“Can I try too?”

That was the reply when Byeonggap told the two women he was training. And of course, it came from Doran’s mouth.

A flicker of exasperation passed through him. This pretty little goblin really wanted to try everything, didn’t she?

Well, brimming with enthusiasm was endearing enough, but there were things in this world that enthusiasm alone couldn’t accomplish.

He gave a light shake of his head.

«No. You’ll get hurt.»

«I won’t.»

«This isn’t a game.»

The goblins were pouring all their heat and spirit into the sparring. Even if the wooden swords had no blades, they were still no joke for an ordinary person to take a hit from. The only reason they could exchange blows and come away intact was thanks to the elixirs and manuals.

Whether she knew or didn’t care about their worry, Doran jutted her lower lip out stubbornly.

«I know that much, okay?»

«Doran. Your Lord is right. If you’re not careful, you could get seriously hurt.»

«Ugh! Ea, just be quiet already!»

«S-sorry. I’m just worried about you…»

Doran’s eyes went triangular as she glared at Ea. With no further argument, she snatched one of the wooden practice swords scattered on the ground and swished it through the air a few times.

«I think I can do it! Let me join in too. I’m a goblin, and they’re goblins—so why am I the only one left out?»

«……»

«Ahh! Let me in! I’m telling you, let me in!»

Go Byeonggap swallowed his words. He stared at Doran for a long moment, then let out a deflated laugh.

«Hey, Tiny.»

«Hm?»

When he spoke, thirty-some normal goblins turned their heads at once. Byeonggap singled one out and crooked his finger.

“Come here.” As he spoke, one normal goblin stepped forward.

«Why? You calling me?»

«Spar with him.»

«Huh? Okay.»

«Alright!»

The normal goblin nodded eagerly. Doran squared her stance, burning with fighting spirit.

‘A bit of a cheeky one.’

He could have talked her down, he supposed. But that didn’t sit right with his temper. When someone started acting uppity, you let them see reality—that was Go Byeonggap’s way.

‘Still, if something goes wrong, it’ll be a real headache.’

Go Byeonggap let the normal goblin draw close. Then he leaned in and whispered into its ear.

«Go easy on them. I told you not to hit too hard. You hear me?»

«Yeah. Got it.»

«Yeah. Both of you, go stand over there.»

Doran and the normal goblin stood facing each other. Byeonggap naturally found himself acting as the referee.

«Get into stance. Ready… begin.»

«Hyaah!»

At the starting signal, Doran pushed off the floor.

She hunched her body low — unnaturally low — and charged, her gait that of a wolf in full sprint.

Closing the distance in an instant, Doran lashed out with the sword she’d been holding slack.

«Ke-kerk!?»

The normal goblin flinched and tried to defend. But Doran’s sword curved like a snake and drove straight into its shoulder.

«Kek!»

The normal goblin toppled backward. The spar was over in a blink. A single, clean blink.

«Oh!?»

«Whoa!»

Byeonggap and Ea, standing side by side watching, let out matching gasps. Not just them — the other goblins looking on also widened their eyes in shock.

«What — what happened? Did Doran win?»

«…Seems that way.»

«Urgh!»

The normal goblin grabbed its shoulder and hauled itself upright. Byeonggap hurried over to check its condition.

«Tiny. You okay?»

«Hurts. But. I’m fine.»

Something had shifted in the creature. Fighting spirit blazed in its eyes.

«I can. Do. More!»

«Hah! Why don’t you just stay down?»

Doran looked down at him, triumphant. Her back was ramrod straight, her smirk sharp — she radiated confidence from every pore.

The normal goblin gripped its wooden sword. Then it settled into a proper stance.

Byeonggap paused a moment before speaking.

«Don’t hold back. Try again.»

«Got it! If I don’t. Hold back. I win!»

«Hah! Hold back? Like I was going easy on you?»

«…»

Byeonggap stepped back a few paces. By now, every goblin that had been sparring was watching them.

Go Byeonggap swallowed hard and signaled again.

«Begin!»

«Hyaaah!»

«Kerek!»

This time, two of them charged at once.

Doran dropped low into that peculiar crouch she’d used before, while the normal goblin took a stance Byeonggap recognized from the swordsmanship manual he’d imprinted.

Whap!

The two wooden swords swung in the same instant and met in a sharp cross. The moment they did, Doran spun on her heel and slashed in from a bizarre angle.

«Haah!»

The normal goblin yanked its sword back just in time to guard its flank. A split second later, the blades clashed again with a ringing crack that sent the goblin stumbling back two or three steps.

It didn’t even get a chance to recover. In the blink of an eye, Doran had closed the distance and drove a strike straight into its solar plexus.

«Kuhahk!»

The normal goblin toppled over backward again. This spar hadn’t even lasted three exchanges. If you counted by time, it was barely fifteen seconds.

«Whoa! Doran, you’re crazy strong! I had no idea you were that good!»

«Urgh… that female’s strong…»

Gasps of admiration erupted from every direction. Doran basked in the praise, her expression bright with satisfaction.

‘This is absurd. Even for a normal goblin, I imprinted the manual and gave it elixir — and she takes it down that easily?’

The normal goblin Doran had faced was originally F-rank, but right now it should be at least D-rank. And it still wasn’t a match for her. So just how strong was Doran?

‘Where is all that power coming from?’

Her body was certainly healthy-looking, but that didn’t mean it carried any kind of fighter’s presence. Look at her from any angle, and she didn’t seem built for brute force.

It was true that plenty of top-tier hunters with inhuman strength had aesthetically beautiful bodies. But the source of their power was always karma — not flesh and blood.

From Doran, though, he felt no trace of karma at all. She was practically at the level of an ordinary person.

So where in the world was that explosiveness and forward drive coming from? His confusion deepened.

«I did well, right? I did, didn’t I? Huh?»

Doran suddenly asked, her face brimming with anticipation as she looked at the deeply serious Go Byeonggap.

Feeling a little put off, Byeonggap nodded reluctantly.

«…Good job. Yeah, good job. That was unexpected.»

«Hehe!»

At that single word of praise, Doran’s face broke into a radiant smile.

«Can I do more? I want to do more!»

A thought struck Go Byeonggap — he felt like testing something.

«Gobungi!»

«Yes, Lord!»

«Grab a weapon and get over here.»

«Yessir! On it!»

He called out to Gobungi. He had it in mind to pit the hob goblin against Doran.

Gobungi came striding over, a long wooden staff in hand, his shoulders squared and tense.

Go Byeonggap didn’t drag it out.

«Face each other and take your stances.»

* * *

«Hah!»

«Huh? Guhk!»

Doran moved like lightning. She sidestepped the wooden sword aimed at her face with casual grace, then swept her own blade upward. The beast goblin caught the blow, clutched its arm, and stumbled back.

She didn’t let up. Her wooden sword struck like thunder—thwack! Thack! Thwack! Left shoulder, right flank, then the solar plexus. Three hits landed in a fluid stream.

The beast goblin couldn’t hold out. It dropped to its knees.

«Whoa! Doran won again! She’s incredible, isn’t she? I never dreamed she had this kind of talent hidden away. You thought so too, right?»

«You said it. That’s breathtaking.»

Doran kept her unbeaten streak alive.

Gobungi went down in under a minute. Byeonggap sent in a giant goblin next, but it couldn’t last three minutes either.

The beast goblin that followed didn’t manage more than two or three minutes.

Doran! Doran! Doran! Doran!

The field filled with goblins’ cheers. Doran spun around as if to acknowledge them, showing off her prowess.

‘That just leaves me and the raid team, doesn’t it?’

He and the raid team had a different caliber of combat power. Byeonggap wanted to know just how deep Doran’s limits ran.

«Changsik!»

«Yes!»

«This time, you—»

«Lord! How about you come out yourself? Spar with me!»

Asvillam froze in an instant. The goblins went silent as if struck dumb, their gazes bouncing between Doran and Byeonggap. Then backlash erupted.

«How dare you!»

«To the Lord. Such insolence!»

The goblins berated her in unison. Doran was taken aback for a moment, then immediately scrunched up her face.

«Shut up, you idiots! What’s it to you?»

«Y-you little wretch!»

«Enough, all of you quiet down!»

Byeonggap silenced the goblins and rose to his feet. He’d rested enough, and he wanted to cross swords with Doran too.

When Byeonggap stepped forward, Doran beamed. Her eyes brimmed with fighting spirit, and the corners of her mouth curled up subtly.

‘That girl. She really enjoys a fight.’

From what he’d seen, Doran was a warrior. And they say one who loves the game is scarier than a genius.

Byeonggap’s expression turned more serious.

«Right now? You can rest a bit if you need to.»

«I’m fine! Those guys were nothing—my body’s just now warmed up.»

She was brimming with confidence. Byeonggap wiped the smile from his face and adjusted his grip on the wooden sword.

Facing a girl who could barely be 160 centimeters tall felt like picking on someone beneath him—even though he’d beaten up plenty of normal goblins at 150 centimeters without a second thought.

«Come at me first.»

Go Byeonggap said.

Three seconds later, he fully retracted that thought about feeling guilty.

‘!?’

Doran’s wooden sword shot toward his nose in the blink of an eye—a completely silent, soundless strike.

Go Byeonggap hesitated between twisting his head to dodge or parrying upward with his own wooden blade.

In the end, he chose a third option.

To uphold the revenge of all the goblins he’d taken down so far—and to protect the Goblin Lord’s dignity—he needed a flashy performance.

He grabbed the onrushing wooden sword mid-strike. Then, using Doran’s own momentum, he hurled her away with brutal force.

«Wh-whoaah!»

Doran screamed as she flew through the air and crumpled to the ground. She rubbed her nose and lifted her head.

«What was that!? Is that allowed?»

Her tone was accusatory. Go Byeonggap shrugged nonchalantly.

«What’s the problem? In a fight, there are no rules.»

«Ugh!»

Doran charged again. She thrust her sword with an unstoppable, overwhelming momentum.

But Byeonggap was already used to her speed. It wasn’t anything he couldn’t keep up with.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Go Byeonggap calmly deflected the attacks. Even her trademark bizarre sword style—those snake-like, curving strikes—failed to land.

With her attacks getting nowhere, urgency began to creep onto Doran’s face. She crouched low, then lunged forward like a wild beast.

Within striking range, she sprang up like a coiled spring and thrust her sword at his chin. The attack was fierce, aimed right at his jaw.

Go Byeonggap took a step back, dodging by a hair’s breadth. The next moment, he dropped his wooden sword, grabbed Doran with both hands, and tossed her away.

Doran rolled across the floor once more.

«Ugh! Seriously—huff!»

By then, Go Byeonggap had picked up his wooden sword again and launched a desperate thrust. His blade extended like a battering ram smashing through a gate.

Even with a wooden sword, its tip carried a terrifying killing intent.

Doran’s breath caught in fear. Fortunately, the wooden sword didn’t crash into her face.

Because the tip stopped just one centimeter from the tip of her nose.

«Hic!»

Doran hiccupped involuntarily. A moment later, Go Byeonggap withdrew his wooden sword.

«W-wowaaah!»

«Lord! Lord! Lord! Lord!»

«As expected, the Lord is the strongest!»

The goblins erupted in cheers.

‘Good, I managed to keep my dignity intact.’

Go Byeonggap smiled with satisfaction as he looked back at the goblins. Then, when he tried to help Doran up, her body trembled violently.

«Hm?»

«Sob… Hic, sob!»

Doran was forcing tears out of her eyes.

«What? Why are you crying?»

Go Byeonggap asked, flustered, but she just kept crying, tears streaming without end.

«Hic! I could’ve—could’ve done better, huuuh! Hwaaaah!»

This time she broke into full-blown wailing. Byeonggap, caught between doing something and doing nothing, finally pulled her to her feet.

«Hey, hey! Stop crying.»

«Hwaaaaaah!»

«Come on, now! Cut it out, I said! Can’t you stop right this instant?»

Byeonggap tried to threaten her into silence. But Doran’s tears wouldn’t listen; if anything, they only poured harder.

However you looked at it, he was hopeless at soothing a child—but he did realize that shouting was the wrong move.

So he switched gears, tried to coax her instead.

«You did fine. There’s nothing to be that upset about, alright? So please, just stop crying.»

«…Hic! R-really?»

«Right. That was your first-ever sparring match. If you did that well, it’s almost scary how impressive it was. Did losing to me sting that much?»

«Losing to the Lord isn’t—hic!—it’s not that I’m upset…»

Doran sniffled, her words coming out in a trembling, muddled mess.

«Did I really do well?»

«Well. I said you did, didn’t I?»

«Then… is the Lord happy?»

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

Byeonggap tilted his head, frowning. Why the hell would joy come out of nowhere?

Doran pressed again, determined to wring a clear answer out of him.

«Is Lord happy because I did well? Huh?»

«……Yeah, sure. I’m happy. You’re amazing! Oh, you did great! You’re so precious I could die!»

Byeonggap rattled off whatever words he thought Doran wanted to hear. Her crying stopped as if by magic.

«Really? You’re happy because of me?» she sniffled.

«I told you, yes.»

«Yes!» she cheered.

Doran suddenly threw herself into his arms, pressing her tear-and-snot-streaked face against him.

Go Byeonggap let out a hollow laugh and patted her on the back.

‘This is terrifying.’

Honestly, he felt more fear than joy. The potential nested inside her was scary enough to make him uneasy.

Achieving this much without any secret elixir or training manual.

If she had both a elixir and a manual, just how strong could she become?

‘That’s one more for the raid team.’

Go Byeonggap smiled with satisfaction.

* * *

Northern half of the Korean Peninsula. North of the 38th parallel.

The region that once housed a stuffy old country called North Korea.

That place was now a land of death.

In 1997, during the height of Deep Impact, North Korea failed to withstand the turbulent currents of the era.

It was, after all, a nation already on the brink of self-destruction with the so-called Arduous March.

With rifts that drained the life out of everything appearing on top of its parched land, North Korea ultimately failed to greet the 21st century and vanished into the back alleys of history.

And now, twenty-eight years later. As I said before, that place had become a wasteland even migratory birds avoided.

The only things left on the land north of the Korean Peninsula were tens of thousands—no, perhaps hundreds of thousands—of rifts.

Several factors had turned the land north of the 38th parallel into a wasteland.

The power struggle between the United States and China over the ruined North Korean territory and its rifts. The South Korean government’s tepid stance caught in the middle.

2011.

South Korea, producing the world’s only two SS-rank awakeners, finally gained the standing to claim ownership of the land north of the peninsula—though belatedly.

But by then, the entire ground north of the 38th parallel was already covered in rifts. So the South Korean government effectively gave up on reclaiming it.

Now they called it the Land of Death.

A survey team had been dispatched once in 2021, and for four years since, no one had set foot there.

It was filled with nothing but an ominous stillness, as if time itself had stopped.

And now, that place began to stir.

“Kekigik! Kekik!”

“Keurreureuk!”

“Kieeeeek!”