Seo Woojin — Part 2
A standalone house near Pangyo.
I was sitting in a parlor, sipping coffee while gazing at the well-manicured garden outside.
Next to , Manager Choi Sunsoo was fidgeting nervously.
“The President seems to be running late. He’s usually very punctual…”
“That’s understandable.”
If you’re a level-6 superhuman running a top-10 private military company, being busy is probably an understatent.
I leisurely watched drones buzzing around, trimming the garden’s trees.
We had been waiting for nearly an hour when the door finally opened, and a middle-aged couple entered the room.
They were both dressed in matching white suits, and each had a long sword strapped to their waist. But the swords and suits weren’t what caught my attention.
It was the overwhelming aura they exuded the mont they stepped in, dominating the entire parlor.
‘This is what a level-6 superhuman feels like.’
I steadied myself, doing my best to appear calm as I stood up to greet them.
“Thank you for seeing us, President, Vice President! We appreciate you taking the ti out of your busy schedule!”
Manager Choi bowed nearly 90 degrees.
“I’m Warrior Kim, it’s a pleasure to et you.”
I bowed politely, though not as deeply as Choi.
“Hmph.”
The President let out a displeased grunt.
On the other hand, the Vice President, who was also a level-6 superhuman, smiled warmly.
“Nice to et you. I’m Lee Miri, and this moody guy is Seo Jungju. Thank you for coming.”
“Oh, co on, I’m not in a bad mood.”
“You’re totally sulking. If you’re going to act like this, why don’t you just go back to your study?”
“I can’t do that.”
President Seo Jungju snorted and sat down on one of the sofas, turning his body to look out at the garden. His deanor scread dissatisfaction.
Lee Miri sighed and motioned for
and Manager Choi to sit.
“He’s stubborn… Please, have a seat. You can speak to .”
“Yes, Vice President. I’m looking forward to working with you.”
“Likewise. I take it that your presence here ans you’re accepting our request?”
Manager Choi shot
a glance.
I nodded solemnly.
“Of course. The reward is exactly what I need.”
Lee Miri gave
a keen look.
Her eyes, filled with wisdom, focused on the black flas surrounding .
Even the President, who was pretending to be uninterested as he stared out at the garden, was sneaking glances at the divine flas, observing them closely.
‘As I thought.’
I was starting to understand the situation.
A reputable company ranked in the top 10 of the country’s private military sector.
Both the President and the Vice President were powerful level-6 superhumans.
They must have connections to countless other superhumans and ntors.
And yet, they couldn’t help their son awaken his powers. Now, I understood why.
“I’ve heard the basic details from Manager Choi. However, even he isn’t aware of the specifics, so I’d like to ask: Is there any particular reason why your son hasn’t been able to awaken his mana? As far as I know, both of you co from long-standing martial clans, and your son has inherited both your bloodlines. Under normal circumstances, I would have expected him to awaken easily and beco a superhuman by now.”
“Well…”
Lee Miri looked uncomfortable.
“Hmph.”
The President also let out a vague cough.
Of course.
They couldn’t exactly co out and explain the situation openly.
If word got out, it would be a stain on their family’s reputation.
It could also harm the company’s image, making them seem weak and vulnerable.
“I’m sorry, but we can’t reveal the details. We’ll only be able to tell you once you’ve accepted the request and signed a magical secrecy contract.”
“Wait, Vice President.”
Manager Choi objected.
“Isn’t it a bit unreasonable to ask him to take on the job without knowing the reason first?”
“I’m sorry, but we have our reasons. We can’t disclose anything without proper safeguards in place.”
“Hmm…”
Manager Choi looked at , as if asking what we should do.
What else?
My decision was already made.
“I understand your position, Vice President. However, I can’t blindly accept the request either. How about we compromise? Let
et your son and talk with him briefly. After that, I’ll decide whether to take on the job or not.”
“You want to et Woojin?”
“Yes. There’s no need for a private discussion. A short conversation in this room will suffice.”
This much, they couldn’t refuse.
Lee Miri seed to accept my proposal, but the President muttered from across the room, grumbling to himself.
“Hah, what’s a level-1 newbie going to understand just by looking at him…”
“Keep quiet! Alright, I’ll call Woojin.”
Lee Miri waved her hand, and a surge of mana triggered a sensor embedded in the ceiling.
It sent an electrical signal sowhere within the house.
Impressive.
While I watched the sensor in fascination, the door opened, and a handso young man walked in.
“You called for , Mother?”
“Yes, Woojin. Rember how I ntioned there was a superhuman who overca the Saintess’s baptism and reached level 1? This is him. Please introduce yourself.”
“Hello, I’m Seo Woojin.”
Seo Woojin bowed politely.
Despite his privileged background, his manners were impeccable.
I recalled how he was similar in the ga. What you might call a “polite character.” Of course, in the ga, he was famous for using polite language while slaughtering players, earning him the nickna “humiliation character” rather than “polite character” among the player base.
“Nice to et you.”
I quickly sized him up.
Tall, lean, and well-proportioned.
His face had the distinct look of soone born with a silver spoon.
His shirt and slacks exuded elegance.
None of that mattered.
My eyes landed on his right hand.
In the ga, Seo Woojin always wore a thick black-and-gold gauntlet on his right hand.
And even now, here in reality, his right hand was gloved. However, instead of the black gauntlet from the Church of the Old Father, he wore a fine silver glove, embroidered with intricate magic circles.
It looked expensive, the kind of item crafted by a master superhuman.
“Nice gloves.”
“Thank you. They’re more than I deserve, but I’m grateful to use them.”
“I’m sure you are.”
I took a deep breath and delivered the punchline.
“Is it sealing holy power or mana?”
“Pardon?”
“The glove. What’s it sealing?”
Seo Woojin reflexively hid his right hand behind his back, his expression faltering.
His face clearly showed his internal turmoil.
I glanced calmly at Seo Woojin and his parents.
Their outward expressions remained calm, but I could see through their facade. They were like panthers, quietly assessing a potential threat.
“You’ve been afflicted with a baptism, haven’t you? Just like .”
“Ahem!”
“Oh…”
“H-how did you know?”
Of course, it was obvious.
I tapped the black flas surrounding
as I replied.
“Think about it. Does it make sense that soone like Seo Woojin hasn’t awakened his powers yet? He probably underwent nurous rituals when he was born, and I’m sure he’s learned every martial art from both your clans. Even if he were exceptionally slow, he should have at least reached level 1 or even 3 by now. The fact that he still hasn’t awakened ans there’s a reason.”
“But how did you figure it out so quickly?”
“You just need to think it through. You’ve got a unique problem, but instead of asking a mage or priest for help, you turn to a warrior-class superhuman? Not just any experienced, high-level superhuman, but a level-1 rookie who just overca the Saintess’s baptism? There’s only one explanation. This is related to the Saintess’s baptism, which I’m currently in the process of overcoming.”
“Wow…”
Seo Woojin clapped his hands briefly.
“You’re amazing. It feels like I’m watching the protagonist of a detective novel.”
“Don’t flatter .”
“No, really. You’re incredibly sharp.”
Of course, I could only piece it together because I already knew about Seo Woojin’s background.
It was more like I matched the result to the cause.
The atmosphere in the parlor shifted completely.
Even the President, who had been sulking earlier, was now listening intently. anwhile, the Vice President’s eyes glead with interest as waves of mana subtly radiated from her.
“Superhuman, is there a way to fix this?”
“As the Vice President knows, baptisms can’t be removed. You either accept them and beco a follower of the god who bestowed the baptism, or you reject and overco it. There are only those two options.”
“That’s true…”
Lee Miri looked at
with a desperate expression.
She must have been grasping at straws by this point.
“But I have one more question, if you don’t mind.”
“Please, ask.”
“I’ve heard that becoming a follower of the Old Father isn’t necessarily a bad choice. The Church of the Old Father is one of the seven largest religious orders in Korea, right? Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad for your son to join…”
“Don’t even say such a thing!”
The President burst out in anger.
Lee Miri raised her hand to calm him down before explaining softly.
“I’ll assu you asked out of genuine ignorance since you’ve rejected the baptism yourself. But we can’t join that church. You might not be aware, but the Church of the Old Father has a terrible reputation.”
“A bad reputation?”
“Yes. Their doctrine aside, the Saintess, the Seven Apostles, the High Priests, and the other clergy are all strange. What would you expect from a group that worships a god who demands human sacrifices?”
“Fair enough.”
“We would rather follow Gaia or Shiva before even considering joining the Old Father’s Church. If Woojin were to join them, they’d devour our entire company and family. We’ll never let that happen as long as we live.”
Ah, I see.
I nodded heavily.
Co to think of it, in Arcane Seoul, Seo Woojin led a personal guard known as the [First Legion].
Jaelboan, First Legion.
It all made sense now. Jaelboan was created through the arranged marriage of Seo Jungju and Lee Miri, combining the strength of their two clans.
Later, sothing must happen to Seo Woojin’s parents, causing him to join the Church of the Old Father, bringing Jaelboan with him.
“So the Westphalian Covenant of Divine Annihilation is practically useless, then.”
“It’s not completely worthless. Without it, the Old Father might have already taken over the entire country and plunged us into a dieval dark age. Woojin would’ve been brainwashed and dragged off ages ago. The treaty protects both us and you, superhuman. As soon as you created your mana shield, Inquisitors would have abducted you otherwise. The treaty is the only thing keeping them at bay.”
“When you put it that way, I agree.”
The Westphalian Covenant of Divine Annihilation was a pact signed by the gods themselves.
Even the most powerful deities couldn’t openly break it.
But the world doesn’t always play by the rules.
There were countless ways to circumvent the treaty.
One of the most common was claiming that “gods only give trials that can be overco” or “if you refuse the baptism, you just have to endure and overco it.”
Of course, it was always the weaker party that suffered.
If Jaelboan were owned by one of the five major conglorates, the Church of the Old Father wouldn’t be able to pull this nonsense.
How could they resist plucking such an easy target? A future level-8 superhuman ripe for the taking.
It would be impossible for them to just let that go.
“Overcoming the baptism won’t be easy. The baptism becos stronger depending on the individual. With Woojin’s potential and the amount of mana he’s accumulated through training, the baptism will be nearly impossible to shake off. Normally, Nectar would be the best redy for the Divine Fever, but I assu you’ve already tried that.”
“You really do know your stuff. I’m glad we hired you. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to be this knowledgeable.”
“So, can you do it or not?”
Impatient, aren’t we?
The President had moved next to his wife, staring at
with wide, expectant eyes.
I closed my eyes for a mont, taking my ti.
Could I really do this?
Could I break the curse of the baptism? Soone else’s baptism, no less?
I hadn’t even completely overco my own baptism yet. I was still struggling with the Divine Fever…
But…
There was a chance.
In fact, with the knowledge and experience I’d accumulated from over 10,000 hours of playing Arcane Seoul, I was confident it could work.
The problem was the reward.
This job was going to be a massive pain, and one bottle of Nectar wasn’t enough.
Would they be willing to up the ante?
I decided to take the gamble.
“I can do it.”
“R-really?”
“You’re not joking, are you? You can actually do it?”
Their faces lit up.
Even Seo Woojin stared at , eyes wide in disbelief.
“But there’s one condition.”
“A condition? What is it?”
“Please, just tell us. As long as Woojin recovers…”
“Nectar is an extraordinary treasure, but I feel like it’s insufficient given the difficulty of this task. This isn’t just about mana awakening; we’re talking about overcoming the Divine Fever and baptism.”
“Hm.”
The President and Vice President exchanged glances.
They communicated silently with their eyes, a flurry of thoughts passing between them.
“Alright.”
The President nodded firmly.
“If there’s sothing you want, just tell us. We’ll do our best to et your demands.”
“Very well. Here’s my request.”
Please don’t flip out.
I looked straight at the President and spoke with determination.
“I would like you to teach
the [Mountain Breaking Sword Art].”
–TL Notes–
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