Absolute Dweller

Chapter 92

Survivors in Ulsan often lived together in communal spaces rather than enjoying private accommodations like apartments. It was a setup that resembled military-style group living.

In the indoor gymnasium of Ulsan Sports Complex, hundreds of people lay sprawled across the floor, using whatever they could find—sleeping bags, blankets, or mats—to sleep.

It was a grim scene, reminiscent of something from a disaster movie, but there was no other choice. The collapse of water, electricity, and gas systems had rendered the concept of "home" largely meaningless.

"Ho-beom, Ho-beom, wake up."

Lee Ho-beom, who had been dozing under a blanket he’d luckily managed to scrounge up, frowned as he heard the familiar voice calling him.

"Ugh, what now?"

The person waking him was Choi Do-yeon, his childhood friend and peer.

Despite the communal living arrangement, men and women were freely mixed. There simply weren’t enough resources or energy to enforce separation.

Survival issues took precedence over petty concerns about gender segregation.

Do-yeon spoke with a serious expression. "Come with me to the bathroom."

"Seriously, Do-yeon? Can’t you just go by yourself?"

"Come on, don’t be like that. It’s scary out there."

"Sigh."

Ho-beom sighed but got up anyway.

'There are those creepy rumors about perverts, and I need to go too, so whatever.'

Do-yeon smiled and teased, "Thanks, Ho-beom. You’re the best."

"Let’s just go."

The two left the gymnasium.

Though there were communal bathroom facilities in the indoor gymnasium, they were no longer usable due to the lack of running water.

Instead, the flowerbeds outside, overgrown with grass and weeds, had become makeshift toilets.

As they approached, a foul stench of urine and feces greeted them. Despite the rule to use the flowerbeds, excrement was scattered across the asphalt and nearby streets.

"Let’s finish up quickly and go back."

"...Ho-beom."

"What?"

"I need to do... uh, number two."

"Oh, come on."

"Keep watch for me, okay?"

Do-yeon disappeared behind some trees, and Ho-beom sighed again as he looked for a relatively clean spot in the flowerbed to take care of his own business.

"Hey! Are you done yet?"

"Almost!"

When Do-yeon returned, she looked relieved.

"Ah, it feels so good. It’s been days since I’ve had a proper bowel movement."

"Gross. Did you clean up properly?"

"Of course! I saved wet wipes just for this moment."

Her cheerful tone quickly turned somber.

"How long are we going to live like this?"

"..."

Ho-beom knew the answer.

'Probably forever.'

The comfortable life of the past was gone for good. Things would only get worse, not better.

Though he said nothing, Do-yeon seemed to read the meaning in his eyes and lowered her head.

"This is so depressing."

"Anyway, we’re all supposed to go fetch water tomorrow. The higher-ups said we’re running low."

Ho-beom tried to change the subject, but even that was hardly uplifting.

"Another tough day, huh?"

"Yeah."

The survivors in Ulsan could be considered lucky. They had the Taehwa River nearby, a large and accessible water source.

A purification system using charcoal and sand had been set up in the gymnasium. While far from perfect, it made the river water drinkable.

The purified water was bottled and distributed to survivors in the Sports Complex Group. Those staying in the gymnasium bore the responsibility of managing the water supply for everyone else.

"Hey, Ho-beom."

"Yeah?"

"Don’t you ever want to just end it?"

Ho-beom looked at her with a bitter expression.

Do-yeon continued in a bright tone that contrasted her words.

"I mean, what’s the point of struggling to survive like this? Let’s just die together."

Everyone here, including Do-yeon, was battling their own form of mental illness.

Ho-beom and Do-yeon had already seen several suicides, including that of Do-yeon’s mother.

"Do-yeon..."

Ho-beom couldn’t find the words. Do-yeon had leaned into him, pressing herself against his chest.

From his embrace, she whispered, "If not, could you just kill me instead?"

"..."

"Gah!"

Ho-beom fell backward, landing hard on the ground.

Do-yeon, still on his back, tumbled off and shivered in terror beside him.

Ho-beom wiped the remains of the vampire’s flesh off his face and looked ahead.

Where the monstrous vampire had stood moments before, a headless corpse now lay crumpled on the ground.

A spear, wreathed in black flames, was embedded in the asphalt.

A spear...?

While he stared in a daze, a man appeared and pulled the weapon free.

...Who is that?

The man exuded an aura of mystery.

It wasn’t just the fact that he had defeated the monster with a single blow.

Even without witnessing his power, anyone would have immediately realized he wasn’t an ordinary person.

Ah!

Ho-beom, who had a sharp eye for details, quickly noticed the reason.

He’s too clean.

His hair wasn’t disheveled, and his clothes were spotless.

He looked like someone from before the vampires had appeared, like someone who took warm showers every day.

The man scanned the surrounding survivors and spoke in an unusual tone.

"Follow the mice when you see them."

With that, he turned and left, moving at a speed that seemed inhuman.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

The bizarre statement left Ho-beom speechless.

But then—

"Look, a mouse!"

Sure enough, a small mouse appeared.

Squeak!

It ran along the path before stopping and looking back, as if beckoning them to follow.

While the others stood frozen, Ho-beom, carrying Do-yeon, took the first step after it.

Squeak!

Seeing him follow, the mouse started running again.

Ho-beom chased after it, and soon, the rest of the survivors began trailing behind him.

A system message appeared:

[An individual meeting the conditions for citizenship is approaching your territory. Would you like to offer citizenship?]

There were no vampires among the new arrivals.

That was to be expected.

Every vampire had transformed into a monster and was now rampaging.

The chaos had started in the southern Taehwa River area, where vampires resided, and had spread to those hidden among the survivors on the other side of the bridge.

By now, all vampires throughout Ulsan were in a state of uncontrollable frenzy.

Grant citizenship.

As the vampires began rampaging, I had to act immediately.

First, I eliminated the vampires hidden among the survivor groups. Then, amidst the confusion, I directed the remaining survivors to the Homeplus shelter.

As a result, thousands of new survivors had already joined us.

We’re running out of space.

There was no way the small Homeplus shelter could accommodate all the survivors in Ulsan.

I’ll have to send some to Seomyeon.

There was only one way to do it.

I had to use the Absolute Dweller’s Door skill.

However, the skill wasn’t omnipotent.

Keeping the door open drained mental energy significantly, and the number of survivors I could send to Seomyeon in a limited time was restricted.

To make matters worse, the vampires’ leader could appear at any moment.

Monitoring the retainers’ real-time situations across the area was already a full-time job.

I have no choice.

I needed to lighten the load.

Time to use skill points.

I had two options:

Absolute Dweller’s EyeAbsolute Dweller’s Door

I had to choose one to level up.

I’ll...

[Are you sure you want to upgrade the Absolute Dweller’s Door skill?]

"...Yes."

Woong!

[Absolute Dweller’s Door skill has been upgraded to Level 2.]