Go Byeonggap rapped his knuckles against the translucent barrier—once, twice—like knocking on a silent door. Ripples spread from the impact, concentric circles on still water.

He pressed his face close, squinting into the haze beyond. Naturally, all he could see was a milky white fog, thick and impenetrable.

«What… what is this?»

Merilin’s voice carried the weight of dread as she asked.

Instead of answering, Go Byeonggap drew his sword. He thrust the mana-coated blade like a thunderbolt—but the transparent barrier suffered not a single scratch.

He clicked his tongue and pulled the sword back.

‘Thought as much. Looks like I can’t break it by force after all.’

When he didn’t answer, frustration flickered across Merilin’s face. She shifted her target and asked Dorma instead.

«Dorma, do you know?»

«Hmph. I can’t say I know its exact nature, but it’s easiest to think of it as a kind of barrier.»

«A barrier?»

«Indeed. It blocks unspecified entities from entering or leaving. As you saw, we can’t even smash through it.»

«So there’s no way through, then?»

«Well, under normal circumstances, no.»

«…….»

Merilin sank into thought. Her expression was so tangled and nuanced — she looked uneasy yet oddly relieved, despondent yet secretly glad in some corner of her heart.

Go Byeonggap, too, fell deep into his own thoughts, though with a slightly different meaning.

‘Why is it blocked off by mist? That can’t be anything good.’

The places they’d passed through hadn’t been like this. People were bound to get uneasy when patterns broke their consistency.

Of course, he was no greenhorn who’d start pacing and wringing his hands at an unexpected turn. He’d been through every kind of shit life could throw at a man, hadn’t he? A little surprise like this barely even counted as a bump in the road.

‘If it’s sealed off by mist, there must be something inside for sure. The question is whether that something’s good or bad for us.’

Recall the time you cleared the mist and pushed out beyond Somnium. You gained a new roost, sure, but you also opened yourself up to the Grugle’s threat.

This would be no different. Rolling back that fog could saddle him with an unforeseen disadvantage. That was what made Go Byeonggap hesitate.

‘Well… even so, coming all this way only to go back empty-handed would be a joke.’

Truth was, his mind had been set on clearing the mist for a while now. He was just stalling for effect.

Even for the cost of the oil, he couldn’t just turn back for nothing.

But Merilin, it seemed, had other ideas.

«My Lord, it’s regrettable, but let’s bide our time and return for now…»

«Huh? Say that again?»

«I said we should go back to Baltadren.»

«What are you talking about? Why would we just turn back after coming all this way?»

«Pardon? But we have no way to breach the barrier, do we?»

«We do. We buy a ticket with coin, and that’s that.»

Merilin blinked, not understanding his words. She turned to Dorma.

«Is there a way through the barrier? Earlier you said there wasn’t.»

«When did I ever say that? I said chances were slim.»

«… …»

«The Lord can clear away that mist.»

The shadow on her face deepened. Without even glancing her way, Go Byeonggap opened the Ancient Shop.

He dropped a whopping five hundred thousand crystals to buy the ‘Explorer’s Flag.’ Lately, there’d been little to spend crystals on, so they’d piled up, but it stung all the same.

«…Ah? That is?»

Merilin’s eyes went wide as she spotted the flag.

«What’s wrong?»

That emblem on the flag — it’s the insignia of our Mandala Knight Order.

On the triangular cloth was drawn a winged sword. ‘Guess so,’ Byeonggap thought, nodding without much interest.

Then something clicked, and his voice turned excited.

«Merilin.»

«Yes, My Lord.»

«You’re the Mandala Knight Order’s captain from now on.»

«…What?»

«I don’t know about the past, but right now the captain’s seat is empty. So I’m telling you to be captain. It’s a promotion, is what it is.»

Merilin stood dumbfounded, unable to answer.

Grinning, Go Byeonggap even snapped his fingers as he went on.

«That’d work. We’ll name New Asvillam’s regular army the Mandala. Hell, we’ll make a flag too. Slap the same design on it.»

«… …»

Honestly, you weren’t satisfied being vice-captain, were you? So, use this chance to at least feel good about it.

Go Byeonggap snickered, amused. It felt like running a small business and handing out titles like ‘executive director’ or ‘board member.’

So what? It’s not like anyone’s going to complain.

Even though he’d said it half as a joke, Merilin took it seriously. She stood still as a stone, then abruptly dropped to one knee.

«Your young servant Merilin accepts this undeserved honor from my Lord with a joyful heart.»

«Hey hey! Don’t do that. You guys give me the creeps every time.»

Go Byeonggap shuddered, but Merilin kept going.

«Though I am still lacking and foolish, I will work until my body breaks to live up to the faith my Lord has placed in me. Thank you.»

«Aish…»

Go Byeonggap let out a hollow laugh.

«‘Until your body breaks’—what’s that about… Never mind, just get up. I’m scared someone might see.»

«…Yes.»

He helped Merilin to her feet, then walked over to the mist. Without a hint of hesitation, he planted the flag into the transparent barrier.

* * *

The mist vanished in an instant, as if it had never been there. At the same time, a wall of truly overwhelming scale came into view.

Faced with its majestic form, Go Byeonggap and his party let out involuntary gasps of admiration.

‘So this is Verbonia.’

Verbonia was so vast it couldn’t be taken in at a single glance. Rows upon rows of walls stretched all the way to the edge of sight.

‘Baltadren was pretty big, too, but compared to this place, it’s like some backwoods village.’

For Verbonia, the word ‘city’ seemed more fitting than ‘castle.’ It was staggering to think such a colossal structure had been built over a thousand years ago.

«Both of you, get in the car. Let’s go inside.»

«Yes.»

Go Byeonggap drove the car around the wall. The wall was so damaged it was harder to find a spot that wasn’t broken. Compared to the castles they’d passed through, though, it was actually in better shape. At least there was still a wall left, right?

They soon found a passage leading inward. It wasn’t an official gate—just a gap in the collapsed stone, but wide enough for a car to squeeze through.

Once inside the city, everyone’s eyes went wide. Verbonia was clearly different from the other places.

‘It’s in better shape than I thought… Is that because of the mist?’

The places they’d passed through on the way here—Limdri and Baicosus, for instance—had made it hard to find any trace of the past.

Baicosus especially had barely anything but rubble left, making it impossible to tell if it had once been a castle or a sports field.

But here in Verbonia, thousands upon thousands of buildings still stood firmly on the ground, with almost no sign of weathering from the ages.

Of course, that didn’t mean they were in good shape.

‘The atmosphere feels like a ghost could pop out any second.’

The place was dreadfully desolate. More than 80% of the buildings were half-collapsed, and scorch marks from fire or dried blood smeared across walls were a common sight. The gloomy weather didn’t help, either.

To put it plainly, it felt like stepping into a haunted house. Stretch the comparison a little, and a few corpses sprawled on the roadside wouldn’t have seemed out of place.

«M-My Lord! Over there!»

Dorma jolted, pointing to one side. Go Byeonggap, who’d been lost in thought, reflexively stomped the brake.

The car shuddered with a short, screeching whine.

«Wha—what!? What is it?»

«Aigoo…»

Dorma rubbed his neck as he answered.

«Please take a look over there. There’s a skeleton.»

«A skeleton?»

It was true. A real, honest-to-god skeleton lay there.

‘It’ was half-crushed under a collapsed building, one arm stretched forward, the desperate urgency of its final moment frozen in that reach.

Byeonggap checked Merilin’s state through the rearview mirror. Unsurprisingly, her expression was sour.

…Though, truth be told, her face had rarely looked good this entire trip.

They got out of the car to examine the skeleton. The moment they stepped out, a thick, cloying stench of blood stabbed at their noses.

Just then, Merilin spoke in a voice as cold as ice.

«It’s the same.»

«What is?»

«The same scene as that day when the bloodstorm swept through Asvillam. Even this dreadful smell of blood… Everything… everything remains just as it was. The pain of that day, the despair of that day, the terror of that day—still filling Verbonia to the brim…»

Her face twisted. Soon, a vast fury swallowed her whole. Her eyes seemed to blaze, and her teeth ground together audibly.

«Those wretches, those accursed things! To do this to Asvillam… to Verbonia!»

«Merilin.»

«They… they must be killed! We must kill them, grind their flesh and drink their blood! If we don’t avenge our dead kin—»

«Hey! Merilin!»

Byeonggap barked, and only then did Merilin’s gaze return. She looked at him with a dazed expression.

«…Yes?»

«You’re getting worked up. Go back to the car.»

«Ah… I’m sorry.»

Merilin slumped her shoulders and trudged back to the car.

‘She must be thinking about the old days.’

It wasn’t that he couldn’t understand her feelings.

Verbonia, it seemed, had preserved the look of the disaster entirely. For her, it must be like walking onto the scene of the calamity itself. There was nothing strange about her emotions boiling over.

Byeonggap and Dorma examined the skeleton. There wasn’t much useful information to glean. It was just bones. White bones, presumed to be those of a Saraon.

«We’ll have to bring all the kids here later.»

«For what purpose, my Lord?»

«To bury these Saraon. We can’t just leave them like this.»

«Ah…»

«We’ve got other things to do now, so it’s not convenient, but when we have time later, we’ll set a day and bury them.»

«As expected, my Lord’s consideration runs deep.»

«Enough of that ‘deeply considerate’ nonsense. I’m just doing what a decent person does.»

Go Byeonggap and Dorma climbed into the vehicle. As soon as they did, Merilin spoke.

«My Lord, we must go there.»

She leaned out, pointing to one side. Following her finger, he saw a towering spire and an inner wall. The inner wall alone seemed to rival Baltadren’s scale.

«Something come back to you?»

«Yes. We must go there.»

«Got it. Let’s head that way.»

Go Byeonggap drove on without argument. The horrors appeared again and again on the way to their destination.

Bones crushed flat, bones burned to ash, bones torn into ribbons—the dead wore every face of violence.

He checked on Merilin regularly. Thankfully, she didn’t get worked up like before. In fact, she showed no emotion at all, as if she’d become a doll.

After a full twenty minutes of crawling along, they reached the inner wall.

Merilin appointed herself navigator, giving directions. This way, that way. Byeonggap turned the wheel as ordered.

After a dozen or so turns of the steering wheel, they arrived at a palace that looked like it had been hit by a missile.

«Here.»

«Right, let’s get out.»

Go Byeonggap stepped out of the car and instinctively sensed the surroundings. No sign of life.

‘If it had been intact, this place would’ve been magnificent.’

The palace was truly grand. Even the large temple in Baltadren was only half its size.

Through the crumbled gaps, all he could see was pitch-black darkness. Merilin took the lead and walked forward.

«Let’s follow.»

«Yes, My Lord. By the way, what do you think is in there? Any guesses?»

«How the hell would I know?»

Merilin only said it was “something absolutely necessary for Asvillam’s revival,” and admitted she didn’t know the exact nature herself.

«Come on, it’s gotta be a legendary weapon or something, right? What about you—any ideas?»

«Hmm… I’m not sure. Nothing comes to mind. Ah, but since you mentioned a legendary weapon, it could be a legendary secret manual.»

«Oh, that’s possible. Maybe a high-grade textbook or something?»

The highest grade available in the Ancient Shop is ‘high-grade.’

In other words, it means you can only grow as strong as a high-grade manual allows. If there’s something like a ‘supreme-grade manual’ here, it would be a huge help in getting stronger.

«My Lord, this way.»

«Uh, yeah yeah. Coming.»

Merilin had already gotten far ahead.

She kept looking left and right before darting forward, then looking again and darting again. It seemed she knew something.

Legendary weapons, legendary secret manuals, treasure maps, vast wealth—even a beauty who could topple a kingdom.

Go Byeonggap walked alongside Dorma, spinning out theories as they went. After over thirty minutes of moving, they arrived at a wide, open space.

«It’s here.»

Merilin turned to look at Go Byeonggap as she spoke.

He swept his gaze across the space, turning his head and eyes to take it all in.

‘What is this? What kind of place?’

It was as hollow as an empty house before move-in. In the center of the hall, pillars about two meters tall were driven in a circle. Inside the circle traced by the pillars, geometric patterns were drawn — utterly indecipherable in meaning.

Beyond that stood a dais, and on the dais rested a massive rectangular stone coffin.

Merilin stood before the pillars and pointed at the stone coffin.

«My Lord, inside that lies the key to reviving Asvillam. Open it, please.»

«My Lord, go ahead and take a look.»

«Sure, let’s go look. But damn, that thing looks pretty big, huh? Not sure I can fit it on a trailer.»

Go Byeonggap walked toward the dais without a second thought.

And then — the moment he stepped into the circle’s boundary.

Merilin grabbed Dorma by the collar and, at the same time, shoved Go Byeonggap in the back.

“Wh-whoa!?”

Go Byeonggap lost his balance, stumbled, and landed hard on his backside.

«What!? My — My Lord, are you alright!»

«Hey, you just…»

Go Byeonggap looked up at Merilin, question marks practically glowing in his eyes. Dorma glared at her with a face twisted between fury and shock.

«Have you gone completely mad! Daring to shove the Lord in the back! You — let me go this instant!»

Dorma tried to rush to Go Byeonggap’s side. But Merilin held him fast, refusing to let go.

Go Byeonggap remained on the ground, unable to get up. It wasn’t because he was shocked that his subordinate had pushed him.

The reason he couldn’t rise was —

«Hey… are you crying? Why are you crying?»

Merilin was weeping.

Tears streamed endlessly down both her cheeks. Her face was twisted with grief, her shoulders trembling faintly.

Even Dorma, who had been shouting at her, froze at the sight of her tears.

«My… My Lord… Hic!»

«…»

Merilin sobbed, her mouth opening and closing. Her throat seemed too choked to speak.

«Did something bad come to mind? Don’t cry — tell me.»

Go Byeonggap spoke in a soothing tone.

As he pressed his hands to his knees and started to rise, Merilin finally managed to speak.

«Huk! My Lord… I’m sorry. Please… please never forgive me!»

«Hey, hey, it’s fine. Over a little push, what’s the — huh?»

That was the moment. The pillars embedded around the space blazed with light. The geometric patterns drawn on the floor began to glow along with them.

«W-What is this? What the—Mmph!?»

An invisible hand seized his body in an instant. He tried to shake it off with raw strength, but it was impossible. Then his back arched like a drawn bow.

A scream tore from his throat, thin as a snapped thread.

«K-keuaaagh! Uwaaaaagh! Uwaaak!!»

«My Lord!? Let him go! How dare you do this!»

«No! You can’t go inside!»

Merilin practically wrapped herself around Dorma. He couldn’t match her strength, just squawking and thrashing.

«My Lord! My Lord! You witch-bitch! I’ll kill you! I’ll fucking kill you! Let him go!»

«Uwaaaaagh! Keuaaaaaagh!»

«My Lord! Get out of there, My Lord!»

Get out, she says! Go Byeonggap’s body rose helplessly into the air. Soon, a shimmering orb began to pull free from somewhere near his solar plexus.

The object blazing with white light was——.

Yes. It was the Goblin Lord’s Essence.