There was an organization called Hwalbindang.
There was no need to go into too much detail about this group; it could be summed up in one line:
The largest villain organization in Korea.
Outwardly, they advocate for justice, claiming to steal from the wicked and distribute wealth to the poor.
Their most concrete action was preventing the outflow of Korea’s resources to foreign countries.
Whether it was people, wealth, abilities, or information, Hwalbindang worked to prevent anything from leaving the country.
Even the corpses of A-class ability users.
The ones who made this possible were the executives of Hwalbindang—the 3 Leaders.
One of them was right before us, the S-class villain, [Seonmudang].
[Form an alliance?]
“Yeah. Even the Secret Society must be troubled. You’ve started something big, and now people keep trying to get their hands on the corpses.”
[You’re suggesting we handle the ones after the Mana Powder together?]
“Of course. You’ll cooperate, right?”
Seonmudang reached out toward me.
Her small hand stretched forward from under the white cloth, and the face of this black-haired girl was filled with unwavering conviction.
[Indeed, it seems that not only Korean but even foreign ability users are scrambling to lick corpses.]
She was confident we would cooperate.
[However, I refuse.]
“Huh...?”
[We will act on our own. There’s no reason to cooperate.]
“What? You caused this mess, and now you’re telling us to clean it up?”
Seonmudang, looking at me in disbelief, turned her gaze to Hyeon Se-rin.
“Sister, is this right?”
[...Hmm. Hold on, strategy time. That’s fine, right?]
“You don’t get long. One minute.”
Seonmudang puffed her cheeks and stepped back.
I immediately turned to Hyeon Se-rin, and we exchanged mana while holding hands.
-She seems to be misunderstanding something.
-Seonmudang has the reputation of a killer, and she’s acting just like it.
-We only have a minute. Let’s get to the point.
-Hwalbindang believes that the Goblin is real. Hyeon Se-rin, is it in our interest to reveal this information now?
-If it were someone else, we should keep it hidden. But with her, it’s fine. Let’s reveal it.
We reached an agreement.
I released Hyeon Se-rin’s hand, and Seonmudang’s expression, which had been glaring at me, softened for a moment.
[Before we proceed, let me confirm one thing. Who do you think killed the Nut Crusher?]
“Wasn’t it you?”
[What if it wasn’t?]
“...The news said it was you.”
Seonmudang tilted her head.
“If it wasn’t you, then who could disappear like that?”
[It was probably someone with a similar ability.]
“Someone skilled enough to take down an A-class? But we’re talking about an S-class villain.”
[There could be someone who developed such an ability. Now, you.]
I pointed my finger at Seonmudang.
[You’re awfully rude for someone so young to be speaking informally.]
“Wow, look at the Goblin acting all old-fashioned, like some Confucian patriarch.”
[You think this is being old-fashioned?]
[We’re not in a position to be polite to each other. Leave this to me.]
Hyeon Se-rin put her hand on my shoulder and stepped forward.
[Yu-jeong, I can vouch for him. It wasn’t him.]
[There’s no reason to waste energy fighting you. Doul feels the same.]
[Yeah, and you wouldn’t win against me and the Goblin anyway.]
She came here to cooperate because she knew she couldn’t win.
If things went south, she might have to fight that woman over there.
Crackle.
Blue lightning flickered in the dark night sky.
Hyeon Se-rin and I turned our gaze toward the rooftop of Haegneul General Hospital, where the lightning struck.
[Is it starting?]
“Tch...!”
Seonmudang kicked off the ground.
As if trying to get away from the hospital’s vicinity, she quickly fled the area.
[She’s quick to run. Well, that’s probably why she hasn’t been caught yet.]
[What? Are you disappointed that she’s the same S-class villain as you?]
[I’m too old and beyond that kind of disappointment.]
[Really? I thought you hated being grouped with other S-classes.]
[Even if she’s an S-minus-minus class, S-class is still S-class.]
Seonmudang was considered S-class because she received that title before Taejo evaluated her.
In terms of actual combat power, she might be at the lowest level of S-class, but she sure ran like a typical K-high school girl rushing to get in line for lunch.
Crackle.
Dark clouds began to gather over Haegneul General Hospital.
With one arm around Hyeon Se-rin’s waist, I raised the Goblin Bat high into the air with my other hand.
[The smart thing to do when facing a real S-class attack is to avoid it if you don’t think you’re S-class.]
As I infused a bit of magical power into the tip of the Goblin Bat...
Flash!
Suddenly, countless bolts of lightning began to rain down from the sky in every direction.
BOOOOM
Blue lightning crashed down in multiple places.
Between the roads stretching from the hospital, and through the gaps between buildings, the bolts struck.
Aaaaaah――!!
Ugggggh!!
With every lightning strike, painful screams echoed.
Those who took the lightning directly to the crown of their heads would be electrocuted and fall to the ground.
On the rooftop of Haegneul General Hospital.
As he adjusted his long, dark blue hair, which shimmered in the electric light, the Thunder Emperor reached out to the sky once again.
“These druggies really have no sense of fear.”
Crackle.
The moment the lightning flashed again, the sound of people collapsing could be heard from all directions.
“...They won’t come to their senses until lightning burns their scalps down to the roots. Tsk.”
The Thunder Emperor rubbed the back of his neck and turned his head.
The place where the lightning struck.
A man in a suit, holding a white-haired woman in his arms, with a black bat raised toward the sky.
The face was clearly that of a Goblin mask.
“Tch.”
The Thunder Emperor smirked as he eyed the electric charge gathering at the end of the Goblin’s bat.
KABO
With an irritated flick of his hand, he summoned a massive bolt of lightning.
But the direction was...
Aaaaaaaaah!!
Kuh, Haaah!!
...in the opposite direction of the Goblin.