When the bus arrived at the Center, the staff who had been waiting for us in advance led the way.

In a solemn atmosphere, the place we were headed for was the Director General’s office in the Center’s Inspection Division.

Judging from the fact that we were meeting the head of the Inspection Division, the odds were high that this was about arresting an ability user who had committed a crime or suppressing a terrorist act, rather than a Gate problem.

Just who committed a crime serious enough to summon S-rank Espers?

For the Inspection Division—famous for refusing outside help—to send out an alert, it had to be a grave matter. There was a good chance this was an incident even more dangerous than an S-rank Gate.

When I looked at Joo Seunghyuk, he smiled as if to say it was fine and rubbed my cheek.

“Let’s go in.”

An employee opened the door, and we stepped into the Director General’s office.

Contrary to my expectation that it would be packed with high-ranking officials and upper-class ability users, the only one in the room was the Director General himself.

Were we the first to arrive?

Though it was disconcerting, I saluted in accordance with the regulations of the Ability User Academy.

“Thank you for coming all the way here.”

The Director General greeted us with a smiling face. Despite the S-rank alert, there was no sign of tension. Was this the composure that came with age and experience...?

“No need to stand and tire your legs—please, sit down.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Thank you.”

Park Geonwoo bowed politely, and I followed his lead. But Joo Seunghyuk didn’t so much as salute or offer thanks—he just sat down on the sofa and went straight to the point.

“What’s the matter?”

Perhaps displeased by his attitude, a crease formed between the Director General’s brows. But Seunghyuk didn’t care in the slightest.

“Sir, I’d like to know as well. What’s going on?”

I posed my own question. Honestly, it was strange for us to be asking. In an S-rank emergency, orders should be issued the moment we arrived at the Center, followed by immediate discussion of how to resolve the situation. This was no time for leisurely greetings and formalities.

I had phrased my words with a fair amount of politeness, yet the Director General’s frown deepened as if even that displeased him.

All we’d done was ask why the alert had been sent, and this was the response? I’d heard rumors about the Inspection Division being authoritarian, but this was worse than expected.

“Sir, please tell us.”

When Park Geonwoo spoke up, the Director General’s expression eased somewhat. Although still a student, Geonwoo was slated to join the Inspection Division. Regardless of his abilities or record, this wouldn’t have been possible without the Director General’s approval.

In other words, Geonwoo was his man, and he was showing leniency to someone in his own circle.

Was it really acceptable for the head of the Inspection Division—who should be more impartial than anyone—to play favorites like this?

In any case, now that his mood had improved, the Director General got straight to the point.

“This morning, there was an attempt to steal Jinhwan.”

“Jinhwan...?”

At his words, my eyes widened before I realized it.

Jinhwan was a national treasure capable of measuring an ability user’s mana and matching rate.

These days, technology allowed for such measurements by machine, but in the past, only Jinhwan could determine an ability user’s mana and matching rate.

Even now, with modern advancements, nothing could match Jinhwan’s precision—especially for S-rank and above, where the discrepancy grew larger.

There were other treasures capable of measurement, but something like Jinhwan, able to measure such vast quantities of mana and matching rates with such accuracy, was rare even worldwide.

Back when the country’s national power was weaker, powerful nations had tried to steal Jinhwan, or demanded it in exchange for economic aid. But the government and people had protected it to the very end, no matter the circumstances.

Its intrinsic ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) value was so great, and the public’s affection for it so strong, that it was called “New National Treasure No. 1.”

In 1993, there had even been an attempt to steal Jinhwan. The leading theory was that North Korea was behind it, but since all the culprits committed suicide, nothing was proven.

After that, security around Jinhwan was strengthened, and as Korea’s international standing rose, there were no longer any nations brazen enough to make veiled threats over the “New National Treasure No. 1.”

And yet now, another group had appeared to target it.

No wonder the S-rank alert had been triggered.

“Is Jinhwan safe?”

When Geonwoo asked, the Director General’s expression hardened.

“I’d like you to confirm that.”

“What do you mean...?”

As I spoke, the Director General’s gaze, which had been fixed on Geonwoo until now, shifted to me.

“Please conduct a mana and matching rate test.”

“What?”

The words came out of nowhere. A mana and matching rate test, all of a sudden? Unable to hide my surprise, I pressed for clarification, and the Director General continued with a serious face.

“During the fight, the culprit’s attack struck toward Jinhwan. It’s possible they infiltrated the testing room from the start with the aim of damaging it rather than stealing it.”

Jinhwan was one of the most accurate mana measuring devices in existence. It didn’t just measure mana and matching rate for abilities—it also provided crucial data for manufacturing heavy industry equipment used by ability users.

It was said that one reason Korea’s ability-user heavy industry had grown so rapidly was because of Jinhwan.

If it were damaged, Korea would inevitably suffer. That made it all the more likely the culprit’s goal was destruction, not theft.

“It appears fine on the surface, but that tells us nothing. There could be internal damage to its functions. That’s why I’d like you S-ranks to perform a mana and matching rate test.”

His reasoning was sound.

If Jinhwan’s condition was to be verified properly, then measuring the mana of the country’s top Espers—like Joo Seunghyuk and Park Geonwoo—was indeed the way to go.

The problem was that Jinhwan had a major limitation: the number of times it could measure mana was restricted. At most, three to five uses per month. Any more and it would overload, risking permanent damage.

For that reason, its use was extremely limited.

If someone measured as S-rank in the Center’s initial test, Jinhwan would be used for more precise verification. It could also be used when an ability user reawakened, or to check the matching rate between high-level Espers and Guides at the Center. Outside of those cases, it was almost never allowed.

Occasionally it was used to check the accuracy of newly developed measuring devices, but even then, they had to wait until Jinhwan’s usage quota allowed it—and only domestic companies could request it, at an enormous fee.

I’d only been tested with Jinhwan twice myself: once, a month after my initial ability-user test at the Center when my mana score came out high, and again when I did a matching rate test with Park Geonwoo. That had been back in middle school...

It had been an enormous privilege for a non–Center staff member to undergo a matching rate test with Jinhwan, but I hadn’t been particularly grateful.

At the time, the Center had made a major blunder and was taking heat from public opinion; they’d used my matching rate with Geonwoo to divert attention, going so far as to use Jinhwan.

Because the Center issued a press release bragging that it was a “high matching rate certified by Jinhwan,” the dating rumors about us had only intensified.

In any case, since both Geonwoo and I were S-rank and had previous Jinhwan matching rate results, we were the perfect candidates to check for abnormalities.

Even so, something about it left a bad taste in my mouth.

At that point, the silent Seunghyuk finally spoke.

“This is what qualifies as an S-rank emergency?”

A smirk played at his lips. His attitude—flinging courtesy toward his superiors to the wind—made the Director General’s face contort. But regardless of demeanor, I agreed with him.

I acknowledged that Jinhwan was a priceless treasure, and that it was only natural for an S-rank alert to be issued if someone targeted it.

But this wasn’t a situation where we needed to guard the treasure on the spot or chase down the culprits immediately. An S-rank alert for a matching rate test? Serious, yes, but not an emergency.

“Do you realize what you’re saying? Of course it’s an emergency! This is a challenge to the Republic of Korea! A plot to destroy our ability-user system! Whoever the culprit is, it’s an unforgivable crime!”

The Director General’s roar was loud enough to make my ears ring.

“We have to catch them as soon as possible. To do that, we need to know their goal exactly! Were they trying to steal Jinhwan, or destroy it? The investigation’s direction changes completely depending on that! Every second counts!”

“How very petty.”

The smirk on Seunghyuk’s face deepened. Even before the Director General—who wielded power surpassing the Center’s director—he showed not the slightest sign of deference. I’d thought he’d softened a lot lately, but in moments like this, it seemed he hadn’t changed at all.

And yet... somehow, he didn’t scare me anymore.

“Besides, Lee Yeonsu is my Guide. He will not be doing a matching rate test with some other bastard.”

“What! In this situation, that’s what you have to say? This is about a national treasure!”

The Director General bellowed. Even for someone like Seunghyuk, crossing the Inspection Division’s head was hardly beneficial. I hurriedly took his hand and bowed my head respectfully.

“I will follow your instructions, sir.”

“As expected, Guide Lee Yeonsu is reasonable. You’ve been bright and patriotic since you were young—unlike someone.”

I hated being used to insult someone else—especially if the comparison was to Seunghyuk.

“Esper Joo Seunghyuk is also a hero of the Republic of Korea, second to none.”

The moment I sided with Seunghyuk, the Director General’s face crumpled again, and Park Geonwoo’s expression stiffened as well, though less severely.

“I have something to discuss with Esper Park Geonwoo. Please step outside for now.”

We were being dismissed. In the past, I would’ve apologized reflexively, regardless of fault, just to smooth things over.

But now, I didn’t want to. Bowing once, I prepared to leave with Seunghyuk—when the Director General added one last remark.

“And conduct a matching rate test with Esper Joo Seunghyuk as well. We’ll need S-rank to S-rank data to check Jinhwan for abnormalities.”

“...Understood.”