As expected, Baek Sa-hyuk received only a slap on the wrist.
It wasn't much of a surprise.
The Baek family donates a tremendous amount to Obelisk Academy every year.
There's no way the eldest son of such a family would be expelled just because of a little incident.
They must have come to an agreement — the academy takes another "donation," and the matter is quietly swept under the rug.
'So the Baek family really does have deep pockets.'
The evidence in this case was undeniable to anyone. Covering it up would have required an enormous sum. Just how much did they spend?
'Well, considering the Baek family is desperate to earn a family epithet right now…'
A family epithet.
Like "Mado" in the Mado Shinga (House of the Magic Path).
Or "Shinbi" in the Shinbiwiga (House of Mysteries).
The word attached before a family name — that's the epithet, the "Ho."
Whether or not a family possesses such a title determines its standing.
The Baek family is currently doing everything they can to obtain one.
And in that situation, their eldest son gets expelled from Obelisk Academy?
That would almost certainly cause a scandal and damage their chances.
From their point of view, they had to prevent that at all costs.
So they poured in money to suppress the matter.
'Well, I could file a complaint, but…'
It wouldn't be hard to contest the lenient punishment.
No matter how much money the Baek family threw around, their influence couldn't compare to the Mado Shinga's.
If the Mado Shinga sent an official protest letter, Baek Sa-hyuk would be expelled immediately.
But that would be the inferior move.
There's no real need to go that far just to have him expelled.
Bzzz—!
Right then, a message arrived — just what I'd been waiting for.
[Sender: Father]
[Negotiations with the Baek family are complete.]
[In exchange for dropping the matter, we have received 3% of their mana stone mining rights.]
So the Baek family didn't just throw money at the academy.
They also paid off the Mado Shinga.
Of course — the victim was me, a direct descendant of the Mado Shinga.
To bury the incident, they needed to silence both the academy and the family.
That's why there was no need for me to push further.
Baek Sa-hyuk's expulsion couldn't compare to 3% of mana stone mining rights.
"Still… 3%, huh?"
Should I call it my father's incredible business sense?
Or should I say the Baek family got played?
That's a hefty price just to make us keep quiet.
'Hmm. Maybe Father deliberately pushed them hard, taking advantage of their current desperation.'
If so, even 3% isn't unreasonable.
'Yeah.'
As mentioned, the Baek family is standing at a crucial crossroads.
If they clung too tightly to that 3%, they could lose ten years of effort.
In many ways, they were in no position to refuse.
[Well done. Whether it was intentional or not, that was perfect handling.]
[If you want a reward for securing the mining rights, name it.]
[That's all.]
The message ended there.
I sent a brief reply and tossed my phone onto the table.
"Baek Sa-hyuk really is like Santa Claus."
As if what happened before wasn't already enough, now he's gifting us mana stone shares.
At this point, he's not just Santa — he's like the Giving Tree.
"Still…"
Baek Sa-hyuk's eyes earlier weren't normal.
How should I put it —
It was the kind of look you'd expect from someone ready to commit murder.
He was radiating danger.
"…He's probably been effectively cast out by his family after this."
No matter how I look at it, he's likely to come after me somehow.
'Though, with his level of skill, there's nothing he could really do to me now…'
Still, it wouldn't hurt to stay cautious.
I decided to keep an even closer watch on Baek Sa-hyuk.
'Phew. Well, now that everything's settled…'
I focused my mind back on the Infinity Circle.
The resonance state drew a little closer.
In an apartment near the academy — belonging to Leng Smith.
At the center of the cold, silent living room, Leng Smith sat on an expensive sofa, talking to someone over the phone.
"Yes. Everything on my end is complete. We'll commence the operation as planned on Friday."
He crossed his legs and stroked his well-groomed beard with a calm smile.
—You're certain, right?
A faint male voice came through the speaker, too soft to identify beyond its gender.
"As I've said before, everything is perfectly prepared."
—Hmm. Good. I'll trust that 100% success record of yours.
"Yes, sir. I won't disappoint you."
Leng Smith rose and walked to the kitchen.
He opened the fridge, took out a round ice sphere the size of a cup, and dropped it into a glass.
Then he reached for the finest bottle of whiskey from his collection.
"Make sure you keep your end of the bargain."
He clicked his tongue as if the phone in his hand were cumbersome.
Switching to speaker mode, he uncorked the bottle with both hands.
Drip—
The sound of liquor cascading over ice filled the room.
"If, by any chance, you fail to uphold the contract…"
Leng Smith's tone sharpened with a hint of warning.
—You worry too much.
The amplified speaker voice sounded all too familiar.
To Shin Ha-yul, that voice belonged to someone he knew very well.
—Have I ever once broken a contract?
Shin Ji-han.
Shin Ha-yul's older brother — the eldest son of the family.
His voice rumbled through the room like thunder.
—Instead of fretting about that, focus on your mission.
"Haha. Just being cautious, that's all. Don't take offense."
Leng Smith downed his whiskey.
Clink—
The sound of ice hitting the glass echoed crisply.
"I'll take care of Shin Ha-yul for you."
The weekend flew by in an instant.
The entire time — aside from meals, sleep, and morning training — I devoted myself entirely to linking the circles.
'Damn, this is hard.'
Even so, the two rings still refused to synchronize at 100%.
'I think I've reached 99.9%, though.'
It wasn't as if I'd made no progress over the weekend.
The two circles had definitely drawn close to perfect unity.
99.9% — almost indistinguishable from 100%.
To an ordinary person, the difference would be imperceptible.
The Ring of Deliberation and the Ring of Resonance revolved within me, separated by that tiny 0.1%.
"Ugh, so frustrating."
It feels so close — but just out of reach.
I never imagined the compound interactions of mana could be this troublesome.
'Sigh. Well, I'd better get to class first.'
I can't be late.
As someone aiming for the World Academy Olympiad, I can't afford to do anything that might hurt my grades.
'There's only a theory class this morning, so I can use that time to practice.'
I got up, stretched lightly, changed into my uniform, and left the dormitory.
But the moment I stepped out of the building, my face instantly twisted.
"Student Shin Ha-yul."
Instructor Leng Smith.
Of all the people in the world, he's the last one I want to deal with first thing in the morning.
Great. Morning ruined already.
"…Good morning, sir."
"Indeed."
Leng Smith stroked his beard with that same inscrutable expression of his.
A beard so annoying I felt an urge to yank it out on the spot.
'When is this elitist going to go back to his own country?'
Instructor Leng Smith — the most arrogant, condescending man alive.
Until two weeks ago, he never missed a chance to insult me. His sense of racial superiority was off the charts.
But once I started getting good grades, he switched overnight — showering me with praise as if he'd never looked down on me at all.
Every time he compliments me, it gives me goosebumps.
"I've been thinking this for a while, but Student Shin Ha-yul, you seem to dislike me quite a bit."
"Not at all, sir."
In truth, I'd rather deal with Poison Insects than this man.
For reference, Poison Insects are monsters that dominate the Monster Disgust World Cup with overwhelming votes.
"I understand. I've said quite a few harsh things to you before."
If the things he said to me could be described as merely "harsh," then profanity wouldn't even exist in this world.
I can say that with absolute certainty.
"But those words were all meant as advice — spoken with your best interest at heart. Don't misunderstand."
"…Yes, sir."
What a load of nonsense.
I'd love to hear how "a lump of broken coal mixed in with diamonds" is supposed to be constructive advice.
"Well, I understand it might be hard for you to take that positively."
"Not at all, sir."
Oh, you understand perfectly.
"Hm. Actually, this is a good opportunity."
Leng Smith once again stroked his beard and took a step closer to me.
"I want to offer a sincere apology for my previous harsh words."
"..."
I almost failed to keep a straight face from sheer disgust.
"And… though it's late, congratulations."
Leng Smith suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder.
"I'm glad you've found your own path, Student Shin Ha-yul."
And in that instant — a chill ran sharply down my spine.
It wasn't because of his repulsive acting.
No, this was something else entirely.
'This is mana… magic?'
Mana was flowing from Leng Smith's fingertips.
It seeped through my shoulder, spreading into my body.
That was the source of the sudden chill and unease.
'And this mana…'
It wasn't ordinary.
'Black.'
A pitch-black mana — not the pure, cold darkness of shadow magic.
But something filthy.
Thick, sticky darkness, like sludge with the stench of a sewer.
That revolting black mana filled my vision.
And I knew exactly what it was.
'The Black Tower.'
A non-official tower, separate from the twelve recognized magical towers.
A den founded by a madman who calls himself the Black Magus King.
A cesspit crawling with criminals and degenerates who corrupt the world.
Only those affiliated with the Black Tower could use this kind of mana — black magic.
'Leng Smith… is with the Black Tower?'
Unbelievable.
My eyes trembled with shock.
'There's a Black Tower puppet hiding inside Obelisk Academy?'
'How?'
'Since when?'
'And is Leng Smith acting alone?'
Countless thoughts flashed through my mind in an instant.
'No — now's not the time for that!'
The priority wasn't why.
The priority was that Leng Smith was using black magic on me — and whatever he was trying to do couldn't possibly be good.
I needed to deal with this magic first.
'Let's analyze the spell structure and figure out what he's casting.'
I focused my gaze on the dark mana.
At this close range, I could see the structure of the spell clearly.
'I've seen this formation before.'
With my current mastery, I could only read about one-fifth of the entire structure at once — but that was more than enough to identify the spell type.
'Mental manipulation magic. Without a doubt.'
Leng Smith was trying to tamper with my mind.
At that realization, my brain spun like a top.
'Wait. Mental manipulation…?'
A signature spell of the Black Tower — it interferes with the target's brain to amplify or induce emotions.
When cast by a high-circle black magician, it can even destroy a person's psyche entirely.
The best move right now would be to break free immediately and resist the spell.
But—
'Mental manipulation doesn't work on me.'
My brain rejects all external interference.
No mental manipulation spell can affect me.
'Then instead of resisting…'
What I needed to do wasn't to fight back —
'It's to pretend I'm affected, and use that to extract information about what's really going on.'
Crisis, as they say, is another word for opportunity.
And I wasn't foolish enough to waste a perfect one like this.