Instant Kill, Time-Stop Spellcaster

“H-Hey, how do you have this?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“This is an item!”

An item.

A relic imbued with divine power through the system.

Also referred to as a treasure.

Especially non-consumable equipment items—those were extremely rare.

Even thinking about obtaining anything below D-rank was a pipe dream.

C-rankers might manage to acquire at least one low-grade item.

But C-rank itself was already a major threshold—where the number of Awakeners dropped significantly.

That alone spoke volumes about the rarity of items.

And yet, a mere civilian possessing an item?

The surrounding students murmured.

“An item? Aren’t those ridiculously expensive?”

“Wow, no wonder. It looks amazing!”

“You idiot, items aren’t expensive just because they look nice.”

On top of that, the effect was incredible.

Yang Su-jin read the system window in front of her, still in disbelief.

[Garam Butterfly Wing Earrings]

[A pair of earrings that can be worn by two people.

Allows the wearer to send an emergency signal to the other, regardless of distance.]

Beautiful appearance.

And a highly useful effect, even for a civilian.

A perfect item to make wealthy collectors lose their minds.

If auctioned, it would fetch an astronomical price.

“W-Where did you get this!? Did you steal it?”

“What? Watch your mouth, Yang Su-jin.”

“If not, then how does a civilian have an item!?”

No one was more flustered than Su-bin.

She knew that items were considered treasures.

Even she couldn’t wrap her head around it.

“How did my brother even get this?”

She had seen the flower basket in the living room yesterday.

Flowers sent by Seonghwa.

“But… isn’t he just a regular employee? Would Seonghwa even hand out items to ordinary staff…?”

That didn’t make sense.

No matter how much she thought about it, it just didn’t add up.

Instead, when Su-jin accused her of stealing, a wave of anxiety surged through her.

Had something gone terribly wrong?

“…O-My brother gave it to me as a gift.”

“Your brother?”

“Whoa, is your brother an Awakener?”

“If you have an Awakener in your family, do they just give out items as gifts? That’s insane.”

As the murmurs grew louder, Su-jin exploded.

“That’s ridiculous! What kind of lunatic gifts something this rare to their sibling? What, is your brother some B-rank or A-rank Awakener!?”

The moment she shouted, Su-jin flinched.

The situation had turned against her.

Now, she was making it seem like Su-bin was either a liar or a thief.

“I have to see this through to the end.”

She had enough leverage.

It was common sense—this situation didn’t add up.

“Judging from her reaction, she’s hiding something. I’ll corner her until she transfers schools.”

Dozens of students were now staring at them.

Both Su-jin and Su-bin trembled slightly, overwhelmed by vague fear.

And then, a male student broke the silence with an absurd question.

“What if Su-bin’s brother is actually some crazy high-ranking Awakener? Like someone from a top 10 guild?”

“Do you even hear yourself!? You think a top 10 guild is your family dog’s name!?”

“I-I mean, it’s possible… chill out, why are you snapping at me….”

“If you don’t know anything, shut up! Do you have any idea how hard I worked just to get into Gwangmyeong!? And you’re talking about a top 10 guild!?”

Su-bin, who had been shrinking back in fear, instinctively blurted out:

“M-My brother works at Seonghwa.”

“Seonghwa? You mean that Seonghwa? Are you serious?”

“Whoa! That’s insane!”

Some students just cheered excitedly.

But overall, the reaction wasn’t great.

Especially for Yang Su-jin.

“Pfft! Seonghwa? Third-ranked Seonghwa? Are you messing with me, Su-bin?”

Now she was outright pushing her into a corner.

She was convinced that Su-bin was lying.

“She probably thought Seonghwa was just some random name~”

“Hey, Su-jin, don’t go too far…. Maybe she just misunderstood something.”

“Do you even know how many Awakeners Seonghwa has in Korea? Less than 200! And you’re saying your family is one of them?”

“….”

“No wonder you’ve been acting nervous this whole time… You did steal it, didn’t you?”

Of course, Su-bin probably hadn’t actually stolen anything.

But Su-jin was pressing her, hoping to force a confession.

“N-No!”

“Then prove it!”

Su-bin couldn’t handle the pressure anymore.

Almost as if possessed, she called her brother.

She needed to escape this situation.

Beep—

The call connected.

<“Yeah? What’s up? I’m working right now.”>

Everyone focused on the phone.

Su-bin turned the volume to max.

“O-Oppa. You know those earrings….”

<“Hang on, the guild master’s calling me.”>

“The guild master?”

<“Stay on the line.”>

A moment of muffled conversation followed.

Then:

<“It was nothing major. What’s up?”>

“Oppa, are you with Seonghwa’s guild master right now?”

<“No, Gwangmyeong’s guild master.”>

“Huh? O-Oppa, aren’t you with Seonghwa…?”

<“I am, but I’m out on an external assignment. Why?”>

When he asked about her reason for calling, she hesitated.

Desperately searching for an excuse, she blurted out something she’d heard earlier.

“Oh, um… my friend is in Gwangmyeong, so I was just curious….”

<“Oh, really? Your friend’s in Gwangmyeong? Is Gwangmyeong a good guild?”>

Yang Su-jin flinched.

Something felt off.

<“Oh, hang on. The Gwangmyeong guild master wants to talk to you.”>

“Huh? Who?”

<“The guild master.”>

The voice on the other end changed.

A deep, older man’s voice came through.

<“Aigoo~ Miss! Hello! This is the Gwangmyeong Guild Master! I hear your friend is one of our guild members?”>

A high-ranking person had just entered the conversation out of nowhere.

“U-Uh, yes…?”

<“Oh my, your brother has been a huge help to us! If not for him, we would’ve been in serious trouble!”>

Shockingly deferential.

Like he was trying to win favor with Su-bin’s brother.

Was this really the guild master?

Su-bin glanced at Su-jin.

Seeing her pale face, she knew the voice was authentic.

<“What’s your friend’s name? I’ll personally look after them!”>

Panicked, Su-jin sprang forward.

“M-Me! Trainee Group 5, F-rank, Yang Su-jin!”

Her posture was stiff with formality.

Was this what a guild was like?

<“Ah, you’re Su-jin!>

“S-Sujin…?”

<“Hahaha, Su-jin! Why so nervous? We’ve always been on good terms, right? The guild takes good care of you, doesn’t it?”>

“Y-Yes, sir….”

<“Let’s meet at HQ sometime! Be sure to stay close friends, alright?”>

“Y-Yes, sir!”

<“I mean it. Stay close.”>

The call switched back.

Her brother’s voice returned.

<“He’s a cheerful guy. Anyway, why’d you call?”>

“…Just to say thanks for the earrings.”

<“Got it. Don’t lose them—they’re expensive.”>

“How Expensive Is It?”

“Where did you get something so expensive, oppa?”

“…Really?”

“No, it’s nothing. You said you were busy, right? Keep working hard.”

As expected of siblings, their conversation was equally curt and indifferent.

But that one phone call hinted at a lot.

“Mm. Thanks.”

Click.

The call ended.

Immediately, the classroom erupted into chaos.

“Oooohhh~!”

“That’s insane!”

“Subin, do you have a picture of your brother?”

“Wait, no way, is he really that Seonghwa? Holy shit!”

“Ah, ask about his Awakener rank!”

“Shit, what if he’s like… just B-rank or something?”

“Yang Sujin, was that really your guild master just now?”

Yang Sujin flinched.

“Uh, y-yeah….”

Her voice had no energy.

Her face was pale.

“Hey, Yang Sujin, your life is set, isn’t it? Your guild master was practically groveling to Subin’s brother. If Subin just says one word—”

“Shut up for a second!”

Yang Sujin screeched.

Everyone froze.

Silence instantly fell over the room.

Her once pale face was now burning red.

In the suffocating stillness, she looked lost, as if she didn’t know what to do with herself.

Then, Subin broke the quiet.

“Sujin.”

“…Yeah?”

“My brother really is Seonghwa.”

“……Yeah.”

“I didn’t steal the earrings.”

“………Yeah.”

At that, a close friend chimed in.

“Hey! Aren’t you gonna apologize?”

“………Sorry.”

And just like that, as if nothing had happened, Sujin turned and walked out of the classroom.

For a long time, Subin was swarmed by her classmates, bombarded with questions.

“Do you have any other Awakeners in your family? Is it genetic?”

“Subin, Subin! Why didn’t you tell us earlier? That’s so mean~”

“How much does Seonghwa make a year?”

“Seonghwa is insane these days! His anomaly detection skill puts him on par with the number one ranker!”

A noisy atmosphere—something Subin hated.

Yet strangely, an unexplainable sense of satisfaction filled her.

And all day long, she could feel it—Yang Sujin, who used to approach her just to put her down, was now avoiding her.

“Karma’s a bitch, huh?”

“…Yeah.”

Subin smiled faintly.

###

On the way back after evaluating all the dungeons in Gwangmyeong—

“Whoa~ Your sister’s voice is like a string of pearls! You should have her become a singer!”

“Yeah, sure.”

Kang Hyun replied halfheartedly, checking his phone messages.

It was from Subin.

“Huh?”

Hadn’t she already thanked him earlier?

‘She must really like the earrings.’

So jewelry really was the way to a girl’s heart these days.

“You look like you just won the lottery, sir.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Ahem, ahem.”

Kang Hyun typed a reply.

The response came instantly.

<ㅗ>

(T.L Note :- “ㅗ” is used as an emoticon or symbol to express anger or frustration.)

“Heh.”

He put his phone away.

###

The President of the United States read the report and let out a low sigh.

“Hoo… It’s real.”

“We need to secure EX as soon as possible.”

EX—the term used for a Perfect Awakener.

“How fast are anomalous dungeons appearing in the U.S.?”

“They’re accelerating. Soon, they’ll reach critical levels and impact global operations.”

“What about other countries?”

“Developed nations are implementing internal countermeasures.”

The dungeon anomalies were no longer just Korea’s problem—they had become a global threat.

“Any alternative solutions?”

“The Seonghwa Guild’s method is only temporary.”

Investigations revealed that their approach relied on visual inspection.

But a single person could only do so much.

They were merely buying time for Korea.

“EX, however, is different. If he perfectly clears an E-rank dungeon, the anomalies within a 100km radius are completely nullified.”

“How is that even possible…? Has Korea realized this yet?”

“Not definitively.”

“Then for now, contact the Korean government and propose a meeting.”

Originally, the plan to naturalize EX into the U.S. was long-term.

They had to ensure he didn’t feel pressured.

Eventually, with enough time, he would naturally gravitate toward America—the global hub of Awakeners.

But now, they were out of time.

“Don’t reveal anything about the E-rank blessing if possible.”

“Understood.”

“Offer him everything. Spare no expense to bring him in.”

“Yes, sir.”

Even the F-rank blessing had incredible benefits.

The E-rank blessing was on a whole different level.

And the blessings beyond that…?

‘Perfect Awakening isn’t about progress—it’s about something far greater.’

The U.S. President.

A man who stood at the pinnacle of the world instinctively understood—

‘The country that secures EX will rule this century.’

His eyes gleamed coldly.