Why Are the Goblins Eating Elixirs?
If the Murim Alliance has its Five Great Sects, the Esper Hunters have their Four Major Guilds. Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise. Named after the guardian deities of the four cardinal directions, each guild is positioned in its corresponding eastern, western, southern, or northern district.
Beyond them, countless smaller guilds have banded together to form an association. That is the Esper Hunters, and Han Se-hee is the president of the Hunter Association. Among the four major guilds, the Vermilion Bird Guild isn’t particularly the strongest. But unlike the others, who face constant checks from both Carpediem and the Murim Alliance, the southern district is nearly impossible to undermine. The Vermilion Bird Guild has taken root here from the very foundation.
Why? Because the Vermilion Bird Guild possesses the longest history in the entire Esper Hunter organization. As the very first guild founded by superhumans, it had claimed the southern district so long ago that no other faction could find a gap to wedge themselves in. That proud, ancient history, however, has been in danger of being swallowed by Carpediem ever since the current master, Choi Ji-ah, took power.
Even while Carpediem steadily nibbles away at the southern district, Choi Ji-ah still only cares about monster hunting. She’s twenty-nine, right? I heard she rose to the master position nine years ago, and in those nine years she turned the Vermilion Bird Guild into a monster-hunting-obsessed organization.
The Vermilion Bird Guild wasn’t originally like this. It used to be a guild that wielded serious influence inside the district. But now…
I don’t know if she’s acting or not. And if she is acting, I don’t know why. One thing is certain, though—Choi Ji-ah is also a possessor. Her hair is orange, her eyes are orange, fitting the Vermilion Bird name. She has sharp features overall, and while her chest is unnecessarily large, it doesn’t bounce at all when she moves. She’s clearly wearing pads.
She literally thrust out her chest while saying that, and the fact that it didn’t jiggle even a little is definitive proof. She went full breast padding fraud, just like the guild name. Classic Vermilion Bird Guild move.
Whatever. The chest is irrelevant. Her way of thinking is way too bizarre for a gangster. That’s why I suspect she’s acting. If she isn’t, maybe something went wrong during the possession process and her soul got devoured by the body, turning her into a monster-hunting maniac. I don’t know which is real. Acting, not acting, soul devoured by the body, or just another person entirely—there’s no way to tell right now.
From the outside, at least, Choi Ji-ah is a hero who only cares about hunting monsters. Since I don’t have any better ideas at the moment, I have no choice but to actively follow the hero’s words. Besides, there’s nothing I can do against an opponent with eighty thousand combat power anyway.
Core. The core is the object that makes it crystal clear this world is a creation. When Carpediem was first established, they began researching the core—the nucleus of monsters. The result was the birth of core studies, and through it, human cities create and use all their resources. In short, electricity, water, oil—everything in this world is produced by refining cores. None of the complex disciplines from the real world exist here. Only core studies. Everything ultimately comes down to core studies.
Therefore, killing monsters to obtain cores is absolutely necessary for humanity’s survival. That’s why history itself has been designed so that gangsters have no choice but to rule it. That author bastard is a crazy son of a bitch.
Fuck. Military to the very end, you bastard.
“Parents and siblings~ trust in me~ and sleep soundly~”
It’s morning, you asshole.
TRAINING SPEECH END
After Choi Ji-ah’s military-style pep talk that triggered all sorts of PTSD, the official goblin extermination hunt finally entered the Southern Boundary.
To be honest, saying I wasn’t nervous would be a lie. Everything I’ve fought in this world until now has been human. This is my first time stepping outside the city walls and crossing the boundary. Even though every member of the party is weaker than me, the experience itself is new, so I can’t help but feel tense. In any fight, variables can always appear.
“Haha, Mister Woo Hyun-woo. Don’t be too nervous. Our opponents are only goblins. We will win.”
That relaxed bastard, Baek Ji-hwan. This is exactly why you can’t trust battle-hardened veterans. They’ve only known peace, so they assume it will always stay peaceful. Even though Choi Ji-ah herself said that letting your guard down is another form of death.
Ah, saying it like this makes me feel like I’ve become a private. Choi Ji-ah feels like a field-grade or general-level commander. Still, it’s a well-known fact that privates survive better on the battlefield than sergeants. Sergeants can go fuck themselves.
“Oh, really? Then I’ll trust Sergeant Baek’s words and relax.”
“Sergeant? What does that mean?”
“It’s a thing. A truly wonderful title.”
“Sergeant, sergeant… it sounds like an abbreviation for ‘retarded disabled person.’ You wouldn’t say something like that to me when you’re the incompetent one, right?”
Wow, how did he know that sergeant means retarded disabled person? By the way, corporal means ‘fucking retarded.’
“Haha, how could I say such a thing? Sergeant means ‘leader of the soldiers.’”
“Hmm, that title suits me perfectly as the party leader. Very well. You may call me Sergeant Baek.”
Sergeant Baek? As in White Idiot Retard? Nice, I’ll take that offer.
“Now, look at this. It is a map of the Southern Boundary’s geography. I have marked the estimated location of the goblin pack here.”
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle. Whether it was Sun Tzu or just bullshit, Mohanya told me to engrave that saying in my heart. If I know the location of the goblin pack, I can observe the situation in advance as much as I want.
I looked at the marked spot on the map, pictured it in my head, and muttered.
Situation Observation
Observation Location: Southern Boundary
The moment I activated the skill while picturing the estimated location of the goblin pack, another view was added to my vision. In that view were countless goblins. The phrase “moving in packs” fit them perfectly. Just how many are there? Looks like over a hundred.
I should check their combat power.
501
576
693
...
There are a lot of them, but every single one is weaker than me when I use Chegi. But something is strange. These stupid goblins are standing in neat, orderly ranks like they’ve been drilled. On the contrary, our own party feels more disorganized. If General Choi Ji-ah saw this, she’d probably roar that we look like the Tang army.
But who the hell are these guys looking at to form such perfect lines?
While wondering that, I spotted a goblin with a string tied around its head. An orange feather was attached to the string, giving off a clear “boss” vibe.
Is that guy the goblin shaman? If I kill some goblins, raise my combat power, and fight him, I might be able to win.
“Here, eat this.”
“Kiruk!”
“You eat too.”
“Kiruk kiruk!”
The goblin shaman was handing out black pellets to the goblins standing in orderly ranks. What the hell is that? It looks like something straight out of a murim novel. It feels ominous.
“Hey, Mister Gu Ja-gon.”
“Huh?”
“Do you know what those black pellets are?”
“Black pellets?”
“Yes, they’re about this big.”
“Why are you suddenly asking? That’s Black Spirit Pill.”
“Black Spirit Pill?”
“Yeah. It’s an elixir made by mixing specific ratios of beneficial black medicinal herbs. Eat one and you’d have no more wishes left in life.”
“Oh, really? What happens when you eat it?”
“If you can absorb it properly, you become seven times stronger. Even if you can’t absorb it, you still get twice as strong.”
“Twice?”
Oh, fuck. We’re completely screwed.
1,002
1,152
1,386
...
Every goblin’s combat power has doubled. And the goblin shaman’s—
It’s fucked.
“Keruk! Keruk!”
“Keruk! Keruk!”
This time is different my ass. No matter how strong you get, one hit from Choi Ji-ah and you’re all dead. Of course, if we fight you, it looks like we’ll be the ones dying.
“Keruk! Keruk!”
What the hell is the World’s Will? It’s true that the reason monsters target human cities has never been clearly revealed. Maybe the World’s Will has something to do with it. But right now, our survival is more important, so I need to tell that fucking Baek Ji-hwan to call the executives over.
“Sergeant Baek, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it? Are you scared? If a powerless person like you is afraid, you may stay by my side anytime.”
This bastard. Should I just let him die?
“Actually, me being powerless was a lie.”
“Pardon? Then what ability do you have?”
“Long-range observation and combat power measurement.”
“Combat power measurement? Does that mean you will personally step forward and act as a combat power meter?”
He doesn’t seem to believe the combat power measurement part at all. Maybe it’d be better to say I was joking even now.
“The combat power measurement was a joke. But the long-range observation is real.”
“Oh, is that so? What did you see then?”
“I saw a hundred goblins eating every last Black Spirit Pill the goblin shaman handed out.”
“Puhaha!”
Gu Ja-gon, who had been listening quietly beside us, burst into laughter.
“Hey man, even bullshit should have limits. There’s no way there are enough Black Spirit Pills to feed a hundred goblins. It’s such a precious elixir that I’d be lucky to eat one once in my entire life.”
“Then what did I see?”
“You must have gone crazy and seen hallucinations! Or maybe you were hungry and they were just eating regular dumplings. Either way, goblins can’t even absorb it properly, so what’s the point of eating Black Spirit Pills?”
“You said even if they can’t absorb it, their power still doubles, didn’t you?”
“Double, huh. How adorable.”
Baek Ji-hwan laughed as he spoke.
“A goblin is still a goblin. Just because a cockroach becomes twice as strong, can it defeat a human? Likewise, even if goblins become twice as strong, there is no chance we will lose. You worry too much. Is it because you’re powerless?”
That damn “powerless” again. These sons of bitches can’t see the numbers, so of course they’re acting so relaxed. One punch from those things right now and you’d all be dead. It’s so frustrating I’m about to lose my mind, but then the view of the goblin pack changed.
Following the goblin shaman’s command, the goblins moved with perfect coordination, scattering and beginning to rush toward us. Are they trying to surround us?
This is bad. Our numbers are only about thirty. There is no winning against a dogpile. Of course, surrounding thirty people with a hundred is an awkward formation that probably won’t work perfectly, but since we are far weaker, the odds of our defeat are higher.
“Um, it looks like the goblins are planning to surround us right now?”
“For mere goblins, they’re using their heads quite well. But we are thirty strong. We won’t be overwhelmed by a hundred.”
I know that, you thick-headed bastard.
“Everyone, draw your weapons! Let us show the goblins our power!”
With those words, Baek Ji-hwan drew his sword. Gu Ja-gon also spun his staff magnificently and took a stance. Come to think of it, doesn’t combat power rise according to weapon proficiency when you hold a weapon? I hadn’t thought of that. Baek Ji-hwan and Gu Ja-gon must be stronger than before.
I check their combat power.
Baek Ji-hwan — 1,000
Gu Ja-gon — 960
The weakest goblin right now is 1,002?
“Last question, Sergeant Baek.”
“What is it?”
“Are you really not going to call for reinforcements?”
“Why would we need reinforcements? I’m starting to get irritated too.”
Yeah. Now I’m pissed off too and can’t hold back anymore. Whether you all die or not is none of my business. I just need to survive. That’s enough for me.