Chapter 17

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Translator: Wjin

Chapter: 017

Chapter Title: New Skill

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Park Ha-jun's lab.

He couldn't hold back any longer and opened his status window.

He paid up. The 2-circle slot, which had been locked in gray, now glowed blue.

Flash—

An offensive spell. It had evolved beyond a mere orb into a more destructive form.

A defensive spell. It overlaid a force field or projected it over an area.

Barrier circuits were notoriously complex, serving as a benchmark for a scroll maker's skill.

'This should be fun.'

For instance, a shoddy maker might botch the force direction and intensity, leaving the hunters inside feeling crushed instead.

Like the crushing pressure deep underwater.

'From a fun perspective or a practical one, I should start by analyzing Barrier.'

But the 2-circle circuits didn't end there.

One of the best-selling scrolls, Float, was there too.

Truly, it was packed with things that sparked his research itch.

So, didn't Park Ha-jun owe it to them to put in some real effort?

A measly quill for 100 million won in cash. Enough to make you choke.

But it was sure to come in handy. Even with Purification, he'd made plenty of mistakes in 3D spaces.

Plus, his wallet had loosened up thanks to sponsorships from major guilds.

"Ahem."

The kids were still munching pizza. As long as they didn't come to his spot behind the partition, no worries.

'...The pizza you're eating all came from here. You understand, right?'

He hit [Purchase]. His hand shook a bit.

No regrets looking at the sleek quill that appeared at his feet.

'Oh...'

Its body gleamed like obsidian.

The feather at the tip, unlike the low-grade one, was thinly wrapped in mana.

'Insane.'

Grip was perfect. Worth every 100 million.

But Park Ha-jun's excitement wasn't just from satisfaction.

Truth be told, when he'd perfectly drawn the Purification scroll, he'd completed a quest.

A brand-new skill. He'd glossed over it back then.

The condition was a mid-grade or higher quill. Now he could use it.

'How much faster will it be?'

To find out, he'd have to set 2-circle aside for now.

'Maybe test it with the simplest Neutral Magic Bullet...'

As Park Ha-jun pondered, an email arrived.

'Perfect timing.'

Korea Awakener Association medical room.

Jeong Hyun-seok—the man Lee Dong-gyu had called Councilor Jeong—lay on the crisp white sheets, face twisted in a frown.

Beep. Beep.

The monotonous beeps of medical equipment were the only sound piercing the silence.

Healer Kim Chae-won gripped his hand tightly.

Dark veins writhed like snakes up Jeong Hyun-seok's wrist.

Kim Chae-won closed her eyes and poured in her mana. But nothing changed.

She let out a small sigh and shook her head at Lee Dong-gyu.

"...This is beyond my abilities."

Not a simple status ailment. The implications were clear.

Corrupted transformation.

"I hate to say it, but you need to decide by tonight."

Find a cure somehow, or put him down before he fully turned.

It wasn't too advanced yet, but past midnight, he'd become a ticking bomb.

"..."

Lee Dong-gyu let out a heavy breath and bowed to Kim Chae-won in thanks.

"Thank you... Anyway, I appreciate you coming despite your busy schedule. I'll repay you properly next time."

"Repay? Consider it square from last time."

Top hunters tended to know each other.

If they'd called only Kim Chae-won instead of using asd123's Purification scroll, he'd have been teased endlessly.

A major guild master who missed it due to work was still catching flak.

"Haha... That's thanks owed to asd123, not me."

"...No reply to my email. Someone else must've snagged him."

Kim Chae-won was the master of Benevolent Guild. She'd sent a love call, but Park Ha-jun had ignored it.

It stung her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pride, but she figured he had the skills to back it up.

"...I'll walk you to the first floor."

Lee Dong-gyu hid his awkwardness and escorted her down.

"Take care."

Whirr.

The automatic door slid open. Kim Chae-won paused and turned back.

"The Association really has no info on asd123, right?"

"Haha... Of course not?"

They knew nothing beyond the bank account.

Kim Chae-won eyed him suspiciously before leaving.

Lee Dong-gyu immediately called an emergency meeting once she was gone.

It was a bit late, but handling the elemental golem core had taken priority, pushing Jeong Hyun-seok aside.

Now that things were somewhat settled, his recovery was top priority.

Jeong Hyun-seok was authoritarian and prideful, but mages were like that.

He couldn't show weakness in front of the mages who followed him.

Lee Dong-gyu didn't get their pride, but he understood.

Above all, no one had foreseen failed core purification leading to corruption.

'...No intel, so he tried it lightheartedly. He loves stepping up.'

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Jeong Hyun-seok was unusually active and open for a mage.

That's why he'd racked up merits as an early Association member. And would continue to.

'...We can't lose Councilor Jeong like this. We have to find a way.'

Mages and thinker-type Awakeners attended the meeting.

Lee Dong-gyu briefed the situation to kick things off.

But as he finished, a mage spoke up.

"So corruption is all but certain."

"...Yes."

"What measures are in place?"

"I'm trying support items I have. Also calling special-type Awakeners..."

The mage narrowed his eyes and cut in.

"Any progress?"

The tone was oddly aggressive. Lee Dong-gyu knew why.

'Power struggle.'

The two mages representing the Association besides the Chairman: Councilor Jeong and Councilor Shin.

This one followed Councilor Shin.

Unlike open Jeong Hyun-seok, Shin's side were typical mages. So were his followers.

Lee Dong-gyu stiffened and replied haltingly.

"Not yet."

"If top healer Kim Chae-won can't fix it and your items fail, what's left to deliberate?"

A woman across from him shot up and pointed accusingly.

"Shut your mouth! What are you even suggesting?"

The Shin mage smirked coldly.

"We respect Councilor Jeong's skills. That's precisely why we must handle this swiftly."

Corruption amplified Awakener powers.

If Jeong Hyun-seok fully awoke as a Corrupted, he might rival the Chairman—born right in the Association's heart.

The mage sneered at the trembling woman.

"...Can't appeal to emotions when he brought this on himself."

Undeniable. Despite Lee Dong-gyu's warnings, Jeong had pushed too hard.

"So what now...!"

"Any other way? Chairman arrives tomorrow at earliest. If that monster wakes before then, can you stop it? We kill him."

"Monster?!"

...

Tensions escalated.

But Lee Dong-gyu thought: that mage, and his master Councilor Shin...

They'd have done the same in his shoes.

Just that Jeong's passion and drive for the Association outshone theirs.

'This meeting isn't about blame anyway.'

Jeong Hyun-seok was vital. Just look at the mess in this room.

If he died, Shin's faction would rampage further...

For many reasons, Jeong was essential. He had to be saved.

"Enough."

The room quieted at Lee Dong-gyu's low voice.

"I agree we may need to kill him before full corruption."

The mage snorted at the woman.

But his face hardened at the follow-up.

"However, not yet. Corruption progress gives us a golden hour till midnight."

Post-midnight? Unknown. First time seeing it firsthand.

"...So exhaust every option till then. If no answers, we decide."

Even Shin's faction couldn't strongly object.

"...Fair enough. Though I doubt it'll work."

Lee Dong-gyu ignored him and pressed on.

'It's not that there's no way.'

They just hadn't found it yet.

He'd mobilize every item and contact he had.

Then a spark lit in his mind.

asd123.

'Purification. Highest odds right now. He's exposed to corruption.'

But botched Purification might cause infection.

Best to use asd123's scroll again, if possible.

'But...'

It'd be an absurd request. Midnight deadline and all.

'Even asd123 can't manage that.'

Last commission took a full day for Purification.

No way for a perfect scroll by tonight. Unless pre-made.

'Yeah... Might have stock. Keep all possibilities open.'

Meeting ended, he fired off a commission email to asd123 too.

Corrupted Awakeners' hideout.

A purple-skinned man clenched his fist.

"Why has it stalled?"

The gate that should rampage had halted at mere C-rank.

Details unknown.

Plenty of spies in the Association, but he'd killed the ones with core access recently.

Judged their minds corrupted.

Corrupted weren't strong in info warfare. Distinct skin prevented direct infiltration.

So, guesswork only.

'No way... he wasn't corrupted?'

Did a scroll really stop the elemental golem rampage?

Purified the corruption in this golem's core with that scroll?

"Nonsense..."

But nothing else explained it. Something overwhelmingly thwarted their plans.

Just hard to swallow it being a scroll.

The Corrupted gnashed his teeth, thinking of the Association Chairman again.

"That bastard..."

Whatever trick, this time it'd be tough.

Word of Jeong Hyun-seok's coma spread fast; Corrupted knew too.

He was mid-transformation now.

Not their intent, but his elite skills caused it.

A weak Purification ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would've ended in mana backlash.

Jeong Hyun-seok was a peak 4-circle mage. Approaching 'His' psyche exposed him to the 'poison.'

Flawed elite Purification. That was the trigger.

'Either way, prime host.'

Success meant birthing a Chairman-rival monster inside the Association.

Even if killed, it weakened them. Win-win for Corrupted.

"Torment endlessly. Your pain will summon Mother."

Agonize. Wallow in doubt...

'His' poison was beyond even the Chairman's Purification.

The Corrupted smirked victoriously before a mural.

'...No counter this time.'

Yet unease gripped him; he prayed fervently to the mural.

Meanwhile, Park Ha-jun read Lee Dong-gyu's email in his lab.

Jeong Hyun-seok's condition, the tangled politics around him—detailed to an almost reckless degree.

Lee Dong-gyu's resolve and emotional pleas...

Reminded him of his own past stresses.

'...Tragic.'

But as a mathematician, Park Ha-jun judged problems realistically.

He distilled the core request from the wall of text.

[Can you make the best possible Purification scroll by midnight? Or do you have one ready?]

'Not perfect like last time, but best possible.'

Two interpretations:

1. Doesn't have to be perfect.

2. Needs better than perfect.

From the situation described...

'Number 2.'

The gravity screamed it.

"Hm."

Time was on his side. Just past lunch, golden hour till midnight.

Plus Accelerated Drafting. Time wasn't an issue.

But.

'Better Purification performance... possible?'

The circuit was already perfect.

Only parchment could boost it.

But would superior parchment exceed [Value 1]?

Could it hit [Circuit Completion: 5-circle] or beyond?

'Definitely curious.'

He opened the Exclusive Shop.

Ten million won per disposable sheet. Insane price.

But beyond the commission, his scholarly curiosity boiled over.

He'd held back for the 2-circle unlock goal till now...

Now was different.

'Theoretically, circuit completion doesn't cap at 5-circle anyway.'

Max circles boldly stated '6'.

System-supported. So completion likely went beyond 5-circle too.

'Just wanted to lightly test the new skill, but things got elaborate...'

Better that way.

Commission pay, curiosity, skill test.

Three birds, one stone.

Park Ha-jun boldly bought the high-grade parchment.