Chapter 85

〈 Chapter 84 〉 Section 4. How to Conquer a Hero (4)

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While there are good and bad aspects in this world, there are far more bad aspects in this world compared to the one I lived in.

This is an era where special abilities are prioritized.

This is an era where money can't solve everything.

Even if your body is unhealthy, you can build it up through exercise and medication, and if your face isn't good, you can still live a good-looking and beautiful life through plastic surgery.

But this era is different.

No matter how much money you have, there's no way to become a special ability user.

There are also those who use their vast wealth to research ways to become a special ability user.

And this is where the cold, dirty, cold, and trashy aspects of reality come into play.

"Do you know how many children are born each year?"

I left the temple and rode my bike again, using the disposable phone given to me by the monk Samuel to play a video from a streaming site.

"Yes, that's right. Since 2000, we have been worried about the low birth rate and aging population, but fortunately, there was no low birth rate. After 2000, everyone started having children."

The newly born children were special ability users.

Driven by the desire to pass on special abilities to their children, people started having children en masse.

"Do these newly growing special ability users have any sense of reason? There are parents who have been killed by special ability children, and many people have been killed by special ability users. In the north, they tried to turn a special ability child into a nuclear weapon, but the child's neck was severed. Many people died that way."

Many people died.

"Even in Seoul alone, after 2000, where do you think the most obstetricians were? Of course, it was in Seoul. Everyone started having children, and special ability users went on a rampage. When people died in the semi-basements, only babies were left behind. It was truly terrifying."

Bodies were strewn everywhere, and there was a lot of death in this land.

"Do you know that the number of deaths after 2000 has increased significantly compared to before? Among the leading causes of death in this country, such as cancer, suicide, and traffic accidents, 'death by special ability' has also been included. Yes, being killed by a special ability user."

Whether it was due to the misuse of special abilities by children who couldn't control them.

Or the result of being so engrossed in their abilities that they ignored their surroundings and used their special abilities recklessly.

"Even before they could say 'papa,' young children who couldn't even speak were born with a criminal record as murderers. Our society was not mature enough to accept such individuals, and many people died."

The changes in society were too rapid.

"However, the population of this country has reached 60 million. Can you believe it?"

Despite the large number of people dying, the population actually increased.

"More new lives were born than people dying. For every 10 people who died, 100 were born in the next neighborhood. People wanted to make their children special ability users."

The baby boom generation is usually said to occur during an economic golden age.

"After 2000, in Korea alone, the rate of children born with special abilities in the area near where a meteorite fell increased significantly. When this became known, people started having children en masse, which marked the beginning of the Millennium Baby Boom."

It wasn't the economic boom that increased the population, but special abilities.

"Was it only in Korea? Do you know that there's a 'French Town' in Gangneung now? The number of people from abroad is so large that it fills an entire city, and many people have come down from the north after it was completely destroyed. If we include everyone north of the demilitarized zone, it would probably be at least 100 million. Hahaha."

It's a joke, but it's a frightening number.

60 million in the south of the military demarcation line alone.

The number of newborns in the Korean Peninsula itself was enormous, but the population influx from abroad also increased.

"Why would they come to Korea to have children? Why would they try so hard to get to Ulleung Island? It's all to increase the probability of having a special ability user, a 'Pumpkin Baby.'"

The reason for the population increase was one.

To have special ability users.

"Is it easy? Have you ever won the lottery, even a fifth prize? A fourth prize? A third prize?"

If you scratch a 10-month lottery ticket hoping for a special ability user and it turns out to be a dud, what would people do?

"Of course, no one would view their child as a lottery ticket. Probably. Most of the time."

Most people raise their children.

Most people have children not to have special ability users but to genuinely hope their children become special ability users.

"But what about those who get pregnant specifically to have a special ability user? What if they don't have a child out of love but to become a 'burden parent' by riding on the back of a special ability child, and the child isn't a special ability user?"

But some?

"Every year, 10,000 orphans are abandoned. 10,000. Can you believe it? The number of children abandoned in this land just because they aren't special ability users could fill a city. Orphans are sent to orphanages, and if the orphanages can't handle them, they are put up for adoption."

The temple I visited was a place that raised and managed children that society couldn't handle.

Most of the young monks there are children who were abandoned because they couldn't become special ability users.

"And most of them end up in foreign... No, I'm afraid to say more because people with translation devices might leave comments from far away, so I'll stop here."

Even if you're a Korean in this world, public opinion is scary.

Unless you live like me, completely ignoring it, or just accept it as 'villainy.'

"So, what is the solution to this problem? By building a social safety net through massive capital and strong leadership..."

I stopped the video.

The bike had already reached the sea, and I had heard enough to organize my thoughts during the ride.

'Transformation.'

I transformed back into the goblin's appearance.

The transformation caused my coat to tear and disappear again, and I pressed the mask to my face and placed my hand on the bike.

It was late at night.

A full moon hung in the sky, and there was not a soul in sight on the beach.

"No CCTV, no signs of anyone... around."

I checked again to see if there was anything that could track my location and if anyone was around.

I had already checked before transforming, but I always had to check multiple times after transforming.

"Hmm."

Just as I felt my mana was running low, I took out something I had prepared on the bike.

A piece of candy in a plastic bag, in five colors.

She called it a 'wish-granting pearl,' and I popped the candy into my mouth.

Sssss.

A refreshing sensation spread through my body.

As if vitality was spreading throughout my body, I felt my mana, which was gradually running low, rapidly replenish from below.

There are very few ways to recover mana in this world.

Mana powder can increase mana, but this is fundamentally different from mana powder.

It's made from a human body, but it's ethically sound.

To be precise, it's refined from the total leader and made into candy.

Total leader, loyal, loyal.

After expressing my sincere gratitude to the total leader, I lifted the goblin's staff, based on the mana circulating in my body.

Vroom.

As soon as I placed the goblin's staff on the bike, the bike's exterior began to shimmer.

The ordinary bike instantly transformed into a new form, resembling a majestic shape with black scales and golden patterns.

"This is the new bike..."

Even though I can't ride it back from Sejong Island to Seoul, it's still cool.

And it's not just any bike, but a bike that combines the science and magic technology of the alliance.

Vroom.

I immediately grabbed the handlebars.

The bike was pointed towards Sejong Island.

I pulled my cap down and stepped on the bike's pedal.

Vroom—!

The bike's wheels rolled quickly on the sand, and I slowly moved forward.

And I slowly moved along the bottom of the sea.

I.

"Breathing mana."

"Transforming the physical into the ethereal."

"Turning imagination into reality."

"Replenishing the lacking mana with the love and grace of the total leader."

From now on.

"Goblin ride."

Becoming a goblin rider, unseen by anyone.

* * *

Fifteenth day of the month.

Yumir couldn't sleep tonight.

It was usually the time to sleep, but tonight, something felt off.

"Come to think of it, I haven't set a specific date for the fifteenth."

Yumir, without a roommate, muttered to herself, scolding herself for not setting a date.

"Well, they wouldn't just come, anyway. It's the first fifteenth since the incident."

Goblins are unpredictable beings.

Such a being wouldn't suddenly appear just because I want to meet them—

"......?"

Outside the window.

On top of the dormitory fence, something strange was shimmering.

It looked like a man in a suit had climbed up the fence on a bike...?

Clunk.

Yumir opened the window and looked up.

"It's been a while."

Standing with his