Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Pioneer's Night Invitation
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*Ting-a-ling.*
A small upscale bar somewhere in Seoul.
The door to the private room opened, and a woman stepped inside.
I stood up from my seat to greet today's appointment.
“Han Se-yeon.”
“Sorry. I was tied up with work and ran a bit late.”
“It's fine. Have a seat.”
Han Se-yeon sat across from me and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“Whew. The AC feels so nice and cool. It's brutally hot outside.”
“They're calling it the worst heatwave in ten years.”
“Yeah. I heard even the wizards are taking breaks because of the heat.”
“Wizards only? They say the monsters in the monster fields are all hiding from the heat too.”
“Oh, right. I heard about that.”
Han Se-yeon chuckled.
Then she looked at me with a peculiar gaze.
“Did you resolve another incident today or something?”
By today's incident, she probably meant the demon.
This world always had rumors spreading like wildfire.
“Yeah, something like that.”
Han Se-yeon nodded at my nonchalant response.
“You must be exhausted. Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?”
“I'm fine.”
I filled my glass. Then I poured into Han Se-yeon's glass as well.
Han Se-yeon stared down at her glass before pulling something out from her pocket and handing it to me.
“Here, take this.”
It was a card envelope luxuriously packaged with golden patterns.
“The invitation to Pioneer's Night you requested.”
“Ah, thank you.”
The social event Pioneer's Night.
It was the site of the biggest incident during this summer break.
On that day, Pioneer's Night, led by Han Se-jin, and the underground auction led by Ha-ryeong would happen on the same day.
They were events that were supposed to be held separately, but Han Se-jin, who normally mingled with demons, took an interest in Ha-ryeong's underground auction and decided to collaborate with her.
Of course, the underground auction, being an illegal event, would be held in utmost secrecy, unlike Pioneer's Night.
“And as I mentioned last time, for the underground event, you have to enter with me as your companion.”
“Yes, I know. I'll be counting on you again.”
Han Se-yeon nodded and then stared straight at my face.
“But what's your angle?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, whenever you seem to be up to something, an incident happens. So I'm wondering what you're planning this time.”
“Is there any other reason to go to an underground auction besides bidding?”
“Tch.”
Han Se-yeon pouted and quietly sipped her drink. Then she said to me.
“Thank you.”
I looked at Han Se-yeon at the sudden gratitude.
“For what?”
“You told me to drop the dungeon business. If it weren't for you, Hanseong's already shrinking foothold would've gotten even smaller.”
“Ah.”
It had just been a casual remark on my part, but to Han Se-yeon, it must've been a massively important matter.
Unlike Han Se-jin, her position in the group was weak, so every achievement like that was crucial to her.
“What happened to Vice Chairman Han Se-jin?”
“What do you think? He got an earful from Dad. How does a sick old man yell like that? Geez.”
I chuckled. Han Se-yeon's father, Chairman Han Dae-hyun.
He was the head of Hanseong, a man as cold and ruthless as they come.
Of course, he was currently bedridden from illness.
His days were numbered. The moment Chairman Han Dae-hyun died, the succession battle in Hanseong would kick into high gear.
“So now, your brother is staking everything on this social event, Pioneer's Night. It's just an event, but Hanseong's image is on the line, right?”
“Exactly. All the big shots will be there, so he'll be extra careful. Plus, this Pioneer's Night is set to be the grandest ever.”
“Yeah. He's fired up, saying he has to make it a success. If this fails too, he won't be able to face Dad.”
I took a swig from my glass as I listened to Han Se-yeon.
Sweetness and bitterness spread in my mouth. My mood lifted at the same time. High-end stuff really hits different.
“Han Se-yeon, congratulations once again.”
“Huh?”
Han Se-yeon looked at me with puzzled eyes.
“This Pioneer's Night event. It's going to be a total shitshow.”
“......Huh?”
After parting with Kim Jin-woo, Han Se-yeon returned home.
*Step, step.* Her body felt languid, probably from the alcohol.
She wasn't the type to drink so freely in front of others, but for some reason, she got excited and overdid it.
Come to think of it, she acted the same way at Kim Jin-woo's housewarming last time. For some reason, she always embarrassed herself in front of that guy.
“Fuuu......”
Han Se-yeon sat on the sofa. She stared blankly at the black screen of the TV before recalling her conversation with Kim Jin-woo.
—This Pioneer's Night event. It's going to be a total shitshow.
—......Huh? A shitshow?
—Yes, not just any shitshow—a massive one. It'll be a huge opportunity for you, Han Se-yeon. You know how to make use of this info.
Han Se-yeon fell into thought.
Use this information, he said.
She fully understood Kim Jin-woo's intent.
He was probably telling her to oppose the Pioneer's Night event in front of Hanseong Group's key figures.
If the event went ahead as planned and failed just as Kim Jin-woo predicted, her judgment would be reevaluated.
That would definitely boost her position within Hanseong Group.
But she hesitated.
As always, following Kim Jin-woo's advice was a gamble that carried big risks.
In the end, she made her decision.
She'd trust Kim Jin-woo's words this time too.
And his advice had never been wrong so far, so she could trust him.
Han Se-yeon gripped her smartphone and dialed a number.
*Ring ring.*
The phone rang. The buzz from the alcohol had long faded.
—What's this? You calling me?
A deep, resonant voice came through the speaker.
Han Se-yeon smiled faintly and opened her mouth.
“Dad. I have something to tell you.”
A lazy weekend.
Having pushed hard during break, my stamina was drained, so I was resting at home. I planned to skip today's personal training too, which I'd done without fail every day.
It was time to organize the upcoming incidents.
I checked the online news articles.
［Social Event 'Pioneer's Night' Set for August 10th. Largest Scale Ever, Major Figures Expected］
［Jawoon's Former Leader Jin Cheon-woo's Items on Special Display at Social Event 'Pioneer's Night'］
The incident was approaching.
The social event Pioneer's Night and the underground auction.
It was the biggest incident of this summer break.
Jawoon's former leader Jin Cheon-woo's items would be on display that day, drawing the attention of countless key figures.
The date was next Saturday.
Thirteen days left.
“I need to prepare well in advance.”
But with my current abilities, I couldn't influence the upcoming incident at all.
That didn't mean sitting idle like an idiot during this event.
“If I lack power, I'll just make some.”
I opened the point shop.
Normally, I'd check traits or items, but not this time.
What I was checking now was something called a 'Skill'.
[Binding Rune (S)]
Category: Barrier
Description: Binds the opponent using mana.
［Continuous Effect］
►Bind
Consumes mana to trap the opponent.
*Cooldown: 3 days
Price: 100,000
Binding Rune.
An auxiliary binding spell that traps the opponent. It's similar to auxiliary barrier magic, but the reason Binding Rune is classified as a 'Skill' rather than magic is specific.
It's because only those with certain restrictions can use this magic.
The 'Demonic Boundary Field' that the demon used during the first midterms operated on a similar principle.
The Demonic Boundary Field was a technique only demons could use.
But a 'Skill' purchased with outsider benefits removes those specific usage restrictions.
If I bought the Demonic Boundary Field skill, I could use that ability even if I wasn't a demon.
Of course, 'Skills' have penalties because they grant users overly powerful strength too easily—like insanely high point costs or massive mana requirements on use.
Still, from my memory, Binding Rune was top-tier among auxiliary binding spells.
Considering the incident ahead, this skill would definitely be a big help to me.
“Home.”
But there was a problem.
[Insufficient 16,000 points.]
I didn't have enough points to buy it yet.
Still, with about two weeks until the incident, I could grind points in the meantime.
And fortunately, there was another small event this week that would net me a bunch of points.
I checked my smart student handbook.
[Special Class Summer Retreat Notice.]
[This Thursday: Final special class of the semester, summer camp. Gather at the portal gate in front of Wizard Academy by 10 AM.]
The special class's final lesson of the semester.
On the surface, it looked like a standard camp training, but a surprise incident would shock some characters.
Of course, this episode didn't hold much weight in the original story.
It was just for improving character relationships and Lee Seo-jun's mental healing. Still, a serious situation arises midway, so I couldn't let my guard down.
“Sca!”
“Guys! I'm back!”
Jawoon's hideout somewhere in Gyeonggi Province.
As the massive man Sca entered, Jawoon's crew greeted him.
“Did you keep tabs on Lee Seo-jun?”
Bert asked while brushing his teeth.
“What's there to watch? He's at Kim Jin-cheol's place, his home. Even if he goes out, it's only to the Wizard Association HQ.”
“Oh, right.”
Bert nodded in understanding.
Since Jawoon's natural enemy was the Wizard Association, caution was needed with Lee Seo-jun surveillance at this point.
“Fine. Let's drop the Lee Seo-jun watch for now.”
“Huh? Is that okay?”
Baek Eun-seong reacted to Bert's words.
“He just goes between Kim Jin-cheol's house and the Association. What danger could come to Lee Seo-jun?”
Everyone in Jawoon nodded at Bert's words.
“Yeah. And if we linger near him carelessly and get caught, it'll be a bigger headache.”
“Right. Isn't Lee Seo-jun doing some camp training?”
“Oh, yeah. I looked into it—some island camp.”
“Really? Sounds fun. I miss going to school.”
Sca muttered jealously to himself. Natasha looked at him with pity.
“Anyway. Time to prep. Get the list.”
Bert, having finished brushing, said. Jin fetched a large sheet from somewhere and stuck it to the wall.
“List of executives known to have received Pioneer's Night invitations.”
The paper listed personal info on countless people.
Each one from famous corporations.
“We filtered out the big shots like Han Se-jin or Han Se-yeon and picked the easy marks.”
Everyone nodded at Jin's briefing. Jin pointed to some names with his finger.
“We need 9 invitations this time. These 9 from here to here seem best. They're from big companies but no real backing.”
Natasha, who had been listening quietly, crossed her arms and spoke.
“So, kill those 9 and crash Pioneer's Night using their identities?”
“Exactly. With limited invites, this is the way.”
Natasha grinned cruelly at that.
“Nice. Sounds fun. So when do we move?”
Third week of break, Thursday.
Finally, the day of the semester's final special class arrived.
I arrived at Wizard Academy exactly on time, as always.
Nearly 60 students were gathered, wearing expressions of excitement, annoyance, anticipation, and more.
“Kim Sun-woo!”
As I scanned for familiar faces, a voice called me from afar.
“You're right on time again.”
Lee Seo-jun said upon seeing me. The other members were behind him.
“Always am.”
“What'd you do over break?”
Lee Seo-jun asked slyly. Probably meaning, 'You turned down Kim Jin-cheol's tutelage—what amazing feats did you pull off?'
Unable to answer honestly, I made something up.
“Personal training, made some money.”
“Money? What part-time gig?”
Shin Young-jun, watching from behind, chimed in.
“......Something like that. Security guard stuff.”
The most common part-time for aspiring wizards during break is security. Good hourly pay for the work, and school teaches life-saving in detail.
It was such a textbook answer that Shin Young-jun nodded without suspicion.
“Security, huh. Not bad for short-term. I did pool lifeguard last year—super chill. Heh.”
Since I hadn't done it myself, I nodded instead of relating.
As we chatted idly for about five minutes, the special class advisor, Park Jung-wan, appeared. The students looked at him tensely.
“Seems everyone's here. Hope you all had a good break. Some of you might be miffed about mid-break training.”
A few students looked guilty at Park Jung-wan's words.
“Good. To the point. You're all curious about today's special class schedule. We didn't say where this 1-night, 2-day training would be.”
The students leaned in eagerly, eyes sparkling.
Of course, I already knew the location and was fully prepared.
Park Jung-wan pulled a hologram map tool from his pocket and showed the students a 3D map. It was a round island model.
“The site for this special class training is right here. A massive uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific—Isle of Mists.”