We left the dungeon early in the morning and headed straight for the Adventurers' Guild. Dex said he had a surprise for us, so we had to check it out.
The moment we arrived, we saw a long line stretching from the counter, and everyone coming out was holding a card—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, or violet.
Then Dex appeared and handed us two black cards.
"You are finally here. These are your new adventurer ID cards."
We took the cards and looked at them. White letters on a black background displayed our information, though the adventurer rank wasn't written anywhere. On the back was an illustration of a starry sky. So this was the Starry Rank ID.
"Guild master, this is the surprise?"
"Yep. I've been planning this for a long time. Cards with colors make it easier to identify an adventurer's rank, right?"
"That's true. I can tell immediately."
Now everyone's adventurer rank was out in the open—no more mysteriousness. The era of quietly flashing your ID for bragging rights had arrived. No need to announce your latest dungeon record anymore.
Just then, the noisy crowd swarmed around us again, faces full of starstruck admiration.
"Our heroes are here!"
"Heroes, let us see your Rainbow-rank ID!"
"This is such a rare chance!"
I was afraid I had to disappoint them. Holding the ID between my index and middle finger, I silently raised it in a cool pose. But when they saw it, their expressions twisted.
"It's… not rainbow-colored…"
"W–Why is it black?"
"Guildmaster, what's going on?!"
Dex folded his arms and answered them proudly.
"They're now above Rainbow rank. They're Starry-rank adventurers."
"I SEE!!!"
What followed was a storm of noisy excitement. We brushed them off with vague replies and made our escape as fast as possible. We didn't have time to waste here—we needed to get our house built quickly.
When we returned home, the house that had still been standing yesterday had completely vanished. My demolition squad stood neatly in formation nearby, having finished their assignment.
I dismissed the demolition team first, since I needed to go to the upper-right corner of the lot to build the power system. Lina took Lani with her to explore the area.
I constructed the electrical system underground, connecting rows upon rows of batteries with thick wiring, arranged in proper order. Then I installed the solar panels on the surface.
To guard against rainy days or insufficient sunlight, I added an electric-elemental magic core made by Lina. As long as mana was supplied, it would generate power.
Creating element magic core was simple—just use a magic of the corresponding element onto a normal magic core.
After connecting the transformer, I built an entrance leading down into the basement. I'd need to check it regularly for abnormal conditions. I reinforced the walls as well—they wouldn't collapse no matter how hard someone stomped on them.
Next, I ran the buried cables back toward the spot where the house would stand, installed the sockets, and confirmed the system was ready.
Then I summoned my construction squad and assigned each of them a single specialized task. After that, I took out all the building materials and began the real work.
Day One was spent measuring the building perimeter and laying the foundation according to the blueprints. During breaks, I used plant magic to clear every plant from the entire lot.
Day Two, I built a reservoir in another corner, then connected the water pipes and electrical circuits. After that, I constructed each room according to the design. The drains for the toilets were also linked to the sewer system.
Day Three, I built the second floor and the rooftop terrace—mostly repeat the same work with on the Day Two.
Day Four was for painting, which I assigned entirely to the stone golems. I myself worked on the perimeter fence, replacing the rusted iron gate with an automatic stainless steel one. I installed an electrified wire mesh on the fence to discourage thieves.
Day Five, I installed doors and windows, floor tiles, the staircase, and glass railings for both the balcony and the rooftop. Then I went into the dungeon to pick out the furniture, appliances, and necessities I liked.
Day Six, I finished decorating every room. The interior was fully ready for living—but the exterior design wasn't done yet.
Still, tonight I could finally sleep in a real bed, and that alone made me unbelievably happy. I had been sleeping in a dirt hut for days, and waking up every morning feeling miserable.
And today, I could finally take a proper bath. I was honestly about to suffocate from my own smell.
Day Seven, I finally began working on the exterior design. I paved the road from the front gate to the house with gray quartz tiles. Along both sides of the path, I placed solar-powered lamp posts every two meters; they would automatically light up once night fell.
After arranging a few outdoor features and restoring the lawn in certain areas, my home was finally done. With everything complete, I headed into the dungeon to look for Lina and Lani.
Starting from the second day of construction, Lina and Lani had been getting bored, so I suggested they spend their time in the tourism district. We agreed they would only come back when it was time to choose furniture or when everything was finished.
By the time I arrived, evening had already fallen. Lina and Lani were grilling meat at a seaside vacation house. The moment Lina saw me, she waved energetically.
"Karen, is the house finished?"
"Yeah, it's done."
I waved back, and Lani immediately ran toward me, so I picked her up. Maybe I was just really exhausted, but she felt a little heavier than usual.
"Lani, did you miss me?"
"Ah! Yaaah!"
The moment I hugged her tighter, she began to struggle fiercely and tried to push me away. I had no choice but to put her down. As soon as she landed, she rubbed her nose and ran straight back to Lina.
"I got totally rejected…"
She must've caught a whiff of my sweat. I sniffed myself—yep, the smell was definitely a problem. No wonder Lani fled. I needed a shower. Immediately.
Lina handed me a plate of freshly grilled meat and spoke to me.
"Karen, let's sleep here tonight. We can back home tomorrow."
I agreed. Although our new house looked beautiful both day and night, I wanted our first proper look at it to be in the morning, when everything could be seen clearly.
"Sure. But Lina, you…"
Something about her felt off, a strange sense of wrongness I couldn't quite place. She wore a white top, and even though it was dark, the firelight let me see a hint of a blue swimsuit underneath. It suited her perfectly.
Still, something was odd. I reached out and touched her face, placing my palm under her chin and gently pressing her cheek with my fingers.
"Mm?"
It was a bit too dark to see clearly, so I leaned closer.
"Ka-Karen!? You can't… Lani is watching…"
Lina made a startled noise, but I was too focused on figuring out what felt wrong to pay her reaction any mind. Lina closed her eyes, and just as I moved closer—
I figured it out.
The strange feeling came from the fact that Lina had… gotten a little rounder these past few days. She'd been enjoying her vacation a bit too much.
But calling a girl "fat" was a death sentence, so I softened it as much as possible.
"You seem… a little relaxed lately."
"Huh?"
I pulled my hand back. Lina's eyes snapped open, and four emotions flashed across her face one after another—shyness, disappointment, confusion, and fury.
Then, without hesitation, she lifted her foot and kicked me hard in the thigh. Pain shot up my leg, and I almost toppled over. Shocked, I grabbed my thigh and looked at her.
"Why did you kick me!?"
Was I not subtle enough? "Relaxed" shouldn't directly imply "fat," right? No, this was Lina. She definitely understood. I should've stayed quiet.
Lina spun around, back facing me, and pointed sternly toward the house.
"Because you stink. Go take a shower."
"Y-Yes ma'am…"
So that was it… She hated my sweat smell. I felt like crying. Even though I was starving, I had no choice but to wash up first.