Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Yoon Se-in moved cautiously, heading toward where Miterich's Student Council officers were seated.

The hotel staff stole glances at her but didn't dare make a move.

They simply assumed she had her reasons and watched from the shadows.

'Summoner, is there something you need to learn from them?'

'Nothing special. I just came to see their faces.'

Yoon Se-in replied to the voice that only she could hear and settled into an empty seat.

When a hotel staff member approached, she ordered an americano and pulled out her smartphone.

There was nothing in particular to look at—she was merely pretending to be occupied.

'......I believe I understand why you are interested, Summoner. All four of them carry dense mana despite having lived such short lives.'

'What do you think? Do they all look useful to you?'

Yoon Se-in kept her gaze away from the Student Council officers entirely, listening only to the voice.

They were still students in training, but they ranked among the very best at Miterich.

Any careless move would alert them to her presence in an instant.

'If they are this young, they should be capable of growing even further. Shall I assess them based on their current state?'

'Yeah. That's fine. Well, you can factor in their future growth potential too if you want.'

'Hmm......'

The mysterious voice fell silent, lost in thought.

Yoon Se-in received her americano from the staff and waited quietly.

'They are all quite impressive, but there seems to be a noticeable gap between them.'

'Who looks the best?'

'That I can say with certainty. Relative to your position, it is the man on the left.'

Yoon Se-in let out a wry laugh and took a sip of coffee.

She had been thinking the exact same thing as her spirit.

The person the spirit had chosen was almost certainly Miterich's Student Council President.

'You know what? He could probably command spirits too.'

'So you think so as well?'

'You already knew?'

'Not so much knew as suspected. I merely speculated that he might be capable of it.'

Miterich's Student Council President possessed vast mana and a copy ability.

In other words, he met every condition required to command spirits.

Of course, issuing orders to multiple spirits and handling them with precision would depend on the Student Council President's own skill.

'He can copy other Awakened's abilities. So if he copies mine, he'd be able to command spirits.'

'......Can such a human truly exist?'

'That's why I came to see for myself. Several of the people you considered strong have already acknowledged him.'

As a Setinos Hunter, Yoon Se-in could quickly obtain information through the Hunter Committee or her personal connections.

In fact, she was on terms with Han Yu-jeong, the Black Demon King, and Park Yong-jun, the Scarlet Dragon King—enough to exchange greetings as fellow Setinos Hunters.

Beyond that, her connections extended to Hunter Committee officers, Black Hunters, and Hunter-related corporations—which was how she had been able to complete the Rozenium Hotel without issue.

'Then can that man become anything he wishes?'

'I can't say for sure. He might even surpass "anything."'

There was something in the Student Council President's copy ability that defied expectations.

The color of Archangel Descent had turned gold, and he had transformed into a white dragon—something never once reported before.

He possessed a powerful copy ability and, on top of that, the potential to alter what he copied.

'May I offer my opinion?'

'Looks like you've got a different take. Go ahead.'

'......I do not think that man should command spirits.'

'Why do you say that?'

'There is something dangerous and unstable about him. If he were to command spirits, he would end up belonging to none of the five attributes.'

Hearing that, Yoon Se-in looked puzzled for a moment before quickly accepting it.

The spirit she had created possessed transcendent senses and exceptional mana efficiency—most magical beasts couldn't even come close to matching it.

If such a powerful spirit had judged the Student Council President to be dangerous, there had to be a reason.

'That serious, huh. Then what about that girl over there?'

Yoon Se-in didn't specify who, but the spirit immediately understood.

Only one of the two women gave off a peculiar aura.

'She is truly sacred. Her mana is so pure and noble that it seems capable of annihilating all evil beings.'

'You're giving her a higher rating than I expected. How does she compare to the Student Council President?'

'In terms of the nature of their mana, they are nearly polar opposites—yet surprisingly harmonious. If the two could come to understand each other, there would be no better combination.'

'......That's not what I was asking.'

Yoon Se-in let out a small laugh and set down her coffee cup.

The assessments of the Student Council President and Vice President had gone in completely opposite directions.

And then the spirit had even said the two might complement each other well—it was almost absurd.

'Even I can tell there's something there. So, should I go talk to them now? Or maybe I should see how long it takes for them to notice me.'

***

"The Enhancement Department certainly has a large roster. It wouldn't hurt to pull some members from it. It probably wouldn't cause major issues for carrying out Security Department duties either."

"The Form Department would be a better fit. Patrols involve a lot of defending and restraining, don't they?"

"......Security Department members do a fair amount of physical work. Form-type abilities feel more supplementary, if anything."

Baek Seo-yeon, Choi Jae-yeon, and Yoo Si-eun were exchanging opinions regarding personnel reinforcements for the Security Department.

Since each of them had slightly different points to champion, it had turned into quite the heated discussion.

Seo Hyun-woo, of course, watched this with a bitter expression and had no intention of joining in.

'They really want to talk about work even here? If they came to relax, wouldn't it be better to take it easy and chat about hobbies or daily life?'

Seo Hyun-woo had his doubts but didn't think anything was terribly wrong.

Those three were building camaraderie exactly as the MT intended.

And since it was tied to Student Council work, it was almost like they were indirectly working on a Friday.

'What a dedicated bunch. Should I step in and redirect the conversation? But before that, I need to figure out who that person is.'

Seo Hyun-woo sipped his coffee, conscious of the young woman seated right next to him.

She had done a decent job concealing her presence, but she hadn't managed to fully mask the slight fluctuations in her mana.

On top of that, the changes in her mana felt unnatural, which only raised more questions.

'She's at least Black Hunter-level. At the Rozenium Hotel, there could be a few people like that.'

The Rozenium Hotel had been built with the Spirit King of Five Colors' personal investment, and she had been expanding both its staff and infrastructure.

While day-to-day management and operations were largely delegated to the hotel president, only the Spirit King of Five Colors could determine who was allowed entry.

Most who qualified either had a personal connection to the Spirit King of Five Colors or possessed sufficient skill and influence.

'But the number of people who know we're at the Rozenium Hotel is limited. The fact that she deliberately sat next to us means she's interested in us.'

Seo Hyun-woo quickly identified the young woman and let out a wry laugh.

There was no need to copy her ability to confirm it.

Someone who knew about him and the Student Council officers yet possessed skill beyond Black Hunter-level.

There could only be one person at this Rozenium Hotel who fit those criteria.

'Baek Seo-yeon noticed too. As expected of a talented hard worker—she catches on fast.'

Seo Hyun-woo met Baek Seo-yeon's gaze and simultaneously stole a glance at the young woman beside them.

Given a little more time, Yoo Si-eun and Choi Jae-yeon would likely sense the young woman's presence as well.

Baek Seo-yeon, aiming to appear as natural as possible, smoothed her upswept hair and spoke.

"I'm not sure if this hairstyle suits me. What do you think, Enhancement Department Head?"

"It suits you just fine. You could almost pass as sisters with the Security Department Head."

"......I'll step away to the restroom for a moment."

Seo Hyun-woo gave Baek Seo-yeon a subtle look and immediately rose from his seat.

As he passed the adjacent seat, he discreetly confirmed the young woman's features.

'It really is the Spirit King of Five Colors. That mana fluctuation must've been caused by her spirit.'

Seo Hyun-woo was certain, but at the same time, he couldn't help but tense up.

The young woman had stood up and was following him.

Perhaps she had realized her identity had been seen through.

"I should visit the restroom as well."

Baek Seo-yeon hurried after Seo Hyun-woo and the young woman.

The Rozenium Hotel was under the Spirit King of Five Colors' protection, but that didn't mean it could handle every sudden situation.

Above all, she couldn't be classified as an enemy just yet, so rashly alerting others was out of the question.

'Unless she's lost her mind, there's no way she'd start a fight here. Especially not if she was invited by the Spirit King of Five Colors. I need to confirm who she is first.'

***

Inside the chairman's private training room at the Rozenium Hotel.

Yoon Se-in had converted the top floor of the Rozenium Hotel into her own private training room instead of an office.

From the start, the hotel's operations and management had been overseen by the president, Yang Jeong-ae, while she simply received reports on anything unusual and maintained the invitation list.

That being the case, she had opted for substance over style by setting up a dedicated training space.

"Let me apologize first. I had no intention of doing anything to you. I heard you were at the hotel and just wanted to see your faces. But I couldn't exactly call people away from their rest for personal reasons, right? So I came to you instead."

Yoon Se-in had brought Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon straight to the private training room the moment her cover was blown.

There was no better place for a private conversation, and she had a few things to verify besides.

She had originally planned to meet Seo Hyun-woo alone, but since Baek Seo-yeon had followed, she had no choice but to bring her along.

"There's no need to apologize. It was our fault for not recognizing you sooner."

"That's right. If we'd caught on faster, this unfortunate misunderstanding wouldn't have occurred."

Seo Hyun-woo and Baek Seo-yeon answered in turn and bowed their heads.

Yoon Se-in had meant no harm—in fact, she had been trying to be considerate.

And since she was both a Setinos Hunter and the owner of the Rozenium Hotel, there was little point in arguing over who was at fault.

"The truth is, I had something I was curious about and was planning to meet with you separately later. But somehow the Vice President ended up coming along too."

Yoon Se-in gazed at Baek Seo-yeon with a faint smile.

Seo Hyun-woo quickly grasped what she was thinking and spoke.

"......Do you want me to copy your ability, Spirit King of Five Colors? If that's the case, I can do it. I've been curious myself."