Absolute Dweller-Chapter 173

A high-level, rapidly reproducing, and queen-centered monster species.

Aside from the Giant Wasp Colony, there had been two other candidates.

But now, with only one slot remaining for a Subjugation Contract, a decision had to be made.

And there was one main reason why I chose the Giant Wasps over the others.

‘With this, we might be able to secure mobility.’

The difference before and after taming Kellikans had been massive.

Thanks to their mobility, we had been able to claim nuclear power plants across the country and establish forward bases.

Without them, we wouldn't have been able to push into Seoul so soon.

However—

‘There’s a limit to how many Kellikans I can tame using Subjugation Contracts.’

Back when the number of retainers was still small, this hadn't been an issue.

But now, with 85 retainers, I couldn't provide Kellikans for everyone.

Even now, the teams assigned to Gyeonggi Province were forced to travel on foot.

‘If we can ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) use the wasps as mounts, not just the retainers but the entire hunting team could have mobility.’

I had experimented with providing motorcycles and bicycles, but nothing compared to flying.

‘For now...’

I turned to the now-docile Queen Wasp and gave a command.

[Do not attack humans.]

At that moment—

A huge wave of pheromones radiated from the Queen.

BZZZZZZZZZZ—

Immediately, the nearby wasps swarmed toward her like a storm cloud.

Even with Absolute Dweller’s Eye, I couldn't fully interpret the pheromonal signals, but it wasn’t hard to guess what was happening.

Just moments ago, these wasps had viciously attacked my retainers.

But now?

They had completely stopped.

‘Looks like my command has taken effect.’

So far, everything was going smoothly.

However, the change only applied to wasps that had been near the Queen.

The ones whose wings had been damaged during the battle?

They were still hostile, continuing to attack my retainers.

And even among those affected by the Queen’s pheromones, they still remained wary of my people.

[Yang Ha-young, could you attack one of the wasps nearby?]

Without hesitation, Yang Ha-young pulled a bone spear from her body and hurled it at a wasp.

THUNK!

The spear pierced through its body.

Immediately—

BZZZZZZZZZ!

The surrounding wasps turned aggressive, rushing toward her all at once.

‘So the Queen’s command isn’t absolute.’

The Queen herself wouldn’t attack humans, even if attacked.

That was the power of Subjugation Contract—my orders were absolute to the tamed creature.

For example, Kellikans couldn’t attack humans, even if they were being directly attacked.

But the wasps were different.

They wouldn’t initiate an attack on humans first, but if they were provoked, they would retaliate.

‘They’re essentially non-aggressive monsters now.’

A few moments later, the Queen released another burst of pheromones, calming the enraged wasps.

The ones that had been furiously charging at Yang Ha-young slowly began to settle down.

‘So this is how it works.’

I had expected this.

My hope had been that taming the Queen would allow full control over the entire colony.

But in reality?

Complex commands were difficult for them to process.

Without the Queen acting as a translator, communication was impossible.

And using the wasps as mounts was clearly impractical.

‘This won’t be as easy as I thought.’

If I individually used Subjugation Contracts on each wasp, I could probably achieve full control.

But that would be a waste of my contract slots.

‘For now, I’ll settle for just suppressing monster regeneration.’

The wasps, now unable to attack humans, would naturally turn their attention to other monsters.

Either way, I had achieved my goal.

I gave Team 5 a new command.

[Withdraw for now.]

The retainers immediately pulled back, marking the end of the situation.

[Well done. From now on, prioritize search-and-rescue operations and conduct a full patrol of Incheon.]

As Team 5 dispersed, I shifted my attention to another channel.

‘Things in Gangwon Province seem to be going well.’

Team 4 had been assigned to Gangwon Province, an area with low population density.

They were scattered, carrying out various missions.

Working with Yoo Han-gil at Hanul Nuclear Power Plant, they focused on finding survivors, delivering food and supplies, and—

[ You have hunted Stone Snake (Lv. 27). ]

[ You have gained experience points. ]

[ 133,247,466 won has been deposited into Household Absolute Dweller’s Wallet. ]

They were also eliminating monsters and analyzing regional monster levels.

‘Looks like the average monster level in the area is high 20s.’

I was gathering data on the monsters appearing in each assigned region when—

Team 1 finally reached Gwangju.

‘...What the hell?’

Looking down at Gwangju from above, something felt strange.

‘Why does it look... so untouched?’

No giant beasts roamed the streets.

Not even a single orc or goblin in sight.

Unlike Seoul, which had been completely devastated, most apartment complexes in Gwangju appeared perfectly intact.

And I wasn’t the only one who noticed this discrepancy.

Oh Eon-ju, the leader of Team 1, spoke.

“Jae-hyun-nim, what are your orders?”

[Let's do a full aerial sweep of Gwangju first.]

The team made several laps at an altitude of several hundred meters.

Nothing changed.

No monsters.

No people.

[Head toward Gwangju U-Square.]

The Gwangju Bus Terminal.

It had been marked as the most strategic location for establishing a forward base.

Since Oh Eon-ju’s territory range was about 5 km, this was the most efficient choice.

When they landed, the sight was—

Unsettling.

“This is... strange.”

Kim Da-jeong, a member of Team 1, nodded in agreement.

“All the windows are broken.”

Every piece of glass in the area had been smashed.

"Ugh, this is creepy."

“...Why, Sae-rom?”

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Park Sae-rom shuddered as she replied.

“It’s just... it feels like ghosts could pop out at any moment. Doesn’t this place give you the chills?”

“And you’re fine with this, Da-jeong unnie?”

“I’m fine. I’ve dealt with ghost-type monsters before.”

“Wait, real ghosts exist?!”

“Don’t worry. They can be easily purified with blessings.”

Hearing that, Park Sae-rom clung to Kim Da-jeong’s arm.

“Can I stay close to you then?”

“...Please maintain formation.”

“But I’m already at the very back! What if an actual ghost shows up? I have a bad feeling about this...”

Kim Da-jeong subtly pried her off before turning to the team.

“Stay alert. Something isn’t right about this place.”

"Everyone, gather over here. We don’t know when a monster might appear in this kind of environment."

As soon as Team 1 regrouped, Kim Da-jeong cast Magic Armor over all ten members.

At Level 50, the Magic Armor she conjured was powerful enough to withstand bullets and even most monster attacks without issue.

Then, noticing Park Sae-rom still trembling, she added—

"Don't worry too much, Sae-rom. This armor will protect you."

“R-Really?”

“Yes. It doesn’t just block physical attacks—it will also keep you safe even if a ghost tries to attack.”

“B-But still—”

Oh Eon-ju cut her off.

“We’re starting the search.”

She had intervened before Sae-rom’s fear could spread to the rest of the team.

Under Oh Eon-ju’s orders, all ten members maintained formation as they carefully entered the bus terminal.

However, after scanning the entire area, they found nothing.

‘There’s nothing here.’

To establish a forward base, they needed to hunt whatever boss-level monster occupied the area.

But with no sign of any monsters, it was impossible to turn Gwangju Bus Terminal into a base.

‘Not that we need to.’

Judging by the state of the city, it looked like there wasn’t a single human left in Gwangju.

If there were no survivors, there was no reason to establish a safe zone here.

The entire point of constructing domains was to provide safety for survivors.

‘...What the hell happened here?’

The eerily silent city sent chills down my spine.

And then, I suddenly realized something.

‘...Nine people.’

Park Sae-rom, who had been at the very rear, was gone.

‘Absolute Dweller’s Eye.’

I instantly used my vision ability to lock onto her location.

[ Target not found. ]

For the first time ever, an unfamiliar system log appeared.

‘...What the hell is going on?’

***

"Ah, shit!!"

Park Sae-rom was sprinting through the pitch-black terminal.

The teammates who had been right next to her moments ago had completely vanished.

And then—

—GRRRAAAHHH!!

“KYAAAAAH!!”

A massive set of fangs lunged at her from the darkness.

CRUNCH!

Luckily, Magic Armor blocked the attack.

“Tch!”

At that moment, a shadowy dagger materialized in her grip.

Then—

STAB!

She drove it straight into the creature’s throat.

Instantly, the dark beast swelled up—

And BOOM!

Exploded like a balloon.

THUD!

The force of the blast sent Sae-rom flying into a wall of darkness.

“Ugh...”

Even then, Magic Armor was still holding up.

Thanks to that, she wasn’t seriously injured.

“Damn it... She said I’d be fine with this, but—”

For some stupid reason, Park Sae-rom always had a bad feeling about things.

And unfortunately—

Those bad feelings were always right.

“Yeah, no. This is bullshit!”

Cursing under her breath, she slowly pushed herself up.

Everything around her was dark.

There was some light, but it came from shattered glass scattered across the floor—glowing faintly.

Beyond that, outside the terminal, a strong light was shining.

But then—

—Grrrrr.

Dark figures emerged.

They were wolves, but... their bodies were entirely made of shadows.

There were three of them.

They had surrounded her.

Park Sae-rom raised her shadow dagger, baring her teeth.

"Come at me, you mutts. I’ll pop all of you."

Provoked by her taunt, the three shadow wolves charged at her all at once.

—BARK!

—GRAAAH!

Instead of retreating, Sae-rom rushed forward to meet them.

Her dagger shot out, aiming precisely for their throats.

And the moment her blade made contact—

BOOM!

The first wolf exploded.

BOOM!

The second followed right after.

But just as she landed, twisting to stabilize herself—

SHHHHK—

She saw it.

Even though she had killed two of them, there were now five more.

And worse—

SHLK!

Two more had spawned behind her, surrounding her from all sides.

To make things even worse—

WOOOONG—

Magic Armor was fading.

The protective spell that had been keeping her alive was wearing off.

"...Yeah, I’m screwed."

Sensing her moment of hesitation, the seven shadow wolves charged at her simultaneously.

—BARK! BARK!

—GRRAAHH!!

"Ugh."

At least...

SHWOOO—

She was in the perfect environment for her ability.

With a flicker of shadows, Park Sae-rom vanished—reappearing near the exit.

"See you later, you mangy mutts!"

The moment she threw herself into the brilliant light outside—

"...Oh, fuck."

Her face twisted in confusion.

Because—

"What the hell is this place?"

It was supposed to be broad daylight.

But the sky was pitch-black.

The only sources of light came from buildings and shattered glass, emitting an eerie glow.

It was as if thousands of artificial lights had been embedded throughout the city.

Park Sae-rom let out a short, blunt statement.

“...Yeah, I’m so fucked.”