Chapter 286: Homeless
‘Well, at least the food is delicious.’
If I had known it would be this tough, I wouldn’t have recklessly reincarnated.
By the time I finished the Korean meal I got from the VIP ward, the clock pointed to 10:30.
Thanks to the premium potion I received in IV form, the lost flesh had already regenerated. I lost my motivation to linger and decided to head home as I began the discharge process.
But the weather I realized during this process was unexpected.
‘Oh?’
It was still pouring outside.
[The daytime temperature in Seoul, which had risen to 32 degrees, has dropped to around 20 degrees. The rainy season that started on Sunday is expected to continue until tomorrow.]
When I got caught in that rain, it surely only drizzled on my shoulders.
And now that drizzle has become so intense.
Maybe it’s due to the convenience store facilities in Neo Seoul Hospital?
I changed into a free-size cotton t-shirt bought by the Third S-Class Hunter, and I could finally step out of the building looking like a normal person.
However, it seems he hadn’t thought about the weather, and I didn’t have an umbrella.
Additionally, the convenience store at the hospital’s main gate was already out of items.
‘No rain cover…’
A moment later.
Tap-tap-tap-tap.
A fellow Earthling, who had just been with me at the convenience store, was rushing away with a bag covering his head.
Most people were trying to minimize their exposure to the downpour, even if it meant using up their energy.
But despite all this, I just shoved my hands into my pockets and strolled under the eaves with no care.
Whoosh.
Come to think of it, what does a reincarnated person who spent their whole life at sea need with waterproof products?
‘Good thing the hospital is also in Mapo District.’
I’ve felt uneasy since the moment I was first trapped in this F-Class body. But now, I wasn’t afraid of diving, and the water flowing around me was just delightful.
Besides, I had finally resolved a contract that had tormented me for so long.
Finally, perfect freedom.
I didn’t want to spoil this refreshing sense of liberation, so I decided to stop mimicking today.
Unlike the Earthlings, I stepped out into the pouring rain without an umbrella.
However, about 18 minutes in, after I reached a familiar neighborhood scene, I suddenly remembered an issue I had forgotten…
*
A few minutes later.
In the park.
“…”
A blond man was sitting on a bench.
Heavy rain was falling from the sky, and he was just hunched over, blankly letting the rain pour on him.
“Damn.”
While others were busy heading to work, why was he stuck in the park sulking on such a rainy day?
“Come to think of it, I have no home.”
Whoosh.
As the rain kept pouring, the blond man muttered with a hint of despair.
“Damn. I never thought I’d lose my place over something like this…”
To be blunt.
Gi-ryeo’s home had collapsed.
If it had been a normal demolition, that would have been better, but the gate swallowed the building whole, leaving nothing even of the doorknob. Naturally, this left him wandering around public places without a place to go.
‘Damn! I have so much to prepare because of Lee Hwa-young!’
Now, he found himself in the plight of a homeless person.
The alien, who looked like an average mammal, slipped momentarily into despair.
But thinking back, the current situation wasn’t quite as hopeless.
When they talked about the dingy room, the perpetrator had promised compensation back then.
[Hydra]
[Surprise Box!]
[Scream Stake]
Anyway, all his cherished items were still in storage.
[Divine Tree Sapling]
Ah, this was definitely among the items I had stashed away.
While rummaging through the reclaimed item box, Gi-ryeo checked the coral he hastily grabbed during the evacuation.
He remembered not finding it in the first space he regained consciousness, wondering if the kidnappers had thrown it away.
‘As expected, this just looks like an expensive air purifier to Earthlings.’
Kang Chang-ho was unaware of the true value of the [Divine Tree Sapling] and hadn’t taken any particular measures concerning this magic tool.
Though he did ponder why a guy living in a 5-pyeong studio would leave something like this behind.
But due to the peculiar state of the blond man, the suspicion didn’t last long.
It was all over.
So there wouldn’t be much damage financially; he just had to plan for the future from now on.
‘Home…?’
Shall I buy a fancy mansion while I’m at it?
As he thought this, he pulled out his phone.
He had simply been too lazy to think about the moving issue until now.
In fact, the desire to escape the cramped and old studio had always been there. So he really wanted to change his residence with this opportunity.
‘Oh no, the rain is making my hands slippery…’
But then, suddenly, the phone screen froze.
“Uh?”
He was sure he charged the battery fully at the hospital, but why did the light go out without warning?
The phone displayed a black screen.
Therefore, Gi-ryeo tried holding down the side button to restart it.
But it didn’t respond at all.
“Hm.”
The device was completely broken.
Although not as fragile as an Alphauri, was it really right to sell such delicate electronics on a planet where water is abundant?
‘So this old phone has reached its end…’
Come on, this little bit of rain should’ve been manageable.
Stupid factory owners!
The alien wearing Kim Gi-ryeo’s skin grumbled over the broken phone.
Of course, getting emotionally angry wouldn’t solve anything, so his thoughts quickly shifted.
‘Ha.’
Whoosh.
I originally came out to enjoy the rain I love, but ended up in such a pitiful scene.
Gi-ryeo pondered how he would manage moving while losing his information-seeking tools.
‘Living away from home is really tough.’
At this rate, I should have seriously learned how to buy a house.
Real estate agent.
Realtor.
A few words floated through his mind, but honestly, how could an alien figure out how to buy a home with just this minimal hint in an unfamiliar galaxy?
It wasn’t easy for extraterrestrials to even think about the culture of a PC bang.
So for now, all he could do was stand still in the pouring rain, letting his shoulders droop.
Vroom…
But when he glanced away for just a moment, he noticed a rather familiar car passing by on the road across the park.
‘Huh?’
A white car.
It was the kind of mass-produced vehicle he used to see at least twice a week before everything got complicated.
‘It looks quite similar to the one Ha-seong drives.’
In other words, it was the well-known vehicle of the National Hero.
‘What was the name of that again?’
Certainly, the previous owner had told him the name, but since it wasn’t important, he couldn’t quite recall…
Well, anyway.
When a domestically produced car with a model name like G70 slowly passed through the rainy road, just like how one might differentiate zebras by observation, the alien’s eyes were naturally drawn to the sight of a once-familiar vehicle.
The vehicle was heavily tinted, making it difficult to see who was inside.
‘Hmm?’
But he wasn’t just looking with his eyes; he was a great mage with sharp instincts.
The man sitting hunched on the bench soon realized something.
And apparently, the other person felt the same way. The white vehicle cruising alone on the rain-soaked street suddenly turned left at the next intersection.
The car had swiftly changed its destination toward this park.
‘Come to think of it, seeing the car reminded me. My driving skills are quite good, should I get a motorcycle while I’m at it?’
There probably wasn’t any proper parking spot on that road, so the driver would likely take a roundabout way to find one.
‘Whatever it is, it should be faster than an F-Class bugger running around.’
Gi-ryeo’s gaze returned to the ground, lost in various thoughts.
Before long, another figure appeared in the park.
“Mr. Kim Hunter!”
He immediately recognized who it was even when he was still in the car, and now he wouldn’t be surprised to see this Hunter appear.
I had a vague feeling about the magic, and just as I suspected, it really was that S-Class Hunter.
Hearing the familiar voice, Gi-ryeo lifted his head and greeted him.
“Hey.”
The person who appeared was Jeong Ha-seong.
“No way, Hunter, how…?”
But the other person seemed quite surprised by this encounter.
As soon as Jeong Ha-seong saw his fellow hunter sitting on the bench, he questioned, “Why are you out so soon after being hospitalized?”
“I’m fine now.”
“So that’s why you told me not to visit when I texted earlier?”
For reference, during the process of filling out some reports at the police station, the top-ranked Hunter of Korea had already learned that the other party was injured due to a gate accident.
“Just when I changed into casual clothes, your message came through.”
Even though the sudden scene was still unfamiliar, he continued, “So…”
Jeong Ha-seong quickly asked, trying to mask his apparent embarrassment. “I heard everything that happened during that time. Kang Chang-ho got into trouble with Mr. Kim Hunter and ended up getting a taste of his own medicine. Supposedly, after that, he said he would never provoke you again.”
“……”
“Despite borrowing the power of public authority, he couldn’t catch you, so he must have been restless. Though there’s a method of delivering an unavoidable defeat when the opponent is looking for a fight.”
It was unfortunate to see the top-ranked Hunter fall for fake news in such a many ways.
‘Did you get tricked too?’
But how could he correct the facts in this situation?
At the time of the fierce clash among real S-Classes on the sandy beach, it would have been appropriate to reveal he was an F-Class back then.
However, as time passed, the judgment had completely shifted.
‘Thinking about it, this guy has always had a rather scary personality.’
Someone being an alien or the fourth S-Class being a fraudulent strongman was a conversation topic that could only be brought up if he trusted the other person’s character completely…
Given that he experienced considerable friction with the National Hero last summer, he still regarded this individual with a bit of wariness.
Thus, fearing what might happen if he heard the truth about being fooled, Gi-ryeo hesitated to outright deny the new ‘Kang Chang-ho suppression theory’.
“You really are Mr. Hunter.”
“Hmm.”
If there’s any rationalization for this, it might be that since his magic training wasn’t done yet, it would be better to keep up the status of being a strong person for now.
In the learning process, the authority of the professor and the trust in them are essential considerations.
The alien tutor wrapped himself in silence, his expression becoming strained.
But Jeong Ha-seong wasn’t aware of the gaze of apology directed at him and instead shifted the item he was holding.
That made sense, considering the hunter in front of him was sitting without an umbrella.
Swish.
In a rain-drenched park, here was a man pondering deeply while dressed in just a black t-shirt.
Water droplets that had pooled on a heavy brow slid down.
Jeong Ha-seong was startled by the sight of a fellow industry peer soaking in the rain and hurriedly tilted his umbrella toward him.
Of course, the man on the bench wasn’t too happy about it.
“What’s the point of covering me up with an umbrella when I already look like this soaked mouse?”
If he expressed himself blankly, it might come off as sarcastic, so he put on a vague smile and said, “It’s fine. Put it away.”
“But…”
“Use it more. You’ll get wet.”
Had Gi-ryeo trained more on his abilities, perhaps he could selectively dry only the moisture on someone’s clothes at a time like this.
The Fire Mage’s brief fantasy passed only momentarily.
As the conversation flowed, a certain doubt began to bloom in Ha-seong’s heart.
“But, Hunter, what are you doing here?”
The extraterrestrial responded, “Just hanging around.”
“What do you mean? Shouldn’t you be resting at home since you’re not well?”
“Ha-seong, I don’t have a home anymore.”
“What?”
No home? What on earth did that mean…?
‘Ah!’
Ha-seong realized a moment too late what the other person had meant.
‘Come to think of it, the studio sank.’
Gi-ryeo had vanished for several hours after leaving a solitary message saying [Kang Chang-ho came to visit]. Now, due to various interviews, Ha-seong understood that Gi-ryeo had hidden away to fight and protect the citizens.
Though looking back at the past circumstances, he remembered being stunned when everything was gone, with only a strangely low-action ‘Break Monster’ remaining in the empty lot.
Ha-seong briefly recalled the scene during the gate crisis and quickly returned to the present conversation.
“In that case, you should get a hotel instead of sitting here.”
“Hotel?”
“Since you’re looking for a place to move to, you can take your time.”
He was so concerned about the other person that it felt like he might start tapping his feet soon.
Even as the man on the bench refused, he kept trying to offer his umbrella.
However, unfortunately, the kind Earthling’s proposed solution was rather difficult to implement.
The alien lamented, “A hotel sounds tempting, but when I think about it, that’s not easy.”
“Why not?”
“Because I only managed to grab the item box when I evacuated.”
“Oh, then.”
“I don’t have my wallet.”
“What about money?”
“My money is in my bank account. But in this situation, my phone also just crapped out on me…”
To fix the phone connected for internet banking, he would need money, and to use that money, he would need a debit card, and yet his wallet had slipped away into a different world.
From the alien’s perspective, it felt like a real dead end.
Seeing him stare blankly, Ha-seong, with a surprised expression, thought, ‘It’s still only about 11 o’clock. If you get a temporary ID at the community center, you should be able to handle all your bank issues today!’
Something was off.
Inside a dungeon, even a top-tier student capable of passing the veterinary examination was reduced to an undocumented hunter.
Moreover, the man was someone who could deftly handle flames yet couldn’t solve such a simple problem.
The Hunter Kim Gi-ryeo seemed rather alien to society as if he had been socially disconnected from a long time ago.
On one hand, he appeared noble.
On the other hand, he felt distinctly strange and disconnected.
There was fundamentally something different about him compared to ordinary hunters.
“Hm.”
Whoosh.
The hunter seated on the bench stayed careful, not blinking in the downpour, and while contemplating such absurd things like, ‘If I lose my passbook, do I lose my deposits?’ the moment arrived.
“Mr. Hunter.”
Ha-seong proposed, “Since you seem flustered about losing your residence, why don’t you just use my house?”
“What?”
“It’s raining way too much.”
Part of him was inadvertently saying this.
When a fellow compatriot showed up looking like a drowned mouse, any kind-hearted being might feel the urge to help.
“And besides, my house has had a guest room ready for a while now. One person can comfortably stay for a few months.”
The moment he heard that, Gi-ryeo was about to express his refusal.
‘Well, I shouldn’t intrude on someone else’s home…’
With someone lacking the common decency on Earth, an already complicated moving plan would take twice as long to prepare.
The person in front of him had just said it’s perfectly fine for someone to stay for several months, but sadly, there’s the concept of irony and empty words in this world.
So…
‘If I actually settle in, he’ll probably dislike it. That was just a polite offer.’
Fortunately, Gi-ryeo was a wizard who had a minimum awareness of social cues.
Kim Gi-ryeo intended to politely decline Ha-seong’s offer.
But then, suddenly a thought flickered in his mind, instantly forcing him to halt his actions.
‘An extraterrestrial’s domicile…’
Wait a minute.
Is this an opportunity that can be so easily dismissed?
‘…’
During the Unavoidable Malice incident, just as he had visited Ahn Yoon-seung’s house, during a very short-term stay, the unique aspects wouldn’t stand out as much.
However, in fact, living under one roof with an extraterrestrial would undoubtedly be intriguing to scholars.
It would allow him to catch a glimpse of the lifestyle of a distinct species.
What’s more, since they were both the same gender, this could also be a chance to obtain Earth’s male data for potential mimicry—a notable advantage.
Wouldn’t an Earth scientist shed tears of joy if they were given an opportunity to observe an Alphauri’s daily life?
“Mr. Kim Hunter?”
He paused.
Conflicted by his complicated thoughts, Kim Gi-ryeo hesitated.
‘No way. This guy is nice, and giving him trouble wouldn’t be right, and actually sharing living space might increase the chances of getting caught by the aeronautics bureau.’
But no matter how much he tried to suppress his greed, that impulse kept getting stronger.
-Why not experience the lifestyle of an Earthling first-hand!
-I’ll show you what ordinary high-intelligence mammals live in!
So much so that Ha-seong’s casually tossed phrases started to echo beautifully in his mind.
For the record, he had never actually said anything like that.
–⋆⁺₊⋆⁂Even I’m a primitive in Magic Studies, so I wouldn’t even recognize any trick you might set up⋆⁺₊⋆..｡
No, it had started to look shimmering around the Earthling unexpectedly since earlier. Was this some kind of illusion?
The National Hero scanned the surroundings suspiciously.
In the meantime, the blond hunter was engaged in an intense inner struggle.
However, despite his prolonged contemplation, what ultimately came out of the scholar’s trembling fist was a question.
“Is there a bathtub in your house?”
That was their last conversation.
After that, the National Hero naturally nodded in agreement.
