Chapter 12
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 012
Chapter Title: Corrupted Awakener
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"Eun-ho, would you like to join my research project?"
Kang Eun-ho nearly nodded eagerly, his face lighting up with excitement.
But as he mulled over Park Ha-jun's words...
"Y-yes?! A research project?"
Hold on a second.
Wasn't this the infamous 'grad school kidnapping' he'd only heard about in rumors?
A chill ran down Kang Eun-ho's spine as he glanced nervously at Park Ha-jun.
"Haha. It's not what you're thinking. Of course, I'd love it if you became an undergrad research assistant, but I shouldn't hog a promising talent like you for my own selfish reasons."
"...Then what?"
"We could just meet up like this occasionally when we have time and chat. That would be more than enough."
"..."
Park Ha-jun called it mere 'chatting,' but the insights he'd unpacked today were far from trivial.
His perspective on the essence of geometric shapes had ignited Kang Eun-ho's intuition as an A-rank mage.
And the example about the [Formula Section Handling Destructive Power] had given him a faint glimpse of enlightenment.
It was a clarity he'd never felt even in his Magic Department classes, all delivered in this brief encounter.
A single conversation had cleared the fog in Kang Eun-ho's mind, if only for a moment.
But still.
The looming terror of grad school kidnapping held him back despite everything.
He'd seen firsthand what the researchers here looked like.
After receiving teachings worth more than money could buy, there had to be a corresponding price.
...I can't just bluntly turn down an offer like that.
As Kang Eun-ho wavered in conflict, Park Ha-jun drove the nail home.
"We only skimmed the surface today due to concerns about leaking research content, but if you join us, Eun-ho, we could dive much deeper."
That was just skimming the surface?
Kang Eun-ho's pupils shook. Park Ha-jun maintained his relaxed smile and delivered the finishing blow.
"For reference, the project's theme is elemental magic."
"I'm in!"
Kang Eun-ho couldn't refuse.
And so, he ended up signing several documents, including a nondisclosure agreement.
Even after securing Kang Eun-ho's commitment, they talked for another three hours straight.
They even had to relocate once when researchers entered the lab midway through.
Standing up from the campus bench, Kang Eun-ho said,
"Today was incredibly enlightening! It would've been amazing if you were our department professor."
"Haha. I hear there are plenty of great professors in the Magic Department too."
"True, but... none quite like you, Professor. Couldn't you maybe open an elective course on something like 'Understanding Magic Scrolls'? It'd be a huge hit."
A solid idea. It sounded fun, and it could do wonders for reviving interest in geometry.
"I'll think about it."
"If you do, I'd sign up without a doubt. And thank you so much for today."
It wouldn't be a simple matter to pull off. If he wanted to pursue it, he'd have to reveal his awakener status and prove his abilities.
Anyway.
"I enjoyed our chat too, Eun-ho."
Park Ha-jun bowed lightly and watched Kang Eun-ho walk away with a spring in his step, lost in thought.
A likable student.
He was incredibly passionate about learning. His intuition was on par with Park Ha-jun's, and his intellect was no slouch either.
The only issue.
He's heading in the wrong direction.
In one word, Kang Eun-ho was a lost genius.
An A-rank intuition-based mage with a bad habit.
He viewed magic through an extreme dichotomy of intuition versus logic.
Leading to binary thinking like, 'This problem needs intuition, that one needs logic.'
Intuition and logic were meant to complement each other...
Yet he was wasting energy that should fuel growth on splitting them apart. No wonder his efficiency suffered.
If I just guide him in the right direction, the issues he's struggling with will sort themselves out.
Park Ha-jun's teachings were merely supplementary.
In any case, he'd gained plenty from this conversation too.
Since Kang Eun-ho was an A-rank mage, major guilds had courted him aggressively.
Even as an undergrad, he was well-versed in awakener dynamics.
It was a valuable time filled with vivid info on magic and the awakener world.
Plus, Kang Eun-ho's sharp intuition had even surprised Park Ha-jun.
As expected of an A-rank.
A timely lesson in humility. Park Ha-jun resolved to push forward faster.
Time to head home and analyze that Purification circuit.
With that, Park Ha-jun returned to his lab.
But at the time, he couldn't have known. His teachings were far from the 'supplementary' afterthought he'd called them.
Item Analysis Room. Lee Dong-gyu frowned at the elemental golem core Kim Ji-seok had brought in.
"It's definitely off."
The corrupted awakener energy embedded in the core was ominous enough.
But the sentences etched in some unknown language were downright foreboding.
"This is clearly different from past interferences. We can't even tell how deep it goes... and this is the first case where they've left traces like this."
Kim Ji-seok stroked his chin.
"...We've never known the corrupted awakeners' goals before. Maybe this will reveal something."
Lee Dong-gyu responded gravely.
"Yeah, but it won't be easy."
His Item Analysis skill couldn't even parse the mystery language.
[??? ????? ??? ??? ??? ??? ?????]
"The demonic energy saturating the core blocks my abilities entirely. We'll need the Association Chairman to purify it once he returns."
The Chairman was abroad on a trip. An A-rank gate with corrupted awakener involvement had popped up.
But it wasn't just a simple raid—he'd be attending summits with leaders from other nations.
Was twiddling thumbs waiting for him really the best move? Was it right to pull him away?
After some thought, Kim Ji-seok spoke up.
"We'll inform the Chairman, but let's try handling the core's purification ourselves first."
"I'll give it a shot, of course. But if my skills don't work at all, we'll need at least a 5-circle mage for it to mean anything."
Kim Ji-seok didn't disagree. Lee Dong-gyu was an A-rank who'd maxed out his Item Analysis.
Still.
"To be precise, don't we just need 5-circle level magic?"
"Same diff... Oh...!"
Lee Dong-gyu caught on.
Hadn't they recently seen scrolls with 5-circle circuit completion? Those insane ones from asd123.
"He could probably craft a perfect 1-circle Purification scroll, no problem."
A 1-circle scroll wouldn't break the bank either.
"...Worth a shot."
"Yeah. I'll send the email. Though he's so unpredictable, no telling if he'll take the commission."
"The Chairman will sort it when he returns. No need to push."
"Fair enough."
It was all to avoid disrupting the Chairman's schedule.
Kim Ji-seok sent asd123 an email that wouldn't burden him too much.
Park Ha-jun's workshop. As he analyzed the [Purification] circuit, an email arrived.
[From: Ji-seok]
[Greetings. Thanks to the scroll maker's grace, we successfully took down the elemental golem...]
Grace? Really?
Scratching his nose, Park Ha-jun summarized the lengthy email.
1. We'll offer compensation soon.
2. I'm with the Association, and this raid ties into corrupted awakeners, so upper management will scrutinize the report. You might get dragged into hassle. I'll keep you updated on the process to prepare.
...Not bad at all.
Info on the awakener world. A student's word only went so far.
But firsthand reports from an Association staffer? Huge win.
Plus, asd123 gaining fame might annoy now, but it'd help when he went full awakener mode.
Nothing to lose for me.
But the email didn't end there.
3. If it's not too rude, I'd like to commission a max-performance Purification scroll. Not urgent like last time.
"Oh..."
No reason to refuse. Even if Park Ha-jun priced low, they'd tip generously.
The catch, as always: success.
[Draw the circuit below.]
The [Purification] circuit was oddly unique for a special magic...
Unlike 2D magic bullet circuits, it displayed in 3D space.
Hard enough to grasp the space itself. But Park Ha-jun now had [Geometric Intuition].
A 3D space representing reality, with shapes to detect and target via mana flow. Then shapes to annihilate demonic energy on the target...
He intuitively grasped the complex shapes' meanings.
Backed by his brutally stacked geometry professor knowledge.
Vector fields to find targets via mana flow, and space-filling curves to designate them... Interesting.
Geometry applied in such a fascinating way.
Space-filling curves—Peano curves to some. Complex definition, but simply: curves passing every point at least once.
Meaning flawless Purification coverage on the target and its components.
Understanding these curves was key to [Purification] quality.
Definitely different from attack spells like magic bullets.
Park Ha-jun grinned. This was geometry.
Attribute bullets ended too quick on their circuit base, leaving him wanting.
A fresh challenge put him in high spirits.
[Gold: 8,202,000G]
[Pay 10,000,000G to unlock 2-circle magic.]
...Maybe take my time this round, no commission pressure. I'll hit 2-circle naturally anyway.
He had the approach, but refining it would take endless trials.
Even Park Ha-jun couldn't nail it in a day like the attribute bullets.
"Hm."
After a moment's thought, he replied via [Mail].
[I'll think about it.]
Still, leave the door open. Not urgent, after all.
[I'll think about it.]
Kim Ji-seok sighed upon reading the reply.
As expected... not your average person.
At least he hadn't balked at the raid report updates.
Probably thanks to his offer to keep him posted.
...I'll send quick, precise reports to avoid disappointing him.
Conveniently, he'd finished the report for HQ and the Chairman.
Pre-raid strategy vs. actual, gold expenditures, process...
But the real meat:
[The elemental golem core was abnormally enhanced; asd123's scroll played a pivotal role in stopping it...]
This B-rank gate was a Level 3 Risk Management target. Due to a B- team's wipeout history.
One team's annihilation was tragic, deserving mourning.
But from the Association's view—managing and controlling hunters—the real pain was the sunk costs in training that B- team and clearing this gate.
Yet asd123's scrolls hadn't just aided the clear.
They'd minimized those financial losses too.
The Association would take keen interest in scrolls now.
Specifically, irregulars like asd123.
"..."
Kim Ji-seok emailed asd123 about submitting the raid report.
Then sent it to HQ and the Chairman.
......
A few days later, an official notice came down.
[...Team Leader Kim Ji-seok's team is hereby promoted to A-rank.]
Around that time, in some secretive hideout.
A purple-skinned man muttered bitterly.
"The plan failed. It shouldn't have been something a mere B-rank team could ruin... What variable?"
A man wearing an Association badge knelt and replied.
"The report says a scroll was key."
The purple-skinned man fell silent for a moment.
Rumble.
Suddenly, space trembled. The furious man unleashing demonic energy.
"...Is your mind corrupted? Even a 4-circle mage couldn't guarantee that. How could a scroll?"
"..."
"Verify again. Fail, and I'll deem you corrupted. Your head goes to Mother as atonement."
"...Understood."