A reservation fee of 800,000 gold. He'd deliberately quoted an exorbitant price.
If the compensation turned out to be lackluster, he didn't want to be tied down by the request.
'No big expectations. I'll just draw a few more scrolls.'
If the request fell through, he'd need to sell scrolls to unlock 1st-circle magic.
Still, he planned to put some personal flair into this batch of scrolls.
'Gotta cleanly hit destructive power 1 at least.'
He'd already achieved 100% circuit completion. All it would take now was bumping up the parchment grade by one step.
[Mid-grade Parchment | Max Implementable Circles: 4 | Mana Limit Tolerance: 50% | 100,000G]
'100,000 gold... Not an unreasonable amount.'
This kind of romance was something a mathematician simply couldn't resist.
[Would you like to purchase the Mid-grade Parchment?]
He squeezed his eyes shut and bought it. The mid-grade parchment fluttered down to his feet.
It had a delightful texture—soft yet subtly rough. He picked it up as delicately as if handling a baby and secured it to his dedicated workbench.
Last time, his hands had been slick with sweat during the process. To prevent that this time, he'd even prepared a small fan.
"..."
With preparations complete, he began the work. The entire process went remarkably smoothly.
'I could probably draw 0th-circle circuits with my eyes closed now.'
After all, they were just 2D shapes. Unless the problem was downright filthy, they posed no obstacle to Park Ha-jun.
Once the circuit was fully drawn, he reviewed it once and infused it with mana.
[Due to the parchment's mana limit tolerance, the scroll's base efficiency is capped at 50%. Revised Base Destructive Power: 0.5 ... Astonishing completion! Final efficiency increased by 100%!]
[Magic Scroll—Neutral Magic Bullet | Base Destructive Power: 1 | Mana Cost: 20 | Attribute: Neutral | Circuit Completion: 5th-circle]
"Oh."
A number that put his mind at ease. The circuit completion was a whopping 5th-circle—the realm of S-rank mages.
'Finally feels comfortable.'
But it seemed this wasn't just a matter of psychological satisfaction.
The next system message appeared.
[New Quest: Trait Exclusive Quest 'Achieve Base Stat 1' Complete! | First scroll maker to achieve base stat 1! | Reward: Skill Enhancement Ticket (Bound)]
"Oh, skill enhancement?"
Suddenly, a ticket appeared at Park Ha-jun's feet. He picked it up.
[Skill Grade Enhancement Ticket (Bound) | Grants additional effects to the user's skills.]
The description in his status window.
'Nice.'
The "additional effect" part especially appealed to him.
What if he used it on Geometric Interpretation? It might turn into something even more fun.
'Want to try it right now, but...'
Park Ha-jun stretched and left the workshop. It was too late.
'Gonna miss sleep at this rate. I'll handle the rest leisurely tomorrow.'
With that, Park Ha-jun planned to end his day by listing the [Base Destructive Power: 1] scroll on the Auction House.
'Price...'
The 800,000 gold from last time had definitely been too much.
It sold, but it felt like a necessity purchase rather than genuine demand.
'List it at 500,000 gold. Still a first achievement, so someone might bite.'
He registered the scroll on the Auction House and lay down in bed.
A satisfying day, it seemed. A smile crept onto his face unbidden as he closed his eyes.
But then.
[Sponsorship has arrived!]
The reservation fee had arrived.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Five minutes before Kim Ji-seok sent the reservation fee.
[Reservation fee of 800,000 gold. Include specific requirements in the sponsorship message. Will return if conditions are unsatisfactory.]
Kim Ji-seok pondered as he read asd123's reply.
What worried Kim Ji-seok wasn't asd123 taking the gold and running.
He'd already resolved to accept that risk when buying the 800,000-gold scroll.
The issue was...
'I'm not confident asd123 can produce high-spec attribute magic scrolls.'
The doubt stemmed from searching the scroll maker community.
The 800,000-gold scroll exposed on the Auction House for half a day.
[Magic Scroll—Neutral Magic Bullet | Base Destructive Power: 0.8 | Mana Cost: 25 | Attribute: Neutral | Maker: asd123 | 800,000G]
The outrageous price and specs caught the radar of some magic scroll makers, heating up their private community.
💬 COMMENTS
— ANONYMOUS
Whoa, what the hell is that? Are those numbers even possible?
— ANONYMOUS
Who's asd123? First time seeing them.
— ANONYMOUS
System glitch? Even A-rank Kim Ah-hyun doesn't hit that.
— ANONYMOUS
Who knows. Kim Ah-hyun hasn't made those minor scrolls in over a year.
— ANONYMOUS
LOL no way. Does 0.8 look like bullshit to you? 100% system error.
The makers' heated debate continued.
-If that's really handmade... it doesn't make sense...
The summed-up conclusion was this:
No one has seen upper-tier magic scrolls from asd123 on the Auction House.
Magic Bullet scrolls have never been listed at such high prices before.
No one has seen or heard of asd123 in maker info exchanges or gatherings.
In other words, for that person to reach that level would require massive cash infusions (gold exchanges), and they'd independently surpassed the arcane circuits that multiple makers had racked their brains over.
Assuming asd123 was a real maker, that is.
So.
-No way.
Most concluded it was a system error or a special drop from a boss monster.
Of course, a well-funded group could theoretically nurture a talented scroll maker...
-Why bother? Waste gold raising a maker when low-rank hunters are the demand base.
Kim Ji-seok fell into confusion.
'The maker is definitely real.'
He'd used one himself. And according to his brother, lower-spec scrolls from them had appeared multiple times.
So Kim Ji-seok set aside needless doubts.
However.
'No upper-tier magic scrolls on the Auction House...'
What mattered to Kim Ji-seok was asd123's current ability.
Them taking gold and running would sting, but it wasn't fatal.
But if—and truly just if—asd123 couldn't yet make attribute magic scrolls?
If the scrolls he received didn't inspire confidence in subjugating the target?
That would be devastating. A waste of time, and potentially the worst outcome: total team wipe.
asd123's true skill. Was there a reason they'd only listed the 0.8 Magic Bullet at such a price?
Like, perhaps, that being their limit.
'Want confirmation that 0.8 Magic Bullet isn't their limit before sending the reservation...'
But laying down conditions to an eccentric wasn't easy.
As his dilemma deepened...
Ding-
A sudden alert sounded, and a system message appeared.
[A favorited seller has listed an item!]
Kim Ji-seok, who had favorited multiple sellers.
'Who is it.'
Without much thought, he hit the [Go] button, and an unexpected item appeared.
"This is..."
[Magic Scroll—Neutral Magic Bullet | Base Destructive Power: 1 | Mana Cost: 20 | Attribute: Neutral | Maker: asd123 | 500,000G]
A scroll with brain-freezing numbers. The maker, naturally, was asd123.
"Ha..."
The moment he realized his doubts were laughable. As if daring him to doubt.
'...Price even dropped. Truly an eccentric.'
A wry smile crossed Kim Ji-seok's face as he firmed his resolve.
'Surpasses understanding. No way an eccentric like this would make mediocre attribute scrolls.'
He moved his finger to open [Sponsor].
'Have to trust them.'
According to his brother, asd123 had sold high-performance scrolls dirt cheap before.
'Even if treated like a toy by the eccentric... Can't miss this chance.'
If he could buy attribute magic scrolls at a fair price!
'Could raise the team's grade a step in this evaluation...'
For that, he needed to bend fully. Become a reliable toy.
[Sponsor: 1,000,000G | Sponsor Message: Will send requirements... P.S. The extra 200,000 gold is a token of gratitude because my brother once received a favor from you. Will refrain if burdensome...]
Clenching his fist, Kim Ji-seok sent the reservation fee and requirements.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
He'd been about to drift off pleasantly when the reservation fee suddenly arrived.
[Sponsor: 1,000,000G | Current Gold: 3,571,000G]
'They actually sent it. Even 200,000 extra.'
A favor... That 50 Billion Farmer's brother? Someone whose life he saved. Yeah, that qualified as a favor...
'If that's the reason, they could give more...'
Shaking off the idle thought in his half-asleep haze, Park Ha-jun regained his seriousness.
'Giving 1 million gold to an unregistered Awakener like me—what kind of critical subjugation is this?'
What if he just took the gold and bolted? Muttering as much, Park Ha-jun left his bedroom.
Sleep had fled thanks to this. Better to pull an all-nighter in the workshop than lie awake in bed.
'Screw it. All-nighter it is.'
He couldn't hold back. Sitting in the workshop chair, he opened his status window immediately.
[To activate 1st-circle magic, pay 3,000,000G.]
He hit the [Pay] button. Then firmly pressed [Confirm] on the "Are you sure?" prompt.
Fwaaah.
The grayed-out 1st-circle magics lit up blue.
[1st-circle: Attribute Magic Bullet | Assignable Attributes: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth]
[1st-circle: Purification]
Offense types now had attribute assignment, and a special magic called Purification appeared.
'The request was for Earth and Fire attributes first.'
With excitement, he attempted 1st-circle—Fire Magic Bullet creation.
[Draw the circuit as shown below.]
Just like with 0th-circle, a guide image and sequence appeared.
Park Ha-jun stared intently at the circuit.
'Guessed from the name, but...'
The Fire Magic Bullet circuit felt somewhat familiar.
The basic framework—massive circle, internal shapes' layout, sequence, and connections—was identical to Neutral Magic Bullet.
Except for one somewhat alien, complex shape added to one side.
'Is this shape the key to attribute assignment?'
It wasn't just a simple 2D addition.
Lines tangled chaotically, and the system-provided sequence felt twisted somehow.
'Like forcibly projecting a higher-dimensional manifold onto a 2D Euclidean plane? No, not quite that vibe...'
Park Ha-jun plunged into contemplation in an instant.
Closing his eyes, the shape visualized sharply in his mind.
This thorny problem was no frustration to him—it was a sweet challenge.
'Looks like knot overlaps when rendered as 2D shadows...'
Images swirled madly in his head.
The shapes' essential properties, their relations...
After 30 minutes eliminating candidates via congruence conditions.
Still no breakthrough, Park Ha-jun opened his eyes and muttered.
"Weirdly tough."
A mix of satisfaction and unease on his face. The pondering itself was enjoyable, but the problem felt oddly displeasing.
'Not a simple geometric shape? Want to rigorously prove why...'
The client seemed desperate. The pay was plenty enticing for Park Ha-jun too. 800,000 gold reservation alone. (Excluding the extra 200k.)
'Approach more efficiently this time? It's math too.'
Sorting his thoughts, Park Ha-jun bought low-grade parchment.
Planning to check his understanding via [Circuit Completion].
'The skeleton's similar to Neutral Magic Bullet.'
The crux was the added shape and its sequence. Confirming the sequence, he moved the quill.
Started the same: massive circle first. Then immediately the added attribute shape.
Shape the magic form, then define the mana property (attribute) inside.
But the stroke order for the attribute shape was insanely convoluted.
'...Dizzying.'
Space itself twisted, like an optical illusion.
No choice but to follow the system's sequence exactly. Even that felt awkward in unfamiliarity.
Park Ha-jun silently watched the drawn shape.
"..."
He let out a groan. What the hell did he just draw? Absurd enough for a hollow laugh.
He accepted even failure cheerfully. A seasoned mathematician doesn't blush at wrong answers.
'...Surely not a meaningless shape.'
Ponder long enough, and the answer would come. That's math's charm.
'Finish the rest first.'
He quickly drew the familiar remaining circuit.
Infused mana into the completed circuit.
[Due to the parchment's mana limit tolerance, the scroll's base efficiency is capped at 40%. Decent circuit completion increases final efficiency by 30%!]
[Magic Scroll—Fire Magic Bullet | Base Destructive Power: 0.52 | Mana Cost: 76 | Attribute: Fire | Circuit Completion: 2.6th-circle]
Completion—efficiency 30%. Same Magic Bullet framework, yet these numbers. Meant he hadn't grasped the attribute shape at all.
Even this was thanks to high Magic Bullet base understanding yielding 30%.
Without that base, 30% would be a pipe dream.
From 2nd-circle on, decent numbers would be hard to expect.
'...That's why F-rank.'
Chucking softly, Park Ha-jun checked the time.
3 AM.
'Ponder more? Or...'
His gaze drifted to the [Skill Enhancement Ticket]. He'd held off fearing it'd ruin his sleep from excitement.
'Sleep's already shot anyway.'
Any reason to delay now?
'As long as it doesn't just hand over answers skipping the process.'
Just the answer plopped down bare. Unappealing as a mathematician.
But he couldn't delay worrying about that possibility.
It was a request with desperate vibes—and enticing pay guaranteed for him.
Riiip.
He tore the skill ticket. Golden light from it filled the room.
[Additional effect granted to Geometric Interpretation!]
Park Ha-jun, brimming with anticipation, checked the change.
[Geometric Interpretation: Grants vision to interpret magic circuits geometrically.]
Fwaaah.
[Geometric intuition for circuits activates.]
The newly inscribed line.
'Not the answer key... but a hint to solve it again?'
Park Ha-jun's eyes spun. Just like the first time he'd seen Geometric Interpretation.
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