Chapter 75: All-In

“Ugh, my neck feels strangely stiff? Sorry. Weird… I suddenly fell asleep?”

“You too? Feels like someone hit the back of my head. A bit refreshing too? Anyway, sorry. Seems no leak in 203.”

Phew.

Luckily, no mishap of the two male bodies from 203 being moved in zip bags and caught on CCTV.

I used recovery magic to erase wounds and make it non-suspicious.

<Unconscious LV1>

And a fact I learned while first using the stone as a weapon.

All stones from the random box have the status effect Unconscious as an additional effect.

So. Not dying from pain or anything, just caught in simple CC Unconscious.

“Anyway, we’ll be going.”

“Ah, yes. Take care.”

At first I accepted rudely, but now I’m sending them off politely.

Of course.

If I don’t feel remorse after cracking their heads, I’m a psychopath.

“Take care, I live right above, haha. Oh, what’s the baby’s name?”

Ah, haven’t made one.

“Ah, that’s……”

“I’m Princess!”

“Heh heh, name is Princess? Aigoo, yes, yes. Young man, the little one is cute now, but spoiling kids too much ruins habits—tell that to her mom. So, Princess. Study well?”

She looks about 3 years old externally—what studying?

“Yes, anyway, no leaks in sink or bathroom. Pipes mostly fine too. Turn on hot water and you’ll see. Stopped by 103 too—they say no more leaks except the day you cleaned. Probably not a leak, but the cleaning was the issue.”

“Ah, yes, yes.”

“Probably no leak unless someone splashes water on the wall. No need to worry. Still, avoid cleaning with water if possible.”

“I see.”

“Then we’ll go.”

“Uh, yes. Young man, put away that lewd doll. Bad for the kid.”

I forgot to erase the perception and memory of being a weirdo playing with lewd dolls during memory deletion.

Thus sent off the landlord grandpa and leak detector.

“Phew.”

Somehow overcame the crisis.

“Sigh, Princess. Sorry for the noise while sleeping?”

I try to lift the fairy princess.

Huh?

“Hmph!”

Princess pouts and turns her head sharply.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Why say you love!?”

“0+……”

She remembers what I said when boarding the Nightmare Queen into the rice cooker.

“P-Princess more! I love you a lot?!”

“……Hmph.”

“N-Next time I’ll buy a gift, Princess! Only for the one I love more.”

“Pii…….. heeheehee.”

<Words of loving me more +300>

Still, she likes being loved more.

“I can hang like this?”

When I hug her, she hangs on my shoulder with one arm—unlike her size, not baby-like.

No, wait.

“You grew?”

“Yes!”

Gotta expand at least one more room?

Growth rate is scary.

The fairy princess seems to have grown another 10 months in just days.

Head slightly smaller, arms and legs longer.

Was 2-3 years old, now looks 3-4.

The landlord grandpa remembers her as a baby.

“Queen? Don’t you need new clothes?”

With outsiders gone, the Nightmare Queen lying prone on my desk like a photoshoot, covering herself, said.

“I have magic to materialize illusionary clothing—wait until the perceived outfit materializes.”

Figure-sized nude, but this is more distracting.

A naked woman in a man’s room corner proves this man leads a healthy(?) active sex life.

But a figure-sized naked female doll proves……

This man has unusual tastes not recommended for normals.

Damn.

As the queen said, outlines form on her butt and back, gradually shaping into a swimsuit.

I look away to not care and ask.

“What came out that the cooker became a sea of fire? What’s all this ash?”

“Crabs.”

“Crabs?”

“They just dumped crabs from our world indiscriminately. Thousands of crabs fell, spewing foam—numbers were overwhelming, so I burned them.”

Not something fire-related, but burned due to sheer quantity.

“Had levels?”

“Just aquatic creatures we use as ingredients.”

Now sending their aquatic creatures to make harmful otherworld species?

Swept the ashes—there were claw-like things.

“Doesn’t seem dangerous, could’ve gone easy……”

“Wanted to, but suddenly the dungeon interior got too hot.”

Well, heat spreads fast.

“Hey, cooker. You okay?”

[Fine except heartburn……]

RiceCookerMan is a spirit, uses spirit power for self-recovery.

Should be fine.

[Can’t put the Nightmare Queen back in?]

“Hm?”

“Huh? Why?”

[Want to fuse with her!]

“……You crazy?”

Fuse.

N-No way.

Where does this lewd cooker get such insane ideas?

Overheated and broken?

“I don’t want to.”

Even the Nightmare Queen hates it.

[Could float me with magic power! Please.]

“Hey, speak clearly. Don’t say things open to interpretation. And she says no.”

Party’s opinion matters most.

[I’m back.]

After the commotion, CatMan returns from delivery knight duty.

“Oh, back?”

[Mission complete. Remove this damn dog collar?]

“It’s a cat collar.”

Gave a tag necklace to clearly distinguish CatMan, but he keeps calling it dog collar.

[Opponent said ‘dog collar on cat’—did that side lie!?]

What’s the difference? Damn.

Sent on negotiation with humans, comes back with weird stuff.

CatMan can send/receive letters via bite.

Became letter delivery CatMan—kinda Ghibli vibe.

“Trust master or that first-seen human?”

[If you hadn’t cheated rock-paper-scissors with a cat.]

“Anyway, good work. Here.”

[Ho, this is the high fish content one!]

Bestowed special snack on CatMan.

Fish sausage.

“Your hometown probably south, right? If go Busan, buy high fish content fish cakes. Work harder.”

Biting money is one thing, but running with something in mouth without opening isn’t easy.

Need oral breathing for power, right?

Not sure if cats are structured that way.

“Hm.”

Currently using CatMan as agent, negotiating burn treatment price via letters only.

Burn treatment ingredients from dead red mage corpse—no more production, save accordingly.

So can only sell 1-2 person portions, need big hit per sale.

Seems decent MOU, but wondering if need more—then.

While CatMan eats sausage for merit.

The fairy princess staring blankly……

[Aeong!?]

Snatches the sausage I offered before it enters CatMan’s mouth.

Puts it in her mouth like babies who put anything in hand.

“Yummy!”

[Hey, that’s mine!?]

CatMan startles, tries to take remaining fish from the fairy princess whose body is gradually growing larger than him.

But fairy princess’s speed is faster.

“Heehee, no give!”

[???? Give back, human!?]

“Heeheeheehee.”

CatMan throws nyang-nyang punches for stolen high fish sausage, but fairy princess.

[Kuh!? Hey, you!?]

Recognizes it as play, responds with cat paws similarly.

“Udadadada.”

[Kyaooooong.]

Hey.

I have more, you guys.

Fairy princess wanted this. Sparring with CatMan paws.

***

“2.42 kilos. Pretty big shape, how much selling for? This is 1 kilo gold bar……”

“Ah, just came for appraisal. Going.”

Spatial movement to Gongju, Chungnam.

With Nightmare Queen and fairy princess help: two equipment and storage in equipment.

So. Clothes with pockets can store in pockets.

Not yet outer wear weather, find unused public restroom via street view, use as base for spatial movement.

“Invested over 100 levels, should be this much.”

Came all the way bothersome because appraisal in Daejeon might rumor rich gold hoarder.

Went to old watch-stacked rural town gold shop, weighed exactly 2.42 kilos.

Even 2.4249 subunits, price out.

Over 200 million at current rate.

Walked town an hour, ate fish porridge and kalguksu at restaurant from Gongju name near Daejeon, returned.

Next thing to do.

“Yes, deposit ah, ahh. Yes, yes cash? Ah, good.”

Nabit academy director Jang Jong-su bit 150 million reservation in Daechi-dong.

Even after his cut, this much.

Ignore tax, gift tax, IRS tracking for now, calculate this fund……

Roughly 500 million.

From here, bank might lend against assets.

Not yet 800 million, but with MOUs, this winter 800 million, maybe more.

But building ownership needed now.

Called.

“Mom.”

[What. If money, hang up.]

It is money……

Our mother never feeds idiots at all.

Luckily won’t fall for voice phishing or million-won massagers from elder lectures.

“No, I don’t call only for money, why?”

[You Kim guys all same. Sell mom and squeeze.]

Sigh.

Surely sister drained mom’s backbone, now telling me to give mine.

This fits the proverb of getting slapped in Jongno and glaring at Han River.

Anger felt at who pinched.

“Got it. Squeeze like sesame oil. Lend money.”

[Said hang up if money?]

“No, not ask, lend.”

[Whaat? What’s difference?]

“Want to buy a building. Short 2-300 million now. Fill deposit, rest loan maybe, but first flex from mom. So not lend, investment, investment. How.”

[Crazy. What building. Jobless playing in studio?]

Sigh.

Knew she wouldn’t believe.

Anyway my mom.

Secretly loaded.

Always says stocks trash, but remember when she listed in stock app.

Of course lower than when said buy building, but not just break even, did make money.

No money can’t stock to begin with.

“Losing money is gambling, making is investment. I can earn more than that, give to mom, so lend.”

[Fine, sell mom at Indangsu]

This is mom hang up timing, so I hung first.

This time I’m not idiot trying to eat parents’ backbone with nothing.

No reason to ban feeding.

Instead video call this time.

[Haigo, video call even army didn’t do? What bullshit? Said mom no money.]

No words, just show gold and dollar bundles in hand.

Dollar bundles not just show, fan like counting fwoosh.

‘Like filming ‘what FLEX’ video.’

Mom’s eyes that big.

***

Found landlord grandpa’s individual management room on top floor of studio.

“Excuse me.”

“203 young man. What’s up? Leak again?”

Landlord grandpa sees me, suddenly scratches back of head.

Bit guilty.

“No, no leak.”

“Then, evict 204? Last time saw, total lunatic?”

Sympathy there.

“W-Well, person weird. But contract period?”

Nightmare Queen’s passive seduction resistance triggered differently.

Of course fairy princess growing human-like is trouble.

“Checked rules, not impossible to evict such tenant. Noise, refuse repair cooperation. Many complaints up down for noise.”

204 had many issues.

“Ah, yes.”

“Oh, Princess okay?”

“Yes, fine.”

“Then, leave kid? What’s matter?”

Before landlord grandpa, symbol of rich: about 2.42 kilo gold ingot.

Market nearly 200 million.

6.7 inch wide, height like stacking two and half smartphones gold, presented.

“What’s this? Ah, chocolate? Ei, no need repay for baby allowance. I managed building wrong. That inconvenience…!!”

“Uh, no. Deposit.”

“Deposit? What? Huh? Wait this real gold?”

“Roughly 200 million.”

“Haigo, expensive. But why?”

In experiment with mom, middle-aged seeing this thick gold bar believe I have quite money straight.

Like effect of driving expensive import car, from this level 100 invested gold ingot.

“I, want to buy this studio building, sell. I’ll pay internet real estate asking price straight.”