Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Translator: Penny
Episode 13: A Graduate Student?
Episode 13: A Graduate Student? Me?
"By the way, it's all gold here."
"Of course. Our guild lives up to its name, doesn't it?" Eve Meitner smiled brightly.
Indeed, a mindset befitting the Guild Master of the Golden Guild.
This gold wasn't just plating; it was all pure, 100% solid gold.
The 63-story building on Yeouido—before I was transmigrated into this world, it had just been a building with slightly yellowish windows. But in this world, it had been transformed into a monument of insane extravagance, where anything that even glimmered was made of pure gold.
Ah, of course, they weren't crazy enough to replace the windows with solid gold, so some are just glass with gold film. Still, even if you stripped away all the real gold, it would easily be worth over 100 billion won.
"By the way, what did you do to the domestic guilds? That brat from Naseon Guild was complaining while clearing an A-Rank Gate."
Naseon... Ryu Seong-ho?
I'd received a rather rude text from him last time and had completely ignored it. Was he still sulking about that?
"The United States—or rather, the Vultures—are apparently furious about you selling them potions. They're planning to unite with other guilds and protest, claiming you're leaking national assets."
Eve Meitner subtly revealed Naseon Guild's next move.
Well, let them protest.
Yuseong Group wasn't a public enterprise to begin with. We merely held a patent monopoly, which allowed us to block the production of Mid-Grade Potions. This gave us only a small amount of leverage—enough to drastically reduce the survival rates of Heroes worldwide in the Gates. We were essentially a small-scale cottage industry.
"...Then I guess we'll just move to America."
Eve Meitner stared at me, slightly surprised, as I stated my next plan with unwavering seriousness.
"...Ahahaha, you're taking a much tougher stance than the Former Chairman, it seems."
"Tell them we absolutely won't sell for less than 30 million for High-Grade Potions and 16 million for Mid-Grade Potions. Even at these prices, we're practically giving them away at cost, considering labor expenses."
We sold to the Vultures at the same prices. The Korean guilds, spoiled by Yun Seong-ho's "free potions" era, now expect to get them at cost as a matter of course.
The Korean guilds have gotten too used to this.
The price was so reasonable that Thomas Andrea, Guild Master of the Vultures, knelt down and wept tears of gratitude, thanking them profusely for selling at such a fair price.
I was genuinely surprised back then.
He had received an email beforehand informing him that Guild Master Thomas Andrea would be visiting in person. But after inspecting all the goods at Incheon Port, he had given her a Supreme Potion as a token of their first transaction. He never expected her to burst into tears of genuine gratitude.
Goliath—the world's strongest Defender, a title she wore without arrogance. The massive scar across her eye made her slightly intimidating at first glance, but in front of reporters, she had declared that the Vultures would always come to the aid of the Yuseong Group whenever needed, proving her unwavering loyalty.
She was such a generous woman, even giving out her personal phone number and telling me to contact her if I ever needed help... It was astonishing how Yun Seong-ho's sheer incompetence could turn such a loyal and kind person into a money-crazed demon.
"Anyway, since we sold it to the Vultures at that price, tell them that if they're heroes protecting South Korea, they should be satisfied with the discounts they've already received."
"Haha, alright. I'll pass that along when the Guild Masters gather next time. Now, enough about that. Hurry up and show me the eye!"
"...Yes, of course."
This was the main event, after all.
I watched as Eve, wearing a research gown, rushed over.
I'd only seen Eve once at the Academy, and even then, her usual attire—a skin-tight suit that could be described as either high-cut or underwear, paired with incredibly short shorts—was hidden beneath a robe. But the back was deeply cut, revealing a scandalous amount of skin.
According to the game's lore, this outfit was supposed to enhance Eve Meitner's lightning-attribute magic.
No matter how I look at it, that outfit was clearly designed for fanservice.
It was so blatant that even the Sword Demon, a fellow Hero, had a line in the game: "That slut!"
But the Eve standing before me now was dressed in black suit pants, a khaki knit sweater, and a research gown draped stylishly over her shoulders.
That look suits her much better.
To be honest, even in her current outfit—a form-fitting dress that clung to her body—she looked quite... provocative.
A normal man might be so aroused he'd want to pounce on her immediately, I thought. But then I remembered Eve's age: she was older than the Sword Demon and Sword Saint, who were already white-haired elders. In fact, the system window only displayed Eve Meitner's age as "??".
Despite this, the community often mocked her as a "henhouse" or worse. Yet according to the game's lore, Eve's physical age was in her mid-twenties.
I recalled the lore: her overwhelming Mana maintained her body in its prime.
Seeing that massive Mana Pool waver with my own eyes was truly... something.
"Thank you."
Drip
"Huh? Se-a, you're having a nosebleed!"
"Ah, it's nothing serious."
Using Psychokinesis, I located the ruptured blood vessel and stopped the bleeding instantly. Impressed by my efficient use of the ability, Eve even praised me.
Anyway, enough with the preamble. Eve seemed to realize she was running out of time, as she began investigating my Demonic Eye with a bit more urgency.
To maximize my potential, I explained the Demonic Eye of Suggestion's capabilities as truthfully as possible.
Besides, with Discernment (S), any lies would be immediately exposed anyway.
After a grueling four-hour investigation, Eve finally reached a conclusion.
"Hmm... This is truly incredible. How could anyone endure such madness?"
"Ah, if it's because of his regenerative ability, Yun Seong-ho must have repeatedly gouged out his own eye with a scalpel to suppress it..."
"S-stop!"
The value of this Demonic Eye embedded in my eye far exceeded anything I could have imagined.
"First, among my skills, there's one called 'Spring of Mana (S)' that continuously replenishes my Mana."
"Yes."
"You're still not quite at the level of my Spring of Mana (S), but your Mana is replenishing at a similar rate. Your Mana must have surged dramatically after you transplanted that monster's eye."
This Demonic Eye... it feels like another Mana Core.
I explained the additional abilities as thoroughly as possible. Eve might already know I killed Yun Seong-ho, and she's one of the people who knows better than anyone what a complete bastard he was.
"Let's stop the research here for now. There's still so much to investigate about the Hypnosis Ability... We'll bring in some test subjects next week and continue then."
Perhaps because of this, Eve seemed to be rushing through the final stages of her research on my Demonic Eye.
"So... to summarize, your eyes possess the power to hypnotize anyone you look at. Simply having these eyes has also increased your basic Mana and Mana Pool."
"Is that so? I've felt my Psychokinesis growing stronger since that experiment."
"Right? Then quickly try casting a Barrier."
"Huh?"
"Hurry."
Zzzzz...
"Barrier cast..."
Crack!
"..........!"
The moment I finished speaking, a bolt of lightning shot toward my eyes with blinding speed.
KABOOOM!
Fortunately, the Barrier held, but the sudden attack left me shaken.
"Good reaction. The Golden Guild has plenty of openings. Want to join?"
"Um... Do we start training right away?" I scratched my head and glanced at Eve.
Come on, she wouldn't make me train after I've exhausted myself with research, would she?
But as if determined to slowly crush my hopes, the corners of Eve's lips curled upward into a wide smile.
Oh.
Then, dozens of bolts of lightning crashed down on me.
"This hurts way more than the experiments I endured before."
"Stop exaggerating. I only used magic at the 6th to 7th Circle level."
"You do realize that's the maximum output for A-Rank Heroes, right?"
I managed to wake up safely in the Golden Guild's Healing Room.
Meanwhile, in the ruins of Britain:
"...An Apostle who had made significant progress in Demonization in South Korea has died. The cause of death is unknown, but there are many suspicious circumstances."
"South Korea... isn't that where part of the Demon King's remains lie dormant? We haven't been able to retrieve our legacy because of those wretched Heroes..."
"Oh, I was rather fond of that place. They had so many delightful experimental subjects."
In the deserted ruins, 'something' gathered around a stone round table.
A Black Knight clad in massive iron armor, a Demonic Figure with a voluptuous physique, and a human-shaped being composed of black smoke.
Among them, the Black Knight commanded the Demonic Figure:
"Go and assess the situation. You're the least constrained by the Constraints. While you're there, see if you can find the Gates where fragments of the Demon King's remains lie dormant. And if possible, find a way to awaken our slumbering comrades."
"Alright, if First Seat says so, I'll do it."
As the Demonic Figure, openly expressing its discomfort, rose to its feet, the Black Knight growled, as if delivering an ultimatum.
"Even my patience has its limits, Shena. Make sure you complete this mission flawlessly this time."
"Yes, yes~"
The horned figure vanished in an instant.