Chapter 20

Translator: uly

Chapter: 20

Chapter Title: Reward (2)

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Seo Ye-bin studied me with a look of genuine, unabashed intrigue.

Her gaze drifted momentarily to the Black Heaven Demon Sword hanging at my waist, and a soft, knowing smile soon flashed across her face.

“Out of everyone I've encountered so far, you are easily the most interesting, Lee Seo-ha.”

At Seo Ye-bin's words, I felt the heavy weight of Kim Ara's and Erhil’s curious eyes on me. To be singled out by the Principal was no small thing.

“Is there something specific you want from me?” she asked.

“There was, but it seems my request was fulfilled just a moment ago.”

“I see. So, access to the Vice Principal's private warehouse was your true goal all along.”

Seo Ye-bin closed her eyes briefly and fell into a contemplative silence.

“What strange eyes you have,” she mused suddenly.

“My eyes, Ma'am?”

“Yes. Unlike the others, you don't look at me with any discernible emotion. No doubt, no awe, no fear... not even the usual spark of curiosity. It’s unsettling.”

Seo Ye-bin lifted one corner of her mouth in a smirk.

“It's almost as if you already know everything there is to know about me.”

With that piercing observation, she fell silent. She observed me with an expression that seemed to ask: Where on earth did a kid like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this roll in from?

“Do you have any other questions for me?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“Plenty.”

“If you're willing to offer a fair price for each answer, I'll stay and talk as long as you like.”

“Bold words. Unfortunately, that's not currently possible.”

Seo Ye-bin gave a wry, almost disappointed smile.

“The number of students permitted to take items from the Vice Principal's personal warehouse is strictly limited. That's why the academy selects outstanding students through objective achievements. I designed those meritocratic rules myself. If I don't follow them, the whole system becomes a joke.”

She watched me for a moment longer before speaking again.

“If you want something more, earn it through your own achievements. We’ll be meeting again soon enough.”

“Soon, you say?”

“Yes. I'm quite looking forward to that day... Ah, the Vice Principal has arrived. Follow her to the warehouse and select what you want.”

With that dismissal, Seo Ye-bin gave me one last look.

“I'll be keeping a very close eye on you, Seo-ha.”

She flashed a playful, predatory smile. I quickly led Erhil and Kim Ara out of the office before she could change her mind.

Click-clack.

The moment we stepped back into the hallway, we saw Instructor Seo Woo-ju standing beside a petite woman who looked like she belonged in middle school.

Deep dark circles hung heavily under her tired eyes, and she wore a stained white lab coat haphazardly thrown over her clothes. Her height barely reached 152 cm.

“Say hello. This is our Vice Principal,” Seo Woo-ju introduced.

“Hello!” Erhil chirped.

“...Keep your voice down. It hurts my ears,” the Vice Principal scowled as she spoke.

I subtly took a step back. I knew the Vice Principal disliked tall people getting too close to her personal space, but she also hated when they stayed too far away, as it highlighted her short stature.

“...You, tall girl. Don't stand behind me,” she barked at Kim Ara.

“Pardon? Oh... okay.” Ara quickly shuffled to the side.

‘Well, it makes sense.’

Her height was only natural, after all. If Kim Ara possessed the blood of the Giant Clan, the Vice Principal—the legendary dwarf smith—carried the blood of the Dwarf Clan. Even the basic weapons she forged casually could fetch billions on the black market.

“So, what did the Principal blabber about with you kids?” she asked, looking up at me.

“She just gave us some tactical advice.”

“Really? It didn't sound like 'just advice' from out here.”

The Vice Principal let out a massive, weary yawn.

“Be careful. That woman doesn't care about the consequences once she takes a personal liking to a talent.”

I was well aware of that. The Principal had a voracious, almost obsessive appetite for potential. And the reason the Vice Principal was warning me was simple.

‘She doesn't want the extra work.’

The Principal's primary method for reeling in talent usually relied on commissioning the Vice Principal to create personalized, high-tier artifacts.

“Whoa, really? The Principal herself said she'd keep an eye on Seo-ha?” Erhil whispered with a look of shock.

At those words, both the Vice Principal and Instructor Seo Woo-ju stopped dead in their tracks.

“...She actually said that?”

Instructor Seo Woo-ju looked completely dumbfounded. His gaze lingered on me for a long, uncomfortable moment.

“Well, I suppose it makes sense with you. With a normal student, the results only show after months of my training, but you... you're different.”

He looked confused, but the Vice Principal’s eyes were filled only with annoyance at the prospect of a new project.

“Vice Principal,” I started, “do you know how to process Shadow Snake materials? I caught one recently, but it’s proving tricky to refine.”

“Of course I do. What a stupid question.”

“It's a specimen right on the verge of becoming an Imoogi.”

“...What exactly is left of the carcass?” she asked, her eyes sharpening.

“The scales, the meat, and most of the blood.”

“Just give me the scales... No, throw in the blood too. I can use that for a high-temp forge.”

The Vice Principal pondered briefly, her professional greed warring with her laziness.

“But listen, I've already blown through this month's research budget, so I can't pay you in cash... Tell you what, how about you take one extra item of your choice from the warehouse today?”

“Hmm, one extra item...”

I put on my best thoughtful, hesitant expression.

In reality, the Shadow Snake corpse I had could fetch about 100 million won. But the warehouse we were heading to held the Vice Principal's masterwork tools. In terms of sheer value, getting an extra item was a total steal for me.

However, I knew the Vice Principal was a massive sucker for rare materials. Once she laid eyes on high-grade ingredients, she would impulse-buy at a premium. As long as her creations weren't being used by villains, she didn't care who owned them.

I looked her in the eyes; her gaze was practically pleading now. Shadow Snake material was that rare.

‘I’ll just lower her affinity a tiny bit now to get more later.’

I feigned a long hesitation, then finally gave a slow nod.

“Good choice, kid!” The Vice Principal smiled contentedly.

We headed deeper into the administrative hallway until we reached a massive, reinforced vault door. A mechanical lock, the size of four human faces, loomed over us.

The instructor placed his hand on the scanner, and dozens of complex magic circles drew themselves in the air before a heavy clunk signaled the door was unlocked.

“Wow.”

“This is way more than I expected.”

“Naturally. These were donated by retired heroes or crafted by our top students over the decades.”

The warehouse was vast beyond measure. Innumerable weapons lined the reinforced shelves, alongside gauntlets, enchanted armor, and racks of accessories.

“Alright, Lee Seo-ha gets two picks. Everyone else, one pick each.”

I strode inside with purpose. I had already decided exactly what I needed to survive the upcoming chapters.

I bypassed the legendary swords and picked up a delicate silver earring shaped like a set of wings. Then, I grabbed a plain-looking leather bracelet.

Appraisal.

【Spirit's Whisper (B)】

A high-tier accessory imbued with the residual power of a greater wind spirit.

: Provides a flat +3 bonus to the Agility stat.

: Skill: Allows the wearer to create a localized wind field (3 charges per day).

【Subspace Bracelet (C+)】

A leather bracelet containing a stable, folded subspace.

: Weight Limit: Holds up to 300kg of material items.

: Organization: Features 30 individual slots for distinct item storage.

I immediately pressed the Spirit's Whisper to my left earlobe. The silver thread attached itself seamlessly, feeling as light as air.

‘My body... it’s lighter.’

The +3 Agility boost had a significantly larger impact than I had anticipated. I felt like I could outrun a car.

“You picked yours fast,” the Vice Principal noted.

“Yeah, I had a good idea of what I was looking for. Oh, Ara—don't pick that gauntlet. Look at that belt over there instead.”

“This one? It looks so old and worn out,” Ara said, pointing to a ragged leather belt.

“Trust me. It's related to the history of the Giant Clan. It'll suit you perfectly.”

“...Really? Okay, I'll take it.” She followed my hint without question.

I then headed over to Erhil.

“Hmm,” she frowned, torn between an ornate earring and a mana-conducting ring.

“Forget the jewelry. How about this instead?” I pointed to a small pile of uncut, loose gems in the corner.

“Pardon? I love jewels as much as any girl, but these look like cheap scraps... Huh?”

Erhil paused, her eyes going glazed for a second. I knew Melani was advising her from within. Soon, Erhil picked the specific gem I had suggested with a shocked expression.

“You seem to know more than just 'a bit' about my inventory. Do we have spies in the faculty?” the Vice Principal asked, looking genuinely baffled.

I just offered her a mysterious, awkward smile.

“Huff...”

I took a deep, stabilizing breath. My lungs felt like they were on the verge of bursting from the exertion.

“Good work today, Seo-ha.”

Kim Seo-hyun walked over and handed me a cold sports drink. I chugged it down without hesitation, the liquid feeling like life itself hitting my throat.

We were at the training grounds. I had just finished a grueling workout and had collapsed onto the padded floor. Meanwhile, Kim Seo-hyun was just getting started with his second set of the evening.

He was currently bench pressing well over 500kg. I stared at him in utter dismay. How on earth does he move that much weight that fast?

‘Status window.’

Seeing my stats rise steadily, even by single digits, filled me with a quiet sense of pride. I had always hated working out in my past life, but seeing tangible, numerical growth makes it much easier to push through the pain.

Suddenly, I sensed familiar footsteps approaching.

Hong Yu-hwa was walking toward me, dressed in her sleek red workout gear.

“Here. This is what you asked for from the wager,” she said, handing me a small emblem embossed with a crimson ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flame.

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

This was the prize from today’s alchemy bet. My request to her had been simple: I needed a formal permit for a field trip to the Illusion Dream Tower this coming weekend.

“Is there... nothing else you need?” she asked, sounding almost offended.

“Need? Like what?”

“A permit for a tower is far too cheap a price for a loss like mine. My pride demands a higher stakes reward,” she said, her voice tight.

I had to suppress a laugh. This was exactly why I liked Yu-hwa as a character. She valued her own worth above all else, but she never slacked on the effort required to maintain it.

“If something more valuable comes up later, I'll be sure to let you know first.”

“You'd better.” With that final word, she turned and left the gym.

I looked down at the crimson emblem in my hand. I knew that this weekend, a major 'incident' was scheduled to occur in the city center.

A high-ranking demon was planning to team up with local villains for a massive act of terrorism downtown. Their primary target? Kim Seo-hyun.

I had to stop it before it could derail the timeline.

‘Can I even manage to stop a terrorist attack at my current level...?’

In the game, I wouldn't have worried. But this world’s difficulty was proving to be a nightmare. School life had been manageable so far, but once the main story kicked into gear, enemies far beyond my current paygrade would start appearing.

Still, I didn't have a choice.

‘I’ve got to struggle as hard as I humanly can.’

I was going to survive this story, no matter what it took.