Absolute Dweller-Chapter 240

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Kang Jae-wook, now holding the [Indestructible] saber, bowed deeply, almost in tears.

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

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

Trust: 99

Loyalty: 73

It was clear that direct interactions were the most effective way to increase trust and loyalty.

"And for the final touch—"

I added Kang Jae-wook to Ha Dong-geon’s retainer squad.

Immediately, he reacted.

"Huh? This is…?"

A real-time system log appeared in front of him.

[You have gained experience.]

[351,033 won has been deposited into Citizen Kang Jae-wook’s wallet.]

[You have gained experience.]

[223,233 won has been deposited into Citizen Kang Jae-wook’s wallet.]

By becoming a retainer, Kang Jae-wook was now receiving a portion of the experience and earnings generated by the squad.

"This is my final gift to you. I hope you grow stronger quickly."

For a moment, Kang Jae-wook just stared at me in stunned silence before finally bowing his head.

His voice wavered slightly.

"...I will make sure to live up to your expectations."

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

[Citizen Kang Jae-wook’s Trust has reached 100.]

This was all expected.

But then—

[JACKPOT!]

[Congratulations.]

[You have obtained a Divine Relic.]

"Huh?"

A dazzling object materialized in mid-air, radiating an elegant aura.

A single glance was enough to tell—it was an extraordinary artifact.

〈Absolute One’s Crystal Bracelet〉

A bracelet of fortune.

A beautiful piece adorned with exquisite gemstones.

Even Kim Da-bin and Kang Jae-wook couldn’t take their eyes off it.

"I didn’t expect to be rewarded this quickly…"

"Huh?"

"Never mind. More importantly, Kang Jae-wook—"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever considered changing your profession to a Priest?"

There was no need to explain what a Priest was.

"I’ll do it!"

As a rescue team member, he already understood the value of Priest abilities.

"You’re currently classified as a Marksman, so an immediate job change won’t be possible. Come find me again in a month."

"Yes! Thank you!"

- Beep! -

As Kami danced on my shoulder, I patted it lightly.

"That’s right, Kami. I’m happy too."

And how could I not be?

I had just obtained the Absolute One’s Crystal Bracelet—a Divine Relic that increased enhancement success rates by 5%.

A mere 5% might not sound like much, but in later-stage enhancements, where success rates plummeted, this was nothing short of a revolution.

"Just from this bracelet alone, I’ve already saved hundreds of billions in potential losses."

The only downside—Divine Relics couldn’t be registered in the store.

Otherwise, I could have enhanced it even further.

The First Thing I Did Upon Returning Home—Enhancements.

Now that I had confirmed that high-level enchantments could yield Unique-Grade options, it was time to experiment.

I enhanced 121 Durability Enhancement Enchant Balls to +10 Strength.

Out of all of them, only one had both [Stacking Effect] and [Potential].

"Even just one is fine."

Because the overall cost of enhancements had been drastically reduced.

The base success rate for +10 Enhancements had jumped from 10% to 25%.

Store Skill Level-Up: +10% Enhancement Success RateAbsolute One’s Crystal Bracelet: +5% Enhancement Success Rate

And—enhancement costs were now 50% cheaper.

But that wasn’t all.

"Now, if I do this… and then that…"

Creating Another [Indestructible] Option.

I already knew the recipe for crafting Indestructible gear.

Step 1: Buy a Greatsword from the store, one that already had a Durability Enhancement enchantment.

Step 2: Apply a +10 Enchant Ball to it.

This time, I used an Enchant Ball that only had [Stacking Effect].

Wuuuuuung—

As it was absorbed, the Greatsword’s Durability Enhancement effect disappeared.

Instead, a single [Durability Enhancement IV] option remained.

Even though [Stacking Effect] was still present, the system had merged the overlapping durability buffs into a single upgraded effect.

"So the system automatically combines identical options, even when stacking is enabled?"

Having confirmed this, I lifted the next Enchant Ball—the one that had taken me 120 attempts to acquire.

It had both [Stacking Effect] and [Potential].

Paaaah!

Like before, a brilliant purple light burst forth, making its presence known.

And then—

[Indestructible] { Unique }

▶ This item’s durability will never decrease.

"There it is."

I had hoped that [Durability Enhancement IV] would yield a higher-grade effect, but that might have been too optimistic.

"If the result is always the same, then there’s no need to waste enhanced Enchant Balls. I can just use the base store-bought ones."

Regardless—another Indestructible Option had been obtained.

"Just eight more, and I can craft an Enchant Ball with the [Indestructible] option."

Ziiiiiing—

After registering the Unique-Grade Greatsword in the store, I checked the marketplace window.

There they were—two swords and a piece of chocolate, all occupying their own slots.

▶ [Indestructible] Greatsword

▶ [Indestructible] Saber

▶ [Life Extension] Chocolate

All three were Unique-Grade items, and each had overpowered options.

"Just looking at them makes me feel full."

And now—

"What would happen if I enhanced them even further?"

The Saber Given to Kang Jae-wook – A Simple Enhancement?

The Saber I gifted to Kang Jae-wook had a Unique-Grade Option, yet the enhancement process had been ordinary.

I could tell just by looking at the enhancement cost.

The cost was not based on the price of a Unique-Grade enchanted sword, but rather on the standard store price of a Saber.

In other words, the enhancement was applied to an unenchanted, basic weapon.

Naturally, the final result was not particularly special.

However—

"It’s different when I buy an enchanted weapon and enhance it."

The store prices alone made the distinction clear.

"1.3 billion per sword."

And that was after a 40% discount.

The same applied to chocolate.

A single bar of chocolate cost 600 million won.

"Should I try enhancing it?"

I had been focusing on crafting Indestructible Enchant Balls for so long that I was starting to get bored.

"It’s always good to switch things up."

Besides, I was curious about what would happen when enhancing a Unique-Grade item.

Purchasing the Chocolate.

I decided to start with the chocolate.

But the moment I bought it—

Ziiing—

The store slot displaying the chocolate turned gray.

"…Huh?"

Seeing this grayed-out slot, a bad feeling crept up on me.

"…Purchase another Life-Extension Chocolate."

And then—

[Unique-Grade items can only be purchased once every three days.]

[Time Remaining: 71 hours 59 minutes 52 seconds]

My heart nearly dropped, but after seeing that I could buy another one after three days, I let out a sigh of relief.

"That scared me."

It was similar to the cooldown system for purchasing Skeleton Soldiers.

"Once every three days? Not bad."

This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.

As long as I bought one each time the cooldown reset, I could stockpile them for later use.

Of course, it meant that mass distribution—like what Kang Jae-wook had envisioned—was impossible.

"Unique-Grade items must be personally managed."

Since the quantity was limited, it was most efficient for me to keep them rather than distributing them to citizens.

Even now, I was managing dozens of Absolute One’s Eyes to handle multiple tasks at once.

Enhancing the Chocolate.

Now, let’s see—

Unique-Grade items came with pre-existing enchantments, and the enhancement process fully utilized those enchantments.

[A&B Chocolate] +10

★ [Life Extension]

▶ Life Extension Effect +800%

▶ Acquired Skill: [Pain Resistance]

▶ Acquired Skill: [Rapid Regeneration]

The Life Extension time had increased from 300 seconds to 2,700 seconds.

That was nearly an hour of extra lifespan.

Moreover, while the effect was active, it provided Pain Resistance and Rapid Regeneration, allowing the user to endure more damage and heal wounds at an accelerated rate.

This wasn’t just a powerful consumable—it was comparable to the legendary Elixir potion.

- Beep! -

"No."

Kami, who usually never ate anything, had its eyes locked on the chocolate.

It had recognized its value.

"I said no."

As I stored the chocolate away in the warehouse, Kami slumped down onto the living room floor, looking dejected.

"Still no."

It eventually lay flat on the floor in protest, but cheering it up was easier than expected.

"How about we go for a walk?"

- Pip! -

At the mere mention of "walk," Kami immediately perked up.

It seemed like it hadn’t really wanted the chocolate that badly after all.

"Alright, let’s go."

Flying Through the Sky.

As I opened the East Gate, Kami flapped its wings and soared outside.

I cautiously stepped through the portal.

On the other side lay an endless expanse of blue sky.

Half of the Korean Peninsula was now under my domain, extending tens of kilometers into the sky.

Flying freely with Kami was no challenge at all.

"Sylphid."

At my call, the wind gathered, forming into Sylphid’s ethereal body.

"I’ve been waiting~"

Kami wasn’t the only one who enjoyed flying.

I surrendered myself to Sylphid’s lead, soaring through the open skies alongside Kami.

While my mind was constantly engaged with tasks elsewhere, at least here, where my body resided, I could enjoy a moment of rest.

- Master, I have completed the analysis. -

Ari’s voice echoed from my phone.

Currently, every citizen’s smartphone was linked to Ari’s system.

With a network of thousands of satellites, we had seamless global communication.

Despite its risks, the convenience was too valuable to ignore.

It had significantly improved the efficiency of the Rescue Team’s operations as well.

"And the results?"

[There are 39 locations with confirmed presence of divine-energy-infused monsters.]

"That many?"

[This is an estimate based on satellite imagery, so there may be some inaccuracies. However, there is a strong possibility that even more divine presences exist in deep-sea or underground locations that are difficult to observe.]

"So, you’re saying these 39 locations are definitely confirmed?"

[That is correct. Please check your smartphone.]

A world map appeared on my phone, with 39 blinking red dots marking the locations.

"Impressive."

Ari had exceeded my expectations.

Despite not being around for long, it was already proving itself invaluable in multiple areas.

"I didn’t expect it to be this useful."

Artificial intelligence was truly remarkable.

Beyond just data analysis, Ari was assisting with rescue operations, strategic planning, and even medical support.

However—

"I may find it convenient, but I don’t trust it completely."

Even though Ari had contributed a lot, I wasn’t blindly placing my faith in it.

"The more capable something is, the more dangerous it can be if it turns against me."

That was why I had to stay prepared.

Target Found – "Mother Ego" (Lv. 87)

Just then—

One of my Avatars, roaming the United States, had successfully located the main body of an entity.

「Mother Ego (Lv. 87)」

"Found it."