《Goblin Workshop In Me》 Chapter 1 [Seriously give this a shot, especially around Chapter 20¡­ it¡¯s actually so good. -Active] Goblin Lord ¡°9.8 kilos of low-quality magic stone. I¡¯ll set the price at 498,000 won. Would you like to receive the payment in cash, or do you want me to transfer it to your ount?¡± ¡°Please transfer it to my ount.¡± ¡°Very well, it will be deposited into the linked ount within the next few days.¡± ¡°Hey¡­¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°I know this is an auction item, but can I get an advance payment?¡± ¡°What?¡± Counselor Kim Seul-gi tilted his head. What was this man talking about? A sense of embarrassment spread over Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s face. ¡°I was wondering if I could get at least 100,000 won in advance.¡± ¡°Hunter Ko Byeong-gap, your father¡¯s items must be auctioned off for you to receive the proceeds.¡± ¡°Yes, of course, I know, but I was wondering if I could get it in advance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you can¡¯t receive any proceeds for products that haven¡¯t been awarded a bid.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah¡­ Then, is there any loan¡­?¡± ¡°A loan?¡± ¡°Oh, loans are made at the bank. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve been out of my mindtely.¡± Kim Seul-gi nodded nervously. Ko Byeong-gap got up from his seat with his bag. Kim Seul-gi gave a formal farewell to him and called the next customer. ¡°Customer ny-seven!¡± Ko Byeong-gap walked out of the association with heavy steps. The weather was terribly clear. ¡°Oh, this is fucked up.¡± He¡¯d somehow managed to meet that month¡¯s quota. The problem was, after that, there wasn¡¯t a dime left in his pocket. There should be a ce or two where he could get some pay¡­ He was currently at the limit with his loans. ¡°What am I going to do next? I don¡¯t even have any living expenses right now.¡± ss D Hunter, Ko Byeong-gap. He was a hunter, albeit among the lower ranks. He¡¯d gotten quite a few years of experience by now. His profits weren¡¯t bad either. If he did well, he could earn six to seven million won a month. And yet, he was always broke. It was due to the bloody hospital bills and debt that only increased even if they were cut. On second thought, it had been a mistake to touch his private loan. Growl. His stomach fluctuated. Looking back, he hadn¡¯t eaten a meal today. ¡°¡­Okay, let¡¯s have a meal.¡± He went to a soup restaurant near the association. He ordered soup and checked his ount through inte banking. The price of the gemstone sold that day had been deposited. -KBC Bank Bnce: ?4,609,420 If he ate the bowl of soup thoroughly without anything left, he would still have about 30,000 won. A bitter smile crossed his face; he was stunned. He wondered if it was fair that he had less than one percent of the 4.6 million won of what he had earned. He didn¡¯t know what he was going to do for a whole month. -Expeditionary forces who had traveled to Lithuania returned home to Korea around 3 p.m. today¡­. Meanwhile, the news told Ko Byeong-gap stories about the rest of the world. -Three ss-S Hunters who were on an expedition to Lithuania returned home safely. Thanks to them, the alliance between nations has be stronger, national status has increased, and the K-Hunter boom is rising¡­ Ko Byeong-gap drank a lethal amount of soup. ¡°You¡¯re asking me to feel rtive deprivation.¡± Ko Byeong-gap was calm. Gone were the days of jealousy over stars that couldn¡¯t be reached. He just wanted his father¡¯s items to be auctioned off as soon as possible and to get the next reserved fund. He finished his bowl of soup in five minutes and left the restaurant. He immediately put a cigarette in his mouth. He couldn¡¯t quit smoking, even though he didn¡¯t have a living. There was nothing he could do about it, even if people called him an idiot. Even in the midst of bartering nicotine for life, his struggling ankles continued to irritate. They¡¯d been hurt while he was fighting back during his recent subjugation. Ko Byeong-gap pulled a ss bottle out of his backpack. About a third of the red liquid was left in the vial. It was a healing potion. Should he use it or not? ¡°I have to save it¡­.¡± The lowest-grade potion was worth 150,000 won per 100ml. He stared at the potion and put it back in his backpack. He decided to go home and settle for a coldpress. ¡°I¡¯m the only Hunter who saves on potions, damn it.¡± He threw thest bit of the butt into the ashtray. ¡°Oh my God, my life is ruined.¡± He went back to his house. * * * Twenty-eight years ago, cracks had broken out across the globe. The world had been thrown into great turmoil by unprecedented events. The apocalypse cried out for an end, and the leaders of each country dered states of emergency at the highest level. At that time, mankind had been in danger like an impending time bomb. So what about now, after twenty-eight years? Surprisingly, the was very peaceful. Humankind hadn¡¯t perished, nor had it suffered a decline in civilization. Rather, humans ate well, lived well, and made rapid progress in science and technology. How did they do that? Inside the crack, horrible monsters were lurking in the ¡°Back World.¡± Yet, they didn¡¯t directly damage the outside. The monsters were stuck just inside the crack. However, humanity couldn¡¯t stand by. The cracks emanated an undefined force field ranging from several to hundreds of meters in radius, depending on their size, and the area exposed to the force field quickly turned barren. The buildings copsed, the nts dried up, and they would get sick and die if they stayed there for a long time. So, humans had to smash the cracks, but there was just one problem. Ordinary people lost energy and enthusiasm for unknown causes just by being exposed to the force field of the cracks. What would happen if they entered the ¡°Back World¡± in that situation? They had expected themselves toe out like a dry squid. Then, as if by fate, people known as the Awakeners appeared in a car that did things no other could do. They were different from any ordinary person. They had gained great strength after being exposed to the force field of the cracks. The Awakeners were armed with the spirit of sacrifice and selflessness¡­. They did things others couldn¡¯t, and also defeated the rift and gained enormous rewards, fame, and the desire for power. Whatever their intentions were, the world somehow regained stability thanks to the bloody show put on by the Awakeners. In fact, it hadn¡¯t just regained stability but developed apletely festive atmosphere. That was because of the ¡°magic stones¡± produced by the monsters, which had considerable value. Twenty-eight years ago, the ¡°catastrophe¡± had been more of a blessing than a disaster, as countries had even fought over ownership of cracks on their borders or Antarctica, and¡­ Ko Byeong-gap, a twenty-five-year-old guy from South Korea, had put on a show that day to pay off his mounting debts, but that show was likely to be hisst day. ¡®I¡¯m fucked!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap hid behind a building and breathed heavily. Then, he popped his head out slightly and looked around. The Hob Goblins were drooling around with poison in their eyes. ¡®Fuck! This is a variant crack!¡¯ Variant crack. That was when the energy value observed outside the crack was different than the actual energy value. In an easy analogy¡­ looked at from the outside, it was an anchovy farm, but once inside, it was a shark den. If he had noticed it sooner, he would¡¯ve run away, but to make matters worse, he¡¯d gone too deep. ¡®I¡¯m almost out of ammunition.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap stroked the extra bullets on his waist. He had ny rounds left at most. It was regrettable that he hadn¡¯t prepared enough ammunition since he only had a few pennies left. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap frowned and stroked his side. Arrows shot by the two young Hob Goblins had sideswiped him. But it wasn¡¯t that big of an injury, and hey, he was no boy. He could heal it anyway. Ko Byeong-gap took his healing potion out of his backpack. Currently, there was less than a centimeter left. He poured all the remaining potion on his side. Wounds at the level of the abrasions were quickly treated even with the small amount of potion he used. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ There were three options. One, to hold his breath and wait for a rescue team¡ªother Hunters¡ªtoe. Two, to go back the way he came to escape the crack. Andstly, three, to catch the boss of the world and to destroy the crack. Whatever he chose, he would be closer to death than to life. That was why the association avoided solo missions. If one were trapped in a crack, they would certainly die. ¡®What will my mother do if I die?¡¯ There was another person on the line if Ko Byeong-gap died. If he didn¡¯t pay for her hospital bills, his mother would die. ¡®I can¡¯t die like this.¡¯ After making up his mind, he threw away his backpack. Then he removed all the baggage from his body except for the rifle and spare bullets. ¡®If I run away with all my might, I might somehow reach the escape portal.¡¯ He stared at the exit with ring eyes. The Back World was imitating thend behind the crack, like the world in a mirror. His current location was a small town. The surrounding area was all rice fields, and there was a private house in the center. After escaping from the private house and running about a kilometer through the rice fields, he could reach the escape portal. ¡®One, two¡­¡¯ he counted to himself. ¡°Three!¡± ¡°Surprise, motherfucker.¡± ¡°Oh, shit!¡± Pakak! A heavy club flew in. Ko Byeong-gap managed to escape by moving his body reflexively. ¡®That fucking goblin just said surprise¡­.¡¯ ¡°Kereuk! Kereuk!¡± ¡®Did I hear it wrong?¡¯ Well, there was no way monsters could talk to people. Ko Byeong-gap rolled several turns before he pulled the trigger. One of the Hob Goblin¡¯s bodies jolted due to the gunshot. The Hob Goblin, who had been hit in the heart, copsed without a moment¡¯s dy. The Hob Goblin¡¯s rank was E-ss. It was a weak monster that could be killed with a single bullet if hit at a critical point, but the problem was¡­ ¡°Kereuk! Kereuk!¡± ¡°Keehek!¡± ¡°Kereuk! Kereuk!¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Fuck.¡± There was a swarm of goblins everywhere. The Goblins had flocked at the sound of the gunshot. He thought there were about sixty or seventy of them nearby. Ko Byeong-gap began to run in a straight line. Crude arrows and bamboo spears flew at his back. Some even passed breathtakingly over his head. ¡°Those bastards!¡± Ko Byeong-gap turned around and fired. The E-ss and F-ss Hob Goblins and Normal Goblins fell like dominoes. ¡°Kereuk!¡± ¡°Kek!¡± A goblin threw his hatchet. The hatchet flew in a curved line and struck the thigh of Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s old armor. The de was blunt, and his flesh wasn¡¯t cut, but he was bruised, and his thigh cracked. ¡°Aaah!¡± Ko Byeong-gap screamed and emptied one of his magazines before he immediately turned around and resumed running. However, he couldn¡¯t run properly because his injured leg hurt. ¡°Kereuk!¡± ¡°Kereuk! Kereuk!¡± Dozens of goblins chased the single, sick man. It was a bloody chase, pure and simple. He fired from time to time, knocking down the goblins. As a result, the race to death came to the beginning of its end. Two hundred meters to the escape portal! ¡°Heh heh-eok!¡± He then heard a scream behind his back. A monster of incredible size appeared; another Goblin. A Giant Goblin. Like Ko Byeong-gap, the monster was D-ss. ¡®Fuck, how many Giant Goblins are there?¡¯ So far, Ko Byeong-gap had eliminated seven Giant Goblins in that rift, and yet there was still one left! ¡®Damn it. I need to be a C-rank for this crack!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap instinctively threw his body to the side when he felt the top of his head grow cold. The Giant Goblin¡¯s fist fell to the spot where he had just stood. Bang! ¡°Crazy!¡± Ko Byeong-gap, who had rolled a couple ofps on the floor, braced quickly and pulled his gun out. Bang! Ta-da-da-da-da-da! The bullets flooded into the Giant Goblin¡¯s torso. However, even after five or six bullets, he didn¡¯t copse. On the contrary, it seemed to only stimte his temper. ¡®Damn, calm down! Calm down! I have to aim for the head!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap calmed his trembling hands. He put the Giant Goblin¡¯s head on the gauge and took a breath. ¡°Heh heh!¡± ¡°Now!¡± The best moment¡­ He pulled the trigger. p ck! ¡°¡­?!¡± ¡°Heh heh!¡± ¡°Kuck!¡± The Giant Goblin¡¯s vicious kick flew in. Ko Byeong-gap flew five or six steps and rolled along the floor. Three or four of his ribs felt like they had been wrecked. ¡®Fuck, I failed¡­.¡¯ Anyway, that guy was the star of the show¡­ Ko Byeong-gap raised his body. He was also an Awakener, although one reaching his end, a few ribs wouldn¡¯t kill him. ¡°Gasp, gasp!¡± He repeatedly pulled and released the loading handle. He even mmed the bullet box. After he repeated it a few times, his bullets loaded normally. Just as he managed to get himself together, the Giant Goblin¡¯s fist flew in. Ko Byeong-gap gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger. Bang! ¡°Fuck it up¡­.¡± The bullet pierced the Giant Goblin¡¯s shoulder. It copsed. ¡°Scramble, you bastards!¡± Tada tada tada tada! He fired all the remaining ammunition. Then, after throwing the gun away nervously, he ran toward the escape portal. One hundred meters ahead. Ny meters ahead. From now on¡­ ¡°Argh!¡± A crude arrow flew in and struck him. He felt a stinging pain in his back, and his waist bent like a bow. Soon after, a bamboo spear swept through his thighs. Finally, a hatchet and arge pile of rocks also hit him. He couldn¡¯t hold on. He knelt with only about fifty meters left to the portal. His eyes closed by themselves. He was going to lose consciousness since he was losing too much blood. Was he going to die? Turning his head, he saw the Goblin mob was close to his nose. He looked at those eyes which held nothing but madness and ughter. ¡®What should I do about my mom?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap fell forward and lost consciousness. * * * ¡°Ugh¡­.¡± Ko Byeong-gap opened his eyes halfway. Both of his eyelids were heavy, even with an iron churn. ¡®¡­Am I alive? Ugh!¡¯ His whole body hurt. In the meantime, he checked if his hearing was working fine. ¡°Whoosh! Whoosh!¡± ¡°Kiek! Kieeek!¡± ¡°Kereuk! Kereuk!¡± He heard the screams of a swarm of Goblins. Ko Byeong-gap looked at the situation, soothing his dizzy mind. He was tied to arge log so tightly that his crushed flesh was bursting out. It was dark, as the sun was going down, but not that dark. There were furnaces in several ces; arge bonfire was burning about thirty meters ahead, and¡­ Dozens of Goblins were circling Ganggangsue around the campfire. ¡®What is this?¡¯ He was mesmerized by the surreal sight. Ko Byeong-gap observed them more closely. It was a border made of dozens of Goblins. And in the center were two Goblins showing off their unrivaled presence. One wore annoying essories, and the other was a Giant Goblin with an extraordinarilyrge physique. ¡®Damn it, that Giant Goblin isn¡¯t dead?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap was astonished. How many bullets had he punched in and still not killed it as expected for a D-ss monster? However, there was another problem. ¡®Goblin Shaman¡­¡¯ He recognized the Goblin adorned with trinkets. It was a Goblin Shaman, a powerful monster that was at least a C-ss. Probably the boss of that crack. ¡®Why didn¡¯t they kill me instead of just tying me up like this?¡¯ The Goblins weren¡¯t interested in his suffering. They were just screaming among themselves, going around in Ganggangsue, and making gestures, the meaning of which was hard to tell. ¡®What the hell are they doing? It¡¯s like some kind of ritual¡­.¡¯ He¡¯d encountered quite a few Goblins while he was a Hunter, but he had never seen anything like this before. ¡®Tsk! It¡¯s none of my business.¡¯ Whatever it was, it wasn¡¯t the point. This was a great opportunity to escape, to avoid the attention of the Goblins. The problem was that he couldn¡¯t break the ropes and run away with his current energy. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s head span very fast. After a while, he decided to use the furnace next to him. The rough-looking brazier was burning with firewood. There were several such braziers around the ce. He crawled across the floor, all the while moaning and still tied to the log. When he got close enough to the brazier, he started hitting the bridge with his head. Thud! Thud! If the Goblins found out, it was all over. Ko Byeong-gap hit the furnace as quietly as possible. How many times did he need to hit it? A piece of firewood from the furnace fell to the floor. The embers were still alive. ¡®Done!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap put his body at the end of the charred firewood. Soon, the embers were transferred to the rope. Flutter! The rope had been made by weaving nt stems together, so it burned very well. Of course, it also hit his flesh. ¡°Oh, ugh!¡± The pain of burning, raw flesh was¡­ Ko Byeong-gap swallowed a groan with a superhuman will. When the rope was burnt enough, he wriggled with all his might. The rope broke off without a hitch. It was a sess! Ko Byeong-gap quickly lifted himself, but his legs were shaking, and he kept falling. He just couldn¡¯t stand up straight. ¡°Fuck it! Fuck!¡± He kept trying and spat out curses, looking like a newborn child trying to take a walk. He finally stood up on both feet, but at that very moment, his head went fuzzy. ¡®Damn, anemia!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s body tilted. He grabbed the closest object randomly so as not to fall. By the way¡­ wasn¡¯t there a saying that an unlucky guy would break his nose even if he fell backward? What Ko Byeong-gap caught was a burning furnace. ¡°Hot¡­ Fuck!¡± He screamed the one word. He hurriedly shut his mouth, but the bus had already left the station. ¡°Kereuk?¡± The eyes of the Goblins that were circling in Ganggangsue focused on Ko Byeong-gap. Faced with hundreds of enemies, his jaw dropped. ¡®Run away¡­¡¯ He turned away and quit the scene. God damn it. Currently, the run was over. He was bleeding a lot and had been tied up for hours, so his body wasn¡¯t at its normal level. He was sure he would get caught less than a hundred meters away. However, if he were asked if he would give up on life, he would say no. He still had a way to live. ¡®Killing the Goblin Shaman.¡¯ He had to get rid of the boss of the crack. It was judgment time. There was no cliff left to be pushed into further. He cursed and held a piece of firewood in his hand. When he hit it against the floor roughly, the tip broke, and a sufficient stake was made. The Goblin Shaman was a high-rank monster, but it wasn¡¯t famous for its strength. If he hit its vital point with the stake, he could kill it with a single blow. When the boss died, the escape portal would open immediately. Then, there was a chance of buying even one piece of cloth. ¡°Kereuk!¡± ¡°Kee-Kee-Kee-Kee-Kee-Kee-Kee-kie!¡± The horde of goblins rushed in, screaming. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡± Ko Byeong-gap also ran towards them. His eyes were focused on the Goblin Shaman. ¡®I don¡¯t know why, but it can¡¯t move right now!¡¯ The Goblin Shaman had been immobile for some time. In other words, Ko Byeong-gap could seize the opportunity even with his body in such an abnormal state. ¡°Kereuk!¡± ¡°Get off!¡± He didn¡¯t have time to deal with anyone else. Ko Byeong-gap headed for the Goblin Shaman, avoiding or throwing off all the oing Goblins. Was it because death was imminent? His body showed a movement close to the limit. As expected, the Goblin Shaman made no move. Ko Byeong-gap approached the danger radius, and the Giant Goblin, who had been silent so far, stepped out. ¡°Wow!¡± He blocked the Goblin Shaman¡¯s front and stretched out his fist. However, the Giant Goblin was also in poor physical condition. Ko Byeong-gap almost rolled over as he grumbled. The Giant Goblin¡¯s fist grazed him narrowly. He rose quickly and leaped while his grip on the stake tightened. The Goblin Shaman¡¯s confused face was visible. ¡°Look!¡± Ko Byeong-gap swung his arm. At the same time, a bead of light popped out of the Goblin Shaman¡¯s heart and fired. Whoosh! The wooden stake prated the Goblin Shaman¡¯s heart precisely. The bead of light lost its way and was absorbed by Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Kuek!¡± The Goblin Shaman burst into tears. Every Goblin around them stood frozen. It worked! He¡¯d seeded! Ko Byeong-gap shook his arms and smiled with joy. He was going to make it out, and it was the one thought floating around his head. By the way¡­ ¡°What, what?¡± If the boss had died, the world would have copsed, and the escape portal should have opened, but the only thing waiting for him was an unpleasant silence. ¡°Why won¡¯t it open? Open it! Open! Jesus Christ, get me out of here! Stay away from me!¡± Ko Byeong-gap yelled in a high-pitched voice. Was the Goblin Shaman not the boss of that crack? No, that couldn¡¯t be. There was no other monster stronger than the Goblin Shaman. ¡°Unbelievable¡­ No¡­ You can¡¯t do that¡­.¡± Ko Byeong-gap heard a chilling sound in his ear. It was the only thing he heard. However, the meaning was conveyed vividly for some reason. Ko Byeong-gap turned his head reflexively. The speaker was the Goblin Shaman. It was desperately staring at Ko Byeong-gap, denying the reality. ¡®Why is it still alive? No matter, I still haven¡¯tpletely lost my breath!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap rushed to kill the Goblin Shamanpletely, but soon, he had to stop. The Goblin Shaman and every Goblin around him knelt down. ¡°¡­?¡± Had those guys been taking drugs? Ko Byeong-gap surveyed the Goblins with an embarrassed nce. The Goblin Shaman spoke in a beguiling voice, bleeding from his eyes and mouth. ¡°Ah, Goblin Lord¡­¡± ¡°Lord!¡± ¡°Lord!¡± Once the Goblin Shaman took the lead, the other Goblins followed suit. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s ears rang at the loud noise. ¡°¡­What?¡± Standing tall, he looked back at the dozens of Goblins kneeling before him, and soon, a hologram came into his vision. [You have be the Goblin Lord.] [Rebuild the Goblin Kingdom ording to the fate of the Goblin Lord.] [The fallen kingdom of the Goblins, Ashvm, has been opened.] Chapter 2 2. Goblin Lord ¡°Oh, Byeong-gap. It¡¯s a while since you¡¯ve been here.¡± Nurse Lee Ji-yeon, who was guarding the hospital desk, pretended to know. Ko Byeong-gap smiled awkwardly and bowed. ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Did youe to see your mother?¡± ¡°Yes, haha¡­¡± ¡°Go on up.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Ko Byeong-gap went up to the hospital room where his mother, Park Young-ok, was. Nurses murmured as they looked at his back. ¡°He¡¯s a good son, a good son.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s sad to see.¡± ¡°Huh? Who¡¯s that?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? That¡¯s the son of thedy in room 403.¡± ¡°In room 403¡­ Oh! That¡¯s him?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Kim Yu-bi, the new nurse who hade in only recently, admired the man. She then asked Ji-yeon, ¡°But why is it sad?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a pity that his mother is terminally ill?¡± ¡°Oh, well, I guess so.¡± ¡°Well, sometimes, he¡¯s a bit fierce. We¡¯d be in big trouble if we spoke like this in front of our patrons.¡± ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m being careful. He must be rich, by the way? He¡¯s doing in-patient care.¡± ¡°Definitely rich.¡± Lee Ji-yeon clicked her tongue with pity on her face. It had already been three years since Ko Byeong-gap first came to that hospital. Lee Ji-yeon had watched him be more impoverished day by day. She also knew that the hospital expenses he barely met every month were costing him everything. Lee Ji-yeon muttered to herself, looking dimly at the stairs where Ko Byeong-gap had disappeared. ¡°He can barely make enough money to pull through it.¡± * * * ¡°Mom, I¡¯m here,¡± Ko Byeong-gap said as he entered room 403. No answer came; his mother was asleep. Park Young-ok was a victim of the ¡°Phantom Disease,¡± which affected only 1,200 patients in Korea. These patients slept most of the day, fighting the disease. A full cure was yet to be released. However, by acquiring a red magic stone from a ss-B or higher monster, and thereby a special solution made by dissolving it, the progression of the disease could be dramatically slowed. It was simply a money-saving cure for many patients who couldn¡¯t afford the hospital bills. However, Ko Byeong-gap wouldn¡¯t give up. His mother was the only family he had left in the world. And rumors that someone who was receiving medication had been curedpletely persuaded him not to give up. Ko Byeong-gap plopped down next to the bed. He looked at his mother¡¯s face for half an hour without saying a word. ¡°Mom, I¡­¡± Creak! As soon as he was about to say something, the hospital room door opened, and a woman entered. It was Park Young-ok¡¯s caregiver, Choi Ji-ok. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here, Ko Byeong-gap?¡± ¡°Hello, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Aigoo, you came to see your mom when she was sleeping. What are you doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. I just wanted to see my mother¡¯s face.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shame, though. It¡¯s been a while,¡± Choi Ji-ok said, recing the bedpan. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, Byeong-gap. Young-ok has been eating well, taking walks from time to time, and she seems to be getting better.¡± ¡°Ah, really?¡± ¡°Well, Young-ok is also working hard. Who in the world wouldn¡¯t cheer up when their son¡¯s working so hard to pay their medical bills?¡± Ko Byeong-gapughed bitterly. He nced at Park Young-ok and whispered, ¡°Ma¡¯am, just in case, don¡¯t mention to her that I¡¯m a hunter.¡± ¡°Gosh! Okay! No matter how talkative I am, you¡¯re afraid I¡¯ll tell Young-ok? Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± ¡°But Ko Byeong-gap, I¡¯m also a parent with children, so always take care of yourself. Not long ago, I was watching the news, and it reminded me of you, Byeong-gap.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m always careful.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing as sad as a child going before their parents.¡± After chatting with Choi Ji-ok for some time, Ko Byeong-gap stood up. ¡°Oh, are you leaving already?¡± ¡°Yeah, I just dropped by.¡± ¡°You¡¯re in the middle of a busy time. Yeah, go ahead. Be assured that I¡¯m taking good care of her, so don¡¯t worry. Always take care of yourself.¡± ¡°I look forward to your kind cooperation, ma¡¯am.¡± He bowed and left the hospital. Choi Ji-ok sighed, with a sympathetic expression on her face, after Ko Byeong-gap left. ¡°What a selfless man. What kind of crime did hemit in his past life to have to deal with this harsh treatment? Tsk, tsk, tsk.¡± * * * Ko Byeong-gap returned to his room, which was about six pyeong long. Originally, he¡¯d lived in a three-bedroom apartment, but it had been a long time since he¡¯d been evicted because of the hospital bills. In his small, sunny room, he quietly turned his back and sat down. Breathing in slowly, he calmed his mind and body. ¡®I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a good thing.¡¯ With his heart trembling, Ko Byeong-gap opened the door to Ashvm. A shining hole appeared in the room, swirling as if to suck everything in. ¡°Ugh!¡± Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s body crumpled into the hole. It was like being sucked into a ck hole. A few secondster, Ko Byeong-gap woke up on a vast rocky mountain, not in a shabby room. ¡°Gasp, gasp!¡± Ko Byeong-gap felt cold sweat pouring from him. When he walked through the unknown door, he felt unprepared. He sighed after scanning the surroundingndscape. ¡°Huh¡­¡± The towering rocky mountain was simply a magnificent sight. He looked around for a long time and then lowered his eyes. More than thirty Goblins stood looking at Ko Byeong-gap. They looked like meerkats. Seeing the Goblins again made him feel frustrated. ¡®How did this happen to me?¡¯ The unprecedented incident began a little way back in time¡­ Three days ago, Ko Byeong-gap had faced the risk of dying after being trapped in a variant crack. He¡¯d been in a situation where he couldn¡¯t do anything since he¡¯d run out of ammunition and was surrounded by the enemy. It was a moment of desperation. With his wit, Ko Byeong-gap had seeded in fatally wounding the Goblin Shaman, the boss of that world. But from then on, things had gone in a strange direction. He had be the Goblin Lord himself, heter learned from the Goblin Shaman. The Goblins had long been preparing for the resurrection of the Goblin Lord. Originally, the elected Giant Goblin was to inherit the fate of the Goblin Lord, but the n had gone awry because of the unexpected disturbance caused by Ko Byeong-gap. The essence of the Goblin Lord, which they had saved for decades, was absorbed by Ko Byeong-gap. As a result, he had be the ruler of a race that wasn¡¯t up for grabs. It wasn¡¯t just Ko Byeong-gap who was embarrassed. The Goblins, in fact, were the biggest victims. It was unfair that their n for decades had ended in vain, but how daunting that the new leader was a human man who ughtered Goblins? However, the goblins had quickly embraced reality. It was already water under the bridge, so they had put everything down and demanded Ko Byeong-gap to rebuild their species. -Lord, please, our people¡­ Stay cool! Cool! Save us! -Hey! Don¡¯t die! Hey! The Goblin Shaman had died only after saying what he had to say. He couldn¡¯t get angry because it was Ko Byeong-gap himself who had killed him. When the Goblin Shaman died, the world had divided, and Ko Byeong-gap had absorbed the surviving Goblins. That was how the case ended. After that, the sun had risen and set twice, but Ko Byeong-gap still couldn¡¯t decide whether it had been a dream or real life. The fact that a door to an unknown world called Ashvm had opened inside his body and that he had be the Lord of the Goblins. The fact that the Goblins were waiting for his visit. There seemed to be no such thing as reality at all. Ko Byeong-gap approached the Goblins while they remained tense. They looked at each other with sad faces. There was a hole in the ground where the hollow light had disintegrated the Goblin Shaman and the other deceased. ¡°Huh huh¡­¡± A sad cry was heard. Before bing the Goblin Lord, it would have sounded like a beast crying to Ko Byeong-gap, but now, he could understand all the emotions in their voices. ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯ He had mixed feelings. It was the first time he¡¯d felt ufortable after killing a monster since he first became a hunter. It felt like a peaceful family had been torn apart. He¡¯d just done his job as a hunter¡­ After Ko Byeong-gap sighed, he took something out of his backpack. Three hundred millimeters of low-grade healing potion. Its market value was 450,000 won. ¡°Come here, those who are wounded.¡± Ko Byeong-gap spoke fluently in the Goblins¡¯nguage. That was also an ability that had appeared after he became a Goblin Lord. The Goblins showed signs of caution but flocked without a murmur. There were twenty-one normal Goblins, eleven Hob Goblins, and one Giant Goblin. The total number was thirty-three. It was originally twice as much, but they had been dying like wildfire over thest three days. That was because they had suffered gunshot wounds and weren¡¯t properly treated. Ko Byeong-gap felt responsible for it. Ko Byeong-gap healed the Giant Goblin first. It was in the worst condition because it has been shot more than a dozen times. If it hadn¡¯t been for its unique, tough vitality, it would¡¯ve run out of breath. He divided and applied a portion of the healing potion to the Giant Goblin¡¯s wounds. He used up an entire bottle of healing potion just to cure it. Still, it couldn¡¯t heal without it. ¡°It¡¯s a monster, so it¡¯ll get better after ten days of rest.¡± He treated the rest of the Goblins with the remaining two bottles. ¡°Whoa, that was close.¡± After the treatment, he was lost in thought as he lowered the empty potion bottle. ¡®I¡¯m crazy. I don¡¯t even have enough money to bring to the hospital; I can¡¯t believe I lost 450,000 won to these monsters.¡¯ Even if hemented, though, he had already used the potions. Still, seeing the Goblins get better made him feel better. Ko Byeong-gap stretched his waist and looked around the surroundingndscape. The ce was truly mysterious and curious, and where he was standing was in the middle of an unknown mountain. He walked a little and found a flowing stream. Trees were spread all over the ce, giving it a lively appearance. However, there weren¡¯t many areas that he could identify. Beyond the stream, thendscape was obscured by fog and waspletely invisible. ¡®Shall I go?¡¯ Intrigued, he moved on. He jumped past the lush trees and leaped over the stream. He then suddenly turned around and saw a group of Goblins staring at him with a question in their eyes. ¡°What are you looking at? What do you see? ¡°Wow¡­¡± There were no more Goblins who would bite his throat in madness and ughter. They were gentle sheep in front of Byeong-gap. Were these the Goblins that had acted and looked like beasts? ¡°What do I do about them?¡± Ko Byeong-gap bleated, but no one listened. He felt strange as he got closer to the fog. Originally, no matter how thick the fog was, the range of visibility would increase when approached, but now there was no such effect at all. Finally, he reached the brink of the foggy area. Ko Byeong-gap felt exhausted by the absurdity. ¡®What was that?¡¯ An invisible barrier was divided into a shrouded zone and a zone that wasn¡¯t in obviousyers, like water and oil. Bang! Bang! Ko Byeong-gap punched the invisible membrane. There was a wave of ripples, but it showed no sign of breaking. Realizing that there were no more clues to help him, he returned to his original position. The Goblins followed him, maintaining a distance of about twenty steps. This time he moved in the opposite direction, to where a huge rock wall was located. As he passed through the vast field, he saw the rock wall right away. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap found a cave of a fairlyrge size. It wasn¡¯t a special cave, but he hadn¡¯t seen one in all his life, so it felt amazing. He unthinkingly approached the cave and came to his senses. ¡®I wonder what¡¯s in here?¡¯ He forgot because various things wereplicating his thoughts, but it was an unknown space. It meant that there might be some danger lurking inside. The dark cave was suspicious, no matter how it looked. Ko Byeong-gap turned and flicked his finger at the Goblin crowd. ¡°Hey,e here.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Come quickly!¡± When Ko Byeong-gap spoke up, a Hob Goblin gasped. ¡°Lord sir¡­¡± ¡°Have you ever gone in there?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been in.¡± Even if the Goblins were fluent in saying ¡°Lord sir,¡± their generalnguage proficiency was poor. The Goblin Shaman hadmunicated with humans without difficulty, but those below him could only speak in limited vocabry. Nodding toward the cave, Ko Byeong-gap said, ¡°Go in.¡± ¡°You, Lord sir?¡± ¡°Why are you saying ¡®Lord sir?¡¯ Go in.¡± The Hob Goblin who had been pointed out turned his eyes piteously and walked into the cave, bowing his head. Ko Byeong-gap stared at the entrance of the cave nervously. However, contrary to his expectations, no disturbance was heard from it. The Hob Goblin reappeared a minute or twoter. ¡°Why are youing out already? Anything there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s blocked. It¡¯s blocked. Nothing. Nothing.¡± ¡°Really? If that¡¯s a lie, be prepared.¡± ¡°Lie. No, not lie.¡± ¡°I said be prepared if you¡¯re lying.¡± Ko Byeong-gap, regretting not bringing antern, carefully entered the cave. The inside was dark, humid, and quiet. ¡®Jagiya, there must be some kind of treasure in a cave like this.¡¯ He was about to turn around, feeling a steam leak behind him. A hologram appeared before Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes. [You have entered the Crystal Mine.] [Mine crystals to raise money for power generation.] Chapter 3 3. Meal Time ¡®You want me to raise money for power generation by mining crystals?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap looked intently at the hologram. There was no difficult word in that short sentence, but he didn¡¯t understand it easily. ¡®What crystals, and how am I going to mine them?¡¯ He thought hard and went out of the cave. He spoke to the gathered Goblins. ¡°Anyone, go and get some thick branches.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± The Goblins rushed. ¡°Uh, I just need one or two. Tsk!¡± Even though they tried to look cute, he still felt frustrated. Still, the Goblins did as they were told. They broke a bunch of twigs and brought them to Ko Byeong-gap. He took a lighter out of his backpack and started lighting them up. However, because it was a raw tree, it didn¡¯t stick well. He shouted in a fit of anger. ¡°Hey! You should bring dry branches. What did you think about bringing these? It won¡¯t catch fire!¡± ¡°Woo¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± The Goblins bowed their heads with a sullen look. Ko Byeong-gap thought he might be a little bit blunt, but he couldn¡¯t help it. It happened by itself since the others were monsters. In fact, in the back of his mind, he said that he should¡¯ve brought a gun and shot them to death right away. ¡°Phew.¡± Ko Byeong-gap sighed and patiently started the fire. A few momentster, a usible bonfire was created. Several Goblins pped timidly. ¡®I made a fire.¡¯ ¡°Hey, you.¡± Ko Byeong-gap pointed to a Goblin, and it looked at him with a face asking, ¡®Me?¡¯ ¡°Come here.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± A Hob Goblin was at least honorable, but there was nothing better than going to a lower normal Goblin. ¡°Take it off.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Take off your clothes and give them to me.¡± He called it clothes, but what the Goblin was wearing was just a cloth. The Goblin opened its eyes wide and looked alternately at the crowd and Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°I¡¯ll make a torch, so take it off.¡± It shook its head. The Goblin shook its head with a pitiful look. Ko Byeong-gap frowned and pulled at what the Giant Goblin was wearing. The Goblin also endured not to be taken away. ¡®What are they thinking?¡¯ ¡°Hey! You can get another er! Give it to me!¡± ¡°Kiiiing, kiiing!¡± Atst, tears filled its eyes. God, he never thought he would see a Goblin¡¯s tears. ¡°Uw.¡± ¡°Lord, mercy¡­¡± The Goblins watching the scene looked restless. They said they couldn¡¯t stop him, and it was painful to watch him. At that point, even Ko Byeong-gap noticed. He felt like he was a born son of a bitch. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re so petty! Yeah, I don¡¯t need it, man! I¡¯m so dirty.¡± Ko Byeong-gap let go of the Goblins with a temper. He then nervously took off his coat. It was a checkered shirt that he had purchased at a discount store for 10,000 won per three sheets. ¡®What a waste.¡¯ He tied his coat to a thick branch and lit it. A pretty good torch was built despite the haste. And as soon as the torch waspleted, Ko Byeong-gapmented his stupidity. He just wanted to stop by and bring antern¡­ Anyway, the torch waspleted, so he took it and entered the cave again. That time, another hologram came to him. [Crystal Cave] -A cave rich in crystal. -Mine crystals. He ignored the hologram and walked inside, illuminating the interior with the torch. The cave was cool, but just as he thought it would be perfect toe there in the summer, something shiny caught his eye. It was a crystal. The reddish crystal showed off its presence on the wall. ¡°A crystal!¡± When he saw the crystal, he was excited. That was because he had a strong feeling that it would cost money even if he didn¡¯t know what kind of crystal it was. He held the crystal with one hand and pulled it straight out, and gave his hand strength, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°A little more¡­ It¡¯s holding up¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap used his fist to strike around the crystal or kick it with his feet. However, the crystal didn¡¯te out. It was hard to pull out the crystal that was firmly embedded in the wall. ¡®I need some kind of tool.¡¯ He needed a pickaxe to mine that thing. ¡°How much is a pickaxe worth?¡± He left the cave with a bitter taste. The torch¡¯s lifespan was also at its end. The Goblins gathered and stood by in front of the cave. When Ko Byeong-gap came out and let out a ¡®Woo¡­¡¯, the Goblins took a step back. Ko Byeong-gap burst intoughter because it was somehow amazing. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you have a pickaxe or something?¡± ¡°Pickaxe?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We work. We wear a lot of clothes, but we can¡¯t have a pickaxe.¡± ¡°Woo¡­¡± He walked past the Goblins to where he left his backpack. He had to go back home and bring his pickaxe back. ¡°I, I¡­ Lord¡­¡± Suddenly, a Hob Goblin stepped forward and spoke to him. Ko Byeong-gap replied in a sour manner. ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°He, he¡­.¡± ¡°What, dude? Stop dawdling and say it!¡± ¡°My stomach. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± The Hob Goblin was sick with a face saying he was going to die. ¡°My stomach. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Lord, rice. I want to eat.¡± ¡°Hungry. Tired.¡± ¡°Give me something to eat. Give me something to eat.¡± Even the Goblins behind him were buzzing. Ko Byeong-gap found it so absurd that he was speechless. He nked out for three or four seconds and managed to answer. ¡°There¡¯s a river. Go and eat some fish.¡± ¡°I went there yesterday. There are no fish.¡± ¡°There weren¡¯t any fish? What if I¡¯m there?¡± ¡°Well, there were small fishes, but we don¡¯t have enough small fish.¡± The Hob Goblin stuttered. Apparently, they were really hungry. ¡®Fuck, how do I feed the Goblins?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t mind skipping meals in his subjugations, but it was nonsense to feed the Goblins. The Hob Goblin continued to appeal in a gloomy state. ¡°Yesterday, today. Nothing. I couldn¡¯t eat. I am hungry.¡± ¡°No, wait a minute? You guys don¡¯t have to eat, do you?¡± Ko Byeong-gap felt a lot of doubt. He wasn¡¯t a monster, so he had never even heard of monsters living in the world eating their meals. If they did, there was basically nothing to eat in that world. Moreover, some of the cracks hadn¡¯t been attacked for years. There were ces where hunters didn¡¯t even try because of their high level of difficulty. If monsters starved to death, it wouldn¡¯t make sense that there were unattended cracks. The monsters would starve to death before that. However, as if it destroyed Ko Byeong-gap¡¯smon sense, the Hob Goblin appealed for hunger. ¡°Before, I wasn¡¯t hungry. But now, I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going crazy.¡± He looked around at the Goblins with his forehead creased. One, two, three, four¡­ There were 33 of them. Moreover, that Giant Goblin looked like he needed to eat at least five servings. ¡®How much does a Big Mac cost?¡¯ Even if one meal was somehow solved, the real problemid behind it. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s wallet couldn¡¯t afford to feed more than 30 snouts. In other words, with his bloody hospital bills and debt, his back was already breaking. The potions he used for the Goblins were already a waste of money, and now he needed more for food? And even though he thought of that¡­ ¡®Ha¡­ But I can¡¯t starve them to death.¡¯ If they were going to starve to death, he wouldn¡¯t have treated them with the potions. ¡°Are there really no fish?¡± ¡°Big fish. No fish.¡± ¡°What do you guys eat?¡± ¡°Anything. I eat.¡± ¡°Anything?¡± ¡®Would they eat some kind of sawdust or something like that? The price of dog food is pretty high these days.¡¯ He was troubled by that serious internal conflict. Suddenly, at one moment, a brilliant idea crossed his mind. ¡°You said you¡¯d eat anything, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Anything. I eat.¡± The Hob Goblin answered immediately. Ko Byeong-gap grinned and said, ¡°If youin about side dishes, you¡¯ll die.¡± * * * Ko Byeong-gap loaded himself into the small car. It was an old car with a mileage of more than 270,000 kilometers, and his number one treasure, even though it was shabby. He had a hard time paying off his debts, but he was driving a car? You could swear at him for it. However, you wouldn¡¯t know about it. For hunters, it was a ¡°must-have¡± item. Couldn¡¯t he take public transportation when he needed to go all over the country looking for cracks since he didn¡¯t have much luggage? Guilds took care of everything from moving to preparing supplies for their hunters, but free hunters like Ko Byeong-gap had to solve the whole process independently. It had been a long time, but to sum up, a car was necessary. Before he left, he checked his cell phone. The app ¡°Hunte¡± created by the association contained information on cracks that urred across the country. Hunters set a crack to attack based on that. Ko Byeong-gap mainly searched for F-rank cracks ording to their degree of danger. The most he could do as a D-ss hunter were the low-risk E and F-rank cracks. He soon found what he needed. His destination was a vige called Hyun-ri, located in Gapyeong-gun. ¡®It takes two hours.¡¯ When he looked at it on the navigation, it was quite a distance. He couldn¡¯t help it though. All nearby cracks were preupied. Those days, subjugations were also a race of speed. When he went, he stepped on the elerator, hoping that the tough guys hadn¡¯t taken his ce. ¡°An yu-woo~ Anyu woo~¡± Ko Byeong-gap hummed, enjoying the drive. As it was daytime on a weekday, the national highway was quiet. It had been an hour and two that had passed. Ko Byeong-gap arrived at his destination 20 minutes ahead of schedule. After parking in a suitable vacant lot, he packed his luggage and approached the crack. It was a rural vige, so the surrounding area was quiet. ¡®If I die in this crack, will it be found in a few days?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap always felt the same way before entering a crack. As a solo contender, there was a high probability that his dead body wouldn¡¯t be found if he died in the Back World. After burning two cigarettes in a row, Ko Byeong-gap checked his condition once again. Rifle status, ammunition, supplies. Everything was fine. Also, the Karma Meter was used to reconfirm the grade of cracks. It was an F-rank crack. In addition, no one seemed to have already entered. Come on, let¡¯s not think about that.¡¯ After getting ready, he threw himself into the crack. It looked the same as the outside world, but the other side of the world where monsters lived. He calmly looked at the world behind him. Unlike the sunny sky outside, the sky was dark. It wouldn¡¯t be as wide as that was an F-rank crack. It was about a kilo at most. Ko Byeong-gap moved cautiously. ¡°Kiik! Kiik!¡± A monster quickly appeared. The monsters living in those cracks were called ¡®Ground Ghosts.¡¯ It was the mostmon monster found in F-rank cracks. It looked like a monkey with a dog¡¯s face on it. Overall, it was grayish and had no fur, so it wasn¡¯t attractive. ¡°You look like shit, too.¡± The risk wasn¡¯t too much of a threat as it was a G-ss monster. However, if you thought of it as a puppy in the neighborhood, you might get hurt badly since its teeth wereparable to that of a wild beast. ¡°Kieh¡­¡± Bang! ¡°Gasp!¡± The Ground Ghost rushed in with its arms floundering. Ko Byeong-gap quickly fired a shot and blew its head off. The Ground Ghost was shot straight away. After hearing the gunfire, the Ground Ghosts that hid everywhere appeared. Ko Byeong-gap breathed out and lowered the gun. It wasn¡¯t himself who was going to deal with those monsters. He relieved his mind and opened the door to Ashvm. Soon, there was a whirlpool of light in his sr plexus. ¡°Everyone,e on out!¡± He shouted, and then, the Goblins poured out like water spewing out of a hose. All the Goblin held a crude hand ax or club. Their eyes changed when they spotted the Ground Ghosts. They looked at them like one would stare at prey. Ko Byeong-gap said with a smirk, ¡°Come on, it¡¯s mealtime. Come out and eat them all.¡± ¡°Kereuk!¡± ¡°Keruk!¡± As soon as his words were over, the Goblins drooled and rushed in. Chapter 4 4. Crystal Mining Rank. That was the method of ssifying the ranks of Awakeners or monsters. It consisted of nine stages from SS to G. The deviation between each ss wasn¡¯t veryrge, but there were three sections where overwhelming walls existed. The section from ss C to ss B. The section from ss A to ss S. Lastly, it was the section from S to SS. So people grouped each section together: ss C or lower. A and B were higher. ss S was referred to as the highest level. The SS ss was nicknamed ¡°outside the standards,¡± which was rarely used. That was because there were only two Awakeners outside the standard in South Korea and not more than 70 worldwide. As exined above, ranks grouped in the same unit didn¡¯t have arge lower ranks. Therefore, what mattered in their fight was the number of heads rather than the individual skills and capabilities. ¡°Kerreuk!¡± ¡°Kieeek! Kegege!¡± There were at most 15 Ground Ghosts. The Goblins, on the other hand, were more than twice that. In addition, a Normal Goblin was F-ss, so overall, they ranked higher than Ground Ghosts. The Goblins swung their axes and clubs, moving swiftly to not be bitten by the Ground Ghosts. Whenever a Ground Ghost would fall, they would rush in herds and tore the body. There was no way the Ground Ghost would survive. Fifteen Ground Ghosts were quickly wiped out. The Goblins let out a victory cry, and a rather savage scene followed. They began to ravenously eat the corpses of the Ground Ghosts. A Goblin¡¯s sharp teeth were perfect for eating raw meat. ¡®They¡¯re eating well.¡¯ After watching the Goblin¡¯s meal time for a bit, Ko Byeong-gap soon averted his eyes. That was because his stomach grew upset. He had been a hunter for the past three years, and he had seen everything, but that was too much. He nced around for a moment. It was to check if there were any monsters that he hadn¡¯t spotted. Fortunately, there was no particr thing to note. ¡°Lo¡­ Lord¡­¡± A Goblin came behind his back. Ko Byeong-gap turned around in surprise. One Hob Goblin was holding out the hind legs of a Ground Ghost with his hands. ¡°What? What am I supposed to do?¡± ¡°Together. Eat¡­¡± ¡°Ha! What the¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap giggled. Still, it wasn¡¯t very desirable, he thought. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You guys should eat a lot.¡± ¡°Lord, sir, if you don¡¯t eat, you¡¯ll be hungry.¡± Ko Byeong-gap bit a cigarette in his mouth and patted the Hob Goblin on the shoulder. He smiled pretentiously. ¡°I¡¯m full just by looking at you guys eating, so be sure to chew and eat a lot.¡± ¡°Lord sir¡­¡± The Hob Goblin looked at Ko Byeong-gap with a wistful eye. He must¡¯ve been moved. Ko Byeong-gap stared at the Hob Goblin. Come to think of it, that Hob Goblin always spoke to him on behalf of the other Goblins. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Name. What do you mean?¡± ¡°Okay, don¡¯t you guys have names too?¡± Ko Byeong-gap had always guessed, so he asked. The answer he received was quite different from his expectations. ¡°I don¡¯t have a name. Only Goblin. The others have a name.¡± The Hob Goblin pointed its finger at someone. It was the Giant Goblin, who was chewing an entire Ground Ghost. ¡°That Goblin. Name. This is Turka.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a name?¡± ¡°Weak Goblin. No name. Strong Goblin. There is a name.¡± ¡°Oh, what a cold society. If you¡¯re weak, you don¡¯t even have a name.¡± Ko Byeong-gap unconsciously exhaled cigarette smoke toward the Hob Goblin. The Hob Goblin coughed and coughed. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Cough! It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you smoke?¡± ¡°Cigarettes? I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Ko Byeong-gap shook off the butt, which was the cigarette¡¯s end, then he said with a big smile, ¡°Shall I give you a name?¡± ¡°Well, are you sure?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that difficult. I¡¯ll give you a special name because you¡¯re a jerk. What would be good?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± The Hob Goblin looked at Ko Byeong-gap with a look of anticipation. After a couple of seconds of contemtion, he shouted with a flick of his fingers. ¡°Hey, what do you think of dog poop?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m serious. I¡¯m not kidding!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you like it? Then how about Gobung?¡± ¡°Gobung?¡± The Hob Goblin said, ¡°Go-bung? Gobung?¡± Then that time, he nodded and liked it. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Yeah, go ahead with you.¡± ¡°Thank you! Thank you!¡± ¡°Good, good.¡± Ko Byeong-gap sent Gobung back. Gobung jumped up and down with joy and returned to the Goblin pack. The Goblins and their meal were soon over. They even packed up some leftover meat and prepared to bring them back. The crack attack wasn¡¯t over yet. Ko Byeong-gap led the Goblins and broke through the world behind them. What stood in their way continued to be Ground Ghosts. No matter how weak the Ground Ghosts were, some Goblins were still injured during the battle. Ko Byeong-gap healed the injured with the potions he had brought beforehand. It was a waste, to be honest. After about an hour of progress, the boss of the crack appeared. It was an F-ss monster named ¡®Ground Goblin.¡¯ It looked almost like a Ground Ghost, with brown fur, and was a littlerger. ¡°Get out of the way.¡± Ko Byeong-gap pushed the Goblins back and fired rifle bullets at the Ground Goblin. No matter how tough its fur was, it couldn¡¯t withstand the bullet. The Ground Goblin copsed in vain and died. ¡°Ku-kung!¡± When the crack boss died, the world began to copse. An escape portal rose over the body of the Ground Goblin. ¡°Come on, get on quickly!¡± ¡°Yes, Lord sir!¡± The Goblins rushed to collect the dead monster¡¯s body. Some of them filtered out the magic stones and gathered them together at the order of Ko Byeong-gap. When Ko Byeong-gap opened the door to Ashvm, the prepared Goblins passed one by one. After packing up thest one, Ko Byeong-gap came out of the Back World with a backpack full of magic stones. * * * ¡°It had been priced at 520,000 won. Would you like some cash? Or¡­¡± ¡°Please transfer it to my ount.¡± ¡°Yes, it will be deposited into your linked ount within the next day.¡± Ko Byeong-gap came back to Seoul after finishing in Gapyeong-gun. He stopped by the association and sold the magic stones he got that day, and went outside. The sky was already getting dark. ¡°Good luck!¡± His body would¡¯ve been heavy at any given time, but that day was different since he didn¡¯t do anything. The Goblins handled the fight, and all Ko Byeong-gap did was finish the boss monster. As a result, there was little ammunition consumption. He used some potions, but he didn¡¯t spend much more than usual. In short, his profit was enormous. ¡®I thought I was involved in something weird as the Goblin Lord or something, but this is good, right?¡¯ That day, Ko Byeong-gap stopped by a butcher¡¯s shop and thought he should buy some meat. He strolled through the market with a light walk, and then, there was a shop that caught his eye. ¨C Damoa Hardware Store & Farm Equipment ¡°Oh, right. I have to buy a pickaxe.¡± He went in quickly before the store closed. The owner of the store, who appeared to be in his 50s, was watching TV with the expression that everything in the world was annoying. As Ko Byeong-gap came in, he quickly stood up and smiled at the seller. He had to sell something because his business hadn¡¯t been doing welltely. ¡°Oh, wee. What are you looking for?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to buy a pickaxe.¡± ¡°Oh, the pickaxe is all over here.¡± The owner of the store guided him. ¡°How much does this cost?¡± ¡°There¡¯s 10,000 won, 100,000 won. There are What are you going to use it for?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m going to dig up somend. Is this 10,000 won?¡± ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t use this fornd. It¡¯s for digging herbs. You can start at 30,000 won.¡± Certainly, the 10,000 won pickaxe was made of stic and didn¡¯t look durable. The shop owner guided Ko Byeong-gap to the 30,000 won line. A pickaxe with a thick wooden sack and a cast iron head caught his eye. ¡°How much is this?¡± ¡°40,000 won with a card and 35,000 won with cash.¡± ¡®Oh¡­ I don¡¯t have cash.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap was lost in thought, stroking the pickaxe. ¡°This one¡­ No, wait.¡± ¡°Take your time¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯d like 10 of these, please.¡± ¡°Ten? Oh, thank you.¡± The store owner was excited and handed out the pickaxe in a sack. ¡°Can I transfer it with my ount?¡± ¡°Oh, of course, you can!¡± He paid 350,000 won to buy ten pickaxes. The portion he bought yesterday was 450,000 won, and the pickaxes were 350,000 won. He also spent 200,000 won for the ammunition he ordered, so he spent 1 million won today. Ko Byeong-gap sighed as he watched the bankbook that was running out of money. But it was okay. He could dig up the crystals in Ashvm and sell it or something! ¡®Wouldn¡¯t I turn out cram-rich?¡¯ The corners of his mouth ascended by themselves. With the shopkeeper¡¯s help, the pickaxes were moved to his car, and Ko Byeong-gap headed home. His foot on the elerator pedal was very light. He would¡¯ve loved to pack the pickaxes that time and move on to Ashvm, but it was already toote by then, considering the night had already dawned upon both ces. He fell asleep early with a pounding heart. Next day. Saturday was bright. As a free hunter, the weekend didn¡¯t mean much to the cash-strapped Ko Byeong-gap, but that day was an exception. He decided to give himself a holiday, but a different kind of holiday. He went over to Ashvm with the pickaxes and a sackcloth wrapped around him. ¡°Lord, sir!¡± Ko Byeong-gap met the 33 Goblins. He guessed that they had eaten and slept well yesterday, but their faces were dripping with oil. Either way, Ko Byeong-gap cried out to the pack. ¡°Hey! Hurry up and get this!¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± The Goblins rushed in and moved Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s luggage. They looked at the pickaxes in the sack with a question mark in their eyes. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Uh. It¡¯s yours. It¡¯s yours.¡± ¡°Ours?¡± ¡°You have to pay for your meal. Alright, everybody, follow me!¡± Ko Byeong-gap led 33 limbs and headed in front of the cave. ¡°Hmm¡­ You, and you, and you.¡± Ko Byeong-gap pointed to those who looked like they could use their strength. Except for the Giant Goblin that was still in rehab, there were 10 Hob Goblins. ¡°Gobung is resting, and the rest of you,e in with me.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord sir!¡± Ko Byeong-gap took the lead by illuminating the cave with a high-performancentern. The reddish crystals shone brightly in the light of thentern. At a nce, that amount was quite the number. The Goblins also opened their mouths when they saw the crystals. ¡°Pretty¡­¡± ¡°Kereuk, isn¡¯t it pretty?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty!¡± ¡°Oh, so hurry up and dig.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What do you mean yes? Dig with the pickaxe.¡± Ko Byeong-gap gave them a signal. The 10 Hob Goblins looked at each other with their pickaxes in an awkward posture. ¡°What are you staring at? I told you to hurry up.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± The Goblins scuttled off and started to dig. Gang! Gang! Gang! Gang! The sound of the pickaxes rang out in the wide and deep cave. Ko Byeong-gap stood on his legs and watched the Goblins speared their pickaxes. ¡°Huh, haha? Whoops! Whoops!¡± His eyebrows went up and down. He didn¡¯t like how they handled the pickaxes. Why were they so clumsy? ¡°Oh, damn! Hey, give it to me!¡± Ko Byeong-gap grabbed a pickaxe in his hand. ¡°Look, that¡¯s not how you do it¡­ Like this!¡± GANG! ¡°Like this! With all the strength you have, you hit, huh? Wait for the recoil, huh? Like this! You have to hit it! Oh? My back doesn¡¯t hurt either! I¡¯m gaining a lot of strength! Yeah, don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Lord, sir, that¡¯s great!¡± ¡°Ha, you bastards. What¡¯s so hard about this, huh?¡± The Hob Goblins pped their hands while looking at Ko Byeong-gap. He felt proud of himself when he was apuded. He went on to dig with great excitement. Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang! ¡®Wait, this isn¡¯t it.¡¯ He then came to his senses. Why was he digging by himself? ¡°Now you do it!¡± The yer was reced again. The Hob Goblins tried to do the demonstration, which Ko Byeong-gap showed, yet still used the pickaxes just as clumsy as they did before. Ko Byeong-gap just gave up, but it was okay. Wouldn¡¯t they follow wherever he went, anyway? The pickaxe that was hitting the ground with heat finally pulled out a crystal. ¡°Stop! Stop!¡± At the direction of Ko Byeong-gap, a Hob Goblin stretched his back and breathed out. He picked up the crystal that fell to the ground. A smooth and glossy red crystal. Ko Byeong-gap even searched up crystals before going to bed yesterday. ¡°I heard rubies are the ones with the red light. Is this ruby?¡¯ Whether it was a ruby or a third mineral, there was no way such a pretty jewel wouldn¡¯t be worth a lot. That was what he thought. Another hologram came before him. [You have seeded in collecting crystals.] [The ¡®Ancient Shop¡¯ has been opened.] [Use crystals to purchase necessary materials.] Chapter 5 5. Ancient Shop ¡®What the hell is this? An ancient shop?¡¯ Since that the ancient shop was open, a hologram told him to use crystals to purchase supplies. While looking at the hologram as if a cow was looking at a chicken, Ko Byeong-gap realized that something unusual had happened to his body. There was something else inside his body. It was the same feeling as getting the door to Ashvm. He opened the ancient shop, feeling quite absurd. The space in front of him was distorted and expanded abruptly to form a single window. A screen with an appropriate mix of images and text shone on him. [Ancient Shop] -Construction -Technique ¨C Misceneous Goods -Others [Crystals on Hand: 0] The store was divided into four categories. It was written in anguage he had never seen before, but he could read it without difficulty. Of course, the ten Hob Goblins who were by his side were stunned with their mouths open. ¡®This is really ridiculous.¡¯ He was nervous for a while. Ko Byeong-gap calmed his startled chest and pressed the window with his fingertips. [Construction] ¨C Crystal Slot (0 Crystal) ¨C Shabby Cottage (120 Crystals) ¨C Shabby Log Cabin (500 Crystals) ¨C Shabby Brick House (650 Crystals) ¡­ ¨C Highest Grade Temple (68,000 Crystals) ¨C Luxurious Pce (71,000 Crystals) ¨C High-Grade Arch Bridge (180,000 Crystals) ¨C Advanced Wall (210,000 Crystals) ¡°Huh¡­ That¡¯s awesome.¡± When he clicked on the construction category, dozens of ¡®buildings¡¯ were listed. Nothing was missing, from simple residential buildings toplex structures. The ones next to the names seemed to be the price tag. ¡°Advanced Wall?¡± He pressed down on the most expensive architecture out of curiosity. Then, the store window turned red, and a hologram was disyed before him. [Insufficient crystals to purchase ¡®Advanced Wall.¡¯] [Currently Charged Crystals: 0] [Put crystals into the crystal slot to charge.] ¡®Crystal Slot?¡¯ He raised the window straight up. At the top of the list, he found a crystal slot selling for zero crystal. He pressed it right away. Then, something amazing happened. ¡°Wow, what the hell is this?¡± A cylinder about 5 meters in diameter and 1 meter in depth floated into the air. No, it appeared like a red light at night. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± The Goblins sped their heads and bowed to avoid bumping into it. Fortunately, the cylinder wasn¡¯t real. Their bodies and the walls went through it. Ko Byeong-gap was able to adjust the position of the cylinder as if he was handling a few limbs. Just like a psychic with the power of telekinesis. The Goblins let out a low exmation as they watched the cylinder fly around inside the cave. [Cannot install here.] [Make sure there is enough space.] The holograms told him to find a wider area. Ko Byeong-gap followed the words and moved out of the cave. The Goblins who were waiting outside were surprised when Ko Byeong-gap came out with the giant cylinder. ¡°Get out of the way.¡± The Goblins quickly stepped down. Ko Byeong-gap installed the cylinder in the secured position. [Do you want to install the ¡®Crystal Slot¡¯ in this location?] [Starting instation¡­] [Required time is about 10 minutes.] The crystal slot, which was an instation, began to manifest into reality. The bluish exterior was dyed with gray light. Ko Byeong-gap and the 33 Goblin watched the scene with sparkling eyes. ¡°Lo¨CLord. This. What is?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either, man. Wait a minute.¡± ¡°Ah! Oh, I see.¡± They waited patiently until the crystal slot caught the perfect substance. [The instation of ¡®Crystal Slot¡¯ has beenpleted.] After 10 minutes, it was finally done. It was like a big, wide concrete pipe. Contrary to its ordinary appearance, a jet-ck vortex was swirling through the hole in its center. ¡°Wow¡­ What is this?¡± Looking at the whirlwind as if to suck everything up, Ko Byeong-gap sighed. At a nce, it was something that didn¡¯t exist in hismon sense. ¡®You want me to put this in here?¡¯ He threw in the crystal without hesitation. The crystal the size of a fist was quickly sucked in. Exmations came from all over the ce. ¡®Is it charged?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap reopened the ancient shop with high expectations. Everything else was the same. He kept an eye on the retention column. [Crystals on Hand: 1] ¡°Work? Work?¡± A shrill groan escaped his mouth. What did it mean with one? Even if he rubbed his eyes because he thought he saw it wrong, one was one. ¡°No, I used the pickaxe a few times just to dig that up¡­¡± The cheapest ¡®Shabby Cottage¡¯ alone was 120 crystals. Looking at it again, it was a ridiculously expensive price. Why couldn¡¯t he just break the branches and build everything himself? ¡®They say there is nothing in the world for free.¡¯ How many times did they need to use their pickaxe to build a fine wall? Ko Byeong-gap, who had such a futile idea, felt curious and looked at the other categories one by one. ¡°Lord, sir, what are you doing? Will we continue?¡± A Hob Goblin with a pickaxe popped up and asked. Ko replied with his eyes fixed on the store window. ¡°Uh, yeah. Go dig for crystals. I¡¯ll be there in a little while.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Take it easy.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± He thoroughly devoured the ancient shop. It took a considerable amount of time to look through it because it contained quite a lot of data. His expression became more subtle. About half an hourter, Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t calm his pounding heart. ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯ The ancient shop was full of unusual items, based on their names. There were literally all kinds of techniques. ¡®Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook,¡¯ ¡®Ancient Martial Arts Textbook,¡¯ etc. Other than that, some things were difficult to determine just by name, such as the ¡®Ancient Fortune-telling Textbook.¡¯ The misceneous goods category disyed weapons, potions, and of them were usual either. For example, there was the ¡®Fire-breathing Sword,¡¯ ¡®Mirror that Reflects the Truth,¡¯ ¡®Berser¡¯s Potion,¡¯ and ¡®Gold Dragon Meat.¡¯ However, the above were medicinal. That was because the ¡®Other¡¯ category was the best in terms of weird things. [Other] ¨C Female Goblin (500,000 Crystals) ¨C Explorer¡¯s g (500,000 Crystals) ¨C Soul of Trovatin (700,000 Crystals) ¨C Soul of Hashund (700,000 Crystals) ¡­ ¨C Seed of Enlightenment (10,000,000 Crystals) ¡®Explorer¡¯s g? The soul of Hashumnd? What¡¯s the use of it if it¡¯s so expensive?¡¯ Not to mention their use, but he didn¡¯t even know what they looked like. ¡®The Seed of Enlightenment¡­ 10 million crystals?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap spat out a curse at the staggering price. The Advanced Wall was 210,000 crystals, but he needed 10 million for one seed? ¡®What¡¯s the female goblin?¡¯ He looked around at the goblins, frowning. After a while, he was stunned. There were 23 goblins there. And there were ten goblins mining crystals in the cave. None of them were female. They were all male. Of course, Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t distinguish males and females just by looking at their appearance. Still, just by looking at them, he could tell what was under their groin. In retrospect, he had never seen anything that could be called a ¡®female goblin¡¯ in his past three years of subjugation. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I know?¡± He hadn¡¯t even cared about it at all. When a hunter looks at a goblin pack¡­ -Hmm, a colony with an appropriate sex ratio between males and females. It¡¯s preferable. Would they consider that? A hunter would only look at a Goblin to catch and kill it. ¡°Hey, you guys. Where¡¯s the girl?¡± Ko Byeong-gap asked. The Goblins puffed their mouths like a carp. ¡°A woman? What?¡± ¡°You know?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The Normal Goblins responded that they had no idea. On the other hand, Gobung seemed to know something. ¡°What are you dawdling about? Is there a girl here?¡± ¡°Women¡­ No.¡± ¡°None? Tell me more.¡± ¡°Oddick said, there¡¯s no woman. I don¡¯t know either.¡± ¡°Oddick, who is he?¡± ¡°Dead. The sorcerer¡­¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Oddick was the name of Goblin Shaman, who Ko Byeong-gap killed. When his name was mentioned, the atmosphere became somber. The Goblin Shaman was well-versed and well-informed. He somehow missed the Goblin Shaman. ¡°Then what about your kids? No, how do you have children?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t. There is none.¡± ¡°What? That¡¯s going to cut the price. How have you guys been living so far? No, more than that, where the hell are you guys from?¡± Gobung thought about it for a long time and then dropped his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it.¡± He was curious, but he wasn¡¯t motivated to find out. If he found out why there was no Goblin female, what would he do with the information? If he had time for that, it was better to think about making money. And with that ancient shop, it seemed possible to make a fortune whether it was reselling or whatever. Ko Byeong-gap closed the ancient shop and went into the cave. The ten Hob Goblins pickaxed to death. But, on one side, some crystals had been collected. They were about the size of a fist and about five to six pieces. ¡°Hey, take a break. Let¡¯s alle out.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Ko Byeong-gap led the Hob Goblins outside. Of course, with corrections. He spoke after putting only one crystal in his arm. ¡°I¡¯ll be back after a while, so take a break from digging crystals. Also, don¡¯t forget to eat.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± He opened the door leading out and went straight through. After I left, he nned to have dinner and go to a jewelry store and check the crystal¡¯s appraisal, but¡­ From the beginning, the n went awry. The crystal he was holding was drawn by an unknown external force and went back to Ashvm. ¡°What?!¡± He stared at the hole in his chest in vain. No matter how hard he looked, the crystal that went over there didn¡¯t think ofing back. In time, a hologram came to his mind as if to tease him. [¡®Crystal¡¯ is an item that cannot be taken out of ¡®Ashvm.¡¯] * * * Ko Byeong-gap went to a soup restaurant near his house and had ate breakfast and lunch. He was a master of cost-effectiveness and didn¡¯t look so good while he ate his soup. That was because his n to make money by selling crystals fell through. Yesterday, before going to sleep, he imagined himself already rich in his bed¡­ Reality didn¡¯t always go the way we wanted it to. ¡®Let¡¯s not be discouraged.¡¯ Heforted himself. He was just disappointed because he had high expectations, but he didn¡¯t harm himself, and there were still many ways to make money. The ancient shop. It had more unknown abilities that he didn¡¯t know yet, and rather, it had infinite possibilities. ¡®First, I have to dig up a lot of crystal, and quickly. To do that, we need more workers.¡¯ There were currently 33 goblins in Ashvm. Even if he gave them all pickaxes and had them mine crystal all day, they would only get 100 to 200 pieces a day. So he had to increase the number of workers first. ¡°No problem. Goblins are amon monster.¡± Goblins were monsters that could be easily found in E-ss cracks. If he embraced the ns he would meet while going through the cracks; it would work out somehow. ¡®I have to do it as soon as I think of it.¡¯ There was a saying to strike iron while it was hot. Ko Byeong-gap threw out all his leftover soup and left the restaurant. After that, he took out his cell phone and looked for the E-ss cracks across the country. Chapter 6 Cracks Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s favorite and number one treasure, the 15-year-old car, rolled its wheels vigorously. Although it had grown hot with over 10 degrees celsius since it was released, it was still very much alive thanks to his good management. ¡­ Of course, even when its speed was over 90 km/h, the car was dancing. The ce he was currently heading to was a remote ce in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. There stood an E-rank crack which consisted of F-ss or lower subordinate monsters and E-ss boss monsters. Needless to say, the risk was higher than that of F-rank cracks. However, the G-F monsters were his usual, and the boss E-ss monsters could be easily defeated with a gun, so the difference wasn¡¯t that big in terms of the level of difficulty. Just enough ammunition had to be prepared as the number of monsters increased to 30. About an hour and a half after leaving downtown Seoul, Ko Byeong-gap arrived at his destination. The crack was at the foot of the mountain near the roadside, so he had to park his car on the shoulder and walk for a while. He soon arrived at the location of the crack. ¡°It¡¯s already quite festering.¡± Cracks devastated their surroundingnd. The same was true there. The ground was dry and crumbly, and the grass and trees were limp because they were lifeless. That crack urred only two days ago. Even though it had only been two days, nature had already been damaged, and it wasn¡¯t umon for crops and livestock to be ughtered due to cracks in farmhouses or livestock houses. People in that industry, including the hunters, liked more cracks since they meant more money. However, every time that happened, someone always shed tears of blood from behind. ¡°Huh, if I die here, when will I be found?¡± He smoked a cigarette as usual and did his final check. Actually, that expedition wasn¡¯t for subjugation. His main purpose was to capture Goblins to be used as workers. There were about 30 F-ss monsters that coulde from E-rank cracks. Common among the monsters were Squids, Horned Wolves, Douduri, Earth Dwarves, and Goblins. ¡°I wish Goblins would be here.¡± Ko Byeong-gap, who crushed his cigarette butt with his foot, and threw himself into the crack. He went into the world in an instant. The gloomy sky imitated the world behind it. The air felt strangely ufortable. Ko Byeong-gap firmly gripped his rifle and nced at his vicinity. There were no monsters to be caught right away. When he confirmed that he was safe, he immediately opened the door to Ashvm. The twelve Goblins he was waiting for popped out. There stood the eleven Hob Goblins and the Giant Goblin. He didn¡¯t summon the other 22 Goblins. They had to be taking turns mining crystals at that time. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Ko Byeong-gap led the twelve Goblins forward. It was a series of sloping hills. The road wasn¡¯t even paved because it was a ce where people usually didn¡¯te and go. The terrain was the worst. That was why hunters tended to avoid cracks in the mountains. Of course, it didn¡¯t apply to Ko Byeong-gap, who had money as his top priority. He was used to hiking and went without hesitation. It was the same for the Goblins. Even though they walked barefoot without shoes, they were excited and followed Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Did you dig for crystals?¡± ¡°A lot. I dug a lot.¡± ¡°How much did you dig?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Uh¡­¡± Gobung folded his fingers one by one and began counting. Ko Byeong-gap grinned and stopped him. ¡°Okay, man. I¡¯ll check itter and find out.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°By the way, it¡¯s time for the monster to¡­¡± ¡°Whoosh!¡± ¡°You show up as soon as my words are finished, but you¡¯re beating me up.¡± The monster that appeared was a Douduri, a nt-type monster. To describe a Douduri, it was about 150 centimeters tall. However, a Douduri didn¡¯t have a head that any creature should have. Their shoulders were empty, and organs such as eyes, nose, and ears weren¡¯t present. Only a huge mouth hung on their abdomen to show off its presence. Those guys boasted a lot of menacing strength. It was easy for them to branch human bones. On the contrary, their movement was sluggish enough like they were drunk, andpared to an animal, they were like sloths. So, their hunting difficulty was on the easy side. He just needed to be vignt. ¡°Kereuk!¡± The Hob Goblins were on the lookout for the Douduris, swinging their clubs. Ko Byeong-gap aimed his gun at the Douduris but then withdrew it. There were the Goblins, so he didn¡¯t need to waste ammunition in an old-fashioned way. ¡°Be careful. You¡¯ll die if you¡¯re caught.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The Goblins jumped out. Each of them began to ravage the enemies with their club of bones. Basically, Goblins were monsters that were known for being quick-witted. Thanks to that, the Douduris and Goblins matched well. If he brought the Normal Goblins, they would¡¯ve had to attack a Douduri several times to give effective damage, but the Hob Goblins were pretty strong. Each time they swung with their clubs, fragments fell from the body of the Douduris. ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°Ugh! Ugh!¡± The Giant Goblin, Turka, wasn¡¯t outyed. With a height of more than two meters and a weight of nearly 100 kilos, his force was enough to destroy the body of a Douduri with a single blow. Tadang Tangtang! Ko Byeong-gap filled the gaps in the attacks of the Goblins. Including his subjugation days, he had already held a gun for five years. He shot the Douduris in their hearts without wasting a single bullet. It took only about 15 minutes for 20 Douduri to be wiped out. It was several times faster than usual. ¡®Isn¡¯t it so easy to hunt with Goblins?¡¯ No matter how easy a Douduri was, it wouldn¡¯t have been that easy if he brought Normal Goblins with him. The Hob Goblin was an E-ss monster, while the Giant Goblin was a D-ss. It was annoying when he saw them as enemies, but he felt a little reassured to have them as allies. ¡°Go and collect the magic stones.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± They were able to take on all the chores, such as cutting out the magic stones. Compared to before, the fatigue level was significantly lower. ¡®Being the Goblin Lord is very convenient.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t believe how he gained the infinite trust and loyalty of the Goblins just because he became the Goblin Lord. He didn¡¯t know what it meant to be the Goblin Lord, but now that he thought about it, it was amazing. After all the magic stones were collected, Ko Byeong-gap was briefly lost in thought whether he wanted toplete the crack subjugation or to go out to search the crack for Goblins. The agony wasn¡¯t long. Since he had to make money anyway, he decided to see the end of it all. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s move!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Ko Byeong-gap and the twelve Goblins went on to the other side of the world without hesitation. * * * ¡°Argh!¡± More than a dozen bullets flooded the face of Devil Wood, the world¡¯s boss. The Devil Wood swung its bragging stem whip and fell without a blink. When the Boss Monster died, the world began to copse. Ko Byeong-gap hurriedly packed its magic stone and escaped. He checked his watch with a cigarette in his mouth. The subjugation was over in 2 hours. ¡°That was quick. I would¡¯ve taken half a day.¡± He had only used up about 60 rounds of ammunition, and there was still a lot of potion left. ¡°Shall we turn one more round?¡± Two cracks in a day. He wouldn¡¯t even have tried it before. In the past, his average monthly total was between 13 and 15. In other words, he went to a subjugation every other day. Even if he went to just one crack, his body would be exhausted of its strength, as well as his ammunition and potions. However, with a strong support group of the Goblins, it was worth trying two cracks in one day. Ko Byeong-gap took out his cell phone and looked around for nearby cracks. He ran through the Hunte and meticulously examined the map. Soon, a coordinate came into his eyes. It was only a 20-minute drive from his current location. The risk of the crack was an E rank. Its location and ranking were good, but¡­ ¡°Huh, it hadn¡¯t been attacked for 16 days?¡± There was one catch. The point was that the crack hadn¡¯t been attacked on its 16th day. It hinted at the possibility that the crack was a The crack was like cancer. If left alone, it would spread and grow bigger and bigger. That meant that even the lowest F-rank cracks could be upgraded to C and D ranks if they continued to decay. The reason why variants were dangerous was that they could only be recognized by entering them. It wouldn¡¯t show up at all on its surface. Usually, mutations urred in cracks that had been in existence for more than three weeks. Therefore, the crack left unattacked for three weeks would cause an investigation from the association to re-evaluate its rank. ¡®It hasn¡¯t been more than three weeks¡­¡¯ It didn¡¯t cross the critical point set by the association, but he was still reluctant. Why? Since the crack that drove Ko Byeong-gap to the brink of death a few days ago was 11 days old. A crack could be a variant in less than two weeks ago, so what was to say about a crack left unattacked for 16 days? ¡®Let¡¯s see, where else could I look?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap folded his mind and looked for other cracks, but even as his cigarette got shorter and shorter, nothing came out of his attempt. ¡®The closest one is in Hongcheon. A round trip would take more than three hours.¡¯ He had a bitter taste. Would he rather choose a safe but far away crack or a crack that was close but risky? His worries didn¡¯tst long. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s heart was inclined toward the unattacked rift. ¡®It was dangerousst time because I wasn¡¯t too careful. But now, I have Goblins.¡¯ Even if the E-rank crack had mutated, the Goblin wouldn¡¯t die without a fight. He hurriedly got into the car before it was toote. Twenty minutester, Ko Byeong-gap pulled over under a quiet overpass. As he advanced about 200 meters along a stream overgrown with weeds due to drought, he was able to identify a crack near the sewer. He checked his watch, and it was already 3:50 pm. There was a lot of time left before the sun went down. He quickly finished inspecting his equipment and hurriedly entered the crack. What he did as soon as he entered the back world was to check the karma meter. ¡®So far, everything¡¯s clear.¡¯ Another characteristic of variants was that the energy distribution in the world wasn¡¯t constant. Last time, he overlooked that point and was briefly besieged by the Goblins. Two mistakes were uneptable. Ko Byeong-gap vowed to check the karma meter from time to time. He called out the Goblins once again and worked. ¡°Listen, if I say run away, move on immediately to Ashvm. I¡¯m just going to leave anyone who¡¯sgging behind.¡± ¡°Okay, sir.¡± Ko Byeong-gap and the Goblins carefully teased their feet. The Hob Goblins took the lead and scrambled through the weeds. When they advanced about ten minutes like that, they were able to encounter a monster. The problem was the monster was dead. ¡®Horned Wolf?¡¯ It was an F-ss monster, a Horned Wolf. More than 20 Horned Wolves were lying on the floor. After ordering the Goblins to stop, Ko Byeong-gap examined the body of a horned wolf. It had a bullet wound, and its stomach was torn. It meant that someone had entered the rift first. ¡®¡¯I can¡¯t believe someone got here first.¡± There was an implicit rule among hunters. A crack would yield to the one who took it first. Ko Byeong-gap was one of the hunters who obeyed the rules. There was no good in causing trouble with other hunters. He lifted himself with a bitter taste. ¡°Get out of the way¡­ Hmm?¡± He sensed a strange atmosphere. The Goblins were all looking in one direction. ¡°You guys¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Lo¡­ Lord. Over there. Something¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± A chill ran down his spine as Ko Byeong-gap looked in the same direction. However, there was nothing but a lush weed. So what was that creepy feeling? He put his eyes on the scope mounted on the gun. The world he saw with the 4x scope was a little different from before. Something was running that way! ¡®A person?¡¯ It was a person. A frightened woman running away from her death, and it was a D-ss monster, a Thunder Wolf, that was following her. ¡°Oh my God!¡± Ko Byeong-gap reflexively spat out the curse words. The moment he tried to take his eyes off the scope and tell the Goblins to run away, his eyes spotted another foreign entity. A White Goblin was riding on the wolf¡¯s back. Chapter 7 Cracks ¡°Argh!¡± The woman¡¯s scream was cold. She ran away desperately from the nine Thunder Wolves that pursued her, but their distance got closer and closer. A low-level person couldn¡¯t outrun a beast-type monster. Cold sweat ran down Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s forehead. The Thunder Wolf was a monster known for being difficult among the D-ss monsters. With the vitality that could withstand a few bullets, the Thunder Wolf yed dirty and could even develop themselves like electric eels. It would be possible to kill one or two of them, but it was impossible to kill or exterminate all nine. ¡®But what if I fought with the Goblins?¡¯ Eleven Hob Goblins and one Giant Goblin. They were slightly superior in number, but in terms of power, they were never ahead. One Thunder Wolf could do two Hob Goblins. ¡°Lord, sir¡­¡± ¡°Shh! Shut up and fall t!¡± Ko Byeong-gap threatened them to stay low. The Goblins immediately fell to their knees and hid in a pile of weeds. Ko Byeong-gap fixed his eyes on the scope and watched the situation ahead. The unknown woman was almost caught up. She couldn¡¯t even go 100 meters further before bing wolf food. The 4x scope illuminated the other side at that time. He looked at the White Goblin riding on the Thunder Wolf¡¯s back. ¡®Albino Goblin.¡¯ The Albino Goblin was a rare monster. Its danger level was C-ss, and it reigned as a strong monster in the lower ranks. The Albino Goblin stretched out a spear that looked like a lightning rod, and then, sparks bounced off her back. ¡°Gasp!¡± The woman shrieked and fell forward. The Thunder Wolf, which was running at the forefront, jumped up and swooped over her. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap bit his lip and pulled his trigger. Bang! The Thunder Wolf that was attacking the woman stumbled for a moment. It didn¡¯t fall even though a bullet hit its mouth. It only shook its head. After a while, all nine Thunder Wolves shot at Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrr¡­!¡± They rushed in like an arrow. Ko Byeong-gap immediately eximed, ¡°Everyone, wake up! Protect me!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°The Lord! Protect him!¡± The Hob Goblins and the Giant Goblin stood in an arch to protect Ko Byeong-gap. After that, it was best to trust the Goblins. Ko Byeong-gap began to shoot and prayed that they would stop at least one or two Thunder Wolves. ¡®The distance is enough. As long as I shoot calmly!¡¯ Gunfire went off one after another in the deste creek. The bullets fired by Ko Byeong-gap first intercepted the front line of Thunder Wolves. ¡°Kae-gang!¡± Two fell on the floor and roared with pain, while the rest quickly spread out. Ko Byeong-gap rolled his eyes around to catch a target. ¡®One guy!¡¯ Tadadadadang! He fired his gun, and the Thunder Wolf, caught in his scope, staggered and copsed. Ko Byeong-gap aimed at the next target without a break. Tata-dang-ta-tak! ¡°Oh my God!¡± One magazine was exhausted. He reloaded nervously and then pped his gun back to his cheek. At that very moment, two Thunder Wolves sprang out of the thicket. ¡°Protect the Lord!¡± ¡°Uh-huh!¡± The Giant Goblin, Turka, stopped a Thunder Wolf from the front. He held onto the wolf¡¯s forefoot and headbutted it, while the Hob Goblins held the other one as a swarm. Ko Byeong-gap gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger. Subsequently, the Thunder Wolf fell into a hive. Except for the ones that the Goblins were blocking, there were only three left. He quickly turned his head to find his next prey. At that moment, his eyes shed, and a lightning bolt struck him within walking distance. Whoosh! ¡°Argh!¡± Ko Byeong-gap fell a couple of steps behind him. He quickly examined his legs even though his ears were numb. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t hit directly and suffered no damage. However, if it had been properly inserted, his flesh would¡¯ve turned golden brown. ¡°Kra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra!¡± ¡°Shoot!¡± Tadadadadadang! He saw a shadow falling over him, and a Thunder Wolfnded with its jaws open. Ko Byeong-gap immediately poured out bullets. A bullet prated the mouth of the Thunder Wolf that exploded its head. The corpse of the Thunder Wolf fell and crushed him. The pressure was unusual as a chunk of meat the size of a bull fell on him. ¡°Argh!¡± Ko Byeong-gap managed to repel the corpse of the Thunder Wolf and got up. The Goblins were struggling. Due to the nature of Thunder Wolves, which emitted electricity, the Goblins didn¡¯t do well against them. A few of the Hob Goblins sprawled on the floor, grumbling. ¡°How dare you, son of a bitch!¡± Ko Byeong-gap was moved to tears when he saw the injured Goblins. Yet, he stood firm to fire more bullets at any moment, and then, there was a sudden shout. ¡°Come back!¡± The voice was so clear that Ko Byeong-gap forgot to pull the trigger. It was the Albino Goblin who spat out the words. When it started talking, the Thunder Wolves, who confronted the Goblins, rolled their tails and turned back. Ko Byeong-gap turned the gun and aimed at the Albino Goblin. He took in a heavy breath and was ready to shoot right away. On the contrary, the Albino Goblin seemed unwilling to fight. He came down from the back of the Thunder Wolf and stood face to face with Ko Byeong-gap. He had a face full of disbelief. ¡°How the hell did you¡­¡± The Albino Goblin looked at the Goblin crowd that time. ¡°Weak bastards! Exin to me! How did this happen?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the Goblin Lord!¡± Gobung shouted back. His crimson blood dripped from his shoulder as the Albino Goblin grabbed him. ¡°Why? Why is the Goblin Lord a human being?¡± ¡°Our Lord! He will rebuild Ashvm!¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± The Albino Goblin looked straight at Ko Byeong-gap. It was aplicated expression. ¡°Are you really our Lord?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see?¡± ¡°Are you going to lead us again? Will you allow us to return to Ashvm?¡± Ko Byeong-gap felt the strength in his hand holding the gun. To be honest, he had no intention of taking charge of the Goblins or rebuilding their kingdom to bring prosperity. His only intention was to make money by making good use of his ability as the Goblin Lord. However, there would be no reason to exin it in detail. Finally, after a brief thought, he answered, ¡°Will you obey me if I say so?¡± He was going to shoot if anything was bothering him. However, the answer the Albino Goblin returned was more favorable than expected. ¡°How can I not obey? Thank you foring back, thank you, thank you.¡± The Albino Goblin made a big bow to Ko Byeong-gap. At that moment, a hologram came in front of Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes. [Albino Goblin ¡®Kiriyan¡¯ has been transferred to Ashvm.] ¡°I will support you until the end of your life.¡± Kiriyan¡¯s face almost looked like he was about to cry. He didn¡¯t feel any hostility towards him. Ko Byeong-gap still felt unsatisfactory because the Thunder Wolves behind the Albino Goblin were annoying. ¡°Crrrrrr!¡± The attitude of the Thunder Wolves suddenly changed. Those who couldn¡¯t move at Kiriyan¡¯s words at first suddenly shed their teeth. It had been like that since the moment the hologram mentioning Kiriyan¡¯s transfer to Ashvm came before him. Kiriyan looked back at the Thunder Wolves in bewilderment. ¡°How dare you snarl!¡± ¡°Kra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Four of the Thunder Wolves attacked Kiriyan at once. Ko Byeong-gap immediately fired his gun and hit a target. Another magazine fell empty. As he hurried to reload, his eyes shed. Kiriyan went berserk and sent out a thunderbolt ahead. ¡°Keek!¡± ¡°Kyak!¡± It was a formidable power that even the Thunder Wolves, who handled electricity, couldn¡¯t withstand. However, that wasn¡¯t the decisive blow. The Thunder Wolves, which spewed steam from their bodies, bit Kiriyan on the shoulder. ¡°Argh!¡± He groaned. ¡°Woooooooing!¡± The horde of Goblins rushed in before Kiriyan¡¯s shoulder tore off. Turka twisted the Thunder Wolf¡¯s jaws with its wicked hands. Its chin fell off helplessly. The Hob Goblins beat the rest of the Wolves with their clubs. ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Tada Tada Tada Tada! Ko Byeong-gapnded the finishing blows. He poured out a whole barrel of bullets at the barely breathing Thunder Wolves. After the bullet storm, the only thing left was cold wolf meat. * * * ¡°Take this, go back, and heal. It won¡¯t be enough. So treat the severely injured first.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Yes, you did a great job.¡± After giving Gobung a bottle of low-level potion, he sent the Goblins back to Ashvm, including Kiriyan, of course. Fortunately, no Goblin was injured enough to go beyond his breath or anything entirely severe. After sending the Goblins back, Ko Byeong-gap worked alone to dismantle the magic stone. However, it was over quickly because there were only nine Thunder Wolves. ¡®Why is the world not copsing?¡¯ The world behind him was still alive. The boss here must¡¯ve been Kiriyan¡­ ¡®Has a new boss monster been appointed?¡¯ He stared deep into the world behind him. He didn¡¯t feel any difort, but, of course, he had no intention of looking into it. After he dismantled the magic stone skillfully, Ko Byeong-gap packed his luggage and went in the direction where the unknown woman fell. ¡®I wonder if she¡¯s dead.¡¯ He pushed his way through the thick bushes. Soon after, he found the unconscious woman. Her body was in tatters when he looked closely. Her clothes were like rags, and her body was covered with small abrasions. She was the age of Ko Byeong-gap or a little younger. There was no distinction between men and women in being a hunter, but it was rare for such a young woman to go hunting alone. He checked her breathing because he thought the woman was dead. ¡®She¡¯s alive.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that she stopped breathing, but her breathing was weak. It was because she was bleeding a lot. Ko Byeong-gap was getting up to carry her around and found a small bag crushed by the woman. The sharp outline looked just like a potion bottle. When he opened it, there was actually a low-level potion inside. He fed the woman two-thirds of the potion in a hurry and poured the rest into his mouth, and then, in a hurry, he got out of the world. ¡°I lived.¡± It was only then that he rxed when he took in the air outside. ¡°In less than a week, two cracks. Even if I was unlucky, this is still an oil fountain.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± The woman on the back of Ko Byeong-gap came to her senses. Ko Byeong-gap dropped her down at the right ce. ¡°Are you sober?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She opened her eyes wide and looked around like a madman. Her tired look was evident. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. You¡¯re out of the back world.¡± ¡°Well, am I alive?¡± ¡°Yes, that was close.¡± ¡°¡­ Did you save me?¡± ¡°Sort of.¡± ¡°Humph! Humph!¡± She burst into tears as if she had finally rxed. She then bowed her head again, saying that she was grateful. ¡°I used the potion in your bag. I couldn¡¯t help it because you were on the verge of losing your breath.¡± ¡°No, you did well. Thank you, thank you very much. How am I to repay this favor?¡± ¡°Pay it back with money.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not forcing you, but I wouldn¡¯t mind if you offered me a reward.¡± The woman forgot her words for a moment, and then, she nodded enthusiastically and said, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll reward you. Of course, I should!¡± Ko Byeong-gap gave the woman his ount number. Since then, they separated as if nothing had happened. He stopped by the association instead of going straight home because he had to sell the magic stone and buy some potions. He paid 500,000 won to buy 200 millimeters of low-grade potion. It was for the Goblins. He felt a little sorry, but his life was saved thanks to them, so he decided not to be too petty. On the way back home, he received a text message. It was a notification message that money came into his bank ount. The woman who promised a reward really transferred 5 million won. It didn¡¯t seem weak for the price of her life, but it didn¡¯t matter. It was free money anyway. ¡°I have already paid my quota for this month.¡± For some reason, Ko Byeong-gap wanted to hum. Chapter 8 8. Emergency Subjugation KANG! KANG! KANG! KANG! The sound of the pickaxes was deafening. Ko Byeong-gap liked the noise that periodically hit his ear. He brushed off his butt and entered the cave, and the interior was lit with tennterns. The Goblins each held a pickaxe and diligently mined the crystals. One Normal Goblin worked on collecting the crystals dug by the other Goblins and putting them in the crystal slot. ¡®Ancient Shop.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap muttered internally. A window rose before his eyes. [Ancient Shop] -Construction -Techniques ¨C Misceneous Goods ¨C Others [Crystals on Hand: 501] ¡®We got over 500 crystals.¡¯ ¡°Come on, let¡¯s take a break! Everyone, put down your tools,e out, and eat snacks!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± The Goblins had stopped working. They put their tools together, turned off thenterns, and went out. ¡°Come here. Take a drink and bread.¡± Tworge ice boxes each contained a sandwich and an ionized beverage. The Goblins took bread and drank one by one ording to Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s instructions. The Goblins sat on the floor and ate their snacks. Ko Byeong-gap smiled and forgot to get a sandwich himself. As he did so, he looked carefully at the ancient shop. ¡®What can I buy with 500 crystals?¡¯ There were four categories in the ancient shop: Construction, Techniques, Misceneous goods, etc. There were only a few items that could be purchased with 500 crystals. In particr, not a single ¡°other¡± item could be bought, starting with 500,000 crystals at the lowest price. ¡®For now, I¡¯ll skip construction and the others.¡¯ He focused on the products in the categories ¡®Techniques¡¯ and ¡®Misceneous.¡¯ Since the goods were limited, his shopping didn¡¯t take long. [Techniques] ¨C Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Low-grade (320 Crystals) ¨C Ancient Martial Arts Textbook ¨C Low-grade (320 Crystals) ¨C Ancient Qi-flow Textbook ¨C Low-grade (350 modifications) ¨C Ancient Alchemy Textbook ¨C Low-grade (350 Modifications) [Misceneous Goods] ¨C Warrior¡¯s Potion (300 Crystals) ¨C Sage¡¯s Potion (300 Crystals) ¨C Potion of Hardening (300 Crystals) ¨C Potion of Swiftness (300 crystals) ¨C Growth Potion (500 Crystals) That was all he could buy with 500 crystals. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ was the growth potion that drew Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s attention. He sighed as he touched his chin. ¡®What would it grow? Maybe it raises the level of karma in the body?¡¯ Karma. It was the unknown energy that was the basis of all awakeners and monsters. The karma level in the body was divided ording to levels, and the higher the level of karma, the greater the power. The lower awakeners, including Ko Byeong-gap, had a karma level of 5 to 11 percent in the body. Thanks to that, they could survive the force field of the cracks and the world behind them, and they were stronger than other ordinary people. However, that was it. Unlike the top awakeners, it was impossible to strengthen the body using karma or perform a stunt like that of a superpower. That was why the lower awakeners could never cross the upper wall. In addition, it was the reason why the top awakeners didn¡¯t use firearms like guns. ¡®If that really increases karma¡­¡¯ After a brief consideration, Ko Byeong-gap soon made up his mind and bought a growth potion. One ss bottle emerged simultaneously as the number of crystals in his possession decreased from 501 to one. He quickly reached out and snatched it. It wasn¡¯t long before a hologram came to his mind. [Growth Potion] ¨C A potion that permanently increases all physical abilities. ¡®Boosts all physical abilities? And forever?¡¯ He let out a gentle exmation. Ko Byeong-gap opened the palm-sized ss bottle that was full of green liquid and smelled it. It had no scent. ¡®What if I get sick after drinking it?¡¯ That was his worry for a while. Ko Byeong-gap poured the growth potion into his mouth. ¡®Hmm? It¡¯s worth eating.¡¯ Contrary to its awkward appearance, the taste remained the same. The subtle sweetness spread over his tongue and around his mouth. It felt like a sap. He got through it all with all his might, and the effect came immediately. Pound! His heart started pounding. His breathing was short, and his body began sweating. The muscles of his whole body rxed and contracted repeatedly. ¡®What, what¡¯s this?!¡¯ ¡°Ugh!¡± Ko Byeong-gap grabbed his turbulent heart and sat down. The Goblins, who had beenughing while forgetting their sandwiches, ran to him with surprised eyes. ¡°L-Lord?!¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Ughhhh! Whoa!¡± The Goblins helped him with bewildered faces as Ko Byeong-gap trembled without lifting a finger. His body trembled even more. The Goblins didn¡¯t know what to do and spat out, ¡®Lord! Lord!¡¯ over and over again. ¡®Damn it, I picked up a piece of shit, and it went like this!¡¯ Did he seriously pick up something he didn¡¯t know and ate it to enjoy some wealth and glory? He sighed for a while. He quickly began to regain hisposure. The turbulence of his heart and the tremors of his body died down like a lie. ¡°Lord, sir, are you alright?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap slowly lifted himself. He then looked down at himself in disbelief. It wasn¡¯t long before he stuttered like a crazy person. ¡°Wow¡­¡± His body had changed. * * * Ko Byeong-gap clenched his fists and felt the force of each finger. He felt a great power that he couldn¡¯t possibly feel like his own. It wasn¡¯t a power obtained by exploding the karma in his body, but the body¡¯s power with 100% purity. ¡®Is this my body now?¡¯ After taking the growth potion, he became almost a new person. His physique grew bigger, and his body was full of muscles. Not only that, but his mind was cleared, and his senses of sight and hearing were astonishingly high. ¡°I don¡¯t think my karma increased.¡± There was no change in the karma flowing through his body. It just felt like the muscles, bones, blood, and all other cells that made up his body had undergone a metamorphosis. A stone came into Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s sight. He picked it up with an unbearable curiosity. ¡®Will it work?¡¯ He tightened his grip, and the stone broke so helplessly. In fact, he could crush stones before. He was an awakener, after all. However, it wasn¡¯t something that could be done as easily as crushing tofu. ¡®This is crazy¡­¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap jumped to his feet and went into the cave. The Goblins¡¯ crystal mining work was in full swing. ¡°Lord, sir, you need to rest a little longer¡­¡± ¡°Alright, give me a pickaxe.¡± He took away the pickaxe regardless of Gobung¡¯s retort. The thick iron-headed pickaxe felt too light. He swung the pickaxe with only one hand. Flick! Stone shards bounced in all directions with a loud noise. One more swing and a lump of crystal fell out without a hitch. Last time, he needed to do it several times to get a crystal. ¡°Come on, use your pickaxes.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be out for a while, so take it easy.¡± ¡°Okay, sir. Ko Byeong-gap escaped Ashvm. A shabby, six-pyeong room weed him. He headed straight for the veranda. There was a pile of supplies that were used to suppress cracks. He picked up a dusty longsword from one corner. ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen you.¡¯ Longsword. When he first started his job as a hunter, he bought it because he needed it as a secondary, but it was just a nuisance to put on. It wasmon knowledge to prepare for when their ammunition would run out or when their gun would break down, but in fact, the right answer was to just run away within 36 seconds. A lower awakener could never win in a sword match against a higher awakener. He pulled out his cell phone and searched for cracks. Originally, he was going to rest that day, but he couldn¡¯t stay still due to the urge to test his changed body. ¡°Well, there¡¯s one nearby.¡± There was a crack near Sillim Station. The phrase ¡°emergency¡± was written next to the crack on the map. Emergency subjugation. Cracks in the city center were dangerous. That was because monsters might not pop out, but the force field created by the crack could cause casualties. Therefore, the association would bring together hunters to carry out an emergency subjugation. It was a subjugation method that aimed first to destroy the crack by defeating the boss monster, rather than the usual subjugation of collecting magic stones to loot around the back world. ¡®Time of urrence¡­ Nine minutes ago?¡¯ The rank of the crack was only E. Without any hesitation, Ko Byeong-gap packed his longsword, rifle, and 90 rounds of ammunition and headed to Sillim Station. The emergency subjugation paid considerably just for participation. If he was lucky, he could receive a reward just to dip his body in and out of the crack. Sillim Station was a 15-minute walk from Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s room. It would take about 5-7 minutes if he ran. It would¡¯ve been the case if he was normal. ¡®I feel so light!¡¯ He felt light, as if he was flying. In addition, the thrust of his lower body muscles was explosive. He arrived at Sillim Station in less than three minutes. Employees dispatched from the association were upying the crack with no trespassing signs. The staff wore special protective clothing that blocked the crack¡¯s force field, yet they struggled in a cold sweat. Ko Byeong-gap approached the crack, ignoring the no trespassing signs. Lee Seung-heon, a member of the association, approached him. ¡°Are you a hunter?¡± ¡°Yes, I came to see the emergency subjugation notification.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Has anyone already entered?¡± ¡°Two people came in before you.¡± Lee Seung-heon nced at Ko Byeong-gap up and down. Armed with a gun, he thought he wasn¡¯t a top hunter. ¡°Can you tell me your hunter number?¡± ¡°It¡¯s 447095.¡± ¡°Oh, four-fourths. Are you Hunter Ko Byeong-gap?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. How much is the reward?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a million won.¡± ¡°I see.¡± It wasn¡¯t a bad price. Actually, he had to sell all the magic stones he could get from E-ss cracks to get about 1 million won. ¡°As you know, the association isn¡¯t responsible for any idents that ur in the crack¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, I know. I will go in.¡± ¡°¡­ I wish you good luck.¡± Ko Byeong-gap left the staff behind and immersed himself in the crack. As soon as he entered the back world, everyone around him disappeared. Only the gloomy sky and heavy air weed him. As soon as he entered, what he saw was an F-ss monster. A bizarre creature with the body of a fish and the legs of a wild beast. It jumped around like a grasshopper, and it was a pesky monster with sharp teeth. Above all, it was disgusting. ¡°Kegigi geek!¡± The Squid jumped up and thrust its teeth into Ko Byeong-gap, but he quickly drew his sword and swung it. The de bisected the body of the Squid too easily. Its red blood spurted out and soaked the air. ¡®Huh.¡¯ The monster¡¯s movements seemed so slow. Ko Byeong-gap ran without cutting out the magic stone from the dead Squid. The main goal of an emergency subjugation was to destroy the back world as quickly as possible. Tadadadadadang! Gunfire rang out in the basement. Was the boss monster over there? He didn¡¯t know, but he headed there. Even as he went down the stairs, the Squids came for him. With his rifle in his back, Ko Byeong-gap swung his sword and threw them all away. The shredded corpse of the Squids fell to the floor. As he entered the station, he saw two people. One was a middle-aged man, and the other was a woman the age of Ko Byeong-gap, and both were armed with guns. Inside the station, a colony of monsters roamed around. There were 50 or 60 Squids over at the ticket gate, and the two of them were shooting random bullets towards them. Ko Byeong-gap also held his rifle while holding his sword. It wasn¡¯t long before his gun let out its shots. Chapter 9 9. Emergency Subjugation Tada Tada Tada Tada! Massive gunfire filled the subway station. A swarm of Squids that tried to get out of the ticket gate exploded like a water balloon and died. The floor was littered with blood and flesh that emitted a fishy odor. p ck! His 30 rounds of ammunition quickly ran out. E-ss hunter Kim Sang-seok changed the magazine with skillful workmanship, and it only took a few seconds to reload. As he was about to take a shooting position while pulling on his loading handle, he heard a sudden shout. ¡°Uncle, be careful!¡± The person who spat out the words was Lee Ye-rim, a D-ss hunter. Kim Sang-seok realized that her gaze stayed behind him. At the moment, the back of his head ran cold. He immediately turned around and saw a Squid flying in the air with its huge jaws wide open. It was a fleeting moment. Kim Sang-seok had a lot of thoughts. Would he shoot it off, throw it to the side, or give it one of his arms? ¡®It¡¯s toote!¡¯ Lee Ye-rim immediately turned the gun toward Kim Sang-seok, but she couldn¡¯t pull the trigger easily. That was because the Squid and Kim Sang-seok were too close, and she could hit him with a shower of bullets. At the moment of desperation, an agile person passed by Lee Ye-rim¡¯s peripheral vision. It was Ko Byeong-gap. He ran quickly and stretched out his arms. The sharp tip of his de prated the Squid¡¯s jaw and broke through its dorsal fin. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± He swung his sword nonstop and hit the floor. The body of the Squid was bent at a bizarre angle and fluttered. Ko Byeong-gap struck once more like an axe,pletely separating the monster¡¯s head and body. ¡°Oh, thank you¡­¡± ¡°Look ahead!¡± Ko Byeong-gap warned Kim Sang-seok and shed his sword diagonally. Pooh! The Squid¡¯s bloodstains spread, and its teeth that flew in shattered. Kim Sang-seok quickly regained his consciousness and resumed shooting. One should never let go of their nerves in such a confined ce. Doing so could send you into the range of the monsters. Ko Byeong-gap casually threw away his long sword and grabbed the rifle from his back. They fired indiscriminately at the Squids that were about to cross the ticket gate. The disturbance only subsided after they had exhausted two magazines. The bodies of Squids piled up like mountains around the ticket gate. ¡°Gasp! Gasp!¡± Lee Ye-rim breathed in with a recalled face. She spoke as she looked back at Kim Sang-seok and Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Are you both okay?¡± ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine too.¡± After recing his empty magazine with a new one, Ko Byeong-gap picked up the long sword that he had thrown on the floor. Kim Sang-seok approached him and bowed his head. ¡°Thank you for earlier. Thanks to you, I got away from danger. I¡¯m also very grateful to you, miss.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do it to be thanked.¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯re all making a living together, so let¡¯s get it over with, get paid, and leave.¡± Lee Ye-rim frowned as she fumbled through her bullet pouch attached to her battle vest. ¡°How much ammunition do you have left? I only have 30 shots in one magazine.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I have left.¡± ¡°Same here, but there won¡¯t be a problem. There are going to be 50 of them all over the ce. If we add up to what¡¯s out there, we¡¯ll have about 20 monsters left.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ I¡¯m a little nervous without bullets.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re careful, you¡¯ll be fine. Alright, let¡¯s move on.¡± The three walked over the corpses and passed through the ticket gates. It wasn¡¯t long before they got down to the tform. ¡°Kegigi geek!¡± As soon as they entered the tform, a Squid that hid behind the stairs flew in. The three responded without any notice. Lee Ye-rim and Kim Sang-seok each turned their guns. However, by the time their fingers touched the trigger, the enemy had already been cut in half. Lee Ye-rim rxed her hand holding the handle with a trembling face. ¡°Your sword skills aren¡¯t normal. Are you a top hunter by any chance?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m a D-ss.¡± ¡°Huh? D-ss? I¡¯m D-ss too.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. You¡¯re unlike any lower-level person I¡¯ve seen before.¡± It was said that among the lower awakeners, a D-ss was beyond the human range. For example, a D-ss gentleman who had awakened was physically stronger than an ordinary martial arts fighter who had trained for a lifetime. Even so, it was quite an achievement to break down a flying monster with a single sword. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap roughly epted it. Until just a few minutes ago, there was no need to exin that he was also a D-ss awakener. Ko Byeong-gap looked around. The screen door on the track heading toward Bongcheon was broken. ¡°Let¡¯s go over there. Does anyone have a light?¡± ¡°I have one.¡± Kim Sang-seok took out a light from his belt and attached it to his gun. He took the lead, while Ko Byeong-gap and Lee Ye-rim stood on both sides to cover him. The monster appeared in a few steps. From deep in the tracks, twinkling eyes popped up and approached them. There were more than a dozen Squids. ¡°Shoot!¡± The three uttered the same thing almost at the same time. Soon, the track was filled with gunshots. The Squids fell to their deaths with only 20 paces left, and all their magazines were emptied. Their barrels heated up and let out steam. Kim Sang-seok lit the high-performancentern forward. The corpses of the dead and crushed Squidsid there. ¡°Is the boss monster even deeper into the station? The monsters are clustered here, so it seems like they¡¯re in this area¡­¡± He cautiously stepped on his feet, and at that moment, Ko Byeong-gap sensed anxiety that couldn¡¯t be described in words. He instinctively shook his head. ¡°Up!¡± There was a monster hanging from the ceiling. It was an E-ss monster called a Squirrel Ghost. A hideous monster with spider legs on a human body with the habit of liking the dark. The Squirrel Ghost released the spider legs that sprouted from its arms. The pointed limbs pierced directly through Kim Sang-seok¡¯s arm. ¡°Argh!¡± Lee Ye-rim immediately shot at the top. However¡­ p ck! ¡°Oh my God!¡± A gun with an empty shell couldn¡¯t spit out bullets. The Squirrel Ghost freely climbed the wall and shot its spider legs downward. Lee Ye-rim tried to avoid it but tripped over the track and fell. The bundle of legs rushed at her. Ko Byeong-gap swung his sword like a baseball bat and cut off all of its tentacles. ¡°Gasp!¡± The Squirrel Ghost shrieked and shriveled. Pulling his sword, he picked up his gun again and went on a rampage, but the monster had already hidden in the dark. p ck! ¡®Damn, the ce is so bad!¡¯ Even though their opponent was only an E-ss monster, it wasn¡¯t difficult to deal with because it was dark, and walls blocked all sides. Ko Byeong-gap pulled the light attached to Kim Sang-seok¡¯s gun. He held it in his mouth and took the sword in his other hand. He ran in the direction where the Squirrel Ghost had escaped. Every time the light shone on the walls and ceiling, its afterimage passed by. ¡°Humph!¡± Ko Byeong-gap looked back with a sh of chill for a moment. The Squirrel Ghost attacked him, stabbing his leg like an awl. He dodged the attack by throwing himself aside. The Ghost¡¯s legs dug into the floor. Ko Byeong-gap quickly rose and rushed in. The enemy¡¯s limbs flew straight at him, but he had no trouble catching them. Instinctively, Ko Byeong-gap stirred his de, and the limbs were cut off like candy. ¡°Keeeeek!¡± The Squirrel Ghost started screaming and climbing up the wall. ¡®Did you think I¡¯m going to let you run away again?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap threw his sword away. The de flew unbelievably fast and pierced the Squirrel Ghost¡¯s chest. It didn¡¯t stop there, and its body was nailed to the wall. He was determined to end the encounter, and as soon as he grabbed the handle of his sword, he drew it up. ¡°Argh! Argh! The rippling scream was only for a moment. The Squirrel Ghost was split from its chest to its head and died. The filth it spilled soaked the entire floor. When the boss monster died, the world copsed. Soon, the escape portal appeared. * * * The crack at Sillim Station was attacked in less than 50 minutes after it broke out. It was quite fast for one E-ss hunter and two D-ss hunters. Kim Sang-seok sustained a pration wound, but he was immediately treated with the stand-by potions brought by the association¡¯s staff. Ko Byeong-gap and Lee Ye-rim weren¡¯t hurt anywhere else. ¡°Thank you for your hard work. The reward will be deposited within today.¡± Ko Byeong-gap, who was promised 1 million won for the day, felt better. As he was about to return home after work, Lee Ye-rim, who was with him during the attack, caught up with him. ¡°Hey, wait a minute.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you so much. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would¡¯ve been in big trouble.¡± ¡°Just helped and lived.¡± ¡°But are you really a D-ss?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you see it when I signed it? D-ss.¡± ¡°Yes, but I¡¯ve never seen a D-ss hunter like you.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°So, do you have any active teams? If you don¡¯t have it¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I work alone.¡± Ko Byeong-gap just cut her off and refused. Lee Ye-rim looked disappointed. ¡°Really? Then I can¡¯t do anything. Anyway, thank you for today. I hope to see you again next time when I have a chance.¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± On his way back home, he stopped by a nearby butcher shop. He was thinking of buying some pork. ¡°Wee. What can I get you?¡± ¡°Pork hind legs, one for roasting¡­¡± ¡°A pound of pork hind legs?¡± Ko Byeong-gap hesitated and corrected himself, ¡°Twenty kilos, please.¡± ¡°Twenty kilograms? Oh, yeah. I¡¯ll have it ready right away.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to have one muscle roasted, and the rest cut into chunks.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± The butcher was excited and began cutting the meat. Even if it was 20 kilos, the hind legs were cheap, so it cost only 150,000 won. He said that he would buy a lot of it, so the butcher gave him a 20,000 won discount. He walked home with a stic bag containing 20 kilos of pork. Even with a gun and a long sword, he didn¡¯t feel heavy at all. He took his portable gas burner, a frying pan, and a few bottles of soju to Ashvm. The Goblins were nowhere to be seen. It seemed like everyone was in the cave. ¡®It¡¯s gettingte, but are they still working?¡¯ ¡°Hey! Everyonee out! Let¡¯s eat!¡± Ko Byeong-gap called the Goblins. After shouting a few more times, they showed up one by one. ¡°Stop it ande out to eat. Since I bought meat.¡± ¡°Meat?!¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not the trash meat you eat. It¡¯s real honey meat.¡± He sat down in a suitable ce and grilled the meat. He threw everything but his own food to the Goblins. ¡®Hey, it tastes good.¡¯ The taste of alcohol and meat while enjoying the magnificent view of the rocky mountain was unique. It was iparable to his asional roast at home. The Goblins ate well, even raw. Suddenly, when they saw Ko Byeong-gap grilling meat and eating it, they began to imitate him. Turka came from the river with a wide stone tablet. The Hob Goblins and Normal Goblins gathered firewood, and Kiriyan used his lightning power to make a fire. They started grilling the meat on the t stone te. It looked pretty usible. Ko Byeong-gap thought it was a little shabby when they grilled their meat on the stone. ¡°Hey, you bastards. Is it good to grill it on a stone te?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s delicious!¡± ¡°Lord, thank you for giving us the form. Thank you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ eh.¡± He approached the Goblins, emptying a bottle of soju. The Goblinsughed and chatted, eating meat with branches. Among them was the Albino Goblin Kiriyan. Ko Byeong-gap talked to him with a cigarette in his mouth. ¡°Hey, Kiriyan.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°How are you doing?¡± It was the third day since Kiriyan came to Ashvm. He was more intelligent than the Hob Goblins and had a better vocabry, so there were no blockages in their conversation. Kiriyan replied with a smile, ¡°Since I came back to Ashvm, every day has been like a dream. I¡¯m very happy.¡± ¡°What makes you happy when all you¡¯re doing is using a pickaxe all day?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not hard at all to think that the hard work of mypatriots and I is a stepping stone to the reconstruction of Ashvm. Also, Lord takes such good care of us, so we don¡¯t know where to put ourselves.¡± Ko Byeong-gap burst into a falseugh. He couldn¡¯t believe that he was so thankful for the pork hind legs that the others couldn¡¯t eat. Whether their welfare was good or not, all he had to do was throw them a few loaves of bread for a snack. On the contrary, it was Ko Byeong-gap who was grateful. Thanks to the Goblins, things became easier in many ways. In addition, he found a way out of the limits of the lower awakeners through the ¡®growth potion.¡¯ ¡°Yes, work hard. Sooner orter, I¡¯ll increase our family¡­ Huh? Someday I¡¯ll rebuild it and fry more for you.¡± ¡°Yes! I believe you.¡± Ko Byeong-gap chatted freely under the influence of alcohol. ¡°Hey! That little guy over there! Let¡¯s dance!¡± ¡°Keeek!¡± On this day, Ko Byeong-gap ate meat and alcohol with the Goblins,ughing and talking. Chapter 10 10. Spot Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s morning was a little earlier than others. It was 5 am, and the sun hadn¡¯t yet fully dawned. It was the time he woke up. Among the many advantages of the awakeners was that they controlled their needs better than ordinary people. Ko Byeong-gap quickly shook off his hunger for more sleep and got out of his bed. He didn¡¯t like the clich¨¦ that the early bird ate the worm. That was because it was just like any wise sayings, proverbs, and idioms. However, it was quite right to say that a hunter who woke up early was more likely to win a good crack. He brushed his teeth and checked his cell phone. It was to tour the cracks that broke out across the countryst night. He avoided cracks located near Seoul as much as possible becauserge guilds set up districts that acted as strongholds. In other words, there would already be an owner. The scope of Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s activities was mostly outside Gyeonggi Province or Gangwon Province. The smaller the poption and the more remote the ce, the lesser the crackpetition was. He felt like he wanted to go to Yangpyeong today. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to find F or E-rank crackstely¡­¡± The number of cracks per day in South Korea was about 300 to 400. It seemed to be a lot at first nce, but the number of active hunters had surpassed 23,000, so it wasn¡¯t that much. In arithmetic terms, each crack had apetition rate of 65:1 per crack. The number of D-ss hunters, such as Ko Byeong-gap, was around 4,800 nationwide. It was the second-highest after the 7,100 C-ss hunters. The E and F-rank cracks, the main hunting grounds for D-ss hunters, ounted for about 15% of the total cracks. About 45 to 60 cracks appear in a day, with 8,500 hunterspeting for them. He had to break through apetitive ratio of 160:1 to upy a crack. So he had to get up earlier and go to a remote ce that was more difficult to reach. Of course, there There would be people who were registered as hunters but weren¡¯t active, and there would be people who had retired unknowingly. Also, although there were fewer cracks than the number of hunters, not all cracks were subjugated every day. If that were the case, there would¡¯ve been no unattacked cracks. After he washed up and got ready, Ko Byeong-gap left home in a hurry. One more load was added to his old light car. It was his number one treasure¡­ The long sword. He was determined to use his sword properly that day. ¡°Let¡¯s finish just one thing neatly today.¡± He started the car and prayed that the marked crack wouldn¡¯t be preupied. After passing a shrine and Bangbae, he crossed Banpo and was about Ko Byeong-gap found police officers blocking the vehicle¡¯s entry from about 50 meters ahead. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He grunted and threw the cigarette he bit into the ashtray. Momentster, the car stopped in front of traffic controllers. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ko Byeong-gap asked, lowering the window. The young policeman, who wore a fluorescent vest, looked like he wasining about something. ¡°There was an A-rank crack near the Dongjak Bridge. There¡¯s a risk of an ident, so please take a detour and pass through.¡± Cracks radiated a force field. When an ordinary person entered the force field, they fell into lethargy as if they were given an anesthetic. In severe cases, it could cause a nervous breakdown or even death. An A-rank crack radiated a force field of several hundred meters. If the driver of a vehicle was exposed to the force field, it was highly likely that it would lead to an ident. However, that wasn¡¯t the case for Ko Byeong-gap. He was a low-level hunter, but he was also an awakener. He said and stuck out his Hunter ID from his wallet, ¡°I¡¯m an awakener. There¡¯s no problem, let me through.¡± ¡°Ah! Yes, no problem. Please pass.¡± ¡°Thank you. Good luck.¡± The police officer cleared the way. Ko and it didn¡¯t matter since that happened asionally. When he tried to run down the open road, he saw the Han River on the left. As the police officer said, there was a crack about 2 meters above the water between Dongjak Bridge and Banpo Bridge. It was quite big since it was an A-rank crack. There would already be hunters in there. ¡°How much would it be for one A-rank crack?¡± The pure profit from the A-rank crack depended on the mary value of magic stones avable, which was only about 45 million won. If he added up all the loot, would it be around 60 or 70 million won? Five to six S-ss hunters were usually deployed for each A-rank crack, so it cost at most 10 million won per person. One might think that it was small as a daily wage for the top 2%, but the reality waspletely different. S-ss hunters earned billions of dors a year. They were different from ¡®free hunters,¡¯ who collected magic stones one by one and sold them to the association to generate profit and the system of making money. That was why one could find the face of a famous hunter from time to time just by turning on the TV. He recalled how much debt he had left and soon gave up thinking. He umted it ahead of the subjugation, so there was no need to feel bad. After he left Seoul and ran for a while, he was in Yangpyeong-gun. It was around 9 am when he reached his destination. -You will arrive at your destination shortly. The navigation guide led him to an abandoned vacant lot, and as he drove there, he mmed on the brakes. He cursed spontaneously. ¡°Damn¡­¡± Several luxury cars stood in front of the crack. Eight people were inspecting their equipment in front of him, and they were all middle-aged people in their 40s. They looked clean, and their equipment showed off. ¡®I think they¡¯re hobbyists.¡¯ Apparently, they weren¡¯t hunters for a living. Some of the E and F-ss awakeners enjoyed hunting as a hobby. Weak monsters could be easily caught with guns, and hunters had a wide range of gun and ammunition regtions, so some found it fun to go around looking for cracks. It was sort of a leisure sport. They relieved stress by shooting and used the magic stones that they earned with a particr main job, so there was no hobby like that for low-ranking awakeners. Of course, it was like a thorn in the eyes to someone who made a living out of hunting, like Ko Byeong-gap. He drove his car further and went inside. Suddenly, a middle-aged man in military-patterned activewear came up to him, waving his arms. ¡°Spot¡¯s taken. Go back¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap responded by lowering his window and pulling his body halfway out. ¡°Do you have all your Hunter IDs, and are you going to subjugate the crack?¡± Ko Byeong-gap, who couldn¡¯t go back as it was, asked out of curiosity. If even one of them didn¡¯t have Hunter¡¯s ID, they could be thrown out with a charge of illegally possessing and renting weapons. He was going to use it as a threat to im ownership of the crack. The middle-aged replied with a snort, ¡°Yeah, we have everything, so look elsewhere.¡± ¡°Please show me. I¡¯d like to check it out.¡± Ko Byeong-gap got out of the car and approached the people. A bald, middle-aged man who checked his equipment looked at Ko Byeong-gap with a very annoyed look. ¡°No, you¡­ What, you¡¯re from the association? Why do you want to see someone else¡¯s Hunter ID, hmm? What are you?¡± ¡°There may be some of you who aren¡¯t hunters, so I¡¯m asking just in case.¡± ¡°No, so who are you? What right do you have to ask for that? What kind of person are you?¡± Ko Byeong-gap was speechless. Frankly, he didn¡¯t have the right to look at other people¡¯s Hunter IDs. ¡°Oh, Mr. Kim. Take it easy.¡± ¡°No, Mr. Choi. Am I being angry for no reason? I¡¯m not, am I? This person¡­!¡± ¡°A, but it¡¯s only Mr. Kim¡¯s loss if he gets angry. Hahaha.¡± The gentle-looking man next to him dried the bald, middle-aged man. He thenughed and cheered the people up. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s okay to show your Hunter ID instead of making a mess? We came out to get a good spot, so let¡¯s not blush. Heh heh, look. It¡¯s a proper Hunter¡¯s ID, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mr. Choi presented his Hunter ID. Each of the others showed off their own Hunter¡¯s ID provocatively. ¡°¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t say a word when he saw it because they were all hobbyists registered as hunters. ¡°I understand how you feel, but we¡¯ve been waiting for a few days for this position. Look elsewhere.¡± ¡°Oh my God! The young man isn¡¯t cool. You have to keep your manners on this floor, too. ¡°Oh, Mr. Kim, that¡¯s enough. Hahaha.¡± ¡°¡­ Excuse me.¡± Ko Byeong-gap meekly rolled up his tail and returned to his car. ¡°Sigh, that¡¯s a shame.¡± Feeling frustrated, he took out his cell phone with a cigarette in the other hand. His fingers and eyes moved in a hurry. Finding the right crack was as difficult as picking up and moving around a bean curd with chopsticks. ¡°It¡¯s far. It¡¯s too close to Seoul. Maybe someone¡¯s already in it¡­ Tsk! This is a C-rank crack.¡± He looked at his phone screen for a long time. Meanwhile, a crack with a distance of 20 minutes caught his attention. ¡°Ew, it¡¯s a D-rank¡­¡± D-rank crack. It was a crack consisting of D-rank boss monsters and E-rank subordinate monsters. He didn¡¯t consider cracks beyond the D-Rank because the risk of subjugation alone was too high. Mistakes in E and F-rank cracks could be tolerated once or twice, but only one mistake could lead to death from D-rank crack. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ He hesitated for a moment, then changed his mind. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be possible for me now?¡¯ The person he was currently was different from the one he used to be. He also had Goblins he could use as his limbs, and through the growth potion, he gained greater power than any other low-level awakener. ¡®How am I now? C-ss? Maybe even a B-ss?¡¯ Well, since the gap between C-ss and B-ss was sorge, it was unclear whether he could even aim for B-ss. Still, he wanted to be able to get at least a C-ss. ¡®Let¡¯s do it.¡¯ In order to go up, he would have to take the stairs even if it was hard. Having made up his mind, he drove to where the D-rank crack was. * * * Ko Byeong-gap sped up with the thought that he couldn¡¯t lose his spot. He quickly crossed the national highway and arrived at his destination. Fortunately, there were no signs of anyone else. ¡®Is this an abandoned factory?¡¯ There were a lot of factory buildings with barely any shape left. There was the smell of scorched oil on the ground. Ko Byeong-gap put a cigarette in his mouth and hurriedly prepared for the subjugation. His weapons, potions, and other equipment were all fine. Finally, he put the karma meter against the crack. Afterpleting his own calction process, the measuring instrument concluded, ¡®This is a D-rank crack.¡¯ ¡°Huh. Ha¡­¡± Even smoking a cigarette couldn¡¯t calm hisplex emotions. It had been a long time since he went inside a D-rank rift on his own. ¡®I used to go there a lot.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap also served as a member of a team in the past. ¡­ He corrected himself. Not a member of a team, but a ve. A vicious team that seduced ignorant new hunters and turned them into ves! Ko Byeong-gap, a 22-year-old who had just be a hunter, was burned there by the people for money. When he managed to get out, all that was left was the lesson not to trust money or people carelessly. That was why Ko Byeong-gap worked alone. ¡°It¡¯s all in the past, now.¡± Ko Byeong-gap brushed off his butt and stood in front of the crack. He took a deep breath and calmed his mind. What monsters would appear? That was his main concern. ¡®Would there be a Goblin Ghost? Or Wood Devil? I don¡¯t want any Hedgehogs¡­¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap exhaled and threw himself into the crack. After a brief sh of his vision, it returned to normal. The gloomy sky and heavy air weed him. The back world never had a sunny day. He quickly scanned the front, maintaining a shooting position. Just a few secondster, he felt drained. ¡®Ha! I¡¯m¡­¡¯ He grinned and then shouted in front of him, ¡°Everyone, get down on your knees, you sweet children!¡± Chapter 11 11. Spot ¡°¡­¡± A strange thing came to the other side of the peaceful world. The Goblins, who were trying to kill the uninvited guests, became silent. They looked back at each other with question marks in their eyes. One Hob Goblin asked with his eyes, ¡®Hey, what¡¯s this?¡¯ When asked, another Hob Goblin answered with a nce as well, ¡®I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m scared¡­¡¯ ¡°Oh, look at this. You don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, do you?¡± Ko Byeong-gap strode in and spoke as if he was full of energy. He stood in front of a Normal Goblin who was frozen and couldn¡¯t do anything. ¡°What? Are you going to stab me with that?¡± He asked and leered sideways at the crude dagger held by the Normal Goblin. ¡°No, no¡­¡± ¡°Give it to me.¡± ¡°Woo.¡± ¡°Give it to me.¡± Ko Byeong-gap threatened with a low voice. The Normal Goblin shuddered and held out the dagger from the handle. Ko Byeong-gap took the dagger, looked around, and threw it back. It wasn¡¯t worth the money if they took care of something like that. ¡°Why are you pushing such a bloody thing? A pickaxe suits you better than a sword.¡± ¡°What. Words?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯ll soon find out what I mean. Let¡¯s see¡­ Hey! You there.¡± He shouted as he searched for a subordinate. The Hob Goblin, who was pointed out, trembled in surprise. ¡°I, you mean me?¡± ¡°Okay, let me ask you a question. Are you the only Goblins here?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Uh¡­¡± ¡°What are you waiting for? Say it quickly.¡± ¡°Goblin. There¡¯s something else. Another one.¡± ¡°Another one?¡± ¡°Moo, scary words. I have one.¡± The Hob Goblin stammered, staring deep into the abandoned factory. ¡°Scary words?¡± ¡°We¡­ If we go over there. Oh, no. Scary words. I get angry.¡± ¡®Damn it, isn¡¯t it just a Goblin? By the way, if it¡¯s a beast-type monster¡­¡¯ Some monsters came to Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s mind, and they were all hard to deal with. Beast-type monsters were usually like that. He gripped his chin for a moment, then ced his arm around the shoulder of a normal goblin who was just a short distance away. He then said with a sly smile. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go back to Ashvm?¡± ¡°Ah, Ashvm?!¡± The Goblins¡¯ eyes widened. At the same time, he felt deep longing and sorrow within it. ¡°Those who want to return to Ashvm, swear allegiance to me!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Goblins looked at each other again that time. Ko Byeong-gap could sense the hesitation thatid upon them. ¡°What? Why? What else is the problem?¡± ¡°Well, there¡­¡± ¡°Look.¡± ¡°Well, really. The Lord. Is that you? Our Lord is¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m your Lord! Don¡¯t you understand? Why? Because I¡¯m not a Goblin?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem?¡± The Hob Goblin¡¯s eyes turned again toward the abandoned factory. That was it. They were afraid of ¡®scary words.¡¯ After noticing vaguely, Ko Byeong-gap spoke as if he were dering. ¡°Are you afraid the things in there will harm you? Don¡¯t worry. My precious ves¡­ No, I will not let my precious family members be harassed. If you swear allegiance to me, I will take you to Ashvm and make you warm and full. What say you? Will you obey me?¡± ¡°Ashvm!¡± ¡°Ashvm!¡± The Goblins cried out for Ashvm with their faces full of emotion. At that time, a hologram appeared in front of Ko Byeong-gap. [Normal Goblins (31) and Hob Goblins (25) have been transferred to Ashvm.] A total of 56 new Goblins entered his domain. Combined with the ones he currently had, there were 90 of them. He smiled pleasantly. It wasn¡¯t very nice to have more spoons on the table, but it was always wee to have more workers. ¡°Lord!¡± ¡°Lord!¡± The Goblins shook their heads. At that time, Ko Byeong-gap felt the air shift. He turned his head violently. His eyes looking ahead felt like they were on fire. ¡°Now that you¡¯re done greeting me, get on your feet!¡± After saying so, he was immediately ready for battle. He was never the type to sense things. Nevertheless, he could spot a group of monstersing that way. ¡®Did we make too much noise?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap stared at the waste factory and brought his eyes to the scope. A horde of beasts with tusks like wild boars, with their jaws ripped into four, were swarming toward them. ¡®Damn it, Gabri!¡¯ The monster¡¯s name was Gabri. It was an E-ss monster that belonged to the beast-type. The weakness of beast-type monsters was that they weren¡¯t as vicious as human-type monsters and were generally less intelligent. So their fighting style was quite honest. However, it had great strengths to offset its weaknesses, which was that their bodies were very strong. It became more prominent as the weight ss and grade went up. The Gabri was arge monster belonging to a semi-medium type. It was said to berge enough to dwarf any beast-type monster. If more than 30 such monsters were running, they were likely to wallow in their fear. ¡®Darn, the terrain is bad¡­¡¯ The basic strategy against beast-type monsters was to make the most of the terrain. If he shot from a location where they couldn¡¯t easily approach him, he could clean them up easily without facing them. ¡­ Of course, such a strategy worked almost exclusively in the lower world. Wherever he was, the terrain was too open to hide anywhere. Things would¡¯ve been better if he had hidden in the factory at the very least. Ko Byeong-gap quickly organized his thoughts. ¡°Focus on my words! Concentrate!¡± ¡°Concentrate!¡± The Goblins naturally chanted. ¡°When I signal, throw all your weapons at them. The one with the bow shoots arrows, and the one with a spear throws a javelin. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Next, when I tell you to scatter, spread out. Do you understand me?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Their hearts vibrated to the sound of horseshoes. Ko Byeong-gap calmed his breathing and put his eyes on the scope. ¡®I¡¯ve captured 56 Goblins. The number of monsters in a D-Rank crack is about 120 to 130, so even if I forced this pessimistically, I would only need to clean up 80 more.¡¯ Gulp. Ko Byeong-gap waited patiently for Gabris to cross the deadline he had set, and finally¡­ ¡°Hey!¡± The leading Gabri crossed the deadline. Ko Byeong-gap suddenly opened fire and shouted. ¡°You guys wait!¡± Tadadadadang! Tadadadadang! He used his gun and shot hot fire. The bullet hit the Gabri¡¯s torso without exception. ¡°Queeeek!¡± Those who were running in the lead fell asleep. Theters tripped and rolled around the floor. ¡®I¡¯ve felt it before, but my shooting skills have improved as well.¡¯ After his intake of the growth potion, his physical ability increased dramatically. It wasn¡¯t limited to stamina and endurance. He had improved all his senses, such as concentration and judgment used in shooting. He emptied a magazine and quickly reloaded it. His hands were too fast to be seen with little exaggeration. After hitting the noose and loading it, Ko Byeong-gap started the second round of gunshots. The Goblins cringed as if they were afraid of the fierce shots. The Gabris was quite close when he managed to empty both of the bullet houses. Ko Byeong-gap changed into his third magazine and shouted, ¡°Shoot! Shoot them all!¡± ¡°Shoot!¡± ¡°Keeek!¡± The Goblins threw arrows, spears, and everything else in their hands over there. Of course, the hit rate was poor. There were more sshes, and some didn¡¯t even reach the Gabris, but those things also became obstacles in their way and slowed the enemy¡¯s advance. ¡°Scatter!¡± ¡°Screw away! Scatter!¡± After reloading, Ko Byeong-gap shouted that and began emptying his third magazine. The remaining Gabri was ten at the most. Ko Byeong-gap calmly reduced the number of their heads. He didn¡¯t break his stance even when a Gabri approached 30 meters ahead. p ck! All the bullet bins were empty. Ko Byeong-gap threw his gun and drew his long sword. ¡®Five. Will it work?¡¯ There were five who didn¡¯t lose their fighting spirit while shedding blood. They rushed like a dump truck with a broken brake. Their four-pronged jaw wasn¡¯t the problem. Just hitting their body would only break a few bones. Ko Byeong-gap awakened the sensations in his body. In the next moment, the world slowed down as time passed slowly. ¡®From the one on the left!¡¯ He hardened his mind and kicked the ground. He threw himself to the left, drawing a wide line with the sword. Scratch! ¡°Kee-e-e-eek!¡± One of the Gabri¡¯s front legs, which wasing from the left, was cut off. It lost its bnce and fell. Ko Byeong-gap avoided the Gabri¡¯s charge and quickly took his stance. The remaining four created a cloud of dust and immediately changed direction. Ko Byeong-gap stretched out his sword without rest, and the de pierced another beast¡¯s neck, which immediately fell. The Gabri¡¯s neck and chest were open, and its intestines poured out. ¡°Ke-e-e-eek!¡± ¡®The next three guys!¡¯ He swung his arms nonstop. One whistle cut a chunk of flesh. The Gabris swung their torso down and kicked, but they could never reach Ko Byeong-gap because his movements were so agile. The two fell one after another with a chilling scream. ¡°Keeek!¡± Thest remaining Gabri charged in with its mouth wide open. It was ate attack to avoid. ¡°Sheesh!¡± Ko Byeong-gap hastily raised his arms to defend his head. The Gabri¡¯s jaws were clenched, and the stinging pain spread through his arms. However, it wasn¡¯t cut off, nor were his bones broken. Its tusks only burrowed into his skin. ¡°You bastard!¡± Ko Byeong-gap egged thest Gabri¡¯s body with the de in anger. The Gabri copsed with a tearful groan. Ko Byeong-gap, covered in monster blood, quietly reveled in victory. * * * ¡°Bring the magic stone. Be careful as there may be some who are still breathing.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ko Byeong-gap ordered the Goblins to collect the Gabris¡¯ magic stones. In the meantime, he examined his arm injury. His skin was torn, but it wasn¡¯t a major injury. He treated the wound by applying a low-level potion. ¡®The Gabri isn¡¯t a famous monster for its teeth, but still, this is a thin scar.¡¯ The physical strength of an awakener was superior to that of the general public, but that didn¡¯t mean they had iron skin or iron bones. The Gabri¡¯s final attack would normally crushed bones, at least. ¡®Has my physical strength increased? That¡¯s great.¡¯ It wasn¡¯tparable to the ¡®body strengthening¡¯ or ¡®barrier¡¯ of the top awakeners, but he had gained a strong body that any lower awakener couldn¡¯t surpass. Ko Byeong-gap felt good even as he lowered his wobbly arm. ¡®Are there about 50 monsters left?¡¯ After treatment, he began to reorganize. He picked up the empty bullet house, reced it with a new one, and checked his gun and knife condition. The de was quite toothy, and for a cheap supply sword, it was holding out. Soon, the Goblins collected all the magic stones. Ko Byeong-gap grabbed his thick pockets and opened the door to As Bm. ¡°Now, if you cross this road, you can go to Asvm, which you have longed for. Let¡¯s move on.¡± ¡°What about you, Lord?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about you, so let¡¯s move on. If you¡¯re here, you¡¯re only getting in the way.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± The Goblins followed Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s instructions and went to Ashvm. After sending thest one, Ko Byeong-gap called onest name. ¡°Kiriyan,e out!¡± As he spoke, a white Goblin appeared. He was about the size of a Hob Goblin, had white skin, and a lightning rod-shaped spear. It was an Albino Goblin that wielded lightning. Its rank was C, and in the lower ranks, it was known as the strongest. ¡°Did you call me, Lord?¡± ¡°Uh, help me clean up the rest of the monsters. Please give them a hard time.¡± ¡°I wonder what they are!¡± After he carried his backpack, Ko Byeong-gap calmly moved toward the abandoned factory. Chapter 12 12. Spot Inside the crack¡­ The subspace,monly known as the ¡°Back World,¡± was truly a mysterious ce. It had monsters that mimicked reality and lived there indefinitely without any energy supply. The word ¡®mystery¡¯ really suited it. Since the Deep Impact 28 years ago, research on the underside of the world had been continuous. However, there wasn¡¯t much that had been discovered by mankind. That was roughly the case to list some of the facts that were revealed¡­ First, the Back World imitated the appearance of the ce where the crack had urred when it appeared. In other words, if the crack had already appeared, even if the entire topography there had changed, it wouldn¡¯t be reflected in the world behind the scenes. In the same vein, no matter what terrible things happened in the Back World, it didn¡¯t affect the outside reality. Second, the material imitated in the world couldn¡¯t be carried out. Even when the cracks first appeared, they eximed, ¡°The cracks will be the key to solving the problem of depletion of the Earth¡¯s resources.¡± Unfortunately, it was a pipe dream. For example, even if a crack urred in a diamond mine, the diamond reserves would never double. The only resource that could be taken from the crack was the by-product of the monsters, and the rest were all mirages. Finally, if a person couldn¡¯t get past the escape portal until the Back Worldpletely copsed, anyone trapped inside would evaporate. If you defeated the boss monster, the world would copse within 1 or 2 hours. It didn¡¯t matter if you went outside the escape portal before that; the problem would be if you didn¡¯t. That was because the person trapped inside would disappear somewhere with the crack. In fact, such idents frequently urred in the early days of the Deep Impact. Evaporated people were nowhere to be found on Earth. Scientists even put rovers into copsing cracks to find clues to what happened. However, the rovers, which were supposed to send 12 photos every minute, were disconnected after sending only one photo after the world copsedpletely. The photo sent by the rovers contained only colorful beams of light. ¡°Zeep.¡± Ko Byeong-gap scanned the second floor and smacked his lips. He didn¡¯t know what factory that ce was made of. However, there were still useful bits and pieces scattered throughout its interior. What caught Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes were the stic boxes and buckets on one side. Taking it to Ashvm seemed to be useful in many ways. It could be used to drink water or to transfer crystals. At the very least, it could be used as a chair to sit on. He moved a few to Ashvm just in case, but what was the result? It was obvious¡­ ¡®No.¡¯ The substance of the Back World became smoke and dispersed the moment it passed to Ashvm. He felt sorry, but he soon shook it off. Ko Byeong-gap, who was passing by a pile of boxes, stopped in an instant and looked back, covering his lips with his index finger. ¡°Shhh.¡± Kiriyan nodded silently. Ko Byeong-gap hid on the iron railing and looked down. A group of Gabri was roaming the first floor. He counted their heads. One, two, three, four¡­ ¡®23.¡¯ After counting, Ko Byeong-gap whispered to Kiriyan. ¡°Do you see the beasts down there?¡± ¡°Yes, I see them.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to intercept them from now on. Can you do it?¡± ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°Alright, get ready.¡± Ko Byeong-gap put his gun on the railing and aimed at the Gabris. Kiriyan stood a little further away from him and concentrated his power on his lightning rod. The two made eye contact. -Are you ready? -Yes! In the very next moment, without anyone noticing, the attack wasunched downward. Tadadadang! Pajikikik! ¡°Keeek!¡± The Gabris went berserk at the sudden outpour of bullets and lightning. If it were any wild animal, they would¡¯ve escaped without their tails, but they were monsters. Immediately, they turned their eyes and began to look for where the attack came from. ¡°Keeek!¡± Ko Byeong-gap was soon spotted. Fortunately, there was no need to move because the Gabris couldn¡¯t reach the railing three stories high at best. If it were a human monster, they would¡¯ve used the stairs, but it was a difficult task in the head of a beast. The Gabris jumped up and down without reason. From Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s perspective, they were just targets who shouted at him to kill them. He gradually reduced the number of the Gabris. A few more monsters flocked in when the gunfire andmotion were heard. Ko Byeong-gap made a porridge out of 30 Gabris. The gun and the lightning rod zed with heat. Ko Byeong-gap sighed and looked at the movement of the monsters. ¡®I don¡¯t think there are any more around here.¡¯ There were no signs of being nearby, but just in case, they paused for about ten minutes and then went down. The first floor was littered with the dead Gabris. He always felt bad about dead bodies. His Hunter experience was the same no matter how many years had passed. However, there was no fuss like when he just became a hunter. Ko Byeong-gap summoned some Goblins to sweep as workers. ¡°Just quietly collect the magic stones here. I¡¯ll be back after a little reconnaissance.¡± ¡°Okay, Lord sir.¡± He walked cautiously out of the factory building. The site there was veryrge. There were three or four more abandoned buildings alone. Ko Byeong-gap habitually bit a cigarette in his mouth. ¡®I think there are about 20 monsters left.¡¯ He had plenty of ammunition. Ko Byeong-gap looked around and went back to the factory building. In a short period of time, the Goblins finished dismantling the magic stones. ¡°Get the meat on the floor and go back.¡± ¡°Okay, Lord sir.¡± ¡°Oh, and Gobung,e here for a second.¡± ¡°Yes? Yes!¡± Gobung approached, wiping its bloody hands. ¡°How are the new arrivals?¡± ¡°Status. You mean? Uh¡­ I think it¡¯s okay. Everyone. I was surprised.¡± ¡°Hmm, really?¡± Ko Byeong-gap smiled and gently wrapped his arms around his shoulders. ¡°Gobung, I have a special assignment to give you.¡± ¡°Ah, mission, you mean?¡± ¡°Yeah, starting today, I n to appoint you as the head of the workgroup.¡± ¡°¡­ The head of the workgroup?¡± ¡°Yes, the work chief.¡± Gobung thought a few times about whether the word ¡®work chief¡¯ was awkward. ¡°Don¡¯t think too hard. You can educate the neers and teach them what to do while I¡¯m away. Do you know what I mean?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah. Oh, I know. It¡¯s the same.¡± Ko Byeong-gap said, ¡°Great¡­¡± as he pped his hands quietly. ¡°I mean, Gobung is smart. I¡¯m giving you such a great job because I trust you, man! I have high expectations for you from now on.¡± ¡°Wow, I¡¯ll do my best!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, work hard. When Ashvm is rebuiltter, I¡¯ll make a spot for you.¡± Gobung poured stars from his eyes. He returned to Ashvm with a look of aplishment. They were so easy to push around. After he muttered, Ko Byeong-gap suddenly turned his head to the gaze he felt from behind. Kiriyan looked at Ko Byeong-gap with sad eyes and then quickly turned away. ¡°Hey, there¡¯s nothing to be disappointed about. I¡¯ve thought of all the positions I can give you.¡± ¡°I¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Of course, man. It¡¯s more important than the mission I gave to Gobung. I just didn¡¯t say anything because the timing wasn¡¯t right yet.¡± Kiriyan responded excitedly when the word ¡°more important¡± came out. ¡°What kind of mission is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter. It¡¯s no use telling you right now. So don¡¯t be bossy in front of other Goblins. Wait quietly until I bring it up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind!¡± After a short break, the two went hunting for the rest of the monsters. For reference, the position Ko Byeong-gap wanted to give Kiriyan was a ¡®generator.¡¯ * * * D-ss monster Horn Gabri. It looked simr to any other Gabri but had a long horn on its forehead. It was also characterized by the head skeleton protruding through its skin to form a solid helmet. At first nce, it reminded him of a fantasy animal unicorn, but it was a demon who rushed in with a four-pronged mouth. Ko Byeong-gap threw the gun and pulled out his long sword. He had plenty of ammunition left. He just wanted a face-to-face with the Horn Gabri, so he went on a journey. ¡°Keeek!¡± ¡°Humph!¡± The long sword and horns crossed and led to a struggle. Certainly, it was far more powerful than a Normal Gabri, but if he was asked if it was deadly, it wasn¡¯t. ¡°Haaah!¡± For a moment, Ko Byeong-gap concentrated his power and deflected the Horn Gabri. He drew down the sword while his body reeled. Long cuts were left on Horn Gabri¡¯s neck and shoulder. ¡°Kegigigigigig!¡± The Horn Gabri stumbled and spouted out blood. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t finish immediately and pulled out. As he straightened his posture, he waved his de back and forth provocatively. ¡°Heee-eee-eee-eee-eee!¡± The Angry Horn Gabri stamped its foot. It looked like an ox that charged with its horns in front. Ko Byeong-gap showed a high level of concentration and followed his movements. He was unmoving, and he only sprayed the de just one step before they collided. Scratch! The Horn Gabri couldn¡¯t even scream. It was because its neck had fled. Blood gushed out of its fallen body. It was the end of the battle. Even the boss monster of the Back World was neatly handled. ¡°You¡¯re amazing!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. I don¡¯t care about catching one.¡± He said so, but he felt proud. He collected magic stones from the dead monster with Kiriyan. There were only eight in total, so there was no need to mobilize workers for it. He got out of the Back World with a thick pocket of magic stones. It was just past noon when the subjugation ended. ¡°Did it take more than three hours?¡± In the past, it would¡¯ve taken twice as long. No, if it had been before, he would¡¯ve died the first time he encountered the Gabris. He went back to Seoul without further dy. On the way, the under control. The A-rank crack in the morning seemed to have been attacked. When he arrived in Seoul, his visit to the association was quick. He sold out all the magic stones he collected that day. Counselor Kim Seul-gi called for the price of the stones in a friendly voice. ¡°It¡¯s 13.6 kilos of low-quality magic stone and one medium-quality gemstone. I will set you 78 million won.¡± ¡°What? Is that all you can do?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± It was less than he thought. Usually, a D-rank crack would offer him an additional 1.3 million won. ¡°Ah! Ahhh¡­¡± He soon realized the reason. ¡®It¡¯s because of the Goblins.¡¯ It was only natural that the amount of money was reduced because he couldn¡¯t collect the magic stones from the 56 Goblins. Although it left him a bitter taste, the price came out better than any F-rank crack. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was mistaken.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ Should I transfer it to your linked ount?¡± ¡°No, cash, please.¡± ¡°Okay. Please wait.¡± After receiving the settlement, he headed to the hardware store and farm equipment store. As the number of workers increased, he had to supply that much equipment. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­ 56 more people came in, so should I buy 50 more? Damn it, it¡¯s 1.75 million won for 50 units, right? Why is it so expensive?¡¯ He hesitated for a moment in front of the ATM. If he spent 1.75 million won on pickaxes, it was a clear deficit, and if he added the price of ammunition, oil, and other things he used that day¡­ ¡®Ah, dang! I need it anyway. What should I do?¡¯ He shook off the hesitation. He was right. Wasn¡¯t that what he needed anyway? It was a relief that a lump sum of money had recentlye in. After withdrawing 1 million won, he went to the farm equipment store. ¡°Wee¡­ Aigoo, boss.¡± The store owner recognized Ko Byeong-gap, who had alreadye twice, at a nce. When he first came, he was a young man who bought ten pickaxes and immediately bought 20 more. ¡®He¡¯s here again! How many is he going to buy today?¡¯ The corner of the store owner¡¯s mouth went up by itself. ¡°Young boss is here again. Are you looking for pickaxes again today?¡± ¡°30,000 won.¡± As soon as he saw the owner of the store, he said in a deration. ¡°What?¡± ¡°50 pickaxes. How about 30,000 won each in cash?¡± ¡®These just came in!¡¯ The shopkeeper tried not to lose hisposure. He replied, armed with amercial smile, ¡°Oh my God, young boss. Are you going to buy another 50 today? It¡¯s hot, so let¡¯s have a ss of water first¡­¡± ¡°50 pickaxes. 1.5 million won in cash.¡± Ko Byeong-gap was determined. The owner of the store, who grasped the situation, hurriedly tapped the calctor. ¡°Do you mean 1.6 million won at 3.2 won for each unit, right? This is also my loss. Hahaha¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to look elsewhere¡ª¡± ¡°Okay, 50!¡± The shopkeeper gasped and shouted. He couldn¡¯t afford to miss the order because of only 100,000 won. If he bought 50 today, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to buy 100 next time? As it turned out, trading was something that had to be done looking forward. ¡°50 pickaxes for 1.5 million won in cash. Let¡¯s do that!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Ko Byeong-gap bought 50 pickaxes for 1.5 million won. Since the quantity was high, the store owner decided to load it in a truck and deliver it in front of his house. Ko Byeong-gap had no reason to refuse. ¡°See youter then.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Go ahead.¡± Go Byeong-gap thought as he left the store, ¡®I¡¯ll have to get it delivered directly from a factory or something. Won¡­ It¡¯s terribly expensive.¡¯ Chapter 13 13. News The new Goblins quickly adapted to Ashvm. There were noints that the bed was ufortable or the food wasn¡¯t good. There were no Goblins who refused to mine crystals. The Goblin followed Ko Byeong-gap, saying, ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Being the Goblin Lord, an unknown title, was so convenient. It was different from blowing your nose without using your hands. All Ko Byeong-gap had to do was provide food for the Goblins. With 90 mouths, the amount of food was considerable, so he had to go around the cracks once every two days. However, there was no increase in the number of troubles since hunting was required to make money anyway. Rather, things became much easier. E and F-rank cracks could be cleaned up quickly with a few Goblins. That day, he found an E-rank crack with 20 Goblins. The monster that came out of the crack was an F-ss Horned Wolf. It was a monster whose agile and horned movements were intimidating. Also, its teeth were like harpoons, so once bitten by them, there was no escape. ¡°Be careful not to get bitten. If you get bitten, don¡¯t forcefully remove it, but cut its nose. Then, it will go away on its own.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°And please don¡¯t get hurt. Potions cost a lot.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Hob Goblins, with their crude weapons at their fingertips, shed with the Horned Wolves. ¡°Kae-gaeng!¡± screams were heard from all directions. was ¡®They fight well.¡¯ The Goblins, although not very reliable, were a subtly strong set of monsters. They were also humanoid monsters that were rare to find in the lower ranks. One of the strengths of human-like monsters that thebat power of each individual might be mediocre, but whenbined, they were terrifying. In addition, even if nothing was outstanding about them, their dynamic was good. The Hob Goblinsplemented each other and created a solid defense. A distant enemy was shot down with an arrow or a spear, and an enemy that came close had their head smashed with their clubs. The Giant Goblin Turka was a powerful D-ss monster, so he didn¡¯t have to worry. Didn¡¯t he have the stamina to withstand a few bullets? Even the teeth of a Horned Wolf couldn¡¯t prate deeply into his leather. Kiriyan, who was a C-ss, was a sore mouth to talk about. He was protected by the Hob Goblins and unleashed attacks with lethal force. His stamina was just that, but he had the best qualities as a dealer. More than 30 Horned Wolves were quickly cleared. As for injuries, they were all minor abrasions. ¡®It¡¯s definitely fast. If I had been alone, it would¡¯ve taken an hour at the earliest. But, of course, it would be faster now.¡¯ It was quite nerve-wracking to bring only a gun and deal with 30 Horned Wolves. He would have to go around looking for a good spot. Also, if he tried that even once, he would have to use half of his potions. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s collect the magic stones and get some meat.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Goblins moved in unison. They dug into the chest of the Horned Wolves and pulled out their clotted blue magic stones. The chunks of meat that had been harvested were moved to Ashvm. The process of killing monsters, cleaning up after them, and killing monsters again was repeated. All he did was drag the Goblins around and shoot a few shots from behind. Had it been about an hour and 20 minutes since he entered the Back World? The boss monster, a Rake Wolf, appeared. An E-ss monster that was 1.5 timesrger than an Arctic wolf, thergest wolf in existence. Its strength, size, and speed were also threatening, but the des on its two-pronged tail were particrly terrifying. ¡®Still, it¡¯s a low-level monster.¡¯ Tada Tada Tada Tada! Boss monsters were always taken care of by Ko Byeong-gap. There was no particr reason; he just wanted to. The Rake Wolf was shot and killed by eight bullets without even the chance to resist. Ko Byeong-gap cut off the Rake Wolf¡¯s tail and took it. It was a loot that could be turned into pocket money if it was put up for auction. ¡°Well done. Everybody go back to Ashvm and heal the wounded with potions. Do you know where I left the potions?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± ¡°Yeah, you guys take a break from work today.¡± The Goblins said yes and went back to Ashvm. He took the loot and magic stones and went outside. It was already dark outside. It was partly because he started workte that day and partly because he dealt with two cracks to make more money. He hurried back to Seoul and headed for the association. He was supposed to get paid the magic stones and he had to put the loot up for auction. He took a ticket and waited for his turn toe. Even though it waste, quite a few people were waiting. A man sat next to Ko Byeong-gap. When he realized that something smelled fishy, he realized the man was covered with blood and dirt. ¡®Oh¡­ No manners.¡¯ Fighting monsters inevitably made your body dirty. That was because the dirt on your body disappeared when you leave the Back World, but the blood and filth would still remain. It was basic manners to wash your body beforeing to the association. If someone couldn¡¯t afford it, they would at least have to change their clothes. Even Ko Byeong-gap carried extra clothes in his car. However, some people visited the association without wiping their bloody bodies. Ko Byeong-gap frowned and went one space to the side. The other waiters grew away from the man, but the bloody man turned his head and began to stare at Ko Byeong-gap. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t want to make eye contact, so he just stared straight ahead. ¡®Why are you staring at me of all people?¡¯ The moment he thought so, the man talked to him. ¡°¡­ Aren¡¯t you Byeong-gap hyung?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Hyung, don¡¯t you recognize me? I¡¯m Hyung-cheol, Park Hyung-cheol.¡± ¡°Park¡­ Hyung-cheol?¡± ¡°Why? We worked together for a while when you were in Kim Ah-jin¡¯s team. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap was able to find the man¡¯s face in his memory. About a year and a half ago, he was a friend who worked with a bastard named Kim Ah-jin. In fact, they did work together, but they only went together for about two months before Ko Byeong-gap left the team. So he wasn¡¯t that friendly. In addition, Kim Ah-jin¡¯s involvement with the team remained a bad memory. Ko Byeong-gap wasn¡¯t very happy to see Park Hyung-cheol. ¡°Oh, I remember¡­ So, how are you?¡± So it was just a formal greeting. ¡°I just hang out. How have you been, hyung?¡± ¡°Me too. I was just living.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± There was an awkward silence. That was how a conversation was between people who weren¡¯t very close to each other. Maybe it would¡¯ve been better if the other person was a woman. ¡°Hyung, have you heard the news?¡± ¡°What news?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing else, Kim Ah-jin¡­¡± As soon as he heard the name Kim Ah-jin, Ko Byeong-gap reacted violently and said, ¡°I don¡¯t really want to talk about that bastard.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Then I won¡¯t say anything.¡± Park Hyung-cheol bit his mouth right away. Ko Byeong-gap sighed deeply and said, ¡°Just say it. What news?¡± When Ko Byeong-gap asked, Park Hyung-cheol replied as if he had waited. ¡°The Kim Ah-jin team has been disbanded. Ah-jin hyung died three months ago.¡± ¡°What? That bastard is dead?¡± ¡°Given your reaction, you didn¡¯t know.¡± Ko Byeong-gap made an expression of disbelief. The naughty bastard whom he thought wouldn¡¯t die until he put his shit all over the walls¡­ had died? ¡°Why, how?¡± ¡°He was wrongly caught in a Variant Crack. He went in thinking it was a C-rank crack, but it was a B-rank. At that time, the seven people that came with Ah-ji had also died. It was on the news. Didn¡¯t you see it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t really watch the news¡­ And Hee-jin too?¡± ¡°No, Hee-jin wasn¡¯t there that day.¡± Ko Byeong-gap breathed a sigh of relief. Go Hee-jin was Kim Ah-jin¡¯s lover. What a waste of a woman for a bastard¡¯s lover. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t understand why she was hanging out with a guy like Kim Ah-jin. In retrospect, the lovers of Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s bullies were all good people. God damn it, was that some damnw? ¡°Sigh.¡± A sigh came out of nowhere. On the asion that Kim Ah-jin would die, he thought he would have a toast. However, he didn¡¯t feel very good to hear that Kim Ah-jin had been killed. ¡®Kim Ah-jin.¡¯ Kim Ah-jin was a C-ss hunter who ran a small hunter training academy. There were hundreds of hunter training academies, but only a few of them were in the country. The rest were all scammers. Ko Byeong-gap met Kim Ah-jin while searching for an academy to get his Hunter¡¯s ID after being diagnosed as an awakener. It was a mistake to be fascinated by the fact that he would obtain a certificate for a short time without tuition fees. Looking back, it made absolutely no sense, didn¡¯t it? He wasn¡¯t some kind of phnthropist, and they were offering free lessons. If he were a little sober, he might¡¯ve realized that nothing was free in the world, but at that time, Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t do that because just worrying about his mom¡¯s hospital bills made his head explode. Kim Ah-jin said, ¡°Hey, what do you mean ¡®manager¡¯? Call me bro in the future. I think of all the people whoe to our academy as my family. Did you say you need money? Then just trust me and follow me. If you hold on tight and learn to work under me for three years, you can be rich.¡± And under the pretext of free lessons, he signed contracts. It was a ve contract, pure and simple. ¨C Tuition is free, but you have to pay for the equipment. It was an obvious trick, but the funny thing was that there weren¡¯t only one or two people who were caught up in it. ¡®After bing a hunter, I had tens of millions of won in debt. The son of a bitch charged me for using the equipment¡­¡¯ All the equipment provided by Kim Ah-jin was like trash, but the price was ridiculous. Of course, they were delivered by a bully business that was in partnership with Kim Ah-jin. -Don¡¯t worry, man. It¡¯s not like me, your hyung, is urging you to pay me back instantly, hmm? My hyung will mediate the cracks and build a team, so pay it back slowly while working. That¡¯s how you build your career. Hey, where else can you find an older brother who takes good care of you like me? If he worked with Kim Ah-jin¡¯s team, at least there was no loss of work. His ability to mediate cracks was, frankly, great. Unfortunately, 20 out of 30 days a month, they went to a subjugation. However, the amount of money that came into his pocket was only a few million won a month after working so hard. He had to pay off his debts, and it was huge to take all the fees and everything. Ko Byeong-gap, unable to afford his mother¡¯s hospital bills, sold the house. Later, he even used private loans. Life had gone downhill. ¡®I went to 29 subjugations a month, paid off all my debts from Kim Ah-jin, and escaped. Now that I think about it, it was really hell.¡¯ Just thinking about that time, he would dream about his debt even in his sleep. ¡°Anyway, Kim Ah-jin¡¯s team was disbanded, and I got out. I still have a little debt left. I just couldn¡¯t do it like you.¡± Park Hyung-cheol smiled with a blood-stained face. ¡°Hyung, you were really great back in the day. People called you a machine because you went to subjugate for whole months on end. Did you know?¡± Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t want to respond much. Just then, the agent called his number. He immediately stood up. ¡°Okay. It was nice to meet you. Take care of yourself.¡± ¡°Oh, Byeong-gap hyung. Do you have any active teams? I¡¯m trying to form a team this time¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not interested.¡± Ko Byeong-gap cut off his words right away. He said a word before he left. ¡°And wash up when you¡¯re done with your subjugations.¡± * * * On his way home, Ko Byeong-gap thought a lot. It was mostly about Kim Ah-jin. ¡®Is Hee-jin alive?¡¯ When he thought of Kim Ah-jin, he automatically thought of Go Hee-jin. She was a terrific woman. Her personality was stern, and her face and body were the best. He honestly had a crush on her before. He thought about visiting Go Hee-jin, but he soon threw the thought away since he didn¡¯t want to reconnect with past ties. He wanted to erase the memory of meeting Park Hyung-cheol if possible. He recalled Kim Ah-jin again to get Go Hee-jin out of his head. ¡°Well done, son of a bitch! You¡¯re going to be humiliated because you ate people up behind their backs.¡± Meeting Kim Ah-jin in his life was a lifetime mistake, but he also learned a few lessons. -First, don¡¯t trust people easily. -Second, there was nothing free in the world and it was hard to make money. -Third, working alone was the mostfortable. -Fourth, don¡¯t use people as tools. ¡®Don¡¯t use people as tools¡­¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap brooded over the line. He kept thinking about it until he got home. When he arrived, he went straight to Ashvm without washing or eating. Ashvm¡¯s time was simr to the outside world. Night came when the sun went down in reality. Although it was dark, only a few Goblins were in sight because they were all inside the cave. It was the table he had found abandoned and brought with him. A potion was ced on it, and Ko Byeong-gap always brought two bottles, but the potion didn¡¯t decrease at all. That was because the Goblins, who fought with Byeong-gap, didn¡¯t touch it that day. ¡®¡­ Heal those wounds!¡¯ He ran into the cave while he bit his lips. In the cave, the Goblins were sweating profusely, digging for crystals. The cave became quite spacious before he knew it. ¡°Oh, Lord! Are you here?¡± Gobung spotted Ko Byeong-gap and said hello. The other Goblins briefly stopped their work and greeted Ko Byeong-gap. Ko Byeong-gap was a little emotional and got on edge. ¡°Hey, you fools! When the sun goes down, pack it up and rest. What are you still working on? Do you know what time it is now?¡± ¡°¡­ Lord?¡± ¡°Clean up ande out!¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± The Goblins cleaned up their gear and rushed out. The Goblins, who were resting outside, also gathered. ¡°When the sun sets, don¡¯t work and just rest. Okay? Rxation is the most important thing when working. If you work day and night, you¡¯ll have a bone problem!¡± ¡°I, we. Fine. For Ashvm. Rebuild. Even if it¡¯s hard¡­¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t vomit!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°And the ones who went to war with me today! Do you really want to die? Go use the potions and heal your wounds right now!¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± The pointed Goblins rushed toward the table. ¡°If anyone else is sick, don¡¯t hold back and tell me right away. It¡¯ll only cost you more if you don¡¯t do it. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± The Goblins answered with great nervousness at the sight of the angry Ko Byeong-gap. Onmand, they sat around the campfire to rest. They thenid themselves t on the ground and rested. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t like that either. ¡°Tsk. You bastards, you don¡¯t even have a nket, so you¡¯re lying on the dirty ground.¡± Ko Byeong-gap nned to stop by a junk dealer or a furniture disposal facility the next day and decided to bring a few beds with him. Chapter 14 14. Ashvm Cultivation Ding-dong. Ding-dong. The bell rang for a moment, and then the door opened. A woman in her 40s appeared. She looked at the man standing in front of the gate and tilted her head. Who was it? She didn¡¯t think that he looked like a courier. ¡°¡­ Who are you?¡± ¡°Good morning. I was wondering if you were throwing this away at the gate.¡± Ko Byeong-gap pointed to the mattress leaning against the fence next to the gate. It was an old thing that was stained and torn in ces. The woman in her 40s nodded with an expression asking what he was doing. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m throwing it away. Why?¡± ¡°Can I take it with me, then?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, yes. If you want to take it with you, take it with you. But you can¡¯t use it because it¡¯s dirty.¡± ¡°Oh, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Well then, do whatever you want.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The woman in her 40s shook her head, closed the gate, and returned home. She then muttered, ¡°Why is he asking? If you think I¡¯m throwing it away, you can take it with you.¡± Ko Byeong-gapughed bitterly when he heard the woman muttering. As she said, not many people would beining about it even if it was stolen. However, if he picked a fight with even one in ten, that would be a problem. As a hunter, he needed to be extremely wary of the red lines in his personal life. Well¡­ He didn¡¯t think he was crossing the red line when carrying some discarded stuff, but he did it anyway. After confirming that the woman in her 40s entered the house, Ko Byeong-gap looked around. There was no one passing through the street. He opened the door to Ashvm with his hand on the mattress. The mattress quickly went over to Ashvm. ¡°Okay, I got a mattress.¡± He smiled cheerfully and moved on. That day was the weekend. The weekends didn¡¯t mean much to him, but he decided to take a day off anyway. Recently, he was able to afford to go around the cracks every day. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s job that day was to go around the neighborhood and pick up things to use. He had been shooting from ce to ce since morning, and he had already picked up a lot. If he had enough money to spare, he would¡¯ve gone to a department store or arge retailer, but frankly, such an investment wasn¡¯t worth it for the Goblins. As he walked, he arrived at an apartmentplex. When he went to the garbage collection point, there were quite a few discarded pieces of furniture. It started with the wardrobe, and there were no separate stalls for refrigerators, beds, drawers, and sofas. ¡°Hey, this is in good condition.¡± A leather sofa caught his eye. It was a little torn, but there was no functional defect at all. So why would they throw away something that was perfectly fine? He couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Good for me, well.¡± Ko Byeong-gap slowly looked around him and sent them all to Ashvm. He took care of it even if it was useless right at that time. Wasn¡¯t that the purpose of leftovers anyway? It was already lunchtime as he walked around, feeling like he could go out for a drink. Ko Byeong-gap decided to have lunch at a noodle restaurant he found on the street. It was a fairlyrge and well-established house. After ordering the main menu, he was looking at his phone when people began to murmur. ¡®What?¡¯ He looked away from his phone and turned his head. A man and woman entered the restaurant and covered their faces with a hat, a mask, and sses. Still, their overwhelming presence couldn¡¯t be masked. Lee So-ri and Heo Gil-nam. They were S-ss hunters, with only 450 people nationwide. ¡®Wow! S-ss!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap opened his mouth wide and looked at the two of them. They went to a corner without saying a word and sat down. Ko Byeong-gap looked down at them, pulling his neck down. Hairs all over his body stood up. The general public wouldn¡¯t be able to feel it, but Ko Byeong-gap could feel the enormous concentration of karma emitted from the two through his skin. It was like facing a giant castle. ¡®S-ssing to eat at a restaurant like this?¡¯ If he was an S-ss awakener, he envisioned himself eating food cooked by a top chef at a seven-star hotel if he was hungry after drinking drugs and partying in a penthouse every day. He couldn¡¯t believe that they came to that local noodle ce. It was a refreshing shock. ¡®I heard Lee So-ri and Heo Gil-nam were dating, so it must¡¯ve been true. If I asked for their autograph, would they do it?¡¯ Although they shared the same profession as a hunter, the gap between D and S-ss was simply the difference between heaven and earth. For a simple example, no one in the restaurant was interested in Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Here¡¯s the spicy kalguksu you ordered.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, thank you.¡± ¡°Enjoy your meal.¡± It was only when his food was served that Ko Byeong-gap could take his eyes off of them. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with me? Let¡¯s just eat.¡¯ If he asked the people who came in dressed tightly from head to toe for their signatures, it would reveal their true identity. He silently gulped down the kalguksu. ¡°Lucky, eye candy.¡± The poprity of S-ss hunters was no less than that of celebrities. No, they were practically no different than celebrities. What was a celebrity? Were they the people who showed off their talent on TV shows, music festivals, movies, etc.? If so, many top hunters could be called celebrities. It might be a little out of the blue, but there was a good reason for that. That was the Government¡¯s idolization policy. When the Deep Impact broke out 28 years ago, many people trembled with anxiety. It was natural to feel anxious because they were faced with the unknown brought by the cracks and monsters. Of course, the big mess was soon over. However, even the slightest confusion was still alive. So the government decided early to make the hunters a clown. They put them on TV, made them look fun, and made and sold products rted to them. In short, heroes and saviors¡­ Well, that was what they needed them to look like. The idolization policy was sessful. The people were able to ept the hunter in a more friendly manner, and they gained the religious beliefs that they would always protect them. Hunters had no hesitation in bing clowns. It was a mindset to enjoy life when you never know when you would die and when you could enjoy your honor, money, and fame. Also, the hunters had the best qualities as a clown. They usually sang well, acted well, and showed excellent talent in many ways. They were truly an all-rounder. How could that be? All thanks to karma. Uncharted power, Karma. It wasn¡¯t only effective in dangerous areas. The top awakeners with a body karma concentration of more than 50 percent were basically versatile men and women. That was because Karma affected that part. In addition, when someone reached S-ss, they could even resist aging. Immortal life, which was only considered a myth, was brought to reality. That was the reason why rich people around the world were so desperate to create artificial awakeners. It was to get rid of their old body and rejuvenate. Well¡­ Contrary to their wishes, there wasn¡¯t a single case of sess in manufacturing artificial awakenings. ¡°Wow¡­ Lee So-ri is so pretty. How can she hide it? ¡°Lee So-ri is Lee So-ri, but Heo Gil-nam is no joke either. If you keep looking, you¡¯ll be sucked in.¡± ¡°Hey, look at him like that one more time, and I might throw up. Get rid of that expression.¡± ¡°Oh, shit, cover your face because I¡¯m losing my appetite too.¡± Two young men at the next table giggled. Unable to resist curiosity, Ko Byeong-gap nced at the table where the two sat again. ¡®They¡¯re really attractive.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap wouldn¡¯t find any ce where they would be considered ugly. Rather, they looked good from all angles. Nevertheless, that was an aspect that appeared everywhere. They were still human, after all. Truthfully, the high awakeners were truly the epitome of beauty. Just looking at them made him think, ¡®How can a person be like that?¡¯ The meal was over when the feeling of rtive deprivation gradually faded away. Ko Byeong-gap left the restaurant without any regrets. He then quickly put a cigarette into his mouth. His life was more suitable for a 225 won cigarette than for luxury. * * * ¡°Please give me 15,000 won.¡± Ko Byeong-gap stopped by a junk shop and bought two carts. He was nning to use it to move the crystal. It was very old, but it wasn¡¯t that bad as a cart. ¡°Boss, are you selling that, too?¡± He pointed to one side and asked. There was a crumpled blue tent there. It was a big one, used for an event. ¡°I¡¯m not selling it. I left it to throw it away. Why?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to throw it away, can¡¯t you give it to me?¡± ¡°Sure. What are you going to use it for?¡± ¡°I just have some use for it.¡± The junkyard owner opened his eyes and looked at the tent and said, ¡°Take it if you need it.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± Ko Byeong-gap divided the tent on the cart. ¡°Uh-huh, I¡¯ll be taking it then?¡± ¡°No problem. Good luck.¡± Ko Byeong-gap pulled the cart lightly and got out of the junkyard. Since taking the growth potion, mostbors had been as easy as picking his nose. He entered a quiet park and sent all his items to Ashvm. ¡°This should be enough.¡± Ko Byeong-gap went straight home since it was already 4 pm. He was simply geared up and moved on to Ashvm. A few Normal Goblins organized the things Ko Byeong-gap had brought, while the rest were nowhere to be seen. ¡°Lord, sir, are you here?¡± ¡°Lord, here you go.¡± A proper mixture of honorifics and informal speech. It was the charm of the Normal Goblins. Ko Byeong-gap gave orders with a grin, ¡°Go to the cave and get the kids. All the other members.¡± ¡°Kids?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you to bring them all.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± The Goblins rushed along. Only one man would have to go, but they swarmed. Stupid things. Ko Byeong-gap nced at the piled-up items on the other side. Even if he collected by going around for only a day, the amount was quiterge. It seemed like it would take some time to sort it all out. He waited for a while, and then the Goblins began to gather. They said, ¡®Lord, Lord,¡¯ and raised their greetings. Ko Byeong-gap frowned and waved his hands. ¡°Oh my God, Lord Lord. You¡¯re giving me neurosis, guys.¡± ¡°Woo¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s noisy¡­ And we¡¯re going to start building the barracks from now on. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Barracks. You mean?¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start with the tent over there.¡± ¡°Ah, I see!¡± The Goblins moved at Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s instructions. He selected a tnd, then the tent for events was spread out, and a mat wasid underneath it. The beds and sofa were arranged at the right angle. Various pieces of furniture were also lined up. Frankly, it was a mess from an aesthetic point of view. ¡®What¡¯s the matter? It¡¯s not even a model house.¡¯ About an hourter, all the luggage he brought was put in ce. Afterpletion, it was worth looking at. Ko Byeong-gap looked at thepleted barracks and smiled. ¡®It looks pretty.¡¯ ¡°After work, you can rest here. Don¡¯t roll around the dirty way.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°And you guys, jump right into the river and take a bath. You all smell really bad, so I can¡¯t be with you.¡± ¡°Woo¡­¡± ¡°From now on, go to the river once a day and wash up. Do you understand me?¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± The Goblins rushed toward the river. After everyone left, Ko Byeong-gap sat on the sofa and sighed. ¡®Ancient shop.¡¯ He recited to himself. Soon, a window rose in front of him. [Ancient Shop] -Construction -Technique ¨C Misceneous Goods -Others [Crystals on Hand: 3,147] ¡®Hey, did they collect 3,000 already?¡¯ Thest time he checked, he remembered it was over 1,000. But before he knew it, it went over 3,000. Obviously, he had 90 workers, so the mining speed was fast. Ko Byeong-gap looked around at the items calmly. With 3,000 crystals, the number of items that he could purchase had increased. He wanted to buy something, but nothing came easily because most of the things were unknown. ¡®No, shit. How about 2,000 crystals for gold dragon meat? Does it make sense that meat is more expensive than a house?¡¯ If he bought it for 2,000 crystals and it was useless, there would be nothing more deplorable than that. ¡°If there¡¯s no exnation, what am I supposed to look at? Anyway, the right thing is¡­ Hmm?¡¯ It was the moment when heined about the unfriendly store that a hologram appeared in front of him. [Gold Dragon Meat] -Price: 2,000 Crystals -Description: The meat of the Divine Gold Dragon. It is used for the gods¡¯ dinner as a top-notch meal. It has an excellent effect on rejuvenation. You can gain the power of a dragon if you eat a lot. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this? There¡¯s an exnation?¡± Ko Byeong-gap thought that he had be an idiot. When he asked for an exnation inside, thement kindly came to him. He decided to take a look at all the products he was curious about. There was plenty of time anyway. He started reading from the ¡®Other¡¯ category, which he was most curious about. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap began to read the items one by one. [Female Goblin] -Price: 500,000 Crystal -Description: A female goblin who became extinct by a curse. It has a breeding function and can give birth to females. [Explorer¡¯s g] -Price: 500,000 Crystals -Description: The g used by Rendriol, a great explorer and continental conqueror. Areas can be expanded when used in an unexplorednd. [Soul of Trovatin] -Price: 700,000 Crystals -Description: The spirit of Trovatin, the first knight among the 12 heroes of Ashvm. When used, his abilities when he was alive can be obtained. [Soul of Hashund] -Price: 700,000 Crystals -Description: The soul of Hashund, the Archmage among the 12 Heroes of Ashvm. When used, his abilities when he was alive can be obtained. ¡­ [Seed of Enlightenment] -Price: 10,000,000 Crystals -Description: Seed of Yggdrasil of the World Tree. It contains the spirit of a race that bought the wrath of God and eventually lost its wisdom. When the world tree sprouts, the long-standing aspirations of the race can be fulfilled. The impression of Ko Byeong-gap, who finally read until the end, was¡­ ¡®What¡­ kind of bullshit is this?¡¯ Chapter 15 15. A Strange Day ¡®Did the curse make female goblins extinct? Who is Explorer Rendriol, and what are the 12 Heroes of Ashvm?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap frowned after he read the items on disy in the Ancient Shop. Thements on it were all cryptic, and the strangest of them was the Seed of Enlightenment. ¡®A species whose wisdom was lost by the wrath of God? Is it talking about the Goblins?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap was basically an atheist. However, he agreed that some transcendent might be behind the Deep Impact, such as a divine absurdity. Therefore, even though the word ¡®God¡¯ frequently appeared in the Ancient Shop, he didn¡¯t write it off as just a ridiculous superstition. In the first ce, wasn¡¯t he physically experiencing the surrealities of being the Goblin Lord of Ashvm? ¡®Are you saying they weren¡¯t stupid in the first ce?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap was in agony and scratched his short beard. By that time, the Goblins returned from bathing, and water dripped from their bodies. ¡°Kiriyan! Kiriyan,e here!¡± ¡°Ah, yes! Lord!¡± Ko Byeong-gap immediately called Kiriyan, who was the mostmunicative member of Ashvm, and said, ¡°Hey,e here and read this.¡± Ko Byeong-gap sat Kiriyan down on the sofa. He then pointed to the small hologram next to the main window of the Ancient Shop. Kiriyan looked troubled and said, ¡°Well¡­ Lord.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Do you know anything?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not that¡­ I don¡¯t know how to read text.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ko Byeong-gap frowned. ¡°Why can¡¯t you, a goblin, read what I, a human, can read?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t apologize. I just don¡¯t understand. Why can¡¯t you read the text?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s because I never learned.¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing, seriously.¡± He was more embarrassed than angry, but what could he do? He couldn¡¯t force him to do it. Instead of teaching the Goblin to read the text, he decided to take an easier path. ¡°Hey, have you ever sinned against God?¡± ¡°Ah?! What do you mean?!¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not questioning you, so there¡¯s no need to make such an unfair expression. I¡¯m just asking.¡± It wasn¡¯t until Ko Byeong-gap told him that, Kiriyan calmed down his startled heart. He went into the exnation in a rxed tone. ¡°I read something a little weird, not anything else. If you look here, you hear the phrase ¡®a species that has lost its wisdom through the wrath of God¡¯? I wondered if that was the goblins. Do you know anything?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know? Isn¡¯t it about you? Think about it carefully.¡± ¡°God¡­God¡­¡± Kiriyan went on to mutter the word ¡®God.¡¯ His pupils gradually dted. His body then began to tremble. ¡°Ma-Mad¡­ Madmu¡­¡± ¡°MAMAMOO?¡± ¡°Mama, Mama, Mama! Whoops! Hey! hey hey hey hey! Kee ee ee eh!¡± ¡°Hey, hey, fuck! What¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Kye hee hee hee hee! Aaaaa!¡± ¡°Aish, calm down! Calm down!¡± Kiriyan sped his head and screamed as his mouth suddenly flung open. It was more like the howl of an animal than a scream. The nearby goblins gathered after hearing the sound. ¡°Lord sir, what?¡± ¡°Kee-e-eek! Kee ee ee eh eh!¡± Tsh! Sparks erupted out of Kiriyan¡¯s body. In the end, he let go of his string of reason and ran away. The Goblins freaked out and retreated. Ko Byeong-gap, who was just nearby, also stepped back a few steps in surprise. ¡®I smell something burning.¡¯ The smell of burning came up. Soot was spreading on the sofa leather due to the sparks Kiriyan emitted. If left alone, all the efforts put in that day could be in ashes. ¡°Hey, dude! Wake up! Hey!¡± ¡°Kee-e-e-e-eek!!¡± ¡°You¡¯re okay!¡± Ko Byeong-gap tried to appease Kiriyan, but it was meaningless. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Having made up his mind, he grabbed Kiriyan¡¯s body. His electric current passed through his body, and his muscles and spine tingled at the contact. ¡°Give me a break!¡± However, he didn¡¯t give up. He lifted Kiriyan and left the tent. ¡°Get out of the way! Get out of the way!¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± ¡°Get out of the way!¡± The Goblins hurried back when Ko Byeong-gap shouted. ¡°Breathe! Breathe!¡± After taking a few deep breaths, he put Kiriyan down on the dirt ground. Dust clouds rose with his violent noises. ¡°Agh!¡± Kiriyan let out a short scream, and his eyes turned upside down. His convulsive limbs calmed down, and the frantic sparks disappeared. Since he had power control, he didn¡¯t die. He just fainted for a moment. ¡®What the hell is this reaction?¡¯ He sped his hands around his trembling body. He then cried out in an angry voice. ¡°Go get me a potion!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Gobung jumped and returned with a potion. After feeding Kiriyan the potion, he drank a little himself. There seemed to be no major abnormalities in his body. Themotion of the night ended like that. * * * ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Kiriyan soon came to his senses. His body was a little tired, but there was nothing wrong with it. He bowed his head with a face that felt as if he was about to die of shame. Ko Byeong-gap breathed a sigh, soothing his trembling heart. ¡°Alright, man, raise your head.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He wanted to ask, ¡°Why did you suddenly have a seizure?¡± However, he couldn¡¯t easily bring it up since he was worried that he might have another seizure. ¡°Phew.¡± He looked down at the sooted sofa and swallowed his bitterness. ¡®Nothing was saved.¡¯ While Kiriyan was stunned, he asked the other goblins the same question. They were Normal Goblins. They also had no idea, and the Hob Goblins responded that they didn¡¯t know either. None of the Goblins had a seizure like Kiriyan. It felt like, ¡®I don¡¯t know anything, so there¡¯s no reason to have a seizure.¡¯ He was a little uneasy, but decided to put his curiosity aside for the meantime. Even if there was a story behind the Goblins, it wasn¡¯t something he had to find out right away. It was something he would have to figure out slowly. ¡°Go rest.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Kiriyan receded with drooped shoulders. Ko Byeong-gap leaned against the sofa and stayed still. His thoughts floated like clouds in his head. At times like that, he had to burn a cigarette. ¡°Lord, where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to smoke a cigarette. Why? Do you want me to give you one?¡± The Goblin shook his head. Ko Byeong-gap smiled and walked out of the tent. It was evening, and the wind was cool. It wasn¡¯t cold, though. It was just right. Summer was in full swing in Korea, but spring was still strong there. He took a stroll with a cigarette in his mouth, looked up at the sky, and saw the Milky Way. It was seldom seen in the city center. As he walked aimlessly, he heard the sound of water. He arrived at the stream, pulled out a shlight from his belt, and turned it on since he could stumble in the dark. The water was very clean. When he shed the light on it, he could see the floor clearly. A single Killifish, about the size of a finger, swam rapidly. ¡°There really aren¡¯t any big fish.¡± There were no big fishes in that clean water. Ko Byeong-gap looked at a few stones to see if there were any crayfish and then gave up. It wasn¡¯t like he was going to make soup. Where should he use a crayfish? He approached the fog that time as he stretched down. ¡°Hey, how could you do this?¡± Two areas were divided, like water and oil. There was a thick fog over the transparent barrier, and he couldn¡¯t see beyond it at all. The movie ¡°Mist¡± starring a giant monster came to his mind. In that movie, the monster drove the fog. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a monster beyond this?¡± He punched the invisible barrier with his fist and uttered nonsense. No matter how hard he hit, there was no noise at all. Only a wave of ripples spread through it. ¡°Oh, maybe¡­?¡± Ko Byeong-gap suddenly remembered something and opened the Ancient Shop. He went into the ¡®Other¡¯ category and checked one product. [Explorer¡¯s g] -Price: 500,000 Crystals -Description: The g used by Rendriol, a great explorer and continental conqueror. Areas can be expanded when used in an unexplorednd. ¡°If I use this, can I go beyond this?¡± Wasn¡¯t it too expensive? Ko Byeong-gap had such a sense of suffering. ¡°Well, it¡¯s okay for now, but when the number of Goblins grows to five or six hundred, we will have to increase thend a bit. It¡¯s expensive, though. With 500,000 crystals, I could get a thousand growth potions.¡± One bottle of the potion made him incredibly strong, but how much stronger would a thousand bottles make him? Perhaps he could be the 69th SS-ss awakener. Well, it remained to be seen whether the Goblins¡¯ waist could hold out until they could collect 500,000 crystals. He turned off the store window with a grin. After that, he bit a cigarette in his mouth. That was the moment that he felt a strange feeling. It was as if someone was looking at him. ¡®What?¡¯ He looked around while he brandished the light. However, there were no elk, let alone Goblins, in the dark stream. ¡°¡­ Is it because of my mood?¡± He turned the light, thinking so. The light lit up the area of fog. Even the high-powered shlight¡¯s strong beam of light didn¡¯t prate the fog. However, a dark silhouette attached tightly to the transparent barrier was visible. Head, shoulders, arms. The dark silhouette made binocrs with its hands and looked through the barrier. ¡°Wow, fuck!¡± Ko Byeong-gap stepped back in surprise. It seemed that he wasn¡¯t the only one who was surprised. The silhouette on the other side of the transparent barrier seemed to be surprised as well, and a secondter, the silhouette ran through the fog and disappeared. ¡°Hey! Hey! Wait a minute!¡± Ko Byeong-gap quickly ran to the transparent film and called out the silhouette. ¡°Who¡¯s in there? You¡¯re there, aren¡¯t you? Hey, answer me!¡± He shouted a few times, banging on the invisible barrier, but the missing silhouette didn¡¯t reappear. When he cried out about a dozen times, he heard an answer from the wrong ce. ¡°L-Lord¡­?¡± The Goblins came after hearing Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s voice. Ko Byeong-gap, unaware that he had dropped his precious cigarette, drooped his arms. ¡°¡­ What are you doing there?¡± * * * ¡°So, you don¡¯t know what¡¯s beyond?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ko Byeong-gap gathered the Goblins and asked. Did they know anything about beyond the mist? The Goblins replied that they didn¡¯t know at all. In fact, it wasn¡¯t the only time Goblin said they didn¡¯t know. They didn¡¯t know anything. Even their own origins. They said they didn¡¯t have any female Goblin. How were they born? When were they born? Where did theye from? Where and what did they do before they ended up there? They didn¡¯t know anything at all. He no longer felt down because he did what he could to know. ¡®It didn¡¯t look like a Goblin.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t say for sure because he only lit up the dark silhouette, but it didn¡¯t look like a Goblin. ¡°If you find anything near the fog from now on, report it to me immediately. Anything is fine.¡± ¡°Yes! Okay!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to go now. Take a rest.¡± After saying that, Ko Byeong-gap left Ashvm. His quiet room greeted him. ¡®What was it?¡¯ That day was very strange. In recent weeks, unimaginable things had happened one after another, but there had never been a day as strange as today. He washed himself andid down on the bed. ¡°Oh, yeah. I was going to buy something, but I forgot.¡± It urred to him only when he put his head on the pillow. So he summoned the Ancient Shop. The Ancient Shop opened even though he wasn¡¯t in Ashvm. He had already decided what to buy. Growth Potion. For the time being, he was going to buy only that. [Growth Potion] -Price: 500 Crystals -Description: A potion that permanently increases all physical abilities. Ko Byeong-gap first bought only one bottle. He then shoved it into his mouth without hesitation. After he drank the potion, he suffered a bit of a horrendous aftereffect, but he had to endure that much pain to gain great strength. Pounding! His heart started beating. Soon, his whole body trembled, and so did his muscles¡­ ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡­ It didn¡¯te. His heart soon calmed down. It was a distinctly different response from thest time. He felt somewhat lukewarm. ¡°What, is it working?¡± Ko Byeong-gap closed his eyes and focused on his body. He could feel the new power in his body. It certainly seemed to have an effect. However, the increase wasn¡¯t the same as before. In other words, his stats increased by tenst time, but that time, they only increased by three or four. ¡°¡­ Is it like muscle growth?¡± To grow muscle, he needed to lift weights, and only by lifting heavier weights could the muscles grew ording to the principle of gradual overload. He felt simr to that. At first, a single potion gave the effect of ten, but it required more intake or to take a stronger drug as time went on. ¡°Nothing is going as nned.¡± Ko Byeong-gap felt sad. He licked his lips and looked around for other products. Several products in the ¡®Techniques¡¯ category stimted his curiosity. Textbooks like swordsmanship and physical training. It seemed that it would help him to be stronger anyway. ¡°Shall we buy this one?¡¯ He read the product information when he found something that caught his eye. It was the Ancient Alchemy Textbook ¨C Low-grade. [Ancient Alchemy Textbook ¨C Low-grade] -Price: 350 Crystals -Description: A textbook dealing with ¡®Alchemy ¨C Low-grade¡¯ among ancient techniques. Through alchemy, objects can be crafted and strengthened, and special properties can be infused. ¡®I can craft or enhance things?¡¯ A brilliant idea shed through Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s mind. Chapter 16 [More chapters will be up tonight (6/23) Chapters 20+ were pretty exciting!] 16. Growth Sunday. It was an amazing day to make even someone who had never held adle in their life be a chef. Most of the time, people became hibernating bears instead of cooks, but Ko Byeong-gap was different. He woke up around 6 am. There were many reasons for his early rise. First, he had to work since he had a day off yesterday, and second, he thought he should stop by his mother¡¯s hospital after a long time. ¡­ In fact, it was a secondary factor. Ko Byeong-gap was as excited as an elementary school student on the day of a pic. That was the root cause of his long sleeplessness. ¡°Hahaha.¡± With a sly smile, he looked at the three books by his bedside. They were items he bought at the Ancient Shop before he went to bed yesterday. [Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Low-grade] -Price: 320 modifications -Description: A textbook dealing with ¡®Swordsmanship ¨C Low-grade¡¯ among ancient techniques. It contains the swordsmanship of the ancient knights. [Ancient Physical Training Textbook ¨C Low-grade] -Price: 320 Crystals -Description: A textbook dealing with ¡®Physical Training ¨C Low-grade¡¯ among ancient techniques. It contains the physical training techniques of the ancient knights. [Ancient Ki-breathing Textbook ¨C Low-grade] -Price: 350 Crystals -Description: A textbook dealing with ¡®Ki-breathing ¨C Low-grade¡¯ among ancient techniques. It contains the unique breathing method of the ancient knights. Three textbooks. He spent a total of 990 crystals in return. [Crystals on Hand: 1,307] When he deducted the growth potion and the textbooks he bought before bed, the remaining amount was 1,307 crystals. He had to save up on that a bit since he had a separate use for it. The thick textbooks were made of parchment paper. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t take his eyes off them and picked up the books. Ko Byeong-gap was far from being a book person by any means. Therefore, he was hesitant to learn anything new. However, that time, it was different. [Do you want to engrave ¡®Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Low-grade¡¯?] When he opened the textbook, he couldn¡¯t see its contents and only found a hologram. It was the same as the ¡®Ancient Alchemy Textbook ¨C Low-grade¡¯ he found the night before. ¡°Of course.¡± He said yes without hesitation. Suddenly, there was a scene that made him doubt his eyes. The parchment booklet was absorbed into Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s body. ¡°Ugh!¡± Ko Byeong-gap staggered with a grip on his forehead. It was the aftereffect of the vast knowledge flooding into his head. By analogy, it was like drinking 50 cups of coffee and smoking 100 cigarettes in a row. He absorbed the ¡®Ancient Alchemy Textbook ¨C Low-grade¡¯ yesterday and suffered from the aftereffects. So he put off the rest until that day since he thought he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep otherwise. After about 5 minutes, the dizziness went away. He took advantage of the momentum and absorbed the other two textbooks. [¡®Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Low-grade¡¯ has been engraved.] [¡®Ancient Martial Arts Textbook ¨C Low-grade¡¯ has been engraved.] [¡®Ancient Ki-breathing Textbook ¨C Low-grade¡¯ has been engraved.] Information that didn¡¯t exist until just a few minutes ago settled in the corner of his head. He felt like he was out of his mind. ¡°¡­ A few more, and I¡¯ll get a real mental illness. I should probably do it in moderation.¡± Ko Byeong-gap left behind the reminder he thought of and started to wash his face. After he poured cold water on his face, his mind calmed down a bit. He savored some of the knowledge terraforming in his head. That alone made his heart excited. He wanted to test it with his body right away and embody it, so he stared at his cell phone while cooking to find a suitable crack. He looked like a hungry hyena. After he finished the meal, Ko Byeong-gap hurriedly got ready. He grabbed his supplies, got into the car, and quickly stepped on the elerator. That day¡¯s destination was Dongducheon. ¡°Let¡¯s go smoothly, go smoothly.¡± On Sundays, the crackpetition rate was lower. Hunters were human too, so they wanted to rest on Sundays. On the contrary, hobbyists who hunted as a hobby were more aggressive every weekend. Ko Byeong-gap prayed that an unfortunate incident like thest time wouldn¡¯t happen that day. Did he travel for an hour and a half? Ko Byeong-gap finally reached his destination. It was a closed school in a rural vige about 40 minutes away from the city center. -Avoid public ess! Crack warning area! Such banners hung everywhere. Yes. Like cancer, in the same ce every time, cracks also urred, and there were many cases. That school must¡¯ve closed for that reason. On any day, the crack could¡¯ve popped out, so it would¡¯ve been impossible for them to operate. The field, overgrown with weeds, was empty. That was a good sign. After parking in a suitable ce, Ko Byeong-gap approached the crack in the middle of the yground. As always, he began his subjugation with a cigarette. Ko Byeong-gap burned a cigarette and checked his equipment. ¡°Okay, we¡¯re clear.¡± He didn¡¯t pack as much ammunition that day as he usually did. It was half the usual amount. That day¡¯s main focus was the sword, not the gun, and after everything was ready¡­ Ko Byeong-gap threw himself into the crack without hesitation. * * * The crack he visited that day was E-Rank. Last time, he sessfully cleared a D-Rank crack, but he didn¡¯t achieve it on his own. It was only possible with the help of Goblins. So, that day¡¯s subjugation was kind of an experiment. Could he subdue an E-rank crack with a sword? If he could subdue it, was there anything better than using a gun? Would it work at a D-rank crack or higher? Would he be able to ovee the lower ranks? After entering the Back World, he pulled out his sword. Unfortunately, the sword was in very poor condition. It had been neglected for a long time, and it had been used a few times recently. The long sword he currently possessed was also forcibly sold by Kim Ah-jin. The quality was poor, and only the price was high. The weapon used by the top hunters was basically tens of millions of won. The expensive ones cost hundreds of millions of won. As for Ko Byeong-gap, he couldn¡¯t afford to buy such a thing. It was also an item that he didn¡¯t really need as a low-level hunter in the first ce. ¡°Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!¡± A monster appeared in a small forest connected to the school fence. It was a Horned Wolf, which was also the standard monster for E-rank cracks. Ko Byeong-gap tightened the holster for his gun so that his movement wasn¡¯t ufortable. After that, he spitted once in his hand and grabbed his sword. ¡°Come on, you bastard.¡± ¡°Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!¡± Nine Horned Wolves rushed at him in unison. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes quickly captured their movements. His head gave themand. Ko Byeong-gap followed the orders without hesitation. The de shed and spread out in a sh. The neck of the Horned Wolf that attacked first flew away, and the Horned Wolf that ran after it split lengthwise. The third and fourth monsters died in one stroke and smashed the ground. His body moved flexibly like an intangible wind. Before the corpse of the Horned Wolf that floated in the air could fall to the floor, his second attack took ce. Cross-cutting, longitudinal-cutting, stabbing. A series of light hits followed it. Three more Horned Wolves died. As his sword passed once, blood sttered as if it were a naturalw. The next two¡­ ¡°Kra-ka-ge!¡± Instead, he trampled the creature who was about to bite his leg and split its head. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in his arm. Thest Horned Wolf had bitten his forearm. Ko Byeong-gap mmed his arm sternly. The Wolf plummeted to the ground. Before the bastard coulde to its senses, his de flew and split the Horned Wolf¡¯s torso apart. One minute¡­ No, only 40 to 50 seconds. The time it took for the nine Horned Wolves to be annihted wasn¡¯t enough time to even cook a cup of noodles. ¡°Huh! Haha¡­¡± There was an unbearableugh that came out of Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s mouth. Oh my God! That was revolutionary, pure and simple. ¡®Isn¡¯t this ridiculous?¡¯ The textbooks in his mind. Their effectiveness was truly remarkable. ¡®I haven¡¯t fully embodied it yet, but it¡¯s like this?¡¯ The knowledge of the textbooks were simply ¡®engraved¡¯ in Ko Byeong-gap. Topare it to mathematics, he had only mastered the principle of addition. However, an elementary school student who just learned addition was able to add three digits. He had a number of supporting factors. His body was strengthened by the growth potions and the synergy between each textbook. ¡®Now that I know swordsmanship, it feels like a joke that I¡¯ve been bad at holding a sword in the past.¡± Before learning swordsmanship, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s gestures weren¡¯t much different from that of a child holding a baseball bat that hit a sandcastle on the beach. He thought that a sword could do anything if he just held and swung it. However, that was a big mistake. From the tip of the head to the tip of his foot, every part of the body had to be structured when conducting how to move. His body even decided when to tighten his sphincter to sync with the bluster. The fantastic thing was that the martial arts or physical training textbook and the swordsmanship textbook interacted perfectly. Just by using swordsmanship, his body took care of training his body. So the more he moved, the more his muscles became tougher and stronger. ¡°Fufu.¡± Ko Byeong-gap smiled with satisfaction and looked down at the arm bitten by the Horned Wolf. It was just that the skin was a little chapped. ¡®If I were normal, it would¡¯ve been normal to have one or two pieces of my flesh tattered, but maybe it¡¯s because of the growth potion and the physical training?¡¯ ¡°Whoosh! Whoosh!¡± He constantly practiced the breathing method described in the ¡®Ancient Ki-breathing Textbook.¡¯ Something hot spread throughout the body. It wasn¡¯t long before the wound on his arm healed quickly. It was surprising, but to be honest, he couldn¡¯t use it for a big wound. ¡°Is it worse than a potion?¡±¡® It was a pity, but if he asked for too much, he could be greedy. ¡°Some of you,e on out.¡± He said as he opened the door to Ashvm, and then, three or four Normal Goblins appeared. ¡°Lord. Did you call us?¡± ¡°Take these and dismantle them. Gather and sort the leather, teeth, and magic stones ordingly. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, understand.¡± ¡°Yeah, you pick up the meat and eat it.¡± The Normal Goblins nodded and carried the Horned Wolves¡¯ bodies into Ashvm. ¡®Now I know howfortable it is.¡¯ There was no need to dismantle the magic stones in the crack. Instead, he could throw them in Ashvm and order the Goblins. If he did that, the speed of subjugation would also increase dramatically. ¡®Because I was quiet, the monsters didn¡¯te.¡¯ Even though there was a full-fledged battle, his surroundings were quiet. If he had fired a gun, they would¡¯ve heard the sound, and more monsters would¡¯ve flocked to him. That was one of the few advantages of cold weapons and why top hunters didn¡¯t use firearms. Ko Byeong-gap walked slowly in search of the hidden monster. * * * ¡°Kiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡± An angry Rake Wolf. It attacked with its teeth, forelimbs, and two sharp tails. Ko Byeong-gap faced him with a rxed attitude. The de¡¯s tail fell sharply down. Ko Byeong-gap raised his sword with all his might, and then, the Rake Wolf flew away with a ¡®Zeng!¡¯ sound. Without missing the gap, Ko Byeong-gap rushed in and thrust the de into its throat. ¡°Kiyaaaaaaaa! Kkkkk!¡± The Rake Wolf struggled a few times, then soon dropped. Blood burst out from its open flesh. ¡®There is no difference between F-ss and E-ss.¡¯ It was easy. At thest moment, he thought it might be a little dangerous when 18 monsters, including a Rake Wolf, came upon him at once. However, in terms of the results, all of them died at the hands of Ko Byeong-gap. He looked down at his body. There were only a few minor wounds, but he was generally fine. It didn¡¯t seem necessary to use a potion. He threw all the monsters into Ashvm and escaped the crack. Tick! The stopwatch on his wristwatch indicated the time he upied. 57 minutes and 48 seconds. It took less than an hour. Compared to hunting with the Goblins, he didn¡¯t fall behind. ¡®In the past, it was four hours at the earliest.¡¯ Compared to before bing the Goblin Lord, it was a huge reduction in time. He burned a cigarette tomemorate his sessful subjugation. He then prepared to go back home. ¡®Now that we have gathered the ingredients, what shall we make?¡¯ The corners of his mouth that bit his cigarette slowly rose. Chapter 17 17. Alchemy Ko Byeong-gap took off his work clothes stained with blood and dirt and changed into the clean clothes he had brought. He also wiped his neck and face with wet tissue and cleaned himself further. No car owner wanted to get blood on his car seat. On his way back to Seoul, he thought about many things. ¡®I¡¯m sure I¡¯m definitely more tired than using a gun.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t exhausting, but there was some fatigue left in his body. No matter how well he used it, it was still a weapon that needed to be used by his body. He had more scars on his body than before. If it weren¡¯t for the Ki-breathing textbook, he could¡¯ve used more than half a bottle of potion. In two ways, given his fatigue and injuries, it left him more vulnerable than with a gun when he used the sword. If so, there was no reason to leave a decent gun and insist on a sword. He wasn¡¯t an idiot. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t be able to use a sword instead of a gun that could kill monsters with just the lift of a finger, right? ¡®But¡­ I have to ovee this too.¡¯ However, to win the title of ¡®top,¡¯ he would have to let go of the gun one day, from modern firearms to cutlery weapons. There was a good reason for that extremely anachronistic retrograde. In short, guns didn¡¯t work in the higher world. Well, aside from that, there was a reason why Ko Byeong-gap had to pick up a sword. It was due to the money. Every conflict in the world was bound toe from money. The amount of ammunition he spent every month alone exceeded 1.5 million won. It might be written off as a gum price for some, but it was a lot of money for the poor. While he thought about multiple matters, he arrived in Seoul. Ko Byeong-gap went straight home without stopping by the association, and after he had packed his things, he went to Ashvm. ¡°Lord, sir, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Oh, Gobung, Gobung, Gobung.¡± As soon as he came to Ashvm, Gobung weed him. ¡°So, anything special about your work?¡± ¡°Oh, there is none. And, Lord¡­ We¡¯re done with what you asked us to do.¡± Gobung pointed to one side. The by-products of the Horned Wolves had been piled up and were well organized. It was great work for 90 Goblins. ¡°Oh, how well organized.¡± Leather, horns, teeth, ws. It was well ssified ording to type. ¡°We did it. Like that. I ordered it!¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re the head of the workforce. Very good.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap praised him, and his mouth stretched from ear to ear, and then, Ko Byeong-gap approached the stacked by-products. ¡®Huh? Did they really clean these up?¡¯ Heplimented them to make them feel better, but their workmanship was pretty good. Ko Byeong-gap smiled with satisfaction as he peered at the skin of the Horned Wolves. ¡°Yes, you should go and take care of your work.¡± ¡°Okay, sir.¡± After sending Gobung away, Ko Byeong-gap opened the Ancient Shop. [Crystals on Hand: 1,765] The Goblins dug more than 400 crystals during the day. Certainly, their mining speed was different from when it was 30 of them that worked. He teased his fingers and went looking for the product he wanted. The category he looked at was ¡®Construction.¡¯ ¡®Found it.¡¯ [Low-grade Combustion Unit] -Price: 900 Crystals -Description: An alchemy device that can craft and enhance objects. Suitable for low-level alchemy. Ko Byeong-gap paid 900 crystals and bought a low-gradebustion unit. Something intangible floated in the air, as it did when he had purchased the crystal slot in the past. It also looked like roasting machinery in a way. Two columns rose like chimneys attached to a rugged, square frame. The pirs wererge and spacious, and the materials were to be put into them. Ko Byeong-gap installed thebustion unit in a suitable ce. [Do you want to install the ¡®Low-grade Combustion Unit¡¯ in this location?] [Starting instation¡­] [Required time is about 5 minutes.] The low-gradebustion unit, which was an illusion, took over reality. Ko Byeong-gap calmly waited for it to bepleted. Five minutes passed quickly. ¡®Now, what shall we make?¡¯ He knew how to use thebustion unit through the ¡®Ancient Alchemy Textbook ¨C Low-grade¡¯ engraved in his head. He wanted to make clothes as a test first. He put a Horned Wolf¡¯s leather in the chimney then ced his hands on the t te located in the front of the oven. ¡®Shall we try a t-shirt?¡¯ He calmed his mind and conceived an image in his head. At that point, the chance of failure would increase if he was distracted, so he concentrated on it. He tried to ductile by painting a very simple type of short-sleeved T-shirt. A soft glow shone from the te he touched. Thebustion engine started operating with the sound of the gears turning. Do do do do do do do do do¡­ The affair was soon over. After confirming that the light on the te had disappeared, Ko Byeong-gap pulled the handle on thebustion unit¡¯s body. He opened it full of anticipation, excited to see a neat t-shirt inside, but there was kind of a strange bulky piece of garbage instead. It was a malleable product. ¡°What? Where¡¯s the t-shirt?¡± Needless to say, it was unsessful in the synthesis. He picked up the result. No matter how much he tried to make it look good, there seemed to be no use to it more than a mop. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯mcking in skill.¡± Ko Byeong-gap rolled up his sleeves. He had a lot of materials anyway. He had finished his work that day, but he decided to just sit down and do more crafting. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you win or I win.¡± Ko Byeong-gap entered the second training without a break. * * * Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t stand it andid down. His chest rose and fell, exhaling harshly. ¡°Sigh, sigh¡­ This is work.¡± Alchemy used up a lot of his stamina. At first, he didn¡¯t know it was going to be difficult, but at some point, his body lost strength. A satisfied smile spread on his face even in the midst of his exhaustion. Heid down and opened up a t-shirt. It was a neatly made t-shirt. Its difference from other t-shirts on the market was that it wasn¡¯t stitched together. So it was more robust. ¡®Shall I start selling clothes with this?¡¯ That was what he thought. It wasn¡¯t a nonsensical story. Hecked many things at that moment, but if his alchemy skills improved, he might be able to make and sell clothes and goods. ¡®I¡¯ll make my mom a mink coatter.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap got up and prayed for his mother to get well soon. However, unbeknownst to him, evening came, and it was dark. After work, the Goblins gathered to watch Ko Byeong-gap craft. He said while throwing a t-shirt at the ce where he collected sessful works, ¡°Take this and wear it. I only have a few pairs, so share them with each other.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± The Goblins were eager to share. A smile spread across Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s lips. He then decided to calm down and try his final creation. ¡®I¡¯ve raised my skill level enough¡­¡¯ He picked up the long sword he had brought from home. The de was badly damaged, so it was too much to use further. He would have to buy a new one or have it repaired. ¡®Tsk! What a waste of money to repair.¡¯ A hunter, who saved money on equipment, was an idiot. That meant that there was nothing to say if they died while subjugating. However, swords were too expensive. To buy something useful, he had to pay a few million won, even hundreds of millions of won. He couldn¡¯t understand why a sword was more expensive than a gun. Alchemy was groundbreaking in that sense. He might not need to invest money in equipment if what he envisioned was realized. He ced the long sword in one chimney and the tail collected from the Rake Wolf in the other. The Rake Wolf¡¯s tail was so sharp that it was actually used in weapons production. ¡®This time, it¡¯s not production. It¡¯s synthesis.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap started his soft work. The ductile te lit up, and thebustion unit was activated. Do do do do do do do¡­ The processing ended quickly. He calmed his trembling mind and pulled the knob on the machine¡¯s body that contained a well-edged longsword. It was a sess. ¡°Oh, thank God!¡± He shouted for joy and picked up the result. ¡°Hey, this is real stuff.¡± It no longer looked like junk that had ragged teeth at its edges. Instead, there was only a long sword that made him feel cold just by looking at it. It was more than he expected. Looking at the cold de¡­ It was cool to just gaze at it. While appreciating the shape of the long sword, the weapons of the Goblins came into view when he suddenly turned his gaze. It was a primitive weapon in a crude form. ¡®I¡¯ll have to make the Goblins someter. No, why don¡¯t I teach the Goblins alchemy or other skills?¡¯ In the future, he thought it would be okay to teach the Goblins various skills. For example, if he selected a few people and let them learn about alchemy, they might be able to set up a workshop. What else? If he taught them how to farm and raise livestock, they would have no problem with the food supply. If he picked strong people and raised them asbatants, subjugation would be easier. There was a myriad of things he could do with the Goblins. ¡°Kayak!¡± ¡°Keeek!¡± ¡®¡­¡¯ Of course, it would take some time. He needed to increase their number first. At least 300 would be able to speed up their crystal mining and had a surplus of troops. ¡°I¡¯m leaving. Take a rest.¡± ¡°Oh, my Lord! Already. Are you leaving?¡± ¡°Uh, I have to go see my mom.¡± ¡°Oh! Goodbye. Bye!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The Goblins bowed their heads to say goodbye. Another day passed like that. * * * ¡°You nted this!¡± ¡°Wait, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ko Byeong-gap pondered for a moment, then brushed it off. Did it matter if it was nned or not? As long as it made sense, that was enough. ¡°Wooo¡­¡± The Goblins in front of them showed a bewildered reaction. Ko Byeong-gap put his long sword into the sheath and smiled. ¡°What makes your reaction so lukewarm? Is this your first time seeing your Lord? Oh, first time? I¡¯ll let you off the hook this time.¡± ¡°L-Lord?¡± He had stepped into an E-rank crack located in Gapyeong. However, it was a Goblin colony that defended the other side of the world. As it was an E-rank crack, there were only Normal Goblins at the beginning. Ko Byeong-gap hugged a Normal Goblin and shouted, ¡°You! Don¡¯t you want to go to Ashvm?¡± ¡°Ah, Ashvm!¡± ¡°Going. Want!¡± The Normal Goblins murmured. Ko Byeong-gap nodded his head as if satisfied. ¡°Yeah, yeah, if you want to go, you have to go. Take me to your boss!¡± As predicted by Ko Byeong-gap, the world¡¯s boss monster was a Hob Goblin. He saw Ko Byeng-gap and immediately froze. ¡°Oh my God, you¡¯re¡­¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be scared. I¡¯m not going to eat you?¡± ¡°Gee, really? Are you really the Lord?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m 100%, genuinely, your Lord.¡± After responding so, Ko Byeong-gap scoured the Goblins and shouted in a deration, ¡°I¡¯m your Lord! Everyone! Swear your allegiance to me! Then I¡¯ll take you to Ashvm!¡± His loud voice echoed, and a secondter¡­ ¡°Lord!¡± ¡°Lord!¡± ¡°Humph! Hum!¡± The goblins bowed their heads. Some even ended up in tears. [The Normal Goblins (51) and Hob Goblin (1) have been transferred to Ashvm.] ¡®Good.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap looked satisfied and said, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go! To Ashvm of dreams and hopes!¡± He opened the door to Ashvm. The Goblins were astonished by the momentum that sted out their eyes. ¡°Gobung, Gobung,e out!¡± Gobung jumped out soon after he called. ¡°Lord! Did you call me?¡± ¡°Oh, the neers are here. Take them and teach them.¡± ¡°Okay! All. Me. Follow me!¡± Gobung was ustomed to leading the goblins. Ko Byeong-gap came out empty-handed within 15 minutes of entering the crack. ¡®It¡¯s a little futile.¡¯ Recruiting additional Goblins was a good thing, but somehow it felt like a waste of time. He wanted to test his new long sword that day. ¡°It¡¯s too bad to hit the ball like this.¡± Ko Byeong-gap picked up his cell phone when he thought so, but since the time was still early, there had to be some cracks without owners. He logged on to the Hunte app and touched the ¡°Real-time Crack Status¡± bulletin board to see the crack map. However, he identally pressed the bulletin board next to him. It was a little thing to call a mistake, but Ko Byeong-gap, while he looked at his cell phone, stopped¡­ because a post caught his eye. [A-rank crack near Gapyeong Station. One porter is urgently needed! 3 million won per day!] ¡®Three million won?¡¯ Chapter 18 18. A-Rank Crack Porter. A porter was the one who collected magic stones and loot from monsters and carried luggage throughout the subjugation. It was an important role that shouldn¡¯t be missed when subjugating higher-ranked cracks. Sometimes some people denied the significance of a porter¡¯s existence. Their theory was that there was no need to pay people a lot of money to move their luggage. However, that was what they said since they didn¡¯t know. ¡®New hunters who are ignorant of industry physiology often say things like that.¡¯ In high-ranked cracks, the scale of the world beyond it increased dramatically. There were at most 150 monsters in C-rank cracks, but at B-Rank or higher, the default was 300. The weight of a single magic stone alone was 50 or 60 kilos. In addition, if you add potions, etc., it wasn¡¯t umon for them to exceed 200-300 kilos. Hunters wouldn¡¯t be able to achieve 100% efficiency unless someone took on the burden. In some cases, guilds would mobilize four or five porters, and experienced professional porters worked for as much pay as any hunter. ¡®But 3 million won is too much for this job? If it¡¯s an A-rank crack, isn¡¯t it usually 1.3 to 1.5 million won on average?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t as if he didn¡¯t like to get paid with a lot of money. It was because there was something about it that wasn¡¯t right. ¡°Still, Gapyeong Station is just around the corner, and if it costs 3 million won to run as a porter for a day¡­ Should I try it?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap clicked on the post. He was going to read the details in the meantime. However, only one phone number was left in the text. At that point, he thought, ¡®Who¡¯s ying this?¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t hurt to try, so he called the posted phone number. Five or six beeps passed, and the other party answered the phone. ¨C Hello. The voice belonged to a young woman. ¡°Yes, hello. I contacted you after seeing the recruitment announcement on Hunte. A-rank crack at Gapyeong Station¡­¡± ¨C How long will you be here? ¡°What?¡± ¨C Can youe in 30 minutes? ¡®What is with this woman? I haven¡¯t even said I¡¯m going to do it yet.¡¯ She was a quick-tempered person. Ko Byeong-gap thought so. ¡°Yeah, I can get there in 20 minutes.¡± ¨C I¡¯ll text you the coordinates, so pleasee over there. The atmosphere felt like the woman would hang up soon. Ko Byeong-gap said quickly, ¡°Ah! Wait.¡± -Yes. ¡°I have a few questions before I go. First of all, you wrote 3 million won for the payment, is that right? And is it a guild-led subjugation, or is it a team-based subjugation? Do we prepare the supplies there? How many people will participate and the membership level¡­¡± ¨C It¡¯s 3 million won per day. All you need is your body. Let¡¯s talk about the rest when we meet. ¡°¡­¡± ¨C Are youing? If you¡¯re noting, please tell me now. ¡°¡­ I will go there soon.¡± ¨C Yes, pleasee quickly. The woman hung up her phone without hesitation. Ko Byeong-gap looked into his cell phone and made a face as if he was about to die in shock. ¡°What was that?¡± He had been a hunter for three years, and he ran a few times as a porter. Nevertheless, that was the first time that had happened. He immediately went there. If he found a crazy woman there instead, he would refuse to do it. With that in mind, he drove toward Gapyeong Station. It was a short walk away from Gapyeong Station. The coordinates the woman gave were in a remote mountainous area about 4 kilometers from Gapyeong Station. It was quite far from the private houses, and there were only mountains and fields all around. When he parked the car in a vacant lot, he saw a group of people. Something was off. ¡®Aren¡¯t they kids?¡¯ There were four people in total. One was a tall woman, and the other three were children that looked as if they were just middle schoolers. They all looked at Ko Byeong-gap in unison. ¡®No way. I don¡¯t think so.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t get out of the car in the meantime and called the number he called earlier. Suddenly, the woman outside took her cell phone out of her pocket and put it to her ear. It was them. ¨C It¡¯s you, right? Get out. She pped her hand as she said so. Ko Byeong-gap got out of the car and approached the woman. ¡°Get ready¡ªwe¡¯ll be right in.¡± A woman in herte 20s. With her ck hair cut short like a man¡¯s, her impression was cold. Her voice was cold too. Was it because of the unique beauty given to the top awakeners? He didn¡¯t even feel the human beauty of her eyes. As soon as he faced her, he could tell that she wasn¡¯t a normal person. ¡®This karma concentration¡­ She¡¯s at least S-ss.¡¯ He felt a greater sense of incongruity than when he met Lee So-ri and Heo Gil-nam at a restaurant a few days ago. The kids around her were far from normal either. All of them were exuding monstrous Karma. What kind ofbination was that? The woman opened the trunk of a luxury van that appeared to belong to her. There, she took out magic-engineered weapons that cost hundreds of millions of money per bag and gave them to the children. ¡°Did you bring your backpack?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Use this.¡± She also handed a backpack to Ko Byeong-gap. It was a veryrge backpack. All of a sudden, the backpack squirmed around him and stuck to his body. It was like a living creature. That, too, was expensive magical equipment. ¡°You just need to collect the magic stones. Make sure you don¡¯t get caught up inbat.¡± ¡°Hang on. I¡¯m having a hard time figuring it out. Is that all I¡¯ve got to do?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He felt like he forgot what to say when the woman answered so inly. There were many things he wanted to ask, but he couldn¡¯t open his mouth easily. ¡°¡­ Am I the only porter here?¡± ¡°I just need you to collect the magic stones. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s enough for you alone.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your rating?¡± The woman frowned slightly. Only then did she feel a little human. ¡°I¡¯m S-ss. You must be feeling it.¡± That statement was true. He was definitely feeling it while he stared at the woman and the children. A total of 450 South Korean hunters were ssified as S-ss. Ko Byeong-gap was familiar with some of them, but he waspletely unfamiliar with that woman and the children. ¡°That¡­ If you don¡¯t mind, can I know your name?¡± When Ko Byeong-gap asked, the woman let out a short sigh. ¡°I¡¯m Hana Kim.¡± ¡®Hana Kim? Kim Hana?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap pondered the name Kim Hana inwardly, but no one came to mind. Kim Hana spoke as he hesitated, ¡°The porter we were supposed to be with today was unable toe out due to an unexpected circumstance. That¡¯s why I¡¯m hiring. There will be no danger. You can just collect the magic stone and receive a payment for the day. Is it hard?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that it¡¯s difficult or not¡­¡± ¡°You can go back if you don¡¯t want to.¡± The woman¡¯s attitude was firm. No, it was cold rather than determined. She was an icy woman, pure and simple. Thousands of thoughts popped into Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s head. ¡®What should I do? Should I go back or not?¡¯ His worrying didn¡¯tst long. ¡°I¡¯m Ko Byeong-gap. I look forward to your kind cooperation today.¡± Three million won was a high price, wasn¡¯t it? But as she said, all he had to do was do the job and get paid for it. He judged that the woman and the children were strong S-ss hunters. The woman didn¡¯t think there was anything dangerous in that subjugation. ¡°Then let¡¯s go. Kids, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡®Master?¡¯ The children called Kim Hana their Master. Ko Byeong-gap questioned the title but didn¡¯t speak on it. He swung his long sword before entering the craft. It was because it was a burden to enter the A-rank crack with only a backpack. Kim Hana and the children didn¡¯t seem to care much. ¡®A-rank crack.¡¯ As he stood in front of the crack, he swallowed his saliva without realizing it. He had only ever looked at them from afar, and it was the first time he would immerse himself in its body. ¡°Come in a minute after we get in.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Kim Hana and the children entered the crack. After he counted one minute, he threw himself into the first A-rank crack of his life. * * * ¡®This is an A-rank crack.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap looked up at the sky, mesmerized. The gray sky was full of ominous waves of power. The air was heavy, and the hairs all over his body rose just from standing still. Kim Hana and the three children were waiting for Ko Byeong-gap. As soon as they found out that he had crossed, they moved on without dy. Ko Byeong-gap quickly caught up. ¡°When the battle begins, stay away from us. I¡¯ll kill any monsters approaching Mr. Ko Byeong-gap. It would be more dangerous if you move around.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. By the way, what are the names of these kids?¡± When Go Byeong-gap asked, the children looked at Hana Kim. ¡°¡­ Do you need a full name?¡± ¡°Even for a day, we¡¯re working together, and it¡¯s better to know each other¡¯s names.¡± Ko Byeong-gap shrugged. Actually, he didn¡¯t really ask because he was curious about their names. He just wanted to know if they were listed in the dictionary in his head. Kim Hana spoke after a short pause. ¡°This is Jane, Do Eun-ho, and Kang Han-cheol.¡± Ko Byeong-gap and the children greeted each other with a slight nod. He didn¡¯t know any of their names. After a few minutes of walking, Kim Hana, who was walking in the lead, stopped the group. ¡°Jane to the front, Eun-ho to the left, Han-cheol to the right.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°The time limit is one minute. Output limit is 50 percent.¡± Kim Hana manipted her watch. Soon the watch spitted out a ¡®beep!¡¯ mechanical sound. ¡°Start.¡± Immediately after she spoke, a tremendous amount of Karma was released from the bodies of the children. It was so dense that it could be seen with the naked eye. Soon, bluish Karma covered the children¡¯s bodies. It was a Karma Barrier, a measure that separated the lower and higher hunters. A Karma Barrier had enormous resistance to attacks that didn¡¯t contain Karma. It meant that even five magazines would be useless in even scratching the barrier. Ko Byeong-gap instinctively backed down. As the S-ss awakeners truly unleashed their powers, the cells of his body screamed. At that moment, they were the world¡¯s top predators, and the monsters were the prey. ¡°Crrrr¡­¡± The monster showed up as if it sensed the Karma emitted. Gados, a lizard-shaped monster with a height of 2.5 meters, had many thorns along its spine, and its ws were like a sickle. In addition to its four legs used for walking, it had two more, resembling those of a praying mantis. It was a B-ss monster. Ten C-ss hunters would die against it, and there were 40 such monsters in front of them at that time. ¡°Gyaaaaah!¡± The hordes of Gados rushed in all at once. Of course, they were also armed with karma barriers. To be honest, it was difficult for Ko Byeong-gap to even follow the movements of the Gados. In such a situation, he didn¡¯t know what to think when he looked at the bodies of the Gados that soared into the sky. ¡°Keeeek!¡± The Gados died without being able to even guess. It wasn¡¯t a fight or anything. It was a one-sided ughter. Kim Hana only stood next to Ko Byeong-gap and didn¡¯t participate in the fight. Only the three children dealt with all the Gados. Ko Byeong-gap watched the battle and forgot to breathe. Suddenly, there was a beep sound next to him. It was a sign that a minute had passed. There were still three or four Gados left. Kim Hana¡¯s expression hardened slightly. Jane blew a sh and shredded thest Gados. ¡°1 minute and 14 seconds.¡± Kim Hana recited in a voice as cold as ice, and then the children were restless like puppies. ¡°Everyone get together. Byeong-gap, please collect the magic stones.¡± ¡°¡­ Oh, yes.¡± Ko Byeong-gap calmly began retrieving the magic stones. Meanwhile, the children gathered in front of Kim Hana. Ko Byeong-gap nced sideways at them and pretended to focus on collecting the magic stones. Apparently, they were just talking aboutbat. Kim Hana looked very ufortable. It wasn¡¯t that she raised her voice, but it was clear that she was only yelling at the children. Ko Byeong-gap found it ridiculous. ¡®What¡¯s the matter? If you could catch 40 B-ss monsters in 1 minute and 14 seconds, that would be awesome. Besides, they¡¯re still kids. Damn, does that mean that the highest in the world are dissatisfied with even this?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap thought as he rummaged through the bodies of the Gados. ¡®There¡¯s still a damn long way to go,¡¯ he thought. Chapter 19 19. A-Rank Crack ¡®No kidding.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap felt a strong desire to smoke. He even took a pack of cigarettes out of his inner pocket. However, he took out one and put it back instead of biting it. It was because Kim Hana, who stood next to him, was bothered by it. So he just looked ahead. A sight where children who hadn¡¯t even lost any baby fat on their cheeks ughtered monsters. Jane, Do Eun-ho, Kang Han-cheol. All three wielded their own giant sword the size of their own body. He was worried that they would cut off their own ears. Well, it was a useless worry. If a wildcat were worried about a lion, it would only make oneugh. ¡°Kuga-ga-ga-bah!¡± The monster that appeared with the horde of Gados was the Cabra, an insect-shaped monster with a dinosaur¡¯s head on a spider¡¯s body. It was the size of a small bus. Gados and Cabras were strong monsters with sore mouths. If those monsters appeared in the middle of downtown, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for about 100 people to reach their ends. There was a gap between the top 19% and the top 2%. ¡°Kihak!¡± ¡°Geeeek!¡± ¡°Yuck!¡± Jane, the girl with ck hair and pale skin, seemed to be doing some kind of magic. That was because she was silent on the other side withouting into direct contact with their enemies. Do Eun-ho, the youngest boy with ck hair had a lot of strength. He gave the impression that he was wielding a mountain instead of a sword, and he did it all with a nk stare. Lastly, Kang Han-cheol, who he couldn¡¯t catch with his eyes. If he were asked to catch any afterimage of him, bloodstains would rise far from where he was looking. The gray-haired boy wasted no time for blood. Kim Hana used her hawk eyes as she watched the three children fight. It was like a robotcking emotions. It had been about an hour and a half since they began the subjugation of that world. There had been several battles so far, and Kim Hana never looked satisfied. ¡®What exactly are these people?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t shake his thoughts. They didn¡¯t go round the cracks to make money. ¡®I think she¡¯s doing some kind of test¡­¡¯ He was lost in thought as he looked at Kim Hana¡¯s side. A monster sprang up from the front. ¡°Argh!¡± It was a Gados. The one who jumped high fell and aimed at Ko Byeong-gap and Kim Hana. Ko Byeong-gap gulped down and instinctively grabbed the handle of his sword, but it wasn¡¯t his turn to step up. As the Gados approached 5 meters ahead, its body suddenly exploded with a bang. ¡®Wha¡­ What just happened?¡¯ Shrik! Kim Hana took her sword. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t even gauge what had happened. ¡®The woman did that? She was just standing next to me. When did she ever do that?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap alternately looked at the body of the Gados, which had been shredded into a thousand pieces, and Kim Hana. ¡°¡­ Ttt!¡± Kim Hana bit her lips tightly. She looked angry no matter who looked at her. ¡®She¡¯s angry again¡­¡¯ It seemed that she didn¡¯t like the fact that they missed the monster in front of them. Ko Byeong-gap took a step back for nothing. ¡®By the way, isn¡¯t it time for the boss monster to appear?¡¯ They had probably eliminated 200 of them so far, and about 80 new monsters had almost been cleared up. The boss monster should appear at thetest. ¡®Well, let¡¯s get ready for my job.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap hummed and took his hand with a dagger tied to his belt. That was the moment¡­ ¡®¡­?!¡¯ He sensed an instinctive threat beyond description. He felt like someone was putting a gun in the back of his head. He didn¡¯t have time to think and sleep. He quickly drew the long sword and swung it behind him. Flick! His de collided with something. ¡°Ouch!¡± A tremendous shock was transmitted through his de. His whole body trembled. Ko Byeong-gap saw the presence that brought his surprise, opening his eyes. ¡®Raven!¡¯ Raven. It was a humanoid-type A-rank monster about two meters tall. Its muscled body was grayish, and pipe-like blood vessels appeared all over its body. It had no features on its face, only eight red eyes. The Raven was famous since it could freely transform its limbs. Currently, its arms were in the shape of a pointed wedge. ¡®You son of a bitch!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s body moved ording to its instinct. He attacked by stepping on his footsteps and stabbed his sword in a momentary gap. The de hit the Raven exactly on the neck. However, it didn¡¯t even make a dent, let alone dig in. Oops! ¡°Damn, I should¡¯ve used my Karma!¡¯ Low-level awakeners rarely used their Karma. What was there to do in the first ce with Karma the size of a rat¡¯s tail? 0.1 seconds. No, a shorter time, perhaps half of 0.1 seconds. Ko Byeong-gap, who made eye contact with the Raven, noticed a certain voice that flowed into his head. ¨C Being that is different from us, what are you? Those were Raven¡¯s words. Slurry! Raven yed another game. It was its stealth function. It must¡¯ve been the reason why it was able to approach without any hesitation. Ko Byeong-gap hurriedly sent his Karma to his long sword when he recognized that he was about to run away. At that moment¡­ Dang kang! The Raven¡¯s neck was gone. It was Kim Hana¡¯s work. She looked at Ko Byeong-gap straight at his face. * * * ¡®¡­ Who is this man?¡¯ Kim Hana stared at Ko Byeong-gap with surprised eyes. A cold sweat ran down her forehead. ¡®No matter how distracted I was, his reaction was faster than mine. And what about hisst move?¡¯ Kim Hana saw it clearly. Ko Byeong-gap blocked the Raven¡¯s attack and then immediately inserted a counterattack. The motion was as straight as a bamboo grain and as flexible as water. Of course, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s attack didn¡¯t work even though he hit the counter correctly. That was because it was a ¡®live¡¯ attack that didn¡¯t carry Karma. ¡®Is he supposed to be a top awakener?¡¯ Kim Hana once again scanned Ko Byeong-gap from head to toe. It was the same as the first time. The Karma she felt in him was still weak. He was a low-level awakener. ¡®A low-level awakener being able to stop an A-ss attack? What¡¯s more, a stealth attack?¡¯ She felt like her head was getting cluttered. When the Raven died, the world began to vibrate slightly. Apparently, it was the boss of that crack. ¡°Whew¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap rubbed his arms and frowned. Kim Hana hastily deterred him, ¡°Don¡¯t touch it! It must be broken.¡± Even if he blocked it by luck, he was bound to receive a fracture since he was lower ss attacked by a high-level attack. No, it wasn¡¯t weird at all if the bones in his arm were broken, but Ko Byeong-gap was calm. ¡°No, it¡¯s not broken. It¡¯s just numb. I¡¯ll be better in a little while.¡± ¡°¡­ I beg your pardon?¡± She grabbed his bruise for a second or so. ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± Kim Hana felt an unbearable need to get Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s arm. He could feel the muscles wriggling inside his tough skin like a tree trunk. ¡®Really. No bones were broken. More than that, this man¡­ How much have you trained yourself?¡¯ She didn¡¯t know she wasn¡¯t paying attention, but looking back, he wasn¡¯t normal. His body was as tough as raw rubber and hard as polished iron. In the world of hunters, where the amount and concentration of Karma was the measure of strength, he had a body that she rarely encountered. Kim Hana peeped into his Karma while facing Ko Byeong-gap. ¡®Is he a D-ss?¡¯ He was, but it was insignificant. Also, she didn¡¯t care. ¡®She uses a sword, but she¡¯s pretty soft.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap felt strange when Kim Hana touched his arm. He didn¡¯t expect to see the S-ss Hunter face to face. Shouldn¡¯t he brag about it to the whole neighborhood? ¡®Well, there¡¯s nowhere to brag. I¡¯ll do it to the Goblins.¡¯ Kim Hana wriggled his arms for a moment before she took off her hand. She opened the sidepartment of Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s backpack. It contained the highest quality potion, the so-called Elixir. It was an expensive item that cost more than 3 million won per 100 millimeters. The Elixir was as high quality as its price, but the quantity was so small that some hunters couldn¡¯t even afford it. Kim Hana took the lid off of the Elixir and held it out to Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Drink about a fifth. Don¡¯t drink it all.¡± Ko Byeong-gap pondered for a moment in front of the Elixir. Could he drink that precious thing only because of a numb arm? ¡°Is it free? Or is it deducted from the daily rate?¡± Kim Hana looked like he had said something iprehensible. ¡°I don¡¯t take money. You were hurt by my carelessness.¡± Free? So, there was no reason to refuse. Ko Byeong-gap carefully epted the Elixir. ¡°Drink one-fifth. Don¡¯t drink any more.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, yes.¡± ¡®You give me something to drink, and I looked at you dirty.¡¯ He put his lips on the Elixir and released it. He probably drank about 18 millimeters. Ko Byeong-gap savored it. He felt the pain in his arm go away in an instant. That was all? His shoulders, which had been stiff from carrying the backpack for a long time, were refreshed as if they had been washed. They said it was good medicine, and it was, but was it worth the money? While Ko Byeong-gap was admiring it¡­ Kim Hana still looked at him with vignt eyes. ¡®If he had died, it would¡¯ve been a pain in the butt, but I¡¯m d.¡¯ If Ko Byeong-gap wasn¡¯t the porter she brought that day, she would¡¯ve paid the price. ¡°Master.¡± The three children came after taking care of all the monsters. Kim Hana looked at them with a cold gaze, and the children bowed their heads rigidly. She sighed briefly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go back and talk. Ko Byeong-gap, please collect the magic stones. You guys help him.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Ko Byeong-gap and the children set out to collect the magic stones. He nced at Kim Hana as she was thinking something through. He asked Do Eun-ho, next to him, in a whisper, ¡°How old are you?¡± When he spoke, Do Eun-ho was startled. He couldn¡¯t answer easily and looked into Kim Hana¡¯s eyes. ¡®What? Can¡¯t you talk without that woman¡¯s permission? Damn, isn¡¯t this child abuse?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t an absurd delusion. If that was really the case, how should he behave? Should he call the police? Or the association? ¡°¡­ I¡¯m 14 years old.¡± ¡°14 years old?¡± Ko Byeong-gap was astonished. Even though hunters had men and women of all ages, wasn¡¯t 14 a little too much? He looked into Kim Hana¡¯s eyes. She didn¡¯t pay attention to that. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°I wonder if the three of you are going through some kind of absurdity right now. Maybe by Ms. Hana¡­¡± He tried to ask, ¡°Are you being mistreated by that woman?¡± Before that, Do Eun-ho answered and shook his head, ¡°The Master is kind.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Okay?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your rtionship with each other?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to say it, you don¡¯t have to.¡± Silence. The two silently dug out the magic stones and put them in the backpack. Ko Byeong-gap hated such silence. He felt like he had to say something. ¡°Don¡¯t be too discouraged. All three of you are great, in my opinion. Well, I¡¯m only a D-ss, so I don¡¯t know much about your world, but I do know one thing about how great you guys are. And all three of you are still young. Your future is still bright.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Thank you.¡± ¡°And in hindsight, Ms. Hana was a little¡­ Hmmm.¡± When Ko Byeong-gap saw Kim Hana¡¯s head turn, he quickly shut up. Kim Hana soon caught his eye. ¡°Anyway, cheer up.¡± The collection of magic stones was soon over when four of them rushed in. They got out of the world behind them and went back to where they were parked. ¡°I paid right away. Please confirm it.¡± ¡°Ah yes. I got a text message¡­ Hmm?¡± Ko Byeong-gap tilted his head when he saw the money transferred. ¡°What? You sent 6 million won, not 3 million won?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the right thing to send. I made a mistake, so I added a little more.¡± ¡®What? No, why?¡¯ Frankly, he didn¡¯t understand. Being a porter was also a profession that made money with their lives as coteral. That meant that Kim Hana had no obligation to ¡®keep Ko Byeong-gap safe.¡¯ However¡­ ¡®Let¡¯s just be still.¡¯ He didn¡¯t have to question it for no reason. ¡°Then, get home safely.¡± Ko Byeong-gap and Kim Hana¡¯s party broke up immediately. She stood still and watched Ko Byeong-gap leave. ¡°What did you talk about with him?¡± She asked Do Eun-ho. Do Eun-ho hesitated and answered, ¡°He asked me how old I was.¡± ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°¡­ He even asked if the Master was harassing us.¡± ¡°So, what did you say?¡± ¡°I replied that the Master was a good person.¡± ¡°Yeah, well done.¡± Kim Hana paused for a moment and then said, ¡°Do you also think that I am tormenting you?¡± ¡°No, Master.¡± The three children spoke in unison. Sadness crept over Kim Hana¡¯s face. ¡°Everyone,e here.¡± She held three children in her arms. The children were hugged without resistance. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Please bear with me even if it¡¯s hard.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Master.¡± ¡°We¡¯re happy to be with the Master. It¡¯s not hard.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll always be with you, Master.¡± The four of them did that for a while. After a while, Kim Hana let the children go. She asked in a slightly refreshed voice, ¡°What did you think? Didn¡¯t you feel something special about the man you were with today?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Anything special?¡± The children tilted their heads. It was a reaction that meant they didn¡¯t know. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t feel anything.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°He felt like a low-level awakener. Why?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not a big deal. Let¡¯s go back.¡± Kim Hana got into the car with a faint smile. ¡®If he¡¯s really exceptional, even if I leave him alone, the day wille when we will meet again.¡¯ Kim Hana soon erased the existence of Ko Byeong-gap from her mind. Chapter 20 20. Raise and build! (1) Ko Byeong-gap felt overwhelmed. He thought he should dance naked since he made 6 million won. It didn¡¯t feel right, so he went to his closet. He came back to his room in his underwear, thenid in bed. Scratching his groin, he looked up at the rustic ceiling wallpaper. ¡°Damn, did I get in and out of a crack with some ghosts?¡± The first thing Ko Byeong-gap did after he returned home was to search the Inte. He looked for the four people he worked with that day. However, there was no data rted to them. The background check showed only a few hunters of the same name, and none of them were S-ss. Usually, there would be at least one headline or article for S-ss hunters. -[Breaking News!] Korea¡¯s 450th S-ss awakener born! Why is her identity wrapped in a veil? -The 450th S-ss Awakener Baek Ga-hee. ¡®I haven¡¯t decided on my career path as a hunter yet.¡¯ Undecided¡­ Will she be going to work under a famous guild? -[Exclusive!] Baek Ga-hee joined the Hunter Afro Guild! ¡®I will be a hunter who contributes to society!¡¯ A wave of support with a clear feeling. Even in articles like that, he should at least find something. -[Dating topic] Kang Han-cheol dating a hunter who is 10 years younger? ¡®Still getting to know her?¡¯ What is her identity? There was nothing else but that. For reference, Kang Han-cheol, who appeared there, was a B-ss hunter, and the ratio of Hunter¡¯s life in the entertainment industry was about 2:8. ¡°Did they use aliases, or were they unregistered hunters? No wonder it was suspicious!¡¯ The post posted by Kim Hana had been deleted. Hindering his attempts to track her identification number. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a simple alias, but if they¡¯re unregistered hunters¡­ Article 1, Paragraph 1 of the Special Act on Awakeners was as follows. An awakener who is not registered as a hunter shall not engage in hunting or gathering in cracks.¡¯ Even if he didn¡¯t know why such aw was made, it was thew anyway. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t good news that he had been in a crack with an unregistered hunter. ¡®I can¡¯t talk about it to anyone.¡¯ He even danced earlier since he worked with an S-ss hunter, but he couldn¡¯t believe she was an unidentified person. It was worth living for a long time. Fortunately, the ce where the crack was located was remote. So if he kept his mouth shut, no one would be able to say anything about it. ¡®By the way¡­ What the hell was that?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap briefly closed his eyes and recalled the time when he faced the Raven with his sword. -Being that is different from us, what are you? It happened in a very short period of time, but he clearly remembered the pain. It was obviously the voice of the Raven. A voice that went directly into his head, not through his ears. His words still seemed to ring in his mind. ¡°Different being? I¡¯m a little bit different, I guess.¡¯ A human-born Goblin Lord. From any angle, he was a product of disharmony. To be honest, he still hadn¡¯tpletely epted what happened to him. Sometimes, when he woke up, he wondered if everything that had happened to him was a dream, but weing it had always been a hard reality. ¡®Even the Raven can speak. Do other monsters also have their own world?¡¯ In the face of the fallen Goblin Kingdom, how could there be aw against the existence of a fallen Raven Kingdom? Another thing he wondered, was there a kingdom far away where only monsters lived? ¡°Huh, what?¡± Ko Byeong-gap let out an ignorantugh. He pulled his hand out of his pants and ruffled his hair. He then went back to his initial thought, to the time when he collided with the Raven. ¡°Damn, it was such a shock that I even blocked that attack. I thought I was hit by a cargo truck.¡± He thought he was a lot stronger than before, but¡­ life was a cliche; there was always someone on top. ¡°There¡¯s still a long way to go.¡± How many more bottles of growth potions did he need to fight on par with an A-ss monster? Also, how much stronger did he have to be topete with the S-ss hunters, who cut A-ss monsters like a radish? ¡°Whoa.¡± He got up with a sigh. Rice cakes wouldn¡¯t start to fall from the sky if he kept lying down and scratching his groin. Ko Byeong-gap got dressed and went to Ashvm. ¡®What¡¯s this smell?¡¯ There was a thick, fishy smell on the rocky mountain. When he wondered where it came from, he found the Goblins baking the Horned Wolves they caught a few days ago. It looked like they were having ate lunch. ¡°Oh, my Lord. Are you here?¡± ¡°Lord, are you here?¡± ¡°Lord, sir.¡± The Goblins smiled warmly and weed Ko Byeong-gap. When he saw the Goblins, he had a warm feeling. It felt like he was arriving in his hometown. ¡®I guess I¡¯m crazy too.¡¯ Heughed inside, and hisughter slipped out. Ko Byeong-gap approached the Goblins with a pleasant sigh. ¡°Hey, you there, have you been eating?¡± * * * Ashvm had 142 goblins. Considering the first 33 members, their number had increased significantly. Ko Byeong-gap sat down the 52 new Goblins and was lost in thought. 51 Normal Goblins and 1 Hob Goblin. What should he do with them? ¡®I don¡¯t have enough pickaxes, so I don¡¯t have anything to order them.¡¯ Aside from the fact that there was nothing to order them to do right away, it was necessary to broaden his thinking. ¡®I have to look at it in the long run.¡¯ Even if he threw some pickaxes to the Goblins and didn¡¯t know what to do with them, they would get a reward. Anyway, the Goblins would keep digging for crystals because things with the crystals they dug up, but that was too far ahead. At first, he thought it was for the reconstruction of Ashvm and nothing else. ¡®Ashvm or what?¡¯ He thought it was for the situation of the Goblins. So, he had no intention to rebuild their kingdom or make the Goblins eat and live well. In the short term, that might be right. He roughly fed the Goblins, bought some growth potions, bought some textbooks, and learned them¡­ Well, just doing that made his standard of living better than before. However, that was a dirty little life. He had to set a long and grand goal to change his life 180 degrees by paying off his debts. He needed to subjugate dungeons to pay off his private loan. Moreover, the long-term goal eventually merged with the reconstruction of Ashvm. The meeting of the Goblins and Ko Byeong-gap was consequently one of a shared destiny. Ko Byeong-gap turned his head. The Goblins that sat in front of him also turned their heads. Where they looked was the fog that reached the sky. ¡®Someday, we have to go over there.¡¯ The space given to them currently was, at best, part of the middle of the rocky mountain. It was just children¡¯s y for them to stir-fry there. To achieve a big achievement, they would have to move on to a wider stage. ¡®I¡¯m going to have to bring in some female goblins too.¡¯ To recruit Goblins in and out of cracks was also limited. Ultimately, if he wanted to increase the poption, they would have to have children. ¡®Then we should prepare the infrastructure in advance in case the poption will increase in the future.¡¯ Even at that time, they couldn¡¯t work since they didn¡¯t have pickaxes, right? In addition, there was no room to amodate the newly introduced Goblins. Even if there wasn¡¯t enough preparation, they were also not ready. ¡®¡­ Alright, let¡¯s focus on Ashvm for the time being.¡¯ 5 million won as a rewardst time. Thepensation received after hepleted the emergency subjugation was 1 million won. He got 6 million won from Kim Hana that day and the money he earned while subjugating with the Goblins. He already earned two months¡¯ worth of money. It wouldn¡¯t be a big problem if he took it easy for two or three weeks. After he made up his mind, he rose up and said, ¡°Follow me all.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± He led the Goblins to the western forest. A forest full of hardwoods. A little further over, there was a small creek. ¡®There¡¯s a river nearby, so this should be good.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m going to go somewhere for a while, so you guys level here.¡± ¡°Us, level?¡± ¡°It means to tten the ground. Pick up the stones on the floor and put them aside. If you have branches, pick them up.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Ko Byeong-gap left Ashvm after he entrusted the leveling work to the Goblins. He looked through the chest of drawers he had never looked in before as he returned to his bedroom. Fortunately, he had what he was looking for. A shabby notebook and a pencil. Ko Byeong-gap sat with his arms crossed and looked at the nk paper. ¡®Food, clothes, shelter, and reproduction.¡¯ There were only three requirements for living. What to wear, what to eat, where to sleep. If one was lost in the wild, solving these three things was the biggest problem. Ashvm had a warm climate day and night. So there was no big problem with the Goblins living in basic hangouts. Of course, there were seasons there, so if winter came, it would be a good idea to think about it by then. But even still, he could make warm clothes through alchemy. For, ¡®food.¡¯ The Goblins didn¡¯t have a picky appetite. To the Goblins, the monster meat smelled so delicious that it was enough for them to eat it without saying anything. If they went into cracks every time food ran out; they wouldn¡¯t starve to death. ¡°No, that¡¯s not enough.¡± He decided to take a step further. ¡®We need to create our own food supply system in Ashvm.¡¯ There was a limit to feeding like a hamster. Wasn¡¯t it possible to store food in the real world for a long time since he had a refrigerator there? If the goblins got sick as a group after eating rotten meat, there was nothing more difficult than that. Unfortunately, there were only small fishes in the river and no fruit in the trees. So, there was only one answer. ¡®We should raise livestock and make them farm.¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t be easy. It wouldn¡¯t be a day or two, but they needed to build their foundation early on to honor the future. As with the issue regarding their shelter, that too could be easily solved. He could go around junkyards and waste furniture disposal facilities to bring useful items. It would only cost a small sum of money. ¡°If I can afford to get more crystals in the future, I might as well buy a few houses.¡± Ko Byeong-gap wrote down what came to mind in his notebook. The paper, which used to be nk, was filled with ck letters. ¡®I¡¯ve never nned my life in such detail.¡¯ ¡°Haha.¡± Heughed. He had been trying to make money day and night and tried to pay off his mother¡¯s hospital bills. For Ko Byeong-gap, the reconstruction of the fallen kingdom came as quite an interesting surprise. After he cooled his head for a moment, Ko Byeong-gap brought up thest topic. ¡®Reproduction.¡¯ Although not essential for their immediate survival, it was the most important part. The mission given to Ko Byeong-gap wasn¡¯t to raise the Goblins but to raise their country. He had been thinking about that for a long time. It wasn¡¯t long before the margins of the notes were filled. ¡°Now, should I get started?¡± He exited the house with excitement. From that moment on, there were many ces to stop by. * * * -Thank you, boss! ¡°Yes, when will it be delivered?¡± -I¡¯ll bring it to you tomorrow. Should I ship it to the ce you mentioned? ¡°Yes,e over there, and I¡¯ll be waiting for you. Just give me a call before you leave.¡± -Yes, I will do that. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± -Yeah¡­ until then. Ko Byeong-gap smiled happily and hung up the phone. He had just bought 100 pickaxes, 20 axes, 30 shovels, and 50 hoes. He was lucky to find a supplier that sold quality products at a low price. All in all, it cost only about 2.5 million won in total. There might be leftover equipment as of the moment, but it was okay. After all, he nned to increase the number of Goblins in earnest. ¡®They¡¯ve be an agricultural tool.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap was on the phone without a break. That time, it was a differentpany. -I got your call. ¡°Oh, yes. Hello. Are you Park Sang-jin?¡± -Yes, that¡¯s right. Who is this? ¡°I¡¯m calling after seeing your blog. Are you the one who sells potatoes and sweet potato seeds?¡± -Oh, yeah! That¡¯s right! Park Sang-jin¡¯s voice over the phone quickly changed to that of a businessman. Ko Byeong-gap grinned and continued, ¡°Oh, yes. I want to buy some potatoes and sweet potatoes as well.¡± That was the start of a real colony. Chapter 21 21. Raise and build! (2) ¡°Oh, thank you, boss.¡± ¡°Yes, sell a lot.¡± 50 kilos of potato tubers and 30yers of sweet potato slips. All in all, it was less than 30,000 won. Crop seeds were quite expensive. Still, it was said that good seeds could be used to produce good harvests when nted againter. He put what he bought in his car and smoked a cigarette. It had been a while, but it was still bright. Summer seemed to being. ¡®Tomorrow, I¡¯ll stop by the junkyard and get the equipment I ordered. What else is there to do? We¡¯ll be busy from now on, so I¡¯ll have to take care of everything.¡¯ He drove out of the farm. The country vige was quiet andid back. The lukewarm airing through the window smelled of manure. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t like the smell. It took some time as he drove through some hills. Ko Byeong-gap found something and stopped the car. ¡°Are they throwing all this away?¡± The small vacant lot next to the car was piled up with waste vinyl. It wasn¡¯t just stic waste. It was lined that seemed toe from the farmhouse. It seemed to have been left in that state for well enough years. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s worth it¡­ Can I pick it up?¡± He sent everything that seemed useful to Ashvm, such as a watering can with a broken snout, a bucket with a broken handle, a dented drum, a rolled vinyl, etc. He was about to go, but there was something that caught his eye. ¡°Hey¡­even If I were to sell this to a junk shop, I think I will get a fair amount of money.¡± It was a veryrge iron cauldron. It was more than 100 centimeters in diameter and 50 centimeters in depth. The handle was broken in some ces and rusted, but not to the point of being unusable. It would be perfect for boiling potatoes and sweet potatoes with it. After he carefully checked the surrounding area, he sent over the iron pot to Ashvm. Ko Byeong-gap went back to the car with a grin. Things that were treated like trash by others were valuable base materials to him. It was alreadyte in the evening when he came back to Seoul. However, it wasn¡¯t the end of his daily routine. He prepared for tomorrow with the Goblins and sorted out the supplies he brought in that day. It wasn¡¯t untilte at night that he was able to wash up and go to bed. The next day dawned. Ko Byeong-gap had been busy since morning. At least, he was thinking of going to every junk store or waste furniture disposal nt nearby. Abandoned tents, torn mats, soiled furniture. He picked up even fallen doors and steel bars he randomly found. After all, Ashvm was spacious. It was enough to pile up materials they didn¡¯t need right away. He got a call when he tried to hit a bowl of rice soup for lunch. ¡°Hello?¡± -Oh, boss. It¡¯s Agora hardware. I¡¯m calling because I think the delivery will bepleted around 2 pm. Can I go to the location you mentioned without any changes? ¡°Yes, pleasee.¡± ¨C Yes, I¡¯ll see you then. He looked at the clock, and there was less than an hour left until 2 pm. Ko Byeong-gap quickly ate his rice soup and left his seat. The location where Ko Byeong-gap decided to receive the agricultural equipment was a vacant lot. By the time he arrived, the goods had already arrived. The hardware store employee groaned as he unloaded farm equipment from the truck. He went quickly and helped me with the work. The work was done quickly when he helped out. ¡®It¡¯s a lot.¡¯ Farming tools in bags. When Iid it on the floor, it was quite bulky. Of course. It was about 200 bags. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to it, then.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take a look.¡± After he sent the hardware store staff off, Ko Byeong-gap looked at his new equipment. ¡®No one¡¯s watching, right?¡¯ There was no one passing by. It was worth requesting for delivery to an abandoned ce on purpose. He sent all the farming equipment to Ashvm. It took less than a minute. ¡®Let¡¯s run a few moreps because we still have time.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap moved without a break. He visited a junkyard, a waste furniture disposal site, and a neighborhood collection point just by the roadside. The sun went down by the time the smell of trash blew all over his body. Only then did Ko Byeong-gap return home. Of course, he immediately moved on to Ashvm to clear up supplies. It was around midnight when he washed up andid down on the bed. ¡°Oh, my God. It¡¯s harder than subjugating cracks.¡± His body was tired, but it felt rewarding. Every time he sent things in the empty Ashvm, it felt like his heart was enriched. ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll be in Ashvm all day.¡± Ko Byeong-gap relieved his pounding heart and fell asleep. * * * ¡°Oh, yeah. Pull it all the way. Keep pulling.¡± ¡°Ah, I got it!¡± The Normal Goblin unfolded the rolled vinyl and walked backward. The tightly stretched vinyl sat gently on top of the ground. The other Goblins followed and covered the stic edges with dirt. It was a measure to prevent the vinyl from shriveling or flying away. On one side, the Goblins sat together and trimmed the seed potatoes he brought in the day before yesterday. ¡°There you go!¡± ¡°Good job. Let¡¯s take a break.¡± Ko Byeong-gap straightened his back and looked at the work he had done. ¡®Have we done about ten furrows now?¡± Ko Byeong-gap elected 15 Normal Goblins and created farnd in the morning. It wasposed of two sizes, 30 meters wide and 16 meters long, just under 300 pyeong in terms of square foot. They were going to divide it in half and nt potatoes and sweet potatoes, respectively. It would take half a day if he did it alone, but working with the Goblins was quick. ¡°Take a rest. I¡¯ll take a look around for a second.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ah, when that happens, say ¡®I understand.''¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°¡­ No.¡± Ko Byeong-gap grinned and walked into the woods. Up! Up! Up! The sound of axing was in full swing in the woods. It was necessary to cut down some trees to create arge campsite. Up! Up! ¡°Let¡¯s go. Here we go!¡± The Giant Goblin, Turka, shouted. The Hob Goblins nearby fled. ¡®As expected of Turka. His skills in axing are amazing.¡¯ The Giant Goblin was very powerful. With a few axes, it skimmed over a tree. Soon the Hob Goblins came and moved the tree. ¡°Turka, I think that¡¯s enough. Lay down your ax and get some rest.¡± ¡°Yes, sir, Lord.¡± ¡°Yeah, okay. Let¡¯s see¡­ Hey, little friend.¡± Ko Byeong-gap called a Normal Goblin who was picking up rocks. The one who was pointed out opened his eyes and looked up at Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Oh, Lord. Why?¡± ¡°Go to the cave and get all the Goblins. Everyone.¡± ¡°Everyone?¡± ¡°Hurry up and call them. I¡¯m dizzy. Run! Run! Hurry up!!¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± ¡°Run faster!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The Normal Goblin rushed off. Ko Byeong-gap had fun teasing the Normal Goblin. Soon, the Goblins who were digging for crystals from the cave gathered. Except for the ten people who work in the field, everyone had gathered. ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day. Let¡¯s create a campsite together.¡± ¡°Okay, sir.¡± ¡°First, take the items you organized yesterday andy them all out.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡®Hmm, I have to look here as well as the farnd.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap thought briefly as he touched his chin. He had a lot of work to do, but it was a pity that he had only one director. ¡°Gobung and Kiriyan.¡± ¡°Did you call me?¡± ¡°Yes, Lord!¡± ¡®They¡¯re smart,so why don¡¯t I let them do the job?¡¯ ¡°You twoe with me.¡± He returned to the farnd with Gobung and Kiriyan. He pointed to the farnd that two Goblins had plowed. ¡°I have something to leave to you guys. Do you see the fields?¡± ¡°Yes, I can see it.¡± ¡°Take the kids and make the rest the same. They¡¯ll know how to do it. Can you do it?¡± ¡°I can. I can. It¡¯s the same.¡± ¡°No problem, Lord.¡± Gobung and Kiriyan were very motivated. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s something that shouldn¡¯t be done lightly, so if you don¡¯t know what to do,e to me right away.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it, just take it easy.¡± Gobung and Kiryan were put into the field. Before leaving for the forest, he took a peek and saw that they were doing well with the Normal Goblins. Ko Byeong-gap returned to the forest. The Goblinsid out supplies one by one as he told them to. He skimmed through them and drew a rough bird¡¯s eye view in his head. ¡®The basics of the camp are five and ten.¡¯ The idea was soon over. After taking a deep breath, he pped his hands and drew attention. ¡°Come on! Let¡¯s start with thergest tent and spread it out in the middle!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The Goblins became Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s hands and feet, and they did their job well. Things went smoothly as they were in good spirits. * * * The sun had already set. The results of that day¡¯s hard work were quite grand. Ko Byeong-gap and the Goblins were thrilled to see thepleted campsite. ¡®There is nothing wrong with it.¡¯ None of the materials brought were used in vain. All of them were ced in the right ces and performed their roles faithfully. There was arge tent in the center, around which small tents lined up. The interiors were simple but cozy since the mat and the vinyl were wellid out underneath, they wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep with dirt on themselves. A ditch was dug around the tents to prepare for possible heavy rain. Near the campsite, there was a ce for the Goblins to gather and eat. The brazier made of bricks was truly a masterpiece. The icing on the cake was the cauldron on top of it. They also made a warehouse bybining steel bars and board vinyl. That was for storing supplies that weren¡¯t in use immediately. The surroundingndscape had be cleaner with the warehouse. ¡°We¡¯ve done one hell of a job. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°It¡¯s so. So cool!¡± ¡°As expected, Lord!¡± ¡°Come on, you¡¯ve worked hard too.¡± It was spacious enough to amodate 300 or 400 people. For the time being, there were no troubles with the number of people. By the time the campsite waspleted, work on the farnd was alsopleted. The result was very satisfactory. Gobung and Kiriyan did a very meticulous job; they were his aces. ¡®I feel good.¡¯ He felt good. It was much better than when Kim Hana doubled his sry. On a day like that, alcohol and meat couldn¡¯t be left out. ¡°How much meat do you have left?¡± ¡°A little. Left.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­? Then wash up and stay away from eating for now.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Ko Byeong-gap got out of Ashvm. The quiet room greeted him in darkness. Seeing the empty bedroom, he felt somewhat lonely. Once upon a time, that small private room was his only haven¡­ Now it wasn¡¯t like that. Ko Byeong-gap hurriedly went to the market near his house. It was around 9 pm, and the shops were closing one by one. He headed to his favorite butcher shop. The owner of the butcher¡¯s shop weed Ko Byeong-gap while trimming a piece of meat. ¡°Hello, One pound of that pork belly¡­¡± Something caught Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes as he looked around the meat. It was arge barrel next to the chopping board. It was full of by-products that had fallen off during trimming. Most of them were fat and rare lean meat or intestines. ¡°Boss, are you throwing that away?¡± Ko Byeong-gap asked, pointing to the barrel. ¡°This one? Well, yes.¡± ¡°Then can you give it to me?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± The butcher¡¯s head tilted his head and spoke to dissuade him. ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t eat this. I feed them to animals, you know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Can you give it to me? Please.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Well, that was a weird guy. The butcher thought so. ¡°Well, then take it.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Ko Byeong-gap received a pound of pork belly and a bag full of by-products. After that, he stopped by the mart and bought a few bottles of soju. He returned to Ashvm with excitement. The clean Goblins were preparing dinner. ¡°I got you some meat! Put the fire on the cauldron!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The goblins set fire to the brazier with excitement. The cauldron was also cleaned with water, so there was no problem using it. They poured all the pork by-products into the cauldron and stir-fried them with thick branches. All the cooked meat was transferred to the stainless steel trays he had picked up. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll eat!¡± ¡°Come, eat a lot.¡± ¡°Eat. Deliciously. Do it!¡± He had dinner with the Goblins while roasting pork belly. Along with alcohol and cigarettes, he didn¡¯t envy a king¡¯s table. Theyughed and chatted, sang and danced, and shook off their body¡¯s weariness. Ko Byeong-gap felt absolutely marvelous. Had he everughed that hard in thest three years of his career as a hunter? His daily life began with depression and ended with depression. Worried about work, worried about debt, worried about his mom. Worry, worry, worry. His life was full of worry and anxiety. There was never a day when tears disappeared from his face, let alone one withughter. He thought it wouldn¡¯t change for the rest of his life¡­ ¡°Hahahaha!¡± ¡°Hahahaha!¡± He watched the Goblins y while drinking soju over a pork belly meal. Ko Byeong-gap was happy. Ko Byeong-gap thought he was doing well as the Goblin Lord. Chapter 22 22. Raise and build! (3) ¡°Ugh¡­ How many bottles did I drink yesterday¡­¡± There was a drought in his neck. Ko Byeong-gap felt his thirst leave only after he emptied a 1.5-liter bottle of mineral water. He plopped down on the bed and recalledst night. He remembered dancing shoulder to shoulder with the Goblins while blowing bottles. Anyway, his drinking was a problem. ¡°Oh my God, woo.¡± His head was throbbing, and he had a lot of work to do, but he couldn¡¯t handle it with a hangover. He sat with his legs twisted and calmly collected his breath. ¡®Ancient Ki-breathing textbook.¡¯ He practiced the breathing method described in the Ancient Ki-breathing Textbook. Soon, hot energy sprang up from his core and spread all over his body. His sore stomach was refreshed, and his headache stopped. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s body quickly regained its peak condition. ¡®That was awesome.¡¯ Why did the ancient kingdom perish when there were so many good techniques? What had they done to provoke the wrath of God? He was lost in thought for a few seconds and then rose. It bothered him, but it wasn¡¯t a question that could be answered if he thought about it at that time. ¡°Let¡¯s get ready.¡± He was scheduled to be away for the next four days. Maybe he won¡¯t be back for more than a week. So there was a lot to prepare. He packed his baggage first. It didn¡¯t have anything special inside. Toothpaste, toothbrush, and soap were the only three things a man needed. His bag also contained spare underwear, casual clothes, work clothes, and some towels. After that, he put cup noodles, bottled water, and instant rice in arge bag, enough to eat for a week. ¡°Hmm¡­ that¡¯s enough, right? If I need anything, I can buy it.¡± Ko Byeong-gap packed all his belongings and went to Ashvm. There was the smell of morning dew on the quiet rocky mountain. The grass was moist, and the gentle sound of water could be heard over the forest. Chirp! Chirp! He also heard birds chirping¡­ ¡®Huh? Birds?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap turned his head reflexively. Some small birds were flying low in the sky. He lost his mind and looked at them, but they disappeared over the rocky mountain. It was natural for birds to fly in the sky, but somehow it felt strange. ¡®There¡¯s life here besides the Goblins and I. Come to think of it, there used to be fish in the river, right? It isn¡¯t surprising at all. By the way, what¡¯s beyond that rock wall? I¡¯ll have to go up thereter.¡¯ ¡°Lord, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Oh, Gobung, Gobung, Gobung. You woke up so early?¡± ¡°When the sun rises. I get up.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The Goblins prepared for their work early. They got a 100 out of 10 for diligence. ¡°Last night, Lord. Did you sleep?¡± ¡°Lord. Nice to see you.¡± ¡°Lord. Hi.¡± ¡°Uh, yeah, yeah. I have been struggling since morning.¡± The Goblins that were headed to the cave saw Ko Byeong-gap and bowed politely. ¡°By the way, you came out early today.¡± ¡°I just dropped by. I have to bring my luggage, and I have business to do.¡± ¡°Lord. You mean?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m staying here for a while.¡± Yesterday, when they created a campsite, there was a part that Ko Byeong-gap was particrly concerned about. It was his own tent. Two sofas were joined together to make a bed, and a desk with a broken leg was also brought in. Note that the desk was for ornamental purposes. ¡°Gobung.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°Go and call Turka and Kiriyan.¡± ¡°Turka. Kiriyan. You mean? Okay.¡± Gobung headed toward the cave. Both Turka and Kiriyan seemed to be in the cave. Ko Byeong-gap yelled after Gobung, ¡°You know my private tent? I¡¯ll be there, so take them there.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± He went to his private tent with all his luggage, which was a short distance from the Goblins camp. It was in the middle of the forest, and he could see the river right away. The scenery was amazing since it was selected in consideration of thendscape. He unpacked his luggage inside the tent and sat on a rocking chair outside. ¡®Ancient Shop¡¯ [Ancient Shop] -Construction -Techniques ¨C Misceneous Goods -Others [Crystals on Hand: 5,998] ¡®It¡¯s nearly six thousand. Their digging speed is pretty fast, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ Most of the Goblin manpower was put into the Crystal Cave. Even if they dug 20 crystals each, they could make 2,840 per day. Moreover, they hadn¡¯t concentrated on crystal mining for the past few days due to various chores. Their production would be much higher in the future considering that. ¡®It feels just like yesterday that I had a hard time with 30 people.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s goal was to reach 500 Goblins before breaking through the fog zone. He was immersed in brief sentiments and focused on the shop window. ¡®Buy this, buy that¡­¡¯ from the ancient shop. The items he bought were: Ancient Martial Arts Textbook ¨C Low-grade 1 piece. Ancient Alchemy Textbook ¨C Low-grade 1 piece. Ancient Ki-breathing Textbook ¨C Low-grade 2 pieces. Ancient Physical Training Textbook ¨C Low-grade 3 pieces. Three growth potions. And one Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Intermediate. In total, it was worth 5,930 crystals. [Crystals on Hand: 68] ¡®In an instant, it was all spent.¡¯ He felt sorry for spending nearly 6,000 crystals in one batch. However. he decided not to mind too much. The crystals had to be used anyway, and the crystals could be gathered again. He left the purchased items at his feet and picked up only one textbook. Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Intermediate. It was an expensive product that cost 1,500 crystals. ¡°The low-level textbook was great, but how strong would I be if I mastered the intermediate level?¡¯ With a pounding heart, he opened the textbook. A hologram shed right before his eyes. [Do you want to engrave ¡®Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Intermediate¡¯?] ¡®I¡¯m going to get carrots.¡¯ Of course, he would! Ko Byeong-gap quickly gave his consent, but something unexpected happened. He didn¡¯t absorb the textbook. [Currently, due to the low achievement rate of ¡®Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Low-grade¡¯, the engraving of ¡°Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Intermediate¡± has failed.] [Current achievement rate of ¡®Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Low-grade¡¯: 2.21%] ¡°What?¡± Ko Byeong-gap groaned and let out a sigh. The point of the hologram was reasonable. Hecked internal skills to move from lower to intermediate. Where could he find his progress? Even so, he couldn¡¯t help but be embarrassed because he hadn¡¯t thought about it at all. ¡®Well, it would be too much of a scam to learn the whole textbook just by swinging a sword.¡¯ He was disappointed, but on the contrary, he also gained excitement. The fact that his achievement so far was only 2.21% meant that he had room for growth in the future. He smiled bitterly and kept the textbook on the desk inside the tent. ¡°Lord, sir, we¡¯re here.¡± In the meantime, Gobung brought in Turka and Kiriyan. First of all, he handed over the growth potions to them one by one. ¡°Now, grab one and take a shot.¡± ¡°Lord?¡± ¡°Do you mean drink?¡± ¡°Uh, drink it up.¡± The three Goblins looked at each other and said, ¡°Are we allowed to drink this?¡± Kiriyan asked on their behalf. Ko Byeong-gap nodded willingly with his arms crossed. ¡°From now on, Kiriyan and Turka will hunt with me as professionalbat agents. To do that, you need to be stronger than you are now.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Gobung is the head of the workforce, and you¡¯re going to need more stamina than others because I order a lot of things. So hurry up and drink.¡± The Goblins pursed their lips. Ko Byeong-gap frowned slightly. ¡°What are you doing, stupid? I told you to drink.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Gobung drank the Growth Potion. Kiriyan and Turka followed suit straight away. As he looked at them, Ko Byeong-gap smirked and said, ¡°It¡¯s going to hurt a bit.¡± ¡°Turn it off¡­¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± The effect came immediately. The three Goblins sped their hearts and sweated profusely. Naturally, turbulent change was apanied by pain. Ko Byeong-gap waited patiently until they regained their stability. Ten minutester, the Goblins were back to normal. ¡°What do you think? Do you think something¡¯s changed?¡± ¡°Huh¡­ it¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°Energy! It overflows!¡± The muscles in their bodies had grown in size. The change was particrly noticeable in Turka, the Giant Goblin. ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be a problem if I put three more heads on my shoulder.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap was satisfied and nodded his head. Afterward, he handed out a textbook to each of them. For Gobung, only the textbook on physical training. For Kiriyan, the alchemy, physical training, and Ki-breathing textbooks. He gave Turka the martial arts, physical training, and Ki-breathing textbooks. ¡°Come on, open the textbook in your hands.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°Do you see anything in front of you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Now say yes to that.¡± Ko Byeong-gap taught them how to imprint the textbooks. The Goblins did as they were told. After a while, each textbook began to be absorbed by the Goblins. ¡°Wow! Lord! Oh, my head! I think it¡¯s going to break!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, man. You won¡¯t die.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Of course, it was hard. Still, they managed everything. About 10 minutester, the Goblins acquired theirst textbook. However, they were exhausted and limp. ¡®Alright, Ashvm¡¯s first elite army.¡¯ Their aura was different from just a few minutes ago, but that was just the beginning. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s final goal was to be the best of all the Goblins. ¡°You guys get plenty of rest in the morning. In particr, keep Kiriyan and Turka ready so that they cane out whenever I call.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes, sir!¡± ¡°Go, see youter.¡± ¡°Already. Are you leaving?¡± ¡°Yes, I have to work. What would you do if you yed?¡± Ko Byeong-gap returned to his room after being sent off by the three Goblins. He immediately changed into his work clothes and packed his gear. After that, he left the house and locked the front door tightly. ¡®It¡¯s like going on a trip for a few days, huh?¡¯ His steps down the stairs were light. * * * Mim! Mim! Mim! It was still early July, but cicadas had already been raging. Ko Byeong-gap sat in a coinundry room and listened to the sad courtship song. ¡°Should I cry like that?¡± He was just sad that he hadn¡¯t had a humble rtionship for 25 years. Come to think of it; they were always good people. The problem was that he followed bad situations like a shadow. Ring ring! The machine rang out a signal that the dryer wasplete. He took out his clothes, put them in stic bags, and left the coinundry. He checked his cell phone as soon as he got in the car. The cell phone screen disyed a map of cracks nationwide. ¡°One D-ss in Cheongju City. It¡¯ll take about 30 minutes.¡± Ko Byeong-gap, who had set his target, drove straight away. ¡®It¡¯s already been three days.¡¯ It had been three days since he left the house. What Ko Byeong-gap did over the past three days was search for Goblins. He roamed at least three or four, up to five or six cracks a day, and chased after the Goblins. At night, he parked his car anywhere and went to Ashvm to sleep. He wasn¡¯t subjugating. There were many cases where he went into the cracks and came back without Goblins. Anyway, the goal of that journey was to capture Goblins, not hunt. His short-term goal was to fill Ashvm with up to 300 Goblins, but life wasn¡¯t always so giving. In the past three days, he had harvested only 47 Normal Goblins and one Hob Goblin. ¡®Shall I raise the search range to C-rank? It wouldn¡¯t be that dangerous if I were just looking around anyway.¡¯ While he agonized over one thing or another, he arrived at the crack that he had targeted. There seemed to be no upiers. Ko Byeong-gap hurriedly packed his things and dipped himself into the crack. It was crazy! ¡°Ah man, Gabris again?¡± No Goblins came out. Instead, the monsters with four jaws greeted him. He thought about leaving but changed his mind and decided to clear them for food. ¡®Did the kids say they ran out of meat? Let¡¯s unwind for a while.¡¯ He pulled out his long sword. The de made of a Rake Wolf¡¯s tail radiated a harsh purple light. ¡°Kiriyan! Turka!e out!¡± He opened the door to Ashvm and shouted. The two Goblins appeared as if they had waited. ¡°Yes, Lord!¡± ¡°Did you say we ran out of meat? Today¡¯s dinner is monster meat.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Hi!¡± The swarm of Gabris rushed in with fighting spirit. ¡°They¡¯re begging to be eaten. Turka, Kiriyan. Show me your skills.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Wooooo!¡± Turka ran out with his fists clenched. The guy snatched two Gabris in an instant. When he grabbed their necks and threw them on the floor, their necks broke, and they died instantly. ¡°Ha!¡± Kiriyan gathered an electric current into a harpoon. Soon, five lightning bolts were fired. One Gabri was broken for each shot. ¡®Should I build up some skills too?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap shook off his cigarette and took a posture. Three Gabris were aiming for Ko Byeong-gap with their mouths wide open. ¡®From the one on the left!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap smashed the ground. At about the same time, one of Gabri¡¯s necks fell off. Immediately after that, he fired a sh, and the guy in the middle was cut in half. ¡°Heee-eee-eee-eee!¡± The de in his open mouth struck thest Gabri. It floundered its limbs even when it was dead. ¡®Now, E-ss monsters are no longer a problem. C is also worth a try.¡¯ He smiled fiercely and ughtered the rest of the Gabris. Chapter 23 23. Raise and build! (4) ¡°Come on, let¡¯s move fast.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dozens of Gabris were scattered on the floor. The Goblins moved diligently and carried the bodies of the Gabris. ¡®We won¡¯t have to worry about food for three or four days.¡¯ When he had time to spare, Ko Byeong-gap bit a cigarette in his mouth. As soon as he took a lighter out of his pocket and stuck it on, Turka said, ¡°Lord. More. They¡¯reing.¡± In the distance, 20 or 30 Gabris were visible. Under the circumstances, there had to be a boss monster there. ¡°Humph! Why did youe to me while I¡¯m smoking?¡± ¡°Lord, we¡¯ll take care of it.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take care of the boss monster. Kiriyan, Turka. You guys need to protect the kids here. So that they don¡¯t get in the way of my work.¡± ¡°Okay, sir.¡± Ko Byeong-gap frowned and drew his sword. After he blew out smoke two or three more times, he suddenly jumped out. The world became a line and passed by his peripheral vision. In the fast-paced world, he looked at the movements of his enemies. A man that was 1.5 timesrger than any other Gabri was in the center of the pack. That was the boss monster of that Back World, a Horned Gabri. ¡°Hiiiaa!¡± A Gabri that was in the lead jumped up and hit his head. ¡®One shot at a time!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap recited an engraved phrase in his head and rushed forward. The raised sword passed through the Gabri¡¯s belly, then its intestines and blood flowed like a waterfall. ¡°Kahak!¡± ¡®One.¡¯ ¡°Hiiiaa!¡± Four jaws rushed from the left. He swung his sword before its teeth touched. The Gabri¡¯s head was cut off. ¡®Two.¡¯ His eyes moved up and down quickly. His head gave orders even faster than that. ¡®Stab, spin, cut, roll one round, and then cut diagonally!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap carried out the order steadily. His body moved with minimal motions. The Gabris, who were hit by the de of the sword, fell drenched in blood. ¡°Hey, hey!¡± ¡°Humph!¡± The Horned Gabri stepped up. The monster smashed Ko Byeong-gap with its head, armed with a bone helmet. Ko Byeong-gap quickly defended himself, but his body was pushed back a little. The strength of a semi-medium D-ss monster wasn¡¯t negligible. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± It wasn¡¯t time to deal with the boss monster yet. Ko Byeong-gap quickly swung his sword andid a deep cut in the Horned Gabri¡¯s ankle. The Horned Gabri fell out of bnce. Attached with it was its life. ¡®Eleven, twelve, thirteen!¡¯ He moved his body without a break. Neck, head, body, neck, then back leg. The targets he aimed for were cut off without exception. ¡°Heeee-eee-eee!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± When hended his 21st attack, he gave an opening at his back. A Gabri hit him with its hind legs. Ko Byeong-gap almost flew away as if he was hit by a car. After he rolled a fewps, he hurriedly stood up, but he couldn¡¯t help but crumple his face. ¡°Darn it. I feel like I¡¯ve been hit by a cannon.¡¯ His back ached. At least, he was able to endure it because his body became stronger. If it were before, that would¡¯ve been a bloodbath. ¡°A few to go! Take care of it!¡± ¡°Yep! Don¡¯t worry!¡± A few Gabri ran toward the Goblins. Turka and Kiriyan joined thebat when Ko Byeong-gap signaled. There were a total of seven Gabris left there. Ko Byeong-gap rose to his feet with the sword on the floor, and his fierce eyes stared at the enemy. ¡°Heee-eee-eee-eee-eee-eee!¡± The Gabris were awful. Even if their ally died, they weren¡¯t swayed, nor did it exhaust their fighting spirit. However, Ko Byeong-gap wasn¡¯t terrified of them. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± The heads of the two Gabris were blown away by arge joint sh. Without stopping, he stabbed, raised, and lowered his sword. The series of processes was as smooth as flowing water. Three forward. Two forward. One forward! ¡°Kahak!¡± He caught the attacking jaw with his arm and stabbed its throat. Blood dripped from the Gabri¡¯s mouth and stained Ko Byeong-gap. He shook his arm nervously to shake off the massive chunk of meat. On the other hand, Turka and Kiriyan also neatly disposed of the monsters. Currently, the only thing that was breathing was the Horned Gabri, whose ankle was cut off and was lying face down. ¡°Whoa¡­ It¡¯s not easy.¡± Ko Byeong-gap slumped over the scattered corpses of the Gabris. He sighed and rxed his aching wrists. ¡®It can¡¯t be like this. Struggling with only 30 E-ss monsters¡­¡¯ It reminded him of the four S-ss hunters whom he was with a few days ago. Humans who ughtered 56 high-ranked monsters like ants. When he recalled their overwhelming force, it awakened his mind. He might be slow, but he shouldn¡¯t stop developing himself. [Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Low-grade Achievement: 18.71%] [Ancient Physical Training Textbook ¨C Low-grade Achievement Rate: 32.25%] [Ancient Ki-breathing Textbook ¨C Low-grade Achievement Rate: 9.2%] ¡®There¡¯s still a long way to go. I have to cut down more enemies and get more hits.¡¯ ¡°Lord, sir! The work is finished.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± As soon as he heard Kiriyan, he stopped the Horned Gabri¡¯s breathing. Soon, the copse of the world began. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s move them and go back!¡± * * * The poption in Ashvm became 190. 150 Normal Goblins. 38 Hob Goblins. One Giant Goblin. One Albino Goblin. The rocky mountain was as crowded as ever. The Goblins weren¡¯t shy, nor were they territorial. Even the newly-introduced goblins were warmly weed as if they were part of their original family. Affinity and adaptability. It might be a characteristic of the Goblin race. Whatever it was, it was rare in human society. ¡®I wish there were more Hob Goblins.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap thought as he headed to the river with his toiletries. The Normal Goblins were good at what they did, but the Hob Goblins were more efficient. First of all, wasn¡¯t there a difference in their size? Well, in terms of strength, the Giant Goblin was the best. ¡®150 Giant Goblins would be too much to handle.¡¯ He arrived at the riverside after thinking nonsense. He threw off his clothes and soaked himself in the river. ¡°Oh, ick!¡± The water was very clean. To put it bluntly, it was first-ss among first-ss. He was covered in Gabri blood during the day, so the smell of blood oozed out of his body. He soaped almost to an obsessivepulsive level. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m just worried about it.¡± Ko Byeong-gap suddenly looked to the side. It was in the direction of the fog zone. It waste at night at that time, and he couldn¡¯t see well. Still, he felt like someone was watching him. It was like that when he came alone to the river on ¡®that day.¡¯ Unable to resist, he turned on thentern he brought and shone it toward the fog but couldn¡¯t see the silhouette he had seen before. ¡®Damn, what the hell is that?¡¯ On the day they first set up tents in Ashvm, Ko Byeong-gap saw it clearly. ¡®Something¡¯ was spying on that side through the fog. The problem was that there was no way to know what it was. It looked like a perfect person. Was it a Goblin, or was it something else? ¡°This is hurting my head.¡± If there was really something beyond the fog, then that was a problem because he didn¡¯t know if ¡°the bastards¡± beyond the fog were favorable or hostile. It would be nice if they were favorable, but they needed to be ready for war if they were hostile. Whenever he had a question, he missed the Goblin Shaman, Oddick. Ko Byeong-gap needed the Goblin Shaman¡¯s knowledge. Even if he regretted killing it with his own hands, it was a bus that had already gone¡­ ¡°Phew, I don¡¯t know. I still have a long way to go before I buy the explorer¡¯s g or whatever.¡± After he removed his thoughts, he took a bath, and after that, Ko Byeong-gap returned to his private tent. Heid down on the bed made of two sofas joined together. Even the cheap nkets he bought at the local duvet store were pretty good. ¡°Tomorrow, let¡¯s go to a C-rank crack.¡± That was how his third night in Ashvm went. The next day dawned. As soon as he opened his eyes, Ko Byeong-gap visited the farnd. It was yesterday that he nted potatoes and sweet potatoes with the Goblins. Of course, it hadn¡¯t sprouted yet. ¡°Please grow up. That way, we can make potato meals and sweet potato soup.¡± Ko Byeong-gap hummed and watered. After that, he visited the cave. In the remarkably widened cave, the Goblins were diligently using their pickaxes. ¡°Oh, my Lord. Are you here?¡± Gobung, who was mining at the entrance, noticed Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s existence. At any rate, he was a guy with great senses. ¡°No, no, don¡¯te out. Don¡¯t mind me, and keep doing what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°Ah! I see!¡± ¡°So, is there anything special about your work?¡± ¡°Yes! Problem. There is not.¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t overdo it and take it easy. Sometimes,e out and get some fresh air.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± He returned to his private tent. On the way, he saw a group of Goblins. They were grooming the bodies of the Gabris, which were brought in yesterday. Ko Byeong-gap looked at the stacked Gabri leather and thought, ¡®I¡¯m gonna practice alchemy after work today.¡¯ Up! Up! Up! Up! Up! The sound of axing was in full swing near the campsite. That was because of the construction going down on the road between the campsite and the river. Turka cut down trees with an axe on both hands, while Ko Byeong-gap looked at him with delight. Currently, Ashvm was like a well-weaved cog. ¡®Shall I get ready?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t just make the Goblins suffer. Ko Byeong-gap hastily prepared his daily routine. On that day, as nned the day prior, he was going to go to a C-rank crack. He came out of Ashvm. The car parked at the foot of the mountain was the same as yesterday. That was the national highway from Cheongju to Daejeon. ¡°Now, where else do crappy crackse from?¡± He seriously circled the crack map. There were a few cracks nearby. Unfortunately, they hadn¡¯t been attacked for more than 11 or 12 days. It was best not to touch a beehive. Ko Byeong-gap searched again mainly for newly created cracks. ¡°Oh, this is good.¡± He soon found what he needed. It was a C-rank crack that urred three days ago. The point of urrence was a vige called Shimok-ri. It was located on the road leading to Daejeon. Ko Byeong-gap hurriedly drove his car. It was only 15 minutes away, so he was able to reach his destination in no time. Like in other rural viges, Shimok-ri was dominated byrge paddy fields. The crack urred in a secluded vineyard away from private houses. He pulled over near the field and inspected his equipment. Suddenly, a middle-aged woman in her 50s wearing a straw hat approached from afar. ¡°Hey, bachelor! Oh my, a bachelor! What are you doing? Huh, you¡¯re a hunter, right?¡± The middle-aged woman didn¡¯t have a goodplexion. Her face was dotted with anger and sadness. ¡°Oh, yes. That¡¯s right. Why?¡± ¡°Oh, my God, bachelor. Please tell me you¡¯re going to clear it. I¡¯m really upset that I¡¯m going to die!¡± The middle-aged woman was almost about to cry. ¡°It¡¯s harvest seasoning soon, but all the trees are sick because of that shit. Seriously, this year¡¯s farming was ruined because of that!¡± ¡°Oh, yes. By the way, ma¡¯am, you¡¯d better note near here. When exposed to the force field of cracks¡­¡± ¡°No, no! It¡¯s frustrating! That damned thing sitting on my field, it¡¯s going to burn a thousand dors! I can¡¯t just sit still at home!¡± ¡°¡­ But you¡¯d better note here.¡± ¡°Oh, my God, bachelor. Please do something to save a person¡¯s ass. Oh, hold on a second!¡± The middle-aged woman rushed along and returned shortly after, and she held something in her hand. It was bread, drinks, things like that. ¡°This is the juice from our field grapes. Please eat this and do something for me. Here¡¯s some bread.¡± She stuck out a lot of food. She must¡¯ve saved it as a snack while working in the field. Ko Byeong-gap took it in a sh, and his heart became heavy. ¡®Sigh¡­¡¯ He wasn¡¯t there to quell. He was just there to look around to see if there were Goblins in the crack. However, thatdy was expecting a lot from Ko Byeong-gap. How upset would she be if he just went away? Of course, there was no obligation to relieve the anxiety of that middle-aged woman. So, of course, he didn¡¯t have to feel guilty, but rtionships between people didn¡¯t always work with logic and reason. ¡°Please, please, please!¡± ¡°¡­ Just go back to your home for now. It¡¯s dangerous to stay here.¡± He said so and approached the crack. A crack in the middle of a vineyard. The trees had already withered, and the unripe grape berries were also in a shrunken state. Ko Byeong-gap seemed to understand the feelings of the middle-aged woman. ¡°Whoa¡­ fuck.¡± He stood in front of the crack and burned a cigarette, and then he turned around and saw that the middle-aged woman was still standing at a distance. ¡®Why is thatdy still standing there?¡¯ The back of his head hurt because of it. ¡®C-rank crack¡­ Is it possible that there are Goblins?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap ran the simtion in his head. Perhaps it would be possible. However, chances were high that they could suffer heavy losses, and maybe a dozen Goblins would die. Although he wasn¡¯t cold-blooded, but he wasn¡¯t a hero armed with a sense of justice. He made up his mind and twisted his second cigarette. ¡®Alright, never mind. I¡¯m sorry for thedy, but¡­ I can¡¯t help it, can I? She¡¯s not going to feed me.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap threw himself into the crack and left his difort behind. The world turned bright and then dark again. The dark and heavy side of the world weed him. When Ko Byeong-gap was in a state of tight tension, he looked around the world. His eyes moved quickly up and down, left and right. and a secondter¡­ He felt a mixture of emotions. ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap sat down and barely opened his mouth. ¡°Thank you so much guys. Thank you so much.¡± Chapter 24 24. Raise and build! Ko Byeong-gapughed despondently. In front of him, the five Goblins responded as if they couldn¡¯t understand what he had just said. The weapon that was aimed at Ko Byeong-gap slowly lowered. ¡°Lo¡­ Lord?¡± One Hob Goblin barely spoke. Ko Byeong-gap used his sword like a staff and raised his body in response. ¡°Nice to meet you. Is this your first time meeting your Lord?¡± ¡°Uh, how?¡± ¡°Well, what would you do?¡± The five Hob Goblins turned to each other without speaking. ¡°Come here, guys. No, I¡¯ll go.¡± He trudged along, and the Goblins backed slightly, perhaps out of fear or awe. It was usually like that when he first met them. Ko Byeong-gap asked the Goblins in a friendly manner, shoulder-to-shoulder, ¡°Who¡¯s the boss here?¡± ¡°B-boss?¡± ¡°I mean, who¡¯s the leader leading you? Goblin or another monster?¡± ¡°Go¡­ Goblin. It¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Sigh, should I have bought a lottery ticket today?¡± The Goblins only had question marks in response. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go. Guide me to your boss.¡± ¡°Woo¡­¡± He felt their hesitation. In times like that, there was a magic bullet. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go to Ashvm?¡± ¡°Oh, Ashvm!¡± ¡°I want to go!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you go. Just let me know.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The Goblin¡¯s attitude reversed like paper flipping over. They were excited and took the lead. On the other hand, more Goblins appeared while they moved through the world. ¡®I was lucky. Finding a crack with an entire Goblin colony.¡¯ The group of Goblins led by Ko Byeong-gap gradually increased. Almost all of them were Hob Goblins. From the depths of their little world, Giant Goblins and new faces also appeared. ¡®Beast Goblin?¡¯ Beast Goblin. It was a D-ss monster. Its basic appearance was simr to that of the Hob Goblins, but it had body hair and features that resembled a wolf. They could mutate, and when they mutated, they took the form of beasts, as the name suggested. ¡®That¡¯s good. If we have different types of Goblins, I¡¯ll get more use out of them.¡¯ ¡°Do we still have a long way to go?¡± ¡°Almost there. Here.¡± By the time they got out of the field and came down near the private houses, the boss, whom he was looking forward to seeing, finally appeared. A Goblin Shaman dressed up in all kinds of ornaments. Yes, it was a Goblin Shaman. It appeared in front of Ko Byeong-gap, who led a guard of Giant Goblins. It seemed to have sensed something unusual had happened. Its face was colored with astonishment after it faced Ko Byeong-gap. Its eyes were about to pop out. ¡°This¡­ What is this¡­¡± ¡°I see you¡¯re the boss here. So, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s Dorma.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Dorma. I am Goblin Lord Ko Byeong-gap.¡± Ko Byeong-gap had announced loudly. Suddenly, Dorma touched his forehead. ¡°Huh¡­ Oh my God. The real Goblin Lord. How could such a thing happen?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Dorma had a different reactionpared to the Goblins since there seemed to be more confusion than joy. Ko Byeong-gap felt puzzled and thought he would get him right away. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Of course, there¡¯s a problem!¡± ¡°What?¡± It was certainly a different response than he expected. Dorma hesitated at first and then said, ¡°You¡¯re not the same kind as us!¡± Ko Byeong-gap shrugged his shoulders. ¡°As you can see, yes.¡± ¡°But for what reason do you have the essence of the Lord?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a reason for it. No, why does it matter?¡± ¡°Do you think it doesn¡¯t matter?¡± ¡°No, damn it, I mean¡­ Oh, I¡¯m sorry for swearing. Anyway, please exin it to me.¡± ¡°Oh my, oh my.¡± Dorma slumped down. He was like a fighter who lost their country. Dorma replied in a muffled voice, ¡°So, the survival of my species is in the hands of another race, and you want me to smile and like it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap could understand Dorma¡¯s words. It was easy if he thought of it in reverse. If he discovered that the only leader of mankind was a Goblin, wouldn¡¯t his answer be the same? He understood and sympathized with Dorma¡¯s feelings, but he didn¡¯t feel very good because he seemed to be ignored. Ko Byeong-gap thought he was better than any Goblin. ¡°Ah, what¡¯s wrong with me not being a Goblin? All I have to do is work well. So what does it have to do with being a human or a Goblin?¡± ¡°Why doesn¡¯t it matter¡­ The boss¡­¡± ¡°Hey! Let me know if you have anyints! Don¡¯t just cry like that!¡± Ko Byeong-gap shouted furiously. He hated sitting and whining like that. The Goblins next to him cringed with a frightened look. The Goblin Shaman, Dorma, looked up after looking at the ground for a long time. ¡°I will dare to say something to the Lord from my humble body. Do you have affection for our people?¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°Can you love the Goblins with all your heart? Will you be a strong support in the face of any hardship and adversity? Can you promise never to abandon us?¡± ¡°Hey, hey, wait¡­¡± ¡°If your race and our Goblins fight, would you be willing to take this side without hesitation?¡± Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t easily answer since it was a question that required a lot of thought. When Ko Byeong-gap failed to answer immediately, Dorma smiled mournfully and nodded. ¡°Look, that¡¯s the difference between you and us¡­¡± ¡°Quiet!¡± Ko Byeong-gap shouted. It was so loud that the whole world seemed to ring. He took a cigarette out of his inner pocket and bit it in his mouth. Immediately, he lit the fire and sucked in the filter deeply. Sigh. Sigh. ¡°What the fuck are you talking about? Listen to all that I have to say!¡± He turned away and caught the attention of every Goblin. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s love or anything, and I promise you only two things. Reconstruction of Ashvm and the prosperity of the Goblins!¡± Was it possible to truly love the Goblins? However, no matter what hardships and adversity they faced, he would be a support for them. He wondered if he could never abandon the Goblins. Between humans and the Goblins, was it possible to take the Goblin¡¯s side unconditionally? To be honest, he couldn¡¯t say for sure, but there was one unchanging truth. The Goblin¡¯s prosperity and Ashvm¡¯s reconstruction were directly linked to his interests, and Ko Byeong-gap had no intention to turn his back on his beliefs. He crouched down in front of Dorma, and then after he put his face close enough to reach him, he roared out, ¡°I will rebuild the fallen kingdom no matter what! And only take the side of those who sympathize with it! If you don¡¯t believe me, scratch your stomach and waste your time here, and you¡¯ll find out.¡± ¡°Are¡­ Are you serious? Do you really intend to raise Ashvm?¡± ¡°What kind of talk is this long? I will not tolerate further questions. Those who will stick to me, bow and swear your allegiance!¡± There was only a magical stillness left in the ce where his sky-shaking roar passed, and a secondter¡­ ¡°Lord, sir!¡± ¡°Lord, sir!¡± ¡°Loyalty. I swear!¡± Behind him, every Goblin in the tiny world bowed. [Hob Goblin (81), Giant Goblin (29), Beast Goblin (23), and Goblin Shaman (1) have been transferred to Ashvm.] ¡°We sincerely wee you to our family, you guys.¡± * * * ¡°So, Gobung, please.¡± ¡°Yep! Don¡¯t worry!¡± Gobung bowed his head and shouted, ¡°Everyone, follow me!¡± He led 134 new Goblins back to Ashvm. Ko Byeong-gap came out of the rift empty-handed, and as he stepped outside, the crack began to close quickly. If there were no living life inside, the crack would die immediately. When the crack disappeared, the vineyard owner rushed in. She was full of joy. ¡°Oh my God! Did you finish it in less than 30 minutes after entering?¡± Ko Byeong-gap secretly hid the cigarette he had put in his mouth and said, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s over. You can be rest assured now.¡± ¡°Hey, bachelor! Thank you! Gosh!¡± The vineyarddy clung to Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s arms and jumped, so he had to stand like a wooden stone for a while. ¡°You are truly my benefactor! But, please wait a minute!¡± The middle-aged woman called somewhere. Momentster, a man who appeared to be her husband appeared with a car. There were three boxes of grape juice in the cargo hold of the truck. ¡°We don¡¯t have anything to give, so take this and eat it.¡± ¡°Yes. I will take it.¡± ¡°Take a look! Thank you!¡± Ko Byeong-gap got into his car and left the vineyard. He smoked a cigarette all the way out of the vige of Shimok-ri. He didn¡¯t feel like smoking too much these days, but he couldn¡¯t get it out of his mouth. -Do you have affection for our people? What Dorma said lingered in his ears like a mosquito on a summer night. ¡°I¡¯m going to be sick. Have I evene to love them now?¡± It wasn¡¯t such a silly question. Even if he had a dog, he would¡¯ve taken care of it with love. Love might be an essential virtue for a Lord, who had to lead hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands. Ko Byeong-gap thought about whether he could truly love the Goblins. He wasn¡¯t sure yet. It wasn¡¯t simply due to their ugly appearance and that they were different species. Currently, he has too much to worry about. He was far from loving someone. It meant that even if he only worried about his mother and money, he still wouldn¡¯t have room for such things. Love was preserved for the wealthy. At least that was what Ko Byeng-gap thought. ¡°It¡¯s a day that makes you want to sharpen a knife.¡± He had achieved the purpose of renunciation, but his mood was shaky. He moved his body frantically, wanting to sh at monsters. Suddenly, his cell phone started to cry. Beep! Beep! ¡°Hmm?¡± It was the signal when a disaster alert text came in. Ko Byeong-gap stopped the car on the shoulder and checked the text. [Emergency Disaster Text] Cracks urred in Yeongjeon-dong, Dong-gu, Daejeon, and the shopping mall across Yeongjeon¡¯s apartments. Residents of Yeongjeon-dong should refrain from approaching and be careful of secondary damage. He seemed to have entered the jurisdiction of Daejeon City, so he rushed to the Hunte. A part of the clean map was marked with a red dot like a jade tee. Indeed, there was a crack right across the apartmentplex. Luckily, it was only D-rank. ¡®If it¡¯s Daejeon, is the Prose Guild holding onto it tight?¡¯ In each metropolitan area, there was onerge guild that dominated each province. In the case of Seoul, a superrge guild called the Seven Elites divided the districts and managed them. Felix, Inicium, Shakra, Somniom, etc¡­ Anyway, such guilds monitored and managed cracks in the city 24 hours a day. ¡®Shall I try to join in?¡¯ If he did well, he could make a million won by dipping his feet. Fortunately, he also wanted to cut monsters, so he quickly turned the steering wheel. It wasn¡¯t long before he reached where the crack urred. When he arrived, the control line had already fallen, and there were many association officials. In addition, in front of the crack, there were about four people who looked like hunters. Ko Byeong-gap grabbed his equipment and approached it. ¡°How did you get here?¡± An association staff member had spotted him then approached. ¡°I¡¯m a Hunter. I¡¯m here to take part in an emergency subjugation.¡± ¡°Can I see your Hunter ID?¡± He immediately handed over his Hunter ID. Kim Tae-yong, a member of the association, said after a brief look at his Hunter ID, ¡°Are you D-ss?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Hmmmm, please wait.¡± Kim Tae-yong whispered to his boss, who was working in the back. ¡°Chief Park, a new person hase to participate in the subjugation. What should I do? Do we take him?¡± ¡°What the hell are you asking? ept him.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°What else? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°The person who wants to participate is D-ss.¡± ¡°Why, what¡¯s wrong with that?¡± ¡°Look over there.¡± Kim Tae-yong pointed to Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°He only brought a sword.¡± ¡°Huh, a bloody mosquito?¡± Chief Park spat out abusivenguage. A mosquito. In an emergency subjugation, it referred to a shameless person who would leave behind everything for money. Park thought about it for a while and said it as if throwing it aside, ¡°Just take it lightly. It¡¯s not going toe out of our pockets anyway.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. I¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°Those bastards need to get their hands and legs messed up. That¡¯s how you get their act together.¡± Kim Tae-yong returned to Ko Byeong-gap and handled the work ording to the manual. After he signed the document, Ko Byeong-gap approached the crack. Four hunters were already preparing for deployment. There was also a manager next to them. Apparently, all of them were hunters in a guild. Three of them were armed with guns, while the other was equipped with a long Hwando [TL: think of a katana]. They only nced at Ko Byeong-gap and didn¡¯t care much. ¡°All clear.¡± ¡°I¡¯m clear, too.¡± The hunters spoke one after another. The woman who appeared to be the manager nodded after recording something. ¡°Yes, well, please take care of yourself.¡± ¡°You look like a D-ss. Take care of yourself.¡± The hunters entered a crack. Ko Byeong-gap appeared to go in at a whim. ¡®Shall I go too?¡¯ He shoved his leg into the crack. That was the moment Ko Byeong-gap felt an extraordinary sense of ipatibility. It felt like he was drowning in a huge sinkhole. ¡®The crack is sucking me in!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap felt the danger and tried to get out quickly, but it was irresistible. Like an ant hill, it was impossible to escape once you dipped your feet. Fucked. It was the most appropriate word to represent his current feelings. He screamed desperately before beingpletely sucked into the crack. ¡°Oh, fuck! This is¡­!¡± His cry ended there. Chapter 25 25. Dungeon Ko Byeong-gap lost his mind for a very short time, and then when his dark vision returned to normal after five to six seconds, he wanted to deny reality. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± They were in a dark undergroundbyrinth. There were torches that lit a feeble light. His front and rear showed a passageway that he couldn¡¯t see the end of. From any angle, it was obvious that it wasn¡¯t an ordinary Back World. ¡°Dungeon¡­¡± Yes, that was a special crack called a dungeon. ¡®Shit!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap bit his lips. Fragments of memories that seemed like hell crossed his mind. He looked back reflexively. The escape portal was nowhere to be seen, which was natural. The only way to escape a dungeon was to eliminate the boss monster. The hunters who came in before Ko Byeong-gap also seemed tired. Anxiety lingered in his eyes, and his hand that held his weapon trembled pathetically. ¡°Shh!¡± The woman equipped with a Hwando signaled and held Ko Byeong-gap on the shoulder, which meant for him to be quiet. She said in a whisper, ¡°Don¡¯t make any noise.¡± Ko Byeong-gap answered with a nod. The woman beckoned and gathered the people. Five of them put their heads together, close enough to reach each other¡¯s breath if they spoke. ¡°Dungeon.¡± ¡°Gee, I know.¡± The woman¡¯s voice was calm. On the contrary, he could feel the tremor in the voice of the middle-aged man with a beard. ¡°A dungeon?¡± The young man with a youthful impression asked a question in bewilderment. Ko Byeong-gap nced at the young man. The equipment he wore was tight and short. His eyes looked blurry, like he had a long way to go. ¡®He¡¯s a newbie.¡¯ It was just a guess, but he was a human who had just be a hunter. ¡°To put it simply, Crack. It¡¯s usually called a dungeon, and some people call it a ck Crack.¡± ¡°ck Crack?¡± ¡°It is named so because it looks ck, unlike other cracks.¡± ¡°Ha, but it isn¡¯t ck, is it? It¡¯s obviously blue¡­¡± ¡°It means it¡¯s not mature yet.¡± Ko Byeong-gap cut off the young man¡¯s words. People¡¯s attention was drawn to him naturally. He continued in a low voice, ¡°We went in less than an hour after the crack broke out. So it¡¯s going to take a couple of hours at the earliest for it to copy the surface.¡± ¡°His exnation is correct. The dungeon looks exactly like any crack in the early days. That¡¯s why it¡¯s even more dangerous.¡± ¡°Oh, how dangerous is that? Is it very dangerous?¡± The woman took a moment to answer. ¡°Dungeons are different in size from ordinary cracks. I can¡¯t even imagine how many monsters there would be. There¡¯s no telling if there¡¯s a thousand or two thousand.¡± ¡°A thou¡­ A thou¡­ A thousand?!!¡± The young man¡¯s mouth dropped open. ¡°But it¡¯s weird, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯ve never even heard of a D-rank dungeon in my life. A dungeon is a phenomenon that usually urs in the upper cracks above this rank.¡± The bearded middle-aged man¡¯sment was correct. Special cracks named dungeons were a phenomenon that only appeared in the top ranks. There had never been a precedent for a dungeon in the lower ranks. ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s no dungeon in the lower ranks. At least as far as I know.¡± ¡°No, so what the hell is going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± The woman swallowed her words with a troubled face. Except for Ko Byeong-gap, the hunters waited for the woman¡¯s answer with a nervous face. ¡°Well, don¡¯t hesitate to speak!¡± The middle-aged man with a beard urged. Suddenly, Ko Byeong-gap spoke on behalf of the woman. ¡°There are two possibilities.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The association may have miscalcted the rank of the crack, or mutations in the dungeon are still underway.¡± Ko Byeong-gap habitually looked for a cigarette, but he didn¡¯t smoke it. In that situation, smoking cigarettes was, at best, suicidal. He sighed a little and then said, ¡°There are a few cases where the association miscalctes the rank, but it¡¯s unlikely. Maybe the crack is still mutating.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I told you. The crack is still young. In other words, this dungeon is unfinished. I¡¯m sure the ranking is going up even at this moment.¡± ¡°Complete or unfinished, the dungeon remains the same, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Fortunately, they would be able to detect abnormalities outside in a few hours.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± The young man¡¯splexion brightened up. ¡°Well, then, a rescue team will be here in a few hours!¡± ¡°¡­¡± No one answered the young man¡¯s question. The woman, the middle-aged bearded man, and the skinny man with a cold impression. Everyone looked glum. The young man soon sensed the strange air current. ¡°Ah, what¡¯s wrong with you all? Nooo, say something, anyone!¡± ¡°Sigh.¡± After a deep sigh, Ko Byeong-gap opened his mouth and said, ¡°We¡¯re going to have to be stuck here for at least a couple of days.¡± ¡°What? Oh, how many hours did you say earlier?¡± ¡°Time in a dungeon flows 24 times slower than the outside world. You don¡¯t even know the basics?¡± The young man turned mute. He looked like he didn¡¯t want to believe it. ¡°An hour here is a day outside. It¡¯ll take a couple of hours at the earliest to figure out what¡¯s going on over here for them to send A-ss hunters. It¡¯s two or three hours over there, so it¡¯s going to be about forty or fifty here.¡± ¡°Forty or fifty hours?¡± ¡°It¡¯s forty and fifty hours when things work out. So maybe we have to stay here for more than five days.¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± The young man staggered and eventually sat down. The skinny man with a sharp impression remained silent and asked the woman, ¡°What are you going to do? You are our leader, so make your decisions.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The woman bit her lower lip and was lost in thought. The young man was frustrated, and the middle-aged bearded man rustled his hair as he pointed along the hallway. Ko Byeong-gap looked at the four people with a nce and stepped back. ¡®If I take them to Ashvm, they will survive.¡¯ If he took everyone to Ashvm, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about dying at the moment. Moreover, the time there was the same as outside, so it would only take a few hours. ¡°The problem is¡­¡± However, there was one thing on his mind. Was it okay to let others know about Ashvm¡¯s existence? Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t want to do that. There were many reasons for that. To be honest, there were also childish affections such as possessiveness and monopolistic desire, but before that, he was worried. Ashvm, Goblin Lord, and the Ancient Shop. What if a huge organization like the government was made aware of it? They would probably abuse it by all means. Although a bit extreme, they might even catch Ko Byeong-gap and do some human experiments on him. There was no guarantee that they would keep their mouths shut, was there? ¡®At least I have to keep it a secret until I can protect myself.¡¯ Even if they knew and arge organization approached Ko Byeong-gap, he thought he should be able to stand in a position of superiority. To do so, he should at least be an A-ss¡­ No, he had to be S-ss or higher. ¡®Taking refuge in Ashvm will be myst resort. For now, let¡¯s find another way.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap made up his mind. If he didn¡¯t mind, he could just leave the group and take refuge alone. ¡°Everyone, gather around.¡± The woman gathered the people, and the young man reacted as if he hade down a rope. The middle-aged bearded man stared into the distance and walked slowly. ¡°It would be good to introduce myself first. I¡¯m Yeom Jeong-hwa, a B-ss hunter.¡± ¡°C-ss, Park Soo-tae.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Choi Min-young. My ss is C.¡± ¡°Jo Young-hoon. I¡¯m C-ss.¡± ¡®I think they¡¯re in the same guild. Is it their first time seeing each other?¡¯ They didn¡¯t seem to be very close. ¡°Are you all in the same guild?¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re all members of the Prose Guild.¡± ¡®Hmm. It can happen if you¡¯re a big guild.¡¯ Large guilds had hundreds of hunters. So it wasn¡¯t strange not to know each other. Ko Byeong-gap nodded and introduced himself. ¡°I¡¯m a D-ss Hunter.¡± ¡°Is that all you¡¯re armed with?¡± Jo Young-hoon immediately asked a question. His tone felt stiff because of his cold impression. Ko Byeong-gap understood his intentions at once. He was asking if a low-level hunter like him entered the crack without a gun. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Huh. You¡¯re a mosquito¡­¡± Park Soo-tae murmured quietly. Ko Byeong-gap heard it but deliberately pretended not to hear. He didn¡¯t want to have an emotional fight. ¡°So, you¡¯re a B-ss. What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move forward. I¡¯ll be at the forefront.¡± ¡°We¡¯re moving?¡± Choi Min-young shouted in surprise. Yeom Jeong-hwa hurriedly closed Choi Min-young¡¯s mouth and said, ¡°Please be quiet. Don¡¯t make loud noises.¡± ¡°Huh! Ugh!¡± Choi Min-young barely nodded. Yeom Jeong-hwa continued without losing herposure. ¡°First, we need to find a ce to hide. Even if we have to sit down, we have to do it. We¡¯re more likely to be surrounded in a ce like this.¡± She was right. Their current location was at the heart of an elongated passage. They were vulnerable in the front and back, so if the enemy pushed in from both sides, there was no answer. ¡°Soo-tae and Young-hoon, please cover me from behind. Byeong-gap and Min-young, please stand in the back and guard the rear.¡± After she pulled out her sword, she added as if to plead, ¡°Don¡¯t shoot unless it¡¯s really urgent. I¡¯ll take care of everything. Follow me about ten steps apart.¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa took the lead with a determined spirit. *** ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Kegigi geek! Kegigigigeek!¡± ¡°Humph!¡± There was a saying that reality was harsh. It was wrong. Reality was always cruel. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± Tada tada tada tada! Choi Min-young went on a shooting rampage. His eyes were already loose. ¡°Don¡¯t shoot, you son of a bitch!¡± Ko Byeong-gap got angry and kicked Choi Min-young in the stomach, then he copsed to the floor and grabbed his stomach. ¡°Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough!¡± ¡°Oh my God, where are these bastardsing from?¡± That was the beginning of the incident. The subjugation squad, led by Yeom Jeong-hwa, fled in secrecy. While passing through a deep passage, they encountered several monsters. At that time, Yeom Jeong-hwa finished them without a word. It went very smoothly. After passing through the passage, they came across a huge space. It was like a pce built underground. The subjugation squad moved slowly and steadily. Suddenly, they got into a close battle with a group of monsters. There weren¡¯t that many monsters. It was a level that Yeom Jeong-hwa could handle alone. She stopped the others and quietly dealt with the monsters. However, with Yeom Jeong-hwa out of the ranks, a surprise attack came in from the back. Ko Byeong-gap immediately reacted and swung his sword. ¡°Stay still! I¡¯ll take care of it!¡± And even though he showed that. What happened was¡­ Frightened, Choi Min-young froze and started shooting, and not just one, but ten! Since the gunfire was heard, a swarm of monsters flocked in about 50-60. Park Soo-tae and Jo Young-hoon faced the monsters somehow with auxiliary weapons. Even though it wasn¡¯t as efficient as Yeom Jeong-hwa or Ko Byeong-gap, it was at the level that enabled them to protect themselves. Ko Byeong-gap constantly moved and cut down the crowd of monsters. Although there were many, he could handle it because they were between F to D-ss. ¡°Did this guy cheat his D-ss ranking?¡± ¡°Huh, is he really D-ss? That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± Jo Young-hoon and Park Soo-tae couldn¡¯t keep their mouths shut while they watched Ko Byung-gap¡¯s sword dance. Compared to Yeom Jeong-hwa, he was never pushed back. No, his destructive power may be a little lower, but he was better than Yeom Jeong-hwa in terms of body movements. Yeom Jeong-hwa was also impressed by Ko Byeong-gap as he dealt with the monsters. ¡®What¡¯s going on? I¡¯m sure there was nothing special about his Karma.¡¯ She was curious, but she decided to put it on hold for the meantime. There was a mountain of enemies to deal with. Except for Choi Min-young, the others struggled and fought against the monsters. Finally, after a while, they killed all the enemies. Of course, Yeom Jeong-hwa and Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s contribution was over 90%. ¡°Haha, amazing!¡± Park Soo-tae sped one of his bloodied arms and moaned. Jo Young-hoon was also not in good shape. Yeom Jeong-hwa took a potion out of her backpack and healed the two. On the contrary, Choi Min-young¡¯s body was clean since he hid in the back and crouched down. ¡®That motherfucker!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap approached and grabbed him by the cor, then said, ¡°Hey, you son of a bitch! If you¡¯re going to do stuff like that, go bite your tongue alone! How dare you put someone else¡¯s life on the line?¡± ¡°Humph! Humph!¡± Choi Min-young squeezed his tears out. Yeom Jeong-hwa ran quickly and stopped him. ¡°Mr. Byeong-gap. Be patient. This person. He is already in a panic.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Ko Byeong-gap nervouslyid Choi Min-young¡¯s cor. He couldn¡¯t believe they gave such a coward a Hunter¡¯s license. It was a weird country, after all. ¡°Mr. Byeong-gap, you should get treatment soon, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s body was clean. It was thanks to the recovery ability from the Ancient Ki-breathing Textbook. Yeom Jeong-hwa¡¯s eyes widened as she looked at his body. ¡®He dealt with so many monsters, and he doesn¡¯t have a single wound? Isn¡¯t he also a lower awakener?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap looked around him and concentrated on his nerves. No monster could be seen in their vicinity, but he felt a turbulent movement not far away. The monsters noticed the presence of intruders. ¡®If we stood still, the monsters woulde at us again. I¡¯m sure all the monsters in thisbyrinth are already moving.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap thought, then shook the blood off of his sword. ¡°There¡¯s no time to lose. Stand up, everyone. We have to go get the dungeon boss.¡± Chapter 26 26. Dungeon ¡°What did you just say? Did you say let¡¯s go get the boss monster?¡± Park Soo-tae responded right away. Ko Byeong-gap replied while he checked how many bottles of the potion were in his backpack. ¡°You heard me right. You have to get rid of the boss monster before it¡¯s toote to survive.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s hard to deal with the pawns, so what do you mean by how you n to take down themander?¡± ¡°We could get it over with now. It¡¯ll bepletely impossible over time.¡± Ko Byeong-gap zipped the backpack. There were two bottles of low-grade potions. Including what the other hunters had, it seemed that they could ovee that crisis a few times. Park Soo-tae showed a gesture that demanded rification. Ko Byeong-gap obediently epted and exined, ¡°As I said before, this dungeon is not yetplete. However, after seeing the subordinate monsters, it became clear. Currently, this ce is at D-rank, but as time goes on, the overall difficulty will increase.¡± ¡°Are you saying that the monsters will get stronger?¡± ¡°Sort of. If it grows from D to C, it¡¯s fine. But the moment it goes from C to B, it¡¯s over.¡± ¡°If that statement is true, shouldn¡¯t we remain hidden?¡± Jo Young-hoon intervened. His tone had been much more rxed since he witnessed Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s prowess. Instead of answering, Ko Byeong-gap spoke, looking at Yeom Jeong-hwa. ¡°If you¡¯re like Yeom Jeong-hwa, who is good at detecting Karma, you can feel it. The movement in this dungeon.¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa licked her lips. She then nodded slowly. ¡°¡­ Yes. Karma is swaying all over the ce. Byeong-gap was aware of it.¡± Ko Byeong-gap wasn¡¯t very good with karma detection, but his senses were advanced like a wild animal sensing danger. ¡°Monsters have noticed our presence. Monsters wille looking for intruders soon. They sustained losses because of some lesser human beings.¡± Ko Byeong-gap red at Choi Min-young while he said so. Choi Min-young looked down on the floor with a teary face. ¡°After trying to catch up with them in their hide-and-seek game, the result is obvious. If we do nothing, we¡¯re only giving the monsters time to grow.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So we have to do it now. To catch a dungeon off guard when it¡¯s at the weakest. It¡¯s the only hole we cane out of.¡± The group agonized without saying a word. Ko Byeong-gap opened his mouth to break the silence. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to make you all worry. If you don¡¯t want to follow my opinion, do as you please. Instead, we will act separately from here. I¡¯ll just catch their eye if we stay together.¡± Ko Byeong-gap said sternly. The rest exchanged nces. ¡°He¡¯s right. The option of hiding is already out of the question.¡¯ Yeom Jeong-hwa made a decision. ¡°Byeong-gap is right. For now, the only solution is to confront them.¡± ¡°I would agree with you, if you said so. Well, it doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s any other way than that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll follow you.¡± Park Soo-tae and Jo Young-hoon also sympathized with Ko Byeong-gap. Choi Min-young looked carefully and raised himself. ¡°Now then, I will tell you the precautions. Never use a gun until I give you the signal. And protect yourself.¡± ¡°You want us to protect ourselves? We can¡¯t fight like you.¡± Park Soo-tae freaked out. Ko Byeong-gap immediately went into the exnation. ¡°Yeom Jeong-hwa and I will be in charge of the battle. When the battle begins, stay away and stand at a distance. But even if you do, there¡¯s no guarantee that monsters won¡¯t jump at you. You can take care of yourself then. You didn¡¯t step into the cracks to be protected, did you?¡± ¡°¡­ I understand.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so disappointed. Aren¡¯t there situations where you¡¯re not in a position to take care of whoever?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about because I¡¯m not upset about it. That¡¯s right.¡± Park Soo-tae smacked his lips. Ko Byeong-gap turned his eyes and stared at Choi Min-young. No matter how much he thought about it, he would¡¯ve shot again if he had left him alone. ¡°Hey, you.¡± ¡°Yes, yes?¡± ¡°Remove your bullet box and carry it out.¡± ¡°Ah, you want me to remove the magazine?¡± ¡°Why? You don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not that¡­¡± ¡°Or should I do this? If I hear a shot in my ear, you¡¯ll die that day. What do you think?¡± ¡°Take it out, or I¡¯ll take it out!¡± When Ko Byeong-gap threatened, Choi Min-young trembled and removed the magazine. Yeom Jeong-hwa gave him a pitiful look. ¡°Do you have to go that far? But monsters are everywhere¡­¡± ¡°Because I can¡¯t die because of him. I didn¡¯te into the cracks just to get killed.¡± Ko Byeong-gap looked at the party. They seemed to be ready to move. ¡°Yeom Jeong-hwa, can you tell me where the boss monster is?¡± Top awakeners were basically good at karma detection. Some of those with great senses were able to specify the location of the boss monster from a few kilometers away. Unfortunately, Yeom Jeong-hwa shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s hard because there are so many monsters around. I think it¡¯s possible if we get closer.¡± ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s move.¡± The five of them began to move again. *** Twenty-eight years had passed since the outbreak of the Deep Impact, but not much had been uncovered by humanity. No. It went without saying that there were hardly any. To explore the cracks and the Back World wasn¡¯t enough, but the dungeons were scary. However, aside from the fact that scientists had a headache, hunters were able to uncover some facts. Those were valuable things that were obtained through experience, not research and reasoning. The facts were as follows¡­ First, a dungeon was terribly wide. They could never know its end. Second, there were many monsters in a dungeon. ording to the records, there was even a dungeon with more than 20,000 monsters. Third, time flowed slowly in a dungeon. Time inside flowed 24 times slower than the time outside. Ko Byeong-gap was clearly feeling those statements. It was damn wide, there were too damn many, and time flowed damn slow. -Beep. It had already been ten hours. He started the stopwatch from the moment he entered the dungeon. Also, it had just been 10 hours since he entered the dungeon. ¡®Damn it. It¡¯s only been ten hours?¡¯ It had only been 25 minutes outside. Those waiting outside couldn¡¯t even have grasped the situation. Maybe they were just loitering on their cell phone ying games just about now. They had no idea what was going on inside! Maybe 50 to 60 minutes. So, based on the dungeon time, it wouldn¡¯t take another 20 to 24 hours for them to recognize something strange. What was taking them so long when a B-ss went in? That would be their question. ¡°Whoosh, whoosh!¡± Jo Young-hoon let out a hot breath. Blood flowed from his abdomen due to the deep cut by the sword of a skeleton. Next to him, Park Soo-tae gasped. He wasn¡¯t seriously injured, but he was exhausted from fighting repeatedly. ¡°My intestines aren¡¯t damaged. It¡¯s a thousand blessings.¡± Choi Min-young congratted Jo Young-hoon by shaking his hands. Ko Byeong-gap was worried that Choi Min-young would do something stupid again. But fortunately, that didn¡¯t happen. Rather, Choi Min-young calmed down as time went by. ¡®You have resigned yourself to death.¡¯ People on the verge of death tend to be confused at first, but it became surprisingly calm beyond that chaos. If you go through such a process a few times, you could be detached even in the face of death. If Choi Min-young returned safely, he would grow even more as a hunter. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap also briefly caught his breath and looked to the side. Yeom Jeong-hwa stammered in the air with her eyes closed. After a while, she opened her eyes. Ko Byeong-gap asked straight away, ¡°Did you find it?¡± She shook her head with a stiff face and said, ¡°This is the right direction, but I can¡¯t find the specific location. There are so many distractions around here¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a break. The monster¡¯s activities have calmed down. So we¡¯ll be able to rest for a while.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡± Ko Byeong-gap decided to take a break. They had been in a battle every half an hour for the past 10 hours, and he and Yeom Jeong-hwa had killed over 500 monsters. He couldn¡¯t help but be tired. He leaned his back against the wall and sat down. Yeom Jeong-hwa sat next to him. ¡°Sigh.¡± She sighed and buried her face in her knee. She was the cleanest person there. It was all thanks to her Karma Barrier that she managed to counter all attacks aimed at her. However, that wasn¡¯t to say that she was invincible. She used up her Karma constantly, and the more she did, the more skeletal she became. He could tell she was very tired just by looking at the shade of her eyes at that time. She paused for a while and then raised her head. She then asked him the question at once. ¡°I¡¯m only asking now, but what are you really, Mr. Byeong-gap?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know? Your strength certainly doesn¡¯t belong with the lower awakeners.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap quietly swallowed his words. ¡°At first, I thought you were just cheating your rating. However, your Karma was definitely of a lower rank. So, I wondered if you might be an augmenter. There are some people like that.¡± Augmented power. It was an awakener who could temporarily amplify their Karma. It had been a long time since he heard that word. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t that either. In the first ce, you didn¡¯t even use Karma inbat.¡± ¡®Cause I¡¯m not as full of Karma as you are.¡¯ He didn¡¯t express his thoughts in words. Yeom Jeong-hwa nced at Ko Byeong-gap. There was pure curiosity on her face. ¡°If you didn¡¯t cheat your ss, and you¡¯re not an augmenter, then what the hell are you, Mr. Byeong-gap? Are you an android?¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s important.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk, then you don¡¯t have to since I don¡¯t have the right to force you to speak.¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa gave up. As Ko Byeong-gap said, it wasn¡¯t a very important topic in that situation. ¡°While we¡¯re at it, let me ask you a question. Why didn¡¯t you abandon us?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re different from us since you¡¯re a top hunter. If you were alone, you would¡¯ve been able to hide somehow and hold out until the rescue team came. But why did you choose to go with a hump on your back?¡± Yeom Jeong-hwaughed bitterly at Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s question. ¡°There¡¯s no particr reason. I just wanted to live with you all if I was going to. But, Mr. Byeong-gap, you didn¡¯t run away too, right?¡± ¡°I just decided that I would have a better chance of living next to you, Jeong-hwa.¡± ¡°So if the odds of living were low, you¡¯d abandon us?¡± ¡°The word ¡°abandon¡± is a bit misleading. I¡¯m just looking for a way to live. You¡¯re not in a position where you¡¯re the one feeding us every day, right?¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa smiled vaguely and buried her face in her knee. Ko Byeong-gap also closed his eyes for a moment. He had to get his act together so he wouldn¡¯t fall asleep. The silencested for a few minutes. It was truly like honey. But the very next moment¡­ ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Humph!¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa and Ko Byeong-gap raised their heads at the same time. The two looked in the same direction without a hitch. Yeom Jeong-hwa jumped to her feet and shouted, ¡°It¡¯s the boss!¡± Ko Byeong-gap quickly grabbed his weapon. ¡°It¡¯s so close! It¡¯s weird! I didn¡¯t feel it until a little while ago, but why?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what it is. Stand up, everyone!¡± Ko Byeong-gap ushered the crowd thatid on the floor. ¡°You can use a gun from now on. Shoot everything you see.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m finally going to pull the trigger.¡± ¡°Well, can I shoot, too?¡± ¡°Are your ears clogged? Rip on everything you see!¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± They quickly got ready. Their faces were full of determination. ¡°This way! Follow me!¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa ran with her sword in front. Ko Byeong-gap and the rest of the group rushed to follow suit until they finally saw the high ground. Chapter 27 27. Dungeon Ko Byeong-gap and his party moved quickly. The underground passageway was twisted around like a maze. Every time they passed one corner, a mob of monsters weed them. -Bang! Tadang! Gunfire went off one after another. The hunters with guns fired and retorted as if to relieve the sorrow of the past. All the monsters had their heads exploded and died. As they ran frantically, they came into a crossroad the shape of an ¡®?.¡¯ Yeom Jeong-hwa progressed well, but she suddenly stopped. ¡°Growl! Groan!¡± ¡°Kiyaaaaaaaaa!¡± ¡°Wow, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!¡± The monster flocked without a break. It was like a swarm of ants sensing pheromones. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Look around, you bastards!¡± Park Soo-Tae, Jo Young-hoon, Choi Min-young. Each of the three took charge of one ce andunched indiscriminate attacks. Even if they weren¡¯t, the loud gunshots caused resonance so much that it was almost deafening. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where do I have to go?¡± Ko Byeong-gap shouted. Yeom Jeong-hwa was just a short walk away, but it was self-evident that she wasn¡¯t the one that cried. Her voice would be buried. Yeom Jeong-hwa looked around with anxious eyes. ¡°Why did you stop? Where is it?!¡± ¡°Here!¡± ¡°What?¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa pointed to a wall. What kind of nonsense was she talking about? Ko Byeong-gap pointed to the three-way crossroad and asked again. ¡°Are you saying the boss monster is out there?¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s beyond this wall!¡± ¡°Beyond the wall?¡± ¡°There are too many monsters! They¡¯ll be pushing in soon!¡± ¡°Ah, why did you stop? Where do we have to go?¡± Choi Min-young and Park Soo-tae shouted with their backs turned. As they spoke, the monsters began to push in. Suddenly, Yeom Jeong-hwa shouted. ¡°Get away from me!¡± ¡°What did you say? Get out away from you?¡± ¡°Get back! Get back! Yes! More! More!¡± The group walked five to six steps away from Yeom Jeong-hwa. As soon as that happened, she began to shoot out huge amounts of Karma. ¡°Ahhhhh¡± Light pink Karma shot out of her entire body. Her hair rose, and the torches on the wall flew like a strong wind. She then took a stance. All her Karma rushed to her Hwando. ¡°Haaa!¡± Spurt. Yeom Jeong-hwa roared and swung her psychedelic sword. Boom boom! Boom boom! There was a roar when the Hwando hit the wall. The roar shook the entire dungeon. A cloud of dust rose, and their vision became hazy. Coughing erupted from all sides. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ Beyond the copsed wall was a cliff. Ko Byeong-gap straightened his neck out and looked down. There was a vast expanse of space. In the swarm of monsters, at the center of it was an unusual object. It was a cocoon bigger than mostrge buses. ¡®Is that a boss monster?¡¯ ¡°Jump down!¡± As soon as she finished speaking, Yeom Jeong-hwa jumped. The height was more than 8 to 9 meters, but she made no hesitation. Ko Byeong-gap followed suit immediately, and although with a frown, the rest of the hunters went on a death dive. If they were ordinary people, they would¡¯ve screamed, but it was manageable because they were hunters. ¡°Mr. Byeong-gap, fight the boss with me! The rest of you, please take charge of the subordinate monsters!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Please get it over with!¡± ¡°Everyone, watch your head!¡± Jo Young-hoon said so as he took a grenade out of his suspenders and threw it into the copsed wall. The next moment, there was a massive explosion near the wall. The debris and monster remnants sttered in all directions. The wallpletely copsed and blocked the entrance. It blocked additional iing monsters. ¡®He¡¯s experienced. He¡¯s pretty good.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap admired Jo Young-hoon¡¯s judgment, but the shadow of death still covered them. There were 200 monsters there. Ko Byeong-gap took off all the equipment that was on him and held only his sword. ¡°Mr. Byeong-gap, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yes, don¡¯t shoot me in the back of the head!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that and get the boss!¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa and Ko Byeong-gap sprang out like spring. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Get out!¡± ¡°Kuk!¡± He cut a Spider Monster and a w Ghoul with a single sh. As soon as that happened, a spear went for his temple. He bent down quickly and looked to the side. It was a Skeleton Soldier. ¡°Woooo!¡± He swung his sword horizontally and separated his enemy¡¯s waist. Looking forward again, a Sand Golem was raising its hands. Before Ko Byeong-gap could respond, Yeom Jeong-hwa split the Sand Golem vertically. The two exchanged nces briefly and then teased their feet toward the cocoon. ¡°Keeeek!¡± ¡°Woooooooo!¡± ¡°Oh, shit!¡± The monsters obstinately blocked the front. It was clear they were trying to protect the cocoon. des, tentacles, fists. All kinds of attacks flew in. Ko Byeong-gap cut, dodged, and hit to move forward. A mountain of corpses piled up on either side. Tada Tada Tada Tadadadada! ¡°Kueeek!¡± Gunshots, screams, groans, shouts. That ce, mixed with all kinds of noise, was simply a mess. If hell existed, it would be there. Yeom Jeong-hwa once again gathered Karma. Kicking the ground, she swung the Hwando wide. Monsters flew everywhere as if a huge invisible pir had beaten them. She jumped high. She was going to aim for the cocoon at once. However, as soon as she did, dozens of spears flew into the sky. All skeleton Soldiers attacked in unison. ¡°Ugh!¡± There was no damage thanks to her Karma Barrier, but her advance was blocked. After shended, she red at the cocoon with bitter eyes. ¡®Dangerous!¡¯ The Karma emitted by the cocoon had already surpassed the B-ss level. Whatever was in that cocoon, there was a high probability that they wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it once it hatched. Moreover, the growth rate of the cocoon was elerating every moment. ¡®Is that why all of a sudden the signs were amplified? We need to get rid of it. It¡¯ll hatch soon.¡¯ Yeom Jeong-hwa¡¯s mind became nervous. ¡°Argh!¡± Meanwhile, there was a cold scream in the background. A w Ghoul caught Park Soo-tae. The Ghoul shot a bunch of tentacles at Park Soo-tae¡¯s body. ¡°Hey, man, hey, hey!¡± Choi Min-young fired a series of shots with a face mixed with fear and anger. The Ghoul reassembled a hive filled with holes. Click! ¡°Gasp! Gasp! Now, load up¡­ Ahhhhh!¡± A Skeleton Soldier swung its giant blunt weapon. Choi Min-young came to his senses and rolled around the floor, while his arm that got hit was bent at a bizarre angle. ¡°Argh! Arms! My arms! Argh!¡± ¡°Calm down, there¡¯s a potion in your backpack! Take it out and drink it!¡± Jo Young-hoon protected Choi Min-young. He calmly fired a shot and shook off the approaching monster. ¡°Humph! Humph! Humph!¡± Choi Min-young shed tears and opened his backpack. The hand that picked up the potion shook. He used only one hand to pick the cap off the potion. When he managed to open the cap, Jo Young-hoon fell right next to him. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± ¡°Cough!¡± Jo Young-hoon¡¯s side burst. It was a wound from the tail of the scorpion monster, the Scorpion Lava. ¡®What a mess!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap saw the situation behind him and gritted his teeth. There were too many monsters concentrated in the closed ce. The lower awakeners gave up their distance too easily, and hordes of monsters helplessly attacked them. If left as they were, they would be wiped out in less than five minutes. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes moved fast. The monsters became a huge wall and blocked Ko Byeong-gap and Yeom Jeong-hwa. To make matters worse, Yeom Jeong-hwa wasn¡¯t in good condition since she had consumed too much Karma. There was no hope of buying more time. Ko Byeong-gap made a decision and ran toward Yeom Jeong-hwa. He sprayed his sword and killed two monsters at once. Yeom Jeong-hwa exhaled a harsh breath and looked up at Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Jeong-hwa, open the way!¡± ¡°But the monsters¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t open it! You have to open it!¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa¡¯s eyes trembled for a moment. It wasn¡¯t long before she nodded solemnly. ¡°I¡¯ll open the way!¡± She released Karma once again and had drawn all the Karma in her body. She curled up, and her figure was like a beast on the verge of hitting its prey. Ko Byeong-gap quickly hid behind her. ¡°Haaaaaaaa!¡± At that moment, Yeom Jeong-hwa sprinted. It wasn¡¯t the speed at which Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes could track. Suddenly, all the monsters ahead scattered. Not a part of them didn¡¯t fall apart. Not a limb or neck. The front was hollowed out. It was as if a huge chariot had pushed past it. ¡°Mr. Byeong-gap, please¡­¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa copsed. She was exhausted from pulling out her power forcibly. Ko Byeong-gap immediately teased his leg. ¡®More! More! Faster!¡¯ He concentrated his energy on the muscles of his legs. In an instant, the muscles swelled noticeably. Although temporary, he was able to gain momentum that couldpare to the top awakeners. Ko Byeong-gap jumped up. He saw the cocoon right away. Ko Byeong-gap never stopped sending Karma to his long sword. His Karma was insignificant. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t dream of gaining momentum by wearing a Karma Barrier or exploding Karma like Yeom Jeong-hwa. However, his Karma was enough to fit his long sword. A light blue karma enveloped the de. ¡®I¡¯m stabbing you deep!¡¯ That time, he amplified the muscles in his arm. He sped the sword upside down and fell. Chorak! The tip of the knife hit the cocoon. It then broke through the cocoon¡¯s outer shell. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t distract his concentration until the very end. After a while, something caught the tip of his sword. ¡°Argh!¡± Soon, a shattering scream was heard. Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! The de prated something hard. Ko Byeong-gap stirred the de with all his might. Whether it was the head of the monster or its body, he intended to cut its flesh. ¡°Scramble! Scramble! Don¡¯t live! Scramble!¡± Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s arms moved non-stop. He mangled like a madman as he sliced and sliced and sliced again. ¡°Kra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra!¡± ¡°Cough!¡± Suddenly, the pain came. He was beaten by something and flew dozens of meters away. He looked ahead even though he was distraught from pain. Something huge popped out of the cocoon¡¯s shell. It was two arms. ¡®What the fuck!¡¯ It was the owner of that dungeon, which was a giant spider-human, the Queen Arachne. A grotesque monster with a spider leg and the torso of a human woman. In terms of appearance alone, it resembled a w Ghoul, but its strength and size were different. Queen Arachne¡¯s rating was B-rank, but there was a bigger problem. That monster was over 6 meters tall and was ssified as a superrge ss. Even with just one leg, it was the size of an electric pole, and its bloated arms that made even those legs look thin was the highlight. ¡°Argh!¡± The Queen Arachne roared. She wasn¡¯t in a normal state either. Its head and body were like a rag because Ko Byeong-gap had cut her into pieces. Furthermore, the perfection of her body was also lowered as it hatched earlier than expected. Its underdeveloped legs couldn¡¯t withstand her mass and were crushed. The other parts were also sloppy, like melted chocte. However, the situation was still the worst. Yeom Jeong-hwaid face down without movement. Park Soo-tae, Cho Young-hoon, and Choi Min-young had also copsed on one side. Everyone was unconscious. To make matters worse, the subordinate monsters continued to stand in front of the Queen Arachne. ¡®I¡¯ve been attacking it, but it¡¯s still as good as I am?¡¯ ¡°Darn it!¡± With his current energy, it was impossible to prate the meat shield and reach the Queen Arachne. However¡­ There was no opening for him to attack, but that wasn¡¯t it. Without eyes to see, he took out hisst resort. ¡°Whoa.¡± He took his breath and screamed, ¡°Turka! Kiriyan! Dorma! Get out of here now!¡± The door to Ashvm opened. There appeared three Goblins like lightning. They looked around in surprise. ¡°Lord, what the hell is going on here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to exin. Listen to me!¡± ¡°Yes, Lord!¡± ¡°Kiriyan, Dorma. Intercept that big bastard with the strongest attack you can and Turka¡­¡± ¡°Say it! Say it!¡± ¡°Can you hold me and leap to where that monster bastard is?¡± ¡°No problem, no problem!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s get started!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Kiriyan and Dorma concentrated their strength. Kiriyan fired a huge arrow of lightning, while Dorma summoned a dark sphere condensed with Karma. Turka immediately picked up Ko Byeong-gap. After that, he crouched down and prepared to leap forward. ¡°Shoot!¡± Ko Byeong-gap cried. The thunder arrow and dark sphere were shot in harmony. At the same time, Turka stamped his foot and jumped high. ¡°Kyaaaah!¡± The thunder arrow baked the Queen Arachne. Before she coulde to her senses, the dark sphere flew in and hit her torso. A tearing scream echoed through the vast space. ¡°Turka! Throw me!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Turka, who jumped high, threw Ko Byeong-gap and flew with tremendous momentum. He squeezed hisst power and wrapped Karma around his sword. The Queen Arachne immediately tried to defend with her arms closed, but¡­ Whoo! Whack! Kiriyan and Dorma immediately intercepted her arm. The thunder arrow and dark sphere each took charge of one arm. The Queen Arachne¡¯s arm lost strength and fell and revealed her torso. ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!!!¡± It was a desperate shout. The world stopped for a moment, and when it began to flow again, fresh blood sttered and sprinkled in all directions. ¡°Kkkkkkkasp! The Queen Arachne¡¯s torso was cut in half. The giant spider¡¯s body copsed and crushed her monsters, and after a while, an escape portal opened. Hell was over. *** ¡°Hmm?¡± Kim Tae-yong, dispatched from the association, felt his backbone grew cold. So he turned around and looked at the crack behind his back. People wereing out. ¡®Are they finally done?¡¯ Such carefree thoughts were short-lived. ¡°Uh, huh? What, what is this?!¡± A man rushed out and carried four people at once. It was the D-ss hunter, Ko Byeong-gap. However, their condition was strange. The rest were unconscious, and Ko Byeong-gap was the only one who maintained consciousness. Even he was on the verge of fainting, Ko Byeong-gap barely said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Potion¡­ Get me a potion!¡° Ko Byeong-gap bowed forward and left those words behind. The faces of those waiting were shocked. ¡°Emergency team! Emergency team!¡± ¡°Emergency team,e on! Come on!¡± Members of the association had to make a scene. The five hunters, who had been deployed for the subjugation, were immediately taken to hospital after receiving first aid. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. Chapter 28 28. Junction ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Prose Guild, B-ss Hunter Yeom Jeong-hwa. She opened her eyes and felt the sun that shone over the blinds. As she stood up, a slight headache came upon her. ¡®This is¡­ a hospital.¡¯ She nced at the room she was in. Bed, IV, patient clothes, etc. There were many indicators to tell her that that was a hospital. There was no one else since it was a single room. ¡®If I¡¯m still alive¡­ Does that mean that Mr. Byeong-gap did it?¡¯ She recalled the past for a moment. Monsters poured in like exploding water¡­ A storm of noise¡­ A huge cocoon¡­ And the final charge¡­ She had also been in A-rank cracks before, but that was the first time she pushed herself to the limit. At any rate, it was obvious that it was her worst subjugation of all time. ¡®What the hell was that?¡¯ Yeom Jeong-hwa found a strange part in her fragmented memory. It was a scene that she vaguely saw in her repeated fainting and waking up. Three Goblins were around Ko Byeong-gap, and they fought together with him. She saw it in a very brief moment, and her memory was foggy because her body and mind were out of order. Did she just see it incorrectly? Or was it the C-ss hunters that she entered the dungeon with? Creek! Suddenly, a nurse opened the door and came in. The nurse¡¯s eyes grew when she saw the conscious Yeom Jeong-hwa. ¡°Oh, my. You¡¯re awake.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡± ¡°Huhu. Wait a minute. Let me check.¡± The nurse skillfully touched the medical equipment. She didn¡¯te there in urgency, but she seemed to be doing a routine check. ¡°How long have I been asleep?¡± ¡°Well, it hasn¡¯t been a day, has it? You were brought in around noon yesterday.¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa looked reflexively at the wall clock. It was 11:16 am. ¡°You had no major injuries. You have some severe symptoms of overwork and exhaustion, but you¡¯re in a better conditionpared to the people who came with you.¡± ¡°What happened to them? Is everyone alive?¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa asked urgently. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. Their conditions are not life-threatening. However, one person may retire¡­ Huh? Patient, you can¡¯t do that!¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa grabbed the IV needle stuck in her arm and ripped it off. The nurse was startled and immediately intervened, but the needle had already been pulled out. ¡°Where¡¯s their hospital room? Let me know!¡± ¡°Oh my gosh¡­¡± The nurse told her the room where the others stayed. Yeom Jeong-hwa hurried over there. They were in a 4-person ward. Yeom Jeong-hwa grabbed the handle with a trembling heart. ¡°Whoa.¡± She took a deep breath and opened the door. She saw the neatly organized hospital room at a nce. Four beds, but there were only three people. ¡°Hmm? Oh, B-ssdy. You¡¯re awake.¡± Park Soo-tae, who was drinking from the refrigerator next to the door, greeted her. He had bandages all over his body, but his appearance was somewhat awkward. There was only one arm. ¡°Soo¡­ Soo-tae¡¯s arms¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, this?¡± Park Soo-tae casually raised his right shoulder. ¡°Some bastard took it. I was unlucky. Did it have to take my arm? Gee.¡± Park Soo-tae gulped down his orange juice while he said that. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯ve kept my life in exchange for an arm.¡± ¡°Are the others alright?¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa looked at Jo Young-hoon and Choi Min-young. Jo Young-hoon punctured his lungs and was told that he needed to be rehabilitated for a while. Choi Min-young suffered major fractures to his arm and neck, but it was said that no amount of treatment could allow him to go back to work again. And¡­ ¡°The D-ss guy went out this morning.¡± ¡°Oh, he went out this morning? You mean he¡¯s been discharged?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The strange thing is that he was clean with no scars.¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa forgot her words. ¡°I heard what the guild said. They said he carried us out. What aplete monster.¡± ¡°I have a question for you.¡± ¡°Huh? To me?¡± ¡°To everyone here.¡± The attention of the three was focused on Yeom Jeong-hwa. ¡°Are you the one who killed the boss monster with Mr. Byeong-gap?¡± The group had question marks on their faces. ¡°What kind of question is that?¡± ¡°Boss monster? Well, I fainted then, so I didn¡¯t even see the boss monster¡­¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t defeat the dungeon boss, did you?¡± Park Soo-tae, Choi Min-young, and Jo Young-hoon also responded that they didn¡¯t know. Yeom Jeong-hwa answered with a short sigh. ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who defeated the boss monster. I also fainted halfway through.¡± ¡°Uh? Did the B-ss guy also pass out? So you mean he even killed the boss monster? Huh. I don¡¯t know if he really is a monster or not.¡± ¡°Who the hell is he? Is he really D-ss?¡± Choi Min-young trembled. In his memory, Ko Byeong-gap was a fearsome creature. Jo Young-hoon raised his upper body and said, ¡°I guess he lied about his grade. Didn¡¯t you all see it? What D-ss could have a power like that?¡± ¡°But his Karma was like ours, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s good at hiding it. If you¡¯re an assassin hunter, hiding your Karma would be nothing.¡± ¡°Hey, is that so?¡± ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t make sense for a D-ss hunter to have that kind of power unless it¡¯s a lie. He was almost as good as a B-ss hunter.¡± Park Soo-tae nodded and agreed, while Choi Min-young still had a puzzled face. ¡°But why did he cheat on his rating?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know, but maybe it was just for fun.¡± ¡°Fun?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be pretty fun to pretend to be a junior and make fun of a real junior like us?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± For the three C-ss people, they seemed to conclude that Ko Byeong-gap must¡¯ve deceived his grade. However¡­ ¡®No.¡¯ Yeom Jeong-hwa was confident. Ko Byeong-gap was a D-ss. Of course, as Jo Young-hoon said, some hunters were good at hiding their Karma, and they could look as low-level as one could be on the surface. However, Yeom Jeong-hwa saw the light blue Karma on the de clearly. It was a low-level color and was infallibly poor. Furthermore, no matter how good an assassin he was, it was impossible to hide Karma during intense battles. ¡®In the first ce, he didn¡¯t even use Karma inbat.¡¯ What Ko Byeong-gap had was mastery. ¡®Should I go find him and see?¡¯ That thought urred to her for a second, but she shook her head. ¡®No, if we¡¯re meant to know each other, we¡¯ll meet again.¡¯ ¡°Then rest. I hope you get well soon.¡± ¡°Get some rest too, B-ssdy. Let¡¯s say hello when we run into each other on the streetter. We almost crossed the Jordan River together.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do that.¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa left the hospital room afterward. Back in her room, she shook off all her thoughts and slept like a corpse. *** ¡°Well. You came right in.¡± Ko Byeong-gap looked into his virtual ount and nodded his head. -Korea Hunter Association Deposit: 4,500,000? 4.5 million won was deposited to him as an emergency subjugation reward. The amount was 3 million won higher than the originally nned 1.5 million won. However, there was nopensation from the fact that the crack was not identified as a dungeon. That was because the association didn¡¯t admit it was their mistake. ¡®It was impossible to figure out because it was a in the observations.¡¯ The association was a bummer. In the mandatory documents filled out before participating in the emergency subjugation, terms that thoroughly defended the association were clearly stated for every possible scenario. ¡®You bastards! D-rank crack? It was a damn B-rank dungeon!¡¯ However, there was no useining about that. It was annoying, but he decided to let it go. Even if he went to court on that matter, there was no way he could win against such arge group, and whatever the case, at least he came back in one piece, so that was it. ¡°Wow, I feel refreshed after getting an IV.¡± The Prose Guild paid the hospitalization fee. He wished he could be in the hospital for a few days. However, he got out of the hospital quickly. There was no particr reason, but the hospital meal just didn¡¯t suit his taste. As soon as he left the hospital, he hit a cold bowl of soup. After he finished eating, he smoked a cigarette in the smoking area attached to the restaurant. The cigarette taste was bad. ¡°Whoa. Now I have to go back to Seoul.¡± He had aplished his goal of collecting 300 goblins, so he had no more reason to be out there. On top of that, his pockets were full of reward money. Cigarette smoke then filled the air. Ko Byeong-gap thought that cigarette smoke resembled the Queen Arachne. ¡®If that monster bastard had been in perfect condition, I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to win.¡¯ It was pure luck that he was able to kill the Queen Arachne. The situation had multiple help from the Goblins? He shouldn¡¯t be arrogant since he somehow managed to defeat a B-ss crack. ¡®Let¡¯s not get distracted. I haven¡¯t reached the top yet.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap told himself this many times. He went to the ce where he parked his car. On the far side of the apartmentplex, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s car was parked. The summer heat heated the inside of the car. So he ran the car with the four windows wide open. The sultry air gave it such a fine vor. He arrived in Seoul after 2 hours and 30 minutes. What he was carrying was heavy. There was a mountain of ramen, snacks, and pork in his car, which he bought for the Goblins. ¡®Now that there are more than 300 people, we won¡¯t be able to have dinner parties often.¡¯ When there were about 100 of them, he got excited and bought them pork hind legs once in a while. The next day when he sobered up, his pocket was lonely, but it wasn¡¯t an amount he couldn¡¯t afford. However, he couldn¡¯t handle more than 300 citizens. If he wanted to have a get-together, he would break a million won. If they did it as often as before, he would go broke. ¡®But let¡¯s try to do it at least once a month.¡¯ Maybe someday they could have a beef dinner. Ko Byeong-gap thought about it and smiled. He unpacked and washed his weary body. After he changed into casual clothes, he took the items he had bought and went to Ashvm. ¡®It¡¯s still peaceful here.¡¯ ¡°Hmmm? L-Lord?¡± ¡°Lord!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Lord, sir!¡± The Goblins, who worked in the field, came running around after they spotted Ko Byeong-gap. There was sadness in their crying voices. ¡°Lord, sir, are you feeling well?¡± ¡°Lord! Why! Yesterday! He didn¡¯te!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯te. I was worried!¡± ¡°No, I got an IV yesterday at the hospital.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Lord! Lord is here!¡± Suddenly, a cry was heard from the cave. After a while, the Goblins burst out. It was like discharging a dam. ¡°Lord, sir!¡± ¡°Oh, Gobung, Gobung, Gobung. It¡¯s only one day.¡± ¡°The body. Are you okay? I heard that you were hurt!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t too bad, man. Why? Were you worried?¡± ¡°Of course! I do!¡± ¡°What the¡­¡± It felt good. It was pretty gratifying that someone cared about him. ¡°Lord. Greetings from Dorma.¡± ¡°Oh, Dorma. Did you sleep well?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. How have you been sinceing to Ashvm? No. Let¡¯s talk about thatter. Come on, pay attention! Everyone be quiet!¡± For a moment, the bustling Ashvm became calm. ¡°Gobung, have you eaten yet?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t eat!¡± Ko Byeong-gap shouted with a big smile, ¡°Good. I¡¯m done for the day! Now that new family is in, let¡¯s have a feast!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hey, guys. Shouldn¡¯t you be shouting at this time? I told you to be quiet, but not like that.¡± ¡°Oh! We¡­ We didn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have good senses. Hmm. I¡¯ll do it again, so react properly.¡± Ko Byeong-gap gathered his breath and shouted again, ¡°Since we have new members in our family, let¡¯s have a feast!¡± ¡°Wow, wah!¡± ¡°Go and put water in the pot! Let me spread the menu for you today.¡± ¡°Eh, menu?¡± ¡°Maybe your eyes will open. Hehe.¡± The Goblins stopped working and prepared for the feast. They grilled meat, cooked ramen, and served snacks and drinks. It wasn¡¯t the best food for a feast, but what about it? As long as the party was good. ¡°Don¡¯t pick it up with your hands because it¡¯s hot.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Hey. Eat a lot.¡± ¡°Thank you for the meal!¡± The Goblins scurried away at the food. ¡°It¡¯s so delicious!¡± ¡°Lick! It¡¯s good! What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Cough! Spicy! But it¡¯s good!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have an upset stomach. Eat slowly.¡± Ko Byeong-gap happily watched the Goblins eat. Just looking at them eat was enough for him to feel full, and he wasn¡¯t very hungry in the first ce. He walked over to Dorma while he sipped a beer. He then sat down on his ass next to Dorma. ¡°Lord, sir, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Eat.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to eat together?¡± ¡°Uh. I ate. How does the food suit your taste?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve never had such delicious food in my life.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Ko Byeong-gap gulped down the beer. ¡°Gulp¡­ Okay, how do you feel about being in Ashvm? Can you trust me a little now?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Dorma¡¯s face became solemn. He suddenly shook his head. ¡°Please forgive me for the rudeness of the past!¡± ¡°Hey! Why are you suddenly doing this while eating? Raise your head.¡± ¡°I misjudged. Lord is a much better man than I thought.¡± ¡°Oh, stop it.¡± Ko Byeong-gap only drank beer with no embarrassment. Dorma looked up while his tears welled up, and were about to burst into tears. He nced at the goblins and said, ¡°I never knew that my people could have such a happy expression on their face.¡± ¡°¡­ Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes, we always had to be angry to survive. I thoughtughter was just a luxury.¡± ¡°There will be more things tough about in the future.¡± After a moment¡¯s pause, Ko Byeong-gap said, ¡°Listening to you, I thought a lot, too. It might be embarrassing for you to think that I¡¯m the Lord, someone who isn¡¯t even a Goblin.¡± ¡°Please forget about that. It¡¯s a slip of the tongue.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re not wrong.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Right. I can¡¯t promise much. At least it can help you sleep with your back to a warm ce, without starving, without getting hurt. There¡¯s a lot I¡¯mcking, but this is my best shot right now.¡± ¡°Humph! Humph!¡± Dorma burst into tears. Ko Byeong-gap patted him on the shoulder. ¡°What is it with your crying?¡± ¡°Hik¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Everyone is working hard. Then one day, Ashvm will be back to its old self. I¡¯ll try harder, too.¡± ¡°The Lord already loves us enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, man. I can¡¯t help but feel embarrassed when I hear your sniffing.¡± Ko Byeong-gap emptied the can of beer, but it didn¡¯t even cross his liver. He should drink soju instead. ¡°Wee to Ashvm anyway. There¡¯s a lot of work for you to do in the future.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll work until my body breaks.¡± ¡°Yes. Eat and enjoy today. Let go of the gloomy past.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± The firewood was burning. The mes showed a different appearance every moment. Yes, all life was like a me. Everyone burned in different shapes, but in the end, they all turned into the same ashes. ¡®An intense me with no regrets.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap and the 324 Goblin made the same promise in their hearts that day. They would burn with no regrets. Chapter 29 29. Linkage ¡°Is it one, one or two? If it¡¯s two, it¡¯s not two or three. Three is three¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap walked around Ashvm while he sang a Korean song tranted into the Goblinnguage. As he skimmed through the 300-acre farnd, the sprouts were budding. It was a sight to behold. ¡°If it¡¯s a potato, why would it be a sweet potato? If it¡¯s a sweet potato, why would it be a goblin?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°Lord, what did you say?¡± ¡°What do I say? You are stupid, what can I do?¡± The Normal Goblin, who watered the potato field, pouted his lips. ¡°Chi¡­¡± ¡°Huh. Put your lips in. Before I cut it off.¡± ¡°Heeep!¡± The Normal Goblin hurriedly rolled in its lips. Heughed a little because he thought it was funny. Ko Byeong-gap carried his back and walked slowly. He went to the cave. Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang! ¡°Oh, my Lord. Are you here?¡± ¡°Uh, what¡¯s hot, Gobung.¡± ¡°H-hot?¡± Gobung tilted his head. ¡°Yeah. Did anything special happen with your work?¡± ¡°Yeah! Nothing. I don¡¯t have any.¡± ¡°Hey. I left a drink in the icebox outside, so take it out and drink it.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Gobung bowed his head and resumed using his pickaxe. Ko Byeong-gap scoured the cave like a patrolling inspector. ¡®I didn¡¯t know there was such a space deep in the cave.¡¯ He smiled, pleased at the tall ceiling. Three weeks ago, Ashvm had a family of 324. It was a good thing that the number of workers increased, but Ko Byeong-gap faced one difficulty. The cave was too narrow to amodate more than 300 Goblins. It could handle up to a hundred, but more than that was too much. When he put them into other tasks, it was like having ten people do the work that one person did. He couldn¡¯t believe there was a job shortage in Ashvm. It happened while he struggled with how to deal with the remaining swarm of unemployed citizens. -Lord¡­ Lord! The cave! -What¡¯s wrong with the cave? -The cave has copsed! -What? Indeed, he still felt his heart beating when he recalled that time. He ran frantically to the cave. He was worried about what terrible sight awaited him. However, the scene was quite different from what was expected. -What¡­ It was true that one wall of the cave had been torn down. There was debris, and some of the Goblins were slightly injured, but it wasn¡¯t a situation deserving to be called a ¡®disaster.¡¯ Rather, it was a positive factor. The cave wall copsed and revealed a vast space beyond imagination. The ceiling reached tens of meters high and was the size of a football field. What about 300 people? It could amodate 1,000 people. Not only that, in addition to the red crystals, there were also white jade crystals with ten times the value of red crystals! ¡°Lord sir, let me pass.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, yeah. You¡¯re working hard, man.¡± ¡°No.¡± The Hob Goblin answered with gantry. He headed outside with a cart mixed with white jade crystals and red crystals. ¡®Shall we build a railroad trackter?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap came out thinking about how to decorate Ashvm. He went to his own tent. He sat on the sofa and enjoyed the sound of the water and the wind. Well, that was nothing new. ¡®Ancient Shop¡¯ [Ancient Shop] -Construction -Techniques ¨C Misceneous Goods -Others [Crystals on Hand: 370,496] ¡°Hey¡­¡± Three hundred thousand. A whopping three hundred seventy thousand. He saved it for three weeks without spending a penny. A Goblin could mine about 20 crystals in a day. Among them, the ratio of white jade crystal was half, so the value for performance exceeded 100. Although it the daily yield fluctuated between 27,000 and 33,000. ¡°By the way, where should I use this?¡± He was plentiful with crystals, but whenever he used it, he somehow hesitated. That was why he didn¡¯t use it for three weeks. ¡°With a little more crystals, we could buy the Explorer¡¯s g or a female Goblin.¡± The explorer¡¯s g and the female goblin each cost 500,000 crystals. One or four more days and one of them woulde to life. ¡°But it¡¯s very vague.¡± They would need both the explorer¡¯s g and female Goblins someday. In the end, it was something he had to buy. However, not right at the moment. Explorer¡¯s g? They weren¡¯t prepared enough to go out through the fog. Female Goblin? Buying one now was useless. ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t waste your money on it. Let¡¯s save it. I¡¯ll live well if I save it.¡± It would take a lot of money to build walls and buildings in the future. If he used up crystals without thinking, he might have trouble when he needed them. He bought a bottle of growth potion from the ancient shop and drank it. He drank one a day, like taking supplements those days. Of course, there had been little physical change at that point. He used to feel like he was going from 10 to 100, but it felt like he was going from 100 to 100.5 these days. It was a pity that the medicine didn¡¯t work well, but one thing was for sure. He was getting stronger. *** Ko Byeong-gap rested his chin and looked at the bonfire. The embers were dying out. He reached out and picked up a piece of dry firewood and threw it into the campfire. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m getting more organized.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t help you enough.¡± ¡°No, thanks to you, I learned a lot.¡± Ko Byeong-gap habitually bit the cigarette in his mouth. He lit up and sucked it in deeply. He then slowly brooded over the stories he had heard. ¡®It¡¯s a strange story.¡¯ Darkness descended on Ashvm. Ko Byeong-gap called Dorma to his private tent and had an in-depth conversation. The subject of the conversation was clear. It was about their race and Ashvm. That was what the Goblin Shaman, Dorma, told him. It started with their origins. -Crack. Lord, you call it a crack. We don¡¯t have a name for it. Well, as Lord said, the name doesn¡¯t really matter. You asked where and what we did before we were in the crack? Unfortunately, I have nothing to answer for because I don¡¯t remember. Dorma replied that he didn¡¯t remember. The phenomenon was said to be simr to a dream. Just as a dream he would have the previous day that would be quickly forgotten the next morning, their memories beforeing to the crack were forgotten quickly. The only thing left in his head at best was a very fragmented memory. Moreover, he added that even such fragments felt distant as if they were hundreds of years ago. Ko Byeong-gap asked him to tell him anything that came to mind, and Dorma replied. -Myst memory is¡­ I was¡­ No, we were running away. I can¡¯t think of what I was being chased by. -Are you saying that you¡¯ve been chased by monsters or something? -Well¡­ I don¡¯t even know if it was real or not. One thing¡¯s for sure: we were terrified. What came to mind was the memory of running away. Ko Byeong-gap wanted more in-depth content but couldn¡¯t get any more stories out. He then talked about Ashvm and the Goblin Lord. Fortunately, the memory of the past might¡¯ve been erased, but his knowledge remained. Thanks to it, Ko Byeong-gap could hear more details than before. -Ashvm had already been destroyed since the ancestors of my ancestors. That¡¯s why Ashvm was a kind of legend to my generation. Nevertheless, my people always dreamed of returning to Ashvm. To be honest, I¡¯ve never even seen Ahsvm, but I could feel it as soon as I came here. -That¡­ This is Ashvm? -Yes, I felt like I was back home. A hometown I¡¯ve never been to. -What is a Goblin Lord? -The Goblin Lord is the same as Ashvm. Legend, superstition, myth¡­ That¡¯s what the Lord was for us. One difference was that the Goblin Lord has existed in our generation. -You had a lord other than me? -Of course. I have a vague memory of the Lord. He was also a Goblin Lord that appeared for the first time in centuries, but he was ill. He didn¡¯t have a mighty power or the virtues to lead his people. He passed away and was very inexperienced, and for the next few decades, the Lord¡¯s seat was vacant. I thought I would never see the Lord again in my lifetime. But then, you, Lord, showed up. -I was able to be the Goblin Lord thanks to a Goblin Shaman named Oddick. Do you happen to know him? -Oddick? Oddick¡­ Dorma recalled the name Oddick for a long time. He shook his head in the end. -I don¡¯t know. Since Ashvm¡¯s fall, the people have been scattered throughout the continent. That¡¯s why people of even our own kind look different. It¡¯s the result of adapting to the environment we live in. Ko Byeong-gap understood right away. There were Giant Goblins, Albino Goblins, Beast Goblins, etc. The long story ended there. So, back to the present. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. I¡¯m hungry.¡± The cigarette burned out before he knew it. He threw the butts into the campfire. Something shed across his mind when he was about to clean up. ¡°Oh, and there¡¯s one more thing I wanted to ask. Why don¡¯t you guys have any women?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of the curse on the Goblins,¡± Dorma answered immediately. ¡®Curse?¡¯ The word ¡®curse¡¯ was familiar to him. He remembered seeing it somewhere. He immediately opened the ancient shop and read the entry about the ¡®Female Goblin.¡¯ [Female Goblin] -Price: 500,000 Crystal -Description: A female goblin who became extinct by a curse. It has a breeding function and can give birth to females. ¡®Right. It was said that they became extinct by a curse.¡¯ He asked and closed the shop window, ¡°What the hell kind of curse made all females extinct?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know why the curse was ced on us. Only the story of Asvhm¡¯s rapid decline after the disappearance of the Female Goblins was handed down to us.¡± ¡°You mean there were no Female Goblins before Ashvm was destroyed?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Then how were you born?¡± Ko Byeong-gap felt like he could ask such a question. Dorma answered bluntly, ¡°We were born with the magic of our predecessor.¡± ¡°Magic?¡± ¡°Yes. When an old Goblin dies, it is reborn through magic.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s possible? That¡¯s amazing! Then we don¡¯t need a female? Can you do it?¡± Dorma¡¯s expression hardened. He shook his head heavily and said, ¡°It¡¯s not a great thing.¡± ¡°Why? It sounds great.¡± ¡°Goblins, born through magic, be inferior over the generations.¡± Ko Byeong-gap tilted his head and didn¡¯t understand Dorma¡¯s words, but a secondter, he let out a startling exmation. ¡°Come on, you¡¯re not¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Dorma looked at the campsite with a mournful look. ¡°You may not know. Those poor children are no different from animals.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re getting inferior over the generations. They get smaller and smaller, and their power gets weaker and weaker. Our appearance bes ugly, and our nature bes simple. The change has reached a point where they can¡¯t even speak properly.¡± Ko Byeong-gap swallowed his words. He felt goosebumps all over his body. ¡®Fuck¡­¡¯ He thought that the Normal Goblins had a cute charm so far. Poor tone, small size, child-like innocence¡­ but it was a product of a terrible curse. Degradation. The regression of evolution. From an intelligent body to a beast¡­ What in the world was more terrible than that? By analogy, a Normal Goblin was a patient with severe dementia. ¡°And did you ask me if I could do that spell? No, I can¡¯t. The technique has also be inferior as the species be more inferior.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Ko Byeong-gap felt dizzy in his head. Suddenly, his electrocuted spine became cold. ¡®Go, the ancient shop!¡¯ He opened the shop window like a possessed man. ¡®That¡¯s what happened!¡¯ He was wide awake. He looked into the ¡®Seed of Enlightenment¡¯ under the category of ¡®Others.¡¯ [Seed of Enlightenment] -Price: 10,000,000 Crystals -Description: Seed of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. It contains the spirit of a race that bought the wrath of God and eventually lost its wisdom. When the world tree sprouts, the long-standing aspirations of the race can be fulfilled. ¡®They lost their wisdom in the wrath of God!¡¯ It felt like the link was currentlypleted. God¡¯s curse¡­ The result of the extinction of Female Goblins¡­ With the power of magic, they somehow escaped extinction, but the price was wisdom. ¡°Lord, sir, are you alright? You don¡¯t look well.¡± ¡°¡­ Uh, it¡¯s okay. Dorma, you should go rest now. You did a great job talking today.¡± ¡°Okay. Have a nice night,¡± Dorma said, then left. He looked up at the sky with a cigarette in his mouth. There were countless stars in the night sky. ¡°Whoa.¡± Cigarette smoke scattered through the clear sky. ¡°To save the cursed race. It¡¯s not something that can be solved by simply raising a few buildings.¡± It was truly a thought-provoking night. Chapter 30 30. Attack Squad Those who gathered to subdue a crack were called subjugation teams. There, the lower and upper subjugation teams had quite different nuances. There were no such things as a role group in the lower world since one person did the same thing as the other. The C and F-ss were simr, and they knew how to do things simrly. On the other hand, role groups were standardized in the upper world: dealer, healer, and tank. Each of the three roles above had different personalities, and of course, they did different things. Furthermore, each role group also had several branches. Dealers were basically divided into melee dealers and ranged dealers. From there, they were again divided into an assassin type, a warrior type, and a wizard type. Tanks were divided into crowd tanks, dedicated tanks, and aggro tanks that attracted the attention of monsters. Healers were ssified as eitherbat-type healers who directly participated in battle or support-type healers who supported the rear. Therefore, in the upper world, the unique name of ¡®Attack Squad¡¯ was used instead of the word subjugation. He brought that up out of the blue since Ko Byeong-gap nned to have his own attack squad. ¡®Hmmm¡­ This should be enough.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap nned the special force that he wanted to subjugate with in the future. It consisted of five dealers and two tanks. With himself as the main dealer, he added two Beast Goblins to fill the gap. Kiriyan and Dorma were ranged dealers and were entrusted as support attackers. Turka and another Giant Goblin were given the role of tanks. Their mission was to assist the ranged dealers so that they could perform stable attacks. ¡®It¡¯s perfect if we had a healer.¡¯ It was a pity that they had no healers. Among the rted to healing. ¡°Come out to the front, you nameless children.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± It was inconvenient to call them ¡®You, hey!¡¯ so he decided to name them. The two Beast Goblins and one Giant Goblin walked bravely. Among the new Goblins, only the biggest and strongest ones were selected. ¡®What would be good?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap groaned. He didn¡¯t know that giving a name was so difficult. ¡®Ah. I can just make up anything.¡¯ ¡°You are Changsik from now on. You¡¯re Taesik.¡± The Beast Goblins were given the names Changsik and Taesik, respectively. It was a Korean name, but what about it? It wasn¡¯t as if anybody else were going to point it out. ¡°Thank you!¡± Fortunately, both Changsik and Taesik liked it. At least, that was how it looked in Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hmm. What would be good for you?¡± It was the Giant Goblin¡¯s turn, but he couldn¡¯t get any inspiration. After all, they didn¡¯t even have names, so it was a headache. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. You can just be Orca.¡± ¡°Orca?¡± ¡°Yes. Turka, Orca. I think you¡¯re good to go.¡± ¡°Yes! I like it! Thank you!!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Now that he had named them all, it was time to refine them. Ko Byeong-gap handed out the prepared items to the attack squad. It was a growth potion textbooks. ¡°Kiriyan.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°Make the children drink potions and teach them how to engrave textbooks. Do you know how to do it?¡± ¡°No problem!¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the potion. I bought you and Turka some too, so drink two bottles each. I¡¯ll be at the warehouse, soe over there when you¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Ko Byeong-gap left the Goblins and headed for piled up in the warehouse, from the junk he picked up to the by-products they got from the monsters. And next to the warehouse, two alchemy devices, the Combustion Unit, were installed. ¡°Oh, Lord. You¡¯re here!!¡± ¡°Oh, Gobung. How¡¯s everything going?¡± Gobung shook his head sullenly. He spoke while he held up one of the bulkheads, ¡°It doesn¡¯t work well. It¡¯s difficult.¡± Ko Byeong-gap worked hard to make Gobung a perfect leader. Sooner, if Gobung could do everything skillfully, he might have to train him as his sessor. Ko Byeong-gappared the work made by Gobung to what he had hung as a sample. The only resemnce it had was that they used the same material. Even though he produced a sample to make it easier to conceive, the achievement rate was low. However, he wasn¡¯t disappointed since he didn¡¯t expect him to do it in one evening. ¡°It¡¯s alright, dude. It¡¯s supposed to be hard. And this is pretty good.¡± ¡°I¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Would I lie to you?¡± ¡°Oh, no!¡± ¡°Okay, so keep practicing.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°And drink this.¡± ¡°Ah! Thank you!¡± Ko Byeong-gap handed him the two bottles of potions he had in his arms. Gobung epted the potion and said he liked it. ¡®You¡¯ve gotten pretty big.¡¯ Gobung, who used to be a sleazy Hob Goblin, had be more reliable. It wasn¡¯t just Gobung because all goblins in Ashvm had improved in color. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Gobung drank two bottles of potion at once and frowned. He seemed to be suffering from growing pains. However, Gobung¡¯s growing pains didn¡¯tst long, as he had already suffered a lot of pain once. ¡°By the way, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to make some weapons for the kids.¡± ¡°Aha!¡± Ko Byeong-gap went into the warehouse and collected the materials. He came out with the coarse ws used by the Beast Goblins and the tail reimed from the Rake Wolves. Gobung worked on his alchemy for a long time. Ko Byeong-gap went to the spot next to him and stood there. He put the prepared ingredients into the barrel and put his palms on the flexible te. Ko Byeong-gap conceived the shape of the finished product in his head. He soon started his alchemy work without hesitation. Doo doo doo doo doo! The mechanical devices of thebustion unit interlocked and rotated, which emitted noise. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t let go of his concentration until thest moment. After a while, thebustor shut down. Ko Byeong-gap opened the barrel and took out the finished product. ¡®Wow, you look pretty good.¡¯ It was an armored w with a steel cover. It was a quality item that was excellent in both offensive and defensive properties. It would be a perfect weapon for a Beast Goblin who fought in the same way as a wild beast. ¡®These are good gifts for Changsik and Taesik. Kiriyan and Dorma don¡¯t really need weapons, so should I make shields?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap never stopped and came up with the next work. That time, it was arge shield for the Giant Goblin. ¡®What would be good to use as materials? Oh, there was that, right?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap quickly returned to the warehouse. There was a pile of white objects on the side of a spacious warehouse. Those were the skull of the D-ss monster, the Horned Gabri. The Horned Gabri¡¯s skull was very hard and was strong enough to withstand the sh of Ko Byeong-gap. Ko Byeong-gap came out carrying the skulls. He shoved it all into thebustor material slot. He was already excited to make something new. Still, he had to calm down. If he lost hisposure, he was more likely to fail his alchemy. He put his hand on the soft te and took a deep breath. After that, he drew the finished version in his head. Shields were rather easy because their form was simple. ¡®Good armrests and handles are the key.¡¯ He started thebustion unit. Immediately, the alchemy system went into operation. Doo doo doo doo doo. Push¡­ The Alchemy didn¡¯t take long. Ko Byeong-gap opened the barrel with a nervous heart. There was a shieldrge enough to be a door. ¡°Wah¡­ As expected of you, Lord.¡± ¡°Whew, this is basic.¡± Gobung was mesmerized. Ko Byeong-gap shrugged his shoulders and admired the finished shape of the shield that was quite excellent. It was worthwhile to train alchemy despite hundreds of failures. ¡®The handle and the armrest are perfect.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap lifted the shield and inspected it. It wasn¡¯t that heavy either since it was made of bones, not steel. ¡®It¡¯s a little big for me, too.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s muscr strength handled it easily without uneasiness, but there was an inconvenience in terms of size. It was unreasonable for him to carry a shield 180cm in length. Only a Giant Goblin with a height of more than 2 meters and long arms seemed to be able to use it properly. Ko Byeong-gap made one more of the same shape. Around that time, his attack squad came to the warehouse. ¡°Oh, what? Are you done already?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ko Byeong-gap skimmed at his attack squad. By the looks of it, they still seemed to be hung up from the aftereffects of what they drank. ¡°What do you think? What do you think has changed?¡± ¡°Lord, this is a real answer.¡± Dorma answered immediately. Ko Byeong-gap blinked to indicate that he should keep talking. ¡°I was surprised when I epted the magic textbook with my body. It contained the spells that our ancestors used.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°Yes, if I master them well, I think it will help Lord more.¡± ¡°Your attitude is great, but you don¡¯t have to be too impatient. We have a lot of time anyway. What about the others?¡± ¡°My head. It hurts, but I¡¯m full of power!¡± ¡°I want to fight right now!¡± ¡°Good, good.¡± Ko Byeong-gap nodded with satisfaction. He then distributed the items he made with alchemy. ¡°Now, Changsik. Taesik. Take it. It¡¯s yours.¡± ¡°Huh? Are you sure?¡± ¡°Try it on. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll fit.¡± Changsik and Taesik epted the glove-type ws and tested them on their hands. Fortunately, it fit perfectly as if it were custom-made. ¡°It¡¯s great! I¡¯ll use it well!¡± ¡°Thank you, Lord!¡± ¡°Come on, and¡­ These are Turka¡¯s and Orca¡¯s.¡± Ko Byeong-gap handed over the shields and leaned on one side. The two Giant Goblins looked very happy. ¡°From now on, you two have to protect Kiriyan and Dorma with it. You can do it, right?¡± ¡°No problem!¡± Ko Byeong-gap smiled and shook his hands. Suddenly, a gentle gaze shot from the side. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ When he turned his head to see something, Kiriyan looked at Ko Byeong-gap with his eyes wet with mncholy. Ko Byeong-gap looked at him vaguely and said calmly, ¡°I don¡¯t have yours, Kiriyan.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t need that because you fight from afar anyway. The same goes for Dorma.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Lord, I¡¯m fine. You don¡¯t have to work hard for me.¡± Dorma was calm, but Kiriyan seemed a little disappointed, so Ko Byeong-gap thought he should make a dagger for self-defenseter. ¡°You guys, take a good rest today. Tomorrow will be the first outing.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Ko Byeong-gap looked up at the western sky. The sun was setting slowly. He also looked forward to tomorrow¡¯s subjugation. *** Ko Byeong-gap woke up early in the morning. After he washed his face, he quickly got ready. He packed his weapons and equipment. There was less to prepare than before since he didn¡¯t need guns and ammunition. After he changed into his work clothes, he immediately got into the car. He then entered the coordinates of the cracks on the navigation system, which had been marked sincest night. His destination was Paju, and there was a C-rank crack. ¡®Finally, a C-rank.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap slowly stepped into the C-rank crack. If the subjugation went smoothly, his target from that moment on would be C-rank cracks for a while. If C were easy for them, he would go up to B. If B went well, he would challenge an A. If he went up one step at a time like that, he would reach S. It was a short drive to Paju. Of course, he had to go a long way from the city. Tall buildings disappeared from view, and a quiet rural vige greeted him. It was a camping site with mountains behind it and valleys in the front where he stopped his car. Since it was summer, there were quite a few tents. He had to walk up the valley for an hour to reach the crack. As he opened the trunk of his car to pick up his equipment, spectators flocked to the side. ¡°Wow, he must be a hunter. He¡¯s wearing a sword around his waist!¡± ¡°There was a crack up there. I guess it¡¯s real.¡± ¡°He¡¯s in great shape. Should I ask them for their autograph?¡± ¡°Oh, I think I¡¯ve seen him on Hunter TV.¡± ¡°Really? Who is it? Who is it? Is he famous?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know? I don¡¯t think he¡¯s that famous.¡± ¡®You¡¯re making meugh.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap snorted inside. Who did they see on TV? He deliberately turned a blind eye to the people and finished preparing. It wasn¡¯t long before he passed their gaze and began walking along the valley. The terrain grew rough because it was upstream of a river that people couldn¡¯t reach. Ko Byeong-gap was able to spot the crack there. Fortunately, there seemed to be no upiers. He immersed himself in the crack without hesitation, and the back world greeted him¡­ also, monsters. ¡°Kurk! Kurk!¡± ¡°Summer valley, Frog? It¡¯s like a theme park.¡± It was a D-ss monster, the Giant Frog, that blocked his way. It literally looked like a bullfrog that was hundreds of times bigger, but when it opened its mouth¡­ ¡°Kuruk!¡± He could see the thousands of teeth filling its mouth. Giant Frogs had tremendous jaw power. It was said that it would take less than three seconds for it to chew a whole person and swallow them. Pot! The Giant Frog shot its long tongue. It was as fast as an arrow, but being fast was a rtive value. Ko Byeong-gap pulled out the sword from his waist and threw it out at the same time. The pink tongue was cut and fluttered. ¡°Koo kuk?!¡± The Giant Frog faltered, perhaps embarrassed. Ko Byeong-gap paused for a while from taking the life of the Giant Frog and opened the door to Ashvm. ¡°Guys,e out. Today¡¯s side dish is frog.¡± In response to his call, his attack squad emerged. Chapter 31 31. Attack Squad The Six Goblins appeared, and they were properly armed. They figured out the situation right away. Pot! The Giant Frog shot its mutted tongue. Turka defended Ko Byeong-gap with his shield at the forefront, and the tongue attack was blocked without a pause. ¡°Keruk!¡± Changsik and Taesik rushed like lightning and swung their ws. The flesh of the Giant Frog¡¯s tongue came out in chunks. As soon as the bewildered monster frog tried to pull out, a spear of lightning shot and pierced its mouth. ¡°Krlla!¡± Right after, a series of dark spheres flooded in and caused explosions. It hit the monster¡¯s left shoulder and left itpletely tattered. Soon after, its heavy body copsed helplessly. It was a wless, perfectly synergizedbo. Ko Byeong-gap felt like he wanted to p his hands, but soon after, he sensed a disturbance. A swarm of monsters flocked, so he decided to put aside his joy for a while. ¡®More Giant Frogs¡­ And now, Lizards?¡¯ The appearance of a new face. It was a D-ss Lizard. Although it was listed as a D-ss due to its Karma, it was dangerous. Lizard-type monsters were excellent inbat. ¡°Changsik, Taesik, stay behind me. The rest of you, get in position.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Be careful. They¡¯re strong.¡± ¡°Gyaaah!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The attack squad consisting of 7 members and the 15 monsters shed. Ko Byeong-gap ran and swung his sword. He cut the flying spears and narrowed their distance in one try. When he pierced his sword straight away, the Lizard¡¯s head in front of him was cut off. As soon as its body copsed, there was a shadow over his head. The Giant Frog, which had leaped high, fell. Pajik! ¡°Groan!¡± However, its open mouth never touched Ko Byeong-gap. Kiriyan intercepted it at just the right time. ¡°Gyaaah!¡± A Lizard approached while it stirred its spear. After he dodged, Ko Byeong-gap used his whole body to swing his sword wide. Along with the hilt of its spear, the Lizard¡¯s torso was torn apart. He nced to the side. Changsik was riding on a Giant Frog while he stabbed at its brain. On the other side, Taesik had a battle with a Lizard. Taesik overwhelmed his enemy. ¡®They¡¯re more like wolves instead of Goblins.¡¯ When the Beast Goblin entered the battle, their appearance changed. Their snout would protrude, and their brown hair would grow bushy. It looked like a wolf. ¡°Gyaaah!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± A Lizard¡¯s spear extended to his temple. Ko Byeong-gap lightly avoided it by pulling his upper body back and pulled the spear handle with his free hand. The Lizard came at a standstill. He put his sword up and drew it right away. The Lizard died with its body split diagonally. Break! Kwak! It was chaotic everywhere. At that time, broken or scorched flesh sshed into the air. There were no monsters that could defend against Kiriyan and Dorma¡¯s long-range attacks. Ko Byeong-gap cut the hind legs of a Giant Frog cleanly. He caught the sight of a swarm of Lizards that rushed toward Kiriyan and Dorma. They probably thought to take down the long-range attackers first, but it didn¡¯t happen. They had no chance. ¡°Wooooo!¡± Turka and Orca roared and blocked them. Two giant shields blocked them, and they had no room to dig in. Turka even crushed a Lizard when he pushed out his shield. The Lizards, who lost their mind, swung their spears desperately, but none of their attacks worked. Soon after, they were hit by a flying long-range attack and became a meatball. ¡®There¡¯s only one left.¡¯ Currently, there was only one Giant Frog left. It rushed in like an agitated bull. Changsik and Taesik came to assist Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°We¡¯re done! I¡¯ll finish it!¡± Ko Byeong-gap said, then he grabbed his sword with both hands. His arms swelled up in a sh. ¡°Hyaaa!¡± Ko Byeong-gap recalled the devastation that Yeom Jeong-hwa showed in the past. She gained momentum by igniting the Karma in her body. That was too much for Ko Byeong-gap since he had only a limited amount of Karma. Instead, he contracted his muscles to the limit. ¡°Haaaaah!¡± When the Giant Frog came into the right distance, he screamed and swung his sword. The muscles that had contracted to their limit rxed at once and created a destructive force. Skree! ¡°Kiek¡­!¡± The Giant Frog¡¯s body split into two. Its split body went in different directions. Blood poured down and dyed the river red. ¡°Whoa.¡± Ko Byeong-gap shook his arm and smiled. His sh wasn¡¯t too bad if he could cut through arge D-ss monster with one blow. He looked down at the scattered monster corpses and asked the Goblins, ¡°Is nobody hurt?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°We too. Problem. There is not!¡± ¡°Are you okay, Lord?¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯m fine, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that. There were no casualties. ¡®Everyone can easily get past the C-ss.¡¯ The goblins who were trained with growth potions and textbooks were slightly above C-ss. Of course, he couldn¡¯t say they were close to B-ss just because they were above C-ss. There was a long wall between the two ranks. Even so, no enemy within the crack could go against Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s attack squad. He opened the door to Ashvm, and soon, the Goblins came out. They diligently carried the monster corpses. By the time Ko Byeong-gap burned out a cigarette, everything was sorted out. He threw away the butts and rxed lightly. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get on with it. Let¡¯s go back and rest today.¡± ¡°Yes! Great!¡± The attack force was relentless. In front of the ruthless violence they poured out, the monsters were helpless. The C-rank crack certainly had a lot of monsters. There were at most a hundred and twenty in D-rank cracks, but the default here was 150. In the past, he would¡¯ve thought monsters were pouring endlessly. Maybe he would have gotten tired of dealing with monsters, but¡­ ¡®It¡¯s easier than I thought.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t blink an eye. After he went to the dungeon not long ago, he realized it wasn¡¯t that much of a number. It was natural. Didn¡¯t he survive in a dungeon where monsters poured in without a moment to catch his breath? Compared to back then, this time was like a joke for children. ¡®That¡¯s the campsite from before.¡¯ As they progressed around the Back World, they reached the lower limits of the valley. Tents that vacationers would¡¯ve set up were sparsely spread out. However, they were clearly tents from the past. In other words, they were there from three days ago when the crack was created. It felt like he was looking at the stars. Weren¡¯t the stars that people observed with their eyes a thing of the past? Dorma spoke as he thought about such frivolous thoughts, ¡°This seems to be a ce where the vagrants live.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about out of the blue?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t humans originally live in brick buildings? Seeing a tent set up by the river made me think so. Isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Ah, no. This is just a ce to y in the water.¡± ¡°y water¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s hot in the summer. That¡¯s why youe to the river for a vacation. We grill meat and drink here.¡± ¡°Oh, I think I know.¡± Dorma nodded curiously. ¡®Ashim is also a great vacation destination.¡¯ Ashvm wasn¡¯t too hot, the water was clean, and the scenery was stunning. If he opened a campsite in Ashvm, he could earn a fortune just by renting people spots. ¡®Of course, it¡¯s only possible in a dream.¡¯ Who would want to visit a resort infested with Goblins? ¡°Oh, guys. Come to think of it, I have a question.¡± ¡°Ask anything.¡± Ko Byeong-gap touched his chin for a moment and said, ¡°When you were in the crack¡­.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go out there?¡± Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s question was actually a question that had been in the minds of all mankind. Cracks had opened in various parts of the world since the Deep Impact took ce 28 years ago. The cracks were filled with strange creatures that didn¡¯t exist on Earth, but the monsters didn¡¯t move out of the cracks. He had never heard of a monster that left the cracks in the 28 years since the first crack appeared. Why the hell? Scientists struggled to find the answer. Only by uncovering it could they be freed from the anxiety of ¡®someday, a monster maye out of the cracks.¡¯ After repeated research, several hypotheses emerged. Among them, the most influential was the ¡®unsuitable environmental theory.¡¯ If the unsuitable environment theory could be summed up in one sentence, it was, ¡®the habitats of a mackerel and a deer could never ovep.¡¯ Just as mackerels couldn¡¯t live onnd, and a deer couldn¡¯t live in the water¡­ Ordinary humans couldn¡¯t live inside cracks, and ordinary monsters couldn¡¯t live outside cracks. The unsuitable environment theory had almost turned into a fact. The evidence and experiments to support it were also solid. Still, Ko Byeong-gap wanted to hear the monster¡¯s position. ¡°Um¡­¡± The Goblins couldn¡¯t answer easily and were troubled. ¡°I just felt this ominous feeling.¡± The first one to speak was Kiriyan. ¡°An ominous feeling?¡± ¡°Yes. I felt like I shouldn¡¯t go over there. So I just stayed inside.¡± ¡°The same goes for me.¡± Dorma went on to say, and he looked around. ¡°The deeper ce, like here, feels morefortable than where the Lord first called us. So I didn¡¯t even think about going outside of it.¡± ¡°You mean it¡¯s notfortable near the escape portal?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I feel like I¡¯m losing my strength in what the Lord calls an escape portal. Well¡­ it¡¯s not that serious, but indeed it¡¯s a little ufortable.¡± The other Goblins also looked sympathetic. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know that.¡± Ko Byeong-gap nodded in satisfaction. Suddenly, there was a scream. ¡°Kuruk! Kreuk!¡± ¡°So you¡¯vee all the way here to find the most pleasant ce?¡± ¡°Maybe so.¡± Ko Byeong-gap smiled and looked ahead. There was a colony of monsters. Among them was a Volcano Frog. It was the boss of that crack. Volcano Frog. It was smaller than the Giant Frog and had crater-like protrusions all over its body. From there, hot steam constantly spewed out. It was a standard to deal with those monsters from a distance. ¡°Kiriyan, Dorma. You guys take care of that red frog.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Leave it to me!¡± ¡°Turka and Orca stay right next to them. Changsik, Taesik, follow me.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Ko Byeong-gap, Changsik, and Taesik raced through the valley. The monsters¡¯ attention was naturally drawn to them. ¡°Kur-kur-kur-kur-kur-kur!¡± The moment the Volcano Frog turned its head to chase after Ko Byeong-gap, a lightning spear hit him. The monsters jumped up in a rage. However, they fell after being hit by a dark sphere. Dorma cast his spells one after another. In an instant, ck chains rose from the floor and tightly bound the Volcano Frog. ¡°Well done. Hold on to him.¡± Ko Byeong-gap sprinted to the monsters and swung his sword. He felt that the achievement rate of his swordsmanship and physical training had risen remarkably. Currently, he could kill the Lizards with only one or two shes of his sword. ¡°Keruk!¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± The Goblins had done their part too. Crushed bodies piled up at the feet of Turka and Orca. Changsik and Taesik swept away and scattered monsters, leaving holes in their necks and heads. The pawns were all sorted out in less than a moment. ¡°Now kill him, too.¡± ¡°Yes, okay.¡± Dorma ended the Volcano Frog under orders from Ko Byeong-gap. The boss of the crack became a meatball without even trying to resist. The C-rack crack subjugation ended sessfully. *** ¡°Oh my gosh, is that really you, Mr. Byeong-gap?¡± ¡°Yes, hello.¡± ¡°Are you here to see your mother?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Nurse Lee Ji-yeon, who guarded the hospital¡¯s desk, always asked, ¡®Did youe to see your mother?¡¯ whenever she saw Ko Byeong-gap, and he would smile awkwardly as he replied with a yes. ¡°Go up and see. Ho ho.¡± ¡°I¡¯m rooting for you.¡± Ko Byeong-gap nodded his head and went up to the hospital room. ¡°Oh, my God, Ms. Lee! That¡¯s him, right? Thedy¡¯s son in room 403!¡± Kim Yu-bi made a fuss and asked. Lee Ji-yeon frowned slightly and nodded. ¡°Oh, yeah, you¡¯ve seen him before.¡± ¡°Wow, was he always that big? I thought he was a bit slim when I saw him before.¡± ¡°Surely he was. Mr. Byeong-gap wasn¡¯t that handsome in the first ce.¡± Seo Han-sook, a senior nurse, also agreed with Kim Yu-bi. ¡°Right, right? You think so, too, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I guess he¡¯s working out. What¡¯s the fuss?¡± When Lee Ji-yeon asked in a dreary voice, Kim Yu-bi tangled to her arm. ¡°Teacher Lee! Teacher Lee! Didn¡¯t you say you knew him well? So, do you know what he¡¯s doing?¡± ¡°I know, but why?¡± ¡°What does he do?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Kim Yu-bi smiled meaningfully and twisted her body. ¡°Oh well¡­ I just wanted to get close to him. That¡¯s right, and I also like big people. His face isn¡¯t that bad either. Whoo-hoo!¡± ¡°Sigh, tsk, tsk!¡± Lee Ji-yeon crumpled her face and clicked her tongue. ¡°You¡¯re really out of it. Do you want to flirt with a patient¡¯s guardian, out of all people?¡± ¡°Oh my God, Ms. Lee? What do you mean flirt? I¡¯m just saying I want to be friends. And if he¡¯s like that, he won¡¯t kneel anywhere, right?¡± Kim Yu-bi said proudly. Lee Ji-yeon responded with excitement, while Seo Han-sook justughed, ¡°What do you think, Ms. Seo?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t even think about the possibility of someone spoiling me, but you are going too far.¡± ¡°Huh? I¡¯m not overreacting!¡± ¡°Then talk to himter.¡± ¡°Oh, Ms. Seo! Why would you say that? What if he really does?¡± ¡°What do you think? It¡¯d be nice if young Kim and Kim Byeong-gap went out. Young Kim could pay for Byeong-gap¡¯s mother¡¯s hospital bills.¡± Kim Yu-bi flinched. She smiled awkwardly and scratched her cheek. ¡°Ahahahaha¡­ I don¡¯t want such a deep rtionship. I just want some fun¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about? What?¡± The three nurses that sat at the desk chatted for a while. About an hourter, the elevator door opened and revealed Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Oh! I¡¯m going somewhere for a minute!¡± ¡°What? Where are you going all of a sudden?¡± Kim Yu-bi ran out without any time for Lee Ji-yeon to stop her. She was shocked to see where Kim Yu-bi was headed. That crazy thing went for it! ¡°What do I do, Ms. Seo? She¡¯s really crazy!¡± ¡°Why? It¡¯s funny.¡± Kim Yu-bi approached Ko Byeong-gap and said something. Lee Ji-yeon and Seo Han-sook hid at the desk and watched the scene. Lee Ji-yeon felt nervous inside. Why was she so nervous? About three minutester, Kim Yu-bi turned around and returned to the desk, but somehow, she didn¡¯t have a good expression on her face. Seo Han-sook asked and held back herughter, ¡°Huh? I can tell it didn¡¯t work out. Why? Does he have a girlfriend?¡± ¡°Oh my gosh! I¡¯m speechless!¡± Kim Yu-bi fanned with her hands. Her face turned red. Lee Ji-yeon asked urgently, ¡°Why, what did you two talk about?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I asked him to go out and eat with me sometime, and you know what he said?¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°He¡¯s busy!¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was silence at the desk. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± ¡°Yes! How could he just say that, turn around, and leave? I¡¯m speechless!¡± Kim Yu-bi still seemed to be angry. ¡°How could he say no so tly? And how busy is he?! Does it make sense that we don¡¯t have time to eat?¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯tugh, Ms. Lee! My pride is seriously hurt right now!¡± ¡°Oh, sorry, sorry.¡± Lee Ji-yeon barely recovered herughter. ¡®Oh, I¡¯m d to hear that.¡¯ She was a little relieved inside. Chapter 32
  1. Ready To Go
After bing the Goblin Lord, many parts of Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s daily life changed. He used to wake up early in the morning to subjugate cracks, sell his harvest to the association after, and then return home. However, since then, it had been different. In the past, he would¡¯ve killed time exhausted in bed while using his phone. On the other hand, currently, he worked diligently for a second routine. ¡°Medium quality magic stone 18.4kg. I¡¯ll set it at 2.76 million won. Do you want me to transfer it to your ount?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Excuse me, sir Ko Byeong-gap?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. What did you say?¡± ¡°The amount was set at 2.76 million won, and I asked if I could transfer it to your ount.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Please do that.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ko Byeong-gap reacted a beatte. He couldn¡¯t listen to them since he was thinking about something else for a while. Counselor Kim Seul-gi tapped the keyboard and didn¡¯t care. He then spoke in a very business-like tone. ¡°It will be credited to your designated ount within the day.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you. Have a good one.¡± ¡°Goodbye. Next, customer number 104!¡± Ko Byeong-gap packed his things and left. He got out of the association and continued his thought. ¡®What are we doing today?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t really thinking about anything big. He just thought about what to do in Ashvm that day. There was nowhere else for him to stop by, so he headed straight home. ¡°Hmm?¡± It was when he passed an elementary school, he found something and pulled over on the shoulder. He went right over there. ¡°Mom, I want to buy this! Buy it for me, huh!¡± ¡°Oh my God! Mom said no!¡± A woman grabbed her son¡¯s wrist and dragged him away. The two passed by Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°I want to raise a chick!¡± ¡°They¡¯re sick. They¡¯ll die any minute! And how can you take care of it when you can¡¯t even take Poppy for a walk!¡± ¡°Ah! Buy me a chick, and I¡¯ll take Poppy for a walk!¡± ¡°Shut up! One more murmur, and I¡¯ll leave you here alone!¡± ¡®That woman has a temper.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap grinned at them. He turned his head and saw the bundle. ¡®There¡¯s still someone who sells chicks these days. I had one when I was in elementary school.¡¯ Dozens of chicks chirped on the paper box, which reminded him of the old days. He also raised a chick in the past and sent them all across the rainbow bridge. Two or three elementary school students squatted in front of the bundle and watched the chicks. ¡°Huh. Kids. If you¡¯re not going to buy it, go away. Hahaha.¡± ¡°Mister. Is this a real chick?¡± ¡°It looks like a pheasant to you. Hahaha. Go ask your mom to get your sses ready. Hahaha.¡± ¡°Mister, mister! Are they really sick? Are they all going to die soon?¡± ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re so determined to ruin my business. If I had known this would happen, I would have brought salt. Hahaha.¡± The atmosphere was harmonious as it was in front of an elementary school. ¡°How much is one?¡± Ko Byeong-gap asked abruptly. Only then did the peddler notice Ko Byeong-gap and raised his head. ¡°500 won per animal.¡± ¡°How many are there in all?¡± ¡°They¡¯re fifty.¡± Ko Byeong-gap opened his wallet. He only had 25,000 won. When he took out his wallet, the seller¡¯s eyes changed, and he said, ¡°Oh, you want to buy it?¡± ¡°Give me the whole box.¡± Ko Byeong-gap handed over the money. The peddler handed over the chick box with a big smile. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re running a chicken restaurant?¡± ¡°Mister, why do you buy so many chicks?¡± They were very friendly because they were children. A girl then asked with an innocent face, ¡°Mister, mister. What are you going to do with the chicks?¡± ¡°Hey, are you stupid? Of course, grow-¡° ¡°Ah, I¡¯m going to eat them all.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ko Byeong-gap went back to the car and left the children behind. He loaded the box in the back seat and drove. Before he went home, he stopped by the mart and bought chicken feed. As soon as he got home, Ko Byeong-gap moved to Ashvm. Just in time, the Goblins that were passing by approached him. ¡°Oh, Lord. You¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Oh, Gobung. How can you spot me every time Ie?¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Gobung scratched the back of his head awkwardly. ¡°I can¡¯t see the kids. They¡¯re all in a cave, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Yes! We¡¯re looking for crystals. We¡¯re digging!¡± ¡°Are the guys in the attack squad working?¡± ¡°Yes, I saw it earlier. I think they were.¡± ¡°These bastards should take a rest. By the way, what were you doing?¡± ¡°I was moving firewood. The firewood on the campsite. We ran out of it.¡± ¡°Wow, you¡¯re definitely the leader. You know how to do it well.¡± ¡°Lord. That thing¡­ What?¡± Suddenly, a Normal Goblin asked. He had an armful of firewood in his arms. Ko Byeong-gap shrugged his shoulders and put the box down. The Goblins opened their eyes wide when they saw the yellow waves in the box. Ko Byeong-gap smiled and put his arm around Gobung¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Gobung.¡± ¡°Ah! Yep!¡± ¡°I have to give you a special order.¡± ¡°Do you mean specialmand?¡± The Goblin swallowed his saliva. ¡°Wow, what is it?¡± ¡°Do you see these chicks?¡± ¡°Yes, I can see.¡± ¡°These are poor kids. They¡¯re not feeling well. In a couple of days, they might die.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes, so you must save it.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes?¡± The Goblin blinked at his eyes. Ko Byeong-gap replied in a tone that indicated the problem, ¡°Save them. Let these poor chicks know that tomorrow, the sun will rise.¡± ¡°That¡­ That¡­ What¡­¡± ¡°There are 50 of them. By all means, keep them alive and turn them into chickens. You can do it. This is a collection of chickens, so feed them.¡± Gobung even epted the box unexpectedly. He still looked like he didn¡¯t know what it was. ¡°I think my heart will be broken if the chicks die. You know what I¡¯m talking about, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Then please take care of them. You two little ones, follow me. Let¡¯s go make a chicken coop.¡± ¡°Ah, I got it!¡± Ko Byeong-gap slowly disappeared with two Normal Goblins. Gobung stood around and looked at Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s back. The yellow chicks constantly chirped, whether they knew what Gobung was thinking of or not. As time went by¡­ The sun went down by the time Ko Byeong-gappleted something simr to a chicken cage. He looked at the finished product and swiped his forehead. A satisfied smile spread across his lips. ¡°What do you think, hmm? Didn¡¯t you guys make it well?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s cool!¡± ¡°But this. Lord. House?¡± ¡°Ah. It¡¯s a chicken house. A chicken coop. I¡¯ve told you about 500 times.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Now. I remembered.¡± ¡°Whew. Let¡¯s clean up and go get some food.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ko Byeong-gap led them back to their camp. The Goblins, who had finished the work, prepared a meal. The main menu was the Giant Frog they caughtst time. When he saw the Giant Frog being grilled over the fire, he unconsciously swallowed his saliva. ¡®Wow, it smells really good.¡¯ Frog meat tasted simr to chicken. Ko Byeong-gap once thought about trying it out but then brushed it off. He didn¡¯t think he could eat it without thinking about it. How could he do so when he obviously knew that it was monster meat? ¡°Lord, when did youe?¡± Kiriyan, who made a bonfire at his full capacity, spotted Ko Byeong-gap and greeted him. ¡°Oh, Kiriyan. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been here. You didn¡¯t see me because you were in the cave?¡± ¡°I think so.¡± ¡°Hey, you guys should get some rest when you¡¯re back from hunting. You¡¯ll get a headache.¡± ¡°No problem. It¡¯s just fun to work hard to rebuild Ashvm.¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t push yourself too hard. If any of you pass out, it¡¯ll be a big blow.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll work as long as I don¡¯t overdo it.¡± Before he knew it, the Goblins sat together and began to eat. Ko Byeong-gap returned home for a while and had dinner. When he returned to Ashvm, the Goblin¡¯s meal was slowlying to an end. He took a nce at the Goblins and said, ¡°Come on, focus for a second.¡± His words werew. The noisy campground quickly became quiet as if it had died. Ko Byeong-gap said with a satisfied face, ¡°Clear up your seats and gather all over here. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes. Okay.¡± The Goblins never asked why. Ko Byeong-gap sat on a moderately towering stone and began his work. ¡®Ancient Shop.¡¯ [Ancient Shop] -Construction -Techniques ¨C Misceneous goods -Others [Crystals on Hand: 441,746] Ko Byeong-gap skillfully manipted the shop window, and soon, he found the item he wanted. [Growth Potion] -Price: 500 Crystals -Description: A potion that permanently increases all physical abilities. [Ancient Physical Training Textbook ¨C Low-grade] -Price: 320 Crystals -Description: A textbook dealing with ¡®Physical Training ¨C Low-grade¡¯ among ancient techniques. It contains the physical training techniques of the ancient knights. Ko Byeong-gap sat down and bought the growth potion and textbook. It wasn¡¯t just one or two. He bought 324 bottles of growth potion and 316 copies of the textbook. [Crystals on Hand: 178,626] At one time, 263,120 modifications were withdrawn. It was thergest expenditure since he discovered Ashvm. It had always been bitter for goods to escape, whether in crystals or cash. That was obviously a significant expenditure, though. ¡®Because it is the cornerstone for the advancement of the entire group.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap intended to make all the Goblins in Ashvm drink the potion and to learn the textbook. There were two reasons for that, and the first one was working efficiently. ¡®When their strength and stamina improve, their ability to work will naturally increase.¡¯ It was natural for a strong man to work well. Of course, even that time, the Goblins were doing a great job. They didn¡¯t ck off, nor did they procrastinate. What would happen if such sincere workers were given a potion and taught to learn the textbook? He would see the upward effect of doubling their efficiency, not less. The second reason was to prepare for the future. ¡®We need to get ready to move beyond the fog.¡¯ There might be some danger lurking beyond the fog. Under such circumstances, the Goblins couldn¡¯t be dragged out without any preparation. At least they had to be at a level where they could protect their own body. ¡®This iste, too. I should¡¯ve done it earlier.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap had been thinking about it for a long time. However, he hade all the way there since he had been procrastinating. So, he made up his mind to give it a go. ¡°Lord. Everyone has gathered.¡± ¡°Really? Gobung. Pick one or ten people to help.¡± ¡°Ten. Do you mean? I see.¡± Gobung immediately led 10 Goblins, and Ko Byeong-gap told them what to do. ¡°Give each Goblin a potion and a textbook.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± They moved in perfect order. In less than 10 minutes, all the Goblins were given potions and textbooks. Ko Byeong-gap went in front of the Goblins and stood there. ¡°Well, are we all here without missing anyone?¡± ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right!¡± The Goblins answered in unison, and Ashvm rang loudly. Ko Byeong-gap felt the pleasant tremor. ¡°Good. Today, you will be reborn. Everyone, hold up the ss bottle in front of you.¡± They did so. The Goblins picked up the ss bottle with vigor. Ko Byeong-gap also bought a bottle of potion and held it in his hand. He shouted and held the growth potion, ¡°Drink it for the reconstruction of Ashvm.¡± ¡°For Ashvm!¡± Ko Byeong-gap drank the potion first. The Goblins followed him and poured the potions into their mouths. It was the moment when Ashvm grew one step further. *** Cuckoo! Cuckoo! ¡°Hey, you see so many things in your life, don¡¯t you? By the way, I told you to make chicken, but why did you make an ostrich?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap finished with the crack subjugation early and visited Ashvm, and then, with a sad smile, he looked at the view ahead. The sight of fifty chickens that ran around the Ashvm field. If it were normal chickens, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised that much. ¡®That¡¯s a chicken or a goose.¡¯ The shape of the chicken was different. It was almost the size of a turkey. Gobung, who stood next to Ko Byeong-gap, lowered his head. ¡°So you hid the potion I gave you yesterday and fed it to a chick, and that¡¯s what happened?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m afraid the chick will die.¡± There was guilt on Gobung¡¯s face. Ko Byeong-gap found it absolutely hrious that he didn¡¯t even think about getting angry. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. Thanks to you, we know it¡¯s fine now. By the way, the chickens have grown up all at once, so the chicken coop I made yesterday is useless.¡± ¡°I¡­ One more. I¡¯ll make it!¡± ¡°No, let¡¯s just graze and raise them. There won¡¯t be any wild cats or weasels here. Is it enough for them to peck and eat salmon snails?¡± Ko Byeong-gap eximed as he looked at the giant chickens. He then nced to the side. Gobung was still sullen and seemed to think he had done something wrong. Ko Byeong-gap lightly tapped Gobung on the shoulder and said, ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Why do you look so sad?¡± ¡°Lord, will you forgive me?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything wrong in the first ce, so you¡¯ve been forgiven. Go to sleep. What do you have to do?¡± Ko Byeong-gap said immediately, ¡°Hey! Anyway, I picked a good leader. Raising 50 chicks without killing a single one. That¡¯s in one day! Good job, Gobung. You¡¯re the best!¡± Good job¡ªthe word brightened up Gobung¡¯s face. He smiled broadly and answered bravely, ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll work harder!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Chapter 33 33 Mysterious Woman ¡°Turka, stop it!¡± ¡°Woooo!¡± It was a C-rank monster, Ogre. In the lower world, it was a kind of monster that deserved to be called the strongest. It was a humanoid monster with a height of about three meters, and the thickness of its forearm alone wasrger than the body of an adult woman. If it could handle Karma freely, it would have been listed above a B-rank, with only a few monsters below it. But¡­ The attack squad led by Ko Byeong-gap was way above that level. ¡°Woooo!¡± ¡°Grah!¡± The two beings collided. Turka blocked the Ogre¡¯s fist head-on and was not pushed back at all. On the contrary, it was the Ogre that was pushed back from the force. ¡°Gra!¡± The Ogre stretched its fist backward, firing it like a missile beyond the shield. Turka quickly leaned forward and dug in his heels. He hit the Ogre¡¯s chin directly with his shield. ¡°Grr!¡± The Ogre fell back, its tooth broken, and hurriedly skittered on the ground. At that moment, a cluster of lightning bolts suddenly pierced its limbs. It screamed in pain and shivered violently. ¡®Good.¡¯ Byeong-gap smiled in satisfaction as he looked at the scene in front of him. ¡°Grr!¡± Suddenly, a growling noise broke through the pleasant afterglow. It was an E-ss monster, a Skeleton Soldier. Byeong-gap easily evaded all its attacks simply by squinting his eyes. His feet and shoulders moved as smooth as water. The Skeleton Soldier looked embarrassed at failing tond even a single attack. ¡°Grr! Grrraaah!¡± Byeong-gap raised his sword a little and drew it from its sheath. The monster¡¯s meager bony body shattered, bits and pieces of bone ttering in all directions. [Current achievement rate of ¡®Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Lower-grade¡¯: 71.86%] ¡®It¡¯s not increasing fast enough.¡¯ Byeong-gap looked at the hologram that appeared in front of him and frowned. Since his achievement rate reached 60%, it has been increasing as fast as a sick dog¡¯s urine stream. ¡®I want to learn intermediate swordsmanship quickly.¡¯ Byeong-gap diligently teased his body. There were six Skeleton Soldiers in front of him. He rushed towards them like a lightning bolt and threw out his sword in six directions, cutting the monsters down one at a time. It didn¡¯t take long for him to send them all to the underworld. Koo-kung! The crack began to copse. It was a sign that the boss monster of the back world was dead. There were only a few subordinate monsters left, and Byeong-gap, Changsik, and Taesik quickly finished them off. He called out to the workers to move the monster corpses to Ashvm. While they did that, he smoked a cigarette and had a short break. ¡®How much debt do I have left?¡¯ Thinking about debt was not very pleasant. He was already spending between two to three million won every month to pay off his debts. ¡®I think it¡¯s still about four hundred million.¡¯ When he was an ordinary D-ss hunter, his monthly ie was around five million won. If he went out a lot, he would earn only six or seven hundred. Excluding his maintenance expenses and subtracting the money spent on his mother¡¯s hospital bills, he barely made any progress on his debt repayment. But now, he was making a few times more money than before. Just one C-rank crack allowed him to save two and a half five million won. Aside from that, his maintenance costs weren¡¯t as high as they were in the past. He consumed only one to two bottles of potion every month, and he didn¡¯t have to spend on ammunition after he changed his weapon to a de. With this momentum, he wanted to receive at least thirty million won in monthly profit. ¡®If we keep this up, I¡¯ll be able to pay off all our debts within the next year. Then mom will get better treatment.¡¯ Park Young-ok, his mother, was a patient suffering from a psychiatric disease. She could only stay alive by constantly receiving the essence extracted from magic stones. She was currently being administered the essence of B-ss monsters, so Byeong-gap¡¯s goal was to get her administered with an S-ss monster magic stone. ¡®If she got the best magic stone, she might be able to be curedpletely.¡¯ He imagined his mother gaining strength and couldn¡¯t wait for that moment toe. ¡°Lord, it¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Well done. You can go back now, I¡¯ll be there in a little while.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord, thank you for your hard work.¡± ¡°Oh, and you guys. It¡¯s always good to work, but get enough rest. Every time I go, I see you working in the cave.¡± The members of the attack squad smiled sheepishly. ¡°See youter anyway.¡± After sending the Goblins to Ashvm, Byeong-gap exited the back world. ¡°It¡¯s not even twelve o¡¯clock yet.¡± It was not even noon, perhaps because he had left early in the morning. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m hungry. I¡¯ll get some soup.¡± He hummed and took the cleansing tissue from the trunk, shaking off the dirt on his body. He always had to do this tedious work when he was done with a battle. Otherwise, the car seat would be covered with monster blood. ¡°Why is nobody making a portable shower room or something? What are they doing after all this time?¡± He groaned as he wiped the blood off his face. He was suddenly envious of the top hunters; they didn¡¯t have to deal with all this hassle. The Karma Barriers they wore were not just to prevent attacks; it also prevented waste from getting directly on their body. They were not contaminated in even a single battle. ¡®¡­Wait a minute. Come to think of it, there¡¯s a portable shower, right?¡¯ While he was washing his hair with wet wipes, Byeong-gap suddenly realized that he had a portable shower in his body! ¡®Why did I not realize this sooner? I¡¯m a fool.¡¯ He took his extra clothes and headed over to Ashvm. All the Goblins were out of the cave, and it looked like they were going to eat lunch. ¡°Hmm? Lord, you¡¯re here already?¡± Dorma, who was passing by just in time, asked him in surprise. Byeong-gap replied, waving his boxers. ¡°I¡¯m here for a bath. You¡¯re getting ready to eat, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, would you like to join us?¡± ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m going to go eat rice soup today.¡± ¡°Rice¡­ soup?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a geniusbination of warm food and reliable cost-effectiveness.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so? I¡¯d like to try it if I have the chance.¡± Dormaughed awkwardly. ¡°Anyway, have a good lunch¡­ Ah, what in the¡­!¡± Cuckoo cuckoo! Suddenly, a chicken ran squawking and came to Byeong-gap¡¯s feet. When he shook his body to scare away the chicken, it was also surprised. ¡®Why are you screaming and freaking out all of a sudden?¡¯ It seemed to protest. ¡°Aren¡¯t these guys afraid of anyone? Oh, I thought I was going to lose my nerve!¡± Byeong-gap stared disapprovingly at the chicken and spoke to Dorma. ¡°Dorma, don¡¯t let them go to the fields. I nted potatoes and sweet potatoes, so I don¡¯t want them to peck at it.¡± ¡°They said that Gobung would build a fence for that.¡± ¡°Fence? Gobung?¡± ¡°Yes. He had been working hard on something sincest night. He¡¯s a smart kid, and he seems good with his hands.¡± Byeong-gap was a little surprised. ¡®Let¡¯s see how good he made it.¡¯ He decided to turn a blind eye for now, saying goodbye to Dorma and heading to the river. He had also packed the toiletries that he had broughtst time. Byeong-gap soaked himself by the river and washed his body. It was very refreshing to scrub with soap from head to toe. ¡°I liked Jo Kang-ji¡¯s ce~ I liked the sun fuel~ My friend is an old friend.¡± He was humming a song and wiping his groin when suddenly¡­ Rustle¡­ He felt a strange presence in the forest near the river. It was not in the direction of the fog but near the field. He spoke out indifferently. ¡°I¡¯m washing. Don¡¯te closer.¡± He didn¡¯t know what the Goblins knew about his body, but he didn¡¯t want them to see him naked, and vice versa. Rustle! Rustle! ¡°Hey! I said I¡¯m taking a shower. If you¡¯re here for water, you cane backter.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The rustling continued, and no reply was given. At that point, he started to sense something strange. There was no way that the Goblins would ignore what he was saying. ¡®Is it a chicken?¡¯ He stared at the forest in an ambiguous manner, neither crouching nor standing. He was kind of a little nervous. After a while¡­ A huge chicken popped out of the bushes. Cuckoo! ¡°Oh, these chickens. I¡¯ll have to eat them all up.¡± The chicken, big enough to fight in a World Championship, came towards him with its head held up straight. It pecked at bugs in the field, tapping its beak on the ground about twelve times a second. Byeong-gap stared at it nkly for about ten seconds. If he fried that one, it would seem like he had eaten three chickens. ¡°I¡¯ll give up being a hunter and run a chicken business instead.¡± Rustle! ¡°Kkkkkkkkknock!¡± ¡°Hey, hey, hey, fuck!¡± Everything happened in an instant! Through the thick bushes, a figure suddenly burst out and sprinted towards the chicken. In the blink of an eye, the chicken¡¯s head was cut off. Crunch! Crunch! Squeak! Squeak! The figure began devouring the flesh of the chicken. ¡°Kook, kook, kook, kook!¡± The chicken screamed and squawked in pain. It trembled and drooped, blood sshing from its neck like a fountain. ¡®Crazy!¡¯ Byeong-gap freaked out and braced himself for battle. He instinctively brought his hand to his waist, but there was nothing there. Of course! He was naked! He looked around and quickly picked up a stone that was lying near him, then he looked at the strange figure again. What the hell was that thing that ate a raw chicken without even plucking its feathers? ¡®Is it a human or a Goblin? A monster? What is that?¡¯ It was his first time seeing something like this creature. Its basic appearance was simr to that of a human being. What it was wearing had been ripped apart, but it was dressed up. However, it was neither human nor goblin. All he could gather was that it was a woman. Its hair was long, and its body had curves. Byeong-gap gulped and moved carefully, not even trying to cover his groin. The unidentified creature was still bent on the ground, eating the chicken, so it paid no attention to him. The mysterious woman suddenly sensed movement from him and turned its head halfway, just in time for Byeong-gap to quickly hurl the stone towards it. ¡°Ah!¡± The rock hit the head of the mysterious creature. Its head didn¡¯t explode because of his force control, but the creature stumbled and fell to the ground. ¡°Gasp. Gasp. What is this bastard?¡± He had to calm down his frightened heart for a while. *** ¡°Lord, what is this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Byeong-gap folded his arms and looked down at the ground. On the floory the strange woman that he had brought from the river. ¡°Its body is dressed in rags. Did the Lord do that?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s always been like this.¡± The strange woman¡¯s body was in tatters, and it was barely alive. First of all, it was very skinny. There was nothing to exaggerate, but really nothing to hide. That was why he had seen this woman and thought she was a monster. With the outline of her bones sticking out of her skin, she was bound to look bizarre. Second, her limbs were grotesquely bent. Her bones were broken, and her joints werepletely twisted, but it certainly wasn¡¯t because of the stone that Byeong-gap had thrown. ¡®It was brave to catch a chicken with its body in such a state.¡¯ Other minor abrasions covered her whole body. Whatever she was, it was obvious that she would die if he left her as-is. The only question would be whether she would die from sickness or would starve to death. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Dorma asked. Byeong-gap answered after a short pause. ¡°Go get a potion.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, I see. Do you intend to save this person?¡± ¡°Even if we were going to kill her, we should first find out where she came from. Only then can we kill her.¡± He raised his head and ordered the Goblins. ¡°Listen up! Go scour the fog right now. If there¡¯s any connection beyond the fog or where we can cross, please report to me immediately. If you find anyone else but us, do not confront them and call me immediately!¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The Goblins spread out in perfect order. After a while, Gobung, who had gone to get a potion, returned. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to bother you some more, but there are wooden boards and bandages in the warehouse. Bring me some of those, too.¡± ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Byeong-gap first bound together the arms and legs of the strange woman. In his third year of being a hunter, he had learned how to deal with a broken bone. The body structure of the mysterious woman was simr to that of humans. ¡°Ugh!¡± Every time he touched her body, the face of the strange woman distorted. She seemed to feel pain even in the midst of her unconsciousness. After fixing up the creature, he spilled potion into her mouth. She received it and drank it up well. She was at least saved from death because of the low-grade potion. ¡°Ha¡­..¡± Byeong-gap sighed heavily, his expressionplicated. ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯ He felt a headache iing. Chapter 34 34 Mysterious Woman Ko Byeong-gap skillfully created splints for the creature¡¯s broken bones. He rolled the bandages out and fixed the affected areas neatly. Several chest bones were also damaged, but there was no way to fix those immediately. ¡®What the hell did you do?¡¯ Was it ambushed? Her limbs were shattered, but fortunately, the bones in her neck and spine were strong. ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be too helpful to just give it a low-grade potion. With fractures like this, I should use an intermediate potion.¡¯ After administering first aid, Byeong-gap looked around the ancient shop. He remembered seeing a product suitable for this situation. ¡®Found it.¡¯ [Blood Dumplings] -Price: 1,300 Crystals -Description: A dumpling that regenerates blood. It can replenish blood. Side effects may ur if you overdose. [Flesh Dumplings] -Price: 1,300 Crystals -Description: A dumpling that regenerates flesh. It can sprout new flesh. Side effects may ur if you overdose. [Bone Dumplings] -Price: 1,300 Crystals -Description: A dumpling that regenerates bones. It can regenerate broken or missing bones. Side effects may ur if you overdose. He had never used any of these items before because he found little use for them. He tried to buy the bone dumpling but stopped in his tracks. ¡®I don¡¯t have to feed her right now.¡¯ He didn¡¯t even know what the strange woman was yet. There was no reason to buy these dumplings and feed her if she was hostile. Byeong-gap turned off the shop window and went to sit a few steps away from the woman, monitoring her closely. ¡®It¡¯s not a human being, and not a Goblin either. It¡¯s not even a monster I¡¯ve ever heard about.¡¯ The appearance of the mysterious woman was very vague. Her height was neitherrge nor small, about 160 cm? Her skin color was lifelessly pale, of course. Her ck hair was so long that it stretched past her hips. The problem was her features. The mysterious woman had really big eyes, huge enough to upy her entire face. It was ck with no whites at all, giving him the impression of a bee¡¯s eye. Her other features, on the other hand, were concave. It was quite unnatural. Also, except for the long hair on her head, she was hairless everywhere else. She didn¡¯t seem to have eyebrows, armpit hair, or any hair on her body. At first nce, the creature gave him a mysterious feeling, but the more he looked at it, the more it gave him an uncanny valley feeling. ¡°Where on earth is she from?¡± Dorma asked him quietly. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know. That¡¯s why we can¡¯t feed her yet.¡± ¡°What a bizarre-looking creature. By the way, could it be from outside the fog that the Lord mentioned earlier?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking.¡± Byeong-gap recalled the dark silhouette he had seen just inside the fog. It seemed to be as big as the woman before them. ¡°Dorma, is this your first time seeing something like this? Don¡¯t you remember your past?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t think of anything.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a pain in the ass.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d it doesn¡¯t look too dangerous.¡± ¡°You never know.¡± Byeong-gap clearly remembered how the strange woman ate the raw chicken brutally. It didn¡¯t look gentle to him. ¡°Well, its arms and legs are all over the ce, so it won¡¯t be any danger, at least.¡± ¡°Will it be able tomunicate?¡± ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, then it can¡¯t be helped.¡± ¡°Are you going to kill it?¡± ¡°Well, that would be easier. Let¡¯s see first.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± They calmly waited for the strange woman to regain consciousness. After a while, the Goblins, who had been sent to explore, also gathered one by one. Gobung reported to him as a representative. ¡°Lord, outside. Where we searched, there wasn¡¯t anything.¡± ¡°Really? Nothing more that looks like that?¡± ¡°Yes, thoroughly. We looked around. There wasn¡¯t.¡± Byeong-gap nodded, smacking his lips. ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve done a great job. Go ahead and eat.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Dorma, you should go eat too.¡± ¡°I see. If anything happens, please call me right away.¡± The Goblins all walked out, leaving him standing by the strange woman alone. The woman¡¯s chest softly and continuously rose and fell. He couldn¡¯t go home because this strange thing had suddenly appeared. He spent a long momentining in his head. ¡°Cough!¡± The strange woman coughed, and before long, she wriggled her arms and legs that were wrapped around a splint. She began to wake up. Byeong-gap quickly got up and approached her. He was wearing his sword properly this time. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± A soft moan crept out of its mouth. Byeong-gap kept a reasonable distance and waited for the mysterious woman to fully regain her senses. It didn¡¯t take long. Soon, her eyelids opened, and her pitch-ck eyes were exposed without filtration. ¡°Huh?¡± She tried to lift herself up, but she was like a tortoise overturned by the splints on her limbs. The strange woman looked down at her body with a terrified face. ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Byeong-gap asked her in the Goblin¡¯snguage. Of course, it was unclear whether she would understand him or not, but at least she would more likely understand that than Korean. The woman looked up at him, startled. Her mouth clenched, but she didn¡¯t say anything. She wriggled her body again, and he felt the urgency in her gestures. She seemed terrified and wanted to run away. ¡°Oh! Aww¡­!¡± The creature then let out a shrill scream. It was natural, her arms and legs were all broken, and she was bound to hurt herself because she was thrashing around violently. ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself to move. You won¡¯t be able to move anyway.¡± ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°Do you understand me?¡± ¡°Argh! Argh! Argh!¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind? Or you don¡¯t understand?¡± The woman was panicking. Byeong-gap stood still, his arms crossed. He waited for the strange woman to calm down a little. It was as he had expected. The strange woman dropped in exhaustion in less than a minute. Byeong-gap asked her again. ¡°Do you understand me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The woman looked up at him, her eyes dotted with fear. After a while, she nodded a little. ¡°Do you understand? Did you just say you understood me?¡± The strange woman nodded again. Fortunately, it was not an animal. A chicken passed by them at a leisurely pace. Byeong-gap didn¡¯t care at all, but the woman¡¯s reaction was different. The chicken caught her eye, and she followed it with her gaze as it walked away. Saliva flowed out of her mouth. ¡®Is she hungry?¡¯ It was not difficult to make such a guess. Wasn¡¯t it the same when they had first met a while ago? The woman was quite hungry. Byeong-gap suddenly turned and headed towards the Goblin¡¯s dining area. The Goblins who were eating all greeted him, and he called out to a Normal Goblin roughly. ¡°Hey, give me one piece.¡± ¡°Of what? This?¡± ¡°Yes, that one. Just give me one piece.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. Here.¡± He was handed over a piece of well-cooked monster meat. ¡°Lord, are you going to eat it?¡± ¡°Why would I eat this? Finish your meal.¡± ¡°Okay. Goodbye.¡± Byeong-gap returned to the ce where the strange woman was and held the piece of meat right in front of her. Sure enough, she rolled her eyes and pressed her lips together. He quickly withdrew his hand. ¡°Haaaaaaaah!¡± ¡°You want to eat it, don¡¯t you?¡± She nodded enthusiastically. ¡°If you answer my question, I¡¯ll give this to you.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡®Oh.¡¯ Byeong-gap gasped, surprised to hear the voice of the strange woman. Her voice was awesome, like the rhythm of the finest harp. Of course, he had never even heard the sound of a harp, but this was how he imagined it would sound like. It was a far cry from what she looked like. He coughed a couple of times to calm his mind. ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°¡­I am Ea.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for your name. I¡¯m asking you what you are.¡± ¡°What am I? If you¡¯re talking about my race, I¡¯m a Nefi.¡± ¡°Nefi?¡± ¡°Yes, Nefi.¡± He brooded over the word ¡®Nefi¡¯ for a while. There was no such thing he could recall in the Monster Book. ¡°And who are you? I don¡¯t think you¡¯re like them.¡± Ea asked him a question out of the blue. He returned the question with a hint of displeasure. ¡°I¡¯m Ko Byeong-gap. What do you mean?¡± ¡°The monsters of gluttony. I¡¯ve been running all this way to avoid them.¡± ¡°You speak well. Did you break through that fog?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°What did you do? You can¡¯t cross the fog.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Ea took a long time answering, so the meat that Byeong-gap was holding gradually cooled down. ¡°I don¡¯t really like dilly-dallying. I want you to answer quickly.¡± ¡°Before that, tell me. What are you?¡± ¡°Me? I¡¯m a human being.¡± ¡°Human!¡± Ea was frightened and surprised. ¡°Are you really human? Aren¡¯t humans extinct?¡± ¡°Damn. There will be no end to this.¡± When a question begets another question, the story will be infinitely long. He didn¡¯t like this repetition. ¡°I won¡¯t allow questions from now on. Just answer what I ask you. How did you get here over the fog?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll tell you if you promise not to kill me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. You¡¯re not in a position to ask for anything.¡± ¡°I can kill you, but I won¡¯t do that. So promise me you won¡¯t kill me either.¡± ¡°You can kill me? With that body?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Byeong-gap snorted and replied. ¡°Try it if you can.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to. It¡¯s a bad thing for me, too.¡± ¡°You think you¡¯re scaring me with a bluff, but you chose the wrong person to threaten.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not bluffing. I¡¯m really capable of doing that.¡± Ea¡¯s tone was determined. Her eyes shook endlessly, but she didn¡¯t seem to be bluffing. Byeong-gap instinctively put his hand over his sword. A momentter, he sighed. ¡°Okay. I promise I won¡¯t kill you. Just get it over with.¡± ¡°I have the power to ignore thews of the world, so I was able to get over the fog.¡± ¡®What kind of bullshit is that? Please exin in detail.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like this. For example, it is nature¡¯sw that water flows from top to bottom, but I can make water flow from bottom to top. That¡¯s what I mean by ignoring thews of the world.¡± She turned her head to the side as she spoke, gazing at the fog beyond the bushes. ¡°With that ability, I was able to break through the fog that refused to let others enter. Of course, there was a price to pay.¡± ¡®Is there such a power in the world?¡¯ Some of the awakeners had abilities he had never heard of before, but he had never heard of the ability to defy thews of the world. ¡°Are you the only one here?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you already? I ran all the way here to avoid them. This was the only way to get out of there.¡± ¡°Why did those guys chase you?¡± Ea looked at him with an exasperated expression, like asking why he had to ask such a thing. ¡°To eat me. They eat everything they want.¡± He took his hand off the hilt of his sword. It has be clear that the unidentified mysterious woman, Ea, came from outside the fog. She also wasn¡¯t particrly hostile, so there was no reason to kill her. He had to extract information from her. ¡°¡­By the way, won¡¯t you give it to me?¡± Ea begged, looking at the piece of meat in Byeong-gap¡¯s hand. She had such a pathetic voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been hungry for a long time now. Please. I¡¯m starving.¡± ¡°Is that why you bit my chicken?¡± Ea¡¯s face turned pale, and she avoided his gaze. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I couldn¡¯t help it. I was out of my mind at the time. I¡¯m telling you the truth, believe me.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± He ced the meat on Ea¡¯s mouth, and she moved her jaw like she was possessed. It took less than ten seconds for the fist-sized piece of meat to disappear. ¡°I have no shame. Could you give me more? This is not enough.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± He headed back to where the Goblins were to get a few more pieces of meat. Their mealtime was already over. The Goblins were organizing their positions in unison. ¡°Gobung.¡± ¡°Hmm? Ah! Lord. Did you call me?¡± ¡°Uh, is there any meat left? Are you done eating?¡± ¡°There¡¯s some more left!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Put some leftovers on a te and give it to me.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah! Wait a minute. Please wait!¡± Gobung hurriedly transferred the leftover meat to a te. In the meantime, Dorma approached him. ¡°Lord, is it awake?¡± ¡°Oh, she¡¯s up. It¡¯s good. Let¡¯s go see it together.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°She called herself a Nefi. Do you know what a Nefi is?¡± Byeong-gap asked without much thought, his eyes on Gobung. So he didn¡¯t even see Dorma¡¯s expression change. ¡°Did you just say Nefi?¡± ¡°Hmm? Why? Do you know the name?¡± Only then did Byeong-gap turn his head. Dorma was deep in thought, his forehead creased. Finally, he opened his mouth just barely. ¡°As far as I know, a Nefi is¡­¡± Chapter 35 35 Mysterious Woman ¡°What is a Nefi? Hurry up and tell me.¡± Ko Byeong-gap rushed Dorma. After licking his lips, Dorma replied. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if my memory is correct, but a Nefi is some kind of Spirit.¡± ¡°Spirit? What¡¯s a Spirit?¡± ¡°They are people who live in the Spirit realm, which is between the terrestrial and celestial realms. They are so scarce and precious that it would be rare to see one in a lifetime. I¡¯ve only heard of them, but I¡¯ve never seen one.¡± Byeong-gap furrowed his eyebrows. What was the terrestrial world, and what was the celestial world? ¡°But it¡¯s strange. Spirits don¡¯t really look like that.¡± ¡°How do you know what it looks like when you say you¡¯ve never seen one?¡± ¡°There are stories that have been passed down through word of mouth.¡± ¡°What do you think they look like?¡± ¡°I heard that they¡¯re only as big as a fist, and their appearance is so beautiful that it matches their soul. They also have a mysterious power.¡± ¡°She certainly doesn¡¯t look like your description. I don¡¯t know about the mysterious power, though.¡± ¡°Lord, here you are.¡± ¡°Well, thank you.¡± As Byeong-gap scratched his chin in thought, Gobung held out the te full of meat. He epted it and said. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go see it together.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get ready for work. I¡¯ll get going.¡± Gobung let him know. ¡°Okay, you can go.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Byeong-gap and Dorma went to where Ea was bound. She was staring wistfully at the chickens around her. It was unclear if the chickens would still be alive if her arms and legs were free. ¡°Ah!¡± Ea eximed when she caught sight of Byeong-gap. When she saw the te he was holding; a bright red color rose on her face. But a few secondster, her face distorted again when she saw Dorma standing next to him. ¡°Who is he? Is he human too?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a Goblin.¡± ¡°Goblin? Oh my God.¡± Byeong-gap ignored her words and crouched on his feet, cing a piece of meat in her mouth. She ate like a baby bird. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Halfway through her meal, she frowned. Chewing the meat seemed to be a struggle because her body was in pretty bad shape. ¡°What kind of meat is this? It¡¯s really good.¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t try to know. By the way, you said you were a Spirit or something.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. How do you know that?¡± Byeong-gap turned his head and looked at Dorma. ¡°I heard it from somewhere.¡± ¡°Hmm. Do you mind if I ask you something?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Dorma crouched down on one knee next to Byeong-gap, and he and Ea seemed to have a staring contest. After a moment of silence, Dorma took a break and opened his mouth. ¡°Why is a Spirit like you in the earthly realm? And if you are a Spirit, how is it possible to look like that?¡± Ea answered after chewing all the meat in her mouth. ¡°You must know about the physiology of Spirits.¡± ¡°I know enough. So what¡¯s your answer?¡± ¡°Why am I on Earth? Because I can no longer stay in the Spirit world. Why am I like this? To survive.¡± ¡°I think I need an exnation.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I eat that first? I haven¡¯t eaten for a long time.¡± Dorma turned his head towards Byeong-gap, and he threw her another piece of meat. ¡°Thank you. To be honest, I was so hungry that I wanted to eat my legs off, but I couldn¡¯t. I needed my legs to get away from them. So I thought about eating my arms off. I actually bit it, but it hurt so much¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re too noisy. Please just eat quietly.¡± ¡°Okay, I didn¡¯t mean to be loud. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ea focused on eating for a while. The amount of meat on the te was quiterge, but she ate it all. She probably was really hungry. ¡°Thank you, but is that all?¡± ¡°What? You¡¯ve eaten that much, and you still haven¡¯t had enough?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ashamed, but I haven¡¯t eaten for a long time.¡± ¡°Stop saying that!¡± Byeong-gap stared at Ea with tired eyes. She grew pale and lowered her head. ¡°We¡¯re done talking about the meat. Now it¡¯s time to answer the question.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell you everything I know.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to hear your exnation first.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Shall we start with the story of the Spirits being kicked out of the Spirit world? Actually, there¡¯s no big reason. It¡¯s because the devil entered the Spirit world.¡± ¡°Devil? Are you referring to the parasites that live in the underworld?¡± ¡°¡¯The parasites that live in the underworld.¡¯ I like that expression. Personally, I think the term ¡®dog¡¯ is more appropriate than ¡®parasite.¡¯¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Dorma smacked his lips and asked. ¡°Parasite or dog, what skills did they have to drive out the Spirits and settle in the Spirit world?¡± ¡°Did I say they were weak? Oh, no. They¡¯re strong, strong enough to make you vomit. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to turn the earthly and the celestial worlds into their home turf.¡± Dorma was shocked. Ea went on calmly. ¡°The demons ravaged the earthly realm and invaded the Spirit realm. They killed or corrupted our Spirits. The few surviving Spirits managed to escape to the surface world, but the terrestrial world is already a den of gruesome people.¡± ¡°What on earth do you mean?¡± ¡°The monsters of gluttony, the Grugles. They¡¯re the servants of the demons. They eat whatever they want, even their own.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ That¡¯s an incredible story.¡± Dorma sighed quietly as Ea continued talking. ¡°The Spirits came down to the ground. As you may know, the terrestrial world is not a good environment for Spirits. Besides, everything on the Earth has already been devastated. We became useless as Spirits and had to change in many ways to survive, resulting in this weird look.¡± She turned her head around, stretching her neck until her head had made a full turn. She had a panoramic view of Ashvm. ¡°I never thought there was a ce like this. I thought this was thend of death. I should havee sooner if I had known it would be this good. There is a saying that ignorance can sometimes be a sin, and it seems to be referring to this kind of situation.¡± Byeong-gap was lost in thought. Dorma and Ea¡ªthe conversation between the two characters was difficult to understand, but the gist of their topic was clearlymunicated. It meant that it was not safe outside the fog. ¡°Let me ask you a question. How dangerous are those guys?¡± ¡°It depends on the individual. Some are incredibly strong, and some are weak enough for us to eat. Although, their meat tastes terrible.¡± ¡°Why are you alone? Where are the other Spirits?¡± When Byeong-gap asked her that, Ea¡¯s expression became depressed. She bit her lower lip tightly. ¡°I lived in a small vige where Nefis gathered. The vige was attacked by a Grugle fifteen days ago, and everyone is probably dead except me.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re thest Spirit?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not like that. There must be other Spirits living somewhere I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve heard that there was a kingdom of Spirits far from the Grugle¡¯s reach, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true.¡± Byeong-gap nodded slowly. It was not something that was easy to ept, but it was not something to doubt. In the first ce, most of the things he¡¯s been throughtely didn¡¯t make sense, anyway. ¡°By the way, what do you mean that humans went extinct a long time ago?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just humans. All the races that used to live on Earth disappeared overnight hundreds of years ago.¡± ¡°Hundreds of years ago?¡± ¡°Yes. In fact, this is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen a creature that¡¯s not a Spirit or a Grugle. To be honest, I still feel like I¡¯m dreaming.¡± ¡°Dorma, what do you think?¡± ¡°I do not know. It¡¯s very different from what I know.¡± Their conversation was slowlying to an end. Byeong-gap pulled out a cigarette and ced it in his mouth. Ea looked at it with curious eyes. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Cigarette.¡± ¡°What¡¯s a cigarette? Is it edible? Can I have some if it¡¯s food? I haven¡¯t eaten for a long time. I¡¯m still very hungry.¡± ¡°You¡¯re driving me crazy.¡± Byeong-gap opened the ancient shop and bought a bone dumpling. He then put it in Ea¡¯s mouth. She ate it enthusiastically as if she were born to do nothing but eat. He didn¡¯t give it to her because she was pretty. He was trying to find out the effectiveness of the bone dumpling. ¡°How do you feel? Is the pain going away?¡± ¡°What? ¡­Hmm? What? The pain suddenly went away!¡± ¡°Dorma, loosen the splint on her arm.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Dorma followed his orders and removed the splint on Ea¡¯s arm. ¡°Move your arms. What do you think?¡± Ea swung her arm around and gasped in surprise. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt. This is amazing!¡± They spun her around and took off all the rest of the splints. She rose carefully, a smile blooming on her face. ¡®That¡¯s amazing. I didn¡¯t expect it to be this effective. Would this beparable to an advanced potion?¡¯ Byeong-gap also bought a flesh dumpling and a blood dumpling. Ea took and ate them both, and after a while, her whole body was fully healed. ¡°Thank you so much for treating me. How are you so kind? I like kind people like you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do it for free.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The meat you ate and the dumplings aren¡¯t free. Plus, it¡¯s natural for you to pay to eat and sleep here in the future. Don¡¯t you know that nothing is free in this world?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right, but I don¡¯t have anything right now.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you have anything? You have a body.¡± Byeong-gap scrutinized Ea from head to toe, and she took a step back, her face turning blue. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking, but you¡¯ll have to work in the future.¡± ¡°Work?¡± ¡®If I could give her a pickaxe, I would let her dig crystals, a piece or two a day.¡¯ He had no ce to use Ea. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a talent for doing something? Tell me why you¡¯re worth it. Oh, yeah, didn¡¯t you say you could ignore thews of the world?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, but I don¡¯t want to use that ability.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°The more I ignore thews, the less I live. The bigger thew, the shorter my lifespan bes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of my business.¡± He said casually, and Ea freaked out again. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. I¡¯m scared, anyway.¡± Byeong-gap clicked his tongue and thought. ¡®Her lifespan would decrease? Then I can¡¯t use that.¡¯ He was not a cold-blooded man without emotions. Using another¡¯s life as a tool didn¡¯t fit his personality. ¡°Can you cook well?¡± ¡°Cook? Of course!¡± She answered with confidence. To be honest, it was a bit of a surprise. ¡°Every Spirit is a gourmet chef. It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that I devoted my life to cooking delicious grilled meat.¡± ¡°Alright, then you¡¯ll be responsible for the meals of the Goblins from now on. And make sure the Goblins clean their living quarters while they work.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, but I get it. I am not unscrupulous. I know grace, and I know responsibility. I¡¯ll work hard.¡± She showed her will. Byeong-gap brought his mouth close to Dorma¡¯s ear and whispered. ¡°If you see anything suspicious or weird, take her down immediately. If she seems dangerous, you can kill her.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Ea had no way of knowing what their secret conversation had been about. Byeong-gap dusted off his cigarette and turned around. ¡°Take her and teach her what to do. Also, introduce her to the Goblins. I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be backter in the evening.¡± ¡°Alright. Then I¡¯ll see youter.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Byeong-gap left Ashvm. A hot car weed him in the summer sun. ¡°There are monsters beyond the fog. It would have been a disaster if I didn¡¯t know.¡± First impressions¡­ Anyway, he was lucky to have met Ea. Thanks to her, he was now aware of the situation beyond the fog. ¡®The Goblins need more systematicbat training.¡¯ Byeong-gap went back to Seoul with a lot of thoughts weighing on his mind. Chapter 36 36. Goblin¡¯s Sorrow Three days had passed since the Spirit Ea came to Ashvm. Ko Byeong-gap and several of the Goblins that received his orders closely watched Ea¡¯s every move. In order to take immediate action if there was even the slightest possibility of danger. However. ¡°Goblins, eat! Ea has prepared a delicious lunch for you!¡± Ea quickly melted into Ashvm with her unique affinity and adaptability. ¡°Everyone, pause your work. Eat. Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Lick lick! Let¡¯s eat!¡± The head of the workforce, Gobung, suspended the morning work. The Goblins in the Crystal Cave neatly arranged their equipment and came out. ¡°Ah. Today. Food. What?¡± ¡°Today¡¯s lunch is rice soup!¡± ¡°Rice soup? What is it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what your Lord told me. It¡¯s a dish with soup. I like warm soup. I hope it suits your taste.¡± ¡°Smell. Delicious.¡± ¡°Fufu. go quickly.¡± Ea jumped and led the Goblins. Ko Byeong-gap smoked from a distance and looked at her. ¡°She¡¯s working fine.¡± A pavilion made under a tree. Ko Byeong-gap sat there and enjoyed a peaceful weekend. ¡®I don¡¯t see anything suspicious. What can she do on her own?¡¯ Ea did a good job of doing her part. Of course, she couldn¡¯t afford all the meals of more than 300 Goblins by herself. So he assigned about ten workers to help her. Then, she eagerly prepared meals, cleaned up, and cleaned the Goblins¡¯ quarters. As a result, their work efficiency automatically increased. ¡®Ancient Shop.¡¯ [Ancient Shop] -Construction -Techniques ¨C Misceneous Goods -Others [Crystals on Hand: 527,148] ¡®We¡¯ve already reached half a million.¡¯ The results of their mining increased significantly in recent days. They easily exceeded 40,000 a day, and sometimes they even reached 50,000 crystals. It was possible because Ea had been in charge of the chores. Cuckoo! From the back came the roaring cry of the chickens. Ko Byeong-gap looked back with a smile. The chickens were gathered in a broad fence. ¡®That little Goblin. He managed to build a chicken coop.¡¯ Fifty chickens. No, 49 chickens ran around in the wooden fence. Honestly, with their jumping ability, they would be able to easily cross that fence. However, the chickens did not run out of the ce because they liked it very much. Even if they came outside, they just often drank water and went back to their ce. ¡®Anyways, they¡¯re all roosters. We¡¯ll need a hen to borrow eggs and see babies. How many hens do I have to buy at the market?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap crouched down in front of the fence and smoked a cigarette. The chickens shot at him with a look of intense irritation. ¡°Ah, what are you looking at? Have you never seen a man smoke before?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Look at those eyes. Are you sure you¡¯re a chicken? Not a hawk?¡± Cuckoo! ¡®If I put a few hens here, would it be worth it? How can those tender creatures take care of you all?¡¯ He shrugged his shoulders and got up. Ko Byeong-gap soon moved to the Goblin¡¯s camp. He saw a long line in front of the cauldron. The Goblins were being served with a bowl of soup in their hands. ¡°Enjoy your meal. I, Ea, worked hard to make it!¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Come eat more if you need more. I have very big hands.¡± ¡°Your hands are small.¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve made plenty of them.¡± The Normal Goblin tilted his head back. The next one was Kiriyan. Ea kept spitting out the same words, not getting tired. ¡°Enjoy your meal!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to eat?¡± ¡°Oh, of course, I¡¯ll eat. After giving it all to you.¡± Kiriyan pondered on something. Then, he left the line without receiving his meal. ¡°I¡¯ll get itter. Let¡¯s eat together.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah! Alright, it¡¯s fun to eat with someone. I like to sit around and eat. I¡¯m d that you asked me to eat with you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Kiriyan.¡± ¡°Oh, you have a name? That¡¯s cool. I¡¯m Ea.¡± She had a short chat with Kiriyan. Kiriyan walked out with an empty bowl. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this supposed to make me angry?¡± Ko Byeong-gap watched the scene with his arms crossed, and then snapped his fingers. ¡°Kiriyan,e here.¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh yes! Did you call, Lord sir?¡± Kiriyan rushed toward him. Ko Byeong-gap stared at Kiriyan, smacking his lips. Kiriyan, who received his gaze, looked like he didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Kiriyan.¡± ¡°Yes? Please tell me.¡± ¡°Do you like Ea?¡± ¡°Huh, what do you mean?¡± Kiriyan asked back in bewilderment. Ko Byeong-gap calmed him down by waving his hand. ¡°No, I don¡¯t mean to criticize you. I¡¯m just asking, frankly, man-to-man. Do you like Ea?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean much. Do you like Ea as a woman? When you stand in front of her, your heart beats, you sweat, and you want to look good?¡± Kiriyan tilted his head and took his hand to his heart. Subsequently, he wiped his forehead and then nced at Ea. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think so. I like the Lord the best. After you, the people of the race as I am. They are good. And that Spirit is the third.¡± ¡°But why did you ask her to eat with you?¡± ¡°Is that what you meant?¡± Kiriyan hesitated. ¡°¡­¡­I actually felt a little sorry for the spirit.¡± ¡°What do you mean, sorry?¡± ¡°I heard it from Dorma. I heard that the Spirit Ea said that all of her people that lived with her had died, and now she¡¯s a loner. It reminded me of the old days.¡± ¡°Old days?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been alone in a ce without my own kind.¡± ¡°Ah, right. You were.¡± Ko Byeong-gap was reminded of the first time he met Kiriyan. Kiriyan was with the Thunder Wolves in a crack where there were no Goblins. He was with animals that couldn¡¯tmunicate. ¡°That¡¯s why I felt sorry for her. I¡¯m sorry!!¡± Kiriyan suddenly shook his head. Ko Byeong-gap asked, perplexed. ¡°Hey, raise your head. What are you sorry about all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Lord ordered me to keep an eye on that Spirit. Come to think of it, it was against the Lord¡¯smand to have such a heart. Please punish me!¡± ¡°Oh my gosh¡­ I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡± Ko Byeong-gap scratched the back of his head. Then, he patted Kiriyan on the shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s enough, dude. What kind of punishment would I do? I told you before. I¡¯m not trying to me you.¡± ¡°I¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Yes, and you can stop spying on Ea. There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything suspicious about her.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°Please take good care of Ea from now on. We are one family now.¡± ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡± Ko Byeong-gap sent Kiriyan away. ¡®That¡¯s weird. How could he have such a sound mind?¡¯ He sighed quietly. He stood silently for a few seconds, then nced around to find Dorma. Soon after, he found Dorma and tried to approach him, but suddenly, a random Goblin who was eating greeted him. ¡°Lord. Did you eat?¡± ¡°Ah. You should say, ¡®Did you eat well?¡¯ like that.¡± ¡°Did you eat well, Lord?¡± The Normal Goblin even copied Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s tone. ¡°You¡¯re good. Do that from now on.¡± ¡°Yes. Okay.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Ko Byeong-gap shook his head. ¡°No, just do it as you normally do. I expect too much from you guys¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, Lord. Have you eaten yet?¡± ¡°Uh, Gobung Gobung Gobung.¡± Gobung was greeted with an empty bowl. ¡°Did you finish eating? Or are you going to eat now?¡± ¡°After eating one bowl. To eat more. Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Oh. Does it suit your taste?¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s so delicious.¡± ¡°Right! Delicious!¡± ¡°I. Soup. Good!¡± Even the Goblins nearby eximed that it was delicious. Ko Byeong-gap was so happy that he smiled. ¡®Of course. It¡¯s the best food in the world.¡¯ For Ko Byeong-gap, gukbap, or rice soup, had a different meaning. In his early days as a hunter. He had no money, and he was hungry. He didn¡¯t even have money to buy a potion and ate three meals a day with ramen. His only way to heal was to eat 5,000 won worth of cheap gukbap at a 24-hour rice soup restaurant in front of his house. One could say that they were just eating rice with soup, but that was the case back then. He wanted to convey the taste to the Goblins as well. Of course, what Ea cooked was not a proper rice soup. Dissolve beef bone extract, which costs less than 10,000 won per kg, in water. Cut some chives and cabbages that were sold at the market. But all they did was cut the chunks of monster meat and season it with salt. So it was more like meat soup than rice soup. But he was happy that Goblins enjoyed it. ¡°Eat a lot. I¡¯ll let you have a full stomach of rice soup.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ko Byeong-gap passed the Goblins and approached Dorma. Dorma was sitting alone in a quiet ce, eating. ¡°Oh, Lord. Have you eaten? Let¡¯s eat together.¡± ¡°No, thanks. I just ate.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Dorma, I have a question.¡± ¡°Yes, ask me anything. I¡¯ll tell you everything I know.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap was speechless. Could he say this? To a kid who was eating? It was an embarrassing subject to talk about. He coughed a few times before bringing it up. ¡°What are you guys¡­? Don¡¯t you have a rut?¡± ¡°Huh? A rut?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you guys have sex too. You want to do it, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Do what? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Oh,e on. You know. That thing!!¡± ¡°Are you talking about sexual intercourse?¡± ¡°Yes, that!¡± Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s face was burning. To be honest, he had a hangover. He spewed out his words awkwardly. ¡°See, I was looking at the chicken coop today, and I suddenly thought of that. Put a hen between those feisty roosters. Do you think hens can stand their mettle? But the same applies to Ashvm. Oh, of course, that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re like chickens, so don¡¯t be offended.¡± Dorma nodded as if he understood. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t feel bad at all if the Lord ordered me to go to bed. So you don¡¯t have to make us feel better.¡± ¡°Come on, what are you so disappointed about? Anyway. There¡¯s a lot of you. If I leave a female Goblin here, she¡¯ll be so tired, right?¡± ¡°Are you willing to buy a Female Goblin?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. I was thinking about going out of the fog as soon as we collected the money, but I thought it would be better to postpone it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Dorma was lost in thought for a moment with his spoon and chopsticks. Ko Byeong-gap calmly waited for Dorma to open his mouth. ¡°Well, in my opinion, the situation that the Lord is worried about will not happen.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We are eunuchs, so to speak.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap gulped down his saliva. Dormaughed bitterly and continued. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know about the unfortunate history of the Goblins.¡± ¡°I know, you told me.¡± ¡°Yes, we were born by magic. The same goes for the ancestors and the ancestors of the ancestors. Goblins have existed in such an unusual way for centuries.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Muscles that are not used tend to shrink. It¡¯s the same context. For us, things for reproduction. Sexual desire, for example, disappeared naturally.¡± Ko Byeong-gap opened his mouth without realizing it. ¡°Oh no, don¡¯t tell me that underneath¡­.¡± ¡°No. It runs fine with no problems. However, I don¡¯t know if it works physiologically or not.¡± Dorma was calm. On the contrary, Ko Byeong-gap became solemn. He felt like he needed to say somethingforting. ¡®Let¡¯s not do that. What¡¯s the point of turning the house upside down?¡¯ He soon gave up. ¡®Hey, it¡¯s okay! I¡¯ve never done it either!¡¯ It was useless to say such things. Dorma added a few words after slurping down the rice soup. ¡°Well, as a matter of fact. Even if we don¡¯t have a functional disability, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. Lord just needs to say, ¡®Don¡¯t do it¡¯.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too harsh.¡± ¡°Huhu, Lord seems to be a true saint.¡± Ko Byeong-gap also knew because he was in the military. Control of needs was too harsh. Of course, it was only animals that released their desires at will. Also, in order to manage a group, it was right to control their desires to a certain extent. But that didn¡¯t mean to block the assholes of those who wanted to shit. ¡°Anyway, I hope the Lord will do as he pleases.¡± ¡°You think so?¡± ¡°Yes. To be honest, I¡¯d like to see what a Female Goblin looks like.¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± Ko Byeong-gap was lost in thought for a moment. The time he spent thinking was not long. A short timeter, he pped his hands and said. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s hold a big event in Ashvm.¡± Chapter 37 37. Unexpected ¡°Oh, that¡¯s an interesting story.¡± Ea nodded in admiration. Kiriyan was excited and continued to speak. ¡°That¡¯s not all. The field up there was also nted by the Lord. The chickens in the fence were also brought in by the Lord.¡± ¡°Your Lord must be a great man, huh? ording to you, he¡¯s an all-rounder.¡± ¡°Of course, he¡¯s nothing short of grace to us.¡± ¡°I think I know why you like and follow him so much. It¡¯s great to have a reliable leader.¡± Ea and Kiriyan sat side by side and drank rice soup. The conversation didn¡¯t stop as they ate, and the leisurely lunch break was almost over. After they ate, the Goblins prepared to work one by one. At that time, Gobung shouted at the Goblins, ¡°The Goblins who are done eating. In the field. Gather around! Lord¡¯s order!¡± Ea tilted her head. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I have to go now.¡± Kiriyan finished all the leftover rice soup and got up. ¡°Can Ie and see it? I¡¯m not a Goblin.¡± ¡°Well, you should ask the Lord.¡± ¡°That would be great. Thank you for eating with me today, Kiriyan.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Let¡¯s have dinner togetherter.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like that. I feel a little closer to you.¡± Kiriyan bowed and headed for the field. The other Goblins also gathered one after another. Ea finished her meal slowly. When she went to the field, all the Goblins had already gathered. In the center of it all stood Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Are we all here? Check it, Gobung.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°You can take your time.¡± Gobung skillfully counted the number of heads. Ea took the opportunity to sneak up behind Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Excuse me.¡± ¡°Oh, my gosh!¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ko Byeong-gap eased his startled heart and answered. ¡°I have something to do. Why?¡± ¡°May I take a look? I wonder what you guys are doing together.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap thought for a moment and readily agreed. ¡°Do whatever you want. We have kids here to help you anyway.¡± ¡°Yay! Thank you! I have a lot of curiosity. Spirits are usually like that.¡± ¡°You have too many useless words.¡± ¡°Is that so? But I love to talk. On the contrary, if you can¡¯t say whates to your mind, your heart will be frustrated¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, just go over there.¡± ¡°Hehe. I see.¡± Ea gently squeezed herself to where the Goblins sat. ¡°Lord, all of them are here.¡± ¡°Okay. Go sit over there too.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Goblin sat in line with the row. Ko Byeong-gap stood in front of them and cleared his throat. ¡°Did you eat well?¡± ¡°Yes! Thank you for the meal!¡± ¡°Nom!¡± The Goblins answered in unison, and Ashvn resounded with the sound. Ea was so surprised that she covered her ears. ¡°There is no other reason why you have gathered like this. A new family member ising to Ashvm today. I called you to let you know.¡± ¡°New family?¡± The Goblins, who didn¡¯t know what to say, murmured. Ko Byeong-gap skillfullyforted them. ¡°Come on, everyone, be quiet and concentrate. From now on, the first Female Goblin in the history of New Ashvm will be born.¡± The field was filled with silence. Ko Byeong-gap opened the ancient shop with a trembling heart. He teased his fingers a few times to find the item he wanted. ¡®Here it is.¡¯ [Female Goblin] -Price: 500,000 Crystal -Description: A female goblin who became extinct by a curse. It has a breeding function and can give birth to females. Ko Byeong-gap lingered on it for a few seconds, and then he pressed it. [Would you like to buy ¡®Female Goblin¡¯?] ¡®Yeah.¡¯ [Please select a ¡®Female Goblin¡¯ to purchase.] [Henrel, Maria, Canna, Ariona, Susan, Delosi, Grancia¡­.] ¡®What is this?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap frowned at the hologram since more than tens of thousands of names came out of the list. He felt like he had to stay up a few nights to read it all. ¡®You want me to choose one of them?¡¯ It became difficult to decide because it was unexpected. ¡®I¡¯m thinking about it.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap groaned. Given the multiple choices, he was bound to hesitate. ¡®I don¡¯t know. I could probably choose anyone anyway.¡¯ Determined, he pressed the buy button. The name Ko Byeong-gap chose was ¡®Doran¡¯. After a while, 500,000 crystals were withdrawn. And in front of him, a core of light began to gather. ¡°Oh-oh!¡± The Goblins let out an exmation. Ko Byeong-gap also looked at the scene with nk eyes. The core of light quickly took shape. At first, the head was made, and gradually the shape of the body and limbs emerged. And finally, the head-to-toe formation was over. The twinkling light faded and revealed a woman. It was a naked woman without a single thread, and it wasn¡¯t a Goblin. At least, that was how it was in Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s view. ¡®What is this?¡¯ ¡°¡­ Uh?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Lo¡­ Lord? What is this?¡± It was a very beautiful girl. She had silky ck hair and skin the same color as copper. Her features were very distinct, and her dropping ears were pointed. Her height wasn¡¯t that big since she was about 160 centimeters tall. Her height reached up to Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s chest. In terms of face value, she was around 16 or 17 years old. ¡®No, fuck it. The face value doesn¡¯t matter now.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap tried to calm his dazed mind and grasp the situation. The word ¡®Female¡¯ was correct, but where was the word ¡®Goblin¡¯? The word Goblin was nowhere to be found in her. To be honest, she was simr to humans, but she wasn¡¯t exactly the same. There was a clear sense of disparity. ¡°¡­¡± The unidentified girl blinked her eyes and looked up at Ko Byeong-gap. Ko Byeong-gap thought he was going to be sucked in when he looked at her green eyes. It wasn¡¯t long before the girl looked around. Hundreds of eyes stared at her nkly. She recoiled and backed away. ¡°¡­ What are you?¡± Ko Byeong-gap barely spoke. The girl just blinked her eyes. ¡®Can¡¯t you talk?¡¯ That was what he thought for a moment. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡± The girl wrinkled her face and spat out her voice. Ko Byeong-gap was as surprised as he was when he first heard Ea¡¯s voice. It was a very seductive voice. ¡®I¡¯d like to ask you that.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap could hardly get the hang of what to say. *** ¡°I don¡¯t even know.¡± ¡°I thought so.¡± Doran, the unidentified girl, answered roughly and fiddled with the cape given by Ko Byeong-gap. ¡®This hurts my head.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap talked to Doran in his private tent. No, it was more like an interrogation than a conversation. It was in the form of Ko Byeong-gap asking a question and Doran answering. The problem was that there was nothing much to achieve. Ko Byeong-gap asked about 40 questions, but Doran answered that she didn¡¯t know all of them. Still, two facts could be uncovered. ¡®Boy, she really doesn¡¯t know anything, and she¡¯s so clueless.¡± Doran didn¡¯t know anything. She was like a nk paper. It would¡¯ve been nice if there was some dirt on it, but it was much too clean, and he was growing impatient. Even that time, he sat roughly on the sofa and shook his crossed legs. Ko Byeong-gap judged that it was meaningless to inquire further. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s call it a day.¡± ¡°Excuse me, Lord. Oh! Can I call you Lord?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what you can call me. What is it?¡± ¡°I have a question. What will happen to me from now on?¡± ¡°You will stay here in the future. Together with the other Goblins.¡± ¡°Oh, really? That sounds fun.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He didn¡¯t know if she was easy-going or just not thinking. Doran didn¡¯t reallyin. Ko Byeong-gap put on a cigarette and lit a fire. Doran then frowned and pulled back. ¡°Ugh. I don¡¯t like the smell of it.¡± ¡°We¡¯re done here, so get going.¡± ¡°To where?¡± ¡°You see that tent over there?¡± He pointed his finger in one direction. ¡°What¡¯s a tent? Oh, that one?¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll find a girl named Ea there. Stay with her today.¡± ¡°Okay, I will. Heh heh. Ea, Ea, who is Ea?¡± Doran hummed away and leisurely left. She was a little bit different from Ea, and she was lively. ¡°I¡¯m in trouble.¡± Ko Byeong-gap shook his head and blew out smoke. The smoke soon dispersed. ¡°Is that a Goblin before degeneration?¡¯ The conversation with Doran didn¡¯t produce any results. But guessing was possible. As a result of repeated inferences, he reached some conclusions. ¡®The female Goblins went extinct before Ashvm was even destroyed. So it wouldn¡¯t have suffered the degeneration of the race. If that is the case, then there is a high possibility that that form is the form of the Goblins before their decline.¡± Unless the ancient shop lied in the first ce, he bought a Goblin, but there was no way that something out of the blue like that would ur. ¡®That¡¯s amazing. Could that be the true form of a Goblin?¡¯ He burst intoughter. Doran and the rest of the Goblins. The gap between the two was too great. It was so sad. ¡®What the hell did you do to get to that point, guys?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap smoked cigarettes for a while. After a while, he went to visit Ea. Ea was down the river with the Goblins and Doran. It looked like they were washing dishes. Ko Byeong-gap spied on them for a moment from a few steps away. ¡°Can I do that too?¡± ¡°Hmm? Does that mean you¡¯re going to help? I would be very happy if you could help me. I like to get help. On the contrary, I like to help others.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll help you. It looks fun.¡± Doran snuggled between them and helped her wash the dishes with sloppy gestures. Ko Byeong-gap sighed and called Ea. ¡°Ea.¡± ¡°Hmm? Oh! When did you get here? I didn¡¯t even know you were standing behind me.¡± ¡°Come with me for a second.¡± ¡°Oh, good. Do you have something to say to me?¡± Ko Byeong-gap led Ea to a secluded ce. ¡°What do you want to say to me?¡± ¡°I need you to take care of Doran for a while.¡± ¡°Is that girl named Doran? That¡¯s a pretty name. Anyway, okay. Leave it to me.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll ask you a favor. Take her around and teach her this and that. Take her with you when you sleep. Tell me if you need anything. I will bring it to you right away.¡± He thought it would be better for her to be with Ea than the other Goblins. Ea readily agreed. ¡°I see. It¡¯s always fun to make new friends. I think Doran and I canmunicate well. I just had that feeling. I have a good hunch. What actually happened was¡­¡± ¡°I see. I see. Go wash the dishes.¡± ¡°Um, I understand.¡± Ko Byeong-gap sent Ea back. Anyway, he felt exhausted when he talked to that spirit. He got out of Ashvm that way. He was thinking of sleeping on it. Anyway, sleeping was the best thing to do when you had a headache. ¡°Let¡¯s take a shower and take a nap after a long time.¡± He flung off his clothes. There was no one watching anyway. Finally, he took his hand to take off his underwear, and that was the moment¡­ Boom boom! Boom boom! ¡°What the fuck?¡± The building vibrated with a roar. In a moment, a thousand thoughts crossed his mind. ¡®What, is there a war? Did a missile just drop? Or an earthquake? Sinkhole? What is it?¡± Ko Byeong-gap ran to the window, half-dressed. He pulled the blinds down, and he opened the window wide. Oh my God. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± He was speechless. Missiles, earthquakes, sinkholes. Something far more shocking than anything else happened in front of his bedroom. ¡®Why is the monster on the street?¡¯ ¡°Argh! Fuck! Fuck! Don¡¯te!¡± A cold scream rang in his ear. Ko Byeong-gap straightened his neck and looked at the ce where the sound wasing from. A monster approached a man. The man fell as if his legs were loose, and the monster tore his body apart without any mercy. Blood sttered on the exterior walls of the building. ¡°Crrr¡­¡± The monster slowly turned its head. It then made eye contact with Ko Byeong-gap, who looked down from the fourth floor of the vi. ¡®Fuck!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap felt like a madman. No, he was half crazy and put his clothes back on. After he got his long sword, he ran out right away. Even when he got down the stairs, he couldn¡¯t figure out what had happened at all. Chapter 38 38. Unexpected ¡®Why is a monster outside the crack? Was it able toe out?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap ran frantically. He jumped five steps at a time. A thousand thoughts came to his mind as he left the vi. Did he see nonsense? Or was it a dream? Such an escape from reality was short-lived. He faced the monster right in front of his nose and watched as the feeling ofmon sense he had umted over the past three years as a hunter crumbled away before him. ¡®Is it a Yeti?¡¯ The identity of the monster who just killed a civilian was a Yeti. A monster whose height easily exceeded 8 feet and was covered with gray hair. It was a D-ss monster, so it wasn¡¯t that strong. Of course, that was by hunter standards; that was a disaster for the general public. ¡°¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap rolled his eyes and looked to the side and saw a man drooped in front of the parking lot pir. The Yeti had just beaten him, and it was already toote to save him. His whole head had been pulled out. How could he save him? Woo! Woo! The Yeti¡¯s eyes red and ate the man¡¯s head. The man¡¯s head felt as small as an apple as he held it. What more needed to be said? Ko Byeong-gap drew his sword and charged at the Yeti. ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± The Yeti shrieked slowly and threw away the head that it held. Ko Byeong-gap reflexively tried to cut through it but quickly pulled the sword back. Even though the person in the monster¡¯s hand was dead, he didn¡¯t want to cut through a human body. ¡°Phew!¡± He ducked over to the fullest extent. The Yeti sped itsrge hands and aimed at Ko Byeong-gap. Immediately, its raised fists dropped. ¡®Such a slow attack!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap turned his body momentarily to avoid it briefly. ¡°Is that right?¡± At the same time, he raised his sword sharply and drew vigorously. The Yeti¡¯s pelvis was cut off entirely from the left. Ko Byeong-gap never stopped swinging his sword to cut off its neck. The Yeti¡¯s head rolled on the floor. ¡°Ah¨C¡± Its screaming stopped. Ko Byeong-gap stood in front of the Yeti¡¯s body and looked around. At a nce, there was more than one civilian casualty. ¡®One, two, three¡­ Damn it.¡¯ There were only three people in sight, and they all had their heads pulled out. ¡®To be so helpless¡­¡¯ Yes. Even if only one D-ss Yeti emerged, an unarmed civilian would die helplessly. If they were given rifles¡­ No, a pistol might be enough to save them. Ko Byeong-gap wondered if he should collect the people¡¯s bodies. ¡®No, now is not the time.¡¯ He could feel the presence of monsters everywhere, and their eerie energy carried death. Ko Byeong-gap left immediately. However, he couldn¡¯t take a step forward. A word crossed his mind. ¡®Mom!¡¯ He came to his senses. Did a monstere to the hospital where his mother was hospitalized? If that was the case, his mother¡­ Ko Byeong-gap felt like his legs loosen. ¡®Calm down, calm down!¡¯ He chewed his lips and pped himself on the cheek. As the pain subsided, his mind calmed a little. ¡®Let¡¯s call.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap pulled out his cell phone from his pocket. He pressed the hold button to turn on the screen, and then, there were several missed messages. [Emergency text message!] -Many monsters appeared in Gwanak-gu and Jongno-gu, Seoul! Citizens, please evacuate to a safe ce! ¡®The area between Gwanak and Jongno?¡¯ When he checked the text, his heart felt lighter. His mother was currently in Gangnam. Still, he couldn¡¯tpletely rx. Ko Byeong-gap immediately called the hospital. -Currently, there are a lot of calls on hold, so it is difficult to connect. Please try againter. The phone didn¡¯t go through the hospital due to the heavy volume of calls. He tried several times again, but he got the same result every time. His expression distorted. Suddenly, a number came into Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s gaze. -Kim Yu-bi -010-XXXX-XXXX ¡®This is¡­¡¯ Not too long ago, Ko Byeong-gap stopped by the hospital to visit his mother. A nurse named Kim Yu-bi suddenly talked to him. Ko Byeong-gap had a short conversation with her. It wasn¡¯t a very beneficial chat, but they even exchanged phone numbers unexpectedly. ¡®I said I was busy because she wanted to eat with me out of the blue.¡¯ She was a woman who felt like a bother that day, but currently, she was like a benefactor. Ko Byeong-gap quickly called Kim Yu-bi. After a few beeps, she picked up. -Hello. Oh, wait! Hello? He felt a sense of distraction in her voice. Ko Byeong-gap briefly introduced himself and asked about the hospital¡¯s situation. Kim Yu-bi replied in a slightly annoyed tone. -It¡¯s safe here. There are no monsters. Hunters are guarding the perimeter. Yes! I¡¯ll go now! I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t make long calls right now. Anyway, don¡¯t worry too much. Kim Yu-bi hung up after saying that. Ko Byeong-gap swept away his frightened heart. ¡®Thank God.¡¯ If the hospital was safe, he couldn¡¯t ask for more. Ko Byeong-gap raised his anger as he looked at the Yeti¡¯s corpse. It was like waking up in the middle of the night. What the hell were those fucking monsters? Ko Byeong-gap fixed his sword and ran briskly. *** Ko Byeong-gap was in Ashvm since early morning. As a result, he didn¡¯t know the details of the incident that urred in the real world. However, he grasped the current situation through the information he found as he went around in real-time. ¡®Not one or two.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just one or two monsters. About half an hour after he discovered the first Yeti, he cut down seven monsters so far, but it didn¡¯t ur to him that that was the end. Just from the sounds of gunshots that came from afar¡­ Tada-da-da-da-da-dang! ¡®Is there a battle going on over there?¡¯ He turned in the direction of the gunshots. At that moment, a scream came from somewhere near. ¡°Ahhhhh! Help me! Please!¡± It came from the direction of the crosswalk. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s body moved reflexively. Before he turned to the crossing, he found another body. It was a corpse that was severely mutted as if a sharp object had torn off it. ¡®The only people I am seeing are corpses!¡¯ Everyone that he encountered was dead. Ko Byeong-gap gritted his teeth as he turned around the corner. ¡°Argh!¡± A boy was running in his direction. A giant monster chased after him. ¡®This is crazy! A Mantis?!¡¯ It was ssified as a C-ss monster, and it looked like a praying mantis. However, it wasn¡¯t a normal mantis since it had three pincers on each side. It was a praying mantis with a total of six pincers. The bigger problem was its size. Its height from head to toe easily exceeded 4 meters. ¡®I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯ In the case ofrge monsters, their disgusting size made them quite a threat. If their karma concentration were higher, it would¡¯ve been listed above B-ss. It was about to catch up with the boy. His face was covered with tears and a runny nose. Ko Byeong-gap gave up thinking more and gave himself to his instincts. The scythe of the mantis fell on the boy¡¯s head. Ko Byeong-gap leaped with all his might and raised his sword. The sword and sickle collided and resulted in a tight battle of strength, and the boy barely survived. ¡°Ahhh¡­ Sir, thank you-¡± ¡°Shut up and run! Get in any building and hide!¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± ¡°Creee!¡± A superpower came out of the 4-meter tall monster. It was definitely not of that world. However¡­ ¡®This is nothingpared to the Queen Arachne.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap also had experience with a much more shitty opponent. Compared to then, the current situation was like fighting a fairy. Ko Byeong-gap radiated power from his body and bounced his sword, and then, the mantis¡¯ body staggered and fell backward. The C-ss giant monster was pushed back by pure power. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Ko Byeong-gap leaped forward with a shout. The sword he held in both hands prated the chest of the mantis. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± ¡°Look!¡± He cut it sideways when he prated through. Blood and filth poured out as the flesh burst. The mantis struggled wildly. Ko Byeong-gap quickly shook off his body and began to cut the legs of the frantic bastard one by one. The hind legs that supported its body were cut off without hesitation. The mantis fell when the third leg was amputated. It wasn¡¯t over yet. Ko Byeong-gap, while he dodged all of its rushing pincers, split the monster¡¯s head in three, and the mantispletely stopped breathing. ¡°Heh heh, heh heh.¡± A mantis that six or seven hunters could only catch with concentrated fire. Ko Byeong-gap captured such a monster by himself, and in just a few minutes. ¡®I¡¯m d there were no distractors.¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t have been that easy if they had encountered each other inside the crack. There could¡¯ve been a lot of subordinate monsters helping him. Ko Byeong-gap looked at the dead body of the mantis for a while. ¡°What ss are you? Are there things that are higher than C-ss?¡± He wished the mantis was the strongest monster in that situation. He had a hunch that it wouldn¡¯t be the case. Whatever it was, he had to move. Ko Byeong-gap followed the gunshots heard in the distance. *** ¡°Shoot! Keep shooting!¡± ¡°Ah, what a mess!¡± The hunters couldn¡¯t stop swearing. Each bullet came with a curse word. They were struggling not because there were too many monsters or because they were too strong. It was because the ce was bad. ¡°I can¡¯t shoot you in the ass!¡± Their current location was a vi in Sillim-dong. There were multi-family houses all over the ce. If they shot at their own will, they were going to break a lot of things. ¡°Kieeek!¡± ¡°Oh my God!¡± Bang! Bang! Bang! The hunters shot with caution. The monsters were brutal. Knowing the hunters hesitated, they deliberately hid behind buildings or parked cars. So, there was nothing the hunters could do. It was a big deal if they hit a building or car. One might ask why they argued about such a thing in such an urgent situation. One, they were things they didn¡¯t know. ¡®What if it backfires after shooting a car or building? I¡¯m the only one who loses!¡¯ It was the first time a monster had appeared on the street. So, of course, there was now rted to that. Hunters didn¡¯t want to take any chances. After all, wasn¡¯t it a world driven by the logic of money, no matter what justice was? If it weren¡¯t for money, I wouldn¡¯t have fought against monsters in this scorching sun. ¡°Why can¡¯t I see the top hunters? What a load of bullshit!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me, Kim? They say Bongcheon is a mess. Sillim is peacefulpared to that. All the top hunters will be there.¡± ¡°Well, we still have to have a few people here! How can we fight in a ce like this¨C¡± ¡°Oh! Kim, be careful!¡± ¡°What? Argh!¡± A Ghoul raided the hunters¡¯ backs. Kim Seok-min suffered a shoulder injury after being hit by a tentacle. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°That bastard!¡± Jung Yong-tae quickly aimed his gun. However, the gun didn¡¯t fire. ¡°I¡¯m going crazy!¡± The Goblin Ghoul was glued to the outer wall of the vi. It was right in front of the house¡¯s window, and it knew that it would be safe there. It wiggled its tentacles like it was teasing him. ¡°That damn thing! I don¡¯t know what else to do!¡± Tada-da-da-da-dang! Jung Yong-tae, who was in turmoil, fired indiscriminately. Kim Seok-min immediately stopped him. ¡°Hey, you idiot, what are you doing? What if there is someone inside!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t stay like this!¡± The vignt Goblin Ghoul fell with piercing wounds all over its body. It was definitely a boon. However¡­ Kachang! ¡°Ahhhh!¡± The house that was swept away by bullets became a mess. A shattering scream came from the broken window. ¡°Hunters, look ahead, in front!¡± At that time, Yoo Byung-seok, a hunter wearing sses, shouted. The other two reflexively turned their heads. There, a monster stood with an unusual aura. The three of them turned pale at the same time. ¡°I¡­ That one?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Crow!¡± Crow. A B-ss humanoid monster that was about 2 meters tall. Its muscr body was ck as charcoal. It had no features on its face, only a snout that resembled a crocodile. It lowered its body and took a stance. It was about to rush. ¡°Shit, shoot! Shoot!¡± ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Tada-tada-tada-tada! The hunters fired like crazy, and they had no more hesitation as before. It wasn¡¯t about money anymore. Pot! The Crow kicked the ground. It rushed to the hunters like a cannonball. The bullets the hunters poured out didn¡¯t work at all against the Crow. That was because they were all blocked by the karma barrier that it had deployed. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡± Yoo Byung-seok suffered a huge wind hole in his chest. The Crow pulled out its bloody hand and found its next scapegoat. ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± The two hunters who stood just a short distance lost their fighting spirit. Also, guns didn¡¯t work against higher-level monsters. To cut that barrier even a little, they had to have an RPG missile. ¡°Run!¡± ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± ¡°Grarara!¡± ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Kim Seok-min and Jung Yong-tae threw their guns off and ran. The Crow chased them away with a distinctive cry. Of course, it was impossible to escape it. Kim Seok-min died less than ten steps away. Jung Yong-tae was the only one left. To make matters worse, he tripped and fell. His lower body became wet. ¡°Grar¡­¡± ¡°Oh, no. Please don¡¯t kill me!¡± ¡°Grararara!¡± Monsters had no mercy. The Crow came for him without hesitation. ¡®This is how I die!¡¯ Jung Yong-tae felt death in his bones. If he had known that would happen, he would¡¯ve refused the guild¡¯s call! It was toote to regret it. ¡°Hmm?!¡± That was when the mysterious man blocked his way. He was calm even after being attacked by the Crow. ¡®Is a top hunter here?¡¯ So immersed in such a question, the mysterious man spoke with an irritated voice. ¡°If you want to live, don¡¯t be stupid and run away!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Jung Yong-tae forgot to answer and threw himself away. The next moment, there was a fierce battle between the mysterious man and the Crow. Chapter 39 39. End of Situation ¡®It¡¯s like pushing a wall.¡¯ Just by facing it with the sword, he could feel his opponent¡¯s weight. It was a unique weight only possessed by beings above the higher ranks. He was the one who had easily shaken off therge monster, the Mantis, but it wasn¡¯t easy that time. ¡°Phew!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap leaned back. The Crow immediately caught up with him and attacked him. ¡®This is going to be a beehive if I hit it right. But it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t avoid it.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap followed the footwork as shown in the swordsmanship manual. His body moved flexibly, sometimes as straight as bamboo grain. His sword and the enemy¡¯s hand des ran into each other from time to time. His body shook by itself. ¡®I can¡¯t do damage like this. I have to hit it with Karma.¡¯ He instilled Karma into the sword. A subtle blue light spread on the de. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s attack began to hurt the Crow. He took one shot on the side while he dodged the enemy¡¯s attack. It took one shot to the thigh while he avoided kicks that swung like a hammer. He also avoided the pping snout and gave a big blow to its chest. ¡°Grrrrrr!¡± About 10 minutester, the Crow¡¯s whole body was full of stab wounds. Blood dripped down and soaked the floor red. However, Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t be satisfied. ¡®I didn¡¯t dig deep. Is it because of the difference in karma concentration? If so!¡¯ He prepared a decisive blow and lifted his energy all over his body. ¡®Karma concentration or what? Is it enough to break it with force?¡¯ His muscles tensed. Every muscle from head to toe interacted and created enormous momentum. The power of his body wasn¡¯t dependent on modern civilization or Karma. Ko Byeong-gap became a beast. Pavat! He ran a dozen meters in a single stroke. It was so fast that it was difficult to even catch Ko Byeong-gap with normal eyes. ¡°?!¡± The Crow reacted after half a beat. It was a golden opportunity. ¡®Shoot!¡¯ His sword swung like lightning. It was an attack aimed at the monster¡¯s neck. The Crow managed to secure its guard by a hair¡¯s breadth. However¡­ Grrrrr! Its arm was cut off helplessly. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t stop and cut off its neck at once. Push! Blood spurted like a fountain from the cut area. The Crow was soon knocked down. ¡°Gasp, gasp, gasp.¡± Ko Byeong-gap breathed heavily and looked down at the dead Crow. ¡®I caught it. I caught a high-ranking monster by myself.¡¯ Although he wasn¡¯t in normal condition, his strength was drained, and he was very tired. The recoil caused by physical overload came to him. ¡®Is there only one or two of them from now on¡­? That¡¯s okay.¡¯ [Current achievement rate of ¡®Ancient Swordsmanship ¨C Low-grade¡¯: 86.98%] [Current achievement rate of ¡®Ancient Physical Training ¨C Low-grade¡¯: 91.79%] Ko Byeong-gap grinned at the hologram. ¡®It won¡¯t be long until I reach the intermediate level. There¡¯s still a lot of stairs to climb.¡¯ He tore the Crow¡¯s chest apart. Its body, which died with exhausted Karma, was no different from any other piece of meat. Soon after, he removed the magic stone from its heart. It was a red magic stone, the symbol of a high-level monster. ¡°I¡¯m going to keep this as a souvenir.¡± Ko Byeong-gap stuffed the magic stone into his pocket and moved his body again. *** Once you have dealt with a strong enemy, the lower ones tend to feel stic. The low-level monsters showed off their faces. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t find any sense ofpatibility in them. To add a little leap forward, it was a moving target. ¡°Where the hell are these pieces of shiting from?¡± The monsters scattered around out in the open. He felt like there were more and more. ¡®I should go out to the street.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap left the vi. After a while, he entered the main road and said, ¡°What a mess.¡± The situation on the street was a mess. Randomly littered cars, dented roads, broken utility poles. In addition, the corpses of monsters were scattered around. There were no signs of life. Either they escaped or died. ¡®Was this a battlefield?¡¯ He looked around for any survivors. At that time, he detected arge amount of gas between the buildings across the street. Ko Byeong-gap quickly turned his head. Boom boom! Boom boom! ¡°Kiehhhh!¡± A giant monster plummeted to the floor. Ko Byeong-gap felt a chill in his spine. The creature before him was an A-ss Wyvern. ¡°This is crazy! A Wyvern?¡± He instinctively stepped back. A Wyvern was an A-ss monster with enormous size. No matter how much Ko Byeong-gap had grown, it was impossible to confront it at that time. ¡°Kiee-eek! Eek!¡± ¡®Wait a minute?¡¯ It turned out that Wyvern was in bad condition. Its whole body was full of wounds. Both sides of the dragon¡¯s proud wings were cut off, and its gray skin was stained red. Ko Byeong-gap soon found out why. ¡°It¡¯s breathing! Come together!¡± A group of humans appeared. Among them, the man in the lead shouted with his shield at the front. After a while, as he said, the Wyvern began to emit mes of red. ¡°Haaaaaaaaah!¡± The man released Karma. Suddenly, the Karma transformed into a giant shield shape, blocking the mes. The fire of the Wyvern was soon extinguished. Behind the shield, people that held their breath began to target the Wyvern as if they had waited. A young man with a hammer the size of his own jumped up. His hammer was jammed with high-quality Karma. Crack, crack! The hammer struck the Wyvern on the shoulder. ¡°Kreeeeeee!¡± A tearful groan rang in his ears. The Wyvern swung its neck nervously. The young man immediately fled in a sh. Only the innocent building nearby copsed. ¡°Aaaaah!¡± The Wyvern opened his mouth wide again. It intended to let out the mes, but for a moment, its mouth froze into icepletely. ¡®Superpower? Is there anybody here with superpowers?¡¯ Superpowers that catalyzed Karma. There seemed to be a psychic among those humans. The hammer guy hit the Wyvern on the snout, and then the ice broke, and its whole mouth shattered away. ¡®It¡¯s a wless connection.¡¯ The Wyvern that lost its muzzle stumbled. Its life was at its limit. ¡°Seokhan! Let¡¯s finish it! Go for the neck!¡± ¡°Confirm!¡± The man that hid behind the shield cried. He reached out his hands and began to manipte Karma. While Ko Byeong-gap wondered if there was frost in the Wyvern¡¯s neck, it froze in an instant. The man with a hammer hit the frozen area. Kachang! ¡°Ack!¡± The Wyvern¡¯s neck fell off. Its huge head rolled on the floor, followed by its torso copsing. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap let out an exmation without realizing it. ¡®Was that a high-level battle?¡¯ It was clearly different from lower-level hunters who just fired bullets. Ko Byeong-gap came to his senses and approached them. The three men turned their heads when they felt his presence. ¡°Hmm? Hey! It¡¯s dangerous to walk around! Hurry up and take refuge at home. Wait. Are you a hunter?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, a hunter.¡± The Tank, Cho Woo-sung, thought as he looked at Ko Byeong-gap from head to toe. ¡®He¡¯s either C or D. What is he doing with a sword?¡¯ Na Seok-han and Cha Myung-jin seemed to feel a sense of ipatibility in him while they stood next to him. They were able to feel instinctively the fact that Ko Byeong-gap was a low-level awakener. Ko Byeong-gap opened his mouth regardless of the significant look in their eyes. ¡°Let me ask you a question. Do you know what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°A Monster Wave.¡± Cho Woo-sung replied straight away. Ko Byeong-gap frowned and said, ¡°Monster Wave?¡± Monster Wave referred to a situation in which monsters poured out of a crack. Of course, it was never used in real life. It was a hypothetical situation, and monsters never went out of the cracks. It was a word that schrs and security experts only talked about on the table, but that was what had be a reality. Cho Woo-sung immediately went on to say. ¡°There was an S-rank crack near Mt. Cheongryong, and it exploded within 30 minutes. Monsters poured out.¡± ¡°Eh¡­ Did you say S-rank?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s crazy over there. More than 300 civilians were killed.¡± ¡°I heard that monsters also appeared in Jongno, is that correct?¡± ¡°Yes. Fortunately, things are better there than here. An A-rank crack broke there.¡± Ko Byeong-gap looked in the direction of Bongcheon with nk eyes. There was an S-ss monster out there somewhere, right? Na Seok-han added and put down his hammer, ¡°It¡¯s not just Seoul. Apparently, Busan is also a mess.¡± ¡°Busan, really? Huh¡­ It¡¯s aplete mess.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I want to know what the hell this is.¡± Na Seok-han took a cigarette out of his pocket and bit it in his mouth. At that time, Cha Myung-jin, who was next to him, looked into his cell phone and spoke right away. ¡°I think it¡¯s almost over. They killed the boss monster.¡± ¡°Of course they should. With all the S-ss hunters there, shouldn¡¯t they kill it?¡± ¡°So, can we get back to work?¡± ¡°Oh, wait a minute. Let me check.¡± Cha Myung-jin scrolled down his cell phone screen. He knitted his eyebrows. ¡°There¡¯s still a few more of them left. I think we¡¯ve got a few in our section, too. We¡¯re going to have to go around one more time.¡± ¡°Do we have to do this? I saw some kids who were hunters earlier, so can we leave it to them and go back?¡± Na Seok-han grumbled with a crumpled look on his face. Cho Woo-sung cleared his bitter opinion and fixed his shield. ¡°Since when did hunters ever leave the monsters? Come on, let¡¯s get things sorted out quickly. Stop them before going home. The situation is almost over.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, I guess so.¡± Ko Byeong-gap nodded his head and pulled out his sword. The three hunters disappeared in the blink of an eye. He nced around before leaving. The cold corpses were left haphazardly on the street. ¡®Can I leave them as they are?¡¯ After all, people would soon be dispatched to collect the casualties, but the steps didn¡¯t fall easily. ¡®Let¡¯s take a look around. There could be someone who¡¯s still alive.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap looked again to see if there were any survivors, but if he looked at ten people, all ten were dead. All left in a terrible look too. ¡°They¡¯ve done a fucked up thing. Son of a bitch.¡± Ko Byeong-gap spat out abusivenguage. The sadistic nature of monsters was overwhelming. He decided to quit and go back home, but his back suddenly grew cold. He quickly pulled out the sword and turned away. A swarm of monsters crept out of the building. All of them were D-ss or lower-level minions. Somehow, he felt like his spirits were going down. ¡°Good call, you sons of bitches.¡± He pulled out the sword in a belligerent motion. At the time, he wanted to sh the monsters, and he thought it went well. The swarm of monsters collided with Ko Byeong-gap. It wasn¡¯t long before their severed limbs scattered through the sky and the rain of blood fell. *** A woman stood at the roof of a skyscraper. She looked down at the situation with her eyes devoid of emotion. ¡®It¡¯s been cleared up.¡¯ Sureung! Shudder! She tucked her sword, which she had drawn halfway through, into her back. There was no blood on her de that day. ¡®In the end, it had to start.¡¯ The woman bit her lips. Anger filled her dead eyes, and then, a voice came from behind her. ¡°Master.¡± It was a young voice. The person who spoke to her was a girl who was probably only fifteen or sixteen. Two boys stood next to the girl. Everyone carried big swords. ¡°Are you going back?¡± ¡°¡­ Yeah. Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Excuse me, Master.¡± That time, the boy opened his mouth. It was a boy who had his hair cut like a monk. ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Is it starting now? The Master said¡­¡± ¡°No, not yet.¡± Not yet. No. That was the way it was. The four of them moved across the skyscraper. Seoul, which was swept away by monsters, had fallen into disaster. The scent of death permeated all over the ce. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ The woman who moved forward stopped for a moment. The three children who followed her stood with a question mark on their faces. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Master?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The woman didn¡¯t answer and looked down. A man was fighting a swarm of monsters, so her pupils widened. ¡®That man is¡­.¡¯ A man who cut monsters with a disciplined movement. Something was familiar with him. The woman was soon able to find the man in her memory. She swallowed her saliva unconsciously. ¡°Master?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Thedy only answered so and moved swiftly again. The children moved along with the woman without a murmur. ¡®My prediction was correct, but now is not the time.¡¯ There was enthusiasm in her eyes. Chapter 40 40. Ashvm is Still at Peace The Monster Wave incident caused a stir. It had been five days since it happened. Ko Byeong-gap looked out of the window and drank cold water. ¡°There are still soldiers out there.¡± Armed soldiers on the side of the road patrolled in formation. It wasn¡¯t just there. Armed soldiers were strewn all over the city. What kind of soldiers were they? The guilds set up their security guards to defend the city center around the clock. The association sent a message of cooperation to the free hunters to ask if they would apply for the voluntary crime prevention unit. Of course, the pay wasn¡¯t good. Ko Byeong-gap tly refused. ¡°It¡¯s not usually a mess.¡± That disturbance wasn¡¯t only in South Korea. The following was what he learned from thete news. Fifty-seven countries around the world experienced Monster Waves. On the same day and at that time when the Monster Wave happened in Korea. The extent of the to country. The worst was the United States. There were as many as two S-rank cracks in Los Angeles alone. Not to mention the loss of life and property damage of several trillion won. In Korea, five cracks broke out in both Seoul and Busan. The total casualties were 1,477 dead, 918 injured, and seven missing. Naturally, it was apanied by astronomical property damage. It was said that three buildingspletely copsed in Seoul. The whole world was on alert. When it came to the atmosphere alone, it was more strict than when the Deep Impact urred 28 years ago. ¡°I need to buy some food too.¡± People raided the grocery stores. All items, whether ramen or rice, had been in short supply. ck dealers distributed illegal weapons at that time, and two days ago, there was a gunfight in the private sector. The country was a mess one way or the other. Fortunately, the Monster Wave never urred again since that day, but public unrest didn¡¯t subside. They remained at home in fear of when the monsters might emerge again. The researchers studied how the Monster Wave happened and raised concerns about a future recurrence, but nothing had been rified. ¡°Sad.¡± Ko Byeong-gap took his wallet and went out. It was awkward to see tanks and armored vehicles parked in the middle of Seoul. ¡®There are only soldiers.¡¯ They were all soldiers. There were asional people in in clothes who were probably hunters. Currently, the country didn¡¯t function properly. Businesses were forced to close, as well as schools and offices, since the workers refused to go to work. It was natural for self-employed people to shed blood and tears. If that trend continued, an economic depression might ur soon. The government tried to calm the people down. However¡­ Few people believed in the saying to live in peace. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s crowded here.¡± Ko Byeong-gap stopped in front of a food market near his house. There were no people on the street, but that ce was crowded with visitors. ¡°Get out of the way!¡± ¡°You can only buy two packs of ramen per person! Please keep order!¡± ¡°No, why don¡¯t you let me buy it when I say I¡¯ll pay for it!¡± ¡°Olddy, you just took my stuff from my cart!¡± ¡°Oh my God, who are you to use me of being a thief? And you¡¯re the olddy!¡± There was such nonsense as that. Ko Byeong-gap stood absentmindedly and turned away. He was wondering if he could get something that day, but he couldn¡¯t. ¡®Why are you making such a fuss?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap thought the people were making a fuss. His heart wondered if there was any need to fuss like that. But that was a mindset that Ko Byeong-gap had because he was a hunter. It had already been three years since he became a hunter, and he had been through all sorts of weird situations. He also knocked on the door of the afterlife several times. Didn¡¯t he almost die in a dungeon if it wasn¡¯t for his ¡®fate¡¯ a while ago? Moreover, seeing monsters in his daily life made him feel familiar with them. In other words, he was able to maintain a detached mind even in extreme situations. The public, on the other hand, didn¡¯t. It was like an apocalyptic situation all of a sudden. It was only natural for ordinary people to fall into chaos. Whatever it was, Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t like that confusion. He was worried that the social problem would put a break on his mother¡¯s treatment. Fortunately, there was no notice from the hospital. So far. ¡°I have to go back.¡± Ko Byeong-gap was empty-handed again that day. The house was lonely, and there was no significant food supply in his house. At best, rice and a little water, two bags of ramen, and dried salty food were all he had left because he rarely cooked at home. It was not a problem at that time. However, if that apocalypse situation, which the private sector was concerned about, really broke out, it could be difficult¡­ Hmm. Maybe not. ¡®I can go to Ashvm and dig up the potatoes and sweet potatoes.¡¯ There was clean water and food in Ashvm. Even if the war came, Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t have much to worry about. If he took refuge in Ashvm, that was enough. ¡®But we still have to be prepared.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap searched the inte. He also made a few phone calls. It was almost impossible to connect, but he got one in dozens of attempts. -Hello? ¡°Oh, yes. Hello. Are you the one selling hens?¡± *** Ko Byeong-gap drove four hours to visit a poultry farm in North Gyeongsang Province. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re from Seoul? I heard it¡¯s a mess over there.¡± ¡°Yes, well, that¡¯s for sure. How¡¯s it going here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than Seoul. It¡¯s rural here anyways.¡± The situation in the provinces was better than in Seoul. There were also soldiers and hunters on alert, but there were much fewer people living there. ¡°You¡¯re buying chicks?¡± ¡°Oh, yes, yes. That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°How many did you say you needed?¡± ¡°About a hundred. Is that possible?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t do if you give me money, haha. Would you like to carry it?¡± ¡°Just put it in a box. I can put it in the back seat. How much did you say it was?¡± ¡°This is Ogol chicken, which is a good breed. It¡¯s 3,000 won per head, which is a total of 300,000 won.¡± Ko Byeong-gap bought 100 chicks for 300,000 won in cash. The poultry farm owner wanted to teach Ko Byeong-gap ¡®100 ways to raise chicks well,¡¯ but Ko Byeong-gap politely declined. He knew how to raise a chick well. He could feed them growth potions. Of course, there was the side effect of turning the chicks into somewhat of a turkey¡­ Ko Byeong-gap drove out of the poultry farm with 100 chicks in his car. The chirping sounds almost caused him to have an ident a couple of times. He pulled over at the right ce and crossed over to Ashvm. He handed over the 100 chicks to Gobung with two bottles of growth potion. ¡°Save them.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°And Gobung, we need to build another fence. We need to make it a little higher and denser this time. I don¡¯t want to let the roosters in.¡± ¡°Oh, I see! Let me try.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll be back in a few hours, so let¡¯s make it together.¡± ¡°Yep! Great! Alright!¡± Ko Byeong-gap, who returned to his car, drove diligently. It was about 4 pm when he got home. Ko Byeong-gap quickly got ready and returned to Ashvm. The Goblins were still in the midst of their work. ¡°Gobung. Come y with me.¡± ¡°Oh, Lord. You¡¯re here?¡± ¡°I just got here. Build a fence with me. Stop working ande out.¡± ¡°Yep! I¡¯ll be right out!!¡± Ko Byeong-gap nced around inside the cave. The earth was in chaos, but it was still peaceful there. He took Gobung and headed to the back of the campsite. There was a pile of trees cut down. It was beaten to pave the way to the river. If that was the case, the material wasn¡¯t a problem. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here? When did youe? I didn¡¯t even know you were here.¡± ¡°Lord. Hi.¡± When he looked past the trees they nned to use as materials, he found Ea and Doran. Ko Byeong-gap briefly greeted them. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°We have to get ready for dinner. We¡¯re here to get some wood for firewood.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ko Byeong-gap stared at Doran and said abruptly, ¡°That¡¯s the way to go. Ea, let me see you for a second.¡± ¡°Do you have something else to say to me? Anyway, it¡¯s all good.¡± ¡°What are you two talking about? Why without me. Can you tell me, too?¡± ¡°Stay here.¡± ¡°Tsh¡­¡± Doran puffed up her cheeks and sulked. Ko Byeong-gap took Ea to the quiet forest. Ea jumped up and down with her hands behind her back and said, ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re going to say. Should I guess? I¡¯m good at this kind of thing.¡± ¡°Guess what.¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking if Doran is doing well, right?¡± ¡°¡­ I know that.¡± ¡°Did you always worry so much? Howe every other day you ask about her well-being?¡± Ea said in a knowing tone. Ko Byeong-gap replied with a small sigh. ¡°So, what do you think of her?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I tell you every time? Doran is doing well. She gets along well with the other Goblins, and she doesn¡¯tin. Oh! She¡¯s very curious. She tries to do anything. Sometimes she¡¯s clumsy, but isn¡¯t it like that for everyone at first?¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s good. Alright, let me know if you need anything.¡± Ko Byeong-gap habitually said so. Suddenly, Ea raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°I want you to bring me some vegetables. I¡¯ve been grilling meat with salt for days. The Goblin wants to eat gukbap.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the situation outside is not good. It¡¯s hard to get vegetables and stuff. Hang in there for a few more days.¡± ¡°Hmm? What do you mean things aren¡¯t good out there? Is there something wrong with where you live?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that serious.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve made a mistake. If that¡¯s the case, don¡¯t overdo it. I don¡¯t want you to take the risk and bring me vegetables.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not that bad.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m d.¡± Ko Byeong-gap and Ea went back to where the trees were piled up. Doran ran and whispered as soon as she found Ea. ¡°What did you talk to the Lord about?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, Doran. He¡¯ll be offended if I told you that.¡± ¡°You can tell me in secret! Ea, tell me. Tell me.¡± Ea looked at Ko Byeong-gap with a puzzled expression on her face. In fact, Ko Byeong-gap wasn¡¯t interested at all. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Gobung.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ko Byeong-gap and Gobung left with an armful of trees. Since his muscle strength wasn¡¯t at an average level, the amount he could move at one time was also great. ¡°What did you say? Why don¡¯t you just tell me?¡± Doran was persistent. Ea thought she might identally tear her clothes. It wasn¡¯t a bluff, but Doran¡¯s power was really great. She couldn¡¯t help but open her mouth. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell you. So please don¡¯t pull my clothes. It¡¯s going to rip!¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to tell me? Really?¡± Doran let go of her gently. Ea answered after she nced at the spot where Ko Byeong-gap had left. ¡°I think your Lord really likes you.¡± ¡°Huh? No, that¡¯s not it. Lord doesn¡¯t like me. He doesn¡¯t even talk to me much.¡± ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯s shy. He asks about you every day. Whether you sleep well or eat well. He wouldn¡¯t ask me that if he didn¡¯t like you.¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± Doran blinked her big eyes. Eaughed a little because the sight was funny. ¡°Hey, hey. Ea.¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± ¡°What should I do then?¡± ¡°What? What do you mean?¡± ¡°If the Lord likes me, what should I do?¡± Ea thought as she tilted her head. After a while, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯s nice to receive affection and attention from someone. So wouldn¡¯t it be a good thing to pay back?¡± ¡°How can I repay him?¡± ¡°Do something he¡¯ll like.¡± ¡°What would Lord like to do? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Why don¡¯t you ask him yourself?¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± The two women returned to the camp with a few pieces of firewood. All the way back, Doran thought, ¡®What would the Lord like?¡¯ Chapter 41 41. Ashvm is Still at Peace ¡°Hold it there, Gobung.¡± ¡°You mean here? Okay.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ko Byeong-gap joined forces with Gobung to build a fence. It shouldn¡¯t be made roughly. He had to make it high and dense so that the roosters wouldn¡¯t dare jump over it. ¡°Lord, but why? Why are you making a new one?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The fence I made. It¡¯s wide enough.¡± It was as he said. The fence built by Gobung was spacious enough to amodate about 150 chickens. ¡°Maybe. The fence I made. Don¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like that. You can¡¯t leave a hen and a rooster together. That¡¯s why I¡¯m making one more.¡± ¡°Why? Do you mean?¡± Ko Byeong-gap took a moment to rest. He wondered how to exin the rooster¡¯s rut to Gobung, who was a eunuch. ¡°The males bully the females. If we leave them together, all the kids we¡¯ve been trying to bring in might die.¡± ¡°Why? Between the same people. Do they fight?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a fight¡­ Anyway, there is something like that.¡± Gobung only tilted his head but didn¡¯t care anymore. He hit the support and nailed the nks. The gaps in the middle were closed with wire. The sun had already set. The fence, which had only a skeleton, gradually took shape. It wasn¡¯t until it waspletely dark in Ashvm that the work was done. Ko Byeong-gap and Gobung wiped the sweat from their foreheads and looked at the finished product. ¡°What do you think? It¡¯s pretty usible, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°More than making it by myself. It¡¯s much cooler!¡± ¡°Thanks to you. If I were alone, I wouldn¡¯t have made this much.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The fence was quiteplete. It would be easy to manage the chickens by making a door for opening and closing. They were to put all the hens in there, and only two or three roosters would be added in. ¡®Now, Ashvm can eat fertilized eggs.¡¯ He was excited to think of adding egg dishes to the Goblins¡¯ diet. ¡®Is this the pleasure of serving, or is it something else?¡¯ ¡°Have your meal!¡± Ea¡¯s voice came from afar. ¡°Well done. Let¡¯s go eat, Gobung.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord. Thank you for your hard work.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The two headed for the campsite. The Goblins, who had finished their work, were already seated. That day¡¯s dinner menu was grilled monster meat. It had been the same meal for the past few days. ¡°Have you eaten yet, Lord? Let¡¯s eat together.¡± ¡°Uh, Dorma. I¡¯m going to cook ramen. Go ahead and eat. I¡¯ll be there.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Ko Byeong-gap took a portable gas burner, bottled water, and a bag of ramen from his private tent and went to Dorma. Dorma always enjoyed eating alone in a quiet ce. ¡°Why are you eating alone when we meet? Let¡¯s eat with the kids¡­ Are you being bullied by any chance?¡± ¡°Hahaha. It¡¯s not like that.¡± Dorma grinned as he ate the cut meat. He looked widely at the eating Goblins, and then a smile crept around his mouth. ¡°I like looking at my own kind from such a distance. You can¡¯t catch those children at a nce when you¡¯re close.¡± ¡°You sound like an old man.¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually quite old.¡± ¡°Come to think of it, Dorma.¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± ¡°You know, Doran¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap paused to light the gas stove. After several attempts, the gas caught fire, and he resumed speaking. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°What do I think?¡± ¡°I was wondering if there was anything that came to your mind when you looked at her.¡± ¡°Huh. I don¡¯t know.¡± Dorma ruffled his long-grown hair and was lost in thought. ¡°When I see Doran, I just feel amazing. To tell you the truth, it¡¯s hard to realize that she¡¯s a Goblin like us.¡± ¡°I was thinking about that part.¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Doran¡¯s face the true face of the Goblins?¡± Dorma blinked his eyes and said he wasn¡¯t sure. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t resist and said, ¡°Do you know what a true Goblin looks like?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I remember only the appearance of my ancestors vaguely.¡± ¡°What did you think of your ancestors?¡± ¡°They weren¡¯t much different from us.¡± Ko Byeong-gap nodded, agreeing, and said, ¡°I think my guess is right. Didn¡¯t you say Ashvm was destroyed a long time ago? The female Goblins died out before Ashvm was destroyed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°You said it before. Dozens of generations turned out in unusual ways. If you go straight up the stream¡­¡± He mumbled and looked around. Soon, Doran caught Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s sight. He chinked to Doran¡¯s side and said, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t there be a lot of you all looking like that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Dorma forgot to speak for a moment. His expression was subtle. He seemed to be smiling, but he was sad. ¡°That¡¯s both happy and sad at the same time.¡± ¡°Sad?¡± ¡°It must be a good thing that our roots were in such a beautiful shape, but I can never go back to being that person again.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap thought about whether to bring up the ¡®Seeds of Enlightenment.¡¯ He soon decided not to since it was unclear whether the seeds would return the Goblin to their original form, and it was too early to do so. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. There¡¯s a way.¡± ¡°Then it would be perfect.¡± ¡°Oh, by the way, I have another question.¡± ¡°Anything.¡± Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t easily bring it up since the topic he wanted to talk about was extremely sensitive material. He intended to ask about ¡®God.¡¯ ¡®What if he suffers a seizure like before?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap once asked Kiriyan about God before Dorma came to Ashvm. And that day, instead of answering, he was met with a lightning bolt that shook all over the ce. If Dorma went on a rampage, several people could be hurt. So he hesitated. ¡°Lord?¡± After Ko Byeong-gap stayed silent for a long time, Dorma called him. Ko Byeong-gap came to his senses and said, ¡°Well, I mean, by any chance¡­ Do you know anything about God?¡± ¡°What do you mean by God¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, you must¡¯ve had a faith or religion.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°For example, if you did something wrong to God, and you were faced by his wrath. Can you recall anything?¡± Dorma was lost in thought with a look he couldn¡¯t decipher. He forgot to eat and started to mutter something. ¡°God¡­ God¡­ Anger. To incur the wrath of God?¡± Dorma muttered the word ¡®God¡¯ repeatedly. It was at that moment¡­ Ko Byeong-gap sensed a threat in his skin. Dorma¡¯s body trembled and burst with formidable strength. It was the same as thest time with Kiriyan. ¡®This!¡¯ ¡®Ma¡­ Ma¡­ Mad! Mad¡­ mad!¡± Dorma¡¯s eyes turned upside down. Bubbles foamed out of his mouth, and a ck aura of darkness rose from his whole body. It was a harbinger of chaos. ¡°Mad! Mad!¡± ¡°Hey! Hey!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap quickly hit Dorma¡¯s chin. Dorma¡¯s head turned about 90 degrees before he passed out. The rising dark energy quickly calmed down. He spilled the ramen he was boiling since he was in a hurry to get up. Ko Byeong-gap sighed deeply while he looked at Dorma and the ramen alternately. ¡®I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯ He made a resolution. He would never ask a Goblin about God again. *** The next day dawned. The appearance of the street hadn¡¯t changed much. Soldiers and heavy equipment embroidered the roadside, and the citizens flocked to the grocery stores to buy food. Ko Byeong-gap nced out of the window on his way home from a subjugation. The front of the mart was crowded like a ke market. He clicked his tongue and said, ¡°They¡¯re still like this.¡± Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s daily life hadn¡¯t changed much since the Monster Wave. He had to make money, whether there was a Monster Wave or not. That way, he could pay for his mother¡¯s hospital bills and pay off his debts. ¡®Anyway, why aren¡¯t the rewards being released?¡¯ After the Monster Wave. The government promised to pay rewards to hunters who suffered during the disaster. However, it was only a few pennies, and it didn¡¯t mean that they would refuse to give it to them. So he stopped by the association and went through a cumbersome proof process before he was eligible for the reward. Six dayster, however, the news was still to be awaited. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect much in the first ce.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap tried to go straight home but changed his mind and turned the steering wheel. He stopped by the market. Unlike marts, the market was quiet. Few people were selling, few people buying. ¡®But it¡¯s still open. I should havee sooner orter.¡¯ Fortunately, the vegetable shop that he often went to was also open. ¡°How have you been? How¡¯s the business?¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t even say it. It looks like we¡¯re all going to fail.¡± The vegetable shopkeeper held on to Ko Byeong-gap and bleated. They said that customers stopped visiting after the Monster Wave. Ko Byeong-gap thought he should buy some. So he bought a lot of vegetables. Chives, cabbages, bean sprouts, etc. Even though he bought enough to fill the back seat, it was cheap. He bought an armful of vegetables and came back home. He went straight to Ashvm. As always, the Goblins were in full swing with their work. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t mean to disturb them since there was work to be done. He went to the campsite in the meantime. ¡°Hmm? Oh, hi, Lord.¡± Doran greeted him cheerfully. She scribbled on the dirt by herself. When Ko Byeong-gap arrived, she wiped it off with her feet. Ko Byeong-gap looked around and asked, ¡°Why are you alone? What about Ea?¡± ¡°Ea went to the river. She said she had a lot of dirt on her, so she had to go wash.¡± ¡°Really? Here, take this.¡± ¡°What is this? Huh? Is it grass?¡± Doran sniffed at the vegetables. ¡°Tell her about me when shees. She¡¯ll know what to do with it if you tell her I gave it.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± ¡°Okay. Good luck with work.¡± ¡°Ah Lord, wait a minute!¡± Doran rushed and stood in front of Ko Byeong-gap. Ko Byeong-gap tilted his head slightly. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Hey, what do you like, Lord?¡± ¡°What are you talking about out of the blue?¡± ¡°Just answer me. What does the Lord like?¡± Ko Byeong-gap slightly furrowed his eyebrows. Had she eaten something wrong? He replied with confusion, ¡°I like money. Why?¡± ¡°Money? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t ask, just exin!¡± ¡°Did you eat something wrong?¡± Doran grumbled. Ko Byeong-gap felt a wonderful feeling. He eventually exined the concept of money one by one. Doran was so smart that she understood everything he said. ¡°How can I get money?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t get it even if I tell you.¡± ¡°What? Why, why?¡± ¡°Why do you look like you lost your country? There¡¯s no ce for you to make money.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Doran groaned and avoided his gaze. Secondster, she lifted her head and spat out her words. ¡°Well, not money, but what other things does the Lord like¡ª¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here? You always show up without a sound.¡± Suddenly, Ea walked out of the forest. After she took a bath, water dripped from her long hair. It looked like she even had seaweed on her face. ¡®I¡¯m gonna have to get some towels.¡¯ ¡°I bought some vegetables. Cook with that today.¡± ¡°Wow, really? Oh, really!¡± Ea smiled broadly while she looked at the bag full of vegetables. Suddenly, she asked in a worried tone. ¡°Didn¡¯t you do too much to get this? I told you before, I don¡¯t want to burden you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine because I didn¡¯t do anything unreasonable.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m happy. By the way, weren¡¯t you talking to Doran? Did I disturb you?¡± ¡°Not really. Anyway, work hard.¡± Ko Byeong-gap left with those words. There was a lot of work to be done, so Doran looked at Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s back with a vain look. Eventually, she opened her eyes and looked at Ea. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Oh my God!¡± Ea flinched. She stroked her chest with surprised eyes. ¡°Why are you yelling all of a sudden, Doran? I was surprised. I¡¯m easily surprised. One day, I was surprised to see fallen leaves.¡± ¡°Why are you suddenly interrupting? I didn¡¯t get to hear what Lord liked because of you!¡± ¡°Oh, you must have asked your Lord, didn¡¯t you? What did he say?¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t hear it because of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to. Why don¡¯t you go ask now? Or do you want me to ask for you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, you idiot!¡± Doran groaned and returned to her original seat. She then began to scribble on the floor with somewhat violent movements. Ea smiled softly at Doran. *** Gugugu. White-feathered hens pecked proudly at the feed. Ko Byeong-gap watched the scene with a pleased look on his face. ¡®The growth potion is truly something.¡¯ The chicks grew up overnight. Not one in 100 animals died and became an adult. They were smaller than the roosters, but no other chickens couldpare. ¡®Shall I add some roosters now? No. Let¡¯s give them a few days to adjust because they might be surprised.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap looked at the henhouse for a while and turned around. He headed to the field. Two Normal Goblins were watering the nts. Potatoes and sweet potatoes that had been nted sprouted. There was also a huge rubber basin near the garden. The water sprayed on the field was taken from that basin. ¡®They raised chickens. They can grow potatoes and sweet potatoes, right? Why didn¡¯t I think of this?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap poured two bottles of growth potion into the rubber basin. He had a hunch that something good would happen. ¡®Let¡¯s get to work now.¡¯ It was time to get to work. He headed towards the back of the warehouse where the alchemy devices were located. He carried a lot of trees and lined them up in the unit. He went back and forth a couple of times, and then he heard a voice next to him. ¡°What are you going to do with that many trees?¡± It was Ea and Doran. They had their eyes wide open and observed Ko Byeong-gap. Ko Byeong-gap replied in a dreary voice, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you two cooking?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too early to prepare dinner yet. I was taking a break.¡± ¡°Lord, what are you doing?¡± Doran asked in a curious voice. Ko Byeong-gap replied by putting wood in the property container of thebustion unit. ¡°I¡¯m going to make weapons for training.¡± Chapter 42 42 Even Slugs Have a Knack for Rolling Ko Byeong-gap worked diligently. The alchemy device spat out wooden swords and wooden spears without a break. The two women who came to see him helped him move the finished goods. ¡°Lord, why are you making this?¡± ¡°To train the kids.¡± Doran reacted as if she didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Train them to fight?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why? Because you have to train to win against your enemies.¡± ¡°Ah, are you going to fight the monsters outside that fog?¡± ¡°How did you know there are monsters outside the fog?¡± ¡°Ea told me.¡± ¡°Me? What did I do?¡± Just in time, Ea appeared behind them and asked. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and took a deep breath. ¡°How many are you going to make? I think we¡¯ve already moved thirty of these things.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to make enough for all the children.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to make three hundred more.¡± Push! The alchemy device shot out a bundle of wooden spears. Byeong-gap opened the container and brought out all the contents. It was a very simple form of weaponry that seemed to be solid and well-made. He swung it around once to test it. ¡°The alchemy thing. I want to learn that, too.¡± ¡°You?¡± ¡°Yes. Last time, I saw that there was nothing you couldn¡¯t make with it, right? We made clothes and weapons. I would like to make something, too. I¡¯m pretty good with my hands.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice.¡± He nodded and agreed. So far, he had taught alchemy only to Gobung. But contrary to his expectations, Gobung¡¯s performance had not been very good. Alchemy was too much for him because it required a high level of imagination. ¡®I feel like Ea can do a good job.¡¯ The talkative Spirit, Ea. Having observed her all the time, he saw that Ea was meticulous and savvy at her job. In other words, she had a unique delicacy. ¡°Then I¡¯ll teach youter in the evening.¡± ¡°Oh, really? Thank you!¡± ¡°What about me? Teach me, too!¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Doran barged in, and Byeong-gap mumbled the end of his words. ¡®She¡¯s a bit pushy.¡¯ Doran¡¯s behavior was rather clumsy. He felt like she was always two percent short no matter what she did, so Byeong-gap replied evasively after a moment of hesitation. ¡°Let me think about it. Move this.¡± He handed her a bundle of wooden spears. Doran pouted her lips, but she grudgingly epted it. She walked, wobbling as she carried more than ten wooden spears. ¡°She¡¯s strong.¡± She was small in stature, and her arms and legs were thin, so he didn¡¯t know where that strength came from. On the other hand, Ea was struggling to carry five bags. Byeong-gap burned a cigarette to catch his breath. He stared at the pile of wood and sighed. ¡°Wow, I¡¯m gonna have to make these all evening.¡± After a while, he crushed the butt of the cigarette and immersed himself in work again. Thebustion unit worked all day long. *** Beep beep! Beep beep beep! The rm was loud. Byeong-gap opened his eyes groggily and checked his cell phone. It was a little past five in the morning. ¡®Let¡¯s take a day off.¡¯ He turned off the rm and closed his eyes again. He was very tired. Yesterday, he had made four hundred wooden swords and spears all together and taught Ea alchemy untilte in the evening. He had gone beyond genius and became superhuman, but to be tired was to be tired. He slept like a log, and it was around 9 am when he woke up again. After having a quick meal, he went to Ashvm. ¡°Hup.¡± He stretched out to the fullest as he walked around. Ashvm was as quiet and peaceful as ever. The first ce he headed to was the chicken coop. Gugugu¡ª The hens were pecking at the feed. Somehow, they seemed to be much bigger than they were yesterday. Byeong-gap looked inside the fence in case there were eggs. ¡°There¡¯s a real one.¡± Inside the pen was an egg that some chickens were holding dear. Because it was an unfertilized egg, there would be no chicking out. ¡®That¡¯s interesting.¡¯ Oh my god. He had never imagined that he would one day be able to raise chickens and even see an egg. The egg gave him a strange sense of confidence; maybe he could even raise other livestock such as cows, pigs, and goats. Cuckoo! There was a rather fierce sounding from the rooster coop next door. The chickens red at him as he stared at them. ¡®Why do they look so mean?¡¯ He decided to just give them more food. Byeong-gap scattered a handful of feed in the rooster cage and walked away. His next destination was the field. He could already recognize, even from a distance, that something unusual had happened to it. ¡®¡­What is this?¡¯ It was definitely still a field yesterday¡­ But it was now a jungle. The sprouts of potatoes and sweet potatoes had grown almost to his knees. There were also tall weeds interspersed among the nts. ¡®If I leave it like this, will itst for four more months?¡¯ Byeong-gap strode in and grabbed a sweet potato stem, pulling it carefully. He felt something heavy in the ground. ¡°No¡­ What is this¡­?!¡± He strengthened his posture and pulled the stem of the sweet potato. After a while, something huge popped out of the ground. He was speechless. ¡°Is this a sweet potato or a pumpkin?¡± Without exaggeration, a sweet potato the size of an adult male¡¯s calves popped out of the ground. It easily exceeded the size of three or four regr sweet potatoesbined. Byeong-gap stared at the gigantic sweet potato with a nk expression. ¡°Oh, Lord. You¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Lord. Hi.¡± Two Normal Goblins appeared with a watering can. They pumped water out of the rubber basin with rhythmic movements. ¡°Hey, what are you guys up to?¡± ¡°Water. Give. Lord. Didn¡¯t you order it?¡± ¡°Hey, stop, stop.¡± Byeong-gap quickly stopped them from watering the sweet potatoes. He showed them the sweet potato he had harvested that was bigger than his face. ¡°You don¡¯t need to build a house out of these sweet potatoes. Hey, little one. Go to the cave and get ten Goblins.¡± ¡°Ten Goblins?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll have to pull all of these out today.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± The Goblin, who was pointed out, hurriedly moved away. After shaking off the soil clinging to the sweet potato, Byeong-gap split it in half, revealing its white and firm inside. He roughly peeled off the skin and took a big bite. Sweet juice exploded and spread throughout his mouth. As he chewed on the sweet potato, he could feel a gazeing from the Goblin next to him. Byeong-gap held out the other half. ¡°Try it.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°Hey, you have to shake off the dirt before eating it.¡± ¡°Oh, I get it.¡± The Goblin peeled off the skin with his teeth as Byeong-gap ordered. After peeling, he took a big bite of the flesh, and his eyes widened. ¡°Isn¡¯t it good?¡± ¡°Delicious! Sweet!¡± ¡°It tastes better if you grill it. We should grill sweet potatoes for lunch today.¡± ¡°Good!¡± After a while, the Goblin who went to get reinforcements came back with ten others. Byeong-gap made the twelve Goblins work. ¡°You guys, go to the warehouse and bring out a cart. The rest of you,e here.¡± He sat the Goblins down and demonstrated how to pick the sweet potatoes. ¡°Don¡¯t pull it too hard. Do it carefully, like this.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± In his hands, another bunch of sweet potatoes saw the light of the world. The Goblins watched him and eximed. ¡°You have to pull it out like this so that the stem doesn¡¯t break off and the potatoes out. Give it a try.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± A Hob Goblin stepped up to the field. He repeated Byeong-gap¡¯s movements and pulled out a sweet potato. ¡°You¡¯re good. That¡¯s how you do it.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to harvest all the sweet potatoes here today. Let¡¯s get started.¡± He rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward. ¡°Lord. You will do it too?¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t have anything else to do in the morning anyway. Why, don¡¯t you want me to join?¡± ¡°No! That¡¯s great!¡± ¡°What are you doing? Let¡¯s do it together.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Byeong-gap pulled out sweet potatoes with the Goblins. Every time arge sweet potato was pulled up, there was a burst of exmation. As they were working, the Goblins that were sent off earlier came back dragging a cart behind them. ¡°Put the sweet potatoes we picked in the cart and bring it to the campsite.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The warm sun shone, and the cool breeze blew. Byeong-gap and the Goblins stood in a row and conquered the sweet potatoes in the field one by one. The stems that came out with the potatoes were bundled and collected in one ce. If they stir-fried it in oil, it would be good food. ¡°What are you doing, Lord?¡± As he was busy working, he suddenly heard a clear voice behind him. It was Doran. Byeong-gap straightened his back and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m picking sweet potatoes. What are you doing? You¡¯re not helping.¡± ¡°I was helping and came to see you. The Goblins brought something weird.¡± Doran paused for a while before continuing. ¡°Can I try it too?¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± She strode into the field full of willpower, and Byeong-gap taught her how to pick sweet potatoes. ¡°Can you do it?¡± ¡°Of course! If you just pull on this¡ª¡± Pot! The stem snapped as she pulled. ¡°Huh? Why did it cut off?¡± ¡°Hey, you have to pull it carefully. If you do it like that, of course, it¡¯ll break off!¡± Byeong-gap clicked his tongue. ¡°Look at me.¡± He dug into the ground and pulled up the sweet potato with a broken stem. ¡°Ah, I want to try again!¡± ¡°The furrow next to me is empty. Go there.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She stepped forward enthusiastically, but the results were the same. Pot! Pot! Pot! Pot! Every stem she pulled in a row was snapped. At this point, Byeong-gap wondered if she was doing it on purpose. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Why does this keep¡­¡± Doran stuttered in despair, and Byeong-gap sighed deeply. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was trying to help.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. People make mistakes.¡± ¡°Ah, right? Then I¡¯ll try again¡ª¡± ¡°Go help Ea. It¡¯s going to be lunchtime soon.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Doran pursed her lips. After a moment, her shoulders dropped, and she nodded her head. ¡°Okay¡­¡± She trudged out of the field. He was surprised that it was already lunchtime because they had been working hard. The sweet potato field was halfway done. ¡®I¡¯ll order the kids to finish this in the afternoon. We¡¯ll dig up the potatoes tomorrow.¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s go eat!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He led the workers back to the camp, where Ea was smiling and preparing their meal. The menu was simple. She just added roasted sweet potatoes to the leftover rice soup they had yesterday. The smell wafting from her cooking was great. The Goblins blew on and ate the sweet potatoes. When they took their first bite, they all glowed and eximed. Byeong-gap was sandwiched between them and ate roasted sweet potatoes as well. They were so big that even one piece could almost fill his stomach. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here?¡± As he was about to take another bite, Ea came up and spoke to him. She was very excited, pointing to the sweet potatoes piled up on the far side of the campsite. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such a wonderful crop in my life. I wondered what was nted in the field, and it turned out to be treasures.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just in time. I have something to say.¡± ¡°Something to say? What is it? Is it rted to Doran again?¡± ¡°No, you know the henhouse over there?¡± ¡°Yes, of course, I know it. What happened to the chickens?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it. If you go inside, you¡¯ll find some eggs. Take those too and use them for cooking.¡± ¡°Oh really? That¡¯s great news.¡± Ea chuckled, then she suddenly revealed the object she had been hiding behind her back. Byeong-gap looked up to check it out. ¡°Ta-da! What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­Did you make that?¡± ¡°Yes! I made it with the alchemy you taught me yesterday!¡± It was a coat made of monster leather. The structure was simple, but the shape and finish were pretty good. ¡®This achievement after just one day? That¡¯s great.¡¯ He didn¡¯t show it, but he was a little impressed inside. Ea suddenly held it out to him. ¡°This is yours.¡± ¡°Mine?¡± ¡°Yes! I learned something good from you, so I want to give you a gift in return. I¡¯m a Spirit who knows shame.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you make your own? Anyway, thank you. I¡¯ll use it well.¡± He epted the coat, but to be honest, he was unsure whether he would wear it or not. Besides, it was midsummer, and this was a thick leather coat. Still, it felt good to receive a gift. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Meanwhile¡­ From a distance, Doran watched Ea and Byeong-gap talking. There was anxiety in her eyes. Lunch was over soon. Byeong-gap ordered the Goblins to stay out of work and harvest in the fields instead. The Goblins obeyed him without a murmur. After a while, everyone else gathered near him except for the Goblins who were already on the field, and Ea. The first thing Byeong-gap did was imprint them all with abat textbook. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± The Goblins began engraving the swordsmanship textbooks. Everyone had experience, so the preliminary work was quicklypleted. The aftermath was different, though. He then distributed the wooden swords and spears to the Goblins. He took a wooden sword for himself as well. ¡°Listen, everyone. As some of you already know, beyond that fog, monsters called Grugles wreak havoc. We will probably inevitably have to fight them.¡± Byeong-gap nced in the direction of the fog and continued. ¡°You may have gotten a lot stronger recently, but you still have a long way to go. So from today, you¡¯re going to train with me inbat. Today is the first day, so let¡¯s do it together, and we¡¯ll decide the order from tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s start with grouping yourselves into three. The configuration doesn¡¯t matter. You just have to get together with like-minded people.¡± The Goblins looked back and forth at each other. It took a while, but they managed to gather in groups of three at the behest of Byeong-gap. ¡°Hey, guys in the attack squad, get out of there.¡± ¡°Are we out?¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll do well on your own even if I don¡¯t teach you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yes.¡± The attack squad that went around the cracks with Byeong-gap walked away. There wasn¡¯t much for him to teach them. He was sure that the achievement rate of their textbooks had already gone up quite a bit. ¡°Well then. You guys,e forward first.¡± ¡°Ah, ah! Yes!¡± A group of two Normal Goblins and one Hob Goblin stepped forward. Byeong-gap spoke to them calmly. ¡°The training is simple. When I give you the signal, attack me. I¡¯m determined to receive you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The Goblins were startled. It was such an unconventional training method. ¡®This is the only way for now.¡¯ Byeong-gap was not an expert in tactics or militaryw. He wasn¡¯t a man that lived in ancient times, so there was only one way to train right now. ¡®We have to increase their individual skills.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t create a fantastic team, but fantastic individuals could be made. And when outstanding individualse together, a wonderful team was bound to be formed. ¡®I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to improve my skills as Ipete with these kids.¡¯ As he became stronger, this was a pretty good way to train. ¡°What are you doing? Come on,e on.¡± ¡°Ha, but. How dare we. Dear Lord¡­¡± The Goblins hesitated. It must be difficult for them to brandish a weapon against their Lord. Byeong-gap felt the steaming out of his ears and announced a threat. ¡°Everyone, take note! I can¡¯t stand people who don¡¯t actively participate in training!¡± ¡°Oh, I got it!¡± Only then did the Goblins be serious. ¡°Come!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The three Goblins attacked in unison, and the results were exactly in line with his expectations. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± The Goblins could not swing their swords properly and fell to the ground. While Byeong-gap¡¯s swordsmanship textbook achievement was close to 95%, they had only just learned it. ¡®Everyone had basicbat skills, but they were too clumsy.¡¯ The Goblins fought purely by instinct. As a result, their movements were unnecessarilyrge and numerous. Some parts still need to be corrected while learning the textbook. ¡®By the time all the Goblins in Ashvm are able to raise their low-grade textbook, there won¡¯t be a problem.¡¯ That was what Byeong-gap thought as he easily dodged the flying wooden spears. He stabbed his wooden sword in a quick, continuous motion. ¡°Argh!¡± The Goblins, who were hit by his wooden sword, fell down. They didn¡¯t get hurt much because he controlled his strength. He drew his sword and muttered. ¡°Alright, get ready for the next group.¡± Their training continued. The Goblins, who were grouped into three, attacked Byeong-gap sequentially. Sometimes, some teams were able to push against him, like a group made up of a Giant Goblin and two Beast Goblins. Eventually, however, the group was overwhelmed by Byeong-gap. The gap between their swordsmanship skills was just too great. They fought for a long time without a break until Byeong-gap sat on the floor sweating profusely. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡± ¡°Lord, is it okay if we look after the children while the Lord is resting?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine. Good. You keep an eye on the kids.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The attack squad dealt with the Goblins while he smoked and watched the sight in front of him. It looked pretty good. He was just wishing he had a bucket of popcorn with him when he suddenly heard clear voices from behind. ¡°What are you doing?¡± It was Doran and Ea. Chapter 43 43 Even Slugs Have a Knack for Rolling ¡®Can I try it?¡¯ When Byeong-gap told the two women that they were training, that was the immediate answer they gave. Of course, it came out of Doran¡¯s mouth. He felt a little absurd. This pretty Goblin really wanted to do everything; she was full of motivation. It was cute, but some things in the world couldn¡¯t be done only with willpower. He shook his head lightly. ¡°No, you¡¯ll get hurt.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t get hurt.¡± ¡°This is not a joke.¡± The Goblins were working hard and devoted to training. Even if their weapons were only made of wood, it was not something that any ordinary person could handle. It was thanks to the potions and textbooks that they remained fine even if they battled with each other. Whether or not she knew this concern, Doran puckered her lips. ¡°I know that much.¡± ¡°Doran, your Lord is right. You might get badly hurt.¡± ¡°Ah! Ea, be a little quiet!¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m just worried about Doran¡­¡± Doran opened her eyes wide and stared at Ea. She picked up a wooden sword that had been lying on the floor and swung it in the air. ¡°I think I can do it! Let me do it, too. I¡¯m a Goblin, and they¡¯re also Goblins. Why are you leaving me out?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Ah, let me in! Let me in!¡± Byeong-gap swallowed his words. He stared at Doran for a while, then gave a deted smile. ¡°Hey, little kid.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± When he called out, about thirty Normal Goblins turned their heads at the same time. Byeong-gap pointed to one of them and motioned for him toe over. ¡°Come here.¡± The Normal Goblin approached. ¡°Why? Are you calling me?¡± ¡°You have to fight her.¡± ¡°Oh? Yes. Okay.¡± ¡°Good!¡± The Normal Goblin nodded dly. Doran was also full of fighting spirit and quickly took up a pose. ¡®Isn¡¯t that a little funny?¡¯ He might be able to put it into words, but that didn¡¯t fit Byeong-gap¡¯s temper. When dealing with grumpy friends, he always let them face reality. That was his style. ¡®Still, if something goes wrong, it¡¯ll be a pain in the ass.¡¯ He brought the Normal Goblin closer and whispered in his ear. ¡°Do it carefully. Don¡¯t fight her too hard. Do you understand me?¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± ¡°Yes, you two go over there and stand.¡± Doran and the Normal Goblin stood face to face. Byeong-gap naturally became their referee. ¡°Get in position. Get ready and start.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Doran kicked the floor at the start signal. She curiously bent over and rushed in, making her look like a galloping wolf. She narrowed the distance between them in an instant and shot her sword forward. ¡°Ke¡ªKereuk?!¡± The Normal Goblin freaked out and tried to defend himself, but Doran¡¯s wooden sword bent quickly and stuck in his shoulder. ¡°Gasp!¡± The Normal Goblin fell, and the fight ended in a sh. ¡°Huh?!¡± ¡°Oh, my!¡± Byeong-gap and Ea, who were standing side by side as they watched, burst into exmations at the same time. And not only them but also the other Goblins watching opened their eyes wide in surprise. ¡°What was that? Did Doran just win?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s what happened.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± The Normal Goblin raised himself up as he grabbed his shoulder. Byeong-gap quickly approached him and examined his condition. ¡°Are you okay, little one?¡± ¡°It hurts, but it¡¯s okay.¡± The boy¡¯s mood changed. His fighting spirit was on fire. ¡°More! Could do!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just lie down?¡± Doran looked down his way triumphantly. With a straight back and a fishy sneer, she was full of self-confidence. The Normal Goblin grabbed his wooden sword and took a proper stance. Byeong-gap spoke after a short pause. ¡°This time, don¡¯t cut her some ck and do it again.¡± ¡°Okay! If I don¡¯t hold back. I win!¡± ¡°Humph! You let me off the hook? I¡¯m going easy on you, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Byeong-gap took a few steps backward. Before he knew it, all the Goblins who were training were also watching the fight. He gulped and gave the signal again. ¡°Go!¡± ¡°Ha!¡± ¡°Cough!¡± This time, the two of them rushed in at the same time. Like before, Doran took a unique pose, leaning her body forward to the fullest. The Normal Goblin took the stance indicated in the swordsmanship textbook that was familiar to Byeong-gap. Pot! At the same time, their two wooden swords swung across each other. Immediately, Doran circled around the Goblin andunched a strange side attack. ¡°Huh!¡± The Normal Goblin quickly recovered his sword and defended his side. Their swords collided again with a loud sound, and the Normal Goblin¡¯s body was pushed back two or three steps. He wasn¡¯t given another chance to get his act together because, in the blink of an eye, a very close Doran took a stab at his sr plexus. ¡°Agh!¡± The Normal Goblin fell again. This time, he did not go up for a third round. In terms of time, the battlested fifteen seconds at the most. ¡°Wow, Doran is so strong! I never knew you were so strong!¡± ¡°Huh¡­ The female is strong¡­¡± There were exmations everywhere. Doran savored thepliments with a happy expression. ¡®I can¡¯t believe it. Despite the fact that the Normal Goblin had taken a growth potion and took in the textbook, it was still easy for her to subdue him?¡¯ A Normal Goblin against Doran. Her original rating should be an F, but seeing her performance, she could be a D-rank. He wasn¡¯t really sure. So, how strong was Doran? ¡®Where does that powere from?¡¯ Doran¡¯s body was obviously healthy, but that didn¡¯t mean he could feel the strength she had. Although it looked like it, it was not a body suitable for exertion. Of course, it was true that many of the top hunters who showed off their abnormal strength usually had beautiful bodies. However, the source of their power was Karma, not the body itself. But Doran didn¡¯t exude any Karma; she was almost like a normal person. So where the hell did that explosive power and thruste from? Such questions grew in his mind. ¡°I did a good job, right? I did a good job, right? What?¡± Doran suddenly turned to him and asked. She was serious, with a face full of anticipation. Byeong-gap felt a little distant. He nodded his head gently. ¡°¡­Good job. Oh, good job. Well done. It was a bit of a surprise.¡± ¡°Hehehe!¡± Doran burst intoughter when he said that she did well. ¡°Can I do more? I want to do more!¡± Byeong-gap wanted to try it out. ¡°Gobung!¡± ¡°Yes, Lord!¡± ¡°Come here with your weapon.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± He called out to Gobung. He was going to make him battle against Doran. Gobung came up with a long wooden spear, strengthening his shoulders. Byeong-gap progressed without hesitation. ¡°You two face each other and get in position.¡± *** ¡°Hoot!¡± ¡°Huh? Ugh!¡± Doran moved swiftly. She easily dodged the wooden sword flying to her face and hit it hard. The Beast Goblin, who was beaten, grabbed his arm and stepped backward. He missed it. Her wooden sword moved like a lightning bolt. Drop! Right! Drop! Left shoulder, right nk, and his sr plexus. The three attacks bore down on him like water. The Beast Goblin couldn¡¯t hold on anymore and knelt down on the ground. ¡°Wow! Doran won again! She¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t she? I never thought she had this hidden talent. You think so too, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, that was amazing.¡± Doran continued her unbeaten streak. Gobung went out in a minute before sending out a Giant Goblin, who also failed tost more than three minutes. The Beast Goblin, who parried with her consecutively, alsosted only two to three minutes. Doran! Doran! Doran! Doran! Doran! The field was filled with the shouts of the Goblins cheering. Doran showed off her win by circling around. ¡®Am I the only one left, along with the attack squad?¡¯ He had differentbat capabilities, as well as the attack squad. Byeong-gap wanted to know how far the limit of Doran¡¯s strength would be. ¡°Changsik!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°This time you¡ª¡± ¡°Lord! Why don¡¯t youe out next? Come on,e on!¡± At that moment, the whole of Ashvm froze. The Goblins stopped while Doran and Byeong-gap looked at each other in turn. After a while, bacsh ensued. ¡°You¡¯re rude!¡± ¡°How dare you, to our Lord. Oh my gosh!!¡± The Goblins united and scolded her. Doran was briefly perplexed but immediately furrowed her brows. ¡°Be quiet, you idiots! What do you care?¡± ¡°Hey, hey, hey, hey!¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. Everybody be quiet!¡± Byeong-gap restrained the Goblins and stood up. He had had enough rest, and he also wanted topete with Doran, who smiled brightly as he stepped forward. He could feel the fighting spirit in her eyes, and the corners of her lips were strangely raised. ¡®She¡¯s enjoying the fight, too.¡¯ It was Doran who had been leading the fights so far. A person who enjoyed fighting was scarier than a genius. Byeong-gap became more serious. ¡°Shall we do it right away? It¡¯s okay to take a break.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. I¡¯m warmed up now.¡± She was in high spirits. Byeong-gap smiled and fixed his wooden sword. However, trying to fight a girl who was about 160 cm tall made him feel guilty. A Normal Goblin, which was about 150cm tall, was easy for him to beat up. ¡°You attack first.¡± He said, and three secondster, he was forced to have second thoughts about feeling guilty. ¡®?!¡¯ Doran¡¯s wooden sword stretched out, aiming for his nose in the blink of an eye. It was apletely silent attack. Byeong-gap quickly debated whether to turn his head to avoid it or block it with his wooden sword. As a result, he took a third action. It was necessary to show an unconventional performance to protect the pride of the Goblins and his prestige as the Goblin Lord. He grabbed the rushing wooden sword, and, using Doran¡¯s momentum to reverse it, he pushed her away. ¡°Woah, woah! Woah!¡± Doran screamed, flew backward, and fell to the ground. She lifted her head, rubbing her nose. ¡°What? Can you do that?!¡± It was a question of inquiry. Byeong-gap rotated his shoulders and shrugged. ¡°Who cares? There are no rules in a fight.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Doran attacked again, pointing the sword with deadly force. But it was a speed that he was already used to. She didn¡¯t move at a speed that he couldn¡¯t catch up with. Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Byeong-gap took the time to counter her attacks. Her specialty was doing bizarre attacks, but even an attack that bent the sword like a snake didn¡¯t work on him. When her attacks didn¡¯t work, he began to see urgency on Doran¡¯s face. She curled her body to the best of her ability and rushed in like a wild beast. When he was in close range, she jumped up like a spring and shot her sword forward. The attack that was aimed at his chin was terrifying. Byeong-gap took a step backward and narrowly dodged it. He immediately released his wooden sword and grabbed Doran with both hands, throwing her away. Doran rolled on the ground once again. ¡°Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!¡± Before she knew it, Byeong-gap was in front of her, stabbing her with his wooden sword. His sword stretched out like a chariot through the gates. No matter how t and wooden the sword was, the tip of it touching her skin was threatening enough. Doran caught her breath in fear. Fortunately, the wooden sword did not hit her in the face, stopping about 1 cm from the tip of her nose. ¡°Hic!¡± She huped without realizing it. After a while, Byeong-gap pulled back his sword. ¡°Woah, woah!¡± ¡°Lord! Lord! Lord! Lord!¡± ¡°As expected of the Lord. You¡¯re the best!¡± The Goblins burst into a roar. ¡®Fortunately, I kept my prestige.¡¯ Byeong-gap smiled contentedly and looked back at the Goblins. After a moment, he tried to get Doran to stand up, but her body trembled. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Hic¡ªhic.¡± She was in tears. ¡°What? Why are you crying?¡± He was bewildered and started asking her questions, but she couldn¡¯t stop crying. ¡°Huh! I can do better. Hehe! I used to do better¡­ Hic!¡± She cried her eyes out. Byeong-gap was unable to help her stop crying, so he lifted her up instead. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t cry.¡± ¡°Haaaaaah!¡± ¡°Oh,e on! Stop it! Can¡¯t you stop it now?¡± He threatened her, but Doran¡¯s tears didn¡¯t stop falling. On the contrary, the torrent was only getting stronger. Byeong-gap was not good at soothing crying children, but he could see that shouting was not helping. So he turned the key in another direction. ¡°You did a good job. There¡¯s nothing to be so upset about, so please don¡¯t cry.¡± ¡°Re¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s your first time ying this game, and your performance was scary. Were you so angry that you lost to me?¡± ¡°Lost to Lord, huh? I¡¯m not angry¡­¡± Doran wiped away her tears. ¡°Did I really do a good job?¡± ¡°Yes, you did a great job.¡± ¡°Then, is the Lord happy?¡± ¡®What does she mean?¡¯ Byeong-gap tilted his head. Why would he be happy? Doran asked him again, persistently. ¡°Are you happy that I did a good job? What?¡± ¡°¡­Uh, yes. I¡¯m d. I¡¯m proud of you! Oh, good job, well done! You¡¯re so beautiful!¡± He said whatever came to mind that he thought Doran would want to hear. Her crying stopped like magic. ¡°Really? You¡¯re happy because of me, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± She suddenly rushed into his arms and rubbed her face all over him, covering him with tears and snot from her runny nose. Byeong-gap patted her on the back with augh. ¡®That was scary.¡¯ Actually, he felt more scared than happy. The potential inherent in her was frightening. What an achievement, and all that without a potion or a textbook. How strong would she be if she had potions and textbooks? ¡®One more person on the attack squad.¡¯ He smiled happily. *** North of the Korean Penins. North of the 38th parallel. In the past, the old-fashioned country called North Korea was located here, but now it was thend of death. In 1997, North Korea failed to withstand the turbulent times at the height of the Deep Impact. It was a country on the verge of self-destruction, going through a march of hardship. With cracks taking away vitality around the drynd, North Korea eventually disappeared into the back end of history without even reaching the 21st century. And now, 28 yearster, it has be a wastnd that nothing but migratory birds go to. There were numerous things in thend north of the Korean Penins. Those things were cracks, maybe hundreds of thousands of them. There were several factors that contributed to the North of the 38th parallel bing a wastnd. The battle for supremacy between the United States and China over thend and cracks destroyed North Korea. The lukewarm attitude of the Korean government that was caught between them didn¡¯t help either. In 2011, South Korea was the only country in the world to produce two SS-level awakeners, allowing it to im ownership of the northern part of the Korean Penins, albeit btedly. However, at that time, the entirend in the North was already covered with cracks. Therefore, the South Korean government gave up on recovering the 38th parallel. The ce was now called the Land of Death. A ce where an investigation team was dispatched once in 2021 and had not been visited for four years since. A ce filled with only an ominous stillness as if time itself had stopped moving there. That ce was starting to move again. ¡°Kegigig, kegig!¡± ¡°Kerreuk!¡± ¡°Kiehhhhhhhhhh!¡± Chapter 44 44 History Friday, August 15, 2025. It was National Liberation Day, which was also the beginning of Golden Week. But the streets of Seoul were quieter than usual. Was it because of the summer heat? Well, maybe it was a factor, but there was a more fundamental reason for the silence. The Monster Wave incident took ce eight days ago, on August 7th. The impact of that shock had not yet worn away on the citizens. There was still intense tension in many countries, including Korea, and a secret meeting was held in a top security facility that the public did not know about and could not ess even if they did. It was such a serious matter that the president were all convened. Lee Yong-soo, director of the National Intelligence Service, personally took the podium and briefed the participants on the details of the incident. ¡°Yesterday, August 14, at around 19:27, the first movement was detected in Eorang-gun, North Hamgyeong Province. This is a picture of the scene from the satellite.¡± A picture appeared on the screen behind Lee Yong-soo. Dark spots were engraved at the foot of a mountain that had be a barren field. ¡°You mean all those ck things are hordes of monsters?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± President Park Tae-seok asked in a tone that did not contain any emotion. ¡°What is the estimated scale?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got around a thousand.¡± ¡°What is their behavior?¡± ¡°At this time, we have not captured any particr movement. The monsters are roaming around a radius of two to three kilometers from where they originated.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what happenedst time. Why don¡¯t they move north or south?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Lee Yong-soo, the head of the intelligence agency, murmured. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll figure it out as soon as I can.¡± ¡°Are there any additional monsters that escaped the cracks?¡± ¡°So far, it has not been observed.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Is something like this happening only in Korea?¡± ¡°It¡¯s under investigation, but so far, Korea is the only country.¡± President Park Tae-seok closed his eyes. Silence hovered in the meeting room until he opened his eyes again. ¡°This must not be leaked to the private sector. I¡¯m sure everyone knows what I mean.¡± He dered after a moment, and the gathered audience gulped. The president continued in a dry tone. ¡°How are we going to deal with the current situation? Everyone, tell me what you think.¡± The meeting went on for a long time. This was the second Monster Wave incident on the Korean Penins. To solve it, the gray-haired elders put their heads together. A minister raised the idea that the area should be destroyed by carpet bombing. Another said that the government should cooperate with neighboring countries to carry out massive punitive operations by ordering hunters to publicize the current situation and dere a state of martialw to prepare for an all-out war. Several other opinions emerged. ¡°President Lee Chi-gon. Does the president of the association have any opinions?¡± The president suddenly asked. The target of the question was Lee Chi-gon, who headed the Hunter Association. All eyes in the meeting room focused on him. ¡°As the president of the association, I¡¯m sure you have something to say.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡­¡± When Lee Chi-gon couldn¡¯t answer easily, the president sighed. ¡°That¡¯s it. Did you get in touch with him?¡± When ¡®he¡¯ was mentioned, the ministers looked at each other. Lee Chi-gon answered after a short pause. ¡°I¡¯m still trying to contact him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re trying? You mean you still haven¡¯t been able to reach him?¡± ¡°We¡¯re trying a lot of ways to reach him.¡± ¡°To solve the current situation, we need his strength. We will definitely have to recruit him.¡± There was no high or low tone in the president¡¯s statement, but it was intimidating to everyone there. ¡°The association can¡¯t even do that? Tsk tsk.¡± ¡°The president of the association has no idea what he¡¯s doing? Ah¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to do, and you can¡¯t even control your people. I wonder¡­¡± A series of murmurs were heard one after another from the corner of the room. Their voices were so small that even the person next to them could not hear them, but Lee Chi-gon could hear them clear as day because he was the only awakener there. He clenched his fists involuntarily. ¡®Go Geon-ryong, Seo Si-hee¡­¡¯ He recited to himself the names of the two SS-ss hunters who were also the most unpredictable human beings. Seo Si-hee had gone missing thirteen years ago, and her being alive or dead was unknown. There were a lot of people who thought she was dead, but Lee Chi-gon, who had already been in the association for twenty years now, was confident. Seo Si-hee was never the type of person to die. And Go Geon-ryong¡­ He was South Korea¡¯s second SS-ss hunter that appeared like aet in 2011. At the time, he was considered to have overwhelming power among the 68 SS hunters around the world. He could wage an all-out war with the United States alone, but his current location is also unclear. Unlike Seo Si-hee, however, he continued to send his regards through his agent, and there were sightings of him from all over the world. But when they need him most, he always goes missing. ¡°For now, order the S-ss hunters who are abroad to return home immediately. We¡¯ll have to summon all 450 S-ss hunters. Do you understand?¡± ¡°I will try.¡± ¡°President of the Association.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°I asked if you understood.¡± The president¡¯s voice was cold. Lee Chi-gon chewed on his lower lip. ¡°¡­Okay. I will make sure to do that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the end of today¡¯s meeting.¡± President Park Tae-seok announced the end of the meeting. The ministers left the conference room one by one. Lee Chi-gon quickly got out of the conference room, holding back his nausea. He smoked a cigarette as soon as he got into the waiting car. Then, he began to swear randomly. ¡°What bullshit¡­ They¡¯re old bastards who don¡¯t want to be fried to death. What am I supposed to do? They want all the S-ss hunters back home? Try saying that to the guild. Why, fuck me! How am I supposed to bring in the kids who paid for those expeditions!¡± He burst into anger. As a matter of fact, the president of the association was just a title. That meant that he didn¡¯t have great power or authority. His job consisted only of stamping documents when they came in. Although he had served as the president of the association for five years now, he would have given up if it were not for political pressure. ¡°How the hell am I supposed to control the hunters? Are they soldiers? Are they civil servants? Why are you fucking leaving me without decent guilds? And is it because of me that that Monster Wave happened? What did I do wrong? Don¡¯te to me and tell me toe up with a solution. You snake-like old people don¡¯t usually even look at us. Either way, you have to wipe it out to make the country work.¡± Woo! He was chain-smoking a series of high-quality handmade cigarettes when he suddenly got a call. It was on his personal cell phone, not for work. He hadn¡¯t heard this phone ringing in a while. ¡®I don¡¯t know who this is¡­¡¯ The caller ID was suspicious, so Lee Chi-gon hesitated for a while before pressing the answer button. ¡°¡­Who are you?¡± ¡ª It¡¯s been a long time, President of the Association. The answer came right away. Lee Chi-gon was not familiar with the other person¡¯s voice, so he asked again. ¡°Who are you? How do you know my number?¡± ¡ª It¡¯s me. ¡°Huh, you? How am I supposed to¡ª¡± ¡ª It¡¯s me, Go Geon-ryong. ¡°Huh?¡± Lee Chi-gon swallowed his breath quickly. His hands shook unconsciously. Go Geon-ryong spoke as the president¡¯s head grew confused about what to say. ¡ª I¡¯d like to meet you. I have something urgent to tell you. *** [You have fully acquired the ¡®Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Low-grade¡¯.] [You have fully acquired the ¡®Ancient Physical Training Textbook ¨C Low-grade¡±.] ¡®Finally.¡¯ Byeong-gap looked at the hologram with a satisfied smile. The travails of the past¡­ It was worthwhile to beat random monsters andpete with the Goblins every day with a wooden sword. He thrust his sword into the ground and announced. ¡°Take a break.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± The six-man attack squad responded in unison. For reference, Doran did not make it into the attack squad, and there were many reasons for that. First of all, she was not able to take any potion nor textbook. The reason could not be determined in the end. Secondly, the attack squad was strong enough for now. In other words, there was no need to add another member. In addition, it was better not to raise her power more than necessary for the growth of Byeong-gap and the rest of the crowd. Therefore, the mission given to Doran by Byeong-gap was to train the Goblins. She trained the other Goblins while Byeong-gap and the attack squad went on missions. Doran herself was interested and satisfied with the job. Thanks to her relentless teaching, the skills of the Goblins improved day by day. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Byeong-gap crossed the door and entered Ashvm. In the spacious Ashvm, everyone was working diligently, focused on their tasks. Byeong-gap did not want to disturb them, so he moved quietly. After arriving in his private tent, he brought out two textbooks. He had bought them before. Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Intermediate. Ancient Physical Training Textbook ¨C Intermediate. He immediately engraved the textbooks. [Do you want to engrave ¡®Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Intermediate?¡¯] [Do you want to engrave ¡®Ancient Physical Training Manual ¨C Intermediate?¡¯] ¡®Of course.¡¯ It did not take long for the engraving to begin. Repeating the same process as imprinting the low-grade textbooks, a vast amount of information seeped into his brain, causing dizziness. ¡®I¡¯ll never get used to this feeling.¡¯ Byeong-gap sat down on the sofa until the dizziness went away. In doing so, he savored the knowledge of the textbook. ¡®Wow, what¡¯s that? Is that possible?¡¯ There were many wonderful things in the intermediate textbooks that were not in the low-grade textbooks. He wanted to test them right away. About three minutester, he moved back out. ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re here already?¡± ¡°What? I¡¯ve been here for a while. Are you almost done moving all the meat?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Goblins were busy moving the monster corpses. Their work was almost finished. ¡°Lord, all done!¡± ¡°Well done. Take the meat and go to Ashvm. I¡¯ll call you backter, so please be on standby.¡± ¡°Yes, got it.¡± All the worker Goblins headed back. ¡°Let¡¯s do it again.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s time for the boss toe out.¡± Byeong-gap pulled up the sword that he had left stuck on the ground and proceeded without hesitation. How many were there? The monsters appeared, and he looked at their disgusting figures. As Dorma expected, the boss monster was with them. ¡°Kurk! Kurk!¡± ¡°Boooow!¡± There were about thirty D-ss Orc Warriors escorting a Gigant Orc. ¡®Gigant Orc. I expected this.¡¯ It was a huge Orc that reached up to eight feet in height. It was characterized by an oversized upper body, and its arm circumference was four or five times that of an adult male¡¯s. It was also armed with abat ax that seemed too heavy to lift. ¡°I¡¯m in charge of the boss. You deal with the pawns.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Byeong-gap briefly took a deep breath and recalled the newly imprinted textbooks. He concentrated his mind, and soon, his body heated up and a light haze rose. ¡®Is this my aura?¡¯ Aura. ording to the knowledge in the textbook, aura was the energy of an extremely disciplined body. It could be used in many ways, and there were many simrities to Karma when it came to using it. ¡®It¡¯s my first time, so I can¡¯t do it, but!¡¯ Byeong-gap stepped on his feet, emitting his aura. He ran at an unbelievable pace. ¡°Uh-huh!¡± The Gigant Orc, who reactedte, shed his ax in a wide arc. In Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes, it looked like a slug slowly approaching him. After a quick and easy dodge, he stretched out his sword. Boom! He had struck the right arm of the Gigant Orc, and it exploded. Not only the Orc, who had lost his arm in an instant, but also Byeong-gap, was surprised with the intensity of the attack. He opened his mouth wide. ¡®Crazy! What is this?¡¯ He did not expect to exert such a destructive force. Inparison, it felt like slicing tofu on a cutting board. The Gigant Orc took advantage of Byeong-gap¡¯s brief faltering and clenched its other fist. It had a very persistent determination, but its opponent was ruthless. Byeong-gap reached out his hand and easily blocked its fist. The fist of the Gigant Orc was unable to move even a millimeter forward; it was as if a sturdy wall had blocked it. ¡°This is too much power for me to handle.¡± Byeong-gap muttered as he calmly drew his sword. Crack, crack! ¡°Gruuuh!¡± The chest of the Gigant Orc exploded, its blood and flesh spreading out like grenade shards. Who in the world would look at that wound and think that a sword had done it? It was as if a huge hoe had skimmed through the Orc. ¡°Woah, groan¡ª!¡± The Gigant Orc copsed helplessly. Of course, Byeong-gap didn¡¯t care about such a trivial thing. His attention was focused solely on the power of ¡®Aura¡¯. ¡®This is too dangerous. If I don¡¯t get used to it soon, I could cut off my own legs.¡¯ It was a really dangerous force, simply an untamed weapon. He suddenly became curious. Will this power ever work in the higher world? The corners of his lips rose slowly. Chapter 45 45. Illumination ¡°Step back! Step back! Changsik, Taesik, stick to the back!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The two Beast Goblins moved in perfect unison at Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s order. ¡°Kiriyan, Dorma. You know it already, right? Attack the subordinate monsters.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°No problem!¡± ¡°Turka and Orca, don¡¯t let go of the tension. The boss monster¡¯s mobility is out of the ordinary. Uh, I might give you some distance the moment you do it¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind!¡± The attack squad quickly regrouped. A ranged striker in the best position; a strong tank that covered both dealers. Changsik and Taesik circled around and caught the attention of the subordinate monsters. ¡®This time, it¡¯s a tough opponent.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap clenched his sword and cleared his breath. He didn¡¯t take his eyes off the front for a moment. ¡®Centauro. I¡¯ve only seen it in the Monster Encyclopedia, but this is the first time I¡¯ve actually seen it. It¡¯s a rare monster.¡¯ Centauro. It was a monster that reminded him of the half-human, half-horse centaurs in mythology. Its head was covered with an irond helmet and could freely transform using amniotic fluid. Currently, its left hand took the shape of a sword, while its right hand took the shape of a mace with a gong. Woooooooo¡­ The Centauro exuded dreary energy. Soon after, about forty subordinate monsters who had been assisting it spread out all at once. The horde ss was distributed evenly between C and D. The lower monsters were no longer Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s opponents. His new form faded in an instant. Ko Byeong-gap approached the Centauro at a tremendous speed. ¡°Kieeek!¡± ¡°Karreuk!¡± The subordinate monsters blocked Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s advance. However, his legs didn¡¯t stop. It was all because he trusted the support of his attack squad. As if to repay his trust, arrows of lightning and dark spheres flew in and hit his obstacles. Ko Byeong-gap stepped on the beaten monsters and raised his sword. The sword, which had a lot of aura, fell sharply on the Centauro. The sword struck fiercely enough to cut through rocks in one swing. ¡°Grrooooooo¡­¡± ¡°Huh!¡± The Centauro swung its right arm like lightning. The sword and its mace collided, emitting shock waves everywhere. The huge shock was delivered to his arm from the sword. Ko Byeong-gap quickly blew up his aura to offset it. Thanks to that, his body wasn¡¯t pushed back. ¡®Centauro is the strongest in the middle-ranks of B-ss. As expected, it is different from the other monsters.¡¯ Even though Ko Byeong-gap had already crossed his limits several times, he still felt as if he were at the foot of a mountain. However, everything in the world eventually changed depending on one¡¯s attitude. He drove all the negative emotions out of his mind. He had to focus solely onbat at that time. ¡®I¡¯m sending out full power!¡¯ The aura of the sword quickly grew, visibly swelling. He concentrated his mind as much as he could and sharpened his aura. The de cut through the karma barrier that covered the body of the Centauro and dug into its flesh. ¡°Creek!¡± The Centauro didn¡¯t sit still either. He quickly lifted his arm and stabbed the other sword before he could be amputated. It was a fast move that was hard to follow with the eyes. Ko Byeong-gap relied on his sixth sense and footwork to evade. He had a shallow cut on his right shoulder, even though he was almost in perfect shape. In the background of the noisy world, time seemed to have stopped for Ko Byeong-gap and the Centauro. They exchanged lives about five steps apart. ¡°Chwiik!¡± At that moment, a beast-type monster came and attacked Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s back. It was a surprise attack that he had already sensed. Ko Byeong-gap calmly rotated his body and drew his sword. The monster¡¯s body was scattered like broken ss. ¡®Damn. Not good.¡¯ He sessfully fended off the surprise attack, but the situation was bad. The Centauro rushed in for a short time when he showed his back. In a moment, a thousand thoughts crossed his mind. ¡®It¡¯s toote to react. In that case¡­¡¯ He momentarily amplified the cycle of his power, and then his skin and muscle tissue changed to form a hard shield. It was his own technique, created by mimicking the Karma Barrier of the top awakeners. ¡°Agh!¡± Unfortunately, the performance couldn¡¯tpare with a Karma Barrier. A Karma Barrier was literally a protective shield, so it absorbed any shock below its threshold. On the other hand, his defense technique was nothing more than the hardening of his body tissues, so he could only reduce the impact to some extent. However, it was enough to double his opportunities from one to two. ¡®Give me flesh and hit the bone!¡¯ The Centauro¡¯s left hand dug a little into Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s side. Ko Byeong-gap swallowed the pain and swung his sword. The de, full of aura, stretched straight toward the Centauro¡¯s neck. The Centauro quickly pulled himself out and tried to escape, but Ko Byeong-gap wasn¡¯t soft enough to let him stand still. ¡®Where are you going to run?¡¯ He clung to it like a dog. That caused a cut in his side to open, but that wasn¡¯t a reason to stop. ¡°Haaaaaah!¡± ¡°Cuck!¡± A momentter, the de hit the Centauro¡¯s neck. A blow to one¡¯s resolution. His neck was cut halfway through. ¡°Cough!¡± A monster was a monster. The Centauro staggered and took hold of its center, even though half of its neck had been blown away. Suddenly, its human-like arms grabbed its neck to stop the bleeding. ¡®I won¡¯t let you recover!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s arms moved incessantly. Stab, cut, stab, cut again, and an unrelenting offensive was unleashed on the Centauro. ¡°Kooak!¡± The Centauro, distracted by the fatal neck injury, failed to maintain its Karma Barrier normally. Its body was destroyed one piece after another. After the storm of strikes, its figure turned into something that couldn¡¯t be ssified as normal. ¡°Hoooh¡­¡± Atst, the Centauro was broken down. Blood cascaded from the crushed area, and the energy of life was nowhere to be found. The rest of the attack squad did a good job while Ko Byeong-gap finished the boss monster. The floor was cluttered with dead monsters. There were only three creatures left breathing, albeit their lives were waning like a candle in front of the wind. ¡°Cough!¡± Just in time, Changsik put a hole in the monster¡¯s skull. As soon as he did, a desperate scream rang out from the other side. It was a monster that had been roasted ck by a bunch of lightning arrows. Kiek! Thest one was up to Turka. He crushed the monster with his giant shield like a mosquito, and then blood came out through the crushed flesh. ¡°Woooo!¡± Turka¡¯s roar signaled the end of the battle. ¡®Oh, I¡¯m tired.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap opened the door to Ashvm, bleating. The Goblins, which had been waiting in advance, quickly stepped out and started working immediately. ¡°Lord, are you alright?¡± The attack squad flocked to Ko Byeong-gap. They looked worried and examined the safety of their Lord. ¡°Are you seriously hurt?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s nothing.¡± Ko Byeong-gap used his Ki-breathing. The wound on his side quickly healed. ¡®Fortunately, my intestines weren¡¯t damaged. I don¡¯t have to use a potion.¡¯ [Current achievement rate of ¡®Ancient Ki-breathing Textbook ¨C Low-grade¡¯: 94.77%] The level ofpletion of the Ancient Ki-breathing Textbook had also improved considerably. Currently, almost any trauma could heal itself. He rarely used potions those days. ¡°Are you guys hurt?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°We¡¯re okay, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. As I say over and over again, it is most important not to get hurt.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Ko Byeong-gap examined the condition of the attack squad. They had minor wounds, but no one particrly needed action. He looked at the little ones that worked on the side and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to be a littlete today. I¡¯m going to visit my mom at the hospital.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so? How is the Queen doing these days? I hope she gets better soon.¡± Dorma asked in a consoling way. Ko Byeong-gap smiled bitterly, took a cigarette out of his arms, and then bit it in his mouth. ¡°She¡¯s the same¡­ But she has been getting better treatment for some time, so she¡¯ll get better gradually.¡± ¡°I pray that the Queen will recoverpletely.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you.¡± ¡®Now I even feelfort from them.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gapughed a little inside. When he first met the Goblins, there was only distrust and hostility, but that time, they had grown close enough to confide in his personal history. ¡°Sigh. Whoo.¡± He blew his smoke deeply and stared nkly at the copsing world. ¡®If this keeps going, even a B-rank crack can be said to be stable.¡¯ It had been two weeks since he dipped his feet into the top cracks after only beating the bottom cracks. At first, he struggled with the rapid increase in the number of monsters and the strength of the boss monster, but before he knew it, his body adapted. Three months ago, he dealt with only the lowest cracks in the E and F-ranks. His pace of growth was unprecedentedly rapid. Of course, the A-rank and the S-rank cracks were still a long way off. The difficulty would arise exponentially from the A-rank crack since even subordinate monsters in it were mostly high-level. ¡°Lord, it¡¯s over!¡± ¡°Well, you did a great job. Now, everybody, go back to Ashvm. Attack squad, you guys should rest and refrain from work.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± After he sent the Goblins back to Ashvm, Ko Byeong-gap escaped the copsing back world. As he stepped outside, the cool wind greeted him. ¡®It¡¯s already fall.¡¯ The midsummer heat disappeared without him knowing it. Wasn¡¯t it already September? The autumn leaves would bloom soon. Ko Byeong-gap loaded his luggage into the car, went to Ashvm, washed his body, and then returned to Seoul. *** ¡°I¡¯ll pay you 9.96 million won in total.¡± It was already evening when he stopped by his mother¡¯s hospital and went to the association. As summer disappeared, the day became shorter, and it was dark outside. ¡°The auctioned items will be credited with a 10%mission limit as soon as they¡¯re sold.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯m rooting for you.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Counselor Kim Seul-gi greeted him ording to the manual. He was lost in thought as he looked at the back of Ko Byeong-gap leaving. ¡°What is he?¡± Working as a counselor for a long time, he was bound to learn the faces of hunters who visited the branch. Ko Byeong-gap was a main customer of the Yeongdeungpo branch where Kim Seul-gi worked. ¡®I¡¯m sure that person is a D-ss hunter, but the magic stones and loot he had been bringing recently are all above medium quality?¡¯ As he remembered, Ko Byeong-gap was a man who always carried low-quality magic stones, receiving 600,000 won to 800,000 won for them. However, his recent earnings had jumped exponentially. Did he get into a good team? He had such a reasonable doubt. ¡°Eh, what¡¯s that got to do with me? I¡¯m going to settle my ounts quickly and get off work.¡± His curiosity didn¡¯tst long. After all, wasn¡¯t he in a department that collected weird things in the world? Around that time, Ko Byeong-gap was about to leave the association building and was going down the stairs. Before he stopped by his house, he thought he should eat something simple, until his phone rang suddenly. Hm! ¡®Is that the notification for the deposit?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap checked his cell phone as he made a rough guess. However, his prediction was spectacrly wrong. -Hello, Hunter Mr. Ko Byeong-gap. I¡¯m Choi Jiwon, the head of the promotion team of the guild ¡®Illumination.¡¯ A long letter began with that line. Ko Byeong-gap paused on the stairs and quickly read it down. It wasn¡¯t difficult to get the gist of the text. ¡®Is this a guild recruitment letter? To me?¡¯ The association shared hunter information with the guilds. So it wasn¡¯t surprising to get a call from a random number. However, there wasn¡¯t a single guild that tried to recruit him during his three years as a hunter. It was natural. He worked alone for the most part, and so his name would disappear naturally. In the first ce, it was suspicious that a guild sent a scouting text to a low-ranking hunter. Shouldn¡¯t the case be the other way around? ¡®I¡¯ve seen low-level hunters say, ¡®Please ept me,¡¯ but it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen one receive a message saying, ¡®Come to our guild.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap read the text again with a feeling of uneasiness. ¡®What kind of guild is this? I¡¯ve never heard of this guild before.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap knew most of the guilds in the metropolitan area since there weren¡¯t many of them. However, he had never seen a guild called Illumination. ¡®Is this a guild from another region? If it¡¯s a guild from another area, there¡¯s no reason to send it to me. There must be something wrong?¡¯ Curious, he searched for the guild called Illumination on the inte. Ko Byeong-gap slowly walked down the stairs with his eyes on his cell phone. He stopped again with only a few steps left and frowned at his cell phone. ¡°What, why isn¡¯t anythinging out? Is it a new guild?¡± Chapter 46 46. Illumination Ko Byeong-gap got into the car. Thepact car was small enough to cover his height and appearance. His legs bent even though he pulled the seat back as far as he could. He put off starting the car for a while and fell into his thoughts. ¡®A new guild is trying to scout me. No matter how you think about it, it¡¯s strange.¡¯ Two things came to mind. Either it was a fraud, or they were aware of his potential. ¡®I hid it as much as I could, but I did something that stood out a few times.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap basically hid his ability as the ¡®Goblin Lord¡¯ from others. His theory was that there was nothing good that woulde from people knowing about it. However, if asked if he was perfect, he wasn¡¯t. He had exposed himself a few times when he did things that didn¡¯t fit his role as a low-level hunter. An example of such was the dungeon incident in Daejeon. ¡®Is that where my name was sold?¡¯ Four hunters dealt with life and death with him in the dungeon. They were witnesses who saw Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s capabilities right in front of their noses. ¡®They belonged to the Prose Guild. Why did the wrong ce contact me?¡¯ Even if there was a point of contact between Prose and Illumination, there was no way for one hunter, Ko Byeong-gap, to know. He stroked his short-grown beard. ¡®Are they scammers?¡¯ Sheep with red eyes that tried to eat other people¡¯s backs were all over the ce. He even had a history of having his nose cut once before. ¡®Tricky ways to enve decent people.¡¯ Bad memories of the past crept up. Ko Byeong-gap shook his head and quickly shook it off. He then casually shoved his cell phone into his pocket. ¡®Fraud or whatever, it doesn¡¯t matter anyway.¡¯ He had no intention of joining a guild. He didn¡¯t like them and had no other interests, so he insisted on being a free hunter. Also¡­ In a way, he was already a guild member, in a guild called Ashvm. He was the guild leader, even. ¡°If you say you¡¯ll give me 10 billion won as down payment, I¡¯ll think about it, though. Hehe.¡± He threw his cell phone in the back seat and started the engine. By the time the wheels of the car rolled, he had nothing but other thoughts in his head. *** He wasn¡¯t proud of it, but Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t keep up with the news since most of the things they talked about in the news had nothing to do with him, especially when it came to entertainment-rted topics. Although, he had a small window where he skimmed it asionally, and that was while he waited for his food. He used that time to fiddle with his phone due to boredom. His hand stopped scrolling through his cell phone. His eyes quickly read through the provocative title of an article. -New Guild Illumination! Did you make it into one of the prestigious guilds in the country? -S-ss Park Seon-ho, Gu Yeon-jin, Seo Moon-soo joined Illumination. What is Illumination¡¯s secret to sucking in first-ss hunters? -The emergence of the new guild Illumination. The Hunter Market is bustling! -Illumination to recruit arge number of hunters below C-ss. What is the reaction of the industry to the unprecedented move? ¡®Illumination?¡¯ It was a familiar name. Ko Byeong-gap quickly looked through his text log. A text message he received five days ago caught his attention. -Hello, Hunter Mr. Ko Byeong-gap. I¡¯m Choi Jiwon, the head of the promotion team of the guild ¡®Illumination.¡¯ A long letter began with that line. It didn¡¯t take a long time for him to realize that that was the same Illumination in the article. ¡°They weren¡¯t a fraud?¡± He was so dumbfounded that he had to let out a deep breath. Thanks to that, the eyes in the restaurant were focused on Ko Byeong-gap for a while. With that or not, Ko Byeong-gap focused only on the article writing. Guild Illumination¡¯s actions were truly unconventional. It recruited arge number of well-known hunters that anyone could recognize by name. It wasn¡¯t difficult to find news of Hunters moving to Illumination and turning their backs to their current guild. Not just that. He didn¡¯t know their n, but even D to F-level hunters were drawn into the guild. Illumination was said to have be the 6thrgest business in Korea only a week after it was registered. It was a high-level sales force. Of course, most of them were low-level hunters. ¡°Isn¡¯t Lim Yeon-ji from Daehamun? How much did they pay him to give up Daehamun and stick with a new guild? Did they pay him 30 billion won?¡± ¡°Your gukbap is here.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, yes. Thank you.¡± As Ko Byeong-gap was sticking out his tongue, his food arrived. He couldn¡¯t take his eyes off his cell phone, even with the rice soup in front of him. ¡°Why are they recruiting low-level hunters? They wouldn¡¯t be of much use if they had a lot.¡± A guild¡¯s main source of ie was, of course, the top hunters. Among them, hunters who excelled brought in a lot of money due to fandoms that bought rted goods to the point of starving themselves were a solid form of ie. That was why many ces were just guilds and entertainment agencies. On the other hand, lower hunters were usually useless in that regard. So, even if they had a lot of them in the guild, they shouldn¡¯t exceed 100 people. Were they needed for subjugations in the lower cracks? ¡°Well, I am trying to get bigger¡­ Huh, that¡¯s why I got a text message, right?¡± It was only then that Ko Byeong-gap found out why the scout offer came to him. They weren¡¯t trying to find out his potential and recruit him. They were just trying to acquire as many hunters as possible. ¡®Of course, of course. How are they supposed to know someone who doesn¡¯t even have a name like me?¡¯ He felt somewhat discouraged. He smirked, put down his cell phone, and picked up a spoon. For a very short time, he thought, ¡®Should I contact the Illumination?¡¯ However, he dismissed it immediately. The belief that he wouldn¡¯t enter a guild was still strong. There was no such thing as a free lunch. No matter how good the conditions were, there was no way they wouldn¡¯t lose business unless it were a charity. Above all, to do his job as the Goblin Lord, he had to be as free as he was currently. ¡®Let¡¯s eat and go.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t afford to care if it was Illumination or a grand m. He rushed his soup and thought of what he had to do in Ashvm. He went home as soon as he finished dinner. It was already dark since he finished work a littlete that day. It was a natural result after visiting a B-rank crack and a C-rank crack in a single day. Even though he was tired, he smiled when he saw his thick bank ount. That day¡¯s earnings alone exceeded 10 million won. Ko Byeong-gap prepared roughly and headed over to Ashvm. The field was quiet, so he went to the cave. Almost all the Goblins were inside the cave lit by high-powered shlights. ¡°Hey, what are you doing? Why are you still working when the sun is down?¡± ¡°Ah! Lord. You¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Oh, Gobung. Why are you still doing this? Clean up and eat.¡± ¡°Not yet! We¡¯re getting ready to go, soon.¡± Gobung answered vigorously. Ko Byeong-gap nodded in agreement. ¡°Oh, were you sorting? Alright. Pack up ande back after. I¡¯m going to the campsite.¡± ¡°Yes! We¡¯ll be right there.¡± Ko Byeong-gap walked leisurely to the campsite. Unlike the dark fields, it was full of lights. He wasn¡¯t talking about torches. Streetlights stood all over the campsite. Streetlights where there was no electricity? It was natural to ask such a question. However, their streetmps were different from the ones in the real world. That was a piece purchased from the ancient shop. ¡®A sr-poweredmp. That¡¯s awesome.¡¯ Purchased for 3,000 Crystals per unit. The shape was arge ss bead at the end of a long column. That ss bead sucked sunlight during the day and emitted the light it collected at night. In principle, it was simr to a luminescent sticker. It could be turned on and off freely, so it didn¡¯t disturb their sleep. He bought it a while ago, but if he had known it would be that good, he would¡¯ve bought it sooner. ¡°Ah! Lord, you¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, I just got here.¡± When Doran found Ko Byeong-gap, she smiled and greeted him with a big smile. Ea, who was next to her, also turned around when she heard the sound. ¡°Huh? Oh, you¡¯re here? I didn¡¯t know¨C¡± ¡°¡®I didn¡¯t even know you were here.¡¯ Of course, you didn¡¯t know because I came without you knowing. Isn¡¯t it about time you stopped saying that?¡± ¡°What? Why? I really didn¡¯t know you were here. I wouldn¡¯t say that if I knew.¡± ¡°¡­ Yeah. You¡¯re right.¡± Ko Byeong-gap somehow felt his energy drained from the beginning. The two of them and some Goblins busily prepared dinner. Even after they ate, the savory smell stimted his appetite. ¡°It smells good. What¡¯s today¡¯s menu?¡± ¡°Ha! The dinner for tonight is stir-fried meat with mashed potatoes. The smell is good because of the herbs you brought me. I¡¯m running out. Can you bring me more?¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll bring it to you tomorrow. By the way, have you used all the potatoes?¡± ¡°No. We have so much left that I can¡¯t use it all. I was worried that it¡¯d rot before we could finish eating it.¡± ¡°That much? I¡¯ll have to pack some when I go home, but potatoes can be eaten for a long time, so it will be fine.¡± ¡°Lord! Lord!¡± Doran ran in front of Ko Byeong-gap with arge spat. The tip of the spat was covered with mashed potatoes. ¡°Oh, hey. Let go of the spat.¡± ¡°I can do it now!¡± ¡°Huh? What? You can crush potatoes?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s what Lord does!¡± Ko Byeong-gap was briefly dumbfounded and thought about what he could do. Doran drew his attention before he could conclude. ¡°Look carefully!¡± She held the spat like a sword and posed. She then quietly took a breath. Ko Byeong-gap almost freaked out three secondster because hot energy rose from Doran¡¯s body and her spat. It was¡­ Aura. ¡°How do you¡­ Uh, how did you, huh?¡± Compared to Ko Byeong-gap, her aura¡¯s intensity was terrible since she was still inexperienced in honing it, but that wasn¡¯t the problem. It was ridiculous that she could emmit her aura without even learning from the Swordsmanship Textbook. Doran calmed down her aura and smiled shyly. ¡°Hehe¡­ I practiced for a few days after watching Lord do it. It¡¯s my first time today.¡± ¡°You practiced after watching me do it? Alone?¡± ¡°Yes! Did I do well?¡± ¡®How did you do it¡­¡¯ He was speechless. It was absolutely astonishing. Didn¡¯t he struggle for nearly three months to gain control of his aura? Even that wouldn¡¯t have been possible without the textbook. However, Doran mastered it by herself without any help. How did it make sense? ¡°Oh, no. How the hell did you do that? You didn¡¯t even learn the textbook, did you?¡± ¡°Huh? Just by watching what Lord is doing, it seems like I should figure it out by myself, right? It felt very familiar¡­ Maybe I did something wrong?¡± Just as Ko Byeong-gap was embarrassed, anxiety rose on Doran¡¯s face. Ko Byeong-gap hastilyforted her and said, ¡°No, you did well. I¡¯m just a little surprised because you¡¯re so good.¡± ¡°Really? Hehe!¡± Doran smiled. On the contrary, Ko Byeong-gap felt a little crept out. What the hell was that young girl? Was she really a Goblin? He calmed down his startled heart. After they finished their work, the Goblins flocked to the campsite. He decided to put Doran¡¯s work behind him in the meantime. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ko Byeong-gapid out the words he had prepared before Ea became busier. ¡°After breakfast tomorrow, prepare to move your luggage immediately. Let¡¯s settle the tableware aside.¡± ¡°Um¡­ I see. I¡¯ll do that. But may I ask why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to open a restaurant tomorrow. The tableware and cooking utensils will bepletely reced with new ones.¡± ¡°A restaurant? Suddenly?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do it before it¡¯s toote.¡± Ko Byeong-gap scanned the entire camp. Although it was organized, when you looked at it closely, there were many weak parts. No wonder since most of the things that made up that ce were junk. Of course, he picked them up from junk stores and garbage dumps. At present, they didn¡¯t have any major problems in that state, but he wasn¡¯t sure if it would be okay in the future. ¡®As the days outside are getting shorter, daytime grows shorter here too. The temperature has also cooled down a bit. Winter maye here too.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap wandered around Ashvm while the Goblins were eating. He scoured through the dark and came up with how to rework the ce. Somehow, he had a feeling that the cool picture in his mind would be possible. Chapter 47 47. Rework Early in the morning, Ko Byeong-gap opened his eyes in a disorderly manner. That was the day he decided not to go out for subjugations. However, there was something else he had to do, so he didn¡¯t procrastinate and moved diligently. He took a cold shower and changed into clean clothes. It was around 7 am when he was ready to go out. He wouldn¡¯t use his number one treasure today. Ko Byeong-gap took the subway for the first time in a while and headed to his destination¡­ to a car rentalpany. ¡°You¡¯re the one who called, aren¡¯t you? Your name is¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ko Byeong-gap.¡± ¡°Oh, right. You can follow me.¡± He was guided by the staff and headed to a car. A neat, blue one-ton truck greeted him, which wasmonly referred to as a dragon car. The cargo hold had a whistle, so it was perfect for moving luggage. ¡°Are you moving?¡± The employee of the rentalpany asked with a smirk. Ko Byeong-gap roughly confirmed it. What he was trying to do today had nothing to do with moving, but he didn¡¯t need to talk about it. ¡°I¡¯ll use it well and return it.¡± ¡°Yes. Drive safely.¡± He drove the one-ton truck out onto the road. It had been a long time since he drove a truck, but he was a pretty good driver. He quickly got used to it and manipted the gears. He headed to a big furniture store. He was going to buy furniture and household items there. How long had he been driving? He arrived at an enormous store that was a rectangr warehouse-type building, and at first nce, it looked like thousands of cars surrounded it. ¡°Why are there so many cars? I came on a weekday on purpose, but it¡¯s a waste of time.¡± Ko Byeong-gap sighed at the parking lot that was sorge, and it left him stunned. It was full of people despite it being a weekday morning. Whatever the situation was, he went inside the building, and from the moment he entered, the faint smell of wood stimted his nostrils. Ko Byeong-gap really liked the scent. ¡°Wow¡­¡± He had never been to such a big store in his life. He used to run to Daiso when he had something to buy. of eye-catching furniture was there. Household items were neatly disyed, and each one looked beautiful. In his heart, he wanted to move that whole store to Ashvm. He enjoyed the eye candy as he strolled around the big store. ¡®I wish I had Ea with me.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap smacked his lips. He wanted to bring Ea and show her around the store if possible. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust in his own eyes, but he thought Ea would be better in that regard. If the talkative Spirit saw that ce, she would surely be constantly talking by that time. ¡®How can I cover her up so she would look like a human being?¡¯ If she dressed casually and covered her eyes with sunsses, she would look like a human being. Of course, the question was whether there were sunsses that couldpletely cover her eyes. ¡®With Doran¡¯s ears, she could just pretend to be a foreigner, right? But what about Ea?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap started shopping in earnest with such thoughts. First of all, the items he nned to buy that day were kitchen-rted items. All the tableware that they currently use in Ashvm was recycled. In other words, he picked up the cooking utensils, bowls, and even the spoons and chopsticks from different ces. ¡®I should have bought these earlier¡­ I¡¯m a little sorry.¡¯ So far, he turned a blind eye to it since he didn¡¯t have any money to spare and was in a hurry to pay off his debts. The Goblins didn¡¯tin anyway. ¡®But I¡¯m not going to treat anyone who follows me badly.¡¯ The Goblins mined day and night to rebuild Ashvm and followed their Lord withoutints. He wanted to give them better conditions, even if their affection was hypothetical. ¡®Let¡¯s spend ten million won today. Let¡¯s see what I can get!¡¯ His wallet was full since his profits jumped sharply when he raised his subjugation targets to B-rank cracks. His debt settlement, which he expected to settle by next year, was also pushed earlier. That was the reason why he ran two subjugations a day. Hopefully, he would be able to finish them all within the next month. Anyway, Ko Byeong-gap bought things at random. When he bought 350 spoons and chopsticks, the employees¡¯ eyes widened. Who was that guy? Was he going to open a restaurant? Well, that was his n. He bought all sorts of things, ranging from tableware such as spoons, forks, and bowls to cooking tools such as kitchen knives, cutting boards, and pots. This processsted for more than three hours. There was so much that he had to go back and forth to the parking lot dozens of times. He wanted to buy all the tables and chairs if he could. ¡°Was that all?¡± he said. At that point, he wanted to put about 300 beds in Ashvm, but the problem was that he couldn¡¯t carry it all. Not even the one-ton truck could load all of it. He thought about using a cargo trailer next time. ¡®I¡¯m going to have to find another way.¡¯ His shopping ended with some disappointment since he spent a lot of money. ¡°I spent about 8 million won.¡± Ko Byeong-gap nced over the receipt and just crumpled it. Men shouldn¡¯t leave any lingering attachments to the past. He drove in search of a quiet ce. *** It was almost noon when Ko Byeong-gap entered Ashvm. As he ordered the day before, Ea cleaned up her belongings as soon as breakfast was over, and because of it, lunch still wasn¡¯t ready. Ko Byeong-gap handed out bread and drinks he bought outside. ¡°Let¡¯s eat this for a meal, even if it¡¯s not good enough.¡± ¡°Lick!¡± Contrary to his concerns, the Goblins responded well. No matter how good Ea¡¯s cooking skills were, it wasn¡¯tparable to processed goods. ¡°Gobung.¡± ¡°Ah, yes?¡± ¡°After eating that, just pick 50 people to work with me. Including you.¡± ¡°Including me. You mean? Okay! What are you going to do? What are you thinking?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to tear this ce down. I¡¯ll walk down the tents and throw away the little things.¡± ¡°Little things. You mean?¡± Gobung¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Well, what about us?¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m trying to build you a better house. You think I¡¯m going to lose my mind and smash decent things?¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t live in a tent that¡¯s always falling down. Did you forget thest time it rained? It was leaking, and there was an uproar.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± About a week ago, rain fell in Ashvm for the first time. Even though there wasn¡¯t much rain, raindrops seeped through the cracks in the tent. ¡°You guys are having a hard time, so it¡¯s hard to put you to sleep in a ce like this. I¡¯m your Lord, so shouldn¡¯t I take care of you guys?¡± ¡°Lord¡­¡± Gobung looked up at Ko Byeong-gap with teary eyes. He seemed to be moved. Ko Byeong-gapughed at how funny the scene was and said, ¡°Anyways, pick the best workers.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Ko Byeong-gap took a step closer to the tents. He looked at the cluster of tents with fond eyes. Fragments of memories passed by his eyes. He remembered shooting all over the city, trying to pick those up. He remembered the first time he set up a tent and drank with pride. ¡°I did a good job,¡± Ko Byeong-gap said to himself inside the tent. It was a torn piece of cloth at best, but it was the best he could do at the time. ¡®I¡¯m a little sad that I¡¯m going to throw it away. I can¡¯t help it, though.¡¯ Although it was a bit disappointing, that ce had to be overturned for future development. ¡®Even if we cross the fog, we have to empty this ce.¡¯ In the past, Ko Byeong-gap had implicitly thought so. That there was nothing more to see there once they crossed the fog. That ce was only for them to stay in for a while, so there was no need to invest and develop it. However, that was a big miscalction. ¡®There is no guarantee that there is a crystal cave beyond the fog. Why did I overlook that?¡¯ The rocky mountain nearby provided valuable crystals. It was foolish to abandon such resources for one-time use only. ¡®We need topletely fortify this ce. That way, we can get resources safely.¡¯ If they removed the fog, the monsters called Grugles might flood in. If that happened, of course, it would disrupt the supply and demand of crystals. The rocky mountain had to be an impregnable fortress. It was their home base with crucial resources. The meal was soon over. Gobung gathered 50 workers just as Ko Byeong-gap ordered, and the unselected personnel headed to the cave as usual. ¡°Lord. Ready.¡± ¡°Good! First, take all the things here and stack them up in the field.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± The Goblins moved in perfect order. The tents, which had been the home of the Goblins for nearly three months, quickly lost their form. Some of the Goblins looked disappointed. ¡®We have to organize it well.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap unfolded arge drawing paper that he had brought from his house. There was already a bit of a sketch of the approximatendscape of Ashvm. Ko Byeong-gap painted an additional building on it. In other words, it was like a bird¡¯s eye view of the city. By the time theposition waspleted to some extent, the work to dismantle the tent was finished. ¡®Good.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap rose from his seat with the drawing paper and opened the ancient shop. [Ancient Shop] ¨C Construction ¨C Techniques ¨C Misceneous Goods ¨C Others [Crystals on Hand: 1,367,420] All the crystals he used recently were about 30,000 crystals to buy the sr-poweredmps. As he saved them, he realized that there were already over 1.3 million crystals. Ko Byeong-gap opened the ¡®Construction¡¯ category for the first time in a very long time. ¡®If possible, I would like to buy a good one, but if I buy only the highest quality, I would have no savings left. Let¡¯s make a moderatepromise between intermediate and advanced.¡¯ He nced over at the items on disy. Some of the things that looked good at a reasonable price were cited. ¡®From high-end items, even one product has many forms. This is good.¡¯ There were many types of ¡°high-end brick buildings¡± such as L-shaped, U-shaped, and straight ones. He decided to put the restaurant first. [Advanced Multipurpose Hall Type I] ¨C Price: 18,000 Crystals ¨C Description: A multipurpose building that can be used in various ways. It is suitable to amodate arge number of people. It is made of high-quality materials and has excellent durability. ¡°Everyone, back off. I¡¯m cing the building!¡± Ko Byeong-gap shouted that and forced the Goblins to retreat. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s cool.¡± It wasn¡¯t long before the silhouette of a blue and translucent building came before them. Exmations rang in the area over its majestic figure, and Ko Byeong-gap ced the building on a well-organized site. [Do you want to install ¡®Advanced Multipurpose Hall Type I¡¯ in this location?] [Starting instation¡­] [Required time is about 120 minutes.] ¡®It would take a long time because it¡¯s arge building.¡¯ ¡°Wow, that¡¯s so cool! I¡¯ve never seen such a nice building in my life. Seriously! What is this building for?¡± Ea asked with starry eyes. Ko Byeong-gap straightened his back, proud of himself. ¡°This is the restaurant.¡± ¡°What? A restaurant? This wonderful ce?¡± ¡°Yes. You can cook over here from now on. I reced all the cooking utensils with new ones, so it¡¯ll be easier to cook.¡± ¡°Wow, thank you!¡± She was so happy that she jumped. Ea, who was in charge of cooking, was joyful to have her own home. Ko Byeong-gap also felt better when she saw her happiness. ¡°Oh, be happyter and help me now.¡± ¡°Help you? Alright, tell me anything! I¡¯ll do my best to help you! What should I do?¡± ¡°Help me put the building down because I think you have a good eye.¡± ¡°You noticed it, didn¡¯t you? That¡¯s right. I have a good eye, and I¡¯m very good at reading things. If I help you, I can decorate this ce beautifully!¡± Ko Byeong-gap and Ea began to put the building together. The crude Ashvm gradually transformed to have a more sophisticated look. Chapter 48 48. Rework Nicely done! buildings were built in Ashvm, which used to be an empty field. The Goblins, who were busy, cut down trees and pulled out stones stuck in the ground to prepare the site. When the instation of the building waspleted, their luggage was moved, and the interior was cleaned. They thought it would be over soon, but it took longer than expected since many things needed to be considered, such as whether it would be appropriate to put a warehouse there or not since it might block the way, and other various concerns. Still, all the construction waspleted before evening came. Ashvm was no longer a field full of tents. There was only a residential vige lined with neat-looking buildings. ¡®Is this okay?¡¯ The dwelling ce illuminated by the sr-poweredmps was quite outstanding from a modern person¡¯s aesthetic perspective. It certainlycked sophisticationpared to a global city with a thick forest of buildings. However, there was that unique soft and gentle atmosphere that could only be felt there. ¡®I used 541,900 crystals in total.¡¯ The small notebook in his hand was full of numbers. Every time a building was built, Ko Byeong-gap recorded the price. A total of 52 buildings were built that consumed just over half a million crystals. ¡®It was simr to the money used for Doran. If you think about it that way, it¡¯s cheap.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap shoved his notebook into his pocket and circled the residence. The restaurant building faced the forest, and it was currently thergest building in Ashvm. There was a warehouse for their supplies and a house for Doran and Ea to the south of the restaurant. The 24 amodations exclusively reserved for the Goblins were at the west. ¡®I hope the kids like it.¡¯ The Goblin dormitory was thought of the most by Ko Byeong-gap. Each building couldfortably amodate 18 to 20 Goblins. Of course, for big guys like the Giant Goblins, ten people would be the limit. In any case, 50 or 60 people no longer had to join each other in a small tent. ¡®Tomorrow, I¡¯ll have to buy beddings.¡¯ Of course, the buildings purchased from the ancient shop were just buildings with no furniture. Bedding and furniture had to be provided at will. It would cost a lot of money to buy bedding for 326 people, but he decided not to worry about it since he had already nned the money he decided to spend. Anyway, on the east side of the restaurant, buildings for various purposes were built. To the north of the residential vige was the workshop for Ko Byeong-gap. He moved thebustion units there to make it easier for him to craft things. Next to it was a small house only for him. ¡°My dream of buying a house came true in Ashvm. Oh,e on.¡± Ko Byeong-gap burst intoughter. Outside, he had to pay rent monthly, but in Ashvm, he had a house and even a private workshop. Ko Byeong-gap hummed. ¡°Wait¡­ It¡¯s not just about owning a house, is it? In fact, isn¡¯t all thend here mine? Forget being rich. I¡¯m almost like thisnd¡¯s emperor, and that¡¯s a good feeling.¡± After what he said, he left the residential area for a bit. A tall clock tower stood in the open field, which was set up to make him feel better. Well, that didn¡¯t mean it was only a decoration. ¡®We can use it as a gathering ce, tell the time, and if I want to, I can go up and smoke there.¡¯ Behind the clock tower was arge field. As he walked a little to the south, he saw the fence that locked up the chickens. The chickens were doing well and healthy. Next to the chicken coop, there was a warehouse that stocked up the supplies needed for livestock. Wasn¡¯t it a pretty decent estate? It was nice to look at. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Really. Ashvm is¡­ It¡¯s a legend!!¡± ¡°My heart. It¡¯s wonderful¡­¡± The Goblins, who returned from mining, were amazed to see the new campsite. They scanned the area with their mouths wide open like a tenant who had just moved in. ¡°Dorma, how do you like it? Pretty good, huh?¡± ¡°Lord¡­¡± Dorma looked like he was almost about to cry. ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m dreaming. The previous Ashvm was very cool, but I think I¡¯ll have to write a poem to express the beauty of today.¡± ¡°Come on. You¡¯re overreacting again.¡± ¡°Lord is amazing. I think you¡¯re doing a miracle.¡± ¡°Hey, it was possible because the kids worked hard. Would I dare try this if I were alone? Ea also helped me a lot.¡± ¡°Huhuhuh. I see, but I don¡¯t know if we deserve this much.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I bought all of these with the crystals you dug up.¡± Ko Byeong-gap went on with a cigarette in his mouth. ¡°Actually, we still have a long way to go. There are a lot of things that need to be fixed for the kids to continue their lives without me.¡± Dorma was surprised to hear that. He asked with a flushed face, ¡°Lo¡­ When the Lord is gone? Are you saying you¡¯re leaving somewhere?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying¡­ We might have to get out of the fog one day. At that time, I may not care about this ce. You want to prepare in advance.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s what you mean.¡± ¡°By the way, when we leave the rocky mountain, I will take you with me, Dorma.¡± Dorma was too advanced to only be stationed as a mountain worker. He nodded with a delighted look and said, ¡°Of course. I will always take care of the Lord.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go eat¡ª¡± ¡°Goblins! Please eat!¡± ¡°You idiots, eat!¡± Just then, Ea and Doran whipped them over their heads and shouted. ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°Are you going with me?¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Ko Byeong-gap and Dorma headed to the restaurant. The Goblins were eating food on clean tableware and sat on the bare floor. Ko Byeong-gap let out a small sigh. ¡®Oh, I¡¯ll start with tables. There¡¯s no point in setting up a restaurant building like this.¡¯ He decided to bring tables in tomorrow. *** The next day. Ko Byeong-gap drove down the road in a one-ton truck in the morning. He headed for a waste factory site located in Yangpyeong-gun. It was thest ce he went to in a subjugation. There were no humans there, only empty factory buildings. There was only one reason why he went to such a ce on purpose. It was to receive the products he had ordered. He had to get there before the delivery man, so he speeded up. By noon, he reached his destination. Looking at the abandoned factory, it seemed that no one hade yet. Ko Byeong-gap smoked a cigarette in his spare time. ¡°Thendowner would be frightened to know.¡± The work needed to bring things into Ashvm¡­ As long as he didn¡¯t have a lot of stuff with him, there was no problem. However, there was a problem if he wanted to carry many bulky items such as mattresses and furniture. ¡°There¡¯s nowhere to put it.¡± He didn¡¯t even have a personal warehouse, but he couldn¡¯t send things to Ashvm in front of everyone else. So he decided to rent thatnd for a while. Of course, without the owner knowing. How long had it been? The items he ordered arrived one after another. The delivery people were confused, with expressions saying, ¡®Isn¡¯t this an abandoned factory? Did Ie to the wrong ce?¡¯. Ko Byeong-gap quickly led them. ¡°Here, I think. Please leave it here.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, yes.¡± The items piled up inside the abandoned factory. 350 sets of bedding, a multi-seater dining table used in schools and the military, and other various daily necessities. He spent more than 10 million won on that day alone. ¡®I¡¯m ready, but I¡¯m really going to bend my back. I¡¯ll have to make a lot of things.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap smacked his bitter appetite while he looked at the long table. His alchemy achievement rate should¡¯ve gone up so that he could make it himself. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Huh.¡± The delivery workers were sweating profusely to carry the goods. Ko Byeong-gap also joined in and helped with the work. While many others stuck together to move one thing, Ko Byeong-gap moved several by himself. People¡¯s eyes widened at the bizarre sight. Time passed, and all the items were finally brought into the abandoned factory. Ko Byeong-gap carefully checked the items in case anything was missing. It wasn¡¯t long before he was satisfied. ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°Yes. Please sign here¡­ Yes! Thank you.¡± ¡°Take care.¡± He sent all the delivery workers away. ¡°Whew, I guess we¡¯re moving this again? I have to be diligent.¡± His work wasn¡¯t over. He transported all the things he had piled up like a mountain to Ashvm, and the work was done quickly. Ko Byeong-gap stopped by Ashvm to arrange the items he had brought in and then returned to Seoul. After returning the truck to the rentalpany, while on his way home, a clothing store suddenly caught his eye. ¡®Should I buy some clothes for Ea and Doran?¡¯ Doran and Ea were the only women in Ashvm. The Goblins were wild enough that it seemed like they could live well naked, but Ea and Doran were a bit different. Shouldn¡¯t he at least buy them underwear? It urred to Ko Byeong-gap. ¡®Besides underwear, do they need sanitary pads or something? So far, they haven¡¯t had any problems.¡¯ Needless to say, Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t know much about the women, but he knew at least that they had something ¡®magical¡¯ a few days in a month. ¡®Are Goblins and Spirits the same as humans? It bothers me for no reason. There¡¯s no one to ask.¡¯ It was embarrassing to ask, but he didn¡¯t think it was right to pretend when he didn¡¯t know what to do. He stood on the side of the road like a fool and agonized for a few minutes. After a while, he finally made a decision. He entered the women¡¯s clothing store with embarrassment on his knees. The first floor was an underwear store. He sweated a lot since he had no ce to put his eyes until the employees joined him. ¡°Oh, you want a present?¡± ¡°For your girlfriend? Or your mother?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the age range of the person you¡¯re going to give it as a gift? Do you know their size? What kind of preference do you like? This line is a bit shy, and that side is a in style.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you around slowly. Whoo-hoo!¡± Ko Byeong-gap was dragged around by the staff and was forced to learn about women¡¯s underwear. ¡®A cup? B cup? They both don¡¯t look that big¡­ Can I just buy A cup? What is 85A, and what is 75A? I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯ He put about 15 sets of women¡¯s underwear in the basket. He was worried that the employees might see him as a crazy pervert. After he bought underwear, he also bought casual clothes. He headed to the checkout counter like he was running away. ¡°The total is 1,139,000 won.¡± ¡°What?! How much?¡± Ko Byeong-gap freaked out. He couldn¡¯t believe it was over a million won for a few pieces of underwear and clothes. It was crazy. In the end, he paid 1.13 million won. On his way back, he stopped by the mart and bought two boxes of sanitary pads. ¡®I need to think about increasing the number of women in Ashvm.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap decided to seriously consider the matter. Two was too much, and if he increased it further, he might not be able to handle it. Ko Byeong-gap came home exhausted. He visited Ashvm with a load of embarrassing things. He quickly went to Ea and threw it away. ¡°You can share it with Doran on your own. I¡¯ve bought enough, so you¡¯ll have more than enough.¡± ¡°What? What is this? These are clothes! Are you really giving it to us?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you two doing?¡± ¡°Doran, look at this! Your Lord brought us some clothes!¡± ¡°Really? Wow. It looks simr to what Lord is wearing.¡± The two of them rummaged through the clothes with a big smile. Meanwhile, Doran picked up a piece of underwear and spread it around her eyes. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s this? Is this also an outfit? Even if we wear this, we¡¯ll be able to see all our bare skin.¡± ¡°Doran. That¡¯s called underwear.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°An underwear is¡­ Like wearing it under your jacket. Hmm? Doran. Where¡¯s the Lord?¡± ¡°Huh? What? He was just here. Where did he go?¡± ¡°I guess he¡¯s gone. I didn¡¯t even know he was gone. He could¡¯ve at least said something.¡± Ko Byeong-gap, who never stepped down even before dozens of monsters, had suddenly left. He had to taste the bitterness of retreat after a long time. Chapter 49 49. Recovery Business September 14, 2025. It was a peaceful Sunday night, but the atmosphere in the office of the Blue House wasn¡¯t so good. ¡°Hey!¡± Park Tae-seok, the 20th president of South Korea. He became president at a rtively young age of 53 and was apetent politician. His unique charisma and determination made things go smoothly. Less than a year had passed since he was sworn in as president, but his achievements weren¡¯t limited. Thanks to that, he gained great trust from the people. He also earned the honorable nickname of ¡®Bulldozer.¡¯ ¡°How dare you fuck me like this!¡± Park Tae-seok had always maintained a poker face, but not that day. He threw a bunch of papers at the chief of staff next to him in a very anxious manner. ¡°How the hell do you deal with this? Why can¡¯t you just keep this stuff in order?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The chief of staff couldn¡¯t even raise his head. To be honest, he was on the verge of going crazy, but he didn¡¯t dare say anything back. Park red at a bunch of crumpled documents with eyes that looked like they would shoot a beam of light. Multiple curses came out of his mouth. ¡°Ichigon, you bastard! Fuck you bastard! What the hell is that bastard doing?!¡± The curse words aimed at the president of the Hunter Association continued for a while. After a while, Park got up and gritted his teeth. ¡°Get the car on hold.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The chief of staff immediately responded and turned away. The moment he tried to leave the office, the door opened, and someone entered. Not only the chief of staff but also the president were stunned for a while. Who dared to enter the president¡¯s personal library? The one who entered the building looked suspicious. It was a man that wore a thick hood. ¡°What¡­ What?!¡± The chief of staff stepped back in surprise. The president calmly opened a chest of drawers and held a pistol in his hand. ¡°Who are you? How did you get here?¡± He spotted someone unconscious and scattered on the ground through the gap in the open door. The chief of staff turned pale. He sent a radio message to the security team in a hurry, but the line was silent. ¡°Security team, security¨Ceok!¡± Soon, the air in the office became heavy. As if being sucked into the depths of the sea, a tremendous sense of pressure weighed on the chief of staff. He couldn¡¯t hold on for a second and fainted. ¡°¡­¡± The pressure evaded the president. Thanks to that, Park Tae-seok didn¡¯t lose consciousness, but he sweated a lot. ¡°¡­ Who are you?¡± Park Tae-seok suppressed his nervousness with a superhuman wit. Sweat dripped from his grip on the pistol he secretly held. The unidentified man slowly moved his hand to remove his hood. Park Tae-seok felt his heart stop beating when he saw the face of the mysterious man. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve actually met you, Mr. President. It¡¯s a littlete, but congrattions on your election.¡± ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re here in Korea?¡± ¡°I just got back. Well, I¡¯ll be leaving again soon. I¡¯m a very busy person. Whoops.¡± The unidentified man sat on the office sofa with a yful smile and said, ¡°Can I talk to you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡®Talk? You want to talk? How dare this little bastard try to deceive me?¡¯ Park Tae-seok¡¯s anger boiled up, but he wasn¡¯t stupid enough to let it out. He gently put down his pistol and approached the sofa. No, it was no use to point a needle at a dragon. ¡°What kind of violence is this? Do you think your actions now can be forgiven?¡± ¡°Forgive me. Huhu.¡± The mysterious manughed coldly and said, ¡°Mr. President, do you know that forgiveness and tolerance are what the strong give to the weak?¡± ¡°¡­ I am the president of this country.¡± Park Tae-seok didn¡¯t back down and responded. It was no exaggeration to say that he survived in the political arena with a bunch of thugs. However, it was inevitable that the brief time of arguing with that monster felt more difficult than his past political life. The monster rxed his expression and said softly, ¡°Huhu. Well, I¡¯m sorry for being a little rude. I don¡¯t know much about formalities because I¡¯m short on education. Please forgive me with broad generosity.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You didn¡¯te to me to talk nonsense.¡± ¡°You are cool. Of course, that¡¯s President Bulldozer. Whoo-hoo! Yeah. I like to be straightforward too, so let¡¯s get straight to the point.¡± The unidentified man shook his head for a few seconds before he opened his mouth. ¡°Mr. President.¡± ¡°Say it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly as it sounds. Don¡¯t do anything from now on, just stay put.¡± ¡°Exin it so that I can understand.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to do anything. For the rest of your term, you just have to enjoy and rx. Go on a trip with the First Lady and eat delicious food. Ah? I was in the Czech Republic not long ago, and it was great. The food is pretty good. It would be a good idea to go there this time.¡± The mysterious man raised himself and put on the hood again. ¡°I like people like you, Mr. President. So that¡¯s what I¡¯m proposing.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°Heh heh. A joke¡­¡± Park Tae-seok bit his lips, and blood oozed out of the bitten area. The unidentified man just chuckled andughed. At that very moment, an intangible force strangled the president. The president grabbed his neck in surprise but didn¡¯t seed in alleviating it. Soon, a formidable, pure hellish fear hit Park Tae-seok. His eyes darkened. He was so scared that he felt like he was going to pee. The unidentified man spoke grimly. ¡°There will be plenty of time tough and have fun. Think carefully.¡± ¡°Oh god, get it off!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you know what I mean because you¡¯re a smart man. We¡¯ll send one person. Don¡¯t ignore his message. This is a warning.¡± ¡°Ah! Agh! Someone, save me¡­!¡± ¡°Once again, Don¡¯t do anything. Nothing.¡± The assant disappeared suddenly and left only those words. Park Tae-seok was freed from the supernatural power and copsed like a wet rag. ¡°Cough! Cough! Gasp, Gasp, Gasp, Gasp.¡± He stared nkly into space with the eyes of a dead fish. The monster had disappeared out of nowhere. ¡°Ahhh.¡± His body was still full of fear. Suddenly, he cried as if he had returned to being a child. *** ¡°Hey, what¡¯s this?¡± The crippled tabletop was messy. A few pinches of salt, seaweed, and a slice of ham that had been roughly heated in the microwave. Ko Byeong-gap chewed rice and looked at his phone. ¡°This is crazy. There¡¯s a monster in North Korea? A month ago?¡± Yesterday, on a Sunday evening, the president of the Hunter Association called in reporters and held an exclusive press conference. What he said was absolutely devastating. It was said that a Monster Wave urred in a ce that had no specific name and was simply called the Old North Korean Zone, but that date was over a month ago. ¡°That¡¯s a bummer.¡± It was only a few hours by car from Seoul. Of course, the location of the Monster Wave urred in the North Hamgyong Province, the northernmost part of the Korean Penins. Still, it felt terrifying that they had lived with a Monster Wave nearby for a month. ¡°I thought it would calm down now, but people would go crazy again.¡± He wondered if the public sentiment was finally stabilizing. The closedpanies resumed operations, and the students returned to school normally. Even when he went to the grocery stores, the long lines were long gone, but suddenly, there came a Monster Wave. ¨C Citizens, don¡¯t worry about anything and just engage in your business. In honor of the association, we will do our best not to cause any harm to the people. ¡°I¡¯m d they have a n, though.¡± The government seemed to have an idea. It was guilds would work together to resolve the situation. The final goal wasn¡¯t only to put the Monster Wave to sleep but also topletely restore the northern part of the Korean Penins. ¡°Do it. The cracks in North Korea are all worth money. We can¡¯t leave it alone.¡± Ko Byeong-gap soon put down his cell phone and focused on eating. North Korea, Monster Wave, the higher-ups would take care of it. There was no reason for him to run out with his sword unless there was a monster that wandered around in front of his house. ¡°Let¡¯s make money. That way, I¡¯ll pay my debts, pay my mom¡¯s hospital bills, and even buy food for my children.¡± Ko Byeong-gap moved diligently. He went to Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon-do, to subjugate a B-rank crack that day. ¡°Keruk! Keruk!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Well done.¡± The skills of his attack squad improved day by day. Some almost mastered their low-grade textbooks and slowly passed over to the intermediate level. ¡®By the time all of them have taken their intermediate textbooks, we might be able to defeat A-rank cracks. Then, we can earn tens of thousands of won a day!¡¯ He used to earn 600 to 700 thousand won a month, but currently, he could make tens of millions of won in one bite. It was simply a dreame true. ¡°Hah!¡± Ko Byeong-gap smiled as he smashed a C-ss monster, the ck Centipede, with a single blow. He wished that day would end sooner. His subjugations on B-rank cracks weren¡¯t always easy, but it went smoothly nheless. He reached the boss monster in about 4 hours and 30 minutes after he entered the back world. ¡°Wooooo! Kook!¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to sharpen the de. That¡¯s good.¡± A B-ss, beast-type monster, Sharp Deer. It was arge deer-shaped monster with a shoulder height of 2 meters. The fangs that stuck out of its snout, as well as its rugged hind legs, were terrifying, but that¡¯s not all. It had horns. The sharp horns that could rip everything they touch would cost a hunter his limbs, but for Ko Byeong-gap, it was just an alchemy material. ¡°He¡¯s a dangerous guy. Stay back.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Ko Byeong-gap pulled out his sword and stepped forward. The Sharp Deer, who had lost all of his subordinates, stomped his feet with an angry force. ¡°Kook, kook, kook, kook!¡± ¡°Whit!¡± When he provoked it with a whistle, the Sharp Deer rushed forward. It was like facing an armored car. He concentrated his mind and exploded the strength of his body. At the same time, he skillfully searched for a gap in his enemy¡¯s movements. ¡®Right leg!¡¯ He ran face to face with the target on his head. Ko Byeong-gap twisted his body just before colliding with the Sharp Deer and aimed for its right leg. However, it wasn¡¯t that easy. The Sharp Deer minimized the damage by evading his legs with his animal instincts just before being cut. ¡®Damn it. It¡¯s shallow.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t amputate its leg with a single blow. The Sharp Deer immediately kicked his hind leg and aimed for Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Huh!¡± Ko Byeong-gap showed his flexibility and barely avoided it. ¡®I almost got hit.¡¯ He and the Sharp Deer stood face to face again. It suffered a cut in one of its legs and left it unstable. ¡°Koook!¡± The Sharp Deer rushed in again. Compared to a while ago, its momentum had softened a lot. Ko Byeong-gap was able to catch a gap more easily. ¡°Hah!¡± Against his fiercely sharpened sword, the Sharp Deer¡¯s right leg was mutted. Was that all? He straightened himself and cut his enemy¡¯s stomach. ¡°Kuah!¡± In that gap, its intestines and blood flowed like a waterfall. Ko Byeong-gap had no intention of giving it a second. His fierce offensive continued. The Sharp Deer was unable to rebel in the face of brutal violence since it lost mobility and was fatally wounded. Soon after, the Sharp Deerpletely copsed with the scream of death. It was his victory. *** ¡°Organize the loot separately.¡± ¡°Yep! Thank you for your hard work!¡± ¡°Oh,e on.¡± After he took a bath, Ko Byeong-gap was seen off by the Goblins and left Ashvm. He went to a B-rank and C-rank crack that day. His body felt heavy, but his mind was so light that he felt like flying. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s worth it!¡± He returned to Seoul with a refreshed body in his car. It was around five or six in the afternoon when he arrived. When he tried to enjoy driving while listening to his favorite songs, he came into the forest of buildings. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t like Seoul very much, but he liked the night view of Seoul. ¡°I wish there was such a beautiful night view in Ashvm.¡± The night in Ashvm was just dark. Could he see the same night view as Seoul in Ashvm someday? ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it will happen until I die of old age.¡± Ko Byeong-gap stopped by the association while he imagined a cluster of buildings in Ashvm. He sold the magic stones and loot as he always did every time. The work was done in no time. ¡°Good luck.¡± As he said goodbye and left his seat, an association employee caught him. ¡°Oh, Hunter Ko Byeong-gap. Wait!¡± ¡°Huh? Did I miss anything?¡± ¡°No, no, no, I just wanted to let you know that there¡¯s a notice for the hunters. It¡¯ll take 10 minutes, but do you have time?¡± ¡®About 10 minutes.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap sat back while he smacked his lips. Counselor Kim Seul-gi took something out from under the desk. It was like a booklet. He spoke in a very business-like tone while he turned the pages of the booklet. ¡°This time, the association and several guilds are working together to restore the northern part of the Korean Penins. Do you happen to know?¡± Chapter 50 50. Recovery Business ¡°Because¡­¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± The exnation thatsted about 10 minutes was over. Ko Byeong-gap looked down at the booklet in a daze. Kim Seul-gi seemed to have a sore throat since he talked a lot. He moistened his throat with lukewarm green tea before he spoke again. ¡°If you¡¯re interested, why don¡¯t you apply?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯m not interested.¡± Ko Byeong-gap immediately rejected his rmendation. To sum up what Kim Seul-gi said in one line, leading the North Korea recovery project, so do you have any intention of applying?¡± Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t like it very much. ¡®What am I going to do there?¡¯ He knew it was a business with good intentions. He was also aware that experiencing such a thing twice in his life was hard. However, it had little to do with himself. Even if they gave him a lot of money, he still wouldn¡¯t know. If they could do much more than that, he might reconsider. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re not interested? That¡¯s too bad. The pay and conditions are pretty good.¡± ¡°How much is the pay?¡± ¡°As I said earlier, the primary expedition willst for three months. Two billion won will be paid as a basic sry at the expiration of the dispatch, and allowances will be paid separately¨C¡± ¡°Hey, two billion?!¡± Ko Byeong-gap shouted in surprise. His voice was so loud that the lobby on the second floor almost rang. People¡¯s eyes were on them, but Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t care. ¡°Yes, yes. The basic sry alone is 2 billion won, and if you add these and other allowances, it will actually be more.¡± ¡°Oh, no. Why are they giving so much?¡± ¡°What?¡± Kim Seul-gi asked back, confused. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What kind of business is the Hunter Association doing for them to give away 2 billion won like that?¡± He calmed himself down a bit. ¡°I think it¡¯s a bit too much for a three months pay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a risky business, isn¡¯t it? And as I said, the budget was set as the highest ever.¡± ¡°Ahhh.¡± Ko Byeong-gap suddenly felt a surge of motivation. Two billion. A whopping two billion! Wasn¡¯t 2 billion a whole lot? ¡®If it¡¯s 2 billion won, not only can I pay off my debt at once, but I can also make sure that my mother receives the best treatment.¡¯ His heart had already turned. ¡°If I apply for it, can I do things freely?¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t do it unconditionally. You¡¯re D-ss, so if you apply, you¡¯ll be out only as a porter. Only 150 porters are to be recruited from all over the country.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Then the chances of not making it would be much greater, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°But it¡¯s in the order of performance. Your performance is quite good, so I don¡¯t know, and they¡¯re still in the early stages of recruitment.¡± When he heard that his performance was good, it made Ko Byeong-gap proud. He felt like he was recognized for the past three years where he had lived and died. ¡°So. If I apply, I¡¯ll be a porter?¡± ¡°Yes, lower-level hunters could only be porters. The attack squad consists of top hunters.¡± ¡°Then, there¡¯s a difference in pay?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°Can you tell me how much the difference is?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you the exact value because the n hasn¡¯t beenpleted yet, but it¡¯s probably a double difference.¡± ¡®Double? So that¡¯s four billion. Huh¡­¡¯ His head went nk at the thought of four billion won. Ko Byeong-gap shook his head and came to his senses. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll apply as soon as possible. Can you do it right away?¡± ¡°Of course, of course.¡± Kim Seul-gi took out the application documents one by one. Ko Byeong-gap followed his lead and filled out the application form. Approximately 15 minutester, the whole process was over. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re done.¡± ¡°When will the resultse out?¡± ¡°The application deadline is Wednesday, and the announcement is this Friday. A notification message will be sent to the cell phone number you provided.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fast.¡± ¡°Because next week is the first expedition. Even if you fail in the first round, we¡¯re going to have a second round of recruitment soon, so try applying then.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you for letting me know. Take care.¡± ¡°Have a good evening.¡± Ko Byeong-gap left the association. The evening air was quite chilly. ¡°Porter. I could live off of that two billion won just by being a porter for three months.¡± If it was two billion, there was no reason not to apply. Moreover, he didn¡¯t need to fight in person, right? It was a very good job. ¡®The pay would be better if I were a part of the attack squad, but I¡¯m only a D-ss hunter on the surface¡­¡¯ His rank was D. Although his actual ability was equivalent to a B-ss, it was of no use in a grading system determined by the amount and concentration of Karma. He also thought about applying for a rating review, but he decided not to. Apart from his particr situation, his ss wasn¡¯t that important to him anyway, since he worked alone. There was no guarantee that a reexamination would result in a high rating. Rather, he could¡¯ve received unwanted attention due to his unknown power. ¡®I hope I get picked.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap thought so as he got in his car. If he got selected for the expedition team, he could even change his car to a better one. *** Some said that time went by too quickly. That was quite right by all ounts. As the saying goes, the dawn will alwayse, and the earth will always turn. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s daily life was generally simr. He woke up early in the morning, went around for subjugations, and went back to Ashvm. There, he checked the conditions of the Goblins. He lived those days for the fun of adding things to Ashvm. First, he decided to grow one more crop. Of course, the potatoes and sweet potatoes alone were enough to feed 300 people. That was because the growth potion dramatically shortened their harvest period. However, wasn¡¯t it sad that grain was missing from the table? So he chose rice. ¡°Oh, you can dig straight like that.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°No? Hey, stop for a second.¡± ¡°Oh, I got it!¡± Farming was never an easy task. In other words, it wasn¡¯t an area they could ovee only with spirit since they had no rted knowledge and experience about it. At best, they could imitate the job by watching a downloaded video, but they didn¡¯t give up or quit. They had to keep failing to get close to sess. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± The rice field was cultivated next to the potato field. They harrowed it to make it t and connected it with the dug waterway. The water flowed in from the valley and filled the rice fields, and the floodgate was quickly closed before it overflowed. The shape of the rice field that they watched on the media was formed. Now, all they had to do was transfer the seedlings that he brought in. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s nt the rice! Come on, everybody!¡± On Wednesday, dozens of Goblins stuck together and nted the rice. The next day, Ko Byeong-gap looked at the chicken coop and fell into deep trouble. ¡®Shall we bring in new livestock? What should I do?¡¯ At present, chickens were the only livestock in Ashvm. The reason he brought the chicken was purely by chance, but looking back, he realized that he had made a good choice. It was easy to raise, and it didn¡¯t cost much to feed. The chicken grew well, even if left unattended. Sometimes, if two or three roosters were put in the henhouse, they would breed, grow, and do everything on their own. Moreover, they even gave eggs which was a good thing for their livestock industry. ¡®How about other livestock?¡¯ There were many different types of livestock. Cows, pigs, horses, goats, rabbits, and so on. The most representative would be cows or pigs. ¡°Whew. Neither one is easy.¡± Cows and pigs were too much for now. Maybe one or two of them would be fine. It took a vast lot ofnd to raise dozens. It wasn¡¯t normal just to make a barn. What about the initial funding? Food was even more troublesome. It was a burden to bear the prey of those huge beasts. ¡°Pigs are omnivores, so I could feed them anything, but cows need fodder¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap groaned. ¡°I¡¯m going to focus on the chickens for now. Let¡¯s raise a pig after crossing the fog.¡± He came to that conclusion. He decided that it would be better to focus on one than to spread his focus recklessly. So on Thursday, he expanded the chicken coop with Gobung, and before he knew it, it was already Friday. He had a bad day since there was already an owner when he went to the B-rank crack he searched for the previous day. ¡°Ah¡­¡± He bitterly smoked a cigarette and looked into his cell phone. It was to find if there were any cracks nearby. ¡°Tsk, they¡¯re all E or F-rank.¡± Ko Byeong-gap suddenly felt strange while clicking his tongue. He would¡¯ve run to say it was good in the past, but now he didn¡¯t even look at things below C-rank. ¡°I¡¯ve made a lot of progress. Anyway, there¡¯s nothing here. Should I really go down to Wonju? When was thest time I¡­¡± Woo! His cell phone rang out of the blue. It was a text message. What was it? Ko Byeong-gap checked the text with a slight frown. ¨C Congrattions on your eptance! You have passed the application for the 1st North Korean Penins Expedition Team. ¨C Orientation (Mandatory!) Date: September 20, 2025 (Sat) 14:00. Venue: 4th-floor auditorium of the Ancient Building, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Ko Byeong-gap stared nkly at his cell phone for a few seconds. What was that? That was what he thought. How many seconds had passed? He eximed. ¡°Oh, this!¡± He applied with mixed feelings on Monday, and he really did pass. Ko Byeong-gap felt like he was dreaming. ¡°Wow. This is real¡­ Wait. Then, this is not the time to do this.¡± Ko Byeong-gap immediately packed up and returned to Seoul. Two billion won worth of work was just around the corner. Was it a problem to be self-satisfied that day? He didn¡¯t know when the expedition would depart, but if he would be away for three months, he had a lot to sort out. Ko Byeong-gap calmly and meticulously organized his surroundings. The day went by so quickly, and the next day dawned again. He had a quick lunch and headed to Jongno for the orientation. ¡®I should¡¯ve taken the subway. Why is there so much traffic?¡¯ He shouldn¡¯t have driven to get there, but he wasn¡¯t going to bete because he went out earlier than nned. Ko Byeong-gap was guided by the navigation and went to the Ancient Building. He went down to the underground parking lot and pulled over, his mouth wide open. ¡°Hey, is this a supercar showroom or what?¡± The parking lot was packed with cars that cost hundreds of millions of won. Among them, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s red light car felt the most shabby. ¡®If I scratched any of these cars, it¡¯ll cost me two billion won.¡¯ He parked his car with all his attention to avoid scratching anything. After parking the car, he went straight up. When he went to the desk on the first floor, a neat middle-aged man in a suit helped guide him. ¡°How did you get here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to attend an orientation on the fourth floor.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name, by any chance?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ko Byeong-gap.¡± ¡°Can I see your ID?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± The middle-aged man looked at Ko Byeng-gap¡¯s ID and searched for something. He then nodded his head and handed him a namete. ¡°Yes, you can use the elevator behind you.¡± ¡°Take care.¡± His name tag was marked with his name, and below it was an unknown number, C-7. Ko Byeong-gap put it on his chest and headed to his elevator. ¡®Why isn¡¯t there a button on the elevator? Ah. Should I be aware of this? Oh, that¡¯s amazing.¡¯ As expected, luxury buildings were different. It was a series of admiration. When he arrived on the fourth floor, a wide corridor opened up in front of him, and at the end of it was arge arched door. He walked over there and thought it was where he needed to go. When he opened the door and stepped inside, a slightly dark space weed him. Shoot! As soon as he opened the door, a huge wave of Karma hit him. Every hair on his entire body was on edge. The torrent of Karma was emitted by those who came first. Ko Byeong-gap was instantly aware of it. How great the humans there were. There was a wide podium in front of hundreds of seats. He didn¡¯t want to look like he was intimidated, so he kept his back straight. He found an empty seat and sat down. ¡®It¡¯s still 1:20. There¡¯s quite a bit left to get started.¡¯ He nced at the clock and rolled his eyes. He secretly observed the first 100 or so people. ¡®Isn¡¯t that person Woo Won-tae? That¡¯s Ma Si-young. Really crazy! Am I doing it with people like that?¡¯ S-ss powerhouses he had only seen on TV were in front of him. Even though he wasn¡¯t a teenage girl, his heart was pounding. Shouldn¡¯t he brag about that to his neighborhood? When he tried to think such immature thoughts, he heard a voice next to him. ¡°May I sit next to you?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± It was a tall woman who spoke to him. She looked familiar somewhere. The problem was that her name didn¡¯te to mind. She sat next to Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you like this. Nice to see you. Did you also apply for the expedition, Mr. Byeong-gap?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± ¡°How have you been?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been good. You are¡­?¡± As Ko Byeong-gap hesitated, the other person noticed and said, ¡°Have you forgotten me?¡± ¡°No, I remember. But to be honest, I can¡¯t think of your name.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Yeom Jeong-hwa.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± He let out a small exmation. Yes. It was the B-ss hunter, Yeom Jeong-hwa, who went into the dungeon with him in Daejeon. Chapter 51 51 Recovery Business Yeom Jeong-hwa. Byeong-gap eximed slightly. Yeah, that was the name. Yeom Jeong-hwaughed as if his reaction was funny. ¡°There is no such thing as a coincidence. I never thought I would see you again, Mr. Byeong-gap.¡± ¡°I know, right. I was surprised, too.¡± ¡°I guess so because you forgot my name.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Just kidding. What are you so embarrassed about?¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa waved her hands, speaking in a yful voice. Byeong-gap had a bitter taste in his mouth. He looked at Jeong-hwa¡¯s chest with a passing gaze. She had the characters j-3 written on her namete. ¡°Did you apply for the attack squad, Mr. Byeong-gap?¡± ¡°Huh? No, I applied as a porter. What am I gonna do in the attack squad?¡± ¡°Why, Mr. Byeong-gap¡­?¡± Jeong-hwa¡¯s words faded. She looked around, grabbed Byeong-gap, and began to drag him outside. ¡°Can I talk to you outside for a minute?¡± ¡°Well, sure.¡± Ko Byeong-gap and Yeom Jeong-hwa. The two left the auditorium and went out into the wide hallway where it was quiet and there were no ears to hear them. Jeong-hwa started in a hurry, speaking in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering ever since.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°About who you are.¡± Byeong-gap felt his heart pounding, but he kept his poker face because he didn¡¯t want to make it obvious. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to back out. I saw it with my own eyes.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you remember the three people who went into the dungeon with us?¡± ¡°I remember them vaguely.¡± ¡°They concluded that Mr. Byeong-gap was a top awakener who has hidden his rating. An assassin type, so he¡¯s good at hiding Karma.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°But I can tell. Mr. Byeong-gap didn¡¯t hide his rating. However, I think you are hiding your actual power. It is a strange power unknown to the public.¡± ¡®This woman¡­¡¯ Byeong-gap gulped. Yeom Jeong-hwa almost saw through his facade. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t have found out that he was the Goblin Lord, but she seemed convinced that he was different from any other awakener. ¡°That day, I saw something before I lost consciousness. The way Mr. Byeong-gap fought alongside something¡­ unknown.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Byeong-gap caught his breath for a moment. ¡®Did the Goblins get caught?¡¯ He felt a chill go down his spine. If he were caught fighting alongside the Goblins, it would be hard to make excuses. His mind scrambled to think of a way to shut this woman up. However, Jeong-hwa said something ridiculous. ¡°I kept thinking to myself what it was, and I came to a conclusion. Mr. Byeong-gap, can you summon spirits by any chance?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡®What is this woman talking about? Like summoning a ghost who passed away because of some unfinished business?¡¯ The poker face that he had been trying to maintain was broken. There was a sense of bewilderment on his face. On the contrary, Jeong-hwa looked more serious than ever. ¡°What, a ghost?¡± ¡°Oh, stop using words that are familiar to the general public. We call it the Heroic Spirit.¡± She brought out the ne she had hidden underneath her top. It was a star-shaped pendantmonly called a six-pointed star, and in the center was an eerie eye. Byeong-gap recognized it at once. ¡®This woman, is she in Six-rays?¡¯ Six-rays Bridge was one of many cults founded after the Deep Impact. Its difference from other beliefs was that its following was quiterge in number. The members of Six-rays Bridge, like any other pseudo-religion, believed in some transcendent existence that might be behind the Deep Impact. There were a total of seven ¡®transcendental beings,¡¯ consisting of one absolute god and six apostles who assisted him. They hid somewhere in the back world and showed up asionally. When you meet them, you can master the truth of the world, know the truth of the universe, and realize the principles of all things. ¡®I can just say yes¡­¡¯ Byeong-gap also agreed on the existence of some transcendent being. However, he doesn¡¯t swear on anything. He held the same views now, even as a Goblin Lord. To him, God was no different than a flying spaghetti monster. Whether she knew his thoughts or not, Jeong-hwa kept mischievously asking questions. ¡°Maybe you can summon spirits or contact them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°When did you first meet them? Have you seen what they look like?¡± ¡°Excuse me, Ms. Jeong-hwa.¡± ¡°Yes. Please speak.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, but it¡¯s not what you think.¡± ¡°No¡­?¡± Jeong-hwa looked a little shocked. Byeong-gap decided to pretend to be innocent by driving up the momentum. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you saw. There was no one but us in the dungeon that day. You must have seen something wrong, or maybe it was the monster.¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°And when ites to my strength, let¡¯s say it¡¯s physical. I don¡¯t want to say anything specific about this.¡± ¡°Your physical strength? Seriously?¡± ¡°Yes, and I don¡¯t want you to brag about it.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t do that, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re only physically fit? Or are you just trying to avoid it because it¡¯s hard to talk about? Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell anyone even if Mr. Byeong-gap came into contact with the Heroic Spirit. I won¡¯t tell anyone. I have something I want to ask you personally. Any clues about where or when you met¡­¡± ¡°No, whether it¡¯s the Heroic Spirit or a ghost, I¡¯ve never seen anything like them.¡± Byeong-gap dismissed the topic. Yeom Jeong-hwa¡¯s shoulders dropped, looking depressed. ¡°If you have nothing more to say, I¡¯ll go in first.¡± ¡°Wait a minute, Mr. Byeong-gap!¡± Jeong-hwa called him urgently. She took a business card out of her wallet and held it out to him. It was their religion card. ¡®Oh my God.¡¯ ¡°If you have anything you want to sayter, please contact me. Anything is fine. We¡­ are not the weird people that you think we are.¡± She nodded and ran ahead into the auditorium. ¡°What the¡­¡± Byeong-gap was not egalitarian. He had some preconceived notions, and his thoughts were biased to some extent. He obviously didn¡¯t like cults either. He looked at the business card with empty eyes. Six rays and an eerie eye, symbolizing the six apostles and the one absolute god. ¡°What in the world is this?¡± He shoved the business card roughly into his pocket. ¡°I¡¯m d I was able to cover it up, though.¡± He went back into the auditorium with a deep smile. *** People gathered one by one in the auditorium on the fourth floor. When a strong S-ss person entered the room, the back part of the auditorium became chilly. Whenever a new person entered, Byeong-gap craned his neck and looked around like a meerkat. ¡®I look a little pitiful.¡¯ Feeling embarrassed, he gently looked ahead instead. There were strangers on either side of him. This was because he deliberately chose a seat far away from Yeom Jeong-hwa. Byeong-gap discreetly rolled his eyes and nced at the person next to him. It was hard to say, but he wasn¡¯t much of a big deal. That meant he was just a low-level hunter. Come to think of it; there were only low-level hunters around him. ¡®Are they deliberately avoiding sitting next to the top hunters?¡¯ He was bitter because they felt like a bunch of mutts who had entered a tiger¡¯s cage. Pot! The dark conference room brightened up for a moment, and a man walked out to the podium. It was a tall and handsome, somewhat disingenuous-looking man. He patted the microphone to check the sound and opened his mouth. ¡°Good evening. I¡¯m Jeon Min-sik, the person in charge of the overall team for the first North Korean Penins Expedition operation. It¡¯s nice to meet you all.¡± There was no response even though Jeon Min-sik bowed his head to greet them. All the hunters had their arms or legs crossed, looking up at him as if to say, ¡®Let¡¯s get on with it.¡¯ Jeon Min-sik didn¡¯t seem to care and continued talking. ¡°There are currently six hundred hunters here. We would like to thank all of you for attending. From now on, we will proceed with the orientation in earnest.¡± ¡®Here we go.¡¯ Byeong-gap concentrated and began to listen well. He had a vague feeling that this orientation would be simr to that of the orientation for freshmen in college, like students introducing themselves one by one followed by a talent show. Afterward, they might go to a bar and have an afterparty. Well, that sort of thing. But of course, this waspletely different. The orientation took ce with a serious and heavy atmosphere. Jeon Min-sik discussed the overview of the operation that wouldst for three months, the goals of the expedition, various precautions, and important things to know. It was content that might be considered boring, but, of course, no one listened halfheartedly. It was a serious matter that was directly rted to their lives. He even wanted to take notes if he could. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all checked the nametes I gave you. The letter written at the beginning corresponds to the team you belong to. Please look at the screen for a moment.¡± Arge screen popped up with a visual representation of the group formation. Byeong-gap immediately found his team. ¡®C¡­ C¡­ What?¡¯ A few secondster, he let out a silent outcry. The whole expedition consisted of a total of fifty teams. Ten of those were teamsprised of S-ss hunters and their porters. They would be deployed to the deepest ces of the operation to perform special missions. By the way¡­ ¡®The teams from A to J are a specialmission, so am I a special agent?¡¯ Byeong-gap, who was in team C-7, was teamed up with S-ss hunters. Oh my God! ¡®I¡¯m on a team with S-ss hunters. Should I like it? Are you crazy? It¡¯s obvious that I¡¯m going to be doing dangerous missions, right?¡¯ Was this a good thing, or should he be discouraged? He was at a loss for emotion. Couldn¡¯t he change the groupings by protesting? Byeong-gap wanted to raise his hand and ask questions right away, but he was not in the environment to do so. He could see that a lot of people felt simr to him. Either way, the orientation continued, and he could only stamp his feet silently. ¡°Departure is next Tuesday at 10 am. We¡¯re going to move in batches here in the Ancient building. We¡¯ll notify you of any additional information through your personal contact information.¡± ¡°I have a question!¡± Byeong-gap raised his hand and shouted. For a moment, all eyes in the auditorium were on him. ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we change teams?¡± ¡°It¡¯s difficult. The groups consist of the most synergisticbinations based on the association¡¯s database. It is the position of the organizers to make sure that there are as few changes as possible.¡± Jeon Min-sik answered immediately. Byeong-gap had no choice but to quench his bitter feeling. ¡°This is the end of the orientation. Thank you all for your precious time. I¡¯ll see you again on Tuesday.¡± With that, the orientation ended. Byeong-gap left the auditorium withplicated thoughts. ¡®My head hurts. I was just trying to act as a porter, but what kind of special squad am I in?¡¯ Smoking was the only thing that soothed his restless mind, so he left the building and went out to find a smoking area. Fortunately, there was a smoking area right in front of the building. It was crowded with hunters from the orientation. He ced a cigarette in his mouth and stuck it in between his lips. There were many famous hunters in the smoking area. Standing side by side and smoking with them, he felt strange yet again. Suddenly, someone tapped his back. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°You were the one who asked earlier, right?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Byeong-gap opened his mouth in surprise. The person who approached him was Song Han-gil, an S-ss hunter. He was a man who started hunting at the age of 18 and had only just turned 20. There was still a youthful look on his face. He stared intently at Byeong-gap¡¯s chest. He had forgotten to take his namete off. Song Han-gil held out his hand and spoke. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m in Group C, too. My name is Song Han-gil.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s an honor. I¡¯m Ko Byeong-gap. I¡¯m a fan of yours.¡± ¡°Really? Huhu.¡± Byeong-gap quickly gave up his cigarette and shook the man¡¯s hand. Song Han-gil showed off his unique smile. As he said, he was a fan. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, there won¡¯t be anything dangerous. I took a peek, and all the hunters in Group C are amazing.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not really worried about anything like that.¡± Byeong-gap responded politely. To be honest, what would he do if he said it to his face? ¡°Whew, that¡¯s a relief. Anyway, we¡¯re a team, so please take good care of us.¡± ¡°I look forward to your kind cooperation.¡± ¡°Hurry up and finish your smoking.¡± ¡°Han-gil, don¡¯t you smoke?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t smoke. I just followed you here because I wanted to say hello to you.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Yes, see you on Tuesday.¡± With a brief farewell, Song Han-gil left. ¡®I shook hands with an S-ss hunter.¡¯ Byeong-gap looked down at his right hand and was immersed in a strange feeling. ¡®If I do this well, I can make S-ss friends, right?¡¯ He chuckled and ced his cigarette in his mouth. The time went by aimlessly. The weekend and Monday passed in the blink of an eye, and before he knew it, it was the day of the expedition. Chapter 52 52 Group C Hick! ¡°Ouch!¡± They were battling with a B-ss Lycan Wolf. The giant with a wolf head copsed, its bonespletely crushed, and its shape unrecognizable. As if angry at the death of its kind, another Lycan Wolf aimed an attack at Jeong Seon-kyung. ¡°You¡¯re a bother.¡± She raised her ax with an annoyed gesture. The Lycan Wolf was immediately split vertically even without the de touching it. Spit¡ª She roughly spat out a cigarette butt that had no filter left. She took out a new one and looked around as she ced it in her mouth. There had been about sixty monsters attacking them, but they had almost been wiped out. Pajik! ¡°Yaaam.¡± On the other side of the field, Shim Seung-seop yawned as he shot out an electric shock. The spear of thunder that was fired from his fingertips pierced through a Gados. The giant lizard monster burned to death, screeching in pain. It was thest monster. Jeong Seon-kyung frowned. ¡°What the hell are you doing in the middle of the night? Annoying.¡± ¡°But these woke me up.¡± Song Han-gil replied with a nice smile. Jeong Seon-kyung looked like she was toozy to answer back. She radiated her Karma in all directions, wiping away the dirt from her body. ¡°It¡¯s not time for work yet, is it? I¡¯m going back to sleep.¡± ¡°No, Seon-kyung. We¡¯re moving.¡± When the leader Boo Young-geon spoke in a dry tone, Seon-kyung expressed her difort without any filters. ¡°No, why?¡± ¡°There are monsters here. How can we continue sleeping here?¡± ¡°They¡¯re nothing but peasants, so who cares? I don¡¯t think any more wille out.¡± ¡°I¡¯m moving. Porters, please pack up.¡± ¡°¡­Anyway, that¡¯s in bad taste. Tsk!¡± Boo Young-geon easily ignored herints and issued orders. They were used to this kind of thing. Seon-kyung could do nothing but curse quietly. The three porters, including Byeong-gap, hurriedly cleared the campsite. Two of them rolled up the tents and supplies and piled them up in their backpacks, while the other one cleaned up skillfully. ¡°Um¡­¡± Boo Young-geon was lost in thought as he looked into the map. His eyes were full of motivation. He approached the porters. ¡°How much food is left?¡± ¡°There are two meals left.¡± Byeong-gap, who was in charge of food and various daily necessities, answered immediately. ¡°When will we get supplies?¡± ¡°17 hundred hours today. The point of contact is at Area 16.¡± This time, Kim Dae-yeop, who was in charge of the radio, answered. Boo Young-geon nced at the monster¡¯s body, frowning a little as if he saw something he didn¡¯t like. ¡°Oh, where did these thingse from? Is there more¡­? Let¡¯s just sort it out in the 19th spot. We have to do it anyway.¡± He muttered to himself. Boo Young-geon spoke up again, looking at the busy porters. ¡°What do you think? Shall we go to Area 19 now, do the mission, and then go down to Area 16? Would that be better?¡± ¡®Why are you asking us that?¡¯ Byeong-gap found it a little absurd. The other porters also had a lukewarm response. Well, it wasn¡¯t much of a big deal. Captain Boo Young-geon had littlemunication with the members of the attack squad. He only spoke to the porters when he had to share his opinions with them. It had been three weeks since the operation began, but it was like this every time. ¡°Oh, I guess so. You have to work. Dae-yeop, please radio the headquarters and check if there are any remaining monsters in Area 18.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± And, as usual, he came to a conclusion all by himself and left them. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Porter Jung Ho-yun was in the middle of folding a tent with Byeong-gap. He stared nkly at Boo Young-geon¡¯s back and turned to Byeong-gap. ¡°Wasn¡¯t the initial n to wait here and then go down for supplies? I thought we weren¡¯t moving today.¡± ¡°I know. I thought so, too.¡± ¡°If we go to Area 19 now, we won¡¯t be able to organize everything in time.¡± ¡°I guess you got the right idea.¡± ¡°Eh. At least we were able to take a break for a while.¡± Jung Ho-yun let out a small sigh. The campsite was quickly cleaned up. They had been working together for the past three weeks, and their hands and feet were now in sync. Byeong-gap sighed and checked the electronic watch on his wrist. It was only 5:35 am. ¡°We¡¯re moving. We¡¯re going to recapture Area 19 right away.¡± ¡°Excuse me, sir. Do you know it¡¯s not organized yet?¡± ¡°We can go ahead and do it.¡± ¡°Oh yes? Well then, it will be fine.¡± Han Chang-hoon, who served as a healer and supporter in the attack squad, quickly agreed. The rest of the crew didn¡¯t even think about speaking up. ¡®What kind ofbination is this?¡¯ Group C¡¯s attack squad, where Byeong-gap belonged, was extremely individualistic. All of them had blunt personalities, and they only tried to maintain a business rtionship with each other. From the looks of it, this was all there would be. In a way, he felt unmotivated, but they were definitely top-notch in terms of skills, so they had no troubles to this day. ¡°Dae-yeop. Have you contacted headquarters?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. An object that looked like a monster colony was observed in Area 18-5. As soon as we get the specific coordinates, I will spread the word.¡± ¡°Really? Then we¡¯ll go to 18-5 first.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to smoke a cigarette.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Ko Byeong-gap.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung called out to Byeong-gap. She put her index and middle fingers up to her mouth, gesturing for them to smoke. Byeong-gap nodded and approached her, and the two went a little further away from the party. Jeong Seon-kyung red at Boo Young-geon from an angle he wouldn¡¯t see and started to voice out some harsh words. ¡°Oh, you bastard. You have been scratching my temper since this morning.¡± ¡°¡­And why?¡± ¡°He¡¯s ignoring me.¡± Byeong-gap and Jeong Seon-kyung were the only smokers in Group C, so they naturally became close. The problem arose there. When Seon-kyung and Byeong-gap went off to smoke, she alwaysined. It was fine to listen to after a day or two, but after three weeks, scabs were sitting on his ears. ¡°Tell him not to ignore you, then.¡± ¡°Ha! Even if I say that, will he say, ¡®Yes, I see.¡¯ I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll even listen to me. I don¡¯t want toe to work and fight for nothing.¡± ¡®What am I supposed to do?¡¯ She was as sharp as her hair cut to her jawline. She was 31 years old, the oldest in the group, while Boo Young-geonpeted for first or second ce behind her. ¡°Tsk! And no matter what it looks like, he won¡¯t fold. He¡¯s the leader.¡± ¡°Is it okay to gossip?¡± ¡°Oh, look at him. This is not backstabbing, we¡¯re just talking.¡± ¡°True¡­¡± Byeong-gap just sighed and shook his head. At times like this, he missed the Goblins of Ashvm. Those gentle kids never med others. ¡°But I¡¯m d you¡¯re here. You¡¯re lucky and you canmunicate well. And you smoke.¡± ¡®It¡¯s not that I¡¯m the only one who talks to you; I¡¯m the only one who listens to yourints.¡¯ No matter how close they were, she was an S-ss hunter. It was necessary to ensure that a line was drawn between them. Byeong-gap shook off the burnt cigarette and put it out. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± ¡°Why? One more puff.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how you die early. Even while fighting monsters earlier, you¡¯ve already smoked five or six sticks.¡± ¡°Hey, if I¡¯m going to die, I¡¯d be dead already. I¡¯ve been smoking since I was eighteen.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pride. I will go first.¡± ¡°Oh fine, let¡¯s go!¡± Seon-kyung followed Byeong-gap with a displeased face. They joined the group and began to walk diligently. *** Not all S-ss hunters were born as ughter tanks. There was a time when they were also first-time hunters, and there was even a time when they trembled against monsters far below their ranks. But it didn¡¯t take them long to realize their strength, and after about three years of experience, they had no qualms about ughtering. ¡®That¡¯s awesome.¡¯ In that sense, Group C was professional. They were the strongest butchers that existed only to kill monsters. Not a single gesture during battle was wasted. Every finger they lifted was part of a series of actions to kill the monsters. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Awk!¡± These were top monsters that killed about a hundred civilians each, but the S-ss hunters ughtered such predators for fun. The gap between the top and the top was almost the difference between ake and the sea. The monsters never even tried to resist. All Byeong-gap had to do was watch their decapitated heads fly away from a distance. He had been worried when he first heard that he would be in the same group as S-ss hunters because he thought all kinds of danger would strangle his neck. But it was all just an unrealistic worry of his heart. Byeong-gap simply carried their luggage, provided meals for the attack squad, prepared their beds, and stood on guard. There was no need to bother collecting magic stones. This was because the following cleanup team would do it for them. ¡®I don¡¯t know if I can ept the two billion won just by doing this.¡¯ He even thought about that because he didn¡¯t do anything much. But of course, he had no intention of refusing the pay. ¡°We¡¯ll have breakfast and move on to Area 19. Please prepare a meal.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Byeong-gap and the other two porters diligently prepared their meal. It was just warming up ready-to-eat preserves, nothing special. In less than five minutes, the meal was prepared. The hunters silently approached and ate the tastelessbat food. ¡®They eat well without saying anything.¡¯ Byeong-gap felt that many of his prejudices had been broken during this expedition. S-ss hunters were considered mystical, but he found them no different than himself. He looked at them eating the tasteless vegetable bibimbap without saying anything. They were true professionals. ¡°Oh, Eunji. Are you awake? Huh? I¡¯m eating. Come on, don¡¯t hurt yourself? I¡¯m not hurt. Yeah. I miss you.¡± Shim Seung-seop, the long-distance dealer who dealt with lightning, had his smuggled cell phone in his hand at all times unless he was inbat. It was only recently that Byeong-gap realized that the woman on the phone changed every time. Shim Seung-seop constantly spoke on the phone, but he never spoke a word of a private conversation with his teammates. ¡°Mr. Byeong-gap, have you eaten all the salted red pepper paste?¡± ¡°Yeah. It was all I ate yesterday.¡± ¡°Oh, no. I can¡¯t swallow this without red pepper paste. I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± Han Chang-hoon. A man who spoke a good Gyeongsang-do dialect. He was in charge of local broadcasting in Group C with Song Han-gil. ¡°Chang-hoon, I don¡¯t use red pepper paste. Would you like to have mine?¡± ¡°Oh, can I? Oh, I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m on a low-sodium diet.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you very much.¡± ¡°Ko Byeong-gap. Let¡¯s go get a cigarette.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not yet done eating.¡± ¡°Why are you so slow? Hurry up and finish eating.¡± ¡°I just started.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be going, soe right away.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung was a sassy woman. She was a crazy woman who would finish sixty packs of cigarettes every time their supply was replenished. When she opened her mouth, the lingering scent of smoke wafted out. Looking at each individual, they all yed separately rather than harmoniously. But once a battle began, they moved organically as if they were one body. It was a wonderful thing, in a way. After their small breakfast, Group C moved on to Area 19 to find and kill hidden monsters. ¡°We¡¯ll go around 19-2 at 13 hundred hours before getting our supplies.¡± The leader, Boo Young-geon, said. No one answered, and no one cared about it. Group C performed its mission silently and cleared the area at a frightening speed. The ce swept by the party was full of monster corpses, so the nickname of driving death was a good fit. Group C, who sessfully cleaned up the area until 19-2, went back the way they came to receive supplies. By the time they reached Area 16, there were already other groups there. Chapter 53 53. Group C The contact point was crowded since all the special forces had flocked to it for their supplies. The support group set up a portable shower and toilet for the special forces. The food truck that came with them served proper food, notbat food. That supply day, which came every six days, was a kind of banquet. ¡°Oh,e on. Let¡¯s do this quickly.¡± ¡°Conserve water. There are a lot of people waiting.¡± There was a long line in the shower room. They were all S-ss hunters and were good-looking men and women but had currently looked scruffy. They basically didn¡¯t get tainted inbat. However, they couldn¡¯t prevent natural bodily discharge. Even sweat and greasy hair that had been scorched for six days gave off a considerable stench. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Mr. Byeong-gap. Here, take this. Group C supplies.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Thank you. This is what I do.¡± Jang Yong-il, a member of the support group, handed him arge backpack. Ko Byeong-gap handed over the empty backpack and received the new one. Jang Yong-il put out an additional sheet of A4 paper. It was a piece of paper with their supplies listed on it. ¡°Please confirm it.¡± Ko Byeong-gap nced at the paper. There was nothing wrong with the food, potions, and daily necessities; anyways, the only thing important was cigarettes. ¡¯70 packs. No problem.¡¯ About ten packs for himself. The rest was all for Jeong Seon-kyung. Ko Byeong-gap nodded with satisfaction and folded the paper into his pocket. ¡°Do you want to go for a smoke?¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± The two went to a dark ce to smoke, and then they shared a little chat. Were they okay with work? How were they? Their desires to go home, etc. It was small stories like that. Jang Yong-il suddenly eximed and brought up a new topic. ¡°Oh! I heard on the way here that some of the hunters were seriously injured again and were taken away one after another.¡± ¡°Oh, really? How many people?¡± ¡°A dozen or so? More people areing in today and tomorrow.¡± ¡°Oh, so there are already more than fifty casualties.¡± ¡°It would be like that. Apparently, idents are frequent here because there are Variant Cracks everywhere.¡± ¡°Whew, it¡¯s a disaster if youe here to make money but end up getting hurt.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Tsk tsk tsk.¡± Jang Yong-il clicked his tongue as if he felt sorry for them. The operation to restore the North Korean Penins was divided into two sections. The subjugation teams slowly advanced north from the truce line and conquered any cracks that they came across. A special mission team also directly killed monsters spread across the northernmost part of the North Korean penins. In the case of Jang Yong-il, he was part of the subjugation team, but whenever supply day came, his role would change into the support team. ¡°Anyways, take care of yourself, Yong-il.¡± ¡°I will. I have a wife and a child¡­ I¡¯m more worried about you, Byeong-gap.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to camp in a ce full of monsters and risk dying before I even wake up.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Ko Byeong-gap grinned. He was frightened at first, too, since there were monsters everywhere. How could they set up tents when the ce was infested with them? What if those beasts cut their throats while they slept? In fact, he couldn¡¯t sleep at all on the first day since he was so nervous. Some days, he would even secretly sleep in Ashvm. But there was a saying: humans were adaptable animals. ¡°Well, at first, I thought it was ridiculous, but it wasn¡¯t that bad. I have S-ss hunters on my side. I changed my mind when I saw these humans brandishing their swords.¡± ¡°S-ss hunters must be really strong, huh?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell, but they¡¯re like a different species.¡± The two of them giggled for a while. By the time their cigarette burned out. Ko Byeong-gap gently stepped on the butt and said, ¡°We should go now and have dinner¡ª¡± ¡°Hey, Yong-il. Have you been hiding here smoking? Do you know how long I¡¯ve been looking for you?¡± It was then, a man suddenly appeared and pped Jang Yong-il on the back of his head. ¡°Ouch!¡± Ko Byeong-gap was so dumbfounded that he also felt numb. Jang Yong-il looked at him, embarrassed. ¡°When it¡¯s time to eat, you have to think about getting your meal. What kind of a joke are you ying me? The line for the food truck is getting long!¡± ¡°I just came here to deliver supplies.¡± ¡°What¡¯s in your hand? Are you even lying now?¡± ¡°No, this is just a quick talk¡­¡± ¡°Are you talking back to me?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± The mysterious man red at Jang Yong-il for a few seconds, and then out of the blue, he burst intoughter. ¡°Hahahaha! Hey, Yong-pal! It¡¯s a joke, it¡¯s a joke!¡± He put his arm around Jang Yong-il¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Anyway, you couldn¡¯t tell the truth from a joke. You had a straight face. Rx, dude.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. It¡¯s time to eat, so I was looking for something to eat. Come quickly and eat.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go when we¡¯re done talking.¡± ¡°¡­¡± For a moment, the man¡¯s expression darkened, but he was conscious of Ko Byeong-gap, so he quickly rxed his expression and smiled. ¡°Yes, yes. Take your time.¡± The man made eye contact with Ko Byeong-gap while he loosened his arms. Ko Byeong-gap stared at him with a deep frown. The man¡¯s eyes were curved like a half-moon. However, the real eyes hidden in the yfulness were cold. The man shook his head and greeted Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°You¡¯re working hard, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Heh heh. Come as soon as you¡¯re done talking.¡± The man walked away with a smile on his face. Jang Yong-il couldn¡¯t even raise his head because his face turned red. Ko Byeong-gap stared at the ce where the man had left and said, ¡°What is he doing?¡± ¡°¡­ Nothing. Never mind.¡± ¡°What do you mean nothing? Is he a bully? Why the fuck would you hit a kid at the back of his head?¡± Jang Yong-il just kept his head down. Ko Byeong-gap nced at his curled fists that trembled full of strength. After a while, he looked up. His face distorted with rage. ¡°¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap spoke as he pulled out an extra cigarette from the pack. ¡°Don¡¯t be upset alone, talk to me.¡± *** ¡°He keeps saying it¡¯s all a joke¡­ It¡¯s funny that this stresses me out. I¡¯m not even a high school student. I¡¯ll be 30 soon.¡± Jang Yong-il sighed heavily. The story he unraveled was the best way to make a person mad. In short, it was bullying disguised as a joke. The name of Jang Yong-il¡¯s bully was Jo Gwang-heon. As an A-ss hunter, he seemed to be a talented person and even a leader. ¡®Their leader is a bully.¡¯ At first, Jo Gwang-heon approached as if he wanted to be close, but he began to cross the line at some point. His age was used as leverage to make him run errands, rub legs, and fetch water. In addition, he had been using his hands for a few days. ¡°No¡­ What are the other members doing to stop it?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t stop him. They don¡¯t even care. At least one of them is on my side, but even that doesn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap pursed his lips and immediately shut up. ¡®Are you just being bullied like an idiot?¡¯ came up in his throat, but he never said it. Jang Yong-il smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re not going to see each other in two months anyway¡­ Whew. Talking openly makes me feel a little morefortable.¡± ¡°¡­ Cheer up.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, and we should get going.¡± People were eating at a table in front of the food truck. The spicy smell stimted their appetite. Was it spicy pork? ¡°Enjoy your meal, Mr. Byeong-gap.¡± ¡°Yes, enjoy your meal, Yong-il.¡± The two greeted lightly and parted ways. Ko Byeong-gap moved his luggage to the right ce and headed to the food truck. He held a round te and filled it with food. ¡°Enjoy your meal, hohoho.¡± The people who were busy preparing food were ordinary cooks and housewives. Although they weren¡¯t hunters, they came to that dangerous ce to donate their talent. Of course, they were all awakeners. Ko Byeong-gap looked around for a suitable seat with his tray. Many people sat on the floor to eat since the number of tables wasn¡¯t enough. Even Ko Byeong-gap tried to get in between them. ¡°Hey, Ko Byeong-gap, here, here!¡± In the corner somewhere, Jeong Seon-kyung waved her arms and shouted. She seemed to have finished taking a shower. Ko Byeong-gap went there without hesitation. Song Han-gil was with Jeong Seon-kyung. ¡°Why are you sote? I¡¯ve been looking for you for a long time.¡± ¡°Why did you look for me? What happened to you?¡± ¡°Why? Let¡¯s eat and smoke together.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± ¡°Mr. Byeong-gap, enjoy your meal.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Enjoy your meal, Han-gil.¡± Ko Byeong-gap silently scooped rice and put it into his mouth. It was so delicious that he didn¡¯t even know if the rice went to his mouth or nose. ¡°What have you been up to?¡± ¡°I was just talking.¡± ¡°Talking? To who?¡± ¡°With another group of people.¡± ¡°Oh, you must know someone.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that. I got to know him here.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s te was already empty. She rested her chin and stared at Ko Byeong-gap as he ate. ¡°What did you talk about? Is it a girl?¡± Ko Byeong-gap slurped the bean sprouts soup and ignored her words. A sudden thought urred to him. ¡®If Seon-kyung is a noona, would she be able to solve it?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t an easy problem. ¡®Is this a problem that can be solved by taking a strong man and putting him down? What if I tell her to scare him right now, but then he goes back and harms us? Would Seon-kyung noona help with something like that?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap by no means had a nosy personality. His throat felt sore in the middle of the night. What could he say that they talked about? However, he felt ufortable just thinking about Jang Yong-il¡¯s situation. He wanted to help one way or the other. ¡®Let¡¯s just bring it up.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap made up his mind and hurried. ¡°The truth is¡­¡± The storysted about 10 minutes. Jeong Seon-kyung and Song Han-gil listened to Ko Byeong-gap, who told every story of Jang Yong-il. Even the fact that he was the father of a three-year-old daughter. After the story ended, the reaction was more intense than he thought. ¡°What a punk! Who the hell is that guy to do that at work?¡± ¡°It¡¯s absurd that there are such ignorant people in the expedition team. It¡¯s a ce where you have to be careful with your words, so why would they give out such resentment?¡± ¡°Who is it? What¡¯s his name?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung tried to run out right away. Ko Byeong-gap was a little surprised because he didn¡¯t know their sense of justice would be so strong. ¡°I heard it¡¯s Jo Gwang-heon.¡± ¡°Jo Gwang-heon? That Jo Gwang-heon of Undermoon?¡± ¡°Undermoon? I don¡¯t know if he belongs to that guild.¡± ¡°Look, isn¡¯t he that torn-eyed guy?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung tore her own eyes. Song Han-gil giggled as if it was funny. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in Undermoon. You didn¡¯t even know that?¡± ¡°How would I know that?¡± ¡°Wow. I really feel sorry for you, Ko Byeong-gap.¡± ¡°What else are you upset about¡­?¡± ¡°Anyway, you mean Jo Gwang-heon, right? Okay.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung got up from her seat. Ko Byeong-gap grabbed her by the arm in a hurry. ¡°What are you gonna do?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Are you going to go to Jo Gwang-heon?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m leaving. I can¡¯t wait for you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t worry too much. If I see him on the street, I¡¯ll tell him something.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung left peacefully. Song Han-gil, who finished eating around that time, also got up from the table. ¡°I¡¯ll figure out a way to help you. Until then, I¡¯ll get up first.¡± Song Han-gil also left suddenly. Ko Byeong-gap was left alone. Somehow, he felt empty. ¡®What? I thought they¡¯d help me right away¡­ After all, other people¡¯s business is someone else¡¯s business.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap ate his meal in a breeze. His tray quickly emptied too. He chewed on the pork and looked back at the hunters. ¡®Considering that Korea¡¯s first-ss people are gathered here, it would be suitable to have a hamburger house under construction.¡¯ As he thought of such senseless things, something caught his eye. ¡°Jang Yong-il?¡± Jang Yong-il sat on a stone and ate alone, a ce away from people. Ko Byeong-gap tried to call him, but someone approached Jang Yong-il. It was Jo Gwang-heon. ¡®What are they talking about?¡¯ Jang Yong-il and Jo Gwang-heon exchanged words. It was far away, and there was a lot of noise around, so he couldn¡¯t hear them. After a while, Jang Yong-il put his te on the floor and disappeared somewhere with Jo Gwang-heon. He had a premonition of something ominous. ¡®Damn it.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap followed them and forgot what he was eating. Jo Gwang-heon and Jang Yong-il went to a gloomy ce. They stopped at the foot of a remote mountain 10 minutes away from the campsite, and there¡­ p! ¡°Hey, Yong-pal. Do you think you¡¯re funny?¡± ¡°¡­ What did I do wrong?¡± Jang Yong-il replied while he stroked his sore cheek. Jo Gwang-heon¡¯s eyes were fierce. ¡°You have to eat quickly and set up the tents. Do I have to wait for you?¡± ¡°No, there are other porters¡ª¡± p! ¡°Don¡¯t talk back. Why don¡¯t you listen to me?¡± ¡°Whatever, don¡¯t hit me!¡± ¡°What? Say that again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hit me! I¡¯m not here to be treated like this by you!¡± Jang Yong-il went out hard. Jo Gwang-heon also appeared to be a bit bewildered, but it was only for a while. Jo Gwang-heon trembled and put his arm around Jang Yong-il¡¯s shoulder. Jang Yong-il got out quickly. ¡°Hey, Yong-pal, are you angry? Why are you suddenly doing something you haven¡¯t done before?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, and don¡¯t even call me that. Why am I Yong-pal?¡± ¡°What did I do? I¡¯m just putting my arms around you. Yong-pal is a nickname.¡± There was no such thing as a simple nickname. Tears fell from Yong-il¡¯s eyes, and his face was full of shame and humiliation. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it, but I can¡¯t do it anymore. I¡¯m also the head of a family. I can¡¯t stand this disgrace anymore. I¡¯ll be in touch with the media or anywhere. I¡¯m going to expose everything you¡¯ve ever done to me!¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m kidding. Why are you so serious?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the only one who can pull a prank on me!¡± ¡°Oh, my ears are going to fall off.¡± Jo Gwang-heon punched Jang Yong-il on the arm. At first nce, it looked like he hit him lightly, but it wasn¡¯t like that at all. ¡®That crazy guy. He hit him with Karma!¡¯ ¡°Argh¡­¡± Jang Yong-il hugged his arm and groaned. ¡°Just kidding. It¡¯s just a joke. Yong-pal, don¡¯t you know what a joke is?¡± ¡°¡­ Argh! What kind of joke is this?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the joke? Like this? Like this?¡± ¡°Ahh! Argh! Hey!¡± Jang Yong-il crawled on the floor and barely escaped. He was obviously terrified. ¡°Don¡¯te near me! I¡¯m going to tell everyone. Help! Help!¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re making me tired. Did Yong-pal pick something up wrong? Hahaha.¡± Jo Gwang-heon smiled gruesomely and closed Jang Yong-il¡¯s mouth. Jang Yong-il, a low-level awakener, couldn¡¯t resist. ¡°Yong-pal, who cares if a man like you dies this far up north? No matter where I bury you in the mountains, no one would look for you. Do you know that?¡± ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do this either, but it can¡¯t be helped because you¡¯re making a strict person look like a criminal. You know what I¡¯m talking about, right? You brought this on yourself.¡± ¡°Uh! Uh! Hmp!¡± Jo Gwang-heon raised his arm, and a formidable Karma flocked to his hand. It was as precarious as a bowstring stretched to its maximum. He was really going to kill him. ¡°It was a real joke.¡± Jo Gwang-heon said so as he shot his arm, and at the same time, a powerful kick flew straight at Jo Gwang-heon¡¯s face. ¡°Gasp!¡± Jo Gwang-heon broke his neck, flew off, and crashed into the floor. ¡°Argh! Khuk! Ack!¡± He grabbed his neck with a distorted look of pain, and he quickly looked in the direction where the attack flew. Soon, a person was caught in Jo Gwang-heon¡¯s sight. ¡°You, you, earlier?¡± ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t let you live.¡± Ko Byeong-gap opened the door to Ashvm, and from there, he pulled out his cold, long sword. ¡°Thanks for being a piece of trash. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll feel guilty about killing you.¡± Chapter 54 54. Group C ¡°¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap only moved his eyes and nced sideways. Jang Yong-il was lying down with his eyes turned upside down. He seemed to have fainted. ¡°Ack! You¡­ child! Who¡¯s going to kill who?¡± Jo Gwang-heon staggered to his feet. ¡®He must¡¯ve broken his neck, but he¡¯s not giving up at all.¡¯ Honestly, he was impressed. His eyes were alive even in that intimidating situation. ¡®Even though he¡¯s a psychopath, he has excellent qualities as a warrior.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t disperse the tension at all. To do your best when catching a rabbit wasn¡¯t a cliche story. The being in front of him was a predator at the top of the food chain. It would be arrogance if he let his guard down. He calmed down and took a stance. The tip of his sword moved gently like a fox¡¯s tail. ¡®I¡¯ll finish this as soon as possible.¡¯ Pot! ¡°Huh?¡± Ko Byeong-gap literally moved like lightning. With a swing of his sword, he narrowed the distance in an instant. The de quickly aimed for his neck. Jo Gwang-heon responded half a beatter. ¡°That was fast, but I¡¯ve dealt with attacks like this before!¡± Jo Gwang-heon quickly armed himself with Karma that surrounded him from head to toe and formed a shield stronger than any other armor. A live attack that didn¡¯t carry that kind of Karma could easily¡­ Huh?! ¡®No, it¡¯s gonna go through!¡¯ Just before the de touched his neck, Jo Gwang-heon could tell by instinct the fact that that de would cut through the barrier and rip off his neck. He quickly pulled himself out. However, it was after the de had already passed by. Shing! ¡°Keeek! Ack!¡± ¡°Did you move your neck at thest minute to minimize the damage? What animal instinct! But I guess the finish was a bit clumsy, right?¡± About 30 percent of Jo Gwang-heon¡¯s neck fell off. His skin was torn off along with a broken neck bone. It wasn¡¯t unusual for his head to fall off at any time. ¡°You, you!¡± Jo Gwang-heon sat down and red at Ko Byeong-gap as if he nned to kill him. Only anger and fear remained on his yful face. ¡®My Karma¡¯s been breached? Against the raw attack of a low-level awakener?¡¯ Jo Gwang-heon couldn¡¯t believe it at all. Wasn¡¯t he a regr porter? ¡®¡­ His Karma is bad. Needless to say, he¡¯s a low-level awakener, but what the hell is that power?¡¯ That was the case from the very beginning. No matter how careless he was, and if he wasn¡¯t ready for battle, it wasn¡¯t like his neck would be broken by the kick of a lower awakener. Moreover, the earlier blow was obviously a high-level attack. ¡®Damn it! I shouldn¡¯t have been attacked in the first ce!¡¯ His neck injury was serious. It would¡¯ve been really dangerous if he didn¡¯t get treatment right away since he slowly struggled to breathe. ¡®Let¡¯s leave for now.¡¯ Jo Gwang-heon made such a pledge and moved secretly. He concentrated the Karma in his body to his lower body. In a split second, Jo Gwang-heon kicked the ground and ran. ¡®I don¡¯t know what kind of magic he used, but he can¡¯t keep up with my speed without the help of Karma¡ª!¡¯ ¡°Are you going to run away?¡± ¡°What?! Argh!¡± The de cut across Jo Gwang-heon¡¯s back and tore off his skin, and his blood gushed like a fountain. ¡°Ugh! Ugh!¡± Jo Gwang-heon fell on the floor and struggled like an overturned turtle. Ko Byeong-gap stepped on the man¡¯s abdomen, held it firmly, and raised his sword. ¡°Oh, stop! Don¡¯t!¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing. Why do you look so upset?¡± ¡°It was a joke! It was just a joke!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you ever think that a stone thrown as a joke is still a thrown stone?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I was just trying to scare him. I really didn¡¯t mean to kill him!¡± ¡°What a load of shit.¡± Ko Byeong-gap stabbed his sword. ¡°If I die¡­!¡± At that moment, Jo Gwang-heon screamed. The sword, which fell sharply, stopped. ¡°I¡¯m not like you guys! If I die, people will go looking for me right away! Then, they will soon find out that you¡¯re the culprit¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your body will never be found anywhere else in the world.¡± ¡°What, what?¡± Ko Byeong-gap wiped his nose and swung his sword again. That time, he was really going to end it. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it.¡± Tuck! ¡®¡­ Feet?¡¯ Before Ko Byeong-gap could cut his neck, the de was blocked by a foot. He frowned and looked to his side. There stood Jeong Seon-kyung, Song Han-gil, and Shim Seung-seop. ¡®When the hell did they get here? I didn¡¯t even notice.¡¯ It was simr that time, even as they stood beside him. He didn¡¯t feel a trace of them, so it felt like he was facing a ghost. Ko Byeong-gap turned his head again and looked at his sword. ¡®It was a blow with all my will, but she blocked it with only the back of her foot without a single scratch?¡¯ ¡°Oh, that¡¯s bitter! Here.¡± When Jeong Seon-kyung bounced her foot, the sword soared. Ko Byeong-gap almost missed the handle. ¡°Ko Byeong-gap. You really wanted to kill him?¡± ¡°¡­ When did youe?¡± ¡°Ko Byeong-gap, have you ever killed a man?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung replied vaguely. She smiled softly, but he didn¡¯t feel the slightest pleasure. Rather, there was an overwhelming amount of energy that came from her. She had never felt that heavy as much as she did when she hunted monsters. Ko Byeong-gap instinctively widened their distance. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m not angry because of you.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung looked down at Jo Gwang-heon while she said that. Her eyes were very cold. She looked at him as if she was looking at a pest. ¡°Jo Gwang-heon, I knew you were a bad guy, but I didn¡¯t know you were this bad.¡± ¡°Sa¡­ Save¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll save you. Yeah, you have to live.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung bit her cigarette and looked at Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Ko Byeong-gap. It¡¯s not about killing people recklessly.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not a man by my standards.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not a good idea. You are not the center of this world.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And you¡­ No matter how crazy you are, he¡¯s a member of the same roof.¡± Ko Byeong-gap took a moment and soon recovered his sword. To kill Jo Gwang-heon was already out of the question. There were three S-rated hunters before him. Instead, Ko Byeong-gap asked with a bit of anger, ¡°Since when have you been watching?¡± ¡°From the beginning.¡± ¡°From the beginning? Damn it! If you were watching from the beginning, why didn¡¯t you help? Mr. Yongil almost died!¡± ¡°Calm down, Mr. Byeong-gap. There was a good reason.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just go out without thinking.¡± ¡°Then you mean someone should have paid the price?¡± ¡°Hey, Ko Byeong-gap. We were going to step up, but what could we do when you suddenly jumped out and fought?¡± ¡°Hik! Hik! Save¡­ Save me¡­¡± ¡°Ugh. This bastard is going to run out of breath.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung took a potion bottle out of her arms. It was an elixir, the best potion. She fed Jo Gwang-heon very little elixir. She also sprinkled a drop or two on his injury, and he recovered just enough to avoid death. ¡°Gasp! Gasp! Gasp!¡± Jo Gwang-heon gasped like a newborn foal. ¡°Hey, Jo Gwang-heon. You can hear me because you¡¯re not out of your mind yet, right?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± He nodded. ¡°Listen, we caught you trying to kill an ally. Then, you ran away in defiance. We were forced to fight you, and in the process, you were almost decapitated. Don¡¯t forget to remember.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You will be thoroughly expelled from our society, as well as the Guild and the Hunter Alliance. You¡¯ll end up in a prison camp because of your attempted murder.¡± ¡°A¡­ A camp?¡± ¡°Yes, just rot for about fifty years.¡± Jo Gwang-heon¡¯s face was filled with despair. It was natural punishment for a crimemitted by a hunter. In particr, serious crimes such as murder and rape were severely punished. There was no goodwill for them. Criminals sentenced to death or life imprisonment entered a special correctional facility called a camp. It was a ce like hell from which there was absolutely no escape. Once they got in, they wouldn¡¯t be able toe out until they were a crooked old man. Even if they managed toe out, it was highly likely that their life had already been ruined. ¡°Woo, don¡¯t be ridiculous! What did I do? Yeah, show the evidence! Do you have proof?¡± ¡°Is this rotten bastard still out of his mind? Do we look like crabs? There are a few eyes here.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ If you take it off, that¡¯s all of you have. If you don¡¯t have any physical evidence, then¡­¡± ¡°Seung-seop, please show us.¡± Song Han-gil said to Shim Seung-seop. Shim Seung-seop showed his cell phone with a face that seemed to die of boredom. Cell phones were prohibited items that couldn¡¯t be carried during operations. When he looked at his cell phone, Jo Gwang-heon was astonished. A video of the scene where Jo Gwang-heon assaulted Jang Yong-il yed on his phone. ¡°Uh¡­ How¡­¡± ¡°Ko Byeong-gap.¡± ¡°Uh, yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking this scum down and handing him over myself. So don¡¯t worry about this guy¡¯s disposal.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay.¡± ¡°Huh! He tried to kill me too! I¡¯m a victim, too!¡± Jo Gwang-heon struggled to the end. The video was cut off just in time. The video didn¡¯t show Ko Byeong-gap knocking down Jo Gwang-heon. Jeong Seon-kyungughed out loud and said, ¡°Why are you making a fuss when you don¡¯t have proof?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen it!¡± ¡°What do you mean? I didn¡¯t see anything? Did you see anything?¡± ¡°What? No. I¡¯ve only seen that person trying to kill Yong-il.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung trembled without a blink. Song Han-gil also responded appropriately. ¡°Sigh, can I go now?¡± ¡°Yes, Seung-seop. You can go now. Thank you for your help.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me for something like this in the future.¡± Shim Seung-seop left without expressing any emotion. ¡°That¡¯s absurd¡­¡± ¡°You can go around saying you almost died against D-ss hunters. Who¡¯s going to believe you?¡± ¡°Huh, he¡¯s a D-ss? What a load of crap!¡± ¡°Oh my God, why is the dog barking like this?¡± ¡°Hik!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung put her finger on Jo Gwang-heon¡¯s forehead. Afterward, she shot a short shock wave of Karma, then Jo Gwang-heon¡¯s eyes rolled back and he fainted. The case was over. Jeong Seon-kyung sneaked up on Ko Byeong-gap and yfully poked him in the side. ¡°Ah. This is the vibe thates from experience. To get the job done, you have to be certain. Did you think you would be good at everything if you roughly pluck the seedlings and ask them?¡± ¡°Since we even filmed a video, the punishment of Jo Gwang-heon will be unavoidable. Rest assured, Mr. Byeong-gap.¡± Ko Byeong-gap was a bit puzzled. In fact, Jo Gwang-heon and himself were the same in trying tomit murder, but the group turned a blind eye to it. Ko Byeong-gap felt unbearable curiosity and asked, ¡°Why are you taking my side? And so does Han-gil.¡± ¡°Hm? Looking at him upsets me. Hey, isn¡¯t this what a team is for? This is the time to help.¡± ¡°Yes, Byeong-gap almost made a mistake, but it ended well, didn¡¯t it? That¡¯s good enough.¡± ¡°This son of a bitch is trash, so let¡¯s say you threw him in the trash can. That makes you a good guy, we can¡¯t shove you in the trash.¡± Song Han-gil bounded Jo Gwang-heon¡¯s limbs tightly. After that, he slumped him on his shoulder. Ko Byeong-gap carried Jang Yong-il around him. The three went back to their camp. ¡°But Ko Byeong-gap, you¡¯re a bit strong, aren¡¯t you? ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I thought you were weak, but then I saw it. Heh heh.¡± ¡°Right¡­ I never thought that you would have a hidden power.¡± The two of them¡­ No, including Shim Seung-seop. The three clearly witnessed the power of Ko Byeong-gap, and yet, they didn¡¯t ask much. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask how I got that kind of power?¡± ¡°What the¡­ is that a big deal? You must have something different from others. Why? Should I be curious?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s not like that.¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung clicked her tongue while she snapped her fingers. ¡°Hey, if you want to get my attention, don¡¯t show off. Find another way. That¡¯s not how you buy my attention.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m a little curious. How did you do that? At first nce, it didn¡¯t seem like your Karma was being abnormally amplified.¡± ¡°That¡­¡± He was speechless when she asked. Song Han-gil quickly waved his hands as Ko Byeong-gap blurred out his words. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk, you don¡¯t have to. If you didn¡¯t reveal it on purpose, there must be a good reason.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Well, thank you. We¡¯re on the same team.¡± ¡®The same team.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap grinned at the words. He realized three weeks after the expedition began that Group C was a pretty good team to be in. Chapter 55 55. Save the Goblins ¡°¡­ Yes, that¡¯s all for the brief. Tomorrow¡¯s operation time is the same as usual. Um, do you have anyments or questions?¡± The leader Boo Young-geon asked in a dry voice. The group that sat in front of him had no intention of responding. It looked like their lips had been glued to their mouths. ¡°Well, that¡¯s it for today¡¯s roll call. The weather is very chilly, so cover your sleeping bag and sleep well.¡± It was already the 46th night of the expedition. The warm autumn had gone away, and the winter slowly began toe. ¡®We¡¯re halfway there. I can go home if I hold on for as long as I can.¡¯ The electronic watch that showed the date read as November 7. It seemed like yesterday that they celebrated October in North Korea, but it had already been a week since November. It was a wonderful thing anyway. ¡°Mr. Byeong-gap, you¡¯re going to do the second shift, right?¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± Kim Dae-yeop, another porter, asked. It was to n the order of their guard. Porters were on duty from 10 pm to 7 am, three hours per person. Ko Byeong-gap always insisted on the second watch. ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired because you¡¯re on second watch every day? Should I do it today?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯d like the second.¡± Anyone who had served in the military would agree. The fact that there were ssifications even in sleeping time. The first andst were the best. A middle worker who woke up in the middle then went back to sleep was likely to be tired the next day. It was no different with Ko Byeong-gap since he also wanted to take the first orst shift. However, he insisted on taking the second watch because he had a good reason. ¡°Byeong-gap, get me a bottle of water.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you going to do with a bottle of water?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to brush my teeth.¡± ¡°I already gave you one earlier in the evening for washing your face. What about that?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung looked embarrassed at Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s question. She scratched her temples and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Because I spilled it by mistake.¡± ¡°Oh my.¡± ¡°Oh,e on. Don¡¯t be so petty and get me a bottle. I feel ufortable when I sleep without brushing my teeth.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what you¡¯re supposed to say, and you¡¯re up in the middle of the night smoking anyways.¡± While Ko Byeong-gap said so, he gently took out a bottle of water. After all, it would be supply day in three days, so they had enough tost. ¡°Thank you!¡± Ko Byeong-gap immediately went to his tent after giving it to Jeong Seon-kyung. He had a lot of work to do at dawn, so he needed to sleep quickly. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s cold.¡± The sleeping bag was cold. Ko Byeong-gap popped a couple of hot packs and dug into the sleeping bag. As soon as the heat spread, exhaustion enveloped his body. He fell asleep immediately. *** Beep beep! Beep beep beep! ¡°Ugh.¡± The electronic watch uttered an 8-bit rm. Ko Byeong-gap opened his eyes with amented face. The surroundings were as still as death. The current time was 23:15. It was too early to wake up, considering that his work would start at 1 am. There was no time to grumble. Ko Byeong-gap quickly dressed up and came out. There was a small campfire in the middle of the campsite. Kim Dae-yeop, the first shift, sat absentmindedly and turned his head. ¡°You woke up early again today. Are you going out again?¡± ¡°Haha. Well, yes.¡± ¡°Have a safe trip.¡± Kim Dae-yeop spoke as if he was used to it. Now, he wouldn¡¯t even ask where he was going. Ko Byeong-gap escaped from the campsite. Afterward, he ran fast and emitted his strength to the fullest. His eyes glistened like a cat and a wild beast. The dense darkness couldn¡¯t stop him from advancing. ¡®I think it was about here.¡¯ After he ran for a while, his legs stopped. A sparse ck mass was scattered among the fallen thatch. They were all the corpses of monsters. In other words, Goblin food. ¡°Is this a father¡¯s trouble? I¡¯m not even married, but I have three hundred children. Anyway, my fate isn¡¯t usually the case.¡± Ko Byeong-gap grumbled but moved diligently. He picked up the bodies of monstersid on the ground and sent them to Ashvm. It would be easier if he let the Goblins do it, but now was the time for them to sleep too. Ko Byeong-gap said he didn¡¯t want to wake them up. ¡®I¡¯m d they¡¯re big.¡¯ After collecting for 30 to 40 minutes, the Goblins would have enough food for a few meals. In fact, the amount of meat currently piled up in Ashvm was quiterge. However, Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t skip that task except for supply day. If something went wrong, he might not be able to provide meat for a few days. He also gathered the magic stones. ¡°I wonder if the kids are doing well. I need to take a quick look.¡± It had already been four days since he couldn¡¯t go to Ashvm. He was busy with the expedition, so he didn¡¯t have time at all. However, he didn¡¯t have to worry too much since they were doing well thest time he stopped by. Ko Byeong-gap, who picked up the meat, nced at his watch. It was 23:55. ¡®Why don¡¯t we just take a peek?¡¯ Should he go watch the kids sleep? Ko Byeong-gap thought about it for a while before making up his mind. He opened the door to move on to Ashvm, but that moment¡­ ¡®?!¡¯ He turned suddenly and posed for battle. He could feel the signs of living and moving creatures at a close distance. Instead of going over to Ashvm, he pulled out his sword. ¡®Are there any monsters left? Or is it just an animal?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap scoured the ruins with bright eyes. If it was a monster and if there was also a fairlyrge colony around, he should run to the campsite and report it immediately. A few seconds got him on his nerves like that. Ko Byeong-gap suddenly felt strange. ¡®What is this feeling?¡¯ There was something quite friendly about it. ¡°Keruk?¡± He heard a sound behind his back. Ko Byeong-gap quickly turned around and looked there. There was a normal goblin that stood with a cute hand ax. On its other hand, it held a chunk of monster meat. The guy looked up his way. ¡°Oh my gosh! What are you doing up? No, when did you get over here? I didn¡¯t see youing out.¡± ¡°Lo¡­ Lord?¡± ¡°Oh, my liver almost dropped! Tsk! Hurry up and go back. And don¡¯te out thoughtlessly unless I call you. Do you have no fear?¡± ¡°Go? Where?¡± ¡°Where do you think, dude? Ashvm.¡± ¡°Oh, Ashvm!¡± The Normal Goblin eximed in surprise. ¡°Ashvm, I want to go!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Only then did Ko Byeong-gap notice a strange smell. The Normal Goblin in front of his eyes looked so shabby up close. His arms and legs were as thin as a homeless man. There was no such shabby Goblin in Ashvm. Everyone ate well and slept well, and theirplexion was good. ¡®Did hee from the Monster Wave¡­? Of course.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap drew his sword and approached the Goblin. He was scared and shrank a little, but he didn¡¯t shy away. ¡°Hey, little one.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Are you alone? Where are the other kids?¡± He was still dumbfounded and slow to react. Nevertheless, he reached out and pointed in one direction. ¡°There¡¯s more.¡± ¡°How many are there? How many people do you have?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Uh¡­¡± The Normal Goblin folded his fingers and began counting. Ko Byeong-gap put him on his side and med himself for asking. ¡°This way?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Stay put.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Ko Byeong-gap ran fast. The Normal Goblin trembled and grabbed the hem of Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s clothes. ¡®That¡¯s not good. This is the other group¡¯s area.¡¯ His expression hardened a little. It was because the ce they were headed to was the opposite of the campsite. It meant that it wasn¡¯t his jurisdiction. He didn¡¯t know if the area had been sorted out or not. Given that the Goblin wasn¡¯t dead and remained alive, chances were high that it was thetter. ¡°What have youe all this way for?¡± ¡°Meat. To get¡­ I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going, you shoulde with me. Why did youe alone?¡± ¡°Goblins hurt. I¡¯m not hurt.¡± ¡°Hurt? Why?¡± ¡°The monsters. Catch us.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ko Byeong-gap stopped running. He asked again, frowning, ¡°Catch you? What kind of son of a bitch?¡± ¡°Big monster. Strong monster¡­ We can¡¯t win.¡± ¡°Damn it. Let¡¯s hurry!¡± Ko Byeong-gap elerated even more. His swollen leg muscles produced tremendous momentum and ran a great distance in a short time. After a while, he was able to reach his destination. It was a half-copsed building. It was an unusuallyrge building. It must¡¯ve been used as a government office before North Korea copsed. He felt a lot of presence inside the two-story building. ¡°There?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Ko Byeong-gap quickly entered the building. The smell of stale mold and fishy blood was all over the building. ¡°Argh!¡± It was a withered Goblin corpse that greeted Ko Byeong-gap at the entrance of the building. When he looked at his condition, it seemed that he had been dead for ten days. He held back his emotions and pulled thentern off his waist. Every time he took a step, a Goblin corpse caught at his feet. ¡°Living kin. It is above.¡± ¡°¡­ Yeah. Let¡¯s go there.¡± Ko Byeong-gap went up to the second floor. A little past the corridor, arge space was revealed. He shone thentern where darkness had fallen¡­ ¡°Kereuk¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± More than a hundred Goblinsid sick. The smell of decay wafted everywhere. As he witnessed the horrific sight, his anger rose. Attention was drawn to the sudden light. When the Goblins spotted Ko Byeong-gap, their eyes widened. ¡°Lo¡­ Lord?!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡®I¡¯m gonna have to call the kids.¡¯ Approximately 45 minutes were left. Time was running out to fix it on his own. ¡°Huh¡­ Am I seeing wrong? Are you our Lord?¡± At that time, a Goblin in rtively good condition approached and asked. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes widened a little. ¡®A Goblin Priest?¡¯ It was a Goblin Priest, which was rare to encounter. There were very few monsters with healing abilities. Among them, the Goblin Priest was uniquely small in number. It was a B-ss but hardly capable of fighting. There were many things he wanted to ask, but now, he had to prioritize his work. ¡°Okay. As you felt, I am your Lord. Are you the leader of these people?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Yes.¡± ¡°Are you all here? Or is there more? We have no time. Answer quickly.¡± ¡°This is all of us.¡± ¡°Listen, everyone!¡± Ko Byeong-gap shouted while he opened the door to Ashvm. ¡°If you go over here, you can reach Ashvm. Don¡¯t ask anything. Those who can move their body get over immediately!¡± ¡°Oh, Ashvm?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time¡ªWhat?¡± Ko Byeong-gap turned his head in surprise. The only thing he could see was the wall, but his gaze was further away. A considerable amount of presence flocked to that ce and was quite close! Even the Goblin Priest seemed to have noticed something unusual. ¡°It¡¯s them!¡± ¡°Them?¡± ¡°They¡¯re monsters that eat us. We¡¯ve lost dozens of our kind to them! We fought desperately, but it wasn¡¯t enough for us.¡± The Goblin¡¯s eyes zed with anger. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t understand why the monsters ate each other, but he decided to askter. ¡°Hurry up for now! Go quickly!¡± Ko Byeong-gap ordered, and the Goblins quickly moved. He also went straight to Ashvm. As soon as he stepped into Ashvm, he headed for the camp. He then shouted for everyone to wake up. ¡°Everyone, wake up! Get up, everybody up! It¡¯s an emergency!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Everyone, wake up! Damn it. Are they all sleeping?¡± The stillness covered Ashvm. That silence doesn¡¯t seem to go away easily¡­ ¡°Hmm? Lord¡¯s voice?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Lord¡¯s voice!¡± ¡°Wake up! Lord is calling!¡± No, it was lifted off so easily. Had it only been 5 seconds? Dynamic movements were felt throughout Ashvm. Soon, the Goblins began to pop out from all directions. ¡°Lord!¡± ¡°When did youe?¡± The Goblin swarmed with longing faces. It was very nice to catch up and chat with them. However, other issues were too urgent now. ¡°Focus without asking anything! Focus!¡± ¡°Focus! Focus!¡± ¡°To the attack squad and the 1st infantry, get your weapons and go through the door! There will be a big fight. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°And the 2nd infantry, don¡¯t pack your weapons, just go out. The rest of you stand by. The injured Goblins wille soon, so heal them. Do you understand everything?¡± ¡°No problem!¡± ¡°Then move now!¡± Ko Byeong-gap came out again. Arge number of the creature¡¯s presence that he felt from afar was getting closer. ¡®That¡¯s a lot of them, but they¡¯re not too strong to handle!¡¯ ¡°Gasp! Lord. What about them?¡± The Goblins that followed asked with dread. There were still hundreds of Goblins who were seriously injured to the point of being unable to move. ¡°2nd infantry. Move the wounded here to Ashvm. Report as soon as you move everyone. You have to do it as fast as you can.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± ¡°Attack squad and 1st Infantry, follow me!¡± The six-man attack team, excluding them, and the 1st infantry of 30 individuals with the highest achievement in textbooks. A total of 37 fighters, including Ko Byeong-gap, went down to the first floor. A night where darkness had fallen and a dense cloud of dust rose from far away. The identity of the swarm of monsters that shook the ground were Giant Cow monsters. ¡®Are they Gorgons?¡¯ A one-eyed monster cow with horns up to 60 cm in length. There were 150 of those. Fortunately, a Gorgon¡¯s rating was C. Although there was a difference in their ratings, they were ready to fight. ¡°Nobody should enter the building. Everyone is ready for battle!¡± ¡°Haaaah!¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± Dozens of spears were aimed at the front. Ko Byeong-gap also drew his sword and released his strength. The sh between the two groups was imminent. When the early winter night air was heated, Ko Byeong-gap ran to the front and shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s go! Revenge for our people!¡± ¡°Kereuk!¡± ¡°Let them feel the difference in ss!¡± A night where the moon was high. Under the bright moonlight, a fierce battle of ughter took ce. Chapter 56 56. Save the Goblins A Gorgon¡¯s size was quiteparable to most rhinos. Their iron horns were also huge. It was like a dump truck with a broken brake with that size, horn, and speed. Usually, it was an all-expenses-paid journey to the underworld via direct train along the Jordan River. However, the Goblins of Ashvm were far from normal at any angle. Those huge biceps and forearm muscles, they pickaxed to hell and back¡­ but no, they were strong warriors trained with the textbooks. ¡°Stab!¡± ¡°Move, stab!¡± ¡°Whoaaaaa!¡± When Ko Byeong-gap sang first, Gobung echoed it. The first infantry poked their spears in unison at hismand. The long spear, made bybining the bones and the skulls of Horned Gabris, boasted great power. ¡°Gasp!¡± The charge of the Gorgons broke down from the front line. The Goblins were pushed back a little, but they didn¡¯t get swept away. ¡°Get out!¡± Ko Byeong-gap eximed coldly. The first infantry quickly retreated to the rear and regrouped. He and the attack squad filled their void. The attack squad had started to learn the intermediate textbooks. The strength they radiated was shabby and crudepared to that of Ko Byeong-gap. However, that didn¡¯t mean they were weak. At least against lower-level monsters, they had an overwhelming advantage. ¡°Squeak!¡± ¡°Keyuk!¡± The Gorgons said goodbye to this life with screams of death. They died in different ways. Some died by being beheaded, some with their bodies split and crushed to death. Some burned to death, and some even exploded¡­ Death was a bountiful harvest. They sang a requiem! ¡°Stab!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The first infantry advanced again. The momentum was like a chariot that broke down gates. Their sharp spears were shot through the gaps between Ko Byeong-gap and the attack squad. ¡°Coooooah!¡± They didn¡¯t let them get away with it either. One of them pushed past the rushing spears. It mmed a Hob Goblin with its forehead. ¡°Gasp!¡± The Hob Goblin was knocked out. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t stabbed directly by the horn, but the shock seemed pretty effective. ¡°Coooooah!¡± The Gorgon jumped up. All of the first infantry were soldiers, so they were less responsive to enemies who prated the middle of the camp. ¡®Dangerous!¡¯ The Gorgon tumbled over the overturned Hob Goblin. Ko Byeong-gap immediately ran there but was likely to bete by a narrow margin. It was at that moment, a silent sword flew in and cut the Gorgon¡¯s neck. Thanks to this, the Hob Goblin was able to survive. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Doran?¡± The owner of the fierce sword was Doran. She stood triumphantly, propped up the ground with a very long two-handed sword. ¡°Lord, I want to fight, too!¡± ¡°Come on. I¡¯m d you¡¯re here! Join us!¡± ¡°Yes! Hurry up and get up, idiot.¡± ¡°Oh, I got it.¡± Doran joined the war. Although she hadn¡¯t mastered the textbooks, she was a reliable enough swordsman. Her level of force was never inferior to that of the attack squad. Also, she was the training instructor of the Goblins. ¡°Attack!¡± ¡°Turn around!¡± The spears and the horns intersected. On one side, swords stretched out, with lightning and magic that rained down. Scary groans echoed from all over the ce and wet the ground. A spear prated one of the Gorgon¡¯s eyes and prated its brain. The thick saliva mixed with blood and brain water flowed down one after another. The well-branched des devoured the flesh of the enemy witchcraft attacks by Kiriyan and Dorma relentlessly destroyed the enemy camp. When the bodies of their enemy had piled up like a mountain, they climbed over them and cleared out the remnants. The battle was quickly brought to an end. Ko Byeong-gap and the Goblins enjoyed their nned victory. ¡°We are victorious!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Lord! Lord! Lord!¡± The New Ashvm Army¡¯s first appearance ended sessfully. *** ¡°Guys, we don¡¯t have much time. Let¡¯s move a little faster even if it¡¯s hard.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± The battle ended faster than expected and was overwhelmingly one-sided. They decided to collect the meat while they had time. Even if they were one-eyed, weren¡¯t they cows? ¡®I¡¯m d there were few injuries.¡¯ Fierce battles always left scars in some form. There would only be a difference in the gravity of said scars, and in that sense, the damage suffered by the Goblins was minimal. in Ashvm, so there¡¯s no problem with treatment.¡¯ He prepared cures before leaving for the expedition. The three kinds of healing dumplings from the Ancient Shop. Even with them, any trauma could be recovered as if washed away. The transportation of the Goblins, who was bedridden on the second floor of the building, wasplete. The meat collection work was alsopleted shortly after. ¡°Well, let¡¯s check the number of people! Come on, everybody!¡± ¡°Gather up!¡± ¡°Starting with Gobung.¡± ¡°Standard!¡± ¡°From the back. Start counting.¡± Starting with Gobung, the numbers passed quickly, and not a single one was missing. ¡°Alright, get back to Ashvm quickly. Treat the new kids well.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go to Ashvm as soon as I can. Until then, please stay safe.¡± The Goblins returned to Ashvm. Only a cold smell of blood remained in this area, which was heated with fighting spirit. ¡°It¡¯s not the time to procrastinate.¡± Ko Byeong-gap teased his legs with all his might. He was worried if he could return to the campsite in time. ¡°It¡¯s a pain in the ass if I woke up the crew for no reason¡­ Let¡¯s hurry up.¡± He also shook off some dirt on his body while he ran. It was no good to make it obvious that he had been fighting. ¡®That was close.¡¯ It was 0:57 am. Ko Byeong-gap arrived at the campsite. Fortunately, Kim Dae-yeop didn¡¯t make a fuss. The members were sleeping in the dark. ¡°You¡¯reter than usual today. I was worried about what was wrong.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ I¡¯m a little confused about the way.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Kim Dae-yeop sniffed his nose. ¡®The smell of blood?¡¯ he murmured. He then looked up and down at Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Mr. Byeong-gap, where did you fight?¡± ¡°Oh! You must be tired. So go hurry up and sleep. Is there anything you want me to take care of? Do you have anything to do? Uh, hurry up and go rest. Hahaha.¡± ¡°¡­ Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± ¡°Well, what¡¯s the big deal? I was just taking a walk.¡± Ko Byeong-gap pushed Kim Dae-yeop into the tent. After that, he sat on a folding chair and sat down his tired body. ¡®I¡¯m tired.¡¯ He had to fight a second battle with a deluge of sleepiness. Time flew by as usual. The night passed, and the day dawned. Group C began the day diligently. ¡°As I told you yesterday, we will push up to the 25th point today.¡± ¡°But will that work? I¡¯d say it¡¯s tight considering the facts, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°We have to cut down on our meal times and extend our work. We can¡¯t help it if we want to keep pace with other groups.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Then let¡¯s go.¡± Group C was slower than other special forces because Jeong Seon-kyung took over the issue with Jo Gwang-heon, and she was away for two days. Jo Gwang-heon. The psycho¡¯s trial must¡¯ve been over by now. Group C was immediately put on duty after they had breakfast for about 15 minutes. It was around 10:30 am that Area 24-5 was closed. Hunters really caught monsters like rats. ¡®You¡¯re saying we¡¯ve been slow so far?¡¯ It seemed to show in person that those with outstanding abilities could do this much if they did their best. Their porters sweated profusely to keep up with the hunters¡¯ speed. It was okay for Ko Byeong-gap because he had already crossed the low-ss category, but the other two were having a hard time. Group C went straight to Area 25. ¡°Let¡¯s have lunch a little early. We¡¯ll organize the 25th area in one-take, without a break, after lunch. Everyone, be aware of that.¡± The three porters hurried to prepare lunch. He thought they would eat aggressively, but they didn¡¯t. The lunch break went on in silence. The members ate beef fried rice silently, which was better than wild vegetable bibimbap, and then out of the blue, exmations burst out. ¡°Wow, this is awesome.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The person who spoke up was unexpected, Shim Seung-seop. The eyes of the team members were naturally drawn to him. Shim Seung-seop rarely spoke unless he spoke to his lovers on the phone. ¡°Wow, yeah?¡± ¡°Wow, is this true?¡± Shim Seung-seop only sighed as he stared at his cell phone. Han Chang-hoon tried to look at his cell phone, pulling his head out curiously. Shim Seung-seop kindly handed over his cell phone to show him. ¡°Hmm, were you watching the news? Hmm? Someone¡¯s dating rumor broke out? Huh? Huh??¡± Han Chang-hoon also freaked out. At that time, even Boo Young-geon, who seemed not to be interested in everything in the world, showed interest. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°What is it? Ah, show me, please.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Three people flocked behind Han Chang-hoon¡¯s back. The porters looked at them with a nk stare. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Wow. Is this real?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a tabloid newspaper. I think it¡¯s real.¡± ¡°Where are we? I¡¯ve never heard of it before.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he in Africa?¡± The members were appalled. Everyone had a thoughtful look on their faces, and the atmosphere was extraordinary. At that point, even Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t resist curiosity. What kind of article did they see that their reaction was like that? ¡°What the hell is going on? What, is it a big deal?¡± ¡°Hey Ko Byeong-gap, do you know where Sierra Leone is?¡± ¡°Sie¡­ What?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung took his cell phone and approached Ko Byeong-gap. Shim Seung-seop muttered, ¡°Ah¡­ My cell phone.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung showed the cell phone to Ko Byeong-gap. Other porters next to him also drew their attention to the screen. ¡°There¡¯s a Monster Wave in Sierra Leone, but the scale is crazy.¡± ¡°Hang on. Let me read it.¡± Ko Byeong-gap quickly read the article. His expression, which had been easy, was also gradually tinged with dismay. The article¡¯s content was as follows: Based in Korea, it was around 2 am that day. It was just when Ko Byeong-gap was on duty. Around that time, a Monster Wave broke out in a country called Sierra Leone. It first urred in Sierra Leone but was now spreading throughout West Africa. More than an estimated million monsters wereing out of the cracks. In terms of size, it was equivalent to 4,000 A-rank cracks bursting at the same time. Monsters roamed all over Africa with their unique mobility. An immediate suppression wasunched, but the situation was futile since the neighboring countries, including Sierra Leone, were poor. It was said that millions of people had already died horribly. They were still dying by the second. Right. There were as many as a million monsters. Even a strong hunter could hardly survive the storm. ¡®If that disturbance happened in Korea¡­¡¯ On that day, Korea would disappear into the back of history. Just the thought of that sent chills down his spine. ¡°Can we stay here like this?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung asked, smoking a cigarette. It wasn¡¯t specifically aimed at anyone. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a bit harsh, but isn¡¯t it none of our business? It¡¯s not even a neighboring country.¡± ¡°What? More than three million people have already died!¡± ¡°That¡¯s sad, of course. But there¡¯s nothing we can do right now.¡± ¡°Oh my God, it¡¯s like something big¡¯s going to happen. What the hell is this?¡± ¡°Come on. I think we¡¯re almost done with lunch, so let¡¯s get ready to move.¡± Boo Young-geon captured the chaotic atmosphere. Jeong Seon-kyung made a surprised expression. ¡°Is the operation a problem now? Shouldn¡¯t this be enough to call headquarters?¡± ¡°If there were a problem, the headquarters would have contacted me first. We just do our job. If you¡¯re here for work, you have to work.¡± Boo Young-geon was adamant enough to be considered cold-hearted. Actually, he was right. Even if the worst dungeon break in history urred, it was across the sea, and there was no immediate physical damage to Korea. There was nothing much they could do by arguing there. ¡°And¡­¡± Boo Young-geon stood up and continued. ¡°Something unusual seems to be happening, so we have to end this expedition as soon as possible.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Where do you think the most dangerous ce in the world is?¡± ¡°Africa, I suppose.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung replied as if it was natural. However, she soon found the bones in Boo Young-geon¡¯s words. Around the same time, Ko Byeong-gap prated his mind. ¡®The most dangerous country is¡­¡¯ The most dangerous ces were not the few countries in Africa that were currently in turmoil. So where? Countries in the Middle East that were still fighting because they had not been able to put an end to their human-to-human conflict? No. That wasn¡¯t it either. Ko Byeong-gap turned his head and looked at the surrounding scenery. The mountain ridges, fields, and rubble of copsed buildings caught his eye, and there were plenty of cracks that sat on it as if it were natural. ¡°Ah.¡± He sighed quietly. Yes. The most dangerous country was none other than Korea, a narrow country with hundreds of thousands of cracks above its head. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s move.¡± Boo Young-geon encouraged his team members. No one everined to him. Chapter 57 57 Gourmet Day A total of 133 new Goblins entered Ashvm. There were 36 Normal Goblins, 74 Hob Goblins, 17 Giant Goblins, 5 Beast Goblins, and a Goblin Priest. These Goblins were basically simr in appearance. They all had dull, gray skin, ugly faces, pointy noses and ears, and rather poor hair. There were slight differences between the types, but their overall framework didn¡¯t deviate much. Still, each had their own distinct characteristics, so there was no difficulty in distinguishing them from each other. For example, the Normal Goblins were only about 140 centimeters tall, but the Giant Goblins easily exceeded 2 meters. In that sense, the Goblin Priest ¡®Varmond¡¯ also had its own personality. ¡®They look simr to Dorma. Are they from the same family?¡¯ The Goblins were divided into four main families, Normal, Hob, Royal, and King. Giant, Beast, Albino, etc., were mutated sses but were also included in those four categories. They were all descendants of Hob Goblins; that was why Gobung and Kiriyan felt like cousins. Anyway, Dorma, the Goblin Shaman, was of the was also from the same Royal family, but seemed to have undergone some mutation like Kiriyan. ¡®What was it? I read it in the Monster Paper¡­ Ah!¡¯ ¡°Right! Holy Goblin!¡± Ko Byeong-gap smiled brightly and snapped his fingers. in front of him, seemed somewhat embarrassed. ¡°¡­Yes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Of course, such distinctions were only made by humans. The Goblins thought of themselves as the same race, nothing else. Whatever the situation, it was a pleasure to see a high-ranking Gobline to Ashvm. ¡®That¡¯s a nice tattoo.¡¯ face and across the upper half of his body were like mes or flower petals. a Goblin Priest through those tattoos. ¡°Well, how do you feel abouting to Ashvm?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m still dumbfounded. It¡¯s like I¡¯m dreaming.¡± have been nervous; he kept licking his lips several times. He couldn¡¯t even look directly into Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hey, why are you so self-conscious?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m nervous because it¡¯s my first time seeing the Lord. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, don¡¯t be sorry. Just rx.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± Byeong-gap waited for Varmond to calm down. What they were going to talk about now was also depressing. When he seemed to calm down enough, Byeong-gap hurriedly opened his mouth. ¡°Okay. Now let¡¯s hear about it, even a little bit. I don¡¯t know what happened to you guys.¡± ¡°It happened more than fifteen days ago.¡± story. About fifteen days ago, the Back World, which was originally home to the Goblins, suddenly copsed. They instinctively sensed danger and willingly came out. Outside the world, it was really bleak. The only thing that weed them was the ground and the chilly night air. To make matters worse, it tormented them to the point of hunger. Hunger was a sensation that they have never felt in the Back World. ¡®That¡¯s right, because the other kids also felt hungry after they got out of the crack.¡¯ The Goblins weren¡¯t the only ones feeling hungry. Other monsters also starved over time. ¡°It just happened out of the blue. A herd of monsters attacked us and began to eat us. The same goes for other monsters. The weak were eaten helplessly.¡± The Goblins barely survived by eating monsters weaker than themselves, but that wasn¡¯t good enough. As time went by, hunger and their injuries began to kill them off one by one. When they were about to be wiped out, Byeong-gap suddenly appeared like a savior. ¡®That must be why we didn¡¯t see any of the lower monsters. They¡¯ve all been eaten.¡¯ It was all top monsters that blocked Group C. Now that he thought about it, they were the survivors of the jungle. Not all monsters are on the same side, Byeong-gap realized. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, but you don¡¯t have to worry about anything now. There¡¯s nothing dangerous for you here.¡± ¡°Thank you very much for taking us away.¡± ¡°Thank you, psh. Of course, I¡¯m your Lord.¡± Byeong-gap slowly rose to his feet. He had been in Ashvm for too long, and it was time to go back. ¡°Stop and get some rest. If you have any inconvenience or questions while living here, go to Gobung or Dorma. You know who they are, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± ¡°Alright, if you have any questions, they¡¯ll kindly answer them. I wish I could stay here, but I¡¯ll be busy for a while.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Anyways, wee to Ashvm.¡± Byeong-gap sent Varmond back to his quarters. After that, he went straight to Gobung. After dinner, the Goblins joined forces to clean up and were now ready to go to bed. He was able to find Gobung among them. ¡°Gobung.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, Lord!¡± ¡°Come here for a second.¡± Gobung rushed towards him. There was no time left, so he brought up the subject right away. ¡°There are new kids.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If tomorrow is bright, give them potions and engrave them their textbooks. Do you know where the potions and textbooks are?¡± ¡°I know!¡± ¡°Good good.¡± Byeong-gap nodded his head with satisfaction and patted Gobung¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You are going now. Are you?¡± ¡°Yeah, I should go.¡± ¡°When are youing again?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I cane back for a while. I¡¯m busy with work.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s not much time left. Please take care of the children until then.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m leaving. Good night.¡± ¡°Good night! Good night!¡± Byeong-gap smiled at him and left Ashvm. The forest was quiet where he fell. He looked around and checked if there was anyone who had seen him. Fortunately, there was no one around. He went straight back to camp. Today was supply day, so several teams had gathered together again. As he returned to the tent, he saw several S-ss hunters gossiping in one ce. ¡®Nothing¡¯s changed.¡¯ The massive Monster Wave incident in Africa had officially spread. The association¡¯s position was to carry on operations, and there seemed to be no room for reversal. Hunters talked for hours about the issue. ¡°The government has blocked the hunters from leaving the country.¡± ¡°Huh? That¡¯s not what I heard. I heard some guilds are recruiting dispatch, and some of them have already flown away.¡± ¡°I think they¡¯re being ordered to go back home. It was also like thatst time.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to help? There¡­ I know they don¡¯t have the right infrastructure there, let alone enough Hunters.¡± ¡°But honestly, do they need any help? I heard they¡¯re one of the poorest countries. They wouldn¡¯t even be able to give out a proper reward, would they?¡± ¡°Why are you thinking about the money? We¡¯re going to save people because they¡¯re dying.¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s the situation now? Does anybody know?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that one country after another is going bankrupt.¡± ¡°Then there is no damage to Korea?¡± Words poured out of over thirty mouths. Seeing all kinds of brainstorming ideas pouring in, it seemed like they couldn¡¯t agree on one thing tonight. Byeong-gap passed them and returned to his tent. He was also curious about the world¡¯s situation. However, whether they liked it or not, they had to be tied up on North Korean soil until December 23. He concluded that there was nothing good to think about. ¡®Let¡¯s get some sleep.¡¯ He fell asleep, hoping that the expedition would end soon. *** The expedition was full of talk and trouble, but it went smoothly. The news that reached them from outside from time to time was rather hideous, but it didn¡¯t really affect the expedition. ¡°Take the hot pack.¡± ¡°There are five today, aren¡¯t there? That¡¯s good because it was a little cold when I sleptst night.¡± November 30, the 69th day of the expedition. Area 41 Recapture Complete, nothing special. ¡°Please eat.¡± ¡°Ah. Why did they give us wild vegetables bibimbap again? Damn association bastards!¡± ¡°Why do you keep eating it if you don¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°What nonsense is that? Even just smelling it makes me vomit.¡± December 6th, the 75th day of the expedition. They recovered the 50th area back. Jeong Seon-kyung had a grudge against their food, but other than that, there were no problems. ¡°Wow, what is this? Is there a problem with the sky? What¡¯s with all the snow?¡± ¡°I know. Tomorrow is the supply day.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t even sleep because I¡¯m covered in snow. What do we do, captain?¡± ¡°Well, we will march tonight. Everyone, get ready. We¡¯re going straight to the supply point.¡± December 15, the 84th day of the expedition. Theypleted the recapture of Area 55, but there was a huge snowfall afterward. Group C boldly marched at night and managed to reach the supply point safely. That was how their days went. As a result, the expedition, which seemed tost a lifetime, was alreadying to an end. ¡°Finally thest supply, Mr. Byeong-gap.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Byeong-gap received thest supply from Jang Yong-il. Jang Yong-il¡¯s expression became brighter after Jo Gwang-hoon had disappeared. Seeing this, Byeong-gap¡¯s heart warmed up. ¡°Let¡¯s stay on our toes until the end and get out safely.¡± The final operation started with determination. With the high ground in front of them, the attack squad of Group C performed their missions more enthusiastically. ¡°Kek!¡± ¡°Kyaep!¡± The 56th, 57th, and 58th areas were swept away as if hit by bulldozers. The hunters advanced relentlessly, pulverizing all the monsters in their path. ¡°That¡¯s really amazing.¡± The porter, Jung Ho-yun, stuck out his tongue. All Byeong-gap could do was sympathize with his admiration. ¡®All I can say is that they¡¯re so carefree and strong.¡¯ Even though he had seen it every day for the past three months, they still amazed him. The strength of the top 2% was truly great. Could they even be ced in the same category as humans? He often thought that. ¡®I¡¯ve be very strong, but I can¡¯t even imagine touching, let alone bing, an S-rank like them¡­ And if S-rank is like that, how strong is SS-level?¡¯ At this point, even an SS-ss hunter could cut the Pacific Ocean in half and it wouldn¡¯t be unbelievable. The night came just in time when they cleared Area 58pletely. Group C sat together and took the final roll call of the expedition. ¡°Tomorrow, we will be back at the base camp after finishing thest area, 59. We¡¯ll wake up at 5 am.¡± ¡°May I ask you a question, sir?¡± ¡°Yeah. What is it, Han-gil?¡± ¡°Are we going to go back home as soon as we¡¯re done? As far as I know, Group F¡¯s progress is slower than other teams, so are we going to wait for all groups or not?¡± Song Han-gil asked a very nice question. Boo Young-geon hummed a few times before answering bluntly. ¡°I do not know. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary. It¡¯s not like the headquarters ordered us to support them.¡± ¡°Right, they¡¯re behind due to their procrastination, so what can we do to help? All we have to do is finish our work.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung also gave strength to Boo Young-geon¡¯s opinion. The others had simr reactions as well. Rather than earn a few more bucks, they all wanted to go back home and rest soon. It was the same with Byeong-gap, who could live without money. ¡°If you don¡¯t have any more questions, I¡¯ll call it a day. Have a good night¡¯s sleep, and I hope you finish your work well tomorrow. And¡­¡± Boo Young-geon hesitated. There was a little embarrassment on his face. ¡°And you¡¯ve had a hard time keeping up with your poor leader. I¡¯m sorry, and thank you again.¡± All the members of the crew had nk expressions on their faces. How could such wordse out of that blunt human¡¯s mouth? There was silence for a moment, and then words of encouragement poured in. ¡°The captain worked hard, too!¡± ¡°Aigoo, what are youcking? Thanks to the captain, things went smoothly.¡± ¡°Yes. Well, sometimes I didn¡¯t like it, but you did a pretty good job.¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± Byeong-gap quietly added a word. The roll call ended in a friendly atmosphere. ¡°Ko Byeong-gap, cigarettes.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Before going to bed, Byeong-gap came out to smoke with Jeong Seon-kyung for a while. Today and tomorrow would be thest time he would face her for cigarettes. ¡°Ha¡­ This is finally over. I¡¯ve had enough of it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not technically over yet.¡± ¡°Hey hey hey, don¡¯t break the mood.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung frowned. Byeong-gap asked a question while he gave an innocentugh. ¡°By the way, if we clear Area 59, will we go home right away?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. We could be sent to another ce to get rid of monsters or deal with a crack. Oh, I wish they wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Listening to you, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re going to let us go.¡± ¡°Oh, Ko Byeong-gap. Do you have a paper and a pen?¡± ¡°Paper? Yes.¡± Byeong-gap rummaged through his waist pouch. He took out a small notepad and pen from inside and handed it to her. Jeong Seon-kyung scribbled something on the pad and held it out to him. ¡°That¡¯s my cellphone number. Call me when you¡¯re done with the expedition. Let¡¯s have a drink.¡± ¡°Are you buying it, noona?¡± ¡°Ha? That¡¯s ridiculous. Is a woman supposed to pay for drinks?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no such thing in the world these days. The rich people pay.¡± ¡°You pay for the drinks, I¡¯ll pay for the hotel.¡± ¡°What? What hotel?¡± Byeong-gap didn¡¯t understand what she was saying, but a few secondster, his face turned red as he pondered her words. ¡°Bah, what did you just say?¡± ¡°Hahahaha! Look at your red face! I¡¯m just kidding, you idiot! Hahaha!¡± Jeong Seon-kyungughed her head off as Byeong-gap chewed on his cigarette filter to kill his blush. ¡°I thought you were a yer, but you had a hard time with that. Anyway, just call me. Noona will buy you everything, no matter what.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah. I¡¯m going to pull out all the stops.¡± Byeong-gap seriously thought about bringing all the 400 Goblins for a feast. He looked up at the sky, shaking off the burnt-out cigarette butts. North Korea¡¯s sky without any lights revealed tens of thousands of bright, twinkling stars. ¡°Everything will be fine tomorrow, right?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? We can just do what we¡¯ve been doing. You¡¯re hiding well in the back. Don¡¯t get hurt while we¡¯re running around.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be hiding even if you didn¡¯t say so, so be careful.¡± ¡°Hehe. Be careful? Isn¡¯t it unfair to die young at the age of thirty? It¡¯s cold. Let¡¯s go in.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Group C was peaceful. There was no significant concern or tension left over the final operation because they had been doing well for the past three months and thought the rest of the day would be the same as usual. But¡­ Byeong-gap, who was drunk in the shadow offort, forgot about their reality¡­ ¡®What is this¡­¡¯ Thend of the north, where the cold wind blew. A severed body was scattered on the frozen soil; the spilled blood soaked in the ground and turned it red. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Make contact to the radio at HQ right now! Now!¡± ¡°Headquarters, headquarters, reinforcements, right now! Need troops at Area 59-4!¡± Reality was harsh. Chapter 58 58 Gourmet Day Everything was red. All he could see in front of him was a bright red world. ¡°What is this?¡± Byeong-gap didn¡¯t know what was happening. It felt like something had stolen his eyes. Only then did he realize that it was blood, not red curtains, that had been covering his eyes. ¡°Ugh!¡± The skin on his face was burning, but that wasn¡¯t all. From the top of his head to the bottom of his toes, there wasn¡¯t a single ce where he wasn¡¯t hurt. He wondered how he hade to this point. ¡®Okay¡­¡¯ Just a few minutes ago, things had crossed his mind. It was the moment when a shock wave hit the ck monster. While he was briefly reminiscing, his vision turned red. Byeong-gap nervously rubbed his eyes and sat up. ¡®All my limbs are still here.¡¯ It was a relief. He hurried to use Ki-breathing and recovered himself. Suddenly¡­ Hik! ¡°Shriek!¡± The whole world brightened with a roar that seemed to rupture his eardrums like thunder had just struck. In fact, he could see a streak of lightning rise up as if it was touching the sky. That was probably Shim Seung-seop¡¯s work. Byeong-gap let go of his plugged ears and tried to move his feet. ¡°Rice¡­ Bottle¡­¡± ¡°?!¡± A voice came from behind him. Byeong-gap turned reflexively and looked at where the sound came from. There was Kim Dae-yeop, looking like a miserable skeleton. ¡°Oh, uh, uh¡­ Oh God!¡± Kim Dae-yeop was crushed under the rubble of a copsed building. His lower body waspletely crushed, his upper body barely sticking out of the ruins. ¡®Damn it, damn it, damn it!¡¯ He couldn¡¯t figure out what to do, so he dug up the wreckage as soon as he could. ¡°Byeong¡­ Byeong-gap¡­ Cough!¡± Kim Dae-yeop threw up blood and spat out a lump of clotted blood. ¡°Don¡¯t speak! Damn it!¡± ¡°Rice, Mr. Byeong-gap¡­ Radio¡­ to headquarters¡­¡± Kim Dae-yeop tried to speak, his eyes pointing to a radio on the side. ¡°Radio¡­ Must be¡­ I was¡­ wrong¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, don¡¯t say anything!¡± Byeong-gap was like a madman. No, actually, he was half crazy as he cleaned up the pile of concrete. Even when his fingertips were swollen, and his skin was torn apart, he didn¡¯t stop. How long has it been? Kim Dae-yeop wasn¡¯t able to escape from the rubble. Eventually, he was able to remove all the concrete pinning down Dae-yeop, and his whole body was immediately revealed. It was disastrous. ¡®Legs¡­¡¯ His legs from the bottom of his knees were cut offpletely, and his upper body was no different from minced meat. ¡®Backpack!¡¯ Byeong-gap quickly picked up the supply backpack that fell just around the corner. With shaking hands, he opened the pouch containing the potions. Fortunately, the potions were all still intact. He hurried to feed him the elixir, but his hand stopped. ¡®I can¡¯t feed him like this.¡¯ The effectiveness of an elixir was great. However, it was not possible to restore the missing parts of a person¡¯s body because potions merely helped humans to recover themselves. ¡®He would need to eat dumplings first.¡¯ Byeong-gap opened the Ancient Shop, not caring whether Kim Dae-yeop saw it or not. He bought two dumplings for each type, meat, flesh, and bone. ¡°Open your mouth!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Chew! Chew and swallow!¡± Kim Dae-yeop managed to chew and swallow the dumplings. The effect was immediate. His torn lower body quickly took shape, and his severed shin grew anew. When he fed him the potion, his paleplexion returned to its original color. ¡°Gasp, Gasp!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be fine now. You¡¯ll be fine now.¡± ¡°This is not the time. We have to contact headquarters, headquarters!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it. Where¡¯s Mr. Ho-yun?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s that way¡­¡± Byeong-gap looked at where Kim Dae-yeop was pointing. A few minutester, he was able to find Jung Ho-yun, who had fainted. ¡®He¡¯s okay, he just fainted.¡¯ Jung Ho-yun was rtively intact. His entire body was fractured, but no limbs were severed. He also rushed to feed him dumplings and a potion. When Byeong-gap returned to his original location, Kim Dae-yeop was sitting up and doing something. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the man was manipting the radio, but the look on his face was not good. ¡°Damn it!¡± There was no need to ask why. At a nce, he could see that the walkie-talkie was destroyed. Kim Dae-yeop looked up at Byeong-gap with his eyes seeming to ask, ¡®What should I do?¡¯ ¡°Dae-yeop, take Mr. Ho-yun downstairs.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°If you walk down the path we¡¯ve taken, you won¡¯t run into a monster. Find another group and ask for help.¡± ¡°What about you, Mr. Byeong-gap?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Byeong-gap turned his head instead of answering. In the distance, they could hear a roar every five seconds. He could tell, even if he didn¡¯t see it, that the attack squad was still there¡­ Recognizing Byeong-gap¡¯s intention, Kim Dae-yeop shouted at him. ¡°What are you trying to do? It¡¯s not up to us!¡± ¡°But I have to go.¡± Byeong-gap raised himself. ¡°You need to inform the others of the situation here as soon as possible. The fate of all of us is in your hands.¡± ¡°Oh, no, no, no.¡± ¡°Go, go, go!¡± ¡°Fuck it! Alright!¡± Kim Dae-yeop jumped to his feet. He carried Jung Ho-yun on his shoulder and ran with all his might. As he let the two of them go, Byeong-gap looked forward again. Crunch, crack! Boom! About a kilometer ahead, he could hear a lot of roars and explosions as if there was a natural disaster happening. As soon as he took a step forward, chilling energy flowed down his spine. His body constantly signaled danger. Maybe Kim Dae-yeop was right. It used to be a lot stronger, but that ce wasn¡¯t deep enough to put his feet in. And¡­ above all, the Goblins came to his mind. ¡®What happens to the kids if I die?¡¯ What was the point of asking? If he died, so would the Goblins. They would be stuck in Ashvm waiting for their Lord toe back and slowly wither and die. ¡°¡­Fuck it!¡± But he still had to go. There was no logical reason for it; he just did what his heart told him to do. This meant that there was nothing he could do about it, even if they cursed at him for being an idiot. He ran hard, pouring out his strength. The stronger the sense of death stabbed his skin, the faster he ran. After a while of running, something caught his eye. It was a severed human arm. Whose was it? Boo Young-geon¡¯s? Han Chang-hoon¡¯s? Song Han-gil¡¯s? Shim Seung-seop¡¯s? Or was it Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s? The answer to that question came to him surprisingly quickly. ¡°Gasp!¡± He suddenly arrived at a gigantic canyon with huge cliffs blocking the way on both sides. He thought canyons like these could only be seen in the United States or in Africa, but here was one on the Korean Penins. Before his humble appreciation was over, something flew off of the edge and fell into the cliff. It was the captain Boo Young-geon, who only had one arm. Boomph! Something huge flew into the cliff after him. A ck, gigantic monster. It was the one that broke up Group C. ¡®Balrog!¡¯ It was a Balrog that was listed as an S-level threat. It stood about four meters tall, and its ck body burned without rest. mes blew out of its eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Its giant horn resembled a mountain goat¡¯s, and its wings were like a bat¡¯s. Its long tail drooped and fluttered, looking like a thousand-year-old snake. Unless you were a person of great courage, you would die of fright just by looking at it. ¡°Kaaaaah!¡± Boom! Boom! The Balrog mmed its ws on the cliff. The whole area about thirty meters around the point of impact sank and crashed down with a loud sound. Byeong-gap fled to avoid being caught by the falling cliff. ¡®Is Boo Young-geon still alive?¡¯ He didn¡¯t take his eyes off the Balrog. In an instant, it plummeted as if a huge bat had hit it, and Boo Young-geon appeared through the dust cloud. Gong! A massive streak of lightning struck the fallen Balrog. Tens of thousands of lightning streams filled the canyon. However, despite such a relentless attack, the Balrog stood up easily. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Shim Seung-seop vomited blood from his mouth and copsed. He had done his best. ¡°Damn it! Look!¡± Byeong-gap heard Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s voice. She fell sharply, an ax as raised high above her head. ¡°Crush!¡± ¡°Ugh! Argh!¡± The Balrog used his wings to block the ax andunched a counterattack. Jeong Seon-kyung, who was beaten off, flew like a tennis ball and hit the cliff, creating another crater. The Balrog aimed for Jeong Seon-kyung, constantly spouting fire. Boo Young-geon quickly blocked the mes and developed arge-scale barrier. A collision happened between the mes and the shield. The shield seemed to hang in there for a while but eventually broke. The mes shot forward and seemed to eat up the two hunters. ¡®They¡¯re in the same S-ss, but they¡¯re so different.¡¯ It was a far cry from the lower awakeners like him. Even in the same S-ss, the difference between the top and the middle ss was significant. ¡®Why are there only three of them? Where are the others?¡¯ It was strange. Song Han-gil and Han Chang-hoon were nowhere to be seen. Byeong-gap scoured the canyon that had be a mess, chasing the trail of the two men. Before long, he saw two people lying on the ground. Han Chang-hoon¡¯s whole body was charred all over, and Song Han-gil was bent at a bizarre angle. He realized what had happened. ¡®No. If the healer is missing, there is no chance of winning.¡¯ Byeong-gap gulped and watched the battle. The bottle of potion in his hand was wet with his sweat. ¡®Even Han Chang-hoon must live.¡¯ Fortunately, the Balrog was not interested in him. All kinds of simtions yed in his head. After picking out the optimal simtion, Byeong-gap took a deep breath. One. He only has one chance. Pots! He kicked the floor, crossing the ravine like a wolf. The distance between him and the two fallen people quickly narrowed. 30 meters. 20 meters. 15 meters. He was almost there. ¡°Crrr¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Why was the Balrog suddenly in front of him? He had been so sure. It was far away just a second ago! The Balrog clenched its huge fist and shot towards him; nobody could stop it. Time went by slowly as if the world had stopped. It was clear that its ws were approaching him in real-time. It was inevitable and unstoppable. ¡°I¡¯m dying.¡± Byeong-gap felt death in his bones. Then someone was standing in front of him. ¡°Hey, you crazy man! Why are you here?¡± It was Jeong Seon-kyung. She spat out Karma with a ferocious force, countering the enemy¡¯s attack. ¡°Are you a nutcase? Don¡¯t waste your breath and run away.¡± ¡°Crrr!!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung disappeared before his eyes. She was flung off the ground and flew more than a few meters backward. The Balrog¡¯s offensive attacks did not stop. It began to kick him nonstop. ¡®Damn it! I can¡¯t avoid it!¡¯ There was no one to stop it this time. Byeong-gap immediately took a defensive stance. At the same time, he reinforced his body by releasing his maximum strength. The Balrog¡¯s wretched feet kicked him in a sh, and he flew helplessly to the cliff. Boom boom! He broke through the rock and was dug several meters in. Broken debris fell and copsed on his body, and terrible pain came over him. ¡°Gasp! Gasp!¡± His mind went nk. He felt like he was going to lose consciousness any moment now. ¡®I think all of my bones are broken. Damn it, am I even still alive?¡¯ It seemed impossible to lift a finger. He just realized then that no matter what he did, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fight a Balrog. ¡®How the hell were they going to beat that? Should I call the Goblins and fight it together¡­? What am I gonna do with the Goblins when five S-ss people can¡¯t even stay standing together?¡¯ ¡°Cough!¡± It was as hot as fire in his stomach, and it looked like his guts had been blown up. ¡®First of all, treatment¡­¡¯ Byeong-gap used Ki-breathing and raised his strength. When he could move his body a little, he opened the Ancient Shop. All the potions he had brought were now broken, so he had to buy and eat some dumplings. After putting the dumplings in his mouth, he could finally breathe. He felt like he was on the verge of life and death. As the pain subsided, he burst outughing for some reason. ¡°¡­God damn it. What¡¯s the use of all this?¡± The situation has not improved at all. Even if he recovered, he wouldn¡¯t be able to even scratch the monster. ¡°There¡¯s nothing.¡± He looked at the shop window and felt hopeless. The Ancient Shop. Even this strange store didn¡¯t sell any swords that could defeat a Balrog. At that point in time, he thought he should just give everything up and flee to Ashvm. He had to admit it; this wasn¡¯t at his level in the first ce. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get away.¡± The moment he tried to close the Ancient Shop, a product caught his eye. *** Boo Young-geon staggered to his feet. His face was contorted with despair and pain. ¡®I made a mistake, and I was arrogant.¡¯ It was a clearpse of judgment. He had thought that five S-ss hunters would be able to stand up against a Balrog, but really, there was no choice. It was stronger than he had imagined, and the team was in danger of annihtion. ¡®It¡¯s all my fault. Everything.¡¯ He should have ordered a retreat as soon as possible. No, they should have taken refuge the moment he spotted the Balrog. Even if he regretted it, the cup has already been poured. ¡®I¡­ I have to be the bait.¡¯ That was all that he could do now, be the bait and evacuate the rest of the group. It was the only way to save even one more person. The only problem was¡­ ¡®Terrified.¡¯ He was afraid. He was so afraid to die. Even if he was an S-ss hunter, he was still human. He had a lot of regrets about his life and he didn¡¯t want to die at the age of only 28. ¡°¡­..¡± In fact, Group C was already annihted. Song Han-gil and Han Chang-hoon had copsed. Shim Seung-seop, who poured out his Karma like crazy, was defeated by his own exhaustion and passed out. He himself had lost an arm. His bleeding was so severe that he could not even stand now. ¡°Look! Search a little!¡± At least Jeong Seon-kyung was still standing. She burned her fighting spirit even when she was left alone. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t beat the Balrog with just her fighting spirit. ¡°Ugh!¡± Eventually, she had also copsed. A barrage of mes and bullets broke her down. Jeong Seon-kyung waspletely battered and exhausted, spread out on the ground. ¡°Krrrrrrrrrr!¡± The Balrog roared loudly, overflowing with confidence. ¡®Just a little bit. I wish I had pushed it a little harder!¡¯ The Balrog¡¯s condition was also not too good. They had battered it down to almost a wreck. If only there were one more healer on the team¡­ No, if Han Chang-hoon hadn¡¯t been so vain, their side would have won. ¡°Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!¡± ¡°Ouch! Argh! Argh!¡± The Balrog trampled on Jeong Seon-kyung, who was already lying on the ground. It was making a mess out of her. Every time it stomped, the ground was pushed further down and a series of faint groans erupted from it. ¡®Stop¡­ That¡¯s enough! You won!¡¯ He cried inside. The reality of having to look at that disastrous sight was so miserable. ¡®¡­Let¡¯s die. Let¡¯s die and apologize to the crew.¡¯ He raised his final Karma with anger. He was willing to punch that monster even if it led to his death. If he didn¡¯t, he couldn¡¯t even die of anger. He shouted, exploding Karma. ¡°Stop¡ª¡± ¡°Stop it, you monster.¡± Suddenly, someone else appeared and blocked the Balrog. He couldn¡¯t believe it. It was Ko Byeong-gap. Byeong-gap stood in front of the Balrog, blocking its feet to protect Jeong Seon-kyung. Somehow, the Balrog couldn¡¯t even make him budge. It seemed very displeased with the current development. ¡°Cree!¡± ¡°Avoid!¡± The Balrog clenched its ws and hit the ground. Boo Young-geon thought that Ko Byeong-gap and Jeong Seon-kyung would certainly be crushed together, but such a disaster did not happen. Scream! A ray of light shed brightly¡­ And the Balrog¡¯s arms were severed. Chapter 59 59 Gourmet Day Ko Byeong-gap stared at the store window with a slightly dissatisfied gaze. It was the ¡®soul¡¯ line of merchandise that had caught his attention. ¡®Trovatin? Hashund? Karamos?¡¯ A bunch of people¡¯s souls were being sold for 700,000 crystals each. The annotations were quite intriguing. [Soul of Trovatin] -Price: 700,000 Crystals -Description: The spirit of Trovatin, the first knight among the 12 heroes of Ashvm. When used, his abilities when he was still alive can be obtained. ¡®I¡¯m going to get the abilities he had when he was still alive?¡¯ That was the part that Byeong-gap focused on. His hand moved as if it were possessed by something, and his index finger stopped just before closing the window. ¡®Do I know what this is?¡¯ He was hesitant to purchase it. There was no guarantee that this soul would help him ovee their situation. He didn¡¯t know if it was worth a dime or two, and it cost 700,000 crystals. 700,000 crystals! ¡®¡­Crazy. I¡¯m still worried about money in this situation?¡¯ Byeong-gap was getting fed up with his miserly temperament. ¡®I¡¯m stupid. If we die, it¡¯s over. What am I talking about?¡¯ His index finger reached for the shop window. Soon, a hologram appeared asking if he was sure about his purchase, and he epted without hesitation. 700,000 crystals were deducted from his inventory and something popped up in the air. It was a luminous body that looked a bit like a Goblin. ¡®Is this a soul?¡¯ It was round and about the size of a fist, emitting a subtle blue light on its own. It looked great as a children¡¯s toy, but it didn¡¯t really seem reliable. ¡®What about it makes it worth 700,000 crystals¡­? I don¡¯t know. You should be worthy as you are expensive! By the way, how do you use it?¡¯ He looked around Trovatin¡¯s soul and couldn¡¯te up with an intuitive way to use it like potions or dumplings. [Join the soul crystal with your heart.] ¡°Oh, that¡¯s sweet of you. Thank you.¡± Byeong-gap followed the instructions of the hologram. He took the soul in his hands and brought it to his heart. For some reason, his heart was pounding. [Would you like to assimte with the soul of Trovatin?] ¡®Yeah.¡¯ [The assimtion is starting. 1%, 2%, 3%¡­] [Error! The spirit and body are not suitable for receiving the soul. The assimtion rate will decrease.] [Your body strength has not reached the threshold. The assimtion rate will decrease.] [Assimtionplete with the Soul of Trovatin. Assimtion rate: 53.21%] ¡°Ugh!¡± He noticed that something had happened to his body. To be more specific, it felt like ¡®someone other than him¡¯ was inside his body. His sight suddenly went dark and he suffocated. His head throbbed like it was going to explode, and his heart went berserk like a mad cat. ¡°Haaaah!¡± An afterimage brushed past his eyes. It was the memory of a man named Trovatin. ¡ªPush! ¡ªThere¡¯s no ce for us to go back! We¡¯re gonna bury our bones on this battlefield! ¡ªFor Ashvm! Here¡¯s to Landreal! ¡®What the hell is this¡­?¡¯ Thousands of war horses were running in the vast grasnds while knights riding on those horses brandished giant swords. Trovatin was in the lead. The scene was so vivid that he felt like he was on the battlefield himself. ¡°I¡­ What was that?¡± Korean and Ashvm¡¯snguages alternated. There was no time to worry about this, but it was confusing. Byeong-gap thought he was going to forget who he was. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± ¡°Stop it!¡± His own memories and Trovatin¡¯s memories mingled together, messing with his head. All kinds of sounds and delusions tormented him. He wanted to pull out his brain if he could. ¡®Who am I? Who am I?! What am I? Am I alive? What was I doing?¡¯ ¡®Ashvm¡­ I have to go back to Ashvm. I have to go back to Ashvm. I have to go and protect Landreal.¡¯ Byeong-gap mumbled like he was possessed and got up. He opened the gate to Ashvm, but the moment he stepped inside, he suddenly came to his senses. ¡®No, I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m Ko Byeong-gap. I¡¯m not a ghost!¡¯ He picked up a stone near his feet and started hitting his head like crazy. Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Blood gushed down from his torn forehead. Byeong-gap did not stop until the stone had turned into powder. ¡°Haha¡­ Fuck.¡± The afterimage that had disturbed his eyes and ears a while ago went away. His mind had also cleared up. Byeong-gap spat out whatever came to mind to assure himself. ¡°Mom. Gobung. Kiriyan. Dorma. Ea. Doran. And the little ones. Seon-kyung noona.¡± He pulled his sword out of the air and held it in his hand. ¡°And you, son of a bitch. You¡¯re dead.¡± Byeong-gap kicked the floor, splitting the air with a sh of light. *** ¡°Stop it, you monster.¡± Byeong-gap stared at the Balrog like death, then looked down. ¡°Hah¡­ Hah¡­¡± Jeong Seon-kyung was a wreck. Every bone in her body seemed to be broken. How badly did it beat her¡­ If he didn¡¯t take action soon, she would run out of breath. ¡°Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!¡± The Balrog lightly ignored his warning and attacked. Byeong-gap¡¯s temples twitched. He drew his sword without even looking at the Balrog. A golden afterimage remained where the sword had passed. ¡°Cuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡± He swung a blow with a formidable wind. The Balrog¡¯s arms were cut off without difficulty. Without missing a beat, Byeong-gap did a round kick and collided with the monster. ¡°Choop!¡± The Balrog flew more than a hundred meters back. He plunged his sword into the ground and a golden energy swirled and formed a protective shield around them. It was the unique skill of ¡®Trovatin, the heart of the corps.¡¯ ¡°Bottle¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t force yourself to talk.¡± Byeong-gap bought a lot of dumplings from the Ancient Shop. Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s eyes widened slightly when she saw the mysterious window floating in the air. ¡®Can she even chew this?¡¯ After thinking about it for a while, he poured the dumplings into her mouth. She chewed gently, mixing it well with her saliva, and he gave her another one. ¡°Stay put.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Eat! Eat to live!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± In the end, Jeong Seon-kyung took the dumplings and ate them. Her expression, which had been distorted by pain, gradually softened. Boom! At that moment, the protective shield trembled. The Balrog, who had just returned, was hitting it with its horns. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! ¡°You idiot. You¡¯re here to kill me?¡± It would have been annoying if he had run away, but it all worked out. Byeong-gap gentlyid Jeong Seon-kyung down on the ground. ¡°Hey, Ko Byeong-gap¡­ You¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, don¡¯t say anything now.¡± He spoke softly and stood up. ¡°Hey, Ko Byeong-gap!¡± ¡°I know this is a strange situation, but first, we have to put out the fire.¡± ¡°Come on, wait a minute! Hang on!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. I don¡¯t really know, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to lose to that monster.¡± ¡°No, no, no, no, no, no!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung called out for Byeong-gap eagerly. He turned his body around, ignoring her persuasions. Then she shouted with all her heart. ¡°Hey, you damn child! If you have a cigarette, give me one!¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°What kind of bullshit are you talking about? Do you have a cigarette? Give me a box if you have one.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung looked for a cigarette as she was bleeding. Byeong-gap stammered unknowingly. Did he have cigarettes? He didn¡¯t think so. ¡°There you are.¡± He found a crumpled pack of cigarettes in his pants pocket. Luckily, one of them was still intact. The lighter was still working as well. He lit a cigarette and ced it on Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s mouth. She looked like she would die without inhaling cigarette smoke. ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m going to live now. I was scared I¡¯d die if I didn¡¯t smoke this.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Go now.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Go ahead and kill that monster.¡± ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Byeong-gap stood up again. Jeong Seon-kyung smiled faintly and spoke to his back. ¡°Don¡¯t die, Ko Byeong-gap.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t die.¡± He grabbed his sword. Golden energy gathered around him and the shield was lifted. ¡°Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!¡± A great amount of heat gathered in the mouth of the Balrog. The overflowing mes seemed ready to explode at any moment. ¡°What a big, distracted man ying with fire!¡± He put strength in his sword. Golden energy swirled around him, creating a storm. At that moment, the Balrog blew out a pir of fire. Byeong-gap calmly swung his sword and struck it back. A storm of mes and swords collided. ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± The mes were extinguished helplessly. It was simply no match. The Balrog was beaten by the sword and fell apart, pouring out blood and flesh. ¡®He¡¯s already a wreck. Let¡¯s get it over with in one shot.¡¯ Byeong-gap vowed to do that and gathered his strength again. This time, he intended to use a technique he had gleaned from Trovatin¡¯s memory. ¡®My body moves by itself.¡¯ It was a different feeling than when he imprinted the textbooks. Topare the two, the textbooks were like an open book test, and this was a cheat sheet. The de was loaded with golden energy. It took shape on its own and created a cone-shaped spear, a giant weapon measuring three meters long. It was a weapon that Trovatin loved to use in his lifetime. ¡°Crrr¡­¡± The Balrog raised its ragged body, but Byeong-gap had no intention of giving it more time. His tightly swollen legs mmed the ground; he crossed the field like a ray of light. The secret art of the Mandara Knights. The third form of the eight martial arts. ¡°Crush.¡± Ko Byeong-gap became a spear. The Balrog tried to avoid him as if it sensed the danger. However, the space around it distorted and caught it in its ce. The Balrog was a cornered mouse. Byeong-gap mercilessly stabbed it in the heart. The huge spear prated its flesh, but that was not all. The energy emitted from the spear raged like a storm and devoured its flesh from the inside. Crushing it. It was literally grinding the insides of the Balrog. ¡°Krrrrrr!!!!!!¡± The Balrog fell off with a scream of death. Its end was so futile. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ Dark clouds were clearing up in the sky, and it was not long before a strong stream of light poured in. *** ¡°Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Argh!¡± ¡°Hey! Calm down! What is it!?¡± ¡°Please! Please stop¡ªAh!!!¡± Byeong-gap let out a deadly scream. He tried to put up with it, but he couldn¡¯t. He was bleeding from every pore on his face. His limbs twisted uncontrobly, and his body contorted. The members of Group C, including Jeong Seon-kyung, could not do anything. ¡®God damn it!¡¯ Byeong-gap sighed inside. The suffering began about ten minutes ago. After the battle, he had gathered his fallen team members to heal them. Fortunately, all of them were hidden, and they somehow survived by eating the dumplings. He was also able to restore Boo Young-geon¡¯s severed arm. The problem came after that. [The assimtion rate is low, so you can¡¯t hold Trovatin¡¯s soul.] [The assimtion will be revoked.] [Trovatin¡¯s soul has been destroyed.] Suddenly, a hologram appeared saying that the soul of Trovatin had disappeared. As soon as the power wrapped around his body disappeared, Byeong-gap suffered a tremendous rebound. A terrible pain hit his whole body as if he had been thrown into a hydraulic press. The deathly aftereffects had been going on for more than ten minutes, but it showed no signs of dissipating. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t just scream. Eat this, too!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung grabbed the remaining dumplings and stomped her feet. Byeong-gap could barely open his mouth to ask for food. She understood him and fed him the dumplings. ¡°Uhhhhhh!¡± Even after eating the dumplings, the pain showed no signs of going away. Tears of blood continued to trickle down his face. Byeong-gap was in so much pain that he even cried like a child. ¡°He can¡¯t go, not like this. We need to get him to headquarters! Can you all move?¡± Boo Young-geon looked around the group and asked. ¡°I can move.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem either.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± All of them had been seriously injured, and the dumplings couldn¡¯t cure thempletely. But it was enough for them to walk or run. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Group C diligently kicked their feet. Byeong-gap groaned on Boo Young-geon¡¯s back before passing out. Group C walked and ran continuously. They moved for a long time without taking a break. Then, as the sun was going down, they ran into another group, who then provided support. With their help, Group C was able to reach the headquarters. Byeong-gap, who had passed out, remained unconscious most of the time. He would sometimes regain consciousness, but he struggled with the pain and would faint again. It was a day or so after the end of the first expedition before he fully woke up. Chapter 60 60 The Expedition is Over! ¡°Ugh¡­¡± His eyelids twitched, and his eyshes trembled like the wings of a bee. After a while, his eyes opened. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap could only roll his eyes and look around. It didn¡¯t take long for him to figure out where he was. There was a familiar interior structure around him, and the subtle smell of disinfectant was in the air. He looked down to see an IV needle stuck in his arm. He was in the hospital. He woke up and realized that the pain had suddenly disappeared. Hisst memory was of himself struggling with pain. ¡°¡­I thought I was going to die.¡± The reaction had started as soon as Trovatin¡¯s soul and assimtion were unleashed. There had been a constant feeling of fainting and waking up, then fainting again and again. It happened maybe three or four times, and he felt like he had died. What was the date today? Byeong-gap raised his head and looked for a clock or a calendar. He caught sight of his cell phone on the table next to the bed. ¡ªDecember 24th ¡ª11:26 AM ¡°What?!¡± Their battle against the Balrog happened on December 20th. If his phone wasn¡¯t lying, then he had been passed out for four days. After pulling out the IV from his arm, Byeong-gap picked up his clothes that were hanging on a hanger. They had been washed well. He changed quickly then looked out the window to see a big tree. ¡°It¡¯s already Christmas Eve¡­ This is not good.¡± He was worried about the Goblins. He had not gone to Ashvm for at least ten days now. They must be worried and waiting for him. As he packed up his things and opened the door of his hospital room, he saw someone standing just outside. It was Jeong Seon-kyung, wearing in clothes. She looked up at Byeong-gap with surprised eyes. ¡°You¡­ When did you wake up? No, are you feeling better?¡± She fumbled with his body, and Byeong-gap nodded, removing her hands from his arm. ¡°I¡¯m okay. There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°Hey, seriously, I thought you were going to die. Why did a normal kid suddenly turn into a pretzel?¡± Byeong-gapughed softly at the word ¡®pretzel.¡¯ ¡°What about the others?¡± ¡°Them? They¡¯re all fine, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Phew, that¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Thanks to you. If it weren¡¯t for you, we¡¯d be shooting with God as a group by now.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung jokingly answered. He looked at her reaction, and it didn¡¯t seem like a lie. ¡°The expedition ended well. Where are you going, anyway?¡± ¡°Where am I going? I have to go home.¡± ¡°What, you¡¯re crazy! What kind of house are you going home to for you to rush out right after waking up? Go back inside and lie down!¡± She forced Byeong-gap back into the room. There was no way he could go against her power. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m fine!¡± ¡°You¡¯re fucking with me! You were throwing up just yesterday, what kind of bastard is fine after that?!¡± ¡°No, I know my body well. There¡¯s really no problem.¡± ¡°Are you insane? Do you really want to die?¡± Byeong-gap had to stay in the hospital for a few more hours. He was under pressure from Jeong Seon-kyung and had was only after getting a check-up ticket that there was nothing wrong with his body that her spirits eased a little. ¡°I rmend that you stay in the hospital for a few more days, but if you want, you can already leave.¡± ¡°Look, what did I tell you? I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°No, doctor. Are you sure he¡¯s okay? Until yesterday, he had been vomiting like crazy. You¡¯ve seen it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because Awakeners are different from ordinary people. This is often the case.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Byeong-gap left the hospital at around 4 pm. It was snowing gently. This Christmas seemed to be a white Christmas. ¡°I think he¡¯s a quack.¡± ¡°Are you still talking about that? And why are you following me?¡± ¡°What? I¡¯ve already been discharged.¡± ¡°¡­Noona, shouldn¡¯t you be hospitalized more than me? It was harder for you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, man. I know my body the best.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± Byeong-gap received conflicting information from her. As soon as the first expedition waspletely finished, the second expedition had been deployed. A banquet celebrating the return of the expedition would be held next Monday. Aside from that, an additional 150 million won was to be paid to Group C for killing S-ss monsters. ¡°Oh, yes, I¡¯ve decided not to talk to anyone else about you. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right to talk about it freely since it¡¯s not my story. Of course, I don¡¯t mean to steal your thunder. We can stand witness if you want.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Boo Young-geon wanted me to talk to you about it.¡± Byeong-gap scratched his chin. He could feel the texture of a messy beard starting to grow. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re hiding your strength, but if people found out that you¡¯ve caught a Balrog, you¡¯ll be invited into many prominent guilds. You¡¯ve always told me you¡¯re living in poverty. Turn your life around. Or you can join our guild, I can put in a good word for you.¡± ¡°Undermoon?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not one of the top five, but Undermoon is a pretty good guild.¡± Byeong-gap thought for a moment, then shook his head. Jeong Seon-kyung made an expression that meant she understood. ¡°Keep it a secret for now. I¡¯m mostfortable with that.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help it then, if that¡¯s what you want. Speaking of which, what are you really?¡± ¡°What am I? Like my body? Do I look like a goblin and not a human?¡± ¡°I mean the strange power and ability you use. I¡¯ve never even heard of such a thing.¡± Byeong-gap smirked and trembled. ¡°That¡¯s not the way to get my information.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Try a little harder.¡± ¡°What? Ha! What does this make me?¡± They walked to arge public parking lot attached to the hospital. Seon-kyung stood in front of a luxury SUV that she lightly quoted to be 200 million won. She added with a mischievousugh. ¡°Ta. I work hard all night long.¡± Byeong-gap felt something wriggling in his body, and he wondered whether she would point it out or not. However, today was not the day. ¡°I have to go home today.¡± ¡°¡­Why? Are you tired?¡± ¡°I have work to do.¡± ¡°Tsh, do you guard cages in your house? Or maybe a squirrel is waiting for you?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, not a squirrel but something simr.¡± ¡°Huh!¡± Seon-kyungughed as if she was amazed. ¡°This is the biggest humiliation of Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s 31-year life¡­ Hah, you idiot. I¡¯ll bring you home.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Byeong-gap got in her car and they headed to his home. ¡°Oh, right. I have to stop by the market.¡± ¡°Market? Why the market?¡± ¡°I need to buy some meat. Just drop me off around here, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± ¡°Oh,e on. Alright, let¡¯s go together.¡± The two went to a traditional market near his house, and Byeong-gap visited his usual butcher shop. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been in a market like this. I think it¡¯s been over ten years.¡± ¡°Well, where do you go for groceries? At the supermarket?¡± ¡°Why are you grocery shopping? You can just buy or order online. By the way, how much meat are you going to buy? I¡¯ll buy it for you.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯m going to buy a lot. Will that be okay?¡± ¡°Hey, how much do you need?¡± Byeong-gap thought he had won and said cheerfully. ¡°How much pork belly do you have? Do you have about 300 pounds?¡± ¡°Th¡­ Three hundred pounds?¡± ¡°Hey, hold on! What do you mean 300 pounds? Don¡¯t y around!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung freaked out. The owner of the butcher shop also eximed that that was absurd. ¡°I¡¯m not kidding.¡± ¡°Excuse me. How many people are you feeding?¡± ¡°A little over 400.¡± ¡°Oh my, are you going to a feast¡­?¡± ¡°Four hundred¡­ people?¡± When he said that he was feeding more than 400 people, Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s expression became quite serious. ¡°Hey, Ko Byeong-gap. Do you happen to be¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She took a pause and smacked her lips. ¡°Nothing. You must be doing a lot of good things.¡± She nodded with a knowing look on her face. There was no way to know what she had inferred about Byeong-gap. ¡°Customer. If you have enough, would you rather buy three or four whole pigs?¡± ¡°Is that better?¡± ¡°Yes. It would be cheaper and better.¡± ¡°Then alright, I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°Hey. No, I¡¯ll buy it for you. Boss, I¡¯d like to pay for this.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung, unlike before, willingly held out her card with a pleased smile. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will be kids or the elderly who will eat it, but make sure you tell them it was from me.¡± The butcher handed them four whole, dried pigs in a stic bag. Even carrying it would be too much for an ordinary person, but Byeong-gap had no problems with it. ¡°Oh my gosh, your boyfriend is a strong man.¡± ¡°Right? He¡¯s like a knight. Ho ho ho!¡± ¡°Heh heh. I can¡¯t take it. Thank you, anyway. Enjoy your meal!¡± ¡°Have a good day~¡± The two left the butcher¡¯s shop and went back to the car. Jeong Seon-kyung looked a little nervous. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you have to put such hideous things in my cutie. Hmm? Wait, what?¡± Byeong-gap had sent the four whole pigs to Ashvm. Originally, his iron rule was not to show his ability in front of others, but there was no problem with Jeong Seon-kyung. He had already shown her more than this. Jeong Seon-kyung was amazed, her mouth wide open. ¡®Does he also have a subspace ability? Come to think of it, that¡¯s also what I saw before¡­ Other than that person, I didn¡¯t think there would be someone else with a subspace.¡¯ ¡°When I look at you, I feel like themon sense I¡¯ve had for the past 31 years is falling apart.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take that as apliment.¡± They arrived in front of his house before they knew it. Byeong-gap managed to stop Jeong Seon-kyung, who wanted to look around the house, and agreed to smoke together. ¡°You¡¯re so secretive. Anyway, enjoy your meal. Make sure you tell them I bought it.¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll enjoy the food.¡± ¡°Yes, you did a great job. Well done, Ko Byeong-gap.¡± ¡°Well, you suffered a lot too, noona.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s gather Group Cter and have a meal. It feels like no one would join, though. Hehe.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll definitely go out for that.¡± ¡°Okay, by the way, you blew your chance. You only have one shot.¡± ¡°Chance? What chance?¡± ¡°Figure it out on your own, you idiot.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung finally left without answering. Byeong-gap saw her off and stepped inside his house. He was finally home after three months, but nothing weed him back but a cold silence. Byeong-gap skimmed through his six-pyeong studio apartment. This was thest thing he saw before leaving for the expedition. ¡°Nice to see you again.¡± It was nice to see the living room, but there was something else he was looking forward to. He quickly unpacked and opened the door to Ashvm with excitement. Without hesitation, he walked through the door. ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Byeong-gap was a bit perplexed. As soon as he entered Ashvm, his vision was immediately filled with the Goblins. Looking at the number of heads, all of Ashvm¡¯s Goblins seemed to have gathered here. Of course, Ea and Doran were also there. ¡°¡­What are you guys doing? Why aren¡¯t you working?¡± ¡°Huhu!¡± ¡°Huhuhuhu!¡± ¡°What, what? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Haaaaaaaaaaah!¡± The Goblins clung to Byeong-gap, and he almost fell backward. ¡°Lord, you fool! Why are you just returning now?¡± ¡°Lord! What¡¯s wrong with you? Why are youte?¡± ¡°I was worried!¡± ¡°Lord!!¡± The longing of the Goblins exploded everywhere. The Goblin Lord, Ko Byeong-gap, was able to feel their emotions clearly. ¡°Lord, why did youe sote? We were worried about you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We were so nervous because we thought you were gone. Everyone here was worried about you because we knew you were in a dangerous ce.¡± ¡°Oh,e on. You can bete even at work. Anyway, don¡¯t worry too much.¡± Doran and Ea also joined in and spouted their resentment. In the end, Byeong-gap had to raise both his hands. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry. Get away from me.¡± Only then did the Goblins let go of him. He carried the dried pigs on his shoulder and addressed everyone. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten, have you? Let¡¯s hurry up and eat. I¡¯m starving.¡± ¡°Good!¡± ¡°Lord! He¡¯s hungry! Let¡¯s get ready!¡± On this day, a small feast was held in Ashvm tomemorate the return of Lord Ko Byeong-gap. Byeong-gap sipped beer, had a barbecue,ughed, and chatted while watching the Goblins joke around. ¡®It would be good to join a guild and turn my life around, but I like this life better.¡¯ The zing bonfire stimted his emotions, and Byeong-gap fell deep in thought. As expected, this was the ce where he felt most confident. Chapter 61 61 Celebrating the New Year ¡°Hahaha.¡± Ko Byeong-gap left the bank¡¯s main branch, his mouth curling up at the corners. He couldn¡¯t stop his smile from leaking out, so he just let it go. It was okay to look like a man with a couple of loose screws today. ¡°I paid it all off. I paid it all off! Whoa! I did it!¡± ¡°Mom, what¡¯s wrong with him?¡± ¡°Shh! Don¡¯t look at him!¡± He cried hurrah in the middle of the road. The passersby snuck away, looking at him warily. Regardless, he raised his sped hands to the height of his forehead and trembled. ¡®I thought I¡¯d suffer for the rest of my life. Good for you, Ko Byeong-gap!¡¯ The settlement of the expedition had beenpleted. The money he received amounted to 2.1 billion won. To be clear, that was the amount he received after paying off taxes. As soon as the money appeared in his bank ount, he paid off his tedious debt. Still, more than 1.9 billion won remained. ¡®What am I gonna do with this money?¡¯ Now that he had money, he was thinking about spending it first. Here he was, a person who had eaten meat and knew how to cut it, but suddenly had no idea how to deal with arge amount of money. If he had been a little smarter and more outgoing, he would have considered investment, real estate, or stocks. Unfortunately, however, he had no knowledge or experience in that field. ¡®If I went on a spending spree just to make myself feel better, I might lose in the long run. Let¡¯s change things step by step and only buy what I really need.¡¯ From that day on, Ko Byeong-gap became busy. First of all, he prepared to move out. He organized his six-pyeong studio apartment, which he had lived in for two years, and searched for new homes. ¡®Since my mom is here, I have to stay in Seoul all the time, but good properties are too expensive¡­ I can¡¯t do this. Let¡¯s go with Jeonse for now. It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m still young and I have a lot of money to make.¡¯ He signed a lease contract with an officetel in Yongsan-gu, and the deposit was about 460 million won. There was no reason to insist on an apartment because he did not have any children. ¡°Aww. It¡¯s a pity that I¡¯m going to be a bachelor.¡± The day he left the vi vige in Sillim-dong, thendy came to him as he was about to move his belongings. Byeong-gap wasn¡¯t sure whether she was feeling bad that he was leaving or if it was just regrettable for her tenant to leave. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll go and have a good life.¡± ¡°Yes. I wish your mother the best too.¡± He drove to his new house in a moving center car. The officetel was to his liking; the new building was clean and the surrounding infrastructure was good. Above all, his mother¡¯s hospital was just ten minutes away on foot. It was an empty vacancy, and it was fun to fill it up the way he wanted. It was already nighttime when he finished unpacking his luggage and the furniture he ordered. He was looking down at the bright night view of Seoul, and it somehow made him feel better. ¡°Oh, no one threw me a housewarming party even if I moved.¡± His rtionships were very narrow; he didn¡¯t have any particr friends. His circumstances made him a loner. ¡®I don¡¯t really have friends because I¡¯ve been busy making money and paying off my debts since I was discharged from the army. Now that I¡¯m here, who can I shamelessly catch up with?¡¯ He recalled the friends that he was close with in high school and army colleagues he was with for two years. How was everyone doing? ¡°I¡¯m not exactly happy with it, but I got such a nice house.¡± His monologue ensued as he looked at his empty house. He was happy enough, though. Even though it was a charter, he was able to get his own house anyway. He felt even happier than when he set up his first tent in Ashvm. What was the difference between here and there? ¡°The difference is between having someone waiting for me or not.¡± He sipped his beer and smiled. What a day to be so sentimental! He really seemed to be getting older. After all, he would be 26 in just a few days. Anyway, the first night in his new house passed quietly. The next day, Byeong-gap visited the store to pick up a new car. It was every man¡¯s dream to get one, and it was the number one item indispensable to hunters. He recalled the stylish foreign SUV driven by Jeong Seon-kyung. To be honest, he wanted to buy one, but it was a luxury no matter how much he thought about it, so he agreed on a domestic car that was cheaper. ¡°These days, domestic products are also popr. Anyone who ignores it just because it¡¯s domestic is an idiot.¡± The store dealer babbled on about things that weren¡¯t important, even asking him if he was a Shinto Buddha believer. Anyway, the contract signing ended quickly because he found a car he was already sold on. He signed a contract with arge SUVpany in South Korea. When he chose the full option of paying 56 million won as a lump sum, the way the dealer looked at Byeong-gap changed. ¡°The shipment will take a month or two at the earliest!¡± ¡°As soon as possible, please.¡± ¡°Yes! Have a nice day!¡± He left the store with a light heart. Waiting for him was his small,pact car. There was not much time left to drive this cutie, and it was too old to be resold. The highest probability was that it would end up in a junkyard. He didn¡¯t think much of it when he was vacating his room, but he thought it would be pretty sad to scrap this guy. ¡°Wait, I don¡¯t have to scrap the car. I can take it to Ashvm and drag it around.¡± A funny picture began to form in his head. *** ¡°Oh, four, three, two, one¡­ Huh. It¡¯s really 2026.¡± January 1, 2026. Ko Byeong-gap celebrated the New Year in Ashvm. In fact, the New Year didn¡¯t change anything. The world couldn¡¯t be turned upside down, of course. Sitting in a rocking chair and counting stars, he suddenly got goosebumps on his arm. The night air was cool. ¡°It¡¯s chilly.¡± As expected, winter hade to Ashvm. However, the cold weather here was not as severe as the winter in Korea. He guessed it was a warm climate all year round over here. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve seen the sun go down, I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± He went back to his shelter in Ashvm and slept. These days, he spent more days here than at home. Since returning from the expedition, he had also taken a break from going on missions, so he had been eating and sleeping here. The day soon dawned. The Goblins diligently got up and prepared their routine. Byeong-gap woke up early today because there was food he wanted to cook for the Goblins. ¡°Hmm? Oh, my.¡± ¡°Good morning, Ea.¡± ¡°Yes. Good morning. By the way, what brings you here so early? I never imagined you¡¯d be here in the restaurant.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to cook for the first time in a while. There¡¯s something I want to cook for the kids.¡± ¡°You? You can cook too?¡± ¡°What do you think people are? I¡¯m a Michelin chef just sitting in the corner of the room.¡± ¡°Michelin? Chef¡­? I sometimes find it difficult to understand what you say, just like right now.¡± ¡°You just have to think that it¡¯s a good thing.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s clear, then.¡± In fact, Byeong-gap had pretty good cooking skills. He just didn¡¯t do it much because he waszy. He also had a free day to lie back because it was his birthday and New Year¡¯s. Since no one provided him with rice cake soup, he had to make it himself. ¡°How about Doran?¡± ¡°She¡¯s still sleeping. Didn¡¯t you know she sleeps a lot in the morning? Doran is quite the sleeper.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake her up?¡± Ea smiled and shook her head. ¡°I want her to sleep soundly. The Goblins and I can prepare the meal.¡± ¡°You¡¯re weird too.¡± ¡°Ah, hello. Huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Lord!¡± ¡°Lord, why are you here?¡± Like tigers, they all started toe by. The kids came to help him prepare the meal. Before Byeong-gap could say anything, Ea opened her mouth. ¡°Your Lord is making a delicious breakfast today! Aren¡¯t you excited?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it!¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t make a fuss. It¡¯s not a big deal.¡± ¡°Oh, my. You said you were amazing, but now you¡¯re refuting it? Then which rhythm should I dance to?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± After all, she had a talent for making people speechless. Byeong-gap rolled up his sleeves, muttering. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll give you a mission. You two, bring me the things I brought yesterday. Bring some water as well and put fire in arge pot. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°Ea, take the rest of the kids and bring me some eggs.¡± ¡°How much do you need?¡± ¡°About five dozen eggs will do.¡± ¡°Leave it to me!¡± The members all moved at his orders. Soon, the cooking began in earnest. As expected, the food he was going to make was rice cake soup. ¡®What¡¯s the big deal about tteokguk? You can simply put all the ingredients in and boil it.¡¯ He made a base by mixing beef bone broth and water. He then added green onions, rice cakes, meat, eggs, and then seasoned it with salt, soy sauce, and other seasonings. It was perfect to taste and smelled amazing too. When it was slowly entering thepletion stage, Doran came into the restaurant. Ea recognized her like a ghost and said hello. ¡°Oh! Doran, wee. Did you sleep well?¡± ¡°Yes, I slept well. But what is Lord doing here?¡± ¡°Doran, don¡¯t be surprised. Your Lord said he would make breakfast for today.¡± ¡°Really? So you¡¯re making one now, Lord?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Doesn¡¯t it smell good?¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± ¡°Oh my gosh¡­ What kind of a joke is this?¡± Byeong-gap pretended not to feel proud of it, but his shoulders shrugged. Yeah! He was the Lord who took care of them so well! If there was ever another monarch out there who fed his world with his own hands, he asked them toe out. Byeong-gap spoke as if he suddenly remembered something as he stirred the rice cakes so that they wouldn¡¯t stick. ¡°By the way, Doran. You should get up early sometimes and help Ea. How much hard work do you do until dawn?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah, no¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡± Doran was confused, then she suddenly looked at Ea and shouted. ¡°I told you to wake me up! Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± ¡°What? When did Doran¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up, you idiot! I told you! I said it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I guess I didn¡¯t hear that. And I want Doran to sleep soundly¡­¡± ¡°This is so annoying!¡± Doran turned around and ran out. ¡°Wow, she¡¯s like a real master dog, a master dog. How can she be so wild?¡± Byeong-gap admired her in a pure sense. Ea, on the other hand, wiggled her fingers with a glum face. ¡°Why did you say that to her? I¡¯m really fine¡­ What if Doran hates me now?¡± ¡°Just leave it. She¡¯ll be fine soon, it won¡¯t even take a day or two. Now, go get the kids and tell them to eat slowly.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Soon after the little ones were called, the Goblins flocked to the restaurant. They each held a bowl and lined up in an orderly fashion. Byeong-gap distributed the rice cake soup with his own hands and announced to everyone that he had made it. Atst, the distribution was over, and a flood of gratitude filled his ears. He scooped up his share and sat in an empty seat. ¡°Enjoy your meal!¡± ¡°Lord, enjoy your meal!¡± ¡°Okay. Eat well too.¡± Byeong-gap nced to the side. The new family member, Varmond, was sitting next to him. The guy didn¡¯t seem to be used to scooping up food with a spoon. Byeong-gap spoke up, munching on his rice cake. ¡°Hey, Varmond.¡± ¡°Ah! Oh yes, Lord. Go ahead.¡± ¡°What? Why are you so surprised?¡± ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡± ¡°This is nothing. What do you think? Do you like the food?¡± He asked in an anticipating and nodded. ¡°Yes, yes, yes. It¡¯s delicious.¡± ¡°¡­Is that it? That¡¯s a little weak.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Gobung!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Gobung, who was sitting about five seats away, jumped up and answered. What an amazing reaction time. ¡°Is it edible?¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s so delicious! It¡¯s so delicious. It¡¯s my first time eating it!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s good, that¡¯s good. That¡¯s very desirable.¡± Byeong-gap nodded his head with satisfaction and looked like he didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°See? That¡¯s how you do it from now on.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough, I¡¯m just kidding. Just eat.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Yes. I see. Well, I¡¯m eating very delicious food, too.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡®He¡¯s got a blunt personality that¡¯s unlike other Goblins. I think he¡¯s a little shy.¡¯ from any other Goblin. Well, it was no big deal. Dorma alone had a serious atmosphere unlike the other guys. If all the Goblins in Ashvm were to giggle, it would be a pain in the ass, anyway. ¡®Hmm. Should I say it now?¡¯ Byeong-gap went around the restaurant. All the Goblins of Ashvm were gathered, so there was no need to assemble them separatelyter. ¡°Guys, focus on me for a second.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Byeong-gap spoke out loud. The Goblins stopped what they were doing and gave him their attention. ¡°I have something to announce.¡± ¡°Announcement?¡± ¡°What is it? Are you going away for a long time again?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that.¡± ¡°Then what?¡± Dorma asked in a voice of concern. Byeong-gap rested for a beat and spoke as if he were proiming something important. ¡°Everyone, listen up. We¡¯ll move over the fog within the next month.¡± Chapter 62 62 Advance Preparation ¡°Are we finally getting over the fog?¡± Dorma asked with a trembling voice. Byeong-gap nodded slowly. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been dying it, but I think it¡¯s time to see the results. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to stay here forever, but what is our ultimate goal?¡± He asked nobody in particr. The Goblins opened their mouths wide. ¡°Oh, Ashvm¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it is the reconstruction of Ashvm. I mean, I don¡¯t know if Ashvm was originally stuck in a mountain like this. Isn¡¯t that right, Dorma?¡± ¡°Yes! I heard that Ashvm was the strongest kingdom that epassed the whole world andmanded all continents!¡± Dorma responded in an excited voice. A strong desire shed in his eyes. Byeong-gap also felt a surge of emotion at the same time. ¡°Okay, so let¡¯s get out of here! We¡¯re going out and building a real kingdom, not a yhouse! You don¡¯t have to be afraid of anything other than the fog. Who would dare stand in our way? Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°If Lord is with us, then we¡¯re not afraid of anything!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Woooooooo!¡± Suddenly, the restaurant was buzzing. Ea was so surprised that she dropped her spoon. Byeong-gap waved his hands and calmed the Goblins down. ¡°Come on, calm down. As I said, I¡¯m not saying we¡¯re leaving right now. We have a month to prepare.¡± ¡°What do you mean by prepare?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s a good question, Kiriyan.¡± He looked at the entire restaurant. ¡°Our goal is to make this ce an impregnable fortress. We need apletely self-sufficient system and infrastructure. Our family should be three times as big as it is now.¡± He paused for a moment. The next thing he had to say was hard to speak of. ¡°And I¡¯ll have to pick the ones who have to stay here and won¡¯t being with me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t take everyone with me. Someone has to stay and take care of this ce.¡± The Goblins became solemn. They seemed concerned that they might be chosen to remain. ¡°For now, keep that in mind. And Gobung¡­¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± ¡°See me when you¡¯re done eating.¡± Gobung¡¯s eyes trembled slightly. The boy licked his lips and answered in a hoarse voice. ¡°Yes¡­¡± The little raucous breakfast was over. Byeong-gap went back to his tent and spread arge drawing paper on the wide desk in front of him, jotting down drawings and notes. As he was about to do some work, Gobung walked in. ¡°Lord, I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here. Come sit.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Byeong-gap and Gobung sat face to face. Unlike his usual countenance, Gobung¡¯s expression was dark. He seemed to guess what the Lord had called him for. ¡°Do you know why I called you?¡± ¡°A little. I think I know.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m supposed to stay here, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Gobung bowed his head, and Byeong-gap smacked his lips. ¡°Don¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s not true. It¡¯splex¡­ Lord. Breaking up. Because I¡¯m sad.¡± ¡°Gobung.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°I like you the most among the Goblins. You¡¯re the one I trust the most.¡± He pointed to the drawing paper on the table. On top of the nk sheet, something was written in the alphabet. It was the word ¡®Somnium.¡¯ ¡°Do you understand what that means?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Somnium. It means dream.¡± ¡°What does it mean by dream¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll name this ce Somnium because this is where our dreams started¡­ Do you think it¡¯s childish?¡± ¡°Oh, no, it¡¯s not! It¡¯s cool!!¡± Gobung waved his hands quickly. Seeing this, Byeong-gap grinned. ¡°Hoho. You can¡¯t just leave it to anyone if it¡¯s such a precious ce, can you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m leaving it to you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Gobung was struck with a small admiration. Byeong-gap cleared his throat with a few coughs. After that, he opened his mouth and spoke in a serious tone. ¡°Hmmm. From today on, Gobung, I appoint you as the lord of Somnium.¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®lord¡¯?¡± ¡°As far as Somnium is concerned, you are the lord. So take responsibility and rule.¡± ¡°Huh? Although¡­ For me. I¡¯m going to¡­¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t feel too pressured. Just because you¡¯re a lord doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re grand. You just have to continue what you¡¯re doing, teach the kids well and work hard.¡± Gobung swallowed his words several times. In many ways, he seemed to be in aplicated state of mind. But that was only for a while. After a moment, his face was filled with motivation, and he nodded vigorously. ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll do my best!¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I¡¯ll officially dere it to the kidster, so be quiet until then.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°And even if we move over the fog, we¡¯ll stille to the Somnium regrly. I¡¯m also nning to have amunicationwork so that we canmunicate anytime. So you don¡¯t have to think that you¡¯re never going to see me again.¡± ¡°I¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Ah, would I lie to you?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Well, anyway, I have a lot to teach you before we leave, so be on your toes.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Gobung¡¯s expression got brighter, and Byeong-gap was relieved to see that. *** One day has already passed in 2026. As soon as Byeong-gap woke up, he visited a used car store. He didn¡¯t go there to eat, of course. ¡°This is a 21-year-old car model with only 90,000 mileage and is like-new. You can¡¯t find a property like this at this price anywhere.¡± The dealer¡¯s mboyant tongue teased him. Byeong-gap nced at the blue one-ton truck. It looked like it was going to roll well. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take this.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good choice!¡± On the same day, he bought two one-ton trucks. Altogether, it was less than half the price of his new SUV. He drove the new trucks he had bought to his favorite junkyard, along with ten 200L drums. It was all washed clean. There was no time to rest. He loaded up the drums and went to the cheapest gas station in town. It was spectacr to see the ten drums being filled up. ¡®Ten drums can be used for half a year, right?¡¯ He sent all the trucks and drums filled with diesel to Ashvm. The eyes of the Goblins opened wide when they saw it. ¡°Lo¡­ Lord. This. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to ride these from now on.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± During the day, he picked some smart Goblins and taught them how to drive. As a car was such a dangerous thing, Byeong-gap was quite nervous. ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Ah, brake! Step on the brakes!¡± ¡°B¡ªbrake? Gasp!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the elerator!¡± Well, as expected, the driving skills of the Goblins were abysmal. Even the elerator pedal and brake were confusing for them. His blood pressure broke through the threshold by the time he was teaching the third Goblin. By the fifth one, he realized that it was all a wreck. ¡°Yaaah!!! Stop the car!¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± ¡°Do you have any bad feelings for me? Just tell me if you have anyints, dude! Don¡¯t drive to protest!¡± ¡°Oh, no, that¡¯s not it! How dare I¡­¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s wrong with you? If you step on it, it goes faster, and if you take your foot off, it stops. What¡¯s so hard about that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°Get off!¡± ¡°Huh!¡± ¡°Lo¡­ Lord, it¡¯s too scary¡­¡± Even Gobung, whom he trusted, thought so. Byeong-gap thought he should seriously give up. When he became angry, the Goblins couldn¡¯t breathe properly. A tender-hearted one even shed tears. In the meantime¡­ ¡°Hmm? Is that it? It¡¯s really easy.¡± The talent came from an unexpected ce. Ea, who hade out to watch, drove the car too easily. She pulled over after a leisurelyp around Ashvm. ¡°I love this driving thing! I love it to the point where I want to do it all day.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­ Thank you so much.¡± ¡°Oh, are you crying?¡± Byeong-gap, sitting in the passenger seat, was shedding tears. They were tears of emotion. That was how their driving education ended, leaving scars for Byeong-gap, or for the Goblins¡­ or both. They finished the day by creating a fuel bank in the chilly weather. Driving training continued the next day and the day after that. Although the Goblins¡¯ driving skills were hopeless, they couldn¡¯t give up their cars. ¡®We need a car, no matter what.¡¯ There were endless ways to use a car. Efficient work, movingrge quantities of material, as well as rapid movement. In this barren ce, it was truly a universal key. Fortunately, the Goblins eventually learned. Although their progress was slow, they¡¯d improve day by day. ¡°Oh, right! Look. If you do what I say, you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Hehe¡­ That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Come on, Gobung. Let¡¯s turn right here.¡± ¡°Yep! Right, right!¡± ¡°Yaaah!!! It¡¯s on the right, you idiot!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Stop the car!¡± ¡­As mentioned, progress was slow. Apart from bringing in cars, many other things changed in Ashvm. Several new buildings were built in a day, and all kinds of modern supplies filled the space. There would be a lot of new family members in the future, so they had to prepare diligently. Of course, there are always obstacles. ¡®I¡¯m sorry too.¡¯ There were only two things that Ashvm did not have. It was infrastructure and professional technology. Byeong-gap wanted to build a lot of modern facilities. For example, a freezer, modern toilets, and public baths. But public baths were crap. The reality was that they didn¡¯t even have basic infrastructure. Should they manually drill the groundwater and install gas pipes? It was practically impossible to do. ¡®It¡¯s a mountain over a mountain¡­ I don¡¯t know about the bathhouse, but we urgently need a freezer and toilets.¡¯ Even now, the food materials that had gone rotten were thrown away in one ce. Dealing with dposing food was also a major headache, so a freezer was absolutely necessary. The issue of toilets was another headache, to say the least. So far, they had solved it by taking care of their business in the corner of the forest and burying it in the ground, but it was not a wise way in the long run. ¡®If you don¡¯t know, you have to learn. If you don¡¯t have teeth, you have to eat with your gums.¡¯ From that day on, Byeong-gap studied and researched until he fell asleep. His short-term goal was to build a freezer and toilet. Time passed and the second week of 2026 dawned on them. ¡®Done. This should be enough.¡¯ Byeong-gap looked at his own blueprint and smiled. Was the gap between his skills and knowledge huge? He could just fill it in with the ancient shop and his creativity. ¡°Today will be a historical day.¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± ¡°Everyone, put on your gloves.¡± First of all, they were making a freezer. ¡®Ancient Shop.¡¯ [Ancient Shop] -Construction -Techniques -Misceneous Goods -Others [Crystals on Hand: 5,170,860] ¡®Good. I have enough capital.¡¯ Even while he was away on the expedition, the Goblins diligently mined crystals. As a result, they had collected over 500,000 crystals. If it weren¡¯t for the Balrog, it would have been over 6 million. ¡®What can I do? I¡¯ve already used it.¡¯ He cleared the bitter taste from his mouth and looked for his desired product. [Perennial Ice of Mt. Cheondosan] -Price: 3,300 Crystals -Description: Non-melting ice collected from the top of Mt. Cheondosan. It exhales out a chill on its own. May peel off your skin when touched with bare hands. Byeong-gap bought a lot of the ¡®Perennial Ice of Mt. Cheondosan¡¯. It was a key ingredient in his Ashvm freezer. Even just one lump of it exuded tremendous results. ¡°Uh¡­ This is¡­ It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°Suddenly, it¡¯s really cold.¡± ¡°Everyone, be careful. You might get hurt if you touch it with your bare hands.¡± ¡°Us. What can we do?¡± ¡°Get these things in there.¡± The Goblins began to move the ice into the designated building. That building, too, was no ordinary building. Its outer walls were covered with red soil, which minimized the cold air from leaking out by blocking the gaps. An hourter, the floor of the building was covered with ice. Above the ice sat a stic palette. ¡®Oh, that¡¯s right.¡¯ Goosebumps rose on his arms even though he was there for only a while. The cold air from all directions synergized with each other, and the temperature continued to drop. Finally, he put a thermometer in a ce where they could see it well. The temperature inside was surprising. ¡®The highest temperature is 0 degrees Celsius, and the lowest is around negative 20 degrees Celsius. It¡¯s perfect!¡¯ It was worthwhile to divide the sections on purpose. This would allow both refrigeration and freezing at the same time. ¡°Guys, I¡¯m sorry, but we have to move right away.¡± ¡°What else are we going to make?¡± ¡°Oh, we¡¯re going to make a bathroom this time.¡± ¡°Toilet. You mean?¡± ¡°Yes, everyone, lift your shovels.¡± Fifty or so Goblins grabbed their shovels and grains. Byeong-gap led them to the site he had selected earlier. ¡°Keep digging until I say it¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Dig the ground. Do you mean?¡± ¡°Yes, you have to dig deep and wide, so be prepared.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The Goblins clung to the ground. Byeong-gap rolled up his sleeves and helped them. They had to dig a well that measured twenty meters wide, ten meters long, and five meters deep. After about two hours of digging, they got the depth and width he wanted. ¡°On the count of three, everyone lift it at the same time.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Come on, get ready. One, two, three!¡± ¡°Heehee!¡± ¡°Carry!¡± What they were carrying was a specially-made rectangr barrel. Its external material was like a septic tank. They ced the huge barrel into the hole they just dug. It was a perfect fit, as if it had been measured with a ruler. After that, they poured soil into the barrel. One meter above the floor was enough. ¡°By the way. Lord. This. What is it?¡± ¡°What is it? It¡¯s a worm house. Why?¡± ¡°Huh? Worms?¡± Byeong-gap crouched down in front of the barrel and opened the ancient shop. [Tooth Earthworm Colony] -Price: 1,600 crystals -Description: Predators living in deep soil. They are the best cleaners who eat up even animal bones. Their vitality is very strong. A key ingredient in the bathroom were these worms. ¡®I¡¯m going to test these guys for eating¡­ Uh-huh.¡¯ Byeong-gap actually raised tooth earthworms for several days, giving them his own human waste to eat. The results showed that they ate it very well. It was almost unbearable for him to handle them himself. ¡°Don¡¯t fight with one another because you¡¯ll have enough food.¡± He released a cluster of earthworms into the wide barrel. There were about 10,000 of them. ¡°Hoo. Finally, the clean septic tank of Mt. Ashvm isplete.¡± Of course, this was not the end of the story. Byeong-gapid a custom-made iron te on top of the septic tank. It would be a huge problem if they fell while doing their business. He put a building on top of it. Unfortunately, the internal structure had to be removed and reconstructed. ¡°Gobung.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Bring the things I brought yesterday.¡± ¡°The white ones. Do you mean?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Take the kids and bring them all here.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The Goblins rushed to fulfill his orders. They carried in some smooth and white things, which were none other than toilets. ¡®Actually, they can just do it like a pushover, but since they¡¯re doing things right anyway, we should do this right too.¡¯ He ced a toilet in each space divided by thepartment. Silicon was applied to prevent the bottom from falling, and it turned out to look quite usible. If they dealt with their business here, their waste would fall into the septic tank, and immediately, the tooth worms would eat it up. Then there was no need for them to pile up. ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± It was already evening when they finished the construction of the bathroom. ¡®I never thought I¡¯d build a freezer and a bathroom with my own hands.¡¯ Byeong-gap burst intoughter as he looked at the two buildings that had risen in style. Since bing the Goblin Lord, he had done a lot of things that were out of touch with his life, and he didn¡¯t know he could even do such things. ¡®Still, it¡¯s rewarding, and I feel good.¡¯ One thing was for sure; he enjoyed all this. ¡°You all did great. Job well done. Let¡¯s go eat now!¡± ¡°Lord, thank you for your hard work!¡± ¡°Yay! Yay!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s eat!¡± Chapter 63 63 Raise the Ramparts ¡°Shall we go soon?¡± Ko Byeong-gap stood on the porch and looked around the house. The tidy living room was somehow cold. There was no cozy room in a 6-pyeong house. He left the bitterness behind and stepped out into the road. He wasn¡¯t nning oning back for the next two or three weeks. Ah, where was he going? ¡°I hope the Goblin farming works out.¡± He was going to find a new family. There are currently 457 Goblins in Ashvm. Including Ea, Doran, and Byeong-gap himself, there were only a total of 460 people. Their poption was now more than ten times bigger than the first 33 people he started out with, but it still wasn¡¯t enough. Byeong-gap wanted at least 1,500 people. ¡®It would be great if we could leave about 500 to 600 people in Somnium and lead 1,000 people out.¡¯ He didn¡¯t know if he could find 150 more Goblins, let alone reach 1,500, but he went out anyway. If he didn¡¯t do anything, he would end up with nothing but a bag. He loaded himself into his car and moved diligently. It seemed that two weeks would be too short to travel around the country two to three times. *** ¡°Come on, over this gate, it¡¯s Ashvm. Get in line.¡± ¡°Oh, Ashvm!¡± He had a good day from the start. He met 107 Goblins in the first crack he went to, which was a D-Ranked one. If the beginning was this good, he assumed the rest of the mission would be, too. ¡°Get the new recruits, Gobung!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Tell them to wash up first then feed them.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± He left the training for newbies to Gobung, and headed straight for the next crack. His face was flushed. ¡°Heh heh. With this momentum, would we be able to celebrate with rice cakes in five days?¡± ¡­Not surprisingly, that didn¡¯t happen. The second crack was empty. The third one was empty. The fourth one was empty. ¡°Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh!¡± ¡°What¡¯s with all this? Why is it filled with just Douduris like you? Is this a theme park?¡± Byeong-gap nervously drew his sword. The Douduris, a nt-type monster, died, pouring out debris all over the ce. ¡®They can¡¯t even eat these. Should I just leave¡­? No. We can use them as firewood or ingredients.¡¯ It waste anyway, so it was hard to explore any more cracks. Having made up his mind, he wielded the sword ruthlessly and invaded the back world. Now he was in an E-rank crack, so it didn¡¯t even feel like a warm-up. The day ended with the withdrawal of the Douduri¡¯s supply. He then headed to Ashvm. Ashvm had changed rapidly within the past few days. It was now unfamiliar from its former appearance. ¡®There was really nothing here at first.¡¯ Now, it feels like a prosperous vige. Of course, it had a bit of a local feeling, but wasn¡¯t that part of the charm of Ashvm? ¡°Ah! Lord, you are here.¡± ¡°Oh, Gobung Gobung Gobung. Have you eaten dinner?¡± ¡°I just ate. Lord. Have you eaten?¡± ¡°I ate too. What about the new kids?¡± Gobung pointed his finger at the dormitories. ¡°I guided them to their amodation. Starting tomorrow. I¡¯m going to teach them.¡± ¡°Oh, good job. Well done.¡± ¡°Hehe!¡± ¡°For today, Gobung, let¡¯s get the kids together.¡± ¡°Do you mean now?¡± ¡°Yes. Tell everyone to gather in front of the clock tower. The new members.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Gobung ran quickly towards the campsite. Byeong-gap grabbed a cigarette and headed to the field, stopping by the chicken farm on the way. These days, he often ced the roosters and the hens together, but no chicks seemed to havee from the attempts. ¡®It hasn¡¯t been long since I expanded the chicken coop, but I¡¯ll have to expand it again¡­ If we left them alone, they might take care of their own business and do everything by themselves.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but think of the Goblins when he looked at the chickens. The union of a rooster and a hen. The sum of a male and female Goblin. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a little¡­¡± He felt his head pounding and quickly shooed his thoughts away. To be honest, his position was also difficult. When he had paid a lot of money to buy a female Goblin, he was picturing a good-natured goblin couple giving birth to an offspring. However, as soon as he saw Doran, such expectations copsed. Doran was only sixteen, no matter how he looked at it. ¡®How can I do that to a little girl? That¡¯s ridiculous.¡¯ Of course, it may be meaningless for the Goblins to make sense of human ethics, but what could he do? He was human. In fact, aside from ethics, the idea of ??the Goblins itself was a problem. These guys didn¡¯t have any ¡®desires¡¯ that a normal ¡®male¡¯ should have. ¡®I¡¯ve heard about it from Dorma, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be this extreme.¡¯ Not one of Ashvm¡¯s Goblins had a soft spot for Doran. For them, Doran was just a fellow Goblin or a scary instructor. Of course, the feeling was mutual on Doran¡¯s part. Byeong-gap was at a loss whether he should be relieved or if he shouldment. Whatever the case, he was just d that there have been no idents, but¡­ ¡°The thoughtless kids can¡¯t even be pushed into the same roof. Ugh, my head hurts.¡± ¡°Lord, everyone is here!¡± Gobung cried, waving his hands over his head. Byeong-gap stood up tall. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going now.¡± Time would take care of it. For now, that was his conclusion. If he could release the curse on the Goblins, they can figure things out. He headed to the clock tower and found a lot of Goblins gathered together. Doran and Ea were also there. ¡°Are we all here?¡± ¡°Yep! Not even one left behind.¡± ¡°Alright, Gobung, stay with me.¡± Gobung, who was about to slip away quietly, paused. The expression on his face was like a question mark as he did as he was told. ¡°Have you eaten well?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± He asked them about their dinner, and the field rumbled as the Goblins responded together. ¡®Oh, my ears¡­¡¯ Byeong-gap raised his hands to his ears, signaling for them to lower their voices. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to call you when you¡¯re resting. I gathered you guys like this because I have a few announcements.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°First of all, let me tell everyone the name of this ce. From this day on, I will name this rocky mountain Somnium! Somnium will be the number one stronghold of Ashvm.¡± ¡°Somnium?¡± The Goblins repeated it many times as they weren¡¯t familiar with the word. ¡°Remember it, everyone. Later, if I ask you to go to Somnium, this is where you should go. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Alright, and¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He grabbed Gobung¡¯s arm and ced him in front of them. ¡°This guy, Gobung, will be the head of Somnium. You can listen to him when I¡¯m not around. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Well then, Gobung, tell us how you feel.¡± ¡°What? How do I feel? You mean¡­?¡± He looked alternately at the crowd and his Lord in bewilderment. ¡°Hurry up, they¡¯re waiting.¡± ¡°Ah! Yep! Uh¡­ Please take care of me. I¡¯ll give you my best!¡± ¡°Come on, apuse.¡± p p p! The simple appointment ceremony ended with apuse. There were no objections orints at all. All Goblins were equal under the Lord, and the Lord¡¯s orders were absolute. ¡°And now let me get down to business. Doran!!¡± ¡°Yes, Lord!¡± He called out to Doran, and she answered vigorously. Byeong-gap continued to speak. ¡°Our next topic is infantry. The kids that I¡¯ll be calling, get up.¡± The Goblins pointed out by Byeong-gap stood up one by one. There were 61 of them in total. ¡°You guys are out of work starting tomorrow.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± One Goblin asked. Byeong-gap dyed his answer and turned his head toward the fog. The Goblins naturally followed his gaze. ¡°We¡¯ll clear that fog tomorrow at dawn.¡± ¡°Hmm?!¡± ¡°This fast? Isn¡¯t the deadline you mentioned far away?¡± Dorma asked with a look of bewilderment. The other Goblins were also buzzing. ¡°I¡¯m not saying we¡¯re going down the mountain. We will build a wall in Somnium.¡± ¡°By wall, you mean¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, we need to build a wall with the river inside. To do that, we¡¯ll have to cut down the trees in the forest and remove the rocks.¡± Byeong-gap turned his head and looked at Doran. ¡°Doran, you¡¯re the future infantrymander. Starting tomorrow, you will lead the infantry and stand guard.¡± ¡°Stand guard? What should I do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. Just walk around Somnium to see if there¡¯s any danger. Now, when you wake up in the morning, arm yourself first so that you are ready to fight anytime.¡± ¡°I think I know what to do. I got it!¡± ¡°Infantry. All you have to do is follow Doran¡¯s instructions from now on. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes! Understood!¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll give you a reminder and a detailed code of conduct tomorrow. Gobung.¡± ¡°Oh! Yes!¡± ¡°When you wake up tomorrow, select 150 workers and have them wait in front of the restaurant. Tell them to bring shovels and axes.¡± ¡°Yes! I see.¡± ¡°Alright, end of discussion! Everyone, dismissed!¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work!¡± The Goblins dispersed at the order. Byeong-gap found Ea among them and called out to her. ¡°Ea.¡± ¡°Hmm? Did you call me?¡± ¡°Yes. I need to talk to you.¡± ¡°Okay, What do you have to say to me?¡± ¡°What is it? Are you two talking alone again? Let me in!¡± ¡°¡­Yeah, Doran. You shoulde sit here too.¡± Ea and Doran approached him, and the three of them squatted on the steps of the clock tower. ¡°What do you want to talk about? Your expression makes me nervous. Is it bad news?¡± ¡°Ea.¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± ¡°As you already know, I¡¯m going to lead the Goblins soon to find a new base.¡± ¡°Yes, I know that. You told everyone at the restaurant a while ago. I was there too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why¡­¡± Ea tilted her head as Byeong-gap mumbled his words. ¡°Should I prepare to be surprised? It¡¯s not like you to hold your breath.¡± ¡°Ea, will you stay here? Or do you want to go out with me?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ea opened her eyes wide. Before she could say anything, Byeong-gap asked Doran the same thing. ¡°Doran, think about it. Do you want to stay here? Ore out¨C¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to follow Lord! Unconditionally!!¡± Doran replied even before he was finished talking. Byeong-gap sighed softly. Doran clung to his arm and begged. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving me behind, are you? Take me with you!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I was nning to bring you from the start.¡± ¡°Really? Whew.¡± Doran swept away her heart that had nothing to worry about now. Byeong-gap turned to Ea again. ¡°What do you think? I¡¯m going to do whatever you want.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Ea fell into trouble for a while. A momentter, she looked up and asked. ¡°Do you need me on your journey?¡± ¡°I need your knowledge. You know best what it¡¯s like beyond the fog. Of course, I¡¯m not forcing you. Whether you stay here or we go together, I¡¯ll be happy either way.¡± ¡°Can you give me some time to think?¡± ¡°Okay, but let me know as soon as possible.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay. You both should go now.¡± ¡°Lord, good night!¡± ¡°Okay. Good night to you too.¡± The two women left. Byeong-gap hadplicated feelings, so he lit up a cigarette. *** ¡°Are you all here?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Goblins replied loudly. There were 150 workers with shovels and axes. Next to them was the infantry and the attack squad armed with spears. ¡°As I exined earlier, speed is important. Let¡¯s all be on our toes and finish this as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°And Doran.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord!¡± ¡°If you encounter any monster, never rush to attack it. Reporting is the first priority. Keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Okay! Leave it to me!¡± ¡°Attack squad, you guys move with Doran today to assist her.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do that.¡± Dorma said as a representative. Byeong-gap nodded satisfactorily and opened the shop window. ¡®Ancient Shop.¡¯ [Explorer¡¯s g] ¡ªPrice: 500,000 Crystals ¡ªDescription: The g used by Rendriol, a great explorer and continental conqueror. Areas can be expanded when used in unexplorednd. ¡®You¡¯re finally here, Explorer¡¯s g!¡± He bought the g without hesitation. A bright light shone in the air, and soon, a magnificent g appeared. It was arge, broad g that riders could hold. A winged sword was drawn on the triangr cloth. As soon as he held the g in his hand, a hologram appeared in front of him. [ce the g in the unexplored area.] ¡®I know that.¡¯ Byeong-gap grabbed the handle of the g with his hands. He took a brisk step, his heart pounding as the fog was just around the corner. Anxiety and anticipation mixed together, creating a strange feeling in his chest. He nced back at the Goblins. Everyone looked nervous. Byeong-gap shouted, raising the corners of his mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s go! It¡¯s New Ashvm¡¯s first foray!¡± With a shout, he nted the g into the fog. Chapter 64 64 Raise the Ramparts Shoot! As if the curtains on a stage were lifted, the fog quickly disappeared. Those who witnessed the magical sight eximed in unison. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°That was amazing.¡± The Explorer¡¯s g disappeared with the fog. As expected, it was just a one-time use item. He knew what would happen, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel regretful for it. ¡®This is not the time.¡¯ Byeong-gap quickly pulled himself together and led the Goblins forward. ¡°Everyone, follow me!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± It was a vast forest that the g had cleared and exposed. The unknown broadleaf trees were dense. They weren¡¯t very tall, but their trunks were very strong. They didn¡¯t have to worry about firewood. Byeong-gap thought so as he scoured the area. ¡®This should be enough.¡¯ ¡°Doran, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to go too far, and never rush into battle. It¡¯s best not to get hurt. Keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Doran started to lead the infantry and the attack squad. ¡°Lord, we¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°Uh, Dorma. Please take care of the kids.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. Nothing will happen.¡± The search party quickly disappeared from view. In his heart, he wanted to follow them as well, but they were in a hurry, and some things here were more important. All of them were strong, so he had to trust them. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s work together!¡± Before raising the walls, they had to pick out and level the ground. The Goblins cut down all the trees in the area that the Lord had designated. Of course, Byeong-gap himself didn¡¯t just supervise. He brought out his sword instead of an axe and started chopping down trees as well. ¡®This is nothing.¡¯ He swung his sword with all his strength. Compared to the karma barrier of top monsters, these tree trunks were as soft as tofu. ¡°One, two, three!¡± ¡°Hoot!¡± As soon as a tree fell, the Goblins in charge of transport carried it out. Gradually, a path began to be built in the forest. ¡°Oh, my waist.¡± Byeong-gap sheathed his sword, soothing his numb waist. There were a lot of trees cut down around him. The extent of his logging alone had cleared one yground-sized area. ¡°Guys, get rid of the trees here!¡± ¡°Yes! We¡¯ll go right away!¡± ¡®I¡¯m almost done cutting the trees in this area.¡¯ The lush trees had all disappeared, but only the first phase of work wasplete. Now, they had to split the stump of the trees left on the ground to level the area and move the rocks. Not even a single break was carried out, and soon, it was already noon. ¡°Everyone, take your lunch!¡± Ea and the little ones visited the worksite carrying several baskets. Inside the baskets wererge rice balls, potatoes, and boiled eggs. ¡®They did a good job, just as I ordered.¡¯ Byeong-gap had asked Ea to do this in the morning. He wanted her to make a convenient lunch for the workers. Ea fulfilled his request very faithfully. It was a shame that the rice ball was only made up of rice and salt, but such food tasted like honey when eating it after sweating. ¡°Wow, you cut down all those old trees by yourself, didn¡¯t you? It hasn¡¯t even been half a day. You¡¯re amazing.¡± ¡°The kids had a hard time too.¡± Byeong-gap replied as he chewed his rice balls. In his head, he thought about how to ce the walls. ¡°By the way, I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°You asked me yesterday whether I wanted to stay here or go with you. I¡¯d like to answer that.¡± He stopped shoving rice balls into his mouth and nodded with a slightly nervous face. ¡°Yes, as I said before, I will respect whatever decision you make, so don¡¯t feel pressured to tell me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll follow you.¡± ¡°Really? Are you okay with that?¡± Eaughed bitterly. ¡°It¡¯s scary, but I believe you and the Goblins will protect me.¡± ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t worry about that. You¡¯ll never be in danger.¡± ¡°Hohoho.¡± She looked around the forest with a small smile. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve always wanted to go out.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve always wanted to go out?¡± Byeong-gap asked back in surprise. Ea nodded her head gently. ¡®¡­Have I been pushing her to work too much?¡¯ His heart ached. He realized it would not have been easy to get up early every morning to prepare their meals. He regretted that he had been ignorant of Ea¡¯s troubles. ¡°It¡¯s been tough. Yeah, you¡¯ve been through a lot. I¡¯m too insensitive to you¡ª¡± ¡°No, no, no! It¡¯s not what you think it is.¡± Ea interrupted him and waved her hands urgently, continuing to exin. ¡°My life here is very happy. It¡¯s safe, it¡¯s rich, it¡¯s always lively here. I¡¯ve never thought it was hard. I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°But why?¡± ¡°Just¡­ Sometimes I miss my own kind.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Byeong-gap sighed briefly. As she said, there were only Goblins in Somnium. He thought she was sociable and got along well with the Goblins, but it seemed that there was still a species difference that she could not ovee. ¡°Actually, us Spirits are not as special to each other as you are. We set up viges for our own benefit and survival, but we don¡¯t enjoy emotionalmunication. In that sense, it was very interesting to observe you and the Goblins. They worked their way through adversity under their Lord¡¯s will. That¡¯s rare in the society of Spirits.¡± ¡°Uh, is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. It is just our nature that we are insensitive to each other, but strangely, at night, I find myself missing my kind. I don¡¯t know if there are any other Nefi besides me.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Of course there are.¡± After a short pause, he spat out his words impulsively. ¡°Even if it¡¯s hard right now, we¡¯ll have some free time in a few months. Let¡¯s go find your kind. I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°Of course, you are also part of our family.¡± ¡°Family¡­ huhu. Thank you so much for those words.¡± ¡°I mean it.¡± Ea smiled with joy. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m worried. If I leave, will the rest of the Goblins be able to eat properly?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll teach them.¡± Byeong-gap continued, taking out a pack of cigarettes. ¡°So help me, Ea.¡± ¡°What do you want me to help you with?¡± ¡°You teach the children how to cook. Teach them how to store food ingredients. We¡¯ll have plenty of time.¡± She thought for some time and nodded vigorously. ¡°Okay! I think I can do it well. I don¡¯t make baseless promises.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Thank you! I also think of you as family.¡± Their short lunch break passed by. The Goblins went back to work, and under the leadership of Byeong-gap, everything proceeded smoothly. By 2 pm, enough territory had been cleared to be able to raise the ramparts. ¡°Everyone, step back! We¡¯re going to raise the walls!¡± ¡°Lord¡¯smand. Back off!¡± The Goblins gathered at their Lord¡¯smand. Byeong-gap opened the ancient shop and bought an ¡®Advanced Wall.¡¯ [Advanced Wall] -Price: 55,000 Crystals -Description: A high-quality, sturdy wall. [Do you want to purchase the ¡®Advanced Wall?¡¯] ¡®Of course.¡¯ The moment he confirmed the purchase, something appeared in the air, a huge¡ªno, there came up a magnificent piece of architecture that cannot be fully exined by the word ¡®huge.¡¯ Even though it was just an illusion because it was still at the stage before instation, they shuddered at its majesty. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s huge!¡± The Goblins opened their mouths wide and spat out exmations. But even the huge size of the wall was not enough to cover the whole front of the area. ¡®I¡¯ll have to buy at least six or seven of these. I¡¯m d I collected enough crystals.¡¯ [Do you want to install the ¡®Advanced Wall¡¯ in this location?] [Starting instation¡­] [Required time is about 150 minutes.] ¡®150 minutes. It will take a long time.¡¯ Byeong-gap began to build the fortress walls step by step on the rocky mountain. Once he had sessfully set up one wall, he moved over to the side to raise a new one. The walls of the fortress fit perfectly with each other. It was like assembling a block toy. Theyout of the ramparts was finished in an instant. The problem was that it would take nearly three hours for the walls to be the real thing. Byeong-gap looked at the clock. It was already 3 pm, and the walls would not bepleted until sunset. ¡°By the way, why isn¡¯t the search party reporting¡­? I can¡¯t do this. I¡¯m gonna go find them.¡¯ ¡°Gobung.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go to the search party for a while, so you take care of the kids.¡± ¡°Oh! Yep! I see.¡± After saying that, Byeong-gap turned around. But right before he left, Gobung grabbed his arm and stopped him. ¡°Well, look, Lord!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Those¡­ Those people who are working. Should I bring them back? Or are we doing something else?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± He seemed to find it difficult to follow because Byeong-gap had given vague orders. Previously, he had always been specific with his instructions. Byeong-gap tried to answer out of habit, but he swallowed his words. He made his answer deliberately sarcastic instead. ¡°You decide, man. You¡¯re the head of this ce now. Get the kids back to work or something else¡­ I don¡¯t know. Do what you want.¡± ¡°Uh, uh. Hold on!¡± Byeong-gap ignored him and continued walking away. In order for Gobung to take the initiative in leading and deciding, he had to do this, even if it seemed mean. He ran to the fullest, gliding through the thick bushes. At the same time, he sharpened his senses as he tried to feel the presence in his surroundings. ¡°Did they go that way?¡± He was not sure, but he could feel a trace in the south. The forest drew a gentle slope and gradually lowered its altitude. At the top was a remote cliff, but the bottom waspletely different. ¡®If we clear the path well, there won¡¯t be any problems with cars.¡¯ Later on, even if they set up a base elsewhere, he would be able to go back and forth with the use of a car. He moved hard, memorizing the topography with his eyes. Had he been running for about half an hour now? At the end of the forest, Byeong-gap finally saw Doran¡¯s group. The soldiers watched him approach, nervous as hell. When they realized that it was their Lord, they looked relieved. ¡°What are you doing here, Lord?¡± Dorma asked, collecting a dark sphere. Byeong-gap answered only after he had taken a breath. ¡°Hey, you guys! You shoulde to me regrly to show your faces, and when it¡¯s time to eat, go and eat quickly. Doran, what are you holding?¡± ¡°Oh, this?¡± Doran lifted something in high spirits. It was a dark gray lump with thick, gray water dripping from it. At first, he thought it was wet, but Byeong-gap tilted his head and looked closely. As soon as he approached it, a strong stench wafted over to him. He jerked his head back, frowning. ¡®Ugh! Why does it smell like a gutter? And what is that color?¡± He saw two red circles and arge hole below them that looked like a mouth. Was Doran holding the severed head of something? Doran opened her mouth before he could ask anything. ¡°I think it¡¯s the monster Lord mentioned. What do you call it again? Goguro?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Grugles.¡± Dorma corrected her gently. ¡°Oh, right. That¡¯s right, Grugles.¡± ¡°Is this what you¡¯re talking about?¡± ¡°Lord, they¡¯re so weak. I just hit it, and it died.¡± ¡°Wait, is this them?¡± Byeong-gap quickly scoured the area, but no monsters were visible except for the one Doran was holding. Dorma looked at him vaguely and said. ¡°The rest of them are down there. I was on my way back with just one thing to report, but then Lord came.¡± ¡°Are you saying you fought them? How many were there?¡± ¡°Well, there were about twenty of them.¡± He felt like something was wrong when he heard that they fought twenty monsters. ¡°Doran, I told you not to rush into battle! You should¡¯ve reported them when you found them! It¡¯s not just one or two, that¡¯s twenty of them!¡± ¡°Lo¡­ Lord, don¡¯t be angry¡­ I couldn¡¯t help it.¡± Doran looked like she would die of embarrassment. He was about to ask her how she couldn¡¯t help it, but Dorma stepped up in her defense. ¡°She¡¯s right, Lord. The battle was inevitable.¡± ¡°How could you say it was inevitable?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s a little hard to exin in words¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Dorma hesitated with a look of difficulty. Byeong-gap waited, his arms folded as if to say that he was listening. At that moment, Dorma¡¯s eyes, which shifted to look behind his back, widened significantly. He hurriedly took a fighting stance and shouted. ¡°Lord, behind you!¡± ¡°What?¡± Byeong-gap felt an unusual energy and quickly turned around. He was astonished. ¡°What are these things¡­¡± Gray-colored monsters crept out of the thick trees. Chapter 65 65 Build a Wall The Grugles showed up. With a sweeping nce, Byeong-gap calcted that there were over thirty of them. ¡°What on earth¡­?¡± He mumbled as if he couldn¡¯t understand. He didn¡¯t know why, but he pulled out his sword first. ¡°What¡­ are these? I didn¡¯t feel anything.¡± ¡°These guys have no presence!¡± Dorma spoke in a tense voice. Byeong-gap asked with a frown. ¡°What do you mean they have no presence?¡± ¡°They literally don¡¯t show any signs of life, even if they¡¯re alive. It¡¯s like they¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°No signs of life?¡± After hearing Dorma¡¯s words, he noticed something different. These monsters didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of hot energy that represented life; that was why he didn¡¯t feel any signs of their approach. ¡®They¡¯re definitely creepy.¡¯ Their appearance was strange. They looked exactly like how ghosts are portrayed in the media, except these had arms and legs. In addition, they had curtain-like flesh, bright red eyes, andrge jaws that were very disgusting to look at. ¡°They appeared without a sound or a murmur, same as before.¡± ¡°Yeah, I understand what you mean.¡± It urred to him that battle with these monsters was indeed inevitable. How could they avoid battle when these were just around the corner without their knowledge? Whatever it was, they had to get over this situation. ¡°Everybody, ready for battle!¡± The Goblins immediately went intobat mode. Their side had the upper hand in number; they were more than double their opponents. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± They walked slowly, floundering like zombies. It wasn¡¯t exactly a threatening view. ¡°Sweep them all out!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± The Goblins jumped out in unison. The attack squad and Doran melted the enemy in front of them. The infantry also joined right after and stabbed the void with their long spears. The Grugles were hit by the spears and fell down with screams. Byeong-gapunched himself directly into the enemy camp. Although he was nervous because this was the first time he had encountered these opponents, he felt even more empty when he was able to kill about three of them with only one strike. ¡®Why are they so weak?¡± Their defenses were insignificant. Byeong-gap did not even need to trigger his strength to attack them. Even if they moved faster, it didn¡¯t make a difference. They were so slow that they would get hit even if the attacks were not directed at them. Furthermore, they didn¡¯t have any threatening force or even a trump card. Overall, their strength was inferior to even that of a G-ss monster. Contrary to his first impression of them, the battle ended in vain. Within a minute or two, thirty Grugles became one with the dirt. ¡®Ugh!¡¯ When the battle was over, a putrid stench that had not been there before slowly crept up. It was a disgusting smell that couldn¡¯t bepared to any odor in the world. ¡®Why does it suddenly stink?¡¯ The cause of the rotting smell was soon discovered. The dead Grugles were dposing at an incredible rate. ¡®¡­What the hell are these guys? They don¡¯t even bleed, do they?¡¯ The stench wasn¡¯t the only odd thing. Despite the fierce battle, there were no red marks on the forest floor. If there were thirty dead bodies, there should at least be hints of blood to consider the situation normal. Byeong-gap felt ufortable and turned a Grugle¡¯s body over with his sword. He frowned at the sight. ¡®Don¡¯t you have blood and guts¡­? Are these even creatures?¡¯ The Grugles were more like pieces of flesh. They had no bones, no intestines, nothing but flesh. No wonder cutting them felt strange. ¡°Lord, these things are unpleasant.¡± ¡°Doran, throw away what you have in your hand. You don¡¯t need it anymore.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I got it.¡± Doran threw away the head she was holding, and it collided against a tree. Smack! It exploded like a ripe red tomato. ¡®I thought they were just some kind of monster, but they¡¯re different. It¡¯s a type of creature I¡¯ve never seen before¡­ Darn it! Is the Somnium alright?¡¯ Suddenly, he grew worried about Somnium. The Goblins would certainly be a little overwhelmed with these creatures, so he couldn¡¯t help but feel worried about them. ¡°Everyone, return to Somnium immediately.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t youing with us, Lord?¡± Kiriyan asked. Byeong-gap answered while retrieving his sword. ¡°I¡¯ll go first, so follow me.¡± He instructed them and disappeared. On the way there, he focused all his attention on his eyes and looked throughout the forest. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t spot a single Grugle. But when he arrived at Somnium, he spotted a messy pile of Grugle corpses. ¡°Oh, Lord!¡± About twenty Goblins weed Byeong-gap outside the walls. They were all armed with weapons. On the ground were the dead bodies of about ten Grugles. ¡°Is everyone okay? Is anyone hurt?¡± ¡°Yes! Everything is fine.¡± ¡°Is that it? Did any monsters go inside the walls?¡± ¡°No, I got everything before that. We got it!¡± Gobung said proudly. Byeong-gap was surprised. ¡°Uh¡­ Well done. But how did you know they wereing?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know. I just¡­ I was on guard. Then they were all here. That¡¯s how I caught on to them.¡± ¡®Was he standing guard even though I didn¡¯t tell him to?¡¯ Byeong-gap smiled softly and patted Gobung on the back. ¡°Alright, great job! You can keep doing that.¡± ¡°Hehe. Yep!¡± When Byeong-gap praised him, Gobung scratched the back of his head as if he was flustered. ¡°Gobung, dig somewhere in the forest and bury these bodies.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll bury them.¡± After giving the order, he took a rtively intact head from one of the monsters. The walls were about forty percent done installing. He entered Somnium through the small door at the bottom of the wall that had already materialized. Byeong-gap headed straight to the restaurant to look for Ea. He peeked his head inside and entered, spotting Ea doing her chores in the kitchen. ¡°Ea.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Are you preparing for dinner?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s time to get ready for dinner. Why? Do you need me for something?¡± ¡°Come out for a second. I have something to show you.¡± ¡°To show me? Oh, I¡¯m looking forward to that.¡± His conscience ached when she said that she was looking forward to it. Byeong-gap stepped out of the restaurant first. A momentter, Ea followed, rubbing her wet hands on her apron. ¡°What do you want to show me¡ªKyaaah!!!¡± She caught sight of the monster¡¯s head and screamed in horror, crouching heavily and looking alternately at the head and at Byeong-gap. ¡°That¡ªthat¡ªthat¡­¡± ¡°Is this the Grugles you told me about?¡± ¡°Oh, ah¡­¡± Instead of answering, Ea answered with her eyes wide open. ¡°As expected, these are the Grugles. I¡¯m sorry to show you something bad, but I need to ask you a few questions.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay. I was just surprised to see them after a long time. Whoo¡­ Ask me anything. I¡¯ll answer if I can.¡± Byeong-gap quickly asked questions without wasting time. What was the true nature of Grugles? Why didn¡¯t they show any presence? Were they even considered living things? And many other questions. Ea answered immediately. She didn¡¯t know exactly what they were; she just knew that the devil had left them behind when he left the earthly realm. That was why they were considered as the devil¡¯s workers. And she was right; the Grugles didn¡¯t show any signs of life. Some of them were big enough to be over ten feet tall, but you wouldn¡¯t even notice them until you see them with your own eyes. Why were the Grugles different from normal living beings? Well,mon sense didn¡¯t work in this world in the first ce, so¡­ Ea answered sincerely, but there was no satisfactory answer regardless of her honesty. Rather than addressing the question, she only reiterated what Byeong-gap already found strange. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve been of much help. In fact, little is known about the existence of Grugles, except for the fact that their meat is edible.¡± ¡°No, it was helpful enough. Come to think of it, didn¡¯t you say you ate these beforeing here?¡± ¡°Yes. It was terrible.¡± It must have been terrible. She would have had to eat their rotting meat right away because of their rapid dposition. She couldn¡¯t possibly do it on her own forever. ¡°Oh, let me ask you onest question. Are they supposed to be this weak? They were so weak that fighting them felt futile.¡± ¡°As I said before, it depends on the individual. The weak ones are truly weak, but the strong ones¡­ Let¡¯s just say they¡¯re stronger than you can imagine.¡± ¡°How strong?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t actually seen it either. However, I have heard rumors.¡± She reached out and pointed to the top of a rocky mountain. ¡°Some people say that they can grow as big as a mountain. One was so famous that it even has a name, Titan.¡± ¡°Titan?¡± ¡°Yes. Nothing is left wherever Titan passes. The good news is that he¡¯s so big that you¡¯ll notice him before he gets close.¡± Byeong-gap looked at the peak of the rocky mountain pointed at by Ea. ¡®Oh my God, can there be a living creature that huge?¡¯ Among monsters, those ssified as extrarge were only about ten meters tall. But a monster thatrge didn¡¯t feel real until he could see it in person. *** ¡°The kids I pointed out earlier,e to the wall with your weapons.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the end of the evening roll call. Everyone is dismissed.¡± The Goblins that gathered in front of the clock tower dispersed. Some of them went to the weapons vault, armed themselves, and headed to the wall. Byeong-gap also went to the wall, a cigarette in his mouth. ¡°I stood guard for a long time when I went on the expedition, and now I have to stay up all night again.¡¯ Hisints poured out of nowhere. Yes, he intended to stand guard tonight. Since it was the first day they cleared and went through the fog, Byeong-gap thought he should spend the night with his eyes open. He was tired, but it was better than staying up all night in anxiety. The wall had a spacious interior space where they could nap or load supplies. He climbed to the rooftop by going up the stairs installed inside the wall. The Goblins were already gathered on the roof. All twenty of them standing guard tonight were Beast Goblins. ¡°I already exined what to do, right? Is there anything you don¡¯t understand?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± ¡°Okay, once again, if you find anything suspicious, report to me immediately.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Okay then, go back to your positions.¡± Even though the walls were quite broad, twenty Goblins were enough to defend all areas. The Beast Goblins, in particr, had a wide viewing angle. Byeong-gap went to the center of the wall and looked down at the dark forest. ¡®It¡¯s terribly dark.¡¯ Pitch-ck darkness had fallen on the forest, but there was no need to worry. The night vision of a Beast Goblin was clearer than most cats and predators. ¡®They would never be able to break through this wall if we spot them during the day.¡¯ The wall stood twenty meters high. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to climb a wall with nowhere to cling to unless they were quite athletic. It was also very thick and sturdy and could offset any impact. Byeong-gap looked down for some time. After a while, he turned to the Goblin next to him. ¡°Wake me as soon as you find anything unusual. I¡¯ll be sleeping over there.¡± ¡°Yes! I see. Have a good night¡¯s sleep!¡± Byeong-gap leaned against a wall and closed his eyes. He was so tired that he felt like he had to close his eyes even for a moment. It was about two hourster that he opened his eyes again. ¡°Lord, Lord.¡± A Beast Goblin was waking him up. Byeong-gap quickly regained his senses. He had no time toin. If he was being woken up, it had to be because something was happening. ¡°Did they show up? Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± He was guided to the end of the wall by the Beast Goblin. ¡°Those things. What Lord said. Aren¡¯t those the monsters?¡± He pointed in one direction, where there were monsters that looked exactly like the Grugles he encountered earlier in the day. There were about three in total wandering through the woods. Surprisingly, that was it. They didn¡¯t seem to do much harm to their side. Byeong-gap spoke after a long pause. ¡°Just leave it alone for now. If you think they¡¯re going up the ramparts or are nning to harm our side, report back to me.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Yes, work hard.¡± It was annoying, but they didn¡¯t have to attack them. To be honest, there was no way to take action. He went back to his spot and sat down. Instead of falling asleep again, he was lost in thought. ¡®We¡¯re gonna need long-range weapons. How many guns do we need?¡¯ Chapter 66 66 Advance ¡°Please sign here.¡± The staff from the association handed him the documents. Ko Byeong-gap wrote down his name clearly and signed the forms. ¡°Since you are already familiar with it, I will not discuss the illegal distribution of firearms rule and the punishment associated with it.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± The employee gave an official answer and left. Byeong-gap looked happily at the forty gun cases piled up in the living room. He didn¡¯t buy these guns for himself. It has been a while since he had graduated from using firearms. He sent all forty K-1 rifles to Ashvm, carrying them himself. Forty Beast Goblins were gathered on the roof of the wall. These were professional guards who would only be deployed on guard missions in the future. The n was for them to alternate, twenty each shift, day and night, to carry out guard duty. Byeong-gap handed out the K-1 rifles. ¡°Repeat after me. Guns are a second life.¡± ¡°Guns. are. second. life!¡± ¡°The gun is my lover.¡± ¡°The gun is my lover!¡± The Beast Goblins followed suit. ¡°In the future, this weapon will be your main armament. I¡¯ll exin how to use it and how to maintain it, so be thoroughly familiar with it. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Byeong-gap taught the forty guards about firearms. Guns were weapons that he was already sick and tired of; he thought an expert would feel the same. After one theoretical lecture, they started practicing immediately. One by one, they held the guns against the edge of the wall. Being Beast Goblins, they were about 170 centimeters tall, so they had no difficulty in handling the guns. ¡°Get ready to shoot.¡± ¡°Fire!¡± Bang! Bang! Bang! The sounds of gunfire went off one after another in the serene quiet of Ashvm. Debris bounced off the tree targets that they had previously set up in the forest. ¡®These guys¡­ They¡¯re quite sharp, aren¡¯t they?¡¯ The Beast Goblins, akin to their name, had animalistic sense and concentration. They were raised to be assassins relying on quick movements, and looking at them, they made great shooters. Aside from that, through the growth potion, the ability of their bodies was raised to the next level. If they were given a hundred targets to shoot, they could certainly hit them all. Their shooting training consumed ammunition, so Byeong-gap made sure they trained in moderation. ¡°I¡¯ll say this again because it¡¯s important enough to say it ten million times. A gun is a very dangerous weapon, so don¡¯t point your gun at your friend for fun. If anyone gets caught fooling around with a gun, be prepared.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll keep that in mind!¡± ¡°Okay. Night group, go back to rest. As for the day group, start your mission right away. Oh, by the way, don¡¯t shoot until they cross the line.¡± The Beast Goblins responded in unison, got back in position, and began to watch the boundaries. Meanwhile, the Somnium restaurant was as crowded as the walls. Ea was giving a heated lecture to five Hob Goblins and ten Normal Goblins. ¡°Okay? When this hourss turns over six times, take it out of the fire. Be careful. It will burn if you¡¯rete and it¡¯ll be raw if it¡¯s too early.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°By the way, Ea.¡± ¡°What? Any questions?¡± ¡°Are you going with the Lord?¡± A Normal Goblin suddenly asked her. He had been helping Ea prepare meals since the beginning. Ea smiled sadly. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the n. I¡¯m going with your Lord.¡± ¡°Sad¡­ That¡¯s too bad.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll miss you. We¡¯ll miss you.¡± ¡°Huhu, so will I. It¡¯s hard to walk away thinking about parting with you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too bad. But Ea. Helping the Lord. It¡¯s better.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s right.¡± Ea smiled at the infinite love that the Goblins had for their Lord. ¡°You guys really like your Lord, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Why do you like your Lord so much?¡± The Goblins seemed to have question marks on their faces, notprehending her question. ¡°Because he¡¯s our Lord.¡± ¡°Ashvm. Because he brought me here.¡± ¡°Lord. Yummy food. Warm house. He gave it to us. He gave us what we liked, so of course¡­¡± ¡°But your Lord sometimes gets angry; he gets annoyed, and sometimes he scares you. Don¡¯t you hate him or resent him when that happens?¡± ¡°Are you stupid? It¡¯s our fault. If the Lord is angry. It¡¯s all our fault.¡± ¡°We should be the ones to do better.¡± The Goblins desperately sided with their Lord. Ea thought that no matter how much she tried to win their favor, she wouldn¡¯t be as loved as Byeong-gap. ¡°Huhu! I know. Let¡¯s go to the freezer now. I¡¯ll teach you how to store food.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± A typical busy day in Somnium went by like that. Somnium was very dynamic these days. Some Goblins were busy getting ready to leave, while the others were preparing to settle. As part of the preparation, there was also a ¡®Forest Subjugation Operation.¡¯ ¡°Doran, is everyone here?¡± ¡°Yes! We¡¯re all here.¡± Byeong-gap swept through the crowd gathered in front of the wall. The operation consisted of the infantry, attack squad, and Doran. ¡°We¡¯re going to proceed exactly likest time. Don¡¯t ever get out of the line and don¡¯t let go of your focus. Let¡¯s go.¡± The huge gate opened, and the subjugation team quickly exited Somnium, heading into the forest. They formed a long line with Byeong-gap at the front and Doran at the rear. ¡°These are the ones that move without a trace. Keep strict boundaries on all sides.¡± At their Lord¡¯s word, the Goblins opened their eyes wide. They quickly passed through the area they had cleared before and soaked their feet in unexplored areas. ¡®I think it will be more reassuring to stay with them as much as possible until we leave.¡¯ At least before leaving Somnium, he was determined to explore the forest every day. The team stopped in the middle of the forest and looked around for a moment. After a while, Grugles emerged through a crack in the trees as if they had risen from the ground. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Groan¡­¡± ¡®They¡¯re really like ghosts.¡¯ Byeong-gap lit a cigarette and pulled out his sword. He then shouted, aiming at the front. ¡°Go and wipe them all out.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Kereuk!¡± More than sixty Goblins ran past him, their spears cutting through the leaves. They ughtered the Grugles mercilessly. ¡°Don¡¯te near me if you don¡¯t want to get involved, you idiots!¡± ¡®Ugh, those idiots.¡¯ Doran fought, spouting a lot of aura. It was like using a sword to catch a mere rabbit. Thanks to her shing, even the innocent trees were cut down. But she didn¡¯t care. The moment her de touched anything, it became like powder. ¡®She¡¯s almost as good as I am now with all that aura, isn¡¯t she? I¡¯m really going to be overturned.¡¯ Doran¡¯s growth rate was exceptional. It was also remarkable that she triggered her inner strength without even consuming a textbook. She also handles everything well. ¡®I¡¯m the Lord. I can¡¯t be overturned.¡¯ Byeong-gap joined the battle after putting out the cigarette butt. The forest was beginning to pile up with the corpses of Grugles. Time had passed by in an instant. It seemed only yesterday that the New Year was bright, but now February was already just around the corner. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Gee, it¡¯s like Ashvm.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Chapter 67 67 Advance Arge building stood in an area that was partially obscured unless the day was bright. The word ¡®unseen¡¯ fits its description very well. It was too far away to make an urate judgment on size, but Byeong-gap could vaguely see its walls and spire. ¡®How far is the horizon again? Five kilometers or so.¡¯ He remembered a story from a science journal that he had read one day. The horizon didn¡¯t show what was fifty kilometers away; five kilometers was more urate. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Are you going to look around?¡± Dorma asked in a worried voice. Byeong-gap replied, tightening the buckle of his backpack. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid something dangerous is waiting for us.¡± ¡°There¡¯s always danger everywhere.¡± Well, from the moment they had crossed the walls, they were already exposed to he was curious. Was there any other civilization here? Maybe they could meet some of the natives. ¡°There¡¯s something you can gain by taking risks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about. Don¡¯t you think that we¡¯re already at risk? And if you think it¡¯s dangerous, we¡¯ll get out right away.¡± ¡°Well, I see.¡± ¡°Lord, are we going over there?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll find out what it is, Doran.¡± ¡°Hehe!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± Byeong-gap¡¯s party moved their legs to the building in the distance. ¡®I remember what Ea told me before. We hadn¡¯t seen a spirit or a Grugle in a while. Is this where the spirits live?¡¯ It was hard to imagine anything else living here other than the Spirits. Hopefully, it wasn¡¯t a city of Grugles. If it were the sanctuary of Spirits, then it wouldn¡¯t be so bad. ¡®The Spirits canmunicate; maybe we can have a good rtionship with them. Also, having a city here might mean the soil is okay.¡¯ Of course, there was no guarantee that the Spirits would be weing. They could be as exclusive as Heungseon Daewongun. But that was okay. Byeong-gap was confident that he could make them warm up to him and get them on his side. [TL: Regent of Korea, also known as Prince Gung. The Daewongun¡¯s foreign policy was rather simple, as Cumings describes it: ¡°no treaties, no trade, no Catholics, no West, and no Japan¡±.] He ran for a few minutes with excitement. However, his optimistic expectations of having Ashvm form its first alliance with the Spirits were shattered. ¡°Lord, what is this?¡± ¡°¡­Uh, it¡¯s in ruins.¡± Nothing but ruins greeted them when they got to the location. It looked like it might have once been a majestic civilization, but now there were barely any traces left of it. Only half-destroyed fortress walls were what they saw of the structure. The high-rise spire, however, maintained its shape, and it was urate to what it looked like from a distance. ¡®I don¡¯t feel any presence, not even a Spirit.¡¯ There was not a movement of life that could be felt in the ruins. ¡®Thend is no different.¡¯ Even when they traveled quite a long distance, the surrounding wastnd didn¡¯t change. Perhaps the entire continent looked like this. ¡°Sniff? Lord, I can smell water around here.¡± ¡°The smell of water? Where?¡± ¡°That way.¡± Doran took the lead and ran forward. They walked around the wide wall to get to the other side, and there really was a big river, or what used to be a big river, there. It looked to have been about the size of the Han River, but now, about seventy percent of it was dry. There were only traces of water running down the edges. ¡°It seems that there is nothing in this area.¡± Dorma murmured while looking at the ruined castle. ¡°I know. It must have turned into a wastnd when everyone left.¡± ¡°It¡¯s different from Somnium.¡± It was fascinating to think about it. Wasn¡¯t Somnium situated in a goodnd? It had clear and clean rivers, and its forests overflowed with the energy of life. But as soon as they came down from the mountain, everything was a wastnd. ¡®Maybe the fog was guarding the forest.¡¯ Byeong-gap soothed his troubled mind and turned to the ruined castle. ¡°Let¡¯s go in for now.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good!¡± They crossed a broken wall whose height was considerable even if it had already copsed. Climbing up the broken wall and looking inside the castle, Byeong-gap, as well as the Goblins, eximed. ¡°Huh¡­ It¡¯s a different feeling when you see it from such a high ce. It¡¯s vast.¡± ¡°I know. It¡¯s ten times as big as Somnium.¡± ¡°Lord, are you going to build a new ce like this?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be this wide.¡± He said so and jumped down. The Goblins followed immediately. ¡°Let¡¯s be careful. We don¡¯t know if there will be anything surprising here.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Byeong-gap and his party began to explore the ruins. *** ¡°Lord. What¡¯s this ce for?¡± ¡°Oh, it looks like a bathhouse. There¡¯s a waterway next to it.¡± It had been two hours since they started exploring the ruins. In fact, they felt like horses exploring a historic site. Considering the degree of weathering, the ce seemed to be hundreds of years old. The level of civilization was considerable for the traces of the distant past. Moreover, each area was a very systematically designed city with distinct characteristics and personalities. Seeing this ce, he realized that what he did to Somnium seemed like child¡¯s y. The more he looked at these ruins, the more he liked it here. ¡°Let¡¯s move here.¡± He revealed his thoughts while they were having ate lunch. ¡°¡­What?¡± Dorma, who was looking around as if he found the food quite interesting, opened his mouth. ¡°Let¡¯s settle down here. It¡¯s kind of ruined, but it¡¯s notpletely useless. I think we can use the waterways and roads with a little bit of repair, and there are quite a few decent buildings. The wall is a bit of a problem, but¡­ Well, it¡¯ll work out, somehow.¡± ¡°I like it! I love this ce too!¡± Doran raised her hand in favor. Byeong-gap nodded and continued. ¡°There¡¯s a river next to it, and it¡¯s close to Somnium. In fact, I hesitated to take my children out into the middle of nowhere, but this seems like a good ce to live. What do you think?¡± ¡°If the Lord has decided so, I¡¯ll just follow him, but there¡¯s one thing I¡¯m concerned about.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°As you can see, this ce is too barren. Would you be able to farm here? Would you be able to raise livestock?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. I have something in mind.¡± Byeong-gap briefly ced his paper bowl on the floor and called out the ancient shop. He moved his finger a few times to buy an object. It was the all-familiar growth potion. He opened the lid of the potion and took a sip. Dorma and Doran watched him, wondering what he was doing. ¡°Would you like a sip?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, too. It¡¯s not delicious.¡± ¡°It¡¯s sweet and good to drink.¡± Byeong-gap said as he took another sip. When there were only about twenty millimeters of liquid left, he poured the precious potion on the floor. ¡°Huh? What are you doing¡­?¡± ¡°Look.¡± The soil absorbed the potion very quickly, like a dry sponge sucking in water. After a short while, a strange yellowish color appeared on the almost grayish soil. Byeong-gap grabbed a handful of soil, noting that the powdery texture had gone away. Now, it felt moist and had thick particles. He even brought it up to his nose to smell it. ¡°Uh¡­ What are you doing, Lord? Why are you putting dirt near your face?¡± ¡°Look, it¡¯s a little muddy now.¡± He said, showing them his palm. ¡°We can make thend healthy with the potion. It will work like a super high-performance fertilizer, so to speak.¡± He already knew the efficacy of the growth potion. Didn¡¯t it turn chickens into ostriches and sweet potatoes into pumpkins? Although it was a waste to spray it on the ground, this could transform the wastnd into a richnd. ¡°As expected, Lord has a n. So you¡¯ve decided to settle in this ce?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do it here. It may take a long time to clear the ground, but it¡¯s better than burying ourselves to work on a differentnd.¡± Dorma nodded, pleased. ¡°Then, Lord, are we going back to Somnium now?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s look around a little more. There¡¯s still some time left until the sun sets.¡± After their simple meal, they continued their exploration of the ruins. Byeong-gap continued to think about how to use thisrge territory. ¡®This building can be useful. As long as we do some repair work, we won¡¯t have any problems using it¡­ I shouldn¡¯t tear things down even if it¡¯s a waste.¡¯ After walking for about an hour, they had finished their tour of the city. The party stopped in front of thest building located in the deepest part of the city. ¡°This is¡­ a castle. No, is it more appropriate to call it a temple?¡± ¡°Wow, it¡¯s really big. Lord,e on in!¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go in.¡± It was a magnificent building supported by dozens of columns. The pirs were each seven or eight meters long. Even though the temple had been torn halfway, its majestic beauty still remained. They entered the building with pounding hearts, and no matter who went in first, their exmations poured out either way. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Hey¡­¡± ¡°This is absolutely amazing.¡± There was no need to turn on theirnterns because the sunlight came in through the broken cracks of the walls. The cool interior of the building was simply beautiful. Long chairs made of stone were lined up in arge hall, and in the center was an ornate podium. It looked like a church chapel. The windows were all covered in mosaic art. When the colored lights were projected into the hall, it gave the effect of a rainbow floating inside the ce. In addition, there were numerous corridors and unknown rooms leading up to the second and third floors. Byeong-gap felt like a child who had never been to a museum before. He even felt a little silly. ¡°Lord. You can live here, Lord!¡± Doran, who was running around excitedly, eximed. Byeong-gap smirked. ¡°Hey, if you live here, you¡¯ll get lost going to the bathroom at night. This is not a residential facility in the first ce.¡± ¡°But it would suit you, Lord.¡± ¡°So what if it¡¯s big? It¡¯s just too hard to clean.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then can I live here?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not for housing¡­ Well, if Ea sees this ce, her eyes will turn upside down.¡± He replied jokingly as he scanned the building. ¡®This ce is totally destroyed.¡¯ One wall had beenpletely torn down. As a result, the passageway to the back area was blocked. He was about to pass by the area because it was such an insignificant sight when something suddenly caught his eye. ¡®Hm?¡¯ He pulled out thentern around his waist and held it in front of him. The part shaded by the rubble of the destroyed wall was clearly revealed. It was arge piece of debris, a painting that was originally painted on a rock that he believed to have been part of the wall. It was some kind of mural. There were several naked women painted there. The other part had fallen off because the wall had been broken down, but the image of one woman was left intact. Byeong-gap stared at the painting as if he were possessed. It was not because the nude woman felt strange to him but because the woman in the painting looked so familiar. ¡°Do¡­ Doran.¡± ¡°What? Did you call me?¡± ¡°Come here.¡± He called out to Doran in a trembling voice. She came running and stood next to him. ¡°Why, Lord?¡± ¡°Go stand in front of that picture.¡± ¡°Picture?¡± Only then did Doran see the painting. She frowned a little but did as her Lord told her to do. ¡°Like this?¡± ¡®Oh my God.¡¯ Byeong-gap covered his mouth with his hands. ¡­The woman painted on the remains of the wall was definitely a female Goblin. She had pointy ears, fine ck hair, and tanned skin. No matter what anyone said, the woman had many simrities to Doran. They were so simr that goosebumps rose on his arms. Byeong-gap lifted his head and looked around the building. ¡®Is this Ashvm? The old remains of Ashvm?¡¯ It was somewhat chilling to think that what they had been gazing upon so far was the legacy of Ashvm. Suddenly¡­ ¡®¡­¡­?!¡¯ He felt a strange energy behind his back. Karma and Aura. The wave of power was quiterge. Doran had felt the extraordinary energy, too. She pulled out her sword in an instant and turned to look at where the wave of power came from. Where Byeong-gap and Doran¡¯s eyes met, there was Dorma. Dorma looked at the stone statue on the podium as if he was possessed. A ck energy rose from him like smoke. ¡°Madmut¡­¡± He murmured like a madman. And without time to stop him, he started to run wild. Chapter 68 68. Advance ¡°Stop it¡­ Stop it! Keeek!¡± Dorma sat down and clutched his head. His eyes turned upside down, and his mouth screamed constantly. However, there was another real problem. His Karma and strength mixed and erupted out at random. He looked like a dam that was about to copse. ¡®He¡¯s dangerous!¡¯ He detected the instinctive threat. His uncontrolled power would do great harm not only to Dorma but to the people around him as well. Moreover, they were inside a building that could copse. ¡°Lord, back off!¡± ¡°Doran! Wait¨C¡± Without any time to stop her, Doran rushed in. She swung her sword, closing their distance in an instant. She used its side, not the de. ¡°Ugh! Ugh!¡± However, she couldn¡¯t even reach Dorma, who was engulfed in ck smoke. In a short second, Dorma released a chunk of ck Karma in all directions, and Doran was caught up in it helplessly. She flew back and rolled several times on the floor. Her entire body was full of abrasions. She tried to lift herself up with her sword as a cane. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Dorma moved to Doran¡¯s side. His eyes were bright red. ¡°Madmut. Madmut!¡± ¡°What are you going to do¡­?¡± ¡°Dorma! No! Don¡¯t do it!¡± ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Dark waves poured out of Dorma¡¯s palm and hit Doran. She was unable to escape and received the pouring torrent with her whole body. Doran¡¯s body, covered with her own blood, suddenly floated into the air. Dorma grabbed her neck with an invisible hand and lifted her higher. Dark matter began to form in his other hand. ¡°Hey, dude!¡± Ko Byeong-gap immediately showed up. ¡°¡­¡± Dorma turned his head and looked at Ko Byeong-gap with his bloodshot eyes. ¡°Madmut?¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about? Wake up!¡± ¡°Madmut!¡± The generated dark matter flew to Ko Byeong-gap. He immediately let out his strength and reinforced his body. The ck waves swept throughout his body, and it felt as if thousands of knives shed through his body. If it weren¡¯t for its strength, it would¡¯ve been a fierce attack that separated his bones from his flesh. ¡°Ugh!¡± Ko Byeong-gap swallowed a groan and stepped forward. He could simply avoid the attack, but the building would be in danger if he didn¡¯t act as a shield, and the three of them could be buried alive. He clenched his teeth and stepped on the ground like a mountain climber. The distance between Dorma and Ko Byeong-gap gradually grew closer, and finally, Ko Byeong-gap grabbed Dorma¡¯s arm. ¡°Madmu¨C¡± ¡°You son of a bitch! Don¡¯t you recognize me?¡± He pulled his arm and punched Dorma in the abdomen with his other fist. ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp!¡± Even though he controlled his strength, it was a huge shock. Dorma waspletely sobered and turned forward. After a while, his eyes rxed, and then he fainted. ¡°Agh!¡± Doran, who floated in the air, copsed. Ko Byeong-gap quickly checked her condition. Looking at her blueplexion, she seemed to have suffocated for quite a while. The degree of trauma was also severe. ¡°Cough! Ack! Cough!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s over now.¡± ¡°Lo¡­ Lord. Blood¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fine. So focus on recovering yourself.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap fed Doran and Dorma the potion he had brought beforehand and drunk a little himself. After that, he grabbed Dorma, who had fallen, andid him down next to Doran. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him, and¡­¡± He got up and turned his head away. There was a b of te positioned to where he looked. It was the reason why Dorma became so violent. ¡°Don¡¯t evere near it.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± He approached the stone. As expected, there was something engraved on it. ¡®What the hell did Dorma read to lose his mind?¡¯ He took a deep breath, grasped his mind and body, and read the writing. The stone te, which was about a meter high, was severely damaged. It was broken in several ces, and some were hardly recognizable. Still, he read what he could. ¨C Many people died. Even Philosodam has fallen. Valtadren here is thest bastion. There is no ce to retreat to or hide in anymore. ¨C When the sixth was killed, the seventh holy warrior appeared. The giant causes thunder and earthquakes. Both Trovatin, Tarantera, and Parpafan died, and we shed too much blood. ¨C All the races with whom we were once with have turned their backs. They are callous, thankless, and shortsighted. It is amentable thing to say that they had been blinded by fear and cannot see an inch ahead. ¨C The seventh holy warrior, Al-Sharon, had been defeated, but the cost was high. All of Ashvm¡¯s generals are dead. Landreal is in critical condition, so we may have lost our focus. ¨C Madmut descended from the sky. Rendriol ughtered his own people to perform ancestral rites and set an example. Nevertheless, all that was heard were screams. ¨C Madmut says that we were ¡®Goblins.¡¯ Rendriol appealed. How were we ¡®Goblins¡¯? If it¡¯s the ¡®Goblins¡¯ who wished for order on earth, did that mean that all things on earth were born to hate each other and were destined to fight? ¨C Madmut was outraged. What capacity did we have to set the standard of order? Besides, impersonating God was spiteful to him! ¨C Landreal was determined. We will not stop fighting. ¨C Madmut replied. You will perish. ¨C Madmut ascended to heaven again. After that, no more fighting took ce, but the price of God¡¯s wrath was terrible. We were cursed. ¨C The women disappeared. Both the girl infants and their mothers disappear when the sun sets and rises. The queen disappeared a few days ago. Landreal is in a state of great grief and ispletely out of food and beverage. ¨C Maybe we were ¡®Goblins.¡¯ ¡°¡­¡± Like a diary or an essay, the texts were listed by time. There was more content at the bottom, but he couldn¡¯t read it because it was torn off. ¡®What the hell is this¡­¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t fully understand the whole story. He understood the context to some extent in conjunction with the knowledge he had already known. ¡®Is Madmut the name of the son of a bitch that cursed them?¡¯ The name that Kiriyan muttered in the past and the one Dorma screamed that day was Madmut, which was the name of a god. Considering he started a turmoil with just the mere mention of his name, he was indescribably evil. Ko Byeong-gap nced at Dorma with a solemn heart. He frowned as if he was having nightmares. ¡®By the way, what did they mean that they were Goblins?¡¯ He skimmed through the paragraph again, tilting his head as he read. No matter how many times he looked at it, the phrase didn¡¯t change. ¡°Goblin? What do you mean, Goblin? How are they Goblin¡­? Now, wait a minute. Goblin?¡± Ko Byeong-gap, who had been muttering for a long time, was shocked as if a hammer had hit him because the meaning behind the word ¡®Goblin¡¯ finally came to him. No, it wasn¡¯t hidden. It had faded over time. He didn¡¯t even know how he came up with it. However, when he looked at the lithograph again, he could read the sentences naturally. ¡°Landreal appealed. We were really arrogant¡­ That¡¯s what they¡¯re saying.¡± Goblin meant arrogance. *** ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± ¡°Oh my God, Lord. What¡¯s this?¡± Dorma, who was on Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s back, opened his eyes. He didn¡¯t seem to understand the current situation. ¡°Please, let me off. I¡¯ll go on my own.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, dude. Just be on my back.¡± Ko Byeong-gap quickly answered while he stretched his legs. Dorma looked as if he was just going to die. He groaned and touched his forehead. ¡°Ugh¡­! Did I lose consciousness?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°¡­ I remember going into the temple, but after that¡­ Ugh!¡± ¡®He doesn¡¯t remember?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap gulped. He feared that Dorma would explode again if he asked. At that time, Doran spoke and stared at Dorma with a disapproving face. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t you see the blood on Lord¡¯s clothes? You¡¯re the reason why Lord¡­¡± ¡°Hey, Doran! Be quiet!¡± ¡°Hmp!¡± He screamed to shut Doran¡¯s mouth. Dorma seemed to have sensed the low atmosphere. ¡°Oh no, did I do something rude to Lord?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that.¡± ¡°L-Lord¡­ Are you angry?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Both of you, don¡¯t say anything. It¡¯ste. Let¡¯s go.¡± They waited for Dorma to wake up, so the time was dyed. Ko Byeong-gap increased his speed. When the sun had set and the darkness had fallen, they were able to reach Somnium safely. The Goblins immediately flocked to the wall when they heard that their Lord had returned. ¡°Lord, are you back?¡± ¡°Oh, Gobung. How¡¯s everything?¡± ¡°Yes! Nothing. Nothing happened.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Ah, by the way¡­ Lord, your clothes¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap was disheveled. His clothes were torn because Dorma¡¯s attack went directly to his body, and there was a lot of blood on it. He waved his hands as if it was nothing. ¡°This is nothing. By the way, did you guys eat yet?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Just now. We ate.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Tell everyone to gather in front of the clock tower.¡± ¡°Now. You mean?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He assembled the Goblins in front of the clock tower. There were 1,500 of them, so it was magnificent to see them sit down together. ¡°Except for the guards. We¡¯re all here.¡± Gobung identified and reported the number of people to Ko Byeong-gap. He nodded satisfactorily and asked, ¡°Gobung, have you finished all the work for the recruits?¡± The work he referred to was to give the recruits their potions and textbooks. That was the first thing the Goblins had to work on after they entered Ashvm. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m done!¡± ¡°Did you run out of potions and textbooks? I bought a lot.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t enough. It wasn¡¯t. It was little. There¡¯s no more left.¡± ¡°Really? I¡¯ll buy some when I go tomorrow.¡± When Ko Byeong-gap talked to himself, Gobung was surprised. ¡°Oh?! Tomorrow. Are you going?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve decided to.¡± ¡°Really¡­? You are¡­?¡± He must¡¯ve felt sad to be left behind. Ko Byeong-gap smiled and patted Gobung on the shoulder. He then stepped forward and spoke to the Goblins. ¡°Can you all hear me?¡± ¡°Yes! We can hear you!¡± ¡°Ah, noisy! Don¡¯t answer me. Listen! Listen!¡± ¡°Hm!¡± The Goblins immediately shut their mouths at their Lord¡¯smand. They didn¡¯t gather to y 20 questions, so Ko Byeong-gap brought up the point right away. ¡°Everyone, focus. I¡¯ll leave Somnium as soon as the sun rises tomorrow.¡± ¡°Hm?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you the code of conduct from now on, so listen carefully to those who are supposed to go with me.¡± Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s voice echoed in the wide field for a while. *** The morning dawned on Somnium. Normally, it was time to wake up, but the Goblins had been busy for a long time already. They gathered all their belongings that had been sorted and organized in advance. Some carried arge backpack, and some packed a bag. There were exactly 1,549 Goblins there. Among them, 524 would remain in Somnium, while the remaining 1,025 would go on the road with Ko Byeong-gap. After they finished theirst meal in Somnium, the Goblins gathered at the gate. Their faces were filled with tension and anticipation at the same time. Ko Byeong-gap told Gobung some precautions before leaving. At a nce, his expression was sullen. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t be so sad. I¡¯m not leaving you at all.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I know¡­¡± ¡°And I¡¯m going to visit Somnium often for the next month or two. I have to make a way up the mountain.¡± ¡°Oh, really? By the way. Up the mountain. What do you mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to make a road for cars.¡± ¡°Oh, oh!¡± ¡°We are looking for a means of long-distancemunication, so please wait a little longer.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand!¡± ¡°Oh, by the way, don¡¯t forget what I told you, and please stay healthy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind! Lord, too. Stay healthy!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ko Byeong-gap patted Gobung on the back and moved to the front of the long parade. He then shouted at the Goblins. ¡°If you go down the mountain, you¡¯ll soon get to your new nest. Even if the march is tough, I hope everyone follows suit!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re sick or ill, tell me now!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure none of you are sick?¡± ¡°Yes, we¡¯re not!¡± ¡°Alright, open the gates!¡± ¡°Open the gates!¡± A Beast Goblin, who guarded the gate, opened the door. The semicircr door opened wide. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ko Byeong-gap took the lead and led the caravan. The Goblins walked through the gates and kept their senses sharp. The gates were closed again when all thest men had walked out. It was then¡­ ¡°All of you! Attention!¡± A loud voice was heard from above the wall. Ko Byeong-gap looked at it in surprise. All the Goblins of Somnium were up on the walls and looked down their way. Gobung shouted from above the wall. ¡°Dear Lord! Farewell!¡± ¡°Stay healthy!¡± ¡°Stay healthy, Lord!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll miss you!¡± Those in the mountain bid them farewell. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes widened significantly. ¡°Don¡¯t yell at me because I¡¯m leaving, boys. Anyway, they won¡¯t listen.¡± The corners of his lips rose as he murmured. Ko Byeong-gap shouted, feeling his heart warm up. ¡°What are you staring at? Come on, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The caravan moved toward Valtadren, which was the name of the olden city, Ashvm¡¯s second stronghold. Chapter 69 69. Monster 1,025 Goblins safely settled in their new home, Valtadren. Of course, they couldn¡¯t eat, sleep, or wash properly for three days right after they moved in since there were many ces to fix first. The most urgent issue was the repair of the fortress walls. How could they rebuild the copsed walls? Ko Byeong-gap had to worry all day. However, things were solved so easily that it overshadowed all kinds of worries. ¡®I hope the walls can be ovepped.¡¯ If a new wall were ced where it needed repairs, the missing parts would be automatically filled and fixed. The already existing walls could be refunded as much as the percentage of the parts that didn¡¯t need to be materialized. It was a smart system anyway. After building the fortress walls, he devoted himself to creating a residential area. However, urban nning wasn¡¯t something that could be done in a day or two. For now, they only had a few facilities that they needed at that time. Three days went by so quickly just by just doing that. On their fourth morning in Valtadren, the Goblins were divided into a guard group, working group, and kitchen group and did their job. ¡°Lord, the North Gate cleaning work. It¡¯s done.¡± A group of Goblins with watering cans approached and reported. Ko Byeong-gap muttered, ¡°Good, good. Well done. Go to the west gate and repeat your duty.¡± ¡°The same way? Yes, sir.¡± Ko Byeong-gap went to the north gate. The soil, which used to be gray, was currently a healthy yellowish color. The working group with hoes and shovels came and began to dig up the ground to make the septic tank. It was all about choosing the rightnd. On the other hand, Giant Goblins were rolling huge logs and ttening the ground. ¡®Alright, a few more cycles and farming won¡¯t be a problem.¡¯ The progress was smooth. He stopped by the castle wall this time, and the Beast Goblins greeted him. They were perfect for guard duty. ¡°Is everything alright?¡± ¡°Yes! Anything special. There is none!¡± A Beast Goblin replied valiantly. Ko Byeong-gap looked around the wide wilderness that stretched down in front of him. ¡®It looks so peaceful.¡¯ It had already been four days since they came to Valtadren. However, they only caught three or four Grugles during that time. Even those three or four often wandered far away and disappeared. ¡®Well¡­ Good things are good things, so let¡¯s think positively.¡¯ It was much better to be quiet than to make life-or-death decisions regarding the Grugles. Next, he concerned himself with the residential area. The Goblins with hammers hit the buildings that needed to be demolished, and then the little ones loaded the carts with debris and moved them to one side. It was to set up a site before cing the buildings needed. ¡®Things are going very well.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap hadn¡¯t met anyone as diligent as the Goblins. It was lovely to be able to get them to perform heavybor without a singleint. ¡°Ah, here you are!¡± Ea came to him as he was looking at the work scenery happily. ¡°You¡¯re looking for me? Why? Is something wrong?¡± ¡°No, I want you to tell the Goblins to eat. This ce is so big that I can¡¯t do it by myself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already that time. Anyway, okay.¡± ¡°Thank you. That¡¯s a favor.¡± ¡°Guys! Let¡¯s eat! Stop working!¡± ¡°Oh, yes!¡± The Goblins quickly recognized his order and got the job done. As Ea said, Valtadren was too vast. The workers were scattered all over the ce. As a result, it was quite an ordeal to gather people together to have their meal or to have a meeting. ¡°Bring in all the kids who work in the other area. Don¡¯t forget to bring the guards their mealter.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move quickly.¡± The Goblins quickly went away. Ko Byeong-gap turned away, satisfied. Ea, whom he thought had left, waited for him. ¡°You didn¡¯t go with them?¡± ¡°I have one more thing to say.¡± ¡°One more? What is it?¡± ¡°We¡¯re almost out of meat. It¡¯ll probably bepletely out after breakfast tomorrow. I thought I¡¯d tell you.¡± Ko Byeong-gap let out a small sigh. ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s already out.¡± ¡°There are a lot of people. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything else to eat here like in Somnium.¡± ¡®We¡¯ll have to go on subjugations soon. Well, I did take a long break.¡¯ After the expedition, he rested to focus on Ashvm for about one week at most. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll supply it to you sometime tomorrow.¡± ¡°Okay. Got it.¡± Work resumed after their short lunch. He called the attack squad and told them that they would resume their subjugations from tomorrow. the attack squad from now on. If I call you tomorrow, you can follow them out.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I¡¯ll do that.¡± joined the attack squad. Even if hisbat capabilities were reduced, he had the unique power of healing, so to have someone like him would serve them well. ¡°Come on! The sun has set! Let¡¯s wrap this up!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Work. End!¡± Another busy day passed. *** Beep beep! It was a cheerful rm. Ko Byeong-gap opened his eyes at home after a long time. It was still dark outside, even though it was early in the morning. ¡°Here we go again with hunter¡¯s work. Phew, I have to make money.¡± He spent too much money recently. Even though he saved as much as he could, the money that went into Ashvm was huge. There was still a lot left, but he would soon use it all up. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t procrastinate and prepared for the subjugation. After he took a shower and changed into his work clothes, he left home. His new car was in the parking lot. ¡°Kyaaah, it went well.¡± Seeing his new car brought a smile to his face. His old car had been moved to Valtadren. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s cold.¡± The interior was cold. Ko Byeong-gap entered his destination on the navigation system while warming up the car. He was headed to Pocheon. ¡°Should I go to two cracks today? Well, let¡¯s go for now.¡± His car rolled its wheels gently. It was after dawn in the morning when he arrived at his destination. A small rural vige located in Ildong-myeon, Pocheon. There was a crack under the cave bridge away from the private houses. It was a brand new 26 hour-old crack. Ko Byeong-gap smoked a cigarette and enjoyed the afterglow for a while. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since myst subjugation. It¡¯s probably been a full month.¡± He felt no anxiety at all. It didn¡¯t matter that it was a crack since he had been in battles anyway. In addition, didn¡¯t he fight against an S-ss monster Balrog in the expedition? Now, as far as courage was concerned, he had the biggest confidence in it. ¡°Let¡¯s work work work.¡± He put the cigarette butt in a portable ashtray and threw himself into the crack. It wasn¡¯t long before the world reversed, and the back world greeted him. ¡°Whew! Sigh¡­ It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve had this fucking air.¡± The damp and heavy air was unique to the back world. Well, it wasn¡¯t that bad. A caterpir could still live in a pine tree. ¡°Growl¡­¡± The monsters appeared as they radiated life all over the ce. It was a D-ss Horned Gabri, and they were weak monsters for beginners. ¡°It just so happens that theye out with a lot of meat. Let me warm up before I call the kids.¡± Plump, plop. He warmed up lightly and pulled out his sword. ¡°Hing!¡± ¡°Growl!¡± A Horned Gabri attacked with its four-pronged jaws wide open. Ko Byeong-gap stood in a rxed manner and moved like a bolt of lightning. Chuck! Chuck! Chuck! Chuck! ¡°Growl!¡± His sharp sword quickly stretched out. The sharpness alone cut the Horned Gabri even though it didn¡¯t possess his strength. It moved with a fighting spirit until it died, but all that was left was its own body. ¡°Hing-chak!¡± ¡°Is it sorted out?¡± Since the achievement rate of his intermediate textbook reached the max, it was easy to kill 30 Horned Gabris. Ko Byeong-gap put his sword into the ground and opened the door to Ashvm with a cigarette in his mouth. ¡°Guys,e out.¡± When he spoke, the attack squad and workers that had been waiting jumped out. The Goblins looked at the fallen corpses of the Horned Gabris and looked shocked. ¡°Lord, did you deal with these alone? Why didn¡¯t you call us?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. I was just trying to rx and stretch my body. Come on, what are you guys doing? Hurry up and move the meat.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move!¡± The Hob Goblins and the little ones joined forces to move the bodies of the monsters. Their work was done in a minute. ¡°Varmond.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, Lord.¡± ¡°You should hide well behind Kiriyan and Dorma. As a healer, you must never get hurt.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± ¡°Turka, Orca.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord!¡± ¡°Please speak!¡± The two Giant Goblins, carrying huge shields, answered in unison. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just be cautious. It¡¯s been a while since we went on a subjugation here on Earth. If you lose focus, we might get hurt.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll keep that in mind!¡± ¡°Changsik and Taesik, stay close to me.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The meat had been transported. Ko Byeong-gap threw away his cigarette and grabbed his sword. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with and go back.¡± The subjugation took ce. *** It was only half a year ago that he struggled with an E-rank crack, but now, a B-rank wasn¡¯t that hard anymore. The monster that followed the Horned Gabri was the Goat. It was listed as a C-ss and was 1.5 timesrger than the Horned Gabri. They were heavy, but the mes wrapped around their bodies like armor were difficult to deal with. They even breathed fire out of their mouths. However, it could onlye up for about 50 to 60 centimeters. ¡°Everyone, reinforce yourselves with strength.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Of course, the mes wouldn¡¯t work against the top awakeners who protected themselves with Karma. The Goblins, including Ko Byeong-gap, could withstand such a me if they had strength. ¡°Charge!¡± ¡°Kerreruk!¡± Like a shepherd, he drove his herd into one ce while Kiriyan and Dorma attacked from a distance. It was a tricky enemy, but it was easy to hunt strategically. The crack subjugation was almost over, and soon, the boss monster would appear. Ko Byeong-gap smoked and looked at the dead Goats in his spare time. All the mes that they boasted were gone and left only a chunk of meat. ¡°It¡¯s a theme park with simple monsters. So, will the boss thates out be a Centauro?¡± While making a pointless joke, a thought suddenly urred to him. ¡®By the way, what are these things?¡¯ Attempts to uncover the origin and the identity of the monsters had already been carried out countless times. There were also numerous attempts tomunicate with them, but they often failed. What was the cause of the failure even though it was discovered 15 years ago that some monsters had intelligenceparable to humans? That was because of the endless aggression of the monsters. Every time they saw a human being, they rushed to kill them. What kind of conversation woulde from that? However, if they pulled them out of the cracks to experiment on them, they often died easily. As such, the study of monsters suffered a major setback. Still, the situation had turned 180 degrees since thest Monster Wave incident. ¡®Now that the monsters don¡¯t die outside the cracks, it¡¯s easier to conduct tests.¡¯ In fact, it was on the news a while ago that the captured monsters had been transferred to a specialized research institute. Well, apart from all that, there was a question that only Ko Byeong-gap could have. He was the Goblin Lord, so he couldmunicate with the Goblins. Through various incidents, he even discovered that the Goblins descended from a race that had prospered in the past. ¡®Yeah, let¡¯s say the Goblins are like that.¡¯ He gradually picked up clues about his questions regarding the Goblins. ¡®And what about the other monsters? Are these things that live in the cracks anything like Goblins?¡¯ Did they have their own Lord and their own hometowns like Ashvm? He felt a little sad when he thought about it. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. Is it time for me to worry about monsters?¡± ¡°What did you just say?¡± Kiriyan asked in surprise. Ko Byeong-gap waved his hands. ¡°No, I¡¯m just talking to myself. Come on, let¡¯s go get the captain.¡± ¡°Lord wants to move!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± He didn¡¯t know what happened to the other monsters, but they were someone else¡¯s business. In the first ce, the hunters took care of the monsters, so what could he do? After some time, Ko Byeong-gap and his group were able to face the boss monster. Of course, it was a Harpy that showed up, contrary to his expectation that a Centauro would appear. A naked woman with sharp ws as her nails. Her arms had wings that resembled birds, and her face was mixed at a ratio of 5:5 between a bird and a human. It was a strong creature recorded as a B-ss monster, but there was one more peculiarity to it. ¡°That¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap frowned as if he had seen something he couldn¡¯t unsee. The Harpy¡¯s stomach bulged as if a baby was inside of it. Chapter 70 70. Monster He had never seen a pregnant monster until now, and it was his fourth year. Ko Byeong-gap tilted his head and frowned. No matter how he looked at it, it was carrying a baby. The bump that grew long below its navel wasn¡¯t something that a simple lumpy stomach could cause. ¡°Kyaaahhh!¡± The Harpy let out a loud, frantic roar that he felt as if his ears were about to fall out. The creature flew up and widened its distance from his subjugation party. The ss C and D monsters under itsmand roared and stepped forward. Ko Byeong-gap could tell they were trying to protect their boss. ¡°Keep in line. They¡¯reing.¡± Their enemies consisted of approximately forty Horned Gabris, and soon, they all rushed in. It was like a wave in a way. Boom! Boom! Bang! Kiriyan and Dorma started intercepting immediately. Explosions and electric shocks soared between enemy lines. At times like that, they would beat down one or two enemies while letting out thunder attacks. ¡°Changsik, Taesik. Stick together!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I see!¡± Ko Byeong-gap and the two Beast Goblins sprinted. Before they collided with their enemies, Kiriyan fired a spear of lightning to open the way and made it easier for close dealers to prate the enemy lines. ¡°Hing!¡± ¡°Aaah!¡± Heads and hind legs flew in all directions. Ko Byeong-gap moved flexibly and evaded the onught of attacks. From time to time, he would stab his sword that would strike like bamboo grain on the face of their enemies. asionally, a surprise attack would fly in from a blind spot. Changsik and Taesik gave him great support. When their ws drew dangerous trajectories, a dense haze of blood filled the air. No matter how imposed the monsters were, they had no talent to withstand the hole left in their brains. ¡°Keeek!¡± At that moment, stone shards bounced off the floor, and Changsik screamed. Ko Byeong-gap looked in his direction in surprise and saw Changsik sped his legs and swallowed a groan. ¡°What the hell?!¡± Ko Byeong-gap quickly searched the direction of the blind attack. It came from above, and the Harpy was there, plotting something. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± A colorless and intangible shock waveunched from its gigantic jaws. Except for the momentary distortion of the space, it was difficult to even spot. The shock wave flooded Changsik again. Ko Byeong-gap quickly stood in front of him and swung his sharp sword, which struck the shock wave. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Ugh! It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m okay!¡± ¡°Then get up!¡± ¡°Kyaaah!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Three consecutive shock waves fell overhead. Ko Byeong-gap managed to hit two shots, but the other hit him on the left shoulder. Even though he strengthened his body, he felt a throbbing pain. ¡®Damn it! I can¡¯t see anything!¡± He reached the limit of using his senses to counterattack, but right then, white light rose from the body of Ko Byeong-gap and Changsik. Suddenly, the pain went away, and his wound healed. It was the healing power of the healer Varmond. Changsik quickly got up and grabbed the opportunity. Thanks to the support fire from the rear, the subordinate monsters were captured by more than 70%. Ko Byeong-gap gnashed his teeth while staring at the Harpy. ¡®I¡¯ll have to catch her first.¡¯ ¡°Changsik, Taesik! Get the subordinates!¡± ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± ¡°Kerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!¡± Changsik and Taesik lured the subordinate monsters with their unique quick movements. Ko Byeong-gap slipped out of the monster¡¯s torrent and targeted the Harpy right away, which flew about five meters above the ground. ¡®Damn it, how do I catch her?¡¯ It was said that some of the higher Awakeners could also reach the sky. It was no surprise that they could fly since fire and electricity were already flying on the ground. However, he didn¡¯t have such talents. ¡®If you don¡¯t have teeth, you¡¯ll have to use your gums!¡¯ He couldn¡¯t fly, but he could reach it. He bent his legs to the fullest extent and prepared for his leap. A burst of his aura gathered from the lower half of his body, and the next moment¡­ Hit! The floor hollowed. In response, Ko Byeong-gap soared up into the sky. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± The Harpy pulled herself out reflexively and emitted shock waves. When the shock wave hit his forehead, his vision became dark. Still, he never closed his eyes. ¡°Kyaaa¡ª!¡± ¡°I got you, bitch!¡± Ko Byeong-gap grabbed one of the Harpy¡¯s arms, which were both arms and wings, so it disturbed the bnce of her flight, and the two of them crashed to the ground. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± ¡°Gah!¡± The Harpy and Ko Byeong-gap tangled and rolled on the floor. The shock of the fall was short-lived. It attacked Ko Byeong-gap, waving its fists and arms at random. Ko Byeong-gap eventually let go of the Harpy¡¯s arm, and it tried to fly up again. However¡­ Crunch! ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Kyaaaah!¡± He seeded in amputating one of the Harpy¡¯s arms, not losing concentration until the end. The Harpy stepped back, clutching its severed shoulder. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± It poured out shock waves. Ko Byeong-gap instinctively leaned down and picked up a rock on the floor. In an instant, his arms went limp, but at the same time, the stone plummeted toward the Harpy¡¯s stomach. The Harpy covered her stomach in fright. It overreacted even though it was nothing but a stone. ¡®As expected, it protects its baby.¡¯ Such an attack without using aura didn¡¯t do much damage. Even the attacked Harpy showed a bewildered reaction. Of course, there was a separate main dish. A stab full of aura flew into the Harpy¡¯s face. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± ¡°Tsk!¡± The monster barely turned its head to avoid the fatal wound. His sword brushed past its right shoulder, but it jumped up and widened its distance. She still had one arm around her belly. ¡®You¡¯re a monster, but you have maternal instincts?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap nced at the situation behind him. The subordinate monsters were on the verge of annihtion, and the Harpy was now a rat in a jar. He picked up a stone again andughed provocatively. ¡°Just give up. What are you doing, tiring the both of us like this?¡± ¡°Kiyaaaaaaaa!¡± A shock wave rushed along with a high-pitched sound. Ko Byeong-gap flew to the side to avoid it, and then, he threw a stone at the Harpy¡¯s abdomen, which was his target, again. At that time, the Harpy took in a breath big enough to bend her waist and released it for a moment. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!¡± ¡°Growl!¡± A huge shock wave, like a lion¡¯s roar in an open field, shot in all directions. The flying stone turned into powder, and at the same time, Ko Byeong-gap flew away as if a huge club had beaten him. ¡®Shit!¡¯ It was more deafening than it was a painful blow. Ko Byeong-gap felt the warmth in his neck as blood rushed to his ears. However, the previous attack seemed to have damaged the Harpy itself. The bleeding from its severed shoulder elerated. Her body could not withstand the recoil of the attack. ¡°Ki¡­ Kyaaa¡­¡± The Harpy staggered. Ko Byeong-gap raised himself with his sword because his entire body felt numb. The healer Varmond immediately put him on his heels, and with the help of Ki-Breathing, his wounds healed quickly. The Harpy, on the other hand, was a wreck. This was the importance of having a healer. ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, you should have a healer!¡± Ko Byeong-gap rushed like lightning. The de that soared into the sky fell as if it had never happened, and the weak Harpy had no energy to escape. ¡°Kyaaa!¡± ¡®Did you turn around and avoid it even in that state? You¡¯re a tenacious monster.¡¯ In fact, it did the same thing to his previous attack that aimed for its head. The Harpy earned her life in exchange for her arms for a few seconds. As soon as the de hit the floor, it bounced like a spring. This time, he sought revenge, but the Harpy pulled out desperately. The de grazed her stomach very lightly, and the Harpy limped and copsed. Ko Byeong-gap was in the best interest of ending it, but just before he could crush the Harpy¡¯s skull, he paused and saw the Harpy shedding tears. A human-like body and bird wings. Its strange head was half-mixed with that of a bird. Such a weird thing was shedding tears. ¡°Don¡¯t do it!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The Harpy suddenly shouted back. It wasn¡¯t a loud voice apanied by a shock wave but a normal voice. ¡°You¡­ You just talked..?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do it! Don¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°Lord, are you alright?¡± The attack squad who ended the subordinate monsters gathered near. They were stunned at the Harpy¡¯s devastated look. ¡°I¡¯ll put an end to it!¡± Suddenly, Kiriyan gathered lightning in his grasp. Ko Byeong-gap freaked out and stopped him. ¡°No! Stay still!¡± ¡°Lord¡­? What do you¡­?¡± ¡°Everybody back up behind me.¡± It looked like it was going to die soon, but it was still a B-rated monster. They could never know when it might shoot a shock wave. Ko Byeong-gap slowly opened his mouth, holding his sword so that he could swing it at any time. ¡°Do you understand me?¡± ¡°Lord, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Shh! Be quiet!¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Ko Byeong-gap cleared his throat and spoke again. ¡°You can talk, right? Is that so?¡± ¡°Die, die, die, die, die, die! Kyaaah!¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± The Harpy¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as she fired a curse with a quick shock wave. It was a creepy, dreary voice. In the end, she sputtered it out. Blood vessels stood out on Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s forehead. ¡°If youe out so uncooperative, you will only suffer. When you say good things¡ª¡± ¡°Die! Die! Die¡­ Ahhh! Kyaaah!¡± ¡°Hey! What¡¯s wrong with you all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Suddenly, the Harpy burst intoughter. Despite itscerated arm, it held its stomach and began to groan. Soon, there was an embarrassing and ufortable scene to watch. The bottom of the Harpy¡¯s groin was red. It wasn¡¯t long before blood and amniotic fluid poured out. Ko Byeong-gap shuddered and stepped back. ¡°Agh! Kyaaah!¡± With a screeching sound, the Harpy struggled for a moment. ¡°L-Lord. what should we do?¡± ¡°Ah, how would I know that?¡± ¡°Are you going to kill it?¡± ¡°No, just leave it alone.¡± With that, the attack squad and Ko Byeong-gap looked at the Harpy, struggling in pain. ¡®Is the kiding out?¡¯ He could tell just by the looks of it. He was sure she was about to have a baby. It wouldn¡¯t be a good sight to see. How would a monster giving birth be considered a good sight? However, he found it interesting. About three or four minutes had passed, the Harpy¡¯s bulging stomach sank, and a huge amniotic fluid burst out. Soon, a lump of object came out between its legs. ¡°Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha¡­ Cough.¡± And the Harpy died without any time to do anything. When the boss monster died, the back world began to vibrate and copse. Meanwhile¡­ ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out. No, it was actually halfway out. ¡°Lord¡­ Lord, that¡¯s¡­?¡± It was the same for the Goblins. Their eyes gathered in one ce, and it was under Harpy¡¯s groin. There was a little ¡®something¡¯ that cried with a hoarse voice. It wasn¡¯t unusual for a newborn baby to cry. The problem was, the Harpy¡¯s baby¡­ ¡®That¡¯s a person, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ No doubt it was a human newborn from head to toe. It felt like he was losing his mind. Was it even reasonable for a human baby toe out of a Harpy? ¡°Lord, I think we should move the meat first.¡± ¡°Uh, yeah, Kiriyan. Let¡¯s do that.¡± He opened the door to Ashvm. Soon after, workers jumped out and moved the monster meat. Meanwhile, Ko Byeong-gap approached the child. He hesitated to touch it and was reluctant to speak frankly. ¡°What are you thinking? Are you going to kill it?¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t do anything, wouldn¡¯t it die on its own?¡± ¡°Well, I think that¡¯s right. You don¡¯t have to get your hands dirty, Lord.¡± It had no chance of living if left alone in the crack. ¡°Waaa! Waaa!¡± Meanwhile, the child struggled on the dirt floor. It began to move around. ¡®What kind of newborn is that powerful?¡¯ The child shivered and moved closer into its mother¡¯s body. It was an instinctive action to maintain body temperature. Just then, a worker pulled the Harpy¡¯s body away for its meat. ¡°Huh? This¡­ What¡¯s this?¡± The worker looked at the child with a question mark in his eyes. His hand reached out to the baby. ¡°Hey, hey! Wait a minute!¡± Ko Byeong-gap quickly stole the child. ¡°Lord. That. Meat?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± He sighed bitterly. He stared at the child in his arms and couldn¡¯t answer. ¡°This isn¡¯t meat.¡± ¡°No? Okay, I got it.¡± The worker moved away nonchntly. ¡°Lord?¡± ¡°Dorma, should I raise this?¡± ¡°You mean you¡¯re going to collect what came out of the monster¡¯s belly?¡± Dorma asked with a voice full of bewilderment. ¡°No, I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m going to take it, but¡­ Aren¡¯t you curious? Aren¡¯t you curious what it¡¯ll be like once it grows?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about, but don¡¯t worry. If you think it¡¯s dangerous, I¡¯ll go ahead and kill it.¡± ¡°I just trust and follow the Lord¡¯s judgment.¡± Dorma epted bitterly. After the meat collection, the Goblins returned to Valtadren with the group and the child of the Harpy. Chapter 71 71. Break through the supply route ¡°Woah!¡± An oldpact car with a mileage of just over 300,000 km raced through the wilderness. The road wasn¡¯t cleaned, so when the car passed, a dense cloud of dust rose. Still, it had no problem running. ¡°Doran, put your head in and close the window.¡± ¡°But, Lord! This feels great!¡± ¡°Sigh.¡± Doran cheered wildly, head half out of the window. She looked like a child full of mischief. ¡®Well, she is a kid, right?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap smiled and pressed the elerator pedal more. When the speedometer needle went over 90, the car rattled. The more he did, the more Doran¡¯s cheers grew. ¡®I didn¡¯t get anything after all that.¡¯ They circled a 20-kilometer radius around Valtadren, but he didn¡¯t find anything significant. At best, only a few Grugles were roaming the wilderness. ¡®Well, it was said that the Spirits lived in the mountains.¡¯ Ea said most of the continent was a wastnd. Even Spirits couldn¡¯t live in such a barren ce. At least the mountains were worth living in, so the Spirits dug into the mountains. ¡®But I found this good ce, so let¡¯s be satisfied.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that they had no harvest at all. They found arge stream and a wide mountain range. It was a good reference should they build a third base in the distant future. ¡°Let¡¯s go back soon.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± They turned their heads around to get back to Valtadren. The sunset hung in the western sky, and a wonderful sunset unfolded. He didn¡¯t know anything else, but the beauty was amazing. Ko Byeong-gap stopped the car. ¡°What? Lord, why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to take a picture. You get off, too.¡± ¡°Picture?¡± He and Doran got out of the car. Ko Byeong-gap turned on his cell phone camera and took some pictures of the sunset. Doran stood next to him and looked at him with a strange look. While he was at it, he turned the lens and took a picture of Doran. Click! She flinched as she heard the sound. ¡°What? What did you do?¡± ¡°Look at this.¡± ¡°Wow! This is me, right? How did you do that?¡± He gave Doran a rough exnation of what the picture was. She was quick to understand because she was so smart. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take a picture of you, Lord.¡± ¡°Me? No, thanks.¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± He pretended to be reluctant to hand over his cell phone. Doran took a picture poses. ¡®It¡¯s pretty good.¡¯ The background was amazing, so even though she took it roughly, she got great pictures. In particr, the Mindung Mountain, where the sunset hung, was a specialty. They took pictures for a while and got back in the car. They quickly arrived at Valtadren as he drove the car while enjoying the scenery. ¡°Open the door!¡± ¡°Lord. He¡¯s back!¡± The guards at the gate hurriedly opened the gate. Ko Byeong-gap opened the window and waved. ¡°You¡¯re doing quite the hard work!¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± ¡°Thank you for your effort.¡± The Goblins were slowly wrapping up their work. Valtadren, which was almost a ruin, gradually took on the shape of society. A group of Goblins walked past while they carried the rubble of a building. Ko Byeong-gap habitually opened his mouth. ¡°Guys, where¡¯s Gobung¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ no. Finish what you were doing.¡± ¡®Right, Gobung isn¡¯t here.¡¯ It had be his habit to look for Gobung first when something had to be done. ¡®Thanks to Gobung, it was easy to get the job done.¡¯ He felt the empty space that Gobung left. ¡®I¡¯m gonna have to pick a few people for the job.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap moved on and thought of some of the candidates. He headed for a residential area. He went inside one of the buildings that had been cleaned up. ¡°Oh, Lord. You¡¯re here.¡± A little boy stood up and greeted Ko Byeong-gap. Ko Byeong-gap skimmed through the house. There was only one piece of furniture. In one corner, empty milk powder bottles were stacked on top of each other. ¡°How¡¯s everything?¡± ¡°Yeah. Everything¡¯s fine, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°He keeps eating. It won¡¯t rest from eating.¡± Said the little Goblin, ncing sideways at the bed. A good baby was lying on the bed, sucking powdered milk with a very fierce spirit. ¡°Today, it had three. He ate. Eat. Eat. It just did that.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t feed it, it will cry loudly.¡± Three days ago, he picked up a child from a Harpy¡¯s belly. If it were a normal monster cub, he would¡¯ve just killed it. However, what came out was a human child, so he couldn¡¯t let it die. Ko Byeong-gap answered with a deep sigh. ¡°For now, keep feeding it. Better than to starve it.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± The sun had set before they knew it, and the Goblins gathered around for dinner. Ko Byeong-gap picked 10 Hob Goblins among them. Only the ones who had been in Ashvm for a long time. ¡°As of today, you are work leaders.¡± ¡°Work leaders?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing hard to think about. You can take care of the kids and take care of their work like you used to when you were in Somnium.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°At the moment, just know that there¡¯s nothing you can do.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡®I should name the children.¡¯ In order to call them easier in the future, he had to name them. Ko Byeong-gap thought about it during the night. The next day, he had breakfast in his officetel. As he decided to work in Ashvm that day, he skipped going for subjugations. For the past three days, he had been going to two cracks every day. He had a quick breakfast and headed to arge stationery store. Ko Byeong-gap bought ten armbands and name tags for each. ¡°What should I name them? This is a pain in the neck.¡± Ko Byeong-gap hesitated for a long time with a marker. Suddenly, he started to write things down. ¡°Let¡¯s go easy. One, two, three¡­¡± To be honest, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh at his level of creativity. Anyway, he took the armbands and name tags and went to Ashvm. The Goblins had just finished breakfast and were preparing for their day. Everyone just happened to be in one ce. ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± He shouted out loud. ¡°Come on out, the guys I appointed as the work team leaders yesterday!¡± ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± Ten Hob Goblins came out in a rush. Ko Byeong-gap gave them armbands and name tags and held a brief inauguration ceremony. ¡°Listen, what they will be saying from now on is a message from, so keep that in mind and follow them.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡°Alright, work leaders,e with me for a second.¡± Gathering them to the front, Ko Byeong-gap set the mood. ¡°Starting today, we¡¯re going to work on making roads in the mountains.¡± ¡°Which mountain?¡± ¡°The mountain where Sommium is located. Fortunately, the slope is gentle, so I think we can finish it easily by putting away some stones and trees and putting your hand here and there.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± The work leaders nodded in admiration. Ko Byeong-gap groaned and divided the working ss into two categories. He divided some to the left, while the rest were on the right. ¡°You¡¯re going out with me. Well¡­ Excluding the little ones, we have 70 people for each group. Bring an ax, a shovel, and a hoe. Do you understand?¡± They exchanged nces and nodded. ¡°We understood. 70 people. Pack an ax, shovel, and hoe. Did we understand?¡± ¡°Yes, you understood correctly. You did a good job.¡± ¡°The gathering area. Where?¡± ¡°Gather in front of the south gate.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The workforce leaders who were ordered disappeared. This time, he entrusted the work to those that remained. ¡°You guys finish your work here while we¡¯re out. Just do what you¡¯ve been doing.¡± ¡°As it is. You mean? I see.¡± ¡°Oh, and¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Ah! Yes!¡± ¡°Pick about 20 little guys and go to the river and get some dirt.¡± ¡°Do you mean soil?¡± ¡°Yes, you can take a bucket or something and take it easy. I¡¯ll tell you where to stack it.¡± ¡°I see. But how much do you want us to get?¡± ¡°Just keep going until I get back.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell the guards, so if a Gruggle appears, you should flee to the castle immediately.¡± ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡± After saying that, Ko Byeong-gap went to visit Doran. He told Doran to stand by the gates, armed with the 1st and 2nd infantry. ¡°Yes, I understand. That¡¯s all I have to do?¡± ¡°Oh, and go to the freezer and get 510bat food. Take that much bottled water too.¡± ¡°510? Yes! I¡¯ll take care of it like that.¡± ¡°I think we should have lunch outside. Anyway, I leave it to you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Whoo!¡± ¡°When you¡¯re done,e to the south gate.¡± The preparations went smoothly. Ko Byeong-gap gave orders around, and in the meantime, the workers gathered in front of the south gate. He drove the light car and went there. The waiters looked dumbfounded when they saw their Lord appear with the car. He got out of the car briefly and checked the personnel and supplies. There was no problem with everything. ¡°Doran.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord. By the way, why did you take the car?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go first and take a picture of Somnium. You lead the children well ande to the rocky mountain. You can do that, right?¡± ¡°Of course! No problem.¡± ¡°Then let me tell you. Take your time. Don¡¯t rush.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see you then.¡± The gates opened. Ko Byeong-gap quickly ran away with the car. He stepped on the elerator pedal and headed for the rocky mountain. He took a few minutes to gallop through the dreadful wilderness. He quickly reached the rocky mountain. However, the real thing began from now on. It was quite a long way to Somnium. ¡®I have to take pictures before the kidse, so I have to hurry.¡¯ He released his strength, much like in battle. In an instant, his body seemed to be hazy, and he climbed the mountain without hesitation. He moved like a wolf or a peregrine falcon. Suddenly, when he felt a little out of breath and exhausted, he took out the beef jerky he had prepared. ¡®Beef jerky made of gold dragon meat.¡¯ It was a beef jerky that cost 2,000 crystals. He couldn¡¯t eat it all since it was such a waste, so he just bit it to the size of a finger. The savory taste lingered on his tongue, and soon after, the energy he lost rose again. He climbed the mountain with overflowing force and reached halfway where Somnium was located in 30 minutes. ¡°Gasp! Gasp! Oh my God, I¡¯m dying.¡± He walked out of the forest and saw a huge wall in front of him. There were also Goblins that stood guard over it. It was when he raised his arms to see if they would spot him. ¡°Lord! The Lord is here!¡± Suddenly, a loud voice came from over there, and the gate opened. ¡®Fools, making such a fuss.¡¯ The first people to wee him as he entered were the guards. They repeatedly called for him, expressing their wee. ¡°Where¡¯s Gobung?¡± ¡°Maybe. By the cave. He would be there.¡± ¡°Really? Okay. Everyone, take care of your business.¡± Thend of Somnium, which he stepped on for the first time in a long time, was very weing. Ko Byeong-gap walked slowly, taking in the atmosphere. ¡°Hey, they¡¯ve expanded the henhouse? The fields are plentiful.¡± At first nce, they seemed to be doing well. The Goblins, who were working in a field or the henhouse, found Ko Byeong-gap. Their eyes widened, and then, they ran all of a sudden. ¡°Lord! Lord!¡± ¡°Lord, when did you get here?¡± ¡°Lord!¡± ¡°How are you doing, you bastards?¡± Ko Byeong-gap greeted them with a bright smile. They must¡¯ve detected him from inside the cave due to the disturbance he caused outside. Someone peeped out of the cave. It was Gobung. ¡°Lo¡­ Lord!¡± ¡°Oh, Gobung!¡± ¡°Lord is here! Everybody out! Lord is here!¡± ¡°What? Lord?¡± After a while, the Goblins came out of the cave. Everyone ate well and slept well. Theirplexions were fine. ¡°Lord! When did youe?¡± ¡°I just got here. Wow, it¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen you, Gobung.¡± ¡°Yeah! Long time no see. Oh my God.¡± ¡°Oh,e on, you¡¯re crying again? Disgusting.¡± The eyes of the Goblins turned red. They were sentimental, unlike what they looked like anyway. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any problems with your stay? Do you eat well?¡± ¡°Yes, without starving. We ate well.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief. How about that?¡± ¡°Lord left. Appeared a few times. But that was once or twice.¡± ¡°I was worried, but that¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°By the way, why are you here? Alone?¡± ¡°Somehow, I¡¯m just here to see how you guys live.¡± ¡°Really, Lord? Really. I missed you.¡± ¡°Oh, stop saying such disgusting things.¡± Even as he said that, the smile didn¡¯t leave Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s face. He then spoke up as if he had just remembered something. ¡°Oh, yeah, I do have one thing to do.¡± ¡°Hmm? In Somnium. Is there anything left to do?¡± ¡°Oh, I have a job to leave to you.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ What?¡± Instead of answering, Ko Byeong-gap opened the ancient shop. [Ancient Shop] ¨C Construction ¨C Techniques ¨C Misceneous goods ¨C Others [Crystals on Hand: 10,089,469] ¡°Finally, you¡¯re avable.¡± Yesterday, the number of crystals they had exceeded 10 million. Ko Byeong-gap found the product he wanted by scrolling his fingers without hesitation. [Seed of Enlightenment] -Price: 10,000,000 Crystals -Description: Seed of Yggdrasil as a free hunter, the World Tree. It contains the spirit of a race that bought the wrath of God and eventually lost its wisdom. When the world tree sprouts, the long-standing aspirations of the race can be fulfilled. Ko Byeong-gap said while looking at the shop window with joy. ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. You just need to grow a tree like you raised a chicken.¡± Chapter 72 72. Break through the supply route ¡°Grow a tree. You mean?¡± Gobung asked with an expression of ignorance. Ko Byeong-gap just smiled and moved his fingers. [Do you want to purchase ¡®Seed of Enlightenment¡¯?] A hologram asked if he wanted to buy it, and he said yes without hesitation. After a while, the space distorted, and a kidney bean size seed smaller than a fingernail fell. Although it was shabby in size, it was unique in its appearance. The seed glowed subtly in iridescent light and radiated with colors. ¡°Oh, oh!¡± ¡°That¡­ How¡­ What is it?¡± The frightened Goblins backed away. Ko Byeong-gap handled the seed with care as if he were serving royalty. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but good things will happen to us if it sprouts.¡± ¡°Good¡­ Good things. What kind of¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Do you want to be a little more handsome?¡± Ko Byeong-gap said yfully and moved his body. ¡°You, go get a shovel.¡± ¡°Ah, I got it!¡± A normal Goblin rushed to bring a shovel, and then, Ko Byeong-gap moved to the sunniest ce among the fields and started digging. He dug a deep hole, ced the seed in the moist ground, and covered it with soil again. He spoke as he put a shovel in the ce where he had nted the seed. ¡°Gobung, build a fence around here. You don¡¯t have to hit too wide, and make sure no one gets inside the fence.¡± ¡°Put a fence. No one can get in¡­ Yep! Alright.¡± ¡°Yes, and mix a potion in water once a day and spray it here. Just like growing potatoes in a field.¡± ¡°I will. I will.¡± ¡°There¡¯s still a lot of potion left, right?¡± ¡°Yes, we have enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡®Cause I¡¯m broke¡­¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap bought it with a whopping 10 million crystals. The crystals he had left were about 90,000. For the time being, he was in economy mode. ¡°Ah, by the way. Lord.¡± ¡°Hmm? Why?¡± ¡°What you nted on the ground¡­ I mean, something precious. Isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Oh, right. It¡¯s terribly expensive.¡± Gobung hesitated. Ko Byeong-gap waited patiently and wondered what he was going to say, and soon he opened his mouth. ¡°I¡­ To me. Well, leaving it to me. Is that okay?¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about?¡± Ko Byeong-gap smiled. ¡°Why? Do you think you can¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°A little. I¡¯m worried. Just in case it goes wrong¡­¡± ¡°What can go wrong?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if something goes wrong while you¡¯re raising it. We can work hard to fix it and raise it again.¡± Gobung pursed his lips. Ko Byeong-gap continued, patting his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. There¡¯s a lot of time, and I¡¯m leaving it to you because I think you¡¯re better than me when ites to raising things.¡± A precious seed of enlightenment. There were two reasons why he kept it in Somnium. The first was safety, and the second was the environment. He was exposed to many dangers being in Valtadren. Also, he didn¡¯t forget what Ea said about ¡®the Grugle the size of a mountain.¡¯ It might be peaceful now, but they would never know when or how a disaster would hit. In that sense, it was right to leave the seed in Somnium, the st bastion.¡¯ In the environment, no matter how much they did, they were merely improving the soil¡¯s quality. However, the reality was that itcked in many ways. When trees grow, they take root deep in the ground, and if the soil were in poor condition, it would be hard for a tree to grow. For that reason, Ko Byeong-gap decided to raise it in Somnium. ¡°It¡¯s already time. Anyway, Gobung, don¡¯t feel too pressured and just do what you¡¯ve been doing.¡± ¡°Oh, I see! I¡¯ll do my best! By the way. Are you leaving already?¡± ¡°Yes. I have to go and work.¡± When he spoke firmly, the expressions of the Goblins, including Gobung, became sullen. Ko Byeong-gap spoke brightly on purpose to evoke the atmosphere. ¡°From today on, we¡¯re going to work on drilling roads in the mountains. When the construction ispleted, it will be easier to go back and forth. So, I can go back and forth three or four times a day.¡± ¡°Are¡­ Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll have to get it done as soon as possible because I have to supply you with this and that.¡± Ko Byeong-gap said goodbye briefly and left Somnium in a hurry. It was time for the workforce to arrive. Sure enough, more than 500 workers were waiting for him as he reached the entrance of the mountain, panting. ¡®It¡¯s so hard I¡¯m going to die. This isn¡¯t training, so what am I doing¡­¡¯ He felt like he was going to be hard as iron if he ran more. In order not to suffer this hardship further, they had to pave the way quickly. He led the workforce, soothing his beating heart. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get to work!¡± *** The road construction was in full swing. They were making a long road from the beginning of the mountain up to midway. It was certainly hard to cut down trees and remove rocks, but none werezy. They were very much engaged in their work. With everyone working together, the progress of the work was terrifying. When the workforce did their duties, Doran and the infantry guarded the area. Several battles took ce for several days. Fortunately, they dealt no damage since all the enemies were weak. ¡°Today, I have to go to a subjugation, so you have to take care of the kids and lead them. Can you do it?¡± ¡°No problem!¡± ¡°Trust me. Leave it to me!¡± ¡°You¡¯re all very confident. Then I¡¯ll trust you.¡± Once the framework was established, it proceeded smoothly on its own. ¡®They should be able to live without me.¡¯ The Goblins were doing their own things so actively, and that was the ultimate goal of Ko Byeong-gap. He would leave more and more things to them in the future. One day, without their Lord¡¯s help, they could stand on their own feet. ¡®Because I can¡¯t be with you forever.¡¯ It was part of a hunter¡¯s life to know that they didn¡¯t know what might happen tomorrow. Ko Byeong-gap hoped that the responsibility he had to take on as the Goblin Lord would be relieved soon. He went around on Earth that day. It was around 2 pm when he finished going through a B and C-rank crack. As usual, he would¡¯ve gone straight to Ashvm, but that day he had something to do. ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ll see you around five o¡¯clock.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± After the subjugation, he headed to a pig farm in Yeoncheon-gun. Of course, he didn¡¯t go there to grill pork belly. ¡®Ashvm¡¯s second domestic animal has been chosen.¡¯ He had been thinking of raising pigs for a long time. Now that Valtadren was stabilized, it was time to bring in livestock and crops. He visited the pig farm by renting a trailer for transporting livestock. The sound of pig grunts from the pasture was intense. ¡°Oh, wee.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, haha.¡± The farmer simply said hello and went straight to the point. ¡°Come over here.¡± The farmer led Ko Byeong-gap to the cage where young pigs stayed. ¡°They¡¯re a Yorkshire breed, and they¡¯re 8 or 9 months old, so they¡¯re fertile. I¡¯ve got their vinations all set. Go in and take a look.¡± ¡°Can I?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ko Byeong-gap went inside the cage. Their skin was clean, and their bodies were strong. There was a sow that seemed to breed well. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take 30 of them.¡± ¡°Yes, you made a good choice. Let¡¯s go see the sow.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ko Byeong-gap bought eight healthy sows and 30 pigs. ¡°Squeak! Squeak!¡± ¡°Keeek!¡± ¡°Oh my God, you bastards! You¡¯re not going to the ughterhouse! Please cooperate!¡± When they tried to put them in the trailer, they went crazy. After a lot of hard work, he loaded all the pigs and then drove the car. Of course, after he left the farm, all of them were handed over to Ashvm. Well, that went well. ¡°Squeak!¡± ¡°Kook! Kook!¡± ¡®Oh my God, what a mess!¡¯ The pigs who stepped on thend of Valtadren scattered all over the ce. Ko Byeong-gap hurriedly grabbed the pigs. ¡°Goblins! We¡¯re in trouble!¡± ¡°L-Lord?¡± It just so happened that a group of Goblins passed by. Ko Byeong-gap shouted out of the blue. ¡°Hey, hey, hey! Get them! Get them! Get one each!¡± ¡°If we catch these animals. Will they fight?¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t talk to me. Grab them!¡± ¡°Yes, yes! I understand!¡± ¡°Kereuk! Kereuk!¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± Something surprising happened. The pigs froze when a Beast Goblin shouted furiously. Like a mouse in front of a cat. The Beast Goblin kept growling. ¡°Kerreuk!¡± ¡°Squeak¡­ Squeak¡­¡± The pigs gathered in a stride. They stuck together like puppies who had to poop. The Beast Goblin asked leisurely. ¡°Lord, where do we take them? Where?¡± ¡°You guys have a lot of talent, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hehe. Talented. I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, you did a great job! Come with me.¡± He led the pigs to the cage he had made the day before. It was too wide to trap only 38 animals, but it was no problem. The number of heads would increase soon. ¡®I¡¯ll have to bring in the crops tomorrow. We can nt beans and corn for pig food and nt old crops for the rest of thend.¡¯ The corners of his mouth rose slightly with excitement. The day ended, and two days had passed. Five days, eight days, and soon, ten days went by without a hitch. On the eleventh day, the road to Somnium was finally opened. When the construction was finished, they shouted for hurray with one heart and one ord. ¡°Gobung, I¡¯m going to take this one.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Two trucks parked in Somnium, and one was to be moved to Valtadren. He got on the truck and got on the road they had paved. ¡®Even if it¡¯s a little bumpy, this is enough.¡¯ Even with two diesel drums loaded in the luggagepartment, his driving wasn¡¯t affected at all. Since the supply route was open, it would be easier to transport meat and supplies. ¡®The nted seed hasn¡¯t yielded good news.¡¯ Twenty days had passed since he nted a Seed of Enlightenment in Somnium, but it didn¡¯t even sprout. He was worried if something was wrong, but he couldn¡¯t dig it back. ¡®¡­ Don¡¯t worry too much. I guess it takes a long time to sprout. Worrying wouldn¡¯t make the tree grow fast.¡¯ He hummed, drove the truck, and shook off all sorts of thoughts. Since thepletion of the road, a different sight had unfolded in Ashvm. The truckpartment was loaded with frozen meat. Ea was in the driver¡¯s seat, and Doran was in the passenger seat. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go!¡± Ea grabbed the steering wheel with an excited voice. ¡°Be careful driving. Don¡¯t be frivolous.¡± ¡°Whoa, there¡¯s nothing to worry about. You told mest time, didn¡¯t you? I¡¯m a pretty good driver. I think I have a knack for driving too!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, anyway, just deliver the meat.¡± ¡°Of course! Then, we¡¯ll be back!¡± ¡°Lord, see youter!¡± A truck full of meat left the gate. Doran was there, so if ever a Grugle appeared, they would have no problems. ¡°Phew, I¡¯m going to work. Chilbong, Palbong.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go pick corn. Bring your tools.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± February went on without a hitch in Ashvm. Spring wasing before he knew it. *** Naju, Jeonam-do has been famous for its wide ins and rice soup since ancient times. However, when we talk about Naju, the first keyword in mind was ¡®Maseok Power nt.¡¯ In fact, after the advent of the new fuel called the Magic Stones, 90% of Korea¡¯s electricity was generated by the Maseok Power nt. Not only in Korea but all over the world. The magic stones showed near-perfect performance in three areas: efficiency, power generation cost, and environment. Therefore, the need to burn fossil fuels had been eliminated. Schrs even predicted that magic stones within ten years would rece all power sources. The magic stone was truly a groundbreaking material. Anyway, Naju had thergest power generationplex in Korea, but¡­ ¡°Huh?! Who are you?!¡± ¡°Hah! Call the securitypany right now¨C¡± On a night in February, masked men raided the power nt. It was a group of awakeners that carried swords of a jaw-dropping size. The power they exerted was truly terrifying, and people didn¡¯t even dare to rebel. ¡°Master, I¡¯ve taken care of everything.¡± A girl with a young voice said. Her feet were littered with people who had fainted. Not a single person was killed. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± The tall woman answered briefly. ¡°Now, take the people away and flee far away.¡± ¡°Yes. After we move these guys, we go to point H, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The woman nodded calmly, and then, another masked person opened their mouth. This time, it was a boy¡¯s voice. ¡°Master, would you be alright alone? Wouldn¡¯t it be better if we helped?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good enough alone. It¡¯s been a while. Go ahead.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, I understand.¡± ¡°See youter, Master.¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± The three assants disappeared with the fainted carried on their backs. The tall woman closed her eyes and waited until her men were far enough away. ¡®I think this is enough.¡¯ The woman raised her sword and made sure there was no one in theplex. At the tip of the sword, Karma, like a mountain, came rushing in. She drew her sword, and everything in front of her turned to dust and disappeared. After the copse of themand control center, the woman began to attack the power generation facilities in earnest. She was no ordinary awakener. A 15-meter-tall concrete building could be cut in half by her in just one swipe. On that day, all 20 power nts in the Naju Power nt copsed. Chapter 73 73. Power nt Raid ¡°Oh no, who the hell are they?¡± Ko Byeong-gap looked into his cell phone and recalledst night. He had just gotten home from his business in Ashvm. In the bathroom, he showered himself with hot water and washed away the fatigue of his day, but suddenly the lights went out. At first, he thought it was just a problem with the bathroom or something. However, the hot water was cut off immediately after that, and all appliances in the living room stopped working since there was a power outage. It wasn¡¯t just his own house. The night in Seoul, which he saw over the veranda, was covered in darkness. Fortunately, the ckout didn¡¯tst long. Within ten minutes, electricity was back on the road. At that time, he thought it was a light incident that he had often experienced in his life, but the news article he saw the next day was shocking. Last night, the Naju Power nt was reportedly attacked by gangsters. He couldn¡¯t believe there wasn¡¯t a single power nt left. It certainly wasn¡¯t the work of an idiot. The above incident also caused yesterday¡¯s power outage. Authoritiesunched an investigation based on witness testimony, but it seemed to be going through several difficulties. Except for the testimony of eyewitnesses, there were no other clues whatsoever because the monsters were very determined and erased their traces. It was a meticulously nned crime. To make matters worse, the only thing that they had was that ¡®they were wearing masks and carrying swords.¡¯ Aside from everything, Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t understand the fact that anybody would attack a power nt. What would they get out of doing that? ¡°There are so many bastards in the world who have nothing to do.¡± He was busy working as a hunter and as a Lord. He wanted them to share some of their spare time. ¡°Let¡¯s get to work, work.¡± Ko Byeong-gap diligentlypleted his task that day. The intense cold in March didn¡¯t disappear like a crab¡¯s eye. On the contrary, the springtime was cold and stagnant. On the other hand, March in Ashvm improved in many wayspared to February. Good harvest came to Valtadren, the second base. It wasn¡¯t unusual to harvest corn in the middle of winter since it was warm all year round there. They nted several crops in the eastern part of the inner city, such as corn, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, etc. There were many different kinds. Currently, farming was only in the inner city, but he nned to start farming outside the fortress walls when the system grew more established. If he wanted to be greedy, he would try to get fragrant vegetables and fruits, but it required more study and experience to grow them. It was better to be safe than to be humiliated by octopus feet. ¡°Squeak! Squeak!¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s pork. Eat a lot.¡± Pork rice was made with corn and soybean porridge, then it was cooled down and poured into the feeding basket. The pigs weren¡¯t given growth potions since they could barely handle them with their current food production. If he gave them the potion, they might end up consuming the food meant for the Goblins. On one side of the sty, Goblins scooped up excrement. If fermented well, it would be great manure. He watched the pigs eat for a while and then headed for a house in a residential area. ¡°Huh? Lord, you¡¯re here.¡± The Normal Goblin worked hard. He was doing something next to the bed. ¡°What were you doing?¡± ¡°I changed his diapers. It pooped.¡± He approached the bed. There was a baby who could no longer be called a newborn that sucked a bottle. To add to that, he couldn¡¯t even consider it human anymore. ¡®It¡¯s creepier every time I see it.¡¯ About a month ago, Ko Byeong-gap brought a human baby of a Harpy to Ashvm. Since a human came out of a monster, he decided to raise it out of curiosity, but the baby was extraordinary. First, it showed a growth rate iparable to that of humans. Was it because it ate, slept, ate, slept, and ate all day? It wasn¡¯t even a year old yet, but it was about three years old in size. Secondly, this girl became more like her mother. The skin of her arms and legs hardened and turned into a bird. The features were no longer considered human. From a person to a monster, it was never pleasant to watch the process of change. ¡®Maybe I should kill it sooner orter.¡¯ If this girl was like her mother in nature, and if she couldn¡¯t control it, he had no choice but to kill her. He couldn¡¯t tame wolves into dogs. ¡®It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the Harpy Lord.¡¯ To be honest, as the Goblin Lord, he would never have lived together with the Goblins if it wasn¡¯t for his power. Weren¡¯t they trying to kill each other during their first encounter? A monster¡¯s ferocity was more than a wild animal¡¯s, never less. ¡°Hey, little one. You should go get some fresh air. I¡¯ll be guarding this ce.¡± ¡°Huh? Lord? No, I¡¯m fine.¡± The little boy waved his hands and refused the favor. Ko Byeong-gap suddenly sensed something strange. ¡°¡­ Hey, little boy.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gotten a little better at talking.¡± ¡°Talking?¡± He tilted his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°No, you¡¯ve improved.¡± There was a strange difference in his tone. In the previous day, he spoke in single sybles and with only a few words. The use of words and theposition of the sentences were also clumsy. It wasn¡¯tpletely natural at that time, but it was smoother than before. Suddenly, something shed through his head. ¡®The seed of enlightenment!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap suddenly rushed in and looked around the little boy¡¯s body. ¡°Let me see your back!¡± ¡°Huh? Lord. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Wait a minute, man!¡± ¡®There¡¯s no apparent change.¡¯ It looked the same, and nothing changed significantly. Ko Byeong-gap breathed in and smacked his lips. ¡°Who am I?¡± ¡°Lord.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Then how do you say hello when you meet me?¡± The little boy blinked his eyes a few times and answered. ¡°Lord, hello.¡± ¡°No! Don¡¯t say ¡®Lord, hello.¡¯ Just do as I do. Good afternoon, Lord.¡± ¡°Good afternoon, Lord.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! That¡¯s how you do it from now on.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± The little boy nodded as if he had understood. Ko Byeong-gap sighed deeply as he pondered whether he really did understand. ¡°¡­ Work hard. I¡¯m going.¡± ¡°Okay, goodbye, Lord.¡± He came out of the building and scanned his vicinity. Hob Goblins and Normal Goblins were pulling carts to and from. He called them out quickly. ¡°Hey, you guys! Put the cart down ande here!¡± ¡°Oh, yes!¡± About 10 Goblins rushed in. Ko Byeong-gap took a moment to ask. ¡°What were you doing?¡± ¡°Moving the rubble of a building that had been torn down during the day.¡± ¡°So what, you don¡¯t have any trouble working?¡± ¡°No! It¡¯s always fun to work!¡± A Hob Goblin replied as a representative. Their speaking had be smoother too. ¡°Don¡¯t you guys feel something strange?¡± ¡°Something strange?¡± ¡°Strange? What¡¯s strange?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Ask Lord.¡± ¡°Lord, what do you mean?¡± The Goblins buzzed. Ko Byeong-gap licked his lips again and waved his hand. ¡°Nothing. Hurry up and go to work.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°See you, Lord.¡± Ko Byeong-gap waved his hand roughly. ¡®You¡¯re not aware of your vocabry? I¡¯m going to visit Dorma.¡¯ As soon as he thought so, he went to the walls. The attack squad was on guarding duty with their guards unless they had a special schedule. Dorma would be at the south gate, so he headed there without dy, and as expected, he was there with Kiriyan when Ko Byeong-gap entered the ce below the wall. ¡°What are you doing here, Lord?¡± ¡°When did youe? I didn¡¯t know you were here.¡± ¡°Kiriyan¡¯s here too. That¡¯s great. I have something to ask.¡± ¡°Go ahead. What are you curious about?¡± ¡°You guys, can¡¯t you feel something weird?¡± ¡°What? Weird? What are you talking about?¡± Kiriyan asked back in a tone, saying that he didn¡¯t know. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard the little ones talk? They¡¯ve gotten better at speaking.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t feel much of a difference.¡± ¡°Me as well.¡± ¡°Are the kids talking more?¡± Kiriyan and Dorma just tilted their heads. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± When Ko Byeong-gap reappeared in his office, he was apanied by a Normal Goblin. He constantly spoke to the Normal Goblin as if giving an eloquent presentation. Kiriyan and Dorma, who had been watching silently, looked bewildered. ¡°I-I¡¯m telling you! I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve gotten better at speaking.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t like this before.¡± ¡°Dorma, Kiriyan. What about you guys? Don¡¯t you feel any changes in your body?¡± At their Lord¡¯s question, the two Goblins examined their bodies. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Dorma, what about you?¡± ¡°The same goes for me. It¡¯s the same as usual.¡± Unfortunately, not everyone seemed to have changed. Ko Byeong-gap stroked his chin, lost in thought, and shouted out loud. ¡°Leave the south door open. I¡¯ll have to go to Somnium.¡± ¡°Oh, yes!¡± Ko Byeong-gap drove the light car and set out on the road. Thanks to the road they made, he could reach the Somnium in 20 or 30 minutes. Hoot! Hoot! ¡°Look! Someone from Valtadren!¡± ¡°Who is it? Is it the Lord?¡± When he pressed his horn a few times in front of the gate, the door opened. Ko Byeong-gap roughly epted the greetings of the guards and raced to the field. Screech! A solid fence was built where the seed of enlightenment was nted. He got out of the car quickly and got close. After a while, a bright smile filled his face. ¡°Wow!¡± Inside the fence stood a small sprout that was invisible if you didn¡¯t pay attention. It was a sprout that was smaller than a fingernail. *** ¡°Hey. These are the scoundrels.¡± After a subjugation, Ko Byeong-gap visited the association for magic stone settlement. He let out a sigh as he fiddled with his cell phone while waiting for his turn. ¨C Following Naju, the Changwon Power nt was attacked! Where¡¯s the next target? A power nt located in Changwon was attacked yesterday. It happened two days after the Naju attack. The government even hired hunter mercenaries in cooperation with the guilds instead of a securitypanyposed of non-awakeners, but it didn¡¯t do any good. B-ss hunters guarded the Changwon Power nt. However, they were overwhelmed by the masked men in the blink of an eye. The case wasn¡¯t that the assants were numerous. Only four to five people were confirmed to be a part of it. Another questionable thing was that no one had died. The attackers destroyed only the power nt and didn¡¯tmit any murder. ¡°A pacifist terrorist. You¡¯ve got a fantastic concept.¡± ¨C When it became clear that it was a terrorist attack, the authorities announced that they would focus their efforts on power nt security. After he read the news to the end, Ko Byeong-gap clicked his tongue. If B-ss hunters were attacked helplessly, the assants¡¯ identity had to be at least S-ss awakeners. It wasn¡¯t a problem to be solved by setting up some of the top hunters. ¡°What kind of crazy guy is doing that shit? There are only 450 S-ss hunters in Korea, so why aren¡¯t they being caught quickly? Oh, is this the work of an unregistered awakener?¡± Many awakeners weren¡¯t hunters. In addition, some people had not even taken an awakener test. Of course, there would be S-levels among them. ording to the government¡¯s reasoning, there should be about 20 unregistered S-ss awakeners in Korea. If they were responsible for the crime as well, there would be difficulties in the investigation. ¡°Sigh. Are you out of your mind? Why would you do anything to ruin your life? Ah, I¡¯ll have a cup of coffee.¡± Ko Byeong-gap approached a free coffee machine in the lobby on the second floor. When he stopped by the association, he would drink one or two. Why? Because it was free. Whoosh! The coffee machine made a loud noise and dispensed milk coffee. In the meantime, Ko Byeong-gap looked through the bulletin board on the wall. Despite the chaos in Naju and Changwon, there was no newsletter regarding the news. As soon as he thought about it, a female employee approached and attached arge piece of paper to the bulletin board. Ko Byeong-gap unconsciously read it down. ¨C Announcement of recruitment for temporary security personnel for power nt security 1. Recruitment period: 2026.03.02. ~ 2. Main tasks: Protection of facilities in Wonju/Gangneung/Uljin Power nts 3. Wages: Determined after consultation 4. Notice of separate reward payment: 500 million won per person when a terrorist is killed, and 1.5 billion won per person when captured. Chapter 74 74. Big Battle Ko Byeong-gap pretended not to be interested in it and nced at the recruitment notice posted on the bulletin board. ¡®Half a billion won for killing an assant? It¡¯s even 1.5 billion dors if caught alive.¡¯ ording to the news, four or five fugitives attacked the power nts. He calcted it right away. ¡®Assuming there¡¯s five of them, and it¡¯s 1.5 billion per person caught alive¡­ That¡¯s 7.5 billion!¡¯ The amount of 7.5 billion won made his jaw drop. Wasn¡¯t that astronomical? In fact, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s current profit wasn¡¯t bad. His monthly profit was 300 million even if he had been subjugating less, but he had been going on cracks for more than five days a month. He was on a level that could be considered upper ss. Compared to the days when he was an ordinary D-ss hunter, he made dozens of times more money currently, but 7.5 billion won wasn¡¯t easy to reach. He sipped his milk coffee and stood in front of the bulletin board for a while. ¡®Well, it¡¯s none of my business.¡¯ He returned to his ce and smacked his pouty lips. Of course, it would be nice to make a lot of money. However, if he tried to do something beyond his ability, he might suffer in the end. ¡®How am I supposed to catch an S-ss fugitive? I don¡¯t think so.¡¯ The assants were powerful, overpowering even 20 B-ss hunters. He would be nothing more than an ¡°extra 1¡± who would be overpowered after rolling up his arms. ¡®¡­ Well, using the souls of Ashvm¡¯s heroes, I might¡­¡¯ He briefly recalled the past while he sat in the waiting room. It was when he faced a Balrog on the expedition in the North. The Balrog pushed Group C to the brink of destruction. Moments before his death, Ko Byeong-gap had ovee the crisis through a product called ¡®The Soul of Trovatin.¡¯ ¡®The skills and senses I used then, I couldn¡¯t try to recreate them.¡¯ No matter how hard he tried after the soul was released, he couldn¡¯t use the product again. His head understood what it was, but he felt like his body wasn¡¯t following him. It felt like he stood in front of a huge wall that couldn¡¯t be crossed. ¡®I think if I move on to a higher-level textbook, I¡¯ll somehow find a way to solve it.¡¯ Ding dong! ¡°Customer 132!¡± His number was called as he sat there absentmindedly. Ko Byeong-gap packed a bundle full of magic stones and moved to the front of the desk. About 20 minutes passed, and after the cumbersome settlement process, the settlement was paid. The amount of money he earned that day was about 15 million won after splitting the ones he got from the B and C-rank cracks. It wasparable to the sry of ordinary office workers for months, but it wasn¡¯t satisfactory since about 50 million won was spent every month on his mother¡¯s hospital expenses alone. He had to extract as much money as possible, at least while his limbs were intact. ¡°So I have to work harder in going on subjugations.¡± It was better to be a diligent ant than to aim for a fortune. Ko Byeong-gap shook off his rising misceneous thoughts. *** ¡°Fooooooooooooooh! B-ss monster Sharp Deer rushed with sharp horns. ¡®I¡¯ve identified the pattern of the Sharp Deer. Its pattern is strong, weak, heavy¡­¡¯ ¡°Foooooooh!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s gaze changed and exploded his aura from the depths of his body. The Sharp Deer, who faced him with its horns, was swept away by the aftermath. He didn¡¯t miss the moment when it was defenseless. Ko Byeong-gap rushed like a thunderbolt and drew his sword. ¡°Foooooooh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s thrilling, right?¡± As its skin broke out, an unexpected talent show took ce. The Sharp Deer, a giant monster,id on the floor and was struggling. Ko Byeong-gap jumped up and held his sword upside down. Swoosh! He swung his sword on the Sharp Deer¡¯s neck. Its neck fell off when he drew it hard in that state, and it flinched a few times with sad eyes and soon drooped. [You have fully acquired the ¡®Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Intermediate.¡¯] [You have fully acquired the ¡®Ancient Physical Training Textbook ¨C Intermediate.¡¯] ¡°Right!¡± The two intermediate textbooks were finallyplete, which took quite a long timepared to beginner textbooks. ¡®I¡¯m able to learn a higher-level textbook with this.¡¯ He smiled pleasantly and looked at the situation behind him. The attack squad dealt with the subordinate monsters, who were no match for them. Dealing with the rest ended in less than five minutes. Ko Byeong-gap called the workers to move the bodies of the monsters. He approached the attack squad with a cigarette in his mouth and asked, ¡°What is your textbook achievement rate?¡± ¡°I¡¯m about 70 percent through.¡± ¡°That¡¯s about it for me, too.¡± The Goblins answered in unison. Apparently, their achievement rate was between 63 and 75 percent. ¡°It¡¯s not going up well these days.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It goes up just a little bit even if you deal with dozens of monsters.¡± ¡®Right, it doesn¡¯t rise easily despite that.¡¯ Their progress was slow once their achievement rate exceeded 60 percent. The only way to increase the achievement rate was to fight a stronger enemy. However, Ko Byeong-gap was always in charge of the top B-level monsters since he was worried that the Goblins would get hurt. ¡®Now, the attack squad is capable of beating B-ss monsters. I should begin going into A-rank cracks for the kids to grow¡­¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap was lost in thought as he stroked his chin. Soon, he shook his head. ¡®What am I thinking? There needs to be at least one S-level power in our team to enter an A-rank crack.¡¯ A-rank and B-rank crack. Both were treated as top-rank cracks, but they couldn¡¯t be ced on the same line because the actual difficulty was different; the difference was like that of the sky and the earth. A B-rank crack had low-level subordinate monsters. However, the A-rank cracks were different. Unless it was a special case, such as a Variant or a Dungeon, all subordinate monsters were B-ss. In other words, they would have to deal with more than 300 top monsters. 300 C-ss and 300 B-ss were vastly different. If they lost control, they would get on the Jordan River train as a group. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± He sent the Goblins off and went to Ashvm as well. After going to the river and roughly washing his dirty body, he opened the Ancient Shop. [Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Advanced] -Price: 3,000 Crystals -Description: A textbook dealing with ¡®Swordsmanship ¨C Advanced¡¯ among ancient techniques. It contains the swordsmanship of the ancient knights. [Ancient Physical Training Textbook ¨C Advanced] -Price: 3,000 Crystals -Description: A textbook dealing with ¡®Physical Training ¨C Advanced¡¯ among ancient techniques. It contains the physical training techniques of the ancient knights. He bought two textbooks with a total of 6,000 crystals. His heart pounded as he held the textbook in his hand. Didn¡¯t he get a taste of a new world when he moved from lower to intermediate? Would he feel the thrill again this time? He began imprinting the textbook with high expectations. [Do you want to engrave ¡®Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook ¨C Advanced¡¯?] ¡®Of course.¡¯ When he said yes inside, the books made of parchment began to be absorbed by Ko Byeong-gap. As a vast amount of knowledge flooded into his head, he felt ufortable all over his body. ¡®Damn it. I can¡¯t get used to it.¡¯ He hated this awkwardness, but if this was the only price for getting stronger, he guessed he should be grateful. Ko Byeong-gap finished imprinting the rest of the textbook. He clenched his fist and opened it, savoring the newly introduced knowledge. ¡®Oh? That¡¯s possible?¡¯ He was interested to see the techniques in the physical training textbooks. Ko Byeong-gap managed his strength ording to the knowledge of the textbook. He held his aura in his arms and manipted the intensity ording to the form after that. ¡°Oh, it works.¡± Glittering gloss smeared across his skin, and then it hardened. At first nce, he could say the hardness was above steel. While he was at it, he tried to cut it with his sword. No matter how hard or light he drew it, the sharp de made of Sharp Deer horns didn¡¯t prate his skin at all. Without strength or Karma, it seemed like he might be able to withstand most strikes. ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± It was better functionally and more efficient than traditional defense. This time, he wanted to test his advanced swordsmanship. Ko Byeong-gap mumbled as he got into position. It was just that moment. Boom! Boom! Boom! The sound of drumming suddenly came from the north gate. Ko Byeong-gap grasped the meaning of the sound faster than anyone else. ¡®It¡¯s a dangerous situation?¡¯ He was the one who trained them to hit from the north gate when there was any sign of danger. Ko Byeong-gap immediately ran to the north gate. The closer he got, the more he could hear the urgent voices of the Goblins. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of them!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s outside the walls? We need to inform them!¡± ¡°We must inform the Lord! Lord¨COops! Lord!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Ko Byeong-gap roared. The Goblins that stood on guard on the walls all pointed in one direction. Far away, about three kilometers from a distance, they spotted a group of Grugles. ¡°There¡¯s a loting! I think so!¡± ¡°How many of them are there?¡± At first nce, it was likely to pass a thousand. Ko Byeong-gap gritted his teeth. He turned around like lightning and instructed. ¡°First, bring in all the men that¡¯s outside the walls! Lock the gates and let the walls of all defenses know this!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Doran?¡± ¡°She must be at the west wall!¡± Ko Byeong-gap ran west. She wasn¡¯t on the roof of the west wall. Ko Byeong-gap jumped from the 20-meter wall and went down. There, Doran and Ea sat side by side and chatted. Both of them looked perplexed as Ko Byeong-gap entered with an urgent look. ¡°Lord?¡± ¡°You? Why are you so out of breath?¡± ¡°Doran! Now! Gather all the infantry and tell them to arm themselves!¡± ¡°What the hell¡­ No, yes! I got it!¡± ¡°Bring your troops to the north gate!¡± ¡°Yes, Lord!¡± Doran ran out like a shot. Ea looked as if she still didn¡¯t know the situation. ¡°Oh no. What is going on? I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re in a rush. Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Ko Byeong-gap asked in a rather loud voice. Ea showed a basket in her arms. ¡°Well, I¡¯m just going to give you some snacks¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go near the wall. There¡¯s going to be a battle.¡± ¡°Battle? All of a sudden?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a rush of Grugles outside.¡± Ea¡¯s face turned pale at the word ¡®Grugle.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap added a word to her. ¡°Everything¡¯s going to be fine. Stay inside and hide.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see. Be careful, you.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The Goblins moved quickly, and the workers immediately armed themselves. Those who weren¡¯t yet fit for battle fled to designated ces. When all the infantry gathered at the north gate, the Grugles were only a kilometer away. By this point, it became clear that their target was Valtadren. Ko Byeong-gap stood on the wall and looked down with his 300 men. They were outnumbered, but in power, they could dominate! ¡°Everyone, focus! Focus!¡± ¡°Focus!¡± The voices of the Goblins rang loudly. They didn¡¯t have an inch of disruption. ¡°A thousand Grugles are aiming for Valtadren! We aren¡¯t giving this ce to them! It¡¯s even worse to let them reach Somnium! Am I right or wrong?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Keep your weapons straight!¡± ¡°Yes! That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Alright, open the gates! We¡¯re going to wipe them all out!¡± ¡°Whoo! Whoo!¡± ¡°Kereuk!¡± The north gate opened. Soon after, 300bat troops, led by Ko Byeong-gap, flew out. ¡°Doran! Dorma! Kiriyan! Turka!¡± Ko Byeong-gap listed the names of the mainbatants one by one. His voice was clearly heard in the midst of the roars. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m here, Lord!¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening, Lord!¡± ¡°Tell us!¡± ¡°We have to hit them first! We have to break their ranks! Speed up and stick to me!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± Ko Byeong-gap kicked the floor with all his strength. Soon, he spread out into the wilderness with a single sh. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh¡­!¡± ¡°Ow! Owow¡­!¡± The distance between them and the roaring swarm of Grugles narrowed to around 50 steps. It was around that time that Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®It¡¯s not like the ones I¡¯ve seen before.¡¯ It was different from what he had seen so far. He thought that they looked like the older brothers of the previous ones. They were really bizarre. Everyone had a different and strange appearance, and their figures were nothing intact. For example, a creature that was mostly one eye whose legs crawled over its head. There were creatures with about ten legs and about 30 arms. Some of them were over five meters in size. ¡°Pfft!¡± Whatever they were, there was no turning back. Ko Byeong-gap wielded his sword with strength, and then huge energy fired from the end of his sword. When the sword reached the Grugles, it caused a huge explosion. Rotten flesh was scattered all over the ce. The rotten meat began to fill the wastnd. Chapter 75 75. Big Battle If the main point of intermediate textbooks was the internal management of his strength, the higher textbook focused on releasing that strength. In other words, he had obtained a powerful medium-range attack. Only rotten meat scattered in the ce where the crescent-shaped sword swept away. Severed flesh melted like ice cream and soaked the floor. ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± A mucus monster shaped like a ball of y stung with its pointed tentacle. Since the Grugles were devoid of presence, it was difficult to avoid their attacks. Ko Byeong-gap immediately managed to harden his body. The tentacles that aimed for his back were crushed helplessly. ¡°Ah¡­ Ah!?¡± ¡°Where the fuck are you?¡± He turned vigorously and gave off a sword storm. The mucus monster exploded like a water balloon. Whoosh! ¡°Hiss!¡± The body of the mucus monster fell like mist. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s expression naturally wrinkled by the stench his nose picked up. ¡®I can¡¯t control my power¡­ But now I¡¯ve got the hang of it.¡¯ He released his strength and wrapped it around his sword. It was intended to imitate the technique he used when the soul of Trovatin was in his body before. The strength materialized and took shape. Soon after, a 1.5 meters giant bastard sword was created. Of course, it was shabbypared to the original, but it was still great for his first try. He held the sword with both hands and swung it wide. The Grugles, who were nearby, split in half and died. ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± ¡°Growl!¡± A huge fist fell out of nowhere. It was a bone monster about five meters tall. Ko Byeong-gap immediately raised his sword to defend himself. Although he avoided it from hitting him, he felt the massrge enough to sink him. ¡®Is that what he¡¯s doing? More than that, this ridiculous weight?!¡¯ The bone monster opened up its huge mouth, and then a third hand popped out of its mouth and aimed for Ko Byeong-gap. Pajik! ¡°Whoa!¡± At that moment, a bolt of lightning hit the face of the bone monster. Broken debris sshed all over the ce, and its body reeled. ¡°Breathe!¡± Suddenly, Doran flew up. Another sh of lightning and the bone monster¡¯s neck were amputated. Ko Byeong-gap felt the weight that fell on him disappear. ¡°Kiriyan! Doran! Good job!¡± ¡°Hah! Yes!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll assist you, Lord!¡± ¡°Alright,e on!¡± The elitebatants joined in. There was no doubt about theirbat capabilities. The wailing of Grugles echoed everywhere. ¡°Whoooo!¡± ¡°Kereuk!¡± Turka swung his shield and fists alternately. The Grugles, hit by the giant weapon, was rendered motionless. On the other hand, Dorma constantly performed his sorcery. The only thing left when a ck storm asionally swept through the battlefield was the meat of the Grugles. The attack squad and Ko Byeong-gap were on the battlefield. Several des swirled at the same time, causing the enemy¡¯s formation to copse. ¡°Kerreuk!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s kill them!¡± ¡°Go!¡± Suddenly, the Goblin soldiers swarmed in, squeezing into the copsed ranks. They stabbed their long spears or swung their shields. ¡°Ow¡­¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Dozens of spears shot in unison. The tip of the spears rushed through the bodies of the Grugles, and then, the very ragged Grugles crumbled. The scene was harrowing. ¡°Don¡¯t change your formation! Heavy cavalry and shields, guard the spearmen!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± When the Grugles prated, the infantry immediately flew in and broke their heads. The Goblin soldiers moved smoothly like water, and their formation was as firm as the walls of Valtadren. ¡®Alright, we¡¯ve got a chance to win!¡¯ Although outnumbered, each soldier prevailed on their side. The enemies were also swift, so the battlefield was full of heat. Ko Byeong-gap moved to the rear of the Grugles. He stretched his neck and looked for strong-looking enemies. Suddenly, he heard the Goblins¡¯ screams from one side. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Kerreuk!¡± ¡°Aaaaaaa!¡± A giant Grugle crawled out of the ground and stirred its arms upward. Its forearm was the size of a pir so that the Goblins couldn¡¯t fight against it. It rolled its fists and tried to hit the ground. Ko Byeong-gap blew himself away with fire in his eyes. ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± He received the fist that fell like a hammer with his sword. Goblins were crouching at his feet. ¡°Get up! What are you doing? Move the wounded!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Move the wounded!¡± ¡°Ha-ha!¡± Ko Byeong-gap bounced his sword, and then, the giant Grugle moved back. He threw out the sword without stopping. ¡°Hooo!¡± The Grugle tore into six pieces and fell as rotten flesh. ¡®These are definitely stronger than the ones in the woods. Where did all thesee from?¡¯ The Grugles they met in the forest were weak. Since it popped out like a ghost, the Normal Goblins were weak enough to get hurt by it easily, but they had at leastparable power to D-ss and E-ss monsters. Their strongest could even go against B-ss monsters. Of course, Ko Byeong-gap was still the strongest. No one wouldpete with Ko Byeong-gap more than once. ¡®It would¡¯ve been dangerous if I hadn¡¯t learned the advanced textbook.¡¯ ¡°Yes¡­ Yes, Lord! I¡¯m here!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone die! Remember, no one is getting out of here dead!¡± ¡°Yes, I see! I¡¯ll do my best!¡± and exercised his healing power. The injured Goblins recovered from their wounds, surrounded by white light. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± ¡°Ouch! Ouch!¡± ¡®Gah! How many are there left?¡¯ The enemies kept pushing in. The Grugles seemed countless. Ko Byeong-gap felt the need to bring victory into their side. ¡®Let¡¯s do it.¡¯ When he got his breath together, he suddenly began to give off his strength. It was an explosion enough to change the surrounding air. His strength lost control and stretched in all directions, just like water spiking from a burst faucet. Ko Byeong-gap gathered his strength once more to his sword. The de was surrounded by orange light. It was very hard to keep, and it was obvious that if he let go of the tension for a moment, the strength he had gathered would scatter. Meanwhile, his head acted ording to his memory. The strength gathered on the de of his sword began to whirl. Ko Byeong-gap shouted with blood vessels popping on his forehead and neck. ¡°Spread out!¡± ¡°Yes, Lord!¡± ¡°Spread out!¡± The Goblins in front quickly took refuge. As soon as the coast was clear, he teased his legs hard. He split the wilderness with a ray of sh. ¡®The secret art of the Mandara Knights. The third form of eight martial arts!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap was going to recreate the same technique that ended the Balrog. ¡°Crush!¡± Ko Byeong-gap threw out his sword with a shout. A whirlwind that formed on the sword was released in an instant and swallowed the entire area. Shoot! ¡°Cough!¡± ¡°Howl!¡± For the Grugles, the attack was a disaster. The sword storm wiped them out without a trace, but that wasn¡¯t the end of it. His attack spread like paint and pulverized even the Grugles outside the scope of the attack. All of them were literally pulverized. ¡®It¡¯s a sess. I finally made it!¡¯ Hadn¡¯t he tried it many times and failed often? The answer, all along, was in the advanced textbook. Ko Byeong-gap cried out in joy, but that was only for a while too. He stumbled because his legs felt weak. He used his sword as a cane and barely kept hisposure. ¡®I can¡¯t use it twice in battle.¡¯ Since it was a great technique, the preparation time was long, and there were aftereffects, but it was worth it. ¡°Wow! Lord has opened the way!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of the rest!¡± ¡°Kerreuk!¡± The swindling Goblins roared in. The Grugles were still in shock and were helpless against the Goblin¡¯s offensive. The number of heads became equal. A little more time passed, and the enemies were overwhelmed by their side. The big battle, which begante in the afternoon, was able to end before sunset. *** ¡°Go get a stretcher! Those who can move, move the wounded!¡± The battle went back to victory for Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s camp, but battles always left a trail. In the wilderness¡­ all the bloodstains were from his allies. The Goblins moved wounded soldiers at their Lord¡¯s instruction. Ko Byeong-gap moved around, and he would see the seriously injured from time to time and stay calm several times. ¡°Bring the dumplings and potions from the medicine storage!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Their arms and legs could fall off, but to have a death toll was uneptable. To Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s relief, there were no fatalities, whether heaven helped. ¡®No, the sky didn¡¯t help us.¡¯ Yes, this miracle was made possible by an exhausted, pure white Goblin. Ko Byeong-gap paid his sincere respects Thanks to his eager treatment, the seriously injured quickly regained their vitality. Those who suffered minor injuries recovered themselves with Ki-breathing. ¡°Ea, make dinner with porridge that goes well with honey rice cake. Increase the amount to about twice as usual. The kids have put a lot of effort into it, so I¡¯m going to feed them fully.¡± ¡°Okay! Leave it to me!¡± Ea was so motivated that she cooked rice. The main menu was stew full of grain and meat as directed by Ko Byeong-gap. Salty stew with a lot of salt. Fortunately, the Goblins ate well, as if they were extremely hungry. ¡°You all did a great job today! Today¡¯s victory is all yours!¡± Ko Byeong-gap stood among the Goblins and shouted. ¡°No! It¡¯s all thanks to Lord¡¯s grace!¡± ¡°Lord did a great job too.¡± ¡°Haha! You guys! Anyway, eat a lot! You need to eat a lot to recover quickly and gain strength! And the guys who fought today, stay put and rest tomorrow. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The Goblins answered in unison, and Valtadren rang loudly. Ko Byeong-gap nodded satisfactorily and moved. From some ate quietly. He had no injuries, but hisplexion was drained due to his excessive use of power. ¡°Oh¡­ Oh! Lord, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough for the greetings. Sit down and eat.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap plopped down the shy Goblins ate with a gentle look upon seeing their Lord¡¯s face. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°There was a big battle, but not one of them died. It¡¯s all thanks to you, ¡°Oh¡­ no. Lord told me not to let them die. So I just followed orders.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a jerk. Anyway, I feel secure because of you.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ I¡¯m d I have meaning in my existence.¡± ¡°Well. You¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Lord, have you eaten? Let¡¯s eat together!¡± Ea and Doran approached with a tray. They atestly since they were the ones serving. ¡°You want to eat outside?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m going to eat while getting some fresh air. It¡¯s a bit noisy on the inside.¡± ¡°Really? More than that, Doran, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay! You know. I¡¯m not the kind of person who¡¯s going to fall from something like that, hehe.¡± ¡°Oh, by the way, I actually had something to tell you.¡± Ea said as she sat next to Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Fool, move one block to the side.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡± Doran squeezed in right away and asked Ea, ¡°What do you want to say to me? What¡¯s that?¡± Ea took a moment with a solemn look on her face. He had a strong feeling that he would hear something bad. ¡°Why are you taking so long? Come on, say it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about those monsters. Actually, I should have told you right away¡­¡± Ea stirred the stew with a spoon and opened her mouth. ¡°What I¡¯m saying is, there¡¯s going to be more and more of thating.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Well¡­ they¡¯re a gluttonous monster who eats everything. If it¡¯s alive, they will eat it regardless of whether it¡¯s an animal or a nt. They even eat among themselves. That¡¯s why they¡¯re always looking for food.¡± ¡°I know, you told me before.¡± Ea¡¯s eyes swept through the castle. ¡°When you first came here, you barely saw anything like that, right?¡± ¡°Uh. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s how it was.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s because there was nothing to eat here. It was so barren that they couldn¡¯t even live.¡± It was obvious what she said. It was a wilderness that didn¡¯t grow even a grain of grass. Well¡­ It hasn¡¯t changed much even now. It was still a wastnd except for the interior of Valtadren. ¡°But not anymore.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot to eat here now, and they found out about it.¡± ¡°Are you saying they¡¯re going to keeping after us here in Valtadren?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, they¡¯re crazy about food, so they never give up their prey. That¡¯s why I wandered when I was in the vige of spirits, and I went through the fog while cutting down on my lifespan.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry I should have told you earlier. I¡­ I don¡¯t want to spoil your fun¡­¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s enough. You don¡¯t have to apologize for that.¡± Ko Byeong-gap raised his body and bit a cigarette. After that, he continued to talkfortably. ¡°As soon as I left Somnium, I was ready to face the bastards. And¡­¡± He tapped a couple of times for the lighter to sparkle. Soon, the cigarette caught fire. ¡°I don¡¯t want to coexist with them.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean?¡± ¡°I will destroy all the Grugles on thisnd. This isn¡¯t a bluff.¡± ¡°But¡­ But there¡¯s a myriad of them, and they¡¯re incredibly strong.¡± ¡°Hey! Are you saying you don¡¯t trust the Lord? Why are you talking about this?¡± ¡°Oh, no, Doran. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe in him. I¡¯m worried¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to worry about useless things, just eat, you idiot! Thousands of such things will never reach the Lord¡¯s toes! Right, Lord?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Hey, thousands are a bit¡­¡± To be honest, facing thousands of them would be a burden, but a king couldn¡¯t show weakness in front of his people. Ko Byeong-gap smiled and nodded. ¡°Oh, yeah. Even if tens of thousandse, I¡¯ll do something for you. So don¡¯t worry about it again.¡± ¡°Did you hear that? Did you hear that? Ea, you¡¯re usually stupid, but sometimes you¡¯re extra stupid. Will it get better if I take your head off and put it back on?¡± ¡°If you take my head off, I¡¯ll die, Doran. Anyway, okay. I won¡¯t worry from now on.¡± Eaughed hard. Doran and Vamond, who were next to them, alsoughed. There was also loudughtering from the restaurant. Ko Byeong-gap wanted to protect their smile. No, he had to, at that time. They hade too far to go back. The tumultuous day passed like that. *** ¡°Lord, Lord.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­.¡± A Beast Goblin shook Ko Byeong-gap to wake him up. His outfit suggested he was a guard, so he quickly rose. ¡°What, what? Did something happen again?¡± There was a big battle with the Grugles the day before. So, he didn¡¯t go back home and slept in Ashvm. It was so he could take action as soon as something happened. Unlike Ko Byeong-gap, the guard¡¯s response was subtle. ¡°It¡¯s not like that, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to say because it¡¯s bizarre. I think Lord should see it for himself.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, let¡¯s go.¡± The guard took Ko Byeong-gap to the north gate. As they climbed the wall up the stairs, he peeked up at the sky where dawn finally broke. What the hell was happening that they had to wake him up at dawn? The question was resolved shortly after. ¡°Well, look over there.¡± The guards were looking in one direction with a look of bewilderment. It was where the fierce battle took ce yesterday. ¡®What the hell is it¡­ What?!¡¯ After a while, Ko Byeong-gap also looked just as bewildered as they were. ¡°Hey¡­ Hey! What¡¯s going on?¡± Apparently, in just a day, the wilderness had turned into a vast forest. Chapter 76 76. What We Found in the Temple Ko Byeong-gap climbed the high wall and looked around the vast in. A few days ago, the in was a wilderness without a single root of weeds. In fact, it wasn¡¯t much different, but thendscape was quite different in the north. ¡®The forest has widened in no time.¡¯ A forest with an area of approximately 2,500 square meters. It wasn¡¯t very tall, but the thick and hard trees were dense, and the knee-high green grass was fresh. There were also small wild animals in there, but it was hard to see. The forest was still slowly expanding. It was amazing that a forest grew in the middle of a deste field, but there was something else that was utterly ridiculous. ¡®I never thought animals and nts coulde from the corpses of the Grugles.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t something that came from nting anything, and such a phenomenon was hard to ept asmon sense. Creatures were born from corpses, like something from a creation myth. No matter how many weird things were in the world those days, most of them weren¡¯t considered special, but this was a scoop. Of course, he had no intention of disclosing it to the public since they wouldn¡¯t believe him anyway. ¡®It¡¯s strange, either way.¡¯ It was definitely something strange. Didn¡¯t they ughter hundreds of Grugles even when they were in Somnium? However, he didn¡¯t see this happening at that time. ¡®How could it make sense of trees growing into a forest without us noticing it?¡¯ Some small wild animals were living in that forest. They looked like the cousin of rabbits, but he hadn¡¯t seen them even in their time in Somnium. Ko Byeong-gap smoked a cigarette, pondered his thoughts, and then gave up since he felt like he took on a challenge or a riddle with no answer. ¡®How do these creatures work, and what are they like? Ah well, they say good things are good.¡¯ If the Grugles, which seemed to have no use, were actually something like an all-around fertilizer, then it was a cause for a toast. He was no schr, so he didn¡¯t need to reason about each phenomenon. In fact, they had been worrying about where to get wood, and this incident resolved it. Ko Byeong-gap shoved the cigarette butt into a portable ashtray and shouted. ¡°Work done! Clean up ande to the castle!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The Goblins, who were in the middle of working outside the walls, gathered their tools and finished their work as their Lordmanded. ¡°It¡¯ll be done by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.¡± They dug a deep pit around the walls of Valtadren, which acted as a moat. He still thought about whether to draw in the river or put in bamboo spears. Of course, it was for protection. Fortunately, no other battle took ce since the big battle five days ago. It was a good thing that the Grugles didn¡¯t flock like some defense game. Ko Byeong-gap descended from the ramparts and headed for the center of the Valtadren. There was a building that was quite magnificent from the perspective of modern people that seemed like a temple. He didn¡¯t know what it was, but it was obviously a mysterious ce, and the Goblins were urged not to enter. Ko Byeong-gap pulled out thentern from his belt and went inside. It was dark, dry, and cool. Walking in for some time revealed the statue standing on the podium. That statue recorded ancient Ashvm in fragments, but now, it was covered with arge cloth so that nobody could see the contents. ¡®It¡¯s difficult if another one goes haywire.¡¯ There would be no Goblin who would dare to go into the temple against the orders of Ko Byeong-gap, but he couldn¡¯t be too sure. Ko Byeong-gap moved his steps lightly and moved to the passage next to it. Walls and ceilings copsed, leaving rubble blocking the way. Although he cleaned from time to time, it was still blocked. ¡°Let¡¯s put it away.¡± Ko Byeong-gap set up thentern and began to clean up the rubble. A blurry picture remained in ces of the debris. They were all portraits of female Goblins, but just looking at them made the back of his head feel cold since he felt like he was looking at a portrait of a young person. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a disaster.¡± He straightened his back after clearing the debris for about 30 minutes. No matter what he did, it seemed to stay the same. ¡°Should I just call the kids and have them clean it? If it¡¯s not Dorma, there¡¯s no one else who can read anyway. So why the hell am I doing this alone?¡± Afterining like that, he soon changed his mind. It wasn¡¯t just the danger of the Goblins losing their minds that made him prohibit them from entering the temple. The temple itself was veryrge, and the risk of copse was great. In fact, cracks could be easily found on its walls and ceilings. On a day that they end up touching one wrong ce, it would be a chore. If someone went crazy, things would get even more screwed up. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s enough for today. Hmm?¡± Crack! Crack! Crack! ¡°Oh my God!¡± As he was about to shake his hand, heaps of electricity poured down. The walls and ceiling also vibrated and dropped dust. Was it copsing? At that moment, a sh of memory ran through his head, and he had many thoughts. ¡®I can¡¯t die like this!¡¯ It was a moment when he recalled a proverb that said, ¡®What would happen if the sky copsed?¡¯ ¡­ The tremors of the building stopped visibly. Ko Byeong-gap was immobile as if time had stopped, and only his eyes moved. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m freaking out. The situation of this building is already rming.¡± He felt embarrassed for making a fuss. It was a good thing the Goblins weren¡¯t watching. ¡°Unlucky¡­¡± He murmured as he picked up the fallenntern. He was about to leave the temple, but then¡­ ¡°Hm?¡± The direction thentern had pointed at was somewhat different. The space that had been blocked by debris was clearly revealed. What he had been cleaning up for weeks had finally paid off. Ko Byeong-gap unconsciously headed toward it and then stopped. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s almost evening. Let¡¯s do it tomorrow.¡± The sun was slowly setting. It was a dark temple, and he didn¡¯t want to wander around here at night since it was a bit creepy. The temple expedition was a promise for tomorrow. *** The products sold in the ancient shop were generally fascinating. There was nothing that wasn¡¯t surprising. Among them, the ¡®textbooks¡¯ were beyondmon sense. ¡°Agh!¡± The B-ss Multifaceted Ear spat out screams from its four faces at the same time. Its left shoulder, which had been cut, bled like a waterfall. The human-type monster, the Multifaceted Ear, was a monster known for its cleverness. Its intelligence was quite high, but he didn¡¯t know if it was since it had four heads. However, even such wickedness was useless in the face of an overwhelming power gap. Ko Byeong-gap swung his sword again. This time it was the monster¡¯s right shoulder. ¡°Argh! Argh! Argh!¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± Suddenly, the Multifaceted Ear flew in. Its calves were thicker than most adult women¡¯s waists. It posed with a front kick strong enough to leave a footprint on a steel te, but when it was about tond, Ko Byeong-gap moved like the wind and avoided it leisurely, and then, he dug in quickly and drew his sword. The Multifaceted Ear was split from its groin to the top of its head, spreading both sides. To shorten it into a few words, it was dead. He couldn¡¯t believe he sent a B-ss monster to the underworld in just four steps. ¡®I¡¯ve be incredibly strong.¡¯ This was because the textbooks transcendedmon sense. When he learned the lower-level textbooks, he got out of the lower ss. When he learned the intermediate textbooks, he reached the top. When he learned the advanced textbooks, he surpassed even the highest level. ss B monsters were no longer his match. ¡®What level am I right now? I¡¯m sure it¡¯s over A-ss.¡¯ The power gap between A and B wasn¡¯t that big. If it were this easy to defeat B-ss monsters, he would be able to overwhelm an A-ss. The question was whether it could make him reach S-ss or not. ¡®There¡¯s no way to measure it unless I see it for myself¡­¡¯ S-ss monsters weren¡¯t something he could easily find. To be honest, he didn¡¯t even want to see them. ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Lord!¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting stronger day by day. Every time I see the majesty of the Lord, my heart bes awed.¡± The attack squad gently rolled their tongues. ¡®These guys too, it seems like they¡¯re getting more expressive day by day.¡¯ Well, it wasn¡¯t bad. It was nice to have subordinates who cheered him up even if he just lifted his finger. He opened the door to Ashvm and called out the workers, and then they carried the meat skillfully. It was then¡­ ¡°Oh! This is very interesting! I¡¯ve seen it a few times.¡± ¡°What a surprise!¡± Someone poked their head over the aisle. From Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s angle, it looked like a human neck had emerged from the air. Anyway, it was Ea who raised her head. She looked around and found Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re right here. I didn¡¯t know that and looked around for you like a fool.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Oh, I have something to tell you. The Goblins keep bringing meat, but the freezer is full, so I can¡¯t put any more. If you don¡¯t keep it in storage, the meat will rot, and if it rots, it will smell¡­ Anyway, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be good.¡± Ea rambled on and on. Ko Byeong-gap nodded, calming down her surprised heart. ¡°You mean it¡¯s full? Okay. I¡¯ll build you another one by the end of the day.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice. Please make about three or four. Alright then, have a good day.¡± Ea pulled her head out and disappeared. She was a funny woman, after all. She basically said they had collected quite a lot, probably because they had been going to cracks twice a day. Each crack provided 300 monsters. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if the freezer became full. ¡°Lord.¡± ¡°Oh, Dorma. What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I have something to ask you about. Are you going to go to another crack? Can I just wait as usual?¡± Ko Byeong-gap thought briefly as he stroked his chin. ¡°Well, no. Let¡¯s stop here for today. I have some work to do.¡± ¡°Is that so? Yes, I will tell them that.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± All the bodies of the monsters were removed, and all the Goblins returned. Ko Byeong-gap drove straight back to Seoul. ¡®Let¡¯s quickly build a storage room and enter the temple.¡¯ After they returned home, he got ready and moved to Ashvm. The first thing he saw was a bunch of Hob Goblins grooming monster corpses. They took the monsters apart with the skill of butchers and separated the meat from loot and magic stone. Come to think of it, there was nothing to was transformed into weapons or household goods through alchemy. He said good things to the working Goblins and moved on. ¡°Oh, Lord, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Oh, Gobung. We just met. Are you busy?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I was pumping water out of the river. Is there anything you¡¯d like me to do?¡± ¡°Yes, leave it to the others and gather about 30 people. Let¡¯s build another freezer.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah! I see.¡± Ko Byeong-gap joined forces with the Goblins to create a freezer. It was about 4 pm when they finished work. ¡°Go to Ea and let her know the warehouse isplete.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Also, I have a job at the temple, so don¡¯t look for me at the temple.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Ko Byeong-gap left those orders and headed straight to the temple. He carried only a high-powerntern and his sword. He thought he should pack more, but he decided it wasn¡¯t necessary. ¡®What¡¯s the big deal? I¡¯m inside Valtadren.¡¯ He was inside the cool temple. Without another way in, he went into the passage he drilled yesterday. There was a long stretch of corridor, and Ko Byeong-gap walked silently with antern that lit up the way. There was no other reason to explore the interior of the temple. Maybe he could get some information about the old Ashvm? It was out of curiosity. As he walked down the hall, sometimes a door would appear. However, whenever he opened them, only a cold empty room would show itself. Squeak. ¡°Darn it. It¡¯s all empty.¡± Sometimes something would show up like a half-broken table or a saucer. In terms of information acquisition or practicality, it was of little value. After exploring for about an hour, he looked around all the parts that he could immediately check. Some passages copsed, so he couldn¡¯t even proceed. He came in filled with nervousness, but at that time, he felt despondent because he didn¡¯t get anything. ¡°It¡¯s shiny on the outside, but it doesn¡¯t have any substance. Phew, I only ate a lot of dust.¡± He turned away andined. It was just then he found a strange seam in the stone wall. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s this?¡± About 60 centimeters by 2 meters, the rectangr area was different from other areas since it was dented inward. It was a slight difference that could¡¯ve been overlooked if it hadn¡¯t been looked at carefully. ¡°Why are you stuck here¡­ Huh?¡± When he simply pushed it, the wall pushed in. Suddenly, it revealed a secret passage. It was an underground passage. Ko Byeong-gap looked at the wall and the secret passage alternately with absurd eyes. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s awesome. A secret passage. Well, I wouldn¡¯t be upset if I had one of these.¡± His agony was brief. Without hesitation, he slipped into the aisle. He had a feeling that he was going to get something. ¡°The stairs are so deep.¡± The stairs leading to the basement were very long. It felt like it would be two basement floors high. He arrived on the floor, as he carefully walked on the stairs in case he fell. A door made of iron weed him as if it had been waiting. ¡®I hope nothing randomly pops out of there.¡¯ He grew nervous when he came down the underground. Ko Byeong-gap pulled out his sword and held it in his hand while he bit thentern in his mouth. He then slowly pushed the iron door open. Pit! Geek! The sound of iron scratching showed how rusty it was. ¡®What? The wind¡¯s cold all of a sudden?¡¯ There was something more intrusive than the sound of steel. It was the tremendous cold that rushed out the cracks of the door; it was simr to the one that came from the freezer they just made. He shone hisntern through the half-open door. He could see a lot of square ice. ¡°What? Is this a fridge? What kind of crazy guy made a refrigerator underground?¡± Feeling ridiculous, he opened the iron door further. Hopefully, he would be able to taste ancient Ashvm ice cream, but¡­ Well, of course, it wasn¡¯t ice cream that greeted him. ¡°Hey, this can¡¯t be¡­¡± In the center of the room full of ice, there was a coffin. Chapter 77 77. What We Found in the Temple Ko Byeong-gap unconsciously chewed on his lower lip. He was stuck and stood still for about five seconds since something he never thought of came out. ¡®Hey, what the fuck? Is this a coffin?¡± If there was a coffin, there was a corpse. He didn¡¯t think the insides were filled with food ingredients. Ko Byeong-gap felt out of ce, and then he wrinkled his face with unease. Should he just go out? After thinking about it three times, he took hold of his heart and went inside since hunters shouldn¡¯t be afraid of corpses. The basement wasn¡¯t that wide. Even then, the ice took up most of the space that made it even more narrow. ¡°What the hell is this ce?¡± There were only two things here: square ice and a coffin. He tried to turn thentern around to look for anything else, but it was in vain. He paused for a while in front of the coffin. Whatever was in there, it was going to be a wild ride tonight. ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t know.¡± He hade all the way here, but he couldn¡¯t go back empty-handed. Ko Byeong-gap put thentern in his mouth and started to push the lid of the coffin. Hiss! ¡®It¡¯s quite heavy.¡¯ The stone coffin was quite heavy. Being Ko Byeong-gap, he pushed it without much effort. It was definitely not something an ordinary human could open. Slowly, the inside of the coffin was exposed. The first things he saw were ten toes and brown legs. Hiss! Hiss! The more the stones scratched, the more the body was revealed. Passing its knees and thighs, he found its groin. When he saw it, his heart skipped a beat. Don¡¯t get him wrong. It wasn¡¯t because he was a pervert or something like that. ¡®A woman? A woman?¡¯ ¡°Agh!¡± He used his strength topletely open the coffin. A momentter, the woman thatid upright toward the ceiling was fully revealed. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap was surprised for three reasons. First, this body belonged to a woman, also to a Goblin woman. Second, the woman was wonderfully intact, and one wouldn¡¯t think it was a dead body. Finally, her upper body was covered with some kind of painting or tattoo. ¡°What is this drawing?¡± From the top of her pelvis to her neck and the area that reached just before the elbow was full of tattoos, her skin color couldn¡¯t be seen. If it were a simple pattern, he could dismiss her as an ancient tattoo maniac, but it wasn¡¯t. ¡°Is this¡­ a map?¡± Such doubts shed across his mind. A long line led from her belly to her chest, which seemed to represent a river. Next to it was a mountain range, and some looked like castles spread out sparsely. He had to look at her back to solidify his doubts with certainty. Ko Byeong-gap hesitated for a moment, then bit thentern in his mouth. He then reached out to turn over the woman¡¯s body. His fingertips touched the woman¡¯s shoulders, and her skin was as cold as ice. The moment he thought he was going to get goosebumps, it happened. Whoosh! ¡°What?!¡± A soft orange aura ran through his fingertips and permeated through the woman. A significant amount of his aura was absorbed by the woman¡¯s body. ¡°Oh my god!¡± Even if he hastily backed away, he didn¡¯t know if the line between him and the woman would be cut. Ko Byeong-gap instinctively took a vignt posture. Why would he let his guard down? Fortunately, the string of strength gradually faded. Ko Byeong-gap looked at the body with slight exhaustion. The basement was filled with silence, and time went by in vain. ¡°What did you just-¡± ¡°?!¡± The woman¡¯s chest swelled greatly. Her waist bent like a bow, and her arms and legs trembled. She opened her breath like a newborn baby and began to breathe desperately. ¡°Ach, agh, argh!¡± ¡°Hey, hey, hey¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap pulled out his sword and aimed at the woman. He was never a man of low courage. Nevertheless, he sweated a lot. He had been through all sorts of weird things in his life, but this was the type he had never seen before. ¡®Wait, why should I be intimidated? I¡¯m the Goblin Lord, right?¡¯ He slipped back and came to his senses. He was the Goblin Lord. He didn¡¯t know if it was a ghost or a zombie or a third thing, but if it had the essence of a Goblin, he didn¡¯t have to be scared. Ko Byeong-gap quit his worries and remained solemn. Of course, he kept the sword in his grip. He waited dozens of times for the woman¡¯s chest to go up and down. Only then did her breathing gradually stabilize. After a while, she finally opened her eyes. ¡°¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap stared at the woman and swallowed. She rolled her eyes a few times with an uneasy look and found Ko BYeong-gap half a beatter. Sometimeter, her eyes got bigger. ¡°Gasp! Ugh!¡± As she tried to get her body up, she fell straight down. It looked as if her body wasn¡¯t listening. Of course, she had been in this cold ce all this time, and she moved weirdly like a live fish. ¡°Are you a person or a ghost?¡± Ko Byeong-gap asked first. The woman only gave a frightened look and didn¡¯t answer. She looked anxious to death, barely raised her upper body, and then looked left and right. She seemed to be looking for something, but she looked unsatisfied. The woman realized that she was naked half a beatter and hurriedly covered her embarrassing parts. Well, he had already seen everything. ¡°Waaaah!¡± Suddenly, she screamed. She was as loud as Ea and Doran. However, whatever she said was inaudible, as if her tongue had tangled or her mouth was stiff. ¡°What? What is it?¡± ¡°Back off!¡± ¡°Ah, back off.¡± Ko Byeong-gap took a few steps back. She shot a look at him as if to say, ¡®Is that a joke?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t long before she started to mumble like a crazy woman. ¡°Why? Why did a human wake me up? Why a human? How?¡± She looked up at Ko Byeong-gap with empty eyes and then wrapped her arms around herself and shook. ¡°It¡¯s cold. It¡¯s too cold. Ugh¡­¡± ¡®Crazy¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t like the woman¡¯s behavior, but the way she shivered stimted his sympathy, so he took off his shirt and threw it at the woman. ¡°Put it on for now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The woman took his shirt without saying thank you, and then she lifted herself up, soothing her stuttering body. She was quite a tall woman. Ko Byeong-gap was frankly a little impressed by her figure. She had a long, loose figure, almost 180 centimeters tall. Her silver hair, which came down to her waist, was glossy and full. She had pointed ears that nted downward. Overall, she was very much like Doran. The shirt couldn¡¯t cover her bottom. The woman kept pulling on the length of the shirt that didn¡¯t stretch and found it very frustrating. Ko Byeong-gap turned around, thinking he couldn¡¯t handle seeing her any longer. ¡°Follow me. Let¡¯s go up first.¡± So, they went up to the ground. The woman was full of distrust, but she quickly followed him since she didn¡¯t want to freeze to death. ¡°It¡¯s dark, so be careful.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it!¡± ¡®Thisdy¡¯s got a nasty temper. By the way, why is she talking down to me?¡¯ She definitely had a different reaction from a normal Goblin. Even Doran, who was cold-hearted to others, was polite to him. He wasn¡¯t offended that she didn¡¯t use honorifics. It was just a little embarrassing. Ko Byeong-gap nced back. The woman was constantly looking around as if she had lost something. When they finally reached the ground, the woman went ahead of Ko Byeong-gap and shouted everywhere. ¡°My Lord, where are you? Lord! Show yourself, Lord!¡± It was a heartbreaking voice, but it only echoed in the empty temple no matter how sad she cried out. She suddenly red at Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Are you a messenger from the enemy? Where is the king?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Who is the king?¡± ¡°What?¡± The woman ran out of nowhere. Through the deep dark passageway, she reached the temple¡¯s main hall. She shuddered when she saw the copsed temple. ¡°What happened to this¡­ My Lord! My Lord!¡± She cried out for a king or something in a desperate voice. Ko Byeong-gap only looked at her, bewildered. ¡°Why are you hiding? Lord, please show yourself, Lord!¡± ¡°King. There¡¯s no king you¡¯re looking for here. I¡¯ve looked around, and there is no one there.¡± ¡°Nonsense! I can feel the king¡¯s presence, this close.¡± The eyes of the woman who looked at Ko Byeong-gap got bigger. Her mouth opened on its own. She shook her arms. ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Why¡­ Why do I feel the spirit of the Lord from you? For what reason?¡± Goblins instinctively recognized their Lord. He didn¡¯t need to write ¡°I¡¯m the Goblin Lord¡± on his forehead. It seemed to be a simr case this time as well. That cranky woman finally recognized him. Ko Byeong-gap replied with a smirk. ¡°As you can see, I am your Lord. I¡¯ll exin it to you step by step, so let¡¯s get out of here first.¡± ¡°You¡­ Ach!¡± ¡°Hm?!¡± All of a sudden, the woman came at him. Even as she lost her reason, Ko Byeong-gap aimed at her with the sword. Neither her speed nor her body movements were normal. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± However, she was still weak. Ko Byeong-gap avoided her with a frown. He then punched her reflexively and aimed for her abdomen. ¡°Gasp!¡± The woman gulped her stomach juices before she limped and fainted. ¡°Oh, damn it. I couldn¡¯t control my power¡­ Well, why were youing at me in the first ce?¡± He crumpled his face and carried the woman on his shoulder. He felt annoyed at what happened. *** ¡°Lord, Lord! She¡¯s up.¡± As he tried to smoke while looking up at the night sky, a small boy ran to report. He was about to light it up, so Ko Byeong-gap smacked his lips and pushed the cigarette back into the pack. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Lord, we have to go fast. She has a nasty temper.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, she screams out loud.¡± Ko Byeong-gap clicked his tongue and hurried. When they reached the front of the house where they brought the woman, he heard a loud voice. ¡°You can¡¯t solve this right now!¡± ¡°Ah, calm down!¡± ¡®What¡¯s the point of rescuing her?¡¯ He entered the house, and inside were some Goblins, Ea, and the woman thatid in bed in captivity. Ea was sweating, trying to calm the woman down. They tied her up tightly since he thought she would cause trouble, and it was a good precaution. ¡°Lord, you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Lord.¡± When Ko Byeong-gap entered, the Goblins greeted him first. The woman looked stunned when she saw him. ¡°You¡¯re here! We¡¯re so relieved. We were nervous.¡± ¡°Well done. Everybody back off.¡± Ko Byeong-gap dragged a chair and sat down. ¡°You slept quite a long time. You must¡¯ve been tired.¡± ¡°How?! How can a human being seed to the king¡¯s lineage? What is¡­¡± The woman asked questions out of the blue. Ko Byeong-gap found the word ¡®human¡¯ very annoying, but he decided to pass it over for now. ¡°It¡¯s a little long to exin, and if you want to hear that, why don¡¯t you introduce yourself first?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be tied up. Pull this thing out right now! No¡­ Release me, please.¡± ¡°You want me to release it? How can I trust you?¡± ¡°What happened¡­ was a mistake. If you don¡¯t let me go, I won¡¯t say anything.¡± Ko Byeong-gap crossed his arms and let out a faint smile. He winked at a Goblin from the back and ordered. ¡°Release it.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Sabung, one of the workforce leaders, approached and unfastened her ropes. There wasn¡¯t much reason not to let her go because the woman looked stubborn, and even if she caused trouble, they could overpower her. The woman furrowed her brows and red at the Hob Goblin. ¡°What the hell are these ugly things?¡± ¡°What? Ugly?¡± ¡°Yeah, ugly. I¡¯ve never seen such an ugly monster in my life.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better watch yournguage from now on. These are Goblins. Same as you.¡± ¡°Goblin? Like me?¡± The ties werepletely unfastened. Fortunately, she didn¡¯t show much hostility. However, she tilted her head as if she couldn¡¯t understand what she just heard. ¡°I don¡¯t even have a name for you. I¡¯m Ko Byeong-gap. Just call me Lord. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°¡­ It¡¯s Marilyn.¡± ¡°Yeah, Marilyn. Let¡¯s get straight to the point since we¡¯re tired. Who are you, and why were you in the basement of the temple?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to listen to you first before that. What do you mean, these things are Goblins like me? Where are my simr people? I miss my kind. Please call my kind.¡± ¡°Here they are.¡± Ko Byeong-gap pointed to the Goblins in the back with a serious face. Marilyn¡¯s expression became more serious than that. ¡°What are you saying now¡­?¡± ¡°They¡¯re all Goblins. They¡¯re your kind.¡± ¡°Oh, no. That¡¯s ridiculous¡­ Cough! Cough!¡± Marilyn coughed out of the blue. She might still be weak, so a normal Goblin approached her with a bucket of water. ¡°Here, drink this.¡± ¡°Put it away!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Marilyn pushed the little one roughly. The little boy fell on his butt and was covered with the spilled water. Blood vessels rose on Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s temples. ¡°Stay away from me! Ah¨C¡± It happened in a sh. Ko Byeong-gap rose like a bolt of lightning and grabbed Marilyn¡¯s neck. Bang! ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t do that! Oh my God!¡± He pushed Marilyn against the wall. Strangled, Marilyn scratched Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s arm with a pained face. Ko Byeong-gap growled, breathing hot fire. ¡°Try touching the children one more time. I swear to God that I will kill you.¡± Chapter 78 78. Sarahon ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t do that! Oh my God!¡± Ea stomped her feet, not knowing what to do. The Goblins, on the other hand, only watched with their eyes wide open. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough!¡± Marilyn struggled to loosen up her throat. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t enough to get out of the clutches of Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Don¡¯t take my word as a joke.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see¡­ Fuha!¡± Ko Byeong-gap let her go, and Marilyn slid down the wall. Her face wrinkled with all kinds of negative emotions. He raised the little one on the floor and asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Yes. I¡¯m fine. I just fell.¡± ¡°You have a weak lower body, so just a little push would cause you to fall. Look, you¡¯re covered in water. There¡¯s no way around this.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The Normal Goblin pouted his lips. Ko Byeong-gap smiled and turned his head. ¡°Sabung.¡± ¡°Yes, yes! Lord, what is it?¡± ¡°Come here. Lend me your ear.¡± He summoned Sabung and whispered into his ear. ¡°Go get Dorma and Doran.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± Sabung ran out. Ko Byeong-gap spoke to the rest of the crew this time. ¡°You all, go back. It¡¯ste at night.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord, have a good night¡¯s sleep!¡± The Goblins followed the order without a murmur. However, Ea hesitated with anxious eyes. ¡°You¡¯re alright, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m a little worried.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s okay, so go back and sleep.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± ¡°¡­ Okay, then I¡¯ll trust you and go back. I hope you solve it well through conversation.¡± All the spectators were sent back. As soon as that happened, his face turned cold again. Ko Byeong-gap sighed and turned away. Marilyn was still sitting down with hollow eyes. ¡°Are you going to keep on doing that? Why don¡¯t you go sit down?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ yes, I will.¡± Her voice and spirit had watered down. She obediently followed his word while Ko Byeong-gap sat back down. There was silence for a while, which was natural since the atmosphere became heavy due to the fuss. Somehow, he felt like he had pressed the wrong button. ¡°I apologize for what happened earlier. I think I got too worked up, but I¡¯m their Lord, and I had to take proper action. I hope you don¡¯t feel too bad.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not¡­ In fact, I didn¡¯t act right either. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± Marilyn pursed her lips. Even in that trivial act, he clearly felt her troubled feelings. ¡°But I¡¯m so confused. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m so unfamiliar with this whole situation, and it¡¯s hard to ept. My kind¡­ I want to see my kind.¡± She looked like she was about to cry as if he had stabbed her. She said she missed her kind, which meant she couldn¡¯t recognize the Goblins as her kin. In fact, it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t understand her feelings at all. Marilyn and Doran were certainly different types. ¡®Doran was in a nk state at first.¡¯ When Doran first appeared, she was a nk te. She didn¡¯t know anything, so she didn¡¯t have to get confused. However, Marilyn was different. She obviously knew something. Therefore, she felt the gap between her existing knowledge and this new information. ¡®Is Marilyn an ancient being?¡¯ It was hard to ept, but it seemed so. Even the ice chamber where she was asleep gave off such nuance. ¡®If she¡¯s really ancient, that would be hard. In terms of human beings, she went as far back as a monkey.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap took the cigarette pack out of his pockets. He didn¡¯t take one out and bite it. He just fiddled with it. ¡°Wait a minute. The guy you want will be here soon.¡± ¡°Huh? Are you sure? Is my kind on the way?¡± Marilyn lifted her head suddenly. ¡°Yeah, I called them, so they¡¯ll be here soon.¡± Her face glowed. Marilyn stared at the door with excitement. ¡®I¡¯m d I have Doran.¡¯ If she saw Doran, she might get some rest. For reference, Doran was at the west gate on duty that day. If he knew this would happen, he would¡¯ve called her from the very beginning. Ko Byeong-gap had a bitter taste. A few awkward minutes passed like that. Finally, the door opened, and someone entered. Marilyn rose with high expectations, but she soon became sullen. ¡°Lord, I heard you called for us.¡± It was Dorma who entered, and he was startled when he saw Marilyn. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s awake.¡± ¡°Now¡­ Wait a minute. He¡¯s¡­ He¡¯s not the kind I¡¯m looking for! Ah, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Lord! I¡¯m here!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Following Dorma, Doran immediately came in. Her forehead was covered with sweat, and her hair was scattered. As soon as she heard the call, she ran. ¡°Oh, the girl is awake. Is that why you called me?¡± ¡°Well, for one thing, or another. Come here and sit down.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Doran wasn¡¯t as happy as expected. On the other hand, Marilyn¡¯s response was dramatic. She shook her arms and let out a hoarse sound. ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Marilyn jumped in and hugged Doran. She cried like a child and rubbed her face against Doran with tears and a runny nose. Of course, Doran was frightened. ¡°Hey, this is crazy! I¡¯m asking you something, you dirty¡­! Get off me!¡± ¡°Ah! Doran! Doran! You¡¯re alive! Alive! Wah!¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m alive. Are you dead? Oh, don¡¯t rub me!¡± ¡®What?!¡¯ When Marilyn called out Doran¡¯s name, Ko Byeong-gap was surprised. How did she know her name when she wasn¡¯t introduced yet? And what about being alive? ¡°Are you sure you want to die? Go away, you idiot!¡± ¡°Ouch!¡± Doran loathed and pushed Marilyn roughly. Pushed away, Marilyn looked more shocked than ever. ¡°D-Doran? Why? Why are you rejecting me?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re annoying! You¡¯re all over me! Do you know me? When did we meet? Keep your distance!¡± Doran wiped her face with the sleeves of her robe. ¡°Lord! She must be crazy! Can¡¯t we just send her to Somnium?¡± ¡®Why would I send her to Somnium?¡¯ He wanted to ask many questions, but the priority was to calm down the overheated situation. Ko Byeong-gap carefully calmed the two Goblins down. ¡°Both of you, calm down and sit down.¡± ¡°Doran? Don¡¯t you recognize me? No, that¡¯s ridiculous. You can¡¯t not know me!¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about? I¡¯ve never seen anything like you before.¡± ¡°Marilyn! Doran! Both of you, be quiet. Don¡¯t open your mouth until I permit you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two women were forced to shut their mouths when Ko Byeong-gap threatened them. After all the trouble, everyone sat down. Dorma didn¡¯t seem to understand the situation while Doran sulked. Marilyn stretched her arms, so Ko Byeong-gap hurried to the center. ¡°Now, Marilyn, let¡¯s start with who you are.¡± *** ¡°I am the 89th deputymander of the Mandara Knights and the seventh concubine of King Landreal.¡± Marilyn began the story with a mournful voice. The first was a story about her personal identity. In ancient Ashvm, there was a group of armed forces named Mandara. The most elite agents that guarded the queen and theirbat power were different from ordinary soldiers. Marilyn was the vice-captain. Thanks to her excellent skills and outstanding beauty, she rose to the throne as a wife. Although she was a concubine, her history was surprising, but more shocking content followed. ¡°Doran was my favorite student. Although she wasn¡¯t an official knight, she was a promising student¡­ Doran, do you really not recognize me?¡± She looked at Doran with faint eyes while the three of them were surprised. ¡°I¡­ I was your favorite student? What the hell are you talking about? I don¡¯t know anyone like you. I saw you for the first time today!¡± ¡°Doran, hold on. Hey, Marilyn. Are you sure? You¡¯re not mistaken?¡± ¡°Absolutely not. There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t recognize Doran!¡± She strongly denied it. ¡°Your parents, Eli and Hertha, were my subordinates. However, in the midst of repeated wars, it finally made its mark. They always talked about you like a habit. They asked me to look after you when they die.¡± ¡°Parents? I¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve seen you since you were a baby. I¡¯m the one who gave you the name Doran. I raised you as a knight ording to Eli and Hertha¡¯s wishes.¡± Doran¡¯s expression showed extreme confusion. Of course, secrets like her birth were being mentioned one after another. ¡°You called me Godmother and followed me well. I thought you were my real daughter. I¡¯ve always wanted to adopt you, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t because I was going to be his concubine. It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s always been on my mind. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! I don¡¯t know anyone like you! I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°Doran, sit down.¡± Doran blushed and rose to her feet. Ko Byeong-gap talked her down. ¡°Marilyn, Doran¡¯s memory isn¡¯t perfect right now.¡± ¡°What do you mean her memory isn¡¯t perfect? Are you telling me she lost her memories?¡± ¡°You can say that.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Marilyn was discouraged. Ironically, Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t afford to sympathize with her grief since he was confused with other things. ¡®You mean Doran was Marilyn¡¯spanion? What about the other Goblins in the Ancient Shop?¡¯ Looking back, there was more than one strange thing. This was the only case when buying Female Goblins in the Ancient Shop. Weren¡¯t there many names to choose from? He didn¡¯t think much about it at the time. He just thought it might be something like a brand name. Still, what if they were spirits of the past, stuffed in the Ancient Shop? ¡°Marilyn.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you know anything about an Ancient Shop?¡± ¡°Ancient Shop?¡± She was lost in thought with a frown. Soon, she shook her head slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never heard of it before.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Yeah. Let¡¯s skip this one for now and keep talking.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She started talking about the war. It was the same as the one he read on the stone tablets. ¡°It was about three months after the fall of the seventh Holy Warrior Al-Sharon. Through the sky¡­¡± ¡°Stop! You can stop talking about it.¡± Ko Byeong-gap quickly cut her off and looked at Dorma¡¯s eyes. Dorma listened to Marilyn¡¯s story with an interesting expression, yet he showed no sign of violence, and there was one thing to be anxious about. ¡°Now that you¡¯re talking about war, just tell me why you were there.¡± ¡°¡­ I see. How did the war end? There was a big curse on us.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re talking about the missing women.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°You know. That¡¯s right. The women were gone.¡± ¡°That sounds strange. As far as I can see, how did you not disappear when all the women disappeared?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± Her words followed. ¡°After the queen disappeared, the king was unstable. He didn¡¯t step out of the pce, and he didn¡¯t talk to anyone.¡± ¡°Landreal¡¯s wife? He didn¡¯t even talk to you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just one of the seven. The king was not very affectionate to his wives other than the queen.¡± ¡°You must be sad.¡± ¡°No¡­ It doesn¡¯t make sense for someone like me to be sad.¡± She said so, but the mood turned out sad. ¡°Keep talking.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Her story continued. After the disappearance of the queen, Landrealpletely shut down food and drink and became a loner. After not seeing even sunlight for several months, he ran out of the pce one day. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the king was thinking at the time. But he called me and engraved this on my body.¡± She paused, took off her coat, and revealed her sensual body with no cover, but his lust didn¡¯t rise at all. The inscription on her body aroused his curiosity more. Doran and Dorma looked at her with round eyes. ¡°Huh¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s gross.¡± Her upper body was full of tattoos. It was definitely a map. ¡°The king said to me. Someday, someone with the same wit as I, with the spirit of a king, will wake me up, and then¡­¡± She turned and showed her back. She pointed her finger right in the middle of her back. ¡°He told me to lead him to this ce. The capital of Ashvm, in the Holy Land of Vervonia.¡± ¡°Vervonia!¡± ¡°Huh! What¡¯s wrong, Dorma?¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s a very familiar name, so I didn¡¯t know.¡± Dorma replied awkwardly. Marilyn took a moment to pause and then continued. ¡°¡­ Anyway, I couldn¡¯t understand his intentions at the time, but with that situation at hand¡­¡± She said in a resigned tone and put on her clothes again. Ko Byeong-gap stroked his chin for a while in agony and asked, ¡°What¡¯s there in Vervonia?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. The king said you have to go there to revive Asvhm.¡± ¡°Ah, the revival of Ashvm.¡± ¡°He called in all the shamans in the castle to cast a spell on me. I have no memory since then. I don¡¯t know, but I think that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t disappear.¡± ¡°Even though she¡¯s a concubine, he used magic on her and used her as a guide. Landreal is insane.¡± Ko Byeong-gap clicked his tongue. Marilyn dressed up again and suddenly questioned him. ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything I know. Now you have to listen.¡± ¡°Hmm? What?¡± ¡°What the hell happened to Ashvm and to us, Sarahons!¡± Chapter 79 79. Sarahon ¡°Sarahon?¡± Ko Byeong-gap repeated. ¡®Is Sarahon the real name of the Goblins?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t an idiot, so he figured it out. He already knew that ¡®Goblin¡¯ wasn¡¯t their real name. ¡°I was going to ask, but I forgot. Is that your real name? Not Goblin?¡± ¡°A Goblin!¡± Marilyn shouted as if she were about to make a sudden leap forward. ¡°Goblin¡­ is an insulting nickname. It¡¯s a name that dirty minions call us to mock! For example, human beings¡­¡± She blurted her words and looked into Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡­ No, I didn¡¯t mean you, Lord.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. What do you mean, minions?¡± ¡°This is an extension of the war history I told you earlier. All the children on earth turned their backs on us when we, the Sarahon, fought a war against the Holy Warrior. They were originally taken care of by us, but they didn¡¯t even show gratitude, and they dared to point their weapons at us!¡± Marilyn gritted her teeth. Her eyes seemed to burn with anger. ¡®Come to think of it, I read something simr on the lithograph.¡¯ Those words were written on the stone tablets of the temple. ¨C All the races with whom we were once with have turned their backs. Judging from it, he inferred that there lived many races on this continent in the distant past. They would¡¯ve had a friendly rtionship with the Sarahon. With the grace she spoke of, the Sarahon might¡¯ve helped the other species in many things. However, after the war with the ¡®Holy Warriors,¡¯ the other races seemed to have turned a blind eye to the Sarahons. Simply put, they stuck with the stronger side. It wasn¡¯t weird. That was how the logic of power works. ¡®We¡¯ll have to talk about the war separately.¡¯ ¡°Well, that¡¯s enough about your story. I¡¯ll let you hear what you want to hear. Dorma.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°Tell her what happened.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Dorma, who had been silent for a while, cleared his throat. Marilyn nced at him with a suspicious look on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact time, but Ashvm was on the verge of extinction.¡± Dorma continued his story for a while. Ko Byeong-gap already heard it once. Ashvm was destroyed, and the Goblins, who lost their women, borrowed the power of sorcery to escape extinction. Somehow, the magic only maintained their life, but as generations went by, the Goblins became worse. Also, their numbers began to decrease. It had been a long time since then. Dorma used the expression ¡®hundreds of years.¡¯ The Goblins lost their old self and turned into the ugly form they were now in no time. Theypletely lost their center of operations and were scattered throughout the continent. By the time the story got there, Marilyn did her best to deny the reality. ¡°Right¡­ We, the Sarahon, who rose above all other races on earth as their zeitgeist, have be like you? That¡¯s ridiculous. I don¡¯t believe it!¡± ¡°So what if you don¡¯t believe me? I, and a lot of my own people out there, are evidence of the times.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Marilyn touched her forehead. Her eyes trembled as if there was an earthquake in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of the name Sarahon before. We forgot the truth and called ourselves Goblin. I¡¯m more familiar with the name Goblin than Sarahon.¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t ept it.¡± ¡°I understand. You lived in the past, and I live in the present.¡± The story continued. The Goblins led their lives in ways that were far different from other beasts. Around that time, the world was devastated, and the Goblins were chased by something scary. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®something scary¡¯? What the hell was it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t remember correctly either, but¡­ it was a nightmare itself.¡± Dorma took a short pause before he continued. ¡°There¡¯s a Spirit woman here. She said the devil invaded the earth and took over the heavens. I don¡¯t understand it, but if that¡¯s true, I think it might be the devil that chased us back then.¡± ¡°Devil?¡± Marilyn frowned. ¡°What kind of skill does a creature that lives in the underground have to be able to invade earth?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Who is that Spirit? Call her to this ce!¡± ¡°It¡¯s no use telling me. Ask for the Lord¡¯s permission.¡± Marilyn shuddered and turned her head to look at Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Who is the Spirit woman? Please call her. I have to ask the whole story!¡± ¡°You saw her earlier, too.¡± ¡°I saw her?¡± ¡°Yes, the Spirit was the one who stopped me when I threw you down. Her name is Ea.¡± Marilyn nced around a few times and soon thought of Ea. She murmured incredibly. ¡°That¡­ That was a Spirit? What the hell is going on in the world?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t call her now. Let¡¯s ask when the sunes up tomorrow.¡± Ko Byeong-gap said so and got up. He looked at the watch on his wrist and saw it was past two in the morning. They had shared enough information and could do itter if they were missing something. That day wasn¡¯t the only day. ¡°It¡¯ste at night. Let¡¯s make room for it another day. Doran¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°Get off duty today and take Marilyn to sleep with you.¡± ¡°You want me to sleep with her?¡± Doran asked back in embarrassment. However, when Ko Byeong-gap stared at her intently, she couldn¡¯t help but nod. ¡°¡­ Okay, I¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°Get out of here, everyone.¡± ¡°Okay. Rest well, Lord.¡± ¡°Good night¡­ Youe with me.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, let¡¯s go.¡± The three Goblins stood up. They turned their evening greetings and withdrew. Ko Byeong-gap called Marilyn before she left the door. ¡°Marilyn.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Yes, go ahead.¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s very disturbing, but take a good rest for a few days and try to calm yourself down. Let me know whenever you feel ufortable. I¡¯ll make it as convenient as possible.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°Yes, go and rest.¡± ¡°Rest well.¡± The three Goblins disappeared. Ko Byeong-gap bit a cigarette in his mouth as if he had been waiting. ¡®This is hard.¡¯ The more he held their hands, the heavier his shoulders became. He felt the fact in his skin again. He tried to look aloof, but he was still a young man. Still, he could never fall apart. If he were to copse, they would copse as well. Ko Byeong-gap tempered himself again that day. On the other hand, Doran, Dorma, and Marilyn left and returned to their respective ces. Marilyn looked around Valtadren, where darkness had fallen, with astonished eyes. She admired it inwardly since it was better than she thought. She looked away and looked at Doran walking ahead. Doran didn¡¯t nce at her. She wanted to talk to her, but for some reason, she couldn¡¯t speak. ¡°Hey¡­ Did you say you were Dorma?¡± So she called Dorma that stood next to her. Dorma reacted calmly. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Is that guy a man to be trusted?¡± ¡°What do you mean, that guy? Are you referring to the Lord?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Dorma¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°That¡¯s a strange way to call him. In the future, please refer to him correctly.¡± ¡°Do you really believe him? A human man?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you believe it? And didn¡¯t you see it with your own eyes? He¡¯s our Lord.¡± Marilyn let out a big sigh and answered. ¡°I don¡¯t believe in other races. In particr, humans are sly and meanpared to others. In other words, they were the first ones to turn their backs on Sarahon when our prestige decreased. It was a human being who took the role of the enemy¡¯s vanguard during the war!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of trick he used to seed the king¡¯s spirit, but this is wrong. It¡¯spletely wrong. As long as he¡¯s human, one day we¡¯ll¨C¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Dorma came to a halt. It was at that moment¡­ ¡®What?!?¡¯ Marilyn felt a tremendous amount of power. It was so dense that she felt like it pierced her skin. She had faced numerous enemies as the deputymander of the Mandara Knights, but she had never seen such dark energy. The one that exuded it was Dorma. He red at Marilyn with red, bloodshot eyes, and she unconsciously stepped back. Doran was startled and went back to stop them. ¡°Hey! Hey! Don¡¯t! If we fight among ourselves, Lord will be mad!¡± ¡°Let me give you a warning. Don¡¯t ever look down on him in front of me again. Don¡¯t get caught by me because I¡¯m not as nice as the person I serve.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Hey, you idiot! Stop it!¡± Only then did Dorma calm down when Doran shouted, but his mouth kept moving. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s soplicated in your head, but he¡¯s the only one for us. The Lord was the one who gathered all our people who lived like animals, so they could lie warmly on their backs, live with a full stomach, and be free from the danger of death. Not the king you¡¯re talking about!¡± Marilyn wanted to refute but couldn¡¯t say anything, so she just bit her lips. As she did so, Dorma turned away. ¡°I¡¯m going this way, so I¡¯ll go now. Good night, Doran.¡± ¡°¡­ Uhuh. Good luck.¡± Dorma disappeared into the darkness. The two women looked in that direction for a while. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him so angry. He doesn¡¯t usually talk¡­¡± Doran murmured sullenly. She then red at Marilyn and said loudly. ¡°But he¡¯s right. Don¡¯t look down on our Lord!¡± ¡°Oh, no, Doran. I¡¯m just¡­¡± ¡°Shut up! Follow me!¡± She galloped ahead. Marilyn quickly chased her away and made excuses. ¡°I was just worried. The life and death of our race are at stake. It isn¡¯t right to leave the fate of the Sarahons in the hands of other races, even humans. The king probably didn¡¯t foresee such a situation.¡± ¡°Oh! I don¡¯t know about your king or anything like that. Also, what¡¯s wrong with the Lord being different from us? The Lord is the Lord!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Our Lord is great. That¡¯s why everyone follows the Lord. Of course, the little idiots might not have many thoughts. Anyway, everyone loves the Lord!¡± ¡°Everyone likes him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®him.¡¯ It¡¯s Lord.¡± Marilyn chewed her lips with a troubled face. For her, the only Lord was Lord Landreal. She had never imagined serving someone else as the Lord. However, it wasn¡¯t wise to be stubborn recklessly. After all, he had the spirit of the king. She licked her lips a few times before she nodded her head as if she had given up. ¡°So, do the Sarahons like the Lord now?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Doran pointed to the houses neatly lined up on both sides. ¡°The Lord built all of these for us.¡± ¡°Eh, you mean all this?¡± ¡°Yeah! Do you know what else he does? The Lord brings us meat every day to feed us. If a monster appears outside the walls, it¡¯s the Lord who takes the lead in the battle.¡± Doran talked about the Grugle raid a few days ago. More than 1,000 monster times came, but Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s performance allowed them to winpletely without a single death. Marilyn¡¯s expression as she listened to the story gradually darkened. Dorma¡¯s story a while ago was the same as Doran¡¯s story. There was no doubt that the man named Ko Byeong-gap devoted himself to the Sarahon. Eventually, Marilyn admitted him. ¡°¡­ I see. He¡¯s a saint.¡± ¡°Right, you¡¯ll like Lord soon, too.¡± ¡°But Doran¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± Marilyn sighed a little. ¡°You used to call me Godmother and behaved very politely, but your current attitude is a bit unfamiliar¡­ Can¡¯t you do the same for me?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Doran blinked for a few seconds and grimaced. ¡°What did I say? Just follow me!¡± In the end, Marilyn was unable to hear her respects. *** The next day dawned. There was no rooster¡¯s cry to announce the sunrise, but the Goblins diligently rose and prepared for the day. ¡°Have your meal! Please eat!¡± Instead, Ea¡¯s cheerful voice announced the morning. The Goblins gathered in the restaurant and had their breakfast. ¡°Oh! Lord¡¯s here. Lord, eat.¡± ¡°Lord, do you have a seat? Let¡¯s eat together.¡± The Goblins greeted when they saw Ko Byeong-gap. He shook his hand as if to excuse himself. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You guys eat a lot. I don¡¯t eat things like that.¡± Although he was currently living with the Goblins, there were only two walls that had yet to be broken down. Being naked around the Goblins and sharing their meals. He needed more time, he believed. Ko Byeong-gap entered the kitchen withrge bags. ¡°You said you ran out of sugar, didn¡¯t you? Where should I put this?¡± ¡°Oh! This way! Why are you bringing it yourself?¡± ¡°Hey¡­ For what reason? Why not?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Marilyn leaned against one wall and watched him. This time, she nced around the restaurant. The Sarahons sat together,ughed, and chatted while they ate. Their dishes and food were clean, as were their bodies and clothes. There was a lot of thought on her face. After a while, Ko Byeong-gap came back from the kitchen, and Marilyn immediately strode toward him. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re there too. Did you sleep well? Did you feel any difort?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Doran? Anyway, sit down and eat.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap found Marilyn and gave her a greeting, but he didn¡¯t hear an answer. Marilyn only shut her mouth and made eye contact with Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you this morning?¡¯ Anxiety sprang up in his mind, but then, Marilyn suddenly knelt on one knee and bowed her head. The attention in the restaurant was naturally drawn to them. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Please forgive my past rudeness.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t trust you at first. I thought it was incredulous, but that was my wrong judgment.¡± She raised her head. He could feel the determination in her expression. ¡°I, Marilyn, swear to devote the rest of my life to you. Please ept me as your servant, Lord.¡± ¡°You have a talent for embarrassing people.¡± Ko Byeong-gap tried to get her up with a sour smile. However, she didn¡¯t get up and endured. ¡°That¡¯s enough. That¡¯s enough. Hurry up and get up.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard an answer yet.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ko Byeong-gap looked down at Marilyn with a curious look. Marilyn was as firm as a stone, so he gave up and sighed. ¡°Whew, I don¡¯t care if you dedicate the rest of your life to me or not. Wee to the family, Marilyn.¡± ¡°Are you epting me?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll do my best to support you!¡± Only then did Marilyn get up. Ko Byeong-gap quickly left the restaurant and thought about how he gained another fanatic. On the other side, Dorma smiled pleasantly. Chapter 80 80. To challenge an A-Rank The sun had set in Valtadren. By the time the Goblins had slowly finished their work, Marilyn¡¯s surprising story hade to an end. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s what happened.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a hard story to believe.¡± ¡°We have never sinned! How can it be a sin to wish for peace on Earth?¡± Marilyn shook her fists in anger. She must¡¯ve thought of it as unfair. However, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s sentiments were a little different. He sympathized with her feelings, but he fully understood the other side¡¯s position since he also¡­ ¡®I also pretend to be God¡­¡¯ The crime of the Sarahons, which the absolute God Madmut pointed out, was the impersonation of God or the showing of the arrogant usage of that word. Ko Byeong-gap leaned on the backrest and sucked deeply into his cigarette. He then slowly recalled the previous story about the epic history of the race¡¯s decline that began hundreds of years ago, perhaps even a thousand years, that Marilyn told him. *** Now that their history hadpletely disappeared, it was impossible to say what happened even a few years ago in detail, but it was still self-evident that all this happened a very long time ago. In the distant past, there lived arge number of races there on the continent. In particr, the intelligent beings called ¡®Ain¡¯ established their own civilizations and achieved prosperity. Marilyn mentioned the Sarahons, Humans, Beasts, Fairies, Dwarves, and Kanp. Those six Ains were said to have formed the axis of the continent. Of course, the Sarahons were the best among them, but if asked if the continent was at peace, it was absolutely not. The Six Ains fought with each other on an indefinite day without unity, even though they came from one root. Territory, food, ideological differences, etc. They always had an excuse to point fingers at each other. Since the first Sarahon Lord established Ashvm, the conflict was still ongoing until 1,014 years passed by in the Ashvm calendar, so there was no time for blood to dry up on Earth. Moreover, in the 1015th year in the Ashvm calendar, a monarch who was said to be the strongest Lord of all time was born. He was the 8th Lord, King Landreal. He was only 12 years old when he took power, but no one in Ashvm could beat his swordsmanship. It wasn¡¯t just in swordsmanship. Landreal was also a master of sorcery and a genius at craftsmanship and medicine. He was very curious, and in his second year in the position, he suddenly went on a trip after delegating full power to his representative for as long as five years. No one knew where and what he did in those five years. However, these were the first words Landreal brought up after returning from his long trip. ¨C When I looked around the continent, I saw that there was no reason for all things on Earth to hate each other. Their hatred is fake, and the blood sprayed on thisnd is nothing but savagery. ¨C Would you me a hedgehog for having thorns? Weakness and stupidity aren¡¯t sins. It¡¯s up to the lion to correct order in the grasnds. ¨C So I, Landreal, dere here. Since the Spirits of heaven are just watching over the state of the Earth, I will be an earthly god and establish order. Since then, the Sarahon had taken a passive stance in the war between the Ains since they already had the bestnd on the continent; no other race dared to attack. However, Landreal differed from his predecessors in values. He wanted peace for all things on Earth, not just for his own to eat well and live well. So, a great war of conquest was waged. It was arge-scale war thatsted as many as 26 years. Sarahon¡¯s army wrote the myth of being undefeated in one hundred battles. The king was the king, but even the generals who supported him were considered the strongest in history. The war was over when Landreal turned 45. ¨C The war is over. Now that all the races on Earth have entered Sarahon¡¯s arms, there is no war or struggle anymore. We originally came from one root. We must return to one root and achieve peace. The continent, which was noisy due to the chaos of the war, was quickly stabilized under Landreal¡¯smand. As he said, the Ains didn¡¯t fight anymore. Indeed, peace hade to the continent. Peace continued for more than 30 years. Marilyn was in the generation who lived in the ¡®era of peace.¡¯ Even when he was over seventy, Landreal corrected himself like he did when he was young and thought that the era of peace wouldst forever. Until the Holy Warriors and their armies descended upon the Earth, breaking through the sky. *** ¡®The Holy Warriors came out of nowhere and grabbed the Sarahon like a mouse, and a big war broke out again. The Sarahon fought desperately, but the men from heaven were too strong. To make matters worse, the Ains who were under them betrayed the Sarahons and joined the Holy Warriors. Isn¡¯t it only natural that Marilyn hates the Ains?¡¯ The back story was as he knew it. The Sarahon were pushed back here in Valtadren and survived, but they were cursed and perished in the end, and it hade to this point. ¡°So what the hell happened after Ashvm was destroyed?¡± He was still at a loss of what happened after Ashvm¡¯s fall. Why couldn¡¯t the Ains who lived on the continent not even see his nose? Thend that was once fertile became a wastnd for some reason. What was the true identity of the Gruggles who roamed the Earth? He wanted to find that out quickly, but at the moment, there was no way to do it. ¡°Whoa.¡± After taking thest puff, Ko Byeong-gap rubbed the cigarette butt to put it out. ¡°Yes, you did a great job talking. Well¡­ I¡¯m sorry about the Sarahon¡¯s misfortune, though a few words may notfort you. I apologize as a human being.¡± ¡°No, Lord said he was not a part of this world. I don¡¯t think Lord should apologize. You can take back what you said.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t have to take back what I¡¯ve already said.¡± Marilyn was very polite and had been that way ever since she swore allegiance. Frankly speaking, it was a bit burdensome, and he heard she was over 50 years old¡­ ¡®How can that face be in her 50s?¡¯ A Sarahon¡¯s life span was said tost about 230 years. He heard that if they lived a long life, they could even live up to 278 years, causing his mouth to stall wide open. After all, that had to be why Landreal was on the front lines even at 70. ¡°Hey, Lord.¡± After he thought about it for a moment, Marilyn suddenly opened her mouth. Even before Ko Byeong-gap could answer, she turned her body then took off the top she had been wearing in the blink of an eye. The map engraved on her body was revealed without a filter. ¡°¡­ What are you doing?¡± ¡°I have sworn to serve you, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll take the words of the former Lord lightly. The Lord told me to go to Vervonia.¡± She stretched out her arms and tapped her back. As he always felt, she was very flexible. Marilyn let go of the clothes and turned back to his side. ¡°I don¡¯t think the former Lord would¡¯ve said such a thing in vain. So Lord, please¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s enough. I know that.¡± Ko Byeong-gap raised his hand and cut off Marilyn¡¯s words. ¡°Even so, I was going to go. He said to go there to revive Ashvm, right?¡± ¡°Yes, the Lord certainly said so.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what¡¯s in there?¡± Marilyn shook her head slowly. ¡°I do not know, either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡± What great thing did he hide that he had to engrave a map on his wife¡¯s body and put her to sleep in a basement? He wouldn¡¯t have made a scene out of it for fun. ¡®Maybe a legendary sword or something?¡¯ ¡°Do you know the way to get there?¡± ¡°Yes, it remains intact in my memory. Also, I have a map like this on my body, so I don¡¯t think it would be hard to find.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°Well, Lord, when are you nning to go? The girl thinks it¡¯s better to leave tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What?¡± There was a moment of silence. Soon after, Ko Byeong-gap burst intoughter and waved his hands. ¡°Hey, hey, what are you talking about? How are we going there tomorrow morning?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, we won¡¯t?¡± ¡°Of course. It looks like it¡¯s not even a day or two away. How can we just leave? It¡¯s not like the system here in Valtadren ispletely structured. We have to prepare enough and step forward afterward.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see. Then when are you considering it?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap scratched his jaw and was lost in thought. ¡°Well, maybe in about three months. I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You mean three months¡­? Isn¡¯t it toote?¡± ¡°Did you hide a jar of honey there? Why are you in such a hurry?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ no. I just want Asvhm to be rebuilt as soon as possible¡­¡± ¡°I understand how you feel, but don¡¯t be so impatient. It¡¯s not a good thing to hurry.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I see.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think you should go now.¡± ¡°Farewell.¡± After sending Marilyn back, Ko Byeong-gap also left and headed for the Capitol. In fact, the name alone was grandiose since it was just arge building. It was a ce to gather and discuss with key people when something happened. The attack squad was waiting there. ¡°Lord, you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Everyone, sit down.¡± The seven Goblins sat around a round table. Ko Byeong-gap sat at the center and simply asked his regards. The greetings didn¡¯tst long, and they weren¡¯t there to fool around. He got to the point without dy. ¡°As I said, we¡¯re going to challenge an A-rank crack tomorrow. I¡¯ll give you the code of conduct as it is dangerous, so listen carefully.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Yes, Ko Byeong-gap was about to challenge an A-rank crack tomorrow. It was different from what they had done so far, so they needed to be fully prepared. The first was mental preparations and knowledge of the code of conduct. In fact, the code of conduct was an already repeating story. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s all there is to know. Have a good night¡¯s sleep tonight.¡± ¡°Yes! Alright.¡± ¡°Yes, see you tomorrow.¡± Ko Byeong-gap escaped Ashvm and returned home. A dark and cold living room greeted him. ¡®Wait, it¡¯s cold?¡¯ Although it was March, the air was still cold. So he had to leave the boiler on all the time, but why was it cold in the house? ¡°No way.¡± Feeling anxious, Ko Byeong-gap pressed the light switch. Sure enough, the lights didn¡¯t turn on. ¡°That¡¯s crazy! Is there another ckout?¡± Power failure, then another ckout. The raid on the power nts began in early March. There had been power outages since it happened. More than three weeks had passed since the initial attack, but the incident was still a mystery. The assants were absent for a while, and five days ago, they attacked the Haenam power nt and destroyed it. They cleverly aimed for the gap in their defense. Maybe it was because they had already broken into four ces? Sometimes there would be no electricity for hours. As the damage caused by it umted day by day, the entire nation¡¯s interest was now concentrated on it. For Ko Byeong-gap, the hospital where his mother was confined in caused him the most worry. Fortunately, they had no major damage because emergency generators always operated there. ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of crazy people they are, but please, just get caught. I¡¯m going to file a petition for the death penalty.¡± He had to take a cold shower that day. His hatred grew even more. *** The day of the subjugation. Ko Byeong-gap busily prepared for it since early in the morning. He packed weapons and potions and checked his physical condition. Fortunately, he was fine. Before departing, he stopped by Ashvm to check the condition of the attack squad. Again, nothing. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± He got in the car and entered his destination on the navigation. That day, he was headed to Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon-do. It was quite far from Seoul. In fact, there were some A-rank cracks near Seoul. He had filtered out all of them because there was more than a 99 percent chance thatrge guilds already upied them. It was most appropriate to go to one that had just appeared in a sparsely popted area. Ko Byeong-gap drove the car before it was toote. He started from Seoul, passed Wonju and Jecheon, and then stepped on thend of Yeongwol. It wasn¡¯t even eight o¡¯clock yet, since he departed at dawn. ¡°Let¡¯s see, let¡¯s see¡­ Where is Deokpo-ri?¡± He wasn¡¯t at his destination yet. He had to get out of downtown Yeongwol-gun and into a rural vige, so he ran down a deserted country road. He had been driving down it for 20 minutes. Over the guardrail, armed people appeared. What were they doing there, standing on guard? Ko Byeong-gap lowered his speed and nced at them. He soon discovered their identities. From a basin that stretched out beyond the guardrail, a magic stone power nt was located in the distance. They could be the hunters hired to protect the power nt. ¡°That¡¯s brutal. That is brutal.¡± What kind of trouble were they having because of some people¡¯s insanity? Ko Byeong-gap went his way, clicking his tongue. ¨C You will arrive at your destination shortly. It took another 15 minutes from the power nt, and finally, he reached his destination. He stood in a deserted country vige. There were no people, only abandoned houses and rice fields. Ko Byeong-gap pulled over a short distance from the crack. If he got too close, the car would die. That was why some hunters quickly changed their cars. ¡°One crack and one hell of a big one. The ground is already dead.¡± A fairlyrge crack. Even in a B-rank crack, there were at least 300 monsters. It meant that one small mistake could have permanent consequences. He wasn¡¯t particrly scared; although it was an A-rank crack, he had already experienced it once. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s give it a try!¡± He shouted and threw himself into the crack. Chapter 81 81. To challenge an A-Rank ¡°Gasp, gasp!¡± ¡°This is not the time to gasp! Stop it, Turka!¡± ¡°Okay! Woo! Woooh!¡± Turka stepped forward and raised the shield. Immediately, fists as ck as charcoal collided with it. Bang! It made a roaring sound as if a bullet had hit it. It was a Crow, a B-ss humanoid monster. With a height of 2 meters, its shoulders were wide enough to have three more heads. Its head had no features, except for its snout that resembled that of a crocodile¡¯s. It pulled its arm back for a follow-up hit, but first, Turka pushed his shield hard. ¡°Kyahahak!¡± It caused no major damage, but that was no problem. From the beginning, the goal was to create a gap. Ko Byeong-gap, who hid behind Turka, rushed in. He straightened out the sword he held in both hands. The Crow immediately crossed its arms and blocked, but in the end, it was pointless. ¡°Hah!¡± ¡°Kyahak!¡± The tip of his sword, mixed with his aura, easily prated the Crow¡¯s karma barrier. It didn¡¯t take long for the B-ss monster to be cut meat. He killed another one, but it was nothing more than taking a ss of water from theke. ¡°Kyahahak!¡± ¡°Keeek!¡± ¡°It¡¯s disgusting.¡± The Crows, which were roughly twenty in number, let out a shriek with their mouths wide. The atmosphere between the two opposing camps was thin as ice. Ko Byeong-gap ordered, kicking the ragged monster bodies at his feet, ¡°Don¡¯t mess up our formation! Maintain the battle formation!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Kiriyan, Dorma. Punch those bastards first. If possible, make it hot!¡± ¡°I will!¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Dark spears and lightning bolts were created everywhere. As the abnormal air current hovered above, they immediately responded when it crumbled. They rushed in unison; their momentum was different from the subordinate monsters. They produced an eerie aura that almost caused his skin to sting. ¡°Shoot!¡± Dozens of projectiles were fired as soon as he shouted. Debris sttered all over the ground along with a violent shout. However, even with such a powerful attack, they couldn¡¯tpletely stop the enemies¡¯ advance. If those were low-level monsters, they would¡¯ve been swept away by the previous attack. However, the opponent in front of them was different from the ones they had been dealing with. ¡°Kyahak!¡± ¡°Kerreuk!¡± The two groupspeted. When they collided, there was a strong wave. Their side was inferior in number, but that wasn¡¯t a reason to be swept away because they had Ko Byeong-gap, who was a strong support. ¡®Two guys in front first. The three on the side, cut them at once.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap, who finished the calction quickly, moved ording to the form. His feet took care of themselves, and his arms and waist moved together like borate cogwheels. Blood rained everywhere when the long sword, containing aura, shed its light. In the blink of an eye, the Crows were separated from their limbs and body, rolling around the floor without even knowing why they were dying. Ko Byeong-gap moved his body without resting for a moment. Still, he nced at the situation from time to time. He had full confidence in the Goblins, but he could never know when and how any one of them could die in a fight against the strong. Those monsters were born to be masters of battle, so the Goblins had no choice but to find loopholes and think on their feet. ¡°Koook!¡± Sure enough, he heard the sound of a groaning ally. Turka¡¯s thighs were dyed red, though it wasn¡¯t a big injury. Turka shook himself straight away and shook off the Crows. As soon as that happened, a dark sphere flew in that turned into a hive. Subsequently, Turka¡¯s painpletely ended. power of healing. Ko Byeong-gap made the Crow¡¯s neck into a blood-spitting fountain and shouted, ¡°Bamond, save your power! Leave it alone unless it¡¯s a serious injury!¡± ¡°Ah, I see!¡± Minor injuries could self-heal with Ki-breathing. his strength now, he could only stamp his feet when it was really urgent. Ko Byeong-gap had hawk-like eyes and widened his viewing angle; he saw that only five enemies remained. ¡®The kids are exhausted. I have to take care of it.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap raised his aura, veins on his forehead rose as he did so. He released energy onto his sword, creating a storm. ¡°Kyahahak!¡± ¡°Ahhh!¡± He swung widely as if swinging a baseball bat. The sword shot straight and fast. Three Crows, running head-on, were bisected by the crescent sword, but the other two somehow escaped. Of course, just because they dodged didn¡¯t mean they could avoid the subsequent attacks. ¡°Kyahahak!¡± The sword that flew like a bolt of lightning split the Crows diagonally. However, they attacked even though their bodies were cut in half. He was in super close proximity, so he couldn¡¯te up with an angle to dodge. ¡®Hardening.¡¯ He defended by hardening his body as urgently as possible. A ck fistnded on his left cheek. There was a dull pain, but it was enough for him to bear. The Crow, who fired the final attack, copsed in vain. ¡°Kyahak!¡± Thest one pierced its hand, which had been trimmed like a dagger. A considerable amount of karma gathered at its fingertips. If he got stabbed by that, it would hurt a lot, no matter how good his hardening ability was. Soon after, dark spheres and lightning bolts smashed into its body. ¡°Kuhah!¡± The monster¡¯s body wobbled. Ko Byeong-gap wielded his sword without wasting the opportunity his subordinates had created. The ever-moving de produced a lump of cut meat at one stroke. ¡°Koook¡­¡± Another battle was over. The only thing that remained in the world was the fishy smell of blood and strange silence. Ko Byeong-gap habitually looked in his wristwatch. 11:37 am¡­ 38 minutes. ¡®It had been almost four hours since I entered the crack, and I¡¯m not even halfway there yet.¡¯ If this were his normal routine, it would be enough time to smash a B-rank crack and get some rice soup. A-rank cracks usually contained more than 350 monsters. So far, they had only defeated about 150 Crows, so there was still a long way to go. ¡°Who else is hurt?¡± The attack squad members, big or small, carried wounds all over their bodies. The ones who were most seriously injured were the ones that carried shields. Although Changsik and Taesik were close strikers, they seemed to have avoided fatal injuries with their unique animal senses. Ko Byeong-gap distributed potions to the two Giant Goblins and instructed the rest of them to have a break. By handing out potions and dumplings for each battle, it was possible to maintain the best condition of the crew, but he didn¡¯t. Ko Byeong-gap pushed his subordinates hard with vulgarnguage. ¡®In order to grow rapidly, proper suffering is essential.¡¯ The recent slow rise of the Goblin¡¯s textbook rate was because they had been living easily. Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that fighting low-level monsters was simr to eating rice cakes lying down. However, there wasn¡¯t enough firewood to generate power for growth. Like in a game, defeating stronger monsters would increase experience points, and a simr principle worked in reality. ¡°Everyone,e out. It¡¯s time to work.¡± Ko Byeong-gap opened the door to Ashvm, and Normal and Hob Goblins popped out of therge oval passage. ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about, right? Do your routine. Come on, hurry up. Hurry up.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s move!¡± Ko Byeong-gap rushed the workers. It was absurd to be nagging his allies, but he couldn¡¯t help it. Weren¡¯t they in an A-rank crack? It was a very dangerous ce, so he couldn¡¯t afford to take it easy as usual. He smoked a cigarette and scanned the traces of the battle. ¡®It¡¯s going better than I thought. They¡¯re good at following along.¡¯ It wasmon for an attack squad that consists of several top hunters to have three or two S-rank hunters for A-rank cracks. Whatever it was, to have an S-ss hunter in a team was necessary because they served as the backbone of the squad. In that sense, Ko Byeong-gap yed a fairly good role as the backbone, and the attack squad followed him as he led. ¡®Still, it¡¯s difficult when the children stray.¡¯ ¡°Varmond.¡± ¡°Oh. Yes¡­ Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°Take the jerky out of your backpack and hand them out to the kids.¡± ¡°Jerky? I¡¯ll do that.¡± He opened the backpack that Vamond carried and pulled out a ck stic bag. He took out pieces of jerky from inside it. ¡®Gold Dragon Meat¡¯ was made of beef jerky. Moreover, Gold Dragon Meat had an excellent effect on rejuvenating. It was expensive, but he made sure it was worth the money. The attack squad ate a piece of jerky, and the tiredness in them melted away. ¡°Lord, we¡¯re done with the transport.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, Yookbong. You finished it quickly. You did a good job.¡± ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s nothing.¡± The work team leader with an armband on his armughed. ¡°Come on, get the kids back.¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll see you in a little while. Good luck!¡± ¡°Yes, everyone, get up. Let¡¯s move.¡± ¡°Yes! I see.¡± The pace of their progress wasn¡¯t that fast, so they needed to hurry. They took a short break for about 10 minutes before continuing the subjugation. *** As monster bodies piled up, the number of wounds that covered their bodies increased. His limbs got heavier, and his lungs had seizures. There was a disgusting smell on his body mixed with blood and filth. ¡°Yuck, yuck!¡± ¡°Gasp, gasp, gasp¡­¡± The attack squad breathed heavily. It was written on their foreheads that they were on the verge of death. ¡°Are you tired?¡± ¡°Oh, no, no!¡± ¡°No way. You¡¯re out of breath. We¡¯re almost there, so let¡¯s cheer up a little bit more.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Soon, the boss monsters would appear. Ko Byeong-gap distributed jerky and potions to the attack squad. ¡®It¡¯s 4:19. It¡¯s almost time toe out.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s party diligently advanced in the back world. If the sun went down after a long dy, it was going to be difficult. After some time, the much-anticipated boss monster appeared, but it was a little inappropriate. It was a Raven! A tricky monster with the ability to disappear. There weren¡¯t that many subordinate monsters assisting the boss. Still, a Raven¡¯s attack was threatening. You could literally get your nose cut with your eyes open. ¡°Gather up!¡± ¡°Gather up!¡± ¡°Change the formation! Stand in a crosshair!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The two long-distance dealers and one healer were protected in the center. Turka, Orca, Changsik, and Taesik each stood in one direction. Ko Byeong-gap watched the Raven in front of the formation. Its body became blurred and slowly ovepped with the background since it used its cloaking ability. ¡°Everyone, focus on your technique. If you follow with your eyes, you¡¯ll reactte!¡± ¡°I see!¡± The Raven and other groups of monsters rushed in. Ko Byeong-gap chased the Raven¡¯s trail in between. The space was distorted, and he didn¡¯t miss it and immediately bounced out, wielding his sword. Scrap! Fire went out in the air, and the Raven was revealed. ¡®y with me, you son of a bitch!¡¯ ¡°Argh!¡± The final battle took ce. Ko Byeong-gap hung onto the Raven persistently. Under no circumstances did he let it get close to the Goblins. In terms of simplebat power, Ko Byeong-gap overwhelmed the Raven, but the battle was not easily concluded. The clever monster was well aware of the fact that it was behind in strength. So, it tried hard to distract Ko Byeong-gap. It would perform a quick attack and retreat. It was hiding among its men, and then it would pop out and attack again like an experienced boxer. ¡°You son of a bitch, how dare you rub your temper away!¡± Ko Byeong-gap swung his sword wide, but the de only prated the air. He felt the Raven¡¯s movement moving away with the fluctuation of space, so he straightened up to prepare for its next hit. However, the Raven headed to the wrong ce. It went for the attack squad. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Currently, the attack squad was limited in blocking the subordinate monsters. They had no room for the Raven¡¯s blind attack! ¡®If I don¡¯t do this, they¡¯ll get it!¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap quickly turned away. Haze wriggled in the space. From there, a pointed awl suddenly popped out and stretched out toward Turka, who didn¡¯t notice the attack even though he told them to pay attention to the enemy. Ko Byeong-gap gritted his teeth and flew away. Crack! ¡°¡­?!¡± ¡°I got you, you son of a bitch.¡± He managed to block the attack aimed at Turka. The awl arm prated his shoulder a little. The Raven tried to pull itself out immediately, but it couldn¡¯t because Ko Byeong-gap held its arm tightly. ¡°Yikes!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t squirm and look for a way out.¡± He swung the sword. There was a tremendous storm raging on the sword. ¡°Crush.¡± A sword stormpletely engulfed the Raven and other nearby monsters. ¡°Kyahak!¡± ¡°Cough!¡± The ones who were hit by it died and turned into powder. ¡°Lord! Are you alright?¡± ¡°The fight isn¡¯t over yet! Focus to the end!¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s party diligently wiped out the remaining monsters. The Raven ambush was gone, so their work was done quickly. It was already 4:59 pm. That was how the nine-hour A-rank crack was fought. *** ¡°Everyone worked hard.¡± ¡°Lord, thank you for your hard work too!¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so d it ended without a hitch. Everyone, heal your bodies and get some rest. Eat a lot. I¡¯ll be backter tonight.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± The struggle was over. Ko Byeong-gap stopped in Ashvm for a while to check the condition of his attack squad and washed himself. The sky was already dark when he came out. He took a deep breath of air outside. ¡°Huuuuu¡­ Haha.¡± He couldn¡¯t help butugh. Oh my God! He couldn¡¯t believe he really defeated an A-rank crack. How did that make sense? Although his body was exhausted, firecrackers exploded in his brain. It was a pleasure from aplishment. Sense of aplishment wasn¡¯t the only reward. If he went around to more A-rank cracks, he would get about 70 million won each. Even now, he made several times as much profit as usual in just one day! Instead of having a toast, Ko Byeong-gap burned a cigarette. The taste of cigarettes was sweeter than ever. ¡®I should hurry up and go to Seoul and hit a bowl of rice soup. I¡¯m starving.¡¯ He got in the car quickly. It would be 8 pm at the earliest for him to arrive in Seoul. He drove back thinking about whether to eat or not on the way there. ¡°This country road is missing streetmps.¡± It wasn¡¯t midnight yet, but it was quite dark since there were no streetlights and mountains were all around it. All he could trust was the light of the headlights. He was so careful driving the car, but it became clear in an instant. About three secondster, a tremendous roar echoed in the air. Boom! Boom! Boom! ¡°What was that?!¡± His body trembled. He pressed the brakes reflexively and looked at where the sound came from. Soon, his face was drained of blood. ¡°Hey, hey, fuck!¡± It was over the guardrail on the left. The basin and the power nt that he saw this morning. There, a huge fire surged in the power nt. Chapter 82 82. Reunion Fluttering! A few seconds after a massive explosion in the power nt. The shockwave hit the road. The trees staggered, the car trembled, and the windows vibrated wildly. It looked like a strong typhoon wasing. Ko Byeong-gap opened his mouth and looked at the scenery outside the window. Wasn¡¯t it often said that idents leave people paralyzed? It was just now that a pir of fire soared high in the sky. Did a missile drop? ¡®No way.¡¯ A thought shed through his mind. It was a very natural stream of consciousness for him to recall the attack on the power nts. What should he do? He picked up his cell phone habitually. He dialed 119, canceled it, dialed 112, then dialed 119 again, repeating the stupid thing twice or thrice. ¡®No.¡¯ The report would take a long time. So what could he do now? Was it right to go home after this? His hand that held the cell phone trembled slightly. ¡°Gah!¡± Ko Byeong-gap turned the handle to the right. He stopped on the shoulder of the road, picked up the sword from the trunk, and started running straight toward the mes. It wasn¡¯t the time to think of rational or practical judgments. It was time to leave his body to its instincts. Every time his legs stretched out, the fire got closer. He ran like crazy and was able to reach the front of the barrier surrounding the power nt. He jumped up to the wall about five meters high. At that time, the mes soared from another power nt as if they had been woven together. Bang! ¡°Argh!¡± He covered his ears reflexively at that terrible bang. A hot shock wave followed it like a tsunami. ¡°They had guards, but what the fuck is this?¡± He spat out insults as he nced around. All he could see were the dome-shaped concrete buildings. This time, he focused on his senses instead of his eyesight. ¡®The other way around.¡¯ He detected a presence on the opposite side. Well, it was where the mes were going up. As soon as he tried hard to kick the ground, he stopped and turned his head eastbound unconsciously. There was nothing to be seen there, but something caught his attention. ¡®That¡¯s a pretty fast presence.¡¯ He could feel its faint touch. The number of heads was at most one or two. They ran away to the opposite side of the riot at a very fast pace. Ko Byeong-gap somehow appreciated that the assants showed their tails, so he turned away from allplicated thoughts. ¡®Damn it, what if they¡¯re monsters?¡¯ Such hesitation urredte. ording to reports, the assants were at least S-ss, meaning they were no idiots or clumsy terrorists. ¡®But they¡¯re not brutal, right? So I won¡¯t die.¡¯ Paradoxically, the assants who raided the power nts didn¡¯t hurt people despite their outrageous goals. Of course, some people were injured inbat or after getting caught up in the explosion or destruction of the power nts. However, he had never heard of anyone who was stabbed to death by the mysterious attackers. The presence grew closer and closer while he thought of those things. ¡®What? You¡¯re not avoiding me?¡¯ If the assants were as strange and powerful as he heard, they would¡¯ve recognized Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s presence from far back there, but he didn¡¯t want to run away regardless. The corners of Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s mouth rose bitterly. He drew his sword violently and dug his soles on the floor. The presence was getting closer and closer. It was just around the corner, but once they crossed¡­ Pot! ¡°Huh?¡± It happened in an instant. A person in a ck cloak approached in the blink of an eye and fired their sword. It was an unrecognizable fast, silent attack. If the attack were to kill him, he wouldn¡¯t even know why he died. However, Ko Byeong-gap wasn¡¯t an easy boy either. He quickly defended with his own that he had pulled out in advance and defended with it. A heavyweight ran through his arms. His eyes quickly looked at his opponent. He couldn¡¯t see their identity due to the mask that covered their face. Soon, his eyes turned to the sword. ¡®¡­ Is that the sword¡¯s backside?¡¯ They used the backside of their sword. By this point, it became clear. ¡®You¡¯re ignoring me?¡¯ ¡°Ahhhh!¡± He heaved the sword hard, and the assant bounced off helplessly. The person, who somersaulted, calmlynded and adjusted their posture. Their body trembled while Ko Byeong-gap tilted his head as if he didn¡¯t understand. ¡®Why are they so small?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap frowned. Despite the full-body cloak that they wore, it couldn¡¯t hide how small they were. The assant was almost as small as the little ones. On the other hand, the single-edged sword they held was so big it couldn¡¯t be ignored. ¡°500 million killed. 1.5 billion captured.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t die.¡± What were they saying? As long as it was an enemy, it didn¡¯t matter if it was a baby or an old man. In Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes, it just seemed like a bundle of money. His sword fell like a predator¡¯s forefoot. The assant hurriedly raised his sword. Theypeted for power, but they were equal. No, it leaned to the person¡¯s side. The arms of the attacker that held the sword also vibrated as Ko Byeong-gap spread out more aura. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Why? Do you think I¡¯m different?¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± The mysterious person artistically dropped their sword. They pulled themselves out and moved as smoothly as water. From Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s perspective, it felt like the enemy in front of him suddenly disappeared. Seeing them pull away, it seemed like they were going to run away. ¡°Who sent you?¡± Ko Byeong-gap ran like lightning and kicked his front foot. The assant managed to block it with their sword, but they flew in the opposite direction. ¡°Agh, gosh¡­¡± A mysterious person flew into a wall and groaned. The voice was young, and on top of that, it was very thin. ¡®That¡¯s a girl¡¯s voice, isn¡¯t it? No, can they be that weak, or have I be incredibly strong?¡¯ To be honest, thest kick he did was to keep his enemy in check. He prepared for a series of attacks because he thought the enemy would withstand it, but it overshadowed the attempt. He wasn¡¯t even using 100 percent of his power at that time. Thinking it was something suspicious, the mysterious person staggered to their feet, and suddenly, they vomited blood. ¡°Cough!¡± A lump of blood fell from under the mask and pooled under their feet. There was no way they caused a fuss just because of a single kick. If so¡­ ¡®They¡¯ve been through quite a lot already.¡¯ How many hunters were mobilized to protect the power nt? Everyone must¡¯ve been desperate to catch the assants. ¡®I¡¯m sorry for those who hit first, but I¡¯ll take thest hit.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap breathed aura into his sword, which took on a shape and created a huge hammer. He was going to break their legs since it was practically impossible to capture them if he didn¡¯t do it. He narrowed their distance immediately and swung his hammer loudly. The assant, of course, tried to avoid it, but it was an attack calcted to get their trajectory. The person tried to defend themselves again, but the result was disastrous. Bang! ¡°Agh!¡± The person flew away like a baseball bat had hit them. They barely stopped even after being smashed into a concrete structure. ¡°Cough!¡± The person limped like a half-dried squid. It was smaller and messier up close, and their scarred body was revealed through the gap in the cape. Being alive in this state was unforgivable. Did he have sympathy for them? In the first ce, the people whomitted the crazy act of attacking the power nts were wrong. Ko Byeong-gap broke the person¡¯s leg and lifted the hammer again, and it was at that moment¡­ Bang! ¡°Oh my God!¡± A nearby power nt exploded. As the red pir of fire soared, the shock wave hit. ¡°Oh, damn it!¡± He spread his energy and protected himself from the heat. His eyes continued to observe the mysterious person. If he left them that way, would they heal? They would refuse to die. He didn¡¯t have to worry about it for a little bit, but then, a second stranger appeared and hugged the weakened one. ¡°What? Where¨Cugh!¡± Suddenly, a third man appeared and kicked Ko Byeong-gap, who plunged in the opposite direction. ¡®Damn it. My sword¡­¡¯ His sword slipped when he flew. He tried to get up quickly, but the mysterious person stepped on his arms and chest. ¡®Huh! This one¡¯s a kid too, but this power¡­!¡¯ It was embarrassing to say, but he couldn¡¯t move. He felt like a mountain crushed him. They raised their sword, and the tip of the sword aimed for Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s neck. The giant sword fired without any hesitation. ¡®No, I can¡¯t die¨C¡¯ ¡°You can¡¯t kill him!¡± Suddenly, an angry shout rang out. The owner of the voice was the girl he faced the first time. The de stopped close to touching his Adam¡¯s apple. The person drew back the sword in a displeased manner and relentlessly shot his fists instead. Bang! Bang! Bang! ¡°Gasp!¡± It wasn¡¯t a fist. Rather, it was like an iron club. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes turned upside down like he was beaten by the fists. Only then did the indiscriminate beating stop. ¡°¡­¡± The attackers, who confirmed that Ko Byeong-gap had fainted, turned around without dy. It was enough for them to disappear before his eyes. Ko Byeong-gap was left alone. They moved because they thought he fainted, but he murmured and waved his rattling arms in the air. ¡°Ancient¡­ Shop.¡± *** The three masked attackers quickly ran. They took the winding mountain road away from the power nt. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Hang in there, Alpha. The Master will be here soon.¡± Omega, carrying Alpha, said in a worried voice. Alpha didn¡¯t even have the energy to answer due to the pain, so she put the hem of her cloak in her mouth and swallowed a groan. Beta, who ran ahead, muttered in a deep voice, ¡°We should¡¯ve killed him earlier.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know you¡¯ll be in trouble if you kill an unspecified person? Master won¡¯t stay still.¡± ¡°But, he made Alpha like that!¡± ¡°Alpha was already badly injured. She was caught in a trap.¡± Beta groaned before changing the subject. ¡°By the way, doesn¡¯t he look familiar somewhere? I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve seen him somewhere.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I only know of the Master and you¡­ Huh?!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Omega and Beta turned their heads at the same time. Something was chasing them at great speed. Master? No, she wouldn¡¯t appear this way. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t their rendezvous point. ¡°What? Are you sure you didn¡¯t leave a trail? Could it be that man?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I made sure everyone¡¯s passed out.¡± ¡°Faster. They¡¯re going to catch up.¡± Beta pulled his sword out of his back. ¡°Take Alpha and go first. I¡¯ll handle it.¡± ¡°We have to hurry.¡± ¡°I got it.¡± Beta wanted to answer that they didn¡¯t need to worry, but something flew from the dark before that. It was a huge mass of energy. ¡°Ugh!¡± Beta narrowly hit it with the sword. A formidable shock was transmitted along with his sword handle. Sadly, that was only the beginning. In the dark in the distance, a man flew with a sh of light. ¡°You¡¯re going to punch people and just leave them? Even if you go, you¡¯ll pay for it!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Give me 4.5 billion!¡± That was the guy from before! He approached at an incredible pace and began to pour out a barrage of ferocious sword attacks from the top, middle, and bottom. Such a distinction was meaningless. With just one swing of his sword, the de extended out in all directions. ¡°Ugh!¡± In an instant, Beta defenselessly exposed his openings. It was just a moment, but the man didn¡¯t miss the opportunity. Five relentless shes flooded Beta¡¯s body. ¡°Kuh!¡± The man put in a kick to finish him off. Beta flew more than 30 steps in the opposite direction, and blood was everywhere. Omega stopped walking and looked at the scene with empty eyes. ¡®He¡­ He defeated Beta easily?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t believe it at all. He had never seen anyone with such overwhelming power except their Master. ¡®Is it really the guy from earlier?¡¯ It was strange since he looked the same, but his atmosphere waspletely different. ¡°G-Ghost¡­¡± The unidentified aura the man exuded was terrifying. That was exactly what ghosts would look like if they existed. At that moment, the man shed his golden eyes and shot his gaze at their side. ¡°You pea-sized bastards. I spent 700,000 crystals on you, so you¡¯d better not think about being nice.¡± Chapter 83 83. Reunion To be honest, he wanted to quit when he got beaten in the face. Hyenas might hunt lions, but they hunt old and sick lions who had escaped from the herd. Who would¡¯ve imagined that there would be two elusive lions that stood by the target? However¡­ ¡®I¡¯m too broken down.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap had a broken tooth, but there was a catch in front of him! What happened to his prey? They were worth a billion and a half! ¡®Things that don¡¯t even deserve a prize¡­ How dare you interfere with my one-on-one battle?¡¯ Whoever said that anger was the best driving force, they were right. If you put it in your head, your rational judgment would be blurred, but your drive would rise to its peak. ¡®Ancient Shop. The spirit of Trovatin. 700,000 crystals. Shut up and just give it up.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap bought the spirit of Trovatin out of impulse. This was the most distinguished piece that made the North Korea expedition possible. He would gain powerparable to an S-ss if he took his soul. Though terrible aftereffects apanied it, he tried to assimte with the soul without hesitation. [The assimtion is starting. 1%, 2%, 3%¡­] ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Memories that didn¡¯t belong to him flooded into his head. Last time, it was the memory of the army that swept the vast grasnds. It was different this time. ¨C All troops, open fire! Tens of thousands of arrows were fired in unison at themand. The arrows poured down on the enemy and covered the sky. Archers emptied all the arrow barrels and split from side to side to create a path. ¨C Charge! Charge! ¨C We must die on this battlefield! Let¡¯s show those Holy Warriors the power of Sarahon! ¨C For Landreal! Soldiers armed with spears and blunt weapons ran out screaming. They were very determined, and it was clear that they were ready to even die. However, when the cloudy sky parted and something huge appeared, even that spirit and courage were oveid with fear. ¨C It¡¯s Al-Sharon! ¨C A¡­ A Holy¡­ A Holy Warrior has appeared! ¨C R-Run! Save yourselves! Al-Sharon was more than 50 meters tall. His spear was bigger and thicker than any pir in Ashvm. When the spear stirred the Earth once, a natural disaster urred. The soldiers who came before the ruthless violence were nothing more than ants. Trovatin watched from a distance as his men were swept away. His nails cut into his clenched fists and caused his blood to drip. He swore to defeat this man that day, so he picked up a cone-shaped spear and flew up. Al-Sharon turned when he noticed him and stabbed his giant spear. From Trovatin¡¯s point of view, it seemed like a falling meteorite. ¨C Al-Sharon! The battle ended with Trovatin¡¯s cry. [Error! The spirit and body are not suitable for receiving the soul. The assimtion rate will decrease.] [Your body strength has not reached the threshold. The assimtion rate will decrease.] [Assimtionplete with the Soul of Trovatin. Assimtion rate: 73.95%] ¡°Gasp, gasp, gasp¡­ Ugh! Ugh!¡± Since the soul and assimtion wereplete, he had to fight again for control of himself. Ko Byeong-gap desperately seized his consciousness. He had to repeat his anger to not be defeated by the ancient spirit that coveted his body. After a few minutes of his invisible struggle, he managed to regain hisposure. His body was covered with sweat. ¡®This is dangerous. I almost got eaten.¡¯ It was only then that he felt how ridiculous everything had been just for a few pennies¡­ ¡®No, not a few bucks. That¡¯s 4.5 billion won in total.¡¯ After all, he gambled his body for money. He wouldn¡¯t change his mind even if his enemies were children. What was more, with 700,000 crystals, how many more houses could he have built for the Goblins? ¡°These are crystals that my children collected with their blood and sweat. I should never use it for nothing¡­ Just you wait. If I get that bounty, I¡¯ll let you eat beef until your stomach explodes!¡± Ko Byeong-gap began to chase the runaway bandits with determination in his heart. *** ¡°Alpha, run.¡± Omega lowered Alpha and whispered. Although her face was hidden behind her mask, Alpha frowned. ¡°What are you talking about? How am I supposed to run away alone? I¡¯d rather be together¡­¡± ¡°You saw how he defeated Beta. It isn¡¯t something that can be resisted. Go to the point and bring the Master.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. What are you going to do, the weakest of us?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll buy you more time.¡± Omega rolled up his left sleeve. It revealed seven bracelets sped around his arms like handcuffs. The finish and material alone showed that those were expensive artifacts. Omega grabbed the first one without hesitation and gave strength to rip it off. Alpha immediately stopped him. ¡°Are you crazy? It¡¯s not something to use now!¡± ¡°If all three of us get caught here, he¡¯ll steal it anyway. I¡¯ll stop him, so take Beta and run away.¡± ¡°That man has no intention of killing us. Let¡¯s pretend to surrender for now. The Master somehow¡ª¡± ¡°Where are you pea-sized things going?¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Ko Byeong-gap approached and threw out his sword in the blink of an eye. Alpha and Omega barely reacted and dodged. When the sword hit the floor, it created a huge crater. The surrounding trees couldn¡¯t beat the shock wave and were pulled out to their roots. ¡®He¡¯s so quick.¡¯ He didn¡¯t intend to kill them, so he didn¡¯t do his best, but they didn¡¯t know how to escape. After all, he wasn¡¯t an ordinary person. He raised the sword he had struck and wielded it. Dozens of swords smashed all obstacles and stretched out toward the attackers. ¡®Why don¡¯t you try avoiding this?¡¯ ¡°Agh!¡± Alpha reached out both hands to create a Karma Barrier. The protective barrier, consisting of dozens ofyers of Karma, was stronger than most A-ss tankers. It failed to withstand three swords sent out by Ko Byeong-gap and copsed. ¡°Cough!¡± Alpha copsed and vomited blood. Omega quickly blocked in front of her and received the attack, and then a sword storm tore his body mercilessly. The cloak he wore was torn, revealing his body covered in blood. ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡± Alpha stammered, holding Omega without knowing what to do. She tried to carry and pull him out, but she couldn¡¯t do it with her body as limp as a mop. Suddenly, a light shed from a distance, and a sword flew in. It aimed at Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s head without any error. ¡®What is this?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap spewed out his aura without moving. Unable to ovee the strength of the sword released at him, he bounced off helplessly. At that moment, the origin of the attack grabbed their sword and swung it again. The great sword was packed with tremendous Karma. ¡®That¡¯s the guy from before. It could be dangerous if it hit me raw.¡¯ His aura ran through the sword and turned it into a giant weapon. Momentster, the two collide. As power and force collided, a shock wave spread around the contact point. ¡°Agh!¡± Beta had to sweat just by facing the sword. His jaw tightened as if his teeth were breaking, and then suddenly, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s hand approached. ¡®I can¡¯t avoid it!¡¯ At that moment, Beta was grabbed by his cor. Bang! ¡°Gasp!¡± Ko Byeong-gap beat his opponent without hesitation. It was such a strong blow that he left a crater on the ground again. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Beta sagged like a dead squid. Ko Byeong-gap grabbed him by the cor and threw him where the other assants gathered. To borrow Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s expression, Alpha, Beta, and Omega stretched out side by side. However, there was no time to celebrate the victory or to be proud of his overwhelming power. His expression was rather serious. ¡®I have to hand them over to the Hunters before the assimtion unravels.¡¯ If the soul and assimtion were released, the pain woulde. That would make it impossible to lift a finger, let alone hand the mover. ¡®There¡¯s still room.¡¯ There was plenty of time. Ko Byeong-gap approached the gangsters who were friendly with each other, and one of them had worn out his clothes from the attack he received. Their mask was also torn in half. ¡®I have to look out for their strongest when I hand them over.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap strode toward them, and then Alpha, who was still conscious, staggered and blocked him. He tried to lift his sword, but he didn¡¯t need to use a sword with her state. It was enough to get a few punches. ¡°Let us go!¡± The sharp voice of a girl. Ko Byeong-gap replied without emotion. ¡°Why would I?¡± ¡°In the future¡­ Something unimaginable is going to happen. If you hold us here, you can¡¯t stop it¡­ Maybe you can survive because you¡¯re strong, but most people you know will die!¡± ¡°What kind of dream are you talking about? Is that all you¡¯ve got? Your creativity is good, but its authenticity is terrible.¡± ¡°You¡­ You¡¯ll regret it if it stays like this. I can assure you!¡± ¡°Well, 4.5 billion won worth of regret seems pretty generous.¡± ¡°That piece of paper is not the problem!¡± ¡°What a piece of paper?¡± Ko Byeong-gap¡¯splexion turned red. Alpha shuddered at the unusual air current that rose from him. ¡°Because of such a piece of paper, people cane to life. I don¡¯t know what kind of crazy idea you got to destroy the power nts, but what I¡¯m doing now is worth more than what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°You¡­ know nothing!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re only here to drag on, your attempt is good, but I have to get that bounty and buy the kids beef. I¡¯m done fooling around.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Ko Byeong-gap reached out and grabbed Alpha¡¯s head. He released a short and intense wave of aura. Alpha soon lost her strength and copsed. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry.¡± After getting his sword, Ko Byeong-gap collected the fallen attackers. They were small, so he thought he could carry them on his shoulders. Of course, there was work to be done before that. After a short breath, he peeled off the masks that covered their faces. First was the girl. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ The mask didn¡¯te off easily like a leech or something that stuck to their skin. ¡®Is this an artifact? There are many things to spend money on.¡¯ However, when he applied force while tearing it off, the mask came off. Soon, the monster¡¯s face was fully revealed. She was an exotic-looking girl with pure white skin and blonde hair. ¡®W-What¡­?¡¯ When he saw the mysterious girl¡¯s face, Ko Byeong-gap felt like he was losing his mind because he knew this girl¡¯s face. ¡®Then what about the others?¡¯ He also took off the mask of the other two fugitives, like a man possessed by something. As expected, he knew their faces. If he remembered correctly, their names were Jane, Do Eun-ho, Kang Han-cheol, respectively. Aroundst summer, he met them when he went to work as a porter in an A-rank crack. It was just a one-day job, but their impressions were so intense that it was still vivid in his mind. Why? Why were they the ones that showed up? ¡®I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s them.¡¯ He thought theirbination was strange at that time, but he felt like his head went nk when they reunited like this. ¡®What are these guys doing?¡¯ Such a theoretical question arose. However, he shook his head and shook off his thoughts. Although he knew their faces, they weren¡¯t acquaintances. Their rtionship only happened once. So there was no reason for him to hesitate in handing those guys over. However, a chill ran down his back. Surely those kids would be with a woman they called ¡®Master¡¯? The moment he thought about it, he felt a huge presence behind his back. ¡®This!¡¯ He turned reflexively and sprayed his sword, and then something hit the sword and set off a fire. His eyes widened. An unbelievable sight unfolded before his eyes. It was a void. In the empty air, only arms and a sword stood. Soon, the space bent, and more parts were revealed. It was like¡­ the door to Ashvm, then a slim woman in a cape finally showed up. He couldn¡¯t see her face due to the hood she wore. Still, Ko Byeong-gap could tell who it was. ¡®It¡¯s her!¡¯ She nced at the children hanging behind Ko Byeong-gap and then swung her sword violently. He stepped back three or four steps and took a firm stance. ¡®That aura, it¡¯s dangerous.¡¯ His sixth sense roared wildly. Damn, what was he going to do if he lost momentum? He gritted his teeth and spouted his aura. Suddenly, the woman opened her palm and said, ¡°Stop it. There¡¯s no reason to fight you.¡± ¡°How many times have you emptied someone else¡¯s refrigerator, only to say there¡¯s no reason?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± ¡°Who the hell are you? Why are you doing this?¡± Kim Hana, the woman, approached the children without answering. She had a high-level potion in her hand. ¡°Why?!¡± Ko Byeong-gap immediately rushed in and stretched his sword, but when the sword, which had been moving well, reached a certain moment, it suddenly changed its orbit regardless of his intentions. Again, there was a hemispherical membrane surrounding where Kim Hana stood. There was a strange atmosphere in it, but it wasn¡¯t like a shield. It was¡­ ¡°It¡¯s useless. I isted the space. You can¡¯t reach here¡ª¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± ¡°Hm?!¡± Suddenly, a storm of aura raged in his sword. He swung his sword again, and the storm began to gnaw through the hemispherical membrane. ¡®The space I created is going to be broken?¡¯ Kim Hana looked shocked. She hurriedly fed the children the potions and moved them one by one to her own subspace. When the space was finally destroyed, the three children had already disappeared. It was the same for Ko Byeong-gap. He couldn¡¯t believe there was someone else who could do that besides himself. The woman quickly rose to her feet. ¡°Calm down!¡± ¡°If it were you¡­!¡± 4.5 billion won disappeared right in front of him. How could he calm down? Ko Byeong-gap could only wield his sword with a feeling of exhaustion. The hood worn by Kim Hana was also removed due to his fierce swordsmanship. As expected, it was the face in his memory. ¡°Pfft!¡± She jumped up to spread their distance. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t rush in because the assimtion in his body had begun to unravel. Just like him, she seemed to have a lot on her mind. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. I knew you were irregr, but you grew up so fast.¡± ¡°What? Irregr?¡± ¡°We call them people who can break the world¡¯s boundaries and grow beyond their limits. I need people like that. I should¡¯vee to you sooner, but it¡¯s my fault. One thing is for sure. I¡¯m not your enemy.¡± ¡°What kind of nonsense¡­ Hkkk!¡± Ko Byeong-gap kneeled and sank. A hologram appeared before his eyes. [The assimtion rate is low, so you can¡¯t hold Trovatin¡¯s soul.] [The assimtion will be revoked.] [Trovatin¡¯s soul has been destroyed.] It felt like the sky fell at a time like this, and it was a big deal. He couldn¡¯t deal with Kim Hana without the help of the soul, and if the aftereffects caused him to suffer, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to run away¡­ ¡®Wait, it¡¯s bearable, right?¡¯ It was different from before. Last time, he suffered so much pain that he lost consciousness, but his muscles were just sore and numb at that time. Of course, to battle was impossible in this condition. He could run away, though, so he took the opportunity to run away. At that time, Kim Hana¡¯s eyes turned to one side. She frowned heavily. Even Ko Byeong-gap could see what she felt. People, hunters, wereing there! ¡°Things always go the opposite of what you expect.¡± ¡°Don¡¯te near me!¡± Despite Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s threat, Kim Hana didn¡¯t bat an eye. He tried to avoid it quickly. However, he was already caught by Kim Hana at that time. ¡°I won¡¯t hurt you. Excuse me for a moment.¡± She suddenly looked behind Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s neck. His clothes were caught, and she examined his back carefully. ¡°You son of a bitch! What are you doing now¡­!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Let me give you a piece of advice. Do not engage with people who have a six-pointed star engraved on their neck and back, have a six-pointed pendant, or are affiliated with Illumination. They are the enemies of mankind.¡± ¡°What and how?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time.¡± Kim Hana grabbed Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s neck. She then spouted out Karma briefly. Suddenly, some information came into his head that he had never seen before. It was a coordinate. ¡°Come find me there. Let me exin the truth of the world. It¡¯s no use bringing other people along, so I want you toe alone. Alright, goodbye.¡± Kim Hana disappeared from sight in an instant. She didn¡¯t use stealth-like skills. She literally disappeared. ¡°That way!¡± ¡°Hurry up!¡± He heard the hunters in the background. It¡¯s pretty close. ¡®Damn it! I have to avoid them.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap moved to Ashvm. It was no good to be seen by them unless he caught the fugitives. He was sure they would only suspect him. As he intended, the hunters found nothing on the mountain that day. Chapter 84 84. Secret Talks ¡°Lord, you coughed. How are you feeling?¡± Dorma, who met him by chance along the road, asked in a worried tone. Ko Byeong-gap answered after lighting a cigarette in his mouth. ¡°Oh, I took a nap, and I feel alive again.¡± ¡°Everyone was worried. Did you enter a crack again without us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that. It¡¯s a littleplicated to exin.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Ko Byeong-gap changed the topic. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m on my way to the castle wall.¡± ¡°Are you on duty today?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just going. On days when there is no subjugation, I have nothing else to do.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you take a break? You worked hard yesterday.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve had enough rest during the night.¡± Ko Byeong-gap smacked his lips. ¡°Okay. Yeah, go to work.¡± ¡°What are you going to do now, Lord?¡± ¡°I have to go home. Oh¡­ I parked my car on the shoulder of the road. They didn¡¯t tow it, did they? That would be a headache.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Just talking to myself.¡± ¡°Please take good care of yourself.¡± ¡°Yes, work hard.¡± Dorma bowed his head and left. Ko Byeong-gap sat on a suitable bench and stretched his knees. He couldn¡¯t sleep until dawn due to muscle pain and neuralgia. He then fell asleep without realizing it and felt surprisingly refreshed when he woke up. ¡°Good evening, Lord.¡± ¡°Lord, hi.¡± ¡°How are you feeling?¡± While he sat on the bench, the Goblins that passed by greeted him. Ko Byeong-gap responded roughly by nodding his head or waving his hands. He wasn¡¯t ignoring the sincerity of the Goblins, but at that time, he was saddled with other things. It was a waste to have spent 700,000 crystals in anger, and he was just as angry that his 4.5 billion won disappeared right in front of his eyes. And most of all¡­ ¡®What the hell are they?¡¯ The fugitives he faced yesterday bothered him. The faces he knew and the stories they told. What about Kim Hana¡¯s extraordinary ability? He didn¡¯t know that there would be more people with abilities like his. ¡®Is she a Lord too? Is there anything else besides a Goblin Lord?¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if there were a few more Lords since many races lived on this continent in the distant past. His head reasoned out, but his chest wasn¡¯t as sympathetic. So he went to Ea and asked. She answered without a trace of concern. ¡°Well, at least before I met you, I¡¯ve never seen anything other than the Gruggles and the Spirits on this continent. Didn¡¯t I tell youst time?¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Why would I lie to you? Well¡­ but I¡¯m not 100% sure because I didn¡¯t go all over the continent. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Never mind, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Ea folded her arms and made a stern expression on her face. ¡°Ah¡­ You made me curious over nothing. You¡¯re a little mean this time.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Work hard.¡± ¡°Ah! Yes. You, too.¡± ¡®Should I go there, too?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap made an impression, reflecting on the coordinates that came into his head. Kim Hana injected it on her own, and he was wondering whether to leave it aside or not. ¨C Let me exin the truth of the world. ¡°What is the truth of the world? There¡¯s no such thing as that.¡± He was estranged from superstitions and conspiracy theories from any angle, even though he was a Goblin Lord. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a trap.¡± It didn¡¯t seem like a ruse to harm him. If that were the intention, she wouldn¡¯t have done this to bother him. Above all, she said she needed people like him. ¡°Should I just call the association or the police?¡± In fact, that might be the wisest judgment. Handing over the coordinates that Kim Hana gave to the authorities would help the investigation. Suddenly, he remembered that Kim Hana said it would be no use to bring other people. She wouldn¡¯t have told him her personal information without any countermeasures. Also, quite possibly, they might question him on how he knew the fugitives and if he was affiliated with them. Ko Byeong-gap suffered for a long time, but he couldn¡¯te up with a clear answer. ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s go home and eat first.¡± He cautiously walked through the door. The ce that appeared was in the mountains, where traces of the battlest night remained intact. He hurried to take cover and looked around. Fortunately, there didn¡¯t seem to be anyone. Sweeping his chest, he crept down the mountain. ¡®I went too deep.¡¯ After walking for less than an hour, he came to a barbed-wire fence and road along the boulevard. There was also the power nt in the distance. ¡®It¡¯s a mess.¡¯ At first nce, it didn¡¯t look normal. The dome-shaped concrete structures copsed, and the walls surrounding theplex were also broken in half. Once again, the assants achieved their desired goal. Ko Byeong-gap clicked his tongue as he went to the spot where he parked the car yesterday. Fortunately, the car was parked intact. He got in the car quickly and left. After arriving home, he washed and headed to a nearby restaurant. Sure enough, the breaking news on the TV spoke of the attack on Yeongwol Power nt. He kept a close eye on any mention of himself. Unfortunately or fortunately, he didn¡¯t hear anything rted to him. He looked away and took out his cell phone. He entered the map app and entered the coordinates that Kim Hana told him. Unexpectedly, it was Mt. Jirisan. It was also in a part with rough terrain that wasn¡¯t even connected to a hiking trail. ¡®It¡¯s amazing.¡¯ Did they have a secret hideout in the middle of Jirisan Mountain? They were terrorists, so they wouldn¡¯t set up an office in the city center. ¡°Here¡¯s the extrarge sundae gukbap you ordered.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you. Put it here, please.¡± It seemed like it would take some time for him to organize his thoughts. Ko Byeong-gap vowed to focus on finishing the meal in front of him. *** Norway, a country with magnificent natural scenery. Every year, tourists from all parts of the world flock to see its mountains and seas, but the existence of a remote ind about 200 kilometers from the maind was unknown to tourists, even to residents of the country. The ind, which had no proper name and was identified with abination of letters and numbers, was just an ordinary deserted ind on the surface. However, under the towering mountain peak, there were enormous facilities that ordinary people couldn¡¯t even imagine. The most secret ce in the underground. Humans in veils gathered in a dark hexagonal conference room, and in total, there were 17 people. They differed from each other by race and nationality. However, they had one thing inmon: they were all Awakeners with tremendous power. ¡°Archbishop, something interesting is happening in your country.¡± Ariena, a South American beauty sitting with her legs crossed in a bewitching manner, said jokingly. Ko Geon-ryong, a man who upied one of the corners of the hexagonal table, only smiled. ¡°The Desired Fox is alive and not dead.¡± ¡°Are you going to leave her alone?¡± ¡°Well.¡± Ko Geon-ryong continued, tapping on the table with his fingers. ¡°It¡¯s going to be fun watching her work her teeth out. It¡¯s kind of like a joke.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the attitude to take before a big event.¡± The man sitting directly opposite Ko Geon-ryong walked in a serious tone. ¡°It would be right to deal with her quickly; what do you think of it, Archbishop?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about, Billian. How cloudy would it be if a single loach clouded the ocean?¡± ¡°If the Archbishop doesn¡¯t want to step up, I¡¯ll act personally.¡± ¡°Hahaha, there¡¯s no need for that. Let it go.¡± When Ko Geon-ryong shuddered, Billian looked displeased, but he no longer opened his mouth. Ariena spoke as she rolled her knotted brown hair with her fingers. ¡°By the way, what is that olddy? You killed her twice. How is she alive? I thought she was really dead this time because she hadn¡¯t been around for a while. Does she possess some kind of magic?¡± ¡°She¡¯s one of thest people like us, so she must be something special.¡± A silent Indian man, Arush, answered with a distinctive English ent. Ariena stared at Arush then turned her head toward Ko Geon-ryong. ¡°Archbishop, you¡¯re in the same country as that olddy, right? Are all Koreans so weird?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s enough chit-chat. Let¡¯s talk about work.¡± ¡°Tsk, there¡¯s nothing to talk about.¡± Ariena pouted her lips at Ko Geon-ryong¡¯s dismissive attitude, then Arush asked abruptly. ¡°Archbishop, Africa seems to have been cleared up. Shouldn¡¯t we have to nominate the next ce?¡± ¡°I was going to talk about it. Let¡¯s go to Argentina to build the next pir.¡± ¡°What?! Argentina? Why?¡± Ariena freaked out and asked back. She was born in Argentina, and Ko Geon-ryong questioned with a slight frown. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t really have a problem, but we can do it somewhere else. There¡¯s Brazil and Chile, but Argentina¡­¡± Ko Geon-ryongughed bitterly at Ariena¡¯s restless response. ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, do you have any lingering attachment to your mothend?¡± ¡°No, no. It¡¯s not like that..¡± Ariena mumbled at the end of her sentence and suddenly changed her attitude. ¡°Yeah! I have regrets. What can I do? It doesn¡¯t matter if we go after humans, but seeing my homnd being trampled on seems like an unstable dream.¡± ¡°They are all destined to have the same fate. By the decision of the Archbishop.¡± ¡°Darn it! If you like it so much, you can vote for your country.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you been attending the conference for four years? India and China can¡¯t have the pirs because they have to be used as sacrifices. Don¡¯t you remember that?¡± ¡°Shut up. Please don¡¯t talk to me. I feel like my ears are rotting.¡± Arush growled at Ariena¡¯s abusivenguage. ¡°What? Are you done talking?¡± ¡°Who knows what I could do if you mess with me like this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t provoke my temper. I could tear you apart here.¡± ¡°Ha! Now I¡¯m getting rid of all sorts of crap. I didn¡¯t like you from the beginning. Why should I go on the ark with a guy like you?¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll cut your legs off, so you can¡¯t get on the ark, or do you want me to cut off your neck instead? Just say it, and I¡¯ll do what you want.¡± Arush and Ariena spat out energy as if they were going to kill each other right away. The people sitting in the conference room only clicked their tongues or let out a sigh. At that time, a huge energy lightly overwhelmed their energies and surrounded the conference hall. Arush and Ariena swallowed their breath. ¡°That¡¯s about it for the both of you.¡± As Ko Geon-ryong sent a warning, Arush and Ariena immediately lost momentum. ¡°Tsk! I¡¯m only holding back because of the Archbishop!¡± ¡°Move as far as you can and stay out of my sight. My patience is not that good.¡± On the one hand, Billian muttered, ¡°What a bunch of trashy people. Every time they meet, they fight.¡± He thought as if recalling shbacks. ¡°Now that you mentioned the ark, where are we going with it? After all, Irnd¨C¡± ¡°The ark should be made in Korea.¡± ¡°Korea? You mean the shop¡¯s country?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When Korea was mentioned, Ariena began to retort, filled with fuel. ¡°What! You pointed out my regrets over my country, but you want your country for the ark? This isn¡¯t fair! Oh, I see. Are you letting the olddy run wild so that we don¡¯t have to build a pir in the Archbishop¡¯s country?¡± ¡°Ariena, calm down. It¡¯s not like that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Archbishop, I agree with you a little bit, but I don¡¯t think this is right. Korea has too many people to be used as an ark. It¡¯s also unnecessarily wide. Aren¡¯t you the one who said that if we want to use the ark, we have to clean up thend?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said it.¡± Except for Ko Geon-ryong, everyone else tilted their heads. He smiled softly at him, and it was a very evil smile. ¡°When the third pir is raised, the first revtion wille. At least until the second revtion, the Korean Penins will be cleaned up. With my own hands.¡± Chapter 85 85. Lord is going to a Dungeon It had already been a week since March passed and April arrived. Ko Byeong-gap thought that time was passing too quickly. It seemed like yesterday he announced they would cross the fog in 2026, but more than three months had already passed. It was no exaggeration to say that he lived twice as hard as others. During the day, he made money by going around cracks, and in the evening, he went to Ashvm to take care of it. Maybe that was why he felt as if time flew so fast. He never felt particrly tired. He gained the strength he didn¡¯t have when he saw his bank ount bnce and Ashvm¡¯s development day by day. His tasks weren¡¯t demanding. His days were, in a nutshell, empty days. Other hunters upied the A and B-rank cracks most of the time, so he had no choice but to subjugate C-rank ones. ¡®I can¡¯t even warm up in a C-rank anymore.¡¯ Adding a little bit of exaggeration, it felt nothing different from jogging since even a monster that ripped and killed dozens of civilians was like a puppy in front of Ko Byeong-gap. ¡®But it doesn¡¯t have to be an empty day,¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap thought as he went around Valtadren, ¡®There are things to do.¡¯ Just then, an unidentified object glided over Valtadren. The Goblins looked up at the sight. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Oh, Lord, when did you get here?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a Harpy?¡± Ko Byeong-gap looked up at the sky with a frown. A human-like creature with bird wings on its arms went up and down, flying acrobatically. There was nothing more to see. It was the baby Harpy that he took in about two months ago. Ko Byeong-gap said with a feeling of exasperation, ¡°What are you staring at? Go grab it!¡± ¡°Lord, how do we catch that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The Goblins asked back with a troubled look. What skills did the Goblins have to be able to catch a flying bird? It wasn¡¯t as if they could use guns or bows on it. ¡°Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!¡± The baby Harpy flew in the sky and howled sadly. ¡®How did you grow that much in one day?¡¯ The Harpy was about the size of a child around the age of seven. It was weird since it wasn¡¯t that big when he checked it the day before, but its wings were less open. He had known for a long time that its growth rate was unusual. However, he still couldn¡¯t believe that it achieved such rapid growth in only a single day, which didn¡¯t make sense. ¡°Who gave him a growth potion?¡± ¡°We¡­ We don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°How long had he been like that?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ It¡¯s been a while. I don¡¯t know the time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going crazy.¡± Ko Byeong-gap briefly exhaled through his nostrils and said, ¡°Did he attack any of you?¡± If they answered yes, he intended to kill it immediately. Fortunately, the little boys shook their heads. ¡°He didn¡¯t attack. He just kept crying.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Everyone, have a meal!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s eat!¡± Just then, a voice was heard from behind, announcing dinner time. Ko Byeong-gap also pped his hands and added a word. ¡°Stop looking up at the sky and go eat first!¡± ¡°Are we going to leave it alone?¡± ¡°So what if we do? Don¡¯t worry about it. Go ahead and eat.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat, Lord?¡± ¡°I already ate, dude.¡± The Goblins left one by one. Ko Byeong-gap continued to watch Harpy, and the guy flew around a fairly wide radius, but he never went outside the walls. ¡®Does he think this is a nest?¡¯ ¡°My God,e down! Come down!¡± Suddenly, he screamed, and then, the Harpy paused and looked down at Ko Byeong-gap. He waved his hand and stirred, trying to somehowmunicate his intentions. ¡°Yes! Come down! Come here!¡± ¡°Geeeeek!¡± ¡°After all, a new head is a new head¡­ Hmm?¡± Just as he thought that it wouldn¡¯t be able tomunicate, the Harpy gradually lowered his altitude, but the direction he was headed wasn¡¯t his way. ¡°Hey, where are you going? Ah!¡± The Harpy flew quickly to the side where the restaurant was. Currently, there were many Goblins in the restaurant. ¡®No matter how young you are, you¡¯re a B-ss monster. Even if you¡¯re a dwarf!¡¯ He immediately chased it in a cold mood. When he arrived at the restaurant, there was already amotion inside. Ko Byeong-gap even pulled out his sword and hurried into the restaurant. ¡°Is everyone¡­¡± Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Ko Byeong-gap felt his pulse loosen. There wasn¡¯t an avnche of blood. Still, it was up to something, and the Harpy took over an entire table, picked up food, and ate¡­ The situation overturned. The disturbance quickly went away. The Harpy acted like a gentle sheep in front of food. He put a few pieces of meat in his mouth and didn¡¯t cry anymore. He summoned the Goblin that took care of the Harpy and heard the whole story, which was amazing. The Harpy was said to look the same as yesterday until this morning. Suddenly, he cried his neck out and started mutating, and it became the same as it was now. In just three or four hours, he surpassed a few years of hurdles. For information, not a single drop of growth potion was given to it. Bite! Bite! Gulp! Gulp! The Harpy, who ate a chunk of meat like a crab, looked at him with pitiful eyes. ¡°Keeek¡­¡± ¡°Oh my God.¡± Ko Byeong-gap threw it another piece of meat. The Harpy stretched out his neck, snatched it from the air, and chewed it up, and then rested his chin and stared at the Harpy. The human newborn it used to be was nowhere to be found. ¡®You look just like your mother.¡¯ It hadpletely turned into a monster. It started as a human being and went through a period of looking like a human-monster hybrid. At that time, it had be a perfect monster. How was he supposed to deal with this? Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s mind becameplicated. ¡°Keeek¡­¡± ¡°Yes, eat it all up.¡± Whether it knew hisplicated mind or not, the Harpy appealed for more food. When Ko Byeong-gap held out the entire basket of meat, the Harpy put his nose in it and ate it. Even when he drank powdered milk, he emptied several bottles a day. Anyway, it wasn¡¯t usually edible. ¡°Lord, what is this bizarre creature?¡± Marilyn, who stood behind Ko Byeong-gap, asked with a face that indicated her bewilderment. Come to think of it, she must be seeing the Harpy for the first time. She spent all her days in the back, sitting cross-legged and meditating. Her body had been a mess since she had been in hibernation for a long time. What was she doing? She was regaining her former strength, so they left her alone. Ko Byeong-gap shrugged and answered casually. ¡°This is a monster.¡± ¡°Mon¡­ster? Oh, the creatures you mentioned before, living in the ces called cracks?¡± ¡°Right, it¡¯s what you guys eat. Didn¡¯t you see them being brought in?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one alive before¡­¡± ¡°Hik!¡± At that time, they heard hupsing from an unexpected ce. It was the Harpy who had been eating meat constantly. The boy widened his eyes in surprise and pulled his body back. The basket that contained the meat was held like a treasure jar. ¡°You. Eat me¡­ Will?¡± The Harpy said. Every Goblin who watched him eat, including Ko Byeong-gap, was surprised. ¡°What? Do you know how to talk?¡± Its mother could speak, so it shouldn¡¯t be strange for the baby to speak. The only problem was that no one ever taught it. The Harpy rolled his eyes as if he were nervous, and it would fly away. Ko Byeong-gap quickly spoke in a soothing tone. ¡°Hey, I won¡¯t. I won¡¯t eat you.¡± ¡°¡­ Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t have anything to eat on you anyway.¡± ¡°Aha!¡± The Harpy finally felt relieved when he shook his hand as if to finish what he had been eating. ¡°That¡¯s bizarre. It¡¯s not a man or an animal.¡± ¡°Is it that bad? Marilyn, you didn¡¯t have these back in your day?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Marilyn frowned. It was as if to say: ¡®Why are you asking me that?¡¯ ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t. I¡¯ve never even heard of such a monster.¡± He thought it was unexpected. In fact, he guessed that the origin of the monster was this world. The indigenous people of this world spread to the cracks for some reason¡­ His rationale was sufficient. Didn¡¯t they speak thisnguage alone? But it was ironic that Marilyn was unfamiliar with monsters. ¡°The more I look at it, the stranger it is.¡± ¡°Right? Do you want me to teach you something more ridiculous? When it was a total baby, it was human.¡± ¡°A human being?¡± ¡°Yeah, but as he grew up, he changed like that.¡± ¡°Well, you mean that¡¯s a human being?¡± ¡°What? What are you talking about? How can that be human¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap, who had been responding reflexively, hesitated. He nced at the Harpy, who was busy eating meat with his beak stuck in the basket. He looked back this time. There was also Kiriyan, an Albino Goblin, and Turka, a Giant Goblin. Suddenly, he remembered what he heard from Dorma in the past. ¨C After the Ashvm copsed, the Goblins were scattered, and as a result of adapting to different environments, mutations such as ¡°Albino,¡± ¡°Giant,¡± and ¡°Beast¡± appeared. ¡°A sudden¡­ mutation¡­?¡± What if Harpy in front of him was originally human? What if he was human and mutated and became what it was at that time? When he thought of it like that, a feeling of dread and displeasure enveloped his whole body. ¡°Lord? Lord!¡± ¡°Huh? Huh?¡± ¡°Are you okay? You don¡¯t look well.¡± It was Doran¡¯s voice that woke up Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°¡­ Nothing. I just had something to think about.¡± ¡°Lord, by the way, what do you n to do with that child?¡± Dorma asked in a concerned voice. Ko Byeong-gap took a few seconds and suddenly stretched his arm. The Harpy, sitting opposite to him, flinched reflexively, but it didn¡¯t avoid himpletely, and it gave up the crown of its head. Ko Byeong-gap said as he gently stroked the Harpy¡¯s head. ¡°Well, don¡¯t you think you can tame them if you give them enough food?¡± ¡°As expected, you were going to raise him. But I wonder if it¡¯s a good use¡­¡± ¡°Well, do you have anywhere you want to write to?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ko Byeong-gap stroked the Harpy¡¯s head and smiled pleasantly. ¡°This is the best carrier pigeon among other carrier pigeons.¡± *** Whoosh! Whoosh! ¡°What?¡± Sunday. He was resting at home for the first time in a while when he got a call. He wasn¡¯t proud of it, but Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s cell phone didn¡¯t get many calls. At best, maybe it was his mother¡¯s hospital? He used to get a lot of debt reminder calls¡­ Ko Byeong-gap was lying on the sofa and picked up his cell phone by moving only his hands. He checked the caller and¡­ What the hell? ¨C Jeong Seon-kyung. ¡°What¡¯s up with unnie?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung. She was the woman whom he came to know in the North Korean expedition. After the expedition, he met with his teammates and ate a few times with them. However, they were surprisingly out of touch after a month or so, which was usually the way it was. Ko Byeong-gap answered the phone with slight displeasure. ¡°Hello.¡± ¨C Hey! Howe I haven¡¯t heard from you? Shouting the first thing in the morning. Ko Byeong-gap dropped his cell phone a little and brought it back a littleter. ¡°I don¡¯t usually keep in touch. I¡¯ve been very busytely.¡± ¨C Phew, but seeing you answer the phone, it looks like you¡¯re alive. What have you been up totely? ¡°What do I do? I¡¯m busy making money. So what brings you here? All these calls¡­.¡± ¨C Nothing else; what are you doing today? Do you have any other ns? What was this? Was this a date request? He thought so, and if a woman like Jeong Seon-kyung asked for a date, there was no reason to refuse. Ko Byeong-gap answered after clearing his voice for no reason. ¡°No, I¡¯m just taking a break today. I¡¯m still sitting around at home.¡± ¨C Hey! Really? Good for you! Her cheerful voice rang over the phone. The moment Ko Byeong-gap was about to express his heart, Jeong Seon-kyung continued. ¨C Hey, Byeong-gap! I want you to go to a dungeon with me! I¡¯ll give you plenty of pocket money! Chapter 86 86. Lord is going to a Dungeon ¡°Oh! You came. Did you eat?¡± ¡°Hey, I came right out as soon as I got the call. What are you eating? You said you had to go fast.¡± When Ko Byeong-gap spoke with a dry look, Jeong Seon-kyung giggled andughed. ¡°After work, I¡¯ll buy you a meal. Hurry up and get in.¡± He climbed into Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s luxury SUV, and she moved the car without dy. ¡°Where did you say it was?¡± ¡°Pyeongtaek.¡± ¡°It will take two hours.¡± ¡°We have to be there in an hour.¡± Ko Byeong-gap furrowed one eyebrow and looked at the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°How do I get from Seoul to Pyeongtaek in 1 hour? It¡¯s the weekend, so there¡¯ll be traffic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we have to step on it.¡± ¡°If you were in such a hurry, you might as well have taken the train.¡± ¡°Why take the train when you have a car?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung pressed the elerator pedal hard, and the speedometer¡¯s needle tilted steeply. She overtook them like a rascal as if she wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to run in front of her. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, unnie?! If we get into an ident¡­!¡± ¡°Come on. We¡¯re not going to die in an ident.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s you. Of course, you won¡¯t die¡­¡± He said so, but the chances of an ident were slim. The Awakeners transcended humans in many ways that included driving skills. Jeong Seon-kyung would be able to avoid a 25.5-ton dump truck from the oppositene. The road opened up as they entered the highway. Fortunately, there was no more need for acrobatic driving. ¡°By the way, I couldn¡¯t ask you earlier because I was in a hurry, but what kind of dungeon are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not subjugating with them, I¡¯m just the supervisor. There¡¯s not much to it.¡± ¡°Tell me the details. I should know what¡¯s going on. It¡¯s not a crack, it¡¯s a dungeon.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung looked through the cab next to her, fixing her gaze on the front. Soon after she found her pack of cigarettes, she put a cigarette in her mouth. ¡°We have new hunters in the guild. ss A and B kids. That¡¯s why we¡¯re going around the dungeon to test their skills. It¡¯s kind of like a hazing.¡± She continued after she spat out smoke. ¡°Usually, if it was a crack, they only need one senior hunter, but dungeons are a bit tricky. Two S-ss people should apany as supervisors in case of an emergency.¡± ¡°In case of emergency?¡± ¡°Yeah. Anyway, I wonder if anything great will happen in the B-rank dungeon¡­ Anyway, there was a kid I was supposed to go with but suddenly left today, so I got a substitute.¡± ¡°That substitute is me.¡± ¡°Yeah, actually, the other kid was going to be a substitute, but I refused.¡± ¡°You refused? Why?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a jerk. I can¡¯t deal with him.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Hmm. Ko Byeong-gap looked out the window, breathing out a short breath. The forest of buildings disappeared without a trace, and only mountains were lined up. ¡°But can I be a supervisor? I am a D-ss.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ Don¡¯t I know you? I saw you killing the Balrog right in front of me. Why are you so humble?¡± ¡°¡­ No, apart from that, my actual grade is D. Isn¡¯t there some sort of paperwork needed?¡± ¡°That¡¯s no problem. The document will include the name of the kid who was supposed to go.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t illegal, is it?¡± ¡°Come on, what¡¯s illegal? Even if it¡¯s illegal, it¡¯s okay because I¡¯m close to the guild leader. I¡¯ve been in Undermoon for years.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung showed a sad expression on her face, and she continued to speak. ¡°Even if I were paid twice my annual sry at Illumination, I wouldn¡¯t go, so you shouldn¡¯t be rude with something like this. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you go? They¡¯d pay you twice.¡± After a brief thought, she answered indifferently. ¡°I have enough money already. It¡¯s annoying to adjust to a new ce.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Kim Hana naturally came to mind when Illumination was mentioned. To be exact, he remembered something meaningful she said. He told her not to get involved with Illumination Hunters¡­ ¡°Oh, unnie, I have a question.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Do you know a hunter named Kim Hana? She¡¯s an S-ss hunter.¡± ¡°Who? Kim Hana?¡± She thought of the name Kim Hana a few times. Soon, she tilted her head and asked again. ¡°Who is it? It¡¯s not a familiar name.¡± ¡°Really? You don¡¯t have to know.¡± ¡°Oh, what is it? Kim Hana is a girl¡¯s name. What kind of woman is she?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung inquired persistently. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t bear to say, ¡°She¡¯s the main culprit behind the attack on the power nts.¡± So he said, ¡°I met her a long time ago, and she introduced herself as Kim Hana. However, no matter how hard I look, I can¡¯t find any information on her.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ are you sure she¡¯s S-ss?¡± ¡°That¡¯s for sure.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no information. So that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it¡­?¡± ¡°Sometimes there are people like that. People who live quietly after they retire without notice. I have a few acquaintances. He erased all his personal information, even changed his name, and went abroad and lived quietly.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± ¡°You know, a hunter¡¯s work is very tiresome. If it doesn¡¯t suit you, it¡¯s hard to do for a long time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Being a hunter was hard work; they were like modern-day butchers. It wasn¡¯t as easy as one might think to make killing a business. ¡°How long have you been doing this?¡± ¡°Me? About nine years.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ You¡¯re on your 10th next year. Aren¡¯t you retiring?¡± He asked in admiration. Jeong Seon-kyung bit her cigarette and answered with a slurred pronunciation. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really want to give up right now. I¡¯m not getting old, so I¡¯ll probably do it until my sixtieth birthday. What¡¯s the point of not ying?¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re cut out for it.¡± ¡°I mean¡­ Hehe. Well, these days, I¡¯ve been getting sore after just one or two days off. It¡¯s an upational disease. Phew, I can¡¯t marry either. Who¡¯s going to take a bitch like me?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung said so and looked side by side. Ko Byeong-gap only looked ahead. ¡°Sigh.¡± She smiled and focused on driving. As she said, they arrived at my destination about an hourter. It wasn¡¯t downtown Pyeongtaek where the dungeon urred. They found a rest stop when they went down the highway. The crack was in the mountain behind it. There were already eight hunters on standby. There are five A-ss and three B-ss, which was a perfect power to beat a B-rank dungeon. ¡°Hello, senior!¡± ¡°Good afternoon. I¡¯m Kim Ha-sun, the newbie!¡± ¡°I¡¯m Oh Yeon-woo! It¡¯s an honor to meet you!¡± They saw Jeong Seon-kyung and greeted her politely. It was obvious that they were nervous since she waved her handszily. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m not a senior. Don¡¯t do that to me. I¡¯m a littlete, right? I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No!¡± They were like soldiers interacting with their chief. On the other hand, they only tilted their heads at Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Who is he?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never seen him before. Do you know him?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Hunter Jeong Seon-kyung and Hunter Joo Ae-kyung were supposed to be the onesing, right?¡± ¡°More than that, is he S-ss?¡± The hunters buzzed. Jeong Seon-kyung put her arm around Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°This is a friend who will help instead of Ae-kyung. I¡¯m sure of his skills, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Yes.¡± Hunters couldn¡¯t argue anymore because Jeong Seon-kyung guaranteed it. Ko Byeong-gap thought he should introduce himself, but Jeong Seon-kyung led the staff without any time to do so. ¡°Let¡¯s start right away. Are you all ready?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Where¡¯s our luggage? Oh, this is it.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung wrapped a backpack on one side. It wasn¡¯t a magic stone backpack but a bag of food and potions. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± In total, ten people moved to the crack. Ko Byeong-gap and Jeong Seon-kyung walked behind the group, and she whispered. ¡°Ko Byeong-gap, it¡¯s funny to ask now, have you ever been in a dungeon?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been to one.¡± ¡°I knew it! I knew it.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung smiled brightly and bounced her finger. This time, Ko Byeong-gap asked a question. ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take? By dungeon time.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be over in five or six hours at thetest.¡± Five or six hours. He checked his watch at around 2:38 pm. Even after defeating the dungeon, it would be less than three o¡¯clock. Six hours inside the dungeon was only fifteen minutes outside. ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to do. They¡¯ll take on all the monsters anyway, and I¡¯ll take care of them if anything goes wrong. You just have to keep mepany.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, by the way, how¡¯s the pay?¡± ¡°1,500 in cash, or dinner alone with me. Pick one of the two.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung said jokingly. ¡°Since you said you¡¯d buy me food anyway, I¡¯d be happy to have 1,500.¡± ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re such a tough guy too.¡± While chatting, they reached the front of the crack. Unlike other cracks, it was as ck as a ck hole. Dungeons were different from the usual back worlds. There had to be more than 1,000 monsters wriggling in there. The new hunters were as stiff as soldiers before a war. Jeong Seon-kyung took the lead. ¡°Me and this guy will go in first. Come in after about 15 seconds.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Byeong-gap.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ko Byeong-gap and Jeong Seon-kyung. The two immersed themselves in the ck crack without hesitation. As if being sucked into a swamp, the unique difort of the dungeon came over. At that time, he wasn¡¯t as scared as he was before. *** ¡°Oh, my God!¡± ¡°You¡¯re fucking right from the beginning.¡± As soon as they entered the dungeon, a monster fell from the ceiling. It was a giant bat-shaped monster, not a familiar one. Jeong Seon-kyung didn¡¯t even pull out her sword. She just radiated a sharply drawn Karma around herself. The bat monster died torn to pieces. It didn¡¯t seem to be a powerful monster. Was it E or F-ss at most? That was the difference between a crack and a dungeon. Behind the scenes, the back world imitated reality. On the other hand, dungeons were a whole new world. Ko Byeong-gap calmly swept the surrounding area. It was inside a cool, damp cave, and then, a straight passage stretched downward. He could feel a huge mass of presence deep down there. Hundreds and thousands of monsters were moving around. ¡°They won¡¯t be here in five minutes, so let¡¯s burn a cigarette.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Both of them bit cigarettes in their mouths. Ko Byeong-gap lit the fire and suddenly looked back. It was in the opposite direction of the dungeon. There was a reddish glow at the end of the climb. ¡®It¡¯s like a cave exit.¡¯ ¡°Huh? Hey, where are you going?¡± ¡°Just for a second.¡± He headed up the hill toward the exit. Before long, he reached the end of the cave, and there was an outside view beyond the big exit. One step out of the cave was a cliff, so he would be seriously hurt if he missed a step. Well, it was impossible to get out anyway. There was a transparent membrane hanging over the exit, like a barrier. So it was possible to see through, but he couldn¡¯t go beyond. Ko Byeong-gap looked outside for a long time. There was arge forest with thick trees, arge river stream across it, and high mountains in the distance. The sun was slowly setting there. The sun was hanging at the end of the mountain range, and the sun shone red. It was a pretty nice view, but Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t think ¡®cool¡¯ or ¡®beautiful.¡¯ Around this time, he felt a different feeling. ¡®What? Why is it familiar?¡¯ He was used to it, and he felt like he had seen it one day, especially that sunset¡­ ¡°Yay¡­ The view is awesome. I don¡¯t know anything else, but it¡¯s good to see things like this in hunting jobs. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung, who came to him when he didn¡¯t know, asked in an old-fashioned way. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t answer since he was distracted. He took out his cell phone as if he were possessed and went into the photo album. He tapped one of the few recent photos on the screen. He took this picture because the scenery was good, while he was scouting around Valtadren with Doran. He raised his cell phone at eye level andpared the picture with the view. Either way, Jeong Seon-kyung was busy admiring the scenery. ¡°But aren¡¯t you really curious? Where the hell is this ce? Every time I enter a dungeon, I¡¯m amazed.¡± ¡°Ashvm¡­¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± Ko Byeong-gap muttered in a drained voice. This was¡­ Ashvm. Chapter 87 87. Lord is going to a dungeon ¡°What? As¡­ What?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s jaw dropped. It was the same ce as the picture, but it wasn¡¯t perfectly the same. The picture showed a deste wastnd, but the view in front of them was quite fertile. ¡°What? What are you looking at?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung approached as she looked at him with suspicion, causing him to hurriedly hide his cell phone. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Nothing.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m an idiot? You did something just now.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± ¡°I¡¯m about to get a little upset.¡± ¡°Come on, what are you upset about? I just took a picture because the view was nice. Oh, the others are here.¡± Ko Byeong-gap roughly rubbed off the cigarette that hadn¡¯t been burned in half and turned away while he held Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s arm. She looked somewhat ufortable. ¡°Hey, did you take a picture of me?¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°Puh-ha! I guess it¡¯s true because you¡¯re flustered.¡± She made a wild guess and pped her hands while sheughed. ¡°Now that I see you, you¡¯ve got a sneaky side to you. You have a hidden camera. Hey, do you know how much my portrait rights are?¡± ¡°What are you saying, unnie?!¡± ¡°Hey, hey, did ite out well? Let me see.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung clung to him, as he desperately defended his pocket. ¡°Won¡¯t you let me look? I¡¯m not going to tell you to erase it, so please show me. Just looking at it?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?!¡± ¡°Oh, wow. Look at yourself, you poor bastard.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung gave up more easily than expected. She then smirked and whispered to him with strange eyes. ¡°Instead, no dissemination is allowed. You¡¯re the only one who can see¡­. Let me know if you need anything else.¡± ¡®She¡¯s crazy.¡¯ It seemed to have caused a serious misunderstanding, but it passed for the meantime. The hunters just looked at the two with a puzzled look on their faces. ¡°He must be close to Hunter Jeong Seon-kyung.¡± ¡°I envy him¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask his nameter.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see. One, two, three, four¡­ All eight of us are here. I didn¡¯t see the list because I was in a hurry. Is there anyone who has experience in dungeons?¡± ¡°Oh! I have one.¡± A burly young man in his twenties raised his hand and answered. His name was Oh Yeon-woo, and he was the tanker in the attack squad. Jeong Seon-kyung gathered the rest of the group with a stern look. ¡°Just one personally? Raise your hand if you¡¯ve been a hunter for more than two years.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Over a year.¡± ¡°Well, me!¡± Only the healer and supporter Kim Hye-in raised her hand. ¡°Are those who didn¡¯t raise their hands less than a year? How long have you been hunting?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been about four months.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been a little over seven months.¡± After that, they answered in Five months, eight months, and nearly a year. The person with the least experience was Jeon Tae-yeol, who said he hadpleted 100 days that day. Jeong Seon-kyung sighed and muttered, ¡°Ha¡­ We¡¯re going to sweep everything out of Illumination, so I guess we¡¯ll see how you do.¡± The hunters heard her words to herself, which stiffened their backs regardless of their intentions. ¡°Some people might not know, so I¡¯ll exin briefly.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung exined the dungeon. In fact, hunters were already familiar with it, but they listened with admiration as if they had never heard of it before. ¡°Again, the most important thing when subjugating a dungeon is to find the boss as quickly as possible. There¡¯s no need to deal with the monsters one by one.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Also, don¡¯t make noises in a dungeon. The monsters of dungeons are extremely wary of intruders.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for the exnation.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung pulled out the sword around her waist. ¡®She used to use a huge ax during the expedition, but she¡¯s normal today.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m the guide. All you have to do is fight, but don¡¯t overdo it, and never get hurt. I don¡¯t give nonconformity judgments or such.¡± ¡°Oh! Okay, thank you¡­¡± ¡°Go, get started.¡± The attack squad ushered them to their respective positions. Two tankers, three close dealers, one long-distance dealer, and two healers. It was just a standardposition. They carefully moved forward, while Ko Byeong-gap and Jeong Seon-kyung followed at a distance of about ten steps. However, she pointed out another thing that she didn¡¯t like. ¡°Are you crawling or what? When are we getting home at this pace?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer every time!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung somehow stood firm. No, she wasn¡¯t just firm but was more strict than he thought, and he felt like an assistant at a boot camp. Anyway, the atmosphere was definitely different from usual. Monsters popped out one after another even though they didn¡¯t move much. This dungeon was like an ant hole since they hid in a small gap between the main roads, and it looked like the entire mountain turned into an ant tunnel. Anyway, it wasn¡¯t a very good environment. First of all, they weren¡¯t intuitive. Whether it was a dungeon or a crack, Intuition was the best. Also, it was necessary to go through numerous rooms to reach the Boss Monster. ¡°Sigh!¡± ¡°Left! Watch out!¡± ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Well¡­ The attackers fought well anyway, and most subordinate creatures were D-ss monsters. In other words, it was a mismatch from the very beginning. ¡®But my kids are much better.¡¯ Was it due tock of experience? Except for one or two, they moved terribly. Of course, that was what Ko Byeong-gap thought. ¡®Their basics of swordsmanship aren¡¯t good. They don¡¯t even know how to move their back, and their footwork¡­ It¡¯s tooplicated.¡¯ Those arguments oftene and go among men. Who would win if a bodybuilder with ten years of exercise and a lightweight boxer with two years of boxingpeted? Usually, the vote favored the boxer. Being fit would only get you covered in blood in ten seconds. Was it because they were martial arts believers? No, martial arts truly was powerful. Yet, even still, there was no such thing like that here. If one were a top Awakener, even if they closed their eyes and swung their fist, the low-level monsters would die like a fruit fly, which meant they had an overwhelming presence. ¡®That¡¯s why it¡¯s like that.¡¯ Top Awakeners were old-fashioned and didn¡¯t need to learn martial arts. They filled that gap with experience, and surprisingly, it usually worked, just like how lions grew and naturally developed hunting skills. ¡®¡­ I don¡¯t think I should look down on them for not learning martial arts because I use textbooks, though.¡¯ It was unbelievable to boast about his achievements that went up just by breathing. He nced to the side and smirked. Jeong Seon-kyung had a face almost like a Goblin. ¡°Rx your face. People might think you¡¯re mad.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m angry.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why? Why? Why? Look at the way they cut. Why wouldn¡¯t I be angry?¡± ¡°Hey, they¡¯re still new.¡± ¡°Phew, Undermoon is over now.¡± She acted like she was going crazy, staring at the attack squad with her eyes wide open. She held her position as if she was about to step up a few times. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t concentrate that much on the battle as she did. To confess, half of his mind was elsewhere. Seeing Ashvm in a crack, what did this suggest? He constantly questioned the corrtion between Ashvm and a dungeon. ¡®What¡¯s clear is that this isn¡¯t the current Ashvm.¡¯ The current Ashvm, or at least the area within a 20-kilometer radius of Valtadren, was a wastnd. There were no other creatures to be found except for Gruggles, so there were many ws to consider in that dungeon as the current Ashvm. So, there were only two cases left. ¡®If it¡¯s not now¡­ Is it the future or the past?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap felt the feeling of his head and heart ying separately again this time. Somehow, it felt like the one weird thing in his life was being renewed day by day. ¡°¡­ Come on. Hey, Ko Byeong-gap!¡± ¡°Huh? Uh-huh.¡± ¡°What are you thinking about? You didn¡¯t answer me no matter how many times I called you.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Why did you call me?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a break here. Everyone, gather up. We¡¯ll take a break.¡± The hunters came after releasing Karma to shake off the dirt from their bodies. They were less nervous than before since they had cut dozens of monsters. They sat on the floor while Jeong Seon-kyung distributed water and energy bars to the hunters. ¡°What do you say? A dungeon isn¡¯t a big deal, is it?¡± She, who had looked like she could eat a ghost a while ago, asked mildly. The attack squadughed awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s still the beginning, so strong monsters don¡¯t seem toe out, heh heh.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t make any difference even if we go deeper. Some strong guys are C-ss, at best. If you don¡¯t let your guard down, there won¡¯t be anything dangerous.¡± ¡°Huh, is that so?¡± ¡°I have a question for you, Hunter Jeong Seon-kyung!¡± Healer Kim Ha-sun spoke like a student. Jeong Seon-kyung, who was drinking bottled water, blinked as if to tell her to speak. ¡°Jeong Seon-kyung, have you ever entered an S-rank crack?¡± ¡°Why would you ask me that? Of course, I have.¡± ¡°An S-rank crack¡­ Uh, what do you think of it?¡± ¡°How is it?¡± Jeong Seon-kyungughed bitterly. ¡°If you¡¯re in this state, you¡¯ll be dead in less than five minutes¡­ No, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re going to die right away.¡± The people¡¯s expressions hardened. Was it because they thought they were ignored or was it because they were rmed? Jeong Seon-kyung continued immediately. ¡°But you don¡¯t have to go into an S-rank crack anyway. The guild won¡¯t let you go even if you wanted to. Power below S-ss doesn¡¯t mean much.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Is that so?¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re nning to kill yourself, that¡¯s a good choice, but everyone has to live long and make a lot of money. Isn¡¯t that why you¡¯re doing this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, huh.¡± Tanker Choi Jong-chan smiled kindly. Jeong Seon-kyung added, flicking her fingers as if she suddenly remembered something. ¡°Oh, and this is my personal wish, don¡¯t go on TV and do anything else. Is there anyone here who wants to be in the entertainment business? You don¡¯t want to, do you?¡± When she asked, Jeon Tae-yeol, who rested quietly in the corner, reacted. He was an impably handsome man like a top Awakener, especially when women chased good-looking boys. ¡°Ha, ha¡­ I was filming a web drama until yesterday. Seon-kyung, don¡¯t you know The Tears of the Sun?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t watch things like that.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung said inly and clicked her tongue in front of his face. ¡°I don¡¯t understand at all. If you¡¯re going to do it, just do it. If you¡¯re going to be a hunter, just be a hunter. Why do two together?¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°No, tell me. Why are you doing both?¡± Jeon Tae-yeol just scratched the back of his head as if he was embarrassed, and then, they heard an answer from somewhere else. ¡°They say it¡¯s because of image-making. Celebrities who work as hunters are more popr.¡± ¡°Hey, hey!¡± ¡°Who cares? It¡¯s true.¡± Kang Byung-chan, who had a straightforward impression, answered with ease. On the contrary, embarrassment spread over Jeon Tae-yeol¡¯s face. The two seemed to be acquainted, and Jeong Seon-kyung just looked displeased. ¡°By the way, is Mr. Hunter also a member of Undermoon?¡± ¡°Ko Byeong-gap? Ah, not him.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung answered like that and put her arm around Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s shoulder, and he just looked annoyed. ¡°You all know the North Korean expedition, right?¡± ¡°Oh! I know. It¡¯s still going on.¡± ¡°Byeong-gap and I were on the first expedition there. That¡¯s where I found him. We were on the same team.¡± ¡°Wow! It was the first expedition!¡± ¡°I got a lot of help from Byeong-gap then. I¡¯m still alive thanks to him.¡± ¡°Hey, what are you overreacting about?¡± ¡°Why? It¡¯s true.¡± She said it to lift Ko Byeong-gap. The hunters who were listening were amazed, but on the other hand, they looked confused because of the separation between what they felt in their skin and what they heard with their ears. ¡®I feel his Karma is below average.¡¯ Everyone seemed to think so. ¡°Hm?¡± At that time, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s head nced deep into the cave. ¡®Quite a lot of presence. They¡¯re approaching this way.¡¯ ¡°Herees the monsters. Let¡¯s get ready.¡± ¡°What? Monsters areing?¡± ¡°Really? I don¡¯t feel anything.¡± The hunters immediately rose, but at the same time, they tilted their heads. For them, it was difficult to identify some of the huge gaps in the dungeon. Jeong Seon-kyung, who was staring there with a frown, sympathized at least. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t know. They¡¯re too far, aren¡¯t they? Aren¡¯t you a bit uptight?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a little too much.¡± He got into the strange habit due to fighting with the Gruggles that had no presence. Inbat situations, he responded to even a single movement. ¡°Well, it¡¯s time to move. Get ready, everyone.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung led the people. The attack squad was ready to fight again. Chapter 88 88. Lord is going to a Dungeon A day at a dungeon was an hour outside. So even if the timer on the electronic clock had exceeded four hours, only about 10 minutes had psed outside. However, as long as they set foot in a dungeon, they would be governed by thews there, and hunters would be exhausted after four hours, not ten minutes. ¡°If it¡¯s five days outside, it¡¯s four months here. So, on the surface, the mutation would seem to progress at an incredible rate.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why dungeons are always the top priority. Days¡­ No, leaving it alone for a day increases the risk exponentially.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung gave a speech like an instructor. The hunters listened with concentration without a hint of boredom. ¡°You know the world-famous unattacked cracks? Almost all of them are dungeons. I wouldn¡¯t even think about targeting them because it¡¯s too risky. The same goes for the expedition teams that are in North Korea now. They would never touch a dungeon.¡± ¡°So we¡¯re just going to let it go? For the rest of our lives?¡± Lee Jin-yeol asked a question with a serious look on his face. Jeong Seon-kyung answered after catching her breath for a moment. ¡°Not necessarily. Several times a year, they are beaten under the leadership of the International Hunter Federation. All of the participating hunters are SS-ss.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ SS-ss.¡± When the word ¡®SS-ss¡¯ was mentioned, the hunters gulped down their saliva. There were only 68 SS-ss hunters in the world. They were like suns. ¡°Hunter Jeong Seon-kyung, have you ever met SS-ss hunters?¡± ¡°Me? Well¡­¡± She rolled her eyes and was lost in thought. ¡°A few times.¡± ¡°Who? Who did you see?¡± ¡°I used to see them when I was in New York, but James Carter and Robinson Alfie were in the same neighborhood, so I often saw them. Who else was there? Oh, I¡¯ve seen Ryuko Satsuki. I saw him on a trip to Japan, and we ate together.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± There were exmations everywhere. At this point, Ko Byeong-gap also eximed with one thought in mind. He secretly thought of her as a neighborhood sister, but she seemed to live in a different world. ¡°Have you seen Go Geon-ryong and Seo Si-hee?¡± These two Koreans were mentioned extra excitedly. Especially, wasn¡¯t Go Geon-ryong the most powerful man on Earth? Even just mentioning his name, any domestic hunter would feel their heart flutter. Unfortunately, Jeong Seon-kyung shook her head. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t seen either of them. And Seo Si-hee¡­ No, I¡¯d rather not talk about this.¡± She glossed over her words. The hunters seemed curious about the story behind them, but they didn¡¯t ask. ¡°Hunter Ko Byeong-gap, have you ever seen an SS-ss hunter?¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± When the question suddenly came in, the embarrassment spread over Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s face. The attack squad looked his way with anticipation. It was rare to see an S-ss, to be honest, let alone an SS-ss. However, he felt a bit embarrassed to say it as it was. Above all, he didn¡¯t think he should let them down. ¡°¡­ I¡¯ve never seen SS-ss hunters, but I¡¯ve seen Lee So-ri and Heo Gil-nam at a kalguksu restaurant before, and a lot of S-ss hunters on the expedition we went on. Well, that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Suddenly, the atmosphere became solemn. ¡°I almost work alone. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t see anyone very often.¡± He added urgently. ¡°Oh, hahaha. I see. It¡¯s great that you work alone!¡± ¡®What¡¯s the big deal? I¡¯ll just keep my mouth shut up.¡¯ It was toote to have regrets. Jeong Seon-kyung was busyughing at what he said, thinking it was funny. After chatting like that, there were two ways to go. Jeong Seon-kyung thought about it for a while and soon suggested a direction. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the right.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The attack squad gently took the lead. Ko Byeong-gap and Jeong Seon-kyung also went into the right pathway, but the two stopped as soon as they entered the passageway. ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°Stop for a moment.¡± The two of them said at the same time. The attack squad immediately stopped and looked back. They also seemed to feel something was wrong. ¡°Hunter Jeong Seon-kyung. This¡­¡± ¡°Quiet.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung closed her eyes and focused on her five senses. Ko Byeong-gap nced around with fierce eyes. ¡®What? Why do I feel presence everywhere?¡¯ It felt as if they had entered a room of thousands of mirrors. Presence appeared and disappeared in dozens of ways, like some game of mole catching. Simply put, the radar in his head was dead. ¡°Something¡¯s not right¡­ Come out, everyone. We¡¯ll take the left road.¡± The party immediately got out of there, and then, the phenomenon disappeared. They turned to the left path without dy. ¡°Oh¡­ Damn it!¡± It was the same even at that time, and entering the path made them suffer from the same abnormalities as before. The attack squad suddenly became a ship that entered the Bermuda Triangle. ¡°This is driving me crazy! What should we do?¡± ¡°I¡­ Hunter Jeong Seon-kyung. Can¡¯t we just follow the road?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that simple.¡± Ko Byeong-gap answered instead. ¡°We can¡¯t move without knowing how wide this dungeon is and how twisted it is. If you get lost, you might be lost forever. What¡¯s more, we¡¯re running out of water and food.¡± It didn¡¯t matter now. However, if they moved without knowing, they might end up in a maze. ¡°We should head for the escape portal¡­¡± ¡°The escape portal isn¡¯t an escape portal! Did you forget what I exined earlier? Once youe in, you can¡¯t get out of the dungeon until you¡¯ve cut the boss¡¯ throat!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung was so annoyed. Kim Hye-in, who asked the question, bowed her head in a hurry. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°Whoa¡­ No. I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t be annoyed.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung controlled her anger by breathing deeply. She then suddenly drew her sword. Flick! A deep trough was cut in one wall of the cave, and it left a mark. She spoke in a cold tone, trying to be less serious. ¡°We can¡¯t. Let¡¯s proceed while leaving a milestone¡ª¡± ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± It was then they heard a scream out of nowhere. All eyes turned in the direction of the sound, and something hard to believe was happening there. ¡°Oh my God!¡± ¡°Come on, hold on! Kim Ha-sun, one of the attack squad healers, was being sucked into the ground. *** ¡°¡­¡± There was silence in the dungeon, and suddenly, everyone froze and looked down. Kim Ha-sun had disappeared. She was sucked into the ground without a trace! Nam Woo-hyun, who had been dazed, came to his senses and started digging into the ground. Jeong Seon-kyung shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t be silly and get out of here! hurry!¡± ¡°Ha, but!¡± ¡°Darn it! It¡¯s no use digging a hundred days. Get out! Now!¡± Her angry voice caused the hunters to scurry out of the aisle. She looked around and bit her lips. ¡®There are traps like these in a B-rank dungeon? Don¡¯t fuck with me!¡¯ Jeong Seon-kyung gritted her teeth. She approached thend that absorbed Kim Ha-sun. ¡®As expected.¡¯ There were unrecognizable characters and round patterns on the ground. It was radiant with a subtle blue glow, which was currently slowly fading away. It seemed that Kim Ha-sun identally touched it, and as a result, a trap was triggered. What this told them was¡­ ¡®This dungeon isn¡¯t just a beast¡¯s den. There are monsters with high intelligence. A tricky monster who knows how to wield superpowers.¡¯ Whether it was a humanoid or a monster, it would be hard to deal with. She rose with an uncharacteristically anxious look, and suddenly, her eyes focused on Ko Byeong-gap. He touched the ground with his eyes closed. ¡°Hey, what are you doing? I told you to get out!¡± ¡°Be quiet.¡± He did that for a few seconds and then opened his eyes and spoke. ¡°I found it.¡± ¡°You found what?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve located Kim Ha-sun.¡± ¡°What?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung responded that she couldn¡¯t believe it. How could he find Kim Ha-sun when there were presences all over the ce? ¡°Are you learning something like Feng Shui?¡± ¡°There¡¯s plenty of room to talk nonsense.¡± In reality, before Kim Ha-sun waspletely sucked in, Ko Byeong-gap gave off a small amount of aura and formed a string that connected to her. He really didn¡¯t know it would work. She was lucky. It would¡¯ve been impossible if it didn¡¯t happen when he woke Marilyn from hibernation. Anyway, thanks to the string connected to Kim Ha-sun, he could figure out the approximate location. ¡°¡­¡± Jeong Seon-kyung couldn¡¯t understand at all, but she didn¡¯t even doubt him since she was sure he wasn¡¯t the one to brag about things in this situation. ¡°I have an idea.¡± ¡°¡­ What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go find Kim Ha-sun. In the meantime, unnie could take the rest of the people and kill the boss.¡± ¡°Hey, are you kidding me? If I had known where the boss was, I¡¯d say¨C¡± ¡°Unnie.¡± Ko Byeong-gap grabbed Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Calm down. Calm down. What would they do if Unnie lost it?¡± Her pupils trembled. She nodded and took a slow deep breath. ¡°Whoa¡­ Okay.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Ko Byeong-gap let her go and looked around. He then suddenly swung his sword and poured out aura in front of him. Boom! Boom! The whole cave vibrated with a tremendous roar. Jeong Seon-kyung, who barely regained stability, freaked out and stopped him. ¡°Hey! Are you crazy?¡± ¡°The owner of the dungeon is hiding in its house. What should we do?¡± ¡°What are you talking about!?¡± ¡°Drive it out of its hiding or take down the whole house. I¡¯m sure Unnie and the hunters could handle it enough.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung squealed like a carp. Ko Byeong-gap only smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll save Kim Ha-sun somehow. Unnie, grab the boss and open the escape portal. You understand, don¡¯t you?: ¡°Hey¡­ It¡¯s easier said than done.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung burst outughing. Ko Byeong-gap took a cigarette case out of his pockets and gave it to her. ¡°Smoke a refreshing blow and blow this whole damn ce up.¡± ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re not normal either.¡± Ko Byeong-gap turned away. His nerves were focused on one point of this vast dungeon. Just as he was in a hurry to take off, Jeong Seon-kyung called him. ¡°Hey, Byeong-gap!¡± He stopped suddenly and looked back. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, really.¡± ¡°Come on, buy me a meal after this.¡± He jumped into the darkness. *** ¡°Come out.¡± Ko Byeong-gap, who had moved away from the party, summoned the Goblins. The seven members of the attack squad showed up. ¡°Lord, did you call us?¡± ¡°Where are we?¡± The Goblins questioned the unfamiliar environment. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have time to exin. ¡°I¡¯ll exin it to youter. Changsik, Taesik.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°We have to find a human being. Can you pick up the smell of a human being other than me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± The two Beast Goblins stepped forward. They sniffed for some time before pointing in one direction. It was where Jeong Seon-kyung and Hunters were located. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of scents there that¡¯s like yours, Lord.¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s no point there. Can¡¯t you feel it anywhere else?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Other than that, I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°No, you both did well.¡± ¡®I can¡¯t help it. I have no choice but to go in the direction that I checked earlier.¡¯ With that in mind, Dorma spoke to him. ¡°Lord, if you¡¯re looking for someone, would you mind if I stepped up?¡± ¡°You?¡± ¡°Yes. Apparently, there¡¯s a strange magic hanging here. It looks like it¡¯s full of monsters.¡± ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± ¡°There must be something I can do if I find a human being among them. Sigh!¡± Soon, Dorma let out a shout. After a while, a storm spread around him. The dark winds spread throughout the cave. Dorma closed his eyes and concentrated. Ko Byeong-gap waited nervously for him to open his mouth. In about a minute, Dorma raised his big eyes and stared in one direction. ¡°I found a human. It¡¯s pretty far down.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s down there!¡± ¡°I think I can guide you. Follow me!¡± ¡°Alright, kids, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Ko Byeong-gap and the seven Goblins crossed the dark cave very quickly. Chapter 89 89. Lord is going to a Dungeon ¡°The subordinate monsters will soone swarming around. I¡¯ll take care of everything, so don¡¯t get caught up in it. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Yes!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung smiled wryly and grabbed her sword. She released the Karma she had been suppressing at once. A vast and dense Karma swept through the cave like a typhoon. Hit! Crash! Walls and floors cracked, and stones sttered wildly. Its purpose was to remove hidden traps. ¡®Some traps should be broken with this.¡¯ ¡°Gasp, gasp!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Regardless of their intentions, the hunters became contemtive. When confronted with the power of an S-ss hunter in front of them, their bodies reacted first. ¡°By the way, is it okay to send Hunter Ko Byeong-gap alone?¡± Oh Yeon-woo was sweating profusely and barely spoke. Jeong Seon-kyung lit her cigarette and looked back. ¡°Why? Are you worried?¡± ¡°Well¡­ a little¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about Ko Byeong-gap. He¡¯s stronger than me, so at least he won¡¯t die in a ce like this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± ¡°If you can afford to worry about him, just worry about yourself.¡± She chewed her cigarette filter and pointed the sword head-on. ¡°The dogs areing.¡± ¡°Cooooooh!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Hundreds of monsters flooded the aisle. Among them, B-ss or higher monsters were also mixed in. ¡®This dungeon isn¡¯t B-rank.¡¯ She told the crew that there was nothing to worry about, yet she was worried about Ko Byeong-gap and couldn¡¯t take things back at that time. She soon let go of her thoughts and shouted with determination. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die young, stay alert!¡± *** Cookoo! Cookoo! The Goblins paused and looked up. The tremors of the cave got worse, and there was a loud noise a while ago. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s hurry up and go.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Ko Byeong-gap urged the Goblins to walk. ¡®They must be fighting up there.¡¯ The source of that sound had to be Jeong Seon-kyung. ¡®You¡¯re not really gonna blow this whole ce up.¡¯ In fact, if she decided to do so, she could smash the dungeon without difficulty. If he were to line up how strong she was in Korea, she would be in the 0.2%. She didn¡¯t get the S-ss title for nothing. Perhaps the number of monsters that blocked the front was significantly reduced thanks to her good lead from the above. Even so, it was a normal crack level. ¡°Kigigigig! Kigigig!¡± ¡°Howl!¡± ¡°Get rid of it.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Changsik and Taesik ran out like an arrow. Their sharp ws cut through the monster¡¯s flesh and crumbled its bones. ¡°Whoa!¡± Boom! Boom! Boom! A lump of muscle came running from afar, carrying an ax with its big shoulders. One of the strongest C-ss monsters, a Gigant Orc, trampled its own allies to rush toward Ko Byeong-gap. It aimed instinctively at his head. ¡°Kerreuk!¡± The two Beast Goblins glued together and threw out their ws. The Gigant Orc quickly became covered in blood, but it didn¡¯t copse, either. ¡°Kree!¡± The Gigant Orc approached the attack squad and struck down its huge ax. ¡°Stop it.¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± Ko Byeong-gap ordered without pulling out his sword. Turka blocked the front with a shield. Bang! ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± The Gigant Orc was bigger, but Turka was overwhelming. He bounced his shield and narrowed their distance quickly. Meanwhile, a big fist hit the Orc¡¯s jaw and blew its head away. ¡®I think he¡¯s getting stronger day by day.¡¯ ¡°Good job, Turka.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± It took less than a moment for them to annihte a dozen monsters. ¡°This way!¡± As time went by, there were more and more crossroads. At first, there were at most two branches, butter, four and eight paths appeared. However, Dorma went on without hesitation. Ko Byeong-gap felt that he was getting closer to Kim Ha-sun¡¯s location. ¡®Please stay alive.¡¯ The closer Kim Ha-sun got, the more anxious he became. It bothered him that the one they lost was a healer. She was a top awakener, so she wouldn¡¯t die like a frog attacked with stones. The problem was that her experience was far from sufficient. If she was a first-time healer, she was most likely to know only how to do her specialty. She would have never hit a monster before, let alone on her own. Imagine that such a person was left behind alone¡­ A hunter in her situation, who had lost their calm, would definitely waste Karma. ¡®And if you burn out all your Karma, you¡¯ll die.¡¯ He stretched his legs and hoped that there would be no mishap. After a lengthy sprint, they finally reached the end of the passageway. ¡°Lord¡­ Lord? Is this¡­?¡± ¡°Shh! Everybody hide.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ko Byeong-gap hid behind the wall and captured the view in front of him. It was enough space that was connected to dozens of passages, which stretched in different directions. In addition, monsters swarmed in it. There were so many that he felt gross just by looking at them. ¡®Why are there so many? There are 6,700 of them here. Some of the strong ones are mixed up in the crowd.¡¯ The herd of monsters rushed into several corridors in a hurry. They were presumably headed to the ce where Jeong Seon-kyung and the party were located. ¡°What should we do? Are we going to face it?¡± ¡°No, there are too many passages. Let¡¯s wait until they thin out.¡± ¡°I see.¡± They hid and waited for the monsters to disappear. ¡®Is Kim Ha-sun over there?¡¯ There was only onerge burrow on the opposite aisle, which was different at a nce from the road they had passed so far. Perhaps it was the heart of that dungeon. ¡°I think the human that Lord is looking for is over there.¡± Dorma recited quietly. ¡°Well, wouldn¡¯t it be hard to say they¡¯re alive if they weren¡¯t as strong as Lord?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was thinking.¡± Of all the ces, she fell into the depths of the dungeon. There was no way she would ever get lucky again. No matter how optimistic he thought about it, Kim Ha-sun would¡¯ve died. Could he take back her body? He didn¡¯t know. ¡®We¡¯vee all the way here, so let¡¯s take a look.¡¯ After about five or six minutes, almost all the monsters were gone. Ko Byeong-gap nced at the Goblins and drew his sword. ¡°Stick close to me.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He appeared out of the aisle. As soon as he did, he kicked the floor and stretched out like the wind. ¡°Crrrr?!¡± He cleaned up the remaining monsters quickly. They failed to make a proper counterattack against the sudden ambush and copsed. If they procrastinated, the pack of monsters mighte back. Ko Byeong-gap hurried into the big cave. The burrow was dark and long enough for ships to pass. His vision brightened after running for about 20 seconds without a break. At the same time, his eyes and mouth opened wide. ¡®I didn¡¯t think of this.¡¯ Unlike before, a space full of artificial touches was revealed. It was an open hall. Manyrge pirs stood on the straight wall, and torches and braziers scattered everywhere to light up the ce. On the other side, at the far end, there was a huge throne. It was more suited to a giant than an ordinary human. Of course, the guy that sat there was closer to a giant than a human. ¡°Lord, look over there!¡± Kiriyan pointed up with his long lightning rod. Kim Ha-sun was floating in the air, covered in blood, and was unconscious. They had no way to know what was supporting her. ¡®Are you deceiving us?¡¯ It seemed as if she was left there to be seen, like cutting an enemy¡¯s neck in war and hanging it on a pole. Ko Byeong-gap slowly lowered his head and looked straight ahead. A giant sat on the throne. Its upper body was covered by darkness, and only its two legs were visible, which resembled a man but were unusuallyrge in size. When he stood, he was about 5 meters tall. ¡®It must be the boss of this dungeon. Damn it. I thought it would go to Seon-kyung¡¯s side.¡± The reason for the deliberate uproar above was to lure the monster there. Of course, he thought the boss of this dungeon would¡¯ve gone there. However, it sat there waiting so calmly¡­ ¡®It¡¯s not an ordinary monster.¡¯ Its Karma alone was beyond normal. More specifically, it was beyond a B-ss monster, but his sixth sense was constantly signaling danger even though it just sat still. ¡°Be on your toes. We can¡¯t deal with this in moderation.¡± It didn¡¯t move at all. Ko Byeong-gap slowly focused his aura on his legs. He was about to jump up and snatch Kim Ha-sun. He leaped in an instant, and suddenly, dozens of lumps of light appeared behind the throne and shot after Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Lord!¡± ¡°Ha-ha!¡± Dorma and Kiriyan responded immediately by creating the same projectile. Arge explosion urred near Ko Byeong-gap, and in the aftermath, he failed to snatch Kim Ha-sun. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Lord! Are you alright?¡± ¡°Oh, no problem.¡± Ko Byeong-gapnded on the floor and stared ahead. Thanks to the lump of light, the image of the giant sitting on the throne was fully revealed. His eyes widened greatly. ¡®I¡­ What is that?!¡¯ He had never seen the monster before. It was almost like a human down to the bottom of his chest, but he had four arms, two on one shoulder, and its head resembled a goat. It wasn¡¯t rare to see a beast-type monster, but he had never heard of a giant with four arms with a mountain goat¡¯s head. ¡®What the hell is it¡­?¡¯ It was something really bizarre. The boss held four monsters and three humans in his arms, and they were all female. The monsters were a Harpy, a half-human Basilisk, a Satyr that was a monster closer to a man than a horse, and a female Orc. And above all, three human women. The women were all hugged by the boss with a strange look on their faces. Since the boss¡¯ body was so big, there was room left even if he carried seven women at once. The atmosphere over there was so lewd. The women were all naked, and the boss monster¡¯s bottom bulged. ¡°That¡¯s crazy!¡± Ko Byeong-gap spat with a frown on his face. He had seen so many things in his life, but he had never been as ufortable as he was currently. At that time, the hands of the boss monster, who hadn¡¯t even moved, moved. Kim Ha-sun floated in the air and was dragged over there when he pped his finger a few times. It wasn¡¯t long before he spoke slowly. ¡°Yes¡­ They¡­¡± ¡°Hm?!¡± ¡°These are¡­ Worthy mothers¡­ But you are not.¡± ¡°Lord! Lord! It¡¯s speaking!¡± ¡°I have ears too.¡± His hand that held the sword was energized, but he couldn¡¯t rush to attack. It was due to the women being hugged by the boss. ¡®What the hell are those women?¡¯ They were obviously human beings. Who were they, and what was he doing with them? ¡®All their eyes are open, but they look out of it.¡¯ All the women looked like they were drugged. They fumbled with the boss monster¡¯s body and didn¡¯t even nce their way. Suddenly, the boss monster looked up and spoke. ¡°Where is the mother¡­ Is it that way?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? What mother?¡± Ko Byeong-gap yelled, and then the boss looked over there. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ You¡¯re on the same wavelength, but you don¡¯t really¡­ You don¡¯t look useful. Fierce¡­ Rebellious.¡± He murmured like that and kept rubbing the Basilisk. However, it looked distressed, as if the grip of the hand was too strong. ¡°Stop¡­ Stop it¡­ Ugh!¡± She shriveled up and died. It was really dead. ¡°¡­¡± The boss calmly looked down at the dead Basilisk, then threw the Basilisk¡¯s body their way. p! Orca lifted the shield and blocked the flying body. The Basilisk with a twisted body flew haphazardly. At a nce, its body was thin and covered with wounds. It had been weakened badly. ¡°A strong mother¡­ I need a strong mother.¡± ¡°Lord, talking to that wacky bastard doesn¡¯t seem to be of any use!¡± Dorma said. Ko Byeong-gap responded by staring at the other side with lifeless eyes. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve never seen anyone I¡¯ve wanted to kill so badly. Dorma, Kiriyan. Cover me from a distance. The rest of you, protect the two.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Ko Byeong-gap got into position and gave off a formidable amount of aura. The Goblins also quickly got in formation. ¡®We have to save those women and Kim Ha-sun first.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap came up with a strategy that reminded him of his goal. Suddenly, the boss opened his mouth again. ¡°I have simr things to you too¡­¡± He bounced his finger, and then, about 30 people appeared around him. They were blurry at first but gradually took a concrete shape. They were all Goblins. A King Goblin, which was also said to be the best among the Goblins. ¡°Kerreuk!¡± ¡°Kerreuk!¡± Every one of them was enough to be the bosses of B-rank cracks. Their eyes were red and were growling their way. ¡°Huh? Those are¡­?!¡± ¡°They¡¯re our kin! But why?!¡± The Goblins on his side were bewildered. Kiriyan shouted, pointing forward at his lightning rod. ¡°Back off! How dare you point your weapons at the Lord!¡± ¡°Kerreuk!¡± ¡°Oh no. They¡¯re still¡­.!¡± However, it didn¡¯t work. The King Goblins were also all out of their minds. The giant boss monsterughed horribly. ¡°Hhhh¡­ With my things¡­ Yours. Which one¡­ would be stronger?¡± ¡°¡­ Hah. Indeed.¡± Ko Byeong-gap stood around for a few seconds andughed bitterly. There was a dark ck on his face. ¡°What do you mean, yours?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Imand you as Lord.¡± He just recited lightly. ¡°Kill that big bastard.¡± ¡°Kerreuk!¡± ¡°Kerrreuk!¡± ¡°Huh, what?¡± The King Goblins turned the edge of their swords and started to attack the boss monster. Chapter 90 90. Lord is going to a Dungeon ¡°Kereuk!¡± ¡°Keeek! Keeek!¡± The King Goblins clung to each other like leeches, stabbing with their swords and swinging their axes. If they didn¡¯t have a weapon, they would have started biting. The boss monster was quickly covered in blood as thirty pointed weapons ripped through his body. Its scream, which sounded like a pig¡¯s squeal, rang throughout the area. ¡°How dare you!¡± He sprang to his feet and emitted a shocking wave of devastation. ¡°Keeek!¡± ¡°Kerreuk!¡± The King Goblins couldn¡¯t hold out and fell back. It was like a grenade had gone off, scattering them all over the ce, and sending them staggering to their feet. Ko Byeong-gap responded immediately. ¡°Gather around me.¡± The Goblins gathered at his word. Meanwhile, the boss monster¡¯s face was full of embarrassment and anger. He repeated himself as if he had lost his mind: ¡°Why¡­why are you there?! Come to me!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You pawns! You belong to me!¡± He yelled, but the King Goblins didn¡¯t budge. ¡°What kind of trick did you use, human?¡± ¡°How dare you toy with the Goblins in front of me? You¡¯re so arrogant.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re¡­who are you?¡± ¡°How can a man with no discernment sit there in power?¡± Ko Byeong-gap rolled his eyes secretly. The shock wave he gave off earlier also threw away the women he had. It was good news. ¡°I asked you what you were! How did you get rid of my mental control? I¡­ I¡¯ve be so strong!¡± The boss monster huffed and created a pir of light, ready to fire it off. Ko Byeong-gap lowered his voice and said, ¡°Listen, I¡¯ll deal with him. In the meantime, save the human women and kill the rest.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do as you say.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± He summoned an aura around his sword. The golden form took shape by ovepping around the sword. ¡°How did you get rid of my mental control?¡± ¡°Hah!¡± Ko Byeong-gap replied with a smirk. ¡°Well, I guess I have more control.¡± He kicked off the ground. Immediately, the boss monster fired the pir of light. Ko Byeong-gap immediately swung his sword to destroy his enemy¡¯s projectile. Although the light bounced them back slightly, Turka and Orca blocked it beautifully. The Goblins faithfully fulfilled their Lord¡¯s orders. ¡®It¡¯s different from what it looks, is it a long-distance type? If we stick together, my side will have the upper hand.¡¯ Its shots were tricky and powerful, but without guards, he was noticeably powerless. Ko Byeong-gap was determined to dig through that opening. The boss monster hastily prepared for his second attack. At that time, however, it was already within Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s range. ¡®Starting with the ankle.¡¯ The long bastard sword painted a golden trajectory, cleaving through the boss¡¯s leg and sending blood sttering through the air. ¡°Khahahak! Agh!¡± A fist wrapped in Karma like a gauntlet fell from the sky, swift and heavy as it fell. Ko Byeong-gap quickly performed his footwork to widen the distance, just as the fist struck where he stood less than a second ago. Boom! Knock! Knock! The floor shattered. Debris soared into the sky as if gravity had switched off. ¡°You¡¯re a rat!¡± There was no time to rest as the projectile descended. It was too much to avoid each of them, so he used his strength to build a shield and hid underneath. His hawk eyes opened and chased the movement of the boss monster. It turned its hands into a hammer and swung them at his side. ¡®I can¡¯t stop that.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap hurriedly looked for an escape route. His eyes darted around as his mind quickly calcted the optimal route. ¡®Quickly dodge his body before his fist hammer falls.¡¯ Boom! Boom! Once again, the floor shattered. ¡®What kind of stupidity is that?¡¯ He thought it was a long-distance type, but it was pretty good at close-range too. The power from itsrge body was enormous, but he had the upper hand in sharpness. Ko Byeong-gap poured aura into his sword and fired it; the crescent sword aimed at the monster¡¯s head. ¡°Agh!¡± He twisted his four arms to defend himself. He failed to amputate one due to the Karma Barrieryered on its arms, but it didn¡¯t matter since it was bait from the start. ¡°The secret art of the Mandara Knights. The third form of the eight martial arts.¡± He jumped to his feet and stabbed the boss monster. ¡°Crushing!¡± ¡°Hak!¡± The whirlwind power destroyed the boss monster¡¯s left shoulder. Its flesh, muscles, and bones were torn like pieces of paper. It was so finely ground that not even a drop of blood sttered out. ¡®It¡¯s shabbypared to the original, but this is enough.¡¯ ¡°Gasp!¡± The boss monster stumbled backward. Ko Byeong-gap stabbed his sword into its sr plexus as it fell, splitting its chest. ¡°You¡­ you¡­!¡± Its fighting spirit was worthy of praise, and its remaining two arms flew toward Ko Byeong-gap. However, they were cut down by his sword. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± The boss monster struggled to raise its head. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s arms blurred. Almost at the same time, his de stabbed into the monster¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ugh! Argh! Argh! Aaaah!¡± He struggled wildly. However, he couldn¡¯t pull the sword out because he had no hands. Ko Byeong-gap nced back. The Goblins had collected the women andid them together in one ce. ¡®I¡¯m gonna have to end it.¡¯ He walked up to the boss monster¡¯s body, stood on its chest, and raised his weapon. Suddenly, the screaming boss monster began begging desperately. ¡°Spare me! I don¡¯t want to die!¡± ¡°Oh, do you want to live like this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever you ask me to do! Please¡­ please, mercy!¡± ¡°Mercy¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap pulled out the de stuck in its eyes. He then held the sword upside down and put it over its head, barely touching the monster¡¯s skin. ¡°Let me ask you a few questions.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ll answer anything!¡± ¡®Maybe there is some information that I can get from this guy.¡¯ Questions that he was curious about but couldn¡¯t find a ce to ask. Hopefully, he could solve all of them this time. Ko Byeong-gap first took off his backpack and threw it at the Goblins. ¡°Take it!¡± ¡°Ah! Yep!¡± ¡°There is a potion in it. Treat those women with it. If anyonees to their senses, tell me immediately.¡± ¡°I see!¡± He looked down on the boss monster again. It must¡¯ve been scared since it was frozen in ce. ¡°Hmm¡­ what should I ask first? Yeah, you. What kind of monster are you?¡± ¡°¡­Monster? Tell me what a monster is first. If that¡¯s what I know¨C¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind it. I made a mistake.¡± The monster was the name that modern people used to refer to the creatures in the cracks. It wasn¡¯t unusual for it to not understand. ¡°Forget the word monster. Just what are you?¡± ¡°What do you mean? What do you mean, what am I?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s a bit vague.¡± Somehow, he felt like he was ying twenty questions, so he grew annoyed. ¡®I need to ask a specific question.¡¯ Firmly determined, he asked what he had guessed inwardly and never wanted to ept. ¡°Are you¡­ are you human? Or are you like the others here?¡± ¡°Are you asking about my species?¡± ¡°I guess you don¡¯t wear your head around as a decoration. So, what¡¯s the answer?¡± ¡°H-Human. It¡¯s a word I haven¡¯t heard in a long time.¡± Suddenly, heughed. His eyes were still filled with fear, but hisughter was real. ¡°What are you saying? Just answer me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask you a question the other way around. Whates out when a horse and a donkey crossbreed?¡± ¡°What¡­? A mule.¡± ¡°Yes, then the mule and a bulle together and breed. Then what woulde out?¡± Could mules and cows breed? Ko Byeong-gap, who agonized over such absurd things, suddenly came to his senses. ¡®Damn, why am I worrying about this?¡¯ ¡°You don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on, do you? Who told you to joke with me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a joke. I can¡¯t find the origin of my species because¡­ there is a myriad of different blood mixed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s mixed up?¡± ¡°Yes, did you say human? I¡¯ve heard that in the distant past, there were pureblood species, but now that distinction is meaningless. It¡¯s all mixed up.¡± Ko Byeong-gap was speechless. In the meantime, it continued. ¡°Are you looking for pure-blooded humans? Give it up¡ªthey don¡¯t exist here anymore.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It spoke of pure-blood humans. This creature was unaware of what Ko Byeong-gap was. ¡°Anyway, if you climb up your roots, are you saying that there is a human being or something there?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡®Are you saying monsters were the products of the five Ains except for Sarahons? Isn¡¯t that strange?¡¯ If everything he said was true, what seeds had to be mixed to create these monsters? The boss monster was still in the form of a person, except it had four arms and a goat¡¯s head. However, many monsters were closer to animals than humans. No, there were many bizarre things that he couldn¡¯t even exin without using the word monster. It was too much to simply say that the seeds were mixed and deformed. If a cow and a mule were mixed, something like a cow shoulde out, not a dinosaur. It answered the question like this. ¡°We¡­ had to change to survive. What we are now is a series of changes¡­ yeah, it¡¯s the result of evolution. Cough! Cough! Cough!¡± It spat up blood. Itsplexion had deteriorated noticeably. ¡®We don¡¯t have much time.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap put aside his thoughts and poured out his remaining questions. ¡°Answer briefly from now on. What was after you guys? What are you trying to survive from?¡± ¡°From a nightmare.¡± ¡°Nightmare? Are you talking about the devil?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called that name too.¡± ¡°Where are they? Is it here too?¡± ¡°No.¡± The boss monster took a moment and then spoke. ¡°We hid in this cave to escape the nightmares. One day¡­ Cough! Gasp, gasp. One day, the road outside was blocked. After that, the nightmares stopped appearing.¡± ¡®You mean the exit of this cave is blocked.¡¯ ¡°How did you live here? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything to eat. Did you guys eat each other?¡± ¡°After that day, we could live without eating or drinking. Also¡­ just breathing gave us a lot of strength.¡± ¡°Then why did you attack us?¡± Ko Byeong-gap asked without thinking about much. The boss monster burst outughing. ¡°Because you¡¯re an intruder, and¡­ didn¡¯t you attack us, too? Things that look like you have always attacked us.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Lord! One of the women ising to her senses!¡± ¡°Time is up.¡± Ko Byeong-gap retracted the sword. The boss monster¡¯s face glowed. ¡°I answered everything I was asked. I¡¯m safe. You¡¯re saving me, right?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°What, what?! Hey¡­ are you going to break your promise?¡± ¡°What? I never said I¡¯d let you live. Anyway, it was good to get some answers.¡± ¡°What a coward!¡± The boss monster¡¯s head split apart. It flinched for a moment before it slumped over. When its breathing stopped, the dungeon copsed, and escape portals opened everywhere. Ko Byeong-gap jumped off the body and approached the Goblins. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Kim Ha-sun groaned with a big frown. It was a sign that she woulde to her senses soon. There was nothing good about being caught with the Goblins, so he opened the door to Ashvm first. ¡°Dorma, take the kids and move on.¡± ¡°Alright. Everyone, follow me!¡± ¡°You did a great job today. See youter.¡± ¡°Yes! We¡¯ll see youter.¡± All the Goblins went over to Ashvm. Ko Byeong-gap crossed the escape portal after carrying Kim Ha-sun and three mysterious women. When he came outside, the hunters were there, Jeong Seon-kyung at the front. ¡°He¡¯s out! They¡¯re out!¡± ¡°Hunter Ko Byeong-gap is here! Ha-sun is here too!¡± ¡°Well, what about the rest?¡± The people who found him made a fuss. ¡°Byeong-gap, are you okay? Were you hurt?¡± ¡°No problem. You look fine too, unnie.¡± ¡°Of course, those bastards¡­ no, that¡¯s not a problem. Did you kill the boss?¡± ¡°It just happened.¡± ¡°By the way, what the hell are these women?¡± Ko Byeong-gap carried the four women and put them down on the floor, except for Kim Ha-sun. She was embarrassed since she was wearing nothing. ¡°I recovered them from inside. I think they¡¯re hunters who went into the dungeon before us.¡± ¡°Oh my God¡­¡± ¡°More than that, this dungeon isn¡¯t B-ss, is it? It¡¯s more of an S-ss.¡± ¡°Phew! It¡¯s a ¡°That¡¯s weird. The dungeon was created less than a day ago.¡± ¡°Less than a day!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung almost breathed out their life. ¡°It was strange, so I checked it right away. One day? You¡¯re fucking crazy! It¡¯s been three days since it happened!¡± ¡°Update time¡­ it¡¯s two minutes before. Damn it.¡± ¡°Association, you son of a bitch! This is how you deal with things? I¡¯ll kill them all when I get back.¡± She was a force to be reckoned with, and Ko Byeong-gap had no intention of stopping her. ¡°Whoo, let¡¯s go home for now. I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, we should. Everyone,e here! We¡¯ll go back to Seoul after checking their condition and help them get in the car!¡± ¡°Oh, yes!¡± The subjugation squad survived their near-death experience. After a brief maintenance period, they returned to Seoul. Their long but short day ended like that. Chapter 91 91. Of the Goblin, by the Goblin. ¡°Is this the right ce?¡± ¡°Oh, I think so.¡± They climbed up the far-off rock and stood at the cave¡¯s entrance, looking out over the scenery on the other side that seemed familiar. Although there was no wonderful sunset, the ce was right there. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ko Byeong-gap and Dorma moved into the cave slowly with their high-powerntern. The cool, damp air remained, but the presence that filled the cave had disappeared. They went deeper, and after a while, arrived at a crossroads. It was at the crossroads that the subjugation team found themselves at a few days ago. They entered carefully. ¡®It¡¯s different from then.¡¯ The traps that confused them no longer existed. Suddenly, Dorma spoke. ¡°The magic that spread out here has been lifted. Is it because the Lord killed him then?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s go all the way.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll take the lead.¡± The cave was exactly how they saw it in the dungeon. There were signs of the walls crumbling, but its basic framework remained unchanged. About an hourter, they arrived in the room where the boss monster was. It looked the same there. ¡°No, it¡¯s different.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean different?¡± ¡°It¡¯s confusing, but there¡¯s no trace of battle.¡± Ko Byeong-gap clearly remembered the fierce match that day. The floor and the walls were all cracked and broken, but no traces of war remained here. ¡®It¡¯s true that the monsters lived here. I¡¯m sure the ce I saw in the dungeon was Ashvm, but something is unnatural.¡¯ Although the samples were far from sufficient, the dungeon was likely to be Ashvm of the past. However, it didn¡¯t naturally connect with the present. ¡®What does this mean?¡¯ As he was lost in thought for a few minutes, he recalled what Ea had told him in the past. ¡®All the races that used to live on Earth disappeared overnight, hundreds of years ago.¡¯ ¡°Dorma, do you remember what she said when you first met Ea?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°That all the races that lived on Earth in the past disappeared overnight.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ was that so?¡± Dorma groaned and frowned. He didn¡¯t ask for an answer, so Ko Byeong-gap looked around therge space and continued. ¡°Hundreds of years ago, something must¡¯ve happened in Ashvm. Something huge that we can¡¯t imagine.¡± ¡®And it¡¯s affecting the Earth as well.¡¯ The Deep Impact, which hit the Earth 29 years ago. There was a lot of spection, and humans had found out little about it. It was a mystery wrapped in a veil. Ko Byeong-gap thought about that day. Maybe he could uncover that huge secret. *** It was a dark evening. Ko Byeong-gap stared at the Goblins while they ate as noisily as ever. On the other hand, the Harpy ate well, forming a harmonious rtionship with the Goblins. No, was it correct to say that they were indifferent to each other? Anyway, there were no problems at all. ¡®I don¡¯t like this.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that he was dissatisfied with the way they ate. He just didn¡¯t like the food they ate, which was monster meat. Ever since he learned that the monsters descended from the ancient Ains, Ko Byeong-gap suffered from difort. With a little bit of thinking, it felt like the Goblins were eating even human flesh. He thought it was fortunate that he didn¡¯t put monster meat in his mouth out of curiosity. ¡®I can¡¯t change their diet right now.¡¯ If he cut off the supply of monster meat right now, the Goblins would face a food shortage in a few days. Of course, they farmed and raised livestock, but less than 20 percent of the table wasn¡¯t covered by monster meat. ¡®Still, we have to change it gradually.¡¯ They had to change it, though. Not just for ethical reasons, but there was a more fundamental problem. ¡®Because I can¡¯t take care of you forever.¡¯ It was impossible to catch food for them like a mother bird forever. He had to train the Goblins to live independently as Goblins of Ashvm. That was thest task of Ko Byeong-gap, as a human and a Goblin Lord at the same time. He finished thinking and went around the inside of the restaurant. He found Marilyn eating with Doran in the corner and approached her. ¡°Marilyn.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, Lord. May I help you?¡± ¡°I have something to ask you to do.¡± ¡°Do? What is it?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you here, bute to my ce when you¡¯re done eating.¡± ¡°¡­I see. I will do that.¡± ¡°Lord, can Ie, too?¡± ¡°Yeah,e with her.¡± Ko Byeong-gap went to his residence first. Soon after, Marilyn and Doran arrived, and they sat facing each other across the table. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± ¡°Marilyn, you do something every day to regain your old strength. How do you feel?¡± She gasped for a moment and licked her lips. ¡°Although I still need to do more meditating¡­I¡¯ve improved a lot. I think I¡¯ve recovered about 60 percent from my heyday.¡± ¡°About 60 percent.¡± Ko Byeong-gap suddenly wanted to see how good she was. Was she above him now? However, he didn¡¯t want to fight on this moonlit night. ¡°You know the general called Trovatin, right?¡± ¡°Of course, I know. It doesn¡¯t make sense not to know his name as part of the Mandara Knights.¡± ¡°Comparing you with Trovatin in your prime, who is stronger? You said you were a deputymander.¡± She closed her eyes this time. ¡°I¡¯ve only heard of his majesty, but he¡¯ll still be much stronger. In the first ce, he was the strongest man in Ashvm¡¯s history. If it weren¡¯t for the king, I wouldn¡¯t dare to confront him.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Is it about Sir Trovatin that you¡¯ve called me here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± Ko Byeong-gap paused for a moment. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve recovered, the Goblins¡­ no, look at the Sarahons.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Teach them to write.¡± ¡°¡­Write?¡± At present, there weren¡¯t many people who knew how to write in Ashvm. Only Ko Byeong-gap, Dorma, Marilyn, Goblins knew how, so there were only 34 in total. ¡®Since nting the seed of enlightenment, the children have be smarter, but that doesn¡¯t mean they have the knowledge they need.¡¯ Currently, the Goblins were, at best, primitive, and they were living in an environment that was too advanced for their level. It was entirely thanks to Ko Byeong-gap being their cheat key. To enlighten them in a true sense, they had to sharpen their learning. ¡°The kids don¡¯t know how to write. I don¡¯t know right now, but if you want to live in the future, you should at least know how to read and write.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ wait. Doran, do you not even know how to write?¡± Doran, who remained still, was surprised. Her face turned red. ¡°Well, what¡¯s the big deal?¡± ¡°How could that be? I¡¯ve never met a child as intelligent as you¡­.¡± ¡°Shut up! I never learned!¡± ¡°Doran, be quiet.¡± ¡°Oh! Yes, Lord. I¡¯m sorry.¡± When Ko Byeong-gap muttered softly, Doran quickly became quiet. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll make the arrangement, so teach the kids how to write every day from now on. I¡¯ll also provide you with a spacious ssroom.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll follow your directions. Is that all I have to do?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one more. Teach them writing in the morning and warfare in the afternoon.¡± ¡°You mean war strategy?¡± ¡°Yes, from now on, you¡¯ll oversee training the Sarahons. We¡¯re bringing in some professional soldiers. Simply put, we¡¯re building an army.¡± He continued as he scratched his chin. ¡°Hmm¡­ right now, we have 4,500 men. Is that enough? Decide it on your own.¡± ¡°L-Lord, I¡¯m training the kids, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re just beating the kids up.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± She beat them up well, and their textbook achievement rate increased but continuing it was by no means an efficient method. ¡°Since you¡¯re the deputymander of the Mandara Knights, you¡¯re probably the most knowledgeable among us when ites to warfare. More than me.¡± ¡°Lord, don¡¯t talk down about yourself. As a king, you must always have everything under your feet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s true.¡± Ko Byeong-gap was, of course, an expert inbat. However, yers and coaches were on different fields. When it came to training soldiers, Marilyn would outperform him. He hesitated and added. ¡°I¡¯m not saying this as Lord, but Ick in many ways. That¡¯s why I must ask for the power of talented people like you. Even so, you should do your best. Anyway, when ites to training the soldiers from now on, you are the Lord.¡± ¡°Me¡­ the Lord?¡± Marilyn¡¯s eyes grew wide for a moment. She looked nk for a few seconds, then she nodded. ¡°I will obey your orders.¡± ¡°Yes, I trust you¡¯ll do well.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let you down.¡± ¡°Lord! Is there anything else you¡¯d like me to do?¡± ¡°No. You¡¯re doing a good job right now. That¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ hehe.¡± Perhaps due to thepliment, Doran smiled. Ko Byeong-gap checked his watch and said, ¡°It¡¯ste. We¡¯re done talking, so both of you go out.¡± ¡°I hope you have afortable night.¡± ¡°Goodnight, Lord.¡± The two women left Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s residence after bidding their farewells. Marilyn¡¯s expression as she left the door seemed somewhatplicated. *** Thenguage ss started with Marilyn, some King Goblins as instructors. Ko Byeong-gap bought 3,000 sets of writing equipment and distributed them to Ashvm. People who didn¡¯t know would think they were setting up a study room. The Goblins were naturally awkward since they had never held a pencil in their life. Most of them didn¡¯t even know what writing was, let alone studying. Still, they showed the utmost cooperation with their Lord¡¯s order. Meanwhile, five King Goblins were sent to Somnium to teach writing there and help with mining. While the Goblins struggled with learning, Ko Byeong-gap sympathized with their pain. He had to learn farming and livestock while leaving his main job as a hunter. ¡®When I was discharged from the army and was dered an awakener, I never imagined I¡¯d be studying farming or anything like that.¡¯ At that time, he thought he would die without farming even once in his entire life. He tried to learn more about cultivating paddy fields and farming, characteristics of each crop and growing environment, and harvesting and storage methods. Also, how to build livestock cages, characteristics of each livestock, how to make feed, how to breed animals¡­ ¡°Wow, it¡¯s difficult.¡± He had never looked into farming and livestock, but he didn¡¯t know it would be this difficult. ¡°We should leave it as a national treasure and hand it down to the generations.¡± In front of him was a handwritten note tightly written in the Ashvmnguage, not in Korean. He looked down at the note with a happy face, and a thought suddenly urred to him. In the distant future¡­ ¡°Will the Goblins remember that there was a human being like me?¡± He put down the pen for a moment and imagined the future 200 years from now. By that time, the seeds of enlightenment would grow into solid trees, the Goblins would be worthy of its old name, Sarahons, and Ashvm would¡¯ve regained its former prosperity. ¡°I want them to remember.¡± Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s desire for fame wasn¡¯t that great, but once those days came, he just wanted them to know that one human being sweated for the Goblins. ¡®It would be better if there was at least one portrait or statue left of me.¡¯ He smiled happily and grabbed the pen again. Chapter 92 92. And for the Goblins April 25th. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The Giant Goblins moved forward in unison. The ground was dug evenly, and furrows werepleted in an instant. After half a day of farnd clearing work, the prepared farnd alone exceeded 3,000 pyeong. A rice paddy field was constructed outside the fortress walls, allowing for a veryrge crop yield. Of course, there was a consequent risk. ¡°Lord, Gruggles appeared in the east forest!¡± ¡°Everybody, stop!¡± Ko Byeong-gap stopped the Goblins and looked back at the guard who ran to report. ¡°Gruggles? How many are there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure it out, but I think it¡¯s about fifty or sixty.¡± ¡°Fifty or sixty¡­¡± He was gloomy. ¡°Did you report to Doran?¡± ¡°Oh! I told the Lord first¡­¡± ¡°Hey, Hob friend.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°I told youst time. Report to Doran first about security. She¡¯s the captain of the guard.¡± ¡°Oh, yes¡­¡± ¡°Go back and ask Doran. Should we bring in the personnel outside the fortress walls, or just let them work? Come back when you hear the answer.¡± ¡°Ah, I see!¡± The guy hurriedly ran away. Ko Byeong-gap sighed a little. ¡°I want to see Gobung.¡± ¡°Lord, what are we going to do?¡± ¡°What do you mean what are we going to do? We have to nt all of these by the end of the day. Let¡¯s stop fooling around and finish what we¡¯ve been doing.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The dozens of Goblins continued nting in the furrows. Ko Byeong-gap went around to show them how to do it or demonstrated it himself. The guard he sent back earlier came back to him. He stretched his back for a moment and asked. ¡°What did Doran say? Did she say to get back inside?¡± The guard replied with hesitation. ¡°The captain of the guard said she¡¯d take care of it, so the Lord has nothing to worry about.¡± Only then did Ko Byeong-gap smile with satisfaction. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± May 13th. New family members came to Ashvm. They weren¡¯t human, but that didn¡¯t mean they were Goblins either. ¡°Me-e-eh.¡± ¡°Moooo.¡± ¡°Kuckoo!¡± They were livestock, about 500 cows, goats, and chickens altogether. ¡°Where did you get all these animals, Lord?¡± ¡°Where did I get them? I paid for everything. In the world I live in, there is nothing that money can¡¯t buy.¡± Ko Byeong-gap made a coin shape with his thumb and index finger. The livestock entered the cages under the guidance of the Beast Goblins. He selected about 50 people to oversee raising livestock, giving them special lectures on making fodder, feed, and manure. ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll take responsibility for the livestock. I spent a lot of money buying these guys.¡± ¡°Yep! We¡¯ll do our best!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ko Byeong-gap nced at the caged livestock and smacked his lips. He felt like something was missing. ¡°How many dogs should I bring in?¡± The next day, Ko Byeong-gap brought ten mixed-breed dogs from the market in Ashvm. May 26th. ¡°Oh, Gobung, Gobung, Gobung. Long-time no see.¡± ¡°Gasp, gasp. Lord¡­ Lord!¡± Gobung opened the door, panting. He came running when he heard that the Lord had arrived while he was working. ¡°What brings you here without warning?¡± ¡°What do you mean? When did I ever do that?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I just thought so¡­¡± ¡°Never mind, take this.¡± Ko Byeong-gap handed over a box. Gobung looked at it with a question mark forming over his head. ¡°Eh, what¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you tell when you¡¯re looking right at it? It¡¯s a puppy.¡± ¡°But why would you¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a gift. Just raise it and y with it.¡± Gobung¡¯s reaction showed that he didn¡¯t understand it at all. Ko Byeong-gap presented a miraculous logic to him, saying, ¡®Dogs are cute and loyal, so living with them will make you feel better.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s boring to only work with a pickaxe in the mountains. I¡¯m telling you to cheer up by looking at this puppy.¡± When he said so, Gobung looked very moved. ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll keep it forever!¡± ¡°What do you mean forever? Anyway, how are you doing these days?¡± ¡°Hehe, how we¡¯re doing? Everyone is doing well.¡± Ko Byeong-gap sat face to face with Gobung and caught up on their backlog of conversations. Whenever he came to Somnium, he realized how much he liked the ce and felt an unknowable warm feeling. ¡°Is there anything you need orck?¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine! Nothing at all.¡± ¡°Really? I did see earlier that everything¡¯s fine. The kids look healthy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°What about the new ones?¡± Ko Byeong-gap asked the question, recalling the King Goblins he sent to Somnium. ¡°Well, everyone seems to have adjusted well. They take the lead in their work and are hard-working and smarter than the rest of our kind, so it helps a lot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. Are you learning how to write?¡± ¡°Yes! Before lunch, we all get together to study writing. Everyone enjoys studying.¡± Gobung spoke proudly. The corners of Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s lips rose unbidden. He took a cigarette from his pocket, put it into his mouth, and exhaled smoke. ¡°Whoa, you¡¯re doing great on your own. You don¡¯t need me anymore.¡± ¡°I¡­ Lord.¡± ¡°Oh, what?¡± ¡°Why do you sound like you¡¯re leaving all of a sudden? I got a little scared.¡± Gobung¡¯s voice held obvious concern. Ko Byeong-gap stared at him for a few seconds and smirked. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s nothing to worry about. I¡¯ll be with you for a long time.¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡± ¡°But I do have to leave one day.¡± Gobung¡¯s expression quickly grew solemn. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°Hey, Gobung. It¡¯s harsh, but I can¡¯t be here for you forever. Because I have a life outside.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know when, but when my mom leaves the hospital, I¡¯ll go down to the quiet countryside and live with her. I¡¯m quitting my job as a hunter. If there¡¯s a nice girl out there, I could get married and have a small garden. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s okay?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Gobung nodded soullessly. He then suddenly looked at Ko Byeong-gap and spoke. ¡°If the queen gets better, can¡¯t you bothe to Ashvm and live with us together?¡± ¡°Tsk, tsk. Hey, it would be nice if my mom didn¡¯t pass out once she sees you guys.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so sad. Even if it¡¯s not as often as it is now, I cane and hang out sometimes.¡± After a moment of hesitation, Gobung smiled brightly and nodded. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m fine with that!¡± ¡°Oh, and in six days, we¡¯ll have a feast in Valtadren. You guyse too.¡± ¡°A feast?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not much. It¡¯s June now, so let¡¯s take a few days off and take a break while eating something delicious. You¡¯ve all been running nonstop, right?¡± ¡°I think the Lord worked the hardest.¡± ¡°Alright, dude. What did I do?¡± ¡°No! If it weren¡¯t for Lord, we¡¯d never have made it this far!¡± ¡°Huh¡­ you¡¯re good at talking.¡± He usually heard a lot of slurring from him, but he was better now for some reason. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll pick you up in five days. Be ready to leave by then.¡± ¡°Yeah! I¡¯ll make sure to remember.¡± Ko Byeong-gap, who spent some time in Somnium, left at sunset. As he passed through the dark streets with his old car, he suddenly remembered what Gobung said earlier. ¡®Living in Ashvm with my mother? Well, that doesn¡¯t sound bad either.¡¯ It had the best air and water. He was sure that his mom, who liked the countryside, would be satisfied there. If there was one thing left, wouldn¡¯t it be finding a wife? ¡®Hm, I¡¯m just going to have to live with a Goblin wife. We could raise Doran together¡­ phew, I¡¯m crazy. What am I thinking?¡¯ He entertained the silly thought for about five seconds andughed it off. No matter how hard he thought about it, to have a Goblin wife would be too much. [Active Note: MYBOYSUS] *** Six days passed and June dawned. The Goblins busily prepared for the feast as informed in advance. The busiest one was Ea. She oversaw the kitchen, so she woke early in the morning and cooked all kinds of dishes. The Goblins from Somnium were like hillbillies in Seoul. They were fascinated by the power of Valtadren. Anyway, the Goblins helped each other create a festive atmosphere. Of course, Ko Byeong-gap just opened his wallet today. ¡°Boss, can I leave them here?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, please drop everything there.¡± ¡°Oh, is there a festival or something?¡± ¡°Haha¡­ well.¡± 4,000 pints of 1.5-liter beverages. 4,000 cans of 500 mill beer. 300 pizzas, 400 chickens, and 250 tes of jokbal. All in all, it was a little less than 3 million won. ¡®Being on the throne is expensive.¡¯ In the past, when Ashvm¡¯s family was less than 100 people, a few pounds of pork was enough¡­Ko Byeong-gap missed that time. The day went on, and it became evening. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Hyak!¡± The Goblins sat around and ate their food. Then, they sang and danced. Everyone¡¯s face turned red after a few cans of beer, but he was d they weren¡¯t any idents. ¡°Phew, they¡¯ve all been drinking for a while.¡± ¡°Lord, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Oh, Dorma?¡± As he was about to smoke a cigarette in the corner, Dorma approached him. Unlike the little guys who got drunk on a few cans of beer, Dorma was fine. ¡°Did you eat a lot?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve had enough. But how can you stay here alone?¡± ¡°I just came out to get some fresh air. And you?¡± ¡°Heheh, I left because I didn¡¯t like the noise much.¡± ¡°Really? Don¡¯t stand there and sit here.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A smile spread across Dorma¡¯s face. He stared at the noisy room and muttered. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we had a party like this altogether.¡± ¡°Right. In the past, we often had time like this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about when you were in Somnium?¡± Dorma sighed. ¡°When I look back in time, the days that have passed are like a dream.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°I¡¯m so d I got to meet you, Lord.¡± ¡°Hey, hey. You¡¯re going to say something cheesy, so that¡¯s fine. It¡¯s disgusting for guys.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Dorma and Ko Byeong-gapughed. ¡°Oh! Looooord! Lord!¡± Suddenly, something came limping up in the distance. On closer inspection, it was Doran. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± ¡°She has been drinking the beer Lord gave us. I think she¡¯s drunk.¡± ¡°Lord, why are you here? y with us!¡± Doran tripped and copsed in Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s arms. He clicked his tongue. ¡°Hehehe! I fell.¡± ¡°I have a headache whenever I see you. Doran, what should I do with you?¡± ¡°Why does the Lord always say those things to me? I¡¯m disappointed¡­¡± ¡°What? Disappointed?¡± ¡°Lord is really bad. I like Lord¡­ hmm?¡± ¡°Dorma, I can¡¯t do this. Take her and put her to bed.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± ¡°Ugly fool, go! Get out of here!¡± Doran growled like a wild cat and dug herself into Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s arms. Dorma looked his way, asking him what to do. Ko Byeong-gap sighed and hugged Doran. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Come on, what are you sorry for?¡± ¡°Lord, let¡¯s y together.¡± ¡°¡­Should I just throw her off the walls?¡± ¡°In that state, she could still easily kill a hundred Gruggles and then climb up the fortress wall.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Ko Byeong-gap took up Doran and headed to her residence. They moved from the hustle and bustle of the feast and entered the residential area. He opened the door and went inside. Someone must¡¯ve left the light on since it was bright. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Oh, Lord.¡± It was Marilyn, and she was sitting alone in the empty house. ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°Because she¡¯s so drunk, I brought her to put her to sleep.¡± ¡°Oh! Sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I should have taken care of her. Please hand her over to me.¡± ¡°Lady, get your hands off me!¡± ¡°Eh,dy?!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Leave it. I¡¯ll do it.¡± Ko Byeong-gapid Doran on her bed after many twists and turns. She fell asleep as soon as her head met the bed. Marilyn kept saying she was sorry. ¡°By the way, what are you doing here? Did you eat?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve had enough.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go out and have fun? Why are you stuck in your room like this?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± Marilyn glossed over his concern. Ko Byeong-gap nodded as if he understood. ¡°You¡¯re in the Dorma department, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What? What do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Anyway, I¡¯ll be resting for the next few days, so make sure you get some rest too.¡± ¡°Yes, sir. May Lord rest in peace.¡± Ko Byeong-gap waved his hand to answer and grabbed the doorknob. Suddenly, Marilyn called him from behind. ¡°Excuse me¡­ Lord!¡± ¡°Oh, yes?¡± She hesitated for a while and watched him quietly, trying to say something. ¡°That¡­ that¡¯s what I told you before.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Going to the Holy Land of Vervonia. I¡¯d like to tell you something else about it¡ª!¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry.¡± Ko Byeong-gap answered, cutting her words off. ¡°I was going to go soon. Valtadren stabilized faster than I thought. Let¡¯s go as soon as the party is over.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d like to tell you¡­¡± ¡°Hey, we¡¯re not old men. Let¡¯s not talk about work when we have a day off. Okay?¡± ¡°Oh, yes. I see.¡± Ko Byeong-gap suddenly looked back and smiled brightly as he left the front door. ¡°Take a good rest, Marilyn. I¡¯m so d you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The feast, which was full ofughter, came to an end on the third day. Somnium¡¯s Goblins returned to their original positions, and Valtadren returned to its usual routine. Five days passed. Ko Byeong-gap, Marilyn, and Dorma went on a long journey. Chapter 93 93. Head for the Holy Land Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s new car crossed the wastnd. Halfway between the grasnds and the desert, the fields were deste with no significant sign of life. However, dust clouds followed behind them. Dorma sat in the passenger seat while Marilyn sat in the back seat. The trunk and trailer were loaded with a month¡¯s worth of food, extra clothes, weapons, and oil. ¡°You finally left Doran behind.¡± Dorma watched the scenery passing by outside the window and suddenly spoke. Ko Byeong-gap answered calmly with his eyes fixed in front of him. ¡°Who¡¯s going to protect the castle if we brought her?¡± ¡°She seemed to have a lot ofints.¡± ¡°She¡¯s naturally pouty.¡± Ko Byeong-gap was reminded of what happened a while ago. As if she had been stung by a bee, Doran, with inted cheeks, asked if he could take her too. She was determined. ¡°If I had to take either Doran or Dorma, Dorma would be my choice.¡± Marilyn had to be there because she was the guide. It would be empty if only the two of them went, so it would be easier if they had one more subordinate. Of course, if they had Doran with them, they wouldn¡¯t be bored much. However, there was no one morefortable to go around with than Dorma. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with and go back.¡± Ko Byeong-gap said so and nced sideways at the rearview mirror. Marilyn was looking out the window with a dark cloud on her face. She had that look on her face ever since they left the castle. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with her? Not long ago, she was singing about going to the capital.¡¯ He thought she would jump up and down like an elementary school student before a pic. She was hard to grasp. ¡°Marilyn, why is your face so dark? Does your stomach hurt?¡± Marilyn flinched and turned away. ¡°What? What did you say?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you look happy? Isn¡¯t this a good thing?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just a little nauseous¡­.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re getting motion sickness.¡± It was no wonder since she was like a country girl who had never been in a car before. Ko Byeong-gap nodded at the glovebox on the passenger side. ¡°Dorma, open that.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ are you talking about this?¡± ¡°Right, press the handle and pull. Then it¡¯ll open.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Is there a ss bottle in there?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Give it to Marilyn.¡± Dorma did as he was told. Marilyn tilted her head as she epted the medicine for motion sickness. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a medicine that makes you feel better. Open it and drink it.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s too precious for me¡­.¡± ¡°What do you mean, precious? It¡¯s okay. Drink it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Marilyn swallowed the medicine. However, it didn¡¯t seem to suit her taste. The car ran for a while. It had been two hours and fifteen minutes since they left the Valtadren when Ko Byeong-gap stopped the car for a while and checked thepass built into the dashboard. ¡°I think it¡¯s the right direction.¡± He scoured thendscape out of the window and went down while Dorma and Marilyn followed. All he could see around them were rising dunes, and on the northern side were mountain ranges and rocky canyons that stretched onward. However, their direction was southeast. ¡°Marilyn.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but let me check it out just once.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She took off the fluffy coat she was wearing. Soon, her upper body was revealed without a thread covering it. Her torso was covered by tattoos. ¡®Is the scalerger than I thought?¡¯ What he had in mind as a milestone was the four castles along the path. Passing through those four castles ¨C Limedry, Vicosus, Chitosan, and Hermonia ¨C should lead them to Vervonia. ording to the information, they should have passed Limedry by now. ¡°How far is it from Valtadren to Vervonia?¡± ¡°A first-ss rider would take about a month and five days.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Ko Byeong-gap was genuinely curious as to how many kilometers they could ride in a month on horseback. He had so far expected it to be around 800 kilometers, but it might be even more than he had predicted. That was why they went there with a full month¡¯s worth of food. ¡°Okay, get dressed.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Marilyn put on her coat again. They got back into the car and diligently moved forward. *** He burned through five cigarettes as he drove. Ko Byeong-gap was of a mixed-heart, but not because Limedry, the first milestone, didn¡¯t show up. ¡®What is this¡­? It¡¯s like looking at Mars.¡¯ He had seen Mars in a science magazine as a child. There was no civilized city where Martians lived. Since the¡¯s growth hadpletely stopped, thend died, and the rivers dried up. Ashvm was no different. He thought it would be better to drive with a car, but the barrennd between the desert and the grasnd continued. ¡®Can we make this ce fertile again in a few decades?¡¯ It had taken them only three weeks to turn Valtadren¡¯s limited area into fertile soil, but it seemed that a lifetime wouldn¡¯t be enough to transform all that vastnd. However, it wasn¡¯t impossible at all. There was a mysterious thing in front of him that would make the impossible possible. ¡°Yeah!¡± He turned the steering wheel in a hurry. A Gruggle popped out like a thunderbolt at night, which he didn¡¯t see at first because it was covered with mushroom-shaped rocks. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Dorma and Marilyn, who had dozed off, were surprised. ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s going on¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap replied and looked at the side mirror. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t think it hit them. ¡°Damn it.¡± Another Gruggle was hanging onto the trailer. The power of its grip was so good that he didn¡¯t expect it to fall even though he was driving at 80 kilometers per hour. Rather, it was climbing closer. The trailer contained oil and vehicle maintenance tools, so it shouldn¡¯t be left as it was. He pressed the brakes in a hurry. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it!¡± Marilyn jumped out of the car, leaving him no chance to answer back. She rushed at the Gruggle like a beast. The Gruggle looked like a frog, opening its mouth wide as it shot off dozens of tentacles from within. Marilyn cut off all its tentacles by swinging her arms, all without pulling out her sword. After that, she closed the distance in seconds and pierced its forehead. Swoosh! The Gruggle¡¯s head burst when she pulled her arm back. Everything was over in a blink of an eye. ¡°Well¡­ she fights well.¡± ¡°Right. I¡¯ve never seen her fight before.¡± Marilyn looked around for a moment before returning to the car. ¡°Wipe it with this.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She got into the car after wiping her arm off with the cloth she was handed. Suddenly, other Gruggles slowly appeared behind the mushroom-shaped rocks. The ghostly bastards were persistent. Marilyn acted like she was going back out again, but Ko Byeong-gap quickly restrained her. ¡°Never mind, don¡¯t go out.¡± ¡°What? But¡­¡± ¡°They can¡¯t catch up with us anyway.¡± He started the car quickly. They chased the car, but they moved too fast for them to catch up. ¡°Is that alright?¡± Dorma asked as he looked back at the Gruggles, growing smaller and smaller in the distance. Ko Byeong-gap answered in a trivial tone. ¡°What¡¯s the point of worrying? There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°By the way, Marilyn, are you hurt?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s no problem.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°But the smell is a little¡­¡± She sniffed at her arm. Even though she only touched it for a short time, the rotten smell seemed to have infected her. After receiving a cleansing wet tissue from Dorma, she wiped her arm down. Ko Byeong-gap quickly moved out of the mushroom rock zone. He looked at the clock, noting it was getting close to noon. It had already been four hours since they started. ¡®I¡¯ll have to stop the car at the right ce and eat.¡¯ They were in the right ce, so he searched for a ce where the Gruggles wouldn¡¯t suddenly pop out. By that time, they had moved for about fifteen minutes; thinking about going a little further, he had crossed a tall hill. He then found a castle stretching down the hill. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°What about there?¡± It was Limedry, the first milestone. *** ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°You must be shocked.¡± ¡°I guess. It¡¯s different from Valtadren.¡± After arriving at Limedry, Ko Byeong-gap and his group had a simple lunch there. However, Marilyn seemed to be having a hard time forcing the food down her throat. She had been like that ever since she saw the panoramic view of Limedry, which had been smashed to pieces. Compared to Valtadren, Limedry¡¯s appearance was disastrous. In human terms, it looked as if the top had been cut off. ¡°Limedry was my parents¡¯ hometown.¡± If there were any remains of them, she would¡¯ve searched for them, but that would be meaningless now. They decided to head to their next destination without dy. Before that, he checked the map one more time. Ko Byeong-gap converted the approximate distance using his fingers as a grid. ¡®It took us four hours from Valtadren to Limedry. We¡¯ve been driving at 80 kilometers an hour¡­is this about 300 kilometers?¡¯ His fingers passed over Marilyn¡¯s chest and toward her chin. She flinched a little as he touched her body, but she took care not to show it. He moved to her side and made his way to their destination, Vervonia. ¡®It¡¯s so far away. 1,700 kilometers from Valtadren to Vervonia.¡¯ They had about 1,400 kilometers left. He thought maybe they could reach it within the day, but he was wrong. If there were no big troubles, they would reach it by tomorrow evening. ¡°Ashvm in its heyday was very spacious.¡± Ko Byeong-gap muttered to himself while driving. Then Marilyn, who was leaning her head against the window, reacted. ¡°¡­Above it reaches the snowy mountains and below it reaches the sea. Thendscape was so long that the sun never set. When the king put the continent under his arms, the name of the continent became Ashvm. Ashvm was the only one under the sky¡­¡± It didn¡¯t sound like she was bragging or anything. She was talking to herself rather than speaking to Ko Byeong-gap. The car kept moving. A few times, they had to lift the car and move it over the rough terrain. They had three or four close encounters with the Gruggles. In the process, the car was scratched, and Ko Byeong-gap was deeply saddened. By the time his pack of cigarettes had run out, the sun had already set, and they had reached the second milestone, Vicosus. ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Vicosus was more broken than Limedry. If they hadn¡¯t been paying close attention, they would have overlooked it. ¡°Vicosus is where a million allies and a million enemies fought. This is where they defeated the sixth Holy Warrior, Jashas.¡± Marilyn exined briefly. She had nothing more to say about the ce as there was nothing left. ¡°Lord, what are we going to do? It¡¯s gettingte. Would you like to camp here?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not even six o¡¯clock yet. Let¡¯s go to the next ce, and I¡¯m going to sleep in my house.¡± ¡°At Lord¡¯s house? What about us?¡± ¡°Of course, you can sleep with me.¡± ¡°Would that be alright with you, Lord?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t do. There are many rooms left at home. Anyway, get in.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He usually drove a lot, but he felt sore from driving all day. He held it in and continued. ¡°This mount is great. What would have taken ten days on horseback was covered in less than a day.¡± Marilyn, who had been depressed thus far, asked, seeming livelier. Ko Byeong-gap just shrugged. ¡°Where I live, there are so many things like this everywhere. Hmm¡­ do you want me to show you where I liveter?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Is that okay? Even if we go out¡­¡± ¡°Dorma, you might have a hard time. But it won¡¯t be a problem if Marilyn covers her ears with a hoodie.¡± ¡°Well, then I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Come to think of it, Marilyn, you might be offended. If you go there, there are humans everywhere.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ no. I can see the difference.¡± They enjoyed plenty of small talk. It was the perfect time to tell a story about the physiology of the world called Earth. It was already past 10 pm. ¡®I can¡¯t do this. I was going to go all the way to Chitosan, but it¡¯s toote. I should pull over in a suitable ce¡­¡¯ He leaned his head out of the window. It was hard seeing even an inch ahead unless it was in the area lit by the headlights. Suddenly, the two lights shone on some big wall, and then a fireball fell from the sky to block the car. Boom! ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°What? What is it?¡± ¡°All of a sudden?¡± The fireball fell five steps ahead of the car. The fire spread quickly and created a barrier. ¡°Damn it! Did Gruggles ever shoot fire?¡± ¡°What should we do? Get out and fight? Well?!¡± ¡°Ugh! The light?¡± The three in the car covered their eyes simultaneously, shielding them from the bright light. The light didn¡¯te from the me barrier. It was an artificial light, like the high-poweredntern he carried around¡­ Ko Byeong-gap looked forward, soothing his eyes. His jaw went ck, surprised at the unexpected. That front wall was a castle wall, and there was someone on top of it. Chapter 94 94. Head for the Holy Land There were several human figures on the wall, some of whom were emitting light. In the meantime, the barrier of fire that stood in the way grewrger. ¡°Shit!¡± Ko Byeong-gap quickly put the gear in reverse and pulled the car back. Who in the world would want their car to be lit up? Fortunately, the car was fine, but his heart went up in mes. ¡°There¡¯s someone on the wall.¡± Dorma, who noticed half a beatte, said so. Ko Byeong-gap gritted his teeth and answered, ¡°Oh, fortunately, I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a Sarahon. It could be our surviving kin that had gathered in Chitosan.¡± Marilyn spoke with anticipation. Ko Byeong-gap was skeptical. If a colony that hade and gone suddenly appeared, it would be ridiculous. The fireballs kept flying regardless of their musings, creating a barrier of fire around them while avoiding directly hitting the car. That fire was mysterious in many ways. They were neither arrows nor cannonballs, just pure fireballs. In addition, even without wood, the fire burned without showing signs of diminishing. ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re trying to hurt us.¡± ¡°It looks like warning shots to me.¡± ¡°What would you like to do?¡± ¡°If you can understand each other, you should try to talk. It¡¯s a shame that they fired at us in the first ce.¡± Ko Byeong-gap sighed quietly, unlocking his seat belt. ¡°I¡¯ll go out and talk to them. In the meantime, go to the trunk and pack your arms.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get off.¡± They got out of the car. Ko Byeong-gap stepped forward, raising his hands, while Dorma and Marilyn headed behind the car. The light that was shining on the car focused on Ko Byeong-gap. He endured the re and looked up. Silhouettes were vaguely visible due to the rays of light that shone down from above. ¡®He seems to have a head and limbs.¡¯ At least it looked like a human being. Just as he had cleared his breath and was about to open his mouth, the first to speak came from the other side. ¡°What are you? Reveal your identity!¡± It was the voice of a man with a beautiful tone. He couldn¡¯t even admire the voice for a moment since he was annoyed, however. How should they introduce themselves? He just wanted to ask who they were to upy the castle. However, the conversation would only turn sour if he did, so he decided to wrap it up appropriately. ¡°We are wandering travelers!¡± ¡°Travelers?¡± They began to babble among themselves over there. In the meantime, Dorma and Marilyn approached a short distance away. Ko Byeong-gap received his sword and gently held it. ¡°What is that piece?¡± ¡°What, this?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a car. Think of it as something like a horse.¡± Again, they started murmuring over there. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t stand it and said, ¡°We¡¯re looking for a ce to stay for the night. Please open the door.¡± ¡°Wait. The Lord is on his way.¡± They left only those words and shut their mouths. He asked several times, ¡®Who are you?¡¯ but no answer came. About ten minutester, a new figure appeared. He stood in front of the bumps on the wall and looked down for a while. After a moment, the gates opened without warning. ¡°Do they want us toe in?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why they opened the gates. Get in the car, both of you. They¡¯re holding weapons.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The wall of fire that blocked them magically died down. Ko Byeong-gap drove slowly to avoid the soot. He saw soldiers filling both sides of the street as they entered. Whether such things could be called soldiers was beyond discussion. One thing was for sure, Valtadren soldiers were much better on the surface. ¡°Lord¡­ Lord, there¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Only now could they identify the race of those inside the castle. Even in Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes, it was quite clear. They looked like human beings but had strangely awkward features, almost like dolls or mannequins due to their big eyes. ¡°They¡¯re Spirits.¡± Those were Ea¡¯s kin. *** He remembered hearing it vaguely a long time ago. Somewhere on the continent, there was a kingdom of Spirits. He never thought he would run into them on their trip, however. ¡®It seems to be very poor for a kingdom.¡¯ It was the Spirits that upied Chitosan, the old castle of the Sarahons. They seemed to have their order and discipline, maintaining the semnce of civilization in the deste wildernesses. The Spirits were astonished to see Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s party from a distance. They looked at them like they were strange, or like they were something else¡­overall, it wasn¡¯t a good thing. It was the Lord who calmed down the murmurs. Of course, he was a Spirit, too, with a noticeably aged appearance. ¡°You¡¯re not Spirits.¡± ¡°As you can see.¡± ¡°Take up your spears. Guards, return to your original positions.¡± The Spirits moved quickly as he ordered. The Lord looked at the car and frowned. ¡°There¡¯s no stable here. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a ce to put that weird mount.¡± ¡°We can just leave it here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid it would cause a scene. You didn¡¯t even fasten its reins.¡± ¡°There will be no trouble. It¡¯s very calm.¡± ¡°If that ride makes a disturbance, I¡¯ll order them to attack it without dy.¡± ¡°You can do as you please.¡± A car that had been turned off wouldn¡¯t cause a disturbance, so Ko Byeong-gap answered confidently. The Lord looked unhappy but nodded. ¡°Follow me.¡± The Lord took the lead. Rather than the castle¡¯s leader, he just felt like an old-fashioned, picky-looking grandfather from the local neighborhood. The ce he showed them was an ordinary wooden hut. It didn¡¯t fit well for a parlor or a private house of a Lord. So, they thought he had guided them to their amodations. But inside, antern was lit, and there was an open book on the desk. It was the Lord¡¯s residence indeed. ¡°Sit down. We indeed treat our guests with the utmost respect, but things aren¡¯t so easy. I¡¯d appreciate it if you could understand.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± Ko Byeong-gap sat on the floor roughly, and Dorma sat nearby as if he had no idea. Marilyn seemed somewhat dubious but sat in one corner of the room. The Lord pulled out his chair and sat down, rubbing his forehead. He looked at the three visitors with a nk expression on his face as he spoke. ¡°At first, I thought I was looking at the ghosts of the past, but you¡¯re alive and well. To confess, it feels like themon sense I¡¯ve built so far is copsing.¡± Ko Byeong-gap responded immediately, surprised. ¡°Do you know who we are?¡± ¡°I know. A human, a Sarahon, and a Goblin. I wonder if it¡¯s right to distinguish a Sarahon from a Goblin.¡± Not only Ko Byeong-gap, but Dorma and Marilyn¡¯s mouths were wide open. ¡®This Spirit¡­ knows the history of the Sarahons.¡¯ At any rate, it was clear that he was no ordinary Spirit. ¡°You must know a lot.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve lived for quite a long time. But it isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve ever had such a ridiculous day. I wasn¡¯t as surprised today as I was when the Devil¡¯s cubs broke out in the surface world.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little out of the blue, but I have a lot of questions for you.¡± ¡°The same goes for me. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have you in the castle. But before that, I have one thing to check.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you run into Titan on your way here?¡± ¡°Titan?¡± Ko Byeong-gap tilted his head. It was a familiar name, but he couldn¡¯t remember it easily. The Lord asked as if surprised. ¡°You don¡¯t know Titan? It¡¯s a Gruggle as huge as a mountain.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re talking about that guy.¡± Only then was Ko Byeong-gap able to recall the story Ea told him. Among them was a colossal Gruggle, who even earned a name due to his fame. When Ko Byeong-gap reacted, the Lord¡¯s expression became ugly. ¡°Did you run into Titan? When? Where?¡± ¡°Please calm down. We didn¡¯t run into it.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Ko Byeong-gap nced subtly at Dorma and Marilyn. It was a signal not to say anything. ¡°Why would we lie? Why do you think we ran into Titan?¡± ¡°You¡¯re from the west. Titan passed through here a while ago and went west.¡± ¡°That¡¯s reasonable thinking, but really, we¡¯ve never run into Titan.¡± The Lord took a moment to calm himself down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was afraid you might drag Titan in. If you did, I¡¯d have to kick you out.¡± ¡°Seeing that you¡¯re so afraid, it seems that he¡¯s strong, right?¡± ¡°Surely speaking¡­ Titan is thest disaster left on this dead continent.¡± ¡°But you look fine considering that Titan passed by.¡± The Lord¡¯s expression hardened, and he let out a sigh. ¡°Dozens of Spirits have sacrificed themselves to avoid us being caught by him. I don¡¯t want to talk about it further.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s alright. I¡¯m not curious.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re honest.¡± The Lord smiled, closed the book on the desk, and put it into the bookcase. There weren¡¯t many books in there, barely more than a dozen. He spoke, conscious of their gazes, ¡°These books are all written by the Sarahons.¡± ¡°My kin?!¡± Marilyn reacted clearly. The Lord replied with a shrug. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all here. You all know this is the old castle of the Sarahons, right?¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ko Byeong-gap replied. The Lord nodded, muttering, ¡®Yes, of course.¡¯ ¡°As expected, you didn¡¯te by ident. It would be a lie to say you were wandering travelers.¡± The Lord pointed sharply. Ko Byeong-gap decided to confess openly. ¡°We were on our way to Vervonia. Chitosan was on that path.¡± ¡°Ho, Vervonia. If my memory is correct, that is the ancient capital of Ashvm. What are you going to do there?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going because I have something to do. It¡¯s personal.¡± ¡°Really? It¡¯s not my business whatever you do.¡± The Lord giggled andughed, sitting back in the chair. ¡°Come to think of it; we hadn¡¯t introduced ourselves yet. I¡¯m Kunta, the Lord of this castle.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ko Byeong-gap. These are my men, Dorma and Marilyn.¡± Dorma and Marilyn paid silent tribute. Lord Kunta¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Your men? Well, I¡¯m getting more curious about you.¡± ¡°Since we have a lot of questions between us, why don¡¯t we stop talking and get to the point?¡± ¡°I like it, but how are you? It doesn¡¯t seem like your trip is going well. Aren¡¯t you tired? It¡¯ste.¡± Of course, he was tired. Didn¡¯t he drive nonstop for 14 hours? His body and mind wanted to sleep quickly, but curiosity overcame all that fatigue. He looked at his men and asked. ¡°Dorma, Marilyn. Are you exhausted? If you¡¯re tired, take a rest tonight.¡± ¡°Why would I be tired? All I¡¯ve been doing all day is sitting down.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine too. Lord, aren¡¯t you more tired than we are?¡± When the word ¡®Lord¡¯ came out of Marilyn¡¯s mouth, Kunta flinched. Ko Byeong-gap nced at him and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°As you¡¯ve heard, we¡¯re okay.¡± ¡°Well¡­ if you¡¯re okay with it, it¡¯s fine. So, what do you want to ask? If I can answer it, I will tell you.¡± ¡°Things that happened here.¡± Ko Byeong-gap answered immediately. ¡°I want to know everything that has happened on thisnd.¡± ¡°You mean you want to know its history?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Kunta let out a big smile. He pulled the chair closer to Ko Byeong-gas with his eyes shining. ¡°You¡¯ve chosen a good opponent. It¡¯s just old stories that this old man knows.¡± Kunta¡¯s long story began. Chapter 95 95. Head for the Holy Land ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, and I haven¡¯t counted the years, but it¡¯s been more than 1,000 years and less than 1,500. At that time, I was in the Spirit Realm.¡± Kunta and the other Spirits lived in the Spirit Realm. There was no natural way for them to leave it since, as with most existences, they lived their entire lives in the dimension they were born in, after all. In particr, the Spirits were a race that regarded silence as the best virtue. Therefore, most of them weren¡¯t even interested in the mess happening in the surface world. In that sense, Kunta was different. He was inquisitive and pursued a turbulent life. It was probably natural for him to make a contract with a human. ¡°She was a sorcerer. I¡¯ve forgotten her name now, but I clearly remember her being called a witch among the humans. What an odd woman she was. Anyway, I traveled with her for quite a long time.¡± Kunta came down to the surface world at just around the end of the war between the Sarahons and the Holy Army. The Sarahons, who once dominated the continent, had fallen badly. They were driven to the outskirts and became prisoners, so the other Ains were no longer afraid. When the tiger disappeared, a brawl between the wolves began for the burrow. ¡°You mean there was another war?¡± ¡°Yes. As soon as the Holy Army left, the Allies disbanded and fought amongst themselves. It was amazing. I thought they were trying to make a sea out of the blood.¡± The war among the Ainssted more than 300 years, and the Sarahonspletely lost their former glory. They were currently neither noble, strong, nor beautiful. Their name was solidified into the humiliating nickname Goblin, and no one remembered that they were once great. By that time, Marilyn and Dorma¡¯s faces had hardened like stones. Kunta looked at them and said, ¡°Should I keep talking?¡± ¡°No problem. Please tell me.¡± ¡°¡­Then I¡¯ll finish. The Ains called it the age of war. I think the age of problems would be more appropriate. Well, whatever the name may be, spears rained down every day. And in the end, an entire race was annihted.¡± ¡°What race are you talking about?¡± ¡°It was the Dwarves.¡± Kunta cleared his throat briefly and exined. ¡°Even though the Dwarves were entric, they were a race that hated blood. So they pulled themselves out of the fight for territory early and hid underground.¡± ¡°But why did they be extinct?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of humans.¡± ¡°Because of humans?¡± ¡°The humans oiled the Dwarves¡¯ dungeons and set them on fire.¡± Ko Byeong-gap sighed while Kunta smirked. ¡°The mes went up from the tunnels, and it was able to reach the heavens. The Dwarves turned into lumps of charcoal and screamed as they came out. It was like seeing hell spill into the world.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Human beings are smart. If you¡¯re smart, you can be clever and tenacious. Their persistence soon led to cruelty. In times of war, the humans won, no matter what.¡± Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t know whether to feel proud or ashamed of this passage. He just wondered what his men would think of him. ¡°Hummm!¡± Kunta coughed dryly, perhaps because he had been talking for a while. ¡°Dorma, take the water out of your backpack.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Dorma handed him a bottle of water. Kunta hesitated for a moment, then epted. ¡°At a nce, the water is clear. You¡¯re in a good situation, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°So what happened after that?¡± Instead of answering, Ko Byeong-gap urged him to continue the story. Kunta grinned after a few sips of water. ¡°What happened? There was real chaos that was different from the war between the Ains.¡± The war of the Ains that was maintained for decades, was never settled properly. One day, the Devil appeared with no foreshadowing or indication. The Devil was taller than most giant trees, and his whole body was pitch ck. When he spread his wings and flew in the sky, night fell even in the middle of the day. The Devil raised his long arms and devoured everything he held in his hands. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­.¡± Dorma murmured. His forehead was damp with cold sweat. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°When I heard that, I remembered. That¡¯s how it looked when it chased us. It was huge, ck, and long¡­ he flew like a hawk when he found us. He snatched us at once and swallowed us in one gulp. It happened in a sh, and we couldn¡¯t resist.¡± Dorma trembled as he recalled the past. Terror was evident in his face. Suddenly, he raised his head and asked Kunta. ¡°But old man, was that the Devil? As far as I know, the Devil¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, the Devil is the bastard that lived in the underworld.¡± ¡°But how¡­¡± ¡°What the hell is the Devil?¡± Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t stand it. Kunta shook his head slowly. ¡°There won¡¯t be anyone in the world who knows exactly what the Devil is. However, as they say, the Devil was inherently a weak being. No, even the expression weak is inappropriate. He was like moss, for example.¡± ¡°Moss?¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s not dead, but he¡¯s not alive. A lump that you can¡¯t even think of. That¡¯s the nature of the Devil.¡± Ko Byeong-gap had a rough idea of what he meant, but it didn¡¯t make any sense. Kunta continued before he could ask again. ¡°I don¡¯t know what skills it possessed to have its form and self. It¡¯s not exactly important. What¡¯s important is that the whole world was devastated.¡± Chaos descended to the surface world when the Devil broke out. The Ains fought against it desperately. However, the difference in power was overwhelming enough to overshadow their effort. In front of the predator named the Devil, the Ains were nothing but prey. Was it because of their extreme environment? A noticeable change urred to the Ains. It was¡­ such a terrible change. ¡°Hundreds of years passed since the Demons broke out, and it became impossible to tell what a Demon was and what an Ain was.¡± ¡°¡­The people turned into monsters.¡± Kunta¡¯s eyes grew bigger. ¡°You know that.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He heard it from a monster in a dungeon not too long ago, so he knew. However, there was only one catch. ¡°By the way, did you say hundreds of years? Just hundreds of years?¡± It was perfectly natural for living things to evolve ording to their environment, but a few hundred years was too short. Although he was ignorant of this field, he knew that it took apes countless of years to be even vaguely human. In response to the question, Kunta replied. ¡°Well, from the moment the Devil¡¯s rose,mon sense lost its meaning. At that time, the sun rose in the west, but it wasn¡¯t unbelievable.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Maybe the Devil broke thews of the world.¡± The Devil and its subordinates upied the surface world for hundreds of years. In the meantime, Kunta fled to the Spirit Realm, but one day, the Demons invaded the Spirit Realm too. The Spirit Realm, of course, turned upside down. The Spirits were aware of the situation in the world below. Still, they could remain calm thanks to their belief that the Devil¡¯s touch wouldn¡¯t reach them. However, the Demons abandoned their bodies and set foot in the Spirit Realm. Again, the indiscriminate ughter began. ¡°The Spirits didn¡¯t even think about confronting them. Most of the Spirits who had only ¡®existed¡¯ for a long time couldn¡¯tprehend the concept of struggle. So they fled to the surface world like mutts on fire. At least they thought there wouldn¡¯t be Demons there.¡± There were certainly no Demons on the surface world because all of them had given up their bodies and ascended to the Spirit Realm. The shells that they left behind, the Gruggles, were still strong, however, and the residents of the realm, who became monsters, weren¡¯t friendly with them. The hard life of the Spirits began. A long time passed, and all the Spirits who failed to escape the Spirit Realm were consumed and killed. The Demons who conquered the Spirit Realm invaded the Heavenly Realm without stopping. They took it over as if it were their home from the start. Ko Byeong-gap asked, ¡°How did you, staying in the surface world, know the status of the Spirit Realm and the Heavenly Realm?¡± At the question, Kunta tried to refer to the God Madmut, but Ko Byeong-gap quickly stopped him. ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Dorma, cover your ears. No, go out for a second.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Dorma walked away gently; only then did Ko Byeong-gap feel relieved. ¡°Okay. Keep talking.¡± Kunta had questions, but he kept them to himself. ¡°Hmm, of course. I didn¡¯t see the Demons advancing into Heaven, but I saw Madmut escape from to the surface world.¡± ¡°You mean God ran away?¡± ¡°Ha! Where else would he go?¡± Ko Byeong-gap blinked as if to urge him to continue. Kunta recited the tale in a lower voice. ¡°That irresponsible God destroyed us¡­ no, he abandoned this world! He disappeared beyond the dimensions, taking his children with him!¡± *** The absolute God, Madmut. He took the Ains, who had turned into monsters, and disappeared beyond the dimension. Ko Byeong-gap felt his mind go nk at this part. ¡®¡­As expected, the Deep Impact wasn¡¯t a natural disaster. It was a crime nned by someone.¡¯ Whether or not there was a supernatural being behind Deep Impact had been a topic of debate for quite some time. Some groups worshipped the unknown, regardless of whether it was true or not. A typical example was the Six-rays Bridge. On this day, Ko Byeong-gap could infer the identity of the transcendent being that the believers in the Six-rays Bridge so desperately wanted to know. Yes, the transcendent being seemed to be Madmut. ¡®Madmut, who ran away from Ashvm, scattered monsters on Earth¡­ for what reason?¡¯ Of course, he didn¡¯t know what it meant. ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing much after that. God abandoned the world, and all the Spirits left struggled to survive. If they were alive, they couldn¡¯t live a happy life because they had a hard time looking for anything to put in their mouths.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you return to the Spirit Realm? Are you wondering if there are any Demons left?¡± Marilyn, who was quietly listening, asked the question. ¡°There is a reason for that, but¡­ even if I wanted to go back now, my body has be something that can¡¯t bring me back to it.¡± Kunta said so and pointed to his body. ¡°Just as the Ains have turned into monsters, we¡¯ve changed a lot. We¡¯re like chickens that can¡¯t fly. We¡¯ll have to learn how to separate our soul and body, just like the Demons. Heh.¡± Kunta smiled bitterly and stood. ¡°My story is over. There are many things I want to hear too, but I think it¡¯s toote. Why don¡¯t we stop here for today?¡± Ko Byeong-gap checked his watch. Unbeknownst to him, it was past 1 am, so he and Marilyn also stood. ¡°Thank you for your story. I¡¯ll tell you my story when it¡¯s dawn.¡± ¡°Alright, follow me. I will guide you to your room.¡± They left the hut, catching up with Dorma, who was waiting outside patiently. ¡°You¡¯re here. Is the story over?¡± ¡°Yes, you had a hard time waiting.¡± ¡°Hard work, that¡¯s ridiculous.¡± Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s party was introduced to a cabin simr to Kunta¡¯s. It wasn¡¯t very pleasant, but it was enough for the night. ¡°Then, take a good rest.¡± ¡°Thanks to you, I found out a lot. Thank you.¡± Kunta left with a simple goodbye. ¡°Lord, are we going over to your world?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t ignore their sincerity, so let¡¯s just sleep here today.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± They quickly went to sleep. The three of them had their thoughts surging through their heads. They had a lot to say, but they decided to postpone it due to their exhaustion. ¡°Have a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± ¡°Lord, have a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± ¡°Yes, good night to you, too.¡± It didn¡¯t take a long time for the cabin to be filled with static. The first night seemed to pass without any trouble until guards armed with spears stormed in. Chapter 96 96. Head for the Holy Land As soon as the door of their amodation opened, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes darted open. What he felt as soon as his consciousness awakened was quick movements heading toward them. He shot up reflexively and picked up the sword by his bedside. He then sprinted to the door. Five Spirit soldiers entered the building. The sky over the open door was still dark, still, an hour left before dawn. ¡°What?¡± Before they could say anything, Ko Byeong-gap asked, and then a Spirit soldier opened his palm. Light came out of it that lit up the house. Another soldier took a step ahead and answered. ¡°What? That¡¯s what I want to ask! Come on, wake them up!¡± He eximed. There was no need as Dorma and Marilyn were climbing out of bed on their own, woken by the disturbance. ¡°Lord, what is this?¡± ¡°What kind of act is this?! You came in the middle of the night and pointed spears at your guests!¡± Marilyn ranted, but the Spirit soldier growled without backing down. ¡°Get out of the way! Get out of here! Now!¡± ¡°We¡¯re still¨C!¡± ¡°Marilyn, it¡¯s done. Stop it.¡± Ko Byeong-gap calmed her down first. He asked with his sword lifted. ¡°What¡¯s going on? If you want us to leave, shouldn¡¯t we know the reason?¡± The Spirit soldier had a lot to say, but he condensed it to a single statement. ¡°The Gruggles areing!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap and his party rushed to the wall. He could hear the situation roughly the moment they left the cabin. The outline of the case was simple. Many Gruggles were seen from the west side, where Ko Byeong-gap and his party came from. The Spirit soldier¡¯s words took on the nuance, ¡®You must have brought them in!¡¯ However, Ko Byeong-gap found it unfair. ¡°We¡¯re not some kind of piper. What kind of tricks did we use to attract them?¡± When they reached the wall, it seemed that the Lord of the castle was already standing there. He also seemed to have woken up, and his face was filled with fatigue and irritation. They needed an exnation, but it was urgent to understand the exact situation. Ko Byeong-gap climbed up the wall and looked out at the wilderness across from him. Dark lumps loomed over the field. ¡®¡­What?¡¯ Their pulse was dull and loose. The Spirits were arguing with each other, so he thought there were thousands of Gruggles. However, the number of enemies was at most hundreds. It wasn¡¯t enough to beat the fortress wall. If this were Valtadren, Doran would¡¯ve led the guards and caught them without such a fuss. And yet, to the face of the serious Spirits, Ko Byeong-gap thought it was shameful of them to be so worried. However, he couldn¡¯t say that out loud. It was best to show off strength at times like this. ¡°I¡¯m in a terrible mood right now.¡± Lord Kunta suppressed his anger as he spoke. It wasn¡¯t known whether his anger was directed at Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s party or the Gruggles. Ko Byeong-gap just pulled out his sword. ¡°You think we got them involved.¡± ¡°Please understand. We have no choice but to me you because you showed up, and they popped out from the same direction.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I want to defend myself, but let¡¯s put out the urgent fire first. We¡¯ll take care of them. Lord, you can provide support from a distance. There will be no damage done to the castle.¡± ¡°Ha! You mean you can get rid of them all?¡± Kunta asked in a sneering tone, but Ko Byeong-gap was confident. Of course, some of them were strong. However, very few of the Gruggles he had ever defeated were more than B-ss monsters. At best, if they were low-level monsters, Ko Byeong-gap, Dorma, and Marilyn were enough alone. ¡°Yes, we fought with these a little bit. We can take a hundred or so of them quickly.¡± ¡°Hah.¡± ¡°Dorma, Marilyn, let¡¯s go. We need to beat them before they get any closer to the castle.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°I see.¡± They went to the end of the wall and were about to jump off at once, but Kunta grabbed them just before taking off. ¡°Stop!¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Did you think we were losing our minds just because of those little bastards? Can¡¯t you see that?¡± Kunta suddenly reached out and pointed in one direction. Ko Byeong-gap looked to where he pointed. All he saw was darkness filling the space. ¡°What are you talking about? There¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Are you blind? Can¡¯t you see that ck thing?¡± ¡°No, what are you talking about? It¡¯s dawn, so of course, it¡¯s ck¡­ what?¡± His head turned at lightning speed. The morning was dark, as always. In the midst of this, there was an unusually dark area. Until he heard Kunta¡¯s words, he thought it was a mountain. No, of course, he would think it was a mountain, but it wasn¡¯t. The ck area was getting closer and closer to them. ¡°I¡­ that¡­¡± His voice trembled slightly. Kunta replied in a voice of resignation. ¡°Yes, Titan!¡± *** ¡®It¡¯s distracting¡­¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap was mesmerized as he appreciated the titan¡¯s prowess. He was across the horizon. Nevertheless, his enormity was evident. It was different from when he heard it in the stories. To be honest, he didn¡¯t even realize what he saw at first and felt like he was dreaming. ¡®I¡¯ve dealt with a fewrge-scale monsters, but that¡¯s too much, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ Looking closely at a medium-sized monster was already enough to drop his jaw. How about therge and the evenrger ones? However, if the monsters considered to berge werepared to Titan, they would be nothing more than ants. ¡®I can¡¯t measure him, but he must be 300 meters tall.¡¯ At least 300 meters was the minimum. Ko Byeong-gap looked back at his men and saw Dorma and Marilyn frowning. It seemed to be written on their faces, ¡®How do you defeat that?¡¯ ¡°Lord¡­ even for you, it¡¯s too dangerous¡­¡± Marilyn lost herposure and stuttered. ¡°Uh¡­ what can we do?¡± Dorma was no different. Ko Byeong-gap gritted his teeth. ¡®How do I know what I¡¯m going to do? The more we wait, the bigger it gets!¡¯ Titan grew closer and closer as they contemted, and the little Gruggles were marching beside it. The Spirits rushed into battle. Ko Byeong-gap said to Kunta, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say Titan walked past herest time? What did you do then? Do it again this time¨C¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Kunta answered straightforwardly. ¡°The situation is different then.¡± ¡°What do you mean different?¡± Kunta sighed and exined briefly. At that time, they found Titan first. Thanks to that, they were able to act ahead of time. First, many of the Spirits of Light exercised their power in exchange for their lifespan. They made the entire castle transparent, and several martyrs who volunteered to be bait desperately caught Titan¡¯s attention. It had resulted in sess. Titan passed by without noticing the existence of the castle. Of course, all the Spirits who acted as bait died, and the Spirits of Light had also weakened due to their excessive use of power. ¡°It¡¯s a waste to make it transparent now. Titan is already targeting the castle! You¡¯re wrong, and we¡¯re all going to die. How can you beat him?¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± His clenched hand trembled. He looked far into the distance, and as the sun slowly rose, Titan¡¯s image became clearer. Soon, he heard the shouts of the Spirits. ¡°Fire! Fire altogether!¡± The Spirits began to make and fire different projectiles. Fire, electricity, ice, and so on. ¡°They won¡¯t go back just because we¡¯ve driven you out. I¡¯ll only be heartbroken as the me is on me! Oh, my!¡± Kunta left with those words and rushed to his soldiers. He led them enthusiastically, despite his despair in the face of death. At that time, Marylin came to him and whispered, ¡°Lord, we have to run.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the situation here, but it¡¯s something we can¡¯t handle. With Lord¡¯s car, we¡¯ll be able to escape from that thing.¡± Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t answer easily. His lips felt chapped, so he licked them repeatedly. Marilyn looked at Ko Byeong-gap and whispered again. ¡°Lord, this isn¡¯t our fault. There¡¯s no evidence that we brought them in. You don¡¯t have to feel responsible for anything. And¡­ Lord has something important to do, right? I dare say so, but our lives can¡¯t be wasted here.¡± What she said was correct. How many lives hung around Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s neck? If he thought about it coldly, it would be reasonable in many ways to run away from everything. However. ¡®You want us to leave the Spirits alone and save ourselves? Leave them struggling like that?¡¯ His moral sense rejected it. Morality wasn¡¯t always rational. Ko Byeong-gap shook his head. ¡°We can¡¯t leave on our own.¡± ¡°But Lord¡­!¡± ¡°Stop. Don¡¯t say any more, Marilyn.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Lord, do you have another alternative?¡± ¡°Think¡­ let me think.¡± ¡®As expected, do I have no choice but to use soul-based items?¡¯ The only thing that came to his mind was buying the ancient shop¡¯s soul products for 700,000 crystals. Using a soul allowed him to gain a lot of power for a while. Yet even with that power, he wasn¡¯t sure how to use it against that giant. ¡®Darn it, since when did I start thinking about taking someone else¡¯s help? Was I this dependent?¡¯ However, soul products came with great risks. He wasn¡¯t just talking about the aftereffects that came after thesting effect was over. From the moment he would take in a soul, he had to engage in an ancient battle for his spirit and self. Also, maintaining his true self would be more difficult as he used the souls repeatedly. ¡®If I¡¯m lucky, I might make it this time. But every time a crisis hits, am I going to gamble over the ownership of my body? What if I lost control of my body?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t rely on the power avable to him forever. Whether she knew his troubled mind or not, Marilyn spoke as if she was frustrated. ¡°I know it¡¯s rude, but I¡¯ll tell you regardless! I understand that Lord has a good personality. But as a king, sometimes, you have to be as cold as ice.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°How are you going to target that massive thing without a single siege weapon? Please listen to me this time. The sin of disrespecting Lord will be sweetly epted after we leave this ce!¡± Marilyn¡¯s shoulders shook. He could feel her earnestness in her reprimand. Ko Byeong-gap nked out for a few seconds before grinning. When she saw his smile, Marilyn looked stunned. ¡°Why¡­ why are youughing?¡± ¡°Thanks to you, I found it. Thank you, Marilyn.¡± ¡°What? What did you find?¡± ¡°How a creature deals with a mountain.¡± As soon as he thought about it, he acted. *** ¡°If I give the signal, please act on time.¡± ¡°¡­I see. I¡¯m going to do my best.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ko Byeong-gap and his party fell from the wall and crossed thend with a fierce advance. The horde of Gruggles clung to each other, but they ignored them and passed them by. They had no time to deal with small fish. Boom. Boom. Boom. The ground rang whenever Titan took a step. He was growing close and would reach the castle in the next few minutes. The closer he moved to the bastard, the more his neck stiffened. Their distance narrowed to only about a hundred meters when Ko Byeong-gap fired a single sword slice as a test. The crescent sword hit Titan¡¯s body directly. Rotten flesh sloughed off, but he didn¡¯t budge. ¡®I¡¯ll have to do this a hundred times to make a difference.¡¯ It was tiring, but the big thing was ignorant. ¡°Be careful!¡± Dorma screamed. The sky seemed to be growing dark, and Titan¡¯s feet fell. They quickly spread out and dodged it. ¡°Get up!¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Shortly after, the three began climbing his massive legs. Thanks to Dorma¡¯s sorcery, they were able to do so as if they were spiders. Passing up his calves and thighs, over his pelvis, and then across his ocean-like chest, they were finally able to settle on his vicle. ¡°Gasp, gasp!¡± Ko Byeong-gap was out of breath, but there was no time to rest. They jumped up in unison. Ko Byeong-gap and Marilyn stood on both cheeks, and Dorma stood on the back of the titan¡¯s nose. ¡°Whoa¨C!¡± The sound of Titan¡¯s cry was almost deafening. Ko Byeong-gap frowned and grabbed his sword, drawing forth aura. ¡°Marilyn, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Alright! Haaaah!¡± ¡°Attack!¡± Ko Byeong-gap and Marilyn stabbed their swords into his massive cheeks and ran along his face. Within a moment, his cheeks cracked, and his lower jaw drooped. Its mouth was open like a madman. ¡°Whoosh! Whoosh!¡± Of course, the titan¡¯s body shook. It was a battle on its own to not fall off. ¡°Dorma!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± As Ko Byeong-gap gave the signal, Dorma started their next objective. The objects that had been floating behind Dorma¡¯s back entered Titan¡¯s mouth all at once. ¡°You like to eat, right? Eat as much as you want!¡± What they poured into Titan¡¯s mouth was the gasoline they had brought with them for the trip. A whopping 10 barrels with 40 liters each! ¡°Hap!¡± Dorma fired a pile of dark spines to finish. The barrels were torn to shreds, and gasoline poured out. ¡°It¡¯s done!¡± ¡°Great! Everyone, run away as far as you can!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorma and Marilyn quickly moved down to the ground. Ko Byeong-gap fired a mass of his aura towards the sky before following them. Boom! The energy exploded like firecrackers, sending a signal to the Spirits. As soon as he sent the signal, he fell off without looking back. Flop! ¡°Ouch¡­¡± He managed to reach the ground, and his shaky legs propelled him forward without a chance to rest. He didn¡¯t want to be trampled to death. He nced back while he ran away. Dozens of fireballs were sailing toward Titan¡¯s face. ¡°Boom.¡± A few secondster, mes soared from Titan¡¯s mouth. Chapter 97 97. Head for the Holy Land ¡°Whoaaaaaaaaaa!¡± A pir of fire rose from the titan¡¯s mouth. He struggled in pain, scratching at his face and neck. He tried to put his hands in his mouth to put the fire out somehow, but thebination of gasoline and the fire created by the Spirits was persistent. ¡°Huh¡­ they did it. Are their hearts made of steel?¡± Kunta didn¡¯t believe it even though he watched them. ¡®We¡¯re going to pour gasoline into his mouth. So please make a fire that won¡¯t go out.¡¯ That was what Ko Byeong-gap said earlier. He honestly thought it was crazy, and even just imagining it made his stomach ache. They were going to climb up on Titan and pour fuel inside of its mouth, surprisingly they actually were able to pull it off. After receiving the signal, the Spirits fired their most powerful fireballs, cutting their life force down. The fireballs formed the shape of meteorites. ¡°The fire is up! Gather your firepower!¡± ¡°Follow the fire!¡± ¡°We can get it! We can take down Titan!¡± The fire from the Spirits was powerful. Once Titan caught on fire, it was easy to amplify the damage and spread the coverage. ¡°Whoa! Whoa¨C!¡± Titan stomped his feet. The fire had passed through his mouth and neck and then reached into his body. ¡°Uh¡­ uh! He¡¯sing over!¡± Wooong! In an instant, Titan stumbled and fell forward. Though the distance to the wall was still quite far, they couldn¡¯t help feeling the cold air above their heads. Crouch! The ground made a terrible noise, simr to that of a scream. As the sky and the Earth shook, the Spirit soldiers had to hold on to anything they could so that they wouldn¡¯t fall. Kunta tried to view Titan through the thick clouds of dust. He wasn¡¯t dead yet. If he were, the screams that seemed to tear his ears would¡¯ve ceased. Soon, they saw the giant struggling to stand. ¡°Everyone aim at Titan! If we don¡¯t bring him down here, there¡¯s no future!¡± Kunta shouted like that and raised his power. As a Spirit of Wind, he created a storm aimed at Titan¡¯s head. When the great fire met the wind, its size doubled. The other Spirit soldiers also poured out attacks with all their might. The excessive use of power made their bodies weak, but no one paid attention to it at this moment. As lord Kunta said, if they failed to defeat Titan there, they would die anyway. The attack didn¡¯t juste from the walls. On the other side, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s group continued to attack. He bet everything on the battle. There were only two scenarios left: to kill it or die. Dozens of minutes tounch a full offensive, all while Titan could not lift a finger. The external wounds hurt him, but the internal injuries were fatal. His insides burned to ck. Titan¡¯s chest cracked, and mes soared out. Soon, his body began to scatter like ash, and with that scene, everyone was sure of victory. ¡°Stop! Ceasefire!¡± Kunta¡¯s hoarse voice filled the air, stopping the spirit¡¯s assault. They watched the titan crumble with its eyes resembling a dead fish. They couldn¡¯t hear anything but the sound of their group gasping for breath. Kunta shouted again in the hot silence. ¡°We took down Titan! We got him!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°We can now rest!¡± Smack! The moment they were told to rest. All the Spirit soldiers on the wall fainted in harmony. Kunta also lost consciousness after taking a nce at them. The victory ceremony of the Spirits proceeded quietly like this. *** Half a day passed following the battle against Titan. The dark sky turned blue before long. The Spirit soldiers who forced themselves to draw power turned into half-corpses. Some seemed to bepletely out of breath. Ko Byeong-gap bought plenty of Gold Dragon Meat for them at a high price. The meat was excellent for rejuvenation and would also help the Spirits recover. The effect was certain. However, it didn¡¯t mean that there were no casualties at all. As many as 14 Spirit soldiers died from exhaustion. They couldn¡¯t be saved with potions or dumplings. It was a miracle that only 14 of them passed away after facing something as absurd as Titan. The ordinary residents were mobilized to repair and clean up the fortress walls. Some harvested the scattered Gruggles, and he watched what they were doing with it as they spread them out in a sunny basin. ¡°What are you doing? Are you going to eat them dry?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kunta looked up at Ko Byeong-gap with his haggard eyes. ¡°If you had nothing to eat, wouldn¡¯t you eat Gruggles? It¡¯s not that bad¡­¡± ¡°I know a Spirit that ate them.¡± ¡°Do you know any Spirits?¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s one in our garrison.¡± ¡°Can you tell me what kind of Spirit it is?¡± ¡°Are you talking about her kind? She said she was a Nefi.¡± ¡°Nefi? Huh, a Spirit who deals with concepts. Their existence is pretty rare.¡± ¡®Is it rare?¡¯ Come to think of it, she was a precious thing. Valtadren¡¯s restaurant wouldn¡¯t be able to run without her. ¡°If she sees you, she would be very pleased. She misses her people¡­ anyways, why are you drying them?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about drying. It¡¯s about growing trees. Did you know that trees grow from their corpses?¡± ¡°Of course I know. Sometimes small beasts also appear.¡± ¡°Yes, we make a living out of the by-products of the Gruggle corpses. There¡¯s more to it than just eating them.¡± Kunta then added in a bitter voice. ¡°Well, even so, the food situation is not that good. Not long ago, we ate only the bark of trees for 15 days.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± ¡°I saw earlier that you just pulled the meat out of the air¡­ I even thought, for a moment, that God had returned.¡± ¡°Haha, this isn¡¯t free either. It requires a considerable amount of goods. The meat we bought earlier would be worth the price of a few walls.¡± ¡°How many walls? Are you going to ask us to pay for the meat?¡± Kunta turned white, but Ko Byeong-gap waved his hands with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯d rather skip the little things.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you very, very much.¡± The day passed. Originally, Ko Byeong-gap and his group nned to leave immediately but soon decided to stay one more day due to the unexpected battle. In the evening, he told Kunta his story as he promised the day before. Kunta was greatly impressed when he said that there was a colony of 1,500 Goblins in Valtadren and that he was the one who led it. Ko Byeong-gap kept talking about the excellence of Valtadren, emphasizing the abundant food avability, strong and safe walls, and arge poption. He didn¡¯t mean to show off. It was the groundwork to recruit the Spirits. ¡°How do you like it? Why don¡¯t you follow me to Valtadren? If you want, we can provide a basin just for the Spirits.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be better there than here. I promise you there will be no exploitation of Spirits or excessive taxation since I¡¯m aiming for something that fits withmon sense.¡± Kunta pondered for a long time. ¡°I¡­ want to. The same goes for the people of this castle, but I don¡¯t think we can afford to move 2,500 miles away.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Let me solve that problem on my own.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to think about it, but there must be a way.¡± Ko Byeong-gap highly valued the potential of the Spirits. If he had them in his employ, it woulde in handy. Well¡­ it wasn¡¯t just for snobbish reasons. Weren¡¯t the Spirits the only intelligent bodies left on the continent? It was wise to maintain a good rtionship if they had to co-exist with them, whether he liked it or not. ¡°Then I will think in a positive direction. If we are ready, we will either send an envoy ore directly.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The first discussion on the Chitosan merger ended like that. Of course, it was still only in the conception stage, so they would have to exchange letters several times in the future to make proper ns. Ko Byeong-gap imagined the Goblins and Spirits living together. The picture was pretty good. The next day dawned. After having lunch at Chitosan, Ko Byeong-gap and his party set out on the back road. Lord Kunta stopped them and told them to stay longer, but they refused due to the journey they still had to take. By 6 pm, they were able to reach Hermonia, thest stopover. The appearance of the ruined castle wasn¡¯t very different from the ces they had passed before. He wanted to go all the way to Vervonia at once, but the problem was that they were out of fuel. To make matters worse, they used up all the gasoline he brought when they fought Titan, so he had to stop by Earth. ¡°Let¡¯s go to my house and sleep today, and shoot for Vervonia tomorrow. Stay here and wait. I¡¯ll pick you upter.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll take about three or forty minutes.¡± Ko Byeong-gap crossed the door to Earth. It was a quiet vacant lot where he fell. Before going on the trip, he came here to send his car to Ashvm. He hurriedly got into a taxi and headed home. It was a short walk to his office located in Yongsan-gu. When he got home, he went to Ashvm again. Dorma and Marilyn were standing next to the car with nk expressions on their faces. When they noticed Ko Byeong-gap, their expressions improved immediately. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Yes, both of youe over here.¡± Dorma and Marilyn carefully crossed the door. They became the first Goblins to enter Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s house. ¡°How is it? Is it ufortable to breathe here or something?¡± ¡°Breathing? I think I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°By the way, it¡¯s a very nice house.¡± Dorma looked around incessantly with admiration. Marilyn didn¡¯t show it, but there was a sense of surprise in her expression. ¡°You live in a ce like this. This clean and luxurious thing seems to go very well with Lord.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes, Lord¡¯s house is perfect!¡± ¡°Technically, it¡¯s not my house but a lease¡­.¡± While Ko Byeong-gap and Dorma talked about nothing, Marilyn approached therge window. She snapped open the ckout curtain. As the night view of Seoul spread wide before her, her mouth opened on its own. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°What do you think? Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ve never seen anything so shiny in my life. By the way, are we floating in the sky right now? Everything¡¯s under our feet!¡± ¡°This is the top floor.¡± Marilyn looked down at the night view of Seoul for a long time. Her expression was as innocent as a child¡¯s. ¡®She can make that kind of expression too.¡¯ On this day, Ko Byeong-gap taught them the greatness of modern civilization and the excellence of Korean delivery culture. The short night passed quickly. They had an early breakfast and went straight to Ashvm. Marilyn was sorry to part ways with the modern bathroom. Ko Byeong-gap refueled his car with gasoline he had bought the night before. The fully charged car rolled on smoothly, and there were no obstacles in their way. Did they continue for about three more hours? They arrived at their destination, Vervonia, four days after they left Valtadren. ¡­No, they only arrived on the horizon. Marilyn looked bewildered while Dorma scoured the vast area with a grim face. ¡°Lord, do you think it¡¯s the same as Somnium?¡± ¡°Well, I guess so.¡± Ko Byeong-gap reached out with a sullen look. His hands were blocked by a transparent membrane and couldn¡¯t push beyond it. The inside of the clear membrane was filled with a hazy fog. ¡°I¡¯m not happy to see this fog again even though I haven¡¯t seen it in such a long time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± That was it. Vervonia was fogged up like Somnium initially. Chapter 98 98. Trials Ko Byeong-gap knocked on the transparent membrane a few times, sending round ripples like a stone thrown into the water. He then squinted his eyes and looked inside. Of course, all he could see was hazy fog. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Marilyn asked in a serious tone. Ko Byeong-gap pulled out his sword instead of answering. He pierced it with his de infused with aura, but it caused no damage to the transparent membrane. He smacked his lips as he pulled it back. ¡®I did it just in case, but it seems that it can¡¯t be broken by force.¡¯ When he remained silent, Marilyn grew frustrated. She changed the subject and asked Dorma. ¡°Dorma, do you know?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know exactly what it is, but it¡¯ll be better to think of it as some sort of barrier.¡± ¡°Barrier?¡± ¡°Yes, to prevent the entry and exit of unidentified objects. As you can see, it can¡¯t be broken.¡± ¡°So there¡¯s no way to get through it?¡± ¡°Well, something like that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Marilyn was lost in thought, but her expression wasplex. She seemed anxious, strangely relieved, and discouraged but rejoicing in some way. In a different sense from her, Ko Byeong-gap was also lost in thought. ¡®Why is it covered in fog? This doesn¡¯t feel right.¡¯ The ces they passed didn¡¯t have it, so everyone felt anxious about the inconsistent pattern. Of course, he wasn¡¯t a toddler that would stomp their feet when faced with unexpected situations. After all, wasn¡¯t there other crap that he had gone through in his life? This kind of unexpected situation wasn¡¯t something to be worked up about. ¡®If it¡¯s fogged up, there¡¯s something inside. The question is whether it¡¯s positive or negative.¡¯ He thought about the time they cleared the fog and made their way out of Somnium. They gained a new home but were exposed to the threat of the Gruggles at the same time. It wouldn¡¯t be different this time. They could take on unexpected disadvantages by clearing that fog, and that was why Ko Byeong-gap hesitated. ¡®Well¡­ even so, it¡¯s ridiculous toe all the way here and go back empty-handed.¡¯ His mind was leaning towards clearing the fog. He just wanted a moment to take a break. They couldn¡¯t just go back because it would¡¯ve been a waste of gas, but it seemed that Marilyn had something else to say. ¡°Lord, it¡¯s a pity, but I¡¯m afraid we might have to go back now¡­.¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you that we have to go back to Valtadren.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Why would wee all the way here just to go back?¡± ¡°What? But there¡¯s no way to cross the line, is there?¡± ¡°There is. All we have to do is pay money and get the ticket.¡± Marilyn blinked, not understanding what Ko Byeong-gap said. She turned to Dorma. ¡°Is there a way to cross the line? Didn¡¯t you say there wasn¡¯t?¡± ¡°When did I say that? I told you it was sort of like that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Lord can get rid of that fog.¡± A shadow darkened her face. Ko Byeong-gap opened the ancient shop without even looking at it. He bought the Explorer¡¯s g for 500,000 crystals. These days, there was no longer a need to modify their fortress, and they had umted many crystals, albeit it was still very costly. ¡°¡­Huh? What is that?¡± Marilyn looked at the g, and her eyes widened. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°The sign on the g, that¡¯s the sign of the Mandara Knights.¡± The triangr cloth was painted with a sword with wings. Ko Byeong-gap nodded without much emotion, saying, ¡°I guess so.¡± Then, suddenly, with a sh of excitement, he spoke in a cheerful tone as if he had suddenly thought of something. ¡°Marilyn.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°From now on, you will be themander of the Mandara Knights.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about the past, but the leader position is vacant now. That¡¯s why you have to be prepared. It¡¯s a promotion, I mean.¡± Marilyn was dumbfounded and couldn¡¯t answer. Ko Byeong-gap continued, wagging his fingers in excitement. ¡°It will be fine. The name of the old Ashvm Army is Mandara. So now, I¡¯ll make a g like this. I¡¯ll draw the same thing.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Honestly, you wouldn¡¯t have been satisfied with being the vice-captain. So take this opportunity to feel better.¡± Ko Byeong-gap giggled since he found it funny. It was like running a small business and giving away the managerial position, but it was as if something wasn¡¯t right. No one said anything. Even though it was half a joke, Marilyn was serious. She stood still like a stone, then suddenly fell on one knee. ¡°I, Marilyn, will dly uphold the undeserved glory that Lord has given me.¡± ¡°Hey, hey! Don¡¯t do that. I get goosebumps every time.¡± Ko Byeong-gap shuddered. Nevertheless, Marilyn¡¯s words didn¡¯t stop. ¡°I¡¯m still not good enough and foolish, but I will break my body to meet the faith that Lord has given me. Thank you.¡± ¡°Oh my God¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap let out a sad smile. ¡°What do you mean ¡®break your body¡¯? Get up now. I¡¯m afraid someone¡¯s going to see you.¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± He raised Marilyn and approached the fog, and without hesitation, he put the g on the transparent membrane. *** The fog disappeared in an instant as if it had ever existed. At the same time, a wall of such an overwhelming scale appeared. The magnificent figure made the Ko Byeong-gap and his party exim¡­ ¡®This is Vervonia.¡¯ Vervonia was so vast that he couldn¡¯t take it all in at a nce. A row of walls stretched to the end of his view. ¡®Valtadren is quite spacious, but it¡¯s a rural vigepared to this.¡¯ It would¡¯ve been more appropriate to call Vervonia a city than a castle. It was amazing that such a super-sized building was built 1,000 years ago. ¡°Get in the car, both of you. Let¡¯s go inside.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ko Byeong-gap drove around the wall. It was so damaged that it was hard to find a decent path. However, it was in a better conditionpared to the castles that they had passed. What was left within the walls? They soon found a passageway to go inside. It wasn¡¯t a door, but a broken gap, which was enough for their car to fit in. Everyone¡¯s eyes grew bigger as they entered the castle. Vervonia was certainly different from the rest. ¡®You¡¯re in better condition than I thought, aren¡¯t you¡­? Is it because of the fog?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t easy to find traces of the past in Limedry and Vicosus. It was hard to tell whether the site was once a castle or a yground, but Vervonia still had thousands of buildings standing. They could hardly see the weathering of time. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean it was okay. ¡®It feels like a ghost could jump out at any moment.¡¯ The ce was very eerie. More than 80% of the buildings were destroyed, and the traces of ash and blood spread on the walls looked dull. The weather seemed gloomy for no reason. Simply put, it felt likeing to a haunted house. To add to that, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to pass by a few bodies on the street. ¡°Lo¡­ Lord! Excuse me!¡± Dorma had a surprised expression and pointed to one side. Ko Byeong-gap reflexively stepped on the brake. The car rattled and shrieked briefly. ¡°Why? Why!? What is it?¡± ¡°Oh, dear¡­¡± Dorma answered, rubbing his throat. ¡°Look over there. There are white bones.¡± ¡°White bones?¡± It was true that there were white bones. Someone¡¯s remains were jutting out from the ruins of a copsed building. They could feel the urgency of death in their hands that stretched forward. Ko Byeong-gap examined Marilyn through the rearview mirror. Of course, her expression was rotten. ¡­Actually, her expression on this trip had rarely been good. They climbed out of the car to examine the white bones. As soon as they got out, the smell of blood reached their noses, and Marilyn spoke in an icy voice. ¡°It¡¯s the same.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same scenery as when the wind and blood blew in Ashvm that day. Even this terrible smell of blood. Everything¡­ everything stayed the same. The pain, despair, and fear of the day still fill Vervonia¡­¡± Her face gradually grew distorted. It wasn¡¯t long before a great rage engulfed her. She gritted her teeth and her eyes burned. ¡°Those horrid, cursed things! Ashvm¡­ how could they make Vervonia look like this?!¡± ¡°Marilyn¡­¡± ¡°They¡­ they must be killed! Kill them and grind their blood and flesh! If we don¡¯t avenge our dead kind¡ª!¡± ¡°Hey, Marilyn!¡± When Ko Byeong-gap shouted, Marilyn¡¯s eyes returned. She looked his way with a nk face. ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°You need to clear your mind. Go back to the car.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Marilyn limped back to the car. ¡®It reminded her of the old days.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t understand her perspective. Vervonia seemed to be intact enough for her to recall memories of the disaster. She must¡¯vee to the scene of their suffering during that misfortune, so it wasn¡¯t unusual for her emotions to rise. Ko Byeong-gap and Dorma examined the condition of the bones. There was no other information to pick up. They were nothing but remains, presumed to be of a Sarahon. ¡°I¡¯ll have to bring all the kids overter.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°We have to bury the Sarahons. We can¡¯t leave them like this.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Currently, I have something else to do, so I¡¯m sorry. But when we have timeter, let¡¯s bury them.¡± ¡°As expected, Lord is considerate.¡± ¡°Never mind, don¡¯t think too deeply of it. I¡¯m just trying to be ¡®human¡¯.¡± Ko Byeong-gap and Dorma got into the car. As soon as they did, Marilyn spoke. ¡°Lord, we have to go over there.¡± She leaned out and pointed to one side. As he followed the tips of her fingers, he could see a high spire and wall. The size of the wall alone seemed to be about the level of Valtadren¡¯s. ¡°Did you remember something?¡± ¡°Yes, I have to go over there.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go there.¡± Ko Byeong-gap started the car without hesitation. Horrible sights appeared again and again on their way to their destination. Crushed, charred, and torn white bones, ashes¡­ He periodically examined Marilyn¡¯s condition. Fortunately, she wasn¡¯t as frenzied as she was before. Rather, he couldn¡¯t feel any emotion from her, as if she became a doll. After about 20 minutes of slow driving, they reached the wall while Marilyn navigated and gave directions. Ko Byeong-gap turned as he was told. After turning a dozen times, they were able to reach the pce that l as a missile had hit it. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get off.¡± After getting out of the car, Ko Byeong-gap habitually tuned into his surroundings. He felt no signs of life. ¡®If this ce were still fully intact, it would have been amazing.¡¯ The pce was truly majestic. There were alsorge temples in Valtadren, butpared to them, these were double in size. Marilyn took the lead and walked through the dark in the crumbling gaps. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord. By the way, what¡¯s in here? Do you have any expectations?¡± ¡°Well, how am I supposed to know?¡± Marilyn said, ¡°It¡¯s essential for the revival of Ashvm,¡± but she didn¡¯t specify anything. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t there a legendary weapon or something? Don¡¯t you have any ideas?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t think of anything. Oh, since you said it could be a legendary weapon, it could be something like a legendary secret book.¡± ¡°Oh, it could be. Like a top-ss textbook?¡± Among the textbooks in the ancient shop, the highest level was Advanced. In other words, they could only be as strong as the advanced textbook. If there were a top-ss textbook here, it would be very helpful in growing stronger. ¡°Lord, this way.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, yeah. We¡¯re going.¡± Marilyn went ahead, looking left and right before running out. She looked around again, before going ahead even further. She seemed to know something. Legendary weapons and secret books, treasure maps, enormous wealth, even beautiful women. Ko Byeong-gap and Dorma made all sorts of spections as they followed. After more than half an hour of walking, they arrived at arge open area. ¡°It is here.¡± Marilyn looked back at Ko Byeong-gap and spoke. He swiveled his head and eyes around to examine the space. ¡®What? What is it?¡¯ The ce was empty, like an empty house before moving in. In the center of the hall, columns about 2 meters long were set in a circle. Inside the circles drawn by the pirs, geometric patterns that couldn¡¯t be understood were drawn on the floor. Beyond that, a huge cuboid-shaped sarcophagus was ced on a podium. Marilyn stood in front of a pir and pointed at it. ¡°Lord, the key to revive Ashvm is in there. Go ahead and open it.¡± ¡°Lord, you should try it.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go. Anyway, I think it¡¯s pretty big. I don¡¯t know if I can load it on the trailer.¡± Ko Byeong-gap walked to the podium without thinking. It was at the moment he entered the circle. Marilyn grabbed Dorma¡¯s cor and, at the same time, shoved Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s back. ¡°Whoa!¡± Ko Byeong-gap lost his bnce and fell. ¡°Huh? Lord?! Are you alright?!¡± ¡°Hey, you just¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap looked up at Marilyn with a question mark in his eyes. Dorma looked at Marilyn with a mixture of anger and bewilderment. ¡°You¡­ are you crazy? How dare you push Lord?! Let go of me right now!¡± Dorma immediately tried to run to Ko Byeong-gap, but Marilyn grabbed him tightly and wouldn¡¯t let go. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t get up. He wasn¡¯t shocked that his subordinate pushed him. The reason why he couldn¡¯t get up¡­ ¡°Are you crying? Why are you crying?¡± Tears poured down her cheeks. Her face was distorted with grief, and her shoulders trembled. Dorma, who had been raving with anger, also paused when he saw her tears. ¡°Lo¡­ Lord¡­ Ugh!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Marilyn sobbed and pursed her lips, choking on her sorrow. ¡°Are you thinking of any bad memories? Don¡¯t cry and tell me.¡± Ko Byeong-gap spoke in a soothing tone. Just as he tried to get up on his knees, Marilyn managed to speak. ¡°Oh! Lord¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡­ don¡¯t ever forgive me!¡± ¡°Hey, hey, that¡¯s enough. What were you thinking about pushing me? Hmm?¡± That moment, the pirs stuck all around him radiated light. The geometric patterns drawn on the floor also glowed. ¡°What¡­ what¡¯s this? What? What?!¡± An invisible hand grabbed his body. He tried to shake it off with force, but it was stronger than him. Soon, his back bent like a bow. A scream burst out from his mouth. ¡°Ugh¡­ Ah! Aaaaah! Ah!!!¡± ¡°Lord! Let go of me! What have you done?!¡± ¡°No! You can¡¯t go in!¡± Marilyn almost hugged Dorma, who wasn¡¯t able to withstand her power. All he could do was scream. ¡°Lord! Lord! Lord! You devilish bitch! I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll kill you! Let go of me!¡± ¡°Argh! Argh! Argh!¡± ¡°Lord! Get out of here, Lord!¡± How could he get out? Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s body floated up helplessly. Soon, bright marbles began toe out from his sr plexus. It emitted a bright light¡­ It was¡­ it was the essence of the Goblin Lord. Chapter 99 99. Trials ¡°Argh!¡± It was a terrible scream, in a voice that seemed more appropriate toe out of an animal¡¯s mouth. When the beads of light began toe out of Ko Byeong-gap, the glowering Dorma also paused. As a shaman, he noticed at once. It was the essence of the Lord. It didn¡¯t take very long for the essence toe out. It took less time for the extracted essence to reach the sarcophagus on the tform. As the essence of the Goblin Lord permeated the sarcophagus, light shed in all directions. The re covered Dorma and Marilyn¡¯s eyes. The world turned white as if lightning had struck. A few secondster, Dorma looked at the situation, opening his eyes that had been closed tightly. Ko Byeong-gapid like a corpse in the middle of the pirs. Marilyn sat down and looked up at the coffin with a tearful face. ¡°Let go!¡± He shook Marilyn¡¯s hand away roughly, and he ran to Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s side. ¡°Lord, are you alright? Lord¡­. Lo¡­. Lord¡­.?¡± Dorma stopped in front of Ko Byeong-gap. His head told him to hurry up and help Ko Byeong-gap and look after him, but his mind and body didn¡¯t follow. The man in front of him, Ko Byeong-gap, was no longer their Lord. It was just a human man. Dorma felt an automatic rejection. Deep in the DNA of the Goblins, the ¡®innate hostility towards other races¡¯ was wriggling. So he couldn¡¯t bring himself to touch him. ¡°Ugh¡­.¡± Ko Byeong-gap made a face as if he were about to die. His skin was pale as a corpse, and cold sweat flowed like rain down him. He tried to get himself up but soon lost his bnce and copsed. ¡°¡­¡± What should he do? Dorma couldn¡¯t do anything but stamp his feet. It was then he felt great energy that made his spine ache, emanating from the sarcophagus. Hiss! The lid of the coffin slowly pushed back. A big hand popped out of the gap and opened itpletely. A short timeter, a man raised his upper body out of it. He was a muscr man with long ck hair. As soon as he saw him, Dorma hardened. No, he was frozen. Overwhelming power, overwhelming fear, and overwhelming majesty exploded from him like a volcano even though the man was just standing still! ¡°My king!¡± Marilyn shouted. King? Dorma was able to identify the man with that word. His mouth opened wide. Then, the man was¡­ ¡°Ki¡­ King¡­ King Landriol?¡± The man was said to be the strongest Lord of all time and thest Lord before Ashvm¡¯s copse. Dorma was witnessing the legend with his own eyes. *** Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t pull his senses together. Just a simple ¡®Oh? Oh?¡¯ caused him terrible pain. No word in the world could define the pain. To paraphrase it, it felt like his blood was being sucked out of him, and his bones were being ripped open. After the fainting pain went away, it grew even worse. He felt as if his chest had been ripped open. There wasn¡¯t a hole in his chest, but he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of emptiness. What was it that disappeared from inside him? Did his organs melt away? Did his heart juste out? Or had his groin been crushed? ¡°Hvshita!¡± Suddenly, Marylin shouted. But something was wrong. It was thenguage of the Goblins, but he couldn¡¯t understand it. After a while, Dorma spoke. ¡°Ha, ha, Hv Landriol?¡± This time, he could only understand Landriol. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on, but he wanted to be helped first. So he opened his mouth. ¡°Dorma¡­ huh?¡± He couldn¡¯t speak. To be exact, he couldn¡¯t speak the Goblinnguage. It was anguage he had used fluently as a mother tongue until a while ago, but now it was impossible to even ask for simple regards. Only then did Ko Byeong-gap realize what he had lost. ¡®Uh¡­ No. Even the gate and the ancient shop are gone.¡¯ After being robbed of the essence of the Goblin Lord, he could no longer feel the two powers that became parts of his body, like his hands and feet. Even hisnguage skills had vanished. The back of his head cooled with no time to savor the terrible deprivation. Ko Byeong-gap quickly turned around and copsed again. He barely lifted his stiff head and looked up to see someone walking out of therge sarcophagus. ¡®¡­What?¡¯ At first, he thought it was a woman when he saw the long ck hair. However, their height was easily over two meters tall, and the coppery-colored muscr body belonged to a man from any angle. Looking at his pointed ears that drooped down, one could guess that the man was a Sarahon. His impression was cold, and his features were as straight as a sculpture. Ko Byeong-gap recalled what Dorma said earlier: Landriol. So, did that mean the man was Landriol? The king who died 1,500 years ago? The man believed to be Landriol frowned as he looked down from the podium. He nced at Ko Byeong-gap, Dorma, and Marilyn in turn. Then he spoke, staring at Marilyn. ¡°Etogarse Harvey Sakiosa, Marilyn. Davede Royvanir Beote?¡± *** ¡°You woke me up like I said, Marilyn. But what are these little things?¡± ¡°This one had the essence, and this is his henchman.¡± Landriol stared at Ko Byeong-gap, who was lying across the shaman circle. He couldn¡¯t feel any emotion in his eyes. ¡°Are you saying the person that carried the spirit of the king was a human being?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. A chicken or a duck, as long as you keep your eggs in your arms.¡± Landriol replied in a tone of indifference and turned his head slightly. He looked at Dorma this time. Dorma, who made eye contact with Landriol, flinched. He wanted to sit down right away because his legs were shaking. ¡°What are you? You look so ugly and terrible. I do not remember anything that looks like you.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­.¡± ¡°He¡¯s also Sarahon, my Lord.¡± ¡°What?¡± Emotions crossed Landriol¡¯s face. ¡°Exin.¡± ¡°A lot seems to have happened to us Sarahons since Ashvm¡¯s national power waned¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate to tell you everything this way, so why don¡¯t we refine your body first?¡± ¡°That would be great. Where are the Sarahons currently stationed?¡± ¡°Valtadren.¡± ¡°Valtadren¡­ you.¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Dorma replied in surprise. ¡°Open the way to the Valtadren.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°What are you waiting for? Aren¡¯t you a shaman? You smell like magic.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s right, but¡­ I don¡¯t know how to use magic to open the way.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? You¡¯re useless!¡± When Landriol growled, Dorma felt like biting his tongue. As his hands and feet trembled, he averted his eyes and nced at Ko Byeong-gap. Ko Byeong-gap was lying on his stomach, staring intently at Landriol. Dorma suffered from his sense of duty as if he had to take care of him. Landriol walked down the tform. But suddenly, he hesitated. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s this?¡± He tilted his head and opened the door. It was a door that connected Ashvm to Earth. Through the hemispherical portal, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s house was disyed. Landriol spat out his words as if it was absurd. ¡°What is this? What the hell is that¡­ Hmm?!¡± His eyes grew bigger as he hurriedly closed the door. ¡°Madmut¡¯s energy? How¡­? Ah, that¡¯s a good thing. It saves me the trouble.¡± He camepletely down the tform. Around that time, Ko Byeong-gap managed to raise himself with his sword as a cane. Landriol reacted with clear interest. ¡°You didn¡¯t die even when the essence was pulled out? That¡¯s a reasonable life force for a human being. But why do I feel Madmut¡¯s energy from you? Although it is insignificantly weak.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap just bit his lip. He wanted to talk a lot, but he couldn¡¯t say a word because he lost the ability to speak theirnguage. He didn¡¯t even understand what he said. Landriol tilted his head. ¡°What? Are you mute? Well¡­ what if you¡¯re mute or deaf? You¡¯re going to die anyway.¡± Landriol¡¯s hand-gathered a terrifying aura. Ko Byeong-gap suddenly came to his senses and took a fighting position. But sadly, he could only stand. ¡°My lord!¡± At that time, Marilyn ran to stand between Ko Byeong-gap and Landriol. ¡°My king, are you going to kill him?¡± ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t do that. No, please don¡¯t do that. I sincerely beg you!¡± Landriol looked sullen and turned his hand. The direction of the hand changed from Ko Byeong-gap to Marilyn. And soon¡­ ¡°Ah? Huh?¡± Marilyn was dragged toward Landriol by an invisible force. She groaned, caught by her throat at once. ¡°Marilyn, you¡¯ve be bold since Ist saw you. Very well, list the reasons why I shouldn¡¯t kill him.¡± ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp. Well, the man has devoted himself to the Sarahons. He cooperated with the king¡¯s resurrection with all his might. So please show mercy.¡± Landriol did not speak. Marilyn spoke without hesitation. ¡°The ce the king just saw was his residence. This is it.¡± ¡°That world?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ yes. It seems to be a world where humans live together. Well, it has nothing to do with our world. Please, with a good heart, let him return to his home.¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s right, my Lord! That¡¯s our¡­ oh, no, he is a benefactor of the Sarahons¡ª¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Dorma knelt to his knees and bowed his head, pleading. But in an instant, Landriol threw Marilyn away. She flew in a precise trajectory to hit Dorma, and the two fell to the floor, entangled. Regardless, Landriol showed interest in Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Are you saying that you are from another world? It¡¯s strange. It doesn¡¯t make much difference to have a human being from a different world.¡± Ko Byeong-gap noticed that the man was talking to him. Of course, he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t understand you.¡± ¡°What did you just say? Is that thenguage of your world? You can¡¯t speak like us?¡± ¡°What the fuck are you saying?¡± ¡°Well, I guess you can¡¯t.¡± Landriol smacked his lips. Soon after, his gaze changed. ¡°Then you won¡¯t be of any use. I¡¯m going to kill you all anyway.¡± Suddenly, Landriol moved like lightning. He made a dagger with his finger and stabbed at Ko Byeong-gap. Dorma and Marilyn screamed. Chuck! Contrary to expectations, he didn¡¯t stab Ko Byeong-gap. He wasn¡¯t willing to be taken lightly. Ko Byeong-gap gathered all his strength and threw out his sword. Soon, the des came into contact, and a struggle ensued. Landriol raised his brow in surprise. ¡°You stopped it? With that body? This is a bit of a surprise!¡± ¡°Grr!¡± When Landriol swung his arms wide, Ko Byeong-gap was pushed away. Landriol stabbed again in a rxed manner. Ko Byeong-gap barely managed to stop the deluge of offensives, holding on with his mental strength. ¡®If I don¡¯t do this right, I¡¯ll die!¡¯ He could tell by intuition that the other person was ying with him. He could kill him any time if he set his mind to it. ¡®One shot, one shot.¡¯ But that was why it was paradoxical to look for opportunities. Only the strong could afford arrogance. If he aimed for a gap, he might have a chance. But it was impossible on his own. Someone had to draw attention for a moment. ¡®Kill or be killed!¡¯ Determined, he looked at Dorma and shouted. ¡°Dorma! Dormaaaaaaaa!¡± He said with his eyes. ¡®Help me!¡¯ Dorma shuddered and looked at Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Ah¡­ Ah, Lord¡­!¡± Dorma unknowingly condensed his power, creating dark projectiles to target Landriol. But in the end, he couldn¡¯t shoot it. His innate instinct vehemently rejected it. Dorma murmured in dismay. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t¡­¡­.¡± Dorma collected the dark projectiles and lowered his eyes. Ko Byeong-gap was devastated when he saw it. ¡°You managed to hold on. But I¡¯m getting tired of this joke.¡± In a moment, Landriol¡¯s form blurred, and the dagger flew into his heart. He couldn¡¯t avoid it or stop it. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Ko Byeong-gap screamed and concentrated his aura. A tremendous power gathered to his sword swung. Landriol was astonished. ¡°Is that¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s die together!¡± Landriol¡¯s dagger and Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s sword crossed. It wasn¡¯t long before they pierced each other. Hick! Ko Byeong-gap vomited blood. He nced down and saw that his chest had been stabbed. ¡®It¡¯s okay¡­ me too. Inded a hit too¡­¡­.¡¯ He was stabbed, but his opponent shouldn¡¯t be okay either. He looked at Landriol with a smirk, but something was wrong. His expression was still rxed. His sword cleaved into his abdomen. So why did he look that way? ¡°It¡¯s absurd to try and attack me with the Mandara Knights swordsmanship.¡± ¡°What nonsense¡­¡± The sword pierced Landriol¡¯s abdomen, but hepletely offset the sword. The strong blow caused by Ko Byeong-gap became an ordinary stab. Landriol kicked Ko Byeong-gap, sending him flying into a wall. He dropped. Landriol calmly pulled out the sword stuck in his abdomen. The wound healed in an instant. Dorma and Marilyn looked nkly at Ko Byeong-gap. He didn¡¯t even move. When Dorma tried to run to Ko Byeong-gap, Landriol asked. ¡°Did you say Valtadren, Marilyn?¡± ¡°He, yes, he, uh¡­ Hic¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! There¡¯s a lot of work to do.¡± Landriol reached out his hands in the air. After a while, the space distorted, and arge portal opened. Beyond that, he could see the wall of Valtadren. Landriol crossed the portal without looking back. The two Sarahons left only looked at each other. Then, a shout came from the portal. Marilyn stood. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry. Don¡¯t ever forgive me.¡± She crossed the portal, running away with her head down. Dorma looked at the wall where Ko Byeong-gap flew for a long moment before shedding tears. His fist trembled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lord.¡± He also crossed the portal before it vanished. Deep inside the ruined court of Vervonia, Ko Byeong-gap was left alone. ¡°¡­¡± ¡®I¡¯m like a dog.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap felt his consciousness dim. His vision was turning red and hazy from the blood pouring from his chest. ¡®What kind of monster is that¡­.¡¯ Unexpectedly, he felt calm. Was it because he was about to die? He didn¡¯t know. A feeling of despair just enveloped his body. His trusted subordinates betrayed him, and he was still intact even after being attacked by his power. ¡®This is it. I¡¯m dying this time.¡¯ The dangers of death had always been around him. But there was no way to survive this time. No longer did he have the power of the Goblin Lord. In other words, he couldn¡¯t go over to Earth and ask for help. Would his Ki-breathing help? No, not a chance. His heart waspletely shattered. It was an injury that Ki-breathing couldn¡¯t help. He didn¡¯t even have the energy to try it in the first ce. It had been a few minutes, but now Ko Byeong-gap felt his vision darken. He rolled his eyes and looked up, and there was something ck standing in front of him. ¡®Is he the grim reaper? That¡¯s a fantastic visit.¡¯ Slip. His body slipped. This was the end. It was over¡­ ¨C You! You can¡¯t die like this. Wake up, hey! Whoosh¡­. Chapter 100 100. After the rain, the ground hardens. There weren¡¯t any noises outside of appliances that emitted an electrical sound. Rather, everything was still. Numerous people and cars roamed the streets, but their presence didn¡¯t reach the top floor. It was a terrible heat that woke up Ko Byeong-gap. All the doors were locked and there was no air conditioning, so it was natural for the air to heat up. ¡°Ugh, uh¡­.¡± His eyelids opened halfway and then closed again. It was clear that someone had poured cement into his eyes. Or did they put glue on it? Otherwise, his eyelids couldn¡¯t have been this heavy. He tried to fall asleep again. No. He tried to lose his thoughts. If it weren¡¯t for the terrible heat, he would have lost consciousness. Sweat flowed all over his body. His sticky body clung to the floor. How about thirst? He felt like there was a drought in his throat. ¡®I¡¯m hungry¡­¡¯ Recognizing his thirst, he then grew hungry. Ko Byeong-gap suffered from many terrible hardships. So he couldn¡¯t help but wake up. He woke up and was half out of his mind. He just crawled on the floor like a zombie and headed to the refrigerator. He drank two liters of bottled water. When he emptied about half of it, he poured the rest on his face. ¡°Ha, ha, ha, ha¡­.¡± Now, he felt about 30 percent sober. ¡®Air conditioner¡­ air conditioner¡­.¡¯ He moved instinctively to awaken the remaining 70 percent. He managed to find the remote control and lowered the air conditioner¡¯s temperature to the lowest level. The internal temperature, which had been hot, began to cool down gradually. He leaned on the sofa in the living room, absentminded. His head was cloudy and dark. He had to deal with something important, but it was too much to even recall at the moment. For now, he decided to focus on cooling his body. It had been about 30 minutes. The indoor temperature, which was 32 degrees Celsius, dropped to 23 degrees Celsius, and with it, his mind and body seemed to go back to normal. Still, he was hungry. Ko Byeong-gap suddenly found himself eating up all the snacks he had stocked. ¡°¡­¡± He felt like a beggar. His clothes were worn out; his white cotton shirt had a hole in it like a rag. And why was he wearing shoes when he was inside the house? ¡°¡­Gosh.¡± It was in an instant that the nightmares of the past came back to life. The fog in his head lifted, and his memory quickly gathered toplete the puzzle. The betrayal of Marilyn, the resurrection of Landriol, the essence of the Goblin Lord, and the murder. The series of events swept past his eyes in a sh. The emotions that came before his anger and resentment were questions. Ko Byeong-gap asked himself questions that a prominent philosopher in ancient times might have asked. ¡®Why am I alive?¡¯ His heart was pierced. It was fatal enough to stop his breathing. To make matters worse, there was no one to help him, nor was there anyone to ask for help. It was a good thing he lived through that, but how was he in his house on Earth now? He inspected his memory deeper, but nothing gave him a clue. He thought he saw something dark right before he lost consciousness.¡­ ¡®Damn it. I don¡¯t know. Did Landriol save my life?¡¯ That was the most usible hypothesis he could make now. Landriol changed his mind, healed him, and sent him back to Earth. He didn¡¯t understand, but the actions Dorma and Marilyn showed might have convinced Landriol. ¡°Marilyn¡­ God damn it!¡± When he thought of Marilyn, his anger soared. It was meaningless toe to realize it now, but she must have known everything from the beginning. What was hidden in Vervonia, what it took to revive the king. That was right. Ko Byeong-gap was a sacrifice from the beginning. Her attitude at the end of the day was a bit strange. Soon after arriving in Vervonia, she asked to return to Valtadren, and she looked sullen throughout the trip and even apologized with tears in her eyes. ¡®You¡¯ve sold me away.¡¯ Feeling betrayed, angry, and rejected, Ko Byeong-gap was unable to do anything for a while. After being deprived of his power, even Dorma, whom he believed in, didn¡¯t move for him. It was so heartbreaking. ¡°Ha¡­ I don¡¯t know. Shit.¡± Ko Byeong-gap just threw off his clothes. He went to the bathroom and poured cold water on himself. He stayed there for a long time. He took a shower and examined himself. His body was in a state ofplete recovery, but his power as the Goblin Lord was no longer there. As far as he could tell, the sense of loss felt like one of his legs had been amputated. It was when he came out to the living room, wiping himself with a towel. Brr! Brr! His phone vibrated. He figured it was a text message because it rang short. The cell phone was in the pocket of his pants. Damn it; the screen was smashed. The battery only had 3 percent left, so he acted as if it would turn off at any moment. After plugging in the charger, he picked up his cell phone again. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°¡­Tsk. It¡¯s July 3rd?¡± The date the cell phone disyed was surprising. He didn¡¯t know if the expression was appropriate, but the day he died was June 18. In other words, it was 15 days ago. So he had been unconscious for 15 days. ¡®I died and came back to life, so it makes sense I fell asleep for a couple of days. No wonder I¡¯m so thirsty.¡¯ He took his eyes back on his cell phone. There wasn¡¯t much of a riot, but there were dozens of missed calls and texts. He didn¡¯t think there would be a lot of people looking for him. He checked the unread texts with doubts. The next moment, he ran out of the house at lightning speed. *** ¡°Oh my God!¡± As soon as he arrived at the underground parking lot, Ko Byeong-gap screamed. There was someone else¡¯s car in the parking lot. His SUV was nowhere in the basement parking lot. Of course! His car was in Vervonia. He immediately came up to the ground. He thought about catching a taxi, but he started running because he didn¡¯t want to waste that time. His distance between the hospital and the house wasn¡¯t too far. ¡°Mom, look!¡± ¡°Woah, what is that person?¡± Ko Byeong-gap ran faster than most cars could. No fences nor barricades constrained him. As a result, the passers-by were very frightened. Within five minutes, he arrived at the hospital in Yongsan-gu. He passed the first-floor hall and took the emergency exit stairs to the fourth floor. His heart pounded to the point of bursting. It wasn¡¯t because he was out of breath. He finally stood in front of the hospital room. It was a hospital room where his mother, Park Young-ok, was hospitalized. His hand paused as it headed toward the doorknob. His hands trembled like he had tremors. It was then he heard a scream next to him. ¡°Oh my God, Ko Byeong-gap!¡± It was Choi Ji-ok, the caregiver of his mother. She had a kettle in her hand, and Choi Ji-ok was so surprised that she dropped it. ¡°Oh my God, why are you here only now? I¡¯ve called more than a hundred times a day, and you weren¡¯t answering! Ko Byeong-gap, huh? Why did you disappear like that¡­ I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d show up! Do you have any idea how nervous I was?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, ma¡¯am. I was busy at work.¡± ¡°Aigo! How busy were you who didn¡¯t even have time to answer a phone call? What kind of shit happened?¡± Only then did she realize the kettle fell to the floor. She picked up the kettle and spoke to him quietly. ¡°Go in there.¡± ¡°¡­Is she in there?¡± ¡°Yeah, she has been waiting for you toe. Where else would she go? Get in there. Get in there. Go.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ko Byeong-gap opened the hospital room door. A very thin middle-aged woman was staring at him; she must have heard the disturbance from outside. Ko Byeong-gap felt himself choke just by looking at her. That was his mother. Just thinking about her touched his heart. ¡°Mom¡­.¡± Ko Byeong-gap approached the bed with a tearful voice. Park Young-ok opened her arms wide to hold him like a baby. And he cried his eyes out. Park Young-ok smiled subtly and spoke yfully. ¡°Son, you seem to be getting better. Do you work out these days?¡± *** ¡°So you¡¯re all better now?¡± ¡°Yeah, the doctor said he¡¯d check me out for about a month and would see how it goes, and he said it wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± Ko Byeong-gap, Park Young-ok, and Choi Ji-ok sat around and ate apples. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes were still red. It was the first time in five years that he had cried like that. Park Young-okined with a frown. ¡°The day before yesterday, some journalists swarmed the streets.¡± ¡°What about them?¡± It was Choi Ji-ok who answered Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s question. ¡°Young-ok is the only case of aplete cure among Korean patients with the Phantom Disease. That¡¯s why those bastard reporters swarmed to cover it¡­ likee on, tsk!¡± ¡°Ms. Ji-ok did a great job stopping the reporters.¡± ¡°Oh, what trouble is it? I was just swearing at them.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, ma¡¯am.¡± Ko Byeong-gap bowed his head and thanked her. Choi Ji-ok waved her hands with an awkward expression. ¡°By the way, son.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What were you doing? I haven¡¯t heard from you in five days.¡± Ko Byeong-gap bit his lip. He couldn¡¯t bear to say he almost died. Choi Ji-ok also took a gentle look at Park Young-ok. Park Young-ok continued with her arms folded as if she was displeased. ¡°Every time I woke up, I thought it was weird. What kind of money do you have to pay for all this expensive treatment? Son¡­ you¡¯re not doing anything bad, are you?¡± ¡°Eh, eh, what¡¯s wrong? I just paid for the hospital with the money father left behind.¡± ¡°Mom is not stupid. How much was your father¡¯s death insurance?¡± Ko Hee-sung, the father of Ko Byeong-gap, was a porter, and he passed away even before Ko Byeong-gap graduated from elementary school. Park Young-ok raised her son with the property that Ko Hee-sung left behind, although shecked a decent job. They never really suffered from any difficulties in life. They lived as others lived. It was when Ko Byeong-gap was 22 years old that she reached the peak of her illness. About four months before he was discharged from the military, Park Young-ok fell ill with the Phantom Disease. Ko Byeong-gap hesitated and replied. ¡°I sold the house.¡± ¡°Huh, you sold the house? Well, where are you staying?¡± ¡°Living on a lease, I guess.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ half a penny, half a penny.¡± Park Young-ok caressed her forehead. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t have been enough.¡± She knew it too. Her treatment had cost him more than 1.5 billion won so far. Selling off a house on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province wasn¡¯t enough money to solve the problem. ¡°I made money too.¡± ¡°What kind of talent do you have to make money for? Did you graduate from college?¡± Ko Byeong-gap thought he should deal with his mother¡¯s worries at this point. Since there was no end to worrying about children, it was clear that she would suffer all night long if she were left alone. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. I didn¡¯t make money from illegal or bad things. And I bought a new ce. I have a lot of money.¡± ¡°So what are you doing¡­?¡± Ko Byeong-gap held his mother¡¯s hand tightly. Park Young-ok was surprised when her son held her hand. It was very big and rough. He waspletely different from the son in her memory. ¡°Mom, let¡¯s move to the countryside.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Mom, you like the countryside.¡± ¡°Yes, I like it, but¡­.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to the country together and live quietly with a garden too. Let¡¯s nt sweet potatoes, peppers, and tomatoes. I know how to farm. I studied a lot. Oh, I wish I could raise some livestock. Chickens sound good, and rabbits sound good too. I can make a congrattory speech. I¡¯ve made a lot of them. I mean¡­.¡± ¡°Son.¡± ¡°Yes, Mom. Why?¡± ¡°Why are you crying again, son?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ko Byeong-gap wiped his eyes, but more tears came out. What was happening to him? At that time, Park Young-ok grabbed Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s shoulder and forced him to make eye contact. ¡°Son, what¡¯s wrong with you? What is it? What is it? Talk to your mom.¡± ¡°Oh, no, no, no worries.¡± Ko Byeong-gap raised himself, wiping away his tears. ¡°I¡¯m going to go wash my face for a second.¡± He went to the hospital bathroom. He scolded himself as he poured cold water on his face. What the hell was he doing in front of his mom? He looked in the mirror. Was it because of his bloodshot eyes? His dark circles stood out even more. Ko Byeong-gap murmured like a possessed man. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s not think about Ashvm anymore. I¡¯ve done enough. What do you want me to do? I even got backstabbed by my men!¡± Although the end wasn¡¯t neat, he did his best. Didn¡¯t the Goblins at least obtain enough knowledge and skills to make a living? Now, without him, the Goblins wouldn¡¯t starve to death. Moreover, the position of the Goblin Lord wasn¡¯t vacant. Landriol took away the essence and was resurrected. Now they could support themselves, enjoy stir-fry, and have fun. ¡°Damn!¡± It was disgusting to think about it. ¡°Ashvm¡­ the Ashvm I made¡­.¡± Ko Byeong-gap muttered, trembling as if he had been electrocuted. He suddenly realized. He was more attached to Ashvm than he thought. When he realized it, he felt sad. He felt the bonds he had built were cut off in an instant. Gobung, Dorma, Doran, Kiriyan, Changsik, Taesik, Turka, Orca, Ea, and the little boys¡­ the scenic view of Mount Somnium and the sunset of Valtadren. Would he never see them again now? In the distant future, would there ever be a ce for him in the memories of the Goblins? Honestly, he didn¡¯t want to lose them. He didn¡¯t want it to be like this, even if he had to say goodbye one day. And the position as the Lord¡­ he thought it was annoying at first. But it became an important part of his life without him knowing it. ¡°¡­What¡¯s the point? I¡¯m neither their Lord nor anything to them anymore. I can¡¯t even go to Ashvm.¡± But the reality was cold. Ashvm was already too far away to be touched. Ko Byeong-gap dragged on his jacket, wiped his face, and returned to his mother¡¯s hospital room. Choi Ji-ok had gone looking for him. She looked his way as if only Park Young-ok had been waiting. ¡°What about you, ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°Son.¡± ¡°Mom, can¡¯t you eat out? I think I need to eat some meat. The hospital food isn¡¯t good. Should I ask the doctor?¡± ¡°Son.¡± ¡°Yes, go ahead.¡± Park Young-ok staggered for a moment while she was getting up. She had been lying down all these years, and even that simple movement was still difficult. Ko Byeong-gap quickly tried to help his mother. But Park Young-ok withdrew her hand. ¡°Mom?¡± ¡°Son, my son Byeong-gap.¡± ¡°Why do you keep calling me? I¡¯m listening. If you have something to say, say it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been lying down for too long. I should have taken care of you, but you took care of me. I¡¯m such a bad mother.¡± ¡°Mom, why would you say that? We¡¯re family, of course.¡± ¡°I¡¯m behind on a lot of things because I¡¯ve been sleeping. I¡¯m ashamed as a mother, but I don¡¯t know what¡¯s bothering you.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t know; I don¡¯t have any worries.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying. No matter what, I¡¯m afraid as a mother, I wouldn¡¯t be able to read a single expression on my baby¡¯s face.¡± Ko Byeong-gap shut his mouth. Park Young-ok smiled and held his hand. ¡°Son, I¡¯m not going to live in the countryside with you.¡± ¡°What? Why?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t live for this ugly mother anymore. Live your life. I¡¯ll help you even if I have to cut my hair and sell it.¡± Ko Byeong-gap blinked. As soon as he was about to say something, Park Young-ok hit him. ¡°Don¡¯t make me an ugly woman blocking my son¡¯s future.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Park Young-ok hugged him and patted him on the back. And said what only a mother could say. ¡°What makes you sad¡­I don¡¯t know what it is but go ahead and fix it. Do what you want to do. That¡¯s what I want.¡± Chapter 101 101. Individual circumstances ¡°Hehe.¡± Ko Byeong-gap hummed for some reason while he was busy packing. In arge duffel bag, he stored away extra clothes and other emergency supplies. After that, he looked at his outfit with useful tools hung in the waistband and battle vest. Now prepared, he stood at the front door. Somehow, he felt bitter looking around the empty house. Ko Byeong-gap turned around with a bitter smile. ¡°See you again, dear.¡± A pickup truck was parked in the underground parking lot. Three days ago, he rushed to get a used one. He bought it at a low price, so it didn¡¯t look very good, but it moved well. He double-checked the diesel barrels, preserved food in the luggagepartment, and ensured it was all set. ¡°Alright.¡± He got into the driver¡¯s seat with a duffel bag in the back seat. ¡°Wait for me, you bastards. I¡¯ming.¡± The car ran softly. *** The first ce he went after leaving home was a cafe. It was a weekday morning, but there were quite a few people. Ko Byeong-gap met the person he promised in the second-floor corner, a woman in in clothes. He couldn¡¯t see her face, as she wore a round brim hat, a mask¡­ ¡°Why are you wearing sunsses?¡± ¡°Well, would a celebrity like me show her face?¡± ¡°It¡¯s more suspicious to go around like that.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung smirked, but she looked ridiculous. Ko Byeong-gap held out the items he had prepared without hesitation: bank ounts, property documents, seals¡­ Jeong Seon-kyung looked unhappy. Of course, it was covered by her mask and sunsses. ¡°Just as I said. If I don¡¯t get in touch with you after more than three weeks, give them all to my mom.¡± ¡°Hey, Byeong-gap¡­ I¡¯m asking because I don¡¯t understand, but why are you asking me to do this?¡± ¡°I told you, you¡¯re the only one I can trust.¡± ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not asking you that.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung took a sip of her coffee and continued. ¡°You can give it to her before you leave.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like that. How can I tell my mom that I could die?¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. Is it okay to notify her after you die?¡± ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± ¡°You¡¯re more of a nut job than I imagined.¡± Ko Byeong-gap gave her a big smile. On the other hand, Jeong Seon-kyung responded with extra enthusiasm. She asked, packing the files. ¡°What if I run away with this?¡± ¡°You¡¯d have a lot of money. It must be a small amount of moneypared to your fortune, but¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap answered like that and tilted his head. Suddenly, he felt a little anxious. ¡°Don¡¯t do that. Please tell my mom.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, yes. I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll be a ghost and curse me.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung shook her head. For an instant, her eyes became serious. ¡°Hey, by the way, Byeong-gap.¡± ¡°Uh.¡± ¡°What the hell are you doing? Why are you making such a fuss? No, you don¡¯t have to answer right away. Listen. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s easy for you to leave like this, but aren¡¯t you thinking of anyone who will be left behind? Haven¡¯t you thought of your mother when I tell her that you¡¯re dead? And what about my position having to tell her?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Sorry? Damn it, that¡¯s it?¡± ¡°I know this is an unreasonable request.¡± ¡°Phew! You idiot!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung shouted. Attention was drawn to their side for a moment, but she calmed down and spoke quietly. ¡°I¡¯lle with you. I don¡¯t know what it is, but I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°I told you, it¡¯s a problem I have to solve alone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sick! Where in the world is that possible? You¡¯re not the Dark Knight. Are you fighting against the world by yourself?¡± Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t answer. Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s expression drooped. ¡°Can you please not go? I don¡¯t know what it is, but can you just not do it? Huh?¡± ¡°¡­¡± He wanted to say something nice. ¨C If I don¡¯t, I will regret it for the rest of my life. ¨C It is better to die for the sake of a calling than to spend the rest of your life in regret. But it didn¡¯t fit with him. Ko Byeong-gap just smiled. ¡°Go.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°And I¡¯m not going to die. I¡¯ll be back for sure.¡± ¡°¡­ If you don¡¯t mind dying, I can just kill you.¡± ¡°Okay, I have to go now.¡± Ko Byeong-gap stood. ¡°If things go well, I¡¯ll tell you everything that happened.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need anything like that, so take care of yourself.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ko Byeong-gap left the cafe. Jeong Seon-kyung sipped her remaining coffee and looked at the ce where he walked out for a long time. Ko Byeong-gap climbed into his car and entered his destination in the navigation. He had quite a drive ahead of him. ¡°Let¡¯s go to Mt. Jirisan.¡± *** Ko Byeong-gap was deprived of the Goblin Lord¡¯s power. Setting aside how something so damning could happen, he focused on the fact that since then, he had been unable to cross to Ashvm. However, no matter how hard he pondered about how he could get back to Ashvm, he couldn¡¯te up with an answer. To plow a field, he needed to get a hoe first, but since he lost his hoe¡­ there was no other way, so he waited vaguely at first. He waited endlessly until Landriol opened the door that connected the Earth. However, this guy hadn¡¯t opened it once in thest two weeks. It was a problem if he tried to get over the door. He hated to admit it, but Landriol was strong. A head-to-head match with him couldn¡¯t guarantee his victory. He had to catch the other person off guard. To do that, it was his fundamentals to aim for an opening. He returned to the beginning and set out to find a way to get to Ashvm, but there wasn¡¯t one. No matter how much he looked and thought, he couldn¡¯t find a way. In the first ce, it was a power that only he had in the world¡­ ¡®What if I¡¯m not alone?¡¯ It was when he broke the notion that he was the only one that Ko Byeong-gap could recall as a person who showed a very simr ability. Kim Hana, the main culprit of the attacks on the power nts. There was something different about her. ¡®What if there isn¡¯t?¡¯ If there wasn¡¯t, then he had to find a new way. He had to check on even the slightest possibility that time. Around 2 pm, Ko Byeong-gap was able to reach the entrance of Jirisan Mountain. He stopped at the mountain¡¯s foot and started climbing. The coordinates that Kim Hana gave him led to rough terrain without hiking trails. It was a good ce to avoid the general public, but it wasn¡¯t a problem for Ko Byeong-gap. He climbed the mountain as if he were casually jogging. asionally rock walls or vines blocked the way, but he didn¡¯t stop. Did he hike like that for about two hours? He reached ces ordinary people couldn¡¯t even reach in half a day. A small creek on the mountainside greeted him. The whole area, as before, was dense with hardwood trees. He soaked his throat in the stream and looked over his surroundings. He then took out his cell phone and checked the map. ¡°This is correct ording to GPS.¡± A creepy hut made of wood, or a secret hideout in a natural cave. No matter how much he looked around, he couldn¡¯t find anything like it. There were only trees everywhere. ¡°Oh, damn it. Was I fooled?¡± Only then did he feel frustrated. Come to think of it; he made no appointments with her to meet that day. How would she know he wasing? ¡°It¡¯s a little embarrassing.¡± Hing! Ko Byeong-gap was startled and turned around. There was no one there until a while ago, and Kim Hana stood there with her eyes squinted. She showed no sign of hostility and didn¡¯t even have a weapon in her dress. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to pull it out.¡± Kim Hana pointed to Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s right hand. Ko Byeong-gap responded by letting go of the sword¡¯s hilt he had reflexively gripped. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not here to fight.¡± ¡°For that state, of course.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not for use here.¡± Kim Hana tilted her head but didn¡¯t ask for an exnation. Instead, she brought up something else. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I asked you toe to see me, but now you¡¯re here. You hadn¡¯te out often, so we looked for you from our side a while ago¡­ but we didn¡¯t see you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been busy for a while. By the way, where are the kids you bring with you? I don¡¯t see them with you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kim Hana frowned instead of answering. ¡°Why are you speaking informally?¡± Ko Byeong-gap was at a loss for words at the surprise. He went silent for a moment and then answered a little ugly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you speaking informally too?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to do that; it¡¯s funny to talk about it now. I¡¯m getting a little weird with age.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re old enough to say that.¡± Kim Hana was of the same age as Ko Byeong-gap, no matter how strong she was. Of course, a high-level awakener like Kim Hana couldn¡¯t be judged by appearance. For S-ss, people seemed to reach the realm of immortality. ¡°I¡¯m way older than you, Ko Byeong-gap. I¡¯ve lived more than four times the number of days you have. Maybe hundreds of¡­ oh, no. Never mind what I just said.¡± Kim Hana sighed quietly then continued. ¡°The fact that you came to me means that you want to know the truth of the world. I can tell you about it, but before that, the promise first¡­¡± ¡°No, I came to you today for another reason.¡± Ko Byeong-gap cut off Kim Hana. She rolled her eyes for a moment before she asked. ¡°Another reason?¡± ¡°Yes, let me go to Ashvm. I¡¯ll listen to your story next time.¡± ¡°Ashvm?¡± She asked back. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know Ashvm?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like a person¡¯s name, and since you want me to send you there, then it must be a certain ce. But none of the countries or cities I know have such a name. Why are you leaving and asking me to do that?¡± Ko Byeong-gap kept his mouth shut for some time. He wondered if he hade to the wrong address. ¡®No, no, no. I believe what I saw then.¡¯ He changed his mind and asked again. ¡°Can¡¯t you cross over to a world other than Earth?¡± ¡°¡­?!¡± Kim Hana¡¯s eyes grew bigger. Her mouth opened on its own. Ko Byeong-gap immediately noticed that he had hit the point. The look on her face said, ¡®How?¡¯ ¡°How¡­ how can you¡­.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m like you too. Well, not now.¡± ¡°Like me?¡± ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s right. There¡¯s no need to make a hideout like this. You must have something nice out there.¡± Ko Byeong-gap urged her to let him go. ¡°Let¡¯s not do this here. Let¡¯s move, shall we?¡± Kim Hana swallowed and nodded. ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± She reached out her left hand and grabbed the air. The next moment, the space was torn into four parts. Inside, a ck vortex swirled. ¡®It¡¯s a little different from mine.¡¯ He paused. Ko Byeong-gap barely stopped just before trying to get inside without thinking. He held a shy look on his face. ¡°I parked my car down the mountain. Can¡¯t I take that with me, too?¡± ¡°¡­¡± *** ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Gasp, gasp, gasp!¡± The Hob Goblin breathed heavily. Four Normal Goblins scattered around him, and they were, without exception, a wreck. ¡°Growl¡­¡± ¡°Ouch¡­ it hurts¡­¡± A sprawled-out Normal Goblin groaned. It held a training sword that wasn¡¯t sharpened, but that didn¡¯t mean that it was soft. ¡°¡­¡± The Hob Goblinid down the sword. He was holding it so tightly that his palms felt numb, and he turned his head slowly. All over the ce, people were seen aiming weapons at each other. They screamed and wielded their weapons. The Hob Goblin thought the sight was terrible. ¡°Send the fallen ones to the mines. Leave only the strong ones behind.¡± Suddenly, Landriol appeared in the arena. The Goblins in battle immediately bowed down, shivering in fear. Landriol frowned as he nced around the arena. ¡°Cut out the greetings and finish what you were doing.¡± The Goblin sprang to their feet at themand. They then swung their weapons again. It had already been a day. ¡°My Lord¡­.¡± ¡°What is it, Marilyn?¡± ¡°Everyone¡­ seems very tired. It¡¯ste, so I¡¯ll call it a day¨C¡± ¡°Marilyn.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°They, the Holy Warriors, will not wait around for us. Whether the sun goes down or it rains, they just keep on advancing.¡± Marilyn lowered her head and said nothing. Landriol looked back at the Goblins. ¡°Look at this pathetic sight. The Sarahons, who had nothing to fear from the world, have be so weak. In this state, even if they get back together, they will only be trampled by the Holy Army.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± Landriol walked slowly with his hands behind his back. The sound of sickness could be heard from all over the arena. ¡°I¡­ My Lord.¡± ¡°Say it.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t that this girl dares to doubt the will of the king, but looking at the king¡¯s actions after his return¨C¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stretch it out; just get to the point.¡± Marilyn took some time to ask. ¡°Are you preparing for war?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Landriol answered immediately. Marilyn¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Who are you fighting with?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking the obvious. Of course, this is to punish Madmut and the other foolish creatures.¡± ¡°As I said before, we are the only ones on the continent. Far from Madmut, and there are no other Ains except the Sarahons¡­.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to invade the other world. Madmut is there.¡± Marilyn couldn¡¯t answer. She became speechless, so Landriol furrowed his eyebrows while monitoring her reaction. ¡°You don¡¯t look happy about that, do you?¡± ¡°Oh, no, no! How dare I?¡± ¡°Marilyn.¡± ¡°Yes, my Lord.¡± ¡°I hoped for peace on thisnd, and that foolish people who were fighting for personal possessions wouldn¡¯t do that anymore. Thus, I unified the Earth and ruled the people withws and discipline. They no longer fought overnd and food.¡± ¡°Yes, I know that.¡± Marilyn, who witnessed the generation of peace, remembered the situation at the time. Under Sarahon¡¯s rule, the Ains lived in harmony. Even if she put aside racial bias and looked only at objective facts, that era was rich. Anyone on thend could sleep warm on their backs without getting hungry. Landriol was admired as the God of the Earth. ¡°But¡­¡± Landriol clenched his fist. Veins stood out in his forearms. ¡°But Madmut, twisted in his heart, couldn¡¯t stand to see that. He said I was arrogant about being called the God of the Surface. That¡¯s the only reason he annihted the Sarahons! Is that the standard of a noble God?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s even more startling is the behavior of the people who sumbed to fear. They betrayed us without knowing the grace we had given them. They hit us on the back of our heads in unison because they were afraid to confront God! What¡¯s the difference between that and pointing a spear at a parent?¡± Scrap! The ground split, unable to withstand Landriol¡¯s rage. Marilyn quickly calmed him down. ¡°My Lord. Let¡¯s fix it.¡± ¡°Whoa¡­ I realized it only after I When the name Varin came out, Marilyn shuddered. Varin was the name of the Queen and the only woman Lord Landriol had been fond of. Marilyn had been one of his seven concubines, but she never had the chance to speak to ¡°What did you realize?¡± ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m standing here against the provisions of nature?¡± ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it to rebuild Ashvm and give it prosperity again?¡± ¡°The reconstruction of Ashvm?¡± Landriol snorted. ¡°How do we rebuild Ashvm, which is already buried underground?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why am I alive? It¡¯s to bring the same despair to those who made us despair. I can¡¯t even close my eyes until I cut Madmut¡¯s throat. That¡¯s what I realized!¡± Marilyn looked up at the king with nk eyes and turned away. Shouts and groans still resonated everywhere, and several Goblins were exhausted and copsed. Marilyn looked back at him with frozen eyes and asked. ¡°But, my Lord, isn¡¯t the number of soldiers too low to fight a war against God?¡± Landriol suffered from her criticism. ¡°That¡¯s true. A mere 1,500¡­ one is to cut the enemy¡¯s throat, and the rest is nothing more than an arrowhead. Damn it; I didn¡¯t expect the Demons to do such a ridiculous thing.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°There will be no big problems. Fortunately, the Seed of Enlightenment had been nted in time. It¡¯s sprouted, and now it¡¯s insignificant, but it¡¯ll get better in a little while. If I bought this temple from the Ancient Shop¡ª¡± ¡°Lord, my Lord!¡± Marilyn shouted and interrupted Landriol, who showed off his difort. Either way, Marilyn asked. ¡°Did¡­ did the king know that the Demons would invade thend?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Landriol stared at Marilyn, who shivered, but she didn¡¯t avert her eyes. After a while, Landriol replied calmly. ¡°Yes. It was I who brought the Demons.¡± Chapter 102 102. Back in ce Tap! Tap! ¡°Come on. It¡¯s a turbo lighter.¡± Ko Byeong-gap struggled to move the lighter to the end of the cigarette. The fierce wind trampled on his small wish, yet he was able to achieve his intended goal after a dozen attempts. He enjoyed the scenery in front of him, puffing cigarette smoke one after another. It was a wonderful view, enchanting his eyes and mind. At the same time, itplicated his thoughts. ¡°Whoa¡­ I never thought there would be a ce like this.¡± It was an extremelyrge mountain range surrounded by snow and ice caps. In particr, he stood at the summit of a mountain, which was more than three times higher than other ces. So the white mountains seemed wide beneath his feet. Whoosh! ¡°Huh.¡± He pulled his thick coat tightly. It was handed to him by Kim Hana as soon as they crossed over here. Even though it almost covered his whole body, he was still cold. It probably exceeded minus 30 to 40 degrees celsius. Ko Byeong-gap quietly burned a whole pack of cigarettes. His head was cluttered with one thought and another. He turned and walked toward the log cabin. ¡°This is Ashvm.¡± No one told him this was Ashvm, but he could tell by the smell of the air and the color of the sky. Squeak. He opened the thick wooden door and entered the log cabin. Unlike the cold outside, the room was full of heat. Kim Hana, who was pushing firewood into the firece, looked back at him and spoke. ¡°Have you made up your mind a bit?¡± ¡°Somewhat.¡± ¡°Please close the door. I don¡¯t like the cold wind.¡± Ko Byeong-gap meekly closed the door. After that, he took off his overcoat and sat down on a suitable chair. Kim Hana came over to him with a kettle and poured him a cup of tea. He drank the tea without much doubt. The bitter aftertaste wasn¡¯t his taste, but he took a bite. ¡°Why aren¡¯t the kidsing? Didn¡¯t you say they were going to cut down trees?¡± Kim Hana always took three children with her, and they were likely middle school students, but their strength wasparable to that of S-ss hunters. Ko Byeong-gap was secretly annoyed that they weren¡¯t around. On the contrary, Kim Hana was nonchnt. ¡°They¡¯ll be here when the time is right.¡± She also sat on a chair and kept looking at Ko Byeong-gap with suspicious eyes. ¡°Hmm.¡± Ko Byeong-gap slowly looked around inside the log cabin. All the furniture that filled the house seemed to have been brought from modern times. Just looking at the table in front of him, he could smell its industrial products right away. It had been decorated pretty well with an old-fashioned sentiment. One ornament with a different atmosphere from the other furniture caught his eye. It was a rough te. There were signs of years on its worn-out edges, and something was engraved on the stone te. Feeling a strange familiarity with it, Ko Byeong-gap approached it. Immediately after, he doubted his eyes. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± ¡°I found it buried nearby. What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡®It¡¯s a map!¡¯ It was a map, no matter what anyone said. It was a pretty borate map too. Moreover, the markings were very familiar to his eyes. He wondered where he saw it, and it was 99 percent identical to what was engraved on Marilyn¡¯s body. A pile of letters was carved densely on the back of the stone te, but unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t read it. ¡®If I had the power of the Lord, I would have been able to read this.¡¯ He focused on the map, leaving his disappointment behind. It was a bit weathered, but some of the main points were recognizable. ¡®This is the northernmost point. Wait, is this Vervonia? So if you ride east¡­ It¡¯s Valtadren!¡¯ He found Valtadren on the map and cried for joy. At that time, Kim Hana, who had approached him without his knowledge, asked in a questionable tone. ¡°It seems to be a map left by the old civilization. But it¡¯s in vain if we go there.¡± ¡°In vain?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been to a few ces nearby, but they were all in ruins.¡± Kim Hana said so and touched the stone tablet with her hands. There were castles adjacent to the mountains. ¡°When was thest time you were there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, about five or three years.¡± ¡®Five years¡­ Long before I came.¡¯ ¡°Why haven¡¯t you been outtely?¡± ¡°Because I know it¡¯s all ruins. And as you can see, the terrain here is rough. It¡¯s too risky to go out on the road with that sense of adventure.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Ko Byeong-gap said so and lifted the te. ¡°Can I take this, please? I¡¯ll give you whatever price you want.¡± ¡°Take it if you want. I don¡¯t need money.¡± Ko Byeong-gap thought it was a windfall, so he quickly took it to the car. When he came back, Kim Hana was drinking tea in her chair. He hurried to sit next to her. ¡°I never thought there would be more like me. So what Lord are you?¡± Kim Hana didn¡¯t answer immediately. She sipped the tea with her eyes closed and then asked. ¡°Well, what kind of Lord are you, Mr. Byeong-gap?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard from you yet.¡± ¡°You want to get too much without giving.¡± If he wanted her to reveal her identity, he had to reveal his identity first. Ko Byeong-gap, who realized what Kim Hana wanted, smacked his lips. Yeah, well, what else could he hide when they were here? ¡°I¡¯m the Goblin Lord. But¡­ not now.¡± ¡°Goblin?¡± Her eyes frowned slightly. Ko Byeong-gap noticed the small change but pretended not to notice. ¡°Are you talking about the Goblin I know?¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°What can you do?¡± ¡°I could do this and that. I¡¯ve traveled between this world and Earth and sometimes obtained mysterious objects. I get the help of the Goblins. Aren¡¯t you simr?¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Kim Hana cleverly spilled words and asked for something else. ¡°My rapid growth is due to the Lord¡¯s power.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t deny it.¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®not now?''¡± ¡°Literally. I¡¯ve lost the power of the Lord now.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There were some idents. It takes too long to exin the details.¡± Ko Byeong-gap folded his arms after saying so. It was a nuance that he had done enough to talk about himself. ¡°So, what¡¯s the answer to my question? What Lord are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± As she was about to continue, they felt a movement outside and heard a loud thud. She stood up and looked at the window. ¡°The children are here. The kids might be surprised to see you, so I¡¯ll have to talk to them first.¡± Ko Byeong-gap wasn¡¯t happy, but he nodded. Didn¡¯t she give him the map for free? She left after putting on her coat. Ko Byeong-gap, who was left alone, looked at the window with his neck pulled out. All he could see was the hazy, clouded sky. ¡®Come to think of it, those kids¡­ They called Kim Hana their Master and followed her. So they might not be human, by any chance?¡¯ Were they something that Kim Hana had, like the Goblins he had? ¡®How were they born¡­?¡¯ While inferring their identity, Kim Hana returned. The children didn¡¯t follow in. She exined that they were building up firewood. She sat back down, but she bit her lips as if practicing silence. He left her alone because it seemed like she was organizing her thoughts. After a while, the three children came in by opening the wooden door. One girl with long, curly blond hair and one boy with his hair shaved like a monk. Of the three, there was one more boy with thick hair. They red at Ko Byeong-gap as if they had spoken about it. Their grudge from thest time they met seemed to be still there. Without a word, they rushed to the bonfire and started warming up. ¡®Of course, they¡¯re human.¡¯ He stroked his chin and looked at the children¡¯s backs. He then smacked his lips and looked at Kim Hana again. ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop beating around the bush and let me know?¡± ¡°I would love to do that.¡± Kim Hana put down the teacup and looked straight at Ko Byeong-gap. She said clearly and with dignity, ¡°I¡¯m not what you¡¯re talking about, Lord or what. To confess, I don¡¯t have a clue what I am.¡± *** The snow suddenly poured like crazy. He took one step and was buried down to his knees. ¡°I don¡¯t know where you¡¯re going, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a very good idea to go out now.¡± Kim Hana followed him and spoke. Ko Byeong-gap made an expression of rising irritation, but he wasn¡¯t particrly annoyed by her. ¡®Damn it. It would be hard to drive the car and drag like this. Anyway, I have to get there before the snow piles up more.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap hurriedly took out the snow chain and signed it. ¡°Hey, are you listening to me?¡± ¡°What did you say? I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m busy right now.¡± ¡°Where the hell are you going? There¡¯s nothing here. It¡¯s just a mountain covered with snow. The only thing that¡¯s still there is ruins.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just ruins.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°If you keep going south, there¡¯s a city. A city of Goblins.¡± Kim Hana clicked her mouth. She then added with a small sigh. ¡°Okay, even if that¡¯s the case. So you¡¯re going south through this blizzard? Why don¡¯t you hang yourself if you want to kill yourself?¡± ¡°¡­ If you don¡¯t want to help, why don¡¯t you just go back in?¡± He hooked his chain to thest wheel. Having finished his preparation, he looked down at the vast mountain range. To be honest, he was reckless, as Kim Hana said. When would he be able to cross that cold zone and reach the warmnd? However, he had to go. He didn¡¯te all the way back to Ashvm and be scared. ¡°I¡¯lle backter and listen to your back story.¡± ¡°Well, if I let you go like this, I¡¯ll be talking to a corpse.¡± ¡°You should learn voodoo.¡± Ko Byeong-gap got into the car, ignoring her. However, the car didn¡¯t start well because it was frozen. As he warmed up and waited, Kim Hana knocked on the window. ¡°Get off for a second.¡± ¡°Oh, well, even if I have to go? I told you I¡¯d hear from youter.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ I got it, so get off for now.¡± He got out of the car, wondering what she was going to say. Kim Hana touched her forehead and was lost in thought for a moment. She spoke after deciding for a while. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the end of the mountain range.¡± ¡°What do you mean you¡¯re going to take me? How?¡± She took off her overcoat instead of answering. Her worn-out dress and bare skin were revealed. What was the woman doing? He stood still as she spoke, staring at him. ¡°Turn around. Don¡¯t look, and don¡¯t be surprised.¡± Ko Byeong-gap followed meekly, and then came the voices of the children. ¡°M-Master, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯ll take about a day. Please wait for me.¡± ¡°Master, no! You¡¯re not feeling well!¡± The blonde girl, Alpha, said with a very worried look. Kim Hana replied calmly. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Why is that man¡­?¡± ¡°We need him.¡± Ko Byeong-gap felt tremendous energy the moment she said that. So he turned away reflexively even though she warned him not to look. The next moment, his mouth opened wide. Kim Hana¡¯s body turned red and began to transform. Gooooo! The change ended in a few blinks, and the woman before him turned into something inhuman. Long neck, huge wings, gray torso, body-filled scales¡­ She looked like a giant ¡®winged lizard¡¯. ¡°Oh no. What is this¡­?¡± At first nce, she was simr to a Wyvern. However, as a living creature, she was overwhelming. The fanning of her wings was also iparable. Ko Byeong-gap instinctively pulled out his sword even though he knew that the unknown creature, which was 10 meters high, was Kim Hana. ¡°Put down your sword. You can¡¯t ride on my back if you hold it.¡± There was a strange force in her voice. Ko Byeong-gap recovered his sword as if possessed. She walked a few steps forward and leaned down. It was a signal for him to get on. ¡°Load your car on my back. Guys, help him out.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Ko Byeong-gap and the three children joined forces to move the car. It wasn¡¯t a big deal for the four high-level awakeners. Kim Hana¡¯s appearance was as wide as a basketball court. She amodated the car lightly. Ko Byeong-gap soothed his bewilderment and climbed on her back. ¡°I can¡¯t hear you while flying. You don¡¯t have to worry because you won¡¯t fall off.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. I got it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t overdo it, Master.¡± Kim Hana pped her wings. Suddenly, her gigantic body floated up. Ko Byeong-gap felt that his sense of reality had dulled. She flew as if to reach the clouds and started running toward the south. *** Kim Hana flew without a single break. She stopped once in a while, but it seemed only so she could look for a direction. ¡®I could try to get through there.¡¯ She thought nkly as she looked down at the ground. The mountain range was vast and rugged. If he had continued toe, he would¡¯ve turned into a corpse, just as Kim Hana said. Ko Byeong-gap sat on her wide back and was lost in thought about his future ns. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t think of the best course of action. ¡°It¡¯s not easy.¡± Time went by without a trace. The sun was setting, and the whole world became dark. Ko Byeong-gap, who was dozing off, woke up from a tremor. They were no longer in the sky but already on the ground. He stretched himself up. However, Kim Hana¡¯s condition was unusual. She was sprawled with her head on the floor. A breathless sigh escaped from her gigantic mouth. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± ¡°Get the car off. Come on.¡± There was a sense of urgency in her voice. Ko Byeong-gap went down to the ground with the pick-up truck. Suddenly, Kim Hana went back to the shape of a human being. ¡°Don¡¯t look¡­¡± She was naked. Ko Byeong-gap took off his coat shyly and threw it away. ¡°Why are you doing this all of a sudden? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°I¡¯vee too far¡­ I¡¯ll have to rest a little and go back. When can I pick you up?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to pick me up. If things go well, I¡¯ll go back to Jirisan Mountain on my own.¡± ¡°What if things don¡¯t work out?¡± Ko Byeong-gap tried to answer casually, but he shut up. He answered after some silence. ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen. Anyway, let¡¯s meet again at Jirisan Mountain.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, I understand.¡± ¡°Go home safely.¡± Ko Byeong-gap got into the car and left Kim Hana lying on the floor. He started it without any difficulty since he preheated at one time during the flight. It was already dawn, but he rolled the wheel without dy. He was going to run day and night for the next few days. ording to the map carved on the stone tablet, the ruins weren¡¯t too far away, so he decided to find it first. Chapter 103 103. Back in ce ¡°I¡¯m getting sick of this.¡± Instant Consumable Combat Food Type II. He wondered what would be left if he took out the salty taste. He thought he ate it quite deliciously during the North Korean expedition, but he realized it wasn¡¯t that good after eating it again. His tongue was dry, so he gulped down water. For a moment, his right arm seemed to blur and stabbed something, fast like lightning. ¡°Koohak!¡± The Gruggle that looked like a sunfish split vertically. Ko Byeong-gap dropped his hand with food far away, fearing that dirt might ssh. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Ooh, ooh¡­¡± ¡°Why? Do you want to eat?¡± Two more scrambled with arms, legs, and other bodily organs that were difficult to name. They seemed to be more interested in Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s body than the preservative food he held. ¡°You things make me sick. I can¡¯t even eat.¡± He moved like the wind. He performed two cuts almost simultaneously. The Gruggles running side by side split in half and died. He poured the rest of the rice into his mouth. Although he had no appetite, he forced himself to eat. He threw away the empty paper te and immediately climbed the broken spire, and scanned his surroundings. He spent the first three days in mountainous and humid terrain, but he had now entered a wide in. He watched the sunset with a cigarette in his mouth. He was going to run all night again that day. ording to the stone tablets he brought from Kim Hana¡¯s house, his destination wasn¡¯t far away and would take a week at thetest to be there. The closer he got to Valtadren, the more he remembered his men. ¡°Are they thinking of me too?¡± He didn¡¯t know, but he hoped so. He got back into the car after a short break. He drove as fast as 150 to 160 kilometers per hour. The speedometer¡¯s needle bent sharply. Ko Byeong-gap was in a hurry. He couldn¡¯t wait to get back on track. *** ¡°Stop working and gather around!¡± Patra shouted in a sharp voice. The Goblins in the cave paused and looked back at the sound. ¡°Hurry up and rally. We need to figure out the number of people.¡± He turned around, leaving only that. The Goblins were absentminded for some time before they arranged their equipment. Some ran to alert the rest deep in the cave to the order of gathering. Among them was Gobung, who went through several tunnels and entered a small cave. Six or seven Goblins were pickaxing with bewildered faces. One of them looked different from the other Goblins. She turned around and asked. ¡°Hey, idiot. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°They called the end of the work. Gather up.¡± ¡°Sheesh! That was quick. Let¡¯s go, idiots.¡± It was Doran. She walked out of the shaft with the people working with her. The number of Goblins heading to the exit was enormous. It was almost like a flea market. The old Somnium wasn¡¯t like this. The poption of Somnium was about 500. Only 350 of them worked in caves, while the other 150 worked on other things. However, since the advent of the new Lord, Somnium suffered from overpoption. Currently, more than 800 people worked in the caves. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± On the way out, an ally came to Gobung¡¯s vision. It was a Normal Goblin, crouching in the corner of the cave. Gobung was startled and ran his way. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Oh, my head hurts so much¡­¡± ¡°Head?¡± Gobung examined the Normal Goblin¡¯s head. There was no special trauma. He agonized for a moment and carried the little one on his back. ¡°I think it¡¯s because you¡¯ve inhaled a lot of dust. You¡¯ll feel better if you get some fresh air outside.¡± Doran, who was watching the sight, gritted her teeth. ¡°Damn! As soon as the sun rises, we¡¯re thrown into the cave to work until the moon rises, so of course, his head hurts!¡± In the past, the Goblins who worked in the caves took regr breaks. They made sure toe outside every certain time and get some fresh air and sunshine because Ko Byeong-gap requested them to do so. But now, there was no such thing as breaks. They spent more than 15 hours a day in the caves. ¡°Doran, don¡¯t be angry¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys angry? That¡¯s why you¡¯re idiots!¡± She shook her fist. The tremor of anger soon turned into a tremor of sadness. She muttered in a sad tone. ¡°I miss Lord¡­¡± ¡°Shh, shh!¡± Gobung hurriedly looked around. Fortunately, none of the ¡®supervisors¡¯ were seen near them. ¡°Do¡­ Doran. Don¡¯t talk about the Lord. Likest time, you¡¯ll get hit again. And Lord¡­¡± ¡°Shut up! Say one more word!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I miss him, too. But didn¡¯t Dorma tell you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even mention that son of a bitch¡¯s name in front of me.¡± ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up ande out!¡± A sharp shout broke out at the cave¡¯s entrance. Gobung answered hastily. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m on my way!¡± ¡°Pfft! It¡¯s not even a fist away from you, and you¡¯re already squealing like hell.¡± ¡°Doran, let¡¯s go.¡± Gobung grabbed Doran¡¯s arm and went out of the cave. Outside, the Goblins mobilized for work were being inspected in a line. They also quickly stood in line. Five supervisors checked their numbers. Among them, Niad, a woman with impressive red hair, shouted. ¡°Patient. Is there anyone in need of care? If there is, step forward!¡± Some Goblins stepped forward as she snapped. The Normal Goblin, who Gobung carried, also went there. The supervisors took over one by one and examined their condition. ¡°That¡¯s enough. You can cry on your own. Next!¡± ¡°What? You have a headache? You¡¯ll get better when you wake up. Next!¡± ¡°A rock crushed you? Let¡¯s take a look. Hmm. Go over there.¡± However, only two or three out of the ten people were given appropriate measures. When the headcount waspleted, the Goblins left for ate dinner under the supervisors¡¯ leadership. The meal for them, who had been working all day, was boiled potatoes. It was the same menu for two weeks. All the meat was transferred to Valtadren. The reason was that there wasn¡¯t enough food to feed those who were training as soldiers. The Goblins didn¡¯t eat as loudly as they used to. They just chewed and swallowed the potatoes to fill their hungry stomachs. At least the amount was overflowing. They were always given enough rice to make their stomachs burst. ¡°Doran, there you are. Mr. Gobung too.¡± A woman with a paleplexion came to Doran¡¯s table. It was Ea. Doran nced at Ea and sighed. She then took out the potatoes she had peeled. ¡°Eat.¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s okay. I can eat mine enough.¡± ¡°Just eat it.¡± ¡°¡­ Thank you. Thank you for the food.¡± Ea¡¯s hands were a mess. She was mobilized all day in the fields and kitchen. The problem was in the field. Due to theck of farming equipment, they had to dig out the furrows with their bare hands. As a result, her nails were all peeled off. Sadly, the Sarahons weren¡¯t very considerate of the spirit Ea. ¡°How was work today?¡± ¡°It was nothing.¡± ¡°What are you asking? Of course, I was like a beggar again.¡± At the same time, Gobung and Doran answered. Ea smiled awkwardly at the conflicting opinions. ¡°How are you, Ea? You look very tired today.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Now that I¡¯m used to it, it doesn¡¯t feel that hard. Didn¡¯t you know? I¡¯m quite adaptable.¡± ¡°Phew, idiot, idiot.¡± Doran clicked her tongue. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re such a fool. You¡¯re the most stupid fool I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°Oh, why do you think so, Doran?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know? If I were you, I¡¯d run right away!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Hehe.¡± ¡°Are youughing now?¡± Doran looked serious. Ea replied while chewing potatoes with a sad smile. ¡°There¡¯s no ce for me to go. If I ran away, I would be devoured by the Gruggles. Then why is Doran still here? You hate it so much.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t answer easily because many of her reasons had mixed up. Among them, she wanted to deny it, but she was born to obey the king. In other words, she was here because Landriol ordered, ¡®Stay in the cave for four years and get crystals.¡¯ Doran desperately denied it. She hypnotized herself into thinking that only the stupid Goblins were concerned. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m waiting.¡± ¡°What do you mean by waiting?¡± ¡°For Lord. I¡¯m waiting for Lord Ko Byeong-gap to return.¡± Ea blinked her big eyes. Gobung hurriedly looked at the supervisors. Ea spoke in a low voice. ¡°Don¡¯t call him by his name. If you get caught again, they¡¯ll beat you likest time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Doran. That green-haired woman can eat you. So be careful.¡± ¡°Tell her to do that. What¡¯s there to fear?¡± ¡°Doran¡­¡± In fact, Ea also wanted to see Ko Byeong-gap. She missed him, and so did the other Goblins. ¡­ But he was dead. Dorma, who had left for the capital with him, testified so. She couldn¡¯t believe it when some crazy guy showed up and robbed the position as Lord. ¡®Are you really dead?¡¯ Ea¡¯s eyes grew sad. She felt like she was going to cry after a long time. *** Somnium¡¯s day began at an early hour. As soon as the Goblins opened their eyes, they ate some boiled potatoes and went into the caves, and then they wouldn¡¯t see the blue sky until lunch. Around noon, they gathered in the field in front of the cave and had a small lunch. If they just sat on the floor and ate potatoes, it would turn ck due to the dust on their hands. But no Goblinsined. ¡°Potatoes, potatoes! Why are you only giving me potatoes to eat?¡± Doran almost threw away the potatoes. She then heard a calling from behind. ¡°Doran.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± It was E, the most senior supervisor. She was also the woman Gobung mentioned as the ¡®Woman Who Can Eat Doran¡¯. ¡°The king sent a message. He told me to bring you back to Valtadren.¡± ¡°You want me to go back to Valtadren?¡± ¡°Yes, be ready to go back as soon as you finish your meal¡ª¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not going.¡± Doran said so and then turned her head. Veins rose on E¡¯s forehead because of her tant disregard. ¡°It¡¯s not up to you to decide. The king ordered it.¡± ¡°Even if I don¡¯t like it, what would I do when I¡¯m there?¡± ¡°Are you going against themand?¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know about that. Anyway, I¡¯m not going, so tell him that.¡± ¡°Huh! You¡¯re really crazy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m crazy.¡± She groaned and picked up the potatoes. The next moment, E¡¯s knife pierced her potato, and Doran¡¯s eyes opened fiercely. ¡°Did you just¡­ draw a knife on me?¡± ¡°If you are the king¡¯s people, act ordingly. As his servant, I can no longer tolerate your filthy attitude.¡± ¡°Huh! This is why I hate you guys. You just open your mouth and say, Lord, and king!¡± Doran picked up a new potato. Afterward, sheughed. ¡°On the subject of brainwashed dolls¡­¡± ¡°What? How dare you say that!¡± E grabbed Doran by the cor. Doran¡¯s eyebrows twitched. ¡°Didn¡¯t you start it first?¡± She snapped E¡¯s arm and smashed it to the floor as if she had been waiting for the opportunity. After climbing on her, she started pping her face hard. ¡°Scream!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me! Do you think I¡¯m scared of you guys? Even if five of you attack me at once, you can¡¯t even touch a single hair of mine!¡± ¡°Hey¡­!¡± E looked at Doran. Unfortunately, she was speaking the truth. It hadn¡¯t been long since they came out into the worl; theyy were still weak. Thanks to Landriol¡¯s power, they regained their memory, but they didn¡¯t regain their abilities. However, if it was a battle of tongue and authority, the story was different. ¡°End of the meal!¡± E shouted out of the blue. The Goblins eating potatoes hesitated. ¡°Lunch is over! Everyone, go back to the caves!¡± ¡°What, what?¡± ¡°There is no lunch or dinner today!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense! What right do you have to control our meals? You¡¯re not above authority!¡± ¡°Authority?¡± E snorted as she climbed away. ¡°The king transferred the management of the mines to me. Here, my words are the words of the king! What are you doing? Why don¡¯t you go back to the caves? Are you defying the king¡¯s orders?¡± When she shouted, the Goblins stood up with their fists clenched. Doran freaked out and stopped, but it didn¡¯t work. ¡°You fools! Just eat! Eat!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Doran, we must listen to that¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Hey! Take that back right now! You have to feed the kids before making them work!¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯d love to, but the king told me to speed up the crystal mining. I can¡¯t help it.¡± E replied in a teasing manner. Doran looked at her and the others alternatively with empty eyes. Her eyes trembled pitifully. ¡°Oh¡­ I see. I¡¯ll go to Valtadren. I¡¯m leaving. I¡¯m leaving!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s natural.¡± ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± ¡°Kneel.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You have offended me so much that you should kneel and apologize.¡± Shame shone on Doran¡¯s face for a while, but eventually, she knelt as she was told. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. So let them eat their food. They have to eat.¡± E brushed the dust off her clothes. She then suddenly pped Doran on the cheek and threw up her anger. ¡°How dare you think we¡¯re brainwashed? You stupid bitch, you¡¯ve got your hair all messed up. Your memory is gone, and you¡¯re talking like that!¡± ¡°Shut up¡­¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve left you all this time because I¡¯m scared of you? If it weren¡¯t for me, you¡¯d have lost your voice!¡± E kicked Doran, who swallowed her anger and chewed her lips. She could beat her back if she wanted to, but she couldn¡¯t stand the fact that the Goblins wouldn¡¯t be able to eat because of her. ¡°No, I¡¯m gonna have to renovate your rotten thoughts before I send you back to Valtadren.¡± Standing up, she pulled out her sheath and held it in her hand. She held it over her head, and then she swung it hard. However, it didn¡¯t hit Doran because someone grabbed the knife and stopped it. ¡°¡­?¡± Somnium¡¯s air froze in an instant. A man¡¯s overbearing presence was the cause. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you before. Why the fuck would you do that to her?¡± Chapter 104 104. Silence. It was the kind of perfect silence where one wouldn¡¯t even hear a breath. The Goblins, who were wondering whether to stop E and Doran from fighting or go into the caves and work, looked as if they had seen a ghost. Doran stared up with her mouth wide open. E just frowned. ¡°A human? How?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking, why the fuck are you doing that to her?¡± ¡°What are you saying? You sound like an animal crying.¡± E pulled the knife he caught. However, it didn¡¯t move a single millimeter due to the difference in their strengths. She was nervous. ¡°Since when¡­? No, it doesn¡¯t make any sense. How are you like this?¡± ¡°Lord!¡± ¡°Lord!¡± Doran and Gobung shouted at the same time. ¡®Lord!¡¯ He could understand it even if he had lost his power. Wasn¡¯t it something he had heard enough to make a scab in his ear? When E heard them calling him Lord, she frowned. She hurriedly let go of the knife and pulled herself out. She then pulled up the sword that had been stuck on the floor. ¡°Lord? You¡¯re the one who managed this ce before the king? I heard you¡¯re dead?¡± ¡°Let go of your sword.¡± Ko Byeong-gap said so and made a gesture with the same meaning. E understood the meaning. However, instead of letting go of the sword, she grew more nervous. She growled and spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you¡¯re alive, but nothing changes. The king said that all Ains, except the Sarahons, were not entitled to enter thend. So I will take over his will and condemn you.¡± E rolled her eyes. Her subordinates were nowhere to be seen since they were currently managing other ces. By the way, she sent three people to the wall. How did he break through the surveince? ¡®That guy is strong. I can¡¯t confront him alone.¡¯ After a brief agony, she shouted out of the blue. ¡°Everyone, be ready for battle! We¡¯re going to attack him in unison!¡± Her sharp shout rang loudly. The Goblins obeyed her orders and immediately prepared forbat. ¡°What are you doing? Why are you all standing around like idiots?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Surround him! Grab a pickaxe!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hey, all of you!¡± ¡°Doran. Gobung. It¡¯s been a while. But why are you guys looking like that?¡± Ko Byeong-gap said yfully, waving his hand. Doran looked like she was about to cry. Even in her embarrassment, E aimed at Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s gap. She rushed in like a thunderbolt and unleashed a sharp sh at the defenseless Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°A spoiled bitch.¡± Hit! ¡°Gasp!¡± His arm wasn¡¯t even visible. E was pped in the face by his sword and flew away. Her cheeks swelled red. ¡°Ugh¡­ Ugh.¡± E spread like a stoned frog. ¡°Lord! Whoo!¡± Doran, whose face was filled with sorrow, came running and hugged Ko Byeong-gap. He smiled and patted her back. ¡°¡­¡± On the other hand, the other Goblins weren¡¯t willing toe. They couldn¡¯t understand the situation itself. What the hell was he? He was definitely the Lord they knew, but he was not the Lord. Different messages from their heads and their hearts worked as a sense of separation, confusing them. ¡°Is he really¡­ the Lord?¡± Gobung managed to say. Ko Byeong-gap only understood ¡®Lord.¡¯ He didn¡¯t know it would be so ufortable that they couldn¡¯tmunicate. He took Doran out of his arms and spoke. ¡°Ea.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Ea. Ea. Ea, where is she?¡± ¡°Are you talking about Ea?¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, yeah. Where¡¯s Ea?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Doran tilted her head. Ko Byeong-gap said, poking into the air with his fingers. ¡°Ea. Bring her here. Call me Ea.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, Lord? I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Ea! Ea! Ea! Here! Ea! Ah¡­ This is driving me crazy.¡± Suddenly, Gobung spoke as if he had noticed something. ¡°Doran! I think he¡¯s asking us to bring Ea.¡± ¡°Ea! Ea here? Call Ea here? Is that right?¡± Doran asked, copying Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s behavior. He nodded quickly. ¡°Oh, yeah! Bring her here!¡± ¡°Oh, I got it! Please wait a minute!¡± Doran ran quickly. Ko Byeong-gap took a cigarette in his mouth and sighed. ¡°Phew. It¡¯s so hard to ask a favor.¡± He looked at the Goblin crowd. They looked at Ko Byeong-gap at a certain distance. They didn¡¯t try to get close, nor did they try to get any farther. If it were before, they would¡¯ve rushed all of a sudden. Heughed bitterly. He said, waving his hands. ¡°Hey, Gobung! Come here.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Come here, I¡¯m calling.¡± Words didn¡¯t work, but gestures did. Gobung shrugged and approached. There was a hint of vignce in him, like a scared puppy. Ko Byeong-gap patted Gobung¡¯s head with a sentimental look on his face. The Goblin shrank a little, and yet he didn¡¯t shy away. After a while, Doran returned, with Ea following behind. Ea found Ko Byeong-gap and opened her big eyes bigger. After falling to the floor, she grabbed his hand and greeted him with pleasure. For a while, she poured out her words like an explosion. Of course, Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t understand a word, but he nodded his head every now and then and spoke when it was appropriate. ¡°Ea.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, yes!¡± ¡°Me. Words. Ah¡­ Talking. I need your help.¡± ¡°What? What? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Ea. I think the Lord can¡¯t speak ournguage.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t talk?¡± She gasped, then suddenly flicked her finger. ¡°Oh! So that¡¯s why you asked me for help?¡± Ko Byeong-gap had been trying to convey the meaning of his words by making every move. In an instant, Ea grabbed Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s arms and nodded slowly. ¡°I see what you mean. I¡¯ll help you. Fortunately, I have a talent for this. My life would be shortened a bit, but¡­ Anyway, wait a little bit.¡± Ea¡¯s body glowed softly, and the light slowly moved to Ko Byeong-gap. Her ritual didn¡¯t take long. When the two regained their colors, Ea¡¯s legs rxed and copsed as Ko Byeong-gap felt his ears open up. He quickly assisted Ea. ¡°Do you understand me now?¡± Ko Byeong-gap replied with a sad smile. ¡°Oh. I can hear you well. Thank you, Ea.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± ¡°Oh, how did you do that?¡± ¡°I broke thenguage barrier. It¡¯s not a very big rule, but I¡¯m still a bit weakened. Will you let me go? I want to lie down.¡± Ko Byeong-gap did as she wished. He got up and looked back at the Goblins, who remained the same. They drew a line and didn¡¯t cross into it. He had a lot to say. He wanted to sit around and chat about what happened and have a meeting on urgent issues. Ko Byeong-gap implied all those emotions. ¡°What do you see me as? Do you also no longer see me as your Lord?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Gobung.¡± ¡°Oh, yes!¡± ¡°How about you? Are you afraid of me? Do I feel like an enemy?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Hey, you idiots!¡± Doran shouted and took a step forward. ¡°What are you mumbling about? It¡¯s the Lord! It¡¯s our Lord! You stupid idiots, you forgot about him!¡± ¡°Doran. Do you see me as your Lord?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± She answered without a hint of concern. He was grateful, but on the other hand, he had doubts. ¡°Even though I don¡¯t have the essence of the Lord anymore?¡± ¡°What does that matter¡­? To be honest with you, the Lord isn¡¯t the same as he used to be, but that doesn¡¯t mean anything. Because I like Lord Ko Byeong-gap!¡± Ko Byeong-gap smiled faintly and stroked Doran¡¯s head. He then slowly approached the Goblin crowd. The guys backed up very slightly. He wasn¡¯t in a hurry. He just picked up a pile of potatoes. He muttered in a sad tone. ¡°Are you eating something like this? And your tools¡­¡± ¡°You traitors! Don¡¯t move!¡± ¡°Gah!¡± Suddenly, he heard a cry out of nowhere. Everyone was surprised and looked at where the sound came from. E, who they thought had fainted, had brought her sword to a little boy¡¯s neck. Ko Byeong-gapughed a little because her cheeks were swollen blue. ¡°How¡­ How dare you disobey my orders that the king has delegated? This is treason against the king! If I tell the king about this, you¡¯re dead!¡± She growled in anger. The Goblins shivered with fear. ¡°I¡¯ll give you onest chance. Kill that man. If you do it, I¡¯ll let you off the hook for this one.¡± ¡°Oh, oh, oh¡­¡± ¡°What are you hesitating about? Kill him now!¡± Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes proved to be cold. He pointed the sharp edge of his sword at E. He was sick and tired of her face, but he didn¡¯t give in to her intimidation. She screamed like a thug. Ko Byeong-gap sighed and muttered. ¡°The Goblins may be a bit silly, but they care so much about their kind. I liked the way you looked, but¡­ you¡¯re haggling with your own people¡¯s lives now. Do you even think of them as your kind?¡± ¡°Shut up! What does a filthy human like you know?¡± ¡°Guys, attack me.¡± He said, but the Goblins looked up at him with nk faces. When the Goblins began to mumble, Ko Byeong-gap shouted in aggression. ¡°What are you skulking about like idiots? Attack me!¡± ¡°Oh, no, Lord¡­¡± ¡°Hey. Gobung.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Come and attack me. Do whatever you want, whether it¡¯s beating, stabbing, or scratching me. Come on!¡± Gobung was about to cry. He trudged over, grabbed Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s arm, and brought it to his mouth. ¡°Ugh. Ugh. Ugh¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Gobung bit him with his mouth. He felt the pain delivered to his arm. Ko Byeong-gap then pointed out several Goblins to attack him. Those who were pointed at almost cried and attacked Ko Byeong-gap. Wounds were carved all over his body, but that was only for a while. ¡°I can¡¯t do this. I can¡¯t do this, Lord!¡± ¡°Please, take back the order, Lord!¡± The Goblins wept and fell. Ko Byeong-gap smiled satisfactorily. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. Now, look at me carefully.¡± ¡°You¡­ You wretched things! Don¡¯t fall! Keep attacking! Kill him!¡± ¡°If it¡¯s the nature of the Sarahon to put their de against their own, then¡­¡± ¡°Come on¡ª¡± In a blink of an eye¡­ No. It happened in a short span of less than half of that. Ko Byeong-gap threw the potato in his hand and managed to hit E right in the eye. E fell, and before she could stand up, rubbing her eyes, Ko Byeong-gap had grabbed her neck. She struggled in fear. ¡°Ke¡­ Keke!¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t let these children turn into Sarahons.¡± ¡°Keeek¡­ What are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°Everybody, listen!¡± He shouted, ¡°The world froze once again. Are you a Sarahon, who treats your people like dog food and sticks knives on the back of their Lord, or are you a benevolent Goblin?!¡± ¡°Goblin! I¡¯m a Goblin!¡± Doran answered immediately. As she hurried, the other Goblins joined in as well. ¡°We¡¯re Goblins!¡± ¡°Yes! We¡¯re Goblins!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a Goblin!¡± ¡°Okay! Then, will you follow the king of Sarahons or the king of the Goblins?¡± ¡°I will follow the king of the Goblins!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll follow Lord!¡± ¡°Good! Then I¡¯ll be the Goblin Lord from now on. Who has an objection?¡± ¡°None!¡± The rocky mountain looked as if it was about to tremble at the roar of the Goblins. After a while, a change happened to the Goblins. A small chunk of light came out of their chest and permeated Ko Byeong-gap in unison. A new hologram appeared in front of Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes. [You have be the Goblin Lord.] [The fate of the Goblin Lord¡­¡­ Sook¡­ ^&@[emailprotected]#^&!] The hologram malfunctioned. Suddenly, the text changed. [Freed from the fate bestowed by the previous Lord¡­] [The ruined Goblin kingdom of ¡®Ashvm¡¯ has been opened.] [Look over all the people as their king.] ¡°Save me¡­ Please.¡± E begged in tears, but there was no mercy for her from Ko Byeong-gap. He asked in a dry tone. ¡°Are you a Sarahon or a Goblin?¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but there is no ce for the Sarahons in Ashvm.¡± ¡°Kkkk!¡± Ko Byeong-gap cut E¡¯s throat without hesitation. She dropped with her dying breath. ¡°What kind of fuss is this¡­?!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Patra and Niad, who ran in surprise of the mess, swallowed their breath at the sight in front of them. The two women almost suffocated because of his presence. At that time, Ko Byeong-gap turned his head slowly and looked at the two. ¡°Are you a Sarahon or a Goblin?¡± ¡°What? That, of course, Sarah¡­¡± ¡°Kill them.¡± ¡°Kerreuk!¡± ¡°Kyaaaah!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Not a single one of the five Sarahons of Somnium survived that day. Chapter 105 105. Back in ce ¡°That¡¯s what happened.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Ko Byeong-gap had learned about the Goblins¡¯ circumstances, and they learned about their Lord¡¯s situation. He was lost in thought after rubbing off the butt of his cigarette. ¡®It¡¯s a mess.¡¯ Landriol was said to be preparing for war. The Goblins with excellentbat skills were collected for intensive training, and if they failed on the way, they would then be sent to Somnium forbor. And the female Goblins¡­ No, he bought female Sarahons at random. With the remaining crystals, they said that he bought iron ores and made weapons. ¡°That¡¯s why these are the only crystals left.¡± Thest time he checked, there were over 10 million crystals. But looking at it now, there were only 200,000 crystals left. ¡°Marilyn¡­ Did you really want the queen¡¯s seat?¡± Marilyn became his mistress. The Goblins referred to her as that now. The attack squad was turned to train the soldiers and aid Landriol. Doran was with them and thought it was easy. But when Ko Byeong-gap asked why she was digging crystals in Somnium, she answered¡­ ¡°That damn bastard took me to the bedroom¡­¡± In summary, it was like this: Landriol brought some women into the bedroom to have a baby in the name of spreading the ¡®seed of the king¡¯ to produce outstanding talents. Doran was also selected as a mother. Marilyn disapproved, but she could not disobey the king¡¯s will. Fortunately, nothing terrible happened since Doran resisted. On that day, Landriol beat Doran like a dog and sent her to Somnium. He couldn¡¯t bear to kill her, so he made her do something else. ¡°Lord, thank you for your hard work.¡± ¡°No. You guys worked harder. And Doran.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Because of my foolishness, I almost put you in a difficult situation.¡± ¡°Why is it Lord¡¯s fault? Lord didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± Ko Byeong-gap only patted Doran on the back. ¡°Lord, what are you going to do now? Are you going to attack Valtadren?¡± ¡°Get in there! Take all the kids and kill all the damn things!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to say.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Landriol is strong. More than me.¡± He hated to admit it, but Landriol proved to be strong. Ko Byeong-gap still remembered the moment vividly. The moment when he was mesmerized by his unparalleled strength. ¡°And there are Goblins there. If I rushed in and made them point their weapons at each other¡­ Just¡­ That shouldn¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll listen to the Lord, too. Because everyone missed the Lord!¡± Doran seemed convinced, but Ko Byeong-gap had different ideas. Dorma, who followed Ko Byeong-gap better than anyone else, also sumbed to Landriol¡¯s spirit. He now had the essence of the Lord, but it was unclear whether he could win against Landriol in a one-on-one fight. ¡®What do I do?¡¯ King Landriol¡­ The task required more thought and careful operation. The longer he worried, the more ashtrays piled up. ¡®Is there anything that I¡¯m superior in? Where can I be one step ahead of him¡­¡¯ When he made a serious face, Gobung and Doran¡¯s faces also hardened. At that moment, the door opened, and a small guy walked in. There was a basket full of potatoes in his arms. ¡°Lord. Ea wants me to bring this to you. Lord must be hungry.¡± ¡°¡­What the heck.¡± The tension that had built up so far was relieved in an instant. He grinned and washed his face a few times. ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that hungry. Eat, Lord.¡± Ko Byeong-gap picked up a potato. As expected, the potatoes were Ashvm¡¯s potatoes. One potato was about the size of two fists. Looking at it, it was edible, but¡­ it wasn¡¯t nice. It was just potatoes. ¡°¡­¡± Instead of slicing and biting the potato, he just stared nkly. The little boy tilted his head, questioning his Lord¡¯s actions. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s try the ssical way.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ko Byeong-gap looked determined as if he had made up his mind. He ate the potatoes in two bites and then looked at Doran. ¡°Doran.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord!¡± ¡°Tell me everything you know about Landriol. Even the smallest things are fine, so don¡¯t miss a thing.¡± ¡°Yes! I got it.¡± ¡°And Gobung.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Take the kids and continue the mining. I don¡¯t want them to notice anything suspicious. And double the number of guards. If you find anything, tell me immediately.¡± ¡°I see!¡± Gobung ran out quickly while Doran was warming up to tell a story. Ko Byeong-gap calmed her down and stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll go over to the other world for a second.¡± When he said this, Doran¡¯s expression was soon filled up with concern. She was afraid for her Lord to leave. Ko Byeong-gap smiled kindly and soothed her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯ll take about a dozen minutes.¡± He crossed the door and returned to Earth. As expected, he ended up in the middle of Jirisan Mountain, where he and Kim Hana met. After almost three weeks, the smell of Earth made him feel better. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t afford to feel the atmosphere for a long time. He took his cell phone out of his pocket. Although he had charged it with sr chargers from time to time, the battery was running out. ¡®That was a close call. But that¡¯s enough.¡¯ He called Jeong Seon-kyung. She answered the phone before the second beep. ¨C Hey! Byeong-gap! Are you alive? ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m alive somehow. But why does your voice sound disappointed?¡± ¨C Ah, you crazy @#&*@#!&@.¡­. Countless curses came from the phone. He said that as a joke, but it stimted Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s temper. Fortunately, he managed to calm her anger. ¨C So you¡¯reing back now? Come on and take what you gave me! I get goosebumps every time I see it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Because it¡¯s not fully sorted out yet. But I have a favor to ask, unnie.¡± ¨C Request¡­? What the hell are you going to do? ¡°Nothing else¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap took some time. It was a shame to ask, but he thought it was reasonable to do so. ¡°Sister, can you get me some medicine?¡± ¨C Medicine? What medicine? ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¨C Oh,e on, tell me! ¡°A very strong sleeping pill. You know the thing you use for general anesthesia. Or some kind of psychedelic drug or poison is fine, and venom sounds good too. Can you help me?¡± There was silence over the receiver. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t say anything more because his face was burning. There was only the chirping of birds, and after a few seconds¡­ ¨C Thisplete nut job#^&^$#@^&¡­ He took in what seemed like all the swear words that existed in the world that day. *** ¨C I¡¯ve never seen a crazy man like you in my life. A guy who¡¯s going to die, he¡¯s calling in three weeks and asking for drugs? Hey, you idiot! Do you see me as a person who touches things like that? What do you think of me? What else did you say? A venomous poison? Ha¡­ The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Don¡¯t ever ask me to do this again! That was what Jeong Seon-kyung, who brought anesthetics used for surgery, said at the entrance of Jirisan Mountain. She cursed as much as she could but did his favor either way. Ko Byeong-gap bowed three times to thank her. ¨C Even so, I¡¯m going to die of a headache from work. Anyway, see you when you reallye to Seoul! Due to her schedule, she hurried back to Seoul, and Ko Byeong-gap went over to Ashvm with a bitter taste. It was already dark. ¡°Wee!¡± ¡°Oh, Gobung. Anything special?¡± ¡°No, it was quiet.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re doing great.¡± As Ko Byeong-gap looked down at the dark forest, he was lost in thought. He had the drug, and all he had to do was feed it to Landriol and catch him off guard. This operation might seem a bit sloppy on the surface. However, it was a method of assassination that had been proven throughout history. ¡®The question is, how do I feed Landriol the anesthetic?¡¯ The original n was to bring medicine to his table. That was why he asked Doran for Landriol¡¯s every move. However, as always, things didn¡¯t go as expected. All he ate was the ¡®Gold Dragon Meat.¡¯ Eating raw meat proved to be his only diet. If he couldn¡¯t drug his food, how would he do it? Doran¡¯s voice woke him up from his agony. ¡°Lord. There you are.¡± ¡°Were you looking for me?¡± ¡°Yes, I have something to tell you.¡± Doran¡¯s attitude was serious for some reason. In a different atmosphere than usual, Ko Byeong-gap also became serious. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Lord. I¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡­ You n to drug Landriol. I can handle it.¡± She was also informed of this operation, so she was made aware of the problems and difficulties. When Ko Byeong-gap frowned, Doran hurriedly went to speak up. ¡°He called me back to Valtadren.¡± ¡°He called you?¡± ¡°Yes, I think the reason he called me in is that¡­ I think it¡¯s to get me back into the bedroom.¡± ¡°Hey, are you¨C¡± Even before Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s words were finished, she continued. ¡°I¡¯ve been in there once, and I know. At that point, he¡¯s defenseless. He has no weapons, and he¡¯s naked. He drinks a lot, so his eyes would be loose at that time. You can aim for that moment. I can do it.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± Ko Byeong-gap cut her off and refused. ¡°Why? Why doesn¡¯t it make sense?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know? It¡¯s too dangerous. And if it goes wrong, you won¡¯t have a chance to¨C¡± ¡°Why?!¡± Suddenly, Doran screamed. She often squealed as a response, but this time, her emotions were different. Ko Byeong-gap blinked. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Why¡­ Why would the Lord be the only one who wants to do something dangerous? There¡¯s nothing here that¡¯s not dangerous!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I have to go to Valtadren anyway. If I didn¡¯te despite his call, he¡¯d be suspicious. I was supposed to be there by today. Maybe he¡¯s already suspicious.¡± She clung to Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s arm. It was almost a plea. ¡°Please let me help, Lord. Please!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If the Lord dies, I¡¯ll follow him to death. So if you die, I¡¯m going to die anyway. Please let me use it for the Lord.¡± Doran¡¯s will was firm. She was no longer the childish little girl. Ko Byeong-gap was very heartbroken by that fact, and he was grateful. He hugged Doran tightly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The next day, Doran left for Valtadren, carrying the bag of drugs. *** Landriol was the king. At one time, his status wasparable to that of God,manding hundreds of thousands of children with only a wink. However, it was all a long time ago. Now, all he had left was a humble count of 1,500 servants and his desire for revenge. That day, Landriol was in the workshop the entire time. His daily routine was to make weapons and agricultural equipment out of iron ore purchased from the Ancient Shop. Originally the work was a chore for court alchemists. It meant that it was never the king¡¯s job. But what could he do? There wasn¡¯t even one mediocre engineer within his men, let alone an alchemist. ¡®Ten years. Just wait ten years, Madmut. I will tear you to pieces and chew you up.¡¯ He awakened his inner anger every day without fail. The humiliation, loss, sadness of that day. All other negative emotions weren¡¯t to be forgotten for even a single moment. Knock, knock. Someone suddenly knocked on the door of his bedroom. ¡°It¡¯s Marilyn.¡± ¡°Come in.¡± The door opened, and Marilyn came in. Next to her stood a little girl dressed in thin silk. ¡®Varin¡­¡¯ The girl¡¯s name was Doran, but Landriol couldn¡¯t help but reminisce about Varin while looking at Doran. How could they be so alike? If he hadn¡¯t heard of her birth, he would¡¯ve thought she was Varin¡¯s reincarnation. Landriol spoke, gulping down the drink lying nearby. ¡°Marilyn, go out.¡± ¡°I¡­ My Lord¡­¡± ¡°I said get out.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Marilyn nodded with a sad look. She vowed to do anything for the king, but she couldn¡¯t help but walk away from Doran, who was like her own daughter. She carefully stroked Doran on the shoulder. ¡°Doran, please be quiet¡­¡± ¡°Go away. I don¡¯t even want to hear your voice.¡± Doran shook her shoulder roughly. She then strode toward the king. Marilyn looked at her back for a moment and then slipped out of the bedroom. ¡°I heard Marilyn raised you like a real daughter, but you¡¯re a bad-mouthed little girl.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Okay. I heard you wanted to go into my bedroom on your own?¡± Landriol drank the bottle again. He had to get drunk quickly. He felt like he would go crazy if he didn¡¯t get drunk. Meanwhile, Doran replied. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What are you up to? Last time, you were like a crazy son of a bitch. Why did you change your mind? I brought you back to Valtadren, but I didn¡¯t call you here to do this.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing else. I don¡¯t want to do pickaxe anymore. I just want to livefortably with the child of the king.¡± ¡°Heh heh. Daring little girl. Your personality ispletely different. Now, you¡¯re docile.¡± Landriol was briefly lost in thought. Varin was a very well-behaved and timid woman. Didn¡¯t she cry if she was surprised from the back? The day he went to battle, her eyes swelled up. Doran rolled her eyes a few times before he asked. ¡°What do you mean different personality? With whom¡­¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°¡­ Yes, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Doran untied her clothes. Her thin silk robe slid down, revealing her naked body. She slowly walked over to his bed. Landriol didn¡¯t look at her on purpose. He just emptied the bottle. Doran got on the bed before she knew it. She naturally embraced Landriol. Suddenly, Landriol pushed her away. ¡°There is no need for useless gestures. Lie up straight.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He didn¡¯t let women into the bedroom just for the satiation of lust. It was only for breeding. It was like that again this time. He was going to mechanically finish the work and send her away. He was definitely going to. Doran curled up and covered some parts of her body. She then showed a blush on her face, showing her shameful look. ¡°I¡¯m ashamed. Can you please turn off the lights?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Landriol¡¯s heart throbbed. This girl¡¯s boldness just disappeared. Furthermore, her shy behavior was exactly the same as He swung his arm like he was possessed. Suddenly, all the candles in the bedroom went out. Doran made a sweet voice as if she had been waiting. ¡°Your Majesty. I belong to Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Shut your mouth¡­¡± ¡°Please hug me. I want to have the king¡¯s baby.¡± Doran slowly got up and hugged him. Landriol couldn¡¯t lift a finger for some reason. ¡°You¡¯re such a bitch¡­¡± ¡°Uh, don¡¯t say such scary things.¡± Doran said so and slipped her hand to her hair. She took the pills out of her braided hair and put it in her mouth without Landriol noticing. Immediately, the king went into her lips. He was already very excited. Maybe that was why he didn¡¯t even notice the pills hidden behind her tongue. Landriol just coveted Doran¡¯s lips. He turned into a beast. His cynical attitude earlier was nowhere to be found. He hit Doran from above. It was a hellish moment for Doran, so she closed her eyes tightly and prayed for the moment toe. And finally¡­ ¡°Uh¡­.. Ugh?!¡± Landiol suddenly stumbled, grabbing his forehead. His eyes seemed to close at any moment. Doran couldn¡¯t stand him and pushed his body away. Only then did Landriol notice that something was strange. ¡°You little bitch! What have you done¡­?!¡± Landriol released a tremendous amount of energy. It seemed that Doran would die at any moment, but she endured her fear and gathered her aura. ¡°Are you trying to attack me?¡± Landriol immediately tried to defend himself, expecting her attack to be directed at him, but what she was after was the wall. ¡°Lord! Lord!¡± Doran screamed loudly as if her neck would burst and hit the wall. The pile of stones copsed without a hitch, revealing the outside space. Suddenly, a man came in. ¡°You worked hard. I¡¯ll take care of the rest now.¡± Chapter 106 106. Back in ce ¨C After you drug him, call me as hard as you can. ¨C Okay, you have toe as soon as possible. ¨C I¡¯ll be there in a second. I will. Ko Byeong-gap received the location of Landriol¡¯s bedroom in Valtadren through Doran. He infiltrated Valtadrente in the evening. He couldn¡¯t help feeling anxious, even though he tried to hide his presence as much as he could. No one particrly thought he was questionable, whether it was luck or not. He often passed by a Goblin in the streets and was overwhelmed by the urge to talk to them, but he endured. He hid in the shadows for hours. Suddenly, there was a loud roar, and one wall of the pce was torn down. Suddenly, Doran¡¯s voice woke up Valtadren¡¯s night. -Lord! Lord! ¡®It¡¯s time.¡¯ He no longer needed to hide his presence. He unleashed his powers and hurled himself toward the thick cloud of dust. The naked Landriol opened his eyes wide. ¡°You?!¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was no reason to answer back. Ko Byeong-gap just approached quickly and stabbed his sword. He aimed at his head, intending to end him in one blow. Landriol hurriedly defended with his left arm. He barely prevented the sword from meeting his face. ¡°How dare these¡­ little things¡­!¡± ¡°Hah!¡± ¡°Gah!¡± Ko Byeong-gap pushed like a bulldozer. Landiol backed up to the wall. The tip of the sword that had pierced his lower arm was close to touching his nose. ¡°Oh, no¡­!¡± Landriol focused his aura on his right hand. There was a huge amount of concentration, even though it was very short. Ko Byeong-gap felt an instinctive horror creeping up his body. However, at the very next moment, as Landriol staggered, the hardened aura on his arm dissipated like smoke. ¡®He¡¯s out of it!¡¯ He wasn¡¯t normal right now. His left eye closed immediately, and his opened right eye also trembled. He seemed to have difficulty handling his limbs properly, let alone use his aura. His eyes weren¡¯t focused. In fact, it didn¡¯t make sense for him to endure as much as he did. If he had been any other person, he would¡¯ve fallen asleep as soon as he took the drug. ¡®We have to hurry up and finish him. Before his henchmen arrive!¡¯ He put his aura in his sword. Afterward, he swung it horizontally. Landriol¡¯s left arm fell helplessly, sttering red blood. He made continuous attacks. This time, he surely aimed for his neck. ¡°You¡­! I¡¯m Landriol!¡± ¡°Gah!¡± Landriol radiated his aura in all directions. The momentum was almost like a volcano. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t control his body as if he had been swept away by the current. When he came to his senses, Landriol was flying in the sky. He hastened to get his focus right. At that moment, a sh of light shed from the sky, and Landriol fell. His two legs hit Ko Byeong-gap like a car. ¡°Kahak!¡± Boom! He then plummeted to the ground. An area of ??a dozen meters in radius from the entrenched point was hollowed out. Landriol thought he had left a hole in Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s stomach. If Ko Byeong-gap hadn¡¯t strengthened his body at the moment of impact, his abdomen would¡¯ve really burst. Ko Byeong-gap picked himself up, enduring the terrible pain. Landriol, on the other hand, was standing across the street. He was holding his bnce. Landriol opened the ancient shop. He was going to buy dumplings. Of course, Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t let him do that. He rushed like lightning. The sword stretched out with a fierce force. shes and stabs poured endlessly. His sword was fierce and tenacious like a hungry viper. Landriol, drunk on drugs and had his left arm amputated, couldn¡¯t exert his strength properly. ¡°You coward!¡± ¡°Coward? I never thought that words like that woulde out of your conscience!¡± More of his blood soaked the air. ¡°Agh!¡± ¡°Shut up and die!¡± His sword shed and crossed Landriol¡¯s upper body. His skin was ripped open, revealing its reddish inner skin. Ko Byeong-gap immediately held the sword in reverse and stabbed Landriol¡¯s heart. Dark red blood dripped from his mouth. ¡°Get off¡­ Get off¡­ How dare you¡­!¡± He stretched out his right arm to grab Ko Byeong-gap, but he avoided his touch and threw a roundhouse kick. Landriol flew like a ball hit by a racquet and crashed into a building. It was around that time that the surroundings became chaotic. ¡°There! Near the king¡¯s residence!¡± ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± The crowd gathered when they heard themotion. There were about 200 Goblins and dozens of Sarahon women. They were first surprised to see the scene of the battle. After seeing Ko Byeong-gap in the midst of their confusion, their eyeballs had almost fallen out. ¡°Lo¡­ Lord?!¡± ¡°When did youe back¡­? No, you were alive?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a human? But why are they calling him Lord?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that person¡¯s supposed to be?!¡± The Goblins and Sarahons reactions were mixed. Suddenly, a violent cough came through the thick clouds of dust. ¡°Cough! Cough!¡± Landriol limped under the rubble of a copsed building. A red waterfall constantly poured from his mouth. With a weak head and shoulders, he couldn¡¯t find the courage he had before. ¡°I¡­ My Lord!¡± ¡°How cruel!¡± The Sarahons rushed and escorted him. Some even took off their clothes and wrapped them around Landriol. Only one Sarahon froze and looked at Ko Byeong-gap. It was Marilyn. ¡°Uh¡­ How¡­ How are you alive?¡± Ko Byeong-gap stared at her with icy eyes and spoke as he withdrew his gaze. ¡°Just in case, it seems you weren¡¯t the one who saved me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re unhappy that I¡¯m alive, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± Marilyn¡¯s mouth was silenced. She had a lot to say, but she couldn¡¯t seem to speak. Ko Byeong-gap concentrated his strength on his sword. He intended to destroy all enemies in front of him by swiping his sword. Suddenly, Marylin pulled out her sword and blocked the way. She spoke, acting as if she was about to throw up. ¡°Why¡­ Why did youe back? If you were alive, just forget about this ce. Why did youe back?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with meing to my ce?¡± ¡°No!¡± She shouted out loud. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re a human being! A human! A human can¡¯t be the Lord! The king of Sarahons should be a Sarahon!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. I don¡¯t intend to have the Sarahons.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°I was the Goblin Lord from the beginning.¡± Ko Byeong-gap shed his sword and rushed. Marilyn also hurriedly radiated her sword. The swords conflicted with each other and created a huge shock wave. Ko Byeong-gap dug a crack in the world. His sword caught Marilyn. She suffered a deep cut on her side, but she barely managed to prevent it. Marilyn, who confronted Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s attack, shouted. ¡°What are you just staring at? The king has suffered a disgrace! Hit this man!¡± It was a word to the Goblins, but they didn¡¯t budge from their seats. There was a deep confusion on their faces. ¡°Ha, but¡­ Lord is our Lord too.¡± ¡°There are two lords. Who should I follow?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Uh¡­¡± No wonder they were confused. Haven¡¯t they acted on the very simple principle of loyalty to the Lord? But there were two Lords, so they didn¡¯t know who to follow. ¡°What are you hesitating about? Are you Sarahon or human?¡± ¡°Who¡­? We¡­¡± ¡°Get out of the way!¡± It was then, Landriol, escorted by the Sarahon women, rose to his feet. Although his heart was pierced, his arm was cut off, and his whole body was covered with scars, his dignity remained strong. Landriol looked all around with burning eyes. The mere sight of his eyes scared the Goblins. ¡°You scum!¡± He gritted his teeth as he shouted, releasing the king¡¯s spirit. ¡°Imand you as the one and only king of thisnd! Tear that human to death!¡± The Goblin¡¯s eyes changed when he gave his orders. With red, bloodshot eyes, they shed their sharp fangs. They growled, looking at Ko Byeong-gap. He shouted without losing. ¡°Take back your life! I¡¯m the king of the Goblins!¡± As he spoke, the growling eyes of the Goblins returned to their original state. Landriol shuddered and shouted again. ¡°You idiots! I¡¯m going to rip you to death!¡± ¡°Cover your ears! You don¡¯t have to listen to him!¡± ¡°Those who disobey my orders will have their limbs removed! Go ahead and kill that guy!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do anything!¡± Landriol and Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s spirits then collided. The Goblins were stuck in between whom they would die for. They couldn¡¯t do this or that, but they trembled. ¡°You scumbags! Move! Move! Move! Kill that human right now! Why don¡¯t you listen to me?! I¡¯m your king!¡± Landriol¡¯s face turned red. Distracted by anger, he didn¡¯t even think about taking a breath. Blood shot like a fountain from his open wounds. ¡°My Lord. Please fix and heal your wound¨C¡± ¡°Get out of my way!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Marilyn, who was trying to calm him down, was struck by the arm that he swung and fell to the ground. Landriol sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I thought of going to war against Madmut with all this rubbish. I was foolish. I was stupid!¡± Landriol breathed heavily and continued. ¡°Everyone, kill yourself! I want you to strangle yourselves to death!¡± Suddenly, the Goblins began strangling themselves as if they had waited. Their faces looked ratherfortable. Unable to ovee the confusion, they tried to find rest through death. Ko Byeong-gap was terrified, but to no avail. ¡°Stop it now! Stop it!¡± ¡°Lord¡­ Lo¡­ Lord¡­ I¡¯m sorry. But it¡¯s too¡­ It¡¯s so¡­ scary. I¡¯d rather die¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do it! You¡­ You piece of shit!¡± Ko Byeong-gap immediately fixed his sword. He had to kill Landriol as quickly as a second, but he justughed in a voice filled with madness. ¡°Hahahaha! Good! You¡¯re doing good! Get rid of everything!¡± And that was the moment¡­ A ck hand popped out and prated Landriol¡¯s abdomen. Someone stabbed him from the back. It was Dorma¡¯s dark hand. He cried and muttered. ¡°¡­ What kind of king orders his people to kill themselves! You¡¯re not our king!¡± ¡°Agh, you bastard!¡± ¡°Keek!¡± Landriol shook himself violently and gave off his aura. However, Dorma, who had gotten hit by the storm right under his nose, flew with his whole body mopped. He staggered and grabbed his abdomen, and then, a vicious sword struck him. ¡°Landriol!¡± ¡°Hah!¡± ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Ko Byeong-gap swung his sword in a trance. The whirlwind cut through Landriol¡¯s body. It was a short moment that wasn¡¯t worth a second. Hundreds of cuts shed Landriol¡¯s body. ¡°Ugh¡­ Ugh!¡± Landriol was wretched, neither alive nor dead. Not a single part of his body healed. Ko Byeong-gap climbed on him and aimed his sword. He spoke with tears of blood. ¡°You should remain a ghost of the past!¡± Ko Byeong-gap stabbed his sword, but the de didn¡¯t reach Landriol because Marilyn ran in a rush and mmed Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s chest with her body. ¡°Gah!¡± They groaned and rolled on the floor. That wasn¡¯t just it. Ko Byeong-gap tried to raise himself from the ground. Marilyn stepped firmly on his arm and chest. She held the sword upside down against Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s neck. Marilyn murmured in raptures. ¡°Only you¡­ I just wished you didn¡¯te back!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I have to protect the king. I have to protect the king!¡± Marilyn plunged her sword. Ko Byeong-gap sensed the end. When the de grazed the tip of Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s nose, her body split in half. He saw a girl covered in blood behind Marilyn, who had since then copsed. It was Doran. ¡°No one¡­ No one can hurt the Lord!¡± Chapter 107 107. Find Your ce Marilyn copsed. Horrible things poured out of her broken body. She just sprawled out. Thanks to her persistent vitality, she was still able to hold out her consciousness. ¡°Do¡­ ran¡­¡± A feeble voice came out of her pouting mouth. Marilyn tried to look at Doran with defocused eyes. Bloody tears streamed down the corner of her eyes. ¡°I¡­ Ahn¡­ I¡­ I¡­ forgive m¡­¡± Eventually, she crossed the river without even finishing her words. Tears flowed from Doran¡¯s eyes. She passed her body and ran over to Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Lord, are you okay?¡± Ko Byeong-gap nodded silently. He felt ufortable since he meant to kill Marilyn but didn¡¯t want to borrow Doran¡¯s hand for it. No matter how it was now, Marilyn and Doran had a parent-child rtionship in the distant past. Ko Byeong-gap calmed his stuttering knees and got up. ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard, Lord. It¡¯s over.¡± ¡°No, we have to end Landriol. He¡¯s still alive.¡± Landriol was half-invoiced, but they should never let their guard down. He had to make sure his heart stopped beating with his own two eyes. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°No, I will. I can¡¯t put blood on your hands anymore.¡± He approached Landriol. The women who had fled stood guard in front of him. The tip of his sword trembled pitifully. Some covered their stomachs as if to protect them. ¡°Are you Goblins or Sarahons? Think carefully and answer. The lives in your womb aren¡¯t guilty.¡± ¡°We serve only the king!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t identify with traitors! We are the noble Sarahons!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of loyalty.¡± He put down the thirteen Sarahon women. He didn¡¯t feelfortable, and his nausea soared every time he cut them one by one. Still, he had to do it since he couldn¡¯t leave any trouble behind. Ko Byeong-gap was covered in his own blood and others. He stood by Landriol¡¯s side, staring down at him. Landriol, once called the God of the Surface, looked up at the dark sky with his empty eyes. Aura gathered on Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s sword. Suddenly, Landriol opened his mouth, and his tone was so serene. ¡°I¡¯ve been through this and that for a longer time than others. I took pictures of the ends of the four races in this continent, and I was immersed in their culture by going through the they? I even fought a war against the Holy Army. I cut off the heads of the four Holy Warriors as the spearhead. I spent hundreds of thousands of nights in which joy and sorrow intersected, and I saw hundreds of thousands of different skies.¡± Landriol looked at Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°But there has never been a day as empty as today. Look at the sky. There are no clouds, no moonlight, and I can¡¯t see any stars. That ck universe is like my heart right now, and it¡¯s strange. The sense of loss and disappointment must be deeply engraved in my bones. It¡¯s so new.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re talking nonsense now that it¡¯s time to die.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Maybe. It was a long life. How foolish am I? I came back and realized that there was nothing written here for me. I think I know why Madmut called me arrogant.¡± Landriol¡¯s mouth gurgled, bleeding. His voice was a little hoarse. ¡°I was the sun. I might have lit up the day, but I couldn¡¯t embrace all the stars.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°Did you say I should have remained a ghost of the past? That¡¯s true. My story should¡¯ve ended in tragedy. Not everything in the world can be a fantasy. I can¡¯t believe that it¡¯s a tragedy again. Isn¡¯t this a ridiculous script?¡± Landriol giggled. Ko Byeong-gap brought the sword to his neck, but he didn¡¯t try to resist or avoid it. Currently, if Ko Byeong-gap were to give even a bit strength to his sword, the glory of the past would die. ¡°Hold on. There¡¯s no need to rush my death, is there?¡± ¡°Are you going to beg for your life now?¡± ¡°Hahaha! What do you mean by begging? The main seat of the continent, Conqueror, the greatest explorer, is me ¨C King Landriol! When I lost twelve loyalists to the Holy Army, I never asked them for mercy!¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why put off your death now?¡± ¡°The sun that has lost its light is not only spewing out the darkness but also looks ugly if it covers a part of the sky. Yet, it could set a good example for the new sun.¡± Landriol wriggled his loose arm. Ko Byeong-gap reacted reflexively and tried to slit his neck, barely stopping his sword. Landriol brought his hand to his chest. Light began to gather in his hand- if the terrible thing could still be considered that. Ko Byeong-gap knew instantly that this was the essence of the Lord. Landriol pulled out the essence while grinding his teeth, and he stuck it out like a fortune teller saying that spring potatoes were delicious. ¡°My glory and despair are finally being squeezed into somebody else¡¯s fists. I will give this to you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it. I don¡¯t want to take anything from you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be harsh. This is a trophy for your victory. Take it with joy. It will definitely help.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The core of light slowly rose and approached Ko Byeong-gap, who finally epted it. Curiosity and expectation were greater than his reluctance. A radical change began as soon as he took in Lanriol¡¯s essence. A lot of information rushed into his head. ¡®This?¡¯ It was the life of Landriol. His essence contained every moment from his birth to the present time. Ko Byeong-gap felt as if he had a huge library in his head. ¡°Now kill me. Before I die on my own.¡± Landriol looked tired and was sweating profusely as if he was going to die at any moment. Ko Byeong-gap fixed his sword and raised it high above his head. ¡°You won¡¯t befortable even in death.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing to hear before you die.¡± The de drew a straight trajectory. The life of the 8th Lord and the greatest man on the continent, King Landriol, ended that day. *** ¡°Please kill me!¡± Dorma fell and showed his neck. Ko Byeong-gap sat down, smoking his cigarette one after another, and answered dryly. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I betrayed the Lord once. Now I will note and make excuses or beg for my life shamelessly. Cut me down and let go of your wrath.¡± ¡°Cut your throat and let go of my anger¡­ That makes sense in its own way.¡± Ko Byeong-gap got up and walked to Dorma. The Goblins who watched the scene had a deep worry on their faces. They were afraid the Lord would really kill Dorma. Ko Byeong-gap spoke, putting a sword on Dorma¡¯s neck. ¡°Okay, anyst words?¡± ¡°Please rebuild Ashvm and rule the people with a good heart.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll do that.¡± Ko Byeong-gap shed his sword. Some Goblins covered their eyes and screamed, but there was no horrible sight of blood or flesh. The sword he wielded simply sank into the ground. Dorma¡¯s eyes widened and looked up at Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Lord¡­?¡± ¡°Did you think I¡¯d dance if I killed you? I didn¡¯t expect you to think of me as such a reckless bastard.¡± ¡°Yes, but I¡ª!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. It¡¯s only natural for a pack of lions to pursue the stronger leader. Let¡¯s stop talking about the tragic past. Most of all, I still need you.¡± ¡°Ugh! Whew¡­¡± Dorma sighed and swallowed a cry. Ko Byeong-gap nced around his surroundings. Traces of a gruesome battle were rife all around them. While he was away, so many things were in disarray. Now that he had taken back his ce, it was time for Ashvm to find its ce as well. Ko Byeong-gap shouted, ¡°Everybody, listen! Somnium and Valtadren, you and I are in a mess. But if we work together, we can all go back to where we were! Am I right or wrong?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be busy for a while from now, so be prepared. If you don¡¯t want to do it, say it now!¡± ¡°We want to!¡± ¡°Okay. Now, we have to get things back in ce.¡± After the storm¡­ Ko Byeong-gap and the Goblins worked day and night to restore Ashvm. Thanks to him, their kingdom quickly regained its old form. In less than two months, while Ko Byeong-gap was away, a lot had changed in Ashvm. Some of them were bad, but some were positive, such as the rapid expansion of farnd. ¡°Landriol, you son of a bitch. You¡¯ve done a great job.¡¯ The acre fields increased noticeably and were even pretty well maintained. The farm tools and weapons he created were all first-ss. The Goblins¡¯bat abilities were also in a state of rapid growth in a short period of time. He hated to admit it, but Landriol was better than himself in developing territory and setting up the military. ¡®This is a kind of momentum that came out of nowhere.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap decided to make full use of Landriol¡¯s experience, knowledge, and tricks. There was no reason to let what he had received rot. While the castle was being reorganized, he took it upon himself to expand the farnd and barns. He also built a new wall that would connect to Valtadren. ¡°Lord, why are you building a wall here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to bring the Spirits from Chitosan here. This is their home.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± The relocation n of the Spirits also proceeded step by step. He intended to bring the Spirits soon. As the farnd and barns were expanded, there was a shortage of workers, so thebor force of 800 Spirits was desperately needed. ¡®I¡¯m out of my mind.¡¯ Twenty-four hours wasn¡¯t enough to take care of Ashvm¡¯s affairs. Unfortunately, there weren¡¯t just one or two things that had to be done on Earth. First of all, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s mother was discharged from the hospital. After a month of close examination, no signs of a recurrence of the Phantom Disease were found. Ko Byeong-gap was able to take his mother home with a light heart. He had many things to thank Jeong Seon-kyung for, so he would treat her nicely. However, Ko Byeong-gap had never met Jeong Seon-kyung again since he met her at Jirisan Mountain since she had been dispatched to the northern region. ¡®Another Monster Wave.¡¯ Something pretty crazy happened while he was in Ashvm. Arge Monster Wave took ce in the northern part of the truce line, where the expedition was located. Troops and hunters were gathered in the area to stop the monsters from moving southward. The Monster Wave area was limited to the northern part of the country, so the property damage wasn¡¯t significant. Nevertheless, South Korea¡¯s air was heavily frozen. South Korea wasn¡¯t the only country that went crazy. In Argentina, located in South America, there was arge-scale Monster Wave that couldn¡¯t bepared to Korea¡¯s. It had already been dered irreversible on an international level. Many experts also predicted that South America would follow in Africa¡¯s footsteps. In short, the entire continent would be barren. That was why the atmosphere in Korea was especially cold. There was widespread anxiety that Korea would follow after Argentina. From Ko Byeong-gap, the news was so absurd that it didn¡¯te to him easily. However, he could feel a strong foreboding that something was about to happen. So, before it was toote, he visited Jirisan Mountain again. To meet Kim Hana, who wanted to tell him the truth of the world. Chapter 108 108. The Truth of the World Why did it have to be in the middle of Jirisan Mountain? Ko Byeong-gap faced the same question about sixty times while climbing the mountain. In short, he was annoyed. Who would find it pleasant climbing a mountain early in the morning? Hills would be better, and they were usually not that steep. However, he didn¡¯t have to worry about wandering since he had been there once. He had a pretty good sense of direction too. ¡°Phew. Let¡¯s take a break.¡± He sat on a stone and caught his breath out. He seemed to be 80 percent on his way. He would reach his destination in another 20 to 30 minutes. He had a strong desire to smoke, but it didn¡¯t feel right to smoke in the mountains, so he just drank water. ¡°¡­ Hmm?¡± Ko Byeong-gap responded instinctively to the presence he felt nearby. All he could see was a bunch of trees, but he could feel the dynamic movement beyond them. ¡®A boar? No, it¡¯s not a wild animal.¡¯ He tensed up and drew the sword from his waist. It wasn¡¯t a very menacing presence, but it was threatening for the presence of an animal. Was it a hunter? Maybe it was Kim Hana or the kids she carried around. As he considered he felt appeared. Ko Byeong-gap frowned. ¡®¡­ A Horned Gabri? Hey!¡¯ The horse-shaped beast, Horned Gabri, charged with its four-pronged mouth wide open, which was red and wet. It looked like it had just finished hunting. Why was the monster here? Such a question was put aside for the time being. He moved flexibly and drew his sword. ¡°Eep!¡± The Horned Gabri¡¯s neck was then cut off as easily as tofu. ughtering a D-ss monster was nothing more difficult than blowing his nose. Ko Byeong-gap brushed off his sword and focused his mind. He didn¡¯t detect any other threatening presence in the area. ¡°Shit. They said the ce of the Monster Wave was in North Korea. Why did a monster pop out way down there?¡± There were two cases. A monster from the north came through the siege, or a separate Monster Wave took ce in this area. Either way, it wasn¡¯t good news, so he moved immediately. He speeded up and soon reached his destination. Of course, Kim Hana was nowhere to be seen. Ko Byeong-gap calmly waited for her to appear. Five minutes, ten minutes, thirty minutes, and an hour passed like that. ¡°Hey! I¡¯m here! I¡¯m here!¡± Kim Hana didn¡¯t show up. Only birds pped as they squeaked in the air. ¡°Huh¡­ Why isn¡¯t she showing up?¡± ¡°Say something. What am I? A guard dog?¡± He then heard a voice behind his back. Kim Hana, covered with her cloak, stood from him at a reasonable distance. Ko Byeong-gap felt a little annoyed. ¡°Oh my God. Why are you sote?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a mistake if you think I was sitting and ying. It seems that what you were nning has worked out. Seeing you havee here again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Kim Hana sniffed a few times. ¡°You smell like blood. Did you have a fight?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Damn it. There¡¯s a monster here.¡± ¡°In this mountain?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Her expression became serious. Ko Byeong-gap added, all while staring at something invisible, ¡°I¡¯ve been distracted by the other world for a while. But when I came back to Earth, something ridiculous was happening.¡± ¡°You mean the Monster Wave.¡± ¡°Yeah, you know something about it, don¡¯t you? That¡¯s why you asked me toe to you.¡± Instead of answering, Kim Hana opened the door to the other world. ¡°Follow me. I¡¯ll tell you the truth of the world.¡± *** The view of the ice caps made him sigh. Ko Byeong-gap was able to know the ce after he regained the power of the Lord. The stone te from Kim Hana¡¯s house. ording to the inscription on the stone tablet¡¯s back, this was Cheondo Mountain. A Spirit creature called a Dragon lived in the distant past in the far north of the continent. And of cruelty that the weak can¡¯t even set foot on. Even that great Landriol stayed away from thisnd, so what more exnation was needed? Therefore, building a log cabin on top of Cheondo Mountain was amazing in many ways. They sat face to face with a round table between them. Kim Hana was the first one to speak. ¡°I have a question before I tell you my story.¡± ¡°A question? Tell me. I¡¯ll answer if I can.¡± Ko Byeong-gap answered lightly. He thought she would ask him about his position as the Goblin Lord. However, her question proved to be quite a bit strange. ¡°Mr. Byeong-gap, what would you do if you could be a God who rules the world?¡± ¡°Well¡­ That would be nice, of course.¡± ¡°You seem interested in being a God.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not really interested in it, but everyone imagines it once, right? Imagine bing omnipotent.¡± Ko Byeong-gap had a lot of such imaginations. When he was struggling with money and worries, he fell into delusions several times a day. ¡°Yeah, so if you could sacrifice billions of humans to be truly omnipotent, would you do it?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ko Byeong-gap answered without hesitation. Kim Hana still spoke in a serious tone. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to pursue such grandeur. Well, had it been me years ago, I might¡¯ve been interested. But now, I¡¯m not. Being almighty? All I need is enough money and stability. What¡¯s more, sacrificing billions of human lives? It¡¯s an idea that can¡¯t be done unless you¡¯re a real psycho.¡± He added after a pause. ¡°Well¡­ I also know a man who challenged the authority of God.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°No, don¡¯t mind what I just said. The situation is rted to God, right?¡± ¡°You would think it¡¯s futile too.¡± ¡°I was just guessing.¡± ¡°Guessing?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but predict it. Ko Byeong-gap was aware of the link between the Earth and Ashvm. Not long ago, he was almost convinced after he heard the old story from Chitosan¡¯s Lord, Kunta. Madmut was the reason behind Deep Impact 29 years ago. ¡°As you know, I¡¯m not an ordinary person. There were a lot of things that were going on.¡± ¡°You really are.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop dragging and tell me? What is the truth of the world?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do that. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a hard story to believe, but I won¡¯t say a single lie. I want you to believe me.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t believe now. If you said Martians existed, I¡¯d believe it.¡± Kim Hana didn¡¯t even pretend tough at his joke. Ko Byeong-gap was so embarrassed that he smacked his lips. She sipped tea and finally spoke. ¡°I¡¯m not Kim Hana. My real name is Seo Si-hee.¡± ¡°Seo¡­ Si-hee? The Seo Si-hee I know?¡± ¡°Yes, and I am a regressor. There are 17 other regressors in the world besides me. The story goes back to before I returned.¡± Kim Hana¡­ No, Seo Si-hee talked with a determined look. It was an incredible story, as she foretold. *** ¨C The human race was dying. Doom ran at them like a fireball. 2029. There were no more cracks on Earth. The Deep Impact, which started out of the blue, ended abruptly. Human beings had already relied on magic stones for much of their lives. Deep Impact¡¯s sudden end wasn¡¯t pleasant. It was fine until then¡­ There were still many unattacked cracks, so there was no need to worry about the energy source being depleted right away. However, when the resources that were thought to be infinite suddenly became finite, mankind became desperate. Several powers fought to secure more cracks. At first, there was conversation and negotiation. As time went by, however, force took precedence over words. Soldiers flocked to borders andnd without owners. In 2033, China and the United States waged war over ownership of the Antarctic cracks. The war escted out of control, eventually leading to World War III. After all, the difference between World War II and World War III wasn¡¯t just because thetter wielded better weapons. ¨C Hunters were brought into the war. In a flurry of air raids, hunters were crushed, and one hunter destroyed an entire division. What was clear was that an unimaginable amount of people had died. Seo Si-hee expressed that mankind was drenched with madness. They fought as if there were no tomorrow. The destruction carried on even after winning the war. Three years¡­ Time passed silently, and the warsted for as long as five years. Small countries disappeared into history. Suddenly, it happened. ¨C The first monster wave happened. However, what came out of the crack wasn¡¯t a monster. It was an unfamiliar existence. The end of 2038. They descended on the Chinese continent. They were different from the monsters they had been dealing with. Hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers were armed with spears and armor. They wiped out all humans in China in just three days. They destroyed China in less than five days, which the United States couldn¡¯t do anything about. In particr, the leader who led the army was a being that defiedmon sense. It caused an earthquake with one gesture or struck a thunderbolt the size of a mountain from a cloudless sky. It also released an unidentified force field that modern science couldn¡¯t exin, neutralizing all ranged attacks. It was truly ¡®God¡¯ himself. By that time, the current war had reached a state of truce for a while. ¨C Humanity felt threatened by a powerful enemy that they had never encountered before. Resources and things like that were meaningless in an instant. It was truly a matter of life and death for mankind. So, each country agreed to suspend war for a while and stand up to themon enemy first. For days, mankind, which had been fighting, formed a coalition. As a result, the most elite Hunter Corps of 37,000 people was created. 42 SS-ss hunters led the Hunter Corps, and Seo Si-hee was also in it. The Hunters who were chosen as representatives of mankind fought desperately. If they could sleep even 10 minutes a day, they were lucky, and eating was considered a luxury among luxuries. Whether it was raining, snowing, night or day, they fought against the enemy. The all-out war on humanity¡¯s life and deathsted for as long as nine months. The Hunter Corps, which began at 37,000 people, was reduced to a thousand and a few hundred at the end. Also, the final battle took ce around that time. ¨C We finally won. It was a victory for mankind¡­ but the bloodthirsty couldn¡¯t raise a toast. We were betrayed. The hunters finally defeated the enemy leader. They miraculously won the battle between the lion and the ant. Of the 37,000 people, only 18 survived. 18 SS-ss hunters, including Seo Si-hee. Only they could stand on the ground until the end. However, it wasn¡¯t afortable break or a memorial to the dead that greeted them. It was missiles and nuclear weapons that soon covered the entire sky. As soon as they confirmed that the unknown force field had disappeared, the Allied Forces of Humanityunched a bombing on Wonsan. At this point, Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t stand without asking, ¡°Why the hell? You¡¯re saying you¡¯ve won, but why did they bomb you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they were afraid.¡± ¡°What do you mean afraid?¡± ¡°The Awakeners have finally won the war that they thought humanity would never be able to win. At that moment, we were no longer considered human. In the eyes of ordinary people, we were seen as monsters just like them. A monster that must be wiped out.¡± Thousands of missiles hit the ground. Nuclear weapons swept everything under the sky, creating huge mushroom clouds. Even an SS-ss hunter couldn¡¯t withstand the ruthless bombing. Thest 18 people who were severely stabbed in the back in exchange for defending humanity were devastated. And at that very moment, the enemy who they thought was dead spoke to them. Chapter 109 109. The Truth of the World ¨C The being introduced himself as ¡°Madmut.¡± Countless missiles hit the ground. There were explosions everywhere. At that time, the sky and the Earth shook as if there was an earthquake. Thest 18 people left looked up at the sky in a daze. Why the hell? They couldn¡¯t understand at all. At the expense of tens and thousands of Hunters, they had captured the ultimate enemy. They were heroes of mankind regardless of politics, ideology, and war. However, they couldn¡¯t believe that they were paid with explosives. It was when they stood at the brink of death that they realized the purpose of the Allied Forces of Humanity: ¡°Bury them with the Monsters!¡± And then, without any sign, the world stopped. Thest 18 awakeners opened their eyes in a space filled with colorful rays of light. Seo Si-hee described it as ¡®a universe where infinite meteor showers are pouring.¡¯ Each shooting star that passed by was time and space. It was a space-time gap. No one exined it, but she figured it out. There was also the st enemy.¡¯ It was called by most hunters simply called it the Last Enemy because they wished there was nothing more beyond him. ¡°It¡¯s so funny. To be beaten with fire sticks in return for sacrificing for a cause. That is the limit of your infinitely imperfect mortality. You are too easily divided by fear.¡± ¡°The Last Enemy,¡± who had never opened his mouth, spoke to them. The message was delivered directly into their head, not directly spoken by mouth. Although thest 18 people standing had experienced countless impossibilities before, their mouths dropped to this surreal experience for the first time in their lives. ¡°You have failed, and I failed too. But that failure doesn¡¯t mean the destruction of opportunity. You have ovee the limitations of mortality, and I value you. So I¡¯d like to give you a suggestion.¡± ¡°What the hell are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thergest piece of the universe. The most perfect of imperfections. What you mortals call heaven, world, sun, or God. I am Madmut.¡± When the name Madmut was mentioned, Ko Byeong-gap swallowed without realizing it. Seo Si-hee remained silent for a while, drinking tea as if her throat burned. It was when Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s patience reached the end when she opened her mouth again. Follow new episodes on the lightno-velpub.c?om tform. ¡°Madmut. He exined his n to us.¡± ¡°What was the n?¡± ¡°He said¡­ He was going to make another space. He said that it was a perfect space where only paradise exists. He said he could only live there.¡± ¡°A perfect space?¡± ¡°Yes, he called it the Heavenly Realm.¡± ¡®Heavenly Realm!¡¯ The familiar word had now been mentioned. Heavenly Realm was where God and his servants lived. His children lived in the Earthly Realm, also referred to as the surface world, and the Spirits lived in the Spirit Realm. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t get any further information from Landriol¡¯s memories. Still, it was possible to guess. ¡®Madmut could only live in heaven? Wait, but they said the Devil who invaded the Earthly Realm had invaded the heavens, right?¡¯ His head was spinning rapidly. ¡®Madmut, who had fled from Ashvm, appeared on Earth. His purpose was to create another Heavenly Realm. So¡­¡¯ A series of idents ensued. It didn¡¯t take too long for him to conclude. He mmed down the table and shouted, ¡°Damn it! Is that what happened?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Seo Si-hee sighed, questioning the context. ¡°He was kicked out of his home, so he invaded the Earth to make a new home. Shit. So, it¡¯s all because of those Demon bastards¡­ Ugh!¡± His face, as he muttered, soon turned white. Seo Si-hee frowned as she looked at Ko Byeong-gap. He shook his head, and a shriek leaked through his gaping lips. ¡°Summoning the Devil¡­ Was it the Sarahons?!¡± *** Ko Byeong-gap found a terrible part in Landiol¡¯s memory. It was around the time when the race was cursed by Madmut, and Ashvm fell into ruin. Many knew that Landriol became closed off after Queen he wasn¡¯t. He was continuing his research for revenge. For more, visit lightno?velpub.c?om And finally, he found one possibility, but it stayed in the forbidden realm, the Realm of God, which meant that it was something not to be overlooked. However, Landriol didn¡¯t back down. He had to do anything as the ruler of his kind, let alone to save their destruction. He had nowhere else to turn to. On the day when a lunar eclipse overshadowed the whole world, Landriol summoned the ¡°Primordial Devil.¡± People thought of the Devil as simply a ¡®thin lump that was neither alive nor dead.¡¯ However, it was an overly downgraded assessment. The essence of the Devil was ¡®the fault of God.¡¯ This was a past that was so far-fetched that it couldn¡¯t even be counted. The shell that God threw off to ascend to heaven. Simply put, its root was the same as God. The Primordial Devil asked. ¨C For what reason did a creature of the Earthy Realm awaken me? ¨C Make a deal with me. I will give you spirit and wisdom. In return, give me strength. ¨C I refuse. ¨C What? Why? Haven¡¯t you existed in nothingness for a long time? I thought you¡¯d be desperate for life. ¨C Our power is macroscopic. You creatures living in the microscopic world can¡¯t afford it. It¡¯s obvious that the order of the world would be reversed, and chaos wille. ¨C What¡¯s the point of you worrying about the order of the world? Tell me honestly. Aren¡¯t you just afraid of Madmut? ¨C How dare you say that¡­ ¨C Have you not existed for eons in time as nothing? Don¡¯t you want to get away from that cursed condition? As you said, I¡¯m microscopic. Nevertheless, I waged a war with God and defeated the seven Holy Warriors. ¨C Holy Warriors? ¨C Yes! Even me, a mere creature, was able to collect the blood of the Holy Army. What more would you fear from the world if you were once part of Madmut? Even if youe out to the Earthly Realm, Madmut would not be able to do anything about it. ¨C ¡­ ¨C Think about it. If you weren¡¯t afraid, why would you put yourself in an underground world with no light? Make a deal with me. I will help you to exist on your own. Instead, share a little of your power. The Primordial Devil answered after a long thought. ¨C I ept your offer. Landriol dedicated thousands of Sarahon souls to the Devil. He gained the power of God in return. Based on his newly acquired power, he had prepared a source for his future revenge. In particr, the Ancient Shop was a rare masterpiece he created, but there was something that even Landriol couldn¡¯t have predicted. It was the Devil¡¯s escape. ¡®Landriol didn¡¯t expect that either. He didn¡¯t expect the Demons to break into the Heavenly Realm and the Spirit Realm. He didn¡¯t even imagine it.¡¯ A chain of disasters from Ashvm to Earth. Landriol was the one who stood at the starting point. In other words, it all started with a small ball that Landriol had rolled. When he realized it, Ko Byeong-gap felt like he was out of his mind. ¡®Landriol¡­ You¡¯re such a piece of shit.¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look well from before,¡± Seo Si-hee asked in a concerned voice. Ko Byeong-gap pulled the cigarette case out of his arms and stood up. ¡°Sorry, let¡¯s take a break.¡± ¡°Yeah, I agree.¡± He smoked in the biting wind of Cheondo Mountain. It was natural that smoking only one cigarette led to him smoking in a row. This meant that his thoughts deepened. ¡®This is making my head hurt.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap seriously considered if he was responsible. Either way, he felt ufortable. His head turned hazy like cigarette smoke. Eventually, he returned to the log cabin without concluding his thoughts. She continued the story. As soon as Seo Si-hee rushed in, Ko Byeong-gap realized that he had to act immediately in some way. ¡°Madmut, the creature, said that it takes a sacrifice to create the Heavenly Realm.¡± ¡°A sacrifice¡­? That¡¯s not what I think it is, is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯d be right to think. Yes, sacrifice refers to humanity. Alpha, get me a map.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Visit lightno?velpub.c?om for the best novel reading experience Alpha, who was enjoying the bonfire, quickly delivered a map. Seo Si-hee spread the map on the table. She pointed a few ces with her finger. ¡°China, India, and the United States. These three ces were selected as altars.¡± ¡°¡­ Damn. These are all popted ces.¡± ¡°Right. And you know the recent Monster Wave incident in Argentina.¡± ¡°Of course I know. It¡¯s not usually this messy.¡± ¡°The United States is indiscriminately epting South American refugees. The same was true during the Monster Wave in Africast year. I¡¯m advocating refugee relief, but¡­¡± ¡°The reality is, they¡¯re gathering people together to make sacrifices.¡± ¡°It would be reasonable to infer that. It can be interpreted that the forces that promoted the end of humanity have infiltrated the American leadership.¡± Ko Byeong-gap chewed his lips and asked a question. ¡°Hey, hey! A Monster Wave is going on in Korea too. What¡¯s going on here?¡± Seo Si-hee shook her head with a firm face. ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact inside story. It could be a n to move Koreans to China or the United States. Or maybe it¡¯s just a natural phenomenon.¡± ¡°Natural phenomenon?¡± ¡°The monsters had nevere out of the cracks since the Deep Impact, but they began popping out of nowherest year. That¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s not a weird thing,¡± she recited with a stiff face. ¡°This is proof that the world has already been transformed into an environment suitable for monsters to live in.¡± ¡°God¡­ Why did it happen all of a sudden?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not all of a sudden. For thest 20 years or so, mankind has relied on these Magic Stone Power nts. The Magic Stone Power nts changed the Earth¡¯s environment.¡± Ko Byeong-gap trembled like a person who had just been electrocuted. ¡°Is that why you guys smashed the power nts?¡± Chapter 110 110. The Truth of the World The term ¡®Dragon¡¯ proved to be quite familiar. Even if he investigated the Ancient Shop right now, there was a product called Gold Dragon Meat. Of course, for Ko Byeong-gap, it was like knowing a celebrity but not knowing their face. Seo Si-hee continued to exin. Madmut had performed a miracle, and thest 18 awakeners fell back in time and into the past. As she was drifting aimlessly in the current of time and space, she encountered a mysterious entity that seemed to be drifting like her. It was a Dragon. It aimed at Seo Si-hee desperately. It wasn¡¯t that she did anything wrong, but the Dragon who discovered Seo Si-hee approached her aggressively. It gave her no time to resist. Seo Si-hee had to taste the terrible feeling of being deprived of her ego. She was scattered all over the ce, but she resisted instinctively. A battle ensued between her two selves for the control of her body. It could¡¯ve happened either in a tenth of a second or over 100 million years. Paradoxically, the exact calction was meaningless since time didn¡¯t flow in the gaps of time and space. However, Seo Si-hee used the expression ¡®long enough to lose her mind.¡¯ And finally, the battle for herself was over. The winner was before him now. ¡°After that, I gained mysterious abilities. Being able to open a portal connected to this world is one of those abilities. But the thing that changed the most was my thinking.¡± ¡°Your thinking?¡± ¡°Yes. In the endless battle over control of myself, I won, but I was greatly influenced by the other me.¡± Seo Si-hee paused and stroked her chest with nuance as if she was stroking someone else¡¯s head. ¡°All it had left was its hatred of Madmut. It was a great hatred that couldn¡¯t be filled even with all the seawater in the world.¡± ¡°¡­Madmut must¡¯ve eaten their race, and that¡¯s why you must hate him so much.¡± ¡°Hm?!¡± Seo Si-hee looked at Ko Byeong-gap with her eyes wide open. Her eyes shook, surprised at how he knew. ¡®How couldn¡¯t I know? It¡¯s in the Ancient Shop. The Dragons were used for God¡¯s dinner.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap changed the topic by waving his hand. ¡°Why are you so serious? I¡¯m just saying. So, you¡¯re taking a hostile stance against Madmut because your ideology changed, right?¡± ¡°In conclusion, it¡¯s like that. The hatred of the Dragon covered my hatred.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a convenient situation?¡± He said it sarcastically, but Seo Si-hee nodded with a bitter smile. ¡°I¡¯m different now. I realize it¡¯s wrong to exterminate mankind just out of revenge.¡± ¡°If you hadn¡¯t harmonized with the Dragon, wouldn¡¯t you be joining that n? It¡¯s usible, but isn¡¯t this hypocrisy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s¡­¡± She mumbled. To be honest, she couldn¡¯t say for sure, so they decided not to talk about it. It was useless toe here and examine their morals. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s stop talking about the past. So, what¡¯s the n? You must have your own goals.¡± Seo Si-hee unconsciously looked at the children by the side of the firece and quickly turned her head. Her sped hands looked as anxious as a child who had lost her mother¡¯s hand in the mall. ¡°We came back to the past. I came back to the past on February 9, 1999, about 27 years ago as of now.¡± The world in 1999 had yet to escape the shock of the Deep Impact. On the streets, the apocalypse was in full swing, and soldiers were scattered throughout the cities. Around this time, the awakeners, who knew nothing, either jumped into the cracks. With that, they either died or disappeared. Seo Si-hee was 19 years old in 1999. At that time, she was just a high school girl who had yet to be an awakener. The next year, 2000, was the year when countless people around the world awakened. There was Seo Si-hee in the gap. No, the main character of Korea in 2000 was Seo Si-hee. Her awakening was the birth of the first SS-ss hunter in the Korean Penins! She acted ording to her existing history because she couldn¡¯t get her emotions straight. Still, she created one more identity just in case, under the stage name of Kim Hana. Time went on. Seo Si-hee repeated the existing history with aplex mind. Then, in 2003, Billian Miller, one of the 18 awakeners, visited her. ¨C It¡¯s time. Come with me. Billian¡¯s private ne flew them to a deserted ind in Norway. The 18 hunters were gathered there, though some of thest members had yet to wake up. It was strange that she couldn¡¯t even recognize them at first. There was a particrly noticeable child among them, about ten years old. If the child hadn¡¯t said hello in Korean, she wouldn¡¯t have noticed that he was Go Geon-ryong. Seo Si-hee was dumbfounded. In the meantime, something even more bizarre happened. Thest members bowed their heads to Go Geon-ryong and said: ¨C Messiah, we have finally gathered. Please give us the next order. ¡°Messiah?¡± ¡°Yes, people called him Messiah or Archbishop.¡± ¡°Why? Did he gain some special power just like you?¡± ¡°Yes, he was a little different from us, as we found outter. He canmunicate directly with Madmut.¡± ¡®Communication with God¡­ that¡¯s awesome.¡¯ ¡°So, what happened?¡± Ko Byeong-gap urged the story on. Seo Si-hee continued without dy. ¡°Thest members started doing this and that, led by Go Geon-ryong. The establishment of the Six-rays Bridge was one of the representative projects.¡± ¡°Six-rays Bridge¡­ you¡¯re talking about that cult.¡± ¡°Yeah, they needed limbs for their ns. Thus, he created a ridiculous religion called the Six-rays Bridge and spread it all over the world. They also advanced the development of the Magic Stone Power nts by more than 15 years.¡± Seo Si-hee touched her forehead and winced. ¡°I didn¡¯t know at the time why they wanted to advance the power nts¡­.¡± ¡°Were you just watching? You said your hatred for Madmut was boiling over. Why didn¡¯t you interfere with them then?¡± ¡°At that time, I was¡­ I hadn¡¯t decided yet because I was confused. It was already toote when I finally did.¡± In 2011, Go Geon-ryong took the title of the strongest man in the world. Around that time, Seo Si-hee began to persuade thest members. It wasn¡¯t the right thing to do. Rather than lead mankind to destruction, they had to persuade and unite! Thest members were surprised by Seo Si-hee¡¯s sincere appeal, yet they killed her relentlessly. ¡°They didn¡¯t even try to speak with me. I was just torn to shreds.¡± ¡°Now, wait a minute. You say you were killed that day. But how are you alive now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of the Dragon¡¯s ability. I am immortal as long as I¡¯m properly prepared.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t respond properly, so he just decided to ask something else. ¡°Didn¡¯t you think you should ask for help?¡± ¡°Of course, I did. When I was first killed, I realized it was impossible to stop them on my own. I searched for people I could trust and asked for cooperation.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Seo Si-heeughed quietly. It wasn¡¯t a pleasantugh, however, but one that was full of frustration. Visit lightno?velpub.c?om for the best novel reading experience ¡°They were all smashed before we could do anything about it. All those who were involved with me were killed, and I was killed again.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a very pleasant experience. Ipletely abandoned my status as Seo Si-hee after that day. I hid thoroughly.¡± Seeing her unhappy face made him hungry for a cigarette. Ko Byeong-gap looked away and turned to the children by the firece. ¡°So¡­ what are you going to do now? You said it¡¯s be meaningless to take the three kids around and break the power nts. And you didn¡¯t call me toin.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Seo Si-hee took a moment to continue. ¡°I know the fatal loopholes in their ns.¡± ¡°I hope it¡¯s something usible.¡± Ko Byeong-gap was sarcastic, but she didn¡¯t care. ¡°They can neverplete their great task without what they call a Messiah, namely Go Geon-ryong.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Alpha. Beta. Omega.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± As soon as she called, the three children came running. Ko Byeong-gap looked over them with his arms folded. ¡°Are they dragons too?¡± ¡°No, these kids are human. They¡¯re just unlike any other human being.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you before. I¡¯m looking for irregrs, like them. They are rare Growth-type Awakeners.¡± Visit lightno?velpub.c?om for a better experience ¡°Growth-type Awakeners?¡± Although he was a hunter, he had never heard of the term before. The levels of awakeners were usually permanent unless judged again or in special cases like the Goblin Lord. ¡°So, they constantly grow stronger?¡± ¡°In theory.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re that strong.¡± The children¡¯s expressions hardened when he provoked them. Seo Si-hee gently raised her hand and calmed them down. ¡°Because there¡¯s a limiter. If even one limit had been lifted that day, you wouldn¡¯t be alive.¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was confidence in her voice. ¡°These are the secret ingredients I¡¯ve created. Three daggers that will stab God in the heart.¡± ¡°Are you going to assassinate Go Geon-ryong and end this game?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Then, did you say you need me¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Because I want you to be the fourth dagger.¡± *** It was around evening that Ko Byeong-gap left Seo Si-hee¡¯s residence. The two exchanged quite a few stories. They took the same stance against the death of humanity, but at the end of the day, there was no consensus. As soon as he came over to Earth, he headed back to Ashvm. He was heading to Valtadren. ¡°Ah, Lord! You¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Here I am. Have you eaten?¡± ¡°Yes, I ate earlier.¡± Follow new episodes on the lightno?velpub.c?om tform. ¡°Yeah, do your job.¡± The Goblins¡¯ facial expressions had noticeably brightened in the past few weeks. He headed for the restaurant and saw that cleaning was in full swing inside. After receiving another greeting, he called Ea to bring some food. He was hungry since he hadn¡¯t eaten anything all day. ¡°This is all I have left. If you had told me beforehand, I would¡¯ve caught a chicken. Or should we catch one now?¡± ¡°Come on, it¡¯s okay. This is enough.¡± What she brought out were dishes of steamed corn and some sweet potatoes. Ko Byeong-gap was lost in thought as he wolfed them up. ¡®I can¡¯t believe it.¡¯ The stories he heard from Seo Si-hee were surprising. However, he couldn¡¯tprehend the fact that there could be a huge battle soon. ¡®I just want to live in peace.¡¯ The life he wished to pursue was to earn money on Earth and live peacefully by farming after returning to Ashvm. However, this tangent blew that little hope away. It wasn¡¯t very exciting to know the truth. ¡®I can¡¯t justin. We need to hurry up and prepare.¡¯ Still, knowing that future disasters coulde, it was easy to prepare for them. Moreover, he had a shelter that no one else had. A super-strong shelter that one couldn¡¯t enter without the proper qualifications. ¡®We¡¯ll have to prepare for a full migration to Ashvm. I¡¯ll bring my mom first, and I¡¯ll have to collect more Goblins before it¡¯s toote.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap drew ns in his head while chewing sweet potatoes. It was now time for the second advance of Ashvm. Chapter 111 111. Merge It was the night before the storm, which meant it was calm. However, the statement didn¡¯t fit their situation perfectly. The atmosphere in Korea had been quite tensetely. Maybe the storm had already begun. Around August ofst year, the first Monster Wave urred on the Korean Penins. At that time, the public¡¯s anxiety hit new peaks, and the phenomenon of hoarding and shortages of daily necessities followed like thread and needle. The present appearance of the streets seemed to be a recreation of the time in the past. People were hell-bent on buying rice or canned ramen. There was no cut-off in the line from supermarkets to the small shops in the neighborhood due to the Monster Wave incidents reported every day. Ko Byeong-gap received the impression that the news was creating drama again. Their articles were so tant, provocative, and eerie. Couldn¡¯t they be a little quieter? But if this was the true role of the media, he didn¡¯t have much to say. It was said that more than 70 percent of Argentina¡¯snd had already been dered unrepairable. Its neighboring countries Chile and Uruguay, were also suffering from the spreading monsters. If the monsters moved north with this momentum, they would soon eat Paraguay, Bolivia, and Brazil. ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯m the one who texted you. Yes, then I¡¯ll visit you around 1 o¡¯clock. Yeah.¡± ¡°Are you going out again today?¡± When the call ended, his mother, Park Young-ok, spoke. ¡°Oh, yeah. I¡¯ve got some business to do.¡± ¡°In a situation like this, just stay at home. It isn¡¯t bad to stay at all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Mom, don¡¯t go out and stay home.¡± ¡°You know your mother. I don¡¯t even know where to go¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap smiled faintly and fixed his shoes. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be back. Call me right away if anything happens.¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± Ko Byeong-gap, like everyone else, was prepared for any possible emergency. However, his preparation was a little different. The items he was looking for weren¡¯t emergency food supplies such as rice or canned ramen of seedlings and livestock. Such things could be easily obtained even in difficult times with enough money. Fortunately, the money he earned was enough now that he didn¡¯t have to pay hospital bills anymore. ¡°It¡¯s better to use it than to waste it.¡±¡® He converted almost all of his fortune to cash. Now, the cash he held was about to run out. He might be criticized for trusting Seo Si-hee and spending his money irresponsibly. However, Ko Byeong-gap had a different idea. ¡®I can make money again, but I can¡¯t pick up spilled water.¡¯ If Seo Si-hee¡¯s predicted disaster hit, a bundle of banknotes would be useless as anything other than toilet paper. In other words, it was better to use it now than to hoard it. Ko Byeong-gap was kept busy that day, roaming all over the country to buy crops and livestock. The vendors he met acted as if Ko Byeong-gap was their benefactor. They were grateful that he grew their sales in this terrible situation. It was Ko Byeong-gap who was thankful for them. ¡°Oh, thank you, boss!¡± Visit lightno?velpub.c?om for the best novel reading experience ¡°No, thank you.¡± He stopped by the ranch and bought as many as 200 sheep. He even bought a five-ton mega truck and a trailer to carry them. Earning his license forrge vehicles while he was in the military was a godsend. He paid the bnce and transferred the livestock to the trailer. Then, he left the ranch and drove to a deserted road. After that, he moved the vehicle over to Ashvm. The Goblins weren¡¯t surprised when a huge truck popped out of the air. They just figured Ko Byeong-gap had arrived. ¡°Lord, did you bring animals with you today?¡± Kiriyan, who was just around the corner, guessed so right away. Ko Byeong-gap answered with a cigarette in his mouth. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s sheep. Hey, you furry guys. Come here, everyone.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Beast Goblins came. Ko Byeong-gap skillfully opened the trailer door and set up a foothold. The sheep were frightened by the Beast Goblins and stoodpletely frozen. ¡°Do you know the ce where they put up a barrier yesterday? Bring them there and let them roam.¡± ¡°I see!¡± ¡°Separate the male and females and feed them.¡± ¡°Yep! Come on, let¡¯s go! Kerreuk!¡± ¡°Meh¡­¡± As the Beast Goblins roared, the sheep moved neatly in three lines. It was a convenient ability. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve been moving a lot of thingstely.¡± Kiriyan looked at the sheep and spoke softly. Ko Byeong-gap breathed out smoke as he answered. ¡°Well, maybe.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you pushing yourself too hard?¡± ¡°Come on, man. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Chapter 112 112. Crazy A military belt linked Gangwon-do, North Hwanghae-do, and South Hwanghae-do. About 400,000 soldiers were holding the line of defense. It had already been three weeks since they started the vigil, and now dark fatigue made a home on their camouged faces. The sight of thousands of heavy weapons being inspected looked quite severe, and tanks and armored vehicles moved about day and night. Sergeant Jung Young-woon should¡¯ve been discharged three days ago. However, due to the sudden outbreak, he returned during his vacation. It was unfair, but it was an indefinite postponement until he was discharged. ¡°In position.¡± There were so many people stationed here. Just looking at his colleagues and otherpany men, it was a pity. ¡°Don¡¯t hold back. If anything moves, shoot it. Got it?¡± ¡°I need a cigarette.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your business?¡± ¡°We¡¯re on duty, Corporal.¡± Jung Young-woon replied jokingly. Corporal Choi Gyu-cheol, who worked at the beginning of the day, rxed and said, ¡°Sergeant Jung Young-woon, why are you sote?¡± ¡°What do you meante? I¡¯ve been here since ten minutes ago.¡± ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t it polite to be here 15 minutes before your shift?¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. By the way, why are you asking for a cigarette while fighting monsters? I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s have a smoke and take turns.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Choi Gyu-cheol agreed and then turned to the deputy chief. ¡°Tell me as soon as something happens.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Choi Gyu-cheol left the post. Private Lee Joon-kyu, who was on duty with Jung Young-woon, passed him and entered the guard post. He nced at Lee Joon-kyu, who was a recruit who had moved in less than three weeks ago. It must¡¯ve been the reason why his body was shaking. ¡°The recruit is shaking so much. What if he gets in trouble like that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the kid; worry about me. I think I¡¯ll get into an ident.¡± ¡°Heheh, if you got into an ident, your military pension would increase. What do you think?¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. Shit, I want to go home¡­ is there anything special about this?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quiet for now. But I¡¯ve been near the crack, and I felt like I¡¯d be pulled into my death.¡± ¡°Phew, what could the army even do about this?¡± The two talked about this and that while smoking in front of the guard post. In general, when Jung Young-woonined, Choi Gyu-cheolforted him. ¡°Oh, by the way, Sergeant Jung Young-woon. Did you see this woman Isori earlier in the day?¡± ¡°Isori? Who is she?¡± ¡°Hunter Isori. Don¡¯t you know? She came to our base during the day.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Is she famous?¡± ¡°She¡¯s S-ss!¡± ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t see her¡­¡± ¡°Wow! You¡¯re so unlucky.¡± Jung Young-woon¡¯s reaction was harsh. Suddenly, Choi Gyu-cheol made a fuss and raised his thumb. ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful. I¡¯ve never seen such a pretty woman in my life.¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t overdo it.¡± ¡°Also, her body was amazing. I was going to confess right away, but I held it in. Honestly, my luck with thedies is average.¡± ¡°Heheh.¡± e on; it¡¯s real. Didn¡¯t I tell you? If I found someone like her in the army, I¡¯d go through another round of training¡ª¡± Bang! The two giggling people froze for a moment. They turned their heads in the direction of the sound. The next moment¡­ Tadang! Tadang! ¡°Hey, you crazy bastard!¡± Jung Young-woon and Choi Gyu-cheol threw their cigarettes and ran. They felt like their eyes were growing dark. ¡®The new kid got himself in trouble!¡¯ Surprisingly, however, both of the deputies were fine when they got to the post. Their guns were pointed in the boundary¡¯s direction. There was a crack about 450 meters ahead, which had been around for a long time. That was where hunters were deployed this afternoon for the subjugation. Monsters poured out of the crack like a leak from a faucet. Choi Gyu-cheol¡¯s mouth was wide open. A scream tore through his open lips. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ we¡¯re done for.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The crack¡­¡± Jung Young-woon didn¡¯t immediately understand what his words meant. Still, he realized one thing instinctively. They were screwed. *** A Hunter Recruitment announcement was issued. It was for seeking free hunters like Ko Byeong-gap to head to the front lines. The phrase ¡®Voluntary Participation¡¯ was written, but the nuance of the official letter was almost forced. Even if they ignored it, reminder texts kepting, telling them to hurry up, go to the association, and write a volunteer application. Most guild hunters had already gone north, so one guild proudly upied the entire city center. It was Illumination, the guild with a hexagonal amethyst as its symbol. Their mission, known externally, was to protect the people¡¯s livelihoods, maintain security, and protect urban areas in case of emergency. The guild distributed relief supplies and did good deeds. If one didn¡¯t know about it, one might think it was a good thing to do. However, it wasn¡¯t as nice in Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes. He knew that Illumination was a guild derived from the Six-rays Bridge. Most of the hunters in Illumination were followers of the Six-rays Bridge. They would act ording to their code of conduct when disaster struck so that they couldn¡¯t be trusted. ¡®However, it¡¯s weird, right? I¡¯m not from Six-rays Bridge, but I was encouraged to join.¡¯ For more, visit lightno?velpub.c?om They might intend to discard him along the way or made him do missionary work. A sane person wouldn¡¯t agree to crazy ns like that. Well, there were quite a few hunters who were unhappy with the current society and its system. If he told them the world of Awakeners would soone to an end and they could rule it, he would receive quite the positive response. It was crazy¡­ Ko Byeong-gap smoked in an area set up on the side of the road. The hunters that walked through the streets wearing hexagonal symbols like armbands were amon sight. Sometimes when they made eye contact with him, they would stare at him down. Ko Byeong-gap could see a strange sense of pride in their eyes. He felt a mysterious confidence in them like they thought they were the chosen ones. ¡°Keh!¡± He spat violently and left the smoking area. After seeing all the work outside that day, he thought of going home. He stood in front of the crosswalk and waited for the signal. He spent his time tapping his cell phone and watching news articles. It was then the old woman that stood next to him copsed. ¡°Ugh¡­ ugh.¡± ¡°Grandma! Huh?!¡± He lifted his head and felt chills down his spine. It was the sky. A space about five meters from the ground was distorted and cracked. It was a crack. There was a crack right there! ¡°Kyaaa!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°He¡­ Help¡­¡± People ran away in a hurry. Some of the vulnerable couldn¡¯t withstand the force field it suddenly projected and stumbled. Cracks often urred in the middle of the city center. However, the story was different if monsters came out of it. ¡°Kegigigi! Kegigigi!¡± ¡°Keruk! Keruk!¡± ¡®A Monster Wave!¡¯ Monsters poured out of the crack. Ko Byeong-gap habitually put his hand on his waist. However, he didn¡¯t have a sword since he hadn¡¯te out for battle. ¡°Aaaah! Save me! Ah!¡± Visit lightno-velpub.c-om for the best novel reading experience ¡°Argh! Argh!¡± ¡°Help!¡± The streets quickly became a mess. There were about 60 monsters that came out. Fortunately, the monsters were F-ss Squids. The low-level monsters hopped around with a beast¡¯s leg attached to the body of a fish. ¡°Kegigigi!¡± Ko Byeong-gap swung his hand around and crushed a monster¡¯s head. A middle-aged man in his 40s, who was lying under it, was bathed with its blood and had fainted. ¡°Oh my god!¡± It was ridiculous; the real problem was the civilians. For them, even an F-ss monster was a disaster. The Squids ran in all directions and bit at those fleeing. Passers-by desperately ran away from the monsters, but it was meaningless. ¡®I can¡¯t save everyone!¡¯ He quickly made up his mind. It was too much to save everyone in the first ce. However, he could destroy all the enemies as quickly as possible. He released his aura with violent momentum and moved like a lightning bolt. His fists and legs stretched out. He didn¡¯t have to use a sword to defeat them; he could use his body as the weapon. He used his fists to bash apart five Squids at a time. His kicks blew them apart like bullet fire. He nced to the side during the battle. Hunters belonging to Illumination joined in and were fighting the Squids. Ko Byeong-gap felt surprised because he didn¡¯t expect them to help. ¡°Geeek!¡± ¡°Cough!¡± Five hunters, including Ko Byeong-gap, moved enthusiastically. Thanks to them, the immediatemotion quickly calmed. ¡°¡­Darn it.¡± The Squid corpses cluttered the streets alongside many people. His anger soared while looking at the sprawled bodies. ¡°There!¡± ¡°Move the wounded!¡± The soldiers and hunters stationed in the city center arrived. He decided to leave the clean-up to them. Ko Byeong-gap walked away after dealing with the monsters he missed. Like the pieces of bread that Hansel dropped, the bloodstains showed the path of the monsters. Pale-faced people fled in the opposite direction to Ko Byeong-gap. The most up-to-date novels are published on lightno?velpub.c?om ¡®It¡¯ll be faster to go up.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap leaped to the roof. How long had they been running? He was forced to look down a remote alley. There was a runaway Squid, and in front of it was a civilian who fell on his butt. ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­ save¡­ me¡­¡± Just as he was about to jump in, someone appeared one step ahead. Judging by his movements, he seemed to be a hunter. ¡®Illumination?¡¯ The sign on the armband on his forearm indicated that he belonged to Illumination. He confronted the Squid with his back to the civilian. Ko Byeong-gap thought, ¡®This person will take care of it.¡¯ So, he tried to turn around, but something felt strange. ¡°Creee¡­¡± The Squid didn¡¯t take any action. It was a monsters¡¯ habit to rush people upon sight. Yet, the hunter confronting the Squid looked around. Ko Byeong-gap instinctively hid. ¡°Tha¡­ thank you¡­¡± ¡°What are you thankful for?¡± ¡°What?¡± The hunter slipped out of the way, withdrawing his weapons. Suddenly, the Squid attacked the civilian without touching the hunter. ¡°Ahhh!¡± ¡°Kegigigi!¡± Before the Squid could even reach the civilian, Ko Byeong-gapnded between them. All that happened in half a second. ¡°Wait, when¡­?!¡± The hunter looked at Ko Byeong-gap in surprise. Ko Byeong-gap red fiercely at him. ¡°Are you on the monster¡¯s side?¡± ¡°Pfft! Damn it! He suddenly pulled out his sword and swung it. ¡°You bastard!¡± It was too weak to take on Ko Byeong-gap. He was probably B-ss at best. Ko Byeong-gap avoided his sword, moving like the wind. After closing the distance, he punched the hunter five times. ¡°Kuh!¡± The hunter threw up blood. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t stop, however, and proceeded to break his arms and legs. The sound of his bones breaking was chilling. ¡°Argh! Argh! Argh!¡± ¡°Shut up, man.¡± ¡°Agh!¡± Ko Byeong-gap covered the hunter¡¯s mouth, and he looked back. The civilian had long since fainted and wasn¡¯t moving. ¡°Ugh! Ugh!¡± ¡°Look at me.¡± He took the hunter across to Ashvm. The surroundingndscape changed in an instant. The hunter¡¯s eyes widened after witnessing something he had never experienced before. ¡°Lord?¡± ¡°Oh, Turka.¡± ¡°Uh! Uh! Uh! Uh! Uh!¡± ¡°Who is this man?¡± Turka wore a naive expression that didn¡¯t fit his size. Ko Byeong-gap swung his arms wide and threw the man down. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Take him and tie him up with a chain.¡± Visit lightno?velpub.c?om for the best novel reading experience ¡°Is he an enemy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s kind of like that. Anyway, tie him up and watch him. You can kill him if you think he¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Turka strode closer. The man struggled in fright. ¡°Argh! Go away! Hey! Giant Goblin! Giant Goblin!¡± He struggled desperately, but his limbs were broken. Blood vessels rose on Turka¡¯s forehead. ¡°You punk!¡± Turka suddenly punched the man in the stomach with his big fist. ¡°Augh¡­¡± The man drooped after only one blow. Turka scratched his head with an awkward look. ¡°What a weak human being.¡± ¡°Your fist is just too big.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not dead¡­¡± ¡°Alright, good job. I¡¯ll be backter, so take care of him.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± With that, Ko Byeong-gap left Ashvm. Chapter 113 113. Returning to Earth, Ko Byeong-gap immediately looked at his surroundings to check for any unknown presences. However, it wasn¡¯t easy to identify monsters in the crowd. He groaned for a few seconds before deciding to go home. In fact, from the moment the Monster Wave happened, he couldn¡¯t shake his worries for his mother. But first, he carried the fainted civilian and went out into the street. He purposely found a soldier and handed the civilian to them. Due to the incident not long ago, he confirmed that the hunters from Illumination couldn¡¯t be trusted. To be honest, Ko Byeong-gap was curious about another thing. ¡°Is this the only ce where the Monster Wave happened?¡± Ko Byeong-gap handed over the civilian and asked. The soldier didn¡¯t even seem to know what he heard. ¡°Oh, that¡­ we¡¯re¡­ we¡¯re trying to figure it out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Thank you.¡± Ko Byeong-gap quickly turned away. ¡®Please don¡¯t do anything.¡¯ He tried to suppress his anxiety and soon stretched his legs. He ran home by jumping over buildings and pathways. Fortunately, he found no sign of the chaos near his home. He entered the door lock password and opened the front door. His mother, Park Young-ok, was wandering around the living room with a nervous face. ¡°Son? Oh, son!¡± Park Young-ok¡¯s face turned pale due to the bloodstains on Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s clothes. He exined quickly before his mother could faint. ¡°Mom, it¡¯s okay! This isn¡¯t my blood!¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m not hurt at all.¡± ¡°Oh, dear¡­¡± Park Young-ok sat down as if her legs had lost all their strength. Ko Byeong-gap ran to help her. ¡°Son, why weren¡¯t you answering your phone? I was so worried when I got the disaster text message¡­.¡± ¡°Phone call?¡± Ko Byeong-gap checked his cell phone. There were more than 10 missed calls. He couldn¡¯t think of his phone since he was so busy. The most up-to-date novels are published on lightno-velpub.c-om ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t notice it because it was on silent mode.¡± ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m d you¡¯re okay. Oh, God, thank you, Buddha.¡± Ko Byeong-gap moved his mother to the sofa and washed. He was lost in his thoughts while the water streamed down his skin. ¡®Like what we discussed on Jirisan Mountainst time¡­ monster Waves will happen more frequently in the future. I¡¯ll be away more and more, and I can¡¯t take care of my mom.¡¯ The monsters weren¡¯t the only ones to watch out for, either. Currently, it was hard for people to trust each other. Ko Byeong-gap soon made up his mind. ¡®I have to confess everything to my mom, and I have to bring her to Ashvm until the threat is gone.¡¯ He left the bathroom after taking a shower. Park Young-ok was still soothing her surprising heart. Ko Byeong-gap sat next to his mother. Park Young-ok opened her mouth as if she had been waiting. ¡°Byeong-gap, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing, but stay at home for the time being. The situation isn¡¯t too bad, is it?¡± ¡°Mom, I have something to say about that.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°What are you waiting for? I¡¯m about to get a little nervous.¡± ¡°Mom, I¡¯m a hunter.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± He began the story four years ago on how he became a hunter and lived as a hunter. Not to mention what happened to himst summer, how his life changed, and how he currently lived. Ko Byeong-gap revealed every single detail. Park Young-ok stared nkly. It wasn¡¯t too much. She knew better than anyone that her husband, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s father, lived as a porter and passed away in vain. However, her expression softened the more she listened to Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s story. When he reached the end, she had a subtle, sad expression on her face. ¡°¡­So where do your Goblin friends live? You want me to go to their world?¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re reliable. They may look a little rough on the outside, but once you get to know them, everyone is genuine.¡± ¡°A little¡­ hard to believe, but my son wouldn¡¯t lie to his mother.¡± Ko Byeong-gap sped his mother¡¯s hand. ¡°Mom, I can¡¯t tell you everything, but something dangerous is about to happen. I want you to go to Ashvm so that I can fightfortably¡­ no, I¡¯ll be able to work.¡± Park Young-ok remained silent for a bit longer. Ko Byeong-gap waited patiently, and soon she spoke. ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s pack up right away.¡± Ko Byeong-gap simply packed his luggage with clothes his mother would wear. After finishing the preparation, he used his ability in front of his mother for the first time. Park Young-ok couldn¡¯t hide her reaction when he opened the door to Ashvm. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s fascinating. Your dad couldn¡¯t do this.¡± ¡®Because he was just an ordinary F-ss Awakener.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that surprising. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He held his mother¡¯s hand and slowly crossed the door. *** All Goblins in Valtadren, except for the guards, gathered in the central square. They looked at the podium with slightly startled eyes. ¡°You idiot, you¡¯rete.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve got a little more to clean up, so I¡¯ve just finished. By the way, why are all the Goblins gathered here?¡± Ea tilted her head as she looked at the podium. ¡°Doran? Oh, the Lord¡¯s here too. By the way, who is the woman next to him? I¡¯ve never seen her before.¡± ¡°The Lord¡¯s mother.¡± ¡°Mother? Oh¡­e to think of it, I think they look alike. I¡¯m pretty good at recognizing stuff like that.¡± ¡°Come here and just stand. Just stand there.¡± Doran sighed and pulled on Ea. At that time, Ko Byeong-gap spoke up. ¡°Have you all eaten?¡± ¡°Yes! We already ate!¡± The Goblins answered in unison. When the loud voices rang out, Park Young-ok flinched. ¡°Can everyone see us?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°My mom, Mrs. Park Young-ok, will be staying here from now on.¡± Ko Byeong-gap thought about it for a while and said briefly. ¡°Be nice to her. Okay?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°We will do our best to take care of you!¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go to work now.¡± The Goblins that gathered quickly dissolved. The only ones left in the square were the officers, and the rest went up to the podium and greeted each other. ¡°My queen, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you from the Lord. My name is Dorma.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Kiriyan. It¡¯s an honor to meet you like this.¡± ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Doran!¡± ¡°I¡¯m Turka. I¡¯m d you¡¯re well.¡± Feel free to let me know if you have any inconveniences in the future.¡± The officers bowed their heads and greeted her. Park Young-ok couldn¡¯t understand, so her mouth could only stutter. ¡°Oh, son, what are they saying?¡± ¡°They¡¯re just introducing themselves and saying hello. They wish you well.¡± ¡°Oh, hello. I¡¯m Byeong-gap¡¯s mom. I am indebted to my son in many ways. Anyway, nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Mom, even if you speak in Korean, they won¡¯t understand you anyway.¡± As Ko Byeong-gap said, the Goblins looked puzzled. ¡°Oh my God, what do we do? Trante quickly.¡± ¡°Aha! Your mother can¡¯t speak this way?¡± Ea popped out from behind Turka. Park Young-ok was surprised to see her. It was a matter of course, as she appeared to be a living mannequin. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here too, Ea. Yes, as you said. My mother can¡¯t speak this way.¡± ¡°Can I help you? You know, I have quite a knack for this.¡± Ko Byeong-gap swallowed his words while trying to respond reflexively. He shook his head. ¡°No, you¡¯ve been using too much powertely. You were sick for half a day when you erased the Harpy¡¯s memory.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s not anyone else; it¡¯s your mother. What¡¯s more, we¡¯re going to live together from now on, but if we can¡¯tmunicate, it¡¯s going to be ufortable.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ I¡¯m just wondering if you¡¯re overdoing it.¡± ¡°Thank you for your concern, but it¡¯s still bearable. I¡¯m stronger than I look, and I¡¯ve been so happy that you¡¯ve brought in my kind. Don¡¯t you understand how much I want to repay you in this way? I know grace and shame.¡± ¡°Well, then I¡¯ll ask you a favor.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Chapter 114 114. Tax Increase ¡®South Korea only has four months?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap was lost in thought because he heard it from the hunter from Illuminationst night. ording to what he heard, the Korean Penins was destined to suffer from massive Monster Waves like Africa and South America. If that happened, a catastrophe would follow naturally. Thend was narrow, and the sea covered it on three sides, so there weren¡¯t many ces to escape. The poption was concentrated in severalrge cities, and the number of Awakeners rtive to the poption was far smaller. Of the 60 million people, 23,000 were Awakeners. It wasn¡¯t even about 0.04% in terms of proportion. Also, even among the humans, they had enemies¡­ in short, it was a total mess. ¡®If half of the crack in the North burst, would we all die?¡¯ From Octoberst year to the present, the expedition to the North had continued, but the cracks were still full, and those that had urred over the past 20 years had piled up like sediment. It seemed that they experienced difficulties even though they put up all their power in a hurry. Looking at the news that day, one of the military belts that blocked the monster¡¯s southward movement copsed overnight. Two S-ss hunters were missing. ¡°What do you mean missing? You just don¡¯t want to admit they¡¯re dead.¡± The crack where S-ss hunters Lee So-ri and Heo Gil-nam were designated was in that Monster Wave. However, traces of the two were nowhere to be found. It was reasonable to say that they disappeared, but they were probably dead. Whoosh! ¡°Oh, you bastards¡­ you send it all the time.¡± He received a text from the association. The sender was the Hunter Association, and it was their fourth message that day. It was obvious even if he didn¡¯t look at it. They told him to hurry up ande to the association and write his application for North Korea. Somehow, it was useless to block the reception. ¡°Who are they going to send to the Jordan River? If it¡¯s that urgent, take Illumination¡­ huh?¡± Ko Byeong-gap felt something click. However, it was vague, as if it was hidden in a thick fog. He had to grunt for a few seconds to materialize the idea that scattered like smoke. As time passed, he finally realized what he was thinking of. At the same time, a faint groan escaped between his lips. ¡®¡­Is the association in cahoots with Illumination?¡¯ In retrospect, it was the result of a perfectly natural ident. Currently, what could be considered the total power of the Republic of Korea was concentrated in the North. An army of non-awakeners and groups of hunters made up of Awakeners were gathered in the most dangerous ces on this narrow penins. In good light, it could be seen as offsetting the danger by confronting power with power. However, a little twist of the eye could catch the terrible ulterior motive behind it. ¡®It¡¯s about creating Monster Waves in the northernnd to capture the army and hunters in one go.¡¯ Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to deal with one¡¯s enemies in one ce rather than to have them scattered? Of course, it was hard to tell what the savages were doing to create the Monster Waves. However, it was clear that there was something wrong with the fact that only Illumination cleverly escaped the battlefield. ¡°For Christ¡¯s sake, I need to tell you this right now¡­.¡± Ko Byeong-gap acted as if he was about to run away, then stopped. How was he supposed to tell anyone about this outrageous n? It would be nice to convince people on the street andin without being treated like he was crazy. If he were lucky, maybe one or two people would take him seriously. However, that alone couldn¡¯t change the public¡¯s opinion. They weren¡¯t Goblins who would say ¡®Lord!¡¯ whenever he said anything. ¡®This is perfect. There¡¯s no way out.¡¯ It was a problem even if God¡¯s grace led to the withdrawal of troops that had gathered on the southern border. If that happened, there was no way to stop the monsters from going south. Regardless if they fought somewhere further, people would die all the same. There would only be the difference between it happeningter or sooner. ¡°This is a disaster.¡± If people weren¡¯t believers, they would die early. If the Six-rays Bridge targeted them, they would have to deal with assassins day and night. Perhaps Seo Si-hee faced the situation more realistically. Perhaps it was through her two deaths that she realized it. So, she made a basic and simple n to assassinate Go Geon-ryong. Should he at least see the president and let him know? He thought about it and soon gave up. Could he use his power as a president in this situation? In the first ce, it was unclear whether the president was an enemy or an ally. Every scenario felt like they were hanging on the edge of a cliff. Was that so? Rather, the answer came with rity. ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about? I just need to raise my taxes.¡± Ko Byeong-gap packed his bags. After that, he drove to the North, to thend of war where blood and wind blew. *** The situation on the front lines wasn¡¯t good. A few days ago, one of the main strongholds of the military belt had copsed. The army was powerful. Personal firearms didn¡¯t do much damage to B-ss or higher monsters, but the powerful firepower of tanks and heavy weapons was enough to turn even A-ss monsters into pieces. However, fighting monsters was different from modern warfare, which was determined by firepower. The monsters prated deep into their depths in a short time with their unique mobility. The army inevitably had to engage in closebat, which was much more difficult than fighting from 40 kilometers away. Unless each enlisted soldier was wearing an Iron Man suit, there was no way they could win a hand-to-hand battle with the monsters. The generals gathered at the round table and wrapped their heads around it. They were determining whether to restore the copsed front or retreat the defense line. In any case, Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t know such details. He didn¡¯t even want to know and just took advantage of the chaos to climb the hill and cross the military belt. It was clear why he acted secretly like a thief, and that was because he didn¡¯t want anyone to interfere. Three days ago, they entered North Korea through Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do. As he passed through Tongcheon and Wonsan and reached the vicinity of South Hamgyong Province, he no longer saw any soldiers around. The reason was also clear. The Hamgyeong-do and Pyeongan-do areas were still filled with cracks. An army whose members were mostly non-awakeners couldn¡¯t advance to a ce full of cracks. Therefore, the line of defense was established early on in a distant area. Having returned to Earth after breakfast in Ashvm, he spotted about a dozen people far away. They were hunters. ¡®It must be an attack squad.¡¯ In the past, when he was on the expedition, he was in a group called Group C. Suddenly, he was curious about the status of the hunters he worked with. Since the expedition ended, he had only been in touch with Jeong Seon-kyung, but he didn¡¯t have any exchanges with anyone else. ¡®They¡¯re all S-ss, so they¡¯re probably alive.¡¯ He watched the people for some time before he got out of the road. Ko Byeong-gap confronted a monster halfway through the mountain. They behaved naturally as if they were any wild animal. None attacked him, however, thanks to the ring he stole from the Illumination hunter. ¡°Kooo¡­¡± It was like that again, this time. The Sharp Deer, a B-ss monster, stared his way, and then it snorted once, turned around, and left. Ko Byeong-gap secretly pulled out his sword and cut down the Sharp Deer from behind. ¡°Keeek!¡± The Sharp Deer spat out a terrifying scream and died. Its face was full of confusion. If tranted into humannguage, it could be interpreted as, ¡®No! Why are you attacking me?!¡¯ Unaware of the Sharp Deer¡¯s wailing heart, Ko Byeong-gap took out a cigarette and wondered. ¡°Whoa¡­ no Goblins came out.¡± It was none other than the Goblins that he was looking for over the past three days. Withrge-scale Monster Waves, he thought the probability of encountering Goblins would be decent. However, not a single Goblin showed up. Ko Byeong-gap could guess the reason, and his taste buds became bitter. ¡°Damn, have you already eaten them all?¡± The monsters that came out of the crack were hungry, and their prey was usually monsters that were weaker than them. Low-level monsters like Goblins were perfect to be eaten. Ashvm¡¯s Goblins were particrly strong, but wild Goblins were weak except for a few individuals. Ko Byeong-gap took a short break and moved again. As he headed north, he felt an increasing presence, so he hoped there were Goblins among them. With the help of heaven, his wish was soon fulfilled. As he looked down halfway up the hillside, he discovered what he believed to be a Goblin colony a kilometer away. Ko Byeong-gap ran there, feeling d. It was around that time that he felt extraordinary energy. ¡°Hm?¡± His head turned to the side. Something causing a cloud of dust was charging toward the Goblin colony. At first nce, he thought it was a beast-type monster. Seeing that the mass of the presence was quiterge, it would be at least a B-ss monster. He felt uneasy. He might see the Goblins being eaten right under his nose. ¡°You¡­ hey, you!¡± He ran like a storm. He had to reach the Goblins first. ¡®I¡¯m going to bete.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t easy to beat beast-type monsters when it came to speed. Ko Byeong-gap thought it was unfair to run on two feet while they ran on four. If they were going topete for the same target, shouldn¡¯t they have the same number of legs? ¡°Crazy, I¡¯m getting weird too.¡± Ko Byeong-gap snorted as he opened the door to Ashvm. ¡°Kiriyan! Dorma! Anyone,e out!¡± He ran without stopping and shouted. How many seconds passed? Kiriyan and Dorma came out the door at the same time. ¡°Lord! May I help you?¡± ¡°Huh? Do we have to run?¡± They ran in a hurry, matching Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s speed. Ko Byeong-gap pointed his eyes in one direction. ¡°Look over there!¡± ¡°Are they monsters?¡± ¡°Right, and over there.¡± Ko Byeong-gap pointed in a different direction. ¡°Our kin?!¡± ¡°Can you guess?¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°As expected, you¡¯re good at this.¡± Kiriyan and Dorma exchanged nces with each other and drew their strength. Soon, spears of lightning and dark projectiles arose in the air. Even Ko Byeong-gap drew his sword. However, its range wasn¡¯t that long. His two allies were perfect for intercepting enemies at this distance. ¡°Hah!¡± Dozens of attacks spread out with a loud shout. The ground sshed among the monsters, and the front row of the herd naturally copsed. Ko Byeong-gap elerated further and went ahead. After a while, he grew close enough to the Goblin group to see their faces. They seemed to be aware of the monstersing their way. It was pitiful to see them holding their clumsy weapons with frightened faces. ¡°Lord? Lord?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Lord?!¡± The Goblins, who saw Ko Byeong-gap, responded dramatically. Some even sat down as if their legs had lost their strength. They even offered greetings as if they were happy to meet him. One other issue was urgent, however. The firepower of both Dorma and Kiriyan couldn¡¯t stop all the monsters. The monster that ran in the lead was already close to them. ¡°Get back! Everybody get back!¡± Ko Byeong-gap shouted. The Goblins were in a state of limbo, but they were aware enough to follow that simple order. He opened the door to Ashvm and continued to shout. ¡°Doran, bring your men out!¡± An echo spread in the deste fields. The very next moment, 100 soldiers poured out as they crossed the door, all armed with neat armor and spears. At the forefront was Doran with a sword the same size as her. She stared at the group of monsters and figured it out at once. ¡°Get ready for battle! Get information!¡± The Goblins stood wide as she shouted. A hundred soldiers protected their fellow people behind them with spears and shields. ¡°Lord, do we have to kill those?¡± ¡°Yeah, sweep them all away.¡± ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s go!¡± A group of monsters shed with the Goblin army. Chapter 115 115. Tax Increase The sword drew a fierce trajectory. The monster ahead ended up breaking up their formation. Doran opened her eyes like a beast and searched for her next target. When she found one, her target was clear. She moved like a restless person and ughtered the enemy morbidly. The monsters she faced acted like old men on their way to their deathbed. On the other hand, the Goblin spearmen were very active. Their spears that stretched out in unison in line with themand looked like waves. The spear des infused with strength prated the flesh of their enemies without exception. ¡°Kugegege!¡± The monsters didn¡¯t let them get away with it. They jumped up or leaned almost to the ground to leap into the gap in the sky. However, it was an act of throwing oneself into a pit of death. ¡°Shields!¡± ¡°Wooo!¡± The shield soldiers made up of Giant Goblins formed a solid defense. They struck down the enemies with their huge shields, followed by an attack with a short sword or a blunt force. The monsters died with their necks split or their skulls crushed. The situation on the battlefield was like that between rocks and eggs. The monsters gathered like moths and died. Their bodies wereid out in a mess. ¡°Keeek!¡± Doran split a monster¡¯s spine, which was three times her size. After she rubbed her neck with killer intentions, she looked over the battlefield. ¡°The battle is over!¡± The battle was over. The Goblins were the only ones whose lungs and heart functioned properly. ¡®Excellent.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap admired it in a pure sense. He didn¡¯t even participate in this battle and just looked at them with his arms crossed. Their power difference was overwhelming to the extent that it wasn¡¯t a negligent act. ¡®Landriol certainly built weapons for ughter.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just negative things that Landriol¡¯s politics of terror produced. Looking at their strict disciplines and organized movements, he knew it was something that could never be made without training filled with fear. ¡°Good work, everyone! Return to Ashvm and take care of the injured.¡± Ko Byeong-gap shouted, and the Goblins went over to Ashvm with a cry of victory. He called Doran among them. Kiriyan and Dorma also approached. ¡°Lord!¡± ¡°Well done, Doran. I think the kids¡¯ skills are improving day by day. I won¡¯t worry if I leave the castle to youter.¡± ¡°Hehe. It wasn¡¯t a big deal¡­ What?¡± He patted Doran on the shoulder and looked back. The Goblins, with a little fear and a lot of awe in their eyes, were looking his way. ¡°Dorma.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°Take the kids back. Treat the wounded and make sure everyone is full because they look like they¡¯re starving.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll follow your directions. What are you thinking, Lord?¡± ¡°I need to look around more here. I don¡¯t know if there are more Goblins.¡± ¡°I see. Feel free to call me if you need me.¡± ¡°Yes, everyone worked hard.¡± ¡°Lord, see youter!¡± ¡°Lord, please take good care of yourself.¡± ¡°We¡¯re leaving. Alright, everybody, follow me!¡± Dorma led the Goblin colony over to Ashvm. Ko Byeong-gap received a message that 204 Goblins had moved over to Ashvm. Unfortunately, that was it for the day. *** The number of Goblins in Valtadren had reached 1,254. Thebined number of 820 Spirits, including Ea, made its poption exceed 2,000 residents. If 530 Goblins from Somnium were added to the list, the total poption exceeded 2,500. In fact, it was an embarrassing number to even call it a city, but didn¡¯t Ashvm first start with 33 Goblins? This was a major development. Of course, he wasn¡¯t satisfied. His goal was to rebuild the ¡®New Ashvm¡¯ and establish a great power over the vast wilderness. To do so, it was inevitably necessary to break away from this deformed structure, in which 99 percent of the residents were men. ¡°It¡¯s a nice day.¡± The weather was cool in the middle of September, and the sky rose slowly. The chaos on Earth didn¡¯t affect Ashvm, and this ce was as peaceful as ever except for minor disturbances. Ko Byeong-gap rested at his home in Ashvm. He leaned down to look at the yard against the window from the second floor, watching his mother water the garden. Park Young-ok adapted well in Ashvm, better than expected. She got along with the Goblins without hesitation, especially with Ea. She showed great enthusiasm for caring for the Goblins and their diet. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t stop his mother because she looked happy. ¡®Yeah, she¡¯s a very active person.¡¯ It must¡¯ve been quite boring to just watch TV at home after being discharged. Ko Byeong-gap thought it was a relief that his mother regained her vitality. Whine! He heard the sound of a foreign wind in the sky. Ko Byeong-gap naturally looked up. ¡°Lord!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the Harpy?¡± The Harpy approached, pping his wings. The boy climbed on the roof lightly. ¡°When did you get here?¡± ¡°Me? I just got here. Lord, take this.¡± The Harpy handed him a rolled piece of paper, and Ko Byeong-gap epted it and opened it. There were a lot of sloppy letters. ¡°Did Gobung tell you to give me this?¡± ¡°Yes, Lord. I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you foring. Go ask Ea for food.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll go there.¡± The Harpy jumped up and flew to the restaurant. Ko Byeong-gap sat back on the chair and read the letter. Despite the crooked handwriting, the contents were simple and clearly organized. ¡®Lord, this is Gobung. The day before yesterday. I went around the rocky mountain to get firewood. I walked along the river for about an hour and found a basin that I hadn¡¯t found before. It was as big as Somnium and there was a mineral vein connected to a crystal mine. I am writing to you because I think the amount of crystals to mine will increase if you set up a base there and add manpower. I¡¯m done writing. I look forward to seeing you. Gobung.¡¯ ¡°Boy¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap felt the tip of his nose twitch for no reason. ¡°He found another mine. This is good news.¡± He needed a lot of resources, and this was great news, so he immediately left the house. He drove to Somnium. It was quick because the road was well maintained. When he got to Somnium, Gobung, who had been working for a long time, came rushing. ¡°Gasp, gasp. Lord, I knew you¡¯de, but I didn¡¯t expect you so soon.¡± ¡°Where is it? Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah! I¡¯ll be ready in a minute.¡± Gobung came back from a short preparation. ¡°Can we get there by car?¡± ¡°Well, I think we¡¯ll have to walk because I don¡¯t know if the way is paved enough.¡± ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped. Please guide me.¡± ¡°Yes! Just follow me.¡± Ko Byeong-gap headed to the area that Gobung had discovered. As they walked along by one of the many river branches, they came to a valley lined with pebbles and flowing clean water. After another 30 minutes of damaging the lush foliage and vines, a t basin appeared. ¡°Here we go! How do you like it?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s cool. Thend is fertile, and a river flows by it. I didn¡¯t know you had such a talent.¡± ¡°Hehe, I¡¯ve been wandering aroundtely and found it on my own.¡± ¡°What do you mean wondering on your own? Why?¡± ¡°I just want to check what¡¯s around Somnium. That way, we can prepare for any situation.¡± Ko Byeong-gap smiled happily and stroked Gobung¡¯s head lightly. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who¡¯s ever been like that.¡± ¡°Hehehe.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s dangerous to go around alone. There might still be Gruggles left.¡± ¡°I can do most things by myself now.¡± Gobung said confidently, showing the sword on his waist. Ko Byeong-gap burst intoughter because of his funny appearance. ¡°Great! I¡¯m going to have to build a secondplex here in Somnium. I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d meet such good news just when we needed a lot of crystals.¡± ¡°What do you mean a lot of crystals? What kind of business are you nning on doing?¡± Gobung asked with a curious look. Ko Byeong-gap smiled mischievously. ¡°I¡¯m going to give you ady.¡± *** It would be a big deal if he did it in the current social climate, but Ko Byeong-gap thought that there was a suitable role for each man and woman. Of course, just looking at Doran right now, her swordsmanship was superior to most General Goblins. Therefore, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s words didn¡¯t mean the same as ¡®Men are strong and women are weak.¡¯ He meant that if someone worked outside, it would be harmonious in many ways for someone to support from the inside, like a yin and yangbination. So even though they were busy with construction work on the secondplex of Somnium, he called in the Goblins. He first issued a decree. There were too many unnamed men. Even if it wasn¡¯t grandiose, one should have a name, so he decided to give one to those without one. Of course, it was impossible to name more than 1,700 Goblins. He knew that his ability to make up names wasn¡¯t that different from that of a stone. So he selected some sensible Goblins, usually the ones from a higher species. He had them give a name for their entrusted Goblins. It wasn¡¯t good to have one that was too grand. He made them keep it to two or three characters long. By the time the King Goblins and Royal Goblins had exhausted their imagination, the work was done. Theypiled a ledger with the names, and Ko Byeong-gap made wooden ques through alchemy. From that day on, the Goblins had their name tags on their chests. Ironically, even after all Goblins got their names, Ko Byeong-gap called them short, hob, big, and The naming event was just the beginning. The main event was next. In therge square in Valtadren, up to 820 Spirits gathered as spectators. Ko Byeong-gap bought 13 Female Goblins and showed them to the crowd. In terms of crystals, they were worth 6.5 million crystals. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± In fact, the Goblin¡¯s response was lukewarm. Maybe it was natural. Female Sarahons managed and mistreated the Goblins when Landriol was in power. The nightmare of those days still lingered in their minds. ¡°Please give them a round of apuse. They¡¯re the new Goblins that are going to live with us.¡± Only after Ko Byeong-gap told them that, the Goblins softened their vignce. ¡®Sarahon¡¯s nature may be arrogant, but if I educate them well, I can make them live as a Goblin.¡¯ As a good example, there was Doran. She was even willing to support Ko Byeong-gap in the fight against Landriol. Her natural character was important, but she wanted to believe that the environment in which she lived was more important. The female Goblins were initially confused, just like Doran was, since their memories were sealed in order to contain them in the Ancient Shop. Their heads were nk as a pure white paper. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t awaken their memories. He was in the hope that they would live as who they were, not what they used to be. Three of the thirteen female Goblins were sent to Somnium, and another three were sent to the second base in Somnium. Seven were left in Valtadren. It was still a minor change. One by one, the ratio of men to women would gradually be normal. Anyway, the secondplex of Somnium waspleted after a few such events. Ko Byeong-gap first moved 300 Goblins there. well.¡± ¡°Leave it to me, Lord.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do a good job since Gobung rmended you. Somnium is just a short distance away, so if you have any problems, just ask.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± was a King Goblin, and he had a history of helping Gobung at Somnium. the secondplex¡¯s manager, and Ko Byeong-gap respected his opinion. ¡°Whew¡­¡± By the time the sun had set, Ko Byeong-gap had crossed over to Earth with a cigarette. The air surrounding the area changedpletely even though he only walked out one step. There was no peaceful air there, and only the mixed smell of blood and gunpowder was thick. Coming to Earth only made him feel bad since many of the bad situations could be summarized as ¡®open-ended.¡¯ However, he couldn¡¯t hide in Ashvm with a feeling of escapism. That was what a child would do. His head turned as soon as he entered Earth. Ko Byeong-gap stared at the distant mountain. ¡°¡­ Hunters? It looks like they¡¯re inbat, seeing how they¡¯re radiating a huge presence.¡± He felt a huge flow of force from the north. As if answering such reasoning, the world shed in an instant. Boom! Boom! Boom! Huge thunderstorms hit the floor hard and spread in all directions. It was as if a river of electric current had overflowed. ¡®That wasn¡¯t a natural phenomenon. They¡¯re psychic-type Awakeners, which are quite strong.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap was familiar with that lightning. Only after he reminisced for a while, he recalled his teammate that shot lightning during the expedition. S-ss Hunter Shim Seung-seop. Could it be him? ¡®Let¡¯s go.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap was curious, so he moved to the ce where the lightning struck. Chapter 116 116. Meeting Prick! It was as if a thousand birds were singing to him. When the wonderful high-pitched sound hit his ears, a chill ran down his spine. The world sometimes shed, but Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t like his vision to go white. So once he got goosebumps throughout his body, he would quickly close his eyes. Lightning fell from the sky, or rather, lightning bolted from the ground up. Suddenly, after a few seconds, the foul smell of burning spread, and it was terrible. ¡®Who could it be?¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap guessed who he saw out there that ran up the small hill. There weren¡¯t many people with superpowers in Korea. Moreover, it was particrly rare for people to be able to exert that much power in terms of lightning. Finally, at the top of the hill, Ko Byeong-gap quickly scanned the situation below. A strange smile spread across his lips. ¡°I was wondering if it was true.¡± A man wearing a hood was waving his hands in the air. He gestured as if he were conducting a ghost band. Blue sma sshed from his fingertips. Those movements were familiar to him since he had seen it so many times during the expedition. There were two more people besides the man. Unfortunately, he could only see their vague silhouette, but he couldn¡¯t recognize their appearance. ¡°If I go now, I¡¯m only going to get myself cooked.¡± At least, he wanted to wait until the rain of lightning stopped. The disturbance soon stopped. It was more of a one-sided massacre than a battle. After the chaos, Ko Byeong-gap hurriedly ran off. He showed his presence on purpose, so the people on the other side would notice him. ¡°Someone¡¯sing.¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a soldier. Do you think it¡¯s a hunter?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°¡­ Huh? Wait, isn¡¯t that Ko Byeong-gap?¡± ¡°Who?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung frowned and soon wrinkled her face. ¡°What? It really is Ko Byeong-gap. Hey! Why are you here?¡± She shouted, almost like a scream. In no time, Ko Byeong-gap, who came closer, answered with a quiver. ¡°Oh. I thought you looked familiar, but it is you, unnie.¡± ¡°Why are you here?¡± She freaked out like she saw a ghost. No, she would¡¯ve been calmer if she had actually seen a ghost. Ko Byeong-gap briefly looked around the three of them. Jeong Seon-kyung, Shim Seung-seop, and Han Chang-hoon were all members of Group C. He was quite curious about how they got together again. If Jeong Seon-kyung hadn¡¯t shaken him, he would¡¯ve asked immediately. ¡°You didn¡¯t apply? Why didn¡¯t you just stay at home? Where did youe from?¡± ¡°But unnie, are you here because you volunteered?¡± ¡°No way. The guild chairman had no choice but toe to us because he was so desperate. Why would I evere back to this damn ce?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± Ko Byeong-gap smiled and looked at the other two. ¡°Mr. Chang-hoon, Mr. Seung-seop. I haven¡¯t seen you for a while. I didn¡¯t expect to see you again like this.¡± ¡°Ah! I knew you were somebody, but now I remember. We owe you a lot, right? I¡¯m d to see you again.¡± Han Chang-hoon extended his hand with a big smile. On the other hand, Shim Seung-seop, who had a blunt personality, only raised his head a little. ¡°Why are you alone? What about your party?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung seemed to have a lot to say. ¡°No, I¡¯m here alone.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s not do this. Let¡¯s move. It¡¯ste, so why don¡¯t we start looking for a campsite first?¡± Han Chang-hoon intervened in the middle. Shim Seung-seop also seemed to want to leave quickly, so he agreed to move. They wandered around looking for a ce to camp. Meanwhile, Ko Byeong-gap exined his situation. He said that he didn¡¯t get assigned to a unit after writing an application but crossed the military belt on his own. After hearing that, Jeong Seon-kyung and Han Chang-hoon exchanged nces saying, ¡®This guy is crazy¡­¡¯ ¡°I thought you were a weirdo, but I didn¡¯t expect you to be like this. Did youe here because you don¡¯t have anywhere else to go? Do you have three or four lives buried in your backyard?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like that.¡± Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t bear to say, ¡®I¡¯m here to farm Goblins,¡¯ so he decided to gloss over it. ¡°I want to know what¡¯s going on. It¡¯s not unusual these days, but I didn¡¯t want to be assigned to the army, so I acted on my own.¡± ¡°Oh my God.¡± ¡°Byeong-gap, did you say you came over eight days ago? Do you know what¡¯s going on out there?¡± Han Chang-hoon asked. Ko Byeong-gap shook his head with a firm expression on his face. ¡°It¡¯s not good. Monster Waves are happening down there too. It¡¯s not as bad as it is here, but it¡¯s killing people every day.¡± ¡°Wow, I¡¯m going crazy. What should we do?¡± ¡°What do you mean, what can we do? Illumination is terrifying.¡± ¡°Is that right? Hagiya, there are so many hunters in Illumination.¡± ¡°Illumination is our enemy.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What?¡± Ko Byeong-gap spoke reflexively and scolded his careless mouth inside. Jeong Seon-kyung and Han Han Chang-hoon looked his way with faces that seemed to ask for an exnation. The only person who didn¡¯t seem interested was Shim Seung-seop. ¡°Illumination is the enemy? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s camp over there.¡± Shim Seung-seop said, pointing forward. They were buildings that had been used as government offices in North Korea in the past. About half of it was crushed, but it wasn¡¯t bad for resting for a while. The three nodded in agreement and then went inside. There were no signs of monsters nor humans, only the thick smell of mold. The party unpacked and sat around. Han Chang-hoon took out preserved food from his backpack andid them out. ¡°Mr. Byeong-gap, you should have a drink too. It¡¯s not going to be insufficient because I brought enough.¡± ¡°Thank you for the meal then.¡± ¡°Just finish what you were talking about.¡± ¡°Before that, what have you been doing? You don¡¯t have porters, and yourposition is too simple, so I don¡¯t think you¡¯re an attack squad. Also, I¡¯m curious how the three of you got back together.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a little long to exin¡­¡± Jeong Seon-kyung gave a rough exnation of their duties. In summary, it was as follows. Not long ago, arge-scale military force was deployed near Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province. Sinpo was a strategic point in contact with the pier, so as many as 17 S-ss hunters and 62 A-ss hunters were mobilized. The subjugation seemed to go smoothly, but yesterday, contact with the subjugation team was suddenly cut off. The headquarters hurriedly tried to locate the whereabouts of the subjugation squad through satellite observation. However, an unidentified force field was spread around Sinpo, and the observation satellite priced at hundreds of billions of dors was no different from scrap metal of the same weight. The headquarters was simply in turmoil. 17 S-ss, 62 A-ss. There were 170 other hunters gathered under them. If they died, there would be a huge power gap. So a reconnaissance team was set up to determine whether they were alive or not. Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s party was the reconnaissance team. ¡°It¡¯s just a coincidence that the three of us got together like this. We happened to all be volunteers, and we knew each other, so we formed a team.¡± ¡°I see. So you were heading to Sinpo?¡± ¡°Oh, we¡¯ll probably be there by noon tomorrow.¡± ¡°But what if all the hunters that were deployed are dead?¡± Instead of answering, Jeong Seon-kyung had a bitter taste. Han Chang-hoon, who was reading the room, answered instead. ¡°If that happens, they would bomb the site. It wouldn¡¯t be an ordinary monster if it could harm a subjugation squad of that size.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Hope they¡¯re safe.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s worried voice made the atmosphere solemn. She looked back at Ko Byeong-gap with a stiff face. ¡°Now that we¡¯re done talking, why don¡¯t you tell us? What do you mean that Illumination is the enemy?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve had a bad feeling before since their actions are so weird. You know something, don¡¯t you?¡± Ko Byeong-gap looked around the people in the hall one by one. As far as he knew, none of them belonged to Illumination. That time, he looked at their necks and hands. The hexagonal pendant, which symbolized the Six-rays Bridge, wasn¡¯t seen. Despite this, he thought it was too early to judge them, but in his experience, those were reliable people. Ko Byeong-gap organized his thoughts and spoke slowly. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone knows about the Six-rays Bridge.¡± ¡°I know. They¡¯re a pseudo-religion.¡± ¡°Right¡­ Is there anyone here who is a follower of Six-rays Bridge?¡± He asked just in case. No one responded. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°What is it? Don¡¯t hesitate to tell us.¡± ¡°This is purely my hypothesis. So, believe it or not, it¡¯s up to you. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m pretty sure¡­¡± His audience looked as if they were asking him to speak quickly. Ko Byeong-gap warmed up and got to the point. ¡°Maybe¡­ Mankind will be destroyed soon.¡± *** Ko Byeong-gap told them almost everything he knew. Of course, he excluded the parts rted to Ashvm. If he told that part, they wouldn¡¯t understand. The contents rted to Seo Si-hee also went through some adaptations. He made a few tweaks, but the story he told them was without probable error. The three listened with concentration. They made an impression or tilted their heads asionally, but they didn¡¯t act repulsed. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s conspiracy theory ended with the message that the believers of Six-rays Bridge would exterminate mankind. Even Shim Seung-seop, who rarely showed emotions, opened his mouth wide. The other two were no different. ¡°Well, is that¡­ Is it true?¡± ¡°I told you, it¡¯s just a hypothesis. But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s not at all ridiculous when you look at the situation?¡± ¡°Oh my God¡­¡± ¡°Well, where is Seo Si-hee now? Has she already set out to catch Go Geon-ryong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t been in touch with her since that day.¡± ¡°Oh my God. To have something like this happen¡­¡± ¡°Look at this.¡± Ko Byeong-gap raised his left hand. He showed the hexagonal ring on his ring finger. ¡°This is what I said earlier. I took it from a hunter from Illumination. I tested it, and it was true. The monsters didn¡¯t attack me.¡± ¡°Illumination, those bastards! Are they going to join the monsters and kill humans? Who do they think will be beaten?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung jumped to her feet. Ko Byeong-gap quickly dissuaded her. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? I¡¯m going to let people know right now! Or at least face all those in Illumination!¡± ¡°Calm down. I told you. Even if people believe it, there will be problems. How do you stop the monsters froming down when the troops are gone?¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t stay still!¡± ¡°Even SS-ss Seo Si-hee is hiding because she can¡¯t do anything about it. It¡¯s not something you can solve by yourself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Shim Seung-seop said abruptly. As his gaze turned, he gave a look of annoyance. ¡°Well, apart from what Byeong-gap said, we have work to do right now. First of all, we have to finish it. We need to see if people are dead or alive.¡± ¡°¡­ Tsk!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung chewed her lips and swallowed her anger. Soon, she took a cigarette out of her arms and left. Shim Seung-seop sighed quietly and asked Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°I guess you don¡¯t have any other ns either.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not proud of it, but it isn¡¯t something I can handle alone.¡± ¡°Well, I think we¡¯d better keep quiet for now. As you said, I think it¡¯ll only add to the confusion.¡± ¡°I agree with you. Even so, the whole situation in the frontlines is a mess¡­¡± There was silence in the hall. Each person had a lot to think about. Soon after, Jeong Seon-kyung returned, and Ko Byeong-gap broke the silence. ¡°There¡¯s one thing I¡¯d like to rmend to you. Just survive for now, and please think about it. We need to figure out how to get around this situation.¡± They spent the night in the shabby building. As soon as dawn rose, they set out on the road. Chapter 117 117. Unexpected Enemies ¡°What¡­? What?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± They all sighed. For Ko Byeong-gap, he frowned with his eyebrows furrowed. At the current moment, there was a slight difference in what Ko Byeong-gap feltpared to the other three. Jeong Seon-kyung, Han Chang-hoon, and Shim Seung-seop. They felt pure confusion. On the other hand, what Ko Byeong-gap felt was a tiny bit of doubt. The incident began a little bit back in time. Jeong Seon-kyung and the party diligently set out on the road early in the morning. Ko Byeong-gap decided to help them first. Strangers wouldn¡¯t know, but they were colleagues who had once teamed up, so nobody could send him away otherwise. They walked diligently, ran, and sometimes killed monsters on their way to their destination, Sinpo. At some point, however, Han Chang-hoon¡¯s portable GPS device malfunctioned. It was around the time they reached Sinpo. Unfortunately or fortunately, there was no incident where the party got confused. However, somewhere far away, something strange was happening that they couldn¡¯t overlook. Abined area of ten ser fields was surrounded by white light. The light formed a hemispherical frame, which easily covered 60 buildings. The party approached the unidentified ¡®white space¡¯ and stared nkly at it for five minutes. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t shake off the following thoughts. ¡®It looks like the fog in Somnium, but what¡¯s that blue stick?¡¯ He raised his head. The part corresponding to the ceiling of the hemisphere was in contact with a blue cylinder. The column stretched into the sky endlessly. ¡®It looks like it¡¯s covering the inside like the fog in Ashvm¡­¡¯ ¡°Are there people in there?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but is it just me? I don¡¯t feel any presence over there. Do you?¡± ¡°So do I. But something¡¯s wrong. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t feel anything¡­¡± ¡°It feels like something¡¯s broken.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung replied with a flick of her finger. It was just like what he said. The white area there was essentially different from where they stood. It wasn¡¯t a perfect metaphor, but the ground seemed oddly different. ¡®I need to touch it.¡¯ He approached the white area. Shim Seung-seop quickly talked to him. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Ko Byeong-gap looked back and answered, ¡°I want to take a closer look.¡± ¡°It could be dangerous. You don¡¯t know what that is.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t want to just watch.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°I think it has something to do with everyone losingmunication. How about you guys?¡± Ko Byeong-gap asked the three of them. ¡°It might have something to do with it since it was around here that the equipment went down.¡± ¡°I thought it¡¯s suspicious too. But isn¡¯t Seung-seop correct? It could be dangerous, and you might get hurt.¡± What they said was right. Shim Seung-seop, who had been thinking for a long time, said, ¡°Let¡¯s get in touch with headquarters first.¡± Shim Seung-seop and Han Chang-hoon went back the way they came with their walkie-talkie. For the telmunication equipment to work, they had to be 10 kilometers away. Ko Byeong-gap and Jeong Seon-kyung smoked together and waited for the two to return. About 40 minutester, the two men who had left with their walkie-talkie came back with expressions as if they had chewed dog poop. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your faces?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung asked straight away. Han Chang-hoon said in a voice that seemed to reduce his anger. ¡°Those bastards! They wasted our time going back and forth.¡± ¡°Why? What did they say?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch that and search this area. But if we don¡¯t find the subjugation team, they will bomb the ce to the ground.¡± ¡°What? They want us to leave them like this?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung frowned as if she couldn¡¯t understand. This time, Shim Seung-seop spoke. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t risk it. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s in there.¡± ¡°No! There could be people!¡± ¡°That¡¯s possible, but they could be dead already, or they could be with a very strong monster.¡± ¡°Instead of opening Pandora¡¯s box, they¡¯ll just burn it entirely.¡± Shim Seung-seop nodded at Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s summary. ¡®Oh my God.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap found it absurd, so he almostughed out loud. It wasn¡¯t because of the military¡¯s ruthlessness. Rather, their response was perfectly reasonable. There was just one thing they overlooked. ¡®Do you think you can break that thing by pouring in missiles?¡¯ If that white area was simr to the fog in Somnium, it could never be broken by force. It wasn¡¯t just a cage or something. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Han Chang-hoon asked, but no one answered. Ko Byeong-gap moved his body without saying a word. He ran fast and approached the white area. Shim Seung-seop didn¡¯t catch him this time. He just looked to see what he was doing. Shing. He drew his sword from his waist and gathered his strength. The aura he gathered quickly took shape. As he swiped the sword vigorously, a crescent-shaped sh was fired. The sh passed through the white area without colliding with it. Everyone that watched was surprised, even himself. ¡®What? It¡¯s not real.¡¯ It was like cutting through the air. Of course, the white area didn¡¯t suffer any damage. If it didn¡¯t have substance, then it was certainly a different kind of fog from the one in Ashvm. Ko Byeong-gap went closer just to make sure. He then stretched out his sword. The de went into the white area without any resistance. ¡®I didn¡¯t think of this.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap, who recovered the sword, was troubled. In the meantime, the party approached. ¡°It¡¯s strange. It looks like we can go through it back and forth.¡± ¡°So, let¡¯s go inside.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung acted as if she would jump inside right away. If Shim Seung-seop hadn¡¯t grabbed her arm, she would¡¯ve already gone into the white area. She looked at Shim Seung-seop that said, ¡®Why are you holding me?¡¯ ¡°If we could go back and forth at will, the subjugation team would have escaped immediately.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen it, right? It passed smoothly.¡± ¡°I mean, ha¡­¡± Shim Seung-seop sighed deeply since he couldn¡¯t organize his words. Jeong Seon-kyung pulled her arm and shook off Shim Seung-seop¡¯s hand. He spoke without hesitation. ¡°We still don¡¯t know what¡¯s out there.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s no use trying to stop me. I¡¯ll go in by myself.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s attitude was firm. Han Chang-hoon also supported the idea. ¡°Seung-seop, wouldn¡¯t it be okay to go inside once? We can just escape right away.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What do you think, Mr. Byeong-gap?¡± ¡°I was thinking about going in too.¡± In his case, he was more curious than wanting to continue the mission to confirm people¡¯s lives. Shim Seung-seop finally agreed since the majority wanted to go in. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± When his consent fell, they gathered in front of the white realm. Everyone was determined. ¡®I¡¯m not gonna die easily because I¡¯m with three S-ss hunters.¡¯ Jeong Seon-kyung took the lead, and then Han Chang-hoon went in, and Ko Byeong-gap was the third. Lastly, Shim Seung-seop immersed himself in the white area. It took less than five seconds for everyone to enter and less than a second for their hearts to flutter. ¡°This¡­!¡± As soon as they entered inside, they werepletely blocked from going outside again. *** Bang! A brutal sound rang out because Jeong Seon-kyung used her double-edged ax with a vicious force. However, their target, the white wall, didn¡¯t even show pain. That said, there wasn¡¯t even a single scratch. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s quit. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to work.¡± ¡°No, I think I¡¯ll just need a little more! Hey, give me some buffs!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already got it around¡­¡± ¡°Oh, damn it!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung hit the wall once again. The result was the same as the dozen tries she had done before. Ko Byeong-gap turned around, and suddenly, he saw the unrealistic scene in front of him. ¡®I think this is Ashvm.¡¯ He figured. The ce was a meadow. The peak, which wasn¡¯t so high, rose with moderate density, and the ground was covered with ankle-high grass. There was no bloody smell on the battlefield, only the clear and fragrant smell of grass. So even in this ridiculous situation, he felt good. Bang! Once again, there was a bang. Ko Byeong-gap said with a short click on his tongue. ¡°Unnie, let¡¯s stop and go over there. We should move, not like this.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do it.¡± Shim Seung-seop and Han Chang-hoon came with their personal belongings. Jeong Seon-kyung looked at the three of them with widened eyes. Her hair clung to her face because of sweat. She managed to say, her lips curled. ¡°Is everyone okay with this?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°We¡¯re trapped. Don¡¯t you want to me me? I asked you toe in¡­¡± She mumbled. Shim Seung-seop only showed a fat expression. Ko Byeong-gap shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°What can we do if we¡¯re already trapped? There¡¯s no use trying to hit it for a hundred days, so hurry up and follow.¡± ¡°And what do you mean you asked us toe in, Seon-kyung? We all agreed toe in, so why would we me you? Haha.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung was down. She seemed to think that they came into the white area due to her stubbornness, so she felt responsible that the party was trapped inside. ¡°It¡¯s like a dungeon here.¡± Shim Seung-seop looked around and spoke. ¡°I thought so too. It¡¯s kind of it?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve never seen this before.¡± The space inside the white area was muchrger than observed outside. It could be dozens, maybe even hundreds of times. The party got on one of the hills and looked at the surrounding terrain. Yes, all they could see was a vast meadow and tall peaks. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap was familiar with the ce. No, he was used to it. When did he experience it? He suddenly eximed when he thought of his memories after a while. ¡®There! The grasnd where the Sarahons fought the Holy Army!¡¯ It matched with the memory he saw when he took in Trovatin¡¯s spirit back then. A battlefield where hundreds of thousands of troops shed in the past. For some reason, there were no traces of it. ¡°There¡¯s something over there.¡± Shim Seung-seop pointed in one direction. Looking in that direction, it was north. Ko Byeong-gap could also feel the subtle presence there. Ko Byeong-gap said, looking away. ¡°Let¡¯s go. There¡¯s nothing else we can do.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s move.¡± The party walked steadily. Except for eating or climbing a peak to check their location, they didn¡¯t rest for an hour. Whether it was good or bad luck, they didn¡¯t run into a single ant even though they walked like that. The sun had set, and darkness fell. They camped on a suitable peak and walked the next day again at sunrise. It was around the time when Han Chang-hoon experienced internal conflict, counting the remaining food. Jeong Seon-kyung, who had climbed a nearby hill, looked down and shouted. ¡°Hey! What in¡­! There!¡± ¡°What? What did you say?¡± ¡°Hey! What! What! Oh!¡± The three men at the bottom climbed the hill in a hurry. As they gasped at the top, Jeong Seon-kyung jumped and pointed to one side. ¡°Look! Look! Isn¡¯t there some kind of tree?¡± It was a long way off. There was something there that looked like a tree, as she said. If it was just a tree, they could criticize her for being too excited by it. However, it wasn¡¯t an ordinary tree. First of all, the size didn¡¯t make sense. ¡°It¡¯s size¡­ That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s like a hundred and thirty meters.¡± ¡°A 100-meter tree. That¡¯s weird.¡± ¡°Right? That¡¯s suspicious.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look,¡± The group moved toward the great tree and forgot to eat. Did they go on like that for about an hour? They climbed a rock as big as a tree and looked down at the oversized tree. Without exception, the party¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°Shh!¡± Ko Byeong-gap hurriedly covered Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s mouth. However, a groan came out of his mouth. ¡®What the hell is this¡­?¡¯ The tree that looked so high from afar wasn¡¯t a tree. It was a pir made up of thousands of monsters. What they thought of as branches were hundreds of tentacles, and what they thought of as leaves were the bodies of smaller monsters. Also¡­ At the end of the tentacles, about 200 hunters hung in mummified states. [Active: ft. White Zetsu] Chapter 118 118. Unexpected Enemies ¡®Shit. What the hell is that?¡¯ What they saw was so terrifying that it felt unrealistic. Hunters who had lost their lives were wrapped inrge tentacles. They looked like insects caught in a web. Ko Byeong-gap examined the situation more closely. There were no other monsters except for that huge tree made up of bodies of monsters. However, the problem was the bizarre tree itself, which was a fusion of thousands of monsters at the very least, and it was obviously alive. Its eyes blinked constantly, and its limbs would asionally swing rigidly. The monster that covered the top like a leaf was like an earthworm that formed a colony. Ko Byeong-gap had never even heard that such a thing existed. No, that weird thing shouldn¡¯t exist in the world. ¡°I¡­ Those people. Not all of them are dead, are they?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s voice trembled precariously. Even Ko Byeong-gap, who had gone through a lot, found the bizarre tree quite shocking. ¡°They¡¯re alive.¡± Han Chang-hoon replied in a determined tone. Although he usually looked rxed, he seemed very cold-hearted that time. ¡°Don¡¯t lose hope. You can tell. They¡¯re still alive. If we can detach their bodies, we can save them.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go now! Let¡¯s go and get them all.¡± ¡°No, stay where you are.¡± Shim Seung-seop quietly stopped Jeong Seon-kyung. ¡°There are 17 S-ss hunters there. If they can¡¯t deal with that monster, we¡¯ll suffer the same fate.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t just watch.¡± After thinking for a few seconds with his mouth shut, Shim Seung-seop spoke. ¡°Hide your presence as much as possible and stay here.¡± He got up, and the other three looked up at him with nk eyes. ¡°Let me get his attention. I can expect two responses. Either I attract it, or it doesn¡¯t respond. In the former case, keep hiding. There¡¯s no need to get caught up in it. If it¡¯s thetter, we can approach and save the people.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying you¡¯re going to be the scapegoat?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t just watch like you said.¡± ¡°Hey, hey. Wait!¡± Shim Seung-seop leaped even before they could get him. Jeong Seon-kyung tried to follow him in a hurry, but Ko Byeong-gap stopped her. ¡°Let go! If it goes wrong, he could die alone!¡± ¡°Then what? Do you want to die together?¡± ¡°What? Hey, hey, you¡­¡± ¡°Somebody has to do it anyway. Seung-seop came forward when both unnie and I couldn¡¯t, and he said there¡¯s no need to be swept to death together. If things go wrong, wouldn¡¯t it be right for the three of us to put our heads together and find the next solution?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung chewed on her lips instead of answering. Around that time, Shim Seung-seop was already working. He widened his distance from them and headed to the left of the tree. Standing in ce, he began to release Karma. Soon, a vast current gathered in his palm. As if a telephone pole wasid horizontally, a huge spear of electric current shed into life. Hiss! With a high-pitched sound that dug into their ears, the spear of electric current stretched out. It struck the tree stump without mercy. Crimson pieces of meat were scattered all over the ce. ck blood poured out like a fountain from the missing part, and then, there was silence. Neither Ko Byeong-gap nor Shim Seung-seop looked at the tree without even breathing. At that moment, it was as if time had stopped. ¡°Oh¡­ Doesn¡¯t it seem like nothing¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I suppose so. That¡¯s fortunate.¡± ¡°Phew¡­ I thought I was going to lose my liver.¡± The tree showed no reaction even though it was attacked. In other words, thetter happened in the two cases Shim Seung-seop suggested. Shim Seung-seop, who was far away, looked back at the party. He raised his hands above his head and made a circle. Jeong Seon-kyung jumped to her feet. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go save the people!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it. But even if we save them, we can¡¯t get out right now, so what do we do?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be able to get out.¡± ¡°What? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll exin that to youter. First, we rescue people.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s group rejoined Shim Seung-seop. They approached the tree without losing sight of their vignce. Up close, the tree was much more bizarre than it was from a distance. The monsters that made up the trunk blindly floundered their limbs. They didn¡¯t know how many limbs they had. Thousands of them were making such silly movements as if they were about to explode. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s disgusting¡­ Hey, Byeong-gap, what are you doing?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung frowned and looked at Ko Byeong-gap. He stood at the base of the tree and stroked it. ¡°Grrr¡­¡± Among the monsters that became part of the tree were Goblins. He somehow tried to cut out only the Goblins, but it didn¡¯t work. There was something invisible that stopped him. In other words, the inside of the tree was already entangled with all kinds of monsters. Ko Byeong-gap felt angry and emotional when he saw the Goblins. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t save you with my powers.¡± ¡°Byeong-gap, what are you doing?¡± ¡°¡­ Nothing.¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get the people out of here.¡± The four of them climbed up the tree, which was the monster¡¯s arms and legs, and it was a bit of a struggle in a different sense. The group began to rescue the people step by step. All those caught in the tentacles were unconscious, so they had to be moved one by one carefully. More and more were being piled up every minute. While the three of them carried the people, Han Chang-hoon treated them with all his heart and soul. A lot of people had already died. It was usually the case for hunters that were below A-ss. Their lives were drained from them and dried up, so their bodies crumbled with just a touch. About an hourter, they sessfully saved the hunters. It was around that time that Han Chang-hoon expressed difort. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m going crazy.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve cured their wounds, but for these people, wounds aren¡¯t the problem. Their vitality itself has be so low that they¡¯re almost like old people on their deathbed. They¡¯ll probably stay unconscious for a while.¡± ¡°So what happens then?¡± ¡°In fact, they¡¯re all top hunters, so they can recover by eating well and sleeping well. The problem is that their conditions aren¡¯t right. Right now, we only have enough food for two meals.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Ko Byeong-gap thought as he smoothed his chin. Meanwhile, Jeong Seon-kyung spoke. ¡°Then, let¡¯s move people before it¡¯s toote.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°The first ce we came in. I heard there¡¯s a way for us to get out, right, Ko Byeong-gap?¡± ¡°Uh. I can guess something. I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°¡­ You should have told us if you had one.¡± Shim Seung-seop said. It wasn¡¯t a sarcastic tone, so Ko Byeong-gap answered indifferently. ¡°I just remembered.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about it then.¡± Shim Seung-seop nodded his head and looked at the people lying around. ¡°But how do we move all these people? I¡¯m sure 150 people are lying here, and I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll wake up for a while.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ It¡¯s going to take a long time. Don¡¯t you think we should do it quickly?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not wrong, either. But I have an idea?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s kind of a hidden world. Once you step in, you can¡¯t go back, so it¡¯s close to a dungeon. So, there must be boss monsters.¡± He reached out his hand and pointed to the tree. ¡°Why don¡¯t we break it down? If we do well, I think we¡¯ll be able to escape without much trouble.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung even flicked her fingers in admiration. ¡°That¡¯s a good one. It looks like it.¡± ¡°Right. If this is a dungeon, there¡¯s a boss, and there should be nothing else. We should be able to escape.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Unlike the two in favor, Ko Byeong-gap was skeptical. It was certainly a possible hypothesis. However, he was concerned that it might be like pulling nose hairs out of a sleeping lion. ¡°I¡¯m a little worried. Do we need to provoke that for nothing?¡± ¡°Provoke? Well, as you can see, it hasn¡¯t responded to our actions.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Byeong-gap. It didn¡¯t budge when we cut off its tentacles and pulled the people out. So, what do you suggest?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± ¡°It takes too much time to get the people to the wall. It would take two days to go back and forth. It¡¯ll take ten days at the very least to move all these people. Can west ten days without food?¡± Shim Seung-seop¡¯sments were reasonable. However, Ko Byeong-gap could shorten the whole process to one day. It was simple. He could just send all the fallen hunters to Ashvm. However, that would risk Ashvm and the Goblins. And in that case, more than a hundred people would find out his secret. There was no need to hide it, but he didn¡¯t want to reveal it on purpose. ¡°Alright. We don¡¯t seem to have a choice.¡± Eventually, Ko Byeong-gap decided to follow their opinion. As Shim Seung-seop said, if things go well, everything would befortable. ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing left for us to do, so let¡¯s do it right away.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The four of them stood side by side, facing the tree. It wasn¡¯t long before explosive energy began to fluctuate all over the ce; it was to be expected as there were 3 S-ss hunters. Ko Byeong-gap also had enough aura to keep up with them. First, Shim Seung-seop swung his hand in the air. In an instant, his Karma produced an ultra-high voltage attack and swallowed the whole tree. Pajik! Chang! A tremendous thunderstorm struck, and the terrible stench of burning flesh spread all over. After the electrical storm hit, Ko Byeong-gap and Jeong Seon-kyung jumped up. Han Chang-hoon gave the two the highest buffs. ¡®Is this what a buff is? My body is full of energy.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap fired five shes in full strength. The shes hit the same spot without any error. A wide and deep sh formed in the area he hit directly. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Subsequently, Jeong Seon-kyung threw out her ax at an angle. Her huge ax hit exactly where Ko Byeong-gap attacked. They hoped the attacks would split the tree in half¡­ Kang! ¡®Oh?¡¯ The crackling sound rang out. It was hard to believe that they hit its flesh. Jeong Seon-kyung recoiled with her ax and retreated, holding her arm. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°What? Are you okay?¡± ¡°Something solid is in there¡­¡± It was that moment¡­ Kwajik! Hiss! The giant tree split vertically, and it revealed what was inside. It was like seeds that had been wrapped in pulp had been revealed. Also, the seed¡¯s equivalent was something that had never been revealed to the world before. The moment it was revealed, everyone was horrified, including Ko Byeong-gap. Their instincts sent the same message without a hitch. That was dangerous. Too dangerous. ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± A giant wrapped in tinum-colored sheet metal armor. The figure was truly beautiful. It wasn¡¯t enough to attach any rhetoric that existed in this world. Its wide helmet was hollowed with iron bars, and a bright glow poured out from the inside. It was sacred and beautiful, but Ko Byeong-gap felt terrible. He was repulsed to the point of nausea. He was aware of its existence. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t know. ¡°Al¡­ Al-Sharon. It¡¯s¡­ The seventh Holy Warrior¡­ I¡¯m sure he¡¯s dead. So, how?¡± Its identity was one of God¡¯s messengers who wiped out the legions that had disappeared from this very in. Chapter 119 119. The Army of the Gods, the Army of the King. Seventh Holy Warrior Al-Sharon. When he was revealed, Ko Byeong-gap stepped back on his own. He had to suffer from a terrible sense of intimidation. ¡®He¡¯s definitely dead. How?¡¯ The Sarahon Legion made a huge sacrifice and captured the seven Holy Warriors, and it was Al-Sharon who decorated the grand finale. ¡®An unrivaled enemy.¡¯ His entricity was iparable with any other monster. He was truly different. ¡°Shit!¡± Shim Seung-seop gritted his teeth and fired an electric shot. At that moment, light gathered in Al-Sharon¡¯s left arm and created a round shield. He simply blocked the lightning with his shield. Suddenly, a light came from Al-Sharon¡¯s right arm, which transformed into a 15-meter-tall polearm. It was the weapon that shook off the heads of thousands of Sarahons. ¡°That¡¯s dangerous.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung growled as she dropped to the floor and nced at her double-edged ax. She quickly picked it up. ¡°Be careful!¡± Ko Byeong-gap screamed. The tip of the pointed polearm stretched out for Jeong Seon-kyung. She calmly swung her ax and struck it back, but despite her perfect response, she plummeted. ¡°Noona!¡± ¡°¡­ Shit.¡± Fortunately, she didn¡¯t seem to sustain major damage. Jeong Seon-kyung immediately got up. ¡°Up!¡± The broad de of the polearm fell on Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s head. She quickly lifted her ax. Soon, the two des shed, and Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s lower body was submerged in the ground. Before the second attack, Ko Byeong-gap rushed swiftly. As he leaped forward, he poured a bunch of sword strikes into Al-Sharon¡¯s face. When the shes exploded, he stumbled. Shim Seung-seop didn¡¯t miss the gap and fired lightning at the same spot. ¡°Cooooo!¡± ¡°Hah!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung, who approached in a blink of an eye, swung her ax, turning her whole body. When the de hit him in the ankle, Al-Sharon couldn¡¯t stand it and fell. Jeong Seon-kyung jumped up and lifted her ax. As a formidable Karma gathered around it, a huge weapon was createdparable to Al-Sharon¡¯s Polearm. The ax, about eight meters wide on both des, fell. Al-Sharon immediately stretched out his shield to receive the attack. Hit! ¡°Hahaha!¡± The ax made of Karma broke off without a hitch. The shield hit Jeong Seon-kyung as it was, and it sent her crashing backward. Ko Byeong-gap quickly caught her and stood before her. ¡°Mr. Chang-hoon!¡± ¡°I know!¡± Han Chang-hoon restored Jeong Seon-kyung with his healing abilities. Meanwhile, Al-Sharon raised his body. Ko Byeong-gap was nervous in anticipation of an attack, but what he saw was an unexpected sight. Al-Sharon¡¯s body, specifically, his left arm holding the shield, turned into dust and flew away. ¡°Kuo¡­?¡± His expression wasn¡¯t visible due to the helmet, but Al-Sharon also seemed to be perplexed. ¡°Hey! The big guy doesn¡¯t seem to be strong enough. It¡¯s worth a try!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung wiped her bloody mouth and burned her fighting spirit. Ko Byeong-gap felt a little puzzled about this part. So he opened his eyes and observed Al-Sharon. When he realized something, he shivered. ¡®He¡¯s not in perfect condition right now.¡¯ On closer inspection, he was a mess. His tinum-colored armor, which he thought was brilliant, had cracks everywhere. To add to the leap, he was like a broken y doll that had been forcibly attached. He was also small in size. The Holy Warriors were originally giants over 50 meters tall, but currently, he was only about seven meters at most. ¡®I don¡¯t know what happened, but he¡¯s iplete.¡¯ If Al-Sharon were in perfect condition, Ko Byeong-gap and his party alone would never be able to win. However, since he was imperfect at that time, it was a different story. It was worth going against. ¡°Byeong-gap, can you tank?¡± ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡± ¡°Stop that monster bastard¡¯s attack just once. In the meantime, I will try to do something.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung and Ko Byeong-gap ran together. Al-Sharon rotated the polearm without worry. ¡°Byeong-gap!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± He quickly blocked the trajectory of the polearm and released his aura as much as he could, producing arge golden shield. In an instant, the polearm and the shield collided. ¡°Agh!¡± The shield¡¯s aura cracked. No matter how optimistic he was, itsted only about a second, but it was enough. A second wouldn¡¯t be too short for an S-ss hunter. On that little chance he earned them, Jeong Seon-kyung didn¡¯t miss it and dug into their enemy at once. Her ax was once again transformed into a gigantic weapon. Al-Sharon tried to avoid it with agility, but it didn¡¯t go as nned. A whip of lightning rose from the ground as soon as he stepped on it and tightly bound Al-Sharon¡¯s body. It was an assist from Shim Seung-seop. It was a perfect connection. ¡°Over here!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung swung her ax as if it was her magic spell. Her gigantic de sessfully struck Al-Sharon¡¯s right shoulder. It parted his shoulders, while his right arm, which fell off his main body, became dust and scattered. ¡°Coooooo!¡± Al-Sharon roared, and a formidable shock wave spread out in an instant. Ko Byeong-gap and Jeong Seon-kyung, who were close by, flew to a faraway ce like a baseball hit by a bat. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Damn¡­¡± ¡®Damn it. I think my whole body is broken.¡¯ Their minds became dizzy. Fortunately, thanks to Han Chang-hoon¡¯s immediate healing, they were able to rx. Ko Byeong-gap and Jeong Seon-kyung quickly rose to their feet. Al-Sharon, whose arms fell off, was struggling ahead. She smiled, showing her teeth. ¡°Alright! We just need to do it one more time. I¡¯ll cut off his leg, and at the end, I¡¯ll pull out his head.¡± Around this time, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s group was filled with anticipation that they could ovee this difficulty until Al-Sharon spoke. ¡°Get up.¡± He said. For those who didn¡¯t know the Ashvmnguage, it just sounded like a meaningless babble, but Ko Byeong-gap understood it clearly. It was shortly after Al-Sharon¡¯s attack. The monsters that made up the ¡®tree¡¯ dawdled. They melted and became shaped like dough. The grayish-brown dough formed into figures. ¡®These¡­ These guys¡­¡¯ They were soldiers, about two thousand of them. Although their size was the same as that of an ordinary human, their armor was very simr to Al-Sharon¡¯s. ¡°Shin¡­ Shin Seung-seop!¡± ¡°Hit the unbelievers.¡± The Holy Army moved in unison at Al-Sharon¡¯smand. They changed into rows and looked like a tidal wave. ¡°What the hell! All of a sudden?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Shim Seung-seop spread his arms wide and exploded Karma. He created a force field made of an electric current that was about 100 meters wide and fired it away. That attack would turn anyone into ashes by just brushing against them. Sadly, they weren¡¯t fazed. ¡°Guard!¡± The soldiers of the Holy Army screamed. The soldiers in charge of the front line of the ranks created a shield by releasing Karma. There were hundreds of them, and they were all of good quality, so their scale was huge. Shim Seung-seop¡¯s surprise attack collided with hundreds of shields. Some were smashed out, of course. In the aftermath, they were toasted, but the majority survived. ¡°Archers!¡± The soldiers rallied again. The soldiers at the back of the line hung karma arrows on their bows and shot in unison. ¡°That¡¯s crazy!¡± ¡°Come to me!¡± Han Chang-hoon stepped forward and deployed a hemispherical shield. Papabak! Papabak! ¡°Ugh!¡± The arrows poured down like rain. Han Chang-hoon did his best to maintain his shield. At that time, Jeong Seon-kyung shouted. ¡°Up! Let¡¯s get out of here!¡± ¡°Wait, what!¡± It happened in an instant. Al-Sharon, who was far away, jumped and fell onto their shield. His heavy feet pressed against the shield. Ko Byeong-gap, Jeong Seon-kyung, and Shim Seung-seop were barely able to avoid it. However, Han Chang-hoon couldn¡¯t avoid it and was trampled on. ¡°Mr. Chang-hoon!¡± ¡°Knights!¡± Before they knew it, the knights who approached came wielding their spears. Each of them had a simrbat power to an A-ss hunter. The Holy soldiers stuck together like a flock of dogs. If it were only them, the party could survive. However, when Al-Sharon joined in, the game quickly turned around. ¡°Gasp!¡± Shim Seung-seop was the first one to be attacked. He was kicked by Al-Sharon and flew dozens of meters away. Sadly, the only healer who could heal him was already one with the floor. ¡°Damn it! Damn it!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung swung her ax at random. Once wielded, six to seven Holy soldiers lost their limbs. However, she was forced to raise a white g in the endless volume of offensive. Things didn¡¯t get better for Ko Byeong-gap, either. In the meantime, dozens of arrows shot by the archers of the Holy Army lunged into his back. Countless weapons swept through his body, not missing the opening. A shriek resounded through the meadow, and Ko Byeong-gap and his party were annihted. *** ¡°You pathetic man.¡± Someone muttered in the darkness. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t get any information except that the owner of the voice was very upset. ¡°Poor, pathetic man.¡± He heard a voice again. Ko Byeong-gap felt a surge of irritation. ¡°Shut up, Landriol.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°I told you to shut up.¡± He eximed and was surprised that he had spoken. What? Was he still alive? Ko Byeong-gap opened his eyes. All he could see was the darkness. He couldn¡¯t even measure its end. He tried to find Landriol in the dark, but he couldn¡¯t see him anywhere. Suddenly, as if teasing him, a voice came from behind his back. ¡°We, the Sarahons, are the natural enemies of God. Even if you have that will, you are being trampled on mercilessly. That¡¯s just half the story. You¡¯re so pathetic I can¡¯t even look at you.¡± Ko Byeong-gap turned around fiercely, and then, he argued. ¡°I¡¯m a human being.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t say that the things you govern are human.¡± ¡°They¡¯re Goblins. They are not Sarahons.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop ying with dumb words?¡± ¡°Damn it, why the fuck would you show up? Otherwise, I¡¯m dying here!¡± ¡°Yes, being weak is annoying.¡± ¡°Does¡­ Does it mean that I¡¯m dead because you¡¯re with me? So this ce must be like the afterlife. There¡¯s not as much to it than I thought.¡± Ko Byeong-gap clicked his tongue as heid down. Landriol crossed his arms with a very disapproving expression on his face. ¡°I can¡¯t believe a man like you beat me. If it weren¡¯t for that little girl, you wouldn¡¯t have put a finger on me.¡± ¡°Losers can¡¯t make excuses, didn¡¯t you learn this? What the hell are you talking about now that a dead man is here? There¡¯s nothing you can even do.¡± Ko Byeong-gap said so and nced at Landriol. His two-meter muscled body was very menacing. He slowly turned his gaze away. ¡°Whether you¡¯re wearing clothes or not. You¡¯re not a pervert, so why are you naked like that?¡± ¡°Enough of the nonsense and get up.¡± ¡°What? Never mind. I¡¯m not in the mood for a fight. Let¡¯s do itter.¡± ¡°Get up. If it¡¯s toote, it¡¯s really dangerous.¡± Landriol came with a stride. Ko Byeong-gap thought he was caught up in something annoying. Anyway, his mouth was the problem. ¡°Hey, hey¡­ We¡¯ll do itter. Later.¡± ¡°Get up!¡± Landriol shouted. And Ko Byeong-gap opened his eyes. ¡°Gasp! Gasp!¡± His vision was red due to the blood flowing from his forehead. Ko Byeong-gap unconsciously tried to wipe it off. However, even that was impossible because his arms were restrained. ¡®What happened¡­?¡¯ He rolled his eyes and grasped the situation. It was dark as the sun had gone down. The first thing he saw was the huge tree. The tree with the holy warrior Al-Sharon. He was tied to a tentacle that stretched out of that tree. It wasn¡¯t just him. All the hunters were unconscious and were bound to the tree. ¡®What about Al-Sharon?¡¯ Somehow, the Holy Army was nowhere to be seen, including Al-Sharon. Ko Byeong-gap seriously considered whether to feel relieved or anxious at this point. ¡°Seong-kyung, noona! Mr. Seung-seop! Mr. Chang-Hoon!¡± He called his party at the top of his voice, but they showed no sign of waking up. His voice couldn¡¯te out in the first ce. Even breathing was hard since he had no strength left in his body. ¡®Is this tentacle sucking power?¡¯ He could feel it. The tentacles wrapped around his body like leeches were absorbing their power. Currently, it was too much to cut off the tentacles with force, but there was a way to escape. He opened the door and went over to Ashvm. p! ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He sprawled on the dirt floor. He couldn¡¯t control his body, so he just dawdled on the floor. To make matters worse, his consciousness began to blur. ¡®I¡¯ve used up too much power. Somebody¡­ Somebody help me¡­¡¯ He forced his eyelids up. Suddenly, a light flickered to his side. After a while, he heard a voice. ¡°Lord?¡± Ko Byeong-gap looked up and saw where the sound wasing from. A Beast Goblin, who appeared to be a guard, was illuminating his side with a torch. Soon, his face turned white. ¡°Lord! Lord!¡± The Beast Goblin, named Gagab, rushed to help Ko Byeong-gap. He then started shouting everywhere. ¡°It¡¯s the Lord! He¡¯s down! Is anyone there? Lord¡­¡± ¡°Shh. Quietly. Be quiet, man¡­¡± ¡°Lord, are you alright? You¡¯re a mess!¡± Gagab was almost about to cry. ¡®I can¡¯t show this to mom.¡¯ In the midst of this, Ko Byeong-gap worried about his mother. ¡°Move me for now.¡± ¡°Are we going to the residence of the Lord?¡± to ¡°I see!¡± Gagab quickly carried Ko Byeong-gap around. He ran at a pace that would never happen again in his life. before long. When Gagab knocked on the door two or opened the door, rubbing his eyes. ¡°What are you doing at this hour of the night? Oh God¡­ Lord!¡± in an emergency. Hurry up and heal him!¡± ¡°Oh,e on, bring him in!¡± Ko Byeong-gap him on a t surface and hurried into healing. Gagab stood on the edge with a nervous look. ¡°Oh, how are you? Are you okay, Lord?¡± a big frown. ¡°Other than his wounds, he¡¯s so weak. I don¡¯t know what happened to him¡­¡± the Lord¡¯s life!¡± He then raised his head and said, ¡°Ea! Go find Ea.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Ea?¡± ¡°She¡¯s the one who manages the food ingredients in the restaurant. Ask her to find dragon meat. We need that meat!¡± ¡°Oh, I get it!¡± Gagab rushed out. Varmond endured his tears and devoted himself to treating him. ¡°Lord¡­ open your eyes. Lord¡­¡± *** ¡°Are you here again? Damn it, he¡¯s here again.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m happy to see your face.¡± ¡°The feeling is mutual.¡± Ko Byeong-gap snorted his nose and sat down. Landriol was about ten steps away and had a stern look on his face. ¡°Poor guy.¡± ¡°Damn it! Can you stop saying that?¡± ¡°I see you¡¯re in trouble. What are you going to do now?¡± ¡°Oh my God, you¡¯re not adding any help.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not adding anything?!¡± Landriol said with a ferocious force. He strode up and grabbed Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s cor. ¡°Say it again. I didn¡¯t add anything?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you let go of this? Do you want to die again?¡± Ko Byeong-gap also showed off his fierce energy. He shook off Landriol¡¯s arm. Landriol opened his triangr eyes, stared at him, and sighed heavily. ¡°Why don¡¯t you use the power that I had given you? Did you wish to end up in a graveyard wasting all that water with you?¡± ¡°What nonsense are you even talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pretend. I know you¡¯re secretly rejecting me.¡± Ko Byeong-gap swallowed his words and then averted his eyes while he groped his inside pocket habitually. Unfortunately, he had no cigarettes. ¡°Is it because of your hatred for me? Is that more precious than your life?¡± Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t answer again this time. He didn¡¯t care, yet Landriol kept speaking. ¡°The humans who were with you, they¡¯re about to die. You don¡¯t mean to save them? You would follow in the same footsteps as before.¡± ¡°Damn it. So let me know how I can defeat those monsters?¡± Landriol crouched in front of Ko Byeong-gap. He seemed angry, yet he seemed to be smiling. ¡°You don¡¯t even know the basics of battle. A pawn is a pawn, and a chief is a chief. Don¡¯t you also have something to call a military force?¡± ¡°You want me to bring the Goblins?¡± ¡°Are you saying you have more to offer than that? They¡¯re the things that are attached to you even though you refuse to carry them. Do you believe in their loyalty?¡± ¡°Of course, I know how much the kids like me.¡± Ko Byeong-gap smiled as he remembered the Goblins. In an instant, his expression changed resolutely. ¡°That¡¯s why I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t let them die or get hurt because of me.¡± ¡°What do you mean? You idiot!¡± Landriol roared so loud that the entire dark space almost rang. His anger almost stung his skin, so he spoke his heart out non-stop. ¡°What do you think a king is? What do you think of his subjects?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The king is themp that illuminates the horizon, and the servant is the firewood that sets their bodies on fire. In addition, the king is the one standing at the highest ce, and the servants are the stepping stone for the king by giving up their backs. No king burns himself, and even if there is one, it¡¯s a me that will die down. No king touches the sky on his own, and even if there is one, he will be a fool who is mistaken or ignorant.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve stepped down in recognition of your qualities, but I can¡¯t help but ask you again. Are you a babysitter who takes care of the things below you? Or are you a king who reigns over all his people? Think carefully and answer!¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Landriol¡¯s face turned red as Ko Byeong-gap dyed his answer. It took him a while. He let out a sigh of anger and said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you time to think. Come see me again when you¡¯re settled.¡± The ck space began to be colored with bright light. Landriol slipped away in the darkness, and Ko Byeong-gap opened his eyes in the presence of countless Goblins. Chapter 120 120. The Army of the God, the Army of the King. ¡°Lord! Are you awake?¡± The first thing he heard was Doran¡¯s voice. His view was still blurry. Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s eyes frowned and focused from three to one. He saw the Goblins, and they wrapped themselves around him. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± said. Ko Byeong-gap decided to follow his words. Lying on the fluffy bed, he asked in a hoarse voice. ¡°Where are we?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a hospital bed.¡± ¡°How long have I been out?¡± ¡°About two hours.¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± Ko Byeong-gap raised his upper body. Doran, who was nearby, stuck to him and helped him. His physical condition improved a bit, but his head was still dizzy. He took a deep breath for a while to control his mind and body. ¡°Lord, what happened to you?¡± Dorma asked in a very worried voice. Ko Byeong-gap stared at him and blurted his words. ¡°There was a battle¡­¡± said it could¡¯ve been dangerous. Lord, if you were in such a predicament, why didn¡¯t you summon us?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Why does Lord always fight alone and get hurt? I feel like my heart is going to burst when I heard that Lord was in a critical condition!¡± Ko Byeong-gap made a bitter expression and asked suddenly. ¡°Did you let everyone know I was hurt? To my mom?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± immediately. ¡°Only a few executives know. I didn¡¯t inform the Queen. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s sleeping right now.¡± ¡°Whoo¡­ Good job.¡± ¡°Lord, don¡¯t change the subject and answer me. What did you do this time? Why did you get hurt?¡± Ko Byeong-gap took a few seconds to answer. ¡°There was a battle. I fought with the Holy Army.¡± ¡°The Holy Army?!¡± ¡°Are you talking about Madmut¡¯s soldiers?¡± Currently, the Goblins didn¡¯t go crazy even when they heard stories about God. He found out after the battle with Landriol that the Goblins had their memories of the God sealed to keep them from being engulfed by their fear. However, the ban had been lifted now. ¡°Did you fight alone? That¡¯s why you got hurt?¡± The Goblins were almost resentful. Knowing that those feelings were rooted in worry, Ko Byeong-gap became sympathetic. ¡°No, I was with humans. So I was afraid to call you all, and they were too strong¡­¡± He was about to say, ¡®I was worried that you might get hurt because the Holy Army is too strong,¡¯ but he stopped talking. At that moment, Landriol¡¯s words stirred in his mind. ¨C What do you think a king is? What do you think of his subjects? Ko Byeong-gap made his mouth pop like a carp and washed his face dry. When he closed his eyes, a private encounter with Landriol glimmered in the dark. ¡°Lord, so what happened? Did you defeat the Holy Army?¡± ¡°Dorma¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap shook his head. ¡°No, we were trampled mercilessly.¡± ¡°You mean you lost?¡± ¡°Yes. All my colleagues were caught, and I was the only one who ran away. I¡¯ve fainted for two hours, so they might be dead already. Damn it!¡± He punched the bed, and the mattress creaked. Suddenly, Turka shouted, taking one step forward. ¡°Lord¡¯s colleagues are noble to us, too. I want you to take our soldiers and save them now!¡± ¡°No, no, no¡­ It¡¯s such an easy decision to make¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap swallowed his words again. He turned his head slowly and looked around at the Goblins. He could feel their feelings clearly. Ko Byeong-gapughed in despair and said, ¡°What the hell is a king?¡± He didn¡¯t intend it, but his eyes were on Doran. Thanks to it, Doran understood that Lord had asked her a question. ¡°What? The king? That¡¯s you, Lord.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I asked. Dorma.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°What is a king?¡± Dorma¡¯s expression became quite serious. He closed his eyes and arranged his words. Naturally, silence fell in the hall, and everyone waited for Dorma to open his mouth. After a while, Dorma opened his mouth. ¡°The king is the one who stands at the front of the road. So the king is a lighthouse and a constetion. The lighthouse tells the boatman the way in the dark. Constetions provide directions for passers-by wandering through the night forest. Lighthouses and constetions always stand in the same ce and lead people king. The king is always at the forefront and guides those who follow him for them to not wander off the rails. Also, the Lord is a great king.¡± Ko Byeong-gap grinned and looked at Kiriyan this time. Kiriyan spoke as if he had waited. ¡°The king is the most gracious, and he is always something to look up to. Therefore, you can be happy just by looking at him, and you can follow him without a doubt in any situation.¡± Following Kiriyan, each person expressed their opinion. After going in a circle, it was Turka¡¯s turn. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what Lord¡¯s question means because I¡¯m not smart, but a king is something I must protect at the cost of my life!¡± ¡°¡­ I see.¡± ¡°Lord! Lord! I¡¯ll try it again!¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Hmm!¡± Doran coughed, cleared her throat, and spoke loudly as if she was in a speech contest. ¡°Lord is the light that illuminates us. I can¡¯t imagine tomorrow without the sun rising in the eastern sky. Likewise, I can¡¯t imagine the Lord losing his light. No, I hate to imagine it.¡± Ko Byeong-gap felt heat in the corner of his heart. He was, to say the least, getting emotional. ¡°You guys¡­ Even if you get sick, hurt, and even die because of me, will you me me?¡± ¡°Lord, we know that the Lord cares about us. Knowing that, if I get sick and hurt on behalf of the Lord, I will heal a thousand times and refuse to suffer death.¡± ¡°The same goes for me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m waiting for the day I die for the Lord.¡± ¡°If something hurts or threatens me, I¡¯ll take care of it before ites! I, no, we will live happily with the Lord forever!¡± Ko Byeong-gap raised his head in order not to shed tears. A smile spread across his lips, and he spoke. ¡°Thank you, everyone. I¡¯ll be gone for a while. Don¡¯t make a fuss.¡± He closed his eyes and fell into the world of his mind. As thick darkness enveloped the space, Landriol appeared as if he had been waiting. ¡°From the look of your face, you seem to have settled your mind.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°If so, I will ask you again. Do you intend to be a nanny or a king?¡± ¡°I will be the king who will raise Ashvm. I have to be the greatest being on Earth for the little ones who stand behind me.¡± ¡°The greatest being on Earth¡­ Does that mean, say, you n to be a god on Earth, for example?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be God if I have to.¡± ¡°Hahaha! That¡¯s great. That¡¯s a great mindset!¡± Landriolughed out loud. He approached and faced Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°But you¡¯ll have to keep that in mind. God can¡¯t be a self-proimed man.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the words of a man who was once called a God, so I¡¯ll listen carefully.¡± ¡°What a mouthful.¡± Ko Byeong-gap rummaged through his inside pocket. There was a cigarette this time, so he brought one to his mouth. ¡°As ater, I¡¯d like some advice from my senior. So what do we do to defeat the hordes of the Holy Army?¡± ¡°I told you before. A pawn is a pawn, and a trap is a trap. No matter how strong an individual is, he can¡¯t win against a legion by himself.¡± ¡°However, objectively speaking, we¡¯regging inbat power. The current Goblins can¡¯t beat the Holy Army. It¡¯s like hitting a rock with an egg.¡± ¡°What do you mean, we¡¯re just an egg?¡± ¡°What?¡± Landriol saw a distant mountain. It was a dark space, but he was really looking at a distant mountain. ¡°Ashvm has produced great generals from generation to generation. In particr, the 12 generals, who lived at the same time as me, were praised as heroes. They went through numerous battlefields with me and wrote stories of unbeatable wars. It¡¯s too much of an insult if you call them eggs.¡± Landriol turned his eyes again. ¡°It was Hashumnd who knocked down Al-Sharon. I miss him.¡± ¡°¡­ I think I know what to do.¡± Ko Byeong-gap tried to turn around. Landriol grabbed him in a hurry. ¡°Ha, did you listen to me? It is not for you to use.¡± ¡°Do you even know how to read minds?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this the world of your mind? I can see what you¡¯re thinking.¡± Ko Byeong-gap was wondering what kind of reaction he would show, so he just nodded. Before he left, Landriol added onest word. ¡°Keep in mind. Even if it is just an egg, it can be a rotten egg or a piece that prates the heart of the enemy, depending on who holds it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Ko Byeong-gap opened his eyes again. *** The silent night of Valtadren. About 500 Goblins gathered in the square. It was a carefully selected and carefully elite military force, which was quite a crowd, but they didn¡¯t break the silence of the night. In front of them stood Ko Byeong-gap, and five Goblins, Doran, Dorma, Kiriyan, Turka, and Varmond, were next to him. Five luminous objects floated around Ko Byeong-gap. Like amp, they radiated a dazzling light. ¡°Dorma.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll take responsibility and lead you.¡± ¡°What would I be afraid of when the Lord is around? I¡¯ll just follow your orders.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ko Byeong-gap brought the luminous object into Dorma¡¯s heart. Soon, Dorma¡¯s body shook. He shivered for some time, and then his arms drooped. The next moment, he looked around like a madman. Suddenly, Ko Byung-gap spoke. ¡°Go down.¡± ¡°¡­ You are?¡± ¡°This is no longer your ce. So go down and rest in peace, Hashumnd.¡± Dorma¡­ No, Hashumnd made a nk face and spoke to Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s chest. ¡°The king is in there. My lord, can you hear me?¡± Hashumnd shook his head, and then, Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s mouth moved voluntarily. ¡°Hashumnd, my sorcerer. A reunion like this isn¡¯t bad.¡± ¡°I am relieved to see that you are at peace.¡± ¡°Yes, it feels pretty good.¡± ¡°The new kingmands me to go down. Do I follow in your footsteps?¡± ¡°Do it. Let¡¯s get some rest now.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Hashumnd looked at Ko Byeong-gap once and bowed. Shortly after, Dorma came back to the surface. ¡°Gasp! Gasp, gasp¡­¡± ¡°Are you Dorma?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I am. Is he the one I saw from the depths?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. He was a strange one, but how about you? Do you feel anything different?¡± Dorma looked down at his own hands and was lost in thought. After a while, he replied. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. This power, this knowledge. It feels like I was born again.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ko Byeong-gap then injected the souls into others. To Doran, the soul of the Sword God, Arhi. To Kiriyan, the soul of the Thunder Emperor, Guyanne. For Turka, the heart of the Corps, the soul of Trovatin. Wing of the Legion, Mikhail. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect Landriol to help me. I¡¯ll have to say thank youter.¡¯ Thanks to Landriol¡¯s cooperation, it was easy to persuade the spirit owners. They obeyed Landriol¡¯s every word and descended below consciousness. After all the work was done, Ko Byeong-gap quietly spoke to the Goblins. ¡°The five heroes of Ashvm were born today.¡± The Goblins quietly burned their fighting spirit and shouted silent cries. Soon after, Ko Byeong-gap opened arge door that led to the other side. Once again, he shouted, ¡°Follow me! Today, we¡¯re going to hunt the Holy Army!¡± The king¡¯s army marched out. Chapter 121 121. The Army of the God, the Army of the King. Vast meadows. The crimson moon that rose behind the tree made up of bodies of monsters emitted a dreamy light. A shadow fell on the faces of 500 Goblins, and their eyes gleamed red. Chuck. Chuck. Chuck. The army marched in sync. The rustling of their armors was more refined than previous. The person who stood at the very front was Ko Byeong-gap, and five Goblins followed the king from right behind, the strongest generals who inherited the power of the old heroes. They seemed eager to burn their fighting spirits. ¡®If we didn¡¯tck crystals, we would¡¯ve mobilized all twelve heroes.¡¯ There was a bitter taste in his mouth. Recently, the crystals he owned were used for the Female Goblins introduced to Ashvm. ¡®But I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to lose.¡¯ He felt five great powers behind him like he was carrying the ocean on his back. ¡°That¡¯s what you were talking about.¡± Dorma approached and said. Ko Byeong-gap drew his sword and answered. ¡°Right. Hey, Dorma.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord.¡± ¡°The human beings bound by tentacles, can you get them out?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Dorma stretched out his hand in front of him. He clenched his hand and opened it. Suddenly, something amazing happened. The humans, bound by the tentacles, rose to the sky at once. However, the tightly gripped tentacles didn¡¯t let go of what they gripped. The people became like balloons tied to strings. ¡°I can tear them off like this, but if I do that, I think the humans will also be harmed.¡± ¡°Doran.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Cut it down.¡± ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Doran raised her sword triumphantly. She leaned down to the fullest extent and then bounced off at a speed that was hard to follow with the eyes. As she approached the height of the tree in one breath, she burst out in an instant. The secret art of the Mandara Knights. The first form of eight martial arts. Cutting. Shing! Doran, who became the de itself, ripped apart everything in her path. Thousands of twisted and tangled bundles of tentacles poured out. Those freed from the tentacles floated leisurely and moved behind the legion. At that moment, the tree trembled violently, and the surface melted like dripping candle wax. Doran tried to cut it, but Ko Byeong-gap hurriedly ordered her to return. ¡°Doran,e back.¡± ¡°Ah yes! Okay.¡± ¡°It begins.¡± As the tree melted, Al-Sharon was revealed from within. Both of his hands that had been smashed were currently restored. The molten material that fell on the floor took shape and was transformed into the Holy Army. ¡®Their number is a little less than before.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap raised his sword and shouted, ¡°Everybody, get ready! It¡¯s a battle!¡± ¡°Woooooooooo!¡± The Goblins who had been guarding in silence shouted provocatively. The aura they exhaled was so rich that the air was almostpletely moistened. Ko Byeong-gap was a bit startled. ¡®Did these guys level up their achievement rate?¡¯ He brought only carefully selected ones, but he didn¡¯t think they were this much. It was then that Landriol spoke to him from within. ¡®This is the king¡¯s spirit.¡¯ ¡®The king¡¯s spirit?¡¯ ¡®You don¡¯t know anything about kings. This is just the beginning. I¡¯ll teach you another lesson.¡¯ Landriol was about to rise above the surface. Ko Byeong-gap blocked him by instinctive rejection. ¡®¡­ I¡¯m not interested in taking your body, so stand down quietly.¡¯ At his conciliation, Ko Byeong-gap gave himself up for a moment. Landriol pretended to be Ko Byeong-gap and made a fuss. ¡°Listen, those vile and evil things are Madmut¡¯s minions. Our sworn enemies! But don¡¯t worry. God-killing blood runs through our veins, and your teeth will devour their skins easily! Let¡¯s wipe them all away and make a toast with their blood!¡± ¡°Kill them! Kill them!¡± ¡°Oooh!¡± The Goblins shed and stomped their feet together. The shouts they made were almost deafening. ¡°The Lord is with you. I am strong, so what is there in the world to be afraid of? I will watch your struggles without a second nce. Fight for me, fight for Ashvm, and die heroically! Consider surviving a shame! I will remember the death of each and every one of you forever!¡± Landriol radiated aura in all directions. It permeated the Goblins and embroidered the atmosphere like an aurora. At that moment, the Goblins were almost crazy. ¡°Waaaaa!¡± ¡°Kerreuk! Kerreuk!¡± Their morale boiled and exploded. The Goblins easily surpassed three or four times their abilities and radiated great strength. It was a phenomenon that could only be described with words such as a miracle. Landriol smirked and sank inside again. ¡®Did you see that? This is the spirit of a king. They have transcended their fear of death. A warrior who isn¡¯t afraid of death is strong.¡¯ ¡®¡­ I have no choice but to acknowledge your abilities. But, to die fighting¡­ That¡¯s a bit harsh.¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re talking like an idiot again. So you¡¯re telling them not to die before the battle? A warrior who protects himself is also killed by the delicate fist of a mother protecting her child.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap swallowed his words. No, in this case, he swallowed his heart. Suddenly, Landriol added in a pitiful tone. ¡®If you are afraid of getting hurt, how can you fight? And if you are afraid of fighting, what will you win? A king is a being who stands on the highest point and holds the world. However, he¡¯s also a being who loses everything he holds in his hands because of that. In my case, I lost hundreds of thousands of my loyal servants, and in the end, I lost my beloved wife. Yet did I remain broken? I got up again and sharpened the de of revenge¡­ If you truly want to be a king, you must endure the pain of loss. That is the fate of a king.¡¯ ¡®Okay. I understand. You can go down now.¡¯ ¡®Even if you didn¡¯t tell me, I would. Finally, let me just say this. Don¡¯t be ashamed of my strength and help. It is just a weapon that will make you stronger.¡¯ Landriol said so and really disappeared. Ko Byeong-gap let out a long sigh. ¡°Lord, are you okay?¡± ¡°Oh, I feel like I¡¯m in a hell of a mood.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s fight!¡± Al-Sharon moved his body. The Holy Army, which numbered more than a thousand, also formed a rank and advanced. ¡°Varmond.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Bless the children. Your mission is to make even one less person die. Keep my words in mind.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do that even if my bones are gone.¡± ¡°Kiriyan, Turka.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Tell me!¡± ¡°Lead the army on the front line. Pulverize those little things that follow Al-Sharon.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Ko Byeong-gap took a step forward. Naturally, Doran and Dorma followed. ¡°You two stick to me. Let¡¯s cut the enemy¡¯s head together.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord!¡± ¡°I will assist you.¡± Ko Byeong-gap advanced. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Waaaaaa!¡± ¡°Kerreuk!¡± The Goblins ran out. Ko Byeong-gap stood at the forefront and shouted with the loudest voice. God¡¯s army and the army of the king. Two huge mountains collided. *** Chobi was a farmer who was working until afternoon. His mission was to produce wonderful sweet potatoes in the allocated sweet potato field. In fact, the sweet potatoes he cultivated were quite rich. Apparently, he was a pretty good farmer. But for now, he was a fighter. A warrior of Ashvm who killed enemies and protected the king. ¡°Kerreuk!¡± Chobi, a Hob Goblin, had no exceptional sense ofbatpared to his peers, but his sincerity was worthy of pride. He cut the spear with skillful workmanship. His spear de pierced through the gap in the shield of the Holy Army and pierced the enemy¡¯s neck. A part of the ranks copsed. Chobi didn¡¯t miss the gap and rushed in first. des flew from all directions, but he swung his spear wide and shook off all attacks. He made room for his people to infiltrate. Shh! ¡°Gasp!¡± An arrow flew andnded on his shoulder. Subsequently, a de flew in and cut deep into his arm. Chobi missed the window, but he didn¡¯t budge. Instead, he cried even more fiercely. ¡°Kerreuk!¡± Chobi, who attacked the enemy like a wild beast, bit the Holy soldier¡¯s neck. His Lord¡¯s words were true. His teeth pierced the enemy¡¯s skin with so much ease. Ashbi was a Goblin working in a restaurant to help Ea. He, of course, didn¡¯t do any cooking. No matter how optimistic he was, his cooking skills were poor. However, his strong power as a Giant Goblin was very useful in moving food and equipment. In addition, it was perfect for breaking the enemy¡¯s head. ¡°Woooooooh!¡± A Holy soldier¡¯s de grazed Ashbi¡¯s side. Ashbi grabbed the enemy¡¯s head and left shoulder without blinking an eye and then spread his arms. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough!¡± ¡°Woooooh!¡± The Holy soldier that Ashbi captured had a rare experience of having his head ripped out while alive. Of course, he died without even realizing it. Ashbi looked for his next target with a re. At that moment, a light shed in the distance, and an arrow flew in. He hurriedly raised his arms and covered his face. However, the arrow enveloped with thick Karma pierced his arm and even pierced his right eye. Half of the world Ashbi saw was colored in darkness, but he wasn¡¯t despairing or discouraged. His stinging pain only increased his fighting spirit. ¡°Woooooooo!¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Ack!¡± Since he gave up one eye, he had to receive his enemy¡¯s head to pay for it. Ashbi went to the archer who shot him and pulled out his neck. His blood gushed like a fountain and covered Ashbi. He licked the blood from the corners of his mouth. His Lord asked him to make a toast with the blood of the enemy¡­ The blood was fishy and didn¡¯t taste very good. Ashbi shrugged his shoulders and searched for the next person to pull out his head. Ko Byeong-gap nced at the situation behind him. The Holy Army and Goblins were entangled in chaos. It looked like a stormy sea. Everything wasplicated, and it wasn¡¯t easy to distinguish his children. Still, it didn¡¯t seem like the Goblins were being pushed. Their enemy was more than three times their number, but that didn¡¯t mean they fought in vain. They were neck to neck. Maybe this night existed for a miracle. ¡®I¡¯ll have to work harder toplete that miracle.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap focused on his own battle. The Holy Warrior Al-Sharon was powerful. If he was a hunter, he might¡¯ve reached SS-ss. However, due to repeated battles, he wasn¡¯t in a normal state. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t at his best even in theirst battle. ¡°Quooo!¡± ¡°Dorma!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Dorma radiated power in all directions. A bunch of ck vines rose from the ground and stretched out to Al-Sharon. He swung his polearms and shook off a few. However, the remaining vines strangled his arms and legs like snakes. No matter how strong an enemy was, they were nothing but a solid scarecrow if they couldn¡¯t move. Ko Byeong-gap and Doran rushed to annihte Al-Sharon, who was restrained. The battle continued for dozens of minutes, with Dorma assisting and Ko Byeong-gap and Doran attacking fiercely. Al-Sharon¡¯s resistance was also formidable, and there was nothing but outrage. Victory had already tilted their way. The smell of blood on the battlefield gradually thickened. Ko Byeong-gap had an intuition that it was time for him to put an end to it. He gathered aura into his sword. His golden aura overflowed and soon took a form. It was a huge hammer. Ko Byeong-gap flew up while he held a hammer that was 2 meters in length. ¡®For a man wearing such hard armor¡­!¡¯ He prepared for the final blow. At that time, Al-Sharon¡¯s left arm, which Dorma restrained, was freed. He stretched his left arm toward Ko Byeong-gap. ¡°Kooooooooooooo! The giant¡¯s fist that was covered with a thickyer of Karma that tired himself flew. Ko Byeong-gap floated in the air, so it was difficult to dodge. ¡®Is that dangerous? Who cares! It¡¯s death or death!¡± Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t give up and raised the hammer. Suddenly, a sh of light shed from below. It was Doran. ¡°Lord! Keep going!¡± ¡°Well done!¡± Doran used ¡®cutting¡¯ to cut off Al-Sharon¡¯s left arm. The path was open. Ko Byeong-gap fell over Al-Sharon¡¯s head and smashed his hammer. The secret art of the Mandara Knights. The fourth form of the eight martial arts. ¡°Explosion!¡± Bang! Bang! The hammer and helmet collided, causing a huge explosion. Shockwaves spread all over the ce, and the Earth was shaking. ¡°¡­¡± Al-Sharon¡¯s head, or the entire upper body, was blown away. Now that he had no mouth, he couldn¡¯t even groan. His huge body lost its strength and passed on. Yes. He was dead. When Al-Sharon died, the Holy Army under him also turned to dust and scattered. The Goblins, who were immersed in the battle in full swing, looked side to side with bewildered expressions. Ko Byeong-gap fell over Al-Sharon¡¯s corpse. He had used a great technique several times and didn¡¯t have any strength in his body. Still, he couldn¡¯t justy around. He was the one who started the war, so it was his responsibility to end the war. He scrambled to get up and dered to the Goblins who looked up to him. ¡°The battle is over. This is our victory!¡± Chapter 122 122. A Day of Mourning ¡°Take the warriors to the vacant lot next to the south gate.¡± The battle with the Holy Army was over. The result was a big win, but a battle would always leave a mark no matter what happens. A total of 519 Goblins were mobilized for the battle, and eventually, 41 of them passed on. It was obviously a small number. However, the magnitude of sadness wasn¡¯t proportional to the absolute value. The dead were taken to the vacant southern lot under the guidance of their people. Ko Byeong-gap was nning to build a cemetery there. After the bodies were gathered together, they were covered with the whitest and cleanest cloth in Ashvm. It was toote that night, so they had to work the next day. sitting in front of the a wet tissue. He bowed his head low. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I said I¡¯d do it, but many of my kindreds died.¡± your head.¡± Vamond raised his stuttering head. ¡°You¡¯ve done better than anyone. You¡¯re the one who made the miracle in this battle.¡± ¡°Lord¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do the sad things together after sunrise. You still have work to do.¡± The serious injuries were more than six times the death toll. As long as they didn¡¯t lose their breath, there was hope. Even if their arms and legs fell off, the problems could be fixed with the dumplings. Ko Byeong-gap gathered all the medicines he had stocked in Valtadren to treat the wounded. He sent a messenger to Somnium in case there wasn¡¯t enough. Varmond also squeezed out hisst strand of power to heal his people. The work continued until dawn. In fact, the most worrying was the five Goblins who had their souls in their bodies. They unraveled their assimtion with the souls after the battle. The souls didn¡¯t perish. The soul they took remained in the corner of their bodies and could assimte with them again at any time. Of course, recoil was a different matter. ¡°Stop!¡± ¡°Ugh! Ugh!¡± Everyone suffered from severe aftereffects, as Ko Byeong-gap did in the past. They suffered and suffered and eventually passed out. It was rather a relief, and it would be morefortable for them to rx. ¡°Lord, we¡¯ve brought in all the humans.¡± ¡°Yes, you did a great job. You guys should go get some rest, too.¡± ¡°Yes. Lord, thank you for your hard work.¡± Ko Byeong-gap sent off the workers and headed to the ce where the humans were ced. They wereid neatly in the empty auditorium. The dead were ssified separately. There were a total of 223 people, 147 of whom died and were as skinny as a mummy. The 76 survivors were taken care of to keep them from dying. They fed them a little bit of dragon meat and rejuvenated them. Ko Byeong-gap smoked a cigarette to calm his troubled mind. ¡°Whoa. I brought them here because I couldn¡¯t leave them alone, but what should I do now?¡± Space copsed as expected when Al-Sharon was knocked down. The meadow disappeared and returned to deste ruins. Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t afford to neglect the people, so they brought them to Ashvm first. Ko Byeong-gap was very tired, but he didn¡¯t sleep. He sat down in front of the auditorium to stay up all night. He had to stop anybody from doing nonsense if someone woke up. Time passed without end, and the sun lit up the sky. All members of Valtadren were told ofst night¡¯s storm. The residents of Somnnium and its secondplex were also informed of this fact and gathered in Valtadren. Everyone worked together to create a cemetery. The dead were wrapped in a white cloth and were buried in the ground. Ko Byeong-gap himself did the work. After burying all 41 Goblins, Ko Byeong-gap devoted a cigarette to them. Also, he called the names of the dead one by one. Nearly 2,500 residents surrounded the cemetery to express their condolences. ¡°Huhu! Awh!¡± ¡°A!¡± Many wailed loudly, and Ea was one of them. Although she wasn¡¯t a Goblin, she was genuinely sad. When one cried, the other cried, and the cemetery quickly burst into tears. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t stop it. ¡®When you have to cry, you have to cry.¡¯ ¡°41 of ourpatriots left us. They died fighting with pride as warriors of Ashvm, but don¡¯t be too sad. Even when they die, they will be with us forever here in Ashvm. Cry for the dead. You may cry until your voice is hoarse today.¡± Ko Byeong-gap wanted to cry too. He was actually going to cry. Landriol, who was asleep inside him, quickly stopped it. ¡°Even though everyone in the world cries, the king mustn¡¯t cry. A king is a vessel that receives tears from the people. There¡¯s no room in that bowl to hold your own tears.¡± ¡®¡­ I can¡¯t even cry my heart out?¡¯ ¡®Yes, there is poison in the tears of a king. That¡¯s why he kills people. Someday, when your bowl is full, try to step down from the throne. You can cry as much as you want then.¡¯ ¡®I get it.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap swallowed his tears as Landiol said. The funeral endedte in the afternoon. The Goblins of Somnium decided to stay in Valtadren for a day and return tomorrow. It was around the time when dinner was served that the humans woke up. Upon hearing the report, Ko Byeong-gap hurried to the auditorium where the humans were ced. Those who woke up were Jeong Seon-kyung and others. They were in good shape since they were thest to suffer. Whatever the case, they were on high alert. They fainted and woke up in a strange ce, and it was natural to be wary of the Goblins that were everywhere. Fortunately, the Goblin that was on guard was never harmed because Ko Byeong-gap arrived on time. ¡°Byeong-gap?! What are you doing? Are you okay?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung shouted, turning blue. Ko Byeong-gap left her alone for a while and spoke to the Goblin. ¡°Well done. Now go back to your seat.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The Goblin bowed his head and disappeared. The people who saw the scene freaked out. ¡°Hey, did you just talk to the Goblin?¡± ¡°What did I see?¡± ¡°Ew.¡± Ko Byeong-gap sighed briefly, took a cigarette case out of his arms, and threw it to Jeong Seon-kyung. ¡°First of all, recoup. It¡¯s safe here.¡± ¡°Hey! I can feel monster energy all over the ce. What¡¯s safe about that? And that, that! Aren¡¯t they all dead?¡± ¡°Calm down with a smoke. I¡¯ll exin everything.¡± Ko Byeong-gap dragged a chair by the door and sat down. He felt a bit ufortable because there were bodies at the site. ¡®I¡¯ll have to get the kids to clean it up or something like that.¡¯ Jeong Seon-kyung had her cigarette with a troubled face. Han Chang-hoon and Shim Seung-seop were no different from her. ¡°Are we alright now? What about that big monster?¡± ¡°Al-Sharon¡­ He¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°Dead, huh?¡± ¡°Yes, the Goblins and I did it.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Ouch!¡± Han Chang-hoon wrinkled his expression at the rushing pain. They had first aid, but their bodies were still in a mess. Ko Byeong-gap bought and distributed some dumplings from an ancient store. Their faces were bloodshot only after they ate the dumplings. ¡°Agh, thank you. I think I¡¯m going to buy some more of that.¡± ¡°Where are we? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s Korea.¡± Shim Seung-seop asked, who had been silent. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not Korea. How did you know?¡± ¡°The air smells different.¡± Ko Byeong-gap nodded and paused for a moment. After that, he hurried slowly. ¡°The name of this ce is Ashvm. This is the kingdom of the Goblins. And I am the king of this ce.¡± A long story began. *** There were different kinds of absurd stories. Absurd, moderately absurd, very absurd. The people who heard the outrageous stories had two reactions. Either they didn¡¯t believe it at all or resigned and epted it. People couldn¡¯t believe Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s story. They weren¡¯t skeptical; they just couldn¡¯t believe it. Come on, the Goblin Lord? If Ko Byeong-gap weren¡¯t the Goblin Lord himself, even he would¡¯ve thought of it as a story of a ghost eating lunch. However, in this case, Ko Byeong-gap had evidence to prove his story. The Goblins that filled Valtadren were proof of that. In the end, the three of them resigned and epted Ko Byeong-gap¡¯s story. ¡°This¡­ It¡¯s more shocking than what I heardst time. There are all sorts of strange things like this in the world.¡± ¡°Hey, Ko Byeong-gap. So if you tell the Goblins to do this, do that, you mean they will follow you like a rock?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like that.¡± ¡°Wow. So how many Goblins are here?¡± ¡°If you count the Goblins alone, there are about 1,800 people. If you include the Spirits, there are about 2,500.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung rubbed the cigarette butt on the floor and immediately asked for a new one. ¡°Well, they look like people, do what they do, and they live like people, too. There¡¯s a world other than Earth, and it¡¯s not strange if the monsters were the inhabitants of it. No, it¡¯s rather obvious.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s strange.¡± Shim Seung-seop tilted his head. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Goblins aren¡¯t strong monsters. The strongest is a B-ss. You mentioned there are about 1,800 Goblins here? I don¡¯t think you would have defeated all those monsters even if you mobilized all 1,800 of them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Seung-seop. Aren¡¯t Goblins not Goblins when theye together?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± ¡°Lord! You were here¡­ Eh?¡± That was then, the auditorium door opened, and some Goblins entered. They were the ones that had assimted with the souls. The humans reflexively showed signs of vignce, but then they softened. ¡°The humans are awake. Were you in trouble because of us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Dorma. And you¡¯re all awake too. Are you alright?¡± Dorma smiled bitterly. ¡°Yeah, I passed out and woke up repeatedly until daytime, but now it¡¯s quiet.¡± ¡°I still feel a little sore, heh heh.¡± ¡°I know that feeling. Have you all been to the cemetery?¡± ¡°Yes, we went together to pay tribute.¡± ¡°Well done.¡± While Ko Byeong-gap was talking with the Goblins, the group¡¯s faces grew pale. It must¡¯ve been because they felt the enormous energy emanating from the Goblins. ¡°Is¡­ Is that a real Goblin? Oh my God, there are Goblins like that?¡± ¡°It seems like they would easily pass A-ss. That one looks a little different, doesn¡¯t it? He seems to be bigger than any other Goblin.¡± ¡°Ko Byeong-gap. She¡­ Is she a Goblin too?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung pointed at Doran with her finger and asked. Doran furrowed her eyebrows in a bad mood. ¡°Why are you pointing your finger at me?¡± ¡°Hey, hey! What did he just say? Did it just talk to me?¡± ¡°Why are you pointing your finger at me?¡± ¡°Ahhh! I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung hastily removed her hand. Doran snorted her nose and smirked. ¡°Okay. Everyone is at peace now that they¡¯ve calmed down. Go back and rest. I have more to say to these people.¡± ¡°Alright. I will leave then.¡± ¡°Lord, see youter.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The Goblins left. Ko Byeong-gap looked at their backs and said, ¡°As you can see, the Goblins here are a little different.¡± ¡°Amazing¡­ Good.¡± ¡°Byeong-gap! Can I have a look around here?¡± ¡°Me too. I want to take a look!¡± Jeong Seon-kyung and Han Chang-hoon begged with stars in their eyes. Ko Byeong-gap slowly shook his head. ¡°Sorry. Many Goblins have died fighting monsters. It¡¯s not an atmosphere that can make youugh, chat, and tour.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­? There¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we just watch quietly? We won¡¯t trouble you.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung didn¡¯t give up easily. Ko Byeong-gap regained his appetite and told her to do so. ¡°Then just look around quietly.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°But keep one thing in mind.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I know noona and Chang-hoon, so it wouldn¡¯t happen, but if you ever attack a Goblin¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap added in a serious tone. ¡°I will never let it go. Do you understand what I mean?¡± ¡°Of course not, dude. You said you live with them. Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m relieved.¡± ¡°Look around ande back right away. I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t let you run around on your own.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung and Han Chang-hoon left the auditorium. Shim Seung-seop didn¡¯t seem to have much interest in going on a tour around Ashvm. However, he showed slight displeasure. ¡°I¡¯d like to move a little bit. It smells so bad.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry. I was too indifferent.¡± Ko Byeong-gap looked over at the 100 corpses piled up on one side. He had a headache figuring out how to deal with that. He first sent the Goblins to move the bodies. It was a littleter that they put them together and cremated them. Chapter 123 123. Communication Four days had passed since the day of the battle with the Holy Army. Ashvm once grieved but quickly regained its usual form. Except for the slight decrease in the number of Goblins roaming his streets, Ashvm¡¯s appearance had somewhat changed due to their visitors. ¡°Lord, I have brought food for the humans.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Bring it in.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Goblins brought a bunch of baskets containing sweet potatoes and roasted chicken. There was no shortage of drinking water for nearly 80 people. ¡°Ah! Thank you, Goblin friends.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung greeted them in a yful way. The Goblins, of course, didn¡¯t understand it, and they only blinked their big eyes. Jeong Seon-kyung took it lightly and ate the sweet potatoes in the basket. ¡°It¡¯s hot!¡± ¡®She¡¯s so¡­ Human.¡¯ She was particrly friendly. Most people still hadn¡¯te to terms with this situation. Ko Byeong-gap sat cross-legged in a chair and briefly recalled the past. Everyone woke up two days ago. They usually reacted the same way aftering to their senses. They would first check their physical condition, then figured out who was next to them, and finally asked where they were. Managing them afterward was the hardest part. It was hard work in many ways to appease them. Ko Byeong-gap had to repeat the same story a hundred times to inject the concept that the Goblins were friendly. For reference, he didn¡¯t mention the words Ashvm and Goblin Lord. It wasn¡¯t easy to convince everyone, and it wasn¡¯t necessary. It was just ¡®It¡¯s safe here, and the Goblins here are harmless. But the moment you break the rules here, you can¡¯t guarantee your life or death.¡¯ Thanks to his efforts and the help of the group who heard about it first, the hunters reached apromise to the extent that ¡®I don¡¯t know if the Goblins are safe or dangerous, but I¡¯ll follow your advice for now.¡¯ So, back to the present, Ko Byeong-gap looked inside the auditorium. Some people who were relieved ate the sweet potatoes and chicken, but some didn¡¯t even touch it until the end. ¡®Well, eat or not. It¡¯s up to you.¡¯ They didn¡¯t even have the heart to suck it up and eat. If they starved to death from refusing to eat, it was their own business. ¡°Sung-min hyung, do you want me toe here and eat? You have to eat well to recover quickly.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be shy. Here, take a piece! The sweet potatoes here are incredibly delicious.¡± Hunter Cho Sung-min hesitated. Regardless of his reason, saliva was dripping from his mouth. He pretended to be reluctant but epted the sweet potato in the end. While looking at the sweet potatoes as if they were his ex-girlfriend¡¯s photo, he closed his eyes and took a bite. Three minutester, Cho Sung-min got his nose stuck in a sweet potato basket. ¡°Hey, look, hunters. Hunters, stop protesting and hurry up. As he said, you need to eat well to gain strength and recover quickly. Also, Mr. Byeong-gap took care of us on purpose, and it¡¯s not right to ignore his sincerity.¡± Han Chang-hoon said loudly. Jeong Seon-kyung poked him in the ribs with an unhappy face. ¡°Hey, just leave them alone. If they don¡¯t eat, it¡¯s their loss. They¡¯ll starve themselves.¡± ¡°Oh my gosh, Seon-kyung. Why would you say that¡­?¡± Rather than Han Chang-hoon¡¯s persuasion, Jeong Seon-kyung¡¯s words stimted the people. Eventually, the hungry hunters gave up their pride and gathered to the baskets. Just a few minutester, the sweet potatoes and chicken disappeared. The hunters stroked their bellies, and happiness was written on their faces. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Suddenly, a man pped and raised his hand. He talked to Ko Byeong-gap. Ko Byeong-gap turned his head and looked at the man. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you, but if you don¡¯t mind, how long do we have to stay here?¡± Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t understand the man¡¯s intentions, so he tilted his head and asked again. ¡°How long do you have to stay? What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ When can I go back to Korea?¡± He felt absurd. Did it feel like he was detaining them? ¡°I can send you back right now. But if you go back with that body, will you be able to fight properly? ¡°¡­¡± The man swallowed his words. As Ko Byeong-gap said, their physical condition was slightly better than that of a spoon. Ko Byeong-gap would feel more at ease if he sent them back. He wouldn¡¯t have to stay up all night to see if they were going to do anything stupid, and there was no need to give away Ashvm¡¯s precious food. However, if they returned in their current state and encountered a strong monster, it was certain they would die, so he provided them a resting ce. ¡°As I said, you¡¯re safe here. Don¡¯t be impatient, and recover your energy first¡­ But if you don¡¯t like it, feel free to tell me. I¡¯ll send you back right away.¡± The people exchanged nces without saying a word. Contrary to his expectations, no one wished to return immediately. ¡°Do you happen to know anything about the situation outside?¡± This time, a woman spoke. She was a newbie S-ss hunter and seemed to be acquainted with Jeong Seon-kyung. Anyway, Ko Byeong-gap answered, shaking his head. ¡°No, I don¡¯t really know anything. But there¡¯s one thing that bothers me.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Bothers you?¡± ¡°My phone isn¡¯t exploding with notifications. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a temporary malfunction. What¡¯s clear is that it started ten days ago.¡± The people buzzed. He had a spection about this. It wasn¡¯t that hard to infer that the Six-rays Bridge started doing something. However, it was quite difficult to decide whether to tell people the story Seo Si-hee told. When night came to Ashvm, Ko Byeong-gap went out for a smoke with Jeong Seon-kyung. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to tell the people?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I mean, the Illumination thing.¡± Ko Byeong-gap looked at Jeong Seon-kyung and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m thinking.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s better to talk? They say it¡¯s better to be on the page. We have to put our heads together to find an alternative.¡± ¡°If anything, we might need that. But as you know, the matter isn¡¯t serious. It could only add to the confusion.¡± ¡°Phew, what are you thinking so much about?¡± ¡°What are you thinking, noona?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say that the Six-rays Bridge is really doing something. Monsters, for example, are going crazy, and people in Illumination are ughtering people. What are you going to do, noona?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung crumpled her face and brushed off the cigarette ashes. ¡°Hey, do you call that a question? Of course, I¡¯ll fight back.¡± ¡°Even though it doesn¡¯t look like there is any chance of winning?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a win-win situation. The odds are against me, and I can¡¯t just look by when I have the power to do something about it.¡± ¡°Are you confident that you won¡¯t agree if they approach you and threaten to take a leg?¡± ¡°Did you get shot in the head? I¡¯ll stick it to those idiots.¡± She replied with an annoyed look. Ko Byeong-gap looked up at the night sky and exhaled smoke. ¡°How many of them feel the same way as you?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t trust them?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of believing and not believing¡­ When ites to choosing the winning side or the losing side, it¡¯s right to stick to the winning side.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think their moral scales are as broken as you might be concerned. The job of being a hunter itself is something you should put more trust in.¡± ¡°Well, I did it for the money.¡± ¡°Anyway, you¡­¡± Jeong Seon-kyung threw the butt on the floor. Ko Byeong-gap quickly picked it up and put it in the portable ashtray he carried. ¡°Don¡¯t throw your butts on the floor.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, man. It¡¯s be a habit.¡± ¡°This is a clean area.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung scratched her head awkwardly, then suddenly smiled. ¡°Anyway, you are a really fun and interesting guy.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m not amon character.¡± ¡°Hey, Byeong-gap.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to date me?¡± Ko Byeong-gap doubted his ears since it was such an out-of-the-blue question. ¡®What was that?¡¯ He asked himself even though he heard it right. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± ¡°Go out with me.¡± ¡°¡­ Noona, are you frustrated with your desires?¡± ¡°Do you want to die?¡± ¡°Then what? Saying that without context.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung answered with a yful face. ¡°You said you were the King of the Goblins. I wonder if I can get along well with you and be your wife. Is that okay? Let¡¯s see what happens to me, too.¡± ¡°Why not go with someone with a lot of money?¡± ¡°If the world is in chaos, money would be a waste. I should have insurance too.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t like it? You don¡¯t like it, huh?¡± Jeong Seon-kyung crossed her arms and hugged him. Ko Byeong-gap felt something hot rising. ¡®Okay. A girl with a clear face and a sincere heart. She has an endless back and a slim waist but a big ass that would give birth to a child easily¡ª¡¯ ¡®¡­ Shut up, Landriol. And don¡¯t peek.¡¯ ¡®How boring.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap calmed his heart and removed Jeong Seon-kyung. ¡°I like you too, noona. I¡¯d love to¡­ But I don¡¯t think we¡¯re in a situation where we can be in a rtionship. As you know, the situation is¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha! That¡¯s enough, dude. I knew you¡¯d answer like that anyway. But do you know that it made me feel better when you said that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Put me up as Queen Candidate One. Don¡¯t get a Candidate Two.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung tapped Ko Byeong-gap on the back and left. Feeling exhausted, Ko Byeong-gap took out another cigarette and thought to himself. *** On the second day, Ko Byeong-gap sent the hunters back to Earth after recovering. Some of the Goblins, who had grown attached to them, waved their hands to say goodbye. Ko Byeong-gap also stepped out with them because he wanted to check a lot of things. A total of 80 Hunters headed to Suan County, North Hwanghae Province, where the General Command Headquarters of the Military-Hunter Union was located. Their only guide was a half-torn map, apass, and their memory. On the way, they came across an abandoned radio. They tried sending radio calls to all the channels registered on it, but they didn¡¯t receive a single response. An uneasy shadow hung over the group¡¯s faces. Wasn¡¯t there a saying that anxiety always hits the mark? The party discovered an enormous monster colony that blocked their way. Not a hundred, not a thousand. There were tens of thousands at the very least. Around this time, Ko Byeong-gap was convinced that the time hade. The hunters moved as far as they could to avoid the monsters. Of course, it couldn¡¯t always be perfect, and they faced quite a few battles. However, nothing bad enough to be called a crisis ever came up. It was simply due to their group¡¯s capability, which consisted of 20 S-ss and 59 A-ss hunters. Without Al-Sharon¡¯s army, it would¡¯ve been difficult to harm their side. During the day, the party moved without a break, and when the sun went down, they moved to Ashvm. Only then did the people realize the true nature of being ¡®connected to Ashvm.¡¯ ¡°This is really convenient¡­ No, it¡¯s great. Camping in the enemy camp and taking no chances.¡± ¡°I know. I think it¡¯s good that we don¡¯t have to carry heavy luggage.¡± ¡°Among those with superpowers, the ones with space-rted abilities are the best, and it¡¯s true.¡± Praise poured out of the people¡¯s mouths. Ko Byeong-gap wasn¡¯t particrly proud. What good reason was there for Ashvm to be treated as a mobile inn? ¡®Inns ept money at least¡­¡¯ They spent the night safely in Ashvm and moved back when the sun rose. Their process repeated for three days until the party finally arrived at themand headquarters. No, to be more urate¡­ They arrived at what used to be themand headquarters. ¡°I expected it, but¡­¡± ¡°Shit.¡± Sighs poured out of the people¡¯s mouths. Themand headquarters was in ruins. Tents and barracks weren¡¯t even recognizable, and broken weapons rolled around the floor. The scent of blood and rotten smell covered everywhere, and strangely no bodies were seen. The monsters must¡¯ve eaten them all. That time, one of the party¡¯s rookie hunters found something and ran in haste. It was a tent that was half sunk. There was a huge radio. The hunter calmly checked the radio status and sentmunications from ce to ce, but as it wasst time, the return was silence¡­ ¨C Hikhik! The radio spat out noise. The watching hunters swallowed their breath. ¡°Oh! Oh! Can you hear me? Can you hear me?¡± ¨C Hikhik¡­! Who¡­. Hik¡­ Hik! The radio stuttered for a while. The rookie hunter screamed at the phone. How long did it take? Eventually, themunication was restored to be somewhat stable. ¡°Hey! Answer me!¡± ¨C I can hear you. It was the voice of a man. The person over the radio asked. ¨C Who are you? Who are you? ¡°This is the expedition that left on the mission to retake Sinpo.¡± ¨C Are you hunters, then? ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¨C Where are you? ¡°This is Hwanghae-do. Command headquarters! But there¡¯s nothing. What the hell happened?¡± ¨C Not yet¡­ Hik¡­! Still North Korea¡­¡­. Crack! The radio went back to static. ¡°Has themand post relocated? Where are you?¡± ¨C South¡­ Hik! South¡­ It¡¯s¡­ Hikhik! ¡°Where in the south? Tell me the exact location! Where should we return to?¡± Everyone honed their ears and waited for an answer. The response that came back was clear. ¨C Don¡¯te. This is hell. Chapter 124 124. Going South ¨C Drop. The radio soon lostmunication. The man¡¯sst word was meaningful but creepy. ¡°Hey, hey¡­! Damn it!¡± The rookie hunter failed to abandon his regrets and tried tomunicate a few more times, but there was no answer. He eventually gave up and dropped his head in vain. ¡°Hell¡­ What does he mean? What does that mean?¡± The young man broke the silence. He didn¡¯t specifically point out someone to ask. Perhaps that was why no one could readily answer. However, the hunters didn¡¯t carry their heads as ornaments. Each of them had different ideas, but they came up with amon image of Seoul being captured by flooding monsters. ¡°Now¡­ Now what?¡± ¡°What should we do? We have to go down.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go down? Where?¡± ¡°We have to go to Korea. Where else is there?¡± ¡°But just by radio, that ce is hell¡­¡± ¡°Then, are you going to stay here?¡± ¡°Hold on, hold on. Everyone, calm down.¡± About two beatster, voices came from all directions. Different sounds emitted from different mouths, which caused confusion. There were many kinds of fear in the world, and the greatest of all was the fear that came from ignorance. ¡°Mr. Byeong-gap.¡± Shim Seung-seop approached Ko Byeong-gap secretly. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°I think that¡¯s what you said before.¡± ¡°I think so too.¡± Ko Byeong-gap also lowered his voice and answered. ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ko Byeong-gap couldn¡¯t easily answer since he also had no ideas. He expected it to happen, but he didn¡¯t know it would be this fast and sudden. While he hesitated, Jeong Seon-kyung and Han Chang-hoon also approached. They didn¡¯t know why they were doing it, but they whispered. ¡°Hey, Byeong-gap. The one you said. I think it¡¯s here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. Looks like it¡¯s over.¡± Ko Byeong-gap stroked his chin with an uneasy face and raised his head as if he had made up his mind. ¡°Everyone, everyone!¡± He shouted and drew attention. The hunters made all kinds of spections about the current situation, but they stopped and looked his way. Ko Byeong-gap opened the door leading to Ashvm and continued. ¡°Let¡¯s go over there for a moment. I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The party followed Ko Byeong-gap without a word. They gathered in the auditorium where they stayed for the past few days and sat around widely. Some had pure curiosity, while others had a meaningful expression. ¡°What are you going to say? Hurry up and tell.¡± Some even urged him. Their faces showed a subtle expectation that Ko Byeong-gap might solve this mysterious situation entirely. Ko Byeong-gap hated it and wanted to get rid of it quickly since the weight of the truth on his shoulder was getting bigger and bigger. ¡°What I¡¯m going to talk about from now on will be somewhat shocking. Try to believe it and judge for yourself. But I promise to only tell the truth as far as I know.¡± Ko Byeong-gap hurried. The audience remained silent, and the story progressed tail to tail. Throughout the story, there was a strange silence in the hall. It sometimes represented their feelings of awe or deploration. It was a silent cry. Finally, the revtion ended. All of them looked like fools, except for the three people who knew in advance. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡± ¡°Even if it doesn¡¯t make sense, it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°So, does that mean Jin-cheol is following Six-rays Bridge? Oh, my. That¡¯s crazy!¡± ¡°Haseon unnie was a believer of the Six-rays Bridge, right? How could she agree with that silly n?¡± ¡°Then now in the country¡­¡± Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and eventually, eptance. They reacted very humanly as they groaned before bing alert again. ¡°Oh, mom! My mom!¡± ¡°My brother! He¡¯s alone right now¡­¡± ¡°Oh, my. Oh, my.¡± The crowd stomped their feet. The veteran hunters who had been through all sorts of hardships were the only ones that reacted differently. In other words, not everyone could say ¡®Go ahead¡¯ with a solemn face. ¡°Hey! Please send me outside. I have to go right now!¡± ¡°Calm down, please. If you went out alone¡­¡± ¡°Calm down? No, fuck you, calm down?!¡± S-ss hunter Kyung Chan-hyung almost tried to run. No, he actually rushed in, but Jeong Seon-kyung immediately intervened and blocked him. ¡°Ah, Chan-hyung! Don¡¯t make sillyments! ¡°Hey¡­ Hey Seon-kyung¡­ What should I do with Min-woo and his mom? If something wrong happened with the two of them¡­¡± ¡°Ah, drop it! What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Both of them will be fine!¡± ¡°Hik¡­¡± Jeong Seon-kyung, who said they would be safe, also had a dark expression. Withmon sense, the possibility of being safe was extremely low. Kyung Chan-hyung sat down as if his leg had lost strength. Most of them responded like that, and Ko Byeong-gap let them express their emotions at will. At that rate, they would eventually get tired of it. He thought about something else for a moment. It was about Seo Si-hee. ¡°Does the chaos in Korea mean that she failed?¡± Where and what was Seo Si-hee doing right now? Was she even alive? There was no way to contact her, so he could only worry. Ko Byeong-gap unconsciously looked north. Even so, all he could see was the wooden wall, but what he stared at was beyond the wall. If he spent a few nights going north, he would find a vast snowy mountain area. If he went through the freezing cold for a few days again, he could reach Cheondo Mountain. Seo Si-hee¡¯s residence was there. ¡®Quit thinking about going to Cheondo Mountain. That mountain denies the entry and exit of other creatures. If you step in clumsily, you will surely die.¡¯ Landriol suddenly spoke to him. Ko Byeong-gap tried to answer but then gave up because Landriol fell asleep again immediately. ¡®Huh. I had no intention of going in the first ce.¡¯ Well, where was it, exactly? How would he get there? If he went back and forth, it would take a month. The risk was too great to bet on uncertainty. His head coldly explored his options. By the time the confusion surrounding the auditorium had slowly eroded, Ko Byeong-gap was able toe up with a fairly reasonable idea. ¡®Are we going to take the humans?¡¯ He thought of bringing humans into Ashvm. He could build a small castle next to Valtadren and amodate the refugees there. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be for free since it wasn¡¯t possible to provide daily food harvested by the Goblins. ¡®I can make non-awakeners work and the awakeners to fight. Then, the Goblins wouldn¡¯t have to go to the front line so that we could minimize the damage on our side. If I do well, I can do my job as a member of mankind and as the Goblin Lord.¡¯ Of course, the world wouldn¡¯t just go around like a cogwheel. The most worrisome thing when gathering people was the possibility of them going out of control. He was the Goblin Lord, not a Human Lord, right? ¡®We¡¯ve been told not to pick up ck-haired beasts since ancient times.¡¯ Humans were desperate, although not everyone was. However, one wise man said that when five people gathered, one of them was trash. ¡®It would be nice if humans were Spirits since, by nature, they like peace and hate struggle.¡¯ Ko Byeong-gap thought about how to control a race other than the Goblins. Eventually, he thought of a person who had a history of unifying humans and all children on the continent. Although he didn¡¯t like the ending, he wanted to get advice. Ko Byeong-gap closed his eyes, and as he dived, he plunged into the inner world of his mind. It was a dark space. Ko Byeong-gap shouted at the top of his voice there. ¡°Landriol! Landriol!¡± He cried out for a long time. Just as he was about to get annoyed, Landriol appeared with a face as if he was dying of difort. ¡°A man with no manners. Do you think I¡¯m a dog that guards your house? Screaming as if I¡¯lle running to you.¡± ¡°Youe out of nowhere without my permission, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Permission? Who are you to give me permission?!¡± Ko Byeong-gap crumpled his face. He then muttered, ¡®This man¡­¡¯ ¡°Landriol, the conqueror of the continent. The only king who dominated everything.¡± ¡°¡­ What is this all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I want to ask you something.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± Landriol¡¯s tone became quite serious. Ko Byeong-gap didn¡¯t hesitate to ask questions. ¡°What should I do to dominate a race other than the Goblin?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking such a stupid question without blinking an eye. Aren¡¯t you ashamed?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate and just tell me.¡± Landriol was lost in thought with both hands on his waist. He replied after spitting out sighs such as ¡®Hmm¡¯ and ¡®Haa¡¯ several times. ¡°To be a great unifying ruler, one of two virtues must be possessed.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Overwhelming fear, or overwhelming virtue. In other words, if you want to rule a herd of dogs, you have to be a wolf at least. In my opinion, you can¡¯t even do this right now. But do you have the wisdom to move the heavens? I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more annoying because I can¡¯t deny it. What should I do?¡± ¡°What are you going to ask me? As of now, you cannot rule over a race other than the Sarahons.¡± Landriol asserted. Ko Byeong-gap had to quench his bitter taste. Suddenly, Landriol added right away. ¡°You can¡¯t rule right now, but coexistence is possible. ¡°How?¡± charms that can win the favor of others. Aim for favor, not loyalty. Make friends who are willing to stand by your side in times of crisis and those who sympathize with your utopia. The reason I was able to conquer the continent wasn¡¯t because I possessed a powerful force. Before I sat on the throne, many friends I made while traveling the world gave me strength.¡± Ko Byeong-gap slowly pondered Landriol¡¯s words. Landriol looked down at him and smiled. ¡°There¡¯s nothing difficult about it. Give the hungry man a loaf of bread, and cover the shivering man with a nket. A person who knows grace will bow his head, and a shameless person who does not know shame will rather stare. Kill impure seeds relentlessly. No one will me you.¡± ¡°I get it¡­ Thanks for the advice. I learned a lot thanks to you.¡± ¡°Get rid of the unfamiliar noise and turn it off quickly. I¡¯m sleepy.¡± Landriol became cloudy. Ko Byeong-gap opened his eyes again. For some reason, it wasn¡¯t noisy. The people were staring nkly at him. The words ¡®Did he fall asleep in this situation?¡¯ seemed to be written on their faces. Either way, Ko Byeong-gap stood up and said, ¡°Everyone, prepare. Let¡¯s go save the people.¡± *** ¡®Awesome! It¡¯s incredible!¡¯ B-ss hunter Choi Doo-cheol stood on the roof of the building and looked down. A perverted smile spread across his lips, and his face was filled with mischievous desires. A few days had passed since Judgment Day. Seoul¡¯s city center was in a state of disarray. It looked like a random mixture of paints. Any person would¡¯ve felt terrible. However, Choi Doo-cheol felt bliss. After preserving to himself for a long time, didn¡¯t a world just for him finallye? Now, ording to the doctrine, he could ssh the world with the blood of unclean unbelievers. When all the unbelievers were executed, the stairs woulde down from heaven! ¡°Doo-cheol, let¡¯s go. They said some unbelievers have been found.¡± The woman next to him, named Yeom Jeong-hwa, spoke. It was said that she was a believer who was active near Daejeon. Like him, she had been a devout believer of the Six-rays Bridge for a long time. So Choi Doo-cheol liked Yeom Jeong-hwa, but the person next to her was infuriating. ¡°Hehe, let¡¯s go. To punish the unbelievers!¡± A young man stuck next to Yeom Jeong-hwa. Was he Kim Hakseung? He was an unbeliever until just a year ago. In other words, he was one of the people that came in when Illumination was established. Such men had no faith or anything. They were just puppets that moved because they were fascinated with the bishop. As evidence, they didn¡¯t even receive a ¡®ring.¡¯ Choi Doo-cheol felt a strange sense of superiority. ¡°Annoying.¡± ¡°What? Me? Why?¡± ¡°Yes, you! Don¡¯t be fussy and just stick with us. Don¡¯t mess around and be monster food like the unbelievers.¡± ¡°Hehehe, don¡¯t worry. I can protect myself. By the way, why didn¡¯t you give me a ring? I want one too.¡± Choi Doo-cheol was going to say, ¡®Why would I give such a valuable item to a guy like you?¡¯ Instead, he only clenched his weapon. The three believers moved to the location where the unbelievers were found. They had to pay attention because the unbelievers who were still alive were more likely to be Awakeners. They soon discovered a group of unbelievers, and they felt relieved. ¡®Eh? Soldiers and civilians. Boring.¡¯ It was a group of about seven humans. They rushed to a small shopping mall and were rolling down the shutters. There was a sense of urgency in their faces. ¡°Shall I go ahead and deal with it?¡± ¡°Tsk! You don¡¯t even have a ring. I¡¯ming.¡± ¡°Doo-cheol, let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Miss Jeong-hwa. Stay here with him. Because I¡¯m enough alone.¡± ¡°¡­ Then do it.¡± ¡°There are no monsters either¡­¡± Choi Doo-cheol drew his sword and ran towards the group of survivors. There were about seven non-awakeners, so two cuts were enough. He spewed out Karma and prepared for a blow. At that time, Choi Doo-cheol was split lengthwise by an ax flying above his head and died. ¡°What? What just happened?¡± ¡°Doo-cheol!¡± The two, who were looking at Choi Doo-cheol¡¯s back, grasped the situation one beatter. Yeom Jeong-hwa shouted in a hurry. ¡°Hakseung! Stay alert!¡± ¡°You bastards, are you Illumination?¡± ¡°What?¡± Yeom Jeong-hwa¡¯s body froze at the eerie feeling. She seemed to have entered the jaws of a beast. She barely moved her eyes and looked to her side. A woman with tremendous presence stood between her and Kim Hakseung, putting her arms around his shoulders. ¡°Shit!¡± Kim Hakseung hurriedly pulled out his sword. At the same time, his right shoulder was pulled out, and he died. A one-sided and overwhelming death. Yeom Jeong-hwapletely froze and trembled. Jeong Seon-kyung looked at Yeom Jeong-hwa¡¯s attire with fierce eyes. She seemed certain when she saw the hexagonal patterns engraved on her clothes. ¡°That¡¯s right, Illumination.¡± ¡°Sa¡­ Save¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Jeong Seon-kyung gave strength to her grip. The bright red paint soaked the world. Chapter 125 125. On the other hand Moscow, Russia. Red Square was a popr attraction with numerous tourists every year. In particr, it was especially famous for its beautiful night view, and seeing couples having a date with their arms folded together after dinner was like a painting. But that day marked the beginning of October 2026. The Red Square, also known as the Beautiful Square, was just colored with cool blood. A chilling roar woke up the night. A colony of countless monsters shattered the silence. The wild monsters had turned the streets that mankind had cultivated to shreds in just a few hours. Bloody corpses piled up in the Red Square moment by moment. ¡°§±§à§Þ§à§Ô§Ú §Þ§ß§Ö (Save me)!¡± ¡°§°, §¢§à§Ø§Ö (Oh, Lord)¡­¡± The waves of violence caused a tsunami of death. People were swept away helplessly like wood and stone. The only way out of this disaster seemed to be death. After Africa and South America, a huge Monster Wave took ce in Russia. The most desperate groans came from the world¡¯srgest territory. Of course, from a private aircraft flying at an altitude of 26,000, the screams from the ground could hardly be heard. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s finally the third one. Archbishop, are we done with our work?¡± Ariena, one of the 18 regressed hunters, asked with a drowsy face. Go Geon-ryong, who looked outside of the window with his chin on his hand, replied inly. ¡°For the time being.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t eat because it¡¯s so dirty. I have to do all the hard work alone.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it. That¡¯s it!¡± Go Geon-ryong turned his eyes and looked at Ariena. He still spoke in a dry tone. ¡°I won¡¯t be working for a while, so go on vacation or take a break. Yes, the Czech Republic is really good.¡± ¡°¡­ I mean¡­ Sometimes I can¡¯t tell if the Archbishop is joking or being serious. So I¡¯m asking, did you just say that to make meugh? ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t a joke.¡± ¡°Oh, my. Hey, Archbishop. It¡¯s been a mess all over the world, and so a vacation won¡¯t be that great.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Go Geon-ryong muttered like that, sipping whiskey. Ariena clicked her tongue. ¡°What is the Archbishop nning to do in the future? As you said, we don¡¯t have to gather for a while.¡± ¡°I have something else to do.¡± ¡°So what is that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to Korea.¡± ¡°Korea? Ah, your home country? Come to think of it, you said you would use that penins as an ark. Is that why you¡¯re leaving?¡± Go Geon-ryong just nodded his head without saying a word. ¡°Then shall I go to Korea too?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°What do you mean? Aren¡¯t you going to rest?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be a good ce for a vacation. Even more so now.¡± ¡°Why? I think it¡¯ll be fun. Seeing humans go after them, I think the old congestion will go away. By the way, do Korean hunters fight while using kung fu? Are there any samurai?¡± ¡°Kung Fu is China. Samurai is Japanese.¡± ¡°What? Are they different? I thought it would be there because they were so close together. Ah! Come to think of it, I¡¯ve been to Japan a few times. I used to take a half-bath while puffing on some marijuana with the Japs in the hot spring.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Go Geon-ryong snorted his nose and closed his eyes. Ariena wrinkled her nose as if she was displeased. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re no fun.¡± She leaned against the window and looked outside thoughtlessly. All she could see was pitch darkness that seemed to have taken away the universe. She thought she couldn¡¯t wait for the great war to take ce. If that happened, she could do as much as she wanted to do and ughter! Ariena, who had fallen into her childish fantasies, tilted her head for a moment. ¡°Archbishop.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Archbishop!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°Do you believe in aliens? Something like UFOs.¡± ¡°Stop talking nonsense and go to sleep. You must be tired.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not nonsense. I¡¯m watching a UFO right now.¡± At this point, Go Geon-ryong felt annoyed. He opened only one eye and nced toward Ariena. She was glued to the window like a child on a ne for the first time. ¡°Ah!¡± The moment she let out a small exmation. All the lights in thepartment went out, and the aircraft shook violently. Even before he came to his senses, a terrible heat surged. The ne¡¯s interior melted, and the seats caught on fire, then soon, the entire inner integrity of the ne gave way. Boom! The ne exploded. If you saw it from the ground, you would say that there was at least one more star in the sky, but it was actually crazy. Fragmented debris was scattered all over the ce. They all melted, and the bare molten iron dripped. Two people fell through the pieces of iron. It was Go Geon-ryong and Ariena. They fell 8,000 meters below without any safety equipment. Go Geon-ryong didn¡¯t lose hisposure even in such an extreme situation. He was soon able to discover who had shot down the ne. As soon as he found it, Go Geon-ryong frowned. This culprit wasn¡¯t a UFO, as Ariena said. It was definitely a creature. ¡°A dragon?¡± Fireballs fell from the sky. ¡°Huh.¡± The pouring fireballs weren¡¯t a big problem. However, the distant height itself was very threatening. Go Geon-ryong tried hard to correct his posture, but the pouring mes cleverly interfered with the act. ¡°Oh my god!¡± Suddenly, Ariena screamed. She fell and was surrounded by bright red mes. Go Geon-ryong pondered his thoughts for a moment. Soon after he made up his mind, he kicked into the air. It made the fall speed even faster. The two approached the ground at an incredible speed. The ground was all ck. It was only when their distance from the floor was narrowed to within 3,000 meters that they saw the sea. Next to it was an ind made of reefs. Go Geon-ryong stomped desperately. It was better to face the sea than to fall on the reefs. The problem was Ariena. She seemed to have lost consciousness halfway after falling and being hit by fireballs several times. Go Geon-ryong spewed out Karma and made a long string. He snatched Ariena with it and quickly held her in his arms. Tens of meters before touching the ground, he exploded a formidable Karma toward thend. The reaction pushed his body away, and as a result, he was able to fall into the sea. Ssh! When they met with the surface, a water column rose dozens of meters. What about the sound? It sounded like a bomb explosion. ¡®Her bones are broken.¡¯ Even though he strengthened their body with Karma, her bones became powder in various parts of her body. Ariena seemed to havepletely lost consciousness. Go Geon-ryong grabbed Ariena and went up toward the surface. After a while, he stepped on the water¡¯s surface as if he were a water strider. It was a technique that could only be used by masters who were good at Karma maniption. However, the uninvited guests didn¡¯t leave him alone. The water sshed, and shes flew from three directions. Therge tip of their des prated Go Geon-ryong¡¯s body without a single exception. All of that happened in less than half a second. ¡°Cough!¡± Blood flowed down Go Geon-ryong¡¯s mouth. He swung his right arm wide, with Ariena on his left side. ¡°Hah!¡± ¡°Heh!¡± The three people, who aimed for Go Geon-ryong, Alpha, Beta, and Omega bounced faster than bullets. They only stopped after cutting the man floating above water about 200 times. Go Geon-ryong gasped and patted his body. His palms were covered in bright red bloodstains. ¡®They hurt me?¡¯ For a moment, he was confused by the situation he couldn¡¯t understand. He came to his senses when he felt a distant presence from above his head. A huge mass was plummeting his way. ¡°Shit!¡± He threw Ariena in the direction of the reef ind. She flew away in a nice parab and fell on the ind. Shortly after throwing her, Go Geon-ryong manipted his radiating Karma to create a thick barrier. At the next moment, the spaceposed of barriers shook and scattered like fog. Soon after, a huge front foot stamped and pressed him. ¡°Crrrrrrr!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± The dragon¡¯s w gripped Go Geon-ryong tightly and crumpled the barrier. His whole body gathered into a point, and at the end, he looked like a basketball. In an instant, the dragon swung its tail and struck Go Geon-ryong. After being beaten, he plunged into the water tens of meters at once. The dragon stared silently from the surface. It was then it felt an instinctive threat and flew away. However, intangible power detained the dragon¡¯s wings and pulled it into the sea. From the bottom, Go Geon-ryong appeared out of the water. Feeling a sense of crisis, the dragon transformed itself. The dragon, which changed its appearance to a human woman for a moment, sessfully escaped the snare of power. Seo Si-hee gathered the three children, and they stood facing Go Geon-ryong. ¡°Cough, cough! Whoa, you¡¯ve be a monster in the meantime. You said you wouldn¡¯t die no matter how much I kill you. When did you learn how to turn into a dragon, noona?¡± Go Geon-ryong spoke in a tone that even felt weing. However, Seo Si-hee¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t feel any emotion other than contempt. ¡°Stop before it¡¯s toote. Don¡¯t you really see that what you¡¯re doing is wrong?¡± ¡°Si-hee noona, I¡¯m sorry to hear that, but it¡¯s already irreversible. Would putting a lid on an exploding crater stop it?¡± ¡°¡­ Then I have no choice but to kill you.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Cough! Cough!¡± Go Geon-ryong coughed violently. Dark red blood poured out of his mouth, but he was smiling. ¡°You¡¯ve already died without being able to deal with me twice, but what tricks are you going to kill me with this time?¡± ¡°Release the five-level limit.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± The children answered in unison. They tore off five of the seven bracelets attached to their respective arms at once. Suddenly, something surprising happened. Like oil gushing out of an oil field, a vast amount of Karma was radiated out in all directions. Go Geon-ryong smiled bitterly. ¡°Where did you find such weird toys? I haven¡¯t seen you for a while. Were you stuck in the mountain valley making things like that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to die here today. That¡¯s how it should be.¡± ¡°You used to be my noona and ally. Aren¡¯t you being too cold-hearted?¡± Seo Si-hee¡¯s expression hardened when Go Geon-ryong rambled. She spoke in an incredulous tone. ¡°You already killed me twice, didn¡¯t you? You call me your noona¡­ No, do you even think we were friends?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you feel the joy from my expression? We¡¯ve known each other for nearly 50 years. But¡­ But you¡¯re so cold-hearted to me¡­¡± Seo Si-hee forgot what to say. Go Geon-ryong turned his eyes so that no one could notice and looked at the nearby reef ind. Ariena still hadn¡¯te to her senses. ¡°noona, it¡¯s funny that you¡¯re here. Just join us. What do you gain from working so hard after being angry?¡± ¡°And you! What are you going to gain from exterminating humanity?¡± ¡°Eternal peace.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Seo Si-hee shook her head and frowned as if she didn¡¯t want to talk more. She then raised her sword high. ¡°If what you want is eternal peace, I will give it to you with death.¡± ¡°Pfft! Hahaha!¡± Go Geon-ryong suddenly burst intoughter. Soon, the air surrounding him changed. He continued with his bright red eyes wide open. ¡°How dare you do this to me. With toys? Your pride has gone too far!¡± ¡°Alpha, Beta, Omega. Get ready.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Yeah, I wondered what magic noona had been doing to keeping back to life, but now I know. Now that I know, I can deal with it. This time, I will get rid of you without leaving a single speck.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t work out the way you want it to.¡± Karma spewed out from the spot where Go Geon-ryong stood. The dense and ck force reached the sky. Seo Si-hee and her three children rushed in without sinking. On that day, in the quiet Mediterranean Sea, the fiercest battle in history took ce. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!