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n63 Raise the Ramparts

n“Shall we go soon?”

nKo 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.

nHe left the bitterness behind and stepped out into the road. He wasn’t planning on coming back for the next two or three weeks.

nAh, where was he going?

n“I hope the Goblin farming works out.”

nHe was going to find a new family.

nThere are currently 457 Goblins in Ashvilam. Including Ea, Doran, and Byeong-gap himself, there were only a total of 460 people. Their population 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.

n‘It would be great if we could leave about 500 to 600 people in Somnium and lead 1,000 people out.’

nHe 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.

nHe 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.

n***

n“Come on, over this gate, it’s Ashvilam. Get in line.”

n“Oh, Ashvilam!”

nHe 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.

n“Get the new recruits, Gobung!”

n“Yep!”

n“Tell them to wash up first then feed them.”

n“Yes, sir.”

nHe left the training for newbies to Gobung, and headed straight for the next crack. His face was flushed.

n“Heh heh. With this momentum, would we be able to celebrate with rice cakes in five days?”

n…Not surprisingly, that didn’t happen.

nThe second crack was empty.

nThe third one was empty.

nThe fourth one was empty.

n“Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh!”

n“What’s with all this? Why is it filled with just Douduris like you? Is this a theme park?”

nByeong-gap nervously drew his sword. The Douduris, a plant-type monster, died, pouring out debris all over the place.

n‘They can’t even eat these. Should I just leave…? No. We can use them as firewood or ingredients.’

nIt was late 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.

nThe day ended with the withdrawal of the Douduri’s supply. He then headed to Ashvilam.

nAshvilam had changed rapidly within the past few days. It was now unfamiliar from its former appearance.

n‘There was really nothing here at first.’

nNow, it feels like a prosperous village. Of course, it had a bit of a local feeling, but wasn’t that part of the charm of Ashvilam?

n“Ah! Lord, you are here.”

n“Oh, Gobung Gobung Gobung. Have you eaten dinner?”

n“I just ate. Lord. Have you eaten?”

n“I ate too. What about the new kids?”

nGobung pointed his finger at the dormitories.

n“I guided them to their accommodation. Starting tomorrow. I’m going to teach them.”

n“Oh, good job. Well done.”

n“Hehe!”

n“For today, Gobung, let’s get the kids together.”

n“Do you mean now?”

n“Yes. Tell everyone to gather in front of the clock tower. The new members.”

n“Yes, sir.”

nGobung 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 placed the roosters and the hens together, but no chicks seemed to have come from the attempts.

n‘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.”

nHe couldn’t help but think of the Goblins when he looked at the chickens.

nThe union of a rooster and a hen.

nThe sum of a male and female Goblin.

n“Well, that’s a little…”

nHe felt his head pounding and quickly shooed his thoughts away.

nTo 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 collapsed. Doran was only sixteen, no matter how he looked at it.

n‘How can I do that to a little girl? That’s ridiculous.’

nOf course, it may be meaningless for the Goblins to make sense of human ethics, but what could he do? He was human.

nIn 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.

n‘I’ve heard about it from Dorma, but I didn’t expect it to be this extreme.’

nNot one of Ashvilam’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.

nByeong-gap was at a loss whether he should be relieved or if he should lament. Whatever the case, he was just glad that there have been no accidents, but…

n“The thoughtless kids can’t even be pushed into the same roof. Ugh, my head hurts.”

n“Lord, everyone is here!”

nGobung cried, waving his hands over his head. Byeong-gap stood up tall.

n“Oh, I’m going now.”

nTime 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.

nHe headed to the clock tower and found a lot of Goblins gathered together. Doran and Ea were also there.

n“Are we all here?”

n“Yep! Not even one left behind.”

n“Alright, Gobung, stay with me.”

nGobung, 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.

n“Have you eaten well?”

n“Yes!”

nHe asked them about their dinner, and the field rumbled as the Goblins responded together.

n‘Oh, my ears…’

nByeong-gap raised his hands to his ears, signaling for them to lower their voices.

n“I’m sorry to call you when you’re resting. I gathered you guys like this because I have a few announcements.”

n“What is it?”

n“First of all, let me tell everyone the name of this place. From this day on, I will name this rocky mountain Somnium! Somnium will be the number one stronghold of Ashvilam.”

n“Somnium?”

nThe Goblins repeated it many times as they weren’t familiar with the word.

n“Remember it, everyone. Later, if I ask you to go to Somnium, this is where you should go. Do you understand?”

n“Yes, sir!”

n“Alright, and…”

n“Huh?”

nHe grabbed Gobung’s arm and placed him in front of them.

n“This guy, Gobung, will be the head of Somnium. You can listen to him when I’m not around. Do you understand?”

n“Yes, sir.”

n“Well then, Gobung, tell us how you feel.”

n“What? How do I feel? You mean…?”

nHe looked alternately at the crowd and his Lord in bewilderment.

n“Hurry up, they’re waiting.”

n“Ah! Yep! Uh… Please take care of me. I’ll give you my best!”

n“Come on, applause.”

nClap clap clap!

nThe simple appointment ceremony ended with applause.

nThere were no objections or complaints at all. All Goblins were equal under the Lord, and the Lord’s orders were absolute.

n“And now let me get down to business. Doran!!”

n“Yes, Lord!”

nHe called out to Doran, and she answered vigorously. Byeong-gap continued to speak.

n“Our next topic is infantry. The kids that I’ll be calling, get up.”

nThe Goblins pointed out by Byeong-gap stood up one by one. There were 61 of them in total.

n“You guys are out of work starting tomorrow.”

n“Huh? What are you talking about?”

nOne Goblin asked. Byeong-gap delayed his answer and turned his head toward the fog. The Goblins naturally followed his gaze.

n“We’ll clear that fog tomorrow at dawn.”

n“Hmm?!”

n“This fast? Isn’t the deadline you mentioned far away?”

nDorma asked with a look of bewilderment. The other Goblins were also buzzing.

n“I’m not saying we’re going down the mountain. We will build a wall in Somnium.”

n“By wall, you mean…?”

n“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.”

nByeong-gap turned his head and looked at Doran.

n“Doran, you’re the future infantry commander. Starting tomorrow, you will lead the infantry and stand guard.”

n“Stand guard? What should I do?”

n“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.”

n“I think I know what to do. I got it!”

n“Infantry. All you have to do is follow Doran’s instructions from now on. Do you understand?”

n“Yes! Understood!”

n“Okay. I’ll give you a reminder and a detailed code of conduct tomorrow. Gobung.”

n“Oh! Yes!”

n“When you wake up tomorrow, select 150 workers and have them wait in front of the restaurant. Tell them to bring shovels and axes.”

n“Yes! I see.”

n“Alright, end of discussion! Everyone, dismissed!”

n“Thank you for your hard work!”

nThe Goblins dispersed at the order.

nByeong-gap found Ea among them and called out to her.

n“Ea.”

n“Hmm? Did you call me?”

n“Yes. I need to talk to you.”

n“Okay, What do you have to say to me?”

n“What is it? Are you two talking alone again? Let me in!”

n“…Yeah, Doran. You should come sit here too.”

nEa and Doran approached him, and the three of them squatted on the steps of the clock tower.

n“What do you want to talk about? Your expression makes me nervous. Is it bad news?”

n“Ea.”

n“Yes, go ahead.”

n“As you already know, I’m going to lead the Goblins soon to find a new base.”

n“Yes, I know that. You told everyone at the restaurant a while ago. I was there too.”

n“That’s why…”

nEa tilted her head as Byeong-gap mumbled his words.

n“Should I prepare to be surprised? It’s not like you to hold your breath.”

n“Ea, will you stay here? Or do you want to go out with me?”

n“What?”

nEa opened her eyes wide. Before she could say anything, Byeong-gap asked Doran the same thing.

n“Doran, think about it. Do you want to stay here? Or come out–”

n“I’m going to follow Lord! Unconditionally!!”

nDoran replied even before he was finished talking. Byeong-gap sighed softly.

nDoran clung to his arm and begged.

n“You’re not leaving me behind, are you? Take me with you!”

n“Don’t worry. I was planning to bring you from the start.”

n“Really? Whew.”

nDoran swept away her heart that had nothing to worry about now. Byeong-gap turned to Ea again.

n“What do you think? I’m going to do whatever you want.”

n“Hmmm…”

nEa fell into trouble for a while. A moment later, she looked up and asked.

n“Do you need me on your journey?”

n“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.”

n“Can you give me some time to think?”

n“Okay, but let me know as soon as possible.”

n“I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

n“Okay. You both should go now.”

n“Lord, good night!”

n“Okay. Good night to you too.”

nThe two women left. Byeong-gap had complicated feelings, so he lit up a cigarette.

n***

n“Are you all here?”

n“Yes!”

nThe Goblins replied loudly.

nThere were 150 workers with shovels and axes. Next to them was the infantry and the attack squad armed with spears.

n“As I explained earlier, speed is important. Let’s all be on our toes and finish this as soon as possible.”

n“Yes, sir!”

n“And Doran.”

n“Yes, Lord!”

n“If you encounter any monster, never rush to attack it. Reporting is the first priority. Keep that in mind.”

n“Okay! Leave it to me!”

n“Attack squad, you guys move with Doran today to assist her.”

n“We’ll do that.”

nDorma said as a representative.

nByeong-gap nodded satisfactorily and opened the shop window.

n‘Ancient Shop.’

nExplorer’s Flag

n—Price: 500,000 Crystals

n—Description: The flag used by Rendriol, a great explorer and continental conqueror. Areas can be expanded when used in unexplored land.

n‘You’re finally here, Explorer’s Flag!”

nHe bought the flag without hesitation. A bright light shone in the air, and soon, a magnificent flag appeared. It was a large, broad flag that riders could hold. A winged sword was drawn on the triangular cloth.

nAs soon as he held the flag in his hand, a hologram appeared in front of him.

nPlace the flag in the unexplored area.

n‘I know that.’

nByeong-gap grabbed the handle of the flag with his hands. He took a brisk step, his heart pounding as the fog was just around the corner.

nAnxiety and anticipation mixed together, creating a strange feeling in his chest.

nHe glanced back at the Goblins. Everyone looked nervous.

nByeong-gap shouted, raising the corners of his mouth.

n“Let’s go! It’s New Ashvilam’s first foray!”

nWith a shout, he planted the flag into the fog.

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