Chapter : 120
Winning unconditionally wasn’t always the answer, but Gu Jung-chul was different. He already had superpowers—he just hadn’t realized it yet. If pushed into a corner and forced into a crisis, he would awaken on his own.
Bang!
A sound erupted that shouldn’t have been possible when fists collided. Su-hyun looked at his hand, still tingling from the impact, and then turned his gaze to Gu Jung-chul. The latter blinked in astonishment, clearly fascinated.
“Uh… uh?”
“See? I told you he had talent.”
“…!”
“Then let’s hit him a little more until he can fully control it.”
“……”
Gu Jung-chul instinctively stepped back, his face drained of color.
“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes, just leave it to me.”
Lee So-hee bowed respectfully. Behind her, Gu Jung-chul lay exhausted. Seeing this, Seo Kang-seok asked with genuine curiosity,
“This is the new recruit, right? What kind of person is he?”
“A competent esper. Not quite yet, though. He needs some refining.”
Su-hyun, having thoroughly exhausted Gu Jung-chul, then handed him over to Lee So-hee. Unlike the others who had trained as soldiers, Gu Jung-chul had lived as a civilian, possessing only physical ability without any formal training. He had to be taught from the basics. And for that, Lee So-hee was the perfect choice.
“So, an esper… Did the government assign him to you?”
“No, I brought him personally.”
“?!”
“Why? Is that a problem?”
“Nothing at all.”
Seo Kang-seok was a man as rigid as stone. He didn’t ask unless necessary, but even he couldn’t help but think:
Can this person really identify espers?
Rumors had followed Su-hyun for a long time. The team leader of Uncle Jo Company had a secret for awakening superpowers—or at least recognizing latent espers. Team members didn’t think much of it, but someone like Seo Kang-seok, seeing a person Su-hyun brought in from outside, couldn’t help but be impressed.
“Sorry to trouble you by moving around yourself when you must be busy.”
“Well, you can’t go out right now anyway. The government side also needs a little consideration.”
Since awakening as a magician, the messages Su-hyun received didn’t stop at the Development Planning Bureau—they even came directly from the Planetary Administration Department offering personal protection. Of course, Su-hyun refused the offer but intended to stay in Pyongyang for a while.
I should take care of maintenance during this time.
The two of them were currently out to pick up Seo Kang-seok’s daughter. Having been hospitalized for so long, Seo Kang-seok was overjoyed at her discharge.
“It’s okay to show that you’re happy.”
Su-hyun noticed him shrugging his shoulders slightly and said. Seo Kang-seok blushed, embarrassed that his feelings were so obvious.
“Oh, no, it’s nothing.”
“Dad!”
“Yes, Yena!”
Before a second had passed, Seo Kang-seok’s expression softened. A young girl appeared in the distance, calling out to him. She didn’t resemble him at all, yet it was clear she was his daughter. The long illness had left her delicate and thin.
As expected, there’s still a trace of poison…
Although fully recovered, a faint toxic aura lingered. Su-hyun quietly used poison techniques to draw it out from the girl.
“This is the person I told you about.”
“Thank you.”
“What? Saying something unnecessary?”
“I only mentioned the help received.”
“You could’ve just said you earned it yourself… Stop overexplaining.”
Su-hyun gestured for them to get in the car. Seo Kang-seok took the passenger seat, and Seo Yena sat beside Su-hyun, smiling brightly as she looked around.
“Is it amazing?”
“Yes, a little. Dad explained a lot, but seeing it firsthand is different… Oh, you said you’re a mercenary, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then have you ever fought monsters before?”
Su-hyun glanced at Seo Kang-seok, signaling him with his eyes to switch seats. But Seo Kang-seok looked out the window instead.
This guy…
Although dealing with children wasn’t his nature, he couldn’t just ignore one either. Su-hyun had to answer Seo Yena’s questions sincerely until they reached their destination.
“They seem close?”
“No. I came for work.”
“……”
Choi Ji-eun gave Su-hyun a complex look, immediately noticing his denial. As Lee Seon-hwa passed by, Su-hyun asked again.
“So, what do you think?”
“It’s amazing how only these kinds of cases show up.”
“I’m not asking about the situation—what about the girl’s condition?”
“There’s nothing more I can add. If a major hospital has spent so much on a detailed examination, nothing more done here would change much. Could you stop making that face?”
Su-hyun’s disappointment was obvious, and Choi Ji-eun sighed.
“But there are a few things we should check.”
“Of course, I knew I could trust you.”
Choi Ji-eun blushed and looked away.
“So, what kind of check?”
“Primitive artifacts from monsters themselves are rare, but fusion with a human is something I’ve never heard of. Even normal artifacts rarely do that.”
Holding Seo Yena’s hand, Choi Ji-eun led her inside, explaining:
“Artifacts and espers have a lot in common. I plan to test her as an esper.”
“Was there such a test?”
“I created it recently. And you’re involved too.”
“?”
“It’s based on research from analyzing esper nullification devices. By analyzing the waves naturally emitted by espers, we can detect whether someone is an esper or not…”
“…So basically, you can tell if she’s an esper?”
Su-hyun knew well that leaving Choi Ji-eun to explain would result in a long technical lecture.
“Yes, something like that. Step up here.”
So early acquisition of the nullification device has such an impact…
Both the nullification and detection devices were useful equipment. No one imagined something like this could emerge.
“Like this?”
“Yes, take a breath… and come down. Good.”
Seo Yena jumped down, and Choi Ji-eun nodded.
“What do you think?”
“It’s the same waves an esper emits.”
“So that means…”
“Even if she can’t use powers yet, she’s basically an esper. Since she didn’t naturally have powers but fused with an external artifact… we’re not sure yet. I’ll leave the rest to her mother—she’ll know better.”
“Please, take care of it!”
Seo Kang-seok bowed loudly. Choi Ji-eun stepped back, startled.
“Don’t scare her. Stop it.”
“S-sorry.”
“No need to worry. Her mother will find a safe way without harming her health.”
“Alright, then don’t worry so much.”
“Thank you…”
As they left, Seo Kang-seok looked back repeatedly.
“If you’re so concerned, she can stay at the lab for a while. We’ll exclude her from the next mission.”
“No. I can’t do that.”
Seo Kang-seok was unexpectedly stubborn.
“If someone’s helped us, we must work. We can’t cause further trouble.”
“I’m not harsh enough to force someone to work while their family is sick.”
“If you skip once, you won’t participate again. Yena will understand.”
“Hmm… I’m not sure.”
“Don’t you have any good people around?”
“Well, I’ve been too busy. I’ll think about it later.”
“They might be closer than you think. I’ve met them that way too.”
“That’s enough. Anyway… huh?”
Suddenly, a message came in. Su-hyun confirmed it was from Chairman Charles.
“What’s the matter?”
“Matter? Did we ever need a matter to contact each other?”
“Didn’t we?”
“……”
Hopefully, he hasn’t already fought someone else…
“Hello?”
“Oh, I was thinking of something else. Anyway, I’m a bit disappointed you thought that way. I thought we were quite close.”
“Just joking. I quite like you too, Chairman.”
They left out the “about giving something” part—they both understood the intent behind the polite words. Charles quickly got to the point.
“So, about the item you brought last time, the one that attracts monsters…”
“Has the analysis finished?”
“The item is more useful immediately than analyzed.”
Not right now.
Once analyzed, it would have gone to Choi Ji-eun—she’d have been thrilled.
“Oh, yes, of course.”
“Analysis isn’t complete yet, but I made a few prototypes for immediate use. Structurally identical, so no problem using them.”
“Tested them too?”
“Of course. The monsters went crazy—they work well.”
“Very good.”
Charles was hiding his anticipation, but the goal was clear: he wanted Su-hyun to visit Little Washington in person. Not just to see the first human magician, but to read Su-hyun’s true intentions. He hated losing talent he wanted to control.
“So, when will you bring them?”
“Send them by courier.”
“……”
Charles almost fell back. Talking to Su-hyun was always surprising, positively or negatively.
“Are you joking?”
“Half joke… half serious.”
“Half serious? No, this must be given directly! How can you just send it?”
“I’m in a difficult situation right now.”
Su-hyun explained why he couldn’t leave Pyongyang. Charles fumed.
“Damn it! If democracy can’t move people, what’s the point! If you want, I’ll protest immediately.”
“Technically, it’s not that I can’t move—just waiting for the situation to calm down. Protesting is fine.”
Charles clicked his tongue audibly. Su-hyun’s reluctance was clear. Suddenly, an idea flashed in Charles’ mind.
“Send it with someone trustworthy… got it.”
What?
“I’ll have someone trustworthy deliver it. Ha!”
Su-hyun felt uneasy. The conversation ended as he intended, but something didn’t feel right.
This man won’t back down so easily…
Ever since the news of the magician spread, relationships would change, especially with someone like Chairman Charles. Just as Su-hyun desired talent, so did he.
“Wait, who are you…?”
Click—
“This guy…”
“Who?”
“Charles Carlos. Ana?”
“…You’d have to be living under a rock not to know him.”
“Kim Chang-sik didn’t know him?”
“Some people might not know big conglomerates.”
Seo Kang-seok looked away and answered.
“But before the call, what did you want to say?”
“Oh, that. I wanted to ask Dr. Lee Seon-hwa. She’s skilled and will handle Yena’s health safely, but what next?”
“Next?”
“She’s basically an esper, isn’t she?”
“Ah…”
On Cameron, espers were naturally special, more so than on Earth. Taking small risks could yield tens of times the reward, and few stayed idle.
“She’ll do what she wants. Even as an esper, I won’t make her do dangerous things.”
“Wise answer. That’s probably best.”
“Then I’ll work even harder.”
“Good attitude. But…”
“Yes?”
“Nothing.”
Su-hyun thought of the saying: a talented person will inevitably stand out, even trying to live normally. Rare cases like Seo Yena, fused with an artifact, would naturally attract attention.
Well, if she wants a normal life, I can help…
Su-hyun moved forward with that thought.
