Trait Hoarder

Dokkaebi Kingdom — Part 2

Chairman of Geumo Group.

A Level 7 Superhuman.

Seong Huiyeong dusted off her head, shaking loose the debris that had settled onto her neatly styled hair.

“Chairman!”

“Protect the Chairman!”

“It’s a terrorist attack!”

From the ruins of the collapsed building, superhumans leapt out like grasshoppers.

No one was injured, but everyone was covered in dust.

As they all flared their mana signatures to the maximum, the Dokkaebi reacted.

“What’s with all these Kim Wests?”

“Why are there Kim Wests in our home?”

“Hey! Go back to your own place, will you?”

Growling like tigers, the Dokkaebi pulled out their guns.

Their mana surged, swelling in intensity.

I had mentioned this before, hadn’t I?

Dokkaebi didn’t have fixed levels—their strength fluctuated depending on their opponents.

Which meant that right now, the Dokkaebi had scaled up to Levels 5, 6, and 7, radiating a menacing aura.

“Haa…”

Seong Huiyeong let out a quiet sigh.

Then, she shot me a look—one filled with sheer disbelief.

She glanced at the ruins of the Geumo Group headquarters.

Then, at the bizarre landscape unfolding behind me.

Because that’s what had happened.

The wreckage of the Geumo Group headquarters—

And, like a mirage atop it, the entire Dokkaebi Kingdom had materialized.

The sheep-shaped clouds, the furry ground, the fairy winds, the ink-wash mountains—none of them had vanished.

They had simply folded inward, now lingering behind us.

“Sword Star. What in the world is going on?”

Seong Huiyeong asked in a tone of pure exasperation.

I bowed my head politely.

“My apologies. This was an accident.”

“An accident? An accident? What kind of accident blows up an entire corporate headquarters?”

“Well, that’s, uh…”

How the hell was I supposed to explain this?

No, more importantly—of all places, why did we have to land here?

Even if our destination was random, I thought we’d at least land on the outskirts of Seoul.

But Gangnam? Samseong-dong?

And of all buildings, we had to hit the Geumo Group headquarters directly?

Then again, maybe this was actually for the best.

If it had been another conglomerate’s building, things could’ve been even messier.

And if we had crashed into the Mage Tower or the Grand Temple instead… I didn’t even want to imagine the chaos.

As I was racking my brain, Dangoma suddenly spoke up with a bizarre statement.

“Kim West! This is our land!”

“What?”

“I said, this is our land! We’ve owned this land since ancient times! That’s why we came here! You think we just popped up here for no reason?”

What nonsense was he spouting now?

With a smug expression, Dangoma rummaged through his scroll pouch.

Then, he pulled out a sheet of yellowed hanji paper.

Puffing out his chest, he proudly unfurled it.

Obviously, I couldn’t read it.

Seong Huiyeong adjusted her glasses, activating a translation function.

“Year 20 of the Wanli Era. Inspector Park Jeonggyun of the Office of the Inspector-General grants ten durak of farmland in Gwangju Province to one… Tang Gok Ma…? What is this supposed to be?”

“What do you mean, what? It’s a land deed.”

“A land deed? This thing? This flimsy scrap of paper?”

“Flimsy?! This was given to me by an official! Look! There’s even a seal! It was officially notarized by the local government!”

Seong Huiyeong’s gaze turned icy.

Even I was dumbfounded.

Was he seriously claiming ownership over this land with just one ancient piece of paper?

…Actually, thinking about it, it wasn’t entirely baseless.

At least, not from the Dokkaebi’ perspective.

From a human standpoint, however, it was a completely different story.

“One moment, Dangoma.”

“Huh? What’s up?”

“You said it was from the 20th year of the Wanli Era?”

“Yeah! I personally received it in the 20th year of Wanli’s reign! I saved an official who was being chased by Japanese soldiers, and he gave it to me as a reward! Ten maji of land is huge! Man, I’m so glad I took it. Look at this place now—it’s a paradise!”

“As expected of Dangoma.”

“Our village’s champion!”

“Dangoma is the greatest!”

“Hahaha.”

The Dokkaebi all gave him a thumbs-up.

His nose practically stretched out like Pinocchio’s from sheer pride.

But no matter how confident they were in their logic, I couldn’t accept it.

So I pointed something out.

“The 20th year of the Wanli Era… Hmm. I recognize that date. That was during the Imjin War. Roughly 400 years ago.”

“The Imjin War?”

Seong Huiyeong asked, her tone dripping with disbelief.

“Ah, I get it now. Wanli, as in the Wanli Emperor? Korea used the Chinese era names back then, didn’t they?”

“That’s correct. The same Wanli Emperor.”

“The Imjin War broke out in 1592, so… yeah, that’s over 400 years ago. And that document has been sitting around for 400 years, too.”

Not just Seong Huiyeong—

Even the surrounding superhumans were now looking at the document with cold, skeptical eyes.

Especially Chief Kim—formerly Secretary Kim—who was standing at the front.

His face twisted in sheer disdain.

“You’re not seriously claiming that a 400-year-old contract is still valid, are you? Sword Star, you don’t actually think so, do you?”

His expression made it clear—if it weren’t for my presence, he would have already ordered an attack.

I shook my head firmly.

“Of course not. A contract from 400 years ago? That’s forty generations worth of change. An entire country has fallen and risen since then. How could a land deed from that era still hold any legal weight?”

“Exactly.”

“Wha—? Kim West! What are you saying?!”

Dangoma quickly interjected.

“This is a land deed I wrestled for! The local government officially notarized it! Look, don’t you see the seal? Go check the records! It has to be in there!”

“No, it wouldn’t be.”

“What?! Why not?!”

“Because Joseon no longer exists.”

“Th-That’s…”

“You’re aware of this, aren’t you? Joseon collapsed. It became a colony of Japan, and then it was reborn as the Republic of Korea. So tell me, how does a document notarized by a Joseon government office have any legal standing today?”

“This is ridiculous! The Republic of Korea is Joseon!”

“No, it isn’t. They are two completely different nations.”

The Joseon Dynasty was a monarchical state.

The Republic of Korea was a democratic republic.

Even if Joseon had functioned like an aristocracy in practice, its government structure was fundamentally different.

Dangoma clutched the ancient land deed tightly, his eyes trembling with uncertainty.

“B-But…”

“If you really don’t understand, why don’t you go ask the ghost of King Jeongjo? He has [Clairvoyance], so he’d know the exact details.”

“No! No way! This is my land! I won it through wrestling fair and square!”

“And it was a scam from the start.”

“Huh?”

“A scam. You were scammed, Dangoma. Who was it again? The Inspector-General? That official deceived you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s simple.”

I glanced at the aged hanji paper Dangoma was clutching.

Under normal circumstances, that document might have held some legitimacy.

If the transaction had been between ordinary people.

“Joseon never recognized the rights of non-humans. Don’t you remember?”

“Uh…”

“Even mutants weren’t considered human until after Korea’s liberation. Back in the Joseon era, they were treated as monsters. Do you think you were any different? Do you recall any mention of Dokkaebi in the Gyeongguk Daejeon granting you legal rights?”

There wasn’t.

If anything, the Joseon government classified supernatural beings as ‘chaotic spirits’ and actively suppressed them.

A land deed?

If a Dokkaebi had walked into a government office with that document, they’d be lucky if they only got beaten senseless.

And if the Dokkaebi got mad and retaliated, the Central Superhuman Army would have been dispatched to hunt them down immediately.

Dangoma gripped the land deed even tighter.

“I… I… I…”

“Even by Joseon-era laws, this contract was invalid. And more importantly, it’s been 400 years. The country that issued this land deed no longer exists. The land reforms after liberation wiped out any lingering claims. This land isn’t yours—it belongs to Chairman Seong Huiyeong.”

“That… that can’t be…”

In the game, they never went into this much detail.

All I had to do was mediate between the Dokkaebi demanding to stay and the local residents refusing to leave.

It was relatively easy, too.

As I said before, money could solve everything.

But that was when the conflict involved ordinary citizens.

Now?

We were in Gangnam.

Samseong-dong.

And of all possible locations, we had crashed into the Geumo Group headquarters.

There’s a saying that a sufficiently large sum of money is indistinguishable from divine intervention.

That saying was wrong.

No matter how much I had earned lately, I couldn’t even begin to compare with Geumo Group.

Or the rest of the Five Great Conglomerates.

“Haaa…”

Seong Huiyeong let out a long sigh.

“Sword Star. These people… they weren’t human?”

“No. They’re Dokkaebi.”

“Dokkaebi? Like the ones from folktales? Poof! Gold appears! Those Dokkaebi?”

“Yes. Those Dokkaebi.”

The Dokkaebi stared at Seong Huiyeong with pitiful eyes.

Dangoma, on the verge of tears, sniffled like a kitten.

“Kim West… Sorry, but can’t we just borrow your land for a bit? Now that our worlds are linked, we can’t go back.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Tch. That didn’t work.”

Kim Chief’s eyes flashed dangerously.

“They’re not human? That simplifies things. Let’s send them to a research lab. A hundred rounds of live experimentation should straighten them out. Good data, good deterrent. It’s a win-win.”

“What? Live experiments?! You think we’ll just sit there and take that?”

The Dokkaebi rose to their feet.

A heavy, ominous energy spread like a storm cloud.

One by one, they drew their pistols and shotguns.

As their fury became genuine, the air itself trembled with power.

No.

This couldn’t happen.

People underestimated Dokkaebi, but they were anything but weak.

They might act foolish, but if a fight broke out, Geumo Group would lose.

Dokkaebi Kingdom was a late-game faction, far stronger than most existing forces.

“Enough.”

I raised my hand, stopping both sides.

“This incident was undeniably the Dokkaebi’ fault. But live experimentation? Chief Kim, do you even realize what you’re suggesting?”

“Hmph. They’re just magical creatures from some fairy tale…”

“Each one of them is stronger than Chairman Seong Huiyeong.”

“What?”

“Let me make this clear: the only person here capable of defeating them in a one-on-one fight is me. Not Chairman Seong, not the Geumo Group executives—no one.”

That was how Dokkaebi worked.

If they were serious, their power was overwhelming.

Kim Chief looked unconvinced.

“That’s impossible. They show up as Level 0 on our detectors.”

“Dokkaebi can’t be measured by normal magic detection. Look up historical records from the Joseon era.”

“Khmm.”

Kim Chief hesitated and took a step back.

Meanwhile, the Dokkaebi puffed up with pride.

Their shoulders shot up to the sky.

Their noses pointed high as they strutted around.

“Hah! Kim West actually gets us!”

“Humans! If you don’t want to get smashed, bring us buckwheat jelly!”

“And rice cakes!”

“And meat!”

“And booze!”

“Ahem. Show proper respect to your elders!”

The Dokkaebi had gone from fearsome warriors to mischievous pranksters in an instant.

Seong Huiyeong studied them carefully before speaking.

“Still, I can’t just let this go.”

“I agree. I also believe the Dokkaebi should compensate Geumo Group.”

“Compensation, huh…”

Seong Huiyeong fell deep into thought.

Meanwhile, the Dokkaebi grumbled behind me.

“This is our land, though…”

“You idiot. They just said it isn’t.”

“That’s their perspective!”

“So what, you wanna kick them out?”

“Let’s kick them out!”

“Can we even do that?”

“Uh… maybe if we beat them up?”

“And what happens when humans come back in full force?”

“W-Well, we’d still win!”

These guys… seriously?

I ignored Seong Huiyeong for a moment and turned to the Dokkaebi.

“You really think you’d win? Are you being serious right now? From what I remember, quite a few Dokkaebi got sent to hell after fighting humans in the Goryeo era.”

“Ugh…”

“…Tch.”

“That was a rough time.”

“You weren’t even born then.”

“I heard plenty of stories, okay?”

“The elders really fell back then…”

“Khm. May they find enlightenment in hell.”

“Wow, that’s cold. Cursing our elders like that.”

“What else am I supposed to say? They fell into hell because they were corrupt.”

Folktales say that Dokkaebi fear blood.

The same holds true in Arcane Seoul.

Any Dokkaebi that kills a human and spills blood is doomed to corruption.

They will abandon their love for alcohol, rice cakes, meat, and buckwheat jelly—desiring only human flesh and blood instead.

And their fate? Hell.

Even if they evade extermination, their own bodies melt away as they are dragged into the underworld.

For Dokkaebi, who only wish to live joyfully before returning to nature, this is the worst possible end.

That’s why they may quarrel with humans, even fight them—

But they never seek war or bloodshed.

Unless, of course, they were about to be captured and subjected to live experiments.

I turned my gaze to Seong Huiyeong, then back to the Dokkaebi, and spoke firmly.

“No matter what, war must be avoided. If a war breaks out, the damage will be severe enough to knock Geumo Group out of the Five Great Conglomerates. And it wouldn’t just be Geumo Group suffering—over half of the Dokkaebi here would be corrupted and dragged to hell.”

“Wait, are you saying they are that dangerous?”

“Yes. In my opinion, capturing them alive is nearly impossible. And even if you tried to eliminate them, it would require Geumo Group, the Korean military, plus either the Eastern or Western Army, and on top of that, a Mage Tower.”

“Hah…”

“Heh, Kim West. That’s how strong we are.”

The Dokkaebi puffed up with pride.

Seriously?

If you guys had done your job properly, I wouldn’t even be arguing with Seong Huiyeong right now.

Naturally, a sharp remark slipped from my mouth.

“As if. Bunch of amateur wrestlers.”

“Kyahhh!”

One Dokkaebi hissed like an angry cat.

“Kim West! Even you?!”

Two others looked at me like I had just betrayed them like Caesar.

“Well, fine.”

Seong Huiyeong casually brushed her ear.

“I never had any intention of doing live experiments in the first place. Sword Star, I don’t know what you think, but I despise such things.”

The ears of the Seong family.

Every member of the Geumo family had a signature cybernetic enhancement implanted into their ears—complete with mana circuits.

Her father, the former chairman of Geumo Group, was a power-hungry tyrant.

He definitely wasn’t the kind of man who treated his children well.

“In any case, since no one was killed or injured, I’ll settle for compensation. Fair compensation. And eviction. If both conditions are met, I won’t press this matter further.”

Seong Huiyeong glanced at the Dokkaebi.

They were well-groomed yet strangely dressed.

Not particularly luxurious, nor particularly shabby.

But could they even afford proper compensation?

She clearly had doubts.

To be fair, if I hadn’t been here mediating, she would have attacked first and asked questions later.

“So, that brings me to my proposal—something for both the Dokkaebi and Chairman Seong to consider.”

“What is it? What is it?”

“Go on.”

The Dokkaebi leaned in, eager.

Seong Huiyeong fixed her gaze on me.

With all eyes on me, I slowly spoke.

“There’s an old saying: ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’”

“Uh… okay?”

“Right. So?”

“The same principle applies here.”

I raised a finger and pointed toward the sky.

To the shattered skyscraper above.

To the shifting shadows flickering within the ruin.

To the mirage-like image of Dokkaebi Kingdom, still lingering there.

“Land for land.”

“…What?”

“If the problem is real estate, then why not compensate with real estate?”

–TL Notes–

Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won’t get any ads!

If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at /InsanityTheGame

Join my Discord! .gg/BWaP3AHHpt