Chapter 64

64 Raise the Ramparts

Shoot!

As if the curtains on a stage were lifted, the fog quickly disappeared. Those who witnessed the magical sight exclaimed in unison.

“Wow…”

“That was amazing.”

The Explorer’s Flag disappeared with the fog. As expected, it was just a one-time use item. He knew what would happen, but he couldn’t help but feel regretful for it.

‘This is not the time.’

Byeong-gap quickly pulled himself together and led the Goblins forward.

“Everyone, follow me!”

“Yep!”

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“Let’s go!”

It was a vast forest that the flag had cleared and exposed. The unknown broadleaf trees were dense. They weren’t very tall, but their trunks were very strong.

They didn’t have to worry about firewood. Byeong-gap thought so as he scoured the area.

‘This should be enough.’

“Doran, let’s go.”

“Yes! I’ll go.”

“You don’t have to go too far, and never rush into battle. It’s best not to get hurt. Keep that in mind.”

“Don’t worry. Alright, let’s go!”

Doran started to lead the infantry and the attack squad.

“Lord, we’ll be right back.”

“Uh, Dorma. Please take care of the kids.”

“Don’t worry too much. Nothing will happen.”

The search party quickly disappeared from view.

In his heart, he wanted to follow them as well, but they were in a hurry, and some things here were more important. All of them were strong, so he had to trust them.

“Come on, let’s work together!”

Before raising the walls, they had to pick out and level the ground. The Goblins cut down all the trees in the area that the Lord had designated.

Of course, Byeong-gap himself didn’t just supervise. He brought out his sword instead of an axe and started chopping down trees as well.

‘This is nothing.’

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He swung his sword with all his strength. Compared to the karma barrier of top monsters, these tree trunks were as soft as tofu.

“One, two, three!”

“Hoot!”

As soon as a tree fell, the Goblins in charge of transport carried it out.

Gradually, a path began to be built in the forest.

“Oh, my waist.”

Byeong-gap sheathed his sword, soothing his numb waist. There were a lot of trees cut down around him. The extent of his logging alone had cleared one playground-sized area.

“Guys, get rid of the trees here!”

“Yes! We’ll go right away!”

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‘I’m almost done cutting the trees in this area.’

The lush trees had all disappeared, but only the first phase of work was complete. Now, they had to split the stump of the trees left on the ground to level the area and move the rocks.

Not even a single break was carried out, and soon, it was already noon.

“Everyone, take your lunch!”

Ea and the little ones visited the worksite carrying several baskets. Inside the baskets were large rice balls, potatoes, and boiled eggs.

‘They did a good job, just as I ordered.’

Byeong-gap had asked Ea to do this in the morning. He wanted her to make a convenient lunch for the workers. Ea fulfilled his request very faithfully. It was a shame that the rice ball was only made up of rice and salt, but such food tasted like honey when eating it after sweating.

“Wow, you cut down all those old trees by yourself, didn’t you? It hasn’t even been half a day. You’re amazing.”

“The kids had a hard time too.”

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Byeong-gap replied as he chewed his rice balls. In his head, he thought about how to place the walls.

“By the way, I have something to tell you.”

“Hmm?”

“You asked me yesterday whether I wanted to stay here or go with you. I’d like to answer that.”

He stopped shoving rice balls into his mouth and nodded with a slightly nervous face.

“Yes, as I said before, I will respect whatever decision you make, so don’t feel pressured to tell me.”

“I’ll follow you.”

“Really? Are you okay with that?”

Ea laughed bitterly.

“It’s scary, but I believe you and the Goblins will protect me.”

“Of course. Don’t worry about that. You’ll never be in danger.”

“Hohoho.”

She looked around the forest with a small smile.

“Actually, I’ve always wanted to go out.”

“You’ve always wanted to go out?”

Byeong-gap asked back in surprise. Ea nodded her head gently.

‘…Have I been pushing her to work too much?’

His heart ached. He realized it would not have been easy to get up early every morning to prepare their meals. He regretted that he had been ignorant of Ea’s troubles.

“It’s been tough. Yeah, you’ve been through a lot. I’m too insensitive to you—”

“No, no, no! It’s not what you think it is.”

Ea interrupted him and waved her hands urgently, continuing to explain.

“My life here is very happy. It’s safe, it’s rich, it’s always lively here. I’ve never thought it was hard. I’m serious.”

“But why?”

“Just… Sometimes I miss my own kind.”

“Oh.”

Byeong-gap sighed briefly.

As she said, there were only Goblins in Somnium. He thought she was sociable and got along well with the Goblins, but it seemed that there was still a species difference that she could not overcome.

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“Actually, us Spirits are not as special to each other as you are. We set up villages for our own benefit and survival, but we don’t enjoy emotional communication. In that sense, it was very interesting to observe you and the Goblins. They worked their way through adversity under their Lord’s will. That’s rare in the society of Spirits.”

“Uh, is that so?”

“Yes. It is just our nature that we are insensitive to each other, but strangely, at night, I find myself missing my kind. I don’t know if there are any other Nefi besides me.”

“What are you talking about? Of course there are.”

After a short pause, he spat out his words impulsively.

“Even if it’s hard right now, we’ll have some free time in a few months. Let’s go find your kind. I’ll help you.”

“Oh, really?”

“Of course, you are also part of our family.”

“Family… huhu. Thank you so much for those words.”

“I mean it.”

Ea smiled with joy.

“By the way, I’m worried. If I leave, will the rest of the Goblins be able to eat properly?”

“I’ll teach them.”

Byeong-gap continued, taking out a pack of cigarettes.

“So help me, Ea.”

“What do you want me to help you with?”

“You teach the children how to cook. Teach them how to store food ingredients. We’ll have plenty of time.”

She thought for some time and nodded vigorously.

“Okay! I think I can do it well. I don’t make baseless promises.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“What do you mean? Thank you! I also think of you as family.”

Their short lunch break passed by.

The Goblins went back to work, and under the leadership of Byeong-gap, everything proceeded smoothly.

By 2 pm, enough territory had been cleared to be able to raise the ramparts.

“Everyone, step back! We’re going to raise the walls!”

“Lord’s command. Back off!”

The Goblins gathered at their Lord’s command.

Byeong-gap opened the ancient shop and bought an ‘Advanced Wall.’

[Advanced Wall]

-Price: 55,000 Crystals

-Description: A high-quality, sturdy wall.

[Do you want to purchase the ‘Advanced Wall?’]

‘Of course.’

The moment he confirmed the purchase, something appeared in the air, a huge—no, there came up a magnificent piece of architecture that cannot be fully explained by the word ‘huge.’ Even though it was just an illusion because it was still at the stage before installation, they shuddered at its majesty.

“Wow!”

“Oh, it’s huge!”

The Goblins opened their mouths wide and spat out exclamations.

But even the huge size of the wall was not enough to cover the whole front of the area.

‘I’ll have to buy at least six or seven of these. I’m glad I collected enough crystals.’

[Do you want to install the ‘Advanced Wall’ in this location?]

[Starting installation…]

[Required time is about 150 minutes.]

‘150 minutes. It will take a long time.’

Byeong-gap began to build the fortress walls step by step on the rocky mountain. Once he had successfully set up one wall, he moved over to the side to raise a new one. The walls of the fortress fit perfectly with each other. It was like assembling a block toy.

The layout of the ramparts was finished in an instant. The problem was that it would take nearly three hours for the walls to become the real thing.

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Byeong-gap looked at the clock. It was already 3 pm, and the walls would not be completed until sunset.

“By the way, why isn’t the search party reporting…? I can’t do this. I’m gonna go find them.’

“Gobung.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“I’m going to go to the search party for a while, so you take care of the kids.”

“Oh! Yep! I see.”

After saying that, Byeong-gap turned around. But right before he left, Gobung grabbed his arm and stopped him.

“Well, look, Lord!”

“Why?”

“Those… Those people who are working. Should I bring them back? Or are we doing something else?”

“…….”

He seemed to find it difficult to follow because Byeong-gap had given vague orders. Previously, he had always been specific with his instructions.

Byeong-gap tried to answer out of habit, but he swallowed his words. He made his answer deliberately sarcastic instead.

“You decide, man. You’re the head of this place now. Get the kids back to work or something else… I don’t know. Do what you want.”

“Uh, uh. Hold on!”

Byeong-gap ignored him and continued walking away. In order for Gobung to take the initiative in leading and deciding, he had to do this, even if it seemed mean.

He ran to the fullest, gliding through the thick bushes. At the same time, he sharpened his senses as he tried to feel the presence in his surroundings.

“Did they go that way?”

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He was not sure, but he could feel a trace in the south.

The forest drew a gentle slope and gradually lowered its altitude. At the top was a remote cliff, but the bottom was completely different.

‘If we clear the path well, there won’t be any problems with cars.’

Later on, even if they set up a base elsewhere, he would be able to go back and forth with the use of a car. He moved hard, memorizing the topography with his eyes.

Had he been running for about half an hour now?

At the end of the forest, Byeong-gap finally saw Doran’s group.

The soldiers watched him approach, nervous as hell. When they realized that it was their Lord, they looked relieved.

“What are you doing here, Lord?”

Dorma asked, collecting a dark sphere. Byeong-gap answered only after he had taken a breath.

“Hey, you guys! You should come to me regularly to show your faces, and when it’s time to eat, go and eat quickly. Doran, what are you holding?”

“Oh, this?”

Doran lifted something in high spirits.

It was a dark gray lump with thick, gray water dripping from it. At first, he thought it was wet, but Byeong-gap tilted his head and looked closely. As soon as he approached it, a strong stench wafted over to him.

He jerked his head back, frowning.

‘Ugh! Why does it smell like a gutter? And what is that color?”

He saw two red circles and a large hole below them that looked like a mouth. Was Doran holding the severed head of something?

Doran opened her mouth before he could ask anything.

“I think it’s the monster Lord mentioned. What do you call it again? Goguro?”

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“That’s right, Grugles.”

Dorma corrected her gently.

“Oh, right. That’s right, Grugles.”

“Is this what you’re talking about?”

“Lord, they’re so weak. I just hit it, and it died.”

“Wait, is this them?”

Byeong-gap quickly scoured the area, but no monsters were visible except for the one Doran was holding.

Dorma looked at him vaguely and said.

“The rest of them are down there. I was on my way back with just one thing to report, but then Lord came.”

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“Are you saying you fought them? How many were there?”

“Well, there were about twenty of them.”

He felt like something was wrong when he heard that they fought twenty monsters.

“Doran, I told you not to rush into battle! You should’ve reported them when you found them! It’s not just one or two, that’s twenty of them!”

“Lo… Lord, don’t be angry… I couldn’t help it.”

Doran looked like she would die of embarrassment. He was about to ask her how she couldn’t help it, but Dorma stepped up in her defense.

“She’s right, Lord. The battle was inevitable.”

“How could you say it was inevitable?”

“Well, that’s… It’s a little hard to explain in words…”

“What do you mean by that?”

Dorma hesitated with a look of difficulty.

Byeong-gap waited, his arms folded as if to say that he was listening.

At that moment, Dorma’s eyes, which shifted to look behind his back, widened significantly. He hurriedly took a fighting stance and shouted.

“Lord, behind you!”

“What?”

Byeong-gap felt an unusual energy and quickly turned around.

He was astonished.

“What are these things…”

Gray-colored monsters crept out of the thick trees.