Chapter 51

Chapter 50

The fight is over.

Villain Yook Gibong died when he turned into a demon, and the demon seeds forcibly planted in Yook Gibong's body managed to sprout but ultimately all perished.

He tried to enlarge his body and escape, but was captured by Baek Seulhee, and when he tried to flee from her body, his head exploded and he died.

They are no longer human.

Though they resemble humans and were born from humans, they are monsters born with only the evil of humans, preying on humans and slaughtering everything.

If there is a 'pure evil' that is neither a hero nor a villain, it would naturally be such a demon.

[So, I guess that's settled... I'll be going now.]

There's no point in dragging this out; it would only make things more awkward.

I transformed back into the suit-wearing gentleman goblin and prepared to vanish.

If I just disappear like this, it will be the same old scene as always.

But today, something feels off. Looking at those people staring at me, I feel uneasy.

"Stop, Goblin!!"

The faces of those pushing through the crowd and running towards me were quite familiar.

"We're going to arrest you!"

[Are you the police? You only show up now, after even a special forces team has been deployed. You're always late.]

"Ugh...!"

The people responsible for the security and safety of Sejong Island.

Some of them were the ones I saw when I entered the island, some I passed by while taking walks on weekends, and some I've never seen before.

There were even foreign soldiers in foreign uniforms.

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

"Surrender peacefully! And heroes, please cooperate!"

[What kind of cooperation? You want us to help catch the goblin? Ah, right. You always need to ask a superhuman to catch another superhuman. And if that superhuman fails, you blame them.]

"Don't talk, villain! No matter what your intentions were, you are a villain who kills people, and that won't change!"

[...I won't deny it. Even if the one who was a demon, the one who was turning into a demon, and the one who was a vanguard of demons, in the end, to you, they are just good citizens and pitiful patients.]

I don't want to argue, but there's one reason I'm standing here facing off against the police and soldiers.

[Let me make one thing clear.]

I want to declare it clearly in front of everyone.

[From now on, do not interfere with me when I kill demons. I will destroy anyone who interferes.]

I pointed the bat at the unconscious Oh Bang Red.

[If there is someone who turns a human into a demon, that person will also be subject to punishment.]

I know.

If I do this, Oh Bang Red will get a lot of hate online.

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

-If I hadn't tried to stop him from becoming a demon, Yook Gibong wouldn't have turned into a demon!

-If Oh Bang Red hadn't stopped him, Yook Gibong wouldn't have become a demon!

-It's his fault!

...I can't say these things outright, so I have to mix in some plausible statements and make it clear before I leave.

[Villains will be where I am. And... there.]

I pointed at the public broadcaster's camera that was filming me and raised my voice.

[To the one who turned a human into a complete demon. I will definitely catch and execute you.]

This is a public warning to Dooeokshini.

[...Same scum.]

With that, I lightly tapped my foot on the ground.

"Ah!"

Baek Seulhee immediately noticed my action and opened her mouth in surprise, but she soon closed her eyes tightly and clenched her fists.

Saruru.

I slowly walked in the opposite direction of Baek Seulhee and disappeared without anyone noticing.

It probably looked like that.

My body, which disappeared from the bottom up, turned into a mist and vanished like a summer goblin.

After making my physical body invisible through etherealization, I turned around and ran towards where I had left it.

'I am a stranger. I am a stranger. I am a stranger.'

Thinking as much as possible that I am detached from this world, I released the 'etherealization' and transformed again.

"...Hmm."

I picked up the Taeguk Watch that had fallen on the alley floor, put it back on, and turned it on, checking my clothes to make sure they were the same as when I went out to eat.

The current clothes are not real clothes but are made of 'mana.'

Although I have mastered the function to the point where even an S-rank wouldn't notice that they are made of mana, I don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

First, I have to—

Beeep.

The Taeguk Watch rings.

Startled, I checked the call and saw a familiar name.

[Team Leader. Where are you?]

"...Joo Daeri?"

[Since I called at the exact moment you disappeared, it's perfect. Where are you now? I brought something you might need, Team Leader.]

"...Is it clothes?"

[You got it.]

Kyaa.

'So this is why heroes bring sidekicks?'

Joo Mo is not my sidekick, but this kind of support is invaluable.

"Joo Daeri, when I meet the CEO, I'll ask for a raise for you."

[Forget the raise, can you just add four more vacation days, Team Leader?]

Absolutely.

Since Gung-ki used a technique inspired by his concept, he will surely like it.

Absolutely.

* * *

"Tsk. Damn goblin. You are a perfect fit for the word 'villain.'"

In a traditional Korean house a little away from the square, a young man in brown hanbok scratched his head irritably.

"Even the Korean word 'wicked' is too good for you. Goblin, you are just a villain."

While others might not pay much attention, the fact that this young man used the English word 'villain' to curse is no small matter.

To him, the English word 'villain' is not just a vulgar swear word but a term of the highest level of insult, almost the ultimate curse.

"To think you not only burst three demons that rarely sprout but also took them down yourself without giving the heroes a chance. Ugh, what a cocky bastard."

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

"Heroes should face their own trials. Don't they know the saying, 'Pain is part of youth'? Heroes must be broken and destroyed to truly awaken... Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Chewing the fruit, the young man turned on the TV.

-At around 12:30 PM today, a goblin appeared in Sejong Island. The goblin mercilessly attacked a student who had turned into a demon...

"Damn. Did Haegeun control the media in the meantime?"

The incident clearly started with a student turning into a demon and causing chaos.

As someone who came out to eat and happened to witness the entire scene, the young man found the anchor's words absurd.

"The plagiarism story has completely disappeared."

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

"Tsk. This way, the bastard doesn't look like he's just pretending to be a hero, does he? Damn, don't cheer for him. Don't be happy. He is a villain, not some hero in the shadows...!!"

At a speed where his thumb was barely visible, the young man typed long comments, venting his anger as the smartphone's input response struggled to keep up.

-[Glowing Fangs]: The goblin is just a villain. If he keeps doing this, when will our heroes gain experience in facing demons?

"Korean heroes need to face demons to become stronger...! They need to become strong on their own. Just as war advances humanity, heroes need their trials...!"

Ding.

An alert arrived.

Someone had replied to his comment on the news.

-[Master Bat Keeper]: Then you should have caught him faster than the goblin? You were just watching from behind. The ones who couldn't even join in from the side and just watched from behind were the fakes and the scum.

"AAAAAAH!!"

The young man let out an indescribable scream.

Though the comment was only a few lines, it contained more than enough to raise his blood pressure.

"You, you damn brat...!"

[This is the last message the goblin left.]

In the news footage.

The goblin, who had accurately aimed his bat at the camera, glared at the young man with golden eyes.

[To the one who turned a human into a complete demon. I will definitely catch and execute you.]

[You demon-like scum.]

"You son of a bitch! Cough!!"

The young man grabbed his neck and fell over.