Chapter 24
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 024
Chapter Title: Each One's Responsibility (Revised)
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An awkward silence hung in Park Ha-jun's lab.
Lee Dong-gyu, seated across from him, took a sip of his coffee to wet his throat.
'To think asd123 is a professor... I never saw it coming, but it suits him perfectly.'
It felt like all the puzzle pieces were finally falling into place.
The meticulous precision unique to scrolls made by asd123, the insight that pierced straight to the heart of every request and offered the optimal solution, the concise and clear replies...
'...He's truly the best.'
Before being an Association employee, Lee Dong-gyu was a fan of asd123.
That was why, when the meeting place was set at the university, he'd been inwardly worried.
If that legendary asd123 turned out to be some green rookie student, it might shatter his illusions.
But a professor—no, a mathematics professor? It exceeded even his wildest expectations.
However.
'Right now, I'm here as an Association employee to finalize the contract with asd123.'
He couldn't afford to get starry-eyed.
The moment Lee Dong-gyu set down his coffee cup and opened his mouth to speak—
"Please, make yourself comfortable."
Park Ha-jun seized the initiative first. The atmosphere grew strangely charged.
'Wh-what's this... This feeling like I have to spill everything...'
And so, the contract discussion began.
Park Ha-jun pondered.
For someone like him, whose serious conversations had mostly been academic discussions with fellow mathematicians, could he really take control in a talk with Lee Dong-gyu?
It would be tough. His counterpart was a founding member of the Association, while Park Ha-jun was a total newbie who'd awakened just a few weeks ago.
No matter how thoroughly he prepared, some clumsiness was bound to show.
So, his solution was to meet on familiar turf.
He'd summoned him to his home ground—the university.
And he treated Lee Dong-gyu like a math department student, framing the situation as a simple consultation.
"Please, make yourself comfortable."
Lee Dong-gyu faltered for a moment before pulling a forged Awakener ID from his briefcase.
"Ah, yes... First off, the forged Awakener ID we discussed before. We've manipulated the data to register it under the nickname you requested..."
As Lee Dong-gyu explained, Park Ha-jun examined the ID.
All this hassle had been for the sake of this single 'nickname.'
The gold exchange worked like this: send a donation to the Association's exchange clerk, and they'd convert it to cash at the donated amount.
But if Park Ha-jun sent gold to the clerk, his nickname 'asd123' would be glaringly obvious, right?
So, Lee Dong-gyu had used a mind-manipulation item on an unregistered criminal without a nickname...
To sum up his long-winded explanation:
1. Park Ha-jun was now a fully registered Awakener. Not as [asd123], but as [MathLover].
2. When he needed to exchange gold, just donate to [MathLover]. Lee Dong-gyu would confirm and arrange the deposit into Park Ha-jun's account.
"...That said, exchanging an amount that a B-rank Scroll Maker couldn't possibly earn at once might cause issues."
Park Ha-jun nodded.
"Understood."
At the same time, a somewhat off-topic thought crossed his mind.
'...MathLover. What a great nickname. If I'd known it'd turn out like this, I would've used it myself.'
A world where everyone cheered for MathLover instead of asd123—how beautiful that would be.
He was glad to at least use it as a forged alias.
Of course, the reason Park Ha-jun wanted the forged ID was to avoid attention and risk.
So, he couldn't do anything too flashy under 'MathLover.'
"Hm..."
Park Ha-jun let out a wistful sound, and Lee Dong-gyu joked in response.
"Of course... it's a rank far beneath what a maker of your caliber deserves, but raising it would defeat the purpose of the forgery, wouldn't it? Haha... Anyway, next up, allow me to introduce the three support items we'll provide."
The items he pulled out had this info:
1. Mana Detection Item—watch form.
It would alert if mana was detected nearby and transmit data to the Association President.
2. 1kg Limited Transfer Item—shaped like a vacuum cleaner, for comparison.
This would be their method for future transactions.
3. A-rank Defense Item—talisman form.
[Barrier] consumed mana and had a duration limit, so it was plenty useful.
Park Ha-jun sipped his coffee after receiving the items.
"...Not bad."
It felt like a system was taking shape: he could maintain his professor life while reaping the benefits of being an Awakener.
In return, all he had to do was prioritize Association requests.
He was truly satisfied and pleased, but playing the cool-headed advisor to a student was Park Ha-jun's style.
Plus, the massive mana drain from the [Barrier] scroll left him no energy to show emotion.
At that nonchalant reaction, Lee Dong-gyu was stunned.
'These transcendent items don't faze him at all?'
He himself had shed blood, sweat, and tears to obtain them...
'...His caliber is on another level. Then again, he's the guy who makes 6-circle grade scrolls in an hour.'
Lee Dong-gyu swallowed hard and played his trump card.
"...Finally, as a token of gratitude for contracting with our Association, we have a gift."
Correction: not quite a trump card.
Compared to the gold asd123 had raked in from the Auction House lately, it was woefully inadequate.
'Still, he'll definitely like it.'
Park Ha-jun eyed the card curiously.
"What's this?"
"A card with 1.7 billion won. We hadn't figured out how to deliver it, so I was debating whether to mention it..."
Lee Dong-gyu glanced around the lab before continuing.
"If you have ongoing research, we could frame it as sponsorship..."
1.7 billion. An awkward number—it was what he'd hastily scraped together.
Park Ha-jun, intrigued by the offer, asked:
"Do I need to send you gold for it?"
"No. This is separate from exchanges— a personal gift from me and the Association President. Naturally, it's also apart from the additional reward for the [Purification] request."
Completely separate...
Park Ha-jun pondered briefly.
Who wouldn't want 1.7 billion handed over out of the blue?
He wasn't immune to the temptation either.
But.
"...It feels a bit much just as a gesture of thanks."
Given his personality, accepting unearned payment sat wrong with him.
And while unlikely, it might not be so simple.
"I'm content if you evaluate my abilities accurately and compensate accordingly."
Lee Dong-gyu looked surprised but handled it like the elite who'd dealt with countless people as a founding member.
"My apologies for the misstep. If you introduce your research later, we'll review its practicality and potential, then decide on sponsorship."
Even that felt off to Park Ha-jun, but he couldn't unilaterally refuse research funding.
It tied to his math department colleagues' careers.
"Haha... If it's sponsorship for my research rather than me personally, I won't refuse."
Park Ha-jun smiled awkwardly, yet exuded subtle confidence.
Impressed even more, Lee Dong-gyu nodded.
"Of course."
In any case, thanks to Lee Dong-gyu's deft handling, the mood didn't sour.
Park Ha-jun thoroughly read and signed the contract, wrapping things up warmly.
Lee Dong-gyu soon shifted topics—to the next most important matter.
"...Once again, thank you for contracting with our Association. Now, about the next request."
He'd heard the gist from Kim Ji-seok.
Likely a [Barrier] scroll commission.
"The President requested a [Barrier]. I don't fully grasp why, but he wants it infused with the property of 'harmony'..."
Park Ha-jun listened impassively, then nodded and murmured:
"Harmony in a Barrier..."
It wasn't a problem with an instant solution.
Frankly, it was tricky.
If it'd been attribute bullets or Mana Arrows needing 'harmony,' he'd experiment with substitute [Attribute Diagrams].
But Barriers had no attributes.
There was no place for [Knots] in the circuit, making the request baffling.
Still, the mana-savvy President wouldn't commission the impossible.
Intrigued, Park Ha-jun swallowed a smile.
"...Got it for now."
"Yes. The President said not to feel burdened..."
Lee Dong-gyu recalled the moment and continued.
"But his expression was quite bitter. Clearly, without your scroll, his only option involves major personal sacrifice."
"I see..."
"Please... Repeat the miracle you showed with [Purification]..."
A heavy, demanding request.
But had any prior commissions been light or leisurely?
Park Ha-jun just found the idea of harmony in a Barrier refreshingly novel, fueling his urge to prototype a circuit right away.
"I'll take the request."
But now, alongside curiosity, there were things to consider.
"What about the commission fee?"
"Ah... To be honest, it hasn't been set yet."
Lee Dong-gyu wanted to offer 10 billion or even 100 billion gold freely.
But the Association wasn't that straightforward.
Even the President had to persuade underlings on group finances.
An Association filled with mages in power—though attitudes were shifting, scroll disdain lingered...
"...Regrettably, all I can say is we'll do our utmost."
Not empty words, of course.
As asd123's fan and contract handler, he'd give his all.
But recalling the 240 million gold [Barrier] sold for at auction, he lacked confidence.
'...What will a harmony-infused Barrier be worth? Can the Association pay it willingly?'
Even the [Purification] that saved Councilor Jeong Hyun-seok had been priced at a mere 40 million gold by the Association.
"...Scroll perception is still stuck on cost-performance. Though some say asd123's are exceptions, it's a minority..."
Guilt surged as he spoke—as a key Association member and fan.
However.
"What more should I do to improve scroll perception?"
Park Ha-jun asked matter-of-factly.
Not an accusation.
From his view, he'd just sent [Purification] scrolls twice.
He'd heard Kim Ji-seok's report on the impact, but it applied only to special cases.
Judging scroll views wouldn't flip easily, he inquired.
Those words hit Lee Dong-gyu like a shockwave.
'...He doesn't even care about such trivialities?'
Does that mean he can demonstrate whenever?
He chided his own incompetence.
asd123 had proven himself. Hadn't he cleanly resolved the Association's two crises?
Everyone there was stunned, right?
The Association failed to seize that momentum reversal.
How could he tell asd123 that perceptions hadn't shifted enough for fair pay?
Lee Dong-gyu admitted it—his words had been idiotic.
Rut routines narrowed the mind sometimes.
He swallowed a sigh and spoke.
"No... Just keep doing what you're doing. I'll handle the rest."
Park Ha-jun tilted his head briefly but replied with a soft smile.
"Understood."
The contract was a success in every sense.
A cavern adorned with myriad murals.
The Corrupted Awakener called the Bishop laughed hollowly.
"Haha... So those words were true after all."
Miracle Achieved! Treatment for Corruption—Found in asd123's Scroll...
The Corrupted Awakeners had only just learned the news.
asd123—the nickname of the spy the Bishop had slain.
'So it wasn't nonsense.'
How could a mere scroll accomplish what could only be called a miracle?
This was wrong. A blatant breach of contract.
Wasn't the balance of power, meant to be equal, tipping to one side...?
"Find him."
"..."
"asd123. Locate the bastard, tear his limbs apart, and separate flesh from bone. We'll offer his soul to the Mother."
Some Corrupted Awakeners vanished into the shadows.
The Bishop approached a mural, gazing at a serpent coiled around a woman's neck.
"We must hasten the summoning of the Nine Serpents."
He meant accelerating the breach of the gate the Association guarded tightly.
One Corrupted Awakener replied:
"...The God of Stories will be enraged."
"I'll meet with Him. If He hasn't betrayed us, He'll lend us strength."
"..."
When the Nine Serpents manifest, humanity will be reborn—and our existence will shine clearer.
"Hesitate not."
Thus, the Corrupted Awakeners in the cavern dispersed to their tasks.