The Goblin's Prank
Doyokshini gathered up her 115 weapons and departed, leaving behind a brief piece of advice. "Dokkaebi love pranks." Seojun mulled over her words as he sat down at the workbench. Was it just simple amusement, or a call to pierce through to the hidden essence beneath? He silently gazed at the goblin fire blazing green in the furnace.
It was the result of his relentless efforts to handle the goblin fire. The flames were fully awakened now, heat and cold coexisting in separation. But Doyokshini had called it half-baked. He needed to shatter the boundary and fuse them into one.
"A prank..." As the tales went, dokkaebi pranks were mischievous. Famous legends told of them grabbing passersby and wrestling them through the night without release. Whether intentional or accidental, the exhausted victim always ended up dead.
"Should I follow the dokkaebi way of thinking?" They always defied expectations, upending common sense. Even the goblin fire was contradictory, hot and cold coexisting in prankish paradox. Perhaps the essence of dokkaebi lay in contradictory play.
{Control the fire...}
{Touch the fire...}
{Devour the fire...}
He ignored the growing whispers in his mind, swelling like desire itself. Lately, his Monster Affinity had climbed to 9%, and wielding 4% of kaeyi power made control increasingly difficult.
"First, the goblin fire..." Seojun focused his mind and kaeyi-fied. Amid the ashen world, only the blue yokhwa flickered vividly. He gripped the forge tongs and cautiously breathed energy into the goblin fire—not to dominate it blindly, but to play with it. Like fleeing a tagger, he darted his energy about. The yokhwa chased after it, tails nipping at heels as they circled the same spot. Tag spiraled around the goblin fire, whipping flames into towering pillars.
Whoosh! The yokhwa responded, flames surging wildly. But it wasn't devouring its surroundings. It danced joyfully, frolicking in delight.
"Ah..." At last, the heat and cold aspects of the yokhwa began blending as one. The more opposites intertwined, the closer it veered to violet brilliance—more radiant than any gem, stirring deep craving.
{Now.}
Without realizing, Seojun reached out and seized the goblin fire. Entranced, he brought it to his lips to swallow. The violet yokhwa roiled in fury, shifting to crimson-black. Unimaginable heat erupted, searing his hand.
"Gahhh!" The agony made him drop the goblin fire from his grip. In an instant, his skin charred black. The scorching pain snapped him back to his senses.
"Wh-what the hell did I...?" He recalled what had just happened in confusion. Like his first kaeyi-fication, he'd lost his sense of self. Only raw desire remained, turning him into a beast obeying instinct.
"Nngh." But the pain cleared his tangled thoughts. He used an expensive potion as a stopgap, but the goblin fire's wrathful retribution wouldn't heal easily. Lucky it had ended at this level.
"I was possessed for a moment." Only after catching his breath could he grasp the situation. As his kaeyi-related stats rose, so did the desires. He'd been oblivious without a trigger, but the goblin fire—especially the violet yokhwa—stirred the fiercest urges.
"Not yet..." Seojun eyed the goblin fire with conflicted gaze, suppressing the still-whispering voice in his head. He sealed it deep in the warehouse.
A few days later. Treating his burned hand had cost time and money, but with no lingering effects, he'd resumed work.
And then, "You're here early."
Seojun greeted his visitors. Han Yura, Park Cheolwoo, and Lee Sujin from Silver Lining Guild. A mid-tier guild with over a dozen teams, but their main force was Park Cheolwoo's squad.
"When the master calls, we drop dungeon raids and come running." Park Cheolwoo meant it—fully geared in heavy armor. Vice Guild Master Lee Sujin was the same, and so was Han Yura. True to their Silver Lining name, silver accents gleamed on their gear. Park in tank plate mail, Lee Sujin in light mage robes, Han Yura in full-body melee suit.
"I told you last time, 'master' is too much..."
"Not at all. Even top A-rank blacksmiths can't craft gear effective against kaeyi. But your mace, Im Seojun—it's heavy as hell, but it smashed that kaeyi's skull."
Probably specialized physical damage, but hitting kaeyi at all was a feat.
"...Anyway, I called you because the prototypes are ready." Seojun revealed the gear on his workbench. One-handed flails. Various steel plates. Rough-looking, but forged from yokhwa-textured alloy.
"These are...?"
"Anti-Kaeyi Equipment." Seojun handed a flail to Park Cheolwoo. He hefted it, gauging the weight—surprisingly heavy, but great grip.
"So, like last time...?"
"Exactly. Processed from junk kaeyi used. That's why it affects them meaningfully."
"This is the real deal." He'd explained the secret when handing over the prototype mace—vaguely, as insurance. Risks of handling kaeyi stuff, Hunter Management Bureau penalties, etc.
"The plates are for attaching to armor, right?"
"Modular design for compatibility. Attach or swap as needed."
"Whoa, this is legit. The kaeyi from last dungeon? One smack with this, and it'd be done." Han Yura swung the flail experimentally. Whoosh, whoosh. Heavy air-cleaving thuds.
"We'll buy the lot. Price?" Park Cheolwoo pulled out his wallet without hesitation.
But Seojun waved him off. "These are mass-produced. Real reason I called you is separate."
His eyes turned serious. He pulled a box from under the bench, contents hidden.
"Custom-made. Interested?"
"...Custom?" They echoed in unison.
Seojun nodded. "Mass-produced averages performance for versatility. Custom? Tailored to one user. Performance incomparable."
He paused. "But materials are rare, process finicky—pricey. And..."
"And?"
"For kaeyi only. Might fall short against humans or regular monsters."
Park Cheolwoo swallowed hard. Mass-produced alone would shake the hunter world; custom superior versions? Irresistible greed for any hunter.
"We'll pay anything. Dungeons lately? Pinch pennies, lose your life. With reliable gear, I'd empty my accounts."
Han Yura and Lee Sujin nodded.
Seojun smiled. "Good. Tell me what you want. But considering time and difficulty, one piece each."
They pondered. Park spoke first, tapping his head. "Helmet for me. Suffered hallucinations and whispers in a folktale dungeon once. Something to block mental interference."
"Mental protection... Got it." Seojun jotted it down.
Next, Han Yura fiddled with her waist dagger. "Main gauche for me. Off-hand for my rapier. Mostly defense, but sharp enough to stab kaeyi vitals on openings."
Main gauche—parry enemy blades or exploit gaps. Perfect for kaeyi prep without messing up kit.
Last, Lee Sujin. "Light, mobile, protective. Chainmail cardigan. Wear under robes."
Chainmail cardigan. Thick wire chains into vest shape. Tedious by hand, but standard hunter gear—he had machines.
"Got it. Helmet, main gauche, chainmail cardigan." Seojun confirmed and opened the box. Crimson-black ingots inside. Alloy laced with kaeyi byproducts—like Doyokshini's soldiers' gear.
"Higher kaeyi ratio alloy ingots."
The three couldn't look away. Mere metal lumps, yet overwhelming presence.
"Even more effective on kaeyi."
"Whoa..." Han Yura sighed unconsciously, clutching her scabbard.
"But riskier too." Seojun didn't hide the dangers—courtesy to regulars. And he believed: these three were the exceptional ones Doyokshini mentioned.
"If we sought safety, we wouldn't be hunters." Park replied instantly. The others nodded.
"Besides, custom Anti-Kaeyi Equipment from the master? We could sweep those abandoned folktale dungeons."
"Understood. I'll contact you when customs are done."
"Please. Oh, and we'll buy all mass-produced Anti-Kaeyi too."
Park committed boldly. Play right, and it'd leap them ahead of the pack.