Chapter 24

Chapter 24

I Became the Only Non-mage in the Academy.

Episode 24: Seo Ga-yeon (1)

The Mine’s body turned to ash and scattered in the wind.

Such was always the fate of a Mine.

They were those who had gained power by dedicating themselves to something peculiar in this world.

Their deaths granted them no respite.

Ding!

[You have been awarded 5,000P as a reward.]

[Incredible record achieved! You have minimized civilian casualties. An additional 10,000P will be awarded!]

[You defeated the Mine alone! Your reward will be upgraded.]

[Your Defying Heaven stat has increased by 3.]

A lot of points had come in.

Perhaps I should buy a decent skill with these.

“…….”

I paused while reviewing the rewards.

My Defying Heaven stat had increased.

The moment I saw those words, the energy within me began to surge.

-What?

Ebony.

A bead the size of a thumbnail swelled to the size of a thumb joint.

-What’s happening? Did your Defying Heaven energy increase?

Ignoring the panicked Black Heavenly Demon Sword, I changed my mind. Perhaps it was better to upgrade my stats instead.

“Mi, The Mine is dead! I believed in you!”

“Thank you, hero! You are Gangnam’s hero!”

Citizens murmured here and there.

There were people holding cameras.

I didn’t want to show my face.

I entered the multidimensional premium shop.

There, I bought the disposable secrecy device I had had my eye on.

[Disposable Escape Device (B-)]

A getaway device made by the Electronic Witch.

:Erases the user’s appearance from all modern amenities.

:Makes it so that ordinary people who haven’t awakened their magic perceive the user’s appearance vaguely.

Even though it was disposable, it cost 1,000p.

Ridiculously expensive.

Well, it had to be effective for that price.

I used the item.

I wasn’t sure about the effect, but it should be reliable, coming from the multidimensional premium shop.

I pulled the hood of my hoodie over my head.

‘Did I waste too much time?’

The heroes would be here soon.

I should slip away quietly.

Being treated as a hero was nice, but it was too early for that.

If the Mines learned of my identity and suspected me as their archenemy, all kinds of Mines would come after me.

That’s why I didn’t press Seo Ga-yeon earlier… but now, things were different.

The difficulty was far greater than I anticipated.

Given that this quest was a tutorial, the real danger must be close by.

‘How should I persuade her?’

As I contemplated how to convince Seo Ga-yeon, I walked down the alley.

“Tsk.”

In the smoke-filled heart of downtown,

A woman in a suit took a deep sigh while holding a cigarette.

“Why are these Black Magic Alliance guys causing so much chaos lately?”

“It’s because of the prophecy.”

“The prophecy that a talent capable of exterminating all Mines will soon emerge?”

Baek Ji-yeon gave a light chuckle.

Could mere talent really solve everything?

Even the legendary heroes of the past couldn’t wipe out all the Mines.

Baek Ji-yeon walked on, her stride laced with self-mockery.

“It’s Geomhu.”

“My goodness. They’re bringing out the Geomhu just because two Mines caused trouble?”

Guild members whispered among themselves.

“Now that I think about it, didn’t the report mention two middle-ranking enemies… but they were killed by mere students?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Baek Ji-yeon whistled in surprise.

She had heard that this year’s students at the Korean Hero School were exceptional.

Even the association president, who normally overlooked ordinary rookies, had taken an interest in them, which spoke volumes about their capabilities.

“Yes, according to citizens’ reports, one student captured a Mine single-handedly, while another Mine was apprehended by four students working together.”

“…What?”

Baek Ji-yeon’s cigarette fell from her lips.

Even if students were talented, most of them typically ended up as lower-ranked heroes or hunters, not even qualifying as heroes.

But one had defeated a Mine alone?

“And there’s one more odd thing.”

“Strange thing?”

“Yes. The student who confronted the Mine alone is not visible in any electronic devices.”

“What?”

“It seems like it was Lee Seo-ha… but it’s a bit complicated because of this.”

“…Really? Then leave that matter to me for now. I’ll look into it later.”

Did the Electronic Witch intervene?

She thought she was already asleep.

“Either way, this situation has become a hassle.”

Baek Ji-yeon ran her fingers through her hair, starting to organize her thoughts.

“Hey, there’s a bounty, right?”

“Yes. Proof of exterminating a Mine will immediately get you the bounty.”

South Korea was small.

The association always made every effort for Korea’s safety but couldn’t prevent every incident.

That’s why they allowed the formation of guilds and offered bounties for solving incidents involving Mines or monsters.

“Let’s raise it.”

“Yes, we can do that. Especially since the Black Magic Alliance made a move in Seoul’s Gangnam. Given their reputation, the bounty will be significant.”

“And put the bounty of the guy who caught a Mine alone on me. I’ll talk to the Elder Council Chairman about it. They’ll handle it. And I’ll look into the one who caught the Mine.”

The secretary’s eyes sparkled.

“How about a subtle recruitment offer? If Baek Ji-yeon personally steps in, it would be quite a picture. You’re one of the most famous upper-rankers in Korea. And being a woman is a plus.”

“What does gender have to do with it?”

“Well, teenagers of that age often idolize adult women.”

“…Tsk.”

Baek Ji-yeon nodded in agreement.

At her gesture, the secretary sent a text somewhere.

“Right, that school has that guy too, right? The paladin from the USA.”

“Heaven, you mean?”

“Heaven or the USA. Tsk, anyway, he’s there, right?”

“Yes, he is.”

“What’s his rank? A relative asked me to look after him.”

“He’s probably ranked 7th.”

“That guy? Wasn’t he called a genius in the USA? The one who got kicked out of a new school to highlight the difference with Korean schools and then enrolled here.”

“This batch of students is no joke. Especially Lee Seo-ha, whom I mentioned earlier, has broken all sorts of new records.”

“How so?”

“He finished in under a minute.”

“What?”

Baek Ji-yeon couldn’t believe it. A minute? What was her best record again?

It hovered around the low five minutes.

That was during her second semester of the third year.

Even then, she had been considered a once-in-a-century talent.

But a first-year student had done it in just over a minute?

“Whoever he is, he must be a monster.”

“That’s why you, Baek Ji-yeon, need to step in. Otherwise, the guilds will snatch him away.”

“Tsk.”

Baek Ji-yeon took out a lollipop from her pocket and popped it into her mouth.

She didn’t like the idea, but if the guilds got him, the old man would nag her for a while, so she had to step in herself.

“Alright, schedule it.”

“Yes, I’ll take care of it.”

Lee Seo-ha.

Baek Ji-yeon etched the three syllables of the name into her mind and began to organize her thoughts.

“Do I really have to do this today?”

-Stop being so melodramatic. You might be tired, but you’ve regained your vitality with that potion. It’s times like these that you need to train, so you’ll shed less blood in the future.

I sighed at the Black Heavenly Demon Sword’s words and stepped onto the training ground.

Penthouse.

I was back in the dorm now.

The smallest miracle I could perform while dragging my feet.

I agreed with the Black Heavenly Demon Sword.

Originally, even in a difficult level with a character like this, I should have managed everything with just panties and a dagger.

Tsk.

I sighed and rose from the bed.

I changed my clothes: a hoodie over my shirt because I couldn’t be bothered with socks.

Shorts, since the day was slightly warmer.

-Can’t you stop wearing that hoodie all the time?

“What’s wrong with it? It’s comfortable and nice. Besides, I don’t have anyone to impress.”

-At your age, you typically would care about how you appear to the opposite sex.

I chuckled at the Black Heavenly Demon Sword’s remark.

If I hadn’t been transported to this world, I probably would have cared about that too.

-So, you’re going out?

“Yeah.”

The penthouse had an air purifier and always maintained a cool temperature, but how should I put it?

It lacked the thrill of running.

Outside at least offered the pleasure of enjoying the scenery.

I put my phone in my pocket and picked up the Bluetooth earphones I had recently bought.

When I stepped outside the dormitory, I saw a familiar silhouette.

Seo Ga-yeon.

She was jogging in her tracksuit.

“Hello.”

“Oh, hi, hello.”

Seo Ga-yeon greeted me, seeming slightly flustered.

I looked around. There was no one else.

‘A good opportunity.’

“Jogging? Can I join you?”

“Huh? Oh, sure, of course.”

Seo Ga-yeon and I started jogging together.

But soon enough, she was far ahead of me.

“…….”

I realized an important fact.

Even though Seo Ga-yeon was currently considered a low-ranking student at this school, she had superior physical stamina compared to me.

And there was another humiliating thing.

Seo Ga-yeon started to walk slowly, adjusting her pace to mine.

“…….”

I felt a deep sense of defeat as a man.

I was seriously considering using the points I had earned this time to enhance my physical stats.

Seo Ga-yeon spoke up.

“Seo-ha, you know a lot about alchemy, right?”

“Yeah, fairly. Do you have a question? I’ll answer if I know.”

“Well, during the last practical session, I added slime mucus to a healing potion, and it turned into poison…”

“…Did you filter it?”

“Huh?”

“If you don’t do that, the toxicity develops, turning it into poison. There should be a filter in the kit they distributed, right? It’s called a filtration device. If you add water, the magic in the kit will react and convert it into a substance that filters out the poison. Try it next time.”

“Oh, I see.”

Not knowing the basics of using slime mucus could lead to that.

“Seo-ha, you’re good at everything.”

Her voice was heavy with defeat and a sense of inferiority.

“Oh, no, no! So, sorry. Forget what I just said.”

Seo Ga-yeon panicked and shook her head.

“It’s okay. There are things I can’t do too. Like running, for instance.”

I looked at Seo Ga-yeon.

Seo Ga-yeon was an upright person.

However, her life hadn’t been smooth.

“Want to try learning some magic?”

“Magic…?”

“Yes. Like I said before, I think you have talent. In my opinion, you’re even more impressive than Hong Yu-hwa, talent-wise.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Trust me on this one.”

“……”

Seo Ga-yeon looked at me blankly.

“I’ll help you with whatever I can.”

Of course, even if she didn’t ask for help, I would assist her anyway.

I wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“Th-thank you.”

Seo Ga-yeon nodded slowly.

So, next weekend, I should go to the dungeon with Seo Ga-yeon.

I thought to myself while looking at her.

Awakening magical powers was tough.

The best way was to awaken in a life-threatening situation.

The ‘Star Magic’ that Seo Ga-yeon possessed needed to clash with things related to ‘Ma’.

“In other words, the best method is to nearly get killed by a Mine.”

Seo Ga-yeon smiled faintly.

Yes, smile a lot for now.

I smiled back at Seo Ga-yeon.