Chapter 251
Chapter 251
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 252
Chapter Title: The Golden Fruit and the H-A Expo
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After finishing all my school schedule and personal training, I returned to the dorm. For some reason, I felt more fatigued than usual.
Was it because the annoying group project had started?
The team members were two first-years I didn't know well, second-years Choi Seo-yoon and Song Seung-ah, and third-years Yoon Ha-young and me. That made a group of six.
The lineup itself wasn't bad.
Choi Seo-yoon went without saying, and I knew Song Seung-ah was diligent. I wasn't sure about the two first-years, but they apparently had high theory scores.
Thanks to that, it didn't seem like I'd have to do everything alone.
Since things had turned out this way, it wouldn't be bad to ride their coattails instead.
"...That's not the point."
After discussions with the team, the research topic was set to "H-A Expo Investigation."
...And according to the original story, the H-A Expo was a pretty major event.
It was the place where Han Se-yeon's full activities began and where bonds formed between several characters, making it an important event.
But more than that, demons were set to cause chaos to tarnish Han Se-yeon's reputation, so I needed to pay extra attention to that part.
"Still, things probably won't play out exactly the same..."
With the incident accelerated, there had to be differences from the original.
For starters, the "Special Task Force Escort Mission Experience" didn't exist at this point.
Because of that, Lee Seo-jun might not attend the expo, unlike in the original. This wasn't a minor change.
In the original, Han Se-yeon became Lee Seo-jun's ally through this event, a huge shift that could alter future developments.
"Hmm. Wonder how it'll go."
Come to think of it, Lee Seo-jun's relationships seemed even thinner than in the original as time went on.
Just off the top of my head: Yoo Ah-ra, Yoon Ha-young, Eun Seol-ah, Choi Seo-yoon...
Now that I thought about it, unlike the original, all of them had ambiguous connections with Lee Seo-jun.
Of course, they weren't total strangers, but they weren't close friends either.
Maybe just a bit closer than classmates?
There was none of that special closeness from the original.
This was another change caused by my interference.
Yoo Ah-ra, who used to feel competitive toward Lee Seo-jun, now seemed to feel it toward me, a Manifestor.
Yoon Ha-young had grown close only to me, thanks to my help with her Demon Slayer power and magic lectures.
Eun Seol-ah felt the same, since I'd practically cured her mysterious fever.
And Choi Seo-yoon...
Suddenly, memories from the past year with Choi Seo-yoon flashed through my mind.
The affection she'd shown me, her actions.
It made me feel awkwardly embarrassed for no reason.
"...Why did she end up interested in me?"
Looking back, there wasn't even a clear trigger.
We'd gone through a few incidents together because of the special class, but I doubted that was enough to sway her heart.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Focus on the task at hand first. There must have been something I didn't know about...
Even as I thought that alone, a nagging feeling grew in the corner of my mind that I couldn't ignore it forever.
That was when it happened.
Ding.
A message alert rang from my smart student planner.
Wondering if it was the one I'd been waiting for, I checked the sender first.
[Lee Seo-jun]
It was the message I'd been waiting for all along.
I immediately checked the contents.
[Kim Sunwoo: Did you decide on your free research topic? We're doing the H-A Expo.]
[Lee Seo-jun: Oh. We're investigating the H-A Expo too. We can go together then lol]
"...It ends up like this again."
Not under the same circumstances as the escort mission in the original, but Lee Seo-jun was getting involved in the incident once more.
Time passed ordinarily without any special events.
It might feel peaceful to some, but to me, who knew a storm was brewing not far off, it felt like the calm before the storm.
In any case, midterms were approaching, and I spent busy days preparing for them.
"Nyah."
And so, with two days left until the H-A Expo, Gretel's "golden fruit" on her head had fully ripened.
It was perfect timing, with a major incident looming.
Right now, I was pondering how to harvest the fruit without Gretel noticing.
Gretel was diligently solving the floor puzzle behind me, oblivious that I was eyeing her fruit.
No need to drag it out.
As the saying goes, pull the iron horns while they're hot.
I slowly approached Gretel from behind.
Planning to finish it in one go while she was off guard.
I'd prepared for her getting upset, so no worries there.
And so, I sneaked up and plucked Gretel's fruit right off.
"Nyah!"
Gretel cried out, feeling the pain. Her voice cracked from the shock.
She whipped around to face me, her big eyes welling up just like before.
But I didn't miss the opening and pulled out the chicken I'd hidden in my subspace.
As the box emitting a sweet, savory aroma suddenly appeared before her, Gretel's eyes trembled wide.
"Gretel likes chicken, right? I bought it for you. Let's eat it while it's hot."
". . . Nyah?"
Gretel blinked. The tears had vanished long ago.
She alternated her gaze between me and the chicken box.
Torn between throwing a tantrum or meekly eating the chicken.
But from past experience, I knew.
To Gretel, having her fruit plucked was like a kid getting a tooth pulled or a shot.
Scary beforehand, but no big deal after.
"Oh, and I got only the legs and wings you like, Gretel. No chewy breast meat you hate."
At that, Gretel blinked, then opened the chicken box.
She really can't resist chicken.
My scheme was going perfectly, and I smirked inwardly in satisfaction.
"Eat up."
With the negotiation done, I stepped back for a bit.
I immediately checked the golden fruit.
[Mysterious Demonic Tree Fruit (S)]
Classification: Spiritual Medicine
Description: Consuming it increases all stats by up to 3%. (The higher your existing stats, the lower the increase.)
Unlocks a hidden latent trait.
"What."
I was momentarily surprised by the effects of this new demonic tree fruit.
Was it because Gretel had consumed the millennium ginseng? This fruit had an even more special effect than before.
It could unlock a hidden latent trait.
Latent traits.
Special powers different from magic, innate to a tiny fraction of humans.
Similar to superpowers. One of the law professors at the academy had "Sleep Induction" as his latent trait.
Of course, latent traits had tricky activation conditions.
The law professor's was "when teaching your knowledge to someone."
"...You can even get one of these."
I'd thought latent traits were only for those born with them. A bit unexpected.
Wonder what ability I'll get.
Lost in thought alone, I bit into the fruit.
Crunch crunch.
"Ooh."
— ◎ .
Sweet juice filled my mouth.
Not bad. No similar fruit to compare, but if anything, slightly like a pear.
And shortly after.
Thump!
"...Huh?"
Like before with spiritual medicines, a hot energy swirled inside me.
But unlike then, it wasn't painful or enough to make me lose consciousness.
Probably because my base stats had risen so much higher now.
[Your high base stats reduce the spiritual medicine's efficiency.]
[All stats increase by 1.7%.]
[Adaptive trait 'Medicine Amplification' grants additional stat gains.]
[Discovered a 'latent trait' dormant in your body.]
[Time until full unlock: 7 days]
"...It doesn't even tell me what trait."
And with 7 days, I couldn't use it by the expo in two days.
Though latent traits were unlikely to help in combat anyway, it was still disappointing.
"...Still, I kept my sanity eating an S-rank spiritual medicine."
My growth had slowed, but this proved I'd grown to a certain extent.
With those positive thoughts, I approached Gretel, who was sulking in the corner munching chicken.
"Gretel, tasty?"
Gretel glanced at me, her anger somewhat eased, and offered a chicken wing.
Two more days passed, bringing us to Saturday. The long-awaited H-A Expo day had arrived.
The expo was at Hanseong Hotel on Jeju Island.
This 1-night, 2-day event, backed by Han Se-yeon, would draw famous figures from around the world.
"This is the expo VIP invite."
At the academy's main gate, our meeting spot for the day, Choi Seo-yoon pulled six golden tickets from her bag.
The front boldly read "H-A."
"Wow, jackpot! You really got them?"
Yoon Ha-young's face lit up in surprise at the tickets. Choi Seo-yoon smiled brightly and nodded.
"Yeah, my dad had a few invites come in."
"Truly from a prestigious family~ So what does VIP get you?"
"Hmm. All meals and facilities free, best hotel rooms, prime seating for viewing."
Everyone, including Yoon Ha-young, lit up at that.
Excited to luxuriate in Jeju for 1 night and 2 days. Group project? Already forgotten.
...Tch.
Only I was serious.
Then Choi Seo-yoon glanced at me and cautiously said,
"Sunbae, why's your face all grumpy~"
Seeing my consistent blank expression, she playfully poked my side.
"Nah, just lost in thought. Looking forward to today."
Relieved, Choi Seo-yoon beamed.
"Right? I planned the full course ahead, so sunbae just follow me."
Meanwhile, in front of Hanseong Hotel on Jeju where the expo was held.
A luxury sedan gliding down the road slid to a stop before the hotel.
Moments later, the doors opened, and a sharply dressed man in a black suit and a red-haired woman in guard attire stepped out.
As they did, surrounding reporters gasped in surprise and began snapping photos.
"...This girl. Making such a fuss just for one announcement."
Han Se-jin, the man looking up at the hotel, muttered in annoyance.
The red-haired woman beside him, Elin, scanned the surroundings with a blank face. But inwardly, she felt uneasy.
Her instincts detected something ominous would happen inside this hotel.
Just then, a handsome thirty-something man unknown to her emerged from the hotel.
Spotting Han Se-jin, the man greeted him familiarly.
"Aren't you Han Se-jin, Vice Chairman?"
At the new man's appearance, some reporters again looked shocked and photographed him.
—It's PL Group's Chairman.
—Hey, snap him quick.
"Haha. Chairman Jung Tae-won. Long time no see."
As Han Se-jin and the man shook hands, flashes intensified.
They smiled for the cameras, chatting lightly.
About meals, how they'd been, etc. Nothing special.
But Elin stared at the man called Jung Tae-won, feeling deep unease and fear for some reason.
Her special mana-sensing ability from the "Rune Clan" bloodline kept warning her.
Run. He's dangerous.
Trembling in terror, Elin inferred the identity of the being before her.
Who else could carry such a horrific aura in a human body...
As far as she knew, only one.
...The master of all demons.
The Demon King.