Absolute Dweller

[Episode 02] Survivors (1)

With 2 remaining skill points, I could invest in maintaining dignity and expanding the warehouse.

Nevertheless, the reason for being fixated on the shop was simple.

‘Because the store skill is much more useful.’

Electricity, water, and gas were already usable, so there was no reason to invest in the dignity maintenance skill.

Even if I tried, it wouldn’t result in effects like discounted electricity or water bills.

‘Hmm. Thinking about it, the area has expanded. Do I need to level up to supply electricity to the next-door neighbor?’

There was also no need to invest skill points in the warehouse. Frankly, leveling up seemed to expand the warehouse space, and so far, there had been no shortage of space in the warehouse.

‘Later, maybe, but for now, there’s no need to level up.’

‘I have to level it up quickly in the early stages. It’s meaningless if it’s not in good condition.’

Toilet paper, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and so on.

When all the essential items needed for daily life are intact, I have to register as many items as possible in the shop.

‘After the world has gone to ruin, there won’t be any factories producing new products.’

Production is at a standstill, and the remaining survivors will consume at an alarming rate.

It wasn’t confirmed yet, but convenience stores and markets outside would undoubtedly have been looted, and places with intact goods would be rare.

It had already been ten days since the world went to ruin.

‘I need to secure as many items as possible and register them in the shop.’

First, he would register the items necessary for survival, and if there was any room left, he planned to register things like cola and snacks later.

‘Things that will quickly disappear when human civilization collapses.’

Among them, he needed to register everything that had brought him happiness.

Tasty things, useful things, necessary things—all of them.

As quickly as possible.

After finishing my shower, I immediately came out and registered unused shampoo, cleansing foam, body wash, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, and lotion. Following that, I registered rolls of toilet paper, wet wipes, and more, consuming 9 slots in an instant. I prioritized filling it with items that are quickly consumed in daily life, focusing on new, unused products.

‘What should I fill the remaining one with?’

I had already registered everything necessary.

While pondering what to register, my attention was drawn to the monitor.

“…”

Before the world went to ruin, I had thought it would be nice to have one more monitor. It was because I wanted to watch NewTube (yes, NewTube) or movies while playing games. However, as an unemployed person who didn’t earn money, a monitor that cost over 100,000 won was a luxury, and I endured by watching videos on my phone.

‘I could fill it with something useless. After all, the goal is to fill all the slots.’

Moreover, I had over 10 million won in cash.

I could afford to waste about 1% of it.

Placing my hand on the monitor, I slowly opened my mouth.

“…Ugh. Let’s get a grip.”

There were plenty of items more important than a monitor.

Towels, blankets, clothes, dishes, pots, vitamins, supplements.

In this world where the internet was cut off, the priority of that monitor would be pushed far back.

In the end, what I chose was the nearly empty box of packing tape.

‘With just this, I can make a makeshift weapon like a machete. It should be quite useful.’

Although it wasn’t an item used often before, it seemed like I would use it a lot in the future.

“Register tape.”

[Do you want to register the item?]

“Yeah.”

Zzing—

I filled up the expanded item registration window like that.

“Bingo.”

Household Master’s Shop Level 2 [+]

– You can purchase items registered in the shop at regular prices.

[Skill Points: 2]

A plus button appeared next to the shop skill level.

Without hesitation, I leveled up the skill.

[Household Master’s Shop skill has reached Level 3.]

[The number of items that can be registered has increased to 40.]

[The item restoration function has been added.]

Among the consecutive system notification windows that appeared, I focused on the last one and could not help but space out for a moment, thinking about its meaning.

“Huh? They give it at this level?”

The item restoration function.

It meant turning the used items registered in the store into new products.

I had been thinking that this feature would appear sooner or later, from when items like half-used ketchup or orange peels were registered.

But I didn’t expect it to appear at only level 3.

‘If that’s the case, it’s worth leveling up the store forcibly.’

It was like taking a step backward to catch a cow.

“Open the store.”

The shop window had more slots, twice as large as before.

The item recovery button was only present next to three out of twenty items.

【Absolute Dweller’s Shop】

Half-used Ottogi Tomato Ketchup, 500g (3,015 won) ▶ Restore

Orange peels (270 won) ▶ Restore

A bit of remaining tape (2,700 won) ▶ Restore

ᚠCurrent balance: 11,240,720 won

▶ Register items

As much as I wanted to get rid of the item “Orange peels” first, I turned my gaze toward “A bit of remaining tape.”

“Recover ‘A bit of remaining tape.'”

[To recover ‘A bit of remaining tape,’ you need 150,000 won.]

[Do you want to recover it?]

Though 150,000 won seemed like a waste, I judged it to be worth investing in since it was an item that would continue to be used.

Rather than spending that money to buy several more of “A bit of remaining tape,” it was much more efficient to buy a complete product.

“Recover.”

[‘A bit of remaining tape’ has been recovered.]

[‘A bit of remaining tape’ has transformed into ‘Yellow Box Tape 80m, 10 pieces.’]

The results were satisfying. The price per piece was halved, and the quantity tripled, making it a total of six times more profitable.

Additionally, I successfully recovered the remaining two items.

Ottogi Tomato Ketchup, 500g, 2 pieces (5,580 won)

Jeju Tangerines, 3kg (16,110 won)

“Okay. Done.”

With this, all the items registered in the store window had turned into perfect items.

Now, I could register a total of 40 items in the store.

Although I wanted to quickly fill the remaining 20 slots and level up, I hadn’t decided what to register yet.

Careful consideration was needed to fill each slot as each one was precious.

‘Weapons are essential for hunting monsters.’

The only easily obtainable item within the house was a kitchen knife, but I had lost it during the battle with the Kellican.

‘Let’s register the one from the neighboring house.’

It was time to face the newly accepted citizens.

‘Before that, let’s take a little peek.’

It was a basic principle to explore the opponent before negotiating, as caution is better than regret.

“Absolute Eye.”

As I uttered the skill name.

Wooong!

I could see myself lying on the bed.

It was like changing the perspective from first-person to third-person in a game.

‘Good. That’s enough.’

The slowly expanding sensation quickly spread throughout my entire territory.

‘I can see it.’

A young couple, Choi Hyeong-jun and Park Hye-won, were talking seriously in the living room, where no light came in.

“Honey, what should we do now?”

“What can we do? We need to go outside and fetch water. I’ll go get it, so wait here.”

“No! It’s too dangerous!”

“I know. But there’s no other way.”

“…Is there any place with water left?”

“I’m going to the convenience store nearby to check. It’s quite big, so there might be something left.”

“…”

At that moment, the children came out from inside the room and urged them.

“Mom… I’m thirsty…”

“Seo-yeon…”

Hearing the urging of her thirsty child, Choi Hyeong-jun, with a determined face, said,

“Trust me. I’ll find a way to get water, so wait here.”

“…”

Park Hye-won just lowered her head with a dismal expression.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

‘…Deactivate the Absolute Eye.’

Having deactivated the skill, I sat on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment.

‘The situation is much more serious than I thought.’

The condition next door was worse than I had anticipated. They seemed to be running out of both food and water.

In a way, it was inevitable. It had been over a week since the disaster occurred.

If they had stayed inside the house all this time, they would have consumed all resources by now. With four people, the consumption rate would be even faster.

“Open the store. Purchase Jeju Samdasoo (water brand) and Jeju Tangerines.”

Ziing—

After moving those items to the warehouse, I opened the skill window.

Then, I increased the Dignity Maintenance skill.

[Do you really want to increase the Absolute Dweller’s Dignity Maintenance skill?]

“Yes.”

I invested the last remaining skill points into Dignity Maintenance skill to be able to supply electricity and water to the neighboring house in exchange for something substantial.

[The Absolute Dweller’s Dignity Maintenance skill is now at Level 2.]

[Guest Registration is open.]

“Hmm?”

However, as the Dignity Maintenance skill increased, a new ability appeared unexpectedly.

‘Vassal? What’s this?’

***

Choi Hyeong-jun checked his condition one last time at the entrance before going outside.

A backpack for carrying water and food, functional mountaineering clothes, and his favorite golf club.

Driver.

Among the golf clubs, Driver was the one that hit the ball the farthest. It was considered powerful enough to handle small monsters in one blow.

“Honey…”

Seeing his worried wife and children waiting for him, Choi Hyeong-jun forced a smile as if nothing was wrong.

“I’ll be back! Take care of the house!”

“Okay, Dad! We’ll be waiting and listen to Mom!”

But then, Choi Na-yeon, with a trembling voice, asked,

“Are you really going out, Dad?”

“Yeah. I’ll be back with water and some food, so listen to Mom until then.”

“B-But!”

Interrupting his words, Choi Na-yeon spoke with a trembling voice,

“There are those monsters outside, Dad!”

That day, Choi Hyeong-jun’s family was outside.

They were playing together in the playground that had been set up in the apartment complex.

Suddenly, monsters appeared, and soon after, a massacre occurred in the playground.

The children witnessed goblins brutally attacking humans with their own eyes.

“Uwaaah!”

Choi Hyeong-jun’s family was in the midst of the chaos.

At that moment, whether it was the nightmare resurfacing or not, Choi Seo-yeon burst into tears.

“Seo-yeon, hush. Be good.”

Despite Park Hye-won’s comfort, Seo-yeon’s crying didn’t seem to stop.

The atmosphere was at its worst.

‘Maybe this could be the end.’

He had a hunch.

That relying solely on his own strength might not be enough.

The vivid images of people dying at the hands of goblins were still fresh in his mind.

Moreover, the situation was uncertain regarding the supplies at the nearby convenience store.

‘Probably none left.’

Honestly, even though he was preparing to go outside, he lacked confidence. He was simply struggling to survive.

His two daughters were already showing signs of mild dehydration.

Having consumed all the water in the toilet tank, he now had no choice but to venture outside.

But the thought that this might be the last time he saw his endearing wife and two daughters might held him back.

And then it happened.

♬♪♬♩~

Suddenly, a ringing sound echoed, leaving Choi Hyeong-jun frozen in place.

‘The doorbell?’

A chill ran down his spine.

Sorry, but electricity was cut off long ago.

In such a situation, the doorbell ringing was eerie.

As he looked around, the face of his wife who was equally terrified, came into view.

Choi Na-yeon and Choi Seo-yeon didn’t seem to understand the meaning of this situation, but judging by the fact that their crying had stopped, they also sensed that something was amiss.

Probably because of Choi Hyeong-jun’s intimidating expression.

Choi Hyeong-jun slowly turned his head.

The doorbell continued to ring, and there seemed to be some commotion outside.

At that moment.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Ugh!”

“Aaah!”

Startled by the knocking, Choi Hyeong-jun took a step back, and the three women behind him let out screams of surprise.

“Excuse me. Could you please open the door?”

Choi Hyeong-jun had a gut feeling.

‘M-Monster!’

It was undoubtedly a monster.

Even if he didn’t know how they imitated human speech, they had somehow found their way to where his family was.

“Hello?”

Knock, knock, knock—

With each knock from the monster, Choi Hyeong-jun and his family trembled in fear.

All they could do was quietly wait for the monster to leave.

How long did they wait?

Outside became quiet.

‘Did it… leave?’

A fleeting hope emerged.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

As if telling a lie, the door suddenly opened, and the monster invaded their home.

“No!”

“Aaah! Honey!”

“Daddyyyy!”

“Uwaaa!”

Choi Hyeong-jun desperately embraced his family.

In the final moment, driven by the desire for his beloved family to live even one second longer than him, he acted.

Choi Hyeong-jun was prepared for death, but what came flying from behind wasn’t an attack from the monster.

“Excuse me.”

With a courteous voice, Choi Hyeong-jun slowly turned around.

There stood a young man.

In stark contrast to Choi Hyeong-jun’s family, who had been living miserably for days without proper food or a shower, the young man looked completely different.

Perhaps he had just taken a shower. His slightly wet hair emitted the faint scent of shampoo and body wash.

The surreal fragrance, completely incongruent with the current situation, added to his mysterious aura.

In addition, the subtle sense of presence and charisma made him seem like a giant.

Choi Hyeong-jun managed to open his mouth.

“W-Who…?”

The young man spoke.

“I’m Kim Jae-hyun, your neighbor. May I have a moment to talk?”

Unable to provide any coherent response, Choi Hyeong-jun stared blankly. The young man, with a helpless face, held up the items he had brought.

“It’s water and tangerines. Would you like to have some before we talk?”

The items the young man brought were exactly what Choi Hyeong-jun’s family had been desperately wishing for.

Water and food!

At this point, who he was didn’t matter much.

Choi Hyeong-jun nodded hastily.

“Come in!”