Herding the Flame Slimes inward was an effortless task.

Pubeong! Pubeong! Pubeong!

Lea, equipped with the Dragon Scale Shield, carved the path forward.

Huuuuuung!

Maya sent dozens of Flame Slimes flying inward.

“Zones 59, 84, and 97!”

Kwaaaaaaaang!

And dropping a massive meteor squarely into the center of the conveniently clustered Flame Slimes—that was his job.

Hwaaaaaaak!

“Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat! Hat…!”

By now, Lea could block the shockwaves on her own without Maya’s assistance.

Kwagwagwagwagwagwang!

“Haaaaaaat!”

The large and small rocks flying in at tremendous speeds were likewise blocked single-handedly by Lea using Dragon’s Tenacity.

Without yielding a single millimeter from her position on the ground.

Pabang! Pabang!

And the rocks falling from above were deflected by Maya’s Barrier of Atmosphere.

Truly….

It was a flawless combination!

[You have cleared the 22nd floor of Tower 25.]

[22 Magic Stones will be provided.]

[Automatic return in 10 seconds.]

“Return!”

Supapat!

[Amazing Achievement accomplished!]

[As a special reward for the Amazing Achievement, 1 Random Box has been provided.]

“I’ll clean up the Magic Stones!”

Lea scooped the Magic Stones into boxes and organized them with the reflexive precision of muscle memory.

She could probably land a job at a delivery company as an experienced hire by now.

One Magic Stone weighed roughly one kilogram.

The number of Magic Stones collected so far was 489.

That meant nearly 500 kilograms of Magic Stones piled up, and…

Was the house going to collapse under the weight?

He seriously wondered if he needed to buy a house just because of the Magic Stones.

He could, of course, entrust Yoon Changdae with selling them on his behalf, but he didn’t want to use him for something like this just yet.

Perhaps he simply wanted to handle money-related matters on his own.

So.

…Let’s endure just a little longer.

“Maya, would you like to do the unboxing again this time?”

“This humble one shall attempt to obtain fine loot for Your Highness.”

Maya gathered every ounce of her focus and opened the Random Box with a reverent posture.

Peng!

[You have obtained 10 Magic Stones.]

A shadow fell across Maya’s smile.

“…I beg your forgiveness, Your Highness. Through this humble one’s failing, I was unable to present Your Highness with loot worthy of your station.”

“It’s fine. Lea pulled a lot of Magic Stones too.”

Lea’s body flinched as she was organizing the Magic Stone boxes.

“Is that so. It seems my luck has run dry, so perhaps Your Highness should personally grace the next attempt.”

Oh my, already trying to back out?

A sudden urge welled up in Shin Jungho to see Maya’s limit(?), just as he had with Lea.

“It’s one win and one loss. You pulled something incredible the first time—where would that luck go? I’m sure something good will come out next.”

“…If Your Highness so desires, this humble one shall venture forth once more.”

And so, the 23rd floor was cleared.

[Amazing Achievement accomplished!]

[As a special reward for the Amazing Achievement, 1 Random Box has been provided.]

“I’ll clean up the Magic Stones!”

“Maya, go ahead and pull.”

“May this humble one’s earnest wish reach the heavens.”

Peng!

[You have obtained 111 Magic Stones.]

Warureureureu!

Magic Stones poured out in heaps, leaving no room to stand.

“I’ll clean up the Magic Stones!”

“Th-this humble one shall assist as well!”

The two girls diligently swept the Magic Stones into containers.

“Your Highness… it seems this humble one’s loot luck has reached its end…”

“What are you talking about? 111 Magic Stones is 111 million won! That’s a pretty good haul, I’m telling you!”

“However… there is no longer room to set foot in the house…”

“It’s fine. If it comes to that, we can stand the bed upright and fill the space in front with Magic Stones.”

“And where would Your Highness sleep in that case?”

“I’ll lay a futon on top of the Magic Stone boxes and sleep there. If we leave the box lids open, it’ll be like acupressure—sounds nice, right? That’d make it what, a 200-million-won bed?”

“Y-Your Highness… please show mercy…”

“Oh, that could happen. Come on, Maya’s opening the Random Box tomorrow too!”

“Your Highness…!”

And the next day arrived.

[You have cleared the 24th floor of Tower 25.]

[24 Magic Stones will be provided.]

[Automatic return in 10 seconds.]

“I’ll clean up the Magic Stones!”

[Amazing Achievement accomplished!]

[As a special reward for the Amazing Achievement, 1 Random Box has been provided.]

“Come on, Maya! Try, try!”

Shin Jungho beamed as he egged Maya on.

Maya, however…

felt a terror she had never experienced in her entire life!

What if Magic Stones came spilling out again…!

At the very least, she prayed for a Tower Entry Ticket…!

The space to store Magic Stones was already dwindling…!

Her vision swam before her eyes.

Had she… ever feared anything like this before?

“Th-this humble one can no longer commit sins against Your Highness…!”

These were special rewards obtainable only once per floor—nothing to trifle with.

And she had already squandered two of those precious rewards.

Far from producing anything that could be of use to Your Highness, she had drawn nothing but Magic Stones—which were now practically a nuisance!

Lea offered Maya a word of encouragement.

“I’ll clean up the Magic Stones!”

“I haven’t opened it yet!”

To utter such a horrifying phrase as “Magic Stones”!

The jinx had already been spoken.

If she opened it now, she was certain Magic Stones would come out—and the thought terrified her.

But Shin Jungho, whether he understood her feelings or not, simply kept smiling and urging her on.

“Maya, that’s one win and two losses now. So if you pull one more, the wins and losses will be even, right?”

Just yesterday, he had called 111 Magic Stones a decent haul…

Since when was that two losses?

“Y-Your Highness… this humble one has already opened three boxes, so perhaps it is now Your Highness’s turn…”

At this point, Shin Jungho unleashed an unguardable attack.

“Come on, even Lea pulled five times in a row. Maya’s stopping at just three?”

“…!”

Lea had done this… five times?

In that instant, Lea—who had been diligently picking up Magic Stones—seemed like an incredibly magnanimous person.

Somehow, her eyes met Lea’s.

And the corner of Lea’s mouth seemed to twitch ever so slightly upward.

As if to say:

“Is that all you’ve got?”

“This humble one shall… attempt the challenge once more…!”

This was a battle she could not retreat from.

Even Lea had pulled five times.

No matter how frightened she was, stopping at three would be an unbearable disgrace before Your Highness.

Maya composed herself with the solemnity of one washing away every stain clinging to her soul.

Several deep breaths rose and fell.

When Maya opened her eyes, her gaze held a fervent devotion more intense than ever before.

“This humble one shall draw.”

After uttering those words laden with desperate resolve.

Seureuk.

She untied the knot without hesitation.

Peng.

[You have obtained 1 Magic Stone.]

Maya’s eyes, which had sparkled like stars in the night sky…

…reverted to a pitch-black void.

“Maya? …Maya?”

It took quite some time for Maya to come back to her senses.

Still, the day had not yet ended.

There was still one more chance to clear a floor.

[You have cleared the 25th floor of Tower 25.]

[25 Magic Stones and 1 Stamina Recovery Potion will be provided.]

[Automatic return in 10 seconds.]

“I’ll clean up the Magic Stones!”

[Amazing Achievement accomplished!]

[As a special reward for the Amazing Achievement, 1 Random Box has been provided.]

“Maya! If you open this one, you’ll be tied with Lea at five!”

Maya collapsed face-down on the floor.

“Please strike this humble one down!”

Hmm…

That last one had certainly seemed like her limit.

To be fair, pulling a single Magic Stone at the end was a bit of a critical hit.

How do you get just one Magic Stone in the twenties?

But surely the luck had to accumulate by this point—should he try pushing once more?

“Maya, this time a Free Summon Ticket might come out, and the vibe is good…”

“This humble one shall serve Your Highness with every ounce of her worthless being until her body crumbles to dust! So… please… spare this humble one from the punishment of unboxing!”

She had sunk.

Maya too.

He had assumed a mage would have far stronger mental fortitude, but perhaps not?

Or maybe she was simply too young and lacked the experience.

Shin Jungho finally decided to step up and open the Random Box himself.

This dungeon had actually yielded a Stamina Recovery Potion.

An item usable only by superhumans, it instantly healed most injuries short of severe wounds.

It was quite rare, and for superhumans without a Return Ticket, it was essentially a spare life—so it traded at a premium.

The price was somewhere around 1 billion won, if he recalled correctly…

The problem was that all the luck accumulated(?) from drawing nothing but Magic Stones…

…had been channeled into the Stamina Recovery Potion, meaning the Random Box would probably only produce something like a Tower Entry Ticket.

Hmm…

“Lea, would you happen to…”

“I’ll clean up the Magic Stones!”

Hadn’t that become a little too natural coming from her mouth?

Right.

He needed to show them that he could pull a dud too—then maybe both of them would recover their spirits.

Peng!

[You have obtained the Universal Skill ‘Dimensional Room.’]

Whoa…

That was not a dud…

“My Lord! Heaven and earth have been moved, and they answer your virtue! You have obtained the rarest skill in all the world!”

“Your Highness! Your magnanimity has shaken the nine heavens, and a peerless skill that appears but once in a millennium has found its way to you! This humble one’s tears of emotion so cloud her vision that she cannot properly behold Your Highness’s radiance!”

…Do either of you even know what this skill does?

Truly remarkable, both of them.

Shin Jungho smiled wryly as he examined his newly acquired skill.

[Dimensional Room]

– Designate a door to connect to the Dimensional Room.

– Requires 1 Source Stone to create one room.

– Only one can be created.

Could this be…

A subspace?

It was a skill name he had never heard of before.

And it was likely connected to Meteor Summoning, the skill he had obtained upon awakening.

Superhumans tended to have their class fixed based on the skill they obtained upon awakening.

A superhuman who gained beginner swordsmanship would primarily acquire swordsman skills as they climbed the Tower.

A superhuman who gained Fireball would primarily acquire fire magic, and so on.

Then what about Meteor Summoning?

Should he call it magic, or something else entirely?

Still, obtaining this skill seemed to reveal at least one thing.

It likely belonged to a dimension-related category.

No superhuman in the world could use an inventory or subspace yet.

But he had obtained the extraordinary skill called Dimensional Room, effectively making him the first person to possess a subspace.

The problem was…

Connecting the Dimensional Room required a whopping one Source Stone.

And on top of that, he could create only a single room.

In this situation, the best course of action would be to purchase a house.

But even if he bought a house, he had no way to secretly transport that bloated Summoning Stone.

Above all, unless he converted the Magic Stones into cash, he didn’t even have the money to buy one.

What was the best course of action?!

Shin Jungho researched the surrounding property values.

The method of registering as a stealth superhuman with the Superhuman Management Agency.

The method of selling Magic Stones on the black market, and so on.

He meticulously reviewed every option.

All the way until the next morning!

And after all that research, the conclusion he reached was…

Exactly this.

“Hello, I’m Shin Jungho, the tenant in unit 601. You mentioned before that you had put the place on the market. If it’s still available, would it be possible for me to purchase it?”

He would make the studio apartment he was currently renting his own property.

* * *

“The contract is complete. The property now belongs to you, sir.”

Purchasing the studio apartment was simpler than expected.

He combined his savings so far…

…with a hefty loan…

…visited a real estate agent, signed enthusiastically alongside the landlord, and that was that.

The studio had been on the market for a while, so once the price was agreed upon, the transaction was finalized in a flash.

Instead of paying monthly rent, he now had to pay loan interest.

But regardless, the ownership of the studio was now entirely his.

Buying a house was easier than he thought?

He hadn’t considered it before, caught up in various other matters.

But securing his own home was the most important matter of all.

What would have happened if the landlord suddenly wanted to inspect the place, or someone showed up wanting to buy it?

There had been no contact from the real estate agency, and the landlord had never visited or reached out, so he hadn’t given it any thought at all.

In hindsight, he had overlooked the most critical problem.

The darkest place is right under the lamp!

Kkiik-

Cheolkeok!

When he opened the front door and stepped inside, the two girls greeted him.

“I trust you encountered no troubles, my Lord!”

“This humble one’s heart is so relieved that Your Highness has returned safely.”

We just saw each other an hour ago…

Was it the thought that this was now his own home?

The studio he had always looked at felt somehow warmer and more familiar.

But.

The Summoning Stone, sitting there as if it owned the studio, displaying its imposing figure…

Tiamat’s Staff, which was now completely useless—not even serviceable as a chair…

And the boxes filled with nearly 700 Magic Stones…

Looking at all of it, his breath caught in his throat.

That was why, no matter how he looked at it, this was the right answer.

Shin Jungho took a Source Stone and created the Dimensional Room on the bathroom door.

Hwaaaak-!

Along with a brilliant flash of light, he intuitively sensed that the bathroom door now connected to somewhere else.

Beolkeok!

When he opened the bathroom door…

A white cubic room appeared, roughly three meters in width, length, and height.

He had purchased a studio apartment and come home…

…and a two-room apartment was born.