Absolute Dweller-Chapter 216

It wasn't that there was never a situation where citizenship could be granted to a monster.

Take vampires, for example. It was possible to grant them citizenship.

That much was understandable.

Vampires were once human beings.

‘But this...’

Black skin blending into the darkness, eyes glowing with a blue light, abnormally swollen legs, and clawed feet digging into the ground.

No matter how you looked at it, it was a monster.

But there was something that made sense.

‘He said he's a mutant.’

A case where an awakener’s abilities went berserk, turning them into a monster.

The evidence was clear from the information window visible in the Eye of the Absolute.

『Nakamoto Hiroshi (Lv. 27)』

Awakening Ability: Strength Enhancement

In this case, it was essentially the same as a vampire.

However...

‘Even so, should I offer him citizenship?’

There was no need to think for long.

It was simple to try it out.

‘Citizenship proposal.’

[Would you like to offer citizenship to Nakamoto Hiroshi?]

[Yes / No]

What citizenship was didn't matter.

What mattered was that, for the first time, he didn’t feel the scent of blood.

And his mind was clear.

Clearer than ever.

He instinctively realized.

This was an opportunity.

‘...Yes!’

The moment he accepted it.

Crack—

‘Ugh!’

A violent pain surged through his entire body.

It felt like his bones were being shattered, his muscles twisted and torn apart.

The worst of the pain was in his lower body.

The pain in his legs hit his mind with a powerful jolt.

Just after the nightmare-like pain ended.

“Haa, haa.”

The first thing he saw was the starry night.

A breathtaking sky, like something you would only see in the countryside.

The moon shone brightly as if it were decorated with lights, the stars proudly displaying their beauty, and the Milky Way flowing through the sky.

It almost seemed as though the galaxy itself was blessing him.

The second life that was beginning.

‘Beautiful.’

As he looked up slightly, the ruins of a city became visible.

Perhaps because he had gained a new opportunity, even that seemed beautiful.

The fluorescent lights and neon signs had lost their glow, but instead, the night sky, glittering like jewels, had regained its stars.

For a while, Nakamoto Hiroshi stared blankly at the night sky before trying to rise.

However.

‘...?’

His body didn’t respond.

To be precise, his body wouldn’t move as he wanted.

He could barely lift his body about five centimeters from the ground.

His legs were the same.

If he tried to force them, they would shake, but that was all.

“Th-This is a joke, right?”

Just a moment ago, he had felt excruciating pain.

There had to be some mistake.

Perhaps, because everything suddenly returned to normal, he had no strength, or his muscles were in shock, causing muscle pain.

If he rested for a moment, he would surely be fine.

“You idiot. Still, you’ve ruined everything.”

Despite the optimistic thoughts flooding in, Hiroshi was snapped back to reality.

This wasn’t muscle pain.

It wasn’t that moving hurt.

It was that his strength just wasn’t being transmitted.

Which meant he had become completely paralyzed.

“Haha.”

The hope that had arrived at the end of despair.

“…Well, I guess this outcome isn’t too bad.”

Wasn’t this the death he had always wished for?

And now, he could die as a human, not as a monster.

It couldn’t be better than this.

‘I never deserved a second life in the first place.’

He had killed people.

Men, women, children, the elderly, anyone in his path.

He had killed so many that he didn’t even remember how many.

‘Yeah, this kind of end is just right for someone like me.’

It was a world where monsters ran rampant.

Soon enough, goblins or orcs would come after him.

Unable to move, he would be eaten helplessly without resistance.

That could be considered a good death.

But if there was one wish.

“…Aiko.”

Sasaki Aiko.

He missed her.

In a world overflowing with monsters, she had been the miracle that fate had brought him.

Even just once, he wanted to see her face, meet her, hold her tight, and whisper his love to her.

‘Damn.’

His mind understood.

For someone as guilty as him, such a painful death suited him.

But.

‘I don’t want to die.’

He wanted to live.

Since it had come to this, he wanted to live, even in his disabled body.

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

Somehow, he wanted to survive and see Aiko again.

“Haa!”

He took a deep breath.

His body didn’t move, but thankfully, speaking wasn’t an issue.

“Please, help me!”

He shouted with all his might.

“Is anyone here? Someone, help me!”

He knew it was a dangerous call.

He knew that the probability of a monster showing up was far higher than someone coming to his aid.

Still.

“Please, help me!”

He had returned from being a monster to a human.

Given the situation, perhaps a second miracle could be granted.

“Please!! Please!!!”

As he cried out with all his desperation, as if by miracle...

[Is something uncomfortable?]

A voice echoed in his head.

It wasn’t a voice heard through his ears, but one that resonated inside his mind.

The second miracle had truly arrived.

“Please, I’ll do whatever you ask! Help me!”

At that moment.

Whoooosh—

A greenish light burst around Hiroshi.

Then.

“!!!”

He felt a sharp pain in his throat.

And then.

“Ugh!”

An intense wave of nausea hit him.

Hiroshi jerked up, opening his mouth toward the floor.

“Uweeeek!”

As he vomited, Hiroshi discovered shards of metal mixed in with his regurgitated bile.

‘What... is this?’

Then, it clicked.

When he was transforming into a monster, he had been shot by a man.

The life force of a mutant was incredible, so he had recovered fully after that, but it seemed that the bullet had still been lodged in his neck.

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

And then.

“Huh?”

He suddenly realized that he was moving just fine.

‘Was this because of that?’

The bullet lodged in his neck must have been affecting his nerves.

“Haha, hahaha!”

A laugh escaped him.

Even in the dirty state caused by his vomit, seeing his limbs move freely, he felt as though he had gained the whole world.

At that moment, still laughing like a madman.

[It seems like you’re okay now.]

Once again, the unfamiliar voice of a man reached him.

He began to assess the situation.

‘At least two awakeners are involved.’

The man sending telepathy and the one who had healed his body with an unknown ability.

And.

‘Both are incredibly powerful.’

Just witnessing the healing of a paralyzed body instantly showed that they possessed a level of ability far beyond what he could comprehend.

Moreover, he couldn’t see anyone nearby as he scanned the ruins lit by moonlight.

That meant the ability had been activated from a distance, not from a place in plain sight.

‘They must have reacted to my voice.’

Grateful for his past decisiveness, he thought back.

Telepathy was understandable.

But.

‘What the hell was that healing ability?’

A long-range healing ability.

One that could instantly heal someone who had been completely paralyzed.

Just as he was lost in thought, the voice of his benefactor came again.

[Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Jae-hyun.]

Unable to pinpoint the exact location of his benefactor, he bowed into the air as he responded.

“Nice to meet you! I’m Nakamoto Hiroshi!”

[How’s your body?]

“Thanks to you, I’m completely fine now!”

[I’m glad to hear that. Hmm, wait a moment. I’ll give you something to wear.]

“Oh! Thank you so much!”

Hiroshi naturally assumed they would come to him directly and hand him the clothes.

But reality was very different from what he had imagined.

Zing—

Suddenly, clothes appeared in mid-air.

Underwear, pants, and a t-shirt materialized one by one.

Hiroshi, startled, grabbed the clothes and stared blankly at them.

[Do you not like the design?]

He quickly shook his head and responded.

“N-No, not at all! I was just surprised. I’ll put them on right away!”

After hurriedly putting on the clothes.

Zing—

This time, bread and milk appeared in mid-air.

“Gah!”

The moment he saw it.

Grrr—

His stomach growled loudly, demanding food.

[You must be hungry, so please eat first.]

Hiroshi quickly devoured the bread and milk.

[...Would you like more?]

With his mouth full of bread, he nodded eagerly, and a new cream-filled bun appeared before him.

‘Ah.’

As he bit into the bread, the sweet cream spread throughout his mouth, and a sip of milk mixed with the soft bread, giving him a moist texture.

It was the first time in a long while that he felt truly alive.

This sensation was something he hadn’t experienced since the world fell apart.

It was a pleasure beyond comparison to the days when he had eaten monster carcasses.

Gulp.

Having finished the bread in an instant, Hiroshi looked up, his eyes sparkling as he stared into the air.

[We could give you more bread, but wouldn’t you prefer meat instead?]

“...Meat?”

Hiroshi thought of the monster meat he had eaten to the point of exhaustion.

Except for a few rare monsters, most monster meat was tough and tasteless.

‘I’ve been asking too much.’

It was like being pulled out of the water and then demanding a feast.

In this world, the value of a cream-filled bun was beyond price.

Hiroshi smiled brightly and said.

“I absolutely love meat!”

[Hmm. Actually, I don’t understand Japanese, so please come over here. There are a few things I’d like to ask you.]

Not understanding Japanese?

It was a bit shocking, but what followed was even more shocking.

Zing—

The air seemed to split open, and an unfamiliar space appeared.

“Let’s eat and die!”

“Woohoo!!”

Inside, a festival seemed to be in full swing.

The smell of grilled meat and alcohol.

Voices full of joy.

Laughter coming from everywhere.

It was an incredibly unfamiliar sight.

“This is...”

Hiroshi walked in, entranced.

And then.

“Aiko?”

He saw her sitting at one of the tables, drinking alone with a sad expression.