Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: There's Something Special About Mages (13)
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Choi Jae-ho sat down awkwardly in front of Suhyun, shrinking back hesitantly. Considering what he had just tried to do, he couldn't exactly act confident.
On top of that, after witnessing firsthand just how powerful Suhyun had become since the monster hunt, it only made him feel even smaller.
As soon as Choi Jae-ho sat down, Suhyun flashed a friendly smile and pulled a coffee from the vending machine. He set it in front of Choi Jae-ho, who shrank back even more.
"What's with the long face? Did you do something you shouldn't have?"
"No, of course not."
"Is that so? So what were you talking to him about? In-gyu doesn't usually lose his temper like that."
"Well... I just asked how he was doing, but I honestly don't know."
"You asked about his well-being, and he got mad?"
"Yes."
Choi Jae-ho tried his best to keep a straight face. It was the truth, after all. He hadn't even gotten a proper question out before Kang In-gyu had snapped at him and stormed off.
"Man, that's not like In-gyu at all. I'll have a word with him."
"Ah, no, you don't need to go that far..."
"Truth is, In-gyu's human too. He's bound to have some grudges built up. The reason he ended up on our side is a bit iffy, isn't it? It's basically like we got him as a bonus instead of an artifact."
"A bonus? What are you saying? He's not a bonus—he's worth more than any artifact, a real talent..."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever the excuse."
Suhyun waved a hand to cut off Choi Jae-ho's attempt to dress it up. That wasn't the important part right now.
'Right, he's just curious how we all awakened, huh?'
Suhyun had fielded a lot of questions like this before. Most were along the lines of, "Do you have some special way to awaken superpowers?" And they only intensified after he revealed he was a mage.
Being a mage—a special existence—fueled people's imaginations. Even with cutting-edge tech, superstitions never died. If anything, they'd gotten worse since the discovery of Cameron Planet.
So Suhyun made up his mind.
'If they want to believe that badly, I'll toss them a bone.'
He wasn't trying to scam anyone, but they were practically begging to be fooled.
"You weren't just checking on his well-being. What were you really going to ask after that?"
"Pardon?"
"Were you going to ask how he awakened?"
"Ah, no, I wouldn't..."
"Oh? I was about to tell you anyway. Never mind if not."
"!!"
Choi Jae-ho's fingertips trembled. What did this guy just say? He hurriedly grabbed Suhyun's hand as he started to stand.
"But if you're offering, I'd love to hear it!"
"Weren't you curious?"
"He's a guy who used to work for our company. Of course I'm curious!"
"I didn't realize Team Leader Choi Jae-ho had so much affection for people who jumped ship. Well, it's not a big deal, so I'll tell you."
Choi Jae-ho swallowed hard. What kind of method would he reveal?
"But you have to keep it secret."
"Of course."
Who couldn't say that? Choi Jae-ho answered immediately.
"Team Leader Choi Jae-ho, what do you think is the key to success on Cameron Planet?"
"Uh... personal ability?"
"That's part of it, but let's get more specific."
"The strength of one's superpowers?"
"Exactly. But personal strength has its limits."
'Is that something you should say?'
It was ridiculous coming from someone who'd demonstrated limitless power. But right now, Choi Jae-ho was in no position to talk back. He clamped his mouth shut and listened intently.
"I think it's information."
"Information. That's important."
Choi Jae-ho nodded in agreement.
"Where things are, monsters' weaknesses... And when you deal with that kind of info, you inevitably arrive at one thing."
"?"
"The other races."
"Ah..."
"In the early days on Cameron, most people were interested in the other races and tried to learn from them. But now, that's rare. They've learned all the basics, know all there is to know, so they figure there's no need. I see it differently, though. The other races have way more than we realize. It's just scattered and hard to catalog because they live apart."
"But why bring this up?"
"Hear me out. Dwarves, elves, orcs... They each have their own networks and alliances they maintain. So what's missing from that list?"
"Dark elves?"
"Exactly. Dark elves. I zeroed in on them. They don't mingle much with humans, so maybe they know things we haven't tapped into yet."
"!!"
Choi Jae-ho barely stopped himself from slapping his knee. Come to think of it, Suhyun's team had a pretty famous dark elf. A rare dark elf on a mage's team stood out.
'So that's what it was!'
"My hunch was right. The secret arts they know are more impressive than I thought."
"...!"
You couldn't scam just anyone. It had to be believable enough that they had no choice but to fall for it. Choi Jae-ho was a Cameron veteran. He'd sniff out flimsy lies in a second.
So Suhyun needed a lie he'd swallow—and dark elves were perfect. They were unfamiliar to most humans.
"That secret art... from your team's dark elf?"
"Thanks to that dark elf, I got in good with her tribe. They know all sorts of secret arts. The rest of the team's awakenings got a boost from them too."
His mouth went dry. Choi Jae-ho took a sip from the can to wet his lips. The info he was hearing was worth its weight in gold.
"But it's not some insanely powerful secret art. If your glass is this full of water, it's like adding a few drops."
Even as Suhyun downplayed it, Choi Jae-ho saw it as false modesty. No way a string of awakenings like that happened without real impact.
'How do I make contact? No way around it? Approaching the dark elf under Team Leader Kim Suhyun would tip them off. Another way to a dark elf...'
"Curiosity satisfied now?"
"Yes? Oh, yes! Thank you. To share something like this..."
"It's not just you I told."
Suhyun moved to the final touch—to dispel suspicion. Right now, shock had him taking it at face value, but doubts would creep in soon.
He just told me something this big?
Time to fix that.
"I've already quietly looped in the relevant parties. They're analyzing it now. Hope it pans out. A superpower awakening agent? Sounds like a dream."
Suhyun's connections were no secret—Korean government, big U.S. firms. Choi Jae-ho didn't ask who was handling the analysis.
"You're right. Well, I'll be going then..."
Suhyun smirked as Choi Jae-ho bolted.
'Wonder how many days till the rumors spread?'
* * *
Surprisingly, the Development Planning Department didn't grill Suhyun for a debrief right away upon his return. Just thanks and orders to rest.
Suhyun let it go in one ear and out the other, diving straight into work.
"Damn it, this is the kind of crap I should dump on someone else."
His old subordinate Gwak Hyeon-tae had been perfect for this. A superpower user, but his power was meh. Suhyun valued his brains. He was someone you could trust with analysis, weak points, plans... Sharp as a tack, loved money too much, but otherwise ideal.
'Hell, that's not even a flaw.'
With worse guys everywhere, Gwak Hyeon-tae was solid. He knew loyalty despite the greed.
But Suhyun was solo now, stuck processing all this data alone.
His eyes stung from staring so long. Flipping through, he opened a folder he'd closed last time in disgust—images of Wu Shangkai naked.
"Ugh, this bastard. Why put this crap in official files? Doesn't upper management bust him for slacking?"
Grimacing at the hideous body, Suhyun spotted something off. Wu Shangkai wasn't alone. Other women appeared in the photos and videos.
Not weird yet. The problem hit on the next file.
"Not just one...?"
No repeats. New face every time. Suhyun whistled. How many were there?
"Team Leader, whatcha doing?"
Kim Chang-sik burst in cheerfully. Suhyun had a huge hologram screen blasting nude pics and vids of men and women. The vibe turned awkward fast.
"Uh... You should've said something. I know good spots."
Thwack!
"Urk!"
"Didn't I tell you to knock?"
"That's why I said knock... Ow!"
"You still yapping nonsense. Perfect timing. Check these faces while you watch."
"Huh???"
Kim Chang-sik gawked at Suhyun like he'd lost his mind. Sure, Suhyun was the boss, but ordering him to ID porn stars during break time? What kind of command was this?
"Come on, this porn's just... A team leader like you scraping the bottom? Step outside—women throwing themselves at you!"
Suhyun sighed deeply. Then smacked the back of Kim Chang-sik's head again.
"Argh!"
"It's not porn, you idiot."
"Huh, the actors are kinda ugly now that you mention it."
Rubbing his sore head, Kim Chang-sik nodded. Suhyun explained who Wu Shangkai was. Kim Chang-sik's jaw dropped as it clicked.
"Sex scandal?"
"Dunno. Gotta see. China's officials are strict, but corrupt enough. Guy at his level won't get hit hard for one-nighters."
"Eh? Then why bother?"
"Might not be one-nighters."
Stashing it here proved it was sensitive—stuff that couldn't leak. So probably not just casual flings.
"Wu Shangkai's high up. Network around him, right? These women look mature. Anything stick out?"
"Affairs... I'll find 'em now!"
Kim Chang-sik eagerly cropped faces and databased them. Suhyun had access to the Planetary Management database. He wasn't hunting secret agents—just public figures. Basic search would do.
Minutes later, hits.
"Three so far."
"Pull 'em up."
"One's the wife of a Cameron Castle government party committee member. Next, wife of a task force staffer. Last one's Central Pioneering Department—married too, has a husband."
Suhyun patted Kim Chang-sik's shoulder slowly.
"Good job."
"Wh-what're you gonna do? Report it? Anon tip?"
"?"
Suhyun eyed Kim Chang-sik pitifully.
"Not our country—why would I report it?"
"Then?"
"Polish it up and use it."
Bang—
"What're you two up to?"
"...Gotta write 'Knock' on the door."
Louiril walked in, froze, tried to bolt. Suhyun grabbed her and quickly explained.
"Oh, gotcha. I thought..."
"Curious what you imagined, but later. Louiril, you've bounced around China a lot. Can you reach Wu Shangkai?"
"Uh? No way. My China contacts are all shady semi-illegals."
"That so?"
Suhyun nodded like he got it. It was a casual ask, no real hope.
'Attend some official event?'
They fought in shadows but played nice publicly—gate-related nations kept it cordial. Suhyun could crash those easily.
'Heading to China border now's risky, too much spotlight... Have a staffer set up a meet instead.'
Suhyun pondered quietly, but it pressured Louiril differently. She glanced nervously, then blurted,
"I'll-I'll give it a shot!"
"Hm? Nah, no need to risk it. We'll call him out officially."
"......"