Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Paah! 

A woman, accompanied by a bright light, fell from the sky to the ground with a thud.

“…Damn! Is this how it’s written?”

Yeah, damn! If it’s a door, it should open like a door! I should come out through a door, not just fall from the sky! 

Like the ‘Anywhere Door’ or the ‘Moving Castle of X’… or perhaps like the ability of something to move like that. I expected something noble again, damn it.

I started shaking off the grass and dirt that entered my mouth, spitting them out while dusting off my body. The dirt falling in streams turned into dust and scattered.

I got annoyed at that and, as the dust came back into my mouth, I ended up sneezing a couple more times for no reason.

“…Phew, let’s calm down.”

Let’s calm down; otherwise, I’ll end up wanting to kick the real estate agent or whatever, starting from the system. I took deep breaths, calming the turmoil in my mind.

Mountains are mountains, water is water. So, this irritation and anger will soon disappear.

After trying to memorize a phrase that sounded familiar, it didn’t go away, so I sang a hymn and memorized a chant. Only then could I finally regain my usual composure.

“…Ah, if I had looked at Arvani’s picture, I could have calmed down immediately.”

Well, let’s move on from that.

More importantly, where the heck is this? I looked around diligently. However, what entered my eyes was…

“…Grass, ground, dirt, reeds…?”

Could it be that I’m still trapped in a dungeon?

It wasn’t the case. 

Due to my anger towards the real estate agent, I had pinpointed his location. The moment I opened the door and went out, I distinctly felt the sensation of moving. At the same time, I felt the sensation of passing through the gate…

In that case… Was the real estate agent a hunter?

It was a plausible hypothesis. Even though awakened nowadays, some hunters don’t register with the government. Perhaps the real estate agent was one of them.

‘But the fact that birds are flying around normally and this air strangely lacking in mana…’

This is Earth. At least, it wasn’t inside the gate. So, is this an extremely remote place in South Korea, or maybe overseas? Or is it possible that the real estate agent was a fraud and buried underground?

I carefully checked under my feet. Fortunately, there seemed to be no traces of artificial digging or someone else’s footprints around.

It was a relief that the genre didn’t suddenly change to a thriller.

“…So, where the heck is this place?”

Hmm… Should I use my phone to check the location first?

I took out my phone from my pocket. Planning to check the location on the map app, I was surprised to find that…

“…Where the heck am I that there’s no signal?”

The phone, which used to work even inside the gate after an uplevel, had no signal at all here. No matter how much I extended my arm, moved around, or turned the phone, the X on the signal antenna didn’t disappear.

Is this South Korea? In a remote village, even in South Korea where data coverage is prevalent, there shouldn’t be a place with no signal. Feeling helpless, I blinked my eyes and absentmindedly looked around. That’s when I noticed someone standing in the distance.

Someone in the middle of nowhere like this. Overjoyed at the fact that there was someone else here, I started running towards that person without even thinking. Without even seeing that person shaking hands with me as if we knew each other.

“……”

“Long time no see. Well, not really?”

“Why is Mr. Kang Yoon-soo here?”

In the middle of nowhere, of all people, why Kang Yoon-soo? I stupidly opened my mouth but quickly shut it. Right now, I shouldn’t look stupid.

‘…Is he following me?’

It’s not like I’ve been out of the house for that long. And besides, that person hasn’t been out of my house for that long either. It’s only been one or two hours at most.

Without realizing it, I furrowed my brows and stared at Kang Yoon-soo as if piercing through him. In response, he blushed slightly, as if embarrassed.

“Ahaha, Ms. Yeon-oh. It’s embarrassing when someone as beautiful as Ms. Yeon-oh stares so intensely.”

“…Stop talking nonsense, please?”

“I’m serious…”

“…”

“I’m sorry.”

Apologizing casually, he laughed awkwardly and looked around. It seemed like he was trying to gauge where this place was.

“But why is Ms. Yeon-oh in a place like this? It was so difficult to find you.”

“…How did you know I was here?”

“I have my ways of knowing.”

“No, seriously… I don’t even know where I am. How did you find out?”

“…Ah, Ms. Yeon-oh doesn’t know.”

Ahaha…

Kang Yoon-soo awkwardly let out a laugh. He seemed to be visibly racking his brains to figure out how to smoothly and wittily navigate the situation, as evidenced by the twitching corners of his mouth.

‘…Judging by his appearance, it doesn’t seem like he’s here to harm me.’

That is to say, there’s no intention of kidnapping, imprisoning, or seizing my house. What if he turns my house into a shelter inside the guild’s gate? Even if I were to fight with all my might, I wouldn’t be able to reach Kang Yoon-soo’s fingertips. This was the disparity in our levels, the reason why I was cautious around him.

‘…Although Kang Yoon-soo is probably the most normal among the four.’

Well, that’s a comparison within the group, but even if the comparison was way off, it still felt wrong. I sharpened my gaze at him again, thinking about this.

Kang Yoon-soo responded by looking at me with an utterly harmless expression.

‘…This expression seems familiar.’

…Wasn’t it the expression Han Seung-hoo occasionally had? Before I could think too much about whether Kang Yoon-soo was the strangest person, he spoke first.

“Please don’t look at me with such a suspicious gaze. I followed Ms. Yeon-oh’s mana.”

“My mana?”

“Yes, I wanted to talk to you again. And, if possible, build some friendship.”

“….”

So, why someone like me, a meager FFF level? Kang Yoon-soo, who inadvertently made me more suspicious, laughed coolly.

“I’m impressed by Seung-hoo. How did he manage to get Ms. Yeon-oh, who is so cautious, and call her ‘sister’?”

“…Ask him about that.”

“I was planning to ask anyway. I also want to get closer to Ms. Yeon-oh.”

“…What if I say I don’t like it?”

“Well, then I might feel a bit sad.”

But he’s confident that I won’t reject him. He took a step back with a smiling face. It seemed like a strategic retreat after attempting to tame a wild animal.

Ha, does he see me as some kind of wild Pokémon? 

Never gonna happen. No matter how much he, Kang Yoon-soo, is the master of the guild, the most influential among hunters with 20 years of experience, and strong enough to stand against the government…!

I’m not so weak against authority… 

“…What’s in it for me if we become friends?”

Hmm, weak. 

To survive, I need to roll around like a dog. 

Now that I know there’s some favor toward me, it wouldn’t be polite to refuse it for no reason. It’s like when an annoying boss invites you to dinner; you reluctantly smile and nod.

‘Kang Yoon-soo is a person of power.’

And not just any person of power, but someone who can exert influence on the government. As a low-level hunter under the government now, he might be the most helpful person for me. So, even if I don’t know why he wants to be friends with me, I can use that to my advantage.

Yeah, I can at least engage in a conversation for now.

“Mr. Kang Yoon-soo, so why should I be friends with you?”

“Well, first of all, I can be of help to Ms. Yeon-oh. For example, I could assist you in getting out of the place where you’re stuck, or I could use our guild hunters as bodyguards to protect Ms. Yeon-oh.”

“….”

“I’m curious about Ms. Yeon-oh.”

The distance that had widened by a step began to narrow again. His hair, softly transformed, fluttered in the wind, and his lips became even more captivating. If his lips moved again, it felt like I would be completely enchanted.

And then, at that moment…

“Uh!”

“Ms. Yeon-oh?”

“Huh?”

In the distance, in the reed field, I noticed a blurry figure of a man leisurely strolling. Yes, that guy. The one who sold me the house, deleted my phone number, and disappeared.

“…Catch that scammer!”