Chapter 19
Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 019
Chapter Title: The Association President
In the Association's medical room, Lee Dong-gyu, who had purchased the scroll from asd123, couldn't believe his eyes.
Magic Scroll ─ Purification
Target Designation: 1
Purification Level: 1.3
At first, he thought the purification level was 0.3. Then he wondered if there was dust in his eyes.
But no, it was really 1.3.
"No way... Is this for real? Actually?"
The purification level had exceeded 1. Before redefining what a Corrupted Awakener even was, they needed to redefine asd123.
Lee Dong-gyu calmed his excitement as best he could and, true to his role as an item analyst, fiddled with the scroll while activating his analysis skill.
He realized the parchment grade had increased by one level.
'I knew the scrolls he'd sent before weren't drawn on top-grade parchment.'
But seeing this now, at this moment, made it all the more overwhelming.
'And... the creation time on this item is from today.'
Did that mean this absurd scroll had been made in just one hour?
A chill ran down his spine.
What rank was asd123, anyway? And where did his limits end?
Where had he secluded himself in closed-door training to reach the pinnacle of ability without leaving a single trace of information?
What on earth had this guy done before...?
As Lee Dong-gyu's expression grew grave while staring at the scroll, a mage approached.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem...?"
"Hold it right there! If you come any closer, I'll assume you're harboring impure thoughts."
The words came out of nowhere. Hadn't this guy stayed silent while all the special-class Awakeners came and went, even as his S-rank item treated the ore vein crystal?
Why react like this now, all of a sudden?
As the mages' doubts grew, Lee Dong-gyu deliberately held out the scroll for them to see.
The mages' blue status windows lit up with the information.
Purification Level: 1.3
"Gasp-!"
VIP medical room. No unrelated personnel were present.
That was why the choking sound echoed so loudly.
Didn't that mean it surpassed 5-circle?
And that, in turn, meant it numerically exceeded the [Purification] of their idol, the Association President.
Thus, the mages' reactions upon seeing it were predictable.
"I must be tired... I'm seeing things."
"Haha... You overdid it yesterday. But my status window seems glitchy—the number looks off..."
At that moment, the mages realized something was off. It wasn't just them seeing that bizarre figure...
...Murmur murmur─
Once the mages fully grasped the scroll's performance, Lee Dong-gyu took control of the atmosphere.
"As I said, anyone acting strangely will be deemed a Corrupted Awakener spy."
At the same time, he activated a defensive A-rank item and continued.
"From now on, keep an eye on each other. Subdue anyone who moves."
Lee Dong-gyu swept his gaze over the suddenly tense mages and walked toward the bed.
Jeong Hyun-seok, soaked in cold sweat, was frowning as if trapped in a nightmare.
Lee Dong-gyu unfurled the scroll while watching him.
asd123's scroll. It turned despair into hope and even sparked anticipation.
'If this succeeds...'
The ripple effects wouldn't be limited to a single victory in battle against the Corrupted Awakeners.
It could prevent talent drain, suppress Corrupted Awakener forces, and even provide a clue to fully curing them.
On the Association's level, it meant acquiring massive data.
Why had Jeong Hyun-seok become Corrupted?
During the corruption process, had Councilor Jeong simply lost consciousness?
What would his condition be like after treatment...?
The immense implications were endless, all to be unleashed by asd123's scroll.
'Yes... If this [Purification] scroll wakes Councilor Jeong.'
Lee Dong-gyu channeled mana into the scroll. Like before, arrows densely enveloped Jeong Hyun-seok.
Vibrant, multicolored mana, even larger and more brilliant, flooded the medical room.
The mages watched the scene in awe.
"So this is the Purification scroll from asd123 that the elders spoke of..."
And at the medical room door, Councilor Shin was equally captivated. He'd arrived late and hadn't seen the scroll's specs.
'Is that truly magic manifested through a single sheet of parchment?'
True to his mastery of the 4-circle realm, he insightfully analyzed the magical phenomenon.
Perfection that felt deceptively simple at a glance.
Brilliance that seemed to declare his own magic wasn't magic at all.
[Purification], which made him forget his own convictions.
'How did he capture all that in a single sheet of parchment?'
How profound must his understanding of circuits be to contain such phenomena in one parchment?
How could monstrous talent like that be given to a mere maker instead of a mage...?
While everyone fixated on asd123's scroll for their own reasons, Lee Dong-gyu alone focused intently on Jeong Hyun-seok's condition.
As the dark blue veins on his wrist gradually calmed, Lee Dong-gyu's fists clenched involuntarily.
'...Did it work?'
Jeong Hyun-seok's complexion was steadily stabilizing.
Lee Dong-gyu signaled a medical staff Awakener, who grabbed Jeong Hyun-seok's hand.
"...The foreign energy is gone!"
He exclaimed with wide-eyed shock.
The mages, finally snapping out of it, didn't immediately comprehend due to their fixation on the phenomenon.
But as they mulled it over...
"...His mana is stable!"
"Did it... really succeed...?"
They gradually recognized Jeong Hyun-seok's state and reacted with intense emotion.
"Councilor...!"
"Thank you... Thank you...!"
The mages abandoned their dignity, purely relieved and joyful.
Lee Dong-gyu couldn't hide his own shock as he gazed at Jeong Hyun-seok.
'It really worked... We stopped the corruption!'
How could he not be moved?
The mental shock when missing comrades suddenly appeared as Corrupted Awakeners.
The other comrades who died without resisting because of it.
The irony of those Corrupted ones mercilessly attacking them.
'...Now we can stop it.'
As long as asd123 continued producing [Purification] scrolls at this rate.
'...Of course, we still don't know where or how corruption happens.'
That would be humanity's new challenge.
After the mages following Jeong Hyun-seok left the medical room and even Councilor Shin departed with a stiff expression,
the recovered Jeong Hyun-seok listened to Lee Dong-gyu's explanation and murmured quietly.
"I see... asd123..."
He was told that the man's scroll had purified the demonic energy in his core and cured him from becoming a Corrupted Awakener.
"Councilor, you should rest, but I have to ask this. What did you see? What happened during the corruption process?"
Jeong Hyun-seok had been frowning during the corruption.
If it wasn't just a nightmare he'd forgotten, something must have happened during the process.
"..."
Jeong Hyun-seok's gaze turned to the window. The blue sky was the same as always.
But to him, that familiarity felt indescribably beautiful.
Gazing at the sky, he slowly parted his lips.
"...It was a snake with nine heads. It seemed to possess irresistible power."
"A snake."
It matched part of the survey team's earlier report.
Of course, the snake in that gate hadn't been reported as having nine heads.
"Yes. The moment it roared, my mind was pulled somewhere else. A blood-red sky, pitch-black earth... I fought there."
"...Against who?"
"Who knows. It looked human, but its form shifted every moment. Hard to categorize. But it was strong."
Its mana itself was extraordinary.
Lee Dong-gyu thought: Did you fight a monster that interfered with your mind?
Lee Dong-gyu silently took notes on the details. He had more convenient writing items, but analog felt better sometimes.
As he jotted them down, Jeong Hyun-seok asked flatly.
"What do you think a Corrupted Awakener is?"
"...Well? People who fell for promises of amplified awakening powers? Those hit by brainwashing...? That's what I thought, but seeing you yesterday and today, it doesn't seem like that."
Jeong Hyun-seok nodded.
"...Perhaps Corrupted Awakeners aren't humans transformed, but some parasitic organism that takes over the human mind."
"...Pardon?"
It was shocking.
If true, they couldn't just stand by.
If they'd simply succumbed to temptation, at least they could blame and hate them...
This was no different from murder.
"It was like hell. Fighting that thing trying to seize my mind under a blood-red sky."
"But you held out till the end. Thanks to that, we—asd123—could save you."
Jeong Hyun-seok nodded bitterly.
"Of course, I didn't give up. Even if all my magic only left tiny scratches, I kept my mind steady. But surrender was all I could see."
He seemed to recall the moment. Had it left trauma?
"...?"
After a brief contemplation, Jeong Hyun-seok smiled faintly.
"Then, in my mindscape, five lights appeared. Yes... I saw it too. The Purification you mentioned from asd123."
Those lights were the scroll from that maker, asd123.
Wasn't that scroll worthy of being called true magic?
...It wasn't trauma.
It was closer to awe from witnessing salvation-like light in the deepest darkness.
Thus, Lee Dong-gyu set aside the incident's gravity for a moment and empathized.
"Magic... I think so too."
From that day, one pillar of the mage alliance became even more open.
After finishing his school schedule and returning home, Park Ha-jun received the commission payment.
The price had been discussed via mail, but since it was hard to set, Lee Dong-gyu had sent the 40 million gold he could spare right away.
He'd even gotten a reply saying Councilor Jeong Hyun-seok would offer personal compensation later.
"...Ugh, goosebumps."
He'd known the amount in advance, but receiving 40 million gold in one lump sum made his skin crawl.
Soon, they'd issue a forged Awakener ID too...
Then he could exchange it generously for the MT budget or department event funds.
'Soo-ji was struggling with the severely lacking allocated budget... Perfect.'
Anyway.
Plus the previous 50 million gold and extra, plus a magic world's heavyweight's personal thanks.
Not bad at all. Of course, he wouldn't know until he saw what that personal compensation was...
Calculation like that was best left to solving math problems.
'Anyway, glad it worked out.'
Feeling utterly relieved, Park Ha-jun sat in his workshop chair and got seriously to work.
'I planned to mass-produce for gold before analyzing the Barrier circuit...'
But this commission had supplied plenty of gold. Now it was time to enjoy himself fully!
He opened his status window and started on the [Barrier] scroll creation.
[Draw the circuit below as an example.]
As always, the system output the circuit and sequence.
The circuit background was 3D space.
'...3D space is standard now, huh.'
But the peculiar thing was that there wasn't just one [Barrier] example circuit.
First, two output methods.
1. Tracking mana via vector fields to overlay on the target.
2. Simply outputting a range based on the user.
Usually, number 2 was chosen. It looked easier at a glance.
But to Park Ha-jun, it was just variations in solutions.
Beyond output methods, the barrier's shape and structure had no fixed frame either.
As if saying, freely interpret and solve the problem of 'target safety'.
'...Now I see why Barriers gauge makers' skills.'
A problem with infinite solution variations. Truly beautiful.
That said, Park Ha-jun would need plenty of trial and error for a perfect Barrier scroll.
'Even better.'
If a 2-circle spell was full of quick-solve problems, he'd be disappointed.
Park Ha-jun spread out mid-grade parchment and dove into contemplation.
'Output method later...'
Instead, he focused on the barrier's shape and structure. Whether to output on a target or in a range depended on the commission; it didn't determine performance.
Thus, starting with the most basic form.
'Maybe try a tessellation approach...'
Tessellation was similar to space-filling curves.
If space-filling curves densely filled all points with 'lines',
tessellation covered planes seamlessly with 'surfaces'. Easy to think of honeycomb hexagons.
A hemispherical barrier with honeycomb structure. The most basic and efficient method.
'Better ideas come to mind, but... let's master the basics first.'
Using [Accelerated Implementation], Park Ha-jun rapidly tested hypotheses.
By the time he came to, it was almost time for work.
Association entrance.
Secretaries and headquarters staff stood in line. Tension hung in the air.
While making small talk to hide their nerves, the radio blared.
"The Association President is entering."
Conversations cut off instantly.
Regardless of martial or magic factions, they straightened their backs and waited.
Soon, the automatic doors opened. They bowed in unison to the white-haired gentleman who passed through.
"Welcome, Association President!"
The Association President frowned.
"...Didn't I say such greetings are unnecessary? Do you have time for this?"
"But..."
"Enough. Get back to work. Lee Dong-gyu the analyst, stay—I need a word."
"...Yes, sir."
Thus, the Association President took Lee Dong-gyu to the mountain with the elemental golem's core.
Top-tier Hunters still guarded the area, wary of further Corrupted Awakener tricks.
After courteous greetings from them, the two reached the gate.
"...You managed to contain this well."
"It was far beyond our power alone. As I reported via mail, asd123's scroll played the key role."
The Association President pondered briefly before shaking his head.
"That's plenty impressive. You persuaded outside help without causing division."
"...?"
No easy feat.
The Association President approached the elemental golem's core.
"Be careful."
Chuckling at the warning, he brushed the core with his hand.
"Have you interpreted the inscription here?"
"...Yes. I think I sent it via mail."
The Association President smiled lightly.
"No. I mean, have you grasped the meaning behind the words?"
"Sorry. Not yet..."
"Just curious. No need to tense up."
The Association President read the enigmatic inscription on the elemental golem's core without opening the mail.
"When the poison of the nine snakes flows to all, He shall return to His home."
"...No demonic energy at all. If it's who I think, he wouldn't be this skilled."
Sensing something odd, Lee Dong-gyu asked back.
"...Pardon?"
But before he could press, the Association President spoke.
"The contract with asd123 is progressing well?"
"Yes. We'll finalize it once the forged ID arrives."
"Good... When you meet, make sure to give him that item you mentioned before."
He meant the detection item. It sensed waves within 1km to identify demonic energy.
"Yes, I will."
"He's a young man with weak demonic resistance. Don't let Corrupted Awakeners even approach."
Unable to hold back, Lee Dong-gyu asked.
"...Association President, do you know who asd123 is?"
"Know him? I have to, in more ways than one."
"Pardon? Really?"
Lee Dong-gyu couldn't wrap his head around it.
From the Association President's subtle reaction to words implying more than mere acquaintance.
But that was the Association President. He always dropped cryptic lines that later proved key to major incidents.
When asked how he knew, he'd just laugh heartily.
'...As expected of a grand mage.'
Maybe he could even read the future.
"That's enough. No need for a second survey. I'll subjugate that gate myself. Convene a meeting."
As the Association President left the mountain, he muttered just audibly.
"...A life mere experiment has unexpectedly become the best future. Heh."
'Never imagined you'd be on our side. But now that you are, it's reassuring...'