12. Spot

Inside the crack… The subspace, commonly known as the “Back World,” was truly a mysterious place.

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 place where the crack had occurred 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 exclaimed, “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 occurred 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 World completely collapsed, anyone trapped inside would evaporate.

If you defeated the boss monster, the world would collapse 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 accidents frequently occurred in the early days of the Deep Impact.

Evaporated people were nowhere to be found on Earth. Scientists even put rovers into collapsing 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 collapsed completely.

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 place was made of. However, there were still useful bits and pieces scattered throughout its interior.

What caught Ko Byeong-gap’s eyes were the plastic boxes and buckets on one side. Taking it to Ashvilam 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 Ashvilam 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 Ashvilam. 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 was launched 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 and commotion were heard. Ko Byeong-gap made a porridge out of 30 Gabris.

The gun and the lightning rod blazed 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 very large. 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, come 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 plan 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 newcomers 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 clapped 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 Ashvilam is rebuilt later, I’ll make a spot for you.”

Gobung poured stars from his eyes. He returned to Ashvilam with a look of accomplishment. 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 you later. 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-class monster Horn Gabri.

It looked similar 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 glance, 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 blade 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 blade 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 delay. 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 account?”

“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 recently come in. After withdrawing 1 million won, he went to the farm equipment store.

“Welcome… Aigoo, boss.”

The store owner recognized Ko Byeong-gap, who had already come twice, at a glance. 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 declaration.

“What?”

“50 pickaxes. How about 30,000 won each in cash?”

‘These just came in!’

The shopkeeper tried not to lose his composure. He replied, armed with a commercial smile, “Oh my God, young boss. Are you going to buy another 50 today? It’s hot, so let’s have a glass 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 calculator.

“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—”

“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 you later 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.’