45
“Why do you want the Scarlet Stone?”
Struggling to find the right answer to Seoharin’s question, Seoharin himself found the answer first.
“Oh, I suppose to use it as a substitute for Mana Stone.”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
“It’s a good idea. Dealing with the Scarlet Stone can also be a valuable experience.”
Although Mana Stones are typically used in spell tools, substituting them with Scarlet Stones is also possible.
And Scarlet Stones are handy for increasing mana control skills during training, as they are challenging to handle.
Seoharin, nodding in agreement, wore a slightly troubled expression.
“Well, Hyesol’s intentions are good, but acquiring Scarlet Stones might be a bit challenging.”
“Why is that?”
“Because they are scarce items that are not often obtained even when hunting magical beasts. Although our guild is relatively better off, it still takes time to gather them.”
“Yes, as long as you can collect as many as possible, time is not an issue.”
The Phoenix Seeks the Scarlet Stone
The Phoenix Seeks the Scarlet Stone
The Phoenix Seeks the Scarlet Stone
“···Quiet, can’t you see I’m trying to feed you?”
I sealed the Phoenix’s mouth with my energy.
The Phoenix spits out energy.
The Phoenix desires high-quality energy.
Is mine not to your taste?
Squawk!
“······Huh.”
Now it’s even talking back.
Feeling a surge of energy, I bit my tongue, realizing my emotions were showing.
Seoharin looked apologetic.
“Well, then, how about this?”
“What do you suggest?”
“It seems Hyesol doesn’t have much interest in this Spider Queen’s bracelet. Am I right?”
“Yes, I’m not particularly interested.”
As I didn’t need venom immunity and didn’t feel any fondness, the bracelet, centered around venom immunity, didn’t seem appealing for a rise in favorability.
However, feeling somewhat dissatisfied with the relatively low-value Scarlet Stone for exchange, I was contemplating asking for something else, but Seoharin resolved that issue.
“If Hae-sol Sangdo doesn’t want a Magic Core, and I don’t have enough Red Mana Stones, how about I give you a regular supply as I gather them bit by bit? It’s only fair considering the value of a Magic Core.”
“Well, I appreciate that.”
Unless you were one of the Dawn Guardians, acquiring Red Mana Stones was difficult. With the scarce supply and the tendency to refine any stones that did appear right on the spot, it posed a challenge.
The ones Seo Ha-rin had were quite substantial in size, requiring a fair amount of time for refinement, hence why she seemed to have left them untouched for now. Anyway.
Sajo, I’ve got food. Aren’t you grateful?
[Kkaaak!]
Is this little one a telepathic creature?
Surely it won’t understand human speech.
“First, I’ll send you the Red Mana Stones I have and those within the guild.”
Seo Ha-rin handed me a Red Mana Stone about the size of an adult’s fist. As I accepted the stone, Seo Ha-rin adjusted her posture.
“Let’s get down to business now.”
The story was about to begin.
Having made such an investment, Seo Ha-rin should benefit as well.
“We hope that you, Sangdo of Hae-sol, will become a sponsor for us, the Dawn Guardians.”
At the Eternity Academy, forming contracts with external organizations before a Sangdo graduated was strictly prohibited for protection purposes. However, when it came to investing in a Sangdo, sponsors had more freedom.
As long as the Sangdo agreed, it was beneficial for them as well.
Of course, this sponsorship was simply that, sponsorship. By sponsoring, I wouldn’t be bound to the guild of the Dawn Guardians.
“It would be great if you could sponsor me. But, is there anything you expect from me?”
“There are many expectations. However, you can’t demand anything from an Eternity Sangdo, right? So, think of it as an investment. Of course, there’s no pressure. It’s just sponsorship, after all.”
Seo Ha-rin was determined to form a connection with me in any way possible. It was because in Eternity, being a ‘Sangma’ was as rare a resource as it gets.
However, if Seo Ha-rin knew one thing, it was that while she might think she had me at her mercy with a smile, the reality was that I sought her out for my own reasons.
“There’s no reliable ally like a ranker at 356th place.”
Seo Ha-rin was indeed ‘Generous Tree Number 2,’ as she gave generously. Number 1 was, of course, Amelia. As an honorary member, there was Kim Ju-hyuk.
“Well, that concludes our consultation. Oh! By the way, I haven’t seen Sangdo Cheon Woo-jin around. Do you know where he went?”
“Woo-jin was invited to Lady Noah’s house and is there.”
Under the guise of ‘special training,’ Cheon Woo-jin had been summoned to Noah and hadn’t been seen recently.
It seemed Noah was serious about making him the top student in the midterm exams.
“He probably won’t be coming to school for a while.”
Although Noah’s residence was within the Eternity Academy, it was not part of the academy itself. Her living space was an isolated area from the real world.
Named ‘Noaland,’ it was a dream-like space with both sea and land, maintaining a constant temperature throughout the year.
Of course, from the looks of it, it seemed more like a construction site than a land, but anyway.
Dragging him to Noaland meant that Noah was truly determined to influence Cheon Woo-jin. So, it was safe to say that he wouldn’t be showing up at school for a while.
However, that didn’t mean he would be marked as absent. Anything related to Noah within the academy was considered normal attendance.
Seo Ha-rin seemed disappointed, as if she had lost her appetite.
“Well, then, you’re free to leave. I’ll contact you as Red Mana Stones become available.”
“Yes, then.”
After the consultation ended, I walked out of the consultation room holding the Red Agate. The reason being the Phoenix had been clamoring for food since a while ago.
Meanwhile, Seo Ha-rin, who was left alone in the consultation room, was locked in confusion.
‘What could be the reason for wanting the Red Agate?’
In truth, she had asked Eui-hae if she needed the Red Agate to replace the Magic Stone, but she didn’t really think that was the purpose.
If it was to enhance magic control, there were plenty of ways to do so without necessarily needing the Red Agate. It wasn’t an item she needed to obtain by demanding it from herself.
“Then what exactly for······”
As she pondered, tapping on the table, she realized something and widened her eyes.
“Anti-magic training!”
The Red Agate contains magic. This makes it an excellent material for training in anti-magic.
Unlike ‘purification,’ which expels magic outward, anti-magic erases the magic itself.
However, since the Red Agate contains both magic and mana, removing just one of them was extremely difficult.
Yet, erasing both magic and mana wouldn’t serve as training.
Ultimately, it meant choosing one and erasing it, requiring tremendous focus. Naturally, the difficulty level was also very high.
‘Somehow······’
Thinking of Eui-hae who had sustained her magic, Ha-rin nodded her head.
If she had been through such grueling training before, it wouldn’t have been hard to understand how she managed to sustain her magic. Her mental strength must have been tremendous. People were indeed said to have ‘human strength.’
“It’s rewarding to support.”
Ha-rin smiled satisfactorily, thinking she had chosen her support well.
And at that moment, Eui-hae, who had left the auditorium, shouted, “Eat!”
“Eek!”
Swoosh!
She summoned the Phoenix and threw the Red Agate.
—
Meanwhile, at the Career Counseling Room of the Association of Extraordinary Beings.
“You passed.”
Hee-jin, a veteran Extraordinary Being from the association, said as she looked at the evaluation sheet.
“Instant judgment, visual acuity, physical abilities. Everything is flawless without a flaw. However······”
Hee-jin glanced at Han Se-yeon sitting across from her.
“Being level-headed may suit the situation, but that’s not all there is to it.”
Hee-jin’s test was simple.
Against the backdrop of a city in chaos due to monsters, distinguish between civilians who can be saved and those who cannot, and demonstrate the best course of action. Han Se-yeon executed this task perfectly.
Starting with the civilians in urgent need of rescue, she protected them, excluding those who couldn’t be saved.
However, even though the swift decision was correct, being level-headed was not all.
“For Extraordinary Beings, recognition is also an important factor. Don’t forget that.”
“Yes. I’ll remember that well.”
“Now, you may leave.”
Standing up and bowing deeply, Han Se-yeon left the Career Counseling Room, following the shadow of the corridor to avoid the sunlight.
‘Recognition?’
Walking along the corridor, she looked back at Hee-jin’s advice.
In fact, she didn’t fully understand Lee Hee-jin’s words.
Growing up being treated like a “monster” due to her peculiar constitution, she didn’t exactly know what recognition was as an emotion.
Well, maybe she knew a little.
Watching Yi Hae-sol, who knew her true self and cared for her, Han Se-yeon was experiencing unfamiliar emotions. Perhaps that was what “recognition” was.
It was when Han Se-yeon was smiling to herself, thinking of Yi Hae-sol, strolling through the hallway, that a man with a cold, stern look in a black suit walked towards her from the other side.
That was when the two of them crossed paths.
“You, stop right there.”
The man called out to Han Se-yeon. Looking puzzled, Han Se-yeon was scrutinized by the man who asked,
“Have you recently killed a masu?”
Han Se-yeon, who had hesitated for a moment, grinned and replied,
“I caught one last night too. What’s going on?”
“Hmm, is that so?”
The man muttered, nodding.
“Never mind, sorry for stopping you. You can go.”
Han Se-yeon resumed walking.
And at that moment.
“By the way.”
“······?”
“Is it customary for the Sangdo to walk on the left?”
“Yes?”
“The sun is shining bright, but you’re walking close to the wall.”
Han Se-yeon looked around.
The sun was pouring in from outside the right hallway, and she was indeed walking close to the wall, just as the man had said.
Han Se-yeon blinked her eyes.
“Indeed. It must be a habit.”
“I see.”
The man, who had been gazing at Han Se-yeon’s face for a moment, chuckled and said,
“Sorry for holding you up. I’ll go first.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Bowing his head, the man turned and walked to the other side, muttering,
“······A masu contractor, that’s unlikely.”
“······.”
As Han Se-yeon turned around, her face remained frozen in a smiling expression.
“Kim Do-jun, Team Leader of Yggdrasil’s 3rd Team.”
A man obsessed with masu, only eating rice and selling masu. He was the person she encountered.
Han Se-yeon clenched her jaw.
“It was dangerous.”
She almost had a breakdown on her face. Just then, a voice calling out to her from afar was heard.
– Se-yeon! Han Se-yeon!
Han Se-yeon, returning with a smile, walked towards the Sangdo calling out to her.
“Yeah!”
“Wow, it tastes really good.”
I watched in amazement as a blue bird, smaller than a child’s palm, pecked at a red gemstone that appeared twice the size of my body.
“How does all of that fit in its stomach?”
As the red gemstone and blue bird vanished in an instant, an alert popped up as I watched a phoenix.
[Phoenix’s Satiety: 0.32%]
“Oh.”
I was left gaping as the satiety had risen from 0.05 to 0.32.
Though it was still a tiny fraction, not even reaching 1%, it was an impressive improvement compared to the morning when I had only managed to raise it to 0.05 after consuming 23 magic stones.
[Phoenix’s satiety can be converted into experience points. Would you like to convert it?]
[Phoenix Lv.1: 0%]
[Regeneration Count: 1/5]
Phoenix’s Satiety: 0.32%
“······This is amazing.”
Struggling to fill the regeneration count, and now we have to worry about levels too?
This isn’t some money-eating hippo······
“I guess I should be grateful for at least having regeneration.”
The phoenix’s abilities weren’t just limited to ‘regeneration count.’ Besides the resurrection coin-like regeneration count, there was also the ability to heal wounds.
I drew a line across my palm with a gram. A red line appeared.
Swish!
A blue flame formed over the wound.
When the flame eventually vanished, the red line had disappeared as though washed away.
The phoenix’s gift. 【Super Regeneration】.
At first glance, it might seem like a scam, but even this super regeneration had its limits.
If the speed of injury surpasses the regeneration speed, it will literally tear apart, and the ‘flames’ needed for regeneration were significantly lacking.
As expected, our phoenix was just a Lv.1 chick.
Minor wounds like this were fine for now, but for serious injuries, well, I wasn’t eager to experiment on my own body.
“I guess I have to level up like crazy.”
I’m already short on experience points to consume, now I have to take care of the chick’s experience points too······
“Eek!”
“No, chick. Get in there.”
A sigh escaped me.
***
After the stormy career counseling session in the morning, the afternoon was dedicated to studying.
Even as the bell rang for the end of the day, some students were engrossed in their notes.
“I know everyone’s busy with the midterm
Eternity Academy was not just built on ordinary grounds.
It is located in an area where ‘mana’ gathers and emanates.
Therefore, due to the significantly higher concentration of mana compared to other regions, even a simple 1st circle spell in Eternity produces power equivalent to a 2nd circle spell elsewhere.
Naturally, those who live in such saturated mana spaces can only develop at an incredibly fast pace.
Not only does physical growth accelerate, but the accumulation of mana does too.
However, mana’s benefits were not without drawbacks.
With high mana levels, ‘supernatural phenomena’ frequently occur.
From March to mid-April, mana levels are relatively low and manageable, but starting from the end of April when midterms begin, it’s a period of high mana. The so-called ‘mana surge’ often intervenes.
And during this mana surge period, ‘supernatural phenomena’ manifest.
“A ghost might pop out during the study session four days before midterms.”
A ghost born from concentrated mana attacks students studying in the 1st Library.
Of course, the one to resolve this is our protagonist, the future swordsman Cheon Woo-jin.
Unlike the students flustered by ghosts, who struggle to handle them due to their resistance to mana, Cheon Woo-jin, with his skill of defeating ‘aberrations’ with his sword, sees ghosts as mere specters.
I, on the other hand, had planned to study alone in the dormitory as group study sessions didn’t suit me, but…
“I can’t just sit back.”
Isn’t this the perfect time to grab some popcorn and enjoy the show?
A ghostly incident in the library after school.
Excitement fluttered in my chest.
Watch, share the experience points, and receive rewards. How great is that?
But with Cheon Woo-jin in the mix, something felt amiss, like a missing piece in a puzzle, and I tilted my head in wonder.
Wait.
“Cheon Woo-jin?”
Is he here?
“Norland…”
My face contorted.