Chapter 279
Chapter 279
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 280
Chapter Title: Confidential Debriefing
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The Special Investigation Room of the Korean Wizards Association, located in Seoul.
This space, fortified with all manner of security magic tools, was an extremely special facility used only when handling Grade 1 security incidents as defined by the Wizards Association.
A Grade 1 security incident referred to ultra-classified cases like "Jaun," "Jin Cheon-woo," or "Mysteries" that ordinary special agents couldn't manage—cases that only the Wizards Association's elite, the Seoul Special Task Force, could handle.
"Let me say it again: we brought you here for your own protection."
And today.
After a long time, a Grade 1 security incident had occurred, opening the doors to the Special Investigation Room.
Inside the room was a single long table.
Kim Deok-hyeon of the Special Task Force sat in a chair and looked at the seven people seated across from him as he spoke.
"It's also for the sake of world peace. So, we'd appreciate your cooperation."
As Kim Deok-hyeon spoke, the white-haired man sitting opposite him wore a displeased expression.
"Isn't this a bit too forceful for mere 'protection'?"
The man's identity was Russen.
He was one of the Mystery scholars who had recently escaped from the Virtual World.
"...As I said, it was unavoidable due to the Grade 1 security classification."
"I just can't wrap my head around it. What on earth happened while we were gone?"
The man sitting next to Russen spoke up.
He too was a Mystery scholar who had escaped the Virtual World alongside Russen.
Kim Deok-hyeon paused in thought for a moment before beginning his explanation.
The events that had unfolded during their absence—the deeds of "Jin Cheon-woo" and "Jaun." And the long tale of how the Special Task Force had pursued their trails.
After about thirty minutes, the story came to an end.
The Mystery scholars seated across from him were all in a state of shock.
Jin Cheon-woo, whom they had revered as a hero in the Virtual World, had turned out to be the complete opposite of their expectations.
"For that reason, we'd like you to keep what you experienced a secret. Especially anything related to Jin Cheon-woo and Immortality. And..."
Kim Deok-hyeon trailed off momentarily.
"Anything related to Lee Seo-jun as well—please keep that confidential too. This is also a request for the protection of student 'Lee Seo-jun.'"
The Association's top brass already knew of the existence of the "Boundary World."
They also knew that Jin Cheon-woo had visited that world.
The Boundary World—likely during their investigation into Immortality.
And they knew that "Lee Seo-jun" was connected at its center.
At Kim Deok-hyeon's words, Russen fell into thought for a moment before nodding.
They did owe Jin Cheon-woo a small debt, but it paled in comparison to what Lee Seo-jun had done by rescuing them from the Virtual World.
"Fine. We owe that kid a great debt anyway..."
Kim Deok-hyeon smiled softly, visibly relieved.
"Thank you. ...Now, I'd like to hear your stories from that place."
Then, as if it had just occurred to him, Kim Deok-hyeon added,
"Oh, and anything you know about student Kim Sun-woo as well, please."
"...What are they even going to use this for?"
After the incident at the Choi family estate concluded.
A week later—or a single day in reality—I returned home and sat on the sofa, examining the Mystery, the "Virtual World Creation Device."
I had gotten it from Lee Seo-jun because I figured there had to be some way to put it to use, but I had no idea how.
"...Come to think of it, there were ways to extract and use a Mystery's inherent power."
I knew several methods to draw out and utilize the unique power of a Mystery itself.
The first that came to mind was the trait possessed by China's S-Rank wizard, "Zu Han," called "Mystery Contractor."
A Mystery Contractor was exactly what it sounded like: a trait that allowed one to contract with a Mystery, borrow its power, and transform or amplify it for use. Thanks to that unique ability, Zu Han had rocketed to stardom in an instant.
A similar method was the power of the "Meteor Clan," to which Kim Chang-hyeon—someone with high affinity for Mysteries—belonged.
"If used well, it could be insanely powerful..."
The power to create a Virtual World.
It wasn't an ability to take lightly.
If I could harness the Mystery's Virtual World creation power, I might even be able to manifest "Blessing of the Unreal" constantly during battle.
Or Gretel could create combat-friendly environments like forests or jungles.
"...Thinking about it like this, it seems pretty amazing."
The potential uses were endless.
Of course, finding a way to awaken the dormant Mystery or utilize its power would likely be a tough road, but it was definitely something that could become a huge asset to me.
I activated Outsider's Boon to check the Point Shop.
[Mystery Contractor (S)]
Category: Trait
Description: Contract with a Mystery to use its abilities.
[Usage Effects]
>Contract
Designate the Mystery to contract with.
*Limit: 1 time
*Once contracted, it cannot be undone.
>Contract Manifestation
Use the contracted Mystery's ability.
*Cooldown: 20 days
Price: 100,000
"...It's ridiculously expensive."
100,000 points.
As an S-Rank trait, it was quite pricey.
And since I was using Outsider's Boon, I could see it had been nerfed in some ways.
The limit was one thing, but a 20-day cooldown was outrageous.
"Ugh."
I'll put it on hold for now.
It's too damn expensive.
No matter how excellent Blessing of the Unreal is, buying this for it would be insane.
My top priority is saving up for an SS-Rank.
"How many points do I have now?"
I immediately checked my points.
[Owned Points: 247,000]
"Oh."
247,000 points?
Way more than I expected.
Considering the first semester hasn't even ended yet, that's impressively fast.
It must be thanks to resolving major incidents like Seong Mu-je, the expo, the Virtual World, and the visit to the Seonhyeon family lab.
Thinking of the big events ahead, 400,000 isn't far off.
"Heh heh."
Just imagining buying an SS-Rank trait made me grin.
"...Anyway."
There's something I need to check.
I accessed "Wizards' Forest," the world's largest wizard community, via my Smart Student Notebook.
Then I searched for "Great Spirit."
['Great Spirit' search results.]
[Paper: Methods to Increase Spirit Affinity]
[Paper: Stages Where Spirit Temperaments Are Determined]
[Question: Anyone seen Spirit Magic? Does Spirit Magic even exist?]
"Tch."
As expected, nothing special.
The Great Spirit from the Boundary World.
To obtain the Seed of Origin, I absolutely had to defeat it, so I wondered if there might be info on how to kill spirits, but no dice.
According to the Mystery, regular magic doesn't work on it.
I did manage to injure it with Origin Counter, but I can't use Origin Counter infinitely, so that's a problem.
On a whim, I posted a question.
[Does anyone know how to kill a spirit?]
After about three minutes, a reply came.
[SpiritLoveWizardLove: How do you 'kill' a spirit? Stop wasting time on useless research and practice your magic.]
"...Why is this guy picking a fight?"
From the nickname, he seemed really into spirits.
He might know something, so I replied.
[OP: Tell me and I'll give 3,000 mana.]
'Mana' was points usable in Wizards' Forest, convertible to cash. 3,000 mana was about 30 million won.
Maybe that would tempt him—and sure enough, he bit.
[SpiritLoveWizardLove: ? Bluffing?]
[OP: Can't you see my rank?]
Wizards' Forest had member ranks.
Higher ranks unlocked more post types.
Mine was "Grand Sage," the community's top tier.
Only a handful—maybe under 30—had it. Ways to rank up included "achievements," "wizard rank," and "donations."
I got Grand Sage through donations, for reference.
That's when it happened.
Ding!
Another reply notification.
[SpiritLoveWizardLove: Oh, forgive my ignorance—. To answer your question, there's a record from 150 years ago of one being defeated using the 'Etherization' trait.
And 250 years ago, there's a record of one defeated via the 'Spirit Materialization Ritual,' which the Association officially acquired 150 years ago and now manages exclusively.]
I smirked reading the reply. Suddenly so compliant—it was hilarious.
"But the Association manages the ritual?"
Something flashed in my mind.
It was briefly mentioned in the original story.
The Wizards Association's 24th floor "Archive Repository."
And Jaun had infiltrated it to steal a certain ritual stored there.
"Ah, so that's why Jaun..."
It was hard to understand in the original due to lack of explanation, but now the puzzle pieces fit.
Perfect timing.
Soon, we'll have a school schedule for Special Task Force experience training at the Association.
Robbing the Wizards Association is a bit daunting, but I'm confident in Concealment, so no big worries.
I've already raided Jaun's hideout, after all.
Then another reply notification.
[SpiritLoveWizardLove: I answered, when do I get the mana?]
"You wish."
I tapped the Smart Student Notebook screen.
[Post has been deleted.]
"Ah, damn! I got baited!"
Wizards Association Seoul Special Task Force Headquarters.
A red-haired woman, half-reclined in her chair scrolling her smartphone, jumped up yelling.
Her name was Baek Ye-jin.
She was a rookie agent who had joined the Special Task Force this year.
"What now?"
At Baek Ye-jin's shout, Jeong Hyeon-su across from her asked with a baffled look.
"Ah, Senior! This jerk ate up the info and bolted. A Grand Sage ranker!"
Baek Ye-jin showed Jeong Hyeon-su her smartphone screen.
It read [This post has been deleted.]
"...What's this? Wizards' Forest?"
"Yeah, he said he'd give 3,000 mana, so I answered sincerely, but he deleted and dipped. That was my chance to rank up! Sigh. Who the hell is it? A Grand Sage has to be some famous wizard."
Jeong Hyeon-su sighed deeply at Baek Ye-jin's outburst.
He'd thought something serious happened, but it was nothing.
This rookie had zero sense of tension.
"How old are you again? Twenty this year?"
"Yes, that's right. A fresh twenty full of potential."
"...I don't know about potential, but stop getting attached to that community. It's pointless."
"Heh heh. Senior, Wizards' Forest isn't just some community."
"What are you talking about? If you need info, ask here. Don't you know we're Special Task Force?"
Ignoring Jeong Hyeon-su's words, Baek Ye-jin looked around and spoke.
"But when's my mentor coming back?"
Like most companies, rookies in the Special Task Force got assigned mentors.
Hers was Kim Deok-hyeon, one of the team's top aces.
"He's been out on investigation a while, so soon. Might take longer since it's an important case."
Right then.
Speak of the devil—the Special Task Force door opened, and Kim Deok-hyeon entered.
Jeong Hyeon-su and Baek Ye-jin stood simultaneously and bowed.
"You're back."
"Yeah."
Kim Deok-hyeon plopped into his seat with a tired face. Jeong Hyeon-su approached and asked,
"Senior, how'd the investigation go?"
"Well, heard some fascinating stories. Reported it to the Chairman already."
"Oh, right. By the way, those kids solved the Mystery scholars' disappearance too, right?"
"Yeah. Makes you think blood will tell."
As Kim Deok-hyeon muttered quietly, Jeong Hyeon-su looked puzzled.
"...Blood?"
"No need to know."
Then Baek Ye-jin approached with a curious face.
"But who are the kids that solved this case?"
"You know the students coming for training? They picked Senior Kim Deok-hyeon as mentor, so they'll be working with you."
"Ah~ You mean Lee Seo-jun, Kim Sun-woo, and Yu A-ra?"
Baek Ye-jin nodded knowingly a couple times.
"Yeah. Oh! There's an article now."
Jeong Hyeon-su pulled up a hologram window and loaded an internet article.
It was about how Lee Seo-jun and Kim Sun-woo's efforts freed the missing Mystery scholars from the Virtual World.
Security restrictions kept details vague, focusing instead on the Virtual World's dangers.
"These kids are joining as my juniors next month, right?"
Baek Ye-jin said, eyes gleaming like a cat spotting a mouse.
Kim Deok-hyeon narrowed his eyes at her.
"You're planning to bully the new maknae, aren't you?"
"No way~"
Despite her denial, Kim Deok-hyeon eyed her suspiciously.
Baek Ye-jin grinned and asked Kim Deok-hyeon,
"But why'd they do something so dangerous?"
Jeong Hyeon-su, curious too, looked at Kim Deok-hyeon expectantly.
Kim Deok-hyeon stared blankly at "Kim Sun-woo" in the article before answering.
"...Group project, apparently."