Chapter 155
Chapter 155
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Encounters on the Liner
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A message popped up.
Chuckling softly, I sent the final message and deactivated Outsider's Boon.
Standing up from the railing, I gazed down at the first-floor hall. Amid the throng of people, I spotted some familiar faces.
One was Lee Seo-jun.
And a blond man and woman.
Luke and Lily.
The top second-years from the Korean, American, and British Sorcerer Academies had gathered in one spot.
They seemed to be having a serious conversation, but they were too far away for me to hear.
Eh, probably just pointless chit-chat.
Maybe spouting some shonen manga lines like, "I won't lose to you this time!" Who knows.
I stepped back from the railing and checked my guidebook again.
Guess I'll check out the magic show.
The roughly twenty-minute magic show came to an end.
The crowd applauded the wizards who had put on such a spectacular performance, and I joined in, genuinely impressed by what I'd just witnessed.
I'd come out of simple curiosity at first, but by the end, I felt real respect for the performers.
Mana can be used like that, huh?
I'd gone purely for entertainment and ended up with some real insight.
Stepping out of the theater, I wandered alone again. It had been fun, but suddenly I felt a pang of loneliness.
Should've stuck with the others if I knew it'd be like this.
I checked the time and hurried to the next spot.
My meeting with the team was coming up soon.
I headed toward the first-floor dining area where we'd agreed to meet.
The first-floor hall was packed with people—plenty of sorcerers, but just as many regular folks on vacation.
As I wove through the crowd, I caught sight of a familiar face.
"Senior!"
It was Choi Seo-yoon. Somehow she'd changed again, now wearing a beige dress that screamed autumn vibes.
She looked every bit the vacationer, not someone here for training.
"What's with the dress? Did you bring it?"
"Oh, this?"
Choi Seo-yoon grinned and spun around like a model.
"Just bought it. What do you think?"
"The dress looks pretty."
"No, not if the dress is pretty—does it suit me?"
She narrowed her eyes and spoke in a low, sultry tone.
"You'd look good in anything."
I tossed it out casually. With her natural beauty, it was true no matter what she wore.
Then I felt her jolt in surprise. Turning back, I saw her staring at me with wide eyes.
Maybe it was the lighting, but her face looked flushed.
Damn, shouldn't have said that. I knew exactly how she felt about me.
"Hey... take that back."
"Huh?"
"Looking closer, it doesn't suit you."
"What? Too late!"
"No, listen. The dress is pretty, but the person wearing it..."
"Ugh, seriously!"
Choi Seo-yoon punched my arm playfully.
"You draw such a clear line!"
Then, with a sudden whoosh, fireworks shot into the air. They burst with a bang.
Choi Seo-yoon looked up at them, her expression hardening for a moment.
"What's wrong?"
"Brought back some black history."
"Black history?"
"...Nothing. Let's go."
She grabbed my arm and pulled me forward.
That's how Choi Seo-yoon and I arrived at the restaurant where the team was waiting. The moment they saw us, Shin Young-jun bellowed.
"Hey! Why are you two so late!"
"We're only two minutes late."
"Whatever, just sit down already."
We entered the restaurant and took our seats.
Pleasant melodies filled the air as musicians played their instruments.
It had that high-end restaurant vibe.
With just the ticket, you could use all the ship's facilities freely—no extra charges.
As the food arrived on the table, everyone's eyes lit up.
Perfectly grilled lobster. And seafood dishes infused with the ocean's mana.
Choi Seo-yoon snapped photos, her eyes sparkling.
"Mmm~ So delicious."
"How great would it be to eat like this every day."
I was focused on the meal when I spotted a face.
My hand froze mid-bite.
A woman with long red hair tied back was sipping a drink while walking with a man who seemed to be her colleague.
In the past, I might've overlooked her, but after attending the social event with Han Se-yeon last time, I recognized her.
Elrin of the Rune Clan.
...Why is she here?
Under the bright lights, the two strolled along the path.
Their faces were veiled by illusions, hiding their identities from the crowd, but they were members of Jaun—the terrorist group that had once terrorized the world: Baek Eunseong and Natasha.
"Baek Eunseong. Look over there. Sorcerer Academy kids."
Natasha nodded toward a group eating in the distance. It included Lee Seo-jun and Kim Seon-woo—famous students from the Sorcerer Academy.
"For real? What's that about? Why are they here?"
Baek Eunseong stared blankly at Lee Seo-jun's group and muttered.
"Lee Seo-jun's path keeps crossing ours."
"Ignore them. They're not gonna interfere with our plans."
Baek Eunseong nodded at Natasha's words.
And even if the Sorcerer Academy got involved, it wouldn't derail the schedule.
Worst case, some meddling teens.
To them—veterans who'd shaken the world—it was no different from dealing with children.
"Oh, I get why they're here. News said the Korea-U.S.-UK joint training's happening. Here's one group."
"Makes sense. I passed a few American and British-looking students earlier."
"Man, they really do everything."
Baek Eunseong muttered as he bit into his skewered chicken.
"Haven't seen Lee Seo-jun in ages. Bet he's gotten way stronger in these past months."
"Probably."
"Heh. Wanna test him sometime."
Baek Eunseong chuckled to himself.
"...Don't do anything stupid."
"I won't. Relax."
"Anyway, we'll wrap this up quietly. You hear about the mine incidents? The Association's on edge. Don't touch any students. It'll get messy."
The next morning.
The Korea-U.S.-UK joint training finally began.
Sixty students from each country—a total of 180—gathered in the training hall on the 16th floor.
Intense physical and mana training kicked off early in the morning.
It was the kind of regimen that would've worn anyone out quickly under normal circumstances, but the holy relic Poseidon rapidly restored their bodies with ocean mana, keeping things smooth.
After about four hours of basic training, the announced anti-terror drill started.
"As I mentioned before, this training is an anti-terror exercise."
Park Jung-wan addressed the Korean students. They stood with tense expressions.
"This anti-terror drill will take place in the 'Terror Simulation' facility here."
Terror Simulation.
It was a special magic training facility where participants directly engaged in simulated scenarios to resolve them.
The facility combined illusion magic, sound illusion magic, and an overlaid virtual world—a cutting-edge magic training setup.
To put it simply, it used the same principles as fighting your nightmare self on the 'Island of Nightmares' from before.
"It's a simulation, but it'll play out close to real combat. The system will detect your mana levels and spawn terrorists matching your skill. You'll need to use every means at your disposal to stop them."
The students wore expressions of tension mixed with excitement.
"Note that this system is infused with strong Poseidon mystery. Successful clears grant a minor blessing. So give it your all, succeed in the objectives, and receive the mystery's blessing. Now, form up by teams."
As Park Jung-wan instructed, we grouped by teams.
Our team stuck together, but once inside the training hall, we'd team up with groups from other countries.
The 'system's will' would probably pair similar skill levels, so we'd have to adapt accordingly.
We entered the training hall.
Inside was the interior of some building.
The room resembled an office space.
"Whoa. Where's this?"
"Like a virtual space? Can't wrap my head around how they made it."
I answered Shin Young-jun's mutter.
"It's a virtual space. Not fully virtual, though—just the objects and locations are simulated. But it overlays virtual and mystery worlds, with reality and mana stacked on top... refined through trial and error..."
Shin Young-jun grimaced at my lengthy explanation.
"Argh. What're you even saying?"
Lee Seo-jun chuckled and cut in.
"Enough. You know the ancient mystery researchers' famous saying? 'Don't try to understand mysteries.' Human logic can't grasp it."
That's when a voice rang in my ear.
"Gives us 30 minutes. Shall we scout the area?"
Choi Seo-yoon suggested to the group.
"Sounds good. Checking ahead won't hurt."
The anti-terror drill was basically a 'defense'-style training.
I'd never done it myself, but it had been covered in the original story, so I had a rough idea.
We headed down to the first floor of the building. Opening the door to the outside revealed a massive cityscape.
It felt like downtown Seoul.
Not exactly Seoul, though—it mixed in vibes from London, Washington, New York, and other foreign cities.
And the most surprising part: civilians walking the sidewalks.
"Whoa, NPCs. Right?"
"Yeah. Remember? They said protect the NPCs if a terror attack hits."
"Feels like we're in a game."
We wandered outside, scoping the area, when we ran into a familiar group.
Six students of mixed races.
The blond guy at the front stared stiffly at Lee Seo-jun, then shifted his gaze to me.
He gave me a strange look before turning back to Lee Seo-jun.
"Lee Seo-jun. Looks like we're on the same team after all."
Luke from the American Sorcerer Academy had ended up in our group.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: Allies Assemble
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Luke."
Lee Seo-jun called out Luke's name at his appearance.
Luke stared at Lee Seo-jun with an expressionless face before turning his gaze to us.
Then he looked at me with that odd expression again.
I waited, wondering if he had something to say, but he stayed silent.
"What? Got something to say?"
I spoke up first, tired of the suspense.
Luke still eyed me strangely, then shook his head.
"No."
With that, he continued.
"Saw your performance in the Captain's Battle exam. Not bad."
Luke acknowledged me casually.
The Captain's Battle exam must've been the first midterm—he must've watched it with Lily.
"...Yeah, thanks."
"Alright, enough greetings. Let's prep for training."
A curly-haired woman next to Luke cut in fluently in Korean.
She seemed like a character mentioned in the original, but with several candidates, I couldn't pinpoint who.
If I couldn't recall, she probably wasn't important.
"Agreed."
After that, we discussed the training.
How the terror attack might unfold in here, and how to respond.
The conversation lasted about five minutes.
"Oh, you know? This terror sim's modeled after real terror incidents."
"What? Had no idea."
Shin Young-jun's eyes went wide at the American Sorcerer Academy student's words.
"Not exactly the same, but they recreated it pretty faithfully. Of course, toned down for training."
"Real terror scenarios, huh? Wild."
Shin Young-jun muttered tensely, then added.
"Wonder how the terror plays out?"
"Whoa, for real?"
Checking my Smart Student Handbook, I saw the training details and a GPS-enabled map.
Scanning the map, certain areas were highlighted in blue.
Not far from here—about a five-minute walk.
"What? Gotta protect civilians too?"
"It's anti-terror, which is a kind of special forces training."
"Tricky."
With that, the voice cut off.
A brief silence fell.
Lee Seo-jun spoke first.
"For now, let's head to the terror site."
"Right."