Chapter 361
Chapter 361
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 362
Chapter Title: The Chairman's Question
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All classes had ended, and it was evening.
After finishing my personal training, I returned to the dorm.
As soon as I stepped inside, Gretel toddled over, shaking the leaves on her head with a rustle.
"Nya!"
"Gretel."
I smiled and greeted her.
Gretel was in a great mood, happily munching on a sausage I'd secretly stuffed with holy dew elixir.
A quick glance around the living room revealed four sausage casings discarded on the floor.
"You've hit your quota(?) for today, huh."
"Nya."
That said, ever since I'd been feeding her more elixir lately, Gretel's growth spurt had accelerated.
The difference from before was that she used to just grow taller, but now she was bulking up sideways too.
"Hmm. Is she putting on weight?"
I picked her up, and she felt pretty heavy now. She could double as a dumbbell.
"Well, as long as she's cute, it's fine."
If it were bad for her health, I'd put her on a diet, but since she's a tree, bigger should be better, right?
"Grow big and strong."
By now, Gretel's fruit had ripened quite nicely.
It had grown larger, its color deepened, and it looked ready to eat.
I figured picking and eating it in about a week would be perfect.
Smiling, I stroked Gretel's back and sat down on the sofa.
"......Hoo."
Then I opened my smart student handbook.
No sooner had I turned it on than alarms blared—ding-ding-ding—endlessly, followed by a flood of messages.
They were recruitment offers from various guilds since the ranking exam.
Scrolling through, I saw all sorts of conditions.
But they all seemed suspiciously generous.
That's when one message caught my eye.
[Hello. This is Plum Blossom Guild's Vice Master, Shin Seol-hwa. We're reaching out because Plum Blossom Guild wants to build a good relationship with student Kim Sun-woo. If you join us, the signing bonus is 150 billion. We can negotiate any other conditions you desire. Also...]
Whoa. 150 billion?
I thought I'd misread it for a second.
150 billion.
That's practically a walking corporation, isn't it?
"Wow...... they're insane. Is this for real?"
......Well, in the original story, Lee Seo-jun got an offer for 250 billion, so maybe I shouldn't be that surprised.
Guilds don't throw around signing bonuses that high out of pure goodwill.
They're spotting the bud of a 'star wizard' and planning to recoup their investment by using him for ads and promotions everywhere.
That's why Lee Seo-jun got 250 billion—because of his value as a star wizard.
Anyway, my 150 billion offer versus Lee Seo-jun's 250 billion.
"......Is the difference just our looks?"
Jeez.
I let out a hollow chuckle at the absurdity.
It was less the bitter reality of lookism and more the ridiculous, concrete number representing the gap between Lee Seo-jun's face and mine.
"My face isn't that bad."
Sure, if I had to admit it in good conscience, Lee Seo-jun edges me out a bit(?).
But I'm not the type to get insecure anywhere.
"Still, it's insane. 150 billion......"
No wonder everyone avoids the Special Task Force—they say it's not worth the pay.
It made me appreciate Lee Seo-jun and the other main characters anew.
They all turned down astronomical sums to serve the world's safety.
"Sigh. Time to crack this spell anyway."
Putting aside those random thoughts, I set down the handbook, pulled out a notebook from my subspace, and opened it.
It was filled with spells Kim Chang-hyun had investigated.
Every evening, I tried deciphering them bit by bit, but they were like a complex cipher riddled with puzzles everywhere, refusing to unravel easily.
"Dimension...... future......
World laws, worldline interference......
Soul transplant...... freedom...... expansion...... connection......
Mystic......"
After staring at the scattered keywords that made no sense no matter how I looked, a sudden thought hit me.
"But is this even a spell?"
Looking at the keywords interspersed throughout, it seemed less like a spell and more like an instruction manual for something.
Or maybe a guide.
Right then, a message popped up in front of me.
[Future changes have been detected.]
[Causality increases by 1.0.]
"Guess that's the right track."
Causality had risen by a full 1.
It was a pretty high value, so I figured it was an important hint for what was to come.
"Headache."
Staring at the spells so long had given me a slight throb.
Maybe I should take a shower to clear my mind.
As I started to get up from the sofa.
Bzzz.
My smart student handbook rang with an incoming call.
I stared blankly at the name on the screen.
[Special Task Force Leader Kim Deok-hyun]
Saturday lunchtime.
I arrived at the Seoul Wizards Association headquarters.
Kim Deok-hyun had summoned me regarding 'Jin Cheon-woo.'
It was an expected development.
Once they caught on that there was something between me and Jin Cheon-woo, the Association couldn't just sit idle.
"Hey, hey. That's Kim Sun-woo over there."
"Huh? For real? What's he doing here on a weekend?"
As I entered the building, voices piped up here and there from people recognizing me.
Now used to it, I ignored them, flashed my temporary staff ID, and stepped into the elevator.
Then I firmly pressed the button for the top floor, 60.
Ding.
The elevator stopped, and as I stepped out, Kim Deok-hyun was there to greet me.
"Kim Sun-woo, thanks for coming."
"Yeah. But what investigation are you planning to do here......
You know I have restrictions, so there's a limit to what I can say.
Especially since Kim Deok-hyun witnessed that scene himself.
Instead of answering, Kim Deok-hyun gave a faint smile.
"The Chairman wants to see you."
Kim Jin-cheol?
With that, Kim Deok-hyun started walking off somewhere.
I stared blankly at his back for a moment before following.
After a long corridor, another elevator came into view, this one far more luxurious.
It was a place I'd never been, but I'd read a similar scene description in the original work, so I knew where I was headed.
This elevator was for the Association's top executives, from the 61st floor to the 80th—the 'special floors.'
We got in, and Kim Deok-hyun pressed 80.
"First time seeing the Chairman's face?"
"No. I met him once last year, at the demon subjugation commendation."
"......Demon subjugation commendation? Wait, I think I was there too."
Yeah, Kim Deok-hyun was there.
We just didn't exchange greetings.
"Ah, now I remember. Right, the Chairman shook your hand then."
Kim Deok-hyun nodded as it came back to him.
"So, what was he like when you met?"
"Bigger than I expected."
Kim Deok-hyun chuckled at that.
"Everyone thinks that the first time they meet him. It's that unique aura he has—it makes him seem even larger."
Ding. The elevator stopped again, doors opening.
A massive door loomed ahead.
Kim Deok-hyun stopped in front of it and announced.
"Chairman. I've brought Kim Sun-woo."
Come on in.
Creak. The door opened, revealing the chairman's office.
Beyond a huge window, the city's skyline stretched out—blue sky filled with countless skyscrapers.
And at the center stood an elderly man with a long beard: Kim Jin-cheol.
[You have achieved 'Center of World Power.']
[Reward: 3,000 points acquired.]
There's an achievement here too.
Center of world power......
Not wrong.
"Good work, Deok-hyun."
"No, Chairman."
Kim Jin-cheol's gaze naturally turned to me, sending an involuntary chill down my spine.
Just meeting his eyes was tense.
It was a far cry from our previous encounter.
I bowed lightly.
"Hello, Chairman."
"Yeah, first time since Han Dae-hyeon's funeral?"
"Ah, yes. ......Wait, no. I wasn't there."
I panicked for a second.
I had met Kim Jin-cheol at Han Dae-hyeon's funeral as 'Kim Jin-woo,' but my current identity is Kim Sun-woo.
Kim Sun-woo didn't attend Han Dae-hyeon's funeral.
"Hoho. Sorry. I got confused for a moment. I met someone who looked just like you there."
Kim Jin-cheol laughed it off like a joke, but from my side, it wasn't something I could take lightly.
What? Is he testing me?
As he chuckled to himself, Kim Jin-cheol turned to Kim Deok-hyun.
"I'd like to speak with him alone. Could you step out?"
"Understood."
Kim Deok-hyun left the room.
And so, I was alone with Kim Jin-cheol—the strongest wizard in humanity, the man even Jin Cheon-woo feared.
Kim Jin-cheol stared at me thoughtfully, then turned and walked to the table.
He poured water into an empty cup, seemingly brewing tea, and offered it to me.
Wondering if it might have something extra, I activated Outsider's Benefit. Fortunately, it was just regular tea.
"Not taking it? Worried it's poisoned?"
"No."
I took the tea and sipped. My throat was parched from the tension—nice.
Kim Jin-cheol smirked and said.
"I've heard a lot about you from various places. Scored 610 on mana utilization this time, right?"
"Luck."
"Impressive feat. Seo-jun—that kid I always scold for falling short—his talent surprises me every time. And you outdid him."
As he spoke of Kim Jin-cheol—no, wait, of Lee Seo-jun—he walked toward the window. Then he said something out of left field.
"But do you know this? Seo-jun's talent for magic came straight from the heavens."
Of course I do.
Lee Seo-jun has the 1 million-point trait Genius (SSS).
"That child possesses a talent no one in human history can touch. The absolute limit of what humanity can reach, you might say."
What was he getting at?
I listened quietly to Kim Jin-cheol. He gazed out the window.
"But in this exam, you showed even greater talent than Seo-jun. Hard to believe. Not a slight difference—a significant gap. The world praises a new genius's birth, but I know."
Kim Jin-cheol turned his gaze to me.
"If the limit of permitted human talent is 100, a score of 101 is simply impossible."
My heart sank at his words.
And I realized what he wanted to say.
He was convinced my magical ability wasn't just superior talent—it was tied to something else.
With no response from me, Kim Jin-cheol smirked.
"At first, I suspected you might be faking your age. And this is a secret, but I have a ability: when I touch someone's skin, I can vaguely sense their power."
I knew that well.
One of Kim Jin-cheol's traits: [Mana Scan].
"When we met before, I felt it—you're not faking your age. Your physical age from skin contact was definitely in the teens."
I'd only expected an investigation into Jin Cheon-woo, so this situation threw me off.
Seeing my stiffened face, Kim Jin-cheol chuckled briefly.
"I have many questions about you. Some involve my foolish disciple, Jin Cheon-woo. So, I'll ask you a few things now."
To that, I replied.
"You might know, but I have restrictions—"
"I know. You have circumstances you can't speak of. You don't have to answer everything. Just what you can."
In that moment, an aura emanated from Kim Jin-cheol, pressing down on me.
"First question, then."
Kim Jin-cheol stared straight into my eyes.
"Where are you from?"