BLOODY FEST (2)
[The Four Great Gates of the North, South, East, and West have been activated.]
"The Four Gates...?"
I checked the skill window, and a newly unlocked feature was gleaming brightly.
[East Gate Opened]
[West Gate Opened]
[South Gate Opened]
[North Gate Opened]
Each gate came with its own unique functionality, but the South Gate had exactly the kind of feature I had been hoping for.
"This is it."
It didn't consume mental energy and enabled large-scale movement.
'Open South Gate.'
Ziiiing-
As I gave the command, the space south of the outpost base warped, and the entire area began to shake faintly, as if hit by a mild earthquake.
Rumblleee
And then-
Fwoooosh!
A space previously sealed with a transparent barrier burst into brilliant flames.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"F-Fire!"
"Get back!"
The area happened to be the entrance to the Homeplus building, so a decent crowd had gathered, and the sudden burst of flames made them jump back in shock.
I watched the scene unfold through the eyes of the Absolute.
It didn't take long for people's reactions to change.
"W-What is that?"
"Huh?"
Because beyond the once fiery space, an entirely different scene had emerged.
People stood there, dazed, staring through the gate.
There it was.
...The ocean?"
The view of Busan Port was now visible.
It showed the land-facing side, so instead of a horizon, a wide stretch of the coastline spread out. The salty scent of the sea and the ships moored at the docks left a striking impression.
'So it's expanded this far already.'
The territory, which had started from Seomyeon, had now reached as far as Gamman Pier.
With this level-up, I had finally reached the sea.
'Does that mean it now connects to the annex at the main house?'
In the central area of Busan Station between Seomyeon and Nampo-dong, the domain of the main base and the annex had begun to overlap.
'I was wondering why this level-up felt manageable. So this is the reason?'
If the overlapping territories were the reason the pain had eased, then I might expect a reduction in suffering for a while.
Until the two domains fully merged, the expansion would continue to overlap somewhat.
'In any case, it's a success.'
The South Gate functioned like a kind of installation device.
It could only be installed at the edge of the domain where a transparent barrier existed and would remain active for three days once placed.
Moreover, the South Gate was tall and wide enough for five or six adults to pass through at once and had an imposing presence.
'With this, even if all the citizens in Ulsan came, we could handle it.'
The main base in Busan was large enough to accommodate tens of thousands with ease.
Of course, a guide would be needed to ensure smooth movement.
[Sae-rom.]
Park Sae-rom, who had been frantically guiding people entering through Homeplus, responded in surprise when I called her.
"Y-Yes!"
[How much space is left?]
"I think... we can still accommodate them, but managing things afterward might be a problem."
[I see. Then please inform the new arrivals to move through the South Gate.]
"Excuse me? The South Gate?"
[Could you come to where the Lotteria is on the first floor of Homeplus?]
"Oh, yes!"
I had accepted Park Sae-rom as a vassal the moment she met the loyalty requirement, even making a binding contract of subjugation.
As a result, I now only had one vassal slot remaining, but I had no regrets.
***
Name: Park Sae-rom (Lv. 40) [+]
Titles: [Twenty-Fourth Vassal] [Baron] [Mage]
Trust Level: 52
Loyalty: 68
Awakened Abilities: Shadow Step, Shadow Clone
EXP Share Rate: 200% (+200%)
★Quest Assigned
***
Originally a Natural, Park Sae-rom had not only earned the title of Baron but also newly awakened the S-Rank ability Shadow Clone.
On top of that, the efficiency of her previous Shadow Step skill had improved significantly.
Whoosh-
She entered a building's shadow and reappeared instantly on the southern side of Homeplus, where she stared up blankly at the South Gate.
"Wow..."
The fiery arched frame and the otherworldly scenery within were enough to leave anyone speechless.
"Holy sht, that's f**ing awesome..."
Hearing her awed curse slip out, I gave her an order.
[Guide the new arrivals through the South Gate.]
"Ah, understood!"
Leaving the guidance to Park Sae-rom, I used the Ring of Communication to contact Kim Da-bin.
[Da-bin.]
[Yes, Jaehyun.]
Kim Da-bin's telepathy came through immediately.
[There's something urgent I need help with.]
[Please go ahead.]
[We need to take in some refugees.]
[How many are we talking about?]
[I can't say exactly, but I estimate anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands.]
[...]
Kim Da-bin's telepathy fell silent, seemingly caught off guard by the scale.
I broke the silence first.
[We plan to send them to the Gamman Pier area. For now, please house them in the nearby apartment complexes. I'll personally provide the necessary supplies and basic infrastructure.]
[...Could I possibly get Hyerin's help?]
Every time something like this happened, Kim Da-bin would ask for Yoo Hye-rin's support-proof that she was quite competent in administrative tasks.
Unfortunately, Yoo Hye-rin had collapsed after reaching her mental limit, having expelled all her gas and passing out as if in a coma.
[Sorry, that won't be possible right now.]
[...It can't be helped, then. I'll report back once things settle down.]
[Thank you.]
Now, all that remained was to confirm the people arriving one after another and grant them citizenship-Kim Dabin would take care of the rest.
"Now..."
They could finally focus fully on supporting the retainers without worry.
"For now."
They needed to know the enemy's location.
He asked Seoye-jin, who was sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed, drenched in sweat.
"Yejin, is that guy still in the same place?"
"Mm-hmm. Still hasn't moved."
Currently, she was not only guiding the survivors but also monitoring the location of the True Ancestor.
Tracking the movements of the True Ancestor and high-ranking vampires had originally been Yu Hangil's role, but after the vampire rampage, his mental strength was completely drained.
He had collapsed next to Yoo Hyerin, having exhausted all of his energy.
"Even if that guy hasn't moved, why can't we see any of the other high-ranking vampires?"
The Eye of the Absolute remained active, even while granting citizenship and creating the South Gate.
But so far, none of the retainers had encountered a high-ranking vampire.
"It's frustrating not knowing their movements.
""
Seoye-jin's ability was currently focused on guiding the survivors.
This meant that aside from the extremely dangerous True Ancestor, they had essentially given up on tracking the other high-ranking vampires.
"What's going on?"
If those guys had gone berserk like the lesser vampires, there would've been clear signs.
The chaos would be on another level entirely-something impossible to miss. But there hadn't been a hint of that so far.
"Where the hell did all the high-ranking vampires go?"
For now, he focused the Eye of the Absolute on Moon Byung-ho.
He had assigned Moon Byung-ho a special mission for the moment the rampage began.
That mission was to locate vampires No. 5 and No. 6 who had infiltrated the survivor group.
If possible, to eliminate the high-ranking vampires hiding among them.
Caught off guard, even high-ranking vampires could be surprisingly weak.
However―
"They're not there?"
Not a single figure resembling a high-ranking vampire could be found.
That's when it happened.
"Oppa!"
"Huh?"
"It looks like the high-ranking vampires are gathering over here!"
"What?"
They had expected the high-ranking vampires to flood in from the north of the Taehwa River when the rampage started.
Assuming they'd launch an all-out assault in the chaos, he had placed retainers there with his father. But that prediction had completely missed the mark.
Thanks to placing strong forces there, they had managed to block many of the rampaging vampires trying to cross the bridge-but had failed to take out a single high-ranking vampire.
"I don't know what they're up to, but..."
He had a gut feeling: they couldn't be left alone.
"Could it be a trap?"
He thought about it briefly. But the enemy hardly knew anything about their capabilities.
The successful guerrilla operation was proof that the vampires were largely in the dark about them.
"They wouldn't know they're being observed in real time."
So what did all of this mean?
"No way..."
Were they trying to use the chaos caused by the berserk spy vampires they had planted among the survivors to do something else?
Was that their true goal?
"To buy time?"
That was the only conclusion that made sense.
But then-why would he want to buy time?
Then it hit him.
The way the berserk vampires were rampaging reminded him of when high-ranking vampires awakened.
During the earlier guerrilla operation, they had been able to easily defeat the high-ranking vampires because they were taken out before unleashing their full power.
"The one that came all the way to Busan suddenly grew stronger during the fight with Ha Dong-gun's team."
If the same applied to this one?
If a monstrous Level 62 vampire needed time to fully awaken its power, then everything suddenly made perfect sense.
"In that case..."
They had to act now.
[Mr. Kim Geon, please move toward the bridge immediately.]
Thankfully, among the newly acquired abilities, there was one perfectly suited for this situation.
"North Gate Activation."
Unlike the South Gate, which could only be installed within the transparent barrier of the home zone-
Ziiing-
The North Gate could be opened anywhere the Eye of the Absolute could reach.
Whoooosh!
From where Seoye-jin's mouse was located, a wave of blue surged upward.
Crackle-
The rising water rapidly froze.
And then-
CRASH!
The center collapsed.
"Hm?"
From within it, a man's figure appeared.
It was Lee Jun-hyuk, fighting vampires on the bridge across the Taehwa River.
"What the Jun-hyuk, was that you?"
"No."
"Then who? Was it the newbies? The ice-using twins?"
I spoke to him, who was staring into the semi-circular rim of ice.
[Junhyuk. Please take your father and cross that gate right now.]
"...Right now, you say?"
Just then, a berserk vampire charged at Lee Junhyuk.
"Kyaaaah!"
Junhyuk calmly extended his hand.
And then-
Thud!
At Junhyuk's will, the blood inside the vampire's body burst its heart.
Blood is also water.
It was utterly defenseless against Junhyuk's Control Water ability.
[You have hunted a Mid-level Vampire (Lv. 32).]
[You gain a large amount of experience.]
[#1,091,123,887 has been deposited into the Absolute One of the House's wallet.]
As if nothing had happened, Lee Junhyuk continued speaking.
"Will it really be alright? If we leave this place now, the vampires will completely overwhelm us."
[Don't worry about that.]
"Understood."
Junhyuk crossed the North Gate, taking his father and most of the combat forces with him.
By the time they had all crossed-
"We've arrived."
Kim Geon, in the form of a crow-human, landed atop the Taehwa River bridge.
There were several bridges that crossed the Taehwa River, but only three were heavily defended by survivors putting everything they had into blocking them.
However, due to today's guerrilla operation, vampires had nearly vanished from two of those bridges.
Now, only one bridge remained where berserk vampires had gathered.
And as the defending warriors there were now gone, the berserk vampires were charging at the human side like mad beasts.
I calmly activated the Gate of the Absolute One.
'Open West Gate.'
The West Gate had a somewhat unique function.
Wuuuuuung-
Rather than a "gate," it was more accurate to describe it as an enclosed
space.
An infinite labyrinth that could only be created within the domain of the household.
That was the West Gate's role.
A looping space, like a Möbius strip where the beginning and end connect-perfect for imprisoning or punishing something.
But-
'Open shop. Purchase barbell.'
I intended to use it a bit differently.
The isolated space formed by the West Gate contained nothing at all.
A perfect vacuum, with no air-its entrance connected to the ground, its exit to the sky.
A vertically long space, where the top and bottom were linked to create one continuous loop.
Inside this space, created mid-air above the Seomyeon apartment complex, a 200 kg barbell was summoned. It immediately began to fall under gravity.
And as it entered the ground portal and exited from the sky portal, its speed kept increasing.
'Just a little more...'
That object, repeatedly accelerating in the vacuum with no air resistance-
'Store in warehouse.'
-I swallowed it into the warehouse.
'It's only 200kg, so the destructive power won't be insane...'
But it should be enough to destroy at least a bridge.
'Next time I'll have to level up the warehouse or something...'
The next moment.
Kim Geon, flying high above, summoned the object.
The 200kg barbell, accelerated to its limit inside the West Gate using gravitational force, was summoned into the sky.
And then-
SHREEEEEEEEEEK!
It tore through the air, trailing a fiery streak behind it.
As the now meteor-like object collided with the bridge-
BOOOOOOOOM—!
A massive explosion sent a towering pillar of water into the air.
[You have hunted a Low-level Vampire (Lv. 29).]
[You have hunted a Low-level Vampire (Lv. 27).]
[You have hunted a Mid-level Vampire (Lv. 35).]
The bridge collapsed, as expected, and the vampires at the heart of the explosion were utterly annihilated.
Watching that overwhelming destruction, I thought—
'If this works out...'
Before entering the building where the progenitor resides, I'd better drop that first.
[Junhyuk. Sorry, but please step away from the building. I've got something to try.]
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