Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

“… Ms. Yeon-oh, is this the right way to do it?”

“… Han Seung-hoo, have you never done the dishes before?”

“Well, I don’t need to do that, do I?”

“Ah….”

How have you been living, then?

Watching Han Seung-hoo speak confidently for no reason, I could only blink my eyes. 

I was gradually starting to contemplate whether I should make this young man, who reacts as if he’s seeing rubber gloves for the first time, do the dishes.

‘No, but if he’s going to stay in my own house, he should at least do this.’

Once again, I steeled my resolve and watched Han Seung-hoo. 

Han Seung-hoo looked at the bowl and scrubber for a moment before slowly wiping the bowl. At first, it seemed awkward, but after repeating it a few times, he seemed to get the hang of it.

As I was about to move to sit down in the chair…

Clatter!

The sound of the bowl breaking echoed. I quickly turned around to assess the situation.

“Ah….”

Han Seung-hoo, who was looking at the broken pieces with eyes that couldn’t comprehend the situation, looked at me with a pitiful, puppy-like expression.

“My hand slipped, I’m sorry….”

I couldn’t say anything to Han Seung-hoo, who was looking at me with a face that resembled a pitiful puppy. It was a mistake that could happen if it was his first time doing the dishes.

Instead, I let out a disappointed smile, raised my hand over the broken pieces—or rather, the pieces that could hardly be called pieces—and spoke.

“<Auto Repair>”

In my words, the bowl instantly returned to its original state. The mana expended was not that significant.

Then, just like when I fixed the door, the same system window appeared before my eyes.

[From now on, ‘ceramic bowls’ will automatically repair when broken.

Skill: Auto Repair (Proficiency 7%)

? Auto Repair Items: Front door, ceramic bowls

However, it consumes 3 of Seo Yeon-oh’s mana power automatically.]

From now on, whenever Han Seung-hoo breaks a bowl, it will automatically repair itself. 

I sighed and handed the bowl back to Han Seung-hoo.

“I told you to wear rubber gloves. And you need to be thorough with the dish soap; otherwise, the food residue won’t come off. Even if it’s your first time, I think you’ll do well enough, Han Seung-hoo.”

“…Okay. I’ll try again.”

“Alright, give it a go. Do your best.”

I showed Han Seung-hoo a merciful smile, much like a superior who forgives a mistake made by a junior at work, then turned away and headed towards the dining table.

As I walked, I recalled the memories leading up to this situation.

The memories from two hours ago, when for a moment, I let my mind wander into Andromeda in response to Han Seung-hoo’s words.

* * *

“Right now, Rankers are mobilizing to find you, Ms. Yeon-oh. If things go well, we might be able to have a gathering here.”

“……”

“Ms Yeon-oh?”

Only at the call of my name did I snap out of my thoughts and look at Han Seung-hoo. 

What in the world had happened outside that Rankers were coming to my house?

‘I get it! I understand.’

When a Gate occurs, saturation happens, and monsters come into the world, so I know that Hunters need to clear them before that. And just by looking at the monsters and hatchlings in the yard, I can tell the level of this Gate is high.

‘If I were passing by a Gate and saw a house, I’d probably want to come in too!’

Yes, everyone understands. 

However, Han Seung-hoo is enough of an uninvited guest for my liking. I don’t want to see my house falling apart into pieces.

Han Seung-hoo only broke the door, but I have no idea how many more Hunters coming in the future might break.

I can defend against monster attacks, but I can’t defend against Hunter attacks. That’s the ironic situation.

“…I understand. Since the Gate is open, Hunters have to clear it.”

“That’s right.”

“But I have no intention of moving for the sake of this house.”

“Don’t you want to leave through the Gate?”

At Han Seung-hoo’s words, I momentarily closed my mouth. It’s unlikely that anyone would refuse help when Rankers come to rescue them. Above all, life is more precious than a house.

Yet, I…

‘I don’t want to leave my house.’

I might be acting stubborn.

Even if it could be said that a mere FFF-level Hunter gained one title and boasted about it, I found this house I had just acquired to be incredibly precious. 

The first time is special no matter the outcome; that’s just how emotions work. Even if it made things incredibly difficult for me.

And the system was also forcing me to stay in this house, a bit, no, quite forcibly.

[Currently, Seo Yeon-oh’s title and the owned house are synchronized. 

Until another safe house is established, the time to leave this house is limited.

You must return within 12 hours of leaving the ‘safe house.’

If you fail to return within the time limit, the next time limit will decrease. After a day, you will be forcibly returned.]

This window had been in front of my eyes since Han Seung-hoo mentioned that Rankers were coming. 

‘This window doesn’t disappear.’

It felt like someone was trying to engrave this fact into me.

I accepted this compulsion more nonchalantly than I thought I would. After going through a series of situations, this was, well, nothing to me. I had anticipated something like this.

‘The fact that I can leave the house means it reveals a way out.’

It wouldn’t be the help of the Hunters. I decided to wait a bit longer. 

After taking a sip of the tea in front of me, I slowly spoke.

“I do want to go out. However, I have to come back to this house even if I leave.”

“Ah.”

“That’s what I mean. So, from my perspective, Rankers are also unwanted guests.”

“I see.”

“Han Seung-hoo, you managed to enter the house amidst the chaos, and more than anything, you were injured, so I welcomed you. But I can’t welcome everyone who comes in the future. I’m a bit confused by this situation, too.”

Han Seung-hoo nodded as if understanding took a sip of tea, and put the cup down. 

I, finding peace in my heart, followed suit and took a sip of tea before retrieving a contract and a pen from my inventory.

“Shall we make a contract, then?”

“Yes, Ms. Yeon-oh.”

Seeing Han Seung-hoo brightly smile for a moment almost blinded me, but soon I calmly began writing on the contract with a pen.

“First, the party of the first part is me, and the party of the second part is Han Seung-hoo. As mentioned, the condition is that Han Seung-hoo will help me with any request.”

“Please add that you will continue to let me stay in this house.”

“Once your injuries are fully healed, you’ll have to leave, right?”

“Outside, there are monsters that I can’t handle alone yet… If I go out like this, I might die.”

He looked at me for a moment with eyes that seemed like tears might fall, then slightly lowered his head. Whether that was genuine or an act, I couldn’t tell, but strictly speaking, Han Seung-hoo’s words were true.

Since his main focus was ranged attacks, he would have a hard time facing monsters up close.

“Mr. Han Seung-hoo.”

“I’m asking you.”

“Then, let’s set it until the Rankers you mentioned earlier arrive.”

“Ms. Yeon-oh…”

Han Seung-hoo stretched his words, looking even more forlorn. It was a pitiful sight, resembling a puppy about to be abandoned.

I didn’t know why Han Seung-hoo wanted to stay in my house, but… Oh, he’s cute…

At this point, it seemed okay to let Han Seung-hoo stay a bit longer. 

Could he be thinking of making himself at home?

“…But you’ll have to help with household chores.”

“Of course, Ms. Yeon-oh. I’ll do everything I can!”

“Alright.”

I put the conditions discussed with Han Seung-hoo into the contract. 

The writing glowed white, etched into the paper. 

At the end of the contract, there was a terrifying clause that breaking it would result in a C-level curse. Generally, curses range from SSS-level to FFF-level, so a C-level curse was quite high.

‘I got one as a precaution in case something unpredictable happened with people… but it’s being used like this.’

Why did I get one? 

Well, I can’t disregard C-level curses and above lightly. 

Cursed contracts like these result in random curses if the contract is breached. For example, parts of the body might disappear, or one might lose parts of the senses or mana power. The higher the level, the more severe the consequences.

‘C-level or higher curses can even threaten your life if you’re unlucky.’

Why would I take such risks? 

Well, there were no clauses in the contract that I or Han Seung-hoo couldn’t fulfill. That’s why I confidently brought out this contract.

“I’ve signed it.”

As we each signed our names, the contract floated in the air and duplicated into two copies. I kept the original, and the duplicated contract was handed over to Han Seung-hoo.

“Shall we eat first then?”

“Sure.”

“I’ll handle the cooking, so how about Han Seung-hoo take care of the dishes?”

“…Okay!”

After enjoying a modest meal consisting of instant rice, X-Fam, kimchi, and seaweed, I watched as Han Seung-hoo did the dishes.

‘Whether I should call it watching or not…’

I wasn’t keeping an eye out for him to break more dishes. 

Well, now the dishes could automatically repair themselves, but still… they’re my precious belongings. Seeing Han Seung-hoo washing the dishes quite skillfully, I felt relieved and opened the system window to check my skills.

“I received quite a few new skills….”

Even if I examine them one by one, it’ll take a day… 

I muttered to myself as I checked the skill window, then, Ding!

The system made a loud noise, displaying a window in front of me.

[The path to becoming the perfect homeowner starts right here! 

A quest has been created for you! As a humble homeowner!

We’ll help you become the perfect homeowner!

For a homeowner, thorough door monitoring is essential! Prevent any uninvited guests from entering for 24 hours!

? You will be granted the skill <Upgrade Anything>. Use this skill to reinforce your house!

Success Reward: A door that leads to reality

<No Unauthorized Entry Allowed!> Skill Proficiency significantly increases. 

Failure Reward: Easily breakable door (48 hours)]

What is this again…?