The Mask of Glamour and the Hamster

Lee Seoha pondered Seo Yebin's words.

Something I want, huh.

There was plenty he wanted. The problem was that only the things he could actually obtain right now counted.

Shoes? Unnecessary. He'd acquired a pair just recently. Weapons? Same story — he had the Heukcheon Demonic Sword. He did harbor a romantic dream of wielding twin blades someday, but romance didn't put food on the table.

Among the things Seo Yebin was likely to offer, there was simply nothing worth taking. Most of her treasures were useless to someone who couldn't use mana, and with a modest amount of effort he could acquire something even better on his own.

Then it's an elixir.

Keep it simple. Elixirs were dangerous if taken wrongly — their properties could reject the drinker and rupture from within. But then, it wasn't as if he hadn't thought of that.

"I'd like an elixir."

"An elixir?"

Seo Yebin looked briefly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠puzzled, then let out a small laugh.

"Granted. You need one related to the body, I take it?"

"Yes."

"Then this should do nicely."

Seo Yebin slipped a hand into her coat and produced a white box — drawn, no doubt, from the personal subspace she kept for her own use.

"An elixir with relatively little rejection compared to others. I hear you've been putting yourself through quite the physical training lately."

She handed it over with a mischievous smile.

"Thank you."

"Keep at it. The body is the pillar upon which everything else rests."

"Yes, ma'am."

The moment he tucked the box away, he felt a gaze on him. Baek Ji-yeon was staring at him openly. He met her eyes.

"...You're a strange one, aren't you."

Baek Ji-yeon spoke up.

"I'm looking right at you, and yet I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠can't see anything, can't feel anything. You're the first person I've ever met like that."

She gave him her honest impression. The student standing before ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her looked like nothing more than an ordinary young man who'd done a bit of exercise. Which was exactly what made it so strange.

Someone of Baek Ji-yeon's caliber could gauge a person's level of mastery just from the way they walked. Unless, of course, the person in question was an Absolute like Seo Yebin — the one standing right there, bearing the epithet of 'Emperor'.

That was why she found him baffling. She'd never seen or heard of a student like this.

No, wait. That's not quite true.

There was exactly one other. The hero celebrated as the greatest in human history had supposedly been the same way.

Did he inherit that man's power?

Or perhaps he simply possessed the same kind of talent.

"...I'm starting to understand why Seo Yebin treasures you so much."

"Don't go spreading that around. Vermin have a way of swarming toward such things."

Seo Yebin said it with a light smile, but Baek Ji-yeon felt the pressure beneath it. If that woman moved, the monsters under her command would move with her. And that would be bad. The Association had plenty of enemies — it operated under the banner of protecting the nation, after all. It was strong, backed by every form of state support, but making an enemy of the Emperor, the single most active force at the Boundary, was not a fight it could afford.

"...I'll handle it with my own authority. I have that much, at least."

Baek Ji-yeon nodded, then added, "Seo Yebin has officially recognized that you captured a demon, so don't worry about word getting out."

Even as she said it, she sighed inwardly. The Association was powerful, but entangled with the government to the same degree. To award a prize to someone of unknown identity, she'd need to produce evidence to match — and Seo Yebin would hate that. This would have to be settled through her personal generosity.

Sighing all the while, Baek Ji-yeon kept talking. She knew she shouldn't, but it was a habit born of years in an Association that functioned more like a civil service.

"The Black Lotus is a fairly famous group. Their numbers are small, but most of those who rise to executive positions are Transcendents in their own right. So the prize money and rewards will be quite substantial."

"Could you keep the process quiet?"

"Of course. Though there will be differences in how you're treated compared to the others."

"That's fine by me."

Baek Ji-yeon nodded.

It's not just that he finds attention annoying, is it.

As always with people his age, he seemed to understand something most of them didn't — that attention could be poison. She'd learned that herself, once.

The student before her was unusual in every respect.

I'll think of it as a small investment.

Baek Ji-yeon's instincts told her something was off, but she trusted in the one certain benefit: building a connection with Seo Yebin. And this was the woman who, trusting a single hunch, had turned one billion won into three.

"Ugh."

His stomach churned. He'd secured promises of prize money and various perks from Baek Ji-yeon, and an elixir from Seo Yebin — and yet his gut felt sour. The reason was one thing only.

Well, it's not bad.

He'd simply gained one more identity to keep in reserve and use again and again. Which meant he'd need a different kind of power. What he possessed was the Body of Defying Heaven — a force that refused to mix with any other. Mystery and special abilities, however, were a slightly different matter.

I do have something in mind.

But that was a power for the more distant future.

He headed for the library, turning various thoughts over in his head — there was something he needed to find. On the way, he spotted Kim Ara.

She was standing, reading a book. But her expression was odd. A flush colored her face beneath her half-covered hair, and every so often her mouth seemed to go dry, her throat bobbing as she swallowed.

...Did she finally open her eyes to that sort of thing?

Kim Ara hadn't grown up ordinary. With the Overlord for a father, her life had never resembled that of a normal girl. Hong Yuhwa, in a similar position, had made peace with her circumstances and played the noble lady to the hilt — Kim Ara couldn't. And so she yearned for the life of an ordinary girl, the way rich daughters dream of commoner life, like a heroine out of a drama.

Sharpening his eyes with his power of thought, he read the title of the book she was holding.

-The Beastman Hypnotizes Me.

...Is that really the right one?

Deciding it was better not to be caught watching, he quietly turned to walk away.

"..."

At some point, Kim Ara was looking at him.

"...How long have you been there?"

"Just now. Why?"

"Nothing."

She said that, then studied him with suspicious eyes. The suspicion lasted only an instant before melting back into those dark violet eyes.

"Looking for something? I'm a member here, so I know where everything is."

"Really? Could you find me The Great Hero's Life Story? The cover's pretty worn."

"Sure, I'll ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠find it."

Kim Ara settled at a nearby computer and said, "Go over there, to the shelf marked B-11."

"Got it."

He headed for the shelf as instructed.

-Master, that woman is dangerous.

"...Is she?"

The Heukcheon Demonic Sword's voice was trembling something fierce.

-She is! How can anyone read such lewd books? The ones stacked beside her were titled 'The Prince Beneath My Heel' and 'How to Train a Duke,' and there were illustrations of a man and woman embracing, entirely unclothed! Such depravity between man and woman — how utterly shameless!

"..."

Personally, he respected people's tastes.

He walked quickly, found The Great Hero's Life Story, and picked it up. The cover looked like it had seen at least a decade of wear. He carried it out.

"Checking it out? If so, just return it within the week and you're fine."

"Yeah."

He slipped the book into his subspace and left.

Back at the penthouse, he entered the training hall. Sitting down on the bare floor, he set the Heukcheon Demonic Sword before him.

-Moving on to the next stage?

"Yeah, that's the plan."

Heukshin-mu was a martial art that the woman once called the Heavenly Demon had spent her entire life creating. Even with the Heukcheon Demonic Sword teaching him everything she knew, he was still lingering at the very entrance.

-There is no need to rush. Your pace is more than fast enough, Master.

"Mm."

She was right. He was growing quickly. But to prepare for the threats ahead, even this speed wasn't enough.

-Your Defying Heaven has lengthened, though much remains lacking. Still, growing the Heukjeong would pose no problem.

He settled into a lotus position and guided the scattered qi of Defying Heaven within his body toward the Heukjeong. It was long, tedious work — but he couldn't afford to relax. Unlike mana, the qi of Defying Heaven was a dangerous power; one careless slip and it could run rampant inside his body.

Then again, having a conceptual stat does make it easier.

He sighed and closed his eyes. The energies of Defying Heaven within him began gathering toward his heart at his will.

Two hours of that. The Heukjeong, once no bigger than a finger joint, had grown — if only slightly. The tedious work was done. Now came the time for physical training.

He changed clothes and headed for the training hall, where plenty of people were already working out. As always, exercise was only satisfying when the place was crowded. He walked toward the equipment arranged in one corner.

It resembled the gyms of his past life, but the weights were from another dimension entirely — everything started at ten times the load. He sighed and picked up the 60-kilogram bench press.

"..."

If growing the Heukjeong had been a long trial of patience, this process added physical agony on top of it. He worked through each set in order, then moved on to the next exercise — the cycle rigged with gravity magic.

"...Hoo, hoo."

At some point, Hong Yuhwa was pedaling furiously right beside him. Keep that up and something was going to give.

"Lady Hong Yuhwa carries herself like a lofty crane by day, yet trains this hard by night."

"So elegant when she studies, yet so ferocious when she conditions her body..."

"..."

He looked at Hong Yuhwa's followers, utterly dumbfounded. Wasn't that basically taking a dump on their mistress?

"Hoo, hoo."

Hong Yuhwa, for her part, pumped her legs with everything she had, clearly determined to out-pedal him.

"Hah."

And the moment their eyes met, the corners of her mouth curled up into a long, smug grin.

Dinner time. He dragged himself down to eat, utterly spent.

No appetite.

But skipping the meal would wreck the training to come.

"There you are."

Kim Ara greeted him, rubbing her eyes. He nodded, grabbed a tray, and went down the line. Tteokbokki today, maybe. Kim Seohyun would occasionally steal bites whenever she got some, but on days like this, the craving hit.

With the tteokbokki secured, he added fish cakes, fried food, and sundae, then scanned the room for a seat — and spotted Seo Gayeon. Sitting all alone. She looked pitiful.

"Is this seat taken?"

"Huh? Uh, um — no, it's free."

At her words, he plopped down across from her. Then realized he had nothing in particular to say, and checked his phone instead.

No messages, huh.

He was nibbling a fish cake and fiddling with his phone when curiosity about the Alchemy Guild got the better of him, and he logged on.

...What the hell.

His inbox read 999+. Posts like these filled the board:

...Posts like those had taken over everything.

"You joined the Alchemy Guild too?"

Kim Ara had slid into the seat beside him.

"Well, I'm learning alchemy in my own way."

"Seoha joined the Alchemy Guild? Do you happen to know someone called Veritas? It's blowing up on YouTube right now!"

Seo Gayeon rattled off rapidly — without her usual stammering. It was her signature trait: whenever a field she cared about became a hot topic, she got excited and talked a mile a minute. It was why the forums had nicknamed her "Otaku-yeon."

"I know of him."

How could he not? The man was him.

"I didn't know anything about alchemy until recently, and I barely scraped through with a Bronze rank. But Bronze members can't see all of Lord Veritas's recipes, so... do you think you could tell me what rank you are, Seoha?"

He froze mid-bite. Telling her was no problem — the issue was his rank and his username.

"Ah, s-sorry. I got, I got too excited."

Seo Gayeon apologized, then picked up a piece of bread and started nibbling it with her tiny mouth, munch, munch.

"A hamster..."

Kim Ara murmured quietly. He nodded in silent agreement.