Im sol(2)

"No, just make it complicated enough. What's the point if it's too simple, really."

Recently, the old artifact craftsman said he would modify a mana booster for my training, so I took one from him. But when I brought it, it turned into a potential bomb that could explode at any moment.

I spent about a week trying to figure out how to use it, but I just couldn't grasp how to make it work.

If I can't use it properly, then other mages wouldn't stand a chance either. How could the old man bring me something like this for training? Has he completely lost his mind? I simply can't comprehend it.

"Huh, where did it go?"

Last night, I decided not to leave the dangerous thing lying around and risk an accident, so I put it on the desk in my office, intending to dispose of it properly. But within a day, it disappeared.

"Damn it. This is why I should tidy up more often."

Except for the area by the door, the bookshelves were packed with items, and papers and documents were scattered on the floor. Even the scraps of paper where I jotted down magical inspirations were strewn about.

Swoosh.

I began organizing by drawing a simple magic circle.

The books that were piled on the floor found their way back to their original positions, and the papers and documents were neatly arranged on the desk.

The scraps of paper were discarded into the trash bin.

"No, where could it be? Seriously?"

Although it was modified, it wasn't an ordinary item.

It had been altered to manipulate the mana circuit inside, deliberately reducing the mana responsiveness to its lowest, and when mana was drawn in, it caused an internal impact due to the reverse effect, overloading the body. But unexpectedly, the synergy was too strong, and I ended up with nothing but injuries during my training.

Eventually, I took it out for disposal purposes and got caught up in other research, and in the meantime, it vanished.

"Well, it must be somewhere. I didn't take it outside, so it should be here."

Knowing it was a dangerous item, I didn't do anything foolish like taking it outside. So it must be hidden somewhere, probably in a hard-to-find place like under the bookshelf.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Professor, are you here?"

"Yeah, come on in."

The female assistant who assists me with my research entered the room and looked surprised as she spoke.

"Oh, what's this? Suddenly tidying up the room? I thought you believed in a natural state for better research."

"Yeah, I'm looking for something. Have you happened to see a bracelet that looks like a mana booster on the desk?"

"Oh, you mean that mana booster that was on the desk? I put it back in the practice tool cabinet."

"What…?"

"Well, I figured you might forget about it while you were buried in your research. Today happened to be the practical class for the new students, so I tidied up. Did I do a good job?"

"Hey, you dimwit… Wait, did you say there's a practical class today?"

"Yes, it's going on right now. Why? What's the matter?"

Whoosh!

I quickly untangled my legs and got up, pushing past the bewildered assistant as I rushed towards the mana research building.

"Professor, where are you going? You should be working on those documents! Are you running away again?!"

"Oh, damn it, just shut it!"

The mana research building wasn't too far from here. It would be faster to run there than to bother setting up a teleportation magic circle.

The mana booster and the modified training mana booster looked pretty similar at first glance.

Sure, if you paid close attention, you might spot a slight difference, but neither the professor nor the assistant would bother examining a mana booster meticulously. And since the students had never seen it before, they wouldn't be able to tell the two apart at all.

If, by any chance, a student mistook the modified mana booster for the regular one… I couldn't even fathom the terrible consequences that could ensue.

Hospitalization due to mana circuit damage? That would be lucky. The odds of ending up as a permanently inept mage or even losing one's life were much higher.

I couldn't exactly blame the assistant either. It was my own fault for bringing the artifact for research and forgetting to return it. I'd been scolded for that more than once in the past.

Ultimately, my biggest blunder was carelessly leaving a dangerous item lying around.

"Ugh… Please, let nothing go wrong…"

I stepped into the entrance of the mana research building. Luckily, the classroom for the new students' class was on the first floor, right in front of me.

Bang!

I forcefully swung open the classroom door and stepped inside. I should have been able to see the faces of the students who were in the middle of their class, but they were all huddled together at the back of the room.

"What's going on? What happened?"

"I heard that Lee Hoyeon suddenly collapsed. There are too many people, so I can't see."

Lee Hoyeon?

He was the student I remembered from the previous mage aptitude class. I made a note of him.

I wish he didn't have any talent at all. It would have been better for him to collapse without any knowledge, rather than struggling against the mana backlash. At least then there would be a chance for emergency treatment later on.

"Wait a moment! Let me through!"

"What the… Uh…"

As I pushed my way through the crowd, I saw a male student lying on the floor.

The first thing that caught my attention was his appearance. Even though I had seen him in the previous class, he still managed to stand out.

I'd seen many handsome people in my life, but if I were to rank them, all the men I'd seen would be squids compared to him.

And the next thing I noticed was that his handsome face was contorted with wrinkles, and he was groaning in pain.

"He's still conscious?"

His external appearance made it seem like he was on the brink of death, vomiting blood, but internally, there was a fierce battle as he struggled to control the rampant mana.

Moreover, his level of control was unbelievably high. It was a mana manipulation technique that I had never witnessed before.

"The mana manipulation… It felt… different."

It deviated from the known methods of mana manipulation. It felt active and intuitive, rather than passive and rigid…

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, I felt a tingling sensation in my chest. It was a state of intense concentration, right before a moment of enlightenment or a breakthrough. It was a rare experience that I had only felt during my own awakening.

However, when I saw Han Jaeyoung, the old professor of mana research, attempting to restrain Lee Hoyeon's body, I had no choice but to put off that moment of enlightenment.

"What are you doing?"

"Professor Im Sol? Why are you here? It's a good timing. We need to provide emergency treatment for the patient. It's urgent, so Professor, you should…"

"No, don't touch him."

"What are you talking about? This student's internal mana circuit is in disarray. We need to take immediate action."

"If I say not to touch him, then don't touch him!"

Any interference from external mana would only hinder the situation. This is why the less competent professors should be weeded out from Victoria. Ugh!

After giving a quick glance to the professor who resembled a walking skeleton, I refocused my attention on Lee Hoyeon.

However, the unsettling sensation from earlier had already faded away. Opportunities like that didn't come by easily, and it was ruined all because of that crazy old professor. A sense of emptiness welled up, but now was not the time to get angry.

"If things continued like that… I couldn't be sure."

His mana manipulation was undoubtedly exceptional, but his opponent was too brutal. The modified mana booster continuously caused the mana to go wild, delivering shocks to his body.

The more efficiently he tried to draw in mana, the stronger the backlash and fatigue in his body.

What could I do to help…

"Wait a moment, the speed of mana manipulation had clearly increased compared to before…"

Wait a moment, it's clearly faster than before…

The speed of mana manipulation had undeniably increased. It was definitely at a higher level than when I first witnessed it.

"He's improving… unconsciously?"

"Professor Im Sol? What are you saying?"

He untangled the twisted mana circuits, restoring them to their normal state. His mana flowed rapidly, cleansing his entire body and capturing the scattered strands.

"This is unbelievable… Such precise mana control without an incantation…?"

No, was an incantation even necessary? Did I approach it with the wrong assumption from the start?

The fundamental principles of magic were being shattered right before my eyes by the student.

As I entered a state of intense concentration once again, catching a glimpse of a new realm, in a fleeting moment…

Lee Hoyeon opened his eyes.

Unbeknownst to me, a sigh of regret escaped my lips. I felt disappointed.

If only a little longer! If only I had stayed in that state a little longer, I could have experienced a new enlightenment!

"How… how did you do that?!"

"G-guh!"

***

I narrowly escaped a potentially fatal accident, which was dismissed as a simple mishap caused by Professor Im Sol's research equipment mistakenly ending up among the students' practice materials, thanks to her assistant.

They said it was a well-known fact that accidents related to magic could result in people coughing up blood. To maintain a good relationship with Professor Im Sol, I agreed to handle the incident quietly.

Once she regained her composure, she offered her apologies, and since I suffered no lasting effects, there was no need to escalate the matter with the academy or other professors.

After the incident had been resolved, I found myself whisked away by Professor Lim to her personal quarters.

"Think of it as your own little sanctuary."

What on earth is going on here?

The person known as the genius mage of the century sat before me, laughing as if she had turned me into a puppet for her amusement.

"Oh, let me make some tea for you."

Clap, clap.

Her hand emerged from her robe, clapping twice, and suddenly a tea set flew over from a nearby table. Professor Im Sol handed me a teapot and carefully poured tea into my cup.

"Here, have this and relax."

"Thank you."

I raised the cup to my lips and enjoyed the taste.

Slurp.

Wait a moment, this is just instant coffee.

Glancing ahead, I noticed that Professor Im Sol seemed unperturbed by such minor details, gazing at me with a sunflower's radiance, as if basking in the sunlight.

"Ahem, Professor? I'm curious why you called me here."

She let out a sound of surprise, her eyes widening as if she had just snapped back to reality.

"Well, first, let me apologize. I'm truly sorry for the harm caused by my mistake."

Professor Im Sol bowed her head deeply.

"Oh, it's not necessary…"

"No, I should have offered a formal apology, but the academy preferred to sweep the incident under the rug… So, I wanted to personally express my regret."

"It's alright, no need to worry."

When someone says that, it usually means they feel remorse and want to take extra care of you. It's just how people are.

If I were a truly terrible person, I would have remained silent and left it at that, but Professor Im Sol wasn't that kind of character.

"Thank you."

"Professor, did you summon me solely to apologize?"

It felt a bit strange. Since I had already received an apology, even if it was more of a formality, it didn't seem necessary to call me again.

"I did want to offer a proper apology, and I also have a suggestion."

"A suggestion?"

It was surprising to have something that wasn't in the original work suddenly occur, but I tried my best to stay composed.

"I know this might sound sudden to you, but I would like you to be part of my research."

"Research? If there's anything I can do to assist, I'm willing to help, but… is there something like that?"

"Before we proceed, can I clarify something? The mana manipulation technique you used earlier to untangle the complex mana circuit. Did you learn it from someone?"

Mana manipulation technique? Why did she suddenly bring that up?

Let me reconsider the character of Im Sol in the game. She was a globally renowned mage with exceptional talent. A mage who had pushed the boundaries of magic to the extreme and achieved S-rank recognition in the field.

For someone like her to show interest in my mana manipulation technique, it meant that she had noticed something.

The only thing that came to mind was my perk, Mana Sensitivity. She must have observed the process of me fixing the mana circuit with my own abilities.

"Um, excuse me?"

Ah, I got lost in thought for too long.

"I apologize. I was lost in my thoughts. And no, I haven't learned any specific mana manipulation techniques from anyone."

"So it's your own technique?"

"Uh… Yes, it is."

Unless there was someone else in this world who possessed the special perk of Mana Sensitivity.

"Can I trust your answer?"

"Yes, you can trust me."

Since she seemed skeptical, I reassured her.

"Sigh…"

Suddenly, Im Sol started fidgeting like a cat in heat. After muttering to herself for a moment, she took a deep breath and grabbed my hand with excitement in her eyes.

"You… Lee Hoyeon. You're a genius! You surpass any mage I've ever seen, even those ranked S."

"Is that so?"

"Yes! This is a breakthrough! With your potential and my expertise, together we can achieve incredible things."

"I think you're exaggerating a bit too much."

"It's not an exaggeration. With this level of talent, you can make a significant impact not just in Korea, but on a global scale."

"I believe my talent is just average, nothing exceptional."

Even if I talk about mana manipulation techniques, it's simply a skill I possess.

"Hah, if others hear you say that, they might try to kill you. By the way, that bracelet you untangled yourself, even I struggle with mana manipulation when wearing it."

"Really?"

Although it was indeed dangerous, if that bracelet was something even an active S-rank mage couldn't handle, why did she react that way to me?

Is my special perk, Mana Sensitivity, really that significant?

"Yes! That's why I hope you can assist with my research. It will undoubtedly contribute to the advancement of magic as a field of study!"

I wasn't particularly interested in contributing to the advancement of magic. However, helping out wouldn't hurt.

Professor Im Sol wasn't a heroine in the game, but her abilities were outstanding. It would only be beneficial to get closer to a professor. But honestly, I wasn't confident about being able to help with the research.

The mana manipulation technique that fascinated Im Sol was just the result of my perk. I didn't possess any knowledge or talent that could be helpful for research.

The only difference I could point out compared to ordinary people was a different level of understanding of mana, but that was a realm of intuition that couldn't be explained in words.

After much contemplation, I decided to be honest with her. I hadn't even properly conquered the heroines yet, and now I was being asked to invest time into something uncertain.

"Will I… be of help? The truth is, my mana manipulation technique is heavily influenced by my skill, and I don't have the expertise to assist in your research, Professor."

"I know that. Actually, I'm interested in researching you as a person, Hoyeon."

"Pardon?"

"Even if it may not seem like it, I have quite a bit of money saved up, you know."

Hmm, getting paid and having some extra cash sounded pretty good…

As my interest visibly declined, Professor Im Sol seemed frustrated and started shaking her hands back and forth.

"No, this is truly a monumental loss. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to contribute to the advancement of magic worldwide! I would do anything, please!"

Even while saying that, she couldn't calm down. She grabbed her own hair in frustration and exclaimed, "Argh!" Her hood fell back, revealing cat-like ears.

In the game, she had given off a cold and mature vibe. How did she end up like this, acting so whimsical?

When it came to magic, her personality underwent a change. Could magic have the ability to change people's personalities as well?

"Um… first, please calm down and let's talk slowly."

"Alright, I got it. Sigh… Haah…"

Im Sol placed her hand on her chest and took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. Between the folds of her robe, I saw her alluring bodyline. I couldn't help but remember her saying she would do anything for me earlier.

Let's stay calm.

"It looks like my chest has caught your attention. Am I right?"

"Um… Huh?"

How did she figure that out? Maybe I couldn't resist stealing a few glances when her robe fluttered. Did she actually catch me in the act?

Professor Im Sol fell silent, but her eyes displayed a determined resolve as she rose from her seat. Her robe gracefully descended, emphasizing the gentle curves of her body.

Wearing an unconventional combo, she had on a loosely draped pink boxy t-shirt that covered her chest, paired with snug black leggings that hugged her thighs. It was a laid-back outfit that prioritized comfort, yet somehow managed to enhance her irresistible allure.

Approaching me in that state, Im Sol exuded a sweet, distinctly feminine fragrance, different from the typical scent of fabric softener.

"Consider this my way of apologizing… If that's what you desire, I'm willing to endure it."

Why are you suddenly acting like this, Professor? It's a bit intimidating…

Seating herself beside me, Professor Im Sol gracefully lowered her gaze, looking up at me. It felt strange to look down at such a beautiful woman, yet it also sparked a rush of excitement.

Her slender fingers began tracing a path from my waistline.

Tap. Tap.

Her delicate touches were unexpectedly tender and arousing.

Lost in the sensation of her face drawing closer to mine and her fingers gently exploring my body, I was unable to gather my thoughts when she spoke again.

"Hoyeon, would you be interested in collaborating on research together?"

"Yes, thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of magic worldwide."

"That's a wise decision. Hehe."

Indeed, I believed that embracing a slightly rebellious perspective was crucial to truly live life to the fullest.