Absolute Dweller

[Episode 13] Building the Foundation (1)

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Click.

When I opened the front door, I saw Lee Joon-hyuk’s party gathered in the hallway.

“We all came together because you asked us to.”

Including Lee Joon-hyuk, there were about 24 adults gathered, making the corridor look very crowded.

“Let’s move to a different location for now.”

Only vassals could enter my house.

Since ordinary citizens were only allowed to enter up to the inside of the front door where the shoes were placed, we decided to move to a different location.

I went outside and used the Absolute Dweller’s Door on my front door.

‘To room 1802 that Lee Joon-hyuk is using.’

It was where seven of them, including him, lived together. They could be considered the key members of the party.

“Let’s go in.”

As I stepped inside, Lee Joon-hyuk asked with a puzzled expression, “Didn’t you just say we were moving locations?”

“Yes. So, we’ve moved?”

I smiled as I walked through the front door. As they entered, they realized the difference one by one.

“Huh?”

“This is our house, right?”

“What? What’s going on?”

[Citizen Lee Hyun-chan’s trust has increased.]

[Citizen Lee Hyun-chan’s loyalty has increased.]

[Citizen Shin Ah-young’s trust has increased.]

[Citizen Shin Ah-young’s loyalty has increased.]

Showing my abilities was indeed the most efficient way to quickly increase trust and loyalty.

The members of Lee Joon-hyuk’s party had all opened loyalty through continuous contact with me.

It was because Power of Trust was a way to quickly increase the combat power of the hunting party.

I said to them as they buzzed in excitement, “Please come in.”

Even though it was a fairly spacious living room, it felt crowded with more than twenty people.

They were currently one of the top hunting teams in the area.

Of course, Lee Joon-hyuk’s presence as the leader was significant, but even without that, the other 23 party members were all actively hunting monsters.

‘The average level is already in the early 20s.’

All seven core members were in the late level 20s.

Lee Joon-hyuk, who had accumulated the most titles, was still at level 40, the same as when he awakened, but it was natural considering the difficulty of growth as level increased. Most of the monsters they usually hunted were around levels 18 to 25.

Anyway, the relatively low-level party members achieved explosive level ups.

No matter how the level of the surrounding monsters rose, and even if they had pistols, it was not easy to achieve such results in a short period.

This was evidence of their active participation in hunting.

I said to them, “I have something I’d like to propose to you all.”

“Please tell us.”

“I would like you to sign a contract with me.”

“A contract?”

“Yes.”

I briefly explained the subordinate contract.

“If you pledge loyalty to me, it will give you awakening abilities.”

As soon as I finished speaking, there was an intense reaction.

“Awakening?”

“We can be like Joon-hyuk?”

“Really? For real?”

Immediately afterwards, there was an outpour of answers.

“Me! I’ll do it!”

“I will too!”

“I was already pledging loyalty from the bottom of my heart!”

Everyone was positive.

It was natural, because they were the ones who had watched Lee Joon-hyuk, a powerful ability user, most closely.

“Calm down. Awakening doesn’t mean everyone will gain powerful abilities. So, you should choose carefully.”

At that moment, someone stepped forward.

“Mr. Jae-hyun.”

It was Lee Joon-hyuk.

“All the people here including me are ready to pledge loyalty to you, Mr. Jae-hyun. Because we know very well that it is advantageous.”

“That’s right!”

“Absolutely!”

In a playfully changed atmosphere, Lee Joon-hyuk knelt before me, bowing his head.

“So, please make a contract with me first, Mr. Jae-hyun. I will give you my full loyalty.”

Upon hearing this, people around us jokingly said:

“Isn’t that a bit much?”

“Kneeling? Do we really have to go that far?”

“Why not? I can do it!”

Soon, others followed Lee Joon-hyuk’s lead, kneeling down on one knee.

“Huh? M-Me too!”

“What, are we all doing this? Then it’s less embarrassing.”

“Is there a hidden camera?”

With everyone accepting the subordinate contract, it became a matter of course.

Their dynamic was definitely different from Ha Dong-geon’s party.

Among the people gathered here, there were some who had lost their families and many who had not yet found them, but they always aimed for a cheerful and carefree atmosphere.

“You seem embarrassed, Mr. Jae-hyun?”

They noticed my slight discomfort and started teasing me more exaggeratedly.

“We pledge loyalty, my lord!”

“Oh, my lord, that’s great.”

“Hehe, are we filming a historical drama?”

Amidst the giggles, I placed my hand on Lee Joon-hyuk’s head and said, “I accept your oath.”

Paaat!

A bright light emanated from my body and covered Lee Joon-hyuk. At the same time, Lee Joon-hyuk’s title changed from ‘Knight’ to ‘Marquis’, the same as Oh Eon-ju’s case.

Thanks to this, the number of vassal registration slots increased by three.

Although Lee Joon-hyuk’s skill set remained unchanged, the overall quality of his skills would have increased significantly, just like Ha Dong-geon’s party.

He had become much stronger.

“Woahhh!”

“Awesom!”

“Did you see that light just now?”

Lee Joon-hyuk’s party had already seen many amazing things, so they were no longer easily surprised.

“Mr. Jae-hyun! My turn next! Please do me first!”

Shin Ah-young, who could be considered a top member of Lee Joon-hyuk’s party, raised her hand while kneeling, appealing to me.

“Alright…”

In that way, each one of them signed a subordinate contract.

As expected, most of them only gained D or C-rank abilities.

“Seol Byeong-hun’s ability is Heavy Strike. It’s a skill that temporarily triples destructive power.”

I directly told them their awakening abilities so that they were aware.

“Seo Yo-han’s ability…”

Grade D abilities were simply abilities that enhanced physical strength or improved sensory functions such as vision, hearing, and smell.

It was a bit disappointing to call it an “ability”, but compared to not having it, it definitely increased their power.

From Grade C onwards, there were many abilities that anyone would acknowledge as superhuman. Some could shoot fire or ice arrows, and there was even someone who gained telekinesis like Jang Sung-jun.

Of course, the lower the rank, the more the quality would fall short compared to Jang Seong-jun’s Grade A telekinesis, but they had the advantage of using it in a wide variety of situations.

And.

‘Three people awakened to Grade B abilities.’

Lee Hyun-chan, Shin Ah-young, Kim Ji-tae.

All of them were high-ranking members of Lee Joon-hyuk’s party.

‘I think I understand it a bit now!’

As samples began to accumulate, it seemed that I would soon understand when higher-ranked abilities would appear.

The fact that all the B-rank abilities came from high-ranking members of Lee Joon-hyuk’s party was probably not just a coincidence.

Most of those who awakened D-rank abilities had levels in the late 10s, the lowest levels in the party.

‘It’s not just about the level.’

If so, then it was unlikely Jang Sung-jun, who was only in the early 10s when we first met, would’ve awakened an A-rank ability.

‘There must be something innate.’

Potential, or talent, you could say.

‘Subordinate contracts are limited to 100.’

So, in the future, it would be best to make contracts with talented individuals as much as possible.

‘Vassal registration: Lee Hyun-chan, Shin Ah-young, Kim Ji-tae.’

Wooooong!

“What’s this?”

“Their bodies are glowing?”

“Huh? I feel lighter all of a sudden.”

The three who awakened Grade B abilities were immediately registered as vassals and received the [Knight] title.

I said to Lee Joon-hyuk.

“Mr. Joon-hyuk.”

“Yes, Mr. Jae-hyun.”

“I actually want to ask you all for a favor.”

“Please, go ahead.”

The playful atmosphere of the party quickly turned serious as we got to the point.

They could be cheerful when needed and serious when necessary.

That was Lee Joon-hyuk’s party.

“With the expansion of the territory this time, the entire Hwangnyeongsan has come under the area.”

“Hwangnyeongsan? Are you talking about the mountain behind us?”

“Yes. And it seems that there is a dungeon there.”

Lee Joon-hyuk responded with a strange expression.

“…A dungeon? Could it be the type of dungeon I’m thinking of?” 𝒻𝘳𝓮ℯ𝑤𝘦𝒷𝓷𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Most Korean men of my generation or Lee Joon-hyuk’s generation in South Korea would be familiar with the concept of dungeons.

Mainly because of games that came out under the dungeon genre.

“It’s possible.”

Basically, dungeons were dangerous places because you never knew what might come out.

“I’d like to ask you to explore the dungeon.”

“Thank you for trusting and leaving it to me.”

Lee Joon-hyuk readily accepted the dungeon exploration mission.

“I’ll do my best to assist. It’s probably best to rest today and start exploring tomorrow morning.”

“Understood.”

“Then, please rest comfortably.”

Just as I was about to go home to rest after finishing my work, I received a message from Kim Dabin.

[Mr. Jae-hyun. I have gathered ten skilled people as you instructed.]

[I’ll go right away.]

Without a moment’s rest, I headed to the 21st-floor public facility.

Click.

When I appeared in the facility’s living room area using the Absolute Dweller’s Door, the people waiting there all focused their attention on me.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Jae-hyun.”

The ten men and women gathered by Kim Dabin were all familiar faces.

“Are these the people recommended by Ms. Dabin?”

“Yes, they are.”

“Their faces are familiar.”

“That’s because I carefully selected only verified individuals from those we worked with. Should I look for others among the newly admitted?”

“No need. I’m satisfied with them.”

Upon checking, they were all currently designated as the economically active population, receiving a daily wage.

I addressed them, “I plan to give each of you a managerial position equivalent to Ms. Dabin’s.”

Even with the current population size, there were only a few manager positions filled.

Including Kim Dab-in, Lee Sung-min from the medical team, and Baek Seung-min from the relief team, they were the only leaders.

There were 12 managerial positions left, so most of them would be given to these individuals.

“Really?”

“We’ll work hard!”

Of course, I didn’t intend to just give it away.

I poured cold water on their excitement by saying: “However, there are conditions.”

The lively atmosphere quickly subsided, and tension began to creep in.

“The reason I am choosing you all is simple. With the rapid increase in new citizens, there are various problems arising. I will only grant the manager positions to those who suggest solutions to these problems.”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I needed to do for a stable society.

I had never been in such a position before.

I had never even been a class president, let alone a president.

‘The only time that’s similar is when I was a squad leader in the military once!’

But that’s just a duty most South Korean men experienced.

It wasn’t a big deal, and I never learned how to lead such a large group like I do now.

‘I’ll have to learn if I don’t know!’

So, I asked the people.

They were elites personally selected by Kim Dabin.

“We need a group to maintain public order. Although nothing major has happened yet, if we don’t have a central figure like the police, there will be accidents sooner or later.”

Opinions began to emerge immediately.

“There is too much garbage piling up. We need a department to handle this.”

“We need to clean monster and human bodies in the expanded area. Road maintenance is also necessary. We’ve been doing it in a makeshift manner, but we need a department to manage it efficiently.”

Ideas were pouring out.

‘Good.’

Among them, the most intriguing was a somewhat strange idea.

“Um… Do you happen to know if there are rifles and other firearms in the police station’s armory? I would like to have personnel assigned to secure them.”