Absolute Dweller

[Episode 03] Goblin Hunt (4)

“Grrraaaawr!”

The place where the dark beast attracted by the goblin cries arrived was in front of the emergency exit stairs of an apartment building.

The goblins, oblivious to their surroundings, were solely focused on climbing the stairs, seemingly not caring about anything else.

Enraged, the dark beast roared.

“Grrrooowwwwl!”

Only then did the goblins react, facing the sudden threat.

“Goblin scum!”

A single goblin rushed towards the unexpected intruder.

Squelch!

The dark beast swiftly snapped the goblin’s neck with its powerful jaws.

“Grrrgh!”

The strength of the beast’s jaws was evident as the goblin met an instant demise.

However, this was just the beginning.

Swish!

The dark beast’s claws slashed through the air, leaving a trail of goblin blood and entrails in its wake.

“Grrraaaawr!”

With each movement of its teeth and every swipe of its sharp claws, the life of a goblin vanished.

“Crrrrrrunch!”

The appearance of the predator sent the startled goblins scrambling backward.

However, in the cramped emergency exit stairs filled with goblins in every direction, there was nowhere for them to escape.

“Grrrgh?”

“Grrrrrrr!”

Like mice cornered by a cat, the goblins, as if following an unspoken agreement, rushed towards the dark beast.

“Snnnaaaaarrrl!”

Clawing with its sharp nails, biting with its teeth, tearing through fur, and crawling over bodies.

Although the combined efforts of the ten goblins were threatening, the dark beast remained untouched, thanks to the thick layer of fat surrounding its entire body.

“Grraaawwww!”

Swish!

Despite whatever the goblins were doing, the dark beast focused solely on killing as many goblins as possible.

However, if the goblins’ strength was limited to this extent, the goblins that had taken residence in this apartment would have already been massacred by the dark beast.

Most goblins couldn’t inflict any harm on the dark beast. Their claws and nails couldn’t penetrate the thick layer of fat that surrounded the dark beast.

However, goblins were cunning and resourceful. In the homes they looted, there were dangerous items, and goblins who possessed these items posed a significant threat to the dark beast.

Swish!

A sharp kitchen knife pierced deeply into the back of the dark beast.

“Roaaar!”

The dark beast growled in irritation and slammed the goblin against the wall.

Thunk!

While the goblin with the knife died instantly, there were plenty more goblins ready to take its place.

Swish!

This time, an awl was thrust into the thigh.

The dark beast roared in irritation and kicked, and the goblin with the awl collapsed and died instantly. 𝖋𝖗𝖊𝖊𝔴𝖊𝖇𝔫𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑.𝖈𝖔𝖒

With each movement and kick of the dark beast, goblins died, but the number of goblins rushing towards it only increased.

“Kieeeek!”

The goblins kept pouring in, and the various tools embedded in the dark beast, such as knives, awls, and scissors, were repeatedly reused by other goblins.

Swish! Thud! Squelch!

Whether by thrusting the knife deeper through a body slam, grabbing the handle and thrusting to inflict more wounds, or pulling out scissors and stabbing again, the dark beast’s body was riddled with wounds.

The injuries kept increasing, and even with its monstrous regenerative abilities, it was becoming increasingly difficult to endure.

“Roaaar!”

Now, it was reaching its limit.

Although its hate-filled heart craved more blood, its survival instinct was stronger.

“Roar!”

Now it was time to escape.

As they prepared to flee from the emergency stairs, a peculiar sound echoed from above.

“…Kuhyung?”

And in the next moment.

Swoosh—

“!!!”

Something overwhelming passed through them, and suddenly, they couldn’t move.

And then.

Thud!

The heads of the goblins all exploded simultaneously.

A moment of inexplicable terror engulfed them.

It was an instinctual realization.

They were now in the jaws of a beast, much like when a prey realizes it’s caught in the grip of a predator’s mouth.

The fear was incomparable to the feeling of knives or spears piercing their bodies.

In that moment of terror.

[You have been granted citizenship.]

“Haa—!”

The force that had bound it vanished.

Crackle—

Simultaneously, the exterior appearance of the dark beast melted away, revealing the face of a middle-aged woman.

Relieved of tension, she promptly lost consciousness.

***

“…”

A sudden level-up.

An expanded territory of the absolute zone.

And the sudden demise of hundreds of goblins.

Everything was unexpected, but the highlight was this:

『Name: Oh Eon-ju (Lv. 33)

Trust: 9

Awakening Ability: Werebear

Experience Distribution: 0%

Settlement Fund Distribution: 0%

★Quest Assignment ??Expulsion』

Werebear (Grade A)

Transforms into a humanoid bear, maximizing all physical abilities and regenerative powers.

Somehow, right after the absolute zone expanded, a new citizen was added.

And her specs were extraordinary.

Level 33, Grade A ability.

It was like a pumpkin rolling into a field of vines.

And that wasn’t all.

[Citizen Ha Dong-geon’s trust has reached 50.]

[Loyalty is unlocked.]

[Citizen Yoo Hye-rin’s trust has reached 50.]

[Loyalty is unlocked.]

…

…

Ha Dong-geon’s entire party achieved a trust level of 50.

And among them, one person reached a loyalty level of 30 simultaneously, fulfilling the conditions for registration as a vassal.

[Citizen Kang Deok-su’s loyalty has surpassed 30.]

[Citizen Kang Deok-su has fulfilled the conditions for vassal registration.]

Upon checking, Kang Deok-su’s loyalty was at 31, just barely exceeding the minimum requirement.

‘Vassal registration, Kang Deok-su.’

Without hesitation, I immediately registered him as a vassal.

Woo-ung!

『Name: Kang Deok-su (Lv. 25) [+]

Title: [Third Vassal]

Trust: 52 Loyalty: 31

Awakening Ability: Steel Knight

★Quest Assignment ??Expulsion』

Steel Knight (Grade B)

Summons a suit of steel armor and a halberd for full-body protection.

‘The level of the vassal is proportional to the grade of the awakened ability.’

Choi Hyeong-jun, with a Grade C ability, Gorilla’s Might, was at level 20. Kang Deok-su, with a Grade B ability, Steel Knight, was at level 25. Finally, Moon Byeong-ho, with a Grade A ability, Teleport, was at level 30.

Upon registering as a vassal, the level is determined based on the grade of the awakened ability.

‘Is the assignment of ability grades entirely random?’

Upon comparing the information windows of the three, it seemed that the grade of the ability had no particular correlation with trust or loyalty.

If Moon Byeong-ho obtained an A-grade ability due to high loyalty, then similarly, Choi Hyeong-jun, with higher loyalty, should have obtained a B-grade ability. However, he awakened a C-grade ability, and surprisingly, Kang Deok-su, who barely met the minimum loyalty requirement of 31, acquired a B-grade ability.

‘It would be good if we could know the conditions for higher-grade abilities to appear.’

This was an important issue.

To maximize the efficiency of the limited 10 vassal registrations, it would be ideal to accept individuals who awakened higher-grade abilities.

‘Also, what happens if we accept someone as a vassal when they already have an awakened ability?’

Ha Dong-geon and Oh Eon-ju, the woman just accepted as a citizen, both possessed awakened abilities prior to vassal registration.

What would happen if I registered such individuals as vassals?

“Ugh…”

Just as I was deeply engrossed in my thoughts, a sound like the rushing wind came from behind.

Turning my head, I saw Kang Deok-su with an astonished expression asking, “What in the world…?”

The expressions of the others were not much different. Each person’s face reflected a whirlwind of emotions – astonishment, fear, and admiration.

At this moment, they probably had a vague idea of how I might appear.

‘I must look like a monster.’

Their shock wasn’t due to turning the goblins into electric barbecue; it was something else.

“Just now, something…”

A tremendous event had occurred. They instinctively felt that the lives of hundreds of goblins that filled the emergency stairs had vanished in an instant.

So, that’s why they’re making those horrified expressions.

Addressing them, I said, “The operation is over. Now please send all the survivors back to their homes.”

We couldn’t keep gathering citizens in the Choi family’s apartment indefinitely.

‘With this level up, the emergency stairs, elevator, and the corridors on each floor are all included in the territory.’

Thanks to this, I could now use the elevator freely.

‘In fact, this apartment has become safe.’

Strictly speaking, the entire apartment had not yet become part of my territory, but by controlling the stairs and the elevator, I practically conquered all the passages leading to the upper floors.

Unless monsters like Kellicans broke in through the windows, there was no need to worry about monster invasions.

“If anyone is short on water or food, you can take these.”

After purchasing plenty of water and ramen and placing them in the hallway, I spoke to Choi Hyeong-jun.

“Now, please tidy up the cables.”

“Yes, yes!”

Rustle, rustle…

Only the sound of Hyungjun Choi organizing the cables echoed loudly in the corridor.

‘The Absolute Dweller’s Eye.’

I used the skill to feel the newly acquired area overall.

I could see Oh Eon-ju lying unconscious on the emergency stairs.

‘1st floor.’

I walked nonchalantly to the elevator, supplied power, and pressed the call button.

Woong, woong…

The elevator worked properly and soon arrived at the 30th floor.

??—

[30th floor.]

[The door opens.]

Calmly stepping inside the elevator, I headed down to the 1st floor where Oh Eon-ju was located.

***

The moment the elevator door closed with Kim Jae-hyun inside.

“Haah—.”

Everyone, as if they had made some kind of agreement, took a deep breath and slumped down.

The immense charisma emanating from him seemed to press down on the entire space until he left. Breathing itself became difficult under its weight.

Ha Dong-geon approached the emergency stairs slowly.

Metallic clinks echoed as the state of the emergency stairs, revealed behind Choi Hyeong-jun diligently organizing the wires, reflected the intensity of the recent struggle.

Residual water, marks scorched by the electric current on the floor and walls, completely extinguished emergency lights, and not a single goblin corpse left. The intense moments were still vivid in their memories.

“…”

The goblin hunting using electricity was genuinely astonishing. Ha Dong-geon saw the potential and was confident that this method would rapidly reduce the number of goblins.

‘The problem is what comes next.’

Immediately after the electrocuted goblins disappeared, there was a moment when they couldn’t catch their breath. An overwhelming force seemed to cover them, rendering them completely helpless.

Amidst this, Ha Dong-geon witnessed the final moments of the goblins on the emergency exit stairs.

‘Their heads exploded at the same time.’

There were lucky goblins that survived the electrical attack. Suddenly, their heads exploded simultaneously.

If it had just been that, Ha Dong-geon might not have been so shocked. He would have thought it was some kind of special ability.

However,

‘What’s important is that right after that incident, the emergency stairs fell silent.’

The palpable presence of the numerous goblins disappeared as if someone had wiped them out of existence.

‘Why?’

The thought that the entire apartment was under Kim Jae-hyun’s influence from the beginning couldn’t be erased from Ha Dong-geon’s mind.

If that’s the case.

‘Is he testing us?’

Ha Dong-geon reconsidered the situation. He noticed one significant change.

‘Byeong-ho.’

Moon Byeong-ho, who showed an unusually strong trust in Kim Jaehyun. The point that caught Dong-geon’s attention was the rapid increase in his physical abilities.

‘When we lured the goblins to the 30th floor, we overcame several crises thanks to Byeong-ho.’

Though Dong-geon had known Byeong-ho for a long time, he wasn’t such a prominent figure.

He played a part but was far from being the team’s ace.

‘But suddenly, he became different.’

It was from that moment.

When the operation began, after Byeong-ho’s body was engulfed in a bright light.

From that moment on, he started to perform like a changed person.

If it was because he was chosen.

If it was a reward for the loyalty Moon Byeong-ho showed towards Jae-hyun.

‘…It’s frightening.’

What was the limit of that man’s abilities?

Did he really just suddenly awaken a superpower one day?

‘No, in the first place, is Mr. Jae-hyun even a human like me?’

The unknown turned into fear, fear turned into awe, and it ultimately led to one conclusion.

‘…Whether he’s human or not, the conclusion is the same.’

In order to be saved in this damn world, he had to be chosen by him.