The Goblin Warehouse(4)

What kind of door could it be?

The door where the lightning from the mural in the ceiling struck was showing only its faint outline, to the point where you wouldn’t notice it if you didn’t look carefully.

In other words, this door was intentionally hidden by someone.

“I’m not sure what’s inside, but…”

This was my first time visiting the goblin warehouse too, so I didn’t know what was inside that door.

However, since it was a hidden door inside the goblin warehouse, the chances were high that what was inside was probably related to goblins.

So I contemplated for a moment while looking at the door, then glanced at the three wandering far away.

“Fortunately, they don’t seem to be very interested in this area.”

Esi was continuously going deeper into the warehouse to find her clan’s treasure, while Arashi and Seo-hyun were so engrossed in looking at the weapons that they weren’t even glancing in this direction.

“…If it really contains content about goblins, it would be better for me to look at it alone first and then come out.”

If what’s inside that door is really about goblins, it’s priority for me, the Great Chief, to check it.

No matter how much I’ve formed a friendship with Arashi, or how close I am with Esi or Seo-hyun, it was proper to make a clear distinction in matters like this.

This would be the same even if it were Yeon-ah or Neon here.

Because there was a minimum line I had to keep as the Great Chief of the goblin clan, I watched the three a bit more and then carefully approached the hidden door.

Step– Step–

“It’s a door that’s even harder to see up close… Hwa-gon, do you know anything?”

『Hmm… I’m not sure either. This is the first time I’ve seen this door too.』

Although it was a door found by following the lightning from the mural on the ceiling, it was only discoverable because it started from the ceiling mural.

As I approached closer, the lightning falling from the mural was so faint it might as well not have been there, and the door whose outline was at least visible from afar seemed to blend in even more with its surroundings, appearing whitish.

I thought maybe Hwa-gon would know about this door and asked, but the answer that came back was just that even Hwa-gon didn’t know.

In the end, unable to know any information about the door, I swallowed and carefully placed my hand on it.

“Alright… let’s see what’s inside.”

Surely I wouldn’t die just from opening a door.

To begin with, there was no way they would have made such a place in this warehouse that only the Great Chief could enter.

So let’s not be scared and open it.

Immediately after making up my mind, I pulled hard on the doorknob I had grasped, and with the sound of old hinges creaking, the hidden door opened wide.

Clank—!

Thus, as the door opened, the inside of the hidden door welcomed me.

“…Huh?”

And I couldn’t help but utter a question as soon as I saw the interior scenery.

“…What is this?”

The interior revealed when the door opened was none other than the scene of a small room barely big enough to be one pyeong.

I couldn’t hide my disappointment at the scene inside the small room, like an old human outhouse.

“Damn it… there’s nothing here.”

『They say disappointment is as great as expectation, don’t they?』

“I think I’d be disappointed even if I hadn’t expected anything at this level?”

Honestly, I had been excited with anticipation because it was a secret door discovered by lightning falling from the majestic mural on the ceiling.

But what was actually revealed was a tiny room that would have been disappointing even if I had entered without any expectations, so I felt the tension I had built up dissipate meaninglessly for a moment.

However, while I was sighing in disappointment, Hwa-gon seemed to discover something and led my gaze with a short sound.

『Oh ho, there is something after all, befitting a hidden door. Shin-yeon, look at the floor there.』

“…Huh? You’re right.”

As I moved my gaze to the floor following Hwa-gon’s words, there really was something placed there.

Something that wasn’t very visible as it was almost buried in the dirt.

So as I narrowed my eyes and looked at the floor, I was able to identify what that something was.

“A book?”

『Quite an old book indeed.』

The identity of the something fallen on the floor was an old book with its cover so worn it was tattered.

The title written in ink was already worn away with the cover and unrecognizable, but the minimum shape remained, so I could clearly tell that the something fallen on the floor was a book.

Rustle—

As I reached out and picked up the book, dirt and dust fell off in clumps.

“Shall we take a look at what kind of book it is?”

Although my expectations had already fallen greatly due to my disappointment with this hidden space, I placed a faint hope on it, just in case.

Although the title wasn’t properly visible and the book was worn out enough to rot, it was still the only book remaining in this hidden space, so wouldn’t it be okay to expect a little?

『Well… I said disappointment is as great as expectation…』

“Shut up. Be quiet for a bit.”

So I silenced Hwa-gon, who was trying to spout unnecessary preaching, and readjusted my grip on the raised book.

It truly seemed to have been left in this space for a long time, with durability that seemed like it would tear if even a little force was applied wrongly.

So I carefully controlled my strength to avoid tearing the book and turned the first page.

…No, I tried to turn it.

-Shin-yeon! Are you there?! Please come over here quickly!!

“?! You startled me!”

Thump–!

I reflexively closed the book at Esi’s shout from outside the door.

Then as I turned around while calming my wildly beating heart, Esi’s voice resounded loudly once again.

-I’ve found our mermaid clan’s treasure, but there’s a strange seal on it! Please help me!!

Esi’s shout requesting help, having apparently found the treasure she was looking for after going deep into the warehouse earlier.

At that, I looked at the book in my hand and contemplated for a moment, then shouted back in response.

“Alright! I’ll be there soon, so wait just a bit!!”

Although I couldn’t check the contents of the book right away, I couldn’t spend several dozen minutes here reading the book.

Right now, helping Esi who was requesting assistance came first.

So I carefully tucked the book I was holding into my shorts and immediately left the hidden room.

Resolving to read this book that I could only briefly taste later on the aircraft carrier.

“God…”

Just one character I had seen while turning the first page just now.

Only the single character for “God” (神) swirled in my mind.

---

Beep– Beep beep—

In a dark room, the sound of operating a device echoes regularly.

And at the center of that sound sat a woman with long spear on her back, her black hair swaying.

“Communication… communication button… Ah, here it is.”

Han Yun-ah, the S-class 4th ranked hunter who had barely been active recently except for her last undeveloped Gate exploration.

She manipulated the illegal communication device in front of her several times, and then straightened her posture at the screen of the device that had finally connected.

An illegal communication device that allows communication with overseas without being caught in the defense city’s information network.

Of course, there were various usage conditions attached to it, but for an S-class hunter like her, those conditions were nothing.

However, the important thing is why an S-class hunter like Han Yun-ah is using such an illegal communication device in this dark room.

The answer to that was very simple.

“The report is a bit late… but it took some time to gain certainty.”

The reason Yun-ah is using this equipment now is to report to her original home country overseas.

The reason Yun-ah had barely been active recently was all to investigate the actions of ‘a hunter’, and the result of this investigation was what Yun-ah was about to report now.

And how long had she been listening to the connection tone with a slightly nervous heart.

Click—

[Yeah, I received your contact. It’s been a while, Yun-ah?]

Finally, as the connection tone stopped and a girl’s voice was heard, Yun-ah momentarily stopped breathing and bowed her head in greeting.

“It’s been a while, ‘Lady Ryoka’! I’ve contacted you because I’ve discovered a case that matches the orders during my dispatch.”

[Oh, really?]

At Yun-ah’s words that immediately got to the point along with her greeting, the girl on the other side of the device, Ryoka, raised her voice as if asking if it was true.

At her voice that was clearly full of interest, Yun-ah nodded with a trembling voice and answered.

“Yes, first of all, have you heard that the Ancestor of the Korean General Management Team has awakened?”

[Ah~ I’ve already heard about that. But it seems there was only news of the awakening and not much information… Why?]

Ryoka’s words contained an urge to speak without hesitation.

At that, Yun-ah inwardly took a breath for a moment, and then opened her mouth again with resolve.

“If my prediction is correct, that Ancestor of the General Management Team is… presumed to be a goblin.”

[…Really?]

Crash bang—!!!

As soon as Yun-ah’s words ended, the sound of something overturning and dishes breaking came from the other side of the device.

At the same time, hearing Ryoka’s voice that had become frightfully calm, Yun-ah involuntarily swallowed, but words once spoken couldn’t be taken back.

Moreover, although it wasn’t 100%, this was a fact that Yun-ah herself had become almost certain of after sufficient investigation.

Therefore, to Ryoka’s question asking about the truth of the matter, Yun-ah recited the facts she had investigated over the past time with a firm voice.

“This month, I witnessed a hunter named Shin-yeon, who newly joined as an exclusive hunter of the General Management Team, throwing a rock mountain over 500m in size. As you said, Lady Ryoka, there are only two races in this world that can throw such a mountain…”

[That’s right. There’s no one else who can throw such a mountain except our ‘oni clan’ and the goblin clan.]

“And in addition to that, Hunter Shin-yeon effortlessly nullified a water attack from a fusion monster, and destroyed the fusion monster with an impossibly large flame. It was a power comparable to the elements handled by the elemental clan.”

[Hmhm, that’s almost certain then. It wouldn’t be bad to confirm the rest after directly confronting her.]

Ryoka, who had been listening to Yun-ah’s story, cut off Yun-ah’s words, saying there was no need to hear any more.

For Yun-ah, who had only spoken the beginning part of her investigation content, Ryoka’s action made her feel empty, but Ryoka wasn’t an oni considerate enough to think about Yun-ah’s circumstances.

Instead, after a moment of silence, Ryoka threw one question at Yun-ah.

[Hey, do you think it would be easy for me to go to Korea and meet the General Management Team’s Ancestor?]

“That… would probably be difficult. If I may speak rudely, Lady Ryoka’s contact would likely be cut off at the level of Team Leader Lee Yeon-ah from the start…”

[Hm… I thought so.]

Ryoka snorted, saying it was as expected.

And Yun-ah also let out an awkward laugh to match her, but the next moment, at Ryoka’s final question, Yun-ah couldn’t help but open her eyes wide.

[Then tell me who that Ancestor cares about the most. If I can’t meet her, I’ll have to draw out that person.]

Ryoka’s words innocently declaring that she would stir up the hornet’s nest that was the General Management Team.

And because there was no option for Yun-ah not to answer that question, Yun-ah sensed it.

That a very big fight was about to break out soon.