Chapter 49 – Homemaker Living in Two Houses

“By the way, once your condition stabilizes, how much will you be able to cover? Dungeon activities lately are unusual. The dungeon activation cycle is gradually getting shorter. Since new gates are opening more frequently than in previous years, we are short on combat personnel. We will have to deploy Hunter Kang more and more.”

Kang Jin-hyun cast his eyes down as if lost in thought. After a brief silence, he spoke.

“…If this condition continues, I think I will be able to play solo up to A-rank without any trouble.”

The guild leader raised her eyebrows.

“Without support?”

“Yes. That is better.”

The reply was firm.

Was it because he possessed a destructive power that made no distinction between ally and enemy? Kang Jin-hyun was a hunter who preferred to fight alone rather than cooperate with others.

“Hmm.”

Guild Leader Kim Kyu-hee slowly rubbed her chin. Then, with a troubled look, she pressed and massaged her temples.

“A SSS-rank dungeon will open in the Pacific Ocean within two or three years.”

“SSS-rank… you say? Is that possible?”

The highest rank among existing dungeons was S-rank.

“Yes. It is information I acquired secretly not long ago.”

The guild leader switched her crossed legs and let out a low sigh.

“A SSS-rank dungeon… It is uncertain if it is even possible to clear, but it is a goal we must challenge for the survival of humanity.”

If they could not block the SSS-rank dungeon, a tragedy far greater than what happened ten years ago could occur.

“Before a stronger dungeon opens, raise your skills to the maximum. Since I attached Team Leader Lee to you, I believe you will be able to show prowess beyond what you have shown so far.”

“I understand.”

Guild Leader Kim Kyu-hee chuckled at Kang Jin-hyun’s polite reply.

“Since Hunter Kang’s condition is as good as resting on Team Leader Lee, in a way, the survival of humanity is in Team Leader Lee’s hands. Isn’t that interesting?”

At the question, Kang Jin-hyun asked back.

“What is interesting about it?”

“People tend to treat housework as trivial. Even Team Leader Lee does not think highly of her own ability.”

Listening to her words, Kang Jin-hyun quietly countered.

“Ms. Hee-na’s ability is by no means trivial.”

At this, the guild leader waved her hand lightly as if telling him to calm down.

“Yes, I know. That is why I tried to hold onto Team Leader Lee even while making such a large investment, didn’t I?”

Then she slowly leaned back in her chair. Her voice naturally lowered.

“I am very curious about how far Team Leader Lee will unleash your potential. The more I think about it, the more interesting it is.”

4. The Homemaker of Two Homes

On the day she woke up after coming out of the B-rank mushroom dungeon, Hee-na signed the contract and even made an oath with a magic stone.

To summarize the contents of the oath, it was that she would become the Awakened Status Management Team Leader to look after the hunters (especially Kang Jin-hyun), and in exchange, she would receive three houses and an astronomical salary.

As soon as the contract was completed, Kang Jin-hyun thanked Hee-na repeatedly. Although she was doing it for pay, it was interesting that he was so grateful.

Anyway, today was the first day that the siblings, Hee-na and Hee-won, visited the house where they would administratively reside.

Of the three houses, it was the one closest to the Blue Dragon Guild.

“Wow. Lee Hee-na, this is incredible!”

Hee-won’s mouth fell open as he looked around the apartment interior. Even though it had been built a few years ago, it was very clean with no traces of use.

“To find a house that is reasonably close to a subway station, quiet because not many people pass by, and yet not too far from living facilities. You’ve made it, my sister. If our parents knew, they would have been so happy that you have such great capability.”

Hee-na muttered in a daze.

“Oppa, this still doesn’t feel like my house.”

“Me neither. Who knew we would ever live in a nice house like this? What do you plan to do with the other houses?”

“Well…”

Guild Leader Kim Kyu-hee said that the guild would take responsibility for managing the other two houses, so she could rent them out or leave them empty as she pleased.

However, selling them was not allowed. This was because the contract bound them so that they could not be sold for three years.

Since it was a large fortune that appeared in a single moment, Hee-na decided to leave the remaining two houses vacant for a while. There were just too many things to think about.

“I hadn’t decided where to place the ‘gate’ leading to the dungeon yet, so I’m glad we got a house like this.”

Hee-won stroked the key-shaped pattern faintly shining on the back of his hand.

He was also quite cautious, just like his sister, so he had not set the ‘gate’ yet. Moreover, as he was busy tending the fields in the dungeon, he rarely had to come outside, so he had postponed designating the location of the ‘gate’ every time.

But to think it would turn into such a good opportunity.

Hee-won looked around the apartment, pondering where to place the ‘gate’.

“I’ll make this room mine and designate the gate inside here.”

As he chose a room and pointed to it, Hee-na gave an OK sign.

“Finally, running errands for your gardening supplies is over. Buy what you need yourself from now on.”

Hee-na urged him to install the ‘gate’ quickly. This was because running Hee-won’s trivial errands had been subtly annoying.

“Alright, alright.”

Hee-won waved his hand and stared into the air. He seemed to be reading a system message.

Before long, a front door appeared in a corner of the wall. It was the door leading to Hee-na’s ‘Home Sweet Home’.

“It’s done. Now we can come and go through here.”

Hee-won looked proudly at the front door he had created. Then he glanced at Hee-na’s expression.

“…I can open this, right?”

“Well. Can you handle it?”

Hee-na wore a troubled expression.

She knew very well why Hee-won was hesitating so much to enter ‘Home Sweet Home’. Hee-na was also afraid of the conflict that would arise as soon as she opened the door.

“But it’s something we have to face eventually.”

“That’s true.”

With a small sigh and a nod, Hee-won grabbed and turned the doorknob.

A familiar sight appeared through the open door. Unlike the apartment that was clean to a chilling degree, it was a place full of the warmth of daily life.

“Osaek-i! We’re back.”

Hee-na looked around the house for the small snail. Osaek-i, who used to welcome her every time she opened the front door, was nowhere to be seen.

“Osaek-i? Where are you?”

Hee-na checked inside the house with an anxious heart. Then she found a few lettuce leaves placed on the dining table.

‘…This is?’

There were some holes punched in the lettuce. Upon closer inspection, they were letters.

Unfortunately, it did not contain a prophecy about who the next president or king would be. Instead, other words were written.

Hee-na read the letters on the lettuce leaf one by one, slowly. Hee-won also examined the content beside Hee-na.

“Stru…ggle…”

As soon as they finished reading, Hee-na and Hee-won let out a sigh at the same time.

This was Osaek-i’s message.

Yes. Osaek-i was a snail that was unexpectedly jealous. As soon as it heard the rumor that Hee-na had obtained three new houses, Osaek-i protested noisily.

“Oppose managing two homes! Oppose managing four homes! This snail is highly shocked by the homeowner’s affair!”

It was to the point that anyone seeing it would mistake it for her having committed adultery.

From that day on, Osaek-i pestered her to sell the houses immediately. In fact, saying to sell them was a polite euphemism; it told her to set all the other houses on fire.

However, since these three houses themselves were properties included in the contract, selling them was impossible for a while.

Hee-na explained this fact multiple times, but to the snail already blinded by jealousy, such facts were not important.

“Affair! Severe punishment!”

“♬A first wife is the best♪”

“Octopus legs!”

“Betrayer! Hate the adultery houses!”

Osaek-i nagged Hee-na and Hee-won day in and day out.

And today, it vanished suddenly, leaving the word ‘Struggle’ on two lettuce leaves. It was a kind of runaway.

However, there was no way Osaek-i, the property manager, had left Home Sweet Home. It was clear that it only wrote those words but was actually hiding inside the house.

“Osaek-i! Where are you?”

Hee-na and Hee-won searched every corner of the house.

Although ‘Home Sweet Home’ was incomparably small compared to the siblings’ new apartment, it was spacious enough for a snail to hide.

“Osaek-i! Let’s have a proper conversation. I won’t get mad about you tearing the lettuce!”

Hee-won also raised his voice and looked around for a long time, searching for Osaek-i.

In the middle of doing so, Hee-won suddenly spoke.

“Hee-na?”

“What is it, Oppa?”

“Am I the only one who feels like the humidity has gone up here?”

“No. It feels that way to me too. It’s damp.”

It did not take long for the two of them to realize that the condition of the house was strange.

‘Home Sweet Home’, which had always maintained the proper temperature and humidity, was a bit odd.

“The wallpaper is damp, though?”

The floor mats were sticky, and the wallpaper was damp. It was just like condensation forming in a semi-basement room.

“Gasp! What’s this, isn’t this mold?

Carefully examining the wall, Hee-won pointed at the lower part of the wall in surprise. Dark mold was slowly crawling up.

“Mold again?”

Hee-na cursed her tiresome relationship with mold. This damn mold had no intention of leaving her life.

Hee-won crossed his arms, thought deeply, and came to a conclusion.

“It seems this strange phenomenon is related to Osaek-i, doesn’t it?”

Hee-na agreed with her brother’s thought.

“I think so too. Ever since Osaek-i disappeared, problems suddenly started to arise in the house.”

The Homemaker of the Dungeon