In the comments section of the novel, you could often see these kinds of remarks:

-"Author, your novel should follow a no-romance path."

-"There really doesn't seem to be a need to keep increasing the number of heroines."

-"Ugh... I really hate it when the heroines keep whining."

-"Let's just kill off all the heroines and any other women before they can even become heroines, right?"

Heroine Pre-Death.

This was a term that meant to exclude romance in the novel. No woman should become a heroine, no heroine should interfere with the protagonist's narrative, and if there was even a hint that a woman might become a heroine, readers propose killing her off before it happens.

It was up to the author to accept or reject this.

And the nationalist light novel author didn't kill off all the heroines—instead, they were all incorporated into the protagonist's harem.

Even the heroine who tried to enhance her mana by inhaling mana powder.

Even the heroine who tried to beat the protagonist in group practice and win herself.

Even the villainous heroine who murdered people recklessly.

-"Is the author a horny beast or something?"

-"Every female character with XX chromosomes automatically becomes a heroine, huh?"

Although the readers had harsh reactions, the author stubbornly dragged all the heroines along until the latter half of the story.

Well, I got it.

The more heroines there were, the easier it was to unfold stories involving them, and the more individual episodes you could tell for each heroine, driving the plot forward.

And I also understood that the author wanted to show how these heroines met the protagonist, fell for him, and then reformed themselves.

Even if "gap moe" wasn't the right word here, maybe that was what the author was aiming for.

"But if that was the plan, they shouldn't have ended it with a meteor ending."

After portraying the heroines in such a terrible light, they didn't even wrap up the foreshadowing properly and ended with the protagonist launching a meteor? Instead of the meteor destroying the Earth, it should have wiped out the final boss, followed by a neat, happy ending. They could have at least released side stories for the main heroines later on—would that have been too much to ask?

As a former reader, I couldn't contain my anger over that. And that anger had now been replaced by the fact that I've entered this world as Do Ji-hwan.

And presently...

I was somewhere on Hallasan Mountain in Jeju Island, in the middle of the mountain where I once visited when I was actively operating as the Goblin.

"Ugh, seriously, it feels like a ghost is going to pop out."

"What do you expect when a ghost tells another ghost that there's a ghost?"

"But it's a woman I killed. What if she's lingering as a vengeful spirit, holding a grudge?"

"There's something called 'expelling malicious spirits.'"

Hyeon Se-rin, who had changed into her executive outfit and was now wearing a white coat, crossed her arms and shuddered.

She wasn't particularly feeling cold, but she did seem a bit uneasy about facing the remains of the woman she killed.

"You don't have to worry too much. If that woman does show up as a vengeful spirit, she'll come after me before she comes after you."

"Are you saying she has more of a grudge against you than the one who actually killed her?"

"Of course."

Because she was the Goblin's heroine.

She had been Do Chang-nam's childhood friend, and before the original story began, she had been something more than just a potential romantic interest for Do Chang-nam.

"She probably thinks I abandoned her, and the betrayal would've stung deeply. That's why she did what she did."

Not an official relationship, but a heroine who had gotten close to the stage right before dating.

According to the original setting, and at the time of possession, that's how it was. But as I decided to live as Do Ji-hwan, I slowly began to distance myself from that woman.

"If the man she thought of as a potential boyfriend dumped her and started hanging out with more beautiful and capable women, wouldn't she naturally be furious? From her perspective, she might have felt like she had supported him all her life."

"... It's a little strange for me to be asking this now, but weren't you two actually dating?"

"Who knows."

If the original story was to be believed, we weren't dating at all.

And even if we were, considering the things she said to the protagonist in the future, it's clear the relationship wouldn't have been normal.

"At least as an adult and as a villain, it's true that she had certain... relations."

"Did she?"

"That's why I can say for sure."

In the relationship with Do Chang-nam that led to this, from my perspective as Do Ji-hwan, I saw Seon Ga-eul both from a first-person and omniscient point of view, and I reached my conclusion.

"To her, I was like an insurance policy, someone she could always keep by her side. I wasn't as valuable as a new car, but if she needed to, she could switch to someone better and still get a good price selling me off, so to speak."

Seon Ga-eul was, to put it bluntly, a promiscuous woman.

Maybe the author thought they needed at least one character like that among the heroines, or maybe it was because she was part of a villain organization. Either way, the author turned Seon Ga-eul into someone born in Korea but with a mindset that was far too liberal for a so-called Confucian girl.

-"Oh my gosh! Protagonist-kun's bat is amazing!"

-"I don't even think about the Goblin's bat anymore...!"

-"I'll be Protagonist-kun's woman! Ah, my belly is filled with Protagonist-kun's magic power...!"

From a reader's perspective...

That woman existed solely to demonstrate that the protagonist was far superior to the Goblin, to emotionally drag the Goblin down, and to turn him into a devil.

In other words, she was simply a heroine designed to give readers a taste of NTR.

Even though it hadn't happened yet, even from this point in the past, considering her lines, personality, and actual conversations with Do Ji-hwan, there was no reason to feel any regret or guilt.

Above all...

"Se-rin, do you think a virgin ghost would be stronger, or just a vengeful spirit who was murdered?"

"Why are you asking me that... Wait a minute. Are you saying...?"

"I can say this with certainty. Seon Ga-eul is no virgin ghost."

If she had become a vengeful spirit, she was just a murdered ghost, not a virgin ghost.

And that was not because of anything I did.

According to her background, her first wasn't Do Chang-nam, but—

"Anyway, I made sure with my own eyes that she couldn't become a virgin ghost. So, you'll definitely be stronger as a virgin ghost. I confirmed it from two different angles—both spiritually and physically."

"What do you mean by that?"

"One, I checked it firsthand. And the other, I confirmed it from a distance—physically."

"Ugh."

Hyeon Se-rin grimaced and waved her hand in disgust.

"That's a bit of an uncomfortable story. That woman... I felt it when I killed her too, but what exactly was she?"

"A master manipulator. She kept throwing bait everywhere and figured that the biggest and easiest catch, with the plumpest flesh, was me."

To some, this story might sound unpleasant, but that was exactly the kind of person she was.

"But Director Do? There's something I don't understand. That woman was A-rank, and you were only C-rank back then. Why was she so hung up on you?"

"I might have been C-rank in ability, but other things were Special EX-grade."

"Ah, I see."

Hyeon Se-rin quickly understood.

"Yeah, being A-rank gives you plenty of choices when it comes to men. So, is this the place?"

"Yeah."

Deep in the mountains stood a dilapidated old house, the kind where survivalists might live. The type of house where, if people came up to film a vlog about exploring abandoned places while making ramen, one of them might go missing.

"Who's there...?"

An old man in a shabby vest appeared, leaning on a cane, eyeing us warily.

He seemed to relax slightly when he saw Hyeon Se-rin, but he was still focused on figuring out who we were.

"Hello, sir. Is it alright if we do a bit of filming here? We're from 'DJ Journal'."

"...Sure, filming is fine, but be careful. In about 30 minutes, the ability patrol will be passing through this area."

The old man left, and I pointed toward the inside of the house for Hyeon Se-rin.

"You're quite the negotiator. Can you handle this in under 30 minutes?"

"I can finish it in under 3 minutes."

I entered the abandoned house and struck the living room floor with the Goblin Bat.

"It's sealed with magic, after all."

Rumble.

As the magically reinforced concrete bunker opened up, a large drum appeared inside.

The drum was filled with cement, and I pointed the Goblin Bat at the cement and lightly activated my magic.

Thunk, thunk.

"Ugh, this isn't going to summon anything nasty, is it...?"

"No. Unless you want me to summon an exorcist or Baridegi?"

"I-I'm not that scared, okay?"

Hyeon Se-rin took a deep breath and steadied herself while I pulled out an object that clung to the tip of the Goblin Bat like a magnet, hidden deep inside the cement.

"This is a very special item that scavengers all over the country would kill to get their hands on."

"It's... just a thermos."

"Doesn't matter what it looks like. As long as it works well, that's all that counts."

I opened the stainless steel thermos, revealing a suspicious-looking plastic bag inside. The bag contained a small amount of white powder, about the size of a clenched fist.

"Fortunately, it seems there are no evil spirits."

"And zombies...?"

"The body was burned; only the ashes remain. There's no way it could become a zombie."

"Do you have any regrets?"

"None."

For world peace.

And for my own, the Goblin's, peace of mind.

"Hah, so that's it? Do you just prefer younger women? You think those women are really going to stick around? They'll use you and toss you aside like some broken bat! You're just a tool to them, you fool!"

Based on the interactions I'd had with her as Do Ji-hwan, I killed Seon Ga-eul without hesitation.

Because—

"The event that ultimately led the Goblin to fall as the final boss was NTR."*

Before the Goblin became a demon.

As Seon Ga-eul moved on to the protagonist, a package had arrived in front of the Goblin's door.

Inside it was a USB containing something that turned the Goblin into a demon—a horrifying piece of content.

"I wasn't wrong."

Chaper 337One Who Deserves To Die (2)

How vicious of a woman was Seon Ga-eul? It was exhausting to even speak of it, so I shall summarize it in one sentence:

A young Min Ji-young.

Considering what kind of woman she was, I didn't think it's a huge problem that she was being used to lure those who would feed off her mana powder-laced corpse.

Thus, we must formulate a very meticulous plan using her.

The Chief had already approved the progress of the plan, and now, all that's left was to execute it as planned.

Before that, to prepare for the major shockwave that would hit this country, I had already arranged a meeting with a certain entity in Jeju Island.

[Hello.]

"...I haven't done anything wrong."

Seogwipo City, Jeju Island. From the spacious living room with a clear view of the sea beyond the veranda.

A woman with tangerine-colored hair, wearing only a white shirt and dolphin shorts, looked at me in shock as she stirred a pot of ramen using a textbook titled 'The Principles of Abilities' as a stand.

[I'm not here to execute you. But, you'll still have to die.]

"Hey, explain that a little."

Ji Chun-hyang put down her ramen, straightened her clothes, and knelt before me.

She looked like an ordinary woman with an average build, but she was actually an A-class ability user who protected Jeju Island.

[Do you want me to make this long, or short?]

"Can I listen while I eat ramen?"

[Of course.]

I sat on the couch, turned on the 80-inch TV in front of Ji Chun-hyang, the A-class hero, and the protector of Jeju Island—Kim Min-young.

[Let's talk while we watch. First-]

Oh, yeah—

On the screen, a foreign man, shirtless, was biting a woman's neck, who was dressed in a gown.

I turned my head to the right out of curiosity, and despite what was on display, I was surprised to see a 15+ rating mark in the corner.

[Is this what the movies are like these days? And you're watching that while eating ramen?]

"Uh, no. It's just a movie. What's wrong with seeing that in a movie?"

[I seem to have come at a bad time. Sorry for interrupting your movie, but this is an assignment from the Society.]

"Ugh. Just give me three minutes."

Ji Chun-hyang finished the rest of her ramen in one gulp, put the pot away in the kitchen, and headed straight into the room.

Srrrk, srrrk, whoosh.

"Next time you visit, please don't just appear through the window like that. Knock first."

After getting changed, brushing her teeth, and tidying up her outfit, Ji Chun-hyang, now in a proper suit, stood upright and bowed.

"If you're telling me to die, at least give me a reason. Even if it's a mission from the Society."

[Project Jeju. You didn't read it, did you?]

"......What?"

[You haven't checked your email.]

I pointed to the TV, and Ji Chun-hyang tapped on her Taegeuk Watch, scanning the TV.

"Ah."

Unread emails, 999+.

Ji Chun-hyang blushed as she skimmed through her inbox, soon finding the email written like spam.

"I'll check it right now."

[Listen while you check it. It's simple. You, an A-class ability user and hero, need to act dead.]

"Dead...? For about two weeks, pretending to be dead?"

[Exactly.]

With a hardened face, Ji Chun-hyang scanned the message up and down.

"So, in short, you want me to pretend I was killed by a demon? Then, capture those who come after my remains, and use them to set up another trap?"

[That's right. It doesn't have to be you, but I'd prefer it. The recommendation came from me.]

"The guardian of Jeju Island has died."

[That's the point.]

The guardian of Jeju Island was slain by a demon.

Naturally, the world would look for someone stronger than an A-class, and there happened to be one such person.

[An S-class professor will fill in the gap when they arrive with their students on Jeju Island. But it's not easy for a newcomer to guard a vast place like Jeju Island.]

"Well... Even for an S-class, no one can protect Jeju as well as I can."

This woman.

It was no exaggeration to say she was an S-class, at least when it came to Jeju Island.

Her overall abilities may be A-class, but on Jeju Island, she was S-class.

Her ability and Jeju Island's environment allowed her to perform at an S-class level here.

"But if I die, won't the situation become chaotic and even more unstable? Especially if we don't know which demon killed me."

[Everyone will know. We'll frame it as if an A-class woman killed on Jeju Island became a rampaging ghost.]

"Who?"

[Seon Ga-eul.]

"Ugh..."

At the mention of Seon Ga-eul's name, Ji Chun-hyang frowned openly.

"So that's why you came to me..."

[You have a bad history with that woman. The justification is solid.]

"The justification is solid, but getting beaten by that woman is a bit...! Couldn't I just be executed by the Goblin instead?"

[That would be like admitting to a crime as bad as being a Nut Crusher.]

"Ugh..."

[If that were the case, I'd have to kill you for real. Just take the medicine.]

I placed a capsule in front of Ji Chun-hyang.

[If you take it, you'll fall into a comatose state. Technically, you won't be dead, but you'll appear like a vegetative patient—alive but unconscious. You have nothing to worry about.]

"Do I have to listen to people gossiping about me right in front of my face? What if I'm lying in the hospital or in a coffin, and they say strange things about me, and I hear it all?"

[Just think of it as earning money every time you're insulted. A lot of capital has been invested in Project Jeju, so the amount you'll receive will be considerable. More importantly....]

Whisper, whisper.

I quietly presented something that would catch Ji Chun-hyang's interest.

"...Is that for real?"

[Yes. You're not planning to stay an A-class forever, are you? It's time to step up to S-class and take down Armored Taejo outside of Jeju Island.]

"But that's not because of my ability; it's because of my equipment...."

[Ah, equipment is also part of your specs and abilities. Don't belittle it.]

No more conversation was needed.

I raised the Goblin Bat and pointed it toward Ji Chun-hyang's back.

[So, are you ready to be struck down by an evil spirit?]

"W-wait a minute! Before I die... or faint!"

Ji Chun-hyang clutched the capsule in her hand and pointed at the TV.

"I at least want to faint with some dignity!"

[Alright.]

I pointed at the TV.

[We'll make it look like you collapsed while training your abilities.]

Whack!

Without hesitation, I swung the Goblin Bat at the back of Ji Chun-hyang's head.

At that time, in the park of H Apartments in Jeju City.

Crash!

"Kyaaa?!"

"What, what was that?!"

"A villain?!"

People playing tennis in the park flinched and looked around at the sudden sound of shattering glass.

Glass shards falling from the sky were about to hit them, and in their panic, they shut their eyes tight, shielding their heads.

"Haaaap!"

A patrolling officer in uniform quickly summoned his magic power, swinging his fist through the air.

The gust from his punch hit the falling glass, shattering it further and directing it towards the flowerbeds, away from the people.

"Th-thank you!"

"Over here, quickly! Damn it, this wasn't just any glass breaking! It was shattered by an ability user!"

The officer quickly assessed the situation and looked up to check where the glass had broken.

From the first floor to the top floor, the glass of the balconies—

"The top floor? No way! Isn't that where Ji Chun-hyang lives?!"

Ki-hahahahaha!!

A chilling, eerie laughter.

Everyone in the park was frozen in place by the ghastly wail, feeling a cold shiver run down their spines as they looked up.

"What...what is that?"

White mist was pouring out from the top floor.

It looked like a ghost was escaping, the mist spiraling around the top floor a few times before disappearing.

"That floor...isn't that where Ji Chun-hyang lives?"

"Try contacting Ji Chun-hyang's Taegeuk Watch! Damn it, she's not answering!"

"Let's go up! Hurry!"

Rumble.

Clenching their fists, the officers sprinted up the stairs in a rush.

On the top floor, after climbing dozens of flights of stairs, an eerie and unsettling scene unfolded from the hallway.

"A villain...?"

"No, could it be a demon...?"

"No way. Could it be that Ji Chun-hyang has become a demon...?"

Claw marks, as if left by a wild beast, were scattered all over the walls.

The front door was open, and the officers cautiously entered Ji Chun-hyang's apartment, risking their lives.

Gasp?!

In the middle of the living room.

Ji Chun-hyang lay collapsed, her body battered and bruised, as if she'd fought a life-or-death battle.

"Th-that's...!"

Next to the shattered glass window, something was written on the glass wall.

The letters, smeared with blood, looked like something a serial killer would leave to announce their first murder.

-I've returned.

"W-who...."

"W-wait a minute...! That symbol!!"

Next to the message, a symbol was drawn, representing a certain woman.

A circle.

With eight lines extending in different directions.

And, of all colors, it was red.

"[The Witch of the Rising Sun]!!"

Siren sounds blaring — Aeeeeeeeeen!

[The evil spirit of Seon Ga-eul curses the guardian of Jeju Island.]

The first phase of Project Jeju.

[Ji Chun-hyang has fallen, and the perfect defense is no longer in place. Naturally... the predators will start making their way to Jeju Island.]

The collapse of Jeju Island's security.

[It's time to start spreading the rumors. The Witch of the Rising Sun, Seon Ga-eul's spirit, is searching for her body. Her soul has become a demon, and she's seeking her buried remains somewhere on Jeju Island.]

I placed the thermos on the rooftop of a hotel in Seogwipo.

[Whoever obtains Eldritch's Life Vessel will also gain A-class mana powder.]

I rested my foot on the thermos, no, the Life Vessel.

In this world.

[An A-class ability user who went missing has returned as an evil spirit. A spirit powerful enough to incapacitate the guardian of Jeju Island.]

Those who drank the mana powder of the strong.

[Seon Ga-eul's ability, an A-class power... If they can make her bone powder their own, they will come, no doubt.]

They could make that person's abilities their own.

[A discarded evolution capsule lies here. There's no way those villainous scum won't come for it.]

Chapter 338  One Who Deserves To Die (3)

When you went on a trip to Jeju Island, you could see tangerines placed in every shop.

It was partly because they grew a lot of tangerines, and also because they shared them and promoted them to tourists. However, in this world, Jeju tangerines had a different meaning.

An amulet fruit.

A villain-repelling fruit.

What did that mean? It meant that the fruit was used as a tool to repel thieves or villains who entered homes.

'There really are all kinds of different abilities in this world.'

There was no shortage of abilities.

Some abilities could launch sonic attacks by screaming, others could create ice wherever they want, and if you had enough magic power and imagination, you could create anything.

And sometimes, there were abilities that made you think, 'How can such an ability even exist?'

Kim Min-young, known as the hero Ji Cheon-hyang has such an ability.

'An ability to control tangerines.'

When I first heard about it, I laughed in disbelief.

Maybe the word "tangerine" I knew referred to some kind of special weapon or slang in this world?

No, it wasn't.

It was just tangerines.

The actual fruit that people ate, the ones that overflowed on Jeju Island because there were so many of them.

-Hahaha, do you really think controlling tangerines makes it special?

-What if that tangerine flies through the air and hits you in the face?

-Uh... will the tangerine explode on my face?

-It's infused with magic, so it's stronger than a regular baseball.

Not only I, but people in this world also laughed.

But that laughter soon turned into awkward chuckles, and the world was shocked and terrified by Ji Cheon-hyang's overwhelming ability control.

Ji Cheon-hyang's power spread throughout Jeju Island, and she was able to control the tangerines all over the island.

And by using those tangerines, she could strike down villains in Seogwipo from the northern part of Jeju Island.

-Are you joking? How can such an ability even exist in this world?

-In a world where teleportation is possible, laying tangerine landmines or making tangerine claymores is just up to the user's imagination, right?

Thus, Jeju Island found peace under the power of Kim Min-young of Ji Cheon-hyang.

If she had controlled something like metal, like Armored Taejo, people might have accepted it more easily, but the fact that it involved food—especially Jeju's tangerines—made it a bit hard to believe.

However, her ability to maintain peace on the island was so exceptional that she earned the title of S-Class, at least limited to Jeju.

-Think of it as an ability to control plants. It's just that tangerines are what she controls best. Plus, she's a member of the Secret Society.

-Ugh...

The Secret Society easily recruited this unique ability user.

The impression I had of her at first was no different from what everyone else in this world had, and people lived safely under Ji Cheon-hyang's power while mocking and belittling her ability, saying, "How can someone's ability be tangerines, haha."

-There are no bad abilities in this world. The Secret Society welcomes your power.

The Secret Society brought Ji Cheon-hyang in, and she became one of them.

While waiting for her missions from the Secret Society, she dedicated herself to maintaining peace on Jeju Island...

'I feel a little sorry.'

Beep, beep, beep.

I looked at Kim Min-young of Ji Cheon-hyang lying in the hospital bed through the window, feeling a pang of guilt.

Using a Magic Power Control Capsule, which even worked on A-Class ability users, she was now in a state where her magic was reduced to the minimum, just enough to keep her alive.

Of course, not just anyone could use something like this.

No matter how powerful the Magic Power Control Capsule was, if the person resisted even slightly, it would be nothing more than powdered medicine.

An ability user's self-awareness was their defense.

The only reason Ji Cheon-hyang was lying there so quietly was because she allowed herself to accept the capsule.

-Do you think someone is targeting me after I take this?

-If someone wanted your power to become the ruler of Jeju, maybe.

-You're teasing me, right?

-I wouldn't say it if there wasn't a reason. But don't worry. If someone is targeting you, your subconscious will trigger a defense mechanism. There are Hero agents guarding your hospital room as well.

-There's nothing as untrustworthy as people.

-I'll have a box of Hallabong tangerines placed in your room.

-Well, in that case...

Next to Ji Cheon-hyang, as if protecting her, was a large Hallabong tangerine, sitting there like a barrier.

Now, if anyone dared to sneak in at night and draw a weapon toward her, the Hallabong would fly like a magic bullet and crush the villain's face.

Ji Cheon-hyang was this powerful.

But such a being was ambushed while doing research on her ability at home, and she couldn't resist?

It was like she had been cursed, and we had a pretty good idea of who the attacker was.

[It's about time the bait is taken.]

[If they don't take it, Ji Cheon-hyang will just look like a fool.]

Together with Hyeon Se-rin, I waited leisurely outside for people to bite on the bait about the breakdown of Jeju's peace.

And then...

[We got a message from the brewer. Two S-Class ability users are on their way.]

[They took the bait.]

Just as expected.

Two S-Class ability users were boarding the plane heading to Jeju.

At Gimhae Airport, in the first-class section of a flight to Jeju.

"Do you think evil spirits really exist?"

"How can you say that?"

Tae Irin, also known as Baridegi, twisted her lips in response to the question from Kim Yoon-ji of the Thunder Emperor, who was sitting beside her.

"My alias may be Baridegi, but that doesn't mean I can actually see spirits."

"Then why are you called Baridegi?"

"You already know. It's because I'm the god of medicine."

Tae Irin pointed to her fingers while Kim Yoon-ji leaned back in her seat, lowering her head.

"Right, right. I just hope you can treat Ji Cheon-hyang as soon as we arrive."

"You talk as if I'm going to fail. Sis, if I fail to treat her, Jeju Island will be in a state of emergency."

"A curse that not even an S-Class can heal..."

Kim Yoon-ji fiddled with her Taegeuk Watch as she checked some documents on the laptop in front of her, tilting her head.

"A-Class. Born in 2001. She's practically a prodigy."

"Missing... one year since her presumed death... almost nine months? If she's been secretly honing her abilities on Jeju Island during that time, it's possible she became an S-Class without anyone knowing."

"Or she became an S-Class demon."

The woman in the photo had sharp eyes, dark makeup, and gave off a fierce impression.

One peculiar detail: the confidential documents they received from the National Intelligence Service had a "traitor" mark attached to them.

"Have you met this woman in person?"

"No. I've only seen her in pictures. She didn't attend the Academy. What about you?"

"I've met her. In person. How should I describe her? Hmm, like a very intimidating sister-in-law. If she's become an S-Class demon, she'll be a real pain to deal with. Do you think I can exorcize her with lightning?"

"Sis. There's a bigger problem than that."

Tae Irin lowered her voice and spun the map of Jeju Island laid out in front of her with her hand.

"The two of us have to take care of the entire Jeju Island right now."

"We have to. Otherwise, everyone will sneak in and head to Jeju."

Kim Yoon-ji chuckled, pulling the map closer.

"Shanghai. Okinawa. Fukuoka. All the international airports near Jeju are gathering suspicious planes full of shady people. Can the Navy track down and subdue all of them? Red Brassard is in Thailand right now, too."

"Ugh..."

Tae Irin scratched her head in frustration.

"This is driving me crazy. How long has it been since the Nut Crusher incident, and now this happens? No, this is even worse. Nut Crusher was executed by the Goblin..."

"But the Witch of the Rising Sun is just a dead person?"

"Yes. And in the worst-case scenario, if the [Voodoo Kingdom] from South Africa somehow made Seon Ga-eul into an evil spirit..."

"If that's the case, there are all kinds of possibilities. We only have one job. Before Seol-hee unnie arrives, we need to eliminate the scavengers heading to Jeju as quickly as possible. And..."

Kim Yoon-ji, with a meaningful look, ran her hand over Seon Ga-eul's profile picture.

"We need to find where this woman is buried and take care of her body as soon as possible."

"...Sigh. Who would do something so stupid? Killing an A-Class ability user and not even properly disposing of the body."

"Who knows? Maybe it was suicide."

"Tsk."

A demon?

Did she commit suicide and become an evil spirit?

Or did someone else resurrect Seon Ga-eul's soul and use dark magic?

Or had she been hiding for nine months and returned as an S-Class demon?

No one knows.

But what was clear was that, because of all these possibilities, flies from all over the world were swarming to the scent of the corpse.

"Ugh, disgusting scavengers."

If it was an evil spirit, they wanted to remove it.

If it was a villain, they would want to kill it.

"Before the Goblin executes them, they want to kill it themselves and steal its power..."

And, to become stronger.

Everyone was heading to Jeju Island.

Each in their own way.

And at Incheon Airport.

"The flight to Jeju Island... is canceled?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. Due to the current situation on Jeju..."

"Ah, this is troublesome... I've already booked a hotel."

A woman with orange-colored hair and sunglasses placed her hand over her chest, smiling awkwardly.

The airline staff clicked his tongue as he looked at her, wondering if she was hiding two basketballs under her chest, which was larger than her head. The woman sighed and turned away.

"Alright. Thanks for letting me know. I'll find another way to get there."

"Uh, miss? What about your refund...?"

"Take care of it for me. It's not like there's only one island. Oh, here they are."

The woman beamed and waved her hand at a 'black-haired' woman approaching from afar.

"Hye-raaaa!"

Chapter 339. One Who Deserves To Die (4)

Jeju Airport 

Whiiiiing.

The Hero Association's private jet arrived at the airport.

The crowd, already gathered at the airport, waved at the private jet, and the two S-rank ability users who emerged from it waved back at the people.

"Wow, there are a lot of people today..."

"Now that Ji Cheon-hyang is down, they're putting their trust in us. Of course, it helps that we're S-rank."

Tae Irin carefully scanned the crowd, lowering her voice.

"Sister, be careful. You never know who might show up."

"Are you talking about the specters?"

"That's part of it, but a crazy S-rank might suddenly target the specter's corpse too. Like the Secret Society, for instance."

Secret Society.

At those words, Kim Yoon-ji's heart sank for a moment.

"Y-Yeah, right. We should be careful about the Secret Society."

She felt immensely guilty.

After all, through a secret route, Kim Yoon-ji had already been informed about the current situation.

A plan was being set in motion on Jeju Island.

And through that plan, the Bone Eaters would be wiped out in one swoop.

Goblin had secretly passed on the information that something was being schemed on Jeju Island, but only Kim Yoon-ji knew this; Tae Irin was still unaware.

"Got it? If something strange appears, let me know right away. I may not be the best in combat, but I'm still an S-rank spec—"

"Kraaaaagh!"

Suddenly, a monstrous roar echoed from the direction of the waiting room.

The two S-rank ability users instantly dashed towards the source of the sound, where a figure was in the midst of turning into a demon.

"No way, turning into a demon this abruptly...!"

"We can think later! Demons don't exactly give warnings, you know!"

Kim Yoon-ji immediately charged at the demon, her entire body surrounded by electricity.

The demon, slowly losing its human form, reached out its sharp claws towards a woman lying on the ground, but Kim Yoon-ji flew at the demon, landing a dropkick.

"Kiiiiiik!"

The demon collapsed instantly.

Kim Yoon-ji landed lightly on her feet, protecting the fallen woman, while Tae Irin, who had followed behind, extended her magic towards the demon.

"Seal...!"

"Grrrr...!"

A white hexagonal cube formed around the demon. As it tried to resist, it suddenly stopped moving, hanging its head low.

The demon, now as still as a broken-down machine, lay motionless within the cube.

"K-kill it!!"

The woman Kim Yoon-ji had saved screamed, pointing at the demon with a voice filled with hatred.

"That demon tried to kill me!!"

"What was your relationship with the demon?"

"I-I don't know...!"

The woman stumbled to her feet, quickly distancing herself from the demon trapped in the cube.

"I-I don't know what's going on! It suddenly turned into a demon and attacked me...!"

"Are you an ability user?"

"I'm not an ability user!!"

Tae Irin found the woman's frantic screams suspicious, but she couldn't grant her request.

"We don't kill demons recklessly."

"Why not?!"

"Now, the priority is to suppress demons and send them to Daejeon."

"What kind of nonsense is that?! That demon tried to kill me! I was just standing there, doing nothing...!"

"CCTV confirmed. Was he your boyfriend?"

"...!!"

Kim Yoon-ji, who had hacked into the CCTV with electricity to check the footage, looked down coldly at the woman.

"A regular woman cheated on her ability user boyfriend with an ordinary man, which caused the ability user to lose control and turn into a demon. You triggered this transformation."

"No, that's not it! It's a misunderstanding! He just misunderstood...!"

"If that were true, you shouldn't have lied from the start."

"Ugh, ugh...!"

With a face twisted like an evil spirit, the woman pointed her finger accusingly at Kim Yoon-ji and Tae Irin.

"You, how can you not sympathize with me as fellow women?! What did I do wrong?!"

"Before we are women, we are heroes who protect everyone."

Kim Yoon-ji pointed at the woman for the Hero Association agents who were running over, and they immediately handcuffed her, dragging her away.

"...Irin, can you keep it stable?"

"Yes. Until we get to Daejeon, I'll keep it in a 'dreaming state.' Even demons can dream... of fulfilling their desires."

Tae Irin glanced at the demon with a conflicted expression.

"Before, we used to just kill them, but knowing this—"

Fwoooosh—!

Suddenly, a golden dimensional portal opened on the ceiling of the airport.

As if appearing wherever there was a demon, a woman dressed as the Golden Priestess stepped out from the golden portal.

"Platinum Sun!"

Pwoof!

The moment Platinum Sun reached her hand inside the cube, the demon inside slowly began returning to its human form.

"...Hye-ji..."

With his hair turning white, the Zenros man groaned as if in the throes of a nightmare before collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.

[The One Who Appears Wherever a Demon Is. See you then.]

Platinum Sun lightly landed on the ground, waved her hand, and disappeared.

"Wow, amazing! She's still active, Platinum Sun!"

"Our hero who always shows up wherever there are demons, even to save them...!"

The citizens recorded her as she leaped towards the ceiling and vanished, using their Taegeuk Watch to capture the moment. Kim Yoon-ji tilted her head as she watched her disappear.

"Halla Mountain...?"

For a moment, Kim Yoon-ji sensed someone's gaze coming from the direction where Platinum Sun had vanished.

It felt as if someone was watching her.

"Sister! Could you come over here for a moment?"

"...Alright."

As Kim Yoon-ji organized the situation around the Zenros man, she thought.

Jeju Island.

There were more cases of ability users turning into demons here than one might expect, and there was one common reason.

Adultery.

"I was waiting at the airport to meet Thunder Emperor, but instead, Patriot Parrot showed up."

"I'm not the Patriot Parrot, okay?"

Yumir had arrived on Jeju Island.

Not by plane, but through teleportation. After purifying the demon, she immediately left to join Hyeon Se-rin.

"I'm here to respond seriously this time, you know?"

"Really? But Mir, I heard you gave Director Do a really hard time when you went to Sinuiju."

"Not this time."

At Hyeon Se-rin's warning, Yumir clenched her fist with a determined look on her face.

"Anyway, after all this is over, I'm going to your brother's pension to relax for a whole month, so you don't need to worry about that right now, right?"

"Because you're going to rest later?"

"Exactly. I work hard now, and later, I'll play with all my strength."

"Do you really need to put so much effort into playing? Well, whatever. The more strength, the better. If you're here as an intern for the Secret Society instead of as a hero, I have no reason to refuse."

I welcomed Yumir's participation.

"But don't expect the villains coming to Jeju to act human. These guys will harm civilians if it helps their goals."

"All the more reason to subdue them thoroughly. To prevent any incidents."

Yumir picked an orange from a nearby tree.

"...I do wonder if it's really right to turn an A-rank hero into a non-combatant and cause this situation."

"I ask for your understanding."

"We're using the rats as bait to catch the ones spreading the plague. Don't be too uncomfortable about it, Mir."

"It's not discomfort exactly, it's just... We created this situation, but now that everyone's rushing to Jeju because of the mana powder, it feels weird."

Whooooosh.

Waves crashed against the cliffs with considerable force.

The sound was that of nature, but there was also a very faint artificial noise mixed in.

[They're already here.]

Hyeon Se-rin, Yumir, and I all masked our faces.

Huff, huff, huff.

Soon, two men who appeared to be Korean climbed up the cliff.

Wearing only swimsuits, they hadn't drifted here. They had swum all the way from the South Sea to secretly infiltrate Jeju Island.

"We made it! Haha, now we're going to loot Seon Ga-eul, we're gonna be the Bone Eater!"

[Too bad.]

"...Huh?"

As soon as the two men reached the top of the cliff, they saw me and stood there, mouths agape.

"Why's Goblin here...?"

[I was waiting for scum like you, the Bone Eaters.]

Slam!

I immediately swung my Goblin bat, knocking one of them out, then grabbed the other by the collar.

[Do you really want Seon Ga-eul's ability that much?]

"O-of course...! It'd be strange if I didn't! With that ability, you could rake in truckloads of money!"

The man started shouting in frustration.

"That might not matter to an ability user, but for regular people, it's salvation!"

[Not sure about that. Doesn't the ability vanish when the user dies anyway?]

"Even so!!"

The man clenched his fist and pointed accusingly at my mask.

"She's already a demon! Whoever loots her body owns it, so why are you getting in the way? Oh, wait! You Secret Society guys are trying to get to Seon Ga-eul's corpse first, aren't you? You're trying to steal her ability!"

[Sorry, but we're not interested in that ability.]

"I'm interested! Seon Ga-eul, her ability is—"

[I said I'm not interested.]

Slam.

I swung the Goblin Bat again, knocking the man out.

Both men lay unconscious on the ground, and I neatly gathered them in one spot.

[Come to think of it, what's Seon Ga-eul's ability that makes everyone want it so badly? Just because it's A-rank? I heard it's only a physical enhancement type.]

[It's nothing special. It just messes with people's minds.]

A power that could be terrifying depending on who heard about it.

[Hypnosis.]

Chapter 340 One Who Deserves To Die (5)

Brainwashing.

Hypnosis.

Mind control.

These abilities, which made people think in ways completely against their will, were terrifying just by hearing the words. They could be considered among the worst.

In this world, the foundation of abilities was "thought power."

The power of thought was the power of ability users, and manipulating thoughts allowed you to make an ability user do anything.

Of course, whether it was brainwashing or hypnosis, once it was broken, retaliation was inevitable. But, as in most works of fiction, such brainwashing was rarely easily undone.

The hypnosis technique possessed by Seon Ga-eul was mainly used on sleeping individuals.

While the target was asleep, she whispered her desires into their ear, causing them to lose their sense of self.

"Could you do the dishes for me, please?"

"Could you throw away the food waste for me, please?"

"Could you make the apartment under joint ownership with me, please?"

As the will to serve Seon Ga-eul quietly embedded itself into the unconscious mind of the sleeping man, he became her slave without even realizing it.

Do Chang-nam, however, didn't seem to be one of Seon Ga-eul's slaves.

Seon Ga-eul had turned many men into her slaves, but it seemed she wanted to approach Do Chang-nam with a pure heart.

But I wasn't Do Chang-nam. I was Do Ji-hwan, and knowing about Seon Ga-eul's ability, I kept my distance from her, citing personal training and mission work.

Then Seon Ga-eul lost control, and with Hyeon Se-rin, I killed her on Jeju Island.

"Many people are aware of Seon Ga-eul's ability, hypnosis,"
After taking care of the Bone Eaters that swam up from the sea and reporting it to the Hero Association, we left the cleanup to the association agents and the three of us returned to the pension.

"It's not on the Hero Wiki, but it's information that everyone who knows, knows, right?" Yumir asked.

"Yeah, you can find it for sure on the dark web."

In the world of light, information about deceased individuals was documented as objectively and dryly as possible.

Because they were, after all, deceased, there was a certain degree of consideration when listing their information.

But the dark world was different.

The men who had been harmed, manipulated, and abandoned by Seon Ga-eul's hypnosis harbored immense malice toward the so-called "Witch of the Rising Sun."

Seon Ga-eul's body, her preferences, and the abilities she used—all this malice was uploaded to the sea of information, and anyone who wanted to know about her could easily find out through the dark web.

Her hypnosis ability.

"Some people call it 'gaslighting.'"

"Gaslighting?"

"Yeah. It continuously eats away at the target's mind, making it seem like they're under brainwashing."

It was not exactly the right thing to say in Korea, but it was similar to how this country emphasized loyalty and patriotism through ideological education, forcing you to devote yourself to the nation.

The question was, did you educate people to be loyal to the country, or did you make them give everything—liver, gall, bank accounts—for one woman's gain?

"Where is this hypnosis ability now?"

"It's gone."

"What?"

"The Witch of the Rising Sun died, and it disappeared with her. I didn't keep anything. When I killed Seon Ga-eul, I burned all the remnants of magic powder along with her remaining magical energy."

"Then what's inside that urn...?"

"Just bone dust, no more valuable than a similar amount of flour. It's been preserved, so even if you eat it, it would do nothing. And if you drink it, you'd die from poisoning."

I rubbed my fingers together as if sprinkling a pinch of salt.

"If someone from the government or an organization gets hold of that bone dust, they'll try to analyze it. They'd quickly realize what's in it and know that whoever killed Seon Ga-eul was filled with incredible malice."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing special. I just mixed a bit of potassium cyanide into the bone dust. Even an ability user would drop dead after inhaling it, and for an ordinary person, it's ten times the lethal dose."

"Potassium cyanide... When I looked it up, it came up as cyanide."

"That's right."

"...."

Yumir looked at me with a slightly bitter expression.

"Teacher, when you talk like this, I really get the sense that you're a villain."

"It's a trap no hero would ever set or even think of."

Even I could admit that it was extremely wicked.

It was staged as if an evil spirit that defeated an A-class hero was on the rampage, smashing the skulls of those trying to take the spirit's remains. And when they finally got the urn, they died from inhaling the bone dust.

"People should know not to secretly steal someone else's urn and lick it."

"It's not just licking it; it's death, isn't it?"

"If you've done something that deserves death, you should be punished for it. It's not like anyone forced them to inhale bone dust. Sure, I made it tempting, but I didn't set up the situation as some kind of social experiment, did I?"

"Then what was it for?"

"Even without a social experiment, it's to deal with those desperate fools who would scramble to inhale any mana powder the moment they hear about it, no matter where in the world."

Just then, data arrived on my Taeguk Watch.

It was information gathered by Brewer. The report contained real-time details about individuals intercepted and arrested across Jeju Island, compiled for the Hero Association's Jeju branch. The names and abilities of those captured were briefly summarized.

"It's a real mess. Do they want that hypnosis ability that badly?"

"Hypnosis ability... What kind of miracle does it perform that makes people desire it so much?"

"To put it extremely, it enables things that modern medicine and science can't solve."

It was akin to a "mystery of the human body."

At that time, the Ability Crime Countermeasures Committee was gathered in Busan's Blue House.

"Is this all the information we have on this woman named Seon Ga-eul?"

"Yes, that's correct. She's a graduate of Sejong Education Institute. After graduating, she traveled across the country meeting various men. She registered as a hero but barely engaged in any actual activity... a drifter."

"Then she went to Jeju Island and died."

The president and the committee members were reviewing the documents about Seon Ga-eul with serious expressions.

"Does this woman really possess such an ability?"

"Yes, that's correct. According to those who have experienced it, they reported significant changes."

"A woman who gave men hope for money... But why did she become the Witch of the Rising Sun?"

"She was trying to cross over to Japan. She boarded a ship from Jeju Island with plans to reach Japan but disappeared during the process."

"A woman trying to cross over to Japan alone... Just thinking about it gives me a headache."

The president pressed his temples and gritted his teeth.

"I understand. No matter who inherits her ability, it's clear that it will cause serious social unrest. Whether it's her, a ghost, a demon, or a lich, the investigation is ongoing, but what happened to Ji Cheon-hyang is a fact. Raise the crisis level and send more agents from the association to Jeju Island. Gather as many people from the south as possible."

"But that would leave a security gap..."

"As unpleasant as it is, we'll have to trust those Hwalbindang scum."

The president shook his head in frustration, as if he couldn't stand his own words.

"Damn it. As if other problems weren't enough, now we have this on top of everything... Ugh. How many people have been caught entering Jeju Island illegally so far?"

"More than 20 ability users have been officially identified. They're temporarily locked in the Iron Chest, but we can't hold them for long. According to international law..."

"So after a week, they might be released and sneak back onto Jeju Island? Ugh, what a nuisance. Why is this ability... No, I get it. It's an incredible ability."

The president rubbed his neck.

"If I had that ability, and if I gave speeches to the entire nation every day for just a year, I could create the worst villain who controls the entire population in the name of 'for the country.'"

"...You're approaching this politically, but some people have considered it from a different angle."

"What do you mean?"

"Baldness."

Suddenly.

"As a way to overcome it."

The atmosphere in the meeting room grew even more serious.

"To be extreme, if you whisper in someone's ear every night for about six months, their hair roots will revive, and their hair will grow long again."

In the era of abilities.

"Grow, hair, grow. It sounds like a joke, right? But it's real. While you can't kill cancer cells through self-hypnosis, you can revive dead hair roots."

"So the reason why villains all over the world are after Seon Ga-eul's hypnosis is to overcome baldness?"

"Not just baldness, but baldness as well."

Though it was said as a joke, the real terror of hypnosis lay in the fact that the hypnotized individual became utterly dependent on the hypnotist.

"It's a joke, but in reality, she's a woman who instills 'hope' in people."

You could do it.

What kind of hope those words gave depended on who was saying them.

"Hope Hypnosis. Belief becomes reality."

Well, that was the kind of ability it was.

"Imagine if a man had that ability and whispered in a woman's ear. What do you think would happen?"

In the end, abilities could either be a force for protecting people, a means of salvation, or a tool for dominating someone, depending on who wielded them.

"Illusions are shattered."

The power of hypnosis could sometimes manifest as the strongest force.

That was the case in this twisted world, where the character's hypnosis ability was influenced by the Korean Wave (Hallyu).