Four days had passed since the clash with the Divine Army. Asvillam had been plunged into grief for a time, but it was quickly regaining its old rhythm.

Aside from the slight decrease in goblins prowling the streets, something about Asvillam had changed. That something was the guest hunters visiting this place.

« My Lord, we have brought the humans’ meal.»

« Oh, right. Bring it inside.»

« Yes.»

Goblins filed in carrying baskets piled high with sweet potatoes and roasted chicken — more than enough to feed a group of nearly eighty.

“Yo! Thanks, goblin buddies, we’ll dig in good.”

Jeong Seongyeong greeted them with a playful tone. The goblins, naturally, didn’t understand a word, their large eyes blinking blankly. Unbothered, Seongyeong grabbed a sweet potato from a basket and bit into it.

“Hot-hot!” she hissed through a mouthful of steam.

‘That noona’s something else… I’m the human here.’

She was just exceptionally sociable. Most of the others still couldn’t wrap their heads around the situation. Go Byeonggap sat cross-legged on a chair, letting his mind drift back.

It was two days ago that everyone had woken up.

After regaining consciousness, they’d all reacted more or less the same: first, they checked their own bodies; next, they scanned who was nearby; finally, they asked where the hell they were. And, bonus, they threw fits at the sight of the goblins.

Calming them down was a trial in every sense. Byeonggap had to repeat the same damn speech a hundred times to hammer the concept ‘goblins are safe’ into the hunters’ heads.

For the record, he never brought up keywords like ‘Asvillam’ or ‘Goblin Lord.’ Convincing everyone of that was far too difficult — and there was no real need to.

He’d just firmly planted the notion: ‘This place is safe, and its goblins are harmless. But the moment you break this place’s rules, your life is no longer guaranteed.’

Thanks to his relentless efforts and the help of those who’d already heard the full story, the hunters had compromised to something like: ‘I don’t know if the goblins are safe or dangerous, but I’ll follow what you say for now.’

Back to the present. Go Byeonggap swept his eyes across the hall. A few who’d let down their guard were wolfing down sweet potatoes and chicken. But some still hadn’t touched a single bite.

‘Hmph, eat or don’t eat. It’s their choice.’

He had zero intention of coaxing them to eat. If they refused the food he offered and starved to death, that was their own damn problem.

“Seongmin hyung, come over here and eat something, won’t you? You need to eat well to recover fast.”

“…I’m fine.”

“Ah, don’t be stubborn. Come on, have one! These sweet potatoes are amazing.”

Jo Seongmin, the hunter, hesitated. Despite his reason, saliva dripped from his mouth. Eventually, with a show of reluctance, he took the sweet potato.

He stared at it as if it were a photo of an old lover, then squeezed his eyes shut and took a bite.

Three minutes later, Jo Seongmin had his face buried in the basket of sweet potatoes.

“Ya, look here, Hunters. You Hunters, stop your protest and eat up. Like that person said, you need to eat well to regain strength and recover fast, don’t you? And Mr. Byeonggap went out of his way to prepare this—ignoring his thoughtfulness isn’t right either.”

Han Changhun spoke loudly. Jeong Seongyeong jabbed him in the side with a sour face.

“Aigoo, just leave them be. If they don’t eat, they’re only hurting themselves. Let them starve to death; that’ll knock some sense into them.”

“Aigoo, Ms. Seongyeong. Your words are a bit……”

It wasn’t Han Changhun’s persuasion but Jeong Seongyeong’s sharp tongue that riled the people. Eventually, overcome by hunger, the hunters swallowed their pride and gathered around the basket.

In just a few minutes, the sweet potatoes and chicken vanished like a conjurer’s trick.

Hunters patted their full bellies. Contentment radiated from their faces.

“Excuse me.”

Just then, a man hesitantly raised his hand. He was speaking to Go Byeonggap.

Go Byeonggap turned his head to look at the man.

“What is it?”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, nothing else, but how long do we have to stay here?”

Go Byeonggap didn’t understand the man’s intent. He tilted his head and asked back.

“How long you have to stay? What do you mean by that?”

“Well… I’m asking when we can go back to Korea.”

It felt absurd. As if he were the one detaining them.

“I can send you back right this moment. But even if you went back in that condition, could you fight properly?”

“…….”

The man swallowed his words. Go Byeonggap was right. Their physical state was barely better than a corpse, if you added a spoonful of exaggeration.

Go Byeonggap would actually be relieved to send them back. He wouldn’t have to lose sleep worrying they might start trouble, nor would he have to spare Asvillam’s precious food.

But it was obvious they’d die a lonely death if they ran into a powerful monster in their current state, so he was simply offering them a refuge.

“As I told you, this place is safe. Don’t be impatient, just recover your strength first. …Still, if you’re really dissatisfied, say the word anytime. I’ll send you back right away.”

People exchanged silent glances. Against expectations, no one said they wanted to leave right away.

“Do you happen to know anything about the situation outside?”

This time, a woman spoke. It was Shin Yeji, an S-rank hunter. She seemed to be close with Jeong Seongyeong.

In any case, Go Byeonggap shook his head as he replied.

“No, I don’t really know much either. But there is one thing that’s been bothering me.”

“Bothering you?”

“My phone hasn’t had service. I don’t know if it’s a temporary glitch, but what’s clear is that it worked ten days ago.”

The crowd stirred.

He had his suspicions about this. It wasn’t hard to guess that the Hexagram Order bastards had started something.

But whether to reveal what Seo Sihui had told him to these people—that was a much harder call.

Night had fallen over Asvillam. Standing side by side smoking, Jeong Seongyeong spoke.

“Not gonna tell them?”

“Tell them what?”

“That whole Illumission thing.”

Go Byeonggap stared at Jeong Seongyeong for a long moment before answering.

“Don’t know. Still thinking.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to speak up? Even a blank map is easier to carry with two hands. Only if we put our heads together can we come up with something.”

“For something ordinary, sure. But Noona, you know this isn’t some light matter. If we’re not careful, it could just stir up more chaos.”

“Ugh, why do you overthink everything so much?”

“What are you planning to do, Noona?”

“About what?”

“Say the Hexagram Order really did something. Like monsters going berserk and those Illumission scumbags slaughtering people. What would you do then, Noona?”

Jeong Seongyeong scrunched up her face and tapped off her ash. Tap, tap.

“Hey, is that even a question? Of course I’d fight back.”

“Even if the odds seem hopeless?”

“Odds or not, I’ve got power—I can’t just sit back and watch.”

“And if they approached you, offered you a deal, you’re sure you wouldn’t go along?”

“What, you think I’ve got a hole in my head? Join up with those lunatics?”

She answered with a sour look. Go Byeonggap stared at the night sky and blew out a plume of smoke.

“How many of those people do you think feel the same way you do?”

“Are you saying you don’t trust them?”

“It’s not about trust or not… Let’s be real—if it’s a choice between joining the winning side or the losing one, joining the winning side makes more sense.”

“Their moral scales aren’t as broken as you think. Being a hunter means having pride in the job, doesn’t it?”

“I dunno. I did it for the money.”

“You’re really something…”

Jeong Seongyeong dropped her cigarette butt to the ground. Go Byeonggap quickly picked it up and put it into his portable ashtray.

“I told you not to drop cigarette butts on the ground.”

“Ah. Sorry, man. It’s a habit.”

“This is a clean zone.”

Jeong Seongyeong scratched the back of her head awkwardly, then suddenly let out a snicker.

“Man, you really are a weird and amusing guy.”

“I’m not exactly your run-of-the-mill character, I’ll give you that.”

“Hey, Byeonggap.”

“What?”

“Wanna date me?”

Go Byeonggap thought he’d misheard. The proposal came so far out of left field.

Maybe that’s why. Even though he’d heard her perfectly, he asked back.

“Do what?”

“Date. Me.”

“…Noona, are you sexually frustrated?”

“You wanna die?”

“Then what’s that? Out of nowhere.”

Jeong Seongyeong answered with a face full of mischief.

“You’re the king of the goblins, right? I figured if I played my cards right with you, I might get to hear ‘Queen’ someday. That good enough for you? Time I straightened out my fortune too.”

“A rich lady like you talking about straightening fortunes?”

“When the world goes to shit, money’ll be nothing but toilet paper anyway. I need to secure my insurance.”

“Geh….”

“So you don’t want to? You don’t? Huh?”

Jeong Seongyeong hooked her arms around his and pressed in close. Go Byeonggap felt something hot surge up inside him.

<Good, this one. The woman’s features are bold and honest—a sign of a true heart with no lingering grudges. Her waist is slender but her hips are wide, a sure sign she’ll bear children with ease—>

‘…Shut up, Landriol. And stop peeping.’

<Boring fellow.>

Go Byeonggap calmed his heart and gently pried her off.

“I like you too, Noona. I do… but this just isn’t the time for dating. You know how things are these days….”

“Heh heh heh! That’s fine, punk. I knew you’d say that. But you know, the fact you said it makes me like you even more?”

“…….”

“Put me down as Queen Candidate Number One. Don’t accept a Candidate Two.”

Jeong Seongyeong patted Go Byeonggap on the back a couple times and took off. Feeling drained, Go Byeonggap fished out another cigarette and put it between his lips.

* * *

On the ninth day, Go Byeonggap sent the fully recovered hunters back to Earth.

A few who’d grown fond of the goblins in that time waved and said their goodbyes.

Go Byeonggap joined them. There were things he wanted to check on firsthand.

The total of eighty hunters headed for Suan County, North Hwanghae Province, where the joint Hunter-Military Command was headquartered.

Their guides were a half-torn map, a compass, and sheer memory.

Along the way, they stumbled upon an abandoned radio. He tried broadcasting on every channel registered in it, but not a single one answered. A shadow of unease flickered across the group’s faces.

Don’t they say unease always hits the mark? The group spotted a monster colony of staggering scale blocking their path.

Not hundreds, not thousands. By the lowest count, tens of thousands of them.

By then, Go Byeonggap was certain. What was coming had finally arrived.

The hunters moved, trying to avoid the monsters as much as they could. Of course, they couldn’t always pull it off, and fights broke out with troubling frequency.

But nothing they’d call a crisis ever came. Why would it? Twenty S-ranks and fifty-nine A-ranks — unless it was Alsharon’s army, nothing was going to hurt this group.

By day they moved without rest, and as soon as the sun went down they retreated into Asvillam.

The others finally understood what “connected to Asvillam” really meant.

“This is really convenient — no, amazing. No risk of camping in enemy territory either.”

“Right. And not having to lug heavy gear around is nice too.”

“They always say spatial-type Awakened are the best. Guess it’s true.”

Praise poured from their mouths.

Go Byeonggap didn’t feel proud. What was there to be proud of, when Asvillam was being treated like a mobile inn room?

‘Inn rooms at least charge money…’

They spent the night safely in Asvillam, then moved again at sunrise. They repeated that cycle for three days.

And finally, the group arrived at the command base.

No — he should correct himself. They arrived at what used to be the command base.

“I figured as much, but…”

“Damn it.”

Sighs spilled from everyone’s mouths.

The command base was a wreck. Tents and barracks were unrecognizable, and smashed equipment littered the ground.

The stench of blood and rot blanketed everything, but strangely, no bodies were visible. The monsters must have eaten them all.

And then it happened. Shin Yeji, one of the hunters in the group, spotted something and dashed over.

It was a half-sunken tent. Inside sat a massive radio.

Shin Yeji calmly checked its condition and sent out transmissions on every channel.

But just like before, the only answer was silence…

-Crackle!

The radio spat noise. The hunters watching it sucked in their breath.

“Hello! Hello? Can you hear me?”

-Crackle! …ho. …Who… who. Crackle!

The radio sputtered for a long while. Shin Yeji shouted frantically into the handset.

How long did that go on? Soon the signal steadied.

“Hey! Answer me!”

-I can hear you.

A man’s voice. He asked right away.

-Who is this? Who are you people?

“We’re the expeditionary force sent on the Sinpo recapture mission.”

-Then you’re hunters?

“That’s right!”

-Where are you?

“We’re in Hwanghae Province right now. At the command base! But there’s nothing here. What the hell happened?”

-Still… crackle! …Still North Korea……. Crackle!

The radio was acting up again.

“Has the command post moved? Where are you?”

“-Sout… zzzt… South… zzzt…!”

“South where? Give me a precise location! Where do we rally?”

Everyone leaned toward the speaker, waiting for an answer.

And when it came, the audio was eerily clear. That’s what made it so horrible.

“-Don’t come. This place is hell.”