Chapter 26
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 026
Chapter Title: Proposal
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The bishop who had returned from meeting the God of Stories relayed his words to the Corrupted Awakeners.
"That being has acknowledged the error as well. Intervene through rightful compensation."
"Bring about chaos with actions they cannot comprehend."
"The descent of the Nine Serpents will hasten as the chaos intensifies."
"Do not hesitate."
"Do not hesitate."
⟨ Divine Command ⟩
Time passed, and Lee Dong-gyu arrived at the scene, surveying the surroundings.
Three Corrupted Awakeners lay dead. The blood-red mist emanating from their corpses felt ominous.
The remaining eight had been struck by the Association President's Thunderbolt and were now bound by the barrier master's containment field, having arrived late.
Lee Dong-gyu frowned as he asked,
"...Any injuries on our side?"
A Hunter guarding the site replied,
"None at all. Why on earth would they pull off something so pointless..."
Everyone seemed deeply unsettled.
Judging by the Corrupted Awakeners' movements alone, they weren't amateurs, yet they'd charged in head-on without any counterattack. It was understandable.
Lee Dong-gyu gazed at the gate and said,
"This energy is flowing toward the gate."
"Yes... And after that, the gate's fluctuations grew even stronger."
Lee Dong-gyu pulled out an item and measured the gate's mana density and other factors.
Based on those results, the projected break time: 16 days remaining.
It was four days earlier than the previously known schedule.
The Hunters who saw the numbers couldn't hide their unease.
"All this sacrifice just for four days..."
"This can't be their real goal! We need to interrogate them quickly..."
But Lee Dong-gyu, still monitoring the gate analysis item, shook his head.
"It's not just four days."
"...Pardon?"
"The results just changed again."
And the moment the Hunters confirmed it, the values shifted once more before freezing at a new number.
...Some principle is accelerating the break time.
They needed to uncover that principle and stop it quickly.
Otherwise...
- Don't worry. Even without asd123's scrolls, there are ways to conquer that gate...
He'd have no choice but to go with the Association President's bitter Plan B, recited with a tinge of regret.
There must be a good reason he considers asd123's scrolls the best option despite alternatives...
In the end, Lee Dong-gyu interrogated the bound Corrupted Awakeners, but was met only with incomprehensible answers and the ongoing acceleration of the break time.
An awkward silence filled Kang Eun-ho's private training room.
Kang Eun-ho knelt on the floor as Kim A-hyun, who had come to the training room, asked,
"So, you're saying he's a professor, but not from the Magic Department—he's from the Mathematics Department...?"
"Yeah."
"And he understands circuits better than I do?"
"For attribute magic, probably..."
Kim A-hyun lightly grabbed Kang Eun-ho's collar and shook it.
"You think that makes any sense?"
"Sorry, I'm sorry..."
It seemed Kang Eun-ho had impulsively called Kim A-hyun here.
But in truth, he'd been waiting for this exact moment.
Park Ha-jun, Mathematics Professor.
The benefactor who had imparted profound enlightenment on 1-circle attribute comprehension.
It wasn't just because he'd broken through a wall.
Rumors had spread among Awakeners that Kang Eun-ho had been stuck at 1-circle for two years.
Some major guilds capable of helping had even colluded in a shady deal to keep him from "graduating" early, driving down his value.
Aware of this, yet powerless to act, Kang Eun-ho had felt utterly helpless and despairing.
When he was mired in that nightmare, Park Ha-jun had extended a hand and pulled him out.
It was only right to repay him somehow.
And that repayment couldn't end with mere research assistance.
...The professor's magic research is for the Mathematics Department's revival.
Reviving the department. Did it have to be through research?
In Kang Eun-ho's eyes, the professor shone brightest when teaching others.
Of course, his own dire situation had amplified the dramatic effect...
Kang Eun-ho had no doubt.
If he turned this into lectures, it'd be a massive hit...
It would surely cause a huge stir.
It was a shame the professor handled scroll circuits so expertly but not spell formulas.
But thanks to asd123 lately, magic scrolls were getting massive attention anyway, weren't they?
In this climate, if the professor's lectures elevated scroll makers' skills...
It would more than fulfill his dream of raising the department's status.
So the moment Kim A-hyun exchanged greetings with Professor Park Ha-jun,
"Hello, Professor?"
"Haha... Nice to meet you..."
A thrill shot through him.
I'm dying to know...
What reaction she'd have hearing the professor's stories, what insights she'd gain...
Kim A-hyun slowly released Kang Eun-ho's collar and greeted Park Ha-jun.
"Hello, Professor?"
The situation felt utterly sudden and bewildering to Park Ha-jun as well.
But weren't most encounters like that?
Most meetings were coincidental, and what relationships they evolved into gave them meaning.
No matter how abrupt this was, Park Ha-jun didn't want to miss the opportunity.
...From what Eun-ho told me, she's an A-rank producer who graduated university early and lived a smooth Awakener life.
He was curious about the skills of an A-rank who'd walked an easy path.
Wasn't this a chance for deeper discussions to refine his own ideas?
So, with an awkward smile he couldn't quite hide his excitement behind, he greeted her.
"Haha... Nice to meet you. I'm Park Ha-jun, Mathematics Department professor."
Kim A-hyun flinched slightly at his response and asked,
"...You're really a Math Department professor?"
"Yes."
"...Then all that stuff this guy texted was just a joke?"
A sharp glare at Kang Eun-ho, while Park Ha-jun rested his chin on his hand and replied ambiguously.
"Well... I did talk with Eun-ho, and it's true he gained insight afterward. But calling it 'teaching' feels a bit embarrassing."
It had just been a sharing of thoughts, after all.
Kim A-hyun narrowed her eyes. At that moment,
Whoosh.
Kang Eun-ho stably manifested five Fire Magic Bullets. Uniform in size and power, they traced perfect circles at a steady speed, like juggling.
He muttered, "It's not bullshit."
Confirming this, Kim A-hyun relaxed her gaze and looked back at Park Ha-jun.
"...So the texts weren't lies? Stuff like handling circuits better than me?"
At first, she'd asked Park Ha-jun intending to grill Kang Eun-ho further.
But seeing Kang Eun-ho's explosive progress in magic complicated her thoughts.
Though they weren't flowing in a positive direction.
Fine, a Math professor with decent skills? She'd grudgingly accept that.
If he'd given Kang Eun-ho attribute insight to unlock 2-circle, there must be something special.
But still.
Even so... Does he think I'm easy pickings just because I lag behind asd123...?
Of course, if this professor were asd123, she'd accept it all.
But no way the hot topic Awakener was teaching Math at some no-name Seoul uni.
As irritation swelled and she opened her mouth, Park Ha-jun spoke firmly first.
"Of course not..."
Park Ha-jun continued with a gentle smile.
"I've already heard about you from Eun-ho. I couldn't possibly handle circuits better than an A-rank producer. However."
However? Kim A-hyun tilted her head.
"I do have a somewhat unique perspective on circuits. That's true."
Forgetting her annoyance, Kim A-hyun found herself genuinely curious at his answer.
The shift felt so natural.
"...A unique perspective?"
But Park Ha-jun didn't satisfy her curiosity.
"Yes."
He just smiled brightly.
Unable to bear it, Kim A-hyun pressed,
"...What is it?"
"Well... I'd love to have a deep discussion with you too, A-hyun. But it seems Eun-ho left out something important."
At that, Kang Eun-ho tilted his head too. Still juggling Fire Magic Bullets.
Kim A-hyun and Kang Eun-ho both waited for Park Ha-jun's words.
"...These matters are closely tied to my research, so I can't discuss them with just anyone."
Suddenly "just anyone," Kim A-hyun bristled.
"Just anyone?!"
But this irritation differed from before. Earlier, she'd wanted to crush him skill-wise...
Now, she just wanted to prove herself to him. It was natural not to divulge key research lightly.
"...What do I have to do to hear it?"
Honestly, she wasn't that desperate for his "unique perspective." But pride kicked in.
Park Ha-jun pondered briefly, then grabbed a marker and started drawing on the whiteboard. Abruptly.
Kim A-hyun shot Kang Eun-ho a "What's with this prof?" look.
Kang Eun-ho just grinned and gestured for her to watch the board.
Reluctantly, she focused on what Park Ha-jun was drawing.
After 10 minutes, the framework emerged. She realized it was a sort of "wall"—a Barrier circuit.
But still just a frame; she couldn't tell how impressive it would be.
30 minutes passed. The circuit neared completion. Honestly, worse than her own Barrier circuit.
But parts were oddly masterful. Tight weaves alternating with sloppy sections.
Like a novel written by two authors alternating sentences—one a master, the other average...
Park Ha-jun finished the circuit, then drew arrows from sloppy to tight sections.
"If you can revise all these parts..."
He pulled a business card from his wallet and handed it to Kim A-hyun, who took it dazedly.
"Come find me then."
The card listed his research lab location.
With that, Park Ha-jun chatted briefly with Kang Eun-ho about meeting again and left.
Kim A-hyun stared blankly at the card, engulfed in a strange mood.
Suddenly... what the hell is this situation...?
But ignoring the circuit on the board was impossible—it was exquisitely clever.
The sloppy parts were awful, but the tight ones evoked a honeycomb, at a level most producers wouldn't even attempt.
Of course, given 12 hours, she could fix it all now.
The completed Barrier would still be inferior to hers.
But the concept intrigued her. That perfect difficulty hooked her, sparking interest.
Kim A-hyun looked up at the board, then said to Kang Eun-ho,
"...Who the hell is that guy?"
"Huh?"
"What's his deal?"
Kang Eun-ho chuckled and replied,
"Does it matter? Whether the professor's F-rank, B-rank, or even asd123... Is that the point right now? I'd solve it and go straight there. He gets off at 6."
Kim A-hyun glared at him, but her eyes caught Kang Eun-ho still juggling flawlessly. Perfectly stable.
That evening.
In his workshop, pondering the Barrier circuit, Park Ha-jun snapped out of it at Kang Eun-ho's text.
- Professor, she's insane. It's my training room, but she's still solving your problem and won't leave.
He chuckled, imagining the scene from the text alone.
He stretched, then opened the Hunter community for a break.
[Magic Scroll—Barrier]
...
[120,000,000G]
His listed Barrier scroll hadn't sold yet, so he wanted to check Hunter reactions.
Luckily, he didn't need to scroll through many posts.
A highly recommended one topped the list.
I got it cheap, so I used it for a B-rank gate raid. Can't join A-ranks on skill alone anyway. But honestly, is it worth 40 million or more? Hunters raid gates to make money, after all...
Reading the detailed review, Park Ha-jun felt a pang of regret but smiled instead.
I see...