Chapter 8
Too Strong for Just Living Alone
Thank You, Guest
In front of a massive ruined church.
Dark clouds hung low in the sky. The air was damp. The stench of blood and rotting corpses stung the nose.
Following the path into the church, the grand sanctuary of the once-glorious Sun Church was revealed—a massive space that could hold nearly a thousand worshippers at once.
The walls were lined with…
Stained glass that once gleamed with rainbow light under the sun was now tainted with black stains.
Beneath flickering black candles…
“Hmmmm…”
The necromancer.
Clidian of the Black Sun sat slanted on his throne.
A pale face exuding a hypnotic aura. An arrogant expression, as if confident in his power. In one hand, he held a staff darkened to black.
“Ghhh…”
“Kkkrrg… kkkruuh…”
Around him, hundreds of undead soldiers were lined up—zombies and skeletons. All wore tattered, worn rags.
These were once church worshippers, residents of the city.
A horrifying, tragic sight.
At that moment, across the room…
“Whoa, the atmosphere is insane.”
Minho’s eyes widened as he marveled at the interior of the church.
It was like…
‘A high-quality theme park, isn’t it?’
So cool… so impressive.
If I had come here alone, I would’ve been completely overwhelmed. But I wasn’t alone. Right now, the dependable Venti was with me.
While we were busy exploring the church…
“Do you mortals wish to receive… the blessing of the Black Sun?”
Clidian said with a faintly sinister smile, his voice echoing throughout the church like a pipe organ.
A shiver ran through my head. It felt like a dark veil was covering my brain.
This must be…
‘A debuff? The Whisper of the Black Sun?’
I had read about it on the wiki.
The Whisper of the Black Sun. A debuff skill used by Clidian. Being hit by it slows movement and drastically delays activation of skills and talents.
And if you get hit by an undead assault while debuffed… you’re basically dead.
“Whoa… my body really isn’t moving right… It feels so… hazy…”
I tried wiggling my hands and moving my legs. Everything felt heavy, numb, and foggy.
It reminded me of…
‘When you wake up after sedation during a colonoscopy—it’s exactly like that.’
If we entered combat in this state, death would be guaranteed.
Then…
“Eeeek! I’m jealous! I want to know what that feels like too.”
Venti shrugged with mock disappointment. The difference in our levels meant this debuff didn’t affect him at all.
Clidian frowned in displeasure.
“Do you mortals dare to show such composure in front of me?”
“Grrr!”
Thud thud!
When he struck the floor with his black staff, the undead began moving forward. The battle was about to begin.
“Minho, had enough sightseeing?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Then, let’s get started.”
Clack!
“Huh?”
Venti stretched out his arms, lifting me onto his shoulders.
‘What’s he doing?’ I tilted my head.
“If you get caught, you’ll get hurt.”
Venti smiled and…
Taah!
He jumped high into the air, almost reaching the ceiling. The undead and Clidian looked tiny from above, like ants.
‘…Damn.’
My legs went weak. I’m terrible with rides… I thought.
“Ugh!”
Before I could scream, we plummeted. The moment Venti landed, shockwaves burst from his feet.
“Gyaaah!”
“Eeek!”
Clattering! Crunch! Crack!
Hundreds of undead fell, their legs broken.
“What the…!”
Even Clidian was forced to step back, raising a black barrier. He tried to get into combat stance again…
“Hssha!”
Venti threw his axe with one hand.
Crack!
“Huh…?”
Clidian’s neck was severed, and his head fell to the floor.
“Gyaaaah!”
Hundreds of undead collapsed and stopped moving.
[Clidian of the Black Sun has been defeated.]
[Player Hamino’s level increased from 18 to 19!]
[Achievement ‘Defeated the Black Sun (Legend)’ obtained!]
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Requirement: Clear Clidian of the Black Sun with 3 or fewer players
-
Effect: Intelligence +3
A status window popped up before my eyes. Minho, checking from Venti’s shoulder, smiled at the last line.
[Congratulations! Reputation increased by 4!]
Of course, 3 or more points were given.
Then Venti asked:
“How much reputation did you get, Minho?”
“4. That’s enough.”
Time left: 1 hour 40 minutes. Enough to clear the second floor.
Venti smiled.
“Then, let’s go. To clear the second-floor boss!”
“Yeah. Let’s do it.”
“Hold tight! I’ll move at top speed!”
“Uh?”
Tatatat!
“Waaah! Venti! Slow down!”
Venti ran like crazy with me on his shoulders.
A little later, in the Infinite Apartment:
“Mm! Mmm! Spicy! But delicious! What is this, Minho?”
“It’s called tteokbokki.”
Sitting at the table, Venti was enthusiastically devouring the snack combo: tteokbokki, fried food, and sundae—the perfect balance. The spiciness of the tteok was neutralized by the fried food and sundae, alternating between sweet and spicy. When the heat built up…
“Ahhh! Fruit juice! Delicious!”
He drank cold Coolpis to cool down, repeating the process endlessly.
Why were we leisurely eating tteokbokki now?
-
Haha! It’s nothing, really!
-
…Boss, that was a one-shot.
The second-floor stair boss was some Lycanthrope or whatever. Venti had sliced it in less than three seconds. This left over an hour of free time.
We could go to the third floor immediately, but…
‘Sometimes, you have to play the long game.’
I wasn’t planning to climb all the floors. I wanted to ascend as high as possible to realize my dream apartment. A long-term investment.
-
“Venti, want me to get you something delicious again?”
-
“Something delicious? Heh… sure.”
Better than rushing to the third floor, maintaining my relationship with Venti came first.
‘Feeding Venti is always worth it.’
Depending on how satisfied Venti was in the apartment, my player life would change.
Some time later…
“I’m… full…”
Venti, having finished all the tteokbokki combo, patted his belly.
“Cough, for the remaining time… lie down and rest.”
“Alright.”
Minho moved aside, guiding Venti to a beanbag in the corner. He flopped down comfortably.
“Comf… table…”
His animal ears twitched as he smiled in satisfaction.
“Minho, did I do well today?”
“You did great. You were a huge help.”
“Then, I want praise.”
“Praise? Like this?”
I gave a thumbs-up. Venti shook his head.
“No, no. Here, here.”
He leaned forward, showing the top of his head.
“…Do you want me to pat it?”
“Yeah!”
…A bit scary. A few hours ago, Venti had been mercilessly tearing apart monsters. My hand hesitated.
“Hurry.”
“Ughhh…”
Shaking, I slowly reached forward. Venti nudged his head into my palm like a cat.
‘…So soft.’
Thinking of him as a cat, hamster, or dog, I exhaled lightly and patted his head.
“Uwaaah.”
Venti naturally lay back on the beanbag, closing his eyes. About ten seconds later…
Snore, purr… snore, purrr…
‘So cute.’
I couldn’t believe this was the same person who had massacred monsters earlier. I smiled. Venti napped peacefully.
Then…
[Guest ‘Venti’ is returning to the original world.]
Venti vanished in a flash of light. Status windows popped up one after another.
[Guest ‘Venti’ is extremely satisfied with this visit!]
[Expressed liking for ‘Tteokbokki Combo’!]
[Rating: 100/10]
[Guest ‘Venti’ wants to become a regular at Infinite Apartment!]
[You seem to have talent in apartment management! : )]
[Reputation of Infinite Apartment increases! Slightly higher chance of new guests visiting!]
100 out of 10.
Minho laughed at the extravagant status window. Quiet returned to the apartment.
“Phew… time to settle accounts.”
He poured out the magic stones from his bag and roughly calculated their value.
‘About 6 million won.’
Nearly double the last hunt. Enough to cover loans, living expenses, and reinvestment for guests.
Next, check achievements and status allocation.
[Current achievements: 3]
[(Mythic) ‘Fastest to defeat Garuda’] – Strength, Agility +3
[(Mythic) ‘Fastest to defeat the Scarlet Lycanthrope’] – HP, Strength +3
[(Legendary) ‘Defeated the Black Sun’] – Intelligence +3
Three achievements, two Mythic, one Legendary, total +15 stats.
‘Hmm, with this, maybe I can become stronger than I thought.’
Still no usable combat skills, but stats alone made him almost equivalent to level 30.
‘All points from level-up will go to Agility and HP.’
Distributing all stats from level-up, I felt stronger and lighter.
“This is good.”
I took a deep breath. The most important part now:
Apartment Management.
With an extra floor, I had 1 more apartment point. Checking for upgrades…
‘Hmm, auto-cleaning is tempting, but the room isn’t big enough to matter.’
Scrolling down the list, Minho paused at one.
“Hmm?”
(8) [Bathroom/Bathtub Upgrade Package!]
-
Your current bathroom has only essential functions.
-
Upgrade it into a luxurious, dream-like space.
(Increased area, bathtub and shower booth added. 1pt)
“Not bad, huh?”
Minho peeked inside. Toilet, sink, shower—all basic but cramped. He recalled what he saw on YouTube:
-
“Having a bathtub really improves quality of life.”
-
“After work, you can soak in hot water with bath salts… it’s amazing.”
When I have my own room, I want a bathtub too. Quality of life. Bath salts. And the bathroom itself will get bigger! Almost free!
I chose the 8th package.
[Consume 1 apartment point.]
[Obtain Bathroom/Bathtub Upgrade Package!]
Messages appeared, then… rumble rumble! thud thud! The bathroom shook violently.
A moment later…
“Whoa!”
Minho’s mouth dropped open, eyes sparkling.
