Is This Possible?
Is This Possible?
The hallway.
I looked at the flyer I'd torn off the bulletin board.
[Mana Stone Utilization and Small-Scale Business — Special Lecture]
[Lecturer: Hans Barsel, Representative of the Barsel Trading Company]
[Location: Main Building, 3rd Floor Seminar Room]
'Mana Stone Utilization.'
Those words caught my eye.
Mana Stone.
The core component of my game console.
The crystal ball monitor is a Mana Stone too.
The controller is a Mana Stone too.
Took me three months to build it.
Half my fortune went up in smoke.
'If I could make this cheaper.'
'If I could mass-produce it.'
'Then a lot more people could do boss raids together.'
'Fuck. Wouldn't that be amazing?'
I dragged my slippers and headed out.
Main Building, 3rd Floor.
In front of the seminar room.
There were some people.
About twenty.
Mostly upperclassmen.
They were standing in the hallway outside the seminar room, talking.
I was about to go in.
In the corner of the hallway.
A mirror hanging in front of the restroom.
Blonde hair.
Camilla.
She was standing in front of the mirror.
Adjusting the collar of her blouse.
Ivory-colored.
Fixing her appearance.
She let down her tied-up hair.
Took something out of her bag.
Lipstick.
A small one.
Pressing it to her lips.
Looked in the mirror.
Pursed her lips.
'.............'
'Lipstick for a night lecture, at that.'
Camilla turned her gaze from the mirror.
Scanned the hallway.
Her eyes moved quickly.
Reading who had arrived.
"..............."
"..............."
Our eyes met.
Mine.
Shfft.
Her gaze passed by.
Like looking at a random pebble on the road.
The place where her gaze stopped.
The end of the hallway.
A man.
He was tall.
Had his hair neatly swept back.
His clothes fit well.
An upperclassman.
I saw his badge.
[Aurelia]
Camilla's eyes changed.
0.3 seconds.
I read it.
Switch ON.
Camilla walked over.
Naturally.
"Seonbae!"
Brightly.
Smiling.
The man turned around.
"Huh...?"
He hesitated.
Looked at Camilla.
"Camilla?"
"Yes! Seonbae, did you come to listen to this lecture too?"
A radiant smile.
Her pearl earrings swayed.
The man's expression relaxed.
He looked dazed.
0.5 seconds.
"Uh... uh. I came."
Camilla grinned.
With her eyes.
Just the corners of her lips slightly.
'.............'
'That's the face of someone who's completed Stage 1.'
"Seonbae, you look so cool today!"
"Ah... really? Thanks."
The man scratched his head.
His ears were slightly red.
Camilla placed her hand on the man's arm.
Naturally.
"Let's go in together!"
"Uh... yeah."
He got dragged away.
The man did.
'.............'
'She's incredibly pretty, that's for sure.'
'If she does that, a guy's bound to space out.'
'But stuff like that doesn't sway me.'
"Seonbae, I finished reading that book you recommended last time. I thought there might be parts that overlap with today's lecture—"
She said, walking into the seminar room together with him.
I went in too.
The seminar room.
It wasn't large.
There were about thirty chairs placed inside.
Camilla sat near the front.
Next to the Aurelia seonbae.
I went to the very back.
The corner.
Sat down.
Took out my notebook.
Took out a pen.
'I'm only staying for the Mana Stone talk.'
'Just that, and I'm out.'
Right then.
The seminar room door opened.
A man entered.
In his fifties.
A neat impression.
One attendant with him.
The atmosphere was different.
The moment he entered, the people in the front rows turned their heads.
The Representative of the Kilte Trading Company.
Barsel.
Barsel was walking toward the podium, lightly nodding to those around him.
Camilla stood up.
'............?'
Naturally.
On the path Barsel was taking to the podium.
Camilla stood there.
"Representative-nim~"
Brightly.
Smiling.
Barsel stopped.
Looked at Camilla.
"............Huh?"
His eyes widened.
"Camilla? Is that Camilla?"
"Yes. It's been a while, Representative-nim."
Barsel smiled.
Genuinely.
"Wow. When I last saw you, you were this tall."
He gestured a height with his hand at waist level.
"You've grown this much? Your father must be so pleased."
"Aww, Representative-nim. How old was I back then?"
"Ten? Eleven? When you came to our house, you were running around in the yard."
Camilla smiled.
As if embarrassed.
"I heard back then I was looking at the ledgers in your study, Representative-nim."
"Right! I was shocked to see a ten-year-old looking at ledgers. I told your father this kid is no ordinary child."
Barsel tapped Camilla on the head once.
Lightly.
Like he would with a niece.
"You're attending the Academy. Doing well?"
"I'm working hard."
"Good. Let's have a meal together sometime. Send my regards to your father."
"Yes. Thank you, Representative-nim."
Barsel went to the podium.
Camilla turned around and returned to her seat.
As if nothing had happened.
The Aurelia seonbae looked at Camilla.
"............You're that close with the Representative-nim?"
Camilla smiled as she sat down.
"He's an old acquaintance of my father's. I've been seeing him often since I was little."
Lightly.
The seonbae's eyes changed.
Up until a moment ago, it was the look of seeing a pretty junior.
Now it was different.
"............."
Camilla took out parchment and got ready.
As if it were nothing.
'.............'
I watched from the very back.
'That woman.'
'Went up to greet the Representative first.'
'Right in front of her seonbae.'
'With just that, she scored huge points.'
'.............'
'Is she really a first-year?'
The lecture began.
Barsel stood at the podium.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Hans Barsel, Representative of the Kilte Trading Company."
"Today, I'm going to talk about small-scale businesses utilizing Mana Stones."
I started writing on my parchment.
"The biggest problem with Mana Stones is the price."
'Right.'
'They're expensive.'
"One 3rd-grade Mana Stone costs 50 gold coins. Once you process it, the cost doubles."
'That was the reason half my fortune went up in smoke.'
"But recently, low-grade Mana Stones have been coming out in large quantities from the southern mines. 5th-grade and below. Stuff that was thrown away before."
'5th-grade.'
"Utilizing these makes small-scale product production possible. Mana Stone lamps for lighting. Simple communication crystal balls. Magical tools for daily life."
I wrote it down.
[5th-grade Mana Stone — Low cost. Mass production possible.]
[Lighting. Communication. Daily life.]
'What about a game console?'
"Of course, you can't make high-end magical tools with 5th-grade stones. The output is insufficient. But there are product lines where low output is enough."
'Products where low output is enough.'
'A game console runs on low output.'
'For something like displaying a screen and moving a character, it seems like 5th-grade would work.'
I wrote it down.
[Game console possible with 5th-grade?]
[Price = 1/10th of existing?]
[Mass production potential exists.]
'Fuck.'
'If only this works out.'
The lecture continued.
I could hear the sound of writing from the front.
Sagak sagak.
Fast.
Continuously.
Camilla.
A hand went up.
"Representative-nim. In running a small-scale booth, would there be a way to innovatively lower the cost of nighttime lighting?"
Barsel smiled.
"That's a good question. If you make simple lighting with 3rd-grade Mana Stones, the cost drops innovatively. But the processing is tricky, so there are hardly any people who can do it."
"In that case, then—"
Camilla continued her question.
Incredibly enthusiastic.
'.............'
Well, I can understand.
'Because it's not being run through her father's trading company, but under her own name for the first time.'
'It must be pretty important.'
The lecture ended.
9:30.
People stood up.
Camilla was talking with the Aurelia seonbae.
Smiling.
Showing him the parchment.
The seonbae was nodding.
Seriously.
"Camilla, you're really amazing."
"No, seonbae~ I'm learning from you~"
The seonbae's ears were still red.
'.............'
I got up from the very back.
Folded my parchment.
Put it in my pocket.
[5th-grade Mana Stone mass-produced game console]
[Unit cost under 5 gold coins possible?]
[The era of multiplayer is coming]
I left the seminar room.
The hallway.
Came outside.
The night air was cold.
Street lamps lit the path.
Cherry trees stood in rows.
'Multiplayer.'
'If I can make multiple controllers with 5th-grade Mana Stones.'
'I could break through the bosses that are roadblocking me with raids.'
I walked.
Towards the Dormitory.
Then.
A voice came from behind.
"Camilla~ How was the lecture today?"
Celine.
That social butterfly I saw in class today.
She was walking up beside Camilla.
"It was good! Especially the part about the Mana Stone distribution structure."
"As expected of Camilla. I kind of dozed off in the middle, you know?"
"Eonni, I knew you would~"
The two of them were walking and laughing.
Same direction.
Since it's the same Dormitory.
They probably saw me walking ahead.
Slippers.
Clack, clack.
Celine looked at me.
"Huh? Ian!"
'Ah.'
Celine ran over.
"Ian, you listened to the lecture too?"
"............Yes."
"Oh~ What did you come to hear about?"
"............Mana Stones."
"Mana Stones? What are you using them for?"
"............A game console."
"A game console?!"
Celine's eyes widened.
"Hey. This guy makes game consoles himself. Out of Mana Stones."
She looked at Camilla.
"Isn't that awesome?"
Camilla smiled.
"That's right."
Lightly.
Switch ON.
"Ian-ssi, you're so amazing~"
Celine cut in.
"Really amazing, right? I was a little scared of him when I first saw him. His eyes."
"................"
"But once you get to know him, he's super nice. He even knows all the names of grasses."
"I see."
Camilla nodded.
Smiling.
'.............'
'She's reacting, at least.'
'But not to me. To Celine.'
Celine spoke.
"Ah, my dorm isn't this way. I have to go this way."
We reached a fork in the road.
"Camilla, see you tomorrow~ Ian, get home safe too!"
She went off waving her hand.
'.............'
Celine disappeared.
Camilla walked.
I walked too.
The two of us remained.
'.............'
Camilla's switch turned off.
The moment Celine disappeared.
Simultaneously.
Her expression changed.
The face that was saying "I see", "You're so amazing~" was gone.
A tired face.
Walked.
Only looking straight ahead.
Didn't look at me.
'.............'
'The temperature difference from when Celine was here is night and day.'
The path to the Dormitory.
We passed between the cherry trees.
The street lamp light shone through the branches.
Camilla took out parchment as she walked.
She was reviewing her lecture notes, holding them up to the street lamp light.
'.............'
'Reviewing on a night road.'
As I walked, I was thinking too.
'With a 3rd-grade Mana Stone.'
'You have to lower the processing temperature.'
'That part took me three weeks when I was making the game console.'
'But on a booth scale, you could probably make lighting with a 3rd-grade stone.'
I spoke without thinking.
"For a 3rd-grade Mana Stone, temperature control is key during processing. The circuitry itself is different from other Mana Stones."
'.............'
'Why did I say that.'
Camilla's footsteps didn't stop.
She was walking while reading her parchment.
'Did she not hear me?'
"If you're planning to use Mana Stone lighting at the booth, you'd need 3rd-grade processing."
Camilla stopped.
Turned around.
Her blonde hair shone in the street lamp light.
Her lipstick was slightly smudged.
Tired eyes.
Looked at me.
2 seconds.
"............."
"I don't need it."
She turned and walked away.
'.............'
'Right.'
'Of course she would.'
'If a guy with 63 Mana starts talking about Mana Stone processing.'
'She wouldn't believe it.'
The Dormitory came into view.
In front of the entrance.
Camilla went in first.
The door closed.
She didn't look back.
'.............'
The night wind blew.
My slippers were cold.
'.............'
I went in too.
The janitor's room.
Closed the door.
Kung.
Looked at my game console.
Click.
[Weekly Ranking]
"Just Parking" was still sitting at the top.
'.............'
'I need to kill him.'
'But before that.'
Took out my parchment.
[5th-grade Mana Stone mass-produced game console]
[Unit cost under 5 gold coins possible?]
[The era of multiplayer is coming]
'.............'
'Let's think about this later.'
Looked at the game console.
Click.
'.............'
No.
I didn't press it.
Turned the game console over.
Opened the back panel.
The Mana Stone circuitry was visible.
'.............'
This.
I made this.
Three 3rd-grade Mana Stones.
Wiring connecting the Mana Stones.
Output control circuit.
Display interface unit.
Input receiver unit.
'This wiring.'
'I burned it out twelve times.'
'On the twelfth try, I lowered the temperature by 0.3 degrees and it worked.'
'This output control circuit.'
'Took three weeks.'
'Every night, only messing with this.'
'My Mana is 63, so I can't inject directly.'
'Carved it out stitch by stitch with tools.'
'.............'
'Fuck.'
'A normal person would take centuries to do this.'
'No. They couldn't do it at all.'
'I'm the only person in this school who's ever done this.'
"I don't need it."
'.............'
'She's going to regret it.'
Closed the back panel.
Turned the game console back.
Click.
'.............'
'Well.'
'She said she doesn't need it.'
'If she doesn't, she doesn't.'
Click click click—
'.............'
'But fuck.'
'She's really going to regret it.'