Absolute Dweller - Chapter 21: Expansion of Influence (3)

[Episode 05] Expansion of Influence (3)

‘There was one more?’

The Red Tiger was unmistakable.

However, it was slightly bigger than the one I had seen through Absolute Dweller’s Eyes.

Perhaps it was a higher level than the one caught earlier.

‘It’s money.’

A pumpkin was rolling towards us like a rolling vine.

A pumpkin worth at least 40 million won.

However, it was not a situation to be happy about.

 

‘Looks dangerous.’

 

Sure enough, Yoo Hye-rin who was following at the back, tripped and fell.

“Ack!”

“Hye-rin!”

At the same time, the momentum of the red tiger became even sharper.

“Get up quickly!”

Shaak!

Kim Ga-young’s arrow, imbued with the power of Piercing, flew towards the Red Tiger, but it skillfully avoided it by changing its direction while running.

Using a broken tree as a foothold, it leaped up and quickly attacked the exact spot where Yoo Hye-rin had fallen.

“Keuung―!”

Just before the sharp claws turned Yoo Hye-rin’s back upside down.

Shushuk-

Yoo Hye-rin disappeared.

Kachak―!

The red tiger’s claws smashed the sidewalk block, creating a long scratch.

The sight of the deeply engraved sidewalk with claw marks was eerily terrifying.

“Krugh?”

The guy looked puzzled, checking the ground where Yoo Hye-rin had disappeared.

“Huk, huk.”

Yoo Hye-rin, who the Red Tiger was looking for, was teleported next to me.

She was panting heavily with a face filled with terror.

‘That was close.’

If it had been even 0.1 seconds later, Yoo Hye-rin’s back would have been ripped by the Red Tiger’s claws.

Thanks to using Vassal Summon at the same time she fell, things were barely manageable; otherwise, she would have died due to her mistake.

‘Still, I gained some time thanks to that.’

The Red Tiger didn’t seem pleased that its prey was taken away just before the hunt. You could tell by its lingering movements that it was not happy about Yoo Hye-rin’s disappearance.

In the meantime, Ha Dong-geon and his party distanced themselves as much as possible from the Red Tiger.

However, that gap quickly narrowed as soon as the Red Tiger moved.

Shoosh!

At that moment, Moon Byeong-ho appeared beside me, carrying his grandmother on his back.

He used Teleport.

‘It seems like the range is at least several tens of meters. Looks like his proficiency increased considerably during this time.’

It was probably thanks to the Power of Trust skill.

Since all attributes increased, it was natural that mental strength also improved.

At that moment.

[A being satisfying the conditions for acceptance as a citizen has been found.]

[Do you want to grant citizenship?]

‘Grant it.’

After carefully placing his unconscious grandmother down, Moon Byeong-ho spoke to me.

“Can you please take care of Grandma?”

It looked like he was ready to rush toward the Red Tiger any moment now.

“Wait.”

“Yes? But…”

“Can you trust me?”

Moon Byeong-ho had a doubtful expression, but eventually nodded.

“…I understand.”

After receiving a firm answer, I turned my head back to look at the Red Tiger chasing Ha Dong-geon’s party.

‘About 10 meters.’

It was the range of the invisible hand.

As for its power, I already confirmed it earlier.

The power to crush the solid steel front door in a single blow and the strength to dislodge it from its hinges.

‘This should be worth a try.’

I quietly waited for the right moment.

The first one to enter the range of the invisible hand was Kang Deok-su, carrying Oh Eon-ju.

Following him, Kim Ga-yeong, Kim Geon, and finally, Ha Dong-geon crossed the line one by one.

With the Absolute Dweller’s Area creating a safe zone, Ha Dong-geon turned around and shot an arrow at the Red Tiger.

Thud!

Before we knew it, the red tiger had come close.

“Roar!”

Ha Dong-geon, who had been watching the movements of the Red Tiger, had intended to take the initiative at the right timing.

If Ha Dong-geon’s plan had worked, they could have all safely entered the safe zone.

However, reality was not so easy.

The Red Tiger rushed even more fiercely.

In the process, the arrow Ha Dong-geon shot barely grazed the Red Tiger.

Truthfully, it was an attack that didn’t even make a dent.

“Dong-geon!!”

Kim Ga-yeong, who realized the situation belatedly, shouted.

However, the distance between the Red Tiger and Ha Dong-geon was already too close.

It was too late.

“Run, everyone!”

Dong-geon shouted to the group and started running in the opposite direction of the apartment entrance.

He realized that there was no way to escape in that short moment and made the bold choice to sacrifice his life.

‘At least they’re safe.’

Responsibility as a leader.

Wise judgment in the situation.

Bold execution.

Courage that does not succumb to fear.

It was rare for an individual to possess all of these qualities.

‘Hold it.’

Just before the Red Tiger’s fangs descended on Ha Dong-geon.

“Kehak!”

An invisible hand grabbed the Red Tiger’s jaw and lifted its heavy body into the air.

“Kraaaaah!”

Despite thrashing in anger, the Red Tiger’s strikes into thin air had no effect on the invisible hand.

It didn’t take much time for the furious strikes to turn into a desperate struggle for survival.

“…”

“…”

Everyone, including Ha Dong-geon, stood frozen, watching the Red Tiger’s struggle.

I calmly spoke up.

“Ms. Kim Ga-young.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Finish it, please.”

“Oh.”

The invisible hand alone could have easily killed, but doing so would result in significant losses.

Immediate citizen bonuses wouldn’t be obtained, and the special rewards from the hunt would be forfeited.

Since Kim Ga-young could increase the loot by four times, there was no reason for me to do it.

Following my words, Kim Ga-young aimed her arrow at the struggling head of the Red Tiger in the air.

Woong-

A faint light surrounded her arrow.

Squelch! Whoosh!

It pierced through the Red Tiger’s head in an instant.

[You have hunted the Red Tiger (Lv. 28).]

[You have gained a massive amount of experience points.]

[63,211,776 won has been deposited into the Absolute Dweller’s Wallet.]

The cries of the Red Tiger that had become increasingly louder disappeared, and as a result, the surroundings suddenly fell silent.

And then.

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

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

[Citizen Kim Ga-young’s loyalty has increased.]

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

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

······

······

The messages indicating an increase in trust and loyalty for Ha Dong-geon’s party rang loudly.

And.

[Citizen Ha Dong-geon’s loyalty has surpassed 30.]

[Citizen Ha Dong-geon has fulfilled the conditions for becoming a vassal.]

Finally, Ha Dong-geon has opened his heart to me.

‘Vaswsal registration, Ha Dong-geon.’

Ding!

***

Woong!

A green light emanated from Kim Da-jeong’s hand and flowed into Oh Eon-ju’s bloody side.

Oh Eon-ju’s wounds, which looked quite serious, quickly stopped bleeding, and new skin was rapidly forming.

‘Thank goodness I spotted Kim Da-jeong just in time.’

Oh Eon-ju’s injuries were more severe than anticipated.

In her transformed state, the regeneration ability of her humanoid form wasn’t applicable, and having completed all daily quests meant that recovery through quest rewards was also impossible.

It was a potentially critical situation where Oh Eon-ju could’ve been lost.

I asked Ha Dong-geon, “What happened? What’s that red tiger?”

“It seems like the house where Byeong-ho’s grandmother lives was within their territory. We encountered one on our way out after rescuing his grandmother and successfully hunted it. But there was another one that chased us here.”

His explanation made sense.

‘No wonder things felt odd.’

That alley was too clean.

Even after searching thoroughly, there was no trace of goblins.

In fact, if there had been goblins there, Byeong-ho’s grandmother wouldn’t have been safe.

‘I guess it was the territory of the two red tigers.’

Because it was being guarded, goblins and anything else didn’t dare to invade. Thanks to that, Byeong-ho’s grandmother was able to survive safely for a long time.

[Citizen Kim Da-jeong has completed the quest.]

[Quest cost: 73,312 won has been consumed.]

“Whew, it’s all done!”

“Thanks for your hard work, Ms. Da-jeong.”

“Huh, then can I go home now?”

Currently, this place wasn’t Kim Da-jeong’s home.

“Wait a moment.”

Of course, this was Choi Hyeong-jun’s house.

“Auntie! Peel some tangerines, please!”

“Ha ha. Seo-yeon unni~ You can do it. Follow me. Ga-yeong unni, peel some tangerines~”

“Ga-yeong unni~! Peel some tangerines!”

I asked her to wait for a moment, and the atmosphere suddenly changed.

“Ahjumma! Peel the tangerines!”

“Ha… Ha… Seo-yeon, Unni~ You should do it. Follow along. Ga-yeong Unni~ Peel the tangerines~”

“Ga-yeong Unni~! Peel the tangerines!”

The Ha Dong-geon party and Kim Da-jeong, who returned after successfully completing the operation, and Kim Da-bin and Kim Min-ho, who had showered here, all gathered at Choi Hyeong-jun’s house.

Choi Hyeong-jun, who had been fidgeting by my side, cautiously spoke.

“Uh, Mr. Jae-hyun. We won’t be gathering at my house every time, right? Haha.”

A sense of resignation could be seen in Choi Hyeong-jun’s eyes.

This was the sadness of a family who had lost their comfortable safe space.

“No need to worry. Actually, I was planning to discuss that matter right now.”

It was awkward to continue using Choi Hyeong-jun’s house as a shared space.

Fortunately, there was a suitable solution.

“Currently, Room 2901 is vacant. I will supply everything needed for daily life, including electricity. So, Ha Dong-geon and his party can stay there.”

“Really?!”

The one most delighted by this news was not Ha Dong-geon’s party but Choi Hyeong-jun.

“There’s no reason for me to lie.”

Of course, if the owner appeared later, I planned to return the space.

However, in this world filled with monsters, not having returned home until now suggested a high likelihood of not returning in the future.

“Miss Kim Da-bin.”

“Y-Yes!”

Kim Da-bin, who had been sitting in a corner huddled up, showed a slightly anxious expression as everyone’s attention turned to them.

I spoke to her.

“Apartments 2101 and 2102 on the 21st floor are currently vacant. I will also provide electricity there. Please inform the other survivors that they can use those places for showering, sanitation, and other miscellaneous things.”

I implicitly hinted that they should not come to Choi Hyeong-jun’s house anymore.

Whether she understood or not, Kim Da-bin nodded with a crumpled appearance.

“Understood.”

After the stick, it was time to offer the carrot.

“If you wish, you can use one place freely and the other as a shared space.”

“Really?”

“Yes. However, there are a few things I’d like the two of you to handle.”

Kim Da-bin, who had bit the carrot, answered enthusiastically.

“Anything you say! We will do our best!”

I addressed her with a smile.

“From now on, I’d like you to play the role of a messenger between me and the other survivors.”

“A messenger…?”

“Yes.”

The hundred citizens were valuable in and of themselves.

Even if they didn’t directly earn experience points or money like Ha Dong-geon’s party, there were bonuses that steadily increased with the growing population.

However, that didn’t mean I would leave them alone.

“Starting now, please tell them that the team that defeats 100 goblins the fastest will be provided an empty house. They will also not only be provided unlimited food, but also electricity, water, and gas.”

With nearly one billion in spare funds thanks to the two Red Tigers, supplying electricity and water to all units from the 21st to the 30th floor was not a difficult task.

However, I planned to provide these resources selectively, treating citizens differently.

“Additionally, if each unit accepts ten survivors, we will provide the same treatment to that unit. However, please convey that it may take a bit longer depending on the floor.”

I would only reward those who proved their worth, giving them appropriate compensation for their demonstrated value.

After finishing my speech, I assigned the same quest to all citizens, excluding Ha Dong-geon’s party and Choi Hyeong-jun’s family, who were now my closest aides.

《Quest Assignment》

Quest Details: Hunt Goblins (0/10)

Time Limit: 168 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds

Reward: Small amount of experience points

Failure Penalty: Restriction from using public facilities

[Do you want to assign this quest?]

[Yes / No]

‘Yes.’