Infinite Proliferation Frost Wind
While Hunter Association President Lee Jong-hwa pondered which country to send mercenaries to, the other hunters were cleaning up the aftermath of the wave.
They hunted down stragglers, sent monster corpses to labs or dumped them into other gates, and handled similar tasks.
Thanks to their efforts, South Korea swiftly returned to normalcy.
But the atmosphere in the Yeonhee University Math Lab was markedly different from before the wave.
"...Uh, hello?"
Two new interns had joined.
Of course, Im Ji-won had joined not long ago as well.
But there was a subtle difference between admin staff and researchers.
Every lab was different, but most grad students called admin staff "Admin Unnie" or something similar—a distance born from their positions.
Im Ji-won, though, had such a pitiful image that the researchers treated her without reservation.
Still, there was an inevitable nuance when interacting with admin versus researchers.
With new researchers, a clear senior-junior dynamic formed right away.
'They're so cute.'
A fond, mischievous smile naturally crept onto the seniors' faces.
The new interns gulped at the sight of those smiles.
Im Ji-won handed them coffee and said to the stiffly tense newcomers,
"Just relax and wait! Professor's in a meeting and will be back in about ten minutes!"
"Ah... Yes, ma'am!"
Im Ji-won smiled brightly and stepped away without making them uncomfortable.
Once she left, the interns' eyes turned to the lab itself. This place was hot right now, after all.
A legendary math lab buzzing with research activity and overflowing with funding, despite being in the math department.
The interns were inwardly awestruck at seeing it firsthand.
The cutting-edge equipment didn't match the old building at all.
And the researchers working there all had smiles on their faces.
In truth, both were fourth-year undergrad math majors—one from Yeonhee University, the other from another school.
Facing an uncertain future before graduation, they'd seen the intern posting.
They'd expressed their passion for math and aspirations for grad school in the interview, landing the spots.
But they'd worried until that very morning if it was the right choice.
'...Grad school might not be so bad after all?'
It felt like a pretty good decision.
But that thought didn't last long.
On their very first day, they were thrown straight into a project—an intimidating situation.
Park Ha-jun returned from his professor meeting.
The two new interns greeted him awkwardly.
"Ah, hello!"
Park Ha-jun smiled warmly in response.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice."
After expressing his gratitude, he called the other researchers.
"Shall we do some introductions?"
Once everyone had introduced themselves, Park Ha-jun turned to Lee Soo-ji.
"...You can brief them well, right? On what to study, the lab schedule, main activities, and all that."
"Yeees! Of course!"
Lee Soo-ji replied with her usual bubbly energy.
"Then, looking forward to working with you starting today."
"...Yes!"
With greetings done, they returned to their seats.
He wanted to give them a grand welcome.
But they were just interns, after all.
And grad school wasn't a 100% sure thing yet—he didn't want to pressure them.
'...I don't want them going to grad school out of guilt toward me.'
He hoped their choice would come purely from the lab experience and its prospects.
And there was another reason.
An enormous sum of gold awaited Park Ha-jun—and the math lab.
'Not overstepping at all...'
Far from burdensome, Lee Dong-gyu's email sharpened his focus.
Finish this commission, and he might even afford the Legendary Magic Quill.
Anyway.
Park Ha-jun was planning a more spectacular welcome for the interns.
For that, he'd need to craft an expanded-range [Frost Wind] scroll.
As he brainstormed circuit ideas, a sudden question arose.
'...But do they even know me overseas? Paying that much for one scroll isn't easy.'
He pondered briefly, then shook it off.
There must be a reason. This commission wasn't just about gold—it was for global safety too.
Pushing stray thoughts aside, Park Ha-jun flipped through papers, refining his circuit ideas.
Before Lee Dong-gyu emailed Park Ha-jun.
Lee Jong-hwa stated Korea's position at the International Hunter Federation meeting.
"...Then, South Korea will support the US, then China, then Russia."
The order was simple: highest chance of suppression first.
Suppress the US wave, then aid China with US hunters. Then Russia with China.
In exchange, Korea secured gate subjugation rights in specific territories of those countries for the next two years.
They approached conservatively to avoid backlash—claiming hard-to-handle areas.
Thus, the US, China, and Russia nodded without major objection to Lee Jong-hwa's declaration.
But.
"What about us then...!"
"We can't hold out that long."
...
Weaker nations in dire need panicked.
Korea helping the US made sense.
But next, aiding China with the US?
Sure, other countries might handle their waves eventually without Korea.
But some couldn't even last that long.
Why ignore the desperate nations, hunter powerhouses?
As complaints grew, Lee Jong-hwa cut in.
"We're not ignoring you. Care to see this?"
He projected video footage. What now, in this crisis?
But it grabbed attention immediately: a speed-type hunter mobbing B-rank flying monsters.
Footage from Taesan Guild—B-rank fliers massacred by one scroll.
...asd123 had been kept secret, but some nations had caught on.
Lee Jong-hwa boldly took the initiative.
The viewers were stunned.
"What is that...?"
"If my eyes aren't deceiving me, that's magic manifesting from a scroll, right?"
It was natural—they had Kim Ah-hyun, an 8-year A-rank scroll maker.
She was a pioneer in scroll-making.
Even Korea's scrolls were generally mediocre.
Other nations fared worse—some saw scrolls as worthless paper.
Few suspected fakes, thanks to the US association president's prior mention of a "special creator."
"Of course, this alone can't fully resolve waves—the scale's different. But that scroll's creator is attempting a wider-range Frost Wind..."
The point was simple: reservations open now.
Order by contract gold amount.
'Your growth matters for the future, but asd123's is more urgent.'
Lee Jong-hwa had accepted one fact post-Vaski incident.
asd123's potential surpassed his own.
'More regressions might change that, but for now, it's only a matter of time before they catch me.'
He'd already been overtaken in some areas.
No S-rank could top asd123's potential.
And asd123 had far to grow.
Investing gold in them now was most efficient.
That was it. Lee Jong-hwa envisioned only paths to "the ending."
...Unintentionally, it yielded the best outcome.
Powerhouses felt a petty superiority at Korea sending mercenaries directly.
Weaker nations desperately needed any aid.
"...Japan offers 2 billion gold."
"...!"
"Likewise, we'll do 1 billion gold..."
Nations grasping the potential—or with solid funds—offered huge sums for scrolls.
Not many yet, but a good start.
The president nodded.
"...No need to rush. We're setting order by gold to respect your judgment..."
Still, couldn't burn bridges—diplomacy mattered.
Thus, Korea successfully wrapped the International Hunter Federation meeting.
Meanwhile, in Park Ha-jun's lab.
"...Ji-won! This is an IFS fractal model—could you implement it in a program?"
"Of course...!"
Im Ji-won, double-majoring in CS and math. Though admin, she hammered away at mouse and keyboard with fervor.
Beside her, existing researchers madly discussed and proved formulas together.
The two new interns watched, minds blank. Where am I? Who am I...?
They'd heard this math lab was unusual, but not this intense.
Researchers poured their souls into Professor Park's projects.
'Why are they all so passionate...?'
What fueled that drive and stamina?
As they stood dazed, Lee Soo-ji approached with a bright grin.
"Feels weird, right?"
"Ah... Yes... What should we do?"
Lee Soo-ji plopped a thick book and stack of papers on the desk.
"We're adapting Steiner trees to mana structures at minimum. Shall we look it up together and take it slow?"
"...!"
Lab life wouldn't be easy.
......
From a separate space, Park Ha-jun watched Lee Soo-ji and the interns, chuckling softly.
'Soo-ji's taking good care of them, as expected.'
The interns looked bewildered but dove into research.
'Our lab's atmosphere is very different from a typical math lab...'
It'd be unfamiliar and tough for a while. Maybe they'd even want to quit already.
Naturally so.
Park Ha-jun hadn't yet explained "performance bonuses"—only that monthly pay had a cap and bonuses existed.
Not just because bonuses weren't fixed...
'Since we're working together, I want people who love math itself.'
He wanted to test them.
With commissions piling up, minding researchers was hard.
For now, prioritize those passionate about math. Only then could he entrust projects carefree.
'Greedy, maybe.'
Anyway.
Park Ha-jun eyed the parchment on his desk.
This Infinite Proliferation Frost Wind fused fractals and minimal Steiner trees.
Not inherently complex concepts.
But interpreting them via mana was no easy feat.
'Use fractals for infinite Frost Wind proliferation, Steiner trees to optimize paths and manage mana efficiency...'
Fractals "deployed" Frost Wind across the sky.
Steiner trees minimized those paths, slashing mana use.
In one sentence: infinitely proliferating Frost Wind with low mana cost. Limits applied, of course.
Thus, Park Ha-jun and the researchers pulled an all-nighter.
The next day.
He sent the email to Lee Dong-gyu.