Chapter 65.1

Chapter 65 – Rule 24. The Leader Pursues to the End (2)

Zero Zone.

That’s what they call the ‘Zero Zone’ of Neo Seoul.

Beyond the beautiful flower garden.

In stark contrast to it.

Quiet, dark, misty, and eerie. That was the landscape of the Zero Zone known to people.

It was a strictly closed area, officially known to be uninhabited.

It was said to be filled with all kinds of foul air and radiation leaking from magical beasts, contaminating the area.

Neo Seoul is a safe land.

Blessed and protected by the Golden Sheep, it is one of the few safe places in the world from the attacks of magical beasts.

However, the official stance was that the Zero Zone was outside this safe boundary, which was widely accepted as common knowledge.

They claimed it was a mistake during urban development due to the unclear boundary of the Golden Sheep’s blessing.

…But it was false common knowledge.

The Zero Zone was also a land blessed by the Golden Sheep.

Very few people in the city knew this fact.

“Ah…, it hurts….”

The medical facility stood in the midst of the desolate city center. It was an abandoned hospital, with only the Head Principal’s subordinates residing inside.

Moon Chae-won lay in bed, letting out a hollow laugh.

She was undergoing treatment and trying to stabilize. However, the ongoing pain was unavoidable for now.

‘That guy is really brutishly strong….’

Chae-won recalled Ahn Woo-jin, the Disciplinary Committee Leader of Ahsung High School.

The moment when his Iron Dragon Staff had struck her abdomen directly was unforgettable. It had been a long time since she had felt a warning of danger ringing in her mind.

‘He’s definitely not Tier 5. At least Tier 6.’

To land an effective hit on her required magic power at least at the upper levels of Tier 5.

With such a powerful force, it must be at least Tier 6.

She turned her head to look out the window.

She saw the dreary gray cityscape.

‘Is this the result of my complacency….’

Chae-won let out a hollow laugh.

“I didn’t want to come to such a gloomy place again.”

The sky was overcast, as if it was about to rain. It could indeed be described as an ashen city.

“How unpleasant….”

There were few radio waves, making it difficult to fully utilize her abilities.

The scenery alone was enough to make her feel repulsed.

Moreover, being here inevitably brought back childhood memories.

Babies born with high magic power were sent to the Zero Zone’s facility. Chae-won was no exception.

The experiences she had after that were unforgettable, no matter how much she wanted to forget them.

‘Still, I like that it’s quiet and there’s little surveillance.’

Since the Zero Zone was a closed-off area, there were few security robots.

If someone found a security robot in the Zero Zone, they would certainly become suspicious.

As she was lost in her thoughts,

“You can’t be here…!”

Bang! Thud!

The guards in the hallway seemed to be caught in a commotion, but Chae-won didn’t pay attention.

Clack. Creeeak.

“What’s going on?”

Chae-won asked without turning her head.

“Huff, huff….”

A woman with cherry blossom-colored hair entered the room.

She was out of breath, bleeding profusely. The bright hair was stained with red blood.

It was Kim Dalbi, one of the Six Criminals.

“Judging by your appearance, you must have defied the Head Principal?”

Chae-won spoke while looking at Dalbi’s reflection in the window.

“What’s the reason? Did you mess with the Disciplinary Committee Leader of Ahsung High School?”

Chae-won asked nonchalantly.

Dalbi approached Chae-won without answering. The sword in her hand faintly reflected the lonely light of the room.

Chae-won turned her head towards Dalbi and smirked.

“So, you’ve come to deal with me, the ‘means’, since negotiations failed? Then you should’ve killed the guys outside first. Don’t tell me… you’re still holding on to that idiotic non-killing policy?”

Chae-won shrugged provocatively.

Dalbi’s eyes turned cold and fierce.

“I won’t kill. I’ll make it so you can’t fight anymore.”

“What do you plan to do? Touching me now is clearly an act of rebellion.”

“If it comes to this, I’ll rebel.”

Screech.

Dalbi raised her sword.

“You broke your promise.”

She swung the sword.

Swish!

In that moment, black particles rose, forming an arch-shaped mechanical shield that protected Chae-won.

It was a defensive measure shaped with reserved radio waves.

Clang!

The sword and shield clashed, producing a clear metallic sound. The collision of magic power caused a strong gust of wind.

As if expecting it, Dalbi tried to launch another attack.

Then Chae-won shot out of the bed and engaged in a swift, skillful exchange of blows with Dalbi. After several brief clashes, they were locked in a standoff, their arms interlocked.

“Ah, it hurts….”

Chae-won groaned.

The intense movement caused her abdomen to feel like it was about to burst with pain. Chae-won openly showed her discomfort.

It was obvious that Chae-won would lose if they fought here.

However, Chae-won glared provocatively at Dalbi.

“Hey, don’t you think targeting a patient is too much?”

“…….”

“That’s always been your problem. You’re like a beagle. Selfish and a master at causing trouble for others.”

Dalbi scoffed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’d be the clingy type in a relationship, always obsessing over everything. Even the Disciplinary Committee Leader of Ahsung High School avoids you, doesn’t he? Oh, right. You had a huge fight last time, didn’t you? You keep approaching someone who avoids you. What? You just want to protect him because you like him? You were the one who dealt with the idiots who kept approaching Ahn Woo-jin, right? Wow! Amazing, Kim Dalbi!”

“What do you know?”

A sneer appeared on Dalbi’s blood-stained face. But her eyes were far from smiling.

“Don’t you get it? That’s stalking. You’re just a criminal, a worthless stalker.”

This time, it was Chae-won who laughed.

“Dalbi? Do you think you’re the only one who wants to pursue love and dream of a happy life? We’ve been broken since the Head Principal took us, no, since we were born.”

“…I can’t listen to this.”

Dalbi was about to push Chae-won away and swing her sword again when it happened.

Zoom!

“!”

In the blink of an eye, a person entered the room and kicked Dalbi in the head.

Exhausted and focused solely on Chae-won, Dalbi couldn’t react in time.

Crash!!

Dalbi’s body flew, crashing through the wall and falling outside the building.

The man who kicked Dalbi jumped through the broken wall and flew towards her.

As she fell, Dalbi barely managed to regain consciousness and grasped her sword again.

“It’s safe now?”

A female student in a nun’s habit, Son Ye-seo from Spartoi, entered the room.

“Sigh….”

Chae-won sighed heavily and leaned against the wall. Ye-seo bent her knees and looked down at Chae-won.

“Are you okay?”

“I almost died. My ability depends too much on the situation. I’m practically the weakest here.”

Chae-won grumbled.

The wind seeped through the broken wall. Outside, the cries of goblins and the sounds of battle could be heard.

“Why don’t they get rid of that beagle woman?”

“She’s too valuable as a high-grade product. As much as you might hate to hear it, Dalbi is more valuable than you.”

The mention of high-grade products made Chae-won fall silent for a moment.

“Chae-won?”

When Ye-seo called out in suspicion, Chae-won put on a nonchalant expression and looked at the broken wall.

“She doesn’t even use her ability properly? Look at that. She’s already down. Though she did look exhausted from the start.”

“Understandable. She was chased by Hong Kyu and fought with our strongest member before that.”

“Seo Gang-jin?”

“Yes.”