Three days had passed since the spirit Ea arrived in Asvillam. Go Byeonggap and a few goblins under his command kept close watch on her every move—waiting for the slightest sign of danger to strike her down.

But.

«Goblins, time to eat! I, Ea, have prepared a delicious lunch for you all!»

With her natural charm and adaptability, Ea quickly melted into Asvillam.

«Everyone. Stop work. Let’s. Eat!»

«Gulp gulp! Eat. Let’s!»

The work foreman Gobungi called a halt to the morning’s labor. The goblins packed inside the Crystal Cave filed out in perfect order, stowing their gear.

«Ea. Today. What. Eat?»

«Lunch today is Gukbap!»

«Gukbap? What’s that?»

«It’s something your Lord taught me—a dish with broth. I love warm soup. I hope it suits your tastes too.»

«Smells. Good.»

«Hehe. Come on, hurry up.»

Ea bounded along as she led the goblins. Go Byeonggap watched from a distance, smoking a cigarette.

“It’s going smoothly.”

A pavilion built beneath a tree. Go Byeonggap sat there, enjoying a peaceful weekend.

‘Doesn’t look like she’s up to anything suspicious. Still, what could she possibly do on her own?’

Ea handled her share well. Of course, she couldn’t single-handedly manage meals for over three hundred goblins, so Byeonggap assigned ten workers to help her.

That lit a fire under her. She threw herself into cooking, cleaning up, and scrubbing the goblins’ quarters with real drive.

Naturally, work efficiency climbed on its own.

‘Ancient Shop.’

[Ancient Shop]

– Construction

– Technology

– Sundries

– Misc.

[Crystals Held: 527,148]

‘Already past half a million crystals.’

Lately, the crystal yield had shot up. They breezed past forty thousand a day, and sometimes hit fifty thousand.

That was thanks to the elite corps and Ea taking over the grunt work.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

A thunderous rooster crow erupted from behind. Go Byeonggap snorted a dry laugh and turned.

Inside a wide pen, a crowd of chickens huddled together.

‘That damn Gobungi. He actually built a coop.’

Fifty—no, forty-nine—chickens dashed around inside the wooden fence.

Honestly, with their jumping power, they could clear that fence easy. But the chickens seemed to like it there—none bothered to break out. Even if one did, it would just drink some water and wander back in.

‘Still, all roosters. Need some hens to get eggs and chicks. Should I buy a few breeding hens from the market?’

Go Byeonggap squatted in front of the pen and puffed on his cigarette. The chickens fixed him with a look that said we really don’t appreciate this.

“What’re you staring at? Never seen a guy smoke before?”

«……»

“Look at those eyes on that one. Hey, you sure you’re a chicken? Not a hawk?”

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

‘If I throw a few weak hens in here, they’ll end up dead from shock. How the hell could those delicate things handle these mini tyrannosaurs?’

He brushed off his shoulder and stood up.

Go Byeonggap walked over to the goblins’ camp.

A long line stretched out in front of the cauldron. Goblins each held a steel bowl, waiting to be served.

«Eat well! Ea made it with love!»

«Thanks!»

«You’re welcome. Come back for more if it’s not enough. I cook with a generous hand.»

«You. Hands. Small.»

«I mean, I made plenty, okay?»

The normal goblin tilted its head and walked off.

Next in line was Kiriyan.

Ea, tireless as ever, kept repeating the same spiel.

«Eat well!»

«Do you not eat?»

«Oh, of course I do. After I’ve served you all.»

Kiriyan paused, mulling something over. Then, without taking a serving, he stepped out of line.

«I’ll take mine later. Let’s eat together.»

«Oh… yes! That sounds good. Sharing a meal with someone is a joy. I like sitting down and eating together, chatting away. It makes me happy that you asked me to join you.»

«I am Kiriyan.»

«Ah. You have a name? That’s wonderful. I’m Ea.»

Kiriyan and Ea exchanged a brief chat. He picked up an empty bowl and trudged out of the line, his footsteps heavy and deliberate.

‘Shit, is he about to fall for her or something?’

Go Byeonggap watched with folded arms, then twitched his fingers in a beckoning gesture.

«Kiriyan. Come here.»

«Hm? Ah—yes! You called, My Lord?»

Kiriyan scurried over, breathless. Go Byeonggap smacked his lips with a sour taste and stared at him intently.

Under that gaze, Kiriyan wore a face of utter confusion.

«Kiriyan.»

«Yes. Speak your mind.»

«Do you like Ea?»

«Huh? Wh-what do you mean by that?»

Kiriyan asked back, flustered. Go Byeonggap waved a dismissive hand to calm him down.

«No, I’m not trying to scold you. Just asking man-to-man, honestly. Do you like Ea?»

«Well… I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you’re asking.»

«There’s no ‘understanding’ to it! I’m asking if you like her as a woman. Does your heart pound when you’re near Ea, do your palms sweat, do you want to look good in front of her?»

Kiriyan tilted his head, then placed a hand over his own heart. Next, he wiped his brow, and then glanced sidelong at Ea.

«Well, I don’t think so. I love my Lord the most. Then my kin are next, and that spirit is third.»

«Then why did you ask her to eat together?»

«That?»

Kiriyan hemmed and hawed.

«…Truth is, I felt a little sorry for that spirit.»

«Sorry? For what?»

«I heard from Dorma. He said that the spirit named Ea lost all her kin who lived with her, and she became alone. Hearing that reminded me of the old days.»

«The old days?»

«Yes. I too was once alone in a place with none of my kind.»

«Ah, right. That was the case.»

Go Byeonggap recalled the first time he met Kiriyan. The albino goblin had been in a rift with no other goblins—only lightning wolves.

Beast-type monsters he couldn’t even communicate with.

«So I felt pity. I’m sorry!»

Kiriyan suddenly bowed his head. Flustered, Go Byeonggap asked.

«Hey, lift your head. What are you suddenly sorry for?»

«You commanded me to keep watch over that spirit, Lord. But upon reflection, harboring such feelings itself was defiance of your order. Punish me!»

«Ah, for heaven’s sake… That wasn’t my intention.»

Go Byeonggap scratched the back of his head. Then he patted Kiriyan on the shoulder.

«It’s fine, man. Punish you for what? I told you already—I’m not here to scold.»

«Are… are you certain, Lord?»

«Yeah. And you can stop watching Ea. I don’t see anything suspicious about her.»

«Ah… Understood.»

«Keep looking after Ea from now on. She’s family now.»

«I’ll keep that in mind.»

Go Byeonggap sent Kiriyan off.

‘Strange. How can anyone have such a sound mindset?’

He sighed quietly to himself.

He stood still for a few seconds, then scanned his surroundings to find Dorma. Spotting him, he started moving toward the goblin shaman, only for the seated goblins eating their meal to greet him in passing.

«My Lord. You. Eat?»

«Yah. It’s ‘My Lord, have you dined?’ like that. Say it after me.»

«My Lord, have you dined.»

The normal goblin even mimicked Go Byeonggap’s tone.

«Good job. Do it like that from now on.»

«Okay. Got it.»

«……»

Go Byeonggap shook his head slowly.

«No. Just do it the way you did before. I’m expecting too much from you—.»

«Ah! My Lord. Have you eaten?»

«Uh, gobungobung Gobungi.»

Gobungi greeted him, holding an empty bowl.

«Are you done eating? Or about to go for more?»

«Ate one bowl. Going for more!»

«Oh. Suits your taste, does it?»

«Yes! Very. Delicious.»

«Right! Delicious!»

«I. Like. Soup-rice!»

Even the goblins nearby chimed in, shouting how good it was. Go Byeonggap cracked a quiet, smug smile.

‘Of course it is. It’s the food of the strongest being in this world.’

For Go Byeonggap, a bowl of soup-rice—gukbap—meant something more than food.

Back in his early days as a hunter, broke and starving, when he couldn’t even afford potions and lived on instant noodles three meals a day.

The only comfort he had was a cheap five-thousand-won bowl of gukbap from the 24-hour joint near his house, bought on days he steeled himself to splurge.

Anyone might say he was making a fuss over nothing—just soup and rice—but back then, it really was that.

He wanted to share that taste with the goblins, too. Of course, what Ea had brewed up wasn’t proper gukbap at all.

She just diluted some bargain-bin beef bone extract—less than ten thousand won per kilo—with water,

tossed in a handful of discount leeks and cabbage from the market stall,

chucked in a hunk of monster meat, and seasoned it all with salt. That was it. It came out closer to meat soup than real gukbap.

Still, watching the goblins wolf it down happily put him in a good mood.

«Eat up, all of you. I’ll make sure you stuff yourselves till your bellies burst — at least when it comes to the soup and rice.»

«Yes!»

Go Byeonggap stepped past the goblins and approached Dorma. The shaman sat alone in a quiet spot, eating his meal.

«Oh, My Lord. Have you eaten? Please, join me.»

«No, that’s fine. I ate a while ago.»

«Is that so?»

«Dorma. There’s something I want to ask you.»

«Yes. Ask me anything. If it’s something I know, I’ll tell you without holding back a single thing.»

«It’s nothing else, but…»

Go Byeonggap trailed off.

Could he really say this? To a kid who was eating, no less?

It was an embarrassing subject to bring up lightly.

He cleared his throat a couple of times before finally speaking.

«You guys… that thing — do you ever go into heat or anything like that?»

«Huh? You mean estrus, My Lord?»

«You’ve got to have sexual urges too, right? Don’t you ever feel like doing it?»

«Doing it… what do you mean exactly?»

«Ah, come on. You know. That thing!»

«You talking about mating?»

«Yeah, that!»

Go Byeonggap’s face burned. To be honest, he was a clueless virgin.

Feeling awkward, he blurted out an explanation.

«No, I just got this idea while looking at the chicken coop today. Drop a hen in among those randy roosters—think she could handle all that heat? Anyway, it hit me the same thing applies in Asvillam. And no, I don’t mean you’re chickens, so don’t take it the wrong way.»

Dorma nodded, as if understanding.

«Even if Lord commanded our suicide, we wouldn’t be offended. So there’s no need to coddle our feelings.»

«Hey now, why’re you talking like that? Anyways. All we’ve got here are a bunch of restless idiots—if we put a single female goblin among them, wouldn’t she get worn out?»

«Are you planning to purchase a female goblin?»

«Ah, right. I was thinking I’d head outside the Mist once I saved up enough, but after hearing what Ea had to say, it feels like I should put it off a bit.»

«I see.»

Dorma set down his spoon and fell into thought for a moment. Byeonggap waited calmly for him to speak.

«Hmm. My Lord, I don’t think the situation you’re worried about is likely to happen.»

«Why?»

«To put it simply, it’s because we’re spiritually castrated.»

«……»

Byeonggap swallowed hard.

Dorma gave a bitter smile and continued.

«You know about the unfortunate history of us goblins.»

«I do. You told me.»

«Yes. We are beings born of shamanic curses. Our predecessors, and their predecessors before them, were the same. Goblins have existed in that unnatural way for centuries.»

«……»

«Muscles that go unused are bound to atrophy. It’s the same logic. The parts meant for reproduction—sexual urges, for instance—have naturally faded from us.»

Go Byeonggap’s jaw went slack before he even realized it.

«W-Wait, are you saying down there you guys…»

«No. That’s all still hanging on without issue. Whether it functions properly on a physiological level, though, I couldn’t say.»

Dorma was utterly unruffled. If anything, Byeonggap was the one who grew somber.

A strange impulse to offer some sort of consolation tugged at him.

‘Don’t go there. What’s the point of bringing snacks to a burning house?’

He let it go. Spouting off something like ‘Hey, it’s fine! I’ve never tried it either!’ would be completely pointless anyway.

Dorma slurped down a mouthful of soup rice before adding,

«Well, to be honest, even if we had no functional problems at all, I doubt you’d need to worry. You only have to say one word, Lord, and none of it will happen.»

«Aw, that’s too harsh.»

«Heh heh. You really do seem like a wise ruler, my Lord.»

Go Byeonggap had been through the military, so he understood. Controlling desire was a brutal thing to impose.

Of course, letting your urges run wild was what beasts did. And managing a group meant reining those desires in to some degree.

But it shouldn’t come down to sealing the assholes of men who were about to shit themselves.

«Anyway, I hope you’ll do as you see fit, my Lord.»

«You think so?»

«Yes. If I’m being honest, I’m also a bit curious to see what a female goblin would even look like.»

«Hmm.»

Go Byeonggap sank into thought for a moment.

The spell of contemplation didn’t last long. A few beats later, he clapped his hands together and declared,

«Alright. Let’s throw a big event in Asvillam.»