CHAPTER 62

Strengthening the Foundation (4)

Hadonggeon opened his eyes.

As he slightly pulled back the blackout curtains, dazzling sunlight poured onto the bed in the master bedroom.

It seemed the sun was already high in the sky.

This was his newlywed home.

Ever since Kim Jaehyun's influence had expanded to encompass the entire apartment complex, Hadonggeon had moved here with Kim Gayoung.

Their previous residence, Unit 2901, was now occupied by Moon Byeongho's grandmother, Kang Deoksu, and Kim Geon. Meanwhile, Unit 2902, which originally belonged to Kim Dajeong, was now shared by Yoo Hyerin and Oh Eonju.

Back when Hadonggeon and Kim Gayoung lived together in their old apartment, it had felt too cramped. So as soon as circumstances allowed, they moved to a bigger place.

'The smell of doenjang-jjigae (soybean paste stew).'

Click.

As he opened the bedroom door and stepped out, he saw his mother-in-law and Kim Gayoung cooking together in the kitchen.

"You're up?"

"Where's Myunghwan?"

"He went out hunting early this morning."

"Without even eating breakfast?"

"He had to go far to hunt goblins, you know."

Although much of the road infrastructure had been restored, very few people actually owned working vehicles.

As a result, hunters had to walk more than 2 km just to reach their hunting grounds.

"Myunghwan is really putting in the effort."

"He says he wants to be like us."

Ever since witnessing Hadonggeon's party in action with his own eyes, Kim Myunghwan had been hunting monsters diligently every day.

To be chosen by Kim Jaehyun, he had to prove himself through successful hunts.

"I hear he's been doing well lately."

Apparently, he had even formed a hunting team with people his age, and their results weren't bad.

"Myunghwan takes after me—he's got talent with the bow."

Of course, it wasn't just talent; he also had a strong backing.

Right from the start, he had received bows and spears from Hadonggeon and Kim Gayoung.

With high-quality weapons at his disposal, he had an advantage over others from the very beginning.

"Ha, son-in-law, come have a seat."

"Thank you."

Hadonggeon smiled as he looked at the table, which was filled with side dishes.

"Ever since you came, Mother, our meals have been so much more generous."

Kim Gayoung immediately objected.

"Hey! They were generous when I cooked too!"

"Yeah, with delivery food. Pizza, fried chicken, yukhoe…"

"Stop! I cooked at least three or four times a week!"

"That's true. You made ramen, soy sauce egg rice, and spam—it was all delicious."

"Ahem."

His mother-in-law covered her mouth, laughing.

"Sorry about that. I guess I spoiled Gayoung too much. I thought she'd figure things out after getting married…"

"Gayoung does make excellent ramen, though."

After their cheerful meal, Kim Gayoung suggested:

"Should we grill some meat for dinner?"

"Sounds great."

"Mom! We're going out to buy groceries!"

"Alright."

As they stepped outside, the chilly air brushed against their cheeks.

"Should we walk a little? To help with digestion."

"Let's do that."

Kim Gayoung held Hadonggeon's hand and led him down the walking path.

Due to the cold weather, they were the only two people there.

Kim Gayoung asked,

"Are you okay?"

"With what?"

Seeing Hadonggeon's nonchalant response, she pouted.

"If you're having a hard time, just say so, okay?"

"Got it."

"Brrr, it's so cold. Let's hurry up, buy the meat, and head back."

Thanks to his past hunts, Hadonggeon had accumulated billions in cash.

Since he had played a crucial role in the party, his base salary alone had earned him a fortune.

Not just him—everyone in his party had become millionaires.

'It's peaceful.'

Unlike the fierce battles they had fought outside the territory, life inside the safe zone was unbelievably serene.

Even though the streets felt emptier due to the cold, just being able to walk without fearing a monster attack felt like a blessing.

At the store, they bought plenty of meat and fresh vegetables before heading back home.

By the time the sun set, Kim Myunghwan returned, and they all sat down for dinner together.

"Noona, listen to this! I finally managed to hunt an orc today!"

"An orc? You? How?"

"I shot an arrow straight through the top of its head! Ah, brother-in-law! You should have seen that moment with me."

That evening was filled with Kim Myunghwan's heroic tales.

After a pleasant dinner, everyone dispersed to their respective rooms.

Kim Myunghwan entered a small room at the end of the hallway, quickly falling asleep while preparing for the next day's hunt. His mother-in-law slept in what used to be the guest room.

Meanwhile, Ha Donggeon and Kim Gayoung entered the master bedroom and lay down on the bed.

"Good night."

"You too."

A moment of silence followed.

Then—

"Hey…"

Ha Donggeon's voice echoed in the darkness.

"Why can't I cry?"

"Donggeon…"

"I'm such an unfilial son, aren't I? But… I don't know, it just doesn't feel real. That was definitely our house, and the bloodstains were clear, but… it still feels like he's out there somewhere, alive and well."

His voice was calm—too calm.

There was no sadness in it.

Just an even, detached tone as he continued.

"I'm sleeping more than usual, and food still tastes good. I know I should be sad, I should be grieving, but… for some reason, I just can't."

Kim Gayoung slowly moved closer and embraced him.

"Gayoung?"

Ha Donggeon didn't cry.

Or perhaps, he couldn't.

And so, once again, it was Kim Gayoung who shed tears in his place.

"Donggeon, I'm really okay."

"…I'm not."

With a tearful voice, she pleaded.

"Just for a little while… let's stay like this."

Ha Donggeon wanted to wipe away her tears.

But he couldn't.

Even lifting his arm felt like too much effort.

'Sleep…'

Drowsiness overcame him.

Lately, he had been feeling more tired than ever.

He had never been this sluggish before.

No matter how much he slept, the exhaustion never went away. His mind felt foggy, as if a mist had settled inside his head.

Would the sun be high in the sky again when he opened his eyes tomorrow?

The days felt too short.

He had never been this lazy in his life, and yet, he couldn't adjust to seeing himself this way.

Still, the thought of doing something about it felt exhausting.

So, just like today, he'd probably let another day slip by, as naturally as breathing.

Kim Gayoung spoke.

"I'm sorry."

As her trembling voice lulled him to sleep, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

'Don't cry.'

He wanted to say it.

He wanted to comfort her.

But he had no strength left to do so.

All he could do was surrender to sleep.

"It's okay. Everything will be okay soon."

Her embrace was warm.

And just as she said—

Time flew by like an arrow.

In the past ten days, with everyone working together, the city was quickly restored.

Talented individuals emerged from every corner.

The most crucial contributions came from those with experience in construction.

"Hey, Kim! Over here!"

"Start from here!"

Using the heavy machinery available, they rapidly repaired the destruction left by the Cyclops attack.

Experts from various fields stepped up, assisting one another in getting things done.

However, there was one problem.

'We've hit our limit with the workforce!'

Currently, there were only two ways for citizens to earn money.

One was by becoming part of the workforce and earning daily wages.

The other was by hunting monsters.

As the population grew, the workforce did as well—but it wasn't infinite.

Although I could distribute wages through quests, that was only a temporary fix.

Ultimately, some people would have no choice but to hunt monsters to survive.

Especially students.

Lacking experience and specialized skills, it was difficult for them to contribute enough to join the workforce.

The only available jobs were things like cleaning public restrooms or dealing with difficult people in public facilities—but even those were highly competitive.

For many, the only remaining option was monster hunting.

'The problem is that the monsters have become too strong.'

For an ordinary person just starting out, the only viable target was goblins.

Even then, goblins were dangerous for civilians.

And yet, there were very few places left where goblins could be hunted.

'Aside from a few locations, the only remaining monsters are powerful ones like sea monsters or orcs.'

The only known goblin-infested area was beyond Hwangnyeong Mountain, in Yeonsan-dong.

At the moment, that was the only spot where goblins appeared.

Naturally, veteran hunters who were already accustomed to goblin hunting had taken up positions there. It was a harsh world for the newly recognized citizens to survive on their own.

Many of them barely managed to get by thanks to the free distribution centers established as part of welfare efforts.

"We need to give them a chance too!"

Occasionally, those who could afford it would take in students under their care.

However, this usually only happened among close friends or acquaintances, leaving some children completely overlooked.

"If only there were enough goblins…"

Back when the territory was still expanding and goblins were abundant in the surrounding areas, there was no issue.

People could hunt goblins even with crude weapons, and through that, they gradually grew stronger.

"I never thought there would come a day when I'd wish for monsters to exist."

It was ironic.

Monsters, once the stuff of nightmares, had now become essential to maintaining society.

Just as he was agonizing over this issue, a welcome notification sounded.

[Citizen Lee Jun-hyuk has defeated the boss of the 'Lizardman Swamp.']

[You have received 10 crystals as a reward.]

[You are the first to fully conquer the dungeon.]

[You have received 100 crystals as a reward.]

As planned, Lee Jun-hyuk's party successfully cleared a D-rank dungeon ten times.

"Thanks to the first-clear bonus, the crystal count has risen to 400."

The number of crystals required for a divine relic draw was 300.

"Maybe the newly acquired relic will provide a solution."

Just as he was about to proceed with the draw in anticipation of what kind of relic would appear this time—

[Conditions met.]

['F-rank Instant Dungeon: Goblin Den' has been added to the list of constructible facilities.]

"Huh?"

He tilted his head in confusion at the strange notification.

"I can construct dungeons?"

– F-rank Instant Dungeon: Goblin Den (13,000,000 won)

A hunting ground for low-level citizens.

A special event applies, doubling the base pay for citizens under level 20.

Can be cleared up to 100 times, with approximately 80 to 110 goblins appearing per run.

※ Up to 10 dungeons can be installed at a time.

"…What is this?"

An instant dungeon.

It was a facility that could not only solve the hunting resource problem but also help cultivate new hunting teams.

The ability to create monsters…

He had already suspected that his power was fundamentally based on "creation."

Shops, maintenance of dignity.

He could generate goods and create utilities such as gas, electricity, and water.

But to think he could even create monsters.

"I'll use it for now."

It was a function that was desperately needed in the current situation.

"I'll need to explain this a bit differently."

He immediately contacted Kim Da-bin.

[Da-bin.]

[Yes, Jae-hyun?]

[Gather all the department heads.]

[Understood.]

Thanks to Kim Da-bin's telepathy, the executives were assembled in no time.

"I will be establishing dungeons within our territory."

Some of the department heads were already familiar with the dungeon that Lee Jun-hyuk's party had been clearing.

"You mean the dungeon where Lizardmen appear?"

"No, it's a bit different. The new dungeon will be much easier than that one."

"In that case…"

"Yes, it's a dungeon where goblins appear."

The executives' reactions were split upon hearing that it was a goblin dungeon.

"What happens if the dungeon isn't cleared?"

Some were wary of the dungeon itself.

"Shouldn't we actually welcome a goblin dungeon? There are plenty of people desperate to hunt goblins."

He addressed them.

"The dungeon won't break out or anything like that. However, unlike the dungeon that Lee Jun-hyuk's party is tackling, this one requires a total of 100 clearances, and each run will involve hunting nearly 100 goblins. Depending on the party's skill level, this could be a highly dangerous challenge."

This instant dungeon was being created to support those who lived off hunting.

If people ended up dying or suffering serious injuries, it would be a complete contradiction to its purpose.

"Therefore, we need to establish clear criteria for parties that can reliably handle 100 goblins."

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