The Hero Association labeled the top djinns as the Nine Evils to unite humanity against them, but the djinns happily accepted it as the highest praise.

“It’ll be a waste of time again.”

This secret base belonged to Wicked, rank 3 of the Nine Evils. It had been constructed from a deep cave in South Hamgyeong Province’s mountain.

[Truth Agency] — We will answer anything.

In this sanctuary, a djinn named Tomer looked at a computer. She had brown Latino skin and a healthy figure. However, no one gave her lewd glances.

Tomer was special among ordinary djinns. She didn’t care about missions and only pursued strength. A few djinns even doubted she was a djinn.

“What wind blew to make that woman stay in the office?”

Another djinn muttered as he peeked at Tomer. It was uncommon to see her working at a desk.

“Someone told her about an information agency on Violet Banquet.”

“Who?”

“Probably Seth. That guy’s crazy about women.”

A field agent walked into the office. The two gossiping djinns quickly buried their faces into their desks. The field agent looked around the office and called her.

“Tomer.”

What now. Tomer slowly stood as she murmured to herself. The field agent heard her complaint, but frowned without a word. Tomer was only 20 years old, but skilled enough to be an elite.

“There’s a mission.”

“A mission?”

“Yes, an observation mission.”

The agent handed Tomer a thick stack of documents. She frowned as she received them.

***

“Hmm…”

I stared at my laptop and pondered about Tomer. She became a djinn for one reason. To kill her father. She sold her soul for this because her father killed her mother and abandoned her when she was seven. At first glance, he could be considered human garbage, but he also had his reasons. I implemented this setting to bring Tomer to Kim Suho’s side. However, I had stopped serializing before I ever reached that part.

With Wicked’s help, she would eventually find her father without my help. She swore her loyalty to Wicked after achieving her goal. Before I went on hiatus, she became one of Wicked’s executives. For the record, Wicked’s executives were on a much higher level than ordinary executives. Wicked’s executives were only inferior to the Nine Evils themselves. They could be considered the future leaders of djinns.

“Hmm.”

Would I be able to recruit Tomer if I found her father? Probably not, but if I used the plot device I created for Kim Suho…

I brought out the Book of Truth. I didn’t know the location of Tomer’s father, but I considered all the information she gave me and willed the book to reveal his present state of affairs. Two streaks of stigma instantly disappeared. My left arm felt numb, and an intense headache shook my head. It felt like my vision had turned white.

“Argh.”

I collapsed to the ground, unable to endure the pain. The throbbing lasted for a minute before subsiding. I raised my head and looked at the Book of Truth. With two streaks of stigma, I found out about Fernin Jesus’ current status, but I couldn’t find his location.

[Fernin Jesus changed his name to Agus Benjamin, and has retired after undergoing plastic surgery.]

***

I visited Seoul’s magic tower the Sunday before school to engrave magic seals on my obsidian bracelet. Materialistic snobs filled the magic tower, so I wore the luxury suit I bought on Clancy Islet.

“Kim Hajin. Welcome.”

A guard checked my name and allowed me entry. Classical music calmly flowed as many others also waited. A magician approached me as I looked around.

“Kim Hajin?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jin Yohan, a 4 star magician. You made a reservation for magic seals, correct?”

A 4 star artificer was the highest ranked magician I could meet. I nodded as Jin Yohan scanned me up and down with a smile.

“Follow me. Let’s head to the office.”

We arrived in his office on the 33rd floor. His secretary brought him a cup of coffee as he sat in his chair. Jin Yohan took a sip and cut to the chase.

“What kind of magic seal are you looking for?”

“Physical ability enhancement, or do you have any physical defense magic?”

“Ah, yes we do.”

Jin Yohan projected a hologram into the air.

“First is this speed boost.”

Most were fairly mediocre such as speed boost, strength enhancement, barrier, blood circulation, etc.

“Do you have any that use more magic power?”

Most artifacts couldn’t use anything above speed boost like haste. However, this obsidian bracelet didn’t have such restrictions. I preferred a powerful, high-cost magic seal even if I could only use it once a week.

“For example, qi reinforcement or momentary awakening.”

“…”

Jin Yohan gave me a strange look before nodding.

“It’s possible, but it will be very expensive.”

I left 30 minutes later after making another reservation. I needed to wait longer until I could obtain the magic seals. At least until Packhorse Master finished conquering the Suwon Devil’s Nest. Summer break ended as other cadets returned from their vacations while I spent my time training and raising a kid.

“That picture you took in Japan came out so good.”

“Ah, I wanted to visit Spain. If only my portal pass didn’t expire.”

Cadets returned to Cube with bright faces after enjoying their break. I found out about what they did through their social media. Most went on vacations abroad, and some posted pictures of themselves training.

[Enduring a hard day, hoping for a better tomorrow.]

Shin Jonghak uploaded a clear set-up shot with his sweaty face leaning on his spear. I had to admit he looked like a model.

I often checked the major characters’ social media like this.

Kim Suho and Yoo Yeonha didn’t post much, and the English Royal Court managed Rachel’s social media. As for Chae Nayun, she hadn’t posted anything since the casino incident.

[Too complicated. #FirstTime #ClancyIslet #Flustered #Annoyed #CubeCadet]

She took a picture of Clancy Islet’s night scene along with a short phrase and string of hashtags. Chae Nayun’s last post seemed like a typical attention-seeking post from a high schooler, but her audience reacted explosively.

3982 likes. Uyeonha [Don’t think too much.] Orange2574 [What? ㅠㅠ Did something happen?] Jonghak2 [Call me] Aeoaeo [Unni, why aren’t you posting anything nowadays?]

“She has so many likes.”

Chae Nayun had many followers as expected of a celebrity. I felt ostracized, so I went back to looking at stocks. It shouldn’t be long until Packhorse Master skyrocketed.

Kim Soohyuk walked into the classroom at 8:00 A.M. He loudly knocked on his desk and gathered everyone’s attention.

“Today is the start of the second semester. As you all know, big changes will occur. We have updated your rankings and new cadets will also join the class. Maybe some of you went to the welcoming ceremony yesterday.”

Magicians who wished to become heroes transferred to Cube from the ten magic academies. Each class received 20 magicians for a total of 200. I already took note of who would play important roles.

“These transfer students will join us starting today. Please enter.”

The instructor and cadets began to clap. Then the front door opened and 20 black-robed magicians walked in. At first, I stared without much thought. One, two, three… Suddenly, my eyes widened.

“What.”

Someone shouldn’t have been there among the twenty magicians. She lightened her skin and dyed her hair darker, but I definitely spotted Tomer. She grew up in Korea since she was 10 and entered Gangwondo Magic Academy. Although she quit after 4 years, her past admission would have verified her identity. She was the perfect candidate to infiltrate besides the few djinns among Cube’s executives.

“Everybody take a seat.”

The magicians filled in the empty seats.

“Now I will announce the new rankings.”

Tomer sat in a middle seat as I checked my smartwatch for any alerts.

[Tomer – Although she plays an important role, her appearance and strength were too sudden. It would be better to establish a connection between her and the other major characters from the beginning.]

“Tsk.”

Doing useless things again.

“Rank 1, Kim Suho!”

Kim Soohyuk only announced the top 10 and posted the rest on a wall poster.

Rank 1 Kim Suho Rank 2 Shin Jonghak Rank 3 Rachel Rank 4 Chae Nayun Rank 5 Shen Yu’an Rank 6 Yoo Yeonha… Rank 11 Yi Yeonghan… Rank 17 Kim Horak… Rank 334 Kim Hajin…

My rank went up by 600. Mmm, such an average rank satisfied me.

***

The first outdoor class consisted of training with the new transfer students. They called it the dangerous hike.

“There aren’t any dangerous monsters on this mountain, but…”

Kim Soohyuk held up his index finger with a scary expression.

“Many replicas of terrifying djinn traps are hidden throughout. You might end up hospitalized, so stay on your toes.”

Kim Soohyuk divided the 120 cadets into 10 groups of 12. The groups began to climb the mountain from different starting points.

“Alright, everyone, let’s go!”

Chae Nayun belonged to Group 3 with Kim Suho.

“Oh, Chae Nayun.”

“Hey.”

Chae Nayun and Kim Suho led two magicians and eight cadets to the foot of the mountain. Not long afterward, goosebumps appeared on their arms. The wind grew chilly and their surroundings turned dark. For the record, it was only 10:30 A.M. The environment spooked them enough, but all kinds of traps also sprung up like flames from the ground and tentacle-like tree branches. Even ghosts appeared.

“My heart almost stopped.”

All the cadets fell to the ground when a creepy female ghost appeared. Was Cube trying to give them nightmares to celebrate the new semester? Chae Nayun deeply sighed as she placed a hand on her heart.

“Geez, this is too scary.”

Even Kim Suho murmured in cold sweat. Looking at him, someone else suddenly popped up in Chae Nayun’s mind. A person she constantly thought about who made her feel complicated.

“Hey.”

“Hm? What?”

Kim Suho tilted his head as Chae Nayun looked around. The other cadets weren’t paying attention to them. She nonchalantly brought up something irrelevant.

“Hey, you’re my friend, right?”

“What? Why are you asking that all of a sudden? Are you sick?”

“Just answer me.”

“Well, of course I am.”

Chae Nayun smiled bitterly at his immediate answer. As expected, Kim Suho thought of her as a friend. Perhaps this was the normal reaction. However, Kim Hajin clearly stated that he couldn’t be friends. Unlike Kim Suho, he acted more forward about his intentions.

“What was that?”

“It’s nothing.”

A bush on the right suddenly rustled, and a familiar face popped out. Speak of the devil, Kim Hajin’s Group 6 appeared.