Chapter 42

Chapter 42: State Secret (3)

Two weeks passed since the emergency meeting.

Much had happened in the interim.

First, Yun Seongyeop was incarcerated for hacking the Grand Library and extracting papers whose authors had been kept anonymous.

Interrogation revealed that Jeon Taejin was the mastermind, but Jeon Taejin escaped conviction due to insufficient evidence.

However, Jeon Taejin's reputation and public image suffered severe damage.

—Did you hear? The rumors about Professor Jeon Taejin.

—Everyone knows Yun Seongyeop was in Jeon Taejin's circle. It's obvious what happened.

Yun Seongyeop's professorship was revoked.

His courses were reassigned to other faculty, and his graduate students were left floundering.

Fortunately, they managed to find an interim Advisor to see them through their current research.

It would've been nice if that was the end of it, but the fallout splashed onto me too.

I became their interim Advisor.

'The boy Cha's research lab has only one researcher, doesn't it?'

'Excuse me?'

'Take care of those poor children left adrift by that wretch for a little while. This old woman asks it of you.'

I doubted there was anyone at Florian who could refuse a request from Chancellor Ryu Jeonga.

I had no choice but to accept.

At first, I worried whether I could teach those kids properly.

That turned out to be unfounded.

'Your explanations just click, Professor!'

'Yeah. You're way better than Professor Yun Seongyeop!'

My experience as a professor had accumulated enough that teaching them was perfectly manageable.

Between my original game knowledge and everything I'd studied since inhabiting this body, I could at least claim the title of professor with confidence—in my own field, at the very least.

The problem was that the students' reliance on me was extreme.

'Professor, can you teach me this?'

'Doesn't this section seem off?'

It was getting a little annoying.

Lee Yeeun handled everything on her own just fine. The contrast really drove home just how much of a genius she was.

Maybe it wasn't that these students were needy—maybe my standards had just been warped by getting used to Lee Yeeun.

On top of that, my papers had spread not just across the country but around the world, causing an enormous stir.

I finally understood why Ryu Jeonga had invoked something as grandiose as "the advancement of humanity."

Just looking at today's top news headline made it clear.

—K-Operations Model Now a Global Standard!

—Everything About the 'Global Standard' K-Operations Drawing Praise Worldwide

...Fuck, why does the embarrassment fall on me?

The formation operation methods from my papers had been slapped with the laughable title of "K-Operations."

Originally, my name was supposed to be attached, but I'd vehemently opposed it. They'd discussed it among themselves and settled on this.

I hated K-Operations too, but being called the "Cha Eunwoo Method" was even worse.

The headline alone cratered credibility, but the "global standard" claim was more or less factual.

Over 300 guilds across 22 developed nations had adopted my papers.

In particular, 27 of the world's top 30 ranked guilds had either implemented them or announced plans to do so. That said it all.

My inbox was on fire as a result.

▼ Inbox (99+)

—Hello, Professor. This is Yeongmyo Guild.

—We are Porn Guild. We wish to set up a meeting with you.

—是西城行会我想见你

Requests to meet me poured in from countless guilds around the world.

Not just guilds, either—academic institutions sought me out for lectures and research collaborations.

I declined them all, naturally.

Building relationships with distinguished people from around the globe was all well and good.

But getting too close risked a backlash.

In the short term, leaving the Academy's pond for the wider world—sounding the alarm in advance and elevating humanity's capabilities—might seem like a viable approach.

But in the long run, it was absolutely not the right call.

Everything else aside, the final stretch demanded that the overwhelmingly powerful individuals—the Playable Characters—step up.

I had to stay here and be the fence that protected them.

"Still, it'd be nice to have at least a safety net."

Two emails caught my eye.

One from Geumok Guild, where An Seri was affiliated.

The other from Unicorn Guild—belonging to the nation that was, predictably, the world's strongest even in the game world: the United States.

I'd turned down every other offer, but I'd scheduled meetings with these two.

"Hah."

My assumption that professors in this world had it easy was a delusion.

As it turned out, I'd just had no work to do because I had no reputation, one researcher, and a single course.

What broke me out of my reverie was a light knock.

TAP TAP—

Light and brisk. Lee Yeeun's signature knock.

"Come in."

The office door opened and Lee Yeeun entered.

She hadn't used to knock, but with more visitors coming to my office lately, she'd picked up the habit.

"Professor!"

What Lee Yeeun had brought was a specialized textbook.

"I don't really understand this part."

She opened the book.

It dealt with the application of mana circuit formulas.

Not even my specialty—and the content was complex enough that I only managed to grasp it by leaning on the Teachings of Seshet.

"To understand this, you first need to apply Kronka's Theorem from the earlier section. Look here. If you use Drang's Formula to transform the expression, what do you get?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure."

"Think it over a little more carefully."

"I still don't get it."

"I see."

Since last week, something about Lee Yeeun had been off.

Lee Yeeun was a genius.

Her intelligence went without saying, and she was the kind of person who enjoyed studying—always finding the answer on her own, even for difficult material, and taking pride in it.

But recently, her questions had increased dramatically.

This particular topic was complex, sure, but it wasn't so arcane that Lee Yeeun couldn't work through it.

I was already busy, and Lee Yeeun's frequent visits were making things even busier.

To top it off, today's topic was excessively long.

Having just finished preparing to head out made it feel even longer.

"Sorry, but I don't think I can do this right now. I have an appointment. Let's pick it up next time."

When I declined, Lee Yeeun's eyes narrowed.

"Boo, are you going to see the other kids?"

"Other kids?"

"You know, the ones who used to be Yun Seongyeop's students."

"No. I have a meeting with a guild."

"Really?"

"Really."

Lee Yeeun's expression softened slightly.

She wasn't getting along with the new additions.

Was she wary of them because they'd been Yun Seongyeop's students?

Or was she simply not bothering to bond with kids who'd be leaving soon?

"I'll be on a business trip, so I'll be away for a few days. Pass the word to the others."

"A business trip? Okay......"

Lee Yeeun made the face of an abandoned puppy.

She must have really wanted to discuss that question.

"Also, here."

I handed Lee Yeeun a key.

"A key?"

"Keep an eye on the office while I'm gone. There probably won't be anything to do, but just in case."

"...The other kids could do that."

Lee Yeeun poked out her lower lip.

Since she was the most senior member of my lab, wanting to foist the tedious work onto the newcomers was understandable.

Still, I asked again.

"I don't trust them enough. Who else would I entrust this to, if not my top disciple?"

"T-top disciple?"

"Of course. You're my top disciple, Yeeun."

"Hmm~. That's right, isn't it? I'm the only one for you, right, Professor?"

I hadn't gone that far.

But I nodded anyway, to put her in a good mood.

"Got it. Just trust me and go."

***

This world was not a kind one for ordinary people.

The existence of Awakened was as threatening to civilians as it was to monsters.

Statistics showed that half of all homicides worldwide were committed by Awakened.

Some went so far as to call the Awakened walking weapons of mass destruction.

Baekje Hotel. The most famous hotel in Korea.

Its luxurious facilities were part of it, but the biggest reason for its renown was an Awakened defense system said to rival the Blue House's.

The Blue House comparison was an exaggeration, of course.

Even so, the number of ability users who could cause an incident here was vanishingly small.

That made it a popular venue for meetings between private corporations.

"Identity confirmed."

"Thank you."

After verifying my credentials, the security guard let me through.

I took the elevator, authenticated with a key card, and ascended to the meeting location.

The top floor of Baekje Hotel—the 89th floor.

—Doors opening.

WHIRR—

Could you even call this place a hotel?

The 89th floor, known as the VVIP Room even within Baekje Hotel.

The entire floor was a single room.

The space was filled to the brim with every luxury imaginable.

From the carpet underfoot to the furniture, decorations, even the tissue holders—everything gleamed.

I'd never used a luxury brand in my life, but just looking at them radiated an unmistakable aura of wealth.

"You've arrived."

The voice that greeted me was clear and refined.

Its owner was a stunning Western woman with long platinum-blonde hair.

"Unicorn Master."

The most striking first impression I'd ever encountered.

Her glamorous appearance was easily overshadowed by the sheer mass of mana she radiated.

A reservoir of mana so vast that even the formidable Ryu Jeonga would look trifling beside it.

The Guild Master of Unicorn. The world's strongest Hero.

Edelin Pierce.

"Thank you for accepting our request."

"Not at all. I should be the one apologizing for bringing someone as busy as you all the way to Korea."

"Oh, no. I'll be gaining something far more valuable than my time."

The tone was courteous, but the pressure it carried was immense.

She'd invested her precious time to be here, so I'd better deliver.

"Let's start by reviewing the profiles."

Edelin handed me the documents she'd brought, along with an emphatic caveat.

"Unicorn is the most celebrated guild in the world, but it's also the most envied. Because of that, our members' profiles are classified. Once this session is over, please forget everything."

"Understood."

I agreed—though whether I could actually do that on command was another matter.

Regardless, I reviewed the contents.

Unicorn, the world's strongest guild.

And among them, the profiles of the twelve strongest—the first-string party—were in my hands.

Their specs hadn't been disclosed in detail even in the game.

I'd been curious what the peak of human ability looked like at this point in the timeline.

"Oho."

Oh shit.

The admiration was involuntary.

It was exactly the kind of insane spec sheet you'd expect from humanity's strongest party.

In terms of raw stats, every single member had primary stats above 95. Numerically, that put them on par with a fully grown Song Seokhwan.

Whether that said more about how impressive they were, or how trash Song Seokhwan was.

Of course, talents, hidden stats, and other factors meant Song Seokhwan would still edge ahead—but not by much.

The most astonishing of all was the party leader, Edelin, herself.

STR stat: 98.

This was a level no ordinary NPC should've been able to reach.

Beyond even a Playable Character.

I had to wonder why an NPC of this caliber hadn't played a bigger role in the story.

"Impressive."

"Isn't it?"

Pride colored Edelin's voice.

"Unicorn's first party isn't just any party. It's the last line of defense protecting America—and by extension, all of humanity."

"I agree."

"That's why our party can't be run the conventional way. I'd like you to personally design the most efficient tactical module for us, Professor."

"Understood."

Edelin was right.

Elevating Unicorn's combat power was tantamount to advancing all of humanity.

In the early portion of the main story, the Playable Characters hadn't yet come into their own. Since humanity was weaker during that stretch, the enemies they faced weren't at full strength either.

That meant if Unicorn could hold the line, they could serve as a bridge until the Playable Characters matured in the later stages.

And if they survived all the way to the end, they could become invaluable allies in the final stretch as well.

"Then let's begin."