Chapter 116

I Became an Academy Overpowered Growth Genius – 116

EP.116 Meeting the In-Laws (7)

Park Tae-ho looked at Kang Seo-jun with an expressionless face.

“Go inside first.”

“…….”

The gentle atmosphere from a moment ago had completely vanished. His gaze was now like that of a security agent probing a spy.

– Gulp. –

Kang Seo-jun swallowed dryly.

‘It’s only natural for him to look at me like that….’

The 《Record of Destiny》 was merely an item that transmitted emotions and memories. Whether the memories it contained were ‘truth’ or just ‘illusion’ was a separate issue that needed to be verified.

For a seasoned veteran like Park Tae-ho, who had been through countless trials, even if the 《Record of Destiny》 had a high probability of containing ‘truth,’ he wouldn’t easily trust or let his guard down. He would undoubtedly doubt until the very end and thoroughly examine for any errors before making a final judgment.

‘But that’s actually better. High risk brings high return….’

Gaining trust for the first time was the hardest part. Once that trust was earned, it would lead to near-infinite faith and favor.

‘This is where the real game begins.’

Failure meant death. Success meant becoming the owner of the Taesan Group.

“Let’s go inside.”

“…Yes.”

Kang Seo-jun tightly held Park Seo-yoon’s hand and stepped into the mansion. From now on, he had to stay sharp. It was like entering a tiger’s den.

– Step. Step. –

– Thud. –

Park Tae-ho followed closely behind and personally closed the front door.

– Click. –

“?”

It sounded like he locked the door too….

‘If I make a mistake, I might really die here.’

The front door that Park Tae-ho locked looked ordinary, but it was actually a reinforced door strong enough to withstand a tank shell. Locking it meant that in case of an emergency, he intended to completely block Kang Seo-jun’s escape route.

‘Hmm….’

Kang Seo-jun activated the Eye of Providence to survey the inside of the mansion.

‘It’s not just a tiger’s den, it’s like walking into its mouth….’

If things went wrong, there was no escape route. The back door and windows were all locked. It was practically like being confined deep underground.

‘I miss Se-rin….’

Ah.

“Ahem!”

Kang Seo-jun cleared his throat to shake off his weak thoughts.

‘Let’s not talk weak.’

He had to remember why he came here.

‘To grow faster by having the Taesan Group at my back.’

If things went well here, he could gain the trust and support of the real power behind the Taesan Group.

‘If I can just get Grandfather Park Tae-ho on my side….’

It would be practically the same as gaining administrative authority over the Taesan Guild.

‘Whether entering dungeons, raiding demon hideouts, or waging war against evil organizations.’

He would be able to use the elite hunters of the Taesan Guild at will. And sometimes….

‘He could even directly receive help from [S+] rank hunter Park Tae-ho.’

He would be able to raid the hideouts and secret warehouses he couldn’t touch due to his current lack of specs. Naturally, his growth rate would skyrocket.

‘There’s no time to be afraid.’

On the contrary, a wave of anticipation surged through Kang Seo-jun’s chest.

‘Let’s go!’

Kang Seo-jun grasped Park Seo-yoon’s hand and strode confidently into the mansion. Their destination was the dining room. Of course, he didn’t need any guidance. He had visited this mansion countless times while playing the game [Grand Hunter Academy].

‘He probably told me to go in first to test me.’

It was likely to see if Kang Seo-jun knew the location of the dining room in the mansion. If he were truly the grandson-in-law, he should naturally know where the dining room was.

“…….”

‘He’s really staring holes into me.’

The Eye of Providence provided a 360-degree view, allowing Kang Seo-jun to see that Park Tae-ho was following him five steps behind, staring intently at his back. If Kang Seo-jun failed to find the dining room, Park Tae-ho would likely switch to interrogation mode immediately.

‘Ugh….’

The gaze was too piercing. Even though he was just being watched, it felt like needles were pricking his back.

‘It’s a relief that the dining room isn’t far.’

Even for Kang Seo-jun, a superhuman with willpower ’33,’ his body would naturally tense up under the focused attention of an [S+] rank hunter. He quickly crossed the hallway, striding towards the dining room.

‘Hah. He’s testing me quite blatantly….’

Although he had already seen it with the Eye of Providence, all the doors from the hallway to the lounge were firmly closed, preventing any view of the interiors. If Kang Seo-jun wasn’t a seasoned player or didn’t have the Eye of Providence, he would have struggled to find the dining room and ended up fumbling around.

‘But it’s actually better this way.’

If it were a difficult test, it would be one thing, but throwing an easy problem his way was advantageous for Kang Seo-jun. Each small test like this would build up trust.

With these thoughts, he soon found himself in front of the dining room door. Before opening it, he looked towards Park Tae-ho.

“Hehehe….”

Park Tae-ho, who had come right up to Kang Seo-jun’s side, let out a low chuckle as he looked at him.

“You found the dining room well.”

It seemed he had no intention of hiding the fact that he was testing Kang Seo-jun.

“You understand, don’t you? Given my position, I can’t just trust you based on a piece of parchment.”

Even though Park Tae-ho had received all the past memories and emotions through the item 《Record of Destiny》, he wanted to treat Kang Seo-jun as family right away. The affection for his grandson-in-law was already stirring in his heart, making it painful for him to test Kang Seo-jun like this. But he had to do it, not out of personal doubt, but because of his external responsibilities.

“Of course.”

Kang Seo-jun fully understood this and bowed his head without any sign of displeasure. In fact, he didn’t find these tests unpleasant at all. It was only natural for Park Tae-ho, who bore the weight of a large corporation, to test him, and passing these tests would only strengthen the trust between them.

“As expected. I knew you would understand. Come on, let’s go inside. I’ll lead the way now.”

– Clunk! –

Park Tae-ho opened the massive dining room door. Beyond the large door, a golden chandelier sparkled, and a sumptuous feast was laid out on the long rectangular table.

“Hmph…!”

Park Shin-hye was seated in the first seat to the left, close to the head of the table. Surprisingly, she hadn’t touched the food yet. Usually, she did whatever she wanted, but it seemed she was maintaining her decorum in front of her grandfather.

“Then, let’s sit.”

Park Tae-ho sat at the head of the table, and Kang Seo-jun sat across from Park Shin-hye. Naturally, Park Seo-yoon took the seat next to Kang Seo-jun.

‘Hmm….’

– Tightly. –

Even after sitting down, Park Seo-yoon held Kang Seo-jun’s hand tightly and didn’t let go.

‘This way, I can’t eat….’

He gently shook his hand, but she showed no sign of letting go. It seemed she wouldn’t release his hand for a while.

‘Well, I didn’t come here to eat anyway.’

Kang Seo-jun took a sip of water with his free hand. Then he quietly gave Park Tae-ho a look, signaling that he was ready for any questions.

Park Tae-ho nodded in response.

“Yes. It’s better to finish our business before eating.”

Park Tae-ho had no intention of delaying the test. It was better for both of them to get the bothersome part over with quickly.

He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

“Let’s get straight to the point. How many times have you regressed?”

So, that was the first question. Kang Seo-jun answered without hesitation.

“…I don’t know the exact number. But it’s definitely in the triple digits.”

“…Huh!”

“…Huh!”

Park Tae-ho let out a laugh of amazement, while Park Seo-yoon, sitting beside him, groaned as if in pain.

“So, in practical terms, you’ve lived longer than I have.”

“…….”

Kang Seo-jun didn’t bother to answer. In reality, he had just spent an enormous amount of time playing games in his room, and lying about it would only make things awkward for both of them.

“It was quite some time ago, but I once went to the Hunter Union to investigate you.”

Kang Seo-jun nodded. He had a rough idea of what Park Tae-ho’s next question would be.

“But in the end, I failed to find out anything about you. Your birth year, affiliation, nationality, and even gender kept changing.”

“…….”

“What exactly are you?”

As expected, he asked this question. Since Kang Seo-jun had anticipated it, he answered without difficulty.

“I come from another world.”

He had considered various answers beforehand, but mixing truth with a bit of deception seemed best.

“Another world…?”

Park Tae-ho frowned and tilted his head.

“…When you say another world…. Do you mean a gate? Or…. a tower?”

“Completely different.”

“Sigh…. Explain.”

.

.

The Q&A between Park Tae-ho and Kang Seo-jun continued for a full two hours.

“…So, you’re saying you have the ability to travel between dimensions at will?”

“I could when I was in the other world. But now, it’s impossible.”

.

.

“Why did your age and nationality keep changing?”

“Every time I entered another world, I had to borrow someone else’s body. Sometimes I borrowed the body of a young woman, other times a middle-aged man. That’s why my birth year and nationality always changed.”

“…My goodness. I never imagined that. Hmm….”

.

.

“What is this Record of Destiny?”

“I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve seen it in this timeline.”

.

.

“Why didn’t you reach out for help earlier?”

“I didn’t want to meet my loved ones in a wretched state. I was also afraid you wouldn’t believe me. There were several timelines where things went terribly wrong because of that.”

.

.

“If you knew the future, couldn’t you have done something before Shin-hye fell victim to the demons?”

“Ah. Grandfather, that was…. That was my fault…. Kang Seo-jun tried to save me. I… I tied him down and ran away….”

“Such….”

“Did you truly love my granddaughter Seo-yoon? Or did you use her for your own purposes?”

“This woman is the one I loved the most. If you doubt me, feel free to test me in any way.”

“Hahahahaha! Your gaze is quite fierce. You are very sincere.”

.

.

In the meantime, the food had gone cold, and the two sisters occasionally jumped in surprise at Kang Seo-jun’s words, but fortunately, the conversation flowed smoothly without major issues.

“Alright….”

After the two-hour-long Q&A session, Park Tae-ho’s expression had softened considerably. It seemed all his doubts and suspicions had been resolved, and his trust in Kang Seo-jun had solidified.

“What do you plan to do moving forward?”

Park Tae-ho asked about Kang Seo-jun’s plans.

“I can’t let the demons who attacked my sister-in-law, Shin-hye, go unpunished. If we leave them alone, they will continue to cause problems.”

Kang Seo-jun leaned towards Park Tae-ho.

“If you help me, things will become much easier.”

“…Of course. In fact, I was going to ask for your help. You must know all about their bases and methods, right?”

“Yes, of course. I will share everything I know. They are planning to sow discord between the Taesan and Seongjin Groups. Kidnapping Shin-hye was part of that plan. We need to eliminate them as soon as possible. If we don’t, the future of Taesan is at risk.”

“…You mean it’s that serious?”

“Yes.”

After the Q&A session, the conversation immediately shifted to discussing the extermination of the Red Cross Society.

The powerful strength of an [S+] rank and the overwhelming information from a seasoned player met. It was the moment when the Red Cross Society was truly doomed.