Time passed quickly.
Wednesday, Thursday… and finally, Friday, the last day of the week.
At last, the long-awaited day of moving into the apartment had arrived.
As soon as I finished all my classes, I immediately disguised myself as Kim Jinwoo and headed to the heart of Seoul.
After about 15 minutes in a taxi, I arrived at a massive mixed-use residential complex.
This place was known for its various magical facilities, including a training ground for mages, and was home to many renowned mages.
“Wow. This is amazing.”
Dazzling lights illuminated the night sky.
Cutting-edge magitech installations decorated the building’s exterior.
It was truly impressive.
I continued walking through the complex.
At first, the layout seemed a bit confusing, but after walking around a little more, I realized it was simpler than I had thought.
“Is this the place?”
Checking the address Han Se-yeon had given me, I looked up at the towering apartment building.
Seeing that the building number matched, it seemed I had arrived correctly.
I stepped inside.
In a corner of the first floor, a woman wearing sunglasses—Han Se-yeon—stood waiting.
“Han Se-yeon.”
“Oh, Kim Jinwoo.”
She spotted me and greeted me with a warm smile.
“You came early?”
“No, I just got here too. Let’s head inside. Oh, right—take this first.”
She pulled something from her coat and handed it to me.
It was an elegant-looking card and a piece of paper inscribed with a special symbol.
“This is the apartment key, and this is the resident identification magic imprint.”
“Ah.”
Resident identification magic.
I had a rough idea of what it was.
In my previous life, when I had purchased an apartment, I had received one of these magic imprints as well.
As the name implied, it placed a magical mark on the body to certify the resident’s identity.
With this, I could freely enter and exit my home without needing a key.
Of course, if I ever moved out, the magic imprint would automatically disappear.
I accepted both the apartment key and the resident identification magic imprint.
When I infused the imprint with mana, the symbol floated in the air before attaching itself to the back of my hand.
A moment later, the mark vanished.
That was proof that the imprint had successfully taken hold.
“You picked up on that new magic function right away.”
Han Se-yeon sounded slightly surprised.
“Magic isn’t that difficult. I can tell what something does just by looking at it.”
“Well… I guess that makes sense for you, Jinwoo.”
She nodded in understanding.
I chuckled and said, “Shall we go up?”
We took the elevator up to the 15th floor.
As I placed my hand on the door of unit 1502, the previously invisible magical imprint on my hand glowed, and with a click, the door unlocked.
“Oh. It’s spacious. And clean.”
The interior seemed to be around 30 pyeong (~100 square meters).
It was a bit large for one person, but overall, it wasn’t bad.
“But the place is fully furnished?”
Despite it being the first day of moving in, the apartment was already filled with furniture, as if someone had been living here.
However, there were no signs of prior use.
Some of the packaging was even still intact, suggesting that everything was brand new.
“I picked out the furniture myself. The place looked a little empty. Oh, and they’re all housewarming gifts.”
Furnishing the entire apartment as a housewarming gift?
That was just like Han Se-yeon.
Her generosity was on another level.
“Thank you. I’m really satisfied with it.”
At my words, she smiled and walked over to the dining table.
“Then, how about a little celebration and information-sharing party?”
With a sly grin, she pulled a bottle of wine from a paper bag.
Time passed, and by 10 PM, Han Se-yeon had gone home.
She had seemed slightly tipsy earlier, giggling to herself, so I was a little concerned that something might happen to her.
But since she had called for her attendant to escort her, I figured I didn’t need to worry.
Oh, and there was an unexpected bonus.
[Character ‘Han Se-yeon’ has increased her interest in you.]
[Character ‘Han Se-yeon’ Interest Level: 2]
[You have earned 2,000 points as a reward.]
Han Se-yeon’s interest had gone up.
She had burst out laughing when I jokingly teased her while she was drunk, and that apparently raised her interest level.
I wasn’t sure if it was just because of her sense of humor or if there was another reason.
Well, either way, I got points out of it, so I considered it a win.
After staring at the dazzling cityscape for a while, I went through the documents Han Se-yeon had prepared.
She had even gathered additional information on criminals beyond what I had asked for and organized it neatly.
How thoughtful of her.
“Hmm.”
The documents contained more details on the criminals’ movements and backgrounds than I had expected.
It was surprisingly thorough.
I had been wondering what to do with my free time over the break, but hunting down these criminals to accumulate causality and points seemed like a good option.
Catching criminals would also boost my reputation, and since reputation translated into points, it was a win-win.
Of course, my top priority was still getting involved in key events with important characters during the break, so this would just be a side activity when I had time.
After tidying up the table, I got ready to head outside.
Now that I had moved in, I wanted to check out the facilities in the building.
I had heard that there was a mage-exclusive training ground on the second floor, so that would be my first stop.
Pulling my cap down firmly, I stepped out the door.
Since I had checked into the apartment under the name Kim Jinwoo, I kept my disguise—beard and glasses—intact.
As I pressed the elevator button and waited, the door to the neighbouring unit suddenly swung open.
“Haahm…”
A yawning sound.
Then, a woman stepped out.
“Eh?”
She looked at me. I looked at her.
A familiar face.
My body instinctively froze, and I hurriedly pulled my cap down further.
So she was my next-door neighbor?
“Oh, so you’re the new guy next door? I saw the movers earlier, so I figured someone was moving in.”
“…Yes. I moved in today.”
I intentionally deepened my voice.
And, of course, I avoided eye contact.
“Whoa, your voice is super rough. Must smoke a lot, huh? Tsk. If cigarette smoke seeps into my place, I won’t let it slide~ I might even kill you for real.”
Her casual, blunt tone was exactly like I remembered.
“…I’m a non-smoker, so you don’t have to worry. And my voice has always been like this.”
“Hmm? Really? With that scruffy beard, you totally look like a heavy smoker.”
“…That’s just a stereotype. What does a beard have to do with smoking?”
“Well, that’s true.”
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
The woman and I stepped inside together.
As I reached for the button, she blocked my hand.
“Where are you headed? I’ll press it for you.”
“…The second floor.”
“The second floor? I’m going there too. Ah, so you’re a mage as well?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The woman laughed heartily.
“Haha! Nice to meet you~ I’m a mage too. What’s your specialty?”
“…Manifestation.”
“Hmm, manifestation type. What’s your main attribute and form? Oh, I’m not prying or anything. Mages just ask each other these things sometimes.”
“That’s… a secret.”
“A secret, huh? Well, I get it.”
Ding!
The doors opened.
The woman and I stepped out of the elevator.
On the second floor was a massive magic training hall.
From strength training areas to mana control chambers, it was equipped with an array of advanced facilities.
This was on par with, if not better than, the training facilities at a mage academy.
As I took a moment to admire the place, the woman looked at me.
“Hey, must be your first day here. You look pretty impressed. I felt the same way when I first moved in, so I get it! Haha!”
She laughed heartily and then stepped closer to me.
“But hey, we’re neighbours, so let me see your face. Why do you keep hiding it?”
“…I’m not confident about my looks.”
“Don’t give me that nonsense. Let’s at least introduce ourselves, neighbour to neighbour. We’re in the same profession, too. What’s your name?”
She leaned in, pressing me for an answer.
“…Kim Jinwoo.”
“Kim Jinwoo? Never heard of you. What’s your rank?”
“B-rank.”
She nodded, staring intently at my face.
“…You look kinda familiar.”
“I just have a common face.”
“Is that so? Maybe… yeah, maybe that’s it.”
She studied me for a while before suddenly saying,
“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Jung Yoon-Seul. Ever heard of me?”
“…Damn.”
After parting ways with Jung Yoon-Seul, I returned home and collapsed onto the couch, trying to calm my racing heart.
“My neighbour is… Jung Yoon-Seul?”
Jung Yoon-Seul.
Guild master of Rune of Enlightenment, a support mage guild.
One of the top five support mages in the world.
And she lives right next to me?
What kind of coincidence is this?
If she were just a famous person, I wouldn’t be so concerned.
The problem was that Jung Yoon-Seul had taken an interest in my past identity—Kim Sunwoo.
During the first midterm exam terrorist incident, she suspected that I was the one who dispelled the demon’s magic.
“…I need to be careful not to get caught.”
Jung Yoon-Seul was known for her sharp intuition.
She might already be suspicious.
And if…
If she found out that I was actually Kim Sunwoo,
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of trouble that would bring.
Jung Yoon-Seul was infamous among mages for being incredibly eccentric.
“Sigh.”
My first day in the apartment, and things were already getting complicated.
So much for enjoying the moment.
This is why people say having good neighbours is important.
Time passed, and it was Monday again.
Only two days remained until the start of vacation.
The school atmosphere was even more chaotic than last week.
Everyone was buzzing with excitement, eager to enjoy their break.
“Sunwoo! Have you planned anything for vacation?”
Yoon Hayoung approached me.
“Not sure. Probably training or maybe some part-time work.”
Since I planned to continue my magic training over the break, it wasn’t a lie.
“Really? So, does that mean we’re taking a break from our secret training?”
She was referring to our Demon Slayer Power training inside the dungeon.
“We’ll have to pause for a bit.”
“Hmm… That’s kind of disappointing.”
Hayoung murmured with a hint of regret.
Just then, the classroom door burst open, and a student shouted,
“The final exam results are out!”
“For real?”
“Hey! Let’s check them now!”
As soon as they heard the news, the students quickly pulled out their smart student notebooks.
Hayoung immediately opened hers and checked her grades.
“No way. Sunwoo! I made it to 11th place in the practical exam!”
She beamed with excitement.
“Really? Congratulations. All your hard work paid off.”
“Yeah! I ended up finishing in 26th place overall. It’s all thanks to you.”
Seeing her so happy put me in a good mood, too.
“You promised to buy me a meal, remember? When’s that happening?”
I teased her.
Hayoung blinked in realization.
“Oh, right! How about today?”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. I was just joking.”
“No way. I actually want to treat you.”
“Hmm, in that case, sure. Let’s do it today.”
“Hehe, alright! My treat!”
Then, as if remembering something, she turned to me.
“Oh, right. Sunwoo, you should check your results too.”
“Yeah, I should.”
I pulled out my smart student notebook and logged into the comprehensive information system.
Hayoung immediately leaned in to look.
━━
[2nd Year – Final Exam Results]
[Kim Sunwoo] [2-A]
[Practical – 3rd place]
[Theory – 1st place]
[Final Ranking – 28th place]
━━
“Wow! Sunwoo!”
Hayoung gasped in amazement.
“Third in practical? Congrats!”
[Achievement unlocked: ‘Top 30 Final Ranking’]
[Reward: 5,000 points]
[Achievement unlocked: ‘3rd Place in Practical’]
[Reward: 3,000 points]
I stared blankly at my results.
Third in the practical exam.
First in theory.
And 28th place overall.
At last, I had achieved a ranking worthy of being called top-tier.
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