Hearing the Truth, Gaining Enlightenment

He heard the truth. He gained enlightenment.

"By when should I bring the coal?"

"I'll give you my contact info, so just send a text before you come. I'm always at the Goblin Workshop, so bring it whenever it's convenient for you, honored one."

"Then I'll come as soon as I've filled a whole bundle."

And so they exchanged contact information.

"We're number-knowing acquaintances now, huh?"

"…? So what?"

"Just that our bond has deepened a little more. Something like that."

"…."

Kang Yul briefly regretted handing over his number, but considering the rarity of being a disciple to a dokkaebi who crafted rare treasures—and the dokkaebi club he'd received as a gift—he decided to maintain the relationship.

"…Well, the deal's done, so I'll be heading out first."

"Stay a little longer…."

"I have coal to mine."

"Can't be helped, then. Take care, honored one~!"

"I'll stay behind. There's something I want to ask."

"Ah, yes. …Yes? W-wait a second. Then how am I supposed to get back? This doesn't seem like a place just anyone can come and go from."

Kang Yul recalled the moment he first set foot in this space.

Right after a sensation of crossing something had brushed past him, he'd looked around to find the scenery completely transformed.

It felt like entering a Gate, yet somehow different from any Gate he'd known.

"Ah, that's because this is the dokkaebi territory where my master settled."

"Dokkaebi territory…? So this is a kind of Gate created by a supernatural phenomenon?"

"It is a supernatural phenomenon, but it's not a Gate. It's a place with a barrier that no one can enter without permission from me or my master. Think of it like a piece of real space that was sliced off and stretched out long."

An ordinary person might have asked, "What the hell does that even feel like…?"

But Kang Yul could vaguely grasp what the blacksmith was trying to say.

So when a dokkaebi settles in a territory, it severs the space and then expands it with dokkaebi power?

Looking around, Kang Yul reached that conclusion.

He had no idea why he understood it. He didn't even know what dokkaebi power truly was.

Yet the structure formed strangely clearly in his mind, and he accepted it as natural—almost as if he had felt the space itself through his skin and simply known.

I don't really get it… but is this related to my class?

It was possible.

The description was so grandiose it hardly felt real, but Kang Yul possessed mana circuits of both Time and Space—circuits that alone could make someone the world's greatest archmage—and even the fused Dimension circuit on top of them. Being unusually sensitive to this kind of warped space might have been only natural.

Anyway.

As he stood there blankly surveying the surroundings with those thoughts,

"Honored one, is something wrong?"

"No, just… this space is fascinating."

When the blacksmith spoke up, looking at him oddly, Kang Yul brushed the thoughts aside and said it was nothing.

Having received everything he was due, he was just about to prepare to leave when a sudden question rose in his mind.

"…But this is a space you can only enter with permission, right?"

"That's right?"

"Then what happens if someone comes in without permission?"

"Ah, that?"

The blacksmith continued as if it were no big deal.

"You know that path you saw before coming here? You wander it until you die and turn into a wraith. Then those wraiths kill other intruders and turn them into more wraiths, and that cycle becomes the security system protecting the dokkaebi territory."

"Then I…?"

"Huh? Ah, you're fine, honored one—you came with the thieving cat. She has companion entry privileges. Besides, I've already granted you permanent permission to come whenever you like, so no need to worry about that!"

No, wait.

In the end, that meant…

…If Team Leader Myo hadn't been with me, I would've become a wraith?

He'd nearly died without even knowing why.

Even setting the blacksmith aside, Kang Yul never wanted to set foot in this space again.

Thinking he could no longer remain in such a grim place, Kang Yul declared he was leaving at once and stepped out through the main gate.

Ah, this is too scary.

Perhaps because of the story he'd just heard, his feet refused to cross the threshold easily.

But only for a moment.

"Honored one! Just follow the path you came by! You can do it!"

The blacksmith sent him off with the tender gaze of someone watching a child leave on their first errand.

"Do I seriously have to escort you?"

Team Leader Myo shot him a look of pure contempt, the kind reserved for utter failures—You can't even manage that alone?

Kang Yul decided that the shame outweighed the fear of the unknown, and he bolted through the gate as if fleeing, heading home.

A short while later, the moment Kang Yul's figure grew distant and finally vanished from sight—

"Haa… He really left. If I'd locked him up for about three days and drawn some of his energy, I could've made an incredible treasure… Should I have found a way to keep him after all?"

"You're being ridiculous. It's unsightly."

"That's only because you have no idea how incredible he is. You stayed behind on purpose to ask about that, didn't you?"

The two no longer needed to put on airs, and their true attitudes surfaced.

The blacksmith, having washed away every trace of the earlier polite demeanor and speaking with unfiltered casual bluntness, and Team Leader Myo, who had relaxed as if she no longer needed to treat him like a ticking time bomb—both stood there in their natural states.

"Explain."

"Who said I was going to explain anyth— ugh, fine. What's the point of talking to a shameless thieving cat like you. Follow me. I'm thirsty, so we'll talk over tea."

"You're the one acting coquettish for once. That's why."

"I know, so shut up and follow."

They followed the blacksmith to the guest reception room… or rather.

Upon entering the reception room (storage), Team Leader Myo twisted her face and demanded,

"In what world is this a reception room? Did you skip elementary education?"

"Thieving cat, I don't do guest reception. I'm the one who makes the goods—I'm the top dog here. Why would I bother receiving guests? So of course I use the reception room as storage."

"This is tyranny."

"If you hate it so much, go become a dokkaebi disciple and be a blacksmith yourself."

She roughly steeped some tea leaves of unknown age from the cupboard, set a cup in front of Team Leader Myo and one for herself, and began.

"So, you're curious about the honored one's true identity, right?"

"That's correct."

"Mm… If I start going on about this and that, even a whole day wouldn't be enough…."

"A short conclusion will suffice."

"Obviously. I have no intention of wasting my precious time on you for long. So to cut to the chase—he's a Soil Dragon."

"A dragon of the earth… You're saying he's the same category as the supernatural lifeform 'Behemoth' that appeared overseas?"

Team Leader Myo's face went ashen as a certain memory surfaced.

…If that were true, they couldn't just leave him alone.

She was thinking they would have to deal with him before he caused ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an incident, or at least seal him inside another Gate, when—

"Hey, hey. Don't jump to conclusions. That's an Earth Dragon."

The blacksmith waved a hand at Team Leader Myo as if telling her to calm down, then continued the explanation.

"Well, looking at the meaning alone, Soil Dragon and Earth Dragon aren't that different, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they're a little different. You know this, right? A lot of supernatural phenomena are influenced by the culture of the country they appear in. When you hear 'Soil Dragon' in Korea, what comes to mind?"

"I know it's a word that means earthworm."

"Right. The honored one is that sort of type."

"Then you're saying he's a kind of Worm?"

"Something like that."

Team Leader Myo looked at the blacksmith with a puzzled expression.

Compared to Behemoth, Worms certainly weren't that level of threat.

But if you asked whether Worms were safe…

"…You do know that Worms are called 'Gate Cleaners' or 'Gate Predators,' right?"

Team Leader Myo was confident she could firmly say no.

Worms were still among the supernatural lifeforms humanity struggled to handle.

Even so—

"You think I don't know that? I told you. The honored one is that 'sort' of type. Strictly speaking, he's a little different."

The blacksmith continued the explanation as if it were nothing special.

"Have you ever properly looked at the honored one's right palm?"

"Not in detail. But I confirmed there's an orange jewel there."

"Right. That jewel is the fundamental difference between a Worm and him. It's a treasure that separates the relatively benevolent ones from the malevolent ones among the supernatural lifeforms that carry the name Dragon."

"Dragon and a jewel… Don't tell me that's a Yeouiju?"

"As expected of a representative hunter—you know a lot. Correct. It's not complete yet, but that was definitely a Yeouiju. Probably a piece given by his mother, the Soil Dragon. The reason he can take human form is thanks to that Yeouiju as well."

"…."

And so, from the Dragon and the Yeouiju to the existence of a mother Soil Dragon watching over him—

Team Leader Myo, having learned a little more about the being who called himself [Kang Yul], was organizing the related information in her head when the blacksmith, watching her, took a sip of tea to wet his dry throat and spoke in a warning tone.

"So, thieving cat. If you're going to use the interest he has in you, at least show an attitude of serving him with utmost devotion. If you try to exploit him half-heartedly, it won't end with just you."

"I'll handle it myself."

"Aigoo, who do you think is warning you because you're cute? It means if you want to treat your poor little sister's illness, know your place."

And at that moment—

"Shut your mouth. Do not dare mention my sister with that mouth of yours."

As if something that should never be spoken had been uttered, Team Leader Myo unleashed killing intent-laced shadows and threatened the blacksmith.

"Thieving cat, do you really think you can do anything to me inside a dokkaebi territory? Drop those pathetic threats—they don't work here."

The shadows that poured forth never reached the blacksmith's body.

It was as if some invisible, immense force was blocking every attack aimed at him.

Then the blacksmith clicked his tongue and continued.

"Cat, I only have one thing to say. Never even think about touching the honored one. When that happens, it won't just be you—everyone connected to you will get dragged in."

Then, in a small voice, he added, "Who knows? If you serve him with utmost devotion, he might even heal your sister," but once her sister was mentioned, Team Leader Myo was half out of her mind, and the conversation went no further.

"…."

"What are you glaring for? If you've heard everything, get lost. I need to work before the honored one's energy scatters."

And in the next instant—

Creak—! Thud—!

Having received her eviction notice, Team Leader Myo was no longer inside the workshop.

In the blink of an eye, she had been relocated outside the main gate.

"…."

Only after being kicked out did Team Leader Myo regain her reason. She looked up at the signboard of the [Goblin Workshop] and thought of the words the blacksmith had muttered quietly.

"Who knows? If you serve him with utmost devotion, he might even heal your sister."

Perhaps those words were true.

Perhaps the being who called himself [Kang ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yul]—the one who picked up and ate dirt—might be able to save her little sister.

Around that same time.

After Kang Yul had decided that the shame of the two women's "encouragement" (verbal abuse) outweighed the fear of the unknown and had bolted home through the gate—

"Worm… I've been through way too much today… I'm so tired, seriously…."

"…No. I was just complaining a little. More importantly, how does the new soil taste?"

"Really? That's a relief."

Kang Yul blankly watched the Worm's soil mukbang and soothed the emotional wounds of the day.

Even if one session of mukbang had burned through three bags of premium topsoil that cost a million won each—

Money could always be earned again. He decided to enjoy the present.

"Eat lots and grow big and strong… wait, no, you shouldn't grow, right? Just stay small like you are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now."

"It's nothing."

Kang Yul didn't dare say out loud that he had no confidence he could still find a Worm bigger than a person cute.

If he did, there was no telling what kind of revenge a wounded Worm might take.

Anyway. As he was thinking that—

Having finished its soil mukbang, the Worm looked around and then suddenly pointed at the club he'd received as a gift from the blacksmith, tilting its body in confusion.

"Ah, this? The workshop owner gave it to me as a gift, but I don't really know either. I was told it's a dokkaebi club, but it's incomplete."

For a while after that, the Worm tilted its body left and right, lost in thought.

Then, at some point—

Wiggle…!

It suddenly straightened up as if it had realized something.

And that realization was…

"What? You think you can complete the dokkaebi club?"

…Was that even possible?

Just what was a Worm supposed to do to finish something a dokkaebi had made?