Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 159

Chapter 159

At the same time, outside the gate.

“Oh, it feels so good to breathe Seoul air after such a long time!”

“Sir, don’t act like an old man.”

“Geez… Getting old is sad enough, do you have to point it out like that?”

“Hmm.”

A group of hunters who seemed to have just finished a battle and came out of the gate gathered outside, chatting away.

While to outsiders it might have sounded serious, talking about how they almost died due to the gate being more difficult than usual, among themselves, they were having quite a lively conversation. It was the usual banter they engaged in every time they went through the gate.

However, this time was a bit different. Typically, there would be at least one person grumbling about how they survived because of their own skills. But this time, not a single person among them easily claimed such a thing.

Because they did almost die.

The concentration of mana suddenly spikes to the point of suffocation during the gate raid, or the sky turns red and emits an ominous aura. And the biggest problem was that the monsters seemed to move faster than before as if they had been doping. If there hadn’t been a hunter skilled in slowing spells, they would have been wiped out without a chance.

It was common knowledge among hunters that anything could happen during a gate raid. But not a single hunter was prepared to face such a sudden change in the gate.

There were no reports of changes in the concentration of mana or the color of the sky, even in S-level gates where the worst casualties occurred.

In other words, this was unprecedented.

Instinctively sensing this fact, the group of hunters fell silent. Holding onto the thought of what if everything they experienced was an illusion, they mixed relief jokes as they safely exited the gate.

Then, suddenly!

A sound that shouldn’t be heard in this world echoed from the sky.

“Is this, by any chance, a dream I’m having right now?”

“Don’t say such dreadful things. Then I must be dreaming the same dream as you, sir.”

“Do you still want to joke until this moment? This is reality! Everyone, snap out of it!”

A figure who seemed to be the leader burst out. And those who had been denying reality began trembling and pointing their fingers toward the sky.

“Then what’s that? Are you saying it’s reality that there’s gold in the sky over Seoul right now?”

“Oh come on. We must still be inside the gate. Nowadays, these kinds of phenomena happen frequently inside gates.”

It was a warning from Kim Chok, leading a new government agency called the Hunter Association. Although there was no official announcement yet, it was information known to all hunters regardless of level. It was emphasized to proceed with caution during gate raids.

Therefore…

“The phenomenon of gold in the sky… it’s because we’re still inside the gate. It seems like we’ve all been affected by hallucinogenic monsters.”

With a chilling sound, they denied that the golden sky above Seoul, where their sanctuary was, was real. They simply believed that they had been tricked by monsters into thinking they had all come out of the gate.

That side was natural for them. However.

Wheeiiiiing!

A loud noise echoed from everyone’s pockets. They took out their phones from their pockets as if possessed, confirming the source of the noise.

[Warning! A dangerous phenomenon is occurring in the airspace of Seoul. Hunters, please return to your respective locations, and citizens, please prepare for evacuation urgently.]

[Warning again. The events currently happening are all real.]

Messages that cluttered the screen and made it dizzy.

This was a disaster warning message. It was something rarely seen except during gate saturation or natural disasters like heavy snow or rain.

Only then could they accept that all this was happening outside the gate, in Seoul.

The reason they became certain was nothing special. They knew better than anyone that if they were inside the gate, their phones wouldn’t ring.

Realizing the situation, they murmured that they needed to go back quickly. Words of seriousness such as still having wives at home or young children were exchanged.

They all awaited the leader’s word.

“…Disband.”

In an instant, the bustling hunters disappeared. They must have gone back to their families or their guilds, the safer routes.

Only a middle-aged man remained standing alone where the leader had been, muttering to himself.

“…Damn. How does the world even work?”

Sighing deeply, the middle-aged man shuffled away.

* * *

A day later, in a safe zone.

“Mr. Tae-il, is it not here either?”

“…No.”

“How can it be this absent? We’ve come quite far from home.”

“It’s not absence, it’s dryness. And at this point, I could say it’s dried up.”

“There’s no one here who hunted, so how can one dry up?”

Geez, anyone would think drying up monsters is my hobby.

While giving me an incredulous look, I stuck closely to Jung Tae-il. There was something I needed to confirm by coming this far from home, but he was still a patient.

His injuries hadn’t healed yet, so he still wore bandages. He couldn’t even wear his usual casual clothes and had to wear the civilian clothes he had. Well, civilian clothes… were also spoils obtained from hunting monsters. So he could take them out of his inventory to wear them.

He used to always wear tightly fitting clothes, but this one was incredibly loose.

It looked like a plain black oversized hoodie. To me, it was almost like a dress, but for Jung Tae-il, it was just the right amount of oversized.

Looking at Jung Tae-il in this outfit felt strange.

‘A young man with a well-built body.’

I imagined that if he hadn’t become a hunter, he would have made a name for himself in some physically demanding field.

But because of that, I kept forgetting that Jung Tae-il was a patient and kept giving him orders. So I had to keep reminding myself that he had been seriously injured every time.

“Mr. Tae-il, are you okay? If you’re uncomfortable, just say so. I’ll take you back right away.”

“…I’m fine like this.”

“…….”

“Ugh.”

Jung Tae-il glared at me with furrowed eyebrows. Understandable, because I had just poked his injured side with my fingers. Despite pretending to be fine, he knew I could see through him.

“Ah, just rest a bit over there by the tree. Even if you insist you’re fine, I won’t let a wounded person overwork.”

“…Ugh.”

“Listen to me.”

“Ugh.”

With a firm command, Jung Tae-il reluctantly walked toward the tree I pointed out. Then he sat down heavily and closed his eyes tightly to rest. A folding stool promptly appeared near his knees.

I smiled softly at his affectionate appearance. But even as I did, I looked around and let out a sigh.

“So, how far does the safe zone extend?”

Yes, this was all for confirmation.

The reason I had come here was to see if monsters existed.

So…

[The title ‘Seasoned Homeowner’ is activated.

-The proficiency of the skill <Owner of the Safe House Inside the Gate> increases more rapidly.

-More items related to houses appear.

-Each time you upgrade your house, all stats permanently increase by 30.

-You can also skillfully extend the influence of your safe house to other areas.

However, you must meet the domination requirements for other areas.

Current Safe Zone with 100% Domination: The gate with the house with an orange roof.]

This was the reason.

While the contents weren’t much different from the previous title, it was the additional sentence that made me come here.

Specifically, ‘Current Safe Zone with 100% Domination: The gate with the house with an orange roof.’

What did it mean that the wide expanse of this gate had become my safe zone?

Surely it didn’t mean that this entire vast gate area was now my safe zone. That’s why I came here to confirm how far the safe zone extended.

And I haven’t encountered a single monster on the way here.

That meant something significant.

It meant that indeed, this expansive area was my safe zone, and here, at least, there was no need to worry about monster attacks.

Except for dragons, of course.

They’re the ones who enjoy breaking the boundaries created by such systems.

Anyway…

“Let’s check a bit more and then head back.”

I was still realizing how vast the gate was… and there was a patient over there.

I turned to look at the tree where Jung Tae-il was resting, intending to suggest we rest a bit longer before moving on. He was already looking at me, our eyes meeting.