Chapter 82: New Face
Chapter 82: New Face
Shin Sangyong was clearly a very introverted User. Watching him beat around the bush for over five minutes without getting to the point was starting to get a little frustrating. With so many people watching, I forced myself to listen, but even the others were starting to look bored.
“Sangyong-ssi, please raise your head first.”
As if sensing the mood, Jung Hayeon gave him a nudge in a low voice, and Shin Sangyong let out an awkward laugh. He took a short, deep breath, and this time, his eyes shone as he spoke.
“Have you ever heard the term ‘magic square’?”
A magic square. Of course, I’d heard of it. But I had a feeling what Shin Sangyong was about to say wasn’t about a simple magic square, but something related to his True Name, so I focused more intently. At the same time, I activated my Third Eye. I was curious what kind of abilities he possessed to have earned a True Name like that.
〈 Player Status 〉
1. Name: Shin Sangyong (Year 2 User)
2. Class: Mage (Normal, Mage, Expert)
3. Nation: Barbara
4. Clan: -
5. True Name · Nationality: One Who Pursues the Truth of Magic Squares · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Male (28)
7. Height · Weight: 183.7cm · 69.2kg
8. Alignment: Lawful · True
〈 Stats 〉
[Strength 40] [Durability 42] [Agility 45] [Stamina 40] [Magic Power 85] [Luck 60]
〈 Achievements (0) 〉
〈 Unique Ability (1/1) 〉
1. Magic Square of Harmony (Rank: A Zero)
〈 Latent Abilities (3/4) 〉
1. Alchemical Magic (Rank: B Plus)
2. Orthodox Magic (Rank: B Zero)
3. Ancient-Language Deciphering (Rank: C Plus)
“I’m not sure how far everyone here has awakened their abilities, but I have one thing that makes me different from other Users. And that is… I don’t have a special ability. It’s not that I never had one. It’s a special case where my original special ability evolved into my unique ability.”
“That’s…”
I stared at him, my eyes glinting with interest. He met my gaze calmly and continued, his voice clearer than ever before.
“I apologize for revealing this so suddenly. But you see, I… I might be decent at studying, but I’m a fool when it comes to relationships and social life. I have no talent for deceiving others or being deceived. Besides, since I’m about to make an unreasonable request of you, Soohyun-ssi, I wanted to at least be upfront about my own Player Status.”
“…That still puts me on the spot.”
“Please don’t feel burdened at all. I’m the one who chose to reveal it.”
I sighed and nodded. To be honest, the reason for my interest wasn’t that he had a unique ability instead of a special one. It was a rare case, but I remembered seeing a few Users like that back in the first run. What truly piqued my curiosity was what kind of power the unique ability called Magic Square of Harmony held.
Taking my nod as a signal, Shin Sangyong immediately raised both his hands. Naturally, everyone’s attention was drawn to them. Everyone except for one person.
Jung Hayeon had been watching only my face ever since Shin Sangyong started talking. It seemed she was making her own internal judgments. With an even sharper gaze, I focused my mind on Shin Sangyong’s raised hands.
“I will now show you the unique ability I possess.”
Fwoosh! Crackle!
As he finished speaking, I felt a faint stir of magic from him. Soon, a flame ignited in his right hand while ice formed in his left. They were two energies with conflicting attributes. Could Magic Square of Harmony be…
Before I could finish my thought, Shin Sangyong clapped his hands together as if applauding. With my Third Eye active, I was stunned to see countless magical calculations taking place between his pressed palms. I quickly composed my expression, but in that brief moment, I saw Jung Hayeon’s eyes darken beside me.
Shin Sangyong gently cupped a single mass of energy in his hands—an energy where ice and fire coexisted, something that should be theoretically impossible. Looking down at the energy with an affectionate gaze, he spoke in a quiet voice.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it…? This is the unique ability I possess. Its name is Magic Square of Harmony. Haha.”
Soon, the fire and ice faded within his hands. A few gasps of awe could be heard from those around us; its appearance was certainly beautiful. I didn’t know its exact power, but the destructive force from combining conflicting attributes was sure to be immense.
No matter how extraordinary it was, the Magic Square of Harmony could not contain Eternal Flame even for a moment. If Eternal Flame’s energy were placed inside it, the magic square would probably shatter instantly.
Shin Sangyong scratched his head with a bashful look at the others’ reactions, then spoke again in a calm voice.
“Calling myself an inventor might be an exaggeration. Back in Korea, I worked at a research institute. I enjoy calculations and have always been interested in making things. Of all those fields, magic squares were my favorite.”
A magic square was a grid in which natural numbers beginning with one were arranged in a particular order, without repetition or omission, so that the sum along each line remained constant.
“The principle of a magic square pursues harmony and balance. You may not realize it, but that principle is applied in many parts of our daily lives.”
The others’ faces were once again growing listless. Ahn Hyun and Yoojung, in particular, were openly pouting. Those brats, honestly. I shot them an apologetic look, but Shin Sangyong just smiled pleasantly and waved his hand dismissively.
“After coming to the Hall Plain, I became a Mage. I had wanted to become a Priest, but the angel in charge strongly recommended Mage instead. To be honest, the Mage Class suited me well. However… you could say I’m a little different from other Mages.”
That was certainly true. He had no Special Ability, and although he possessed an excellent Unique Ability, one look at his Latent Abilities was enough to make me sigh. Orthodox Magic was something every Mage had to learn, so that was understandable. But why had he awakened Alchemical Magic and Ancient-Language Deciphering, neither of which offered any direct combat value?
He seemed to have survived through decent Stats, but it was regrettable that he had not used his Class characteristics more effectively. A high Orthodox Magic rank might have compensated, but both his Alchemical Magic and Orthodox Magic were B Rank or lower. For now, I feigned ignorance and waited calmly for him to continue.
“In the Hall Plain, it’s standard for a Mage to learn things related to Orthodox Magic. But still, perhaps it’s just my nature, but I had a great interest in alchemy. The people around me strongly advised against learning Alchemical Magic, but because of my own selfish desire, I ended up learning it anyway. Haha. Pathetic, isn’t it? To chase an ideal without facing reality in a world where your life is on the line.”
Yes. You are pathetic, I wanted to reply. But I calmly shook my head.
“But I don’t regret it. If it weren’t for this alchemy, my weak self might have gone mad over the past two years… Oh, dear. I’ve been talking for too long. I’ll now tell you the reason I came to see you, Soohyun-ssi.”
Shin Sangyong let out a breath. “Hoo.”
“I happened to obtain information about Ancient Alchemist Vivian’s Dungeon. I shared it with the sisters Jung Hayeon and Jung Jiyeon, whom I knew, and we secretly formed a caravan. The Golden Lion Clan does not encourage exploration at present. In that sense, I bear a great deal of responsibility for what happened to User Jung Jiyeon. If I had never told them… I still regret it.”
I see. So they didn’t just wander into the Black Forest blindly; they had at least some information. As I nodded, Jung Hayeon, who had been listening quietly beside me, picked up where he left off in a calm voice.
“There is moral responsibility, certainly. But by that logic, I bear responsibility too, and Jiyeon herself was responsible for her choice. She did not follow reluctantly; she decided to go because she believed it was possible. So…”
Hearing Jung Hayeon’s bitter tone, Shin Sangyong wore an apologetic expression. Sensing that she didn’t want to talk about Jung Jiyeon anymore, he quickly turned his head.
“Although we failed to clear the dungeon, I still haven’t been able to let go of my curiosity about ancient alchemy. I know I sound like an idiot, but if it weren’t for your party, Soohyun-ssi, or if I had survived, I probably would have gone back into that dungeon. But now, there’s no need for that. Because…”
Shin Sangyong paused for a moment, then glanced at Vivian, who was standing next to me with a blank expression. He then folded his legs from his seated position and shifted until he was kneeling. Before I had a chance to stop him, he placed both hands on the floor and bowed his head low before me.
“I know it would be shameless to ask for any reward or item from the dungeon, and I have no such desire. But when I heard that a living Resident alchemist was there, I could not remain still. Please—allow me to learn from her.”
“Sangyong-ssi. Please get up.”
“No. I believe even making this request is shameless enough. But alchemy is not a mainstream field in the Hall Plain. Even among non-mainstream skills, it’s treated as a nuisance, so there are no Users to get advice from, nor any methods to learn. I can only push forward by teaching myself through trial and error… Even now, I don’t know if I’m on the right path. What’s more, I’ve felt like I’m completely stuck at a wall for the past six months. If I continue like this, I…”
Shin Sangyong continued to speak without raising his head. I could feel a slight tremor in his voice, as if he were holding back tears. A certain memory suddenly came to mind, and I closed my eyes.
I understood User Shin Sangyong’s feelings better than anyone. I had never received anyone’s instruction either. I had reached the level of Sword Master entirely through self-study, and even now, remembering that process sometimes brought back a sense of sorrow.
The feeling of a giant wall standing before you. You have to climb over it, but it’s so solid you can’t even think of breaking it. The frustration you feel at that moment is despairing beyond words.
While it varies from person to person, by the time most Users reach their second year, their stats have mostly finished developing. Unlike in the beginning, when stats grew by the day, it reached a point where it took tremendous effort to raise a single stat point, if it rose at all. As if possessed, I calmly opened my mouth.
“I once read something in a book. The passage was so impressive that I still hold it in my heart.”
It seemed Shin Sangyong was determined not to rise until he heard my answer. But I could tell he was concentrating on my words. Seeing a Year 2 User go so far as to kneel before a Year 0 User in his pursuit of knowledge was, frankly, admirable. I continued in a much softer tone.
“When you first see that wall, you worry a great deal about how you could possibly get over it. And you must overcome that wall with your own strength. But once you somehow manage to get over it…”
I paused for a moment. After a slight delay, I continued.
“That wall becomes a solid foundation supporting you from below.”
“Ah…”
Seeing Shin Sangyong finally lift his head, as if my words had struck a chord, I began to speak. Shin Sangyong’s request. I couldn’t make a rash judgment without hearing the details, but it was clear that this was a good opportunity.
“I…”