Im Ilseong was the most bothered he had been in years. And that was saying a lot considering he had lived in three phases of life, the time before the Cataclysm, during the Cataclysm, and now, after it.

  Most people couldn’t boast of being active in notable ways during those periods. Having been an active member in various communities before, building connections wherever he could, and becoming a S-Class Mage during, contributing heavily to the defeat of the Cataclysm, and now as the headmaster of one of the most prestigious Mage Academies in the world. His rise to glory was one for the ages. And yet, in all those times, it was a boy who was giving him the most headaches.

  He scrolled through Merlin Tyrrell’s report file, reading it over and over again.

  How exactly was he to deal with this dilemma so that it did not affect the boy and those around him?

  A beep echoed through Im Ilseong’s home cinema at that moment, a place he occasionally made use of as his study and an escape for whenever he didn’t want to be bothered. Right now, it was the former with a tinge of the latter. So he frowned at the interference, and replied with a bit more oomph to his tone than he might have intended, “What is it?”

  Eun-Wol was a sharp witted woman. And she had lived with him since after the Cataclysm. She immediately heard the desire to not be disturbed behind his tone and apologized, “Forgive me,” she said. “But Ms. Kim Haneul is here.”

  Im Ilseong’s brows twitched. He sighed and put down his tablet, leaning back into his cushion.

  “Let her in.”

  The door opened in the next instant, and the clacking of heels sounded as Kim Haneul walked in.

  “She’s quite the lovely lady,” said Haneul as she walked up to present herself before Im Ilseong and bowed. “Thanks for having me, headmaster.”

  She looked the same as ever. Porcelain skin, even smoother now despite being middle-aged, and still ever interested in unconventional haircuts.

  “What style is this now?” asked Im Ilseong, referring to the hair she had on her head.

  Haneul rubbed it with a smile. “This? It’s a pixie haircut. I think it’s my favorite so far.”

  “Hmmm…” Im Ilseong hummed, then gestured at the couch just beside where he was seated. “You may have your seat.”

  “That’s very kind of you,” said Haneul as she smoothened the simple silver gown she had on and took her seat.

  “It’s only expected,” replied Im Ilseong. “How was the tour in Germany?”

  Haneul chuckled. “You make it sound like I went there on vacation.”

  “Technically, you could have made it one if you wanted. I see no reason as to why the guildmaster of the Hero’s Guild should have to personally oversee the internship of her interns.”

  Haneul shrugged. “Well, what can I do? They all love me.”

  Im Ilseong laughed. “That’s true. You’ve always been a daring daredevil. Everyone loves a daredevil.”

  Honestly, Im Ilseong was glad for the change of pace. His mind was finally able to catch a moment of respite just by engaging in small talk with Haneul; but he saw it come to an end when her eyes shifted from his face to his tablet laying on his table, along with the papers scattered around it.

  “You have been busy,” she said. “To be expected. But the only times you come in here are when you have something very disturbing on your mind.” She leaned back, crossed her legs, and folded her arms. “Tell me what it is; let me help.” Im Ilseong raised a brow. “I might be only thirty-five, but wisdom doesn’t come from age alone.”

  Im Ilseong sighed.

  Her age was not the problem. It was a common consensus that two heads were better than one. He would be very glad to garner help from wherever possible. The problem was that he could not confide in anyone about what was bothering him.

  The possession of the ability to level up both one’s physical abilities and mana in such a short span of time was a power that would drive anyone insane to have. If every Mage could possess it, then there would be no reason to fear the monsters of the Dungeons and Towers any longer. And it also came with something special. Anti-magic. That on its own wasn’t exactly a secret, but the reason why it existed was something Im Ilseong knew he had to make sure never got out. When one got to his age, they learnt to be weary of even their own friends. He couldn’t let the Circle of Mages get wind of Merlin’s actual abilities.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  However, he could twist his words and reserve some information while he received even if an infinitesimal amount of help. Nothing was too small.

  “The boy, Merlin,” Im Ilseong replied, and extreme curiosity shifted Haneul’s expression. She squirmed gently in her seat. “I have no idea how to bring out the best in him.”

  “Merlin,” she repeated, chewing on the name. “The anomaly that just suddenly popped out of nowhere. He’s become quite popular with those who are infatuated with Mages. Not that much, but considerable enough. Isn’t he doing good enough already? Last I checked, he was one of the top students in his year despite being admitted with abysmal theory scores. Seems like he’s putting in the effort. And he’s still in his first year. What more do you want?”

  Im Ilseong sighed. His question was not the one he wanted the answer to the most, but it was one that had been bothering him for a while now.

  Merlin’s circumstances, to Im Ilseong, only convinced him that the boy was who was needed to defeat the Cataclysm when it returned. He was special. And so he truly wanted to find out a way to bring out the best in the boy. Which was why, despite the turmoil that surrounded the boy, he had not restricted his movements, nor taken up any stance that would dampen his growth.

  “The Cataclysm,” Im Ilseong answered Haneul. “You know it’s coming. The boy will be our saving grace.”

  Haneul rolled her eyes. “Forgive me for saying this, headmaster. But you’re beginning to sound like a broken record.” Im Ilseong’s forehead wrinkled. “You’ve been repeating this same thing for years. It’s time to give it up. No matter how much the Blackguards try, they’ll never be able to best Mr. Hyeonki. You know your friend better than anyone.”

  Haneul wasn’t speaking the words of a lunatic, Im Ilseong was well aware. He knew Hyeonki better than most people.

  But that was not the point.

  The Blackguards didn’t need to attack Hyeonki to bring back the Cataclysm. All they needed were the eight artifacts. Hyeonki claimed to have hidden it in a place no one would ever be able to; but as long as they weren’t hidden in space, then they were within reach. They couldn’t also underestimate the Blackguards. They had been eluding their pursuit for years. Such a stealthy organization definitely had more than just a few tricks up their sleeves.

  However, Im Ilseong was not in the mood to argue or prove that his point should stand. He hardly ever was.

  “You may be right,” he said in response to Haneul’s claim, and she leaned back slightly in satisfaction. “Regardless of that, we should not be complacent. Assuming the worst is part of what makes us Mages. I believe I should still try to bring out the best in the boy.”

  Haneul nodded. “I agree with that,” she said. “What I don’t agree with is your methods. Don’t forget I’ve watched you do this before.”

  Im Ilseong licked his lips and averted his gaze from Haneul for a moment.

  “He wanted to become stronger. I tried my best to help him,” he said.

  “And when you failed, it hurt him more than it should have,” said Haneul. “And now he’s—”

  Im Ilseong raised a hand, stopping Haneul from saying any more.

  “That’s enough,” he added. “I hope you will forgive me, but I won’t like to hear any more.”

  Haneul sighed then shrugged. “That’s understandable.”

  Im Ilseong was disappointed. The conversation hadn’t turned out in the way he’d hoped.

  “I take it you’ll be present to watch the tournament?” he asked.

  “Are you kidding me?” Haneul hooted. “Why would I miss the chance to scout prospects?”

  “You won’t be missing anything by attending to more important matters,” said Im Ilseong. “Prestige Academy already does the scouting for you top guilds. All you have to do is take a look at the academic and Cohort rankings and the profile of the Mages, after requesting for them from my humble self.” He narrowed his eyes on Haneul who shrunk back in realization of where their conversation was headed. “Which you already did without my permission. Who gave them to you?”

  Haneul chuckled. “Come on. I was curious.”

  “Jung Seoyeon?”

  “Spare her. Please. I pestered her.”

  Im Ilseong sighed. “Goodness.”

  “On that note,” Haneul continued. “Do you think that Merlin kid is interested in becoming a Hero? Mind if I take a moment to speak to him?”

  “How shameless,” Im Ilseong muttered.

  “Come on. I’m trying to be first in line in recruiting him here. The Hero Guild travels the most amongst the Guilds in Korea. Being with me will make the kid more famous, and, in return, boost Prestige Academy’s fame too. What do you have to lose?”

  “Don’t pitch to me, Haneul,” Im Ilseong shut her down. “The kid’s not in the academy at the moment. And besides, today’s a Sunday. You can’t pitch on weekends. You know that.”

  “Tch.”

  “Seeing as you’re impatient, then perhaps it’s good you’ll be present for the tournament. You can seek out the lad and talk to him then.” Im Ilseong reached for his tab again. “But with what I’ve seen, I doubt he’ll be very interested in capes and rescuing people from burning buildings.”

  Haneul’s nose wrung up. “Being a Hero is more than that. It’s about being a symbol of peace.”

  Im Ilseong nodded. “Sure. Tell the boy that. Maybe he’ll consider it.”