Kim Myung-joo left the Training Academy by car.
Although the chauffeur was driving, Kim Myung-joo, sitting in the back seat, had no time to rest.
‘Hmm.’
+ Interest
He was currently reading research material regarding magic education.
The Training Academy was not the only state-run institution related to Hunters, Gates, and Dungeons.
Excluding the agencies in charge of practical operations, quite a few research facilities were being operated.
Since this was a project that the fate of the Republic of Korea rested upon, it was impossible for it to be run in a haphazard manner.
“The feasibility of this is… I should make a suggestion.”
Kim Myung-joo was on his way to attend the Magic Education Curriculum Council.
That was why he was looking through the materials in advance, and he saw several parts that were out of touch with the actual field.
Pointing out those parts was exactly Kim Myung-joo’s role and the authority held by those in the field.
There was nothing more headache-inducing than unrealistic plans being applied to the Training Academy.
Ring.
Kim Myung-joo’s phone rang. A glance at the screen showed it was ‘Cha Se-hyeon.’
‘…Why?’
The moment Kim Myung-joo saw that name, his heart pounded.
Cha Se-hyeon never called first.
Not unless she had caused some kind of trouble.
Kim Myung-joo unconsciously bit his lip before bringing the phone to his ear.
“Hello?”
Kim Myung-joo answered the phone as if nothing were wrong.
[Director, come here quickly.]
“Why? What’s going on?”
[Just come. I’m at the Center.]
The Center.
Excluding the Training Academy, it was the only place where a Dungeon Entry Slate was placed.
As the predecessor of the Training Academy, the Special Tactics Center, disappeared, only the two words ‘The Center’ remained.
“I need to know what’s going on to go there, Se-hyeon. I’m on my way to the council right now. I can’t go immediately…”
[It would be better if you came.]
There was a strange hint of laughter in Cha Se-hyeon’s voice.
Come to think of it, he couldn’t remember the last time he had heard such a playful voice.
Something was strange.
The expression of Kim Myung-joo, who had been tilting his head, stiffened in an instant.
He judged that it was an ominous sign for the girl who was usually abrasive to suddenly act like this.
Kim Myung-joo instructed the driver to turn the car around.
“Let’s go to the Center.”
“Pardon? Right now, sir?”
The driver asked back, but Kim Myung-joo did not reverse his decision.
At this point, Kim Myung-joo was the only one who could even attempt to persuade Cha Se-hyeon.
The car sped along and entered the main gate of the Center.
The Center consisted of a total of three buildings.
Among them, the place where the Portal Tablet was located was the central building, the main center.
Cha Se-hyeon was waiting in front of the main center.
She gestured toward Kim Myung-joo as he got out of the car.
Kim Myung-joo walked quickly toward Cha Se-hyeon as if possessed.
“Se-hyeon…”
The moment he tried to say something, Cha Se-hyeon went inside the Center.
Left with no choice, Kim Myung-joo ran in his dress shoes.
As soon as he opened the main door and entered.
“Over here.”
Cha Se-hyeon’s voice echoed through the lobby.
It was a voice coming from the room where the Portal Tablet was.
Kim Myung-joo immediately turned the corner and entered the room with the Portal Tablet.
“Hey, you…!”
And the moment he witnessed the scene unfolding in that room, he was struck speechless.
The Portal Tablet currently in the Suho Hall of the Training Academy was placed in a fairly large room.
The interior also gave off a grand feeling.
This was because care had been taken for the morale of the Trainees.
However, the Portal Tablet at the Center had been left in a plain room.
Back then, there was no luxury to worry about this or that.
“What on earth…?”
And now, that room was filled with books.
The smell of dust and ink from the piles of books was thick enough to fill the air.
“Could this be… a Magic Book?”
With trembling hands, Kim Myung-joo picked up one book that was closest to him.
He couldn’t read it, but he could definitely tell it was the Arcadian language.
“They are all Magic Books. From the 1st Circle to the 6th Circle. A general collection of Magic Books. Roughly 1,000 volumes. Surprised, aren’t you?”
Only then did Cha Se-hyeon grin mischievously.
The reason she kept hiding the reason was that she wanted to surprise Kim Myung-joo.
However, for Kim Myung-joo, this was more than just a simple surprise.
All sorts of emotions swirled within him.
He knew better than anyone else.
He knew the value of these Magic Books.
This was almost the same as discovering a pile of treasure.
A treasure that would not be traded even if given the same weight in gold.
“From the 1st Circle to the 6th Circle…? All of this…?”
Kim Myung-joo’s voice trembled.
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“How on earth did you…”
Kim Myung-joo strode forward and grabbed Cha Se-hyeon’s hands.
His eyes were already turning red.
“I don’t know how you obtained them… but the Republic of Korea hasn’t even done much for you…”
“I’m not the one who obtained them.”
Cha Se-hyeon peeled off Kim Myung-joo’s fingers one by one with her thumb and index finger, as if removing sticky glue.
With a displeased expression, she wiped her hands, which were wet with Kim Myung-joo’s sweat, on her pants and plopped down on top of the Magic Books.
“You asked me about it last time, right?”
“Hmm?”
Kim Myung-joo had a bewildered expression.
It was from the moment Cha Se-hyeon said, ‘I’m not the one who obtained them.’
The tears that had lost their purpose retreated, and he merely wiped away the stray mucus that had trickled out.
“The Trainee you said couldn’t form a Circle.”
Cha Se-hyeon naturally took out a cigarette and put it in her mouth, but Kim Myung-joo quickly snatched it away.
It would be a disaster if these Magic Books were to catch fire.
“Geez.”
Cha Se-hyeon glared at Kim Myung-joo once and continued her story.
“The Trainee who couldn’t form a Circle. He’s the one who got them.”
“…Mr. Kim Song-cheol?”
Only then did Kim Myung-joo roughly realize what had happened.
He had already heard a general story from Kim Song-cheol.
However, Kim Song-cheol had spoken as if it were no big deal, saying things like, ‘If we build a good relationship, I might be able to give you one Magic Book at a time.’
How could he immediately associate this pile of Magic Books with Kim Song-cheol after hearing that?
“I’ll give the detailed explanation later. What was his name again?”
“It’s… Kim Song-cheol.”
“His name is unique. But what are you going to do with these now?”
“Huh?”
“These. The Magic Books. You’ll need to translate them and categorize them, won’t you?”
It was true.
Even if you have three strings of beads, they are only a treasure if they are strung together.
Magic Books bought with Points were kindly translated into the Korean language, but these were original texts delivered directly from Arcadia.
“Right. We have to do something.”
“Then do that. I’m going to go meet that friend. There’s something else I need to do for him.”
“Wait a minute.”
Cha Se-hyeon, who was stepping out of the doorway, stopped and slightly turned her head.
“What is it?”
“He’s not a friend. He’s much older than you.”
“More than me? A Trainee?”
“Yeah, by about six years.”
“Crazy. It’ll be easy to find him then.”
Cha Se-hyeon disappeared along with a Teleport Magic Circle.
Left alone, Kim Myung-joo stared blankly at the Magic Books, started to walk out, came back inside, and then stopped dead in his tracks.
He stood there blankly again before suddenly picking up his phone and calling someone.
“Yes, this is Director Kim Myung-joo.”
[Ah, yes. What’s the matter? I’ve almost arrived at the council hall…]
“That’s not what’s important. Doctor, come to the Center right now.”
[Pardon? All of a sudden?]
“A general collection of Magic Books from the 1st Circle to the 6th Circle is here right now. There are over 1,000 of them.”
[What!?]
“Come quickly.”
Besides Dr. Seo Ju-gyeong, Kim Myung-joo made calls to several other places.
Of course, there was not a single person who said they wouldn’t come.
There were only people rushing out, saying they would go quickly, asking him to wait a moment, and worrying about the Magic Books that weren’t going anywhere.
After 10 minutes, two or three elderly scholars rushed in, and after 30 minutes, more than ten people had arrived.
Because the room was cramped, more than half of them couldn’t even enter.
“Good heavens…!”
“Where on earth did all these Magic Books come from…!”
As soon as they saw the pile of Magic Books, they gasped in shock.
Things that shouldn’t exist in the Republic of Korea had appeared.
Even seeing a ghost wouldn’t have been more surprising than this.
However, that surprise soon turned into wonder and expectation.
The people gathered here were ‘Earthlings’ who researched Magic.
They were people who would conduct research after research while holding onto just a few Magic Books—people who would smile and say they drank well if two drops of water fell while they were catching dripping droplets.
And today, a waterfall they had only seen in their dreams had appeared.
There was no gift greater than this.
“Who on earth brought these?”
Someone asked.
Naturally, it was a question directed at Kim Myung-joo.
He hesitated for a moment before spitting out three syllables of a name.
“It was… Mr. Kim Song-cheol.”
“Pardon? Who is that? I’ve never heard of such a Hunter.”
There were only about 30 Hunters in the Republic of Korea.
It was more than enough to memorize all their names.
“He’s… a Trainee.”
“….What did you say?”
Everyone gathered there looked at Kim Myung-joo as if they couldn’t believe it.
A Trainee.
It was something no one had expected.
***
Kim Song-cheol returned to the dormitory after finishing his training.
As usual, he pressed the password and opened the door.
And as he entered the entryway.
“2”
Some woman was sitting on the floor by the sofa watching TV.
In front of her, a set of chicken feet and soju was laid out.
He didn’t know where she had gotten them from.
Kim Song-cheol went back out the front door and checked the room number.
‘It’s correct.’
It was definitely Kim Song-cheol’s home.
“Don’t you recognize me?”
A voice drifted from inside.
Kim Song-cheol took a step back into the entryway. He still kept the door open.
“Oh?”
Looking at her profile now, she looked familiar.
When he saw her in a photo before, her hair was long and blonde, so his recognition was delayed.
He wondered when she had changed it to a pink bob.
“That’s right, it’s me. Cha Se-hyeon.”
Cha Se-hyeon downed a shot of soju. Her gaze was still fixed on the TV.
“What brings you here…?”
“Do you like chicken feet?”
Only then did Cha Se-hyeon look back at Kim Song-cheol.
Even though she had already emptied two bottles of soju, her face was perfectly fine without a hint of intoxication.
“No.”
“How about alcohol?”
“Not particularly…”
“You don’t smoke either, right?”
“But why are you here…?”
Cha Se-hyeon picked up a notebook she had left to the side and thudded it down on the table.
It was something that had been hidden by her legs.
“I received Magic Books from the 1st Circle to the 6th Circle today.
From the Arcadians who called you the Descendant of the Great Sage.”
“Hey.”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t that what you asked for?”
“I just asked for a few volumes.”
“For something like that, they gave quite a lot. Over 1,000 volumes.”
“Pardon?”
That was something even Kim Song-cheol hadn’t expected.
He thought she would just receive one or two volumes as she went back and forth, but he didn’t expect her to hand over a thousand volumes through Cha Se-hyeon.
After downing another glass of soju, Cha Se-hyeon stood up with a chicken foot in one hand.
“Was this the Director’s intention? I have very high expectations for you. Do you know what I mean?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’s fine even if you don’t.”
Cha Se-hyeon grinned.
The red pepper powder stuck in her teeth was plainly visible.
Kim Song-cheol was bewildered.
More than anything else, it was because she was different from the image he had seen in the media.
Cha Se-hyeon did not have such a kind and cheerful personality.
Even that smile of hers now was something he had never seen even in the media.
“Do you know what my dream is?”
“?”
“My dream is to be second place. No, third place is fine, and fourth place is fine too. I just wish I wasn’t number one. I’m the eldest at home, too. I hate being the first so much.”
“What are you talking about…”
“This is…”
As Cha Se-hyeon gestured with the chicken foot, the notebook that was on the table flew up and stopped right in front of her.
“The ticket that will make you number one even faster.”
This time, the soju bottle flew toward her.
Cha Se-hyeon snatched the soju bottle, gulped it down, and wiped her mouth with a ‘Kyah’ sound.
The pink-haired Cha Se-hyeon with a chicken foot in one hand and a soju bottle in the other.
And even the notebook floating in front of her. It was literal chaos.