The Elixir Proposal
Ring ring— My phone vibrated.
“Hello?”
“Have you given any thought to my proposal?”
“Yes, I’ve thought it over carefully. I’d like to meet with you briefly.”
I had told her about the recipe for the Power Elixir, and that she should announce it as her own discovery. If she presented it at the academy, she would instantly become a renowned alchemist, flooded with countless commissions. I was already waiting at a nearby café when I spotted her in the distance.
“Over here.”
She walked over and took the seat across from me.
“...Have you considered my proposal?”
“...Even so, this feels too heavy on my conscience...”
“Ma’am. You remember what happened today, don’t you?”
“....Yes.”
Her voice was weak.
“If you stay in District 1, you’ll keep facing incidents like that. Are you really okay with that?”
“........”
She fell silent. After about three minutes, tears welled up in her eyes. With a voice thick with emotion, she spoke.
“No. I’d rather die than stay here. I don’t want to end my life in District 1. I want to go to District 5 and live a successful life.”
“Then the answer is clear.”
“Yes... I understand. And what conditions do I have to accept?”
She caught on quickly, as expected.
“My request is simple. No matter how many commissions come in, prioritize mine above all others.”
“....?”
She looked puzzled.
“Is that really all?”
“Yes. That’s all.”
She stared at me blankly. After all, she was being credited with discovering a paradigm-shifting elixir recipe, and the only price was giving my commissions priority. She didn’t yet understand what that truly meant. Once she became famous, even the largest corporations would have to wait months for her to craft an elixir. The right to have her make one immediately? That was a privilege worth far more than money.
“Of course I can do that. More than anything...”
“More than anything?”
“You’re the first client who trusted me enough to commission an elixir. I really owe you a lot. Thank you so much.”
She bowed her head deeply.
“I’ll work my hardest so I don’t disappoint you!”
Her voice brimmed with enthusiasm.
“Good. I’m counting on you as well.”
****
“Deon, what do you think?”
“...Huh? What did you say?”
“What? You weren’t even listening to me?”
Jeong Hayeon pouted. They were chatting at a café near the school. The door chimed, and Radeon’s gaze shifted toward it.
“Oh! Jiyun, over here. Here!”
Radeon beamed as he looked her way. She gave a light nod and sat down.
“Hey, Jiyun, why were you so late today?”
Radeon leaned his entire body toward Cha Jiyun as he spoke.
“....I had somewhere to go.”
“What? Where did you go?”
“....It’s a secret.”
“Really? Can’t you tell me? Please?”
“...I’m sorry.”
His attitude was the complete opposite of when Jeong Hayeon tried to talk to him. Hayeon ground her teeth. Watching him now, Nam Doyun’s words suddenly came to mind. Radeon would never like her—he only had eyes for Cha Jiyun. What an annoying guy. What did he even know to say something like that so casually?
“..Hayeon.”
“Yeah?”
She widened her eyes.
“What were you thinking about that made you jump like that?”
“Oh... Don’t you guys think Nam Doyun is acting strange?”
“....Strange how?”
“Well, back when I was attacked by that Demonic Human at the Han River...”
She recalled the incident. Just before her arrow could be fired, the Demonic Human’s hand—which should have reached her—had stopped. It had frozen in midair right in front of her eyes.
“The Demonic Human’s movements suddenly stopped right in front of me.”
“Come on. Even if Doyun is a bit weird, controlling a Demonic Human’s movements is impossible. That would require directly interfering with demonic energy. Not even the teachers at Elphon Academy can do that.”
Radeon chuckled.
“Maybe a dragon hiding in camouflage just happened to stop its movement?”
“.....No, maybe it really was him.”
Cha Jiyun muttered under her breath, too quietly for the others to hear. Normally she would have dismissed it as nonsense, but this time she couldn’t. Doyun had given her information about a dungeon that hadn’t even been discovered yet. That wasn’t the only strange thing. During the entrance exam, the lich’s blue barrier had suddenly shattered. Her fireball shouldn’t have been enough, yet it broke. She couldn’t be certain he had done it, but nothing else explained it. There was something different about him. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, but she knew it was there.
“That’s not all. Right before I got hit by the Goblin King, I was suddenly sent flying.”
“I saw the footage. Wasn’t it Becaria who knocked it away with his shield?”
“I know he doesn’t have that kind of strength. It must have been Nam Doyun.”
“Nah, that’s a stretch.”
“No. I think Nam Doyun is hiding something. Definitely.”
“....Or maybe...”
Radeon spoke cautiously.
“What?”
“If someone knows enough about demonic energy to stop its flow in a Demonic Human... could he be connected to the demon race?”
“....No way.”
“I’m just saying, if Doyun really did stop that Demonic Human, it’s possible. We still don’t know much about demonic energy, right?”
“........Nah. No way.”
Jeong Hayeon let out a short laugh.
“....I don’t think that’s the case either.”
Cha Jiyun added.
“It was just a random thought. Why is everyone taking it so seriously? Anyway, are you guys ready for the physical test tomorrow?”
****
The next day, students rubbed their sleepy eyes as they gathered in front of the field.
“Alright, as you all know, today is the physical test,” the teacher announced.
It was the day of the fitness assessment. Events included long-distance running, short-distance sprints, bench presses, and more.
“We’ll start with the short-distance sprint. First group: Jeong Hanna, Cha Jiyun, Jeong Hayeon.”
The three girls lined up at the starting line.
“Go!”
At the signal, they shot forward. All the boys stared blankly at the trio.
“Hey, who would you want to date?”
“I’d pick Jeong Hanna.”
“Why?”
“She’s super smart and gorgeous. I like intellectual girls.”
“But have you ever seen her talk to anyone privately?”
“Never. She only speaks when it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Not many girls are close to her either, right? She’s popular, but she always puts up walls first.”
“I’d love to ask her friend to introduce me, but she doesn’t seem to have any close friends. It’s tough.”
“Honestly, when it comes to putting up walls, isn’t Cha Jiyun the worst?”
“What do you mean?”
“Jiyun only gives one-word answers. Actually, not even that—half-word answers.”
“True. Besides Hayeon, no one’s ever gotten more than two sentences out of her.”
“Approaching Cha Jiyun feels impossible. Her background as the youngest daughter of the Samhwa Group doesn’t help.”
“Yeah, even if you talk to her, she’s so cold you feel like you’ll freeze. I don’t have the guts either.”
“Hayeon’s actually pretty nice to me. Think she’d date me?”
“Dream on. Plenty of guys who thought that got rejected.”
“No, she really smiles and treats me well. She listens to everything I say.”
“She does that with everyone. The moment you show romantic interest, she cuts you off cold.”
“Ugh, I don’t know. I’m so jealous. Who’s gonna end up dating girls like them?”
“One thing’s for sure—it won’t be you.”
“You wanna die?”
****
“Alright, only the long-distance run left.”
The teacher’s words made my lungs burn. I felt like I was about to collapse.
Ring—
A blue window appeared before my eyes.
These pathetic stats were the reason I’d scored dead last in every test today. I could barely bench 10kg, and the sprint had obviously been a disaster too. If only the elixir had arrived, I might have stood a chance. It was supposed to come tomorrow—if only it had been one day earlier.
“Alright, last event is the long-distance run. Everyone from Class 1-A, gather at the starting line.”
Students began lining up in groups.
“Ready—go.”
At the teacher’s signal, everyone surged forward. I sprinted at full speed from the start and managed to stay in the lower ranks—for about a minute. Then I started falling behind rapidly.
“Huff... huff...”
The others were jogging casually while I ran at full tilt. By the time I’d barely finished two laps, the top runners were already on their fifth. I felt like I was dying. I was ready to throw up and collapse.
“Huff... huff...”
I forced myself to keep going. I was already two laps behind even the lower-ranked students. This was humiliating beyond belief.
At that moment, a sweet perfume scent suddenly wafted beside me. I turned to see Jeong Hayeon looking at me, her brows deeply furrowed.
“Hey.”
She whispered, just loud enough for me to hear.
“What?”
She scanned me with a disgusted expression, as if she’d seen something she shouldn’t have.
“Why are you pretending to be this weak?”
“.........?”
What on earth was she talking about?