Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Goblin Empire's Bargain
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“Hmm… Ayoung, this might take a while, so go wait with Noona first.”
“Yes!”
Yoo Seongwon didn’t forget to send Ayoung away before the discussion began.
She could have stayed and listened, but judging by the guests who had come along, it seemed like an important matter.
“Great Golden Emperor, please hear us out for a moment. What we seek is a request for the future of this land.”
‘This is definitely a side quest, 100%.’
He’d had a bad feeling ever since they’d reconciled instead of being wiped out in battle, but Yoo Seongwon easily predicted they’d ask for something burdensome, sensing an annoying quest coming.
Of course, it might be necessary to close this dungeon, leaving him no choice but to accept, but half a day’s rest wasn’t enough—he planned to hear them out and then delay.
“So? What do you want from me?”
“We ask for a trade in magic stones, Your Majesty.”
“…Magic stones… trade? You mean an exchange?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Yoo Seongwon tilted his head at Merblin’s words.
Normally, in cases like this, they’d demand you hunt high-difficulty mana beasts inside the dungeon, a demon lord ranked higher than the dungeon itself, or suddenly open a portal to slay monsters from another world—that was the standard plot. Asking for a trade out of nowhere was bewildering.
“No, why do you need magic stones?”
“They are an essential resource to sustain our world, Your Majesty. Without them, we cannot survive. Because…”
To put it simply, every aspect of the Goblin Empire’s life revolved around magic stones as a resource, leaving them perpetually short.
They were the foundation of all energy sources, as precious as water or land… but this dungeon—no, this planet—was depleting its magic stones.
“They can… run out?”
“All lifeforms on this planet once possessed them. In the past, there were plenty of massive mana beasts, monsters, and animals, so it wasn’t an issue. But before our empire rose, the forces that ruled this planet rapidly advanced their civilizations using magic stones and waged war against each other…”
In the end, they’d built brilliant civilizations with the magic stones from monsters and beasts, but they all collapsed or began decaying from resource shortages. The goblins seized the opportunity, became the masters of this world, and established the Goblin Empire.
Fundamentally, however, the Goblin Empire had inherited that magic stone-based civilization and couldn’t escape its paradigm despite inheriting their legacy.
Yet they had the will to resolve the shortage, so they mobilized mages for research, ultimately opening a dimensional gate to reach this place.
“Hmm… So it’s not just constellations connecting things. Well, whether I believe your whole story or not, there’s plenty to verify, but I’m not that interested. As long as you don’t burden me with annoyances, it’s fine. If it ends with a trade, even better.”
Did they absolutely need magic stones to survive? No other technologies? Never considered fossil fuels as alternatives? Must they rely solely on that damned magic stone tech? He had many questions, but…
“Ugh… For now, I’m open to a trade.”
“Th-thank you, Your Majesty.”
“But if we give you magic stones, what will you offer in return? It has to have ‘value’ to us, obviously. Precious metals are fine, sure. But their deposits aren’t infinite, and you’d have to labor to produce them… In the end, you plan to collect magic stones and head back outside the dungeon, right?”
“…….”
Merblin and the Goblin Emperor—no, now he’d have to call him Lord or King, his status downgraded—froze at Yoo Seongwon’s logical breakdown.
Scratching his head awkwardly at their bullseye reaction, Yoo Seongwon continued.
“It’s the only option that makes sense naturally. You probably planned to camp out until I died… Eh, even a thick-headed guy like me can spot that.”
“F-forgive us, Your Majesty.”
“No need to apologize. You’re just trying to survive your way. Anyway… Hmm~ This needs some thought… For now, do you know about coal or oil? Fuels…”
When Yoo Seongwon briefly explained petroleum and coal, Merblin tilted his head, then looked up as if recalling something and replied.
“That… ‘burning water’? Yes, of course we know. The lower classes who can’t receive magic stone graces use it, or for alchemy…”
“Then it’s solved. I thought you had no underground resources at all because of magic stones.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll trade. But start research on alternative resources today. Fifty years should do it? If you don’t establish a new resource system by then, I’ll wipe this place out. Alright, let’s go eat.”
A ruthless verdict.
Merblin and the Goblin King exchanged bewildered glances, chattering busily in goblin tongue.
They clearly hadn’t gotten the outcome they wanted, but Yoo Seongwon headed to their trailer inside the dungeon as if it were none of his business.
“Yucheong, know what’s for dinner? Or should we all make something after heading back?”
“Sir Akaron says camping calls for barbecue and is preparing meat. For Your Majesty’s recovery as well.”
“Hmm, meat it is.”
“But, Your Majesty, if I may humbly speak on the ‘trade’ you just discussed with Merblin and the others?”
“If it’s just words, I’ll hear it.”
“You’ve given the goblins of this dungeon time, but changing a civilization’s system isn’t simple. They’ll likely need magic stones for a transition period, necessitating trade. But accepting their produce would consume their production capacity, delaying development in a vicious cycle.”
As Yucheong said, overhauling a civilization’s foundational system was no easy task and consumed considerable time.
Moreover, they’d need external aid to maintain the old system during the shift.
“So? What’s your point?”
“Why not take the trade as troops from this empire instead of goods? Hire them as mercenaries. Incorporate them into the Heavenly Sword Army. Their combat strength would weaken naturally, curbing other ideas.”
“That sounds great, but what would we use them for if we hire them?”
“What else? War. Your world seems locked in endless battles, and monsters roam outside during dungeon raids. If they guard the perimeter, it stabilizes internal dungeon fights just as well.”
“Hmm, would it… help?”
“We make it help. Entrust it to your servant Yucheong, and even these goblins will fight under the Heavenly Sword Army banner.”
It was such a brilliant idea that Yoo Seongwon couldn’t find a reason to refuse and immediately delegated it to Yucheong.
Whether change was possible in fifty years was questionable, but failure meant annihilation by Yoo Seongwon’s hand—they’d handle it themselves.
Arriving at the trailer, Yoo Seongwon found Akaron, Seom-myeol, Gaulf, Krokbane, and Choi Chungseon preparing the meal. He greeted them warmly, then joined in to help.
***
Seoul, Association Headquarters.
After thwarting Pastor Lee’s massive rebellion, the Association was racking its brains over war cleanup and future countermeasures.
There were some good news, but plenty of bad overshadowed it, leaving them agonizing today as well to squeeze out solutions.
“Then let’s begin the afternoon reports. First, wall reconstruction is complete. They plan to relocate exposed generator sites and add dummy cores for reinforcement. Military compensation payments are proceeding smoothly as well.”
“Next report: Status of Pastor Lee’s undercities. They’re quiet now, but periodic disputes suggest infighting over this war’s failure. They likely won’t launch another large-scale offensive soon. And… Pastor Lee may be dead.”
“Pastor Lee is dead?”
“He’s the one who cost the constellation Slaughter King three archdemon beasts, including this war. It’s plausible. And there’s strong evidence: the ‘human ranch’ in Individuality Undercity is being dismantled.”
“That ‘human ranch’ Pastor Lee cherished?”
Pastor Lee’s boasted ultimate abomination.
The grotesque idea of raising humans like livestock for sacrifices shocked many, victims spanning Koreans, Japanese, Russians, and Chinese—earning it infamy.
However, raising humans was grueling, low-yield relative to costs, and required immense dedication. Unless one was a zealot like Pastor Lee, specialized in all relevant stats and skills, operation was nearly impossible.
Its destruction essentially confirmed Pastor Lee’s death.
No fellow Slaughter King scavengers or other undercity leaders would mimic or inherit his madness.
“No one but ‘Pastor Lee’ could run it. No other human encompasses such insanity plus expertise in alchemy, pharmacology, cooking, medicine, cultivation, science, and more.”
“True. So we can consider him as good as dead and relax… but a new problem arises.”
“…The commission to the Golden Dragon Knight. Aaah, my head hurts just saying it.”
Golden Dragon Knight Yoo Seongwon.
Officially Korea’s first SS-rank hunter, once deemed a demon but recognized via ‘business agreement.’
Excluding himself, he commanded six S-ranks including the original four knights, Choi Chungseon, and Baek Gayeon—Korea’s largest hunter force. During Pastor Lee’s war, they’d urgently paid 500 billion upfront for a 1-trillion commission.
“Headache or not, it must be done. We delayed the most troublesome one, but can we reach him? We sent congrats and medals already.”
“…He’s away from Iron Fortress handling the Goblin Empire Dungeon anomaly. B-rank dungeon, so no complaints—on hold.”
“Plausible excuse… Feels like he’s avoiding us. Anyway, with Pastor Lee confirmed dead from infighting, the commission changes. What now?”
With the commission target dead by internal strife, the ‘agreement’ grew messy—high chance of payout complications.
“First… let’s assess contributions. Golden Dragon Knight’s feats: solo Reg Horn subjugation, joint Lem Lem subjugation, perilous Seoul wall defense, rear stabilization via subordinates… For Pastor Lee’s death, prime causes are likely solo Reg Horn and joint Lem Lem.”
“Hm? Wait… Why joint for Lem Lem?”
“Olympus’s Diomedia sacrificed to uncover Counter Lem Shield reflection skill, right? Without it, they’d have wasted high-power skills on that heavy-armored, shielded tank Lem Lem. Olympus Guild shares credit—it’s joint.”
“Hmm, makes sense… But Gotman was taken by Blue Dragon Guild, complicating further.”
Pastor Lee’s death from infighting traced to war failure + losing three Slaughter King apostles, contributions split messily.
Why critical? If his death completed subjugation, ‘agreement’ mandated another 500 billion to Yoo Seongwon—Association and government had to tread carefully.