The Lone Goblin's Stand

The Labyrinth appeared out of nowhere one day.

At first, it was nothing more than urban legends—sightings of people suddenly vanishing without a trace. Missing persons reports kept piling up until, all at once, survivors began speaking out.

"I visited another world."

"I'm an Awakened. I have the power to enter that other world."

"This item is proof."

Everyone dismissed them as lunatics at first. When the so-called Awakened were told to demonstrate their abilities, they claimed they couldn't use them outside the Labyrinth, which only made people brand them as frauds even louder. Even when these self-proclaimed Awakened vanished right before everyone's eyes, belief came slowly.

Then, on a day when the number of people claiming to be Awakened kept growing, a system window appeared before every person on Earth.

That was how the Labyrinth officially became known to the world. The "rifts" the system mentioned were reverse flows—monsters from the Labyrinth spilling into the real world. When a Barrier Stone's energy sat at 100%, the probability of monsters appearing dropped to near zero. So what happened at 99%? A 1% chance. Even that single percent was catastrophic. A monster appearing in the heart of a city was a disaster in every sense of the word. It meant war erupting in the middle of downtown with zero warning.

Awakened were no different from ordinary people outside the Labyrinth, so the military had to be deployed to suppress any outbreaks. Soldiers exchanging gunfire inside a city? That was practically war. Nations poured everything into keeping Barrier Stone energy at 100%. That was why Awakened never stopped diving into the Labyrinth—to farm the magic stones that acted as batteries for the Barrier Stones.

Items and magic stones were farmed nonstop. Wouldn't the Labyrinth eventually run out? That was where resets came in.

"Whoa. That's way more ominous than the rumors made it sound."

A massive number floated in the sky, visible from anywhere in the Labyrinth, counting down rapidly.

Two hours, forty-two minutes, and eleven seconds remained. Anyone could tell that something truly dangerous would happen once the timer hit zero.

"So, everyone's here?"

I looked around. Goblins stared back at me—ten Goblin Warriors, one Warehouse Keeper, and thirty-nine regular Goblins.

"...Alright then."

A reset was exactly what it sounded like. It returned the Labyrinth to its initial state and respawned items and monsters in random locations. There was always one guaranteed Ether on the first floor, but that could wait. What mattered right now was what happened to the base during a reset. It wouldn't disappear too, right? The system had created it, after all.

"Everyone, head inside one by one."

Starting with Gob, the goblins filed through the door into my house. Fifty goblins. The place would be packed once they were all inside, but there was no helping it. I had no idea what would happen if they stayed in the base during the reset, so I needed to observe it firsthand today.

The goblins steadily crossed over into the officetel. Just as the last one was about to step through, I called out.

"Hey, you. Come here for a second."

"Kerk?"

I stopped the fiftieth goblin—the last one I'd turned into a vampire. It tilted its head and followed me. Once the others had all gone inside, I dropped to one knee so we were eye level and placed a hand on its shoulder.

"Hey. You're my fiftieth familiar."

"Kerk kerk!!"

"Number fifty. I've got a very, very important mission for you."

"K-Kerk? Kerk kerk?!"

The goblin swallowed hard, trembling as it looked up at me. What kind of terrifying task was I about to assign? I gave it a small dagger and spoke clearly.

"You have to guard the house while we're gone."

"Kerk?"

"Simple, right? Just keep the base safe until we come back."

"Kerk? Kerk!!"

The goblin beamed, clearly pleased with the easy job. I didn't bother explaining the reset. It wouldn't understand anyway, and there was no need.

"We'll be back in about three hours. Hold the fort until then, got it?"

"Kerk!!"

"That's my goblin. Good job."

I patted its shoulder and stood up. The goblin looked around warily, dagger raised, still unsure what was happening.

I turned away. Your sacrifice won't be forgotten, Goblin #50. Or was it #51 if we counted the three who left earlier? Either way, our Goblin #50 had been given a truly vital mission.

"I'll be back soon!"

"Keruk!"

The goblin would experience the full force of the Labyrinth reset right here in the base.

"Keruk keruk?"

"Kerk!"

"Kyaaak!"

The goblins were crammed together in the already tiny officetel, sweating and packed tight.

"Everyone, quiet. Not a single word until we head back."

...

They really were good at following orders. If I left them unsupervised and the neighbors came knocking, it would be a catastrophe. I might even have to turn humans into vampires, and I wanted no part of that. Familiars were enough as monsters.

I sat down in front of the computer. Two hours left. After testing my abilities over the past few days, my resolve to never enter the Labyrinth had completely flipped. This was doable. More than doable. Even if it was just to eat doenjang-jjigae with minced garlic, I needed to gather Ether from the Labyrinth. And if I was going to do it, I would do it properly—step by step, building a solid foundation.

"I should probably move first."

The current officetel wasn't in a great location. I needed to think about infrastructure for food supplies, enough space for my familiars to exist in the real world without issues, and—most importantly—security so we wouldn't get caught. The security part was the real headache. To sell magic stones for cash, I'd have to use the Association's official exchange. Registration as an Awakened was mandatory there. My ability was Vampire, a name that screamed villain, and my rank was EX—the first of its kind. Private trades existed, but I couldn't keep running forever. I already knew I was special. If I'd been born in China or North Korea, the government would have dragged me away by now. Most Awakened had no way to resist, but I did. I could summon my familiars into the real world. If I slipped up here, the government might decide I wasn't someone to manage—they might decide I was someone to eliminate.

"Damn it... What do I do? I need the Association's help no matter what."

Another contradiction. To reach the second floor, I needed the Association's support. My domination ability carried an even more fundamental penalty than garlic or sunlight. To overcome it, I absolutely needed their help. I opened the system window and checked the national monthly rankings.

Top four were using real names—probably because they had contracts with the Association and were publicly known. The rest used nicknames. As for me...

24th place: ShutInBloodDemon – 1

Twenty-fourth right after awakening. Most people only got one Ether through sheer luck, excluding the top ranks. Just like me.

"...First place has seven. That's impossible for now."

At best, I could find the Ether that dropped every Monday on the first floor—four per month if I was lucky. Even four would tie me for second in Korea. Ranking second in the country right after awakening?

"...Let's do it."

I could. With my domination and base abilities, it was absolutely possible. A way to receive help from the Association without letting them put a leash on me. A way to make them support me with everything they had, willingly. I made my decision, stood up, and picked up a dagger.

"All regular goblins, come forward one by one."

"Keruruk!!"

"Keruk!"

"Kyaaak!"

"No answering."

If I swept up Ether and magic stones and made the Association scramble, that would be enough.

"Keruruk?"

The goblin left alone in the base waited for its master and friends to return while guarding the outpost.

Staring at the strange characters floating in the sky, the goblin thought: Why did they leave only me here? I'm the youngest who joined last. Could it be...?!

"Keruk?!"

Am I the chosen one? Am I a very, very special goblin?!

"Kyahaak!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

In high spirits, the goblin stood guard even more diligently, determined to protect the base exactly as ordered. Then the moving characters in the sky suddenly stopped.

"Keruk...?"

An uneasy feeling crept over it. The air froze. The world seemed to stop. And then the world outside the base began to collapse.

Buildings melted away. The ground vanished. The sky was erased.

"Kerkerk?! Kerk?! Kerk!!!"

Everything except the base itself started disappearing. What is this?! Did my master order me to stop it?! Even if I'm an amazing goblin, this is impossible!!

"Kyaaak kyaaak!!!"

Screaming and swinging its dagger wildly through the air, the goblin was suddenly engulfed by an intense light. The brightness was blinding. It squeezed its eyes shut, groaning from the pain of its eyeballs burning. When the light finally faded and it opened its eyes, the world had returned to normal—as if nothing had happened.

"...Kerk?"

Still dazed, the goblin watched the door in the center of the base open.

"Whoa... The reset is no joke."

Its master clicked his tongue as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he stepped back inside.

"Keruuuuk!!!"

"Yeah, good job! Goblin #50!! Or is it #51? Anyway, #50!"

"Kerk!"

The goblin puffed out its chest proudly at the praise—until it saw the goblins following behind and deflated again.

"Krrrk."

"Keruruk?"

"Kyaaak!"

All the goblins that had left had returned as Goblin Warriors. Why was I the only one left out? At that moment, its master approached.

"Alright, time for you to rank up too."

"Kerk?!"

The master took its dagger, pricked his own finger, and let a single drop of blood well up. The goblin instinctively knew—this was treasure. More precious than anything to them. And its master was about to grant it this treasure. It dropped to its knees and raised its hands. The drop of blood fell.

Crack. Crack.

Its body twisted. Bones and muscles rearranged. Pain came, but so did overwhelming pleasure. This was why it lived! The master called out to the others.

"Everyone, give a round of applause for our youngest who protected the house until the very end!"

Clap clap clap clap.

Clap clap!

Clap clap clap!

The forty-nine Goblin Warriors surrounded the newest member and cheered. One Warehouse Keeper and forty-nine Goblin Warriors now stood ready.

"Alright... Time to get to work. The target is the white orb. And since you're all Goblin Warriors now..."

The master grinned meaningfully and pointed outside the base.

"Head into the central zone and farm! Move out!"

"Kyaaak!"

"Kyaaak!"

"Keeek!"

The Goblin Warriors slung on their backpacks and charged out. Just as the newest warrior was about to follow, it heard its master whisper softly.

"Whoa, that guy's actually going for it."

...?

Wednesday morning.

Kim Min-woo, chairman of the Korean Awakened Association, was clutching his head. Korea was falling behind in both magic stones and Ether. Even though they mined a decent amount relative to population, it wasn't enough.

"Why does our country's location have to be like this?!"

Neighbors: Japan, China, Russia. And the U.S. wasn't far either. China ranked first in Ether production, India second, America third. The top and third were countries Korea couldn't ignore. Japan produced around 500 Ether per year while Korea hovered around 400. Russia was in another league entirely—rumors even suggested they were secretly creating a fourth SS-rank.

With the Labyrinth, population mattered. Korea's relatively small population put it at a disadvantage. The country performed decently on a global scale, yet it always felt like last place in its own region. Thanks to that, the National Assembly constantly grilled him.

"Can't you secure more Ether?"

"What is this remaining magic stone count? If monsters appear, you're taking responsibility, Chairman Kim!"

"Do better. Our country isn't weak!"

"Bunch of idiots who couldn't even catch a goblin if they were thrown into the Labyrinth, all talk."

He grumbled and turned toward the massive screen that took up an entire wall—national weekly and monthly rankings, world annual rankings, and real-time Ether mining statistics for Korea. The data was accurate because it was built using one Ether.

Just then, a notification appeared.

"As expected! Our hope! It's only Wednesday and he's already got one!"

Korea's number one ranker. The undisputed star who mined seven to eight Ether every month. As soon as the weekly ranking reset, he claimed the top spot again.

"If he finds a lot this time and sells even two, I'll have no complaints."

More than half the Ether flowing into the Association came from Choi Kang-hyuk. The same went for magic stones. Without him, Korea might have already collapsed under reverse flows.

"If only Han Seol-ah worked just a little harder and matched Kang-hyuk's pace...!"

She reliably farmed one Ether per week—impressive, but the gap to first place was simply too wide. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Then another alert sounded.

"...What? ShutInBloodDemon? Beginner's luck?"

A nickname he'd never seen before had appeared on the weekly ranking. "Lucky. Found an Ether only two days after the reset." The lack of a real name suggested the person wasn't even registered with the Association yet—just a complete newbie. Still, he checked past records just in case.

"...They also farmed one six days ago? So this is their second?"

The monthly ranking clearly showed two. One could be dismissed as luck. Anyone could win the lottery once. But if the same person won first prize two weeks in a row, that was different. This wasn't simple luck—it was Labyrinth ranking. There were no magic stone transaction records either. A true fresh newbie? And yet...

Kim Min-woo's brow furrowed deeply.

"They farmed two Ether right after awakening?"

— End —