Absolute Dweller

Chapter 83

A new high-level vampire had appeared.

Out of habit, I offered citizenship again, but as expected, it was rejected.

“What a shame.”

If I could have secured citizenship, the control would have shifted entirely to me. I could have used quests to extract information about the scale of the vampires' forces or the entity they called ‘that one.’ I could have even eliminated the vampire outright. Most importantly, I could have prevented them from returning with any information about me. In fact, I might have even been able to spread false information back to their base.

A winged vampire, though...

Stopping a vampire capable of flight was, unfortunately, out of my reach. The only one who could feasibly catch up was Kim Geon, with his own ability to fly, but I doubted he could take down a high-level vampire on his own.

“It can’t be helped.”

Besides, the amount of information this vampire could take back was limited—just the sight of the World Tree, the transparent barrier that protected it, and the offer of citizenship.

“Their response was quicker than I expected.”

The first high-level vampire had taken a month to appear after the previous one was killed. Naturally, I assumed it would take a similar amount of time again. But less than a day after the second high-level vampire was killed, a third had shown up.

“Do they sense the deaths of their underlings?”

It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. Even I received system notifications whenever my citizens died.

Still, this turn of events had its benefits.

Thanks to Kim Geon’s pursuit, I now knew the exact location of their base.

Kim Geon was currently tailing the winged vampire. His superior speed, combined with the dark feathers of his familiar blending into the night, allowed him to follow without being noticed—for now.

While watching Kim Geon maintain a steady distance behind the vampire, I heard my father call out from the kitchen island.

“Son.”

“Yes?” I replied, keeping myself on edge in case combat broke out.

“Can we talk for a bit?”

“Of course. What’s on your mind?”

He held up a bottle of soju and asked, “Want a drink?”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

“Shame.” He poured himself a glass, then smiled as I offered to pour for him. “Fill it to the brim.”

The soju rose above the rim of the glass, held in place by surface tension. Satisfied, my father nodded and took a sip.

“Son.”

“Yes.”

“You should come home more often. Your grandmother misses you.”

Grandma was still asleep most of the time. Thanks to the fairy’s growing power, she could now stay awake for ten minutes or so, but she spent most of her days resting. My mother was devotedly caring for her, so I didn’t worry too much. Still, I hadn’t visited her in a long time, and that was on me.

“I’ll visit soon.”

“Good.”

The ramen my father had made, complete with ham and dumplings, was the perfect drinking snack.

“Want a bite?”

“...Sure.”

He handed me a bowl and chopsticks. The greasy broth coated my tongue as I took a sip. It was exactly as I’d expected—delicious. My father’s ramen, with its mix of ingredients, had always been surprisingly good.

“Taste good?”

“Yes, very.”

With that, he finally got to the point.

“About the vampires.”

He emptied his glass, then continued, “What’s your plan?”

I refilled his glass and replied, “First, we need to gauge their numbers.”

“And then?”

“Depending on their scale, we’ll plan how to eliminate them.”

My father raised a question that caught me off guard.

“Do we have to eliminate them?”

“...What?”

“If those vampires have taken over all of Ulsan, isn’t it dangerous? What if your people are put at risk?”

His gaze was serious.

“Do we really need to take that risk? Even if they come here to fight, it wouldn’t be too late to handle them then. And if it comes down to it, we can just retreat into your safe zone. The barrier will protect us, and we’ll be fine.”

He wasn’t wrong. If the vampires attacked, they wouldn’t be able to penetrate the transparent barrier.

“Why, then?” he asked.

At that moment—

“Ugh?!”

A sudden force gripped her shoulders and armpits. Park Sae-rom soon realized she was being lifted into the air. Slowly tilting her head upward, she saw the form of a monstrous crow.

“Hah...”

It was absurd. She had escaped the vampires, only to be captured by this strange creature.

“Then again, at least I’m out of there. If I stay sharp, maybe I can escape this monster too.”

She clung to the thought that, given enough time, her abilities would allow her to turn the situation around. For now, she glanced down at the vampires below, who were barking in frustration like dogs chasing a lost prey. The sight amused her enough to momentarily forget her predicament.

“You idiots! Go to hell, you morons!” she shouted gleefully.

“Please be quiet.”

A calm voice interrupted her triumphant yelling. Startled, Park Sae-rom slowly looked up.

“...Huh?”

“Don’t draw more attention from the vampires, please,” said the crow, its beak moving unnaturally as it spoke human words.

She clamped her mouth shut, dumbfounded.

The crow monster carried her to a nearby rooftop, setting her down gently before perching nearby. Its beak opened again.

“I have a few questions for you.”

Still wary, Park Sae-rom took a few steps back and asked, “W-what is it?”

“How much do you know about the vampires?”

“...About the vampires?”

“Yes.”

“Well... if you destroy their heart, they die?”

The crow fell silent for a moment before responding.

“Is that all?”

“Wait! Hold on! I have a question too!” Park Sae-rom interrupted.

“Go ahead.”

Squinting her eyes suspiciously, she asked, “Are you... human?”

It was a question born of a slim hope. In a world overrun by monsters, it wouldn’t be strange for some humans to undergo transformations. A talking crow was still easier to believe than some miraculous monster suddenly learning to speak human languages.

The crow answered, “I am human.”

“Prove it.”

After a brief hesitation, the crow’s form began to shift. A black bird separated from its body and fluttered away, leaving behind a perfectly ordinary man.

“Is this sufficient?”

!!

“It’s true...”

The man turned to her and said, “Now, please tell me what you know about the vampires. How many of them are in this city?”

“Hmm, you’re asking about their gathering spots? Lucky for you, I’m an expert in that.”

“Please share your knowledge.”

“Well... I don’t know if I can just give such valuable information away...”

The man’s expression grew cold as he stared at her, unimpressed.

“You’re quite shameless.”

“Well, that’s just who I am,” Park Sae-rom replied with a smirk. “I’m kidding, of course. I’m not that heartless. Just do me a little favor—”

She was about to ask for help escaping the vampires’ territory when the air hummed, and a cola and chocolate bar materialized in front of her.

“...Will this suffice?” the man asked.

Dumbfounded, Park Sae-rom grabbed the cola first and popped it open.

Fizz.

The sound of carbonation was heavenly. She raised the can to her lips and gulped it down.

“!”

The cola was the real deal. The sharp fizz stung her throat, but instead of pain, she felt pure bliss. Draining the can in one go, she let out a loud burp.

“Buuurp!”

Reaching for the chocolate bar in the man’s hand, she was stopped as he pulled it back slightly.

“Answer my questions first,” he said firmly.

With a sparkle in her eyes, she replied, “What would you like to know, master?”