Chapter 341
Chapter 341
Although various situations had arisen, the chaos unfolding on Jeju Island right now was still a ‘manageable’ situation.
The bone suckers, corpse looters, and scavengers appearing here and there weren’t serious enough for the government to issue an emergency statement.
Simply block the island, strictly control the entry of civilians, and arrest anyone who shows up, except for those already registered as having entered Jeju.
With this level of control over Jeju Island, situations that were hard to explain in words had started occurring.
“No, honey. So, what I’m saying is…”
“Leaving the island shouldn’t be a problem! We didn’t even enter the island after the incident happened!”
“Damn it. This is driving me crazy. What should I do?”
Men and women, alarmed by the lockdown of Jeju, were gathering at the airport, anxiously pacing back and forth.
“Everyone, please follow the association’s instructions for now. At this moment…”
“What, are we at war? It’s not even like that!”“You could say we’re almost in a state of quasi-war…”
“Then even more so, shouldn’t civilians like us be allowed to leave Jeju?”
Although the association and the government were trying their best to calm the people, the anger of the crowd showed no signs of subsiding.
‘It’s understandable.’
Everyone here wanted to leave the island quickly, and while their appearances and vibes were different, they all fundamentally shared the same anxiety.
“Damn! If we accidentally end up turning into demons, will you take responsibility for that?!”
And now they were flipping the blame.
It made sense. Staying here too long might inadvertently lead to someone turning into a demon.
A worker stuck on Jeju Island?
If they called their company to explain the situation, they might get a scolding, but it would likely end with them using a few days of their vacation.
A traveler stuck on Jeju Island?
Even though the lodging costs were piling up, the hotels weren’t suddenly charging more because flights were canceled due to an A-class villain in the Republic of Korea.
Food supplies weren’t running out.
Two S-classes were already on the scene and performing well, so there was no major safety issue.
Of course, there was fear about what the Witch of the Rising Sun might do, and in what form she might appear, but since the heroes were there, things were relatively under control.
The problem was simply not being able to return to their original locations quickly.
And they feared that this situation might leave someone emotionally scarred, which could potentially cause them to turn into a demon.
“Yeah, right. Honey, do you really think I would do that? I seriously just came to Jeju to eat black pork. With whom? Of course, with a friend I know!”
“Oppa, don’t you trust me? Do you think I came to Jeju to meet random guys like this?”
There was no logic.
It was just full of lies and excuses to get out of the situation.
‘Of course, that’s how it is.’
Lying wasn’t a crime, but staying silent without lying can be.
‘My partner, my spouse went to Jeju without telling me? It would be strange not to get pissed.’
What other reason would there be to come to Jeju?
To have an affair, enjoy infidelity, or as someone crudely put it, to have a one-night stand.
‘There was even an incident at Jeju Airport right now.’
The demonization of ability users.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
The death of a family member or close friend was undoubtedly the biggest factor that affects their mental state, but in a situation like this, where ‘infidelity of a lover’ occurred, it also took a severe toll.
“It’s really a mess because of infidelity, what a mess.”
“It’s not just that the one who committed the affair is guilty; the fact that their partner becomes a demon because of it makes it even worse. Infidelity isn’t a crime, but when it leads to someone becoming a demon, that’s definitely a crime.”
Hyeon Se-rin, who had come to the airport to people-watch, smiled brightly while observing those caught in the chaos of infidelity.
“There are no people easier to recruit and persuade than ability users whose minds are shattered by infidelity. Hehehe.”
“When the world should be providing mental care, society is offering it instead. How ironic.”
From the perspective of the Secret Society, it was a golden opportunity when someone got emotionally hurt because of these cheating men and women.
“The most dangerous time is when someone is shaken by relationship issues, but approaching them in that crisis and bringing them into the fold of the society is the best.”
The best recruitment method of the Secret Society was to approach a mentally shaken ability user and bring them over, especially when the situation was naturally occurring, not artificially created by the society.
“Even if it’s not about romantic issues, when pushed to the edge, everyone weakens, don’t they?”
“It feels so raw, hearing that from someone who’s been in such a situation themselves.”
“Hehe. More importantly, it seems like it’s about to start….”
“Ah, just in time, there it is.”
Hyeon Se-rin and I immediately triggered our magic and transformed. Soon, a man dressed like an ordinary office worker, holding a briefcase, appeared behind the crowd gathered at the airport.
He clearly looked troubled, as if he was having difficulty catching a flight, but—
[Can you hear me?]
[Yes, I’ll let you hear it too.]
As Hyeon Se-rin channeled magic, the sound of the wind carried to my ears. Soon, I began to hear an eerie noise that shouldn’t be heard in such a place.
Tick, tick.
The sound of a timer.
The ticking of an analog second hand, a sound you rarely hear these days, made me immediately run forward and throw my Goblin Bat.
Thunk!
The bat landed squarely on the back of the man’s head.
“Aaaargh!”
As the man collapsed, people nearby screamed one after another, and I quickly sprinted forward, stepping on the man’s back, grabbing the briefcase before it hit the ground.
Swish.
Hyeon Se-rin swiftly sliced the briefcase with her sword as it soared into the air.
Then.
Boom!!!
An explosion erupted in the sky.
Everyone at the airport ducked in shock.
In the meantime, I retrieved my Goblin Bat and bound the man—the bomb terrorist—with magical restraints, scanning the area quickly.
‘Where is it?’
Some people were filming me, but I wasn’t looking for those who pointed their Taeguk Watches at me.
Despite the bomb threat, and the fact that we acted before dozens of casualties occurred, I was searching for someone who wasn’t panicking, someone who remained calm.
Correction.
Someone who was panicking.
Not because they were almost killed, but because the Goblin appeared and the suicide bombing had been thwarted.
[Found you.]
I jumped over the crowd, grabbing a woman by the back of the neck as she was about to enter the women’s restroom and threw her to the ground.
Thud!
It was a bit of a rough move, and everyone around looked startled, but when they saw what spilled out of her bag, they all fell silent.
Hallabong.
It might seem odd to see a Hallabong, but what mattered was that this Hallabong had rolled out of an ultra-expensive designer bag worth millions.
[What kind of woman carries a Hallabong in her luxury bag?]
Crunch.
I extended my Goblin Bat toward the Hallabong, wrapping it in mana.
Soon, the Hallabong began to wriggle, and something abnormal started to ooze out from within.
Screeech.
It was like a bug.
It resembled a larva breaking out of an egg before turning into a demon.
[Yes. I knew you would come.]
“St-stop-”
Splat!
I swung the Goblin Bat towards the woman’s head, knocking her unconscious.
If she had emitted even the slightest trace of magic, if I had sensed any trace of demonic presence, I wouldn’t have hesitated to smash her head in.
‘Are they trying to roll the seeds of demons inside fruit?’
A large-scale bomb terror attack.
Followed by the demonization of several people.
Humans were mentally at their weakest in extreme situations, and the easiest method was always human death.
Artificially creating that death is the method of those who are the most demonic.
‘Pandemonium wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.’
Demons were always seeking the chance to strike at humanity.
“Hmm, what a shame.”
A red-haired woman fiddled with her tie, pouting her lips.
“I was planning to wipe out all the cheating couples and turn them into demons, but it didn’t work.”
She gripped the Hallabong in her hand like a baseball and tossed it into the air. As it exploded mid-air, rather than orange pulp, a thick, blood-like crimson liquid sprayed out.
“If they’re going to be useless while alive, it’d be better for them to die and help the living. What a shame, what a shame.”
[Stop the nonsense.]
Beep.
A low voice crackled from the wireless earphone tucked into her ear.
[Keep causing commotion so the VIP can pass through. Whether it’s demons or villains, it doesn’t matter. Even if Seon Ga-eul’s ghost is a trap, we can still turn the trap in our favor.]
“Doesn’t seem like we’re handling that many people, though.”
[Even if we don’t handle them, as long as we kill them all, it’s fine.]
Crackle.
As soon as the screen on the woman’s Taeguk Watch flickered, a video began to play.
[The more S-class gather in Jeju, the better. We can wipe them all out at once.]
A threat loomed over Jeju Island.
[We will erase everything in Jeju, along with the demon fortress.]
A massive shadow began to waver in the distance.