Rank.

The system by which awakeners and monsters are graded. Nine tiers, from SS all the way down to G.

The gap between adjacent ranks wasn’t wide, but three thresholds held an absolute wall.

The jump from C-rank to B-rank.

The jump from A-rank to S-rank.

And the final one: S-rank to SS-rank.

So people bundled them into broad brackets.

C-rank and below: Lower Tier.

A- to B-rank: Upper Tier.

S-rank: Top Tier.

SS-rank got called “off-scale.” You’d hardly ever hear the word used—let alone need to use it yourself.

South Korea had only two off-scale awakeners. Worldwide, fewer than seventy.

As said, ranks grouped within the same bracket didn’t differ wildly in power. Especially in the Lower Tier.

In those fights, what mattered wasn’t individual skill or flashy techniques—it was numbers.

“Kreh-reh-reh!”

“Keeeek! Ke-ge-gek!”

There were at most fifteen earth ghosts. The goblins outnumbered them more than two to one. And even a normal goblin was F-rank—higher across the board than the earth ghosts.

The goblins darted nimbly to avoid getting bitten, swinging hand-axes and clubs.

The moment one earth ghost went down, the pack swarmed in and beat it to pulp. The earth ghosts had no way to hold out.

All fifteen were finished in no time.

The goblins raised a victory cry.

Then came a rather savage sight: the goblins began tearing into the earth ghosts’ corpses with ravenous greed.

Their pointed fangs were perfect for ripping raw meat.

‘They’re eating well.’

Go Byeonggap watched the goblins’ meal for a moment, then looked away. His stomach was turning.

In three years as a hunter, he’d seen everything imaginable—but this was too much.

With a spare moment, he swept his gaze across the surroundings. Checking for any monster he might have missed. Luckily, nothing stood out.

«M-My Lord…»

A goblin’s voice came from behind him. Go Byeonggap flinched and spun around.

A hob goblin was holding up the hind leg of an earth ghost with both hands, offering it forward.

«What? What do you want me to do with that?»

«Eat. Together.»

«Ha! Give me a break.»

Go Byeonggap chuckled to himself. At least they weren’t completely clueless about manners, he thought.

«Forget it, you guys eat up.»

«My Lord. If you don’t eat. You’ll be hungry.»

Go Byeonggap clamped a cigarette between his lips and clapped the hob goblin on the shoulder, flashing a forced smile.

«I get full just watching you eat, so chew your food well and stuff your face.»

«My Lord…!»

The hob goblin gazed up at Go Byeonggap with eyes brimming with emotion. It seemed genuinely moved.

Go Byeonggap stared back at the hob goblin. Come to think of it, this one was always the one speaking to him on behalf of the others.

«What’s your name?»

«You mean. My name?»

«Yeah, you guys must have names, right?»

Go Byeonggap asked, assuming as much. The answer he got was far from what he’d expected.

«I have. No name. Only that goblin. Has one.»

The hob goblin pointed a finger at someone.

It was the giant goblin, chomping down on an entire earth ghost.

«That goblin. Name, Turka.»

«Why don’t you have a name?»

«Weak goblin. No name. Strong goblin. Has name.»

«Whoa. That’s one cold-blooded society. No name just because you’re weak.»

Without thinking, Go Byeonggap blew cigarette smoke toward the hob goblin. The hob goblin coughed, hacking.

«Ah, sorry about that.»

«Cough! It’s, it’s fine.»

«You guys don’t smoke?»

«Smoke? Don’t know it.»

«Tch. I see.»

Go Byeonggap tapped the ash off his dying cigarette butt and stubbed it out.

He grinned and spoke.

«Want me to give you a name?»

«R-really?»

«It’s not hard. You’ve got some manners, so I’ll make an exception and give you one. What’d be a good one…»

«Ooh!»

The hob goblin looked up at Go Byeonggap with an expression full of eager anticipation.

After mulling it over for two or three seconds, he snapped his fingers and declared.

«Hey! How about Dogsh*t?»

«…»

«Did you just get all serious on me?»

«I, I’m not!»

«You don’t like it? Then how about Gobungi?»

«Gobungi?»

The hob goblin rolled the name around in his mouth. “Gobungi? Gobungi?” Then he nodded, delighted.

«I like it!»

«Alright. From now on, you’re Gobungi.»

«Thank! You!»

«Good lad.»

Go Byeonggap sent Gobungi off. Gobungi hopped with joy all the way back to the goblin group.

The goblins’ meal was soon over.

They carefully stacked the leftover meat and even prepared to wrap it up and take it with them.

The rift subjugation wasn’t over yet.

Go Byeonggap led the goblins through the hidden world.

Earth ghosts kept blocking their path. Even if they were the weakest G-rank, goblins still got hurt in the fighting.

Go Byeonggap treated the wounded with the potions he’d brought along. Truth be told, it stung him to the bone to waste them.

After about an hour of pushing forward, the rift’s boss appeared. An F-rank monster called an earth dokkaebi. It looked almost like an earth ghost, but with brown fur and a bulkier frame.

«Everyone clear out.»

Byeonggap waved the goblins back and unleashed a hail of rifle rounds into the earth dokkaebi.

No matter how tough that hide was, it couldn’t stop bullets.

The earth dokkaebi crumpled and died, almost anticlimactically.

Crack!

With the boss dead, the hidden world began to collapse. An escape portal rose above the earth dokkaebi’s corpse.

«Come on! Hurry it up!»

«Yes, Lord!»

The goblins scrambled to gather the dead monsters’ bodies. Some, on Byeonggap’s orders, sifted out the magic stones and piled them together.

Byeonggap opened the door to Asvillam, and the goblins who were ready filed through one by one.

After making sure the last goblin was through, Byeonggap hefted his bulging backpack of magic stones and stepped out of the hidden world.

* * *

“It’s appraised at 520,000 won. Cash, or—” the clerk said.

“Bank transfer, please.”

“Yes, sir. It’ll be deposited into your linked account by end of day.”

Go Byeonggap had hit Gapyeong and made it back to Seoul.

He stopped by the Association, sold off the day’s haul of magic stones, and walked out. The sky was already getting dark.

“This is nice!”

Any other day, his body would’ve felt like lead—but not today. Because today, he’d done nothing.

The goblins had done all the fighting. All Byeonggap did was finish off the boss monster.

With that, ammunition was barely used. He’d burned through some potions, sure, but nothing out of the ordinary.

In short, the net profit was enormous.

‘Goblin Lord, or whatever. I thought I’d been dragged into something weird, but this part ain’t bad, right?’

Today, Byeonggap decided he’d stop by the butcher’s and buy himself a pound of meat.

He strolled through the market with a light step. That’s when a shop caught his eye.

– DAMOA Hardware & Farm Tools

“Ah, right. I need to buy a pickaxe.”

He ducked inside before the shop closed.

The owner, who looked to be in his fifties, was watching TV with an expression that said he couldn’t be bothered with the world.

When Byeonggap walked in, he shot to his feet and plastered on a sales smile. Business had been so dead lately that he needed to sell something, anything.

“Aigo, welcome. What are you looking for?”

“I’m looking to buy some pickaxes.”

“Ah, the pickaxes are lined up right over here.”

The shopkeeper guided him over.

“How much for these?”

“We’ve got some for ten thousand won, some for a hundred thousand—all kinds. What are you planning to use them for?”

“Uh… Just need to dig some ground. This one’s ten thousand?”

“Oh, that won’t cut it for digging earth. That’s for harvesting medicinal herbs. Start looking here from the thirty-thousand-won models.”

Sure enough, the ten-thousand-won one had a plastic handle and didn’t look durable. The shopkeeper led Byeonggap over to the thirty-thousand-won line.

A pickaxe caught his eye—a thick wooden handle with an iron head mounted on it.

“How much for this?”

“Forty thousand with card, or I can do thirty-five thousand if you pay cash.”

‘Ah… I don’t have cash.’

Byeonggap stroked the pickaxe, lost in thought.

“Just one of these… No, wait a second.”

“Take your time.”

“Give me ten of these.”

“Ten? Oh, thank you very much!”

The shopkeeper cheerfully packed the pickaxes into a sack.

“Can I do a bank transfer?”

“Of course you can!”

Byeonggap paid 350,000 won and bought ten pickaxes.

The potions he bought yesterday had cost 450,000 won, the pickaxes 350,000 won, and the new ammo he ordered was another 200,000 won—in just one day, he’d spent a million won.

Byeonggap sighed, watching his account drain as fast as money came in.

But it was fine. He could dig up crystals in that place—Asvillam or whatever it was called—and sell them!

‘Isn’t this going to make me a sudden millionaire?’

The corners of his mouth shot up on their own.

With the shopkeeper’s help, Byeonggap loaded the pickaxes into his car and headed home. His foot on the gas pedal felt impossibly light.

Byeonggap arrived home.

He wanted to grab a pickaxe and cross over to Asvillam right that second, but it was too late today.

When it was night here, it was night there too.

With his heart pounding, Byeonggap fell into an early sleep.

The next day.

Saturday dawned. A freelance hunter like Byeonggap, always chasing money, had no real use for weekends. But today was an exception.

He decided to give himself a holiday—well, not a real holiday, but close enough.

He packed up the pickaxes and his bundle and crossed over to Asvillam.

«My Lord!»

Thirty-three goblins greeted Byeonggap. They looked well-fed and well-rested—a greasy sheen glistened on their faces.

Byeonggap shouted, not caring.

«Hey, hey! Come quick and grab this stuff!»

«Yes, sir!»

The goblins came running, panting, and took Byeonggap’s load from him.

When they saw the pickaxes in the sack, question marks appeared in their eyes.

«This. What is it?»

«Yeah. They’re yours, they’re yours.»

«Ours?»

«Gotta earn your keep. Come on, everyone, follow me!»

Go Byeonggap led his thirty-three limbs toward the cave entrance.

«Hmm… You. And you. And you.»

Byeonggap pointed out the goblins who looked like they could actually swing a pick.

The giant goblin was still rehabbing, so he left it out — just ten hob goblins.

«Gobungi, you rest. The rest of you, follow me inside.»

«Understood!»

Byeonggap took point, shining a high-lumen lantern into the cave. The ruddy crystals caught the beam and glittered back.

Even at a glance, there was a lot of it.

The goblins’ jaws dropped when they saw the crystals.

«Pretty…»

«Heh-heh. Pretty, right?»

«Yes! Very pretty!»

«Uh-huh. So start digging.»

«Huh?»

«What ‘huh’? With the pickaxes.»

Byeonggap jerked his chin. The ten hob goblins picked up the tools in awkward grips, shooting glances at each other.

«What are you standing around for? Get over there and dig!»

«Ah, y-yes sir!»

The goblins scrambled over and started swinging.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The ring of pickaxes echoed through the wide, deep cavern.

Byeonggap stood with his weight on one leg, watching them work.

“Seu-eup. Haah? Tch. Eiiing!”

His eyebrows climbed and fell.

The way they swung those pickaxes grated on him.

Why were they so damn clumsy?

«Ah, shit! Hey, jerk-off! Give me that!»

Byeonggap finally snatched one of the pickaxes away.

«Watch closely. Not like that — like this!»

—Clang!

«Like this! Put your weight into the downswing! Huh? Use your hips for rebound! Huh? A clean strike! Then your back won’t hurt, and you’ll get real power! Huh? Right or wrong?»

«Oooh…!»

«That’s right!»

«My Lord! That’s amazing!»

«Ha, you punks. What’s so hard about this. Heh-heh.»

The hob goblins clapped their hands at Byeonggap.

The applause made his shoulders feel light.

He rode the momentum, swinging the pickaxe with gusto.

—Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

‘Wait. This isn’t right.’

Then it hit him.

Why the hell was he the one swinging a pickaxe?

«Your turn!»

The players swapped again. The hob goblins sent Byeonggap’s master-class demonstration straight to Andromeda and went back to their clumsy hacking.

Byeonggap gave up.

Still, it was fine. As long as they got to the destination, who cared about the road?

A pickaxe that had been battering the ground finally pried out a crystal.

«Stop! Halt!»

Byeonggap’s order brought the hob goblins upright, drawing a collective breath.

Byeonggap stooped and scooped the fallen crystal from the dirt.

A smooth, glossy crimson gem.

He’d even looked up gems before falling asleep last night.

‘Rubies have a reddish tint, they said. Is this a ruby?’

Ruby or some third mineral, a gem this pretty couldn’t be worthless.

Just as that thought crossed his mind—

Another hologram flickered in front of him.

[You have successfully harvested a crystal.]

[The ‘Ancient Shop’ has been unlocked.]

[Use crystals to purchase necessary supplies.]