Colt escorted Kim Songcheol to his room and then disappeared.

Kim Songcheol sighed, looking down at his feet. The sand stuck to his feet was rolling around on the floor.

Kim Songcheol could only lie back on his bed after washing his feet and wiping the floor.

‘Tsk.’

Colt Vanguard’s appearance wasn’t a huge issue.

While it might have been newsworthy for others, what he said left a deeper impression on Kim Songcheol.

Higher Magic system.

Colt Vanguard had clearly mentioned a higher Magic system.

Arcadia Circle Magic is a fairly high-level Magic system among all Magic systems.

Magic systems are divided into a total of 7 tiers.

Among them, Arcadia Circle Magic belonged to the 3rd Tier, and in terms of cost, it was among the top of the 3rd Tier Magic systems.

In the same rank were a few Dark Magic types and Contract Magic, while below them were relatively lower-level Circle Magic and Prayer Magic, and further down, it reached Primitive Magic.

The Republic of Korea’s choice of Arcadia Circle Magic was the result of continuous meetings and research.

They had to choose the system that could yield the maximum effect by looking at the name, a simple description, and the cost of each Magic system.

And the rationality of that choice was proven by many countries also choosing Circle Magic.

So what kind of Magic system could be higher than Circle Magic?

Firstly, when moving up to the 2nd-tier, Magic systems that seem to embody the essence of theory emerge.

2nd-tier Circle Magic changes the Magic formation into three dimensions, and in the case of Contract Magic, the inherent unpredictability of Contract Magic is significantly reduced.

It felt like 3rd Tier Magic developed to its extreme.

One might wonder if it would have been better to choose 2nd-tier Magic even if it meant spending a few more Points, but that wasn’t the case.

Firstly, it wasn’t just a matter of ‘a few more Points,’ and there was a significant difference in difficulty between 2nd-tier Magic and 3rd Tier Magic.

Research showed that if 2nd-tier Magic were chosen, the number of Mages in the Republic of Korea would drop to between 5 and 10.

That’s a level where even Points acquisition would be difficult.

Given such a situation, 1st-tier Magic was not even a major consideration.

It wasn’t even an object of research, and the descriptions were so vague that it was impossible to properly understand them.

For example, the description of one 1st-tier Magic system is as follows:

‘Let the lingering afterimage speak the truth, and the vanished light open the way. The chosen one already walks upon that path…’

Sentences like this were lined up.

How could this be interpreted?

Naturally, it couldn’t be interpreted.

The required Points were so high that it was impossible to even obtain basic texts.

But now, Kim Songcheol instinctively felt it.

He would need to acquire a 1st-tier Magic system to explain the phenomena happening only to him.

Colt Vanguard had also mentioned a higher Magic system, but it was clearly the 1st-tier Magic system he was talking about.

‘1st-tier Magic system, huh…’

Kim Songcheol didn’t just give up.

Instead, he made a plan.

Ultimately, it’s a Points problem.

If he gathers enough Points, he can buy it.

If he accumulated enough Points to even erase a Gate, the Nation wouldn’t be able to ignore Kim Songcheol’s opinion.

Hadn’t Colt Vanguard said it?

That even a superpower like America couldn’t touch him.

For the first time, Kim Songcheol wanted to become stronger.

And that thought kept him from sleeping well that night.

…

Somewhat contrary to his resolve from last night, Kim Songcheol was led by his Mother into an Apartment Complex.

It was a much older apartment than the one Kim Songcheol’s parents lived in.

“Mi-yeong’s Aunt’s Brother-in-law lives here…?”

Kim Songcheol muttered, looking at the appearance of the apartment.

From what he had heard on the way, Mi-yeong’s Aunt’s Brother-in-law was a very famous fortune teller, so much so that it was difficult to visit without an appointment.

That made him think about the income, and this apartment didn’t at all match the income of a famous fortune teller that Kim Songcheol knew of.

“He lives here, I tell you.”

His Mother led Kim Songcheol by the arm into the old elevator.

“Didn’t he make a lot of money? If he’s that famous?”

“They say this place has good energy. He purposefully doesn’t move.”

“Ah.”

It was a very understandable reason. After all, his profession was a fortune teller.

The elevator stopped on the 12th floor. The doors opened, revealing one entrance on each side.

Above the left entrance, the words ‘Yongin Philosophy House’ were visible.

It was writing personally done with ink on old Korean paper.

Ding-dong.

When he rang the doorbell of that house, a woman soon opened the door.

So, it was Mi-yeong’s aunt’s husband’s sister.

“Oh, hello.”

His mother greeted her as if she were genuinely happy to see her. Mi-yeong’s aunt’s husband’s sister also welcomed them warmly.

As they entered the house, chairs were lined up from the entrance.

Normally, guests would sit and wait, but it was empty. This was because the philosopher was off today.

So, it was a special opening arranged through his mother’s connections.

Since there were no other guests anyway, Kim Songcheol and his mother were immediately guided to a small room.

Inside the small room sat an ordinary-looking man.

The bookshelves filling the four walls of the room were packed with unknown books.

“Hello.”

Kim Songcheol first bowed his head and sat in front of the desk.

A small chat ensued between his mother and Mi-yeong’s aunt’s brother-in-law.

Kim Songcheol sat awkwardly for a moment, then lowered his gaze.

In one corner of the desk, a business card holder was visible.

Mi-yeong’s aunt’s brother-in-law’s real name was written there.

‘Moon Heejong. So his surname was Moon Heejong.’

“Your birth year, month, day, and time?”

When Moon Heejong asked this, Kim Songcheol answered as best he could.

“Hmm…”

Moon Heejong scribbled something in his notebook for a long time.

Then, at some point, he smiled faintly and looked at Kim Songcheol over his glasses.

Kim Songcheol felt a strange sensation from that gaze. It was a feeling similar to when he first felt mana.

But it was definitely not a mana reaction.

“This friend doesn’t even need to have his Four Pillars of Destiny read.”

Moon Heejong said, putting down his ballpoint pen with a thud.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

His mother asked.

“He has the Four Pillars of Destiny of a President. If there’s anything higher than a President, he’d be that too.”

Moon Heejong asserted this and added an explanation.

“These Four Pillars of Destiny inevitably reflect changes in the world. In the past, if someone had the Peach Blossom Star, it was only seen negatively, but nowadays, if you’re an entertainer, that’s perfect. This ‘President’ thing, in my opinion, is a President, but for example, if someone is a YouTuber with 100 million subscribers—there are YouTubers like that, right? Then that person can also be called a President.”

“His profession is an accountant, though?”

“His official position is already severed, and a grand luck cycle has begun? An accountant?”

Moon Heejong’s eyes flashed once again.

But he soon lowered his gaze, scribbled something on a piece of paper, and began to speak.

“The Four Pillars of Destiny itself contains scholarship. Other transient fortune tellers might just get swept away by the big flow, but I see great importance in scholarship in such positions. So, this is a Four Pillars of Destiny that will become a President through scholarship. Because he has scholarship, he became an accountant, but he is definitely not just material for an accountant…”

“Accountant is a good profession, isn’t it?”

“The Four Pillars of Destiny is better.”

Moon Heejong immediately dismissed his mother’s rebuttal and observed Kim Songcheol intently.

Accepting his gaze calmly, Kim Songcheol pondered the words, ‘He will become a President through scholarship.’

He didn’t particularly believe in the Four Pillars of Destiny, but it was still quite a thought-provoking statement.

Then Moon Heejong suddenly spoke.

“By any chance, have you received any offers this year? It would be really good if you seized that. The scholarship perfectly aligns with your grand luck cycle.”

“…No, I haven’t.”

“You must have received one, but you’re not talking about it.”

Moon Heejong shook his head with great certainty, and his mother quickly turned to look at Kim Songcheol.

But Kim Songcheol could only shrug his shoulders as if he knew nothing.

The Four Pillars of Destiny reading finished faster than expected. It went along the lines of ‘whatever he does is good, leave it to your son,’ so there wasn’t much more to explain.

As it was nearing the end, his mother finally asked one last question.

This was the main reason they had come to have his Four Pillars of Destiny read.

“By any chance, marriage…?”

“Marriage?”

For the first time, a troubled expression appeared on Moon Heejong’s face.

“His marriage luck isn’t strong…”

He scribbled something in his notebook again and began to speak.

“He’ll get a slight bite in his late 30s, but if he misses that, it’ll come in his 50s. If he misses that too, I can’t guarantee anything.”

“Huh? That late…?”

His mother, who had been in a good mood, sagged like a dog doused with cold water.

It was natural, as the original purpose of coming here was to inquire about his marriage luck.

“…Does he have no luck with women either?”

Kim Songcheol asked the question unknowingly.

After seeing Moon Heejong’s performance earlier, his trust had inadvertently grown.

“Overall, his luck with women is less than others. He has to accept that. He has a Four Pillars of Destiny for great achievements; having too much luck with women would only cause headaches.”

Moon Heejong spoke as if it were a good thing, but for some reason, Kim Songcheol felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

***

Kim Myeongju stood in front of the dormitory like a mother waiting for her son to return from war.

He waited awkwardly for about 10 minutes, receiving greetings from passing trainees.

Finally, the car he was waiting for pulled up in front of the dormitory.

The car stopped, and Kim Songcheol got out of the passenger seat.

Kim Songcheol, who had gone out, had returned.

“You’re back?”

As Kim Myeongju subtly approached from behind, Kim Songcheol flinched and turned around.

He hadn’t noticed the presence because he was deep in thought.

“Ah… Yes, I’m back.”

“I didn’t mean to startle you, sorry, haha.”

“No. But are you here to meet another trainee?”

Kim Songcheol asked, closing the car door. The car that dropped him off smoothly moved towards the parking lot.

“No, well… I was just taking a walk.”

Kim Myeongju couldn’t bring himself to say he was waiting for Kim Songcheol and vaguely made an excuse.

“Ah… I see.”

“By the way, you look a bit unwell? Did something happen while you were out?”

Kim Myeongju asked in a subtle tone.

He had moved somewhere with a high-ranking mage via teleportation and then returned.

Surely, nothing could be more significant than that.

Kim Songcheol would surely talk about it.

“Ah, something did happen.”

“What is it?”

“I had my Four Pillars of Destiny read.”

“Huh?”

“My Four Pillars of Destiny. It says I have no luck with women.”

“Ah… that’s a big problem.”

Kim Myeongju felt his energy drain, but he managed to react. If he hadn’t trained his mental strength by serving as an Education Director for a long time, he would have been completely flustered.

“Ah, something else happened too.”

But as Kim Songcheol changed the subject, Kim Myeongju’s eyes sparkled.

“What is it?”

“I met Colt Vanguard.”

“Huh?”

Kim Myeongju deliberately feigned surprise.

If he knew that Colt Vanguard had visited, it would be proof that he was monitoring Kim Songcheol’s official position.

That was a truth he, as the Education Director, did not want to reveal.

“He came to visit at night.”

“At night? Why did he come?”

“He seemed to just want to see my face. I conveyed America’s offer, but Colt Vanguard strangely didn’t seem to want to take me, so it was pointless.”

“What kind of offer did America make…?”

“They said they’d pay a lot of money.”

“Were you perhaps swayed…?”

“I’m not moved by money.”

“Then…?”

“If I had to say, points?”

“Why…?”

“I’ve become interested in the 1st-tier Magic system.”

“Oh, really?”

At that, Kim Myeongju felt relieved.

Currently, the United Kingdom is the only country where one can obtain even a basic textbook for the 1st-tier Magic system.

However, the United Kingdom doesn’t need Kim Songcheol, because another hero already exists there.

“Can I take that to mean you intend to earn points directly in the Republic of Korea to obtain it?”

“Wouldn’t that be the fastest way?”

“Haha, perhaps. But why did you suddenly become interested in the 1st-tier Magic system?”

“It’s nothing grand. Just curiosity. I’m a Mage, aren’t I?”

Kim Songcheol replied with a smirk.

It might have been the first time he openly called himself a Mage.