Expansion (1)
[Your skill level has increased.]
[The skill "Household Proclamation" has reached Level 35.]
[You have gained 3 skill points.]
"Only one level?"
Even though it was right after leveling up, defeating a level 56 monster only gave him one level. That was a bit disappointing.
At that moment-
Zzzzt―
[Clarity of Mind (E) is activated.]
Just as the expansion of territory began-
"Forward base construction at Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant, completed immediately."
[Would you like to complete the construction of the 'Forward Base' instantly?]
[To instantly complete this facility, 24 Crystals are required.]
"Alright."
He immediately used the crystals to complete the construction.
Although he had already enhanced his retainers using dark energy, it was to minimize the harmful effects of radiation.
Wooooooong-
A dramatic change began at the center of the Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant, which had been devastated by radioactive slime.
As soon as the area became part of the forward base, the land and buildings that had been completely contaminated by radiation—
Whoooosh-
-were instantly purified.
Of course, the facilities that had been half-destroyed in the explosion weren't restored, but at least all the deadly radiation leaking from them was
completely eliminated.
Just as the forward base construction at Wolsong was completed-
[An entity hostile to the Household Absolute has been detected.]
[Eliminating.]
As the territory expanded, monsters occupying the area were being wiped out.
[You have hunted a Goblin (Lv. 8).]
[You have hunted a Wolf Spider (Lv. 18).]
[You have hunted a Stone Centipede (Lv. 21).]
The usual notifications from monster hunting appeared, but then, a new message popped up unexpectedly.
[Your skill level has increased.]
Another level up notification.
With it, the expansion of the territory sped up even more.
"Was my experience already just about full before leveling up...?"
When the territory expands, monsters killed through the system are counted as if the protagonist hunted them directly.
That means there's no inflated reward like when retainers do the hunting.
Since there's a 9x difference in efficiency, even if there were a lot of monsters, the actual experience gained was minimal.
The fact that he could level up with such little experience probably meant his experience bar was already nearly full from the slime hunt.
Then-
"Kh-!"
The impact on his body intensified.
Even though Clarity of Mind was still active, he could feel a dull pain in his chest.
Then-
Cough!
He coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Oppa! Oppa! Please hang in there!"
Seo Yejin's panicked voice echoed as she cried out in fear.
Eye of the Absolute.
Using the Eye of the Absolute, he could see he had vomited more blood than he expected. The situation looked serious.
'...Am I going to be okay?'
He was only maintaining his consciousness thanks to Clarity of Mind. Without it, he would've already passed out.
While Clarity of Mind was active, it felt similar to an out-of-body experience, especially now as he looked down at himself through the Eye of the Absolute.
'The territory expansion from this level-up doubled in size.'
Even before, each level-up brought a larger area, but this time was on a whole other level.
The shock from the expansion was so intense, he was literally coughing up blood.
'...Do I need to raise the Absolute's Health skill right now?'
At this rate, it felt like he could actually die from leveling up.
'Not really the time for jokes, but... I'm like a lobster, huh?'
Lobsters theoretically have immortality due to their ability to regenerate telomeres.
But in reality, they don't live forever. Crustaceans grow by molting, and each time they molt, their shell becomes harder and heavier.
Eventually, their hard shell becomes their downfall.
Too rigid to molt anymore, they die of exhaustion during the process.
Just like that, his overwhelming power made each level-up a torment close to death.
'No choice, huh.'
He couldn't just die meaninglessly like this.
He decided that he'd use all three skill points to reduce the pain-when suddenly:
[Master.]
'Huh?'
A strange woman's voice rang out in his head.
[Master.]
"You...?"
He quickly realized who the voice belonged to.
...Lilith?"
At that moment-
Whoooosh-!
The scenery changed completely.
'Where am I...?'
Shadows of rustling leaves danced in his blurred vision as a gentle breeze swept by.
All around him was a vast plain covered in lush, green grass.
As he looked up, drawn by the chirping of birds in the trees-
"Master!"
Something fell from the tree.
It was about the size of a small dog, humanoid in shape.
[Succubus Lilith (Lv. 1)]
It was Lilith, who had become a summoned beast after having her divine power drained by him.
"Nice to see you, Master!"
Wearing clothes way too sexy for her petite frame, Lilith beamed like a cheerful child and jumped into his arms.
"Lilith, you...?"
"Yes, Master! It's me, Lilith!"
When we met before, her image had completely changed.
"And on top of that..."
""
Seeing Lilith here confirmed it this was undoubtedly the Forest of Illusions.
Despite having been created by stealing the life force of the World Tree and countless other beings, the forest that once felt eerie and unpleasant had completely transformed.
Now, it overflowed with the scent of fresh life.
Birds chirped, and the area had turned into a space where new life sprouted.
I asked Lilith,
"You... what happened to you?"
Still in my arms, Lilith lifted only her face and answered energetically,
"Lilith was reborn by Master's power!"
It wasn't a lie.
I could feel it instinctively.
The being in my arms now was completely different from the Lilith I knew before.
'Has she been completely consumed by the system...?'
Both Lilith and this space had been entirely reborn.
"Master, if you're in pain, call for Lilith, okay?"
"What?"
"Lilith will make the pain go away!"
And that's when I finally realized it—
The faint pain I'd been feeling in my chest for a while had completely vanished.
In that moment-
"Oppa!"
Along with Seo Yejin's voice-
FWOOOSH-
I opened my eyes.
"Oppa! Jaehyun oppa! Are you okay?!"
I had returned to reality.
Thick tears rolled down Seo Yejin's cheeks and dropped onto mine.
"We need to go to the hospital, quick-!"
I grabbed Seo Yejin's flailing hands and said,
"I'm fine."
"But..."
"Really, I'm okay."
After calming her down, I wiped the blood from my lips and stood up.
'Could Lilith ease the pain of leveling up?'
It wasn't certain yet, but if true, it was a huge gain.
'I'll have to ask her directly."
The space where Lilith resided had already transferred ownership to me, making it effectively my domain.
"Open Eastern Gate."
The door opened, revealing that familiar plain once again.
And there she was.
"Wow! Master!"
Lilith, whose appearance had completely changed, stood before me.
"There are a few things I want to ask. Can you answer them?"
"Yup! Lilith will try her best to answer!"
And just as she said, Lilith answered with all her might.
"How did you do it just now? How can you reduce my pain?"
"Lilith is a succubus, so I can perform mental anesthesia!"
"Mental anesthesia?"
"Yep!"
"So you mean the pain is mental?"
"That's right!"
The pain I felt from leveling up as my domain expanded—
It was more mental than physical.
"Then... can I rely on you again in the future?"
"Of course! Whenever Master calls, Lilith will come running!"
With that, the pain of leveling up was virtually resolved.
However―
[Succubus Lilith (Lv. 1)]
'Her level being 1 is a bit of a concern.'
A higher level would likely allow her to mitigate even more pain.
I wondered if there was a way to raise her level, and then something came to mind.
Before her rebirth, Lilith had lived by parasitizing the World Tree.
In that case...
'The World Tree's life force.'
It was a power I'd gained once my trust level with my grandfather hit 100.
WOOOONG-
The power of the World Tree extended from my hand and enveloped Lilith.
And then-
[Lilith's level has increased.]
[Mental recovery rate within the domain has increased by 100%.]
'Bingo.'
***
Meanwhile, Lee Hobum was pacing nervously with a tense expression.
'What do I do? What do I do...?'
The reason for his anxiety was none other than being summoned by Kim Jaehyun.
The man essentially in charge of this place had called for him.
"And with Doyeon too, as a set!"
Hobum, who suspected their powers might be connected to vampires, felt like a bolt had struck from a clear sky.
'Did I overuse my powers too much?'
At first, he had tried desperately to hide his strength-but that didn't last long.
Thanks to Choi Doyeon's lack of caution, they had displayed their powers in front of others several times.
Thankfully, they weren't the only ones with mysterious powers.
Those chosen by Kim Jaehyun also wielded strange abilities.
People who didn't know the full story mistook them as blessings and
misunderstood on their own.
Thanks to that, they had been able to use their powers openly and rise in prominence.
They had long since cleared the Goblin Dungeon and were now key players in the Orc Dungeon raids.
There weren't many ability users who could overwhelm orcs with raw power.
Such people could be counted on one hand-and naturally, Kim Jaehyun had come to know of them.
'Should I just run away now?'
He had seen with his own eyes the fate of the vampires who had hidden among the citizens in Ulsan.
He couldn't bear to meet such a tragic end.
'Yeah. Honestly, at this point, we could probably survive just fine out there.'
After much thought, Lee Hobum made up his mind.
He burst out the door, shouting Choi Doyeon's name.
"Choi Doyeon! Hey, Choi Doyeon! Are you pooping or something?!"
However, there was no sign of Choi Doyeon anywhere.
"Ugh, where did she go?"
Annoyed, he picked up his phone and held down the number 1. After a moment, the call tone rang.
After a few rings, Choi Doyeon's voice came through the receiver.
[Hello?]
"Hey! Where are you?"
[Me? I'm at Jeonpo Station.]
"What...?"
Just as Lee Hobeom was about to ask where that was, he suddenly realized it
was in the center of the safe zone, and he raised his voice.
"Hey!! Do you even know where that is right now...!"
[Huh? Jaehyun-nim called me. I was heading there right away. What about you? Aren't you coming?]
"Sigh..."
This is bad.
"Wait. I'll be right there. Just stay put until I—"
[I'll head in first. Hurry up.]
"Wa-!"
Beep-beep beep-
As Lee Hobeom stared down at his disconnected phone-
Zzzzt-
Blue electricity crackled from his body.
"You stupid girl!!"
He immediately threw open the veranda window and hurled himself out.
Crack-crack-crackle-
The electricity bursting from his body reacted with the steel frames inside the apartment's concrete walls, slowing his fall.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, his entire body surged with electricity as he accelerated and dashed full speed toward Seomyeon.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]