Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: The Broken Ladle Relic
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Nick furrowed his brow at my response. Then, with a deep sigh, he said,
“Fine. These antiques have a certain appeal. How much are you asking?”
“Not money. I want a trade.”
“A trade, huh. For what?”
I glanced around and said,
“I’ve heard you have items you don’t sell but keep for yourself.”
Nick looked utterly baffled by my words.
“How did you—”
“I’d like to take a look at those items.”
Nick seemed to ponder for a moment before nodding.
“Alright. Follow me.”
He led me to a small back room.
The space was filled with unusual antiques and magic tools.
“Oh...”
I used Outsider’s Privilege to scan the surroundings.
The effects of the items floated before my eyes, revealing all their hidden abilities.
Excluding the antiques, most were between B-Grade and A-Rank.
As I looked around, one item caught my eye.
［Broken Ladle (Relic)］
Description: A broken ladle. If repaired, a mystical power will dwell within it once more.
...A relic?
Why is a relic here?
I picked up the ladle.
It appeared to be a relic, but broken and stripped of its power.
‘A broken relic...’
I already knew how to repair broken relics.
The method was a bit tedious, but not impossibly difficult.
In a few weeks, during ‘that incident,’ a relic capable of repairing broken items would appear anyway.
“Hmm.”
This one would do.
I didn’t know its exact effects, but as long as I could fix it, reselling it would turn a profit.
“I’ll take this one. It doesn’t seem all that valuable, so I can pick a few more, right?”
I tossed out the question just in case.
Nick gave me a puzzled look before nodding.
“Go ahead.”
“Ugh~”
After a five-day, four-night school trip, I returned to the Dear Dormitory.
No need for fancy hotels—nothing beats my own place.
Of course, this dormitory wasn’t my real home, but that’s how it felt.
“Ahh, feels good.”
With finals over, all that was left was break.
Break started in two weeks on Wednesday....
Once break began, most students would leave the dorms and head to their family homes. But I had no family home.
That was the setup for ‘Kim Sun-woo’ in this world.
Since ‘Kim Sun-woo’—a character who never existed before—had been tacked on, there were no details beyond basics like name and age.
“Guess I need to find a place.”
In my previous life, I’d had no choice but to live in a dorm, but this life was different.
I had overflowing money and some heavyweight connections.
As long as it wasn’t some special magic tool or item, anything I wanted was within reach in this world.
I messaged Han Se-yeon.
[Can you find me a place to live in Seoul within two weeks?]
A reply came almost immediately.
[Of course. But why?]
[I need a place in Seoul. I’ll wire the money right away.]
Her messages paused unusually—unlike Han Se-yeon—for about two minutes. Then another came.
[Okay, got it. But are you planning to live with someone else?]
“...Live with someone?”
[No, just me.]
[Just checking. If it was for living with others, I’d need to find something bigger, right?]
“Hm. Fair point.”
It was a reasonable question.
[Just me, so no need for anything huge.]
[Got it. But Sun-woo, where are you living now?]
An unexpected question.
[Seoul.]
[Seoul? Then why do you need a place?]
[I’m in a goshiwon.]
A goshiwon wasn’t much different from a dorm, so that was a solid answer.
As expected, Han Se-yeon’s shocked reply flew in.
[You live in a goshiwon? For real?]
[Yes. That’s why I’m looking for a place.]
[Wow, never would’ve guessed. I know you’ve saved up a good amount, but you’re more frugal than I thought.]
Imagination is free. Whatever.
[Yeah, but goshiwon life gets uncomfortable, so I’m moving.]
[Got it. I’ll let you know as soon as I find something.]
“...House situation sorted.”
I put away my smartphone and stood up. From my sub-space, I pulled out a medium-sized flowerpot.
A sturdy wooden pillar rose from the pot.
It felt a bit crude, but the pot’s ornate design made the roughness look like high-end art.
“Where to put this.”
I scanned around and set it by the windowsill where it looked decent.
Stepping back, the overall vibe was pretty good.
“Nice.”
This flowerpot was the special one I’d traded antiques for at the ‘Mystical Variety Shop.’
It emitted pure mana, raising and purifying the room’s mana density.
Its effect boosted mana by 0.005 per 24 hours—keep it close, and I’d feel it eventually.
“Gotta take it to the new place in Seoul.”
Smiling in satisfaction, I sat back on the sofa.
Then I pulled out a notebook.
Time to plan break.
Monday arrived.
With all exams done, the school atmosphere was a bit lax.
Teachers didn’t mind much, giving free time even during class to let us do as we pleased.
I wasn’t used to the sudden shift, but compared to other changes in my life, it was nothing.
The biggest change was how students looked at me.
“Sun-woo! Congrats on third place!”
“Man, how do you grow so fast? Spill the secret!”
Every student I passed in the hall acted like we were buddies.
As interest in Lee Seo-jun’s tower summit faded, it had shifted to me.
“Wow~ Sun-woo! Congrats!”
“Hello, sunbae! Loving the docu! I’ll catch the live episode tonight too!”
I was indirectly living Lee Seo-jun’s life.
The attention was getting annoying.
So this is what it’s like to be popular...?
“...Hmph. Popularity’s a hassle.”
If I kept top scores next semester, this attention would only intensify.
Ugh, already tired thinking about it.
Muttering to myself, I bumped into someone.
It was Choi Seo-yoon. She stared at me for about three seconds, then smiled and bowed her head.
“Hello, popular sunbae!”
She must’ve overheard my muttering.
My face heated up in embarrassment.
Late Monday night.
After overtime, Han Se-yeon returned home.
She tossed her clothes aside and flopped onto the sofa. Working nonstop through the weekend had left her exhausted.
A quiet atmosphere.
Feeling sudden loneliness, she turned on the TV to break the silence.
Beep.
—Assignments are a battle with oneself. I never give up.
A voice came from the TV, awkward like reading from a script.
Han Se-yeon ignored it, lying on the sofa with eyes closed.
—Any secrets to it?
—Secrets? Well... nothing special. Just constant pursuit. It gets lonely sometimes...
...The loneliness of the process. It resonated somehow.
The lonely fight to claim Hanseongga.
How long must I fight this loneliness?
—I have to push through. The world isn’t kind, after all.
“...Why’s his speech so weird.”
Curious who was saying that, Han Se-yeon opened her eyes and glanced at the TV.
A male student in uniform was studying on screen.
“A student.”
From the school, it was Korea Wizardry Academy.
An elite school that admitted only about 150 students a year.
“With that tone, you’d think he’s lived a full life.”
The kid must have his own struggles.
Staring blankly at the TV, the boy’s face looked oddly familiar.
Eyes... nose... mouth... build...
Who was it? As she pondered, the program ended.
—Continued in Episode 4.
The preview followed.
Unfortunately, the boy’s face wasn’t clear.
“...Probably just my imagination.”
Han Se-yeon turned off the TV.
Silence returned to the room.
Lying there dazed, she got up to shower.
Then her smartphone rang.
The caller was her executive secretary, who’d been asked to find a place in Seoul.
—Continued in Episode 4.
Docu Episode 3 ended.
Probably due to my third-place finals ranking, it felt rushed toward practical skills over theory.
The preview was the same. It was obvious they were capitalizing on my recent spotlight for ratings, which made me chuckle.
[42,560 people are interested in you.]
[Reward: 20,000 points acquired.]
Forty thousand? Way hotter response than before.
I remembered around ten thousand for Episode 2—nearly four times more.
The impact of third place was huge.
I glanced at my incessantly buzzing smart student notebook.
[Hey Kim Sun-woo. Everything’s fine but that speech is seriously cringy. How long you keeping this up? Ew.]
[Your concept is way off...]
Reactions from people who knew me well were no different from last time.
Why the overreactions? The viewer boards had zero complaints about my speech.
“Tch.”
That’s when it happened.
[Character ‘Lily Rose’ feels baffled by your broadcast concept.]
[Reward: 1,000 points acquired.]
“...Huh?”
The unexpected message startled me.
Lily Rose?
She caught the docu too?
Makes sense, I guess.
She waited for me outside the hotel last time.
Even so, keeping up with a Korean docu from afar.
Impressive dedication.
I’d meet Lily Rose again someday. In the original or before regression, after losing to Lee Seo-jun, she visited Korea a few times.
“Hmm!”
I stood up.
Body itching for it—maybe a light workout.
Then my smart student notebook rang.
It was Han Se-yeon.
“Yes, hello?”
—Sorry to call so late. You free to talk?
“Yes, no problem. What’s up?”
—About the house you asked for—I found one.
Oh, already?
With conditions like location and magic training facilities, time was tight, but her efficiency was top-notch.
Good call asking her.
—You can move in this Friday. I’ll send the address.
“Thanks for the trouble. Faster than expected.”
—No, no. But there’s one more thing I should mention.
Her tone was cautious, unlike usual Han Se-yeon.
What could it be?
“What is it?”
—The neighbor’s a bit of a problem.
“The neighbor?”
—Yeah, they’re super sensitive about noise.
...A neighbor issue.
Never crossed my mind.
But it wasn’t a big deal.
I wouldn’t be home much.
And I wasn’t the noisy type anyway.
“No worries there. I’m really quiet at home.”
—That’s a relief. I tried other places, but nothing fit your two-week move-in condition.
Fully satisfied. She handled the hassle, saving me time.
—Still, better be careful just in case. Seems like the neighbor has issues, and that’s why tenants keep leaving.
How bad could it be?
I was curious but planned to be quiet at home anyway, so I brushed it off.
“Neighbor issues won’t be a problem. As long as they don’t pick fights for no reason.”