The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 361

Goblin Goblin Goblin

How long had the three of them been fighting the ink monsters?

Jeanne’s flag was already stained with ink, and Knox’s face was covered in ink streaks.

Baek Woo-hyun was in the same state, his equipment stained with ink everywhere.

For the three of them, defeating the monsters was a simple, repetitive task. They weren’t the kind of people who would be defeated by these monsters.

Even though their weapons were stained with ink, their resolve was not.

Even with such simple, repetitive work, the end began to appear. After defeating many, only a dozen or so remained.

After defeating all the remaining monsters, a totem pole suddenly sprang up from the ground and opened its mouth.

-General of the Heavens.

-General of the Underworld.

-You have successfully proven your qualifications.

-The bond of not abandoning your comrades.

-The courage to not back down in the face of any ordeal.

-The skill to prevent courage from becoming recklessness.

-Excellent.

-Excellent. We will open the way.

The totem poles intertwined again, creating a passage from which bright light poured out.

The three, covered in ink, looked at each other and nodded before moving towards the passage.

The place they arrived at beyond the bright light was a mountain teeming with life.

A goblin village, the size of a city, nestled on the mountainside of a huge mountain with several peaks, came into their view.

“…The fact that this many have been living in hiding without anyone noticing shows how amazing their abilities are.”

“If we can bring them over to our side, they will definitely be a great help.”

Baek Woo-hyun and Jeanne swallowed hard. The fact that they had built a city of this size without being detected meant that there were skilled individuals among them.

They were beginning to worry if they could persuade them with just the three of them.

As they slowly began to climb the mountain, a figure appeared before them. It was a woman with a sword at her waist and horns on her head.

She looked at the three of them and said with a smile.

“Weak humans. It seems you have managed to prove yourselves.”

At her words, Jeanne asked Baek Woo-hyun in a small voice.

“…Are goblins originally bad-tempered? I don’t think I’ve heard of that.”

“…No. I remember goblins in fairy tales always had a naive image.”

“I can hear everything, humans. No, there’s one who’s not human. A dragon… There’s no way a dragon could be left on the Korean peninsula, so did you come from somewhere else? Well, it doesn’t matter. Follow me. Humans and a dragon.”

The female goblin took the lead and began to climb the mountain. The three of them sensed an aura that they might not be able to defeat even if they attacked together, so they quietly shut their mouths and followed behind.

Before long, they arrived at the entrance of the village. A huge stone wall was built, and numerous barriers covered the entire village.

Jeanne, feeling the presence of the barrier, opened her mouth wide and muttered.

“…It’s a barrier that works in a different way from magic. I can’t even understand half of how it’s maintained or what its composition is.”

“Yes. You can tell it’s amazing just by looking at it.”

“Be quiet! Humans!”

As the goblin approached the firmly closed gate, the gate slowly opened.

The scenery inside that was revealed felt like stepping back into the past.

Well-organized roads and Korean traditional houses with beautiful curves.

Not like Jeonju Hanok Village, which feels like a tourist attraction, but the ‘real’ thing from that era appeared before their eyes.

And the sight that greeted them in the village square as they looked around and followed the goblin was…

“Kya, you really drink well! This too, this too, bottoms up! Bottoms up!”

“This is nothing! Keu-ha!”

Yoo Seong-woo was having a drinking party with the goblins, laughing.

* * *

Yoo Seong-woo, who entered the cave following the goblin’s guidance, couldn’t help but admire the village made of traditional Korean houses that unfolded before his eyes.

It was a scene from the past that couldn’t be seen anywhere else in the country.

As Yoo Seong-woo paused for a moment to look around at the dozens of peaks and the village, the goblin who was walking ahead said.

“It’s a village that has been built for a long time. The current king personally carved the mountain to lay the foundation and created the barrier.”

“What’s the name of the village?”

“It’s called Shinshi.”

Shinshi refers to the city that Hwanwoong [a mythical figure] descended and built under the sacred tree of Taebaek Mountain in Korean mythology.

But here, there was no Hwanwoong, let alone a sacred tree. Nevertheless, Yoo Seong-woo did not raise any particular questions.

“It’s a good place. Peaceful.”

“The current king put a lot of effort into it. Follow me. He’s waiting.”

The goblin began to move again, and Yoo Seong-woo followed behind. They passed through the open gate and headed inside along the main street of the village.

The goblins popped out from all over the place to see Yoo Seong-woo, curious about the human who had come to the village.

‘The size of the village is large, but the population is not very large.’

However, as expected, they seemed like they would be excellent allies.

Compared to their numbers, each individual possessed a powerful force. If the Jade Emperor’s Palace [a celestial bureaucracy in East Asian mythology] knew of their existence, they would have gotten rid of them long ago, saying they might be a threat.

“You can go in there.”

The male goblin pointed to the end of the main street with his finger. Beyond the village square was the largest five-story building in the village.

Yoo Seong-woo felt a huge energy flowing out from inside the building. It must be the goblin king that the goblin was talking about.

“Well, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

Yoo Seong-woo confidently walked along the main street and entered through the open door.

Inside the building, countless candles were lit. And in the center, there was a staircase that seemed to invite him up.

As he slowly walked up to the top floor, there was a huge goblin sitting on the throne.

Was he about 3 meters tall?

The goblin in blue clothes, sitting with his legs crossed, took a deep puff of the long pipe in his hand and then exhaled the smoke.

“It’s the first time a human has come here. Hundreds of years since we built a barrier and migrated to avoid the humans and gods… How did you find us?”

“My companion said he heard from the totem pole of Jirisan Mountain [a famous mountain in South Korea] to go to Pungak.”

“Ah, so those who entered the proving ground are your companions. You have good friends.”

“Proof. Are goblins still afraid of the gods of the Jade Emperor’s Palace? Enough to live hidden away like this.”

At Yoo Seong-woo’s words, the goblin king chuckled. Then he waved his hand to scatter the cigarette smoke and said.

“Of course, I’m afraid. The age of mythology has ended, but we who exist on the other side were nothing more than mayflies who could be swept away by those guys at any time.”

The goblin king puffed on his pipe again. He exhaled a long stream of smoke.

His eyes were deeply clouded as if he was reminiscing about the past. Yoo Seong-woo plopped down in his seat and opened his mouth.

“My name is Yoo Seong-woo. I am the owner of the newly born Seongsinjeon, Geomgye, on the Korean peninsula.”

“…Geomgye. So that’s why you have so many swords. Whether it’s the world of swords or a world made of swords, I don’t care. But carrying around seven swords is ominous.”

“Seven swords? Haha…”

Yoo Seong-woo laughed without realizing it.

He had not seven, but eight swords.

“The goblin king’s knowledge is narrow. One sword is missing.”

“Keu keu, is that so? Well, maybe so.”

In Yoo Seong-woo’s eyes, the goblin king in front of him possessed power beyond that of most gods.

He felt the aura of a fellow being who had built up strength through training for a long time, like himself.

Should I call him Hyeonhyeon Goeshin [a term for a powerful and wise being]? Besides the goblin king, about six others seemed to have achieved divinity…

The goblin king came down from the throne and sat facing Yoo Seong-woo.

Then he lowered his waist to match Yoo Seong-woo’s eye level and smiled.

“The mother of all goblins, the king of Shinshi, Dohwa. Owner of Geomgye, what is the reason you came to Shinshi?”

“I won’t beat around the bush. Geomgye is planning to wage war against the Jade Emperor’s Palace. But Geomgye’s strength alone is not enough. I need your strength.”

“Keu keu, is it time? It’s time for the gods of the Jade Emperor’s Palace to fall once. They’ve been eating and living for too long. Who would have known they would be brought down by their descendants?”

“Then…”

“I can’t say I’ll help right away. Isn’t this a matter of life and death for all goblins? Hmm…”

Dohwa flicked the ashes of her pipe onto the floor and asked with one corner of her mouth raised.

“Do you drink a little? If you drink together, you become sincere friends. Let’s boil some beef, boil some pork. Make some buckwheat jelly… Let’s have a feast.”

“If I can become friends by doing that, there’s nothing I can’t do.”

When Yoo Seong-woo answered immediately, she laughed loudly and turned her head to shout.

“Hey! Start a drinking party! Let’s all gather in the square and play and eat!”

* * *

And back to the present.

The three, who had become covered in ink, proven their qualifications, and climbed the mountain, were dumbfounded and lost their minds when they found Yoo Seong-woo drinking and eating meat with the goblins in the square.

When did that human come and start a drinking party?

And the goblin sitting next to him, drinking from a huge glass, was clearly the king of Shinshi.

He was a goblin who radiated an enormous energy just by looking at him.

Yoo Seong-woo found the three of them and gestured for them to come quickly.

“You’ve worked hard to come all this way. You guys eat and drink too!”

The goblin who had guided the three of them was already at the drinking party, drinking from a jug.

Baek Woo-hyun ran over and sat next to Yoo Seong-woo.

Jeanne hesitated for a moment and headed next to Yoo Seong-woo.

Knox made a crying face and ran to Yoo Seong-woo and hugged him.

Dohwa, who saw the scene, laughed and said.

“Keu haha! You have good companions. Is that child your daughter?”

“Well, something like that.”

“To have a dragon as a daughter, you’re the strangest guy I’ve ever seen. All the dragons have disappeared from the Korean peninsula… Hmm, a barbarian dragon.”

At the word barbarian dragon, Yoo Seong-woo laughed without realizing it.

Was it because he had alcohol in him? He felt like he was laughing for no reason. He didn’t bother to dispel the intoxication with Aura…

“O, what’s a barbarian?!”

Knox, who didn’t understand but knew it meant something bad, looked up at Yoo Seong-woo with a crying face.

He wiped Knox’s ink-covered face with his sleeve (which only made it dirtier) and laughed.

“You don’t need to know. Don’t go home and search it up and cry.”

“Heeing.”

Knox wriggled in Yoo Seong-woo’s arms and fell asleep soundly. It was amazing that she fell asleep even though it was noisy around her.

Dohwa, who was chewing on a whole pig’s leg, said.

“You’re carrying a lot of fate. But seeing you not hesitate and try to carry even more burdens…”

“Seeing me?”

“You have a tendency to buy suffering?”