Chapter 98.2

(Continued)

Goliath met my gaze with a smile.

“It’s a pursuit worth fighting for! The right to freedom is the product of struggle…! A life without freedom is unimaginable!”

“And what about you? What are you pursuing?”

His actions were impossible to predict, and his values and beliefs were unknown. What did this bastard live for? It didn’t seem like he was just seeking battles with strong opponents.

Goliath tilted his chin upward, looking at me arrogantly.

“This city.”

“……?”

It was an unexpected answer that made me squint my eyes.

“You mean the preservation or development of this city?”

“No, it’s a more fundamental issue.”

“What are you talking about…?”

“What I want is a hero. A hero of this city…!”

I had expected an incomprehensible answer.

But now, I could grasp one fact.

“A hero… Did you know what the Head Principal has been doing?”

The strongest man who wished for a hero of the city—could he have been unaware of the Head Principal’s atrocities?

I was skeptical.

“Of course.”

Goliath replied calmly.

“Ahn Woo-jin, do you know that the first murder in human history was committed with a stone?”

According to the Bible, the first murder was between brothers. Cain killed his brother Abel with a stone.

So, if you base it on what’s in the Bible, that would be the case.

I nodded.

“At the beginning, do you think there was good and evil? Do you believe what morality and laws pursue is truly right?”

“Did you hit puberty late or something? Quit spouting that crap—it doesn’t suit you. Get to the point.”

Goliath stretched his thick arms out to his sides.

“What I pursue is Neo Seoul itself, the very land blessed by the Golden Sheep! For this city, I must determine ‘who is right’…!”

Good and evil.

Black and white.

He didn’t see the world in such binary terms. It seemed Goliath was saying he would watch and judge whether the actions I called the Head Principal’s atrocities were “right” or “wrong.”

I extracted information from his words.

“Does the Head Principal believe her actions are for this city?”

Did the Head Principal think her actions were for Neo Seoul?

“No one knows that answer. It’s not just the Head Principal I’m watching—it’s ‘everyone’…!”

All the citizens.

Or perhaps, for someone like Goliath, he was talking about all living beings.

Ultimately, it was about who would lead the “righteousness” of preserving the land we live on.

He intended to observe that.

Why, then, did a guy like him become one of the Six Sinners?

Why does he bring about dystopia in the future?

Those questions surfaced, and I couldn’t help but click my tongue.

“You arrogant bastard.”

Even if you’re the strongest, it’s not your place to judge such matters—I replaced what I wanted to say with a simple insult. Did he think he was some kind of god?

Goliath answered with a sly smile.

I had already decided that once my magic recovered, I would return and crush the Head Principal and everything connected to her.

Goliath was no exception.

I turned my back on him and resumed walking when a deafening boom erupted behind me, followed by a gust of wind. I looked up to see Goliath soaring through the sky like a shooting star.

Vrrrrr.

After leaving the Zero Zone and walking a bit further, my smartphone vibrated in my pocket—a moment I had been waiting for.

I carefully laid Dalbi on the ground and took out my phone. It showed that it was back within service range, and a flood of missed calls and messages filled the screen.

Just as I was about to call one of the Disciplinary Committee officers—

“Huh?”

In the distance, I spotted vehicles speeding down the road. Thanks to the streetlights and headlights, I could distinguish them clearly.

There was no reason for cars to be coming this way. The lights were a familiar hue.

‘Our Disciplinary Committee…?’

The Disciplinary Committee of Ahsung High School was coming this way.

‘Did Baek-seo bring them here?’

More than ten of the missed calls were from Baek-seo. It seemed she had assessed the situation and mobilized the Disciplinary Committee.

‘Which means Baek-seo is here.’

The Zero Zone was entirely in ruins, and its vast area made it likely that we had missed each other while searching.

I focused on sensing magic. Soon, I felt magic flowing from a distance—behind me.

When I turned around, faint flickering lights could be seen near the Zero Zone, moving erratically.

It was the color of Baek-seo’s magic.

A figure shrouded in lightning was approaching. She seemed to be rushing over, having sensed the magic that Goliath had scattered. I felt guilty, thinking she must have been worried again, just like during the Han Seo-jin incident.

I raised the Iron Dragon Staff and generated a teal electric current. Effect of Level 2—this function was unaffected by my depleted magic state.

Upon seeing this, Baek-seo sprinted toward me at an even faster speed.

“Baek…!”

Thump.

Without saying a word, Baek-seo hugged me tightly.

I had forgotten how messed up my condition was.

I placed my hand on her back, feeling her body trembling slightly. She was scared—I could tell.

“…Baek-seo.”

“We couldn’t reach you.”

“What?”

“We couldn’t get in touch, and then we heard you suddenly disappeared after interrogating Moon Chae-won….”

Baek-seo whispered. Unlike her usual self, her voice was trembling slightly.

“We knew something was wrong in the Zero Zone, too.”

“So you came… Thank you.”

“……”

Baek-seo said nothing more.

“Leader.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t make me feel powerless… anymore.”

Baek-seo made no move to leave my embrace. She was trying to hide her face.

“…Okay. I won’t.”

Finally, once Baek-seo seemed to calm down, I let her go. Concern was etched all over her face—it seemed she couldn’t maintain her usual poker face.

“This… is this your work?”

She was asking if I was the one who had turned the Zero Zone into this state.

Baek-seo had probably sensed the magic spreading when I reached the 7th Tier. So, she knew right away that it was my doing.

I nodded, and Baek-seo sighed.

“This is unbelievable….
”
“Anyway, can you take her with you?”

I gestured toward Dalbi, who was lying on the ground.

“…Did you fight with her too?”

Baek-seo asked in a small voice, looking down at Dalbi. Her voice carried a faint, eerie feeling, mixed with fear.

“No, it’s the opposite.”

I knelt down, brushing back Dalbi’s pale pink hair.

“She saved me.”

“What?”

“Dalbi stepped up and saved me. It might be pointless to mention now, but she’s the one who gave me the peony flower.”

Baek-seo flinched.

Was she finding it hard to believe that the person I had once said was precious to me was one of the Six Sinners? Well, even I would find it hard to believe.

“And Baek-seo, I’m sorry.”

“What do you mean?”

I gazed at Dalbi, who was sound asleep.

I realized I couldn’t give up on this girl.

I couldn’t lie about this in front of Baek-seo.

Ignoring my pangs of conscience, I finally opened my mouth and laid bare my honest feelings.

“I… I like her too.”

“…Huh?”

“I like Kim Dalbi, the Goblin.”

Maybe it was because it was the middle of the night, but after a pause, Baek-seo’s face seemed to turn pale.

“W-What…?”

As I waited for Baek-seo’s response, the air between us grew awkward, and the flow of conversation broke off. It felt as though the situation was taking a wrong turn.

Meanwhile, the wailing of sirens from the Disciplinary Committee vehicles was drawing closer.

——————

Rate/Review us on Novel Updates For Bonus Chapter.