The Mana Calculation Formula
Im Chaewon stared at the problem on the blackboard, her face paling in sheer horror.
“It’s asking for a solution formula I’ve never even learned yet…!”
The question the Theory Professor had just hurled at Kang Seojun was far beyond the current progress of Class 1-A.
-Ting!
Yet Kang Seojun didn’t hesitate for a single heartbeat. He snatched the chalk without a second thought.
[Eye of Providence is interpreting the mana density formula.]
Numerous numbers and symbols bloomed in his vision.
-Tadak…! Tak! Tak-tak!
Kang Seojun wrote them directly onto the blackboard, copying every stroke without a pause.
“Hmm?”
When he finished writing a solution that seemed almost plausible, the professor’s sleepy eyes widened as he leaned in to inspect the board.
But reality always delivers its own twist.
Ha! He even messed up the very first formula in the solution!
The entire solution was a complete disaster.
He had expected something like that after only about thirty seconds.
Eh…? Wait…?
The formula looked completely wrong.
But the midpoint came out right…?
Still, the following formula was equally messy.
U-uh… maybe it’s just luck. The midpoint bounces between -10 and +10, so it’s probably a lucky guess.
-Tak… Tadak… Tak!
-Huuu… huuu…
Yet when Kang Seojun finished the final value with a bold flourish accompanied by a neat symbol, the professor couldn’t hide his shock.
W-what…? How…?
It was the correct answer.
Kang Seojun took a deep breath, chest heaving from the effort of swinging his arm once, and looked straight at the professor.
“Huuu… huuu… I’m done.”
“T-then go back to your seat and sit down.”
-Bump! Bump!
Kang Seojun shuffled back to his desk while the professor gathered his textbook and chalk.
With a solution this absurd… how on earth did he get the midpoint and final value right…?
The formula Kang Seojun had written was far simpler and cleaner than the one on the answer sheet.
It didn’t just hide symbols or steps.
It had taken an entirely different approach.
The professor began comparing the answer sheet to Kang Seojun’s formula, verifying the problem line by line.
-Tak… Tak-tak! Ta-tak…
The blackboard filled rapidly with the professor’s own neat handwriting.
Ten minutes passed.
By then the board was completely covered in the professor’s solution; there was nowhere left to write.
This… this formula…! How…!
The professor pulled out his worn notebook and began copying the solution.
The longer the solution stretched, the more the professor’s expression turned to stunned awe.
This is like…!
The solution was as clean and elegant as a lifetime of training by a master swordsman, yet it possessed a mysterious dignity that felt like glimpsing the secrets of the universe itself.
This… this formula…!
It stirred the dying passion of a half-dead mathematician, awakening a burning curiosity and hope that refused to be quenched.
It’s… absolutely beautiful…!
Flames of passion replaced awe in the professor’s eyes.
Twenty minutes. Twenty-five minutes.
The professor set aside the lesson entirely to unravel the principle behind the formula.
Time was now only three minutes until class ended.
Thirty minutes was far too short to comprehend such a profound formula.
-Tuk… tuk… tuk…
The professor tapped his notebook with a pen, emotions swirling in every strike.
In the end, he turned his back on the blackboard and called Kang Seojun over.
“You. What’s your name?”
Kang Seojun had been dozing during the mana exercise and only opened his eyes when the professor spoke.
“Kang Seojun.”
“I see. Then, Seojun.”
The students in the back rows all strained to listen.
What exactly was this formula that made the professor set aside an entire thirty-minute lesson, fiddling with his pen the whole time?
“Where on earth did you… Wait. No.”
The professor removed his old glasses and spoke.
“Mind if I look into this formula a little?”
It was a question that stripped the professor of his academic pride and humbly asked as a fellow mathematician.
-Murmurs rippled through the class.
What is that formula…?
I bet he studied with sheer willpower.
His reaction wasn’t that big, though.
Kang Seojun paused briefly before answering.
“Would you like a shop discount?”
The professor gave a light shrug and let out a chuckle.
“A shop? No, I’ll even promise you a patent under your name.”
Patent, not just a shop.
-Murmurs surged louder.
What kind of formula is this that he’s reacting like that?
Does he really know math that well?
Is this the kind of reaction that just comes from being good at math? He’s such a loser.
Well, his body’s like this, so maybe he has to try even harder with what he can do.
Even a snail can roll, they say.
His rolling skills are impressive, but the professor’s reaction…
Most students didn’t know how valuable the formula truly was.
If he patented it, Kang Seojun’s mana calculation formula would stand shoulder to shoulder with Pythagoras’ theorem, Newton’s law of universal gravitation, and Einstein’s theory of relativity in history.
Of course, research would take time, but the share of credits would be enormous.
Yet Kang Seojun didn’t think that far ahead. He simply agreed without a second thought.
“Then I don’t mind.”
For him, the important thing was the extra point.
-Shiver…
-Cough! Kuhk!
Park Sinhu glared at Kang Seojun and ground his teeth in silence.
Kang Seojun…! I’ve been reduced to handing out points to that bastard…!
-Kuhk! Kuk!
His bitter coughing echoed quietly from the back row.
Meanwhile, in the middle row up front, Im Chaewon was interpreting the same formula as the professor.
W-what is this…?
Even she could vaguely sense the formula’s value from her position at the top of the theory class.
I thought it was a physical combat ability to block a dump truck, but it’s actually the main weapon that’s a magic staff… And where the heck did someone even learn this formula? Wait… isn’t there a place that teaches formulas like this…?
Jin Serin, Park Sinhu, and Im Chaewon.
The three promising students of Class A stared at Kang Seojun with completely different eyes.
H-how… even math…!
I’ll drag him down for sure!
What exactly is his deal…!
-Ding-dong.
The class bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson.
The professor pointed at one student for the roll call, then left the classroom with a noticeably rejuvenated bounce in his step.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
When the break began, Jin Serin let out a sigh of relief, thinking she was saved from disaster.
Relaxing visibly, she rested her face on the desk and mumbled a half-hearted, “Where did you learn math?” before pretending to sleep and focusing on the mana exercise.
Jin Serin quietly said, “Well, you’ll find out in three years~” and buried her face in her arms too.
But from the next class onward, an unexpected stroke of luck began to favor her.
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
Even Park Sinhu, sitting in the very back row, had started the mana exercise during class.
Perhaps it was his desperate attempt to keep up with Kang Seojun.
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
Thanks to the extra mana EXP, Park Sinhu finally reached the target of six mana points before lunch.
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
The sudden influx of EXP pushed Kang Seojun past his goal.
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
[Mana EXP stolen from host! Mana EXP has increased!] x3
The debuff Mana Numbness Lv. Lowest had relaxed to Mana Numbness Lv. Low.
Skill Parasitic Growth triggered its special effect!
Select a trait to steal from the host or transfer to the host.
With mana now at six, the numbness debuff had eased, and the recently acquired trait exchange ticket was still waiting to be used.
Winning duels had become a sure thing, and the exchange ticket count was now two.
Kang Seojun sat with Jin Serin under the bright afternoon sun, eating vegetable porridge for lunch while debating where to spend his trait exchange ticket.
-Huuu… huuu…
-Clink. Gulp!
Jin Serin, watching him eat the porridge the whole time, couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Um…”
Even if Jin Serin was his “best friend,” he could never share anything about Parasitic Growth.
“……career worries.”
It wasn’t a complete lie.
“Eh? For real?”
The answer seemed to surprise Jin Serin.
She grinned, shaking her porridge bowl.
“Why?”
“I never thought you’d have career worries too.”
The words could be interpreted in several ways.
“……I’m important to you too.”
“Even if you don’t have a heart for it, you can go anywhere. I thought your path was already set.”
…If you only looked at what he’d shown so far, anyone would misunderstand.
In reality, his lifespan was only partially secured, and he had no relatives or family left.
Or were the Constellations enough?
Jin Serin clinked her bowl again and murmured.
“Could I join your company…? Hehe. You probably wouldn’t let Seojun in, though.”
“……”
The Seongjin Group was a top-tier conglomerate.
It wasn’t the kind of place that would accept someone so casually.
But after hearing Jin Serin’s words, he had to consider it.
Later, when he thought about faction quests, joining the Seongjin Group’s guild might not be such a bad choice.
“Who knows. The Seongjin Group is a company everyone wants to join.”
“Eh? For real? ……Just saying?”
“No. For real.”
“Should I give you Unha’s contact?”
“Yeah. Send it to me later.”
“Wow. Big news. I’m glad I asked.”
For now, he kept the door open just in case.
After their casual chat, lunch was over.
The single exchange ticket he had received remained unclaimed.
He didn’t want to waste a valuable ticket on something trivial, but stealing Park Sinhu’s good trait or dumping the terrifying debuff on him would weaken Parasitic Growth’s efficiency.
Probably, when the efficiency dropped the most, he’d need to steal a neutral trait at once or dump one at once.
Plans might change depending on the situation.
Soon, it was afternoon.
The first practical class, the duel, began.
If the opponent is close-range, I’ll use Time for Counterattack. If they’re long-range or a mage, I’ll use the new Eye of Providence ability.
No matter who he was matched against, Kang Seojun knew he would win.