Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: The Bounty Hunter's Rise
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I glanced at Jeon Mingi's face, and his eyes were sparkling as he awaited my response.
I had no idea how to react, so I just nodded.
"Uh... yeah, thanks."
"If the opportunity arises, I'd love to train with you sometime, sunbae."
"...Sure."
"Then I'll be off!"
Jeon Mingi bowed to me and vanished somewhere.
As time passed, only Lee Seojun and I remained.
"Heading out now?"
"Yeah. Gotta go. It's vacation—what's the point of sticking around here?"
Lee Seojun chuckled at my words.
"Fair enough. What are your vacation plans?"
"Who knows. Probably some training and catching up on postponed stuff."
"Hmm."
Lee Seojun nodded.
"Kim Sunwoo."
"Yeah?"
"Have a good break."
I snorted at his words.
"You too. We'll see each other again in two weeks anyway, at the special class meetup."
"Hmm... true."
"Anyway, take care. Don't overdo it and get hurt."
"Yeah, you too."
"See ya."
With that, I started walking again.
Then a voice called from behind.
"Kim Sunwoo!"
"What now?"
"You thinking of doing special training with me over break?"
"Special training?"
What was this about?
"You know the World Wizards Association president, right?"
"Yeah, I do."
President Kim Jincheol.
It'd be weirder if I didn't.
"I'm training under him over break. Thought you might want in. If I put in a good word, you could probably join."
His sudden offer caught me off guard.
Training under President Kim Jincheol.
It was an incredibly special opportunity no one else in the world could get.
...But.
"Sorry. Doesn't work for me. I'm pretty busy."
I had things to do over break.
And honestly, I wasn't talented enough to see massive gains from someone else's guidance.
Earning points to acquire traits was far more efficient for me.
Lee Seojun looked a bit surprised at my refusal, then grinned.
"Yeah? Too bad. Got it."
"Thanks for the offer."
"No problem. Have a good break."
"You too."
Having wrapped up all my school commitments, I arrived at the apartment disguised as Kim Jinwoo.
As I waited in front of the elevator on the first floor, someone approached.
"Oh? Neighbor?"
It was Jeong Yunseol. The unexpected encounter stirred an odd unease, so I bowed in greeting.
"Hello."
"Uh, hey."
Jeong Yunseol nodded and greeted me back. Dark circles under his eyes made him look exhausted.
"Yawn... Man, staying up all night working is rough. What'd you do today?"
"...Came back from work."
"Work? Hmm. Yeah? Everyone's so busy these days."
Jeong Yunseol nodded.
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
We stepped in together.
"But you're a wizard, right? What kind of work?"
"...Mostly hunting in monster fields."
I gave the prepared answer. Jeong Yunseol nodded without suspicion.
"Monster fields, huh. Perfect for making quick cash when there's no big gigs."
He glanced at my face.
"Dude, I feel like I've heard your name before, so I looked you up."
"Pardon?"
"Yeah. Kim Jinwoo. Found some stuff. You've solved a bunch of crime cases lately."
He casually admitted to personally digging into my info, as if it were something to brag about.
"...Yes, that's right."
"And weren't you the wizard who cleared a hidden floor in the Tower of Proof about four months ago?"
The Tower of Proof's hidden floor?
Oh...
Come to think of it, Jeong Yunseol had spent over a year trying to clear the 27th floor of the Tower of Proof before failing and returning to reality.
He must have taken an interest in me because of that.
"Yes, that's me."
"The Tower of Proof. It's full of tricky traps that even support wizards struggle with—how'd you find the hidden floor?"
"Good luck."
"Luck, my ass. You're a manifestation wizard, but you must have some talent in support magic too?"
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
Jeong Yunseol stepped out and turned to me.
Then he stared right at my face.
"...Interesting. See you around."
With that, he headed into his apartment.
I flopped onto the sofa after getting home. Suddenly, Jeong Yunseol's gaze came to mind.
Something was off. He definitely had ulterior motives.
Among the original story's countless characters, Jeong Yunseol was one of the hardest to predict.
He moved solely by his own whims and obsessed intensely over things that caught his interest.
Looks like discovering the Tower of Proof's hidden floor had piqued his curiosity about me.
"No way he figured out my identity...?"
If Jeong Yunseol suspected I was Kim Sunwoo, that could be a real headache.
"...Maybe I should move."
Sigh.
I let out a deep breath and turned on the TV.
[Breaking news. A massive dungeon has appeared in central Seoul.
Experts say it's the largest ever recorded, and fully clearing it could take about 30 years.]
"Oh."
Seoul's ultra-massive dungeon had finally surfaced.
Of course, it wasn't covered in detail in the original story—just mentioned as a tool in Hanse Group's succession battle.
In the original, Han Seyeon suffered a huge setback in her regional dungeon ventures due to this dungeon's emergence.
It became the trigger for her to start actively working to regain her shrinking position in the group.
Just then, my smartphone rang.
—Kim Jinwoo, what the hell are you?
Speak of the devil.
It was Han Seyeon.
"What do you mean?"
—That dungeon business you talked me out of. You knew about the Seoul dungeon in advance, didn't you?
She wasn't wrong. That's why Hanse Group's dungeon hotel project tanked hard.
But I couldn't say that outright, so I'd have to deflect.
"Not exactly, but it worked out great. Now Vice Chairman Han Sejin's dungeon hotel is doomed."
—It's chaos right now. He dumped a ton into regional dungeons. Opening in two days.
"Vice Chairman Han Sejin's position just got a bit weaker, thanks to that."
—Yeah, it ended up benefiting me. Anyway, you're never wrong. What are you, really?
I chuckled and spoke.
"Oh, right. I need a favor. There's a social event and underground auction on August 10th, four weeks from now.
I want to attend—can you get me tickets?"
—Oh, the one you mentioned before? Got it. The social one's Pioneer's Night, right?
"Yes."
—Okay. It's my brother's event, so easy to snag invites.
"Got it. Thanks."
—Sure. Busy now, gotta go.
Click.
"...That should do it."
I set down the smartphone and leaned back on the sofa.
Then.
[Character 'Choi Seoyoon' feels disappointed in you.]
[Reward: Acquired 500 points.]
"What the?"
I frowned at the sudden message.
What was this?
Then my smart student handbook chimed.
I'd been too distracted to notice, but messages had piled up. Missed calls too.
［Sunbae, where are you?］
［You didn't even say goodbye?］
［Not picking up calls.］
［Heard from Seojun sunbae. You left without a word. Unreal.］
［Really disappointed.］
Dark moonlit night.
A massive explosion echoed. Powerful mana waves shook the surroundings, and agonized screams pierced my ears.
"Gaaah!"
A man writhed in pain before me. Blood flowed from his shoulder—not human red, but black.
The man before me was a demon.
"What are youuu!"
He yelled at me, but I didn't respond. I conjured new magic in one hand and approached.
"Urk! What are you? How'd you know I'm a demon!"
He glared up at me and shouted. No need to answer.
I unleashed the spell.
KABOOM!
[Defeated B-Rank Villain 'Cheonseok.']
[Karma increases by 0.1.]
[Victory in target combat!]
[Victory Report effect: Strength +0.4, Mana +0.4, Mana Control proficiency +3%, Light attribute proficiency +8%.]
"Whew."
I wiped sweat from my forehead. One more villain down.
Bonus stat gains from the target victory.
Now that I'd grown some, mana shortages weren't an issue anymore.
I could handle a B-Rank Villain with just one mana elixir, no Heart of Great Nature needed.
I'd come a long way in a few months.
['Bounty Hunter' achievement unlocked.]
[Reward: Acquired 2,000 points.]
['Executor of Justice' achievement unlocked.]
[Reward: Acquired 2,000 points.]
"Nice haul."
I dismissed the new messages and opened the internet on my smartphone.
News feeds were full of stories about 'Kim Jinwoo' capturing criminals and demons.
Two weeks into summer break.
I'd spent most of it hunting villains.
For points, fame, and karma—I took down criminals, and it fueled my growth.
Of course, I stuck to small fry since major story villains were beyond me yet.
As villain hunts continued, 'Kim Jinwoo's' fame kept rising.
Now strangers occasionally recognized and chatted me up.
One downside: with all the news exposure, points weren't rolling in like before.
A shame, but getting familiar to the public was inevitable.
"Over there!"
Voices from behind. Urgent footsteps approached, then a shout.
"Freeze!"
Powerful mana surged from that direction—they were probably aiming spells at me.
I raised both hands to show no hostility.
"That mana surge just now—you?"
Another voice from behind.
Those behind me were likely Special Task Force agents.
They must've detected the mana from my demon fight and mobilized. I told them.
"Yes, that's me. No other crimes. I was fighting the demon on the ground here."
"...A demon?"
Someone sounded skeptical.
"Check it."
"Yes, sir!"
Two rushed to the fallen demon.
I waited, hands up.
"Team Leader! It's a demon!"
"...Damn."
A flustered voice from behind. I said.
"Uh, can I lower my hands?"
"Yes, of course!"
I lowered them and turned. A man bowed to me—familiar face by now.
Skinny guy in his mid-30s.
He said, "Your silhouette looked familiar—Kim Jinwoo, the wizard."
"Team Leader Shin. Hard at work as always."
"Haha, no. Another demon case... fifth in two weeks?"
"Something like that."
Precisely two demons, three fugitives.
But it had drawn major attention. Rare for a lone individual—not Special Task Force—to resolve so many cases so quickly.
"Great work. How do you spot demons so well? Anyone'd think you can tell them apart."
It stung a bit.
He wasn't wrong—I had a way to distinguish demons. But I smiled casually.
"After getting dragged into so many demon incidents, they seem to target me on purpose now."
"Ah! Makes sense. Stay vigilant."
"Yeah. Getting ambushed and dying would suck for me."
I grinned.
Then I checked my watch and said.
"Hm. Mind if I go? Got an important appointment."