Elixir (1)

The day I finished dungeon practice. The day I caused trouble for Professor Atra and Professor Liana.

Honestly, I couldn't bring myself to face either of them. Especially Professor Atra.

I mean, someone came all that way to check on me, and I threw up all over them. Retched and vomited.

Then I smacked away the hand they reached out to help me.

Even now, just thinking about it makes my face go pale. It was a truly rotten, contemptible thing to do.

Because of that, I dreaded meeting Professor Atra the next day.

Since I'd obviously been in poor condition that day, I figured it might be overlooked. Or maybe they were already so fed up with me that they'd lost all patience.

- Are you feeling all right?

When I met Professor Atra the next day, that uncomfortable aura around her was gone. And far from scolding me, all she asked was whether I'd recovered.

I might have misjudged this person all along.

That Professor Atra would express worry for me after the nuisance I'd caused—I found it oddly moving.

- Thwack!

The old-fashioned training yard.

I pushed off the ground, thrust my body forward, and extended my hand. Azure Aura trailed behind it.

Mid-extension, another hand entangled itself with mine. I shook off the hand grasping for my wrist and swung my leg.

- Boom!

A harsh sound erupted. A cloud of dust bloomed, then settled around us.

Azure Aura coiled around my leg. On Professor Atra's forearm, which had blocked it, a faint golden Aura gleamed.

Since that day... the sparring method had changed a little, starting Wednesday.

After dungeon practice, my Spatial Perception grew even more precise. That meant I could read Professor Atra's movements that much better.

This was due to accelerated growth. My skill was improving at a rate I could actually feel.

I suppose my level had reached a satisfactory point, because Professor Atra began teaching me how to wield Aura and Body Strengthening as well.

How to form Aura—the explanation itself is simple.

Just condense your mana firmly and densely. In short, you pour in a large amount of mana and compress it until it becomes Aura.

That's all the explanation is, but bridging the gap between that explanation and actually doing it requires mana manipulation ability above a certain level.

Thanks to my Mana Affinity, I manifested it on my first try. Whatever others find difficult about mana always feels relatively easy to me.

Thanks to that, I was picking up Body Strengthening (physical reinforcement through mana), Aura (shaping mana into weapons and armor), and even magic (manifesting principles through mana) without much trouble.

Our hands intertwined. The Aura sheathing them gnaws and bites at each other.

After a brief exchange, distance opened between us, and Professor Atra drew one arm back. Golden Aura wreathed her fist. I layered more Aura onto my own fist too.

The distance between our fists narrowed. Then, collision.

- Boom!

A sharp, stinging pain ran up my right arm. Dust scattered in every direction. My legs, unable to withstand the impact, carved straight lines into the ground as I was pushed back.

Right after the collision, my Aura, flickering precariously, dispersed into the air. Partly the impact had shaken its structure, but mostly—I simply lacked the mana to maintain it.

"That's enough."

Seeing my Aura scatter, Professor Atra spoke. The Aura coiled around her arm scattered as well.

"Your Aura's manifestation speed and strength are excellent, but you don't have enough mana to sustain it, I take it."

Insufficient mana capacity. The chronic weakness of anyone who's just become a superhuman and newly entered the path of mana.

I've been steadily expanding my mana capacity. Whenever I had spare time, I meditated—or operated my core. And it showed results.

Compared to when I sparred with Aiden, it had grown by at least several times over. And that's despite barely paying any proper attention to my mana because of other commitments.

But still—not enough capacity to comfortably maintain both Body Strengthening and Aura at the same time.

Even now, my mana was completely drained after a sparring session that lasted barely a few minutes.

While I steadied my breathing, Professor Atra checked the time and spoke.

"We'll stop here for today."

[Thank you for your hard work]

Still, maybe because I'd reached a certain threshold, the number of hits I was taking had dropped. And even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠when I did get hit and bruises formed, they faded quickly—probably the recovery training paying off.

As I was flexing my numb hand, Professor Atra strode over and held out a water bottle.

"Take it."

[Thank you]

I answered through the hologram, then accepted the bottle. Feeling the chill radiating from its surface, I drank it down in one go.

The cold water pouring down my heated throat brought a sharp, exhilarating rush. I may hate the cold, but I like things that are refreshing. That opinion has never changed.

Professor Atra, who'd been watching me gulp down the water with a peculiar look, extended her arm. Her destination was my free hand, the one not holding the bottle.

She gave my arm a tap and lifted it to eye level.

'?'

After studying my arm closely, Professor Atra spoke.

"...It isn't injured, but your body has accumulated significant fatigue. Refrain from physical training over the weekend. Anything more will interfere with the schedule."

Just simple advice. I drained the last of the water and nodded.

Professor Atra stared at my face for a moment, then turned away.

Right before that, her lips had twitched, as if she had something to say. I guess she decided it wasn't important and kept her mouth shut.

I felt Professor Atra step beyond the range of my Spatial Perception, then I moved my own feet as well.

My major lecture was over, so now it was time to meet Hong Yeon-hwa.

.

.

.

The meeting spot Hong Yeon-hwa sent by text was a café in the commercial district—the same brand as the one where I'd met my team members during dungeon practice last time.

If I recall correctly, this brand was currently the most famous café chain in the world.

I couldn't come straight from my major lecture.

Sparring had soaked me in sweat, and on top of that I'd been covered in dust. I couldn't meet her in that state.

"Ha-yul, over here."

Second floor of the café. A private room, no need to worry about outside eyes. A window ran along one side, treated so that no one could see inside from outside.

When I opened the door of the room number she'd texted, Hong Yeon-hwa, already seated and killing time, waved.

[Sorry I'm late]

"Late? I just got here too. I already ordered."

When I sat down opposite Hong Yeon-hwa, she pushed a glass on the table toward me. It was iced tea with ice cubes floating in it.

I rubbed the rim of the glass with my finger, eyes questioning. The cold sensation was perfectly vivid. The ice showed no signs of melting at all, so her claim to have just arrived might be true.

But the ice couldn't be proof.

Thanks to my Mana Affinity, I felt the spell formula engraved in the glass as plain as day.

Back when I knew nothing about magic, I could only think 'mana is arranged in a specific configuration.'

Now, by analyzing the spell formula, I could grasp it to some extent. This was a glass engraved with a temperature control spell.

Meaning: no matter how many hours you waited in here, the magic would keep the ice from melting.

'Magic.'

In this world you could call modern fantasy, electricity isn't widely used across industry.

Mana replaces that role, and magic substitutes for a great many machines.

Right now, within the range of my expanded Spatial Perception, the number of spell formulas exceeded several thousand with ease.

"They said you barely slept for days. How's your body holding up?"

[It's fine. And I'm planning to get some proper rest starting today]

"...You said the same thing Tuesday and look at the state you've been in."

[This time it's for real]

Hong Yeon-hwa gave me a skeptical look. True, I'd been saying similar things all week while pulling all-nighters, so I couldn't argue—but this time, it really was for real.

In the first place, if I didn't actually rest this time, entering the Tower of Growth would be affected. Whatever my own thoughts on the matter, I was in a situation where I'd be forced to rest.

"...There's the Tower entry next week too, so let's wrap this up fast and go back so you can rest."

The small talk didn't last long.

Just the kind of light conversation people usually share. What I ate yesterday, how I felt yesterday, things like that...

Glancing back and forth between the time and my face, Hong Yeon-hwa made a slightly regretful expression, rummaged in her pocket, then produced a small rectangular box smaller than her fist.

It was clearly a high-end design. Deep ink-dark wood with a smooth surface, and patterns carved in like brands—my Spatial Perception vividly conveyed just how meticulous a crafting process it must have required.

Beyond that, an immense mana presence radiated from inside the box. And that's even though the box also bore a spell formula meant to keep the mana from leaking out.

"Remember that compensation I mentioned last time. I thought about it, and something just came to mind."

Hong Yeon-hwa scratched the back of her head, looking a little sheepish, and set the box down on the table. Then she pushed it toward me and opened the lid.

At the same moment, my Spatial Perception flared. A tremendous vortex of mana swirled and coiled through the room.

My mouth fell open, blank.

Inside the box, resting on a carefully fitted cushion, lay a single brilliantly blue pill.

"It's an elixir. Made from Fairy Tree root blended with various medicinal ingredients."

Fairy Tree. A tree that had undergone a transformation after a fairy—an exceedingly rare entity—dwelled within it for a long period. Even in forests with dense mana concentrations, finding one was like plucking a star from the sky.

The compensation she had mentioned—a box she now opened and presented, her eyes watching me with a pounding, expectant look—everything pointed to a single fact. I couldn't stop the corners of my eyes from trembling.

Lifting a shaking hand, I pushed the box away.

"Huh?"

A bewildered sound escaped Hong Yeon-hwa. Clearly, she hadn't expected me to do that—even her pupils quaked.

"Ha-yul?"

Her eyes fixed directly on me. Even her gaze carried the question: why won't you accept it?

I cooled my burning heart with a sip of iced tea, then carefully shook my head left and right.

[I can't accept something like this]

"Huh... why...?"

[How could I possibly accept this]

In this world, when people talk about taking an elixir, the overwhelming majority think of artificial elixirs.

Taking a variety of materials grown rich with mana, interweaving and blending them to forcibly elevate them to the standard of an elixir.

Originally not of elixir grade, but forcibly raised through the synergy between materials and the skill of an alchemist.

And of course, this takes staggering amounts of money, time, and dedication.

That's a typical artificial elixir. The price per dose easily shatters the hundreds-of-millions-of-won mark.

But a natural elixir—one that reaches elixir-grade from the moment it's born—is on an entirely different level.

An elixir that comes into being by gorging on nature's energies has an overwhelmingly higher tier than any deliberately crafted by humans.

This is a natural elixir. Unlike an artificial one, it's an elixir born from nature, and it's not something you can dare obtain with money.

At this level, it requires something other than money.

In short, this is something I'd struggle to ever repay.

Candy, I can somehow repay. Taking down a few monsters earns that money surprisingly easily.

This isn't that. This—I can't confidently say I could ever repay.

I shook my head desperately. I mustn't accept. How could I, so indebted, bring myself to take this?

Hong Yeon-hwa had presented this and called it compensation.

Compensation? For what.

Shoving me and knocking me over at the freshman welcome party? Snapping at me to watch where I was going? Knocking me unconscious by accident during sparring?

All that, over just those little things? That's absurd. An exchange of equivalent value is impossible. The difference in worth can't even be placed on the same scale.

Hearing my thoughts, Hong Yeon-hwa let out a low hum, then carefully began to persuade me.

"This does have a compensatory meaning, but it's also very much an investment."

Hong Yeon-hwa is the heir of the Calamity Flame Family.

The Calamity Flame Family. A major power, settled in the southwestern region of the Korean Peninsula where its progenitor was born, maintaining balance alongside Azure Sea and Taesan.

One thing is certain: even by global standards, the Calamity Flame Family is an absurdly major power. The Calamity Flame Family's standing is something even a three-year-old child would know.

"This elixir may be from a quantity I have authority to use, but that the family's Chief Administrator—my mother—readily sent an elixir like this means there's a reason."

Chief Administrator... a position entrusted by the family head with delegated authority over the family's major and minor affairs, right? Because it's such a crucial post, it's usually filled by a capable, trusted relative of the current family head... That's what I heard in the original story, when they raided the Changhae Family.

At this point in time, the Calamity Flame Family's Chief Administrator is Hong Yeon-hwa's mother.

'Investment...'

If it's framed as an investment, then yes, I can understand it.

A cadet the Tower Master of Growth personally brought in as a special admission. Yet, from outward appearances, a kid who looks full of defects.

Because of that, the common perception of me is a lottery ticket that seems like a winner but also feels strangely suspicious. Though that perception had eased just a tiny bit since the last sparring match.

Anyway, a processed natural elixir is certainly within the means of the Calamity Flame Family to obtain. For them to invest in the special admission cadet by giving him one—that's a perfectly plausible story.

'Hmm...'

The word 'investment' lowered my resistance. If it's an investment, then the Calamity Flame Family isn't doing this purely out of kindness.

But that didn't eliminate the feeling of burden entirely. No matter what, this investment would ultimately remain in a form similar to debt. At least, that's how I took it.

"I really want you to accept it."

Hong Yeon-hwa, who'd been watching me sunk in indecision, suddenly extended both arms and grasped my hands.

"This is, it's a token of my apology for all the things I've done wrong. And it's also the value my family is investing. And..."

The hands clasped around mine trembled faintly. Stroking my hand wrapped in the arm sleeve, Hong Yeon-hwa bit her lip for a moment, then continued.

"I haven't... been able to figure it all out in detail yet. But there's something else I've done to you that I'm even sorrier for. Something I'm truly... so sorry for that it's hard to put into words."

Something else she's even sorrier for? I couldn't grasp what she meant. Hong Yeon-hwa looked at me with an urgent sincerity I couldn't quite understand the reason for.

"So please, I want you to take it. And of course, I will absolutely never use this as leverage to demand anything of you. I swear it on my name."

When she goes that far, it'd be a lie to say my heart wasn't swayed.

In one corner of my mind, the thought had already crept in: couldn't I just accept it?

'......'

After deliberating a moment, I nodded. Hong Yeon-hwa's expression brightened in an instant. If you only saw her face, you'd think she was the one receiving a gift, not me.

.

.

.

After Hong Yeon-hwa saw me all the way to the front of the dormitory, I went inside. Feeling my heart thump, I hurriedly entered my room.

- Click

The door shut smoothly and silently. The curtains had been drawn from the start. I checked my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠surroundings momentarily using Spatial Perception, then seated myself in the center of the room.

Then, taking a few ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠deep breaths. After calming my stirring mind, I carefully fished the box out of my pocket.

A small box with a luxurious exterior. When I opened it with trembling hands, a refreshing mana slowly billowed up.

'Wow...'

A banquet of mana that drew out admiration unbidden. At this level, even someone without Mana Affinity would easily sense the force of this mana.

I lifted the elixir with a careful touch. The mana transmitted through my fingertips nearly made me shudder.

The problem of my mana capacity. Even if nothing else, this one elixir would resolve most of that issue.

I didn't expect to gain so much mana that I could casually fling hundreds of spells and stay fine, but I had an intuitive certainty: this would provide the foundational mana pool for actual, proper combat.

Right now, it was Friday evening.

The Tower of Growth entry wouldn't be until Monday morning.

If I took the elixir now, and used the time until then to rest my body's fatigue while harmonizing with the mana gained from it, the timing would be just about perfect.

I swallowed. Feeling a deep gratitude toward Hong Yeon-hwa, I placed the elixir in my mouth.

On my tongue, the elixir melted stickily, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as if recognizing its owner, and slid down my throat.

A moment later.

"Guhhk...?"

Something seemed to surge back up my throat, and black blood trickled from the corner of my mouth.

Oh. Shit.