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Chapter 27: Seomyeon Station (1)
[Episode 07] Seomyeon Station (1)
ăOutpostă
A safety zone installed outside the homebound area.
When {activated}, it temporarily exerts the same influence as the homebound area.
However, it can only be activated when a citizen with a title of [Knight] or higher is present, and if an unauthorized entity invades and occupies the outpost for more than a day, it will be destroyed.
The performance was tremendous.
However, the price was as immense as its performance.
-Outpost (1,300,000,000 won)
1.3 billion won.
âWorth the investment.â
With my balance comfortably padded by the orc horde at Jeonpo Station, 1.3 billion wasnât a burdensome amount.
âI still have 350 million left in support funds.â
I immediately attempted construction.
But when trying to build the Outpost, a phenomenon different from the usual construction mode occurred.
Unlike the sensation of overlooking the entire apartment area, the sight was focused on the members of the Ha Dong-geon party gathered at Jeonpo Station.
However, the system notification that popped up soon after turned anticipation into disappointment.
[This facility requires three citizens with the title of âKnightâ or higher to reside during the construction period (7 days).]
[Do you want to proceed with the installation?]
[Yes / No]
ââŚâ
So, to build the Outpost, it meant I needed all threeâOh Eon-ju, Kim Da-jeong, and Ha Dong-geonâto stay for a week.
âThe loss is too great.â
The cost of 1.3 billion for construction wasnât the issue here.
It could generate expected profits in the billions within a week.
âThe biggest loss is time.â
A week.
I had just completed the party formation and was planning to dispatch Ha Dong-geonâs party to my parentsâ home.
I couldnât afford to waste a week at this point.
âBesides, if itâs Jeonpo Station, thereâs no real need for an Outpost.â
Most of the monsters in this area had already been cleared by the Ha Dong-geon party and the citizens.
Building an outpost wasnât really necessary.
âI wonât install it.â
As construction mode ended, my senses returned to normal.
âNevertheless, itâs not a bad harvest.â
I really liked the performance of the newly added Outpost.
âIf only I could build this at my parentâs placeâŚâ
If that were the case, I could feel relieved.
It would protect my family safely within my territory.
âIn reality, bringing my family here wonât be easy.â
It was already a challenge for Ha Dong-geonâs party to break through the field of monsters and reach my parentâs house. However, returning with my family posed an even bigger problem.
However, building an Outpost at my parentâs place seemed like something worth trying.
ââŚPlease, just stay alive.â
At this point, everything was in place.
âTomorrow, Iâll send Ha Dong-geonâs party to my parentâs house.â
***
âWow.â
Kim Geon just stared blankly, watching Oh Eon-juâs hunting.
âCrazy, crazy.â
He had felt it when they went to rescue Moon Byeong-hoâs grandmother, but Oh Eon-juâs fighting style was truly beastly.
âHow can a person tear an orc apart with bare hands? No, is she even human?â
Although the target changed from goblins to orcs, the scene unfolding before him was the same.
No, it was much more overwhelming than before.
ââŚWell, thatâs obvious. She was strong even before receiving Mr. Jae-hyunâs blessing.â
Moreover, like Ha Dong-geon, she was a person who awakened superhuman abilities.
After Ha Dong-geon was chosen, he showed a rapid increase in combat power. It could be inferred that she also went through a similar process.
âBut how did Lord Jae-hyun convince her?â
Oh Eon-juâs obsession with goblins was obvious to anyone who saw it.
Although they didnât know why exactly, her resentment towards goblins was unmistakably palpable.
âShe was definitely obsessed with goblins.â
Even when they traveled together, she often acted alone, blinded by the desire to kill goblins.
Due to such incidents, after a few days, they ended up moving separately. However, even when encountering goblin groups now, there was no sudden surge in her actions.
While she still had a tendency to act independently, she clearly followed instructions.
âCould it beâŚâ
Rationally thinking, there was only one plausible assumption.
ââŚMaybe she gained some new ability too?â
Seeing each member of his party, starting from Moon Byeong-ho and Kang Deok-su, awakening special abilities one by one, Kim Geon developed a desire.
A desire to awaken superpowers himself.
And to achieve that, he consciously tried to idolize Kim Jae-hyun even more.
Because he believed that was the key to awakening.
âAnd it worked.â
Although he was the last one in the party to awaken, he awakened a special ability anyways.
âIf someone receives such abilities, they canât help but become submissive.â
Now, he was eagerly dedicating himself, wondering if Kim Jae-hyun would notice his talents.
It seemed like Oh Eon-ju was in a similar situation.
Then it happened.
Ding!
ăParty Questă
Quest Content: Return.
Time Limit: 1 hour 00 minutes 00 seconds
Reward: Small amount of experience points.
Failure Penalty: None.
The order to return has been given.
âTime to go back.â
As Ha Dong-geonâs command was issued, Kim Geon blew a whistle.
Shiiingâ?
Upon his whistle, a crow in the corner of the subway station flew over and perched on his arm.
Kahâ
Kim Geon smiled as he petted the crow named Kaman.
ââŚGood boy, Kaman.â
Communicating with Kaman turned out to be more enjoyable than expected.
Above all, having a presence that could be trusted 100% provided an indescribable sense of stability.
ââŚItâs difficult to resist gaining such power.â
At first, he had suspicions about brainwashing, but it wasnât. After awakening his abilities through Kim Jae-hyunâs blessing, he could still question him if necessary.
If it were brainwashing, his mental state wouldnât be as stable as it was now.
Furthermore, Kim Jae-hyun was a person who would provide corresponding rewards for achievements.
ââŚSo, I could trust him even more.â
Perhaps it was due to his mood, but every time his trust in Kim Jae-hyun strengthened, he felt his body becoming lighter and his mind clearer.
In the midst of his wandering thoughts, Ha Dong-geon placed his hand on Kim Geonâs shoulder and spoke.
âGeon-ah, Iâll need you to do some reconnaissance.â
ââŚYes, sir.â
[Footnote: Kim Geon calls Ha Dong-geon âsunbae-nimâ here. -nim is a respectful suffix like -san in Japanese, and sunbae is how you call someone older/more senior than you.]
While petting Kaman, Kim Geon conveyed his thoughts.
âPlease take care of the reconnaissance.â
Even without speaking, Kim Geon could convey his will to Kaman.
At the same time, Kamanâs will was also transmitted to him.
Although they couldnât share senses, they could roughly grasp whether the outside was dangerous or not.
After Kaman flew out of the subway station first, he relayed the situation.
ââŚNo problem. We can go out right away.â
âThanks.â
As they were about to exit the subway station, he noticed something.
âHuh?â
In a corner of the subway station, where the darkness was thick.
He felt an unknown gaze from that place.
ââŚWhat is it?â
It wasnât some kind of illusion.
Thanks to the heightened senses from communicating with Kaman, he noticed it.
In that corner, an unknown gaze was felt.
At that moment.
Squeak-
A mouse suddenly popped out of the darkness and disappeared.
ââŚWhat? A mouse?â
Confirming that it was nothing important, Kim Geon followed the group and exited the subway station.
Squeak-
The mouse that had seemingly disappeared was carefully watching their backs.
***
âI hope you can help me.â
When I mentioned I wanted them to go to Nambumin-dong to rescue my family.
[Citizen Oh Eon-juâs trust has increased.] đ§đłđŽđŽđđŚđŤđˇđ°đˇâŻđ.đŹâ´đŽ
[Citizen Oh Eon-juâs loyalty has increased.]
[Citizen Moon Byeong-hoâs trust has increased.]
[Citizen Kim Ga-youngâs trust has increased.]
¡¡¡¡¡¡
¡¡¡¡¡¡
For some reason, their trust and loyalty were starting to rise one after another.
When I looked up, there were eyes looking at me sympathetically.
Among them, Moon Byeong-hoâs eyes were opened particularly wide.
âWe will help! No, please let us help!â
Seeing their compassionate expressions, I could understand what they were thinking.
âI understand too. That the chances are low.â
It was not hard to guess.
The things that the Ha Dong-geon party showed while scouting around the apartment complex had left an impression.
Shockingly, we were really lucky.
The most common monster we encountered was the goblin.
No matter how many we killed, they kept appearing endlessly, like cockroaches.
Thatâs why we were lucky. People hiding in the apartment complex had an advantage for survival.
Because it was an apartment, the higher you went, the less influence goblins had, so people could survive.
Conversely, the situation in residential areas was dire.
The residential areas swept by goblin hordes was such a gruesome sight, and practically every first and second floor of houses were the same way.
Corpses, corpses, and more corpses.
Every abandoned house had a hellish scene painted by the goblins.
Yoo Hye-rin said, âIf your family is in an apartment complex, they should be okay! We alsoâŚâ
âBut my family lives in a residential area.â
ââŚâ
âStill, the fence is quite high, and the structure is difficult to invade from the outside, so there is hope.â
âYes, thatâs right! Haha!â
Despite her efforts to respond brightly, Yoo Hye-rinâs face was quite dark.
I turned a blind eye and continued.
âWe also took care of the orcs that were occupying Jeonpo Station, so please follow the subway tracks to Seomyeon Station.â
Ha Dong-geon nodded in agreement with my words.
âWe can transfer to Line 1 at Seomyeon Station and go to Jagalchi Station.â
âYes.â
Jagalchi Station was the closest subway station to my familyâs home.
âYou can go out from Exit 2. I will provide you with specific directions after you leave the station.â
At that moment, Kang Deok-su raised his hand and asked.
âWhy the subway station? Wouldnât it be faster to go above ground?â
Instead of answering, I got up and headed for the living room window.
Unit 2901, here, it was structured so that you could clearly see the situation in Seomyeon from the rooftop.
Clack.
I pulled aside the blackout curtains and said.
âLook over there.â
The city, which had turned into a mess, came into view at a glance.
Collapsed buildings, shattered glass windows, and monsters wandering around as if they were the original owners of the place.
âIf you go above ground, you will face an endless horde of monsters and likely die while dealing with them. On the other hand, even if there are monsters along the subway tracks, their numbers would be limited. You can also escape in the middle.â
Kang Deok-su, who saw the disastrous cityscape, nodded in agreement.
âI see.â
âIâm not asking you to go straight to Jagalchi Station. Itâs just a suggestion.â
I turned around, making eye contact with everyone slowly.
âRight now, please aim to occupy Seomyeon Station as your goal.â
âUnderstood.â
Fortunately, everyone accepted my request.
There seemed to be a mixture of pity and sympathy, but that didnât matter.
If I could save my family, I could do anything.
âThank you. Get a good rest today, and the mission starts tomorrow morning.â
With that, I concluded the strategy meeting and went back to my home.
Thatâs when it happened.
????~
The doorbell rang, and when I checked, Oh Eon-ju was waiting in front of the door.
Click.
âWhatâs wrong?â
âThereâs something I want to ask.â
âGo ahead.â
Oh Eon-ju cautiously spoke.
âWouldnât it be possible to bring your family using Mr. Jaehyunâs abilities?â
ââŚâ
Itâs not that I didnât try.
Using the quest reward to teleport the target.
In fact, it was because of this I was so excited to see Moon Byeong-hoâs awakening ability.
I thought, if done well, we could maximize that ability and instantly bring over our families.
[Quest reward is impossible.]
The result was a complete failure.
It was just a guess, but maybe Moon Byeong-hoâs grandmother was in a place beyond my influence.
âJust like a goblin that clearly should have died wasnât settled.â
Moreover, this hypothesis could explain why Oh Eon-juâs son was able to resurrect.
âBecause the place where her child died was within my homebound area?â
If that was really the reason, then even if my parents had died, I wouldnât be able to do anything.
âBecause they would be considered dead outside my sphere of influence. Damn it.â
Anyway, for this reason, Ha Dong-geonâs party had to go rescue Moon Byeong-hoâs grandmother directly.
âIâm not all-powerful either, unfortunately.â
If I were omnipotent, I would have been able to leave this damn homebound area.
I would have given myself the ability to teleport and immediately gone to meet my family.
My abilities had various limitations, and I was not free from them.
However, I will struggle as much as possible.
By any means I had.
âThere are things I can do with my abilities and things I canât.â
I spoke towards the uneasy Oh Eon-ju.
âYou donât need to worry too much. The promise with Ms. Oh Eon-ju is a promise I can keep, as I demonstrated before.â
Oh Eon-ju was someone trustworthy.
Just by the fact she came to ask separately in case the others in the group grew doubts about my abilities.
She was considerate.
Moreover, she was a person with deep thoughts and a tight-lipped mouth, as she never mentioned the story of her deceased son or the promised resurrection in front of others.
That was why.
What I honestly told Oh Eon-ju was rewarded.
[Citizen Oh Eon-juâs trust has increased.]
âThank you for being honest. Have a good night.â
âYou too, Ms. Oh Eon-ju.â
Right after I saw her off.
[Unauthorized entity attempting entry.]
A familiar notification appeared.
Since citizens were constantly joining, it was not unusual.
[An entity that satisfies the conditions to be considered a citizen has approached the area.]
[Would you like to offer citizenship?]
She was a woman that gave a sharp impression with long hair and a beanie.
âOffer it.â
[Offering citizenship to Seo Ye-jin.]
[Seo Ye-jin accepts the offer.]
The process of offering citizenship and the recipient accepting it was smooth.
However.
ăName: Seo Ye-jin (Lv. 31)
Trust: 7
Awakening Ability: Queen of Mice
Experience Distribution Rate: 0%
Settlement Fund Distribution Rate: 0%
â Quest Assignment ??Expulsionă
âAbility user?â
I immediately directed the Absolute Dwellerâs Eyes to the place the notification had come from.
However.
Squeakâ?
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