Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Pioneer's Night
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Hearing the praise made me feel unnecessarily pleased. As I grinned, Han Se-yeon continued.
"But shave off that mustache. Your hair looks nice, but that beard is always a no."
I stroked my fake mustache and said.
"I can't give this up."
"Tch."
Han Se-yeon clicked her tongue and placed her palm over the area around my mouth.
Then she stared intently at my face for a few seconds.
"What are you doing?"
"Oh, no. Just... without the mustache, you look better than I thought..."
Han Se-yeon mumbled quietly, trailing off as she lowered her hand.
"In the wizard world, looking young gets you underestimated."
"...Yeah, yeah. Sure."
Han Se-yeon let out a deep sigh. I quietly smiled.
"By the way, Han Se-yeon, you came early today."
"Early? Are you going to keep bringing up that one time I was late like I'm always late?"
Han Se-yeon glared at me sharply. Somehow, her expressions seemed more varied every time we met.
"Got it. Don't get mad."
"...Trust is important, you know. How much I stake my life on trust."
"Of course I know. Your trust, Han Se-yeon."
It was a sincere answer as I recalled the original Han Se-yeon, but she thought I was brushing it off and sighed deeply.
"Here, take this."
Han Se-yeon held out a small case to me.
"Oh, the gift you mentioned last time?"
"Yeah, that's right. Since I owe you for the dungeon hotel business..."
She mumbled hesitantly. It was uncharacteristically lacking in confidence for her.
"I'm looking forward to it. Can I open it?"
"Sure, but it's not that great. Don't get your hopes up."
I chuckled and opened the case.
[YKH Summer Men's Suit (A)]
Classification: Clothing
Description: Men's suit from YKH
[Continuous Effects]
►Tailored Fit
Changes to fit the user's body.
►Summer Function
Highly breathable.
Blocks external heat.
Durability: A
"Oh."
It was a summer suit.
Judging by the attached effects, it must have cost a pretty penny.
Even for regular clothing, two options push it close to nine figures.
"I prepared it for you to wear at Pioneer's Night. The one I gave you last time is too hot for now."
"Thanks. I needed one just like this."
It was genuine. The recent heatwave had been tough, and this suit would definitely help a lot.
Smiling, I pulled a crystal necklace from my pocket.
"Here, for you."
"What's this?"
Han Se-yeon mumbled as she looked at the crystal necklace.
"A gift."
It was a necklace I'd made using the 'Crystal Golem's Core' from the Nightmare Mist Dungeon.
It boosted dexterity, an important stat for potion-making too.
It seemed better suited for Han Se-yeon than me, so I passed it to her.
Han Se-yeon looked at the necklace and made a surprised face.
"Why?"
"Oh, no. I just never imagined you'd give me accessories."
Han Se-yeon mumbled blankly.
"Try it on. It'll help with your dexterity. Not a huge change, though."
She nodded at my words and put on the necklace.
The glowing blue crystal suited her well. Of course, what accessory wouldn't on Han Se-yeon.
Han Se-yeon, examining the necklace closely, asked.
"But where did you get this?"
"I got the crystal as a dungeon reward and made it into a necklace myself."
"Oh. That's why the finish is..."
"The finish is a bit crooked, right? My dexterity isn't that great."
Han Se-yeon gave a faint smile and shook her head.
"No. Thank you. I like it."
"You finally look like a proper wizard now."
At the top floor of the Seoul Wizards Association, in the magic training room.
Kim Jin-cheol said to Lee Seo-jun, who stood panting across from him.
"Huff... Grandpa seems to get... stronger with age..."
"Tch. It's not that I'm getting stronger—it's that as your skill improves, I can show a bit more of my true ability."
Lee Seo-jun looked deflated at Kim Jin-cheol's words.
"...I have nothing to say to that."
"Enough. You seem at your limit, so let's end the sparring here."
"Yes, sir."
Lee Seo-jun sat on the floor and caught his breath for about ten seconds. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and stood up.
Kim Jin-cheol glanced at him and said.
"That special class thing—was it fun?"
At Kim Jin-cheol's question, Lee Seo-jun thought for a moment.
"A typhoon hit suddenly, so there was a special situation, but after that, we hung out at the beach with friends and had a good time."
"Good to hear."
Kim Jin-cheol nodded.
"Then that friend you failed to bring here—did he join the special class too?"
Lee Seo-jun tilted his head at Kim Jin-cheol's question.
A friend he failed to bring?
"Oh, Seon-woo? Yeah, he did."
"Heh heh. Rejects my teachings but joins that? "
Kim Jin-cheol looked baffled.
If word got out you could receive his teachings, even S-Rank wizards would line up—yet he'd been rejected by a mere student, and he held it in his heart.
"Definitely not a normal guy."
"...Well, yeah. Seon-woo's unique."
"I wanted to see what kind of guy makes you feel like a rival. Tch. What a shame."
"Can't be helped."
Lee Seo-jun smiled faintly. He wiped the sweat from his head with a towel.
"Training's over, so I'll head out."
"Go on."
Lee Seo-jun bowed to Kim Jin-cheol and left the training room.
Lee Seo-jun walked down the hallway. He took the elevator to the 24th floor inside the Wizards Association, heading to the 'Records Archive.'
As he entered, a barrier made of special magic devices blocked his path.
Lee Seo-jun pulled out his association member ID card from his pocket and infused it with mana.
['Lee Seo-jun' confirmed.]
The barrier vanished.
Lee Seo-jun walked forward again.
A circular room. The walls were filled with intricate magic formulas.
He injected mana into the central orb, and the numerous formulas on the walls emitted a strong light.
['Archive' activated.]
['Please state the name of the document you wish to view.']
At the voice in his ear, Lee Seo-jun closed his mouth for a moment.
The name that had troubled his mind for days.
Not fully mentally prepared yet, he sorted his thoughts and spoke.
"Jin Cheon-woo."
['Jin Cheon-woo' document is classified 'Top Secret.']
['Lee Seo-jun's association rank is insufficient for access.']
[Only viewable documents will be displayed.]
"Tch."
Lee Seo-jun bit his lip.
Top Secret. He'd expected it somewhat, but hearing it directly felt hollow.
Jin Cheon-woo. What kind of person was he that they hid him like this?
[Jin Cheon-woo, male. Former leader of the crime magic organization Jaun—]
"...Nothing useful."
This was less info than a quick internet search.
"Home."
He'd have to ask Grandpa after all. But he'd never once mentioned Jin Cheon-woo's name to Lee Seo-jun.
And within the association, bringing up Jin Cheon-woo to Chairman Kim Jin-cheol was tacitly taboo.
That's why Lee Seo-jun couldn't casually ask Kim Jin-cheol about him.
"...Deactivate."
['Archive' deactivation complete.]
With info restricted, there was no more reason to stay.
Unless he hacked Kim Jin-cheol's Wizards Association card.
But hacking Kim Jin-cheol's stuff was practically impossible.
Lee Seo-jun pulled out his smart student notebook and searched 'Jin Cheon-woo' online.
The usual mundane records.
Then, the top article caught his eye.
[Items used by Jaun's former leader Jin Cheon-woo during his lifetime to be exhibited at the cult event 'Pioneer's Night' on August 10th]
At the same time, Dawn's Blade headquarters.
The door burst open, and the handsome young man, Jung Jae-won, entered.
"Sis! Got the Pioneer's Night invites!"
At Jung Jae-won's words, Yoo A-yeon looked up.
"Good job. How many?"
"Four in total. They gave them easily when I mentioned your name. The Fire Witch is always welcome."
Yoo A-yeon nodded. Jung Jae-won stared at her for a moment before saying.
"But will the Jaun guys show?"
"They will. Especially since it's exhibiting Jin Cheon-woo's items."
"Hmm, even so, how would they find out? They'll probably disguise their faces with face-altering magic tools."
"You know there's a way."
Jung Jae-won sighed deeply at Yoo A-yeon's shameless response.
"Sigh. What is that? You kidding?"
Yoo A-yeon shrugged at Jung Jae-won's words.
"But they won't crash the event trying to steal Jin Cheon-woo's stuff, right?"
"Who knows. Still, we have to keep all possibilities open."
This 'Pioneer's Night' was being held on the largest scale ever.
Not just upper-class figures from major corporations, but reps from famous magic guilds too. Probably plenty of A-Rank wizards among them.
The Jaun crew had been more cautious lately, so the odds of them pulling something risky were low—but with their god-like Jin Cheon-woo involved, who knew.
"Still, if it's them, they'll definitely participate."
To Jaun, 'Jin Cheon-woo' wasn't just a leader.
He was an object of faith and worship.
Practically a small religious group worshiping Jin Cheon-woo, so they'd surely come to see his items on display.
"Four invites, right?"
"Yep."
"Gather the kids for a meeting. Let's decide who's going first."
Somewhere in Seoul, a massive mansion.
The surroundings were drenched in blood.
Beside it, horribly mangled corpses littered the floor.
"More resistance than expected."
"Yeah. Thought he was just a businessman, but he knew magic pretty well."
Jin wiped the blood from his face. The metallic scent stung his nose, but his expression didn't change.
"This gets us the last invite, right?"
Natasha shook the golden-embossed card envelope as she spoke.
"Yeah. Oh, and scan the faces well. Need them for the forgeries."
"Got it."
Then the mansion door burst open, and Bert entered.
"Jin! All done?"
"Yeah. Perfect."
"Nice. Good work. Oh, right—what about funds for the underground auction?"
"Handled that too. 200 billion in cash. Plenty."
Bert nodded at Jin's answer.
"Good. If we lose the auction, we'd have to kill everyone and cause a scene, which would mess up the rest of the schedule."
"I know. With this much money, we won't lose. 200 billion."
The underground auction running alongside the cult event Pioneer's Night.
This time, the holy relic 'Mana Core' was up for bid.
This relic containing infinite mana was essential for Jaun to achieve their ultimate goal.
It was the sole energy source for the holy relic and ancient magic weapon they possessed: the 'Great Magic Purifier.'
Jaun had something they absolutely had to do with this ancient magic weapon.
"Alright, everyone pay attention."
At Bert's words, nine people gathered in the mansion.
Among them was a new face back from a long vacation.
Teresa, Heather, Aaron, Lee Cheong.
"You all know, but our top priority this weekend is the 'Mana Core.' Second is recovering the items he used. The core is one thing, but the second task will be pretty dangerous."
Jaun's members nodded.
"No mistakes allowed. Everyone stay sharp and stick strictly to the plan."
Time flew, and the day of the 'Pioneer's Night' event arrived.
The venue was the massive luxury hotel 'Valhalla' in central Seoul, one of Hanseong Group's flagship brands.
Two days earlier, I'd put on the suit from Han Se-yeon and arrived at the venue.
As expected, the event space was filled with colorful lights and ornate statues, making me think Han Se-jin must have put a lot of effort into this.
The previous Pioneer's Night was impressive, but this one felt incomparably grand.
"We'll check your invitation."
Like last time, a staff member greeted me at the entrance.
I handed over the invitation from my pocket. The staff confirmed it and bowed.
"Confirmed. Enjoy your time."
"Thank you."
I entered the venue. In the distance, I saw an orchestra playing pleasant classical music.
The attendees were mingling enjoyably, sipping drinks.
"Hmm."
Of course, I had no intention of networking here, so I ignored them and walked straight ahead.
Where's Han Se-yeon, anyway? I heard she arrived already.
An hour and a half until the underground event, so plenty of time to look around.