14. Ashvilam Cultivation

Ding-dong. Ding-dong.

The bell rang for a moment, and then the door opened. A woman in her 40s appeared. She looked at the man standing in front of the gate and tilted her head.

Who was it? She didn’t think that he looked like a courier.

“… Who are you?”

“Good morning. I was wondering if you were throwing this away at the gate.”

Ko Byeong-gap pointed to the mattress leaning against the fence next to the gate. It was an old thing that was stained and torn in places. The woman in her 40s nodded with an expression asking what he was doing.

“Yes, I’m throwing it away. Why?”

“Can I take it with me, then?”

“Oh, yes, yes. If you want to take it with you, take it with you. But you can’t use it because it’s dirty.”

“Oh, it doesn’t matter.”

“Well then, do whatever you want.”

“Thank you.”

The woman in her 40s shook her head, closed the gate, and returned home. She then muttered, “Why is he asking? If you think I’m throwing it away, you can take it with you.”

Ko Byeong-gap laughed bitterly when he heard the woman muttering.

As she said, not many people would be complaining about it even if it was stolen. However, if he picked a fight with even one in ten, that would be a problem. As a hunter, he needed to be extremely wary of the red lines in his personal life.

Well… He didn’t think he was crossing the red line when carrying some discarded stuff, but he did it anyway.

After confirming that the woman in her 40s entered the house, Ko Byeong-gap looked around. There was no one passing through the street.

He opened the door to Ashvilam with his hand on the mattress. The mattress quickly went over to Ashvilam.

“Okay, I got a mattress.” He smiled cheerfully and moved on.

That day was the weekend. The weekends didn’t mean much to him, but he decided to take a day off anyway. Recently, he was able to afford to go around the cracks every day.

Ko Byeong-gap’s job that day was to go around the neighborhood and pick up things to use. He had been shooting from place to place since morning, and he had already picked up a lot.

If he had enough money to spare, he would’ve gone to a department store or a large retailer, but frankly, such an investment wasn’t worth it for the Goblins.

As he walked, he arrived at an apartment complex. When he went to the garbage collection point, there were quite a few discarded pieces of furniture.

It started with the wardrobe, and there were no separate stalls for refrigerators, beds, drawers, and sofas.

“Hey, this is in good condition.”

A leather sofa caught his eye. It was a little torn, but there was no functional defect at all. So why would they throw away something that was perfectly fine? He couldn’t understand.

“Good for me, well.”

Ko Byeong-gap slowly looked around him and sent them all to Ashvilam. He took care of it even if it was useless right at that time. Wasn’t that the purpose of leftovers anyway?

It was already lunchtime as he walked around, feeling like he could go out for a drink. Ko Byeong-gap decided to have lunch at a noodle restaurant he found on the street.

It was a fairly large and well-established house. After ordering the main menu, he was looking at his phone when people began to murmur.

‘What?’

He looked away from his phone and turned his head. A man and woman entered the restaurant and covered their faces with a hat, a mask, and glasses. Still, their overwhelming presence couldn’t be masked.

Lee So-ri and Heo Gil-nam. They were S-class hunters, with only 450 people nationwide.

‘Wow! S-class!’

Ko Byeong-gap opened his mouth wide and looked at the two of them.

They went to a corner without saying a word and sat down. Ko Byeong-gap looked down at them, pulling his neck down.

Hairs all over his body stood up.

The general public wouldn’t be able to feel it, but Ko Byeong-gap could feel the enormous concentration of karma emitted from the two through his skin. It was like facing a giant castle.

‘S-class coming to eat at a restaurant like this?’

If he was an S-class awakener, he envisioned himself eating food cooked by a top chef at a seven-star hotel if he was hungry after drinking drugs and partying in a penthouse every day.

He couldn’t believe that they came to that local noodle place. It was a refreshing shock.

‘I heard Lee So-ri and Heo Gil-nam were dating, so it must’ve been true. If I asked for their autograph, would they do it?’

Although they shared the same profession as a hunter, the gap between D and S-class was simply the difference between heaven and earth. For a simple example, no one in the restaurant was interested in Ko Byeong-gap.

“Here’s the spicy kalguksu you ordered.”

“Oh, yes, thank you.”

“Enjoy your meal.”

It was only when his food was served that Ko Byeong-gap could take his eyes off of them.

‘What’s wrong with me? Let’s just eat.’

If he asked the people who came in dressed tightly from head to toe for their signatures, it would reveal their true identity.

He silently gulped down the kalguksu.

“Lucky, eye candy.”

The popularity of S-class hunters was no less than that of celebrities. No, they were practically no different than celebrities.

What was a celebrity? Were they the people who showed off their talent on TV shows, music festivals, movies, etc.? If so, many top hunters could be called celebrities.

It might be a little out of the blue, but there was a good reason for that. That was the Government’s idolization policy.

When the Deep Impact broke out 28 years ago, many people trembled with anxiety. It was natural to feel anxious because they were faced with the unknown brought by the cracks and monsters.

Of course, the big mess was soon over. However, even the slightest confusion was still alive.

So the government decided early to make the hunters a clown. They put them on TV, made them look fun, and made and sold products related to them. In short, heroes and saviors… Well, that was what they needed them to look like.

The idolization policy was successful. The people were able to accept the hunter in a more friendly manner, and they gained the religious beliefs that they would always protect them.

Hunters had no hesitation in becoming clowns. It was a mindset to enjoy life when you never know when you would die and when you could enjoy your honor, money, and fame. Also, the hunters had the best qualities as a clown.

They usually sang well, acted well, and showed excellent talent in many ways. They were truly an all-rounder. How could that be? All thanks to karma.

Uncharted power, Karma. It wasn’t only effective in dangerous areas.

The top awakeners with a body karma concentration of more than 50 percent were basically versatile men and women. That was because Karma affected that part.

In addition, when someone reached S-class, they could even resist aging. Immortal life, which was only considered a myth, was brought to reality.

That was the reason why rich people around the world were so desperate to create artificial awakeners. It was to get rid of their old body and rejuvenate.

Well… Contrary to their wishes, there wasn’t a single case of success in manufacturing artificial awakenings.

“Wow… Lee So-ri is so pretty. How can she hide it?

“Lee So-ri is Lee So-ri, but Heo Gil-nam is no joke either. If you keep looking, you’ll be sucked in.”

“Hey, look at him like that one more time, and I might throw up. Get rid of that expression.”

“Oh, shit, cover your face because I’m losing my appetite too.”

Two young men at the next table giggled.

Unable to resist curiosity, Ko Byeong-gap glanced at the table where the two sat again.

‘They’re really attractive.’

Ko Byeong-gap wouldn’t find any place where they would be considered ugly. Rather, they looked good from all angles. Nevertheless, that was an aspect that appeared everywhere. They were still human, after all.

Truthfully, the high awakeners were truly the epitome of beauty. Just looking at them made him think, ‘How can a person be like that?’

The meal was over when the feeling of relative deprivation gradually faded away.

Ko Byeong-gap left the restaurant without any regrets. He then quickly put a cigarette into his mouth.

His life was more suitable for a 225 won cigarette than for luxury.

* * *

“Please give me 15,000 won.”

Ko Byeong-gap stopped by a junk shop and bought two carts. He was planning to use it to move the crystal. It was very old, but it wasn’t that bad as a cart.

“Boss, are you selling that, too?” He pointed to one side and asked. There was a crumpled blue tent there. It was a big one, used for an event.

“I’m not selling it. I left it to throw it away. Why?”

“If you’re going to throw it away, can’t you give it to me?”

“Sure. What are you going to use it for?”

“I just have some use for it.”

The junkyard owner opened his eyes and looked at the tent and said, “Take it if you need it.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Ko Byeong-gap divided the tent on the cart.

“Uh-huh, I’ll be taking it then?”

“No problem. Good luck.”

Ko Byeong-gap pulled the cart lightly and got out of the junkyard. Since taking the growth potion, most labors had been as easy as picking his nose.

He entered a quiet park and sent all his items to Ashvilam.

“This should be enough.”

Ko Byeong-gap went straight home since it was already 4 pm. He was simply geared up and moved on to Ashvilam.

A few Normal Goblins organized the things Ko Byeong-gap had brought, while the rest were nowhere to be seen.

“Lord, sir, are you here?”

“Lord, here you go.”

A proper mixture of honorifics and informal speech. It was the charm of the Normal Goblins.

Ko Byeong-gap gave orders with a grin, “Go to the cave and get the kids. All the other members.”

“Kids?”

“I’m telling you to bring them all.”

“Oh, I see!”

The Goblins rushed along. Only one man would have to go, but they swarmed. Stupid things.

Ko Byeong-gap glanced at the piled-up items on the other side. Even if he collected by going around for only a day, the amount was quite large. It seemed like it would take some time to sort it all out.

He waited for a while, and then the Goblins began to gather. They said, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and raised their greetings. Ko Byeong-gap frowned and waved his hands.

“Oh my God, Lord Lord. You’re giving me neurosis, guys.”

“Woo…”

“It’s noisy… And we’re going to start building the barracks from now on. Do you understand?”

“Barracks. You mean?”

“Okay, let’s start with the tent over there.”

“Ah, I see!”

The Goblins moved at Ko Byeong-gap’s instructions.

He selected a flat land, then the tent for events was spread out, and a mat was laid underneath it. The beds and sofa were arranged at the right angle. Various pieces of furniture were also lined up. Frankly, it was a mess from an aesthetic point of view.

‘What’s the matter? It’s not even a model house.’

About an hour later, all the luggage he brought was put in place. After completion, it was worth looking at. Ko Byeong-gap looked at the completed barracks and smiled.

‘It looks pretty.’

“After work, you can rest here. Don’t roll around the dirty way.”

“Yep!”

“And you guys, jump right into the river and take a bath. You all smell really bad, so I can’t be with you.”

“Woo…”

“From now on, go to the river once a day and wash up. Do you understand me?”

“Oh, I see!”

The Goblins rushed toward the river. After everyone left, Ko Byeong-gap sat on the sofa and sighed.

‘Ancient shop.’ He recited to himself. Soon, a window rose in front of him.

[Ancient Shop]

-Construction

-Technique

– Miscellaneous Goods

-Others

[Crystals on Hand: 3,147]

‘Hey, did they collect 3,000 already?’

The last time he checked, he remembered it was over 1,000. But before he knew it, it went over 3,000. Obviously, he had 90 workers, so the mining speed was fast.

Ko Byeong-gap looked around at the items calmly. With 3,000 crystals, the number of items that he could purchase had increased. He wanted to buy something, but nothing came easily because most of the things were unknown.

‘No, shit. How about 2,000 crystals for gold dragon meat? Does it make sense that meat is more expensive than a house?’

If he bought it for 2,000 crystals and it was useless, there would be nothing more deplorable than that.

“If there’s no explanation, what am I supposed to look at? Anyway, the right thing is… Hmm?’

It was the moment when he complained about the unfriendly store that a hologram appeared in front of him.

[Gold Dragon Meat]

-Price: 2,000 Crystals

-Description: The meat of the Divine Gold Dragon. It is used for the gods’ dinner as a top-notch meal. It has an excellent effect on rejuvenation. You can gain the power of a dragon if you eat a lot.

“Oh, what’s this? There’s an explanation?”

Ko Byeong-gap thought that he had become an idiot. When he asked for an explanation inside, the comment kindly came to him.

He decided to take a look at all the products he was curious about. There was plenty of time anyway.

He started reading from the ‘Other’ category, which he was most curious about.

‘Let’s see…’

Ko Byeong-gap began to read the items one by one.

[Female Goblin]

-Price: 500,000 Crystal

-Description: A female goblin who became extinct by a curse. It has a breeding function and can give birth to females.

[Explorer’s Flag]

-Price: 500,000 Crystals

-Description: The flag used by Rendriol, a great explorer and continental conqueror. Areas can be expanded when used in an unexplored land.

[Soul of Trovatin]

-Price: 700,000 Crystals

-Description: The spirit of Trovatin, the first knight among the 12 heroes of Ashvilam. When used, his abilities when he was alive can be obtained.

[Soul of Hashumland]

-Price: 700,000 Crystals

-Description: The soul of Hashumland, the Archmage among the 12 Heroes of Ashvilam. When used, his abilities when he was alive can be obtained.

…

[Seed of Enlightenment]

-Price: 10,000,000 Crystals

-Description: Seed of Yggdrasil of the World Tree. It contains the spirit of a race that bought the wrath of God and eventually lost its wisdom. When the world tree sprouts, the long-standing aspirations of the race can be fulfilled.

The impression of Ko Byeong-gap, who finally read until the end, was…

‘What… kind of bullshit is this?’