Absolute Dweller-Chapter 95

The Absolute Dweller cannot leave the domain of the Dwelling.

This limitation also applied to Descent.

Thus, a preliminary step was necessary: the area where I would descend needed to be transformed into a domain.

In other words, this place now shared the same properties as the Dwelling or an outpost.

The reason I deliberately descended before the progenitor to provoke it was simple:

[A hostile entity to the Absolute Dweller has been detected.]

To activate the system’s feature of eradicating anything hostile to me.

[Eliminating.]

With that concise notification—

Thunk!

The progenitor’s head exploded, and it seemed the situation had been resolved.

But its resilience far exceeded my expectations.

Splaash!

The progenitor’s decapitated body dissolved into a torrent of blood.

And then—

“Grrr!”

I heard Oh Eon-ju’s desperate growl in her beastly form.

Her wide, panicked eyes were focused on something behind me as she extended her hand toward me.

Right after—

BOOOM!

A massive sound erupted from behind.

I turned to see the progenitor glaring at me with blood-red eyes, its gaze burning with hatred.

The blood tentacle it had stealthily extended toward me trembled just inches away from my face, stopped by—

Buzz…

—a transparent barrier, rippling faintly within a one-meter radius around me.

‘How is it still alive?’

Could it be because the true body of vampires lies within their hearts?

No, I was certain that wasn’t the full story.

‘Absolute Dweller’s Eye.’

I used the skill to assess its condition, and it was evident that it was far from unscathed.

Its movements were noticeably sluggish compared to before my descent. Its distorted expression and labored breathing were clear indicators.

This was only natural.

Ordinarily, this space was inaccessible without citizenship and impossible to navigate without my permission.

The fact that it had invaded and moved within my domain was nothing short of miraculous.

‘There’s something about that flame.’

Whoosh!

The progenitor’s entire body was still engulfed in black-red flames.

“Aaaaargh!”

Its agonized screams reverberated as it struggled to endure the pain.

Observing the flames consuming its body, I realized something.

‘Are they fighting each other?’

Thanks to the Absolute Dweller’s Eye, I could see it clearly.

The black and red flames were battling for dominance over its body.

The black energy resembled the aura Ha Dong-geon used.

‘Could it be…?’

Recognizing it instinctively, I knew the black energy originated from me.

At the same time, I understood why the progenitor could resist within my domain.

‘It’s the red energy protecting its entire body.’

The same red energy had enabled it to pierce the transparent barrier earlier and now allowed it to act freely within my domain without permission.

At that moment—

[A hostile entity to the Absolute Dweller has been detected.]

[Eliminating.]

As the system notification appeared again, the progenitor’s floating body and the blood tentacle it had extended toward me swelled grotesquely.

Then—

Boom!

This time, the progenitor’s entire body exploded in midair.

Thud!

Chunks of its flesh splattered onto the blood-soaked ground, melting away as they disintegrated.

But—

‘There’s no system notification.’

Again, the notification for a successful hunt didn’t appear.

This meant the progenitor wasn’t dead.

Even though both its head and heart had exploded earlier, it was still alive.

‘...So the heart isn’t its true body?’

Then—

Bubble, bubble.

The blood pooling on the ground began to boil and frothed violently, releasing a crimson mist into the air.

Visibility dropped sharply, but with the Absolute Dweller’s Eye active, tracking its movements wasn’t difficult.

I saw the blood mist condensing behind Oh Eon-ju. Without hesitation, I activated a skill.

‘Invisible Hand.’

The moment the progenitor’s body materialized—

Thwack!

The Invisible Hand pierced its heart, halting its ambush on Oh Eon-ju.

Then—

‘Enlarge.’

Boom!

The Invisible Hand that had impaled its heart expanded, obliterating its entire body.

But the destroyed body quickly dissolved into the blood mist, vanishing once again.

‘I see now.’

The Absolute Dweller’s Eye wasn’t just a skill to observe and sense spaces.

The Sage’s Eye feature unlocked at level 3 allowed basic information like a monster’s level outside the domain. But within a domain, its functionality was far superior.

In a properly established domain, the Absolute Dweller’s Eye lived up to its name, analyzing and comprehending everything within its scope instantaneously.

That’s how I realized—

‘Its true body isn’t the heart. It’s the blood here, all of it.’

The reason the progenitor kept reviving was that its tangible body wasn’t its true form.

If its body parts were equivalent to hands or feet, its true essence was the vast pool of blood covering the ground.

‘If that’s the case…’

To kill it, I would need to destroy all the blood.

Realizing this, I commanded the system to execute my will.

In that instant—

Fwoooosh!

[A hostile entity to the Absolute Dweller has been detected.]

[Suppressing.]

Boom!

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The blood mist and the pools of blood covering the ground exploded simultaneously, annihilating everything.

‘As expected.’

I had often pondered the manifestation of the system's power.

Why did some beings qualify for citizenship when the Dwelling expanded, while others were marked for eradication?

The term "hostile entity" in the system notifications was frustratingly vague.

If the system were truly absolute, incidents like Jegal Seong-gyu infiltrating my domain to turn citizens into vampires or devouring them wouldn’t have occurred.

But it did happen.

I had considered various hypotheses about the criteria, and one of them was now proving accurate.

‘First, its head was destroyed, then its body exploded from the heart outward.’

If the system's power is closely tied to my awareness, then the current situation makes sense.

Because I recognized that the progenitor's true form was the blood itself, this outcome was possible.

And—

‘Control over power confirmed.’

Previously, the system notifications referred to "eliminating" entities, but now it had shifted to "suppressing" them.

‘What seemed like automatic responses from the system can, in fact, be controlled by my will.’

This was definitive proof.

Feeling a rush of satisfaction from confirming my hypothesis, I turned to where the fully subdued progenitor lay.

The vast pools of blood that had soaked the ground and the mist that had filled the air were gone, leaving behind a frail man bowing his head to the floor, trembling uncontrollably.

The black-red flames that had consumed his body were extinguished.

‘Suppressed.’

That’s what it meant.

The progenitor had been stripped of all usable energy and power.

Even his youth had been taken by the system.

His vitality—the very source of a vampire’s strength—had been suppressed to the point that he was barely alive.

The man, now half-bald and with the remaining hair thin and ghostly white, was a pitiful sight.

I addressed him.

“Hey.”

I could have killed him outright, but I still had questions about the mysterious red energy he had wielded.

“What exactly was that red energy you possessed?”

As I gradually released the force pinning his face to the ground, the man struggled to lift his head.

His face was twisted in despair, but he ignored my question and asked one of his own.

“What… are you?”

He clearly had no intention of answering me.

‘Well, it’s not like he’d just tell me if I asked.’

Since I hadn’t suppressed him specifically to extract information, I wasn’t too disappointed.

The vampire, his teeth gone, spoke with a slurred voice.

“Why… does a being like you… exist in this world— cough!”

He couldn’t finish his sentence, coughing up black blood instead.

It was clear he had reached his limit.

Tears streamed down the progenitor’s face as he muttered to himself.

“Ah… the connection to the Great One… the blessing…!”

He seemed to have lost his sanity.

“Oh Eon-ju.”

“…Yes.”

“Finish it.”

“Understood.”

Oh Eon-ju, no longer in her beastly form, nodded.

Her body was battered and barely holding together.

Before I descended, when the progenitor unleashed his power and bathed Ulsan in blood, a massive shockwave had erupted.

My father, who had been fighting closest to the progenitor, had been flung all the way to the vicinity of the Taehwa River.

Naturally, Oh Eon-ju, who had also been nearby, had suffered significant injuries. Despite this, she had risked her life to approach the progenitor.

It was only fitting that she deliver the final blow.

‘It’s economically sound too.’

I had poured substantial funds into my retainers in preparation for battles against vampires.

Even the newly recruited retainers had been leveled up to their maximum potential, regardless of cost.

‘The higher the level, the worse the efficiency.’

Still, I had no regrets.

If I had invested conservatively, the losses would have been far greater.

Thud!

The progenitor, stripped of all its power, met its end as Oh Eon-ju’s hand pierced its heart.

Its withered body disintegrated from the heart outward, vanishing completely.

[You have hunted Progenitor (True) (Lv. 62).]

[You have gained an enormous amount of experience.]

[9,958,584,949.23 KRW has been deposited into the Absolute Dweller’s wallet.]

‘Huh?’

For a moment, I thought I had misread the number.

‘Millions, tens of millions, billions, tens of billions…’

The money from hunting the progenitor was a staggering—

‘9.9 trillion won?!’

Nearly 10 trillion won had been deposited.

‘Wait… is this right?’

The money from this single kill exceeded all my previous earnings combined.

‘Even with all the benefits stacking…’

It was likely the crown I wore that had played a significant role in this.

The crown amplified the bonuses citizens received and, combined with Oh Eon-ju’s title of Viscount, resulted in a final payout nine times the original amount.

And—

‘If the monetary rewards are this absurd…’

Naturally, the experience points were equally astronomical.

[Your skill level has increased.]

[Your skill level has increased.]

[Your skill level has increased.]

[Your skill level has increased.]

[Your skill level has increased.]

The result was a cascade of explosive skill level-ups.

‘Ah, damn it. This is bad.’

Immediately afterward—

Swish—

As the time for Descent ended and I returned to my Dwelling—

“!!!!!!”

The unbearable pain began.