6:59 PM.

Normally, Shin Haeryeong would be holed up in the library, studying. But today, she lay sprawled on her bed, still in her school uniform. Anyone who knew her would find this scene unimaginable. At school, she was either buried in her books or being pestered by Rina and Kimi.

But she wasn’t just lazing around.

“The professor mentioned something earlier…”

She was mentally reviewing the day’s lessons over and over. Despite her efforts, she had only managed to place third in the recent exams. Determined to turn the tables for the finals, her mind was entirely focused on her magical studies.

“Alright, that’s enough for now.”

After a quick mental recap, she shifted her thoughts elsewhere.

“The Magic Engineering Competition…”

She wanted to continue learning from Lee Jaesang. To achieve that, she needed to win the competition. Attending the old man’s classes was a step towards that goal.

“It’ll be useful in many ways.”

Even though she lost the bet, the old man’s skills were genuine. Could she even replicate half of his techniques? Probably not. There would be stumbling blocks, whether due to lack of knowledge or skill.

“Who knows what he used to do… but if the professor recommended him…”

She decided to trust him. Lee Jaesang wasn’t someone who would harm his students.

“There was a lot to learn from just the first class.”

It had only been one session, but Haeryeong was impressed by the content. The delivery might have been eccentric, but the theories were compelling.

“It felt different from the professor.”

In the realm of magic, if Lee Jaesang was a dreamer, the old man was an extreme theorist. Two geniuses at opposite ends of the spectrum. That’s how Haeryeong saw them.

“The professor is quite unique too.”

Typically, mages at odds would clash. And indeed, the old man often picked fights with Lee Jaesang. That’s normal, and Lee Jaesang is the odd one. Despite their differing schools of thought, they were surprisingly close.

“In that sense, he’s quite mature.”

With a small smile, Haeryeong got up from the bed. As she tidied her hair, the clock struck 7.

– Whoosh.

A portal appeared in her dorm room, created solely for the purpose of the old man’s isolated lessons. It was her second class, and she stepped through without hesitation.

Inside the dark space, there were two desks.

“You’re here?”

“…Professor?”

Lee Jaesang was already seated, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“What are you doing here?”

A quick glance revealed the old man glaring at Lee Jaesang with furrowed brows.

“Oh, I’m here to learn too.”

Learn?

“…What?”

“Well, I’m auditing the lessons you’re taking from the old man.”

Lee Jaesang grinned innocently. It was then that Haeryeong understood. His passion for magic was genuine.

“That’s nice to see.”

“What is?”

“Nothing.”

Haeryeong sat down slowly, smiling. Recently, Lee Jaesang had been shrouded in an inexplicable gloom. Seeing him return to his old self was something she quite liked.

***

After the lesson, Lee Jaesang headed straight to the secret shop to collect the promised magical artifact.

“…I can’t believe you’re actually going to take it.”

“You were the one who proposed the bet, old man.”

The old man sighed deeply. There was no backing out now. All he could hope for was that Lee Jaesang would choose something relatively inexpensive.

“You’re quite generous, old man.”

But the eager look on Lee Jaesang’s face seemed to say, “I’m definitely picking something expensive.”

“Sigh.”

The old man vowed never to gamble with anyone again.

“Just pick something and get out!”

Lee Jaesang hummed a tune, delighted at the prospect of acquiring another of the old man’s magical artifacts. It was a boon for him, as he needed more tools to prepare for a confrontation with the dark sorcerer.

“That’s why I’m taking these lessons.”

Unless he faced the dark sorcerer immediately, increasing his mana reserves was a distant goal. With one method of growing stronger cut off, Lee Jaesang focused on enhancing his knowledge and acquiring magical artifacts.

His knowledge was rapidly expanding through the magic engineering classes, and the old man was about to help with the artifacts.

“The old man is quite helpful in many ways.”

He hadn’t paid much, yet here he was, reaping the rewards. Delighted by his good fortune, Lee Jaesang examined the magical artifacts one by one.

The first thing he picked up was a staff made of ancient wood.

“Hmm. This is…”

“Th-that one…!”

The old man’s reaction told Lee Jaesang that the staff was quite special.

“What kind of artifact is this?”

“It’s nothing much. It just slightly reduces mana consumption when using earth-themed magic.”

“How much does it reduce?”

“…Only by half.”

“Half, you say?”

“Only! Only by half! Not half!”

“Hmm.”

As Lee Jaesang set the staff down, the old man sighed in relief.

“Then how about this…”

“…That one!!!”

This time, the reaction was even more intense. Lee Jaesang realized the ring he picked up was even more valuable than the staff.

“It’s a ring that somewhat conceals your presence.”

“Conceals presence, you say?”

“…It might just barely avoid detection by the government’s mana trackers.”

The government’s mana trackers were the most advanced in existence.

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“Impressive? It’s just barely! It only avoids the mana tracker, and it costs 300 million! It’s not worth it!”

“But I’m getting it for free.”

The old man’s shoulders twitched.

“That…! That’s true…! But still…!”

“His reactions are amusing.”

Watching the old man desperately downplay his artifacts, Lee Jaesang felt he might have found a new hobby.

He continued to pick up and put down various items, laughing all the while. Each artifact had excellent special effects, but none quite satisfied him.

“What do I need right now?”

Lee Jaesang narrowed his focus.

“A mana storage auxiliary circuit. Or a weapon with the destructive power of Draconyx.”

If he were to face a bishop-level opponent from the dark cult, or even an archbishop, his current mana wouldn’t be insufficient. With two Draconyx swords, destructive power wasn’t a major issue either.

But.

“The opponent is Min Haejin.”

Even the homunculus resembling Hana seemed to possess stronger magic than he did. Lee Jaesang couldn’t guarantee victory against Min Haejin. And from their previous conversation, it seemed the real dragon might be involved.

“An auxiliary circuit-type artifact would be best.”

With enough mana, Lee Jaesang could create any destructive magic he needed.

“In that case, a grimoire would be ideal.”

Grimoires were the quintessential auxiliary circuit-type artifacts. Made from specially processed mana stones, even the cheapest ones cost billions.

As he turned his gaze, he spotted a bookshelf filled with grimoires.

“Oh…! It’s come to this!”

Seeing Lee Jaesang’s eyes on the bookshelf, the old man felt dizzy. Every grimoire there was top-notch. No matter which one he chose, it would be a significant loss.

“Please, pick a cheap one!”

With a desperate thought, the old man watched Lee Jaesang’s next move.

Lee Jaesang, with his hand on his chin, read the spines of the grimoires one by one.

“Hmm?”

Then, as if he found something, he moved away from the bookshelf.

“That’s…”

Lee Jaesang walked over to a corner where a disassembled magical artifact lay.

“Old man, what’s this?”

A disassembled artifact, left neglected. Lee Jaesang’s curiosity wouldn’t let him pass it by.

“It’s an unfinished mana amplifier. There’s a flaw.”

“What kind of flaw?”

“The mana circuit design isn’t wrong, but the mana flow is interrupted in the middle.”

“Hmm.”

Lee Jaesang crouched down, examining the components one by one. They were worn from repeated assembly and disassembly.

A design issue even the old man couldn’t solve.

“Old man, can I try assembling this?”

“You?”

“Yes.”

Initially, the old man intended to tell him to leave it alone. But seeing Lee Jaesang’s inscrutable expression, he hesitated.

“Could he possibly know how?”

He doubted it. During Haeryeong’s class, Lee Jaesang hadn’t shown any exceptional knowledge in magic engineering. If anything, he seemed stuck in theories from a decade ago.

“…But there’s always a chance.”

The artifact had been a headache for nearly ten days.

“What do you think?”

Watching Lee Jaesang fiddle with the parts, the old man chuckled. It looked like a child playing with toys.

“Of course. He doesn’t know.”

Just as the old man was about to tell him to stop, Lee Jaesang spoke.

“If continuity is the issue, why not connect it in parallel?”

“What?”

“This. It seems like a stability issue.”

“…Stability, you say?”

The old man let out a disbelieving laugh. Stability was the problem, so connect it in parallel?

What a rookie mistake.

“Are you sure you checked the mana circuit properly?”

“Of course.”

“Then you know this spell requires a significant amount of mana, right?”

“Yes, I do.”

“…And yet you suggest connecting them in parallel?”

Connecting mana stones in parallel would certainly enhance stability, but it would weaken the mana output.

The mana would flow, but the magical device wouldn’t function.

“Is that not possible?”

Lee Jaesang’s face was filled with pure curiosity.

“I’ll commend your curiosity and creativity. But look closely. If you connect them in parallel, won’t there be insufficient mana supplied to this circuit?”

Pointing to the mana circuit of the magical device, the old man spoke, and Lee Jaesang pondered deeply, resting his chin on his hand.

“If the mana supply is insufficient, couldn’t we change the engraving method?”

“The engraving method?”

“Yes.”

Lee Jaesang took three of the eight mana stones embedded in the device and placed them to the left.

“Even if we just change these three to the Brisel engraving method…”

“It’s innovative, but it probably won’t work.”

“Really?”

When his idea was dismissed, Lee Jaesang crossed his arms and let out a small groan.

“Magic engineering is ridiculously tough!”

He said this with a wide grin.

‘This kid…’

Most magic scholars are stubborn.

The moment their theories and hypotheses are challenged, they usually become defensive.

But Lee Jaesang showed none of that.

Even realizing he was wrong seemed to bring him joy.

In all his years, had he ever met another magic scholar like this?

Well, there was one.

‘Professor Min Haejun was like that.’

– “Wow, sir. This magical device is a masterpiece. Who knew you could use magic like this?”

The old man recalled Professor Min Haejun’s enthusiastic praise from over a decade ago.

The longer one studies magic, the more rigid their worldview becomes, and so does their mind.

It means they struggle to accept new things.

Yet Min Haejun, despite his significant contributions to modern magic, never abandoned his learning attitude.

‘They’re remarkably similar.’

To him, the traits and actions of Min Haejun and Lee Jaesang were strikingly alike.

So much so that calling them the same person wouldn’t feel out of place.

Thus, the old man decided to give Lee Jaesang the same nickname he had given Min Haejun.

“You foolish eccentric.”

“…Did you just insult me out of nowhere?”

“It’s not an insult.”

“Sure, if you say so.”

Lee Jaesang glanced at the old man with half-closed eyes, chuckled, and stood up.

“I’m heading out.”

“What about the magical device? Aren’t you taking it?”

“I don’t need it right now. Oh.”

Lee Jaesang pointed to the disassembled magical device.

“If that gets fixed, I’ll take it.”

“Do you even know what it is?”

“Just a hunch. It seems quite useful.”

A wizard’s intuition sometimes surpasses logic.

For Lee Jaesang, this was one of those times.

“Fine. I was going to give it to you anyway. But I can’t promise when it’ll be fixed.”

“I’ll wait. I’ll attend classes in the meantime.”

Lee Jaesang bowed and returned to the lab.

***

Long after Lee Jaesang had left, the old man was organizing the shop’s inventory and checking new items when his gaze drifted to the disassembled magical device.

“…Change the engraving method and connect in parallel?”

He honestly didn’t think it would work.

Yet, the thought of trying it was purely whimsical.

Silently, the old man moved his tools.

He modified the mana circuit to be parallel and changed the engraving method.

Assembling it wasn’t too difficult.

The moment he infused mana into the newly completed device…

“This is…”

The old man blinked in disbelief.

“It’s working?”

Before his eyes, the mana amplifier that had troubled him for ten days was functioning perfectly.