Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Subduing the B-Rank Villain
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“What the hell are you?”
Jo Sung-hoon asked me once again.
I looked straight into Jo Sung-hoon’s eyes and said,
“The Incheon terrorist attack. That was you, wasn’t it?”
Jo Sung-hoon’s pupils trembled sharply for a moment.
“How do you...”
“And you were planning to hit Seoul Station next Wednesday.”
“W-Wait. What did you just say?”
Jo Sung-hoon reacted with great shock.
But the conversation ended there.
There wasn’t much time left. I didn’t have the luxury to chat leisurely with this guy. A prolonged fight wasn’t an option anyway.
‘I need to end this in one go.’
Mana gathered over my hand. The infinite mana from the Elixir and the Heart of Great Nature converged above my palm.
Whooooong—!
A magic sphere compressing infinitely.
Unlike the last time when I’d only used the Elixir, combining it with the Heart of Great Nature made the compression speed incomparably faster.
Kuuuung!
A powerful mana wave shook the area.
Though it was a one-shot technique, compressing and gathering this much mana gave it power that wouldn’t fall far short of an A-Rank spell.
“...This crazy bastard.”
Jo Sung-hoon muttered quietly.
“Does this guy seriously have endless mana?”
Seeing the magic manifesting over my hand, he muttered with a loss of fighting spirit. Then he gritted his teeth and charged at me.
It was a move to prevent me from having time to compress the spell.
“Die!”
I had no choice but to pause the manifestation momentarily, retreating to create distance.
Even so, I didn’t forget to keep compressing mana into the partially formed magic sphere in between.
Jo Sung-hoon’s attacks continued relentlessly.
“You bastard!”
‘This should be enough.’
I thought as I looked at the silver-glowing magic sphere over my hand.
Jo Sung-hoon charged at me again.
Now was the timing.
I thrust my hand toward him and unleashed the magic.
Paaaaang—!
The silver-glowing magic sphere shot out from my hand with a roar, kicking up dust from the ground and whipping up a fierce storm around us. Jo Sung-hoon, judging he couldn’t dodge, curled his body as tightly as possible.
But mana-compressed magic had the power to pierce any defense. There was no way a mere B-Rank wizard like him could block this attack.
In the end, the magic collided with his body, unleashing a massive explosion.
Kwaaaaaang—!
“Arrrgh!”
Jo Sung-hoon’s scream pierced my ears. At the same time, a message appeared before my eyes.
[You have defeated B-Rank Villain Jo Sung-hoon.]
[Causality increases by 0.6.]
[You are the first to successfully solo a Villain.]
[Gain additional Causality of 0.2.]
[You have achieved the ‘Strong One-Shot’ accomplishment.]
[Receive 3,000 points as reward.]
“...Phew. It’s over.”
I collapsed straight onto the ground.
For the first time, I had caught a villain single-handedly without anyone’s help.
“Wizard Kim Jin-woo, good work.”
With all incidents resolved.
I underwent about twenty minutes of investigation by the dispatched Wizards’ Association investigators.
Fortunately, the female victim Jo Sung-hoon had harmed testified well on my behalf, so the investigation wrapped up quickly.
On top of that, examining the electronic devices found on them revealed they were the perpetrators of the Incheon terrorist attack, causing a huge uproar.
The Seoul Station terror plot scheduled for next week was thwarted just like that.
“Phew.”
I took out my smartphone from my pocket while breathing in the cold night air. The time was already 10:20 p.m.
“...I’m beat.”
This week had been exceptionally eventful.
Midterms, demon attack, fighting terrorists.
But days this busy would come again someday. I needed to steel myself in advance.
“Yawwwn...”
I just wanted to get back and rest.
As I pocketed my smartphone again and headed for the portal gate.
Ding!
A notification rang from my smartphone announcing a new message.
[Want to meet up for a bit?]
It was Han Se-yeon.
A high-end bar with an old-fashioned interior.
In this cozy atmosphere, I was quietly sipping my drink.
“You were right. Jo Sung-hoon was the culprit behind the Incheon terror attack. They found a massive stash of magic explosives in his hideout.”
Han Se-yeon, sitting beside me, muttered quietly while looking at news on her smartphone.
I shoveled in some of the plentiful bar snacks filling the table.
“When have I ever been wrong?”
“Never. That’s what makes it so amazing. How do you know these things?”
Clink.
I refilled my glass.
“Intuition.”
“Intuition my ass...”
I chuckled and took a sip.
[Character ‘Han Se-yeon’ feels mystery toward you.]
[Receive 500 points as reward.]
“But why’d you want to meet?”
I said, looking into her eyes. She stared straight back at me.
“Do I need a reason to meet?”
“Feels like you have one.”
Han Se-yeon was calculating and meticulous. She wouldn’t call me out just to chat idly.
Stabbed right on the mark by my response, Han Se-yeon gave an awkward smile.
“Want to work for Hanseong Group?”
“Nope.”
She narrowed her eyes at my immediate, unhesitating reply.
“I could pay you handsomely.”
“Don’t need money. You know I made a ton recently.”
“Hmm... Yeah. I know full well.”
Han Se-yeon muttered quietly.
As if she’d expected this reaction, she didn’t push further. She just grumbled to herself with a regretful expression.
I downed the last sip and checked my watch.
11:20 p.m.
I had school tomorrow, so it was time to head back.
“It’s late. Let’s call it.”
“Huh? Already?”
“Gotta head out early tomorrow. And don’t you have work?”
“True. I even have to be at the office at 6 a.m. prepping for business stuff.”
Her cheeks flushed from the alcohol, Han Se-yeon made a cute pouty face. Seeing it made me chuckle.
“You’ve been talking about business a lot lately. What kind?”
“Oh... Uh, nothing.”
“Come on, spill.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Han Se-yeon opened her mouth.
“Dungeon hotel business. So, a massive dungeon was discovered on our land. One so huge it’d take at least thirty years to clear. We build a hotel there and sell supplies or provide lodging to wizards exploring the dungeon.”
Dungeon hotel...
I got the idea.
It had been briefly mentioned in the original story, and I’d seen news about it before regressing.
“Drop it. It’ll flop for sure.”
“...What?”
Han Se-yeon’s mouth fell open slightly.
She soon furrowed her brows and asked me.
“What makes you say that?”
“Intuition.”
“Oh, come on!”
I chuckled at her outburst of irritation.
“Dungeons are hard to find right now, but one day they might pop up everywhere out of nowhere, right?”
“So you’re saying dungeon supply could exceed demand?”
“Exactly.”
She’d hit the nail on the head, and it would indeed happen that way.
In about three months, a massive dungeon would appear right in the heart of Seoul.
And that wouldn’t be the end. New towers and dungeons would start appearing at a rapid pace.
“But that’s just your prediction.”
“When have I ever been wrong?”
“...Never. That’s the problem. My brother’s really into this business.”
Han Se-yeon muttered with a dazed expression.
“Then hand it off to him. Wouldn’t it benefit you if his venture tanks?”
“...Hand it off? You know how much I’ve invested in this... Aaaah!”
Lost in thought, Han Se-yeon slumped over the table. Unlike her usual stiff demeanor, she brimmed with human charm.
“That’s why it bugs me when you say stuff like that!”
Han Se-yeon stomped her feet.
She’s the type who gets cute when drunk.
I arrived at the bus stop in front of the school. Being late at night, no one was around.
I dropped the Kim Jin-woo disguise and slowly walked toward the Magic Academy.
“Phew.”
Walking alone at night, the lingering buzz made me unexpectedly sentimental. I hummed a tune absentmindedly, then looked up at the night sky. Stars dotted the dark canvas.
Back on my original Earth, the night sky stars weren’t this bright.
“Pretty...”
“What?”
“Gah!”
I jumped at the sudden voice and turned around.
Choi Seo-yoon was looking at me with a meaningful gaze.
She’d been in a glamorous dress at the social event, but now she’d changed into casual clothes.
“Jeez, you scared me.”
The alcohol buzz vanished instantly. How does she move without making a sound?
“What’s so startling? Got something to hide?”
“You snuck up on me.”
“But you were just mumbling to yourself about the night sky, right?”
“...Yeah.”
“Wow. Senior, you’re way more sentimental than you look.”
Choi Seo-yoon giggled. With remnants of makeup on her face, her smile was stunningly pretty.
“What were you up to that you’re heading back so late? It’s 11:40 p.m.”
“Says the one who’s out late.”
“I... had some stuff.”
Choi Seo-yoon sighed deeply with a troubled expression.
I knew her situation, so I looked at her with pity.
Choi Seo-yoon was the heir to the Choi family, one of the five great magical noble houses.
As the daughter of such a prestigious family, she faced heavy interference from home.
Her father, Choi Jae-hyung, had probably dragged her around all night to make connections for her future.
Some of Choi Jae-hyung’s contacts had shady personalities too.
In the original story, a few incidents related to this had befallen Choi Seo-yoon.
“...Tough night, huh.”
That was all I could say.
Meddling wasn’t my style.
[Character ‘Choi Seo-yoon’ gains a small comfort from you.]
[Receive 500 points as reward.]
But my simple words seemed to touch her.
Choi Seo-yoon looked at me with a faint smile.
That was when.
“Ugh.”
Choi Seo-yoon scrunched her nose and pinched it.
“...Senior, you reek of booze.”
The next day, Monday.
Early in the morning, I headed down to the dorm cafeteria.
For hangover relief, I loaded my tray with light foods excluding greasy stuff.
Slurp.
One sip of the soup was spicy and refreshing, easing the hangover instantly.
‘Ahh, hits the spot.’
Maybe try the side dishes next.
As I focused on eating, a message popped up.
[6,624 people are cheering for you.]
[Receive 5,000 points as reward.]
[You have achieved the ‘Silver Star’ accomplishment.]
[Receive 10,000 points as reward.]
‘...Jackpot.’
I’d suddenly earned 15,000 points.
Gaining such a large amount of points meant articles about my exploits were spreading widely now.
I opened my smart student handbook and checked the internet news.
「Wizard Kim Jin-woo, Who Resolved the Han River Demon Incident, Now Solves Magic Crime」
「Wizard Kim Jin-woo Solves Two Major Incidents in a Row, Capturing Citizens’ Attention」
From skimming the articles, public sentiment was excellent. The coverage was glowing too. Solving a few more incidents like this could turn points into a steady pension.
Anyway, points seemed to have piled up quite a bit yesterday and today...
Let’s check how much.
[Owned Points: 43,500]
“Oh.”
43,000 points.
More than I’d thought. A bit more saving, and I could buy a decent A-Rank trait or skill.
Or save up further for an S-Rank trait.