The Novel’s Villain

15. Test (1)

Jin-woo was kept busy on his return. He had been staying in Elonti until recently, so he had a lot of delayed meetings to deal with. He had to receive reports from G&P, meet with the Mayor that he had forgotten, and schedule fields. Gradually, he was moving farther away from his dream of being a rich free-timer. For some reason, it felt like he was doing more for nothing.

‘What if I can’t take a break even after taking care of the Emperors?’

He sighed, but most of it was for himself, as he couldn’t blame his subordinates because all they did was work too well. So next year’s new motto was ‘Let’s go on vacation.’ In addition, there would be company by-laws that prohibited access to the research lab and headquarters during vacation. He had to do something like this because the researchers secretly worked in the night duty room, even during Christmas.

He met Choi Hee-yeon after hearing the news that she had captured Liu Wei. The Sword Master hadn’t come because he had been very busy these days. Jin-woo was happy as he was exhausted every time they met.

The two enjoyed tea in the G&P building.

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

“Of course. I’m glad it was helpful.”

It was the first time he and Choi Hee-yeon talked to each other alone. After handing Liu Wei over to JW Gate, she asked for a meeting so that he couldn’t refuse. Liu Wei was immediately restrained and dragged into the Gate by the maids.

‘They said he was brought in after going with Lee Min-woo and the Investigation Bureau?’

Lee Min-woo was beating China and Japan relentlessly, to the point where Jin-woo wondered if that was okay. If Jin-woo was slowly tightening a noose around their neck, Lee Min-woo was openly punching them in the face. He didn’t hesitate to legally and illegally use the Investigation Bureau and the International Federation of Competent People.

‘As expected from Lee Min-woo.’

Jin-woo was relieved that he and Lee Min-woo didn’t have a bad relationship.

“Well…t-the tea is very delicious.”

“Right?”

It was a little awkward to see Choi Hee-yeon alone. The tea was brought from Elonti, so it was full of the scent of the forest.

“I heard you’re applying for the A-Rank License.”

“Yes. I’m thinking of giving it a try.”

“I see. I’ll be rooting for you. However…”

Choi Hee-yeon hesitated for a moment before speaking out.

“There seems to be a rumor among the applicants that you are looking down on the A-Rank License.”

“I guess so.”

Those who challenge the A-Rank License usually went through a regular course of five years or more at the Academy for Senior Academy for Competent People. If they didn’t belong to a League Guild, they could only qualify after passing several tests. Choi Hee-yeon passed the graduation exam for the Senior Academy, received a recommendation, took the test, and obtained an A-Rank License at once. Unlike in the original, she became a Knight immediately after meeting with Jin-woo.

Jin-woo didn’t attend the Academy, nor did he go to college, so such comments were inevitable. Some even wondered if he took the test quietly using JW’s latest equipment.

‘I’ll make it more clear by doing it right.’

Jin-woo nodded.

“Don’t mind them. They are just bad-mouthed people.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

It grew awkward again. She caught Liu Wei, so he felt like he had to compensate her. Moreover, Liu Wei was skilled at running away. Even the General Manager admired him for it. The General Manager couldn’t leave the Gate for long, so it was entrusted to the Choi Family’s Sword School.

‘Oh! That was it.’

The sword of the Choi Family’s Sword School that flowed into China came to his mind. It arrived at the Sanctuary of Gold during the artifact incident. He had spent some time working on it. It was now much more colorful and beautiful than its original appearance and was restored perfectly. Jin-woo was interested in going further, so he even added the cold air attribute that went well with the Blue Sword God.

It was perfect as a reward. In a way, it was fortunate that he just forgot to give it back for a while. At the end of the slightly awkward conversation, Jin-woo took out the Heavenly Sword of the Choi Family from his subspace.

Choi Hee-yeon’s eyes widened as soon as she saw the sword. There was a record that the Heavenly Sword could be recognized at once by anyone from the Choi Family’s Sword School. She thought it was nonsense, but the moment she saw it, she realized it was the truth. The energy of the Choi Family’s Sword School itself was imbued within.

Her eyes fluttered wildly as she carefully received the sword with trembling hands.

“T-this is…”

“Your reward. It was in China, but I was lucky to get it.”

Frost fell from the sword as soon as Choi Hee-yeon grabbed it. It went very well with her. Choi Hee-yeon wore a robe that symbolized Choi Family’s Sword School over her Knight’s uniform, so carrying the Heavenly Sword served as the finishing touches.

Choi Hee-yeon couldn’t control her emotions. She held the sword that symbolized her family, which even the Sword Master hadn’t held before. Before meeting Jin-woo, she had suffered. The family almost split because she failed to formally inherit the Sword Master’s technique, but it was Lee Jin-woo in front of her who allowed her to learn swordsmanship. He even offered her a treasure to make up for her lack of talent.

Yet his generosity didn’t stop there. He now even found the Heavenly Sword that symbolized their family.

‘Ah…’

Now, Choi Hee-yeon possessed no flaws as the head of the family with legitimacy that even the Sword Master didn’t have. It felt like she was about to cry, but she held it in. She was more overwhelmed because it felt like Lee Jin-woo had officially recognized her more than anything else.

“Thank you very much. I heard it was broken when it was lost…”

“I fixed it on my own. I’m sorry.”

“N-no.”

Choi Hee-yeon shook her head in embarrassment at Jin-woo’s words. The Heavenly Sword wasn’t something that could be easily fixed. He probably called in great craftsmen and restored it after much hard work. It was right to think that it had evolved once more, going past the level of restoration. The records didn’t say that it emanated this kind of coldness.

She had no choice but to be moved by Jin-woo, who cared so clearly for her. Choi Hee-yeon had a hunch it probably had been prepared for a while now. She could tell by looking at the situation in China.

“I’m indebted to you.”

“No. Don’t mind it. It’s just an exchange.”

Since the Sword Master also helped track Liu Wei down, Jin-woo gave him Elonti’s Tea. Choi Hee-yeon smiled as she accepted the tea.

Jin-woo thought it was a relief that the story ended warmly. As he saw Choi Hee-yeon off, Yoo-na, who was waiting for him, quickly approached.

“Young Master, I have something to tell you.”

“Is it about Elonti?”

“Yes.”

Jin-woo moved to a quiet room; it was his private room in the G&P building. Yoo-na immediately handed the tablet PC to Jin-woo. It was a MeTube account created by Elonti Entertainment. They didn’t promote it because it was uploaded only as a test. When he checked it yesterday, it seemed it was being buried. After all, there were so many videos uploaded from all over the world.

“The number of views….”

It was incredible. It had now passed five million. Even now, the number of views was rising steeply, and the number of subscribers reached 200,000. Like the number of views, it was rising steeply.

‘Yesterday there were only 80 people, though…’

He would ask if there was any influence on Ella when it reached about a hundred people. At this point, he had no choice but to note that there were external factors, as Yoo-na showed the Sword Master’s SNS.

‘So it’s all because of him.’

It seemed that there was even an article on the portal site. It was now the number one search term.

‘Secret weapon raised by G&P, a nuclear bomb-class topic.’

‘Ella, who is she?’

‘Elonti Entertainment’s strategy that no one expected’

The reporters took notice and released promotional articles on their own. The number of reporters loyal to Jin-woo was much greater than expected as the Future Strategy Office constantly managed them.

It was also well-received in the comments. There were plenty praising Ella’s fantastic visuals, those who claimed it was all CG, those who were crying, and there were even comments that said it saved them from killing themselves. It was a significantly more explosive impact than what Jin-woo expected.

“Anyway, it’s okay because Ella can make money.”

“Yes, it’s fortunate that I put up s just in case.”

The ad revenue alone seemed to be significant. Elonti Entertainment had already been invited for s or broadcasts, but he ordered them to refuse.

‘I’ll have to make sure it’s working.’

If it worked, he had to figure out what Ella was thinking and decide after waking the will of the World Tree. Yoo-na looked at Jin-woo as if she had a question.

“Young Master, I have created an identity as you said, but who is Arina? I have never seen an elf with such a name.”

“I haven’t told you about the sanctuary, have I? She’s the demon who takes care of it.”

“You mean the devil?”

“I’m sure it’s similar.”

Yoo-na thought for a moment and then nodded. She had seen elves, so it wouldn’t be strange if a demon existed. Besides, the Young Master she served was an Emperor far higher than a demon.

Jin-woo said yes because Arina asked so desperately. Since he said that she could earn extra-dimensional gold coins, Arina appealed to him very actively. Besides, she couldn’t even touch or handle the shooting equipment right away, so she worked on disassembling it to create a camera with an automatic shooting function through synthesis with monsters. There were also similar artifacts in the Demon Realm. She said that she only picked out the strengths and stuffed them in.

Jin-woo became increasingly curious about the Demon Realm. When it came to fantasy, it was an elf, and it was a succubus when it came to the Demon Realm!

‘Umm…’

Arina was somehow burning with rivalry toward Ella.

“Oh! I have some data, would you like to watch it? I forgot to check it.”

“Yes.”

After Arina somehow made up her mind, she went on vacation to the Demon Realm for a few days. When she returned, she had looked haggard. Arina asked Jin-woo to review it and gave him one of her beads. Jin-woo was forced to store it into his subspace at the time because of her desperate gaze.

Jin-woo took out the bead she gave him from the subspace.

“Is that an artifact? That’s amazing.”

With a little mana injected into it, the bead shone, and a hologram-like video appeared. Arina, wearing provocative clothes different from her usual attire, walked out of the black smoke. A very depressing and heavy accompaniment rang out. It was rather gloomy and depressing. A chill passed him, and it was creepy just listening to it, but contrary to Ella, something was stimulating the dark side of the heart.

It was something primitive.

As Arina sang and waved her hands, skeletons rose from the ground, and zombies with glowing red eyes crawled about.

“…”

“…”

Jin-woo and Yoo-na stared blankly. As she spread her arms out, black-filmed wings spewed out from behind her back. It was a splendid ending in its way.

[With a more seductive look!]

[L-like this?]

[Hey! Do you want to lose to such an elf? If we do it well, the Emperor of Gold…]

Such a voice was heard a little after the video. It seemed to be mixed during the recording.

Silence fell for a moment.

“…I don’t know what kind of shooting technique she used, but the directing is great. It is the work of a professional.”

“I guess so.”

“Maybe it’s because it’s an artifact, but it’s very realistic. It could be a new trend if we study it.”

Although, albeit temporarily, Yoo-na was the president of Elonti Entertainment, so she was studying things like this secretly from time to time. It looked like she was trying to somehow do her best.

“I think it’ll have a good synergy effect because it’s completely opposed to Queen Ella, but…I’m no expert, so it’s hard to say for sure. When Elonti Entertainment gets on track, it would be a good idea to scout professional managers.”

“Let’s think about it then.”

“Yes, you should think about the test for now.”

Jin-woo looked at Yoo-na because of her words.

“Test?”

“Didn’t I tell you? The A-Rank License test will be starting tomorrow.”

Ah! He thought there was still quite a bit of time left, but it happened before he knew it. When one task was completed, another arose.

“Have you forgotten?”

“Isn’t it okay if I prepare now?”

“Yes, please go home for now.”

Jin-woo returned home and entered the study. A bit later, Yoo-na brought him a bunch of very thick books.

Thud! Thud!

The books on the desk almost reached the ceiling.

“These are reference books for the written test.”

“Is it supposed to be this much?”

“Yes, this is what they teach for five years at the Senior Academy. It is said the head of Choi family passed it after a year.”

It was said that those who had become semi-Knights still did something like studying for the test. Wouldn’t it be more difficult considering the competition rate? Yoo-na looked at Jin-woo. There was no sign he had studied, but she wasn’t worried at all. It was nothing compared to the abilities he had shown so far.

“Then I will not disturb you.”

Yoo-na quietly closed the door and left. Going to Elonti would have to be postponed until after the test.

Jin-woo glanced at the book. It wasn’t just thick on the outside; the text was packed like a dictionary. It was necessary to have a broad understanding of Gates’ expertise and the theory of abilities. There were also biological parts, such as the study of viruses and antibodies.

‘Umm…’

Special screening procedures depended on the competency ranking in other countries, but Korea didn’t follow the same procedure. Regardless of having a high rank or a low rank-ability, the applicants had to take the test unconditionally. He was sleepy as soon as he saw it.

Jin-woo looked at the pile of books and absorbed them all with the Magic Eye of information. As the knowledge accumulated, he would be able to write the answers anyway. He could have been cursed for being expedient, but he didn’t feel guilty at all.

‘If you think about it…’

Even the main character, who was a fan of justice, used it openly. Of course, Jin-woo was going to use it more openly than the main character. What could he do? This was also his own ability.

It was unfair as the villain.

* * *

Jin-woo headed to the test center, the Senior Academy for Competent People, next to the arena where the League Guild finals were held. The arena belonged to Jin-woo, as well as the top-level teams in the League Guild.

‘The League must be doing well.’

It went better than before. As foreign capital was withdrawn, there were no factional fights. And since they were given large sums of money based on ability, no competent people went abroad. Anyway, Jin-woo arrived at the test center. He entered the A-Rank test center alone as the bodyguards couldn’t follow him in.

‘It feels like I’m here to take the college entrance exam.’

Jin-woo barely managed to stop the Future Strategy Office, General Manager, and G&P support from coming out. But even with that, when Jin-woo appeared, all attention was focused on him. Usually, in this case, people would pick a fight or appear like gangsters. It was the same in the original story. However, there were no big people who dared to argue with Jin-woo.

The age of the applicants was quite older than him. The youngest were in their late 20s, and there were some in their 40s. It was never too late since the heyday of most competent people was in their 40s. Rather, Jin-woo was abnormally young. Everyone was holding thick books or looking at summary notes, leaving Jin-woo as the only one empty-handed.

‘Did the main character also participate at this time?’

The author suddenly wanted to give school life in the original story, so the protagonist entered the Academy. However, after receiving backlash for the sudden development, the protagonist immediately took his A-Rank License test. Until then, it was boring.

The number of applicants exceeded three hundred. The test center was large so that everyone could take the test at once. Seats were allocated according to rank by self-pre-evaluation. People hadn’t even taken the test, but they had already been evaluated. Competent people were always ranked, and the higher they went up, the more that intensified.

The preliminary evaluation was conducted directly by Kim Woon-jong, the principal of the Senior Academy, a high-ranking Knight, and senior official of the Association of Competent People. In addition to the common test, additional tests were also required to be taken according to ranking to conduct an in-depth evaluation.

It was a personalized test.

Jin-woo didn’t expect a preliminary evaluation because he had submitted his data formally.

‘Umm.’

It was an analog way to find a seat by looking at the bulletin board. When Jin-woo appeared, everyone backed away. It seemed like they were fighting each other fiercely, but it was sorted out instantly with his arrival.

Jin-woo paid them no mind and looked from the bottom, but his name wasn’t there, so he looked at the top.

1. Jin-woo S Seat No. 1

Pre-evaluation score: (120/100)

It was at the top. No, it was beyond the perfect score. Although those who took the test only by recommendation usually had the lowest pre-evaluation score, Jin-woo differed. There was no room for controversy as Kim Woon-jong, a high-ranking Knight, directly evaluated him.

‘This really…’

The S Seat was set aside separately in the front. It was a seating arrangement where everyone looked forward to the S Seat. When he sat down, piercing gazes caught his eye. When Jin-woo looked up and around, the applicants’ heads turned away. Except for those who glanced at Jin-woo, everyone was desperately memorizing the thick books in front of them.

When it was time for the test, the supervisor arrived, cutting the air like a knife. Kim Woon-jong personally supervised them, and a lot of examiners came in to assist. What was different from usual was that other Knights were also forming up behind Kim Woon-jong. They were all veterans.

The applicants murmured in surprise. After all, many of the same applicants took the test repeatedly, so they quickly realized that it was different from usual.

“Then I will start the test.”

Kim Woon-jong announced the start of the test. The test paper was almost blank. Only a few questions were written. Since there were usually not enough answer sheets, extra space was provided. In the case of Jin-woo, there were four additional questions.

It was all essay writing.

“You will have plenty of test time until 7:05 pm, so please do your best to take the test. Keep in mind that you will be disqualified permanently if you cheat.”

It was now nine in the morning, but the test time ended in the evening. When the test began, Kim Woon-jong stood in front of Jin-woo. The same was true of other Knights. That gaze was very burdensome. There was a strong feeling they were telling Jin-woo to try it out if he wanted to.

‘…I have to hit it fast.’

That’s all he could think of. Jin-woo grabbed the pen that the examiners gave him and looked at the test questions.

‘It’s worth it.’

When he matched it to the information stored in his head, the answer came to mind easily. The problem was that the Emperor of Gold was always active. Kim Woon-jong and the Knights pressed him to quickly write an answer. The applicant sitting behind Jin-woo was startled and dropped his pen.

‘Will it be over in two hours?’

Jin-woo picked up the pen. Neither Kim Woon-jong nor the Knights noticed that a very complex technique was being engraved on the tip of his pen.

Whoosh!

Very beautiful letters began to be engraved on the paper. Jin-woo intended to do it in moderation, but the Emperor of Gold never tolerated such a thing. The Emperor of Gold must always be elegant and perfect.

It was then that Kim Woon-jong, a high-ranking Knight, had his eyes opened wide.