Bong Jae-seok had evidently rushed over as he took a moment to catch his breath upon arrival.
After regaining his composure, he immediately proceeded to examine the materials on the workbench without further ado.
His reaction was almost identical to that of the senior beside him.
“These are practically brand new; you disassembled these?”
“Yes, senior-nim.”
Bong Jae-seok looked at me with a mix of admiration and regret.
“It’s such a waste to let talent like yours go unaffiliated. You really should join our club… Are you sure you won’t consider it?”
“I’m sorry.”
“…. Tch, I get it. Just let me know if you change your mind. Now, take a look at this.”
Bong Jae-seok then pulled out a few failed projects from his inventory.
While typical failures were carelessly tossed into a corner of Workshop No. 4, those made with valuable materials were stored in the inventory.
They were kept to be disassembled when time permitted.
However, as the president of the magic engineering club, he had no such time.
For Bong Jae-seok, the luxury of free time was a rare commodity which probably led to his habit of putting off dismantling projects while always thinking he’d get around to it eventually.
It was during such times that he received a message.
A message from someone praising the neatness of my craftsmanship.
As I silently examined the failed projects he had presented, Bong Jae-seok asked me.
“What do you think, can you take them apart?”
“Well, it seems possible, but…”
The difficulty wasn’t the main issue. Even if it was a step or two more complex than what I was currently handling, it would still be within my capabilities.
“This might take quite some time.”
The real problem lay in the size of the failed projects.
Since they were nearly half-completed, it would take a considerable amount of time to dismantle them completely.
The materials were also of high quality, around B-rank, so they required extra care in handling.
In summary, it was going to be an immensely lengthy and painstaking task.
Bong Jae-seok had understandably hesitated to tackle the disassembly himself and relegated the failed projects to a neglected corner of his inventory.
“I know it would take time. Would you do it for a reward?”
In other words, the longer it takes and the more effort it takes, the greater the reward.
Taking on such a labor-intensive task in exchange for a significant return of B-rank materials.
Didn’t that sound like a good deal even if it meant incurring some expense?
With this in mind, I specified what I wanted.
“I would like to receive a [Magic Engine].”
A device that converts injected mana into a different form of energy.
It was a key material frequently used in making magical engineering equipment and especially weapons.
Since it was difficult to obtain, I expected Bong Jae-seok to hesitate but he readily agreed to my request.
“I’ll have it ready. How long do you think it will take?”
“Is it urgent?”
“No, I’ve been putting it off anyway.”
“Then I’ll have it done within this week.”
The necessary materials had been gathered so making Go Hyeon-woo’s item was the priority for the day.
It was essential for the upcoming duel battles.
The disassembly request from Bong Jae-seok, along with other tasks, could wait until tomorrow without any issues.
Bong Jae-seok nodded his head in satisfaction, perhaps thinking that it would be quick even if it could only be resolved within a week.
“Great. Then, good luck. Are you going to use workshop number 1 today?”
“I might pop in when it’s empty.”
“It should be free around eleven. Come by then.”
“Thank you.”
***
The Ruby Magic Tower’s club president Hong Ye-hwa furrowed her brows.
This was because a very unusual scene was unfolding before her eyes.
“……..”
Her sister, Hong Yeon-hwa, was sitting by the window and staring blankly at the sky.
Her gaze slowly drifted, as if following the clouds, resembling an elder who had realized the fleeting nature of time.
This was a stark contrast to her usual demeanor which was like a ticking time bomb ready to explode at any moment.
The only person who could provide a clear explanation of the situation was Baek Jun-seok who had fought alongside Hong Yeon-hwa in the 2 vs. 2 duel battles.
When she sent him a message, Baek Jun-seok came to the Ruby Magic Tower’s club room.
Hong Ye-hwa pointed at her sister and asked,
“Hey, what’s up with her?”
Baek Jun-seok followed her finger to “her” and after a few seconds of observation, he sighed deeply and began to explain.
“Well, you see…”
They had entered a 2 vs. 2 duel battle and faced the team of Kim Ho and Seo Ye-in, and that too, twice in a row.
Hong Ye-hwa interrupted him to ask,
“Kim Ho? Is that the Kim Ho who she lost to in the placement test?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Sorry to interrupt. Please, continue.”
In the first match, the strong gusting winds kept disrupting Hong Yeon-hwa’s magic casting, and ultimately, they lost embarrassingly due to Seo Ye-in’s sniping.
In the second match, for some reason, Hong Yeon-hwa took a more defensive approach to the battle.
Their defensive strategy seemed to be working to some extent as they managed to block an attack from Kim Ho and Seo Ye-in and even succeeded in a counterattack.
Just when they thought they were on the right track, Kim Ho who had been standing at a distance approached them and the match quickly turned on its head.
With just a few gestures, Kim Ho knocked Baek Jun-seok to the ground, leaving Hong Yeon-hwa with no chance on her own.
Consequently, the second match also ended in a disheartening forfeit.
“I see.”
Hong Ye-hwa murmured as she slowly nodded her head.
She understood how Hong Yeon-hwa had ended up in such a disheartened state.
Having just stepped out from the Ruby Magic Tower to face real battles, it was her first experience of such defeats.
Losing three times to the same opponent, especially in such an overwhelming manner without being able to fight back, must have been a significant shock.
She understood all of it.
But she couldn’t accept it.
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Baek Jun-seok began to step back.
Hong Ye-hwa walked over to Hong Yeon-hwa and stood behind her.
Then, with a flick of her finger,
Bang!
Hong Yeon-hwa’s body was engulfed in flames.
“Aaargh!”
Suddenly, as the flames erupted, Hong Yeon-hwa let out a bizarre scream and tumbled off her chair.
She then spotted the culprit, her older sister, and screamed from where she sat collapsed on the floor.
“Aah, Unni! Seriously?!”
Hong Ye-hwa’s temper flared up even more at her sister’s protests, and she leaned in close to her and began to deliver a series of back smashes.
Her palm was red-hot from the flames, making each smack extraordinarily painful.
With every strike, she uttered a scathing remark.
“Thinking you did something great! Acting all pitiful!”
“Stop! Stop it, I said!”
“You’re the only promising student who has lost three times already! And to the same person, no less!”
“Agh!!! What do you want me to do! I keep getting matched with that person!”
Boom!
The flames exploded once more and the flames went back to Hong Ye-hwa.
The Hong sisters glared at each other amidst the blazing inferno.
As the temperature in the room soared, beads of sweat formed on Baek Jun-seok’s forehead.
Though it was unclear whether the sweat was purely from the temperature or from his anxious state of mind.
Hong Ye-hwa launched into another attack.
“If you think you’re going to be matched with the same opponent again, take a break for a while! It’s your own fault for rushing to schedule the next match!”
“Agh!”
Bang! Boom!
Baek Jun-seok quickly turned to face the wall.
As he continued to listen to their conversation, he sensed that the sparks of their conflict might soon fly his way.
– Hong Yeon-hwa, pull yourself together and let’s head to the next match
He was the one who had suggested they quickly arrange the next duel.
As expected, Hong Yeon-hwa glared in his direction.
Baek Jun-seok stared desperately at the wall.
Turning away now would mean getting caught in a certain fiery blast.
Unlike the Hong sisters, he had no resistance to fire magic.
With Baek Jun-seok’s timely evasion, Hong Yeon-hwa lost her target for venting her frustration.
And left with no other option, she turned to protest to her sister.
“What do you know, unni! You haven’t even fought that person!”
“……”
Hong Ye-hwa’s eyebrows furrowed.
It was because a flash of fear had passed through Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyes in an instant.
She wondered how severely Kim Ho must have beaten her to instill such fear.
Her curiosity about what kind of person Kim Ho was grew a little more.
However, satisfying her curiosity could wait; her immediate priority was to help her sister who had collapsed to the ground back to her feet.
Hong Yeon-hwa was the future of the Ruby Magic Tower.
She couldn’t be left to wallow in a sense of defeat any longer.
Even if she lost, she needed to be encouraged to keep moving forward.
Hong Ye-hwa quickly extinguished all the flames.
Her tone also became calm and steady.
“So, are you saying you’ll lose to him every time you meet from now on?”
Hong Yeon-hwa was taken aback.
From experience, she knew this was a moment when she needed to respond with great care.
A careless response could lead to more than just a fiery explosion or a smack on the back.
So, Hong Yeon-hwa cautiously replied with a somewhat deflated tone.
“No, it’s not like I plan to lose to him every time we meet… We’ll have to fight again… when I’ve become stronger…”
“Alright, then apply for mentoring.”
“How did the conversation turn to this?”
“You said you’ll fight again once you’re stronger, right? Then you should do it.”
At this moment, Hong Yeon-hwa had been resisting the idea of mentoring and if one were to delve into her reasons they might find them somewhat childish.
She didn’t want to learn from just anyone.
She dreamt of someday ascending to the position of the Ruby Magic Tower’s Master.
After years of relentless effort and finally securing the position of Magic Tower Master, the thought of some random person claiming to have been her mentor in the past was enough to make her stomach churn.
Although the position of Magic Tower Master was still far off in the future, in Hong Yeon-hwa’s imagination, it was a foregone conclusion.
Therefore, this was a matter of pride.
If she were to accept mentoring, it had to be from someone within the Magic Tower Association, or at the very least, someone from a major power.
However, given that she couldn’t choose her mentor, the prospect was already unappealing to Hong Yeon-hwa.
She tried to protest timidly once more.
“Do I really have to do this? Can’t I just work harder on something else?”
Hong Ye-hwa responded with a sly smile.
“Then I’ll give you a choice. Apply for mentoring, or challenge Kim Ho to a duel.”
Her implication was clear: if Hong Yeon-hwa truly believed she didn’t need mentoring, she should prove it by defeating Kim Ho right now.
It was essentially an impossible task, like trying to bell the cat.
Hong Yeon-hwa’s expression soured.
“Fine, I’ll do the mentoring. I’ll just do it…”
“Good decision.”
Hong Yeon-hwa filled out the application in front of her sister.
She listed her specialties: Caster, and… all-rounder.
What Hong Yeon-hwa failed to consider in her focus on “who” she would be mentored by, was “with whom” she might be sharing the mentoring sessions. It was an oversight she hadn’t accounted for.
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