Chapter 30

< Goblin (2) >

Yerim left for another schedule, and I sent Yoo Myeong-woo off first.

When Seok Hayan and I were left alone, my heart fluttered slightly. I haven't been alone with a girl who likes me in a long time... Is this my first time?

Although Seok Hayan was filled with a passion for learning.

She drew the entrance of the dungeon on the paper with shining eyes. She can't draw well.

"It's amazing that you can estimate the saturation state of the dungeon by calculating the shape of the entrance and the mana distribution. Nowadays, we often have to start an assault in a hurry because we only have the average data. There are no other indicators except that dungeons that have appeared within three days are green and those that will break in a day are red."

"It's still just a guess. There's not enough data to be certain. Especially in Korea, there aren't that many dungeons."

At my words, Seok Hayan sighed with regret.

"You're right! There are too few. If I said this outside, I'd probably get stoned. Still, it's a shame we can't investigate more dungeons."

"If we could investigate and compile statistics on a large number of dungeons, we might discover something new."

"Exactly! I don't understand why most countries don't even allow foreigners to investigate. They just want to look around, not to assault. Honestly, shouldn't the whole world cooperate? If we understand dungeons better, people will be safer!"

Seok Hayan, who was shouting with frustration, now looked at me with a moved expression.

"You're the first person I can communicate with so well, Yoo Jin! Most people still believe that dungeons are unpredictable disasters. But to meet someone who is convinced of the rules and is investigating and researching them..."

She grabbed my hand and leaned in. No, wait a moment.

"Would you like to set up a research lab with me?"

"…I'll pass."

"Why? If we work together, we can definitely make a great discovery!"

It's like what Seok Shimyeong and I do to avoid being mistaken for uncle and niece.

"I just learned by running around and observing things superficially. I can't sit at a desk and rack my brain."

"That's fine. You can keep running around. I'll do all the organizing. Statistics is my major!"

"But I only have a high school diploma, so my academic credentials are..."

"That's not a problem. I have the qualifications to be a professor. I was planning to set up a new department related to dungeons or Awakeners anyway. I'll be the nicest professor in the world. I'll even pass your papers without reading them!"

Setting up a new department by influence, huh? She must come from a powerful family. The idea of getting a university degree for free was tempting, but I didn't want to study now.

Moreover, if I got involved with someone who would become an authority in dungeon studies, I'd be stripped of my resources in no time. It's better to just pretend to know her occasionally.

"I'm sorry, but I'm more interested in other things now. I don't want to research dungeons and Awakeners."

"…Other things?"

"Yes. I want to study monsters."

I might learn something while raising them.

"Monsters…"

Seok Hayan, who was muttering wistfully, suddenly put on a determined expression.

"Let's collaborate between Han Yoo Jin's lab and my lab."

"I don't have a lab. I don't plan to set one up. I'm just raising a monster."

"You're already raising one? Already? Wow, you really are a field researcher!"

As Seok Hayan was making a fuss, saying she wanted to follow my example,

Thud!

"Huh?"

The lights suddenly went out. Since it was a windowless basement and the corridor lights were also off, I couldn't see a thing.

A power outage?

"The lights are out."

"Right. I'll turn on my phone flashlight."

I took my phone out of my pocket and pressed the home button. The dim light revealed Seok Hayan's face in front of my desk.

Her face was frozen in shock.

"…Seok Hayan?"

Why is she suddenly like this? In the phone light, she looks incredibly scary—

"AAAAH!!"

"What, what?!"

Her blood-curdling scream made my heart drop. I turned around reflexively, startled.

A pale, blood-covered face was floating in the misty light. Its white, rolled-back eyes met mine directly.

S-Shit…

Rattle, rattle, rattle, rattle!

The chair and desk were shaking. The papers on the lectern were flying around.

"AAAAH! Mom!!"

Seok Hayan screamed and fell to the floor. It wasn't because her legs gave out, but because the chair was shaking—damn it, who wouldn't scream? What the hell is this… Are there really ghosts in the world…? Dungeons have monsters, so could there be ghosts…?

No, more importantly, I have the Fear Resistance skill, so why am I trembling and feeling so scared… Ah.

It's off. I turned it off and didn't turn it back on. Am I an idiot?

I quickly reactivated the Fear Resistance skill. Immediately, a sense of calm returned.

'Maybe I was in a bad state this morning because the skill was off?'

The skill description only mentioned immunity to intimidation, but as an L-grade skill, it likely had other effects. As a passive skill, it probably also increased my mental fortitude.

Still, I wasn't usually this mentally weak, so to be overwhelmed by fear just because the skill was off… This must be why people say, "You know your own weaknesses, but not others'."

"Seok Hayan!"

I picked up my dropped phone, turned on the flashlight, and quickly approached Seok Hayan. She had collapsed on the floor, half out of it.

"Are you okay?"

I gently shook her shoulder, and she wobbled before completely collapsing. She was breathing normally, so she must have just fainted. I picked her up and shouted.

"Stop it! Goblin!"

There's no way a ghost would appear in broad daylight, especially with such an exaggerated performance.

My mind cleared, and the culprit came to mind.

The goblin.

A goblin who likes to play pranks, especially to scare people.

"I know, I know. Don't be mad~."

A gender-neutral voice spoke playfully. Then the corridor and classroom lights turned on.

"I came because you said you wanted to meet."

The goblin chuckled and appeared on the desk. It was wearing a red goblin mask and a blue robe. The goblin waved a blood-covered blue face model.

"I might have gone a bit too far. I didn't expect her to faint. Really. I usually control it well, but it's been a while."

"Fortunately, she doesn't seem to be hurt, but…"

I looked up at the goblin. It was the first time I had actually seen one. It wasn't very tall, but it wasn't small either. A quirky, playful, but kind human.

A hunter who can teleport over short and medium distances, become invisible, and eventually create long-distance portals, not belonging to any organization.

I want one.

Moreover, if I could get his help now, with just the two of us here.

'I can investigate dungeons.'

Seok Hayan wouldn't need to go to America to discover the rules of dungeon creation in Korea.

'…A goblin who loves pranks. A goblin who is said to be obsessed with scaring people.'

This is an opportunity.

I smiled mockingly and provocatively said,

"Stop playing such unscary pranks, will you?"

"What?!"

The goblin jumped.

"You weren't scared?! You were completely pale with fear! Your legs gave out, and you were trembling!"

"You must have seen it wrong. It was dark."

"But I saw it clearly! I saw everything clearly!"

I made a frustrated face and stuttered, pretending to be upset.

"T-That. It was just unexpected."

"Of course you were scared! If you had expected it, you wouldn't have been scared. Scaredy-cat~ Scaredy-cat~."

"If I had expected it, I wouldn't have been scared! Honestly, your pranks are childish."

"Childish! They're classic!"

The goblin stomped its feet. It's time to reel him in.

"Want to make a bet?"

"A bet? A bet, sure, a bet! What's the stake?"

"If you can't scare me, you'll admit that I'm better than you! And… for three years, you'll be my subordinate."

It was a bit childish, but the goblin seemed to like it. He shrugged and laughed.

"Sure, sure. But I'm a very capable and great talent! In three years, you'll… be F-grade, but since you're the guild leader's brother, I'll cut it to 20 years as your subordinate!"

He seemed to know about me. But he didn't seem to know everything. After all, even a great goblin can only be in one place at a time. He couldn't possibly keep track of every move of a mere F-grade.

Still, now that we're involved, it's better to be more careful in the future.

"Do you have a contract?"

At my words, the goblin's laughter stopped. His eyes fixed on me.

"A contract? You want to write a contract?"

He must have thought it was a childish bet. But that won't do. It needs to be clear.

"Of course, we need a formal contract. Are you scared?"

"No! But I don't understand. It's too suspicious. Besides, you're too confident."

The goblin floated in the air. He approached me, circled me, and examined me closely.

"You don't have a resistance skill, right? You're going to use an item?"

"I won't. If you're suspicious, we can add a no-item clause to the contract."

"Then a skill to boost mental fortitude?"

"I won't use that either. My skill only increases it by 5%. It won't be noticeable. I'll add it to the contract. I won't use any active skills, and neither will anyone else. That should do it."

The goblin still seemed suspicious. He has a good sense.

"Ugh, it's strange, it's suspicious. You're hiding something! You'll definitely lose? You were so scared just now? Your legs gave out?"

I did hide something. I need to reassure him. He won't sign the contract easily if he's this suspicious.

"To be honest… I do have an ulterior motive."

I continued, pretending to be a bit embarrassed.

"Actually, it's a bet where I won't lose even if I lose."

"You won't lose?"

"Right. I'm just a regular F-grade hunter, and you're the famous goblin. If I win, it's a big win, but if I lose, I'll just get the title of the goblin's subordinate, right?"

I tried to look embarrassed. Just thinking about confessing to Kim Sung-han 30 times made my neck turn red. It's embarrassing, damn it.

"You are… as you say, great, and… well, not a fan… but if I become your subordinate, it would be an honor… I don't think you'd treat me badly. And…"

"And?"

The goblin asked excitedly. If he wasn't wearing a mask, he would have been grinning.

"…It was cool. When you declared that your bag contained all sorts of secrets, it was really cool."

"I am great and cool!"

The goblin chuckled and shot up into the air. He might hit the ceiling.

"I like you! If you had just said you wanted to be my subordinate, I would have laughed it off, but challenging me to a bet is fun! I like that you even brought a contract!"

"Even if I lose, it's fine, but I'm confident I'll win."

"Sure, sure, great!"

The goblin held up a piece of parchment.

"Let's make a bet!"

The fishing is successful.

I adjusted my hold on Seok Hayan. Now that the rice is cooked, I need to deal with this girl.

"Before that, can you take this person to the infirmary?"

The goblin nodded and took Seok Hayan away, then reappeared.

Spatial teleportation is really great. I want one too.

"Let's write the contract!"

The goblin placed the parchment on the desk. It was a grade A stat reduction contract guaranteed by the association.

'By the way, what are the goblin's stats? Should I check the name too?'

The name might reveal the gender. I used the Insight skill, and the goblin's status window appeared.

[Awakened ? Yun Yun

Current Stat Grade B

Potential Stat Grade B

Optimized Initial Skill

Who Knows? (S) Obtained

Cloud Steps (B) Obtained]

…What kind of name is that? It's so strange, as if to avoid being mistaken for a goblin. I can't tell if it's male or female.

The stats were relatively high at B, and surprisingly, none of the optimized initial skills were related to spatial teleportation. Who Knows? seems to be a stealth skill, and Cloud Steps is a relatively common flying skill.

"Are you not writing? Have you changed your mind?"

I was momentarily dazed while checking the status window, and the goblin urged me. He's impatient.

I took out a pen and wrote the conditions in the blank space of the contract.

"Once is ambiguous, so let's make it three times~."

The goblin, who was watching me write, chimed in. It's not ambiguous; he just wants to make it more fun.

"If you can't scare me even once, I'll make you my first subordinate!"

"Do you have other subordinates?"

"Three, including you!"

It makes sense to have confidants to handle the bag or something if something happens to the goblin.

I wrote down the conditions for determining the winner and the prohibition of using skills and items, with occasional input from the goblin. The goblin was meticulous, making the space tight.

Despite his playful attitude, he was unexpectedly thorough.

"The part about not following unreasonable orders is necessary, and in detail. If I lose, which is unlikely, I won't ask about other people's confidential information!"

"I won't ask, of course. I don't plan to do anything dangerous to you."

You're a valuable person, so I'll treat you carefully.

Finally, I set the bet period to one week and signed it.

"Try not to involve other people if possible. And please respect my privacy, at least in places like the bathroom or toilet."

"Don't worry! I've never secretly entered a bathroom or a shower! I've never even thought about it!"

I believed him.

She's a woman.

A man with a stealth skill wouldn't have never peeked into a women's shower. He would have at least considered it.

"Then I look forward to working with you."

I carefully put away the contract and gave a warm smile to my future subordinate.

< Goblin (2) > End

ⓒ Geunseo

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