“We are absolutely going to be keeping this a secret from dad,” Evangeline stated firmly.

“He’d probably tell us not to interfere in other people's business without reason,” Willow said with a serious face, even though they were in the middle of doing so.

“He’d only said that because he was worried about us in his own way,” Super Ribbon added.

Of course, Davey had said and done things to keep Evangeline and the others from becoming obsessed with power and going down the wrong path, but that wasn’t what mattered to the three sisters.

“First, let's break this down. Super Ribbon!” Willow called out. “Your friend, Bae Seung-Woo, was betrayed by the person he loved. That’s the gist, right?”

The situation alone was enough to make anyone who heard the story furious.

“There are two things we need to coldly analyze. First, we need to figure out if this story of his is actually true.”

“Willow...” 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

“Just keep quiet for a bit. I got carried away in the moment and spoke some dramatics, but objectively speaking, it’s unreasonable to judge the situation just based entirely on his words.”

“What's the other thing, Sis?

“We have to determine how we’ll go about it. If it’s actually true and we decide to help, what exactly should we do?”

“Sis, can’t we just take that guy’s Awakened power away like with that other guy last time?”

“I don’t plan on recklessly infringing on Neltarid's authority. Also, isn’t he supposedly an S-rank? At the very least, he must already contain some power worthy of approaching S-rank.”

“Is that important?”

“Ummm. It’s kinda hard to explain but...” Willow clutched her head, groaning before answering, “S-ranks are a standard humans created. But in a way, it was the range Neltarid permitted to protect Earth. Interfering with that would mean directly confronting Neltarid. Hold on... why am I accommodating their circumstances?”

She frowned, dumbfounded by her own thoughts. “Even so, it’s easier for me to retrieve the power of lower-ranked Awakened. Arbitrarily taking an S-rank's power isn’t easy for me.”

That was because he would’ve already gained a lot of possibilities.

“Super Ribbon, what do you want to do?”

“I want to help him. He helped me a lot whenever I was in trouble in the past.”

Bae Seung-Woo, a good-natured man, never hesitated to help others even when he was in a difficult situation.

“It’s just too cruel for such a good person to be treated like this...”

Willow sighed at her words.

“I need to find out the truth first.”

Just as she spoke, numerous cats appeared by her side.

“Fuuuuudge. Of all times, it had to be now.”

“Do you have to go back?”

“Yeah, it seems like there’s a problem. Just wait until I get back. I mean it, don't you two do anything reckless and cause trouble. I really don’t know what I’ll have to do if you mess this up.”

As Willow prepared to return to her sanctuary, Yuriana smiled. “Miss, might we take care of that part?”

“The Gourmet Research Society wants to do it?”

“Yes! A little infiltration won’t be hard for us. We always need a lot of information for the ultimate gourmet research, after all. They say a recipe is a secret even to your daughter-in-law, right?”

“No way. Did you steal someone's secret or something?”

“Not at all! All we did was taste a little and come back.”

‘Are they a gourmet research society or an intelligence agency?’

It sounded like their antics were enough to make even Aina Helishana, who worked for an intelligence agency, shake her head.

The situation was absurd, but seeing how confident they were, she decided to let them do what they wanted for now.

“Okay, fine. But if things go south, don’t do anything reckless and just pull back. If we get caught, Dad will have to go through a bunch of trouble to fix it. I don’t intend to leave any kind of stain on his life,” Willow spoke resolutely, then vanished.

“Super Ribbon,” Evangeline said. “Do you think Dad would be annoyed if he finds out what we want to do?”

“Hmm. I don’t know, honestly. I don’t think he’ll really care, but let's listen to Willow. After all, she isn’t exactly wrong.”

“Alright, then shall we get going? We'll just do a little light reconnaissance. It's a simple task of bringing back the necessary information.”

* * *

Park Ji-Hoon, the man Jeong Min-Ah dumped Bae Seung-Woo for, had practically grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth. While it hadn't been long since his family gained considerable power and wealth, it was nonetheless true that they had rapidly risen and were soaring in value during that relatively short period they'd existed.

“Do your damn jobs right! You think I'm paying you for nothing?!”

Thwack!!

He kicked the shin of a man who was bowing his head, and the man's expression twisted sharply as his body doubled over. “Ugh.”

“Make sure that bastard can’t even rest without us breathing down his neck.”

“B-but... if we pressure him any more, the association won’t just stand by.”

“The association? You think those guys will even care about us? They’re already swamped with troublemakers everywhere, so they don’t have time to worry about every single thing.” He snickered briefly and turned his head.

‘Besides, a bill to reduce the association's authority is going to be proposed in the National Assembly soon.’

He believed that power was the core of all worldly affairs. No matter how big a problem the world faced, those with power always had a tendency to reassert themselves and solidify their position.

The biggest variable was the Saint of Tionis, who was connected to the association, but since he wasn't directly clashing with the association, he figured there wouldn't be a big problem.

‘He’s not someone who’s interested in small-time guilds like this guy’s.’

“It’s best to just avoid a natural disaster like that.”

When he walked into the reception room with a leisurely stride, he saw a woman waiting for him in luxurious clothing.

“Hey.”

“Ah! Senior,” the woman said with a start.

“I told you to stop calling me that.”

“Should I call you Ji-Hoon oppa then?”

“That... isn’t bad.”

He sat down with a grin, and she rose seductively, settled on his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “So, Ji-Hoon. How’s the thing you’re working on going?”

“What could possibly go wrong? It’s going well. Don't you worry about a thing. The moment you became my woman, no one can touch you. All you have to do is to climb the ranks and become a high-level Awakened.”

In many countries, including Korea, high-level Awakened individuals were treated exceptionally well because they were the primary military force capable of stopping monsters.

“But I still don’t have enough mana to raise my rank any higher...”

“Stop worrying. We’re just putting your name up first to bypass that. We’ll use the guild's name to designate you as A-rank, and then we’ll raise your rank with elixirs or by letting you take all the resources next time.”

“Really?!”

“Of course! When it comes to Awakened ranks, everything can be controlled with wealth, except for those few freaks with insane talent. So don't worry, you’ll be A-rank soon enough.”

“But what if I don’t...”

“Tsk. Why are you so worried? Who’s even going to say anything if you don’t? It’s fine, it’s not like you’re going anywhere. If you stay by my side, no one will know even if you aren’t a qualified A-rank.”

“R-really? Can I trust you, Ji-Hoon?”

“...Y-yeah. Just trust this oppa.”

Jeong Min-Ah, seemingly pleased, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He kept up his pleasant smile as he left the room.

“I need to sort out your A-rank evaluation documents today. So, take it easy for the rest of the afternoon, and let's have dinner together tonight.”

“Okay! I’ll be waiting!”

As soon as he closed the door and stepped out of the reception room, the smile disappeared from his face. “Damn, she’s annoying as hell. I was just going to mess around with her for a bit, and now she's hitting me with twenty questions. What a suspicious little bitch.”

Just as he brushed something off his body, a female secretary nearby approached and handed him something.

“Is this what needs to be done today?”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Hmm?” Park Ji-Hoon looked at the young woman with a puzzled expression. “I’ve never seen your face before.”

“I was promoted to the secretarial position just a few days ago. My name is Yoo Na. I look forward to working with you.”

He was surprised to hear it. “What’s your family name?”

“My family name is Yoo, and my given name is Na.”

“That’s quite a unique name. Follow me, we have a lot to do today. I hope you received proper handover training.”

“Of course! I will do my best to assist you without any issues.”

“Good. Oh, right. I clearly remembered telling the others to deal with that Bae Seung-Woo or whatever his name was,” he told her.

“Yes, Young Master. A report just came in saying he was handled just as you instructed. Would you like a report on his current condition?”

“Don’t bother. Honestly, how those day-to-day commoners ruin themselves is none of my business. He’s just a little entertainment to me.”

“Entertainment...?” she asked, confused.

“Stop with the nonsense and just follow me. Also, don’t go telling anyone what you hear here.”

Yuna smiled quietly and bowed her head. Then, a blue spirit's energy briefly appeared behind her before swooshing away and vanishing.

At the same time, someone sneakily entered the building’s server room.

Tap. Tap.

A small girl tiptoed with her feet wrapped only in white bandages, showing no concern whatsoever. She walked steadily inside, lightly fluttering her tiny wings.

She then brought a finger to the database’s main server with a tsunami of wires coming out of it.

Particles gathered, forming a special device on the back of her hand. She took the wire from it and connected it to the server.

“Synchronization initiated. Rinne evaluates her information gathering ability highly.” Enormous amounts of text flashed through her pupils. “Optical camouflage engaged.”