[ Dungeon + Water Mill ]
(TL Note: Before we start, keep in mind that the Korean Goblin is not the same as the European Goblin. If you want to learn more, look up Dokkaebi)
Training with Peace went smoothly on the second day of using the skill.
“Second-grade unicorn subspecies, Flame Horned Lion juvenile. Currently on the second day of the Beast Taming skill, time: 4:39 PM. Due to training, its growth time has been reduced. It has grown from a body length of 41 cm and weight of 2.8 kg to a body length of 51 cm and weight of 5.6 kg.”
I turned off the camcorder and looked at Peace, who sat proudly with his chest puffed out.
He had been about the size of a small cat, but he had grown so much in just one day. At this rate, after completing three days of training, he might grow from an oversized cat to as large as a big dog.
‘I’ll have to find a separate place for Peace to stay soon.’
I could still take him home until the end of this month, but starting next month, that would probably be impossible. He’d at least be the size of a tiger by then. I already felt a little regretful.
‘Since he can’t just show up suddenly bigger, I’ll have to move him secretly.’
I’d probably have to cover him with a cloth and move him around in a cage. It’s a hassle to keep going back and forth, so let’s just stay here for the next two days. I don’t really need any more theoretical training, do I?
I’d told Yu Myungwoo to rest well and take it easy for the next two days. As for Yerim, she was supposed to head straight into a dungeon after her classes today, so I wouldn’t need to worry about her.
She planned to properly equip a team this time and tackle a C-rank dungeon. The Haeyeon Guild Hunters are used to clearing B-rank dungeons, so they should clear it in two or three days.
‘They’ll continue taking good care of her at the guild… Yerim’s practically out of my hands now.’
Aside from offering some skill advice later on, there wouldn’t be much more for me to help with. I felt a mix of relief and sadness.
As I sorted through my thoughts, I let out a yawn as if on cue. Ugh, I’m sleepy. I stayed up all night, and now my eyelids felt heavy.
“Aren’t you sleepy, Peace? Let’s just close our eyes for a moment.”
I scooped up the bouncing Peace and headed to the break room. I’d only sleep for an hour.
While I dozed off briefly, Yu Myungwoo brought a packed lunch. His food still tasted great. He could probably sell it for money.
Right after that, Yerim stopped by to see my face before heading into the dungeon, and now, in the dead of night,
“Waaaah! I lost! Waaaah!”
Goblin had plopped down on the floor, sobbing her eyes out.
This time, she seemed to have prepared thoroughly, and it felt like watching a horror movie in immersive 4D. Not that it mattered, as my Fear Resistance skill displayed a message indicating intimidation nullification and that was that.
It seemed like the Fear Resistance skill’s message window only appeared when a certain level of intimidation was felt. Usually, it just provided a calming effect, and the message only popped up when it completely nullified the effect.
I guess if intimidation, fear, and anxiety were nullified all the time, I wouldn’t be able to feel normal emotions. Emotions are interlinked, after all.
“I can’t go home! I won’t go!”
She whined and flailed, lying down on the floor. It seemed she was more afraid of getting scolded than upset about losing the bet. Is she really a child? If this is an act, she deserves an acting award.
I watched her while Peace, now noticeably heavier than yesterday, sat on my lap. Suddenly, I asked,
“Goblin, how old are you anyway?”
“My age? I stopped counting after I turned a hundred.”
…Over a hundred? Not ten? Is she joking?
“If you don’t want to say, just tell me whether you’re a minor or not.”
“Alright! A bet is a bet, so you deserve to know! Even if I get scolded, I’ll tell you!”
Goblin floated up from her spot. At some point, her face had changed to a widely smiling Hahoe mask. Wasn’t that a Yangban mask? It’s been a while since I studied it, so I can’t quite remember.
“Do you believe Goblins exist?”
“…What?”
So, what she’s saying is—
“…You mean real goblins?”
“Of course, real ones! What else?”
What the heck?
“There’s no such thing as real goblins.”
Goblin twirled in the air.
“There are dungeons and awakened people! Your little brother controls flames, and your ward spreads ice mist!”
“That’s, well… the system is…”
“What about the system?”
The system, hmm.
Come to think of it, the idea of real goblins and spirits existing was more realistic than dungeons suddenly popping up and people awakening.
At least stories of goblins have been passed down. The system just came out of nowhere.
Still, hearing that goblins exist sounded ridiculous.
“…But you’re an awakened person.”
She had an ID and everything, although it was strange.
Goblin laughed. Her laughter sounded like soap bubbles floating in the air.
“I’m over a hundred years old, and I’m three years old!”
Three years. Three.
Dungeons and awakened people first appeared three years ago. She was born with the system. A hypothesis suddenly popped into my head.
“…You’ve been mixed with the power of the dungeon?”
Goblin’s ears perked up at my muttering.
“You know? How? How do you know? Really?”
Of course, this isn’t common knowledge. Even I don’t know much about it.
The phenomenon of mixing only appeared rarely after dungeon breaks became frequent, so it hadn’t been properly investigated even five years later.
But why already… No, three years ago was when the first dungeons started bursting out in a row. Since they were low-level dungeons, the power that leaked out was weak, but it was an environment where something mixed could have appeared.
“So, you’re not really a goblin.”
Goblin grinned widely at my words.
“I am a goblin!”
“Sure, sure. More like a relic from an old water mill owned by the Yun family.”
Since her name was Yun Yun. Yun might be the surname, and the other character might mean wheel. If not a water mill, it could be a cart or even just a wheel.
“W-How did you know?!”
Goblin froze mid-air. She seemed genuinely shocked.
“Maybe you’re a sacred golden bell from a shaman’s house…”
“I’m a pure human being.”
If a golden bell from a shaman’s house mixed with dungeon power, would it gain the power of prophecy? …That sounds tempting. There’s no way to artificially create goblins, though.
“By any chance, do you know anything about the system? Maybe some memories or information got mixed in.”
“Nope, I have no idea.”
Of course, she doesn’t know.
At least I understood why Goblin had such a unique personality and unprecedented special skills. As expected, the skill of teleportation is too overpowered to be gained from ordinary talent.
‘Dungeon power can be considered as a gate to another world and the space enclosing it, so it makes sense that she could acquire such a special skill.’
That’s why her optimized skills don’t include anything related to teleportation. Her floating invisibly suits a self-proclaimed goblin’s optimized skill set.
‘What exactly is a dungeon?’
Why would something create these and scatter them across this world, and why make people clear them using an awakening system?
I hadn’t given it much thought before going back in time.
But now, I couldn’t just ignore it. Most importantly, the system reached out to me first.
‘I really should try entering a dungeon.’
I can’t keep pretending not to know. With Goblin, I should be able to come and go safely now.
“Can you teleport in dungeons?”
“Hmm?”
“I mean, outside the dungeon. Or you could use your invisibility on me to avoid monsters. Which rank dungeons have you been in?”
“I’ve never gone inside one.”
What?
“You’ve never been in a dungeon? Not even once?”
“Yup. I can’t go in.”
Well, this is news.
“I tried going in once, but I got repelled! Bam, and I was thrown out!”
“Repelled? Is it because you have dungeon power?”
I guess putting a dungeon inside another dungeon is impossible. She’s treated similarly to a dungeon itself…
“What’s with that look? It’s suspicious!”
“It’s the look of someone finding you incredibly rare and precious.”
“That’s true!”
How do I investigate this? The problem is, I don’t have a way.
Hold on, if she’s similar to a dungeon…
I put Peace down from my lap and stood up. Then, I spread my arms wide toward Goblin.
“Goblin.”
“Yeah?”
“Let me hug you just once.”
You never know, maybe the person who made the system will contact me through a pseudo-dungeon.
“Huh? Why?! No way!”
I expected her to just jump into my arms without a second thought, but she shook her head and leaped into the air. Her reaction seemed oddly over the top. She let Seok Hayan hug her, though.
“I need to check something. I don’t have ulterior motives toward an uncertain species.”
“No way! We promised not to wrestle!”
Wrestling? Did she use to wrestle people before scaring them? She really is a traditional goblin.
“Then hug me from behind.”
“…Do I really have to hug you?”
“It’s important.”
“But if I hug you, I’ll want to trip you and throw you.”
“Try to hold back.”
After hesitating, Goblin moved behind me. Then she hugged me from behind.
“Okay?”
“Hold on.”
I quickly checked my status window, but nothing had changed.
“Try teleporting while holding me.”
“Already giving orders, huh?”
What is she talking about? I haven’t even started yet. Goblin grumbled but teleported with me. This felt just like going through a dungeon gate. It’s different from a mini portal.
When I opened the status window, I noticed a change.
[Dragon Slayer (L) ←]
This time, there was just a simple arrow. No time for emojis? Then,
[Poison Resistance (L) ←]
And,
[Poison Resistance (L) — Perfectly immune to poison below legendary grade
Effectively neutralizes poison.
Poison harmful to the human body.
Even drugs will…]
There was another description. But what is this?
Check complete?
…So it checked on its own and finished? Did it just want me to enter dungeons for checks? Or was there not enough time? Judging by the incomplete message, it seemed hastily written.
“Okay? I’m letting go now. I can’t hold back anymore!”
“Wait a sec. One more time—no, teleport a few more times.”
“No! It’s exhausting to teleport with someone! It shortens the distance, and I can’t do it in a row!”
Goblin shouted, moving far away from me. She seemed able to teleport by herself multiple times easily, but it was hard for her to take someone along.
“Can’t you create portals yet?”
“Portals?”
I guess not yet. She was supposed to gain long-distance portal skills in three or four years. Since she couldn’t enter dungeons, her growth had to be slow. To level up outside, she would have to buy monsters to hunt or wait for dungeon breaks.
It’s no good. I’ll have to apply the keyword and raise her.
“Goblin.”
“Yeah?”
“My beloved subordinate, I’m counting on you.”
Goblin shrieked and ran away. Why?
“Here’s the camcorder with Peace’s growth record.”
I handed over the camcorder to Seok Gimyeong, who couldn’t hide his satisfied smile. Since Yuhyun was busy preparing for the dungeon raid, Seok Gimyeong took over receiving and checking the records.
“I am beyond impressed, Han Yujin.”
Seok Gimyeong spoke in a rich voice, like thick chocolate syrup. His voice was really nice. I envied that. I bet he could take a complete stranger from a phone call to dating to marriage with just that voice.
“I feel like bowing my head and apologizing for not recognizing your talent sooner. I should have signed a contract with you three years ago.”
His eyes seemed to suggest that he wanted to lock me into a contract even now. Nope, I’m not signing.
“As you’ve heard from Yuhyun, I plan to remain unaffiliated for the time being.”
“Yes. You said you’d sign a contract once Haeyeon becomes the top guild in the country. May I confirm this once more?”
“Well…”
I stopped mid-sentence. Something felt off.
“…Are you recording this?”
“Oh, you’re certainly no ordinary person.”
Seok Gimyeong laughed heartily but didn’t turn off the recorder. This guy, seriously. Trying to pull a fast one.
“Turn it off, please.”
“Recording is essential when adjusting contract terms.”
Even as he said that, Seok Gimyeong obediently turned off the recorder.
“Nothing else, right?”
“For the sake of your trust, there’s nothing else.”
Then he shouldn’t have started recording in the first place. This guy was definitely a sly old fox in his past life.
“The negotiations regarding the Flame Horned Lions will take place with the three major guilds and the Hunter Association. I’ll accompany you, but the Guild Leader will be the main negotiator. However, you don’t need to worry. I’ve taught him well.”
No, the fact that you taught him is more concerning. Don’t corrupt my good-natured Yuhyun, you snake.
“It’s a new dungeon with no prior information, but it shouldn’t take long since the Guild Leader is participating. If it turns out to be a slime dungeon, we’ll clear it in three days.”
Slimes’ weakness is fire. Burning them would make them unusable for materials, but with a new dungeon, the focus would be on safety and information gathering, so it would be cleared quickly.
“If the negotiations go smoothly, why not make a TV appearance?”
“…Pardon?”
Did he just say, make an appearance?
–TL Notes–
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