Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 167

Chapter 167

The events that followed were a blur. 

At the onset of the Gate saturation incident, there was some confusion and chaos, but now everyone has reached a point where they just go with the flow. I was no exception.

Initially, I stuck with Jung Tae-il and Han Seung-hoo under the pretext of them protecting me. At that time, there were still plenty of personnel available due to the relatively infrequent Gate saturation incidents. It was possible for me as someone with significantly lower combat abilities to rely on them. 

While I feel sorry for others, Jung Tae-il and Han Seung-hoo were incredibly reliable. They had accumulated experience from clearing Gates, which made them efficient monster slayers.

Thanks to them, I managed to handle tasks without lifting a finger. It might have been comfortable not to take the lead, but… 

“That’s enough following me now!” 

It was surprisingly me who first surrendered. I had my reasons.

“How long do you plan to keep following me? With the increasing frequency of Gate saturation incidents, valuable personnel like you can’t be tied to me.”

Furthermore, I made thorough preparations to be able to handle many enemies alone. The deteriorating toy soldiers in my inventory were evidence of that. Lastly, within the safety zone, monster attacks were nullified. It was just a matter of killing them.

Han Seung-hoo tried to stay by my side, pleading with me, but the circumstances didn’t allow it. Jung Tae-il seemed like he wanted to argue back, but he remained silent. They must have known they were forcing themselves to protect me unnecessarily.

Eventually, Jung Tae-il and Han Seung-hoo had to step back. Kang Yoon-soo, with his intimidating presence, whisked them away from my side. The expression on Kang Yoon-soo’s face was like that of a gatekeeper of hell. It was both terrifying and unfamiliar.

Alone now, I began to unleash what I had prepared for so long. From the toy soldiers to the skills I wanted to experiment with at least once. Among them, the most effective was <Save Water and Electricity!>.

I initially thought it was a skill to handle water and electricity to reduce consumption. However, it turned out to be a description trick by the system. The skill’s name was <Save Water and Electricity!>, so my focus was on ‘saving.’ But when translated differently, it meant not saving, implying overconsumption was possible.

In the process, my mana would be paid to the system like water and electricity bills… But being able to overconsume water and electricity was undoubtedly a powerful ability for me.

Like Ellie who manipulates water and other hunters who manipulate electricity, I could utilize them for attacks.

From there, strategies were born. Firstly, increasing humidity to moisten the monsters’ skin and then striking them with lightning, known as the ‘Don’t Touch the Electrical Outlet with Wet Hands’ operation. There was also a strategy to reduce humidity to zero and then strike with lightning, creating fire, called the ‘Lightning on a Dry Sky’ operation.

In addition to those, there was also the ‘Stormy Night Sky’ operation and the ‘Explosion is Art’ operation. These strategies were highly effective against monsters and allowed for faster processing than the toy soldiers. However… there were issues with these operations too…

“Um, Ms. Yeon-oh. If we keep destroying everything like this… doesn’t it defeat the purpose of guarding?”

The destruction was so extensive that not only monsters but also surrounding buildings were shattered. If there were property owners nearby, they would have shed tears at the sight of billions flying away.

Kang Yoon-soo pleaded not to destroy buildings anymore, emphasizing that there was life after this incident. From then on, I used <Automatic Recovery> and <Cleanliness is Next to Godliness!> together. As long as I could restore the destroyed areas, there wouldn’t be any problems.

Thanks to this, the places I swept through became even cleaner than they were originally. As a result, I experienced some minor changes.

[Outstanding Achievement! 

You have achieved 100% proficiency in <Home Reinforcement Target!> 

Now reinforcement will be done as you desire just by touching it!]

I achieved this when I reinforced and upgraded hundreds of tents before.

[Remarkable Achievement! 

You have achieved 100% proficiency in <Cleanliness is Next to Godliness!!> 

Now just by sending a glance, everything will be cleaned neatly! 

One more thing to celebrate! 

Such an achievement exists in the world! 

You have achieved 100% proficiency in <Save Water and Electricity!> 

Now you can manipulate water and electricity within the safety zone as you wish!]

As I diligently worked in the areas affected by the Gate saturation incident, my skill proficiency naturally accumulated.

And….

‘Now, there’s not much left for <No Unauthorized Entry Allowed!> to reach 100% proficiency, right?’

Oh, <Automatic Recovery> had already reached 100% proficiency a long time ago. I didn’t know when exactly. I checked after seeing the window announcing the achievement of 100% proficiency in <Home Reinforcement Target!>, and it was already at 100%.

I had used <Automatic Recovery> more frequently than other skills, so it was only natural.

Now that I think about it, I became curious about one thing. All the skills I mentioned now were skills of the ‘Owner of the Safe House Inside the Gate.’ So, if I mastered all the skills contained in the title, wouldn’t something new happen?

Especially considering that there were upgrades among the titles I possessed.

If the ‘Owner of the Safe House Inside the Gate’ title also gets upgraded, I wondered what new abilities I would gain. My current abilities are already quite useful. It wouldn’t give something like ‘Owner of the World Beyond the Gate,’ right?

The system is crazy… To give something like that… I’m a bit uneasy about it.

Anyway.

As I reminisced about everything that had happened, I let out a deep sigh and activated the ‘door.’ Then, with a bright light, the ground beneath me disappeared.

After a sensation of falling for a while, I finally landed on a soft bed.

“Wow! How long has it been since I slept on a bed like this!”

Of course, I won’t be able to lie down on the bed with this attire after dealing with monsters, and I’ll have to go back to work. But it was a welcome sight. After all, isn’t a bed supposed to be a lifelong companion for a homebody?

“Still, it’s rest time now, so I should do some housework.”

Although it was the first time in a while, that I couldn’t rest. As a homeowner, some tasks needed to be done.

That meant household chores.

Cleaning was automatic, but there was still much to do. First, I needed to wash the clothes I had worn recently and neatly fold and put away the laundry that I had hung earlier.

Next, I had to prepare a meal for Arvani in advance, divide it into portions, and store it in the refrigerator. That way, I could save time.

At the same time… There was also concern for Arvani’s health, as he had gained weight recently due to overeating. Even though he was a dragon, it might not be a trivial matter.

So, I reduced his food intake two days ago. Instead, I increased the frequency of his meals, so it was a secret that I had reduced the amount he normally ate very slightly.

Well… Arvani occasionally hunted outside the house to fill his stomach.

“… Hah, nothing goes my way.”

After grumbling to myself for no reason, I quickly got moving. Since it was a short rest time, I hurriedly tackled the household chores so that I could truly rest afterward.

I moved through the tasks with even quicker movements than when I was attacked by monsters. After finishing all the household chores I had decided on in my head and taking a refreshing shower, I sank onto the sofa.

In my hand was a single snack.

This was to satisfy my sweet tooth.

“After dealing with monsters all day long… I don’t even feel like putting anything in my mouth, let alone meat.”

Anything I put in my stomach seemed like it would make me sick. However, since I had consumed a lot of calories due to the high energy expenditure, I needed to consume something high in sugar to replenish it.

…Although this wasn’t a very healthy choice for my body, it was unavoidable for me.

As I put a snack with a chunk of chocolate in my mouth to satisfy my sugar craving.

Woosh!

I felt a vibration.

“… What?”

I thought it was my imagination, but I felt the vibration again. I thought it was my phone vibrating, but it wasn’t.

Since this was a vibration that shook the entire house,

it was clear that something was happening inside this gate right now. I quickly opened the window facing the yard and surveyed the surroundings.

Then, my mouth fell open.

Oh my god, what in the world is that?