Chapter 9. The Golden Goblin
<Guide 2 has been completed. >
<The final reward for the Stage 1 Seed Quest is being granted. >
<Upon entering the tower, you will be moved to the event stage. Waiting time: 5 minutes. >
<Would you like to enter the Tower?>
Ah, but first.
“Would it be okay if I left work now?”
It was already past six.
However, with events like this, the real work began after the ceremony ended. That was when the cleanup started.
“Ah! Officer Lee! Did using so much power cause mana exhaustion or something? Of course! You can leave! You did a great job! You really did! Go home and get some rest!”
It was a misunderstanding, but I didn’t bother correcting him.
Actually, this would probably make things easier to explain later.
After saying goodbye to the director, I immediately received the reward for completing the quest.
“It… it worked! It’s lit!”
The host shouted urgently.
Everyone’s eyes turned toward the front.
The scene the host was staring at in disbelief was…
“The incense! The incense has caught fire! Something that hasn’t happened even once in the past ten years has happened!!!”
The incense was burning.
White smoke rose from it, going straight up toward the sky.
“Is this for real?!”
“Changhyun!”
“Mother!”
“Did the Hunter Management Agency do something?”
“What on earth is happening…?”
“What has the association been doing all this time?”
“Subscribers! Did you see this?!”
But that wasn’t the end.
The Hunters sitting in the guild seats all looked forward at the same time.
They had all heard the status window alarm.
They looked completely bewildered.
“Energy? A new type of energy?”
“Is there still a class that hasn’t been registered?”
“The energy of souls?”
“Necromancer?”
“Wasn’t that the energy of the dead?!”
<Items with the Soul attribute have been added to the loot of Korea’s Towers. >
<The Blessing of Growth will descend upon Korea’s towers for 100 days. Experience gained from clearing Towers will increase by 50%.
But it was true.
A new class had been registered.
The status window alarm sounded again, confirming it.
Whenever the Tower granted the Blessing of Growth, it did not reveal the player’s nickname.
It was meant to protect the new generation.
However, since most Korean Hunters belonged to guilds, the guilds sometimes announced the information themselves.
It was also a way to promote their guilds.
“Growth…”
The guild leader of the Raven Guild, Kim Yongho, had maintained a stern expression throughout the ceremony.
But the moment he saw his status window, his eyes widened.
Could this really happen?
By now, almost every ordinary class had already been recognized by the Tower.
Most of them had been registered during the early days.
When the Tower first appeared, Hunters rushed into it one after another, and during that early period, the Blessing of Growth remained active throughout the entire year.
But those days were long gone.
The Tower no longer granted the Blessing of Growth.
That was why high-level hunters who had reached a certain level were now standing before a massive wall.
A limit to growth that felt like an endless tunnel.
There were countless high-level Hunters who had become frustrated in front of that wall.
But at this point in time…
How did this happen?
For an existing class to be renewed, a title of at least unique rank was required.
But there had been no report of anyone possessing such a title.
Unless it’s Legendary…
Is there really a recently awakened Hunter who possesses the Seed of a Legendary Title?
That couldn’t be.
A legendary title wasn’t something you could obtain simply by awakening with a good class by chance.
Your abilities before awakening.
That was what mattered.
So far, only three people had obtained Legendary Titles.
John Howard, a WWE champion.
Yui Sinclair, a Fields Medalist and Nobel Prize winner in chemistry.
And Andrea Lightning, the gold medalist who had swept every track event at the Olympics.
Those three were the only ones.
Kim Yongho wasn’t the only one shaken by the news.
The guild leaders of Korea’s four major guilds were all present at the memorial ceremony.
In fact, they had originally planned to collectively boycott this year’s 821 Memorial Ceremony.
They wanted to hold the Hunter Association responsible for losing two S-rank Hunters.
But halfway through, the organization hosting the ceremony was changed.
That was why they had come today.
In truth, they had come partly to lend their support to the newly established Hunter Management Agency.
They hoped that something would change with the creation of the Hunter Management Agency.
Everyone had grown tired of the Hunter Association’s coercive demands, which sometimes went too far.
But…
“I didn’t expect this much.”
Someone beside Kim Yongho was laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
It was Park Jongsoo, the guild leader of the Blue Dragon Guild.
“Honestly, I’m surprised. Hey, you’re surprised too, right?”
Park Jongsoo repeatedly slapped Kim Yongho on the back.
Kim Yongho’s expression became even colder.
The Zero Guild leader, Jung Eunseo, noticed his expression and warned Park Jongsoo.
“That’s enough.”
“Ah! It’s just so funny. I’ll stop.”
Moon Tae-oh smiled faintly as he watched them.
“It certainly is interesting.”
“See! Even the Taebaek guild leader thinks so. It’s beyond anything we imagined! I’ll bet my hand that the Tower buff was also the Hunter Management Agency’s doing!”
Kim Yongho’s expression became even colder at those words.
“Don’t call it their doing.”
“Ah! Sorry, sorry! I mean, thanks to them. Things really are different when the government gets involved, huh? They came in seriously, and look at this. Ten years of frustration solved in one shot!”
Kim Yongho clicked his tongue at Park Jongsoo’s exaggerated gestures.
“We don’t know the reason yet.”
“Even so, it’s certain that change has begun.”
No one disagreed with Jung Eunseo.
She was famous for being cold and indifferent.
Yet even she was smiling now.
“An opportunity for growth has come to everyone.”
And the people who would benefit from it the most were the top-ranked Hunters gathered here today.
<The Blessing of Growth will descend upon Korea’s towers for 100 days. Experience gained from clearing Towers will increase by 50%.
<Player Jack Rich_07, entering the nearest Tower.>
<The Tower you are entering is the 2nd floor of the Gwanaksan Tower.
Flash─!
“Huh? Landlord?”
[Landlord!]
Just as I expected.
When I entered the Tower, the ghosts who stayed in my house were summoned along with me.
“Landlord, are we clearing the Tower now? Nice!”
The second floor of the Gwanaksan Tower was another grassy area, similar to the first floor.
But something felt strange.
Even though it was daytime, everywhere was dark as if it were nighttime.
Then suddenly, the lights came on, and music began playing from somewhere.
<It’s time for us to go home~! We’ll see you again tomorrow~!>
It felt like an amusement park or supermarket that was closing for the night.
“Huh? I know this song.”
Cha Junhyuk seemed familiar with the situation and hummed along with the song.
Then another status window alarm appeared.
I felt my body float upward.
And in an instant, the scenery changed into something resembling an Olympic stadium.
“The Event Stage! Wow! How long has it been?!”
Cha Junhyuk’s face immediately brightened.
[What’s an Event Stage?]
“It’s a stage that randomly appears when clearing floors from the 10th to the 25th floor. But it doesn’t appear after the 25th floor. Something completely different called the Trial Stage appears instead. But how did you get here? You’re still Level 2, Landlord.”
“I received it as a quest reward.”
“Huh? Where?”
“On the uninhabited island. It said I had discovered traces of the First Tower.”
“What? I even went there to stop that tower from collapsing?!”
Cha Junhyuk was feeling unfairly treated again today.
“Anyway, the Event Stage is really great!”
I soon learned exactly what he meant.
<Catch the Golden Goblins.
Time limit: 10 minutes. >
The status window alarm appeared, and an announcement immediately came through the stadium speakers.
<Let us introduce today’s event! >
<Catch the Golden Goblin!>
<Today’s participant is Player Jack Rich_07!>
Wooooooah!!!
A huge roar erupted at the same time.
Before I knew it, the stadium was packed with spectators.
There wasn’t a single empty seat anywhere, whether on the first, second, or third floor.
“Shall we begin?”
Crack.
Crack.
I heard Cha Junhyuk casually loosening up his hands.
[I’ll do my best!]
Whoosh!
Whoosh─!
The spiritual energy orbs summoned by Chae Seonhwa began spinning around her body.
<Beginning countdown!>
<5>
“5!”
The stadium was filled with the atmosphere of a festival.
Every time the announcer called out a number, the spectators shouted along.
<4>
“4!”
<3>
“3!”
<2>
“2!”
<1>
“1!!!!!”
<The match begins!>
WOOOOOOOOOOO─!
Flash!
As the announcement was made, the huge electronic scoreboards on both sides of the stadium lit up.
<Time Remaining: 09:59
Goblins: 0/1,000
Coins: 0/10,000>
At the same time, Golden Goblins carrying sacks on their backs appeared inside the stadium.
At first, they appeared one or two at a time.
But once Cha Junhyuk and Chae Seonhwa began eliminating them instantly, Golden Goblins started raining down from the sky in huge groups.
The Golden Goblins were all different in size, appearance, and personality.
But they had one thing in common.
They all shone golden.
Cha Junhyuk and Chae Seonhwa moved far apart and established their own areas, then began slaughtering the goblins.
[Die!]
Slash—!
His posture was perfect, and every movement of his hands was completely efficient.
Cha Junhyuk cut through the goblins’ necks with an elegant sword dance.
[Spiritual Energy Orbs─!]
Chae Seonhwa wasn’t going to lose either.
She summoned a large number of spiritual energy orbs.
The orbs flew viciously toward the goblins as if they had wills of their own.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
Every time a goblin was killed, coins poured out.
Shining golden coins exploded out of the sacks the goblins had been carrying.
<Time Remaining: 09:20
Goblins: 200/1,000
Coins: 1,000/10,000>
The two of them killed 200 goblins in less than thirty seconds.
The spectators became even more excited and began shouting.
Woooooah─!
“Kill them!!”
“Destroy them!!!”
“Rich! Rich! Rich!”
A wave began moving through the audience.
From right to left, from top to bottom.
Every time the wave passed, the cheers became louder.
As the atmosphere continued to heat up, I did my own part.
I walked around and hunted goblins in my own way.
And I discovered something interesting through observation.
Not all of these guys were hardworking.
Since huge numbers of goblins were being released at once, some of them were incredibly carefree.
“Just cover their nose and mouth, and it’s over.”
Even goblins, despite being monsters, would die if they couldn’t breathe properly.
And yet they could sleep even in a situation like this.
They were truly impressive.
Still, the goblins that fell victim to me were probably fortunate.
They could die peacefully in their sleep without experiencing any pain.
<Time Remaining: 07:17
Goblins: 990/1,000
Coins: 4,275/10,000>
WOOOOOOOOOAAAAAH!!!!!
Kyaaaaaaaah!
The spectators’ cheers had now become almost indistinguishable from screams.
The sound echoed throughout the stadium so loudly that my ears began to feel numb.
<There are 10 goblins remaining. >
<10>
“10!”
The countdown to death began again.
<9>
“9!”
“Counter Strike──!”
With a powerful shout, Cha Junhyuk’s strike sent the heads of three goblins flying at once.
<8>
“8!”
<7>
“7!!”
<6>
“6!!!”
Then, as if she had been waiting for her turn, Chae Seonhwa blew up the three remaining goblins.
[Fly!]
Rapid-fire—!
BOOM─!
<5>
“5!”
<4>
“4!!”
<3>
“3!”
Like a baton pass, Cha Junhyuk’s quick-draw sword technique killed another goblin.
<2>
“2!!”
The last one was Chae Seonhwa.
[Go─!]
Tat-tat-tat-tat─!
Several spiritual energy orbs flew into the body of one goblin.
Then came the explosion.
BOOM! BOOM─!
And just like that, the final goblin remaining in the stadium disappeared.
But…
<1>
“1!!!”
There was still one final count remaining.
<Time Remaining: 06:54
Goblins: 999/1,000
Coins: 5,000/10,000>
“What happened?”
“Huh? That’s normal. It’s normal.”
Cha Junhyuk didn’t seem concerned at all.
[But why is one goblin still left?]
“You don’t know?”
[No. I don’t.]
“I don’t know either.”
[…What?]
“It’s always like this.”
“Always?”
“Yeah. Look.”
Cha Junhyuk slowly looked around the entire stadium.
“We killed them all.”
He was telling the truth.
There wasn’t a single living goblin left in the stadium.
[But then why…?]
The audience was going wild too.
Boo─! Boo──!
“Catch it!”
“Finish it!!!”
“Kill them all!!!!!”
“But it’s really over. We tried all sorts of things when I did this too, but nothing worked.”
Cha Junhyuk sighed and simply sat down.
“We have no choice but to wait. At least we still get the proper reward for 999 goblins.”
But somehow, I felt like I knew the reason.
“You.”
“Me? Why me?”
“No. The thing beside you.”
Cha Junhyuk suddenly flinched.
“Whoa─! What are you talking about? Why all of a sudden?!”
[Why are you so surprised?]
“Wouldn’t I be surprised?! My heart nearly fell out!”
What kind of reaction is that from a ghost?
Anyway, something that wasn’t alive was standing between us.
“You, right? The last one.”
As if it understood my words, the Golden Goblin spirit standing beside Cha Junhyuk turned its head toward me.
The Golden Goblin glanced at me and smiled.
Around its golden body was a clear, rainbow-colored halo.
It looked strangely sacred.
The goblin opened its mouth.
[Ke-eeek─!]
“…”
[Um, Landlord? Who are you looking at?]
“Yeah! Why are you acting so creepy all of a sudden?!”
“Chae Seonhwa, you can’t see it?”
[No. I don’t know what you’re talking about…]
That was unexpected.
Cha Junhyuk was human right now, so I could understand why he couldn’t see it.
But Chae Seonhwa was also a spirit.
I thought she would be able to see the Golden Goblin spirit.
“Chae Seonhwa.”
[Yes, Landlord.]
“Move three steps to your right.”
[Like this?]
Chae Seonhwa hopped three steps to the side.
“Stretch out your right hand. No, try shooting a spiritual energy orb.”
[Huh? An orb?]
Although confused, Chae Seonhwa did as I said and fired an orb.
At the same time, a status window appeared.
Tap. Tap. Roll.
The spiritual energy orb passed straight through the goblin and continued rolling across the ground.
[Ah?!]
Chae Seonhwa hurriedly flew over and swallowed the spiritual energy orb back up.
[I’m fine!]
“Good.”
A bound spirit cannot exert influence over another spirit?
Then did that mean I was the only person here who could directly interact with it?
I’d already used exorcism.
So the skills I had left were…
Summon Spirit, Materialization, and Eye of Truth.
“So this is what this is for.”
I understood.
I understood why this skill existed.
I smiled gently at the Golden Goblin, which was wearing a sly golden smile inside its rainbow-colored halo.
Then I activated my skill.
“Summon Spirit.”
