Absolute Dweller

[Episode 08] Summon Familiar (3)

On the floor by the living room window, a small, square pillow held a black, round ball of fur.

As the dark night sky regained its light, the sun peeked over the mountains, announcing the beginning of the morning.

The spot occupied by the furball was the prime location to bask in the sunlight the moment dawn broke.

Under the warm rays of the slowly descending sunlight, the black furball slowly opened its eyes.

Lifting its head, the black fur ball stretched, absorbing the sunlight with its entire body.

[The level of the three-legged crow has increased.]

[The efficiency of the solar power generator has increased by 100%.]

‘It’s already level 5.’

I watched Kkami while sipping my morning coffee in the living room, smiling.

With this, the efficiency of the solar power generator had already increased five times.

It had transformed into a facility that could recoup the investment of 1 billion in just a year.

‘All in all, I’m not sure if it’s worth the 1 billion, but it’s not bad. Retrieving the 1 billion is only a matter of time.’

However, the changes were not limited to that.

[The Three-Legged Crow partially releases the power of the sun.]

[Inherits a portion of the power of a familiar.]

[Awakens basic magic attribute (fire).]

‘Attribute?’

As the strange notifications arrived, I slowly began to understand what basic magic attribute (fire) was.

‘This is…?’

It didn’t take long for the unfamiliar knowledge to feel comfortable, as if I had known it from the beginning.

I was able to understand it quickly and manipulate the power.

‘Is this how it’s done?’

I raised my index finger and visualized the shape of flames.

At that moment.

Hwarara.

Flames blossomed to life.

‘It feels rather familiar. Ah!’

I soon realized that it was similar to the sensation of generating electricity or gas with Dignity Maintenance.

After extinguishing the flame the size of a lighter, I then extended my palm, shaping a flame about the size of a baseball this time.

Hwalala.

The flames were easily generated, and the heat transmitted was hotter than expected.

Having confirmed that, I immediately moved on to the next step.

“Absolute Dweller’s Eyes.”

Currently, dawn was just about to break.

Even if stability had been restored, few citizens ventured out for a walk at this hour.

I imagined a flame the size of a house while gazing at the empty trail.

Hwarururuk!

However, the result was only a flame about the size of a campfire.

‘Perhaps this is the limit.’

Honestly, it wasn’t an exceptionally impressive ability.

However.

‘If I do it like this.’

Using Dignity Maintenance to leak gas.

Hwarurururuk―!

Flames exploded, pouring fire in all directions.

‘The dignity maintenance skill complements it well.’

While basic magic attribute (fire) alone lacked firepower, combining it with gas created by Dignity Maintenance transformed it into a threat.

‘No need to bother with burning tissues in the future.’

But that was the extent of it: reducing the hassle of creating a gas bomb.

After finishing such a simple experiment, an inexplicable fatigue set in.

It might be due to staying up all night, but it was a tiredness that couldn’t be explained by that alone.

‘I see. It probably uses a different type of energy than Dignity Maintenance.’

The method to use it was similar, but I could intuitively feel that they were fundamentally different types of power.

The dignity maintenance skill, no matter how much I used it, didn’t make me feel particularly tired.

It only used up the money in my wallet.

However, in the case of basic magic attribute (fire), it seemed to consume mental strength instead.

‘Still, there are endless possibilities for its future development. Kkami will continue to grow.’

Seeing that there was a ‘basic’ in front, it was clear that as Kkami’s level increased, it would evolve into intermediate and advanced levels.

‘Let’s eat.’

Perhaps because I stayed up all night, I’ve been feeling hungry.

For breakfast, I prepared a simple egg rice drizzled in soy sauce.

I placed two sunny side up eggs on top of the rice, drizzled them with soy sauce and sesame oil, and mixed them well.

After taking a spoonful and adding kimchi on top, the taste was just as I had expected.

‘Grandma used to make this often.’

Since my mother was busy working, my grandmother often prepared meals for me.

Whenever she did, the dish I frequently begged her to make was egg rice with soy sauce.

[Footnote: The dish is called ‘Gyeran Bap‘. Looks delicious]

I wanted to have the egg rice made by Grandma after so long.

‘Please wait a little longer. I’ll go to save you soon.’

In the afternoon, system notifications came continuously.

[The construction of the solar power generator facility has been completed.]

[The construction of the solar power generator facility has been completed.]

······

······

Since the morning, Kkami’s level had risen by three more levels, and the newly built solar power generators now had eight times the efficiency from the start.

‘With this level of efficiency, money should start flowing into my wallet slowly, right?’

Until now, the electricity generated by the solar power generator was completely supplied to the citizens.

In fact, more money was going out of my wallet.

But now that the efficiency increased eightfold, it was certain that surplus electricity would be left even after supplying all the power.

‘How much will come in?’

At this time, Seo Ye-jin came to my house.

????~

‘She’s here.’

The arrival of Seo Ye-jin, the key personnel for this operation.

She had overslept this morning for the first time in a while, took a warm bath, and even had a hot meal prepared by her mother before coming.

This was because I had personally ordered her to get enough rest.

It was my consideration for her.

After all, the survivor group led by Seo Ye-jin had to endure nearly a month in harsh conditions.

I had given them time to unwind with their families.

“Hehe. Thank you so much for yesterday.”

“I just treated you according to your abilities.”

Thanks to Seo Ye-jin, the scope of my abilities had expanded significantly.

How could I not like it?

“I looked forward to working with you today as well!”

“Ha Dong-geon’s party is currently waiting at Seomyeon Station. You can guide them directly.”

Seo Ye-jin nodded her head and spoke.

“I’ve sent rats along the subway line. We should be able to move up to Choryang Station without any issues.”

“When you say ‘up to’ Choryang Station, it sounds like there might be a problem after that.”

“…Yes. To be precise, it’s Busan Station.”

She continued with a serious expression.

“It would be better to see it for yourself.”

Seo Ye-jin adjusted her sitting posture and immediately initiated sensory sharing.

Busan Station, which I saw through the mouse, clearly had many problems.

‘…’

Shwahhh―

Even before entering Busan Station, the sound of water could be heard, and at some point, the front was completely flooded.

To make matters worse, the ceiling had collapsed in the middle of the tracks, completely blocking the way.

‘There’s no way to pass through like this.’

It seemed necessary to go up to the surface before entering Busan Station and find an alternate route.

At that moment, Seo Ye-jin stopped the sensory sharing and opened her eyes.

“As you can see, the tracks are like this, so I continued to send the mice up, but…”

Instead of finishing her sentence, she closed her eyes and initiated sensory sharing once again.

I shared her vision through the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes.

And.

‘Hoh.’

The landscape above ground was hell itself.

The scenery of Seomyeon was like a battlefield.

‘There are no intact buildings around.’

Everything was in ruins.

If the god of destruction were to descend, it might look exactly like this.

High-rise buildings were nowhere to be found, and the roads were either overturned or shattered.

In fact, the extent of destruction, as if it had changed the terrain itself, felt unreal.

Squeak—

While the rat moved diligently with its small body, I could observe the surroundings widely through Absolute Dweller’s Eyes.

Thanks to this, I could see at a glance what the place the mouse was running looked like.

‘…Footprints?’

There were deeply imprinted giant footprints.

Giant footprints that seemed to be about 10 meters long.

In the surreal scene where realism seemed to distort, I was momentarily stunned.

‘No way?’

Once I recognized that it was a footprint, the destroyed surroundings came back to mind.

Broken buildings, shattered roads, and in the center of it all, gigantic footprints.

‘…Giant?’

I could see it indirectly even with just the remaining traces.

How serious the tyranny of that monster, which was not present here now, must have been.

The traces left behind indicated how impossible resistance was due to the enormous size difference, and how many people had died in overwhelming despair.

‘Insane.’

At that moment.

Kwonggggg—

A colossal sound echoed.

‘Where is it coming from?’

At first, I thought it was coming from where the mouse was.

But it wasn’t.

“M-Mr. Jae-hyun!”

Kwooooonggg—

The house was shaking.

The huge roar was not coming from Busan Station where the mouse was, but from near my house.

‘Is it an earthquake?!’

The shaking continued for about ten seconds before stopping.

‘…Something doesn’t feel right.’

The ominous premonition seemed inevitable.

In the next moment.

Thump, thump, thump!

Along with the sound of knocking on the front door, Choi Hyeong-jun’s urgent voice was heard.

“Mr. Jae-hyun! Mr. Jae-hyun! You need to see this!”

Seo Ye-jin and I exchanged perplexed looks.

“Let’s go outside.”

“Yes.”

As soon as I opened the front door, I could see the serious expression on Choi Hyeong-jun’s face.

“What’s going on?”

“M-My house…!”

Following after him who was running with a pale face, we rushed to Choi Hyeong-jun’s living room.

Kwooong!

You could see the streets of Seomyeon from the window in Choi Hyeong-jun’s living room at a glance.

There, a gigantic monster with an unreal size was destroying an entire apartment complex.

Kwooooongg!—

As the creature shoved the apartment building with its massive body, the entire apartment tilted and crashed into other nearby buildings like dominoes.

Kwarararang!

In the process, thunderous sounds reverberated, and an earthquake occurred. 𝖋𝔯𝔢𝔢𝔴𝖊𝔟𝔫𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑.𝔠𝔬𝔪

Having thoroughly smashed the apartment complex, the monster turned its attention.

Its next target seemed to be the high-rise buildings in Seomyeon.

“…Vassal Summon.”

I summoned the entire Ha Dong-geon party that was waiting at Seomyeon Station.

The underground was in a precarious state due to the giant’s footsteps, and it was unclear when it would collapse.

Suddenly summoned as a group, the Ha Dong-geon party looked around with puzzled expressions.

“Huh? Why are we here?”

“What’s going on?”

“Seems like it’s because of an earthquake.”

As Ha Dong-geon’s party discussed, they froze in unison the moment they saw the scene beyond the living room window.

Kwong!

The giant was approaching rapidly.

Thud—thud, thud!

The giant, accelerating, rammed straight into Lotte Department Store in Seomyeon.

Kwaaaanngggg!

The massive department store turned into giant concrete fragments, collapsing ruthlessly.

Even the white dust that rose could not conceal the horrorsome scene.

“…!”

Kwong!

The giant emerged from the dust unscathed.

And what lay before the giant’s eyes was our apartment.

‘This is insane.’

Kwong!

A one-eyed giant began to approach with its lone eye shining.

「Cyclops (Lv. 51)」

Can my ability withstand this monster’s attack?

Even if it does, the remaining buildings not yet included in the area would likely be destroyed.

‘I have to stop it.’

But how?

It was then.

“Mr. Jae-hyun, please give me a chance.”

With burning determination, Oh Eon-ju stared at the Cyclops.

I asked her, “…Is it possible?”

“I will make it possible.”

Despite the overwhelming appearance of the monster, the only thing that was ignited in Oh Eon-ju was her spirit.

“Haa. Alright.”

I assigned the promised quest to Oh Eon-ju.

《Quest Assignment》

Quest Content: Hunt Cyclops (0/1)

Time Limit: 24 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds

Reward: Son’s resurrection for one day.

Failure Penalty: Intense pain for one day.

TN: It’s getting good now.