Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Seo Hyun-woo immediately stopped and copied Baek Seo-yeon's ability.

He had already pinpointed the enemy's location.

He was well aware that his own skills were exceptional.

If he applied the lightning attribute of Archangel Descent, he should be able to strike swiftly even from a distance.

"Why are you stopping all of a sudden? Weren't you trying to lure the opponent out?"

"I don't think there's a need for that."

"Excuse me? What do you mean......."

Seo Hyun-woo spun around and began advancing in the opposite direction.

Then, someone who had been hiding behind a building slowly pulled back before revealing themselves.

The opponent had already dyed his skin gray and grotesquely swollen the muscles of his body, just like that time before.

"Seo Hyun-woo! This time, I won't lose to......"

CRACKLE—! FLASH—!

A torrent of gold lightning, woven into thin strands, lashed out with violent force.

The opponent was already ensnared in the current, reduced to nothing but convulsions.

Seo Hyun-woo slowly stepped forward, golden wings spread across his back.

"GAAAARGH!"

"Don't die on me yet. Even as a magical beast, you've still got to be useful for something."

"You bastard......... AARGH!"

The opponent released mana and struggled to shake off the current.

The burns and wounds left by the lightning were healing rapidly.

He was stronger than Kim Tae-jun, who he had faced before, so even after turning into a magical beast, the gap in ability was showing accordingly.

"If it weren't for you, I never would've had to step down from the President's seat!"

"Is that so? Even without me, the Vice President or the other Department Heads would've taken your seat. None of them are as weak as you."

"Grrrgh......... I'll kill you with my own hands!"

The opponent swelled his muscles even further and charged at Seo Hyun-woo.

But Seo Hyun-woo didn't so much as flinch, and his expression didn't change.

He merely thought that perhaps he hadn't hit hard enough.

BZZZT—! CRACKLE—!

"Gurk! Kgh......."

A more powerful surge of gold lightning extended from Seo Hyun-woo's hand.

The opponent couldn't withstand the current and dropped to his knees on the spot.

He tried to release mana and cancel it out, but instead his mana simply dissipated.

"Don't piss me off. Adjusting my strength for every little thing is a pain."

"Ugh........."

Seo Hyun-woo looked down at the opponent with a furrowed brow.

The opponent was convulsing, continuously regenerating his burns and wounds.

Unlike Kim Tae-jun, this one had to be kept alive at all costs.

Because analyzing the composition of the drug this one had ingested was the only way to continue the original story's flow.

"So it's the former Student Council President. You recognize me?"

"I do. He lost to me and was immediately expelled."

"He lost because he was weak. On top of that, he colluded with the former Department Heads to illegally maintain his position as Student Council President. When that was exposed, he was expelled, wasn't he?"

Of course, Seo Hyun-woo had known all of this before taking action.

It wasn't something he had experienced firsthand, but it was only proper to view this as an enemy created by the original Seo Hyun-woo.

However, since the fact that this man would be defeated remained unchanged, he had simply captured him as quickly as possible.

"Vice President, are there any injured people?"

"From what I've seen, none yet. Most of the people already fled."

Baek Seo-yeon was already maintaining Archangel Descent.

She had prepared in advance to prevent the opponent from escaping and to protect civilians.

But since Seo Hyun-woo had completely subdued the opponent, there had been no need for her to step in.

"Did you report it to the Committee?"

"It's been about two or three minutes since I filed the report. I hope they arrive within ten minutes."

"There's no need for you to stick around for this. You can go ahead."

"I'll consider this part of the job."

"You're going to assist me even outside Miterich?"

"The fact that I'm the Vice President doesn't change."

"Well, at least I won't be bored while waiting."

Baek Seo-yeon glanced sideways at Seo Hyun-woo as she recalled the fight from moments ago.

He had been fast and precise, without a shred of hesitation.

He hadn't caused any harm to the civilians nearby and had subdued the opponent before the man could even rampage.

How could someone remain this composed after realizing they were being followed?

'As expected, there's something about the President. His ability and mana are both overwhelmingly superior, but his judgment and reaction speed are exceptional as well. Was he born with the kind of talent befitting a Hunter?'

***

Inside the Student Council President's office.

Seo Hyun-woo had finished the morning meeting and returned straight to the Student Council President's office.

Today, he needed to address the deficiencies found during the department inspection, so paperwork would have to wait.

Baek Seo-yeon had temporarily stepped out to make preparations with the members of the secretarial office.

"Is the Department Head position manageable?"

"Yes. Thanks to your consideration, I'm adjusting well."

Seo Hyun-woo nodded slowly and tapped the armrest of the sofa.

Sitting on the sofa across from him was Irev Kanashuel, who had reclaimed the position of Special Department Head.

Moreover, this time she was wearing a black uniform complete with a gold insignia and gold epaulets, perfectly proving that she was indeed a Department Head.

"Do you know why I called you in separately?"

"Hmm......... Could it be that you've developed a curiosity about the opposite sex?"

"......If that's supposed to be a joke, I can laugh for you."

"Hehe, I was being serious, though."

Irev answered with a bright smile.

Seo Hyun-woo was so dumbfounded that a hollow laugh escaped on its own.

He had anticipated to some extent how Irev would behave, but he hadn't expected it to be this much.

"As Student Council President, I should get to know a new Department Head at least a little, shouldn't I?"

"Oh, was that your intention? I'm sorry. I misread the situation."

"There's no reason to misread anything, is there?"

"I'm a bit confident in my figure, if not my face. Oh, actually, I'm confident about my face too. Believe it or not, I'm quite popular with the male students."

"......"

Seo Hyun-woo stared at Irev, at a loss for words.

In response, Irev smiled even more brightly and met his gaze head-on.

Seo Hyun-woo felt an inexplicable pressure and sank into thought.

'I called her in separately just in case, to talk and get a read on her, but there don't seem to be any major issues. She's the Irev Kanashuel I know.'

Fortunately, Irev Kanashuel's personality and demeanor appeared no different from the original story.

The way she openly showed interest in Seo Hyun-woo, the way she tried to get his attention, and the way she obediently followed his orders.

In other words, Irev Kanashuel could be seen as a person who blindly followed Seo Hyun-woo around.

"Haven't you heard the rumors? I have a girlfriend. There's no reason for me to pay attention to another woman."

"Hmm......... Can I be honest about something?"

"Go ahead."

"In my opinion, I don't think you have a girlfriend, President."

"......What makes you think that?"

Seo Hyun-woo answered calmly and observed Irev's reaction.

Following Baek Seo-yeon and Jin Se-hee, she too was denying the existence of his girlfriend.

Could it be that, just like those two, she had figured it out instinctively?

"How should I put it? I just don't get the feeling that you're in love."

"......?"

Upon hearing that, Seo Hyun-woo momentarily stiffened and didn't even blink.

For something intuitive, the phrasing seemed rather clear.

Irev's personality was eccentric by nature, but right now she was about to exceed his expectations.

"In my parents' case, they gaze at each other lovingly and whisper sweet nothings, you know? Even when they're not together, you can just feel it. But with you, President, I don't feel any of that at all."

"A kind of intuition, then?"

"No. It's different from that. By looking at a person's expression, tone, and behavior, you can get a rough idea of what emotions they're feeling. Shall I use you as an example, President? Right now, you seem to have quite a lot of worries. Hmm... and it also feels like you're putting too much effort into things. Don't you think you could afford to relax a little?"

Before he knew it, the direction of the conversation had drifted toward something resembling counseling.

But what Irev said wasn't entirely wrong.

In truth, Seo Hyun-woo had been planning ahead every single day while worrying about unforeseen variables.

"Do you read faces?"

"I get that a lot. I can see almost everything someone is feeling."

"And that's how you concluded I don't have a girlfriend?"

"Yes. The probability is highest. And it doesn't seem like a dry spell either, since I don't see any lingering attachment or bitter feelings from you."

"I didn't think you'd go as far as considering a dry spell."

"I just make deductions based on what I can see."

At this point, Seo Hyun-woo couldn't even think of an excuse.

He hadn't even known Irev possessed such a talent.

No matter how much he denied it, she was never going to change her mind.

"I don't care that you like me, but don't cross the line. There's such a thing as mutual respect."

"I think you must have your own circumstances, President. There's always a reason when someone lies."

"And you're already trying to cross the line."

"President, did you know this? People usually think of love as something pure or clean, right? But it's really not. Love is war, and it's desire itself, something you have to seize with your own hands."

"......?"

Seo Hyun-woo kept silent and simply listened to what Irev had to say.

It wasn't that her words were hard to accept; rather, he was curious to see how far she would spin out her nonsense.

He was finally beginning to understand why the original Seo Hyun-woo had disliked Irev.

"Do you think people like Romeo and Juliet actually exist? Absolutely not. The human heart is fickle and always seeks out what's advantageous first. Love is the same. If there's no benefit to loving someone, wouldn't you give up easily?"

"You're talking about men looking at a woman's beauty, or women looking at a man's wealth?"

"Exactly. Love can't be seen with your eyes, but looks and money can. People always grab for what they can see first. Love is just something that follows along."

"To summarize, the conclusion is that pure love doesn't exist."

"You understood that quickly. It's the same for me. Why do you think I like you, President? Because you're handsome, because you're the strongest in school, because you're good at your job, and because no one else can hold a candle to you. That's what I find attractive."

It was so excessively blunt that Seo Hyun-woo couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh.

She was putting forth a reasonably convincing argument.

How many people could articulate materialistic, realistic love this well?

"I'm so dumbfounded that I can't help but laugh. So what are you planning to do now?"

"Now I'll have to win your heart, President. If you find me attractive, naturally you'd want to break up with your girlfriend, wouldn't you? Of course, you probably don't have one, but let's say you do for now."