“Puh, no— Fry— Fryxthra? vināśaya. Tsim. pemasangan semula. So a reconfiguration through destruction and creation. No, repair? restoration?”
I roughly know what it means, but I’m not sure the nuance is correct.
“jabaradstīn kelēn, g’nash— interlink, odlišný. Hmm... it seems to forcibly connect something. g’nash? What is g’nash? A proper noun? And by linking this, what does it do?”
A blessing world, blessing the world?
“bakkharā. lōkaṁ barakah.”
In context, it seems to summon a blessing of another world.
“Then I need to correct the part we translated earlier. That’s why it produced the wrong thing.”
At my brief gesture, several notebooks flutter toward me.
Notebooks densely filled with strange glyphs. They record the Elder Things’ language inscribed in my body.
“Let’s see... from here to here we’ll change the content.”
The characters in the notebooks shift on their own, reconfiguring to match the new interpretation.
“Good. Once the materials arrive, we’ll run experiments again using this version.”
I rose briefly, stretched my back, and surveyed my surroundings.
The basement overflowing with mountains of junk. Signs of explosions. And countless papers and books swarming through the air.
“Ugh... seven days straight down here is exhausting.”
That’s not to say I’ve spent every day in the basement doing only this.
‘If so, I’d have made much more progress.’
Every day I went out to fulfill my fixer duties, hunted the [Mountain Predator]–related creatures, conducted magic lessons to train Jang Hyundeok, helped nurture Qumi to strengthen Jangmyeongsan’s barrier, and more— and more—
‘There’s too much to do. Honestly, one body can’t handle it all now.’
I wish I had multiple bodies.
Beyond the piles of junk in the basement...
“The junk is piled so high I can’t even see.”
In any case, beyond those towering heaps stands the sarcophagus containing the homunculus.
Right. With that I can extend my body at will. If I can do that—why not?
“......”
No—I can’t until I resolve my split psyche. Damn.
No choice. Tasks I can delegate must go to others.
“But it’s about time Jang Hyundeok arrived.”
I had sent Jang Hyundeok on an errand. A signal from the barrier at Jangmyeongsan announcing someone’s approach— ah, it’s Jang Hyundeok.
“I should tidy up a bit before the new supplies arrive.”
“Master Mage, may I come in?”
Jang Hyundeok’s voice from the stairwell.
“Yeah, come in.”
“Roll in, come on.”
Gr-r-rrek— clatter—
Jang Hyundeok descended the stairs riding on Doldori.
“How’s it look?”
“The basement? It’s a mess.”
“No, I meant—did you bring the supplies properly?”
“Oh, yes. But what exactly are you making with this?”
“What does it look like I’m making?”
“Junk...?”
“Well, it’s not entirely wrong.”
To be precise, I’m conducting a reconstruction experiment to verify whether I’ve interpreted this blueprint correctly.
“This blueprint is cursed.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Yeah. Anyone who sees it becomes obsessed with building the device depicted. But it always produces the wrong device.”
“The wrong device?”
“Right. So I thought it was an artifact randomizer.”
“Random gacha...? Very on-brand for you, Master Mage.”
“Hmm, of course you’d think that. Sometimes it even yields something useful.”
“Mmm, so?”
“But on further analysis, it’s not for that purpose. It’s a device that creates items with a specific function—not just anything.”
It’s only because the reader’s ability is insufficient that the wrong items are produced. If I can perfectly comprehend this blueprint—a truly meaningful device will be created.
“So all this junk was created because of that? What is this?”
Jang Hyundeok lifted the contraption: PVC pipe with a few magic stones attached, a handle, and wrapped in wire—honestly something an excited elementary school kid would gleefully build.
“What do you think it is?”
“A toy gun?”
“Close, but not quite. Look more carefully. If you’d practiced properly, you’d recognize it.”
“Mmm...”
Understanding my meaning, Jang Hyundeok concentrated mana in their eyes and examined the “toy gun.”
I observed.
‘They seem somewhat adept at manipulating mana.’
After considerable thought, Jang Hyundeok identified the true nature of this “toy gun.”
“Oh, I get it. Here—it amplifies mana and converts it to electricity? It grants a property to whatever passes through this pipe?”
“What property?”
“Ugh, do I have to go that far? Mmm—mmmm? Directionality? dispersion? What is that?”
“Directionality and dispersion are correct. If you insert metal into that barrel, the mana converted into electricity forms an electromagnetic force—launching the metal at tremendous speed, and the projectile explodes.”
“Oh—so this is a—uh—railgun?!”
“Well, I guess you’ve heard of it somewhere? But since that’s not what I intended to build, it’s a failure.”
“Heh— I see. If this is a failure... then what were you trying to make?”
“You’ll know once it’s complete. By the way, your perceptive power has improved considerably. How about the other side?”
“Uh—still not working.”
Jang Hyundeok held up their hand. A faint trace of mana lingered at their fingertips.
“Hmm, static progress.”
“Gah— really, I’ve been trying so hard, why isn’t it working?”
“Well...”
Maybe it’s a talent issue?
Expecting miraculous results within three weeks was probably misguided.
But thanks to the elixir Seocheonseul fed them— the Dream Fragrance—they already possess more than enough mana.
‘Which is why I decided to teach them magic.’
With this level, even if they can’t become a mage immediately with a simple tip, they should be capable at least at a fixer’s level.
I thought they might awaken some minor ability or convert mana to physical strength.
I didn’t expect much initially.
I wanted two things from Jang Hyundeok.
One was perceptive power to detect threats in advance.
‘They’ve already achieved that.’
The other was enough responsiveness to flee from danger themselves. I never expected defense or counterattacks.
But if they can form perceptive power, it means they can control their mana.
And it’s not that they lack mana.
Yet Jang Hyundeok still can’t manifest any ability.
“What’s the problem? Hyundeok, extend your hand again?”
“Huh? Here?”
I grasped Jang Hyundeok’s right hand and injected mana.
“Oh—?”
Whirrrrr—
“Can you feel it?”
“S-something hot is flowing into my body— uh—urm? It’s swirling around?”
“That’s my mana.”
“It feels so strange— ughhh?”
“Relax and breathe calmly.”
What is this?
Why is their internal structure so bizarre?
Jang Hyundeok’s interior—the spiritual form and circulating mana channels—are abnormal.
‘Actually, rather than abnormal...’
The mana conduits are overly wide.
“I get it. Now I know what the problem is.”
I should’ve examined it sooner.
It’s common for blocked meridians to hamper magic use, but Jang Hyundeok is the complete opposite.
All their meridians and mana circuits are fully open.
‘Because of the [Living Foundation] trait?’
That’s why they absorb even foolish spirit possessions without resistance.
However, compared to their enormous mana reserves, those conduits are too vast.
If mana is like blood, the vessels are far too wide relative to the blood volume—so blood pressure can’t circulate effectively.
“Got it.”
Retrieving the mana I’d injected, I explained my findings. I softened the talk of possession but included that it posed a risk.
“So what should we do? Narrow those vessels?”
“No. Most people spend their lives trying to widen them, so there’s no need to narrow.”
“Then—?”
“It’ll fix itself once your mana increases dramatically.”
“Ah, I understand!”
“What do you understand?”
“That I should drink more Dream Fragrance?”
“No, you’ve already hit the limit with that—so not that.”
“Aww, can’t I just drink more anyway?”
“No. Don’t.”
I was about to lecture further when—
Trill—
My phone rang.
What now? Looking at the screen, a familiar name appeared. I must answer this.
“Anyway, I’ll find another solution. We’ll talk again later.”
“Understood.”
— Mr. Kim Sinhwa. We have a major problem.
An awkward Korean accent. It’s Park Gwangrim.
“What problem?”
— It seems the Hunter Association has put a bounty on you, Mr. Kim Sinhwa.
“Oh, I didn’t know?”
I figured he’d know before me, so I said nothing—but Park Gwangrim replied in a slightly irritated tone.
— How could I know while I’m traveling across the country? Anyway, I nearly died.
“Huh, tell me slowly what happened. But first, where are you now?”
— I’m in Mokpo.
“Oh, you said you’d head to Jeollado earlier.”
— Yes. I was handling various things near Mokpo Port, when—
Park Gwangrim is roaming nationwide with the golem I provided, handling various tasks.
But in Mokpo he happened to encounter the Manse Ilwon Sect.
“Manse Ilwon Sect? Come to think of it, Dokgo Gyeom still hasn’t been caught? What are they up to?”
— They were smuggling something odd.
“Smuggling?”
— Yes. I couldn’t confirm the details of the contraband, but it seemed to have come from Egypt.
Egypt...
“And then?”
At that moment—
Because of the commotion Kid The Gunman caused, Mokpo Port was thrown into chaos, and the Manse Ilwon Sect got entangled. As a result...
From Park Gwangrim’s stunned voice, it seems an enormous disaster unfolded.
After Mokpo Port was devastated by a major incident, the Sect’s smuggling was exposed to the world—and Kim Sinhwa just happened to be there—
And Dokgo Gyeom appeared out of nowhere—
“Ha... Gwangrim, how did you escape?”
I know he’s capable, but this is exceptional.
— My companion you assigned was completely destroyed.
“Hmmm. Were you able to recover it?”
— Yes—but only about sixty percent.
“That’s fine. Don’t stay in Mokpo—head back. I’ll fix it immediately.”
— I’d like to, but Mokpo is completely sealed off. From what I gather, Yang Seoho has brought a large force down.
“Ugh, I see. Gwangrim, please stay alive and come back. I’ll give you a big bonus.”
— If it’s not a huge amount, I’ll be disappointed.
“Don’t worry; I’ll give an amount that won’t disappoint you. And hold on a second...”
I quickly transferred a nine-figure sum to Park Gwangrim’s account.
“This is just consolation. The later bonus is separate.”
— Ah, Mr. Kim Sinhwa, you didn’t have to go this far, but it’s comforting.
Park Gwangrim said he’d take a roundabout route back and hung up.
In any case, Park Gwangrim’s role is to divert the Hunter Association’s attention and risk away from me—plus we both profit, but that’s the main point.
And this time he performed admirably.
“So for now, thanks to Gwangrim, the Hunter Association can’t surface immediately.”
By fortunate coincidence and since Yang Seoho left Paju again—
I can cause a bigger stir in Paju for the time being safely.
Glancing again over the documents and junk strewn around me, I conceived a new plan.
“This time I need to grant # Nоvеlight # Yeom Geumja’s wish.”
She said she needed a weapon, didn’t she?
I picked up the “toy gun” Jang Hyundeok had been fiddling with.
