Absolute Dweller - Chapter 25: Construction (3)

[Episode 06] Construction (3)

When I started supplying arrows in real-time, Kim Ga-yeong relentlessly shot arrows without a break.

Now, she could shoot arrows randomly, even in situations that didn’t necessarily require support.

It was all thanks to the new function that emerged when the Absolute Dweller’s Eye leveled up.

〔Multitasking〕

You can use other skills in the area you are observing with the Absolute Dweller’s Eye.

With the ability to supply arrows in real-time through the shop, Kim Ga-yeong’s influence doubled.

[You have hunted an Orc (Lv. 19).]

[Experience gained.]

 

[2,100,338 won has been deposited into the Absolute Dweller’s Wallet.]

 

[You have hunted an Orc (Lv. 19).]

······

······

Notifications of hunting orcs were pouring out continuously.

It was all thanks to Kim Ga-yeong.

The number of orcs she hunted easily surpassed the number Ha Dong-geon hunted.

‘…I didn’t expect this much.’

[Citizens Kim Ga-yeong, Ha Dong-geon, Kang Deok-su, Moon Byeong-ho, Yoo Hye-rin, and Kim Geon have completed the quest.]

[Quest cost: 2,332,580 won.]

The quest for hunting 100 orcs that was just assigned had been completed in no time.

‘I can’t believe Kim Ga-yeong has the most contribution.’

When assigning a party quest, the order of names was based on the order of contribution to the quest.

So, Kim Ga-yeong had killed more orcs than Ha Dong-geon.

‘Just supplying arrows changes the game like this.’

The higher the contribution, the more quest rewards one received.

The reward for hunting 100 orcs was ‘a large amount of experience.’

[Citizen Kim Ga-yeong’s level has increased.]

‘Oh, level up.’

For vassals, there were two main ways to level up.

One was to simply level up with money. The method was quite simple—just press the [+] button next to the vassal’s level.

Usually, this method wasn’t used, but he had specially invested 5 million won to raise Kim Ga-yeong’s level to 25.

This was because her hunting efficiency was exceptionally high even though she only awakened a Grade C ability.

Of course, this method wouldn’t be used much in the future.

It was because a more efficient method had been found.

‘Leveling up is also possible by raising stats or giving experience through quest rewards.’

Moreover, the efficiency was much better when leveling up through quest rewards.

This was how I found out.

A few days ago, after discovering that the additional rewards for completing daily quests were quite lucrative, I assigned three daily quests to all vassals and had them completed.

However, on the second day, precisely when Choi Hyeong-jun completed his fifth strength quest, an unexpected notification popped up.

[Citizen Choi Hyeong-jun’s level has increased.]

Upon checking, Choi Hyeong-jun’s level really did go up to 21.

‘It costs 1 million won to level up with money, but if you use quest assignments, you can level up in just about five attempts.’

When the quest reward was increased stats, the cost was roughly around 100,000 won.

Depending on the quest difficulty and content, the cost could decrease.

In the end, by assigning quests, Choi Hyeong-jun leveled up for less than 300,000 won.

The cost decreased from 1 million won to less than 300,000 won.

Of course, it was a bit tougher from level 25.

From level 25 to 30, leveling up once costs a whopping 10 million won, so even if you grew through quest rewards, it usually took a long time.

To meet the value of 10 million won, you’d need to complete at least 100 quests.

However, through various experiments, there was a way to shorten the time.

The method was quite simple.

‘Just give better rewards for the quests.’

You can set a quest reward like ‘a large amount of’ experience points.

Although it would cost more, the effects can quickly be seen.

‘And it only cost 2 million won.’

This time, Ha Dong-geon’s party earned about 250 million won from hunting 100 orcs.

Honestly, investing 2 million won was not regrettable at all, considering the efficiency that was several times the amount invested.

‘Give the party the same quest. Hunt 100 orcs.’

I was willing to invest more, but unfortunately, that was not possible.

‘This is the best for now.’

I experimented with words like massive, many, tremendous, but all of them turned into ‘a large amount’ in terms of descriptions.

So, for now, ‘a large amount of experience points’ was the best option.

Setting the quest reward as ‘experience points’ had another advantage—the stats that increased varied depending on those who gained experience points.

Kim Ga-yeong, for example, showed improvement in vision and agility, while Ha Dong-geon experienced rapid growth in strength and stamina.

It was more efficient for each individual to gain the most needed stats without specifying them.

Therefore, currently, unless there was a specific reason, experience points were adopted as the quest reward.

‘It’s a bit disappointing that the skills that can be used for multitasking is limited to the shop or warehouse.’

If I could use the invisible hand, I would have immediately sent Ha Dong-geon’s party to Nambumin-dong.

A Level 28 enemy was easily overpowered by it.

Most monsters could be easily subdued with the invisible hand.

However, I couldn’t use the invisible hand because it was a skill that extended from my body and couldn’t reach far distances.

‘Nevertheless, there’s hope.’

From here to my hometown was about 10 km.

It would take about 3 hours to walk, but despite this distance, the reason I didn’t assign them a quest to save my parents was simple.

Swoosh.

After generously providing Kim Ga-yeong with arrows, I shifted the perspective of the Absolute Dwqeller’s Eye to the rooftop.

‘…’

At the top of a high-rise apartment in the middle of a mountain.

As long as I looked from a high place, I could see quite far.

Thanks to this, I could see Seomyeon at a glance from here.

Seomyeon, one of the bustling districts representing Busan, was a lively place illuminated by colorful lights at night. Tall buildings clustered together, and it was a place young people would gather.

But now.

‘It’s a mess.’

It was a place filled not with vitality but with death.

To the extent that the word hell was insufficient.

The roads that were usually filled with cars were now occupied by unfamiliar creatures instead of cars, and black smoke rose from various buildings.

Shattered glass.

Buildings with deep dents.

Even a high-rise building was lying sideways, perhaps from an explosion.

Even if a war had broken out, it seemed like the situation would be better than this.

Pound.

I also knew.

In this bloody world, the chances of my family surviving was close to zero.

‘I have to hurry.’

Nevertheless, I can’t just abandon hope and not do anything. If I don’t believe that my parents are alive, then…

‘Time is running out.’

It feels like everything will collapse right now.

‘Should I send only Ha Dong-geon’s party?’

Three days ago, Kim Geon met the vassal registration requirements and all of Ha Dong-geon’s party was successfully made into vassals.

『Name: Kim Geon (Lv. 22) [+]

Title: [Seventh Vassal]

Trust: 59 Loyalty: 33

Awakening Ability: Crow Command

★Quest Assignment』

The skill Kim Geon obtained was a Grade C skill that could command crows for reconnaissance.

Kim Geon played a significant role in scouting for Ha Dong-geon’s party outside the apartment.

‘No, I should complete the combination entirely before sending.’

The combination I desired was to have a powerful bruiser, Oh Eon-ju, and a healer, Kim Da-jeong, join Ha Dong-geon’s party.

However, unfortunately, I had not yet won Oh Eon-ju’s loyalty.

『Name: Oh Eon-ju (Lv. 33)

Trust: 51   Loyalty: 12

Awakening Ability: Werebear

Experience Distribution Rate: 70%

Settlement Money Distribution Rate: 30%

★Quest Assignment 🖾Expulsion』

In Oh Eon-ju’s case, loyalty was slow to rise.

‘Kim Da-jeong was registered as a vassal early on.’

Kim Da-jeong, who had rapidly gained trust from our first meeting, quickly opened up and surpassed 30 loyalty.

Thanks to that, I could immediately register her as a vassal, and the results were excellent.

『Name: Kim Da-jeong (Lv. 30) [+]

Titles: [Eighth Vassal] [Knight] [Priest]

Trust: 70   Loyalty: 63

Awakening Abilities: Heal, Blessing, Magic Armor

Experience Distribution Rate: 100%

★Quest Assignment』

Blessing (Grade A)

Consumes mental power to temporarily increase the target’s physical abilities by 70%.

Magic Armor (Grade B)

Consumes mental power to create a magical armor that protects the target.

She even awakened two additional skills.

That was the reason I wanted Kim Da-jeong to join.

If Ha Dong-geon had a Blessing and Magic Armor, he would be able to overwhelm most monsters.

‘Certainly, those with awakened abilities from the beginning are overwhelmingly good.’

That was why I was determined to make Oh Eon-ju a vassal.

Oh Eon-ju was someone with a Grade A awakened ability.

If she became a vaswsal, it would undoubtedly yield good results.

If Vassal Oh Eon-ju joined Ha Dong-geon’s party, it would become a piece of cake to travel the remaining 10 km to my family’s home.

‘Is there any way to increase Oh Eon-ju’s loyalty?’

The reason I was so fixated on making vassal registrations was to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.

If all party members sent on the mission were vassals, summoning them in case of an emergency would solve everything.

I didn’t want anyone to die.

‘Is there no way to increase Oh Eon-ju’s loyalty?’

Then, it happened.

[Citizen Oh Eon-ju has completed a quest.]

It was a notification that I had been waiting for.

She had completed the quest to hunt 100 goblins.

This was already her second quest today, which meant she had hunted 200 goblins in a single day.

Her obsession with goblins persisted.

‘What should be the last quest of the day?’

Even without the last quest, my wallet was already quite hefty, thanks to the remarkable performance of Ha Dong-geon’s party.

There was a whopping 370 million won in my wallet.

The amount was still increasing in real-time.

Maybe it could be possible.

‘Quest reward: resurrection of her son.’

The content was set to rescue my parents in Nambumin-dong.

However.

[(Quest Reward: Resurrection) cannot be granted due to insufficient funds.]

[Please try again after increasing the available cash.]

An alert appeared as if to say it was impossible.

‘…Hmm.’

This much was already expected.

‘Let’s maximize the quest difficulty.’

The crucial point was to show Oh Eon-ju the possibility of resurrection.

‘Quest content: Hunt monsters level 40 and above.’

She hadn’t even hunted monsters in the 30s yet.

If it was level 40, it would undoubtedly be incredibly powerful, and the reward would be substantial.

The difficulty of the quest was also great because of the quest conditions.

Moreover.

‘Time limit is 24 hours.’

Spotting a level 40 monster immediately was already a difficult task.

But finding such a monster in just one day would be even more challenging.

‘The penalty…’

I was a bit hesitant to set this.

Even though I could cancel the quest at my discretion, just the content was daunting enough.

If I mishandled it, the trust I had painstakingly built could crumble.

Still.

‘First, show her the possibility.’

That way, I could raise Oh Eon-ju’s loyalty.

‘The penalty is… death.’

In the current situation, this was the most extreme quest content I could think of.

Ding!

[(Quest Reward: Resurrection) cannot be granted due to insufficient funds.]

[Please try again after increasing the available cash.]

However, there was no change.

‘So 400 million won is just not enough.’

It was something I had somewhat expected.

Reviving a person’s life was not something that could be achieved with just a few hundred million.

This was quite an important issue for me as well.

From the moment I saw the resurrection function, I had already prepared to save my family’s lives in the worst-case scenario.

” …Phew.”

At that moment.

[Hunted an Orc (Lv. 18).]

[Gained experience.]

[2,788,221 won has been deposited into the Absolute Dweller’s wallet.]

Even now, Ha Dong-geon’s party continued hunting orcs.

Suddenly, I recalled the party quest I had given them.

And.

“Ah…?”

I realized an important fact.

‘If it’s this…!’

I immediately applied it.

‘Quest Reward: Son’s Resurrection for a Day!’

And then.

Ding!

《Quest Assignment》

Quest Content: Hunt monsters level 40 and above (0/1)

Time Limit: 24 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds

Reward: Son’s Resurrection for a Day

Failure Penalty: Death

[Would you like to grant the quest?]

[Yes / No]

It worked.

In other words, if the resurrection time was limited to one day, it could be within the range of 400 million won.

‘Is it worth investing 400 million in Oh Eon-ju?’

There was no need for lengthy consideration.

The value of a Grade A skill was clear.

Moreover, registering as a vassal would bring three times the efficiency.

‘Moreover, suppose you hunt monsters level 40 and above…’

Monsters under level 30 immediately spat out nearly 100 million won.

If the level of monsters was higher, it would undoubtedly generate even more money.

‘First, I’ll bring Oh Eon-ju to my side.’

Just showing her hope.

Call it selfish if you want.

Call it devilish if you want.

To me, rescuing my family was more important than those things.

“Assign the quest.”

And a few minutes later.

Tap tap tap tap—

I heard someone scrambling up the stairs.

They dashed to my front door and knocked on it.

Bang—

Rather than knocking, it was more like a body slam.

Behind the front door, Oh Eon-ju’s urgent cries could be heard.

“Excuse me! The door! Open the door, please! Mr. Jaehyun!”

Clank.

As soon as the door opened, she rushed inside.

“Whew, whew.”

She was panting heavily.

Looking straight at me, Oh Eon-ju asked.

“T-This, this is…!”

“Yes. There’s a time limit, but it seems possible.”

“Ohh–! Thank you. O-One day is fine. If I can see my son…”

Oh Eon-ju collapsed onto the floor.

[Citizen Oh Eon-ju’s loyalty has exceeded 30.]

[Citizen Oh Eon-ju has met the conditions for vassal registration.]