Lee Ru-in opened the subject as if sounding him out.
"Normally the Outstanding Intern is paid prize money of around fifty million won. But that is nothing. More important than the prize money is which prize you receive. For instance, an intern who has awakened a physical-category ability is given an attack-enhancing weapon, and an intern who has awakened elemental-category magic is given a wand with high mana conductivity."
Lee Ru-in spat out words like 'prize money,' 'physical category,' 'attack-enhancing weapon,' 'elemental magic,' and 'wand' in turn while watching for the slightest change in Han-eol's expression.
Han-eol showed no reaction to most of the words.
'So this kid is not one to chase money. But he does not seem to be physical category either, nor an elemental mage.'
Well, if Han-eol had been of that line, he would not have been able to kill Snow Wolves without a single mark on the hide.
Lee Ru-in came closer to the sickbed and sat down right beside Han-eol.
Han-eol flinched in surprise and shifted his backside to the side.
Han-eol, an orphan by origin, had never come into such close contact with another person, a woman in particular.
When Lee Ru-in's blonde hair swayed gently right beside him, a refreshing fragrance bored into Han-eol's nose and stimulated his sense of smell.
Han-eol went tense.
'Hmph. How cute.'
Lee Ru-in feigned ignorance and tilted her upper body to close the distance to Han-eol even further. Her low-toned voice tickled Han-eol's ear.
"You have to give me a hint about what you want when you receive the Outstanding Intern commendation. Otherwise you might receive a prize you have no real need for. Something like a reinforced axe weighing over a hundred kilograms, for instance."
'Seriously.'
Han-eol was dumbfounded.
'A heavy weapon over a hundred kilograms? I could not even lift a thing like that. If I received that as a prize it would be nothing but a nuisance to dispose of.'
Lee Ru-in met Han-eol's eyes with a beaming face.
Han-eol lowered his head slightly, deliberated seriously, and then parted his lips.
"I would like a prize that is light and helpful for defense. Or else something like an escape scroll to use in a crisis, or a potion needed in an emergency, would be helpful as well."
The reason Han-eol laid out his wishes honestly was that he judged doing so would be more beneficial to himself.
Also, Han-eol had discovered that Lee Ru-in's soul gave off a faint pastel tone, and so he opened his heart to her a little.
That was because pastel-tone colors signified goodwill.
Meanwhile, the instant Han-eol's words fell, Lee Ru-in spun her brain cells at full speed.
'He wants something light?'
This meant, in other words, that Han-eol's stamina and muscular strength had not risen much even after awakening his ability.
'He wants defense or reinforcement of vitality?'
This, put another way, meant that Han-eol's ability was the sort that boasted outstanding attack power but was not much help for defense and survival.
'This kid, could he possibly be of the special wind line?'
One possibility flashed across Lee Ru-in's mind.
If this conjecture was correct, then considerable repercussions were expected to arise on account of Han-eol going forward. A strong exclamation mark rose up in Lee Ru-in's head.
The 102nd floor of the Shinseong Group headquarters, located on the Han River waterfront.
"You say there is a possibility that the child is of the wind line?"
Head of the Strategy Division Lee Myeong-u, a member of the group's owner family, stood leaning his backside against the deep chestnut hardwood desk and muttered in his low, deep voice.
The deeply furrowed lines of his brow gave a weighty impression.
Before Lee Myeong-u, the Head of Human Resources Lee Jae-in stood at attention, watching nothing but Lee Myeong-u's mouth.
Tap tap tap.
Lee Myeong-u drummed the desk with his fingertips.
Lee Jae-in kept his lips pressed shut and stayed silent.
A moment later Lee Myeong-u raised his head and asked Lee Jae-in.
"Is the wind line certain?"
Only then did Lee Jae-in part his lips.
"It is not yet certain."
"Hah. You submit a report to me without even confirming precisely?"
Lee Myeong-u let out a hollow laugh.
The ends of Lee Jae-in's hair stood on end.
"I am sorry, Head of the Division. The young master completed his discharge procedures today, so I plan to measure the changes in his stats sometime tomorrow."
Lee Jae-in hastily worked his tongue.
It was as he said. At the Shinseong Group, the interns' stats were measured once before they were sent into the Highland, then measured again after awakening in order to monitor how much each figure had changed.
If it was correct that Han-eol had awakened a wind-line ability, there was every chance that his Speed/Agility stat would have risen sharply.
Lee Jae-in had precisely that point in mind.
Lee Myeong-u agreed with his thinking as well.
"Well, that is not wrong. Most wind-line mages have their speed and agility grow explosively at the moment of awakening. But the phenomenon shown on the Snow Wolf tribe's corpses this time is rather far from the typical wind category, is it not?"
Lee Myeong-u pointed out the blind spot.
The majority of wind-category mages were characterized by butchering their enemies with magic such as Wind Cutter.
If Han-eol were an ability-holder of that line, the Snow Wolves' hides ought to have been ripped to shreds.
"What you say is correct."
Lee Jae-in spread his fingers wide, gripped his glasses frame with his thumb and middle finger and pushed it up, then chimed in with Lee Myeong-u's words.
"I conjecture that the young master has awakened not the general wind line but an ability that finely controls the flow of air."
Lee Jae-in was referring to a domain possible for only a very small minority even among wind-line mages.
Across all the cities of the world, mages who possessed a special ability of this line were rare enough to be counted on ten fingers.
In exchange, this tiny minority of mages operated as truly terrifying assassins and made the people of Mid-Land tremble with fear.
That was because they killed their targets instantly through oxygen deprivation by momentarily wringing out and evaporating the air in the target's nose, mouth, and lungs.
No matter how great a person's lung capacity, before a mage who controlled minute air currents they were like a mouse before a cat.
Since these mages removed every last drop of air from the other's lungs, having large lung capacity carried little meaning.
However, mages of this line merely had superior fine air-control ability compared with ordinary wind mages; the force of their wind itself was not strong.
Accordingly, they were relatively lacking in the knack of pushing at their own backs with wind to increase running speed and agility.
Lee Jae-in was not unaware of this.
"But Head of the Division, according to the group's External Intelligence Team, there are survey results indicating that movement speed increases considerably even with the ability to control only minute air currents."
"Hmm."
Lee Myeong-u folded his arms without a word.
***
"Listen, Head of Human Resources."
Lee Myeong-u, who had paused for a moment, raised his head and met Lee Jae-in's eyes.
"Yes, Head of the Division."
Lee Jae-in lowered his eyes slightly.
Lee Myeong-u's weighty voice bored into Lee Jae-in's ears.
"Certainly the Head of Human Resources' conjecture seems plausible. But you see...... there is no wind line in Shinseong's owner family."
There was no rule that an awakened ability must follow the bloodline. Ability awakening was, if anything, closer to a random draw.
Which is to say that luck mattered more than bloodline.
But in the case of a truly powerful bloodline, it was also true that it exerted some degree of influence on descendants.
Lee Myeong-u was pointing out precisely that.
Lee Jae-in was flustered.
'What is this? Could the Head of the Division be doubting the young master's bloodline?'
The very person who had brought Han-eol to Mid-Land was Lee Jae-in.
And what if Lee Jae-in had brought the wrong person rather than the Head of the Division's blood?
'That cannot be.'
Lee Jae-in swallowed hard.
At that, Lee Myeong-u snickered.
"This man, so easily startled."
"I, I am sorry."
"There is no need to be so startled. I have heard your report well, so go on out now and see to your work."
"Understood. I shall withdraw."
Lee Jae-in bowed his head.
Lee Myeong-u tossed a single remark toward the crown of Lee Jae-in's neatly parted head.
"When the results come out tomorrow, inform me at once."
Hearing this, Lee Jae-in's mind finally settled.
For Lee Myeong-u to take an interest in Han-eol's stats meant, in other words, that Han-eol was Lee Myeong-u's blood.
Lee Jae-in answered in a considerably easier tone.
"I shall report the moment I confirm the results."
"Yes. And information about that child must not leak out under any circumstances, so maintain security thoroughly."
"I will bear it in mind."
Lee Jae-in wiped the cold sweat running down his temples with his palm and left the Division Head's office.
After the Head of Human Resources had left, Lee Myeong-u went over to the window and looked down at the Han River.
Today too the Han River flowed calmly westward.
The river water that flowed through and past Seoul like that, rather than drifting down to the East Sea, rode along the underside of Mid-Land Seoul, which orbited the Earth at an altitude of thirty-six thousand kilometers, came back around eastward, and circulated one full loop toward Gangdong District.
No one could explain how such an abnormal thing was possible.
Lee Myeong-u naturally could not comprehend the principle of the Han River's circulation either.
Frankly, Lee Myeong-u had no interest in it.
"Hahahahaha. Gwahahahaha."
Lee Myeong-u, who had been gazing silently at the river water, suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
'Special wind line? No. It is not that; it will be something else. Gwahahaha.'
The ability Lee Myeong-u surmised Han-eol had was in a field with no relation whatsoever to minute air-current control.
'Demon Spirit Reflux!'
The instant he called this term to mind, Lee Myeong-u's heart pounded and thudded.
What is the reason that pioneering the Highland is so brutally difficult?
It is precisely because of the powerful demon beasts that hold demon spirit stones.
These demon beasts were beings on an entirely different level from ordinary demon beasts.
By handling the immense energy the demon spirit stone gives off, that is, demon spirit energy, they would exhibit destructive power no less than that of Mid-Land's upper-tier ability-holders.
No, if anything the demon beasts' capabilities were far more powerful than those of upper-tier ability-holders. Their numbers were also incomparably greater.
It was because of those very demon beasts that humanity's pioneering of the Highland had been a succession of hardship and defeat.
But several decades ago, an anomaly occurred.
An ability-holder of miracles appeared in the world, one who caused the demon spirit energy that was the source of the demon beasts' power to flow in reverse, killing them instantly in a single stroke.
Her name was Lee Hyeon.
She was the younger sister of Elder Patriarch Lee Cheol, the founder of the Shinseong Group, and the paternal aunt of Lee Gang-hyeon, who currently held the position of Shinseong Group chairman.
Since Lee Myeong-u was Lee Gang-hyeon's second son, Lee Hyeon was his great-aunt.
Although Lee Hyeon had now left the Shinseong Group and been erased from people's minds, there was a time when she had single-handedly borne roughly two thirds of the Shinseong Group's fighting strength as an absolute power.
In the era when Lee Hyeon was actively operating, the Highland's demon beasts would flee in terror at the mere sight of her shadow.
And well they might, for the moment demon beasts crossed Lee Hyeon they either died instantly from the reflux of demon spirit energy or had their demon spirit stones shattered and fell to the level of ordinary animals.
Once Lee Hyeon had cleared out the strong demon beasts, the Shinseong Group would send in follow-up parties and solidify the territory.
As a result, the Shinseong Group seized mana crystal mines, various rare-material excavation sites, and habitats of spirit herbs with irresistible momentum.
On top of that, Lee Hyeon also gathered a staggering quantity of demon spirit stones for the Shinseong Group.
Lee Hyeon's exploits contributed enormously to Mid-Land Seoul's being able to stand shoulder to shoulder with world-class metropolises such as New York, Shanghai, and Osaka today.
***
At the time, the Shinseong Group concealed Lee Hyeon's existence thoroughly. They also kept absolute silence regarding Lee Hyeon's ability.
It was because they feared that ability-holders of other cities keeping Mid-Land Seoul in check might assassinate Lee Hyeon.
In fact, while Lee Hyeon held an absolutely dominant position over demon beasts that depended on demon spirit energy, she was unexpectedly vulnerable to human ability-holders who had nothing to do with demon spirit energy.
So all the more, Lee Cheol hid his younger sister Lee Hyeon away tightly. He treated her as preciously as a jewel held in the bosom, as a treasure beyond price.
But at some point that Lee Hyeon came to feel disillusioned with the conduct of the Shinseong Group's owner family.
Afterward she entered the Highland and severed every tie with her family.
After Lee Hyeon's disappearance, the Shinseong Group's growth weakened noticeably, and even now it had not restored its past glory.
However, these inside circumstances were a secret known to only a very small few even among the group's owner family.
Even Lee Jae-in, Lee Myeong-u's right hand, had no inkling whatsoever about Lee Hyeon and her special ability.
'And to think that child Han-eol has awakened the same ability as my great-aunt. This is truly an enormous thing. Ahahaha.'
Lee Myeong-u could not contain his swelling heart and clenched his fist tight.
Then all at once a trace of unease came over Lee Myeong-u.
'What if that child's ability becomes known to the outside?'
It is dreadful merely to imagine.
'That must not happen.'
Lee Myeong-u shook his head hard.
Long ago, Elder Patriarch Lee Cheol had fretted himself sick to protect his younger sister Lee Hyeon.
And now Lee Myeong-u was set to face a similar dilemma.
Lee Myeong-u had initially concealed Han-eol's existence for political reasons, but now the situation had turned on its head.
Originally Lee Myeong-u had intended to shunt Han-eol into a desk position the moment he awakened an ability and keep him under his own umbrella until a suitable moment came.
'But it has become difficult to do that now. If his characteristics are to be brought into splendid bloom, he must not be kept at a desk job but sent into the Highland.'
What if Han-eol possessed the Demon Spirit Reflux ability like Lee Hyeon?
Then for Han-eol, the Highland, the world of demon beasts, might be safer than Mid-Land Seoul, which teemed with ability-holders.
One more thing.
'My position right now is precarious. Now, when many people in the family are itching to keep me in check, keeping that child under my umbrella could actually be worse. In that case it means I must send the child to the Pioneer Corps, so I will have to find a way to throw up a shield for him there. Hnngh.'
Lee Myeong-u bit his lip in vexation.
No clever solution came to mind right away.
But even so, if he searched, a plan would surface. Lee Myeong-u lightly rapped the hardwood desk with his weighty fist, tap tap tap.
The morning of May 13 dawned. From six in the morning Han-eol was dragged to the Complex Center testing ground and put through the stat tests.
Sprinting at full speed down a rough road with a heavy tire strapped to his waist.
Having his wrist deliberately cut open and the speed at which the wound healed checked.
Waging one-on-one combat against a demon beast inside a hologram.
By the time Han-eol had finished the above three tests, it was seven in the morning. Han-eol went down to the company cafeteria, ate breakfast, and then rested until eight.
Next, from nine in the morning the following tests continued.
Han-eol endured while taking tennis balls that came flying wildly from all directions with his bare body.
Next he sprinted through blazing flames.
He shivered and shook, buried in a pit of ice.
When the instructor administered a neurotoxin injection to Han-eol, Han-eol had to cross a narrow single-log bridge and back in that state.
Han-eol also made it through a maze thick with poison gas.
When he sat in the electric chair and was forcibly electrocuted, curses came out from between Han-eol's teeth.
A short while later, the following test results appeared on the monitor.
Han-eol (Employee No.: 330895)
Category / Previous Score / Current Score / Rate of Increase
Stamina/Endurance / 3 / 6 / +100%
Speed/Agility / 4 / 8 / +100%
Vitality / 8 / 24 / +200%
Attack Power / 2 / 3 / +50%
Defense Power / 6 / 15 / +150%
Fire Resistance / 3 / 6 / +100%
Cold Resistance / 4 / 10 / +150%
Poison Resistance / 6 / 13 / +150%
Lightning Resistance / 3 / 6 / +100%
Mental Strength / 10 / 40 / +300%
For instance, Han-eol's Stamina/Endurance stat had risen to double what it was before he entered the Highland. The rate of increase was 100 percent.
Of course, even so, Han-eol's Stamina/Endurance was 6. It was a mere 1 higher than 5, the average figure for an ordinary adult male.
Meanwhile, Han-eol's Speed/Agility stat was 8, with a rate of increase of 100 percent.
Han-eol now possessed upper-tier agility among adult males, but even so it amounted to nothing more than being on the fast side among ordinary people. Compared with a physical-category ability-holder, Han-eol's agility at a figure of 8 was at the level of a small child.
Han-eol's Attack Power stat was even more wretched.
'A mere 3? Haa.'
Han-eol scrubbed his face dry with his hands in frustration.
Beyond that, the various resistance figures also fell short of Han-eol's expectations.
That was because most of his resistances had increased by around 100 percent, barely reaching the top tier among ordinary people.
However, Cold Resistance had risen by 150 percent.
'Is it thanks to fighting the Snow Wolf tribe? Is that why my cold resistance in particular went up?'
The possibility was ample.
The Snow Wolf tribe did not only give off cold; they held venom in their teeth.
Perhaps because of that influence, Han-eol's Poison Resistance had also risen by 117 percent to hit 13.
'At least the Defense Power and Vitality are passable.'
Han-eol's Defense Power had increased by 150 percent over its level before ability awakening, reaching 15.
He could hardly compare with an ability-holder of good physicals, but even so Han-eol thought it a relief.
'The Vitality is better than that.'
Before awakening, Han-eol's Vitality had been 8.
But now it had hit 24, an increase of no less than 200 percent. Han-eol's Vitality alone belonged to the very top tier among his fellow recruits.
But say what you will, the most notable stat of all was precisely Mental Strength.
Even before awakening Han-eol had received a Mental Strength of 10, the highest across all of humanity, and after awakening this figure had grown to a full 40.
'Is my Mental Strength figure especially high because my ability is connected to souls? Well, not bad.'
Han-eol was satisfied enough in his own way.