Chapter 302
Chapter 302
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 303
Chapter Title: Fun Hide-and-Seek with the Hungry Black
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After finishing Han Dae-hyun's funeral, the people of the Han family returned to the mansion.
Han Se-yeon walked straight down the wide hallway before stepping into Han Dae-hyun's room.
Wide shelves lined the space, stacked with her father's belongings.
As she looked around, she happened to spot a family photo taken with her brother.
In the picture, her younger self and Han Se-jin beamed happily alongside their late mother and father.
Staring at it filled her chest with a heavy ache once more.
The years that had passed.
She could never return to those days, could she.
Han Se-yeon quickly pulled herself together.
Her father, who had always protected her, was gone now. She needed to steel her resolve.
"Han Se-yeon."
A voice called from behind her.
She turned to see Han Se-jin looking at her. Behind him stood Elin, his ever-present bodyguard.
"Uncle Su-gi says he's taking a break for a while."
Sword Ghost Jang Su-gi.
Known to the world as the Han family's sword, but the one he truly served was not the family—it was Han Dae-hyun.
With her father gone, there was no reason for him to stay with the Han family anymore.
It was an outcome she'd half-expected, so Han Se-yeon wasn't surprised.
Still, she couldn't help feeling a pang of bitterness at the thought of their long-shared memories.
"He's retiring after all, then."
"No, he said he'd rest for two or three years and then get back to work."
"Get back to work?"
"Yeah, he wants to see who becomes the next chairman."
"...I see."
Maybe her belief that Uncle Su-gi was her father's sword had been nothing more than her own illusion.
"And he asked everyone to gather next week. He's going to announce Father's will."
"There was a will?"
Han Se-yeon asked in surprise.
"Looks like it."
Her father's will was no small matter.
It could hold enough weight to decide the next chairman position, regardless of her own efforts.
At that moment, Han Se-jin crossed his arms.
"What are you going to do from now on?"
The question carried layers of implication.
Han Se-yeon stared at him intently before responding with implications of her own.
"Now I carry out my own will."
"...I see."
Han Se-jin flashed a sly smile and headed out the door.
Han Se-yeon watched him go, clenching her fist tight.
Thanks to Kim Jin-woo, she'd learned that Han Se-jin had joined hands with demons.
It was a dangerous move that could topple the Han family her father had built.
That gave her one more reason to claim the family for herself.
She would never let it fall into her brother's hands....
"Kim Sun-woo, this is a special vacation reward from upstairs. Take it."
At the Mage Association Special Task Force headquarters, Kim Deok-hyun handed me a stiff sheet of paper.
As I took it, cheers erupted from the onlookers around us.
"Wow... This has to be the first time a trainee's gotten a special vacation reward, right?"
"I'm so jealous."
I accepted the paper with a light bow.
"Thank you."
Then I looked down at it.
At the same time, Outsider's Benefit activated, revealing the details.
［Tower of the Four Seasons Entry Pass, Floors 18-19 (6-Person)］
Description: Entry pass for floors 18 and 19 of the Tower of the Four Seasons. Up to 6 companions allowed. The pass holder is designated as 'Leader' and receives greater rewards upon successful clears.
*Remaining usage period: 87 days
Tower of the Four Seasons.
It was the tower famous for providing entrants with fantastical experiences.
Unlike other towers, its low difficulty made it accessible even for families.
It had topped the polls on the world's largest mage community, 'Daehyeon Forest,' as the most desired vacation spot for three years running.
"Sunbae-nim! Take me with you. I've been good to you, right? Pretty please?"
Baek Ye-jin sidled up close, her voice laced with a whine.
I swung my elbow to shake her off.
"It's only for 6 people."
"Not 'only' 6—it's a full 6!"
"Jeez."
It took a while to fend off the agents begging to come along before I could return to my seat.
"Hmm..."
An unexpected windfall.
I'd never imagined getting the Tower of the Four Seasons pass here—something not covered until three years later in the original story.
Looks like I'd have to overhaul my summer vacation plans.
"Lee Seo-jun."
At my call, the guy next to me turned. There was an odd glint of anticipation in his eyes as he looked at me.
"Yeah? What is it, Sun-woo?"
His tone was unusually sweet, nothing like normal.
I felt a brief moment of bewilderment before speaking.
"Wanna go to the Tower of the Four Seasons together for this vacation?"
When it came to the special rewards from clearing it, no one was better suited for the party than Lee Seo-jun. His growth was a key factor tied to the world's finale.
He grinned.
"Sure, sounds great to me. Thanks, Sun-woo."
"...Yeah, okay."
One slot filled.
"Yoo Ah-ra."
At my call, she whipped her head around like she'd been waiting.
"Yeah?"
"You wanna come al—"
"Yeah, I'll go."
Lightning-fast reply.
I nodded. Yoo Ah-ra's lips curved up slightly, like she was pleased.
That made three including me. Three slots left to fill.
"Who's the last one you're bringing?"
Lee Seo-jun asked then.
"Last one? It's for 6."
"Choi Seo-yoon and Yoon Ha-young are locks, obviously."
He teased. I was momentarily speechless, but he wasn't wrong, so I nodded.
"Yeah, pretty much."
No one had higher growth potential, so it made sense.
I immediately messaged Choi Seo-yoon and Yoon Ha-young.
[Going on a trip next week for summer vacation. You in?]
Replies came at the same time.
[Yes! But where to?]
[Trip? I'm good. Where we going?]
Both were in.
I typed back.
［Tower of the Four Seasons］
The moment I hit send, message notifications exploded. I'd check later and told Lee Seo-jun,
"Last slot—Shin Young-jun?"
Lee Hyun-joo was another option, but growth-wise, Shin Young-jun edged her out.
Plus, things were a bit awkward between Lee Hyun-joo and me.
"Yeah, Young-jun works. I'll talk to him."
"Cool."
Party assembled.
The sweltering summer sun beat down, heat haze rising from the ground.
The long-awaited summer vacation had finally begun.
Lee Seo-jun, Choi Seo-yoon, Yoon Ha-young, Yoo Ah-ra, Shin Young-jun, and I arrived at the Tower of the Four Seasons in North Chungcheong Province.
"Wow... So this is the Tower of the Four Seasons."
Choi Seo-yoon peered up at it, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand.
Despite the oppressive heat, she brimmed with energy, her steps light since we'd arrived.
Yoon Ha-young, meanwhile, wilted beside her, sweat dripping as she struggled with the heat.
Feeling a bit sorry for her, I cast a light wind spell to cool her face.
[You have achieved the 'Life Magic' accomplishment.]
[You have obtained 3,000 points as a reward.]
Oh...
Yoon Ha-young, eyes closed as she savored the breeze, let out a small laugh.
"Ahh, I can breathe now. Thanks."
"No problem. It's hot—let's head in quick."
"Okay."
We reached the tower entrance. A staff member from the Association guarding it recognized us.
"You're the students from the Magic Academy, right? We heard Kim Sun-woo would be coming."
"Ah, yes."
"Then we'll check your IDs."
After that, we handed over our IDs for verification.
The Tower of the Four Seasons was an Association-designated 'tourist tower' open even to minors, so entry procedures didn't take long.
Stepping into the first-floor entrance, a portal glowing pure white came into view.
I stepped through.
Wooong...
Space shifted, and a mystical energy enveloped my body. It was a familiar sensation after so long.
But after encountering countless mysteries over the past year, the power within the mana felt far more vivid than before.
Then the Will of the Tower spoke.
['Entry Pass' confirmed.]
[Party size: 6. Leader: 'Kim Sun-woo.']
[A strange power influences the tower.]
[Moved to Floor 18.]
Flash!
With the Will of the Tower's voice, space shifted again.
I slowly took in my surroundings.
A warm space like spring.
Vibrant flowers blanketed the area. It reminded me of the heartscape world from the hidden floor of the Tower of Infinite Clarity.
[Entered Tower of the Four Seasons, Floor 18, Stage 1: 'Spring's Beginning.']
[The Tower of the Four Seasons welcomes you.]
"Wow, it's so pretty."
Choi Seo-yoon and Yoon Ha-young marveled at the flower field like kids, full of excitement.
They snapped selfies with their smart student notebooks for SNS, causing a huge fuss.
Before I knew it, Yoo Ah-ra had been dragged in for photos, and Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-jun joined too.
Ah, young passion.
Then Choi Seo-yoon spotted me standing alone.
"I'll take one of you too, Sunbae-nim! Hurry over!"
"Nah, I'm good."
"Aww, come on—group shot~"
She grinned and approached, linking arms with me.
Half-forced, I posed for a few shots in the flower field, took some for them, and finally broke free.
"...Phew."
Alone again, I stepped away from the group to survey the landscape.
"Something's off."
In the original story's depiction of the Tower of the Four Seasons, the first stage wasn't a flower field like this.
Of course, the original covered floors 12 and 13, not 18 and 19, so differences were to be expected.
"You been here before?"
Lee Seo-jun approached, having overheard my mutter.
"No, it's just different from what I expected. It's known as a tourist spot, right? I heard they even serve food and have villas set up."
Both public knowledge and the original descriptions matched that.
But this place felt less like a tourist tower and more like a combat one—empty fields thick with that vibe.
"Hmm. Yeah, you're right. No exit to the next stage in sight either."
That was when.
"What's that?"
Yoo Ah-ra pointed to the sky. Everyone turned to look where she indicated.
[Fun Hide-and-Seek with the Hungry Black!]
[14:01]
[14:00]
[13:59]
"Fun Hide-and-Seek with the Hungry Black?"
"And there's numbers below?"
The numbers ticked down like a timer.
"Time limit. See how it changes every 60 seconds?"
Everyone looked at me.
"Why's there a time limit? It's supposed to be touristy."
"No idea. Maybe we hit a random theme."
Even on the same floor, towers had countless themes that shifted based on entrants.
"...Hmm. Hide-and-seek, huh."
Find some hidden clue, probably.
A common stage type—I recognized it instantly.
"It says 'Black,' so maybe look for something black? Seems like it mixes tourism with games."
At Choi Seo-yoon's suggestion, Yoo Ah-ra nodded.
"Makes sense. Let's start with black stuff."
"Ugh, what a hassle. Do all tourist towers do this?"
Shin Young-jun shook his head with a click of his tongue.
"Who knows. First time for all of us."
I scanned the surroundings as I replied.
Amid the colorful flower field, nothing particularly black stood out.
This time, I activated Outsider's Benefit.
Between the flowers, a spot where complex mana twisted and warped caught my eye.
That it?
I headed straight there.
Intricate runes covered the ground. When I released the benefit, they turned into a black flower bud.
"Found it."
"Already?"
Yoon Ha-young walked over.
The others followed, marveling at the black bud.
"Wow, Kim Sun-woo's got a nose for finding stuff like nobody's business."
I shrugged and grasped the black bud's stem.
"Pulling it, then?"
With that, I yanked.
But...
"...Huh?"
It didn't budge. Even gripping with both hands and pulling hard, no dice.
"What the—why won't it come out?"
I felt eyes on me from behind.
"...Why are you all staring like that?"
"Well, it looks like it should pull right out."
"Sunbae-nim, is it really stuck?"
I nodded at Choi Seo-yoon's question.
"Yeah. Super sturdy."
"Ugh, look at Kim Sun-woo being all weak."
Shin Young-jun chimed in from behind.
"...Says the guy I wrecked in finals."
"Hey! Th-that was—*ahem.*"
Shin Young-jun clammed up, out of excuses.
"Hold on. I'll try with mana."
I channeled mana into my hands and gripped the stem.
The instant I did.
The black flower began devouring my mana.
"...What?"
Woooong!
It sucked it up at an insane rate.
The bud swelled to several times its size before blooming into a black flower.
Then, with a *pop!*, black mana energy floated up into the sky.
Moments later, eyes and a mouth formed on the energy.
［Whoa, I never dreamed you'd find me by pulling me out like that. As expected from the best!］
A playful voice rang out.
The energy grinned at me gleefully.
［Ah! Nice to meet you. I'm 'Black,' your guide for this Four Seasons journey!］