“Oh my, Mr. Byeonggap! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Nurse Lee Jiyeon, stationed at the hospital desk, gave a familiar greeting.

Go Byeonggap smiled awkwardly and bowed his head.

“Hello.”

“Here to see your mother, I take it?”

“That’s right. Haha…….”

“Go on up~”

“Yes. Take care.”

Byeonggap headed up to the ward where his mother, Park Yeongok, was hospitalized.

As his back receded, the nurses whispered among themselves.

“A devoted son, that one.”

“I know. It’s heartbreaking to watch, really.”

“Huh? Who is he?”

“You don’t know? He’s the son of the ajumma¹ in Room 403.”

“Room 403… Ah! You mean that one?”

“That’s right.”

The new nurse, Kim Yubi, let out a small gasp. Then she asked.

“But why is it heartbreaking?”

“Girl—his mother has an incurable disease. How is that not heartbreaking?”

“Ahh~ I suppose so.”

“Honestly, you’ve got a bit of a vacant streak sometimes. If you act like that in front of the families, it’ll really be a disaster.”

“Hehe. I’m careful. Anyway, he must have money, right? With the inpatient care and all.”

“Money, huh.”

Lee Jiyeon clicked her tongue sympathetically.

It had already been three years since Go Byeonggap started coming to this hospital. She was the nurse who’d watched him wither day by day.

She also knew that the hospital fees he barely scraped together each month were literally the price of his own life.

Jiyeon gazed vaguely at the staircase where Byeonggap had disappeared, muttering to herself as if talking to no one.

“He’s just barely holding on, even dragging his funeral money into it.”

* * *

“Mom, I’m here.”

Go Byeonggap said as he stepped into Room 403.

No answer came. His mother, Park Yeongok, was asleep.

Park Yeongok was one of only 1,200 patients in the country suffering from Phantom Disease. Those afflicted spent most of their days asleep, fighting the illness.

No cure had been found for Phantom Disease yet. But a special solution made by dissolving red magic stones — the kind you could only get from B-rank or higher monsters — could drastically slow the disease’s progression.

It was a treatment that demanded money by the bucketful. Plenty of patients collapsed under the cost, unable to keep up with the hospital bills.

But Go Byeonggap hadn’t given up. His mother was the only family he had left in this world.

Besides, rumors that someone or other had been completely cured after receiving the treatment kept him from letting go.

Go Byeonggap dropped heavily onto the chair beside the bed.

For thirty minutes, he sat in silence, just watching his mother’s face.

“Mom, I—”

The door slid open with a low rumble.

Just as he was about to say something, an older woman stepped into the room.

Choi Jiok, Park Yeongok’s caregiver.

“Oh my. Young Master Byeonggap, you came?” she said, her voice carrying a familiar warmth.

“Hello, Auntie.”

“Aigoo. Of all times, you had to come while your mother’s asleep. Aren’t you disappointed?” she asked, her tone gentle.

“It’s okay. I just needed to see her face.”

“Still, what a shame. You haven’t been here in a while.”

Choi Jiok spoke as she expertly swapped out the urine bottle.

“Young Master Byeonggap, don’t you worry too much. Ms. Yeongok’s been eating well these days, and she’s been taking walks now and then. Her energy seems to be getting better, bit by bit.”

“R-really?” he asked, his voice catching.

“Of course. Ms. Yeongok is doing her best too. With her son working himself to the bone to pay the hospital bills, what kind of mother wouldn’t find the strength?” she said, her tone carrying a knowing pride.

Go Byeonggap let out a bitter laugh.

He glanced at Park Yeongok, then leaned in and whispered.

“Auntie. Just in case, I wanted to remind you again — the fact that I work as a hunter, you absolutely mustn’t—”

“Aigo²! I know! Do you really think I’d let that slip to Ms. Yeongok, loose tongue and all? Don’t you worry about a thing.” she cut him off with a wave.

“Yes. Thank you,” he said, relief softening his voice.

“But Young Master Byeonggap. I’m a parent of two myself, so call it an old woman’s worry — always take care of yourself. Not long ago, I saw news that made me think of you.”

“Yes. I’m always careful,” he replied, his tone steady but distant.

“That’s right. There’s no greater filial impiety than a child dying before its parent.”

Go Byeonggap chatted with Choi Jiok for a while, then got to his feet.

“Eh? You’re leaving already?” she asked, her eyebrows lifting in surprise.

“Yes. I just stopped by briefly.”

“Well, I suppose this is your busiest time. Off you go, then. Your mother’s in good hands with this auntie, so don’t you worry a bit. Just take care of yourself, always.”

“Please take care of her, Auntie.”

Go Byeonggap gave a deep bow and left the hospital.

After he was gone, Choi Jiok let out a sigh, her face full of pity.

“And the gods are cruel, aren’t they? What sin did this mother and son commit in a past life to deserve such harsh treatment? Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

* * *

Go Byeonggap returned to his cramped studio apartment, barely six pyeong in size.

He used to live in a three-bedroom apartment, but he’d sold it long ago to cover hospital bills.

In the narrow, sun-starved room, he quietly sat down cross-legged.

Breathing slowly, he calmed his mind and body.

‘I’m not sure if this is the right thing to do.’

Pushing aside his uneasy feelings, Go Byeonggap opened the door to ‘Asvillam.’

A shimmering hole appeared at his solar plexus—a vortex that seemed to suck everything in.

“Ughk!”

His body crumpled, drawn into the hole as if into a black hole.

A few seconds later, Go Byeonggap opened his eyes not in his shabby studio but on a vast, rocky mountain.

“Hah, hah!”

Cold sweat streamed down his face.

He still couldn’t get used to the feeling of passing through that unknown gate.

He swept a glance over the scenery and let out a sigh.

“Hah…”

The towering rocky peaks were truly a breathtaking sight.

He looked around for a while before lowering his gaze.

Over thirty goblins stood motionless, staring at him—their pose uncannily like meerkats.

Seeing the goblins made his heart feel heavy again.

‘How did I end up in this mess?’

This unprecedented affair had begun a little while ago.

Three days ago.

Go Byeonggap had faced death, trapped in a mutant rift.

With ammunition spent and enemies surrounding him, he was stuck—unable to move forward or back.

In that moment of life and death,

Go Byeonggap had used his wits and managed to fatally wound the hidden world’s boss, the goblin shaman. But from that point on, things took a bizarre turn.

He had become the Goblin Lord.

Later, through the goblin shaman, he learned the truth:

The goblins had been preparing for the resurrection of the Goblin Lord for a long time.

Originally, the chosen successor—a giant goblin—was to inherit the fate of the Goblin Lord.

But because Go Byeonggap had stirred up unexpected chaos, the plan went awry.

The ‘Essence of the Goblin Lord,’ accumulated over decades, had been absorbed into Go Byeonggap instead.

As a result, he became the ruler of a race he had no business leading.

He wasn’t the only one shocked.

The goblins—they were the real victims.

Decades of planning ruined was bad enough, but having their new leader be a human man who’d been slaughtering goblins? How absurd and bitter must that be?

Yet the goblins adapted to reality quickly. What was done was done.

So they let go of everything and demanded that Go Byeonggap rebuild their race.

“My Lord! Please, our race… cough! cough! Ughh!”

“Hey! Don’t die! Hey!”

The goblin shaman had spat out his final words and died. Since it was Go Byeonggap himself who had killed him, there was nowhere to vent his frustration.

With the goblin shaman’s death, the hidden world split apart, and the surviving goblins were automatically absorbed into Go Byeonggap.

And so the matter came to a close.

Two sunrises and sunsets had passed since that day, yet Go Byeonggap still couldn’t tell whether this was a dream or reality.

That the gate to an unknown world called Asvillam had appeared inside his body.

That he had become the Lord of the goblin race.

That the goblins were waiting for him with bated breath, necks craned.

None of it felt real — not a single thing.

Go Byeonggap approached the goblins, keeping his guard up.

They stared at a single spot with sorrow-laden faces.

Mounds of earth, pockmarking the ground.

The graves of the dead — including the goblin shaman.

Waaaaah…

A mournful crying sound reached his ears.

Before he became the Goblin Lord, it had sounded like nothing more than an animal’s wail. Now he could understand every emotion carried in their voices.

‘Ha…’

His heart was tangled. This was the first time since he’d become a rookie Hunter that killing a monster had left him feeling this unsettled.

Like he’d smashed a peaceful home to pieces.

He’d only done his duty as a Hunter… and yet.

Go Byeonggap let out a sigh, then rummaged through the backpack he’d brought and pulled something out.

A 300 mL low-grade Healing Potion. Worth 450,000 won on the market.

«You injured ones, come here.»

Go Byeonggap spoke fluently in the goblin tongue.

Another ability granted to him after becoming the Goblin Lord.

The goblins, despite their wary expressions, crowded over without a word of complaint.

Twenty-one normal goblins. Eleven hob goblins. One giant goblin. Thirty-three in total.

There used to be twice that many. But over the past three days, they’d been dropping like flies.

Because of untreated gunshot wounds. Go Byeonggap felt responsible.

He treated the giant goblin first.

The creature had taken over a dozen bullets — its condition was the worst. If not for its tenacious vitality, it would’ve been dead long ago.

He applied the Healing Potion in portions onto the giant goblin’s wounds.

Treating that one creature alone consumed an entire bottle. And even then, it wasn’t fully healed.

‘Since it’s a monster, it’ll probably recover if it rests for about ten days.’

He used the remaining two bottles to treat the other goblins.

“Phew. That was close.”

After finishing the treatment, Go Byeonggap stared down at the empty potion bottles, lost in thought.

‘I must be out of my mind. Short on cash to even get myself to the hospital, and I dump 450,000 won into monsters.’

No use sighing over spilled potion.

Still, looking at the goblins now clean and tidy, he felt a strange lightness lift from his chest.

Go Byeonggap stretched his back and took in the scenery around him.

This place was deeply mysterious—utterly uncanny.

He was standing on the mid-slope of some nameless mountain.

A little farther on, a stream ran by, and trees grew in clusters everywhere, lending the air a vivid, lively feel.

But Byeonggap’s field of view was limited. Beyond the stream, everything was swallowed by a thick haze—impossible to see through.

‘Should I take a look?’

Curiosity tugged at him. He took a step forward.

He pushed past the dense trees, then vaulted across the stream with a couple of long leaps.

Turning back, he found the goblins staring at him—question marks practically hanging in their eyes.

«What are you looking at? Never seen a man before?»

«Uuuh…….»

The goblins that had been dripping with bloodlust, ready to tear out throats—they were gone now.

In front of him, they were nothing but tame sheep.

Were these really the same beastly goblins?

“What the hell am I supposed to do with these guys?”

Byeonggap grumbled to himself. No one was listening.

The closer he got to the mist, the stranger he felt. Usually, no matter how thick the fog, getting near it meant better visibility—but here, that rule just didn’t apply.

He finally reached the very edge of the mist-covered zone. Byeonggap felt his strength drain away in sheer disbelief.

‘What is this?’

An invisible barrier marked the boundary between the fog-shrouded area and the clear ground.

The two zones layered against each other as distinctly as oil and water.

Thump! Thump!

Byeonggap pounded his fists against the transparent membrane. Ripples spread across it like water, but there wasn’t the slightest sign of it cracking.

Realizing there were no more clues to dig up, he turned back.

The goblins followed him, keeping a steady twenty paces’ distance.

This time, he walked the other way—toward a massive cliff face.

After crossing a wide field, the rock wall came into plain view.

“Whoa…….”

Byeonggap spotted a cave, and a pretty big one at that. Nothing special about it, really, but he’d never seen a cave in his life, so even that felt like a marvel.

He started drifting toward the entrance—then stopped himself cold.

‘What if there’s something in there?’

With everything on his mind, he’d almost forgotten: this place was still unknown territory. Danger could be lurking anywhere.

That cave, dark as pitch, looked suspicious as hell no matter how you sliced it.

Byeonggap spun around and crooked his finger at the goblin horde.

«Hey. One of you, come here.»

«Uuuuh…….»

«I said get over here!»

When Byeonggap raised his voice, one hob goblin shuffled forward hesitantly.

«My Lord…….»

«Have you ever been inside that cave?»

«No. Never.»

The goblins could say “My Lord” with perfect fluency, but their general command of language was poor.

A goblin shaman could communicate with humans without trouble, but anything below that could manage only a clumsy vocabulary.

Go Byeonggap jerked his chin toward the cave.

«Go inside.»

«My Lord?»

«Quit with the ‘Lord, Lord’ and get in there.»

The hob goblin singled out cast a pitiful look around, then dropped its head low and shuffled into the cave.

Byeonggap tensed, eyes fixed on the cave mouth. But contrary to his expectation, no clamor came from within.

The hob goblin reappeared a minute or two later.

«Why are you already out? Nothing in there?»

«Blocked. There is. Nothing. At all.»

«Yeah? If you’re lying, you’re done for.»

«Not lying. I’m not.»

«I said, if you’re lying, you’re done for.»

Regretting not having brought a lantern, Byeonggap stepped cautiously into the cave.

Inside, it was dark, damp, and silent.

Just that—nothing more.

‘As if there’d be treasure in a cave like this.’

He was about to turn away, feeling the mood deflate, when—

A hologram flickered to life before his eyes.

[You have entered the Crystal Mine.]

[Mine crystals to secure development funds.]