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n85. Lord is going to a Dungeon

nIt had already been a week since March passed and April arrived. Ko Byeong-gap thought that time was passing too quickly. It seemed like yesterday he announced they would cross the fog in 2026, but more than three months had already passed.

nIt was no exaggeration to say that he lived twice as hard as others. During the day, he made money by going around cracks, and in the evening, he went to Ashvilam to take care of it. Maybe that was why he felt as if time flew so fast.

nHe never felt particularly tired. He gained the strength he didn’t have when he saw his bank account balance and Ashvilam’s development day by day.

nHis tasks weren’t demanding. His days were, in a nutshell, empty days. Other hunters occupied the A and B-rank cracks most of the time, so he had no choice but to subjugate C-rank ones.

n‘I can’t even warm up in a C-rank anymore.’

nAdding a little bit of exaggeration, it felt nothing different from jogging since even a monster that ripped and killed dozens of civilians was like a puppy in front of Ko Byeong-gap.

n‘But it doesn’t have to be an empty day,’ Ko Byeong-gap thought as he went around Valtadren, ‘There are things to do.’

nJust then, an unidentified object glided over Valtadren. The Goblins looked up at the sight.

n“What’s that?”

n“Oh, Lord, when did you get here?”

n“Isn’t that a Harpy?”

nKo Byeong-gap looked up at the sky with a frown. A human-like creature with bird wings on its arms went up and down, flying acrobatically. There was nothing more to see. It was the baby Harpy that he took in about two months ago.

nKo Byeong-gap said with a feeling of exasperation, “What are you staring at? Go grab it!”

n“Lord, how do we catch that?”

n“…”

nThe Goblins asked back with a troubled look. What skills did the Goblins have to be able to catch a flying bird? It wasn’t as if they could use guns or bows on it.

n“Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!”

nThe baby Harpy flew in the sky and howled sadly.

n‘How did you grow that much in one day?’

nThe Harpy was about the size of a child around the age of seven. It was weird since it wasn’t that big when he checked it the day before, but its wings were less open.

nHe had known for a long time that its growth rate was unusual. However, he still couldn’t believe that it achieved such rapid growth in only a single day, which didn’t make sense.

n“Who gave him a growth potion?”

n“We… We don’t know…”

n“How long had he been like that?”

n“Uh… It’s been a while. I don’t know the time.”

n“I’m going crazy.”

nKo Byeong-gap briefly exhaled through his nostrils and said, “Did he attack any of you?”

nIf they answered yes, he intended to kill it immediately. Fortunately, the little boys shook their heads.

n“He didn’t attack. He just kept crying.”

n“Hmm…”

n“Everyone, have a meal!”

n“Let’s eat!”

nJust then, a voice was heard from behind, announcing dinner time. Ko Byeong-gap also clapped his hands and added a word.

n“Stop looking up at the sky and go eat first!”

n“Are we going to leave it alone?”

n“So what if we do? Don’t worry about it. Go ahead and eat.”

n“Ah, I see.”

n“Aren’t you going to eat, Lord?”

n“I already ate, dude.”

nThe Goblins left one by one. Ko Byeong-gap continued to watch Harpy, and the guy flew around a fairly wide radius, but he never went outside the walls.

n‘Does he think this is a nest?’

n“My God, come down! Come down!”

nSuddenly, he screamed, and then, the Harpy paused and looked down at Ko Byeong-gap. He waved his hand and stirred, trying to somehow communicate his intentions.

n“Yes! Come down! Come here!”

n“Geeeeek!”

n“After all, a new head is a new head… Hmm?”

nJust as he thought that it wouldn’t be able to communicate, the Harpy gradually lowered his altitude, but the direction he was headed wasn’t his way.

n“Hey, where are you going? Ah!”

nThe Harpy flew quickly to the side where the restaurant was. Currently, there were many Goblins in the restaurant.

n‘No matter how young you are, you’re a B-class monster. Even if you’re a dwarf!’

nHe immediately chased it in a cold mood. When he arrived at the restaurant, there was already a commotion inside. Ko Byeong-gap even pulled out his sword and hurried into the restaurant.

n“Is everyone…”

nGulp! Gulp! Gulp!

nKo Byeong-gap felt his pulse loosen. There wasn’t an avalanche of blood. Still, it was up to something, and the Harpy took over an entire table, picked up food, and ate… The situation overturned.

nThe disturbance quickly went away. The Harpy acted like a gentle sheep in front of food. He put a few pieces of meat in his mouth and didn’t cry anymore.

nHe summoned the Goblin that took care of the Harpy and heard the whole story, which was amazing. The Harpy was said to look the same as yesterday until this morning. Suddenly, he cried his neck out and started mutating, and it became the same as it was now.

nIn just three or four hours, he surpassed a few years of hurdles. For information, not a single drop of growth potion was given to it.

nBite! Bite! Gulp! Gulp!

nThe Harpy, who ate a chunk of meat like a crab, looked at him with pitiful eyes.

n“Keeek…”

n“Oh my God.”

nKo Byeong-gap threw it another piece of meat. The Harpy stretched out his neck, snatched it from the air, and chewed it up, and then rested his chin and stared at the Harpy. The human newborn it used to be was nowhere to be found.

n‘You look just like your mother.’

nIt had completely turned into a monster. It started as a human being and went through a period of looking like a human-monster hybrid. At that time, it had become a perfect monster. How was he supposed to deal with this? Ko Byeong-gap’s mind became complicated.

n“Keeek…”

n“Yes, eat it all up.”

nWhether it knew his complicated mind or not, the Harpy appealed for more food. When Ko Byeong-gap held out the entire basket of meat, the Harpy put his nose in it and ate it. Even when he drank powdered milk, he emptied several bottles a day. Anyway, it wasn’t usually edible.

n“Lord, what is this bizarre creature?”

nMarilyn, who stood behind Ko Byeong-gap, asked with a face that indicated her bewilderment. Come to think of it, she must be seeing the Harpy for the first time. She spent all her days in the back, sitting cross-legged and meditating.

nHer body had been a mess since she had been in hibernation for a long time. What was she doing? She was regaining her former strength, so they left her alone. Ko Byeong-gap shrugged and answered casually.

n“This is a monster.”

n“Mon…ster? Oh, the creatures you mentioned before, living in the places called cracks?”

n“Right, it’s what you guys eat. Didn’t you see them being brought in?”

n“I’ve never seen one alive before…”

n“Hik!”

nAt that time, they heard hiccups coming from an unexpected place. It was the Harpy who had been eating meat constantly. The boy widened his eyes in surprise and pulled his body back. The basket that contained the meat was held like a treasure jar.

n“You. Eat me… Will?” The Harpy said. Every Goblin who watched him eat, including Ko Byeong-gap, was surprised.

n“What? Do you know how to talk?”

nIts mother could speak, so it shouldn’t be strange for the baby to speak. The only problem was that no one ever taught it. The Harpy rolled his eyes as if he were nervous, and it would fly away. Ko Byeong-gap quickly spoke in a soothing tone.

n“Hey, I won’t. I won’t eat you.”

n“… Really?”

n“Yeah, you don’t have anything to eat on you anyway.”

n“Aha!”

nThe Harpy finally felt relieved when he shook his hand as if to finish what he had been eating.

n“That’s bizarre. It’s not a man or an animal.”

n“Is it that bad? Marilyn, you didn’t have these back in your day?”

n“Yeah?”

nMarilyn frowned. It was as if to say: ‘Why are you asking me that?’

n“Of course I didn’t. I’ve never even heard of such a monster.”

nHe thought it was unexpected. In fact, he guessed that the origin of the monster was this world. The indigenous people of this world spread to the cracks for some reason…

nHis rationale was sufficient. Didn’t they speak this language alone? But it was ironic that Marilyn was unfamiliar with monsters.

n“The more I look at it, the stranger it is.”

n“Right? Do you want me to teach you something more ridiculous? When it was a total baby, it was human.”

n“A human being?”

n“Yeah, but as he grew up, he changed like that.”

n“Well, you mean that’s a human being?”

n“What? What are you talking about? How can that be human…”

nKo Byeong-gap, who had been responding reflexively, hesitated. He glanced at the Harpy, who was busy eating meat with his beak stuck in the basket.

nHe looked back this time. There was also Kiriyan, an Albino Goblin, and Turka, a Giant Goblin. Suddenly, he remembered what he heard from Dorma in the past.

n– After the Ashvilam collapsed, the Goblins were scattered, and as a result of adapting to different environments, mutations such as “Albino,” “Giant,” and “Beast” appeared.

n“A sudden… mutation…?”

nWhat if Harpy in front of him was originally human? What if he was human and mutated and became what it was at that time? When he thought of it like that, a feeling of dread and displeasure enveloped his whole body.

n“Lord? Lord!”

n“Huh? Huh?”

n“Are you okay? You don’t look well.”

nIt was Doran’s voice that woke up Ko Byeong-gap.

n“… Nothing. I just had something to think about.”

n“Lord, by the way, what do you plan to do with that child?”

nDorma asked in a concerned voice. Ko Byeong-gap took a few seconds and suddenly stretched his arm. The Harpy, sitting opposite to him, flinched reflexively, but it didn’t avoid him completely, and it gave up the crown of its head.

nKo Byeong-gap said as he gently stroked the Harpy’s head.

n“Well, don’t you think you can tame them if you give them enough food?”

n“As expected, you were going to raise him. But I wonder if it’s a good use…”

n“Well, do you have anywhere you want to write to?”

n“What?”

nKo Byeong-gap stroked the Harpy’s head and smiled pleasantly.

n“This is the best carrier pigeon among other carrier pigeons.”

n***

nWhoosh! Whoosh!

n“What?”

nSunday. He was resting at home for the first time in a while when he got a call. He wasn’t proud of it, but Ko Byeong-gap’s cell phone didn’t get many calls. At best, maybe it was his mother’s hospital? He used to get a lot of debt reminder calls…

nKo Byeong-gap was lying on the sofa and picked up his cell phone by moving only his hands. He checked the caller and… What the hell?

n– Jeong Seon-kyung.

n“What’s up with unnie?”

nJeong Seon-kyung. She was the woman whom he came to know in the North Korean expedition. After the expedition, he met with his teammates and ate a few times with them. However, they were surprisingly out of touch after a month or so, which was usually the way it was.

nKo Byeong-gap answered the phone with slight displeasure.

n“Hello.”

n– Hey! How come I haven’t heard from you?

nShouting the first thing in the morning. Ko Byeong-gap dropped his cell phone a little and brought it back a little later.

n“I don’t usually keep in touch. I’ve been very busy lately.”

n– Phew, but seeing you answer the phone, it looks like you’re alive. What have you been up to lately?

n“What do I do? I’m busy making money. So what brings you here? All these calls….”

n– Nothing else; what are you doing today? Do you have any other plans?

nWhat was this? Was this a date request? He thought so, and if a woman like Jeong Seon-kyung asked for a date, there was no reason to refuse. Ko Byeong-gap answered after clearing his voice for no reason.

n“No, I’m just taking a break today. I’m still sitting around at home.”

n– Hey! Really? Good for you!

nHer cheerful voice rang over the phone. The moment Ko Byeong-gap was about to express his heart, Jeong Seon-kyung continued.

n– Hey, Byeong-gap! I want you to go to a dungeon with me! I’ll give you plenty of pocket money!

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