Chapter 40

< I am the landlord - This much was free >

Relaxed. The sound of rain tapping against the window is comforting.

Lying on the sofa, I listen to the purring of Peace, who is snuggled up to my side, and my entire body, inside and out, becomes warm and cozy.

Indeed, being idle and carefree is the best.

Yuhwan and Yerim both entered the dungeon. Kim Sung-han also joined the A-class new dungeon strategy. I pondered how to use my skills to help him, but decided to focus on improving his stats first. It would be a waste to miss out on the additional experience from the new dungeon. I tried concentrating on stat growth, and it worked as expected.

Sharpening a thousand swords for Mingwoo went smoothly. After sharpening a thousand in one day, I couldn't even get out of bed the next day. Now, I've compromised to five hundred a day.

The goblin hasn't appeared since that day. Even though he takes on jobs from others, it shouldn't be hard to find his contact information. But I don't feel the need to find him right now.

‘When will I be able to lounge like this again?’

I'll be busy in the future, so I should rest while I can. This will be over soon, though.

It's already been three days since Yuhwan started the dungeon strategy. If nothing goes wrong, he should be out today or tomorrow.

Ah, I want to play more.

I want to play forever.

I want to be a background character who doesn't have to do anything.

‘Why do I have to work hard again when I worked hard before the regression?’

I suffered a lot taking care of my younger brother, and then the world changed, and I suffered again. At least I'm not suffering now, which is a relief.

“Should I eat something?”

I used to eat irregularly and just fill my stomach, but lately, I've been eating three meals a day. The food is delicious, so I do.

I went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. I saw neatly stacked side dishes.

That scallion kimchi was really delicious. I never thought that white rice with spicy and pungent scallion kimchi could be so tasty. I always thought that vegetables needed to be served with meat.

Of course, meat side dishes were also delicious. The beef braised with green peppers was simply the best. The melting ribs on my tongue were amazing. The sausages were not just surprising but astonishing. They looked similar to the school cafeteria food, but the taste was incomparable.

‘I’m already feeling depressed thinking about Mingwoo leaving home.’

How did his cooking skills improve so much when he only knew how to boil ramen? It’s a cheat. Maybe Mingwoo is the biggest cheat of all.

When I heated up the soon dubu stew, which made me suspect it had drugs, and took a spoonful, I almost cried.

After obtaining an SS-grade skill, he won’t be relying on me, right? Of course not. Just a few days ago, he wasn’t this good. If he keeps improving, what will I do? Should I cut ties now? Should I tell him not to cook? Is this why they say beauty lasts three months, but good cooking lasts a lifetime?

“Sad... Can I get side dishes sometimes?”

After clearing the table, I also fed Peace. Despite his larger size, his appetite hasn’t changed much. He still eats only two magic stones, with a little more meat.

- Grunt, grunt

After eating, Peace turned his head toward the entrance and grunted. He hasn’t been able to go outside since the training ended, and he seems restless. Being cooped up all day after playing outside is boring.

“Sorry, sorry. Once the negotiations are over, I’ll take you to the training room every day.”

- Purr

I tried to soothe him, but Peace turned his body and sat in front of the inner door, tapping his tail on the floor in dissatisfaction.

“Is our Peace upset?”

- Roar

“You’re angry because you can’t go out. I’m sorry.”

- Roar

“Just wait a bit, okay? Uncle Yuhwan will be back soon.”

- Roar, grunt

He answers but doesn’t turn around. He’s really upset.

“Want to play with a ball?”

At the mention of a ball, his tail stopped tapping. His ears perked up, and he tilted his head toward me.

“Just don’t get excited and break the TV like last time. You have to play carefully.”

- Roar!

Peace confidently answered and jumped over. I’m not sure if he’s really being careful or just excited. If he breaks it, I’ll just buy another one. I still have a lot of money left from selling magic stones.

While Peace was destroying the sofa instead of the TV, the doorbell rang. Is Mingwoo already here? That’s too fast.

“Who is it?”

[It’s Seok Si-myeong!]

A response came from the intercom. What’s this guy doing here? His voice sounded agitated.

“Peace, wait a moment.”

I made sure the inner door was closed to prevent Peace from rushing out, then opened the front door. Seok Si-myeong’s usually calm face was flushed with excitement. What’s going on?

“Why are you here-.”

“Han Yujin!”

Seok Si-myeong, who entered the house, closed the door and hugged me. Is this really Seok Si-myeong or is it Mingwoo in disguise?!

“It’s a slime!”

“Huh? Whoa!”

Seok Si-myeong lifted me as if he was coughing. Damn, just calm down.

“Wait, stop shaking me! Don’t spin me!”

Is he really crazy?

“Goodness! Where did such a treasure appear from!”

Seok Si-myeong laughed loudly, ignoring my words. Damn, put me down. Are you showing off your B-grade stats? F-grade is so sad!

While I was cursing and couldn’t escape his rough grip,

Bang!

- Roar!

The closed inner door shook violently, and a fierce roar was heard.

“Was that-.”

“Let me go! Peace, are you okay!”

He must have been startled by the noise! Seok Si-myeong, flustered, let me go. I opened the inner door, and Peace, with his fur standing on end, rushed out and wrapped his front paws around one of my legs. He then bared his fangs at Seok Si-myeong.

- Growl

“It’s okay, Peace! Calm down!”

I quickly picked up Peace and stroked his fluffed-up mane.

- Growl, growl

“There, there. It’s okay. He’s not a bad person.”

He’s not a good person either, but he’s probably on our side.

“I heard, but you really follow Yujin well.”

Seok Si-myeong looked at me and Peace with admiration. He seems to have calmed down a bit.

“So, the new A-class dungeon is really a slime dungeon?”

“Yes. Your prediction was accurate.”

A crazed look appeared in Seok Si-myeong’s eyes again. Calm down, calm down. Relax.

“Let’s go inside instead of standing here.”

I need to splash some cold water on him, or at least give him some to drink.

“Is the strategy over?”

I asked Seok Si-myeong, who was sitting at the dining table, as I handed him a glass of ice water. Our fridge has an ice maker. I used to only use an old one with a single door.

“Yes, I received a call a little while ago.”

Seok Si-myeong took a sip of water and said. Peace, who was right next to me, glared at him, clearly not pleased, and growled softly.

“They said it was really a slime dungeon.”

Of course, unless the future changes.

“Really, a slime...”

“Drink more water.”

Calm down. Seok Si-myeong drank half the glass in one gulp and said.

“Would it be better to move to a more secure location?”

“Huh?”

“Since this place is mainly managed by A-class hunters, the security facilities are lacking. There are only cameras at the entrance. And if possible, a tracking device-.”

“I refuse.”

I don’t need another overprotective person. I don’t have the patience or the tolerance to listen to a stranger’s nonsense.

“But-.”

“But and but, I don’t like it.”

Is this Seok Si-myeong in disguise as Han Yuhwan? Another “but.” My firm words made Seok Si-myeong frown.

“It seems that Han Yujin doesn’t fully understand his own value.”

“I have a rough idea.”

My value. Before the regression, I was probably just a rolling stone 5,912 times.

“Raising high-level taming beasts and predicting dungeons are abilities that can cause significant impacts.”

“They’re not just significant. Especially the latter, it could involve national-level intervention, not just guilds.”

Like the Americans. It’s information that can control the world if you can get your hands on it. But.

“Dungeon prediction is still uncertain. I haven’t discovered a precise rule, and it’s partly based on luck.”

I haven’t really calculated it, and I can’t remember everything unless it’s a famous place like the slime dungeon. There are so many dungeons; how can I remember them all?

“In the end, what I really have is the monster taming skill. So, if the negotiations go well, excessive protection isn’t necessary.”

Raising taming beasts alone is valuable, but compared to the dungeon creation rule, it’s weak. You can preempt valuable dungeons, improve the stability of new dungeon strategies, and prevent undiscovered dungeon breaks.

Most importantly, with that information, you can stand above all guilds and be independent. In a few years, when the ratio and number of high-level dungeons increase, it could even affect the national level.

Seok Si-myeong had every reason to be overly excited.

“Even if it’s a hypothesis now, it could become a rule someday.”

“Of course, but I’m not capable enough on my own. I haven’t studied that field properly. But we have Seok Hyeon.”

“Statistics, right?”

Good, no need for a long explanation. I nodded.

“I think it will become a rule if Seok Hyeon does the research. It would be better to find a few more reliable researchers.”

Let Seok Si-myeong handle this. I don’t have the ability to find ordinary scholars who aren’t Awakened.

“Are you suggesting guild-level support?”

“Sure. Thanks to the slime dungeon, we won’t have to worry about a lack of funds. Let’s build a research facility that includes Awakened and provide dungeon data.”

“Provide dungeon data?”

Seok Si-myeong opened his mouth to say something but then closed it. I must seem quite suspicious. But what can I do? I’m the older brother of the guild leader, I brought in an S-class, and now I have a useful special skill. A few suspicious points can be overlooked.

“I’ll consider the research facility positively.”

“Don’t just consider it; just build it. Preemption is key. The faster we start, the faster we get results.”

It will take years to start from now. Seok Si-myeong nodded at my words.

“We can include it in the facility we take from the large guilds for the taming beasts.”

“Huh? What do you mean by take?”

“We can’t raise monsters here, can we? Not just one or two. We’ll demolish the adjacent building and build a new one. Of course, we won’t use our money.”

Seok Si-myeong laughed sinisterly. It will be hard to care for multiple monsters here, but I thought it would be built on the outskirts. What a grand plan. And using someone else’s money.

“Is that okay? What if there’s resistance...”

“Of course, the landlord will be Han Yujin.”

“Of course, it’s fine.”

What a surprise. I didn’t expect this additional income. Seok Si-myeong looks like a flower snake, but a snake is still a snake.

“I plan to include it as one of the negotiation conditions. It will be easier to take from other guilds since a nearby location is better for them.”

Being a landlord, especially of a new building, is quite something. Calm down, don’t be too obvious.

Then, I can move Mingwoo to the new building instead of here. I can set up a large equipment workshop and sell directly without paying a commission to the association.

“If we build a new building, it will take a lot of time, so we need to arrange a temporary location.”

“That’s not necessary. We have equipment to enhance Awakened and stats. With additional support skills and dungeon products, we can shorten the construction period.”

Using Awakened and dungeon items for simple construction is a huge waste of money. The construction cost will be more than the land and building costs.

It’s not my money, so I don’t care.

It’s all done, and I’m a landlord. The cost of materials for special equipment in a prime location is enormous, and I can’t estimate the market value with my brain. Just bringing in Mingwoo and Seok Hyeon makes the value insane. Of course, I’m included too.

‘Maybe I should move Mingwoo and Seok Hyeon to a new location and change their affiliation to mine.’

I originally planned to put them in Hyeon if I got a skill, but since I have my own building and a place for a forge, there’s no need to do that. The same goes for Seok Hyeon.

Seok Si-myeong will regret it, but I was worried about putting too much into Hyeon, which is still growing. It’s enough to raise Yerim and Kim Sung-han.

Hyeon is a hunter guild focused on dungeon strategies.

If we push equipment production, monster taming, and dungeon measurement all at once, it could backfire.

‘Even the most precious food can only be eaten in a digestible amount.’

It’s better to divide the forces and cooperate. We can merge when we are firmly established.

‘Good, let’s divide.’

I looked at Seok Si-myeong, who was enthusiastically talking about future plans, with a bit of regret. I feel bad for taking and giving, but Hyeon is my top priority, so please be satisfied with that.

“...What?”

While Hyeon was making a fuss about the appearance of the slime dungeon, they subtly informed the large guilds and the Hunter Association about the monster taming skill.

The reaction was, of course, explosive, and the negotiations were proceeding smoothly.

“You’re coming here? To meet me?”

I looked at my brother, who brought the news, in disbelief. Don’t these guild leaders have anything better to do? Why are they coming in person?

< I am the landlord - This much was free > End

ⓒ Geunseo