The Third Class (6)

At this point, what mattered wasn’t Jung Hayan’s crime, nor even what she had taken.

Of course, I did think I needed to put some brakes on this before things got even worse if I just left her alone like this.

But from this distance, there was nothing I could actually do.

This was the result of a girl who was still growing.

If Jung Hayan became the great mage Kim Hyunsung envisioned, one who could shake the continent to its core, then I had a feeling things beyond imagination might start spilling out of her.

That little peephole would spread across an entire wall, and this bed might even become an artifact capable of unleashing a devastating curse on anyone who lay upon it.

And that wasn’t all.

She might even develop spellwork for eavesdropping magic or image-recording magic, neither of which had been put into practical use yet.

Other possibilities came to mind as well.

Mind-affinity stuff?

Like some kind of mind control that slowly nudged my thoughts where she wanted them to go, or maybe—using a catalyst like this—she could create a powerful enchantment of attraction meant only for me.

She might even turn invisible and stay glued to me at all times.

Of course, Jung Hayan hated the idea of hurting me in any way and still retained her title as a pure supporter, so the odds of her doing something like that were low. But then I remembered the sight of her severing Park Hye-young’s limbs, and suddenly it felt disturbingly plausible.

If she slipped up…

I’d be screwed.

The moment she started acting carelessly, it would already be over.

I had to be careful not only when Jung Hayan was around, but when she wasn’t too.

For all I knew, something she had planted might still be operating where Hwang Jeongyeon, despite being a capable mage, hadn’t noticed it.

I’d need to prepare several different insurance policies for myself, but for now there was no other choice except to behave myself.

This was a time to focus on one thing and one thing only.

“This is amazing.”

“Pardon?”

“I never imagined you’d use the whole second floor as a workshop.”

“Ahhh.”

Even to me, it looked pretty impressive.

To Hwang Jeongyeon, who was a mage herself, this place must feel like a dream.

With the guild members gone, I’d linked my room to the alchemy workshop, and the work area had grown absurdly spacious.

Rather than being surprised by the confidence it took to use an entire floor as a laboratory, she was probably staring at the equipment, all of which looked top-tier.

Well, I did squeeze a lot out of Black Swan too.

It was no wonder she was making that face, with all these tools lying around that even a seasoned adventurer would have wanted to applaud.

“To be exact, all I did was connect my workshop and my room. It’s just a little inconvenient going back and forth, and the finest material I need to study is already here, so there’s no reason to waste time.”

“No, it’s just that everything around here looks incredible.”

“They’re all gifts, so… anyway, does Team Two not have anything to do?”

“We’re on break right now. Am I in the way?”

“Not at all. I’m just grateful you’re helping me with so many things.”

“Well, I didn’t have anything to do either, and as a mage myself, it’s not like I’m free of curiosity. Of course, I don’t intend to write papers based on Miss Hayan’s magic or Mr. Kiyoung’s research results and get any extra benefit out of it.”

“Yes. I understand.”

When I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quietly took a look at her through Mind’s Eye, a whole pile of information came into view.

I had already looked once before, but I wanted to make sure I remembered it exactly.

What a bastard.

The overall evaluation definitely rubbed me the wrong way, but her stats and growth level were more than satisfying.

Of course, comparing her to me in the first place was a little absurd, but she was a mage who relied on Intelligence rather than Mana.

It was only natural that, after realizing her Mana growth was sluggish, she had started using her head in every possible way to forge her own path.

Not only the magic Jung Hayan had cast on me, but Hwang Jeongyeon’s very existence was also a valuable textbook.

Her traits aren’t bad either.

Sensitive Body stood out, but not in any sexual sense. It simply meant she was highly affected by mana and her surroundings.

What really caught my eye, though, was the Photographic Memory trait.

It was only a Rare grade trait for now, so it probably wasn’t perfect, but if that grade evolved, the ability might become even more efficient than my own Mind’s Eye.

Something like total recall, maybe.

It wasn’t impossible at all.

When I turned my head again, her voice reached me.

“May I read it once?”

“What exactly are you referring to?”

“The books you’ve organized.”

“Of course. I was planning to ask for your advice anyway.”

“No, no. It’s not really advice, to be honest. Anything I tell you would just be my personal opinion, and in fact you’re the expert here, Mr. Kiyoung. It’s all such unfamiliar knowledge that even I find it difficult.”

“Even with a high-ranking mage’s Intelligence?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

“Ah. Come to think of it, you probably don’t know much about Intelligence, do you? You haven’t had time to study stats.”

“No, that’s true.”

“Hmm… Mr. Kiyoung, have you ever wondered about the Intelligence stat?”

Of course I had.

“Naturally. Unlike stats like Strength, Stamina, or Mana, which can be measured directly, Luck and Intelligence are a bit harder to pin down. Honestly, I can tell that my Intelligence stat is going up too, but it’s hard to feel exactly what’s changing. I can at least say with confidence that my understanding of alchemy knowledge is improving, though….”

“You already know a lot.”

“Honestly, beyond that, it’s hard to feel that anything else has changed.”

“I’m not entirely sure either, but I think your guess is probably right. Increasing Intelligence doesn’t make someone a genius. It just means there isn’t a huge change in the basic thought processes they already have. Knowledge that isn’t there doesn’t suddenly appear out of nowhere.”

“So ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it’s a stat whose existence is kind of unclear. Does that apply even to people with Intelligence in the eighties or seventies?”

“Yes. To put it a little extremely, someone with Intelligence in the nineties might still not be able to recite the multiplication table.”

“That’s a bit too extreme.”

“Yes. It’s a very extreme example. But that’s just how little the Intelligence stat is tied to a person’s overall intelligence.”

“So all it does is improve one’s aptitude for classes, mana, or alchemy?”

If that were really all there was to it, then it was basically a half-baked stat.

It wouldn’t be completely useless, of course, but compared to the other stats, its efficiency would be enough to make anyone sigh.

“Of course it’s not just that.”

“Hmm.”

“It doesn’t affect every aspect of a person’s intelligence, but it definitely helps one side of it. Especially once it goes past 80, that becomes much easier to feel.”

I started to get a sense of what she was driving at.

“Most people whose Intelligence crosses 90 tend to develop more strongly in one direction. The mages around me, or the people in Lindel with Intelligence above 90, mostly had abilities that could only be described as extraordinary. Some were overwhelmingly good at calculation, and some had a level of raw thinking ability that was just absurd.”

“I see.”

“Some people even said their creativity, or their grasp of battlefield tactics, changed dramatically. In my case, my memory improved to a degree I can’t even compare to before.”

“I see.”

“I’d been told I had a good memory ever since I was very young, but the moment my Intelligence hit 90, I started feeling like my brain had become unnaturally sharper, even by my own standards. Of course, there wasn’t much change in other areas. It’s just a simple guess among us, but we think it probably maximizes the efficiency of the area where one’s brain is already developed.”

“That’s… truly interesting.”

“Yes, right?”

“Among the traits I have, Photographic Memory was one I obtained after my Intelligence exceeded 90. The others were in similar situations too. From where I’m standing, you might gain something as well, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Mr. Kiyoung. Since you’re good at romance, maybe you’d develop in that direction… heh heh heh.”

“I’ll pass on that.”

For someone like me, with no hope whatsoever in that department, it was a very welcome theory.

I’d suspected there was something to the Intelligence stat, but I never imagined it had to do with a person’s brain specializing in one direction.

If she was right, then if I could really reach 90 Intelligence, I’d end up with some kind of specialized brain too.

What would it be?

There were probably individual differences in traits, but Hwang Jeongyeon, who’d been told she had a good memory since childhood, had gained Photographic Memory.

When I tried to recall what people had said about me when I was young, all I could do was shake my head.

“That kid has some crazy little schemes in his head.”

“Hah, the brat’s awfully sly.”

That was about the size of it.

I wasn’t sure if there was a developmental direction for being crafty, but if this was the kind of thing you got after crossing 90, I figured I’d feel a little bitter about it.

Still, if I was going to think about the future, I should test out as many possibilities as I could.

No—maybe that would be better.

If, like Hwang Jeongyeon joked, I ended up with some kind of romance-based development, then that would truly be the worst possible outcome.

What the hell would I even use that for?

“Does everyone with 90 Intelligence get a trait like that?”

“Not necessarily. But it’s almost the same as gaining one more trait beyond the ones you already have. It’s just not expressed through the system.”

“Thank you for telling me so much.”

“No, no. It’s something you’d find out eventually anyway. Knowing sooner wouldn’t really change anything. I just wanted to point out that even people with high intelligence can have trouble understanding unfamiliar knowledge. Heh. More importantly, I can definitely feel real progress here.”

“I’m still at the crawling stage. Even though understanding this magic itself isn’t my goal, I’m still clinging to it.”

“Every beginning is half the battle. If there’s anything I can help with, please don’t hesitate to say so.”

“Then I won’t refuse.”

I had no reason, and no excuse, to turn her down.

But no one knew better than I did that there was no such thing as a favor given for free.

“This may be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a poor way of repaying you, but if there’s ever anything I can help you with, please let me know anytime.”

“Ah. I’m not doing this because I want help or anything…”

“You don’t have to hold back.”

“Th-then….”

“Yes.”

She took the bait rather eagerly.

Well, of course she did.

We were in the same guild, but it was hard to call what she’d been doing for me a simple act of kindness. She’d explained and helped me with far too much for that.

It was the kind of thing that made it seem as though she’d had some purpose from the very beginning, even if she’d dressed it up to look like a chance encounter.

Just as I was drumming my fingers on the table, with the uneasy feeling that she was about to ask for something I couldn’t afford to give, Hwang Jeongyeon’s voice came again.

“Um….”

“Yes. Please go ahead.”

“Would it be possible for you to introduce me to someone named Park Deokgu after this is over?”

That certainly did sound like a request I couldn’t afford to grant.

So she really was a love guru.