Absolute Dweller-Chapter 205

It had already been three weeks since he absorbed the Deathless Wraith.

Even after the entity was assimilated into the system and became a summon, the corpse legion it commanded did not disappear.

Since they were still moving south, # Nоvеlight # he had spent the past three weeks relentlessly deploying the artillery battalion to wipe them out.

And the artillery battalion had proven itself worthy of every bit of investment.

Some members who had started at single-digit levels had now reached an average level of the mid-to-high 40s—a testament to just how much they had endured over the past month.

‘Thanks to that, I also managed to hit Level 47.’

Each time his skill level increased, his domain expanded exponentially.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

At this point, his subdomain now covered the entire Gyeonggi Province—and even encroached into parts of North Korea.

With all flatlands within his domain transformed into safe zones, the corpse legion’s invasion had effectively been sealed off entirely.

The only entry point left was through the mountainous terrain in Gangwon Province. But with the Taebaek Mountain Range acting as a natural barrier and the additional forward bases now activated, even that was becoming a near-impossible route.

On top of that, the corpse legion had lost its most critical ability.

‘Death no longer spreads.’

With the Deathless Wraith—the source of the violet aura—gone, the legion had lost its ability to infect and spread death.

Before, every time a monster respawned, the legion’s numbers would grow exponentially.

Now, however, they were being picked off one by one by newly spawned monsters.

A personal disappointment.

It was as if the monster-farming event had come to an abrupt end.

‘Still, I leveled up significantly because of it.’

After Absolute Territory reached Level 40, the experience required to level up skyrocketed. But thanks to the corpse legion, his leveling speed had been faster than ever before.

‘And I got plenty of skill points too.’

At the moment, he had four skill points left.

The rate at which he was earning skill points was too fast, leaving him with little time to properly train each skill.

‘I’m actively filling up my shop slots, so I’ll probably use one soon. But where should I spend the other three?’

He was lost in a pleasant dilemma when—

Beep!

The small creature lying on his stomach—Kami—suddenly woke up.

“You awake?”

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Bweep!

As he gently stroked Kami’s head with his index finger, the small creature flapped its tiny wings in delight.

Lately, he had been spending more time bonding with Kami—a decision influenced by Kim Geon’s advice.

‘The deeper the bond, the greater the power.’

Back when they fought the Deathless Wraith, Kami had unleashed its power—and the resulting fusion had been a shock.

The efficiency of his black flames had drastically improved.

The Deathless Wraith, which had effortlessly resisted his Invisible Hands wrapped in dark energy, had been overpowered in an instant.

Moving forward, divine entities were bound to appear more frequently.

And Kami’s power would prove invaluable in dealing with them.

“Kami, want a snack?”

Bweep!

The mere mention of "snack" sent Kami flapping into the air.

Fwoosh!

As black flames ignited on his palm, Kami immediately dove straight into the fire.

Fwoosh—

Inside the black flames, the small creature flapped its wings—as if taking a shower.

[The level of the Three-Legged Crow has increased.]

‘This method definitely levels it up faster.’

Three-Legged Crow (Lv. 33)

A three-legged divine crow.

Kami’s level had already reached 33.

Unlike Fairy, Lilith, and the Spirit King, who grew by absorbing World Tree’s life energy, Kami had shown no interest in it.

After various experiments, he had discovered that Kami reacted to black flames—and so, he had made it a habit to "feed" the flames like a treat.

Watching Kami jump around within the black fire, almost dancing, brought an unbidden smile to his lips.

‘Cute.’

During these moments of bonding with Kami, he completely deactivated the Absolute Eye, immersing himself in the experience.

This too was Kim Geon’s advice—to focus entirely on the present.

At first, he had rejected the idea outright.

He had too much to do.

But then, after a conversation with Kim Da-bin, his stance had changed.

["Weren’t you the one who told me that knowing how to rest is important?"]

He couldn’t very well ignore his own words.

At the time, he had forced himself to go through with it.

But now—he was genuinely glad he had listened.

Because now, he truly enjoyed these moments.

And just as Kim Geon had predicted, this approach had greatly strengthened his bond with Kami.

“Kami, I need to get back to work now.”

Bweep!

Even after snack time was over, Kami refused to leave his side.

It used to never leave the balcony during peak sunlight hours, yet now it clung to him like glue.

He smiled slightly, then turned his attention back to business.

‘Absolute Eye.’

The first thing he checked was the personnel outside the safe zone.

Recently, a large number of hunters had been recruited into the military, and the efficiency had skyrocketed.

The fusion of veteran hunters’ experience and Kim Da-bin’s unwavering support had produced outstanding results.

‘No issues here.’

Before, when hunters acted individually, dangerous situations would often arise, forcing him to intervene.

But now, with the structure of the military in place, such incidents had become rare.

‘So this is why protocols are essential.’

This was also why he had stopped obsessively micromanaging with the Absolute Eye.

Situations weren’t as life-threatening anymore.

‘How’s the shooting range?’

With military development, a new means of income had been provided to civilians—the shooting range.

It was set up at the far edge of his domain, where the corpse legion gathered.

Civilians could shoot monsters for practice and profit.

From a purely efficiency standpoint, it would be faster for the military to handle it.

But that wasn’t the point.

The true purpose was to train civilians—exposing them to live combat in a safe environment.

Some would eventually join hunting teams or enlist in the military.

‘There aren’t nearly enough monster hunters for the population.’

His territory’s population had surpassed 2.9 million.

Yet, the number of active hunters was pitifully low.

Although government subsidies and part-time jobs through the market were available, it wasn’t enough.

Ultimately, the economy was driven by money from monster hunting.

The wealth hunters generated kept circulating within the market, fueling the economy.

But recently, despite rapid population growth, the number of hunters had barely increased.

‘Well, it’s understandable.’

To civilians, hunting was seen as a dangerous profession.

No matter how much training or firearms were provided, accidents were inevitable.

Even in goblin dungeons, injuries were common.

And in orc dungeons, people sometimes died.

Even instant dungeons weren’t safe.

Venturing into unexplored dungeons or hunting outside the safe zone led to even more deaths.

While the actual fatality rate was low, it was still a risky profession, making it unappealing to most.

Which was why the shooting range was vital—a way to nurture future hunters.

And so far, the program was yielding results.

‘Looks like it’s running well.’

He was casually scanning the shooting range when—

Bzzzzzz—

A change occurred in one of the women returning her firearm.

He recognized it immediately.

‘An awakening.’

With the rising population, the number of Awakened had also increased.

But witnessing an awakening firsthand was exceptionally rare.

‘What ability is it?’

Intrigued, he focused his Absolute Eye—to find out exactly what she had gained.

『Name: Chae Soo-bin (Lv. 30)

Trust Level: 37

Awakening Ability: Crystal Creation

EXP Distribution Rate: 0% (+200%)

Settlement Fund Distribution Rate: 0% (+200%)

★ Quest Assignment  Expulsion』

At first, he thought it was just an ability to create gemstones.

Crystal Creation (Grade A)

Can create one crystal every 24 hours.Current Crystals in Possession: 2

‘...Two?’

There was something in his current inventory that matched that exact number.

‘...No way.’

A resource that, when 300 are collected, could be used to draw a divine artifact.

A key material for instant construction completions.

And—

‘The one damn thing that’s absurdly hard to obtain!’

Right now, there was only one way to acquire crystals.

Dungeons.

Not just any dungeons, but randomly generated, non-instant dungeons within his domain.

‘And even then, the drop rate is abysmal.’

At first, because of the "First Discovery" bonus, he had obtained a decent amount.

But now?

He could clear dozens of dungeons and still barely find one.

Yet—

‘She can make one every 24 hours?’

He felt a surge of confusion.

There had never been an Awakener with an ability like this before.

And then—

Bzzzzzz!

Chae Soo-bin activated her power.

‘This energy—?!’

He was sure of it.

The black aura radiating from her hands was divine in nature.

And then—

‘A crystal.’

The moment he confirmed the crystal forming in her palm—

[Chae Soo-bin?]

“Ah? Y-Yes? Eh?”

[Would you mind speaking with me for a moment?]

He sent a telepathic message.

And, to help her process what was happening—

[This is Kim Jae-hyun. Do you have time?]

“...Ah!”

Then—

[Citizen Chae Soo-bin’s Trust Level has significantly increased.]

[Citizen Chae Soo-bin’s Trust Level has reached 50.]

[Loyalty has been unlocked.]

Alongside the familiar notifications—

“I have plenty of time! I mean, yes, I do!”

[I’ll come to you.]

“Huh?”

He immediately moved.

‘East Gate, Open.’

As he stood up, Kami perched onto his shoulder, and together, they teleported to the shooting range.

Tat-tat-tat!

Gunfire ripped through the air the moment he arrived.

Chae Soo-bin, who had been staring blankly, turned her gaze to him.

He greeted her.

“Nice to meet you.”

Bweep!

Immediately, the surroundings erupted into chaos.

“Did you see that? He just appeared out of thin air.”

“Is he an Awakened?”

“What’s that bird on his shoulder? It’s so cute.”

At first, the reaction was mostly curious fascination.

But then—

“C-Commander! It is an honor to meet you, Sir!”

A soldier managing the firearm returns snapped into a salute.

It seemed that his face was widely recognized within the military, given how many times he had appeared before them.

And then—

“Did you hear that?”

“Is that really Kim Jae-hyun?”

“He’s that young?”

The entire area fell into a frenzy.

[Citizen Lee Jun-ho’s Trust Level has increased.]

[Citizen Park Seong-jun’s Trust Level has increased.]

[Citizen Kim Jong-hyun’s Trust Level has increased.]

...

...

As his identity spread, notifications of rising trust levels flooded in.

Amidst the commotion, he turned to Chae Soo-bin.

“If you don’t mind, may I take a look?”

“Huh? At what?”

“The crystal in your hand.”

“Oh, is this... really a crystal?”

Even though she had created it herself, she still seemed uncertain about what it was.

She had no idea how valuable it was.

“Yes, may I inspect it for a moment?”

“O-Of course!”

Taking the crystal from her, he examined it.

‘The crystal count in my inventory hasn’t changed yet...’

From everything he had observed, there was a high probability that this was that crystal.

Now, it was just a matter of how the system would process it.

‘Storage, Open.’

The method was simple.

‘Deposit.’

The moment he stored the crystal—

[You have obtained 1 Crystal.]

‘Bingo.’

The system had given him a definitive answer.