CHAPTER 14

Goblin Hunt (4)

"Kiieeek—! Kiieeek—! Kiieek—!"

Drawn by the wailing cries of the goblins, the black beast arrived at the emergency stairwell of an apartment building.

The goblins, too engrossed in climbing the stairs, paid no attention to the beast.

Enraged, the beast let out a roar.

"Kwaaaooooh!"

Only then did the goblins react to its presence.

"Kieeek!"

One goblin lunged at the sudden intruder.

Crunch!

The black beast sank its teeth into the goblin's neck, tearing it apart.

"Kigik!"

Its jaws were so powerful that the goblin died instantly.

But that was only the beginning.

Slash!

Where the beast's claws raked, goblin flesh and entrails spilled out.

"Kiieeek!"

Each time its fangs sank in, each time its razor-sharp claws slashed, another goblin fell lifeless.

"Grrr…"

Terrified by the arrival of the predator, the goblins recoiled.

But there was no escape in the cramped, goblin-filled stairwell.

"Kigik?"

"Kieeek!"

Even a rat, when cornered, will bite a cat.

"Kyaaaak!"

"Kyak—!"

As if on cue, the goblins all pounced on the black beast at once.

"Keeek!"

They clawed at it, bit into its flesh, pulled at its fur, and scrambled up its body.

The combined assault of a dozen goblins was formidable, but the black beast felt no damage.

Thanks to the thick layer of fat encasing its body.

"Kraaah!"

Slash!

No matter what the goblins did, the beast focused only on killing as many as possible.

If this was all the goblins were capable of, they would have been exterminated by the black beast long ago.

Most of the goblins couldn't harm it.

Their claws and fangs were useless against its thick fat.

But goblins were cunning creatures who knew how to use tools.

The human homes they raided contained many dangerous objects, and those wielding such tools posed a real threat to the beast.

Thud!

A sharp kitchen knife embedded itself deep in the black beast's back.

"Kraaaah!"

Furious, the beast slammed against the wall.

Boom!

The goblin that had stabbed it had its skull crushed and died instantly, but there were many more to take its place.

Thud!

This time, an awl stabbed into its thigh.

The black beast stomped down in irritation, crushing the goblin that had struck it.

With every move, with every kick, goblins died, but their numbers only increased.

"Kieeeek—!"

The goblins kept pouring in, and the knives, awls, and scissors embedded in the beast's body were reused over and over.

Thud! Crack! Thunk!

Some goblins used their weight to drive the knives in deeper, others widened the wounds by pulling on the handles, while others removed and reinserted the scissors.

The wounds kept piling up, and even with its monstrous regeneration, survival was becoming difficult.

"Kraaaah!"

This was the limit.

Its heart, filled with rage, craved more blood, but its survival instincts were stronger.

"Grrk!"

It was time to retreat.

Just as the black beast was about to flee the stairwell—

Bzzzt—!

A strange sound came from above.

"…Krgh?"

And in the next instant—

Swoosh—

"!!!"

An overwhelming force swept past, freezing the beast in place.

Then—

Splat!

The goblins' heads exploded all at once.

A chilling terror wrapped around the beast's entire body.

It instinctively understood.

It was as if it had just stuck its head inside the jaws of a greater predator.

The fear it felt now was incomparable to the pain of knives and awls piercing its flesh.

It was the terror of being a bug caught in the grip of a giant's hand.

Then, suddenly—

[Citizenship has been granted.]

"Haaah—!"

The force restraining it vanished.

Drip—

At the same time, the black beast's form melted away.

In its place stood a middle-aged woman, her face haggard.

The tension drained from her body, and she collapsed.

"..."

A sudden level-up.

An expanded home territory.

Hundreds of goblins instantly killed.

Everything had happened so suddenly, but the most surprising part was this:

Name: Oh Eon-ju (Lv. 33)

Trust: 9

Awakening Ability: Werebear

EXP Distribution Rate: 0%

Settlement Payment Rate: 0%

★ Assign Quest ☑ Expel

Werebear (A-Rank)

Transforms into a bear-human hybrid, maximizing all physical abilities and regeneration.

Just after the home territory expanded, this new citizen had been accepted.

And her stats were no joke.

Level 33 with an A-rank ability.

It was like striking gold.

And that wasn't all.

[Citizen Ha Dong-gun's Trust has reached 50.]

[Loyalty has been unlocked.]

[Citizen Yoo Hye-rin's Trust has reached 50.]

[Loyalty has been unlocked.]

…

[Citizen Kang Deok-soo's Loyalty has surpassed 30.]

[Citizen Kang Deok-soo has met the requirements for Retainer Registration.]

'Retainer Registration: Kang Deok-soo.'

Without hesitation, he was registered as a retainer.

Woooong!

Name: Kang Deok-soo (Lv. 25) [+]

Title: [Third Vassal]

Trust: 52 Loyalty: 31

Awakening Ability: Knight of Steel

★ Assign Quest

Knight of Steel (B-Rank)

Summons a full suit of steel armor and a halberd for protection.

'Retainer levels must correspond to the rank of their awakened ability.'

Choi Hyeong-jun, who had the C-rank ability Gorilla Strength, was level 20.

Kang Deok-soo, with his B-rank ability Knight of Steel, was level 25.

And Moon Byeong-ho, who had the A-rank ability Teleport, was level 30.

So, when a citizen became a retainer, their level was determined by their ability's rank.

'Is the ability rank completely random?'

Comparing the three, neither trust nor loyalty seemed to influence the ability rank.

If Moon Byeong-ho had awakened an A-rank ability because of high loyalty, then Choi Hyeong-jun, with even higher loyalty, should have gotten a B-rank ability.

Yet, he had a C-rank ability, while Kang Deok-soo, who barely met the loyalty threshold, received a B-rank one.

'It would be good to understand what determines a higher-ranked ability.'

This was crucial.

Since only ten retainers could be registered, maximizing efficiency meant prioritizing those with higher-ranked abilities.

'And what happens if someone who already has an ability is registered as a retainer?'

Ha Dong-gun and Oh Eon-ju both had awakened abilities before being considered for retainer status.

If they were registered—what would happen?

"Haaah…"

At that moment, a long sigh came from behind.

Kang Deok-soo, looking dazed, muttered in disbelief.

"What the hell just…?"

The others weren't much different.

Their faces were a mixture of shock, fear, and awe.

He had a good idea of how they saw him now.

'Like a monster.'

They weren't just shocked by the electrocution of the goblins.

They had all instinctively sensed what happened in the stairwell.

Hundreds of goblins had vanished in an instant.

Their fear was not of something they could comprehend.

So, he simply stated,

"The operation is over. Please send the survivors back to their homes."

It was time to move forward.