Manwol’s Mutation Mask.

The ‘world peace’ might sound somewhat cheesy and vague, but they operated in secrecy with a clear goal, and were said to be at least 10 years ahead with their unique magical technology.

Manwol Tower had produced countless magical items and inventions, and the Mutation Mask was one of them.

Its duration was short, about 3 hours, but it was a mask that could actually change the shape of one's face.

Face-altering magic was quite common, but it was easily detected by magical sensors and was entirely ineffective against mages who had reached a certain level.

However, this Mutation Mask could transform the facial skin itself, making it almost impossible to be discovered.

It was truly a perfect tool for disguising one's identity.

Today, when infiltrating the Golden Platform, Kaen used the Mutation Mask once again.

Cleaner Kim Clean.

Being a cleaner was quite convenient for him; it was a role he frequently utilized.

He could easily understand the building's interior structure, and no matter where he was, he didn't raise suspicion.

"Hey, you! Why is the cleaner making noise here?"

Kaen slowly turned around, and saw a man approaching while shouting at him.

The man had a protruding belly, and was assigned to manage the Alchemy Hall.

He flinched for a moment at Kaen’s stern gaze, but his anger only grew, and he shouted even louder.

"You brat has some nerve to stare at me! Hurry up and go clean in the corner! Today, there are many high-ranking individuals here, so don't stand out!"

Kaen remained silent.

"What, you're really going to ignore me like this? You're in big trouble, pal!"

The staff member was about to erupt in anger at Kaen when someone intervened.

"Enough, please stop."

"What's with you again!"

The staff member was already feeling annoyed at being ignored by the cleaner, but when a boy intervened, he felt even more angry and shouted.

Though, he soon regretted it.

"... Bae, Student Baek Yu-Seol?"

"Yes. You know me. Wo, just leave."

"Huh? Well, um..."

The staff member who worked in the Alchemy Hall couldn't fail to recognize Alterisha’s partner, Baek Yu-Seol, so he widened his eyes.

"That... cleaner was making a fuss in front of important guests because of a minor issue..."

"Where's your professionalism? From my perspective, you're no better. If you keep blabbering, you might get on my nerves, so leave quickly."

"Uh, yes, of course."

The staff member hastily nodded, then turned and rushed away.

"Sigh..."

Baek Yu-Seol glanced at Kaen briefly. He wasn't trying to help him; he had spared the staff member's life.

"Uh, well... cheer up."

He didn't want to pretend to know more, so Baek Yu-Seol quickly turned and was about to leave when Kaen spoke up.

"Baek Yu-Seol. Can we talk for a moment?"

There was a brief hesitation, but Baek Yu-Seol calmly and nonchalantly replied, "Did you forget this is the cleaning area?"

"Stop kidding. I know that you've seen through my disguise."

"... Yes. Why?"

The Mutation Mask wasn't perfect.

A mage with a very high level of insight could see through it.

Kaen assumed that Baek Yu-Seol, who had effortlessly dispelled Grace’s illusions earlier, would naturally see through the Mutation Mask.

Baek Yu-Seol.

The secretive young man was quite special to Kaen.

At the age of only seventeen, he defeated a Level 6 Danger Dark Mage, but he wasn’t special because of that.

It was because he had effortlessly bent the will of the knowledgeable Manwol Tower's Lord Rudrick, and even made Kaen deny his own beliefs.

"As you know, there are quite a few dark mages infiltrating this place. I don't know what they're up to, but they're not taking any action. But that doesn't mean it's not dangerous."

"And?"

Baek Yu-Seol stared at Kaen with an expression that seemed to ask, ‘So what?’

"What do you plan to do? This place is presumed to be quite important to you."

‘What I plan to do? I won't do anything.’

But that wouldn't satisfy Kaen.

Once he made up his mind, he never wavered, and Baek Yu-Seol knew it.

However, Baek Yu-Seol didn't want him to stay here.

‘Because getting involved with that bastard from Manwol Tower won't end well.’

Manwol Tower's technological prowess was the best in the world…. until Alterisha appeared.

The character introduced as Manwol Tower's chief developer and inventor, Hamazin, was considered a genius among geniuses in their time.

However, he appeared as a character filled with jealousy and malice towards Alterisha due to her abilities.

He intentionally interfered with Alterisha’s research, threatened her life, and even attempted to steal her technology.

Later, he was driven out due to rumors that reached Manwol Tower's Rudrick.

He didn’t stop there.

He sided with the dark mages and developed their technology, causing a lot of trouble for the players...

Anyway, at that moment, Hamazin's influence within Manwol Tower was at an incredible level.

If he were to give orders to the Shadowblade Division, who had infiltrated Alterisha’s event, to intentionally slander Alterisha, then it would become quite troublesome.

It was the right decision to quickly remove the Shadowblade Division before that happened.

"I'll take care of it. It's an important place for me. But I'll handle it on my own. Please leave."

"You have to watch out. Dark mages are hiding their identities thoroughly. I won't leave until I uncover them."

Crazy.

Baek Yu-Seol's spine chilled at the thought that this stubborn old man might continue to interfere.

He couldn't just leave it like this, so Baek Yu-Seol quickly spoke up.

"That's fine. I can filter out some of the dark mages."

"... You have the ability to sense the aura of dark mages?"

"I wish I had such a convenient ability. It's a form of 'deep learning.'"

"Deep learning...?"

A strange word made Kaen raise an eyebrow. It was also a tactic Baek Yu-Seol used to add specialized terminology here and there to make his words more convincing.

"Yes, think of it as a kind of deduction ability. I observe objects and people from a multidimensional perspective and throw that data into the 'sea of consciousness' to observe patterns. Then, from the perspective of a thorough third party, I analyze and cluster the information and make predictions."

"... I see. I completely understand.”

Kaen nodded with a stern expression.

In reality, he didn't understand at all, but he didn't want to reveal his ignorance.

'Understand? Even I don't understand what I'm saying either.'

Baek Yu-Seol was also clueless about the words he was spewing.

He was casting the skill of ‘speaking convincingly by throwing in plausible words.’

"As a result, I've successfully analyzed all the information of those gathered here."

"That's...hard to believe. It doesn't make sense that you've observed everyone here."

"Well, would you like to see some evidence?"

As Kaen nodded, Baek Yu-Seol activated [Mentalist].

It was a trait that allowed him to determine the current emotions and states of a target by combining information such as their tone of voice, gestures, and facial expressions.

With the addition of his Sentient Spec, the preparations were complete.

The observation and information analysis skills of these spec were quite incredible. If one focused his attention on even a tiny speck of dust, it could analyze what it was.

To use both the [Mentalist] and the Sentient Spec abilities, significant mental energy had to be expended, but for a brief moment, he could imitate the protagonist of the novel "Sherlock Holmes" that he enjoyed on Earth.

"You have pets at home, don't you? Two cats and three dogs... No, four. Keeping a Creamshoo cat is probably illegal, but you secretly raise one, right?"

Kaen’s expression stiffened wondering how he knew such information.

Baek Yu-Seol quickly added, "Oh, don't misunderstand. There's fur on your clothes. I caught those little details."

"... Impressive."

"Did you have Montblanc pasta for lunch today? Unfortunately, it seems you didn't have a partner to wipe off the sauce stains on your collar."

"That wristwatch isn't expensive, and it's quite old. You wear it for a reason, probably a gift from someone special. You don't seem like the type who enjoys watches. The hour and minute hands don't match. Or... it might be set to the time of the Eastern Continent Rahendel."

Baek Yu-Seol’s words had very few inaccuracies. Every word he said was based on solid reasons, so there was no room for denial.

"Is that correct? It seems you have someone you care about in Rahendel. The model of the watch was popular among clockmakers in Arazin 60 years ago... If that's the case, it wasn't a lover who gave it to you, but your mother passed it down to you. Women at that time preferred that model. It's quite sad in various ways. It wouldn't have been easy to leave your hometown and operate in the West."

"... How do you know I operated in the West?"

"You used to have fair skin, but your face is quite tanned. The scars on your wrists and neck were not caused by dark mages but by a mage's magic. So, that means in the past, you made a living as a warrior fighting against humans in the West."

Baek Yu-Seol examined Kaen up and down as if pretending to think for a moment.

"Judging by your gait and your relaxed posture, you must be a soldier. You were probably in the army that fought against humans in the West... No, was it the Cheongra Hong unit? Given by the way you speak, you've likely held the rank of an officer."

"... You got it right."

"Should I continue?"

"That's enough. Stop it."

Kaen waved his hands as if to say he was fed up.

Honestly, he felt a shiver down his spine, even a sense of fear.

To deduce this much information with just a brief observation and hints, the analytical ability called Deep Learning for distinguishing dark mages seemed believable.

… It was not just ordinary observational skills.

Kaen had simply thought that he was strong for his age. However, Baek Yu-Seol’s greatest weapon was his brain.

He had solved the 300-year-old complex transcendent alchemical formula at the age of seventeen, had an observation skill surpassing machines, and had an extraordinary deductive ability.

Understanding why Rudrick was interested in him wasn't difficult at all.

'Maybe he can fill that vacant 12th seat...'

Carried away by his thoughts, Kaen shook his head.

‘Seat 12 was never a place for just anyone to sit, so…’

Although Baek Yu-Seol was undoubtedly a perfect mage with all the qualities of a scholar, compared to Seat 12, he was still ridiculously lacking.

But... right now, he was a teenager with a lot of potential for growth, so maybe in the future, he could truly fill that empty seat.

If Rudrick had considered Baek Yu-Seol as a candidate for Seat 12 and was showing interest, then his wisdom must be unmistakable.

Baek Yu-Seol didn’t know Kaen’s thought, but he let out a relieved sigh.

‘I almost got into big trouble if he didn't say to stop. Ugh, crazy. A headache.’

Using the skill Mentalist and the Sentient Spec at the same time drained all his mental energy.

Tremendous headache surged, and cold sweat formed on his back.

Still, he couldn't show that he was tired just because he analyzed one person in great detail.

"Anyway, I'll take care of things here, so you can leave."

"Fine."

This place was especially important to Baek Yu-Seol himself, so he wouldn’t just handle it casually.

If Rudrick had recognized his potential and was showing interest, then trusting him was the right thing to do.

"We’re going back."

Kaen’s words echoed somewhere, and the members of the Shadowblade Division, who had infiltrated various parts of the Golden Platform, quickly revealed themselves and turned into mist, disappearing.

"Phew..."

Baek Yu-Seol was relieved that he had safely dealt with the potentially most dangerous group in the world, and looked back.

Alterisha was still conducting interviews at a frantic pace, looking flustered in the face of the considerable crowd, but she also smiled with a determined look, making the viewers feel proud.

'I need to help her continue her research happily.'

He would prevent anyone from entering the Alterisha Institute, including the dark mages.

It was a weekday again, and Stella's students went to the academy as usual.

Thump!

Edna placed her thick major textbook on her desk and sat down.

Several female students gathered around her.

"Hey, hey, Edna, did you see the item presentation video that went viral this time?"

"Alterisha is just so charismatic, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she speaks so eloquently, and she looks so smart, right?"

"As expected, geniuses are different."

Whatever they said, Edna let out a big yawn. She had overslept because she had been studying for her 3rd-year exams yesterday.

Like most high school graduates in South Korea, Edna was very dedicated to her preparatory education.

"Nah."

"This is such a hot topic these days, but you haven’t watched it?"

"Ah, I see. You thought your Seo-bang-nim would appear, but he didn't, so you didn't watch it, huh?"

Slightly raising her tone with a sly undertone, the word "Seo-bang-nim" made Edna’s temperature rise a bit, but she held it in.

{TN:- Seo-bang-nim is used to address or refer to a husband or the master of the house in a polite or formal manner in Korea.}

These were the girls who enjoyed teasing, and reacting would only make them enjoy it more.

"No, that's not it. I was busy, so I didn't watch it."

"Well, do you want to watch it now?"

"Yeah."

Honestly, it was a bit of a hassle, but since it was one of the main characters' presentations and her friends were showing kindness, she couldn't refuse.

[Since the beginning of the history of magic, the revolution of technology…]

Alterisha’s presentation began to play on the small magic screen.

A black portfolio.

Alterisha walked around naturally, as if she were having a conversation with the audience.

… Huh?

This seemed like a presentation she had seen somewhere before.

Despite not being able to overcome this strange unease, Edna couldn't focus on the video and kept thinking of something.

And then, she figured it out.

‘This is similar to Apple's iPhone presentation, isn't it...?’

The technological revolution that brought all the world's information to the palms of Earthlings, the smartphone.

The famous presentation that announced its beginning and Alterisha’s item presentation were strangely, incredibly similar.

No, it wasn't just similar.

It was exactly the same.

Edna, who had been a fan of the CEO of the Apple company, couldn't help but know.

In fact, she had been thinking of using that presentation's technology herself in the future.

"No way, Assistant Alterisha is an Earthling...?"

No, that couldn't be. If anything, the one to be suspicious of was Baek Yu-Seol.

But... that was strange too.

At first, she had suspected him of being an identical "transmigrator" like herself.

However, he didn't know the original web novel's plot at all, and instead, he was more knowledgeable about trivial events and facts that Edna didn't know.

Baek Yu-Seol had achieved what only a "returnee" could do, and he knew things that a "returnee" should know.

‘What on earth is this...?’

Confusion began to fill Edna’s mind.