“Oh my. Thank you, boss.”

“Yes. Sell a lot.”

Fifty kilos of potato seeds.

Thirty bundles of sweet potato seedlings.

All together, just under 300,000 won. Crop seeds were surprisingly expensive. But they said you needed good seed stock to get good harvests when replanting later.

Byeonggap loaded his purchases into the car and lit a cigarette. It was already late, but the sky was still bright. Summer was finally on its way, it seemed.

‘Tomorrow I’ll hit the scrapyard, then pick up the gear I ordered. What else was on my list? I’ll be swamped the day after, so I should get everything handled now.’

He drove out of the farm.

The quiet countryside was peaceful and slow. The lukewarm air drifting in through the window carried a faint scent of fertilizer. Byeonggap didn’t mind the smell one bit.

It was after he’d crossed a few hills in the car. Go Byeonggap spotted something and pulled over.

“Are they just throwing all this away?”

In a small clearing off the road, a heap of discarded plastic sheeting was piled up — not just that, but all sorts of farm junk, neatly lined up as if it had been left sitting here for years.

“This looks usable, though… Think I can grab some?”

A watering can with a busted spout, a bucket with its handle smashed off, a dented drum, rolls of waste vinyl — anything that looked useful, he sent straight to Asvillam.

Just as he was about to head back, something caught his eye.

“Whoa… I could get a decent price for this at a scrap yard.”

It was a massive cast-iron cauldron. Must have been over a meter in diameter, and at least half a meter deep.

The handles were cracked in a few spots, and there was rust, but nothing a little care couldn’t fix. Perfect for boiling potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Byeonggap glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then sent the cauldron into Asvillam.

He headed back to the car with a grin. What others saw as trash, he saw as precious building materials.

It was already late evening by the time he got back to Seoul. But Byeonggap’s day wasn’t done.

He sorted through the day’s haul with the goblins, preparing for tomorrow. It was deep into the night before he could wash up and hit the sack.

The next morning broke.

Byeonggap was up and at it from dawn, determined to hit every scrap yard and used furniture depot nearby.

Discarded tarps, torn mats, grimy furniture — even broken doors and steel bars, he scooped up anything he could.

Asvillam was spacious, after all. Whatever wasn’t needed now could just be stockpiled.

He was about to scarf down a bowl of sundae soup for lunch when his phone rang.

“Hello?”

-Ah, boss. This is Agora Hardware. We’ll be able to complete delivery around 2 PM, so I’m checking in. Still okay to drop it at the location you mentioned?

“Yes, yes. Please come that way.”

-Alright. See you then.

He checked the clock — less than an hour until 2. Byeonggap wolfed down the rest of his soup and headed out.

The spot he’d arranged for the farm tools delivery was a quiet, empty lot.

When he arrived, the goods were already there. A hardware store employee was groaning as he unloaded tools from the truck.

Byeonggap hurried over to help. With his assistance, the job was done in no time.

‘That’s a lot, really a lot.’

Tools in sacks, laid out on the ground — the volume was considerable.

No wonder: two hundred sacks, after all.

“Well, I’ll be off now.”

“Yes. Take care.”

After sending off the hardware store clerk, Go Byeonggap swept his gaze across the surroundings.

‘No one watching, right?’

Nobody was passing by. It was worth having requested delivery to this out-of-the-way spot on purpose.

He sent the farm tools wholesale into Asvillam. It took less than a minute.

‘Still got time to spare. Let’s do a few more rounds.’

Go Byeonggap kept moving without rest.

The junkyard, the discarded furniture lot, the neighborhood recycling station, and just plain streetside.

His scavenging knew no time or place.

By the time his whole body reeked of trash, the sun had set. Only then did Go Byeonggap head home.

Of course, he immediately crossed into Asvillam to organize the supplies. By the time he washed up and lay down on his bedding, it was around midnight.

“Aish. How is this more exhausting than going through a rift?”

His body was worn out, but it felt worthwhile. Every time the once-barren Asvillam piled up with things here and there, his heart felt richer.

“I should stay in Asvillam all day tomorrow.”

Soothing his racing heart, Go Byeonggap drifted into sleep.

* * *

«Hey, yeah. Pull it taut. Keep moving while you pull.»

«Ah, got it!»

A normal goblin stepped backward, unrolling a bundled sheet of vinyl. The taut vinyl settled gently over a neatly mounded pile of dirt.

Other goblins followed, covering the edges of the vinyl with soil—a measure to keep it from curling up or blowing away.

To one side, goblins sat huddled in a small group, trimming the seed potatoes brought in the day before.

«All done!»

«Good work. Let’s take a break and then get back to it.»

Go Byeonggap straightened his back and surveyed the work they’d done so far.

‘About ten furrows done now?’

Go Byeonggap had selected fifteen normal goblins that morning and started laying out farmland.

He set up two plots, each 30 meters by 16 meters—a little under 300 pyeong in total.

He planned to split that in half, planting potatoes in one and sweet potatoes in the other.

Doing it alone would have taken half a day, but with the goblins’ help, the work went fast.

«Take a rest. I’m going to look around somewhere else for a bit.»

«Okay.»

«Hey. When I say that, you’re supposed to answer ‘Yes, sir.’»

«Huh?»

«……Never mind.»

Go Byeonggap let out a hearty laugh and turned his steps toward the forest.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Ax swings were in full swing in the forest.

To create a wide campsite, they needed to cut down some trees.

Thwack! Thwack!

«It’s coming down!»

The giant goblin, Turka, bellowed at the top of his lungs. The hob goblins nearby scrambled to get out of the way.

‘As expected of Turka. His ax work is damn impressive.’

Giant goblins are monstrously strong. A few swings of an ax and a tree toppled in no time.

Soon, the hob goblins swarmed in to haul the timber away.

«Turka. That’s enough. Put the axe down and rest.»

«Yes, my Lord.»

«Good, good. Let’s see… Hey, little one.»

Go Byeonggap called over a normal goblin who had been picking up stones.

The singled-out goblin’s eyes went wide as it looked up at Byeonggap.

«Huh? Lord. What is it?»

«Go to the cave and bring all the goblins here. Every single one.»

«Every single one?»

«Yeah. Hurry up, I’m getting dizzy. Run! Run! Fast!»

«Ah, got it!»

«Faster!»

«Got it!!!»

The normal goblin scampered off. Byeonggap found it amusing to tease the little thing.

Soon, the goblins who had been mining crystals in the cave gathered—nearly all of them, save for a dozen or so working the fields.

«Let’s wrap up the cave work for now. You’re all helping me set up the encampment.»

«Understood.»

«First, bring out the supplies we sorted yesterday and spread them all out.»

«Yep!»

‘Hmm. I need to keep an eye on this place and the farmland too.’

Byeonggap rubbed his chin, mulling it over briefly. Too many tasks, and only one supervisor—that was the pity of it.

«Gobungi. And Kiriyan.»

«You called!»

«Yes, Lord!»

‘Those two are sharp. Maybe I should give them a task to handle?’

«You two, follow me.»

Byeonggap led Gobungi and Kiriyan back to the farmland.

He stood the two goblins in front of him and pointed at the cultivated field.

«I’ve got a job for you two. See the field we’ve planted?»

«Yes. We see it.»

«Take the others and make the rest of the land look the same. They’ll know how. Think you can do it?»

«We think… we can.»

«No problem, Lord.»

Gobungi and Kiriyan brimmed with enthusiasm.

«Good. But don’t cut corners—if you’re stuck, come find me right away.»

«Yep!»

«Don’t push yourselves too hard. Take it easy.»

Gobungi and Kiriyan went into the fields. Before heading back to the forest, Byeonggap glanced over—they seemed to be working well with the normal goblins.

Byeonggap returned to the forest.

The goblins were laying out supplies one by one as ordered. Byeonggap scanned them, sketching a rough layout in his mind.

‘The basics of an encampment are order and alignment.’

The plan came together quickly.

Byeonggap took a deep breath, then clapped his hands to draw attention.

«Alright, alright! First, let’s spread out the biggest tent in the center!»

«Understood!»

The goblins moved like his own hands and feet, working swiftly. With such good coordination, the work flew by.

* * *

Before long, the sun had set.

The day’s hard work had yielded impressive results. Byeonggap and the goblins looked at the completed encampment, basking in a quiet satisfaction.

‘Can’t find a single flaw.’

Not a single scrap of the supplies had been wasted. Everything had been placed where it belonged, doing its job without a hitch.

A large tent stood at the center, with smaller tents and shelters lined up around it in neat rows. The inside was spartan but cozy. Thanks to the carefully laid mats and vinyl sheets, no one would have to sleep on dirt or get their bedding filthy.

Drainage ditches had been dug around the tents, just in case a sudden downpour hit.

Near the campsite, the goblins had set up a communal eating area. The hearth, built from stacked bricks, was a genuine masterpiece. With a cauldron perched on top of it, it was the cherry on top.

They’d even thrown together a storehouse out of rebar, planks, and vinyl sheets. It was for stowing supplies they didn’t need right away.

With the storehouse in place, the whole area looked noticeably cleaner.

«Even I’ve gotta admit, this is some damn fine work. Don’t you think?» Byeonggap grinned.

«Yes, Lord!» the goblins chorused.

«It’s… too awesome!» another added.

«As expected of our Lord!» came a third.

«Yeah, yeah. You all worked hard on this, too.» He nodded, acknowledging their effort.

The place was spacious enough to easily hold three or four hundred. He wouldn’t have to worry about running out of room for a while.

Around the time the campsite was finished, the work on the farmland was wrapping up too.

The results were deeply satisfying. Gobungi and Kiriyan had done an incredibly thorough job. They really lived up to their reputation as aces.

‘Feels good.’

It felt good. Even better than when Kim Hana had paid him double his usual wage.

Nights like this called for meat and alcohol.

«How much meat do you have left?» Byeonggap asked.

«A little. Still some, Lord.» a goblin replied.

«Is that so? …Alright, then don’t eat yet. Just wash up and wait.»

«Understood, Lord!»

Go Byeonggap stepped out of Asvillam.

The dark, silent goshiwon¹ greeted him. Staring at the empty room, he felt a strange pang of loneliness.

Back in the day, this cramped little room had been his only sanctuary… but not anymore.

He hurried over to the market near his place.

It was almost nine in the evening, and the shops were one by one closing up for the night.

Byeonggap headed for the butcher shop he usually went to.

“Welcome!”

The butcher called out, looking up from trimming meat.

“Hello. I’d like about a pound of that pork belly…”

Scanning the display, Byeonggap’s eyes caught something—a big tub sitting next to the cutting board.

It was full of trimmings that had fallen off during preparation. Mostly chunks of fat, with bits of lean meat and innards scattered here and there.

“Sir, are you throwing that away?”

Byeonggap asked, pointing at the tub.

“This? Well yeah, pretty much.”

“Then, could you give it to me instead?”

“Huh?”

The butcher looked puzzled, tilting his head, then spoke as if to dissuade him.

“Ah, you can’t eat this stuff. It’s only good for animal feed, maybe.”

“It’s fine. Could you just give it to me? Please.”

“…”

Well, aren’t you an odd one. The butcher thought it, didn’t say it.

“Tch… Well, fine, take it.”

“Thank you!”

Byeonggap accepted a bag stuffed with a pound of pork belly and a heap of offal. After that, he stopped by the mart and grabbed a few bottles of soju.

Byeonggap returned to Asvillam, his heart light.

The goblins, scrubbed clean, were already prepping dinner.

«I brought meat! Fire up the cauldron!»

«Yes, Lord!»

The goblins excitedly sparked the brazier. They’d already scoured the cauldron clean with water, so it was ready to go.

He dumped every bit of the pork offal into the pot and stirred it with a thick branch, letting it fry.

Once it was cooked through, he scooped it all onto a steel tray they’d scavenged.

«We. Will. Eat. Well!»

«Go on. Eat your fill.»

«Make. Your. Meal. Enjoyable!»

Byeonggap grilled the pork belly on his portable butane burner and ate dinner alongside the goblins.

With soju and cigarettes on the side, even a king’s feast couldn’t compete.

They laughed, they chattered, they sang and danced, shaking the weariness from their bodies.

Byeonggap felt a peculiar wonder.

In the three years he’d worked as a hunter, had he ever laughed this much?

‘No. I hadn’t.’

His days used to start with gloom and end with gloom.

Worry about work, worry about debt, worry about his mother.

Worry, worry, worry.

His life had been stitched together with nothing but worry and anxiety. Far from laughing, a grimace rarely left his face.

He’d thought it would never change, that this was it for life…

«Kyahahaha!»

«Kyah!»

In this moment—soju in hand, pork belly sizzling, watching the goblins play — Byeonggap could feel pure joy.

Byeonggap thought becoming the Goblin Lord was the best choice he’d ever made.