Hunters Keep Coming To My House - Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Meanwhile, in Yeon-oh’s house, two people were still staying.

“…Jooni, do you think we’ve been abandoned? If not, there’s no way Yeon-oh wouldn’t have come all the way here!”

“…I agree. It seems like we are making too much noise, and that’s why she hasn’t returned.”

“…Hmm.”

Ellie Kim lowered her head deeply and exhaled a deep sigh. Then, Arvani, next to her, followed suit with a ‘Kyu-uuu’ sound.

“Oh, Arvani. Are you feeling the same way as I am?”

“Kkuuk.”

“Seems like Arvani is in a bad mood too. It’s been a whole day since Yeon-oh went to buy an octopus.”

“Exactly, it’s been 23 hours and 30 minutes.”

Certainly. He’s good at calculating time, you know.

Chae Jae-joon confidently tapped his chest. For a moment, Chae Jae-joon picked up the slumped Arvani and held him, then seriously spoke.

“Ellie, could it be that Ms. Yeon-oh got involved in something dangerous?”

“…!”

“Before, Ms. Yeon-oh mentioned that if she didn’t return home within 12 hours, something bad would happen.”

“Oh! I heard that too, Jooni!”

As soon as Ellie realized that the story was familiar, she raised her hand but then froze like a statue.

“Oh, no.”

“We need to go look for her.”

“We don’t know where Yeon-oh went.”

“We can quickly get there using the door.”

Chae Jae-joon, who had completely wiped away his mischievous expression, pointed to the front door. Ellie, who had tried it once before, nodded slowly.

“…Indeed, if we use the door, we can reach Yeon-oh.”

“Then let’s go quickly. It might already be late.”

“…But, Jooni…”

“…?”

“What if we go to find Yeon-oh, and she’s not there?”

…Ah.

Chae Jae-joon made a foolish sound, realizing the problem. While the door could take them to their desired location, returning to this house was the issue.

“If we can’t find Ms. Yeon-oh, we’ll have to break a few more gates to come back to her house.”

In other words, it meant the time it would take was uncertain.

The two, who had briefly found hope, became gloomy again.

“…They say it’s better to stay still when you’re lost, Jooni.”

“We’re not lost, are we?”

“We lost our guardian, didn’t we?”

“…”

“So let’s wait for Yeon-oh.”

Even if Jooni can come back, he won’t be able to come back in without Yeon-oh if he leaves this place…

Ellie, who hadn’t even exchanged phone numbers yet, murmured sadly. Chae Jae-joon, watching her, gently patted Ellie’s shoulder.

“…Let’s wait then. If something dangerous happened to Ms. Yeon-oh, Arvani would have known first. Arvani is a companion monster connected to Ms. Yeon-oh.”

“…Hmm.”

“And… along with the warning not to let 12 hours pass, I remembered Ms. Yeon-oh’s casually mentioned words.”

“What is it, Jooni?”

Still teary-eyed, Ellie urged Chae Jae-joon to quickly speak, making a triangle shape with her lips. In response, Chae Jae-joon, scratching his eyebrow, mumbled softly.

“…I heard that if a house is left empty for 24 hours, she will be forcibly returned.”

“Really? I’ve never heard of that!”

“Well, I might have heard it wrong, but… let’s wait until 24 hours pass.”

“Hmm.”

“Whether it’s true or not, we can think about it then.”

Chae Jae-joon, who had been silent for a moment, brought the clock hanging on one wall of the living room. He placed it on the living room table with a slight thud.

Already 5 more minutes had passed.

“If even after 24 hours, Ms. Yeon-oh doesn’t come back, then I’ll go look for her. I’m confident in searching all the gates.”

As if telling her to trust him, Chae Jae-joon raised his thumb, and Ellie Kim enthusiastically clapped in response, unaware of two things.

The first being that the landlord had completely forgotten that guests were staying in their house.

And the second is the existence of a forced house return service.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a place where time is shared…

“Umm…”

I am currently facing a very difficult situation.

“…I’ve only been awake for ten minutes, Tae-il.”

After regaining consciousness, I was still in a daze, my body aching as if everything had shattered, especially after seeing the system window full of information.

For a moment, I felt like I wanted to faint again, to escape the pain. However, I quickly dismissed that thought upon realizing that the Demon King was standing behind me, glaring at me with a fierce expression, filled with words waiting to be spoken.

The content of what he wanted to say became clear as memories of my conversation with Jung Tae-il right before I passed out flashed in my mind.

‘Oh… I delayed getting scolded.’

I should have just kept quiet and moved on… Since it’s just a matter of time before I get scolded anyway…

Now that it has come to this, let’s pass over the nagging as pitifully as possible…!

I looked up at Jung Tae-il and tried to convince him that I almost died while smashing the lich’s vessel.

“Can’t I rest a little more? It seems like I’m not completely recovered yet…”

“Among those who say that, none are hurt.”

“…Ahaha.”

“You seem to be no different.”

Is he mocking me for barely surviving? Huh?

When I gave a chubby-faced look at Jung Tae-il, he let out a small laugh.

“I didn’t plan on scolding you, but I might have to reconsider.”

“N-No, that’s not it. Once a person decides on something, it’s not something you can turn back, even if a knife is at your throat.”

“So, you realized the danger. Be more careful next time.”

Yes, yes.

If I do something like this again, my heart or head might explode.

Nodding vigorously, I showed him my sincerity. Upon this, Jung Tae-il let out a deep sigh and murmured.

“Good job, Seo Yeon-oh.”

“…Ah.”

“Next time, take better care of yourself. I’ve already seen you collapse twice.”

“…Got it. I’ll make sure not to worry you anymore.”

He nodded slowly, informing me that the exit had opened with the gate clear, and urged me to get ready to come out. He added that he had been waiting for me to wake up until now.

After that, Jung Tae-il lightly turned around and disappeared.

“…How anticlimactic.”

I expected to hear nagging to the point of tears, but that wasn’t the case.

Before checking the system window, I took a moment to gather my mana power slowly. The mana power I had absorbed from the now-destroyed Lich still lingered unstably in my body.

“…The mana power has increased tremendously?”

The amount I originally had seemed like a drop in the bucket.

What on earth is going on…?

I hastily checked the system window.

The most eye-catching part was…

[Your growth is infinite!

You have absorbed the mana power and vitality of the wicked Necromancer Lich (SS), making it all yours, Seo Yeon-oh!

This is an achievement that would be difficult for any being to accomplish!

?Permanently gained 200 mana power.

?Permanently gained 100 health.

?Becomes more sensitive to the flow of mana power.]

And another one was different.

[Is all the mana power in this world mine?!

Although it chose to become a Lich, the wicked necromancer was an outstanding sage who had mastered everything. By absorbing his mana power, you gained an understanding of some aspects of the world.

Moreover, your body will no longer crumble due to mana power. You have also gained the enlightenment of a Lich.

?Can feel mana power even more sensitively.

?Acquired a fragment of the truth of the world (1).

Note: There is currently no administrator available to assist with reading.]

…Is this for real?

My eyes couldn’t be mistaken, right?

My mana power increased by 200 in one go?

And what did I realize…?

Reading the system window after a long time, my brain experienced a temporary shutdown. Usually, there would be comments that would make me go crazy or wonder what kind of nonsense this is, but this time, my mind was filled with question marks.

A part of the world? A fragment of the truth of the world?

“…What on earth is this?”

As if they had been waiting for me to defeat Lich, they pulled a stunt like this?

“…Ah, my head.”

Instead of enduring a headache here, I should think comfortably at home.

After grabbing my throbbing head, I slowly stood up from my seat. Then, I moved towards where people were gathered.

Even though my body was providing a dizzying pain with every movement, as if the body ache had hit me properly, I endured it since I could soon lie down on my bed.

“Everyone’s here, huh?”

Awkwardly waving my hands with Jung Tae-il, Kang Yoon-soo, and the others who were preparing to leave, I made my presence known.

That was when it happened.

[10]

[9]

…Huh?

Suddenly, the system started a countdown.

It was my first time in such a situation, and I froze in place… time cruelly continued to pass.

Soon.

[0]

[Leaving the house empty for too long is a big problem, a big problem!

It’s already been 24 hours since leaving the ‘safe house’!

Now it’s time to go back home!

?Since the time limit of 12 hours has passed, the next time limit is reduced to 6 hours! Also, you cannot leave the house for the next 2 hours.

Good luck, and have a good one!]

“…Huh?”

In an instant, the ground opened up with a light enveloping me.

…It was a familiar sensation, damn it.