Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 1

HUNTERS KEEP COMING TO MY HOUSE

Chapter 1

FFF-level Hunter, Seo Yeon-oh.

And now she’s a homeowner who’s managed to save up her paltry hunter salary and bonuses to buy her own house.

“Haha, a new life is starting!”

But she didn’t know that this would be the start of a new life. After sleeping and waking up in her new house…

Why is her house inside the gate…? 

Oh no, this is messed up.

* * *

The incident happened about a day ago. 

Tension lingered in the air. 

I carefully examined the documents in my hands. There was no major issue with the paperwork. 

Despite already confirming it to the point of wearing out the documents due to suspicions about the originally favorable house price, I couldn’t shake off the unease.

I opened my mouth as I looked at the real estate agent in a suit sitting across from me. 

“So, once I stamp it, it becomes my house, right?”

“Yes, yes. Once you stamp it, from now on, it’s Ms. Yeon-oh’s house. I’ve prepared everything in advance.” 

The person in a neatly worn suit replied very kindly.

I put down the documents and took out a stamp from my inventory, firmly pressing it onto the paperwork. The moment the red stamp was applied.

Ding!

A text message on my phone notified me that the house contract was completed. It seemed that the preparations were indeed true. 

With a joyful heart, I checked my phone and, eager to go to my new haven, hurriedly got up.

“Ms. Yeon-oh, wait a moment. I’ve prepared a gift to celebrate your independence, so please take it.” 

Although I tried to decline politely, the real estate agent, somehow very persistent, had already placed a gift in my hands.

After expressing gratitude to the person who had been so kind and successfully facilitated the contract, I quickly left the real estate office. 

When the cold air touched my face, I could finally express my joyful feelings. 

“Wow, finally!”

Truly, finally!

With the hard-earned money I made after going through so much trouble! 

Everyone asked me why I was so attached to having a house, but the answer was simple. If you’re Korean, don’t you dream of having your own home?

As an orphan from an early age due to an accident, I lived moving from one relative’s house to another, always watching my step. 

After awakening as a hunter, I barely managed to get a place to stay, and it was a dingy basement given by a relative. A shabby basement where my relative generously charged me rent. 

Living while constantly being cautious had become tiresome.

Now, I could drink at home, no one would scold me for not cleaning, and I didn’t have to worry about someone watching me pass through the living room during dinner time. 

‘It took a long time, but it’s still faster than expected.’

I am 26 years old, so it was a relatively quick success in obtaining my own home. Of course, for a hunter, it felt a bit late.

Hunter – a profession that involves entering gates to defeat monsters or clear individual missions within. 

Currently, it is the hottest job on Earth. 

It was even the top career choice for elementary school students these days because hunters could earn a lot of money. Of course, excluding government-affiliated hunters. 

Most government-affiliated hunters were in the D to FFF levels. So, there was a clear difference in the performance-oriented hunter society. Even government-affiliated hunters received a meager salary.

The byproducts obtained when clearing gates were all owned by the government. However, the money earned by guild-affiliated hunters in the S to C levels was on a different level.

‘An F-level mana stone is currently worth a million won in the market.’ 

However, F-level mana stones were scattered throughout the gates. This meant that after clearing a gate, one could earn at least tens of millions of won. Guild-affiliated hunters could take all of this as their share.

Unfortunately for me,

‘I’m at the FFF level, affiliated with the government, so I only receive a meager salary and a small achievement bonus.’ 

Not to mention that I had to work part-time jobs on top of that, cutting back on sleep.

Well, compared to non-hunters, it was still a significant amount of money. So, even if the level was low, it was only natural for people to want to become hunters. 

‘Of course, wanting to become a hunter doesn’t mean it’s easy to become one.’

To become a hunter, one needed to undergo an awakening, which happened only about once in a thousand people. 

In simpler terms, with a population of around 50 million in South Korea, there were only about 5,000 registered hunters. And this number included everyone from S-level to FFF-level, like me.

While few people became hunters, skilled hunters were even rarer.

‘I was really happy when I first awakened.’

However, the life of a hunter was not as easy as one might think. Even considering that hunters almost risked their lives, it was still underestimated. 

Inside the gates, which began appearing about 30 years ago, it was truly hellish, no different from hell itself. 

With a wide variety of monsters, carnivorous plants, unknown toxins, endless traps, and more, the inside of the gates was a structure where survival seemed impossible.

Moreover, the conditions for clearing each gate varied, making it endlessly challenging. 

‘So, there’s a reason why earning a lot of money is not without its reasons.’

Risking your life should bring in this much at least. Depending on the level of the gate, there were restrictions on the level of hunters who could enter. 

In the past, many hunters entered high-level gates and died, prompting the government to impose sanctions. As a result, gates that lower-ranked hunters could enter were very limited. 

Of course, I had a mana detection skill, so I could enter more types of gates than other government-affiliated hunters.

‘I worked to the bone.’ 

Going into as few as one and as many as five gates a day, detecting and collecting the mana power of mana stones. 

In the process, I got attacked by monsters, ran away, and collected mana stones. No one helped me, so I worked hard with my pickaxe alone. 

Thanks to that, I lived with sore muscles in my arms…

I earned a lot as if I were possessed by a demon. I was truly formidable at that time. 

Thinking back to the days when I worked tirelessly in the past, my body trembled. 

Now was a new beginning. 

‘Now, my house, ah, my own house…!’

It looks like I’ve gone crazy; I’m so happy. 

While rolling my feet, I flagged down a taxi passing by.

“Sir, please take me to XXX Street, XXX.”

“Understood!”

If I were my usual self, I would have taken the bus, but right now, I wanted to get home as soon as possible.

‘I’ve already moved all my stuff, so I can just go and get some sleep.’

Fortunately, the house was empty early. Since the real estate agent said it was okay to move the belongings in advance, I ended up signing the contract last.

A tune came out involuntarily. The scenery passing by outside the window couldn’t be more beautiful.

“Breaking news. An unidentified gate is expected to appear near XXX, so residents, please be cautious when traveling.”

I vaguely heard a radio announcement, but what could be my problem right now? 

Whether it’s a gate or whatever, home is more important.

“The world is ominous.”

“Haha… these days are a bit like that.”

“When there were no gates, it was so nice to live. Now hunters, governments, guilds? They go around installing whatever they want… Ugh, geez.”

The taxi driver spoke as if mocking the ominous world, but it had nothing to do with me. 

Today, I just wanted to be happy without any thoughts.

How far had we run?

Perhaps because I had been wandering around the neighborhood looking at houses for a long time, the familiar neighborhood appeared.

“Oh, miss. We’ve arrived. Be careful.”

“Yes, yes, please take care too.”

With a brief farewell and payment, I got out of the taxi and immediately entered the nearby supermarket.

Who said that? You have to eat black bean noodles on a moving day…

Looking at the clock, it seemed too late to order delivery, so I casually picked up black bean ramen, a bottle of soju, and a can of beer. Then, I moved toward the checkout counter.

“Auntie, I’d like to pay for these.”

“Oh my, a new face. Have I not seen you before?”

“Yes, I just moved to this neighborhood.”

“Ah… was the moving truck yours before, miss?”

I vigorously nodded my head. The aunt swiftly moved her hands to tally up the items I brought.

“It’s the first day after moving, and you must be anxious because of the breaking news?”

“It’s okay. What could happen? Since it’s said to be nearby, it probably won’t appear in a place with buildings, right?”

Typically, gates were generated only in areas without prominent landmarks. So, the breaking news was just that—news. I had nothing major to worry about.

“Really? It’s our first time hearing such news, so we were a bit surprised.”

“That’s understandable, Auntie. Don’t worry too much.”

Even with my reassurance, the aunt seemed somewhat uneasy, checking the news on her mobile phone. I carried the purchased items and headed home.

My steps felt unusually light, and I wondered if I had acquired a new skill. 

In the distance, a quite sturdy-looking house came into view.

The house I bought was a two-story one with a cute and tidy design—a white exterior with an orange roof.

As I spotted the house, my steps quickened, and soon I arrived at the entrance. After taking a deep breath, I unlocked the door and entered the house.

“Ah, the smell of a new house.”

Yeah, that’s it! This smell!

I neatly took off my shoes and entered the house slowly. 

Perhaps due to a bit of interior decorating, the inside of the house was clean, with a wood and white theme, creating a cozy atmosphere.

‘I bought a reasonably spacious house to live in for a lifetime. If I get married later, I can use this house as our newlywed home.’

On the first floor, there were two rooms, including the living room and kitchen, and one bathroom. On the second floor, there was one room, one bathroom, and finally, an attic.

Interestingly, this building also had a basement.

In the living room, there was a 3-seater white fabric sofa and a wooden table, topped with a soft carpet underneath. Across from the sofa, a reasonably sized television and a neat drawer were placed.

The kitchen also followed a white theme. The countertop was adorned with white tiles, creating a very pleasing look. 

It wasn’t easy to find white tiles for the kitchen due to the possibility of stains during cooking, but the effort I put into searching for them made me genuinely proud.

‘I do like the clean white color.’

The 4-seater dining table also aligned with the overall concept. It was a kitchen and living room with a clean and warm atmosphere overall. 

I happily surveyed the interior of the house and a smile formed on my lips.

“I should quickly shower and then have some drinks with black bean ramen.”

I moved swiftly. I showered in the new house and put on the new pajamas I bought for the day, and everything felt suspiciously perfect.

The black bean ramen, chosen instead of regular black bean noodles, was cooked deliciously with the skill I had developed over time. 

The combination of the soju and beer was fantastic.

“Ah… I should clean up and go to sleep.”

After drinking for the first time in a while, I felt so sleepy… I roughly put the dishes in the sink and headed to the bedroom.

“Haha, now I’ll sleep in bed too…?”

I laid my body on the bed and burst into laughter. Perhaps I was tipsy, as the laughter didn’t stop.

“It’s okay not to clean up right away, okay to lie down anyway I want… because this is my bed. Hehe, nice… now let’s live comfortably for once….”

Let’s live well… 

After scanning the room by turning my head here and there, I closed my eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Crash! 

Keeeaak!

Hey! Over there! Right there!

‘What’s going on? Why is it so noisy outside…?’

I was awakened by the loud noise but couldn’t easily open my eyes. 

The alcohol from last night had turned into a poison tormenting me today.

Pressing my temples with one hand, I managed to open my eyes with difficulty. Then, I closed them again.

‘Huh…?’

I should be seeing the neighboring houses, but why… do I see green grass? 

I even thought I glimpsed a dragon-shaped monster in blue.

“Either I’m not fully awake or not fully asleep.”

Ah, should I go back to sleep?

I crossed the line into my dream again. 

I tossed and turned in an attempt to fall asleep again. But…

Aaaah! Help me!!

Continuously, screams echoed from outside the house.

‘…This situation seems a bit strange, doesn’t it…?’

Surely my house hasn’t entered a gate, right? 

No, that can’t be…