Chapter 40
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Under Route (1)
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Looking at the bowing Hermit, I quickly schooled my expression.
I am an arrogant, haughty character.
I am a big shot.
I brainwashed myself.
"What is it?"
I put on a detached expression.
Good. Great Spirit cosplay complete.
"I've come, despite the intrusion, because there is something I must tell you."
With a slight jut of my chin, I prompted him to continue.
"Do you recall what I said before, about needing to infiltrate the academy?"
"I do."
"The purpose of that infiltration is..."
Hermit's explanation went on for some time.
He explained the situation in detail, starting with the reason for infiltrating the academy.
"So, if you don't retrieve the World's Root from the academy's warehouse within a week, things will get more complicated. Is that it?"
"That is correct."
Most of it was as I expected.
"Hmm. Three of them."
The fact that three more executives would be deployed if the mission wasn't completed within a week was a bit of a surprise.
And those executives were Maestro, Alchemist, and Vagabond, of all people.
That's the psycho killer trio.
I briefly imagined the three of them laughing maniacally at the academy.
A shiver ran down my spine.
Ugh. I don't even want to think about it.
"What happens if even those three fail?"
"...In that case, Unknown will move himself."
"Oh? That lazy piece of trash is going to move personally?"
Outwardly, I feigned composure, but inside, I was panicking.
Unknown is really going to make a move?
The World's Root must be really important.
"That would be a bit of a hassle."
In the end, it seems the best course of action is to hand the World's Root over to Hermit, just as I'd planned.
Hermit must be telling me all this to get my permission to infiltrate and steal it.
In Hermit's mind, I am an absolute powerhouse.
He probably thinks he'd be helpless if I were to stop the infiltration.
"Very well. I permit the infiltration."
"...Thank you."
Hermit gave a slight bow of his head.
"However, bring it to me first before you take it to the organization."
"To you, Elder... you mean?"
"Yes."
Hermit hesitated.
"If I may be so bold, may I ask why?"
The reason is simple enough.
The World's Root is an ancient artifact of the elves. If I'm going to hand it over anyway, might as well get the trait from it first, right?
But I couldn't say that. I quickly came up with an excuse.
"I want to screw over that bastard Unknown."
I gave a wicked smile.
"...If that's the case, I will gladly cooperate."
Hermit smiled along.
"By the way, it seems Unknown hasn't placed a restriction on this mission."
Hermit's expression instantly hardened.
"...Yes. This infiltration was an urgent mission, so no additional restrictions were placed."
As I've mentioned before, Hermit is under a curse from Unknown.
It's a terrible curse that twists his brain and makes his heart explode the moment he violates one of Unknown's constraints.
"Hmm. It's not my place to say, having placed my own restriction on you, but... you have my pity. To be caught by Unknown of all people."
Hermit grit his teeth.
He must be chewing on his rage as he recalled his past with Unknown.
"That curse. As I said before, I can solve it for you."
"..."
Hermit's expression became complicated.
A look of both hope and disbelief.
An expression that said he wanted to believe but couldn't.
"The fire of a spirit burns all things."
I casually conjured a small, lighter-sized flame on my fingertip.
"And it burns only what its wielder desires."
"What does that have to do with my curse...?"
"I thought you were a clever one, but I was wrong. You fool."
I clicked my tongue.
"It means the spirit flame can precisely burn away only the curse coiled within your body."
"!"
Hermit's eyes trembled.
What I said was true.
The spirit flame could burn away Unknown's curse.
Of course, it's impossible right now.
The reason is simple.
I don't have enough mana.
To burn away Unknown's curse, I need at least as much mana as was used to cast it.
With my current mana, it's not even close.
But on the other hand, it means I can remove it anytime, as long as I have enough mana.
"...What must I do?"
Hermit asked.
"I believe I told you before. Help me well, and I will remove the curse."
When that moment comes, Hermit will be completely mine.
He will become a top-tier asset who harbors a deep hatred for the Seekers of Truth.
"You mean I must prove my worth to you."
"Precisely."
Until then, I'll have to keep coaxing Hermit along.
"...I understand."
A strong will lit up in Hermit's eyes.
"May I ask one last question?"
"You may."
Hermit paused for a moment before speaking.
"Elder, what is your goal?"
"Well. There are several."
Survive.
Return to my original world.
Become stronger than the original protagonist.
Go back and punch Shin hyeong in the face.
And so on, and so forth.
But that's probably not what Hermit wants to hear.
"To erase the Seekers of Truth from this world."
I twisted one corner of my mouth into a smirk.
"That is my primary objective."
"..."
Hermit said nothing more.
But the corners of his lips, stretched nearly to his ears, spoke volumes about his feelings.
***
The next day, at lunch.
All the familiar, boring lecture classes were over.
"Hey, hey. It's raining today. Doesn't that make you crave some makgeolli?"
"Class isn't over yet, you know."
"Who said anything about now? I meant for dinner tonight~"
"Hmm. Deal."
While the cadets were leaving the classroom in small groups to get lunch.
"Hey, Seoyul. I'm having a hard time understanding this part..."
I was held back by Jia.
She was burning with academic passion today.
Maybe it's because the skill test period is approaching.
"Hmm. This part is..."
"Seoyul. Aren't you getting lunch?"
Ha Siyeon approached me.
"Huh? Oh. I am."
"If you don't have other plans, want to eat together?"
"Um."
I glanced over at Jia.
Her expression was strange.
She seemed to be glaring at Ha Siyeon more than necessary.
"Sorry. I promised to eat with Jia."
Did something happen between them?
"If you two are eating together, then just join us."
Ha Siyeon was acting like her usual self.
"Seoyul and I are just going to finish this problem and then we'll head out."
It wasn't my imagination.
Jia's tone was colder than usual.
Did something really happen between them?
"A problem? What is it?"
Ha Siyeon approached innocently.
"Ah, this one. This one's tough~ I barely solved it myself. It's easier if you twist the mana backflow range formula a bit and plug it in."
Ha Siyeon took out a pen and fluently wrote the solution in Jia's notebook.
"..."
Jia's expression grew even stiffer.
She kept glancing back and forth between Ha Siyeon's moving hand and her face, clicking her tongue softly.
"...Aha."
So that's what it was.
I get it now.
"Come to think of it, Siyeon, you rose to rank 2, right?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I was lucky."
Ha Siyeon twirled a neat strand of her hair with her left index finger.
Jia's shoulders trembled slightly.
Looks like my guess was right.
"There. If you learn how to twist this formula, you can solve almost any problem of this type."
Ha Siyeon turned the notebook so Jia could see it better.
Jia scanned the equation with a frustrated look.
As I'd thought, it wasn't that something had happened between them.
It was just Jia seeing Ha Siyeon as a rival and being wary of her.
Along with the fear of having her number one rank stolen.
Then again, Ha Siyeon's rise has been incredibly steep.
Lately, the topic of 'Shin Jia vs. Ha Siyeon' has been heating up on social media and among the instructors.
From Jia's perspective, it must be very stressful.
One wrong move and the 1st and 2nd ranks could really be swapped.
Since Ha Siyeon's written exam scores are higher, it's really hard to say what will happen.
So that's why Jia is being so desperate.
She hates to lose.
"All set? Then let's go eat. Your study efficiency drops when your blood sugar is low."
Ha Siyeon gave an innocent smile. Jia, as if she had no choice, closed her workbook and stood up.
I followed suit and got up from my seat.
*Vrrr-*
Suddenly, the smartphone in my pocket vibrated.
...Choi Jihoon?
What's he messaging me for?
[You free tonight?]
That's random.
"Siyeon, hold on. I just need to send a message."
"Oh, okay. Take your time."
[I don't have any particular plans. Why?]
[The Under Route opens tonight.]
An irregular, pop-up black market for superhumans.
The Under Route.
So today's the day.
Does that mean?
[Are you going to get an ancient artifact?]
[Yes.]
[Okay, deal. What time and where?]
***
"Ticket confirmed. You may enter."
The Under Route.
A black market that operates outside the law, one the government knows about but doesn't touch.
It's famous for its clean transactions and lack of loose ends, as long as you pay properly.
The inside felt like a regular department store. Or maybe a luxury one.
It didn't feel like a black market at all.
"Secretary Jang. Please lead the way."
"Yes. Leave it to me."
Choi Jihoon stepped back, and Secretary Jang took the lead.
I followed quietly from the very back.
"There are two brokers in the Under Route who deal in ancient artifacts. Would you like to meet them both?"
Secretary Jang asked me.
"Yes. Since we're here, it's best to meet them both."
"Understood. This way, then."
We followed Secretary Jang for a while. After about ten minutes of walking...
[4FD-231G8F]
We arrived at a shop with that code displayed on its sign.
Without hesitation, Secretary Jang opened the shop door.
"Welcoack. It's the old geezer."
The man looked to be in his early thirties with a friendly face.
He has a nice face.
He looks like he'd be good at selling insurance.
"Calling your father's friend an old geezer? Your manners are as bad as ever."
Secretary Jang clicked his tongue.
"If you're here to see my dad, he's not in today."
The man said, waving his hand dismissively, like he was shooing away a fly.
"I'm here as a customer today."
"Oh? And I see you've brought a couple of kids with you today."
At the word "customer," the man's eyes changed.
"So, what are you two young masters here to buy?"
The facilities didn't feel like a black market at all, but the person inside the shop was the stereotypical black market owner.
What an imbalance.
"We're here to see ancient artifacts."
Choi Jihoon said.
"Ancient artifacts? What are you going to do with those antiques?"
"Do I have to state my purpose of use in the Under Route?"
"Kuh~ You really know how to leave a man speechless."
The owner touched his forehead and let out a faint laugh.
"We've got two ancient artifacts for sale in our shop."
"If there are two, why say 'for now'?"
"...You'll see."
The owner stood up from his seat.
"Follow me. They're in the back."
We followed the man a short distance.
"One is a hammer. An artifact of the dwarves called [Artisan's Breath]."
"The price?"
"The price is exactly 1.7 billion."
*Thud-*
The man said, placing a carrier case on the floor.
"The other one is..."
The owner fiddled with the case, a strangely uncomfortable look on his face.
Then he scratched the back of his head and muttered.
"An artifact of the dragonkin, [Fang Etched in Mana]."