Chapter 81

"Nice work, Byeong-ho."

I’d received countless rewards from daily quests, but skill points were a rarity—this was only the second time I’d ever gotten one.

“It was Byeong-ho back then too.”

A lucky streak is a lifetime streak, it seems. Ever since I acquired the invisibility skill through the Binding Contract, even my presence had become invisible, but here he was, making himself useful in an unexpected way.

Grinning at the thought of spending the free skill point I’d earned thanks to Moon Byeong-ho, Seo Ye-jin tilted her head curiously and asked, “What’s got you so happy, oppa? Did something good happen?”

“Hmm. I hit the jackpot.”

“Jackpot?”@@novelbin@@

Ruffling her hair as she looked up at me in confusion, I replied, “It’s just that something good happened, that’s all.”

The one skill point I had left had been reserved for upgrading my shop skill. At the current leveling pace, I figured I’d max out the shop slots before reaching level 30, so I hadn’t put much thought into where else to invest it.

Looking over my skill menu, I pondered, “The safe choice is probably the Dignity Maintenance skill...”

From vassal registration to summoning familiars to drawing sacred artifacts, all the innovative functions had come from this skill. I was curious about what new feature might get added this time.

“Or should I upgrade the Warehouse skill?”

Lately, the warehouse’s 200 kg capacity had felt woefully insufficient. Its State Preservation function, which maintained the kinetic energy of stored items, had transformed it from simple storage to an invaluable tool in combat.

Even during the recent fight with the mid-level vampire, I’d used the warehouse to summon a stored projectile right in front of the vampire’s eyes, blinding it.

“It’s been more useful than I expected.”

Another strong contender was the Absolute Eye skill, which I relied on heavily.

“It’s indispensable now.”

Few skills could rival the Absolute Eye in versatility. I’d grown accustomed to the multi-vision feature and could easily manage three or four views simultaneously, even stretching to seven when necessary.

“But I don’t feel the need to upgrade it just yet.”

Though leveling it up might unlock new features, I was already satisfied with its current capabilities and saw no pressing reason to invest in it.

My gaze shifted to The Absolute Ruler’s Health.

“Would upgrading this reduce the pain of leveling up?”

The thought was tempting, but I quickly dismissed it, shaking my head.

“Too much of a gamble.”

If the upgrade turned out to be something mundane like Increased Regeneration, it would feel like a waste. Besides, I already had Oh Eon-ju’s Primal Vitality skill, which drastically boosted my regenerative ability when wounded—a reward for reaching 100 trust with her.

And then there was the fairy.

Summoned to the World Tree at my family’s estate, it significantly boosted natural recovery rates within its domain during level-ups. At level 9, it was already providing a 900% efficiency boost, allowing minor wounds to heal in real-time.

But most importantly, “I don’t get injured.”

I was bound to the safe confines of my domain, and even in the rare case of an intrusion—like with Jegal Seong-gyu—any hostile intent toward me would result in their head exploding, ending the threat instantly.

“I can’t waste a skill point, even if it’s free.”

I went over each skill carefully, from Invisible Hand to Home Restoration to Absolute Door, considering where the point would be best spent.

Finally, I made my decision.

“Stick to the safe choice.”

[Do you wish to upgrade The Absolute Ruler’s Dignity Maintenance skill?]

“Yes.”

Woong!

The skill menu flashed with a golden glow.

[The Absolute Ruler’s Dignity Maintenance has been upgraded to Lv. 6.]

A notification popped up, announcing the addition of a new feature.

“Huh?” I blinked at the name of the newly unlocked function.

“...Is this for real?”

********

In Room 2902, Ha Dong-geon’s party, Seo Ye-jin, and my father were gathered together.

I was the first to speak.

“Judging by their movements, it’s highly likely the vampires’ main base is in Ulsan.”

After a brief pause, I continued.

“In the worst-case scenario, the entirety of Ulsan might have fallen under the vampires’ control.”

“!!”

The expressions of those listening darkened immediately.

Ulsan, a major industrial city with a population of over a million, would be a devastating asset for the vampires. If they had used the city’s population as sustenance...

“It goes without saying that there will be even more high-level vampires. And based on what the last high-level vampire said, there’s probably someone—or something—of an even higher rank leading them.”

The high-level vampire we’d recently killed hadn’t said much, but his final words were chilling:

“If I’d brought just two more of us—no, even one—it wouldn’t be me dying here, it would’ve been all of you.”

If the vampires’ organization consisted of only a handful of high-level members, he wouldn’t have been so confident. Coming here alone had likely already been a strain on their resources. Yet he spoke as though summoning two or three high-level vampires was no issue at all.

Turning to Ha Dong-geon’s party, I asked, “If two or more high-level vampires show up, could you handle them?”

A brief silence followed before Ha Dong-geon responded.

“It wouldn’t be easy.”

“I see.”

There wasn’t no way to manage it, though.

“Throwing money at the problem would work.”

As my vassals, they could undergo artificial level-ups using money. If I raised Ha Dong-geon’s party to level 50, the same level as a high-level vampire, victory was feasible.

“The problem is the cost—billions.”

From level 45 onward, each level required a staggering 10 billion won. Thanks to a month of continuous hunting, their levels had risen by one or two, but the expense remained astronomical.

At that moment, my father raised his hand.

“Son, I think I could handle three of them by myself. If your mother came along, we could probably take on even more.”

He wasn’t exaggerating. When paired with my mother, my father’s physical amplification effect would activate, and with her King’s Blessing skill, his combat stats would soar even higher. Add Kim Da-jeong’s blessing, and he might truly be able to wipe out all the high-level vampires singlehandedly.

“But...”

Could even they handle the entity the vampires referred to as “that one”?

“There’s too little information.”

Then, Kim Geon spoke up.

“I’ll go scout Ulsan.”

“You, Mr. Kim Geon?”

“Yes. With my ability, I can make it there and back in no time.”

Merged with his familiar, Kkamangi, Kim Geon could fly at speeds exceeding 100 kilometers per hour. Ulsan was only about 50 kilometers away, meaning he could arrive in under 30 minutes if he flew at full speed.

The problem was that if Ulsan turned out to be a vampire stronghold, Kim Geon would be in serious danger.

Still...

“Then...”

It was a necessary risk.

“I’ll monitor the situation closely. If it becomes dangerous, just buy a few seconds of time—no more than that.”

“Understood.”

With just a few seconds, I could summon a vassal to rescue him.

“Please take care of this.”

Meanwhile, in Ulsan, Seonuri was preparing to carry out her master’s orders.

“What kind of monster could be there?”

Two high-level vampires had been killed. While both were considered eccentric, they were far from weak—among high-level vampires, they were among the stronger ones.

“I’ll have to be careful.”

Her master had chosen Seonuri for the reconnaissance mission not because she was stronger than the fallen vampires, but because of her unique abilities.

True vampires directly empowered by their master each possessed a unique blood-based ability.

Swoosh.

Standing on a rooftop, Seonuri extended her arms as streams of blood surged from her back, intertwining and forming a pair of crimson wings.

Flap.

After a few test flaps, she boldly leapt from the rooftop, soaring high into the sky.

The buildings below shrank rapidly as Ulsan’s cityscape unfolded beneath her.

The ability to fly—it was a skill tailor-made for reconnaissance.

“Let’s check things out quickly and return.”

As she neared Busan, she swept her gaze across the area, looking for anything unusual. The exact location where Jeong Yeong-hoon and Go In-seok had fallen was unclear, so she planned to conduct a broad survey before narrowing her focus.

However...

“What is that?”

Seonuri blinked, unable to believe her eyes.

Near the coastline, in a small village, stood an enormous tree.

“How can it be that big?”

The tree defied perspective, its massive form dominating the center of the settlement.

Stranger still, there wasn’t a single monster in the vicinity—not even the faintest trace of one.

Seonuri instinctively understood.

“That tree… it’s definitely the one. Those two were killed by that tree.”

It was no ordinary tree, evident at a glance.

But then—

“Hmm?”

She noticed a few other peculiarities.

“...Humans?”

There were people moving near the tree. Dusk was settling, and lights began flickering on here and there.

At first, Seonuri thought they were lighting fires.

But as she focused, she realized something else entirely.

“Electricity? They’re using electricity?”

The lights illuminating their homes weren’t flames but LED bulbs.

“I need to get closer.”

Hiding herself in the shadows, she cautiously flew lower.

Suddenly—

Thud.

“Huh?”

A transparent wall appeared in front of her, halting her progress.

[Access Denied.]

A strange holographic screen materialized before her eyes.

“...What is this?”

As she stood there, startled by the unexpected situation—

[Would you like to obtain citizenship?]

[Yes / No]

A new prompt appeared on the screen.

“What in the world is this?”

It seemed clear that acquiring “citizenship” was necessary to pass through the invisible barrier.

The realization sent shivers down Seonuri’s spine.

“It recognized me!”

Suddenly, she remembered how two high-level vampires, both stronger than her, had been effortlessly killed here in Busan.

“I-I need to get out of here!”

Determining that further reconnaissance was too dangerous, Seonuri flapped her wings frantically, her body soaring back into the sky.

Terrified, she raced toward her home base in Ulsan.

But as she flew, her gaze fell on something else.

“What is that now?”

An area of the city was brightly illuminated, standing out like a beacon. It looked as if that place alone had escaped the apocalypse.

The lights spilling from the apartment buildings resembled starlight, and cars were even moving along the roads.

“What is going on here?”

A sense of inexplicable dread filled Seonuri as she observed the sight. Without lingering, she beat her wings harder, putting as much distance as she could between herself and the eerie scene.