Chapter 204
Chapter 204
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: The Seonhyeon Family's Secret
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Back at the apartment, I sat on the sofa and checked the email again.
［Name: Kim Chang-hyun］
［Birth］
May 22, 2014 (20 years old)
Seonhyeon family, Paju, Gyeonggi Province
［Nationality］
Republic of Korea
［Family Relations］
Kim Ji-cheol - Father (died of mysterious fever in 2020)
Jeong Ji-hyeon - Mother (died of mysterious fever in 2020)
［Education］
Graduated top of Korean Wizard Academy
［Special Skills］
Manifestation Type
［Observations］
-Reliable and highly intelligent
-No issues on personality tests at Wizard Academy
-Lacks sociability
-Entire family deceased, no relatives
-Possesses outstanding abilities but seems to have no ambition according to peer evaluations
-First top graduate in Wizard Academy history to skip the graduation ceremony
“Hmm...”
No matter how many times I looked, something felt off.
It wasn’t that Kim Chang-hyun’s information was strange—it was just too ordinary, which made it suspicious.
He’d had a perfectly normal family that no longer existed, and a respectable lineage called the Seonhyeon family, which was unfamiliar to me.
Of course, when you broke it down piece by piece, it wasn’t exactly ordinary.
For starters, his entire family had died from mysterious fever.
But when I compared it to the backstories of characters in the original story and thought about the suspicious behavior Kim Chang-hyun had shown me, this background started to feel mundane.
“The Seonhyeon family, huh...”
What kind of family were they?
They weren’t even mentioned in the original.
With no other choice, I searched the internet for “Seonhyeon family.”
[Search results for ‘Seonhyeon family.’]
「Mystery researchers Kim Ji-cheol and Jeong Ji-hyeon discover link between mystery mana and enchantment」
「Seonhyeon family wins International Mystery Studies Award」
Surprisingly, a lot of information came up.
Upon investigating, the Seonhyeon family turned out to be a scholarly lineage that researched mystery and magic.
Unlike “Kim Sun-woo,” who didn’t exist in this world, they had quite the impressive background.
I’d suspected he might be someone from another world like me, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
I rested my chin on one hand and tapped the sofa with my fingers.
The email also detailed Kim Chang-hyun’s activities.
From a young age, he’d shown exceptional magical talent.
Building on that, he’d entered Wizard Academy as the top student and, during his first year, participated in the Seongmu Festival, where he shone brightly despite competing against formidable seniors.
And then...
［Post-graduation to present: whereabouts unknown］
He was currently missing.
Even the Black Rock Guild, known for handling all the world’s information, didn’t know where he was—which meant he was deliberately hiding somewhere.
“...I thought I’d find some kind of clue.”
If anything, it felt like I was being pulled deeper into a maze.
I had no guesses, and while it seemed connected to mystery somehow, even that wasn’t certain.
“...Should I just track him down myself?”
I grabbed my coat and stood up.
When you don’t know something, the answer is always to find out directly.
The house where Kim Chang-hyun was born and raised.
Time to visit the Seonhyeon family estate.
Following the map online, I arrived at the Seonhyeon family mansion.
Since it was a family that had once made a name for itself, it wasn’t hard to find.
This was Paju in Gyeonggi Province—not a remote area devoid of people.
There were several residential houses around, and a bustling commercial district not far off.
I stared blankly up at the mansion.
It was a four-story house, rare to see in Korea.
The Western-style exterior gave it an air of grandeur.
But the moss and vines clinging to the outer walls suggested it had been neglected for quite some time.
Well, with everyone in the Seonhyeon family dead except Kim Chang-hyun, that was to be expected.
And he’d been away from the house for at least eight years.
I knocked on the front gate.
As expected, no response.
Next, I tried the door handle.
Click.
It didn’t open, of course. Activating Outsider’s Privilege, I spotted the complex magical formula locked onto the handle.
“Hmm...”
I glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then injected mana to rewrite the formula.
Wooooong...
Click!
‘Got it!’
I cheered inwardly and opened the door.
The mansion was filled with dust.
Being an abandoned house, it had an eerie atmosphere.
I moved slowly, scanning my surroundings.
The deeper I went inside, the more it felt like a scholar’s home.
‘No research materials or anything.’
Judging by the traces of burned paper on the floor, it seemed everything had been incinerated or disposed of.
Or maybe Kim Chang-hyun had taken it all.
“...Sigh.”
After wandering the mansion for about twenty minutes, I stopped.
I’d searched every corner, but found no real clues.
I brushed off the dust-covered sofa and sat down.
I’d thought I knew everything, but this world still held far too many unknowns.
Even setting aside the “butterfly effect” from my interventions, there were countless detailed settings that hadn’t been described.
Whether they were newly created or just undescribed, I had no way of knowing.
The novel had focused mainly on Lee Seo-jun, after all.
Of course.
“Tch.”
Just as I felt a pang of regret and headed for the exit—
I happened to spot a painting that caught my eye.
It was a painting of a round, blue glowing pattern.
I recognized what it was at a glance.
It was “mystery,” as depicted by ancient wizards and researchers.
With a hunch, I activated Outsider’s Privilege and examined the painting.
“As expected.”
Just as I thought, a magical device was hidden within.
It was sealed with a highly complex formula, but with Outsider’s Privilege, I could unravel it easily.
I injected mana to release the lock inside the frame.
The frame opened, revealing a small safe-like compartment.
It seemed the painting was a disguised safe.
Inside the safe was a photo of a young child.
A familiar face.
It resembled Kim Chang-hyun.
Instinctively, I realized this was a childhood photo of him.
As I examined the photo from various angles, I noticed writing on the back.
［Only about one year left until the promised time. I’ll come find you in a week. 2018/4/22］
“...What the hell is this?”
I had no idea who wrote it or what it meant.
What did “only one year left” mean?
No matter how I thought about it, I got nowhere. It was from 2018—fifteen years ago.
For now, I stored the photo in my subspace.
Just in case, I activated Outsider’s Privilege and scanned the surroundings, but saw no unusual traces.
“...Time to head back.”
A week passed, filled with questions, and a new week began.
Early in the morning, I busily packed my bags. They were stuffed with food and various tools.
The bag was small, but it kept taking more items. That’s because it was a top-grade subspace bag I’d bought for 1 billion won.
I did have subspace abilities myself, but it had gotten cramped from all the stuff, so I bought a new one.
As I packed, Gretel woke up and shuffled toward me in a daze.
Her face seemed to ask where I was going.
“Gretel, I’ll be away from home for a few days.”
Gretel’s expression turned gloomy in an instant. Maybe because I’d been leaving home so often lately, she looked even more down than usual.
“Whine.”
She looked at me as if asking how long.
“Hmm. About a week? Ah, for you, Gretel, it’d be like two days.”
Gretel tilted her head, not understanding.
Of course she wouldn’t. The place I was going today was the Room of Training.
The Room of Training had the “slowed time” mystery applied, so a week inside felt like only two days outside.
The reason I was packing was because I’d have to live in the Room of Training for that week.
“Anyway, you’ll see me again in two days, so don’t worry and wait quietly, okay?”
“Whine.”
Gretel smiled and nodded. I picked her up, patted her back.
Seeing her brighten up eased my mind.
“Alright, I’m off!”
After saying goodbye to Gretel, I headed out.
The Room of Training was held in the Tower of Proof, which I’d visited before.
Just like the hidden stage I’d entered previously, there was a hidden stage called the “Room of Training.”
Training Room tickets dropped as rare rewards from the tower, and because of the slowed time and focus on training, they fetched high prices among wizards.
Of course, with no supply, money alone couldn’t guarantee one.
“There’s Kim Sun-woo.”
As I approached the Tower of Proof, Lee Seo-jun waved to greet me.
Around him were the remaining members: Yoo Ah-ra, Choi Seo-yoon, and Shin Young-jun.
The common trait? They each carried a large bag.
“But why’s your bag so small?”
Shin Young-jun eyed the bag on my back and asked.
“Oh, this? It’s a subspace bag.”
At my answer, everyone except Lee Seo-jun’s eyes lit up.
“Wow, subspace bags are super expensive. I heard a proper one costs at least 100 million. This one looks pretty big too—how much?”
“Uh... around 1 billion?”
“...W-What?”
Shin Young-jun’s jaw dropped. For 19-year-olds, that was a huge sum.
“...Where’d you get that kind of money?”
“Stocks, dungeons, ruins rewards, that sort of thing.”
I shrugged like it was no big deal.
We exchanged greetings and walked toward the tower.
At the entrance, an association staff member blocked our way.
“Huh? Lee Seo-jun?”
The staff recognized Lee Seo-jun immediately and glanced at us knowingly.
“Hello.”
Lee Seo-jun bowed politely, and the staff looked puzzled.
“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. But what brings famous Wizard Academy students here? You need pro wizard qualifications to enter the tower...”
“We’re here to use Training Room tickets.”
At Lee Seo-jun’s words, the staff’s mouth fell open in realization.
“Oh right, I heard about it before. You got them as school festival prizes, huh? Haha.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I stood quietly behind Lee Seo-jun, playing dead.
This was the same staff who’d guarded the entrance when I’d climbed the tower as “Kim Jin-woo.”
Better not draw attention by acting familiar.
Then, the staff’s eyes met mine.
He looked at me with sparkling eyes and spoke.
“...Huh?! Wait!”
What? Did he figure out I’m Kim Jin-woo?
“You’re Kim Sun-woo, right?”
Hearing that, I let out a silent sigh of relief.
Good, he doesn’t know. It was ages ago—who’d remember a face from then?
“Yes, I’m Kim Sun-woo.”
“Man, I’m a fan. Climbing from the basement up was really inspiring.”
“Ah, thank you...”
“But do you all have your tickets?”
We showed our tickets.
The staff nodded after checking and guided us inside.
I looked around the familiar tower interior. Like before, there was a small space with a single blue portal.
“When entering the portal, insert all five tickets at the entrance simultaneously. That way, the tower’s will won’t reject you.”
We nodded and pushed in the five tickets together.
And then, a bright light enveloped our vision.
［You have entered the hidden floor of the Tower of Proof, ‘Room of Training.’］
［The Tower of Proof welcomes your return visit.］
［Mystery mana envelops you.］
［Achieved ‘Training Room Entry’ accomplishment.］
［Gained 5,000 points as reward.］
The tower’s will echoed in my head.
It was a familiar voice I hadn’t heard in a while.
Welcoming me back, huh.
The tower must have realized “Kim Jin-woo” and “Kim Sun-woo” were the same person.
“Wow, this is amazing.”
Choi Seo-yoon, standing beside me, looked around with shining eyes. Yoo Ah-ra, the training fanatic, also scanned the area with a bright face.
I wasn’t much different.
I took in the wonder brought by the mystery.
A vast, pure white space.
Here, you could focus solely on training.
As I was admiring it, Yoo Ah-ra approached me.
“Have you set your training goal? Everyone who’s been here says you should decide on one.”
“Yeah. I have.”
Yoo Ah-ra looked at me with a surprised expression.
“Really? What kind of training?”
It was pretty tough.
Even with a week—or rather, five years—given, it’d be hard to claim I could master it.
Still, I had prepared for this day, so I was somewhat confident.
［Advanced Comprehension Potion］
Description: Increases magical comprehension by 7 times.
*Duration: 7 days
Price: 50,000 points
My goal was to at least partially manifest Reverse Strike within the week.