Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Mage (1)
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I had a lot on my mind regarding housing.
The place I was currently living in must have been utterly miserable.
My first goal was to move out as soon as I had enough money saved up and find somewhere decent.
One of the reasons was alchemy, so I figured space was the key.
I vaguely thought that as long as I had enough room to set up an alchemy facility, everything else would fall into place.
That's why I got excited during the contract signing when they mentioned subsidized housing, only to face reality.
—Doing alchemy in an apartment where everyone lives together... that might be a bit...
Size wasn't the issue.
Alchemy could lead to accidents if a combination went wrong, and even if not, it produced a strong smell.
Trying that in an apartment or shared housing wasn't just a nuisance—it was practically a crime.
So, finding a place that fit my needs left few options.
A standalone house or something similar, like a detached home.
I searched the market prices and was hit with reality once more.
My head had been full of flowers, huh.
Unrealistic amounts. I didn't hesitate twice.
I looked for other solutions, and the most realistic one was setting up a separate workshop apart from the house.
Relatively realistic, but still a pipe dream for me.
I could manage the house with the promised subsidy from the contract, but a workshop?
Plus, I'd need to buy alchemy equipment—where would the money for that come from?
I'd avoided starving for now, but I didn't have that kind of spare cash.
So, I had no choice but to swallow my tears and make the decision.
Give up on alchemy.
Abandoning the most valuable piece of knowledge I had.
Blood tears nearly welled up at the thought, but what could I do?
Clinging to the impossible would only make me more miserable.
Just as I endured that gut-wrenching pain and resolved to let it go...
A ray of light descended upon me in the darkness.
Bestowing a fortune upon me, the light declared,
This is your reward; you need not refuse it.
That light was named Jin Seohyeon, and I knelt in reverence before her divinity, leaving a reply.
[Me: 😭]
[Crazy Bitch: ?]
No, fuck, what had I done?
Daring to save Jin Seohyeon-nim under such a vulgar name.
I immediately changed it to a name befitting her sanctity.
After sending about 500 characters of praise and gratitude, Jin Seohyeon-nim responded with her thoughts:
[Jin Seohyeon-nim: ㅋ]
Enough bullshit.
Anyway, thanks to Jin Seohyeon, my biggest worry was solved. Next up was deciding on housing benefits.
Subsidized housing or the subsidy cash.
Purely in financial terms, subsidized housing made more sense, but I chose the subsidy.
There weren't any suitable spots for a workshop near the subsidized housing.
With that in mind—factoring in distance to a workshop—I searched for a place, and this was the result.
Sunlight streamed in through the balcony, illuminating the wooden floor.
A vastness I'd never felt before, where I had to turn my head to take in the whole space.
Sure, it was on a lease with a loan to boot, but nothing could dampen my awe.
The house didn't smell musty.
Cold drafts didn't seep in even with the doors closed.
No yelling or singing echoed from the walls beyond.
Tears welled up.
"This... this is what a place fit for humans looks like..."
Not figuratively—one tear actually fell.
I'd been through hell mentally, huh.
I'd signed for the workshop too, and the alchemy gear was just waiting for delivery.
Soon. The moment my first goal came true was just around the corner.
Hardships end, happiness begins.
The day after moving, I still headed to the Hunter Association for work.
Luckily, no clients showed up today, so I killed time reading the book Jeong Dongsu had given me.
"Have a good one, sir."
"You too, Yujin."
As sunset painted the sky, I said goodbye to Jeong Dongsu and clocked out first.
My steps felt lighter leaving the Association building.
Before, I'd turn left here, but I passed it and went straight.
The way to my new home wasn't that way.
The scenery felt unfamiliar since it wasn't my usual route.
But even that unfamiliarity made my heart race right now.
Once past Association territory, a pair—a man and a woman—caught my eye.
They glanced my way and whispered to each other.
Was it my imagination? They seemed to be talking about me.
I ignored them and tried to pass, but they hurried over and blocked my path.
"Who are you?"
"Are you Han Yujin?"
I nodded awkwardly. Not a case of mistaken identity, then.
But I had no clue who they were.
The man rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a small card.
A business card. I took it casually and read.
Under the name Kim Beomsu, his affiliation—just two words.
Magic Tower.
I reflexively looked up, and Kim Beomsu let out a relieved sigh with a smile.
"We've been looking for you."
He was a mage.
*
How many abilities exist in the world?
The Association's official answer: Unknown.
There were still countless undiscovered abilities, and new ones kept emerging among Awakeners.
No patterns detected, so they gave up trying to catalog them all.
The types of abilities—finite or infinite?—were a mystery.
One thing certain: Awakening wasn't purely random.
Countless ability types existed, but among Awakeners, clear biases prevailed.
Common abilities made up a huge chunk, like physical enhancement and mana emission.
Physical enhancement: Strengthening the body with mana.
Mana emission: Releasing and manipulating internal mana externally.
Unlike straightforward physical enhancement, mana emission looked unremarkable at first glance.
Release mana externally... and then?
Nothing happens.
The mana just dissipates.
About 20 years ago.
Early Awakeners didn't count mana emission as an ability and treated those users as non-Awakeners.
In that era of ignorance, one man posed a question.
Awakeners use mana when activating abilities.
What's the link between mana consumption and ability activation?
With a friend's help, he investigated.
His friend, who had flame manipulation, could create fire in midair.
After days of observing the flames repeatedly...
The man divided ability manifestation into three stages.
1. Mana flows from inside the body to the outside.
2. Released mana forms a specific pattern in the air.
3. The aligned mana converts into the ability.
The friend said he hadn't done this intentionally.
So, that complex mana conversion happened in the unconscious mind.
Next question.
What if someone else intentionally replicated that mana conversion process?
The man, who had awakened mana emission, tried it. The result was astonishing.
Fire bloomed.
Faint compared to the original, but a clear miracle.
The birth of the first mage.
"That's the origin story of Oliver Bierman, the progenitor of mages."
Kim Beomsu and the woman who introduced herself as Han Sehee took him to a nearby café and spun this long tale.
It was intriguing to Han Yujin—mixed in were details unknown from the game.
But...
"Why tell this to me?"
Kim Beomsu lit up, as if he'd been waiting for that.
"The Witch, who studied directly under him, returned to Korea and founded the Magic Tower. It's lumped in with the Four Great Guilds because of its S-rank Hunter, but the Magic Tower is completely different from the others."
Wordy. Han Yujin could guess where this was heading.
He'd realized it once they mentioned Magic Tower affiliation.
'Probably asking for help with the gate anomaly investigation requested through the Association.'
Refuse. He had to.
The culprit was Han Yujin himself—helping with an investigation that could catch him? No way unless he was insane.
"...It's more like a research lab atmosphere—"
"Sorry."
"Pardon?"
"You're here to ask for help, right? Sorry, but I can't."
"Well, yes, but you haven't even heard the details yet..."
We both know, so why waste time?
Han Yujin downed his coffee and gathered his things.
"Gate anomaly investigation? That's something I can't help with. Thanks for the coffee. See you..."
"Pardon? Gate?"
He froze awkwardly and turned to Kim Beomsu.
"Not that?"
"First I've heard of it. Gate anomaly investigation?"
"The Magic Tower requested help from me through the Association. Isn't that why you're here?"
Kim Beomsu shook his head.
He really seemed clueless.
Han Yujin sat back down awkwardly, and the woman, who'd been quiet, raised her hand slightly.
"That was my request. I heard your name while working with the Intelligence Department on an investigation."
Another unease bubbled up at Han Sehee's words.
"What did you hear...?"
"Nothing much. Just rumors about a rare mental ability user with impressive powers."
You traitor, Kang Jiwon! You said no worries about info leaks!
As Han Yujin mentally downgraded her trustworthiness...
Kang Jiwon was innocent, of course.
She hadn't revealed what mission he was on or how his ability worked.
Even if she censored records, she couldn't gag people's mouths.
If Kang Jiwon, pulling an all-nighter at the Association, heard this, she'd die of injustice.
If he wanted to hide his ability, he shouldn't have become a Hunter in the first place.
Who cares about his hidden backstory?
Han Sehee continued softly.
"And the Association request wasn't really for the investigation. I wanted to meet personally and ask a favor."
"What is it?"
"The same reason we're meeting now."
Han Sehee took a sip of her café latte and set it down.
"I want to research Han Yujin's ability to create new magic."