Entanglement Phenomenon
Jeong In-ah stared blankly at the fusion blessing circle that Seong Ha-yeon had deployed. Gripping the microphone, Seong Ha-yeon pointed to various parts of the circle with her hand as she continued her presentation.
"The low-grade blessing circles you see here, connecting the core blessing circles, act as 'bridges.' They're devices that prevent 'collision' phenomena between the blessing circles. Additionally—"
Jeong In-ah prided herself on being quite skilled with blessings. In truth, she was exceptionally good at them, possessing unrivaled talent within the Charity Class. But that was only within the Charity Class.
"Rather than forcing the blessings together, I allowed similar natures to naturally fuse, minimizing divine power loss and maximizing efficiency. On a broad level, it's designed to highlight each blessing circle's strengths while compensating for their weaknesses, and furthermore—"
A few students tilted their heads, unable to follow Seong Ha-yeon's words. Jeong In-ah barely grasped them, but understanding was all she could manage. Seong Ha-yeon was a genius, plain and simple. And her genius extended far beyond handling blessing circles.
'58 seconds and 41 hundredths.'
When Seong Ha-yeon finished, Ha Ye-jin immediately stopped the timer and checked the time. 58 seconds and 41 hundredths. She had made full use of the allotted time without exceeding it. The one-minute limit was absurd to begin with, yet Seong Ha-yeon had explained everything possible within that minute.
Even during Q&A, the class remained silent. There was simply nothing to ask. Few students had fully comprehended her presentation anyway.
"I have a question!"
Still, someone stubbornly raised their hand. It was the presenters who had unfairly lost points because of Seong Ha-yeon's earlier questions. Driven purely by resentment, they scrounged up something to ask.
"The joints look loose! Is that intentional?!"
"Yes, it is. If they're too tightly connected, the 'collision' I mentioned occurs."
"B-but doesn't that reduce efficiency?"
"I compensated by having the low-grade blessing circles serve as 'bridges' between them. I explained that in the presentation—did you not understand?"
"Uh...! Th-then! That part...!"
One student engaged Seong Ha-yeon in a brief debate, but the result was disastrous. Unable to come up with more questions, they awkwardly sat down. Seong Ha-yeon handled the Q&A with the same perfection as her presentation. Undoubtedly full marks.
'Incredible.'
Ha Ye-jin inwardly marveled, prepared to give full marks to Seong Ha-yeon's Group 1.
"Oh, Teacher. I have something to say."
Ha Ye-jin's hand paused mid-scoring.
"Yes, go ahead."
"I drew the fusion blessing circle alone, and I prepared the presentation alone. Please don't give points to the other group members."
A cynical tone. Gu Jun-hyeok, who had been dozing off, bolted upright.
"Wha—?! Hey. No, you told me not to interfere and just stay quiet—"
"I didn't expect you to actually stay quiet. But the fact is, I did everything myself."
"......"
Gu Jun-hyeok, about to protest, sat back down. It pissed him off, but it was true. Ha Ye-jin frowned slightly at their exchange. She should deduct points for poor group communication, but Seong Ha-yeon's presentation was too flawless to justify it.
"I can't give zero points, but I'll take it into consideration. By the way, Seong Ha-yeon."
"Yes."
"Your presentation was so good, I was thinking of using it as reference material for other classes' practicals. Could you submit your outline or cue cards?"
"Ah. Sorry, but that might be difficult."
Seong Ha-yeon refused flatly. Ha Ye-jin tilted her head.
"Any reason?"
"I don't have an outline. I could write one now if you want."
"Aha... I see~"
Ha Ye-jin responded calmly, but inwardly felt a chill. Seong Ha-yeon had delivered that flawless presentation without notes. She was still immature in many ways, but one day, she would surely surpass Ha Ye-jin as a priest. That was Ha Ye-jin's assessment.
"Alright! Next up. Number 24 is... Group 46? Who's presenting for Group 46?"
Ha Ye-jin, still gazing at Seong Ha-yeon, belatedly resumed the practical. Jeong In-ah, Group 46's presenter, cautiously raised her hand and took the mic.
Even holding the mic, she hesitated to bring it to her lips, standing there taking deep breaths. Her face was pale—almost blue.
"Group 46, presenter Jeong In-ah. Beginning the presentation..."
Soon, she started.
"First, the keywords for Group 46's fusion blessing circle are 'wide-area,' 'recovery,' and 'mental'—"
Though trembling intensely at first, once she began, Jeong In-ah spoke fluently. She used pauses and emphasis to hold attention, and illustrated difficult parts with examples for clarity.
"Injuries during battle can be quickly healed with 'Healing,' but mental fatigue can't. This blessing circle draws from that insight, focusing on practicality—"
In terms of completion, it fell short of Seong Ha-yeon's. But considering the audience's perspective, Jeong In-ah's presentation was superior. Overall, she matched Seong Ha-yeon without shame.
"That concludes the presentation. Thank you."
Jeong In-ah finished without a single mistake. Ha Ye-jin checked the timer: 56 seconds and 13 hundredths. Excellent time management.
"Yes, anyone else? Questions for Group 46~?"
Ha Ye-jin looked around. Silence. Just like right after Seong Ha-yeon's turn. Even the hyena-like questioners who pounced during Q&A stayed quiet now. A hush fell over the holy training ground.
"None? Then, next group—"
"I have a question."
As Jeong In-ah pulled the mic away, Seong Ha-yeon—who had been tilting her head—raised her hand. Jeong In-ah, sighing in relief, startled into a hiccup.
"Eek, yes. Go ahead."
"Upper right: mid-grade recovery enhancement. And mid-grade... Peace blessing? The joint between those two seems unusual. Can you explain?"
Jeong In-ah glanced at her group's circle. As Seong Ha-yeon said, that joint was odd. But she had no way to explain it.
'What? Why is it like that...'
It wasn't intentional. Jeong In-ah tilted her head, staring intently. That part's joint was uniquely complex and sticky, tightly connected without collision, maximizing efficiency. But she didn't know what phenomenon it was.
'I have no idea what it is.' No way to explain.
"Ah, that part."
Best to be honest—it wasn't intentional. At least she wouldn't embarrass herself.
"Sorry, but it wasn't inten—"
"What a great question~ That's the core of Group 46's circle! I was impressed by it too. Oh, sorry! Please continue!"
Ha Ye-jin interrupted with a beaming smile. Jeong In-ah found that grin irritating. Now honesty felt awkward.
Silence dragged. Jeong In-ah's face flushed beet red—she blushed easily in tough spots.
'I'm screwed...'
She drooped her head, face burning, hiding the blush.
Meanwhile, Seong Ha-yeon smirked at her expression. That joint's quality far exceeded student level—artificial yet natural, or vice versa. Delicately balancing the line. Not intentional, as suspected.
"Surely you're not saying it wasn't intentional? That's the key part."
"......"
Seong Ha-yeon pressed. Jeong In-ah hung her head silently, clueless on how to respond. Her face burned relentlessly. But she couldn't dodge forever. Better confess, take the points hit, and bow out.
She brought the mic to her lips.
"Sorry—"
Snatch.
"...tional?"
Do Seon-woo snatched the mic. Jeong In-ah paused mid-sentence, looking up puzzled. Her burning face cooled instantly.
"I'll explain."
Do Seon-woo continued confidently.
"The core joint in Group 46's fusion blessing circle utilizes the 'entanglement' phenomenon, a subset of 'collision.' Thank you~"
He finished briefly and sat as if nothing happened. Everyone stared dumbfounded. In the flowing silence, Seong Ha-yeon shot up, face slightly excited—unlike her usual self.
"W-wait. That's insufficient. How did you utilize entanglement?"
"Excessive entanglement causes collision, right? But moderate amounts enable efficient fusion."
"No, that's... true, but."
Seong Ha-yeon stammered, flustered. Do Seon-woo's words were theoretically sound. Skilled high priests used entanglement for easier, efficient fusions. But Do Seon-woo wasn't one—not even a high paladin or holy warrior. He couldn't possibly.
"So you intentionally used entanglement? How?"
"Induced it first, then deliberately broke the stroke to control the degree."
"The stroke? Deliberately? That doesn't—"
Seong Ha-yeon reexamined the joint. Traces of intentional stroke breaks, as he said. She had to concede. Somehow, Do Seon-woo had deliberately used entanglement.
"Then, what's the principle behind entanglement?"
Seong Ha-yeon switched questions—something no student could answer, laced with malice.
Do Seon-woo tilted his head thoughtfully, then spoke.
"I don't know. Strange, isn't it?"
Utterly brazen and confident. Seong Ha-yeon was dumbfounded yet pleased at the opening, smirking faintly.
"Then, claiming you intentionally induced it—"
"That's enough. Do Seon-woo gave a clear, concise answer!"
Ha Ye-jin cut off Seong Ha-yeon's momentum, smiling but shooting her a subtle glare.
"The principle of entanglement isn't fully elucidated yet—even I couldn't answer. Seong Ha-yeon, please sit."
"Ah, yes......"
Seong Ha-yeon sat, deflated.
"Do Seon-woo, where'd you get the idea to use entanglement? It's not on Nutube."
"Ah, yes. Not on Nutube."
Do Seon-woo playfully mirrored Ha Ye-jin's tease, impossibly relaxed. He gestured to Jeong In-ah, still holding the mic.
"It was group leader Jeong In-ah's instruction."
"Huh?"
He credited her, but she tilted her head. Ha Ye-jin eyed them alternately, intrigued.
"Hmm. I see. Got it. Presentation and Q&A were excellent. Moving on."
Ha Ye-jin nodded slightly at Do Seon-woo. Clearly, Jeong In-ah hadn't instructed him. Using entanglement was purely his idea. Yet he passed the credit. Why? Unfathomable.
*
Fusion blessings differ from fusion spells in nature, but their creation methods and principles are similar. Entanglement exists in spell circles too, and I often used it for fusion spells. That's why I could answer Seong Ha-yeon's question.
[You nearly slipped up. Be careful next time. You got by with quick thinking, but still.]
I almost mixed up spell and blessing circles mid-explanation. Legba scolded me. Fair point—I just nodded.
Presentations continued, and about two hours later, the practical ended.
[40 minutes.]
Not two hours—only 40 minutes. It felt eternal from boredom. Pondering why time drags differently, Gu Jun-hyeok stormed over angrily.
"Does Seong Ha-yeon always act like that? I wanted to smack her forehead so bad......"
Fuming complaint. He'd argued with her post-practical; his face said he lost. Utterly aggrieved.
But to me, they were both as bad. Seong Ha-yeon hogging points after telling members to do nothing; Gu Jun-hyeok actually doing nothing but fiddling with his hair in the bathroom. I hadn't done much either beyond answering—hardly in a position to judge. So I just listened.
"And why use formal speech if you're gonna diss like that? Formal words mean nothing without respect."
Gu Jun-hyeok ranted about Seong Ha-yeon all the way out of the training ground. He was seriously pissed.
"Her face—like looking at a bug—"
His endless tirade cut short. Someone stood ahead, arms crossed, watching us.
"Ah! Suddenly wanna go for a run."
Gu Jun-hyeok said awkwardly, scratching his head, then bolted like mad. Tatatata— I watched his retreating back. He ran two or three times faster fleeing.
"Do... Seon."
In the silence, arms-crossed Jeong In-ah called awkwardly. Last time 'Woo'; now 'Do Seon.' Similar, but vibes worlds apart. I just nodded—no words.
Silence lingered; as always, she spoke first.
"I didn't tell you to, so why lie."
Voice shaky, awkward. Like insisting she was still mad.
"You told me to handle it myself, so I did."
I tried casual, but the awkward vibe made it come out stiff. Silence outweighed words—like opening mouths just to break it.
"......Fine!"
Unclear what she wanted; she huffed tsundere-like and headed to class. Not mad—pouting. Better than morning, at least.
Back in class late, Jeong In-ah was gone; only Gu Jun-hyeok.
"Just went to office for early dismissal. Visiting sister."
I vaguely recalled her mentioning morning practical then leaving.
"She looked better. Probably back to normal tomorrow?"
"Good."
"She flares up quick, cools quick. Let's grab lunch."
Gu Jun-hyeok said casually. We ate as usual—no walk, straight to afternoon classes.
Today, he was quieter than usual. Maybe sans Jeong In-ah; he only teased occasionally, otherwise silent.
Next day, Jeong In-ah didn't come to school.
(To be continued in the next installment)