Chapter 100

Ha Dong-geon’s party had been enjoying an extended break ever since their battle with the vampires ended.

It was a stark contrast to the days when they hunted monsters tirelessly without a single day of rest. There were several reasons for this change.

First, their financial situation was robust.

Chosen by Kim Jae-hyun and granted power, they had accumulated an enormous fortune from hunting countless monsters.

As an ace party, they had faced powerful monsters, earning them wealth that exceeded tens of billions just from basic rewards alone.

In Oh Eon-ju’s case, having personally finished off the progenitor vampire, she possessed assets worth over a hundred billion. With that kind of financial security, there was no pressing need for them to keep risking their lives hunting monsters.

Second, there was a lack of suitable hunting grounds.

The primary hunting ground for most people had shifted to Ulsan because Kim Jae-hyun’s domain had expanded significantly.

Now that the domain encompassed all of Busan, hunting required traveling at least 10 kilometers away, often to places like Gimhae, Yangsan, or Gijang.

Even with access to vehicles, hunting was challenging since only parts of the roads near Seomyeon had been properly maintained.

In other words, even reaching the hunting grounds involved a tiresome and lengthy journey.

Given this, many parties that had previously hunted monsters outside the domain flocked to Ulsan, facilitated by the connection between Jeonpo Station in Seomyeon and the Homeplus in Ulsan.

Initially, they hunted the remaining mid-level vampires in the city, but that was short-lived.

The vampires, having lost their leader, scattered in all directions to save themselves. Meanwhile, miscellaneous monsters from the surrounding mountain ranges began flooding into Ulsan, seemingly aware that the progenitor who ruled the domain was gone.

As a result, Ulsan became overrun with monsters, most of which were goblins or orcs—not exactly rewarding prey worth the effort.

Most importantly, Kim Jae-hyun had given them a specific assignment.

Ha Dong-geon turned to Kim Gun, who had just returned from scouting the skies.

"Did you find anything?"

Kim Gun reverted to his human form and replied,

"...No, senior. There’s no sign of a dungeon entrance."

Their task, assigned by Kim Jae-hyun, was to search for and conquer dungeons.

“Dong-geon, are you okay?”

Kang Deok-su, who was nearby, asked with concern.

“What do you mean?”

“Never mind...”

Kang Deok-su’s expression mirrored Kim Gun’s as they looked at Ha Dong-geon.

The reason was the location they were currently exploring—Jangjeon-dong, where the three of them had grown up.

Their family homes were nearby.

The apartment complex had been overrun by Black Orcs.

While Kang Deok-su and Kim Gun had some hope that their families might have survived, Ha Dong-geon’s situation was different.

His home had been covered in blood.

"I’m fine. It doesn’t bother me."

Kang Deok-su sighed softly.

As a friend of twenty years, he knew too well that Ha Dong-geon was just pretending to be strong.

‘I told him we should go somewhere else.’

Ha Dong-geon’s party had split into two groups for the exploration. Kang Deok-su had tried to send Ha Dong-geon far from this area.

But Ha Dong-geon had insisted on coming here, citing the excuse that his familiarity with the area would make the search more efficient.

‘You stubborn fool.’

Of course, Kang Deok-su could understand his friend’s feelings.

Even if his home had been a bloodbath, there was still the hope that his family had survived somehow.

"...I’m not much different."

Except for the blood, Kang Deok-su’s situation wasn’t all that different from Ha Dong-geon’s.

He knew that in a world like this, it was unlikely his family had survived.

Yet he couldn’t let go of the faint hope.

That’s what family meant.

Besides—

‘Since all of Busan is now a safe zone, maybe...’

If luck was truly on their side, his family might still be alive.

Perhaps, while exploring the dungeons, they might find them by chance.

Even knowing it was improbable, he couldn’t abandon hope.

Ha Dong-geon spoke then.

“Gun, take a break for now. When the sun sets, scan the skies again. If there’s a dungeon entrance, it should stand out.”

“...Understood, senior.”

“I’ll take Line 3. Deok-su, check Line 4.”

"Got it."

The area they were in was the Busan National University campus.

Because the campus buildings were numbered, dividing the search was straightforward.

Kang Deok-su faced a beige building labeled “416 Biological Sciences” and let out a small sigh.

Like the other buildings, the interior bore the marks of a desperate struggle for survival.

Bloodstains and the stench of rotting corpses filled the corridors as he meticulously checked every room.

When he reached the restroom, something moved inside, startling him.

But he quickly realized it was just his reflection in a mirror and let out a small sigh of relief.

‘That scared me.’

Kang Deok-su didn’t feel the need to go deeper into the restroom.

If there were a dungeon entrance here, it would have been emitting light from the dark interior.

Still, he took out his smartphone, turned on the flashlight, and briefly illuminated the inside.

The restroom was in utter disarray.

It reeked of excrement, and corpses of monsters and humans were piled together around the body of a wolf-like creature—a monster the size of an adult man, which had been spotted all over the campus.

‘If these things were roaming around, survival would have been hopeless. Then that person too...’

He realized once again how lucky he had been.

‘If I hadn’t gone to Dong-geon’s housewarming that day...’

He might have encountered monsters like this instead of goblins.

‘No, if I’d stayed home, I would’ve died at the hands of those damned Black Orcs.’

Without being chosen by Kim Jae-hyun, he wouldn’t have survived.

‘...This world is truly cursed.’

These monsters roamed near what used to be his home.

‘Even if my parents managed to escape successfully...’

They likely fell victim to the monsters.

As Kang Deok-su turned to leave the restroom, he paused in front of the mirror.

‘...I look just like him.’

The face in the mirror, with its unkempt beard, was a spitting image of his father.

“Dad...”

Staring at the reflection that resembled his father, the ache of longing grew stronger.

‘I miss you.’

And then.

Clang!

A noise came from deeper inside the restroom.

Kang Deok-su immediately reacted.

“Rise.”

He no longer needed to speak the words aloud to summon his silver knight.

In front of the stall where the noise had originated, the silver knight appeared, ready to open the door.

Clatter, clatter!

The door, unsurprisingly, was locked.

"Aaaah!"

A high-pitched scream came from inside.

Realizing belatedly that they were within a safe zone, Kang Deok-su shouted,

"Calm down!"

He quickly dismissed the silver knight.

Moving closer, he shone his phone’s flashlight toward the stall and spoke again.

"It’s fine now. Please open the door."

"No! Go away!"

From inside came the trembling voice of a terrified woman.

"Please, you’re safe now."

"Get lost!"

Her voice carried deep mistrust.

‘There’s no other way.’

Kang Deok-su knew he couldn’t afford to waste time coaxing her into opening the door. The quicker this was resolved, the better.

He grabbed the stall door and exerted his strength.

Crack!

The lock shattered instantly, and the door swung open.

“Gasp!”

A startled sound came from within. The woman tried to block the door with her body, but she was no match for Kang Deok-su, who had reached level 50.

As the door was forced open, the woman looked up at Kang Deok-su with a pale face.@@novelbin@@

Without a word, he shone his flashlight on her.

"Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you."

He extended his hand to pull her out, but before he could touch her—

"Don’t you dare touch me!"

Her scream was piercing, and something about her voice struck Kang Deok-su as oddly familiar.

Then—

"...What?"

Recognition dawned on him.

"Yesol?"

"How long can they hold on?"

I asked with a tense expression.

Dr. Lee Sung-min, who was examining my grandfather’s condition, replied,

"It’s just a matter of them being unconscious. With proper care, they could survive for months or even years. There are many cases of vegetative states lasting for years. However..."

Dr. Lee glanced at my grandmother and cautiously added in a worried tone,

"Despite receiving top-notch care and sufficient nutrients, your grandmother’s condition is deteriorating."

It had been a week since the light emanating from my grandmother caused my entire family to lose consciousness.

At first, Dr. Lee had confidently stated it was simply a case of sleep. But as my grandmother’s condition worsened, even he grew alarmed.

"At this rate, she may only have a month, possibly as little as a week, before things become critical."

He finished his explanation, watching my reaction nervously.

I couldn’t hide the frustration on my face.

‘I need to find a solution within a week.’

My family’s state wasn’t just ordinary sleep.

The transparent energy within their bodies was actively consuming their life force in real-time.

For my mother, father, and grandfather, there was no immediate danger.

All three were above level 50, their superhuman physical capabilities and vitality allowing them to endure with just intravenous fluids and nutrients.

But my grandmother was different.

Even with the family buff, she was only level 21, and she had already been in a weakened state from months of unconsciousness.

Her declining health had worsened over the past week.

With my grandfather’s power no longer available, I tried replacing it with Kim Da-jeong’s healing abilities, but it wasn’t enough.

In just one week, my grandmother had visibly wasted away.

‘Damn it.’

My sense of urgency grew.

‘Should I try it?’

I considered forcibly burning away the transparent energy’s domain.

It was an extremely dangerous method, but doing nothing would mean losing everything.

‘If only I could assign quests, I might have a chance to try something.’

My frustration only deepened.

Then, suddenly—

Wooong—

My grandfather’s peacefully resting right hand began to faintly glow and flicker.

Wooong—

The vibration-like pulsation of light caught my attention.

Boom!

A faint tremor shook the entire domain.

[An unauthorized entity is attempting to enter.]

A familiar system message appeared before my eyes.

‘Absolute Dweller’s Eye.’

I immediately used the ability to identify the source of the disturbance.

What I saw was—

「White Dragon (Lv. 63)」

The enormous creature that had visited this place once before.