The Prince Who Absorbs Abilities With a ‘Click’

Chapter 8: Dungeon Master with Magic Wand

The villa in the center of the shelter was lit by the morning light.

It had already been three days since Kang Ha-yoon entered the shelter.

‘I never thought I’d end up living in a place like this.’

She still couldn’t believe that this place was now her home.

The dwelling on the third floor of the villa had a spacious living room and three rooms. One was Ha-yoon’s room, and across from it was her younger brother Min-hyuk’s room.

Clean wallpaper, polished wooden floors, and soft bedding.

The shelter’s manager had specially prepared everything from the furniture to the bed, all brand new, for Ha-yoon.

Just a few days ago, she had been living in a small store building made of wooden planks, hearing the sounds of zombies at night.

Back then, she never imagined she would be living such a life, but now, this lifestyle was luxurious in every way.

Since the world collapsed and zombies began to run wild, such comfort had only been a dream.

“How’s it going, Min-hyuk? How do you like it here?”

Min-hyuk, who had been sitting on the couch, smiled brightly at his sister’s words.

“Yeah! I love it! There’s so much good food, and so many toys! It’s the best!”

Indeed, there were many toys in front of him.

Seeing her younger brother happy warmed Ha-yoon’s heart.

Her seven-year-old brother no longer had to run away from zombies.

And it wasn’t just the living situation that was solved.

“Lady Kang Ha-yoon, breakfast is ready.”

A voice came from outside the door as someone knocked.

It was one of Ha-yoon’s personal bodyguards.

Even inside the shelter, the manager had assigned a bodyguard for Ha-yoon’s safety, just in case.

The bodyguards worked in shifts, guarding Ha-yoon and her younger brother 24/7.

“Thank you. I’ll get ready and come soon.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Of course, all this luxury didn’t come for free.

Behind Ha-yoon’s comfortable life was the fact that she was an awakened one.

The world outside the shelter was hell. More accurately, zombies had overrun the world, and humanity had locked itself in shelters like birds in cages.

However, one couldn’t live in a cage forever.

To get out of the cage, the power of an awakened one was necessary.

So, the shelter had no choice but to treat Ha-yoon with the utmost care.

Ha-yoon knew this well, which was why she was training and working to enhance her abilities.

She spread her palm. Red flames flickered, and the air around her heated up.

The duration of the flames had increased since she first summoned them.

“Phew…”

She exhaled, clenching her hand into a fist.

It was still difficult, but she was determined to continue striving.

Only by doing so would the shelter keep taking care of her, and her brother would be able to live comfortably.

And

‘Thank you again, Nameless God, for today.’

Thanks to the Nameless God, she had been saved from zombies and awakened.

Since then, expressing her gratitude every morning has become a part of her daily routine.

For this reason, Ha-yoon could not stop.

She wanted to repay the god who had cared for her.

To do that, she could not be satisfied with her current life.

‘I need to rise higher.’

If she reached a higher position than now, she could repay the god more.

In fact, on the first day she entered the shelter, Ha-yoon had made a small offering to the god.

The offering was a pistol.

It was a pistol given to her by the shelter manager for self-defense, but it was something Ha-yoon didn’t really need.

It wouldn’t be very useful to her, and she was concerned about leaving a dangerous item at home where her younger brother lived.

So, Ha-yoon prayed, offering the pistol to the god.

She didn’t just offer it thoughtlessly.

Everything she had in this place was thanks to the god, and simply saying thank you wasn’t enough.

Since she couldn’t offer anything else, she gave the pistol.

At first, it was just a gesture.

‘Nameless God, I offer this pistol. Please accept my sincerity.’

The result was surprising.

Her prayer was accepted. The pistol she had placed before her suddenly disappeared, and words appeared before her eyes.

[You have offered a pistol to the ‘Nameless God.’]

That was all, but she felt a sense of satisfaction, thinking that it was a meaningful way to express her gratitude.

However, that was already three days ago.

Since then, she hadn’t made any other offerings.

Or more precisely, there was nothing else to offer.

It didn’t feel right to offer just anything.

‘What kind of gift would the god like?’

Would the god actually like the pistol?

In the end, the things Ha-yoon considered valuable were just her standards, not the god’s.

Also, the pistol, though important here, might be a mere toy to the god.

‘No matter how precious it is, the god might think…’

Suddenly, an epiphany hit her. That’s right.

From the god’s perspective, anything from the human world could just be a small toy.

Whether it was a pistol or a gem, perhaps to the god, they all held the same value.

What mattered wasn’t the value of the item, but the mindset of the person offering it.

At that moment, Min-hyuk, who had been placing his toys on the floor, spoke.

“Sister, I’m hungry now.”

He stood up; he hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.

Since breakfast had been prepared, it was about time to get up.

But before she left, she had to do something.

“Alright, let’s go. But before we go, you should clean up your toys, right?”

“Okay!”

Now that a safe environment had been set up, it was time to teach her brother some manners.

Luckily, Min-hyuk followed her instructions well.

He started cleaning up the toys he had been playing with.

Watching this scene proudly, Ha-yoon’s eyes fell on his toys.

‘Toys…?’

The only item she had offered to the god was the pistol.

She wondered about what she had thought earlier.

What kind of item would the god like?

She thought it would be worth experimenting.

So, Ha-yoon approached Min-hyuk.

“Min-hyuk, are your toys fun?”

“Yeah!”

As a boy, his toys were mostly robots, cars, and building blocks.

Still, among them were toys that girls might play with.

Among them, she picked up a pink heart-shaped magic wand.

“Huh? I don’t need this, you take it, Sister!”

Ha-yoon took the magic wand, pressing the button on its handle.

Bright light emitted from it, and a lively melody played.

Magical Girl Linlinlin♥

Don’t lose courage♬

Let’s gather our friends’ hearts♪

It will be the power of miracles♬

Magical Girl Linlinlin♥

“……”

Listening to the melody of the magic wand, she fell into deep thought.

‘Would the god accept this as an offering?’

It was the complete opposite of the pistol.

Still, it was worth trying.

Since she wanted to continue repaying the god, Ha-yoon was curious about what kinds of items the god would like.

She made up her mind.

[‘Kang Ha-yoon from “Earth’s Last Day, Survivor Training” offers the ‘Magic Wand Toy.’]

[Do you want to place the item ‘Magic Wand Toy’ in the dungeon?]

‘What is this?’

While charging gold and waiting for the merchant, Kang Ha-yoon made an offering to me.

“A toy?”

I didn’t understand the meaning.

She had just offered a pistol to me, and now suddenly a toy.

The difference between a pistol and a toy was as large as heaven and earth.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Could it be that the character was protesting because I wasn’t playing the game?

Maybe the items being offered by characters were random.

“But what use is a toy?”

I had received the magic wand toy.

But unlike the pistol, there was no place to use it.

Even if I placed it in the dungeon, it seemed like it would have no use.

“I really don’t get it.”

It was an item offered by Ha-yoon. Refusing it would be disrespectful to the character.

‘It probably doesn’t matter if I place it in the dungeon.’

I decided to just place the item in the dungeon.

A little later, the pink magic toy appeared in the center of the dungeon.

The pink toy didn’t match at all with the gloomy dungeon.

Soon, the dungeon’s owner, the Skeleton Gunner, discovered the magic wand and picked it up.

“……”

It was truly bizarre to see a green-colored, camouflage skull holding the pink magic wand.

“I think it might be better to just get rid of it?”

It wasn’t worth even looking at.

Just as I was about to take the wand back, a new alert appeared.

[The black market merchant has visited the dungeon.]

The black market merchant had finally arrived at the dungeon.

The imp, wings folded, slowly walked inside the dungeon.

The scent of blood still lingered in the air, stinging the nose.

“Hehe, interesting.”

What was most surprising was that even though the merchant had arrived, there was no reaction at all.

In most dungeons, if the inhabitants were ignored, they would turn their backs, but this place was different.

I was curious about who exactly managed this dungeon.

“Who could be the owner of this place…?”

The imp’s voice trailed off as a figure slowly stepped out in front.

Like wolves recognizing one another, the imp instantly realized that the being in front of them was no ordinary creature.

It was a skeleton.

But not just any skeleton. Its bones were dyed in various shades of green, and in both hands, it was holding something.

“Is that… a staff?”

It was a small pink stick with a heart-shaped tip.

Though it was an unusual design, it appeared to be a magical staff.

“Glup.”

The imp swallowed. It wasn’t out of fear, but pure excitement.

What did it mean for a skeleton to hold a staff?

‘Could it be that the lich is the master? I didn’t expect that.’

The imp immediately recognized the being in front of it as an undead mage, a lich.

The color of the bones and the strange staff were all things that made sense if the owner was a lich.

After all, liches were obsessed with magic and couldn’t be evaluated from a normal perspective.

Realizing the identity of the being, the imp grinned.

More than anything, liches were higher-tier entities compared to the imp.

The imp bent deeply at the waist, to the point where its bag almost touched the floor.

“Hehehe, Dungeon Master! It’s an honor to meet you!”

A sly smile spread across the imp’s sharp teeth.

If the opponent was a lich, they were likely to become a big spender.

“I’m a black market merchant imp. My job is to introduce special items to the dungeon masters!”

The imp’s greeting was met with a response.

“I am the ‘Skeleton Gunner’ who manages this dungeon.”

Perhaps because of the unusual appearance, his voice had a weight to it.

“Ah, Skeleton ‘Gunner,’ I see. Hehehe.”

The imp understood that the being was a ‘Gunner.’

Sometimes, liches introduced themselves vaguely as skeletons, so the imp let it slide.

Normally, the imp would quickly take out its items to sell, but its eyes were instead drawn to the items the Skeleton Gunner was holding.

“By the way, Gunner, may I ask what those items are?”

The merchant dealt with various goods, but these were items the imp had never seen before.

Unable to suppress its curiosity, the imp asked.

The Skeleton Gunner held a pistol and a magic wand, both things that were incredibly intriguing to the imp.

Upon hearing the imp’s question, the Skeleton Gunner nodded and spoke.

“These are items given to me by my master.”

Master.

The Skeleton Gunner referred to the one who gave him these items as his master, like a divine being.

It made sense.

Not only had the master given him the powerful weapon, the pistol, but had also evolved him from a normal skeleton to a Skeleton Gunner.

Once the transformation happened, he realized the true power of the weapon his master had given him.

This was the strongest weapon.

However, the imp, who couldn’t grasp everything, shook its head.

“Master…?”

Could it be that the lich wasn’t the owner of the dungeon?

Earlier, the lich had introduced itself as the dungeon’s manager, hadn’t it?

‘Maybe there’s a different master here.’

If the master were a higher-tier monster than the lich, it would be at least A-tier.

“……”

The imp was momentarily at a loss for words.

The serious look of the Skeleton Gunner didn’t feel like a lie.

If there were truly an existence above the lich, and if they were managing this dungeon, then this was the opportunity of a lifetime for the imp.

‘I can’t let this dungeon be taken by anyone else.’

Black market merchants typically didn’t adhere to industry etiquette.

If they saw a promising deal, they’d seize it immediately.

The imp had arrived first, but it was possible that other merchants might show up soon.

‘I have to claim this dungeon for myself!’

The imp’s surprise didn’t end there.

The magical staff in the Skeleton Gunner’s hands suddenly emitted a dazzling light, accompanied by a strange sound.

Linlin♥ Linlin♥

The lovely magical girl Linlin♬

With your bright smile♪

Let’s bring hope to the world♬

Linlin♥ Linlin♥

Holding hands, let’s go together♪

To a place with no more sorrow♬

A song the imp had never heard before.

‘It’s like my hands and feet just want to fold on their own…!’

The imp furrowed its brows.

It seemed that the magic staff was meant to attack the mind.

Just then, another voice came from behind.

“Is this really a dungeon…? It’s a pathetic place.”

A new black market merchant appeared, his black robe flowing.

The imp, who had arrived first, frowned at the newcomer.

“This is my trading ground! You should leave immediately!”

However, the newcomer looked between the imp and the dungeon’s owner and shook his head. A contemptuous smile played on his lips.

“Of all things, a skeleton.”

Unfortunately, the new merchant seemed to lack awareness.

He glanced around the dungeon and began to assess it, as if he were an expert.

“The dungeon seems small, and with those weird weapons, it’s obvious. The owner of this place must be an incompetent and useless bug—”

Bang—

The new merchant’s words were cut short.

A flash of light exploded, and a booming sound echoed through the dungeon.

And the life of the merchant who had been arrogantly boasting just moments before was extinguished.

“Eek!”

The imp gasped in shock as the new merchant had lost his life with one blow.

Smoke rose from the Skeleton Gunner’s hand.

Only then did the imp realize that this was truly a frightening dungeon.