Absolute Dweller-Chapter 207

As the domain expanded, one thing became clear.

Even after a year had passed since the appearance of monsters, there were still survivors hidden within cities.

Of course, the majority of people had died, but some had adapted and endured.

Unless they had faced something as extreme as the Undead Legion, which hunted anything living, many had managed to survive.

Take Tsushima Island, for example.

With its mountainous terrain, it had a naturally low population density.

Remnants of goblins and orcs could be found scattered across the island, evidence that monsters had occupied it.

It was a place where monsters outnumbered humans, and yet—there were survivors.

Just over a thousand people had endured, and among them, hundreds were Awakeners.

‘It must be because only Awakeners could survive in such an extreme environment.’

Since the Four Great Gates existed, it wouldn’t have been difficult to relocate them to Busan or Seoul—

But they refused.

A government official who spoke Japanese had been sent to negotiate, but they insisted they ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) would not abandon their home—

Even though they were grateful for the supplies.

‘There were some exceptionally strong Awakeners there too.’

But he didn’t register them as retainers.

They were all Japanese, so communication was difficult, and taking leaders from their community would have disrupted their stability.

Instead, he simply set up shops at their bases and taught them how to use the marketplace.

‘They’re handling things on their own.’

Ultimately, the conclusion was simple—

Survivors existed everywhere.

Which meant—there were probably survivors in Jeju Island too.

‘I've delayed this for too long.’

Originally, he had intended to explore Jeju Island much earlier.

After securing major cities, his next objective had been Jeju—

But the Undead Legion had forced him to postpone it.

More immediate threats had to be eliminated first.

Even after absorbing the Immortal Wraith, there had still been urgent matters to resolve.

Now, however—he finally had the time to turn his attention to Jeju Island.

All thanks to one particular development from absorbing the Immortal Wraith—

‘The Skeleton Soldiers and Death Knights added to the shop slots.’

A single Skeleton Soldier cost 400 million won—

And it took an hour to create.

But even so, having an unlimited supply of Level 40 skeleton monsters was a massive advantage.

‘And then there’s...’

The Death Knight.

Costing 40 billion won and requiring a full week to create—

But once completed, it started at Level 50 and, more importantly—

‘It can be enhanced.’

Just as the Immortal Wraith had wielded violet sword energy, his Death Knights wielded pitch-black sword energy.

For 40 billion won, the performance was nothing short of monstrous.

And unlike the regular Death Knights commanded by the Immortal Wraith, his had one key difference—

They had been purchased from the shop.

Which meant—

‘They can be upgraded.’

『Death Knight (Lv. 50) [+10]』

▶ +20% to Physical Ability

▶ Bone Hardness +2

▶ New Skill [Bone Armor] Acquired

▶ Bone Density +1

▶ +30% Attack Power

▶ New Skill [Awakening] Acquired

It had taken an insane amount of money to push them to +10, but they were worth every cent.

The Undead Legion had significantly diminished, thanks to them.

And one of their greatest advantages—

Both Death Knights and Skeleton Soldiers could be stored in the warehouse.

Meaning—

As long as his Absolute Sight could reach a location, he could summon them anywhere—

Even without using the Four Great Gates.

‘The only downside is the long production time...’

But time would solve that problem.

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Now that he had some breathing room, it was time to use his greatest asset at the frontlines.

He walked into the inner chamber and called out—

"You’ve rested enough, haven’t you?"

"......."

The man sprawled on the bed twitched, slowly turning his head toward him.

Beep!Kami, perched on his right shoulder, flapped its tiny wings, glancing back and forth between them.

It was clearly confused.

Since Kami always slept on the balcony, this was its first time seeing the Avatar.

Jae-hyun spoke to himself.

"Get up. It’s time to work."

"......How long was I out?"

"About eight hours."

"......."

Being in the Absolute Core meant that he could clearly sense his Avatar’s thoughts.

Calmly, he added—

"They say you should be generous to others but strict on yourself, right?"

"...That’s not quite the same thing."

"What’s different? You are me. There’s no time to waste. Get up. You need to scout Jeju Island."

The Avatar sighed, but still got up.

"Yeah... It’s about time."

Convincing himself was never difficult.

As long as he acknowledged the necessity, he would move without hesitation.

"You know the priority—rescuing survivors. Don't overdo it."

"Got it."

The Avatar looked outside, then activated Teleportation.

Swoosh—

As soon as he moved through space, Kellican swooped in, catching him on its back.

Then—

‘Open Dongdaemun.’

Jae-hyun opened a gate to the nearest possible entry point.

His Avatar, riding Kellican, entered the gate and soared over the sea.

The weather was poor, limiting visibility, but in less than ten minutes, the shape of Jeju Island emerged.

Due to Baekdu Mountain’s eruption, volcanic ash had darkened the sky permanently—

So, the true state of Jeju only became clear at a much closer distance.

And then—

‘...What the hell is that?’

At first, he thought his eyes were deceiving him.

But they weren’t.

The entire island was covered in something black.

From a distance, it looked like black liquid had flooded the entire island.

But—

"...Bugs?"

His Avatar, using Clairvoyance, examined the scene and muttered—

[Did you just say bugs?]

"...I think so."

[What do you mean, ‘you think so’?]

"I’ll use the ability again."

The Avatar closed his eyes, and I disabled Absolute Sight, focusing entirely on his perspective.

By now, I was used to this state, and soon, I could see everything through Clairvoyance.

‘.......’

It was exactly what I thought.

Bugs.

Each one was the size of a grown man's palm—clearly monstrous.

But the real issue was their sheer number.

Squirm—

The ground was writhing.

The insects swarmed together, creating bulging waves—

The way they moved in unison made the surface ripple, almost as if the island were covered in a living, black liquid.

‘This is insane.’

Even compared to the Undead Legion, this was on another level.

How many of these things were clustered along the shoreline alone?

The default estimate was in the billions.

Tens of billions.

Maybe even trillions.

Perhaps that was why Kellican was hesitating, refusing to fly any closer.

I gave a direct order.

[Fly toward the center of the island.]

Kellican shuddered but obeyed.

From above, Jeju Island was nothing but a pulsating black mass—

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And.

‘It’s not just the surface. These things have burrowed deep underground too.’

Through Clairvoyance, I saw what lay beneath.

And.

‘Nothing else is left.’

Not just in the highlands—

Hallasan Mountain had no trees, no animals, not even a single rat.

The cities were the same.

Buildings and roads still existed, but apart from these black insects, there was nothing else left.

‘In that case...’

From the shoreline to the summit of Hallasan—

Even deep underground—

The only thing that remained was this writhing mass of black insects.

But at least one good thing came out of this.

‘They're dying.’

I noticed violent movement among the bugs near the shoreline.

Checking closer, I realized—

These things were extremely weak to seawater.

The moment they touched the ocean, their bodies dissolved into sludge—

Which explained why they hadn’t spread beyond Jeju.

[Check the other islands near Jeju.]

"...Alright."

I had hoped for some glimmer of hope—

But within half a day, that hope turned into despair.

All the nearby islands, including Udo, were in the same condition.

The only difference was the density of the infestation.

But what truly shocked me was—

‘They’re self-replicating.’

Across the islands, there were countless black lumps, varying in size.

And when they burst open, they spewed hundreds of new insects into the world.

The number of these sacs alone was already in the thousands.

Every time one ruptured, swarms of them would scatter, expanding their infestation.

That’s how they must have spread to the surrounding islands.

‘.......’

There was nothing else to see.

Survivor rate: 0%.

There were no survivors here.

Crack.

I felt a deep rage boiling in my chest.

‘Open Seodaemun.’

I wanted to erase these things immediately—

To annihilate them completely.

My hand hovered over the shop, ready to purchase meteor shells—

But in the end, I didn’t go through with it.

‘......Damn it.’

Because I had thought of something better.

Dropping dozens of meteor shells would wipe them out along with the island—

But that would be a waste.

For one, killing them myself wasn’t efficient for gaining experience or settlement funds.

‘...And besides.’

They were rapidly multiplying.

They were weak to seawater.

With these characteristics, exterminating them out of anger would be a complete waste.

‘Calm down.’

I needed to think rationally.

The people of Jeju had already been wiped out.

That was irreversible.

Even if I eradicated every single one, it would only be an act of revenge—

It wouldn’t bring back the dead.

[Hey. You can use Control Water, right?]

Lee Joon-hyuk’s ability.

The power to manipulate water at will.

My Avatar immediately understood what I was thinking.

"...I see. That’s how we deal with these bugs."

The Avatar teleported near the shoreline.

Swoosh—

Landing just above the water, he stood on the ocean’s surface.

Splat!

Then—

Swoooosh—

The surrounding seawater surged as he breathed intent into it.

A massive current began to form around him, pulling in more and more water.

Even the unchanneled parts of the sea started to follow the motion.

The waves retreated as if a great tide was being pulled back.

Once the massive current had formed, the Avatar extended his hand toward the island.

Then—

Swoooosh—

The seawater surged forward, crashing into Jeju Island.

And.

SPLAAASH!

The writhing mass of insects along the shore was completely engulfed.

Sizzle—!

No screams, no sound of pain—

Just silent extermination.

With one tidal wave, tens of thousands of insects perished instantly.

As expected—it was working perfectly.

Which meant—

[Lee Joon-hyuk. You got a moment?]

From now on—

Jeju Island will become an experience farm.