How to Take Revenge as an Academy Scoundrel

Chapter 35. The Talent

– Thud!

Kim Dojin finally halted his sprint, scanning the surroundings.

Inside the research facility, the very scene of the crime.

As expected, Lee Jinryul, Yoon Yuna, and Dokgo Soo were locked in a fierce battle against the villains.

Coincidentally, Yoon Yuna and Dokgo Soo had just returned from the restroom when they heard Lee Jinryul speak of a flanking maneuver, and they bravely decided to join him.

‘Hmm…’

Lee Jinryul was indeed revealing the hidden strength he had kept under wraps, single-handedly facing off against ten villains.

But Yoon Yuna and Dokgo Soo could not match that.

Dokgo Soo was managing to hold his ground against two villains, yet Yoon Yuna found herself in dire straits against what appeared to be the leader of the villains.

Thanks to her self-buff, she was not at a disadvantage in a one-on-one fight, but suddenly, one of the henchmen had joined in to seize the hostage.

‘This is dangerous!’

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Kim Dojin’s eyes flashed as he activated his powers.

He caused the ground beneath the leader villain, Jeong Gi-seok, to suddenly sink.

“What the!”

Jeong Gi-seok lost his balance as the earth gave way beneath him, dropping to one knee.

“Ugh!”

Because Kim Dojin had activated his powers from such a distance, Jeong Gi-seok had no inkling of what had transpired.

So, he merely attempted to rise and attack Yoon Yuna once more.

But it was too late.

– Clang!

Lee Jinryul had subdued nine of the villains and was now rushing to save Yoon Yuna.

“Damn it!”

Realizing he was truly doomed, Jeong Gi-seok attempted to flee, intent on saving himself.

Yet he could not escape the grip of Lee Jinryul, who had unleashed his full power.

—

“Crack!”

Jeong Gi-seok was soon subdued by Lee Jin-ryul, and from a distance, Kim Do-jin watched the scene with an intrigued glint in his eyes.

‘Interesting. To save an innocent citizen, he reveals the hidden power he possesses?’

Though the true nature of this power remained a mystery, it didn’t seem to belong to a villain.

‘Hmm…’

Kim Do-jin found himself pondering what kind of person this was, but quickly shook his head.

Now was not the time for such thoughts.

‘Anyway, it’s a relief.’

Having confirmed that all threats had vanished, Kim Do-jin turned back the way he had come.

Once again, he had saved Yoon Yu-na from danger, but he had no intention of taking credit for it this time either.

Previously, it was because Yoon Yu-na disliked this vessel of Kim Do-jin, but now he wondered if perhaps Yoon Yu-na had feelings for Lee Jin-ryul.

“The meddler should take their leave now.”

Kim Do-jin muttered to himself as he gracefully departed.

* * *

“Are you okay?”

Before long, having subdued all the enemies, Lee Jin-ryul approached Yoon Yu-na, extending his hand.

“Uh, I’m fine….”

Yoon Yu-na, who had been sprawled on the ground, took Lee Jin-ryul’s hand and pulled herself up.

She expressed her gratitude for his help, but somehow, her gaze was not directed at him.

It was true that she was safe thanks to Lee Jin-ryul, but there was someone else she felt she should thank.

‘Where could he be?’

Yoon Yu-na was certain that the one who had caused the ground to collapse and topple Jeong Gi-seok was none other than Kim Do-jin.

‘Rock manipulation’ wasn’t a common ability, and it was just like Kim Do-jin to vanish after making such a significant contribution.

‘……!’

After searching for a while, Yoon Yu-na finally spotted Kim Do-jin and her eyes widened in surprise.

“…….”

Kim Do-jin was indeed moving away from the laboratory as if he had offered no help at all, and Yoon Yu-na stared at his retreating figure with wide, round eyes for quite some time.

* * *

Before long, time passed, and night fell.

The villainous crimes that had occurred at the National Mage Science Institute were perfectly suppressed by the Special Defense Agency, and all the students of ‘Ark’ returned safely to the dormitory of ‘Ark’.

“Ha. I’ve gotten myself tangled in some ridiculous affair.”

As soon as Kim Do-jin returned to the dormitory, he flopped onto the sofa, letting his body sag.

He turned on the TV while petting Winter, who had come over, nuzzling against him with a playful charm.

[Breaking news. This afternoon, a group of villainous organizations staged a hostage situation at the National Mage Science Institute, attempting to seize an S-class magical stone…]

The news was, unsurprisingly, focused on the incident at the National Mage Science Institute.

However, intriguingly, the coverage of Lee Jin-ryul’s exploits had been significantly downplayed.

In reality, Lee Jin-ryul had single-handedly taken down nearly all the villains, yet the news portrayed it as if the efforts of Lee Jin-ryul, Yoon Yu-na, and Dokgo Soo were nearly equal.

‘If it’s revealed that a Korean student possesses overwhelming skills compared to foreign students at Arc, the media wouldn’t just let it slide. But if this is how it’s being reported… does that mean there’s been information control?’

It was hard to think otherwise.

But then, who could have orchestrated such a thing, and how?

“Hmm…”

If he were to compile the information he had gathered so far, it seemed that the connection to the ‘Special Defense Agency’ was the most significant.

‘Could it be that they’ve planted a secret agent?’

Kim Do-jin leaned toward that possibility, but even if that were the case, he still found it difficult to speculate on their true intentions.

‘What’s happening at Arc?’

He pondered various hypotheses afterward but ultimately shook his head, unable to find an answer.

‘Well, as long as it doesn’t harm me, I suppose it doesn’t matter too much.’

With that thought settled, Kim Do-jin picked up the smartphone he had set aside.

He began to search for the things he had been curious about since the museum.

‘I have a rough idea of the principles, but how was it first invented?’

Driven by pure curiosity, he delved into the research achievements in the field of mage science that had emerged while he was away from Earth.

But during that search…

“Huh?”

Suddenly, a paper caught his eye.

‘This is…!’

The content of the paper was groundbreaking enough to leave Kim Do-jin in awe, and what was even more intriguing was that the academic community’s evaluation of it was rather poor.

‘To think such a genius has been overlooked…’

With a glimmer of excitement, Kim Do-jin began to dig for information about the author, convinced it was a golden opportunity.

* * *

In a park located in Gwanak-gu, Seoul.

“Haah….”

A woman wearing black horn-rimmed glasses sat on a bench, letting out a deep sigh from the early morning.

“It’s so suffocating….”

Muttering to herself, her shoulders drooped. Her name was Yoo Eun-ah.

At just 24 years old, she was a prodigious mage engineer, a talent who had recently joined the magical engineering research and development company, “Archive,” part of the renowned “Astral Group.”

“Archive” boasted the nation’s top-tier magical engineering research facilities and technology, a place that countless mage engineers dreamed of—a veritable pinnacle for those in the field.

When Yoo Eun-ah first joined “Archive,” she was overjoyed, but that joy had long since faded.

The work she was doing was far removed from her dreams.

“Why can’t they understand?”

She had fervently believed that her ideas would advance magical engineering technology worldwide, yet astonishingly, all her groundbreaking proposals lay neglected, gathering dust in a folder.

Her excessive genius sometimes led to leaps in logic that others found incomprehensible, but the rampant corruption within her department, steeped in corporate politics, played a significant role as well.

“No, it’s not just that they don’t understand; they probably don’t even want to.”

In any case, Yoo Eun-ah’s brilliance was not shining at “Archive,” and she had been pondering for a long time what to do about it.

“I’d rather work alone. But I don’t have the funds for that… It’s not like something will just fall from the sky, right?”

Though she knew that was unlikely, surprisingly, it was not entirely out of the question.

“Yoo Eun-ah?”

Startled by a man’s voice calling her name, she turned her head.

“Yes?”

She scrutinized the man’s appearance, wondering who could possibly know her name and face well enough to find her in a park near her home.

“Wow…”

In that moment, her mouth fell slightly open without her realizing it.

The man possessed an astonishingly striking appearance.

Dressed in a neat suit, he had black hair and ruby-red eyes, with a tall stature and strikingly pale skin.

“I apologize for coming unannounced. My name is Kim Do-jin.”

While Yoo Eun-ah stood there momentarily dazed, the man, Kim Do-jin, offered a polite greeting.

“Yes? Oh, yes. Nice to meet you. But what brings you to me…?”

Now coming to her senses, Yoo Eun-ah inquired about his purpose, and Kim Do-jin spoke directly, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“I’ve come to extend a scouting offer to you, Yoo Eun-ah. If you’re willing, would you like to hear more?”

At his words, Yoo Eun-ah’s eyes widened in surprise.

Though she had the ability that had allowed her to join “Archive,” she hadn’t yet proven herself enough to receive a scouting offer.

“Really?”

So, foolishly, she asked again, but Kim Do-jin still wore a gentle smile as he replied.

“Yes. First, let’s take a look at this.”

He set the black bag down beside him, deftly unfastening the lock with a sharp click before opening it wide.

“Th-these are…”

As Yoo Eun-ah slowly examined the contents of the bag, astonishment crept across her face.

Inside, five different types of magical stones were neatly secured, each one worth an astronomical sum, and beyond their price, they were items nearly impossible to procure.

And most astonishing of all was that these magical stones were the very core materials for the invention Yoo Eun-ah had longed to create.

“Why are you giving this to me…?”

With a look of bewilderment, Yoo Eun-ah asked the question, and Kim Do-jin closed the bag with a firm snap as he answered.

“I was deeply impressed by your research paper. While many raised questions about its feasibility, no one truly assessed the potential it holds if realized. Thus, I decided to invest. Would you be able to complete this research for our company?”

At his words, Yoo Eun-ah stared at Kim Do-jin, her mind momentarily blank.

Had anyone ever truly listened to her ideas and recognized their worth before?

“…”

Overwhelmed with surprise, she found herself speechless, yet her heart had already crossed the threshold.

Moreover, the contract Kim Do-jin handed her contained terms that were impossible to refuse.

“Are you really granting me such authority and status?”

After reviewing the contract, Yoo Eun-ah asked, and Kim Do-jin nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Yes. Wouldn’t it be necessary for Yoo Eun-ah’s capabilities to be fully realized?”

“…”

At just 24 years old, with no significant achievements to her name, she couldn’t fathom how he could recognize her potential and offer such an extraordinary deal.

Fearing she might miss her chance, Yoo Eun-ah quickly nodded and responded to Kim Do-jin.

“Yes! I will sign the contract. But…”

It felt like a question she didn’t need to ask, yet her curiosity got the better of her.

“How do you trust me enough to invest like this…?”

In response, Kim Do-jin smiled as if it were nothing.

“Honestly, it’s a decision made after assessing the possibilities in my own way… but I’d say it’s simply due to my ability to recognize talent.”

His answer was strikingly different from what Yoo Eun-ah had expected, yet it exceeded her hopes.

“…”

Yoo Eun-ah was utterly captivated by Kim Do-jin, who had acknowledged and recognized her abilities, and she felt an overwhelming urge to show him her results immediately.

So, before anything else, I wanted to know exactly who he was.

“Um, excuse me… but which organization does Kim Do-jin belong to…?”

At Yu Eun-ah’s cautiously thrown question, Kim Do-jin replied with an unruffled expression.

“Oh, I’m a first-year student in Class 1 at the Private Jinseong Hero High School.”