Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 117

Chapter 117

“…I’m home!”

I shouted with joy as I got off Boom-ba’s back. Can a roof this orange be any more welcoming…!

As I looked at the house with full affection, Arvani, who had folded his wings and landed in the yard, caught my gaze.

Now that he had become an adult, his body had grown even larger. Thanks to him, the flowerbed in the yard made a cracking sound as it broke apart.

It used to be… just the right size yard to accommodate Arvani…

As I looked at the broken flowerbed, feeling complicated, Han Seung-hoo approached me, carrying Jung Tae-il on his back.

“Sis, please open the door quickly. I want to get rid of this guy off my body.”

“…When did you two become friends?”

“Well, I guess we’ll become friends when one of us dies.”

I sighed deeply at Han Seung-hoo’s nonchalant remark. Then I opened the front door.

“Should I just throw him into the guest room?”

“… Don’t just throw him.”

“Anyway, it’s so sturdy that it won’t even dent.”

“…Alright, do as you wish.”

With a mischievous grin, Han Seung-hoo walked lightly into the house as if he were up to something cruel. Soon after, there was a loud thud from the guest room.

I opened my eyes wide like a startled rabbit because the sound was so loud that I believed the bed in the guest room was broken. Seeing me like this, Han Seung-hoo shrugged, wearing an innocent expression as if to say ‘I don’t know anything’.

…Although it soon changed to a relieved expression.

I shook my head and went into the guest room to check on Jung Tae-il. Despite the loud noise, he was still peacefully asleep.

“…When will he wake up?”

“It might take a while.”

“…Huh?”

“I checked after I threw him in earlier, and their mana is tangled. Arvani’s mana and Jung Tae-il’s mana.”

“Really? I could only feel Arvani’s mana.”

“Well… that’s because of Jung Tae-il. He’s someone whose color doesn’t show in mana to an astonishing extent.” 

Because of that, I suffered a lot. I… I fought with that guy on a fabricated day.

With a serious expression, Han Seung-hoo murmured, then he lightly smiled as if to say ‘I’ve always been like this’. 

“Don’t worry too much, sis. He’s not the type to die so easily.”

“Well… I guess that’s a relief.”

“You know why you’re like this, sis. It’s because Jung Tae-il ended up like this because of Arvani, so you keep worrying?”

“…I guess so.”

“You’re kind.”

“…Huh?”

Sensing my confusion, Han Seung-hoo crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame.

“No matter how much it’s my fault… if the fallen person is Hunter Rank 1 Jung Tae-il, it’s better to worry less and be more concerned about things that are far away. He’s not someone who will die so easily.”

He nodded decisively as if to say, ‘Isn’t it obvious?’

To be honest, Han Seung-hoo’s words weren’t entirely wrong. People tend to prioritize their own comfort first, after all.

But still…

“Today, Tae-il suffered because of me. But he also got hurt because of Arvani. How can I stop worrying?”

“…I’m jealous.”

“You’re jealous even about this?”

“Yes. To the point of being annoyed.”

Today, seeing Han Seung-hoo being so honest made me blink in surprise. It was hard to respond because of that.

Seeing my firm stance, Han Seung-hoo lightly scratched his head and changed the subject.

“If you take some of Arvani’s mana, Tae-il will wake up earlier.”

“Really?”

“Yes, because the mixed mana is the cause.”

…Should I try it then? Since I think I can handle some of Arvani’s mana.

Han Seung-hoo looked at me as if wondering if it was possible. Saying handling mana might sound easy, but it was far from the truth.

It was different from using someone else’s mana; it required a bit more finesse. If using someone else’s mana felt like drawing water from a well, then handling it felt more like removing surface oil.

In other words, it required very precise control.

Well, I had learned a few things from Kang Yoon-soo before, so I should be able to grasp it after some practice.

Besides, controlling someone else’s mana was also my specialty.

As I stared at Han Seung-hoo, who would be the guinea pig for this practice, he blinked quickly as if in resignation.

“…Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“…Sometimes I wonder how you see me.”

“As a beloved younger brother.”

“Do you use your beloved younger brother as an experiment?”

“Haha.”

Since he couldn’t stop me, Han Seung-hoo sighed as if resigned, closed his eyes, and extended one arm towards me. It meant that I could do whatever experiments or actions I wanted with his mana.

Was I going to miss this opportunity?

I immediately moved the mana and practiced with Han Seung-hoo’s mana. After one or two tries, I got the hang of it.

Now I knew what to do. Slowly, I severed the connection between Han Seung-hoo’s mana and Arvani’s, then approached Tae-il.

When I was about to connect my mana with Tae-il’s mana, suddenly Arvani rushed in like a bullet and took his place between me and Tae-il. Then he lightly nibbled on my hand.

His sharp fangs lightly pricked my skin. Although one eye involuntarily narrowed, I didn’t push Arvani away.

There must be a reason for him to act like this.

Kyuu, Kyuu!!

Arvani let go of my arm and began to explain something. Of course, I couldn’t fully understand what he was saying.

But… I could be sure that he was currently protecting Tae-il.

Seeing Arvani tense up and raise his tail while looking at me, I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened between the two of them.

I furrowed my brow in utter confusion. In the meantime, Han Seung-hoo stood behind me.

“If you just say the word, I’ll stop Arvani for you.”

“…No, that’s not it. Arvani must have his reasons too. He’s not the type to act like this without any reason.”

Besides, Arvani was the offspring of Blue Dragon, the system administrator.

Surely, there must be some meaning behind his actions.

“Arvani, could you explain again? Mom couldn’t understand.”

Kyuuu!

“Just explain it one more time.”

Kyuu…!

Arvani struggled to convey his message while pawing the ground. But it was clear that I couldn’t understand a thing he was trying to say.

Then…

[Search for Missing Arvani!

Quest Cleared.

An associated quest is in progress.

All for the sake of the master! This will be newly bestowed upon Arvani!

Arvani is now performing @%&#^$ for #**$&@@5* for the master.

Let’s follow Arvani’s instructions!

Success Reward: Arvani’s Adorable Cuteness

Failure: None]

A quest window popped up.

Filled with broken characters.

I remembered encountering such broken characters before.

Wasn’t it when I gained <Mental Defense(?)>?

Back then, the system admitted it was an error and started a reboot… 

I waited to see if this quest was also caused by an error, but nothing unusual happened.

Which meant…

Arvani had intervened in the system.

He must be keeping Tae-il quiet enough to forcibly give me this quest.

…But why?

I just quietly stared at Arvani, and in response, he nuzzled his head against my knee, begging for attention.

Sighing silently at the sight, I got up from the bed.

“…Alright, I understand. Arvani, you must have something you want.”

Kyuu…

“I’ll wait. But if Tae-il doesn’t wake up safely, there’s nothing I can do about it at that point. Got it?”

Kyu!

Arvani spun in place as if to assure me that nothing to worry about would happen. At this point, I had given up trying to understand what was going on.

Rubbing my throbbing head, I turned around, and Han Seung-hoo was looking at me with confusion.

“…That’s how it is. Let’s leave it like this for now.”

“…Well, if that’s what you say, sis.”

I felt grateful to Han Seung-hoo for accepting my words without any questions. Explaining things related to the system was difficult, and… I was feeling dizzy myself.

After instructing Arvani to stay with Tae-il, I left the guest room. I could hear the sound of clicking footsteps behind me.

“Sis. What are you going to do now? If you have nothing to do, play with me.”

“…Ah.”

“Hmm?”

“I have something to do.”

“What’s going on?”

“I need to upgrade the house.”

In an instant, Han Seung-hoo’s face turned pale.

He had already experienced ‘The Day of Major Upgrades’ several times before. So, he quickly realized what was about to happen.

“…Um, I have something urgent to attend to. I think I should go now.”

Han Seung-hoo stealthily moved towards the front door, clearly intending to make a quick escape. I looked at him intently, understanding his actions perfectly.

Then, I chuckled lightly.

“I’m not talking about what you’re thinking. I have a plan already figured out.”

“…Isn’t it always difficult with the plans you come up with?”

“…It’s not like I want it to be difficult. But this time, it’s really simple. I’m exhausted physically and mentally, so I’ll do it quickly and get it over with.”

“…How?”

In response to his question, I shrugged and said in a single sentence.

“I’m going to build another house.”