Chapter 7

Cracks

“Argh!” The woman’s scream was cold.

She ran away desperately from the nine Thunder Wolves that pursued her, but their distance got closer and closer. A low-level person couldn’t outrun a beast-type monster.

Cold sweat ran down Ko Byeong-gap’s forehead.

The Thunder Wolf was a monster known for being difficult among the D-class monsters. With the vitality that could withstand a few bullets, the Thunder Wolf played dirty and could even develop themselves like electric eels.

It would be possible to kill one or two of them, but it was impossible to kill or exterminate all nine.

‘But what if I fought with the Goblins?’

Eleven Hob Goblins and one Giant Goblin.

They were slightly superior in number, but in terms of power, they were never ahead. One Thunder Wolf could do two Hob Goblins.

“Lord, sir…”

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“Shh! Shut up and fall flat!”

Ko Byeong-gap threatened them to stay low. The Goblins immediately fell to their knees and hid in a pile of weeds. Ko Byeong-gap fixed his eyes on the scope and watched the situation ahead.

The unknown woman was almost caught up. She couldn’t even go 100 meters further before becoming wolf food.

The 4x scope illuminated the other side at that time. He looked at the White Goblin riding on the Thunder Wolf’s back.

‘Albino Goblin.’

The Albino Goblin was a rare monster. Its danger level was C-class, and it reigned as a strong monster in the lower ranks.

The Albino Goblin stretched out a spear that looked like a lightning rod, and then, sparks bounced off her back.

“Gasp!”

The woman shrieked and fell forward. The Thunder Wolf, which was running at the forefront, jumped up and swooped over her.

‘Damn it.’

Ko Byeong-gap bit his lip and pulled his trigger.

Bang!

The Thunder Wolf that was attacking the woman stumbled for a moment. It didn’t fall even though a bullet hit its mouth. It only shook its head.

After a while, all nine Thunder Wolves shot at Ko Byeong-gap.

“Crrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…!”

They rushed in like an arrow. Ko Byeong-gap immediately exclaimed, “Everyone, wake up! Protect me!”

“Yes, sir!”

“The Lord! Protect him!”

The Hob Goblins and the Giant Goblin stood in an arch to protect Ko Byeong-gap. After that, it was best to trust the Goblins. Ko Byeong-gap began to shoot and prayed that they would stop at least one or two Thunder Wolves.

‘The distance is enough. As long as I shoot calmly!’

Gunfire went off one after another in the desolate creek. The bullets fired by Ko Byeong-gap first intercepted the front line of Thunder Wolves.

“Kae-gang!”

Two fell on the floor and roared with pain, while the rest quickly spread out. Ko Byeong-gap rolled his eyes around to catch a target.

‘One guy!’

Tadadadadang!

He fired his gun, and the Thunder Wolf, caught in his scope, staggered and collapsed. Ko Byeong-gap aimed at the next target without a break.

Tata-dang-ta-tak!

“Oh my God!”

One magazine was exhausted. He reloaded nervously and then slapped his gun back to his cheek. At that very moment, two Thunder Wolves sprang out of the thicket.

“Protect the Lord!”

“Uh-huh!”

The Giant Goblin, Turka, stopped a Thunder Wolf from the front. He held onto the wolf’s forefoot and headbutted it, while the Hob Goblins held the other one as a swarm.

Ko Byeong-gap gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger. Subsequently, the Thunder Wolf fell into a hive. Except for the ones that the Goblins were blocking, there were only three left.

He quickly turned his head to find his next prey. At that moment, his eyes flashed, and a lightning bolt struck him within walking distance.

Whoosh!

“Argh!”

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Ko Byeong-gap fell a couple of steps behind him. He quickly examined his legs even though his ears were numb. Fortunately, he wasn’t hit directly and suffered no damage. However, if it had been properly inserted, his flesh would’ve turned golden brown.

“Kra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra!”

“Shoot!”

Tadadadadadang!

He saw a shadow falling over him, and a Thunder Wolf landed with its jaws open. Ko Byeong-gap immediately poured out bullets. A bullet penetrated the mouth of the Thunder Wolf that exploded its head.

The corpse of the Thunder Wolf fell and crushed him. The pressure was unusual as a chunk of meat the size of a bull fell on him.

“Argh!”

Ko Byeong-gap managed to repel the corpse of the Thunder Wolf and got up. The Goblins were struggling. Due to the nature of Thunder Wolves, which emitted electricity, the Goblins didn’t do well against them.

A few of the Hob Goblins sprawled on the floor, grumbling.

“How dare you, son of a bitch!”

Ko Byeong-gap was moved to tears when he saw the injured Goblins. Yet, he stood firm to fire more bullets at any moment, and then, there was a sudden shout.

“Come back!”

The voice was so clear that Ko Byeong-gap forgot to pull the trigger. It was the Albino Goblin who spat out the words. When it started talking, the Thunder Wolves, who confronted the Goblins, rolled their tails and turned back.

Ko Byeong-gap turned the gun and aimed at the Albino Goblin. He took in a heavy breath and was ready to shoot right away.

On the contrary, the Albino Goblin seemed unwilling to fight. He came down from the back of the Thunder Wolf and stood face to face with Ko Byeong-gap. He had a face full of disbelief.

“How the hell did you…”

The Albino Goblin looked at the Goblin crowd that time.

“Weak bastards! Explain to me! How did this happen?”

“He’s the Goblin Lord!”

Gobung shouted back. His crimson blood dripped from his shoulder as the Albino Goblin grabbed him.

“Why? Why is the Goblin Lord a human being?”

“Our Lord! He will rebuild Ashvilam!”

“Huh…”

The Albino Goblin looked straight at Ko Byeong-gap. It was a complicated expression.

“Are you really our Lord?”

“Can’t you see?”

“Are you going to lead us again? Will you allow us to return to Ashvilam?”

Ko Byeong-gap felt the strength in his hand holding the gun.

To be honest, he had no intention of taking charge of the Goblins or rebuilding their kingdom to bring prosperity. His only intention was to make money by making good use of his ability as the Goblin Lord.

However, there would be no reason to explain it in detail. Finally, after a brief thought, he answered, “Will you obey me if I say so?”

He was going to shoot if anything was bothering him. However, the answer the Albino Goblin returned was more favorable than expected.

“How can I not obey? Thank you for coming back, thank you, thank you.”

The Albino Goblin made a big bow to Ko Byeong-gap. At that moment, a hologram came in front of Ko Byeong-gap’s eyes.

[Albino Goblin ‘Kiriyan’ has been transferred to Ashvilam.]

“I will support you until the end of your life.”

Kiriyan’s face almost looked like he was about to cry. He didn’t feel any hostility towards him. Ko Byeong-gap still felt unsatisfactory because the Thunder Wolves behind the Albino Goblin were annoying.

“Crrrrrr!”

The attitude of the Thunder Wolves suddenly changed. Those who couldn’t move at Kiriyan’s words at first suddenly flashed their teeth. It had been like that since the moment the hologram mentioning Kiriyan’s transfer to Ashvilam came before him. Kiriyan looked back at the Thunder Wolves in bewilderment.

“How dare you snarl!”

“Kra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra!”

“Huh?”

Four of the Thunder Wolves attacked Kiriyan at once.

Ko Byeong-gap immediately fired his gun and hit a target. Another magazine fell empty. As he hurried to reload, his eyes flashed.

Kiriyan went berserk and sent out a thunderbolt ahead.

“Keek!”

“Kyak!”

It was a formidable power that even the Thunder Wolves, who handled electricity, couldn’t withstand. However, that wasn’t the decisive blow.

The Thunder Wolves, which spewed steam from their bodies, bit Kiriyan on the shoulder.

“Argh!” He groaned.

“Woooooooing!”

The horde of Goblins rushed in before Kiriyan’s shoulder tore off.

Turka twisted the Thunder Wolf’s jaws with its wicked hands. Its chin fell off helplessly.

The Hob Goblins beat the rest of the Wolves with their clubs.

“Get out of the way!”

Tada Tada Tada Tada!

Ko Byeong-gap landed the finishing blows. He poured out a whole barrel of bullets at the barely breathing Thunder Wolves. After the bullet storm, the only thing left was cold wolf meat.

* * *

“Take this, go back, and heal. It won’t be enough. So treat the severely injured first.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Yes, you did a great job.”

After giving Gobung a bottle of low-level potion, he sent the Goblins back to Ashvilam, including Kiriyan, of course.

Fortunately, no Goblin was injured enough to go beyond his breath or anything entirely severe.

After sending the Goblins back, Ko Byeong-gap worked alone to dismantle the magic stone. However, it was over quickly because there were only nine Thunder Wolves.

‘Why is the world not collapsing?’

The world behind him was still alive. The boss here must’ve been Kiriyan…

‘Has a new boss monster been appointed?’

He stared deep into the world behind him. He didn’t feel any discomfort, but, of course, he had no intention of looking into it.

After he dismantled the magic stone skillfully, Ko Byeong-gap packed his luggage and went in the direction where the unknown woman fell.

‘I wonder if she’s dead.’

He pushed his way through the thick bushes. Soon after, he found the unconscious woman.

Her body was in tatters when he looked closely. Her clothes were like rags, and her body was covered with small abrasions. She was the age of Ko Byeong-gap or a little younger.

There was no distinction between men and women in being a hunter, but it was rare for such a young woman to go hunting alone.

He checked her breathing because he thought the woman was dead.

‘She’s alive.’

It wasn’t that she stopped breathing, but her breathing was weak. It was because she was bleeding a lot.

Ko Byeong-gap was getting up to carry her around and found a small bag crushed by the woman.

The sharp outline looked just like a potion bottle. When he opened it, there was actually a low-level potion inside. He fed the woman two-thirds of the potion in a hurry and poured the rest into his mouth, and then, in a hurry, he got out of the world.

“I lived.”

It was only then that he relaxed when he took in the air outside.

“In less than a week, two cracks. Even if I was unlucky, this is still an oil fountain.”

“Ugh!”

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The woman on the back of Ko Byeong-gap came to her senses. Ko Byeong-gap dropped her down at the right place.

“Are you sober?”

“…”

She opened her eyes wide and looked around like a madman. Her tired look was evident.

“There’s nothing to worry about. You’re out of the back world.”

“Well, am I alive?”

“Yes, that was close.”

“… Did you save me?”

“Sort of.”

“Humph! Humph!”

She burst into tears as if she had finally relaxed. She then bowed her head again, saying that she was grateful.

“I used the potion in your bag. I couldn’t help it because you were on the verge of losing your breath.”

“No, you did well. Thank you, thank you very much. How am I to repay this favor?”

“Pay it back with money.”

“… What?”

“Well, I’m not forcing you, but I wouldn’t mind if you offered me a reward.”

The woman forgot her words for a moment, and then, she nodded enthusiastically and said, “Yeah, I’ll reward you. Of course, I should!”

Ko Byeong-gap gave the woman his account number. Since then, they separated as if nothing had happened.

He stopped by the association instead of going straight home because he had to sell the magic stone and buy some potions.

He paid 500,000 won to buy 200 millimeters of low-grade potion. It was for the Goblins. He felt a little sorry, but his life was saved thanks to them, so he decided not to be too petty.

On the way back home, he received a text message. It was a notification message that money came into his bank account. The woman who promised a reward really transferred 5 million won.

It didn’t seem weak for the price of her life, but it didn’t matter. It was free money anyway.

“I have already paid my quota for this month.”

For some reason, Ko Byeong-gap wanted to hum.