Absolute Dweller-Chapter 192

[You have hunted a Corrupted Corpse (Lv. 13).]

[You have hunted a Corrupted Corpse (Lv. 27).]

[You have hunted a Corrupted Corpse (Lv. 23).]

......

......

The basic strategy of using Seodaemun and gravity-based meteor attacks wasn’t the most efficient.

It wasn’t about the attack power.

Since the kills were judged as my own, there was no additional experience gained.

To put it simply, compared to when my retainers hunted, the experience points and settlement funds differed by ninefold.

Even so, the sheer amount of experience points and money pouring in with just one meteor strike was astronomical.

Which is why it felt like such a waste.

If I could somehow change the system’s judgment criteria, I could gain nine times the experience and funds here.

‘Unfortunate, but there’s no way around it.’

There was no other method to handle these numbers.

Besides—

‘Their numbers are still insane.’

Even after all those explosions, they were still standing.

I wasn’t afraid of their overwhelming army.

Even if the efficiency wasn’t great, the profit compared to the cost was still ridiculously high.

After all, the only expense was a 10-ton iron sphere purchased from the shop.

Whether it was due to my Warehouse Skill leveling up and increasing the maximum storage weight to 30 tons, or my mental strength growing, using Meteor no longer placed a heavy burden on me.

‘I’ve... grown.’

Comparing myself to the past, I could feel how much stronger I had become with every level-up.

In fact—

[Kim Geon, brace yourself for another round.]

Unlike before, where just one shot would push me to my limits, I could now continue without issue.

‘Purchase iron sphere.’

I bought another 10-ton iron sphere, placed it at Seodaemun, and waited until gravity accelerated it sufficiently.

Once the sphere reached an undeniably threatening speed—

‘Store in Warehouse.’

Ziiiiiiing—

I transferred it to my Warehouse, preserving its momentum, then aimed precisely at the densely packed Corrupted Corpse army.

‘Summon.’

I retrieved the iron sphere from storage.

Then—

KWAANG!

A thunderous explosion erupted as the iron mass, still traveling at absurd speeds, struck the heart of the enemy ranks.

KWA-AAAAAANG!

The raw physical force of the impact instantly vaporized everything within a few kilometers, while the superheated air turned into a shockwave, consuming the surrounding area in flames.

[You have hunted a Corrupted Corpse (Lv. 33).]

[You have hunted a Corrupted Corpse (Lv. 41).]

[You have hunted a Corrupted Corpse (Lv. 35).]

......

......

Even after using multiple shots, there was zero strain on my body.

Not only that—

I still had plenty of energy left.

‘Five shots... no, I can probably do seven.’

With this, I was certain.

‘I don’t have to be afraid anymore.’

After all, these things were nothing more than walking experience points and piles of cash rolling straight toward me.

And as a bonus—

[Citizen Kim Geon’s Trust has increased.]

[Citizen Kim Geon’s Trust has reached 100.]

[You have obtained ‘Crow Communion.’]

Kim Geon, who had been watching everything unfold, stared blankly at the burning battlefield.

The once jagged mountain range had turned into molten red terrain, a hellish landscape filled with lava and burning trees instead of writhing corpses.

The sheer devastation left behind was overwhelming.

‘That’s enough power testing.’

There was no need to waste effort thinning their numbers any further.

If they ever got too overwhelming, I could just drop a few meteors and be done with it.

That meant—

‘I can take my time.’

I now had more options at my disposal.

[Kim Geon, you can return now.]

At this moment, one thought came to mind.

I needed to fully exploit these self-delivering experience points.

[Da-bin, what’s the current status of the artillery squads?]

I called Kim Da-bin, checking on the project I had started not long ago.

She responded immediately with a prepared answer.

[The candidate sites have been finalized. The three outposts we used in Gangwon Province will serve as our locations.]

I activated Absolute Eye to verify them, and sure enough, they were positioned at the frontline, closest to enemy territory.

They had no way of knowing about the Corrupted Corpse army, yet they still managed to choose such optimal locations.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

[We chose the closest sites in case we need to transport equipment from the frontlines quickly.]

Kim Da-bin understood that equipment over 30 tons couldn’t be transported via the Warehouse Skill.

That meant these sites were picked to minimize transport distance for crucial weapons and supplies.

A very appropriate decision.

[What about the artillery battalion?]

[We’ve mixed active-duty and reserve soldiers from the volunteers to form a unit. They’re already training with live ammunition and have reached operational readiness.]

As expected of Kim Da-bin—her preparations were airtight.

The artillery team was fully assembled, and they were already conducting live drills at the designated bases.

I turned Absolute Eye to check, and sure enough, they could be deployed immediately without issue.

Even better—

I had already sent my retainers ahead to activate the outposts.

[Good. Let’s begin live fire drills.]

[Shall I summon them now?]

[Yes, gather them by battalion.]

Before deploying them fully, there was one last thing I needed to do.

With my current Warehouse Skill level, I couldn’t transport anything over 30 tons.

So from the start, this project was designed with purchasing heavy artillery directly from the shop in mind.

And since I was already using the shop, there was no reason not to take advantage of it.

‘Open Dongdaemun.’

I immediately teleported to one of the selected outposts.

Then—

‘Purchase K-9 self-propelled howitzer.’

I bought a 4-billion-won artillery piece.

And—

‘Enhance.’

I registered the self-propelled howitzer in the Enhancement Slot and continued enhancing it.

[Enhancement successful.]

[Enhancement successful.]

[Enhancement failed.]

......

......

Billions vanished in an instant, but the results were more than satisfactory.

The most difficult upgrade, +10, succeeded on the first try, saving me far more money than expected.

[K-9 Self-Propelled Howitzer] +10

▶ Max range increased by 30 km

▶ Durability +1

▶ Skill [Barrage] acquired

▶ Destruction power +40%

▶ Skill [Multiplying Shells] acquired

The enhancements focused entirely on range and firepower, which was already great, but the real game-changers were the [Barrage] and [Multiplying Shells] skills obtained at +5 and +10.

First, [Barrage] was an incredibly cost-effective skill.

If multiple identical weapons were deployed together, up to 10 units, they would all share the highest enhancement level among them.

That meant I only needed to deploy nine unenhanced K-9 howitzers, and all of them would automatically receive the effects of the +10 upgrade for free.

An instant range and firepower boost at zero cost.

That alone was already ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ broken.

But the real monster was [Multiplying Shells], which all 10 linked howitzers would also inherit.

This insane ability increased the number of fired shells up to 20 times, depending on the distance traveled.

With all 10 howitzers linked and firing together, it would be like launching 200 shells simultaneously in a single barrage.

‘This is beyond busted.’

Realistically, deploying just nine additional howitzers alongside this one would be enough to annihilate anything.

‘Alright, next location.’

I then proceeded to deploy the fully upgraded K-9s across the three designated outposts.

‘...That was close.’

The insane amount of money I had was nearly gone.

Aside from leveling up my retainers, this was the first time I had spent such an absurd amount of money in one go.

‘How much did I just burn through?’

I had trillions in my account.

Not just a few trillion, but over 10 trillion won.

Yet now, my balance had dropped below the trillion mark.

In other words, I had poured my entire fortune into forming this artillery battalion.

And yet—

I didn’t regret it one bit.

Because—

‘How long until I recoup my investment?’

From the north, a massive horde of walking cash and experience points was marching straight toward us.

At that moment—

[Jaehyun-nim, the preparations are complete.]

[Alright, I’ll be there soon.]

With the artillery units fully established, I moved to the site Kim Da-bin had prepared.

‘Open Dongdaemun.’

The location was a former armored brigade base, once belonging to the Capital Defense Command.

It was a military training ground where I had obtained self-propelled artillery, tanks, and other equipment.

The moment I appeared on the platform—

“Unit— Attention!”

The battery commanders immediately gave the order.

A moment later, a resounding chorus rang through the air.

“LOY—AL—TY!”

“......”

I turned my gaze toward Kim Da-bin, who stood beside me, silently scolding her with my eyes.

She only grinned and shrugged in response.

Even as that exchange happened, the soldiers remained rigidly saluting, maintaining their stance with their rifles raised.

I quickly acknowledged their salute.

“Loyalty.”

The moment I lowered my hand, the commanders snapped the troops into formation, and a unified stomp echoed across the field.

Listening to that orderly sound, a thought crossed my mind.

‘So this is what they call a generational shift.’

It hadn’t even been that long ago.

Just a few years back, I was one of those soldiers standing on the training ground—

Yet now, I was the one receiving their salute.

‘This is... overwhelming.’

At first, that was all I thought.

But then—

‘.......’

As I stood on the platform and faced them head-on, those thoughts vanished.

‘...I see.’

Too much had changed since then.

Even though the training ground had been refurbished, the scars of battle remained.

Bloodstains left by monsters.

The remnants of past conflicts embedded in the earth.

And standing on that very ground were over 500 hardened warriors—a sight more reminiscent of veteran war heroes than regular soldiers.

Their eyes, beneath their military uniforms, burned with fierce determination.

The sheer hatred for monsters radiated from them.

I didn’t need to ask.

Almost everyone here must have been carrying deep personal scars.

The eyes of these soldiers were filled with pure, raw resolve.

These were people ready to lay down their lives.

Even during wartime, South Korea had experienced over 50 years of peace.

No matter how disciplined the military was, no unit would ever feel like this.

Only those who had survived real combat—those who had already made peace with death—could carry an aura like this.

Suddenly, I felt the weight of what I was carrying pressing down on my shoulders.

Slowly, I stepped forward.

I passed by the microphone on the podium, descending the stairs at a deliberate pace.

With every step, the coarse gravel crunched beneath my boots.

I lowered myself to their eye level, then spoke—not with my voice, but through telepathy.

I didn’t need flowery words or greetings.

[Right now, from the north, a massive horde of Corrupted Corpses is marching toward us.]

I didn’t need to boost their morale or rally their spirits.

Every single person here had already resolved themselves.

I skipped all the unnecessary formalities and got straight to the point.

[Today, all of you will enter live combat.]

Not a single person flinched.

It wasn’t because their job was just to fire from a safe distance.

It was because they were truly ready for anything.

I didn’t know what had forged such unyielding resolve in them.

Maybe it was their hatred of monsters.

Maybe it was their duty to protect the ones they loved.

Maybe it was grief for fallen comrades.

Maybe it was their desperate longing for normalcy.

Or maybe, it was just pure, unrelenting vengeance.

Each person here had their own reason.

But in the end, the reason didn’t matter.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

‘They are going to become even stronger.’

Not just because of the experience they’d gain from our enhanced artillery.

That was part of it, sure—

But true strength came from within them.

‘With people like this... maybe even that monstrous bastard can be defeated someday.’

If I had to nurture warriors, then these were the ones worth investing in.

Just standing before them filled me with confidence.

More than the money and experience points rolling in from the north,

I had found something far more valuable.

[I'm counting on all of you.]