NOVEL WEB Chapter 31: Seomyeon Station (5)
[Episode 07] Seomyeon Station (5)
Giant snakes have a habit of swallowing their prey alive, and this was no easy task.
It could be quite dangerous if a living organism inside their stomach made a last-ditch effort, which is why they typically used poison to subdue or strangled their prey to death before swallowing it.
However, this didn’t apply to a tiny mouse that wouldn’t fill it at all.
Without a second thought, the snake gulped down the mouse, not knowing what the consequences of its actions would be.
‘Okay, swallowed.’
As Ha Dong-geon’s party arrived at Seomyeon Station, I instructed Seo Ye-jin to make a mouse run into the mouth of the giant snake.
The snake devoured it without any hesitation, allowing me to get a clear view of its internal organs.
‘Open the warehouse.’
The warehouse and the shop.
Dignity Maintenance was not usable because the nature of the area created by the ‘Vassal’ title was different from the homebound territory.
In that created area, only the ‘Absolute Dweller’s Eyes’ could be used.
Therefore, creating things like electricity or gas in this area was impossible.
However.
‘Summon gas.’
It was possible to store the gas created in the homebound area inside the warehouse and then summon it using the warehouse skill.
It was a bit of a trick.
Whoosh―
By the time Ha Dong-geon’s party approached Line 1, where the giant snake was, its stomach was already filled with gas.
And then.
‘Summon burning tissue.’
Gas had filled the giant snake’s stomach, and I summoned a pre-prepared burning tissue.
Once it was set on fire and stored inside the warehouse, it would come out in the same state.
Since sparks were created in a place filled with gas, the next result was obvious.
BOOOMMMM!
A spectacular explosion started from inside the giant snake, completely tearing its body apart.
“Ugh!”
Next to me, Seo Ye-jin woke up, holding her head.
She must have felt the aftermath of losing the mouse in the explosion.
“Are you okay?”
“Oh, yes! I’m fine! Just a bit surprised.”
Although she spoke confidently, her face showed signs of exhaustion.
“Why don’t you lie down on the sofa for a bit?”
“Oh, that’s okay…”
“Do as I say.”
“Then excuse me for a moment…”
As she lay down on the sofa with a weary expression, I said to her.
“You did well.”
“Yes…”
While checking on Seo Ye-jin’s condition, I used the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes to check on Ha Dong-geon’s party.
They were unable to recover from the sudden explosion.
‘I can’t let it be me.’
The giant snake had to die in the hands of vassals who had been granted the title of Knight.
That way, I would be able to gain six times the experience points and settlement money.
If it died in my hands, it would result in a sixfold loss.
‘I’ll assign a party quest to Ha Dong-geon and Oh Eon-ju: Finish off the Giant Snake.’
Of the two, Ha Dong-geon was the first to react, and the head of the giant snake was smashed apart by his spear.
[You have hunted a King Snake (Level 40).]
[You have gained a massive amount of experience points.]
[1,812,043,879 won has been deposited into the Absolute Dweller’s wallet.]
[Citizen Ha Dong-geon has defeated the leader of ‘Seomyeon Station.’]
[Construction of an outpost at ‘Seomyeon Station’ is now possible.]
A staggering 1.8 billion won.
[Skill level has increased.]
[Skill level has increased.]
[Skill level has increased.]
[The Absolute Dweller’s Declaration has reached level 15.]
[You have gained 3 skill points.]
Three levels were gained at once, and the pain followed accordingly.
‘Ugh.’
Somehow, as the space expanded, the intensity of the pain seemed to increase proportionally.
The haphazardly expanding area stopped expanding after completely engulfing 10 residential buildings.
Perhaps the advantage was that the speed had increased.
‘I guess about half remains now.’
Out of the 25 apartment buildings in Block/Complex 1, 13 had been incorporated into the homebound area.
Successfully occupying half was an achievement.
[A being satisfying the conditions to be recognized as a citizen has been found.]
[Would you like to grant citizenship?]
With an increase of 10 blocks at once, there were many people eligible to become citizens.
‘About 200 people?’
To be precise, 214.
More people than expected were hiding inside and holding on.
‘Grant it.’
The moment I granted citizenship to all of them.
[The number of citizens has reached 1,000.]
[As the number of citizens has reached a certain level, the skill ‘Basic Salary’ is now available to all citizens.]
{Basic Salary} (Passive)
Experience points and settlement money gained by citizens increase by an additional 100%.
‘What does this mean?’
Upon checking the citizen information window, I understood.
『Name: Kim Min-ho (Level 17)
Reliability: 57 Loyalty: 13
Awakening Ability: None
Experience Distribution Rate: 70% (+100%)
Settlement Money Distribution Rate: 30% (+100%)
★Quest Assignment 🖾Expulsion』
Literally, a basic salary.
It meant that even if I adjusted the distribution rate to 0%, they would still receive an additional 100% of experience points and settlement money.
‘Nice.’
I had been contemplating whether to increase the settlement money for the citizens.
Because I could recover the citizens’ money through the store, and considering the efficiency of ‘tax collection’, it seemed beneficial to invest a certain amount of money into the citizens.
‘It’s a bit regrettable that my trick didn’t work.’
To maximize the efficiency of tax collection, I had experimented with one method.
It was to reward money through quests, and in the process, I gave Kim Dabin a weekly wage.
However, there was a big problem with this approach.
‘It charges a 10% fee.’
To pay Kim Dabin 700,000 won, I had to pay a quest cost of 70,000 won.
Since the effect of tax collection was duplicating 10% of the money, it essentially became a zero-sum game.
‘When I get it back, another 10% fee is deducted, so it’s actually a loss.’
To benefit from tax collection, money must be kept for at least three months.
‘Huh? Wait a minute. So…’
I suddenly realized something while organizing my thoughts.
‘If I leave the money without withdrawing it, a continuous profit of 10% is generated1Please don’t ask me. I have no idea where the math is coming from 😅?’
Every month earned a promised 10% interest rate, or 120% per year.
Such a good financial product did not exist anywhere.
If it did, it would have 100% been a scam.
‘Should I invest about 1 billion won?’
While seriously considering this, Seo Ye-jin, who was lying on the sofa, cautiously approached me.
“Um… Mr. Jaehyun.”
“Hm? Yes?”
“I apologize for making such a request, but is it possible for you to bring my companions here?”
There were thirty-five survivors, including Seo Ye-jin’s family.
Even though they were provided supplies, it wasn’t a place to stay for long.
Seo Ye-jin had experienced bathing in warm water and sleeping in a cozy bed here.
I wanted to provide a normal life for her family as soon as possible.
“Of course, I’ll help.”
Seo Ye-jin happily stood up and bowed.
“Thank you!”
“By any chance, can you control mice again?”
“Of course! I’m completely fine now!”
“I’ll tell them to follow the mouse, so you can guide them.”
“Got it!”
After assigning a party quest to rescue the survivors by following the mouse, I activated the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes and leisurely observed Ha Dong-geon’s party.
Leaving Seomyeon Station wasn’t difficult, considering it had been the giant snake’s territory.
All the other monsters had been wiped out.
The view of the city from Exit 2 was a horrifying scene of shock and terror.
‘Complete ruins.’
It was devastating.
Flipped cars, bloodstains on the roads, shattered glass windows of the first-floor buildings, and the scattered and decaying corpses were beyond terrible.
Silence settled, creating a solemn atmosphere that paradoxically intensified fear.
Squeak—
Guided by Seo Ye-jin’s mouse that traveled along the optimal route, there was almost no fighting.
They occasionally encountered goblins, but that was a piece of cake for Ha Dong-geon’s party.
‘No need to worry.’
While keeping the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes active, I focused on the skill window.
[Available skill points: 3]
‘What should I invest in to get the best return?’
In the beginning, the answer was to raise the shop skill unconditionally.
At that time, registering items faster and more efficiently was crucial.
‘However, things have changed now.’
With the shop skill reaching level 5, the increased slots and the ‘itemization’ function made a significant difference.
‘Now, filling all 500 slots is another task.’
Despite registering items such as supplements and vitamins, the slots were not even half full.
‘There’s no need to rush leveling up the shop.’
There were plenty of other places to invest skill points.
A total of five skills had a [+] button active next to its current level: Dignity Maintenance, Warehouse, Absolute Dweller’s Eyes, Absolute Dweller’s Health, and the Invisible Hand.
‘First, Absolute Dweller’s Eyes should be upgraded.’
Now, it was undoubtedly the most utilized skill.
‘It works well with Seo Ye-jin.’
It would be a crucial skill when rescuing my family in the future.
I leveled it up without any worries.
‘Absolute Dweller’s Eyes, level up.’
Wooong—
As the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes skill reached level 3.
Shwaa—
“Urgh.”
With the sensation that the surface of my eyes was burning, a change occurred in the field of vision of the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes.
「Goblin (Lv. 8)」 「Goblin (Lv. 7)」 「Goblin (Lv. 7)」 「Goblin (Lv. 7)」
The levels of the goblins engaged in battle with Ha Dong-geon’s party began to be visible.
Upon closer inspection, it was possible to read the characteristics of the goblins.
「Goblin (Lv. 8)」
Height: 103 cm. Has enough intelligence to use tools while living in groups. It has good eyesight, able to see far distances, and possesses sensitive eyes that can distinguish objects without any problems even in dark caves.
‘Not bad.’
Until now, the level was information that could only be revealed after killing the monster.
However, now, it was possible just by looking with the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes.
‘I was just about to need this ability.’
The simplest way to increase the quest difficulty was to have them hunt higher-level monsters.
The problem was that monsters above a certain level were rare.
Goblins with single-digit levels were scattered all over, but finding monsters Level 20 and above was challenging.
‘Honestly, finding a high-level monster is more difficult than hunting them.’
This ability would be essential to fulfill Oh Eon-ju’s wish later.
To save on the cost of resurrection, it was necessary to find suitable-level monsters and assign quests to her.
‘It’s a bit disappointing that I can’t raise the level once more.’
The [+] button was gone next to the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes, now at level 3,
It meant that proficiency was still lacking.
‘Then, next…’
The first thing that caught my eye was the ‘Dignity Maintenance’ skill.
‘If the rapid increase in Seo Ye-jin’s trust and loyalty is indeed due to the rise in level of Dignity Maintenance, then that alone is enough reason to invest skill points.’
Not only would it be helpful when accepting new vassals, but it also had the advantage of maximizing the effects of ‘Power of Trust’ or the [Knight] title.
‘Dignity Maintenance, level up.’
When I was about to check the new featured as the Absolute Dweller’s Dignity Maintenance skill reached level 4…
Bang―
‘Huh?’
I was startled by the unexpected sound of gunfire.
Checking with the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes, surprisingly, the owner of the gunshot was a goblin.
‘Is that…?’
As the goblin aimed its gun at Ha Dong-geon’s party again.
Shiing! Swoosh!
Moon Byeong-ho teleported behind it, swiftly striking its neck.
“Kikigik!”
The remaining goblins were mercilessly cut down by Moon Byeong-ho’s spear.
‘Register as an item!’
While Moon Byeong-ho was dealing with the goblins, I registered the gun that had fallen on the ground as an item and directly restored it.
S&W M60 (KRW 476,320)
.38 Caliber Live Ammunition 100 Rounds (KRW 158,400)
I couldn’t help but smile looking at the handgun registered in the shop.
‘A gun.’