The [Cube of Life] chain quest was one of the processes that had to be undertaken to raise an S-rank magic engineer.
In addition, many heroes related to the keyword “life” benefited from this quest.
I had repeated this tedious quest dozens of times.
As I repeated the quest, the finished product of the [Cube of Life] gradually became more and more familiar to my eyes.
Then, an idea suddenly struck me:
Why not just make it myself?
Somehow, it seemed possible even without the quest.
So, I studied the quest. I memorized it.
Every single arrangement of the thousands of cubes.
Of course, just memorizing them didn’t magically transform the blueprints into a finished product.
I had to fit each piece together manually.
So I struggled for a while at first, but I got the hang of it as I started completing one or two cubes, just like when I raised those S-rank heroes.
And from then, if the quest wasn’t essential for hero training, I just skipped it and only took care of the cube.
Just like now.
I first went to the training center and chose a mana cultivation room.
There was no need to go to a special cultivation room.
Go Hyeon-woo was pouring all his points into the growth of his [Core] as it was the most important thing for him at the moment, but I found it more useful to spend mine elsewhere.
The mana cultivation room was a confined space, barely a few pyeong in size, and it was virtually like a solitary confinement cell.
The room was different only in that mana overflowed everywhere within it.
I sat in the middle of it and took out the cube blueprint.
In order to make meaningful changes to the cube, a [Magical Engineering] skill of a certain rank is required.
If one falls short of the minimum condition, no matter how diligently they manipulate the cube, it’s all in vain.
And the minimum requirement for making changes to this huge 10x10x10 blueprint was an A-rank or higher.
Even within Dragon Slayer Academy, there might be only one or two faculty members with A-rank in [Magical Engineering].
The president of the magic engineering club was probably just at the tail end of B-rank.
That’s why there’s a step in the chain quest where external craftsmen are invited.
The grade of the skill I copied at Workshop No. 4 was also B and likewise fell short of the requirement.
If it can’t be done, I’ll just make it possible.
Before starting, I closely examined the cube’s blueprint.
This was to plan in advance how I would complete it.
After a long time of turning it this way and that, comparing the blueprint with the finished product in my memory, I started to get a feel for it.
Let’s start.
[‘Amplification’ activated]
[The rank of ‘Magical Engineering’ increases. (B->S)]
[Duration 00:00:59]
[Cooldown 00:59:58]
[Amplification] elevated the skill rank by two ranks to S-rank.
This surpassed the minimum requirement.
My hands holding the cube emitted a vivid blue light.
My fingers moved like spiders, rapidly touching different parts of the cube.
Chalalalalak!
In a flurry of motion, I spun the cube, folded and unfolded it, detached and reattached the tiny cubes in new positions, and spun it once more.
As the huge puzzle was slowly coming together,
[Duration 00:00:00]
[Cooldown 00:58:54]
I released my hold on it as soon as a minute had passed.
This was because the duration of the [Amplification] had ended and the rank had reverted to its original state.
The duration of the F-rank amplification was one minute, with a cooldown of one hour.
This meant I could only touch the cube for a minute every hour.
So, what was I to do while waiting?
More mana is always better.
Meditating and refining my [Core] was the answer.
Increasing my rank to have a larger mana pool would also expand the range of magic I could use.
There could be nothing wrong with investing time in this occasionally.
I placed the cube nearby and focused my mind.
***
After spending an hour in meditation, then a minute adjusting the cube, and repeating this process in a trance-like state, a whole day had passed and morning had arrived before I knew it.
When I picked up the cube to examine it, a very faint green light seemed to flow from one corner.
This was the energy of life.
This was a sign that the cube was gradually being completed.
However, it was just one corner for now.
More time investment was needed.
Judging by this progress, it might take three days to complete.
Finishing by Friday seems a bit tight.
On the first Friday of the month, the likelihood of “that event” occurring was very high.
By then, I needed to finish my work to reap the full benefits.
Anyway, that’s a different matter.
I should go to class.
I got up from my seat.
At this rate, I might be late.
***
I ordered one toast and one coffee at the student cafeteria and held them in both hands.
As I walked to the classroom while eating, I heard someone approaching me rapidly from behind.
Even without looking, I knew who it was, given the nearly inaudible footsteps.
“Shin Byung-cheol.”
“Whoa, you scared me!”
Shin Byung-cheol, who tried to surprise me, ended up jumping in shock himself.
He followed me while grumbling.
“Aren’t you supposed to pretend to be surprised even if you know, and give some reaction?”
“What reaction? I’m carrying food.”
Would you take responsibility if I spilled my coffee?
I’m also eating toast, so I’d prefer it if you didn’t make me talk.
Despite my curt response, Shin Byung-cheol persisted in trying to engage me in conversation.
“Where’s Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in? Why are you alone?”
“I stayed up all night at the training center. He’s probably around somewhere.”
Go Hyeon-woo should also be coming from the training center, but we just missed each other due to a slight time difference.
I figured he might be in the classroom.
Shin Byung-cheol asked me,
“How did the strategy battles go for you? I was too busy yesterday to catch up afterward.”
“You must have seen my name on the leaderboard.”
“Well, I was checking the top ranks, hehe.”
His focus on the top scorers meant he hadn’t had time to notice my score.
I wasn’t offended, as I felt the same way.
I hadn’t expected much from Shin Byung-cheol and had assumed he would be somewhere in the middle to lower ranks.
I wasn’t particularly curious about his score even now.
However, his expression was brimming with confidence, almost as if he was eager for me to ask about his score. So I pretended to be curious myself and asked him.
“How many points did you get?”
“Hehe, don’t be shocked. I, of all people, managed to scrape by with a whooping 530 points, hanging on at 50%.”
“You? How?”
Honestly, I was a bit surprised.
I had expected him to score in the 400s at best, but it seems he had done fairly well, probably thanks to the fixed zone rule.
As I looked at him skeptically, Shin Byung-cheol’s expression grew even more smug.
He spoke in a tone like he was imparting wisdom.
“Life is all about knowing the ropes. That’s what’s important.”
“Wow, that’s really impressive.”
“Exactly. How about you? What’s your score?”
“683 points.”
Shin Byung-cheol’s face quickly returned to a more humble expression.
“…Weren’t you a caster?”
“Yes, why?”
“No, it’s just… Song Cheon-hye scored 571 and Hong Yeon-hwa 640. How on earth did you manage 683?”
I threw his earlier words back at him.
“Life is all about knowing the ropes.”
***
I thought Go Hyeon-woo would come first and be waiting for me when I got to class but it seemed I had gotten there earlier.
Instead, to my surprise, Seo Ye-in was sitting there.
She looked at me and waved her hand gently.
I sat down next to her and asked,
“Did you come early today?”
“I woke up early.”
“Why’s that?”
Instead of answering, she rustled around and pulled out a small paper bag. Opening it, she showed me what was inside.
Bite-sized cookies shaped like dinosaurs.
They must have been freshly baked, as a warm, savory smell wafted out.
It looked like she had woken up early to bake these cookies.
I remembered that she made a promise like this on the train.
– I’m sorry. The cookies were delicious.
– I’ll make them again.
– ….Really?
– Mhm.
That seemingly distant promise had already been fulfilled.
It reaffirmed my belief that it’s good to give and share in life.
After sharing a strawberry and cream cake, here I was receiving homemade cookies in return.
I picked one up and tried it, and the taste seemed to have improved a bit compared to before.
The cookies retained their characteristic mild sweetness and simplicity.
This time, instead of chocolate chips, she used black sesame seeds. I thought to myself that this was better than the somewhat mediocre 65% cacao chocolate.
As Seo Ye-in looked on, I praised her with a very high percentage of sincerity.
“Hmm, these are tasty. Very savory. And the dinosaurs are cute and well made too.”
She tilted her head slightly and asked,
“…. Dinosaurs?”
“Aren’t these dinosaurs?”
She remained silent for a moment.
“………”
Seo Ye-in’s eyes seemed to narrow a bit.
What’s this? If these aren’t dinosaurs, then what are they?
As I reached into the paper bag to grab one for a closer look, she quickly pulled it back.
“Why, what’s wrong?”
“They’re bears.”
That was a bear???
I felt a moment of confusion but quickly calmed myself.
I couldn’t afford to show any more surprise. If I did, I might never see these homemade cookies again.
“No wonder. I was slightly confused whether the cookies were bears or dinosaurs. I guess it was because I was looking at them upside down.”
“………”
“I’ll just have one more. They’re delicious.”
Though still looking somewhat dubious, Seo Ye-in opened the bag for me again.
Before putting another cookie in my mouth, I took a quick glance.
“When I look at it this way, they are bears. My mistake.”
How are these supposed to be bears?
The words coming out of my mouth were the exact opposite of what I was thinking.
Still, I couldn’t fault the taste, so my hand kept reaching back into the paper bag.
As Seo Ye-in and I took turns eating the cookies, Go Hyeon-woo arrived at the class.
“Good morning, Kim-hyung, Miss Seo.”
“What does it look like?”
Seo Ye-in suddenly handed Go Hyeon-woo one of the so-called “bear-like cookies” and asked him a question.
Go Hyeon-woo was delighted and accepted it with a smile.
“Oh! These cookies look delicious. And it’s almost as if the lizard is alive and breathing.”
“………”
Oh dear…
Seo Ye-in’s eyebrows twitched, but Go Hyeon-woo seemed to be oblivious to this subtle change as he casually took the seat next to me.
In times like this, swiftly changing the subject is the best strategy.
“How was it?”
I was curious about his impression after practicing his internal energy in the special training room.
Go Hyeon-woo expressed his admiration without reserve.
“It was a novel and valuable experience. I didn’t expect my internal energy to accumulate so quickly.”
“Was it worth the cost?”
“The 500 points were not a waste at all. On the contrary, I felt like it was too much of an opportunity compared to the effort I had put in.”
he had been skeptical about the replay feature at first. He was uneasy with the idea that others could scrutinize his martial arts skills. Now, it seemed, he had come to realize its worth.
Refining one’s core in the special training room was similar in efficiency to constantly taking low- to intermediate-rank elixirs.
“With a bit more effort, I feel like I could make another break-through. I plan to practically live in the special training room for a while, just as Kim-hyung advised.”
“That’s good. Just focus on that for now. I’ll get you the season pass as soon as possible.”
“Thank you.”
Go Hyeon-woo showed his gratitude with proper etiquette.
In stark contrast to the warm atmosphere that filled the air around here, the classroom resembled a bustling marketplace.
At the center of this chaos were Shin Byeong-chul and his gang, actively promoting the <Dragon Slayer Academy Errand Service> by distributing business cards.
“We can get you anything!”
“Special discounts for the new semester!”
Song Cheon-hye looked at them with a very disapproving eye, but since they hadn’t yet broken any school rules, she couldn’t step in.
It seemed like she was biding her time for a mishap.
Han So-mi, for her part, seemed lost in her own thoughts with a cheerful smile and narrowed eyes.
However, this market-like scene was surprisingly resolved in an instant.
As the door slid open, the once noisy classroom fell silent as if doused in cold water.
Lee Soo-dok stood at the entrance as he surveyed the classroom with a stern glare.
Without a word being spoken to take their seats, everyone swiftly and uniformly found their way to their places and sat down.
Only then did Lee Soo-dok step inside and take his place in front of the teacher’s desk.
— ♩♪♬♩
And then a melody echoed through the room that was now filled with silence, signaling the start of the class.
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