Chapter 165 – An Unexpected Luck (1)

The next morning.

As soon as I stepped out of the dormitory, a dark brown sedan was parked in front of the entrance. It was so well-maintained it gleamed flawlessly.

It didn’t match the surroundings at all—this was the cheapest of all dormitories. Students passing by couldn’t help but glance at least once at the car.

‘Whose car is that?’

Curious looks. But based on the golden license plate, I could easily guess who it belonged to. I remembered it from the Miracle Blessing M setting guidebook.

A plate covered in solid gold. As far as I knew, only a few people in Korea could freely ride around in a car like that.

The president and heroes of the Seven Stars level. Since the president wouldn’t come all the way here, it was obviously the latter.

Bzzz—

The tinted window of the black car rolled down. Through the opening appeared a woman in stylish sunglasses. She lowered them with a finger and placed them on the bridge of her nose.

Our eyes met. Her eyes were green and ring-shaped. It was Media. She smiled brightly and waved at me.

“Geom-Ma, over here! Get in!”

“……”

I was speechless for a moment. Last night, Chief Sung had messaged me that someone else would take me to the Association in his place. I never imagined that person would be the director herself.

I should’ve suspected something from the strange tone of Sung’s message. There was something very reserved in his words.

‘Chief Sung?’

It was already a big deal that none other than Changseong of the Seven offered to personally guide me once I arrived at the Association. But now the Sage of the Seven herself had come to pick me up?

How did this become so huge? With a little exaggeration, it was like having two presidents involved in one of my personal matters.

No, in terms of international influence, they were even bigger than presidents. Anyway, it was too much. The pressure was suffocating.

Haa—

Let’s think positively. I couldn’t use space-time portals for personal reasons. Taking a bus from Wonju to Seoul would take more than an hour and a half.

But in that car, it’d be 40 minutes. Because there were exclusive lanes for diplomatic-level vehicles.

Unfair as it may seem, that’s just how this world works. Status rules everything. Democracy here is nothing but a romantic ideal. Damn it.

I clicked my tongue and walked over to the car, getting into the back seat. As soon as I did, Media greeted me enthusiastically.

“Oh, our Geom-Ma! Long time no see! Do you know how much I missed you~?”

“Ack— Ack—!”

She pinched both my cheeks with her fingers. I bit her hand.

“Director, I get it already. Let’s talk after we hit the road.”

“I just got so excited. Driver, please go ahead~”

As the car sped down the clear highway, we chatted about various topics. At first, nothing too serious.

In short, it was “Geom-Ma, you’re making waves these days!” and “Really, thank you for everything.” She couldn’t stop praising me.

But her upbeat tone felt a little off. It was clear she was hiding how she really felt.

As the director, Media had a strong sense of duty. She always complained to me that the salary was low, there were no benefits, and the job was brutal, but no one cared more about the students than she did.

And just a few days ago, many students died. The guilt and burden must have been crushing her.

I studied her carefully. Beneath her sunglasses, I could see deep dark circles under her eyes. She hadn’t slept in days.

The world revered her as the Director of Joaquin Academy and one of the Seven Star Sages.

But in the end, she was just a person too. A person who couldn’t sleep, tormented by remorse.

A little while later, her gaze turned serious. The driver, noticing this, turned on a noise-canceling mode. The atmosphere in the car grew solemn.

Media clasped her hands together and let out a long sigh before speaking quietly.

“To be honest, Geom-Ma, I should’ve asked you this from the beginning… The enemy you fought back then… was it at the ‘level’ I’m thinking?”

“Yes. The enemy introduced herself as the 3rd Corps Commander Vesna. And based on the fight, I’m certain it was her.”

“…!”

The strongest reaction came from the front seat. Reflected in the rearview mirror was the driver’s face, pale and drenched in sweat, his hands slipping slightly on the steering wheel.

“Haa…”

Media massaged her temples. Her expression remained calm. What she had suspected matched my testimony. She added,

“The students don’t know who the enemy was. Not even the instructors. Naturally, who would guess they saw a corps commander? They must’ve just assumed it was an incredibly strong opponent.”

“That’s true. And maybe it’s better they don’t know. It’ll lessen the emotional impact.”

I nodded, and Media opened her eyes wide, then gently patted my head.

“How are you so mature? You really seem like a grown-up. But Geom-Ma, with this… we can’t keep hiding it.”

“That’s true…”

“So the Academy and the Association are going to coordinate and make an official announcement. We’ll tell the public who the enemy was and what you fought against, so they’re aware.”

Media moved her hand from my head and gently took my hand.

“Also, that old man contacted me recently and said preparations are almost complete.”

“Preparations? For what?”

“You really forget things so easily for someone so young? I’m talking about your succession as one of the Seven Stars!”

“…!”

Hiccup!

The driver started hiccupping. Media continued speaking.

“You’ve already defeated the 5th Corps Commander Agor and the 3rd Corps Commander Vesna. We have to keep going. Everything should be ready in about two months. And I’m heading to the Korean branch of the Association today to discuss that with the gorilla. Among other things.”

The driver had heard too much in this tiny space. He looked like he was going to faint.

His hands trembled on the steering wheel as he rolled down the window to cool his sweat-drenched face.

…And right at that moment, the car with the golden license plate entered Seoul.

***

The Korean branch of the Hero Association received the vehicle. The agents waiting swiftly opened the car doors.

Straight legs stepped out through the open door and touched down on the red carpet laid out. The agents bowed to the legs in synchronized salute.

“Welcome to the Korean branch of the Hero Association! Director of Joaquin Academy and Sage of the Seven Stars, Media Poison!”

Media stood tall. Her sunglasses gleamed under the midday sun.

Clack.

At that moment, the opposite door opened. The agents repeated their salute with equal enthusiasm.

“Welcome to the Korean branch of the Hero Association! Student of Joaquin Academy and hero of the Joaquin disaster, Kang Geom-Ma!”

“…Yeah, sure.”

Kang Geom-Ma stood next to Media with an awkward expression. He whispered to her,

“Is all this really necessary?”

The welcome was so extravagant it looked like they’d throw a flower necklace on him at any moment. Media replied,

“The Hero Association has always been conservative. You know how bureaucrats are—top-down, no exceptions. Though… that’s not the only reason.”

Heavy footsteps echoed through the floor. The agents stepped aside without a word.

Media narrowed her eyes. She murmured barely audibly,

“Here he comes.”

Kang Geom-Ma looked up. A man approached with an overwhelming presence—muscular build, beastly face: Changseong, Richard of Mura.

“Kwahaha! Been years since we met. How’ve you been, old hag?”

Richard burst into thunderous laughter. Media walked up to him with firm steps and stopped in front of him.

“Hey, gorilla.”

“What is it, old hag?”

Richard tilted his head with innocent curiosity.

“I told you…”

Media took a deep breath. She held it in for a second.

“…Not to call me that!”

Whack!

With a sharp shout, Media threw a straight punch. The blow sliced the air and struck Richard’s abdomen.

Boom—! The sound exploded like a drumbeat. The impact unleashed a fierce gust.

‘What the hell?’

Kang Geom-Ma couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Was that how Seven Stars heroes greeted each other? It didn’t look like friendly banter. The pavement cracked, the wind reversed—there was no doubt that blow had murderous intent.

While everyone around stood stunned, eyes wide, Richard grinned brightly.

“Man, you’re getting old. Used to feel like you twisted my guts, now it just tingles a bit.”

Despite what he said, blood trickled from his jaw. Media chuckled.

“What a bragger. I went easy on you because it’s been a while, and that’s all you got? And just so you know, I’m out of shape from days without sleep. Meanwhile, your abs are as soft as pudding.”

Changseong’s grin turned even redder with blood. The pain arrived a moment late—his internal organs were clearly damaged. Rubbing his abdomen, he responded with a forced calm:

“I slacked off on training lately, that’s all. Cough… Still, you look pretty healthy for someone glued to a desk. I’m glad, old—”

“Old?”

“…Media.”

Only then did Media turn away with an icy air. Watching all this, Kang Geom-Ma couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

‘Is inheriting the title of Seven Stars really a good idea? If greetings between them are like this, I might need to reconsider.’

While everyone remained frozen in uncertainty, Kang Geom-Ma’s eyes met Changseong’s.

“I’m so glad to finally see you in person!”

Despite his enthusiastic expression, Changseong limped closer. He tried to hide it, but the pain was clearly substantial.

“I canceled all my plans just to meet you! Since I’m here, how about we all have lunch together?”

He extended his hand toward Kang Geom-Ma, but Media slapped it away.

“Don’t start with your tricks. Your only job here is to guide Geom-Ma to the Monolith. And while he’s busy, we have matters to discuss. Don’t we?”

“Tsk. I was hoping to bond over some meat with the young lad.”

Changseong clicked his tongue. Media growled firmly:

“What are you, a bandit? All you think about is meat? Don’t play dumb—I know you’d use that as an excuse to swindle our Geom-Ma. Ever since you got into politics, you’ve become more venomous than a snake.”

“Media, I get that you care about your students, but aren’t you being a little overprotective?”

Media shot him a sharp glare and replied bluntly.

“If that prevents another tragedy like the Joaquin Incident, I’d rather be too protective. Nowadays, no one gets close to my students. Not even former comrades. It’s my duty as director.”

“…Hah…”

Changseong scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. Media removed her sunglasses. Her sleep-deprived eyes locked onto his.

“You and I both have debts from what happened. Don’t forget, we came here today to talk about those responsibilities. This isn’t a day for chewing meat like nothing happened.”

“…Haah, fine. I’m sorry.”

With slumped shoulders, Changseong stepped forward.

“Follow me. I’ll take you straight to the Monolith.”