“Lately, the rumors about you are incredible, aren’t they?”
At the appointed eting spot, a natural park, I sat on a random bench, and soon those I was waiting for arrived.
[Rumors?]
“You’ve been attending the crafting major lectures for days now. Last year, you focused on magic, and now it seems like you’ve settled into crafting?”
Baek Ah-Rin, who had approached from behind the bench, placed her hand on my shoulder as she asked. When I tilted my head in confusion, Baek Ah-Rin activated a hologram.
Click click click…!
“…What the heck is that? Telekinesis?”
“It’s too intricate for magic. Could it be a unique ability?”
“Seriously, it’s insane. So people can’t even handle one with both hands…”
The hologram reflected the scene from the lecture room I had just attended.
More precisely, it was using one hand to solve two puzzles, while dozens of other puzzles floated around , adjusting themselves automatically.
[Ah]
“The telekinesis show is just too overwhelming. You’ve been repeating this during every lecture, so don’t you think rumors are bound to spread?”
[They will…]
“Right?”
Baek Ah-Rin chuckled softly, covering her mouth with her hand. I awkwardly smiled back at her.
Since I was focused, ignoring the surrounding attention, scenes like this often played out.
“Even now, it’s still impressive. The precision of your magic manipulation…”
It wasn’t just Baek Ah-Rin who had arrived. Lee Ji-Yeon, who had t up with Baek Ah-Rin halfway, took a quick glance at my expression and offered a faint smile.
“By the way, you called us just as the lecture ended. Perfect timing.”
“Sis, it’s not perfect timing.”
“Hmm?”
Baek Ah-Rin shook her head. When Lee Ji-Yeon blinked in confusion, Baek Ah-Rin clicked her tongue and wagged a finger.
“You an to tell this is all according to Ihayul’s plan?”
“Plan? What do you an?”
“Think about Ihayul’s perception ability. I heard he was famous in China too. He could pinpoint monsters and even locate dual-headed wyverns from afar.”
“Perception ability? Why is that…”
Lee Ji-Yeon’s follow-up sentence began to fade as I tilted my head. At her reaction, Baek Ah-Rin nodded.
“That’s right. With that range, Shinyoung should be pretty much within reach. Plus, the information is clear enough to handle visually.”
“……”
“We’re essentially on Ihayul’s palm 24/7. The mont we entered the classroom earlier, you were contacted, right?”
[Wait, hold on]
As I silently listened, suddenly the conversation took a turn. I hurriedly waved my hands to stop Lee Ji-Yeon, who had a look of panic.
[It’s a misunderstanding. I respect others' privacy, of course. I reduce the range or let go of unnecessary information…]
It had been over a year since I began handling the ability to observe. Strictly speaking, my observational powers ca before my magical abilities.
I’d gotten pretty good at controlling it by now. Occasionally, I’d accidentally pick up strange information, but I never did it intentionally...
“…That’s right. You’re not the type to do sothing like that.”
[Senior…]
My protest had an effect. Lee Ji-Yeon, who had been looking at with slightly trembling eyes, now sent a trusting gaze.
I knew Lee Ji-Yeon would believe . After all, we had fought side by side in China, trusting each other with our lives.
As a touch of emotion appeared on my face, Lee Ji-Yeon smiled gently.
“Then what about earlier? Was that really a coincidence? Or did you sense it on purpose and contact us this ti?”
[......]
“…Junior?”
Just then, Baek Ah-Rin’s sudden question made grip my necklace tightly. Lee Ji-Yeon, who had been smiling, flinched.
[Seriously, it wasn’t like that… Please trust …]
A silly, whining sound involuntarily popped into my head. As Lee Ji-Yeon moved, she briefly lowered her gaze.
Around her, Ihayul whined, following her around like a puppy.
It looked more like whining than an actual plea. A bit too cute for my liking.
When I glanced down at the adorable behavior, I could feel my face muscles tense, trying to hold back a smile.
‘This is why he’s so playful.’
Before we arrived at the park, Baek Ah-Rin had told about her plan to tease Ihayul.
“Sis, I’m bored. Want to ss around a bit?”
“ss around? What are you planning now?”
“Hey, do you think I’m a criminal or sothing?”
Having fallen for Baek Ah-Rin’s playful sches many tis, Lee Ji-Yeon was initially reluctant, but after hearing the plan, she agreed, since it didn’t seem like it would cross any lines.
And this was the result.
[Seriously, I’m not…]
“Hm, just like the last break, you ca in without any doubt that I’d be in my room... Hmm…”
[That’s, that’s… An exaggeration…]
Just as Baek Ah-Rin planned, Ihayul whined and clung to her. His reactions were lively and adorable. No wonder people around him would tease him now and then.
‘He really doesn’t get it, does he?’
Seeing him act this way only strengthened my trust. If he had really been monitoring 24/7, he would have known about Baek Ah-Rin’s prank in advance.
But judging it as a performance? It didn’t seem fake at all. I didn’t blindly trust my judgnt, but I didn’t doubt it either.
At this point, I couldn’t sense any malice from Ihayul.
Could soone like him, full of innocence, be watching her with malice? Impossible. Even if he had sensed sothing, there had to be a valid reason for it.
“I saw you find the monsters’ skin and resistance so easily the other day, even uncovering their weaknesses. You couldn’t have been using reverse perception, right? Wouldn’t it be possible to secretly know what I’m wearing under my clothes too?”
[......]
“You’re staying silent now.”
...It’s a bit strange, but…
“Hm, Junior. So, where are we headed?”
As Lee Ji-Yeon cleared her throat, trying to change the topic, Baek Ah-Rin reluctantly stepped back with a disappointed expression.
Though we were following Ihayul, I hadn’t heard the exact destination.
[Hmm… We’ve almost arrived.]
Almost arrived? Lee Ji-Yeon and Baek Ah-Rin looked around. They could see a forest, filled with the scent of spring, one of the forests located in Shinyoung’s central area.
“What is this place?”
[Shinyoung Bigo. This is the entrance area. We could go further inside, but it’s better to follow the proper procedures.]
“Aha, I see. It’s Shinyoung Bigo. So this is the entrance…”
Lee Ji-Yeon tilted her head as she mumbled, confused by the term “Bigo.”
Baek Ah-Rin had a similar reaction, also tilting her head and looking at Ihayul.
Whooosh!
Ihayul suddenly pulled his hand out of the void. In his hand was a dazzling golden key.
The key looked extraordinary. As he infused magic into it, the key vibrated.
Nodding, Ihayul inserted the key into the air.
Thud! The key sank into the air, and a vertical line appeared. It seed like a gap, with golden light spilling out.
Click! When Ihayul turned the key, the gap widened. The air on both sides of the vertical line opened like a door.
The vast, open space revealed a long hallway with countless doors on either side.
[It’s open. Let’s go in together.]
Shinyoung Bigo.
This was the place where I had already received the key from the vice president before entering the Tower of Knowledge. I had been in and out several tis.
Ihayul, putting the key into his pocket, turned around.
Both Lee Ji-Yeon and Baek Ah-Rin, visibly shocked, stared at the inside of Bigo before their gazes shifted back to Ihayul.
Lee Ji-Yeon, still unable to close her mouth, stamred.
“…Junior, you weren’t actually the president, were you?”
[What do you an?]
“…Just asking. Thought I’d try it.”
At Ihayul’s bewildered expression, Lee Ji-Yeon turned slightly red and looked away.
The structure of Shinyoung Bigo was simple.
A long hallway with doors on both sides, each room containing various items stored inside.
“Wow… What’s all this?”
Baek Ah-Rin, who had been following Ihayul, couldn’t help but exclaim.
Even outside, we couldn’t see the end of the hallway, and it was the sa as we entered and walked inside.
No matter how far we walked, the end of the hallway remained unseen. Even when I focused my magic to enhance my vision, it was the sa.
Click!
“There’s a room full of magic stones…”
When we casually opened a door, a soft blue glow filled the hallway. The large room, more than big enough for any regular building, had mountains of magic stones piled up.
“The purity is top-notch…”
And the quality wasn’t just ordinary. After seeing the intense magical energy flowing on the floor, Baek Ah-Rin shrugged her shoulders.
Closing the door, Baek Ah-Rin turned to look back at the path we had taken.
Countless doors had passed by. Through the cracks in so of the doors, golden light shone.
There were rooms with a blue hue as well. These were mostly filled with magic stones.
“How much magic stone have we passed by? And with that purity, I wonder if it’ll be refined further?”
“Judging by the amount, it’s definitely premium. It’s going to last a lot longer.”
“Yeah, definitely. Wow... this is Shinyoung Bigo. It’s incredible to actually be here in person.”
Indeed. Nodding, Lee Ji-Yeon briefly looked at Ihayul.
Shinyoung Bigo was a well-known place.
Typically, artifacts, elixirs, and materials promoted by Shinyoung were all stored here.
In other words, it was a warehouse for Shinyoung’s entire fortune, a place that was only known by na.
No one had ever co in person, and even fewer had seen it with their own eyes.
Rather than coming here directly, people chose from a catalog of the items, selecting what they needed.
That’s why security was extrely tight.
Is he really not the president?
The key to Bigo was in Ihayul’s hands. I heard that he had already entered alone several tis, taking what he needed.
It was essentially the sa as owning it. The equation Ihayul = President quickly crossed my mind.
[?]
[What’s going on?]
“…Nothing.”
I briefly entertained the thought, but the sight of Ihayul tilting his head sincerely made the doubt fade away.
“…What are you here to collect?”
[I’m here to gather materials for a weapon like the Beacon Sword to give to Baek Ah-Rin and Lee Ji-Yeon.]
“Weapons? If you make them, I’d be happy... wait...”
A weapon. A gift. The words made Lee Ji-Yeon smile for a mont, but when she heard the next part, she blinked in surprise.
“The Beacon Sword?”
The Geopha family. That’s the family heirloom weapon of the head of the family.
But neither the Changhae nor the Taesan families had their own weapons like that.
The Beacon Sword was a weapon made due to Geopha’s uniqueness.
However, neither the Changhae nor Taesan families, who did not share that uniqueness, had a weapon like the Beacon Sword.
[Yes, I’m planning to make it now.]
Despite that, Ihayul confidently stated he would make it.
“…Isn’t that going to be difficult...?”
Lee Ji-Yeon, about to voice her doubt, suddenly recalled the holographic video she had just witnessed.
The dozen or so puzzles floating in the air. I heard that it was a particularly difficult training tool, and Ihayul had simultaneously solved them at high speed using telekinesis…
That wasn’t all. In just one year, he had accumulated martial arts skills, physical abilities, magic, unique abilities, Geopha, Taesan, Changhae...
“Maybe, if it’s you, Junior...”
Lee Ji-Yeon hesitated but said no more.
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