Absolute Dweller-Chapter 206

After establishing a territory in Gwangju, Oh Eon-ju’s primary role had been, quite literally, territory management.

And territory management wasn’t all that complicated.

Her most crucial task was simply staying within the domain to keep it active.

The rest of her responsibilities included ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ clearing dungeons that randomly spawned within the territory whenever she had time.

Rescue missions in nearby areas like Naju, Damyang, and Hwasun were handled by the rescue teams, and the education of new citizens—those granted citizenship after being rescued—was taken care of by government-assigned personnel.

Essentially, she was little more than a living totem.

Even so, it meant she could finally enjoy some peace for the first time in a while.

With extra free time, she could do the things she wanted.

"Great work today. Just register today’s lesson fee at the marketplace."

The lesson fee registered was a whopping 300,000 won.

For a three-hour session, she was making 100,000 won per hour.

It was an exorbitant amount for just a day’s worth of tutoring, but Oh Eon-ju had her reasons.

The person she was tutoring was a mother raising three children.

Currently, Gwangju had very few stable job opportunities.

With most of the workforce focused on Seoul’s reconstruction, regional development had been severely neglected.

In fact, the government was actively encouraging relocation unless there was a compelling reason to stay.

As a result, many had moved to Seoul or Busan.

But not everyone could leave.

Some resisted the idea of relocation, while others simply wanted to stay in their hometowns.

Yet, making a living in this underdeveloped area was extremely difficult.

Most people survived by buying and selling goods through the marketplace, making a small profit off price differences.

But with more shops opening and competition increasing, profits were shrinking.

To make matters worse, many hunters now had access to inventory storage, rendering marketplace reselling a dying industry.

For the woman in front of her, earning 500,000 won in just a few hours of lessons was nothing short of a miracle.

"Thank you so much. Really..."

Her Korean was slightly broken, but her gratitude was clear—her eyes were red-rimmed with tears.

"I feel a mix of relief and regret, knowing this is our last lesson."

"I really do..."

For the woman, this was an enormous loss.

This tutoring had been her family’s sole source of income.

She wanted to ask for more lessons, but she knew she couldn’t be selfish.

She already considered herself deeply fortunate for what she had received so far.

"I will never forget your kindness."

"Kindness? I needed these lessons just as much. You earned your pay. Here, take this."

Inside the paper bag Oh Eon-ju handed over were colored pencils and a sketchbook.

"I heard Yeon-hee loves drawing."

"...I’ll treasure these."

Even though these were items available at the marketplace, a mother raising three children had far more urgent expenses.

Buying her daughter art supplies was a luxury she couldn't afford.

Which was why Oh Eon-ju’s gesture meant so much.

"Mei Lin, would you be interested in working with me?"

"Work?"

"Yes."

Mei Lin had already been worried about how to survive after this tutoring ended.

Even though she felt shameless, she had no choice but to accept.

"I’ll do it! I’ll do anything!"

"Great. Let’s go. We can talk on the way."

"Okay..."

With a hint of nervousness, Mei Lin followed Oh Eon-ju.

Parked in the underground parking lot was a large SUV.

Seeing it, Mei Lin exclaimed softly in admiration.

"This is... the car that Jae-hyun personally gifted you...?"

Oh Eon-ju gave a wry smile.

"Yeah. Get in."

She sat in the passenger seat, gazing out the window.

The roads here were relatively well-maintained—unlike Seoul and other regions, this area had suffered minimal damage.

The Otherworld had been present here, so the city as a whole remained intact.

Even the roads were largely undamaged, allowing for quick repairs.

However, very few vehicles traveled these roads.

"Where are we going?"

"Your new workplace."

"Ah..."

She had a guess.

She knew why Oh Eon-ju had started taking Chinese lessons.

"We’re going to the orphanage, aren’t we?"

"That’s right."

The reason Oh Eon-ju had been studying Chinese—

It was for the children at the orphanage.

She had founded and personally managed an orphanage for children who had lost their parents and families.

Many multicultural families lived in rural areas of Jeollanam-do—and among them, those of Vietnamese and Chinese descent were the most common.

Some of the children had learned their parents’ native language first, making Korean difficult for them.

To communicate better, Oh Eon-ju had begun learning Chinese.

"So, I’ll be teaching Chinese at the orphanage?"

"Something like that."

Still driving, Oh Eon-ju continued.

"I want you to be a teacher for the children. More than just teaching Chinese, I need someone to look after them. Many of them feel more comfortable speaking Chinese..."

"A teacher... But I only know Chinese..."

"That’s not true. You have a talent for teaching others. You could even start a formal Chinese class in the future, but right now, I need someone who can care for the children and teach them the basics."

"Are you sure I’m the right person?"

"Of course. And I have another request—oh, and how about moving in with Yeon-hee and the kids?"

Mei Lin covered her mouth, eyes wide.

"Are you serious?"

Essentially, she was being offered free housing and meals for her entire family.

"Absolutely. I’ll make sure your salary is more than enough."

"I’ll do it! I’m good at cleaning, I’m not terrible at cooking either! Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it!"

"Great. But let’s go check it out first, and then you can decide."

The relief washed over Mei Lin, bringing a genuine smile to her face as she joked—

"So, the past month of tutoring was basically... a job interview?"

"You could see it that way. I couldn’t just assign someone to the children without verifying them first. Oh, we’re here."

The place they arrived at had a parking lot and even a large playground.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

"This place was in Gwangju?"

"It was an elementary school that we repurposed. There’s one orphanage inside the territory, but it’s located right at the domain’s edge..."

"Ah..."

Mei Lin’s face paled.

Having been rescued from outside the safe zone, she knew all too well what lurked beyond.

The memories of that day remained fresh in her mind.

She suddenly froze in place.

Oh Eon-ju, noticing her expression, asked with concern—

"Are you okay?"

"A-Ah, sorry. Some old memories just surfaced..."

"I see... Sorry if I brought up something painful."

As the mood began to darken—

"Director!"

A child’s voice rang out.

A high-pitched voice broke through the conversation.

"Look at this!"

The owner of the voice was a little girl, no older than three.

She struck a pose and wiggled her tiny body, moving enthusiastically.

Oh Eon-ju smiled and clapped her hands, keeping rhythm with the girl’s dance.

"Ta-da! Wasn’t that great?"

"Our Da-on, you could totally become an idol!"

"Hehe! I’ll practice more and show you again!"

The child, satisfied after showing off, scampered back inside the building.

Watching the scene, Mei Lin murmured—

"I still can’t believe it... I never thought we could regain such... such peaceful days again..."

"It’s all thanks to Jae-hyun."

Mei Lin glanced at Oh Eon-ju curiously.

After all, the rescue teams that had saved her and her children, the administrators who had helped them settle in, and even Oh Eon-ju herself—all of them constantly mentioned Kim Jae-hyun’s name.

She suddenly felt curious.

"You said you were fairly close to him, didn’t you?"

"Something like that."

"What kind of person is he? What kind of man could accomplish something like this?"

Oh Eon-ju paused, lost in thought.

After a brief moment of consideration, she finally spoke.

"This is just my personal opinion... but I think he might truly be a savior sent from the heavens."

"...What?"

"You’ve heard of Awakeners, right?"

"Yes, I’ve heard stories, but I’ve never actually seen one."

At that moment—

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A giant bear suddenly appeared right in front of Mei Lin.

"KYAAAAH!"

She screamed in terror, but the bear vanished in an instant.

In its place—stood Oh Eon-ju.

"Surprised? I thought it’d be better to show you in person rather than just explain. As you can see, Awakeners are real."

"Haah... You really scared me there."

"Sorry about that. But anyway, there are many incredibly powerful Awakeners. And yet, Jae-hyun is on a completely different level. You can’t even compare him to the others—his power is just... beyond."

"That does make sense..."

Mei Lin looked up at the sky.

She still remembered the time when monsters roamed freely.

She still had nightmares about the desperate struggle for survival.

That’s why—this peaceful scenery before her felt unreal.

"A man capable of casting a barrier over such a vast region..."

"And that’s not all. The shops where we buy goods, the electricity and gas that supply our homes, the marketplace, and even inventory storage—all of that is because of him."

"...Is that really true?"

She had assumed that such infrastructure had been built through the combined efforts of many powerful Awakeners.

But to think that all of it had come from a single person...

Only now did Oh Eon-ju’s words truly sink in.

"Maybe he really was sent by the heavens to save humanity."

"Even if he’s not, he’s still humanity’s greatest hope in this era."

***

[Citizen Huang Mei Lin’s Trust Level has reached 50.]

[Loyalty has been unlocked.]

‘Well... that was a bit embarrassing to hear.’

It had been a while since he last checked in on Oh Eon-ju’s territory in Gwangju.

He had been too busy with the corpse legion and expanding his domain through leveling up.

Simply distributing aid to the newly accepted citizens in the expanded area had kept him overwhelmed.

He never knew Oh Eon-ju had such faith in him.

‘Anyway, an orphanage, huh...’

The orphanage had children of all ages, from toddlers just learning to speak to high schoolers.

It wasn’t just a haphazard setup—there was a structured system, ensuring they had proper shelter, food, education, and even leisure activities.

Despite the lack of direct support from him, Oh Eon-ju had been running the orphanage with her own personal funds.

He observed for a while—and it was clear that she was deeply invested in this cause.

‘I should probably arrange some support for them later.’

He understood why Oh Eon-ju was so devoted to this.

Just as she had lost Si-woo to monsters, the children here had lost their parents the same way.

She probably wanted to be their pillar of strength, helping them heal from their wounds.

‘...It’s good to see.’

The world was still full of sorrow.

Too many had lost something precious.

But at the same time, the world was also filled with those trying to overcome that sorrow.

The soldiers who willingly enlisted to fight against the monsters.

The retainers who risked their lives to complete operations.

He had always been grateful for those brave enough to stand with him.

But now—

‘We weren’t the only ones fighting.’

Even those inside the safe zones were doing their best to endure their own hardships and overcome their own burdens.

And—

‘Even now, there are people barely holding on, struggling to survive.’

He wanted to save them.

‘It’s time to head to Jeju Island.’