Chapter 391
Chapter 391
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 392
Chapter Title: Gretel
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Saturday afternoon, 2 PM.
As I stepped out of the Magic Academy to handle a few scheduled tasks for the day, my smart student notebook buzzed with a message notification.
[Choi Seo-yoon: Senior, are you really not joining today's group training?]
It was a message from Choi Seo-yoon in the group chat with the main characters.
She was suggesting a group training session to practice the spirit usage techniques Lee Seo-jun had just acquired, in preparation for the pro wizard qualification exam.
But I had important business today.
Just as I was about to type a refusal, another message came in.
[Shin Young-jun: Yeah, seriously. What do you even do every weekend that keeps you so busy?]
[Lee Seo-jun: If you can't make it on time, come after you're done with work. Doesn't seem like it'll drag on too long.]
[Yoon Ha-young: Guys, Sun-woo probably has his reasons (thinking cat emoticon)]
The messages kept pouring in.
I smirked at the ones asking about me and typed a reply.
[Kim Seon-woo: I'll swing by for a bit if I can make time.]
After sending that, I pocketed the smart student notebook again.
More notifications buzzed after that, but I silenced them all and started walking.
And so, in the guise of 'Kim Jin-woo,' I arrived at the headquarters of JWK, the company under Yang Tae-min's management.
Next to JWK's headquarters, which I was visiting after a long time, stood a new building I didn't recognize.
"...Feels like a new building pops up every time I come here."
I'd been too busy lately to handle most company affairs myself, leaving them to Yang Tae-min, and the company had grown beyond my expectations.
It was thanks to Yang Tae-min's exceptional business skills, but the successful partnership with Hansung Pharmaceuticals—which was riding high on its stock prices lately—had played a big role too.
I pushed open the door and stepped inside.
"Good afternoon. You're CEO Kim Jin-woo, right?"
As I entered, an unfamiliar employee approached and bowed politely.
"We were told you'd be visiting today and have been waiting. Ah! Thanks to my connection with CEO Yang, I joined in June this year as the head of the development team. Name's Baek Seong-cheol."
"...Baek Seong-cheol?"
The name rang a bell.
I racked my brain for a moment, and it hit me.
"By any chance, didn't you major in magical engineering technology?"
"Oh? Did CEO Yang mention it?"
Baek Seong-cheol looked at me in surprise.
Hearing that confirmed it. He was the Baek Seong-cheol I had in mind.
The genius magical engineer, Baek Seong-cheol.
"No, just a hunch from your face."
"...My face?"
In the near future, he'd be hailed as one of the field-leading geniuses alongside Yang Tae-min and Han Seoyeun, revolutionizing the world.
The magical engineering systems he developed would bring convenience to countless people and truly embody 'innovation.'
I flashed a gentle smile and gripped both his hands firmly.
"Stick around our company for the long haul. Let me know anytime if you need anything or if something's lacking. Here's my personal contact. Take it."
"...Pardon? Ah, yes. Got it."
Baek Seong-cheol took my business card with a flustered expression.
"Alright, let's go."
"Yes. This way."
Under Baek Seong-cheol's guidance, I entered Yang Tae-min's office.
Yang Tae-min greeted me warmly as I stepped in.
"Jin-woo. Been a while since I've seen your face."
"Haha, yeah."
Yang Tae-min's face, after so long, showed signs of fatigue.
I smiled and clasped the hand he extended.
Baek Seong-cheol glanced between us, bowed, and left the room.
"You've seemed really busy lately. How's everything going?"
Yang Tae-min said as he sat in the chair in front of his desk.
I nodded, taking the seat across from him.
"Yeah. Not sure if it's going well, but at least no failures yet."
"No failures... Doesn't no failure mean success?"
His words didn't quite fit my situation, but I just gave a small laugh in response.
After that, I received various reports from Yang Tae-min on the company's status.
I hadn't seen his face much, but we'd been in frequent contact, so it wasn't hard to follow.
As Yang Tae-min paused to wet his throat with some water, he continued.
"Oh, right. Things are unfolding just like you said."
"Pardon?"
"You mentioned before that Han Seoyeun would be the next head of the Hansung family. It really looks that way now. Especially with all the buzz around the Sword Demon lately."
"Ah."
I'd said that in front of Yang Tae-min for sure.
Though it had only been a year since that comment, Han Seoyeun's support within the Hansung Group had indeed risen.
At this rate, her ascension to chairperson was just a matter of time.
"So that's how it is. Anyway..."
I pulled out the 'Death Scythe' I'd obtained from a dungeon yesterday from my sub-space pouch.
His eyes widened at the massive scythe that appeared out of nowhere.
"...What's this?"
"It looks like a weapon, but it's material for crafting."
Yang Tae-min took the scythe from me and examined it from every angle with keen interest.
Then, nodding as if he understood, he replied.
"Crafting material... I get it. Just as you said, I can feel a special power sealed within this scythe. A highly destructive force that can instantly drain away life itself."
Even without an Outsider's perks like me, he grasped the scythe's power at once.
Fitting his status as the top craftsman, he possessed the 'Item Appraisal' trait.
Of course, it wasn't as detailed as an Outsider's insight, but he could sense it intuitively.
"So, what do you envision making with this precious material? No—what kind of weapon?"
Yang Tae-min set the scythe down on the table and asked.
I pondered for a moment, then leaned back in my chair.
"I'm thinking of a great beast slaying weapon."
It was one of the vague plans I'd been mulling over since realizing I couldn't avoid a confrontation with Cruas, the culprit behind my regression.
Chairman Kim Jin-cheol had personally declared his intent to subjugate Cruas, but who knew what variables might arise.
I needed to prepare for the worst.
"...A great beast slaying weapon?"
"Yes, and it has to be powerful enough to work even on calamity-grade beasts."
Yang Tae-min glanced down at the scythe, deep in thought, then spoke.
"I'm sorry, but this alone isn't enough to make something of that caliber."
"I'll supply any additional materials needed. And it's not meant for long-term use, so a one-time disposable is fine."
"...Disposable? You don't mean a great beast bomb, do you?"
I gave a slight smile.
A bomb, huh. That wasn't a bad idea.
The concept of fighting with bombs instead of magic did exist here.
Regular bombs couldn't pierce mana barriers, so they weren't used much, but 'mystery bombs' infused with mystery could.
Of course, mystery was an exorbitantly expensive material, making bomb production with it utterly insane.
And inefficient to boot.
"A bomb sounds good. One that can deliver a single massive blast, please."
At my response, Yang Tae-min looked taken aback but nodded.
"...Mm. Alright. Since it's your request, I'll give it a shot. But achieving that level of power will take considerable time. And while it could land a critical hit, anything beyond that is impossible."
"That's enough. How long will it take?"
"Between one and two years."
I bit my lip.
With Cruas's activities accelerated beyond the original timeline, one to two years was too long.
But I had no other options.
I'd have to pray Cruas stayed quiet for the time being.
"...Understood for now."
Just then, my smartphone buzzed with a message.
[I just finished up. Heading to the meeting spot now.]
It was from Han Seoyeun. I stood from my seat.
"Well, I have an urgent appointment, so I'll head out."
"Huh... Already?"
"Yes, it's pressing."
"Mm. Shame, but can't be helped. Take care."
"Yes, I'll be in touch."
With that, I left the company and headed to a small park on the outskirts of Seoul to meet Han Seoyeun.
The rundown area felt devoid of any human presence.
"...Hmm. Hasn't arrived yet, huh."
I wasn't in a rush, so I had time to spare.
I sat on a nearby empty bench and waited about five minutes.
Then I sensed footsteps approaching from my direction.
"Jin-woo!"
At the familiar call, I smiled and greeted her.
Han Seoyeun's welcome face. And trailing behind her was the Sword Demon, now her protector.
I gave a light bow to the Sword Demon, who nodded in return.
"Sorry. Did I keep you waiting long?"
"No, you're not late at all. No worries. Oh, right. You said you're on vacation starting today?"
"Yeah, work piled up, but I took emergency leave for personal reasons."
Personal reasons for Han Seoyeun?
"What kind?"
"Well..."
Han Seoyeun trailed off suspiciously. She glanced at the Sword Demon before continuing.
"It's about my father. I'll tell you later."
Something involving Han Dae-hyeon suddenly piqued my interest.
And if she was keeping it secret from me, it definitely wasn't trivial.
I wanted to press further, but she wouldn't answer, so I let it slide.
Changing the mood, Han Seoyeun smiled lightly and pulled something from her bag.
"Here, take this. The processed fruit you requested."
I took what she handed over.
It was a glass container filled with yellow liquid, at the center of which floated a peeled and reshaped demonic tree fruit.
That was the reason for meeting her today.
"I processed it to preserve the original form as much as possible, so the core effect wouldn't be lost if mishandled. The effects should be even better than before."
Thanks to my Outsider perks, I checked its effects.
[Processed Mysterious Demonic Tree Fruit (S)]
Classification: Spiritual Medicine
Description: Upon consumption, all stats increase by 8%, all recovery abilities by 50%.
All elemental magic resistance increases by 30%.
Grants [Demonic Tree's Blessing (S)].
Quite a few additions.
The original all-stats boost from 5% was now 8%.
Plus new effects: 50% all recovery boost and a whopping 30% elemental magic resistance.
The 30% elemental resistance stood out especially.
30%. That's huge.
"Thank you. I keep owing you."
"No. If anything... Compared to what you've done for me, this feels so small. I'm the sorry one."
Her voice carried genuine sincerity.
From her tone and expression, she truly felt indebted to me.
But everything I'd done for her so far wasn't mere charity.
It was an investment I'd chosen for the story's progression.
So she had no reason to feel sorry.
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have made it this far."
To her continued words, I responded with a small smile instead of words.
"Then we're even."
Han Seoyeun let out a soft chuckle.
"Thanks, but I can't see it that way. I've received far more."
As she said that, she remembered something and pulled an item from her pocket.
"Take this too."
"...Hm?"
What Han Seoyeun gave me was a small stack of documents.
"After what you said last time, I got curious and looked into it personally."
I scanned the contents.
[1833 London Auction Features Mystery Fruit of Unknown Origin]
[1836 Giant Tree Appears in Forest Near London...]
[1836 Wizard Association Designates Giant Tree Monster as 'Great Beast']
[1837 Giant Tree Monster Subjugation Success. 7 S-Rank Wizards Perish]
Articles from 200 years ago.
I stared at them in momentary confusion. The contents were too shocking to brush off.
Then I found a black-and-white photo on the next page. I picked it up and gazed at it blankly.
A colossal tree monster rivaling high-rise buildings in size.
And an exterior so grotesque it made my heart pound just looking at it.
No way.
"...Gretel?"
The Regressed Extra Becomes a Genius