Encounter (7)
The next morning, I delivered the news about my parents to my grandfather first.
The method was simple.
All I had to do was pass the smartphone with the recorded video to him.
"Who would've thought I'd use a smartphone like this?"
I had always considered it an overpriced watch, but now it had become a million-won digital camera.
Upon confirming my parents' survival, my grandfather was overjoyed. He played our video multiple times beside my grandmother.
"Jaehyun, is there a way for us to see a video of Grandpa and Grandma too?"
"I'll ask them to record one."
After watching the video that Hadonggeon recorded of my grandparents, my mother shed tears.
"You'll be able to see them soon."
Once the annex was completed, I would be able to use the Absolute Gate skill to travel to my grandfather's main house.
I asked Hadonggeon's party to use the main house as a base for monster hunting until construction was complete.
The reason was simple—time.
"I didn't expect that effect!"
[Three retainers with the title [Knight] are assisting in the construction of the annex. Construction efficiency increases by 50%.]
Just by having Hadonggeon, Owenju, and Kim Dajeong present, the construction efficiency improved.
What would have taken a week to complete would now be finished in just five days.
Moreover, due to yesterday's monster wave, the number of monsters near the main house had increased dramatically.
Considering the monster levels and efficiency, it was much better to hunt there than to return here.
"Now, if we want to hunt here, we have to walk at least a kilometer."
Since the Home Territory radius expanded to one kilometer, the frequency of hunts by citizens had sharply decreased.
Many citizens, unaware of the expansion, wandered around their usual hunting grounds, only to find themselves lost.
That area had already been incorporated into the Home Territory, and the remaining goblins had all died yesterday due to the level-up event.
[Dabin.]
[Yes, Jaehyun?]
[There's something I'd like you to announce to the people.]
[Go ahead.]
[First, please explain to everyone that the territory has expanded. From now on, they'll need to go beyond Seomyeon Station to hunt.]
But that wasn't the only important matter.
[Also, please establish a relief team.]
[A relief team?]
[Yes. We need people to rescue survivors within the expanded territory.]
Thousands of survivors existed within the newly extended territory.
Most of them were in dire situations.
[Citizen Kang Jungho has passed away.]
"Another one…"
More than ten people had already died since yesterday.
And all of them within the supposedly safe Home Territory.
The biggest reason was the lack of drinking water.
Trapped inside their homes due to monsters, many people were dying from dehydration.
Even though I was using Absolute Vision to locate people in desperate situations and distribute relief supplies, I couldn't do it all alone.
If someone was still conscious, providing relief supplies was enough. But too many had already lost consciousness, inching closer to death.
[Also, add the people who visited yesterday requesting the formation of a medical team to the relief team. They'll surely be of help.]
[Understood.]
I wanted to save as many lives as possible.
I planned to use Absolute Vision to locate survivors, deploy resources, and, if necessary, use Absolute Gate to visit them personally or issue quests to ensure they received treatment.
"Jaehyun, why do you look so serious?"
"Well…"
I briefly explained the current situation to my mother.
After hearing everything, my mother said,
"If that's the case, I think I can help."
"Really?"
"Of course."
Some of the people my mother brought had abilities similar to Kim Dajeong's.
Their abilities were categorized as 'Heal' or 'Care.' The 'Care' ability, in particular, was highly effective in treating status ailments like dehydration, fainting, and poisoning.
"And I'd like you to meet those doctors. If they form a subjugation contract, they will likely awaken similar abilities."
Just as my mother predicted, nearly 80% of them awakened healing-related abilities.
However, the ranks of these awakened abilities varied greatly. Most were at D or C rank, meaning the overall skill level was relatively low.
'Still, even this is a huge help.'
As soon as the relief team started moving, the situation began to stabilize rapidly.
Seo Yejin scouted for survivors, prioritizing those in the most critical condition, while I used the Absolute Eye to direct resources to those in need.
We were unbelievably busy, barely having a moment to breathe.
After three grueling days and nights, we had managed to check every house within the territory.
During that time, over a hundred people died—but we saved far more than that.
'…It's finally over!'
After confirming the last house, I collapsed onto my bed and instantly fell into a deep sleep.
About an hour later, I was woken up by a system notification.
[A subject who meets the conditions for citizenship has approached the outskirts of your territory.]
[Would you like to offer citizenship?]
Ever since the territory expanded, new citizens had been continuously joining.
Thanks to that, the number of citizens was already approaching ten thousand.
'Approve.'
Shhhhhh—
Outside, rain was pouring down.
'Even though I didn't sleep for long, I feel refreshed!'
The daily quest rewards had significantly increased my stamina.
My improved mental strength also seemed to play a big role.
Just then, I received a telepathic message from Kim Dabin.
[Jaehyun-nim.]
I immediately responded using the Ring of Instant Communication.
[What is it?]
[The relief team has suggested rescuing people outside the territory.]
[Outside the territory? That's dangerous.]
[I mentioned that as well, but they insist this is the golden time—they have to go out now.]
I understood what they meant.
Back when we were expanding the apartment complex's territory, the survivors' conditions weren't as dire as they are now.
Most were hungry and thirsty, but few were on the brink of death from severe dehydration.
Now, most people had reached their limit.
The golden time.
It was literally the last golden opportunity.
If we let this moment pass, countless lives would be lost.
Even if we expanded the territory in the future, we would end up taking in more corpses than survivors.
'They want to save even one more person.'
But the world outside the territory was no longer the same as when goblin hordes were our only concern.
'The sea monsters have pushed inland.'
There weren't many yet.
However, flying swordfish roamed the skies, and land sharks prowled the streets.
Occasionally, the appearance of giant crustaceans could also be spotted.
It was an environment where ordinary people found it difficult to even think about going outside.
With those creatures roaming around and casualties occurring within the hunting teams, most teams had been ordered to stop hunting—except for a few.
Despite the extreme danger, some were still willing to risk their lives to rescue people.
They were truly remarkable individuals.
'Is it because many of them are former firefighters?'
Firefighters were known for their strong sense of duty, often willing to put their lives on the line to save others. It was likely that they had been the ones to push for this decision.
'I like it.'
[Da-bin, we'll assign a hunting team for security, so please tell the rescue team to wait for now.]
[Understood.]
At present, only two teams were capable of moving outside while protecting others.
'Lee Jun-hyuk's team and my father's hunting team.'
The criterion was simple—whether they could take down a Level 30 giant crustacean or not.
Lee Jun-hyuk's "Water Bomb" was unexpectedly powerful, capable of shattering the crustaceans' armor. My father was the same.
Then, at that moment—
[You have hunted a Giant Crab (Lv. 33).]
[You have gained experience points.]
'Dad went out hunting even in this heavy rain?'
Since there was no monetary reward, it meant that my father, a Bloodline, had been the one to hunt the monster.
After unlocking the power of the Bloodline, my father's physical abilities had skyrocketed, and he had since developed a fascination with hunting.
At first, I was worried, so I assigned Seo Ye-jin's scout mouse to watch over him. But after seeing him shatter a Giant Crab's chitin armor with a single punch, I put my concerns to rest.
Then—
[You have hunted a Hammerhead Shark (Lv. 25).]
[You have gained experience points.]
[You have hunted a Sawfish (Lv. 22).]
[You have gained experience points.]
[You have hunted a Blue Crab (Lv. 28).]
[You have gained experience points.]
Suddenly, a flood of hunting notifications poured in.
No matter how strong my father was, he couldn't possibly hunt monsters at this pace.
There was only one person capable of such a feat at this moment.
'Grandfather.'
I immediately activated the Absolute Eye in the direction of Ha Dong-gun's party.
Shaaah—
Heavy rain was pouring down.
Crash!
Though it was daytime, the sky was shrouded in dark clouds, and the only light that tore through the darkness was the occasional flash of lightning.
[What's going on?]
Ha Dong-gun responded.
"It's a monster wave."
As expected, another monster wave was occurring.
'This is already the third one.'
The phenomenon had first appeared about four days ago, and then again the day before yesterday.
Now, it had already happened three times in total.
While most of the monsters were merely passing through, their numbers were noticeably greater than before.
'If this keeps up, the proportion of marine monsters appearing inland will continue to increase.'
That would make survival even more difficult for ordinary people.
'Why does this keep happening?'
Rumble!
Looking ahead, the World Tree's roots were once again taking action.
An enormous horde of sea monsters was surging toward them, but Grandfather's wall of roots was holding them back.
Thud! Crack!
The sounds of monsters being impaled and crushed echoed ceaselessly.
The continuous flood of experience notifications was merely a side effect.
But this time, the number of monsters was overwhelming.
Boom! Boom!
Though Grandfather's root wall remained sturdy, the nearby concrete buildings were not as resilient.
One building, unable to withstand the pressure, collapsed, creating an opening.
Seizing the opportunity, monsters flooded through the gap.
Screeeech!
Ha Dong-gun's spear and Kim Ga-young's arrows reacted first.
The monsters that had escaped were instantly decapitated or had their bodies torn apart, dying on the spot.
However, as fast as their bodies disappeared, more monsters wriggled through the cracks.
"Grrr!"
Oh Won-joo prepared for battle, partially transforming into her beast form, but the opportunity never came.
The wooden giants stationed behind the root wall had begun to move.
Crunch! Stab!
Tentacle-like branches extended from the wooden giants, skewering the invading monsters and holding them in place.
As the struggling creatures writhed, the roots expanded further, completely sealing the breach.
For a while, Grandfather's overwhelming power maintained the balance.
Then—
Rumble!
Something enormous stirred beneath the dazzling flashes of lightning.
'…Huh?'
At first, I thought it was just my imagination.
But—
Rumble!
The next flash of lightning revealed it clearly.
'…What is that?'
From a great distance, something was watching them.
Though the darkness and rain concealed its form, the fact that it was visible from this far meant it was unimaginably large.
And then—
'It disappeared?'
It vanished in an instant.
I almost convinced myself that I had imagined it.
But—
Rumble—
The ground trembled.
Boom! Boom!
The tremors intensified, cracking the ground and toppling buildings.
In the distance, I saw an apartment complex collapsing sideways, unable to withstand the shaking.
Crash!
The violent rumbling reached its peak with a deafening explosion.
Crack!
Not far away, the ground suddenly swelled upward.
Boom!
Like a bursting pimple, the concrete shattered, and a massive pillar of earth erupted from below.
Crash!
As the rain-soaked dirt fell away, a colossal head covered in white scales emerged.
A gigantic reptilian eye gazed down indifferently at Ha Dong-gun's party and Grandfather.
「White Dragon (Lv. 63)」
A monster had appeared.
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