Ch.164Chapter 6. And Nobody Knows (2)

At that moment, somewhere in Daejeon.

“We need to find Dueoksini first.”

“No. Our priority is transporting the Zenros from Daejeon to Busan.”

“How? By air? Didn’t you see the protesters lining the roads? They’re demanding all Zenros be executed immediately.”

“Before talking about execution, we should administer the vaccine to them first…”

“What vaccine for people who are about to die! They’ll all be executed once they reach Busan anyway!”

“But there could be exceptions!!”

Raised voices filled the air.

If even the heroes’ meeting room was this chaotic, what must the situation be like among ordinary citizens?

“…….”

Watching the heated meeting through the glass wall, Baek Seol-hee was listening to an emergency late-night debate on the news through her earphones.

There were too many problems.

The situation was indescribably chaotic.

Just like the state right before America and China might wage a superpowered war, communities across the nation—no, the world—were filled with fear and confusion.

“We must find Dueoksini! We need to find and kill that monster first!”

“How do we find it? How do we know where Dueoksini even is?”

The biggest problem.

Where is Dueoksini?

From the beginning, even the Hero Association didn’t know ‘where Dueoksini had disappeared to.’

The last place it appeared was Ulleungdo.

Afterward, there were sightings of suspected Dueoksini in various locations, but they were all false reports.

Dueoksini had vanished after appearing on Ulleungdo.

Even then, it had only appeared briefly before disappearing, leaving the Hero Association constantly one step behind.

“Is it true that Dueoksini was driven away by Platinum Sun?”

“We know for certain that Platinum Sun appeared on Ulleungdo. The two men there, Nam Du-chang and Gong Tae-beom, became Zenros.”

“What about the testimonies of the students who were there?”

“According to Student Council President Yoon Yi-seon and Yu…mir? These two testified that Dueoksini turned the two men into demons, but Platinum Sun drove it away. Dueoksini fled as soon as it encountered Platinum Sun.”

“Can we really trust that testimony? Is there video evidence?”

“No. But she’s the student council president. Do you think she would lie?”

“A person’s position doesn’t guarantee the truthfulness of their testimony. Even Platinum Sun’s appearance only resulted in releasing Zenros on Ulleungdo….”

“Enough. What we need to find is not Platinum Sun but Dueoksini. We need to find and kill that monster.”

The condemnation of Dueoksini continued.

The heroes needed to quickly find and eliminate Dueoksini before it could turn more ability users into demons on a massive scale.

“Then what about the Goblin…?”

“This is no time to worry about the Goblin! At least this time, he did well! He killed all the demons!”

“Not all of them, just the ones who had already killed or eaten people.”

“What? Are you defending the Goblin now?”

“Yes, I am. He killed all the demons without us having to dirty our hands.”

“What the hell!”

It was complete chaos.

Knowing that her input would be pointless amid such confusion, Baek Seol-hee quietly slipped away and sipped her coffee.

She just wanted to find where Dueoksini was.

At least the information from Ulleungdo had confirmed that Dueoksini was the culprit behind this crisis, and she simply wanted to find and eliminate that source immediately.

Beep.

“…?”

A message arrived.

Looking at her Taegeuk Watch, she saw it was from someone whose name was being tossed around in the heroes’ discussion.

-Unni. Are you okay? Should I come over if you’re uncomfortable? I’m worried.

On the surface, it seemed like a simple check-in message.

But Baek Seol-hee knew Ymir wasn’t the type to send such messages without reason.

Ring ring.

Baek Seol-hee called immediately.

[Ah, unni!]

“Sorry. Keep it short. What’s going on?”

[Well, that’s… how should I put this…. Ah.]

After some hesitation, Ymir seemed to bring her mouth closer to the receiver.

[We.caught.it.]

“…….”

The voice through the receiver sounded slightly altered, as if mixed with magical energy.

“Caught what?”

[Du.]

If someone were to hear this conversation later, they could easily deduce what Ymir meant, and Baek Seol-hee’s lips curled up slightly as she understood.

“I see. I understand what you’re saying. Let’s meet when I come to Sejong Island next time. Take care of yourself.”

[Yes. Ah, it’s a secret from others. I’ll tell you more later. Get some rest, unni.]

The call ended.

Baek Seol-hee felt deeply relieved inside.

“…This is uncomfortable.”

That problem.

She probably discussed it with Do Ji-hwan.

She wanted to talk to Do Ji-hwan too, but it was too late to call or text him now.

“……Hah.”

Spatial movement.

That technique that allowed one to move mysteriously between Daejeon and Ulleungdo.

“…….”

Though one might expect her to feel envious, Baek Seol-hee felt nothing of the sort.

“We need Dueoksini right now!!”

The thought of telling those people inside, passionately arguing, about Dueoksini’s death.

Ymir had asked her not to tell anyone.

That was surely the result of consultation with Do Ji-hwan.

The fact that Ymir shared this with her showed trust, and betraying that trust would mean betraying Do Ji-hwan.

“Noona? What are you doing outside the meeting room?”

“Breathing.”

Cheok Jun-gyeong approached with a tired face and pointed to the heated argument inside.

“Sigh. We need to find Dueoksini quickly. Where could Dueoksini be right now?”

“…Buried somewhere, I guess.”

In hell, or underground.

Slurp.

Baek Seol-hee sipped her coffee and silently apologized to the people arguing intensely.

At least.

Until she spoke with Ymir at Sejong Island, she decided to remain silent about Dueoksini’s death.

If that was Ymir’s wish, Do Ji-hwan’s wish.

* * *

Dawn, Ulleungdo lodging.

“You need to be more careful about how you move forward.”

In a room away from others, Ymir and Yoon Yi-seon were having a private conversation.

“Right now, it’s known that Platinum Sun appeared on Ulleungdo first. Thanks to our testimony, people believe ‘Platinum Sun drove away Dueoksini,’ but they’ll soon discover errors in that story.”

“…….”

“The situation is getting complicated and difficult. But the most important thing is that two Zenros appeared only on Ulleungdo and nowhere else. And they appeared even earlier than those in Daejeon.”

That’s how the situation had developed.

“They say the Goblin rushed to Ulleungdo, but there’s no way to prove the Goblin actually came to Ulleungdo.”

At least that’s what Yoon Yi-seon’s investigation showed.

“In the end, it’s been established that Platinum Sun drove away Dueoksini, and now they know Platinum Sun’s last whereabouts.”

“……..”

After dealing with Dueoksini and returning.

Despite the late hour, the academy students were naturally questioned, and Yoon Yi-seon and Ymir coordinated their stories.

The Goblin wasn’t mentioned.

“What are you going to do now?”

“…I want to consult before deciding.”

“With whom?”

“With…the Goblin.”

“Do you have a way to contact the Goblin? The situation seems really complicated. Can the Goblin resolve this?”

“That’s….”

While they were deep in thought.

Beep.

A new message arrived.

The message arrived simultaneously on both their Taegeuk Watches, showing a link to some broadcast.

“This is….”

“Smishing?”

“No, not smishing. This address is that one.”

Yoon Yi-seon opened the hyperlink that arrived on her Taegeuk Watch and pointed it at the TV.

Whoosh.

As soon as the TV turned on, a black silhouette appeared from the darkness.

Holding a black turtle in her arms and stroking its shell, the mysterious small ‘girl’ with an unknown identity wore a traditional Korean mask on her face.

[Ahem. I address all of humanity. I, who am none other than.]

“The leader of Yimemangryang, the boss…!”

[The leader of the world domination organization, Yimemangryang.]

Clap!

As the self-proclaimed leader clapped her hands, lights began to sparkle behind her.

Boom boom boom.

As some unidentifiable traditional Korean music played, the girl continued stroking the turtle and then extended her finger forward.

[Rejoice! Humanity. I have sent my most cherished person to deal with Dueoksini.]

“What…did she say…?”

Yoon Yi-seon was confused.

“Is the boss publicly announcing that the Goblin killed Dueoksini…?”

[That’s right. My strongest enforcer, the Goblin, personally dealt with Dueoksini. Dueoksini no longer exists in this world. So worry not, humanity.]

The girl extended her hand forward.

[Humanity! Our Syndicate does not join hands with demons! If there is anyone who turns humans into demons, be they president or S-class ability user, our Syndicate will not stand idle! Those who throw the world I will rule, that I will dominate, into chaos, will be punished in the name of me, ‘Dark Demon Dragon’!!]

Boom!

As rainbow-colored fireworks exploded behind the boss, the video ended.

“…What kind of recording is this.”

“It’s not a recording.”

Yoon Yi-seon switched to a news channel.

-Uh, breaking news just in… you all probably saw it too, right? The Dark Demon Dragon, leader of The Syndicate, claiming they eliminated Dueoksini….

“Oh.”

Ymir made a sad face.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have contacted Seol-hee unni….”

One dead.

Two people claiming to have caught it.

“If we’re questioned later about what happened….”

“Don’t overthink it. Seol-hee unni is trustworthy, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then, think of it this way.”

Yoon Yi-seon took Ymir’s hands.

“Villains killed each other. We don’t know anything.”

* * *

“…….”

The red-haired woman stood up after watching the TV broadcast.

The toast she was about to put in her mouth fell to the floor, sauce leaking out.

“That can’t be. It can’t be….”

“Unni!”

A girl slightly younger than the woman, who resembled her, rushed out of the room.

“Calm down! First, calm down….”

“Do I look like I can calm down?!”

The red-haired woman shouted almost like a scream as she put on her coat.

“There’s no way that person could be dead…! Yes, surely…! If they killed him, if he’s dead…!”

The woman’s hair began to spread wildly like a ghost’s.

“Goblin or whatever, I’ll kill them all…!”