Chapter 25
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 025
Chapter Title: Equations
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The Association President's office.
The president was using a magical aid tool to draw a complex incantation.
Scratch. Scratch.
Even with Absolute Memory, he never neglected his studies.
Redrawing an incantation he already knew by heart could sometimes yield new insights.
Yet despite that, he had only taken a single step into 6-circle magic. Being a mage was truly a grueling path.
Time passed, and Lee Dong-gyu returned to the office after meeting asd123. He'd heard the contract had gone successfully.
The president set down his pen and asked,
"...So, what was he like?"
Lee Dong-gyu answered without hesitation.
"He was a mix of exactly what I expected and something completely unexpected. The dignity and composure that came from his asd123 persona... I'm just glad someone like that is our asd123."
The president chuckled softly and asked back,
"Is that why you took on such an unreasonable responsibility?"
The contract with asd123. It was a resounding success. Weren't they contracting with an overwhelmingly superior scroll maker using benefits for B-rank Awakeners?
Plus, since he avoided external attention, contract renewals would be rare.
Their situations aligned perfectly, yielding the best possible outcome.
However, one sticking point was what Lee Dong-gyu had promised asd123 in this commission.
Treatment on par with the Association President himself, plus additional rewards if things went well. Of course, given the commission's nature, such terms were only natural.
Hadn't he asked for something even the president couldn't achieve right now?
But.
"It'll be tough."
Only the president truly knew the exact value of that [Barrier].
And if things went according to plan, only the president would be using that [Barrier] directly.
Of course, the busy president couldn't explain the value of the [Barrier] in detail.
"I'll help as much as I can, but you'll bear a heavy burden."
"If the Association is the organization that manages and controls Awakeners, then this falls under our responsibility too."
"...That's just like you, but I didn't realize your sense of duty ran that deep."
"I gained a lot of insight from my conversation with asd123."
"That's a novel thought. A staffer going on a contract negotiation and coming back enlightened."
"That's the kind of person he is."
"The kind of person, huh..."
The president murmured softly before adding,
"My granddaughter said something similar."
"..."
As Lee Dong-gyu recalled the girl he'd seen in the third-floor hallway of the science building and held his tongue,
the president's secretary knocked and entered.
"President! A B-rank gate in the mana oversaturation zone broke immediately upon generation!"
The president approached the crystal orb in the center of the office.
"Give me the coordinates."
"Yes..."
After confirming the coordinates, the president invoked his will.
⟨ [3-circle] ⟩
⟨ [Detection] ⟩
He checked the situation at the designated coordinates.
⟨ [6-circle] ⟩
⟨ [Lightning Strike] ⟩
⟨ [Attribute: Electricity] ⟩
Flicker. Rumble...
He unleashed the lightning strike.
"The minor monsters are dead, and the boss is paralyzed. Leave the rest to the subjugation team."
Releasing the crystal orb, the president thought to himself,
'...This time, I'll watch over you.'
asd123. He hoped to be an infinite variable.
Park Ha-jun's laboratory.
Park Ha-jun set down his quill after drawing a circuit on mid-grade parchment.
'I have no clue at all...'
How on earth was he supposed to incorporate "harmony" into the [Barrier]?
The "harmony" the president mentioned was the "four knots"—a portion of the [Purification] circuit.
Park Ha-jun called it order, but it was probably just a difference in interpretation.
In any case.
Though the Barrier granted freedom to its maker, without a "shield" to protect the target, it wouldn't function as a scroll circuit.
Naturally, neatly drawing the "four knots" next to the shield didn't infuse it with order.
The numerical values hadn't changed, but useless information cluttered the circuit, increasing mana consumption.
1,900
'Hmm... With this circuit design, infusing order seems outright impossible...'
He needed to devise an entirely new circuit.
The deadline was just under three weeks.
That was how much time remained until the gate break.
'Plenty of time, but... I can't just leisurely mull it over.'
A commission even the president considered a major loss if failed. If he couldn't deliver on time, it would weigh on his conscience.
The sooner he finished and sent it to the Association, the better for his peace of mind.
Thus, he had no choice but to enlist Kang Eun-ho's help again. There was a slight issue, though...
'Still, I have to give it a shot.'
Pondering that issue, Park Ha-jun listed the [Barrier] scroll he'd just made on the Auction House and called it a day.
Around that time, Kim Ah-hyun.
She sighed, staring at the scroll on her workbench.
'Should I just give up...?'
Over a hundred crumpled Neutral Magic Bullet scrolls already littered the floor.
Listing them on the Auction House would invite unflattering comparisons to asd123, so she couldn't sell them.
Of course, by now she admitted she couldn't match asd123...
She'd even emailed him seeking guidance, but...
'Why no reply...?'
asd123 never replied.
It didn't offend her.
He was famous for rarely responding except to commissions.
'Maybe I should commission him...'
As she pondered that,
[Your favorited...]
asd123 had listed a scroll on the Auction House.
The Barrier scroll, deemed the most complex even among 2-circle spells.
She'd seen it during the last parade, but the stats felt like an insurmountable wall.
And.
120,000,000G
Commissioning it would require an absurd amount of gold.
"Haa..."
Maybe she should attend one of those meetings hosted by the famous scroll maker group 'Famous Scroll'.
Kim Ah-hyun's mind wandered in every direction.
......
The next day, Kang Eun-ho—once hailed as a promising talent—texted her.
- Hey, what've you been up to? Haven't seen any scrolls on the Auction House.
She ignored it. They'd built connections as fellow A-rank prospects once, but she had no time or energy for networking now.
But.
- Why ignore me? I just unlocked 2-circle recently...
Texts kept coming.
He'd met his benefactor and grown tremendously, wanted to help her in return.
But this matter was beyond him, could she help...?
"...What the hell?"
Benefactor? Mention of professor suggested a Magic Department prof.
Someone skilled enough to advance Kang Eun-ho must be legit.
She wasn't that interested. But the last text caught her eye.
- From what I saw, this person handles scroll circuits better than you. Talking to them would definitely help. You gotta catch up to even asd123's toes.
Kim Ah-hyun let out a hollow laugh and blocked Kang Eun-ho.
"...Is he insane?"
No one handled circuits better than her except asd123.
She tried to ignore it and refocus on her circuits, but his words gnawed at her.
- Better than you.
"...The more I think, the more ridiculous."
She unblocked him and texted back.
- Where are you? Confident enough to stand by that claim?
Before Kang Eun-ho texted Kim Ah-hyun.
Park Ha-jun visited his training room during lunch.
"Professor!"
Kang Eun-ho greeted him warmly as always.
After brief pleasantries, he got to the point.
"As I mentioned last time, I'm planning further research on Barriers."
Barriers were a fascinating research topic even for mages.
Due to the incantation's flexibility, endless studies pursued "better Barriers."
"But as I briefly touched on before, applying homotopy to Barriers seems promising..."
Kang Eun-ho clutched his head in agony.
"Ugh... Sorry. I didn't understand a word back then..."
"Haha..."
Actually, during a previous test of Barrier's combat performance, he'd briefly explained a homotopy-infused [Barrier] circuit to Kang Eun-ho.
- Defining functions like this to draw the shield might give the Barrier special properties, right?
Kang Eun-ho had stared blankly.
- ......Pardon?
It was the first time Kang Eun-ho had reacted that way to Park Ha-jun's words.
"Sorry, Professor. Honestly, I still don't get it. I should be helping..."
"No, no. I haven't organized it fully, so my explanation was lacking."
The reason was simple.
The core of this [Barrier] circuit was the equations describing the "shield."
[Neutral Magic Bullet] was purely about drawing technique.
[Purification] and attribute magics hinged on intuitive grasp of knot shapes...
But [Barrier] centered on equations. Intuition helped, but without equations first, it was incomprehensible.
'...Do I have to analyze this alone?'
As Park Ha-jun pondered, Kang Eun-ho cautiously spoke up.
"Um... Maybe because I don't handle circuits like a maker..."
He hesitated, then pulled out his smartphone.
"Actually, there's someone who might help with your research. Mind if I introduce her?"
"Hm? A mage you know?"
"No, no. A magic scroll maker. Not asd123 level, but she was famous once. Kim Ah-hyun..."
Kim Ah-hyun. Park Ha-jun had heard the name. Didn't know the nickname, but community said she was the only A-rank scroll maker...
Just talking to her would be hugely helpful. Intrigued, he asked,
"Is that possible? I'm fine with it, but no need to push."
"It is. She's got a strong ego— a little prodding and she'll bite. Especially grumpy about asd123 lately."
"Haha..."
He wondered if it was right, but curious about Kim Ah-hyun, he didn't stop him.
Moments later, Kang Eun-ho said with a hint of fear,
"...She's coming right now, I think?"
Meanwhile, the gate spawned from the elemental golem's core.
The Association strictly guarded the perimeter, measuring mana density every three hours.
"No anomalies. Still three weeks until break."
The measurer reported and left the mountain valley.
Only patrolling Hunters remained.
Tension had eased slightly—no Corrupted Awakeners in ages—but they stayed vigilant.
Crunch crunch—
Then a robed man approached.
A suspicious Association staffer blocked him.
"Controlled zone. Turn back."
"..."
The silent man. The staffer drew his battle axe from his back.
"Final warning. Turn back."
Other Hunters went on alert.
"..."
Still silent. The staffer assumed position and said,
"By Gate Management Law..."
That instant, the mysterious man shed his robe. His skin was Corrupted Awakener flesh.
"!!!"
The staffer swung instinctively, but the Corrupted dodged easily.
"Corrupted!"
"Everyone on alert! Don't let any slip to the gate!"
The Corrupted grinned ear-to-ear and charged straight at the staffer.
Sensing something off, they kept distance without dropping guard.
Crack.
It sliced his throat. A hollow end. He wasn't someone to die like that.
"...What?"
Unease swelled as the Corrupted's head tumbled down the mountain path, speaking,
"All this to Mother..."
Ominous words. But it didn't end there.
Blood-red aura billowed from the body like smoke, drifting toward the gate.
"Damn it, block it!"
Then about ten more Corrupted burst from shadows, overwhelming them. They'd come prepared. Something big was afoot.
The staffer swallowed hard and declared resolutely,
"...Don't let them reach the gate—!"
But after beheading another, he realized.
Reaching the gate wasn't their goal.
Corrupted corpses spewed blood-red aura.
Each touch amplified the gate's ominous waves.
"......Don't kill them, don't kill! Hold out until the president arrives!!!"
As two portions of aura reached the gate,
Woooong—!!!
The gate's waves grew even more foreboding.