Chapter 46: Place of Exchange (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 46: Place of Exchange (4)
Guided by the teaching assistant, the students who had come over from Carlos were touring the library.
For the Carlos students who had just arrived at the Place of Exchange, understanding Gaon’s basic layout and the location of its main facilities was essential.
The teaching assistant was therefore busy explaining Gaon’s infrastructure.
“This is Gaon’s Central Library. It houses nearly every existing text… There are some forbidden books, but students are not permitted to access…”
The teaching assistant’s explanation continued, but the students’ attention had already drifted elsewhere.
In the end, he gave a wry smile and granted them some free time. As expected of students from an academy specializing in magic, they were all dying to read the moment they saw a book.
“Let’s meet back here in an hour~”
And so, they were given some personal time.
Yoon Chae-ha left Joo Seo-jun behind and wandered quietly through the library.
Rustle.
Her hand brushed against a shelf as she pulled out a book.
Flip, flip— She skimmed through it lightly.
“Nothing special.”
She tilted her head slightly and murmured to herself.
The content of the book, the quality of the material…
Compared to Carlos, she couldn't see anything particularly outstanding.
As she walked on nonchalantly, her gaze froze on one spot.
In a deep corner of the library, her eyes fell upon books bound by thick chains and sturdy seals.
Forbidden books.
Difficult to handle tomes, the kind Carlos had as well.
The reasons for their restriction varied. Some contained knowledge that was too dangerous, while others were of such high research value that access was limited.
Most were sealed with a professor’s unique magic formula and couldn't be perused carelessly.
But she was different.
Her vermilion eyes glowed faintly.
====
[Authority: A Priori]
① Piercing Eye
— Nothing can be hidden, and none can hide.
② A Priori Knowledge
— The essence is already decided.
③ ??? (Unreleased)
====
She analyzed the barrier.
She extended her fingertips lightly.
Normally, she should have been repelled the instant she touched it.
But…
Shhhk.
Without any resistance, her hand passed through the barrier.
Yoon Chae-ha glanced around once before easily pulling out a book.
Her eyes moved at a rapid pace.
With every page she turned, the sentences imprinted themselves instantly in her mind.
The contents were…
“…Similar.”
Even for forbidden books, they were no different from the ones at Carlos.
People had said Gaon was special, that it was different.
But the depth of knowledge, the density of information… once again, it wasn't what she had hoped for.
It was always like this.
The things people hailed as the ‘best.’ The things people praised as ‘special.’
Once she saw them for herself, once she peered into them with these eyes—
They always fell short of her expectations.
Her eyes pierced through to the essence of things.
And not once had that essence ever truly shone.
Yoon Chae-ha returned the book to its original place.
She stared for a long moment at the spine of the book as it slid back into the shelf, then slowly averted her gaze.
That was why she never believed in anything she hadn't seen with her own two eyes.
That was how she had lived her life.
Therefore, it was only natural that she would take an interest in Jung Hae-in, whom she had seen and judged for herself.
She had waited for the moment she would see him in person, for their meeting.
‘…’
She dredged up the memory from that morning.
What had happened at the Place of Exchange event.
The scene replayed vividly in her mind.
She had run into him just before the event ended.
And naturally, she had opened her eyes.
Her vermilion eyes filled with light.
‘…!’
====
[Authority: Fragment of Harmony (片鱗)]
① Shatter Evil, Reveal Justice (破邪顯正)
— Destroy that which is wicked.
② ??? (Unreleased)
③ ??? (Unreleased)
====
His Authority was revealed to her.
‘A Fragment…?’
The Fragment, a subject of fierce debate even in academia.
An unknown entity that countless researchers had failed to decipher, its methods of use still unclear.
And Jung Hae-in held such a Fragment within him.
For a moment, her heart pounded.
It was a sensation akin to awe and excitement.
‘I knew it…!’
She rejoiced inwardly. He really was different from everyone else she had ever met.
Unable to believe it, she grew even more excited and exerted her Authority more forcefully.
A Priori’s second ability, A Priori Knowledge.
That Authority would surely reveal ‘Jung Hae-in’s essence.’ At that exact moment, he turned his head, and his eyes met hers.
However,
In that instant—
Clang!
Her Authority was repelled.
“…!”
Yoon Chae-ha’s heart hammered in her chest.
There was only one reason an Authority would be blocked.
When it was countered by an Authority of the same or higher rank.
Her gaze shifted to the short-haired woman standing next to Jung Hae-in.
She was dressed in sacred robes.
A faint smile on her lips, she was quietly following by Jung Hae-in’s side.
But Yoon Chae-ha knew.
The one who had just repelled her ‘eyes’ was her.
Like a mother shielding her child,
she had unfurled an invisible shield before Yoon Chae-ha’s eyes.
The mana she emitted was powerful, but it was directed precisely at Yoon Chae-ha alone, so no one else noticed.
Mana strongly carries the will of its caster.
It is said that among those who have reached a high realm, the intent contained within mana can be read in a single exchange.
And now,
her mana spoke with absolute clarity.
‘And where do you think you’re looking?’
An invisible boundary had been drawn.
“…”
Yoon Chae-ha slowly turned her head.
And she smiled, making sure no one could see.
Different. He really was different.
It was her first defeat.
Nothing had ever interfered with her eyes before.
Not once, from the day she was born until now.
But now, for the first time—it had been blocked.
She analyzed her own emotions.
Bewilderment?
Yes, there was that.
A sense of defeat?
That was definitely there, too.
However,
there was another emotion washing over her, far greater than the others.
Interest.
Who was this woman who had repelled her ‘eyes’?
And what was the true identity of Jung Hae-in, whom she was protecting so carefully?
And so,
it was all the more interesting.
*
‘She must be curious.’
Right about now, she was probably wracking her brain over it.
This morning, the moment Yoon Chae-ha and I met, her amber eyes had flashed.
She was likely trying to use her Authority to grasp my essence.
Though she didn't show it, she must have read my Authority.
And what she saw was…
‘A Fragment.’
Something no one else in this world at this point in time could possess.
For someone like her, a seeker of knowledge, it was impossible not to be curious.
And my goal… was to use that inquisitive spirit and curiosity of hers.
The Exchange Match.
One month from now.
The students who had crossed over from Carlos to Gaon, and from Gaon to Carlos, would face each other in duels.
They would fight directly and also compete in dungeon-clearing speedruns.
In other words, it wasn't a simple contest of skill but a competition that mirrored real combat.
A student participating in the Place of Exchange would be paired with a student from the host academy.
Essentially, it was a system that assigned a mentor from the host academy to each exchange student.
In short—
It was a way of saying, ‘Let’s see who teaches better.’
With the pride of each academy on the line, their approach to the Exchange Match was bound to be serious.
After all, a student’s growth would reveal the caliber of their academy.
Therefore, the arrival of Joo Seo-jun and Yoon Chae-ha, who could already be considered complete packages, was a stroke of good fortune for Gaon.
The mentor is chosen directly by the student.
Students from Carlos can choose anyone they want from Gaon, and the chosen person has no right to refuse.
That was the official rule.
Which meant—
I waited.
For her to choose me as her mentor.
*
Clang!
Clang!
“Hah…”
Yu Hana collapsed in front of me.
We were in the middle of our partner training.
“How is it?”
I asked for her thoughts. About the new weapon.
What it was like to face an opponent with a sword.
She brought the back of her hand to her lips, thought for a moment, and then answered.
“With one more avenue of attack, there was definitely a lot more to pay attention to. It suits you well in many ways.”
I nodded.
‘…What is this?’
For some reason, her skin seemed to have a strange glow today. It was so smooth it looked radiant. The dazzling, pure white of her complexion was particularly striking.
Could it be because of the elixir she took this morning?
I entertained the stray thought for a moment before shaking my head.
The sparring session was over.
I raised my wrist and checked the time on my watch.
11 PM.
It was about time to wrap up.
“Alright, let’s…”
“Where are you going?”
She picked up the Dongbaek Sword from the floor.
Then, she infused it with mana.
Vmmmm—
The Dongbaek Sword began to vibrate faintly, taking on a soft red glow.
“You have to watch.”
After our sparring sessions, Yu Hana would always perform her sword dance and ask me to check her Butterfly Sword Dance form.
In the beginning, I had a lot to say about her posture.
But now…
To be honest, it was flawless.
Frankly, the whole reason I started training with Yu Hana was to give her the strength to survive Moras on her own.
But she didn't just manage to save herself—she cut Moras down.
Therefore, there was no reason to continue this partner training.
From now on, it would be better for her to think and struggle on her own than for me to teach her.
After all, Yu Hana had the potential to one day establish her own unique domain.
What she needed to do now was to realize that for herself.
Swoosh!
I sat down on the training ground floor and watched her swordsmanship, my mind blank.
‘She’s good.’
That was my only thought.
It was then.
Beep!
My smartwatch buzzed.
I lifted my watch to check the notification.
And in that moment, a sharp sound escaped my lips.
“Huh?”
✉ [Gaon]
✔ You have been selected as a mentor for the Place of Exchange student, Yoon Chae-ha.
✔ Please attend the orientation by 10 AM tomorrow.
It’s here.
She had chosen me as her mentor.
A smile crept onto my lips.
Just then, Yu Hana seemed to have finished her sword dance as well.
She lightly grabbed the hem of her t-shirt and lifted it to wipe the sweat from her face.
For a moment, her well-defined abs came into view.
“How was it? Was it okay…?”
"You're good."
Clap, clap, clap.
I clapped as I walked over to her and patted her on the shoulder.
Pat, pat.
Then I spoke.
"Let's stop this now."
The partner training.
I said it succinctly.
“I don’t think we’ll need this for a while. It would be better for you to think things over on your own.”
Now that I was a mentor, there was a chance I’d have to spend my afternoons with Yoon Chae-ha.
Besides, I had given her the Dongbaek Sword, taught her the Butterfly Sword Dance, and accomplished my goal of giving her the strength to withstand Moras.
It was right to end the partner training here. We were still doing our morning workouts together, anyway.
My initial plan was for about two weeks. And now, well over three weeks had passed.
There was no need to drag it out any longer.
“What did you say…?”
As my words ended, her eyes widened.
Clang—!
Yu Hana dropped the Dongbaek Sword she was holding.
The blade hit the floor, ringing out with a heavy, metallic sound.
Yu Hana stood frozen, staring at me. Her expression changed drastically.
Her face looked as if tears might spill over at any moment.
“What… did you just say?”
The tips of her fingers trembled faintly.