Absolute Dweller-Chapter 172

The eight team leaders, composed of retainers, were strictly chosen based on their noble ranks.

After all, to establish territories, a noble title was ultimately required.

The higher the title, the larger the territory one could establish, making it an inevitable decision.

For this reason, most of the selected leaders were those who had been with me for a long time.

The first to be chosen were Oh Eon-ju and Ha Dong-geon.

Both had already experienced constructing territories, which gave them extra merit.

Since enduring pain was necessary when forming a domain, it was only natural to entrust this responsibility to experienced individuals.

Next, the ones chosen were Moon Byeong-ho, Kim Ga-young, Kim Geon, Kang Deok-soo, Lee Joon-hyuk, and Jang Seong-jun.

These six individuals made up the rest.

‘All of them hold the Viscount title.’

It was unfortunate that Ha Dong-geon's party had to be split up, but it was unavoidable.

The noble title system ultimately depended on contribution points.

Typically, when someone with an awakened ability was appointed as a retainer, they would start with the Knight title. However, to advance to Viscount, a minimum of 110,000 points was required.

Baron required 10,000 points.Viscount required 100,000 points.

The only group that possessed this level of contribution was Ha Dong-geon's party.

‘I would have preferred not to split them up...’

But in order to establish safe zones across a wide area, this was the best possible decision.

In the end, the finalized list was as follows:

Team 1 Leader: Oh Eon-juTeam 2 Leader: Ha Dong-geonTeam 3 Leader: Moon Byeong-hoTeam 4 Leader: Kim Ga-youngTeam 5 Leader: Kim GeonTeam 6 Leader: Kang Deok-sooTeam 7 Leader: Lee Joon-hyukTeam 8 Leader: Jang Seong-jun

Each team consisted of ten members, totaling eighty retainers.

Normally, I managed around thirty Absolute Dweller’s Eye channels at once.

However, at this moment, I had only activated eight—one per team.

With that setup, I relayed instructions through the Ring of Communication.

[As you all know, today's main objective is reconnaissance.]

Team 1: GwangjuTeam 2: DaejeonTeam 3: DaeguTeam 4: Gangwon ProvinceTeam 5: IncheonTeams 6 to 8: Gyeonggi Province

The operation zones were assigned based on population size and density.

The first goal was to analyze the level of monsters appearing in each region.

[Good luck.]

And with that, the operation began.

***

The first team to arrive at their designated zone was Team 5.

Their assigned region, Incheon, was practically right in front of the Seoul Safe Zone, since a satellite base had already been built there.

In other words, they had arrived the moment the operation started.

Moreover, Team Leader Kim Geon had the ability to control crows.

Because of this, Teams 5 through 8, which operated near the Safe Zone, did not receive Kellikan transport. Instead, they relied on Kim Geon’s massive crows to fly.

At that moment, they were soaring over the ocean, heading toward Incheon Airport.

That was when Kim Jae-hyun’s voice came through.

[You’ve already reached Incheon Airport? Is everyone ready?]

This area had already been well-documented.

Geographically, it was right next to Bucheon.

Since Yang Ha-young’s group was based in Bucheon, they had detailed information about Incheon.

This was also why Yang Ha-young and her subordinates were assigned to Team 5.

Having home-ground advantage was an undeniable factor.

Thus, rather than focusing on information gathering or citizen rescue, Team 5’s objective was different from the other teams.

Their mission was to capture the monster inside Incheon Airport.

Not kill—but capture.

[Make sure to capture the Queen alive.]

As soon as Kim Jae-hyun finished speaking—

BZZZZZZZ—

The monsters appeared.

Transparent yet powerful wings.

Sharp mandibles and gem-like eyes.

Long antennae emerging from their heads.

Their bodies, covered in black and orange stripes.

They were massive wasp-like insect monsters.

Each one was larger than the giant crows under Kim Geon’s command.

THWUMP—THWUMP—THWUMP—

The sheer number of them approaching through the sky was overwhelming—like a swarm of hundreds of helicopters.

「Giant Wasp (Lv. 30)」

Their exoskeletons were tough enough to deflect bullets.

Their venomous stingers were lethal.

Their jaws could effortlessly tear through a human neck.

And hundreds of them were swarming forward.

Yet, not a single member of Team 5 showed fear.

Kim Geon turned to his team.

“Begin combat.”

The moment he gave the command, the nine massive crows carrying the team split apart.

One of them soared forward.

Riding on its back was Choi Soo-bin, who had comforted Yang Ha-young the night before.

Just as the swarm came into view, the crow dove sharply towards the ground.

The moment it settled beneath the wasps, Choi Soo-bin snapped his right arm up.

Clink—

His arm morphed into solid metal.

And then—

WHOOSH—

A massive stream of fire erupted from his transformed limb.

FWOOSH!

Choi Soo-bin’s attack killed only a few wasps.

However—

Sizzle— Crackle—

The heat burned away the delicate wings of dozens of wasps, causing them to plummet from the sky.

And then—

Yang Ha-young’s subordinate, Woo Soo-hyun.

SWOOSH—

He flicked open the folding fan in his hand.

And with a swift wave—

BOOM!

A massive shockwave blasted forward.

The hot air from Choi Soo-bin’s attack swept through the swarm, melting more of their wings.

Instantly, hundreds of wasps staggered and lost balance mid-air.

They weren’t dead, but they could no longer fight properly.

In just one combined attack, 20% of the enemy forces had been disabled.

And in the gap they created—

The remaining eight team members charged forward.

Their target—

The wasp nest.

BZZZZZZZZZ—

The wasps desperately resisted.

But they were outmatched.

THWACK!

From atop the crow's back, a woman raised both fists as if she were boxing. Jung Ye-seul threw punches at any enemy that came within five meters of her.

Each time she struck—

SPLAT!

The giant wasps’ heads burst open like watermelons, killing them instantly.

"Ugh, so annoying."

A man wielding a wooden sword lightly swung his blade at the approaching wasps.

SLASH!

In an instant, three or four of them were sliced in half.

Not a single person in Team 5 was weak.

Just then—

THWUMP—THWUMP—THWUMP—

Creatures twice the size of the Giant Wasps appeared.

「Giant Soldier Wasp (Lv. 37)」

However, before they could do anything significant—

"Hoo..."

Yang Ha-young had already planted both feet on the ground.

From her own body, she pulled out a long bone spear.

SHHK!

Blood dripped as the bone spear extended in size.

CRACK—CRACK—

The weapon quickly grew longer and thicker, surpassing her 178 cm height.

By the time it fully formed, it was too heavy for an ordinary human to even lift.

But Yang Ha-young wielded the massive spear as if it were a toy.

Slowly, she took her stance.

"Huuup!"

And then—

She hurled the spear straight at the wasps’ nest.

At the same time—

BOOOOOOM!

The hive exploded with a thunderous roar, scattering its debris everywhere.

***

[ You have hunted Giant Wasp (Lv. 29). ]

[ You have hunted Giant Wasp (Lv. 31). ]

[ You have hunted Giant Soldier Wasp (Lv. 37). ]

...

...

Staring at the wrecked wasp nest, I thought—

‘...Is the Queen Wasp still alive?’

The system log hadn't displayed any notification confirming its death.

‘Looks like it survived.’

Yang Ha-young.

Even before she was registered as a retainer, she had already reached Level 50 purely through her awakened ability.

A monster among monsters.

After acquiring citizenship, her overall stats skyrocketed.

Then, upon officially becoming a retainer, her power amplified even further.

On top of that, from the moment she was registered, she had already possessed the [Spearmaster] title.

Since the Job Research Facility had fully studied that class, she was able to immediately advance.

The result?

Her spear-related attack power increased significantly—leading to this devastating performance.

And it wasn't just Yang Ha-young.

Her close subordinates—Choi Soo-bin, Woo Soo-hyun, Jung Ye-seul—they were all exceeding expectations.

‘To think they would synchronize this well even while operating separately...’

Not to mention, this was their first aerial battle, yet they handled it seamlessly.

‘Looks like I don't even need to do anything.’

Among all the teams, only Team 5 was engaging in a full-scale battle.

I had been keeping my focus on them in case an emergency occurred, but—

They had already secured the nest without sustaining a single injury.

The battle was still ongoing due to the sheer number of wasps, but there was no real danger.

‘At this rate, I don’t even need to intervene.’

During a recent meeting with the Administration, an idea had come up.

It was a theory regarding monster regeneration.

The hypothesis suggested that the rate of monster respawn might be directly related to how quickly monsters were being killed in that region.

In other words—

The total monster population in a given field might be pre-determined.

The Ice Dragon was a key piece of evidence for this theory.

When that creature had rampaged through various regions, most monsters in those areas were wiped out.

Initially, the regions it passed through had little to no monsters left.

But by the time the ice melted, those areas had been completely repopulated—matching the monster density of other zones.

If the respawn rate had been naturally high, then we should have noticed it earlier during our reconnaissance.

But that wasn't the case.

Thus, the conclusion was that the more monsters were killed in an area, the faster new monsters respawned.

‘If that’s true... what happens if I deliberately allow a fast-breeding species to survive?’

This was the reason I ordered the Queen Wasp to be captured.

‘A monster species with high levels, rapid reproduction rates, and a hive-based hierarchy.’

And if I could tame the Queen through a Subjugation Contract—

‘It’s possible that I could control the entire wasp colony.’

Just then—

“Jae-hyun-nim, we’ve found the Queen.”

Inside the destroyed hive, trembling in fear, was the Queen Wasp.

‘The odds of success are 50-50.’

The reason I chose a monster with a Queen was because of Seo Ye-jin’s success in taming the Queen Ratman.

Seo Ye-jin had managed to control non-tamed Ratmen through their Queen.

While she couldn’t share their perception, evolve them, or enhance them, she could at least control their behavior—ensuring they didn't attack humans.

‘That alone is enough.’

A monster that hunts only other monsters.

If it could also suppress monster regeneration, it would be a double benefit.

‘North Gate, open.’

The North Gate opened.

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And there, standing before me—

「Giant Queen Wasp (Lv. 41)」

To her, the North Gate’s existence was invisible.

So, I had to make my presence known in another way.

‘Invisible Hand.’

There was one thing I had learned from subjugating Kellikans—

The best ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) way to tame a monster was through—

Fear.

‘Submit.’

A black aura wrapped around the Invisible Hand as it coiled around the Queen Wasp’s body.

At the same time, I activated Subjugation Contract, transmitting my thoughts through telepathy.

[Obey me.]

And then—

FLASH—!

A brilliant light enveloped the Queen Wasp.

「Tamed Queen Wasp (Lv. 43)」

‘Success.’