12 noon.
The special training for the Sacred Martial Festival, which lasted for three days and two nights, had come to an end.
Over the past few days, they had undergone various types of training—physical conditioning, individual combat, stage escape drills—but the most emphasized part of all had been teamwork training.
Although the Sacred Martial Festival includes individual events, the main attraction is the inter-school competition.
Because of that, unlike the awkward atmosphere on the first day, the mood now was quite friendly.
Everyone must have grown close during that short time.
Now that the special training was over, the students packed their belongings and gathered in one place.
Standing before them was Lee Hee-young, the teacher in charge of the Sacred Martial Festival training and their representative.
“Great job enduring the past three days of training. It might feel like a short time when thinking about how long is left until the festival, but I believe this was still a good opportunity to bond with teammates you weren’t familiar with and improve your teamwork.”
The students nodded in agreement to Lee Hee-young’s words. I, too, listened intently.
After that, Lee Hee-young began a speech about magic and camaraderie. Just as it started to get a little boring, she clapped her hands loudly.
“Well then, that concludes all of the special training! Let’s meet again in March!”
“Yes!”
With cheerful responses, the students said their goodbyes and began to head off in their respective directions.
I was about to do the same when someone walked up to me.
“Sunbae-nim.”
Hearing the term “sunbae-nim,” I thought it might be Choi Seo-yoon, so I turned around—
But standing there was someone unexpected.
A silver-haired girl with a shy demeanor—Eun Seol-ah.
Her voice was clearly different, so I wasn’t sure why I confused her with Seo-yoon. Probably because I had heard Seo-yoon call me “sunbae-nim” so often.
“You worked hard during training.”
At my words, Seol-ah gave a small smile.
“You too, sunbae-nim.”
“Are you heading back to the Eunwol Clan now?”
She nodded.
“Yes, I should be. What about you, sunbae-nim?”
“I’m heading home to get some rest too.”
“Ah.”
Seol-ah gave a soft nod.
“Seol-ah! What are you doing?”
A voice called from behind her.
Turning to the direction of the voice, I saw a few first-year students calling out to her from a distance.
She was shy and reserved, so I was a bit worried, but it looked like she’d managed to make some friends to return with.
“Your friends are waiting. You should go.”
“Yes! See you in the spring!”
With a bright voice, Seol-ah gave a polite bow and ran toward her friends.
I watched her retreating figure with a pleased smile. Is this what it feels like to watch a younger sister adapting well to school life?
“Kim Sunwoo.”
This time, it was Lee Seo-jun who approached me. Behind him were Choi Seo-yoon, Yoo Ara, and several other key characters.
“We’re going out for lunch to wrap things up—you’re coming too, right?”
Lunch, huh.
I shook my head.
“Nah, I’m busy today.”
“What are you doing?”
Choi Seo-yoon stepped closer and asked.
“I’ve got a prior engagement.”
“A prior engagement?”
Choi Seo-yoon looked at me with puzzled eyes.
“Yeah. It’s a promise I made a while ago, so I really have to go.”
At my answer, Lee Seo-jun made a disappointed face.
“Hmm. That’s a shame.”
“Well, if he’s got plans, it can’t be helped. Let’s go without him,” Shin Young-joon chimed in.
“Yeah, we’re all meeting again next week anyway. We can eat together then.”
“Oh, right. Next week.”
Next week is when we use the “Training Room” ticket. We’ll probably spend more time there than we did in this special training.
“…I don’t even have a Training Room ticket.”
Just then, Lee Hyun-joo muttered in a annoyed voice from behind.
Oh, right. She was here too.
I had completely forgotten, since I hadn’t been paying her any attention lately.
“Sigh. You should’ve tried harder during the Taehwi Festival instead of slacking off,”
Shin Young-joon teased, earning a death glare from Lee Hyun-joo.
“…Anyway, I’m off. See you next week.”
“Yeah, take care.”
“Later.”
“See you next week, sunbae-nim.”
“Yeah.”
After saying my goodbyes, I left the training center.
I pretended to head toward the portal gate but quietly changed direction.
I wasn’t going to Seoul. I was headed somewhere else in Gangwon Province.
That’s because I had a dungeon I owned near the training center.
My prearranged meeting partner, Yang Taemin, was likely waiting for me there.
After confirming that no one was watching, I disguised myself as Kim Jinwoo.
Time passed, and I arrived at the dungeon.
“Oh ho…”
The place had changed quite a bit in the few days I’d been gone.
Before, it clearly looked like a dungeon, but now it resembled some kind of industrial factory. There were containers around, and signs of construction indicated that dungeon expansion was in progress.
“…Is this a security system?”
I looked at the red lasers completely sealing off the dungeon entrance.
Taemin had mentioned setting up a security system, but seeing it in person was something else. As expected of someone from a workshop background—he really made good use of magi-tech.
Using the card I’d received beforehand, I entered the dungeon.
I quickly arrived at the reward chamber where the magic stones were stored.
“Ungae?”
A familiar voice greeted me as I entered.
“Gretel.”
When I called her name with a smile, Gretel ran over with her short legs.
“You doing okay?”
“Ungae!”
Holding Gretel in my arms, I looked around.
Seeing the large pile of neatly stacked magic stones, it was clear that Gretel, the little worker, had been hard at work while I was away.
“Huh? Mr. Kim Jinwoo?”
At that moment, Yang Taemin appeared.
“When did you get here?”
Yang Taemin approached me with a smile. His eyes were darkened, probably from working hard.
Anyone would think he was just an employee, even though he’s technically the head of the company.
“I just got here.”
“Ah. This place has changed a lot over the past few days, hasn’t it?”
“Yes, it really has changed quite a bit.”
I looked around. The mining machines were densely packed.
I’d spent almost all the money I duplicated through stocks over the past few months to buy those machines.
Of course, once we start selling the mana stones properly, we’ll recover it quickly.
“Ungae.”
At that moment, Gretel looked at Yang Taemin. He looked back at her and spoke.
“That tree person is really impressive. At first, I didn’t know what to think because she cried like a baby, but every time she works, I get surprised. Haha.”
“Gretel’s a lot stronger than she looks.”
I set Gretel down on the floor.
She ran up to Yang Taemin and gently tapped his legs, as if showing affection.
It was the first time she’d been with someone other than me, so I was relieved to see her getting along well.
“When are you planning to start employee interviews?”
“As soon as possible would be good, but there’s still a lot to organize, so I’m thinking next week.”
“If it’s next week, I probably won’t be able to help again. I need to take about a week off.”
“Next week too? You must have a packed schedule.”
“There’s a lot of work that’s been piling up.”
“Alright, I understand.”
As our conversation wrapped up, we started walking deeper into the dungeon again.
Gretel waddled up to me and summoned a tree branch, holding something out to me.
“What’s this?”
“Ungae.”
What she handed me was a massive mana stone.
Its deep red glow indicated that it held a tremendous amount of magical energy.
“Don’t tell me… you’re giving this to me as a gift?”
“Ungae!.”
This thing would probably sell for a fortune. Why is she giving it to me?
Well, it’s technically mine anyway.
Still, it was a kind gesture, so I decided to accept it.
“Thanks, Gretel.”
I smiled and hugged her tightly.
Time passed busily in the dungeon, and before I knew it, it was 8 PM.
I used the portal gate and headed back to Seoul for my next appointment.
My destination was a high-end Korean restaurant called Hansook, which I had visited before.
When I opened the door following the staff’s guidance, Han Se-yeon welcomed me.
“Han Se-yeon.”
“Jinwoo.”
She stood up with a smile.
It felt like it had been a while since we last met. Something about her vibe had changed too—softer and more radiant.
“You changed your hairstyle a bit?”
“Oh, I went to the salon today. I’m on a two-day break starting today.”
She spoke with a cheerful smile.
Seeing her smile made me smile for no reason too.
Once we were seated, Han Se-yeon looked at me with a bright expression.
“So what’s the occasion? You made a reservation at a fancy place like this.”
“I said I would treat you to a meal. It’s a bit late, but still.”
“Oh, right. You did.”
We chatted casually for a while. As time passed, our table was filled with high-end dishes.
There was no alcohol. Alcohol is nice, but sometimes it’s better to have a clear-headed, sincere conversation.
“Oh, and this.”
I took a sip of water and placed the blue seaweed I got from the ruins on the table.
Immediately, a spark of interest lit up in Han Se-yeon’s eyes.
“Blue seaweed? The mana concentration looks impressive…”
She kept her gaze on the seaweed.
“This is from the East Sea, right? How did you get it? Looks like top-grade stuff. You can’t even buy this with money.”
“I was swimming in the sea and found it by chance.”
“Swimming? In this weather?”
She looked at me with a baffled expression.
“I had to hunt an underwater monster.”
“Wow… so you hunt underwater monsters too. Most mages tend to avoid that.”
That’s true. It’s hard to move freely underwater, and you can’t fully use your powers either.
“But why are you showing me this?”
“I wanted to ask a food expert how to eat it in the most delicious way.”
“Best way to eat it, huh…”
She chuckled.
“Give it to me. As a former top-tier chef, I’ll cook it in a way that suits your taste.”
I handed the seaweed over with a small smile.
She took it in her hands, glanced at me, and opened her mouth again.
“Hm. In that case, how about I cook it for you tonight?”
“Tonight?”
“Yeah. With such good ingredients, it’s hard to wait.”
I thought I’d have to wait about a week, so this was unexpected.
Well, I’m not complaining. Sooner is better.
“If you can cook it tonight, that’s perfect. Are we going to your company?”
“No, too many eyes there. I’ll cook it at home. I’ve got all the equipment.”
I nodded.
The idea of going to her house this late at night felt a bit odd, but I told myself not to overthink it.
After the pleasant meal, we stepped outside the restaurant.
Following Han Se-yeon to the parking lot, we got into her luxurious car.
As I sat in the passenger seat, the sweet scent of the diffuser tickled my nose.
Han Se-yeon turned her head slightly, rummaging for something.
Then she suddenly froze mid-gesture and looked up at me.
“……”
“What is it?”
Her face leaned just slightly closer to mine. Then she paused and took a small breath.
“…It’s nothing.”
She must have picked up my scent.
After eating Gretel’s fruit, my body started giving off a fragrance, and in the closed space of the car, it must have been stronger.
With a calm face, Han Se-yeon pressed the accelerator, and the car smoothly glided down the dark road.
I turned to the window absentmindedly, gazing at the streetlights lightning up the night, lost in thought.
Then memories of recent events passed through my mind.
A changed world. Beings who questioned me.
Stories that weren’t in the original work—things even I didn’t know.
“The Mysteries owned by the Hanseong Group… Are they managed by Vice Chairman Han Se-jin?”
At my sudden question, Han Se-yeon glanced at me before turning her eyes back to the road.
“Mysteries?”
“It’s already common knowledge that the Hanseong family owns many mysteries.”
“…That’s true. But why do you ask?”
“The Hanseong family’s Prophetic Mystery. I was wondering if I could possibly use it.”
