Chapter 194

Why did it rise this time?

It was the second time Se-Hoon saw this kind of notification message.

He stared at it curiously, seeing as how it stated that his

own

bond level had risen. Normally, when bond levels rose, he had a general idea of why, as he actively created the conditions for it to happen. However, he had no clue with his own, both this time and the last.

If I could check the Relationship, I might be able to guess... but there's nothing like that.

In hindsight, it would be strange if he had a Relationship with himself. Tired, he massaged his eyes.

I guess I’ll just figure it out as time goes by.

A few things came to mind, but since nothing was certain for now, it was better to investigate calmly rather than jump to conclusions.

Having decided on a plan, he checked the newly added skill.

[Bond Recreate]

[Consuming a Fatestone allows the user to recreate the owner's memories and powers.]

“

Hmm...

”

It was a short and simple description. Mulling over it, he roughly understood what kind of skill it was.

It’s just an upgraded version of the Synesthetic Synchronization I've been practicing.

Unlike how Synesthetic Synchronization simply allowed him to mimic another’s skills and memories, Bond Recreate allowed him to recreate their power in its original form by consuming their Fatestone. In other words, it was a skill that, for a short while, allowed him to cast the real thing instead of an imitation.

The potential applications appeared limitless, but only at first glance. For instance, a situation like earlier, when Se-Hoon attempted to borrow Wurgen's power, could happen.

However, it was still worth experimenting with, so Se-Hoon quickly came up with a method.

For now, the most compatible person I know is... yeah, I’ll test it with Jake first.

Out of those he had established bonds with, Jake had the best personality and no peculiar traits. So even if there were side effects, he believed that he could easily deal with them.

—Announcement!

Just as he decided to find an opportunity to meet with Jake, a voice resonated from the dormitory speaker.

—We hereby conclude the first-semester evaluation exam. To all those who took the tests, thank you for your hard work. The closing ceremony will be held at 1:00 pm...

At the announcement, Se-Hoon exhaled a breath of relief.

“It's finally over...”

There were various incidents along the way, but all in all, it ended relatively peacefully compared to what he had expected, despite the worrisome result of the divination magic.

Since I somehow avoided death this time... doesn’t that mean it’s possible to change the future that the divination magic foreshows?

If so, it was indeed a useful skill. But, he still couldn't fully trust it. The result could have been a coincidence, and above all, he wasn't sure if he had interpreted it correctly in the first place.

Well, since it managed to get it right to some extent, I’ll look into it properly next time.

Regardless of the answer, he concluded the use of divination magic could guide him through a future that his regression had altered. And since that was the case, he began contemplating whether he should approach Jane and inquire about it the next time he had the opportunity.

Vrrr-

Glancing at his phone next to his pillow, he saw that his report card from Babel had arrived.

First Semester Evaluation Results for Lee Se-Hoon.

Departmental Exams

*Ore Analysis - [Perfect Score]

*Metallurgy - [Perfect Score]

*Understanding Tools - [Perfect Score]

*Origins of Equipment - [Perfect Score]

*Ancient Enchantments - [Perfect Score]

*Barrier Composition - [Perfect Score]

*Physiology Controls - [A+]

College-wide Exam

*Labyrinth Exploration - [Perfect Score]

Year-wide Exam

*Special Exam - [Perfect Score]

Based on the above results, you have been appointed as the ‘Year-wide Honor Student’ of the first-years.

“Oh...”

Aside from one small part that bothered him, the report card was filled with perfect scores. Still, in the end, he succeeded in being selected as the year-wide honor student.

If only I hadn't heard the results right after each exam, it would have been a bit more touching.

Long having guessed the results, he looked at the report card with a wry smile. And not long later, his phone started vibrating with messages from the others.

Sung-Ha: I won the honor student position.

Luize: I got the second-year college honor student spot.

Lea: I told you I could do it!

After the trio proudly sent their report cards and boasted about becoming honor students in their respective colleges, messages from Jake and Erika arrived.

Jake: I thought I did well, but I still lost.... Anyway, congratulations on being the year-wide honor student!

Erika: I lost.

While full of regret, Jake congratulated him nonetheless. Erika's thoughts, however, were hard to guess from just two words alone.

Aside from them, Eun-Ha and a few others also sent messages congratulating or saying he did well. Reading them all, Se-Hoon softly smiled.

“Everyone's making such a fuss...”

The amount of praise was a bit overwhelming, but it didn't feel too bad. Just as he was about to reply to each one, a message from Babel arrived.

Babel: The closing ceremony will include a brief award ceremony at 1:00 pm. Please arrive at the central plaza, where the closing ceremony will take place, thirty minutes in advance.

“An award ceremony?”

Given that this was the inaugural year for the year-wide honor student position, Ludwig likely intended to broadcast it live, similar to the entrance ceremony.

To the whole world... huh?

A thought then crossed his mind, and his lips curled into a smile.

This should be interesting.

***

In the center of Frankfurt, Germany were numerous corporate buildings, reflecting the city's status as a world-class economic hub. And out of them all, the largest and most magnificent was undoubtedly the headquarters of the global giant, the UD Group.

Unlike the other buildings, theirs remained brightly lit even after 1:00 am, making it resemble a gigantic lighthouse. To an outsider, it would look like thousands of employees were unable to leave work, stuck in an oppressive environment, but that wasn’t exactly right.

Clack, clack!

Within the building, skeletons were typing away with their bony fingers, and ghosts were passing through the ceiling, floor, and walls, to deliver documents here and there.

“Let us focus on the supplies for Babel first... I can tell that you're falling asleep by observing the flames on your necks, you know?

Dullahans were conducting meetings with their heads placed on desks, and chimeras were using their twelve sets of legs to organize and classify items. It was a bizarre sight, one that could never be found anywhere else in the world.

It would be natural to assume that a crooked necromancer was exploiting the dead, and that actually wasn't far from the truth.

“Your son’s joining as a new recruit, right? This is a double celebration for your family.”

They had all perished in demon ambushes while on business trips, but Wurgen had resurrected them as the undead, and now they were working nonstop into the dead of night.

It was the UD Group's After-Life Welfare Plan.

At the UD Group, the living employees worked during the day, and at night, the undead took over. It was an ingenious management system that transcended even death, a system only possible because the head was the Eternal Nocturne Wurgen Kruger himself.

And currently, the man in charge of such a paranormal system was walking slowly through an elegantly decorated corridor on the uppermost floor of their headquarters.

“...”

His skin was as pale as a corpse, and he wore an expressionless face. He was actually quite handsome, but his rigid expression and the perfectly fitted black suit made him exude an indescribable sense of intimidation.

Soon, the intimidating man silently reached the door at the end of the corridor and knocked lightly.

Knock, knock.

“Mr. President.”

There was no response.

After waiting quietly for a moment, the man opened the door and stepped inside.

The office had a neatly organized gray-toned interior. It was under-furnished and empty for its size, but the air was densely filled with screens.

Swish-

The screens displayed various documents processed from the UD Group’s branches and TV channels from around the world. There were over a hundred screens in an orderly manner, with a desk placed facing them all.

On it, there was only one item: a skull. It was resting on a cushion, its empty eye sockets focused on the screens—a totally normal skull.

However, on closer inspection there were no shadows inside the eye sockets; instead, a black substance filled them.

Woosh-

The black mist spilled out from the skull, spreading across the desk and creating an eerie scene. For a moment, the man watched the scene.

“Mr. President.”

There was no response from the skull. Familiar with what to do, the man stepped closer and adjusted a panel, changing one of the channels on the screen.

“I'm not asleep.”

A deep voice suddenly emanated from the skull.

“My apologies, Mr. President.”

“

Tsk

... Never mind.”

The skull's shroud shifted, and bluish eyes appeared in the eye sockets, glaring at the man.

“So? Did you find out anything?”

“I’ll project the findings of my investigation right now.”

The man maneuvered the screens, repositioning them to create one large spacious display. The large screen then displayed detailed photos of Se-Hoon, his activities, and connections, along with various other data.

The skull’s eyes scrutinized the information, and a moment later, the screens reverted to their original state.

“

Hmm...

”

Chewing over the information, Wurgen gazed at the man.

“Benjamin.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Is that really all the information you have?”

Bowing politely, Benjamin, the secretary general with corpse-like pale skin, confirmed, “Yes, it includes all of the latest data we’ve managed to secure.”

Wurgen’s eyes narrowed.

“I see...”

Just a few hours ago, this amount of information would have been satisfactory, but now things were different.

Recalling the memory that had surfaced a few hours ago, the gathered information was far too scant to fully explain the talent that Wurgen had glimpsed in Se-Hoon.

Breaking my finger bone and absorbing its power is something even vermin from the Demon Force can do, but... being able to handle souls is a different matter.

Not only was Se-Hoon able to perfectly define the concept of souls with his own theory, but he also clearly understood and could perceive it. With his skill with souls, he was essentially a high-end necromancer, a level only

three

of Wurgen’s children had reached.

And he achieved all this in just half a year...

It was extremely suspicious, especially considering his multifaceted talents in various fields.

Did Ludwig meddle with something? But even if so, there are still too many suspicious points...

Lost in thought, Wurgen suddenly recalled a conversation he had with Ludwig after discussing the Tower of Heroes.

“Ah, there’s this intriguing young man I would like you to meet, if you have time, of course.”

At the time, he thought Ludwig was just trying to get him to mentor one of his students, but now Wurgen thought differently.

He might have genuinely meant it.

Even Wurgen had to acknowledge that Se-Hoon had a peculiar talent that even Perfect Ones like themselves couldn’t understand. As he mulled over the faint memories of Se-Hoon, he spoke.

“Benjamin,” he called out, musing over the faint memories of Se-Hoon.

“At your service, sir.”

“Let's revisit our previous commitment to collaborate with Babel and change to supporting them to the fullest extent possible.”

Despite the employees’ tirelessly diligent preparations for this project, Benjamin just nodded upon hearing Wurgen's suggestion to completely redo it from the start.

“Understood.”

This was the UD Group. Even if the employees screamed and tore at their hair, Wurgen’s orders always took precedence.

“Also, we need to send someone to Babel... Richard should be suitable. Once we establish the branch at Babel, send him there.”

Wurgen had chosen his eighteenth son, Richard Kruger.

“Understood.”

“We’ll handle the rest as it comes... ah, I nearly forgot.”

Just before Wurgen was going to dismiss him, he remembered one more thing.

“I’ll be visiting Babel tomorrow.”

“You mean you’ll be going there yourself?”

“Yes.”

At the indifferent reply, Benjamin’s eyes widened slightly.

The president is moving personally...

Was there something special about that student, Lee Se-Hoon? However, although he was curious, Benjamin quickly suppressed it since his job was to follow orders.

“I’ll get to it immediately—”

“Wait.”

Wurgen suddenly stopped Benjamin's words with his eyes fixed on one screen.

It was displaying a platform with a white tower in the background, where Ludwig stood and began his speech. Yet contrary to his expectations, Ludwig was calm and composed.

How is he so calm?

By now, Ludwig should have heard about the state Se-Hoon was in and would have reacted in some way. He narrowed his eyes.

「Now, let's introduce Babel’s first year-wide honor students.」

Smiling widely, Ludwig beckoned the four students to ascend the platform one by one. The first student that came on stage was a woman with golden, wavy hair. Next was a cold-looking young man with black hair and rimless glasses. Third in line was a young man with brown hair and a haggard look.

“...!”

And finally, the fourth was a young man with black hair and fierce eyes.

At the impossible sight of the person who shouldn’t be standing there, Wurgen’s eyes widened. He stared intently at the screen as the final student, Se-Hoon, received the microphone to deliver his speech.

「Ahem.」

Lightly clearing his throat, Se-Hoon stared just as intently into the camera. He seemed to be looking through the camera at someone beyond.

Then, twisting his lips into a smirk, he opened his mouth.

「I won’t be needing any get-well-soon gifts anytime soon. That’s all.」