Chapter 65
Not long after sending Jung Man-ho off, the broker called.
A deep sigh came through the phone first.
“Hello?”
[Sigh... Boss. It's me.]
“Why does your voice sound like that?”
[That's what I want to ask. What on earth did you get yourself into?]
His voice was full of confusion. I asked back innocently, as if I had no idea what he meant.
“Huh? I didn't do anything. All I did was go up one floor in the tower and come back.”
[It wasn't just some random floor, though, was it? If you were going to pull off something this huge, you should have given me a heads-up. And where on earth did you find another teammate?]
“Ah, did I not mention it? I'm a solo player. I don't have a party.”
[No, wait, what do you mean by that...]
I could practically see the broker's dumbfounded face. Lying on the bed, I replied like it was nothing.
“Geez, you said you'd take care of all this stuff, didn't you? And anyway, I don't think anything major will come of it.”
[Sigh... I was surprised when you first told me you were an A-rank Hunter, but I never imagined you'd be this extraordinary. So I'm just a little surprised.]
Right then, my ring vibrated.
[The Sandworm clicks its tongue at you.]
“What the heck?”
[The Sandworm advises that the way you treat your followers isn't right.]
[The Sandworm suggests that you apologize.]
“… Are you my mom or something?”
Of course, I don't have parents, so I have no idea how real mothers actually talk.
Still, hearing it from a mere worm made me feel like I really must have been wrong, and I suddenly felt embarrassed.
I obediently did as I was told.
Just as the broker was about to continue talking on the other end of the line, I spoke first.
“Ahem, um... Sorry. I should have told you beforehand.”
My awkward apology left the broker speechless for a moment.
He seemed flustered by my unexpected reaction.
After a brief silence, I heard his voice again.
A voice that sounded oddly moved.
[What's this? You're apologizing? This old man is so proud, I'm almost in tears.]
“Damn it, I shouldn't have done that.”
With a self-reproachful sigh, I kicked the pillow.
The broker cleared his throat a few times, then returned to his usual professional tone.
[Anyway, from here on out, we need to think about how to make use of this situation.]
As expected, the professional was different. He quickly regained his composure and got to the point.
[So, as the new owner of the Daejeon Tower, how would you like to use that authority? There are quite a few benefits you can enjoy, more than you might think.]
“What kind of benefits?”
[For example, starting with the small privilege of buying bread from famous bakeries in Daejeon without waiting in line...]
“A bakery? What bakery?”
[It even has drive-thru and delivery.]
“No, I don't need that. Any of that.”
[...And there are tax breaks on certain goods, a say in development plans for the area around the tower, and you might even receive a share of Daejeon City's tax revenue.]
Those terms were pretty tempting. But there was something more important to me than money.
“If I could, I'd like to have a statue of myself built.”
[What?]
“You know, a huge one, like the one over in that northern district. Make it so big you can see it from anywhere in Daejeon.”
[... You're serious?]
The broker's voice was more serious than ever. I couldn't help bursting out laughing at his reaction.
“Pfft, of course I was joking.”
[Thank goodness.]
“Something like that can wait until later. I can have it made after I get stronger.”
[...?]
I could picture the broker frowning on the other end of the line.
With a small laugh, I told him what I actually needed.
“Actually, there's something I really need. I want to build a road.”
Confusion filled the broker's voice.
[This time too, you're joking, right?]
“It's not a joke. I'm serious.”
[… Boss, did I hear that right? You want to build a road?]
“Can't you?”
[No, there's nothing we couldn't do. With the authority of a tower owner, getting the city's cooperation would be no trouble at all. But what kind of road are you talking about?]
I traced a line in the air with my finger, from my front gate to the black tower entrance far in the distance.
“From my house to the tower, I want a road blasted straight through. Widen the current road a bit on both sides too. And build high walls along both sides so other people can't see in.”
[May I ask why?]
“Isn't it obvious? I want to come and go from the tower without worrying about people's stares. Hiding items every time and sneaking around is a pain.”
At my simple, straightforward answer, the broker fell silent again.
[Understood. If that's what Boss wants, we'll proceed that way. I'll take care of all the paperwork and administrative procedures. From the construction permit to traffic control, there won't be any problems.]
“Oh, right. I'll be the one doing the construction.”
[… What?]
“You just handle the paperwork, Uncle. I'll build the road myself. It'll be faster that way.”
***
A few days passed after that. I didn't even go to the tower and just lazed around at home.
By the time I'd read every post on Hunter Gallery and run out of videos worth watching, the broker called.
[Boss, all the preparations are complete.]
“Already? That's fast.”
[With the tower owner's authority, Daejeon City's administrative procedures were cleared in one fell swoop. The troublesome part was the buildings between your house and the tower, but those were bought out yesterday as well. By now, the owners are probably living happily somewhere else.]
As expected, a pro was different. In just a few days, he'd solved both the legal and financial issues.
[That road is now entirely Boss's private property. The construction permits are all in order too. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want.]
“Good work.”
I gave a brief compliment and hung up. Then I stood up.
I found a safety helmet and put it on Chohogi's head.
It adjusted the safety helmet as if it were used to it.
As I stepped outside, a few empty buildings came into view.
“Let's clean things up properly first.”
I raised my staff toward the empty buildings and the asphalt road running between them.
My will spread deep into the earth.
RUMBLE—!
With a tremendous roar, the ground began to shake. Concrete and rebar structures crumbled helplessly into fine sand and scattered away.
I gestured toward the empty land again. Sand and rock moved according to my will.
A broad road, easily ten meters across, stretched in a straight line from my house to the tower entrance.
Finally, it was time to build the walls along both sides of the road. I thrust my staff into the ground.
A massive earthen wall burst up from the ground, then turned into a smooth stone wall five meters high. A flawless wall with no seams continued along the road.
The entire job took less than ten minutes.
“Mm, perfect.”
I looked at my new private road with a satisfied expression.
Now I could come and go from the tower freely without worrying about anyone else's gaze.
A simple landmark in this boring city was just a bonus.
This city would finally have some life now.
Then it happened.
Screeeech—!
The familiar, noisy sound of a sudden brake shattered the silence.
When I turned my head, I saw a black sedan come to a precarious halt. It was Jung Man-ho.
Jung Man-ho froze in place at the sight of the gigantic marble structure that had suddenly risen in front of his house.
His face looked like he was dreaming.
“Wh... what is this?”
A dazed voice leaked from his mouth.
“This... appeared while I was away in Seoul for a few days?”
Jung Man-ho looked around in confusion, then spotted me. He strode over.
“What on earth happened here? And what's this wall connecting our house and the tower?”
'Ah, right. Since this road includes the house next door too, I guess it could look like that.'
“Ah, this? My parents made it.”
“Y-your parents?”
The confusion on Jung Man-ho's face turned to shock.
He seemed to be imagining my parents building this enormous marble wall in just a few days.
Jung Man-ho stood there for a moment, opening and closing his mouth, then gave a cough as if he had remembered why he had come.
“Uh, um. Right... They're truly amazing people.”
Jung Man-ho handed me the large shopping bag he had been carrying.
Lately, he'd been coming to see me like this every so often with gifts in hand.
An attempt to curry favor with the tower's new owner, my 'parents.'
Though the direction was slightly off every time.
“This is a gift from this old man. I heard this is really popular with girls these days?”
I looked into the shopping bag expressionlessly.
Inside were a pink plastic magic wand and a belt. 'Princess Rider'—a name so embarrassing it made my toes curl just looking at it.
I barely managed to hold back the curse that almost flew out on reflex.
'No, damn it, even an elementary school kid wouldn't take this. Does he think I'm a kindergartener?'
What exactly does this guy think I am?
I sighed inwardly and accepted the gift.
“Thank you.”
“Haha, I'm glad you like it. By any chance... I have something I want to tell your parents. Would it be hard to meet them for a moment?”
There was a desperate earnestness in Jung Man-ho's voice.
He was aching to somehow build a connection with the new tower owner.
I shook my head and gave the answer I'd prepared in advance.
“They both went out, so they're not here right now.”
“Ah, I see... As expected, they're incredible people. They don't rest at all, do they?”
Jung Man-ho seemed genuinely impressed. After hesitating for a moment, he glanced around and lowered his voice to ask me.
“By any chance, have your parents said anything lately? For example, about Daejeon City, or maybe about our guild...?”
His eyes trembled with unease. I decided to satisfy his expectations.
“Um... They said Daejeon is a nice place to live. And they also said you seem like a good person.”
“Haha, really?”
Color rushed into Jung Man-ho's face.
He couldn't hide his delight, and after clearing his throat a few times, he once again begged me earnestly.
“If your parents ever need anything, make sure to tell this old man right away. Got it?”
“Yes.”
I sent him off with a lifeless reply.
As soon as I got home, I tore open the box.
A glittering pink belt and magic wand came into view.
“Who even plays with something like this?”
I sighed, then casually fastened the belt around my waist.
The plastic buckle clicked shut.
After clearing my throat once at how surprisingly convincing it looked, I firmly pressed the gem-shaped button in the center of the belt.
Beep-beep, beep-beep—lights flashed.
[Princess Rider, transform!]
“Ugh, what even is this.”
Grumbling, I picked up the magic wand. The moment I held it, light flowed into it.
I swung it once on a whim. A butterfly-shaped hologram flashed into the air.
“Huh, the tech these days is pretty good...?”
After making sure nobody was around, I swung the wand again.
The harder I swung it, the more butterflies appeared.
“Damn, did whoever made this waste genius-level tech on this? Was it really okay to waste it on something like this?”
I kept swinging the wand, conjuring butterfly after butterfly.
[The Sandworm clicks its tongue at you.]
“... Hah!”
My face burned so hot it felt like it might burst.
I hurriedly yanked off the belt and stuffed the wand roughly back into the box.
I had almost fallen for the devil's temptation.
I should hide this somewhere no one can see it.
***
“We're already through the 20s.”
I entered the tower through the newly built private road.
[Entering Tower Floor 29 (EXTREME).]
My vision shifted along with the familiar system message.
“Is this... a palace?”
Far away, at the center of the vast chamber, stood a slightly raised dais, and on it sat a gigantic throne.
I slowly walked toward the throne.
My footsteps echoed loudly through the empty grand hall.