Absolute Dweller

Chapter 45: Jagalchi Market (1)

[Episode 11] Jagalchi Market (1)

[What should we do?]

[We should treat skilled personnel well. How about giving them a room and turning it into a hospital?]

[That’s a good idea.]

[If we look, we should be able to find enough nursing staff. I’ll leave the establishment and operation of the medical team to you.]

With that, all tasks related to establishing the medical team were assigned to Kim Dabin, and I returned home.

Seo Ye-jin was still sitting in the middle of the living room in her cross-legged position, while Kkami was sleeping comfortably on the sofa.

‘Ha Dong-geon’s party is moving without any problems.’

Ha Dong-geon’s party was passing directly through the tracks from Jungang Station to Jagalchi Station.

It was worth cleaning up the zombies with Yoo Hye-rin and Seo Ye-jin.

‘As for the last skill point, I should invest it there, right?’

There was a skill I had thought about in advance.

‘Absolute Dweller’s Warehouse, level up.’

[The Absolute Dweller’s Warehouse skill has reached level 2.]

[The capacity of the warehouse has increased to 200kg.]

[The status quo feature has been added.]

[Status Quo] (Passive)

Preserves the kinetic state of the item at the time of storage.

I had decided to increase the level of the warehouse because I felt the need for more capacity when using Seo Ye-jin’s gas explosion with the mouse or Yoo Hye-rin’s poisonous fog.

‘Now that the capacity has doubled, I should be able to use it more freely.’

And as usual, there was one more unexpected gift.

‘Status Quo.’

As I read the description of its function, an image flashed through my mind.

‘Is it possible?’

When summoning an item from the warehouse, it appears in a completely stationary state.

Until now, it was so natural that I didn’t pay much attention to it.

But reading the description of the new feature made me feel its meaning differently.

‘Preserves the kinetic state of the item at the time of storage.’

In other words, when I summon something from the warehouse, it will appear in the same state as it was when stored, including any motion.

So, in simple terms, if I store a spear I threw with force and then summon it, it will come out of the warehouse at the same speed as when I first stored it.

‘If that’s the case…’

As luck would have it, I had an item that could maximize this situation.

‘Open shop, purchase S&W M60, .38 caliber bullets, 100 rounds.’

+

I grabbed the revolver that appeared in the air and loaded three rounds into the cylinder. After storing the rest in the warehouse, I opened the living room window and aimed at the dark night sky.

Warehouse storage—

At the moment I pulled the trigger.

‘Bullet!’

I imagined the shot bullets being stored in the warehouse.

Bang!

With the sound of gunpowder.

Ziiing—!

I could see the bullet that had popped out of the muzzle being sucked into the warehouse.

It works.

For now, everything was perfect.

-Cheep!

Kkami, who was sitting on the sofa, was startled by the sudden gunshot and jumped up. Seo Ye-jin also woke up, covering her mouth with both hands.

She asked me, who was standing at the window holding a gun.

“Mr. Jae-hyun, why are you suddenly…?”

But I couldn’t hear her.

Because I was too focused.

‘If my prediction is correct…’

I stared into the cold night air creeping in through the open window.

And then.

‘Summon, bullet.’

When I summoned the bullet towards the night sky.

Bang!

The bullet created in the air was fired, tearing through the night air.

At the same speed as when it was fired from the gun.

‘Crazy.’

There was a shudder running through my body.

‘This is it!’

A surefire way to assist Ha Dong-geon’s party.

The Joker card had appeared.

Ha Dong-geon’s party arrived at Jagalchi Station and exited through the ticket gate.

The station used to be occupied by goblins, but the goblins were no match for them.

“Kiiaaak!”

“Kkiak!”

The overwhelming power of the Ha Dong-geon party caused the goblin horde to flee.

Using the communication ring, I said:

[You can exit through Gate 2.]

Exiting through Gate 2, they were greeted by a three-way intersection with overturned buses and cars.

‘From here on, it’s uncharted territory.’

Unlike before, when Seo Ye-jin had scouted and prepared a route, this area had nothing prepared.

“Mr. Jae-hyun, where should we go now?”

[Follow the main road to the left, and you’ll be near your destination in about 1 km.]

However, covering that 1 km was no easy task.

As they turned the corner of the first building.

“Watch out!”

A monster appeared.

「Land Shark (Lv. 24)」

It was the land shark that had eaten Seo Ye-jin’s mouse at Nampo Station the other day.

The land shark, popping out of the alleyway, rushed towards Ha Dong-geon’s group with its sharp teeth.

At the same time.

Shwook!

Ha Dong-geon’s spear stabbed the land shark’s side.

Crunch!

Oh Eon-ju completed her transformation into a werebear and smashed the land shark’s head, finishing it off.

[You have hunted a Land Shark (Lv. 24).]

[You have gained experience points.]

[13,813,758 won has been deposited into the Absolute Dweller’s Wallet.]

Ha Dong-geon shouted.

“Geon-ah, scout!”

“Sorry.”

As Kim Geon closed his eyes and concentrated, Kaman, who had flown far away, flew back and perched on his master’s shoulder.

Kahh—

With a slightly proud cry, it communicated what it had seen from the sky to its owner.

“Senior, it seems like there are a lot of those things around here―”

Before Kim Geon could finish speaking, monsters in the vicinity began to reveal themselves one by one.

“It looks like we’ve been surrounded.”

On the road, giant crabs the size of large cars and a flock of marlin with sharp beaks like spears were approaching Ha Dong-geon’s party.

Their eyes were more or less that of predators hunting prey.

Shwook!

The flock of marlin floating in the sky was the first to rush in. They had sharp noses like spears in front of them.

Tang!

The signal for battle was lit.

Despite the sudden start of the battle, Ha Dong-geon’s party skillfully fought back.

“Deok-su! Block them!”

“Okay!”

Clad in silver armor, Kang Deok-su blocked the path in front of Kim Ga-young and Kim Geon.

Clang!

The marlin’s beak bounced off Kang Deok-su’s armor and recoiled.

“Kacha!”

He swung his halberd and cleared one away.

At the same time.

Swoosh!

Kim Ga-young’s arrow, imbued with piercing, cleanly shot through the marlin’s head.

[You have hunted a Sky Marlin (Lv. 16).]

[You have gained experience points.]

[785,230 won has been deposited into the Absolute Dweller’s Wallet.]

Bang—!

Moon Byeong-ho wasn’t the only one holding a gun.

Kim Geon, who had no suitable means of attack, was also given one, and his shooting skills were sharper than expected.

[You have hunted a Sky Marlin (Lv. 17).]

[You have gained experience points.]

[899,202 won has been deposited into the Absolute Dweller’s Wallet.]

However, it was impossible to mark all of the fish with their small number of people, and one or two of them targeted Kim Da-jeong at the back.

“Don’t come any closer!”

Kim Da-jeong also held a pistol in her hand. Her gun, which had never fired before, burst out for the first time.

Bang—

However, the bullet fired with closed eyes had no chance of hitting the target.

Naturally, the bullet missed, and the marlin lunged for her heart as if nothing had happened.

“Ahhh!”

‘Warehouse summon, bullet.’

At the critical moment, a bullet appeared in front of the marlin and pierced its head.

[You have hunted a Sky Marlin (Lv. 17).]

[You have gained experience points.]

[231,733 won has been deposited into the Absolute Dweller’s Wallet.]

Perhaps because I hunted with a bullet fired by myself, the settlement fee was pitiful.

“Seo Ye-jin!”

“Yes, yes!”

“Please shoot for me.”

“Huh? A gun? Me?”

I handed the gun to the bewildered Seo Ye-jin and said, “Yes, quickly.”

There was nothing else she could do at this point anyway.

The area where Ha Dong-geon’s party was fighting was beyond her sensory sharing range.

“W-Where should I shoot?!”

“It doesn’t matter where!”

“What?!”

“Hurry!”

Seo Ye-jin closed her eyes tightly and fired the gun towards the apartment wall.

‘Warehouse storage, bullet!’

Bang—! Bang—!

The bullet she fired was immediately deployed for combat.

‘Summon!’

[You have hunted a Sky Marlin (Lv. 17).]

[You have gained experience points.]

[1,393,121 won has been deposited into the Absolute Dweller’s Wallet.]

Even when hunting the same way, hunting with a bullet judged to have been fired by Seo Ye-jin was six times more efficient.

“I’ve shot them all!”

“Reload and go again! Quickly!”

“Yes!”

I pushed Seo Ye-jin to continue shooting to store as many bullets as possible.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of the gun shook the house, and the smell of gunpowder filled the living room.

Creak.

“W-What’s going on?!”

Yoo Hye-rin, who had been sound asleep until now, came out of the master bedroom with a shocked expression as if struck by lightning.

Bang!

Yoo Hye-rin looked at Seo Ye-jin, who was shooting at the living room wall, then slapped her own cheeks.

“Why can’t I wake up?”

I was sorry, but I didn’t have time to explain to her one by one.

While storing the bullets, I continued to use them to assist Ha Dong-geon’s party.

“Da-jeong! Blessing!”

“Yes, unnie!”

While I was busy dealing with the marlin from behind, Ha Dong-geon and Oh Eon-ju were facing off against a giant crab in the front.

「Giant Crab (Lv. 35)」

Kwooong!

Dodging the large claw, Oh Eon-ju dove under the crab’s arms and broke its joints.

Crack!

One of the crab’s legs shattered, causing it to lose its balance.

Shwook!

And Ha Dong-geon’s spear pierced its mouth.

-!!!

The crab with its jaw shattered struggled to attack him, but Ha Dong-geon skillfully distanced himself.

Ha Dong-geon twisted his body in mid-air and threw a spear.

Clang!

However, the spear couldn’t penetrate the tough chitin shell and bounced off.

Ziiing—

I immediately summoned a new spear from the warehouse and gave it to Ha Dong-geon.

The next moment, Oh Eon-ju, who had somehow climbed onto the crab’s carapace, kicked hard.

Bang!

Despite its internal organs shaking from the impact, the giant crab’s shell showed no signs of breaking.

“Kheong!”

Crack!

Even with Oh Eon-ju’s nail attack, all she managed to do was leave scratches on the carapace.

Shoo!

“Everyone, move aside!”

Moon Byeong-ho, who appeared with teleportation, aimed his gun at the Giant Crab.

Bang!

However, its tough shell was even deflecting bullets.

‘It’s incredibly durable.’

Honestly, it seemed impossible to break its shell if it was not broken even with Oh Eon-ju’s strength.

‘Is there any way?’

It was clear that it was not an ordinary shell. It must have some special ability.

‘We need to deliver a certain level of impact.’

Rather than attacks like scratching with nails, we needed an impact like hitting with a hammer.

“Kheo-eong!”

Unable to help it, Oh Eonju gave up on destroying the shell and instead opted to destroy the remaining nine legs.

Crunch!

One by one, the legs of the Giant Crab were decisively torn apart by Oh Eonju’s hands.

‘Absolute Dweller’s Eyes.’

While maintaining a view of the Ha Dong-geon Party, I activated a new field of vision.

‘I definitely saw something there.’

The new field of vision was focused on Kim Minho’s house, who had a muscular body since our first meeting.

There was no way it wasn’t there.

And sure enough.

‘There!’

In one space converted entirely into a training room, a chunk of iron was prepared for bench pressing.

Even at a glance, the barbell which looked to be over 100kg, was a weapon in itself.

‘I’ll borrow it for a moment. Warehouse storage.’

This alone was threatening enough, but we were still 2% short of breaking that tough shell.

‘Summon.’

First, I summoned it to the highest point within the limits of the homebound area.

The heavy barbell pulled by gravity fell freely, and just before it hit the ground.

‘Warehouse storage.’

I stored the barbell that had been raised to maximum velocity in the warehouse.

And.

[Oh Eon-ju]

“Hmm?”

[Please jump so that you can see the crab’s shell.]

Upon my command, Oh Eon-ju immediately jumped without question.

Crash!

Asphalt was destroyed as Oh Eonju’s body rose high into the air.

Then, the shell of the giant crab was visible at a glance.

Towards that spot.

‘Summon barbell!’

A barbell weighing over 100kg appeared at the same speed.

And.

Crash! Crunch!

The hard shell was shattered into pieces.

“Raaah!”

Oh Eon-ju didn’t miss the opportunity, landing on the shell and slipping her hand through.

And.

Rip!

She grabbed and tore it apart.

In the place where the tough shell had been.

-Thump thump

There was a throbbing heart.

Phwoosh!

Oh Eon-ju’s claws tore through it.

[You have hunted a Giant Crab (Lv. 35).]

[You have gained experience points.]

[931,732,266 won has been deposited into the Absolute Dweller’s wallet.]