CHAPTER 125

Expansion (2) 

"Open warehouse, summon Ha Dong-geon's spear." 

Boom! 

[You have hunted a Radioactive Slime (Lv. 26).] 

[You have gained experience points.] 

[#21,008,321 has been deposited into the Wallet of the Household Absolute.] 

We had succeeded in killing the slime and reclaiming the Wolsong Base, but fragments of the slime had already spread everywhere. 

So whenever there was time, we kept reducing the number of radioactive slimes like this, little by little. 

Seo Yejin, stationed at the Wolsong Base, would use the Ratmen to locate radioactive slimes, and I would finish them off by summoning Ha Dong-geon's spear, just like now. 

Of course, it wasn't just Seo Yejin and I handling all the slimes. 

There were currently seven retainers remaining at Wolsong Base who were performing the radioactive slime extermination mission. 

Including Seo Yejin, they were Lee Jun-hyuk, Lee Hyun-chan, Moon Hae-ri, Nam Ji-ho, Ha Dong-geon, and Kim Ga-young. 

We had gathered all the retainers who could attack without directly approaching the radioactive slimes. 

That didn't mean the rest of the retainers were resting. 

To maintain the forward base functions at the Kori and Hanul nuclear plants, we dispatched the twin brothers Moon Ji-hoon and Moon Sang-hoon to each site. Ulsan's forward base was being managed by Park Sae-rom. 

Kim Da-bin was still handling administrative tasks, while the remaining ten were dispatched to turn Korea's last nuclear power plant, Hanbit Base, into a forward base. 

To maintain a 200% construction efficiency, we had stationed those ten retainers there. 

"We're short on retainers." 

The biggest reason for the shortage was that ten of our retainers had been tied up for ten days due to the construction at Hanbit Base. 

We even mobilized Yu Hye-rin from the administration and our next-door neighbor Choi Hyung-joon to help at Hanbit Base because we were that short-staffed. 

That's why I called in Lee Ho-beom and Choi Do-yeon. 

"Both of them are talented individuals who awakened A-rank abilities. 

"" 

Their names were quite well-known among dungeon raiders. 

[You have hunted a Radioactive Slime (Lv. 25).] 

[You have gained experience points.] 

[#19,553,012 has been deposited into the Wallet of the Household Absolute.] 

While I was diligently continuing the hunt for radioactive slimes... 

Knock knock knock 

A guest appeared at the living room's veranda window. 

"Hello, Jaehyun-nim!" 

It was Choi Do-yeon. 

[Choi Do-yeon (Lv. 32)] 

Awakened Ability: Daughter of the Wind 

Level 32. 

That level wasn't achieved purely by hunting monsters. 

When awakened, the level is determined by the grade of the awakened ability. 

Even though Lee Ho-beom and Choi Do-yeon had been single-digit level before, they instantly became level 30 upon awakening their A-rank abilities. 

However, just because their level increased didn't mean they immediately gained the power of a level 30. Over time, they developed abilities appropriate to their level. 

That's why Lee Ho-beom and Choi Do-yeon had been able to grow stronger so quickly. 

Click. 

Using an invisible hand, I opened the veranda door and greeted her. 

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kim Jaehyun." 

"I'm Choi Do-yeon-huh?" 

Choi Do-yeon, who was about to enter through the veranda, tilted her head when she was blocked by a transparent barrier. 

Separate from the transparent barrier surrounding the safe zone declared as a territory, there was another barrier encompassing my entire house this one only allowed registered retainers to enter. 

But now, things were different. 

"Come in." 

"Huh!?" 

The moment I granted her the access, Choi Do-yeon was pulled inside the house as if being sucked in. 

Momentarily off balance, she spun once in the air and landed safely on the living room floor. 

"Please, make yourself comfortable on the sofa." 

"Y-Yes!" 

"And Lee Ho-beom?" 

"He should be arriving any minute now!" 

Using the Eye of the Absolute, I located Lee Ho-beom, who was rapidly running this way, his body surrounded by electricity. 

[Mr. Lee Ho-beom. Stop.] 

I sent him a telepathic message, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks. 

His face was pale. 

"Open East Gate." 

I connected the space in front of him with the front door of my house and granted him access just like I did with Choi Do-yeon. 

[Please come in.] 

"...Excuse me." 

As I petted Kkami's head, who was resting on my lap, I began the serious conversation. 

"I have a proposal for the two of you." 

The two listened intently, faces tense with anticipation. 

After clearly explaining the risks of becoming a retainer, I asked, 

"I would like for both of you to become my new retainers." 

Then Choi Doyeon, who had been listening with sparkling eyes the whole time, finally spoke up. 

"So, our abilities came from being chosen by you, right? Isn't that right?" 

I shook my head in response. 

"No, that's not it." 

"Huh?" 

"Those powers are entirely yours." 

I was well aware that such misunderstandings had been spreading around. 

It seemed that the existence of those who gained powers through subjugation contracts had led to that misconception. 

"I see..." 

Judging by her reaction, it was clear that Choi Doyeon had firmly believed her power came from my choosing her. 

And from Lee Hobum's stiff expression, I could practically read his thoughts. 

So I explained further. 

"Of course, your abilities have absolutely nothing to do with vampires." 

Lee Hobum's eyes widened in shock. 

"What? S-Sorry, what did you just say...?" 

"I said they have absolutely nothing to do with vampires. Like I mentioned earlier, your powers come entirely from your own potential. So there's no need to worry." 

I looked at the relieved Lee Hobum and asked again, 

"Will you accept my proposal?" 

"Yes, of course!" 

Choi Doyeon nodded quickly in agreement, and after some serious consideration, Lee Hobum also nodded. 

"I'll accept. Even if it's dangerous, if I can gain power equal to theirs, there's no reason to refuse." 

And just like that, I was able to accept the two of them as my new retainers. 

*** 

After accepting Lee Hobum and Choi Doyeon as retainers, I spent money to raise their levels and bestowed upon them the power of the stars. 

Right after that, I dispatched them to the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant. 

Thanks to that, I was able to bring back Kang Deoksu and Yoo Hyerin-Kang Deoksu was assigned to hunt radioactive slimes, and Yoo Hyerin was put in charge of administrative tasks. 

After ten days had passed, we successfully eradicated the radioactive slimes that had been swarming around the Wolsong base. 

Seo Yejin's exploration abilities using Ratmen and Lee Hyunchan's minimap skill, which revealed enemy locations, played key roles in clearing out most of the radioactive slimes. 

'Now I can finally breathe a little.' 

The construction of the Hanbit base's outpost was completed, giving us a bit of breathing room. 

At least in Korea, the threat of radiation leakage had been neutralized. 

'But I can't afford to relax.' 

Even in this incident, the radioactive slimes that appeared near the Wolsong base were more significant than the nuclear accident itself. 

The damage was still ongoing. 

'The Eye of the Absolute.' 

After clearing out the radioactive slimes, Seo Yejin began investigating the extent of the damage in the area. 

"Oh dear, oh dear..." 

What the eyes of Seo Yejin's reconnaissance mice saw was heartbreaking. 

People with rotting flesh, others suffering from boils and skin diseases all over their bodies, people who had lost all their hair and were reduced to pitiful 

appearances. 

They were technically alive, but far from capable of living normal lives. 

" 

Death and despair overflowed. 

It was to the point that those who had died instantly from radiation poisoning-coughing up blood on the spot-were considered fortunate. 

The most devastating part was that this was only the beginning. 

Due to the presence of the radioactive slimes, a far larger area than a normal nuclear accident was contaminated, turning into a land of death. 

A land dyed red with death. 

In the face of radiation, plants, animals, humans, even monsters-all had to meet death equally. 

'The damage is too great.' 

Even the survivor groups that had formed their own factions in Ulsan were not spared from the effects of radiation. 

I explained the situation and offered citizenship, but only about half of the people accepted the proposal. 

The citizens who didn't accept it had already been severely exposed to radiation. 

At most, they had a month left. 

They would die. 

"Damn it." 

There was a reason why I had focused on building up internal strength all this time. 

The number of citizens I could accept using the "Household Declaration" skill was proportional to my level. Back when I was level 34, I could only accept up to 340,000 citizens. 

Even if I combined all the citizenships my family could grant thanks to the bloodline effect, the total was only about 350,000. 

The limit was clear. 

At that time, I had already accepted over 250,000 citizens. 

So there was some hesitation when it came to accepting more people. 

That's also why I chose to focus on consolidation rather than aggressively expanding my influence across the country. 

But now, things were a little different. 

"The current maximum population capacity is 3.6 million." 

Once I reached a certain level, the population limit would suddenly increase tenfold. 

That level was 35. 

"Now, I can accept as many as I want." 

I figured that, if things went well, I might even be able to take in all the survivors left in South Korea. 

"I have to save people before another tragedy like the radioactive slime happens again." 

Now that the population capacity had drastically increased, the next target was obvious. 

Seoul. 

Seoul-the city where the majority of South Korea's population resided. Along with Gyeonggi Province. 

The time had come to move into that area. 

"But before that, I need to be thoroughly prepared." 

No one knew what kind of monsters might be lurking in Seoul. 

That's why I intended to do everything I could. 

"I'll raise the retainers' levels as much as possible..." 

I planned to raise the minimum level threshold from 45 to 50. 

Some retainers, including Ha Dong-geon, were even being considered for level 55. 

"I'll use all the skill points I earned this time as well." 

Once fully prepared, I intended to launch a full-scale move into Seoul. 

*** 

The capital of South Korea, Seoul. 

Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, the greater metropolitan area, were home to about 23 million people-roughly half of the country's population. 

A city filled with conveniences. 

High-quality public facilities. 

And as many people had gathered there, the city was full of potential. 

And that city, Seoul, faced monsters befitting its reputation. 

Dozens of massive monsters, each the size of a building, appeared. 

Transcendent monsters with power that seemed impossible for humans to overcome emerged like mushrooms after rain. 

Countless lives were lost in their territorial disputes. 

Since everything had been concentrated in the capital region, all of South Korea's core functions ceased to operate. 

But even amid despair, a flower called hope began to bloom. 

Just as powerful monsters had appeared, powerful humans also began to emerge one by one and form factions. 

They drove out the monsters, and many people gathered around them, forming communities. 

Seven survivor groups, each led by one of seven humans with transcendent 

power. 

On a day when they were barely surviving, maintaining a fragile balance with the monsters- 

The sudden appearance of certain individuals began to shatter that balance dramatically. 

[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]