Legendary Magic Quill (0)
Two hours before Park Ha-jun sent an [email] to Lee Dong-gyu...
Morning sunlight filtered in. During the time the sun had set and risen again, no one had come in or out of the Math Lab.
It was only natural. No one had left the lab since dinner the previous evening...
"Groooaaah..."
The new interns groaned with half-lidded eyes. Then, suddenly, they snapped to attention.
'Wait, did that groan really come out of my mouth?'
Ha Ji-ho, a fourth-year math major at Yeonhee University and now an intern researcher under Professor Park Ha-jun starting yesterday, realized in that moment.
He had identified the source of the unidentified groans echoing from the end of the third-floor hallway in Science Hall...
Still, their expressions weren't bad at all, despite the groans escaping their lips.
It had been a valuable experience. Tackling problems too difficult for one person alone, debating as a group until they reached the solution...
The thrill and pride of proving complex equations were truly sweet.
And moreover...
"You all worked so haaard..."
"You too, TA!"
TA Lee Soo-ji was kind, and so were the other lab seniors. Debating with such great seniors felt healing in itself.
'Not sure about the prospects, though...'
Still, grad school here didn't sound bad at all. It made studying enjoyable.
Having successfully wrapped up Professor Park Ha-jun's project, they rose to attend morning classes—
"Haha... everyone, great job."
Park Ha-jun approached with a smile, unable to hide his apologetic feelings.
"No, Professor! You worked hard too!"
Park Ha-jun had stayed in the lab for this project, working alongside them.
He drew circuits, explained stuck points, and puzzled over them together.
And from watching the new interns participate midway through...
'...I really picked well.'
He confirmed that their interview impressions weren't fake.
Even if it was just one project.
Whether someone loved math or not could be seen in a single project.
So, smiling, Park Ha-jun broached that topic casually.
"By the way, I mentioned our lab pays performance bonuses to interns too, right? The rate is a bit lower, but..."
"Ah, yes!"
"This project will also come with a performance bonus based on results..."
He instructed them to coordinate with Im Ji-won for bank details when convenient, to ensure smooth payout procedures.
He couldn't confirm the exact amount yet, so he just said it would be announced within the week.
"Ooh..."
The interns exclaimed moderately. They probably thought of it as pocket money.
'Pocket money, huh.'
He wouldn't deny it.
This bonus would indeed be pocket-change level. Compared to future salaries and bonuses, anyway.
But shouldn't he show them it wasn't small pocket money?
"Anyway, great job, everyone. Rest well today, see you tomorrow."
From now on, it was all Park Ha-jun's responsibility.
He would make as many scrolls as possible.
And divert part of the commission fees as donations to pay appropriate bonuses to the researchers.
Returning to his seat, Park Ha-jun finished the [Frost Wind] scroll.
In the Item Analysis Room, an email suddenly arrived for Lee Dong-gyu amid his work.
"...!"
asd123 had produced the scroll in nearly a day. It wasn't surprising anymore.
However.
'It's rare for asd123 to make a request first.'
What could it be? Lee Dong-gyu checked the content and smiled.
'He wants to give his researchers a large, legal performance bonus...?'
It was a humble, very human request.
'Well, taking care of people around him while hiding his identity must be tough...'
Officially, Park Ha-jun was [MathLover]. A properly registered awakener, with Lee Dong-gyu manipulating his gold earnings and cash-outs appropriately.
Even tens of billions in his account wouldn't be an issue.
And handing a few million won to others wouldn't be a big problem either.
But if it continued? It would need a plausible pretext.
And asd123 had proposed performance bonuses as that pretext.
'Performance bonuses... that should be easy.'
Park Ha-jun's lab had achieved major results in magic fusion research.
With the Association President moving directly, there would be no restrictions on research activities going forward.
Anyway.
'...Delivering the scroll to the foreign association comes first.'
Having received the [Frost Wind] scroll from asd123, Lee Dong-gyu went to the Association President.
The capital of Saudi Arabia—Riyadh.
Its area exceeded Seoul's threefold.
But with Saudi Arabia's population smaller than Korea's, it had fewer hunters than Korea.
And those scarce forces were dispersed to protect oil facilities in the eastern province.
Gates kept appearing steadily, separate from the wave.
Yes. The situation was dire.
Kiieek-!!
Flying monsters rampaged over Riyadh's skies.
Some snatched fleeing humans from streets like birds of prey.
Others pecked into building windows like woodpeckers raiding a wasp nest, devouring people inside.
Some fired razor-sharp feathers to damage structures or whipped up gusts with wingbeats.
......
In the palace bunker, the Saudi King watched the scene and let out a deep sigh.
'...We're cornered.'
He couldn't abandon Riyadh. It was a political symbol.
If Riyadh fell, the royal family's authority would crumble.
However.
'If I'd known we'd be this powerless, I would've abandoned it boldly...'
He'd thought they could hold out at least until aid from powers like the US, China, or Russia arrived.
Saudi Arabia was a top-priority aid target for the superpowers, and they could pay.
But holding out was impossible, and even superpower aid seemed unlikely.
They were struggling with suppression themselves.
'What should we do...'
They did have promised aid. Korea, the only country to suppress its wave, offered unusual support.
Magic scrolls. But he didn't even expect much.
Even if Lee Jong-hwa cast [Lightning Strike] hundreds of times, it wouldn't suffice—how could one scroll change anything?
Saudi's Association President called it exceptionally special.
But the King thought one scroll couldn't reverse the tide. A reasonable judgment.
Still, to draw Korea's interest, he ordered an offer of massive gold.
Maybe after helping the US, China, Russia, they'd help them...
As the King watched the outside in despair, an attendant approached.
"Your Majesty, Korea has sent the scroll. A hunter from there will use it directly."
"Tch... Fine."
The frowning King showed no interest in how it would be used.
Even after paying 8 billion gold for one sheet.
'If they haven't abandoned humanity, they should come help us directly.'
While the King stared anxiously at the screen.
Near Riyadh's tallest building—the Kingdom Center—an odd phenomenon occurred.
A blizzard raged in Riyadh, where temperatures soared over 40 degrees?
At first, it seemed a faint flurry that would melt away.
But one ice crystal became two, two became four...
The exponentially proliferating ice crystals stormed Riyadh's skies via the shortest paths.
Creeeak...!
That chilling sound pierced the bunker, reaching the King's ears.
Monsters pierced deeply by ice crystals had their cells destroyed by pure water, dying instantly.
Rumble...
Flying monsters began raining down like a shower from the sky. Dust clouds billowed thickly.
The King, watching, stroked his beard with trembling hands. Then urgently called his attendant.
"Wha—what the hell is that...!"
"Confirmed with the Association. It's the scroll from Korea."
"..."
The King gazed at the sky with greedy eyes. At the [Frost Wind] clearing the monster-cluttered heavens in mere seconds.
"A magic scroll..."
After long contemplation, the King spoke.
"Send word to Korea. We'll buy one more."
Around that time, Park Ha-jun tidied his workbench and stood.
After finishing department duties, he made one more [Frost Wind] scroll in his spare time.
He planned to send it to Lee Dong-gyu and finally get some sleep.
'Sleep five hours, wake up, and draw more...'
He'd been sleeping too little lately; his stamina was dropping. It was barely 8 PM, but his eyes drooped.
'Can't draw anymore...'
His circuit-drawing speed had slowed drastically. Even with extreme fatigue, [Acceleration Manifestation] had limits.
As Park Ha-jun busily moved to send Lee Dong-gyu an [email] promising one more—
Sleep vanished instantly. Settlement was incredibly fast. As expected of Saudi Arabia...
And their decisiveness didn't end there.
Choose, it said. Fulfill Saudi Arabia's highest bid once more, or aid more urgent nations?
A truly tricky dilemma.
Park Ha-jun swallowed a groan and rechecked Lee Dong-gyu's previous email.
1. Saudi Arabia - 8 billion gold
2. UK – 6 billion gold.
......
19. Philippines – 100 million gold.
Only 19 countries had requested commissions from Park Ha-jun so far.
Then...
'I can just pull an all-nighter today and finish them all by tomorrow...?'
Drawing a [Frost Wind] circuit took just over an hour. An all-nighter would cover the remaining 18 with time to spare.
No need to choose. Park Ha-jun spread out the parchment he'd set aside.
Sitting, he emailed Lee Dong-gyu.
As he resumed drawing circuits after sending it—