Episode 8: Sung Siwoo (1)
As always, the café was bustling with people.
“So… she smiled when she saw you, Haein, and then suddenly started crying?”
“Yeah.”
Sion stroked her chin lightly, as if she was lost in thought.
“Well… there could be a lot of reasons, but from a woman’s perspective…”
This was exactly what I needed. I was glad I sought Sion’s advice.
“Maybe she’s just crazy—no, I mean, maybe she was going through something really tough. I’d probably react the same way.”
“Would she really have something that tough going on?”
At my calm rebuttal, Sion widened her eyes in surprise. Then, rummaging through her smartwatch, she spoke while staring intently at the screen.
“You didn’t know?”
“Know what?”
What is it that I supposedly don’t know?
Ding.
“Read it.”
My smartwatch buzzed with a message notification. It was from Sion. Attached to her message was an article.
[Heir of Corporation ‘Glory,’ Kang Yuseong, Killed in Demon Attack.]
“What?”
What the hell is this?
Kang Yuseong, Kang Arin’s older brother.
He’s a significant figure in the original story. But not as an ally—he’s a villain.
In the story, he colludes with demons as a collaborator.
“You really didn’t know? That’s why she couldn’t attend the entrance ceremony,” Sion said.
I blinked, reading the article again.
‘Kang Yuseong?’
I wouldn’t care if he died a hundred times over. In fact, it’s almost a good thing.
From a player’s perspective, he’s an incredibly frustrating and troublesome element.
There were even times I considered killing him off early when planning my moves.
The issue wasn’t just Kang Yuseong’s death—it was the timing.
In the original story, Kang Yuseong feels threatened by Kang Arin’s extraordinary talent, which causes his position as heir to waver.
In response, he attempts to harm her, which eventually leads to his downfall and death at the hands of Sung Siwoo, fulfilling his classic villain role.
The cause of death was revealed to be multiple magic-inflicted wounds to the abdomen and forehead.
The Temple of Arcadia, which determined the cause, analyzed traces of significant demonic energy.
Arcadia.
It’s the temple Cheon Yeoul belongs to.
Specialized in healing and medical analysis, they’re often involved in uncovering the truth behind incidents like this.
Which makes this even more absurd.
The demons worked so hard to recruit the heir of a powerful corporation like Glory, only to kill him themselves?
Demons aren’t idiots… there’s no way they’d do that.
Sion continued, “So, don’t think too much about her…”
“Sion.”
When I called her name, Sion flinched, her eyes widening in surprise.
A faint blush spread across her face as she stammered, seemingly flustered.
“Y-yeah? What is it?”
“I’m heading out. Thanks for today.”
***
As I returned to the dormitory, my mind was consumed with thoughts.
It didn’t make sense to dismiss this as mere coincidence. There were too many suspicious elements.
This wasn’t the work of an individual.
There’s no one that comes to mind who could pull off something like this alone.
Naturally, that shifted my focus toward a team or guild.
They didn’t even hesitate to take action against a prominent corporation’s heir who was involved with demons.
An organization capable of cleverly disguising the cause of death and hiding its tracks so meticulously that it wouldn’t be exposed.
There are only two places I know that could pull off such a feat.
One is… the vanguard team Glory, under the guild affiliated with Glory Corporation.
That, of course, makes absolutely no sense.
And the other is…
A place I’m familiar with. An organization closest to me.
I pulled out my smartwatch and scrolled to the very bottom of my contacts list.
[Park Gwangchul]
Ah, should I call him or not?
It’s probably the right call. If anyone could give me the answers I need, it’d be him. He’s in a position to know such things.
Beep… beep…
“Hello?”
He picked up before the first ring even finished.
Is this guy just sitting by his phone or something?
“I can’t believe the youngest is actually calling me. I’m touched.”
“I told you, I’m not the youngest.”
This is exactly why I didn’t want to call him.
“Heh, okay, okay. What’s up? Did someone at school bully you or something?”
“It’s not that, hyung. Did you hear about Kang Yuseong from Glory being murdered?”
“…Yeah, I heard. They said he was killed by some demons or whatever.”
“It wasn’t demons, was it?”
A heavy silence hung in the air for a moment. Then, he finally spoke.
“The temple said it was demons. What would we know?”
He wasn’t going to give me an easy answer. I could sense he was hiding something.
In times like this, vague questioning won’t work. It’s better to get straight to the point.
“Was it your boss?”
“Good grief…”
I heard a deep sigh from the other end of the line.
Park Gwangchul seemed to be mulling something over.
“I don’t know how you figured it out, but it wasn’t us this time.”
“I mean, we knew Kang Yuseong was one of them, but we didn’t think it was time to deal with him yet.”
So it wasn’t his boss either.
Despite his light-hearted demeanor, Park Gwangchul isn’t someone who spills secrets easily.
If he says it wasn’t them, it’s probably the truth.
“Do you have any idea who it might be?”
“…Nope. I really don’t.”
His voice dropped slightly as he let out a brief sigh.
“Seriously, kid, how did you even know about this?”
This time, his tone carried a hint of seriousness.
“It just didn’t sit right with me. You know I’ve got a good sense for this kind of thing.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right. You’re a Unawakened, huh… Anyway, remember, I’m only telling you this because I really care about you. Don’t let the boss find out about this. Got it?”
Park Gwangchul lowered his voice as if emphasizing his point.
“Yeah, I know. Even I’m a little wary of the boss.”
I replied absentmindedly, staring at the screen of my smartwatch.
“Okay, I’m hanging up.”
Just as Park Gwangchul was about to end the call, I hurriedly interrupted.
There was still more I needed to say.
“Wait, hyung. Hold on a sec.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Can I call you again tonight? There’s something else I need to ask you.”
A brief silence passed over the line.
“… Let’s leave it at that for now. You’re still young, and it doesn’t feel right to tell you everything.”
“It’s not about that. It’s something else.”
He let out a light chuckle, sounding relieved.
“As long as it’s not that, I don’t mind talking about anything else. But wow, you, of all people, calling me?”
“Thanks.”
A smile spread across my face without realizing it at his teasing tone.
“Alright, I’m hanging up.”
“Yeah.”
The call on my smartwatch ended. I sighed and put it away.
In conclusion, it wasn’t either of the two places I suspected.
And that only made my headache worse.
“Ah, damn it.”
Should I just focus on the outcome?
Looking at it objectively, one of the deeply entrenched threats on the hero’s side—a ticking time bomb that would have inevitably caused trouble later—was now dead.
And since it wasn’t my boss who did it, there’s no risk of being implicated.
In a way, something that either I or Sung Siwoo would’ve had to deal with eventually got taken care of on its own.
If I think about it positively, can it get any better than this?
“Talk about lucky…”
Muttering to myself, I headed back to the dorm.
***
By the time it hit 9 p.m., I was ready to wrap things up.
What had I been doing since I got home?
Sung Siwoo, look at what I’m doing for you here.
I’d been scouring through settings and records to find a swordsmanship style suited for our picky Sung Siwoo, who made such a meticulous choice when selecting his weapon.
After going through countless notes I’d compiled, I narrowed it down to two options.
The first was Heavenly Demon Swordsmanship.
“Seriously, who names a martial art Heavenly Demon Swordsmanship…”
The name might be ridiculous, but its power and difficulty were no joke.
In terms of destructive force and rarity, it’s one of the top techniques in existence.
But here’s the issue:
[Can only be used by those with extraordinary talent! Without it, you’ll die from inner energy deviation.]
That’s a note I wrote in the settings file ten years ago.
It’s exactly as it says. This swordsmanship is incredibly selective about its user. I don’t even fully know Sung Siwoo’s talent yet—imagine him dying from energy backlash before even using the technique.
To avoid such a disaster, there’s a second option:
Taiqing Swordsmanship.
This one doesn’t consider talent at all. Anyone can learn it, and it guarantees solid results.
It’s the most reliable and powerful swordsmanship in general.
Of course, it has its downsides.
There’s a growth ceiling—progress becomes limited after a certain point.
Still, it’s better than dying. Plus, martial arts aren’t everything.
If it were up to me, I’d have him learn the Heavenly Demon Swordsmanship.
Which is why I need to find out if he has the necessary talent for it.
The system at Gaon Academy is excellent.
You can freely watch recorded lectures on their website and even analyze your own practice videos for feedback.
It’s cutting-edge technology at its finest.
Sung Siwoo… Sung Siwoo…
I searched for his name and downloaded the unit practice video from today.
[Jung Haein]: Sung Siwoo.MP4
[Jung Haein]: Hey, can you ask your boss what he thinks about this kid?
I debated whether to call or not, but this time, sending a message felt more appropriate.
The old man had a talent for analyzing other people’s talents.
It sounds a bit ironic, but anyway, he could evaluate a person’s potential.
That’s why the team he created is so strong.
[Park Gwangchul]: Hm? If you send this to the old man, he’d probably check it out for you.
[Jung Haein]: No way. Absolutely not.
No way.
If I compare my peers to him, the old man only gives compliments, worried it’ll make me too arrogant.
Such an old-fashioned stickler.
[Park Gwangchul]: Haha, yeah, you’re probably right. So, I just need to show him and ask, right?
[Jung Haein]: Yeah, please. I really need this.
[Park Gwangchul]: Sure, sure. Anything for our youngest.
I told him I’m not the youngest.
Still, I appreciated his help, so I didn’t bother to argue.
Time passed.
Then, a reply from Park Gwangchul arrived.
[Park Gwangchul]: Recording file.mp3
A recording file?
I opened it. It seemed to be a conversation he recorded with the old man.
Old man, I think I’ve found an incredible talent while digging through Gaon’s database. Can you take a look?
It was Park Gwangchul, playing scout. Not a bad approach.
…There’s already Haein among his peers.
Oh? That’s kind of touching.
Yeah, I know, but just this once. I’ll play it, okay?
I heard the clang of weapons and the chatter of students.
It seemed like Park Gwangchul had started playing the video.
After about five minutes, the sound stopped. The video must have ended.
But even after it ended, there was a ten-second silence.
Finally, the old man spoke.
…Park Gwangchul, are you blind?
What?
What the hell is he talking about?
…Oh, uh, maybe I saw wrong. My mistake.
Don’t ever show me someone like this again. No skills, full of arrogance. His habits are already ruined beyond repair. How dare you bring me some talentless, undisciplined kid like this…
The recording ended there.
Then, additional messages from Park Gwangchul came through.
[Park Gwangchul]: Haein, are you serious?
[Park Gwangchul]: Wasn’t this kid supposed to have the basics at least? I trusted you, played the video, and now I’m the one who got called blind. You should’ve seen the old man’s eyes.
I couldn’t reply.
I didn’t even feel like replying.
Thunk.
I closed the settings notebook I had opened and let out a deep sigh.
“Ah…”
There could be many reasons.
He might have poor swordsmanship habits. His personality might be a disaster.
But at the very least, I relied on one thing: the protagonist’s innate talent that’s guaranteed in the game.
That one belief was all I had.
And now, even that belief was shattered.
If the old man said there’s no talent, then there really isn’t any.
“Damn it.”
The protagonist has no talent.