I Became an Academy Overpowered Growth Genius

I Became an Academy Overpowered Growth Genius – 8

EP.8 – Parasitic Growth (2)

“I’m Kang Seo-jun. What brings you here?”

“Um! Excuse me, but it’s a bit of a long story! If it’s okay with you, can we go inside and talk?”

“Um…”

Could she bring Jin Se-rin into the room? He briefly pondered, but the hesitation was short-lived. Though the intentions were unclear right now, being on guard was necessary. Still, as the heroine, she couldn’t just keep standing outside like this.

– Creak.

–

“Come in.”

Kang Seo-jun opened the front door, took a few steps back, and spoke.

“Thank you!”

With a half-opened door, Jin Se-rin bowed 120 degrees, showing her forehead.

The moment she was about to enter.

“I’ll go in first. Miss.”

A well-dressed, polite arm blocked her way.

“Hmm?”

Not expecting a third person, Kang Seo-jun furrowed his brow and looked towards the door. Soon, a neatly dressed woman with her hair tied back revealed herself from behind the door.

“Ah.”

As soon as he saw her face, Kang Seo-jun relaxed. She was someone he already knew.

‘Right. Jin Se-rin wouldn’t come alone to a stranger’s house.’

She is Jin Se-rin’s personal attendant, seo Eun-ha.

After carefully inspecting various places as she entered, seo Eun-ha finally took off her shoes.

“Sorry for the intrusion…! What if someone scrutinizes someone else’s house like that!”

Jin Se-rin followed behind and whispered a gentle reproach to Seo Eun-ha.

“Come in and have a seat anywhere.”

Kang Seo-jun walked toward the refrigerator.

Since she was a guest, he had to offer something. However, the only thing available in this house was water.

Fortunately, there’s a water purifier at least. Kang Seo-jun roughly filled the cups with water after a quick march. It’s better not to touch anything, washing hands might make them dirtier with grime. Jin Se-rin and Seo Eun-ha couldn’t find a suitable place to sit, so they lingered in the middle of the room.

Kang Seo-jun handed them each a water cup and sat on the bed.

“There’s no extra chair, please have a seat.”

“Oh, sure!”

Jin Se-rin sat down, and Seo Eun-ha walked towards the balcony window.

“So, what brings you here?”

Kang Seo-jun found the situation quite perplexing. In the original work, events with Jin Se-rin usually occurred when the player approached her first. Moreover, in the early stages, it was even more unusual for her to come to someone’s house like this. He had no idea why she sought him out.

“I want to make a deal!”

“A deal?”

“Yes! I saw Mr. Kang Seo-jun during the entrance exam yesterday! Willpower grade A+. I heard you don’t even have the special ability of Illusion resistance. If you have any secrets, I want to buy them!”

“Oh…”

That’s what it was.

Kang Seo-jun quickly understood her intention. There was a similar event in the original work where she, facing a barrier in her training, asked the protagonist for help. Although the situation was a bit strange.

“Hmm…”

He thought while stroking his chin. she approaching him with an offer when he was contemplating the lack of immediate resources was undoubtedly a good sign. It was undoubtedly the result of luck.

However…

‘How should I handle this…’

What she requested was a way to enhance her willpower. If he provided the right method, he could potentially receive enough support to cover two weeks’ living expenses and even eliminate financial concerns until she graduated from the academy.

“I’ll pay whatever the price is!”

Jin Se-rin looked at Kang Seo-jun with eyes half-filled with anticipation and tension. There was a hint of anxiety in her gaze.

‘Perhaps she has been in a state of stagnation for quite some time now.’

Kang Seo-jun knew the reason behind her stagnation. It wasn’t due to incorrect training methods, nor had she reached the limits of her growth. It was because of the trait she possessed ‘Chosen One’.

This trait was one level below the ‘Favored One’, where one received wholehearted support and sponsorship from a constellation. However, the ‘Chosen One’ had an absolute drawback, growth would stagnate unless the chosen one accepted the fate demanded by the constellation. It was akin to suffering from a fever if a shaman didn’t receive divine possession.

A person with the ‘Chosen One’ trait couldn’t grow until they realized and accepted their destiny. If accepted, tremendous growth adjustments would follow, but that was a distant story for Jin Se-rin.

At this point, normal training methods couldn’t enhance her abilities. However, it wasn’t that there was no solution. Old hands always had their ways.

‘There happens to be a somewhat useless hidden piece for me, but it might be perfect for Jin Se-rin.’

“Alright, let’s make a deal.”

After careful consideration, Kang Seo-jun nodded, and Jin Se-rin’s expression noticeably brightened.

“However, the process won’t be easy. You’ll definitely pay a price.”

With a half-expectant, half-tense expression, Jin Se-rin swallowed her saliva before speaking.

“Le-let’s negotiate the c-conditions!”

Kang Seo-jun had no intention of proposing an outrageous price. Even if Jin Se-rin came with the mindset of grabbing at straws, suggesting an absurd price would likely lead to rejection.

“Do you have any conditions in mind?”

If the other party had specific conditions in mind, starting from there would speed up the conversation.

“Yes! How about this condition, any status point that increases by 1 point will be rewarded with a reward equivalent to a high-grade item, and a reward equivalent to a rare item will be given when the status point reaches 21 or more?”

An increase in status point would correspond to high-grade rewards. This condition wasn’t bad at all.

In this world, all items, characteristics, and skills have grades. The grades are divided into lowest, low, normal, high, rare, epic, legendary, mythical, and transcendent, and the higher the grade, the more astronomically its value rises.

Even a reward of high grade alone would be worth the price of a car or a down payment for a house. Rare-grade rewards could provide carefree living for several years with just one.

Considering the urgency on the other side, they likely called for a generous condition from the start. Given that the Seongjin Group didn’t have the temperament to ruthlessly crush opponents like the Taesan Group, there shouldn’t be significant issues with accepting it as is. However, a slight adjustment seemed necessary based on the current situation.

“Let’s make the first transaction a prepayment in cash. Starting from the status points of 21 and above, we’ll deal on credit, with me personally selecting artifacts from the Seongjin Group’s artifact warehouse.”

“Oh! Did you know about me?”

When the story about the Seongjin Group came out of Kang Seo-jun’s mouth, Jin Se-rin’s eyes widened.

“… Isn’t it strange if I didn’t know…”

“Ah…”

Jin Se-rin awkwardly fidgeted with the cup, then looked at Seo Eun-ha.

Seo Eun-ha, after a moment of thought, nodded slightly.

“Y-yes! Let’s go with that condition!”

And so, the deal was sealed.

====

***

====

Evening.

Jin Se-rin’s penthouse located in the bustling Stella Port.

[Kang Seo-jun: Payment confirmed. I’ll let you know the training location to enhance your status tomorrow. Please be ready for pickup in front of my house at 9 AM as we’ll be traveling by car.]

After checking Kang Seo-jun’s message, Jin Se-rin sank into the sofa.

“He was strangely fascinating, wasn’t he?”

“In my eyes, he was just suspicious.”

Seo Eun-ha, sitting across from Jin Se-rin, spoke while looking at the tablet PC.

The tablet displayed information about Kang Seo-jun.

“Even these information are the same.”

Apart from being an orphan, there was no recorded past history. The bizarrely balanced status points, the severely damaged state of his body to the point of marveling at how he’s still alive, the sudden proposal for a deal, everything indicated a calm and indifferent demeanor, as if he had already anticipated it.

“Are you worried?”

Jin Se-rin looked at Seo Eun-ha and asked.

“Of course, it’s worrying. Something feels off about this man. There’s undoubtedly some background to him. Otherwise, there are too many unexplained things. Until we find out what that background is, we can’t help but remain suspicious.”

The more you look at him, the more eerie he becomes. He’s a man you’d prefer to keep a distance from. However, even someone like Seo Eun-ha couldn’t suggest reversing the deal.

Jin Se-rin’s growth stagnation was a puzzle that couldn’t be solved despite the efforts of various potions and top-notch trainers.

For several years, every possible method had been tried, but not only was the cause not discovered, but the situation did not improve. So, with little expectation, Jin Se-rin approached this man, but unexpectedly, he confidently accepted the proposal. There was undoubtedly something about him. However…

‘He is not particularly trustworthy.’

Over the years, so-called experts who had dealt with Jin Se-rin were generally overconfident individuals. Yet, they left with perplexed expressions. Although there seemed to be something about this man, there was no distinct feeling that he would be any different from the others.

‘Moreover…’

All the experts Jin Se-rin had encountered so far had clear backgrounds and origins. They all had proven methods that were stable and reliable. However, this time was different. Not only was the other party’s background and origin unknown, but Jin Se-rin also couldn’t determine what he wanted from her. The absence of this information made Seo Eun-ha extremely uneasy.

If, by any chance, he intended to exploit Jin Se-rin maliciously through this deal…

She nervously bit her lower lip at the thought.

“Hmm…”

Seeing this, Jin Se-rin spoke, trying to reassure Seo Eun-ha.

“Do you have to worry so much? I contacted that person because I needed to, and anyway, tomorrow, you and the entire security team will accompany us. I’ll also have my own protective gear.”

“Well… that’s true.”

However, seo Eun-ha’s uneasiness did not easily dissipate. She couldn’t help but feel that if she became involved with him, she might unknowingly be manipulated by him in some way.

On the other hand…

Kang Seo-jun’s one-room apartment.

“With this, I’ll get money from Jin Se-rin, receive rewards through the quest, get support from the constellation, and add one more hidden piece.”

Kang Seo-jun’s plan to extract maximum benefits from Jin Se-rin had just reached completion.

“This is a surefire strategy. Killing two birds with one stone.”

Seo Eun-ha’s intuition had proven to be half correct.