A Gift from a Guilty Conscience

Even as Jo Difel handed the elixir over to Lim Dojun, his stomach twisted with anxiety.

‘Will this be enough to earn forgiveness?’

This latest mission had involved an ancient ruin and the kind of mountain climbing that most mages despised, which meant the contribution points on offer were substantial. Yet Jo Difel had done virtually nothing during the expedition. All he had managed was to drag his own body up the slope. Every other task—verifying data, supervising the mercenaries, everything—had been handled single-handedly by Lim Dojun.

In short, he had dumped all the actual work onto the branch leader’s disciple and simply reaped the contribution points for himself. It was insane. Even a much younger junior would have held a grudge. And this particular junior was the one the branch leader bragged about until he spat.

If, later on, Lim Dojun rose to a high position within the tower and remembered this slight, what then? Right now Jo Difel was the senior, but that relationship would reverse in the blink of an eye. In the Blue Magic Tower, what mattered wasn’t the arbitrary hierarchy of who joined first. Only skill counted.

‘I have to clear up the misunderstanding and beg for forgiveness no matter what!’

That was why Jo Difel had poured every ounce of his strength into brewing the elixir. For several days he had barely slept, pushing himself past his limits. The result was the Forget-Me-Not Original Potion now resting in Lim Dojun’s hands.

Originally he had planned to sell it to fund his next research project, but that no longer mattered. He had snatched the vial and rushed straight to find Lim Dojun, luckily running into him on the way.

Naturally, Lim Dojun blinked several times in confusion. He had already received the Dragon-style magic thanks to Jo Difel—what was this about an elixir on top of that?

“What exactly do you think you did wrong that you want me to overlook…? Have you made any mistakes toward me?”

“······!”

Jo Difel’s face lit up with a bright smile.

“Haha! No, none at all! Of course not!”

‘He’s forgiving me!’

He must mean he would let it slide without issue. Jo Difel had worried that a fourth-grade elixir might not even catch the eye of the branch leader’s genius disciple, but it seemed his fears had been unfounded. He had always thought the man had a good personality, but this was beyond that. So benevolent, so magnanimous!

“Thank you. Really, thank you!”

“Pardon?”

“Here, take it quickly. I’m not just saying this because I made it, but it ranked in the upper half among fourth-grade elixirs. It’s been refined into potion form, so you only need to drink it.”

Since it had been created by a proper mage of the Blue Magic Tower, its effects were of course proven. Moreover, thanks to the tower’s specialty, it was especially effective for ice-attribute mages.

“I have urgent research to get back to, so I’ll be going! Thank you again!”

Having said his piece, Jo Difel scurried away in a hurry. Without the Forget-Me-Not Original Potion, he would need to earn more contribution points on missions to secure new materials. The sooner he moved, the better his chances of snagging an efficient assignment. He was in a rush.

He had to throw himself into the next mission with everything he had!

“······.”

Lim Dojun stared in bewilderment at Jo Difel, who had appeared out of nowhere only to vanish just as suddenly. All that remained was the single potion vial in his hand.

‘…Is this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thanks to my Luck potential?’

He had raised that stat thinking it was just a game at the time, but perhaps it really was the reason things kept coming his way like this. In any case, Lim Dojun decided to take it at face value. Since it was a gift, he might as well drink it without overthinking.

He immediately uncorked the vial and downed it in one go. The moment the potion touched his tongue, it melted smoothly and spread through his body.

-Whoosh!

A fierce heat bloomed from his chest and seeped into every corner of his frame.

Elixirs refined to the level of potions were absorbed automatically simply by drinking them. After spending several days testing Dragon-style magic, Lim Dojun reached a clear conclusion.

‘I should be able to cast a few more spells now.’

He analyzed the situation coldly. Dragon-style magic offered excellent power and convenience, but it devoured mana at a frightening rate. A single fourth-grade elixir only extended his casting limit by a modest amount. Still, given how tiny his mana pool had been originally, even this much was incredibly satisfying.

In high spirits, Lim Dojun headed for the branch leader’s office.

-Knock knock.

“Master, it’s me, Jun.”

-Come in.

He opened the door and stepped inside. A massive desk filled his vision, and behind it sat Delcrein. Lim Dojun flinched in surprise.

“…What happened to your face?”

His eyes were ringed with deep bruises and his lip was split and bloody.

“Didn’t you see the note? I went to headquarters and had a little spar.”

“Even so… you got hurt this badly?”

“The Disciplinary Elder is a bit… intense. His temper burns hotter than fire.”

Delcrein shook his head with a sigh.

“Still, to beat a mage of the tower like this…”

Was it really acceptable to pummel someone just because they displeased you? For a moment Lim Dojun wondered if the Magic Tower operated more like a military organization than he had realized.

“It’s not like that for every mage. The Disciplinary Elder is my master, you see. He’s especially strict with his own disciple.”

Delcrein gently prodded the bruise around his eye and winced.

“Ugh. It hurts. I talked back a little and got a proper beating for the first time in ages. After becoming branch leader here I hadn’t been hit once, so it caught me completely off guard.”

“······.”

Now that he thought about it, Lim Dojun remembered their first meeting. He had accepted the disciple offer immediately, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but Delcrein had admitted he would have dragged him in by force if necessary.

‘…So that violent tendency runs in the lineage.’

It seemed he had stepped into quite the aggressive bloodline.

“Still, there was a positive outcome. Here, look at this!”

-Thud!

Delcrein slapped a thick book onto the desk.

“This is the mana control method created by Senior Barkmong, who once served as Tower Master. It is one of our tower’s secret arts. I practice it myself. Anything better than this can only be accessed by those at the Elder rank or above.”

“!”

A mana control technique normally reserved for branch-leader level mages. Lim Dojun’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Aside from achievement points, nothing was more crucial to healing his body than superior mana control.

“Thank you, Master! Should I start calling you Father now!?”

“Not a bad idea, but it’s still too early to celebrate.”

Delcrein pulled the book slightly back toward himself.

“The Disciplinary Elder gave special permission, but there are conditions. This Barkmong-Style Mana Control Method is an advance payment. After receiving it, you must prove that you are worthy. If he judges you lacking, everything given to you will be taken away.”

“I am confident.”

It was a frightening statement, yet Lim Dojun answered without hesitation. What worried him more was the opposite problem. If he revealed the full extent of his Dragon-style magic, it could cause issues. He would need to display just enough power to look like a genius—nothing more.

“That confidence is pleasing to see. The method of proof is to demonstrate your magic before the Elder. You will also need to complete one mission. What the tower wants is not a mage who hides away in a laboratory. To prove your genius, you will be given an extremely difficult and demanding task. It will naturally be dangerous, and you may have to climb mountains or traverse remote regions. Your body will likely suffer greatly!”

For the majority of mages who preferred staying indoors, this would be a nightmare. But for Lim Dojun, it sounded wonderful. Mountain climbing? Wilderness exploration? During the five years he had spent trapped in a wheelchair, hadn’t he dreamed of such things at least once?

Whether for achievement points or to secure ancient knowledge, he welcomed any difficult mission.

“So you have two choices before you. The first is to receive this special treatment now and prove yourself later. However, if you fail the test, the consequences will be severe. The second is to forgo the special treatment and steadily build your record from the bottom. With the skills you have shown so far, completing a few missions should earn you recognition quickly. Normally I would ask you to choose between the two, but…”

Delcrein looked at the smile on Lim Dojun’s face.

“It seems the answer is obvious.”

“Yes. I will prove myself.”

“Puhuhu. That confidence is truly delightful. Yes, that is exactly how my disciple should be!”

Delcrein laughed in return and gently pushed the book toward him.

“Shall I sit with you and explain it personally?”

“That won’t be necessary.”

There was no need. Once he read it, the skill would register automatically. Why bother?

“Very well. If you need help, come to the branch leader’s office anytime.”

“Yes!”

Lim Dojun took the book and headed straight for the training room. He immersed himself in its pages at once. Much of the content was difficult to understand, but that didn’t matter. He focused on absorbing as much as possible. After several hours, he finally finished reading the entire volume.

New knowledge exploded inside his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mind like a sudden fountain. When he opened his status window, the skill list had changed.

The previous ‘Blue Magic Tower Basic Mana Control’ had disappeared, replaced by Barkmong-Style Mana Control Method.

* * *

Lim Dojun opened his eyes back in reality. He left the capsule, prepared a simple meal, and ate. His usual diet consisted of chicken breast fried rice that only needed a quick spin in the microwave, so mealtime never took more than ten minutes. Normally he would drink some water, visit the bathroom, and immediately return to the capsule. The total time he spent outside it in a day was less than thirty minutes. That was how deeply he had immersed himself in learning magic in the other world.

But today would be different.

When the text arrived, Lim Dojun gave a bitter smile.

‘I ended up worrying her without meaning to.’

He and Kim Eunju had kept in regular contact, but while ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he was absorbed in the capsule his replies had grown infrequent. Since she ran the rehabilitation center with genuine care rather than mere professional duty, she had become seriously worried and even announced she would visit his home today. She visited often anyway, so it wasn’t a problem, but he still felt guilty for causing her concern.

‘I should apologize when I see her.’

He was pouring himself a glass of water from the purifier when the doorbell rang.

-Ding dong!

-Dojun! I’m coming in!

-Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

-Click.

The doorbell rang once as a courtesy, then the password was entered and the door swung open immediately.

“Dojun! I never imagined you would get addicted to the capsule. I gave it to you for rehabilitation, not so you could stay inside all the time. If you keep doing that, it’ll actually be bad for your bo—”

Kim Eunju strode in carrying a shopping bag in each hand, already scolding him before she even saw his face. But the moment she stepped into the entryway with that worried expression and saw Lim Dojun standing there drinking water, her eyes flew wide open.

“Bad for your… bo… dy…”

For a second her mind simply refused to process what she was seeing. Lim Dojun, standing on his own two feet, holding a cup of water.

-Thud.

The shopping bags slipped from her hands. All the daily necessities inside spilled across the floor, but none of that mattered right now.

“Eek!!!?”

She let out a strange, strangled cry.