Goblin Library - Chapter 35

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 35

The Dung Carrier Goblin nodded as he looked up from his book.
“So you were trying to get the School Gang to stop school violence on their own.”
Yu Tae-poong nodded at the Dung Carrier Goblin’s murmur.
“Police and teachers can’t stop the School Gang. They don’t fear them. But the School Gang fears senior gang members and stronger gangs. So only the School Gang can stop the School Gang.”
“And Kang Woong controls that gang?”
“Exactly.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin spoke while looking at his book.
“Hmm… something feels a bit lacking.”
Yu Tae-poong understood what he meant. It seemed overly coercive.
“Reforming a single person isn’t easy. And during that time, the victims will still suffer harassment and violence.”
“That’s true.”
Yu Tae-poong spoke while looking at his book.
“Novels and reality are different.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin glanced down at the book and asked.
“So school violence has disappeared?”
“In the schools Kang Woong took over, violence has stopped for now. We don’t know what will happen later… but the victims can attend school peacefully now.”
“That’s good then.”
Yu Tae-poong nodded at the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words.
“The method is violent and illegal… but there’s no reason good deeds must always be done through good means.”
“Usually, protagonists in novels scrutinize the process even for good results…”
“I just said it—novels and reality are different. If this were purely a story, the bullied student would awaken and boldly take revenge on the gang members tormenting him. And I wished for that too. But reality proved more difficult.”
“That’s true.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin nodded and set down his book.
“The Bamboo Sword Goblin certainly writes well. Is it because his previous owner was a scholar?”
Yu Tae-poong smiled at the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words.
“It might not be completely unrelated, but it probably isn’t a major factor either.”
“Why not? Scholars are closely tied to books.”
“While scholars and books are inseparable, the Four Books and Three Classics aren’t exactly entertaining reads.”
“True, those books aren’t fun. So… the Bamboo Sword Goblin must just be naturally talented. A difference in talent?”
Yu Tae-poong spoke to the Dung Carrier Goblin, who sighed enviously.
“You could write good prose too, sir.”
“I wish I could… but it’s not easy.”
“Usually, people who write well read extensively. Why don’t you read many books from other goblins, sir?”
“Books, huh…”
At the mention of books, the Dung Carrier Goblin fell into thought, then sighed.
“Strangely, when I read other goblin authors’ works, I can’t relate to them. I suppose we just like different characters too much.”
“That’s certainly possible.”
Yu Tae-poong nodded in response, then suddenly looked at him.
“Then wouldn’t it work to find books by people who share similar tastes with you?”
“I mentioned it before. We tried passing books around among friends with similar tastes, but nobody found them interesting, so we stopped.”
“I don’t mean that kind of taste. There could be people who genuinely share your exact preferences—those who mistreat others and show their ugly side, but deep down have a human side. People who like characters like that.”
“I’m not sure if such a Goblin exists.”
The Dung Carrier Goblin tilted his head in confusion, then sighed.
“And I don’t know many other Goblins.”
“You don’t know many?”
“The other Goblins don’t really like me. I only know the ones I know, and I’m not familiar with most of them.”
At the Dung Carrier Goblin’s words, Yu Tae-poong smacked his lips and looked at him. It seemed like everyone avoided playing with the Dung Carrier Goblin because of the smell.
‘So even in the Goblin world, there’s bullying.’
Yu Tae-poong muttered to himself and quietly pushed the rice cake toward him.
“Have some more rice cake.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Dung Carrier Goblin nodded and picked up the rice cake. Then, looking at the bookshelves, he spoke.
“You’re right, little brother. I should come here and read some books too. I might learn something from reading other Goblins’ works.”
“Then I won’t be bored, which is great.”
At Yu Tae-poong’s words, the Dung Carrier Goblin looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“You like it when I come? You’re not bored when I’m here?”
Yu Tae-poong nodded.
“I like it when you come. And when you visit, we can eat together, right?”
“Eat together?”
“I always eat lunch alone. When you come, we can keep eating together, and that’s nice.”
“You want to… keep eating lunch together?”
The Dung Carrier Goblin, who had been staring blankly at Yu Tae-poong, broke into a bright smile.
“Yeah, let’s keep eating together.”
Watching the delighted Dung Carrier Goblin, Yu Tae-poong moved Lim Sung-un’s book aside but ended up opening it instead.
Whoosh!
As the book opened, the section Yu Tae-poong had wanted to see appeared.

***

Tap-tap-tap!
“Hey, you brat! Stop right there!”
The convenience store owner rushed out of the shop and chased after the fleeing student.
Lee Jong-hyuk and his gang, who had been watching from hiding while wearing masks, quickly slipped into the convenience store.
Lee Jong-hyuk and the school gang had entered the convenience store to steal cigarettes. The student who fled had become their new prey—a victim of school violence in place of Noh Hong-su.
“Come on! Hurry up!”
At Lee Jong-hyuk’s shout, the gang members rushed behind the counter and rapidly stuffed cigarettes into their sports bags.
“You’re a genius! How did you come up with the idea to rob a convenience store!”
At Hong Guk-jin’s excited exclamation, Lee Jong-hyuk laughed and quickly shoved bottles of liquor from the display shelf into his bag.
Until now, they’d only robbed small neighborhood shops, but this time they were targeting a convenience store.
“The owner here has a pretty nasty personality, and he’s not that old either. So I figured he’d chase after a thief. And convenience stores like this have way more cigarettes than small shops. Plus, there’s liquor too.”
As he spoke, Lee Jong-hyuk finished packing the liquor bottles and quickly slung his bag over his shoulder.
He intended to grab a reasonable amount without getting greedy and wasting time—then make his escape.
“Let’s go.”
At Lee Jong-hyuk’s command, Hong Guk-jin hastily shouldered his bag filled with cigarettes. Just as they were about to leave the counter, the convenience store door chimed open.
“My, my! Taking so much liquor and cigarettes—what are you planning to do with all that?”
A man entered through the door, speaking with a smile, but Lee Jong-hyuk didn’t even answer—he just charged forward.
It wasn’t as though unexpected customers had never shown up while they were robbing the convenience store before.
Of course, this was the first time someone had approached them with a smile like this, but… regardless, they could just push past and get out.
“Move!”
Lee Jong-hyuk shouted and hurled the liquor bottle he was holding directly at the man.
Whoosh!
Whether the man dodged or got hit, Lee Jong-hyuk planned to push past in that moment.
But then.
The liquor bottle that struck the man’s head shattered. And at that sight, bewilderment flickered across Lee Jong-hyuk’s face.
The moment the bottle flew at him, the man tilted his head slightly back and then performed a perfect header—
—on the liquor bottle.
Crack! Smash!
The bottle burst, and liquor sprayed everywhere.
“What… what the hell?”
Lee Jong-hyuk faltered in confusion.
“Why… didn’t you dodge?”
With reflexes sharp enough to header a liquor bottle, he should have easily avoided it.
As Lee Jong-hyuk stared at the man as if he were insane, the man brushed his head with his hand.
Pitter-patter!
Glass shards fell as blood streamed down from the man’s head.
Mixed with the liquor, the crimson blood flowed so profusely it looked like a serious injury.
And the man looked at Lee Jong-hyuk and his gang. Their eyes had gone wide with shock at the blood flowing from his head.
Seeing their reaction, the man smiled and shook his head, scattering the glass in all directions.
Splatter! Splatter!
Blood and liquor streamed from his head in all directions, splattering across the Convenience Store. The interior, now drenched in crimson, resembled a murder scene.
The man, flinging blood in every direction, spotted Lee Jong-hyuk and the School Gang members before pushing open the door.
And from the lips of the man—Choi Tae-sik—came a faint voice.
『R… Cough! R… Hack!』
Choi Tae-sik, muttering softly as if struggling to expel something from his mouth, exhaled heavily before speaking again.
『R… robbery. A robbery….』
The words barely escaped his lips in a whisper, and Choi Tae-sik sighed. Normally, he should have screamed that a robbery was happening.
But one could only scream properly if they’d screamed before.
Screams had always come from others, never from Choi Tae-sik himself.
Fortunately, however, there were people willing to scream for him.
『Kyaaaah!』
『What the—!』
Passersby who witnessed Choi Tae-sik emerging from the Convenience Store with blood streaming down his head let out shrieks.
Several of them immediately pulled out their phones and began recording.
Seeing their reactions, Choi Tae-sik felt relieved.
A panicked Lee Jong-hyuk and the School Gang members shoved Choi Tae-sik and bolted from the Convenience Store. But they managed only a few steps before freezing.
A crowd had gathered in front of the Convenience Store, and some were filming with their phones.
『Jong… Jong-hyuk?』
Hong Guk-jin, flustered as he spoke his friend’s name, found Lee Jong-hyuk glaring at him.
『Don’t say my name!』
Lee Jong-hyuk growled low and rushed toward the crowd.
『Move! Get out of the way!』
Several people couldn’t dodge Lee Jong-hyuk’s sudden charge and collided with him, tumbling to the ground.
『Oof!』
『Ahhh!』
As people screamed and fell, a man suddenly blocked the path of Lee Jong-hyuk and the School Gang members as they tried to flee.
『Move!』
At Lee Jong-hyuk’s shout, the man squinted and raised his hand.
『You little punk.』
The man blocking the way simply raised his hand and swung it toward the charging Lee Jong-hyuk.
Whoosh!
Crack!
And Lee Jong-hyuk collapsed to the side.
Choi Tae-sik froze in shock at seeing Lee Jong-hyuk knocked down in a single blow.
The moment Lee Jong-hyuk rushed toward the crowd, Choi Tae-sik had moved to stop him.
The other School Gang members were just ordinary delinquents, but Lee Jong-hyuk possessed a physique that even most adults would struggle to handle.
And with his immense strength, a hit from Lee Jong-hyuk could cause serious injury.
So he’d rushed to intercept, but this man had knocked him down in an instant.
Thud!
As Lee Jong-hyuk collapsed, Hong Guk-jin, who had been following behind, stopped in shock.
The man glanced at Hong Guk-jin and hauled Lee Jong-hyuk up by the shoulder.
“Let’s see this bastard’s face.”
As he spoke, the man ripped off the mask Lee Jong-hyuk was wearing. The moment it came free, Lee Jong-hyuk frantically covered his face with his hands.
Then, with his other hand, he furtively pulled a bottle of liquor from his bag and swung it straight at the man’s head.
Crack! Shatter!
“Argh!”
As the bottle shattered and the man staggered back with a groan, Lee Jong-hyuk shouted urgently.
“Run!”
But the moment Lee Jong-hyuk tried to flee, the man seized his shoulder and hurled him over in a back throw.
Crash!
“Argh!”
Lee Jong-hyuk crumpled to the ground, limp and motionless. The man turned to face the gang members.
With blood streaming down his face, he glared at them, and the gang members immediately raised their hands in surrender.
“W-we surrender!”
At their words, the man squinted, then looked toward Choi Tae-sik.
“Are you alright over there?”
“I’m fine… but are you okay?”
At Choi Tae-sik’s words, the man wiped the blood trickling down his head with his hand and squinted.
“This bastard!”
As the man glared at Lee Jong-hyuk, several police officers came rushing over.
Watching the police arrive and arrest Lee Jong-hyuk and the gang members while calling for an ambulance, Choi Tae-sik let out a sigh.
He could have subdued all the gang members with his fists alone, but he hadn’t—because he needed to be the victim.
If Choi Tae-sik had won, Lee Jong-hyuk and the gang members might have ended up as the victims instead. So he took the beating.

Lee Jong-hyuk and the gang members were arrested as perpetrators caught in the act and were now standing trial.
Rather than facing punishment as gang members for school violence, they would receive far harsher sentences for convenience store robbery and assault.
From the beginning, Lim Sung-un had orchestrated this entire situation with precisely that goal in mind.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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