The Goblin Market (1)
The Myeongga Guild.
One of the top five major guilds in South Korea’s hunter industry.
And the guild master, Heo Jae-woon, had one glaring weakness.
“I have a good-for-nothing younger brother. The kind of bastard who can’t stand it unless he copies everything I do. Greedy as they come.”
Heo Jae-woon turned the hand axe in his grip, inspecting it from every angle.
“But he hates putting in any real effort. Never thinks about the time and sweat I poured in to get what I have. All he sees is the end result, then throws a tantrum demanding the same thing for himself.”
The blade, freshly sharpened on the whetstone, gleamed a cold, vicious blue.
“Then the idiot went and caused an accident. The dungeon I was planning to investigate more thoroughly? He charged in first. And of course, he snatched the fossil I’d been keeping safe in my private vault.”
Hiss…
Hiss…
The man forced to listen to this monologue was tied tightly to a chair, breathing in shallow, ragged gasps.
“He must’ve thought there was something valuable in there. Figured he could finally one-up his big brother, so he dragged a whole raid team inside… Only to get himself killed.”
The blood-soaked man barely lifted his head.
After enduring who knows how much torture, his eyes were so swollen they were nearly unrecognizable.
“I already told you… I don’t know anything… I don’t even know… who your brother is…”
Heo Jae-woon crouched down, bringing himself eye-level with the man—Go Jin-woo.
He pressed the razor-sharp edge of the hand axe just beneath Go Jin-woo’s chin.
Slice—
A thin line of blood trickled down from the shallow cut.
“You don’t have to know. He was my brother, but he was a fool who got himself killed. In this line of work, even the brightest geniuses can vanish overnight. It happens all the time.”
Heo Jae-woon smiled.
A smile as cold as a demon’s.
“But I hate it when my things disappear. So just tell me. Where is it? My property?”
The axe blade grazed across the skin of Go Jin-woo’s throat. One wrong move and the carotid artery would be severed, yet Go Jin-woo didn’t tremble.
“I don’t know… anything like that…”
Heo Jae-woon’s lips twisted.
“What remarkable brotherly loyalty in this day and age. You really won’t open your mouth easily. Fine. Let’s start with one finger.”
The smile vanished from Heo Jae-woon’s face.
“I hope you cherish that loyalty until the very end. Wouldn’t be any fun if you talked too quickly from the start.”
Heo Jae-woon raised the hand axe high.
Go Jin-woo squeezed his eyes shut.
He had undergone torture-resistance training back in his Cheongroe days, but—
Lee Hyun, you son of a bitch. Look at the mess I’m in because of you.
Still, he didn’t have the stomach to watch his own body get carved apart.
So whatever you do, don’t come here. Got it?
Heo Jae-woon brought the axe down without hesitation.
THWACK!
「Is that brooch the one belonging to the doctor who treated you…?」
“Yes. It looks like Jin-woo hyung is in serious danger.”
Without even taking proper rest, Jang Lee-hyun grabbed his bag and headed straight for the subway.
Sa Oh-jeong, who didn’t know Go Jin-woo, simply watched the conversation between the two in silence.
「You said he went to the black market, right?」
“Yes.”
To be precise, Lee-hyun had asked him to go.
Lee-hyun pressed his lips tightly together.
「Then perhaps there…?」
Lee-hyun nodded silently.
「Any leads?」
Lee-hyun shook his head.
He had known it was dangerous, yet he still asked Go Jin-woo for help—because the man was an expert in that field.
He was the one who handled all the loot that was too troublesome for the unit to process officially.
Apparently he had learned the trade because he grew up in an orphanage and fell into that line of work.
On top of that, he often treated hunters who couldn’t go to proper hospitals, so he had built up quite a reputation.
After Cheongroe was disbanded, he said he no longer wanted anything to do with the hunter world and stepped away from the black market as well…
All because of me.
Lee-hyun bit down hard on his lower lip.
「Still no leads?」
“I do have one… but it doesn’t make sense.”
The original owners of the item Lee-hyun had asked him to sell.
Myeongga.
“When I handed over the goods, I made sure to erase every mark or trace that could identify the original owner.”
「Are you certain?」
Lee-hyun nodded.
This wasn’t his first time doing this kind of work.
Go Jin-woo wasn’t the type to make a careless mistake that would leave a trail either.
Besides, the iron rule of the black market was to never ask about the origin of stolen goods.
That was what made them stolen goods. That rule had never changed.
There had to be something else going on.
「Do you have a way to deal with them? You said they’re not to be trifled with.」
If this incident really involved the Myeongga Guild,
and if Guild Master Heo Jae-woon had stepped forward personally to avenge his dead brother,
then this was far beyond what Lee-hyun could handle alone.
“I’ll have to find a way.”
「What about asking the girl for help?」
He meant Lim Won-young.
Lee-hyun shook his head.
“She would probably help if I asked… but I don’t want to drag her into my personal problems. I’ll handle this myself somehow.”
He had just finished a tense standoff with Executive Director Jeong.
In that situation, creating a weakness for others to exploit?
Absolutely not.
“It’s not like I don’t have any options.”
Lee-hyun glanced inside his inventory.
The sinister-looking goblin mask seemed to be grinning back at him.
Clang! Clang!
“Old man, I’m here.”
Instead of heading straight to the black market, Lee-hyun first stopped by Docheolyabang.
Do Cheol was still focused solely on hammering the metal, not even glancing in his direction.
“I’ll be taking a few things.”
Clang! Clang!
Without waiting for a reply, Lee-hyun went into the storage room and found his own box.
These were items he had originally planned not to touch until he regained his full strength, but…
Right now, even going all out might not be enough.
Lee-hyun was prepared to wage an all-out war if necessary.
Of course, he couldn’t take too many things. Excessive preparation would only burden his still-insufficient body.
So the items Lee-hyun chose were few in number.
But,
there was no doubt that such an arsenal would be nearly impossible to find anywhere else.
◈ Grants exceptional combat ability and a ferocious personality. Fear nothing.
◈ Origin: Folk tale Seongho Sasul
◈ Grants ferocious strength and agile movements.
◈ Origin: Legend Pobakja
◈ Contains mysterious powers. Miracles follow the wearer.
◈ Origin: Legend Samguk Yusa
Aside from the armor pieces, Lee-hyun pulled out a variety of other items—small bracelets, weapons, and more.
The Single-Legged Goblin set.
Items that had once symbolized him.
His default equipment.
Just seeing them again made his heart race.
Thump. Thump.
They had been perfectly repaired since the last time he wore them against the Snow Queen—in fact, they were even better now.
Click.
Click—
One by one, Lee-hyun equipped the pieces.
He had worried he might have forgotten how, but his body still remembered.
The legacy of the Single-Legged Goblin begins to reside within your body.
It resonates with the Record of Will remaining in your magic power. The two similar natures greatly amplify the legend.
You can now infuse the Record of Will into both attack and defense.
As Lee-hyun had expected, the Single-Legged Goblin set had excellent synergy with his current skill tree.
And finally—
◈ The mystical dance of the goblin Cheoyong, who drove out evil spirits and summoned the dragon of the East Sea.
◈ Origin: Tale Cheoyong-ga
A distorted goblin earring.
Lee-hyun put it on his left ear.
In that instant—
The legacy of Cheoyong has been added atop the Single-Legged Goblin’s legend!
Goblin-related legends are now operating at full strength.
Strength temporarily increased by 20.
Agility temporarily increased by 19.
The legend Goblin Dance Stage has been reawakened!
“Hoo…”
Lee-hyun took a long, deep breath, slowly calming the sudden surge of magic power and sharpened senses.
After fully arming himself with the items and perfectly integrating the legends,
he had become an entirely different existence compared to just moments ago.
Crackle! Bzzzzzt!
Blue-white lightning—the symbol of Dokeoksini—flickered across his skin.
It burned fiercely, as if ready to explode at any moment.
Lee-hyun slowly rose to his feet.
His body felt weighed down by the heavy legends.
I’d love to take Jigwi and Bi Hyeong-rang too, but… for now, I’ll have to settle for the Single-Legged Goblin and Cheoyong.
Even so…
Lee-hyun felt a powerful surge of confidence.
The kind of confidence that said even most rankers wouldn’t be able to stand against him now.
No—he was certain he could crush them.
Bzzzzzzzzzt!!
「Now that I think about it, I’ve heard the tale. In the distant east, there is a god of abundance said to be as fierce and terrifying as the yakshas of Tianzhu (India), yet also full of mischief. He gets along well with mortals and brings them good fortune.」
Sun Wukong examined Lee-hyun from head to toe, his Fiery Golden Eyes shining brightly.
「A god who, instead of receiving fear and worship from humans, occasionally gets treated like a mere goblin because he plays with them. I always thought it was such a strange story… but it turns out that was the very legend you inherited?」
Sun Wukong thought that this legacy suited Lee-hyun remarkably well.
When serious, he was utterly serious. When fierce, he was utterly fierce.
Yet when he smiled, he smiled more brightly than anyone.
A pure soul.
Perhaps that’s why he can get along with us, who were once demons, and that monstrous blacksmith…
As Sun Wukong’s thoughts deepened,
Lee-hyun closed the box and stepped outside.
However—
“Old man?”
Do Cheol, who should have been focused on hammering, was standing by the door.
He tossed something in his hand toward Lee-hyun.
Lee-hyun caught it reflexively and was stunned.
“What is this?”
It was an item he had never seen before.
A coat with a pure white base and elegant golden embroidery.
“……”
Do Cheol answered with a silent, indifferent gaze before returning to his anvil.
Clang! Claaang!
Lee-hyun quietly examined the coat.
◈ A coat forged from metal infused with the power of lightning.
◈ The Four Evils, Do Cheol, designed it in white and gold tones with densely woven thunder-gold plates for unmatched defense. Despite its appearance, it possesses a ferocious nature.
◈ Origin: Legend Four Evils — Do Cheol
A custom item, clearly made just for him.
…He’s giving it to me so I can hide my identity.
Knowing that Lee-hyun had no intention of revealing himself to the outside world yet, Do Cheol had given him a coat that could cover his entire body.
It seemed he had prepared it in advance as a gift, anticipating Lee-hyun’s return to active duty.
“Thank you, old man. I’ll wear it well.”
But Do Cheol simply continued hammering in silence.
Clang! Clang!
Lee-hyun knew this was how the old blacksmith expressed embarrassment.
Whoosh.
He slipped on the coat. Its length reached his ankles, perfectly concealing his armament.
And then—
Click!
When he put on the Golden Arhat’s Mask as well, there was no longer any trace of Jang Lee-hyun that the world could recognize.
Only the new identity—the Apostle of Zeus—remained.
Shadow Veil activated. Presence erased.
Swish!
A curtain of shadow rose and began to conceal Lee-hyun.
If hyung has so much as a single hair out of place…
He stepped into the darkness.
I’ll kill them all.
His eyes burned like goblin fire, fierce and bright.
「Hmm?」
「Our apostle is seriously pissed off… This is the first time I’ve seen him like this.」
The ghostly flames burned so fiercely that even Sun Wukong and Sa Oh-jeong were taken aback.
Then, suddenly—
Swish!
The pair of goblin flames vanished without a trace.
As if they had never been there.
Like a ghost… chillingly silent…