A Home of Their Own
Ding-dong.
Jegal Seo-wol, mid-bite of his breakfast, glanced toward the front door.
"Who could that be?"
He tilted his head. Baek Chul and Selenia had left for Alfheim at dawn, and Han Jeong-soo knew the passcode well enough to let himself in. Eilas was currently with Baal—Do-ha had sent her off to visit after she mentioned how long it had been since she last spoke with her father, telling her to enjoy herself and to contact them on Canteas's telepathic frequency if anything came up or when she was ready to return.
"Do-ha-nim, someone's here."
"I'll get it."
Do-ha rinsed his mouth in the bathroom, finished brushing his teeth, and headed for the entrance.
Creak.
"Ah—Old Man Song. Kael."
"Hahaha! Been well, Absolute One?"
"Could you ease up on the Absolute One bit…"
"I already heard the whole story from Kael. You turned out to be far more of a big shot than I ever imagined."
"Ugh, seriously…"
Do-ha pressed a hand to his forehead at Old Man Song's words. Of course the talkative Kael had spilled everything.
"If you haven't eaten yet, join us."
"No need. Us field folks ate ages ago."
Old Man Song shook his head. Construction workers always ate early.
"What brings you by?"
At Do-ha's question, Old Man Song and Kael turned to look at each other.
Whoosh!
"Ta-da!"
"Oh—this is…"
Kael unfurled something, and Do-ha's eyes lit up. It was a Paju City pamphlet. As of yesterday, construction on Paju had finished; people could move in at last.
"Wow. It's finally done."
Looking at the handsome buildings pictured inside, a smile tugged at Do-ha's lips. The port district had turned out spectacular, and the rest of the city had been reborn into something beautiful.
"We designed it carefully so we wouldn't ruin the old feel of Paju."
Roads, buildings, parks, even the lanes—everything had been planned to echo the past without simply copying it.
"Seo-wol. You already…"
"I kn—mmph—gulp."
Jegal Seo-wol, cheeks stuffed with food, swallowed hard. Lately the workload had been so heavy that even a martial artist like him needed a solid meal just to keep going.
"I already knew. I've been handling all the administrative work and managing the prospective residents."
"Ah. Good work."
Do-ha nodded. Paju had far more than a handful of buildings, yet Seo-wol had managed it alone. The young man was undeniably capable.
Whoosh.
Thud.
"Here. Take this."
Flick.
Catch.
"What is it?"
"Mi-ta-seong-su."
A single drop of the legendary elixir sat inside a small glass vial. With more than four hundred milliliters still remaining, Do-ha had been sharing a drop at a time with those around him.
"Heavens… thank you."
Receiving an elixir on the level of Mi-ta-seong-su, Jegal Seo-wol's eyes shone with genuine emotion. To simply hand over something equal in grade to Gong-cheong-seok-yu… Mi-ta-seong-su matched that elixir in power, yet was far harder to obtain—rarer still. A single drop was literally priceless.
"Things are about to get even busier. Drink it and keep your strength up."
"…Pardon?"
For a moment Jegal Seo-wol nearly dropped the empty bottle. Busier than this?
Why…?
I need a proper base for the coming war with the cults.
That was exactly why he had bought up the land in Paju and rebuilt it. War always began with securing a foothold.
"Tell any guilds willing to relocate their headquarters to Paju that I'll go hunting with them two or three times. Not all of them—first come, first served, about four or five."
"Will that really draw them?"
Kael, who had been listening quietly, tilted his head. Would other guilds abandon their own territories just for two or three joint hunts?
"Hmm… I expect they will."
Old Man Song nodded at Kael's doubt. Do-ha was, without question, the strongest hunter on Earth. Ever since he had soloed a dragon, rumors had spread that he surpassed even Henry, the world's number-one ranked. For someone like that to offer two or three joint hunts was an enormous stroke of luck for any guild. Even a single run through an SS-rank Gate would generate massive profits—all for the simple price of moving a building's address.
"Ah, and I have a gift for you."
Old Man Song smiled and placed a small scrap of paper in Do-ha's hand. Nothing fancy, nothing as thick as an envelope of cash—just a torn-off memo note.
"Gyeonggi, Paju City… Wait. Here?"
Handing over a brand-new address could mean only one thing.
"That's right. Your family's house."
It was the long-awaited address of the home they would move into. Old Man Song and Kael, indebted to Do-ha, had poured every ounce of their skill into building it—sleepless nights, days upon days of deliberation.
"The yard alone is a hundred and fifty pyeong. No highways nearby, so it's quiet, and you'll have a view of the Han River out front."
"We originally planned ten stories or more, but Old Man Song said that was overkill… so we settled on three floors. There's a basement too—humidity-removal magic, insect-warding magic, the works. We even ringed the property with a magic fence so intruders can't just stroll in. Not that anyone would dare with you around, of course."
"Wow. Thank you."
"And next door is the house you asked for—Canteas's place."
Kael handed Do-ha another slip of paper. There was hardly any need for an address; it stood right beside theirs.
"We'll be off, then."
"Are the two of you going your separate ways now?"
They had met because of the Paju construction, and that work was finished.
"No. We're thinking of working together a while longer."
"That's right. Thanks to Kael, I've been enjoying the job lately."
Old Man Song and Kael looked at each other and laughed. They got along like old friends, their working styles a perfect match.
"Glad to hear it."
"We'll be going, then."
"If you ever need our help again, just call. For you, I'd climb out of my own grave."
Creak.
Thud.
Once Old Man Song and Kael left, Do-ha gathered his clothes.
"Where are you headed?"
"Shopping. New house means a lot of things to buy. Want to come?"
"…I'm busy."
Jegal Seo-wol's face turned sulky. Hand him an elixir and pile on work one moment, then casually invite him out shopping the next…
"What about Canteas?"
"Still asleep, most likely. He always gets up late unless something special's going on."
"Then I'll wake him and put him to work as a pack mule."
Canteas would probably be thrilled. He had a house of his own now, after all.
Kyaaaaah!
"Whoa, insane!"
"I—I got a photo!"
"Damn, my battery's dead."
"Holy crap, his face is tiny."
"Are you kidding? Even covering his mouth he's ridiculously handsome."
"Those proportions are unreal."
Kyaa!
Kyaaaah!
Do-ha strolled down the street, lightly waving to the crowd. He hadn't set out wearing a mask; a hunter alert had suddenly gone off while he was at a nearby furniture store. When a Gate grew unstable and a wave seemed imminent, nearby hunters received the alarm. Do-ha had simply put on a mask, cleared it in moments, and returned.
"Hey, but who's that next to A…?"
"Whoa…"
"Kyaa! I—I just made eye contact!"
Walking beside Do-ha was a figure with long golden hair cascading to the collarbones and crimson eyes. Canteas was waving gently to the gathering crowd.
"Be honest. Whose face is that really?"
"I've told you a dozen times—it's how I looked when I was human!"
"I still can't believe it…"
Do-ha had seen the illusion once before, yet he still couldn't get used to it. The everyday skeleton form somehow suited Canteas better.
"Did you buy everything you needed?"
"Hold on."
At Do-ha's question, Canteas checked the list on his phone. All the furniture in the studio apartment was old secondhand stuff. When he first arrived on Earth, Do-ha had given him only a little money, so there had been no choice. Later, once funds were plentiful, buying new pieces had felt awkward, so he had simply left things as they were.
"Yeah. All done."
The urgent items were purchased. The rest would be cheaper and faster ordered online.
"What about you?"
"Yeah, I got everyth—huh?"
Do-ha, nodding, suddenly spotted someone in the distance and clapped his hands. He had known that face looked familiar.
Whirr.
"Have a good day."
The bank door opened as someone stepped out; the security guard offered a polite farewell.
Thud.
"Haaah…"
The man who tossed a scrap of paper into the trash was Go Myeong-soo. He let out a long sigh and hung his head.
"I thought maybe this bank would approve a loan…"
Three places had already turned him down. His parents' reckless investments had collapsed, leaving him suddenly needing five billion won, yet no bank would clear the loan. As Association staff he could borrow up to three billion, but anything beyond that failed every review. Even his low hunter rank meant the three billion came with steep interest.
"Do I really have to go below the second-tier lenders…"
Murmur, murmur.
"?"
Go Myeong-soo, still sighing, turned toward the sudden commotion. Why the uproar all at once? Another wave, maybe?
Thud.
Someone tapped his shoulder as he turned.
"Wh—what???"
"Hey, long time no see."
It was Do-ha. Spotting the Association staffer who had once guarded the first Gate he entered, he had come over.
"A…-nim."
"How have you been?"
"No, what is this…"
Seeing the crowd pressing in, Go Myeong-soo grew flustered. Of course people had swarmed because A was walking by, yet having those eyes on him was deeply unnerving.
"You looked troubled from a distance. Something wrong?"
"I was trying to get a loan, but the reviews keep failing… Uh… aren't you busy, A-nim? You don't need to bother with me…"
"Not at all. I've got free time."
Do-ha smiled and opened his subspace bag.
Whoosh.
Thud.
"Here. Take it."
"What?!!"
Go Myeong-soo stared in shock at the SS-rank mana stone now resting in his palm. Not just any SS-rank—top-grade quality. An ordinary SS-rank stone went for a hundred billion won; something this fine would fetch at least a hundred and fifty billion.
"Why would you give this to me…"
"I told you the first time we met. I'd remember your name and help you out someday."
"Ah…"
Only then did the day he first met Do-ha come flooding back. A's first hunter-rank measurement. He had come to the Gate where Go Myeong-soo was on duty. At Cheon-oe-cheon's request, Go Myeong-soo had delayed the report.
"Even so, this is far too much…"
"Come on. I've got extras. Just take it."
Pat. Pat.
Do-ha clapped him on the shoulder.
"I'll be going, then. Thanks for back then."
"Y-yes… P-please take care."
Go Myeong-soo bowed in a daze. What on earth had just happened…
Moments later the reporters swarmed.
"Hello, I'm Kang Su-cheol from KBC. Just now Cheon-oe-cheon gave you an SS-rank mana stone and thanked you—what exactly is your relationship?! What kind of help did you give that he would hand over a stone like that so casually?"
"I'm Han Gi-cheol from SBB. Cheon-oe-cheon said he was grateful—can you tell us what he was thanking you for?"
"I'm Park Hoon from the World Daily… Hey, don't push!"
"Just a moment, an interview…"
In the end, Go Myeong-soo's face appeared in every article that day—and even made the nine-o'clock news.