Absolute Dweller-Chapter 222

Kim Da-bin had encountered them countless times.

Those who had been forced into unfair misfortune.

Children who lost their parents, parents who lost their children before their eyes.

People who found their family's bodies only after a long delay.

Those who never even saw a corpse.

The appearance of monsters had caused the world to overflow with various miseries.

In front of all those misfortunes, Kim Da-bin had to remain calm.

She was in a position where, rather than empathizing, she had to use cold logic to come up with the appropriate measures.

She gathered the orphaned children to set up temporary shelters, found psychiatrists to take care of the people who were paralyzed by shock, and even ran funeral services to help those who had lost their families send them off properly, while also helping others find out if their loved ones were alive or dead.

She could always pride herself on doing her best in her position.

[Fujita Yumi.]

The responsibility of the authority granted by Kim Jae-hyun, her sympathy for those who had suffered misfortune, and the inner satisfaction she gained from helping them.

[Get a grip, Fujita Yumi.]

Of course, there were those things too.

But why was it so desperate?

For some reason, when she looked into the eyes of Fujita Kaya, she felt an overwhelming sense of duty to save her.

[Fujita Yumi!]

So, she had been able to shout for more than ten minutes, her hand still placed on the stone with no response.

‘I don’t know.’

She didn’t understand why, but she wanted to save her, no matter what.

It was then.

[...Please.]

Could it be that her desperate wish had reached her?

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[...Save me.]

Faintly, she thought she heard her voice.

Focusing all her attention to not lose that sensation, Kim Da-bin shouted again.

[Fujita Yumi! I’m here!]

At that moment.

Whoosh!

It felt like all her senses were being blocked, and the ground that had been supporting her feet disappeared beneath her.

"Ahhh!"

She fell, like being dragged into the abyss.

"!"

When she opened her eyes amidst the chilling sensation.

"Huuuh... Hck."

Someone was crying in the darkness.

From a distance, she could see the tiny figure of the girl sobbing.

Kim Da-bin slowly approached her and spoke.

"Fujita Yumi?"

The moment she grabbed her shoulder.

Whoosh!

The surroundings changed abruptly.

"Hck. Huhhh."

The crying girl was sitting in the middle of the road.

Right next to her, there was a crushed car with a smashed window, and a man bleeding from his wounds.

‘...’

Only then did she realize.

The crying girl wasn’t Fujita Yumi.

"...Daddy."

It was her.

Her as a child.

She was wearing a middle school uniform.

‘This memory...’

A painful memory sealed deep within her unconscious.

"Don’t die, Dad."

It was her last memory with her father.

When she realized that, Kim Da-bin was left alone in the pitch-black darkness.

She covered her face with her empty hands and took deep breaths, suppressing her emotions.

She thought she understood.

Why she hated seeing someone die so much.

Why she had desperately wanted to save Fujita Yumi.

Why she had felt so desperate.

What she wanted to save was herself.

"Hah."

Taking a deep breath, Kim Da-bin slapped her own cheeks hard.

There was a sharp sound, but no pain.

Still, that alone helped her gather her senses to some extent.

[Fujita Yumi! Where are you?]

She used all her strength to send out telepathic signals as she swam through the darkness.

[Kaya is waiting!]

With that desperate hope, she swam through the darkness.

[...Here, here!]

Had the name Kaya made her react?

In the pitch-black darkness, a faint path appeared before her.

She sprinted towards where the voice had come from.

[...Fujita Yumi?]

There was a woman.

She was bound in silver chains that dug into her body, her surroundings dyed silver, her figure pitiful as tears streamed down her face.

The chains had even pierced her left cheekbone, and half of her face had hardened, like metal.

Even in such a miserable state, the woman barely managed to speak.

[Kaya, is our Kaya okay?]

[...Don’t worry. She’s fine.]

Upon hearing that, Fujita Yumi raised her monstrous arms and covered her face.

[Ah, thank goodness, thank goodness...]

From her left cheek, where the chains had dug in, liquid metal like mercury dripped down, forming a grotesque scene.

Already transformed into a monster on the inside, Fujita Yumi begged Kim Da-bin.

[Please, kill me!]

Perhaps because their emotions were connected, the sincerity of her plea reached Kim Da-bin, causing her heart to ache even more.

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

She knew very well that she was beyond hope.

[It’s not over yet.]

[What?]

[You can still meet your daughter, alive.]

[...What do you mean?]

Kim Da-bin once again scanned Fujita Yumi’s condition.

Wrapped in silver chains, she looked like a monster.

What to do was instinctively clear to her.

The darkness enveloping her body was teaching her that method.

[It will hurt. It will be agonizing. It’s like cutting out cancer cells without anesthesia. Even after the operation, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be fine. But...]

Still...

[It’s better than giving up. Kaya still needs you, her mother.]

Fujita Yumi slowly nodded.

[Please, take care of it…]

Could it really be possible?

Kim Da-bin didn’t know.

But she believed in Kim Jae-hyun.

‘He said it’s possible.’

Her blind faith in him, and her ungrounded belief that he could save this mother and daughter.

With such a mindset, she began the operation.

Swoosh!

The black blade made from dark energy easily sliced through the silver chains when it touched them.

And then...

Whoooosh!

The black flames that had spread around began to engulf the silver chains.

Until that point, Fujita Yumi had been okay.

She was sweating coldly, but she seemed able to endure it.

However, as the black flames made contact with her contaminated body...

[Kyaaah!]

A piercing scream erupted.

Seeing her in pain every time the black blade touched her, Kim Da-bin felt despair.

‘I can’t let this continue.’

There was no way she could hold on.

The proof of that was the weakening response from Fujita Yumi, who had been struggling intensely.

It wasn’t that the pain had lessened.

She no longer had the strength to scream.

‘Please, Jae-hyun!’

At the moment when Kim Da-bin was searching for Kim Jae-hyun with all her heart.

Whoosh!

A massive surge of energy began to ripple.

And then.

“Ah!”

It felt like everything from head to toe was fulfilled.

It was the sensation of receiving a reward for her faith, a comforting feeling that filled her whole body.

Immediately after.

“!!!”

A halo appeared above her head, and a pair of black wings sprouted from her back.

At the same time.

Whooosh―!

The black energy wrapped around Fujita Yumi’s entire body with terrifying speed.

And then.

Swoosh―

In an instant, the silver energy was purified.

And then.

“Gah!”

Kim Da-bin opened her eyes to reality.

The moment her eyes opened, she checked the Stone Golem and Fujita Yumi’s condition.

“Yumi! Yumi!”

It seemed like she had succeeded at the last moment, but Fujita Yumi was still in her monstrous form.

Nothing had changed.

‘Did I fail?’

At that moment.

[You did well.]

Kim Jae-hyun’s voice soon followed, and Kim Da-bin let out a sigh of relief.

[The purification was successful, but it seems the body that has undergone mutation cannot return to its original state.]

Immediately after hearing Kim Jae-hyun’s voice.

Kukuku—

The Stone Golem slowly began to move.

And then.

Kukuk—

It bent deeply at the waist and bowed to Kim Da-bin.

It was completely different from its previous erratic behavior, where it would rampage non-stop unless restrained.

This time, it was calm and gentle, almost exactly like the demeanor of Fujita Yumi she had seen before.

Perhaps Fujita Kaya had realized it too.

“Mom!”

Without hesitation, she ran toward the still-monster-like figure of her mother and buried her face in the hard rock-like leg.

The Stone Golem’s appearance, not knowing whether to avoid harming Fujita Kaya, was unmistakably that of a mother.

Kim Da-bin, uncertain, sent a telepathic message.

[Fujita Yumi, have you returned?]

The Stone Golem, having heard her words, slowly nodded.

Only then could Kim Da-bin smile with relief.

[I'm so glad. Really, really glad.]

***

It was a success.

Fujita Yumi had regained her name.

Upon checking, it was also possible for her to gain citizenship.

She would be able to live within the safe zone with her daughter, Fujita Kaya.

‘...Though her body didn’t revert back to human form after becoming a monster.’

Unlike the case where someone returned to full human form by acquiring citizenship during the golden time, she had not regained her human appearance.

Still, it held meaning.

‘Now we know that even those who have undergone mutations can be saved.’

From Kim Da-bin's report, it seemed that Fujita Yumi had been able to return because, even though incomplete, her personality had remained intact.

Since she was halfway contaminated, if more time passed and the contamination completely took over, Kim Da-bin's powers would no longer be enough to reverse it.

However, putting all those things aside.

‘...I’m just glad.’

It was a relief that Fujita Kaya didn’t have to lose her mother.

Even though her appearance was incomplete, just the fact that her mother’s personality had returned seemed to make Fujita Kaya quite satisfied.

Indeed.

[Citizen Fujita Kaya's loyalty is increasing.]

[Citizen Fujita Kaya's loyalty has reached 100.]

[Citizen Fujita Kaya is registered as a vassal.]

[The vassal limit has increased.]

During their conversation, Fujita Kaya’s loyalty had already reached 100.

Additionally.

[Citizen Fujita Yumi's trust is increasing.]

[Citizen Fujita Yumi's trust has reached 100.]

Fujita Yumi’s trust had also reached 100.

But was it because she was in her mutated form?

Normally, she would have gained the ‘Rock Skin’ ability she possessed.

But.

[‘Rock Golem’s Heart’ has been acquired.]

Zing―

As a reward for reaching 100 trust, she acquired some “object.”

[Rock Golem’s Heart]

A core material for creating a rock golem.

Using the Absolute Dweller’s eyes to check, the method of use was incredibly simple.

If the heart is placed in a rocky area, a rock golem will be born in 15 days.

‘It might be useful.’

Though, it did feel a bit regretful to only be able to operate one.

Still, it seemed like it could be useful in some way, so she decided to run a simple test.

‘Register the item.’

She wasn’t really expecting anything.

Items obtained from the system like this were usually not eligible for store slot registration.

Things like pills to awaken teleportation abilities, the Crown of the Absolute, or the Ring of Communication.

She expected the usual message saying it couldn’t be registered.

But.

[Would you like to register the item?]

‘...Huh?’

A notification appeared, contrary to her expectations.

‘Register it.’

At that moment.

Zing―

[Rock Golem’s Heart has been successfully registered.]

It really had been registered.