[Episode 02] Survivors (4)
It was while I was carefully observing the promenade, hoping that they would appear again.
[Unauthorized access attempt by an unpermitted entity.]
âHuh?â
Caught off guard by the unexpected alarm, a sudden uneasy thought crossed my mind.
âNo way, were there still goblins around?â
I became worried about whether something had happened to Choi Hyeong-jun.
[The Absolute Dwellerâs Eye.]
I immediately used the skill to check the emergency exit.
And there, I could see familiar figures.
âHuh? Canât we go in here?â
âWhat are you talking about?â
âDidnât you see it? A weird message appeared right in front of us.â
âWhat? Then how did that old man get in?â
âI donât know.â
Six men and women, each holding various weapons.
âItâs them!â
I didnât expect to make contact with them so soon.
âThey seem quite capable.â
Choi Hyeong-jun did a much better job than I anticipated.
To welcome them, I turned off the Absolute Dwellerâs Eye, and a new notification window appeared before me.
Along with pictures of the six people I saw through the Absolute Dwellerâs Eye.
[Entities that satisfy the conditions to be considered citizens have approached the area.]
[Would you like to offer citizenship?]
This revealed a new fact.
âThe citizenship bestowal has changed from mandatory to an offer.â
Unlike Choi Hyeong-junâs family, who were within the territory from the beginning, they were outside the territory.
âWhile forcibly granting citizenship is possible for those included during the expansion process, in cases like this, it seems to give them a choice.â
Offer.
It literally meant giving them the choice of whether to become citizens or not.
If that was the case.
âYou mean they can refuse.â
How can I erase the option of rejection from their minds?
As I pondered over the methods, thenâŠ
????~
The doorbell rang.
The moment I heard that sound, an idea popped into my head.
âThis is it.â
Make the act of accepting citizenship seem like itâs nothing.
If I can make it seem like itâs not a big deal, they will likely accept citizenship without any fuss.
[The citizen Choi Hyeong-jun is already on an ongoing quest.]
[Would you like to reset the quest?]
âYes.â
[Please reset the quest.]
The new quest was simple.
Give a meal to the six guests.â
[The quest content has been updated.]
At the same time, I checked the situation outside through the wall pad.
Choi Hyeong-jun, who had been pressing the doorbell, checked the updated quest content and moved towards the emergency exit with a confused expression.
Through the speaker of the wall pad, I could hear their conversation.
(If itâs okay with you, would it be alright for us to treat you to a meal at our place?)
(What? But weâre in a situation where we canât even get in right now.)
I seized the opportunity and silently commanded.
âOffer citizenship to all six of them.â
[Offer citizenship to Ha Dong-geon, Kang Deok-su, Kim Ga-yeong, Yoo Hye-rin, Kim Geon, and Moon Byeong-ho.]
I fixed my gaze on the wall pad screen, ready to unveil my trump card.
(Oh! The invisible barrier disappeared!)
With a cheerful voice, a sturdy man entered the territory.
Judging by the baseball bat in his hand, he seemed to be the man who had killed the last of the goblin group.
Following him was another.
(Really? As soon as we acquire citizenship, we can enter?)
All six of them, one after another, accepted citizenship and entered the territory.
At that moment.
[The number of citizens has reached 10.]
[Experience points and settlement funds earned by citizens are increased by 10%.]
A new notification appeared, unfamiliar but enough to bring a smile to my face.
âBonus experience and bonus settlement funds, huh.â
It was a nice buff considering the arrival of additional members who would actively participate in monster hunting.
A reason to welcome them with open arms.
âCitizen Management.â
The profiles of the six newcomers looked satisfying at a glance.
⥠Ha Dong-geon (Trust: 19) (Lv. 23)
⥠Kang Deok-su (Trust: 28) (Lv. 13)
⥠Kim Ga-yeong (Trust: 17) (Lv. 17)
⥠Yoo Hye-rin (Trust: 30) (Lv. 10)
⥠Kim Geon (Trust: 15) (Lv. 11)
⥠Moon Byeong-ho (Trust: 11) (Lv. 10)
âŠ
âŠ
Current Population (10/600)
Indeed, their levels were quite different from a typical goblin-slaying party.
Surprisingly, everyone had a two-digit level, with one person even reaching level 23.
âLevel 23 is on par with the Kellican I defeated a week ago.â
The strangely high levels were understood as soon as I checked his citizen information.
ăName: Ha Dong-geon (Lv. 23)
Trust: 19
Awakened Ability: Baseball Throwing
Experience Distribution Rate: 0%
Settlement Fund Distribution Rate: 0%
â Quest Assignment ??Expulsionă
âHeâs an ability user.â
As I focused on the awakened ability, a brief explanation of his ability came to mind.
Baseball Throwing (Grade D)
Consumes stamina to increase the power of the ball by three times.
The man who had thrown the ball at the goblin horde seemed to be Ha Dong-geon.
âSo thatâs why the goblins were insta-killed.â
For those who had touched a baseball before, it was essentially a rock-like object.
If the power increased threefold with the skill, it could be a formidable weapon.
While it was a bit disappointing that most of them had low trust levels, it didnât matter; I could gradually build it up.
âFor all six of the newly joined members, set the experience distribution rate to 70%.â
[Settings have been completed.]
I didnât bother adjusting the settlement funds.
There was no place for citizens to spend money, and I didnât feel the need to distribute it, so I decided not to bother.
âAlright.â
Now, all I needed to do was assign monster hunting quests to them, and I could sit back and earn experience and money.
It was time for automatic hunting.
Of course, I had no intention of treating them like money-making machines.
I planned to face them at an appropriate time, engage in human interaction, and perhaps they could be the key to saving my family.
âBefore that, letâs take a look at who these people are.â
At the moment when I was about to use the Absolute Eye skill,
[Trust level of citizen Ha Dong-geon has increased.]
Suddenly, an increase in trust level notification appeared.
â⊠Whatâs this?â
I hadnât even seen their faces or had a conversation with them, so how could the trust level increase?
[Trust level of citizen Kim Ga-yeong has increased.]
[Trust level of citizen Yoo Hye-rin has increased.]
âHuh.â
It seemed like I needed to see for myself what was happening.
***
âPlease come in.â
âI apologize for the intrusion.â
The party led by Ha Dong-geon entered Choi Hyeong-junâs house, responding to the sudden dinner invitation. Park Hye-won, who had come to greet them at the entrance, was surprised and said, âHey, whatâs all this about?â
âIâll explain later. Can you prepare some food?â
âFood? I have to make something newâŠâ
âIâd appreciate it. Itâs his request.â
âIt might take a while. Iâll get it ready soon.â
As Choi Hyeong-jun mentioned âhis request,â Park Hye-won went to prepare the meal without asking further questions.
Observing her actions, Ha Dong-geon asked, âWho is this person?â
âWell⊠I donât know either.â
âYou donât know?â
âYes, other than the fact that he lives next doorâŠâ
Hearing his words, Ha Dong-geon looked towards the direction of the front door.
âWas it the house across the way?â
The reason their party came here was because of the strange man on the top floor who threw ramen and seaweed.
They came hoping to gain something more.
âAnyway, heâs a mysterious person. As I mentioned earlier, the power to bring electricity in is also his doing. He has the ability to create water and tangerines.â
âHmm.â
Ha Dong-geon observed the entrance light that brightly illuminated him.
âIs it telekinesis?â
Since the day these abilities appeared in the world, he, too, awakened a new ability.
There was no law that said others couldnât have similar abilities.
âIncredible power.â
The reason he threw food at them was probably because he could create more than just water and tangerines.
âHe can also create things like the ramen and seaweed he threw at us.â
Perhaps he had the power to create everything he desired.
âI should stick with this person.â
Especially in times like this, it was necessary to stick with someone with strong abilities to survive.
The ability to supply electricity and create water and food.
In the current world, it was a miraculous ability.
It had a value that was on a different dimension from his own throwing ability.
While thinking about ways to somehow contact him and appeal their abilities to him, Choi Hyeong-jun spoke.
âItâll take some time to prepare dinner, so would you like to take a quick shower?â
The strongest reactions came from Kim Ga-yeong and Yoo Hye-rin.
âShower?!â
âWe can take a shower?â
Having electricity was available was one thing, but having running water was another.
âWell, if he has the ability to create water, it shouldnât be that difficult.â
Choi Hyeong-jun responded with a friendly smile.
âYes. Warm water is also available.â
âWarm water?!â
âThatâs also thanks to his grace.â
Kim Ga-yeong and Yoo Hye-rin said in turn.
âStep aside! Iâm going to shower first!â
âT-Then, Iâm next!â
Beside them, Choi Hyeong-jun interjected.
âThere are two bathrooms, so both of you can shower at the same time.â
âAwesome!â
âOne of you can use this one, and the other can use the bathroom in the bedroom. Iâll show you.â
âT-Thank you.â
Kim Ga-yeong and Yoo Hye-rin were putting on a cheerful facade for a reason. They wanted to lighten the atmosphere a bit. Lately, things had been too heavy.
Once the two women disappeared, only four men remained in the entrance.
Kim Geon mumbled, âSenior, is that guy also someone with superpowers?â
Ha Dong-geon nodded in response. âProbably. He seems to have abilities that are incomparable to mine.â
Hearing this, Kang Deok-su, shoulder to shoulder with Ha Dong-geon, spoke in a loud voice, âDonât be discouraged, punk! If that guy gets on my nerves, a swing of my club willââ
âAre you crazy? What nonsense are you blabbing when youâre clearly lacking?â
âHuh? Is that so?â
âPlease, just shut up and stay quiet. Please.â
âAhaha. Okay, okay.â
Ha Dong-geon sighed quietly and said, âAnyway, our goal is to gather as much food as possible here. Donât make mistakes, and try to present yourselves as good as possible. Got it?â
âOkay, okay.â
ââŠYes.â
ââŠâ
During that time, a man who had not responded to Ha Dong-geonâs words was there.
Ha Dong-geon put his hand on the manâs shoulder and called his name.
âByeong-ho.â
Finally, there was a reaction.
âHuh? Oh, yes, hyung. Iâm sorry, I didnât hear.â
âSorry. Itâs my fault.â
Byeong-ho, trying to shake off the dark expression, replied, âNo, hyung. What did you do wrong?â
âHa. Iâm sorry. Itâs because I called everyone together for a housewarming partyâŠâ
âNo, hyung. I came because I wanted to.â
The gathering of Ha Dong-geonâs party was due to the housewarming of the newlyweds, Ha Dong-geon and Kim Ga-yeong.
As the party preparations were in full swing, monsters appeared, and the world fell apart.
Naturally, they all ended up stranded at Ha Dong-geonâs house.
âYour grandmother will be fine. Definitely.â
ââŠyes.â
Although everyone was worried about their families, Byeong-ho was especially concerned.
His only family, his grandmother, had difficulty moving and needed his help.
But now, he couldnât go back home.
That day, as soon as the monsters appeared, they all promised to go to Byeong-hoâs house first.
However, over the past ten days, despite numerous attempts, they were blocked by goblins every time.
It was all thanks to their experience with goblin hordes that they managed to survive.
âOnce we secure food here, letâs all go to your grandmotherâs place.â
âYes, thank you, hyung. ButâŠâ
Moon Byeong-hoâs voice was trembling heavily.
He knew it too well.
It was already too late.
Ten days had passed since that day.
Even if they were lucky and didnât face a monster attack, the likelihood of Moon Byeong-hoâs grandmother being alive was very low.
Sigh.
What angered him was that his house was so close, visible even from Ha Dong-geonâs place.
Yet, every attempt ended in failure.
There were too many surrounding goblin groups, appearing in dozens without warning.
âSince itâs nearby, if we combine our strength, we can reach it easily. Letâs muster a bit more strength.â
âThank you, hyung. ButâŠâ
Letâs stop now.
Itâs okay.
He wanted to say that it was a burden for everyone, but he couldnât bring himself to say it aloud.
It felt like a thorn stuck in his throat, causing pain.
A heavy silence fell for a moment.
No one dared to speak first.
Clang.
âHuh?â
âWhat?â
âWhatâs that?â
Everyone tensed as the sound of the front door opening echoed. They gripped their baseball bats.
Ha Dong-geon also took out a baseball from his pocket.
But the moment the door opened and the manâs figure appeared, everyoneâs bodies froze.
âWhat, what is this presence?â
The man had an ordinary appearance.
He wasnât extraordinarily tall or large.
On the contrary, he exuded a gentle atmosphere with clean, blemish-free skin that lacked the harshness of the sun.
Nevertheless, an oppressive feeling, as if a giant had opened the front door and entered, permeated the room.
It felt as if the gaping mouth of a giant beast was staring at them.
The sharpened instincts they had developed through numerous close calls screeched a warning.
Ha Dong-geon instinctively realized.
âThis manâŠâ
The lives of him and his comrades were tightly held in this manâs hands.
His gut feeling told him that if the man decided, he could kill them at any moment.
The man spoke.
âI will help.â
With just one sentence, a glimmer of hope sprouted in Moon Byeong-hoâs heart.
Perhaps that manâŠ
If it were this man in front of him, he felt like he could be rescued from the pit of despair.
An unfounded conviction.