Chapter 258
Chapter 258
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 259
Chapter Title: Little White Heaven
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Sunday morning at 10 a.m.
After finishing a luxurious breakfast at the hotel with Lee Seo-jun and the others, they stepped outside.
The surrounding scenery had changed completely from last night.
Yoon Ha-young said with wide, surprised eyes.
“Huh? What’s this? It’s almost all cleaned up already?”
The buildings and roads destroyed by the demon attack had been restored to their original state overnight.
If someone unaware of yesterday’s incident saw it, they might not even realize anything had happened.
“Wow. To think they could fix it all up in just one night…”
“Yeah. As expected of Hanseong Group’s technology, huh?”
Shin Young-jun exclaimed in admiration, then stretched his arms out wide.
“Yawn~ Speaking of which, I slept so well, but I still feel tired. Is it that you don’t fully recover unless you’re sleeping at home or something?”
“Huh? Same here. I feel weirdly tired if I don’t sleep at home.”
“What? You too?”
When Yoon Ha-young chimed in, Shin Young-jun got excited and started chattering away.
Somehow, those two complaining about not recovering seemed the most energetic.
Chatting like that, they arrived at the gate set up near the hotel.
“Everyone’s heading straight back to the Magic Academy, right?”
Lee Seo-jun, standing in front of the gate, looked around at everyone.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“I’m planning to rest in the dorm today too.”
As everyone agreed to return to the dorms, I spoke up last.
“I have a quick stop to make.”
All eyes turned to me at my words.
“Where are you going?”
Choi Seo-yoon asked with a curious expression.
“I have an appointment today.”
“An appointment? With who?”
“That’s… a secret.”
“…Tch.”
Choi Seo-yoon pouted her lips disappointedly.
That’s when Lee Seo-jun, who had been quietly watching from behind, chimed in.
“Kim Sun-woo sure has a lot of appointments, huh.”
I shrugged nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal.
“Why the sudden comment? Everyone has their own plans.”
“You don’t seem like the type, but you surprisingly have a ton.”
…What’s that supposed to mean? It didn’t sound like a compliment.
As I met Lee Seo-jun’s gaze, there was something odd about the way he was looking at me.
He’d been staring at me like that even during breakfast.
Thinking back, it started from when he checked my arm yesterday. He’d had that expression ever since. Was he still suspicious of something about me?
“…Anyway, I’ll head out first.”
“Alright, take care.”
Lee Seo-jun gave a small wave.
“Take care, Sunbae-nim! Oh, and you didn’t forget about tomorrow’s promise, right?”
“I know.”
Tomorrow was Monday, and Tuesday after that was a school holiday for midterm group project prep.
I had to sort out project materials, so I’d see Choi Seo-yoon, Yoon Ha-young, and Song Seung-ah again tomorrow.
“See you tomorrow, Sun-woo!”
“Yeah.”
After saying goodbye to everyone, I stepped into the gate.
After traveling through the gate, I changed into the appearance of ‘Kim Jin-woo.’ Then I headed to JWK’s headquarters.
The reason was that I’d heard today that ‘Lee Seo-jun’s sword’ was complete.
However, Yang Tae-min wasn’t in the representative’s office. He must still be immersed in forging at the workshop today.
Not wanting to disturb him, I just sent a message saying I’d arrived and was waiting, then lay down on the sofa and accessed an internet site.
“‘H-A Expo Incident’ Mystery: Who Is the Terrorist That Attacked the Demon?”
“‘Another Demon Ambush Incident’ Hanseong Pharma’s Han Se-yeon Targeted Twice This Year Alone. Spotlight on Han Se-yeon and Demons’ Grudge”
“‘S-Rank Demon Subjugation Success’ Public Response Positive Even in Crisis”
“Demon Incidents Up 36% Compared to Last Year”
Naturally, yesterday’s incident was a hot topic.
The subjugation of an S-Rank Demon.
And the mysterious terrorist who caused a commotion before the demon even acted.
It had plenty of mysterious elements to draw public interest, so it was to be expected.
As I was reading the articles, the door suddenly opened.
“Jin-woo-nim!”
Yang Tae-min, his face darkly tanned, called out to me in a delighted voice.
I got up from the sofa to greet him.
“Judging by your face, you must’ve been working hard since morning again today.”
“Ah, yeah. Pretty much. Haha.”
Yang Tae-min gave an awkward smile. Then he placed the sword he was holding on the table.
A golden hilt emitting a brilliant light.
It gave off an extraordinary aura at first glance.
“Is this the sword you just finished?”
“Yes, that’s right. I made it based on the conditions Lee Seo-jun requested as the foundation.”
I nodded and examined the sword.
This was the A-Rank sword Lee Seo-jun would use for the time being.
Though called A-Rank, since it was crafted by the world’s top forger, Yang Tae-min, with a significant investment of my capital, it was top-tier among A-Rank swords.
“It’s impressive.”
“Since Lee Seo-jun has excellent fundamentals, I went for a classic feel with the sword as well.”
I nodded and drew the blade from its sheath. At the same time, a pure white blade came into view.
I activated Outsider’s Benefit to appraise it.
[??? (A)]
Classification: Sword
Description: A nameless sword. Abilities activate once a name is set.
[Permanent Effects]
>Mana Amplification
Damage increased by 20%.
During combat, stamina, strength, and mana increased by 10%.
Deals 15% additional damage to opponents protected by mana.
>Resistance
The sword’s mystical energy increases resistance to external mana by 20%.
Durability: S
Attack Power: A
“Oh…”
As Yang Tae-min said, it was a sword focused on fundamentals.
For an A-Rank, the effects packed in were substantial.
It suited Lee Seo-jun, who wielded orthodox swordsmanship.
“We need to name the sword—what should we go with?”
Yang Tae-min asked.
A sword’s name.
For crafted items, abilities activate the moment the name is engraved, so naming was essential.
I pondered for a moment.
“Let’s go with Little White Heaven.”
In the original story, Lee Seo-jun would eventually use an SS-Rank sword crafted by Yang Tae-min far in the future called ‘White Heaven.’
‘White Heaven’ was named to counter ‘Black Heaven,’ the sword used by Jin Cheon-woo.
It seemed a fitting name for the sword he’d use until then.
“Little White Heaven. Sounds good.”
Yang Tae-min nodded in satisfaction too.
“Then, Jin-woo-nim, why don’t you engrave the name yourself?”
“Me?”
“Yes. Wouldn’t it be more meaningful if the person who named it engraves it?”
Yang Tae-min chuckled. I stared at the sword for a bit before nodding.
“The method is simple. Engrave the name in the center of the blade with mana. But don’t do it carelessly—you have to infuse strong intent that you’re naming it into the mana.”
Infusing will into mana…
I had a rough idea of the concept.
I immediately gathered mana at my fingertip. Then slowly engraved the name onto the blade.
Little White Heaven
The name engraved on the pure white blade began emitting a strong light.
[You have achieved the ‘Crafted Item Naming’ accomplishment.]
[You have obtained 3,000 points as a reward.]
The sword was safely delivered to Lee Seo-jun. The moment he got the notification that it was complete, he rushed over.
Not wanting to meet him as Kim Jin-woo, I had Yang Tae-min hand it over.
Anyway, Lee Seo-jun seemed quite pleased with Little White Heaven and started showing it off everywhere.
From SNS to the group chat he’d been mysteriously dragged into.
[Lee Seo-jun: Photo]
[Lee Seo-jun: This is the sword I commissioned—cool, right?]
[Shin Young-jun: What??? Didn’t you say you paid 800 million for the commission? Is it really B-Grade?]
[Lee Seo-jun: It’s A-Rank. They made it specially at Shin Iron Forge to celebrate my Seongmu Festival win.]
[Choi Seo-yoon: 800 million? Wow, for A-Rank, that’s cheaper than half price, isn’t it? (Shocked bunny emoticon)]
[Lee Seo-jun: Yeah. A wizard I know said it was about a quarter of the usual price.]
[Shin Young-jun: Shin Iron Forge is the best;;;]
Seeing Lee Seo-jun boasting all over made me smile for no reason.
Gifts really are more rewarding the bigger the recipient’s reaction.
I wonder how thrilled he’ll be when he gets the SS-Rank White Heaven later.
“Hmm…”
Anyway, I should start looking for materials needed for White Heaven soon.
With future events accelerating, both Lee Seo-jun and I need to get stronger faster.
…Time passed, and the next day, Monday, arrived.
As announced, today and tomorrow were holidays for group project material prep, so our group met at a brand coffee shop somewhere in Seoul.
The members were Yoon Ha-young, Choi Seo-yoon, Song Seung-ah, and two 1st years I didn’t know well.
“Because of the presentation incident, maybe we should change the topic?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
Our group’s original topic was ‘Corporate Takeover Battles.’
For that, Han Se-yeon’s presentation needed to succeed.
But with the presentation canceled, we had to change topics too.
“Sunbae-nim, any opinions?”
Choi Seo-yoon looked at me and asked.
I sipped my Americano through the straw and gave the answer I’d prepared.
“How about ‘Demon Terrorism and Corporate Response Methods’? No need for extra research since we were there ourselves.”
“Response methods… I think that’s fine?”
Fortunately, Choi Seo-yoon reacted positively. Then Yoon Ha-young chimed in.
“I think it’s good too.”
“Then we’ll go with this?”
“I like it too.”
With the topic decided, everyone started sharing opinions.
I quietly watched their conversation while devouring the cake on my plate with a fork.
Everyone was full of enthusiasm. They looked happy.
Then, a sudden thought hit me—could I really afford to spend such peaceful time like this? A small unease crept in.
“Sun-woo. Something bad happen?”
Perhaps sensing my mood shift, Yoon Ha-young across from me asked in a worried voice.
At her words, Choi Seo-yoon also looked up at me.
I shook my head.
“No. Just a bit tired.”
I gave a small smile in response.
“Sunbae-nim, if you’re tired, you can rest a bit.”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Just then, an alarm popped up on my smart student planner.
Wondering who it was, I checked the message.
[Yu A-yeon]
…Yu A-yeon?
[Is it time now? Found the location where the Seonhyeon family experiment took place.]
Seeing that, my mind went blank for a moment.
She found the Seonhyeon family’s experiment site?
“Sunbae-nim, take a short break. I’ll handle the materials…”
“Sorry, I have to go.”
“Huh?”
As I abruptly stood up, everyone looked up at me in surprise.
“Where are you going?”
“Sorry. It’s really urgent. You guys handle it.”
“Huh? Sunbae-nim? W-wait a sec!”
Ignoring the voices from behind, I dashed out of the coffee shop.
Abandoning the project, the place I headed to was the gate at Incheon Port.
Looking around, I didn’t see my appointment partner.
Where could she be? As I kept scanning the area, a black sedan headed my way.
“Kim Sun-woo.”
At the same time, the car window rolled down, and a voice calling me rang in my ear.
It was Yu A-yeon.
“You got here faster than I thought. No school today?”
“Yeah, it’s off. But are you sure you found the experiment site?”
At my question, Yu A-yeon thought for a moment before nodding.
“Yeah. The Association hid the data so tightly it was a pain to find, but it’s definite.”
“Where is it?”
“A small island in the West Sea.”
“Get in first. Can’t gate there, so we’ll drive.”
Yu A-yeon tapped the car. I nodded and got in the passenger seat.
The car started and smoothly sped along the road.
Excluding some islands, bridges connected everything, so no need for a boat.
“Here.”
After about 20 minutes, we arrived at a place blocked by a chain-link fence.
Beyond it was an empty wasteland with nothing.
Yu A-yeon got out of the car, and I followed.
[Restricted Access Area]
I looked at the sign on the fence.
“It’s a warning sign put up by the Association.”
“The experiment site is beyond here, right?”
Yu A-yeon nodded.
“According to Association records, yes. The problem is this fence. It’s made into a barrier, so passing through is impossible.”
I activated Outsider’s Benefit and looked at the fence.
As she said, it wasn’t an ordinary chain-link fence.
It was a barrier infused with spells.
Magic spells at that, so touching it bare-handed could lead to death by electrocution.
“What’ll you do? I could break it, but the Association would notice right away—”
Woooong!
Before Yu A-yeon could finish, I dispelled the spells and deactivated the barrier.
Opening the chain-link gate, I stepped inside, and Yu A-yeon blinked.
“...Huh?”
Having entered, I turned back and said to Yu A-yeon.
“What are you doing? Come in.”
“Uh, y-yeah…”