Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 62

Chapter 62

“Wow, it seems possible with that method.”

“Really?”

“Do you seriously plan to implement that method?”

“If there’s even a slight possibility, we should give it a try, Jae-joon.”

Ellie Kim exclaimed, and Cha Jae-joon, who was listening nearby, was shocked by the method.

It was none other than…

“But isn’t that just a vacuum cleaner?”

“Yes.”

“But how will that catch all the cockroaches, Ms. Yeon-oh?”

It involved using the vacuum I owned.

To explain it briefly, it was an extremely aggressive method that utilized the benefits of the vacuum’s enhanced 6th level to create a vacuum state in the house or wherever they were confined, effectively killing them all.

I could think of this thanks to Ellie Kim giving me a hint.

Honestly, it’s not an idea that an ordinary person could easily come up with.

Even if her father is an insect doctor, it’s a practically difficult approach to implement.

So, Cha Jae-joon would likely be shocked and make an X with his arms.

Honestly, if I were in Cha Jae-joon’s position, I would probably shake my head and say it’s insane.

However, I confidently mentioned this terrifying method for a reason.

It was because of “<No Unauthorized Entry Allowed!>”

‘…Come to think of it, Mr. Roach is an uninvited guest, isn’t he?’

As the homeowner, I have never invited him, so it’s tantamount to unauthorized entry.

…The number of them is a problem beyond imagination, though.

Well, as long as I can get them out, it should be fine.

If it’s difficult to completely chase them out of the house, it would be acceptable to gather them in one place.

After gathering them in one place, I planned to eliminate them with a vacuum.

Nodding slowly at my self-made conclusion, I opened the system window to confirm.

[<No Unauthorized Entry Allowed!>

?You can drive away uninvited guests who have intruded into Seo Yeon-oh’s safe house.

?The ‘Safe House Owner’ can confine uninvited guests at will.

However, if proficiency is lacking, the skill may fail.

Current proficiency: 0%

Current guests in Seo Yeon-oh’s safe house: Cha Jae-joon, Ellie Kim]

Up to this point, the contents were as I expected.

But there was something else I needed to check.

It was the presence of uninvited guests.

I moved my fingers to press various things on the system window in front of me.

And soon, I could see what I wanted.

[Current entities in Seo Yeon-oh’s safe house:

? Cha Jae-joon

? Ellie Kim

? Arvani

? Pests from ‘Earth’

? Numerous ‘Earth’ plants

If you want a more detailed classification, please register a sub-list. It can also be registered as an uninvited guest.]

‘…As expected.’

I knew it would be like this.

The system keeps giving me a hard time, but it’s helpful in situations like this.

How great would it be if it prevented such things from happening in the first place? Annoyed, I mentally registered the ‘Earth’ pests as uninvited guests.

Upon doing so, a system window popped up.

[There is an unauthorized entity in your safe house.

Do you want to drive it away?

YES/NO

However, it may fail due to low proficiency.]

It was similar to the content I saw when Han Seung-hoo first entered my house. Back then, I accepted him as a guest without pressing anything.

‘If I press NO here, will a window appear like the skill settings to confine them?’

Hmm, it’s worth experimenting.

I quickly set Cha Jae-joon as an uninvited guest. The same YES/NO window appeared as before.

After sending an apologetic look to the experimental subject, Cha Jae-joon, I pressed NO.

[Leaving an uninvited guest in the house is not a good choice!

Do you want to drive it away, or confine it?

However, confining an uninvited guest requires more proficiency and a designated location.]

…Oh, I see.

If this is how it works, I need to raise proficiency first.

Having finished the mental calculations, I looked at Cha Jae-joon with a kind gaze. He, still holding his arms in an X, shuddered.

Seemingly instinctively realizing he might be the sacrificial lamb, his body trembled.

Feeling a bit guilty for causing such a reaction, I gently reassured him.

“Don’t worry. Mr. Jae-joon won’t have to see cockroaches with his own eyes.”

“…Really?”

“You have more important things to do.”

“…?”

He furrowed his brows, unsure if what he heard was true or if it was a well-intentioned lie.

“If we succeed, we can easily eliminate them. So, I hope you trust me.”

“I always trust Ms. Yeon-oh, but…”

“Come on, scaredy-cat!”

“This is inevitable.”

“Woohoo.”

Ellie Kim teased Jae-joon by flipping her thumb backward. Jae-joon seemed unfairly treated but could only pout without a valid retort.

Seeing that Jae-joon had accepted reality to some extent, it was time to put the plan into action.

I clenched my fist determinedly while looking at them. In response, Jae-joon and Ellie Kim also put on determined expressions.

“Shall we get started then?”

“Old story!”

“…Yes.”

And so, the moment for the bug extermination project to smoothly begin had arrived.

It started with so much enthusiasm, at least that’s what it seemed.

‘Why isn’t it working!’

Aaaargh!

At the moment, I found myself stuck, unable to do anything, tearing my hair out in frustration.

The reason for this torment was none other than this system window.

[Due to insufficient proficiency, <No Unauthorized Entry Allowed!> is not activating.]

Seeing this message more than 10 times in a row pushed me to the edge.

‘This isn’t like trying to find an entry-level position with no experience.…’

Having a skill not activate because of a lack of proficiency at 0% was enough to drive me crazy.

“…Hah.”

Regardless, I had to quickly find a solution; it was my fate.

Internally screaming and cursing the system, I organized the situation, trying to figure out what I missed that led to this failure.

After explaining to Jae-joon to raise the proficiency of the skill, I designated him as an uninvited guest and tried to expel him repeatedly, thinking it would increase proficiency.

With a mindset of ‘If you try enough times, you’ll succeed at least once.’

However, the system was not as forgiving as I hoped. Each attempt resulted in the same message, declaring a lack of proficiency and failure to activate the skill.

Well, considering it’s at 0% proficiency, I should be understanding, but…

‘Even if it fails, you could at least give me 1% proficiency.’

It’s absurdly petty…

I’m painfully realizing that even a small failure can be quite humbling.

With so much on my plate, and this kind of setback not letting up, no matter how composed I am, frustration is inevitable.

“…Hah, let’s calm down.”

Although I knew I should calm down, my emotions weren’t cooperating. I glared at the system window without easing my anger.

Jae-joon and Ellie Kim, sensing my frustration, observed silently from a distance, perhaps fearing a potential explosion.

For their sake, if nothing else, I needed to find a solution quickly.

I took several deep breaths inwardly, calming my mind. Then, I started thinking rationally again.

‘…Could it be an issue with proficiency?’

Before, <Save Water and Electricity!> with 0% proficiency had succeeded instantly. That meant there might be some level of probability at play, or my stats could be influencing it.

‘…If it’s because my stats are so low compared to Jae-joon’s that I can’t succeed.’

If that were the case, simply raising my stats would solve the problem.

I didn’t know how high his stats were, but if I could get even close, there was a chance.

I quickly opened the home upgrade window, thinking about ways to raise my stats.

As I slowly read through the window, I couldn’t help but curse.

It was none other than…

[Home Upgrade

Living Room 2nd Level Upgrade Condition: All items in the living room must be registered for <Automatic Recovery>.

Kitchen 2nd Level Upgrade Condition: All items in the kitchen must be registered for <Automatic Recovery>.

Bedroom 2nd Level Upgrade Condition: All items in the bedroom must be registered for <Automatic Recovery>.

Guest Room 1st Level Upgrade Condition: Add one more guest room.

2nd-floor attic 1st-Level Upgrade Condition: Upgrade conditions are not visible.

Upon completing each level of upgrade, the next level’s conditions will be revealed.]

“<Automatic Recovery>… This is ridiculous…”

Ugh.