Absolute Dweller

[Episode 09] Assembly (3)

‘Damn it.’

Baek Sung-yeop had been in a bad mood since yesterday.

‘Gone!’

Upon waking up, he found that the supply spear he had received from Kim Jae-hyun and the orc spear he had luckily obtained were missing.

Furthermore, his hard-earned wealth was confiscated. Upon waking up, the money he had diligently saved up had disappeared.

He wasn’t the only one who experienced that.

“Yours is gone too?”

“Yeah. When I woke up, it was all gone.”

The weapons and money of the twins, Moon Ji-hoon and Moon Sang-hoon, were also inexplicably missing.

Moon Ji-hoon spoke in an irritated voice.

“I found out that quite a few people have experienced this. But you know what’s common among them, including us?”

“What?”

“We didn’t show up when they called for military personnel at the main gate, damn it. Even the guys who went and came back seemed fine.”

Sighing heavily beside him, Moon Sang-hoon expressed regret.

“Ah, we should’ve just gone back then.”

Hearing that, Baek Sung-yeop immediately grabbed Moon Sang-hoon by the collar and yelled.

“Are you blaming me?! Huh?!”

“N-No, that’s not it…”

“You bastards agreed too! You said those who follow such orders are idiots. Isn’t that right?!”

Terrified, Moon Sang-hoon responded.

“Y-Yeah, you’re right. Sorry, Seung-yeop.”

“Tsk.”

Baek Sung-yeop clicked his tongue and released Moon Sang-hoon’s collar.

He knew it too.

It was undoubtedly Kim Jae-hyun who had taken the weapons from them. Even so, he couldn’t get mad at him.

They were in the wrong to begin with, so the other side was justified. But honestly, it was because Baek Sung-yeop was afraid of Kim Jae-hyun.

‘I might get expelled.’

There was one case like that.

According to rumors, someone who got caught trying to touch a minor was expelled on the spot. That criminal was later found dead on the streets, killed by goblins.

‘If I resist, I might end up like that too.’

In fact, being expelled was practically a death sentence, so he couldn’t even imagine confronting him.

Thus, he ended up taking it out on the twin brothers.

‘Dammit, we should’ve just run out of the complex altogether instead of hiding in the underground parking lot.’

Although it wasn’t confirmed yet, he heard that those who were out hunting when the giant appeared didn’t receive any punishment.

If they had fled outside the apartment complex instead of hiding in the underground parking lot when the giants attacked, he might have escaped punishment as well.

‘This sucks.’

What made him even angrier was his younger brother, Baek Sung-min, who willingly responded to the call and even received a gun from Kim Jae-hyun.

Although he honestly wanted to steal the gun right away, he dared not lay a finger on anything directly provided by Kim Jae-hyun for fear of the consequences.

Now he found himself having to watch his back even around his own brother.

“Sigh. How did it come to this?”

However, Baek Sung-yeop still didn’t know.

What he had experienced so far was just the beginning.

He had no idea what treatment the people who were labeled as to be ‘punished’ by Kim Jae-hyun would receive in the survivor group later on.

Furthermore.

《Quest Assignment》

Quest Content: Hunt Goblins (0/20)

Time Limit: 24 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds

Reward: Small amount of experience points

Failure Penalty: Extreme pain for 1 minute

‘…What’s this again? Extreme pain?’

He still didn’t know what responsibilities they would have to bear in order to live within this safe zone in the future.

***

Primordial Vitality.

It was one of the A-grade skills Oh Eon-ju possessed, an ability to increase the regeneration rate in proportion to the number of the injuries.

‘Gaining a skill possessed by a vassal for 100 trust was unexpected.’

At the moment, this skill wasn’t particularly helpful.

Since I wouldn’t engage much in combat and couldn’t go outside, I would hardly ever get hurt.

However, the fact that I obtained a skill as a reward for 100 trust was noteworthy.

‘Moon Byeong-ho’s trust is close to 100. If I were to get Moon Byeong-ho’s awakening ability…’

Teleportation.

It was a skill that allowed movement to a location with clear visibility.

‘What if I activate the outpost and then used teleport with the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes?’

In theory, if I had enough mental strength, it would be possible to move to that location.

‘I should strengthen my mental strength.’

In the future, rather than skill proficiency, it seemed more appropriate to give mental strength enhancement as a quest reward.

That way, I could strengthen my own mental strength through daily quest rewards.

At that time, Oh Eon-ju, who had stopped crying, spoke with a determined expression.

“Mr. Jae-hyun, please send me now. I will go save your family members.”

“Now?”

“Yes. I know that the operation should have started yesterday, but it was delayed because of me. Thank you for generously giving me this precious time. I want to repay your kindness.”

I was grateful that she understood my thoughts, but I felt a bit embarrassed at the same time.

“Did I show signs of impatience?”

“No, I just thought that I would have been impatient if I were in Mr. Jae-hyun’s shoes. After all, everyone considers their family to be the most important.”

Although it was an imperfect method, perhaps thanks to meeting Si-woo once, instead of the raging anger, firm trust was evident in her eyes.

“That’s why I know how valuable the day you’ve given me is. Thank you once again.”

Oh Eon-ju’s heartfelt gratitude brought a smile to my face.

“Thank you for understanding. Then please wait with Ha Dong-geon’s party in room 2901. I’ll be down shortly.”

“Yes.”

There was a reason they weren’t sent off immediately to Seomyeon Station.

‘Part of the Seomyeon Station tracks collapsed due to the giant.’

Not only the subway tracks but also most of the underground area of Seomyeon Station was in ruins.

It was natural considering the rampage of that colossus.

‘We’ll need to find a new route.’

For this purpose, Seo Ye-jin had been diligently guiding the mice since yesterday.

Thanks to the whole day of exploration, they had roughly secured a route.

‘Absolute Dweller’s Eyes.’

When I changed to Seo Ye-jin’s vision, it immediately shifted to the mouse she was currently sharing sensory information with.

‘Hm?’

Something seemed off about the mouse’s condition.

-Squeak!

It was fleeing as if being chased by something, and its size seemed larger than an average small dog.

「Tamed Giant Mouse (Lv. 7)」

To my surprise, even the name of the mouse was changed.

‘It’s evolved.’

Among the newly-acquired abilities Seo Ye-jin received upon becoming a vassal, there was one called Evolution. It seemed to be the influence of that skill.

“Roaaarrr!”

There was something vigorously chasing the evolved giant mouse.

Bodies covered in blood, unfocused eyes, limp limbs, they resembled walking corpses.

「Zombie (Lv. 11)」「Zombie (Lv. 13)」「Zombie (Lv. 11)」「Zombie (Lv. 9)」「Zombie (Lv. 9)」

Dozens of zombies were chasing after the mouse.

-Squeak!

Zombies swarmed in from all directions, forming a siege around the mouse.

The mouse stopped and looked around.

With the zombies tightly crowding in, there seemed to be nowhere to escape.

If it were smaller, it might have been able to rely on the darkness to escape, but since it evolved, there was no apparent place to flee.

It was ironic.

‘It’s over.’

Just as I was considering using a gas explosion to wipe out the zombies rather than let the mouse die meaninglessly…

The giant mouse, which had stopped, suddenly began to sprint toward the zombies at full speed.

I wondered if it was attempting to attack as a last resort, but it swiftly wriggled its way through the legs of the zombies and broke through the encirclement.

‘Oh.’

It happened to be in the direction the exit was located, and the giant mouse ran hard up the stairs.

There.

[5 Nampo]

A sign with 5 Nampo written on it could be seen.

‘No wonder why it felt familiar.’

It was too dark to recognize at first, but this was where the Lotte Department Store Gwangbok was located.

‘So that’s why there were so many zombies.’

It was a Saturday weekend.

The department store must have been crowded, and if zombies appeared, they would have spread quickly.

There would have been plenty of people in the underground shopping arcade too, so a major disaster must’ve occurred.

‘Given that it abandoned the route to Jagalchi Station and came up here, the situation with the subway tracks must be similar.’

Just as I was seriously considering giving up on the route leading from Beomil Station to Jagalchi Station.

-Squeeakk!

A monster appeared in front of the giant mouse.

With smooth skin and menacing teeth.

It was… a shark.

「Land Shark (Lv. 23)」

Snap!

The giant mouse fell prey to the land shark’s teeth without a chance to react.

Along with it, the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes was forcibly closed.

‘…’

It wasn’t a particularly auspicious sign.

The distance from Nampo Station, where the department store was located, to my parent’s house was only a few kilometers.

However, the fact that such dangerous creatures were roaming around meant that there was a high possibility of similar monsters being near their home.

‘I need to hurry.’

I made my way to Room 2901 after stopping by Room 2402 to pick up Seo Ye-jin.

“Hello. I’m Seo Ye-jin.”

Ha Dong-geon’s party and Seo Ye-jin exchanged greetings; it was the first time they formally introduced themselves to each other.

There hadn’t been any opportunities before this due to one unexpected event after another.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ha Dong-geon.”

“I’m Kim Ga-young!”

“I’m Oh Eon-ju. Nice to meet you.”

They quickly bonded with each other since they knew that Seo Ye-jin was able to control mice.

In particular, Kang Deok-su showed great interest in Seo Ye-jin.

“I’m Kang Deok-su! Nice to meet you!”

“Yes.”

“You’re very pretty!”

“T-Thank you.”

After exchanging greetings, I addressed them.

“Let’s start the operation briefing. As you all know, due to the appearance of the giant, it’s become difficult to pass through Seomyeon Station.”

Seomyeon Station was completely devastated by the giant’s footsteps.

“However, it’s a shame to give up the subway tracks altogether.”

While the area near Seomyeon Station was in ruins, the route from Beomnaegol to Choryang Station was still intact.

Using Seo Ye-jin’s mice to check, it was determined that monsters hadn’t settled into that area yet, making it possible to pass through freely.

“Therefore, our first goal is to clear the route to Beomnaegol Station.”

I looked at Seo Ye-jin as I said this.

“From here on, Ms. Seo Ye-jin will explain.”

“Yes.”

Seo Ye-jin took out a neatly folded A4 paper from her bag and spread it out on the living room floor.

It was a map drawn by Seo Ye-jin.

Kang Deok-su complimented her enthusiastically.

“Wow, you drew so well!”

“…Thank you.”

Strange.

It seemed just a bit better than elementary school vacation homework to me.

In any case, Seo Ye-jin continued her explanation, pointing to the map.

“Here is the apartment where we are located. This is Jeonpo Station, and here is our destination, Beomnaegol Station. The recommended route is to follow along this main road.”

There were relatively fewer monsters along the main road.

Even if encountered, they could be fully prepared as they’ve anticipated in advance.

‘And now, most monsters won’t pose a significant threat to Ha Dong-geon’s party.’

Before launching the giant hunt, I raised the levels of Ha Dong-geon’s party to the max by pouring money.

It was to make facing the giant the slightest bit easier.

Thanks to that, everyone had reached level 30.

Now, only Choi Hyeong-jun and Yoo Hye-rin had levels lower than 30 among the vassals.

“Before reaching Beomnaegol Station, the spot we need to be cautious about is here. There are orcs operating around Homeplus, with an estimated size of at least five hundred.”

When Seo Ye-jin mentioned this, Ha Dong-geon asked, “Isn’t it unnecessary to engage with them?”

“That’s right. Our goal is to enter Beomnaegol Station and use the subway tracks anyway.”

“There might be monsters at Beomnaegol Station as well.”

Ha Dong-geon’s observation was correct.

“There’s no need to worry. Even though there are quite a few of them, they’re just goblins, so you can quickly clear out the ones you run into and make your way into the concourse.”

Seo Ye-jin continued her explanation and pointed to the map.

“Once you enter the subway tracks, you should be able to reach Choryang Station without any hindrance. The problem arises at the next station, Busan Station.”

Kang Deok-su, hearing about Busan Station was partially destroyed by a giant, trembled and asked.

“D-Does that mean there’s a giant at Busan Station too?”

“No, there are only traces left behind by the giant; it seems like the giant has already left. I think it’s the same one that came to our apartment yesterday.”

“Well then, that’s a relief.”

The tense expressions loosened as Seo Ye-jin explained.

“Anyway, Busan Station, like Seomyeon Station, is destroyed, so after getting off at Choryang Station, you’ll need to cross over from above. You don’t have to worry too much about the area near Busan Station. There are hardly any monsters, probably because of the giant’s presence. But from there on, it would be better to find a different route than the subway tracks.”

“Why?”

“There are a huge number of zombies inside the tracks. You’ll probably waste a considerable amount of time dealing with them.”

Seo Ye-jin muttered with a dark expression.

“Unless you have the ability to exterminate monsters in confined spaces, this route won’t be a good choice.”

Everyone in Ha Dong-geon’s party looked at one place at her words.

“Huh?”

Suddenly receiving everyone’s attention, Yoo Hye-rin stuttered in confusion.

“I-I mean, I’ve decided not to go outside anymore…”

Seeing the disappointed expressions on everyone’s faces, Yoo Hye-rin quickly changed her words.

“…That’s what I said, but Seo Ye-jin ssi.”

Yoo Hye-rin said in a trembling voice.

“I-I think… my ability might be able to help…”