Prelude to the Hunt
The arena's feverish energy showed no signs of cooling. Even after lifting the championship trophy, waves of cheers chanting my name crashed in from the stands like an endless tide. But beneath those dazzling lights, my mind replayed only one moment: the instant my gaze locked with Chairman Kang Do-hyun's from the VIP seats. There was no fear in his eyes. It was the ecstasy of a mathematician who'd finally solved a lifelong enigma.
The post-victory celebration with my teammates hadn't even wrapped up when one of the academy's top enforcers approached me, bowing deeply with utmost courtesy.
"Do Jae-hyun. The chairman requests your presence in his private office."
Seol-ha and Jin-ah shot me worried glances. I patted their shoulders lightly to reassure them, then headed down the corridor carpeted in heavy fabric toward the chairman's office.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
The moment the door opened, an overwhelming silence enveloped me. The walls were lined with ancient tomes and magical artifacts etched with incomprehensible geometric patterns. At the center sat Chairman Kang Do-hyun. He set aside his stack of documents the instant I entered, rose from his seat, and personally poured me a cup of tea.
The pinnacle of the academy serving tea to a student himself—this alone would make outsiders faint.
"Do Jae-hyun. What you showed us today wasn't merely a finals victory."
His voice was low but resonated with profound depth. He handed me the teacup, staring straight into my eyes.
"Do you remember the 'Special S-rank Protection Order' I placed on you last time? That was the bare minimum safeguard to protect your potential."
The chairman paused, gazing at me with a shiver, as if facing a colossal beast.
"But today, I'm certain. You're not a 'promising talent' who needs protecting. You're a fully realized 'predator' selecting its prey."
I accepted the teacup calmly and replied evenly.
"You're too kind. I simply made the best use of the power I have."
"No need for humility. This academy nurtures 'geniuses,' not vessels for 'myths.'"
He set down his cup and fixed me with a steady gaze.
"Your power has already outgrown this place's standards. So now, instead of protection, I'm granting you authority on par with the 'owner of the academy.'"
The chairman paused again, pointing to a weathered parchment on the wall. It bore sentences in what seemed ancient script alongside an illustration of warped space.
"I've devoted my life to researching 'off-spec' powers. The world holds forces the system can't define."
With those words, he looked at me.
"The reason I trembled seeing you is that you're the living embodiment of the 'complete spatial dominator' I've theorized for decades."
He sat back down and slid a document across the desk—a radical proposal far beyond the Special S-rank Protection Order. It was proof of true freedom and privilege.
"Effective today, your status is officially elevated to 'Special Management Target S-rank Scholar.' This isn't just an honorary title."
He pushed the paper toward me, eyes unwavering.
"Class attendance is entirely up to you. You'll have unlimited access not only to all high-level training facilities but even the 'Restricted Zone' that professors can't enter freely."
Finally, he drove the point home.
"And I'll personally block any political pressure from external forces like the Seongjin Group."
It was an unprecedented offer. If the Special S-rank Protection Order was a shield to ward off threats, this was a runway supporting everything I wanted to do. No student in the academy's history had ever received such treatment.
"Any conditions?"
I asked, and the chairman smiled faintly. His eyes held no greedy exploitation—only the scholarly zeal of a pioneer eager to witness his system perfected through me.
"Conditions... If I must name one, let me bear witness to your path. And occasionally, be a friend who answers an old educator's questions."
His words rang true. Not an adversary or a schemer, but a visionary in awe of one who'd surpassed his limits. I set down my teacup and stood.
I bowed to the chairman—respectfully, yet with dignity.
"I'm glad my answer met your expectations. I gratefully accept your proposal."
The chairman burst into hearty laughter, his satisfaction scattering the room's heavy air.
"Excellent! Splendid! Then, Do Jae-hyun—no, Jae-hyun. I'll prepare your true stage. The academy will be your playground."
As I left the office, his faint mutter reached my back.
'0.1%... How foolishly blind the world was in judging this child by numbers. He's no being defined by digits.'
Out in the corridor, I mulled over the conversation as I walked. The academy's system was now my perfect shield and sword. No more hiding, no more suppression.
At the far end of the hall, Seol-ha and Jin-ah waited, beaming brightly. As I approached, I murmured to myself.
'Now it begins. In my way, I'll rewrite this world's order.'
The silence that started in the arena was brewing into a storm ready to engulf the entire academy.
That night, after the cheers faded and the academy dorms fell quiet like a sea after a storm, I returned to my room alone, bypassing the brief team celebration. Sitting at my desk, I pulled out the weathered item from my pocket.
The pendant the old scholar had given me in front of Seol-ha's house. Back then, he'd seemed to know my parents. This pendant he'd handed me, and his promise to invite me someday.
As the pendant's cold metal surface resonated with my mana, it began emitting a soft purple glow.
The same eerie vibration I'd felt unleashing 100.1% mana in the arena pulsed from this tiny object.
"......So even the chairman doesn't know the truth hidden here."
I stared at the small gem embedded in the pendant's center. The mana residue found at the scene of my parents' accident matched this pendant's energy with chilling precision.
It wasn't a mere accident. My parents had either tried to protect something—or been eliminated for it. And at the heart lay a massive conspiracy tied to space.
The next dawn, I invoked my new 'Special S-rank Scholar' privileges for the first time. My destination: the deepest underground level of the academy, the [7th Restricted Area: Lost Records]. Even regular professors and the chairman's direct enforcers couldn't enter without approval.
Beep—
Pressing my student ID to the mana sensor at the entrance, the massive steel door phased open with spatial conversion. Dust and the faint afterscent of ancient mana stung my lungs.
I ventured deep into the library toward the 'Unsolved Cases' category, my space magic distorting the surroundings to evade any interference as I scanned the records.
How much time passed? My hand stopped at the records from two years ago—the year my parents died.
Massive Mana Surge Accident Due to Spatial Interference
[DISPOSAL PENDING]
The report bore a red 'Disposal Pending' stamp at the top—clear evidence of deliberate erasure.
With trembling hands, I opened the document. It contained witness lists and analysis reports from the incident. Then, from the back page protected by preservation magic, a rare photo fluttered to the floor.
"This is......!"
The photo showed my young parents and an elderly man smiling kindly between them. Shockingly, it was the old scholar I'd met before.
But in the photo, he wasn't an old man. He was Professor Lee Si-an, an original founding member of the academy and the first head of the Spatial Magic Research Institute. Official records listed him as missing and presumed dead in an incident ten years ago.
"He was alive. Hiding in plain sight, waiting for me."
I gripped the pendant again. Pressing hard on its back activated hidden mana circuits, projecting a hologram into the air.
Hiss, static—
Faint purple particles gathered in the air, forming the hologram of the kindly yet solemn old scholar, Professor Lee Si-an.
Hiss—
The message ended, and the pendant's compass vibrated, pointing in a specific direction: outside the academy, toward the heavily guarded 'Abandoned Research Lab' under Seongjin Group's control.
I closed the file and exited the underground archive. Cold rage surged from my toes to my scalp as I walked the corridor.
Lee Jin-woo, Seongjin Group, and those lurking behind, concealing my parents' sacrifice for profit.
Defense was over. The chairman's runway was more than enough.
"Wait. You'll pay for what you've done with your lives."
In the mirror at the corridor's end, my eyes weren't their usual gentle brown. They gleamed with deep purple irises warped by space.
The class tournament victory was mere prologue. Now, for my parents' vengeance and the world's balance, I resolved to become the hunter.