TRPM 353

chapter 353

After leaving the dungeon, I sent the data of the hidden dungeon I discovered to Arthur, then called a taxi.

Before the taxi arrived, I called Chairman Shin Hanji.

[For Student Geonwoo to contact me first—did the sun rise from the west today?]

“… The sun always rises in the east.”

Shin Hanji answered with a meaningless joke.
Since I had something serious to discuss, I cut her off before she could continue and got straight to the point.

[That’s only from the perspective of humans living on Earth…]

“I have something I’d like to ask you, Chairman.”

[Ohhh….]

For some reason, she sounded touched.

“… What’s with you?”

[For my student to personally call me just to ask a question….]

“Didn’t I contact you before because I had a request?”

[Requesting something and asking a question are entirely different.]

Shin Hanji sounded delighted.

[So then, what is it that my Student Geonwoo wants to ask?]

“… Can you observe spatial distortions, Chairman?”

[Spatial distortions, hmm….]

After a pause, she seemed to understand why I was asking.

[You must be talking about those hidden dungeons that have been showing up recently. Even if the gate’s waves are concealed, a gate is essentially like a black hole and a white hole paired together, so distortions in space are inevitable.]

“That’s a quick answer. Good.”

[Hidden dungeons have only recently started appearing, and yet you’re already trying to come up with a solution for the problems they cause… truly impressive.]

Impressive, huh.
Well, considering her age, even if I combined my past and present lifetimes, she’d still see me as a child.

[… You just thought something weird, didn’t you?]

“No.”

[Strange… Anyway, so hidden dungeons didn’t exist before your regression?]

I noticed her carelessly bringing up my regression over the phone and quickly poured my inner energy into the smartphone to block eavesdropping.

But it wasn’t necessary.

[Ah, I already blocked eavesdropping in advance, so don’t worry.]

“… You should’ve mentioned that earlier.”

[Hehe….]

“In any case, while various mutated dungeons did appear before my regression, I’ve never heard of hidden dungeons.”

[Then did you ever track spatial distortions to find a dungeon back then?]

“No, I never did.”

[Which means this method of tracking distortions to locate dungeons is something that came purely from your own mind.]

And it also means that my past self either didn’t create the method, or couldn’t.

“… What do you mean by that?”

[The idea of tracking distortions to discover dungeons… Do you think I never thought of it?]

About 150 years ago…

[Back then, I studied dungeons as well, and I considered detecting the distortions they caused as a way to prevent dungeon threats. But it wasn’t efficient, and most magicians—aside from myself—barely understood space at all.]

She explained that scientists actually understood space better than magicians.
But those scientists couldn’t grasp gates or magic.

Since research needed to be widely understood to be meaningful, her work eventually fizzled out.
Understanding it alone was pointless.

[Detecting gate waves alone was sufficient, anyway. So I let the idea go, until your words reminded me of it.]

Wait a second?

Her voice moved away from the phone, and then someone else picked up.

[Hi, Geonwoo. It’s me, Jimin.]

“Ah, hello.”

So she was with Woo Jimin.

[Seriously, what did you say to Hanji that made her start tearing apart her office bookshelves?]

“……”

Searching for documents from 150 years ago, huh.

Wait… there are actually records that old in her office?

[Ah, found it. Jimin, hand me the phone.]

[Oh, sure.]

Fortunately, it didn’t take her long to find what she wanted.

[Looking at this brings back old memories. Ah, how scatterbrained of me—Student Geonwoo, would you like me to just send you the materials?]

“No, I’ll come in person.”

I said that as I got into the taxi that had just stopped in front of me.

“Where to?”

“Seoul Awakeners’ Academy.”

The driver entered the destination into the navigation system.

[You’re coming personally? That’s not necessary…]

“Even if I see the materials myself, I doubt I’ll fully understand them.”

Sure, my knowledge of magic is decent, and since I can manipulate space-time directly, my understanding of it isn’t bad either.
But I’m nowhere near Chairman Shin Hanji, who is both an archmage and has lived for centuries.

“I’ll need your commentary while I look at the materials.”

And also…

“Beyond those 150-year-old documents, I’d like to hear your current opinion as well.”

After all, present-day Shin Hanji would be even more skilled than the Shin Hanji of 150 years ago—she might have new insights.

[That’s true. Mistakes I didn’t notice back then are obvious to me now. But Geonwoo…?]

“Yes?”

[You’re oddly emphasizing that ‘150 years ago’ part.]

“That’s just your imagination.”

I did flinch, but I wasn’t trying to emphasize it.
That’s just her paranoia.

[Hmm….]

She seemed convinced enough and didn’t push the topic further.

[Alright then. You’re coming to the Academy, yes? Oh, right—if you’re coming, it would be best to call that person too.]

“… That person?”

[You’ll see when you get here. Well then….]

And she hung up.

I had a rough idea of who she meant.

“Ah… h-hi, Geonwoo?”

“… Hello.”

When I entered the chairman’s office at the Academy, a familiar face greeted me.

Chloe Greenwood.

She was once a movie actress, but now she’s been appointed as the future instructor of spiritual-type magic at the Academy.

As for her relationship with me: she once entered my dreams, learned that I’m a regressor, and—most importantly—she sees me as a romantic interest.

‘And Shin Hanji has been encouraging her feelings, too.’

She knows full well that my mental age and physical age don’t match, yet she pushes this anyway.

Anyway.

“In the past few days, I’ve had many conversations about magic with Instructor Trainee Chloe, and her magical knowledge is quite impressive. I thought she could help with this research, so I called her.”

“… Excuse me?”

I looked at the two of them, confused.

… Chloe Greenwood isn’t a magician—she’s a spirit summoner.

Recently, it’s said she awakened spiritual-type magic, but in truth, it’s because she became half-succubus after channeling Merlin’s spirit into herself.
That’s how she gained powers resembling spiritual magic.

And yet…

“Didn’t you already know, Geonwoo? That Chloe awakened spiritual-type magic?”

“……”

So her magical knowledge is really that impressive?
If Shin Hanji herself acknowledges it, it must be true.

Which means Chloe has truly accumulated magical knowledge on her own.

‘So she does have some foundation, huh.’

If even Shin Hanji recognizes her, then she won’t embarrass herself as an instructor later.

No—wait, that’s not the main point.

“Just because you awaken as a magician doesn’t mean you automatically gain knowledge of magic. But if the Chairman acknowledges her, then she must really be amazing.”

I admitted I hadn’t known about Chloe’s magical expertise.

And then…

“Hehe… Geonwoo, you should show some interest in a girl who loves you.”

“Eek?!”

Shin Hanji was blatantly trying to push me toward Chloe.
And judging by Chloe’s flustered reaction, she hadn’t been warned at all.

“… Anyway, let’s focus on the documents. Where are they?”

“Here. Take them and read.”

I took the materials, sat down, and began reading.

And then—

‘Wait, what….’

I couldn’t understand over 70% of the core content.

The only reason I managed to grasp that much was because of my own prior studies in magic and my direct handling of space.
Any average magician would have understood far less.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

“… Chairman, could you recommend some detailed books on space magic… and on relativity?”

To fully comprehend this material, I’d clearly need a stronger foundation.

“… I see. So you didn’t understand it after all.”

Her voice carried a hint of disappointment.
She must have assumed I’d be able to follow her research without issue.

But I had failed her expectations.

‘Well, nothing I can do.’

I’m not a genius.
Yeon Mirae calls me one because I developed new martial arts, but I’m not the kind who can understand things instantly.

“Alright. I’ll handle the matter of hidden dungeons myself, then. And…”

She thought for a moment, then began typing on her computer.

“As for magic, once you officially join the Academy, both I and Instructor Trainee Chloe will teach you directly. And for science… I’ll invite a professor I know.”

“… A professor?”

“Yes. One who has published many papers on dungeons and space-time. I’ll bring them here especially for you, Geonwoo.”

Her voice still carried traces of disappointment in me.
But along with it was a strong passion to teach me as much as possible.

“……”

Faced with that, I couldn’t say anything in return.