Chapter 29
Optimum Headquarters.
Kim Yeon-hee and her daughter, Park Min-ji, were enjoying a rare moment of leisure together, sipping on their tea.
“The aroma is wonderful.”
“Is it? It’s a new blend we just got in. I’ll make sure to get you some. You have a machine at home, right?”
“Yeah, I do. Thanks, Mom.”
They say that as a mother and daughter age, they gradually become more like friends. This certainly seemed to be true for Kim Yeon-hee and Park Min-ji.
“How was the raid? Everything go smoothly?”
“What could possibly go wrong? It was just a level 6 raid.”
“But you took the new recruits with you, didn’t you? Leading a raid with a bunch of rookies who aren’t even coordinated is no small feat. You have no idea how worried I was.”
“They did fine.”
“Fine? They were probably in a daze the entire time.”
“They’re new, Mom. They were just nervous.”
“Even if they’re new, they’ve spent four years at the Academy. If they mess up, they deserve the criticism.”
“Don’t be too hard on them.”
They both lifted their cups simultaneously, their movements mirroring each other perfectly.
The way they drank their tea, as if in sync, was just one of the many similarities between mother and daughter. In appearance, temperament, tastes, and even the atmosphere they exuded, the two were like carbon copies.
Perhaps that’s why Kim Yeon-hee and Park Min-ji were so particularly close.
“Hmph, I’m enjoying this tea with my daughter, but it seems like my dear girl has something she wants to say. What is it? What are you curious about?”
“Nothing, really.”
“Don’t give me that. I can see it all over your face. Spill it. What is it?”
“….”
Park Min-ji hesitated, biting her lower lip as she tried to muster up the courage to speak. Seeing her daughter’s reluctance, Kim Yeon-hee chuckled. Who would have thought that ‘Baekho,’ the Swift Swordmaster, could look so adorably shy?
“Should I take a guess?”
“Huh?”
“You want to talk about Ki-hyuk, don’t you?”
“Ah!… No, I don’t!”
“Min-ji, you came out of my belly. Don’t try to lie to me.”
“Ugh…”
Yes, outside she might reign as the formidable ‘Baekho,’ but at home, Park Min-ji was no more than a kitten in front of her mother.
“So, what do you want to know?”
“…Bit-na said that Ki-hyuk caused some trouble.”
“So that’s it. Bit-na really is quick on the uptake, isn’t she?”
“Is it true?”
“Ha… Yes, it’s true. Your brother caused quite the mess. A huge one, in fact.”
The Korean Academy has five major events that define a student’s life there.
‘Clubs,’ which are essential for networking and establishing future agent connections.
‘Midterms,’ the first test taken with new teammates, emphasizing cooperation.
‘Finals,’ where command skills are fully tested.
‘The Intra-Academy Ranking Battle,’ where students showcase their prowess, demonstrating their strength.
And lastly, the ‘Festival,’ which offers students the chance to make up for past mistakes and seize new opportunities.
These five events are not just important for academic performance; they can significantly influence a superhuman’s future career.
“…With midterms over, the only things left are the finals, the Intra-Academy Ranking Battle, and the festival, where the ‘Recruitment Market’ opens. But there’s a problem.”
“…What kind of problem?”
“Your brother, the troublemaker, has turned the Academy upside down. Sigh~ Honestly, who did he get that temper from?”
“It’s not from Dad.”
“What? Are you implying it’s from me?”
“Isn’t it? I’m like you, after all.”
“Hmph…”
You’ve got a point…
“But why is it a problem that Ki-hyuk caused some trouble? I wasn’t exactly a saint either.”
“Ha, that’s true. Our little Min-ji had her rebellious phase too. Do you remember when you were a first-year and you beat up those thugs during an outdoor class? You even took down an entire villain organization.”
“Stop it. That’s a dark chapter in my history. Let’s focus on Ki-hyuk.”
“Ha, my girl still gets embarrassed, huh? Those were the days. But darling, my dear, hot-tempered, fiery daughter, you were an angel compared to Ki-hyuk.”
“…!”
Park Min-ji, who had single-handedly dismantled eight teams during her midterms, might have been wild, but she had Eun Bit-na as a stabilizer. Park Ki-hyuk, however, had no such restraint, and he ended up smashing everything in his path.
Kim Yeon-hee massaged her temples as if she had a headache.
“He dismantled ten teams. And he didn’t just pick any teams—he went after the largest ones. What do you think the result was?”
“What was it?”
“More than half of the first-year students—60% of the entire class—were left in the dust! They’ve become ghosts! Forget about the finals, they can’t even attend their regular classes!”
In the Korean Academy, where teamwork is crucial, many classes and projects are carried out in groups and teams.
But with so many teams dismantled, more than half of the students were left in limbo.
In other words, they couldn’t participate in any mandatory courses.
With so many students missing, how could classes continue as usual?
They couldn’t.
“The finals, the Intra-Academy Ranking Battle, the festival—every upcoming event has been thrown into disarray.”
Kim Yeon-hee took a big gulp of her coffee, groaning under the weight of the situation.
This is serious. Park Min-ji, sensing the gravity of the situation, slid her piece of chocolate cake over to her mother as a peace offering.
“Isn’t that an exaggeration? Sure, the finals, which are like a mock raid, might be in trouble, but the Intra-Academy Ranking Battle and the festival are individual events, right?”
“That’s true. The ranking battle and the festival are individual events. You just need to perform well on your own. But here’s the thing. Your brother, that rascal, has created something absolutely insane!”
“….”
“Apocalypse.”
Apocalypse.
A new magical system, never before seen in the world, had been unveiled: ‘Unique Magic.’
Structure, circuits, transformations, functions.
A magical system entirely separate from conventional magic.
“Let’s take the Intra-Academy Ranking Battle. It’s a 1v1 tournament. For it to function properly, there’s one essential element: competition.”
For the ranking battle, where victory and rankings are clearly defined, competition is a fundamental requirement.
But with the emergence of an irregular like Park Ki-hyuk, that competition was effectively thrown into the trash.
With a genius who could create a whole new magical system on the scene, who in their right mind would challenge him?
“And then there’s the festival. You know why the Academy’s festival is so famous, don’t you?”
“Because of the Recruitment Market.”
“Exactly, the Recruitment Market.”
The Academy’s festival spans five days.
During this time, the Academy-sanctioned Recruitment Market opens.
Clubs, teams, and even external agents can officially scout Academy students during this period.
And what is it based on?
“Midterm, final, and ranking battle scores.”
“…Wow.”
“Judging by your expression, you’re starting to get the picture now, huh?”
These five seemingly unrelated big events were actually intertwined like threads in a web.
“The moment the midterms were ruined, the dye was cast. Even if Ki-hyuk hadn’t revealed Apocalypse, the situation might have been somewhat salvageable.”
Kim Yeon-hee shrugged.
“But here we are.”
Now, all competition was meaningless.
“Do you think anyone will challenge Ki-hyuk at this point? I guarantee it. No one will. This isn’t just about competitiveness anymore.”
To chase someone, you need to see their back. But Ki-hyuk was an opponent whose back was nowhere to be seen—a mysterious entity no one could even begin to understand.
Everyone would give up.
“Our brilliant son has turned the entire Academy into his personal entourage.”
“…The events have lost all meaning.”
“Yep. The fourth and third-year students have already ditched the ranking battle to focus on their internships.”
“They don’t have to participate.”
“Correct. Only the second and first-year students are stuck. For them, the ranking battle is mandatory. That’s why so many first-year students have suddenly taken leaves of absence.”
“Ugh… This is giving me a headache.”
“Honestly, the Academy’s solution to this crisis is pretty simple.”
There’s a saying: He who ties the knot must untie it.
If the problem originated with Park Ki-hyuk, then Park Ki-hyuk himself needed to resolve it.
If he agreed not to participate in the upcoming events, the Academy could salvage the ranking battle and the festival.
But here’s the thing.
This was Park Ki-hyuk, a young man who had been weighed down by labels like the incompetent one, the unfortunate genius, the broken swordsman.
Now that he had finally revealed his hard-earned abilities and unleashed his full potential…
Would Ki-hyuk cooperate?
“Honestly, I don’t think so.”
Both Kim Yeon-hee and Park Min-ji thought the same thing.
Park Ki-hyuk would never stop.
“No.”
“Come on now, Ki-hyuk!”
Meanwhile, while Kim Yeon-hee and Park Min-ji were having their conversation, Park Ki-hyuk was sitting in the Academy principal’s office, facing Principal Chun Soo-man.
Their meeting had occurred for precisely the reason Kim Yeon-hee had predicted.
“So, what you’re asking is for me to… um, let’s see… stay put and keep quiet, right?”
“That’s an exaggeration. I’m merely asking you to show some consideration for your peers by making a small concession.”
“Is it really an exaggeration, though? Telling me to sit out the finals, the Intra-Academy Ranking Battle, and the Recruitment Market—calling that a small concession seems like a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?”
“…What you’ve done isn’t small by any means. You’ve already turned this semester into a mess. If we’re not careful, this entire year could go down the drain!”
For example, if a large number of first-year students decided to take a leave of absence to avoid competing with Park Ki-hyuk, and then returned next year, what would happen? The next year’s first-year class would be an absolute disaster with no room for them.
Does that sound like an exaggeration? In the past few days alone, over 30 first-year students had submitted leave of absence requests—all from the students whose teams had been dismantled.
“I don’t understand. I mean, really, I don’t. So there’s someone better than them, and they just give up on competing?”
“It’s not just that someone is better, it’s that you’re vastly better.”
At the very least, they need to be able to see your back—no, even just a shadow of it—to feel motivated to pursue you. But you didn’t even allow them that.
Your overwhelming talent has become a form of violence.
As the Academy principal, Chun Soo-man couldn’t simply stand by and do nothing about Park Ki-hyuk’s existence.
“Frankly, I’ll admit it. I underestimated your potential, Ki-hyuk. Even as an educator, I was biased by the ‘illness’ you suffered from. That’s why I never made the offer.”
“Offer? What offer?”
“Well…”
Chun Soo-man had been an educator for many years. He had the eye to discern extraordinary talent and potential, and it wasn’t difficult for him to identify the most gifted students each year.
For those exceptional talents—the so-called geniuses—Chun Soo-man would propose a deal.
Hide your true capabilities. Play along at a level appropriate to your peers.
If you do that, I’ll ensure you receive certain conveniences.
“Oh… So, this year as well?”
“Yes, Jin Yu-ri, the leader of Group 1, agreed to the deal.”
As a result, Group 1 was allowed to conduct their community service on campus. By offering such conveniences, Chun Soo-man was able to reduce the disparity and give the average students hope.
Maybe, if I work a little harder, I can catch up to a genius like Jin Yu-ri.
Chun Soo-man knew that this was a false hope.
But he believed that even if it was false hope, it was worth giving the students something to dream about, something to strive for.
But that was Chun Soo-man’s belief.
Park Ki-hyuk had a different perspective.
“So, you’re offering me the same deal you gave Jin Yu-ri?”
“If you agree to play along and maintain balance. Yes.”
“All for the sake of everyone, right?”
“Yes, for the sake of everyone.”
“Hmm…”
Taking a leisurely sip of his coffee, Park Ki-hyuk replied.
“I don’t think so.”
“Ki-hyuk!”
No.
It was a rejection.
“Let me ask you something, Principal. What is this place?”
“…”
Being sharp as he was, Chun Soo-man immediately grasped the essence of the question.
This was the Academy.
A training ground for superhumans.
So what does it mean to be a superior student at the Academy?
It’s simple. A strong student is a superior student.
Character? Conduct? Effort? Spirit? Potential? Latent ability?
Sure, they matter. But how do you objectively measure those?
If this were a novel and you had a scouter in your eyes or a status window, maybe you could quantify them. But unfortunately, this is reality.
There’s no such thing. How do you measure potential?
In the end, all you can look at is the result. All you can measure is the power they wield.
“I entered this Academy as the top student. Despite some friction during the group selection, I became a leader through a fair process.”
He understands.
He understands that overwhelming talent can become a form of violence.
“During the club activities, there were some unfortunate incidents. I understand that the professors and you, Principal, were uncomfortable with Yggdrasil.”
He understands.
He understands that his talent could cause despair among his peers.
“Yes, I admit that I got carried away during the midterms. Honestly, there was a bit of personal vendetta in it. After all, how long was I supposed to put up with people calling me mana-void, incompetent?”
He understands.
He understands that for the sake of everyone’s future, he should protect their potential.
He understands it all.
But here’s the thing.
“I didn’t break any Academy rules, did I?”
So what are you going to do about it?
“On what grounds are you asking me to be considerate?”
Grounds may mean nothing, but sometimes they mean everything.
Does it make sense to ask someone to hold back after they’ve shown overwhelming strength in a place dedicated to training superhumans?
‘No, get out of here.’
Forget understanding, grounds, right and wrong, and all that crap.
Since when did I ever care about those things?
In that moment, Park Ki-hyuk’s gaze changed.
“Let’s be clear. Don’t. Don’t try to force me.”
No one can force me.
Even if it’s well-intentioned, even if it’s for everyone’s sake…
Screw that! I’ll live how I damn well please.
“I live on my own terms.”
Click.
After Park Ki-hyuk closed the door and left, Chun Soo-man sat in silence, lost in thought.
Now he understood. Now he understood who Park Ki-hyuk truly was.
Now he understood why Park Ki-hyuk had been on his mind.
“I live on my own terms.”
“Don’t judge me by human standards…”
“…You, you’re just like Yggdrasil.”
For a long time, Chun Soo-man continued to stare at the spot where Park Ki-hyuk had been sitting.
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