With three days remaining until the Night of the Pioneers and the underground auction, I headed to a branded café in Seoul to meet Han Se-yeon.
Ding.
I opened the café door and scanned the surroundings in search of Han Se-yeon.
In the farthest corner by the window, a woman sat alone, tightly wrapped in sunglasses and a mask.
The sight of her made me chuckle involuntarily.
As I approached her, Han Se-yeon turned her gaze toward me.
At that moment, her body froze as if turned to stone.
“…Jinwoo?”
Han Se-yeon called my name with a trembling voice.
“No, what happened to your hair color?”
“Oh, this?”
I casually touched my wavy bangs, which had a hint of brown.
“I just thought I needed a bit of individuality, so I dyed it. Changed up my hairstyle too. How is it?”
Individuality was part of it, but I also wanted to further differentiate between Kim Jinwoo and Kim Sunwoo.
Considering the number of enemies I was bound to make while acting as Kim Jinwoo, it was only natural to be cautious.
So, this hair wasn’t actually mine. It was a disguise achieved using the point shop.
“I thought you weren’t the type to care about that kind of thing… This is a bit unexpected.”
Han Se-yeon stared intently at me before making her remark.
“There are times when I want to switch things up too. So, does it suit me?”
“Hmm…”
Han Se-yeon observed my face with a serious look before speaking again.
“At first, it was a little awkward, but the more I look at it, the better it seems.”
Hearing a compliment put me in a good mood.
As I grinned, Han Se-yeon continued,
“The hair is nice, but the mustache is still awful no matter when I see it.”
I stroked my fake mustache and replied,
“This, I can’t give up.”
“Ugh.”
Han Se-yeon clicked her tongue and stretched out her palm, covering the area around my mouth.
Then, for a few seconds, she simply stared at my face.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, nothing… I just thought you actually look better with it covered…”
Han Se-yeon mumbled, seemingly embarrassed, and withdrew her hand.
“In the mage world, looking young means being underestimated.”
“…Sure, sure, whatever you say.”
Han Se-yeon let out a deep sigh, while I smiled quietly.
“Anyway, you’re early today, Han Se-yeon.”
“What do you mean early? Just because I was late once, you make it sound like I’m always late.”
Han Se-yeon shot me a fierce glare.
Somehow, her expressions seemed more lively every time we met.
“Alright, don’t get mad.”
“…Trust is important, you know. I take it very seriously.”
“Of course, I know. Your trust, Han Se-yeon.”
I answered sincerely, recalling the original Han Se-yeon, but she sighed deeply as if thinking I was just giving a half-hearted response.
“Here, take this.”
Han Se-yeon handed me a small case bag.
“Oh, the gift you mentioned before?”
“Yes, that’s right. I owe you for your help with the dungeon hotel business…”
Han Se-yeon mumbled hesitantly, uncharacteristically lacking confidence.
“I’m looking forward to it. Can I open it now?”
“Yes, but don’t get your hopes up too much. It’s nothing extravagant.”
Smiling, I opened the bag.
━━
[YKH Summer Men’s Suit (A)]
Category: Clothing
Description: A men’s suit from YKH
[Passive Effects]
▶ Custom Fit
Adjusts to the wearer’s body shape.
▶ Summer Functionality
Allows air circulation.
Blocks external heat.
Durability: A
━━
“Oh.”
It was a summer suit.
Judging by its effects, it must be quite expensive.
With two passive effects, even ordinary clothing could cost close to a hundred million won.
“I got it for you to wear at the Night of the Pioneers. The one I gave you before is too warm for this season.”
“Thanks. I actually needed something like this.”
I meant it. The recent heat waves had been tough, but with this suit, I’d manage much better.
Smiling, I pulled out a crystal pendant from my pocket.
“Here, take this.”
“What’s this?”
Han Se-yeon muttered as she examined the crystal pendant.
“A gift.”
It was a necklace made using a Crystal Golem Core from the Nightmare Fog Dungeon.
It had an effect that enhanced dexterity, a crucial stat for potion crafting.
Since it would benefit Han Se-yeon more than me, I decided to give it to her.
Upon seeing the necklace, Han Se-yeon’s expression turned surprised.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, no… I just never expected to receive an accessory as a gift from you.”
Han Se-yeon murmured absentmindedly.
“Try it on. It should help increase your dexterity. The effect won’t be drastic, though.”
She nodded and put on the necklace.
The blue crystal shimmered, complementing her well.
Not that there was any jewelry that wouldn’t suit her.
After closely examining the pendant, she asked,
“Where did you get this?”
“I got the crystal as dungeon loot and crafted it into a necklace myself.”
“Oh. That explains the finish…”
“The finish is a little uneven, right? I’m not that skilled with my hands.”
Han Se-yeon shook her head with a faint smile.
“No. Thank you. I really like it.”
“You’re finally starting to look like a proper mage.”
In the highest-level training room of the Seoul Mage Association,
Kim Jin-cheol spoke to Lee Seo-jun, who was panting opposite him.
“Haah… Grandpa, why does it feel like you get stronger the older you get…?”
“Tsk. I’m not getting stronger. It’s just that as your skills improve, I show you a bit more of my real strength.”
At his words, Lee Seo-jun let out a helpless sigh.
“…I have no response to that.”
“That’s enough. You seem to be at your limit, so let’s end the spar here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Lee Seo-jun sat down on the floor, catching his breath for about ten seconds before wiping the sweat from his forehead and getting up.
Kim Jin-cheol glanced at him and asked,
“That special class or whatever… was it fun?”
At the question, Lee Seo-jun paused to think.
“A typhoon suddenly hit, causing some unusual circumstances, but after that, I had fun playing in the sea with my friends.”
“I see. That’s good.”
Kim Jin-cheol nodded.
“So, did that friend of yours—the one you tried and failed to bring here—attend the special class too?”
Lee Seo-jun tilted his head at the question.
The friend he failed to bring?
“Oh, Sunwoo? Yeah, he was there.”
“Hah. So, he refused my teaching but attended something like that?”
Kim Jin-cheol looked dumbfounded.
Any S-rank mage would jump at the chance to be taught by him, yet a mere student had turned him down.
“Definitely not a normal guy.”
“…Yeah, Sunwoo is pretty unique.”
“You said you see him as a rival, so I wanted to check him out myself… Tsk, too bad.”
“Nothing we can do about it.”
Lee Seo-jun grinned and wiped his sweaty hair with a towel.
“Well, training’s over, so I’ll get going now.”
“Do as you wish.”
Lee Seo-jun bowed his head slightly to Kim Jin-cheol in farewell before leaving the training room.
He walked down the hallway, heading toward the “Records Archive” located on the 24th floor of the Mage Association’s headquarters.
As he stepped inside, a barrier formed by a specialized magical device blocked his entry.
Lee Seo-jun took out his association membership magic tool card and infused it with mana.
[“Lee Seo-jun” confirmed.]
The barrier vanished.
He resumed walking forward.
A circular space. The walls were covered in intricate magical formulas.
When he injected mana into the central orb, the numerous formulas inscribed on the walls shone brightly.
[Activating “Archive.”]
[Please state the name of the document you wish to access.]
The voice in his ear made Lee Seo-jun momentarily hesitate.
The name that had troubled his mind for days.
Though he was not yet mentally prepared, he organized his thoughts and spoke.
“Jin Cheonwoo.”
[“Jin Cheonwoo” document classification: “Top Secret.”]
[Access restricted due to Lee Seo-jun’s insufficient clearance.]
[Only accessible documents will be displayed.]
“Tch.”
Lee Seo-jun bit his lip.
Top secret. He had somewhat expected it, but hearing it directly left him feeling hollow.
Jin Cheonwoo. Just who was this person to be so heavily concealed?
[Jin Cheonwoo, male. Leader of the criminal mage organization “Jaun.”]
“…That’s it?”
This contained even less information than a simple internet search.
“Hmm.”
Should he ask his grandfather?
But his grandfather had never once mentioned Jin Cheonwoo to him.
And within the association, bringing up Jin Cheonwoo to Chairman Kim Jin-cheol was an unspoken taboo.
Because of that, Lee Seo-jun couldn’t carelessly mention Jin Cheonwoo to Kim Jin-cheol.
“…Deactivate.”
[Deactivating “Archive.”]
With information restricted, there was nothing more to gain here.
Unless he stole Kim Jin-cheol’s Mage Association card—
But that was realistically impossible.
Lee Seo-jun pulled out his smart student notebook and searched for “Jin Cheonwoo” on the internet.
The same normal records as always.
Then, a headline at the top of the page caught his eye.
[“Artifacts used by former Jaun leader Jin Cheonwoo to be exhibited at the August 10th social event, ‘Night of the Pioneers.’”]
At the same time, at the headquarters of “Blade of Dawn.”
The door burst open, and a handsome young man, Jung Jae-won, walked in.
“Noona! I got invitations to the Night of the Pioneers!”
At his words, Yoo Ah-yeon looked up.
“Good job. How many?”
“Four in total. As soon as I mentioned your name, the event organizers handed them over without hesitation. They said the ‘Fire Witch’ is welcome anytime.”
Yoo Ah-yeon nodded.
Jung Jae-won stared at her for a moment before speaking.
“But… do you think the Jaun guys will show up?”
“They will. They’re showcasing Jin Cheonwoo’s artifacts, after all.”
“Even so, how would they find it? They’ll probably disguise themselves using transformation magic tools.”
“You know how it is. We have no fool proof method.”
At Yoo Ah-yeon’s nonchalant response, Jung Jae-won let out a deep sigh.
“Ugh. Seriously? Are you kidding me?”
Yoo Ah-yeon simply shrugged.
“But… what if they try to cause chaos at the event while going after Jin Cheonwoo’s artifacts?”
“That, I can’t say. Still, we have to be prepared for all possibilities.”
This year’s “Night of the Pioneers” was expected to be the largest ever.
Not only would high-ranking figures from prestigious corporations and elite circles be in attendance, but also representatives from renowned mage guilds. Among them, there would likely be a fair number of A-rank mages.
Given Jaun’s recent efforts to stay under the radar, the chances of them attempting something reckless seemed low.
But since the matter involved their almost god-like figure, Jin Cheonwoo, there was no telling what they might do.
“Still, they’ll definitely be there.”
To Jaun, Jin Cheonwoo wasn’t just their leader.
He was an object of worship.
Jaun was practically a cult that revered him.
If Jin Cheonwoo’s possessions were on display, they would undoubtedly come to see them.
“You said we have four invitations, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Gather the team for a meeting. Let’s decide who will attend the event.”
A grand mansion somewhere in Seoul.
The surroundings were drenched in blood.
Nearby, grotesquely disfigured corpses littered the ground.
“They put up more resistance than expected.”
“Yeah. I thought he was just a businessman, but he knew quite a bit of magic.”
Jin wiped the blood off his face. The metallic scent stung his nose, but his expression remained unchanged.
“This was the last invitation, right?”
Natasha waved a golden envelope.
“Yeah, that’s right. Oh, and make sure to scan their faces properly. We’ll need them for disguise magic.”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”
Just then, the mansion doors burst open, and Bert walked in.
“Jin! Is everything done?”
“Yeah. Perfectly.”
“Good. Oh, and what about the money for the underground auction?”
“All set. 200 billion won in cash—more than enough.” *153.8 million USD
Bert nodded at Jin’s answer.
“That’s a relief. If we lost the auction, we’d have to kill everyone and cause a mess, which would screw up our schedule.”
“I know. But with 200 billion, we won’t lose. No way.”
An underground auction would take place alongside the Night of the Pioneers.
One of the items up for bidding was a holy relic—the “Core of Mana.”
A relic containing infinite mana.
It was essential for Jaun’s ultimate goal.
Because it was the only power source that could fuel their ancient magical weapon—the “Grand Mage Purifier.”
Jaun had something they absolutely had to accomplish using this weapon.
“Alright, listen up, everyone.”
At Bert’s words, nine people gathered inside the mansion.
Among them were some who had just returned from extended leave.
Theresa, Heather, Aaron, Lee Cheong.
“You all know what’s happening this weekend. Our top priority is the ‘Core of Mana.’ The second is retrieving his artifacts. The first task is straightforward, but the second one could get dangerous.”
The Jaun members nodded.
“There can be no mistakes. Stay sharp and follow the plan thoroughly.”
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