“Kyaaaah—!”

A woman’s scream cut through the air, cold and sharp. She ran for her life, nine Lightning Wolves snapping at her heels. But the gap was closing. A low-rank Awakened couldn’t outrun a beast-type monster—that was simply impossible.

A line of cold sweat traced down Go Byeonggap’s forehead.

Lightning Wolves were notorious even among D-ranks. Tough enough to shrug off a few bullets, disgustingly fast, and able to generate their own electricity like electric eels. A nightmare package.

If he went all in, he might take one or two down with him—but killing or losing all nine? No chance.

‘What if I fight with the goblins?’

Eleven hob goblins and one Giant Goblin.

Numbers favored them, but firepower didn’t. A single Lightning Wolf could handle two hob goblins easy.

«My Lord……»

«Shh! Shut up and hit the deck, all of you!»

Go Byeonggap’s low growl snapped them down. The goblins flung themselves flat, vanishing into the weeds. He kept his eye locked on the scope, watching the scene unfold.

The unknown woman was almost caught. She wouldn’t make it another hundred meters before becoming wolf chow.

The 4x scope swept elsewhere—and found the pure-white goblin riding the Lightning Wolf.

‘Albino Goblin.’

Albino Goblins were rare monsters. Danger rating: C-rank. In the lower tiers, they were kings.

The Albino Goblin thrust a lightning-rod-like spear forward. Sparks burst behind the woman.

“Eek!”

She shrieked and pitched forward. The lead Lightning Wolf leaped, lunging down on her.

‘Damn it.’

Go Byeonggap bit his lip and pulled the trigger.

—Bang!

The wolf about to take her staggered. The bullet hit it square in the muzzle, but it didn’t fall. Just shook its head.

A moment later, all nine Lightning Wolves turned their gaze on Go Byeonggap.

“Grrrrr…!”

They bolted toward him like arrows.

«Everyone up! Protect me!»

«Yes, sir!»

«Protect the Lord!»

Hob goblins and the Giant Goblin formed an arch around Go Byeonggap, sheltering him.

With things as they were, trusting the goblins was his best bet. Praying they’d hold off at least one or two Lightning Wolves, Go Byeonggap started sniping.

‘Room enough. Steady now—just shoot.’

Gunfire tore through the silence of the dry creek bed, one shot after another. Go Byeonggap’s bullets took out the lightning wolves in the front line first.

“Yelp!”

Two of them rolled on the ground, whining. The rest scattered fast. Byeonggap’s eyes darted side to side, hunting for his next target.

‘Got one!’

—Rattatattang!

The muzzle flashed. A lightning wolf caught in his scope staggered, then crumpled. Byeonggap didn’t pause—he already had the next target lined up.

—Ratatak—Click!

“Goddamn it!”

One magazine, empty. He slammed a fresh one in, then pressed his cheek to the stock.

Right then, two lightning wolves burst from the thick brush.

«Protect the Lord!»

«Uwaaaaah!»

The giant goblin, Turka, met a lightning wolf head-on. He caught its foreleg and held firm, battering it with relentless headbutts.

The other wolf was swarmed and pinned by a mass of hob goblins.

Go Byeonggap ground his teeth and pulled the trigger. The lightning wolf rushing at him collapsed, riddled with holes.

Aside from the ones the goblins were holding back, three remained.

He whipped his head around, hunting for targets. Then his vision flashed, and lightning crashed down right beside him.

-Crack!

“Ghk!”

Byeonggap stumbled back two or three steps and fell. Even as his ears rang, he quickly checked his leg. Lucky—it hadn’t taken a direct hit, so there was no real damage. If it had struck true, the flesh would have been seared crisp.

“Krahahaha!”

“Fuck!”

-Ratatatat-tang!

A shadow fell — then the lightning wolf’s jaw dropped clean off. Go Byeonggap laid down a burst of fire without a second’s pause. The rounds punched through the wolf’s open mouth and blew its head apart.

The lightning wolf’s carcass crashed down on top of him, crushing him flat. A slab of meat the size of a full-grown bull pressing down — the weight was anything but ordinary.

“Uuuugh… AAAAAH!”

Byeonggap shoved the wolf’s corpse off with a grunt and hauled himself upright. The goblins were struggling. The lightning wolf’s nature — radiating electrical discharge with every move — made the match-up brutally unfavorable.

A few hob goblins lay sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain.

“These fucking bastards—!”

Byeonggap’s gut clenched at the sight of his wounded goblins. He shouldered his rifle with murder in his eyes, ready to pour out another barrage. Then a shout cut through the air.

«Get back here!!!»

His voice was so arresting that Go Byeonggap forgot to pull the trigger. The speaker who had spat out those words was an albino goblin.

At the albino goblin’s roar, the lightning wolves that had been squaring off against the goblins tucked their tails and retreated.

Go Byeonggap swung his rifle around to aim at the albino goblin, heaving ragged breaths, his finger already tense on the trigger.

The albino goblin, by contrast, showed no sign of wanting a fight. He dismounted from his lightning wolf and stood facing Byeonggap.

His face was pure disbelief.

«How in the world…»

The albino goblin then turned to look at the goblin horde.

«You wretched weaklings! Explain yourselves! What is the meaning of this?»

«He’s the Goblin Lord!»

Gobungi barked out the answer. Bright red blood streamed from the shoulder he clutched.

«Why? Why is the Goblin Lord a human?»

«He’s. Our Lord! He’s going to. Rebuild Asvillam!»

«Hah…»

The albino goblin stared straight at Byeonggap, his expression unreadable and complex.

«Are you truly our Lord?»

«Can’t you see for yourself?»

«Will you lead us once more? Will you let us return to Asvillam?»

Byeonggap felt his grip on the rifle tighten.

To be honest, he had no intention of taking responsibility for the goblins or rebuilding their kingdom into a prosperous land. He’d only planned to exploit the Goblin Lord ability to make money.

But there was no reason to explain all that. After a brief moment of thought, he answered.

«If I say yes, will you obey me?»

He was ready to shoot at the slightest hint of trouble. But the albino goblin’s reply was far more favorable than he’d expected.

«How could I not obey? Thank you for returning. Thank you. Thank you.»

The albino goblin performed a deep bow before Byeonggap. At that moment, a hologram materialized before Byeonggap’s eyes.

[The albino goblin ‘Kiriyan’ has been annexed into Asvillam.]

«I will serve you until my very last breath.»

Kiriyan looked nearly on the verge of tears. Byeonggap sensed no hostility from him.

Even so, Byeonggap was still uneasy. The lightning wolves standing behind the albino goblin grated on his nerves.

“Grrrrrr!”

The lightning wolves’ demeanor shifted abruptly. The creatures that had been frozen by Kiriyan’s words suddenly bared their fangs, radiating killing intent.

They’d been like this ever since the hologram appeared, confirming Kiriyan’s annexation into Asvillam.

Kiriyan spun around, startled.

«Y-you insolent beasts, how dare you bare your fangs!»

“GRAAAAAA!”

«Eep!?»

All four lightning wolves lunged at Kiriyan at once.

Go Byeonggap fired instantly, turning one of them into a sieve. Another magazine ran dry. He scrambled to reload—then a flash seared his vision.

Kiriyan let out a wild howl and blasted a bolt of lightning straight ahead.

“Kekeng!”

“Kyah-gyaahk!”

Even the lightning wolves, masters of electricity, couldn’t withstand that terrifying surge of power. But it wasn’t enough to land a killing blow.

A wolf, steam still rising from its body, sank its teeth into Kiriyan’s shoulder.

A gut-wrenching scream ripped through the air.

It sounded like he was being torn apart.

A roaring bellow answered him.

Before Kiriyan’s shoulder could be torn clean off, the goblin pack charged in.

Turka grabbed a lightning wolf’s jaws in his brutish hands and twisted. Its lower jaw gave way, useless.

The hob goblins pounded the remaining ones with bone clubs, beating them black and blue.

«Everyone, get back!»

—Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!

Go Byeonggap finished the job. He emptied an entire magazine into the barely-breathing lightning wolves.

After the bullet storm passed, nothing was left but cold wolf meat.

* * *

«Take this and go back to heal them. It won’t be enough, so treat the worst injured first.»

«Understood!»

«Good. You’ve done well.»

Go Byeonggap handed Gobungi a bottle of Low-Grade Potion, then sent the goblins back to Asvillam—Kiriyan included.

Luckily, none of the goblins were dead or beyond serious injury.

After sending them back, Go Byeonggap dismantled the magic stones alone. With only nine lightning wolves to process, it was done in no time.

‘Why isn’t the hidden world collapsing?’

The hidden world was still intact. Kiriyan should have been its boss monster…

‘Was a new boss monster appointed or something?’

He stared into the depths of the hidden world.

He sensed nothing unusual. And he had no intention of looking deeper.

Go Byeonggap finished dismantling the magic stones with practiced ease, packed up, and started walking—toward the spot where the unknown woman had collapsed.

‘Is she dead?’

He pushed through the dense undergrowth. Before long, he found the unconscious woman.

Up close, she was a wreck. Her clothes hung in tatters, and her whole body was covered in shallow gashes.

She looked about Go Byeonggap’s age, maybe a bit younger.

The hunter profession didn’t discriminate by age or gender, but it was rare to see such a young woman hunting alone.

Go Byeonggap checked her breathing, wondering if she was dead.

‘She’s still alive.’

Her breath hadn’t stopped, but it was faint. Too much blood loss.

As Go Byeonggap lifted her to carry her on his back, he spotted a small bag she’d been lying on.

The blunt shape was unmistakably a potion bottle. Opening it confirmed — it really did hold a potion. A low-grade one.

In haste, he tipped about two-thirds of it down the woman’s throat and poured the rest into his own mouth.

Then he hurried out of the hidden world.

“I’m alive.”

Breathing the outside air finally loosened the knot in his chest.

“Christ. Two mutant rifts in under a week. That’s some kind of shit luck, even for me.”

“Nnnh…!”

The woman slung over Go Byeonggap’s back stirred back to consciousness. He set her down in a clear spot.

“Coming around, ma’am?”

“…”

Her eyes flew wide, darting around like a madwoman’s. She was utterly rattled.

“Nothing to worry about. We’re outside the hidden world.”

“I-I’m alive?” Her voice cracked.

“Yes. It was a close call.”

“…You saved me?” Her gaze searched his face.

“Something like that.”

“Hhk! Hwaaahk!” The dam broke.

Whether it was the relief or the letdown, she burst into tears, bowing her head over and over.

“I used the potion from your bag. You were one step from crossing over — I had no choice.”

“No, no. You did right. Thank you, truly. How can I ever repay this…” She sniffled, wiping her eyes.

“With cash.”

“…Excuse me?” She blinked.

“Not that I’m demanding it. But if you’re offering a token of appreciation, I won’t say no.”

The woman lost her voice for a moment. Then she nodded fervently.

“Yes! I should, of course I should!” Her voice tripped over itself.

Go Byeonggap gave her his account number. Then they parted ways as if nothing had happened.

He didn’t head straight home — he stopped by the Association first.

He still needed to sell the magic stones and buy more potions.

Go Byeonggap paid 500,000 won for a 200 mL low-grade potion.

That one was for the goblins. A small part of him grumbled at the expense, but those little bastards had saved his hide — being stingy felt wrong.

On the way home, a text message pinged on his phone.

A deposit alert. Money had landed in his account.

The woman who’d promised him compensation had actually followed through. He checked the amount: 5 million won.

A little light for a life saved, maybe, but he couldn’t complain. Free money was free money.

“Looks like I’ve already hit this month’s quota.”

A tune hummed unbidden in Go Byeonggap’s throat. He almost let it out.