Sunlight's Sting and the First Payday

I gathered all the scattered goblins in the Labyrinth and sent them through the nearest exit to the base.

The next morning.

"Stay here. Don't come out into the real world. I'll go buy food."

"Kerrrrgh."

"Kerk."

Leaving the starving goblins behind, I returned to reality.

Suddenly having to buy meals for ten people. And not just once, but every single day from now on?

I needed a proper plan.

First, I should probably replace the fridge.

The one silver lining was that the project I'd been grinding on finally wrapped up yesterday, so my wallet was decently padded.

I'd deal with the immediate crisis first, then use the money from farming to upgrade my living situation.

I threw on some clothes and headed out to the nearby grocery mart.

For the goblins' meals, instant food would have to do for now.

Anything over fifty thousand won gets free delivery, so hauling it wouldn't be a problem.

Stepping out of the elevator and through the main entrance, I froze.

"Aaaagh!"

I stumbled backward into the building, caught completely off guard.

The moment I stepped outside, the exposed skin on my arms and face stung sharply.

It wasn't unbearable pain, just an unpleasant prickling I'd never felt before.

"What the hell is this?!"

It felt like someone was jabbing needles into my body.

The system's description had been spot-on.

Discomfort.

No better word existed for how I felt right now.

Grumbling, I retreated back upstairs.

I swapped into a hoodie, pulled the hood up, added a mask, and even slipped on cotton gloves despite it not being winter.

Anyone seeing me would think I was a criminal.

I'm just a harmless vampire, though.

At this point, the anxiety of being an EX-rank awakening outweighed any excitement.

I wouldn't have to live like this forever, right?

No matter how broken the ability was, the penalty was ridiculous. Did they expect me to stay holed up in my room for life?

Still, I had things to do, so I made straight for the grocery mart.

I'd worried about feeling bloodlust around people, but nothing like that happened. No one looked particularly appetizing either.

I grabbed two carts and headed straight for the ramen aisle.

"Seriously, even the seasoning powder has garlic in it?"

Damn it. What was I supposed to eat?

Eventually I discovered that jjajang ramen didn't contain garlic.

With my entire body covered by the hoodie and mask, I started dumping boxes of jjajang ramen into the carts. People were starting to stare.

"...This is going to be a real problem."

I pulled the hood down. Inside the building, the sunlight penalty didn't trigger.

Better not draw too much attention while indoors.

After filling both carts to the brim, I pushed them to the register. The cashier's eyes widened.

"...Are you preparing for an evacuation or something?"

"Ah, haha! No, just stocking up a bit..."

"If someone saw this, they'd think you were preparing for war. Hohoho."

The auntie kept scanning the ramen with the barcode reader.

"Will you be getting delivery?"

"Yes."

"Just take everything over there and they'll handle it."

I'd come in person today because I was in a rush, but from now on I'd order online. Delivery would bring everything to my door in two or three hours anyway.

After finishing up, I headed to my next stop: a bag shop that sold the kind of backpacks awakeners used inside the Labyrinth.

Each one cost anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of won.

"Welcome. What are you looking for?"

Even with money in the bank, I couldn't afford to splurge.

"What's the cheapest one you have?"

The employee's expression stiffened slightly.

"Haha... This one here is our most affordable option. It's made from Labyrinth leather, so it's far more durable than regular bags. Still, wouldn't you like something a little better to handle attacks?"

The clerk tried steering me toward a more expensive model.

I didn't need anything fancy right now. Ramen was one thing, but better bags could wait.

"No, I'll just take this one."

Attacks on the first floor were basically just goblins. This would be plenty.

"Understood. Shall I pack one for you?"

"No, ten of them."

"...Pardon?"

"Ten. Actually, make it twenty of these."

A bright smile bloomed across the previously gloomy employee's face.

"Whew, finally feels like I can breathe."

Once I got home, the suffocating feeling eased.

No matter how much I covered up, sunlight still seeped through. The penalty felt like countless branches whipping my body with every step.

Why did I have to suffer like this?

Awakening was supposed to be a blessing, yet I'd received a curse along with it.

Even as an EX-rank, the sunlight penalty felt excessive.

SS-ranks were out there smashing through the Labyrinth without any penalties. Of course, they were post-awakening SS-ranks who'd consumed over ten thousand Ether...

But I didn't have time to complain.

I opened the gate to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Labyrinth and peered inside.

"Kerrrrgh..."

"Keruk."

"Keeeek..."

"Just hang on a little longer."

Goblins lay collapsed on the floor, clutching their stomachs.

Sigh... This was my life now.

Who would've thought I'd be boiling ramen for goblins?

I carried the boxes of ramen from the entrance into the house, filled a pot with water, and set it on the stove. Then I pulled out the paper bowls I'd bought.

Jjajang ramen you could just add water to and eat.

If it were just me, I'd have added meat and chili powder, but this was ten portions for ten starving goblins.

Taste didn't matter. I quickly cooked the ramen, divided it into the paper bowls, and stuck a plastic spork in each one before heading into the Labyrinth.

"Time to eat, everyone."

"Kyaaaak!!"

"Keeeek!!!"

"Paaahp!"

?

Did someone just say "food"?

The goblins gathered in front of me, looking up.

From this angle, they almost looked a little cute.

"...Have I finally gone insane?"

When I handed over a bowl of ramen, they didn't even pick up the sporks. They just face-planted straight into the food.

"Hey! That's still hot!"

"Kyaaaaak!"

As expected, one goblin jumped around with black broth smeared all over its face.

They knocked bowls over, picked the spilled noodles off the floor, and kept eating. Complete chaos.

"...Seriously. How am I supposed to train them?"

Nine goblins were putting on a masterclass in mayhem.

Only one remained relatively calm.

"Keruk?"

"I knew you were different, Gob."

"Keruk!!"

Gob was clumsily scooping ramen with the spork.

Still, even if I'd given him a name, he was still a goblin. What made him different?

I opened Gob's status window.

Park Gob had been my first familiar. He'd spent the longest time in the Labyrinth and fought the most battles, so his level had risen. All his stats were one point higher than the other goblins.

Was his slightly higher intelligence the reason he seemed smarter?

"Huh? So getting stronger makes them smarter?"

Regular warrior goblins had 4 intelligence. Gob, now level 2, had 5.

The biggest obstacle right now wasn't sunlight or garlic. It was goblin intelligence.

Goblins who threw away their weapons to happily farm iron ore.

"In the end, getting stronger solves everything again..."

Stronger goblins meant higher intelligence, which meant better obedience. And my Domination Power would rise as a bonus.

Another reason to enter the Labyrinth besides sunlight and garlic.

"Kerrrrgh!"

"Kyaaaak!"

"Paahp! Paaaahp!"

The goblins were still causing a ruckus, barely managing to pick up the fallen noodles.

"...Wait a second."

Next time I'd get bread or something instead of ramen.

After the meal, I immediately armed the goblins.

I'd thought handing them backpacks would be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠simple, but even that hit a snag.

While I sighed at the goblins tossing their bags on the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠floor, Gob stepped in.

"Kerrrk! Kyak!!"

Gob grabbed the other goblins by the heads and started communicating with them.

I couldn't understand the "keruk" sounds, but it seemed like he'd explained things properly.

The goblins finally put the backpacks on.

"Good job, Gob."

"Keruuuuk!!"

Education at eye level, huh?

The goblins followed my orders, but they often didn't understand the commands themselves. Somehow, when Gob explained, it worked.

"Everyone full? You got some sleep before I arrived too, right?"

"Keruruk!"

"Keruk!"

"Kyak!"

Nine energized goblins plus Gob.

"From now on, put anything decently sized into the bags. Kill any wild goblins you see too."

The ten warrior goblins, armed with large backpacks and weapons for farming, nodded in understanding.

I smiled and pointed energetically toward the outside.

"Then move out!"

"Kyaaaak!"

"Keek!"

"Kiyaaaak!"

Go forth, my premium SCVs!

Time to farm!

Kang Dae-ho, Korea's ranker who had risen from initial A-rank to current S-rank after collecting fifty Ether over seven years, scratched his head while staring at the system window before him.

One hundred thousand won per piece meant ten million for a hundred. A fortune to most, but to a ranker like him it was simply a way to save time.

People who saw the post would probably farm a few pieces while running the first floor.

The problem was still time. He'd have to keep running dungeons while waiting for the scrap to trickle in.

He was willing to wait with tears in his eyes rather than waste days stuck on the first floor.

Ding!

A message arrived.

Even though he could just buy it, Kang Dae-ho couldn't suppress his curiosity.

"...Why did you stockpile so much of it?"

Three days had passed since establishing the base.

"Finally, my first income!"

"Keruk keruk!"

Using the Labyrinth trading system that awakeners relied on, ten million won in points transferred over.

Ten million won from junk items!

Being an awakener was the best.

"Great work, Gob!"

"Keruk!"

Now I could convert this into magic stones and sell them to the government, or buy items for myself.

My first earnings from Labyrinth farming.

I didn't know why someone wanted this junk, but what did it matter? As long as I could sell it.

The warehouse was already on the verge of overflowing with miscellaneous items from the first floor.

Ten goblins were going in and out of the base, sweeping up everything in sight.

All of it was low-value junk like scrap metal, but quantity changed everything.

I could probably ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sell this stuff to a real-world scrapyard and still make money.

A method only I could use, thanks to my absurdly low farming difficulty.

Most people discarded this kind of junk inside the Labyrinth because of the weight.

"Maybe I should buy a few hand carts and bring it over?"

I was certain now.

The Labyrinth really did make money.

And my ability was an absolute jackpot among jackpots.

Just as I was thinking about seriously sweeping up the Labyrinth's trash...

I could now control up to fifty goblins instead of ten.

ⓒ Diwalls #1mxtx