The Goblin Army Grows
"What the— what is this?"
I stared blankly at the screen in front of me.
The goblin kept rummaging through its surroundings.
The goblin has obtained a wooden plank!
On the screen, the goblin was picking up various items that dropped in the Labyrinth.
Of course, they were all useless junk.
Besides, the only things you could bring out of the Labyrinth were whatever you could carry in your hands.
That’s why most Awakeners brought backpacks when they entered.
"Don’t tell me it’s farming all by itself and coming back? Without me?"
As I muttered, the goblin nodded as if in agreement.
-Kerrrk!
"Wait, you can hear my voice?"
-Keruk!
"Then drop that plank already. What are you even keeping that for?"
The goblin nodded at my words and immediately tossed the wooden plank it had been hugging.
"This actually works."
I was clearly exploring the Labyrinth, yet I was just watching from the comfort of my room through the screen.
The reason I never wanted to become an Awakener was because you had to enter the dangerous Labyrinth yourself.
But if I could just watch from a distance like this, it didn’t matter.
Actually, it was better than fine.
If the goblin kept farming in my place, I’d never have to face any danger.
Only then did curiosity spark in me.
Curiosity about the abilities I had awakened as a vampire.
"Status window."
Vampire EX
- The first True Ancestor Vampire to appear in the present world.
- Levels are converted into Domination Power.
- Sunlight and garlic are mildly unpleasant.
"The first vampire… Domination Power… sunlight and garlic are unpleasant?"
Sunlight and garlic? Are you kidding me?
Who decided that?
No matter how much of a shut-in I was, coding in the dark 24/7, I was still Korean.
"Huh? Garlic is unpleasant?"
That’s ridiculous.
I wanted to test it, but since there was no garlic at home, I decided to check sunlight first!
Whoosh!
I yanked open the blackout curtains covering the window.
It was pitch black.
"Ah… it’s nighttime right now?"
I’ll check later.
I looked at the skills I possessed.
Domination (EX)
- When using Bloodsucking, you may choose whether to turn the target into a familiar.
- The same applies to familiars.
Bloodsucking (SS)
- Consumes blood.
- The consumed blood can be converted into power.
Familiar Third-Person View (S)
- You can observe your familiar from a third-person perspective.
- You can issue commands to distant familiars.
Two initial skills plus the one I just received as a bonus.
Reading the descriptions, it was a perfect set.
Use Bloodsucking to create familiars, then send them into the Labyrinth.
I stay in my room while my familiars explore.
The goblin has obtained iron ore!
Exactly like that.
The goblin on screen kept farming.
Since it could only carry so many items, it kept comparing what it already held in both hands.
Whoosh!
The goblin discarded the square iron ore and picked up the hexagonal one instead.
…What’s the difference?
As expected, its low intelligence meant it couldn’t tell them apart.
That would’ve been a problem if left alone.
"Go check inside that building."
-Kerrrk!
At my voice, the goblin moved quickly.
Automatic farming was impossible, but controlling it like this worked fine.
This was actually pretty great.
Watching the goblin farm in my place filled me with hope.
Me personally entering the Labyrinth?
Absolutely not. Why should I? I was already making enough to eat.
But if it wasn’t me, but my familiar going in instead?
"Search that place thoroughly. See if there’s anything decent."
-Kerrrk!
The goblin on the other side of the screen answered and began ransacking the abandoned house.
After thoroughly searching room after room, broken drawers, closets, and shelves—
-Keruk?
"Nice!"
-Keruk!!
Compared to the junk like wooden planks and iron ore, this was far more valuable.
Weapons were important.
I could let the goblin use it right away or sell it on the community marketplace.
There was always a shortage of weapons, so more was always better.
"Use that for now and keep searching. Bring me one more like it."
-Keruruk!
The goblin, hearing my words, swung the dagger through the air with gusto.
Happy to have a weapon?
Watching through the screen, it looked kinda cute… actually, no, not really.
No matter how much it was my familiar, a goblin wasn’t cute.
A goblin was a goblin.
Green skin, long nose, droopy ears, a mouth that looked torn at the corners, a hunched back, and patchy hair.
Still, since it was farming the Labyrinth in my place, what did its appearance matter?
What mattered was the items it brought back.
Selling items found in the Labyrinth on the Awakener community marketplace meant money.
The main things to look for were weapons and armor, accessories that granted special powers, and crafting materials used by special classes to make equipment.
There were also doping potions that helped with Labyrinth exploration, their ingredients, and quest items for unlocking personal abilities.
It could all give you a headache if you thought too hard, but there was only one thing to remember.
The classic "pick up trash and build a building" strategy.
Grab anything that could be sold for money and turn it into cash.
At first glance, Labyrinth exploration sounded like a great way to make money, but the problem was the danger that came with it.
-Kerrrk?
The familiar goblin on screen encountered another wild goblin while traveling.
Where there was treasure, there were those who guarded it.
The Labyrinth was filled with monsters like the one on screen, hunting intruders.
The wild goblin tilted its head at my familiar.
If I had been there instead, it wouldn’t have hesitated—it would’ve charged straight at me.
It seemed confused because they were the same species.
"Can you beat that thing if you fight it?"
-Kerrrk!
At my words, the familiar raised the dagger it was holding.
Only then did the wild goblin let out a scream and charge.
-Kyaaaak!
-Kieeeek!!
A brawl between goblins on the first floor of the Labyrinth.
Even though both were ordinary level-1 goblins, the advantage was clearly on our side.
How could a bare-handed goblin win against one with a dagger?
-Kyaaaak!
After being slashed and forced back a step, the wild goblin faced my familiar charging forward.
Was this the end?!
A bloody fight that made my palms sweat.
But contrary to expectations, my familiar rushed in close, opened its mouth wide—
Crunch!
-Keeeng!
"Huh?"
It had bitten down hard on the wild goblin’s neck.
And then a system window appeared before my eyes.
The goblin has used Bloodsucking.
Would you like to proceed with Domination?
"I don’t even have to bite them myself?!"
Only then did I remember the description of the Domination skill.
When using Bloodsucking, you can choose to turn the target into a familiar. The same applies to familiars.
As long as I had Domination Power left, I could create as many familiars as I wanted through the goblin’s bites.
And my current Domination Power was—
[Domination Power: 1/10]
One goblin per point, maximum of ten.
The more workers, the better.
"Of course I’m doing it!"
The moment I decided to proceed with Domination, the bitten goblin began to change.
It trembled for a moment, then fangs sprouted just like my familiar’s.
You have taken the goblin as a familiar.
Domination Power: 2/10
Once the process finished, the first goblin opened its mouth and licked its lips with a disappointed expression.
It seemed upset that its meal had been taken away.
But moments ago it might have been prey—now it was an ally.
-Kerrrk.
-Kerrk.
"Farming is important, but for now…"
My priorities had shifted.
Ten goblins farming would obviously be faster than two.
"Go bite them, you guys!"
-Kyaaaak!
-Kiaaaak!!
The goblins charged forward with fierce determination.
***
The goblins abandoned farming and ran around wildly.
Combat was inevitable if they wanted to use Bloodsucking, but it wasn’t worth worrying about.
The goblin has used Bloodsucking.
Would you like to proceed with Domination?
"Yeah!"
The goblin has used Bloodsucking.
Would you like to proceed with Domination?
"Do it!"
The goblins didn’t need to fight to the death. Just biting them was enough.
It didn’t have to be the neck either.
Arms, legs, hands, feet—any spot that drew blood worked.
The goblin has used Bloodsucking.
The goblin has used Bloodsucking.
The goblin has used Bloodsucking.
The goblin has used Bloodsucking.
The vampire goblins kept biting their own kind.
-Keruruk.
-Keruk keruk.
-Kyaaaak!
-Kieeeek!
Thanks to them, I was getting a little busy too.
Even if the goblins split up and traveled separately, the Familiar Third-Person View skill worked without issue.
It felt like commanding multiple units in a real-time strategy game.
Of course, they had some autonomy and would farm on their own.
"Throw away that rusty iron plate."
-Kerrrk!
"No, I said stop picking up wooden planks! Why do you keep grabbing those?"
-Kehk?!
"Hey! Where did you leave the weapon you found earlier? Why are you carrying iron ore instead?!"
-Kerrk kerrk?
The goblins were so dumb that if I looked away for even a second, they caused trouble.
Was this what it felt like when game units gained their own personalities?
Just then, one of the vampire goblins encountered another wild goblin.
"Go bite it!"
-Kyaaaak!
The vampire goblin on screen dropped what it was holding and charged forward.
Wait, that was a dagger in its hand—why did it put it down…
"Haa… I’ve got a long way to go."
At least it faithfully followed my order to bite.
Crunch!
The goblin has used Bloodsucking.
Would you like to proceed with Domination?
"Proceed."
I felt something unknown inside me connect with the goblin, and thus the tenth vampire goblin was born.
Domination Power was now full.
Did that mean I couldn’t make any more subordinates?
"Tch. Feels like something’s missing."
Just then, a system window appeared.
You have taken 10 goblins as familiars.
A bonus has been granted.
"A bonus?"
The goblin job has been unlocked.
- Goblin
- Warrior Goblin (new)
"I can even set their jobs?"
Warrior Goblins were twice as strong as regular goblins and only appeared in the center of the first floor.
The fact that unlocking it required ten familiars meant…
"I have to keep taking in goblins? But my Domination Power is already maxed. How do I level up?"
Normally, you leveled up by killing monsters in the Labyrinth.
But because of my ability, my level had been converted into Domination Power.
I needed to increase my Domination Power to create more goblin familiars.
I checked the Domination Power section on my status window.
Domination Power
- A unique ability that determines the number and quality of a Vampire’s familiars.
- Converts levels into Domination Power.
- As familiars grow stronger, the True Ancestor grows stronger as well.
The stronger my familiars became, the stronger I would become.
In the end, the goblins had to grow stronger.
Once they returned from the Labyrinth, I’d have to change their jobs to Warrior first.
Gurgle.
"Ah, now that I think about it, I ordered samgyeopsal earlier."
I remembered ordering delivery right before being dragged into the tutorial.
Checking my phone, the delivery had already been completed at the door.
Time had flown while I was watching the goblins.
Controlling them through the third-person view while sending them to farm was so addictive it put most games to shame.
"Samgyeopsal— samgyeopsal—"
Leaving the goblins to farm, I stepped outside, grabbed the delivery, and came back.
It had already gone cold, but it would still taste good after a quick microwave.
Beep beep.
After starting the microwave, I opened the side dishes that came with it.
Sniff sniff.
"What? Did it go bad?"
It was just delivered, so how could it have spoiled already?
I tilted my head at the unfamiliar spicy scent I had never smelled before.
"That can’t be right? It looks so fresh. Lettuce, peppers, kimchi, grilled garlic… grilled garlic? Garlic?"
No way. It couldn’t be.
A chill ran down my spine.
There’s no way. It has to be a joke.
Gulp.
I swallowed once and picked up a piece of grilled garlic with my chopsticks.
The closer it got, the stronger the pungent smell became, but I denied it.
"No, there’s no way. No way."
I tossed the garlic into my mouth and chewed.
Streams of tears flowed down my cheeks.
Not from sadness, but reflexively.
It was like having a mild allergy—my nose stung and my eyes watered, though it wasn’t enough to kill me.
"No, don’t lie to me!"
I hurriedly opened the doenjang-jjigae I had left to warm while heating the meat.
"Grilled garlic… well, technically it’s whole garlic, so…!"
Then I took a bite of the jjigae.
More tears streamed down.
That sharp taste stood out so clearly in the doenjang-jjigae.
A taste that shouldn’t have been noticeable…
Yes. Our soul food, doenjang-jjigae, always had minced garlic in it.
"Stop lying!!!!"
I took a bite of kimchi.
More tears.
Kimchi also had minced garlic when it was made.
"No… stop messing with me!!! I’m Korean!!! I’m Korean!!!!!!"
What the hell was I supposed to eat if I couldn’t eat garlic!!!!
End