Seo Gayeon (3)
Lee Seoha pondered Seo Yebin's words. 'What I want, huh.' There were plenty of things he wanted. But they were all things he could obtain right now. He didn't need shoes—he'd gotten a pair recently. Same with weapons; he had the Black Heaven Demon Sword.
He did have a fantasy about becoming a dual-wield assassin, but fantasies didn't pay the bills. Among the items Seo Yebin could offer, there was nothing worth having. Most were useless to him since he couldn't use mana, and with a bit of effort, he could get better versions anyway.
'Elixir it is, then.' Keep it simple. Elixirs were dangerous if mishandled—their properties could clash and explode inside the body. But he wasn't the type to overlook that.
"I'd like an elixir."
"An elixir?" Seo Yebin looked puzzled for a moment, then chuckled. "Approved. Something for the body?"
"Yes."
"Then this should do." She reached into her pocket, pulling out a white box from her personal sub-space. "It's an elixir with minimal backlash compared to others. I hear you've been struggling with physical training lately." She handed it over with a mischievous grin.
"Yes, thank you."
"Keep pushing yourself. Stamina is the foundation of everything."
"Yes, ma'am."
As he tucked the boxed elixir away, he felt eyes on him. Baek Jiyeon was staring intently. He met her gaze.
"……You're quite unusual."
Baek Jiyeon spoke first. "I can see you with my own eyes, but I can't make out or sense anything. You're the first like this."
She gave her honest impression while studying Lee Seoha. The student in front of her looked like an ordinary guy who'd done some light exercise. Which made it all the more strange. At her level, she could gauge someone's realm just from their walk—unless it was an absolute like Seo Yebin, the one called 'Emperor.' That's why it puzzled her. She'd never seen or heard of a student like this.
'No, that's not right.' There was one. The greatest hero in human history was said to have been the same. 'Did he inherit that power? Or does he have the same talent?'
"……I can see why Seo Yebin values you so much."
"Don't spread it around. It attracts parasites." Seo Yebin smiled lightly, but Baek Jiyeon felt the pressure beneath it. If that woman moved, the monsters under her command would follow. Not good. The association had plenty of enemies, operating under the banner of national defense. They were strong with government backing, but not enough to make an enemy of the 'Boundary's' top performer, the Emperor.
"……I'll handle it within my authority. Don't worry about the backlash."
She nodded and continued. "Since Seo Yebin has officially acknowledged that you took down a demon, there won't be any issues."
She sighed inwardly. The association was powerful, but deeply entangled with the state. Rewarding an anonymous someone required solid proof, which Seo Yebin would hate providing. She'd have to cover it personally. Sighing didn't stop the habit ingrained from years in a bureaucracy-like organization.
"The Black Magic Alliance is infamous. Few in number, but their executives are mostly High Grade. So the bounty and rewards will be substantial."
"Can you keep it quiet?"
"Of course. Though it'll stand out from the others."
"That's fine."
Baek Jiyeon nodded. 'Doesn't seem like he's avoiding attention out of annoyance.' Kids his age usually didn't grasp how toxic fame could be. She hadn't either, back then. This student was peculiar in many ways. 'Just a short-term investment.' Her instincts weren't great, but she trusted the networking potential with Seo Yebin. And she'd turned 10 billion into 3 billion on gut alone before.
"Ugh."
His stomach churned. He'd secured a bounty and extras from Baek Jiyeon, an elixir from Seo Yebin—but it still hurt.
The reason was one.
Legendary mask used by the phantom thief, Arsène Lupin.
Hides all of the user's information.
• Blurs the user's impression.
• When others look at the user, shifts to the most ideal atmosphere suited to the observer.
• Nullifies Observation skills of A-rank or below.
……He'd blown all his points on this one thing.
'Not bad, though.' He could think of it as creating a backup identity for long-term use. But then he'd need another power. His was the power of Reverse Heaven—one that didn't mix with others. Mysteries or supernatural abilities were a bit different, though.
'I have something in mind.' But that was for later. Lost in thought, he headed to the library. He needed to find something. That's when he spotted Kim Ara. Standing and reading a book, but her expression was off. A flush crept beneath her half-covering hair, and she kept swallowing hard, like her mouth was dry.
'……Did she stumble into something?'
Kim Ara hadn't had a normal upbringing. From the moment her parents were the Paewang, her life diverged from an ordinary girl's. Hong Yuhwa accepted hers and played the haughty lady, but Kim Ara couldn't. So she yearned for a normal girl's life—like some drama heroine from a chaebol family romanticizing the common folk.
Enhancing his eyes with Nian, he read the book's title.
The Beastman Hypnotizes Me.
……Seriously? He figured it was harmless for her and tried to slip away quietly.
"……."
Before he knew it, Kim Ara was staring at him.
"……How long have you been there?"
"Just got here. Why?"
"Nothing." She eyed him suspiciously for a moment, then her dark purple eyes softened back to normal.
"Looking for something? I'm a library assistant, so I know my way around."
"Oh? Can you find The Great Hero's Chronicle? It's got a worn cover."
"Yeah, sure. Head to shelf B-11 over there."
"Got it."
He followed her directions.
Master, that woman is dangerous.
"……Yeah?" The Black Heaven Demon Sword's voice trembled unusually.
Indeed. How can she read such obscene books?
The titles of books nearby: Prince Under My Heel, How to Train a Duke, illustrations of naked men and women embracing. Such perversion between genders!
"……."
He respected personal tastes. He quickly found The Great Hero's Chronicle—cover looked over a decade old—and headed out.
"Borrowing it? Return within a week, no problem."
"Yeah."
He stored it in his sub-space and left.
Back at the penthouse, he entered the training ground and sat on the bare floor, setting down the Black Heaven Demon Sword.
Moving to the next stage?
"Yeah, time to."
The Black God Martial Art was a technique a woman called the Heavenly Demon had devoted her life to creating. Even with the sword's guidance, he was still at the beginner level.
No need to rush. Your pace is plenty fast, Master.
"True."
The sword was right. He was growing quickly. But to prepare for future threats, even this wasn't enough.
Reverse Heaven has increased, but much is still lacking. Growing the Black Core should be fine, though.
He assumed a cross-legged position and guided the scattered Reverse Heaven qi inside him toward the Black Core. It was a long, tedious process. But he couldn't relax—unlike mana, Reverse Heaven qi was volatile and could rampage if mishandled.
'The conceptual stat makes it easier, at least.'
Sighing, he closed his eyes. The internal Reverse Heaven energy gathered toward his heart at his will. Two hours later, the Black Core—size of a finger joint—had grown slightly. Tedious work done. Now for physical training.
He changed and headed to the training ground, already bustling with people working out. Nothing motivated like a crowd. He approached the corner machines—similar to gym equipment from his past life, but weights at least 10x heavier. Sighing, he grabbed the 60kg bench press.
"……."
Growing the Black Core was endless patience; this added raw pain. After set reps, he moved on. Next, the gravity-magic cycle.
"……Huff, huff."
Suddenly, Hong Yuhwa was pedaling furiously beside him. She looked ready to crash.
"Lady Hong acts so refined by day, like a crane, but trains like this at night."
"Elegant in studies, ferocious in body training……."
"……."
He stared at her followers in disbelief. Weren't they basically trolling her?
"Huff, huff." But Hong Yuhwa pedaled harder, as if determined to outpace him.
"Hup." Their eyes met, and her lips curved into a long smirk.
Dinnertime. Exhausted, he dragged himself to eat. 'No appetite.' But skipping would hurt later training.
"Hey." Kim Ara rubbed her eyes and greeted him. He nodded, grabbed a tray, and headed for food. Tteokbokki today? He sometimes stole bites from Kim Seohyeon's, but cravings hit.
Grabbed some fish cakes, fritters, sundae too, then spotted Seo Gayeon sitting alone—looking pitiful.
"Mind if I sit?"
"Huh? Uh, n-no, it's taken." He plopped down opposite anyway. Nothing much to say. Checked his phone.
'No messages.' Nibbling oden while scrolling, he got curious about the alchemy guild and logged in.
'……What the?' Inbox at 999+. Hot board posts like:
"You joined the alchemy guild too?" Kim Ara, who'd quietly sat beside him, asked.
"Yeah, been learning alchemy."
"Seoha, you in the alchemy guild? Know anyone called TruthMaster? They're blowing up on Nutube too!" Seo Gayeon chimed in quickly, no stutter. Her trait—got excited about interests, earned her the community nick "Otaku Gayeon."
"I know of them."
How could he not? That was him.
"I barely passed bronze after digging around since I knew nothing. But bronze can't see all of TruthMaster's recipes— what's your rank, Seoha?"
He paused mid-bite. No harm sharing rank, but his ID was the issue.
"S-sorry, I g-got too excited." Seo Gayeon apologized, then nibbled her bread with tiny bites.
"Hamster……." Kim Ara murmured softly.
He nodded in agreement.