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Chapter 71: Item (6)
The eastern garden of Stella Academy was frequented by students, but due to its vast space, there were secluded spots with few people around.
Hong Bi-Yeon sat on a bench in a small pavilion, where the presence of people was rare, and covered her face with both hands. She bit her lips so hard that blood trickled down.
'Ah, seriously. Should I just kill him?'
She wanted to slit Edmon's arrogant throat right away.
However, she couldn't do that, which only made her burn inside even more.
Hong Bi-Yeon knew.
There was a high possibility that Edmon's interference and provocation had political motives. Edmon Atalek probably hoped that Hong Bi-Yeon wouldn’t intervene.
He had to understand the value of the item business. He might believe that as long as the Adolevit Kingdom had enough national power, they could make a deal regardless of what the commoner Baek Yu-Seol said.
Or he might be undervaluing the item business more than he should.
Regardless, it wasn’t immediately important to Edmon Atalek. It was more important to prevent Hong Bi-Yeon from making connections and growing stronger through other contacts.
Even if that contact was just a commoner.
‘...I missed a good opportunity.’
Baek Yu-Seol was talented and a very unique talent at that. To find such talent within Stella Academy was comparable to finding overwhelming competitors like Ma Yu-Seong or Hae Won-Ryang.
Talents should be recruited widely with no discrimination based on social status.
That was what her older sister, who passed away when she was young, always said.
Hong Bi-Yeon still didn't fully understand the meaning of those words.
However, she thought that since all nobles and commoners below the royal family were equal, it didn't matter who served her.
So, she wanted to make Baek Yu-Seol her person based on his abilities.
Her anger surged to the brink. Her hair swirled and she nearly engulfed the eastern garden of Stella in flames, but luckily, she managed to maintain her composure until the very end.
At the same time, a sense of melancholy filled her heart.
‘What can I do? Am I incapable of standing on my own?’
"Ahaha, really?"
"Yes."
"As expected. I didn't think Eisel would be like that."
The sound of girls chatting could be heard nearby. Hong Bi-Yeon absentmindedly raised her head and looked in that direction.
Girls were gathered on a beautiful octagonal pavilion illuminated for the students, chatting and gossiping. It seemed to be a recent trend among the students, and they resembled a study group of some sort.
In the midst of that was Eisel Morph. She was sitting next to a girl named Hariren, mingling with the other girls.
It was a different sight from the beginning of the semester when she couldn't get along with anyone.
"Of course, back then I...!"
When Eisel spoke, smiles bloomed on the faces of the girls.
She was a peculiar girl.
As the successor of the traitor Morph, she should have fallen.
Yet she struggled, survived, endured, and crawled like a worm, eventually gaining admission to Stella Academy. She gradually shone brightly as she regained everything she had lost.
Like the sun.
Everyone around Hong Bi-Yeon was there for political purposes. She, too, couldn't break free from that restraint and truly be free.
Eisel had everything that she lacked.
Even Baek Yu-Seol.
Hong Bi-Yeon silently stood up and looked up at the sky.
Despite her melancholy, the sky was unusually clear and refreshing today, completely oblivious to her feelings.
She quietly took out a ginseng candy from her pocket. It wasn't the expensive candy she usually ate, but a cheap ginseng candy Baek Yu-seol had casually picked up from the cafeteria.
She put it in her mouth and chewed it slowly. Perhaps because it was from him, it tasted incredibly bad.
While rolling the ginseng candy on the tip of her tongue, she pondered slowly.
“... Duke Atalek has been very clear. I’ll inform Alterisha that we will not supply it to the Adolevit Kingdom.”
'Wait a minute.'
‘Why did he say that?’
There was one fact that she missed.
He was a commoner.
Regardless of his actual identity, externally, he was a commoner.
For such a commoner to dare make such a reckless statement to Duke Atalek was equivalent to saying that he would personally ruin his own academy life.
Even if one excluded the name of the Atalek family, Edmon was a senior in the third year, and the hierarchy of Stella was clear, so it was absolutely unacceptable to disrespect a senior.
‘Why did he do that?’
Was it because he wanted to retaliate for being belittled and disrespected?
‘No.’
‘Baek Yu-Seol isn’t so childish. If he had such a personality from the beginning, he wouldn't have stayed quiet in the academy until now.’
‘Baek Yu-Seol is quite intelligent, and whenever he sincerely does something, there’s always a reason. It will be the same this time as well.’
"Could it be...?"
‘Perhaps he knows how the Adolevit regime works?’
‘No, that's impossible. It's a ridiculous thought. How much would a mere commoner know about the regime? It doesn't make sense.’
To create such a situation, there were too many things that one must know beforehand. And those things were information that couldn't be discovered just based on his status as a commoner.
‘But the situation fits so perfectly and naturally. There is no reason for a commoner to meddle with the Duke Atalek. He would never recklessly provoke him. If that one statement…’
If he really saw through the situation in Adolevit and if there was any political significance implied...
Thump!
Hong Bi-Yeon's heart began to race.
She saw an opportunity to finally get back at that detestable scoundrel.
However, at the same time, an unknown emotion kept digging into her heart. If her thoughts were correct, Baek Yu-Seol would undoubtedly have done it to help her.
‘But at what cost…?’
He would taste hell in his future academy life. He dared to confront a senior in the third year, and a member of the Atalek family at that.
'...Why?'
There was no obvious gain for him.
Her chest grew cold.
It was already dark, but Baek Yu-Seol went out of Arcanium.
It was because he received a notification that the prototype of the item was completed. He had inquired about it after adjusting the mana lines last time.
Moreover, he had some business with Halsecoden, so he headed straight to Alchemy Castle.
Arcanium and Alchemy Castle were located in the central part of the continent, so the distance between them was not far. Taking the warp hole a few times would quickly get him there.
Of course, the price of the warp hole was burdensome, so trains were more popular. However, Stella's students could show their academy identification, and they would get it almost for free or at a significant discount, so there was no burden.
Upon arriving at Alchemy Castle, he quickly made his way to the Alterisha Department. The department, which had grown with various sponsorships and support, was originally attached to the basement of another building. However, over the previous few weeks, it gradually took over an entire building and now occupied a ten-story building.
It has grown explosively after revealing the essence of alchemical engineering.
It was too early to be surprised by a mere ten-story building. The Alterisha Department would eventually devour the entire Alchemy Castle itself within a few months.
Knock, knock.
When he knocked on the door of the 10th-floor office, a voice came from inside.
"Come in!"
He opened the door and entered, and Alterisha, wearing her distinctive horn-rimmed glasses, was organizing a pile of documents on her desk.
"Wow... What’s all this?"
"Since I became the head of my own department, I’ve had a lot to take care of. Hehe…"
Alterisha laughed awkwardly as if she felt embarrassed by her own words.
"It's still hard to believe I'm the head of a department," she said with a flushed smile.
"Yeah. It's amazing."
As Baek Yu-Seol carefully examined the stacks of documents, he saw various things like someone from the Mage Tower wanting to collaborate in research, someone who wanted to work as a magic engineer despite being a mage, someone who wanted to engage in technology joint development through sponsorship from a certain company, and so on.
Countless love calls for Alterisha.
"You can sit here."
"Do you have to read all of this?"
"Hehe, it doesn't matter. I hired administrative staff. They've already gone home for today."
It was a little past 6 p.m.
‘I don't know who it is, but that someone must really leave work on time…’
As he was thinking such thoughts, Alterisha rummaged through the warehouse attached to the office and brought back a box, grumbling.
Baek Yu-Seol quickly rushed over and helped her place the large box on a nearby table.
"Ah, this is..."
"Yes. I tried implementing the things you mentioned. These are the three equipment items that can be immediately deployed in actual combat."
Baek Yu-Seol quickly took out the equipment from the box.
A bracelet, a necklace, and a ring with plain patterns. They didn't look functional as accessories, but the built-in features were genuine.
[Shield Bracelet]
[Grade: Low to Medium]
[Description: Transforms into a forearm protector when activated.]
[Effects:]
[Strength: +7%]
[Defense: +9%]
[Mana: +2%]
[Special Function: Shield (Level 1, 1,000BP)]
This was the primary function of the item. In addition to the ability to unfold a shield, it also significantly increased base stats.
Considering how challenging it was to raise stats, this was truly a significant effect.
Although the increase in stats was still modest, as the grade of the item increased, the effects would also increase dramatically. For now, this was already satisfying enough.
"Wow, the defense is a whopping 1,000. To improve efficiency to this level in just a few weeks... I can easily block a couple of spells with this, right?"
This shield was an emergency defense measure. While it couldn't deflect every magic attack, there were occasional attacks that couldn't be countered with a sword. Also, when he couldn't wield a sword at all, using this could confuse his opponent by targeting their weak points.
"As expected, you can see it at a glance. Yes, I modified your mana circuit a bit according to my own method, and the efficiency is greatly amplified."
Listening to her words, he examined the next item.
[Barrier Coating Necklace]
[Grade: Low to Medium]
[Description: Activates a protective barrier coating that protects the entire body when worn.]
[Effects:]
[Agility: +11%]
[Defense: +14%]
[Mana: +1%]
[Special Function: Body Barrier (Level 1, 125BP)]
[Damage absorption rate: +3%]
"This... is really good."
As soon as he saw the options on the necklace, praise escaped his lips. To already be capable of implementing a body barrier in a necklace...
Despite being a low to medium-grade item, it was only a Class 1 shield because implementing a barrier that encompassed the entire body was extremely difficult and raising the defense was also challenging.
It required high-level magic.
Having a shield with a defense of 125 that enveloped the entire body was incredibly remarkable. While it couldn’t block significant attacks, it could reduce the damage from small scratches or grazing attacks.
Of course, one wrong Flash or misstep and the barrier and everything else would be useless.
However, to reach a level where it could cover for a Flash mistake, one would need at least a Class 7 shield magic, which was currently impossible with the available technology.
Lastly, Baek Yu-Seol picked up the ring.
[Unknown Dagger Ring]
[Grade: Medium]
[Description: When used, the ring transforms into a handle, creating a mana dagger.]
[Effects:]
[Agility: +14%]
[Perception: +9%]
[Special Function:]
[Level 3 Magic Dagger]
[Duration: 5 minutes]
A medium-grade item.
It was probably the highest-quality item that could be created by Alterisha.
To implement a magic dagger with significant output into a ring...
"This is... truly..."
"How is it? I failed to implement the magic sword you mentioned, but as a temporary measure, I was able to create something like this. The duration is still short, and the output is weaker than expected, but..."
"No, it's amazing. It's insane."
This magic dagger would remain dormant in his ring and could be used as a secret weapon when necessary. Unlike the Teripon Sword, which depended on his breath for its output, the magic dagger was activated by a fixed power embedded in the ring itself.
So this magic dagger might be much more powerful than his Teripon Sword in terms of pure destructive force.
"It's really impressive."
One might suggest that having items enchanted with offensive magic would be better, but that was impossible.
Unlike shields that simply stacked defense, offensive magic required modifying the magic circle based on various factors such as trajectory and power. It was not something that could be expected from an item.
In conclusion, it was safe to say that artifacts commonly seen in stories, such as flames erupting from swords or fireballs being launched from rings, were practically impossible to create.
Of course, they weren’t completely nonexistent, but...
"I'm satisfied. Extremely satisfied."
If one were to measure his satisfaction, it would be 1,000%.
Alterisha raised her thumb and spoke, smiling mischievously as she tapped the box. "Besides that, I also made consumable items. They’re still in the experimental stage, so there might be some defects."
It indicated that proper experimentation and verification had not been completed.
"There are so many."
"The sponsors requested samples. I set aside a few from there."
"Oh..."
The items in the box were genuine consumables, entirely different from the cheap alchemical products like flame potions, slippery potions, and cola potions Baek Yu-Seol once relied on.
"But the problem is, we don't have a way to explain how to use these in practical combat situations or any examples of their application..."
It seemed that there was concern about how to promote those consumable items to the sponsors.
"Well, in that case, I'll take a few and record videos. There are lots of practical experiments to be done at Stella anyway."
"Ah, that's a good idea. Even though I'm not a certified magic warrior, I’d be sold if I heard Stella’s students use them."
Baek Yu-Seol picked up the entire box. It contained a wide variety of items, including the ones he designed and the ones Alterisha invented herself.
"Oh, by the way, I heard there's something you need to discuss with Dr. Halsecoden."
"Yes."
"He's been really busy lately. There seems to be some problem related to item trading, but I have no idea what it's about."
Alterisha had a puzzled expression as if her mind couldn't grasp anything beyond alchemy, but he immediately understood what the issue was.
Baek Yu-Seol had already finished planning how to confront Duke Atalek, using this matter to his advantage.