Absolute Dweller

[Episode 02] Survivors (5)

Seven men and women were crowded around the large table in the living room.

“I’m sorry, what should we do? There’s not enough space.”

Ha Dong-geon spoke towards Park Hye-won, who seemed unsure of what to do, glancing around nervously.

“It’s okay. It’s our fault for barging in like this.”

With seven adults suddenly invading the home where the family of four lived, it was inevitable that there would be a shortage of space.

“We didn’t prepare anything, but enjoy your meal.”

Contrary to Park Hye-won’s humble words, the table was set with a feast. Freshly steamed rice, neatly folded rolled omelets, fluffy steamed egg custard, and perfectly cooked sunny-side-up eggs adorned the table, creating an abundant spread.

“Don’t say there’s nothing prepared! This is a complete feast, Unni!”

Kim Ga-yeong exclaimed as she praised the table. Park Hye-won clapped her hands and returned the compliment.

“It’s all thanks to the ingredients Mr. Jaehyun provided. If it weren’t for him, we would only have rice and tangerines.”

In reality, there was no way the house that had endured for ten days would have any proper ingredients left. The reason all the dishes were made with eggs was due to that scarcity.

As a gesture, he filled the empty refrigerator of Choi Hyeong-jun’s family with items like milk and eggs and replenished the nearly empty rice container.

Through this process, Park Hye-won’s trust level reached 50.

‘I never thought she’d reach 50 before Choi Hyeong-jun.’

Despite starting with the lowest trust level among Choi Hyeong-jun’s family, she was a person who found great happiness in small things.

“Thank you for the food!”

As the meal began in earnest, everyone was busy with their spoons, continuously praising the dishes.

“Mmm! The steamed egg custard is delicious!”

“Wow, this rolled omelet is so sweet, like the ones you get at a Japanese restaurant!”

At that moment, Choi Seo-yeon grabbed Park Hye-won’s apron and mumbled.

“Mom, Seo-yeon also wants a rolled omelet…”

“Seo-yeon, sweetheart, Mom will make it for you as soon as the guests finish eating. Okay?”

“Sniff.”

Seeing this, Kim Ga-yeong spoke to Choi Seo-yeon.

“Seo-yeon, do you want to eat the rolled omelet with Unni?”

“Yeah!”

Without waiting for Park Hye-won to object, Choi Seo-yeon rushed over to Kim Ga-yeong’s side and took the rolled omelet she offered, eating it with delight.

“Nom, nom, yum.”

Her appearance was just like a baby bird receiving food from its parent.

At that moment, Ha Dong-geon addressed Choi Hyeong-jun’s family, who was awkwardly standing in the kitchen.

“If you don’t mind, please join us for the meal.”

“Oh, we’re fine. There’s not enough space, and we already ate earlier…”

Contrary to his words, Choi Hyeong-jun was drooling at the sight of the sumptuous feast on the table.

Well, what they ate earlier was just plain rice with water, so it was only natural.

I spoke up, “Come and join us. There’s still food left.”

“Um, is it okay?”

In the end, all eleven people squeezed around the table, sitting closely together for the meal.

I picked up a neatly sliced piece of rolled omelet and put it in my mouth.

“!”

Kim Ga-yeong’s reaction was not an exaggeration.

Park Hye-won’s cooking skills were impressive, and the taste was reminiscent of the rolled omelets sold in Japanese restaurants.

“It’s delicious.”

Not only that, but the steamed egg custard had the perfect seasoning.

Eating the steamed egg custard directly with rice was enough to make it perfect.

“Wow. When was the last time I had home-cooked food like this?”

It was an exclamation from Kang Deok-su.

“It’s been a while.”

Not having ramyeon for a meal made me involuntarily think of my mom. Especially with the unnecessarily sumptuous table setting, the feeling intensified.

“I hope everyone is safe.”

I missed my family. Since I learned about Moon Byeong-ho’s situation through the eyes of the Absolute Dweller, my concern for his grandmother was clearly reflected on Moon Byeong-ho’s face. I knew the feeling of worrying about family well.

Moreover, the loyalty of the party members, who all moved together for Moon Byeong-ho, touched my heart. Coming here without hesitation and having a meal together was due to that.

I could see that they were genuinely good people.

“…”

Suddenly, a heavy silence fell over the dining table. When I looked up to see why, everyone was looking at me, and it seemed like my tense expression had made them uneasy.

I tried to soften my expression and pretend everything was fine.

“Ahem. Uh, wow, it’s delicious.”

But everyone seemed to find me somewhat difficult to approach.

‘It’s strange.’

Perhaps because I have a relatively youthful appearance, there were people who treated me casually or felt at ease around me, so no one had struggled to interact with me to this extent.

However, now everyone seemed to find me somewhat difficult to approach, except for one person.

“Mom, Seo-yeon is sleepy.”

It was only the youngest, Choi Seo-yeon, who seemed comfortable with me. Even Choi Na-yeon, slightly older than her, seemed to be cautious around me.

“Well, Seo-yeon. Should Na-yeon and I go to bed together?”

“Yeah.”

After Park Hye-won took the two children and went into the room, the conversation resumed in earnest.

Park Hye-won spoke to Ha Dong-geon, “Shall we continue with the story we were discussing earlier? What’s the reason you couldn’t go to your grandmother’s house, even though it’s so close?”

He slowly began to explain, “It’s because of the goblins.”

“Goblins?”

“Yes.”

It was strange.

The scene I witnessed was Ha Dong-geon’s party swiftly annihilating four goblins.

As I made a puzzled expression, Ha Dong-geon continued with additional explanations.

“You’re aware that there’s a large space in the underground parking lot of the apartment, right?”

“Well, that’s obvious.”

“Perhaps because it’s a good place to hide like a cave, goblins from around the apartment complex seem to have gathered there, claiming their territory.”

How spacious was the underground parking lot?

A space large enough to park thousands of cars. How many goblins could it accommodate?

“It seems like there are at least several thousand.”

“…”

It was a more serious situation than I had thought.

There were thousands of goblins swarming underground.

The dozens I had seen on the sidewalk were just the tip of the iceberg.

“And as you know, all the entrances and exits of the apartment are near the underground parking lot. With such a large number of goblins roaming around, we can’t find a way in.”

I countered Ha Dong-geon’s words.

“There’s an escape route, right?”

“Yes. That’s correct. From the beginning, our plan was to escape through the escape route, but…”

Ha Dong-geon’s eyes shook severely as he trailed off.

“There was someone there who seemed more dangerous than goblins.”

“Someone more dangerous?”

Ha Dong-geon responded with a serious expression, “It seems to be a werewolf.”

“The exact details are unclear to us. It was too dark, and the danger seemed imminent, so the moment we spotted the creature, we immediately fled.”

If the escape route was unavailable, it was essentially going back to square one.

“Essentially, we have to make a frontal breakthrough.” f𝐫𝗲eweb𝗻o𝐯el.𝚌o𝗺

“Yes. That’s why we’ve been focusing on reducing the number of goblins for the past few days.”

Ha Dong-geon confessed with a dark expression.

“We’ve killed quite a few goblins, but it feels like their numbers haven’t decreased significantly, and now we’re gradually reaching our limit.”

“A limit?”

At that moment, Kim Ga-yeong, who was next to Ha Dong-geon, stepped forward to provide further explanation.

“Our main weapons are bows and baseballs. However, since arrows are consumables, they are running out. We try to collect and reuse them, but my husband’s thrown baseballs are also running out.”

“If that’s the case, I can help. Can I see the arrows and baseballs? And the bow as well.”

Kim Ga-yeong brought the items she used: a bow, arrows, and baseballs.

“Here you go.”

After registering these items in the store, I immediately performed the item recovery.

Recovering arrows and baseballs didn’t take much.

The problem was the bow.

[“To restore the ‘Compound Bow’ in good condition, you need 1,530,000 won.”]

[“Would you like to restore it?”]

After a moment of contemplation, I made a decision.

“Restore it.”

I might not be certain about other things, but bows and arrows would undoubtedly continue to be very useful. If I were to keep buying items in the future, restoring them seemed like a profitable business.

“Do any of you use bows?”

Hearing my question, Ha Dong-geon’s party looked at me with expressions of confusion.

I smiled meaningfully at them and thought.

‘Purchase five sets of bows. Purchase five sets of arrows.’

Ding―

I pointed to the newly appeared five sets of bows and arrows.

“Even if you can’t shoot, use this opportunity to practice. You’ll be using it continuously in the future.”

The others were not using baseball bats because it was more useful.

Since they didn’t have bows, they swung baseball bats instead.

However, now all five members were armed with bows.

Having a ranged weapon, even if they were inexperienced, was a significant advantage.

[Citizen Ha Dong-geon’s trust has increased.]

[Citizen Kim Ga-yeong’s trust has increased.]

[Citizen Yoo Hye-rin’s trust has increased.]

…

…

The trust of everyone present in this place increased simultaneously.

“I’m sure this will speed up goblin hunting by several times.”

“If we have this many arrows, there’s no need to go out of our way to retrieve them. With this, forcibly breaking through the entrance of the apartment is also possible, right?”

Ha Dong-geon and his party were very excited

Especially Moon Byeong-ho, who showed a particularly enthusiastic response.

[Citizen Moon Byeong-ho’s trust has increased significantly.]

It was understandable.

The hope of saving his grandmother was being realized right in front of his eyes.

I said to him.

“It’s not set in stone yet. Before that, we need to significantly reduce the number of goblins.”

“But…”

“No matter how you escape, if the goblins are still alive, then coming back is the problem. You’re not planning on not returning, are you?”

“…”

Ha Dong-geon nodded in agreement.

“Yes. To ensure safety, we need to first reduce the number of goblins. So, when are you planning to execute the operation?”

Upon hearing that question, Moon Byeong-ho’s expression darkened again.

The more time passes, the less likely it is for his grandmother to survive.

I said, “The operation will take place tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes. This is a problem where the faster, the better.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Tomorrow. I will rescue Mr. Moon Byungho’s grandmother.”

Upon hearing these words, everyone wore expressions of doubt and uncertainty.

Their reaction seemed to question how much they could achieve in reducing the goblin numbers in just one day.

After observing their reactions, I declared with confidence,

“We will conduct a concentrated hunt.”

I began to briefly explain the outline of the operation.

All of them listened with determined expressions.

“Perhaps it might be possible…”

“If things go well…”

“We don’t have much time, so let’s finish our meal here and move according to my instructions.”

That was the moment.

[Citizen Choi Hyeong-jun has completed the quest.]

[Quest cost: 30,000 won.]

Upon checking the notification, I furrowed my brows.

‘Did I have to spend money?’

Well, if quests could be given for free, it could lead to loopholes.

‘For example, by giving a very easy quest.’

Providing quests like ‘Do 10 push-ups’ and gaining a small amount of experience as a quest reward would have been enough.

In that case, it would have been possible to slowly raise the citizens’ levels without hunting monsters.

‘Conversely, it means that as long as you have enough money, you can raise the citizens’ levels as much as you want.’

If the capital was sufficient, it could also be used for tricks.

‘Unless absolutely necessary, I don’t have to use it.’

My wallet situation was not that comfortable yet.

At this moment, a message suddenly appeared saying that Choi Hyeong-jun’s trust had increased, perhaps because he received a reward for completing the quest.

[Citizen Choi Hyeong-jun’s trust has increased.]

At the same time,

[Citizen Choi Hyeong-jun’s trust has reached 50.]

[Loyalty is unlocked.]

[Citizen Choi Hyeong-jun’s loyalty has surpassed 30.]

[Citizen Choi Hyeong-jun has met the conditions for registered status.]

Finally, Choi Hyeong-jun’s trust reached 50. Moreover, there was an alert that he surpassed 30 in loyalty as soon as it was unlocked.

‘Is that possible? Citizen information, Choi Hyeong-jun.’

『Name: Choi Hyeong-jun (Level 20) [+]

Title: [First Vassal]

Trust: 51 Loyalty: 62

Awakening Ability: Gorilla’s Might

★Quest Assignment ??Expulsion』

Checking the citizen information, Choi Hyeong-jun’s loyalty was an impressive 62, higher than Choi Seo-yeon, who was the first to unlock loyalty.

With this, registration as a vassal could be done immediately.

Vassal registration, Choi Hyeong-jun.’

At that moment,

Wooong!

Bright light permeated Choi Hyeong-jun’s body.

“What, what was that just now?”

“Something flashed, it seemed like…”

Ding!

[Appointed as the first vassal.]

[Acquired ‘Vassal Summon’ skill as a reward.]

{Vassal Summon}

Summons a vassal into the room.

However, once a vassal is summoned, they can only be summoned again after two hours.

The newly acquired skill was very intuitive. If used wisely, it could be extremely useful.

In addition, there was a significant change in Choi Hyeong-jun’s citizen information.

『Name: Choi Hyeong-jun (Level 20) [+]

Title: [First Vassal]

Trust: 51 Loyalty: 62

Awakening Ability: Gorilla’s Might

★Quest Assignment』

He had just gained a whopping 11 levels, and a new title, “First Vassal” had emerged. Furthermore, he had awakened the ability called “Gorilla’s Might.”

Gorilla’s Might (C) [Passive]

Becomes the possessor of strength comparable to that of a gorilla.

Examining the title closely revealed its effects.

{First Vassal}

Experience points and settlement fees for monsters hunted by the vassal are doubled upon payment.

Creates an area within a 5m radius outside the room where the ‘The Absolute Dweller’s Eye’ can be summoned.

Now, sending Choi Hyeong-jun for reconnaissance could provide more detailed information about the outside situation.

‘What is the plus button next to the level?’

[Would you like to spend 1,000,000 won to raise Vassal Choi Hyeong-jun’s level?]

Seeing the hefty sum of 1 million won demanded, I immediately turned off the message without any hesitation.

‘Surprise.’

Just as I was suppressing my shock, I saw Choi Hyeong-jun staring intently at his hands beside me.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Oh, Mr. Jaehyun. After receiving that light just now, it feels like there’s energy overflowing in me. It feels like I can do anything… Did you do this, Mr. Jaehyun?”

It seemed to be the effect of Gorilla’s Might.

“Yes, I did.”

I looked at him and offered a warm smile.

“Thank you, Mr. Jaehyun. Honestly, I feel like I’ve gotten ten years younger…”

I handed him the newly purchased set of bow and arrows, saying, “Mr. Hyeong-jun, please participate in the operation as well.”

“Um… yes?”

Basically, a 10% experience bonus granted to citizens.

Because the payment was doubled due to the vassal effect, it was equivalent to gaining 220% experience.

Meaning that using Choi Hyeong-jun’s hands to hunt monsters was more rewarding than if I did it myself.

“Please make sure to catch as many as possible.”

I reiterated my request to Choi Hyeong-jun, who was in tears.

“I will do my best.”

Translator’s Note: This novel makes me question math.