[Episode 01] The Absolute Dweller (5)
Four pictures were attached to the notification window.
A couple in their thirties with two children.
All of them were pictures of the people next door.
After a brief mont of contemplation, I threw a question toward the system window.
“What happens if I don’t grant citizenship?”
[Entities without citizenship will be expelled from the hobound area.]
[Are you sure you don’t want to grant citizenship?]
‘As expected.’
It wasn’t just a casual question.
The system understood my words.
Or maybe it could read my thoughts.
‘If not, things like only storing ran in the bowl in the warehouse or putting only the oil inside the canola oil container into the warehouse would be impossible.’
The skill of the Absolute Dweller.
Although I didn’t know the exact nature of this power, I had a hunch that to so extent, it allowed two-way communication.
Of course, the system’s explanation wasn’t particularly friendly.
It didn’t teach everything.
‘Being expelled from the hobound area ans…’
I couldn’t know the exact thod of expulsion, but sohow, I felt it wouldn’t be a safe process.
“Grant citizenship to all four of them.”
[Citizenship is granted to Choi Hyeong-jun, Park Hye-won, Choi Na-yeon, and Choi Seo-yeon.]
After granting citizenship to the family next door, I imdiately opened the skill window.
I thought there would be newly awakened skills related to citizenship.
However,
“Huh? Sothing else?”
The newly awakened skill was not related to citizen managent.
The Absolute Dweller’s Eye Lv.1
-In the hobound area, nothing can escape the Absolute Dweller’s Eye.
I could imdiately realize that the strange phenonon I just experienced was the result of using the Absolute Dweller’s Eye.
‘Where is sothing related to citizens? Ah, found it.’
Surprisingly, sothing related to citizens was included in the Absolute Dweller Proclamation skill.
Absolute Dweller’s Declaration (Passive) Lv. 6
-No one can invade the hobound area without the Absolute Dweller’s permission.
ᛗCitizen Managent
Within the Absolute Dweller Proclamation skill, a new button for Citizen Managent had appeared.
Pressing it revealed brief information along with the pictures of the four people I had seen earlier.
□ Choi Hyeong-jun (Trust: 24) (Lv. 9)
□ Park Hye-won (Trust: 18) (Lv. 5)
□ Choi Na-yeon (Trust: 33) (Lv. 3)
□ Choi Seo-yeon (Trust: 42) (Lv. 2)
Current Population (4 / 600 people)
“600 people?”
The number written at the end would likely be the maximum number of citizens that can be accepted. Confirming this was easy with the number 4 written in front.
However, the number seed excessively large.
‘Accepting 596 more people in the future? Isn’t that number a bit too much?’
Instinctively, I recognized that this function played a crucial role.
“Choi Hyeong-jun.”
As I called out the na of one of the four citizens, detailed information about the citizen ca to mind.
『Na: Choi Hyeong-jun (Lv. 9)
Trust: 24
Awakening Ability: None
Experience Distribution Rate: 0%
Settlent Money Distribution Rate: 0%
★Quest Assignnt 🖾Expulsion』
Experience distribution rate and settlent money distribution rate.
This ant that the citizen’s hunting experience and settlent money would co to , and I could control the distribution rate as I pleased.
‘Could it be?’
Was this a function that existed from the beginning and not sothing newly acquired when leveling up?
Perhaps I couldn’t grant citizenship earlier because there was no one in our house?
‘It was strange from the beginning.’
Initially, I thought the skill I possessed was quite abnormal.
While it created a perfect safe zone limited to my ho, I was the one confined to that area.
‘But if granting citizenship was possible from the beginning, the story would have been different.’
If there had been soone living with from the start, granting citizenship to that person would have been enough.
The experience that citizens gained from hunting would have co straight back to .
‘Is that how I was supposed to grow?’
One thing beca clear after the recent battle with the Kellican: my abilities were more formidable than I thought.
While I wasn’t sure exactly how powerful being Level 27 made , it seed sufficient to fend off attacks from most monsters.
‘If only I had awakened my abilities at my hotown instead of here, all my problems would be solved.’
My parents lived in a two-story house, and if I had awakened there, everything would have been different.
I could have protected my family safely, and there would have been no issue with growing my abilities.
‘Hunting wouldn’t be a concern either.’
Considering the way I hunted the Kellican, I could have hunted monsters easily without leaving my house.
Just open the front door and attack the monsters from inside the house.
In retrospect, my isolation was entirely due to awakening my abilities in a high-rise apartnt on the 30th floor.
If it had been the first floor, I could have stabbed goblins from the living room window and grown my abilities.
‘I wouldn’t have been able to do anything and might have died if I hadn’t been sowhat lucky.’
Originally, it was an ability that should have grown by commanding citizens from the beginning. Now, I could finally command citizens.
‘Fortunately, everything worked out in the end.’
In the grand sche of things, everything had resolved well.
‘But what’s this?’
There was one item that caught my eye in Choi Hyeong-jun’s citizen information.
“Quest Assignnt.”
Ding!
The quest assignnt window was divided into quest content, ti limit, success reward, and failure penalty.
As an experint, I filled in each of these sections.
“Goblin Hunting, no ti limit, no reward, no failure penalty.”
Ding!
《Quest Assignnt》
Quest Content: Goblin Hunting (0/1)
Ti Limit: 168 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds
Reward: Small amount of experience points.
Failure Penalty: None.
[Do you want to grant the quest as is?]
[Yes / No]
The quest window appeared, reflecting my preferences. What seed strange was the reward section. Despite selecting “None,” a small amount of experience points was still presented as the reward.
‘Is there a default reward? Then… how far can we push the failure penalty?’
It wasn’t out of malice; I simply wanted to experint and see how far it could go.
I confird that the quest wouldn’t be imdiately granted.
“Quest failure penalty adjustnt, death.”
Ding!
《Quest Assignnt》
Quest Content: Goblin Hunting (0/1)
Ti Limit: 168 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds
Reward: Small amount of experience points.
Failure Penalty: Death.
[Do you want to grant the quest as is?]
[Yes / No]
“…No.”
[Canceling quest assignnt.]
… I knew it would turn out like this.
However, despite having control over the quest content and ti limit, the absence of limitations on the failure penalty was quite significant.
This clearly indicated that, at any ti, I could choose to end the lives of the citizens.
The power over life and death of the citizens was in my hands.
It wouldn’t be difficult.
Even for a quest as simple as killing one goblin, if I set the ti limit to just one second, it would be equivalent to an imdiate death sentence.
“Insane.”
Facing the real potential of my skill, shivers ran down my spine.
The lives of four citizens, or should I say, one citizen, were in my hands. The weight on my shoulders felt overwhelming.
For the first ti, I was afraid of my own ability.
‘This is the power of the Absolute Dweller skill…’
True to its na, within my dwelling place, my skill held absolute influence.
‘What should I do?’
There were nurous ways to exploit the citizens.
In extre cases, using quest assignnt to control them for a long period was possible. Just as I did now, by setting the failure penalty as death, it was like sentencing them to execution for any goblin hunting quest.
“Crazy.”
The true capability of my skill, Absolute Dweller, beca apparent, and I was overwheld with a sense of fear.
‘How do I handle this?’
There were many ways to use the citizens.
In extre cases, I could exploit them using quest assignnt, making them carry out tasks like pawns for an extended period. However, for citizens like the man from the neighboring apartnt, Choi Hyeong-jun, whose level was rely 9, setting penalties such as death would require them to go on dangerous hunting quests. Their levels were sufficient to handle goblins, as goblins typically had levels around 6 or 7, but venturing into a world where monsters like the level 27 Kellican road was risky.
‘Moreover, even if I set up a quest, would citizens actively try to complete it? Can they even perform quests at that level?’
One or two goblins wouldn’t be a problem, but surviving in a world where dozens of goblins rushed at them would be difficult.
‘To rescue Mom and Dad, I need to train citizens to handle goblin hordes or form a team of that caliber.’
The solution was simple.
Seeing that there was an experience distribution rate for citizens, it ant that citizens could grow through monster hunting. In that case, I could continuously assign monster hunting quests.
While it was possible to force citizens into completing quests, I didn’t like that approach. Not only was it inhumane, but it would likely create resentnt towards . Moreover, it could act as an unfavorable variable in rescuing my parents.
‘In the worst-case scenario, Mom and Dad might be in danger.’
What I wanted was not a pawn that simply followed orders blindly. I needed soone who genuinely moved for my sake.
‘Forcing through quests won’t achieve that.’
To recruit soone, I first needed to win over their hearts. People need to be persuaded, not coerced.
‘Let’s go with a win-win strategy.’
With my decision made, I headed straight to the neighbor’s apartnt. However, upon seeing my reflection in the hallway mirror, I stopped in my tracks.
My disheveled beard and comfortable tracksuit gave off the typical image of an unemployed person. Moreover, my body was drenched in sweat from the recent battle with Kellican.
‘First, let’s freshen up.’
I was well aware of how important first impressions were in human relationships.
Shhhh…
As warm water washed over , I checked the skill window and noticed sothing I hadn’t seen before.
“Huh?”
[Absolute Dweller’s Shop Lv. 1 ]
You can purchase items registered in the shop at the regular price.
[Skill Points Available: 3]
Absolute Dweller’s Dignity Maintenance (Passive) Lv. 1 [ ]
Restores the overall functions of the dwelling necessary for maintaining dignity.
[Skill Points Available: 3]
Absolute Dweller’s Warehouse Lv. 1 [ ]
An extra-dinsional space where you can store items.
[Skill Points Available: 3]
There was a plus sign next to the skill level.
‘I can raise the skill level!’
Finally, I could register new items in the shop.
‘As expected, I can’t raise the Absolute Dweller’s Declaration skill with skill points.’
Skills with a plus sign were only the Shop, Dignity Maintenance, and Warehouse skills.
The Wallet skill was already at the max level, so it was natural that I couldn’t raise it anymore. The Absolute Dweller’s Eye skill, which had just been acquired, displayed a level of 1, but no plus button appeared.
‘Maybe there’s a proficiency system?’
Either way, it didn’t matter.
The skills to raise levels were predetermined from the beginning.
[Are you really going to raise the Absolute Dweller’s Shop skill level?]
“Yes.”
At that mont, the skill window flashed with a golden light.
Whoosh!
[Absolute Dweller’s Shop skill has reached Lv. 2.]
[The number of items that can be registered has increased to 20.]
[All item prices are discounted by 10%.]
“Oh?”
The limit for item registration increasing was expected. However, along with that, there was even a discount on prices.
“Isn’t this nice?”
Now, I have only 2 points left. Curious, I checked the shop skill, but this ti, there was no button.
“It seems like there’s so condition each ti you level up.”
There was one guess that ca to mind.
“If I fill all twenty slots, the limit for item registration, maybe I can go to the next level?”
Anyway, the items to be registered were already thought out in advance.
The top priority for registration was items that had never been used before.
Things like shower supplies and toilet paper.
“Let’s give it a try.”
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