A week passed.
And within just one week...
Kim's name began to spread.
But not in the way everyone had expected.
"That lucky commoner."
"The boy hiding behind Leon."
"The crazy creditor."
The rumors were many.
But Kim...
Didn't care.
Because he was busy with something else.
Gathering information.
Who eats with whom.
Who hates whom.
Who owes whom.
Who loves whom.
Who covets what.
In the eyes of others...
The academy was a school.
But in Kim's eyes...
It was a small city.
And every city...
Has a market.
And every market...
Has a currency.
But the real currency here...
Was not points.
It was people.
Meanwhile...
Ralph was gritting his teeth.
His followers who had signed the contracts...
Had begun executing Kim's orders.
Not because they liked him.
But because they feared him.
And that...
Was what made Ralph even angrier.
> "You bastard..."
>
He struck the table forcefully.
> "I will crush you!"
>
But suddenly...
His grandfather entered.
*BOOM!*
The door slammed against the wall.
Even Ralph was startled.
Because the old man's face...
Was terrifying.
Then, he slapped him.
*BAM!!*
Ralph's eyes widened.
For the first time in his life...
His grandfather had struck him.
Then, he grabbed him by his clothes.
> "You fool!"
>
> "Do you want to get our family killed?!"
>
Ralph trembled.
> "Grandfather..."
>
But the old man shouted in rage:
> "Listen to me closely!"
>
> "From today onward..."
>
> "If you see Kim..."
>
> "Bow."
>
Ralph froze.
> "What?!"
>
> "Bow!"
>
> "And apologize!"
>
Ralph's eyes widened.
As for the old man...
His hands were shaking.
Because...
He was remembering.
Eighty years ago.
When he was just a young boy.
When he saw that man.
The man who made even kings tremble.
The man from the ancient book.
Kim...
The Black Outworlder.
But...
That was impossible.
Impossible.
Right?
And in another place...
Inside the Tower of Knowledge.
On the fourth floor.
The woman with the silver eyes was reading a book.
Then, she stopped.
And closed her eyes.
> "It has begun."
>
Behind her...
Thousands of books were floating in the air.
But only one book...
Was open.
And on the page...
Kim's picture appeared.
Then, new words manifested on their own.
[The new player has entered the board.]
The woman opened her eyes.
Then, she whispered sadly:
> "I hope..."
>
> "The end will be different this time."
>
Meanwhile, back at the academy...
Kim was sitting under a tree.
Reading a book.
Until his shadow stopped.
Yes.
His shadow.
It stopped moving.
Then...
A faint voice surfaced.
A voice he hadn't heard since entering this world.
> "How boring."
>
Kim's eyes widened.
As for the shadow...
It began to smile.
Then, a figure emerged from it.
A figure that looked exactly like Kim.
But...
With crimson eyes.
And a crazed smile.
A smile Kim knew all too well.
The smile of his true face.
The doppelgänger then yawned.
And said with boredom:
> "Hello."
>
> "Miss me?"
>