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n65 Build a Wall

nThe Grugles showed up. With a sweeping glance, Byeong-gap calculated that there were over thirty of them.

n“What on earth…?”

nHe mumbled as if he couldn’t understand. He didn’t know why, but he pulled out his sword first.

n“What… are these? I didn’t feel anything.”

n“These guys have no presence!”

nDorma spoke in a tense voice. Byeong-gap asked with a frown.

n“What do you mean they have no presence?”

n“They literally don’t show any signs of life, even if they’re alive. It’s like they’re dead.”

n“No signs of life?”

nAfter 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.

n‘They’re definitely creepy.’

nTheir 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, and large jaws that were very disgusting to look at.

n“They appeared without a sound or a murmur, same as before.”

n“Yeah, I understand what you mean.”

nIt occurred 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.

n“Everybody, ready for battle!”

nThe Goblins immediately went into combat mode. Their side had the upper hand in number; they were more than double their opponents.

n“Ah…”

n“Argh…”

nThey walked slowly, floundering like zombies. It wasn’t exactly a threatening view.

n“Sweep them all out!”

n“Yep!”

nThe Goblins jumped out in unison.

nThe 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.

nThe Grugles were hit by the spears and fell down with screams.

nByeong-gap launched 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.

n‘Why are they so weak?”

nTheir defenses were insignificant. Byeong-gap did not even need to trigger his strength to attack them.

nEven 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.

nOverall, their strength was inferior to even that of a G-class monster.

nContrary to his first impression of them, the battle ended in vain. Within a minute or two, thirty Grugles became one with the dirt.

n‘Ugh!’

nWhen the battle was over, a putrid stench that had not been there before slowly crept up. It was a disgusting smell that couldn’t be compared to any odor in the world.

n‘Why does it suddenly stink?’

nThe cause of the rotting smell was soon discovered. The dead Grugles were decomposing at an incredible rate.

n‘…What the hell are these guys? They don’t even bleed, do they?’

nThe 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.

nByeong-gap felt uncomfortable and turned a Grugle’s body over with his sword. He frowned at the sight.

n‘Don’t you have blood and guts…? Are these even creatures?’

nThe Grugles were more like pieces of flesh. They had no bones, no intestines, nothing but flesh. No wonder cutting them felt strange.

n“Lord, these things are unpleasant.”

n“Doran, throw away what you have in your hand. You don’t need it anymore.”

n“Oh, yes. I got it.”

nDoran threw away the head she was holding, and it collided against a tree.

nSmack!

nIt exploded like a ripe red tomato.

n‘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?’

nSuddenly, 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.

n“Everyone, return to Somnium immediately.”

n“Aren’t you coming with us, Lord?”

nKiriyan asked. Byeong-gap answered while retrieving his sword.

n“I’ll go first, so follow me.”

nHe instructed them and disappeared.

nOn the way there, he focused all his attention on his eyes and looked throughout the forest. Fortunately, he didn’t spot a single Grugle.

nBut when he arrived at Somnium, he spotted a messy pile of Grugle corpses.

n“Oh, Lord!”

nAbout twenty Goblins welcomed Byeong-gap outside the walls. They were all armed with weapons.

nOn the ground were the dead bodies of about ten Grugles.

n“Is everyone okay? Is anyone hurt?”

n“Yes! Everything is fine.”

n“Is that it? Did any monsters go inside the walls?”

n“No, I got everything before that. We got it!”

nGobung said proudly. Byeong-gap was surprised.

n“Uh… Well done. But how did you know they were coming?”

n“I didn’t know. I just… I was on guard. Then they were all here. That’s how I caught on to them.”

n‘Was he standing guard even though I didn’t tell him to?’

nByeong-gap smiled softly and patted Gobung on the back.

n“Alright, great job! You can keep doing that.”

n“Hehe. Yep!”

nWhen Byeong-gap praised him, Gobung scratched the back of his head as if he was flustered.

n“Gobung, dig somewhere in the forest and bury these bodies.”

n“Okay, I’ll bury them.”

nAfter giving the order, he took a relatively intact head from one of the monsters.

nThe walls were about forty percent done installing. He entered Somnium through the small door at the bottom of the wall that had already materialized.

nByeong-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.

n“Ea.”

n“Oh, you’re back.”

n“Are you preparing for dinner?”

n“Yes, it’s time to get ready for dinner. Why? Do you need me for something?”

n“Come out for a second. I have something to show you.”

n“To show me? Oh, I’m looking forward to that.”

nHis conscience ached when she said that she was looking forward to it.

nByeong-gap stepped out of the restaurant first. A moment later, Ea followed, rubbing her wet hands on her apron.

n“What do you want to show me—Kyaaah!!!”

nShe caught sight of the monster’s head and screamed in horror, crouching heavily and looking alternately at the head and at Byeong-gap.

n“That—that—that…”

n“Is this the Grugles you told me about?”

n“Oh, ah…”

nInstead of answering, Ea answered with her eyes wide open.

n“As expected, these are the Grugles. I’m sorry to show you something bad, but I need to ask you a few questions.”

n“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.”

nByeong-gap quickly asked questions without wasting time.

nWhat was the true nature of Grugles?

nWhy didn’t they show any presence?

nWere they even considered living things?

nAnd many other questions.

nEa answered immediately.

nShe 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.

nAnd 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.

nWhy were the Grugles different from normal living beings? Well, common sense didn’t work in this world in the first place, so…

nEa 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.

n“Hmm…”

n“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.”

n“No, it was helpful enough. Come to think of it, didn’t you say you ate these before coming here?”

n“Yes. It was terrible.”

nIt must have been terrible. She would have had to eat their rotting meat right away because of their rapid decomposition. She couldn’t possibly do it on her own forever.

n“Oh, let me ask you one last question. Are they supposed to be this weak? They were so weak that fighting them felt futile.”

n“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.”

n“How strong?”

n“I haven’t actually seen it either. However, I have heard rumors.”

nShe reached out and pointed to the top of a rocky mountain.

n“Some people say that they can grow as big as a mountain. One was so famous that it even has a name, Titan.”

n“Titan?”

n“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.”

nByeong-gap looked at the peak of the rocky mountain pointed at by Ea.

n‘Oh my God, can there be a living creature that huge?’

nAmong monsters, those classified as extra-large were only about ten meters tall. But a monster that large didn’t feel real until he could see it in person.

n***

n“The kids I pointed out earlier, come to the wall with your weapons.”

n“Yes, sir!”

n“Yes, that’s the end of the evening roll call. Everyone is dismissed.”

nThe 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.

nByeong-gap also went to the wall, a cigarette in his mouth.

n“I stood guard for a long time when I went on the expedition, and now I have to stay up all night again.’

nHis complaints poured out of nowhere. Yes, he intended to stand guard tonight.

nSince 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.

nThe 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.

nThe Goblins were already gathered on the roof. All twenty of them standing guard tonight were Beast Goblins.

n“I already explained what to do, right? Is there anything you don’t understand?”

n“Nothing!”

n“Okay, once again, if you find anything suspicious, report to me immediately.”

n“Yes!”

n“Okay then, go back to your positions.”

nEven though the walls were quite broad, twenty Goblins were enough to defend all areas. The Beast Goblins, in particular, had a wide viewing angle.

nByeong-gap went to the center of the wall and looked down at the dark forest.

n‘It’s terribly dark.’

nPitch-black 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.

n‘They would never be able to break through this wall if we spot them during the day.’

nThe 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.

nByeong-gap looked down for some time. After a while, he turned to the Goblin next to him.

n“Wake me as soon as you find anything unusual. I’ll be sleeping over there.”

n“Yes! I see. Have a good night’s sleep!”

nByeong-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.

nIt was about two hours later that he opened his eyes again.

n“Lord, Lord.”

nA Beast Goblin was waking him up. Byeong-gap quickly regained his senses. He had no time to complain. If he was being woken up, it had to be because something was happening.

n“Did they show up? Okay, let’s go.”

nHe was guided to the end of the wall by the Beast Goblin.

n“Those things. What Lord said. Aren’t those the monsters?”

nHe pointed in one direction, where there were monsters that looked exactly like the Grugles he encountered earlier in the day.

nThere were about three in total wandering through the woods. Surprisingly, that was it. They didn’t seem to do much harm to their side.

nByeong-gap spoke after a long pause.

n“Just leave it alone for now. If you think they’re going up the ramparts or are planning to harm our side, report back to me.”

n“Yes, sir.”

n“Yes, work hard.”

nIt was annoying, but they didn’t have to attack them. To be honest, there was no way to take action.

nHe went back to his spot and sat down. Instead of falling asleep again, he was lost in thought.

n‘We’re gonna need long-range weapons. How many guns do we need?’

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