A monster known as a Seraphim.
The pill-shaped elixir, Seraphim Zepham, is made from the processed heart of a Heavenly Angel Type-7, and its characteristics are as follows.
First characteristic.
It boosts mana circulation and blood flow.
What does that mean?
It means it works as a stimulant—even for superhumans. Would something like wine work on a superhuman? What about Red Bull or an Americano?
Not really. The effect would be too weak. If a superhuman wants a proper boost, they’d need something like super-caffeine.
Something like Seraphim Zepham!
With its overwhelming boost to cerebral blood flow and mana circulation, Seraphim Zepham makes a superhuman truly superhuman.
Second characteristic.
It’s good for the body.
It greatly aids in fatigue recovery and mana regeneration.
After all, it contains multiple pure-grade Korean wild ginseng roots. Wild ginseng is a mystical mana-packed treasure that’s almost impossible to obtain.
Of course, for someone who downs dozens of these elixirs a day, it could be toxic.
Third. It’s outrageously expensive. (Important!)
For someone like Marie Caulfield, the cherished heir of an esteemed family, that might not be an issue… but this pill is worth more than an equal volume of pure gold.
Swallowing just one is like gulping down a luxury crocodile leather bag.
Gulp.
I tossed one of those elixirs into my mouth. The pill slid down my throat.
A sudden surge in blood flow.
And the mana infused within the wild ginseng.
I see.
So this is the power of mana….
No wonder people are willing to sell their souls to demons just to enhance their mana.
Meanwhile.
Something started rising rapidly in the corner of my vision.
— Seungtae, remember when you got tricked by that wrangler and had to go on assignment in Mongolia during your 23rd run?
It was a chat window.
Messages from viewers in my past broadcasts that I had only glanced at and skimmed over.
— Who even remembers that, you idiot?
— Just type “LOL” and move on.
— Seungtae, you also joined the Mongolian research team in the 11th run.
The human brain isn’t like a USB drive. We forget what we see and hear as we go through life.
But.
That doesn’t mean those memories are gone forever. They’re just buried somewhere deep in the brain.
The chat window…
Fragments of memories, long stashed away in the corners of my mind, suddenly burst to the surface.
Flash.
My vision flickered. The number of messages skyrocketed into the tens of thousands.
“…What’s your name?”
“Huh? Oh… um….”
I gave a half-hearted response while watching the chat flood up past the ceiling and into the sky.
“Ten hours of remedial lessons as punishment. Tsk! Any objections?”
Professor Crow skimmed through the attendance sheet.
That was a problem.
I didn’t care about grades, but losing time to make-up classes was unacceptable.
“Professor~ Can I respond?”
“No. Just state your name.”
“Well… in that case, let’s talk about last year’s research findings. The defining traits of a monster ecosystem spanning over eight million hectares…”
Actually, it wasn’t last year’s research.
It was information that hadn’t even been disclosed in academic circles yet.
A mere hypothesis—for now.
“…For example, in the Mongolian region, the two dominant monster species competing for supremacy are the Dayjaw and the Nightstrike. At first glance, they seem to coexist due to their respective daytime/nocturnal habits, but—”
“T-T-Tsk?!”
Professor Crow’s beak dropped open.
It was only a hypothesis. But it was the truth.
I had gathered this intel firsthand while roaming Mongolia.
“…Malthusian trap. Ah, I need a diagram for this. Professor, may I borrow some chalk?”
I stepped up to the podium and illustrated the fluctuating population trends of the two monsters, driven by prey availability.
“As you can see, the two species do not share the same prey. However… they do share breeding grounds.”
Tens of thousands of chat messages filled my vision.
I filtered through the flood, extracting only the relevant information, organizing it into structured sentences.
It wasn’t just memory recall—my brain itself was operating at an insanely high RPM.
“When two distinct species are forced into limited breeding grounds, can they truly coexist peacefully? Even humans can’t manage that….”
“T-T-Taaaaaaaak?!”
After concluding my presentation, I returned to my seat.
“…Ah. Professor, may I sit down now?”
“…T-T-Tsk….”
“And… do I still have to attend remedial lessons?”
Thud.
I didn’t even wait for a response before collapsing onto my desk.
It felt like the circuit breaker in my brain had flipped to prevent overload.
“Mmmnya… mm… mnya… what?”
I jolted awake.
Did I fall asleep? No. I must’ve blacked out.
Checking the time, I saw that Professor Crow’s lecture had already ended.
The sharp taste of mana lingered in my mouth.
Seraphim Zepham—both an elixir and a pure mana concentrate.
Just one pill was too much for me.
Marie Caulfield pops four or five of these a day?
“Ughhh—ahhh!”
Stretching, I noticed how light my body felt. The stiffness from exhaustion had completely disappeared.
“So this is what an elixir does?”
“Tsk! Kim Seungtae, why did you pass out in class?”
“Wha—ack!”
Only then did I notice Professor Crow lurking beside me.
“Professor? But it’s break time now….”
“Answer me.”
“I didn’t sleep. I blacked out….”
Even I thought that was a terrible excuse. I squeezed my eyes shut.
I wasn’t just facing remedial lessons—I had a feeling this would escalate into something worse.
Flap! His feathers tickled my nose.
“Brilliant insight and research! You must’ve stayed up all night studying, huh?”
“Huh…?”
“And I could tell you’ve actually been to Mongolia! Tsk! Truly impressive!”
“Uh… sure….”
“Tsk! I used to pass out from research all the time in my younger days!”
Sliiiide…
Professor Crow started dragging me into the hallway.
“Uh… Professor? What’s going on?”
“Student. My research lab—”
“No thanks.”
Five minutes later.
Professor Crow was still trying, in his deep, dignified voice, to persuade me.
The man was a persistent bird.
“Just consider it one more time!”
“Professor… can you let go? I really hate studying….”
Professor Crow tilted his head.
“This is… quite the unexpected resistance.”
“Don’t assume students will just obediently accept everything professors offer.”
“Tsk! What?! Did you just talk back to me?!”
Professor Crow flapped furiously. I coughed and took two steps back.
He seemed genuinely upset.
Did I overstep?
“Ah, my bad—”
“Professors? Plural?! Tsk! Kim Seungtae! This is suspicious! Did another professor recruit you first?!”
“Uh… yeah, actually.”
“T-T-Tsk! D-Don’t tell me… it was that bastard Wrangler?!”
“Ding-ding-ding….”
“T-T-TAAAAAK! You traitor!”
Professor Crow jabbed his beak at me, and I instinctively dodged—but barely.
Even Spectral Step was useless against his furious pecking.
“Enough! I rejected Wrangler outright.”
I clutched my forehead, where a fresh bruise was forming.
Damn it. That hurt.
“P-Prove it! Shout right now that Wranglers are parasitic hatchlings…!”
“Ah. That’s a bit…”
“Shout it! Now!”
“Wranglers are parasitic hatchlings! Nest-switching bastards!”
If that’s what it takes, I can do it!
Wrangler scum!
When I even threw in extra insults without being asked, Professor Crow heaved a sigh of relief.
“Fine, fine! I’ll believe you’re not one!”
“Come on, I even chanted the slogan. If you keep doubting me, I might actually end up joining Wrangler Labs…”
“……!”
Professor Crow turned pale.
[Lucy… doesn’t understand!]
[Lucy… Crow is cute!]
Lucy expressed her confusion. Well, it would seem odd to her.
To explain—
Within the Superhuman Academy, power struggles are a constant. From interdepartmental turf wars to factional rivalries, and even personal disputes between professors.
Just like the relationship between Professor Crow and the Wranglers.
The professor factions of the Superhuman Academy, <Wranglers> and <Crow Flock>, have a truly great relationship.
So very close.
They bury each other’s journal articles with counter-articles. They respond to conference presentations with rival presentations.
If it ended there, it would be fine. The problem is that their passion for research has long since escalated into personal vendettas.
[Lucy… loves watching fights!]
[Lucy… preparing cheer sticks! Fighting!]
Wait a second…
Vendetta, huh?
“Professor Crow, sir!”
“You’ve decided to join, after all? Good choice!”
“No… Isn’t there a project you’re competing with Wrangler on?”
Clack! His beak clicked shut.
He looked at me as if wondering how I knew.
The timing should be around now. It’s far from commercialization, but they must have completed at least a prototype.
“Professor Crow, you’re a truly amazing scholar, but when it comes to <Temporary Attribute Infusion>, that’s Wrangler’s specialty, isn’t it?”
“…Caw…”
Professor Crow drooped.
Temporary Attribute Infusion.
It’s research into granting temporary properties to weapons, though strictly speaking, it’s not meant for superhumans.
Superhumans typically wield weapons that already have inherent attributes.
So, the real focus of this research is <Mass-Produced Enchantments>.
The idea is—could they easily, almost like a factory assembly line, imbue attributes (enchantments) onto ‘standard-issue equipment’ used by soldiers, mercenaries, and agents?
In short, they’re researching ways to add attributes to firearms.
“Since those Wrangler bastards have so many ties to military contractors… I know my sample quality is better, but I’ve got nowhere to send it for field testing. I need feedback… but that’s the hard part.”
Professor Crow hung his head. He really didn’t want to lose to Wrangler.
…That’s adorable!
Lucy and I screamed internally.
“That’s rough…”
“Exactly. I made all these prototypes, but without testing, they’re useless… Caw…”
“In that case, Professor… would you like me to test them for you?”
Conveniently enough—
I happen to be one of the people who’d benefit from this project.
I use firearms, just like soldiers and mercenaries!
“Caw! Are you serious?!”
Professor Crow’s head shot up.
Down with Wrangler!
Down with the mysterious nun!
A few days later.
In the underground training facility.
“Kim Pirate, something’s off about you.”
“Nngh…”
“No human triples their pull-up count in just a few days.”
“Nngh!”
“You’re not taking anything weird, are you?”
After finishing my last pull-up, I dropped to the floor. Above me, Yoo Eunha looked down with suspicion.
“Drugs? Of course I am.”
“Wha—HEY! I told you no steroids! I don’t get the science, but I saw it on YouTube!”
As Eunha shouted in outrage, Han Taepyeong stepped in to calm her down.
“U-Uh, Eunha… It’s not like that.”
“Then what? Growth hormones? That’s even worse! Those cause cancer! You should save up and buy proper elixirs instead!”
“Agh.”
Eunha was so fired up that Taepyeong, who had been trying to hold her back, went flying.
“Hmph. I didn’t take you for this kind of guy, Kim Pirate. We need to have a talk.”
I sprang to my feet like a coiled spring.
“Geez. Can’t a guy train in peace, Eunha?”
“What?”
“I am taking an elixir.”
“I knew it! You’re really—wait. An… elixir?”
Eunha took a step back, her expression filled with disappointment.
“This can’t be… You’re privileged?”
“Are you calling me a trust-fund baby?”
“Same thing! You rich bastard in human skin!”
“No, you idiot. I took out a loan.”
Wow.
Eunha took a step forward again.
“You went into debt? Wow. You’re insane about working out.”
“To keep up with Taepyeong’s routine, I need at least an elixir.”
“Okay, that’s… actually true…”
I didn’t actually take out a loan, but Seraphim Zepham’s stuff was a real elixir.
“Must be nice~ An elixir, huh~? Should I take out a full loan, too? Pawn my academy-issued weapon and just go for it?”
Eunha murmured as she tortured her abs.
…That’s a dangerous train of thought.
Anyway. Seraphim Zepham’s drug was absolutely insane.
Taking just 1/4 of a pill per day almost completely erased physical fatigue.
Taking 1/2 a pill let me function with barely any sleep.
Through trial and error, I found that my daily max dosage was 1/2 a pill.
I had swallowed a whole pill on the first day, so no wonder I was overdoing it.
[The effects of <Seraphim Zepham> seep into your torn muscle fibers.]
[As a <Hell Difficulty Clear Perk>, additional bonuses apply to your training results.]
[Strength has increased by 0.02.]
[Agility has increased by 0.03.]
[Endurance has increased by 0.02.]
Seraphim Zepham, Taepyeong’s routine, and the Hell Difficulty perk.
The holy trinity of gains.
I was experiencing stat growth so rapid that even Eunha was suspicious.
…Not that it meant much compared to those two monsters.
I turned to Taepyeong, who was still training.
“Hey, Taepyeong. Got plans this weekend?”
“This weekend…?”
“Shut up. That wasn’t a question. Keep Sunday free.”
“……!”
Finally, the time had come.
The first episode of Superhuman Chronicles.
Even if I wasn’t there, Taepyeong would get caught up in it, but I planned to escort him personally.
“You’re a bit clueless, after all.”
“…? Out of nowhere?”
“There’s a reason. Just keep your schedule clear.”
[Lucy… loves escorts!]
[Lucy… ghostly lady!]
We’ll wait inside the church and then take down those Heavenly Church bastards together.
“Oho. Where are you two guys going this weekend?”
Eunha, still torturing her abs, sidled over with interest.
“We’re going to see a masterpiece. You know? Studies show that people who watch masterpieces don’t live longer.”
“Hmm. Seungtae, masterpieces are fine and all, but I’d rather train instead—”
“Oh, come on! Taepyeong, do you seriously compare everything to training? Are you a training bot or what?”
Taepyeong said nothing, but his lips pouted slightly.
Time for my trump card.
“Alright, fine. Afterward, we’ll check out those new Full Guys workout machines or whatever.”
“…New workout machines?!”
Of course, that’s assuming we survive the church incident.
Eunha, intrigued by the mention of new equipment, circled around us curiously.
Right then, a long-awaited message arrived.
-
Professor Crow: Ready.
(Continued in next chapter)
