Absolute Dweller

[Episode 03] Goblin Hunt (3)

Growl.

Beneath the bright moon of Hwiyoung Cheong, a sinister red glint shone in the deep shadows created by the apartment.

Crunch!

Northern alley.

The owner of that place was a humanoid monster covered in rough, pitch-black fur.

Growl!

The owner of that place was a humanoid demon beast.

It was a monster with jet-black hair growing wildly all over its body.

Crack!

The creature was focused on shattering goblin bones.

‘I’ll kill them.’

The stench of decay wafted from the dozens of goblin corpses scattered around the creature.

Crunch—

It was difficult to see this as a simple hunt to satisfy hunger.

The dozens of goblin corpses surrounding it were filled with malice.

Even now, the creature’s intense focus on breaking goblin bodies seemed more like an outlet for rage than a hunt.

‘I’ll kill them.’

The goblin corpses were far from intact.

All of them were severely mutilated and scattered into pieces.

“Creak.”

Surprisingly, not a single human corpse was around.

The only thing piled up around the creature was the corpses of goblins.

‘More.’

Having just finished dismantling a goblin it had in its mouth, the creature looked for his next prey with a red glare.

‘I need more.’

Through the creature’s ears, the detestable cries of goblin creatures echoed.

“Kkieeeek―! Kkieeeek―! Kkieeek―!”

Hearing the excited and glowing cries of the goblins, the creature’s predatory instincts reached their peak.

‘Underground parking lot.’

Despite having entered their lair once before and suffered numerous injuries, there was no hesitation in its steps.

Those wounds had long since healed completely.

‘I’ll kill them.’

It was time for the hunt.

***

Shoosh-

Choi Hyeong-jun appeared with a sound like space distorting.

‘Phew. That was close.’

Throughout the operation, he had been watching Choi Hyeong-jun with the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes.

In case anything happened, he could immediately use the Vassal Summoning skill.

While hoping that nothing would happen, an incident almost occurred. Without hesitation, he immediately used the Vassal Summoning skill.

‘But it takes three seconds to cast the skill.’

In reality, it took a little longer than that because the Absolute Dweller’s Eye had to be turned off to cast the skill.

“Huff! Huff!”

Breathing heavily, Choi Hyeong-jun, who appeared, checked on me and then opened his mouth with a distressed expression.

“Jae, Jaehyun-nim! Ugh!”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Huuk. I’m fine.”

“That’s a relief. Huh?”

Contrary to his words, blood was oozing out from Choi Hyeong-jun’s calf.

Checking his calf following my gaze, Choi Hyeong-jun scratched his head and said.

“When did this… It’s okay. These kinds of injuries heal quickly.”

Given the minimal bleeding, the wound didn’t seem too deep.

It appeared to be scratched by a goblin’s claws, and considering how dirty goblin claws could be, swift treatment was necessary to prevent secondary infection.

‘I should register some medicine as well.’

There were more than just one or two items that needed registration.

“Please wait here.”

“Yes…”

Entering the house, I opened the drawer where medicines were kept.

‘There might be more occasions to use them than I thought.’

Battling with monsters was inevitable in the future.

As a result, minor injuries became commonplace, and to safely treat them, medicines were necessary.

Red potions, fusidin, bandages, cold medicine, digestive aids, Tylenol, and so on.

Perhaps due to my frequent illnesses during childhood, I tended to stock up on most things.

‘There’s even antibiotics.’

Before the world reached this point, I had suffered from a rash and had to go to the hospital for a while.

Like most people, I didn’t bother much after recovering to take the prescribed medicine.

The prescription medicine from the hospital was left forgotten but still present.

‘Penicillin.’

Penicillin was an incredibly effective medicine, considered one of humanity’s greatest inventions in medicine.

The history of human medicine is often divided into before and after the discovery of penicillin.

Given the appearance of monsters and the likelihood of minor injuries, it was the most essential medicine now.

‘There’s too much to register.’

There were only a few slots left in the store.

With just 40 slots, even filling them with essential items felt crowded.

Until I could receive skill points, it was wise to save the remaining slots as much as possible.

I didn’t know when I would get the essential items.

‘Will it work?’

There was a trick to saving store slots.

It was because I discovered that the toolbox brought by Choi Hyeong-jun could be registered all at once.

Even though the toolbox contained various items like a hammer and screwdriver, it was categorized as a single product.

‘Probably because it was sold as a set from the beginning.’

However, the situation was a bit different with the medicines here. Since they were individually purchased and collected, it was unclear whether they would be recognized as a set.

‘Let’s give it a try for now.’

After squeezing as many medicines as possible into the first aid kit in the drawer, I attempted to register it in the store.

Makeshift Used First Aid Kit (77,330 won) ? Restore

‘…It worked.’

Although it was unnecessarily expensive, and the restoration price was unreasonably high, I confirmed that it was possible to register temporarily made items as sets.

‘I can restore it later. It’s not urgently needed right now.’

Except for being unnecessarily expensive, it was satisfactory.

If needed later, it was also an advantage that I could take out only those medicines and register them separately in the store.

Carrying the crudely made first aid kit and a bottle of water, I went outside and saw Choi Hyeong-jun waiting for me with a quiet demeanor.

“Please show me the wound.”

“I’m really okay…”

As I lifted his pants, it clearly looked like a laceration caused by a goblin’s fingernails.

The wound wasn’t large, but the area around it was already swollen and red, indicating that the condition didn’t look good.

“I’ll disinfect it.”

“Ah, okay.”

I wiped away the blood with an alcohol swab and applied antiseptic. Choi Hyeong-jun’s expression slightly twisted from the stinging sensation, but it soon relaxed as I applied ointment.

[Citizen Choi Hyeong-jun’s trust increases.]

[Citizen Choi Hyeong-jun’s loyalty increases.]

“…Thank you.”

“Have this too. It’s an antibiotic. Here’s some water.”

“Yes, okay.”

As the treatment ended, right on cue, the area under the emergency stairs started getting noisy.

‘They’re here.’

Following the urgent footsteps of Ha Dong-gun’s group, the pursuit of dozens, even hundreds of goblins continued.

“We’re here! Just a little more running!”

Having accepted more than 90 people as citizens, I learned a fact.

The average level of adult men is around 7-8.

However, Ha Dong-gun’s party, including women like Kim Ga-young and Yoo Hye-rin, had levels in the double digits.

Perhaps due to their athletic backgrounds, they had significantly better stamina than ordinary people.

“Hah! Huff!”

They were struggling.

Observing the situation, I could fully understand. Climbing up to the 30th floor at full speed was challenging enough, but with goblins filled with muscles chasing from behind, it became even more difficult.

Moreover, the goblins, running on all four legs like dogs, had an extraordinary speed.

The only reason they could escape unscathed up to this point was the shining teamwork of Ha Dong-gun’s party.

“Huup!”

Thud!

Moon Byeong-ho at the very back swung his bat, sending two goblins tumbling down the stairs, knocking the goblins behind them like a domino effect.

However, the goblins quickly recovered and resumed their pursuit.

“Byeong-ho! Keep running!”

While Moon Byeong-ho ran, Kim Ga-young and Ha Dong-gun, who had arrived first, provided cover fire. They intentionally aimed for the goblins’ stomachs, shoulders, and other vulnerable spots.

Thump!

Injured goblins became obstacles, delaying the advance of other goblins. Truly fantastic teamwork. In the end, everyone safely reached the 30th floor.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

Six people poured through the emergency exit like a stream. The scene resembled runners passing the finish line in a short-distance race.

Right after that, the goblins following them tried to pass through the emergency exit without slowing down.

However.

Kugugugung!

“Kwae-aeack!”

“Kkie-eeak?!”

“Kkiei-ig!”

Goblins blocked by the invisible barrier began to struggle, not understanding what was happening.

“Heck! Huup!”

At that moment, everyone was catching their breath, but only one person seemed unaffected. Instead, he energetically swung his bat toward the goblins.

That person was Moon Byeong-ho, who had shown his prowess just before.

Thwack!

[You have hunted a Goblin (Lv. 6).]

[You have gained experience points.]

[10,085 won has been deposited into the Absolute Dweller’s wallet.]

As Moon Byeong-ho smashed the head of a goblin, a cheerful notification rang out.

‘Efficient.’

Every time he killed a goblin, Moon Byeong-ho received nearly 10,000 won. This was due to the 90% bonus effect obtained by surpassing the number of citizens to 90, along with the double bonus from being a vassal, resulting in a total payout of 380%. The experience points were similarly buffed at 380%.

“Heuk! No, Byeong-ho, aren’t you out of breath? Huff.”

Kang Deok-su was looking at Moon Byeong-ho like a monster.

Moon Byeong-ho continued to swing the bat vigorously in response, “I don’t know either—hup!”

Thwack!

[You have hunted a Goblin (Lv. 7).]

[You have gained experience points.]

[13,711 won has been deposited into the Absolute Dweller’s wallet.]

With each swing of the bat, Moon Byeong-ho shattered the head of a goblin.

Seeing this, Kim Geon muttered absentmindedly, “…crazy.”

“Could we have done it if Byeong-ho wasn’t here?”

“But was Byeong-ho always this physically fit?”

The entire Ha Dong-geon party was astonished by Moon Byeong-ho’s condition.

‘No wonder.’

The reason Moon Byeong-ho appeared unharmed was that I had registered him as a vassal.

And.

『Name: Moon Byeong-ho (Lv. 30) [+]

Title: [Second Vassal]

Trust: 55 Loyalty: 88

Awakening Ability: Teleport

★ Quest Assignment ??Expulsion』

For some reason, Moon Byeong-ho’s level after registering as a vassal, skyrocketed to an impressive level 30.

Thanks to this, his strength and stamina had become incomparable to others.

The awakening ability was Teleport (Grade A).

Move through space by consuming mental strength. It was only possible to teleport to a place with a clear line of sight, and the mental strength consumption increased proportionally with the number of companions and the distance traveled.

‘Registering him as a vassal was a good decision.’

Honestly, it felt like winning the lottery.

Although there was a restriction that it could only be used where the line of sight was clear, this ability would undoubtedly be critical in saving my parents.

Perhaps that’s why a satisfied smile naturally appeared on my face whenever I looked at Moon Byeong-ho.

Thwack!

“Kwae-aeak—!”

[You have hunted a Goblin (Lv. 6).]

[You have gained experience points.]

[9,902 won has been deposited into the Absolute Dweller’s wallet.]

His diligent removal of goblins, earning experience points and settlement money, was truly commendable. Of course, with the sheer number of goblins, it would take all day to clear them consistently.

Fortunately, I had a solution.

Now was the timing to move on to the third step of the goblin hunt.

“Everyone did really well.”

As I spoke, everyone turned to look at me.

Even Moon Byeong-ho, who had been vigorously beating goblins, turned around to face me.

I addressed Moon Byeong-ho, who was looking at me.

“Since it’s dangerous, please step back.”

Moon Byeong-ho tilted his head as if not understanding the meaning, but soon followed my instructions.

Once I confirmed that everyone had moved far enough away from the emergency exit stairs, I raised my hand towards the emergency exit.

‘Open the warehouse. Spit out all the water inside.’

Zzing—

The water stored up to the warehouse’s limit turned into a waterfall and poured down.

Shooaaaa!

“Kkigig?”

“Kkiiik!”

Before the goblins, who were startled by the sudden shower, could regain their composure,

“Choi Hyeong-jun, now!”

“Yes!”

Choi Hyeong-jun turned on the power strip running from my house.

Zap—

At the bottom of the emergency stairs, the stripped wires that Choi Hyeongjun had laid out were tangled here and there.

And on top of them were goblins soaked in water.

The stripped camouflage revealed wires torn into several branches, emitting a vivid current. Soon, a harsh sound echoed throughout the emergency exit.

Zzzzzzz—

[You have hunted a Goblin (Lv. 6).]

[You have hunted a Goblin (Lv. 6).]

[You have hunted a Goblin (Lv. 7).]

…

…

Dozens of goblins were instantly grilled.

‘Alright.’

Of course, using electrical attacks to instantly kill was only effective for dozens of goblins in close proximity.

There were still well over a few hundred goblins remaining.

However, it was not a problem.

‘If I repeat this a few more times, it should be enough.’

As a fairly large amount of current was released, the money in the wallet was quickly depleted, but even more money flowed in.

[Gained a large amount of experience points.]

[334,464 won has been deposited into the wallet of the Absolute Dweller.]

[Skill level has increased.]

[Learned a new skill.]

At the moment I accepted a tremendous amount of experience points.

‘Hm?’

Forced activation of the Absolute Dweller’s Eye.

Simultaneously, a fierce pain overwhelmed me.

“Argh!”

It was like that moment before, the intense agony experienced when the Absolute Dweller’s domain expanded.

With the sensation of my body swelling, the area expanded explosively.

However, this time, the direction of expansion was a bit peculiar.

The heightened senses expanded toward the emergency exit stairs.

The extended perception through the emergency exit stairs quickly reached straight down to the underground second floor.

Every detail of the emergency exit stairs, filled with goblins, was vividly perceived.

And.

[Hostile entities have been detected by the Absolute Dweller.]

[Eliminating.]

With a concise notification.

Boom!

Every goblin’s head, crowding the emergency exit stairs, burst like fireworks.

[You have hunted a Goblin (Lv. 6).]

[You have hunted a Goblin (Lv. 6).]

[You have hunted a Goblin (Lv. 7).]

[You have hunted a Goblin (Lv. 6).]

[You have hunted a Goblin (Lv. 7).]

[You have hunted a Goblin (Lv. 6).]

…

…