Even Today, the Ranker Dreams of Retirement

“Home sweet home. Home!”

In Habin’s room. Habin, freshly showered and lying in bed.

She was in a good mood, having returned home after a long time away from the training institute dormitory.

‘Since I’ve already feigned illness, I’ll take sick leave and play around for at least a week without going to the training institute!’

Habin, her hair fluffy and dry, dove onto the bed.

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, my comfortable bed.”

-Squawk!

Libe, who had just popped out of the pet space, rubbed its head against a cushion in unison.

“Right? This bed is much better, isn’t it? You’ve got good taste in beds too!”

Habin, watching the scene with satisfaction, rested her chin on her hand.

“Well, I’ve finished today’s drama, so I should probably make contact soon.”

[Who are you talking about?]

“Kang Taeseo.”

Habin took out her phone and tapped open the KakaoTalk chat window.

‘……I’ve been feeling a bit uneasy about it, you know.’

Hwang Maru and his gang.

Since they had openly tried to trap Kang Taeseo in the boss room, Taeseo must have realized they had betrayed him.

‘It might have been quite a shock.’

Habin had been checking the news articles since yesterday.

But there was no mention of Hwang Maru and his gang’s betrayal.

There was also no news about Kang Taeseo retaliating.

‘That Kang Taeseo, he must have turned a blind eye even though he knew everything, because he’s so soft-hearted. He must have been struggling so much, bearing it all alone.’

He must have forgiven them despite knowing he had been betrayed.

‘To overlook this, he’s quite the big-hearted person. Truly magnanimous.’

That’s what Habin surmised.

“Hmm, Kang Taeseo, even when I saw him last time, he seemed to have gotten quite gloomy……. I guess such a troublesome and dangerous job isn’t something you should take on carelessly.”

And just like that, the ‘Rank 1 Hunter’ was suddenly labeled as having a ‘troublesome and dangerous job’ by Hyun Habin.

[Why is being the Rank 1 Hunter a troublesome and dangerous job? From what I’ve seen, it’s a position everyone in this world looks up to…….]

“Indeed. They say the position makes the man. Such a dangerous job shouldn’t even be considered.”

[Are you even listening to me?]

“Look at the interior! The gloomy and dark room interior I saw last time! He must have deep emotional wounds.”

[I thought it was nicely antique. You’re interpreting things completely as you please…….]

“It’s really dangerous.”

Habin nodded, folding her arms. The kid had lost weight compared to before, and his tastes had changed too. He must have gone through a lot of hardship.

Someone else might have just let it slide, but as an old friend, she couldn’t help but worry.

“I was able to skip the training institute thanks to Kang Taeseo, so I’m grateful too…….”

Habin tilted her head, looking at the KakaoTalk chat window.

“Hmm, should I slip him a little bribe for old times’ sake?”

Hyun Habin, who had always emphasized the importance of the Kim Young-ran Act [an anti-corruption law]. After deep contemplation, she pressed the gift button and chose a gift certificate.

Then she wrote a message.

Congratulations on conquering Floor 26!

Tap tap.

And after some hesitation, she added three characters.

Congratulations on conquering Floor 26!

Cheer up

“Ugh, it feels so cringey since it’s been a while.”

Tap. Habin put her phone down on the bedside table and snuggled into bed.

Perhaps because she was home after a long time, or maybe thanks to Libe keeping watch beside her, she fell asleep easily tonight.

◆◇◆◇◆

Three days later.

“……Hyun Habin. You’ve been absent from the training institute for three days now.”

“Mmm. I’m a bit sick so I can’t go to the training institute. Tell the director that Kill Screen was too exhausting.”

“You’re not even sick…….”

“Anyway, I can’t go.”

In truth, there was nothing wrong with her.

Habin tapped away at her game console controller while giving vague answers.

She had already notified Chae Jiseok in advance, saying, ‘No matter what happens, I’m taking a week of sick leave.’

Of course, before that, she had already smoothly dodged the interrogation about the tint and what she did at the cliff bottom with unwavering silence.

Now nothing could stop Hyun Habin.

‘I’m going to make the most of this week of sick leave!’

Finally, some sweet free time.

On the first day, she holed up in her room and binge-watched dramas.

The second day flew by following YouTube algorithms.

Now on the third day, she was invited to Chae Jiseok’s house and was trying out the latest console game.

‘……Oh, should I buy one of these for our house too?’

Habin mashed the controller buttons with an expression of approval.

She had accepted Chae Jiseok’s invitation in the first place after hearing that he had this game console at home.

Boing boing.

[Finally got a gacha ticket!]

Meanwhile, Ahezar was sprawled on another sofa, glued to a web novel app.

[……Already the last chance, huh.]

A solemn aura enveloped Ahezar. On the app screen he was watching, a flashy roulette wheel was spinning round and round.

KakaoPage Cash Gacha Event.

It was an event that gave out free cash if you diligently participated in the app’s events like daily check-ins or pre-registrations.

And this was Ahezar’s only source of income.

Though he had the ability to move objects, Ahezar wasn’t registered as a resident and couldn’t even get a part-time job anywhere.

Moreover, Ahezar was a sword.

No matter how great a constellation he might be, in reality, he was just a longsword. How could a sword earn money anywhere?

So this was his only official way to earn ‘money’. Reading missions, cash gachas, watching ads for cash, and so on.

Without these, there was no way for him to earn cash, so Ahezar always put his heart and soul into every event provided by the web novel app.

Although Habin had promised to support him with a few ten thousand won, his pride as a constellation absolutely wouldn’t allow him to rely on that every time.

[Who am I! Am I not the continent’s greatest sword saint who once conquered Auraiden! I’m not so weak as to keep looking for handouts over a few measly coins!]

Just then, the long-awaited roulette began to spin.

[Please, let it be a thousand cash this time…….]

Along with Ahezar’s desperate prayer, the spinning roulette came to a stop.

A orange character showered sparkling confetti. Seeing this, Ahezar let out a sigh.

[Argh, only a hundred cash again! This is a scam! A scam by that vile orange teddy bear!]

“That’s not a bear, it’s a lion.”

Ignoring Chae Jiseok’s correction, Ahezar exploded in anger.

[Lion or teddy bear, this is definitely a scam! Why do I only ever get a hundred cash! Has anyone ever actually gotten a thousand cash?]

“……”

Chae Jiseok had actually won a thousand cash before, but he decided to keep it a secret for Ahezar’s sake. Ahezar continued to lament.

[With a hundred cash, I can only read one chapter! How long will it take to read until the end at this rate! How sad…….]

Overwhelmed by disappointment, Ahezar remained staring blankly at the roulette page for a long time.

In the past, when Ahezar reigned supreme over the world, he could have anything he wanted. Had he ever felt this kind of emptiness and lingering regret even once?

Watching this poignant scene, Chae Jiseok’s heart seemed to waver, and he ended up discreetly slipping Ahezar a 5,000 won gift certificate.

“……Use this at least.”

[Thank you. Thank you, Chae Jiseok! I shall! Never forget this kindness!]

Ahezar excitedly registered the gift certificate with lightning speed.

Boing boing boing.

Habin, totally immersed in her game without moving an inch.

-Beep!

The white dragon Libe, sneakily climbing onto her knee to eat chicken breast.

Chae Jiseok felt a strange sense of contentment.

‘Everyone seems so happy. Maybe I should have invited them over sooner?’

After admiring the three of them for a while, Chae Jiseok spoke to Habin.

“Do you like that game console that much? Then come over and play more often.”

“More often?”

“……You can come more frequently if you want.”

At those words, Habin took her eyes off the game and slowly looked around the house.

“Hmm, maybe I will.”

Though this was said to be Chae Jiseok’s house, to be precise, it wasn’t just his home.

It was also home to Solaris’ Guild Master, Chae Jise. It was a high-ceilinged mansion where the two siblings lived together.

‘I heard that Chae Jise built this house herself.’

Warm interiors with cream-colored wallpaper harmonizing with soft wood. Windows that let in plenty of sunlight.

Looking towards the windows, a neatly tended green garden was visible beyond.

Habin asked with sparkling eyes, something she hadn’t done in a long time.

“Come to think of it, this house is really nice. How much does it cost?”

“This place? Well, I’m not sure exactly…….”

For a moment, sensing something more than mere curiosity in Habin’s eyes, Chae Jiseok hastily put up a wall.

“This isn’t a real estate office, customer. And we absolutely have no intention of selling…….”

“That’s a shame.”

“……”

‘Normally, wouldn’t people say something like ‘Your house is beautiful, you have great taste’ rather than asking how much it costs?’

This is, after all, the home of a major guild leader. Visitors always showered it with endless praise.

‘Guild Master Chae Jise built this herself? The house is amazing. You have excellent taste!’

‘I didn’t know you two siblings were also knowledgeable about architecture?’

‘I’m envious of how spacious your house is. As expected of renowned wealthy hunters!’

Chae Jiseok, accustomed to people always praising and envying the house, received a fresh shock.

“You’re probably the first person to ask about the market price instead of complimenting our house when you came in, Hyun Habin.”

“I did say it was nice. I did compliment it.”

Habin avoided his gaze and looked out the window. It was indeed a magnificent place that was hard not to praise.

“Between friends, asking about the house price is…… something you can do, right?”

Originally, when renting a monthly apartment, sharing rent prices for different neighborhoods, methods of finding houses, and tips for living alone were common practices among the college students Habin knew.

Chae Jiseok replied as if admitting defeat.

“To be honest, I don’t know the price of our house either. It’s in my sister’s name.”

“When you say your sister, you mean Chae Jise-unni? Solaris’ Guild Master?”

“Yeah.”

At that answer, Habin tilted her head as if deep in thought. Putting down the game controller, she asked.

“Then, is the basement also entirely your sister’s?”

“……What?”

Basement.

At that word, Chae Jiseok’s movements came to an abrupt halt.

As mentioned earlier, countless guests had passed through this place.

But none of them had discovered the secret of this house.

The massive space hidden underground.

‘She couldn’t possibly know and be saying this, right?’

Cold sweat ran down Chae Jiseok’s hands. This was a space created with extreme care to be undetectable by anyone. A place hidden by combining the efforts of two top-ranked hunters with supreme information gathering, detection, and foresight abilities.

‘There’s no way it could have been so easily figured out.’

“……What do you mean by basement?”

He asked, pretending not to know. Habin looked down at the floor.

“Hmm.”

‘It’s so obvious, yet you’re trying to deflect?’

To be honest, she had asked because she could roughly see the entrance just by using [Error Vision]. To think he would try to back out this much.

‘Is it an even deeper secret than I thought?’

Habin smiled with a hint of mischief.

“……I’m disappointed, Chae-ssi. To think that Solaris Guild, beloved by the whole nation, was hiding such a huge secret!”

Chae Jiseok, growing anxious, took a step closer with a deeply guarded attitude.

“H-hey, wait a minute, what are you trying to do now?”

“I was once a fan of Solaris too, but now I feel betrayed.”

“D-don’t lie! When were you ever our fan? You said you wouldn’t even join!”

Chae Jiseok quickly moved to block Habin’s path, but she sidestepped him with leisurely steps.

“Well then…… shall we see what the Chae family has been hiding?”

Habin lifted the carpet abruptly and sent a slight surge of power to certain parts of the floor. Then, hidden locks began to turn with a clank.

Clank-clank- Ziiing-

With a faint humming sound, the floor opened smoothly. The pieces of the wooden floor interlocked and disappeared with precision. It was an extremely quiet and intricate movement.

“This is bad…….”

Having failed to stop Habin, Chae Jiseok could only watch the scene with a dismayed expression.

And then.

“Wow. I didn’t know about this, I really didn’t. Chae-ssi, let’s be honest. Is Solaris’ goal world domination?”

Habin’s pupils dilated as she witnessed the secret of the basement gradually being revealed.