A Bargain with the Enchanter
Baek Rin stared at Nam Doyun without a word. ‘I never expected him to actually understand this.’
The answer had been flawless, without a single mistake. No one could have given that response without a perfect grasp of the magic diagram. Even his graduate assistant, who worked in this field, had failed to comprehend it. Yet here was a first-year academy student who had grasped it all in one go.
“No wonder Jiyun asked me to look after you. You’re genuinely interesting.”
Interest sparkled in Baek Rin’s eyes.
“Could you bring out that chocolate I like best?”
Baek Rin said to his assistant.
“Yes, sir.”
The assistant soon placed a golden-hued chocolate on the table. Baek Rin picked up a piece and offered it to Nam Doyun.
“Here. Eat this before you go. It’s my favorite chocolate. Only a tiny amount is produced each year because the yield is strictly limited.”
“...”
Nam Doyun stared blankly at the chocolate.
“Go on, don’t be shy. I don’t usually give these to anyone, but I like you enough to share.”
“Thank you.”
Nam Doyun accepted the chocolate and chewed slowly. It really was delicious.
“How is it? Good, right?”
“Yes. Quite excellent.”
“Heh-heh. I knew it.”
Baek Rin smiled.
“There’s plenty more on the table, so feel free to eat as much as you like before you leave.”
With that, Baek Rin rose from his chair and spoke to his assistant.
“Let’s get back to the research.”
“Yes, sir.”
“...Where are you going?”
Nam Doyun asked.
“To continue our research.”
“Didn’t I already tell you?”
“...Tell me what?”
“That I know how to imbue fifth-circle magic.”
“....”
Baek Rin looked at Nam Doyun. His expression was utterly serious.
‘Is he serious?’
Of course, what Nam Doyun had shown earlier was impressive. But from the perspective of active professionals in the field, it wasn’t that extraordinary. Most of them could have understood the explanation. What made Nam Doyun remarkable was that a first-year academy student had understood it perfectly. For working experts, grasping the content was simply expected.
Even the top geniuses in this field had failed to solve the problem. And now a first-year student claimed he could?
“Look, kid, I get that you’re talented, but that’s impossible.”
“No. It’s definitely possible.”
“....Are you serious?”
“Yes. Of course I am.”
“Well... fine. Then show me. How exactly do you plan to solve it?”
Baek Rin leaned back in his chair. He had no real expectations. Having expectations would be foolish. This was a problem even the brightest minds in the field had been unable to crack.
Nam Doyun spoke.
“Then I’ll write something on the diagram you drew.”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
Nam Doyun took out a pen and began writing on the diagram. Baek Rin watched in silence. The spark of interest in his eyes had long since faded. He was only humoring Nam Doyun because he was Jiyun’s acquaintance. If not for that connection, he would have left already.
Scratch— scratch—
But Nam Doyun paid no attention and kept writing equations. Gradually, Baek Rin’s mouth began to open.
“What the— wait a second.”
Baek Rin leaned forward in an instant.
“...Hold on. This might actually work. If we do it this way, we won’t have to worry about the magic disappearing during the enchantment process.”
Interest returned to Baek Rin’s eyes. His gaze followed the tip of Nam Doyun’s pen.
Scratch— scratch—
Nam Doyun continued writing.
“I’m finished.”
Nam Doyun set the pen down.
“This is unbelievable.”
Baek Rin’s face was filled with shock.
“What’s wrong? What exactly is that?”
The assistant also looked at what Nam Doyun had written, but he couldn’t understand it.
With trembling hands, Baek Rin picked up the magic diagram and examined it carefully.
“That’s it! That was the problem. I kept wondering why it never worked, but I’d been approaching it wrong from the very beginning.”
He let out a sigh.
“Yes. That’s right. The partial derivative was entered incorrectly here. So that’s what happened.”
He sighed again and again. The assistant glanced at the diagram from the side and shook his head. It was completely beyond his comprehension.
“You. When did you come up with this?”
Baek Rin exclaimed.
Angel's Protection
Survive a lethal attack with 1 HP once every 30 days.
The method to imbue fifth-circle magic would originally have been discovered much later. The structure had been lost during the Great War and was held by demon nobles in the demon realm. It would only be found when they invaded the human world. By then, it would already be too late. So I decided to create it a little earlier.
“I told you. I know the diagram.”
“Yeah. Good. More importantly, shall we discuss the details now? Are you planning to announce this discovery to the academic society?”
Baek Rin’s eyes changed.
“No. You can say that you, Baek Rin, discovered this diagram yourself.”
“...Really?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Then what are your conditions?”
As expected, he was quick to catch on. He had realized there must be a reason behind such a generous offer.
“First, I want the cost of my request to be completely waived.”
Baek Rin’s services were outrageously expensive—hundreds of millions of won per commission. Even with the stock market booming, I couldn’t afford that.
“Second, no matter how many reservations you have, you must prioritize my requests.”
“Third, there is no limit to the number of requests.”
“Hmm...”
Baek Rin put on a serious expression. He seemed to be considering it. Of course he would. The opportunity cost of fulfilling my requests instead of other clients’ would be enormous for him.
“What if I say no?”
Baek Rin asked with a playful look. It sounded like a joke, but it wasn’t. A wrong answer here would make the contract terms completely unfavorable to me.
“Well? Care to answer? What if I refuse?”
He adored Cha Jiyun—enough to be called a siscon. Since I had come with her introduction, he viewed me favorably. But that was that, and this was this. When it came to important decisions, he clearly separated personal and professional matters. And the blood of the Samhwa Group chairman flowed in his veins. In other words, he was a born merchant. In any situation where profit was possible, he would maximize his own gain and minimize the other party’s.
If I made even the slightest mistake in front of him now, I might walk away with nothing. I had to choose my words very carefully.
“Then I’ll take this diagram to Victory in the United States.”
“...”
At those words, his expression hardened instantly. Victory was one of his rivals.
“He would probably become known as the world’s greatest magic enchanter, wouldn’t he?”
“...”
“It would be the position that should have belonged to you, Baek Rin.”
“...”
I lifted my coffee and took a sip, doing my best to look relaxed. This was a bluff. The only person capable of imbuing fifth-circle magic was Baek Rin. It was because of the unique mana that flowed through his body. Without that specific mana, no one else could perform the enchantment. That was exactly why I had come to him.
Baek Rin stared at me for a long time. I simply sipped my coffee leisurely, careful not to let my nervousness show. After seeing no change in my expression for quite a while, he broke into a wide smile.
“Haha. Fine. That’s only natural. What’s the big deal? I was planning to do at least that much anyway.”
He definitely hadn’t been.
“Then shall we go ahead and imbue Angel's Protection and Library of Knowledge right away?”
He said, rolling up his sleeves. The contract was sealed.
****
After meeting with him, I returned to the dormitory.
[PM 1 : 00]
It was currently 1 p.m. I had skipped morning classes, claiming to be sick. Afternoon classes would start soon. It was about time for me to head to school.
“This is really satisfying.”
I looked at the ring on my finger. It now contained the Angel's Protection that Baek Rin had imbued.
“This is exactly what I needed. My body is so weak that one hit could kill me outright. I’ve always been on edge because of that. With this, it’s like having an extra life. I can move around without constant worry.”
“Though there is a limit.”
The cooldown was a full thirty days. Far too long. Still, I couldn’t just ask Baek Rin to make more of them. Imbuing fifth-circle magic required more than just his mana. Various rare materials were also necessary, and those materials were extremely difficult to obtain. Even with money, many were simply unavailable on the market. I had been lucky this time, but there was no guarantee for the future.
“Still, this is more than enough.”
Having one extra life per month was an enormous advantage.
Creak—
I opened the door halfway and stepped inside.