Chapter 124.1

Chapter 124 – Rule 31. The Leader Restores Order in Academy City (26)

Deep underground, beneath the Central Tower, in the escape route.

Head Principal Lee Doo-hee scratched at the metal walls with torn, bleeding fingernails. The escape route was tightly sealed, still intact even after Moon Chae-won’s death.

It wasn’t something created by magic but purely invented by Chae-won—carefully prepared in advance.

There was never any reason to check this underground escape route before.

From the beginning, Chae-won had intended to secretly hinder the Head Principal.

“Grrr…! Grrr…!”

With a twisted expression, the Head Principal scraped at the solid metal wall, then turned her gaze toward Chae-won.

She lay lifeless, covered in blood.

Even with her head lowered, there was a faint smile on her face, almost as if to say, “Serves you right.”

The Do-hwa Group members who had helped the escape, including Lee Jung-mi, all met their end at Chae-won’s hands. It was the result of Chae-won fighting to the death.

And then.

*RUMBLE!!!*

“Huh…!”

The escape route shook violently as a tremendous roar echoed from above. The Head Principal fell hard to the ground.

She guessed that Woo-jin’s magic technique, Celestial Thunderstrike, had ended.

Had Se-Ah won?

No.

Se-Ah’s magic, which had been vividly felt even down here, had vanished like a ghost.

‘Se-Ah’s magic…?’

The Head Principal’s face went pale. She collapsed weakly, staring blankly at her broken thigh.

“My daughter… Se-Ah…”

Se-Ah had lost.

Se-Ah… was dead.

She looked down at her own hands.

Everything she had built… had led to her daughter’s death.

“Cough…! H-Head… Principal…”

Just then, Spartoi’s Son Ye-seo regained consciousness. She coughed up blood, glancing around.

“What… is this…? Could it be…?”

Ye-seo grasped the situation.

“…My child.”

“Head Principal…?”

Ye-seo gasped as she looked at the Head Principal’s face.

It was an expression of someone who had given up everything.

“There’s somewhere I need to go… and… I’ll issue my final order…”

Ye-seo struggled to stand and forced a smile.

“Yes… please… give any order…”

Meanwhile.

*Thud.*

Goliath landed on the ground, his clothes tattered.

*Crack.*

Woo-jin also returned to the ground effortlessly through spatial teleportation, his uniform in tatters as well.

“Huff, huff…”

Woo-jin struggled to catch his breath.

The area was covered in dust, and it was easy to tell that the center area had been completely reduced to ruins.

*Crumble…*

The Hyunwoondo Sword, having reached its limit, turned to dust.

It had carried the power of Baek-seo’s ultimate skill and Woo-jin’s full-force magic. It was a glorious end for a weapon that had borne such overwhelming magic.

Baek-seo must have known it would end like this.

Woo-jin decided to think about the broken Hyunwoondo Sword later.

The goblin bat also shattered, disappearing in flames, leaving Woo-jin empty-handed.

There was nothing left where the Central Tower had once stood, appearing to have collapsed under the strain.

Woo-jin looked around once more, curious about Goliath’s condition. However, the aftermath of the explosion had covered the surroundings in dust, making it impossible to see where Goliath was.

*Thump.*

“…!”

Suddenly, his heart pounded violently, and an excruciating pain began to spread through his entire body.

The penalty for using his unique ability, Space Domination.

Woo-jin was about to face it.

*Grab.*

Out of nowhere, a golden-haired girl appeared and embraced Woo-jin.

It was Geumyang.

Immediately, the pain that had surged toward him subsided.

Only the residual pain from his battle with Se-Ah remained.

“You did well.”

“…You too.”

Geumyang absorbed Woo-jin’s penalty and then stepped away from him.

“You dealt with the tree, right?”

Geumyang nodded.

“What happened to the King of the Hidden World?”

“Thanks to you guys dealing with Lee Se-Ah, the contract holder disappeared. It seems the Head Principal had made Se-Ah the contract holder. In the end, the contract was annulled. Neo Seoul’s hidden world decided to withdraw, and the trapped souls regained their freedom… or, to put it in your terms, they found peace.”

Geumyang shrugged.

“That’s it?”