“Your signature here, please.”

The clerk from the Association extended the documents. Go Byeonggap traced his three given names carefully, each stroke deliberate.

“Someone of your standing knows the law on illegal firearms and its consequences, so I won’t spell it out.”

“No need to worry about that.”

The clerk replied in a clipped, professional tone and left. Go Byeonggap surveyed the forty gun cases stacked in his living room, a thin smile tugging at his mouth.

He hadn’t bought them for himself. He’d graduated from firearms long ago.

He transferred all twenty K-1 rifles into Asvillam, then stepped through himself.

Forty beast goblins gathered on the battlement roof. These would be dedicated sentries, tasked solely with perimeter watch from now on.

Twenty would stand guard by day, twenty by night, rotating in shifts.

Go Byeonggap handed out the K-1 rifles, one by one.

«Repeat after me. A rifle is your second life.»

«A rifle. Is your. Second life!»

«A gun is your lover.»

«A gun. Is your. Lover!»

The beast goblins echoed him with crisp unison.

«From now on, this weapon is your primary arms. I’ll teach you how to use and maintain it. Master it thoroughly. Understood?»

«Yes, sir!»

Go Byeonggap drilled the forty sentries on firearms knowledge. He’d handled guns so long he was sick of them—but that also made him an expert.

After the theory session, they moved straight to practice. One by one, they leaned against the parapet edge and shouldered their rifles.

A beast goblin stood a good 170 centimeters tall, so handling a rifle came naturally.

«When ready, fire.»

«Firing!»

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Gunfire echoed across the silent Asvillam. Splinters flew from the wooden targets set in the forest ahead.

‘These bastards… they’re not just decent shots, are they?’

Beast goblins had animal instincts and razor focus, just like their name. He’d trained them as assassins for their speed, but looking again, their marksmanship potential was immense.

On top of that, the elixir of Growth had pushed their physical limits even higher—they’d hit a hundred out of a hundred.

More shooting practice would just waste ammunition. Go Byeonggap wrapped up the session.

«I’ll say it a million times and it won’t be enough: a gun is a deadly weapon. Never, not even as a joke, point the muzzle at an ally. If I catch anyone fooling around, you’ll face the consequences.»

«We’ll remember!»

«Good. Night shift, go rest now. Day shift, start your watch immediately. Oh, and one more thing—even if you spot a Grugle, don’t fire until it crosses the deadline.»

The beast goblins answered in unison. Then they moved to their posts and began their watch.

Meanwhile, Somnium’s mess hall was just as bustling as the walls. Ea was in the middle of a fervent lecture, surrounded by five hob goblins and ten normal goblins.

«Got it? You take it out of the fire when this hourglass flips six times. Late and it burns; too early and it turns to mush — so be careful.»

«Ooh. Got it.»

«Hey. Ea.»

«Yes? A question?»

«Ea. Going with. The Lord?»

A normal goblin asked — one who’d been helping Ea prep meals since the early days.

Ea offered a wistful smile.

«Yes, that’s how it turned out. I’ve decided to go with your Lord.»

«Pfft… Gonna miss you.»

«We’ll. Miss you.»

«Hehe, I feel the same. Knowing I’ll be parting from all of you makes it hard to lift my feet.»

«Still sucks. But. Ea helping. The Lord. Is better.»

«Yeah. That’s right.»

The goblins’ boundless devotion to their Lord made Ea chuckle.

«You all truly adore the Lord, don’t you?»

«Of course!»

«How fascinating. Why do you love the Lord that much?»

The goblins wore question marks on their faces.

A look that said: ‘Why’s she even asking that?’

«Because. He’s our. Lord.»

«He brought us. To Asvillam.»

«The Lord. Gave us good food. And warm shelter. Loving him. Is only natural.»

«But your Lord sometimes gets angry, irritable, and even yells at you scarily, doesn’t he? Don’t you resent him or hate him then?»

«Ea. You stupid? When we mess up. The Lord gets mad. Everything. Is our fault.»

«We just. Have to do. Better.»

The goblins defended their Lord desperately. Ea realized that no matter how hard she tried to win them over, she’d never match Go Byeonggap in their eyes.

«Hehe! Understood. Now let’s head to the cold storage. I’ll teach you how to store food.»

«Okay.»

And so another busy day at Somnium slipped by.

Lately, Somnium was wildly dynamic. Some were frantic with preparation to leave; others to stay behind.

And as part of those preparations, there was the ‘Forest Subjugation Operation.’

«Doran, everyone gathered?»

«Yes! All present and accounted for.»

Go Byeonggap swept his gaze over the assembled force before the wall. The crew consisted of the First and Second Infantry Platoons, the Raid Team, and Doran.

«We’ll run it the same as last time. Stay in formation and don’t let your guard down. Let’s move.»

The massive gate swung open. The subjugation team swiftly filed out of Somnium and into the forest.

They formed a long column. Go Byeonggap took the lead; Doran brought up the rear.

«No presence out there. Stay sharp on all sides.»

A single word from their Lord lit a fire in the goblins’ eyes. They blazed past the territory they’d already cleared and plunged into the virgin forest.

‘I won’t feel safe until we’ve hunted as many as possible before we leave.’

His plan was to scour the forest every single day until it was time to depart Somnium.

The subjugation team halted in the middle of the forest, scanning their surroundings. Moments later, as if sprouting from the earth itself, a Grugle emerged from between the trees.

«Auuugh…»

«Waaaah…»

‘These bastards really are like ghosts.’

Go Byeonggap lit a cigarette and drew his sword. He aimed ahead and shouted.

«Go wipe them all out.»

«Let’s go!»

«Kekek!»

Over sixty members of the subjugation team surged past him.

Blades and spears sliced through leaves, lunging forward. They butchered the Grugle without mercy.

«Don’t stand next to me, you idiots! Unless you want to get caught in it!»

‘Aish, that fool.’

Doran fought with her internal energy blazing to the fullest. It was like using a butcher’s knife to kill a rabbit.

The collateral damage sent innocent trees lopped cleanly in half. As for the Grugle? The moment her blade touched them, they turned to dust.

‘She’s almost as good as I am with internal energy now, isn’t she? At this rate, she really might surpass me.’

Doran’s growth rate was nothing short of exponential. It was astonishing enough that she’d drawn out internal energy without any manual — but she handled it with skill too.

‘I can’t have a Lord getting overtaken. Not on my watch.’

Go Byeonggap stubbed out his cigarette and joined the fight. The forest floor piled high with Grugle corpses.

* * *

Time slipped by like water.

It felt like just yesterday the new year had dawned, yet February was already right around the corner.

«Whoa…»

«I-it’s real. Asvillam.»

«Hic!»

Sixty-seven goblins had arrived at Asvillam for the first time. Their eyes went wide with wonder as they gawked in every direction. Some of the more sentimental ones even shed tears of awe.

Go Byeonggap entered Asvillam alongside them.

‘Finally. All full.’

The three-week-long goblin-farming campaign ended today.

With the newcomers added, Asvillam’s goblin population exceeded fifteen hundred. The target had been met.

He immediately called for Gobungi and handed over the new arrivals. Gobungi shepherded the rookies with practiced ease.

«Gobun.»

«Yes, My Lord.»

«Is there a place for the kids to sleep? There isn’t, is there?»

«Uh… if we squeeze them in… it might work somehow.»

Somnium couldn’t accommodate a population of fifteen hundred. The place had originally been designed for about five hundred.

The lodgings were naturally packed to the brim. Even buildings like the dining hall and warehouse were crammed full of goblins.

In a word: they were at capacity.

«If there’s no room, send them to my quarters. I can put up about thirty.»

«As you command, My Lord.»

Go Byeonggap checked the digital watch on his wrist.

January 25, 2026. After tonight, only four days left in January.

‘Time to move.’

He had the population. Somnium’s foundation was solid. No more reason to put it off.

‘I’ll set out the day after tomorrow at the latest.’

With that resolve, Go Byeonggap turned in early.

Dawn broke the next morning. From first light, Go Byeonggap busied himself preparing for departure. By the time he’d gathered his gear and weapons and stepped outside, two goblins were already waiting.

«Lord! Did you sleep well?»

«Did you rest comfortably, My Lord?»

It was Doran and Dorma. Both were armed and ready.

«Ah. Did you sleep well? It’s not uncomfortable with so many new kids around, is it?»

«Not at all, My Lord. The thought never crossed my mind.»

«I’m fine too!»

«Good. Let’s hurry.»

They didn’t linger. By the time they reached the city gate, a small group was already waiting for them.

«You’re leaving now?»

Ea. Gobungi. Kiriyan. Turka.

They’d all come to see Go Byeonggap and his two goblins off.

Go Byeonggap put on a show of surprise.

«What’s this? Why’s everyone up? Shouldn’t you be sleeping?»

«We came to see you off. You said you don’t know when you’ll be back.»

«Aw, what’s with the fuss? I’m just taking a quick look around. Hell, I might be back by tonight.»

«Still. Anyway—go safe. You too, Doran and Mr. Dorma.»

«My Lord, please take care of yourself.»

«Have a safe journey.»

«Yeah, yeah. Go on, all of you, get back inside and sleep.»

With that send-off, Go Byeonggap and his two goblins stepped through the gate.

«How far do you plan to venture, My Lord?»

«Not too far. Closer to Somnium the better.»

The reason they had set out was to scout a new site for their settlement.

You couldn’t well drag several hundred goblins out without having a place to put them first.

‘Guess all that relentless hunting finally paid off—no Grugle in sight.’

They hadn’t encountered a single Grugle during the entire trek through the forest. All that extermination work, catching them like rats, had been worth it.

After about thirty minutes of running, the forest ended. Beyond it stretched an ordinary mountain path. They picked their way down step by step, descending carefully.

‘Somnium had been perched pretty high up, hadn’t it.’

It took a full three hours just to reach the foot of the mountain. The slopes weren’t steep, but the mountain itself was vast and sprawling.

«Wow! Lord, look over there. It’s enormous!»

Just as the descent ended and the flat ground began, Doran pointed with her finger.

Through the thick brush, a sweeping plain came into view.

«Ooh, a plain.»

«This is a steal, isn’t it? No need to go far at all.»

«Indeed, my Lord.»

«Lord! Lord! So we’re building a new home over there?»

«Probably. Though we need to find a river first.»

No matter how good the site, without a river it’s all for nothing. Fortunately, a stream was flowing down from the mountain, so a river couldn’t be far off.

They had fully emerged from the mountain. Now before them stretched an endless plain.

‘It’s absurdly vast. But this…’

The land was so unobstructed you could see the horizon curve. Perfect for farming or raising livestock.

Except for one thing. An unexpected problem.

«Aigo…»

«Lord… there’s something wrong with this soil.»

Dorma let out a small sigh. Doran outright scowled, her face twisted with displeasure.

She was right. The earth felt wrong.

To be more precise…

‘The land is dead.’

He hadn’t noticed it from a distance. But the moment his boots touched the ground, he knew. The earth was dead.

The soil was dry and crumbly, and the only plants were a few withered trees.

It wasn’t quite a desert, but calling it a grassland would be a stretch—too barren. Even common weeds were nowhere to be seen.

‘There’s no way you could farm land this wasted.’

He grabbed a fistful of dirt and rubbed it between his fingers. It felt like dust, or powder, not soil.

«Lord, look over there!»

Lost in thought over the desolate landscape, Doran tugged at Go Byeonggap’s arm and pointed.

Byeonggap whipped his head around, half-expecting a Grugle.

But there was no Grugle. Nothing but the same barren plain.

«…What am I supposed to be looking at? There’s nothing.»

«Way off in the distance—really far. Don’t you see something that looks like a building?»

«A building? There’s no building out here.»

Grumbling, Byeonggap focused his internal energy into his eyes anyway.

Thanks to his internal energy, the distant horizon came into crisp, vivid focus. Before long, he understood what Doran had been pointing at.

‘…What the hell? That’s an actual building?’

Her words were true. Somewhere impossibly far, where the horizon seemed to swallow the sky, a cluster of structures that looked like a city sat on the land.