Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Golden Goblin - 1
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"I'm going crazy."
Drawing a circle with a 30-meter diameter outside the cave alongside Dingo naturally brought a sigh.
The plan to dig it 2 meters deep to make a moat was undoubtedly the idea of a madman.
"Why did I even think of that..."
It would be great if I could bring in heavy machinery.
Don't they rent out mini excavators these days?
I tested the dimension gate with all sorts of things just in case, but ended up disappointed.
"If this doesn't fit, it won't go in at all."
Well, the dimension gate itself acts as a barrier, so expanding it would be weird.
With that, my plan to bring in an excavator despite the noise went up in smoke.
Damn it.
As disappointment set in, even the bushes and trees started feeling repulsive.
I figured I should buy a few saws before starting the shoveling.
Dingo, who had been stuck in the stuffy cave, seemed thrilled to be outside and ran around freely.
Then it glanced my way, as if asking, Everything okay?
Anyway.
"Let's get moving."
In the end, no one else was going to do this for me.
The sweat I shed today would save blood tomorrow... even if I didn't think like that.
The fact that my hard work was directly tied to my safety didn't change.
I stopped by a hardware store and bought saws and tools.
There might be chances to loot later, but for now, a few sets would do.
Stockpiling tool sets in one corner of the cave made me feel more secure, at least mentally.
"Let's start."
I installed barbed wire in a circle inside the outline.
Pounding in the posts with a sledgehammer and densely connecting the concertina wire.
I'd amassed a ton of materials needed for it.
Lately, when ordering such materials, I avoided delivery and bought offline directly.
My house wasn't changing, but too many packages would make the neighbors suspicious.
It was expensive and inconvenient, but there was no other way.
"Dingo, keep a good eye out for anything coming."
Dingo, who had been yawning at my words, barked once.
The pup was basically on sentry duty.
While working, my attention would inevitably scatter.
Dingo's nose was sharp, and its eyes gleamed, so it could detect monster intrusions...
It's already asleep!
I coaxed and soothed the pup to keep it awake.
I understood puppies slept a lot, but hold out just for today.
"I'm working my ass off here!"
Cutting away the bushes that had hidden the cave entrance felt oddly regrettable.
At the same time, the clear line of sight was refreshing.
"At minimum, I need to stack the barbed wire two layers high by tonight."
That way, monsters couldn't get in.
It took over three hours to clear all the bushes.
I took breaks in between to check the internet and TV from my second-floor house.
Because I had to head out if monsters appeared.
"Not sure if I can hunt monsters in this exhausted state..."
I regretted having no more Sun Apples.
I'd collected the seeds, but how many years would it take to grow them?
Maybe this land had some mystical property making crops grow fast... nah, probably not.
"No way such prime land exists."
I shut my mouth and cleared the bushes completely.
Next up were the trees.
"Oh man..."
Cutting and clearing all these would be quite the ordeal.
But having cleared the bushes, I couldn't stop here.
Fortunately, there were no massive trees, so I could saw them down one by one.
Of course, that didn't mean it was easy.
"Dingo, move aside."
The pup, dozing with its head bobbing, scampered away.
The tree I felled crashed down, shedding leaves everywhere.
I trimmed the branches, sawed the trunk in half, and dragged it away.
The uneven terrain made moving them tricky.
By the way, this was pretty amazing.
"Me doing this kind of work..."
I was just a late-20s guy who loved games. How did it come to this?
"Sigh, such is my fate."
Grumbling changed nothing.
Only the hellish forest of trees awaited me.
I gritted my teeth and kept at it.
In between, the 10 minutes checking the community and news were pure sweet relief.
Even the usual scowls at the Awakeners' trash talk seemed cute.
Two more hours passed before the area in front of the cave was pristine.
"Huff, huff, huff..."
Just a short break.
As I slumped to the ground, Dingo panted happily, bounding around the clearing.
It was bright and open, but felt kinda barren.
A goblin pack might think it was inviting and charge right in.
"But with the barbed wire..."
Two layers of concertina wire boasted tremendous defense.
Small monsters were practically barred from approaching.
Even brushing against it would shred their flesh—they'd freak out.
Even if goblins shot poison darts from outside the moat, they wouldn't reach the cave.
"As long as no Bone Creepers show up."
I'd been meticulous with corpse disposal lately, so they hadn't appeared.
I wandered the clearing, marking spots for future facilities.
"Warehouse here... vegetable garden there... parking lot over here..."
There was more space left than I'd thought.
Whatever, deal with it later.
Now to dig the moat, but evening had already arrived.
"Didn't accomplish much all day..."
Busy work made time fly like that.
No evening had ever felt so welcome.
Moat digging starts tomorrow.
I inspected the barbed wire, called Dingo, and returned to the second-floor house.
Giving Dingo a chicken leg made it chomp like it was devouring its soul.
—The government announced plans to investigate the Awakeners who have become a hot issue recently...
Ears on the TV news, eyes on the community.
Sure enough, chaos erupted less than a minute after the news posted.
"Even if the government investigates, what's the big deal?"
It's not like they were plotting some grand conspiracy.
Though the ones openly colluding in crimes would panic.
I pulled up the page of the semi-veteran Maidream I'd saved before.
Searching by author, his old post was the last one.
"Comments over 500..."
Clicking revealed mostly envy and curses.
As I scrolled down, I spotted Maidream's comment about recruiting someone.
"Is this for real?"
Recruited Survivor1?
Survivor1 wasn't quite at my level, but still a veteran with over 4,000 hours played.
Compared to Bunny Duo and Duck Down Quack's endless shenanigans, his playstyle was relatively steady.
"His shelter was like a treasure trove."
The type in RPGs who hoarded precious healing items till the end.
We used to tease him as Squirrel.
Despite the desperate pleas piling up, Maidream left no replies.
He had no intention of sharing info.
It didn't take long for the earnest requests to turn into double curses.
Of course, he ignored even that.
"Survivor1..."
Should I contact him once?
But reaching out blindly felt off.
If it was the Survivor1 I knew...
"He'd build his own shelter before relying on anyone."
He preferred living solo.
He'd hang with other veterans when playing together, but that was his base nature.
Not gloomy, just the image of holing up and collecting miscellany.
His game knowledge wasn't on par with my videos, but still impressive.
For such a Survivor1 to rely on someone?
Sure, survival desperation was possible, but...
My fingers itched over the keyboard.
"Could be a trap."
Sending a message blindly might bring musclebound uncles to my door.
With bunker-building wealth, it was possible.
But there was a good way to check.
I recalled the Exclusive Dimension Gate's effects.
Using that, I could tell if it was a trap or not.
.
.
.
I arrived at a rundown PC bang on the opposite side of Busan.
Hat pulled low, even wearing non-prescription glasses.
I took a corner seat and left the bathroom door behind ajar.
Announcing myself as Kimbap Lover felt risky... so borrow Bunny Duo.
I could compensate big if we met later.
Shortly after messaging Maidream, a reply came.
Was that a compliment or an insult?
Just give the location— what's with the chat invite?
Entering the chat room, he brought up vet-only trivia.
Easy one.
Veterans had tested it out of boredom before.
No more questions?
How'd he confirm I was Bunny Duo?
Instead of verifying identity further, Maidream spewed random chatter.
Stalling for time?
I glanced around and played along casually.
Aim was my videos after all.
I deflected vaguely.
As expected, he dodged saying Survivor1 wasn't there.
Not like he hadn't invited at all?
Suspicions deepened.
Maidream boasted about his preparations.
The real Bunny Duo would've said this here...
I hesitated but typed it.
Plenty... Maidream seemed seriously loaded.
Awakeners didn't reveal their traits easily.
It was basically exposing weaknesses.
Some reckless ones bragged wildly and ended up wanted by police.
I played it off as nothing special.
We dragged on with pointless topics.
Maidream desperately wanted to stall.
IP tracing to find this place?
But with the part-timer and sparse customers, how...
After 20 minutes of chatting, I noticed Maidream's replies slowing.
Soon, four burly men entered the PC bang.
Two guarded the doors like gangsters, a skinny guy in his 30s scanned around while removing gloves.
Gloves in this weather?
He pretended to talk to the part-timer, then grabbed his wrist.
As the part-timer tried to shake free.
He gripped the part-timer's head and whispered.
What did he do?
The part-timer sat dazed.
The man smirked and approached a seat.
Grinned and spoke to a stranger.
Mental trait maybe?
Another swept every corner.
I slipped into the pre-opened bathroom, opened a dimension gate in the utility space, and entered.
Then observed the bathroom intently from the cave.
Thanks to transparency and projection, I spied undetected.
Luckily, the gate emerged right against the wall, looking like one from outside.
"..."
Waiting a bit, footsteps approached.
Water splashing in the toilet.
A method to flush out stealth monsters.
A stiff-faced man peered into the utility space.
I instinctively clamped Dingo's muzzle shut.
The man waved his hand right up to the gate.
But the gate clung to the wall.
Nothing to touch, he clicked his tongue, pulled a walkie-talkie, and ordered.
"Blink. Search everywhere."
Then he turned, unzipped— and I spotted something unfamiliar.
That's a pistol holster?
Suit in this heat explained.
"Total Golden Goblin."
Golden Goblin meant hobgoblin minions with big pouches.
But also slang for users with good loot.
Term spread by PKers.
To them, Golden Goblins tasted best caught.
"Been a while since I caught a Golden Goblin."
They tried to catch me— no complaints if it backfires, mental guy.
Watching him unzip and pee.
Refreshing? I'll make it cooler.
End of Golden Goblin - 1