Chapter 286
Chapter 286
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 287
Chapter Title: A Lively Monday
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The golden weekend had passed, and Monday—the start of the workweek—had arrived.
Today, as always, I headed to Special Task Force headquarters for the Magic Academy's vocational training.
From the third year on, practical scores carried more weight than classroom lessons.
After arriving and settling into my seat, I slowly looked around.
There were a few unfamiliar faces I hadn't seen last week.
It seemed the agents who'd been on assignment had returned.
And then.
"You're Sun-woo, right? I'm a huge fan. I heard you pulled your weight in last week's Silver cleanup op too?"
"Whoa, it's really Kim Sun-woo. You joined the Special Task Force, huh~ Oh, right. Is it true you can handle Return Strike?"
A few agents who'd recognized me approached with the excited looks of fans spotting a celebrity.
Honestly, each of these wizards in front of me was a star renowned worldwide, so I felt more starstruck than they did.
"You're popular."
Once the commotion died down, Lee Seo-jun, sitting next to me, grinned teasingly.
"What're you talking about? Earlier, you were surrounded by people in the break room and couldn't even move."
At my words, Lee Seo-jun gave a wry smile. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he spoke up again.
"Right. The finals are coming up soon, aren't they?"
"Yeah, probably starting the week after next."
Yoo Ah-ra, who'd been sitting quietly nearby, answered.
"Hmm. Wonder what it'll be like..."
The third-year finals would proceed under the usual straightforward survival rules, just like always.
I was always confident about exams, but this one had a few nasty rules that disadvantaged top scorers, so I couldn't be overly cocky.
Things like "bounties" and "mana suppression"—all sorts of penalties. Even the original Lee Seo-jun had struggled quite a bit because of them.
Bzzz.
Just then, a message alert chimed from my smart student planner.
[Sunbae, you at work?]
[(Curious puppy emoticon)]
It was Choi Seo-yoon.
But it was 9:30 now.
Class should be in session—how was she messaging?
[Yeah, I'm here. Aren't you in class right now?]
I sent the reply, and a response came almost immediately.
[Basic fitness class, waiting for my turn. How's the training? Manageable?]
[Only been two days, so no idea.]
[Why? You were all over the news for your exploits last time. Comments were super positive too??]
She'd seen the article too.
I scratched my cheek, feeling embarrassed for no reason.
Then another message followed.
[Some comments even got likes for agreeing—]
Choi Seo-yoon's messages stopped there.
The sentence cut off mid-way, so she must've gotten caught by the teacher while sneaking them.
"...Tch."
The Magic Academy was strict about using smart planners during class—they wouldn't let it slide.
Right then, another message arrived.
[Tired....]
It was the kind of message that drained my energy just reading it.
From Yoon Ha-young.
She'd been training her Demon-Slaying power all weekend, and her fatigue must not have worn off yet.
Come to think of it, everyone needs rest. Had I pushed her too hard?
...Now I felt kinda guilty.
Wondering if there was anything to help with recovery, I checked the [Gift] function.
Selecting the fatigue relief category brought up a ton of items.
"Hmm."
What to pick.
Not price, but max efficiency...
Ah, this'll do.
[Kim Sun-woo has gifted you 'Hanseong Pharma Special Fatigue Recovery SS'.]
A whopping 1 million won recovery potion.
I'd tried a sip once before—it perks you up like crazy; the effect is no joke.
Money's no object, so a flex like this is fine.
[?]
[??]
[?????? Wait, Sun-woo;; What is this...? Isn't this the potion that costs over a million?]
Yoon Ha-young's reaction to receiving it was pure shock.
Maybe because all her friends like Yoo Ah-ra, Choi Seo-yoon, and Han Se-yeon come from wealthy families—it was a refreshingly genuine response.
[Don't worry about the price—just drink it and shake off that fatigue.]
[No, this is way too expensive -rr-rr I'm really not that tired..... Can I return it? TTT]
"...She's about to cry."
It must've been more burdensome than I thought.
...Well, yeah. My heart had raced when Han Se-yeon gifted me that 5 billion won item.
Meanwhile, in the CEO's office at Hanseong Pharmaceuticals' Seoul headquarters.
Han Se-yeon sat staring gravely at her smartphone.
[Taesang Finance Chairman Jeong Tae-hyuk]
Lately, messages from Taesang Finance's chairman had increased. And not just him—the AY Life Insurance chairman's had too.
These were the two companies Kim Jin-woo had warned her to watch out for, so suspicions were rising.
Han Se-yeon checked the documents on her desk.
Partnership contracts from Taesang Finance and AY Life Insurance.
The terms were suspiciously favorable to Hanseong Pharma.
Like they were tempting her, even willing to take losses for some other goal...
"...Jin-woo was right; it's definitely fishy."
Without Kim Jin-woo's advice, she might've signed on the spot—the conditions were that good.
On paper, they were so one-sidedly advantageous to Hanseong Pharma that no losses seemed possible.
It was the kind of deal that'd get you called a sucker, not a schemer.
"Urgh..."
Han Se-yeon eyed the contract with a pained expression.
Even with Kim Jin-woo's warning, the terms were too tempting to reject easily.
After staring at it for a long while, Han Se-yeon steeled herself.
"...Right. It's his advice. I have to trust it."
Since meeting Kim Jin-woo, she'd never regretted following his words.
No—rather, they'd bolstered her position within Hanseong Group the most, from "Night of the Foreseer" to the Dungeon Hotel venture.
Plus, he'd saved her from crises multiple times.
Above all, Kim Jin-woo was the one person she could truly trust.
"But it's still amazing, thinking about it."
What had he seen in Taesang Finance to warn her like this?
She'd always wondered.
Kim Jin-woo's advice always defied common sense.
And it was never wrong—not once—like he knew the future.
Did he really have prophecy powers or something?
"Manager Kim."
At Han Se-yeon's call, the door opened, and her loyal secretary, Manager Kim, entered.
"You called?"
"Investigate Taesang Finance Chairman Jeong Tae-hyuk in detail. Leave no stone unturned."
"Yes, understood."
As Manager Kim bowed and turned to leave, Han Se-yeon called him back.
"Oh, and Manager Kim."
"Yes?"
"Also tell Taesang Finance we're declining the partnership contract."
Monday at the Special Task Force was peaceful.
Small-scale magic accidents and petty crimes didn't require their deployment, and statistically, Mondays had the lowest magic crime rate.
Thanks to that, I had plenty of personal time today.
Work just meant sorting reports on terrorist criminal movements.
One thing that bugged me: Kim Deok-hyun had been staring at me all day, but I couldn't figure out why.
Anyway, the Special Task Force Monday passed peacefully, and it was time to clock out.
I headed straight to the Magic Academy's practical training grounds.
"Hey, you made it?"
Upon arrival, Choi Il-hyun waved at me.
I smiled faintly and returned the greeting.
"What's up today? It's not even a class day."
"My disciple. As I always say, a master doesn't need a reason to meet his pupil."
I chuckled at Choi Il-hyun's words.
Anyone hearing that would think he was a doting teacher.
But despite his words, there was clearly something he wanted to check.
What could it be?
Then Choi Il-hyun approached, stroking his beard as he peered at my face from every angle.
"...What're you staring at?"
"Just~ trying to get a good look at my disciple's face."
Muttering to himself, Choi Il-hyun added in a barely audible voice.
"...Doesn't look like him at all. The eyes, nose, mouth—are those what match?"
"Like who? Who do I look like?"
"Nothing, so don't worry about it."
What?
Who am I supposed to resemble?
Come to think of it, Kim Deok-hyun had been giving me similar looks all day.
Was he comparing me to someone too?
Choi Il-hyun scratched his disheveled hair.
"Tch. That guy's got me all confused for no reason."
"Hey, what is it?"
"Told you, you don't need to know."
That's when it hit me who he was comparing me to.
Probably Kim Jin-woo and my face.
I'd heard it nonstop last year, but not much this year—I'd almost forgotten.
"Sigh."
Explaining stuff related to Kim Jin-woo wears me out.
Let them compare all they want.
I turned away from Choi Il-hyun and slowly stretched to loosen up.
Since we'd run into each other, I figured I'd get some pointers.
What to learn?
With finals coming, maybe prep for that.
"Teacher, got something specific I wanna learn today."
"Specific? What?"
"Any ways to effectively handle multiple enemies?"
Ways to effectively take on multiple foes.
The third-year finals would put us against groups of enemies. Especially for top scorers.
And that would be the key factor deciding our final grades.
Choi Il-hyun stroked his chin at my question, then replied.
"Using that rainstorm magic of yours would be most effective."
"No, not large-scale groups like that. Like when enemies are close in, say surrounded."
"If the skill gap isn't huge, the answer is avoiding that situation altogether. If it happens, you've already lost beyond recovery."
A response that left me speechless. But not wrong.
Truly the perfect answer to a foolish question.
"Not everything goes your way. Just assuming 'what if'."
"What if, huh... Fine, I'll give you a straight answer. If the skill gap isn't clear, there's no way to handle multiple enemies."
"Numbers are absolute. No matter how strong you are, you can't deal with dozens of binding spells wrapping your body."
Muttering that, Choi Il-hyun added one more thing.
"Unless you can manifest dozens of Return Strikes like that monster geezer."
He smirked, watching my expression.
"But it's not like there's zero way. Combat has no perfect answers. It's about picking the best option each time. If surrounded by enemies, the best move is breaking out somehow, turning it into 1v1s, and taking them down one by one."
"I get what you mean."
That helped a lot. No need to fight at a disadvantage.
If it's bad, make it good.
Simple logic.
"Was just thinking it was time to teach you a new technique—perfect timing."
Choi Il-hyun started lightly stretching.
"I'll teach you how to escape faster than anyone."
Somewhere hidden in Gangwon Province, at Han Se-jin's villa.
Han Se-jin and Jeong Tae-hyuk—S-Rank demon of the Ten Demon Society and chairman of Taesang Finance—sat across a small table.
"What's this sudden call?"
Han Se-jin, legs crossed, sipped his coffee and asked.
Jeong Tae-hyuk looked at him arrogantly before speaking.
"What else but Hanseong family succession matters? I called because it seems Han Se-yeon caught on to something."
"...Caught on?"
"They rejected the partnership contract."
"Not just you. AY Life said Hanseong Pharma drew a line too. Overnight, no less."
Han Se-jin fell silent.
He'd been planning to cripple his sister in an "accident" at the right moment.
Simple reason.
She was eyeing Hanseong, which he'd always seen as his.
But after the demon attack, her security had ramped up, making it hard to act.
"If she drew the line even after those terms, she must've caught on somewhat."
"Exactly. No idea how, though."
"Overnight..."
Han Se-jin naturally recalled last year's Dungeon Hotel project.
A massive venture his sister had pushed for a full year.
But suddenly, on a whim, she'd wrapped it up in a day and handed it to him.
Not just that.
She'd opposed the Night of the Foreseer too, using these to slowly build influence in Hanseong Group.
And now felt eerily similar.
"...What?"
His sister was sharp—sometimes scarily so—but not prophetic like this.
She'd always judged based on long experience and data.
Which meant someone was advising her.
Who?
The person she trusted most lately...
Then a man's face flashed in Han Se-jin's mind.
The man she'd been seeing most frequently.
Han Se-jin already knew his identity.
'...Could it be Kim Jin-woo?'
...Yes.
It had to be him. No one else.
She'd even brought him to their father's bedside, showing that level of trust.
With the vague backer now identifiable, Han Se-jin smiled faintly.
A plan for how to respond formed in his head.
"I'll set up a meeting."
Jeong Tae-hyuk eyed him at the abrupt words.
"An event so big she can't skip it."