The Mana Elixir Rumor
Word of the mana elixir had not even lasted a full day before the rumor was everywhere.
"Heavens. A mana elixir—what an extraordinary invention!"
That was Lee Dae-sik, seated right beside me. Watching that rugged face light up like a child's left me with a peculiar sense of dissonance.
"I never imagined Instructor Cheon had such a gift for elixirs as well. Remarkable! Haha!"
"Yes. But that seat—doesn't it already have an owner?"
As far as I knew, it was Son Ga-yeong's. So what was this man doing in it? Had there been a reassignment already?
Doesn't seem like it.
Not far away, Son Ga-yeong was glaring daggers at Lee Dae-sik. Her expression made it plain she was thoroughly displeased with the situation. She kept those laser-like eyes locked on him to the end.
So he really had just seized her seat without a word of notice.
"You'll be rolling in money in no time, won't you, Instructor Cheon?"
"That isn't the issue right now. You might want to look behind you."
"Hmm. No—this is something money itself could never replace. One of a kind…"
I tried to tip him off discreetly, but Lee Dae-sik remained completely oblivious. He never stopped talking for a second at my side.
"Ahem. A mana elixir, you say. I must admit I'd like to see one myself."
"I'm afraid that's not possible. I've run out of materials, so I can't make any more."
"Haha! Materials can be found! Just say the word—I'll procure them for you whenever you need!"
Today, a great many instructors approached me wearing false smiles. Their goal was, without question, the mana elixir. Their faces might as well have had I want that elixir stamped across them—as if anyone would simply hand it over.
Even so, Lee Dae-sik was mild by comparison. Greed glittered in the other instructors' eyes, but this man was like an innocent child.
"I can hardly wait, Instructor Cheon! Haha!"
It seemed to spring from pure curiosity about the mana elixir itself. Even so, I had nothing to show him. I genuinely was out of materials.
"And if any new invention ideas should strike you, do tell me. I'll support you with everything I have—body and soul."
"Yes, yes. I appreciate the thought, at least."
Not everyone believed the rumor. A fair number preferred to wait and see, arguing that the truth of it was still uncertain.
"An elixir that temporarily elevates the quality of one's mana?"
"What kind of unheard-of elixir is that supposed to be? And Instructor Cheon Hae-beom invented it?"
"A little hard to swallow, isn't it? He's not even a pharmacologist—and frankly, this isn't something a human should be able to invent in the first place."
Fair doubts, all of them.
An elixir that artificially combined and reshaped the ineffable force of mana. Everyone had imagined such a thing at some point, but it was a riddle that could never be solved. In the original story, the man who developed the mana elixir—Amin Florian—had poured a full decade into it. That said enough.
And yet here was a man who had cracked that riddle in a single day. A man who had spent ten years secluded in the mountains, cut off from civilization—a primitive, for all practical purposes.
It wasn't that they refused to believe. They simply couldn't.
Go on, think whatever you like.
The truth would come out soon enough. The thought of public opinion flipping completely in the near future drew a quiet smile from me.
"Honestly! Those people and their loose mouths! I'll go put a stop to that talk."
An indignant Lee Dae-sik strode off toward the cluster of instructors. There was no real need for him to bother.
Left alone, I was free to let my thoughts wander.
Tomorrow's class—maybe I'll go with that.
Tomorrow's lesson would be a subject on an entirely different plane from the mana elixir. Through that class, I could root out the Mains on campus and rake in points at the same time. Sell that information to a top-tier guild, and the plan would be complete.
Glorious is the obvious choice.
I had already decided, in my mind, which guild would pay the highest price for my information.
"Um… Teacher Cheon?"
Tap, tap.
Someone tapped my shoulder.
"Ah. Yes—was there something you needed?"
I flinched at the sight of Son Ga-yeong's wavering eyes. It looked as though an earthquake had hit her.
"W-well, not so much something I need as something I wanted to say…"
Was she about to make some awkward request? She kept turning her head this way and that, doing everything she could to avoid my gaze.
Did she come about the mana elixir too?
That peculiar behavior left only one assumption. I spoke with a note of regret.
"I'm sorry, but the elixir—"
"Th-thank you."
"…Excuse me?"
"Yesterday… the medicine you gave me…"
Ah. Right. I'd completely forgotten, buried under instructors since morning.
"If it hadn't been for you, Teacher Cheon Hae-beom, it could have been a disaster. I don't even know how to repay this kindness…"
Judging by her reaction, the cure had worked. I'd worried it might not help—what a relief.
"I was so moved. You even added orange scent out of consideration for my sister… I'm so grateful."
"Ah. Yes."
"Da-eun keeps going on about how delicious it was—pff. Honestly, our Da-eun can't resist anything orange."
Son Ga-yeong's favorite fruit was orange. So I'd reasoned her little sister's tastes would be similar and added it on a hunch—and it had landed perfectly.
"Teacher, please take this."
"What is it?"
A character doll that looked exactly like an orange was pressed into my hand.
"It's Da-eun's number-one treasure. The one she loves most."
"I see. But why give something so important to me?"
"Da-eun begged me to deliver it. Isn't it adorable?"
A grown man receiving a tiny doll like this was a little embarrassing, but it didn't feel bad. Well—if it made her happy, that was enough.
I set the orange doll beside my monitor.
"Ah, yes. Your sister is quite adorable."
"Huh? Ahaha! No, no! I meant the doll. Cute, right?"
"…My apologies."
"Pff… Teacher Cheon Hae-beom has a surprisingly cute side too, doesn't he?"
Talking with Son Ga-yeong more and more brought back the memory of our first meeting. The woman who had looked ready to devour me whole had somehow become this gentle. A strange feeling settled over me.
"Oh—and of course this doesn't settle the debt! I'm not that kind of woman, so don't get the wrong idea!"
"There's no need to repay me."
"No! I'm doing this because I want to."
"It's fine. I only gave it because I wanted to help. I don't want anything in return."
"I can't. I can't live with a debt hanging over me."
Kindness and grudges—she repaid both without fail. In the original story, that quality was one of Son Ga-yeong's most striking traits.
"Anyway, look forward to it, okay? I'll pick out a gift that suits you as well as I can."
She said it with a playful smile.
…She really was pretty. Honestly, the feast for the eyes just now felt like payment enough.
"Yes, then. I'll look forward to it."
"Okaaay~"
Having said her piece, Son Ga-yeong bowed her head and turned away. I spoke to the back of her head.
"Instructor Son. You remember, don't you? Our wager."
"Ah—ah! Right…"
"I'll look forward to that as well."
"Yeees…"
Setting the mana elixir aside, information on the medicine that cured Mana Overload Disease had also leaked. Far from hiding these precious secrets, I had laid them bare for the whole world to see.
Some would call it madness without hesitation. But I had no regrets—only the conviction that I'd done the right thing.
These were secrets that would have come to light through someone eventually. I had simply moved a step faster and claimed the advantage. There would be no backlash either. I had a solid backer, and through that backer I would reap a handsome profit. So this was never a losing trade for me.
—Bzzzt!
Suddenly my wrist vibrated. The buzz came from the smartwatch Ma Seong-yong had bought for me.
"This guy's no gentleman either."
The caller was Ma Seong-yong. I had things to discuss with him anyway—perfect timing. I answered at once.
"Master."
"Ah. Yes. How did it go?"
"…Remarkable. Where on earth did you learn the method for crafting that elixir?"
"So it worked, then."
"Yes. It did. By tomorrow, I expect there will be quite an uproar."
The mana elixir and the cure for Mana Overload Disease. Not long ago, I had passed that information to Ma Seong-yong, guild master of the Glorious Guild. The materials used, the manufacturing method, the effects—everything, not in fragments but in meticulous detail, organized and sent over.
Of course, I had no intention of handing over information of that caliber for free.
"You wouldn't simply surrender the patent rights to this elixir… What are your terms?"
Sharp as ever—Ma Seong-yong had already guessed. Right. I wasn't a sucker. I wasn't about to give away information this valuable for nothing.
"Terms, you say…"
There was only one thing I wanted.
Ownership of the academy's back mountain.
Trading a mere mountain for information worth a fortune might look insane, but I was perfectly clearheaded.
Because a dragon is worth far more than that.
The dragon Hellion. That catastrophic beast dwelled there. And I intended to tame that dragon—legally.
"A call is rather inconvenient. This conversation may run long—let us speak face to face."
"No need to make a fuss of it."
"I don't mind. I've already pushed my schedule aside."
"…I don't have time. Class starts soon."
Skipping class starting from day two would look a bit bad.
"Have any instructor with an open slot cover for you. You have circumstances, do you not?"
"Teach that irresponsibly and I'll be fired before the week is out."
"What is there to worry about? That academy is mine, after all."
…Right.
I was freshly reminded of exactly whom I was speaking with.
"Master. I am a busy man myself, in my own way. If not now, I cannot see you."
"Hah. Fine."
If this was the only chance, I had no choice left.