Absolute Dweller-Chapter 165

♩♪♪♬~ ♩♪♪♬~

Jung Sora slowly opened her eyes.

Still groggy, she reached for her phone, which was blaring an alarm beside her pillow. After checking the time, she flopped back down onto the bed.

♩♪♪♬~

Without even turning off the alarm, she burrowed deeper into the blankets, a peaceful expression settling on her face as she drifted back to sleep.

The alarm, which had turned off on its own, blared again after a set time.

This time, she reached out without looking and expertly silenced it before pulling the blanket over her head again.

Ten minutes later.

♪♬♬♪♬♬

It wasn’t an alarm this time.

Her phone displayed a call from a contact saved as [Nagging Machine].

“Hello.”

[Sora-nim. It’s time for you to wake up.]

“Just ten more minutes...”

[No. Get up now.]

His firm tone made it clear that there was no room for negotiation. Jung Sora sighed quietly before replying.

“Alright, alright. I’m up. Thanks for the wake-up call, Ji-woong.”

Only then did she slowly sit up, stretching out her body.

“Hnngh— Haah!”

She rolled around on the soft blankets, loosening up her body before casually stripping off her clothes and heading to the bathroom.

Sssshhhhhh

She turned on the shower, checking the temperature with her toes before stepping under the warm water.

“Hmmm~♪”

A hum of contentment escaped her lips as water droplets trickled down her skin.

Then—

The droplets shivered.

They gathered into tiny, translucent figures, forming miniature water spirits that twirled around her, dancing in a graceful circle.

While Sora focused on scrubbing her body with a shower ball, the spirits meticulously washed her long hair, applying shampoo, treatment, and conditioner in perfect sequence.

By the time she was done, she let the warm water cascade over her, enjoying the sensation.

“Ah, this feels amazing.”

Thanks to the spirits' help, the actual washing process only took ten minutes—

But she didn’t step out of the shower for another twenty minutes.

There was no need for a towel.

The water spirits removed most of the moisture from her body, while the wind spirits dried her hair completely.

“Thanks, guys.”

Now, standing in front of her wardrobe, Jung Sora stared intently at its contents, deep in thought.

Inside, dozens of outfits awaited her choice.

“...I have nothing to wear.”

In the end, she made a snap decision.

“Marketplace, open.”

A holographic interface flickered into view.

“Women’s clothing.”

To her delight, there were «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» far more options than she had expected.

From simple plain T-shirts to extravagant dresses—

At this point, it was like an entire department store had been uploaded into the marketplace.

As she selected a piece, a hologram of the dress appeared before her.

“Oh! This is adorable!”

The dress she picked was a floral-patterned one-piece, strikingly similar to the ones already in her closet.

But—

This one had a slightly shorter skirt and subtly different flower colors.

“Whoa, it’s on a huge sale?”

The dress was priced at 32,400 won, but the original price listed was 64,800 won—

A full 50% off.

Of course, only the seller knew if that original price was real or not.

“Let’s see... the size is...”

After confirming the measurements, she—

“Buy!”

—didn’t hesitate.

Bzzzt—

Upon finalizing the purchase, the clothing materialized instantly.

Luckily, the fabric was softer than expected.

She quickly tried it on—

It was a bit loose, but that only made it look cuter.

Since her body frame was petite, it was hard to find perfectly fitting clothes.

This was good enough.

“Hmm. I like it.”

Checking her reflection in the mirror, Jung Sora saw herself smiling.

A genuine smile.

One that came from the heart.

‘I... I can smile like this?’

It was unexpected.

Living in a world free from monsters felt miraculous.

She no longer had to worry about monsters attacking at night,

She didn’t have to exhaust herself commanding spirits day and night,

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freewebnσvel.cøm.

She didn’t have to agonize over food shortages.

For the first time in forever, the girl in the mirror had a bright, carefree smile—

The kind she had forgotten how to make.

‘I’m happy.’

Looking back now, joining Kim Jae-hyun had been the best decision of her life.

People inside his domain kept saying—

"We've regained our everyday lives."

‘So... this is what "everyday life" feels like.’

For Jung Sora, this happiness was something she had never experienced before.

Because to her—

Life itself had always been hell.

She had never been born into a "normal" family.

Her only memories of her father were of him drunkenly beating her mother.

And her mother—

Her mother, who played the victim in front of her abusive husband,

Turned into a merciless tyrant when facing her helpless child.

Jung Sora had more memories of being beaten by her mother than by her father.

She had been hit, kicked, and cursed at by the woman who should have protected her.

So, at a young age, she ran away from home—

Because staying meant dying.

But even after escaping, life was just as cruel.

More bad things happened than good.

Her days were filled with hopelessness and misery.

Not a single day passed where she didn’t want to die.

And then—

The world ended.

Ironically—

The girl who had wished for death every day was given the power to survive.

She wasn’t just able to live—

She could protect others.

Her life remained exhausting, but it was no longer a nightmare.

People relied on her, and she worked tirelessly to meet their expectations.

And now, after struggling for so long—

She had finally made it here.

‘I’m glad I stayed alive.’

For the first time, she truly believed it.

If "everyday life" meant this kind of happiness,

Then for her, the word "everyday" was just another way of saying "miracle."

She thought back to the day she had met Kim Jae-hyun again.

That was when he had officially invited her—

To become his vassal.

Becoming a vassal came with many privileges, but it also meant putting one's life on the line.

However, Jung Sora had accepted Kim Jae-hyun’s offer without a moment’s hesitation.

‘Because I’d rather die than lose this life I’ve finally found.’

Losing her new normal was far scarier than death itself.

And then—

♪♬♬♪♬♬

Her phone rang again.

The screen displayed the familiar name: [Nagging Machine].

[Sora-nim, right now—]

Before Park Ji-woong could start his usual nagging, Jung Sora quickly answered.

“I’m already ready! I’m heading out now!”

She hurried outside and soon met up with Park Ji-woong.

“Let’s go.”

“Where are we going today?”

“Hongdae.”

After riding the elevator down to the underground parking lot, they naturally got into their SUV.

Park Ji-woong took the driver’s seat, while Jung Sora settled into the passenger seat.

“Departing now.”

As their car pulled onto the road, the sight before them was surreal.

The streets were smoothly paved—and though the number of cars was still sparse, they existed.

Just a short while ago, such a scene in Seoul would have been unimaginable.

And the person responsible for this new reality—

Was none other than Jung Sora.

Vroooom—!

Though traffic lights hadn’t been restored yet, there were so few cars that it wasn’t much of an issue.

Park Ji-woong drove at a steady 80 km/h along the open road.

After about ten minutes, the last few cars vanished from view, leaving behind only ruins.

The road ahead was completely wrecked.

“Slow down a bit?”

“Yes, Sora-nim.”

Park Ji-woong pressed the brakes, lowering the car’s speed until it was crawling forward at a near-idle pace.

“Ready when you are, Sora-nim.”

“Got it.”

Jung Sora’s Current Job: Road Restoration

After taking on this role, she had been officially promoted to Department Head under Kim Jae-hyun’s command.

Her daily wage was 600,000 won.

And after her first few days, she had received a signing bonus of 2 billion won.

Of course, in terms of the actual value of her work, she was aware that this amount was nowhere near enough—

But she was more than satisfied.

‘The employees under my command alone generate tens of millions of won every day.’

Along with her promotion, she had gained the authority to appoint subordinates:

She had handpicked her most trusted people for these positions.

Just from these appointments alone, the daily wages for her team amounted to 34.5 million won.

This money was what kept her entire division running.

Given that, she was more than willing to accept a lower signing bonus.

And so, the work began.

Woooom—!

Jung Sora activated her power.

Rumble—

As a wielder of all four elemental spirits, her versatility was unmatched.

Her spirits had been invaluable in combat, but their use wasn’t limited to battle.

From washing her hair to drying her clothes, they made her everyday life easier.

And right now—

By using earth spirits, she could reshape the terrain itself.

Rumble— Rumble—!

Centered around the car she was sitting in, the ground churned and shifted.

Shattered concrete reassembled itself.

Scattered debris was swept aside.

Cracks and potholes were sealed as if they had never existed.

The road, which had seemed completely impassable, was transforming before their eyes.

Rumble!

And it was happening in real time.

Woooom—

Jung Sora’s powers had grown exponentially after becoming a citizen and later, a vassal.

She could feel the difference more than anyone.

‘It’s like night and day.’

Before—

She had pleaded with her spirits, like a contractor making requests.

In terms of hierarchy, they had been in the dominant position—

And every time she used their power, her mental energy would drain significantly.

But now?

The roles had been completely reversed.

‘Now, it feels like they’re the ones desperate to help me.’

Not only had she become the dominant force,

But the spirits’ ranking had dropped even below that of subordinates.

Furthermore—

Thanks to Kim Jae-hyun taming the Spirit Kings as pets,

The power of spirits within his domain had multiplied several times over.

Thanks to that—

Rumble—!

Jung Sora could now reshape landscapes with ease, with hardly any effort.

And once she assigned tasks to the earth spirits,

She could simply sit back and enjoy the view.

She was halfway through the job when—

“Oh?”

She spotted something familiar.

Among the others working on the same task, she noticed creatures similar to earth spirits.

Small, clay-like golems with holes where their facial features should be.

Their stubby, rounded hands made them look cute.

They were the ‘To-yong’, one of Kim Jae-hyun’s summons.

Excited, Jung Sora rolled down the window and waved.

“Hey there!”

And then—

Gurk? Gururuk! Gururururuk! Gururuk!

The To-yong reacted violently.

‘...I knew this would happen.’

She had expected this outcome.

‘For some reason, they really don’t like me.’

Every time she encountered them, their holes would twist into aggressive scowls.

Some even stopped working, raising their stubby arms in protest.

This wasn’t just one isolated reaction.

Every To-yong she had ever met reacted the same way, albeit to varying degrees.

‘I just want to be friends... Why do they hate me so much?’

She truly had no idea.