CHAPTER 35: [WHAT TO DO]

After Eli’s magical bath, he almost didn’t want to get out.

The tub—no, jacuzzi—was practically the size of a small kiddie pool. And when he discovered that Elione had actual bath bombs—actual bath bombs, the kind Eli had only ever seen in unboxing videos? He lost it.

He tossed one into the water just to see it fizz, swirl, and turn the whole tub a glittery pink. It was underwhelming... but very, very pretty.

Eli stayed there for almost thirty minutes, letting the warmth soak into every bone, his muscles finally relaxing after everything. After that, he rinsed off with a proper shower—double clean. Squeaky, even.

God.

It felt great.

Sure, it was awkward at first—having to see another guy’s... thing. But.

He had to get used to it. Because it was his thing now.

Wrapped in a black fluffy bathrobe that probably cost more than a week’s worth of groceries back home, Eli stepped out into the suite, feeling like royalty.

"This is the most fresh I’ve felt... since birth," he muttered with satisfaction, heading toward the part of the room he assumed would have a closet.

Except—

There was no closet.

No wardrobe. No dresser. No chest of drawers.

"...Huh?" Eli blinked. "Where does he put all his clothes?"

Still gripping the bathrobe around him, Eli padded barefoot through the room, pushing open every door he could find. It wasn’t until he opened the far door beside the bathroom that his jaw nearly fell off.

A whole room.

A room—dedicated entirely to clothes.

He stepped in slowly, awestruck. Racks and shelves lined the walls, from floor to ceiling. There were glass display cases of accessories, shoes in pristine rows, shelves of cologne, belts, designer bags... there was even a damn watch wall.

The lights turned on the moment he stepped inside—soft white lighting that followed his steps like some luxury showroom.

"Again..." Eli murmured. "...How rich is the Ahn family?"

On the center table, sleek and silver, he spotted a thin remote. Curious, Eli walked over and picked it up.

"What’s this for?" he muttered, inspecting it.

He pressed one of the buttons.

With a soft hiss, a section of the wall popped open to reveal a rotating drawer of sunglasses and designer lenses.

Eli’s eyes widened. "Wait, what—"

He pressed another button.

The far end of the closet opened, unveiling an entire curated rack of outfits.

"So this remote controls the closets?" He blinked.

He shrugged, setting the remote back down.

"Eh. Seems just lazy than amazing, but I guess still amazing?" he said, eyebrows raised. Because really—who needed remote-controlled clothes storage? Apparently, rich people.

But something else suddenly caught his eye—something glimmering on the far end.

A full-body mirror.

But it wasn’t just a mirror.

No, this was a high-tech, screen-like mirror—sleek and glassy, with a subtle interface glowing over the surface. It reminded him of the system UI, but more grounded, more real. Like someone had taken a massive Epad and vertical-mounted it.

He approached it, looking at his own reflection—fluffy hair, still flushed from the bath, robe loose around his shoulders.

He tapped the mirror. It responded.

The interface lit up.

"Choose your outfit?"

"Okay..." Eli muttered, raising a brow.

He tapped on one of the suggested looks—an expensive-looking shirt with gold embroidery and a silk-like sheen.

In an instant, the shirt appeared over his reflection as if he was wearing it—flawless AR projection.

Below it flashed: Do you wish to wear this?

"...Yeah," Eli said.

As soon as he clicked confirm, one of the automated racks clicked and glided open.

The exact shirt—real, perfectly pressed—emerged, held in place by a suspended hanger.

Eli just stared at it.

"...Holy crap. He can see what he wears before wearing it, and the closet just gives it?!"

Yeah.

Elione Noa Ahn was filthy fucking rich.

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After Eli finished playing around in Elione’s very futuristic walk-in closet—one that looked like it belonged more in a sci-fi movie than an actual home—he finally settled on something he thought was simple: a plain shirt and a pair of cargo pants.

That was until he noticed the brand.

Once he saw the tag, his definition of "simple" quickly changed. Apparently, even the casual clothes in Elione’s closet were from top designer brands with ridiculous price tags.

Once he was dressed, he returned to his room, sat down on the bed, and let out a long, steadying breath.

"Okay, now what do I do?" Eli muttered, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. He honestly had no idea what came next.

He had assumed the system would be constantly feeding him tasks or objectives, but apparently not. "I could try learning more about Elione, I guess. And finding out more about the tears."

That seemed like a good start.

He was still thinking about the ogres they had fought earlier. They were... off. Unlike any other ogres he had seen or read about in dungeon reports.

They were smarter, faster—and the boss could use magicto boost and mutate other ogres.

That wasn’t just rare. It was unheard of.

Eli picked up the sleek phone again, letting the facial recognition scan his face to unlock it. Once inside, he opened Seaver and began scrolling through the feed, hoping to find some kind of article or bulletin. Some news about the dungeon, or maybe the ogres.

Surely, the Hunter’s Association was already investigating. A boss that could use magic, and if Eli had to guess, one that felt like it belonged in an SS-Class gate.

But even then... SS-Class gates rarely ever had SS-Class monsters. Sometimes the classification depended on sheer numbers alone.

"Hmm. What should I search for..." Eli mumbled to himself, fingers hovering over the screen.

But before he could think of anything else—

Ding dong.

Eli’s head snapped toward the sound. "Eh?" He stood from the bed slowly, blinking in confusion. "Elione’s parents? Or... maybe Elione was expecting guests?"

Either way, Eli already dreaded the idea of opening the door. He was in no mood to pretend to be Elione today.

’Maybe I can pretend I’m not home...’ he thought, creeping back toward the bed like a guilty cat. But then again, Elione’s mom had called that morning. Did she get so concerned she came all the way to the penthouse?

God, he hoped not.

Ding dong.

Eli flinched hard this time.

"Yeah, no. I’m going to ignore it. I’m sorry, Elione’s parents," he muttered, about to sit down—or maybe hide under the covers altogether.

But then...

Ding.

[SYSTEM MISSION]

New Objective: Answer the door.

Time Limit: One minute.

"Huh?" Eli’s brows furrowed, eyes widening as he stared at the glowing notification on the screen. "What the hell?"