CHAPTER 58
058 - Kanok**

A tense standoff continued in front of the cave. The goblin shaman generated electricity in its hand, looking as if it would call down lightning at any moment, but it couldn't easily let it loose.

It seemed concerned that it might inadvertently harm its own side—specifically, the one inside the cave.

For Jinwoo to check the cave, he would have to cut down the creature blocking his path. To cut or not to cut. As he was hesitating…

—Stand down, Keron. He is not an opponent you can face.

A telepathic voice came from inside the cave.

Hearing those words, the goblin shaman flinched in surprise, then began to act restlessly.

It was a picture of indecision, unable to decide whether to truly stand down or to defy the order and continue to guard the entrance.

—Step aside.

Once more, a gentle, persuasive voice came from the cave.

Only then did the shaman, called Keron, hesitantly step back from the entrance.

Of course.

"Kyaaak!"

Even as it stepped back, it didn't forget to glare at Jinwoo and let out a threatening roar.

Even without a common language, he could understand what it meant. It was a threat, something along the lines of, 'I won't let you get away with any funny business.'

How long will you stand there? Come in.

A voice inviting him in was heard.

After a moment of hesitation, Jinwoo placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and took one, then two steps into the cave.

At the sight of him gripping his sword, the shaman Keron almost had another fit, but again, the voice from within the cave calmed him.

What he saw upon entering the cave was…

'This one is also a goblin. He looks old, and…'

A dying goblin.

His first impression was that the expression "a withered old tree" suited him perfectly.

It was a goblin with a long, brittle beard. Its body was so gaunt it was nearly skeletal, and its eyelids drooped so much that it couldn't even open its eyes properly.

Goblins were a race of green-skins, but the old goblin before him was discolored to a brownish hue.

And on its right shoulder, it was being struck by droplets of water, one by one.

The droplets were falling from a stalactite on the cave ceiling, and the same thick medicinal scent he had smelled in the herb garden pricked his nose.

The shoulder, which was constantly being hit by droplets of boiled medicinal herbs.

From that shoulder, half of its upper body was stained black by Erosion.

—A guest in these remote parts. Are you a person of high standing, or a harbinger of misfortune?

The old goblin's mouth did not move at all, but his voice was heard.

He was speaking via telepathy, and he had a reason for doing so.

The Erosion that started from his right shoulder had spread to his face, hardening most of his mouth.

"My name is Kang Jinwoo."

—Kang Jinwoo… Kang Jinwoo… A name I have not heard.

"I'm new to this area."

—Is that so? I am Kanok. That child is Keron. He is a good disciple who diligently cares for me in this state.

Even now, behind Jinwoo, Keron was tense, watching Jinwoo's every move.

He was especially focused on the sword hilt that Jinwoo refused to let go of.

When Jinwoo deliberately moved his hand slightly, Keron jumped and generated a crackle of electricity.

Stop it, Keron. Guest, please do not tease the child so much. Is he not pitiful?

"I had no intention of teasing him."

Inside the old goblin who introduced himself as Kanok, the flame of Erosion was enveloping his Blue Flame as if to devour it.

Despite this, his flame shone brilliantly, desperately enduring it.

That was what was strange.

'This is the first time I've seen a being resist Erosion. I suppose this is the Spirit Realm, after all.'

Once swallowed by Erosion, anyone would become its slave. Ireland had been like that, and so had the dragon soul wielded by Johann.

Kanok was not much different and looked as if he would soon be consumed by Erosion. But for now, he was still holding on.

With his gaunt, skeletal body, he was steadfastly protecting his soul. He was enduring somehow, receiving the medicinal water on his body 24/7.

"Are you holding back the Erosion with that medicinal water?"

—To be honest, it is not very effective. It is merely a comfort to the mind, but that comfort itself is helpful.

Jinwoo fiddled with his sword. Of course, he had no intention of teasing Keron. It just bothered him.

That Black Flame… could he cut out only the Black Flame?

Thinking back to Cheon Juhyeok's case, it seemed possible. Back then, he had cut away only Johann's curse without touching Cheon Juhyeok's soul.

But Johann's magic and Erosion were completely different in meaning.

Erosion was an extraordinary power that could even suck the life force out of a star. It was an existence on a different level from the magic of some warlock.

—Me?

—Do you wish to cut me?

Kanok spoke abruptly.

"You're perceptive."

—I thought a day like this would come… May I ask one thing? Who sent you?

"Sent me?"

—I asked which Lord sent you. To go so far as to send a minion to a trifle like me, that Lord must be in quite a hurry.

Kanok spoke with a chuckle. It was the greatest sneer he could offer to the minion of a Lord who was about to cut him down.

Of course, it had no effect on Jinwoo, who was no one's minion.

"I'll make it easy for you soon."

Even Jinwoo couldn't guarantee which way it would be "easy."

His opponent no longer had the will to resist. Or rather, it would be more correct to say he was in a state where resistance was impossible.

Skipping a lengthy explanation, Jinwoo swung his sword first.

The sword was always faster than words.

Kanok had foreseen that a day like this would come.

That having already been afflicted by Erosion, he would one day be noticed by a Lord and be absorbed into their army.

Still, he had tried his best. He had deliberately settled in this remote area, hidden in a cave, and treated himself.

He thought that if he could cure the Erosion before being noticed by a Lord, he would have nothing to worry about.

But…

'It was impossible after all.'

Solving the Erosion was impossible.

Mobilizing all his knowledge, enlightenment, and abilities, the most he could do was slow the progression of the Erosion.

Even that was only possible thanks to the presence of his disciple; if he had been alone, he might have despaired and his spirit would have broken long ago. If so, he wouldn't even have been able to endure this long.

His body had long been unable to move, and his soul was directly afflicted by Erosion. What had allowed him to endure until now was solely his spirit. His mind.

"I'll make it easy for you soon."

And the reaper's sword fell.

He had been preparing for death for a long time. He would sort out all his emotions and depart cleanly.

But as he actually saw the descending sword, a hidden feeling reared its head.

I want to live. I don't want to die. I don't want to die.

If I'm going to die here like this, what becomes of my disciple's dedicated efforts until now? How will I teach my disciple the Ritual to Greet a God in the future?

Is there any guarantee that this reaper won't turn his sword on my disciple after killing me?

All his thoughts eventually led to one thing. The desire to live.

As that intense desire shone and lit a final candle…

Jinwoo's sword split the flame. The cleanly bisected flame split into an upper and lower half.

—Ughh… huuurrgh!

It was an indescribable pain. He had thought he had long transcended pain, but he was wrong. There was another level above it.

An agony as if he were being pulled from both heaven and hell, his very soul being ripped in half.

In the end, unable to bear it, Kanok…

"Hooo-aaargh!"

…forgot all his dignity and screamed.

Cough cough, hack hack. He squeezed his throat with a dry cough, letting out a gasp.

The pain was so intense he wanted to roll on the floor. In fact, he did fall over and roll about halfway. If he had just a little more strength left in his body, he would have rolled another five and a half times.

And then, unconsciously…

A realization so profound it made him forget all pain caused his jaw to drop.

"My… words… my body…!"

It was back. His mouth was moving, his body was moving.

His body, which had been unable to move since being afflicted by Erosion, which had been completely frozen, had returned to normal!

"Ke-Kereuk!"

Keron, also greatly surprised, rushed over in a single bound. He couldn't even bring himself to touch his master's body and was fidgeting anxiously, worried that if he touched him, something might go wrong again.

"Looks like it was a success."

Jinwoo said, stroking the blade of his sword, which was not stained with a single drop of blood.

He had certainly cut through Kanok's body, but Jinwoo's sword had passed through his flesh and cut only his soul. And among that, only the Black Flame of Erosion.

Kanok, who was lying face down from rolling on the floor, looked up at Jinwoo.

His figure, seen from below, was backlit by the light from outside the cave and was not clearly visible.

'He's… not a minion.'

He knew he had misunderstood.

He was not a Lord's minion.

There was no way a minion, enslaved by a Lord through Erosion, would have a way to heal Erosion.

'He's not a Lord either.'

But he wasn't a Lord, either.

Lords were beings that only eroded. They were corrupt beings who stained all sorts of souls black and played with them.

He had never heard a story of a Lord healing Erosion in reverse, or liberating someone from Erosion.

Then what kind of being was he?

Just one thing.

If there was a word to define him for certain, here and now…

"I… I am in the presence of my benefactor."

"Kerok!"

Kanok and his disciple Keron immediately prostrated themselves, bowing deeply to Jinwoo.

An unbelievable rumor spread from the Hunters who had visited the 3rd Floor.

• The 13 Gods' Temple is now the 12 Gods' Temple!

It was said that one of the 13 temples in Pandemonium, the 3rd Floor, had fallen, and now there were only 12.

The temple fell? What does that mean?
It means it literally crashed. It was the Sky God's Temple. The temple was smashed, and the island was about to fall on the city, but a tree that grew out of the Moonlight Forest stopped it.
L ???

Even when described exactly as seen, very few people understood.

And for good reason—the story was too absurd.

The Sky God's Temple was completely destroyed, he lost all his authority and was cast out, and the floating Sky Island lost its power and was about to fall on the city, but suddenly a giant tree grew and stopped it?

It wasn't some movie script, so how could anyone believe such words at face value?

It's not an exaggeration, it's real. The Sky God's contribution points have completely disappeared, so the people who were building up contributions with him are in an uproar.
L Aren't most of them from Hong Kong anyway? Lin Shenlin was in control there, right?
L Speaking of which, what happened to Lin Shenlin? Wasn't he number 1 at the Sky God's Temple?
L Now Kang Jinwoo is number 1. All the Sky God contribution points that Lin Shenlin and the Hong Kong Hunters had accumulated went to Kang Jinwoo.
L ?????

Everyone was stunned by the successive bombshells of information.

A little later, someone who had personally been to the 3rd Floor uploaded a proper summary post.

It was a summary that roughly organized the flow of events.

1. New Delhi's Mahiri fought a round with Lin Shenlin. The reason is unknown.
   > Can Mahiri even be a match for him? Isn't she rumored to be one of the weaker S-class Hunters? On the other hand, Lin Shenlin is among the top-tier S-class.
   > L Dunno. I don't know the details, but one day I saw them fighting.
2. The fight between two S-class Hunters threw the city into chaos, and at that time, Kang Jinwoo invaded the empty Sky God's Temple on a wyvern.
   > You know Poldre, right? That rude Elf who won't even give humans a ride. For some reason, he's been bragging all over town that he dropped Kang Jinwoo off at the Sky God's Temple.
   > L How do Poldre and Kang Jinwoo know each other?
   > L It's speculated that Ipril, who is ranked 3rd, introduced them since she's been following Kang Jinwoo around.
   > L Who the hell is Ipril? Why is her name suddenly coming up?
   > L I don't know either.
3. Kang Jinwoo invaded the Sky God's Temple and (middle part omitted) as a result, the temple collapsed, the Sky God was cast out, and the island began to fall toward the city.
   > L Damn it, you omitted way too much!
   > L What am I supposed to do? I'm not Kang Jinwoo, how would I know what happened in there?
   > L That's true…

Since the incident in Ireland, there wasn't a single Hunter who didn't know Kang Jinwoo's name. With such a powerful issue breaking out in that situation, the topic was endlessly discussed.

Hunters of all nationalities began to flock to the 3rd Floor.

Some to confirm the truth of the rumors. Some to see how Pandemonium had changed.

Some to check on the temples where they had been accumulating contribution points.

Coincidentally, the occurrence of Erosion had decreased significantly recently.

This wasn't just in one region, but globally.

According to an announcement by an international organization, it was the first time in 35 years that the rate of Erosion occurrence was this low.

Naturally, many Hunters had time on their hands, and their eyes were drawn to the recent sensational issue.

Not only B-class and A-class, but even S-class Hunters began to gather in Pandemonium after hearing the rumors.

"Is it to your liking, Benefactor?"

"Yes. All the ingredients here are delicious."

Having somehow ended up healing Kanok, Jinwoo was now receiving lavish hospitality from the two goblin master and disciple.

There were dried fruits and jerky that Keron had gathered and stored, and even alcohol that he had brewed with his clumsy skills.

Keron's brewing skills couldn't be called good even if you were lying, but the water tasted so good that the alcohol was also decent.

With good alcohol and snacks before them, the distance between them naturally narrowed.

Being like this with another species reminded him of the old days drinking and having fun with Bulkar and Rona in the waterfall cave, and he felt a sense of nostalgia.

'Still, I have to do what I have to do.'

Jinwoo organized in his head the many things he wanted to ask Kanok.

About the Spirit Realm, about this vicinity, about the Blue Portal.

"Have you by any chance seen a Blue Portal around here?"

"Keron."

"Kureuk."

Keron shook his head. It meant he hadn't seen one.

But he didn't stop there; he shot up, thumped his chest, and then dashed out of the cave.

"He says he will go and look for it right away."

"Oh, thank you for that."

His brisk manner was quite to his liking.

Having asked the most important question, Jinwoo let out a small sigh. Next, should he ask a lighter question?

"Keron was using lightning. Did you teach him that?"

"Yes. It is a traditional spell passed down through goblin shamans since ancient times."

That was the question. As far as Jinwoo knew, goblin shamans could only use fireballs.

"Weren't goblin shamans supposed to throw fireballs?"

"The origin of that spell is this. Ra Kerga. In the goblin language, it means 'Ritual to Greet a God'."

Ritual to Greet a God. A ritual to greet a god?

"If you wish, I will teach it to you."

Kanok spoke seriously, with an expression that looked as if he would give Jinwoo his liver and gallbladder and everything else.