Absolute Dweller-Chapter 239

Unique Grade.

It was a grade that had appeared for the first time after tens of thousands of enchantment attempts.

"Who would have thought there was a grade higher than rare?"

The probability was absurdly low, but the effect was undeniable.

[ Life Extension ] { Unique }

Eating the chocolate extends lifespan by 300 seconds.

300 seconds might seem short, but it was more than enough time to save a dying life.

"It’s enough time to supply the World Tree’s vitality and heal someone."

And if that wasn't sufficient, a daily quest reward for complete recovery would take care of it.

Besides—

"For 300 seconds, it’s practically immortality."

For that duration after consuming the chocolate, one simply wouldn't die.

"This is insane."

The function was ridiculously powerful, befitting an option that had emerged at an astronomically low probability.

Just as he was marveling at it, Kim Da-bin asked.

[ What should we do? ]

The only thing Kang Jae-wook wanted was this:

Could he keep the chocolate that had been enchanted with a Unique Grade option?

In exchange, he was even willing to forgo the reward money.

[ No problem. ]

There was no need to buy the original.

As long as it was registered in the store, it could be purchased at any time.

"That’s the advantage of enchanted items."

But even so, he couldn't just let go of the one who had managed to produce a Unique Grade item.

[ The reward money will still be paid. We'll buy the durability-enhanced item for 1 billion, and I will personally handle the compensation for the Unique Grade item. ]

[ You, personally, Jaehyun-nim? ]

[ Yes. ]

With those final words, I used teleportation to move to the administrative office.

"Huh?"

Kang Jae-wook, who had been sitting on the sofa, reacted the moment he saw me materializing out of thin air.

It seemed he recognized my face.

"Congratulations, Kang Jae-wook-ssi."

Kang Jae-wook stood up and replied.

"It’s an honor!"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kim Jaehyun."

"Ah, nice to meet you!"

"Let’s sit and talk comfortably."

"Yes!"

I shook his hand lightly and started speaking.

"You’re with the 103rd Rescue Unit, correct?"

Kang Jae-wook’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Y-Yes. How…?"

"I make an effort to remember the names of the rescue squad members."

In fact, I knew most of them by name.

Since dozens of the Eyes of the Absolute were invested in monitoring the rescue teams, their names and faces naturally became familiar.

[ Citizen Kang Jae-wook’s trust level has increased. ]

[ Citizen Kang Jae-wook’s loyalty has increased. ]

"Good."

It was an intentional move, of course, but I had no choice but to act this way whenever possible.

The increase in trust directly correlated with an increase in their stats.

Especially since the rescue squads faced life-threatening situations frequently, raising their trust level whenever possible was crucial.

"You can keep the item. The reward money will also be paid in full. This is your achievement, after all."

"Are you talking about the durability enhancement?"

"Of course, that too. But I’m referring to the first-ever Unique Grade chocolate."

"Really?"

"Of course. The reward is given for successfully obtaining a high-tier enchantment, after all."

Kang Jae-wook quickly understood what I meant and asked.

"Then, will this chocolate now be available in the store?"

"…Yes."

I was slightly concerned.

What if he didn’t want it to be registered in the store?

He wasn’t an idiot—he surely understood the value of the chocolate he held.

Even if he turned down the reward money, it was obvious he wanted to keep it.

"But if it becomes available for anyone to purchase, the situation changes."

After all, value comes from rarity.

If it became common, its worth would inevitably drop.

If his goal was to sell the chocolate at the highest possible price, he might oppose having it registered in the store.

At the very least, he might want to delay registration until he sold it himself.

(Thank goodness.)

But through mind-reading, Kang Jae-wook’s thoughts were the complete opposite of my worries.

(If it’s sold in stores, the number of deaths during rescue missions will drastically decrease.)

(Even if the same situation happens again, we’ll be able to save lives.)

(I should save the reward money and bulk-purchase the chocolate when it appears in the store.)

(Rather than investing in myself to get stronger, it’s better to buy chocolate and distribute it to the rescue squad.)

(I won’t let anyone die in front of me again.)

Feeling the warmth of his thoughts, I couldn’t help but smile gently.

"So that’s why you wanted to keep the chocolate."

At the same time, I felt guilty.

I was sorry for misunderstanding him.

And I was sorry that he had to go through such experiences as part of the rescue squad.

That’s why—

"Kang Jae-wook-ssi. Do you want to become stronger?"

A sudden urge to help him arose.

"…What?"

"I’ll help you."

The surest way to strengthen civilians was to register them as retainers.

Retainers received exclusive buffs and awakening abilities.

And as long as there was money, leveling them up was possible.

Most rescue squad members already met the basic conditions for becoming retainers.

And Kang Jae-wook was no exception—he could be registered at any time.

"But…"

The problem was that retainer slots were extremely limited.

As much as I wanted to help, retainer registration was strictly merit-based.

I couldn’t hand out slots purely on emotion.

"Instead—"

Retainer registration wasn’t the only way to enhance civilians.

[ Granting the Power of the Stars. ]

[ Would you like to spend 100,000,000 won to grant Citizen Kang Jae-wook the Power of the Stars? ]

[ Success Rate: 65% ]

"Proceed."

[ The Power of the Stars has been granted to Citizen Kang Jae-wook. ]

Starting from 1-Star—

[ The Power of the Stars has been granted to Citizen Kang Jae-wook. ]

[ The Power of the Stars has been granted to Citizen Kang Jae-wook. ]

Until he reached the pre-limit-break maximum of 3-Stars.

The System, Perhaps Moved by Kang Jae-wook’s Resolve, Allowed Him to Reach 3 Stars Without a Single Failure.

As a result, the total cost amounted to only 1.4 billion won.

"This is…?"

Kang Jae-wook looked down at his own body and muttered to himself.

He could feel it.

Given his extensive experience in real rescue operations, his level had already surpassed 30, making him extremely sensitive to any changes in his body.

[☆☆☆]

All stats increased by 300%.Experience gain increased by 50%.Settlement funds increased by 50%.

Thanks to the Crown of the Absolute, his actual stat increase reached 600%.

The difference was impossible to ignore.

"Consider it a small gift."

Among non-retainers, Kang Jae-wook was the first person to receive the Power of the Stars.

Even among retainers, it was rare for anyone to be granted the full power of the stars.

"Normally, it's more efficient to use that money for level-ups instead."

Unlike regular enhancements, the Power of the Stars was guaranteed to succeed after enough investment, thanks to stardust.

But for the enhancement to proceed flawlessly in one go—that was rare.

Typically, raising someone to 3-Star Strength cost around 5 billion won.

This was why it wasn’t commonly used on ordinary citizens.

But—

"For someone like him, it's worth every penny."

Part of it was admiration for his selfless mindset.

But even more than that—compared to the value of the Unique Grade item he had created, this was nothing but a trivial sum.

Seeing Kang Jae-wook still in a daze, I spoke up.

"Put the durability-enhanced sword up for sale in the marketplace. I'll buy it immediately. As for the price…"

How much should I set it at?

What was the appropriate price for an item that could extend someone’s life by 300 seconds?

"100 billion is too low."

A Unique Grade was something that had appeared at an unimaginably low probability.

It was incomparable to the dozens of Rare Grade items that had surfaced before.

Factoring that in, along with the good impression I had of Kang Jae-wook, I finalized the price.

"List it for 301 billion won."

Kang Jae-wook froze for a moment, staring at me, before speaking slowly.

"I’m sorry, could you repeat that? I think I misheard…"

So this time, I enunciated clearly.

"Three. Hundred. One. Billion. Won."

"!!!"

Looking as if he were possessed, Kang Jae-wook mechanically listed the item in the marketplace. Moments later, the durability-enhanced sword materialized before me.

A saber, the kind primarily used in the West.

A sword I had just purchased for 301 billion won.

"T-Three hundred billion!"

While Kang Jae-wook was still in shock over the sum, I was preparing yet another small gift.

Checking the details, I confirmed that since the saber had been purchased from the store, there was no issue in enhancing it.

"But before that—"

I first bought a Durability Enhancement Enchant Ball from the store.

Then, I enhanced it to +10.

[Durability Enhancement Enchant Ball] +10

▶ Durability Enhancement IV

▶ Skill: [Stacking Effect] Acquired

▶ Enchant Efficiency Increased by 400%

▶ Skill: [Potential] Acquired

"Huh?"

Normally, each item could only hold one enchantment option.

I had experimented with this while filling the store slots—applying an Enchant Ball would erase the item’s previous option and replace it with the new one.

But—

"It allows stacking?"

This enhanced Enchant Ball was different.

The effects stacked instead of replacing each other.

And then, there was [Potential], which had appeared at +10 Strengthening.

Checking through the Eyes of the Absolute, I discovered its effect.

"It increases the grade of the enchantment?"

Without hesitation, I applied the enhanced Enchant Ball to the saber.

As soon as I did—

Wuuuuung!

The Enchant Ball shone brightly before being absorbed into the saber.

And then—

Paaaah!

A brilliant purple light burst forth.

And—

[Saber]

★ { Indestructible }

Due to the Stacking Effect, the saber should have received two Durability Enhancement effects.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

But instead, it now had a single, Unique Grade option.

[ Indestructible ] { Unique }

▶ This item’s durability will never decrease.

"This is insane."

The moment I saw it—

"Register it in the store."

Acting on instinct, I immediately registered the saber in the store.

Ziiiiiing—

This was the slot I had originally reserved for the Unique Grade chocolate.

But now, that spot was taken by the Indestructible Saber.

And at the same time—

The Homebound Absolute’s Store Skill was now eligible for a level-up.

[ Would you like to level up the Homebound Absolute’s Store Skill? ]

"Yes."

For the first time in a long while—a skill level-up.

Wuuuuung!

[ Homebound Absolute’s Store Skill has reached Lv. 8. ]

▶ The number of store slots has increased to 30,000.

▶ All items are now available at a 40% discount.

Not only had the number of store slots significantly increased, but I could now purchase all store items at 40% off.

And—

▶ All items registered in the store will now automatically recover durability.

▶ Advanced Enchantments are now available.

▶ Enhancement success rates have increased.

▶ Enhancement costs have been reduced by 50%.

All of the store-related functions had just been enhanced.