Chapter 260:

Chapter 260:

Several weeks had passed since the Military God , Wi Muhyuk, visited White Flower Management.

The realm was still peaceful after the second Fantasm Shock, which only caused a brief disturbance. Contrary to my worries, everything went smoothly without any major problems.

There was no change in my daily life.

The only thing worth celebrating was that Seo Sumin aced the academy test and earned a special privilege. She ranked first by a landslide.

‘She was much faster than I expected.’

I thought it would take at least a year, but she did it in less than a quarter.

There were many steps to get the privilege, but Seo Sumin skipped them all with her ability.

‘The academy was buzzing for a while, calling her an unprecedented genius.’

It was unheard of for a minor to get a collector’s license, even if it was temporary.

Who could treat her as an ordinary student when she swept the first place in the first test, the second test, and the practical test?

And who could stop her from getting the same privilege as a current collector?

On top of that, there was a rumor that she belonged to White Flower Management.

‘Of course, there were some people who were unhappy about it.’

Some people doubted that Seo Sumin’s ranking was rigged.

Especially those who sponsored other A-rank students.

They were furious that their candidates didn’t get the first place.

They didn’t really question Seo Sumin’s ability.

They just wanted to find any flaw in her and drag her down.

I smiled as I recalled that time.

‘They foolishly dug their own graves.’

The test for the students to get special benefits was even more rigorous, and they sent their own people to challenge Seo Sumin as a way to test her skills.

They wanted to expose her true face in front of many people and reveal that she had reached this position by unfair means.

They also planned to undermine White Flower Management’s reputation by accusing them of having a corrupt relationship with Collector Academy, who supported her.

From their perspective, they thought they had raised a reasonable objection, and they had no doubt that they would win.

The problem was the outcome.

‘It was a landslide victory for Sumin. And she even accepted a rematch request from the other side, who claimed that there was some mistake, and smashed them again.’

There was nothing to say in this situation.

Who would have expected it?

They didn’t think that she had gotten here by bribery, but even so, Seo Sumin was nothing more than a minor student in the eyes of others.

And yet, she crushed collectors over level 50 with ease in front of everyone.

She didn’t even need to use the Seven Star Black Sky Divine Skill. The result was already decided with just a very small part of her abilities.

She even accepted the rematch that the other side shamelessly proposed, and produced an indisputable result.

Thanks to her actions, Sumin’s image and value soared like never before.

And after Gu Seo-yoon, the successor of DH Group, praised Sumin, the people who doubted her abilities and qualifications disappeared.

‘We got rid of all the annoying ones.’

On the contrary, the people who tried to push Sumin down faced a backlash because of their own actions.

It was Daeyeong Corporation, Lee Pyeongwon’s family business, and some clans that sponsored certain A-rank students. Hanul was also among them.

They tried to argue that they had only made a ‘fair’ protest, but that was also ruined when an anonymous article spread across the country.

It revealed that there was some connection between some clans and certain teachers at the academy. And that some students were given benefits secretly, and the teachers were pushing them forward.

There were recordings and documents as evidence, so the parties involved had no choice but to admit their guilt. And the government drew its sword on this matter.

‘There was a purge.’

Only a few people knew that there was a hacker named Black Mamba who was laughing behind this incident. And even fewer knew that White Flower Management was also laughing behind it.

And so, the incident ended, and Seo Sumin was appointed as an official collector with an unprecedented reputation as a genius.

And because of her overwhelming performance, she started from the middle rank. She even got the title of an unrivaled rookie over level 60.

White Flower Management had no complaints about it.

Their stock price also skyrocketed because of this incident.

‘And we grew a lot in other ways too.’

Yu-hyun had mastered the control of the Seven Star Black Sky Divine Skill’s energy in the past few weeks.

Of course, if he lost his concentration even a little bit, the energy would try to escape his control, but as long as he didn’t let his guard down, it wasn’t a big problem.

He had confirmed that it was time for him to learn the real techniques from Sumin just recently.

As for Kang Hye-rim and Kwon Jia, there was too much to say about them.

They earned points steadily and collected rewards from the Mental Realm System, showing unstoppable growth. They received love calls from all sides, and Kang Hye-rim even filmed several ads for famous brands.

The two of them had already become high-rank collectors and secured their positions firmly.

The youngest Yoo Young-min also showed steady growth.

He had natural instincts and social skills, as well as the ability to choose the easiest and most reliable path.

With a skill that enhanced his abilities and a trait that specialized in long-range combat, it was like giving wings to a tiger.

Yoo Young-min, who had everything he needed as a supporter, diligently explored the realm of ideas and built his own reputation. He did more than just supporting, he often took the lead in the battles.

A sniper who held a powerful and cool-looking rifle and shot down enemies from afar with one hit.

He had a bad feeling.

-And this man, he looked at the CCTV and mouthed something. He said to come over here since we know. What does that mean?

“...”

As expected, that’s what it was.

Yu-hyun did not bother to analyze the other side’s behavior.

He had vaguely thought that this would happen. The fact that they were watching and guarding this side meant that they recognized this side as a threat.

Just as Yu-hyun tried to read Jin Cheong-woon’s movements.

Jin Cheong-woon was also reading Yu-hyun’s movements.

‘It fits exactly as I expected.’

[Hey, are you kidding me?]

Baekryeon, who had been silent, muttered as if he was dumbfounded by listening to Seong Yu-chan and Yu-hyun’s conversation.

[The bait you mentioned before, was it yourself?]

‘Yes.’

The tempting and huge bait that Yu-hyun had told Baekryeon about, which Unleashed could not help but bite.

It was Jin Cheong-woon himself.

Jin Cheong-woon knew that Yu-hyun was targeting him, so he deliberately made himself a bait to lure Yu-hyun out.

Maybe he recognized the CCTV and spoke to provoke this side, because he knew how this side operated.

He was a man who could not be taken lightly.

‘That’s why I have to deal with him for sure.’

Jin Cheong-woon was dangerous.

He was a different kind of threat than Park Moon-cheol, who had used the golden light for his own greed and desires.

If the opponent was a fool who was intoxicated by power, he would have been worried, but not too much. Those guys were predictable in what they would do.

But Jin Cheong-woon was different.

He would do anything for his purpose, but that was not all.

‘I can’t guess what those guys will do.’

[Is he that crazy? Well, he must be. He used himself as a bait, after all.]

‘He must have set a trap. And he must be thinking with his head. He knows that he could get caught in his own trap and die if he makes a mistake. But he still went out himself.’

[What are the chances of him being a fake?]

‘None.’

[How do you know that?]

‘Because he is like me.’

Yu-hyun saw his own reflection in Jin Cheong-woon.

The obsession to do anything for his goal, even risking his own life.

The bold judgment to throw an unpredictable gamble that no ordinary person would dare to.

‘If I were in his position, I would never use a stunt double to imitate me. It would be exposed soon anyway. So he challenged me. He laid the table and bet everything. Now he wants me to show my hand and bet too.’

He provoked me by coming out like that.

If the opponent was not Jin Cheong-woon, Yu-hyun would not have accepted it. He would have twisted his mind and tricked him instead.

But Jin Cheong-woon was also a possessor of the golden light.

He might know something about the Book of Genesis he didn’t know.

‘So how can I refuse this gamble?’

[Hey, Yu-hyun, you...!]

Baekryeon tried to stop him, but she lost her words when she saw his face.

He had become quiet lately, but fundamentally, this man had a twisted personality.

His smile showed it.

[Sigh... I don’t know.]

She thought he had calmed down.

But Yu-hyun was unstoppable when he had that expression on his face. Baekryeon knew that from her many experiences.

***

“Mr. Jin Cheong-woon. Are you sure about this?”

A subordinate asked cautiously next to Jin Cheong-woon, who was sitting at the entrance of the World of Thought.

“What?”

“No matter what, you became the bait yourself. Even if the opponent is the dangerous person from the prophecy, isn’t this too much...?”

“I have to do it.”

“B-but... There is no guarantee that he will come...”

“No. He will come.”

“Huh? How can you be so sure?”

Jin Cheong-woon laughed with his robe turned over.

“Because I would have come if I were him.”