Chapter 124.2

Geumyang shrugged.

“That’s it?”

“No, it was natural for him to be angry since everything he had worked on crumbled. But that was all. The resources he had been using were destroyed, and now he’s in a position where he must seek something new.”

Geumyang made a circle with her thumb and forefinger, symbolizing a coin.

“So at that moment, I offered him something else.”

“Something else?”

“Clever gods like me always have something good prepared.”

Geumyang looked triumphant.

“What did you offer?”

“I introduced him to the Goblin King.”

“The Goblin King?”

“Well, it’s a matter of our world. The goblin world has the energy resources that the Hidden World needs to establish its domain—memories and emotions, much like human souls, but not quite living beings.”

The penalty given by the Goblin King through his contract with Kim Dalbi.

It involved precious memories and the emotions tied to them.

These concepts of various creatures could be used as energy resources in the goblin world.

And the Hidden World of Aktonom used this as its energy source.

“Moreover, the Hidden World amplifies those memories and emotions to create new power. That was the source of Lee Se-Ah’s strength. Providing that to the goblin world could generate considerable added value. Heh heh…”

Woo-jin didn’t quite grasp it.

However, it seemed that the King of the Hidden World and the Goblin King could satisfy each other’s needs.

“…A business arrangement, huh?”

“Things aren’t so different in this world, either. Anyway, I swayed him with a little persuasion, and Aktonom accepted. And so, the situation ended.”

Geumyang puffed out her chest proudly.

“If I hadn’t been able to jump across spaces and traverse worlds as I pleased, it wouldn’t have been possible. It was truly my shining moment!”

Geumyang’s eyes sparkled, seeking praise.

“Yeah… Thanks. Things went well thanks to you.”

“Hmph, fine. Keep praising m—… Never mind.”

“What’s wrong?”

Geumyang’s face turned uneasy as she recalled something. She was thinking of Han Seo-jin.

“There’s something I need to tell you. About that human tree… Hmm?”

Geum-yang stopped mid-sentence, turning her head toward something. Woo-jin also looked in the same direction.

Through the slowly settling dust, they saw an elderly woman in a wheelchair approaching.

It was Head Principal Lee Doo-hee.

The wheelchair was new, but the Head Principal herself looked as if she could die at any moment.

Behind her, Son Ye-seo, covered in blood and dust, was struggling to push the wheelchair.

“Finish this. We’ll talk later.”

“Alright.”

Geumyang returned through a crack.

Woo-jin watched as Head Principal Lee Doo-hee approached. The wheelchair stopped a short distance from him.

“Head Principal… we’ve arrived…”

“You’ve done well…”

*Thud.*

Ye-seo, finally reaching her limit, collapsed to her knees.

“You… killed my daughter.”

The Head Principal lowered her head.

Her shoulders trembled slowly.

The wrinkles on her face contorted as tears welled up in her eyes.

“My daughter… I’m the one who drove her to this… I killed my own daughter…”

Her voice was soaked in sorrow.

The Head Principal’s hand, resting on the armrest of the wheelchair, trembled uncontrollably.

“Say what you want to say. Stop rambling.”

Woo-jin was firm.

Even in the face of the Head Principal’s grief over her daughter’s death, Woo-jin felt no sympathy.

He had no interest in the Head Principal’s past. The atrocities she had committed could never be washed away.

Soon, the Head Principal wiped her eyes with her broken hand, composed herself, and looked at Woo-jin again.

“I lost. You won. I was too arrogant…”

“…”

“When The Hole appeared in the Pacific, and the golden sheep and countless magical beasts emerged from it… the world turned into hell. I lost my parents and my sister to those beasts.”

The Head Principal continued in a calm tone.

“This city was built with a focus on knowledge and education, meant to shape a new humanity. I never thought it was a choice for the sake of mankind. I wanted to take back the world and reshape this city into something better. Or maybe… I just couldn’t let go of my anger…”

“So?”

“But in the end, I couldn’t change this city. My body, my time… I didn’t have enough to make a difference. So I used my genes to create a daughter. I planned to entrust everything to her…”

The Head Principal bowed her head.

“I was going to hand everything over… slowly… and in the end, sacrifice my own life to ensure my daughter’s success in her revolution so she could become the true ruler of Neo Seoul. That’s why I kept my life going at the bare minimum…”