TUFMSU 07

The Only S-Rank Perfumer Who Became Seongsu’s Uncle

CHAPTER 07: The Shadow of an S-Rank Building

After some investigation, I managed to find a fairly well-known licensed real estate agent in Seoul.

Jingle… jingle…

“Is this the real estate office that specializes in connecting Hunters?”

“Yes, you’ve come to the right place.”

A thin man in his mid-50s, wearing a suit and adjusting his glasses, answered me.

Judging by his age, he definitely seemed experienced.

However, for someone dealing with Hunters, his build was surprisingly frail—at least compared to me, 176 cm tall.

‘Maybe… 160 cm at most?’

Despite his unassuming appearance, the agent guided me efficiently.

“There’s no one in this area who understands Hunter preferences better than I do.”

‘He’s not lying… he’s pretty confident.’

I didn’t have a lie-detection skill, but I did have Superhuman Sense of Smell.

From his body, I couldn’t detect cortisol—the stress hormone that typically spikes when someone lies.

That kind of physiological response can’t be controlled at will.

Just like breathing is essential for survival, it’s an automatic biological reaction.

Thanks to this ability, I was rarely deceived face-to-face.

I asked him to find a building under 3 billion won, and he brought me a full list of available properties.

Heavy physical files contained old building records, while tablets displayed recent photos.

“Do you see anything you like?”

“Hmm…”

I had only ever lived in one-room or two-room apartments, so I had never had a chance to buy a building like this.

I wasn’t familiar with real estate at all, so I needed to see them in person.

“Can we visit them today?”

“Yes, let’s go together.”

Since the deal was large, he didn’t show any reluctance and guided me professionally.

We drove around Seoul in his car.

Buildings near subway stations.

Buildings with high foot traffic.

Buildings surrounded by IT companies.

We visited many locations like that.

Time passed

When we started, it was morning.

Now it was 3 PM.

Even the agent, who had maintained a smile all day, now silently focused on driving, clearly exhausted.

To change the mood, I turned on the radio and opened the window.

Fresh air rushed in.

• International Hunter News.
• A boss monster that escaped an S-Rank dungeon break in the U.S. four years ago is still at large.
• Unusually, it steals valuable items.
• It has raided storage facilities of the American Hunter Association and several other countries.
• Its whereabouts remain unknown.
• The species is…

Listening to the strange news while breathing fresh air made me feel better.

‘Hmm… the air here is clean.’

The area we were passing through had become increasingly desolate.

No convenience stores.

No buildings.

Just dirt roads and traces of heavy machinery.

Even for the outskirts of Seoul, this was unusual.

But my nose picked up something else.

“Wait!!!”

“Y-yes?!”

I shouted suddenly, and the moving car slammed to a stop.

Luckily, there were no other vehicles nearby.

The startled agent looked around, then at me.

“What is it?!”

“That building over there!”

“A building?”

I pointed through the left window.

The agent squinted and leaned forward.

“Oh, that one…”

“Let’s go see that building!”

He looked reluctant, but couldn’t refuse my insistence.

The Building

It wasn’t an ordinary building.

A 10-story structure surrounded by devices powered by monster mana stones.

Yet its design was sleek enough to belong in downtown Seoul.

If someone showed a photo of this building next to the barren wasteland around it, they would think it was edited.

‘It doesn’t belong here at all.’

The building itself was lifeless, but because of the mana stones embedded in it, it radiated magical energy like a monster.

Its mana output was comparable to an S-rank boss monster.

I couldn’t understand why something so extraordinary was placed in such an isolated area.

“What exactly is this building?”

“This place is…”

The agent’s expression turned unusually serious.

For the first time, he stopped treating me like a client and spoke like a person sharing something heavy.

“Can I smoke for a moment?”

“…Go ahead.”

I stepped away and waited as he smoked.

After a moment, he began explaining.

The building was constructed five years ago, in 2035, by an S-rank Hunter architect from Korea.

At the time, there were rumors of massive redevelopment centered around this building.

Property values in the area skyrocketed.

“It was chaos back then. They said it was a landmark building created by someone named Cheon-gang.”

“So why did it end up like this?”

“There were… a lot of problems.”

It turned out government-linked real estate officials had already bought up nearby land before the rumors spread.

With massive money and high-level corruption involved, development moved quickly.

Buildings within a 700-meter radius were demolished.

But things didn’t go as planned.

Speculation scandals were exposed, and even the president publicly addressed the issue.

Several officials were arrested, and redevelopment halted entirely.

As a result, land prices collapsed.

“This place was insane back then.”

“But how do you know so much for a broker?”

The agent scratched his head awkwardly.

“…I used to own land nearby.”

Ah.

He had also been one of those who got swept up in the redevelopment hype.

“What’s the price of this building now?”

“Are you seriously thinking of buying it?!”

He adjusted his slipping glasses in shock.

After checking quickly, he answered:

“It was 7 billion at first… now it’s dropped to 2.1 billion.”

“For a Hunter-made building, that’s cheap.”

“Look around you. Buying this for 2.1 billion is insane—ah, I mean…”

He quickly covered his mouth, realizing he said too much.

‘Well… from a normal perspective, this place does look insane.’

But I had .

Once I visited a place, I could travel anywhere through portals.

In fact, the isolation was convenient.

No people meant no interference with Yurang or my work.

“Is electricity still working here?”

“Let me check.”

After a few calls, the agent returned.

“The owner wants to meet you today.”

That was actually good news.

Because…

‘There’s something strange about this place.’

I agreed.

Meeting the Owner

We met at a small unmanned café.

Jingle… jingle.

A large man entered.

And the moment I saw him, my thoughts froze.

‘No way… it can’t be him, right?’

He wore a blue tracksuit set.

A complete “local unemployed guy” look.

About 180 cm tall, plump face, freshly washed—water and lotion smell still lingering.

‘He only washed his face.’

I tried not to rely on my Superhuman Sense of Smell too much.

He walked toward us.

“You’re here to see the building?”

“Yes, this gentleman is interested.”

The agent introduced me.

The man looked at me half-lidded.

“You a Hunter?”

“…Yes. The building itself seems good.”

“Oh, so you didn’t hear the rumors.”

“…?”

Seeing my confusion, he brought coffee and sat down.

“How much do you know?”

“I heard redevelopment was stalled.”

“Then you didn’t hear the part about it being an unlucky building.”

I turned slowly toward the agent.

He lowered his head, sweating.

Apparently, the building wasn’t just frozen due to redevelopment—it was infamous for bringing misfortune.

Three years ago, people who bought it often suffered disasters.

Businesses failed.

Family accidents occurred.

Unfortunate events kept happening.

The agent had known but intentionally didn’t mention it.

‘This smell… it’s connected.’

I took a sip of coffee while processing everything.

“Why are you telling me this? What if I decide not to buy it?”

The owner replied calmly despite his sloppy appearance.

“My father runs a company. He told me not to scam people. I inherited this building from a relative anyway, so I don’t really care.”

Despite his appearance, he was clearly rich.

A man who casually inherited a 2.1 billion won property.

But unlike typical rich heirs, he seemed well-raised.

‘Rough exterior, but not a bad person.’

I asked what I had been curious about.

“Is water and electricity available?”

“Water and power are currently cut, but they can be restored if you pay.”

“I see.”

While I looked up thoughtfully, both men watched me.

I already had my decision, but I tested the waters.

“Can I look around until tomorrow?”

“Nighttime too?”

“Yes. If it’s really that unlucky, maybe I’ll see a ghost.”

“….”

“….”

They looked stunned.

The owner then made an unexpected offer.

“If you sign within three days, I’ll sell it for 1.5 billion.”

He wanted to get rid of it quickly, even if he didn’t scam me.

I told him I would decide after inspecting it.

He left briefly, then returned with a set of master keys.

“Some doors use mana locks, but most glass doors can be opened manually. Take your time looking around.”

“Got it.”

As we left, the sky had already turned red with sunset.

I declined the agent’s offer to drive me back.

Because…

• Kraaaang!!!

Yurang was screaming in my mind.

I had been visiting him between stops, but he was clearly hungry again.

I entered a narrow alley and opened a portal back to the workshop.

The moment I saw him, I started aggressively rubbing his pink belly.

“Let’s see how hungry you are, you little troublemaker!”

“Woooof!”

He kicked playfully, clearly enjoying it, then bit my hand lightly.

Feeling a bit guilty for not playing with him earlier, I prepared beef and pork, topping it with catnip and supplements.

He devoured it instantly.

After some playtime and a bath in the rubber basin, he finally collapsed.

“Haa… haa…”

He fell asleep completely exhausted.

Back at the Building

I returned through the portal.

The building’s exterior lights were still functioning despite the power outage.

“Wow… even the mana stone lights still work.”

I entered the building.

The first floor was a wide open lobby.

Empty.

But my nose caught something again.

‘The smell is getting stronger inside.’

At first I thought it was the mana stones.

But deeper inside, I smelled something else.

Monster traces.

Recent ones.

My Superhuman Sense of Smell is EX-rank, but it has limitations.

If there’s no airflow—like underground or sealed spaces—detection becomes harder.

Still, I traced the strongest scent.

‘Here?’

A normal-looking floor.

But my instincts screamed otherwise.

I opened a portal and pulled out a prepared device.

A massive concert-level speaker.

Connected it to a portable generator.

Then I played the loudest rock music I had.

• KIIIIIIIIIIIAAA!!!

The sound shook the room violently.

After five minutes—

Something reacted.

Swoosh!

In a split second, I saw it.

A black shadow erupted from the ground and sliced the speaker in two.

And then—

I opened a portal again and pulled out prepared perfume vials.

Thin glass tubes like lab equipment.

I wrapped them around my fingers.

At that moment—

“WHO THE HELL IS IT!!!”

Something burst out of the ground.

A box.

A red treasure chest covered in diamonds.

But my nose already knew what it was.

Name: None
Species: Mimic
Title: “The Brightest Mimic”
Rank: S+
Strength: B Stamina: A
Agility: A Skill: S+
Mana: S Luck: S

The source of the strange smell…

was a boss monster that had escaped from an S-rank dungeon.