Absolute Dweller

Chapter 50: Encounter (6)

[Episode 11] Encounter (6)

I said to Seo Ye-jin, who was sitting to my left.

“Please follow them.”

The place my parents were was a few hundred meters away from the boundary of the homebound area.

I put on my shoes and grabbed the front door, connecting to the closest area using the Absolute Dweller’s Door.

Most of the surroundings were a mess after the recent attack by the giant, but fortunately, the direction my parents were coming from wasn’t ravaged.

When I came out of the building and arrived at the border, I could see a group led by my parents in the distance.

I shouted as loudly as I could.

“Mom! Dad!”

It was hard to see with the naked eye, but through the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes, I could see my parents’ expressions clearly.

Mom and Dad seemed a little puzzled.

I shouted vigorously at them once more.

“Mom! Dad! It’s me!”

At that moment, my mom started quickly running towards me.

Whether it was because she was level 50 or the effect of kin, she was running towards me at an incredible speed.

‘It’s a little scary.’

I had raised my physical abilities such as strength and stamina quite a bit through daily quests, but I wouldn’t be able to withstand such a rush.

Fortunately, my mom slowed down and stood in front of me.

Then she asked in a trembling voice.

“Jae-hyun…?”

Looking at my mom’s crying face, I strangely let out a light laugh.

“Yes, mom, it’s me.”

Mom slowly approached.

As the power of kin had already been unlocked, there was no transparent barrier blocking her.

Mom passed through the boundary of the area and slowly put her hand on my face.

Before I knew it, my mom’s face was stained with thick tears.

“Don’t cry, mom.”

My mom hugged me tightly, then muttered like a spell.

“Thank you, God, Buddha. Thank you, thank you.”

Patting Mom’s trembling back, I said.

“I’ve been doing well, Mom.”

By then, Dad came up to me and asked with a calm face.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine.”

“I see.”

After exchanging brief greetings with my dad, I surveyed the faces of the people who had come with my parents.

There were many women, probably mostly nurses, because my mom used to work at a hospital.

One of them was carrying two dogs, and since dogs and cats couldn’t be granted citizenship, I had to personally give permission.

“Bark.”

I granted permission for both dogs before they hit the transparent wall.

Upon checking, the owner of the dogs had a skill similar to Kim Geon’s.

‘Rather than all 23 being awakened individuals, did they receive abilities from mom?’

It could be said that it was somewhat similar to the vassal registration system.

[Ruler¹One Who Reigns. (Legendary)]

-One with the qualities of a King

{Subordinate Contracts}

{Royal Decree}

{King’s Blessing}

By signing a subordinate contract, one will awaken an ability. Allows the user to awaken up to 100 individuals without conditions.

‘It’s a cheat.’

Considering how much the presence of Awakeners in the early stages affected survival, one could imagine how great the ability possessed by my mom was.

In addition.

‘Is Dad’s ability also awakened through a subordinate contract?”

The skill my dad had was:

Self-Defense Spirit (Grade S)

Consumes mental power to create a strong energy barrier that protects the entire body. While the barrier is active, physical abilities increase by three times.

The reason my dad’s skill was impressive was that the skill description indicated ‘three times’.

If it were simply 300%, it wouldn’t have seemed so incredible.

For example, if there were abilities that increased physical abilities by 200% and 300% respectively, when these two skills overlap, it would become 500%.

However, if there was a 200% increase and then a skill that triples that, the 300% would become ‘three times’.

Ultimately, it resulted in an efficiency of 600%.

‘So, right now, my dad…’

Basically, kin also received all buffs citizens had.

So first, they received the buff Power of Trust.

‘All abilities increase by 93%.’

And considering the effect of kin.

‘Additionally, all abilities increase by 930%!’

At this point, there was already an increase of 1123%²Please don’t ask, I don’t know if the math is right or not T_T.

‘If you activate Self–Defense Spirit from here.’

It meant that you would ultimately possess enhanced physical abilities by 3369%.

‘Insane.’

It was a jump that could easily surpass several levels.

Among the remaining 23 people, there was no one else who obtained a Grade S skill like my dad.

Although they were all awakened, most of them were B or C grade.

‘Even so, they’re on a different level from non-awakeners.’

Once you awakened, you could grow through monster hunting.

That alone became a significant differentiator.

‘Anyway, thanks to these people, my parents were able to safely come this far!’

The 23 awakened individuals led by my parents were granted citizenship, but they had a slightly different status from others.

It was thanks to my mom’s title effect.

{Ichon³I figured this out way later but ‘Ichon’ wasn’t some fancy ability Grandpa had (also because the author had a typo the first time it came up). Apparently it means first-degree relationship (aka direct family, your parents, etc.). It’s similar to the English term “first cousins, second cousins, third cousins…” I’m going to leave it as ‘Ichon’ for now since I think ‘First-Degree’ or ‘Direct Relationship’ sounds a bit weird.}

Grants the authority to register five vassals and the right to grant an additional 1% of citizenship.

Current citizenship granted: (23/2,100 people)

※Tax collection possible

It meant that the citizenship granted to the 23 people led by my mom was completely separate. The trust and loyalty displayed in their status windows were also directed towards my mom, not me. My mom also seemed to have the authority to assign quests.

I spoke to the people my mom led.

“I will divide you into five rooms. If you need anything like rice or ramen, feel free to ask. I will provide everything.”

“What?”

“Please take a warm shower and rest comfortably in the room with the boiler turned on.”

Everyone, including my parents, was looking at me as if I were strange.

“Jae-hyun, are you really okay?”

Mom’s voice was full of worry.

I chuckled and pointed at the apartment with a smirk.

“Mom, can you see the lights over there?”

“Huh? Yeah, I was surprised because there were so many lights…”

“Why is that possible in a world where water and electricity have been cut off?”

“Oh?”

I used the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes to briefly check the condition of the buildings around here.

Since it was a little distance from where the giant was rampaging, there were many relatively intact buildings. Just in time, there happened to be a suitable building.

The glass on the exterior wall was shattered so it looked a bit grim now, but that didn’t matter.

As long as I could turn on the lights.

“Everyone, watch closely.”

After drawing everyone’s attention.

Snap!

I made the lights come into all the buildings around, including that building.

Pah!

Although half-broken, the sight of the brightly lit city at night was no less spectacular than a splendid performance.

I spoke to the people whose mouths were hanging open.

“Anyone thirsty?”

Then, I summoned a cold cola in front of them.

The people who suddenly grabbed the cola were surprised when they found out what it was.

“Can we really have this?”

“Of course.”

“Um…”

“Yes? Go ahead.”

“Do you happen to have Zero Cola? Pepsi.”

Instead of answering, I summoned the item he wanted.

“Thank you!”

With that, others also started demanding things.

“What about Fanta?”

“Is cider possible?”

“Everything is possible. Please feel free to ask for anything you want.”

People drank the beverages happily, like children receiving Christmas presents.

I said to them.

“Everyone, please follow me.”

“Woohoo!”

People cheered and followed me.

***

Using the Absolute Dweller’s Door to move around the apartment complex, I first showed my mom’s subordinates which houses they could use.

I also arranged items like ramen, rice, eggs, and milk that they said they needed.

“If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to come and tell me.⁴My corporate life tempts me to write “Please don’t hesitate/Feel free to reach out.””

Their reactions were enthusiastic.

It was only natural, considering how much they must have suffered before getting here.

They probably had a hard time not only washing properly but also finding food and water to drink.

But now, everything was being resolved at once, so they couldn’t help but be happy.

After personally guiding everyone, it was time to take my parents home.

My mom asked me with a worried expression.

“Jae-hyun, is it really okay for us to use other people’s houses like this?”

I chuckled at her question.

“When they return, of course I’ll return them. Of course, it might be difficult since no one has returned yet.”

No such person had appeared as of yet.

“Don’t worry about that. Let’s go home.”

I connected the entrance to my apartment’s front door.

And there.

“Mom, Dad! Welcome!”

Awaiting us was Seo Ye-jin and Yoo Hye-rin, standing neatly with their hands together and bowing.

Seo Ye-jin, sweating from continuous use of her ability, and Yoo Hye-rin, with her hair in a mess since she had just woken up, were enough to give my parents the wrong idea.

“…Son, is this our house?”

“——-Yes.”

“Then are these two your girlfriends?”

“No.”

Dad, standing beside us, jokingly teased.

“Wow, our son is popular, huh? He’s a player?”

“It’s not like that, Dad.”

“You’re both terrible. Please take good care of my son.”

Then, Yoo Hye-rin went overboard.

“We will serve you with all our hearts!”

Is this the side effect of having a loyalty of 100?

Dad whispered to me with his eyebrows raised.

“Our son seems to be quite something, huh?”

Ignoring Dad’s joke, I said to Seo Ye-jin and Yoo Hye-rin, “You two can go back now.”

“Yes!”

With that, I sent the two of them off and only our family remained.

“Mom and Dad can wash up.”

After the two of them bathed and came out, I asked, “Now, tell me. How did both of you come together?”

“You know Dad’s personality. He was waiting for me to finish work that day, but then the incident happened.”

My dad used to work as a taxi driver, and he always made sure to pick up Mom when she was commuting.

‘I’m glad.’

The one who controlled the awakening was Mom.

Because Dad was always so devoted to Mom, he was by her side the moment monsters appeared, and as a result, both of them were able to come out safely.

“It must have been tough for you to come all the way here.”

“We were able to come this far because I had your dad.”

Mom held my dad’s hand with a proud smile.

Dad also smiled at Mom.

I suddenly said, “Grandpa is doing well.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Grandma is…”

Seeing my expression, my mom asked with an uneasy voice, “Is something wrong?”

“She’s asleep right now.”

Mom patted her chest and replied.

“Don’t tease Mom. You scared me.”

I solemnly explained the truth with a serious face.

“She has been asleep since monsters started appearing.”

“…What?”

“Don’t worry. Grandma will be fine. Grandpa is there.”

Mom’s expression turned sad again as she asked, “What exactly happened?”

“I’ll explain everything.”

I explained about the ability I gained, how I’ve been doing, the events related to Grandpa, and various other things.

That was how the night went on.

Maybe because I was with my family, it felt warm and cozy inside the house.

***

Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan.

There, a strange phenomenon occurred where marine monsters had been pouring out onto land for several days.

The problem was not just the monsters flooding in, but the larger issue was the massive number of them infiltrating the inland areas.

The survivors who had barely managed to survive goblins or orcs were rapidly decreasing from these higher-leveled monsters.

And.

“What in the world is that? What kind of monster…!”

Takaki Minakuchi, who had barely survived using his abilities, was stunned to see the giant monster appearing in the sea.

Rumble—!

The majestic figure rising beyond the stormy sea seemed like a disaster brought down by the gods.

He was sure that if that monster pushed inland, everything would truly come to an end.

Then…

‘It’s leaving?’

The monster’s figure began to recede into the deep sea.

Only after the creature completely disappeared from sight could Minakuchi breathe a sigh of relief.

“Phew.”

Where could the monster have gone?

He didn’t know.

But wherever it was heading, cruel destruction and annihilation were surely awaiting.

Work is going awful. Someone send me some luck .·°՞(≧□≦)՞°·.