[ Goblin (2) ]
Yerim left for another engagement, and Yu Myungwoo was sent ahead.
Now that it was just me and Seok Hayan, I felt my heart flutter slightly. It had been so long since I’d been alone with a woman who seemed to have some interest in me. Maybe… was this the first time?
Though, to be fair, Seok Hayan’s interest was entirely academic.
Her eyes lit up as she drew the entrance to a dungeon on a piece of paper. Not much of an artist, though.
“Being able to estimate a dungeon’s saturation level by calculating the shape of the entrance and the distribution of mana—amazing. Right now, we just calculate an average, so there are times when we have to start an emergency raid. Aside from the indicators like green for dungeons that are less than three days old and red for those on the brink of a break, there’s really nothing else.”
“It’s still just a theory. There’s too little data to make any guarantees. Especially since there aren’t that many dungeons in Korea.”
At my words, Seok Hayan sighed with regret.
“That’s true! There are too few. Ah, I’d get stoned if I said that outside, but it really is a shame we can’t study more dungeons.”
“If we could analyze a large number of dungeons, we might discover something new.”
“Exactly! I just don’t get why most countries won’t let foreigners even investigate their dungeons. We’re not talking about raiding them, just observing. Honestly, shouldn’t the whole world be working together on this? If we understand dungeons better, people will be safer!”
Seok Hayan’s passionate outburst was followed by her gazing at me with eyes full of admiration.
“You’re the first person who really understands me, Yujin! Most people still believe dungeons are random, unpredictable disasters. I never thought I’d meet someone who’s convinced there’s a pattern and is even researching it.”
She suddenly grabbed my hand and leaned in close. Whoa, hold on a second.
“Why don’t we set up a lab together?”
“…I’ll have to pass on that.”
“Why? The two of us could make incredible discoveries!”
No wonder she’s related to Seok Gimyeong. Their pushiness is the same.
“I’m more of a hands-on person. Sitting at a desk, pulling my hair out while studying, isn’t for me.”
“That’s fine. You can keep doing fieldwork. I’ll handle all the analysis. Statistics is my specialty!”
“I only have a GED, so…”
“No problem! I’m qualified to be a professor. I was already planning to use some connections to set up a department focused on dungeons and awakened beings. I’ll be the nicest professor you’ve ever had, and I’ll even pass your thesis without question!”
She must come from a powerful family to be talking about setting up a department just like that. Her offer to get me a college degree for free was tempting, but I didn’t feel like going back to school at this point.
Besides, if I got too involved with someone who’s going to become a leading authority on dungeon studies, I’d be exposed in no time. Better to keep things casual.
“I’m sorry, but my interests have shifted. I’m more focused on studying monsters now.”
I figured I’d pick up some knowledge along the way while raising them.
“Monsters…”
Seok Hayan murmured thoughtfully, then suddenly adopted a serious expression.
“Let’s collaborate between your lab and mine.”
“I don’t have a lab. I don’t plan on setting one up, either. I’m just raising a monster.”
“You’re already raising one? Wow, you really are a hands-on researcher!”
She was just starting to gush about how she should follow my example when—
Click!
“Huh?”
Suddenly, the lights went out. With no windows in the basement and the hallway lights also out, I couldn’t see a thing.
A power outage?
“The lights went out.”
“Looks like it. Let me turn on my phone’s flashlight.”
I pulled out my phone and pressed the home button. A faint light illuminated Seok Hayan’s face, standing by my desk.
Her face was frozen in a look of utter shock.
“…Seok Hayan?”
What’s up with her all of a sudden? Seeing her like this in the dim phone light was really creepy—
“Kyahhhhh!!”
“W-What?!”
Her piercing scream made my heart drop. Startled, I turned around.
A ghastly, bloodied face with wide, white eyes was floating in the misty light, staring straight at me.
Oh shit…
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The chairs and desks shook. Papers on the podium scattered everywhere.
“Kyahhh! Mommy!!”
In the midst of Seok Hayan’s screams, I collapsed to the floor. Not because my legs gave out, but because the chair wobbled and I fell off… Damn, at least I didn’t scream! What the hell… There’s no such thing as ghosts… But if there are dungeon monsters, could there be ghosts too…?
But wait, I have the Fear Resistance skill, so why the hell am I trembling and scared to the point of tears… Oh.
I turned it off. I turned it off and didn’t turn it back on. Am I an idiot?
I quickly reactivated the Fear Resistance skill. Immediately, a sense of calm washed over me.
‘Was my bad mood this morning because I turned off the skill?’
The skill’s description only mentioned immunity to fear, but since it’s an L-rank skill, it probably has additional effects. And since it’s passive, it might have been boosting my Willpower stat all along.
My original mental fortitude wasn’t that weak, but losing the skill made me anxious. I guess you really don’t notice something until it’s gone.
“Seok Hayan!”
I picked up my dropped phone, turned on the flashlight, and hurried over to Seok Hayan. She was slumped on the floor, half out of it.
“Are you okay?”
When I lightly shook her shoulder, she went completely limp, fainting. She was still breathing, so it looked like she just passed out. Holding her close, I shouted,
“Knock it off! Goblin!”
A ghost suddenly showing up in broad daylight with this exaggerated performance? Not likely.
Once I’d cooled down, the culprit was easy to figure out.
It was the Goblin.
The Goblin, who loves to play pranks, especially scaring people.
“Okay, okay, don’t get mad~.”
A playful, gender-neutral voice replied. The lights in the hallway and the classroom came back on.
“You said you wanted to meet, so I came.”
With a chuckle, a figure appeared on top of a desk. It was someone dressed in a red goblin mask with a blue traditional coat. They were swinging around a bloodied, blue face mask.
“Maybe I went a little overboard. I didn’t think she’d actually faint. I usually control it better, but I guess it’s been a while.”
“Fortunately, it doesn’t look like she’s hurt…”
I looked up at the Goblin. It was my first time seeing them in person. They weren’t particularly tall, but not short either. A quirky and mischievous, yet ultimately good-natured person.
A hunter with medium-range teleportation, invisibility, and eventually, long-distance portals, who belonged to no one.
I want them.
Even with just the first two abilities, if I could gain their help…
‘I could investigate dungeons.’
If the Goblin helped, Seok Hayan wouldn’t have to go to the U.S. to discover the dungeon creation rules.
‘A prank-loving Goblin. Someone who’s rumored to go to any lengths to scare people.’
This is an opportunity.
I smirked and spoke provocatively.
“Why don’t you stop with these cheap pranks that aren’t scary at all?”
“What?!”
The Goblin jumped up.
“Not scary at all?! You were so scared you turned pale! Your legs gave out, and you were trembling like a leaf!”
“You must have been mistaken. It was dark.”
“No way! I saw it! I saw everything clearly!”
I put on a flustered expression, deliberately stammering.
“T-That was just because I wasn’t expecting it.”
“So you admit you were scared! Think you wouldn’t have been if you were expecting it? Coward~ coward~.”
“If I expected it, I wouldn’t have been scared! Honestly, your prank was pretty lame.”
“Lame?! It’s classic!”
The Goblin stomped their feet. Time to reel in the bait.
“How about we make a bet?”
“A bet? Sure, I love bets! What’s at stake?”
“If you can’t scare me, you have to admit that I’m better than you! And… you’ll be my subordinate for three years.”
It was a childish challenge, but the Goblin seemed to like it. They shrugged their shoulders and laughed.
“Alright, alright. But I’m a very talented and impressive person! If you lose… well, you’re an F-rank, but since you’re the Haeyeon Guild Master’s brother, I’ll cut you some slack and make you my subordinate for 20 years!”
So they knew about me. But it seemed they didn’t have a complete picture. Well, no matter how amazing the Goblin is, they’re just one person. There’s no way they’d waste time closely monitoring an F-rank’s every move.
Still, now that we’re connected, I should be more careful.
“You have a contract, right?”
The Goblin’s laughter stopped abruptly. Their eyes fixed on me.
“A contract? You want to make it official?”
Looks like they thought it would be just a playful, informal agreement. But that won’t do. It has to be legitimate.
“Of course, we need a proper contract. What, are you scared?”
“No way! But this is all so suspicious. Why are you so confident?”
The Goblin floated up into the air, then slowly drifted towards me, circling around and examining me closely.
“There’s no resistance skill because it’s passive, so are you planning to use an item?”
“I won’t use one. If you’re suspicious, we can add a no-item clause to the contract.”
“Then, a skill that boosts your Willpower?”
“I won’t use that either. Honestly, my skill only increases it by 5%. I wouldn’t even notice. We can add a clause about that, too—no active skills for me or anyone else.”
Despite my reassurances, the Goblin still looked skeptical. Their instincts were sharp.
“Hmmm, something’s off, it’s so fishy. I feel like I’m going to lose. You were so scared just now. Your legs even gave out!”
Yeah, I was hiding something. But I had to make the Goblin feel secure. If they kept suspecting something, they wouldn’t sign the contract.
“Alright, I’ll be honest… I do have an ulterior motive.”
I feigned a bit of embarrassment as I continued.
“The truth is, even if I lose, I won’t really be losing anything.”
“Won’t lose anything?”
“Yeah. I’m just an ordinary F-rank hunter, and you’re the famous Goblin. If I win, it’s a huge deal, but if I lose, I’ll still get to be the Goblin’s subordinate. Isn’t that kind of cool?”
I made myself look a little bashful. Recalling how I’d confessed to Kim Seonghan thirty times helped my face naturally flush a bit. Damn, that was embarrassing.
“You’re… you’re amazing and all, and… well, I wouldn’t say I’m a fan, but… uh, it’d be an honor to be your subordinate. I don’t think you’re the kind of person who would treat me badly, either. And…”
“And?”
The Goblin asked, sounding excited. If they weren’t wearing a mask, I bet they’d be grinning ear to ear.
“…You were really cool when you made that declaration about your bag of secrets. It was honestly so cool.”
“I am pretty awesome, aren’t I?”
The Goblin burst out laughing, soaring up into the air. Watch out, you might hit the ceiling.
“I like you! If you’d just asked to be my subordinate, I would’ve laughed it off, but you provoked me and made a bet. I like that! And you’re even insisting on a contract—nice!”
“I said I wouldn’t mind losing, but I plan on winning.”
“Yeah, yeah, okay!”
A piece of parchment appeared in the Goblin’s hand.
“Let’s make a bet!”
The bait was taken.
With a cheerful laugh, I adjusted my hold on Seok Hayan. Since I was this close to success, I needed to make sure she was okay.
“Before that, could you take this person to the infirmary?”
The Goblin agreed readily, nodding before whisking Seok Hayan away, only to return moments later.
Teleportation really is an incredible ability. I wish I had it too.
“Alright, let’s write up the contract!”
The Goblin laid the parchment out on the desk. It was an A-rank contract guaranteed by the Association, with penalties for breaching the terms.
‘By the way, I wonder what the Goblin’s stats are. Maybe I’ll figure out their real name too.’
Knowing their name might even reveal their gender. I activated the Promising Talent skill to examine the Goblin’s status window, which had been hidden until now.
[Awakened Being: ? Yun Yun
Current Stat Grade: B
Potential Stat Grade: B
Initial Optimization Skills:
Who Am I? (S) Acquired
Cloud Step (B) Acquired]
…Yun Yun? What kind of name is that? How fitting for a mysterious Goblin. I still couldn’t tell if they were male or female.
Their B-grade stats were high, but surprisingly, none of their optimized initial skills were related to teleportation. The “Who Am I?” skill seemed to be for invisibility, and “Cloud Step” was a fairly common flight skill.
“You’re not going to back out now, are you?”
The Goblin urged, growing impatient as I stared blankly at the status window. They were really pushy.
I picked up the pen and started filling in the terms on the contract.
“Just one round is too ambiguous. Let’s make it three.”
The Goblin, peering over my shoulder as I wrote, chimed in. You don’t want it to be ambiguous, huh? You’re just stretching it out for your own amusement, aren’t you?
“If you don’t get scared even once, I’ll make you my first subordinate!”
“Do you have other subordinates?”
“You’ll be the third!”
I guess it makes sense to have a few trusted aides. If something happened to the Goblin, someone would need to handle their bag of secrets.
As I wrote down the terms of victory, the conditions for no skill or item use, and other specifics, the Goblin kept interjecting with suggestions. By the time we were done, the parchment was nearly full.
For someone who acts like a clown, the Goblin is surprisingly meticulous.
“We need to be very clear that I don’t have to follow any unreasonable orders. Also, even if I lose, you won’t ask me about anyone else’s secrets—write that in too!”
“Of course, I won’t ask. I’m not going to make you do anything dangerous.”
I need to treat this valuable asset with care.
Finally, after adding a time limit of one week for the challenge, we both signed the contract.
“Try not to drag other people into this, okay? And I’d appreciate it if you could respect my privacy—like, in the bathroom or while I’m bathing.”
“Don’t worry! I’ve never snuck into a bathroom or a bathhouse! I’ve never even thought about it!”
The Goblin’s confident statement sealed the deal for me.
This Goblin’s a woman.
There’s no way a man with an invisibility skill wouldn’t have at least thought about sneaking a peek into the women’s bath. At the very least, he’d have considered it.
“Well, I look forward to working with you.”
I carefully folded the contract and smiled warmly at my future subordinate.
–TL Notes–
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