Chapter 83
Meanwhile, at that same time.
Jung Woojin remained alone in the research room after Suhyeok left.
"..."
He tightly gripped the potion he'd been given and replayed Suhyeok's words in his head.
"...He's strange."
"He talks like he knows everything about me."
He lowered his gaze to the potion.
"And more importantly... this potion makes even less sense."
Calling it merely impressive wouldn't do it justice.
The formula was beyond anything Jung Woojin had ever imagined.
It completely overturned conventional alchemy.
Every ingredient could be found in ordinary markets.
Some of them were materials that even Jung Woojin would've considered incompatible with one another.
But the most astonishing thing was the potion's grade.
"C-Can something like this really exist?"
Normally, a potion's grade could be roughly identified by its color.
The liquid inside the vial was an enchanting, deep blue.
A color close to the S-Rank potions he'd only ever seen in books.
"Even though it hasn't gone through purification or concentration adjustment yet... it's already this high-grade...."
Suddenly curious about its effect, he immediately placed the potion inside a machine that analyzed its composition.
A short while later, the results appeared.
"...!!"
[Analysis Result]
Grade: A+
Name: Potion type not found in database.
Estimated Effect: Approximately 5% chance to randomly grant an ‘additional option’ to one of the user's Traits or abilities.
Side Effects: None.
"N-No way!!"
For a moment, Jung Woojin wondered if he'd shouted too loudly.
But this wasn't the time to care.
The result itself was simply absurd.
People were born with supernatural abilities.
When someone gained a new ability beyond the one they originally awakened with, it was commonly called reawakening.
"D-Doesn't this mean..."
His voice trembled.
"Just drinking this could let someone reawaken...?"
Reawakening was still a phenomenon that academia hadn't properly explained.
Yet this potion implied that anyone could potentially experience something similar simply by drinking it.
Gulp.
The moment this product appeared in the world, everyone would scramble to obtain it by any means necessary.
The medicinal ingredients would be bought up in massive quantities.
But something else shocked him even more.
I-I'm not seeing this wrong.
It really says there are no side effects...?
Normally, the higher a potion's grade, the more severe its side effects became.
Because the negative effects were often just as powerful as the benefits, one of an alchemist's main responsibilities was reducing them as much as possible.
"If I adjust the concentration and ratios..."
"And refine the ingredients a little more...."
It might really be possible.
He might be able to create an S-Rank potion with his own hands.
Just who was that man?
Jung Woojin had heard he was the academy's newly appointed swordsmanship instructor.
The rumor that he'd defeated Kang Rahee, the top student of the superpower department, was probably true too.
Exceptional swordsmanship.
And on top of that, the ability to create a potion like this.
The academic value of this potion alone was beyond calculation.
Jung Woojin was certain.
Something like this shouldn't have appeared for at least several decades.
Gulp.
"...M-Maybe I really should do it now-"
He stopped.
The anxiety buried deep inside him caught hold of him again.
Was someone like him really allowed to do this?
A timid loser.
Someone who got bullied at school every day.
Then Suhyeok's words echoed in his mind.
Believe in yourself.
If you can't trust yourself, then you'll probably never accomplish anything for the rest of your life.
So believe it.
You can do this.
Jung Woojin flinched.
No one had ever said anything like that to him.
Even his own family, the people who should've believed in him most, never had.
Perhaps Suhyeok was the first person who ever truly believed in him.
Jung Woojin stared at the potion again.
Then, as though finally reaching a decision, he clenched his fist.
"...Right."
"I'll prove my own worth."
Late that evening.
Jang Hyeji was secretly summoned to the president's office.
"How was it?"
Lee Seonghwa asked leisurely.
"The entire academy seems to be talking about Instructor Lee Janghyeok."
"Did he make any unusual moves?"
She lifted her teacup.
"It appears he left the academy partway through the day."
"...Yes."
Jang Hyeji answered calmly.
"I followed him, but he didn't do anything suspicious."
"It was somewhat unexpected, but I confirmed that he went directly into an entertainment bar."
"Oh?"
Lee Seonghwa smiled.
"I didn't expect him to be that sort of man."
"And immediately after class too...."
"What did he do there?"
"Nothing unusual."
"Judging by the Coins he handed over, I believe he may owe them money."
The president seemed to think for a moment.
Then she nodded and smiled.
"Good work."
"Continue reporting whenever he makes any movements."
"Yes, understood."
Tap. Tap.
Lee Seonghwa slowly approached Jang Hyeji.
Then she gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You've grown so much."
"It makes me quite happy to see how well you've matured."
"Then again, you've never disappointed me since you were young."
Jang Hyeji remained silent.
But her thoughts drifted back to what had happened earlier.
Lee Janghyeok.
He knew her identity.
He even knew she had been assigned to monitor him.
Almost as though he had known everything from the beginning.
He even knew the president was one of the Villain Association's executives.
But what concerned her most was the offer he'd made.
I'll only say this once.
Become my spy.
And if you do, I'll erase the curse of the Brand carved into you.
He knew about the Brand.
If he was asking her to become a double agent, then he probably knew about her ability too.
Even the president doesn't know the full details of my ability.
That's why I've been able to retain a certain amount of freedom from the Brand.
How in the world did he know?
Whatever the answer, it didn't matter.
If he really could remove the Brand...
That alone was enough.
There was no grand reason behind why she followed the president.
She didn't care about reviving the Villain Association.
She didn't care about some lofty cause.
There was only one reason.
The Brand that had been carved into her when she was young.
"If you continue carrying out my orders properly..."
Lee Seonghwa smiled gently.
"I'll gladly remove the Brand someday."
"So continue working hard for the revival of the Villain Association."
"Understood?"
An obvious lie.
She might say that, but in reality, she intended to keep Jang Hyeji chained by the Brand until the day she died.
Still...
Jang Hyeji had no intention of fully cooperating with Suhyeok either.
Not yet.
Until she was certain he could truly do what he claimed, she wouldn't take either side.
