Leveling with the Gods - Chapter 393
Chapter 393
Kim YuWon spoke about the ‘Golden Headband’ that Son OhGong obtained in the Trial.
The power obtained in the Trial and the ‘Golden Headband’ that seals that power.
And also a place where there is a ‘Buddhist scripture’ that can handle the ‘Golden Headband’.
“Was there something like that?”
“Wasn’t there?”
When the conversation ended, the meal was almost finished as well. The great glutton, the Bull Demon King, emptied more than ten bowls of soup and pork before finishing the meal.
“I don’t know either.”
“You said you knew before…”
“I said I knew, but I don’t know what’s there. I haven’t even seen it.”
YuWon, who was going to ask what that was, nodded.
Well.
If the Celestial Floor and the ‘Buddhist scriptures’ were so easy to find, Son OhGong would probably have already found it.
“Well, if he’s so eager to find it, there’s a way to help.”
“Then please help him.”
“First, let’s finish things here.”
After finishing the meal, the Bull Demon King finally drank some alcohol.
Although the liquor prepared by the goblins wasn’t as good as the one made by Dionysus, it had a fairly satisfying taste. The Bull Demon King was content with the goblins’ liquor he was drinking after a long time.
No matter how rare and delicious liquor is, there is nothing as valuable as memories.
“What was that ‘promise’?”
The fight with the Goblin King.
The Bull Demon King obtained the fulfillment of that “promise” in that fight.
“I wanted a grave to be made for the Yokai (요괴).”
“A grave?”
“There was a war between the goblins and the Yokai a long time ago.”
War.
It was such an old story that even YuWon didn’t know it. There was little information about goblins in the Tower, and most of the Yokai had almost disappeared.
“Not many Yokai were left alive. Including me and Son OhGong.”
“Then, were you born after that war ended?”
“You say ‘you’ instead of ‘older brother.’ It seems like you feel me so distant.”
“…I’ll do it later.”
No matter how much he thought about it, the words “older brother” wouldn’t come out of his mouth.
The Bull Demon King and Son OhGong were sworn brothers.
Consequently, if he accepted the Bull Demon King’s request, then he would also have to call Son OhGong “older brother,” and that made him shudder.
“Really?”
Fortunately, the Bull Demon King didn’t insist on the title any further.
Even so, thanks to that suggestion, YuWon could understand why the Bull Demon King had helped him and why he was sharing this meal with him.
“Is he considering me as a younger brother?”
At first, he simply thought it was because he owed him something.
After all, he was the one who had saved the Bull Demon King, who was scheduled to be executed in the Celestial Prison.
But it seems that the Bull Demon King had been thinking of YuWon as a brother ever since.
“That’s right. I was born after the war ended.”
The Bull Demon King recalled those days.
“The Goblin King picked me up and let me live here. When I was young, I didn’t know. I thought I was a goblin, and I had no doubt about it. But as my head got bigger and my body grew, I realized.”
The Bull Demon King directed his gaze back to the goblins who were laughing and chatting in the dining hall.
“I’m different from them.”
More than a thousand years had passed.
But that didn’t mean what had happened could be forgotten.
“In this world, there was a shortage of food. It was always night, so there was not enough warmth or light, there was no food, and the land was scarce.”
A world where day and night didn’t change.
Among them, the world of the night was where the Yokai and goblins lived.
“We couldn’t point our fingers at who was to blame for the food dispute. It’s also true that they raised me.”
There was no resentment.
It was a struggle to survive. Among those who survived were the goblins, while the Yokai followed the path to extinction.
And the young Bull Demon King.
“Did you really need to kill even a brat?”
Thanks to the Goblin King, he survived.
“Let him live. He seems like he’ll become a good Sorcerer.”
So, the Bull Demon King, raised by the goblins, was selected by the Tower and became a Player and then a High-Ranker.
After that.
The Bull Demon King returned to the Goblin Country and requested that a grave be made for the Yokai.
And about that request…
“Come and defeat me. Then I’ll recognize you as the king of this country. Then you can do whatever you want.”
The Goblin King proposed a truly unheard-of condition.
The Goblin King.
A presence that stood at the top of all goblins, even beyond a High-Ranker, with power that made others seem like insects.
The Goblin King’s proposal was truly unheard of.
However.
“Alright, but keep your promise. When the time comes, don’t make excuses.”
The Bull Demon King didn’t forget that proposal.
“I couldn’t forget it completely. After all, while living with the goblins who killed my people, I couldn’t ignore their graves.”
It was the result of hundreds of attempts.
The Bull Demon King spoke with a relieved expression.
“Well, at least this is over for now.”
It had been a pending task for over a thousand years.
Having resolved it today, it was natural for him to have a relaxed face.
“But, what brings you here? Is it for the Eyes of Foreknowledge?”
“Partly, also.”
“So, ‘partly’ means there are other matters.”
YuWon nodded.
He had obtained the Eyes of Foreknowledge.
But that was just an ability he thought of obtaining if possible, and if not, it didn’t matter.
“I need the help of a skilled Sorcerer. Several, actually.”
“Really? If that’s the case, I think I can help.”
“Seriously, could you help me…”
“If you call me ‘hyung’ [older brother], I’ll think about it. Even if it may seem that way, my help isn’t cheap.”
YuWon furrowed his eyebrows.
Did he really want to be called ‘older brother’ that badly? It wasn’t such a difficult request to fulfill, but suddenly, he felt reluctant.
However…
“Please, older brother.”
Anyway, the Bull Demon King had lived much longer than him. The words ‘older brother’ shouldn’t be so hard to say.
The Bull Demon King burst into laughter at YuWon’s words. He seemed quite satisfied with just the word ‘older brother.’
“Alright. I understand. This time, I’ll be satisfied with that.”
“Will you help me then?”
“Yes, I will. But I hope next time those words come from the heart.”
For now, it seemed he was satisfied with this, the Bull Demon King raised his cup of liquor again.
He obtained the cooperation of the “older brother” to his surprise. It was an unexpected development.
Even just in the fight against the Goblin King, the Bull Demon King had proven to be superior in power and Sorcery.
‘The more Sorcerers we have, the better.’
And so, the meal came to an end.
“Why does this restaurant smell so bad?”
A group of goblins who entered the restaurant began to complain and protest towards YuWon and the Bull Demon King.
“They could at least have their own restaurant. The smell of humans and Yokai here is killing me. Don’t you think?”
“Right. I can’t drink here.”
“Hey, hey! Let’s go somewhere else, somewhere else.”
“Ptuf!”
Deliberately, they raised their voices and spat saliva. When YuWon stood up from his seat to confront them, the Bull Demon King grabbed his arm.
“Do you think the Goblin King would have proposed those conditions for no reason?”
It was a meaningful statement.
Despite the opposition from the Bull Demon King, YuWon returned to his seat and listened to the voices of the departing goblins.
-“What the hell is the King thinking?”
-“That guy, I knew he’d cause trouble someday.”
-“The Guardian Goblins say his abilities are no joke.”
-“It’s not a joke. It’s because of the King’s old age and illness, nothing more.”
The background conversations were quite experienced.
It seemed it wasn’t the first time they had talked about this.
While the goblins walked away, the Bull Demon King looked as if he had expected this kind of conversation.
“It seems I involved you for no reason.”
“I guess they hate Yokai.”
“Not all my memories are good. After they found out I wasn’t a goblin, many goblins’ attitudes suddenly changed.”
Discrimination against the different exists everywhere.
This place was no exception.
“Did you punish them?”
“What did you expect me to do?”
“It seems you didn’t punish them enough.”
“With time, I forgot what had happened.”
A thousand years was a fairly long period of time.
Just as Rankers had become stronger over time, goblins had also, and their strength had turned into confidence.
The goblins who used to bother the young Bull Demon King now had confidence in themselves.
Now they believed they could somehow confront the Bull Demon King.
“Those who used to bother me had come a long way, becoming Guardian Goblins and reaching high-ranking positions. In contrast, I became a neighborhood thug, completely changing my world.”
“If they hate Yokai, it’s natural for them to oppose even the construction of Yokai graves.”
“As expected, you’re different from OhGong.”
If it were Son OhGong, he probably would have taken much longer to realize something so simple.
Feeling comfortable with the conversation, the Bull Demon King laughed.
“That’s right. That’s correct. That’s why the Goblin King also proposed a bet to me.”
“I never thought I’d accept something like that…”
“A promise is a promise.”
Amused by the situation, the Bull Demon King enjoyed the looks of the goblins who had gathered around him.
“We might have some tough days ahead.”
At that response, YuWon sighed.
He had thought all of this would go smoothly.
“I think we should cancel the ‘older brother’ word.”
“Why?”
“You’ve gotten me into unnecessary trouble.”
“Don’t judge so quickly. Anyway, with this, the Goblin King is on my side. Things might go smoothly.”
“Well.”
YuWon recalled the scornful expression the goblins had directed at the Bull Demon King moments before they disappeared.
“But I’m not sure.”
———–
Instead of the ruined castle, the current residence of the Goblin King was one of the sturdiest tile-roofed houses in the area.
The Goblin King stayed in the tile-roofed house, where the moonlight filtered in, and set up a small drinking table.
And in front of that Goblin King…
“Please reconsider!”
A goblin arrived and began shouting at the Goblin King.
“How dare you build a Yokai grave on this land? That’s an insult to our goblin ancestors who died fighting against the Yokai…”
“Yangban-ah.” (양반= Noble Person / Yangban)
“Yes!”
The goblin raised his head in response to the call. He wore a bright yangban mask on his head, but his expression had changed drastically to one of sadness.
He was one of the goblins who had received one of the ten masks, in this case, a Yangban mask, a representation of nobility.
“Are you saying I should break my promise?”
“But…!”
“But nothing. A promise is a promise. Don’t try to spoil the taste of the liquor and just leave already.”
The Goblin King waved his hand in annoyance. He had already heard the same words several times before, and the Goblin Yangban left helplessly.
Tch, tch…
The expression of the goblin with the Yangban mask became even darker as he suddenly turned.
Suddenly, the Goblin Yangban turned his body, and his eyes sharpened like those of a predator.
Goblin Yangban: “What business do you have here?”
Goblin Peasant: “Wow, wow. Calm down.”
Like the Goblin Yangban, another goblin wearing a mask over his head spoke.
It was a goblin with a Peasant mask.
“I didn’t come to fight. Why don’t you start by keeping your own life in order?”
“If you didn’t come to fight, what business do you have with me?”
“I saw the Bull Demon at the restaurant.”
“The Bull Demon King?”
“A ‘king’? What king?”
The words of the Goblin Peasant made the Goblin Yangban fall silent. Calling him a “king” was not enough to describe the power of the Bull Demon King. He had long surpassed the Goblin King in terms of witchcraft abilities.
“But what can we do about it?”
“We can’t allow Yokai graves to be established on this land, can we?”
“…It’s the first time.”
“What do you mean?”
“Our opinions align this time.”
The Noble Goblin and the Peasant Goblin had always had opposing personalities for a long time. But this time, their opinions coincided despite their differences.
“But with just the two of us, we can’t do anything.”
“I know.”
The eyes of the Peasant Goblin narrowed.
His pupils were so eerie that they sent shivers down the spine.
“But what if we’re not just the two of us?”
