Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Terminal but Genius, So It's Fine
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The Prime Brew Clan was a family that anyone involved in brew arts dreamed of joining at least once.
The origin of brew arts and the first renowned house.
The family that had produced the most heads of the Ten Great Families Alliance, the Heaven-Earth Society.
The world dismissed its ancient history, calling it a setting sun, but to the people under that sky, it was still the one and only sun.
However, as with all things in the world, exceptions always existed.
For example, the moon only revealed its presence when the sun rested—and the sun wouldn't be pleased with that.
"They're all such idiots..."
Yi Yun-ji clenched her fist with a cold mutter.
The grudge she harbored against Park Ha-yul was a kind of inherited inferiority complex passed down through generations.
It was like the stigma that anyone from the other brew arts family, the Thunderclap House, hidden in the shadow of the Brew Clan, inevitably carried...
"Quit right now if you're planning to surpass the Brew Clan with this pathetic brew art."
"The Brew Clan is... the Brew Clan..."
She was the genius who had finally bloomed a flower in the shade of that great tree.
"It's going to change now. No, it has to change."
Yi Yun-ji chewed her lip and murmured softly.
It was no empty delusion, that much was certain.
It was common knowledge that the Brew Clan's recent heirs were utterly mediocre.
Just look at Park Ha-yul.
The students might have forgotten in their intoxication with the Brew Clan's prestige, but his actual ranking was a mere 700th.
She'd heard he was a half-baked talent who had chosen the superhuman track because he lacked gift in brew arts.
"What can a moron like that do... They'll all come to their senses soon enough."
Yi Yun-ji steeled her resolve as she recalled the plan that would soon become reality.
When the time came, she strode confidently to the professor's desk as if it were her own.
"Everyone, let's have a great year. The parts I'll be handling will be replaced with assignments..."
She conducted the orientation with poise and followed up with instructions for today's task.
"This is a spell personally inscribed by the professor. It's a barrier spell fusing multiple brew arts. Since it's the first class, work together to solve it—class ends the moment it's dispelled."
Not just words—she pulled out a specially crafted Monster Emperor Talisman and affixed it to the door. A reddish energy born from the spell enveloped the entire classroom.
"So if we just dispel it, class is over? Who can solve this?"
"No way alone. Let's group up first."
"Maybe she knows something?"
"Who?"
"Oh, Park Ha-yul..."
Even without prodding, the stage she'd been waiting for was set.
Now it was time to bring out the actor who would dance the ridiculous jig against their expectations.
"It won't be easy. It took me over twenty minutes to fully dispel it. It'd be much smoother with help from a capable person..."
After a brief pause, Yi Yun-ji called out to Park Ha-yul as if reluctantly.
"Have you grasped the spell's structure, by any chance? Everyone's curious, so don't hog the info."
The odds of a response?
Zero, obviously.
Still, she would keep pressing.
Drizzle by drizzle, soaking through clothes...
She planned to torment him until "I don't know" slipped from Park Ha-yul's lips and he looked flustered and pitiful.
Harsh, perhaps, but was there a surer way to expose incompetence?
Yi Yun-ji gazed at Park Ha-yul with an innocent smile.
She figured that upturned lip corner wouldn't come down for a while.
"I had high hopes, but this timid attack is disappointing. Or maybe you have some twisted tastes."
But then, the response that came was odd.
"What do you..."
"Whatever. Anyway, solve it and we're done, right? Don't whine later. I make it a rule to smash the heads of anyone—man or woman—who toys with time."
Smash... heads?
Yi Yun-ji wondered if the "head" she had in mind matched his, or if it carried some symbolic meaning.
The other students were just as baffled.
"Head? Like, literally the head? Smash it?"
"Idiot, would a direct Brew Clan heir say something that straightforward? It means the representative."
"Yi Yun-ji?"
"Yeah. Park Ha-yul just threw down the gauntlet. He's declaring he'll take over the brew arts world."
"Ooh, as expected."
It was a case where the interpretation seemed more plausible than the dream itself...
Whatever.
"Let's wrap this up quick. I'm kinda busy."
Park Ha-yul stood and headed toward the door.
* * *
Maybe it's because they're the non-mainstream track kids?
They've got some blind spots.
I left the strangely upbeat atmosphere behind and approached the door with the Monster Emperor Talisman.
"How can you say something so crude..."
Yi Yun-ji, realizing too late, flushed red and shouted, but I summed it up in one line.
"And your mindset is pure as snow?"
"Eek..."
Smart ones like her were easier to deal with. They caught on perfectly even to rough words.
Anyway, up close, it felt entirely different.
Complex enough to strain the eyes, and the emanating aura was alien too.
"So this is a barrier."
But knowledge deeply imprinted in my mind through perusal didn't discriminate by situation.
Shall we start?
I took a deep breath and began the dispelling process.
Will was like a switch.
The moment I resolved to do it, info related to the spell flooded in.
"This is Wind Control Technique, derived from the Ma Wind's synthesis symbol."
One.
"The convergence part uses Fire Control Technique, an application of the Flame Wall spell..."
Two.
With acquisition beyond memorization and understanding, even the most complex spell could be dismantled piece by piece.
"Four 1-star defensive brew arts form the circuit, with a 2-star brew art as the core."
I grasped the structure in no time.
The activated 2-star spell was a type I'd never seen...
"So what."
It would soon become familiar.
[Trait, Perusal activated.]
Let's see.
I reached out toward the nameless spell as if appraising it.
My mana drained sharply, and the spell's true essence—previously unknown—sprang forth vividly.
I Hwa-young Style 2-star Wood Control Technique Application: Root of Dominion
[Comprehension: 52%]
A brew art that channels mana through the spell as a medium...
Interesting.
I hadn't fully acquired it, but I understood the general mechanism.
Who knew there was a spell enabling mana transfer.
"As expected."
The creator's name wasn't tacked on for nothing.
When "style" is attached to a brew art's name like that, it's called a proprietary technique.
Rarer and more precious than common brew arts, they were typically passed down within families or to single heirs.
Unlike me, who gobbled it up effortlessly, some were priceless even for billions.
"If it can be modified, I could put it to good use."
Acquiring just the broad framework and key principles was lucky in itself.
A fitting application came to mind, but I shelved it for now.
Dispelling took priority.
With that, I fully understood the barrier's operating principle.
The professor's mana, transferred and residing via Root of Dominion, was the key.
Did it have a trait that imbued will into mana? It was controlling the various spells like a living being.
So there was only one answer.
Sever that mana flow, and the barrier would dispel.
"Easier than I thought."
Bonus: I'd stolen a proprietary technique too.
I gathered my remaining mana.
I targeted only the circuits linking Root of Dominion to the defensive spells, aiming to cut them.
Crackle. Sizzle.
Meaningful change came after removing three circuits.
The red energy around the door began fading, and once the last circuit was severed, it vanished completely.
"Wh-what? Already?"
"How many minutes?"
"Thirteen minutes..."
Ah, didn't Yi Yun-ji say it took her over twenty?
I hadn't aimed for comparison, but it happened anyway.
Not a bad outcome.
If they wouldn't let it slide quietly, better to crush them decisively.
"What trick did you pull, you!"
Yi Yun-ji screamed, her face drained pale to ashen.
Whatever.
I ignored her lightly and declared.
"Class dismissed. Pack up quick. Time to go home."
* * *
With nothing to pack, I left the classroom first.
All lectures scheduled for the week were done, so straight to the dorm. I wanted to savor the leisure, but...
"Sigh, my fate."
That was for ordinary folks.
With my time-limited trait squeezing every second, I couldn't afford to waste a minute.
I hurried to the comprehensive training ground.
I entered a room near the entrance and first reviewed the settings for the Bell Tower Occupation Battle.
The rough story flashed through my mind in scenes.
In summary...
While occupying the Bell Tower, a sudden anomaly occurred.
The event that would make the four protagonists see each other differently as they overcame the crisis—a trigger.
A key episode, so a quest was guaranteed, likely with the objective of defeating the boss.
"But it won't be easy."
The difficulty would dwarf the previous tower occupation.
The Bell Tower boss was a whopping rank 6, with plenty of rank 7 demonic beasts under it.
I had to account for unknown variables too.
No charging in blindly.
Prep first.
My chronic issue: mana shortage.
A countermeasure for that...
"Bracelet first."
With thoughts sorted, I activated the trait.
[Trait, Manifestation activated.]
Comprehension from repeated Perusal had reached 80%.
Now I could visualize and materialize it quite smoothly.
...But.
[Insufficient mana for materialization.]
"It won't work?"
I panicked briefly, but the reason soon appeared.
[Permanent armament storage requires extremely high mana.]
Damn...
Not the armament's grade, but the duration. It valued time over power.
No choice but to propose terms.
"Limit to one month."
[Insufficient mana.]
Shit.
"Then two weeks."
[Insufficient mana.]
You bastard.
Irritation surged, but I didn't want to burn time either.
"...Then one week."
[Conditions met.]
[Materializing.]
Tch.
Having to manifest it every time was a drag, but free was free.
Maybe I'd aimed too high from the start.
Unlimited permanent stay was true creation—god's domain.
"Anyway, mana recovery rate is boosted."
Still an unopened card. The proprietary technique I'd just stolen was promising too.
Using the training ground system, I summoned a straw dummy.
[Trait, Manifestation activated.]
I inscribed the spell I'd learned on a whim.
"Like this?"
I reversed the symbols for entry and exit.
Some intermediate operators changed, but with the principles acquired, no big issue.
It materialized at once—the spell tattooed onto the dummy like a tattoo. A single green thread emerged, crawling up my hand like a living thing.
Squelch.
It burrowed into my forearm like an IV needle.
...What is this?
Feeling queasy, I nearly canceled...
[Brew art, Root of Dominion effect activates in reverse.]
[Can borrow up to 20% of host's max mana.]
"...For real?"
This easily?
It was the message I'd hoped for, yet more startling because of it.
The spell I'd just used was the 2-star proprietary technique "Root of Dominion."
I'd modified and inscribed it my way.
Instead of supplying mana to the inscribed target, it drew from it?
I hadn't been fully confident, but it was a huge success.
This massively eased my mana depletion worries.
Just inscribe it on demonic beasts and draw when needed.
As an auxiliary art, mana cost was low—great efficiency.
"Jackpot."
Take from others when mine runs dry.
How brilliantly thieving an idea.
[Achievement-562: Spooning Someone Else's Brew Art]
[Reward: +1 day added.]
[Brew art name changed to Root of Greed.]
[10 SP acquired for shameless development.]
[Remaining time: 14 days 13 hours 12 minutes]
[SP held: 60]
What the hell, man?
Still, this ain't right.
"Comparing my genius idea to mere spooning."
Sure, adding a full day warranted a bow...
Yeah, definitely good...
So, should I be happy?
"Ahem."
Anyway, luckily found a solution. Now, focus on raising manifestation accuracy for Root of Greed and the attribute combo brew for the Bell Tower Occupation Battle.
Time flew faster than lightning.
Weekend needless to say, even Monday with personal training lectures passed in a flash.
Satisfied with the results, the day of the Bell Tower Occupation Battle dawned before I knew it.