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Chapter 49
Lee Ha-seong is a person with more mystery than what is known.
Even though he is the director, the role of KSA’s public face is mainly taken by the Seoul branch director Na Mi-na, who enjoys contact with the media and has quite close relationships with journalists.
In other words, even in my previous life, I did not have many points of contact with Lee Ha-seong.
Until 2040, when he died unexpectedly in a dungeon and a new director was inaugurated.
I had met him only once.
If I hadn’t met him that one time, I wouldn’t have recognized who was speaking to me now.
“Excuse me, but who… Are you?”
I played dumb. Because if I pretended to know someone I was meeting for the first time, they would surely find it strange.
“I’m Director Lee Ha-seong. I heard you’re visiting for the license test today, is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I apologize for troubling you in various ways. This is why KSA sometimes gets criticized. Ha ha.”
Lee Ha-seong scratched the back of his head with a kind smile, giving off a warm feeling like a neighborhood uncle.
He must be thirty-nine this year, but he looked a bit older.
“Not at all. It’s a natural verification process for attacking a dungeon owned by the state.”
“I’m truly grateful if you think that way.”
Right then.
A tingling sensation.
The moment our gazes met directly, I suddenly felt a headache starting.
‘He has a search talent.’
The other person is an SSS-rank Awakener. It was not strange at all that he would have such a talent.
If I hadn’t prepared anything, I might have been completely scanned, with my talent and magic power volume read entirely by Lee Ha-seong.
But for me, who has been through all sorts of experiences, this was a ‘mental ability’ I’ve experienced countless times.
Of course, I also know how to counter it.
Although the practice is somewhat difficult compared to the theory, the method is simple.
Since the scan of the search talent always starts from the head or contact point, you just need to build a thick wall of magic power around the brain and its surroundings.
Of course, this is just a theory impossible for ordinary Awakeners who cannot freely send or make magic power stay where they want.
“The weather is quite cold, isn’t it?”
Despite his scan attempt failing quickly to my response, Lee Ha-seong didn’t bat an eye.
He naturally talked about the weather while adjusting his collar, as if nothing had happened.
‘Well, the director isn’t the director for nothing.’
Though neither of us showed any sign, a momentary exchange of intentions passed between us.
One trying to probe, the other trying to block.
The result was a draw.
“Kang Shin-hwa! Over here… Oh? Hello, Director.”
Yun Byeol-i, who had arrived at the scene, was about to call me but recognized Lee Ha-seong and bowed politely.
“Byeol-i, you’ve been working very hard lately. Keep up the good work. Kang Shin-hwa, nice to meet you.”
Lee Ha-seong greeted me again and offered a handshake.
This is no ordinary hand.
I immediately focused all my magic power on my right hand for the handshake and set up another defense wall.
As our hands clasped, I again felt a subtle tingling sensation.
How curious he is about my information! He seems quite thorough.
“Nice to meet you too.”
I responded with a bright smile.
The invisible attack and defense that passed between us ended like this.
And then.
“Should I follow Byeol-i?”
I immediately turned my gaze to Yun Byeol-i.
Now it’s time to quickly resolve the license matter and go absorb the ‘magic power storage talent’.
* * *
While Kang Shin-hwa enters the special training room with detailed guidance from Yun Byeol-i and wears sparring equipment.
Behind a semi-transparent wall, two people are quietly watching from outside.
Lee Ha-seong and Na Mi-na.
From the inside, the wall looks the same, but from the outside, the interior is clearly visible.
“Director, you met him at the entrance earlier, right?”
“I did.”
“How was it?”
“He was experienced.”
“Did… Your scan fail?”
“He knew the countermeasures.”
Unlike Lee Ha-seong’s casual tone, Na Mi-na looked utterly shocked.Â
This was understandable because Lee Ha-seong’s search talent was powerful enough to absorb all of a target’s information, potentially reading even their earliest memories if not properly blocked.
The terrifying aspect of this talent was its ability to analyze both advantages and disadvantages while acquiring information. From Lee Ha-seong’s perspective, this meant he could persistently target weaknesses after comprehensively understanding a target.
“If you don’t preemptively build a magic wall at the head or contact points, you’d be overwhelmed in an instant.”
“That’s right. The moment he tried, the counteraction was already complete. Since Kang Shin-hwa isn’t a wanted criminal or offender, I didn’t push too hard.”
“He’s definitely not an ordinary Awakener, right?”
“Honestly, until I met him directly today, I didn’t understand why you were making such a fuss.”
“It’s not a fuss… Wouldn’t a more sophisticated word be better? It sounds unprofessional for the leader of the Seoul branch to talk about ‘making a fuss’!”
“Anyway, Kang Shin-hwa definitely has many hidden things. The porter role was probably just a disguise.”
“Right? Quietly hiding his talent and then starting to move when the time is right.”
“The recruitment attempt is good too.”
“Yes.”
“Be careful not to stimulate him too much. He’s a precious Awakener of our Republic before anything else.”
“I understand.”
“Shall we watch?”
Lee Ha-seong and Na Mi-na sat in the darkened room with all lights off. The test for Kang Shin-hwa was about to begin.
* * *
At the same time.
“Kang Shin-hwa, would it be okay if I film the entire test process?”
Yun Byeol-i requested permission to record the sparring session. When I just chuckled without saying anything, she tilted her head.
“They’re watching from over there anyway. I’ve known from the beginning.”
“Huh?”
She’s acting clever, but she doesn’t know how different my eyes are.
I briefly excused myself from my sparring partner and strode toward the wall. Then, pointing at Lee Ha-seong and Na Mi-na, who were watching me intently with arms crossed inside, I said,
“You two are quite visible. Hello again, Director, Branch Director.”
When I precisely met their gaze and greeted them, Na Mi-na was startled and jumped up. Lee Ha-seong tried to appear nonchalant, but he must have been significantly surprised internally.
Common sense is scary like this. Because with human eyes, you’d think this wall is absolutely impossible to see through.
‘But transformed eyes are different. They make the impossible possible.’
“…”
Yun Byeol-i kept her mouth shut. It was a situation where she could neither confirm nor deny.
I didn’t feel uncomfortable that they were watching. I already knew the purpose of why I was called here.
“Let’s skip the recorded filming. Since you two are observing the scene, that’ll suffice. How’s that?”
Lee Ha-seong inside nodded. Na Mi-na still looked half-stunned.
“Let’s begin then. I really want to get that license.”
Lightly shaking my wrists, I slowly moved to the center of the special training ground. On the opposite line, about 20 meters away, my sparring partner stood.
‘Hwang Jun-hyung.’
My opponent today.
While no preliminary information was officially disclosed to me, I had information about him in my old memories.
An A- rank Awakener, a typical long-distance damage dealer type. A most annoying position that persistently maintains distance and harasses opponents from afar.
‘It’s a battle of either escaping well or sticking close. I’ll need to add variations to my movement path. He must have enjoyed creating battle plans.’
The characteristic of such an Awakener is that they constantly adjust their position to always secure an advantageous location.
In other words, simply chasing his movements will not yield a solution.
If you approach, you’ll be concentrated and suppressed, and will be pushed back.
“As you know, when the test protective equipment’s durability drops below 10%, an alarm sounds and it immediately terminates. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Agent Hwang Jun-hyung is someone who has experience clearing this dungeon alone. He’ll be a good opponent.”
“Indeed. How many opportunities would a D- rank awakener have to directly face an A- rank Awakener?”
I threw out a witty joke.
They know it, and I know it too.
That the alphabet ‘D’ symbolizing the character Kang Shin-hwa means nothing at this moment.
I am trying to show, and they are trying to verify. What is the true alphabet hidden behind the exposed camouflage!
“Ready.”
“Whew.”
One deep breath completed all preparations. My body, which had instantly heated up, was ready to explosively leap out at any moment.
‘Northwest.’
I saw the slightly unbalanced back leg of Hwang Jun-hyung and grasped his direction of movement.
What’s the use of being A- rank?
No matter how much you deceive with your eyes and bravado, if your body cannot deceive, that Awakener will forever remain a novice.
And.
“Start!”
With Yun Byeol-i’s cry.
Pah!
Without a moment’s hesitation, I put all my weight on both legs and launched myself northwest.
The moment I leaped, my face was right in front of Hwang Jun-hyung’s.
It wasn’t just an appropriate distance.
Just by slightly lowering my head, I was close enough to kiss!
“Let’s end this quickly.”
How dare he!
The moment a D- rank Awakener delivers a concise death sentence to an A- rank Awakener.
* * *
One minute like an eternity in hell.
Hwang Jun-hyung could truly understand what the fear of death was for the first time in his life.
From start to finish, everything was seen through by Kang Shin-hwa.
Using acceleration ability to create distance and selecting the optimal position through instinctive movements was a natural, innate talent that Hwang Jun-hyung didn’t even need to try for.
No matter how promising the opponent might be recently, he believed that ultimately, they could not overcome the ‘D’ alphabet.
Honestly, his pride was hurt.
It was because he felt closer to the ‘S’ alphabet, and he found it ridiculous to be matched against a D- rank opponent.
But that pride crumbled like a sandcastle the moment the battle began under Kang Shin-hwa’s fierce attack.
Not a single technique worked against Kang Shin-hwa.
From the start, their eyes met, and before he could respond, he was hit with a consecutive attack ten times.
Nevertheless, Hwang Jun-hyung maintained maximum composure and tried a counterattack with his specialty: magic.
He planned to respond dramatically with a powerful strike using half of his magical power.
His will was to quickly end this embarrassing sparring match by throwing in an early decisive move.
But.
Swish!
Pow!
“Kcough!”
In an instant.
A magic ball that flickered at Kang Shin-hwa’s fingertips and flew sharply struck him in the center of his chest.
It was precisely a strike that hit the top of his heart, the starting point and source of magical power circulation.
“Urgh!”
An unexpected major accident.
Magical power reversal had begun.
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