CHAPTER 18
Quest Reward (4)
Using his teleportation ability to arrive home ahead of his companions, Moon Byung-ho hurried inside.
Click.
He inserted the key, opened the front door, and went straight to the master bedroom where his grandmother was.
Seeing her lying under the blankets as usual, he let out a sigh of relief.
Carefully, he approached and spoke softly.
"Grandma, I'm home."
"Hm?"
Waking up groggily, his grandmother reached out and rubbed his face with both hands. Then, like a child, she burst into sorrowful tears.
"Hic… Grandma, I'm sorry. I was too late, wasn't I?"
As he hugged his grandmother tightly, Byung-ho made a firm resolution.
'Jaehyun-nim, I will dedicate my life to you.'
I watched the reunion between Byung-ho and his grandmother with satisfaction.
'What a commendable kid.'
From my perspective, it was impossible not to see him in a favorable light.
A rapid increase in trust and loyalty.
Honestly, who wouldn't like someone who pledges their loyalty wholeheartedly?
Even mere flattery could make someone seem likable, but in my case, I could actually see numerical values, making it even more apparent.
'This guy hits the jackpot every time.'
He was the first among Ha Dong-geon's group to become my retainer, awakened an A-rank ability—teleportation—upon reaching level 30, and now, he had even earned skill points.
Even in mobile games, players tend to get attached to high-tier characters they pull from the gacha.
But Byung-ho wasn't just a game character—he was real. And he had one of the best abilities out there.
Now, on top of that, he had even granted me additional skill points.
'He's basically a golden goose.'
At that moment, as Byung-ho lifted his head with a determined expression, a new notification appeared.
[Citizen Moon Byung-ho's loyalty has increased.]
[Citizen Moon Byung-ho's loyalty has reached 100.]
[Citizen Moon Byung-ho is already registered as a retainer.]
[Retainer limit has increased.]
"Huh?"
I quickly opened the skills menu to check the retainer management tab.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
Retainer Management
Choi Hyung-joon (Lv. 20) [+]Moon Byung-ho (Lv. 30) [+]Kang Deok-soo (Lv. 25) [+]
( 3 / 11 )
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
The previous limit of 10 had now increased to 11.
"Haha."
A laugh of disbelief escaped me.
'Byung-ho is totally a blessed character.'
Anyone who has played an RPG game knows this term—a lucky character.
A character that excels in everything—enhancements, loot drops, and even random item boxes.
Nothing could describe Byung-ho better.
'I'll make sure to raise you properly.'
I decided to invest as much as possible into Byung-ho's growth.
Whether it was leveling up or quest rewards, I didn't care about the cost.
After all, what he had already earned for me was worth billions.
Even just the skill points alone were worth that much.
'I was running out of slots anyway.'
With my 40 available slots nearly full, I had been worried about running out of space before reaching level 10.
But now, thanks to the skill points, that was no longer a problem. I could simply level up right after filling my slots.
'How much money do I have left?'
Checking my finances, I saw that the "Absolute Ruler's Wallet" held about 11 million won.
Despite spending a lot, I still had this much thanks to mass goblin hunting.
Slaughtering over a thousand goblins had earned me a fortune.
Even though I didn't get bonus pay for those taken out through the territory expansion, the sheer volume still netted me a considerable sum.
'Let's see how much it costs to level up Byung-ho.'
I clicked the [+] button next to his level.
And then I nearly choked at the number that popped up.
[Insufficient funds for leveling up.]
[100,000,000 won is required to level up Retainer Moon Byung-ho.]
[Please increase your funds and try again.]
"..."
I froze in shock at the message in front of me.
'One… ten… hundred… thousand… million… ten million… hundred million…'
100 million won.
That was how much it would cost to raise Byung-ho's level by just one.
'I'm sorry, Byung-ho.'
Unless something extraordinary happened, I didn't think I'd be leveling him up anytime soon.
'But I'll give you daily quests at least.'
Even if it meant spending more money, I planned to ensure that Byung-ho completed his daily quests every day.
Accumulating rewards over time would allow him to grow quickly.
Watching Byung-ho carrying his grandmother home through my Absolute Ruler's Sight, I made a promise.
'If I hit just one more jackpot, I'll seriously consider leveling you up. Just one more.'
I wasn't asking for much.
Just one more miracle.
'Huh?'
At that moment, I sensed someone arriving on the 30th floor via the elevator.
'Who is it?'
Redirecting my Absolute Ruler's Sight to the hallway, I saw a muscular man and a slender woman carrying supplies.
'Ah, it's them.'
The man had an unusually high level 15, considering the average adult male was level 7 or 8.
The woman, at level 11, was also quite strong for a female survivor.
After glancing toward my unit, they headed to Choi Hyung-joon's place and rang the doorbell.
♬♪♬♩~
Park Hye-won answered.
"Who is it?"
"I'm Kim Da-bin, and this is my younger brother, Kim Min-ho. We live in unit 1701 of this apartment complex."
"Oh, okay. What brings you here?"
"We have a favor to ask… Could we possibly take a shower?"
A shower?
That was all they wanted?
Hye-won nodded in understanding.
"Of course, come on in."
"Thank you so much!"
As they entered, Min-ho handed Hye-won a box.
"Ma'am, where should I put this?"
"Oh, what's all this?"
"We brought some canned food and other supplies."
"Really?"
Inside the box were tuna cans, whelks, chicken breast cans, Spam, and other valuable items.
'All that… just for a shower?'
In these times, long-shelf-life food was practically treasure.
Even for a shower, this seemed excessive.
Kim Da-bin then hesitated before asking,
"Um… the people with bows and baseball bats… do they live next door?"
"Oh, them? No, they originally lived in another building. The only one living next door is—"
"You mean the pale-skinned guy who conjures things out of thin air?"
"Oh! So you know him?"
Min-ho shuddered and muttered,
"He was… terrifying."
I smirked.
'Not bad.'
They seemed competent.
I had been considering forming a new team of high-level survivors, and with just a few more additions, these two could be a perfect fit.
'I'll check on them after their shower.'
Besides, once I registered their canned goods, I might be able to level up my store.
'Might as well have a chat with them too.'
And then—
[Citizen Choi Hyung-joon has completed a quest.]
[78,145 won has been deducted.]
[Evaluating completed quests…]
A new notification appeared.
'Let's see if we hit another jackpot.'