Chapter 43

43 Even Slugs Have a Knack for Rolling

‘Can I try it?’

When Byeong-gap told the two women that they were training, that was the immediate answer they gave. Of course, it came out of Doran’s mouth.

He felt a little absurd. This pretty Goblin really wanted to do everything; she was full of motivation. It was cute, but some things in the world couldn’t be done only with willpower.

He shook his head lightly.

“No, you’ll get hurt.”

“I won’t get hurt.”

“This is not a joke.”

The Goblins were working hard and devoted to training. Even if their weapons were only made of wood, it was not something that any ordinary person could handle. It was thanks to the potions and textbooks that they remained fine even if they battled with each other.

Whether or not she knew this concern, Doran puckered her lips.

“I know that much.”

“Doran, your Lord is right. You might get badly hurt.”

“Ah! Ea, be a little quiet!”

“I’m… I’m sorry. I’m just worried about Doran…”

Doran opened her eyes wide and stared at Ea. She picked up a wooden sword that had been lying on the floor and swung it in the air.

“I think I can do it! Let me do it, too. I’m a Goblin, and they’re also Goblins. Why are you leaving me out?”

“…….”

“Ah, let me in! Let me in!”

Byeong-gap swallowed his words. He stared at Doran for a while, then gave a deflated smile.

“Hey, little kid.”

“Huh?”

When he called out, about thirty Normal Goblins turned their heads at the same time. Byeong-gap pointed to one of them and motioned for him to come over.

“Come here.”

The Normal Goblin approached.

“Why? Are you calling me?”

“You have to fight her.”

“Oh? Yes. Okay.”

“Good!”

The Normal Goblin nodded gladly. Doran was also full of fighting spirit and quickly took up a pose.

‘Isn’t that a little funny?’

He might be able to put it into words, but that didn’t fit Byeong-gap’s temper. When dealing with grumpy friends, he always let them face reality. That was his style.

‘Still, if something goes wrong, it’ll be a pain in the ass.’

He brought the Normal Goblin closer and whispered in his ear.

“Do it carefully. Don’t fight her too hard. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Yes, you two go over there and stand.”

Doran and the Normal Goblin stood face to face. Byeong-gap naturally became their referee.

“Get in position. Get ready and start.”

“Ha!”

Doran kicked the floor at the start signal. She curiously bent over and rushed in, making her look like a galloping wolf. She narrowed the distance between them in an instant and shot her sword forward.

“Ke—Kereuk?!”

The Normal Goblin freaked out and tried to defend himself, but Doran’s wooden sword bent quickly and stuck in his shoulder.

“Gasp!”

The Normal Goblin fell, and the fight ended in a flash.

“Huh?!”

“Oh, my!”

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Byeong-gap and Ea, who were standing side by side as they watched, burst into exclamations at the same time. And not only them but also the other Goblins watching opened their eyes wide in surprise.

“What was that? Did Doran just win?”

“…That’s what happened.”

“Argh!”

The Normal Goblin raised himself up as he grabbed his shoulder. Byeong-gap quickly approached him and examined his condition.

“Are you okay, little one?”

“It hurts, but it’s okay.”

The boy’s mood changed. His fighting spirit was on fire.

“More! Could do!”

“Why don’t you just lie down?”

Doran looked down his way triumphantly. With a straight back and a fishy sneer, she was full of self-confidence.

The Normal Goblin grabbed his wooden sword and took a proper stance.

Byeong-gap spoke after a short pause.

“This time, don’t cut her some slack and do it again.”

“Okay! If I don’t hold back. I win!”

“Humph! You let me off the hook? I’m going easy on you, too.”

“…”

Byeong-gap took a few steps backward. Before he knew it, all the Goblins who were training were also watching the fight.

He gulped and gave the signal again.

“Go!”

“Ha!”

“Cough!”

This time, the two of them rushed in at the same time.

Like before, Doran took a unique pose, leaning her body forward to the fullest. The Normal Goblin took the stance indicated in the swordsmanship textbook that was familiar to Byeong-gap.

Pot!

At the same time, their two wooden swords swung across each other. Immediately, Doran circled around the Goblin and launched a strange side attack.

“Huh!”

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The Normal Goblin quickly recovered his sword and defended his side. Their swords collided again with a loud sound, and the Normal Goblin’s body was pushed back two or three steps.

He wasn’t given another chance to get his act together because, in the blink of an eye, a very close Doran took a stab at his solar plexus.

“Agh!”

The Normal Goblin fell again. This time, he did not go up for a third round. In terms of time, the battle lasted fifteen seconds at the most.

“Wow, Doran is so strong! I never knew you were so strong!”

“Huh… The female is strong…”

There were exclamations everywhere. Doran savored the compliments with a happy expression.

‘I can’t believe it. Despite the fact that the Normal Goblin had taken a growth potion and took in the textbook, it was still easy for her to subdue him?’

A Normal Goblin against Doran. Her original rating should be an F, but seeing her performance, she could be a D-rank. He wasn’t really sure.

So, how strong was Doran?

‘Where does that power come from?’

Doran’s body was obviously healthy, but that didn’t mean he could feel the strength she had. Although it looked like it, it was not a body suitable for exertion. Of course, it was true that many of the top hunters who showed off their abnormal strength usually had beautiful bodies. However, the source of their power was Karma, not the body itself.

But Doran didn’t exude any Karma; she was almost like a normal person. So where the hell did that explosive power and thrust come from? Such questions grew in his mind.

“I did a good job, right? I did a good job, right? What?”

Doran suddenly turned to him and asked. She was serious, with a face full of anticipation.

Byeong-gap felt a little distant. He nodded his head gently.

“…Good job. Oh, good job. Well done. It was a bit of a surprise.”

“Hehehe!”

Doran burst into laughter when he said that she did well.

“Can I do more? I want to do more!”

Byeong-gap wanted to try it out.

“Gobung!”

“Yes, Lord!”

“Come here with your weapon.”

“Yes, sir!”

He called out to Gobung. He was going to make him battle against Doran.

Gobung came up with a long wooden spear, strengthening his shoulders.

Byeong-gap progressed without hesitation.

“You two face each other and get in position.”

***

“Hoot!”

“Huh? Ugh!”

Doran moved swiftly. She easily dodged the wooden sword flying to her face and hit it hard. The Beast Goblin, who was beaten, grabbed his arm and stepped backward.

He missed it. Her wooden sword moved like a lightning bolt.

Drop! Right! Drop!

Left shoulder, right flank, and his solar plexus. The three attacks bore down on him like water.

The Beast Goblin couldn’t hold on anymore and knelt down on the ground.

“Wow! Doran won again! She’s amazing, isn’t she? I never thought she had this hidden talent. You think so too, right?”

“Yeah, that was amazing.”

Doran continued her unbeaten streak.

Gobung went out in a minute before sending out a Giant Goblin, who also failed to last more than three minutes.

The Beast Goblin, who parried with her consecutively, also lasted only two to three minutes.

Doran! Doran! Doran! Doran! Doran!

The field was filled with the shouts of the Goblins cheering. Doran showed off her win by circling around.

‘Am I the only one left, along with the attack squad?’

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He had different combat capabilities, as well as the attack squad. Byeong-gap wanted to know how far the limit of Doran’s strength would be.

“Changsik!”

“Yes!”

“This time you—”

“Lord! Why don’t you come out next? Come on, come on!”

At that moment, the whole of Ashvilam froze. The Goblins stopped while Doran and Byeong-gap looked at each other in turn. After a while, backlash ensued.

“You’re rude!”

“How dare you, to our Lord. Oh my gosh!!”

The Goblins united and scolded her. Doran was briefly perplexed but immediately furrowed her brows.

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“Be quiet, you idiots! What do you care?”

“Hey, hey, hey, hey!”

“That’s it. Everybody be quiet!”

Byeong-gap restrained the Goblins and stood up. He had had enough rest, and he also wanted to compete with Doran, who smiled brightly as he stepped forward. He could feel the fighting spirit in her eyes, and the corners of her lips were strangely raised.

‘She’s enjoying the fight, too.’

It was Doran who had been leading the fights so far. A person who enjoyed fighting was scarier than a genius.

Byeong-gap became more serious.

“Shall we do it right away? It’s okay to take a break.”

“It’s not a problem. I’m warmed up now.”

She was in high spirits. Byeong-gap smiled and fixed his wooden sword. However, trying to fight a girl who was about 160 cm tall made him feel guilty. A Normal Goblin, which was about 150cm tall, was easy for him to beat up.

“You attack first.”

He said, and three seconds later, he was forced to have second thoughts about feeling guilty.

‘?!’

Doran’s wooden sword stretched out, aiming for his nose in the blink of an eye. It was a completely silent attack.

Byeong-gap quickly debated whether to turn his head to avoid it or block it with his wooden sword. As a result, he took a third action. It was necessary to show an unconventional performance to protect the pride of the Goblins and his prestige as the Goblin Lord.

He grabbed the rushing wooden sword, and, using Doran’s momentum to reverse it, he pushed her away.

“Woah, woah! Woah!”

Doran screamed, flew backward, and fell to the ground. She lifted her head, rubbing her nose.

“What? Can you do that?!”

It was a question of inquiry. Byeong-gap rotated his shoulders and shrugged.

“Who cares? There are no rules in a fight.”

“Hey!”

Doran attacked again, pointing the sword with deadly force. But it was a speed that he was already used to. She didn’t move at a speed that he couldn’t catch up with.

Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit!

Byeong-gap took the time to counter her attacks. Her specialty was doing bizarre attacks, but even an attack that bent the sword like a snake didn’t work on him.

When her attacks didn’t work, he began to see urgency on Doran’s face. She curled her body to the best of her ability and rushed in like a wild beast. When he was in close range, she jumped up like a spring and shot her sword forward. The attack that was aimed at his chin was terrifying.

Byeong-gap took a step backward and narrowly dodged it. He immediately released his wooden sword and grabbed Doran with both hands, throwing her away.

Doran rolled on the ground once again.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!”

Before she knew it, Byeong-gap was in front of her, stabbing her with his wooden sword. His sword stretched out like a chariot through the gates. No matter how flat and wooden the sword was, the tip of it touching her skin was threatening enough.

Doran caught her breath in fear. Fortunately, the wooden sword did not hit her in the face, stopping about 1 cm from the tip of her nose.

“Hic!”

She hiccuped without realizing it. After a while, Byeong-gap pulled back his sword.

“Woah, woah!”

“Lord! Lord! Lord! Lord!”

“As expected of the Lord. You’re the best!”

The Goblins burst into a roar.

‘Fortunately, I kept my prestige.’

Byeong-gap smiled contentedly and looked back at the Goblins. After a moment, he tried to get Doran to stand up, but her body trembled.

“Hmm?”

“Hic—hic.”

She was in tears.

“What? Why are you crying?”

He was bewildered and started asking her questions, but she couldn’t stop crying.

“Huh! I can do better. Hehe! I used to do better… Hic!”

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She cried her eyes out. Byeong-gap was unable to help her stop crying, so he lifted her up instead.

“Hey! Don’t cry.”

“Haaaaaah!”

“Oh, come on! Stop it! Can’t you stop it now?”

He threatened her, but Doran’s tears didn’t stop falling. On the contrary, the torrent was only getting stronger. Byeong-gap was not good at soothing crying children, but he could see that shouting was not helping. So he turned the key in another direction.

“You did a good job. There’s nothing to be so upset about, so please don’t cry.”

“Re… Really?”

“Yes, it’s your first time playing this game, and your performance was scary. Were you so angry that you lost to me?”

“Lost to Lord, huh? I’m not angry…”

Doran wiped away her tears.

“Did I really do a good job?”

“Yes, you did a great job.”

“Then, is the Lord happy?”

‘What does she mean?’

Byeong-gap tilted his head. Why would he be happy?

Doran asked him again, persistently.

“Are you happy that I did a good job? What?”

“…Uh, yes. I’m glad. I’m proud of you! Oh, good job, well done! You’re so beautiful!”

He said whatever came to mind that he thought Doran would want to hear. Her crying stopped like magic.

“Really? You’re happy because of me, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Yay!”

She suddenly rushed into his arms and rubbed her face all over him, covering him with tears and snot from her runny nose.

Byeong-gap patted her on the back with a laugh.

‘That was scary.’

Actually, he felt more scared than happy. The potential inherent in her was frightening. What an achievement, and all that without a potion or a textbook. How strong would she be if she had potions and textbooks?

‘One more person on the attack squad.’

He smiled happily.

***

North of the Korean Peninsula. North of the 38th parallel.

In the past, the old-fashioned country called North Korea was located here, but now it was the land of death.

In 1997, North Korea failed to withstand the turbulent times at the height of the Deep Impact. It was a country on the verge of self-destruction, going through a march of hardship. With cracks taking away vitality around the dry land, North Korea eventually disappeared into the back end of history without even reaching the 21st century. And now, 28 years later, it has become a wasteland that nothing but migratory birds go to.

There were numerous things in the land north of the Korean Peninsula. Those things were cracks, maybe hundreds of thousands of them.

There were several factors that contributed to the North of the 38th parallel becoming a wasteland.

The battle for supremacy between the United States and China over the land and cracks destroyed North Korea. The lukewarm attitude of the Korean government that was caught between them didn’t help either.

In 2011, South Korea was the only country in the world to produce two SS-level awakeners, allowing it to claim ownership of the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, albeit belatedly.

However, at that time, the entire land in the North was already covered with cracks. Therefore, the South Korean government gave up on recovering the 38th parallel.

The place was now called the Land of Death.

A place where an investigation team was dispatched once in 2021 and had not been visited for four years since.

A place filled with only an ominous stillness as if time itself had stopped moving there.

That place was starting to move again.

“Kegigig, kegig!”

“Kerreuk!”

“Kiehhhhhhhhhh!”