“Magician Kim Jinwoo, you’ve done well.”
With the incident resolved,
I underwent about twenty minutes of questioning by the dispatched investigators from the Mage Association.
Fortunately, the woman who had been victimized by Jo Seong-hoon gave a clear account of the situation, allowing the investigation to conclude swiftly.
Moreover, after analyzing the electronic devices found on the criminals, it was revealed that they were indeed responsible for the Incheon terrorist attack, causing quite a commotion.
Thus, the Seoul Station terrorist attack planned for next week was preemptively prevented.
“Haa…”
I took a deep breath of the cold night air and pulled out my smartphone from my pocket.
The time had already reached 10:20 PM.
“…I’m exhausted.”
This week had been one of the most eventful in recent memory.
Taking midterm exams, facing an attack from the demons, and fighting terrorists—But days like this would surely come again. I needed to be prepared.
“Yaaawn…”
I just wanted to go back and rest.
Just as I was about to put my phone back into my pocket and head toward the portal gate—
Ding!
A notification sounded from my phone.
[Want to meet up for a bit?]
It was from Han Se-yeon.
A high-end bar with an antique interior.
In this cozy atmosphere, I quietly sipped my drink.
“You were right. Jo Seong-hoon really was behind the Incheon terrorist attack. They found a large stockpile of magical explosives at his hideout.”
Han Se-yeon, seated beside me, murmured while scrolling through the news on her phone.
I casually picked up a piece of fruit from the platter on the table and popped it into my mouth.
“Have I ever been wrong?”
“No, and that’s why it’s so fascinating. How do you know these things?”
I poured myself another drink.
“Just a hunch.”
“Hunch, my foot…”
I smirked and took a sip. The expensive liquor had a pleasant sweetness.
[Character ‘Han Se-yeon’ finds you mysterious.]
[You’ve earned 500 points as a reward.]
“So, why did you ask to meet?”
I looked into her eyes. She met my gaze directly.
“Do I need a reason to meet someone?”
“You, of all people, wouldn’t call me out without a purpose.”
Han Se-yeon was a meticulous and calculating person. There was no way she had invited me just to chat.
My response must have struck a nerve, as she let out a small, awkward smile.
“…As expected, I can’t fool you.”
Her honesty made me chuckle.
She pouted slightly before speaking again.
“I wanted to offer you a job at Hanseong Group.”
“I refuse.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, I shut her down.
She narrowed her eyes.
“I can pay you handsomely.”
“I don’t need money. You know I’ve been making plenty of it recently.”
“Mm… Yeah, I know. I know all too well.”
She muttered under her breath.
It seemed she had anticipated this response, as she didn’t push further.
Instead, she just grumbled to herself, looking somewhat disappointed.
I downed the last sip of my drink and checked the time.
11:20 PM.
I had classes tomorrow, so it was time to head back.
“It’s getting late. Let’s call it a night.”
“What? Already?”
“I have to leave early tomorrow. Don’t you have work, too?”
“Yeah, I’m super busy with business preparations, so I have to be at the office by 6 AM.”
Slightly tipsy, her cheeks flushed as she made a sulky face.
It was oddly endearing, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You’ve been mentioning business a lot lately. What exactly are you working on?”
“Well… um. Never mind.”
“Come on, tell me.”
After a brief moment of hesitation, she finally spoke.
“A dungeon hotel business. Basically, a massive dungeon was discovered in the southern regions. It’s big enough that it would take at least thirty years to fully clear. The plan is to build a hotel there and provide supplies and accommodations for the mages exploring the dungeon.”
A dungeon hotel…
I had a vague idea.
It had been briefly mentioned in the original story, and I had seen news about similar projects in my previous life.
“Drop it. It’ll definitely fail.”
“…What?”
Her mouth slightly parted in shock.
Then she frowned and asked,
“On what grounds?”
“My hunch.”
“Oh, come on!”
She snapped in frustration, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Dungeons might seem scarce now, but what if, suddenly, they start appearing everywhere?”
“So you’re saying the supply of dungeons could surpass the demand?”
“Exactly.”
It was just a casual statement, but in reality, I knew it would happen.
In about three months, a massive dungeon would emerge right in the heart of Seoul.
And that was just the beginning.
New towers and dungeons would start appearing at an unprecedented rate.
“But that’s just your prediction.”
“And when have I ever been wrong?”
“…Never. And that’s the problem. My brother is really invested in this business.”
She murmured, looking utterly defeated.
“Then just hand it over to him. If his business tanks, that benefits you, doesn’t it?”
“…Just give it up? Do you even know how much I’ve invested in this—ugh!”
She groaned and slumped over the table.
It was a far cry from her usual composed self, making her seem more… human.
“Now you’ve got me second-guessing everything!”
She stomped her foot in frustration.
So she gets cuter when she’s drunk, huh?
I arrived at the bus stop near the school.
It was late at night, and the streets were deserted.
After undoing my disguise as Kim Jinwoo, I slowly made my way toward the mage academy.
“Haa…”
Walking alone at night, still slightly buzzed, I suddenly felt sentimental.
I started humming a tune as I gazed up at the night sky.
The stars shone brilliantly against the dark canvas.
Back on Earth, I had never seen them this bright.
“Beautiful…”
“What is?”
“Ahh!”
Startled by the sudden voice, I turned around.
Choi Seo-yoon was standing there, watching me with a curious expression.
At the social event, she had been wearing an elegant dress, but now she had changed into casual clothes.
“Agh, you scared me.”
My lingering intoxication vanished instantly.
How the hell did she sneak up on me without making a sound?
“Why are you so jumpy? Guilty conscience?”
“You just came out of nowhere!”
“Were you talking to yourself while staring at the sky?”
“…Yeah.”
“Wow. Senior, you’re surprisingly sentimental.”
Choi Seo-yoon giggled. With traces of makeup still on her face, her smile looked stunning.
“But what were you doing out so late? It’s already 11:40 PM.”
“And what about you?”
“Well… I had my reasons.”
Choi Seo-yoon let out a deep sigh, her face filled with distress. Knowing her circumstances, I looked at her with a hint of sympathy.
Choi Seo-yoon was the heir to the Choi family, one of the five great magical households.
As a daughter of such a prestigious lineage, she was constantly under her family’s watchful eye.
Her father, Choi Jae-hyung, likely had her running around all night, forcing her to socialize under the excuse of building future connections.
On top of that, some of his acquaintances had serious character issues.
“…You’ve been through a lot.”
That was all I could say. Interfering in other people’s affairs wasn’t really my style.
[Character ‘Choi Seo-yoon’ finds small comfort in your words.]
[You have earned 500 points as a reward.]
But it seemed that my simple words held more meaning for Choi Seo-yoon than I expected.
She smiled faintly as she looked at me.
Then, suddenly—
“Ugh.”
Choi Seo-yoon wrinkled her nose and pinched it.
“…Senior, you reek of alcohol.”
“…”
The next day, Monday.
Early in the morning, I headed down to the dormitory cafeteria.
To ease my hangover, I filled my tray with light foods, avoiding anything too greasy.
Slurp.
One sip of soup, and its spicy, rich flavor instantly soothed my hangover.
‘Damn, that hits the spot.’
Maybe I should try the side dishes too.
As I focused on my meal, a message suddenly appeared before me.
[6,624 people are cheering for you.]
[You have earned 5,000 points as a reward.]
[You have achieved the ‘Silver Star’ milestone.]
[You have earned 10,000 points as a reward.]
‘…Whoa.’
I just made a whopping 15,000 points. Earning such a large sum at once could only mean that news of my exploits had started spreading in earnest.
I opened my smart student notebook and checked the latest online articles.
「Mage Kim Jinwoo, who resolved the Han River demon incident, now tackles magical crime」
「Mage Kim Jinwoo resolves two major incidents in a row—public interest skyrockets」
Skimming through the articles, I could tell that public opinion was overwhelmingly positive. The content was well-written too.
If I keep resolving incidents like this, I might be able to earn points like a steady pension.
That aside, I had been racking up quite a few points recently…
Maybe I should check my balance.
[Current Points: 43,500]
“Oh.”
A solid 43,000 points.
That was more than I had expected.
With just a bit more, I could afford a decent A-rank trait or skill.
Or maybe I should save up for an S-rank trait instead.
“Hm…”
That was something I needed to think through carefully.
I didn’t have an endless supply of points, after all.
Just then—
[Some instructors at the Mage Academy feel proud of you.]
[You have earned 3,000 points as a reward.]
“…What the hell?”
I found out why the instructors were feeling proud of me right after the morning assembly.
It was because the results of the midterm exams had been released.
“The results are out!”
“Oh no, I’m scared to look.”
“Ugh, I’m nervous.”
Students checked their scores using their smart student notebooks. Some groaned in despair, while others cheered with joy.
I, too, quickly checked my results.
━━
[2nd-Year Midterm Evaluation Results]
[Kim Sunwoo][Class 2-A]
[Practical – Rank 34]
[Theory – Rank 1]
[Overall – Rank 72]
━━
34th in practicals and 1st in theory.
Not bad.
It was a bit of a shame, though.
If this were a regular school, where rankings were based on semester grades, I would’ve jumped straight into the top 20.
Unfortunately, the Mage Academy used an aggregate ranking system, which combined scores from all semesters.
So, I couldn’t break into the highest ranks just yet.
‘Still, this is a huge improvement.’
Since midterm grades had a lower weight in overall ranking, this didn’t make a massive impact.
But I had still climbed from 150th place all the way to 72nd.
Compared to the other students, my rank had improved drastically.
[You have achieved the ‘Dramatic Rank Improvement’ milestone.]
[You have earned 5,000 points as a reward.]
[You have achieved the ‘Escaping the Bottom’ milestone.]
[You have earned 2,000 points as a reward.]
[You have achieved the ‘Theory Rank 1’ milestone.]
[You have earned 10,000 points as a reward.]
On top of that, I had just raked in a massive amount of points.
With this, my total balance had now reached 63,500 points.
Between yesterday and today, I had earned nearly 50,000 points.
“Heh.”
As I basked in my success, a message notification popped up on my smart student notebook.
[Kim Sunwoo, have you checked your grades?]
It was from Instructor Lee Hee-young, the teacher for Manifestation-type magic.
She contacted me more often than my own homeroom teacher, Jang Ancheol.
[Yes, I just checked.]
[Your ranking improved significantly—congratulations. Also, you’ve been accepted into the special talent class we discussed. Most of the other teachers were in favor of it.]
“Oh…”
This would give me more opportunities to naturally involve myself in certain key events from the original storyline.
Of course, with how much the plot had already deviated, I wasn’t sure how much that really mattered anymore.
Still, getting closer to important figures could only be beneficial.
[That’s great news. When does the special class start?]
[The exact date hasn’t been set yet. It’ll probably begin sometime this week.]
This week?
In the original story, it was supposed to start next week.
“…Hm. It’s not a big deal, I guess.”
[Oh, right. The official announcement will be posted this evening, so keep an eye out.]
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