The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family Chapter 140
Miracle Agent Headquarters.
“…Are you seriously telling me you brought this as a report?”
Team Leader Yeon Su-ji looked bewildered at the employee.
The employee bowed deeply, muttering an apology, though their face clearly showed dissatisfaction. They seemed completely unaware of what they had done wrong.
This only irritated Yeon Su-ji further.
“Top student of the 1st year, Sunwoo Garam. Second-place student of the 1st year, Sunwoo Seulgi. Joined the club ‘No Exit Hell.’ Acted alongside upperclassman Park Ki-hyuk…”
Yeon Su-ji glared at the employee.
“Come on. What exactly is your job? Isn’t it supposed to be managing important figures closely? And what is this? A club registration? Club~ registration~? What exactly were you doing while things got to this point?!”
“It’s just a club. A regular one, where students hang out in school and build camaraderie…”
“SCHOOL? CAMARADERIE? HA!!”
Yeon Su-ji finally lost her cool.
Is this person insane? No, they’re definitely delusional.
They still don’t realize what they did wrong.
This is precisely what the current situation at the Academy represents when viewed from a commoner’s perspective.
To the average person, the Academy is just another university — the one you go to after high school.
A special university where only superhumans gather, but not much more than that.
Based on this view, all Academy activities appear identical to a university’s.
But what is the Academy to a superhuman?
To them, it’s a gathering place for the chosen handful of talented individuals.
Everything here is special.
Midterms, finals… even the student council. Not a single thing can be taken lightly.
Now, about camaraderie and clubs?
Yes, from one angle, it seems that way. But when shining stars gather, they create galaxies and universes.
From an Agent’s perspective, during the week-long festival — or ‘Recruitment Market’ — monitoring the activities and movements of talented individuals is just as important as recruiting them.
How they move, how they scatter.
Because depending on their actions, promising talents could quickly transform into potential competitors.
There’s an extreme example: Optimum.
The top agent in Korea.
A member of the Five Sisters, one of the world’s five greatest organizations.
Now regarded as a living legend, it’s a well-known fact that Optimum began as a lowly “club” that outsiders dismissed as mere camaraderie.
Yeon Su-ji dismissed the employee. She couldn’t bear looking at their dumb expression anymore or else her fists might involuntarily fly.
“Director, it seems we need to re-recruit our personnel before even worrying about recruitment. They don’t understand the ecosystem here at all. They at least need to know about the Academy… ugh.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t help it. Nowadays, even under-skilled superhumans frequently go on hunts.”
“…Ah, Optimum. Park Ki-hyuk, really.”
It’s all Optimum’s doing.
More specifically, it’s Park Ki-hyuk’s fault. Even more precisely, it’s the invention of Artificial Spirit Stones by Park Ki-hyuk.
In the past, many superhumans with insufficient innate abilities lived no differently from regular humans.
After all, life hangs by a single thread.
No matter how expensive magic gems may be or how lucrative hunting is, when you d*e, it’s all meaningless.
But the emergence of artificial spirit stones has drastically reduced the cost of artifacts.
One analyst remarked that the prices had “subjectively dropped to a tenth of what they used to be,” and currently, the cost of artifacts is continually decreasing.
Incidentally, the ‘Hunter Alliance’ fiercely advocates for regulation, claiming the artifact industry is collapsing due to this price drop.
Artifacts used to be their primary source of income.
In any case, with cheaper, high-quality artifacts flooding the market, even under-skilled superhumans now see a ray of hope. Simply by equipping themselves with decent artifacts, they can successfully manage a Level 1 Gate.
This is all thanks to the ripple effect caused by Park Ki-hyuk’s small invention.
“…The Gate ecosystem collapse isn’t the main problem. The true issue lies in the collapse of the overall industry.”
“Don’t worry, Director. We’ll adapt. We can even use this chaotic situation to our advantage.”
The chaos among major agencies and the market’s collapse provide fertile ground for emerging forces.
Which makes this recruitment market even more crucial.
How we capitalize on this opportunity determines whether Miracle will remain as just another minor agency or rise as a new power that rivals the established major agencies.
“Sunwoo Garam and Sunwoo Seulgi would be a waste to give up on. Let’s contact them again—this time without being so lenient. We need to be firmer.”
“Firmer, you say?”
“Measure the maximum budget. Find out what they want, need, and offer exactly that.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, and try to persuade them about transferring to another club.”
“Because of Optimum?”
“The witch from Optimum would never let go of the treasures in her grasp.”
“Understood.”
“Next—this one. We absolutely cannot lose this one.”
Flipping the page, there appeared a prominently marked section that read ‘2nd Year.’
In the history of the Academy, the most talented group to enter was the current 4th year.
Just the fact that both the Sword Master family and the Dragon family—two prestigious lineages representing the country—entered together is enough to suggest the game is already over.
However, from an agent’s perspective, the 4th year group is not as appealing as it might seem.
An objective evaluation reveals that the 4th year’s brilliance is due to a few standout talents inflating the average.
There’s a bit of a bubble effect.
In reality, the bottom tier of this group is either average or even subpar.
On the other hand, the 2nd year group, while lacking any dazzling talents, has an average level that far surpasses others. From an agent’s point of view, this makes them even more attractive.
Among these standout talents, the one Miracle was vigorously pursuing was this individual.
A profile displayed a boy with a strikingly abnormal black pupil.
“Song Saebyeok.”
Height of 198 cm, weight of 87 kg. His primary weapon: an axe—two-handed in each hand and a battle axe strapped to his back. Using his formidable physical stats, his mastery of Axe Combat is unmatched.
Thus, his nickname.
“The second Park Ki-hyuk…”
Of course, to Yeon Su-ji, who knows Park Ki-hyuk well, this comparison seems absurd. How could anyone catch up? It makes no sense.
Still, viewed differently, being compared to the monstrous Park Ki-hyuk is no small feat. This alone proves Song Saebyeok’s immense talent.
“Excellent grades. And a wonderful personality, too.”
While Park Ki-hyuk lived entirely by his own uncompromising will, Song Saebyeok, despite his power, was someone who listened to others and influenced those around him positively.
As a result, the 2nd year group formed an unusual social structure centered around Song Saebyeok, known as ‘Fight Club.’
“Especially this part. This is key.”
Secret information obtained through covert means revealed that Song Saebyeok inherited the bloodlines of Korea’s prominent ‘Shinjang’ family and Japan’s representative ‘Oni’ lineage. He possesses both bloodlines.
Is the concept of “multi-bloodline” even possible?
Suspicious, but let’s overlook it for now.
If he could utilize even 50% of each bloodline’s abilities, that alone would make him a monster.
“Rejected by both families due to his unique birth… To discard such a gem just because of birth. This is why bloodline families are so shortsighted. Pfft.”
Song Saebyeok, Song Saebyeok…
Yeon Su-ji muttered the name absent-mindedly.
“The ideal group leader. We absolutely must have him on our side.”
If she could have Song Saebyeok under her like how Kim Yeon-hee has Yoo Hae-ryun… Yeon Su-ji trembled with excitement at the mere thought.
This wasn’t the time for daydreaming. She had to see Song Saebyeok immediately.
“Director, I’m heading to the Academy. Please prepare the car.”
Yeon Su-ji headed to the Academy.
She wasn’t the only one. Cars from various agencies, parties, organizations, and unions were all heading toward the Academy.
The Academy was already a battlefield.
—
“X. X. All X.”
The view was filled with Xs.
I smiled in bitter amusement at the rejected application forms.
What a mess.
“Looks like a war.”
Just yesterday, these students promised to join. Now, in the span of a single day, they’ve changed their minds. It seems another club offered them better terms.
There were around 30 students only yesterday, but now only seven remain.
The twins, Sunwoo Garam and Seulgi, are here. So is Marjuri, along with those who came with her.
I can’t believe this. They can change their minds so easily?
Kim Ha-ni laughed wryly and said,
“Senior, this is normal.”
“Who told you that?”
“A friend.”
The Academy controls all types of recruitment.
This includes all forms of recruitment: not only the scouting done by agents but also the ‘teams’ we formed in our first year and clubs formed for camaraderie — all fall under this control.
They claim it’s for the protection of students’ rights and to create a fair competitive environment.
However, there are two times in a year when the Academy lifts these restrictions: during the festival periods.
The Spring and Autumn Festivals.
A week-long Recruitment Market.
During this time, all recruitment is unrestricted.
Membership registration, cancellations — everything is free, allowing students to move as they wish.
For the duration of that period.
“Last year was even worse. There were cases of people intercepting others after a signature and offering better terms. They’d even bid for members, and some even drew swords.”
“Did it get that bad?”
“I haven’t seen actual sword fights, but I’ve witnessed plenty of arguments. Clubs were especially chaotic. Unlike agents, who may impose penalties for joining or leaving, there’s absolutely no restriction on joining or leaving clubs. It’s chaos.”
“Terrifying.”
Even the market floor would be better than this. There’s at least some business ethics there.
Long ago, clubs used to offer substantial contracts to deal with this chaos. However, abuses of the system eventually led to bans on monetary transactions within the Academy.
That was Kim Ha-ni’s excessively honest explanation.
Had I been too lax?
The X marks slashed across the registration forms stood out prominently in my vision.
I was annoyed, confused, and even a bit amused.
I chuckled in resignation when suddenly someone placed a hand on my shoulder — Jin Yu-ri.
“Don’t get so down; loosen up a little. Nothing to be so disappointed about.”
“It’s not disappointment, it’s just funny.”
“It’s okay, okay. You’ve got good people here; you’ve done well enough.”
“That’s right.”
“Yeah, listen! Thanks to Ha-ni, we’ve got quite a few master-disciple lineage students, including Marjuri. That’s huge.”
“Alright…”
“Better than expected. Honestly, I didn’t anticipate this level of success. I only thought getting Garam and Seulgi would be commendable.”
“That’s true~. All of Mary’s words are correct.”
“You’re trying your best.”
Han Jun-woo was the last to chime in with that reassurance.
Honestly? It’s fine.
My little team thought I was down, but it’s just that I’m amused by the absurdity of it all.
Still, I appreciate their concern.
Thinking about it, we’ve spent quite a lot of time together.
Someone once said, relationships aren’t made lightly. They grow more resilient and complex over time, eventually becoming something inseparable. And that’s exactly how it felt with these kids.
“We’ve got three days left. Let’s keep going.”
“Let’s go! I’ll help! Shall I ask Dad for help? Imagine the chaos if ‘Pearl’ gets involved.”
“Ugh, Jin Yu-ri, please don’t cause unnecessary trouble. It’s already more than generous that they lent us ‘Blossom Sword.'”
Everyone was being so supportive, what else could I do but try harder?
“I feel weird. Let’s grab lunch. Youngest one, get over here!”
“…” “…”
“Youngest!”
“…” “…”
No response.
Even though the Sunwoo twins looked straight at me, they didn’t answer.
Which means…
“Still haven’t resolved your dispute?”
“…” “…”
“Haha. You can’t stop laughing. Truly.”
My laughter prompted them to glare at each other fiercely then look away, visibly irritated. They clearly don’t get along at all.
“Ha-ni, place the order for us. You two, go up.”
We needed to settle the dispute before eating. The two kept trying to climb the ring first.
At that exact moment, a voice reverberated through the air.
“Senior Park Ki-hyuk, are you here?!”
KABOOM!!
The booth’s door flew off its hinges.
It was protected by magic, yet it flew off like a piece of paper.
I flicked my finger, halting the door mid-air. Then I turned my gaze to the entrance.
It was crowded with students, and amidst them stood a single individual radiating a distinct presence.
“I’ve come to learn a move.”
The boy unsheathed his axe and held it high, prompting others to follow suit and draw their weapons.
These ‘students wanting to learn’ were emanating killing intent.
Did they mistake this place for a battlefield? Not a single ounce of hesitation in their stance.
I observed them silently.
“Hmm…”
One, two, three… twelve.
Twelve. There were 12 of them…
12 challengers…
This is fantastic. Exceedingly remarkable.
Impressive. So outstanding, younger friends.
I licked my lips and spoke.
“Ha-ni, prepare twelve more membership applications.”
“Huh…?”
“Ah, also order twelve more lunch portions…”
“WHAAAT? SENPAI!!”
Why Kim Ha-ni screamed was simple.
During the briefest of moments when Ha-ni blinked, I had already hurled one of them into the sky.
“…”
“Welcome.”
And then:
“Congratulations in advance.”
On joining.
With a smirk.
A rain of skeletons fell from the sky.
