Goblin Workshop In Me

138. The Final Match

Midnight and sunrise. The dawn was dark and gloomy like an image from another world. People were moving busily, but the preparations were completed quickly and quietly. Soldiers stood in front of the heavy machines, aiming. Anticipation and fear could be seen on their faces.

A soldier wearing a personal medic badge trembled. Was it because of the cold and hunger? Fear?

“Are you scared?”

The soldier spoke while he held a half-opened medicine bag. One of his eyes was dark. Jung Young-woon was engraved on the name tag on his left chest.

Private Lee Joon-kyu managed an answer.

“No, I think it’s because it’s cold.”

“Warm your hands. I think we still have some time left before the operation begins.”

“Okay.”

He did what his senior told him to do. Lee Joon-kyu’s body trembled as he slid his frozen hands into his pockets and stared at the 155mm tow gun.

“I… Sergeant Jung Young-woon.”

“What?”

“Is this operation the last?”

“How do I know, lad? I’m not the commander.”

“Yes…”

“I’m just like you.”

“Alright.”

Jung Young-woon only moved his eyes to scan their surroundings. The foot of the mountain was filled with soldiers.

Suddenly, the past flashed by his eyes. From the nightmare of North Korea to the present. Every moment presented was a crossroads of joy and sorrow.

“You and I are so pathetic.”

“Did I hear you wrong?”

“Me, who can’t even be discharged from the military, and you, who came to the military even though you’re freaking out, are both pathetic.”

Lee Joon-kyu pursed his lips. Jung Young-woon continued to speak.

“Did you ask if this is the last operation?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“It’s going to be the last one. Whatever it may be, it’ll be the last one. So let’s live.”

“Okay—”

“Combine the primers!”

“Primer bonding!”

Suddenly, a loud voice broke the silence. The soldiers quickly completed the order. It was finally starting.

“Ready!”

“Ready!”

“Shoot!”

“Go!”

Boom, boom, boom!

The muzzles blew out fire all as one. The gunfire disturbing the dawn heralded the beginning of the war.

***

“It starts.”

Jeong Seon-kyung muttered while staring off over the horizon. A reddish light accompanied by a distant roar dotted the dark sky. The bombardment would continue for the next two hours. So, it wasn’t yet time for them to step in.

Ko Byeong-gap looked around. The National Route 28 connected to downtown Yeongju was full of armed hunters. Similarly, National Route 915, 931, 935, and several more were packed with soldiers waiting for the signal.

“It would be nice if this fight ends it. Wouldn’t it?”

Jeong Seon-kyung spoke in a daze. Ko Byeong-gap, who led the Gruggles with his eyes closed, briefly disconnected.

“Well, it depends on whether the one we’re looking for is here or not.”

“Go Geon-ryong?”

“Uh-huh. Because we need his head to end this.”

“I’m a little nervous to think that I’m going to face him. He’s the strongest man on Earth.”

Ko Byeong-gap rummaged through his pockets instead of replying. What came out was a half-empty cigarette case and a lighter. He held it out to Jeong Seon-kyung.

“What? You said you don’t have cigarettes.”

She smirked.

“I secretly stole a few packs, but this is the last one. Take it.”

“What about you?”

“I don’t think I can afford to smoke.”

“Hey… so, do I sit and play?”

Jeong Seon-kyung took one cigarette from the pack and put it in her mouth. She returned the rest.

“You keep it. I’ll pick it up later when I’m done.”

Ko Byeong-gap smiled and shoved the pack back into his pocket. Jeong Seon-kyung exhaled smoke.

“Aren’t you going to call your Goblin friends?”

“I’m going to call them, but not now.”

“Well, I guess they’ll have to wait a few hours. If they came out now, they’d only get cold. Hey, Byeong-gap.”

“Why?”

“What are you going to do after this?”

“What will I do? I have to live my life passionately.”

“At Ashvilam, or here?”

Ko Byeong-gap looked at Jeong Seon-kyung for a moment before he replied.

“I’ll go back and forth, but maybe my time in Ashvilam will be longer. I owe much to those kids. The rest of their lives aren’t enough to fulfill their wishes before they die.”

“Yeah… do you remember when I said I was going to be the Queen of the Goblin Kingdom?”

Ko Byeong-gap felt his face heat up.

“Of course I remember. How can I forget that?”

“But I don’t think I can keep that promise.”

“Huh?”

Jeong Seon-kyung smiled sadly, looking forward.

“I’m just thinking these days that I need my strength to rebuild this devastated place. It would be nice to hang out with you in Ashvilam, hahaha. But then, I don’t think I can sleep with my legs stretched out. The people staying here need attention.”

“…That’s true.”

“Whoa, you’re agreeing? So easily?”

Ko Byeong-gap smacked his lips and fiddled with his sword handle.

“That’s not true… well, surviving today should be the priority.”

“Hahaha, right. If you want to roll through the mud, you must first be attached to this world.”

Gunfire echoed in their ears. Flames erupted from one place, and fire pillars rose from another. The hunters were mesmerized by the display. That moment, Ko Byeong-gap felt the back of his head turn cold. Some of the 1.12 million Gruggles surrounding Yeongju began to die. Were they caught up in the bombing?

‘No.’

A strong warrior was making his way through the Gruggle barrier and heading toward them. They aimed to locate and stop the artillery.

‘Catch the intruder.’

Ko Byeong-gap conveyed the order to the Gruggles. Soon, the Gruggles flooded toward the intruder. However, their speed of dying wasn’t normal. They have swept away like fallen leaves.

“Uh, huh?”

“Is that…?”

The hunters exclaimed as they looked up at the sky. Ko Byeong-gap’s eyes naturally turned to the same place. Blue lights flashed from the sky and quickly formed a hemispherical barrier covering a few dozen kilometers in radius.

“Barrier? Is that a barrier?”

“I can’t believe it. It’s such a big shield…”

The protective barrier began to block their bombardment. There was only one person in the world who could make such a thing.

‘It must be the awakener named Arush.’

Ko Byeong-gap heard from Ariena about the last eighteen awakeners. The Indian man named Arush was said to be a genius in defense.

‘For now, it’s clear that there’s an SS-class power there.’

As expected, the opponent’s response was quick. The Gruggles were originally scheduled to advance after the bombardment ended, but now they had to move it up.

‘Attack. Everyone, advance.’

Ko Byeong-gap ordered the Gruggles to rush in.

“Everyone, be ready! We’ll be dispatched soon!”

He shouted. The hunters fixed their weapons, solidifying their determination.

“Spread the news of the dispatch to each group. Tell Group B to go where the soldiers are.”

“Okay!”

Those with communication equipment quickly relayed the orders.

‘The estimated number of Illumination’s troops is about 3,000. On the other hand, we only have 8,000 hunters, but we also have a million Gruggles. We can win.’

Ko Byeong-gap focused his mind on the war. The Gruggles soon reached the shield. They pounded hard to break through. One egg wouldn’t break a boulder. However, if a million eggs constantly slammed into it, no matter how hard it was, it wouldn’t be able to withstand forever.

It was as expected. A crack formed in the protective barrier, and before long, it disappeared. Rather than being broken, it seemed to have been recovered intentionally from the other side. To maintain a shield of that size would consume a lot of Karma. Immediately after that, the Gruggles and Illumination made direct contact.

Ko Byeong-gap raised a hand.

“The time has come! Let’s go, everyone!”

“Let’s go!”

“Let’s fight!”

The hunters roared and sprinted along the road. Their momentum made it seem that they would strike at any moment, but in fact, they had to travel quite a distance to reach the battlefield. The healers and supporters recited invigorating spells. Thanks to this, the people were able to run without growing tired.

Except for Group B, the other five advanced toward the base. About an hour later, Group A, the group Ko Byeong-gap belonged to, encountered the enemy. A group of about fifteen people blocked Group A. They were covered in dark dirt as proof that they had gone through the waves of Gruggles.

One of them exuded an overwhelming presence. It was Janet. She was one of the last eighteen awakeners.

Janet swung her sword first. Karma poured off the blade to create a violent storm. It swallowed them and ripped dozens to pieces in the blink of an eye. Before it faded, Janet was already preparing for her next attack. Their allied hunters scattered to minimize the damage.

However, most of it was in vain. Janet’s blade storm devoured them. It was only possible to barely block it if they were B-class or higher.

“Kill them!”

The thirteen S-class hunters included in Group A avoided the blade storm and attacked Janet in unison.

“Trash!”

Janet accepted their advance with simple attacks. However, the S-class hunters were stumped. With a single slash, their limbs were cut off, and their blood sent splattering across the ground. Shim Seung-seop fired a lightning bolt at Janet. When she swept it away with her sword, the lightning changed directions and hit Shim Seung-seop instead.

Lee Seul-ah, Jeong Seon-kyung, and Yoo Byung-gun surrounded Janet in three directions. A sword, an ax, and a spear stretched out to meet Janet. Even a mouse couldn’t escape from that offensive, but Janet broke the three of them by simply emitting her Karma.

As soon as they were buffeted away, she swung her long sword.

“Kahk!”

“Hey!”

The three hunters collapsed. Seo Han-woong immediately aimed at Janet’s blind spot, but without looking at him, her sword slashed his throat.

“What a monster!”

The wounded hunters retreated, and the healers behind them worked with all their might. Janet’s brow twitched. She fired a bunch of slashes at the healers, but a sudden golden torrent blocked it.

“What?”

Her gaze turned to see Ko Byeong-gap charging. His sword swirled with golden energy. Janet gritted her teeth and fired a sword wind, but at the same time, Ko Byeong-gap poured out a storm of his aura.

The two collided, crushing everything around them. Janet spat as their swords met.

“That’s a power I’ve never heard of before. Who are you?”

“You’re going to die soon, so don’t ask a lot of questions.”

Ko Byeong-gap calmly swung his blade. Sparks splashed out as Janet raised her sword to widen their distance. But Ko Byeong-gap crouched down and slipped inside her guard. Her sword cut into Ko Byeong-gap’s shoulder.

However, his strategy was to give away his flesh and take bone.

“Tie her up! Dorma!”

“Yes!”

Black vines rose from Ko Byeong-gap’s shadow. They quickly tied down Janet’s arms and legs.

“What is this? Ahah!”

Ko Byeong-gap drew his sword up, cleaving off Janet’s right arm. Janet retaliated, tearing off all the vines restraining her and planting a kick against Ko Byeong-gap’s chest.

“How dare you!”

Seven swords pierced Janet as she staggered. They were from the S-class hunters who had been looking for an opportunity from behind. The next moment, the seven swords went soaring as Janet collapsed.