Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Humanity's First Mage (7)
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Giving up unconditionally wasn't always the answer, but Gu Jung-cheol's case was different. He already possessed superpowers without realizing it. If I kept pushing him into a corner, he'd awaken to it on his own.
Kang!
An impossible sound rang out when their fists collided. Su-hyun glanced at his tingling hand before turning his gaze back to Gu Jung-cheol. He too blinked in astonishment.
"Wh-what?"
"See? I told you he has talent."
"…!"
"So let's keep going until he can fully control it."
"……."
Gu Jung-cheol wore a dazed expression as he unconsciously stepped back.
* * *
"Then I'll leave him in your hands."
"Yes, just leave it to me."
Lee So-hee bowed politely. Behind her lay Gu Jung-cheol, utterly exhausted. Seeing this, Seo Kang-seok asked in wonder.
"He's the new recruit you brought, right? What's his story?"
"A promising superpower user. Well, not yet. He still needs some polishing."
After thoroughly working Gu Jung-cheol over, Su-hyun handed him off to Lee So-hee. Unlike the others who had military training, Gu Jung-cheol was a civilian with no formal instruction—just raw physical prowess. He needed to start from the basics.
And for that kind of foundational training, Lee So-hee was perfect.
"A superpower user? Did the government hook you up?"
"Nah, I brought him on personally."
"?!"
"Problem?"
"No, none at all."
Seo Kang-seok was a stoic man. If Su-hyun didn't bring it up first, he wouldn't pry. But he couldn't help pondering it inwardly.
'Is this guy for real...? Can he really spot superpowers?'
The rumors that had long followed Su-hyun.
The team leader of Uncle Jo Company held the secret to awakening superpowers—or at least spotting latent ones.
His own team members brushed it off without much thought, but from Seo Kang-seok's perspective—as someone Su-hyun had actively recruited from outside—it was astonishing.
"Sorry to drag you out personally when you're so busy."
"I'm stuck here anyway; can't leave just yet. Gotta show the government some consideration."
The calls Su-hyun received after awakening as a mage hadn't stopped at the Development Planning Department. The Planetary Management Division above them had directly offered protection. He'd turned it down, but he planned to stick around Pyongyang for a while.
'Time to get things sorted while I'm here.'
The two were now heading out to pick up Seo Kang-seok's daughter. He was thrilled that his girl, hospitalized for so long, was finally being discharged.
"If you're happy, you can show it."
Su-hyun remarked as he noticed Seo Kang-seok's shoulders twitching slightly. Caught off guard, Seo Kang-seok replied sheepishly.
"Ah, no, I'm not."
"Daddy!"
"Ye-na!"
Less than a second after denying it, Seo Kang-seok's face lit up. An young girl appeared in the distance, calling out to him. She didn't resemble him at all, but it was clear she was his daughter. Her long illness had left her frail and thin.
'Still a faint trace of poison...'
They said she was fully recovered, but Su-hyun sensed a subtle toxic aura emanating from her whole body. Quietly channeling his poison arts, he drew the toxins out of the girl.
"This is the man I told you about."
"Thank you, sir."
"What? Don't spout nonsense like that."
"I just said thanks for the help."
"She earned it herself—what's with the unnecessary thanks...? Get in the car."
Su-hyun gestured for them to hop in. Seo Kang-seok took the front passenger seat, while Seo Ye-na sat beside Su-hyun. Beaming, she looked around curiously.
"Excited?"
"Yeah, a little. Dad told me all about it, but seeing it for myself is different... Oh, right—you're a mercenary, aren't you?"
"Yep."
"So you've fought monsters before?"
Su-hyun shot a glance at Seo Kang-seok, signaling with his eyes to switch seats. But Seo Kang-seok stared out the window.
'This guy...'
He wasn't the type for dealing with kids, but he couldn't just brush her off coldly either. In the end, Su-hyun fielded Seo Ye-na's questions all the way to their destination.
* * *
"You two seem close."
"No. This is business."
"……."
Choi Ji-eun eyed Su-hyun with a complicated look as he immediately denied it. Once Lee Sun-hwa passed by, Su-hyun asked again.
"So, what do you think?"
"It's amazing how you keep finding these cases."
"Not your take on this incident—what about the girl's condition?"
"There's nothing more I can add about her physical state. If a major hospital threw that much money at precise scans, I'm not going to change anything. Stop making that face?"
As Su-hyun openly showed his disappointment, Choi Ji-eun sighed and continued.
"But there are a few... tests we can run."
"As expected. I knew I could count on you."
Blushing, Choi Ji-eun turned away.
"So, what kind of tests?"
"Primitive artifacts from monsters are rare enough, but one fusing with a human? That's a first. Even regular artifacts don't do that."
Choi Ji-eun took Seo Ye-na's hand and led her inside, explaining as they went.
"Artifacts and superpowers have a lot in common. So we're going to run a superpower test."
"There's a test for that?"
"I just developed it. And you're involved too."
"?"
"It's based on analyzing the superpower nullifier you got us. It scans the wavelengths superpowers naturally emit to detect users..."
"...So in short, it tells if someone's a superpower user or not?"
Su-hyun knew leaving it to Choi Ji-eun meant enduring a lecture full of jargon.
"Yeah, pretty much. Hop up here?"
'Securing that superpower nullifier early is paying off like this?'
Nullifiers and detectors—both incredibly useful. He never imagined gear like this would emerge.
"Like this?"
"Yeah, take a deep breath... And down. Good."
Seo Ye-na hopped down, and Choi Ji-eun nodded.
"Well?"
"The wavelengths match a superpower user's exactly."
"So that means..."
"She might not be able to use them yet—or ever—but she's basically a superpower user. Except it's not innate; it's from fusing with an external artifact, so... we're not sure yet. I'll ask Mom for the rest. She'd know better."
"Please, we beg you!"
Seo Kang-seok bowed deeply, shouting. Choi Ji-eun startled back, flustered.
"You're scaring her. Enough."
"S-sorry."
"No need to worry. Mom will definitely find a way that won't harm her health."
"See? Stop fretting."
"Thank you..."
As they headed out, Seo Kang-seok kept glancing back.
"If you're that worried, why not stay at the lab for a bit? I'll bench you from the next op."
"No. I can't do that."
Seo Kang-seok was surprisingly stubborn.
"We repay favors with work. Can't impose any more."
"I'm not so harsh I'd force a guy with a sick family to work."
"If I skip every time, I'll end up out entirely. Ye-na understands."
"Hmm, not sure I do."
"Don't you have any good people around, Team Leader?"
"Who knows. Got too many irons in the fire. I'll think after this wraps."
"You might be surprised—could be closer than you think. That's how I met him."
"Whatever. Anyway... Huh?"
A call came in suddenly. Su-hyun saw it was from Chairman Charles.
"What's up?"
"What do you mean? Do I need a reason to call?"
"Don't you?"
"……."
'No way he's already clashing with someone else.'
"Hello?"
"Oh, got lost in thought. Anyway, I'm a bit hurt you think that. I figured we'd gotten pretty close."
"It was a joke. I like you plenty, Chairman."
He skipped the 'when you give me stuff.' They exchanged pleasantries, both aware of each other's angles. Charles waited for an opening before cutting to the chase.
"Speaking of which, that thing you brought last time. The one that summons monsters..."
"Analysis done already?"
"You care more about usable gear than reports."
'Not right now.'
If it was analyzed, he'd take it to Choi Ji-eun. She'd be thrilled.
"Ah, yeah, true."
"Analysis isn't finished, but we whipped up some prototypes you can use right away. Exact replicas of the structure—no issues there."
"Did you test them?"
"Of course."
Charles grinned.
"The monsters went wild for it. Performance is solid."
"Perfect."
Charles hid his anticipation, waiting. He'd brought this up for one reason: hoping Su-hyun would come to Little Washington himself.
Seeing humanity's first mage in person was one thing, but he also wanted face-to-face to gauge Su-hyun's true intentions. He hated losing talent he'd marked as his own.
"So, when will you pick them up?"
"Just ship them."
"……."
Charles nearly fell over. Talking to Su-hyun always surprised him—good or bad.
"You're joking, right?"
"Half-joking..."
"And half-serious? No, this has to be handed over in person! You can't just mail it!"
"Things are tricky here."
Su-hyun explained his awkward situation in Pyongyang. Furious, Charles bellowed.
"What kind of democracy traps a man like that? Say the word, and I'll protest right now."
"It's not trapping me exactly—just asked to wait till things cool down. But protesting's fine."
Charles openly tsked. If he'd asked outright, he'd have gone full throttle.
"So no shipping, but send a trusted courier."
Charles sensed Su-hyun wouldn't budge easily. Then something flashed through his mind.
"A trusted courier... Yeah, got it."
'What?'
"I'll send someone reliable. Haha!"
Su-hyun felt a twinge of unease. He'd steered the talk his way, but something felt off.
'This guy's not one to back down so easily.'
He'd known their dynamic would shift once word of his mage status spread—especially with someone like Chairman Charles, who coveted talent as much as he did.
"Wait, who are you—"
Click.
"That old coot..."
"Who?"
"Charles Carlos. You know?"
"...Would it be weird if I didn't?"
"Kim Chang-sik didn't."
"Even tycoons have people who've never heard of them."
Seo Kang-seok looked away as he answered.
"Anyway, what were you about to say before the call?"
"Oh, that."
Su-hyun scratched his chin.
"Dr. Lee Sun-hwa's no slouch; she'll handle Ye-na's health without issues. But what after that?"
"After?"
"She's basically a superpower user now."
"Ah..."
On Cameron Planet, superpowers meant a special fate—more so than on Earth. Few could resist the massive rewards for a bit of risk.
"I'll let her do what she wants. Even if she's got powers, I won't push her into danger."
"Fair question. Might be for the best."
"Then I'll have to work harder."
"Good attitude. But..."
"Yes?"
"Nothing."
Su-hyun swallowed the idiom about hidden talents. Exceptional gifts had a way of emerging, no matter what. A rare fusion case like Seo Ye-na's would draw eyes even if she tried to live normally.
'If she wants ordinary, I'll make it happen...'
With that thought, Su-hyun stepped forward.
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