Chapter 142. Interior Tour
Day 73 of the labyrinth.
Today, I stopped by the desert village again to check on the status of the interior construction.
【Pururu】─The village is full of life.
【Mysticism】─It's all thanks to the cats! 😃
【Mir-Stin】─It's looking quite decent now.
【Yumi】─But the cats' houses haven't even started interior construction yet.
【Rizenova】─That's because they're lower in priority.
【Bubble Bubble】─The cats agreed to go last.
The cats, who had joined later, were lower in priority.
As a result, the interior construction of their homes hadn't begun yet.
However.
The monsters who had joined as village residents earlier were higher in priority, and their homes had completed interior construction today.
"Shall we start by checking out the central house?"
First, I decided to check the homes of the manager and the assistant manager.
That meant starting with the homes of the Pharaoh Devil and the Anubis Dragon.
Incidentally, the two had agreed to live together in the same house.
In other words, they were cohabiting.
【Yumi】─I'm curious to see how they've decorated their place.
【Pururu】─The moment of truth!
【Mysticism】─Drumroll, please! 😀
I pushed open the wooden door and stepped into their home.
The interior matched the wooden exterior, highlighting a natural, earthy feel.
In the center of the living room, there was a curved sofa, and in front of it, a wooden table with soft patterns carved into it caught my eye.
Under the warm lighting.
Bookshelves lined the walls, adding depth to the space.
"Hmm. Not bad."
Only the essential furniture was placed, making the space feel spacious and comfortable.
There was no extravagance.
But the home was filled with a refined beauty.
［We gave a rough idea of our preferences to Omega's subordinates, and they decorated the interior exactly how we wanted. They're quite skilled.］
［Heh. After wandering around for so long, it feels strange to have a proper house like this.］
Sitting on the sofa, sipping drinks, the Pharaoh Devil and Anubis Dragon spoke.
Judging by their expressions, they seemed to be very pleased with their new home.
【Yumi】─Looks like they're both very satisfied.
【Mir-Stin】─Of course. It's done according to their tastes.
【Rizenova】─It's not a given. They didn't do the interior themselves; they just vaguely described their preferences. The robots that understood their tastes and executed the construction are the impressive ones.
【Mysticism】─😝 Omega's robots are the best in the dimension!
【Mysticism】─But where did they get the drinks? They don't look like regular water. 🤔
【Pururu】─Jafan.
【Bubble Bubble】─Jafan's been supplying them.
【Mysticism】─😮
After finishing the tour of the Pharaoh and Devil's house, I moved on to the other assistant manager, the Giant Caterpillar's house.
The Giant Caterpillar's home was an open structure with just a roof and no walls, so there wasn't any real interior to speak of.
［Ahhh! My house has become so cool!］
"...Congratulations."
Huh? Did they actually do any interior work?
Even after looking again, I couldn't really tell.
It didn’t seem much different from the last time I saw it.
After a quick tour of the Caterpillar's house, I moved on to the Snake Head's house, located in the residential area.
The Snake Head was waiting for me in front of its house.
［Come in!］
"Excuse me."
【Pururu】─Why is that house so big?
【Mir-Stin】─It seems it claimed a large house.
【Mysticism】─It does sloppy work but sure picked a nice house. 😠
【Yumi】─It's a bit annoying, isn't it?
【Rizenova】─I'm curious to see what this lazy fool’s house looks like...
【Bubble Bubble】─I'm most curious about it, too.
Stepping inside the Snake Head's house, I slowly looked around.
A large L-shaped sofa dominated the living room.
Cushions and blankets were scattered messily all over.
The floor felt soft like cushions.
It seemed the whole house was designed like a giant bed, ensuring comfort no matter where you laid down.
【Yumi】─I don't like this house.
【Mysticism】─😠 It's too dark! Turn on the lights!
All the windows were covered with thick curtains, blocking out any natural light.
"The house feels gloomy... Did you install those heavy curtains because you don’t want to be disturbed while resting?"
［Yes! Absolutely!］
【Pururu】─Is it trying to be a recluse?
【Mir-Stin】─That's not a concept. That's just how it is.
【Rizenova】─Its personality is reflected in the house.
I felt like the dark, oppressive energy of the house was starting to get to me, so I quickly left the Snake Head’s house.
［Hey! Stay and look around more!］
"Sorry, I'm busy."
Next up was the Mummy Skeleton's house.
Unlike the others, this house had a distinct character.
From the carpet on the floor.
To the desk, sofa, bed, table, and even the wallpaper.
Everything was colored in a shade of ochre that reminded me of sand.
【Pururu】─Ack! One-color freak!!!
【Mysticism】─😰 That's just a desert!
【Mir-Stin】─Just looking at it makes me feel nauseous.
【Bubble Bubble】─Isn't that level of obsession a mental illness?
【Yumi】─They might need therapy.
【Rizenova】─It looks fine to me, but as they say, tastes differ.
【Pururu】─Stop pretending to be human.
［I wish... for sand...］
"Sure, keep wishing."
I quickly left this house too.
If I stayed there any longer, I felt like I’d lose my sanity.
Next up was Lionheart's house.
Lionheart's interior was simple and neat, similar to the Pharaoh and Devil's house.
A plain leather sofa.
Wooden furniture, bright walls, an organized bookshelf.
A portrait of a lion hide...
Where did they even get that?
In any case.
There wasn’t much to examine, as the house had no distinctive features.
It was so ordinary that I only took a quick look before leaving.
［You’re leaving already? Don’t you want to look around more? Is my house not good enough...?］
"I still have other houses to check. It's not because your house is bad, so don’t misunderstand."
Honestly, it was underwhelming.
Too ordinary, to the point of being boring.
But I kept that thought to myself.
It's basic manners to avoid saying things that might hurt others.
Next, I visited Sand Raven's house, which was right next to Lionheart's.
This was the first Sand Raven I had tamed, a particularly foolish one.
［Caw! This is my house!］
The fool’s house shared similarities with the Snake Head's in terms of interior design.
It wasn’t exactly the same.
But it had a somewhat similar vibe.
Dark-toned interior.
Dark grey walls, a black leather sofa, a black glass table, and so on.
Judging by the preference for dark colors, it seemed to share a taste with Snake Head.
Although crows are said to like shiny things, there wasn't anything in the house that sparkled.
I guess it’s because it’s not an actual crow, just a crow-like monster.
【Mysticism】─🧐 Why are there so many children of darkness!
【Yumi】─It's so dark in here.
【Pururu】─This house is better than Snake Head’s, though.
【Mir-Stin】─I agree. The atmosphere feels different.
Just as the assistants said.
Unlike the gloomy vibe of Snake Head's house, this one had a mysterious and luxurious atmosphere.
I wasn’t sure what made the difference.
Maybe it was the stylish candles placed throughout the house?
In any case, it was a house where I felt comfortable staying for a while.
After that, I continued exploring other monsters’ houses at a leisurely pace.
There were plenty of other Sand Ravens and Cat Crabs to check out, so I wasn’t bored.
Even if they were the same species.
Just as humans have different tastes, the monsters had varied preferences, making it interesting to tour the interiors of their homes.
I ended up spending the whole day exploring the interior designs of the desert village.
【Bubble Bubble】─But Sage isn't around today. Is she busy?
【Mir-Stin】─She said she finally figured something out and ran off earlier.
【Bubble Bubble】─What did she figure out?
【Mir-Stin】─I don’t know either. I'll ask when she gets back.
***
While Kang Geon was touring the desert village.
At the same time, on Earth.
Sage Lunaris had left South Korea and crossed into China.
She hadn't taken any of Earth's transportation.
Thanks to regaining some of her power, she was able to use teleportation magic again.
Though, she still couldn't open a portal to another world yet.
In any case.
While Sage was working to restore the dimensional barrier, she had discovered that Earth's dimensional barrier wasn't naturally formed.
And.
She also found out that there had once been a guardian who had installed the dimensional barrier on Earth in ancient times, and that the barrier was now collapsing because the guardian’s power had weakened.
"...I'm certain. The guardian is nearby."
In the depths of a rugged mountain range with no sign of human life.
Sage weaved through the canyon, feeling the energy from the dimensional barrier growing closer.
She relentlessly used teleportation to track the energy.
At the end of her pursuit, she arrived at a hidden underground laboratory.
The entrance, fortified with tight security and cutting-edge defense systems, was like an impregnable fortress to any intruder. But for Sage, it posed no obstacle.
Breaking through the solid walls and tight security.
Sage Lunaris teleported deep into the lab, emerging in its heart.
"Who are you?!"
"How did you get in here?"
Startled by Sage's sudden appearance, the researchers and guards cried out in alarm.
Ignoring them, Sage focused her gaze on a lifeform lying on the experiment table.
She could tell at a glance.
That lifeform was the one who had protected the Earth from external threats. It was the one who had erected the dimensional barrier. The guardian of Earth.
A faint tremor flickered in Sage’s eyes as she stared at the guardian.
"What the hell is this..."
The guardian was already dead.
"What kind of madmen would do something like this...?"
Sage realized then that Earth’s fate had been sealed.