Chapter 42: Do you have anything you like?

There are good black sorcerers in this world.

For starters, Cheon Juyeon had never committed even a minor crime in her life.

With her innate wealth, she never had to resort to pilfering snacks from a supermarket, and with her natural strength, she never needed to bully anyone.

“Man, if I had that face, I’d be unstoppable.”

“…”

“Shouldn’t people like her be banned from awakening, just on principle?”

“The balance of Earth’s server is totally busted this year.”

Her life was one of pure admiration.

Her stunning looks, flawless figure, exceptional abilities, impeccable personality, and radiant smile—all backed by an illustrious background.

Among her peers across the world, no one could compare to her.

Cheon Juyeon, destined to one day become the leader of the Jeil Yeongrak Church, was exceptional in every way.

The so-called alpha female.

To some, she was an ideal to aspire to; to others, she was a prodigy destined to lead the world, nations, and factions.

Her admission as the top student to Seoul’s Supernatural Ability Academy was underpinned by her overwhelming talent and skill as a black sorcerer.

With such a perfect life, why would she, a black sorcerer, need to resort to evil deeds?

There was a time when black sorcerers orchestrated World Wars I and II, but that was over a century ago.

Moreover, the previous leader of the Jeil Yeongrak Church had made a name for herself by sealing a hyper-dangerous rift.

Cheon Juyeon was truly a flawless black sorcerer with nothing to hide.

Just as white hat sorcerers exist in the world, she was seen as a leading figure among black hat sorcerers, expected to be a great asset in the future.

“Your Eminence.”

Such was the person who garnered universal praise.

Likewise, the mysterious black sorcery sect, the Jeil Yeongrak Church, which had recently begun limited operations after years of seclusion, was named one of South Korea’s top 100 most transparent organizations.

Truly, it was an exemplary black sorcerer organization and its heir.

It was a group too honest and powerful to be unjustly struck down merely for being black sorcerers.

Yet, despite all this, the reason Cheon Juyeon was fixated on a certain individual was clear.

Boom! Crash!

Disasters don’t care about wealth, occupation, or abilities. When exposed to light too intense, shadows vanish without a trace.

The new star who passed the level test with flying colors.

Shin Yuseong, hailed by others as the ultimate heartthrob.

To Cheon Juyeon, gifted with divine insight, his face was barely discernible, but there was no mistaking it.

A blinding pillar of light, almost unbearable to look at, shone down around him. It was as if transcendent magic or strategic weapons were raining down in real-time, his surroundings perpetually bathed in radiance.

Since late last year, that pillar of light had been constantly in Cheon Juyeon’s sights.

From the entrance ceremony, she’d struggled not to show her reaction every time her gaze met that light.

It wasn’t just dazzling—it carried an oppressive weight that felt like it could kill if touched. Rather than scheming to deal with it, her first instinct was a warning: Don’t mess with this.

“To become student council president, you need to start by becoming class rep and taking over the student council…”

“Cancel all plans.”

This was why Cheon Juyeon, who had entered Seoul’s Supernatural Ability Academy with grand plans to make a name for herself, instead kept a low profile.

Her dreams of evolving from the academy’s star student to a societal titan and a national puppetmaster were scrapped entirely.

Every time she encountered that light-pillar monster, goosebumps covered her body, convincing her that avoiding any provocation was the top priority.

Though there were murmurs within the church about the sudden secretive behavior of their next-in-line leader, her judgment proved correct.

Following the massacre at the auction house, another catastrophe had occurred.

The details weren’t fully clear since the tally was incomplete, but it seemed even larger than the last incident.

“Wait, almost all the missing people are dead?”

No one knew exactly how it happened.

What was certain was that all the black sorcerers who had swarmed to Seoul’s Blue Mage Tower had gone silent.

Wondering what in the world was going on, the church conducted a special divination ritual.

The result: most of them were either dead or had left this world.

Half of the missing were high-level practitioners, capable of making a name for themselves globally. Within South Korea, they represented a significant portion of the black sorcerer community.

They were rivals vying for dominance in the black sorcerer community.

Yet, the outcome was absurdly futile, a disappearance without context.

“If you’re a black sorcerer, never go to the Blue Mage Tower.”

“You go there, you die.”

Even black sorcerers, unaware of the full story, caught wind of the Blue Mage Tower’s rumors belatedly and started playing it safe.

A kind of urban legend had emerged among them: bad black sorcerers should absolutely avoid that place.

With even the most prominent figures among them slaughtered recently, they didn’t dare approach the Blue Mage Tower, despite the rumors being unverified.

If even the ignorant were this cautious, how much more so for those who knew the rough details?

Especially for Cheon Juyeon, who could see the pillar of light with her own eyes, it looked like nothing more than moths rushing to their doom, incinerated by the radiance.

She didn’t know why they were doing it.

But somehow, shadowy figures kept approaching the pillar of light, crashing into it and even making it grow larger.

Over a few days, as she watched the pillar’s thickness increase slightly, Cheon Juyeon felt a wave of nausea.

It was already hard to look at before, but now its brilliance had grown even more intense.

‘That power is surely something even the leader of our church couldn’t hope to match.’

With her tail between her legs, Cheon Juyeon had no intention of challenging Shin Yuseong.

Instead, her mind was filled with thoughts of winning his favor.

The news of his upcoming birthday was, therefore, most welcome.

‘Someday, even if things go wrong later, I need to get close to him now!’

Thus, Cheon Juyeon instructed Imir, her infiltrator in the group project, to prepare a gift for him.

***

‘I’ve never prepared a gift for a guy before.’

Of course, for the one actually carrying out the order, it was quite a headache.

Hoo…

Imir, the church’s guardian and a spy embedded in the group project, let out a deep sigh.

Somehow, she’d ended up disguised as a male student, but since the church only had young ladies and no young masters, she’d never had to think about gifts for men.

She was clueless about this.

Internet searches suggested safe bets like expensive cosmetics, stuffed toys, or bags.

“Wow, that cloud looks like poop.”

Having observed him closely for a month, Imir couldn’t help but think Shin Yuseong was practically a woman in terms of his formidable abilities and laid-back personality.

In a way, he was a rather charming guy.

She was on a mission for the church, and with the next-in-line leader trembling and giving her strict orders, there was no chance of her falling for him.

Still, she could understand why other girls were swooning over him.

It was a slightly irreverent thought, but if you swapped Cheon Juyeon’s gender to male and boosted her stats, wouldn’t it feel something like this?

‘He doesn’t seem to be faking his easygoing nature—it feels genuine.’

Given her covert mission, she had to prepare for all possibilities.

While staring at Shin Yuseong’s face and mulling over her options, she noticed Sephine fidgeting nearby like a puppy desperate to pee and sighed.

Man, she’s got it rough too.

Though her reasons were more personal, their quest seemed similar.

Clicking her tongue, Imir decided to take the lead and draw her staff.

“Hey, Yuseong? Do you have anything you like?”

“Hm? Like what?”

It felt like an obvious question, but he just tilted his head with a blank expression.

“Well, I like games, and for food, maybe burgers? Katsu? I like sushi too.”

“What about objects, then?”

“Hmm, not sure.”

His nonchalant attitude made it seem like he’d forgotten his own birthday.

Imir, trying to gauge the sincerity of his words, narrowed her eyes and tapped her foot.

Since he mentioned liking games, maybe a gaming console would work?

But is it okay to give a guy a gaming console as a birthday gift?

***

Sephine Alabad, sitting diagonally across and wrestling with similar dilemmas, started nervously biting her thumbnail.

“Sushi’s best in Japan, right?”

“Never been to Japan.”

“C’mon, you can go next time! It’s a quick flight!”

Maho, the Japanese exchange student, responded with a carefree expression, but those with ulterior motives couldn’t help but overthink.

***

For the first time in a while, the four of them teamed up for a magic game, exploring an underground labyrinth and even defeating a minotaur with two heads.

Two cow heads.

A double event.

‘I’ve never seen such a bizarre creature, even on demonic planets. Hmm, should we call it a Twin-Headed Minotaur?’

Its grotesque size and strength were matched by its speed, as it smashed Sephine’s steel puppet, reducing her to tears.

These never-before-seen creatures popping up in class were refreshing, but something was off with their group’s difficulty level.

The frequency of variant beasts and elite monsters kept increasing.

‘Playing a game and designing one are completely different, but you’re doing remarkably well so far.’

Recalling the professor’s words from today, it felt like they were eyeing him for grad school.

It probably meant he looked like an excellent student or was paying good attention in class.

“Feels like almost every professor looks at me that way, though.”

[The Goddess nods proudly, delighted that the hero has caught the professors’ attention.]

Being favored by professors was definitely a good thing.

Of course, he had no plans to go to grad school.

It felt like being sent to juvie for a kid’s mistake—grad school had that same vibe of being dragged off.

[The Goddess, startled, asks if that’s how it works.]

‘Well, a mistake, maybe. If catching the professors’ eye is a crime, then I’m guilty.’

So, shouldn’t he start being more careful?

The way Professor Shin Arin and the world history professor looked at him was getting shinier by the day.

For the upcoming midterms, he’d need to perform just well enough to avoid being roped in.

His first exam in 20 years—there was a good chance his grades would be a total flop.

‘Yeah, 20 years, huh.’

He’d been through a lot in that other world.

Walking wearily from the shuttle bus stop to his house, he suddenly noticed a poster on the wall of a fast-food joint.

[Maximum Ultra Burger Set Released!]

[Event gift for customers with a birthday today.]

“Oh, right. My birthday’s coming up.”

He’d forgotten for a moment.

Or maybe for a very long time.

To be continued.