Chapter 3
Living Alone but Too Strong
“The Infinite”’s Apartment
Several dozen minutes later.
At the edge of the meadow.
Venti and I stood side by side in front of a space where huge stone walls were stacked in layers.
“This must be… the boss room,” I said.
“Oh, really,” Venti replied.
The so-called Labyrinth of Change.
The final gateway to enter the boss room.
Inside, there are countless traps and monsters.
At certain intervals, the internal paths of the labyrinth change.
“Wasn’t its nickname… ‘Beginner Crusher’?”
I had seen it on YouTube before.
If you wander inside for a long time, you finally reach the end… and the boss fight begins—an infamous place.
Not to mention, the labyrinth is so complex that physically breaking through takes a long time.
Rumor has it, some people got trapped for a week and couldn’t get out.
Anyway.
Running for an hour or two doesn’t guarantee you’ll break through.
Meanwhile… the time I had left was:
[Guest Invitation: Remaining Time / 33 minutes]
Only 30 minutes.
It seemed a little tight, to be honest.
“Uh… Venti. Maybe we shouldn’t go? There’s only 33 minutes left. If we go in, it might just cause trouble,” I suggested.
“33 minutes is plenty,” he waved me off.
“I know you’re strong, but as far as I know, this labyrinth isn’t something you can just rush through because you’re strong,” I explained.
“It’ll work,” he said.
“How?”
“Like this.”
Venti adjusted his grip on his axe with both hands, swung it at the wall, and…
KRAAAANG!
With a tremendous crash, the wall shattered like tofu.
“Uh…?”
That could be destroyed?
On YouTube, they said destroying the walls with a player’s power was impossible.
“If something can’t be destroyed, maybe it requires even greater strength… Could that be it?”
What is this… it’s scary.
Good thing Venti isn’t an enemy.
“Follow me!”
“…Yes.”
As Venti ran, I followed him into the hole.
Another labyrinth wall appeared.
KRAAANG! KRAAANG!
Venti kept tearing straight through holes, advancing relentlessly.
A forceful, unstoppable march.
“Eeek!”
“Gyaaaah!”
Along the way, Orcs, Goblins, and other first-floor monsters charged at us.
CRASH! CRACK!
Venti’s axe crushed them entirely into pieces.
It was pitiful to watch—but for me, it was the best possible outcome.
“The taste of the bus… so sweet.”
Sweet indeed.
We ran for about ten minutes.
“We’re here!”
Beyond, a massive stone door carved with intricate patterns came into view.
A status window popped up before my eyes.
[Do you wish to enter the boss room?]
“Of course we do.”
I nodded and focused my mind.
Rumble!
The huge stone door began to open, and I jumped in with Venti.
“Huff… huff… okay, here we go.”
After sprinting at full speed for dozens of minutes, I was out of breath.
Slowly, I looked up.
A massive circular arena appeared.
On all sides, bizarre paintings resembling ancient civilization murals were drawn, and a acrid smell stung the nose.
That wasn’t all.
“Eeek! Eeek!”
“Rrrrgh! Rrrrgh!”
“Ssshh!”
On the arena seats:
Hundreds of Green Skins—Goblins, Orcs, and the like—cheered loudly.
It looked exactly like spectators in a Colosseum.
Apparently, we were in the gladiator’s position.
And on the opposite side…
“…Krrk, krrk, krrk.”
Several dozen Orcs in gladiator armor, carrying spears, shields, nets, and swords.
They were casually walking toward us, accompanied by a massive werewolf.
Just seeing it made my chest tighten.
But as far as I knew, they weren’t the boss.
“The real boss… is that one.”
I took a deep breath and looked up.
“Rrrr… Human…”
At the center of the audience, a massive throne.
A huge Orc with red, muscular body.
His body was covered in scars and tattoos; one eye had a huge wound, and white breath came from his mouth, exuding sheer strength.
He licked his parched lips.
“Orc Champion ‘Garuda’.”
The procedure was simple.
First, eliminate the Orc gladiators in the Colosseum.
Second, Garuda descends, triggering the second-phase battle.
The difficulty was high.
Even though he was a tutorial boss, I heard that one in ten C-rank players end up dead trying to defeat him.
Venti, however, had no problem.
“I need to avoid getting ambushed.”
I recalled Garuda’s patterns from YouTube, rehearsing them in my mind.
“Urraaaah!”
“Huh?”
Whuuuush!
Venti threw his double-bladed axe like a tomahawk.
It flew toward the throne… and
CRACK!
“Kuh?!?”
Garuda’s neck was sliced clean, and a fountain of green blood sprayed into the air.
“…Huh?”
It all happened in an instant.
“Hit!”
Venti smiled, and the head of the stunned Orc rolled down the steps.
“Grrk?”
“Shlick!”
While the Green Skins blinked in disbelief, messages popped up on my screen.
[Congratulations! You have defeated Orc Champion Garuda! You have cleared the first floor!]
[Maximum level unlocked: 20!]
[You gained 1 Apartment Point!]
[Achievement ‘Fastest to Defeat Garuda (Mythic)’ unlocked!]
-
Requirement: Defeat Boss Garuda faster than any other player.
-
Effect: +3 Strength, +3 Agility
[You now have access to the second floor!]
“…That’s it? Just like that?”
I blinked in disbelief.
“Then, let’s finish this properly.”
Venti got ready to run.
Flash!
He disappeared, leaving only a sound. Immediately after…
Slam! Slam! Slam!
“Eeek!”
“Grrrgh!”
The remaining Orcs’ necks were broken, their bodies pierced, and their bellies gutted.
In less than ten seconds, all were dead.
“Here’s the Mana Stones!”
“Ah, yes.”
Venti neatly collected the mana stones from the bodies and put them in my backpack.
“Scary…”
As I awkwardly smiled, Venti grinned, pounding his chest with his fists.
“How’s that, Minho? Was that enough help?”
“Absolutely. Tremendously so.”
Though it went in a completely different direction than I expected.
“Anyway, good is good.”
I smiled faintly.
“Well, I’ll head back now!”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Invite me again next time. I want more delicious food!”
“…Sure, haha.”
Venti extended his hand for a handshake.
Flash!
Light began to envelop his body.
“Huh?”
“Next time, call me by my name, not ‘Venti.’”
Venti’s face beamed with happiness. I returned his smile.
“Alright, Venti.”
At that moment, light engulfed him completely, and he shot up into the sky and vanished.
I clenched and unclenched my fists.
“What a whirlwind of a day…”
I never expected this.
I’d been happy about a free apartment, but ended up climbing a tower I never imagined.
In just a few hours, I cleared the first floor, which is difficult for most, and earned hundreds of thousands in Mana Stones.
I thought my talent was just to save on taxes and rent…
Apparently not.
As I warmed to the thought, a message popped up:
[Your guest is very satisfied with your apartment!]
[Rating: 10/10]
-
The food was incredibly delicious!
It was a message from Venti.
I chuckled.
Not even an Airbnb review, but… considering all I gave him were a triangle kimbap and cup noodles, it was generous.
Venti is a good person… no, a beastman.
Next time… I have to treat him even better.
“Summon Apartment.”
A door appeared before me.
Before entering, another status window popped up:
[You are now a top-ranked player for clearing the first floor! Record your name so others remember you.]
“…Do I really have to write this?”
I couldn’t dismiss the window. Apparently, I had to record it.
“I have terrible naming sense…”
After a moment’s thought, I typed a name:
“Please Subscribe to the Apartment King.”
That should be enough.
A fan-inspired name. Hopefully good for promotion.
[Your name has been recorded as ‘Please Subscribe to the Apartment King.’]
The status window disappeared.
“Let’s go back.”
Finally, I opened the door and stepped inside.
The apartment looked exactly the same as before.
I exhaled and plopped onto the floor.
“Phew…”
Time to process today’s events:
“Venti came as a guest… earned hundreds of thousands in Mana Stones overnight… my level went up, and my physical stats improved.”
This proved that the Infinite Apartment isn’t just an F-rank ability for a simple apartment.
I didn’t know much, but… this was quite an impressive ability.
My thoughts grew tangled.
“Do I climb the tower?”
Hundreds of thousands a day.
But this was only possible because of a special guest like Venti.
Even if my stats improved, the tower would scale in difficulty.
My own combat ability was still low.
“It’s still tricky…”
I opened the status window again.
Checked the [Guest Invitation] details.
[Guest List]
-
Venti – Next invitation available in 7 days
-
Expanding the apartment may allow new guests to visit.
-
If a guest’s favorability rises, their stay will extend and cooldowns decrease.
-
Expand your apartment and prepare for new guests!
“Hmmm… I can invite Venti again in a week.”
Seems there are limitations.
Also… depending on how I treat the guest, their behavior might change.
Positively, I could think:
“I’m confident in guest hospitality.”
Cooking, restaurant tips, small talk… all survival skills I’d learned.
Even if Venti—or another guest—comes, I could satisfy them.
Meaning: I can continue using this ability effectively.
“Good, very good.”
As I imagined a rosy future, my eyes caught the last line:
“Expand your apartment and prepare for new guests!”
So, there’s a way to expand my apartment?
Then the status window spoke:
[Try using Apartment Points!]
“Apartment Points?”
I vaguely remembered earning some.
Browsing the [Apartment Management] menu, I entered.
[Apartment Management]
Apartment Points: 1pt
(Earn 1 point each time you clear a floor of the tower)
(1) [Expand Apartment]
-
Increase apartment size. (1pt = 5 pyeong)
(2) [Automatic Cleaning System]
-
Room is cleaned automatically every day. (2pt)
(3) [Apartment Customization System]
-
Change the apartment layout anytime. (2pt)
…
…
(omitted)
“Really?”
My eyes widened.
Automatic cleaning? Layout changes?
At a glance, there were so many attractive options.
But for now… only one was available.
“Let’s try it first.”
Click!
I touched option 1, Expand Apartment.
[Do you want to use ‘Expand Apartment’?]
“Yes, go ahead.”
The moment I confirmed:
[Expanding Apartment.]
Rumble!
“Eh?”
The room shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck.
The space slowly stretched outward.
[Expansion Complete.]
Moments later, the shaking stopped.
I got up and touched the walls.
“This… definitely got bigger.”
It looked at least 1.5 times larger.
No longer just a small studio—it felt spacious.
“Insane.”
I smiled.
Considering how expensive land in Seoul is…
Just by climbing one floor of the tower, I’d effectively earned hundreds of millions.
“Status window.”
I checked again.
“Automatic cleaning, terrace expansion, layout changes, increasing size…”
Every floor cleared grants points.
With these, I could expand and decorate my apartment into a dream house.
Moreover:
“Decorating well means I can invite more guests.”
What happens afterward, I can’t be sure.
But one thing is certain:
“Time to climb the tower.”
Until now, I’d debated climbing the tower.
Now, the benefits were clear.
If I reach the 20th floor?
With various features unlocked, I could theoretically have a 100-pyeong apartment.
A true apartment—or even a penthouse—dream realized.
Plus, infinite electricity and no property taxes!
“Ha ha!”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
