Chapter 109

To build a basement, countless things are needed.

For example, tasks like installing supports to prevent the foundation from collapsing, setting up ventilators for proper air circulation, and preparing in advance so water doesn’t seep in and cause flooding.

Various hardships were anticipated, but still, I couldn’t abandon this dream.

When I tried digging down, though, I ran into an unforeseen and rather large problem.

“That Hae-un? There’s only one underground floor beneath here?”

“…?”

The massive issue being that we couldn’t dig down in the first place!

I froze momentarily, blinking my eyes, then crouched down to stare at the floor while deep in thought.

“…So does that mean we can’t make a basement?”

No matter how hard I tried to think of a solution, nothing came to mind.

Blocked by the harsh reality that I couldn’t argue with, I slumped over, when Han Arin looked at me, smiled softly, and continued speaking.

“Just kidding, just kidding. We can use magic.”

At the word “magic,” hope sparked within me as I turned to look at Han Arin.

Han Arin then explained the method to me.

“Didn’t you know? This lair was created using Spatial Expansion Magic. We can adapt that and apply it to the area below.”

Ah, so that’s how we do it!

My eyes sparkled as I nodded, and Han Arin grinned before telling me,

“I’ll prepare everything related to that, so you, Hae-un, think about how you want to decorate the other parts.”

That seemed like a good idea, so I nodded and giggled.

*

If I were to design this lair entirely to my taste, it might feel cohesive, but since I envisioned it as a place where everyone could relax comfortably, I decided to incorporate the opinions of Chae-a, Yuna, and Seoa.

“Maybe splitting each section and letting everyone decorate their own part would work too.”

While contemplating how to divide the sections, Yuna approached me cautiously, grabbed my hand tightly, and spoke.

“Please bring the teddy bear, please!”

Judging by how eagerly Yuna expressed her desire, she must have really wanted that teddy bear.

Recalling how Yuna always tried to give in to others during normal times, I decided to step up for her this time and nodded.

“Alright, let’s get it then?”

“Yes, please!”

Now, how much money do I have saved?

Resolved to use the money I had earned helping Seorin, Han Arin, and others, I prepared to head to the convenience store when Seorin hurriedly approached us.

“Where are you going?”

Yuna answered on behalf of me.

“To get the teddy bear.”

“Teddy bear? Oh, the big plush bear?”

Upon hearing this, Seorin nodded and said,

“Then let’s take Chae-a and Seoa along too, alright?”

Both Yuna and I nodded simultaneously, agreeing to do so.

*

“Coming!”

“Right away! Let’s go for the teddy bear!”

Yuna, holding Seoa’s hand tightly, walked up behind me.

I turned to Seorin, who was holding hands with Chae-a, and asked,

“Are you ready?”

“Yeah, let’s go!”

Seorin, clearly delighted by the prospect of all of us tagging along together, happily took both my and Yuna’s hands and led the way forward.

As we approached the convenience store, the Spirit Master uncle, who was eating an ice cream, looked at us with wide eyes.

“Oh, the kids are here? What about some ice cream?”

The Spirit Master uncle, seemingly glad to see us, waved his walnut-flavored ice cream at us invitingly.

At this, Chae-a shouted “Ice cream!” and laughed gleefully.

Yuna, clearly tempted, perked up her ears and tail but kept glancing between me and Seoa, seemingly trying her best to hold back.

‘Is she refraining because she wants to take care of me and Seoa?’

Impressed by her thoughtfulness, I patted Yuna’s head. Meanwhile, Seoa clung to me and whispered quietly, “Mmm…,” indicating she also wanted some ice cream.

Seeing this, I decided to buy them all ice creams and reached for my money, but the Spirit Master uncle waved his hand and said,

“Now now, kids shouldn’t be spending money when there’s an adult around.”

Even though I wasn’t a kid, I didn’t fit into the category he was referring to.

Ignoring my opinion altogether, the Spirit Master uncle pulled out his card and declared,

“Pick whatever you want; it’s on me today!”

Hearing this, Chae-a’s eyes lit up.

“Wah! Thank you so much! Could you also get me some candy? It’s been my lifelong wish…”

Chae-a, who always uses honorifics whenever she has a request, did so again without fail.

The Spirit Master uncle chuckled warmly and exclaimed, “Eat as much as you want!”

Hearing this, Yuna’s eyes sparkled. She handed me and Seoa over to Seorin and dashed off somewhere.

Wondering where she went, I noticed Yuna hugging a giant teddy bear.

Yuna buried her face in the bear, hugged it tightly, and wagged her tail furiously before turning to the Spirit Master uncle with shining eyes and pointing to it.

“I want to take this teddy bear, please.”

“Huh?”

“Can I take it?”

At this, Seorin, standing nearby, gasped in surprise and quickly interjected.

“You can ignore that!”

Since hunters, even if they earn a lot of money, find plush toys like these quite expensive, it was considered impolite to ask for such items, so Seorin quickly reassured everyone that it was fine.

“But sure, get it.”

Despite everything, the Spirit Master uncle agreed. He earns a lot of money even among well-paid hunters, and with the Elder Dragons and Grandma Leseia overseeing the association, it seems he couldn’t refuse a child asking for a teddy bear after losing their parents.

I awkwardly smiled, feeling apologetic towards the Spirit Master uncle, when Seorin pulled out a card from their pocket and said,

“It’s really okay. I have plenty of money, so this is no big deal.”

“Same here.”

Seorin seemed at a loss for words and gave an awkward smile.

The Spirit Master uncle smirked and told Seorin to pick out some ice cream as well.

“Thank you.”

“Nah, you and Hae-un are babies too.”

Seorin, unaccustomed to being treated like a baby, showed a flustered reaction, blinking repeatedly.

Watching this, I felt a sense of camaraderie—”Finally, someone understands my pain!”—and chuckled.

*

With the Spirit Master uncle’s help, we returned to the lair carrying a giant teddy bear, ice creams, and snacks.

As I watched Seoa licking the small tip of her cone-shaped ice cream cutely, Han Arin appeared, wiping sweat, signaling she had finished the preliminary work.

“The Spirit Master is here too.”

“Hello.”

Leaving the adults to greet each other, I turned to Yuna and asked where to place the giant teddy bear.

Yuna, upon hearing my question, scanned the surroundings with a serious expression before pointing toward the entrance.

“Here. If we put it here, the teddy bear will wave its hand like this.”

It seemed placing it near the entrance to welcome people was a good idea.

I asked Seorin to help position the large, pristine white teddy bear near the entrance.

“Teddy bear… it’s great!”

Yuna, clearly delighted with the giant teddy bear, ran over, hugged it, and wagged her tail again.

Feeling accomplished, I patted Yuna’s back and decided to check on Chae-a and Seoa’s requests next.

“What do Chae-a and Seoa want to add?”

When I asked what they wanted, Chae-a, like before, requested a “playground,” while Seoa, unsure of what to say, simply followed Chae-a’s lead with a cheerful smile.

“Then let’s start with the playground.”

Though we’ve grown a lot compared to before, lifting heavy construction materials is still impossible. Thus, instead of building a playground with heavy materials, another approach would be better.

While pondering which method to use, I asked Chae-a what kind of playground she wanted.

“I’m going to make a super amazing playground… Watch this!”

Suddenly, she ran to a pile of dirt, gathered twigs and pebbles, and began stacking them into a tower-like structure.

After creating something indescribable, she proudly showed it to me with a satisfied grin.

“Ta-da!”

Looking at this, I realized an important fact: Adults and kids have different thresholds. Showing something that vaguely resembles the real thing is enough to satisfy a child.

Realizing this made me feel incredibly proud, and I chuckled smugly.

“I’m definitely an adult…”

While basking in my newfound adult perspective, Seoa, standing behind me, started nibbling on my sleeve. Apparently liking the playground Chae-a made, she wandered over with sparkling eyes.

“Mmm… Coming!”

She seemed to want to build her own playground beside it and enthusiastically scattered some dirt nearby, attempting to create something.

It was such an adorable sight that I happily watched her while wagging my tail.

Seoa then gazed proudly at her modest pile of dirt and pointed excitedly.

“Ta-daaa!”

Clearly mimicking Chae-a’s earlier “ta-da,” I found her voice so cute that I couldn’t stop smiling.

*

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