CHAPTER 46
Jagalchi Market (2)
The road from Jagalchi Station to my home had no separate seafood market.
From crawling fish to flying ones. And among them, various types of monsters such as king crabs and lobsters were running rampant.
True to Jagalchi Market's reputation, it was a gathering place for all kinds of seafood.
Among them, the most troublesome were undoubtedly the crustaceans.
"This time, it's a lobster!"
"Fall back!"
Just like the king crab I had hunted before, the lobster was armed with a tough chitinous shell. But this time, I was already familiar with the strategy to take it down.
BOOM!
A barbell crashed down onto the lobster's shell like a cannonball, snuffing out its life.
[You have hunted a Giant Lobster (Lv. 30).]
[You have gained experience points.]
[106,886,599 KRW has been deposited into the Wallet of the Household Overlord.]
Unfortunately, since I was credited for the hunt, the settlement amount was lower. But right now, breaking through the road was more important than money.
'Sorry, Minho.'
The barbell, used multiple times, was now severely damaged.
'I'll register a new one and buy you another.'
This area was much more dangerous than the surroundings of my apartment.
Not only were the monsters' average levels higher, but their sheer numbers made it tough even for Hadonggeon's party to handle.
'If I hadn't upgraded the warehouse level, we would've been in real trouble!'
Kim Dajeong would have been injured in the very first battle.
If that had happened, Owenju—who lacked blessings—and Hadonggeon's combat power would have significantly decreased, making it impossible to defeat monsters as steadily as we were now.
Furthermore, the blessings weren't just about boosting physical abilities.
Woooong—
Late at night.
In the pitch-black surroundings where we could no longer rely on streetlights, Kim Dajeong's ability was like a beacon, illuminating the area.
Just like in the subway station, the light emitted when receiving blessings was playing a crucial role.
Humans rely heavily on their vision. Having light to pierce through the dark night was a major advantage in combat.
"Donggeon, behind you!"
I summoned a projectile toward a blue marlin aiming for Hadonggeon's back.
[You have hunted a Sky Blue Marlin (Lv. 17).]
[You have gained experience points.]
[1,326,284 KRW has been deposited into the Wallet of the Household Overlord.]
The warehouse function's support was proving to be top-tier.
But despite this, my expression remained grim as I focused on the battle.
'There are too many monsters.'
Several times, we would have been in real danger if not for my assistance.
In other words, Hadonggeon's party alone wouldn't have been able to clear this road.
And that was the problem.
'If even Hadonggeon's party is struggling, then ordinary people wouldn't stand a chance.'
This was a party composed entirely of Awakened individuals.
Not only that.
Their composition was solid, and those who lacked proper attack methods—Moon Byungho, Kim Geon, and Kim Dajeong—had been armed with firearms.
And yet, we were struggling just to move a single kilometer.
'——The chances of my family being alive are close to zero.'
I had no choice but to admit it.
As I got closer to home, the fear inside me grew stronger.
'But there's still a chance. Maybe they were lucky and survived.'
I couldn't bring myself to let go of hope.
Hadonggeon's party was passing near the cooperative fish market.
We were truly almost there.
Even though the area was in ruins, the familiar streets stirred up feelings of longing.
'Just one more alley, and I'll be home.'
Then, I noticed something strange in the middle of the road.
A large tree was standing right in the center of the street.
I immediately gave orders to Hadonggeon's party.
[Stop moving.]
A massive tree in the middle of the main road?
'What the hell is that?'
That wasn't there before.
I was born and raised in this city.
I knew exactly where everything was.
'More than that, the city wouldn't have left a tree blocking the road like that!'
Which meant that this tree had appeared after the world had fallen apart.
And that could only mean one thing.
'It's a monster.'
I activated the Absolute Ruler's Eye and glared at it.
「Tree Giant (Lv. 32)」
'Just as I thought.'
Since we had only encountered sea creature-type monsters until now, I had almost mistaken it for an ordinary tree.
Its level was quite high at 32. If we had blindly walked past it, we might have suffered serious damage.
I turned to Hadonggeon's party and gave a command.
[That tree is a monster. Attack it.]
As soon as the order was given, Owenju transformed into a beast form, and Kim Gayoung shot an arrow at the tree.
Swish!
The arrow, imbued with a piercing skill, cleanly penetrated the tree.
However, no message confirming the monster's defeat appeared.
Instead—
Crrrrrack—
The tree slowly began to rise.
Creak—
[Attack now!]
There was no reason to wait for the monster to finish preparing.
Ha Dong-geon's spear immediately flew toward the tree's trunk.
However, wooden tentacles sprouting from the creature's body intercepted the incoming spear.
Crunch!
The tip of the tentacle shattered, but it still managed to block Ha Dong-geon's spear throw without sustaining any real damage.
The tree began walking toward Ha Dong-geon's party.
Boom—
The ground trembled violently with every movement of its massive body.
Swoosh
Mun Byung-ho teleported behind the creature and fired his pistol at its back.
Bang— Bang—!
The bullets hit their mark, but they failed to inflict any significant damage.
Mun Byung-ho's shots merely chipped away at the bark before bouncing off.
Thwack!
Kim Ga-young's arrows fared slightly better.
Thanks to her Piercing skill, they managed to puncture the tree's body, creating small holes. But that was all.
Boom—
The tree monster remained unfazed by the wounds.
Boom!
As the creature closed the distance, Oh Won-joo—blessed by Kim Da-jung—stepped forward as the vanguard, just as she had been doing all along.
"Grrr!"
Tree roots lashed at her like whips, but she deftly dodged them and finally launched an attack at the monster's torso.
Crunch!
A significant portion of its body was torn apart—the most effective attack so far.
However—
Crack—
Roots rapidly sprouted from beneath Oh Won-joo's feet, coiling tightly around her ankles.
"Ugh!"
Crack—
The roots thickened instantly, completely ensnaring her lower body.
Just as another root shot toward her heart—
Swoosh!
Mun Byung-ho teleported to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder, and vanished with her just in time.
Swoosh
'Hmm?'
At that moment, I noticed something strange about the tree monster.
'Why did it stop attacking?'
It happened the instant Mun Byung-ho appeared in front of Oh Won-joo.
For a brief moment, the creature's assault seemed to hesitate.
'Could it be…?'
I steadied myself and issued a command to Ha Dong-geon's party as they prepared for round two.
[Oh Won-joo should fall back. Everyone else, continue attacking.]
"Huh? Just Oh Won-joo?"
[Yes.]
Oh Won-joo was the vanguard of Ha Dong-geon's party.
Pulling her out of the fight would undoubtedly weaken their combat power.
Given that the tree monster had been the most troublesome enemy they had faced due to its resistance to attacks, it was natural for everyone to be confused about sidelining their strongest fighter.
"…Understood."
Oh Won-joo withdrew without complaint, and though the others were puzzled, they followed the order.
"We follow Jaehyun's command. Oh Won-joo, move back and protect Ga-young and Da-jung. Deok-soo, you take the front."
"Okay! But… can I really do this?"
"You can take a hit, at least."
"O-okay!"
Ha Dong-geon turned to Oh Won-joo.
"We're counting on you in the back."
"Got it."
The moment Oh Won-joo released her transformation and retreated—
Something incredible happened.
Boom—
"Huh?"
Boom—
As soon as Oh Won-joo reverted to human form, the tree monster turned its back on them and began walking away.
"…What the hell?"
It returned to its original spot and, as if nothing had happened, sat back down and transformed into an ordinary tree again.
"Jaehyun, what just happened? Did you know this would happen?"
I hadn't expected things to unfold like this, so I couldn't answer right away.
'It doesn't attack humans?'
Now that I thought about it, the tree monster had only started attacking when Oh Won-joo had transformed.
And throughout the fight, it had exclusively targeted her.
The rest of the team's attacks were merely deflected or blocked—it never retaliated against them.
That was why I had told Oh Won-joo to step back.
Now, it seemed the issue wasn't Oh Won-joo herself, but rather her transformed appearance that had triggered the tree monster's aggression.
'If that's the case…'
It was at that moment.
Boom!
The tree monster began to move once more.
However, the direction it moved was the exact opposite of where Ha Dong-geon's party was.
Appearing in that direction was a land shark, slithering across the ground like a serpent.
Thud!
The land shark was brutally impaled by the tree giant's roots, struggling in agony.
Thump. Thump.
After subduing the land shark, the tree giant turned away without hesitation and returned to its original position.
One of its roots still held the writhing land shark, skewered and twitching in pain.
"What the hell is that?"
It wasn't unusual for monsters to fight each other.
Even goblins would kill their own kind, and it wasn't uncommon to see orcs battling goblins.
So, it wasn't strange to witness the tree giant eliminating the land shark that had trespassed into its territory.
'What's strange is why it's not attacking humans.'
Despite Ha Dong-geon's party getting quite close, the creature remained as still as an ordinary tree.
"I could burn it down right now…"
It seemed nearly immune to physical attacks, but fire—particularly mid-level fire magic—was likely its weakness.
However.
"For now, let's leave it be."
If it only attacked other monsters and ignored humans, it was actually beneficial to keep it around.
If necessary, Ha Dong-geon's party could even take refuge within its territory.
[The tree monster does not seem hostile. Ignore it and proceed. Head past the apartment and into the alley.]
"Understood."
Cautiously, Ha Dong-geon's party began moving forward.
To reach the alley beyond the apartment, they had to pass right next to the tree monster, so they remained on high alert as they slowly walked past it.
Fortunately, the tree monster stayed completely still until every member of the party had passed.
Just before they stepped into the alley—
A part of the scenery that had been hidden behind the apartment building came into view, and their hearts dropped.
"Huh?!"
A massive tree stood there.
Whether it was due to the moonlight in the night sky or its own natural luminescence, the tree emitted a faint glow, exuding a mystical aura.
It was enormous—easily 20 to 30 meters tall, with a trunk that was impossibly thick.
But of all places—
"That's…!"
The tree was standing exactly where his home should have been.
The moment he saw it, uncontrollable rage surged through his mind.
It felt like his blood was boiling in reverse.
Without realizing it, he clenched his teeth and tensed every muscle in his body.
In the reflection of the living room window, he saw his own face twisted like that of a demon.
He hadn't even been aware that he was making such an expression.
He hadn't even known he was capable of such a face.
"I'll kill it."
He had always thought of "boiling rage" as just a figure of speech.
But now, as his blood burned with fury, he realized how fitting the expression truly was.
Only by obliterating that monstrous tree would he feel satisfied.
"I'll fill it with gas and blow it up. I can summon Ha Dong-geon's party back with a spirit call."
Just as he was about to issue the order, blinded by rage—
[Detected the presence of a descendant of the Absolute Ruler of the Household in the vicinity.]
A cold system alert doused his burning mind.
– ?
And at that very moment—
"Who the hell are you?!"
A stranger's voice called out from the darkness.
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