Kim Songcheol got into the car and told the driver the address.

It wasn’t far from the center.

After graduation, one must enter the dungeon through the center’s stone slab.

The distance from the Center should be close.

That was one of the conditions Kim Songcheol proposed.

“I’ll be departing.”

The driver entered the Navigation Item and drove the car. The mid-size sedan smoothly accelerated out of the Center and onto the road.

Kim Songcheol sat in the back seat, watching the quickly passing scenery.

‘It’s already graduation.’

The thought of getting a house made graduation feel real.

Of course, it wasn’t a long time.

Kim Songcheol had spent approximately nine months at the Training Institute.

It was two semesters if you compared it to university, but it was also enough time.

To get used to a place like the Training Institute, that is.

He remembered the first time he met Kim Myeongju. The image of her bowing her head so low it almost touched his knees, asking for help, was still vivid in his mind.

Even then, he secretly thought, ‘How much help could I really be?’

Now, nine months later, Kim Songcheol was already changing the Republic of Korea.

Thinking about it, he felt a bit bewildered.

He had only diligently learned Magic, but it felt like his surroundings had changed.

To be a person for whom the country even provides a house.

He even felt a bit awkward.

“We’ve arrived.”

Kim Songcheol snapped out of his thoughts at the driver’s voice. Looking around, he saw it was a residential area.

It was his first time here.

Through the window, he saw Kim Myeongju, dressed in a suit, walking towards them.

“Thank you. You can go back now.”

Kim Songcheol said a few words, intending to take Kim Myeongju’s car, then got out of his.

“You’ve arrived? Haha.”

Kim Myeongju gave a light laugh and greeted him.

“Yes. Is there a house here?”

“Yes, just turn this alley and it’s right there.”

Kim Songcheol looked around.

‘This is an expensive neighborhood.’

He remembered feeling this way when he visited a rich friend’s neighborhood as a child.

Similar red brick houses lined up, and each house had a spacious yard.

Kim Songcheol followed Kim Myeongju into the alley. Well-paved asphalt awaited them.

It wasn’t a narrow alley, but a path wide enough for a car.

“Here it is.”

Kim Myeongju stopped in front of a house.

“Huh?”

Kim Songcheol’s mouth gaped slightly as he examined the house. From the exterior visible over the fence, it was not what he expected.

The plot was incredibly large, but that wasn’t particularly surprising.

This was because there were three houses on the property.

So, it looked like there was one main house and two annexes.

“Please come in.”

Kim Myeongju opened the main gate and led Kim Songcheol inside.

First, a well-tended garden greeted them.

The lawn was damp as if it had just been watered, and beautiful trees showed off their appearance in the garden.

Kim Songcheol stepped onto a path made of elegant marble and went inside.

As expected, the three houses immediately caught his eye.

One was a completely separate annex, and one was connected to the main house, with the passage enclosed in transparent glass.

It had a distinctly modern atmosphere, quite different from a typical house.

Kim Songcheol glanced behind him. Situated on a gentle hillside, the view was wide open without any obstructions. He could see beyond the neighborhood to the distant city center, and even the Capital.

“How much does a place like this… cost?”

Kim Songcheol asked.

“Is the price important? What matters is whether you like it, haha.”

Kim Myeongju guided Kim Songcheol into the house. It seemed she had already completed the reconnaissance.

Her explanation was seamless.

“A special feature is the movie theater in the basement. It’s a bit small, but it should be perfectly fine for watching movies.”

The main house was considerable. It had a two-story structure, and not to mention the bedrooms or guest rooms, even the kitchen and bathrooms were truly luxurious.

There was a swimming pool in the backyard, and one of the annexes was set up as a gym for exercising.

The other annex had a villa-like atmosphere. It seemed perfect for inviting acquaintances over for a party.

“Well, do you like it?”

After touring the entire house, the question came to Kim Songcheol as he stepped out into the yard.

Kim Songcheol looked back at Kim Myeongju. Her expression was a little hopeful.

It was as if she was asking, ‘How is it? It’s good, isn’t it?’

“Uh…”

After a moment of thought, Kim Songcheol decided to express his honest feelings.

“Isn’t it too big? I’ll be living alone anyway.”

“Oh, is that so?”

A hint of disappointment briefly crossed Kim Myeongju’s face, but it didn’t last long.

“It’s the best place, so I showed it to you first… I should have shown it to you last, haha.”

“It’s really nice. It’s good, but, how should I say… it’s too spacious. When I talk in the living room, I hear an echo.”

“Ah, I see. Then there’s nothing to be done. Of course, other houses are prepared. Ones where you won’t hear an echo, haha.”

Kim Myeongju had prepared a total of five houses. She had carefully reviewed dozens of candidates and narrowed them down to five.

The first of these was this house, and the second house was a very spacious apartment. It was a penthouse with a good view, but it had the disadvantage of being a bit far from the Capital.

The third house was also a spacious officetel. A unique feature was that several Hunters lived there. It was originally built for the residence of Hunters.

The fourth house was a detached house.

It wasn’t a very spacious place, neither the yard nor the house itself.

Unlike the modern and sophisticated feel of the first house, it exuded a tranquil atmosphere from its exterior.

It was a single-story structure, and the house was approximately 40 pyeong.

It wasn’t too far from the center either.

Kim Myeongju put this house on the list because for some reason, she thought it would suit Kim Songcheol.

There weren’t any other particular advantages to the place, so she hesitated but then impulsively added it to the list.

However, Kim Songcheol was really taken with this fourth house.

“This place is nice, isn’t it?”

Kim Songcheol said, sitting in the rocking chair in the yard. Behind him was a small flower garden, and well-tended plants in the garden showed off their beautiful appearance.

That elegant flower garden and Kim Songcheol sitting in the rocking chair suited each other quite well.

“Still, you should check the inside too.”

“Should I?”

Kim Songcheol followed Kim Myeongju into the house.

Indeed, it exuded an atmosphere similar to its modest exterior. It had been remodeled with a comfortable and warm interior.

Furniture made of wood was predominant, and it felt like nothing was trying to show off, simply holding its place.

The lighting was also calm, perfect for practicing magic.

“It’s nice. Shall we take this one?”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

Kim Songcheol asked, because Kim Myeongju seemed to be hesitating a bit.

“This place is relatively inexpensive. There’s a chance people might say I neglected to properly host you, so…”

“Oh, it’s a house I’ll live in, so it doesn’t matter. I’ll take this one.”

Kim Songcheol said firmly and went out to the yard.

He liked the house, but the tranquil yard was the real gem, so to speak.

Kim Songcheol lay back in the rocking chair once again.

He genuinely liked this house.

So much so that he was grateful to Kim Myeongju for finding it.

***

Kim Songcheol returned to the Training Institute. He got off at the main gate and entered the training ground.

Under the scorching midday sun, swordsmen were sweating profusely during their training.

Some swordsmen were sparring in the center of the training ground, while others were doing physical training by circling the track.

It was a familiar sight. Kim Songcheol took one last look at them. He could even see the sweat drops, sparkling in the sunlight, falling onto the grass.

The grass would grow even greener, nourished by those sweat drops.

Just like the hunters of the Training Institute.

Kim Songcheol slowly walked along the path behind the training ground.

Circling the training ground, he came to the gymnasium. Next to the gymnasium was the Deokam Hall, where swordsmen attended their theory classes. And next to that was the dormitory.

Kim Songcheol entered the dormitory.

The house was decided, so now all he needed to do was move in.

All he had to do was pack his necessary belongings.

The rest would be taken care of.

Kim Songcheol took the elevator and familiar with the routine, pressed the 16th-floor button.

The elevator ascended quickly.

Ding.

Before he knew it, he had arrived on the 16th floor.

The elevator doors opened.

Kim Songcheol stepped out of the elevator without a thought and turned the corner.

Bam-ba-bam-ba-bam!

Bam-ba-bam-ba-bam, bam!

Suddenly, loud music blared. Kim Songcheol cast a spell out of habit, but the opponent was not a monster.

“Congratulations, congratulations!”

Beyond the corner were the Training Institute students.

Suji, Minjeong, and Mincheol, who had taken his first magic class with him.

Team 25A Oh Songhui, Seo Gangjin, and Moon Gijeong, who had entered the first dungeon with him.

Even Kang Hyecaste, Lee Yong-chan, and Park Ha-su from Team 24C, who had been with him in the Training Institute’s last dungeon.

They were holding a handmade placard that read, ‘Congratulations on your graduation, Brother Kim Songcheol!’

A4 papers were taped together in a long line, and the fonts were all different, as if different people had written them. The letter colors were also varied, and next to some letters, flower drawings or a caricature of Kim Songcheol were drawn.

“Congratulations! Congratulations on your graduation!”

Pa-ba-ba-ba, bam!

They all looked at Kim Songcheol with smiling faces.

It seemed they were pleased that Kim Songcheol had been startled.

Even the magic formation briefly appeared and then disappeared, so the plan could be considered a success.

Kim Songcheol looked at Kang Hyecaste with a look that said he had been tricked.

There were two reasons why Kim Songcheol hadn’t detected the trainees until he turned the corner.

He hadn’t expanded his senses as he would when entering a dungeon, and Kang Hyecaste had temporarily deployed a force field that blocked the flow of mana.

If Kim Songcheol had expanded his senses, he wouldn’t have been fooled by something so trivial.

“You, what I taught you…”

“Didn’t you teach it to me to use in times like this, brother? Haha.”

Kang Hyecaste laughed and stepped aside. Then, Oh Songhui, holding a cake, came forward from behind him.

The cake was densely packed with candles, with no gaps. There seemed to be at least 100 of them.

When Kang Hyecaste lit them with rupture magic, the candles blazed like a campfire.

“Guys, I’m thirty-one. Not a hundred years old,” Kim Songcheol said, pulling his head back slightly, because the flames were so fierce that they seemed like they would burn his bangs.

Kim Songcheol said, pulling his head back slightly, because the flames were so fierce that they seemed like they would burn his bangs.

“This is how we do it for Training Institute graduations. It’s a tradition, brother.”

Park Ha-su, who could be considered the most senior among the trainees gathered here, said.

The Training Institute doesn’t usually have graduation ceremonies.

Graduating from the Normal Training Institute is to fill the vacancies of hunters.

That means someone has died, and there was a slight contradiction in officially holding a graduation ceremony to celebrate a graduation.

So, other trainees usually take care of a trainee’s graduation.

By sticking a cake full of candles, meaning to live long.

“So you want me to blow these out?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Since I’m not a Swordsman, I don’t need to blow them out, right?”

“Swordsmen also extinguish them with Aura, big brother.”

“Oh, really?”

Kim Songcheol grinned and waved his finger. Then, the attack magic Wind Cutter appeared and swept across the cake.

The Wind Cutter precisely grazed only the tips of the candles.

All the candles were extinguished in an instant.

“Whoa! Congratulations! On your graduation!”

“Congratulations, big brother!”

Kim Songcheol completely graduated from the Training Institute, receiving congratulations from his fellow Training Institute students.

He moved to a new residence, and time flew by as he trained in dungeons and magic simultaneously.

21 days after graduating from the Training Institute.

Kim Songcheol felt that the time had come.