“…?!”

Then she suddenly turned her head. Why am I doing this? Her face flushed red in an instant.

“Ah… it’s burning up……”

What if he woke up? She needed to leave quickly. But the bed’s allure wouldn’t let her go. Why was this happening……?

“It’s this comfortable……?”

The urge to lie down was too strong for reason to overcome.

‘He’s asleep, so a little while should be fine……?’

Seorin lay down beside Dohyun as if entranced. Just for a moment……

Daon stepped out of the house. Her reason was similar to Seorin’s, but she had one more.

“When did Unni leave? Don’t tell me those two are doing something weird without me.”

Daon rushed next door and witnessed Dohyun and Seorin lying side by side on the same bed, fast asleep.

“Oppa… Unni……!”

Shocked, she stood there staring for a while.

“Ah……!”

Then, refusing to lose, she lay down on Dohyun’s other side.

“This is cheating……!”

But this bed…… it was making her sleepy.

“Huh……?”

Daon couldn’t escape its grasp either.

Last to arrive was Sohyun. She’d come to see how things were going, only to witness something she probably shouldn’t have.

“Oh my, oh my, what’s this—?!”

All three of them were sleeping together. Of course, it didn’t feel like that kind of situation—they were all just deeply asleep. Sohyun grinned anyway.

Good times shouldn’t be interrupted.

“Go for it, Oppa!”

She quietly slipped away.

Everyone gathered in front of the house Dohyun had finished. His dad looked like he was about to cry.

“My son built such a wonderful house……!”

“Honey……”

So what if it was a little shabby? What mattered was that they’d seen it through to the end!

All six of them felt happy just looking at the house. It was a home built with everyone’s sweat and effort.

In the middle of that warm moment, Dohyun’s mom noticed something odd.

“Why are you three standing there so awkwardly? Did something happen?”

“Uh, um……?”

“Huh?”

“……”

Dohyun, Seorin, and Daon were so flustered by that single question that they couldn’t even speak properly. Dohyun’s mom narrowed her eyes and stared at the three of them. Only Sohyun, who knew exactly what was going on, giggled from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠behind.

Well, at least it didn’t seem like they’d been fighting.

“Looks like Mom’s going to have to work hard today! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Let’s eat something delicious.”