And so, I dispelled the magic I had cast.
From now on, even if it was troublesome, I planned to take breaks from controlling the bird and return to this blond body to manage it properly.

'Come to think of it, even after crossing that vast universe, my way of thinking still hasn't strayed much from Alphauri...'

For a while, I felt guilty about the techniques I had used without much thought, but that only lasted a moment—I still had things to do.

'But using pigeons should still be within the acceptable range, right?!'

After that, my observations continued as usual.
And after a few days of this routine, I finally reached a small conclusion about where to settle down.

The seaside!
No matter how much I thought about it, living somewhere with an ocean view seemed ideal.
It wasn't just a matter of nationality.
Honestly, since I had abandoned my entire home planet and moved here, I wondered why I was still so fixated on this.

'But this isn't because I'm an alien.'

Still, I couldn't ignore this instinctual preference for the ocean.

'It's just because I'm going to live as a 'water-attribute awakened' from now on!'

A number of justifications popped into my mind.

'Besides, I read on the internet that that Chinese guy, Zhan or whatever, also came from a fishing village and had water attributes!'

And with that flawless logic, I decided on my future home.

'Even terrestrial mammals prefer to live near rivers. Loving water is just a natural instinct. This isn't about being an alien at all.'

On top of that, strangely enough, in Korea, settling near the beach often meant you could see mountains as well.
Being able to enjoy Earth's unique landscape at any time was definitely an advantage.

'How fantastic would that be?'

However, the custom-ordered construction I had in mind was still impossible due to my lack of cultural knowledge.

'I mean, what kind of outsider even dreams of building a house when they don't know the difference between regular jajangmyeon and seafood jajangmyeon?'

Taking all of these factors into account, I continued searching for a new home for a few more days.
And in doing so, I became thoroughly convinced—Earthlings were indeed divine beings.
At this point, I could proudly proclaim it.

—This is the place!

After wandering around for a long time as a pigeon, I finally found the perfect location one day.
As soon as I discovered it, I severed my connection with the bird.
Then, using my human body, I picked up my phone and opened a real estate app.

'A system where you can check property prices from the comfort of your home?'

This place even had the technology to view houses remotely.
From now on, I planned to use this world's technology to find the place where I would live for the next half-century.

'Magnificent.'

Now that I think about it, up until this moment, I had been wandering from place to place without a permanent home.
But now that I had finally settled on a house...

'Am I finally a proper resident of Earth?'

That thought briefly crossed my mind.
Of course, it's not like I had taken any formal immigration test.
At best, I was just solidifying my status as an illegal settler.

And time flew by in the blink of an eye.

<Two months later.>

Skipping the boring parts and getting straight to the point—
In that time, Korea had gone through a full seasonal change.
Autumn was a short-lived season to begin with, so the cold weather had arrived earlier than expected.

[News Caption: Based on statistical analysis from the past decade, the first snowfall is expected to occur around mid-month, just like previous years.]

But more important than the changing seasons was...

Hmm.

...someone's new lifestyle.
The world had shifted from the end of autumn to the beginning of winter, and there was no way I had just been sitting around all this time.

Hehehe.

To elaborate—I had finally gotten my new house!

"Thank you all for your hard work."
"Haha, no problem!"
"Hunter-nim, the refrigerator installation is complete as well. Thanks for all your help."

From the conversations around me, it was clear—the furniture placement was already finished.
Today was moving day.

'This is emotional.'

I could still vividly remember the days when I'd be overjoyed or devastated over a simple bowl of soup.
This villa, built near the ocean, had originally belonged to a wealthy property owner who had recently passed away due to old age.
His heirs, already settled in their own homes, had no interest in maintaining a mansion they barely used, even during summer vacations.

'I spent a lot of time deliberating on what kind of house to buy, but I think I really lucked out with this rare find.'

That said, there was one small complaint—I had gone slightly over budget.

'I was prepared to spend as much as needed, but I didn't expect the price to reach nearly 10 billion won. I guess everyone knows how great the ocean is.'

Besides, the property was expensive because of the vast land it came with.
But that also meant a massive garden and tall walls, which I was more than satisfied with.
Even if rumors spread that an S-rank Hunter lived here, it wasn't a place people could easily trespass.

'Even as an alien, I can tell this is luxury.'

Yeah.
Expensive things are expensive for a reason.
Starting today, I could sleep in this two-story mansion, with each floor spanning a whopping 275 square meters...

Hehehe!

I stood by the sunlit window and basked in the feeling of liberation.

'At last, the life of a freeloader is in my hands!'

For the record, I had already taken a two-month break from work, yet no one had said a word about it.
In fact, the media was surprisingly supportive—almost as if someone had paid them off.

...

At that moment, a few images flashed through my mind—hair in shades of black and aubergine.
The likelihood was low since they were only A-rank, but I even briefly pictured a certain someone's shaved head.

'Eh, well... probably not.'

But even if my hunch was correct, it wouldn't be a problem.

'It'll be fine!'

And so, I fully embraced my newfound daily life.
The training I had planned for Seo Esther had been postponed—apparently, she had adamantly refused, agreeing only under the condition that I fully recover first.

'Why reject an opportunity to get stronger? I guess being the head of a major guild leaves little free time.'

Speaking of which...

Ever since Seo Esther visited my temporary research lab, she had been subtly pressuring me to move out.
That's how I ended up with the absurd title: Kim Gilyeo, the S-rank who, out of consideration for a friend, finally bought a house befitting his status.
But none of that mattered anymore.

Like an octopus returning to the ocean, I roamed the house with excitement.
This long-awaited new home was truly an incredible space.

'The huge glass windows give me a perfect view of Earth's scenery!'

A super single-sized futon.
A thin floor mat that let in the cold from downstairs.
And so on.
Compared to my previous makeshift lodgings, this was an undeniable upgrade.

'Having a space of my own is the best.'

And below this house, there was even a basement originally designed for wine storage or something of the sort.
I planned to put it to good use.

Although I had successfully settled into Kim Gilyeo's body, life was unpredictable.

'Having only one body feels a little risky. And leaving my lung issues untreated forever isn't ideal. At some point, I'll need to research a cure—just as a precaution!'

There was still much to do.
But work born from personal curiosity rather than being forced by a boss? Now that was a welcome change.
I was now officially unemployed.
Surely, I wouldn't be fazed by the few tasks still ahead.

'The move is finally complete. No time to laze around—let's knock out the rest of the to-do list!'

The first priority was to enhance the security of this new home.

I recalled what needed to be done and immediately got to work.
I poured all my energy into it, completing the most efficient barrier possible.

An incredibly sophisticated intruder alarm system.
Stronger, more durable magic!

The barrier was completed, almost like a tagline from an exaggerated advertisement. With this, I no longer had to worry about attacks from beasts or bandits.

'I did spend quite a bit of money on the [Infinite Power Core], but it's all for future comfort, so whatever.'

Thus, having mostly finished my tasks, I followed Earth's customs.
That meant celebrating moving day by ordering jajangmyeon.

'I really am a genius. I even researched whether this area had good delivery services before moving.'

There were still minor inconveniences—like the TV I ordered not having arrived yet—but that was trivial.
Even if I had to hunch over to watch on my small phone screen, I was still happy.
Even the usual news I watched every day felt oddly pleasant.

"So today, a group of reckless speeders enjoyed an illegal race and ended up setting a tunnel on fire? Earthlings never change."

Hah.
Of course, no matter how expensive my house was, I was still an S-rank, ultra-high-income ability user...

'Maybe I should check my bank balance.'

My circulating bank account had a whopping balance of 9 billion won.
Even if the interest rate barely crawled at 1%, that still meant an effortless annual income of 70 million won.

'How many free bowls of soup is that, exactly?'

With this much money, there was nothing to worry about.
There was no need to live frugally, and I had more than enough to sustain a long period of unemployment.
After a brief moment of thought, I decided—there was no need to hesitate anymore.
I was going off the grid.

'Hmm.'

But if a famous S-rank hunter suddenly quit without reason, the internet would inevitably explode.

'I wouldn't want the name Kim Giryeo to be tarnished for no reason!'

It was winter.
Looking out at the cold scenery outside, I recalled the [Inevitably Malignant] incident from around this time last year.
And along with it, the damn surprise press conference that followed after I took down that monster.

'The timing is similar, so this could be symbolic in a way.'

As I continued eating my delivery food, I deepened my thoughts.

'It'd be best to officially cite health reasons for my retirement.'

Come to think of it, Earth did have a certain culture, didn't it?
Inviting acquaintances over to a newly polished house...
I knew how the whole process worked, but I just couldn't remember the exact word that described it in one go.

'Something... -warming? It sounded like that.'

But anyway.
Whether or not I would follow such trivial Earth customs was another matter.
For now, I decided to celebrate fulfilling my wish alone, just for today.

'Heh.'

I was now officially an unemployed bum.
I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

"Alright. Once I finish the dishes, I'll—"

But do you know what the very first thing I did was after thinking that?
Despite everything...
I lay down on my bed less than five minutes after finishing my meal.

Now, I could freely watch YouTube on this 5-million-won bed that the store clerk had highly recommended.

'Oh, it's so soft.'

On top of that, I had even borrowed some books from the library right before moving.
Seriously, how amazing was this country?
As long as you were a citizen, the public library provided free, pre-verified knowledge.

I chuckled and rolled around on my bed.
Thus began the historic unemployed life of an alien.

.
.
.

—Ding!
[New Message]
[National Tax Service]

[Web Notification]
Greetings,
This is a notice from the National Tax Service.
Mr. Kim Giryeo, you have been identified as a voluntary filer for foreign hunting income.
You may apply until February.
For details regarding income information or application procedures, please refer to the previously mailed notification.