Chapter 117

I Became an Academy Overpowered Growth Genius – 117

EP.117 An Appetizer as Big as Taesan (1)

“The demons who kidnapped Shin-hye…, the Red Cross Society must be exterminated as soon as possible.”

As soon as Kang Seo-jun gained Park Tae-ho’s trust, he passionately briefed him on the importance of exterminating the Red Cross Society.

“Their schemes are numerous. The longer we delay, the more they will multiply like cockroaches. If we don’t crush the Red Cross Society before they grow stronger, they will become a significant obstacle to Taesan’s future.”

Of course, Kang Seo-jun’s primary motive for saying this was to use the Taesan Group to wipe out the Red Cross Society. But he wasn’t entirely lying. In reality, if left alone, the Red Cross Society would grow to become a major threat not only to the Taesan Group but also to South Korea.

By uprooting them now, he could eliminate a future headache.

‘This is a chance to significantly boost my specs and remove a future problem. It’s killing two birds with one stone.’

“Hmm….”

Park Tae-ho stroked his chin, deep in thought. It wasn’t that he doubted Kang Seo-jun’s words about the urgency of exterminating the Red Cross Society. Since his grandson-in-law came from the future, his words were undoubtedly true. It would be best to take his advice seriously.

However, the timing was not ideal. Currently, the main forces of the Taesan Group were all focused on the “Tower.” Engaging in a full-scale war with the large demon organization, the Red Cross Society, would be burdensome for the Taesan Group.

‘We can’t pull back our main forces from the front lines of the Tower.’

No matter how important the extermination of the Red Cross Society was, the Tower’s conquest was equally critical. All the resources that could shake the world’s balance came from there.

‘Even a single week is impossible. If resource supply from the front lines stops, the Taesan Group will immediately fall behind.’

The Taesan Group already had many competitors, such as the Hwangryong Group, the Seongjin Group, and the Kuyamoto Clan. Even if the Red Cross Society was a minor demon organization, extending the front lines in this situation would be a burden for the Taesan Group.

“Sigh…. Hmm….”

But he couldn’t ignore his grandson-in-law’s words either.

“Grandfather! The extermination of the Red Cross Society should be the top priority over any other matter right now!”

Ignoring something that his grandson-in-law from the future emphasized as crucial would be foolish.

‘And….’

Although he had been too busy to address it until now, he had to exact proper revenge on the ‘Red Cross Society’ someday. In the hunter world, prestige was just as important as honor.

Even though the youngest member of the Taesan family was kidnapped by demons and nearly faced death, if they didn’t punish those demons, how would the world view the Taesan Group?

‘We need to show what happens to those who dare to touch Taesan…. We need to set a clear example…. Hmm….’

Park Tae-ho’s worries deepened.

“Hmm….”

‘He’s really troubled.’

Kang Seo-jun read Park Tae-ho’s inner thoughts using the Eye of Providence and smacked his lips. It seemed he needed to persuade him further to help him reach a conclusion.

“Are you worried about the Tower?”

Park Tae-ho nodded silently.

“In that case, would you listen to my plan? You don’t need to worry about the Tower. I’m not suggesting we divert the forces currently in the Tower to the Red Cross Society.”

“…Not moving the forces from the Tower? I thought you were talking about a full-scale war?”

“No. I’m thinking of a guerrilla war, not a full-scale one. All I need is your help, Grandfather. Just one week. If you help me directly for one week, that’s all I need.”

“One week? Me, directly?”

“Yes.”

Honestly, this plan would be meaningless without Park Tae-ho’s direct assistance. Even with the support of the Taesan Guild, the ambiguous [A] to [B] grade forces wouldn’t be able to overwhelm the demons. While they could provide some help, attacking the hideout with them would result in many casualties. Sacrificing allies recklessly wasn’t Kang Seo-jun’s style.

Minimizing sacrifices while maximizing benefits—that was Kang Seo-jun’s style.

“Hmm….”

Park Tae-ho stroked his beard and exhaled through his nose.

“Seo-jun, it’s not that I’m ignoring your words…. But that’s a difficult request. You know, don’t you? I’m needed at the Tower.”

Park Tae-ho was one of the most crucial assets among Taesan’s main forces. If he were to leave the Tower, the Taesan Group wouldn’t be able to perform to its full potential in the current Tower raid.

Kang Seo-jun said he only needed him for a week, but even that was a long time in the hunter world. Moreover, the current Tower raid that the Taesan Group was participating in was a layer lord raid that could yield a large number of [Epic] grade items. If Park Tae-ho were to be absent from the Tower for a week, the Taesan Group would barely be able to contribute to the raid, leading to significant losses during the distribution of loot.

And the gap created by that loss wouldn’t be easy to fill.

“I understand what you’re worried about.”

Of course, Kang Seo-jun always had a solution.

“You’re worried that you won’t be able to secure important items from the Tower raid, right?”

“…It’s like you’re reading my mind.”

“…….”

“That’s right. You’re correct. If I’m not there, we will definitely suffer losses during the loot distribution. Moreover, the current raid is on the 67th floor’s layer lord. The Seongjin Group is participating, as well as the Hwangryong and Kuyamoto clans. If we suffer losses in loot here, Taesan could fall behind in East Asia.”

“You don’t need to worry about that part. Let me explain.”

“……I’ll listen.”

“Anyway, the 67th floor layer lord dungeon doesn’t yield particularly valuable items. At best, you’ll get some sturdy armor and weapon materials.”

“…Hmm. Even if what you say is true….”

While items were important, the contribution to the Tower raid itself was also crucial. Contribution was a significant factor in influencing one’s voice within the Hunter Union.

“Yes, I understand that participating in the raid and increasing our contribution is important. However….”

Kang Seo-jun licked his lips once before continuing.

“If you invest in me just this once, I can promise you loot that is 100 times—no, 10,000 times more valuable than what you can get from the 67th floor layer lord raid.”

“……Huh. Are you prone to exaggeration?”

“Grandfather, this is not an exaggeration. I know the location of every hidden piece in the Tower. Once I grow strong enough to enter the Tower, the Taesan Group will be able to secure all the loot.”

“……!”

“And I have a special growth mechanism. The more demons I defeat, the faster I can grow. If you help me for just one week, it won’t be long before I can enter the Tower.”

“…Hah! So that’s what you’re aiming for. You talk as if you’re only thinking about Taesan’s future, but you also have your own growth ambitions. Were you planning to use me for that?”

“My growth is Taesan’s future, Grandfather.”

“…Hahaha!”

Park Tae-ho laughed heartily, seemingly amused rather than offended. He smiled warmly as he spoke.

“Well, you’re not wrong. After my son Tae-jin, you’ll be the one leading Taesan. I’ve already seen that future through the parchment. I can trust you.”

Thanks to the item 《Records of Destiny》, things were going smoothly.

“Alright.”

Park Tae-ho said boldly.

“I’ll follow your plan for a week.”

“Ha…! Thank you!”

Kang Seo-jun couldn’t hide his joy.

Park Tae-ho chuckled at Kang Seo-jun’s reaction.

“It was something that needed to be dealt with eventually. This is an opportunity for both of us. The information we needed has come at the right time.”

Park Tae-ho stood up from his seat and patted Kang Seo-jun on the shoulder.

“Time is of the essence for both of us, so let’s depart tomorrow. Can you prepare everything by then?”

“Of course. I’d like to leave at 6 AM tomorrow. Is that alright?”

“6 AM is perfect. This old man is usually ready to go by then. As I get older, I don’t sleep much in the mornings.”

“Understood. I’ll come by here tomorrow morning.”

If he informed Shin-hye in advance, she would probably arrange a pickup vehicle.

“Hmm? You’re coming back then? Were you planning to return to the dormitory tonight?”

Park Tae-ho tilted his head.

“You haven’t seen Seo-yoon in a long time. Why not spend some time together?”

“Ah.”

Park Tae-ho was suggesting that he spend the night with Park Seo-yoon. While Kang Seo-jun wanted to, he couldn’t afford to do so now. If he stayed here, he wouldn’t get any sleep tonight. Sharing a bed with Park Seo-yoon would likely result in an all-night session.

For an ordinary person, one round might last 30 minutes to an hour, but an awakened individual’s body was special in every way. Once things got going, it could continue for 7-8 hours without stopping. That would ruin his condition.

He needed to be in top shape for the raid on the Red Cross Society’s hideout tomorrow. Of course, he didn’t plan to sleep the entire night under the guise of “condition management.”

“I have a lot to prepare tonight. And there’s one more favor I’d like to ask.”

“A favor?”

“Yes. I’d like to borrow some items from the mansion’s underground storage.”

– Smile. –

Park Tae-ho smiled at those words, as if he had been expecting it.

“Take whatever you need. I trust you’ll take only what’s necessary. You already know the password, right?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“No need to bow your head. It’s family property, after all. Everything there is for our shared use. I’ll rest now. You take care of your business. See you in the morning.”

Park Tae-ho said his farewell and left the dining room. Park Shin-hye and Park Seo-yoon had already returned a while ago, leaving Kang Seo-jun as the only person remaining in the dining room.

“Well then….”

While everyone else had gone to rest, Kang Seo-jun’s day was far from over. He exited the dining room and descended to the mansion’s basement via the stairs in the lounge.

Soon, he arrived at the third basement floor and walked endlessly down a dark corridor. At the end of the corridor, he saw a large vault door—the Taesan family’s vault. Inside were the items that could aid Kang Seo-jun’s growth.

“Before raiding the Red Cross Society, this will be the perfect appetizer.”

For Kang Seo-jun, growth had no day or night, no cooldown period.