Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Seo Hyun-woo had slipped out of the Student Council President's office before the school day ended.

To hide in the secretarial office, he needed to wait for a moment when all the secretaries had left their stations.

He would have loved to subdue Kim Sung-tae in advance, but doing so would prevent the story from progressing.

'Unless it's an emergency, I can't prevent the incident from happening. It's best to maintain the original outcome as much as possible. As long as the outcome stays the same, it doesn't matter if the process changes a little.'

Seo Hyun-woo cautiously entered the secretarial office and checked his surroundings.

As expected, no one was inside.

Since it was just before the end of the school day, they must have gone out to tidy up the conference room, the Student Council President's office, or the Vice Student Council President's office.

Kim Sung-tae would most likely return to the secretarial office around this time, as usual, to secretly siphon off information.

'Is there anywhere to hide? Three people work here, but it's not very spacious. With computers, desks, chairs, and bookshelves, that's practically everything you need already accounted for.'

Seo Hyun-woo walked around the interior of the secretarial office, looking in every direction.

The secretarial office was limited in size, and since space utilization had been maximized, there were almost no empty areas.

There seemed to be nowhere to hide except for the separate supply closet.

'There's no way he wouldn't check the supply closet. If I'm going to get caught anyway, it's better not to hide at all.'

Seo Hyun-woo deliberated briefly before leaving the secretarial office.

The reason he had wanted to hide inside was to intervene quickly and prevent the secretaries' deaths.

So if he was stationed outside and had to go in, the timing would inevitably be delayed.

'This is exactly why I brought binoculars in advance.'

Seo Hyun-woo pulled out a pair of binoculars he had used before and began searching for a suitable position.

One side of the binoculars had scratch marks.

He had retrieved them belatedly after helping Baek Seo-yeon that time, but since he had thrown them without thinking, they had gotten damaged.

'I should've thrown them more gently. At least the lenses didn't crack.'

Seo Hyun-woo settled into a secluded corner and brought the binoculars to his eyes.

The secretarial office door and the nearby corridor came into clear view.

Now he only needed to confirm that Kim Sung-tae and one secretary entered the secretarial office.

'Kim Sung-tae is here.........'

Seo Hyun-woo confirmed that Kim Sung-tae had entered the secretarial office and immediately concealed himself.

The windows of time were short, but through constant repetition, enough information could be siphoned off.

And it wasn't until today that a fellow secretary in the office finally caught him.

'There still seems to be some time......... I should check whether Kang Jin-ha has arrived.'

Seo Hyun-woo looked outside through a corridor window.

Among the students, Kang Jin-ha's figure came into view.

Unlike the last time, no other Department Heads or students were at his side.

'So Kang Jin-ha can only move freely once Jin Se-hee is kept occupied?'

Seo Hyun-woo returned to his original position and used the binoculars.

Before long, a secretarial office secretary came walking into view.

The moment that student entered the secretarial office, he would need to follow right behind.

'I can't go too early, and I can't be too late. Timing is everything.'

Seo Hyun-woo began moving gradually and tucked the binoculars into his jacket.

The secretary had just entered the secretarial office.

Seo Hyun-woo's steps quickened until he was practically running.

'I've got a bad feeling about this.........'

Seo Hyun-woo didn't bother putting his ear to the door and threw it open immediately.

At the same time, Kim Sung-tae whirled around and pointed the dagger at the secretary.

"How is the President here......."

"Is there somewhere I'm not allowed to go? Let the secretary go. You don't want to die at my hands just yet, do you?"

Seo Hyun-woo glared at Kim Sung-tae with a golden current cradled in his right hand.

Kim Sung-tae felt intense fear and tension, gripping the dagger even tighter.

Going up against the Student Council President, the strongest in school, he wondered if he could even manage to escape safely, let alone win.

"So you can't bring yourself to attack when it's your own secretary, huh."

"What makes you think I can't hit just you? I wouldn't be Student Council President without at least that much skill."

"There's no point bluffing to me. If you attack me, this one obviously gets hurt too. And I won't just stand still, either."

Kim Sung-tae lightly tapped the dagger, which was imbued with mana.

The secretarial office student flinched and looked only at Seo Hyun-woo.

The students assigned to the secretarial office were not particularly skilled in combat, so they wouldn't be able to do anything against Kim Sung-tae.

"Stalling only hurts you. Are you confident you can take on the security officers and students at Miterich?"

"......Do I look like I'm afraid to die? If so, you're gravely mistaken. I'm already prepared to die."

"Who can say? There's a world of difference between being prepared for death and experiencing it."

Seo Hyun-woo fully activated Archangel Descent, producing a golden crown and golden wings.

Any living creature valued its own life.

No matter how much one spouted about the greater good or sacrifice, that one fact remained absolute.

"What's going on here?"

Baek Seo-yeon, arriving belatedly, entered the secretarial office with another secretary.

Kim Sung-tae instinctively realized the situation had worsened and fell into thought.

Seo Hyun-woo spoke slowly, not moving a muscle.

"It seems there was a spy in the secretarial office. He was probably caught by another secretary while secretly extracting information."

"......A spy?"

Baek Seo-yeon couldn't believe Seo Hyun-woo's words and stared at Kim Sung-tae.

Kim Sung-tae was holding a dagger to his colleague's throat.

Moreover, contrary to what they had been told about his poor control of mana, he had a well-refined layer of mana wrapped around the dagger.

"Are you still going to hold out? You can't shake off both me and the Vice President on your own."

"If you want to watch this one die, then go ahead and attack. I told you, I'm prepared to die."

Upon hearing that, Baek Seo-yeon immediately activated Archangel Descent, her eyes radiating killing intent.

For someone who had once been a colleague to threaten to kill another -- that was absolutely unforgivable.

Above all, he had betrayed her trust and loyalty, and rage surged up on its own.

"......This is your last warning. Let go now, and no one gets hurt. But if you attack the secretary, your skull gets shattered."

Seo Hyun-woo focused his mind, continuously compressing the current.

Kim Sung-tae was using the secretary as a hostage and inching toward the window.

He was surely going to throw himself out the window and flee, just as the original story described.

'Kim Sung-tae has to be captured by Kang Jin-ha. He can get hurt, but he can't die. And I really want to save the secretary too, if at all possible.'

Seo Hyun-woo planned to use the compressed current to sever Kim Sung-tae's hand.

With his level of skill, he should be able to thin the current to its narrowest and hit only the hand holding the dagger.

But if Kim Sung-tae released the secretary and simply fled, there would be no need to attack.

"We've known each other long enough, so how about we find a compromise? I need to escape, and you want to save this one. There's a perfect method that satisfies both our wishes."

SHING—! SLASH—!

Kim Sung-tae's dagger dug into the secretary's neck, severing the skin and blood vessels.

Simultaneously, Kim Sung-tae curled his body and shoved the secretary's body away.

Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon moved at the same time, catching the secretary quickly.

"Kghk......... Gurk......."

"I'll treat the wound! President, please go after him......"

"The bleeding is severe. If we don't treat it right now, the secretary might die."

CRASH—!

Kim Sung-tae smashed through the window and threw himself out to flee.

Seo Hyun-woo didn't spare Kim Sung-tae a single glance and converted the golden current into a golden flow.

Baek Seo-yeon hesitated for a moment at his words before producing a silver flow in both hands.

"But still, President......."

"Forget about him. Focus only on treating the secretary. Your ability can't bring back the dead."

"......Understood."

Baek Seo-yeon poured every ounce of her strength into channeling the silver flow, concentrating on healing the wound.

Seo Hyun-woo continuously generated the golden flow as well, assisting Baek Seo-yeon.

The other secretary who had been watching the scene was already calling the infirmary and the Security Office in succession.

'The wound is too deep. I don't know if just Baek Seo-yeon and I can manage the treatment.'

Seo Hyun-woo checked the secretary's condition with a grave expression.

The secretary was gasping violently, and red blood was flowing ceaselessly from the wound.

Kim Sung-tae must have calculated even this, inflicting a fatal wound that stopped just short of instant death.

'Just because you have a healing ability doesn't mean you can treat every wound. It's not as though no Awakened has died during treatment.'

The enhancement type's physical healing ability was relatively rare and came with specific limitations.

It could not treat non-Awakened humans or animals, nor could it heal all external and internal injuries.

Because the speed and effectiveness of the treatment varied depending on the user's mana and proficiency, a complete cure was never guaranteed.

"I'm......... sor......."

"Don't speak. You'll only bleed more. How is any of this your fault? It's all my fault."

Seo Hyun-woo barely managed to calm the secretary who was trying to apologize and focused on the treatment.

He had intended to save the secretary and had known exactly what would happen.

Yet he had left Kim Sung-tae alone while weighing conditions and circumstances, and his timing for intervention had been off.

'I knew everything and still made a mistake like this.........'

Seo Hyun-woo drew out even more mana from his body and drastically increased the volume of his flow.

If this had happened out of the blue, he might have been able to brush it off as unavoidable.

But since he had known and still let it happen, the responsibility was entirely his.

'I will save this person. I won't accept dying like this.'

This secretary had originally been fated to die.

Even if the secretary died here, he had already saved the other secretary, so one could say his objective had been partially achieved.

But the possibility that the secretary might be saved, and the effect it would have on Baek Seo-yeon, made it impossible to give up easily.

HISS.......

The golden flow and silver flow continued to intermingle, producing a clear, resonant sound.

At the same time, the bleeding was gradually decreasing, and the wound was slowly closing.

The ragged breathing steadied little by little, and even the body's convulsions subsided.

"......Thank you. We were able to save them thanks to you, President."

"Don't mention it. I only did what needed to be done. I couldn't have saved them without you."

Baek Seo-yeon finally let out a belated sigh of relief and looked at Seo Hyun-woo.

As always, there was no wavering in Seo Hyun-woo's eyes or expression.

He hadn't shown the slightest sign of panic and had made his decisions without hesitation.

'The President stays this composed even in a situation like this? I can't even imagine. Is it something he was born with? Maybe he received separate training.'

Baek Seo-yeon slowly removed her hands and helped the secretary up.

The wound had been fully healed, and the bleeding had stopped.

But the secretary's complexion was pale and they could barely exert any strength, so medical attention would still be needed.

'......Kang Jin-ha caught Kim Sung-tae.'

The moment the treatment ended, Seo Hyun-woo was looking out through the window Kim Sung-tae had escaped from.

In that brief interval, Kang Jin-ha had transformed into a nine-tailed fox and completely subdued Kim Sung-tae.

Only the process of the incident had changed slightly; the outcome was exactly as the original story dictated.

'Things finally seem to be going right. If everything continues like this, there shouldn't be any variables. At this point, I think Baek Seo-yeon might fully be on my side. I should go check on Kang Jin-ha first.'