“No, what are you talking about? My daughter’s visitation isn’t allowed?!”
[I’m sorry, but due to the current internal affairs of the academy, visitation is restricted to authorized personnel.]
“No, if the parent isn’t authorized personnel, then who is authorized personnel? Fine! I’ll go through the withdrawal process. Please give me instructions.”
[Please wait a moment.]
Kim Kyung-soo waited with a huff, holding his phone.He wanted to take his daughter, Kim Yeon-seo, out of Alpha Academy as soon as possible since Han Hyun-ho was gone from Alpha and there was no chance of him returning.He expected that Alpha Academy would be caught in a huge storm.Didn’t the chairman and a professor die already?Yet, it was still one of the best spots in Korea, and a lot of influence and future value were at stake.In other words, it meant that it would be transformed into a typical example of a top academy in Korea and abroad.Alpha was nurtured by Han Hyun-ho, and it was special only because of him.
[I’m sorry, but sir, your daughter is registered as an SG scholarship student. We can’t take your daughter out of the academy just because you ask. You need to discuss it with them first and then contact us.] “What are you saying!” [I’m sorry we can’t help you. Have a nice day.]
The call ended.Kim Kyung-soo looked at his phone blankly.
“Those crazy bastards!”
SG Corporation.
It was one of the top five conglomerates in Korea, similar to DH Corporation, the parent company of Alpha Academy.Going back, the two companies are from the same root.They’re practically brother companies.That’s why SG was deeply involved in Alpha Academy.Kim Kyung-soo himself became an advisor to the SG research department because of this.It was difficult for him to send his daughter to Alpha just with his income.Because a student with outstanding potential, A-rank or higher, was required to enter the academy as a scholarship student.
As if they knew his circumstances, SG contacted him first.They asked if he could become an advisor to their research department.Kim Kyung-soo had a professor background before awakening, and after awakening, he became famous for his deep research on mana and dungeons, achieving many results.He originally didn’t want to accept SG’s proposal.He knew well how deep the connection between conglomerates and hunters was, and how much social problems it caused.But he had no choice because of the conditions they offered.They promised to help his daughter enter Alpha Academy and even provide a scholarship.
They also promised to invest heavily in his research.He knew what they were thinking.They wanted to absorb his research results, which were at the forefront of Korea.After much deliberation, he accepted the proposal.He could send his daughter to Alpha Academy, where Han Hyun-ho was if he compromised a bit.
‘But now it’s holding me back.’
Kim Kyung-soo sighed.Anyway, he had to talk to SG to get his daughter back.
. . .
“What?! Ten times?!”[I’m sorry, Professor. It’s in the contract, so I can’t help it. You’ve already joined our research department, and we had to set a rather high penalty for breach of contract to maintain our confidentiality. It’s unfortunate about your daughter’s problem, but the contract is linked to it, so I don’t think I can make an exception.]
[No, when I signed the contract, it was a nominal clause, and I said that I could quit anytime if I wanted to.]
[Did you say that? It seems our representative didn’t convey it properly. I’m very sorry, Professor. If you’re in a hurry, you can file a lawsuit just for the penalty part. But in that case, it will take time anyway, so wouldn’t it be better for your daughter to graduate from Alpha Academy? Even though it’s a bit noisy now, it will calm down soon.]
[Lawsuit? Hahaha!]
A lawsuit against a conglomerate.Especially with a clause written in the contract.
‘I was so naive!’
He didn’t take things like breach of contract clauses seriously because he decided to sign it without regret.It felt like he was just dedicating himself to academics and now he was tasting the bitterness of society in his old age.
‘It’s not a simple issue.’
It doesn’t make sense to say that they can’t let me go easily because of confidentiality.In reality, he was just an advisor, and he couldn’t even access SG’s confidential research data.He was simply conducting research alone and sharing the results with SG.
‘Maybe there’s something they’re hiding from the academy.’
A dirty secret they can’t let go of, including his daughter.It seemed like they were trying to prevent anything from leaking out.
He decided to change his perspective.If he couldn’t get to his daughter, what about going to see Han Hyun-ho?He had a completely unfounded thought that he might be able to get something if he met him.
. . .
“The guy is doing great!”
Semo ate well and acted cute.He seemed to have infinite trust in me.It felt like something more than just treating his leg was working.It was easy to guess what it was.
‘It works better on animals.’
Animals, by nature, are less intelligent and simpler than humans.Therefore, if something is forced by the system, they could be more strongly influenced.
Kim So-mi lamented, watching Semo quickly run and retrieve the ball I threw far away.
“Semo seems to only listen to Hyun-ho. I want to be close to it too… ”“I’m its Dad, right? It would be weird if you were Mom.”“What?”
I looked at Kim So-mi because her reaction seemed strange, and her face was red.When our eyes met, she flinched in surprise and turned away.
“I’ll prepare dinner. Come in with Semo when you’re done playing.”
Playing fetch with Semo was fun.I’m also an S-rank hunter, so I could throw the ball very high or far without effort.But no matter how I threw the ball, Semo would retrieve it and come back.It was like a demonstration of what an A-rank Awakened Beast was.I’ve never had a pet before, but it was definitely different.
I stroked Semo’s head as it came back with the ball.
“Did you see people in the forest? Did you get caught in a trap they set up?”
“Woof! Woof!”
Semo, unable to understand human language, only wagged its tail, showing interest in the ball.
It was uneasy having uninvited guests in my land.Besides, there were Awakened Beasts here.The existence of Awakened Beasts was unknown even to me, an academy professor, and Kim So-mi, who was seasoned in the hunter world.If there were guys who recklessly hunted and killed or captured such precious creatures, then they would be unforgivable.
“Semo, can you watch over our land so those bad guys don’t come around?”
“Woof! Woof!”
It felt like it understood what I was saying this time.
“Okay, I’ll leave tonight’s security to you!”
Even though Park Seok-cheol and Kim Ho-geun died, there was no guarantee that the assassins wouldn’t come again.It was good news that I had an Awakened Beast to protect my house.
[1/100 experience points have been recovered.]
I got today’s experience points.I thought about what to do with it, but I decided to keep it for now.I already had classes for combat, equipment and weapon making, so I could say I have basic abilities related to combat and daily life.I thought about getting skills related to the artisan and designer classes, but I could make high-quality weapons, even Kim So-mi would admit it, so it wasn’t something I needed to be greedy about right now.My ability to make things so well is probably because I have both artisan and designer classes.Usually, high-class equipment or weapons are made through collaboration between artisans and designers.
It was impossible to achieve perfect efficiency if two people worked, as one person would do.Especially if they are both S-rank individuals.The higher the ability, the stronger the personality, so it was difficult to create collaborative work that was 100% satisfactory.
‘It would be good to have skills.’
If I had an S-rank skill in the crafting field, I might be able to create something that doesn’t exist in the world.But it wasn’t a pressing issue.
The biggest reason for my conflict was Semo.I kept wanting to grow it to S-rank when I looked at it.It was already great at A-rank, how amazing would it be if it became S-rank?
I decided to think a little more about how to spend my experience points.
. . .
“Woof! Woof!”
I heard a dog barking when I was sleeping at night.I thought what it was, but then I remembered that I had an Awakened Beast as a pet today.I heard it barking outside.
‘Hunters?’
Or maybe an assassin.Thinking that, I got up, and I heard someone coming down the stairs.
It seemed Kim So-mi had also woken up.
She came in front of my room door and knocked, saying,
“Are you awake? I’ll go out first.”
Even when we sent an A-rank assassin, they failed to kill me.Maybe they sent a stronger assassin.But Kim So-mi had now recovered from the injury that had held her back, and in a way, she was in better shape than before.And she had the top-grade weapon I gave her.
“Okay.”
I answered that and quickly put on a shirt.The downside was that I didn’t have hunter gear.It had hard-to-find materials, so the delivery was delayed, and I hadn’t made it yet.I didn’t want to just make something random and wear it.
When I went out, I saw a scene different from what I expected.
“Semo! It’s okay! Stay still!”
Kim So-mi was trying to calm Semo down.Semo was on top of an SUV’s hood, barking, “Woof! Woof!”The driver seemed to be at a loss for what to do due to the sudden situation.
‘It doesn’t seem like an assassin.’
It didn’t seem like a hunter either.It was unexpected to have a visitor in the middle of the night, but I was curious about who it was.
“Semo, come here.”
Semo, who wouldn’t listen when Kim So-mi was trying to calm it down, quickly jumped out of the car and came to me.It still stood guard, facing the car.
I thought there was a reason for Semo’s vigilance.Maybe the hunters it saw used an SUV.
The driver’s door opened cautiously, and a man got out of the car.He looked like a man in his late 40s, wearing glasses, and he didn’t look threatening at all.
He raised both hands and said, still wary of Semo,
“Professor Han Hyun-ho, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Kim Yeon-seo’s father. My name is Kim Kyung-soo.”
‘Kim Yeon-seo?’
The name made me remember immediately.A lively and diligent student.I was even more interested in her because she was very active in class.She was B-rank when she entered, but she quickly grew to become A-rank.I thought she had the potential to become an S-rank.If she had received my focused guidance until graduation, she would have become one.
“Nice to meet you. But what brings you here?”