I Became the Student Council President of Academy City-Chapter 98

Finally, the Principal realized the truth.

"I underestimated that boy…"

"Well? I think saying you underestimated him is a bit misleading. Didn’t you use even the most secretive magic formula of the Gluttons?"

"No, I should have considered the possibility that the magic might not work. Bringing Kim Dal-bi into it was excessive, a mistake. That boy, An Woo-jin, is not someone who can be dealt with using historical precedent or knowledge. I misjudged completely…"

The Principal's eyes gleamed with murderous intent.

"That boy is a monster. I should have treated him as a threat on par with Goliath…"

The Principal blinked slowly.

"In fact, that boy might be even more dangerous than Goliath."

"A monster with that kind of growth speed needs to be crushed as quickly as possible…, is that what you're saying?"

"That’s one aspect. But Goliath is unpredictable, while that boy likely harbors a deep grudge over everything that has happened. He must already know that I’m behind it all. When someone with power harbors anger, the consequences are obvious."

"So, what will you do?"

Ye-seo asked with a smile.

"I will declare martial law."

The Principal had decided that An Woo-jin was the worst possible enemy.

"Spread false accusations against An Woo-jin, claiming he is planning a coup or involved in corruption, and then mobilize all forces. In two days, we will execute ‘Darts.’"

Darts.

A game where countless darts are thrown to hit the bullseye.

The powerful figures who move in the shadows of Neo Seoul, Spartoi’s forces, and Neo Seoul itself would all target An Woo-jin.

This was a risky and aggressive move for the Principal, but she had no other options against An Woo-jin.

"I see…. The final option, then. Understood."

Ye-seo replied with a bright smile.

Time passed, the dust settled, and silence returned.

The place that had once been the Zero Zone was now a complete wasteland, reminiscent of a battlefield.

With Hong-gyu buried alive, the barrier of the Heavenly Ritual Feast was lifted, and the city was shrouded in darkness.

The only places left intact were the ground beneath my feet and the abandoned hospital.

Those two areas were protected by new rifts that had formed above them, preventing the building debris from falling on them.

I stared at the spot where Hong-gyu and Hong-bin had fallen.

Despite this being my first act of killing, I felt an inexplicable sense of calm in my heart.

Perhaps it was because they were people who deserved to die, or maybe it was due to the anger that had filled my heart, or the self-justification that I had no other choice. It could also be that my emotions had dried up after reaching the seventh rank, or maybe it was all of these reasons combined.

I wasn’t sure.

But right now… I was surprisingly numb.

'My magic… has it run dry again?'

Even though I had ascended in rank and replenished my magic, it was merely a temporary store of energy. It wasn’t an abundant amount.

Yet, considering the power I had just unleashed, I couldn’t fully grasp where I now stood.

'It seems I won’t be seeing Golden Ram for a while.'

Given that my magic was depleted, it seemed unlikely that I would see Golden Ram again anytime soon.

I didn’t know how long this 'temporary' state would last. While my magic recovery rate would have increased at the seventh rank, it was uncertain when I would fully recover from this magic depletion.

'But more importantly…'

I began walking. Stepping over the debris, I made my way to the abandoned hospital, where I found Kim Dal-bi, still asleep, and carried her out. She was still deeply unconscious.

Despite all the chaos, she hadn’t woken up. It seemed her body had reached its limit.

'Even if I had remained at the sixth rank, I wouldn’t have been able to defeat them.'

It was no wonder Dal-bi was so exhausted. The fact that a sixth-rank mage had saved me at Shikshin’s dining table was proof that she had pushed herself to the limit.

Though our situation was different, in the original story, Goliath had struggled to overcome the magic of the Heavenly Ritual Feast.

It was impressive, really.

I couldn’t even move.

However, after that, Goliath overexerted himself and became exhausted. That happened in the latter part of the original story when the player had grown stronger.

Thanks to that, the protagonist, Lee Tae-sung, was able to defeat Goliath.

'But that won’t happen now.'

The Heavenly Ritual Feast had expended itself targeting me, so Goliath wouldn’t tire out as he did in the original story. This meant I would have to fight Goliath at full strength.

The difficulty had increased significantly compared to the original story.

But, at least there was some hope.

The rapid pace of my growth was something to hold on to.

Maybe by the time we face off, I might be able to put up a fight.

Step by step, I walked through the desolate remains of the Zero Zone.

The buildings were all destroyed beyond recognition, allowing the cold wind to blow freely against my skin.

As I continued walking,

WHOOSH!!

"!"

Suddenly, a heavy wave of magic enveloped my entire body. I looked up to see a large, muscular man coming into view.

He was smiling boldly, revealing a set of large teeth.

The pale moonlight illuminated his long blonde hair. His sudden appearance was so out of place that I wondered if it was a hallucination. But no, he was very real.

"Goliath…?"

Goliath.

The last of the Six Sinners and the strongest being in Neo Seoul.

The one who was freer than anyone else in this city.

Yet, despite his sudden appearance, I wasn’t surprised. He had shown up when I awakened my unique ability, so it wasn’t unexpected that he’d appear now that I had reached the seventh rank.

Goliath approached, stepping over the rubble with his massive feet, flashing a sinister smile that exposed his beast-like teeth.

As he drew closer, his imposing figure filled my vision. His presence was overwhelming.

I had no strength left to fight. If Goliath attacked, I would have no choice but to be defeated.

But, as expected, Goliath didn’t seem to be here to fight.

"An Woo-jin."

His deep voice resonated.

I could hear a growling sound, like that of a beast, coming from between his teeth. He looked down at me and spoke.

"You’ve awakened once again. Impressive…!"

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Goliath’s voice was filled with excitement.

How ridiculous…

"You felt the magic and came… just to say that? Are we close enough to be exchanging congratulations?"

"You should know by now that I’ve been watching you."

"Yeah… thanks for that."

With a resigned sigh, I adjusted Dal-bi on my back and walked past Goliath.

As I took a few steps, Goliath spoke again, without even turning to look at me.

"What is it that you seek?"

I stopped and turned to face him.

"What is it you’re fighting for?"

I wasn’t sure if it was some kind of edgy, philosophical question, but…

It seemed like an opportunity to understand Goliath’s intentions, so I turned fully toward him.

"Just… freedom. The freedom to live happily with the people I care about."

That’s why I was fighting so hard.

"You can pursue your freedom here in this city. But for people like me, it’s not that simple."

"Freedom…!"

Goliath smiled as he met my gaze.

"It’s worth pursuing! The acquisition of rights is the product of struggle…! A life without freedom is unimaginable!"

"And what about you? What are you pursuing?"

I couldn’t predict his actions.

I had no idea about his values or beliefs.

Goliath tilted his head up and looked down at me arrogantly.

"This city."

"……?"

His response caught me off guard, and I narrowed my eyes.

"Are you talking about preserving or developing this city?"

"No, it’s more fundamental than that."

"What do you mean…?"

"What I seek is a hero. A hero for this city…!"

It was within my expectations that he would give a response that didn’t make any sense.

But at least one thing became clear to me.

"A hero… So, you knew what the Principal has been doing all along?"

Would the strongest being who wanted a hero for the city be unaware of the Principal’s atrocities?

I was skeptical.

"Of course."

Goliath answered without hesitation.

"An Woo-jin, do you know that the first murder in human history was committed with a stone?"

The Bible says that the first murder was between brothers. Cain, the older brother, killed Abel, the younger, with a stone.

If you consider the story in the Bible as a reference, that would be the case.

I nodded.

"In the beginning, do you think concepts like good and evil existed? Do you believe that what morals and laws pursue is what is right?"

"Are you having a late teenage crisis or something? It doesn’t suit you, so cut the crap and get to the point."

Goliath spread his massive arms wide.

"What I seek is Neo Seoul, the very foundation of life blessed by the Golden Ram! I want to see ‘who is right’ in this city…!"

Good and evil.

Black and white.

He wasn’t viewing the world in such a binary way. What I called the Principal’s atrocities, Goliath seemed to want to observe and judge whether they were 'right' or 'wrong.'

From that statement, I gathered some information.

"Does that mean the Principal’s goal is to benefit the city?"

Does the Principal believe her actions are for the good of Neo Seoul?

"That’s an answer no one knows. It’s not just the Principal. I’m watching 'everyone'…!"

All the citizens.

Or, considering Goliath’s stature, he might be referring to all living beings.

In the end, he meant that he would observe who would lead the 'rightness' for this foundation of life.

Why would someone like him become one of the Six Sinners?

Why would he later bring about a dystopia?

These questions arose, and I couldn’t help but click my tongue.

"Arrogant bastard."

No matter how strong you are, it’s not up to you to decide who’s right. I replaced what I wanted to say with a simple insult. Did he think he was some kind of god?

Goliath simply responded with a grin.

Once my magic recovered, I planned to return and crush the Principal and everything related to her.

Goliath included.

I turned my back on him and started walking again. Behind me, I heard a loud boom and felt a gust of wind. I looked up at the sky and saw Goliath flying away like a shooting star.

Bzzz.

As I continued walking out of the Zero Zone, my smartphone vibrated in my pocket. This was the moment I had been waiting for.

I gently laid Dal-bi on the ground and pulled out my smartphone. The screen showed that I was now in a service area, and missed calls and messages began flooding in.

Just as I was about to call the student council executive—

"Huh?"

In the distance, I noticed vehicles driving down the road. The streetlights and headlights made it easy to distinguish them.

There was no reason for vehicles to come here.

The lights were familiar.

'Our disciplinary committee…?'

The disciplinary committee from Ahseong High School was coming here.

'Did Baek-seo bring them?'

The missed calls were mostly from Baek-seo, more than ten in total. She must have figured out the situation and called the committee together.

'So, Baek-seo is here.'

The entire Zero Zone had been reduced to ruins.

Moreover, it was a vast area.

If Baek-seo had been searching around, it was likely we had missed each other.

I focused on detecting magic. I sensed a faint flow of magic coming from behind me.

I turned around and saw small flashes of lightning flickering in the distance, in the direction of the Zero Zone.

It was the distinct color of Baek-seo’s magic.

The lightning-clad figure was heading toward me, likely detecting the magic that Goliath had spread.

I felt a pang of guilt, realizing she must have been anxious, just like during the Han Seo-jin incident.

I raised the Iron Dragon Staff and sent a burst of teal lightning into the air. It was a secondary effect of its enhancement, unaffected by my depleted magic.

When Baek-seo saw the signal, she quickened her pace and rushed toward me.

"Baek…!"

Suddenly, Baek-seo embraced me without saying a word.

It then dawned on me that I had forgotten the state I was in—utterly battered.

I placed my hand on Baek-seo’s back. Her body was trembling slightly. I could tell she had been scared.

"…Baek-seo."

"I couldn’t get in touch with you."

"Huh?"

"I couldn’t reach you, and then I heard you disappeared after interrogating Moon Chae-yeon…."

Baek-seo whispered. Her voice, uncharacteristically, had a slight tremor.

"I also learned that something had gone wrong in the Zero Zone."

"So you came for me. Thank you."

"……."

Baek-seo said nothing more.

"President."

"Yeah?"

"Don’t make me feel so powerless again…."

Baek-seo didn’t move away from me. She didn’t want to show her face.

"…Alright. I won’t."

Finally, as Baek-seo seemed to calm down, I gently moved her out of my embrace. Her face was filled with concern. It seemed that even maintaining her usual poker face was difficult for her right now.

"Is this… your doing?"

She was asking if I was responsible for the destruction of the Zero Zone.

She must have sensed the magic I unleashed when I reached the seventh rank. That’s probably how she knew it was me.

I nodded, and Baek-seo let out a sigh.

"This is unbelievable…."

"More importantly, can you take her?"

I nodded toward Dal-bi, who was lying on the ground.

"…Did you fight her?"

Baek-seo looked down at Dal-bi and asked quietly. Her voice carried a subtle tension, as if she was both wary and afraid.

"No, it’s the opposite."

I knelt down and gently brushed Dal-bi’s pale pink hair aside.

"She saved me."

"Huh?"

"I survived because Dal-bi stepped in. It might not matter now, but she’s the one who gave me that peony flower."

Baek-seo flinched slightly.

She couldn’t believe that the person I had said was precious to me was one of the Six Sinners. Understandable, even I would find that hard to believe.

"And Baek-seo, I’m sorry."

"For what?"

I looked at Dal-bi, who was still deep in sleep.

I realized that I couldn’t give up on her.

I couldn’t lie to Baek-seo about something like this.

Pushing aside the guilt, I finally spoke up, revealing my true feelings.

"I… I like her too."

"…What?"

"I like Kim Dal-bi, the goblin."

It might have been my imagination, but in the dim light of the night, it looked like Baek-seo’s face turned pale after a slight delay.

"Uh…?"

As I waited for Baek-seo’s reaction, the air between us grew awkward, and the conversation fell silent. I had a sinking feeling that something was going wrong.

In the distance, I could hear the approaching sirens of the disciplinary committee's vehicles.