Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Neighbor
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My belongings were minimal.
A single bed. A few changes of clothes for all seasons. And a high-performance computer.
Oh, there was also a potted plant.
The potted plant that doubled as a bed for Ultra.
Finally, there was one very long, large box containing my staff.
In truth, these were belongings I could move all by myself without needing a moving service.
But they were too eye-catching, so I decided against it.
I called a small van, and even after loading everything, there was plenty of space left over.
When I arrived at the new house, the broker was there to greet me.
He held a pack of toilet paper rolls in his hands.
"Is that the housewarming gift?"
"...."
I stared at him with a look of utter bewilderment.
The broker cleared his throat awkwardly and averted his gaze.
The house was a single-story detached home about a ten-minute walk from the tower.
It was surrounded by tall walls, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.
I especially liked that feature.
There was also a small but cozy yard.
And most importantly, there was the basement.
"They say it's comparable to the training facilities of most guilds."
"Worth the price."
According to the broker, the basement was equipped with perfect soundproofing and vibration isolation.
I planned to use this basement as my training ground.
Now, whenever I acquired a new spell, I wouldn't need to head to an elementary school field or playground anymore.
I nodded in satisfaction.
Furnishing the place took no time at all.
It was because I had so few belongings.
Once done, the furniture seemed woefully inadequate for such a spacious house.
The empty living room contained only the computer desk and chair, plus a bed in the corner.
It looked more like a warehouse than a home.
"How can anyone live alone in such a barren house?"
The broker looked around the empty space and clicked his tongue.
I could read the concern in his voice.
He started nagging me to at least get a sofa and a table.
But I didn't pay it much mind.
All I needed was a computer and a bed anyway.
Anything else was just cumbersome clutter taking up space.
I had no books for a bookshelf or clothes for a wardrobe.
I would never entertain guests in my lifetime, so no need for a sofa or table in the living room either.
"It does look a bit empty.... Well, I'll get used to it."
"Sure, you've probably never lived in a place like this before."
The broker let out a deep sigh at my indifferent reply.
He seemed to realize there was no point in saying more.
"If you need anything, call me anytime. I'll take care of it for you."
With those words, the broker returned to his office.
I stood in the empty living room, blankly watching him go.
As the door closed, perfect silence filled the house.
Suddenly, I recalled what Beetle had said a few days ago about managers.
Once I started operating officially as an A-rank hunter, there would surely be plenty of hassles to deal with.
When that time came, I'd need someone's help.
If I were to hire a manager, that uncle might be the most trustworthy option.
His status as an illegal broker was a concern, though.
Still, everything he'd shown me so far went beyond mere business partnership.
"Well, that's a long way off...."
I shook my head to clear away the idle thoughts.
Relationships with other people were just a headache.
I could think about it much later, much much later.
I headed down to the basement.
The heavy soundproof door swung open, revealing a pristine training room.
The walls were finished with special materials excellent for shock absorption.
On one side, various weapons and training dummies were neatly arranged.
I nodded in satisfaction.
There was just one regrettable flaw.
The training room floor wasn't sand.
Any space without sand was meaningless to me.
"Should I go to the playground and scoop some up...."
But I soon shook my head.
I wasn't short on money anymore, so there was no need to act like a thief.
Time to buy it properly. And the finest quality sand at that.
I pulled out my phone right away and ordered a large quantity of premium fine sand.
Thanks to the rocket delivery service for hunters, several massive bags of sand arrived at my doorstep before evening.
I hauled enough to fill the basement floor.
The training room instantly transformed into a cozy sandy beach.
Add some water, and it'd feel like the ocean.
Walking barefoot, soft sand squished pleasantly between my toes.
I took Ultra, who was wriggling in the flowerpot, and set it down on the sand.
"This is your room from now on."
At my words, Ultra looked around in bewilderment for a moment.
Then, sensing the soft texture underfoot, it began bouncing in place joyfully.
The sight made me smile too.
Since things had turned out this way, I might as well set up the entire basement as Ultra's dedicated space.
I plunged my staff deeply into the center of the training room.
Faint mana spread from the tip, permeating the sand filling the basement.
I could feel Ultra liking it even more.
It spun circles around the staff, unable to contain its joy.
"Hey, don't pull that out and swing it around."
I gave Ultra a stern warning.
With the staff planted, I could feel the mana circulation throughout the basement change.
It was like turning on an air purifier in a stuffy room.
Anyway, the basement was now Ultra's training room.
I didn't need any training myself.
Do lions train...?
It's ignoble for the strong to train.
I glanced over the training equipment nearby.
Wooden dummies and sandbags. Dumbbells of various weights, and all sorts of weapons.
This setup was perfect for Ultra to practice spear techniques or close-quarters combat.
I'd been worried about its growth stagnating since I hadn't been taking it into the tower lately, but my grand dream of clearing the tower with an infinite army of sand soldiers hadn't ended.
And this little guy, Ultra, would lead the vanguard.
"I bought expensive stuff, so you better train hard."
Ultra's expression instantly soured at my words, but when I offered an extra hour of phone time, it obediently picked up a training spear.
Carrots and sticks were the best, after all.
I left the basement to Ultra and went back upstairs.
"Whew. Guess that's the move finished...."
Stretching my body, my stiff back cracked with a satisfying pop.
I stood in the middle of the empty living room.
"It really does feel kinda empty."
No pictures or anything on the walls, just the computer desk and bed as furniture.
My footsteps echoed through the vacant space.
"Did I pick a house that's too big for living alone?"
A subtle emotion I'd never felt before in life welled up in a corner of my chest. Loneliness and a strange melancholy.
I quickly cleared my mind.
If needed, I could fetch the staff from the basement and conjure marble furniture.
Sofas, tables, display cases.
If I wanted, I could turn this house into a palace.
And above all, I had the internet.
With that, an empty house like this was no problem at all.
"Nah, time to hit the tower. Feels like I'll finally level up this time."
I shook my head.
Sentimental thoughts didn't suit me.
It was about time for a level up anyway; no time to waste on useless musings.
It was then.
Ding-dong-.
The doorbell shattered the silence.
I frowned and checked the intercom screen.
On it stood a burly man in an ill-fitting suit.
Not wanting to let a stranger into the yard, I went out to the front gate myself.
Opening the door, a shiny luxury black sedan came into view behind the man.
His face looked tired yet fierce, like a gangster.
'Something familiar about him.'
As I racked my brain,
The man looked me up and down and asked sharply.
"Where are your parents?"
Damn. How long do I have to keep getting underestimated like this?
This bastard's tiresome routine had no end.
I almost snapped that they weren't here but held back.
"They went on a trip."
"A trip? On moving day?"
The man twitched his eyebrows suspiciously.
He pressed on persistently.
"When will they be back? I really need to see them."
"Who are you to demand that, mister?"
"Hah, you don't know who I am? Well, you're just a kid, so maybe not...."
A faint wrinkle formed on the man's brow at my retort.
He cleared his throat as if displeased that I didn't know him, then introduced himself.
"I'm Jeong Man-ho, guild master of Ironblood Guild and ruler of this Daejeon."
Jeong Man-ho spoke as if he were a king.
Calling himself the ruler of Daejeon right out of his own mouth. No shame?
I muttered inwardly.
"I'm in charge of this district. If a new hunter moves in, I need to know. What's your parents' hunter rank?"
Jeong Man-ho.
Hearing that name clicked the hazy memory fragments into place.
The man who bid against Jeong Tae-yeon at the unique axe auction.
And the "ruler of Daejeon" that Kim Su-ho mentioned.
Parked on the 27th floor, right?
I decided to brush him off vaguely and end this annoyance.
"Uh.... Not sure. Anyway, thanks for your hard work."
"Good, you know something. Holding this position isn't easy."
"Uh, yeah, sure."
Jeong Man-ho looked satisfied with my reply.
He must have thought I acknowledged his authority.
"Anyway, this was a house I used like a vacation spot.... Tell your parents I was surprised someone moved in suddenly."
"Oh, so you were the previous owner?"
"No, the owner was someone else. But it was vacant, so I used it."
"What? What does that mean...."
I doubted my ears for a moment.
So he just used a house with a clear owner because it was empty?
"Nothing happens on Daejeon land without my permission. What's the big deal about using an empty house?"
Seeing my expression, Jeong Man-ho spoke as if imparting worldly wisdom.
"Everything in Daejeon is practically mine. Remember that."
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
No different from a local gang boss.
Jeong Man-ho turned as if done with business and got into the sedan.
"Strutting around calling himself the ruler of Daejeon...."
Ruler of Incheon would at least sound cool.
Ruler of Daejeon was just too lame.
"What the. He's the next-door neighbor. Why drive over?"
I muttered watching the sedan pull up right next door soon after.
He was ridiculous in every way.
***
The door closed, perfectly blocking out the outside noise.
In the car, Jeong Man-ho relaxed his tense shoulders.
'No way the new neighbor is A-rank, right? I don't recall anyone like that kid....'
But he couldn't be certain.
If so, it would be a real problem.
Jeong Man-ho knew himself well.
He was on the weaker side among A-rank hunters.
He'd lucked into climbing to the 27th floor and barely scraped an A-rank.
But he lacked the ability or will to go higher.
If another A-rank came to wreck his turf?
No way to stop it. A dizzying scenario just thinking about it.
'No. Can't let that happen.'
Jeong Man-ho pulled out his phone.
He entered the group chat for A-rank hunters only.
He checked the message he'd sent before visiting next door.
[Anyone recently moved to Daejeon?]
The unread count was zero, but the chat remained silent.
Perfect read-and-ignore.
But Jeong Man-ho felt relieved instead.
'Looks like no one's come to eat me alive then?'
It was then.
A notification pinged.
Only one person, Jeong Tae-yeon, replied.
[Jeong Tae-yeon: Daejeon tower collapse countdown at 20 days left? When you climbing?]
"No, seriously f-."
Jeong Man-ho nearly cursed aloud.
'Does this woman have a grudge against the tower or what?'
Why bring that up every time she breathes?
Tower collapse countdown.
If the top floor isn't updated for a period, the tower collapses.
Just hearing it made Jeong Man-ho's stomach churn.
Isn't it common sense to climb right up to the last day for safety?
Why ask the obvious?
Of course, to level up and grow stronger, climbing fast is better, but Jeong Man-ho had no such ambition.
This position suited him perfectly.
'Argh, hate going into the tower. Really hate it.'
He wanted to park on the 27th floor forever, sucking honey as Daejeon's king.
Damn that countdown.
Jeong Man-ho sighed inwardly.
***
The very next day, I headed to the 22nd floor.
My first tower visit after moving.
With the tower now just five minutes away, I no longer worried much about being spotted by people nearby.
Though if the tower collapsed, this house would be the first to get wrecked.
But with me here, it wouldn't collapse anytime soon.
Arriving at the 22nd floor, the familiar abandoned mine scenery greeted me. And the familiar enemies.
Whiiiiiing!
From the far end of the mine, that massive drill from the 21st floor appeared with a roar.
This time, it wasn't just one.
Two drills came at me from both sides in a pincer attack.
Meanwhile, kobolds I'd never seen before swarmed in the gaps between them.
I decided to handle them the same way as last time.
First, the annoying trash mobs.
I lightly slammed my staff into the ground with a thud.
At my will, the ground trembled faintly.
Massive boulders rained down from the ceiling right above where the kobolds stood.
"Kieeeek!"
The kobolds were flattened instantly.
Now only the machines remained.
I infused power into the staff again.
At my will, the cave walls moved like living things.
The writhing walls, like an animal's innards, firmly seized the two drills.
Now for the real part.
I approached one of the drills spinning idly in place.
I touched its tip with my finger.
Disintegration.
Turning these whole into sand would prevent core extraction.
I had to precisely shave off only the outer armor.
I focused my mind.
Like clamping a faucet with a drill rig's sturdy arm.
Shraaaak-.
But I succeeded.
From the point of contact, the tough armor peeled off like shell, scattering as fine sand.
Finally, the complex machinery and engine were revealed.
And at its center, a pulsing red-glowing core.
"Looks familiar."
This core resembled the mountain's heart.
Without hesitation, I reached out and extracted the core.
I did the same to the other drill.
Two machine cores now in hand.
I took out the mountain's heart from my pocket and held them against it.
The cores melted like liquid and flowed into the item's fissure.
With each absorbed core, the red glow seeping from the heart's cluster grew clearer and more intense.
Definitely a successful reinforcement.
I smiled in satisfaction.
[The 22nd Floor (EXTREME) of the Tower has been cleared. Congratulations.]
The long-awaited clear message appeared.
And the next moment, three skill books materialized before my eyes.
All three shimmered with a subtle silver light.
Soon, one began to change.
[First Clear Bonus Applied!]
[1st Place Ranking Bonus Applied!]
The silver light turned brilliant gold in an instant.
The gold then evolved one step further to platinum.
A Platinum-grade skill book.
"This time it'll be an attack skill, right?"
I harbored quiet expectations.
Now that I could use rocks too.
Maybe a rock-related skill? Meteor or earthquake?
With eager anticipation, I reached for the platinum skill book.
But contrary to my hopes, it wasn't an attack skill. It was a passive.
[Passive Skill: Mineral Devourer]
[Your skin and teeth become tougher.]
[Consume minerals to enhance the authority embedded in your body.]
[Imbue unique mineral properties into your magic.]
"What is this?"