#32 Chapter 8. The Conference (3)
“Professor Seo, long time no see.”
After shaking hands with Professor Seo Sang-wook, he turned his gaze back to me. By then, I had reached where they stood, and I greeted Han Tae-gang politely.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch often.”
“I never expected you to, so don’t worry about it.”
“Haha……”
Professor Seo Sang-wook, caught between us, let out an awkward laugh. Rumors had spread that our relationship wasn’t good, but even so, as the fiancé of his daughter, I hadn’t expected such open coldness.
At that moment, the imposing Han Tae-gang looked down at Professor Seo Sang-wook and asked in a probing tone.
“More importantly, Professor Seo, I heard you conducted joint research with this guy…… Is that true?”
The details of the paper hadn’t been widely revealed, but most attendees at today’s conference knew that Professor Seo Sang-wook and I had contributed equally. And according to him, there were rumors circulating that were quite unpleasant to our ears…… Han Tae-gang was pointing that out.
To put it bluntly, it was the suspicion that they’d propped me up as the lead author despite my doing nothing, for some unknown gain.
Even Professor Seo Sang-wook stiffened and responded gravely to the question.
“Of course. Without Dojin’s initial idea, the research wouldn’t have even started. We couldn’t have obtained the experimental data without his contributions either.”
“……Is that so? My curiosity got the better of me and I’ve been rude, Professor Seo. I’ll listen carefully. And you…… if you’ve chosen this path, you’d better watch your words and actions today. There are plenty of eyes watching.”
“I’ll take your advice to heart.”
A statement that could be advice or a warning. Han Tae-gang clicked his tongue in displeasure a couple of times before leading his guild members into the building.
Only then did Professor Seo Sang-wook, still not having calmed his anger, speak to me.
“Over 90% of the people here today think like that. I hate having my research belittled, but I also don’t like being credited for something I didn’t do. You need to prove it definitively.”
“Leave it to me.”
I replied with a voice carrying far more conviction than before. Hearing such blatant words didn’t sit well with me either, and beyond that, I wanted to show something to Han Tae-gang.
It’s probably too late to go back to how things were. But he was the man who had cherished me so much in the past. Sometimes encouraging me, sometimes silently watching over me, and after years of that with no improvement, he’d finally given up on me.
If even a sliver of expectation toward me remained, I didn’t want to betray it today. This might be my last chance to repay him.
Even if it ultimately led to a greater betrayal……
Just for today.
Around nine in the morning, Professor Seo Sang-wook and I entered the large auditorium where the conference was held. Part 1 ran until one in the afternoon, followed by lunch, then Part 2 until six in the evening. We were the very last on the schedule.
“The protagonist always shows up last, right? From what I’ve heard, at least half the research here is lackluster. Everyone must’ve been slacking off; nothing impressive this time…… Don’t you think so?”
“Ah, I’m just listening with a humble heart.”
A circular table that could seat quite a few people. Only Professor Seo Sang-wook and I sat there. Other groups had at least three or four researchers, but we were just the two of us.
I humbly deflected his confident remark, though inwardly I agreed.
Honestly, they weren’t even in the same league. All the presented research merely improved magic efficiency or simplified construct connection circuits at best. Like the routine performance boosts in flagship electronics released every year. Nothing broke out of that mold.
In contrast, what we’d prepared could revolutionize the entire market.
“But do the paper and presentation make sense to you? Not that I doubt you…… As you know, magic engineering is so broad that it’s hard to grasp everything on the spot. I can explain any ambiguous parts.”
“No, it’s fine. I understand it well enough.”
“Hmm…… Right? I spoke out of turn.”
Not long ago, parts of it would’ve sounded like alien language. But not now.
My intelligence stat had reached 8.7. It brought noticeable growth across all ‘intelligence’-related abilities, including memory and comprehension.
Even fleeting words and sentences came back clearly. I could infer close to the correct answer from new information based on prior knowledge. Ideas that would’ve been hard to conjure before bubbled up continuously.
Even without fully internalizing it as my innate intellect, my mind spun so smoothly it felt almost unfair. Thanks to that, I could follow the research from these world-class scholars in Korea and beyond without issue.
I even spotted points for improvement here and there.
Time passed like that, and soon the clock neared five-thirty in the afternoon. We had about twenty-five minutes left.
Professor Seo Sang-wook stood energetically and said to me,
“Let’s show them properly.”
“Yes.”
As we ascended the podium, applause poured in. Around seventy conference members and thirty hunters from domestic and international guilds observing. A hundred pairs of eyes fixed on Professor Seo Sang-wook and me.
Skepticism fit their gazes better than expectation.
Professor Seo Sang-wook gripped the microphone and declared in a voice brimming with confidence.
“When this presentation ends, we will witness a monumental change in magic engineering—a change so profound that the field before and after will never be the same, even if just a tiny fraction of this grand discipline.”
The audience began to murmur. They quickly skimmed the papers handed to them, then looked at us alternately with eyes wide in shock.
The paper title: Research on Universal Defense Constructs.
What might sound like grasping at clouds concluded thus: All defense constructs were, in principle, one and the same.
And……
Professor Seo Sang-wook said something even he hadn’t anticipated.
“I am also deeply honored to introduce to you today a genius scholar whose name will echo through magic engineering history. Without his ideas and analysis, this research could never have begun.”
Now everyone focused on me, and I looked at Professor Seo Sang-wook with considerable bewilderment.
Sensing my gaze, he grinned.
No, this wasn’t in the script.
Professor Seo Sang-wook summarized the process.
“The paper isn’t long, so we’ll wrap it up quickly and focus on Q&A for any questions. Mr. Lee Dojin here will answer in detail.”
And so the presentation began. Barely under ten minutes.
The moment it ended, dozens of conference members fired off questions.
Han Tae-gang stared silently ahead.
Among the 36 Heroes, he ranked in the top tier. Among survivors, he was unquestionably one of the strongest, fingers on one hand enough to count.
But complex magic engineering theories were his weakness. Not that he needed to know them. He could always find experts to explain simply.
At conferences like this, it went something like: Could research based on that presentation boost Awakener combat power? If so, what economic gains could Eternal Guild secure by claiming it first?
Knowing that much made decisions easy, and Eternal Guild held a unrivaled position in Korea for sealing deals.
But this time might be different, Han Tae-gang mused inwardly as he asked his subordinate.
“What’s the practical economic impact?”
“……Hard to estimate immediately. But if commercialized, it would completely reshape the market for C-grade and below defensive gear. Additionally…… assuming what we heard is accurate, it would overhaul the entire defensive magic training curriculum.”
At that moment, Lee Dojin answered someone’s question in a calm voice.
“I can’t guarantee it yet, but with refinements, it should apply broadly to A-grade equivalent defense constructs and gear made from them.”
The guild member who’d just reported to Han Tae-gang couldn’t hide his agitation and corrected himself.
“This should make it clear for you, Guild Master.”
“……Speak.”
“Since Honorary Professor Jeong Se-bin’s passing, within the last decade, across all magic fields, this is unconditionally top three. Theory and practical effects combined.”
“Hoo……”
Han Tae-gang let out a heavy sigh. Unspoken words swirled in his mind.
That kid did this……?
Lee Dojin stood on the podium, answering the barrage of questions with composed ease. Presentation time had long passed, but no one cared.
Questioning, listening, marveling, scribbling furiously, making urgent calls. That was the scene unfolding.
At its center was Lee Dojin. Watching him, Han Tae-gang suddenly recalled two faces.
Lee Si-hyeok and Jeong Se-bin. His cherished juniors from a year behind.
Lee Si-hyeok peeked from Lee Dojin’s expression. Jeong Se-bin from his voice.
He’d thought such glimpses impossible now.
Naturally, past memories flitted through his mind.
Years passed, and now summer at twenty-five approached.
Of the seven, three were gone. The remaining four were unhappy.
Han Tae-gang hoped his daughter would break off the engagement. Lee Sea, whom he cherished like his own, had grown distant from her brother. Lee Dojin showed only disappointment. Han Se-ra offered no opinion on the engagement—neither breaking it nor continuing.
And now, in this state……
As a top-tier Awakener, Han Tae-gang could hear every word in the hall crystal clear.
Beyond research talk, other murmurs grew. Mostly admiration for Lee Dojin, summed up as: The wandering genius had finally found his path.
The mood chilled right after.
“Ahem, I have one question.”
A stern-faced middle-aged man. Han Tae-gang knew him as Professor Seo Sang-wook’s academic rival and bitter enemy. He eyed Professor Seo Sang-wook and Lee Dojin and asked,
“Great presentation. But…… setting aside veracity, I’d like details on how contributions were credited in this research.”
His gaze carried thick negativity beyond mere doubt.