Seoul, Jaun’s Hideout.
Jin was watching the news on television in awe.
“Wow. Bert, look at this. Lee Seo-jun has reached the 30th floor.”
At Jin’s words, Bert turned her gaze toward the television.
“As expected of Lee Seo-jun. But really, if it’s him, this is the bare minimum.”
“Is that so? Well, now that you say it, I suppose that makes sense. If he had failed, it would’ve been disappointing.”
“He’s done it before, after all…”
Bert replied as she pulled out her smartphone and searched for something—the ranking of the joint exam.
The first and second places were as expected, but the third-place name was an unexpected one.
“Kim Sunwoo ranked third this time?”
At Bert’s quiet murmur, Jin turned his head.
“Really? That guy is pretty strange. Just a few months ago, he was dead last.”
“Yeah. I never thought he’d make it to third place.”
“He’s been standing out a lot lately. Maybe he really is just a regular student? Do we even need to investigate?”
Jin’s words made Bert pause in thought.
There was some truth to it. If he were a spy planted by the Mage Association or the Blade of Dawn, he wouldn’t be acting so openly.
“…Is he really just a regular student?”
But there were too many things that didn’t sit right.
His growth rate was simply absurd.
A few months ago, he’d suffered from mana depletion while casting magic, and now he was placing third in the joint exam?
“Hmm… It is strange.”
Bert sighed deeply, still contemplating.
“…Ah, forget it.”
For now, she’d put it on hold.
Bert pushed thoughts of Kim Sunwoo aside and refocused on Lee Seo-jun.
Seoul Mage Association Headquarters, Top Floor.
The President of the World Mage Association, Kim Jin-cheol, was receiving a report from Kim Deokhyun.
“President, Seo-jun has reached the 30th floor in this tower-climbing test.”
At this report, Kim Jin-cheol stared out the window with a complicated expression.
Even though his cherished disciple had achieved an outstanding result, he didn’t seem particularly pleased.
“…I see.”
That short response carried a lot of weight.
Kim Deokhyun could read the emotions behind it.
A lingering fear—that the past might repeat itself.
“President, you can allow yourself to be happy. Your disciple has done well.”
At Kim Deokhyun’s words, Kim Jin-cheol sharply turned his head.
“Who said I wasn’t happy? Of course, I’m proud of my disciple’s achievements.”
With that, Kim Jin-cheol walked over to his chair and sat down.
“Well, I had a feeling this would happen. I figured he’d reach the top of the tower. I tried to keep it hidden, but the fact remains—Seo-jun carries his blood.”
“……”
Kim Jin-cheol fell silent for a moment.
“But that man is that man. Seo-jun is Seo-jun. They are entirely different people.”
“Yes, that’s undeniable.”
“Right… Still, I want to see Seo-jun. The finals are over, so vacation should be starting soon, right?”
“Yes, I believe in about two weeks.”
“Alright… Tell him to visit me once the break starts.”
Friday, 7 PM, Day 4 of the School Trip.
After resting at the hotel, I stepped outside.
Lee Seo-jun and Shin Young-joon had asked where I was going, but I just gave them a vague answer, saying I was going to look around.
There was a place I needed to visit during today’s free time.
Since time was tight, I had to move quickly.
“Kim Sunwoo.”
The moment I stepped outside the hotel, a voice called my name.
Leaning against the entrance wall stood a woman with dazzling blonde hair.
Lily Rose.
Why was she here?
Had she been waiting for me all this time?
Before I could finish my thoughts, Lily Rose spoke.
“By next spring.”
“…Huh?”
“Rank within the top five.”
She glared at me as she spoke.
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“Compete in the Sacred Martial Festival.”
“…Ah.”
The Sacred Martial Festival—a competition held once every three years, where the five great magic academies gathered to test their skills.
As its name implied, it was a battle among the stars, with only the top five students from each school based on overall academic rankings qualifying to participate.
Lily Rose was demanding that I enter the festival so she could take revenge for her previous loss.
“Well, who knows? The future is uncertain.”
“Shut up. Just make sure you place in the top five and enter. I’ll pay you back for the humiliation I suffered yesterday.”
I quietly chuckled.
It was the Lily Rose I knew from the original story—proud to a fault.
“Well, then. I’ll be off. See you next year.”
With those parting words, Lily Rose turned and disappeared somewhere.
I watched her leave blankly for a moment before resuming my steps.
After parting ways with Lily Rose, I entered a random building and changed into Kim Jinwoo’s outfit.
I needed to conceal my identity.
That said, I didn’t take on Jinwoo’s face this time.
Since what I was about to do could catch Jaun’s attention, I put on a mask to further obscure my face.
I walked in the direction of London’s landmark, Big Ben.
In England, most magic-related establishments were concentrated around Big Ben.
“This must be it.”
I arrived at a small magic artifact shop—Mystic Curiosities.
It had made an appearance in the original story once before.
If one had a keen eye, they could find rare and unique items hidden among the ordinary stock.
—Ding!
As I stepped inside, a bald man greeted me.
“Welcome. Are you looking for anything in particular?”
I took one look at his face and activated Character Insight.
━━
Name: Nick Smith
Age: 42
Race: Human
Status: Calm
Mana Rank: C-
Interest Level: 0
━━
The name matched the one I knew.
Nick Smith.
At the same time, the Outsider’s Privilege activated, allowing me to speak fluent English naturally.
“I’m here to make a trade.”
“A trade?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of trade?”
“I have some antiques that might interest you.”
Nick gave me a suspicious look.
“And where did you hear that I collect antiques?”
“That’s a secret.”
“In that case, there’s no need for a trade.”
Ignoring his words, I took out the antiques I had prepared in my bag.
They were items I had stolen from Jaun’s hideout.
The Tome of a Thousand Days, the Myan Tribe’s Tablet, the Saryul Clan’s Jar, and the Golden Statue of Shakan.
As I placed them on the table, Nick’s previously indifferent expression underwent a dramatic shift.
Just as the story described, he was utterly obsessed with antiques.
I inwardly smirked.
“Take a look.”
Nick lowered his head and pulled out a small magnifying glass from a drawer.
It looked ordinary, but it was a special tool capable of appraising magical items.
Carefully examining the artifacts one by one, Nick finally looked up.
“Where did you acquire these? To my knowledge, they were all stolen goods.”
“You recognized their value instantly.”
At my response, Nick frowned before letting out a deep sigh.
“Fine. I’m interested. How much do you want?”
“I’m not looking for money. I want to trade.”
“A trade, huh? What item are you after?”
I glanced around the shop.
“I’ve heard you have items you keep in your private collection rather than selling.”
Nick looked startled.
“…How do you know that?”
“I’d like to take a look at them.”
Nick hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“Fine. Follow me.”
He led me into a small backroom.
Inside, the space was filled with unique artifacts and magical items.
“…Oh.”
Using the Outsider’s Privilege, I examined the items.
One by one, their hidden effects surfaced before my eyes.
Most of them were B- or A-rank items, excluding the antiques.
As I scanned the collection, one particular artifact caught my eye.
━━
[Broken Ladle (Relic)]
Description: A broken ladle. If repaired, its mystical power will return.
━━
…A relic?
Why is a relic here?
I grasped the ladle.
It appeared to be a relic, but since it was broken, it had lost its power.
‘A broken relic, huh…’
I already knew how to repair broken relics.
The process was a bit tedious, but it wasn’t particularly difficult.
Besides, in a few weeks, an event would occur where a relic with the power to restore broken items would make its appearance.
“Hmm.”
Should I take this one?
I wasn’t sure what kind of power it had, but if I could repair it, I could sell it for a profit.
“I’ll take this one. It doesn’t seem like a high-value item, so I assume I can pick out a few more?”
I tossed the question out casually, just in case.
Nick gave me a curious look before nodding.
“Go ahead.”
“Ugh, finally~”
After a five-day, four-night school trip, I was back at the dormitory at last.
I didn’t need a luxury hotel—nothing was as comfortable as home.
Of course, this dorm wasn’t my actual home, but it felt that way.
“Oh, this is nice.”
Final exams were over, so now only the break remained.
The break would start on a Wednesday, two weeks from now…
Once it began, most students would leave the dorm and return to their family homes.
But I didn’t have a home to go back to.
That was the setting for the character ‘Kim Sunwoo’ in this world.
He was a newly added existence—nothing more than a name and age, with no other established background.
“I need to find a place to live.”
In my previous life, I had no choice but to stay in the dorm, but things were different now.
I had plenty of money and a fair number of high-profile connections.
Unless it was some kind of unique magical artifact, there wasn’t anything in this world I couldn’t acquire if I wanted it.
I sent a message to Han Se-yeon.
[Can you find me a place to live in Seoul within the next two weeks?]
A reply came almost immediately.
[It’s doable. But why?]
[I need a place to stay in Seoul. I’ll send the payment right away.]
Han Se-yeon unusually went silent for a moment.
After about two minutes, another message arrived.
[Got it, got it. But… are you moving in with someone?]
“…Moving in with someone?”
[No. I’m living alone.]
[Just checking. If you needed a place for multiple people, I’d have to look for something bigger.]
“Hmm. That makes sense.”
A reasonable question.
[Since I’ll be living alone, I don’t need a large place.]
[Understood. By the way, where do you live now, Jinwoo?]
An unexpected question.
[Seoul.]
[Seoul? Then why do you need a new place?]
[I live in a goshiwon.]
A dormitory and a goshiwon weren’t all that different, so this seemed like a reasonable answer.
As expected, Han Se-yeon’s surprised response came quickly.
[You live in a goshiwon? Seriously?]
[Yes. That’s why I need a new place.]
[Wow. I never would’ve guessed. I thought you had plenty of money, but you live surprisingly frugally.]
She was free to imagine whatever she wanted.
[Yes, but goshiwon life is inconvenient, so I’m moving.]
[Alright. I’ll contact you as soon as I find a place.]
“…That settles housing.”
I put my smartphone away and got up.
From my subspace, I retrieved a medium-sized flowerpot.
A solid wooden pillar stood firmly in the pot.
Though the design was a bit rough, the luxurious exterior of the pot made even its ruggedness seem like a refined piece of art.
“Where should I put this?”
I looked around and placed it by the window, where it seemed to fit best.
Taking a step back, I examined the overall scene.
“Looks good.”
This was a special flowerpot I had obtained in exchange for an antique at the ‘Mystic Curiosities Store.’
It emitted pure mana, increasing the mana density in the room and keeping it clean.
It even had the effect of raising magical power by 0.005 every 24 hours.
( TL : That’s +3.72 rise in magic power a month which is not that much but still something )
If I kept it nearby for long enough, I might eventually notice a difference.
“I should bring this when I move to my new place in Seoul.”
Satisfied, I smiled and sat back down on the sofa.
Then, I took out a notebook.
Time to plan for the break.
Monday arrived.
With exams over, the school’s atmosphere had relaxed.
Even the teachers didn’t seem to mind, allowing free time during classes and letting students do as they pleased.
It was an abrupt change, and I wasn’t entirely used to it.
But compared to the other changes in my life, this was nothing.
The biggest change was the way other students looked at me.
“Sunwoo! Congrats on ranking third in the exams!”
“Wow, how did you improve so fast? Got any tips?”
Every student I passed in the hallway made a point to acknowledge me.
Now that the excitement over Lee Seo-jun’s tower climb was fading, the attention had shifted toward me.
“Whoa~ Sunwoo! Congrats!”
“Hello, Sunbae! I love your documentary! I’ll make sure to watch it live today!”
“…”
I was getting a taste of Lee Seo-jun’s life.
The constant attention from other students was starting to feel exhausting.
So this is what it’s like to be popular…?
“Hmm. Popularity is a hassle.”
If I maintained top-ranking scores in the next semester, this attention would only intensify.
Ugh. Just thinking about it was tiring.
As I mumbled to myself, I suddenly ran into someone.
It was Choi Seo-yoon.
She stared at me for about three seconds before smiling and bowing her head.
“Hello, popular Sunbae!”
“…”
She must’ve heard me talking to myself.
My face grew warm with embarrassment.
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