While Kim Seo-jun was unconscious, the Academy Competition finally came to an end.
The ultimate winner was Kim Yura of the 1st Hunter Academy.
Since Kim Seo-jun, who had advanced to the finals, was unable to participate due to injury, the match was decided by default.
Tens of thousands of spectators were deeply disappointed that they couldn’t see the showdown between Kim Yura and Kim Seo-jun.
However, far more people simply hoped that Kim Seo-jun was safe.
After all, Kim Seo-jun was the student who created the biggest stir in this competition.
A total of five matches.
And every single one of those matches was a highlight in itself.
Videos of Kim Seo-jun’s matches were edited into mad movies with upbeat music and spread across the world.
The videos instantly racked up millions of views, shared everywhere, and Kim Seo-jun was endlessly talked about as the “Soda Man” of the era.
But in reality, Kim Seo-jun himself was fast asleep, oblivious to everything happening in the world, only regaining consciousness after quite some time.
[…That’s what makes it truly remarkable. As you know, Kim Seo-jun’s Mystery is Reverse Explosion Unleashing Power. The stronger his opponent’s force, the stronger the power that rebounds—an overwhelming ability. But it can only truly shine in Kim Seo-jun’s own hands. If you lack the physique, Reverse Explosion Unleashing Power is just a flashy dud. Having the guts to take a powerful attack head-on, and the judgment to distinguish a real blow from a feint—those are both crucial. For an ordinary nineteen-year-old to use it, it’s dangerously risky.]
Kim Seo-jun pressed and held the remote to turn off the TV hanging on the wall of the hospital recovery room.
‘Ugh, goosebumps.’
The media was pouring out stories about the Academy Competition, and more than half of them were about Kim Seo-jun’s exploits.
They were showering him with praise, saying he’d single-handedly taken down those amazing international invitees and raised South Korea’s status.
Especially, the scene where China’s Eok Un-cheong, who always looked down on Korea, was made to kneel, became a meme and was used widely to mock China.
Because of all this, Kim Seo-jun, now in his second day at the hospital, found it hard to even look at a TV filled with stories about himself.
“Thanks to my parents, I can’t even leave the hospital as I please… This is driving me crazy.”
Baek Yeon-ji had run out barefoot upon hearing that Kim Seo-jun was injured and in the ER.
She stayed by his side for almost two days, not sleeping a wink as she nursed him.
Only about an hour ago did she return home, saying she’d bring food and clothes for him to wear when he was discharged.
Kim Joo-hyuk even took half a day off work to stay in the hospital room, only returning to work that morning.
Kim Seo-jun felt deeply moved by his parents’ love.
So, even though his injuries had nearly healed and there was no real problem, he decided to fill out the full three-day hospital stay as prescribed, just so he wouldn’t worry them.
Kim Seo-jun lay back, using his arm as a pillow, and gazed out the hospital window.
‘Should I be glad I couldn’t participate in the finals?’
He’d lost consciousness without even having a chance to use the Cup of Recovery, so he didn’t make it to the finals, but he wasn’t too disappointed.
He was only a little regretful that he didn’t get to test his skills directly against Kim Yura. But since she was a member of JAEGER too, there would be plenty of chances to face off with her in the future.
‘They were all tough opponents…’
Thinking back on his opponents in the competition, Kim Seo-jun slowly reflected on whether he had responded appropriately.
He came to a single conclusion.
‘If I hadn’t had Inner Power… I wouldn’t have been able to beat any of them easily.’
None of his opponents had less Magic Power than Kim Seo-jun.
Even his weakest first opponent, Jo Tae-soo, had a Magic Power score of 143, higher than Kim Seo-jun’s.
If Kim Seo-jun hadn’t had Inner Power or martial arts, no matter how strong his Mystery, Reverse Explosion Unleashing Power, he would likely have lost, flustered and outmatched.
Thinking of this, Kim Seo-jun checked his ability information.
[Kim Seo-jun]
-Magic Power: 129 / Inner Power: 120 / Control: 115
-Mysteries: Reverse Explosion Unleashing Power (20%) / Solar Divine Art (23%) / Telekinetic Barrier (6%) / Asura Lightning Slash (3%) / Mind’s Eye (4%)
His stats had increased a little since last time.
Especially Solar Divine Art, which he’d been operating almost 24 hours a day for healing during the past two days, had leveled up at a remarkable pace.
‘I’ve grown tremendously in a short time, but I’m still not ready to take on those with Demonic Power.’
After all, he’d had his side torn open by a blow from Leonard—who wasn’t even officially recognized by his family yet. What if he had to face a true powerhouse from that lineage?
‘I’d be dead, that’s what.’
Just thinking about it made him shudder.
Once again, Kim Seo-jun reminded himself that the world was wide and filled with powerful foes, and resolved to become even stronger.
At that moment, there was a knock at the hospital room door.
“Come in.”
At his reply, two people entered the room.
“How are you feeling?”
It was Park Dae-man.
He wore tight-fitting clothes that clearly revealed his bulging muscles, but funnily enough, the T-shirt over his muscles had a character from a famous animation on it.
And that character was none other than Pororo, which little kids absolutely loved.
“It wasn’t a serious injury, really. More importantly…”
Kim Seo-jun looked at the girl standing next to Park Dae-man, arms folded and wearing an unhappy expression.
Kim Yura.
The pride of the 1st Hunter Academy, and this competition’s ultimate winner. She had come here together with Park Dae-man.
“This is the first time I’m seeing you up close.”
Kim Seo-jun gave Kim Yura a bright smile.
Kim Yura furrowed one eyebrow at his expression.
“Why are you being so formal? We’re the same age. Anyway, I’m a bit disappointed. To think you’d get seriously hurt fighting that Leonard. If you weren’t even going to make it to the finals, why did you go all out to win?”
“I didn’t want to fight you. But that doesn’t mean I wanted to throw the match, either.”
Kim Seo-jun answered with the same smiling face, and Kim Yura pouted.
“Tch. Are you saying you got hurt on purpose?”
“That’s right. I got hurt on purpose. Thanks to that, you got to be the winner, and now I get to see you two here in my hospital room.”
Of course, that was a lie.
He hadn’t planned on fighting Kim Yura to the bitter end, but he had intended to test her abilities firsthand.
He’d simply misjudged Leonard’s attack and gotten injured by mistake—he certainly hadn’t wanted to get hurt on purpose.
“As I thought. No wonder you took Leonard’s attack so recklessly. There was a reason behind it.”
Park Dae-man seemed to believe Kim Seo-jun’s words completely.
“How can you believe that? I think it was just a mistake. Even monkeys fall from trees. He underestimated things and got blindsided, simple as that.”
Maybe because she was a girl, Kim Yura’s intuition was sharp.
“Anyway, thanks to you, Kim Seo-jun, for confirming with your own body the source of Leonard’s Magic Power.”
“What do you mean, ‘confirm with my own body’?”
When Kim Seo-jun questioned Park Dae-man’s words, Kim Yura let out a deep sigh.
“Aish… See? It wasn’t an intentional mistake just to show us the Demonic Power injury.”
“Intentional or not, the important thing is we were able to confirm Leonard’s Magic Power is Demonic in origin. Thank you, Kim Seo-jun.”
Park Dae-man sincerely thanked Kim Seo-jun.
Only then did Kim Seo-jun understand what they were talking about, and he put on a face as if he’d known everything all along.
“I’m not really one for words of gratitude.”
“Haha, that’s true. Like I promised before, you’ll get all the rewards we discussed. The business card I gave you last time has my email address, so send your account number and I’ll take care of it.”
As Park Dae-man readily promised the reward, Kim Seo-jun rejoiced inwardly.
But on the outside, he maintained a calm expression to the end.
“So, what are you going to do? Are you going to go public with the fact that the Bright Family carries the Demonic Power bloodline?”
“No. We gain nothing by making that public right now. But now that we’ve confirmed their family inherits Demonic Power, we’ll be raising our level of monitoring and response several times higher than before.”
“What about the domestic criminal organizations that decided to join hands with them?”
“We’ve already inserted agents. If any signs of trouble appear, we can act immediately.”
Park Dae-man shared even the secret information of JAEGER with Kim Seo-jun as if it was nothing. It was as though he already considered Kim Seo-jun an agent of JAEGER.
“Oppa, that’s enough. He hasn’t decided to join JAEGER yet.”
“It’s fine. He’s not the kind to leak our conversations.”
“Ugh, you always do this. Once you like someone, you never see them badly unless they betray you completely… sigh.”
“Did I…? Hahaha.”
Park Dae-man scratched his head, smiling affably.
But Kim Seo-jun knew very well that when this good-natured Park Dae-man faced true evil, he would change completely, becoming a different person.
That’s why in his previous world, many villains thought Park Dae-man was an easy pushover, only to end up paying with their lives.
At this point, Kim Seo-jun, pretending to rub his eyes as if something had gotten in them, activated the Mystery, Mind’s Eye.
[317/Rare]
[363/Rare]
The first number was Park Dae-man’s stats, the second was Kim Yura’s.
Judging by Magic Power alone, Kim Yura’s was much higher than Park Dae-man’s.
But Kim Seo-jun could sense that, in terms of actual strength, Kim Yura was still not on Park Dae-man’s level.
‘That’s why people say you shouldn’t trust numbers blindly.’
For Kim Seo-jun, the Magic Power stats he saw with Mind’s Eye were just a reference—he placed no greater meaning in them.
“Ugh. Did a bug get in my eye? It keeps itching.”
He rubbed his eyes once more and then used Reverse Explosion Unleashing Power.
His purpose was to see the origins of the two’s Magic Power.
Boom.
A wave of Magic Power burst from Kim Seo-jun’s body, rapidly scanning the surroundings.
The two who came into contact with the wave were each shrouded in a different light.
Park Dae-man was pure white, and Kim Yura, surprisingly, had a faint golden glow.
‘Dae-man hyung has White Magic, and Yura… Super Magic? Amazing…’
Kim Seo-jun thought JAEGER agents really were on a different level.
White Magic was rare enough, but to think someone possessed Super Magic as well.
Then, suddenly, he wondered what color his own Magic Power would show up as.
But unfortunately, he had no way to see his own Magic Power. Even after using Reverse Explosion Unleashing Power and scanning himself, no color appeared.
At that moment, Kim Yura narrowed her eyes and looked at him, as if she sensed something strange.
“You, are you doing something weird right now…”
“I’ve made my decision.”
Kim Seo-jun quickly cut her off with something out of left field.
Park Dae-man realized that Kim Seo-jun was referring to the offer to join JAEGER, and his eyes sparkled.
“So, can you tell us what that decision is?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Of course he’ll accept the offer. After all we’ve done, if he says no, he’s not a decent person.”
Even as Kim Yura spoke, she looked nervous, as if worried he might refuse. Both of them stared at Kim Seo-jun, and a few seconds of silence followed.
Kim Seo-jun looked at the two of them and grinned.
“I’ll meet with Detective Choi Kyung-moon this weekend and tell him my decision directly.”
“What?”
“Hey, you!”
It was like one of those annoying hosts who suddenly say, “Now, let’s go to a commercial,” at the critical moment.
“Haa… Fine. You’re right, it’s proper manners to give your answer first to the person who made the offer. We didn’t think of that.”
“Still, this feels… like you’re teasing us, doesn’t it?”
“Let’s take that as a good sign and leave it at that. We still have things to do.”
“Okay…”
Kim Yura’s bouncy personality became as meek as a lamb in front of Park Dae-man, reminding him of the past and bringing a smile to his face.
Kim Yura glared at him with fire in her eyes when she saw his smile.
“You’d better be ready if you become an agent. I’m your senior, and if you don’t listen, I’ll wreck you.”
“Geez, with a scary senior like you, how can I be an agent? I might change my mind…”
“What? You little…!”
Just as Kim Yura was about to get worked up, Park Dae-man cut in.
“JAEGER numbers five through eleven don’t have command authority. Seniority is recognized, but there’s no hierarchy. So don’t worry about what Yura says.”
Pretending to restrain Kim Yura, Park Dae-man informed Kim Seo-jun that as an agent, he would be on equal footing with her.
“Get some rest. We’ll see you later.”
Park Dae-man gave a quick farewell and dragged Kim Yura out of the hospital room.
Kim Seo-jun waited until they were completely gone before getting out of bed and walking to the window.
The sun was setting, dyeing the sky a deep red.
‘Was my choice really the right one?’
His mind was already made up.
Now, Kim Seo-jun’s heart was completely leaning to one side.
Through this Academy Competition, he had once again been able to ponder what kind of destiny awaited him.
No matter how much he disliked standing in front of people, no matter how much he wished to live quietly with his family, hiding his strength, fate would never simply leave him alone.
Furthermore, ties from his previous life continued here as well, and he could feel for certain that the scenario of humanity’s destruction, which began with Heavenly Demon Commander Cheon Gang-u, would never simply disappear.
‘Destruction is about to begin…’
The future Kim Seo-jun saw was anything but bright.
With GaiaNix about to develop the Demon God Weapon, and a family inheriting Demonic Power now appearing, how could he just selfishly pursue personal happiness and protect only his family?
If that kind of future was coming, then becoming a secret JAEGER agent and eliminating those with evil intentions from the shadows was the best choice he could make.
Just as Kim Seo-jun was thinking that, the hospital door suddenly burst open again, and Kim Yura—who he thought had left—poked her head in.
She called out to the wide-eyed Kim Seo-jun in a loud voice.
“Hey, Kim Seo-jun!”
“…?”
“I just wanted to say—I think you’d be good working with me… I really had to tell you that. When you meet Uncle Kyung-moon this weekend, I trust you’ll give a good answer! Well then… I’m really leaving! Bye, see you again.”
Kim Yura blurted everything she wanted to say and then slammed the door shut behind her.
Kim Seo-jun, left momentarily dumbfounded, soon replayed her words and let out a soft chuckle.
‘That girl… She hasn’t changed a bit, then or now.’
Kim Yura, unable to hide her true feelings, was as fiery here as ever.
And that made his heart feel all the lighter.
‘Let’s do well together here too, Kim Yura.’
Lost in thoughts of the past, when he’d trusted Kim Yura enough to watch his back, Kim Seo-jun stood by the window for a long while.
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