Chapter 5 – The Snail Manager

Was it just her imagination that the system’s comments somehow felt like the lines of a swindler?

“…Still, having a home is better than not having one.”

Hee-na alternated her gaze between the clean status window and the filthy house, muttering to comfort herself.

The dirty house could just be cleaned, and at any rate, the fact that she had obtained a house was more important.

“Well, the water drains fine.”

When she checked the water pressure in the bathroom as a test, the water at least came out strongly.

She had at least secured one of the most important elements when looking at real estate properties.

It was when she squatted in a corner after looking around the room here and there. An alert window, different from the system window, glittered before her eyes.

Congratulations on achieving the dream of owning a home!

“…Is this mocking me?”

Hee-na turned off the alert window in displeasure. Then, another window immediately popped up.

It is the landlord’s duty to cultivate this place to be warm and comfortable.

“I’m not a full-time cleaner, so how am I supposed to clean a place like this?”

When she talked to herself, something that was not the system retorted to Hee-na’s words line by line.

That is indeed the duty of a Homemaker.

“What duty…”

Landlord’s ability is insufficient. Much training is required.

“What, does that mean you gave me such a dirty house because I’m a D-rank?”

At the remark, Hee-na flared up in anger.

It was already sorrowful enough to have a low rank with a weird awakening ability, so hearing that she had received this rag-like house because of that made her even more furious.

“Who are you? It doesn’t seem like you’re the system. Come out and explain this situation!”

Hee-na threw a tantrum, flailing her body like a troublesome customer calling for the store manager.

Although she thought in her heart that ‘this’ entity would never come out, she felt like she had to vent her anger somehow.

Hee-na’s mind was in an extremely exhausted state. She didn’t know how many times she had been tempered between hope and frustration since early dawn.

Hee-na was not cast iron that grew stronger the more it was tempered. The fluctuations in emotion, going back and forth between cold and hot baths, had pushed her annoyance and fatigue to the top of her head.

“Huh? If you were going to hand over a house like this to me, shouldn’t you compensate me with something?”

While she was grumbling toward the empty air, something suddenly popped up from the floor.

It was a fairly large figure. Hee-na swung her hand reflexively.

“Kyaak! A bug!”

With a whooshing sound of wind being cut, something was struck hard by her hand and bounced toward the wall.

It was something soft like jelly.

Thud.

Striked against the wall, it was quickly thrown onto the dirty wooden floor.

Hee-na shook her hand and examined it carefully. Upon closer inspection, it was not a bug as she had guessed.

The object, about the size of a fist, wriggled with difficulty and spoke.

A sale… appropriate… for… the ability… Compensation… unnecessary.

“What, was this the one answering all this time?”

Hee-na quickly let down her guard and approached it.

When she looked closely, it was none other than the shape of a snail. Even though it was the size of a fist, it did not have a disgusting appearance like a real snail.

It had a cute gray shell and a plump, apricot-colored body like jelly.

Violent… response… strug…gle…

The snail babbled incomprehensible words, unable to recover from the sting of Hee-na’s hand for a long time.

Since the sight of it crying out for struggle with its tiny, cute body felt a bit pitiful, Hee-na quietly waited for the snail to regain its senses.

…Landlord’s personality analysis complete! Hot-tempered! Violent!

As soon as the snail regained its senses, it criticized Hee-na’s violent nature.

Hee-na apologized to the snail.

“I’m sorry if it hurt. But something like a bug suddenly popped out, so I was startled…”

Apart from her annoyance at the various conditions of the house, Hee-na was not a person to treat someone with a physical existence carelessly. Even if it was just a snail…

When she apologized submissively, the snail swayed its antennae-like tentacles back and forth. It was a delicate movement that seemed like expressing annoyance.

Quick to strike, hasty. A nasty disposition!

“If you’re startled, it can happen. Isn’t that a bit too harsh?”

The perpetrator has no excuse.

It was a snail that said all kinds of things.

Hee-na lowered her body and peered at the snail. She didn’t know where its eyes were, but she made eye contact with the part that looked like eyes.

“Was that you earlier saying congratulations on achieving the dream of owning a home, and going on about the landlord’s duty?”

At that, its two antennae nodded in a right angle shape. It looked like a nod.

Affirmative.

“Then what are you? You’re not the system, and you suddenly appeared in such a strange way… I’ve never heard of anything like this.”

Of course. This snail. Extremely special.

The snail’s antennae stood up stiffly.

Even though it was just that, an unapproachable arrogance could be felt from the fist-sized snail.

This snail is the manager of the ‘Home Sweet Home’ skill.

* * *

As a victim caught in the dungeon gate, Hee-na had a great deal of work to do.

The first thing she had to do was regain her cleanliness. Only after washing her body at a public bathhouse and buying new clothes to change into could she think of her next goal with a refreshed mind.

Fortunately, she had money. A single credit card, which she had roughly shoved into her pocket because she was too lazy to bring her wallet, did a great job.

“Go to the community center to get a temporary ID, activate a cell phone…”

Hee-na counted the tasks she had to do and the items she needed on her fingers. There were so many miscellaneous things to do that it felt like a relief she had suddenly become unemployed.

“…And I also have to buy daily necessities, cleaning tools, and clothes.”

There were truly a lot. She did not have time to sit around like this. Hee-na sprang up from the bench and headed toward the community center.

Thanks to having her name put on the dungeon gate victim list yesterday, the temporary ID was issued quickly.

Thanks to the succession of dungeon victims over the past ten years, the government’s processing speed for related matters had become almost near the speed of light.

For reference, public officials under the Dungeon Management Department were famous for being ground down by overtime work.

Anyway, Hee-na activated a cell phone using the temporary ID she received.

It was an essential item to live and be treated as a citizen of the Republic of Korea. Without a cell phone, she could do nothing.

It was a means to contact her brother immediately, and it was also necessary to search for a new job.

‘Since she had some money saved, she wouldn’t have to worry for a while, but she couldn’t remain unemployed forever.’

Hee-na sent a text message to her brother, saying she was safe and alive, so to contact her once he came out of the dungeon.

Inside dungeons, communication devices from the real world went dead, so her brother would not be able to see this message right away, but she had to leave a contact.

“Sigh.”

Leaving the message for her brother, Hee-na let out a sigh. It was because her heart was heavy at the thought of already having to find a new job.

No matter how chaotic the world had become, college graduates were still overflowing.

For Hee-na, who had jumped into the job market immediately after graduating high school, she was a step behind them in terms of credentials and salary.

“They say the economy is bad lately, so even reemployment for experienced workers is difficult… I should be able to get a job quickly, right?”

Hee-na shook her head, shaking off the complex thoughts.

“I can’t be depressed! Let’s think about the immediate tasks first, Lee Hee-na!”

At least now was much better than the situation when dungeons first appeared, when she had lost her parents and was left alone with her brother.

The world, which had been in absolute chaos, was much more stable, and support for dungeon victims was also established.

‘Besides, she had also become an awakener for now.’

Although it was a strange class called Homemaker, thanks to it, she saved her life and even got a free house.

If it was luck, it was tremendous luck.

Thinking about her ability, she remembered the gray-shelled snail that would be waiting for Hee-na inside the house.

The snail had been making a fuss about cleaning the house as soon as possible.

“Our first impression was already weirdly set, so if I’m even late, it’ll make a bigger fuss, right?”

Hee-na muttered, imagining the snail’s soft-looking head.

She would definitely get close to it one day and flick that head…

* * *

“Argh, heavy!”

Hee-na entered the house, carrying items in both arms.

Actions. Slow. Lacking homemaker qualities!

Nagging poured down as soon as she entered the house.

However, Hee-na, who was in her fifth year of working life, possessed the inner strength to not even bat an eyelid at such minor nagging.

“Sigh. It’s a good thing I can summon the front door of the house from anywhere, otherwise my arms would have broken. The house is in such a mess that it cost over 200,000 won just to buy cleaning tools!”

When she grumbled as if to make it hear, the snail swung its antennae fastidiously.

Landlord. Lacking frugality! Price comparison by mart is essential.

She had no idea how a mere manager snail attached to a housing skill knew how to shop frugally.

To this, Hee-na replied without backing down.

“I had too much to handle today. In the midst of that, going around from place to place comparing prices is a waste of time. It’s better to just pick reasonably cheap and good items from the mart. Haven’t you heard the saying ‘time is money’?”

Hee-na grumbled about how busy she was today while arranging the items.

Bathroom cleaning products as bathroom cleaning products, house cleaning products as house cleaning products, and basic daily necessities for Hee-na to use separately.

It was Hee-na’s habit to organize items immediately after shopping.

The snail flicked its antennae as if monitoring Hee-na’s swift hand movements, then admitted as if it had no choice.

…Rational thinking. Admitted.

“Right? You’re a snail that knows how to admit what’s true.”

Hee-na grinned.

If she had been alone, she would have been depressed because her future was bleak, but having a cute snail to talk to didn’t make her feel bad.

The Homemaker of the Dungeon