Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Seo Hyun-woo wore a faint smile as he casually tossed out the joke.

Since he already knew all of this, it was easy to guess by gauging the timing and sequence.

Judging by the reactions of the two, his guess seemed to have been spot-on.

"......As you say, I did suggest to this student that he consider becoming a Security Department member. You're quite perceptive, President."

"I didn't expect the Security Department Head to say something like that. If it's not sarcasm, I'll take it gratefully."

"I apologize. My manner of speaking is a bit......"

"Far too stiff. There's no fun in joking around like this."

Seo Hyun-woo said that and passed by Yoo Si-eun, stopping in front of Kang Jin-ha.

Kang Jin-ha felt something stirring inside him, yet carefully met Seo Hyun-woo's gaze.

The person before him was the strongest in school, undefeated even once, so it was only natural to feel tense.

"Hmm......... We keep running into each other. Is this the third time?"

"......I didn't think you'd remember every instance."

"I can't help but remember. Your appearance is quite striking."

"I'm nothing compared to you, President."

"I wonder about that. Objectively speaking, I think you might have the edge over me. Wouldn't you say?"

Seo Hyun-woo turned his head and posed the question to Baek Seo-yeon and Yoo Si-eun.

Naturally, those two would think Kang Jin-ha was the better-looking of the two.

"I don't think any answer will lead to a good outcome."

"Do we have to answer?"

Baek Seo-yeon and Yoo Si-eun answered in turn, their expressions indifferent.

At that, Seo Hyun-woo let out a wry laugh and turned his gaze back to Kang Jin-ha.

"I suppose I asked for nothing."

"......If you don't mind, may I ask you a question?"

"I'd prefer it to be one I can answer."

"How did you figure out that I was interested in becoming a Security Department member?"

Kang Jin-ha hadn't asked this question with any particular agenda.

He was simply genuinely curious.

He had never even had a private conversation with Seo Hyun-woo, so how had the man seen through his thoughts?

"That's certainly worth wondering about. You couldn't determine that just from the fact that someone came to the Security Department."

"So there is another reason?"

"I'd been thinking that you would make a suitable Security Department member. Since the Security Department shares some of the Security Office's duties, only trustworthy students can be selected. On top of that, because both the Security Office and Security Department must uphold their prestige and dignity, the selection criteria are inevitably a bit stringent."

Seo Hyun-woo laid out a plausible rationale and began explaining calmly.

Kang Jin-ha felt doubts about it but gradually came to accept the reasoning.

Yoo Si-eun listened in on the conversation, unable to hide her admiration for Seo Hyun-woo's outstanding judgment.

"In your case, your skills are solid, and your appearance and character are well-suited. So naturally, the Security Department would take an interest, wouldn't it?"

"......So you don't have definitive proof."

"That's true. But since my guess was correct, wouldn't you say I at least have good instincts?"

Meanwhile, Baek Seo-yeon was observing Kang Jin-ha and scrutinizing each of the things Seo Hyun-woo had said.

She wasn't sure about Kang Jin-ha's character, but his skills and appearance were certainly beyond question.

She felt this every time, but Seo Hyun-woo seemed to possess remarkably keen intuition.

"May I ask one more thing?"

"I'd hope that's your last question. I still have work to do."

"I appreciate the consideration. President, is it true that you've never lost even once?"

"......Are you including the time before I enrolled at Miterich?"

"Yes."

The unexpected question sent Seo Hyun-woo into a brief moment of contemplation.

No matter how well he knew the story's flow, he didn't have perfect knowledge of each character's entire life history.

The original author probably hadn't even fleshed out that particular detail.

'Hmm......... If I say I've lost before, it'll shatter the impression people have of me. But if I say I've never lost.........'

Seo Hyun-woo quickly reached a conclusion and put on a flat expression.

No matter how many times he reconsidered, there was only one answer he could give.

"I haven't lost, no. Wouldn't it be pretty interesting if someone could at least manage a draw?"

Seo Hyun-woo answered quietly and immediately set off toward the Department Head's office.

He had deliberately added an unnecessary remark to provoke Kang Jin-ha.

Hearing that, Kang Jin-ha would probably burn with competitive spirit toward him.

'A draw against the President......... Is that even possible?'

Baek Seo-yeon followed behind Seo Hyun-woo, turning the thought over and over.

In every Rank Battle against the President so far, she had never come close to winning, let alone landed a proper attack.

Unless it was an active-duty Hunter, perhaps no one could defeat Seo Hyun-woo.

'I don't know why he had to say something like that. No matter how he answered, it'd only invite misunderstanding. If I had to compare, I think the President is better-looking than that guy, though.........'

***

Baek Jeong-woon.

As an active-duty Black Hunter and one of the foremost swordsmen in the business, there was no one in the Hunter industry who didn't know his name.

On top of that, he had once swept through all manner of dungeons alongside Yoo Jin-seob, the strongest in history, leaving behind countless achievements.

Above all, hadn't his fame grown even greater because he had voluntarily given up the chance to become a Setinos Hunter?

'Hah......... At least I got the annoying part out of the way. All this just to get a look at the Student Council President's face.........'

Baek Jeong-woon was heading toward the Student Council President's office with a furrowed brow.

He had just finished giving a lecture to the students moments ago.

As Han Yu-jeong had said, he needed a reason to visit Miterich, so he had reluctantly agreed to give the lecture.

'Seo-yeon doesn't seem to have any particular problems......... The Department Heads didn't leave a bad impression, either. The issue is the Student Council President. How much of a tyrant must he be for Seo-yeon to struggle that hard?'

Baek Jeong-woon stared intently at the back of Seo Hyun-woo, who was walking ahead.

Normally, he should have met with Han Yu-jeong and the Chancellor in the chairman's office first, but he had postponed that.

He hadn't come to Miterich to give a lecture or to see Han Yu-jeong.

He had come here in person to see the face of the bastard who was making his niece's life miserable.

'Seo-yeon told me the guy is quite arrogant and ruthless. But she also said his skills are outstanding and he does his job well enough. They say sociopaths often exhibit that kind of behavior.........'

Baek Jeong-woon shifted his gaze to Baek Seo-yeon walking beside Seo Hyun-woo and felt a sense of ease.

She was his only niece, a precious treasure left behind by his elder brother who had already passed away.

If Baek Seo-yeon could just be happy, he would gladly throw away this aging body of his.

If anything ever caused Baek Seo-yeon pain or suffering, he would eliminate the source even if it meant coughing up blood.

'It was a few months ago that she told me about him, but things probably haven't changed much. He's probably still using the Student Council President's position to torment Seo-yeon.'

Baek Jeong-woon freely misinterpreted Baek Seo-yeon's situation and gradually let his killing intent show.

However, Baek Seo-yeon had only said that she kept losing to Seo Hyun-woo in Rank Battles. She had never once said that Seo Hyun-woo was using his position to make things difficult for her.

In other words, he had jumped to conclusions without properly hearing the full explanation from Baek Seo-yeon.

'......But there are too many eyes here to just discipline him outright. Not only students but staff and Han Yu-jeong are here too. And there's Seo-yeon's position to consider, so I can't act rashly.'

Of course, Baek Seo-yeon was plenty strong, and she had become Miterich's Vice Student Council President without anyone's help.

But in Baek Jeong-woon's eyes, his niece looked endlessly fragile, and since she couldn't obtain the Student Council President's seat she so desired, he could only feel sorry for her.

Above all, it seemed as though Seo Hyun-woo was pressuring Baek Seo-yeon through Rank Battles and work, and he couldn't just stand by and watch.

'He probably knows I'm Seo-yeon's uncle. I need to show that bastard something. That way, Seo-yeon can live a little more comfortably at Miterich.'

Baek Jeong-woon followed the two into the Student Council President's office and sat down on the sofa.

Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon brought refreshments and quickly set them up on the table.

Then they sat down in their respective seats and began reading Baek Jeong-woon's mood.

"......You two must have it tough. You're doing work that Miterich's staff should be handling."

"It's not that difficult. We're just carrying out various guidelines and announcements while assisting with the Administrative Office's duties."

Baek Seo-yeon answered first and looked at Baek Jeong-woon.

She had indeed been told by Baek Jeong-woon that he would be visiting Miterich for a lecture, and so far everything had been proceeding smoothly.

But something felt uneasy, and she had the distinct feeling that Seo Hyun-woo should not get involved.

"Does the Student Council President feel the same way?"

"Unlike the Vice President, I think this work isn't easy at all. We have to train like the other students while juggling administrative duties on top of it."

"Then you must sometimes feel like quitting."

"Not at all. The Vice President does such good work that I can afford that much breathing room. If I could, I'd hand the President's seat over to the Vice President."

"......That's an interesting thing to say."

The unexpected answer piqued Baek Jeong-woon's interest, and he lifted his teacup.

The atmosphere and personality seemed a little different from what Baek Seo-yeon had described.

Above all, Baek Jeong-woon had met many Hunters and killed countless magical beasts, so he could instinctively see through a Hunter's disposition and true nature.

'His gaze is clear, and there's conviction in his voice. If he really had a self-righteous and arrogant personality, he'd either try to hide it or put on an excessively confident front. But I'm not getting any of that.'

Baek Jeong-woon studied Seo Hyun-woo carefully with a sharp gaze.

Of course, his intuition could be wrong, or Seo Hyun-woo might be an astonishingly good actor.

But this very instinct had kept him alive through countless battles and helped him overcome many dangers.

'As expected, I can't judge just by appearances. I'll need to cross blades with him properly to learn anything.'

Baek Jeong-woon set down his teacup and slightly relaxed his tense expression.

For Baek Seo-yeon's sake, he needed to spar with Seo Hyun-woo.

Nothing was better than combat for accurately discerning someone's true nature.

Because simply clashing skills and harboring the desire to win was enough to lay bare a person's true heart and character.

"I hear the Student Council President has never experienced defeat since enrolling at Miterich?"

"That's true, but I'm not yet at a level where I could compete with active-duty Hunters."

"But it's not something just anyone could do. I'm becoming a bit curious about how impressive those skills really are."

Seo Hyun-woo quickly grasped the meaning behind Baek Jeong-woon's words and sipped his tea.

He didn't know the reason, but it seemed Baek Jeong-woon wanted to spar with him.

Baek Jeong-woon was not only Baek Seo-yeon's uncle but also a figure of some significance, so building a rapport with him was well worth the effort.

'On the surface, Baek Jeong-woon operates as a Black Hunter, but in reality, he possesses skill on par with a Setinos Hunter. On top of that, he knows a great deal about the strongest Hunter in history, making him just as important a figure as Miterich's chairman. I think it's about time I started getting serious.'