Absolute Dweller

Chapter 94

Rumble...

Concrete dust from the destroyed building spread out in a thick, hazy cloud.

‘...What in the world is this?’

Jang Sung-jun could hardly believe the scene of destruction unfolding before his eyes. Was this a dream or reality?

Though it was still night, and the dust had not yet fully settled, making visibility poor, his abilities as a telekinesis user allowed him to sense the transformed surroundings.

‘Expand.’

As he extended the range of his telekinetic spatial perception, his jaw gradually dropped.

“!!!”

Thanks to his consistent use of telekinesis, Jang Sung-jun’s spatial awareness had expanded to a radius of several hundred meters.

‘This is impossible.’

This allowed him to confirm the reality of the situation before anyone else.

‘Unbelievable.’

Where the target building—the hotel—had once stood, there was now a massive crater several dozen meters wide.

It was as if an enormous bomb had gone off.

The surrounding buildings were completely devastated.

Those closest to the explosion were half-destroyed, while even those over a hundred meters away were heavily damaged.

‘This must be... Mr. Jae-hyun’s doing.’

Right before the explosion, Kim Jae-hyun had issued a warning and ordered everyone to maintain a considerable distance from the target.

This sight could only have been caused by Kim Jae-hyun’s power.

‘Is this truly...’

Something one person could accomplish?

However, Jang Sung-jun didn’t know that what he was seeing was far weaker than Kim Jae-hyun had calculated.

The barbell had accelerated far too much.

The heat generated by air friction had caused over half of its mass to vaporize, significantly reducing its destructive power.

Even so—

Squirm.

“Huh?”

Jang Sung-jun sensed something stirring within the crater.

[Stay alert, everyone! It’s not over yet..!]

Kim Jae-hyun’s voice echoed in his mind, sounding strained.

And then—

‘What?!’

Jang Sung-jun sensed the squirming presence rapidly approaching their location.

He shouted in alarm, “Everyone, get back!”

But in doing so, he unintentionally revealed his position to the mass of blood hurtling toward them.

‘This is dangerous!’

Sensing the incoming threat, Jang Sung-jun hastily wrapped himself in layers of telekinetic barriers.

One layer, two layers, three layers—

Despite his best preparations—

Thud!

The blood mass pierced through his barriers with ease and impaled his abdomen.

“Urgh!”

Then—

Squelch, squelch.

Blood began draining from Jang Sung-jun at an alarming rate.

It was only then that he realized what had pierced him—a tentacle made of blood.

Focusing his mind, Jang Sung-jun retaliated.

“Hup!”

He sharpened his telekinesis into a blade and slashed at the tentacle impaling him.

Slash!

The tentacle was severed, and dark red blood spilled onto the ground.

Some of the blood splattering in the air was undoubtedly Jang Sung-jun’s own.

“Haah... Haah...”

Panting heavily, having come face-to-face with death, Jang Sung-jun glared in the direction from which the tentacle had come.

A figure was slowly approaching, limping toward him.

It was clear the entity wasn’t in perfect condition, likely due to being hit directly by the falling "bomb."

Then—

Swish, swish!

Jang Sung-jun sensed another presence appearing behind the figure.

‘It’s him! Mr. Jae-hyun’s father!’

Jang Sung-jun had witnessed Kim Dong-hyuk’s strength firsthand.

True to the formidable reputation of Kim Jae-hyun’s family, he had single-handedly wiped out rampaging vampires on a bridge—a scene that still sent shivers down Jang Sung-jun’s spine, reminiscent of Zhang Fei defending Changban Bridge.

But—

‘...What?’

Suddenly, both the vampire and Kim Dong-hyuk’s movements disappeared from his telekinetic perception.

It felt as though his abilities were malfunctioning.

Boom! Boom-boom!

Explosions echoed in the distance.

This method allowed for a fivefold experience bonus alongside the buffs all citizens received.

‘It’s disappointing, but there’s no other choice.’

This was an enemy I had intended to kill with my own hands anyway, so there was no point in regretting it now.

‘The time is now.’

After a moment of hesitation, I made my decision.

Among all the retainers present, only one met the conditions necessary to use that.

[Ms. Oh Eon-ju, can you approach the target closely?]

If Oh Eon-ju left the frontlines, the other retainers would struggle more. But as long as the puppetmaster vampire was dealt with, this battle would end.

“Grrr!”

Oh Eon-ju nodded as if to say she understood, then launched herself forward.

She used the crumbling walls of nearby buildings, shattered by the earlier explosion, to leap toward the center of the blast zone.

Crash!

Concrete fragments scattered as Oh Eon-ju charged toward the crater's heart.

Boom! Crack!

Father and the vampire were locked in a fierce battle.

The progenitor’s blood continuously lashed out at Father, who was holding his ground with a protective aura enveloping his entire body.

A faint glow of Kim Da-jeong’s blessing shimmered around him, but its dimming light signaled that its effect was nearing its end.

Father used teleportation at a critical moment to dodge an attack and reappeared behind the vampire, aiming for a decisive blow—

Thunk!

—but his kick was blocked by a blood membrane that materialized instantly.

The shockwave rippled outward, and another barrage of blood surged forth, scattering explosively in every direction.

Even as a bystander, the battle was harrowing to witness, with no clear opening to intervene.

[Can you get closer?]

“Grrr...”

Oh Eon-ju hesitated, her instincts wary of the overwhelming danger.

For a moment, I considered leveling her up. But the cost to raise her from level 50 to 51 was staggering.

‘300 billion won.’

It wasn’t an unmanageable sum. The profits from battles against vampires far exceeded it.

‘Retainer management. Level up Oh Eon-ju.’

I invested 1.5 trillion won, raising her level to 55. The hesitation in her eyes disappeared, and her gaze locked onto the battle between Father and the progenitor.

“Grrr!”

Determined, Oh Eon-ju surged toward the progenitor.

At that moment—

BOOOOM!

The blood swirling around the progenitor suddenly exploded outward.

And then—

“Grrr?”

A torrent of blood flooded the surroundings, turning the ground crimson.

It looked as though they were standing atop a river of blood.

‘What is this...?’

From Oh Eon-ju’s perspective, it was hard to grasp what was happening.

But from Kim Gun’s aerial vantage point, the entire scene was clear.

A massive river of blood flowed throughout the city, forming a vast circle with the progenitor at its center.

The rivers, originating from the outskirts, converged toward him.

It resembled a ritualistic blood festival.

‘Is this the Blood Festival they spoke of?’

Crack-boom!

A massive lightning bolt struck, and a dense mist of blood spread from the crater’s center.

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

The progenitor’s maniacal laughter echoed within the mist.

It was clear something extraordinary—and catastrophic—was about to happen.

The ominous crimson energy surrounding the progenitor began to swell, increasing his size.

“Grrr!”

Oh Eon-ju reached her destination just in time.

Then—

‘Domain Expansion.’

Vwooom!

A bright light radiated outward from Oh Eon-ju, covering a narrow semicircular area with a radius of 15 meters.

Though small, it was imbued with immense power.

This was a newly unlocked feature of the "Dignity of the Absolute Dweller" skill at level 6.

It was a one-time use ability tied to retainers with 100 trust and loyalty, with a brief duration.

‘Descent.’

Flash!

The surrounding landscape flickered and shifted as I descended.

When I opened my eyes again—

“Kyaaaaargh!”

I found myself at the heart of a blood-soaked hellscape, where the apex of vampires, engulfed in black flames, writhed in agony.

I spoke to the progenitor.

“The festival is over, you damned mosquito.”