While keeping a close eye on Jegal Seong-gyu with a mouse, I carefully examined the scene of the disaster.

‘These are people who recently received citizenship when the homebound area expanded.’

People on the fringes of the area.

They were people who had not yet received proper relief supplies.

Although they had been granted citizenship and entered my territory, they hadn’t even realized that this place was safe.

‘What should I do with all these people?’

Most of them were likely alone.

But I didn’t burn their bodies because I thought they might have family.

‘But how do I find their families, and how could I show their bodies in this state to them?’

Those reached by the relief team were guided not only about the safe zone but also about basic knowledge such as earning money by hunting monsters and using it at the store.

But these people were different.

They somehow managed to survive, but they did not even realize they had entered a safe zone without monsters.

‘No, it can’t be called a complete safe zone now.’

You can’t call it a safe zone when monsters that ate people could come and go.

‘I’d rather they be hostile to me.’

That way, it could have been easily resolved.

Like how the heads of the lesser vampires who tried to attack me exploded.

In the case of Jegal Seong-gyu, it was probably an instinctive choice for survival, but even when I handed him the gun, he did not show any hostility towards me.

Perhaps he mentally submitted because of Dignity Maintenance.

‘Usually, monsters are eliminated as the area expands.’

The difference between Jegal Seong-gyu and the lesser vampires was that they were ‘beings satisfying the conditions of being recognized as a citizen’.

‘Monsters are generally removed, but do they only eliminate ones who have direct hostility towards me?’

It could be said that the system was giving me a choice.

Among them, there may be useful species that do not prey on humans like vampires.

‘Like in Oh Eon-ju’s case.’

Strictly speaking, Oh Eon-ju’s case was similar to that of a vampire. When she was in her beast form, she was closer to a monster than a human.

The fact that the grandfather’s tree giant reacted to Oh Eon-ju was evidence of that.

‘Does that mean it’s leaving me a choice to accept such people?’

Killing such people indiscriminately was certainly a loss considering the benefits gained by accepting Oh Eon-ju.

However, as with everything in the world, it was not always just an advantage.

‘Terrible.’

The skin that had turned pale from being sucked by a vampire was unbelievably eerie.

‘If I had filtered out the vampires from the beginning, this tragedy would not have happened.’

I was determined to take responsibility for this situation.

[Ms. Dabin.]

[Yes, Mr. Jae-hyun.]

He explained the situation to Kim Dabin and asked for advice.

[How can we find their families?]

However, the answer that came back was a very realistic one.

[…As of now, it can be said that there is no way. There is no computer database left for identity verification, and communication is not alive either.]

[I see.]

[I don’t think many of the citizens have family members. If they’re that close, they would have went to find them before the area expanded. So, it’s safe to assume they don’t have any connections at this point.]

It was true.

[Is there no way?]

After a moment of thought, Kim Dabin replied.

[First, we need to find out why people gathered there in the first place. Or if there are any documents like resident registration cards among their belongings, we might be able to find their addresses.]

If their address was nearby, there was a possibility that their families were there.

[Thank you for the advice.]

[Don’t be too disheartened.]

I searched through the belongings of the deceased like grasping straws.

‘Absolute Dweller’s Eyes.’

Instead of searching each body one by one, I used the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes to scan the space as a whole.

It was much faster this way.

There weren’t as many people carrying wallets or identification cards as I thought.

However, it was easy to see why they had gathered here.

There was food stockpiled on one side of the building, and traces of living everywhere.

They had gathered here to survive.

It was then.

‘Hm?’

There were survivors in the building.

Young children huddled together in a corner room, trembling.

I had a hunch that they were the remaining family members of those who had died here.

At the same time, I could see that those here had tried their best to save those children, even if it meant sacrificing their own lives.

‘Should I tell them?’

I hesitated for a moment.

Among them, there must be the parents or family of those children.

Should I inform them of their deaths, or should I just burn everything and tell a well-intentioned lie?

I didn’t know.

Some of the children seemed like they wouldn’t even fully understand the concept of death yet. Should I really show them this cruel scene?

After much deliberation, I came to a conclusion.

Scoot, scoot.

With meticulous care, I straightened up the bodies which had been left in disarray.

Using the Invisible Hand would have been more efficient, but I chose to tidy up the bodies with my own hands.

Gently closing the lids of the people whose eyes were wide open.

‘They look much better than before.’

Their faces definitely looked calmer than before. At a glance, it almost looked like they were just asleep.

I then walked slowly towards where the children were.

Through the Absolute Dweller’s Eyes, I could clearly see that the children were frightened by the sound of my footsteps.

So, I approached them even more cautiously.

And knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

“Eek!”

“Shh! Be quiet!”

The sound of being scared and the sound of being silenced came almost at the same time.

Even though they were trying to keep their voices down as much as possible, in silence, even the slightest sound could be heard clearly.

I cautiously spoke to them.

“Could you please open the door?”

I felt like the big bad wolf aiming for the three little pigs, but I thought there was no point in delaying any longer.

“I’m coming in.”

The door was an analog type, but when I used the Absolute Dweller’s Door, I could open it without any resistance, as if it had been unlocked from the beginning.

“AHHHHHH!”

Whether the children knew about the existence of vampires or not, the moment the door opened, they screamed in terror.

I greeted them with a wry smile.

“Hello? My name is Kim Jae-hyun.”

I introduced myself without taking a step into the room.

As I kept my distance, it seemed like the children were willing to listen.

And.

[Citizen Yang Ha-yoon’s trust has increased.]

[Citizen Yang Ha-yul’s trust has increased.]

[Citizen Seo Min-woo’s trust has increased.]

[Citizen Lee Seo-joon’s trust has increased.]

[Citizen Han Ye-jung’s trust has increased.]

When the five children faced me, the Dignity Maintenance skill shone.

Perhaps feeling relieved by my non-threatening attitude, the oldest girl among them cautiously spoke up.

“Who are you, mister?”

She was a small girl with a physique that seemed no older than an elementary school student.

“Um…”

After a moment of hesitation, I said in a slightly uncertain voice, “Should I say I’m part of the rescue team?”

“Rescue team? Is the rescue team here?”

Another child asked as the girl’s face brightened, “Sister, what’s a rescue team?”

“Uhh, that means they’re here to save us.”

“Really? Then we don’t have to hide anymore?”

“Mm!”

As I watched the children’s faces light up, I felt a pang of guilt.

“…Let’s go together.”

Listening to the children’s footsteps slowly following behind me, I slowly made my way over.

I hesitated for a moment.

About whether this was really the right thing to do.

Even though it wasn’t a decision I made lightly, I couldn’t be sure it was correct.

Then.

“Mom!”

A child called out for their mother as they passed by me.

“Wait…!”

Before I could stop them, the child looked into the room and froze.

“…Mom?”

The child didn’t enter the room but asked.

“…Why are you sleeping there?”

The child’s face was dark.

They probably felt the strangeness in the messy room with bloodstains and scattered items that hadn’t been tidied up.

The atmosphere alone seemed to hint that something bad had happened.

However, though the child could sense that something was wrong, they were still too young to understand the concept of death.

At this time, the girl who had spoken to me first, Yang Ha-yoon, looked at me with trembling eyes.

I couldn’t say anything, and Yang Ha-yoon rushed into the room, her small eyes taking in the terrible scene.

She then slowly walked towards one of the neatly-placed bodies–a woman.

“…Mom.”

Yang Ha-yoon sat in front of the woman who lay white as a sheet and burst into tears.

“Waaah!”

The crying of the oldest child quickly spread to the other children.

The children began to cry without even knowing why.

“…I’m sorry.”

I couldn’t bring myself to burn the bodies in front of the children.

I worried that if the bodies were burned in front of the children, who thought they were just sleeping, it would leave an even greater scar.

While there was a meaning in cremation, it wasn’t a sight to show them.

It would probably remain a lifelong scar.

However, showing them their families’ final moments was for their sake.

I was worried that not seeing their family’s final moments with their own eyes might become a lifelong regret.

“Grandpa! Please wake up, grandpa!”

It would be painful.

Still, I thought they had to bear it.

This difficult world they had to live in would hurt them countless times.

But they still had to live on.

“Wahhh…”

I spoke to the crying children.

“Kids.”

The children continued to cry.

“Now, your mom, dad, and grandpa are going to heaven.”

I stored their bodies in the warehouse.

Zinggg-

Praying that it would look less painful than burning, as if they were really going to heaven.

“Mom! Dad! Where are you going! Don’t go!”

The crying children made me wonder if I had made the wrong choice.

Would it have been better to lie?

‘I don’t know.’

There were too many children crying to hug them one by one.

“Waaaah!”

“Heup, mom.”

“Grandpa. Sob.”

Seeing the young ones crying without understanding what had happened, my heart ached.

Fwoosh.

I lit a fire where their bodies had been.

Careful not to make it too hot.

The flames hovered around the children for a while, comforting them in a way.

“…Mom?”

If souls were real, they might be staying here, watching over the children with very sad eyes.

I tried to convey their hearts. The warm flames lingered until the children had stopped crying and were ready to leave.

“Ah!”

As the flames escaped through the broken window, the children followed it to the window and looked up at the sky.

Perhaps thanks to the mysterious atmosphere, the children’s crying had completely stopped.

I told the children a white lie.

“Your mom and dad will always be watching over you from heaven.”

Maybe it wasn’t a lie.

“So let’s stop crying and show them our brave faces.”

One child wiped away their tears and tightly closed their mouth.

Their round faces showed determination.

It was the smallest child among the five.

‘I’m sorry!’

I forced them to grow up, and they responded to the one-sided demands.

At least for now, it seemed that none of the children would crumble under their wounds.

All I could do was pray that they would heal as soon as possible.

‘I’ll avenge your families!’

In Seo Ye-jin’s vision through the mouse, Jegal Seong-gyu was standing in front of an apartment complex holding a rifle.

‘There.’

It seemed he had arrived at the apartment where the vampires were gathered.