Look back.

After the first semester finals, I used my platinum mileage to enhance Cheolryong-gon once.

I was told its hardness and magic responsiveness had increased. Using it in practice, I could feel the effects.

Zap!!

‘Oh.’

The magic responsiveness was so high that I could even wield lightning magic directly.

I could create electric explosions with the Wall Pole and absorb those explosions to use as a technique. Of course, my rank of 6 and the high purity of my magic were significant factors.

This was something I discovered during an experiment in a desolate area last time. It was worth the long trip.

Naturally, since the beginning of summer vacation, I have been focusing even more on training my unique abilities under Geumyang. I had plenty of time for it.

During the vacation, my duties as the president of the disciplinary committee mainly involved approving necessary matters or handling significant incidents.

Currently, the committee was operating with squads taking turns on duty every day.

Unless an emergency occurred, there was no sign of such an event happening.

Although it wasn’t publicly known what my unique ability was, there must have been information circulating that I had awakened a powerful unique ability.

I was puzzled why neither the perverted challengers from Academy City nor the villains dared to confront me. For now, I could only stay vigilant.

Having completed the committee retreat, the major events of the summer vacation were essentially over.

It was time to prepare for the next semester.

“Huff, huff….”

In the training room.

I lay on the floor, gasping for breath. I was exhausted from repeatedly using my unique ability.

“You’re getting a better grasp of your abilities.”

Geumyang, the woman with the golden eyes, said.

“Do you think you can bring this ability to a usable level before the end of the vacation? If you’re not careful, your magic might get depleted again.”

That would be troublesome.

I had to master my abilities before the vacation ended.

Isaea’s mysterious death after the Black Market takeover. The principal’s suicide. The turmoil caused by the six sinners.

Most of these incidents occurred in the second semester.

Baek Seo’s disappearance might also happen during that time.

Flop.

Geumyang adjusted her school uniform skirt and sat on my abdomen. She wasn’t particularly heavy.

“…What are you doing?”

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while.”

Geumyang’s mysterious golden eyes looked down at me.

“You seem too hurried.”

“Isn’t it good to be enthusiastic about something?”

“You don’t feel like you’re just enthusiastic. At first, I thought it was motivation or passion, but your obsession seems far from that. Is there something I don’t know?”

She stroked her chin, staring at me suspiciously.

“That’s just how I am. It’s not necessarily bad, is it?”

Even Geumyang couldn’t see through my game knowledge.

I didn’t know who, for what purpose, created a game based on this world. Why I was reborn in this world was also a mystery.

If even Geumyang couldn’t figure it out, there was no way I could.

“Is it because of Kim Dalbi?”

“Catching her is one of the reasons, yes.”

Geumyang still looked suspicious but didn’t press further.

Maybe it was time to change the subject.

“By the way, is there any faster way to get stronger?”

“I’ve said it many times, but nothing beats actual combat. Especially when your life is on the line.”

“Life?”

Geumyang pointed to her head again.

“In such situations, the brain works incredibly fast. All your nerves are on edge, and your learning ability reaches extreme performance. All to survive.”

People say they see their life flash before their eyes when they’re about to die.

I read somewhere that it’s the brain working rapidly to find a way to survive.

What Geumyang was talking about was probably in the same context.

“But for that effect to be maximized, a substantial amount of practice is required beforehand.”

“……”

“If you want to grow quickly, you need to push yourself to the limit. There’s no royal road or shortcut. If anything, the most painful path leads to the greatest growth.”

“Yeah….”

Listening to her, I suddenly thought about the topic of talent.

I don’t like debating talent, but.

Recalling the monstrous talent of Goliath, who instinctively mastered magic training methods from infancy, I had my doubts.

“Geumyang.”

“What?”

“You said that my magic was purer than that tall, big-headed guy’s, right?”

“Yes?”

“Does that mean I have more talent than him?”

Geumyang shook her head firmly.

“Unfortunately, his talent is overwhelming. It only appears insignificant to me, but among all the living humans, there’s no one as exceptional as him.”

I had expected that answer, but it felt like a heavy weight in my chest.

Undoubtedly, Goliath was my ultimate objective.

I didn’t know why someone like him would bring about a dystopia, but knowing what he would do meant I had to fight him.

“But.”

Crack.

Geumyang extended her index finger upwards, creating a small fissure above it.

“In terms of my power, your talent is far superior. Only you can handle spatial abilities. That’s why it takes you longer to master your unique ability.”

That was the result of my continuous efforts to remember and replicate Goliath’s magic training methods.

Though I couldn’t instinctively master magic training like the monster, my repeated attempts at his methods bore fruit.

“That’s reassuring. That’s the most comforting thing you’ve said.”

My stamina was returning.

I got up from my seat.

“Are you going to fight him?”

“I have to. I’m the president, and he’s a criminal.”

“Well…, you’re quite bold.”

“My strength has somewhat returned. Let’s start again.”

Geumyang crossed her arms.

“Very well.”

A determined expression appeared on her face.

“Try attacking me again with ‘Spatial Lightning Strike.’”

“That’s a cool line….”

Geumyang created a fissure to receive my attack.

She was great at posing even though she was going to deflect my attack with another fissure.

Unique ability: Spatial Control. Magic Technique Type 2: Spatial Lightning Strike.

The technique that countered Necromancer Han Seojin’s unique ability Type 5.

A combination of lightning magic, honed to a sharp blade due to not reaching rank 5, and spatial abilities.

I placed the technique in Magic Technique Type 2 purely on my own initiative. After all, it was my unique ability.

I created fissures at my hand’s position and the appropriate location to unleash the lightning strike.

Setting the coordinates was still challenging.

But my determination didn’t waver. Once I mastered this technique, it would undoubtedly become the ultimate attack skill.

Boom!

Though nine times out of ten, the spatial lightning strike landed in the wrong place.

“I’m over here, you know?”

“I know…. It’s tough without a large-scale attack….”

When I fought Han Seojin, the attack’s scale was so large that it hit by sheer chance. Precise control was still difficult.

But I had to master it.

Most battles occur in urban areas.

To effectively target the enemy and minimize collateral damage, I needed to narrow the attack range.

……

‘What should I get for dinner?’

As the summer vacation neared its end.

The weather was still hot, but the temperature was starting to drop.

Today, I planned to have dinner with Baek Seo and Geumyang.

Pushing a cart through the grocery section of a large shopping mall, I spotted some cultivated pork belly.

‘Pork belly…. Should I get some bibim noodles to go with it?’

My mouth watered.

‘A shot of soju would make it perfect….’

It was a tempting combination, but I hadn’t had a drop of soju since being reborn into this body.

Not to mention, I couldn’t buy it without being an adult.

With the number of adults among the New Humans being low, the liquor industry wasn’t thriving, though it hadn’t died out.

Factors like the apocalypse, the invasion of monstrous beings, the city-building projects prioritizing education and happiness for humanity’s resurgence—all these contributed to significant sacrifices among adults.

‘It’s an issue that will resolve itself as the adult population increases in the future.’

It was an inevitable future.

As long as humans existed, alcohol wouldn’t disappear.

‘…Am I an adult? Well, I was an adult.’

My body was young, and my mind was heavily influenced by it.

But remembering having pork belly with soju in my past life reminded me I was an adult.

Such moments often brought a wry smile to my lips.

[30,500 won.]

I finished checking out with the AI cashier and packed the groceries into shopping bags.

I pulled out an adult’s card.

Swipe.

[Insufficient balance.]

“…….”

I had been buying too much food for Geumyang recently.

I put back some pork belly and recalculated.

Now, time to head home.

[Whirr.]

Noticing other customers having their companion robots carry their bags caught my eye.

The companion robots made cute whirring sounds.

They were round and adorable. Besides their cuteness, they were convenient for daily life.

I felt like getting one myself.

‘…Let’s just go.’

Unnecessary expenses should be avoided.

I needed to resist impulse buying.

As I tried to take my eyes off the companion robots.

[Whirr, whirr…?]

One companion robot started making awkward movements.

It couldn’t hold the bags properly, and its actions became erratic.

‘Huh?’

What’s wrong with it? Is it broken?

The woman, presumably its owner, checked her smartphone connected to the robot and muttered, “What’s wrong with this?”

“Why is the call…?”

A man, talking on the phone while pushing a cart, stared at his smartphone in confusion.

[We apologize for the inconvenience. There is a system error with the payment system. Please wait a moment.]

The AI cashiers couldn’t process payments due to a system error.

‘This…?’

I took out my smartphone and turned on the screen.

The signal icon had disappeared.

No reception. Communication was down.

This wasn’t a coincidence.

People around me were confused, but I knew what was happening.

This was a deliberate act by someone.

“……”

As I focused, I felt an unnatural presence.

Someone was secretly watching me.

I immediately went into the men’s restroom and entered a stall.

Clink.

I locked the door.

A man entered the restroom.

He appeared normal, but his eyes were dull. He held an axe made of mechanical parts.

He stood in front of the only closed stall and gently pushed the door.

It didn’t budge. It was locked.

He knocked.

Knock, knock.

“……”

Knock, knock.

“Excuse me.”

Knock, knock.

“I really need to use the restroom.”

Knock, knock.

“Is anyone in there?”

Knock, knock.

“The door is locked? Someone must be in there.”

The man’s monotone interrogation faded into the air.

After a moment of silence, the man felt uneasy.

He jumped lightly, placing his hands on top of the stall door and peering over.

His unfocused eyes scanned beyond the door.

There was only a toilet.

“…Ah.”

The man’s eyes turned cold. He descended and took out a magical communication device from his pocket.

He gently infused it with magic to activate it, and a small light appeared in the groove.

“The target entered the fifth-floor men’s restroom stall and suddenly disappeared. It seems he noticed and escaped using some means….”

At that moment.

Someone burst into the restroom entrance like a flash.

It was Ahn Woojin.

“!”

The startled man reflexively swung his axe, but Woojin easily dodged and reached the wall.

With a swift motion, Woojin kicked off the wall and struck the man with a powerful kick.

Crash!!

“Ugh!”

The man’s body broke through the locked stall door and fell. He dropped the communication device, but Woojin caught it mid-air.

Immediately, Woojin grabbed the man’s head and slammed it into the toilet.

Splash!

The man’s face was submerged in the toilet water. Water splashed, and excessive bubbles rose to the surface like boiling water.

No matter how much the man struggled, Woojin didn’t budge.

He simply looked down at the thrashing man with fierce eyes.

“You’re a villain.”

The man couldn’t respond with his mouth submerged in the toilet water.

‘What is going on…?’

The man’s mind was in turmoil. But there was no time to organize his thoughts. He needed to use magic to counter.

But Woojin didn’t allow any chance for a counterattack.

Zap!

A turquoise electric magic surged through Woojin’s hand, which was holding the man’s head in the toilet.

The skill to generate elemental magic without any special magic technique was possible at rank 6.

As a result, the electric magic spread through the toilet water, thoroughly burning the man’s head.

The man’s limbs, writhing in pain, went limp. Woojin lifted his head and threw him aside.

Thud!

The unconscious man hit the partition and collapsed to the floor. Smoke rose from his body.

Woojin indifferently pulled out restraining devices and threw them at the man. Click! The restraints deployed, binding the man.

Then, Woojin looked at the communication device the man had used.

‘A magic-operated radio? They’re using this because regular communication is down. The range must be short.’

The communication device’s range meant the person he could communicate with was likely in this building or on a nearby floor.

Woojin infused a tiny amount of magic into the device to activate it.

─ …Not bad?

A woman’s voice came from the device, as if waiting.

Woojin knew who the owner of that voice was.

The interference with radio signals was an effect of her unique ability.

“You…, where are you?”

Woojin asked grimly.