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n73. Power Plant Raid

n“Oh no, who the hell are they?”

nKo Byeong-gap looked into his cell phone and recalled last night. He had just gotten home from his business in Ashvilam. In the bathroom, he showered himself with hot water and washed away the fatigue of his day, but suddenly the lights went out.

nAt 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.

nIt wasn’t just his own house. The night in Seoul, which he saw over the veranda, was covered in darkness. Fortunately, the blackout didn’t last long.

nWithin 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.

nLast night, the Naju Power Plant was reportedly attacked by gangsters. He couldn’t believe there wasn’t a single power plant left. It certainly wasn’t the work of an idiot.

nThe above incident also caused yesterday’s power outage. Authorities launched an investigation based on witness testimony, but it seemed to be going through several difficulties.

nExcept 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 planned crime.

nTo 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 plant. What would they get out of doing that?

n“There are so many bastards in the world who have nothing to do.”

nHe was busy working as a hunter and as a Lord. He wanted them to share some of their spare time.

n“Let’s get to work, work.”

nKo Byeong-gap diligently completed 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.

nOn the other hand, March in Ashvilam improved in many ways compared 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.

nThey planted several crops in the eastern part of the inner city, such as corn, beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, etc. There were many different kinds.

nCurrently, farming was only in the inner city, but he planned 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.

n“Squeak! Squeak!”

n“Yes, it’s pork. Eat a lot.”

nPork 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.

nOn 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.

n“Huh? Lord, you’re here.”

nThe Normal Goblin worked hard. He was doing something next to the bed.

n“What were you doing?”

n“I changed his diapers. It pooped.”

nHe 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.

n‘It’s creepier every time I see it.’

nAbout a month ago, Ko Byeong-gap brought a human baby of a Harpy to Ashvilam. Since a human came out of a monster, he decided to raise it out of curiosity, but the baby was extraordinary.

nFirst, it showed a growth rate incomparable 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.

nSecondly, 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.

n‘Maybe I should kill it sooner or later.’

nIf 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.

n‘It’s not like I’m the Harpy Lord.’

nTo 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.

n“Hey, little one. You should go get some fresh air. I’ll be guarding this place.”

n“Huh? Lord? No, I’m fine.”

nThe little boy waved his hands and refused the favor. Ko Byeong-gap suddenly sensed something strange.

n“… Hey, little boy.”

n“Huh? Why?”

n“You’ve gotten a little better at talking.”

n“Talking?” He tilted his head.

n“I don’t know.”

n“No, you’ve improved.”

nThere was a strange difference in his tone. In the previous day, he spoke in single syllables and with only a few words. The use of words and the composition of the sentences were also clumsy.

nIt wasn’t completely natural at that time, but it was smoother than before. Suddenly, something flashed through his head.

n‘The seed of enlightenment!’

nKo Byeong-gap suddenly rushed in and looked around the little boy’s body.

n“Let me see your back!”

n“Huh? Lord. What’s wrong?”

n“Wait a minute, man!”

n‘There’s no apparent change.’

nIt looked the same, and nothing changed significantly. Ko Byeong-gap breathed in and smacked his lips.

n“Who am I?”

n“Lord.”

n“That’s right. Then how do you say hello when you meet me?”

nThe little boy blinked his eyes a few times and answered.

n“Lord, hello.”

n“No! Don’t say ‘Lord, hello.’ Just do as I do. Good afternoon, Lord.”

n“Good afternoon, Lord.”

n“That’s right! That’s how you do it from now on.”

n“Yes, yes.”

nThe little boy nodded as if he had understood. Ko Byeong-gap sighed deeply as he pondered whether he really did understand.

n“… Work hard. I’m going.”

n“Okay, goodbye, Lord.”

nHe 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.

n“Hey, you guys! Put the cart down and come here!”

n“Oh, yes!”

nAbout 10 Goblins rushed in. Ko Byeong-gap took a moment to ask.

n“What were you doing?”

n“Moving the rubble of a building that had been torn down during the day.”

n“So what, you don’t have any trouble working?”

n“No! It’s always fun to work!”

nA Hob Goblin replied as a representative. Their speaking had become smoother too.

n“Don’t you guys feel something strange?”

n“Something strange?”

n“Strange? What’s strange?”

n“I don’t know… Ask Lord.”

n“Lord, what do you mean?”

nThe Goblins buzzed. Ko Byeong-gap licked his lips again and waved his hand.

n“Nothing. Hurry up and go to work.”

n“Yep!”

n“See you, Lord.”

nKo Byeong-gap waved his hand roughly.

n‘You’re not aware of your vocabulary? I’m going to visit Dorma.’

nAs 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 delay, and as expected, he was there with Kiriyan when Ko Byeong-gap entered the place below the wall.

n“What are you doing here, Lord?”

n“When did you come? I didn’t know you were here.”

n“Kiriyan’s here too. That’s great. I have something to ask.”

n“Go ahead. What are you curious about?”

n“You guys, can’t you feel something weird?”

n“What? Weird? What are you talking about?”

nKiriyan asked back in a tone, saying that he didn’t know.

n“Haven’t you heard the little ones talk? They’ve gotten better at speaking.”

n“Uh… I don’t know. I didn’t feel much of a difference.”

n“Me as well.”

n“Are the kids talking more?”

nKiriyan and Dorma just tilted their heads.

n“Wait a minute!”

nWhen Ko Byeong-gap reappeared in his office, he was accompanied by a Normal Goblin. He constantly spoke to the Normal Goblin as if giving an eloquent presentation.

nKiriyan and Dorma, who had been watching silently, looked bewildered.

n“I-I’m telling you! I’m sure they’ve gotten better at speaking.”

n“Oh, I’m sure it wasn’t like this before.”

n“Dorma, Kiriyan. What about you guys? Don’t you feel any changes in your body?”

nAt their Lord’s question, the two Goblins examined their bodies.

n“Well, I don’t know.”

n“Dorma, what about you?”

n“The same goes for me. It’s the same as usual.”

nUnfortunately, not everyone seemed to have changed. Ko Byeong-gap stroked his chin, lost in thought, and shouted out loud.

n“Leave the south door open. I’ll have to go to Somnium.”

n“Oh, yes!”

nKo 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.

nHoot! Hoot!

n“Look! Someone from Valtadren!”

n“Who is it? Is it the Lord?”

nWhen he pressed his horn a few times in front of the gate, the door opened. Ko Byeong-gap roughly accepted the greetings of the guards and raced to the field.

nScreech!

nA solid fence was built where the seed of enlightenment was planted. He got out of the car quickly and got close. After a while, a bright smile filled his face.

n“Wow!”

nInside 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.

n***

n“Hey. These are the scoundrels.”

nAfter 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.

n– Following Naju, the Changwon Power Plant was attacked! Where’s the next target?

nA power plant 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 security company composed of non-awakeners, but it didn’t do any good.

nB-class hunters guarded the Changwon Power Plant. However, they were overwhelmed by the masked men in the blink of an eye. The case wasn’t that the assailants were numerous. Only four to five people were confirmed to be a part of it.

nAnother questionable thing was that no one had died. The attackers destroyed only the power plant and didn’t commit any murder.

n“A pacifist terrorist. You’ve got a fantastic concept.”

n– When it became clear that it was a terrorist attack, the authorities announced that they would focus their efforts on power plant security.

nAfter he read the news to the end, Ko Byeong-gap clicked his tongue. If B-class hunters were attacked helplessly, the assailants’ identity had to be at least S-class awakeners. It wasn’t a problem to be solved by setting up some of the top hunters.

n“What kind of crazy guy is doing that **? There are only 450 S-class hunters in Korea, so why aren’t they being caught quickly? Oh, is this the work of an unregistered awakener?”

nMany awakeners weren’t hunters. In addition, some people had not even taken an awakener test. Of course, there would be S-levels among them.

nAccording to the government’s reasoning, there should be about 20 unregistered S-class awakeners in Korea. If they were responsible for the crime as well, there would be difficulties in the investigation.

n“Sigh. Are you out of your mind? Why would you do anything to ruin your life? Ah, I’ll have a cup of coffee.”

nKo 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.

nWhoosh!

nThe 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.

nAs soon as he thought about it, a female employee approached and attached a large piece of paper to the bulletin board. Ko Byeong-gap unconsciously read it down.

n– Announcement of recruitment for temporary security personnel for power plant security

n1. Recruitment period: 2026.03.02. ~

n2. Main tasks: Protection of facilities in Wonju

/Gangneung

/Uljin Power Plants

n3. Wages: Determined after consultation

n4. Notice of separate reward payment: 500 million won per person when a terrorist is killed, and 1.5 billion won per person when captured.

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