Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Meanwhile, Kang Yoon-soo, who commuted to the top floor of the Janwol Guild building after a long time, shrugged his shoulders as he saw someone who had arrived before him.

“Our Tae-il came all the way here out of the blue. It’s the first time, huh?”

They should celebrate this, right? Janwol is welcoming a visitor for the first time as he leaves.

Casually greeting the unexpected guest, Kang Yoon-soo walked towards his desk, ignoring Jung Tae-il, who was sitting boldly on the sofa as if it were his own office.

“What’s your motive, Kang Yoon-soo?”

“Tae-il, I can’t understand words that are well-cut from both ends, you know.”

“Kang Yoon-soo, stop beating around the bush.”

“What did I say to beat around the bush? I’m just talking to my most precious and beloved Tae-il.”

In response to Kang Yoon-soo’s cheeky retort, Jung Tae-il furrowed his brow. He glared at him with a look that seemed to say he would have hit him if he weren’t his brother.

Of course, it wasn’t Kang Yoon-soo who would suffer from that blow.

It had been extremely difficult to extract the desired answer from Kang Yoon-soo, who had cultivated a smooth tongue and nonchalance over the years.

Digging out his dark inner thoughts would be more challenging than counting all the grains of sand in the desert. Or maybe soloing an SS-level monster.

Therefore, Jung Tae-il was the one who gave up the meaningless verbal fight first.

Having spent time with him, he had learned that such battles were truly futile and a waste of time.

“Brother.”

It had been a long time since he’d said the word.

It wasn’t a word he often used even when he was learning about being a hunter from Kang Yoon-soo for the first time.

Perhaps that’s why Kang Yoon-soo showed a subtle but noticeable reaction by not responding. He looked at Jung Tae-il with slightly widened eyes, as if his mouth had opened.

Then, as if doubting his ears, he flicked his fingers near his ear to make a sound.

“Huh, my ears are fine.”

“Hah.”

“Let’s commemorate today. It’s the day Tae-il called me brother.”

“Enough with the pointless talk, please.”

“Okay, I’ll tell you why you called me big brother when you were stroking your ego.”

Leaning on his desk with his fists clenched, Kang Yoon-soo looked at Jung Tae-il with a calm expression, as if inviting him to say whatever he wanted right now.

“Why is that? I just can’t understand it.”

“Tae-il, I told you I can’t understand words that are well-cut from both ends.”

“You mean Seo Yeon-oh?”

“Yeon-oh? What did I do?”

“Hah. You made a deal with the government and Seo Yeon-oh. The road back from the government is because of that deal. Are you in your right mind now?”

Kang Yoon-soo’s face, which had been smiling at anything Jung Tae-il said, stiffened in an instant. No, it became cold.

“Tae-il, let’s pass this over amicably. Do I have to fight with you after going this far?”

“…”

“And honestly, ‘Janwol’ suits Seo Yeon-oh better. I’m not saying this out of my greed, but objectively. So, don’t interfere and give up. You know, I always succeed in what I set my mind to.”

“Now! Isn’t that the problem we’re talking about?”

In the end, the impatient Jung Tae-il raised his voice.

“Yeah, let’s say Kang Yoon-soo objectively thinks ‘Janwol’ suits better. But the choice belongs to Seo Yeon-oh. Why are you meddling in the middle? Other guilds can’t even approach Seo Yeon-oh right now because they’re watching us. Shouldn’t you let her know how much she’s worth?”

As Jung Tae-il finished speaking, a burst of laughter that seemed out of place in the serious atmosphere echoed. When Jung Tae-il’s expression became increasingly grim in response to the inappropriate laughter, the laughter’s source began to laugh openly.

“Hahaha, sorry. It’s just too funny how Tae-il here thinks about other people. Our Tae-il should be aware of how generous he is.”

“Is my statement a joke right now?”

“If it were a joke, I wouldn’t be laughing, Tae-il. Do you think I wouldn’t treat Yeon-oh properly? That’s a bit hurtful to my pride. And… I’d rather not make a scout proposal while other guilds are keeping an eye on us. Who among them would approach Yeon-oh with good intentions?”

After a brief moment of laughter, Kang Yoon-soo approached Jung Tae-il with a benevolent smile. Then, he placed his hand on his shoulder.

“If you cherish Seo Yeon-oh, Tae-il, then concede to us.”

“…….”

“As you said, the choice will be Seo Yeon-oh’s. But I don’t think I’ll lose in that fight. I’ll provide all the support I can to Seo Yeon-oh, just like I’ve helped you grow this much.”

“… You’re determined.”

“Well, from the moment I first saw her, Seo Yeon-oh was a very valuable talent.”

He dared say, she was more valuable than Tae-il.

Tap, tap.

Kang Yoon-soo patted Jung Tae-il’s shoulder a couple of times and then moved to the sofa on the opposite side, sitting down with a thud. After looking at Jung Tae-il’s stiff face, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Loosen up, Tae-il.”

“…You make it seem so easy, Kang Yoon-soo.”

“That’s called social skills, my dear.”

In an instant, Jung Tae-il twisted his expression. The guy in front of him was saying, through his expression, that he was quite annoying. And for a moment, Jung Tae-il sighed quietly.

“Fine, keep your promise.”

“What promise?”

“That the choice is Seo Yeon-oh’s. I’ll accept it gracefully no matter what she chooses.”

“Well, that’s not difficult. Why make a big deal out of the obvious?”

Kang Yoon-soo, back to his cheerful self, shrugged with a smile. Jung Tae-il couldn’t help but feel irritated at his nonchalant attitude.

The conversation between the seemingly harsh but not harsh pair came to an end with Jung Tae-il’s mumble.

“…You make it impossible to stay calm, really.”

Thanks to that, Kang Yoon-soo exploded with laughter this time, and Jung Tae-il just lightly ignored him.

* * *

Returning to the vinyl house.

“<Save Water and Electricity!>”

After energetically shouting the skill, I quickly looked around and there was no apparent change even as time passed. 

First off… the humidity in the air… seemed subtly reduced, or maybe it’s just my feeling. Could it be that the skill didn’t work properly? Or perhaps all my previous speculations were completely wrong.

I couldn’t help but bite my lips in frustration.

“Should I try it again? But if there’s still no change…”

It feels like I might lose my mind…

I made an effort to calm down, exhaling deeply, and trying to regain composure. In the process, my throat became dry.

“Let’s have a sip of water and try the skill again.”

Let’s think about what happens next later.

After another deep breath, I felt a bit of inner peace. I took the water cup from the corner of the vinyl house and drank some inventory water.

The taste of water is just perfect…

Closing my eyes, I fervently prayed for success before gently placing the cup back down. Then, I slowly shouted the skill again.

“<Save Water and Electricity!>”

Suaaah!

The sound of moist air, laden with humidity, could be heard. Simultaneously.

Ding!

[You are practicing your first conservation! Excellent!

Water in the air is also water! As they say, every little bit counts!

Congratulations on filling a cup by gathering moisture; you’re truly remarkable!

From now on, humidity will be automatically regulated. If it exceeds a certain level, water will be collected automatically.

However, it’s only possible in the safe house set by Seo Yeon-oh.

Safe House set by Seo Yeon-oh: The unnamed clever vinyl house

Thanks to your ingenious conservation efforts, the proficiency of <Save Water and Electricity!> has significantly increased.

Proficiency 0% ? 10%

We look forward to even greater contributions in the future.]

…It worked.

“…I did it!”

I shouted on the spot, leaping with joy.

Yes, I knew this would work! I believed in myself!

“I increased the proficiency by 10% with this?”

I’m relieved…

Maybe I was too tense; the tension released from my legs. I sat down on the spot and took a long breath.

Arvani, who thought something might have happened to me, came running with cries of ‘Kyu! Kyu!’. Then, he tilted his head and observed my condition.

He looked puzzled because I seemed more fine than he expected.

“Oh, were you surprised? My Arvani.”

Feeling good, even the sound of my tongue retracting was clear.

If someone else heard this, they’d probably want to bite their tongue and disappear on the spot… Well, for now, I’m alone.

It hasn’t been long since those annoying guys left, so they won’t be back soon.

So, feeling carefree, I kissed Arvani while making a sound as my tongue curled up, even adding a snorting sound for good measure.

“Whoa, Arvani, kiss mommy. Smooch, smooch.”

At that moment.

Thunk.

The sound of something dropping and a surprised exclamation of ‘Wow…’ could be heard.