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n5. Ancient Shop

n‘What the hell is this? An ancient shop?’

nSince 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.

nThere was something else inside his body. It was the same feeling as getting the door to Ashvilam. He opened the ancient shop, feeling quite absurd.

nThe 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.

nAncient Shop

n-Construction

n-Technique

n– Miscellaneous Goods

n-Others

nCrystals on Hand: 0

nThe store was divided into four categories.

nIt was written in a language 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.

n‘This is really ridiculous.’

nHe was nervous for a while. Ko Byeong-gap calmed his startled chest and pressed the window with his fingertips.

nConstruction

n– Crystal Slot (0 Crystal)

n– Shabby Cottage (120 Crystals)

n– Shabby Log Cabin (500 Crystals)

n– Shabby Brick House (650 Crystals)

n…

n– Highest Grade Temple (68,000 Crystals)

n– Luxurious Palace (71,000 Crystals)

n– High-Grade Arch Bridge (180,000 Crystals)

n– Advanced Wall (210,000 Crystals)

n“Huh… That’s awesome.”

nWhen he clicked on the construction category, dozens of ‘buildings’ were listed. Nothing was missing, from simple residential buildings to complex structures.

nThe ones next to the names seemed to be the price tag.

n“Advanced Wall?”

nHe pressed down on the most expensive architecture out of curiosity. Then, the store window turned red, and a hologram was displayed before him.

nInsufficient crystals to purchase ‘Advanced Wall.’

nCurrently Charged Crystals: 0

nPut crystals into the crystal slot to charge.

n‘Crystal Slot?’

nHe raised the window straight up. At the top of the list, he found a crystal slot selling for zero crystal.

nHe pressed it right away. Then, something amazing happened.

n“Wow, what the hell is this?”

nA cylinder about 5 meters in diameter and 1 meter in depth floated into the air. No, it appeared like a red light at night.

n“Gasp!”

n“Gasp!”

nThe Goblins clasped their heads and bowed to avoid bumping into it. Fortunately, the cylinder wasn’t real. Their bodies and the walls went through it.

nKo 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.

nThe Goblins let out a low exclamation as they watched the cylinder fly around inside the cave.

nCannot install here.

nMake sure there is enough space.

nThe holograms told him to find a wider area. Ko Byeong-gap followed the words and moved out of the cave.

nThe Goblins who were waiting outside were surprised when Ko Byeong-gap came out with the giant cylinder.

n“Get out of the way.”

nThe Goblins quickly stepped down.

nKo Byeong-gap installed the cylinder in the secured position.

nDo you want to install the ‘Crystal Slot’ in this location?

nStarting installation…

nRequired time is about 10 minutes.

nThe crystal slot, which was an installation, began to manifest into reality. The bluish exterior was dyed with gray light.

nKo Byeong-gap and the 33 Goblin watched the scene with sparkling eyes.

n“Lo–Lord. This. What is?”

n“I don’t know either, man. Wait a minute.”

n“Ah! Oh, I see.”

nThey waited patiently until the crystal slot caught the perfect substance.

nThe installation of ‘Crystal Slot’ has been completed.

nAfter 10 minutes, it was finally done. It was like a big, wide concrete pipe. Contrary to its ordinary appearance, a jet-black vortex was swirling through the hole in its center.

n“Wow… What is this?”

nLooking at the whirlwind as if to suck everything up, Ko Byeong-gap sighed. At a glance, it was something that didn’t exist in his common sense.

n‘You want me to put this in here?’

nHe threw in the crystal without hesitation. The crystal the size of a fist was quickly sucked in. Exclamations came from all over the place.

n‘Is it charged?’

nKo Byeong-gap reopened the ancient shop with high expectations.

nEverything else was the same. He kept an eye on the retention column.

nCrystals on Hand: 1

n“Work? Work?”

nA shrill groan escaped his mouth.

nWhat did it mean with one?

nEven if he rubbed his eyes because he thought he saw it wrong, one was one.

n“No, I used the pickaxe a few times just to dig that up…”

nThe 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?

n‘They say there is nothing in the world for free.’

nHow 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.

n“Lord, sir, what are you doing? Will we continue?” A Hob Goblin with a pickaxe popped up and asked.

nKo replied with his eyes fixed on the store window. “Uh, yeah. Go dig for crystals. I’ll be there in a little while.”

n“Yes, sir!”

n“Take it easy.”

n“Yep!”

nHe thoroughly devoured the ancient shop. It took a considerable amount of time to look through it because it contained quite a lot of data.

nHis expression became more subtle.

nAbout half an hour later, Ko Byeong-gap couldn’t calm his pounding heart.

n‘What the hell is this?’

nThe ancient shop was full of unusual items, based on their names. There were literally all kinds of techniques.

n‘Ancient Swordsmanship Textbook,’ ‘Ancient Martial Arts Textbook,’ etc.

nOther than that, some things were difficult to determine just by name, such as the ‘Ancient Fortune-telling Textbook.’

nThe miscellaneous goods category displayed weapons, potions, and of them were usual either.

nFor example, there was the ‘Fire-breathing Sword,’ ‘Mirror that Reflects the Truth,’ ‘Berser’s Potion,’ and ‘Gold Dragon Meat.’

nHowever, the above were medicinal. That was because the ‘Other’ category was the best in terms of weird things.

nOther

n– Female Goblin (500,000 Crystals)

n– Explorer’s Flag (500,000 Crystals)

n– Soul of Trovatin (700,000 Crystals)

n– Soul of Hashumland (700,000 Crystals)

n…

n– Seed of Enlightenment (10,000,000 Crystals)

n‘Explorer’s Flag? The soul of Hashumbland? What’s the use of it if it’s so expensive?’

nNot to mention their use, but he didn’t even know what they looked like.

n‘The Seed of Enlightenment… 10 million crystals?’

nKo 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?

n‘What’s the female goblin?’

nHe looked around at the goblins, frowning. After a while, he was stunned.

nThere were 23 goblins there. And there were ten goblins mining crystals in the cave. None of them were female. They were all male.

nOf 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.

nIn retrospect, he had never seen anything that could be called a ‘female goblin’ in his past three years of subjugation.

n“Why didn’t I know?”

nHe hadn’t even cared about it at all. When a hunter looks at a goblin pack…

n-Hmm, a colony with an appropriate sex ratio between males and females. It’s preferable.

nWould they consider that? A hunter would only look at a Goblin to catch and kill it.

n“Hey, you guys. Where’s the girl?”

nKo Byeong-gap asked. The Goblins puffed their mouths like a carp.

n“A woman? What?”

n“You know?”

n“I don’t know.”

nThe Normal Goblins responded that they had no idea. On the other hand, Gobung seemed to know something.

n“What are you dawdling about? Is there a girl here?”

n“Women… No.”

n“None? Tell me more.”

n“Oddick said, there’s no woman. I don’t know either.”

n“Oddick, who is he?”

n“Dead. The sorcerer…”

n“Ah!”

nOddick was the name of Goblin Shaman, who Ko Byeong-gap killed. When his name was mentioned, the atmosphere became somber.

nThe Goblin Shaman was well-versed and well-informed. He somehow missed the Goblin Shaman.

n“Then what about your kids? No, how do you have children?”

n“We can’t. There is none.”

n“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?”

nGobung thought about it for a long time and then dropped his head.

n“I’m sorry. I don’t know.”

n“Yeah, that’s it.”

nHe was curious, but he wasn’t motivated to find out.

nIf 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.

nAnd with that ancient shop, it seemed possible to make a fortune whether it was reselling or whatever.

nKo Byeong-gap closed the ancient shop and went into the cave.

nThe 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.

n“Hey, take a break. Let’s all come out.”

n“Oh, I see!”

nKo Byeong-gap led the Hob Goblins outside. Of course, with corrections.

nHe spoke after putting only one crystal in his arm.

n“I’ll be back after a while, so take a break from digging crystals. Also, don’t forget to eat.”

n“Yep!”

nHe opened the door leading out and went straight through.

nAfter I left, he planned to have dinner and go to a jewelry store and check the crystal’s appraisal, but…

nFrom the beginning, the plan went awry. The crystal he was holding was drawn by an unknown external force and went back to Ashvilam.

n“What?!”

nHe stared at the hole in his chest in vain. No matter how hard he looked, the crystal that went over there didn’t think of coming back.

nIn time, a hologram came to his mind as if to tease him.

n‘Crystal’ is an item that cannot be taken out of ‘Ashvilam.’

n* * *

nKo Byeong-gap went to a soup restaurant near his house and had a late breakfast and lunch. He was a master of cost-effectiveness and didn’t look so good while he ate his soup.

nThat was because his plan to make money by selling crystals fell through.

nYesterday, before going to sleep, he imagined himself already rich in his bed… Reality didn’t always go the way we wanted it to.

n‘Let’s not be discouraged.’

nHe comforted 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.

nThe ancient shop.

nIt had more unknown abilities that he didn’t know yet, and rather, it had infinite possibilities.

n‘First, I have to dig up a lot of crystal, and quickly. To do that, we need more workers.’

nThere were currently 33 goblins in Ashvilam. Even if he gave them all pickaxes and had them mine crystal all day, they would only get 100 to 200 pieces a day.

nSo he had to increase the number of workers first.

n“No problem. Goblins are a common monster.”

nGoblins were monsters that could be easily found in E-class cracks. If he embraced the clans he would meet while going through the cracks; it would work out somehow.

n‘I have to do it as soon as I think of it.’

nThere was a saying to strike iron while it was hot. Ko Byeong-gap threw out all his leftover soup and left the restaurant.

nAfter that, he took out his cell phone and looked for the E-class cracks across the country.

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