Absolute Dweller-Chapter 85
According to Park Sae-rom, the survivor groups were mainly divided into three factions: the Sports Complex Group, the Jungang-dong Group, and the Industrial Zone Group.
"We belong to the Sports Complex Group," Park Sae-rom explained, her tone now much calmer.
Kim Geon asked,
"This looks like a supermarket, so why is it called the Sports Complex Group?"
I’d been wondering the same thing.
Park Sae-rom quickly clarified.
"This isn’t our main base. The Sports Complex Group is named after the main base near the stadium. Our headquarters is actually at the police station nearby."
"A police station?"
"Well, technically, it’s the whole area around the police station, but everyone just refers to it as the main base. Our group’s leader is the police chief, so people naturally call it that."
It was surprising information.
'So the thousand people in the supermarket aren’t even the whole group?'
The survivor groups in Ulsan were much larger than I had anticipated.
"We’re part of the supply division—Supply Team 3. That’s why we’re stationed here."
Supply Team 3. That implied there were at least two other teams of similar size.
If Teams 1 and 2 were as large as Team 3, the supply division alone had around 3,000 people.
'Then what’s the total population?'
I told Kim Geon to ask about the group’s structure and population size.
Park Sae-rom tilted her head slightly and replied,
"There are three supply teams and three combat teams. The total population... I think it’s a little over 10,000."
"Are the other groups that big too?"
"Ours is the largest, but the others aren’t that much smaller."
So just in this region, there were about 30,000 survivors.
"There are also smaller groups that aren’t part of the big three. Most of them gather around apartment complexes, and their numbers are pretty substantial too."
There were far too many survivors.
'How can there be so many??'
It didn’t add up.
The number of citizens under my protection was around 50,000—and that included everyone in Seomyeon and Jagalchi Market combined.
Yet here, with no apparent protection, tens of thousands of survivors had managed to hold out?
'And this area has vampires far more dangerous than goblins or orcs...'
The strength of the higher vampires was overwhelming.
Unless someone with abilities comparable to mine was protecting these people, such a survival rate should have been impossible.
The high ratio of awakened individuals only added to the mystery.
Park Sae-rom kept talking, eagerly sharing what she knew.
"The Jungang-dong Group is based near the Taehwa River. They’re kind of heroes, holding back the vampires. We send combat units to help them stop the vampires from moving north. The real problem is..."
Her expression darkened.
"The Industrial Zone Group. Those bastards are just bandits. They steal, kill, and do whatever they want. They’re worse than the vampires. That’s why I said humans are more dangerous."
Her words felt off.
'...Why hasn’t she mentioned any other monsters?'
No goblins, no orcs—just humans?
I told Kim Geon to ask about goblins and orcs.
Park Sae-rom let out a dry laugh.
"Goblins? Orcs? Are you joking?"
She was being completely serious.
And it wasn’t just her.
"Have you ever seen an orc?"
"Nope. Never seen a goblin either."
"Wait, but he looks dead serious. Are they real?"
The others in the group were just as clueless.
Noticing Kim Geon’s confusion, Park Sae-rom hesitated and added,
"Uh, sometimes giant boars show up. They’re good for food."
An awkward silence followed.
"Anyway, want to meet the leader of Supply Team 3? I can take you."
But before we could proceed—
[Unauthorized entity attempting entry.]
'Huh?'
[Entity eligible for citizenship approaching your territory.]
[Would you like to propose citizenship?]
A system message appeared, showing an image of a woman.
'That’s...!'
The winged vampire woman Kim Geon had chased earlier.
I had confirmed through the Absolute One’s Eyes that she’d reached Ulsan.
'How did she—'
And once again, she was at Jagalchi Market—near my main base.
I tried to extend the Absolute One’s Eyes to view the scene, but—
"Argh!"
A sudden, piercing pain shot through me.
[Unauthorized entity attempting entry!]
[Unauthorized entity attempting entry!]
[Unauthorized entity attempting entry!]
Multiple alerts popped up in rapid succession.
The pain felt like a hot iron branding my insides. But I endured it—I’d faced worse during level-ups.
Focusing through the Absolute One’s Eyes, I locked onto the location.
A woman flapped her wings, retreating into the distance.
And then—
'There’s another one?'
A man floated beside her, gliding effortlessly through the air.
'Who is he?'
The system had only flagged one entity.
But there was clearly a second figure.
Unlike the woman, the man had no wings—but still hovered as if gravity didn’t apply to him.
Then—
'What is that...?'
Fwoosh!
Dark red flames flared against the transparent barrier protecting my territory.
The pain corresponded exactly to the burning spot.
And there—
'...A hole?'
A tear, as if a blade had cut through the barrier.
The flames faded as the tear slowly sealed itself, leaving no trace behind.
'What the hell...?'
The man turned and looked directly at me, his eyes gleaming with hunger.
『True Progenitor (Lv. 62)』
......
The creature stared at the area for a moment before vanishing behind the female vampire.
A monster.
The situation was now abundantly clear.
'It’s not that they couldn’t take Ulsan.'
If that thing had wanted to, it could have wiped out the entire city on its own.
'They deliberately left it alone.'
I couldn’t guess its exact intentions, but it was obvious that it had allowed the survivors to remain.
'Should I abandon this place?'
The mere thought of confronting such a monster sent a chill down my spine.
The fear of provoking it gnawed at me.
'This is a first.'
The transparent barrier had been breached.
And the implications were severe.
'That means it’s possible to force entry into my domain.'
A high-level monster breaking in without citizenship.
It was a catastrophic threat.
Worse yet, there was no guarantee the system’s protection—which destroyed hostile intruders—would even apply to that creature.
'If it enters...'
Would I survive?
Chances were—
'I’d die.'
A shiver ran down my spine.
That primal fear, dulled by the comfort of the safe zone, was resurfacing.
'It backed off this time, but...'
Who knew when it would return?
Ulsan and Busan were too close.
And the fact that it had come all the way to my domain left me uneasy.
'I can’t just leave this unchecked.'
Ignoring the threat would be a death sentence.
'That gaze...'
It wasn’t the look of someone leaving for good.
It was the gaze of a predator waiting for the right moment.
It would come back.
'If a confrontation is inevitable...'
I needed to seize control while I still had the chance.
'First, I need to cut down their numbers.'
I wasn’t planning to charge in recklessly.
There was a strategy—one that would maximize damage against the vampires.
'Looks like it’s finally time for this.'
Establishing an outpost.
I intended to stake a claim in Ulsan.
'Building an outpost requires two things.'
The first was land that met the conditions for construction.
The second was three vassals with the rank of [Knight] or higher.
'I can send Ha Dong-geon’s team for the manpower...'
The problem was the land.
Based on past experiences, outpost construction required clearing out boss-level monsters occupying the area—such as goblin chiefs or orc warlords.
But here’s the catch—
'There aren’t any goblins or orcs here.'
Instead, the area was infested with vampires.
To build an outpost, I’d need to carve out space in their territory.
'That would draw too much attention.'
The vampire leader would definitely get involved.
Even though it had only made a small breach in the barrier, the power it displayed was terrifying.
If it interfered, the outcome would be unpredictable.
'I need to delay its involvement as much as possible.'
Taking all of this into account, the Homeplus that Park Sae-rom led me to seemed like the best spot for an outpost.
'It’s not ideal, but it’ll have to do.'
As I reactivated the Absolute One’s Eyes, focusing back on Kim Geon, I saw Park Sae-rom introducing a man.
"Nice to meet you. I’m Shin Jung-min."
"Hey! Bow lower, Team Leader! Do you even know who this is?!"
"Wow, Sae-rom speaking formally? This must be someone important."
A short man approached Kim Geon with an easygoing smile, extending his hand.
I couldn’t help but smirk.
'Well, well.'
This guy wasn’t ordinary.
『Mid-Level Vampire (Lv. 33)』
Seo Nuri remained silent on the way back to Ulsan.
The man following behind her wore a cold expression.
Seo Nuri kept glancing nervously, but the man was fixated on his hand, replaying the recent encounter in his mind.
'What was that power...?'
He had been in high spirits when he first discovered the young World Tree.
He believed he could either burn it down or possibly consume part of its power.
But as he approached, an unknown force had stopped him.
Even with the Blessing of the Great One, his attempt to break through had failed.
'It wasn’t the World Tree’s power.'
The barrier protecting the tree clearly came from something else entirely.
The man stared at his hand.
His grotesquely burned right hand twitched as it slowly regenerated.
For someone with his regenerative ability, this level of damage was absurd.
'Unbelievable.'
All he had managed to do was create a small hole.
And the cost had been severe.
'If I had forced my way in...'
He might not have survived.
He recalled the massive scale of the barrier and the overwhelming presence radiating from within.
'I’ve never felt anything like that before.'
He trembled slightly.
Fear.
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And awe.
'Could it be a god... descended into this world?'
His body shuddered at the thought.
'The night of the full moon is approaching.'
On that night, when the blood-soaked earth would be reborn under the Blessing of the Great One,
'Then...'
The blessing would rapidly expand its territory, eventually devouring even that magnificent power.
'This could be an opportunity.'
A twisted smile crept across his lips.