Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Golden Goblin - 2
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I hesitated for a split second.
Should I kill him?
If I didn't have this ability, I'd have been done for in an instant.
Whether it was brainwashing or memory manipulation, I'd have ended up as his underling, dragged around like a puppet.
But killing him here would put me in a tough spot.
Public authority was still functioning, after all.
If a report came in, the police wouldn't have trouble pinning me as the prime suspect.
The streets were crawling with CCTV, and some burly guy entering the PC Bang would've been caught on camera too.
I wanted to avoid parading in and out of the police station as much as possible.
"Time's a waste..."
Fine. I'd just take Golden Goblin's pockets and call it a day.
What I needed was the frog paralysis poison I'd collected so far, the spear, and a towel.
I showed Dingo my palm and quickly coated the spear tip with poison.
Then, gloved up, I cautiously stepped out of the dimension gate.
The man was trembling, oblivious to everything.
Soon enough, he'd feel a lot cooler.
I lightly pressed the spear tip against his thigh.
Just enough for the paralysis poison to seep in, without causing serious injury.
Shwaaa―
"Guhk!"
His scream drowned in the sound of water running down.
He clutched his leg and bowed his head.
The numbness spreading through his leg would feel way worse than the pain.
Feels like going back to being a newbie, huh?
As he crumpled to the floor, I tossed the towel over his face.
"Hmph! Hoo!"
I swiftly sliced his holster strap with my knife.
Then rifled through his pockets and checked his wallet.
Kwon Kyung-jun, age 38.
Pants pocket—smartphone. Confiscated as payment for putting me in a bind.
"Kkhuhk!"
The towel fluttered with his muffled breaths.
Focus on breathing, not talking.
Let's see... fingerprint unlock?
Pressed his finger to the screen—unlocked.
Set screen timeout to 10 minutes, enabled smart stay.
Right then, I heard footsteps—shoes clicking.
I grabbed the loot and dove back through the dimension gate.
The suited burly guy opened the door and freaked out.
"Team leader!"
More burly guys poured into the bathroom, chaos ensuing.
"What the hell? Why's he down?"
"I-I don't know. Came in and he was like this..."
"Kuhk!"
"H-He's breathing at least!"
"Pants are bloody... w-wound!"
"What're you staring at? Move him, now!"
Figuring they couldn't stay here, the men hoisted Kwon up.
One radioed in.
―Transmission received.
Once they were gone, I pondered briefly.
They'd lost their boss now.
No one to lead them.
Better to slip out quietly.
Kwon wasn't fatally wounded, and the paralysis would wear off in 20-30 minutes.
He'd come storming back pissed as hell.
But this rundown PC Bang had no CCTV.
Just the part-timer's word, nothing else.
"Time to go."
A few minutes after the burly guys left, I stood.
Pulled my cap low, tugged the neckwarmer up.
"One thousand four hundred won."
The part-timer seemed clueless, like nothing happened.
That trait of his is something else.
Handed him a five-thousand-won bill and stepped out.
The burly crew was long gone.
Need to dig through this smartphone somewhere...
That alley between the shops looks good.
Opened a dimension gate in a spot-on location—perfect view of the PC Bang front.
I could see out, but no one could see me.
Not bad at all.
"Let's see..."
Rifled through Kwon's phone.
Business contacts? Managers, executives galore.
Dozens of women too.
But this wasn't the info I wanted.
"Where's this bunker..."
Found it.
Yongjeong CC? Isn't that a golf club?
Probably Kwon's club ownership.
"Even celebrities?"
Impressive connections.
Explains the concrete bunker and pistol.
Steamy chats with women caught my eye.
Gallery: bikini babe kissing him on an exotic beach.
"Ha... living the dream."
Not anymore, since he crossed me.
Dug through messages for underling reports.
"Three bunkers... Bunker 3 completes next week... Industrial oil inbound... Firearms inbound..."
Just what I needed, spilling out.
But barely anything on Awakeners.
Guess Kwon didn't know much there.
Fed Dingo while scrolling deep—screech of tires.
Black van pulls up to the PC Bang.
Burly guys pile out, Kwon limps down after.
He snatches one guy's phone, frantically tapping.
"Track that location hard, find him."
I'm not even on Earth anymore, different dimension entirely.
Fury exploding, Kwon eventually hurls the phone.
"Find that motherfucker nowww!"
You know where I live?
When the apocalypse hits, you're dead by my hand.
I'll strip your bunkers bare.
Closed the dimension gate.
Time for chow.
Back home, I inspected the holster.
MP 335. Looked it up—Russian-made semi-auto pistol.
With a suppressor.
"Magazines in the holster too."
Two mags made 20 rounds.
First time handling a gun, but movies taught me the basics.
"Disengage safety... rack the slide back."
Click.
Cold metallic snap as the slide snapped forward.
Now just pull the trigger.
Referenced Mityube for grip and shooting form.
"Everything's on here, huh."
Some hack tips mixed in, but gold to me.
Theory down, time for practice.
With Dingo, crossed to the forest, aimed at a tree.
Ready... fire!
Pfft—odd sound.
"Louder than I thought."
Movies make it silent even at range, but not quite.
Unscrew the suppressor, it'd roar proper-like.
"Gotta keep it on for now."
Long range tough, but close-up? I could hit.
Assuming solid grip and form practice.
"...Dry fire it is."
Ammo precious, no choice.
Hoping for a big score at the event in a few days.
Kept dry-firing.
Then news popped up outta nowhere.
Something about unidentified monsters.
SNS flooded with sightings.
Skipped proper chow, scooped Dingo, hopped in the SUV.
Pinpoint en route.
Hit the gas—destination: Gayasan.
Hikers descending spotted never-before-seen monsters, panicked.
"Damn. Already spreading."
Rumors travel fast.
Gayasan was two hours even rushing.
Dingo dozed in the car; I floored it.
Getting late—can I even spot them?
Cops show, risk of getting shot...
Orcs were in a downpour, solo run. Different story now.
Complaints pile up, cops mobilize, I get endangered.
"Still gotta do it."
Big level gap? Snag strong monsters.
Items baseline, skills too.
Plus my special dimension gate.
Safer than most.
"And Dingo's here."
He's sniffed every animal and monster type.
Fastest tracker around.
Just not bumping into a hobgoblin pack head-on.
Need them scattered...
One hand driving, other hunting first sighting spot.
Hwangsan Reservoir—mountain base.
Hobgoblin means big group.
20+ at least.
Hikers saw them, they saw hikers.
Attacks should've hit by now.
"...None?"
Chased and can't post?
No screams either—fishy.
More driving, posts about gunshots pop.
Cops already there, huh.
Bad luck, might miss my share.
Anxious 40-minute drive, finally near Hwangsan Reservoir.
Crowd gathered.
"Dingo, stay here a sec."
Parked, headed up—two cops controlling the crowd.
"Go back down! Dangerous here!"
Hikers mostly complied, pretending to descend, but some assholes didn't.
Awakeners?
Three, four ignoring cops, heading up.
"Get back down! It's dangerous!"
Cops yelled but couldn't stop 'em.
Murmurs rose.
"Two hours in, and this is all the backup?"
"They don't believe us, dragging feet. Obvious."
"Those old guys are brave. What if they run into monsters?"
"Maybe they're here to fight 'em?"
"Why fight? Leave it to cops."
"Awakeners are a thing now. On the news."
"What's that?"
"Superpowers or something..."
"End times, man."
Gunshots then.
Bang! Bang!
"Egmoni!"
"Th-they fired..."
Crowd panicked; cops radioed frantically, then bolted up the mountain.
My turn.
Too dark for drone.
Back to SUV, patted yawning Dingo.
"Dingo, you're my only hope."
Changed clothes, helmet in backpack slung on, bow equipped.
Pistol as backup.
Planned to fish in troubled waters between cops and hobgoblins, but plans changed.
Just shoot 'em with the pistol, duh.
They'd hold out, but with bow? Confident.
Worst case, dimension gate for spear.
Issue: getting spotted by cops.
Caught gun-in-hand? Prime suspect, no escape.
Dimension gate says otherwise.
Started up a mountain path offset from the crowd's gaze.
Dingo sniffed ahead eagerly.
"Goblin scent strong?"
Tail spun like a prop.
Stopped at a spot, sniffed intently.
Then flattened prone.
Training paying off.
Tapped Dingo's butt.
"Let's go."
Woof!
Dingo bolted.
Quick steps, small size—not super fast.
Matched my pace.
"This is... surprisingly..."
Steep climb, no heavy breathing like before.
Forest grinding showing results.
Dingo glanced back mid-run to check me.
Minutes later, halted dead.
"Uh-oh."
End of Dingo's gaze: fallen cops.
Rushed over.
No way they're dead...
"Nah."
Breathing ragged.
Paralyzed—goblin poison.
Loosened their gear for comfort.
One spat, tried talking, then slumped.
20-minute nap, you'll be fine.
Tied towels to nearby trees, patted Dingo's butt.
He took off again.
How far up? Seven goblin corpses.
"Shot... to bits."
Cops' doing, clearly.
But they had no guns.
Golden Goblin looted 'em?
Pity, nothing for me to loot.
Watered Dingo; re-energized, he sniffed and dashed.
Gunshots echoed afar.
End of Golden Goblin - 2