Chapter 45: Episode 45

Yeonwoo flinched as I launched my retort.

“Students deemed ‘non-combat’ are players, just like us. With a little bit of equipment, they can hunt the lowest-level rank-1 monsters on their own.”

After all, that’s exactly what I did.

“Think about it. Even for you combat-types, what was it like when you first hunted rank-1 monsters? Did you use your unique abilities right from the start? No. You all just coated your collapsible batons with mana and beat them down.”

This time, a few people around me nodded in agreement.

“I believe that a school, at the very least, shouldn’t be a place that deprives students of the opportunity to grow.”

“No, we’re not depriving them, we’re restricting them for their own safety! They need to build up their bodies before they go hunting or do anything else!”

“I wasted two whole years because of that same shitty way of thinking.”

The way people who have hit rock bottom think is fundamentally different from those who haven’t.

“The last two years I spent building up my body after being written off as a non-combatant mean less to me than this past month of finally being able to enter dungeons,” I said, building my argument from my own experience. “What they need isn’t some pathetic illusion of safety; it’s an opportunity.”

But Gil Yeonwoo stubbornly clung to his position, devoid of any real logic. Anyone watching would have thought, ’Why is he pushing this so hard?’ He argued so vehemently, but that’s not how a debate works.

“Ultimately, the basis of your entire argument is that non-combatants can’t kill rank-1 monsters, correct? Then let’s not implement the policy fully right away. Let’s run a pilot program. We can select a few non-combatants, assign them supervisors, and send them into a dungeon.”

“Th-that’s…!”

“What? You don’t like that idea either?” I scoffed, making no effort to hide my disdain. “You have no logic, no evidence, and no direction. Why are you opposing this just for the sake of it?”

“You… you!”

The mood in the room had almost completely shifted in my favor. Now, then.

“I expected some pushback since I was parachuted into this position, but I didn’t think it would be this bad. Are you really trying to intimidate the new president on his first day?”

I turned to the man sitting across from Gil Yeonwoo. He was a fourth-year with a sturdy build, in the Planning Director’s seat, and he’d been subtly signaling Gil Yeonwoo the entire time. It wasn’t hard to deduce that Gil was from the Planning Department, and this man was his senior.

“Forgive my forwardness, Planning Director, but you don’t have some ulterior motive here, do you?”

Naturally, Gil Yeonwoo’s expression soured. He still hadn’t grasped the situation. I needed to show him the difference in our positions. I was the student council president now.

The Planning Director sighed softly. “I apologize for failing to manage my team member, but that’s an unfair accusation.”

“And you think I’m in a position ’not’ to be suspicious?” I retorted with a bright smile. “You see, I ran into Mr. Gil before the meeting. He told me the roster for the Crossroads dungeon was full and my assignment had been changed. Was that really because the schedule was packed?”

A wave of murmurs spread through the room.

The vice president and other executives looked as if this was the first time they were hearing of it. Gil Yeonwoo’s face grew increasingly stiff.

“When I refused your party invitation, what was it you said, Mr. Gil? Something about canceling my dungeon assignment? And you also threatened to make my early graduation application disappear. Wow, the Planning Department is terrifying.”

The Planning Director was now glaring at Gil Yeonwoo, his face flushed crimson.

Finally.

“I apologize.” The Planning Director rose from his seat and bowed to me. “I will conduct a thorough investigation into this matter and report my findings.”

It was that easy to crush an opponent from a position of power. I had returned to the apex of the academy, and for a brief moment, I held the authority to control this place.

And what was the Korea Hunter Academy student council? It was the core of the elite hunter network, the real power managing the flow of enormous funds. The wealth, connections, and influence one could gain here were immense.

I planned to graduate soon, so I had nothing to fear. But what about those with a lot to lose? If they didn’t want to get caught in my rampage, they had no choice but to shut up and bow their heads.

The meeting resumed, and I called for opinions.

“I agree,” the vice president said, raising her hand. “As it stands, the special admission track for non-combatants is practically meaningless. They deserve the right to grow. I believe we should include them in the rank-1 gurma hunting ground assignments immediately.”

We moved straight to a vote. The atmosphere had already swung my way, and the motion passed with a clear majority. It was officially added to the agenda.

The meeting entered a brief lull while the secretary fetched the necessary documents. The Planning Director escorted Gil Yeonwoo from the room.

’A storm is brewing.’

I spoke quietly to the vice president. “Thank you for your support, sunbae.”

“Not at all. I was simply stating my opinion.”

“But if it’s this easy to change a policy, why hasn’t it been done before?”

Honestly, I still held some resentment toward this school. She offered an awkward smile.

“Because until now, there has never been a ‘non-combatant’ in the student council.”

Ah.

To get into this school’s student council, you had to be the elite of the elite. There was never anyone to represent the rights of bottom-tier players. Everyone was too busy trying to pass policies that benefited themselves; who would care about a few kids on the verge of expulsion?

Just then, the secretary returned with the documents, and the meeting continued. It was my first time handling student council duties, but it wasn’t particularly difficult. We officially registered the agenda item.

“So, are we done?”

“There’s one more thing,” she said. “The positions for the heads of the Athletic, General Affairs, and Operations departments are currently vacant.”

“And the appointment authority?”

“Belongs to the president, of course.”

I thought for a moment, then glanced at Jin Bora. Her eyes were sparkling. ’Such a power-monger.’ Well, I felt a bit sorry for her just standing there, so I decided to indulge her.

“Then I’ll appoint one person. Jin Bora will be the new Head of General Affairs.”

Applause erupted from the council members. Bora feigned complete surprise.

“I-I’ll do my best!” she exclaimed, bowing repeatedly. She was pretending to be flustered, but I knew she was screaming with joy on the inside. She’d definitely gotten something to post on social media today.

“As for the other two vacancies, I’ll leave the decision to the senior members of the Athletic and Operations departments. If multiple people want a position, they can settle it with a duel. The same goes for the Head of General Affairs.”

Bora’s bright smile stiffened slightly. ’Don’t worry,’ I thought. ’I just scanned their status windows; there’s almost no one here who can beat you.’

“If there’s no other business, let’s adjourn.”

And with that, I concluded the meeting. As everyone packed up to leave, the vice president approached me.

“You’re better at this than I expected.”

“Thank you. More importantly, Vice President… no, sunbae. I have a favor to ask.”

She looked uneasy. “A favor?”

“I’m delegating the full authority of the president to you. I probably won’t be coming to school much for the rest of my term.”

Now that I had the student council under my control, I planned to schedule dungeon assignments until my early graduation and hole up in the Magic Tower to research third-order magic.

She let out a light sigh, as if she’d expected it. “I understand.”

“You’re taking this rather calmly.”

“The former president, Hong Yeon, did the same. She was absent more often than she was present.”

’Good thing you’re used to it. I might be even worse.’

“Then I assume you’ll be the next president, senior?”

“I don’t think I can,” she said with a troubled smile. “The position of Academy Student Council President requires a certain degree of star power. Just like you, Mr. President.”

I was confused.

She left me with those enigmatic words and turned away.

* * *

The moment I returned to the Magic Tower, I collapsed onto the sofa. The plush cushions melted away my tension. It truly felt good to be home.

“You have returned, Tower Master.”

Particles of light gathered in the air, coalescing into a beautiful, silver-haired woman. Ea was holding a tray with a drink on it.

“Huh? What’s this?”

“I prepared a welcome drink. It is a blue lemonade.”

I took the glass. As expected of an item from the tower, the refreshing blue beverage was served in an elegant glass.

“Oh! This is a cocktail, isn’t it? How did you make it?”

“I combined the convenience store food and drinks you purchased yesterday, Tower Master.”

She must have looked up a recipe on Google. It was amazing that something like this was possible with convenience store ingredients. I took a sip.

’Oh, this is pretty good.’

The fizzy, sweet taste was excellent, and the crushed ice made it go down smoothly. For something made from store-bought items, the quality was quite decent.

I glanced over and saw Ea watching me, her eyes sparkling. ’How is it? How is it?’ her gaze seemed to ask, like a puppy begging for praise.

“It’s delicious.”

“Hmph. Of course it is.” Ea crossed her arms and smiled confidently. “When you return next time, please bring cider, lemons, and perilla leaves.”

“…Perilla leaves? What are you planning to make?”

“I wish to attempt a perilla leaf mojito.”

’What kind of bizarre hybrid is that?’

For the past ten years, Ea had been trapped in the tower, experiencing the world only through the internet. Now, she was satisfying her intellectual curiosity with the things I brought back.

I sipped my cocktail. “By the way, where’s Eunsol?”

“She is on the third floor, developing a new golem.”

“Still? She’s working hard.”

Eunsol’s growth since becoming the administrator of the third floor had been astonishing. She could now whip up mud golems with ease and was preparing to develop her own original creations. Her understanding of mechanical engineering and hunter equipment was particularly impressive, and she had surprised everyone multiple times by producing groundbreaking results that fused modern science with magic engineering.

“Shall I call for her?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll go see her later.”

Eunsol always looked so happy when she was making golems. I was glad she’d found something she loved.

“Welcome back, Tower Master.”

I turned to see a haggard-looking Jeong Seojin descending the stairs. His dark circles seemed to get worse every time I saw him.

“Hey, you’re going to work yourself to death. Take it easy.”

“It’s the early stage of the business. I have to be busy. More importantly, I need your approval on these items.”

Seojin turned his laptop so I could see the screen. My jaw dropped at the sheer volume of work he had processed. I felt it every time, but my administrators were working harder than I was, the Master of the Magic Tower. No, it was beyond hard work; they were utterly devoted.

It was a bit bewildering. I hadn’t paid them a salary or given them any grand motivation. I had simply granted them their positions, and they were this dedicated. I felt a mix of gratitude and guilt.

“We can now acquire any potion ingredient available domestically. Shall we proceed to the next step?”

“Of course. Great work.”

“Then starting tomorrow, I will move on to store rentals and vendor contracts.”

My expression turned worried. “That’s going to cost a ridiculous amount of money.”

“It can’t be helped. Still, once the Paju hunting ground is operational, our financial situation should ease up a bit.”

It was a relief we had our own hunting ground. We had signed a contract with a management company and were preparing for the Association’s inspection. Once it was fully operational next month, we’d have a stable source of income. But I had a feeling that alone wouldn’t be enough.

“Seojin.”

“Yes.”

It was about time to set my other plans in motion. I spoke with a serious expression.

“Should we start selling potions right away?”

* * *

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