Ch.50Chapter 2. After the Battle (1)

The battle was over.

The villain Yuk Gi-bong died as he became a demon, and the demon seed forcibly planted in his body had successfully germinated but ultimately perished.

Though he had grown enormous, he was captured by Baek Seol-hee, and when he tried to escape from that body, his head was completely shattered by me, resulting in his death.

It was no longer human.

Though it tried to resemble human form and was born from humans, it was a monster born with only human malice, treating humans as “food” and slaughtering everything.

If there were such a thing as “pure evil,” neither hero nor villain, it would surely be demons like this.

[Well, the cleanup should be finished… I’ll be going now.]

There’s no point in lingering; it would only become uncomfortable.

I transformed back into the gentleman Goblin in a suit and prepared to disappear.

If I simply vanished by becoming ethereal, the same scene would unfold as always.

But today, somehow, looking at those people staring at me makes me feel uneasy.

“Stop, Goblin!!”

The faces of those rushing through the crowd were quite familiar.

“You’re under arrest!”

[The police? Special forces have been mobilized but they only show up now. Always late.]

“Kuk…!”

Those responsible for security and patrol on Sejong Island.

Some were among those I saw when entering the island, some I passed during weekend walks, and others I’d never seen before.

There were not only Korean soldiers but also foreign military personnel in foreign uniforms.

Their numbers exceeded several hundred, all pointing their guns at me, threatening me.

“Surrender peacefully! And heroes, please cooperate with us!”

[What cooperation? Help catch the Goblin? Ah, right. You always need ability users to catch ability users. And if they fail, you blame them.]

“Shut your mouth, villain! Whatever your intentions were in causing this chaos, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re a villain who kills people!”

[…I won’t deny it. The one who was a demon, the one becoming a demon, and the demon’s vanguard—to you, they’re all just innocent citizens and pitiful patients.]

I have no desire to argue, but there’s only one reason I’m standing here in this confrontation with police and soldiers.

[Let me make one thing clear.]

To make a definitive “declaration” while everyone is watching.

[From now on, do not interfere when I kill demons. Anyone who interferes will be completely destroyed.]

I pointed the end of my club at the unconscious Red Ranger.

[If there are those who turn humans destined to die as humans into demons, they too will be subject to judgment.]

I know.

Doing this will make Red Ranger receive endless criticism online.

[I am the one who punishes the guilty. The one who executes those who have become demons, those who are demons themselves. The spear of The Syndicate that executes villains.]

-I was trying to prevent him from becoming a demon, but because of you, Yuk Gi-bong became one!

-If Red Ranger hadn’t interfered, Yuk Gi-bong wouldn’t have become a demon!

-It’s his fault!

…I can’t say that outright, so I need to mix in some impressive-sounding words and make my point clear before leaving.

[Where there are villains, I will be there. And… you there.]

I raised my voice, pointing at a camera with a public broadcasting station logo that was filming me.

[You who turned a rampaging human completely into a demon. I will surely capture and execute you.]

A public warning to Dueoksini.

[…and those like you.]

With those final words, I lightly tapped my foot on the ground.

“Ah!”

Baek Seol-hee immediately noticed my action and opened her mouth in surprise, but she soon closed her eyes tightly and merely clenched her fist.

Softly.

I slowly walked in the opposite direction from Baek Seol-hee and disappeared.

That’s probably how it appeared.

My body, vanishing from the bottom up, disappeared like summer mist, like a goblin.

After turning my body ethereal so no one could see me, I immediately turned around and ran toward what I had left behind.

‘I need to retrieve the Taegeuk Watch right away!’

The clothes are fine.

But the Taegeuk Watch is different.

According to the GPS records of the Taegeuk Watch, I should have been hiding in a nearby alley just before the Goblin appeared.

So as I was going to retrieve the Taegeuk Watch….

“…Huh?”

Just as I was about to brush past Baek Seol-hee, she tilted her head.

“What was that…?”

This is bad.

Could she have detected me despite my ethereal form?

Did Baek Seol-hee recognize my ethereal state?

“Must be my imagination….”

Thank goodness.

Baek Seol-hee just rubbed her back with her hand but didn’t perceive me.

The same went for Yoon Yi-seon, who seemed to have even less spiritual sensitivity than Baek Seol-hee.

No one detected me, and I quietly ran forward, successfully reaching the alley without being noticed by anyone.

‘I am a stranger. I am a stranger. I am a stranger.’

Maintaining the mindset of being detached from this world as much as possible, I deactivated my “ethereal form” rather than transformation, and then transformed again.

“…Hmm.”

I picked up the Taegeuk Watch that had fallen on the alley floor, put it back on, turned it on, and checked my clothing state, which was the same as when I went out to eat.

The current clothes are not real clothes but made of “mana.”

Although I’ve mastered the ability to prevent even S-class individuals from noticing they’re made of mana, I still don’t want to cause unnecessary trouble.

For now—

Beep beep.

The Taegeuk Watch rang.

Startled, I immediately checked the call, and it was a familiar name.

[Manager, where are you?]

“…Deputy Ju?”

[I called right when you disappeared, perfect timing. Where are you now? I brought something you might need.]

“…Is it clothes?”

[Correct.]

Awesome.

‘Is this why heroes have sidekicks?’

The Tavern Owner isn’t my sidekick, but this kind of support is invaluable.

“Deputy Ju. When I meet the Director later, I’ll ask him to raise your salary.”

[Instead of a salary increase, could you ask for three more vacation days, Manager?]

Absolutely.

Qiongqi will surely be pleased that I used a technique modeled after his concept.

Surely.

* * *

“Tsk. Damn Goblin. The word ‘villain’ suits you all too well.”

In a traditional Korean house a little distance from the square, a young man in brown traditional casual clothes scratched his head with an irritated expression.

“Even ‘villain’ in Korean is too good for you. Goblin, you’re just a villain.”

Others might not pay much attention, but for this man to use “English”—which he consciously tries to avoid—to curse is no ordinary matter.

For him, the English term “villain” is worse than vulgar insults like “bastard” or “son of a bitch”—it’s essentially the ultimate curse word.

“Not content with bursting three newly germinated demons, you don’t even give heroes a chance and take them down yourself. Ugh, arrogant bastard.”

The young man walked to the kitchen of the hanok and took out a yakgwa cookie from the refrigerator.

“Heroes need heroic trials. Doesn’t he know the saying ‘youth is painful’? Heroes need to be broken and damaged to awaken as true heroes…tsk tsk tsk.”

Chewing and swallowing the yakgwa, the young man turned on the TV.

-Today around 12:30 PM, the Goblin appeared on Sejong Island. The Goblin mercilessly attacked a student who had become a demon….

“Damn it. Did Haeguneul control the media in the meantime?”

The incident clearly began with a student who had become a demon causing a disturbance.

For the young man who had been watching from the beginning after coming out to eat, the anchor’s words were utterly ridiculous.

“The plagiarism story has completely disappeared.”

The young man picked up his smartphone from the table and checked internet communities.

“Tsk. At this rate, doesn’t he look like he’s playing the hero? Damn it, don’t cheer, don’t be happy. He’s a villain. Not some hero of the shadows…!!”

The young man typed out long comments at a speed where his thumbs were invisible, so fast that the phone’s input response could barely keep up, venting his anger.

-[BurningTeeth]: The Goblin is just a villain. If he keeps intervening, when will our heroes get experience fighting demons?

“Korean heroes need to grow stronger by fighting demons…! Heroes must become stronger on their own. Just as war advances humanity, heroes need trials of equal measure…!”

Ding.

A notification arrived.

Someone had replied to his comment on the news.

-[WorldClassClubStorage]: Then you should have caught them faster than the Goblin? I admit I was watching from behind. The ones just watching from behind without being able to help were the cops and dogs, right?

“ARRRGGGHH!!”

The young man let out an indescribable scream.

Though the reply was only a few lines, there were many things in it that raised his blood pressure.

“Y-you damned brat…!”

[This is the final statement the Goblin left before departing.]

In the news footage.

The Goblin, pointing his club directly at the camera, was staring at the young man with gleaming golden eyes.

[You who turned a rampaging human completely into a demon. I will surely capture and execute you.]

[You oni-like bastard.]

“You fucking—! Kuhek!!”

The young man grabbed the back of his neck and collapsed.