Chapter 31

I Became an Academy Overpowered Growth Genius – 31

EP.31 Metamorphosis (3)

“I. I found out who you really are, Seo-jun.”

What on earth is this in the middle of the night?

“Are you going to keep standing outside?”

Jin Se-rin’s voice coming through the intercom was low and incredibly dry.

“W-what is that… Come in first. Just for a moment.”

To have found out the truth.

As Kang Seo-jun, he had no choice but to hear the detailed story.

– Click! –

As Kang Seo-jun pressed the intercom’s unlock button, the front door opened remotely.

Jin Se-rin opened the front door and silently came in.

Dolphin pants and white T-shirt.

It seemed like she came just as she was resting in the room.

Jin Se-rin looked around the dark living room and sat on the sofa.

– Thud! –

“…”

Kang Seo-jun stood on the opposite side, wondering why he was sitting next to her.

An awkward silence for a moment.

He was the first to speak.

“You found out about my identity…?”

“Quite literally…. That’s what happened when that mangled body came over here…. right?”

“.……..!!”

Kang Seo-jun’s willpower wavered.

“H-how on earth is that…?”

How did she figure it out?

No matter how much the situation changed, the fact that Kang Seo-jun came from a different world would be information that no one could possibly know.

“Ancient language knowledge, mysterious mana formulas, unregistered dungeons… You know all of that because you came from the future.”

Future?

“Uh, yeah…?”

“Where did you come from…!”

Kang Seo-jun asked in a hoarse voice.

“I asked the question first. If you don’t tell me, I won’t say anything either.”

Jin Se-rin’s eyes were firm.

“Ugh…”

What on earth did she see and hear over there? As long as Kang Seo-jun didn’t know how much the other side knew or misunderstood, he had only one choice.

The trade of information. Giving what the other side wanted and receiving what he desired.

“If you promise to keep it between us… I’ll tell you.”

– Nod. –

With Jin Se-rin nodding her head, Kang Seo-jun began his story.

“That’s right. These things on me were formed when I crossed over to this world. Reddish skin, twisted and contorted body, and even the inside of my organs is a mess.”

“Uh, yeah…”

Jin Se-rin had assumed, but hearing it directly from him made her expression even more shocking.

“So, you know about the Ancient Language Cube and the unregistered dungeons… and everything else too?”

Kang Seo-jun nodded.

“Yeah. I knew everything even before coming over here.”

Jin Se-rin hugged her own arms, lowering her gaze.

Kang Seo-jun felt like she was immersed in some complicated thoughts, but he couldn’t figure out exactly what she was thinking.

Seo-jun looked at her intently and said.

“Now tell me. How did you find out about my background?”

“My, my question isn’t over yet!”

“…”

He had a hunch that the conversation would be longer than he expected.

Jin Se-rin, gripping her arms tightly, asked.

“Th-then… Why did you come over here in such a state, even to the point of becoming like that?”

“I didn’t come because I wanted to.”

“Th-then you were forced to come?”

Seo-jun thought for a moment and shook his head.

“Not that either.”

Pressing the start button in the game was also his own will.

“S-so, what is it then?”

“Now, how did you find out about my background…”

“Ah, no! I will not listen to this much and then talk.”

Jin Se-rin focused her eyes as if now was the main point.

“Why did you suggest becoming best friends with me…?”

Jin Se-rin stared directly into Kang Seo-jun’s eyes.

“What kind of relationship did you and I have in the future?”

“Ah…”

He didn’t understand the intention behind the question.

It wasn’t an event that occurred in the [Grand Hunter Academy], and he had no idea how to handle this completely unexpected situation.

In times like these, it’s better to be honest instead of making up a story haphazardly to avoid creating errors.

“I’m not just someone who came from the future. I’ve repeated the same time countless times. In that repeating time, you and I formed countless different relationships.”

“……!”

Jin Se-rin’s lips trembled.

“It’s not something that can be easily summarized. Sometimes, I watched from afar, and sometimes, we were unparalleled comrades. And….”

As Kang Seo-jun blurred the end of his sentence, Jin Se-rin asked, “Was there a time when I was the most precious person?”

Kang Seo-jun couldn’t bring himself to answer. Responding with a grim affirmation would undoubtedly make things worse.

But for Jin Se-rin, such denial carried a positive meaning.

“So, there was….”

“I couldn’t deny it… I’m sorry….”

“No….”

Jin Se-rin seemed to be accepting it as if she had anticipated it.

“Best friends… it was an excuse after all.”

Her voice carried a hint of moisture.

“Well, what if I hadn’t approached you first?”

“After entering the academy, I would have approached you first. At this point, there’s no one else who knows how to resolve your growth issue.”

“You… You did all that just to save me? Enduring such painful moments and continuing to struggle with time?”

Jin Se-rin wiped away the tears flowing from her eyes and sniffled.

“Huh?”

Kang Seo-jun blinked his eyes at the unrelated comment.

That wasn’t it.

It was just a casual suggestion.

“You fool! What do you gain by going so far!? Becoming such a painful sight…!!”

“Y-your voice is too loud!”

And I don’t understand what you’re saying!

“You were afraid I would hate you for how you have changed… I’m sorry… I didn’t know back then…”

The crying gradually turned into sobbing.

“But… keeping everything to yourself is just too sad…!”

Kang Seo-jun touched his chin, lost in thought.

What misunderstanding led Jin Se-rin to react like this?

First, he needed to uncover the source of the information, maybe then, he could find some direction.

“I’m sorry. But now you have to answer my question. How did you know I came from another world?”

“I saw this….”

Jin Se-rin took out a document she had hidden in the back of her hips. How she managed to conceal it with her slender waist was a mystery. Regardless, Kang Seo-jun started to explore the contents of the file.

“This…!”

The papers contained unexpected information for Kang Seo-jun.

====

***

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About 3 hours before Jin Se-rin went to find Kang Seo-jun.

Midnight, 12 o’clock.

After undergoing various investigations from the security team of the Seongjin Group, Seo Eun-ha finally got a chance to catch her breath.

The persistent questions were mostly about ‘how did you knows that Kim Hak-yong was a Demon?’ and the following question was frequently about ‘who gave her the sword artifact’.

There were many other questions, but Seo Eun-ha consistently refused to answer, citing the need to protect the identity of the information provider.

Despite clearly establishing her achievement, she ended up under suspicious scrutiny from the security team.

However, since the artefacts Seo Eun-ha had in her possession, the ‘Blessed Holy Water of the Cherished Saint’ and ‘The Sword Hilt Without a Blade’ were both light-attribute artifacts.

They didn’t buy into the absurd suspicion that she Seo Eun-ha was working for the devil to remove the tail.

The matter concerning Director Kim Hak-yong was resolved internally within the company, and it was reported to the association with utmost secrecy.

Revealing that a mid-level executive of the Seongjin Group was a Demon would have severely damaged the company’s image.

In any case, having overcome such a significant hurdle, Seo Eun-ha looked at the necklace Kang Seo-jun had requested.

It was something she had secretly retrieved from Demon’s neck before the security team arrived when Demon collapsed.

“What exactly is this necklace…?”

She considered going to the research lab to investigate, but she quickly dismissed the idea. It seemed unlikely that she would find anything even if she went there.

Instead, she descended into the underground of the Seongjin Group.

Her destination was the Seongjin Group’s Level 1 Security Records Room. It was a place where only the closest associates of the Seongjin family could access confidential information.

“How could he have known…”

Director Kim Hak-yong being a Demon, the fact that he had the necklace artifact, and the revelation that ordinary weapons couldn’t pierce Director Kim Hak-yong’s skin. Kang Seo-jun knew all of it. He even possessed the ability to deal with all these aspects.

“How on earth…”

Seo Eun-ha absentmindedly started typing keywords that came to mind into the search engine. [Demon, Ancient Language Cube, Unregistered Dungeon, Broken Body, Magic, Light Attribute… ] Unmatched combinations of words.

Even though she thought nothing would come up, she pressed the search button. However…

“Huh?”

Contrary to her expectations, the seemingly mismatched combination of words produced a record document.

– Click! –

Seo Eun-ha hastily opened the file.

[Notice! This document cannot be confirmed on electronic devices.]

“Hmm.”

Seo Eun-ha checked the alphabet and numbers of the record document. Then, she went deep into the security records room to find the matching record number.

Upon reaching the designated number, she found herself in a dusty corner where no one had set foot for at least several years. A concrete warehouse that seemed forgotten.

Carefully opening the door, Seo Eun-ha stepped inside, and there…

[World Hunter Federation Union and Seongjin Group’s Joint Record.]

“This… this is…!”

Seo Eun-ha found answers that could convince her of many things about the man named Kang Seo-jun, which she had never expected to discover in this place.

“I must inform the young lady…!”

Seo Eun-ha, with the confidential document in a Ziplock bag, quickly moved to initiate the document release procedure.