Chapter 37: The Newlyweds’ Bedroom

As a result, Shin Ji-ho ended up living in the same house as Joo Yi-won.

The move wasn’t limited to Shin Ji-ho personally. Noname’s guild office, half-destroyed by Joo Yi-won’s excessive defense, also required relocation.

The new location was a building situated in the alley directly behind the one housing the Cheongram Guild.

It was, in fact, a fifteen-story building personally owned by Joo Yi-won.

Of course, Ji-ho had strongly voiced his reluctance to live with Yi-won. However, he had no choice but to concede.

This was because Yi-won, in a truly underhanded move, had reported everything to Ji-ho’s father.

Still, Yi-won hadn’t mentioned Ji-ho’s injuries, only that a monster had infiltrated the guild office. Thanks to this, the matter concluded with them merely living together; otherwise, Ji-ho would have been dragged back home without a say.

Ultimately, to silence Yi-won, Ji-ho had no alternative but to move into his childhood friend’s house.

Moreover, to be completely honest, insisting on living alone indefinitely was becoming difficult.

Shin Ji-ho, too, had been rattled by the monster attack.

While the investigation results weren’t conclusive yet, tracking CCTV footage had allowed them to determine the monster’s approximate movement path.

The monster had first been sighted near Bukhansan Mountain, adjacent to Eunpyeong District. From the moment it was discovered, it had walked for about six hours straight towards Bangbae Station without deviating. Upon reaching the vicinity of Bangbae Station, it had ambled about as if searching for something, then looked up at the Noname Guild, and without hesitation, ascended directly.

Furthermore, the words it uttered the moment it saw Ji-ho were chilling.

‘Found you.’

The instant the monster spotted Shin Ji-ho, it shed its human guise and lunged.

Shin Ji-ho had been the monster’s target all along.

While it was possible the monster had targeted other Noname guild members, the probability was low. Disguised as a human, it had been in the optimal condition for a surprise attack. If it had been after someone other than Shin Ji-ho, there would have been no reason to drop its disguise prematurely.

Of course, the possibility of it targeting someone else hadn’t been entirely ruled out, but currently, Shin Ji-ho was in the gravest danger.

Everything remained unclear: why the monster had targeted Shin Ji-ho, whether it aimed specifically at him as an individual or at some characteristic he possessed, how it had located him if it had, where it had appeared from, and how it had assumed a human disguise.

If only it had left a body for them to examine.

With nothing yet revealed, and considering the potential public unrest, the existence of the humanoid monster was still kept under strict wraps.

Establishing a large-scale defense system at the Noname Guild now would appear far too suspicious, leaving them no choice but to refrain.

Ultimately, Ji-ho had no option but to move near the Cheongram Guild, reputed to be the safest place on Earth, and lay low.

Ji-ho gazed at the newly constructed building with a troubled expression.

This building, completed only half a year prior, housed shops from the first basement to the second floor, Cheongram Guild’s offices up to the eighth floor, and had previously used the ninth to thirteenth floors as storage.

As soon as the topic of Noname’s temporary office came up, Yi-won had discussed it with Ji-hye and unilaterally proceeded with the relocation.

Consequently, Noname would now occupy floors nine through thirteen of the building directly behind the Cheongram Guild as their new office.

Even at market rates, the rent was significantly higher than their former guild building near Bangbae Station. Not only was the location prime, but the leased area itself had also expanded considerably.

Furthermore, during its new construction, the building had generously utilized dungeon-sourced materials and incorporated barriers. Naturally, structures built with dungeon materials were far more expensive than ordinary ones.

Of course, Joo Yi-won had stated he would charge a similar rent to standard buildings. When Ji-ho protested that it wasn’t necessary, Yi-won merely mentioned that the shops on the lower floors were already paying comparable rents to nearby buildings, so Ji-ho simply told him to do as he pleased.

Ji-ho withdrew his troubled gaze from the furniture steadily being moved into the new office.

Honestly, the new guild’s location was quite favorable.

Their old building was antiquated, occasionally infested with bugs. Its proximity to Seon Tae-woong’s guild also led to frequent, pointless disputes.

While Seon Tae-woong wouldn’t likely pick fights with Ji-ho as before, an uncomfortable rival doesn’t suddenly become comfortable overnight.

Ji-ho stared at the building for a long moment before asking what had been bothering him.

“Hey, did you… intend for our guild to move here from the moment you built this place?”

“Yeah. Why else would I have been using it solely as a warehouse?”

“…”

He had left half the building idle, using it as a warehouse for about half a year. This guy truly had no concept of wasting money.

Of course, Joo Yi-won had more than enough money not to worry about such things.

As Ji-ho watched the furniture steadily being moved in, he started to head for the office himself, but Yi-won caught his arm.

“Ji-ho, come this way.”

“What is it?”

“You can see the office when you go to work later, can’t you? They’re still organizing it. We should look at our house first.”

“No, I should really go to the guild office…”

“Your vice-guild master is overseeing it. Leave those trivial tasks to them.”

“…”

‘Our vice-guild master said they disliked overtime…’

Then again, Im Seung-ju had changed from before.

For the past few days, regardless of the half-destroyed office, Ji-ho had diligently gone to the training center. There, he conducted realistic training with Im Seung-ju, Heo So-ri, and Yang Ho-jin.

So profound was Im Seung-ju’s 180-degree shift in attitude—from his usual insolent swagger—that Heo So-ri had even discreetly asked, ‘Did you give them medicine? Or brainwash them?’ Seung-ju, for his part, treated Ji-ho with utmost respect.

Contrary to Ji-ho’s expectation that Seung-ju’s apology was just empty words, Im Seung-ju had behaved like a loyal guard dog.

Therefore, Seung-ju wouldn’t likely grumble about being left in charge for a day.

“Besides, if the guild master is hovering over trivial tasks, it only makes the regular guild members uncomfortable.”

“That’s Cheongram’s situation. Noname is…”

“If you want to remain a B-rank guild forever, then by all means, keep aiming for a family-like atmosphere.”

“…”

As it wasn’t an incorrect statement, Ji-ho fell silent.

While he didn’t intend to make the guild overly hierarchical, a completely horizontal atmosphere wasn’t feasible either. To navigate life-threatening dungeons, a minimum level of discipline was required to ensure commands were followed without question.

When Ji-ho remained silent, Yi-won said no more, simply smiling and seizing Ji-ho’s wrist. Before he could even react, Ji-ho was helplessly pulled along by Yi-won.

The place Ji-ho was led to wasn’t an ordinary elevator.

It was a private elevator that wouldn’t open without recognizing a unique magic pattern. A quick glance at the elevator’s system window revealed dozens of defensive barrier listings.

This elevator, too, incorporated dungeon-derived technology; designed as a capsule moving up and down within a massive magical conduit, it was impervious to external shocks.

“Use this for getting around. Just so you know, it only opens on the first and fourteenth floors.”

“What a ridiculous waste of money… The materials are too precious.”

“Materials come out of dungeons, and safety is paramount, after all.”

‘Who knew this bastard would be so obsessive about safety…’

And the top floor, reached via that private elevator, was none other than Ji-ho’s new home.

In other words, the floors above the Noname office were Ji-ho and Yi-won’s residence.

‘Well, at least the commute is short.’

It hadn’t been far before, but now it was entirely too close.

Rather than good, it felt a little unsettling. Wouldn’t he run into guild members just by stepping out the front door?

Moreover, living alone was one thing, but sharing a house with another guild master… Ji-ho glared at Yi-won, who had stubbornly insisted on this particular house.

“Hey, do you, an S-rank guild master, really want to live above someone else’s small business?”

“I’m living here precisely because it’s above a small business. Would I live above the Haneul Guild’s office?”

Joo Yi-won, who had casually brought up a rival guild—or rather, a guild unilaterally challenging them from Haneul’s side—tilted his head. Soon after, he let out a soft, deflating laugh.

“That would be amusing too, I suppose. What would I do then? The people downstairs would be trying to eavesdrop on me, wouldn’t they?”

“You find everything amusing…”

“And I’d be listening in too, incidentally. Not letting them hear a single peep from me while I eavesdrop on them. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“Eavesdropping is a crime.”

“It’s not even worth doing.”

Yi-won’s attitude, casually dismissing another S-rank guild, was supremely confident. It was indeed impressive that his audacity wasn’t mere hubris, though it was a bit annoying to witness.

Leaving Yi-won to his self-congratulation, Ji-ho surveyed the unfamiliar new home.

This residence, occupying the entire top two floors—specifically the 14th and 15th—was quite luxurious.

Immediately upon entering, a stone pond and a waterway greeted them in the center of the living room. The pond’s water wasn’t stagnant but flowed ceaselessly along the channel. The waterway itself ran along the edges, designed not to impede movement significantly.

Ji-ho doubted Yi-won had created such a setup merely for interior decoration.

Ji-ho subtly checked his status window.

information

Silver Wave Barrier

“Insane…”

Ji-ho inadvertently cursed, then quickly clamped his mouth shut.

What kind of barrier was this? Its rank was SS, and the amount of magic power it held was simply jaw-dropping. Furthermore, the magic power barely diminished while the barrier was maintained; only about one unit decreased during the long time Ji-ho observed it.

“Why, don’t you like it?”

“Oh, no.”

Unable to admit he was startled by the status window, Ji-ho equivocated and changed the subject.

“But you’ve decorated this entire place, so why were you living somewhere else? And what’s with moving in here now?”

Joo Yi-won’s ability was Copy.

While he could supposedly replicate any skill after seeing it once, the truth was that the proficiency varied depending on the skill’s compatibility.

The skills Yi-won could perfectly copy were primarily combat skills of the offense or defense type. Combat skills were often implemented even more effectively than their originals.

Next in line were support skills for recovery and debuffs, which he performed quite well. These also boasted a level of implementation comparable to most healers.

Conversely, copying support skills that buffed allies, or special skills like crafting, foresight, or spatial movement, was somewhat clumsy for him.

Yi-won was particularly inept at spatial movement skills. Until now, he had barely used them, commuting by car instead. It would have been better to live here from the start and commute.

“Well, you see… there’s a reason.”

“Oh, really.”

Watching Joo Yi-won draw out his words with a smile made Ji-ho both curious and determined not to ask.

Seeing Ji-ho’s serious expression, Yi-won smiled with a relaxed air.

“First, I’ll show you to your room.”

“Alright.”

Ji-ho, feeling somewhat tense, followed behind Yi-won. Contrary to his worries, Yi-won’s house tour was mostly ordinary. Introducing every detail, from the small shoe rack to the TV in the living room and even the spot for the remote control, made a new concern flash through his mind.

‘He has a meticulous personality, doesn’t he?’

He was the type to immediately turn serious and push people away if they so much as brushed against him, due to his slight mysophobia. Ji-ho resolved to be careful as he trailed after Yi-won.

“This is the kitchen. Though, of course, Ji-ho, you can’t cook.”

“I can just buy food…”

“Store-bought food lacks sincerity.”

“Are you disrespecting the sincerity of workers right now?”

“No, not that… I mean, I want to prepare you meals full of love.”

“If you have time for that, just sleep.”

Why would someone who dissects every minute of their 24-hour day bother with cooking? He must be tired; he should get more sleep instead.

Every time Ji-ho saw Yi-won, he wanted to make him sleep. Looking at Yi-won’s schedule, there were many weeks when he slept less than thirty hours. This week was no different.

“If you’re free today, just give me a quick tour, then go to sleep.”

Ji-ho chided him as he exited the kitchen. After seeing small rooms and bathrooms, the room Yi-won proudly entered was none other than the bedroom.

“Wow… insane.”

The bedroom was quite large.

A massive bed was placed in the center of the spacious room. Structurally, it should have been a completely enclosed room with no windows, yet…

For some reason, the ceiling was impossibly high. Ji-ho checked the height difference between the room’s ceiling and the building’s exterior ceiling. Even if it opened up to the floor above… wasn’t it too vast?

Moreover, bright sunlight streamed through a huge glass floor-to-ceiling window, revealing a landscape that looked less like the middle of Gangnam and more like a Nordic forest. As he inhaled, the refreshing scent of the forest filled his lungs.

The small waterways maintaining the barrier seemed to be installed on both the 14th and 15th floors, but in this bedroom, water was gushing upwards through a small hole in the ceiling. This sight made the surrounding scenery even more surreal.

Ji-ho looked around and spotted an item in a corner of the room that was clearly expensive.

information

Environmental Regeneration Device (Temporary)

“He really makes all sorts of things.”

“Oh, you recognized it as an item?”

“No… I just figured if it’s something this strange, it must be an ability.”

Ji-ho offered an excuse, and thankfully, Yi-won nodded without much suspicion.

“Yeah, I developed this with the intention of selling it to the general public.”

“That’s pretty good.”

“That’s all?”

Yi-won grumbled, looking quite disappointed.

Should he have offered more praise? Indeed, for such an impressive item and a great business venture, his compliments had been rather meager.

“Ah, it’s beautiful. It looks incredibly real. If a hunter’s five senses can be fooled to this extent, ordinary people would be even more immersed. This could be an excellent item for business. Though it would need some safety features…”

“No, not that.”

Cutting him off, Yi-won sighed deeply.

“You should ask whose room this is.”

“Isn’t it your room?”

“No.”

At the landlord’s firm reply, Ji-ho looked around the luxurious room with a feeling of greater apprehension than before.

“So, you want me to use it?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then what?”

As if waiting for Ji-ho’s question, Yi-won smiled brightly and activated his magic power.

The bright background from a moment ago darkened, and the moon rose. Intangible petals and fireworks, created by magic, burst loudly. The self-luminous petals drifted down gracefully, seeming to melt and seep into the floor.

Yi-won extended a hand to Ji-ho. Before he knew it, Ji-ho was pulled by Yi-won and laid down on the bed.

With the faint moonlight glowing above his head as a backlight, Yi-won whispered, “This is the newlyweds’ bedroom.”