“Alright! Everyone, wake up!”
At Jang Ancheol’s call, I jolted awake.
I wiped the drool off the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand and lifted my head.
As my groggy mind cleared, a message popped up before my eyes.
[Character ‘Yoo Ara’ is curious about you.]
[You have received 500 points as a reward.]
“…What the hell?”
I glanced over at Yoo Ara. Our eyes met for a brief moment.
She didn’t avoid my gaze.
Instead, she looked at me with an odd expression, as if she had something to say, before turning her eyes forward again.
What’s that about?
As I pondered it, Jang Ancheol’s voice rang out again.
“Is everyone up? Then I’ll go over a few additional announcements before we wrap up today’s homeroom.”
“Yes—.”
“First, tomorrow’s class has been scheduled for 1 p.m.”
A few students cheered in excitement.
They were the ones who always dozed off in the first class of the day.
“Next, the grading for this midterm will be as follows: the tests on Monday and Tuesday will account for 60% of the total grade, while the remaining 40% will be based on previous class performance.”
“Ah…”
This time, groans of disappointment spread among some students.
“There may be more sudden changes in grading methods like this in the future. So I expect you all to keep up with your regular classwork. And lastly—”
At the word “lastly,” every student turned their attention to Jang Ancheol.
“The special elective class scheduled for next Wednesday has been canceled.”
A wave of disappointment rippled through the room again.
“That’s a shame.”
“Yeah, I was looking forward to getting out of this stuffy school for an outdoor class.”
The special elective class got canceled, huh…
Well, that’s actually good news for me.
I find going outside a hassle anywa—
“…Huh?”
Wait a second.
Did he just say next week’s special elective class is canceled?
“…You’ve gotta be kidding me!”
At my sudden outburst, all the students turned to stare at me.
According to the original story, next week’s special elective class was supposed to include a significant episode—the Seoul Station Terror Incident.
Lee Seo-jun and Yoo Ara would have been paired together for a visit to the Seoul Mage Association, where they would get caught up in a small-scale terrorist attack at Seoul Station.
This event was quite important in the original plot.
It marked the beginning of Yoo Ara’s increased relevance in the story and served as a turning point in her relationship with Lee Seo-jun, bringing them closer.
It also revealed her hidden past and personal trauma…
“What the hell do I do now?”
But with this sudden change in the story, the special elective class was canceled.
The Seoul Station terror incident—which should have been stopped by Lee Seo-jun and Yoo Ara—was now left unchecked.
This meant there was no one to prevent the terrorists from carrying out their attack.
If things went as they did in the original story, the mana bomb planted at Seoul Station could cause significant casualties.
If an important character were to die unexpectedly, things would get incredibly messy.
‘Am I going to have to step in?’
The problem was that the attack was set to happen on Wednesday, a school day.
How was I supposed to stop it?
The Mage Academy didn’t grant early leave or sick days easily.
Skipping school required a solid excuse that no one could argue with.
And if I left without permission, I risked getting hit with a school warning.
“…Ugh.”
There was only one solution.
Eliminate the cause of the incident before it even begins.
That was my best bet.
“Here’s your iced Americano.”
A small café near the school.
I grabbed my coffee and sat down at an empty table.
“Hey, did you hear about the terrorist attack in Incheon?”
“What? Another one? That’s crazy.”
“The world’s getting more dangerous every day.”
I overheard people chatting about the recent attack.
The Incheon terror incident.
It was orchestrated by the same culprit behind next week’s Seoul Station terror attack.
As expected, the events were unfolding according to the original story.
I pulled out my smart student notebook and went online.
[National Top Portal Site – Hermes]
I typed a name into the search bar—the mastermind behind the upcoming attack, Jo Seong-hoon.
He wasn’t leading a large-scale terrorist group, just a small organization with the name “Explosion Flame. But he was still dangerous.
[Search results for ‘Jo Seong-hoon’]
[Profile: Jo Seong-hoon]
Affiliation – JQ Group
Occupation – Alchemist, Mage
…
…
As expected, there was nothing useful.
Just the publicly available information on Jo Seong-hoon.
In the original story, he wasn’t a major character. He was more of an expendable extra, inserted just to set the stage for the incident.
“Hm…”
It was pointless to look for personal details on a portal site.
I closed the browser and pulled out my phone, drafting a message.
[Han Se-yeon, I need a favour. Are you available?]
Message sent.
Ding!
A reply came almost immediately.
[It’s been a while. What’s the favor?]
[I need you to track someone down. By this weekend.]
[Who?]
[Jo Seong-hoon from JQ Group.]
[Not someone I’m familiar with. Why him?]
[I have some personal interest in him. Please investigate his recent movements in detail.]
[Alright. I’ll look into it.]
[Thanks, I appreciate it.]
That should do it. Han Se-yeon’s information network was reliable.
Just as I put my phone back in my pocket—
A voice called out behind me.
“Phew, finally found you.”
I turned around to see a young woman looking at me.
“Kim Sun-woo, right?”
An all-too-familiar face.
I recognized her instantly.
How could I not? She was someone who frequently appeared on the news.
She might look like a young woman in her twenties, but her actual age was more than double that.
“…Mage Jung Yoon-seul?”
Jung Yoon-seul.
One of the top five support mages in the world.
“That’s me. Nice to meet you.”
“…What brings you here?”
“It’s nothing serious. I just wanted to have a chat with you.”
“With me?”
…Out of nowhere?
“I heard about you from Yunjin.”
“Ah…”
If it’s Yunjin, it’s probably referring to Kim Yunjin, the support magic instructor.
According to the original story, Jung Yoon-seul was Kim Yunjin’s mentor.
I could already guess what this was about, so I spoke first.
“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of transferring to the support magic department.”
“Huh? Ah, I see. That’s a shame, but if you don’t want to, there’s nothing I can do.”
…What? Jung Yoon-seul reacted surprisingly coolly.
I had been worried since she was portrayed as such an eccentric character in the original story.
“Instead, can you answer a few questions? I’m curious about something.”
“What is it?”
“Were you at the third-year exam site yesterday?”
I remained silent for a moment at Jung Yoon-seul’s question.
I needed to think about what she was aiming for with this.
“Yes, I was.”
A sloppy lie would be exposed immediately.
Besides, I was there with Lee Seo-jun, so some people must have noticed us.
“Is that so? Then… was it you who dispelled the barrier?”
So that’s why she came looking for me.
Jung Yoon-seul suspected that I was the one who dispelled the barrier yesterday.
What should I say?
If I answered truthfully, there was a chance my abilities would become known to the world.
That would earn me a massive amount of points and be beneficial in the short term,
but it would also increase the likelihood of becoming a target for the demons.
It’s not time yet.
I’m still weak, with nothing to my name.
Drawing the demons’ attention needs to come much later.
“No.”
Jung Yoon-seul stared straight into my eyes.
Then she grinned.
“You’re playing dumb.”
“How could I possibly dispel something like that?”
“It might be possible. I watched your dungeon exploration video the other day.
You unraveled everything at an unbelievable speed.”
“I’m sorry, but it wasn’t me.”
At my firm response, Jung Yoon-seul nodded.
“Is that so? Alright, then.”
She stood up faster than expected, accepting my answer without much fuss.
Then she pulled out a business card from her pocket and handed it to me.
“If you ever need to contact me, use this. Well then, see you next time.”
[Character ‘Jung Yoon-seul’ has taken an interest in you.]
[You have received 500 points as a reward.]
With that, Jung Yoon-seul left the café.
I blankly watched her retreating figure.
After finishing a simple personal training session, I returned to the dormitory.
The moment I got back, I took a shower to wash off my sweat, then sat on my bed and turned on the TV.
「A magic terror attack has occurred in the new city district of Seo-gu, Incheon. This attack has resulted in 46 deaths and 142 injuries. The Mage Association is currently conducting an investigation. Let’s go live to the scene.」
The news broadcasted footage of the horrifying terror incident. Collapsed buildings, ambulances carrying the injured. The news anchor explained that it was a magic bomb attack set up by someone.
「Some speculate that this attack may be linked to the recent terrorist incident in the United States, suggesting it may have been carried out by the same perpetrator. However, the Mage Association considers the differences in scope and method significant, making it unlikely that the same culprit was involved.」
The terror incident in the U.S.? That must be referring to the attack carried out by the terrorist organization, Jaun. But this attack had nothing to do with Jaun.
It was the work of that lunatic, Jo Seong-hoon, along with his insignificant subordinates.
“…Sigh.”
Keeping up with the constantly changing story is exhausting.
Since it’s still early in the plot, I can manage to predict things somewhat, but a year, two years… five years from now? At some point, everything I know will become useless.
I need to build my strength before that happens.
“Oh, right. How’s my stock doing?”
Suddenly remembering, I logged into the securities app. I’d been so busy lately that I hadn’t checked at all.
[Hanseong Pharmaceuticals – 1,025,262 (+13.52%)]
“Ohh.”
It’s nearly doubled.
Thanks to the recent demon-related incidents and terrorist attacks, interest in the potion industry has surged.
“Feels like it’s peaking soon.”
Should I sell some?
Holding onto stocks that won’t rise any further is meaningless.
Once the market opens tomorrow, I’ll sell off about 1 billion won’s worth and reinvest in stocks with better growth potential.
Speaking of which…
“Oh!”
Thinking of high-growth potential stocks reminded me of something.
[Dawn’s Blade – 11,242 (+2.24%)]
Dawn’s Blade was a guild that later played a significant role. Several of its members became prominent figures in the mid-to-late stages of the story.
Not to mention, the leader of Dawn’s Blade was none other than Yoo Ah-yeon, an S-rank mage known as the “Witch of Fire.”
Among mages, she was already one of the most popular figures.
“Maybe I should invest a little here too.”
With Yoo Ah-yeon leading it, the guild’s growth potential was massive.
As I was thinking about my investment plans, an alert popped up on my smart student notebook.
[Kim Sun-woo, I need a favor.]
The sender was Yoo Ara.
A surprising name.
Why is she suddenly asking me for a favor?
Even in the original story, Yoo Ara rarely asked Lee Seo-jun for anything.
[What is it?]
[I heard from Hayoung that you’ve been teaching magic.]
Oh, that’s true.
[Yeah.]
[Teach me too.]
“…Huh?”
What is she talking about? Me, teach her?
Did she hit her head while she was hospitalized?
[How am I supposed to teach you?]
[You’re good at magic. I know it.]
What nonsense is this?
Yoo Ara’s magic was already nearly perfected.
The only thing she lacked was real combat experience.
Even if I were qualified to teach, there wouldn’t be anything left for me to teach her.
[Stop talking nonsense.]
[…Are you discriminating against me?]
Oh, come on.
Who’s discriminating against who?
[Character ‘Yoo Ah-ra’ feels mistreated by you.]
[You have received 500 points as a reward.]
“…Unbelievable.”
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