Chapter 267
Chapter 267
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 268
Chapter Title: The Immortal Researcher
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After school on Wednesday.
I headed to the Grand Library of the Wizard Academy with Lee Seo-jun.
It was because I needed to look into something related to our mysticism philosophy research assignment on "immortality."
"Lis Tiya, the mysticism scholar who studied immortality."
Lee Seo-jun set down the organized materials on the desk.
He'd worked hard on the research over the past two days, and there was quite a stack of it.
Probably because the topic of "immortality" was so deeply tied to Jin Cheon-woo, it had really captured Lee Seo-jun's interest.
"Wow, that's a ton. Owen, Allen, Boris, Rusen..."
They were all famous figures I'd seen in history books. From ancient times through the medieval era to modern mysticism scholars. A wide variety of faces.
The common thread was that most of them were Westerners.
That fit the setting where "mysticism" had always been more concentrated in Europe than other regions.
I scanned for Jin Cheon-woo, but he wasn't there. They'd probably left him out on purpose.
As I looked around, one name jumped out at me. A Korean man who looked to be in his forties.
"...Kwak Moo-jin?"
"Ah, I threw him in since he was Korean. Guy from forty years ago—supposedly pretty renowned back then."
"Yeah?"
That was when a presence appeared in front of our desk, followed by a familiar face popping up.
"Sunbae-nim?"
It was Choi Seo-yoon, clutching a massive textbook for her major.
I looked up at Choi Seo-yoon with a blank stare.
...What the hell? Why's she here?
Sure, she was the type who frequented the library anyway...
But to me, who knew the original story's flow, this encounter felt like an oddly convenient coincidence.
As I kept staring, Choi Seo-yoon met my eyes and blushed faintly, looking embarrassed.
"Sunbae-nim, staring at me like that out of nowhere is kinda embarrassing..."
"Ah, sorry. Didn't expect to bump into you here."
Choi Seo-yoon smiled at my words and shook her head.
"No, it's fine. So, what's brings you to the library?"
"Got some research to do for a group assignment."
Lee Seo-jun answered, and Choi Seo-yoon's mouth fell open with an "Ah~"
"What's the topic?"
"Research on immortality."
"Immortality? Wow, even the topics are on another level starting from third year."
Choi Seo-yoon murmured quietly, sounding impressed. Then she pulled out the chair across from us and spoke.
"Oh, right, sunbae-nim. Mind if I sit here?"
"Sure. It's not like we reserved the place or anything. Right?"
Lee Seo-jun glanced at me.
Of course it was fine. In fact, there was a point in this episode where we needed Choi Seo-yoon's help, so I welcomed it.
"Yeah, go ahead. Sit."
"Yes!"
Choi Seo-yoon took the seat opposite us and opened her textbook.
With that, Lee Seo-jun naturally picked up where he'd left off in his explanation.
"Anyway, about that Kwak Moo-jin guy I mentioned?"
"Yeah."
"I dug into him since he was Korean, and I found something fishy."
As Lee Seo-jun spoke, Choi Seo-yoon paused her studying and looked our way.
"He locked himself in his personal lab researching immortality, and one day he tells everyone around him he's found the path to immortality."
"...He said he'd found the path to immortality?"
Choi Seo-yoon cut in with a question. Lee Seo-jun smirked at her sudden interruption and replied.
"Yeah. That's exactly what he said, apparently."
"Hmm. But the method for immortality still hasn't been revealed, has it? Probably just a mistake."
Lee Seo-jun shook his head.
"Who knows. 'Cause after that day, Kwak Moo-jin vanished."
"Vanished?"
"Yeah. Caused a huge stir among the researchers. The guy was a top-tier elite—his work was never wrong."
"Ah... yeah, that'd definitely spark some chaos."
Choi Seo-yoon nodded, her expression intrigued.
Lee Seo-jun watched her for a moment before turning to me.
"Pretty interesting, right? I think we should look into this guy. What do you say?"
"How do you investigate someone from forty years ago?"
I played dumb, inwardly pleased that Lee Seo-jun was following the original plot so faithfully with his research.
"Kwak Moo-jin's family didn't vanish."
Lee Seo-jun held out a photo. A woman stood amiably beside Kwak Moo-jin.
"This is her. Name's Shin Hye-won."
That was when Choi Seo-yoon glanced at the photo and froze in surprise.
"Huh? This person..."
Lee Seo-jun gave her a puzzled look at her reaction.
"What's up?"
"I know her."
"...You do?"
Lee Seo-jun's eyes went wide.
"Yeah, it's an old photo, but she's the auntie who works at our house."
After wrapping up the group assignment research at the library, I headed straight back to the dorm.
Creeeak.
The moment I opened the door, I sensed a change in the air.
"...What is this?"
I stepped inside cautiously. That's when a massive something came into view, leaving me stunned.
"What the hell is this?"
Two wooden pillars. And between them, a small plank woven from wood.
So that was...
"A swing chair?"
"Ung?"
At my words, Gretel—who'd been lounging on the swing chair—opened her eyes. She hopped down and toddled over to me, looking delighted.
"Gretel, what's that? A swing chair?"
"Ung!"
Gretel planted her hands on her hips as she replied. No clue what she was saying, but she seemed awfully proud of her handiwork.
"Did you make that yourself, Gretel?"
"Ung."
Gretel nodded.
"Wow."
I stared blankly at the swing chair. To think she could craft furniture like that with magic.
Impressive.
At the same time, I wondered if there was a way to turn this into a business...
...Nah, probably not.
"Wow~ You did an amazing job. Our Gretel's got real talent—seriously incredible."
"Ung!"
Gretel beamed happily at my praise.
Her childlike glee lifted my spirits too.
Alright, plenty of praise given. Time for the real talk.
"But Gretel... sorry about this."
Gretel tilted her head.
"The living room's gotten cramped. Gotta take it down."
"...Ung?"
Gretel's pupils dilated hugely.
Her gaze made me waver a bit, but it looked ugly aesthetically... and bugs could nest in it too.
"Ung..."
Gretel clutched at my pant leg, her face desperate—no demolition allowed.
But...
It was way too big for a human home. Make it smaller next time.
"The house is too small."
"Ung!"
"Now, now. Gretel, no means no."
She threw a tantrum.
"Ung ung ung ung ung ung."
"Tsk."
Gretel clamped her mouth shut and gave a tiny nod, as if resigning herself.
She placed a hand on the floor and released her mana.
In an instant, the massive chair dominating the living room vanished.
I was a little amazed she could make it disappear like that.
Glancing down at Gretel, she stared sullenly at the floor.
Felt kinda bad, like I'd crushed her innocence.
"Gretel, wanna go play in the mountains together next time? Run around as much as you want?"
"...Ung."
Gretel nodded listlessly and trudged off into the bedroom.
I watched her lonely retreating figure, then flopped onto the sofa and checked my smartphone.
A message from Han Se-yeon had come in.
[Jin-woo oppa, Dad's health has gotten worse. He won't even open his eyes.]
Looked like his condition had deteriorated in the two weeks since I'd last seen him.
Han Dae-hyeon's lifespan was probably two or three weeks at most now.
Which meant the Han Family's full-blown "Sibling Strife" was right around the corner.
Han Se-jin would soon ramp up his alliance with the demons to seize control of the family.
I'd have to build my strength accordingly and support Han Se-yeon from the shadows.
[Please stay by Se-yeon's side and cheer her on.]
I agonized over how to reply, then decided against false hope—this felt like the best approach.
[And Se-yeon, don't push yourself too hard. Take care of your health.]
She was probably hurting the most right now.
I couldn't fully grasp how agonizing it was to watch a sick family member suffer, but it had to be worse than I'd imagined.
[Thank you.]
A short reply came back. I read it over, then closed the app.
Next, I opened my smart student handbook.
Sure enough, a group chat had been created.
[Choi Seo-yoon has invited Lee Seo-jun, Kim Sun-woo.]
[Choi Seo-yoon: Got Dad's permission for you sunbaes to come over.]
[Lee Seo-jun: For real? Great. And Auntie Shin Hye-won said it's okay too?]
[Choi Seo-yoon: Yep, she said fine since it's for research.]
[Choi Seo-yoon: But it's the first time bringing guests home (worried puppy emoticon)]
[Lee Seo-jun: No need to worry about that.]
[Choi Seo-yoon: So you'll come to my place this weekend?]
[Lee Seo-jun: Yeah, guess so.]
Finally, the small event tied to the "immortality investigation" was underway.
A visit to the Choi Clan, one of the Five Great Families.
It wasn't a major focus in the original story, but it subtly influenced events far down the line.
Of course, with my involvement, all bets were off.
Then I suddenly recalled Choi Seo-yoon's father from last year.
That overwhelming presence, like a tiger.
The strict atmosphere of the Choi Clan stemmed entirely from him, Choi Jae-hyung.
"...Makes me nervous for no reason."
Thursday.
Multi-Purpose Training Ground at the Wizard Academy.
Individual basic training sessions had begun, tied to the career choices we'd submitted on Monday.
Third-year career experiences involved real combat deployment, unlike last year's field trips—so foundational training was essential.
That's why the students here had all selected "Special Ops" as their career path.
Familiar faces included Lee Seo-jun, Yoo Ah-ra, Lee Hyun-joo, and Yoon Ha-young.
Yoon Ha-young had shown zero interest in Special Ops last year, but after the demon incidents, she'd switched gears.
"As you all know, today's training is Basic Qualities for Special Ops Agents."
The temporary instructor from the Special Ops team, Kim Moon-tae, addressed the students up front.
"While attending the Academy, you've honed basic magic combat skills, situational judgment, and teamwork. But those are baseline for any wizard. Special Ops agents need far more."
Kim Moon-tae scanned the group.
"With that in mind, a question: What's the most important trait for a Special Ops agent? You there, Lee Seo-jun."
Lee Seo-jun cleared his throat at being called and answered.
"Rescuing lives."
Kim Moon-tae nodded.
"Correct. Rescuing lives—that's priority one for Special Ops. What else?"
He looked around before settling on Yoo Ah-ra.
"Yoo Ah-ra. Your thoughts?"
"...Safety."
"Safety's a basic duty for every wizard. Anyone have another answer?"
Yoo Ah-ra pondered, then spoke up.
"Infiltration."
Kim Moon-tae nodded, pleased.
"Right on the money. Taking down terrorists and demons demands top-tier infiltration skills."
He muttered to himself, then continued.
"To that end, today's lesson is 'Infiltration'—and the key skill of 'disguise.' For the record, that includes 'acting.'"
"...Acting?"
A few students looked baffled.
"I see some of you dismissing acting, but it's essential for posing as spies, civilians, or office workers."
Kim Moon-tae clapped his hands lightly.
"Alright! The top performer in this training gets a special prize: the right to pick their mentor for next month's experience activity."