Chapter 53: Riverside clearing

The fields were rippling with a golden hue.

Today was the first harvest for the wheat planted in the riverside clearing.

Go Nam-tae arrived at the entrance of the riverside, but he stopped in his tracks, drawn by a strange sensation of being watched.

"Toto, are those guys looking at me right now?"

[Yes, that is correct. They were looking this way just a moment ago but quickly turned their gazes away.]

The owners of the gazes Go Nam-tae felt were the key players of the riverside's three-way standoff.

The moment he appeared, they had hesitated for a second before pretending to fight each other again.

"At first, they were as indifferent as if an ant were passing by."

[It is proof that they can feel the Boss's presence.]

It was a change that had occurred as the clearing expanded.

Perhaps in a little more time, they might even react similarly to the neighbor who kept spraying seawater.

[The Boss is the original owner of all this land.]

[They dare not invade the Boss's territory.]

[Of course, only within the territory.]

It would have been perfect if Toto hadn't added that unnecessary comment at the end.

Anyway, the fact that they were conscious of Go Nam-tae worked in both good and bad ways.

While the Labyrinth shark merely sprayed water, these guys could actually attempt an intrusion.

That was only possible because this area wasn't an Absolute Domain.

[As you clear more land, the Boss's influence grows, so they will not dare to invade carelessly.]

That meant if they lost their minds, they could still invade.

[The best method is to lure them into the territory and hunt them, but I do not recommend it.]

'No, I didn't even have any intention of doing that!'

Regardless, the guys were now at a level where they were slowly becoming cautious.

He needed to find a way to speed up the clearing without provoking them as much as possible.

-We are going on a patrol around the area!

As Go Nam-tae picked up his sickle, Danhong went off to play under the guise of patrolling.

After he finished cutting the wheat and turned around, a thin green stem was draped over the cart.

"Heung-bok! When did you get here?"

'I just arrived.'

A few days ago, Heung-bok had shown ambition, saying he would grow hard to help with the harvest, and he had truly extended his vine all the way here.

"You really worked hard to get here. Rest for today. It seems I can fit all of this onto the cart."

Because the vine was still quite thin, Go Nam-tae wished for Heung-bok to grow more, but the little guy grabbed the cart firmly.

'I can pull this!'

Heung-bok went ahead and pulled the cart, which was loaded with a mountain of wheat.

It seemed he needed to make more carts quickly.

Although they wouldn't perform as well as the original cart, he would at least be able to carry things in smaller loads.

But he hadn't found all the materials for the carts yet.

Just as he was thinking about finding materials while looking for the kids who went to play, Danhong came flying over in a hurry and shouted.

-Boss, Boss, Boss! The monster you saw in your dream has appeared!

"A monster I saw in my dream?"

-It was a monster with only half a horn left on its head! It was crawling stealthily, hiding in the grass over there!

For a moment, Go Nam-tae's heart sank.

He had just been told about the possibility of the riverside monsters invading.

It meant that something mysterious might have actually infiltrated.

"What about Ha-eul and the others!"

-They are in their spot!

'Without any fear!'

"Let's go, quickly!"

Go Nam-tae grabbed his pickaxe and ran.

But the ones who were truly fearless were right here.

-Boss, but it's gone now!

"What?"

To the frozen Go Nam-tae, Danhong replied nonchalantly.

-I delivered exactly what the Boss said!

"What I said...?"

At that moment, as Go Nam-tae had a sinking feeling, Danhong said proudly.

-You said if you met it, you would snap that half-broken horn off! So it crawled away on all fours! Did I do well?

"……."

Go Nam-tae reflected once again.

You should never speak carelessly in front of the little ones…….

"But why aren't Ha-eul and the others coming back?"

-The monster left something behind. It said it was a gift for the Boss.

"What? For me?"

Beyond that, a talking monster?

No, how did it know he was here and why would it give him a "gift"?

"Anyway, let's go."

-It's here, over here!

The place they arrived at, guided by Danhong, was the edge of his territory.

Something was placed a few steps beyond the border.

Next to it were clearly visible footprints.

The cloven prints looked like those of an ox.

"Toto, can you show me what happened here?"

Toto displayed a short recording.

A massive monster was crawling through the grass.

It had jet-black fur, a hulking build, and terrifying teeth protruding from under its lips.

Danhong was shouting in front of such a creature.

'You, with the half horn! Our Boss said if he meets you, he'll snap that horn off!'

Then, the creature's reaction was strange.

It seemed to panic and scramble, dropping something on the ground before fleeing like an arrow.

It was a nerve-wracking moment.

It was lucky that the creature didn't retaliate against Danhong; it could have ended in a disaster.

The creature was as big as a small hill, and the massive horn jutting out from its stiff, black fur was threatening.

The scars etched all over its body acted like medals, exuding an aura that would make anyone sick with fear.

Yet, one side of the horn remained only half-intact, just as Go Nam-tae had seen in his dream.

However, perhaps because he had already seen it in his dream, he had simpler thoughts than expected.

'It's an ox.'

An ox. A beast that ancestors always needed when plowing fields.

Even though he was currently plowing the fields with a pickaxe, would he really keep doing it by hand forever?

To expand the territory, he needed a different method.

It was a pity that the guy had already run away, but now he suddenly wanted to have an ox.

But before that, there was something he needed to discipline.

"Danhong, from now on, you must never stand in front when you encounter a monster!"

-It was the one that came here! And it ran away immediately!

"Dan. Hong. Ah!"

-Eek! Yes, yes! I understand, Boss. I was wrong.

Danhong flinched and lowered his head.

It was because Go Nam-tae had exerted his compulsory power without realizing it.

Go Nam-tae patted the startled and frozen Danhong and also said a word to the others who were waiting quietly beside them.

"Ha-eul, you guys too. You must never recklessly charge at intruders like that. Understand?"

'Yes...!'

It was fortunate that Go Nam-tae had spoken at length.

They were guys who 'never recklessly charged' anyway.

Ha-eul asked.

'But Boss, what should we do with that box?'

It was the box the intruder had dropped.

Go Nam-tae's brow furrowed.

How could he touch it carelessly without knowing what the mysterious intruder had left behind?

However, as the guy had thrown the box, he caught a glimpse of the inside through a gap.

-Wow, you're amazing, Boss! It really was a flower!

Go Nam-tae didn't hesitate anymore.

His pickaxe struck the box directly.

CRASH!

As the box burst open, a thick mist spread, and suddenly something spilled out with a clatter.

After the mist cleared, there was a mountain of jewels piled up in front of him, so vast it was hard to believe they had come from such a small box.

Red, blue, yellow..., the things shining in various colors were high-quality magic crystals.

Among them were even Black-grade and Transparent-grade crystals that Go Nam-tae had only heard about.

As Go Nam-tae stared at the magic crystals silently, a woman suddenly appeared from among them.

"Who are you!"

As Go Nam-tae aimed his pickaxe at the woman, she let out a seductive laugh and gracefully bowed her waist.

-Greetings, Boss of the East. I am Sekaru, who oversees the West.

'Boss of the West...?'

-I am different from the foolish bird-brain of the North and the jellyfish of the South. I have sent this gift to request a peace treaty with the new Boss of the East.

He wondered what the bird-brain of the North and the jellyfish of the South were, but Go Nam-tae didn't show that he had no idea.

"Why have you come! A gift, you say? Why would you give me something like that?"

-You may not believe it, but I truly came to pay my respects. I only prepared a small gift to build a friendship with the new Boss.

Before he could ask what her scheme was, she spoke first.

-Because I can infer how powerful the Boss is, having eliminated the Grimoire so effortlessly without a word. Isn't it only natural to get along with someone strong?

-Ohohohohoho!

At her fair, jade-like laughter, Danhong and Ha-eul's family had their eyes go blank for a moment, and they began to move toward her.

"What are you doing!"

Go Nam-tae swung his pickaxe at the woman's apparition.

The ones who had stopped in their tracks approached him, clinging to him and shivering.

She had bewitched his kin with her laughter.

The woman's image, struck by Go Nam-tae's pickaxe, was flickering violently.

As Go Nam-tae approached to finish her off, the woman hurriedly knelt on one knee and apologized.

-It was my mistake. Please, forgive me. This is my inherent ability, and I simply failed to control it for a moment. I only wanted to let you know that I will never be hostile toward you, Boss.

But Go Nam-tae's brow did not unknit.

"Hmph, you call that a mistake! You trespassed as you pleased, and my kin almost got hurt. Do you call that an excuse!"

-I am sorry. But I truly did not intend for that to happen. If not, why would I have prepared such a gift?

"Why should I accept your gift? Especially a gift from a shameless intruder!"

THUD!

The magic crystals touched by the tip of the pickaxe he had carelessly dropped turned into powder and scattered.

-I am the ruler of the West. They say that while it is easy to invade a close neighbor, one forms alliances with faraway countries. Even if the gift is of no use, it would not be a bad idea to use it as a decoration.

At those words, Go Nam-tae's true feelings slipped out.

"Tsk, a single ox would be better than this junk……."

-I, if that is the case, how about my kin? I will turn back and offer them to you, Boss.

At that moment, Barnak, who had been running away diligently, stopped in his tracks as if his feet had been tied.

But perhaps fortunately, Go Nam-tae had no interest in a fully grown, adult ox.

"I have no interest in your pathetic kin. I prefer things that are young and tender."

SHUDDER!

Barnak, who was not "tender," collapsed onto the ground.

-If you permit, I wish to repay my rudeness and your grace with a small ox. If the Boss does not wish for it, I will never visit again.

"To set a condition for the obvious, you are arrogant."

-I apologize for my rudeness once again. However, I truly hope you will accept my sincerity in wishing to give you a gift.

"Hmph, and yet you sent this!"

Go Nam-tae stirred the pile of powder with his pickaxe.

Beneath it, a flower remained, the one he had struck as soon as he saw it.

While the top-grade magic crystals had vanished into powder, only the flower had been preserved.

Sekaru spoke in an urgent tone, lowering her head.

-It may sound like an excuse, but it is my medium……. It is an excuse. I was wrong. Please, have mercy…….

"I don't want to see you anymore, so withdraw now!"

CRASH!

As the flower vanished entirely, Sekaru's image disappeared as well.

WHOOSH!

A gust of wind brushed past, blowing away the ominous magic.