Absolute Dweller-Chapter 118

As he climbed the winding Sanbok Road, the apartment complex came into view.

The number of Pelicans nesting in the area had already reached three digits.

The shattered windows scattered throughout the buildings hinted at the tragedies that had unfolded here.

Many residents had lost not only their homes to the Pelicans but also their lives.

Yet, even in such dire circumstances, there were those who managed to survive.

"Dad, I’m hungry..."

The father’s heart sank as he looked at his young daughter whining from hunger.

Oh Byeong-heon knelt beside his daughter and spoke gently.

“Today, I’ll make sure to find something good to eat. Can you wait just a little longer?”

The girl nodded weakly, her energy too drained from days without proper food to say much.

“My sweet Yesul, you’re such a good girl. How about you take a little nap?”

"..."

Though sleep likely wouldn’t come to Oh Yesul, who conserved her energy by limiting her movements and dozing whenever possible, she still forced her eyes shut.

“Alright then. Daddy will be back soon.”

“Be careful out there.”

Her frail voice wavered like a precarious candle flame as Byeong-heon left to find food.

He crouched down and pressed himself against the floor.

Swish

Oh Byeong-heon’s body seemed to melt into the ground, disappearing entirely.

Before long, the landscape inside the concrete rubble began to materialize in his vision, and soon, he saw the floor below.

Crunch

A single Pelican was feasting on its prey in the living room downstairs.

The creature ripped apart its catch—a goblin—and swallowed its head whole in one bite.

Byeong-heon hesitated.

‘What should I do?’

Their survival so far had been a combination of luck and his unique ability.

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Thanks to his power to pass through walls, he had managed to scavenge food hidden throughout the apartment complex. Drinking water was sourced from the rooftop tank.

However, his ability was far from perfect.

He could only stay inside walls for about ten minutes, and his movements within them were excruciatingly slow.

Once the ten minutes were used up, he had to wait an entire day before using his power again.

Every use required careful strategy.

‘Let’s move for now.’

Byeong-heon slipped from the ceiling like a gelatinous mass, landing on the floor with a dull thud that echoed through the room.

The Pelican immediately reacted.

Squawk?

It paused its meal and craned its neck toward the source of the noise.

But there was nothing there.

Chirp?

Tilting its head in confusion, the Pelican eventually returned to devouring its prey.

Having dropped swiftly through the floors to the first level, Byeong-heon stopped to catch his breath.

Huff, huff.

Though the space was in complete disarray, with broken furniture and shattered walls, there were no monsters in sight.

Most creatures were too cautious to venture into a Pelican’s nest uninvited.

‘Now I just have to pass through the wall, head outside, and enter the next building.’

The underground parking lot could have been a safer route, but it was home to another monster, making it inaccessible.

This method, albeit risky, was his best option.

Even if he were momentarily spotted by the Pelicans, he could slip back into the building before they could react.

‘I can do this.’

Though his heart pounded with fear, it was his first time venturing outside since the monsters had appeared.

After taking several deep breaths and placing his hand on a predetermined point, Byeong-heon steeled himself.

‘Now!’

He activated his ability, his body merging with the wall as the view outside came into focus.

Overgrown weeds covered the neglected grounds, while a solitary tree stood in the middle, conveniently blocking his sightline.

No one was in sight.

‘Good.’

Carefully stepping outside, he darted toward the adjacent building.

Ratatatatata!

The sudden sound of gunfire froze him in his tracks.

“Gah!”

Panicking, he immediately activated his power again, slipping into the wall of the nearby building.

Once inside, he turned his head toward the direction of the noise.

‘What was that?’

Then, the sound came again.

Ratatatatata!

This time, he recognized it.

“Gunfire?”

The familiar sound from his military days was ringing out nearby.

‘The military is here?’

But his hope quickly faded.

‘There’s too little gunfire for it to be the military.’

It sounded more like a small group firing recklessly.

‘Some idiots must have found guns and wandered into this place without knowing better.’

If they had known this was Pelican territory, they would never have dared to make such noise.

They likely had no idea how many Pelicans were in the area.

Their fate was predictable.

Sure enough, after a brief spurt of gunfire, the noise abruptly stopped.

He didn’t need to see what happened to guess their outcome.

They were probably devoured by the monstrous birds.

‘As expected.’

Slightly disappointed, Byeong-heon clicked his tongue and resumed his original plan.

Though he could climb using his ability, doing so would exhaust him before the return trip.

Instead, he took the emergency stairs to ascend.

Fortunately, he didn’t encounter any monsters and began his search on the tenth floor.

‘No need to go higher.’

Pelicans generally nested on the upper floors, with at least one always occupying the top level.

The surrounding areas were often used for nesting, making the higher levels completely off-limits.

Byeong-heon and Yesul had survived thus far by staying on the lower floors, which remained mostly ignored by the creatures.

‘Please, let there be nothing here.’

If there was even one Pelican, the search would have to be abandoned.

He couldn’t risk his life over greed.

Swish

Fortunately, Unit 1001 was empty.

But he couldn’t relax yet.

‘Pelican droppings.’

The foul-smelling waste in one corner of the living room confirmed this place had been used as a nest.

It was clear that the Pelican had only stepped away temporarily.

‘This is my chance.’

From his observations, the creatures rarely left their nests except when hunting.

Opportunities to rummage through a Pelican’s nest were extraordinarily rare.

And then—

Rustle

‘Jackpot!’

The previous occupant of the apartment must have been a fan of instant noodles; the kitchen shelves were filled with ramen packets.

Additionally, there were stacks of pre-cooked rice containers, cans of tuna, and other non-perishables.

The refrigerator was stocked with water, soda, and beer.

Oh Byeong-heon crammed as much as he could into the bag he had prepared beforehand. He hesitated, casting a longing glance at the leftover items.

The beer tempted him, but he grabbed another can of soda instead, thinking of his daughter.

‘Let’s go.’

There was no need to search any further today.

Instead of using his ability to pass through the floor, he decided to retrace his steps along the same path.

Returning to the first floor via the emergency staircase, he safely made it back to his building. All that remained was to climb back to their home.

‘What luck.’

Not only had he hit the jackpot right away, but the minimal use of his ability made things easier.

With plenty of energy remaining, he could simply slip through the walls and return home without issue.

‘She’ll love this.’

Though the soda would be lukewarm, he could already picture his daughter’s delighted face.

Buoyed by this thought, he climbed the stairs toward their apartment.

Suddenly, a scream tore through the air.

“Ahhh!”

It had been a long time since he confirmed that he and his daughter were the only survivors in the area.

That scream could only mean one thing.

‘Yesul!’

It was Oh Yesul’s voice.

“Damn it!”

He dropped his bag to move faster, swimming through the walls with his ability.

When he reached their apartment, the scene made his blood run cold.

Crash!

A Pelican had smashed through the balcony window and was rummaging through the pile of junk stored there.

Yesul, frozen in terror, stood motionless, staring at the creature.

“Yesul!”

Oh Byeong-heon grabbed his daughter and immediately activated his ability.

Swish!

The two melted into the floor just as the Pelican roared in frustration.

Screech!

The noise attracted more Pelicans, and soon, a horde was swarming toward their location.

‘What do I do?’

His time was limited. With his daughter in tow, the duration of his ability was halved, leaving him only a few minutes.

Movement speed was also drastically reduced.

If his energy ran out, they would be forcibly ejected from the walls, left defenseless before the mob of Pelicans.

Their fate would be gruesome.

‘I have to at least save Yesul...’

But no escape route presented itself.

Time ticked by, and the Pelicans, energized by the scent of prey, showed no signs of giving up.

‘No, no!’

In the end, they were expelled from the wall as his strength failed.

The Pelicans grew more frenzied, closing in on their position.

Screech!

At that moment—

Boom!

A sharp, explosive sound rang out.

Crack, crack!

The entire balcony froze over in an instant.

‘What... what’s going on?’

The Pelican caught in the ice didn’t even have time to scream before it was killed. Its frozen body began to disintegrate, vanishing like a mirage.

As he stared in shock, a voice called out.

“Well, would you look at that. Humans?”

A woman holding an ice bow appeared beyond the shattered balcony.

Kim Da-bin shot a sharp look at Jang Ho-won.

“You told us it was the Kori Nuclear Power Plant, didn’t you?”

“I’m sorry. It was my mistake for not confirming it properly before saying so.”

Since the precognitive dream had come from his own lips, everyone had trusted his judgment.

“I’d only heard of the Kori plant when it came to nuclear power, so I assumed it had to be that one.”

Through the Absolute Dweller’s Eye, I listened to their conversation and sent a telepathic message to Jang Ho-won.

[Don’t beat yourself up. It’s fine.]

Even if we hadn’t known the exact location from his dream, the outcome wouldn’t have changed.

‘Once we recognized the danger posed by the nuclear power plant, we would have started with the nearest one anyway.’

The first priority would still have been Kori, the closest to Busan.

‘Besides, we planned to deal with the other plants eventually.’

Nothing about the strategy needed to change.

We would continue securing all the nuclear plants in Korea.

‘With some ingenuity, they can be converted into forward bases.’

More concerning than their conversation was the faint tremor I had felt near the Kori plant earlier.

While others might not have noticed, the vibration was clear through the Absolute Dweller’s Eye.

‘Let’s hope it was just an earthquake...’

Earthquakes were rare in this country.

If the worst had happened—

‘Has the Wolseong Base gone up in flames?’

The Wolseong plant, located in Gyeongju and the second closest to Kori, might have been the source of the tremor.