Acquired the Scam Rune in the Academy

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Although I was briefly annoyed by the familiar flavor, this restaurant was certainly a gem.

There was a reason people lined up to come here.

The soft texture and proper seasoning.

The pollock stew was a perfect blend of moderate seasoning and ingredients.

It provided the best possible flavor one could expect from a fish dish.

With pleasure in my mouth, the atmosphere was also harmonious.

Moon Ga-eun and I enjoyed the peace and daily life that we hadn’t experienced in a long time over the delicious meal.

Moon Ga-eun smiled like a hamster, mouth full of pollock stew.

Seeing that, I jokingly asked,

“You say you’re happy just because the food is decent? Don’t you have low standards for happiness?”

“What are you saying. Happiness was never meant to be found far away. You have to look for it in the little things. Haven’t you heard of little happinesses?”

“Ah, I’ll give you that.”

I nodded unconsciously.

As Moon Ga-eun said, happiness wasn’t far away.

Eating delicious food and having fun – That was the kind of happiness that could be found in everyday life.

“…And I’m also happy that we’re eating together.”

Following up on her previous statement, Moon Ga-eun mumbled quietly.

I couldn’t hear her words clearly, so I furrowed my brows and asked again,

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Ugh, your hearing fails only at times like this. How annoying.”

“Hey, you were the one who spoke too softly.”

“Tsk- I said I’m even happier eating with Cola, why.”

“No you didn’t. You definitely said something else.”

“Ah, nevermind. Continue what we were talking about earlier.”

…Hrmm.

Something felt off, but it looked like Moon Ga-eun didn’t want to talk more about it, so I decided to change the topic as she wanted.

What we were talking about earlier –

It was, of course, the operation from the day before yesterday. The main topic of our conversation since we entered the restaurant.

While the media only sang praises of the academy, the major clans, and my achievements…

the truth was that the rest of the party members also struggled tremendously behind the scenes during the operation. Our search party members had an intense battle against the overwhelming numbers of <Villain> clan members.

In fact, I was more curious to hear about them.

“…So you guys really captured Executive Director Cha Soo-yeon by yourselves?”

The biggest spotlight was, of course, the suppression of Cha Soo-yeon.

An A-grade Holder, and one of the top elites amongst them.

A high-level executive within <Villain>.

I was amazed that my friends were able to capture such an infamous woman.

“Yeah. Chae-eun first opened the way with her ultimate skill, then I provided support while Park Jin-woo infiltrated. The finishing blow was by Juyeon.”

“Chae-eun has an ultimate skill?”

“Huh? Yeah. You didn’t know?”

I had absolutely no idea.

Kim Chae-eun liked praising others, but she wasn’t the type to boast about herself.

Contrasting her bright and lively personality was a cautious mentality.

So I had only heard the rough details about capturing Cha Soo-yeon – Not even a peep about her ultimate skill.

‘I did hear she gained a new rune though…’

I knew Kim Chae-eun had recently gained a new rune.

[Frozen Battlefield].

The signature rune of Jeong Seon-young, the best ice-type ability user.

She had perfectly replicated the rune of her mentor and succeeded in learning an epic-grade rune, far more advanced than [Freezing].

‘So Chae-eun had an innate post-awakening talent.’

Kim Chae-eun, who never stood out in the original work, was a Holder who bloomed later in life.

Separate from the rune she first awakened with, some are able to gain enlightenment and attain a higher grade rune later in life.

There was exactly one such case in the original work:

Song Hyeon.

Scion of the prestigious Song family, and the first to introduce [Sword] runes in Korea.

He was a leading example of a Holder talented in post-awakening with runes. Thanks to that talent, he obtains powerful runes towards the end of the story and displays immense prowess and versatility as a mighty wielder.

Kim Chae-eun, who recently gained a new rune and even mastered an ultimate skill…

She seemed to possess outstanding post-awakening talent comparable to the original casts.

“Anyway – Everyone did way better than I expected, so we were able to capture that notorious Cha Soo-yeon. It was amazing and so cool.”

Moon Ga-eun smiled awkwardly as she spoke.

Then she rummaged through the pollock stew with her chopsticks again.

For some reason, she gave off an uncomfortable vibe.

Seeing that, I jokingly commented,

“You were amazing and cool too. Why talk like you’re praising others?”

Moon Ga-eun’s body froze at those words.

The chopstick motions also naturally ceased.

Then she turned to look at me with her trademark flustered expression.

“Wha, what are you saying. I was just a support.”

“Aren’t supports what archers are for? Or were you gonna whack them like a mage? Or tank for the team like a warrior? Your class specializes in support by nature.”

“…I don’t even have an ultimate skill.”

“Are you asking to be scolded? Ultimate skills aren’t everything. You have so many other strengths.”

Moon Ga-eun was the top ranked archer in 1st year to start with.

Given time, she was by no means lacking in talent compared to others.

It was just that her circle of friends happened to be so exceptionally skilled, especially with Kim Chae-eun suddenly rising meteorically lately…

I figured Moon Ga-eun may have developed unnecessary impatience.

I slammed my chopsticks on the table with conviction and declared,

“That’s it. You’re getting special training this vacation.”

“Special training? Why so suddenly?”

“There’s someone who would be the perfect mentor for you.”

Of course, Moon Ga-eun already had Moon Jung-hyuk – the best master in Korea.

But the roles of master and advisor were clearly distinct.

That miko from the Japanese clan who told me to contact her anytime…

She would probably…

Make an excellent trainer for Moon Ga-eun.

***

Ippotranslation

***

A crevice born from glaciers, the valley of death.

A crevasse.

Somewhere in Antarctica.

Inside a crevasse in an uninhabited wasteland… A man entered.

A black aura enveloped him with ash gray hair.

The man who escaped alone from Ganghwa, Gijangeum Island.

Former Sub Master of <Villain>, Hwang Seong-yeon.

Grrrr-

Hwang Seong-yeon moved through the crevasse.

He clung to the walls with magic, traversing the perilous terrain where one wrong step meant certain death.

It exceeded the concept of parkour.

A form of [Levitation] magic.

After descending for some time…

In the pitch black cliff surrounded by darkness on all sides, Hwang Seong-yeon finally discovered an opening.

A tiny hole made in the middle of the crevasse.

An entrance leading to a hidden, specialized cave.

Thud-

Grrrr-

“Phew….”

Hwang Seong-yeon pulled himself towards the entrance with magic and used his sword like a walking stick to enter inside.

He brushed off his body and took heavy breaths within the cave, as if he had cleared a dungeon.

A specialized space that required magical energy to enter, structured similar to dungeons.

Yet this place definitely existed in ‘reality.’

Hwang Seong-yeon walked through the dark space devoid of any light.

About 10 minutes passed.

The one he meant to meet promptly revealed himself.

And a freakish sounding voice was heard.

“You have arrived.”

Hwang Seong-yeon created a light to gaze upon the figure before him.

But the man had wrapped his entire body and face in a deep robe, concealing all physical features except his hands.

Hwang Seong-yeon scowled and responded,

“Still not showing your face I see.”

“It’s unspeakably hideous. You probably wouldn’t like my face either, Hwang Seong-yeon.”

Without caring whether he liked it or not, Hwang Seong-yeon had no interest in appearances to begin with.

The robed man gestured at himself and continued,

“That aside, haven’t my Korean improved considerably? The pronunciation, vocabulary, everything became quite solid.”

“…Is that so. Did you learn a language rune or something?” Hwang Seong-yeon asked.

The man shrugged his shoulders.

“Haha, no way. We of the Ludenark are always conducting research to draw new conclusions. By melting the human brains you sent along with magic stones… We added Korean to our translation magic. Thanks to that, smooth communication like this is possible.”

Casually mentioning biological experiments like a bad joke.

Hwang Seong-yeon whispered at the psycho-like laughter,

“…Not a funny story.”

“Ah, indeed. I heard the news. I was told Young Master Hwang Dong-yeon got captured? Heard he was your younger brother. The grief must be immense.”

“I don’t particularly feel that emotion.”

“Haha, is that so? But I personally find it heartbreaking. He was a summoner we invested heavily in from the Ludenark.”

It was true.

The undead legion Hwang Dong-yeon created.

While <Villain> provided the material and manpower support, the research process itself came from none other than the man before him.

To return empty-handed losing it all, truthfully he had no excuses.

But Hwang Seong-yeon held no interest towards those complicated internal affairs.

“Does it interfere with the plan?”

“Not at all. Not at all. The core of our plan is you, Hwang Seong-yeon, the true owner of the dark demon sword Sleipnir… Not some crippled summoner.”

According to the original agreement between the two men, nothing major had changed anyway.

Tap-

Hwang Seong-yeon leaned against the cave wall and sat down.

Then he slowly got to the main point.

“I found the dungeon you spoke of. The place with the thick smell of blood and wolf scent, overflowing with powerful magic.”

“Oh-! Is that true?”

“….But the entrance was barred. It seems some kind of special item is needed to enter, unlike normal dungeons.”

“Ahaha- That’s no issue at all! The important thing is you found it. Because when that dungeon eventually opens one day, Hwang Seong-yeon must be able to tail them.”

The man shook his hands around in excitement…

Then stopped as he looked towards Hwang Seong-yeon.

Though his face couldn’t be clearly seen, he gave off the impression of broadly smiling.

“The core is Lycan. We can’t have those pathetic half-wolf kin awakened and freed. For our Ludenark’s plans to succeed, they must remain forever bound to us.”

At the man’s words, Hwang Seong-yeon also quietly nodded his head.

Inside an Antarctic crevasse.

A bizarre cave filled with utter darkness.

Within…

Truths still hidden from everyone…

Swirled and surged like a vortex.

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