The Importance of Parts

Cha Uyoon's goblins were weak. Their total number hovered around four hundred. Among them, roughly twenty could be called upper-tier specimens. Even those, however, didn't possess combat power markedly different from the puppets Hong Jiu had brought along.

'She's definitely one of Park Gibeom's assassins…'

Yet despite their frail goblin physiques, they fought far more persistently than expected. That was because they had already experienced higher stages. Each stage had its own keyword. Stage 4, the Maze of Evolution, focused on strengthening summons. Zombies that had roamed the maze, consumed Fruits of Good and Evil, and devoured various creatures were physically superior to their enemies. In contrast, Stage 5's keyword was items—various objects that benefited both users and summons. The goblins' advantage in equipment and consumables proved more effective than anticipated.

We had equipment as well. But there was a clear difference between gear that had been properly distributed and whatever scraps we had scavenged from fallen enemies after battles. Their equipment compensated for their physical shortcomings. What bothered me most, however, was the gap in consumables. Whenever a goblin was wounded, it immediately retreated to the rear and chugged a potion. They weren't top-grade potions, but when enough of them did it, the effect on the entire battlefield was significant.

'They really are carried by their gear.'

It was a stark reminder of how powerful logistics could be in large-scale combat. If things continued this way, our regular zombies might suffer heavier losses than expected. After a brief moment of deliberation, I decided to deploy the bull beastkin zombies. We would win eventually even without them, but once I dealt with Cha Uyoon, Park Gibeom himself would likely come next. There was no longer any point in hiding my strength.

"You look like you're struggling. Let's just end this."

Cha Uyoon kicked away a clinging zombie and glared at me. Her hair had come undone and now hung in wild disarray.

"Ha, bullshit. Getting scared now?"

I began summoning the bulls around me. Three-meter-tall minotaurs started rising from the ground in every direction, each gripping a massive battle axe. Cha Uyoon's mouth fell open in stunned disbelief.

"Huh…?"

She stared blankly at the sudden appearance of the bull unit, her expression making it clear she had never anticipated this. Even that foolish woman understood the battle's outcome had already been decided.

"Charge."

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Bwooo— Bwooo—

The goblin defensive line collapsed in an instant. The upper-tier goblins who tried to block the bulls' path were sent flying helplessly through the air. The tense balance on the battlefield shattered. With the bulls' intervention, the fight devolved into chaos. The distinction between front and rear lines vanished. Injured goblins could no longer retreat to drink potions. In moments, the goblins plummeted into a cold abyss. The end of the battle drew near.

'It's over.'

Cha Uyoon had never been a real concern. From the very beginning, when Hong Jiu arrived, I had deliberately feigned weakness to lure out the next assassin. The real problem was what came after. Now that I had revealed the bulls, Park Gibeom would no longer see me as mere entertainment for his little play.

Cha Uyoon fought to the very end. She pulled out all sorts of items, killed zombies, and even managed to take down one of the bulls. But even that struck me as a mistake. Cha Uyoon was an Earthling. She hadn't trained daily like I had, nor had she rolled around in the wild risking her life. She was just another modern person. Perhaps she had forgotten that we were summoners. Or maybe her selfishness was so great that she refused to distribute valuable items to her summons. What was certain was that if the various items she carried had been given to the goblin king named Alexander, he could have fielded a far more powerful ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠army.

'That's something I need to be careful about as well…'

For now, because the zombies' intelligence and combat skills were still low, I had to step in personally to maximize our strength. But that wouldn't last forever. I, too, must never forget that I was a summoner.

In the end, Cha Uyoon was torn apart by the zombies while screaming something at me. It sounded like she was begging for her life. Even that sight struck me as absurd. If we were still back on modern Earth, even if I found Cha Uyoon repulsive, I would have helped her if she were being robbed. That was the society humanity had built, and I believed that even with bad blood, one should at least offer that much to a former colleague.

'But you came here as an assassin to kill me.'

If I had been the one about to die and begged for mercy, would she have spared me? Of course not. I was neither foolish nor saintly enough to spare someone who had tried to kill me.

"I'll make good use of your corpse."

Though Cha Uyoon herself had been weak, the legacy she left behind was of high quality. Her items, her goblins, even her body—everything would be put to good use.

Park Gibeom nervously tapped the armrest of his chair with his finger.

"Haa… Look at this bastard. Hiding his power?"

Power could be concealed. But when he analyzed the bastard's actions carefully, everything ultimately revolved around Park Gibeom himself. That was what irritated him.

'A mere part… aiming for me?'

A subordinate daring to target him. Park Gibeom despised this kind of insubordination.

Park Gibeom turned his head and surveyed his surroundings. Numerous puppets were repeatedly repairing and crafting using resources they had plundered. After beating Uyoon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to death without gaining anything, Gibeom had immediately set out to hunt other Stage 6 users. They were all far inferior to their maximum potential. Many had reached Stage 6 without any real substance. He devoured the remaining Stage 6 connections in rapid succession. Unlike his usual perfect preparations, he simply wanted to acquire resources quickly and move on. Beyond Stage 6, he would encounter other users through the server, so he intended to devour them freely without the help of 'Yeon'.

He had planned to leisurely reorganize ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠while enjoying the little show Uyoon would provide. But the show had been ruined. The part that was supposed to act within the play had shamelessly broken the fourth wall and tried to harm the director.

"Haa… I really want to tear him apart right now."

Gibeom's face twisted in frustration. He already knew that. Thinking this would be the last time, Park Gibeom had forcibly used his patron's ability. He had launched consecutive invasions, and 'Yeon' had declared a rest period. Of course, that rest wouldn't last long, so Park Gibeom could simply wait a little and then go after Baek Suhan. And that was what angered him. The fact that he had to wait for a subordinate who was no better than a bug was unpleasant.

"How long until the gate can be opened?"

Park Gibeom ground his teeth. There was no reason to stay in Stage 6 for seven more days just for that bastard. Reorganization would be finished in two days. Wasting five days would mean that even killing the bastard wouldn't satisfy him.

"What if I force it anyway?"

"I'll offer Baek Suhan's soul."

"Then that's what we'll do."

Neither Park Gibeom nor 'Yeon' realized what terrible consequences this choice would bring.

Baengnae and I held hands and danced. Did you know? The word "goblin" in the dictionary refers indiscriminately to dokkaebi, monsters, and evil fairies. So, on a whim, I had tried transplanting a goblin's head onto a Snow Dokkaebi's body. The zombie synthesis succeeded.

"Hooray! Hooray!"

"Mangse! Mangse!"

But that wasn't the end of it. There was an even more surprising fact. Goblins and dark elves could actually have their heads transplanted. Look at the goblin description again. These cute and useful green monsters were both dokkaebi and fairies. And elves were a race with fairy characteristics.

'Ehehehe!'

After wearing out countless boots through repeated attempts, I finally produced an excellent and beautiful finished product. First, transplant the head of the smartest dark elf among the three onto a goblin's body. That would make it garbage at first. The dark elf's greatest strengths were its intelligence and proficiency with various weapons. But transplanting it into a goblin body inferior to its own would reduce overall combat power. Still, there was no need to worry. Now, if I cut off the arms and upper body of the goblin with the elf head and transplant them onto the Snow Dokkaebi?

That's right! Through the goblin as an intermediary, the dark elf would gain control over a superior body. This entity was exceptional. Their greatest strength, even surpassing the large dark elves from 4-4, lay in their ranged capabilities. The power of a bow depended on two abilities: eyesight and muscle strength. If you couldn't see, you couldn't aim. If you lacked sufficient strength, you couldn't draw the string. And now I had created a being that possessed both.

'Ah… The world is still beautiful!'

I shed tears and gave a standing ovation. It felt like I had achieved a dream. How much effort and thought had I poured into synthesizing zombies? The past days flashed before my eyes.

"Baengnae, what should we name these ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠guys?"

"Um… I don't know."

This was an important point. A magnificent achievement deserved a magnificent name. It was time to put the finishing touch.

"Hmm…"

I observed the new zombie. A 2.2-meter-tall dokkaebi with blue skin, a hint of green skin visible at the neck, and the dark, long ears of an elf. Just an ordinary synthesized zombie.

'This is hard…! So difficult!'

While I was agonizing over it, Baengnae decided on a name.

"Dokkaebi."

Baengnae clapped repeatedly, clearly pleased with the name, and cheered for the dokkaebi. But "Dokkaebi" lacked distinction. This being was clearly superior to the Snow Dokkaebi, so how could I just call it "Dokkaebi"? Then a flash of inspiration struck.

"Black Dokkaebi!"

"Um?"

"Since it has a dark elf in it, we should respect the black color too."

"Madda."

Baengnae looked satisfied as well. Since two letters were the same as the name she had come up with, she didn't mind "Black Dokkaebi." Thus, the new zombie's name became Black Dokkaebi.

"Alright! Let's go test the Black Dokkaebi's performance right away!"

At that moment, Nareun-i opened the door to the medical ward. Sunlight flooded the dark space, making us squint. I raised my hand to block the light and groaned.

"Ugh… What is it?"

Nareun-i looked at me and asked, "Um, Master… Aren't you going to explore the ruins?"

"Ah, right."

I had been so focused on creating the Black Dokkaebi that a mountain of tasks had piled up. Nareun-i held up a report and spoke.

"There are seven more areas in the snowy mountain region where we need to collect Fruits of Good and Evil. We also need to resolve the restricted access zones… I don't want to interrupt your enjoyment, Master, but… it seems you should start working soon."

Looking at Nareun-i's expression, I snapped back to reality. The Black Dokkaebi was certainly a great achievement and a valuable addition to the entire legion. But did I really need to be here? After all, the "transplant" was being handled by the boots, so there was no reason for me to stay glued to the medical ward.

'Damn, I got completely absorbed again…!'

It was time to pull myself together and get to work.