The reason Black Wolves were dangerous wasn’t their overwhelming strength.
They were only slightly stronger than goblins.
The problem was their extreme incompatibility with Wood Golems.
Black Wolves, with frail frames and stamina, boasted swift movements and powerful jaws.
In contrast, Wood Golems had immense strength and endurance but moved sluggishly.
Black Wolves easily dodged the golems’ attacks, relentlessly biting their limbs.
The result wasn’t mere scratches.
Where their ferocious jaws tore through, the golems’ limbs looked as if gouged by a giant drill, hideously mangled.
The sturdy wooden limbs turned grotesque in an instant.
The defense was barely successful, but a red warning light flashed in Sang-woong’s mind.
“Repair costs! Repair costs! Repair costs!”
Like a haunting echo, a massive repair bill loomed over him.
If this continued, his point balance would hit rock bottom, and in the worst case, losing all the Wood Golems could lead to the land’s core shattering and the land’s destruction.
That would mean Sang-woong’s death.
Since his fate was tied to the land, its loss would erase his existence.
A chilling fear crept down his spine.
His only option was to abandon his life on Earth and stay in the dungeon, fighting off invading monsters.
But that would be a horrific replay of the past he so desperately wanted to escape.
The shiitake mushroom farming, his last hope, had yielded disappointing results, plunging Sang-woong into a deep quagmire.
“It’s all my fault. I relied on luck without basic knowledge.”
He deeply regretted his complacency.
But he couldn’t give up yet.
In an information-rich world, he might find a high-yield crop in a short time.
Clinging to desperate hope, he tried to steel himself when Aria flew over, panting, and shouted, “Master! A gate has opened!”
“What? A gate?”
Her unexpected cry left Sang-woong momentarily stunned, his nerves frozen.
Dropping what he was doing, he followed Aria and was met with an unbelievable sight.
In the middle of the land stood a majestic gate emitting a yellow glow.
Sang-woong felt his hair stand on end from the intense tension.
This was undoubtedly a dungeon.
He had never heard of another gate opening within a dungeon.
And the color was bizarre.
Normal gates glowed blue, varying only in shade.
What did this unfamiliar yellow glow signify?
An unknown fear made his heart pound wildly.
In this unprecedented situation, his body stiffened.
With no idea what might happen, he drew a weapon from his inventory.
“What do I do?”
Gates in warehouses could be gauged by their aura, making them manageable.
But this yellow gate was impossible to read.
“Should I go in?”
In dungeons, closing a problematic gate was the safest option.
If that wasn’t possible, hunting monsters to lower saturation and prevent a dungeon break was necessary.
No matter the dangers lurking, resolving this required entering the gate.
There was one other option: report the gate to the Hunters’ Association.
They’d send an investigation team to handle it.
But what would happen to the land? His mind swirled with complexity.
At that moment, a strange entity emerged from the gate.
“That’s…”
They resembled humans but were slightly different.
Sang-woong was briefly speechless, but Aria’s cheerful voice broke the silence.
“It’s the Afua Tribe!”
Her reaction eased his tension.
From her demeanor, they didn’t seem dangerous.
Their appearance also suggested they were far from threatening.
They looked like the dwarves from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
With kind faces, they stood barely a meter tall.
“Aria, you seem to know about the Afua Tribe. Can you explain?”
At Sang-woong’s request, Aria began excitedly.
“They’re one of the tribes that lived here when the land was vast. They had to leave when it shrank and lost its energy.”
If they were native to the land, they were likely safe.
Sang-woong stowed his weapon.
The Afua Tribe emerging from the gate stared at him with innocent eyes.
As Sang-woong, the land’s master, prepared to greet them, another Afua appeared.
Soon, he froze in place.
Over 100 Afua Tribe members poured out of the gate.
The quiet land was instantly filled with them.
At first, he thought only one had come, as there was no activity after the first.
But then another appeared, followed by an endless stream.
Overwhelmed by their numbers, Sang-woong panicked.
“%^$&^&$”
As he stood dumbfounded, the lead Afua spoke, but Sang-woong couldn’t understand the unfamiliar language.
“What’s he saying?”
Frustrated, the Afua gestured animatedly.
“He says he’s Harkey of the Afua Tribe and asks who you are,” Aria translated.
“Oh, right! Aria’s here.”
If they once lived here, they likely understood each other.
“Aria, can you ask how they got here?”
“Sure!”
Aria questioned Harkey, who replied.
“They were fleeing monsters when a gate suddenly opened. They felt a familiar energy and entered.”
“Familiar energy…”
Sang-woong realized the yellow gate wasn’t a dungeon gate connecting dimensions but a passage linking two places.
The Afua Tribe were residents of this land, returning to their ancestral home.
- Would you like to accept the Afua Tribe as residents of the land? –
Sang-woong fell into deep thought.
“What do I do?”
Normally, welcoming them would be right.
Though he was the land’s master, they had lived here long ago and deserved to stay.
The problem was the land’s size—only 400 pyeong.
With over 100 Afua, farming space would drastically shrink.
Already short on points after a failed farming attempt, this was a big issue.
Food was another concern. Feeding so many would be immense.
He’d have no crops left to sell at the shop.
But he couldn’t coldly turn them away.
Their worn clothes and frail, sickly appearances showed their hardships.
“What do I do?”
Suddenly, realization hit him like a bolt.
“What am I thinking? This isn’t my decision. They have a right to this land.”
The Afua Tribe were practically its true owners.
Who was he to decide their fate?
“I’ll accept them.”
- The Afua Tribe has been integrated as residents of the land. Communication is now possible. –
With their integration, Sang-woong could naturally understand their language.
“This is cool. My words are conveyed too.”
With a gentle smile, he addressed them.
“Welcome, Afua Tribe.”
His words were naturally translated.
Surprised to understand him, the Afua cheered, raising their hands.
“Thank you, hua!”
As residents, they took deep breaths, as if they had missed this air.
A message appeared before Sang-woong, who was watching them with a warm smile.
- Species: Afua Tribe
Alignment: Good
Traits: A tribe specialized in farming, capable of growing any crop quickly and excellently. Tribal chief selection competition.
Likes: They eat anything deliciously.
Current Status: Exhausted from fleeing monsters and prolonged exposure to bad air, resulting in poor health. –
Sang-woong’s eyes widened.
Though he had upgraded his Appraisal Skill, he didn’t expect such detailed information.
The message held the solution to his biggest worry: their farming expertise.
He was farming 400 pyeong alone, and with his limited knowledge and experience, it wasn’t easy.
As the land grew, it would become unmanageable.
The message also hinted at solving the food issue.
They ate anything well. He had assumed they’d only eat land crops, but that was a misconception.
Aria preferred snacks over land crops, even finding spirit food less appealing after eating candy.
Though he found a solution to the food issue, Sang-woong’s expression remained serious.
The problem was money.
Even with their small size, over 100 Afua would consume a lot.
With the dungeon’s faster time flow, even more food was needed.
“I thought the time difference between Earth and the dungeon was only beneficial, but not always.”
His worried face suddenly brightened.
“Right, the deposit!”
He hadn’t thought of the tenant deposit because it was earmarked for repaying a bank loan.
Fortunately, he hadn’t had time to visit the bank, so the money was still in his account.
“I’ll repay the loan later. First, I need to put out this fire.”
Smiling brightly at the concerned Afua, he said, “Let’s live happily together.”
They cheered like graduates tossing their caps.
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