Chapter 215
Chapter 215
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 216
Chapter Title: Mentor's Reflections
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Saturday afternoon, 1 PM.
The weekend, marking the end of the week, arrived, and without fail, crowds flocked to the park.
The weather had grown quite warm now. The park's plants were regaining their vitality, and the citizens' thick winter clothes had lightened considerably compared to before.
"Hmm..."
And right now.
A man with a scruffy beard sat on a bench, legs crossed, staring down at his smartphone.
['Rising Star Prospect' Kim Sun-woo Participates in Plague Beast Subjugation and Shines Brightly]
[Debate in the Wizard Community: Did Kim Sun-woo Use 'Reversal Strike'? What Kind of Magic Is It?]
"...He actually mastered it," Choi Il-hyun muttered to himself in disbelief.
Two months ago.
In order to make his disciple Kim Sun-woo deeply contemplate mana flow, he had taught him the theory of Reversal Strike.
Naturally, Reversal Strike was the pinnacle magic created by Chairman Kim Jin-cheol.
It wasn't something you could learn just by knowing the theory.
You needed profound knowledge of mana flow and an equally deep understanding of the incantations embedded in the magic circle.
Choi Il-hyun had taught Reversal Strike with the intention that after about two years of researching mana flow, he would naturally grasp its framework.
But astonishingly, Kim Sun-woo had upended his expectations and made it his own in just two months.
It was a terrifying talent he had never seen before.
"Even Jin Cheon-woo gave up on it because it didn't suit his aptitude...
To master it in just two months.
Where did this guy even come from...
"Man."
Choi Il-hyun leaned back against the bench and blankly gazed up at the sky.
Kim Sun-woo.
Truth be told, the reason he had started teaching Kim Sun-woo stemmed from his inferiority complex toward his old friend—and nemesis—Jin Cheon-woo.
From a young age, Choi Il-hyun had proven his exceptional talent and skill, becoming Chairman Kim Jin-cheol's disciple.
Since Kim Jin-cheol was called the world's strongest wizard, not just anyone could become his disciple, and Choi Il-hyun took great pride in being one.
Then one day, Chairman Kim Jin-cheol brought in a new disciple who was the same age as him.
That was Jin Cheon-woo.
It was his first encounter with the man who would one day take everything from him—their fateful bad blood.
At the time, Choi Il-hyun was brimming with so much confidence it bordered on arrogance.
Not only his peers, but he even felt he could take on those older than him.
So, he boldly challenged Jin Cheon-woo to a spar.
But the result upended his expectations: defeat.
It was a massive shock.
Of course, the fight itself had been a razor-thin margin. But the problem was that even in several rematches, the outcome never changed.
Even now, decades later, Choi Il-hyun had never once beaten Jin Cheon-woo.
...And his son, Lee Seo-jun, possessed talent reminiscent of Jin Cheon-woo back in the day.
Choi Il-hyun didn't like that about Lee Seo-jun.
Especially since he greatly resembled Lee Yun-kyeong, his longtime childhood friend toward whom he harbored secret feelings.
Then one day, pausing his personal research to browse the news, Choi Il-hyun learned of a student named 'Kim Sun-woo.'
And received another massive shock.
Lee Seo-jun, who had displayed overwhelming power and was expected to take first place without question, was being pushed back by some unheard-of student.
Moreover, despite being a manifestation wizard weak in close combat, he fearlessly charged at the reinforcement wizard Lee Seo-jun and unleashed a kick—a sight that reminded him of himself facing Jin Cheon-woo in his school days.
Unknowingly, Choi Il-hyun began projecting himself onto Kim Sun-woo.
And he thought:
Though I could never beat Jin Cheon-woo in the end, I'll make sure Kim Sun-woo beats Lee Seo-jun.
"...What a strange guy," he murmured.
He was lost in thoughts of his disciple's exploits, feeling that wonder anew.
"Choi Il-hyun."
A voice called his name.
Choi Il-hyun looked up at the face of the one who had called him.
At the same time, his heart skipped just a little. It reminded him of a woman he could no longer see.
"...Oh, you're here?"
Choi Il-hyun spoke calmly, without showing it. The man across from him, Lee Seo-jun, nodded.
"Yes, I am. Did I keep you waiting long?"
"No, not really.
But what's this about calling me out? And how did you get my number?"
"I asked someone at the Association, and they gave it to me."
Lee Seo-jun said casually, and Choi Il-hyun shook his head with a tsk.
"...Tsk. Those guys have no concept of privacy."
Lee Seo-jun chuckled and sat down beside Choi Il-hyun.
"I have some things to tell you and some questions, so I called you."
"What is it?"
Choi Il-hyun asked, curiosity in his voice.
"...I recently met with my mother."
At Lee Seo-jun's words, Choi Il-hyun flinched. Mother—did he mean he met Lee Yun-kyeong?
How?
"...I see. You summoned Yun-kyeong's soul."
"Yes, exactly. We talked about you there too. She was relieved to hear you're doing well."
"...I see."
Choi Il-hyun murmured softly, staring off into distant space.
"And what else did you talk about?"
"About my secret. She said Jin Cheon-woo killed her before I was born. You knew, right?"
"I knew."
"Then do you know why I'm alive?"
Choi Il-hyun looked at Lee Seo-jun.
The drive to summon his mother's soul just to uncover his hidden secret.
Was this resemblance to Jin Cheon-woo?
"...Sorry, but I don't know the details. I just suspect based on the circumstances."
"What suspicions?"
"Why Jin Cheon-woo revived you after killing you."
"Jin Cheon-woo didn't revive you for no reason. There must have been some purpose."
"...Is that immortality? Am I a sacrifice—or ingredient—for Jin Cheon-woo's immortality?"
Lee Seo-jun voiced the hypothesis he had been mulling over.
Choi Il-hyun gazed at him and fell into thought again.
"It could be."
"Hah."
Lee Seo-jun let out a pained sigh.
What could Jin Cheon-woo's goal be? Why did he revive me? A whirlwind of complicated thoughts churned in his head.
"Don't worry too much. As long as the old man lives, what you fear won't happen."
Lee Seo-jun nodded.
Then, after a moment of thought, he spoke again.
"I have another question. Do you know anything about the Seonhyeon family?"
2 PM.
With time to kill before my appointment with Yoo A-yeon, I stopped by a cafe in Seoul.
Ding-a-ling.
As I entered, Yang Tae-min greeted me warmly.
"Jin-woo!"
I gave a light greeting and sat across from him.
"Haha. I heard you're busy today, so I'm sorry for taking up your time."
"No, it's fine. It's work we're doing together."
Yang Tae-min beamed at my smiling response.
"Ah! Yes! Here you go right away."
Yang Tae-min pulled out a stack of documents from his bag and handed them to me.
"This is the list of companies interested in an exclusive manastone trade with our company. Based on the conditions, Hanseong Development, run by Vice Chairman Han Se-jin, seems the best option."
I reviewed the documents.
Perhaps due to the manastone shortage, the list was packed with major corporations.
I skimmed through them, set them down, and asked something else I was curious about.
"How's business lately?"
"It's going well. No, better than well—it's great. Just processing some of the stockpiled manastones should bring in over 10 billion in revenue."
My lips twitched slightly at the mention of 10 billion.
"Delegate the manastone mining to your employees and start on the workshop work soon. Don't worry about money."
Yang Tae-min was a crafting master.
He had the duty to craft a sword for Lee Seo-jun to use.
And since Yang Tae-min was destined to become the world's top craftsman, his success as a business partner was my success too.
"Got it. I was planning to anyway."
Yang Tae-min smiled and replied.
"So, which one for the exclusive manastone deal?"
I checked the documents again.
I had already decided where to go.
The terms weren't bad, and this could be a nice—quite big—gift for her.
And in the distant future, it could develop into a means to check Han Se-jin.
"Hanseong Pharmaceuticals."
Meanwhile, at the Yoo family mansion somewhere in Seoul.
Two days before the Magic Academy reopened, Yoo A-ra was packing amid a mess of items on the floor.
"...Ditch all the second-year books."
Her personality meant she only packed essentials, so there wasn't much to fit in her bag.
As she organized, beep. The lock disengaged, and the door opened.
At the unusual occurrence, Yoo A-ra instinctively stood and rushed to the entrance.
"Sis?"
Her sister, Yoo A-yeon, had returned home after nearly a year.
"...What's brought you home?"
"I've been busy with work lately, so I came back to rest a bit."
"Yeah? How long are you staying?"
"About two days?"
"Hmm."
Yoo A-ra nodded. By then, she'd be in the academy dorms, leaving the mansion empty again.
"Ah! Right, I heard. You participated in the Plague Beast subjugation?"
"Uh."
"No injuries?"
Yoo A-ra had confirmed Kim Sun-woo's involvement in the Plague Beast subjugation and already conducted a personal investigation.
Still, there might be details she missed, so she asked with worry in her voice.
Yoo A-yeon smiled—a smile not easily seen by others—to reassure her sister.
"Yeah, I look perfectly fine, don't I?"
"You do."
Yoo A-ra smiled lightly too.
"Ah, sis. Since you haven't been home in ages, want to go out for a meal?"
At Yoo A-ra's slightly excited suggestion, Yoo A-yeon shook her head.
"No, a guest is coming soon."
"A guest? Here?"
"Yeah. In about 30 minutes?"
Yoo A-ra tilted her head.
Her sister had never once brought a guest home.
"Who is it? Not a guy, right?"
She asked in a playfully uncharacteristic tone.
Yoo A-yeon took off her thick outer coat and pretended to think before answering.
"Hmm... It is a guy."
Yoo A-ra blanked out for a moment at the response.
"...A guy?"
"Yeah. A guy can't come?"
"No, it's not that."
...It was the first time her sister was bringing a guy home.
Who could it be? Not a boyfriend, given her sister's personality.
No, wait, it was about time her sister started dating.
"Ah! That Jeong Je-won guy?"
At that, Yoo A-yeon narrowed her eyes.
"Why would I bring that guy home?"
"...True."
Yoo A-ra resumed her deductions. A guy her sister would bring home.
If not Jeong Je-won, who?
After pondering, she gave up and asked directly.
"Who is it?"
As Yoo A-ra asked, Yoo A-yeon headed to the kitchen and said,
"Kim Sun-woo."
"...What?"
For a moment, Yoo A-ra doubted her ears.
"Wow, it's filthy huge."
I looked up at the massive mansion.
Excluding Chairman Han Dae-hyun's place, it might be the largest mansion I'd seen.
In fact, this mansion was intact now, but in the past, it had been attacked by Ja-un's forces, burned, and collapsed.
The Yoo family, which fell with the mansion back then, had been revived by Yoo A-yeon along with its reconstruction.
"Whew."
Standing before the intercom, I took a deep breath.
I felt strangely nervous.
Ding-dong.
_Yes.
Yoo A-yeon's voice came from the other side.
Soon, the door creaked open, revealing the beautiful barefooted woman, Yoo A-yeon.
"You're earlier than I thought. Not quite ready yet."
"...Ready for what?"
Yoo A-yeon shrugged mysteriously and said,
"Come in."
I followed her lead and strode into the mansion.
As I entered, a sweet aroma tickled my nose. She must have been cooking.
"I was preparing dinner. Before we talk about that, I owe you something, so I wanted to treat you."
"Ah."
Yoo A-yeon's cooking.
That sounded promising.
As I scanned the mansion interior,
I felt someone's gaze from the stairs.
Looking up, Yoo A-ra in casual clothes was staring down at me with an odd look.
"...Kim Sun-woo."
"Hey."
I greeted her, and she awkwardly waved back.
"...H-hey."
With that, Yoo A-ra thudded down the stairs.
Then, she glanced warily at Yoo A-yeon,
before suddenly sticking to my side and whispering in my ear.
"Why are you here?"
"...Your sister told me to come."
Since she whispered, I replied quietly.
"...Did something happen with sis?"
Something.
After a brief hesitation, I answered.
"Not nothing."
"What? You and sis have something going on? She never brings guests home."
"...Quit asking what."
I shook off the arm she clung to, detaching her.
Yoo A-ra stepped back and pouted at me sullenly.