Chapter 92

### Chapter 92: The Expert of the Information Guild

"Congratulations, Lee Hoyeon. 9 seconds for the 10th level, that's a new record. You're a shoo-in for first place in this live monster training."

"... Thank you."

He's happier than I am. What a kind professor.

"Indeed, you're a promising student of the Academy. Keep it up!"

"Y-yes..."

I descended from the sparring arena, encouraged by the professor.

Who would have thought that dummy would be the 'Nightmare of Hamel Dungeon.'

It did look pretty menacing, though.

"Lee Hoyeon! What's up~!"

"Hoyeon, you're amazing!"

As soon as I came down, Lucy and Rumi, who had been waiting, greeted me.

"It was just luck. We had good synergy."

Of course, I would have won even if something else had appeared, but I wouldn't have set a 9-second record.

A random mental attack-specialized monster appeared, and I, who didn't know much about my special ability, turned out to be immune to mental attacks.

I can only call it luck.

"Still, it's impressive!"

"Yeah... I was happy with the 8th level."

"You guys will get there soon. Should we leave if all three of us are done?"

"Hmm, aren't you going to watch the others?"

"Watch?"

"Of course! Watching others fight is so much fun."

To be honest, I don't really care.

But since there's nothing to do if we leave early, I might as well stay with them.

Just as I was about to say I agreed, Nam Daeun's figure caught my eye.

Nam Daeun met my gaze, her pupils wavered, and she quickly turned and left the exam room.

'Should I follow her for a moment?'

Her face was pale, and she looked unwell...

"Let's watch together, okay?"

"O-Okay, I'll stay..."

"..."

Lucy linked her arm with mine, and Rumi gently grabbed my sleeve.

It's hard to refuse when they both ask, and Nam Daeun had already disappeared long ago, so it was too late to follow her.

"Alright, let's watch together."

"Yay!"

She's probably going to call her sister or something.

She can't be that weak mentally; she held up well in the original story.

*

When Nam Daeun arrived at Lee Hoyeon's sparring arena, she faced reality.

The clock above the sparring arena pointed to 9 seconds, and the students were cheering for the new record.

"Maybe the top spot in this practical exam will change this time?"

"Right. Lee Hoyeon is in great form."

"Nam Daeun is strong, but... there's no real improvement, you know?"

Nam Daeun ignored the students' negative comments. She had already passed the stage where such things bothered her.

The problem was that the professors were also praising Lee Hoyeon.

"Even with an 8th-level measurement, to be that strong..."

"His mana control is excellent despite his low mana capacity, which means he has great potential for growth."

"There will be chaos on the internet again."

"I'm more worried about the guild scouts who will be observing the 1-on-1 duel tomorrow. Sigh..."

"Leave that to Professor Kim Jinhyuk."

Nam Daeun's keen senses allowed her to hear the professors' distant chatter.

Amidst the complex emotions she had never felt before, she turned her head and met Lee Hoyeon's gaze.

Lee Hoyeon was laughing and joking with his friends despite setting such a record.

'I'm risking my life in this exam.'

Nam Daeun rushed out of the exam room.

Jealousy of Lee Hoyeon filled her mind.

'Why is he so happy when he has the same talent as me?'

I'm living this life because of this talent.

Why does he look so happy?

I wish everyone was as unhappy as I am...

Negative thoughts cascaded one after another.

Slap!

Nam Daeun slapped her cheek to erase the bad thoughts.

"Ah, I shouldn't feel such ugly jealousy."

Lately, she's been having a lot of pessimistic thoughts.

She needs to be stronger, especially now.

Nam Daeun turned on her smartwatch and sent a message to her hospitalized sister, Nam Dahee.

The only source of healing and mental rest: her sister, Nam Dahee.

Since she was scolded for calling directly last time because Dahee was in the bathroom, she always sends a message first.

- Me: Dahee, can we talk?

- Our Dahee: Yes, it's fine!

As soon as she received the reply, Nam Daeun called Nam Dahee.

- Sister! I missed you!

- "Me too. What did you do today?"

- I drew a picture! Do you want to see it?

- Nam Dahee showed a drawing of two crooked figures holding hands and smiling.

- It's me and you. Isn't it pretty?

- "Yes, it's very pretty. You have a talent for drawing?"

- Nam Dahee, holding the sketchbook and smiling, made Nam Daeun's heart tighten.

- She felt like she might cry if she relaxed even a little.

Every time Nam Daeun talked to Nam Dahee, her heart ached.

It was painful to see her young sister, who should be playing with friends at elementary school, wasting away in bed all day.

She was so frustrated with herself for being unable to do anything and hated the world.

But she kept living day by day for her sister.

She couldn't leave her alone.

If her sister wanted, she could kill all the buyer guild members and die with her.

Nam Daeun was so desperate that such thoughts came naturally to her.

- Sister! Will you be first again? I'll draw a picture in advance!

- "Yes, of course. I'll definitely be first."

- Yes, yes! Ah, the nurse is here. I'll call you later, okay?

- "Okay, send me a message."

- I love you! Kiss, kiss.

- "Me too..."

The video call flickered to black, and Nam Daeun bowed her head deeply.

"I have to be first. I have to..."

To protect that face, I can do anything.

Nam Daeun started tearing her hair out again.

*

Elise was in a very bad mood.

She couldn't break the 10th level again today.

'If I had just drawn the magic circle a bit faster at the end, I would have won...!'

The 9th level was always smooth, but the difficulty spiked at the 10th level, always stopping her.

Nam Daeun broke the 10th level in 30 seconds again, and when she checked Everyday in the car, she found out that Lee Hoyeon had broken it in 9 seconds, which only added to her stress.

Of course, thinking positively, she lost by a smaller margin than last time, so her chances of winning next time were higher.

"Huff..."

While enjoying the aroma of wine to relieve stress, Sebas, who was sitting in the driver's seat, spoke.

"Miss, I will give you an interim report on Lee Hoyeon."

"Interim report? Is there that much to investigate?"

I just asked for a rough idea, but is he being too thorough?

"Hmm, I got carried away. He's a bottomless pit of information."

Sebas continued his report while driving, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Before I report, I have to admit something embarrassing... I was caught due to my carelessness during the investigation. I apologize. After that, a bodyguard was assigned to him."

"Sebas, you were caught by Lee Hoyeon?"

Does that even make sense?

For a student to notice the stealth of an Iris Guild officer...

"That's not necessarily Lee Hoyeon's ability. Perhaps he had a collaborator from the start. But what's certain is that he has a powerful backer."

"Hmm... So?"

Having a backer isn't unusual.

A man with that level of ability would naturally attract attention.

Considering his friendship with Moon Soorin, it's likely someone from the Academy, but it could also be someone like Baek Ayoung or Im Sol, or even another guild.

"I also learned that he regularly meets a saint for treatment."

"Does he have a chronic illness?"

If he meets a saint regularly for treatment, how serious must his condition be?

"Perhaps. He had a close relationship with the school nurse even before he was assigned. He has been maintaining a steady relationship for about a month. And around the same time, Lee Hoyeon changed his career path from a hunter to a mage."

"Career change... That's just to draw attention."

Elise also noticed the sudden career change. She ignored him at the time because she didn't realize his potential, but most students probably did the same.

"I agree. It's impossible for someone who has only been learning magic for a month to have that level of ability. But his mana capacity seems very low, even for someone who has been practicing magic for a long time."

"Indeed, everyone speculates that it's because he started magic recently."

"Yes, but that's an unreasonable assumption. Additionally, I learned that he regularly purchases high-grade mana stones with unknown funds."

"High-grade mana stones...? Why would a student buy them? They're inefficient and expensive compared to mid- and low-grade stones."

Unlike mid- and low-grade stones used in daily life, high-grade stones are used for research and artifact creation, so even active hunters rarely encounter them.

They are hard to obtain, so the supply is low, but the demand is fixed, causing prices to rise.

"The quantity is too small to be for speculative profit, and too much to be for personal research. He consistently buys them once a week, regardless of the price."

"I can't make sense of it."

A simple investigation turned so complicated. She regretted digging too deep.

Sip.

She tasted the wine in her hand and waited for Sebas's next words.

"This is just a guess... As you know, mana stones are used not only for artifact creation and research but also for treating mana disorders."

"Hold on, are you saying...?"

A certain illness flashed through Elise's mind as she listened to Sebas.

"Given his consistent purchase of mana stones, his extremely low mana capacity, and his regular meetings with the saint for treatment... it seems he has a congenital mana disorder."

"Congenital mana disorder..."

The illness Elise suffers from.

A congenital condition where the body can hold very little mana, requiring supplementation with mana stones.

"You're right. I suspect Lee Hoyeon has the same rare condition as Miss Elise."

"Really, I never imagined it. Impressive, Sebas."

Combining seemingly insignificant pieces of information to reach such a conclusion.

Truly, the skills of an Information Guild officer.

Sebas's claws hadn't dulled over the years.

"Thank you. And, um..."

Sebas hesitated about mentioning Lee Hoyeon's romantic relationships.

But he felt it was too early to end the report.

His decades of intuition screamed that there was more to it. Lee Hoyeon seemed to have a significant secret.

"Is there something else?"

Elise was eager to hear Sebas's next words.

Finding a weakness in a rival was impressive, but there was more?

"No, not yet. I'll investigate further this weekend and report back."

"Understood. Good luck."

"Yes, I won't be caught this time, so don't worry."

"Alright, alright."

Elise felt a strange sense of kinship with Lee Hoyeon.