Chapter 111 – Karin, the Goblin That Does His Job Well (2)

Karin seemed eager to hear what my request was.

I wasn’t sure if the meat or the plate was tasty, but whichever it was, it seemed that he was hooked on it.

However, it was probably still a bad idea to be too direct with the questions.

No matter how stupid he looked, he was still one of the servants of one of the leaders of the demonic race.

I could anger him for no good reason if I did so.

I had to make him as desperate for it as possible.

“Hurry up and speak, human!”

“That’s….”

“What is it?”

“Ah. No.”

“Keruruk! I don’t have anything better than stones. Human! Take these and give me the steak.”

“Ha….. Should I really ask this?”

“Say it. What do you want!”

“Nah. As someone who will die soon, what would be the point of hearing it. Right?”

“Human! Do I need to tell you something?”

“Never mind. I’ll just go to sleep….”

“Steak! You’re leaving without giving me steak? Here are some bloodstones. My pockets are filled with them. If you want it, I could give as much as you’d like.”

“I do not need stones… And no matter how much you want to eat steaks, it doesn’t seems that you’re willing to tell me secrets.”

“Keru…..”

“Then…. I’ll be going to sleep….”

Karin’s cold hand reached out and grabbed my wrist.

It was like the main protagonist grabbing onto the heroine in a drama.

Turning back at him, I saw that drool was spilling out from his mouth.

Slurping it back up with his tongue, he spoke.

“Keruru! Human. Sit.”

“Why?”

“Kerurum…… First, give me one more steak.”

I gave him the look of a customer giving a look of disappointment towards a beginner fraud.

To be fair, he could’ve eaten all the gifts from me and then decide to shut his mouth after.

Seeing my expression, he spoke while crossing his arms.

“…….”

“What is that look!”

“Well…. I do need some kind of compensation.”

“Have you forgotten! Karin the goblin does not lie, human!”

“Is that so? Well, such a majestic existence as a goblin would never lie towards a human, right?”

“Kerukeru. That’s right. Hurry up and give me the steak. After I’m done eating, we can talk again.”

“Okay. Chew on some stones while you wait a brief moment.”

“Kel!”

I opened the refrigerator.

Thanks to the recent banquet, there were quite a lot of ingredient in the fridge.

Meat made up the biggest portion of them all.

With this much meat, it was enough for tens of people to eat.

I lifted up the smallest chunk of meat.

The meat was being cooked on the frying pan.

Karin, who hadn’t shown much interest towards the scent of food until recently, was leaning his body towards the meat that was being cooked.

I thought it was the plate that he liked to eat, but I guess his stupidity doesn’t encompass his taste buds.

I was going to take out a plate for him in case he didn’t like the meat.

Surprisingly, he wanted the meat.

His short stubby legs were constantly kicking at the legs of the chair.

It seemed that he was very excited, akin to a child waiting his turn in line for the amusement park rides.

I could understand how he felt, since I still vividly remembered the taste of my first sweet cotton candy as a child.

It was was strong sensation that he must’ve never felt before.

“Human! Is it done yet? It smells similar to the one before.”

“….”

“Human? Did you die?”

“Shit! I think it’s burnt?”

“Keru?”

I’ve only made ramen before, and never have I cooked meat this thick before.

Hiding my anxiety as best as I could, I flipped the burnt side under and placed the meat on the plate.

Before I could even put down the plate on the table, Karin put the entire thing, plate included, into his mouth.

“…….”

“Is it tasty?”

“Human.”

“Hm?”

“Tell me the truth.”

“Huh? W…. What?”

For a second, I thought that he realized I burnt the meat.

A single bead of sweat ran down my forehead.

Finishing everything in his mouth cleanly, Karin spoke.

“What did you do to the steak!”

“…….”

“For sir Karin….. You made the steak tastier! Karin is touched.”

“Huh? Are your taste buds okay?”

“Kerukeru. It was a lot more tastier than the one before.”

“Sure…..”

“Speak. What is that I must tell you?”

“Will you really tell me?”

“It’s a promise! I must keep it.”

“Yes! Since I will be going to the demonic realm and dying soon, it won’t be a problem listening to some things, right?”

“Keruru. If you won’t ask quickly, give me one more steak.”

“I’ll make it while we talk.”

“Alright.”

I sat next to him.

It was partly because I felt bad for failing to cook and burning the meat, but mostly it was to think carefully about what to ask him.

Eating away at the plate I used, he was waiting for my questions.

“So…. the demonic realm?”

“Keru.”

“What is that place like?”

“Kel kel. It’s a place where monsters live.”

“I mean….. I already know that. I want details, like the landscape, size, or the environment.”

“Keru. The demonic realm is far larger than Earth. It cannot even be compared. If Earth is this big, then the demonic realm is like this big.”

Karin pointed at his fist and then the wide dinner table as he explained.

If what he said was true, that meant that the demonic realm was massive in size.

Karin continued his explanation.

“……”

“It’s darker than here, and isn’t very colorful.”

“Oho.”

I remembered the place that Karin showed me in my dreams.

I thought that the demonic realm was just like that, giving off a barren dreary feel.

Finishing the plate itself, Karin spoke.

“Did you finish with your questions?”

“No! How many monsters are there?”

“Keru…. Human, we visited the sea just a bit ago.”

“That’s right.”

“Remember the scratchy floor that was next to the sea?”

“Are you talking about sand? The thing that’s the color of medium rare steak and scatters in the wind?”

“Keru. That’s right. There are that many of them.”

“Huh?”

“The single sand that you talked about is like one monster. In the demonic realm, there are a ton of monsters.”

“That’s insane…. It looks like the monsters that appear from the gates scattered on Earth is not even the peak of the iceberg.”

“Human….. Thinking about the color of the steak, I want to eat it again.”

“Okay, okay.”

Almost as if training a pet, I brought more meat in his mouth before continuing my questions.

“About the one you serve, Berdan?”

“Keru! It’s sir Berdan, human!”

“Yes, yes. That’s right. How strong is sir Berdan? Hm….. when compared to Zekill, that is.”

“Kel kel kel. Just from looking at the magical energy, he is more than 5 times stronger. Thinking about the Authority and special ability, he would be 10 times stronger. Zekill wasn’t even strong enough to qualify as one of the leaders of the demonic races.”

“……”

“Kel kel. And I am the one and only servant of sir Berdan! I am sir Karin…”

“Ok. Next question.”

“Keru…..”

“Has there ever been a case where a human went to the demonic realm?”

“Kel. There were. There weren’t that many but…. As the dimensions warped and twisted, a few humans fell into the demonic realm.”

“This is beyond my expectations….”

“It wasn’t that long ago either. It was roughly 15 to 16 human years ago.”

“……”

“The ones that entered the demonic realm were Awakeneds like you.”

“Go on.”

“Steak….”

“No! Talking first.”

“Keru…. However, there was one human that was trapped in one place.”

“Trapped?”

“That’s right. He was in a completely isolated area where monsters from the outside could not approach.”

“… So what happened?”

“After a long period of time, he returned to Earth.”

“…….”

“Keru. Human, I thought you were quick on the uptake, but it seems that wasn’t the case.”

“What?”

“Keruru. Human, you also have visited the demonic realm before, keru.”

“What do you… It couldn’t be….”

“Keke. Now do you remember?”

“The Unknown Dungeon?”

“Keru. So the humans call that place the Unknown Dungeon.’

“That was the demonic realm? I just thought of it as a dungeon….”

“Human, you didn’t know?”

“So the one who went to the demonic realm before was Ghost….. He was commander Park Joon Sik at the time.”

“…….”

“So all monsters of the demonic realm have powers at that level? In that isolated space, I mean.”

“Kel kel. That isolated space is filled with monsters that are incomplete due to not having enough power. Only by gaining enough magical energy in that zone can one leave that isolated space to enter the actual demonic realm.”

“Hm…. I heard that the demon king was born in the middle of the war between the demonic races? But from what you’re telling me, the monsters are being raised from the Unknown Dungeon…… This doesn’t add up……”

“Keruru…. The ranking demonic races can be birthed from anywhere as long as they possess powerful magical energy, such as the demon king. Sir Berdan also came into existence that way.”

“Hm….”

The facts were quite shocking.

I had thought that it was just a dungeon that existed on Earth.

I didn’t have the slightest suspicion that it was part of the demonic realm.

This meant that the condition required to go to the Unknown Dungeon was different from what I thought it was.

It meant that there were methods to enter that didn’t require the sacrifice of human life.

The ones that died in the dungeon would’ve left magical energy.

This meant that to go to the Unknown Dungeon, one would only have to fill the dungeon with massive amounts of magical energy.

I was finally beginning to understand.

“So that means that the monsters of the demonic realm are far more stronger than those in the Unknown Dungeon?”

“Keru. That’s right.”

“And there would be some monsters that have consumed other monsters, growing much stronger than the rest, right?”

“You’re smart, human.”

“Good…. The gate that opens in roughly 80 days from now. Are you sure that it connects to the demonic realm?”

“Keru. I am sure. Sir Berdan will be using his Authority. Since it is a different dimension, it takes some time, but otherwise, it will definitely connect this place to the demonic realm.”

“So there really is a surefire way to go the demonic realm….”

“…..”

“One more thing!”

“Kel?”

“When you first came to Earth, you said that I don’t even know how to use magical energy as you argued with me. Do you remember?”

“Keru. I remember. Karin is a smart goblin.”

“Right. So what you’re saying is that even humans can use magical energy?”

“Keru keru. That’s right. Magical energy can be used by anyone, no matter what their race is.”

“How does one use it?”

“I cannot explain that.”

“Don’t you wanna eat more steak?’

“Keru….. I really cannot explain. If the right time hasn’t come for one to sense their own magical energy and grasp it in their hands….”

“So what you’re saying is that each person has to figure it out for themselves?”

“That’s right. Human!”

“Hm?”

“But why are you asking me these things?”

“Well…. I just wanted to where and who I was going to die to. Don’t think too deeply into it. And don’t tell sir Berdan.”

“Keru. Alright. When can you make this food by the way?”

“It’s late today, so I’ll sleep for now. When the sun rises tomorrow, I’ll make it right away.”

“Sleep? Keru….. What is that. Humans are quite the busy creatures.”

It was then.

-click

The front door opened, and Jong Ho entered.

Looking at the time, morning was already approaching.

‘I’m not sure if he’ll believe me if I tell him.’

“You came back?”