“He’s not my lackey. He’s just a classmate.”
I pointed at Lee Seo-jun with my finger. Eun Hye-soo blinked at me, then let out a short laugh.
“My mistake. That kid’s so famous for being exceptional, I assumed he’d have at least one lackey tagging along. If that offended you, I apologize.”
“It’s fine. I already knew what kind of person you were.”
At my emotionless response, Eun Hye-soo raised one corner of her mouth.
She looked slightly irritated.
“And what exactly do you mean by ‘that kind of person’?”
I shrugged.
“Someone with an abundance of confidence and pride.”
“A nice way of saying arrogant, huh? Heh heh.”
She immediately caught the underlying meaning of my words. Just like in the original story, this old woman was incredibly sharp.
Eun Hye-soo leaned halfway back on her bed, looking up at me as she spoke.
“So, you came looking for me because you want to become a disciple of the Eunwol family? Then let’s see what you’re capable of.”
Whoosh!
She waved her hand through the air. At the same time, strong mana surged from the floor, revealing a hidden magic circle.
Huuuung!
Two barriers were formed from the circle, one enclosing me and the other enclosing Lee Seo-jun.
The surroundings darkened, and several monstrous wolves appeared.
Those weren’t real wolves.
They were illusions.
So, there was no need to be concerned.
I gathered my mana and activated the Outsider’s Privilege.
Immediately, I could see the core of the mana forming the illusion magic. I carefully analysed the magic formula there.
Installed-type magic was generally built in similar ways.
Whether it was barrier or illusion magic, as long as the formula could be unraveled, it was relatively easy to dispel.
For others, it might take a lot of time to identify and decode the formula, but not for me.
I immediately began deconstructing the spell.
The magic circle on the ground began to glow, and the shape of the barrier surrounding me started to crumble.
That’s when I felt a chilling presence behind me.
My trait to sense killing intent had activated.
But something didn’t make sense.
My trait only responds to the killing intent of living creatures. Which meant that something alive was hiding inside this space.
Sensing danger, I swiftly dodged.
Whooosh!
A monstrous wolf snapped its fangs at the spot I had just been standing.
That attack wasn’t an illusion—it was real.
“What the…?”
I stared silently at the monster wolf.
“A summoned beast?”
As expected from the head of a noble family, this wasn’t ordinary.
To hide a real beast among illusions—and to do so subtly enough that distinguishing it was nearly impossible.
“What a dirty trap…”
In this case, dispelling the barrier would have to wait. First, I needed to deal with the summoned beast hidden in here.
KRAANG!
The monster wolf lunged at me again.
I ducked and drove a spell straight into its belly.
Boom!
GRAAARGH!
The wolf collapsed and vanished. Thankfully, since it was only for a test, it hadn’t been that powerful.
“Phew.”
I let out a breath of relief, then turned back to the barrier enclosing this space.
I quickly channeled mana and dissolved the barrier.
Flash!
Instantly, the world shifted back, and the original scenery came into view.
I looked around and saw the Eunwol family’s disciples watching me with wide eyes.
“What was that just now? How did he break the barrier so fast?”
“…Can someone that young really do that?”
Among the murmuring disciples, even Eun Hye-soo stared at me with astonishment.
“…Impressive. I didn’t think you’d be faster than Lee Seo-jun.”
I looked over at Lee Seo-jun.
His illusion barrier was still active, so I couldn’t tell what was happening inside. But the strong mana radiating out told me he was likely fighting within the illusion.
Before long, the barrier around him vanished.
He held a sword in his hand and was breathing heavily, suggesting a fierce battle had taken place.
“Haah…”
Eun Hye-soo looked back and forth between us and opened her mouth.
“You’re both incredible for your age. One of you dispelled it through orthodox means, and the other brute-forced it using raw power and mana. I didn’t expect much from you, but you really surprised me.”
She was looking at me as she said this.
“You pass the first test.”
At those words, a faint smile formed at the corners of Lee Seo-jun’s mouth.
Eun Hye-soo watched his expression for a moment before speaking again.
“Oh right, Lee Seo-jun. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a while.”
“Now that you mention it, earlier you said you were expecting me… Do you know me?”
“Of course. Wouldn’t it be weirder if I didn’t?”
“…”
Lee Seo-jun nodded, seeming to accept it without resistance.
“How’s the old man doing?”
“You mean the Chairman?”
“Yes, that Chairman.”
“Oh, he’s doing well. So… you know my grandfather?”
“Yeah, I know him…”
Eun Hye-soo muttered quietly, then said to Lee Seo-jun,
“So, you want to become a disciple of the Eunwol family?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
In response, she tapped the floor lightly with one hand before continuing.
“Let’s be honest. Isn’t it that you’re more interested in our protective barrier magic than becoming a disciple?”
Her words made Lee Seo-jun’s expression flicker with surprise. But she continued, unaffected by his reaction.
“You little thief. You show up out of nowhere and demand access to the family’s most guarded secrets.”
“…”
She wasn’t wrong.
And Lee Seo-jun, knowing that, stiffened his expression.
“Heh. Relax, I’m joking. I owe a debt anyway. If you want to learn, I’ll teach you. No need to change your surname to ‘Eun’ or anything.”
“…Debt? What do you mean by that?”
“It’s a long story. You don’t need to know.”
At her curt response, Lee Seo-jun went silent. After seeming to piece something together in his mind, he spoke again.
“So that barrier… You were the one who created it?”
“Yes, I designed it. My daughter owes her life to that guy. And… I’ve racked up a few other debts, too.”
“When you say ‘that guy’… you mean?”
“Jin Cheonwoo.”
Lee Seo-jun looked surprised, then glanced at me for a reaction.
Since the conversation had gone as expected, I wasn’t particularly surprised.
I met his gaze calmly and gave a small nod.
“I’d like to hear what kind of debt you are talking about.”
“I don’t want to. I don’t really feel like talking about that guy.”
Eun Hye-soo spoke with a disinterested tone.
“Anyway, that barrier is special.
It’s not something you can just get through after learning protective magic for a few days.
And that barrier is imbued with mystic energy, so even I can’t dispel it.”
Lee Seo-jun’s expression darkened.
“Well, with your talent, if you trained in the Eunwol clan for ten years—no, five years—you could probably get through it on your own.
But I already know you’re not someone who’ll stay here for five years.”
As Lee Seo-jun sank into deep thought, Eun Hye-soo added one more thing.
“There is a special method that could greatly shorten the time.”
“What method is that?”
“……”
Eun Hye-soo didn’t answer and instead turned her gaze to me.
“By the way, did you also come here to learn protective magic?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll accept Lee Seo-jun because of the debt, but you’re not the same.”
“Can’t I just become an official disciple and only learn the protective magic?”
“Well, look at this thief. Just the protective magic, you say?”
Even I had to laugh a little at how shameless that sounded.
“You’ve got skills, so I’ll take you as an official disciple if you want. But you can’t just learn the protective magic and run away.”
That’s when Lee Seo-jun stepped in.
“He’s my friend. Couldn’t you make an exception…”
“No.”
Eun Hye-soo cut him off firmly.
“Phew…”
I let out a sigh.
The Eunwol clan’s special protective magic is crucial for the story’s progression.
If it were ordinary protective magic, I could just spend points to learn it, but the one Hye-soo is talking about is a bit special.
It’s a secret technique of the Eunwol clan, so it would cost 100,000 points.
If she’s being this firm, I have no other choice.
I didn’t want to use this card, but…
“I know the cure for Mystic Fever.”
“…What? What did you just say?”
Eun Hye-soo stared at me in shock.
Then her expression shifted from surprise to anger.
I could feel a strong killing intent, but I continued calmly.
“I can cure the illness your granddaughter has.”
Mystic Fever.
It’s a disease where untamed mysterious energy lodges in the human body.
People with it suffer from sudden surges in body temperature and terrible pain.
And Eun Seol-ah, the Eunwol clan’s granddaughter, was afflicted with it.
For reference, her illness is only supposed to be cured during next year’s special class episode.
“How do you know Seol-ah has that illness?”
“I could tell from her hair colour. Silvery hair imbued with faint mysterious energy is a hallmark of Mystic Fever.”
“…I see. So you must’ve seen her on the way here.”
Eun Hye-soo nodded in understanding.
“But we already know the cure for Mystic Fever. The problem is we can’t get the necessary materials.”
“I can get them.”
“How?”
“The details are a secret.”
Eun Hye-soo pressed her lips together, then finally spoke to me.
“…Can you really cure Mystic Fever?”
“Yes. I’ve studied mystics quite a bit. And for the record, I ranked number one in theory at the Mage Academy.”
She turned to look at Lee Seo-jun.
He looked between me and Eun Hye-soo, clearly not used to the sudden change in tone.
Then, collecting himself, he spoke to her.
“You can trust what Sunwoo says.”
“It’s hard to believe, but the way he immediately recognized Mystic Fever makes me want to believe. Even after being tricked by so many physicians.”
Eun Hye-soo gave a faint, bitter smile.
“You can trust me.”
“Alright. I’ll give it a try. If you really cure Mystic Fever, the Eunwol clan will consider you a benefactor and give you full support in everything you do from now on. But… if you’re lying, you’ll have to take responsibility.”
Her voice turned chilling as she spoke.
“How much time do you need?”
“It’s late today, so from Saturday to Sunday—two days. And I’ll need your granddaughter with me for those two days.”
“Two days? Fine. Seol-ah! Come in!”
“Y-Yes!”
At that moment, Eun Seol-ah, who had been eavesdropping outside the door, replied in a startled voice and entered the room.
She glanced shyly at me and Lee Seo-jun before lowering her head.
“Seol-ah’s shy around strangers. Please understand. And as you’ve seen, there aren’t many men in the clan.”
Both Lee Seo-jun and I nodded.
“Seol-ah. He’s an important guest. Show him to his room.”
“Yes, Grandma.”
*
We followed Eun Seol-ah down a long hallway.
She kept glancing back at us as she walked.
“You’re Mr. Lee Seo-jun and Mr. Kim Sunwoo, right?”
She spoke as if she had mustered great courage.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I saw you online. You’re both really amazing…”
Lee Seo-jun gave an awkward smile at her words.
“We’re not that amazing.”
“I’ll be entering the Mage Academy next year, too. My grandmother was against it because of my illness, but I insisted and took the entrance exam.”
“Oh, really? Then you’ll be our junior.”
Lee Seo-jun smiled, and Seol-ah lowered her head again.
“…Yes.”
The conversation ended again, and we walked in silence for about three more minutes.
Eventually, we arrived at a room.
“You can rest here. If you need anything, just let me know. Oh, and have you had dinner yet?”
“Yes, we’ve already eaten.”
Hearing that, Seol-ah nodded and turned to me.
“Um… Mr. Kim Sunwoo? Can you really cure Mystic Fever? My mother couldn’t be cured and eventually passed away.”
Instead of replying, I simply nodded.
“…Alright. Then please rest well.”
With that, Seol-ah disappeared somewhere.
Only Lee Seo-jun and I remained in the room.
He looked around and said,
“Feels like we’re staying at a really nice countryside house.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty fancy.”
I looked around as I answered.
“What are you looking for?”
“A bed. I can’t sleep if there’s no bed.”
“You slept on the floor just fine in the last dungeon.”
“That was because we had no choice.”
Then, as if remembering something, Lee Seo-jun spoke again.
“Oh, right. There’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
At my question, Lee Seo-jun spoke in a serious voice.
“Earlier, Jin Cheonwoo was mentioned, right? Actually, he’s connected to my birth.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s your reaction? You’re not surprised?”
“Well, you’re ridiculously talented. It kind of makes sense.”
“…Still, your reaction is way too calm. Anyway, I wasn’t going to tell anyone, but I feel like I can trust you, Kim Sunwoo.”
I let out a small laugh.
“Oh, and by the way—can you really cure Mystic Fever?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to try. But you have to help me.”
“What? You said you could do it without even being sure?”
Lee Seo-jun looked at me in disbelief.
I answered him confidently.
“Yeah. It’s dangerous, but worth trying.”
TL : I don’t know what it is about that woman, but she kinda irritates me. It might just be that our Mc is a bit too submissive too.
Leave a Reply