Absolute Dweller-Chapter 115

The battle between Kim Geon’s crows and the Kellycans ended absurdly quickly.

‘He’s gotten incredibly strong.’

Although the opponents were merely Level 20 monsters, the performance was overwhelming.

This was the result of raising the power of the stars to three stars.

The increase in all stats affected not only physical capabilities but also amplified the power of his skills.

The evidence was clear in the significantly elevated levels of the crows connected to Kim Geon.

As Kim Geon flew further away from the apartment complex, the Absolute Dweller’s Eye allowed a clear view of the retreating scene.

‘So this was the Kellycans’ nest.’

For me, these monsters held a peculiar significance.

When monsters first appeared and I was trapped at home, powerless to act, it was a Kellycan that flew in and died, setting everything in motion.

In a way, it was a monster that had saved my life.

‘It was close by all along.’

For creatures like Kellycans, a distance of about 10 kilometers could be covered in just a few minutes.

‘I think I understand why it came to our apartment complex.’

Judging by the fact that their nest was also in an apartment complex, it seemed they preferred this type of environment for nesting.

From their perspective, they might view an apartment complex as a rocky mountain teeming with food.

Their instinct to break through the windows as soon as they spotted me was likely a habit formed in their nests.

‘If that’s the case, the people who lived near those nests...’

In areas frequented by goblins, survival rates were generally higher for those living in apartment complexes.

Houses were too easy for goblins to invade.

However, near the Kellycans’ nests, people living in houses might have had a better chance of survival.

Using the Absolute Dweller’s Eye, I expanded my vision to examine the apartment complexes adjacent to their habitat.

As expected.

‘...This is horrifying.’

Although there were no longer any Kellycans in the domain, the horrific aftermath of their attacks remained untouched.

Shattered windows.

Living rooms drenched in blood.

Doors splintered by sharp beaks.

Corpses left behind with only their internal organs devoured.

If not for the powers of the Absolute Dweller, this could have easily been the scene in my own home.

‘I can’t just leave this as it is.’

While these monsters would naturally be dealt with as the domain expanded, eliminating them sooner would prevent further casualties.

Fortunately, there was a party capable of handling monsters like the Kellycans with ease.

I used the Absolute Dweller’s Eye to locate Kim Min-ho.

He was currently heading toward Jeonpo Station with his party.

[Mr. Kim Min-ho.]

“Huh? Jae-hyun?”

[Good to see you. Are you busy today?]

“Well... we were scheduled to clear an orc village, but it’s not urgent! What’s going on?”

[There’s a location I’d like your party to handle.]

“Where should we go?”

Although I wanted to open the East Gate for them immediately, it was still on cooldown.

The North Gate, which had a similar mechanism, needed to be reserved for the Kori Nuclear Power Plant mission.

Traveling to the location directly would take far too long.

The roads weren’t maintained, and cars couldn’t traverse the area.

Waiting for the East Gate’s cooldown to end was the better option.

[Would you mind waiting for about an hour?]

“Got it.”

[Thank you. Let me explain the location and the Kellycans’ behavior in detail.]

As I briefed Kim Min-ho about the Kellycans and their nest’s exact location, I noticed that Kim Geon had already arrived at the Kori Nuclear Power Plant.

Viewed from above, the nuclear power plant stood out with its large structures and orderly layout along the coastline.

And then—

Bang! Bang!

Gunshots echoed as soon as he arrived.

Kim Geon immediately headed toward the source of the gunfire.

There, he found soldiers in a watchtower firing at goblins.

‘Goblins, huh.’

If it was just goblins, they were manageable as long as there was enough ammunition.

Even without firearms, any adult male with a weapon could deal with them.

Thus, they weren’t likely to be the real threat to the power plant.

‘Registering this as a forward base won’t be possible.’

To establish a forward base, the prerequisite was to hunt the leader of the monsters occupying the area.

Judging by the situation, the power plant hadn’t been overtaken by monsters and seemed to be functioning normally.

‘Well, that makes sense. If it had been taken over, a disaster would’ve already occurred.’

This outcome was somewhat expected, so the idea of turning the power plant into a forward base had already been abandoned.

[Head to the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Headquarters. If there’s a command center, it should be there.]

With a general idea of the plant’s layout from previous briefings, Kim Geon descended toward the headquarters.

As he closed the distance to the ground, a memorial tower came into view.

According to Kim Da-bin, the tower, named “Torch of National Revival,” had been erected in 1978 to commemorate the completion of the Kori Unit 1 reactor.

‘...How does she find out stuff like this?’

Even if you knew the existence and name of a memorial at the Kori plant, knowing the exact year it was built seemed excessive.

Regardless, Kim Da-bin’s information-gathering skills were undeniably impressive.

The moment Kim Geon landed directly in front of the memorial—

“Ahhh!”

A woman nearby screamed.

“Argh!”

A man standing next to her also let out a yell and bolted.

Their reaction was natural.

From their perspective, Kim Geon, appearing like a fusion of human and crow, must have looked like a monster.

Quickly reverting his transformation, Kim Geon shouted urgently.

“Wait a moment!”

The sudden sound of human speech stopped the fleeing man and woman in their tracks.

Kim Geon addressed them.

“I have a question for you.”

The woman, who had collapsed on the spot, tilted her head in confusion as she looked at him.

“Huh?”

Just moments ago, he’d appeared as a monster, but now he looked like an ordinary human.

Kim Geon continued.

“I need to meet the person in charge here.”

Meanwhile, the director of the Kori Nuclear Power Plant, Kim Seok-ju, was wrestling with a dilemma.

‘This is a serious problem.’

The biggest issue was—

‘The food supply is running out.’

While water could be sourced from the rivers flowing on either side of the plant, and electricity was abundant thanks to the plant’s output and backup solar facilities, food was a different matter entirely.

Electricity alone allowed them to endure thus far, but the situation was nearing its limit.

This was because, with the power transmission towers severed, the electricity originally supplied to Busan and Ulsan was being fully utilized by the power plant itself.

The sheer number of tasks that could be accomplished with a steady supply of electricity had allowed them to hold out thus far.

But—

“How much food do we have left?”

“Even if we halve the rations, we’ll only last about two weeks at best.”

“Sigh.”

Reducing rations any further wasn’t an option.

The people were already barely surviving, subsisting on the smallest morsels to stave off starvation. Cutting back further would likely lead to riots.

“Has there been any contact from the military?”

“They returned without any success. However...”

“What? Is there a problem?”

“...They rescued survivors from the area.”

“...Sigh.”

Letting out an even deeper sigh, Kim Seok-ju buried his face in his hands.

‘Damn it.’

At first, the soldiers were a welcome sight.

Their firearms provided protection against the monsters, keeping the survivors safe.

But now, they felt like nothing more than a burden.

‘Especially since we’re almost out of bullets.’

Without bullets, what good were soldiers with guns?

On top of that, the ESP unit was beginning to assert its influence.

As monsters appeared, so too did individuals awakening mysterious powers. These people had been organized into a specialized monster-hunting unit.

By coincidence, all those who had awakened their abilities were employees of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. As a result, the ESP unit was entirely separate from the military.

Initially clumsy and inexperienced, they had now grown strong enough to easily handle goblins.

Furthermore, most of the male employees were already proficient with firearms, rendering the soldiers increasingly unnecessary.

‘I was hoping to reduce the mouths to feed, at least a little...’

Instead, they’d brought more mouths to feed.

‘Damn it.’

Kim Seok-ju couldn’t help but make a bitter face as waves of self-loathing washed over him.

It disgusted him to wish for someone else’s death, but survival left him no choice.

“Nothing ever goes right.”

“If we want to eat at all, we’ll have to boil grass or bark for sustenance.”

Hearing this, his secretary replied with a somber expression.

“They’re already doing that.”

“...What?”

“There are many people who are already boiling tree bark and grass to eat.”

At this, Kim Seok-ju let out a hollow laugh.

“Haha. So they’re literally eating grass, huh? Hahaha.”

After a few dry chuckles, Kim Seok-ju leaned back in his chair, letting out a long sigh.

‘I can’t see a way out of this.’

Just a couple of months ago, there had been hope.

There had been a belief that this disaster would soon pass, and rescue teams would arrive.

A firm conviction that a country like South Korea wouldn’t fall to something as trivial as monsters.

They’d clung to the hope that if they could endure just a little longer, help would come, and together they would survive this calamity.

But now—

‘Considering we’ve heard nothing so far, it’s probably safe to assume...’

The country had fallen.

There seemed to be no other path than starving to death together in this pit of despair.

It was at that moment.

Knock, knock, knock.

The sudden knock on the door elicited an irritated response.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Deputy Go Hye-rim.”

Kim Seok-ju tilted his head in confusion.

There was almost no reason for someone from the public relations team to visit him.

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‘Something must have happened.’

The tensions within the organization were at an all-time high.

Months had passed since contact with their families had been severed. Rations were dwindling to the point where people were resorting to grass soup. Factions had formed, with people turning against one another.

Stress was reaching its peak.

An incident could occur at any moment, and it wouldn’t be surprising.

‘But who cares?’

In any case, ruin was all that awaited them.

With an air of weariness, Kim Seok-ju opened his mouth.

“...Come in.”

As soon as he gave permission, the door opened, and Deputy Go Hye-rim entered, followed by an unfamiliar man.

‘Who is this?’

It was immediately apparent that this man was no ordinary person.

Though young, his aura made it clear he was not someone to be taken lightly.

Cautiously, Kim Seok-ju asked, “And who might this be? I don’t think we’ve met.”

The man extended his hand and introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Geon. May I ask about the situation here in more detail?”

At that moment, Kim Seok-ju frowned.

“What?”

It wasn’t the kind of question an outsider should be asking. Annoyed, he was about to tell the young man to leave.

But then—

Whir—

Suddenly, something began materializing around the stranger.

Momentarily stunned, Kim Seok-ju watched as the man spoke.

“Rice and instant noodles. There’s water too. Would this be enough to start a conversation?”

As the man said, sacks of rice, bottled water, and boxes filled one corner of the office.

Quickly taking in the situation, Kim Seok-ju plastered a businesslike smile on his face and addressed Kim Geon.

“It seems we’ll have a lot to discuss. Please, have a seat on the sofa.”