Chapter 146 – Candidate No. 7, Kang Geom-Ma (3)

In the training field, in the Star Class section.

“A-bel! What the hell was that?! How did the ogre die? Did I see wrong? Or is there some special swordsmanship technique to do that?”

Rachel pulled at Abel’s clothes insistently while urgently asking her questions.

“Hey, Rachel! Let go of me first!”

Abel pushed away Rachel’s hands, which were her sleeves so tightly that it ended up wrinkled.

Rachel stuck out her tongue and apologized.

“Ah, sorry. I got too excited. Hehe.”

“Ugh, anyway.”

Abel spoke with a tired expression.

“As far as I know, no such technique exists in swordsmanship. And besides, I don’t think that was a technique per se, but something entirely different. Even you, who use a spear, must have noticed that the way Kang Geom-Ma fights is strange.”

“Yeah, yeah. How do I put it? More than a technique, it felt like a phenomenon. He already cut a spell in the midterm exam.”

“Exactly. Trying to analyze it using common logic is a mistake.”

“Well, that makes sense… after all, his score was infinite.”

“That shocked me too. But not just us—everyone who witnessed this…”

As Abel looked around, his gaze met Yu Sein’s.

Amid the general excitement, Sein was frowning, watching Kang Geom-Ma from a distance with a serious expression. She seemed worried.

“The assimilation speed is absurdly fast…”

Sein’s murmur reached Abel’s ears.

‘Assimilation? Speed?’

Just at that moment, Sein seemed to notice his gaze and quickly turned her head toward him.

“!?”

Their eyes met suddenly, and Abel’s shoulders flinched.

It felt like he had been caught spying.

Feeling uncomfortable, he averted his gaze and blinked nervously.

…But in Sein’s persistent stare, Abel felt a strange sense of familiarity.

‘What is this?’

Sein stared at him for a moment longer before turning around and leaving.

Her long silver hair, which reached her waist, swayed gently in the wind.

***

Ryozo continued asking curiously.

“Alright, I get that you used your blessing to cut Fear. Though I still can’t fully believe that you cut sound or vibrations… Seeing it with my own eyes, I can’t ignore it. But then, does that mean you could give any magical beast that emits Fear a heart attack?”

“No, it’s not that simple.”

I shook my head.

“The previous situation was quite particular. Ogres rely heavily on their Fear, and besides, it was in berserk mode, which massively amplified its pulses. If it hadn’t gone berserk, I’m not even sure if it would’ve worked in a single strike. I got lucky.”

Suddenly, Ryozo shouted.

“Lucky?! How can you call that luck?! That was only possible because you have a ridiculously absurd ability! This wasn’t like accidentally catching a mouse—you caught a damn dragon!”

“Oh, Ryozo, you know Korean proverbs too?”

“Do you really think this is the time for that?! The fact that you’re only seventeen and can use Mental Domain to cut sound is already insane! You’re a damn crazy genius!”

Ryozo punched me in the chest with an annoyed expression. I scratched my head and smiled awkwardly. Still, the heavy atmosphere lightened thanks to that nonsensical joke.

Step, step.

Suddenly, I felt the presence of someone approaching with clear intent.

The place was full of unconscious students.

In fact, in the entire Wolf and Common Class section, only Ryozo and I remained conscious.

So whoever was approaching was definitely coming for us.

And, just as I had predicted, reality aligned with my assumption.

“Student Kang Geom-Ma.”

I turned my head toward the voice.

A man in a pristine suit stood before us.

Behind him, timidly peeking out, was a woman who only let her eyes be seen.

From their attire, it was clear they weren’t academy staff.

Professors and instructors at the academy wore badges on their uniforms, but these two didn’t have any.

The man, sweating on his forehead, extended a business card.

The paper was slightly damp from his sweat.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Sung Yu-Chang, head of the Strategic Planning Department of the Hero Association, currently assigned to the academy. You can simply call me Chief Sung.”

The handsome middle-aged man, Sung, gently nudged the person behind him with his elbow.

The woman who had been hiding jumped as if someone had set her tail on fire.

“H-Hana Eun, deputy director of the Strategic Planning Department of the Association!”

After her rushed introduction, Hana Eun also quickly handed over her business card.

Her hands were visibly trembling.

She kept shifting her gaze nervously, avoiding making eye contact with me, as if she would die the moment she did.

I tilted my head curiously.

“Why is the Association looking for me?”

I already knew from Media that the Association had a presence at the academy.

So their sudden appearance didn’t catch me completely off guard.

But wasn’t it a bit too blatant to approach me so directly?

It was obvious that Media wouldn’t like this kind of move.

It seemed strange to me.

Perhaps noticing my slight expression of distrust, Supervisor Ha panicked and spoke quickly.

“Ah, that’s…”

“Wait a moment. First, I want to verify if you’re really from the Association.”

Ryozo took the business card from my hands and examined it closely.

With narrowed eyes, she scrutinized it in detail before nodding.

“The serial numbers match. It seems like they really are from the Association, and their ranks also check out.”

“……?!”

“……?!”

When Ryozo said that, both of their eyes widened. Their facial expressions showed pure shock.
Ryozo calmly explained the details to them.

“The first four digits indicate the agency, the three in the middle correspond to the department, and the following ones show the rank. The last five digits must be personal security codes.”

“H-How do you know that?”

“I was trained in these kinds of things since I was little. I’ve seen hundreds of business cards from various government agencies and international institutions.”

“…Wow.”

Sung let out an incredulous laugh.

No wonder he reacted that way.

A student who could deduce their identity just by reading the numbers on a business card.

Even I, who knew how smart Ryozo was, was surprised. No, honestly, it was a little scary.

And this girl called me a “crazy genius”?

She was basically a walking supercomputer.

I glanced at Ryozo, and she responded by touching her temple with her index finger.

‘Are you an AI or what?’

Ahem… Sung cleared his throat to break the awkward silence and spoke with a smile.

“First, I’ll answer your question, Kang Geom-Ma. The reason we’re looking for you is because of the special reward for today’s test.”

“If the reward comes from the academy, why is the Association handling it?”

“Because we were the ones who planned and supervised this test. The director gave us the authority to deliver the special reward. But since the atmosphere here isn’t the best… Could we have a moment to speak in private?”

Sung spoke with utmost courtesy.

He seemed at least twenty years older than me, yet he still used formal language.

But that wasn’t enough to dispel my suspicions.

I recalled the warnings from the Sword Master and Media.

They didn’t want me getting involved with the Hero Association.

They must have had their reasons.

However, there were several things I wanted to ask on my own.

Not just about the special reward but also about the Monolith.

Many ancient artifacts were under the Association’s supervision.

I appreciated that Media and the Sword Master treated me like family.

But in the end, what mattered most was my own will.

If I was going to make decisions, I had to do it myself and take responsibility.

I made up my mind. Right now, the best course of action was to take the initiative.

I gave Sung a slight nod.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Ah, thank you very much! Then, please, this way…”

Ring, ring.

The sudden sound of a phone interrupted the conversation.

A sharp ringtone came from Chief Sung’s pocket.

He took out his phone, and upon seeing the screen, his face immediately turned pale.

“…Excuse me, I need to take this call.”

He responded briefly and then let out a deep sigh, as if the ground beneath him was about to collapse.

Then, he looked at Supervisor Ha and spoke to her.

“I’ll have to go to the director’s office for this matter. Ha, take care of explaining things in my place.”

“The director’s office…? Don’t tell me…”

Seeming to guess the situation, Supervisor Ha fell silent.

Chief Sung forced a bitter smile.

A dark shadow covered his face.

“Don’t worry about me. Just make sure to take good care of Student Geom-Ma.”

Without further explanation, Sung hurried out.

The expression on his face was incredibly grim.

After watching her superior leave, Supervisor Ha spoke in a neutral tone.

“Student Kang Geom-Ma, please follow me.”

“Can I come too?”

Ryozo raised her hand and asked.

“Geom-Ma… His way of processing information is quite unique. If I’m there, communication will be smoother.”

…Wasn’t she being a bit overprotective?

“I’m not a little kid for you to worry like that.”

“No.”

Ryozo shot me a sharp look. Her eyes clearly said, “Do you really think I’ll let you go alone?”

Supervisor Ha pondered for a moment before nodding.

“Alright.”

Meanwhile, she avoided my gaze but looked directly at Ryozo.

“However, if you are not the directly involved party, you must maintain absolute confidentiality about this conversation. Do you agree?”

“……”

Ryozo looked at me in silence, then nodded while locking eyes with Hana Eun.

“If you want, I can sign a non-disclosure agreement.”

***

We followed Supervisor Ha to the main building of the academy.

She pressed the button for the fifth floor in the elevator.

Ding—

When the doors opened, both Ryozo and I blinked in surprise at the scene before us.

The fifth-floor reception hall had been transformed into the Temporary Office of the Strategic Planning Department of the Hero Association.

Desks and computers filled the room, leaving no empty spaces.

At first glance, it looked more like a corporate office than an academy facility.

Supervisor Ha led us into a private meeting room.

Ryozo and I sat on one side of the large table, while Ha Eun sat across from us.

“……”

In the tense atmosphere, Ryozo intertwined her fingers and narrowed her eyes before taking the initiative.

“Supervisor Ha, first of all, can you explain why you brought us here?”

Her cold tone made Ha Eun stammer slightly.

“W-Wait, let me first explain the purpose behind the simulation test and the reason why we invited Student Kang Geom-Ma.”

Ryozo immediately redirected the conversation.

“It’s better to get straight to the point. While we were coming here, I already drew my conclusions.”

“……?”

With a faint smile, Ryozo continued.

“The ogre hunt is normally part of the second-year curriculum. Also, Joaquin Academy rarely changes its curriculum schedule.”

“……”

“Isn’t that strange? In an ogre hunt, all students usually participate. But this time, only one representative was chosen per class.”

“……”

“I found it suspicious. As if this was just an excuse to evaluate certain individuals and approach them. Bringing us here also seems to be part of that plan.”

“……”

“The Hero Association has always kept an eye on the academy’s students. The moment I saw you hand Geom-Ma a business card right away, I understood everything.”

“……”

Ha Eun opened her mouth but couldn’t say anything. It was as if all her secrets had been laid bare.

Being a deputy director at her age, Hana Eun must have been an elite, yet Ryozo had completely shut her down with her reasoning.

She had imposed total silence on her.

Honestly, if there were a title for the greatest genius in office debates, Ryozo would win it without question.

At this point, the best thing I could do was stay quiet and let her handle the situation.

Ryozo smiled confidently.

“So, Supervisor Ha, if you could set aside the Association’s hidden motives and just tell us what the special reward is, we’d appreciate it.”

“……”

Ha Eun, with a half-resigned look, finally nodded.