Chapter 4

004. Payment Review. (3)

004.

“...Creak.”

The goblin, stabbed in the chest by the spear, spat out green blood and its eyes rolled back.

Soon, the small, limp creature stopped moving.

I had really killed a living being with my own hands.

‘Ah...’

And something unknown penetrated me.

A very subtle change, so slight it felt like an illusion.

A minute change that others wouldn’t notice.

But I knew that killing 10 goblins would lead to an awakening.

I had been thinking that killing a monster might bring about a change, so I didn’t miss it.

The strange and subtle change that penetrated my soul, not my body.

“They’re weaker than I thought. If they don’t come in groups, there won’t be much danger. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing. Let’s go inside.”

Cha Soo-hyun’s words, after confirming that the goblin I stabbed with my spear was dead.

I nodded slightly.

‘I’ll try to get to 10 as quickly as possible. That’s my goal.’

I tried to erase the lingering heartbeat in my hand from my mind.

The education of respecting life, already broken by the goblin, didn’t need to be held onto.

I gripped the spear in my hand even tighter and looked ahead.

‘If it’s too late, who knows what will happen.’

It wasn’t just about winning.

I alone knew that killing 10 goblins would lead to an awakening.

But it was information with a time limit, something that couldn’t be monopolized for long.

If the secret is revealed, the situation could change.

I had to act quickly, as I didn’t know what changes would come after awakening.

This was the way to survive in this collapsing world, so I couldn’t back down.

Creak.

Despite my resolve, the small sound of the door opening sounded like a thunderclap.

My heart pounded, thinking that goblins might jump out at any moment.

But fortunately, there were no goblins beyond the door.

Only the familiar 12th floor corridor, where the finance team occasionally came, lay ahead.

‘If they heard the door, they would have all come when we were fighting the goblins just now.’

Thinking that the goblins’ hearing wasn’t as good as I thought, I scanned the corridor.

The corridor, with broken windows and shattered doors, was filled with signs of destruction.

Fortunately, there were no bloodstains or bodies, thanks to the evacuation.

“Follow me slowly.”

Cha Soo-hyun moved nimbly, ahead of Lee Dong-chan, who held the shield.

She had mentioned being in the special forces, and her movements were definitely different.

Starting with the nearest areas, she searched quickly and quietly.

The 13th floor, with the grand hall and various facilities.

In contrast, the 12th floor was used for meeting rooms and various departments.

Even if we moved quickly, numerous doors blocked our path, and there were many corners where they could hide.

“Stop.”

Cha Soo-hyun, who naturally moved slowly, raised her hand and spoke softly.

The silence was so complete that the sound of someone swallowing could be heard clearly.

“Keeheehee.”

“Kiyoy.”

The sound that broke the silence was not human.

The noise of quite a few goblins, not just one or two, was getting closer.

Cha Soo-hyun moved like a shadow, peering around.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.

‘So, there are five of them?’

The direction and number of fingers she indicated with her hand seemed to mean this.

If I understood correctly, a total of five goblins.

A significant number of monsters were approaching.

‘Too many.’

No matter how quickly I needed to get to 10, the approaching goblins were too many.

Simply put, we were four, and the monsters were five.

It was time to retreat.

“We’ll attack on three.”

But Cha Soo-hyun had no intention of retreating.

She calmly spoke and hid without breathing in the corridor where the doors ended.

Are we going to fight right away?

Before I could be surprised by the sudden decision to fight, her fingers began to unfold.

One, two, and three.

Poke.

“Kerak!”

Cha Soo-hyun darted out like lightning, turning the corner and stabbing a goblin in the neck with a dagger.

Her movements were so fierce, like a predator, that it made me forget she was a woman.

But I couldn’t just stand there.

“Kiaaaak!”

“Shield up, spear.”

The sound of blood gushing from the goblin’s neck, as Cha Soo-hyun shouted.

Lee Dong-chan, suddenly regaining his senses, held up the shield to block the goblin trying to jump over the door.

And I saw a gap between the door and the shield where I could thrust my spear.

Swish, poke.

“Kerak!”

‘Ugh.’

The sharp spear pierced the goblin’s belly, which didn’t reach my waist.

The soft, sticky sensation transmitted through my hand made me involuntarily suppress a groan.

“Hold the shield, spear.”

The wall formed by the door and the shield was solid.

Thanks to Cha Soo-hyun, who supported the shield held by Lee Dong-chan.

The wall created by the two of them gave me enough time to move my spear.

Splat, swoosh!

‘Shit!’

When I pulled out the spear, green blood spurted between the door and the shield.

Seeing the intestines that came out with it, I couldn’t help but curse.

But I succeeded in pulling out the spear.

I couldn’t hesitate.

I had to move the spear quickly and decisively.

Poke, poke.

“Kerak!”

“Kerak.”

The spear, essentially a stick with a kitchen knife attached.

But this simple combination of a weapon fit well in my hand.

Of the three remaining goblins, two fell with large wounds in their bellies and necks in a short time.

“Stun baton to the neck.”

And the stun baton of Mr. Tak fell on the last one.

Mr. Tak, with the hook-like end of the baton, hung it around the goblin’s neck.

The goblin, slammed to the ground, couldn’t move.

“Kiaaaak! Kiroo, kiaa!”

The goblin, not dead but pinned to the ground, screamed.

The eyes full of murderous intent made me shudder, not a plea for mercy.

It seemed to be calling for its companions.

But were these the last goblins on the 12th floor?

No matter how much the subdued goblin screamed, no other goblins appeared.

Punch, punch, punch.

“Kerak!”

Cha Soo-hyun, with a cold look, kicked the goblin’s belly hard enough to keep it from dying.

And she stuffed a piece of cloth into the goblin’s mouth, which had become a bit quieter due to this.

The goblin, gagging, started to thrash.

“Let’s tie it up.”

Tying up the thrashing goblin wasn’t easy.

It resisted with rough movements, as if it knew what its future held.

But with four of us struggling, the binding was soon complete.

“Good job. Let’s call it a day for today.”

Cha Soo-hyun’s words to go back.

The longest hour of my life was over.

* * *

“Good job. You three did well too.”

When we brought the bound goblin to the place that was originally a warehouse, it was what Lee Chan-wook said as he took it over.

In the warehouse, there were already a few other goblins tied up besides the ones we caught.

I don’t know what they’ll do with them, but seeing the goblins tied up in a row made me shudder.

‘What, they’re going to torture them even though they can’t communicate?’

Learning about the enemy is the most important and basic thing.

But I have no idea how to deal with these monsters.

Instinctively, I felt it wouldn’t be a normal method.

Cha Soo-hyun led us out, her face dark.

She spoke to us at a distance.

“I’ll contact you when it’s time for dinner. You don’t need to do night duty, so think of it as a good rest until tomorrow morning. Good job.”

“Team leader, you’ve worked hard too.”

“Good job.”

The words of having worked hard came out naturally with the promise of rest until tomorrow morning.

It wasn’t a long, intense battle, and we weren’t injured, but the memories and sensations lingering in my mind still made my heart race.

Cha Soo-hyun, bowing her head lightly to us, headed back to the warehouse.

She probably had more work to do, unlike us who were going home.

I decided not to imagine what she would do.

“Let’s go up and get some air.”

Lee Dong-chan, also feeling bitter, took me to the roof.

The place where we always drank vending machine coffee and chatted.

Fortunately, it wasn’t crowded.

“Give me one?”

“Fine. You always ask for it even though it doesn’t help you.”

“Haha. Even if you ask, I won’t give it. This will become really rare now.”

I don’t know what’s so good about smoking.

But his face looked good, as if he was letting out his worries in the white smoke.

‘Just the posture of an addict.’

I gave a somewhat logical answer and turned my gaze to the distance.

The city, embracing the slowly setting sun, was no longer human.

The only trace of humans was the bloodstains left behind, and the ones walking around were all goblins.

“Shit. What are the military and police doing?”

“They’re probably fighting hard.”

“You can see it too. These monster bastards are weaker than expected. But they still let Seoul be in this state? I don’t understand.”

Lee Dong-chan’s words weren’t strange.

With the military power humans have built, goblins are not a match.

Except for their wild nature, there was nothing to fear.

But there’s still no news?

This is definitely strange.

The chairman said he’s in contact with the government, but this sluggishness must have a reason I don’t know.

‘They said to repent and welcome the master.’

It’s not like they just called out the goblins, talked about sin, and mentioned the master.

With the awakening, the O-halla system, and insurance.

There are still too many hidden secrets.

“Understanding it won’t change anything. Let’s go get some food.”

“I’m so frustrated. Let me smoke one more.”

For now, struggling in reality was all I could do.

* * *

Poke, poke, poke.

“...Kerak.”

Just one day of practice, and my hand felt quite comfortable stabbing with the spear.

To feel comfortable stabbing the neck and belly of a living being, even if it’s a monster.

Maybe the image training and self-hypnosis I did without rest last night were effective.

‘This makes one more.’

Including the one I killed yesterday, I’ve already killed 9 goblins.

Now, the subtle feeling after a goblin’s death is more clearly felt.

Thanks to the strange sensation that penetrates my soul, I can clearly determine the death of a monster.

Thanks to my efforts in exploring the 11th floor since the morning, it meant that only one more was left to awaken.

Until the awakening.

“We’re moving. There are more monsters inside, so we’ll lure them here and catch them. I’ll lure them, and you two let a few pass and block the door.”

“Isn’t it dangerous to go and lure them yourself? It might be better to throw something to attract them.”

“It’s a method, but I’m confident I won’t be caught. Don’t worry.”

I’ve killed 9 monsters with my own hands, but facing them directly still makes my hands tremble.

But Cha Soo-hyun, confident that she wouldn’t be caught by the goblins, volunteered to be the bait.

She must be a very confident woman.

‘Does Cha Soo-hyun have 3 left?’

I confirmed during the break that she was hunting faster than other teams.

If this continues, I might be the first to awaken in this building.

Because I’ve been subtly stealing the goblins she was going to kill.

From her perspective, it just looks like I’m working hard against the monsters.

So she’s showing me favor, and her decision to be the bait now is also influenced by this.

“I’m going.”

“Be careful.”

“Don’t worry. Just close the door well.”

As Cha Soo-hyun, smaller than me, nodded and smiled slightly, her back felt quite broad and large.

“Are you in love? You’re staring.”

“Maybe, a little? She’s attractive as a person.”

“Oh, that’s great. I’ll support you.”

“It’s not like that, so stop making noise and focus.”

She’s quite attractive, but more importantly, she’s a great person.

Her back, which made my heart race, was that of a great person.

Cha Soo-hyun is such a person.

“I’m coming. Focus. I’ll count to three, then close the door.”

Lee Dong-chan and I, holding the fire door from both sides, were making noise.

Tak Jin-ho, looking at us, said that Cha Soo-hyun was coming with the goblins.

“One... two... three! Now!”

As Tak Jin-ho said three, we closed the door with all our strength.

Cha Soo-hyun, passing through the closing door.

Behind her, there were three or four goblins following.

“Kiaaak!”

“Get lost!”

Poke.

One goblin caught between the doors.

I stabbed the monster’s belly, which was hindering the closing, and pulled out the spear.

The door closed with a thud, and a fountain of blood burst out.

Turning around, I saw Cha Soo-hyun, wielding a dagger, fighting among the goblins.

Feeling absurd at the movie-like scene, I also swung my spear.

Poke.

One stab in the back of a goblin that had its back to me, facing Cha Soo-hyun.

The goblin, collapsing, soon lay limp.

The spear, which had pierced accurately, had torn its heart.

And the strange sensation of penetration.

Ding!

It was the moment I overcame a small wall.

And the world quickly darkened.