Black-Haired Foreigner In The Martial Arts World – Chapter 19

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Though utterly appalled, I somehow managed to compose myself and looked at the notice board again.

Right. Let’s think about this calmly.

Strictly speaking, there’s no rule saying goblins can’t appear in the murim.

Besides, their name has been properly localized to Gobulin, so shouldn’t it be fine?

“Ugh…!”

This was hard to bear!

Why are there goblins in the murim?!

I wanted to scream, but I forced myself to swallow my frustration and forcibly rationalize the situation.

What could I do when the world was like this? Powerless as I was now, I could only go with the flow. After all, goblins were also monsters.

Let’s just look at the board.

“Hmm.”

Green skin. Small stature. Long ears and nose. Low intelligence. Hunched back. No matter how I looked at it, they were the goblins I knew.

These Gobulins were said to live in tribes like wild animals, and they often multiplied and raided farms and manor houses, so they were periodically subjugated.

They were slightly stronger monsters than trash mobs like the Soseonggwi. In other words, they were a rank higher.

“…”

I stepped back a bit and eavesdropped on the martial artists’ conversations.

“It seems the Gobulins have appeared again.”

“Such annoying creatures. They craft weapons and have resistance, making them harder to catch than most trash mobs.”

“I heard a Togakgwi appeared here; let’s go catch that instead.”

“Those Gobulins are a real pain to catch…”

Listening in for a while, I was able to glean more detailed information about the Gobulins.

It seemed they had enough intelligence to craft weapons and they have resistance.

This matched up with the goblins I knew. Still, they were small, so the martial artists should have an absolute advantage.

The same went for weapons. Unless those monster things had a blacksmith, they would only have crude weapons.

The sword I was carrying right now was made by blacksmiths hammering iron in a forge. It was highly unlikely that Gobulins had such specialized facilities.

In short, the Gobulins’ military strength was inferior to humans’.

This wasn’t an optimistic judgment based on my preconceptions.

After all, the notice board had pictures and information.

Gobulins were stronger than genuine trash mobs like the Soseonggwi, but they were still just low-level monsters.

“…”

My mind was wavering.

What was the reward?

[2 silver taels upon successful subjugation of the Gobulin horde]

“Gasp…!”

This was crazy…!

Two silver taels!

Two silver taels were equivalent to 2,000 mun!

They were offering two silver taels just for subjugating a group of trash monsters!

This was insane!

With 2,000 mun, how long could I live comfortably?!

Just as I thought I absolutely had to do this, a sense of unease arose, and my heart sent a warning to my brain.

This world never gave out money for free.

To earn money, I had to work my ass off, and if the reward was two silver taels, I would have to pay a corresponding price.

This clearly meant the Gobulins were stronger than I thought… What should I do?

Should I do it?

Or not?

At this crossroads, I hesitated greatly, agonizing over what to choose, sweating profusely.

The fear of a new enemy.

But a large reward.

Should I throw myself into danger for money?

“Haa…!”

The answer to that was clear.

Throw yourself in!

I couldn’t be complacent!

It was the same when I did manual labor and when I exterminated Soseonggwi.

No matter how hard I earned money, without strength, it was all for nothing. I would just be threatened by thugs like last time!

Ultimately, to survive in this world, I needed strength!

I had to challenge myself more and become stronger!

Money and martial arts! Without them, I would just be a corpse! What was there to fear for someone who had even killed a human robber?!

With a firm resolve, I decided to take the Gobulin subjugation job.

To achieve something as a martial artist, I had to take on new challenges.

I immediately went to the reception window.

“Hello. I’ve come to register at the Haengdomun today.”

I said that, but the person didn’t seem very interested.

“The registration fee is 200 mun.”

Clang.

That was the sound of my heart dropping.

What? 200 mun? Crazy…! Demanding such an exorbitant fee, wasn’t this guy running a scam?

“There’s a separate registration fee?”

“It’s proof that you, as a martial artist, at least have the ability to pay the registration fee.”

“Now that I hear it, that’s quite a reasonable judgment.”

Indeed, the ability to pay 200 mun was a testament to one’s capability.

Besides, this was a job brokerage. I could pay the registration fee, take a request, and recover the cost quickly.

“Alright.”

I handed over the money, and the guy took out a wooden tag.

“Name.”

“Kim Geun-hyeop.”

“Place of origin.”

“Anhui Province.”

“Experience.”

“I worked at the Dahwehbang and decided to become a martial artist.”

“I see…”

Scratch, scratch.

He replied as he carved letters into the tag with a knife.

Was this some kind of identification tag?

Honestly, it seemed meaningless.

Even in modern Earth, ID forgery was rampant. There were even research results showing that forged IDs were used in about 30% of all crimes.

It was so easy to forge that I didn’t trust it.

“Here. Stamp your fingerprint.”

“Alright.”

After I did everything as instructed, I received the tag.

“This is your Haengdomun identification tag. You’ll need it when taking requests. It comes with this registration certificate, so don’t lose them.”

“Is it possible to reissue it if it is lost?”

“Not unless your reputation grows to the point where many people recognize you.”

“…Understood.”

I’d have to keep it safely tucked away.

“Anyway. Now that I have the tag, I’d like to take a request. I’m interested in the Gobulin subjugation. Can I handle it?”

“Wait.”

The guy opened a book and looked through it before speaking.

“A group of four is currently assembled. I’ll add your name here.”

“Four?”

“It’s a group that agreed to form a five-member team.”

Ah, I see.

In other words, this was a party request. So, they had put out a notice for party recruitment at the Haengdomun and were waiting for people to gather.

Indeed, there was no way I could handle a job that offered two silver taels alone. It must be a job that required four or five martial artists to clear.

Let’s see, then each person could earn 400 mun?

Very good.

“Alright. By any chance, do you know their names…?”

“Gujuman. Jaemison. Ogisu. Song.”

What kind of names were those?

“Do you know where they are?”

“They said they’re waiting at the nearby Chunil Inn… Go and bring them here. Confirm their presence, and then report that the request has begun.”

I nodded and turned around.

It seemed like they had a system in place. In a world without the internet or phones, this was how they managed things.

Let’s go to the Chunil Inn for now.

Arriving at the inn, I found quite a few people inside.

Was it because this inn was in front of the Haengdomun?

It seemed martial artists often gathered here to form groups before starting their missions.

Now, let’s find my party members.

“Excuse me. How many in your party?”

“Ah, I’m here to meet my group. I’ll call you if we need to order anything.”

“Yes, sir.”

After dismissing the waiter, I called out,

“Over here! Are there any martial artists here for the Gobulin subjugation?!”

For a moment, all eyes in the inn focused on me, but it didn’t last even a second. As if this was a common occurrence, they simply glanced at me and continued their meals.

“Ah! The last person has arrived! Over here!”

“Oh.”

A man shorter than me, but broader, greeted me with a raised arm.

I saw four people gathered, enjoying snacks like hwaju and dumplings.

Their overall level… Honestly, I couldn’t tell, but they seemed about the same. Third-rate martial artists, in other words.

Seeing the new faces gave me a fresh feeling.

Whoever they were, they were all martial artists, so they had to be better than that bastard Go Seok-sam.

That was enough to consider them reliable comrades.

The thought of subjugating Gobulins with these people already filled me with anticipation.

“Greetings. I am Kim Kim Geun-hyeop. Are you Gujuman, Jaemison, Ogisu, and Song?”

“Yes! I’m Gujuman!”

The man who first greeted me replied energetically.

“Heh… My comrades for today, I presume.”

The man next to him said with a dark chuckle.

…What was with this guy?

“And you are?”

“Ah. That’s Jaemison. As you can see, he has a rather peculiar personality. You might find him a bit strange.”

Gujuman answered for him.

“Do you know each other?”

“No. We’ve all just met.”

“Is that so? Nice to meet you, Jaemison.”

I greeted him while observing his appearance.

He was of a slender build. His sitting posture was the typical hunched-over gamer posture.

His shaggy hair hung down to his eyes, making me think of a visual novel protagonist.

But the weapon he was holding was very peculiar.

Beyond peculiar, it seemed a bit psychopathic.

It was a strange weapon, like a trident with the middle prong removed, and even the two remaining prongs looked like they were daggers attached to it.

A two-pronged… javelin? Handmade? A spearman, how bizarre.

“Jaemison… Kim Geun-hyeop.”

“Is that unique weapon perhaps a Dokmunbyeonggi (unique, self-styled weapon)?”

“You can tell…”

Jaemison said, tearing a dumpling in half and offering it to me.

“Eat… You recognized the true value of my weapon… You’re a decent warrior.”

I hadn’t recognized the value of his weapon at all, and I had even insulted him in my mind by calling him a spearman, but I gratefully accepted and ate the dumpling.

“Heh…”

This guy seemed a bit strange, but it didn’t matter.

“Then who is Ogisu?”

“That would be me. Ogisu. I use a dao and have some experience subjugating small monsters.”

“Oh, that’s reassuring! Me too!”

Ogisu looked like a bit of a fussy, nerdy type, but judging by the way he spoke sternly with his arms crossed, he seemed to have a temper, so I replied cheerfully.

“Then you must be Song!”

“…”

Song nodded silently.

“Song, that friend doesn’t talk much. Anyway, welcome, Kim Geun-hyeop. You use a sword, I presume?”

“That’s right. I’m learning at the White Sword Martial Arts School.”

“Oh! You’ve properly trained in martial arts! You’ll be a valuable asset!”

Gujuman was delighted that I had trained in martial arts.

“No wonder you have such a strong build! This mission will be an easy victory!”

I couldn’t say anything since I hadn’t actually hunted Gobulins before.

“Hehehe, it’s good to hear you say that, Gujuman. Anyway, now that we’re all here, shall we discuss the mission? Does everyone have experience subjugating Gobulins?”

I sat down and started the conversation as if I were someone important, taking the lead.

Since I arrived last, I would naturally have the least influence in the party. So I had to speak up first.

“I do!”

Gujuman replied confidently.

Let’s listen to him and gather information.

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