I stayed in the Pharmacy Club’s room and checked my smartwatch. The EN Entertainment’s CEO just accessed his pc.

I watched the mouse cursor move when I suddenly felt a weight on my shoulder.

“Oh… Where did you learn this skill?”

It was Chae Nayun. She clung to my back with her chin resting on my shoulder. Her entire body weight was on my shoulder.

Suddenly, the CEO synced his personal server to his desktop.

“

Ah!

He connected it!” I exclaimed and stood up.

“

Ack!

I bith my thong…

ouch…

”

“Quiet down and wait.”

“

Ah…

My tongue hurts… What’s going on?”

Click… Clack…

The mouse cursor moved and clicked a few times before he accessed his personal server. I immediately used

[Hacking]

the moment he opened the server.

[Hacking Target – Kim Jiheung’s Personal Server]

I instantly copied the entire server database before Kim Jiheung was able to switch his PC off. I started to comb through the files on the database.

“Hmm…”

There were a lot of files on the server, but none of them were related to Chae Jinyoon. However, there was one recorded conversation that caught my eye.

[How about we stick to Chae Joochul from now on? I think it’s a matter of time before things come to light.]

[Let’s discuss that matter in person later.]

This couldn’t be considered concrete evidence, but was more than enough to tell me that I was going in the right direction. There was definitely some sort of connection between Kim Sukho and Chae Jinyoon.

“This…”

Chae Nayun suddenly frowned while looking at the monitor.

Ddreuk…

The clubroom door opened and the newly formed trio of Yoo Yeonha, Kim Suho, and Yi Yeonghan entered. Yoo Yeonha was carrying a stack of files at her waist.

“Did you find something?” she asked before placing the stack of files on the table.

“Yeah, a bit.”

“That’s good. We also found something. Let me brief you on what we found first,” Yoo Yeonha said.

She took out a pen from her pocket and continued, “I asked my uncle… No, someone I know for a favor, but it’s going to take time. We did some digging ourselves.”

She underlined the name of a hospital ward in red and said, “Here. We heard a strange rumor from this unexpected place.”

Both Chae Nayun and I took a closer look at the file Yoo Yeonha marked.

“Where’s that?” Chae Nayun asked.

“But… the people that were following us were probably sent by Kim Sukho, right?” Yoo Yeonha changed the subject with a question.

I simply nodded in response.

“I guess so…” Chae Nayun muttered.

“So I was thinking…” Yoo Yeonha muttered while stealing glances at Chae Nayun.

Chae Nayun’s face stiffened before she let out a sigh, “

Haa…”

Yoo Yeonha focused her gaze on the file on the table and said, “The place Chae Jinyoon went to was… not a den of djinns, but rather… A place where the association and djinns secretly traded the relics they stole from others.”

“… What?” Chae Nayun muttered in shock.

She gritted her teeth so hard that we could clearly hear it and she glared at Yoo Yeonha.

The information Yoo Yeonha shared was so shocking that even Kim Suho and Yi Yeonghan looked at her in disbelief.

“W-Where did you hear that?”

“A patient in a mental hospital.”

“

Huh?

What? Hey, are you asking us to believe that right now or what?” Chae Nayun asked with a frown.

I could feel the heat of her anger radiating on my skin.

“That mental patient was the guild dispatcher in charge of sending Chae Jinyoon the coordinates, but he suddenly became mentally ill and was admitted to an asylum right after that incident. The strange thing is… he was admitted to an asylum in Hamgyong Province, and a very remote one at that,” Yoo Yeonha explained.

“…”

Chae Nayun covered her face and didn’t say anything.

I held her hand as she trembled and she looked at me with eyes that had tears welling out of them.

She tightly held my hand and said, “Then… my brother he… in that incident…”

“It’s possible that the association pulled some stunt to make sure he was silenced,” Yoo Yeonha continued.

Chae Nayun gritted her teeth and trembled. Her anger had reached a point where she had to clench her fist just to suppress it.

I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her. Her trembling anger resonated all over my body.

“Calm down. It’s only a possibility and nothing is certain yet. Also, we’re not strong enough even if it was true. We’re up against Kim Sukho,” Yoo Yeonha said. She bit her lips and added, “At least three years… We’re going to need that much time at least. I will become the guild leader of Essence of the Straits and you should establish yourself as a hero with your own forces, Nayun. It won’t be easy, but we will have to endure until then…”

Chae Nayun didn’t respond as she was busy suppressing the anger inside of her. It wouldn’t have been possible for the original Chae Nayun to suppress her anger in this kind of situation, but the current Chae Nayun was more than capable of controlling her emotions.

I responded on Chae Nayun’s behalf, “I think there’s a way to shorten that period.”

“

Huh…? Ah

, of course. We could do that if Nayun’s father, my father, and Jonghak help us. However, we’ll need more concrete evidence if we were to get their cooperation.”

“No, not that,” I shook my head.

We needed something else instead of family connections or power to put Kim Sukho on trial and pay for his crimes.

What we needed to do was…

Something that was clearly illegal and even more cowardly than the tactics he used.

***

In a skyscraper in Cheongdam overlooking the Seoul night sky and Han River.

“I see…” Kim Sukho nodded after receiving a report.

The report stated that a few Cube cadets visited the asylum in Hamgyong Province. There wasn’t much to it at a glance. However, it was a vital piece of information if matched with the current events that took place recently.

“What do you think is our best course of action?”

Kim Sukho looked down at his subordinate making the report and smiled.

“They’re kids that don’t know what they’re doing,” he said.

Chae Nayun and Kim Hajin, both of them had no idea what truth was waiting for them at the end. They were most likely clueless as to what that truth even was.

Chae Nayun was probably after the truth behind what happened to her brother while Kim Hajin was probably out for vengeance for his parents. Ironically, that boy was helping the girl whose family was the main culprit behind the death of his parents. That girl was also in love with the boy that her family ruined.

To think that his lover’s family was the one who killed his parents…

How ironic was that? It was hard to believe that such a tragic story could exist in real life in the first place. Perhaps that was the reason so many tragedies existed in this world.

“I guess there’s no helping it.”

However, both of them and even Kim Sukho would be greatly affected should the truth behind the Kwang-Oh Incident be exposed to the world.

That truth would bring destruction to the current order.

Kim Sukho had no idea if those lovers would be able to continue loving each other after the truth came to light, so he felt that it was his duty as an adult to prevent those two from experiencing such heartbreak.

“First, eliminate that annoying little brat,” Kim Sukho ordered.

“Yes, I understand,” the subordinate replied before retreating to the balcony and jumping off the skyscraper.

Kim Sukho watched as the man was carried away by the wind and disappeared from his sight.

***

The second semester felt much shorter compared to the first semester. It was probably because of the people I hung out with during the second semester.

Anyways…

Thanks to that, our midterm exam was right around the corner. However, I was spending my time using

[Hacking]

to dig up dirt on those in power.

Also, I started training with Chae Nayun. I used stigma to help her perfectly control her mana and she was rapidly growing stronger thanks to her innate talent.

“

Phew

… I’m so tired…”

Chae Nayun was drenched in sweat, but immediately reached for my body and started touching me all over.

“H-Hey, we’re in public right now.”

“

Hehe

, who cares?”

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

I pointed at a boulder on top of the mountain behind us just to distract her from trying to tickle me.

“Look at that,” I said.

“What?

Huh…?

” Chae Nayun looked at where I was pointing and found Jin Sahyuk. She frowned and grumbled, “Why is she there…?”

“I called her,” I answered.

“

Huh?

Why?!” Chae Nayun shouted before pouting and sulking. She started bashing her forehead on my shoulder.

“To show you how I plan to wake up Chae Jinyoon.”

“…”

She immediately stopped bashing her forehead on my shoulder and nodded before standing up.

I called Jin Sahyuk, “Hey! Come down!”

Jin Sahyuk let out a sigh and shook her head before jumping and landing in front of us. She looked at Chae Nayun with eyes full of pity and sighed.

“… You look hopeless. Aren’t you even ashamed of yourself?” Jin Sahyuk asked.

“What? Are you talking about me? Why? Jealous?” Chae Nayun sneered in response.

“

Tsk…”

Jin Sahyuk simply clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“

Ha…

I guess you’re jealous. Just admit that you’re jealous,” Chae Nayun continued sneering.

I immediately put a stop to her childish tirade, “Stop it. Can you show that to Nayun as well?”

Jin Sahyuk frowned at my words and Chae Nayun expressed her discontent on the matter as well.

I looked at Chae Nayun and said, “Don’t act like that to someone willing to help you.”

“

Ah…

Alright…” Chae Nayun muttered before her expression shifted to that of an innocent angel. She extended her hand towards Jin Sahyuk.

However, Jin Sahyuk completely ignored her outstretched hand and said, “Before that…”

She tapped on her smartwatch and projected a hologram of a notebook. It was Kim Chundong’s diary that I gave her a while back.

“Tell me the password to this damned diary…” Jin Sahyuk grumbled.

“I already told you last time…” I squinted my eyes and replied.

“I forgot… No, I know it but I can’t open it. I think you pulled some trick or something…”

It seemed that her pride wouldn’t allow her to admit that she simply forgot the password…

***

I came to Seoul alone this time without Chae Nayun. This was because of the first midterm exam.

[First Midterms Exam: Please go to your designated testing center.]

Under normal circumstances, I would’ve said this was a new kind of test. However, I found out through

[Hacking]

that it was highly likely that the test was a trap and an assassin was waiting for me.

This was something I wished for as well since I couldn’t keep looking behind me all the time.

I braced myself and walked the streets of Seoul. There were numerous hints and riddles about where the testing center was spread across the city. I arrived at a manhole after solving all of the puzzles.

“… Do I have to go down?” I wondered.

Of course, there was no one for me to ask. I opened the manhole cover and made my way down.

Tak! Tak! Tak!

The only sounds in this dark and damp environment were my feet hitting the ladder every time I took a step down. I heightened my senses and remained vigilant for any possible dangers, but I was able to make it down without any problems.

“… What the?”

Initially, I was certain that this would definitely be a trap.

“Oh, Kim Hajin is here too?”

Surprisingly, there were around twenty cadets present including familiar faces from my class such as Yi Jiyoon and Jin Hoseung. There were even other named cadets like Shen Yuan from China as well.

“Oh, it’s Nayun’s boyfriend,” Yi Jiyoon teased as she tapped me on the shoulder.

I looked at her and saw that she was wearing a pair of spectacles.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“

Ah

, this? It’s glasses that can film videos.”

“Why would you film videos…?”

“My PR video. Most cadets have started filming those in recent days. Our chances of getting into a good guild will increase if we film how we do in these kinds of tests.

Ah

, you should’ve brought one as well. Who knows? Maybe you’ll need it to force your way into the same guild as Nayun.”

“… Is that so?”

I bitterly smiled at her sneering before taking a look around us.

“

Hmph!”

Yi Jiyoon scoffed at my response.

I saw Yoo Yeonha busily ordering her underlings around like usual.

Around thirty minutes passed before another twenty-nine other cadets arrived. It was exactly at that moment that the fiftieth cadet came down and the ceiling suddenly started rumbling.

— The first midterm exam will now start since the required number of participants has been fulfilled.

A voice signaled the start of the exam.

All of the cadets anxiously waited for the test to start, but nothing happened after that. We couldn’t feel any mana or the presence of monsters nearby.

Sseuuu…

The only thing that followed was the sound of flowing water, which sounded a bit strange and distant.

I didn’t think much about it, but I decided to check where the sound was coming from just in case. My thousand-mile eyes pierced through the darkness and spotted a huge wave of water rushing towards us.

— Survive and make it out of this place in one piece.

“A wave is coming!” I shouted.

All of the cadets looked at me and tilted their heads, but their confused faces didn’t last long as the sound of waves crashing quickly approached us in no time.

Kwaaaaang!

Everything else happened in a split second as the powerful waves swallowed us in the blink of an eye.

I was thrown to the floor and ceiling numerous times as I tumbled underwater. I could feel the water forcing itself into every single hole in my body.

However, the strange thing was that… I wasn’t struggling at all.

Strangely enough, I was able to breathe underwater.

I racked my brains for a while before suddenly recalling the jewel I obtained from the whale. I was able to breathe underwater thanks to the Essence of the Sea in stigma.

I freely swam underwater thanks to that and immediately went towards Yoo Yeonha. I grabbed her wrist.

I swam up with her in tow and pulled her to the surface of the water.

“

Bleu…

Bleurghh

…!”

“Are you alright?”

“

Mmpf… bleurgh…!

Yeah…

Huff… Huff…”

Yoo Yeonha replied as she squirted water out of her nose, ears, and mouth.

“M-Me too! Help me too! Please!”

I suddenly heard Yi Jiyoon’s voice and grabbed her.

She composed her breathing and checked her glasses, “

Phew!

It didn’t break!”

“Is that important right now?”

“Me too! Me too! Kim Hajin! We were on the same team that one time!”

It was Jin Hoseung this time.

I used aether to save all three of them. We were currently floating like a buoy on the surface of the water.

It was at that moment…

I sensed a sinister wave of mana quickly making its way towards us. It was aimed at the space between the surface of the water and the ceiling.

I immediately pulled the cadets down with me.

Kwuuuuuung!

A destructive sound resounded above the water. The force was so great that it evaporated more than half of the water in the sewer.

“

Phew…”

I shook my drenched body and an unfamiliar sinister voice spoke from a distance.

— Did you really want to take your friends along with you that badly? You should’ve just gotten yourself swept along by the currents.

— Yes, you shouldn’t have dragged them in.

Yoo Yeonha readied her whip while Yi Jiyoon and Jin Hoseung jumped up in fright and clung behind me.

“This… things have taken a bad turn…” Yoo Yeonha said with obvious anxiety in her voice.

However, I simply replied with a smirk, “I already knew.”

I knew a long time ago that there would be assassins waiting for me.

“… You knew?” Yoo Yeonha muttered in disbelief.

That was why I already made full preparation for this day. Today was the day that my one-time use gift I paid 1,000 SP for would make its debut.

I only paid 1,000 SP for this cheat-like combat gift since I placed a hefty penalty of only being able to use it once in battle.

“Yeah,” I replied while taking my cadet coat off.

A dagger suddenly flew towards me without making a sound. It flew at the speed of light aiming for my neck, but I simply stopped it with a single finger. However, that wasn’t the end of it as dozens of daggers rained towards me.

“

Kyah!

What’s this?!”

Yi Jiyoon and Jin Hoseung were scared for their lives, but I was actually smiling right now.

“Just you wait,” I said with an excited smile.

I saw the assassin smiling as well from within the darkness.

My body was itching to do only one thing right now. To see how long that bastard would keep smiling.

Time to find out.