Chapter 326
Chapter 326
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 327
Chapter Title: Genya
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Genya.
I kept repeating that name in my head.
I racked my brain wondering if it was someone even briefly mentioned in the original story, but nothing came to mind.
That meant Genya was a complete unknown to me.
"Why no answer?"
As I stayed silent, Ren asked again.
I wanted to reply, but I had no idea who Genya was.
Hmm.
From the situation, it seemed he believed I had learned [Instant Acceleration] from this Genya guy....
Things were going off in a weird direction.
I had thought [Instant Acceleration] was a bit different from regular magic, but who would have guessed it was a secret art passed down to only one person in a lineage.
What now.
"Kim Sun-woo. I'll ask once more. What is your relationship with Grand Master Genya?"
I kept pondering in my head how to respond.
Ren was a character close to the 'good side' in the original story.
There was no benefit in making an enemy of him for future developments.
So I had to avoid acting in a way that would make him suspicious.
...Is there really no other way?
I glanced around to confirm no one was nearby.
Then I took a small breath and slowly organized my thoughts, scripting a scenario.
[Latent trait, 'Overimmersion' activates.]
"...I'm Genya's grand-disciple."
Ren narrowed his eyes at the words coming out of my mouth.
"...What did you just say?"
"I figured you'd come find me eventually. But I didn't expect it to be this soon."
"Kim Sun-woo, what the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?"
Ren glared at me as he spoke.
But I could sense the faint tremor in his voice.
He was shaken.
"Your face shows a lot of confusion. Let me introduce myself first. I'm an attendant of the Rune Clan. I'm disguising myself as 'Kim Sun-woo' due to certain circumstances."
His eyes began to tremble greatly at my words.
He probably never imagined the guy he thought was just a regular student would pull out something bizarre like being a clan attendant.
Man, I feel like I'm racking up karma for no reason.
But there was no other choice.
Getting past this situation was the priority.
Ren replied, his fists trembling.
"A clan attendant? How am I supposed to believe that?"
"If I show proof, will you believe me?"
"Proof?"
I immediately pulled out my smart student handbook and called Elin.
I turned on the speaker, and the ringtone blared loudly.
A moment later, Elin's voice came through.
—Yes, Attendant-nim. What is it?
"..."
Ren's eyes trembled once more.
He usually showed a cool demeanor in the original, so seeing his various expressions was intriguing.
"Ren is here with me right now."
—Oh... Did I say something I shouldn't have?
"No. He doesn't believe I'm a clan attendant, so I wanted you to confirm it."
A brief silence fell, then Elin's voice came through the speaker again.
—Haa... Hey. Ren.
"Elin."
Ren muttered softly.
—You finally went and found him. That's our Attendant-nim, and if you touch even a finger of his, I won't let it slide.
Ren shut his mouth at her menacing tone.
"Thanks for your help. I'll hang up now."
—Ah, yes. If Ren is rude, tell me right away.
Click.
The call ended.
Ren stared at me blankly before cautiously opening his mouth.
"...What is your relationship with Genya-nim, Elder?"
Elder.
It had been a while since I heard that title.
Elin used to call me that too.
His speech had become polite, so it seemed he fully believed me now.
Well, using a one-person secret art and having Elin's testimony, it was only natural.
"I'm an old friend of Genya's. And I learned [Instant Acceleration] directly from him."
"...Directly from Genya-nim?"
Ren fell into thought for a moment before speaking.
"So that makes you my martial uncle?"
"Martial uncle?"
My mind went blank for a second.
Martial uncle referred to the junior brother of one's master....
Technically, yes, if we followed the hierarchy.
"...Ahem. Well, you could say that."
"Urk! Forgive my rudeness."
Ren dropped to one knee before me.
Seeing that, rather than relief at successfully fooling him, I worried more about keeping up the act going forward.
Then, with his head bowed deeply, Ren spoke.
"...What happened to the missing Grand Master?"
I stayed silent for a moment before reciting my pre-prepared lines.
"I'm sorry, but I can't say anything about that."
"Why not?"
Ren lifted his head and shouted.
"It was his request."
"His request?"
"Yes. He didn't want his Nakiri-ryu disciples to know why he passed down the one-person secret art [Instant Acceleration] to me. Or why he went missing."
I had no clue about this Genya person, but this seemed like a pretty plausible excuse.
If Genya suddenly showed up later, it'd be a real headache, but since his name never came up in the original or my previous life, the chances were slim to none.
"He didn't want it known..."
Ren muttered thoughtfully, nodded quietly.
"...I see. That sounds just like the Grand Master I remember."
Fortunately, Genya seemed to be someone shrouded in secrecy originally.
Ren stood there lost in thought before apparently sorting it out and rising.
He glanced around and said to me.
"Understood for now. It's late, and we might catch someone else's eye, so I'll take my leave."
As he turned to go, he suddenly remembered something and looked back.
"And I have matters to discuss with Martial Uncle. I'll visit soon."
Flash!
With those words, Ren vanished.
I stared blankly at the spot where he disappeared.
"...Whew."
Thanks to my experience with Elin (?), this went smoothly too.
I was worried about having one more person to deceive going forward, but I'd just have to be careful.
Then a message appeared before my eyes.
[A small change in the future has been detected.]
[Causality rate increases by 0.5.]
['Shameless' achievement unlocked.]
[Reward: 3,000 points acquired.]
Time passed uneventfully after my encounter with Ren.
Ren, who said he'd come find me, went silent, and Elin reported no news from him.
One change, though: I'd become engrossed in studying magic formulas lately.
After recent events, I'd realized the secrets and importance of magic formulas.
Above all, studying them greatly helped in handling 'support attributes,' so I wanted to develop my new abilities.
And during Monday's lunch break.
Using a bit of free time, I was checking the magic formulas I'd bought over the weekend in the Wizard Academy library.
"...Hmm."
Papers covered in complex magic circles.
Most of what I'd bought were 'trap magic formulas' for use in Aporia.
Of course, these scraps couldn't harm monster-like Joun, but fixing certain flaws could buy me about a second against them.
I spread out one trap magic formula and activated Outsider's Boon.
Information flooded into my head simultaneously.
'Activates on impact, recognizes living beings, B-Grade binding, C-Grade explosion, concealment...'
Based on the info, it was a very common trap magic formula.
I infused mana and modified parts of it.
First, I deleted the 'explosion' part.
It meant nothing to Joun protected by mana barriers unless it was A-Grade or higher.
So modifying the explosion into something else was more efficient.
'Rapid freezing, adhesion...'
My magic formula creation skills were still lacking, so unsure if it'd work properly...
But I had the cheat key 'Outsider's Boon' for magic formulas.
Vmmm!
As I infused mana, the magic formula began to shift slightly.
Creating one from scratch took ages, but modifying an existing one was simpler than expected.
After about 10 minutes of tweaks, one was complete.
[Perfectly modified B-Grade magic formula, upgrading it to A-Grade!]
['Magic Formula Comprehension (B)' proficiency increases by 20%.]
"Oho."
I immediately checked the changes.
Activates on impact, recognizes living beings, B-Grade binding, concealment, rapid freezing, adhesion....
Modified just as I wanted.
Now to test if it activated properly.
A bit wasteful since it's consumable, but recreating it wouldn't be hard if it worked.
"...But where to test it."
Should I go to a training ground and experiment alone?
As I pondered that.
"Huh? Sunbae?"
A familiar voice called out.
Turning, I saw Choi Seo-yoon approaching, arms full of books.
She looked precarious, making me anxious she'd drop them.
"You'll drop them. Be careful."
"Yes. Holding them tight with mana. But Sunbae, what brings you here?"
She glanced at the magic formulas on the desk and asked.
"Ah~ Studying magic formulas, huh."
I nodded.
"Yeah."
"Hmm."
Choi Seo-yoon nodded, set her books down, and subtly sat across from me.
Then she stared intently at the magic formulas on the table.
"Trap magic formulas."
"Yep, spotted it right away?"
"I'm top in theory. Almost perfect on magic formula exams."
She spoke proudly.
She specialized in manifestation attributes, with reinforcement as sub, but was skilled in support too.
The classic all-rounder genius type.
"But what's this for? Looks like for real combat."
Choi Seo-yoon glanced up at me.
"Just practicing, in case a day comes when I need it."
"Um..."
She gazed at the magic formula thoughtfully before asking cautiously.
"Oh, right. Sunbae, got any worries?"
"What worries?"
"You know, usual stuff."
Her tone was unusually serious.
Then I recalled Lee Seo-jun's group gossiping about me at the cafeteria.
"Don't worry about nonsense. Take care of yourself."
"Tch. Even when I'm worrying for you."
She glanced around slyly before saying.
"If you have worries, tell me. Even if it's something you can't say or a secret, I'm always on your side...
Choi Seo-yoon clamped her mouth shut after mumbling to herself.
Embarrassed by her own words.
Seeing that, I felt unnecessarily sorry and grateful.
"Got it. If something comes up, I'll tell you."
As we had this heartwarming chat.
Bzzz.
My smart student handbook on the desk vibrated with a call.
I blankly checked the number. Unknown.
Not even a Korean number.
"Looks like an international call?"
Choi Seo-yoon said, peering at it.
"Yeah."
No extra fees for international calls in this advanced tech world.
Just unique country codes.
"Don't mind it, pick up."
"Okay."
I nodded and answered.
"Yes, hello?"
[Ah. Martial Uncle. Greetings.]
A familiar voice.
It was Ren.
Hearing it, I tensed unconsciously, and Choi Seo-yoon, watching my face, hardened hers too, sensing something off.
I belatedly smiled reassuringly at her and stood.
"Be right back after this call."
"...Ah, yes."
Leaving her behind, I stepped out of the library.
"...Ahem. What's up?"
[I contacted you because there's something I want to show Martial Uncle.]
"Something to show me?"
What could it be?
[It's the journal Grand Master left before disappearing. Could you come to Japan for a bit?]