I Became a Disaster-Class Sorcery Genius

It works, though? (2)

Before heading to Choi Yuroun—

Kim Dojun stopped by Go Ryuwon's mansion for a tutoring session, taking out the items he'd brought with him.

Go Ryuwon was staring at the three items Kim Dojun had placed before him.

"Okay, pick one."

"... What are these?"

"Hmm?"

"... What?"

Seeing Go Ryuwon now immediately use honorifics, without being defiant, Kim Dojun felt a small satisfaction that his personality was improving at least a little. He nodded once and explained.

"These are three study methods I prepared for you, since you're so against that bomb necklace. Because I'm such a generous guy."

"Gene...rous...guy...?"

"Yeah, I'm generous."

"...."

Go Ryuwon shot Kim Dojun a 'You've got to be kidding' look.

"Why? Do you want me to show you what I'm like when I'm not generous?"

At that single remark, go Ryuwon immediately went quiet and looked back at the items before him.

"An outlet, water, a lighter...?"

"Yeah. You just have to pick one of the three."

"What kind of study method uses these...?"

"I'll tell you once you pick."

"No, you're supposed to tell me so I can decid—"

Whack!

"Ow!"

"Did you just yell?"

As Kim Dojun raised his hand, go Ryuwon instinctively assumed a defensive posture.

"I wasn't... yelling, I just..."

"Then hurry up and pick."

Looking seriously wronged, go Ryuwon nonetheless turned his attention back to the items.

On the desk sat an outlet, a bottle of water, and a lighter.

Looked at this way, they really did appear completely ordinary.

At a glance, it was just a 500 ml water bottle, a snipped-off electrical outlet, and a lighter.

But since Go Ryuwon had no idea what kind of crazy method the guy who made him wear a bomb necklace "for studying" might come up with, he began to rack his brain as hard as he could.

'The lighter is absolutely out.'

Eliminating the lighter, which seemed the most dangerous, he was left to choose between water and the outlet.

A few minutes later—

Whack!

"Hurry up and pick, you bastard! I'm busy!"

"Damn it—!"

"Damn?"

"D—documenting all the visual information was overwhelming, so I was just thinking. I'll pick the water."

Having just been struck by Kim Dojun, go Ryuwon managed to talk his way out of trouble using his quick wits and chose the water, which at least looked safest.

"You're sure about the water?"

"Yes."

"No regrets?"

"... No regrets."

"If you pick this, you're stuck with it for at least a month, you know?"

Kim Dojun asked several times, as if confirming.

At that moment, go Ryuwon wondered if he was making the wrong choice, but quickly shook his head.

No matter how he thought about it, water gave off a safer image than the lighter or the outlet.

"I'll go with the water."

With a determined look, go Ryuwon made his choice, and Kim Dojun nodded reluctantly.

"Alright, since you want it so much, I'll make sure not to put the bomb necklace on you anymore."

With that, he tossed the bomb necklace far away.

The next moment.

Thunk—!

"?"

Go Ryuwon felt a helmet being placed on his head before he even had time to react.

A transparent glass helmet that allowed him to see 360 degrees in every direction.

"?"

Go Ryuwon looked utterly baffled at the situation.

Beep!

Kim Dojun took out a remote and pressed a button.

Dribble, dribble—

"Huh? What's this?!"

Go Ryuwon suddenly felt a steady but gentle stream of water begin to run from below his neck.

With a panicked expression, he grabbed the helmet.

But Kim Dojun, who'd fitted him with the helmet in the first place, spoke with a calm expression.

"I invented it. It's called the Submersion Helmet, a study device...."

"Study device...?"

"Yeah. From the moment I press the button on the remote, your helmet fills with water."

"Are you kidding me?! This isn't a study device, it's a torture device!!"

He had been doing his best to stay composed, but now curses flew out at Kim Dojun's explanation.

Kim Dojun, however, just shook his head firmly.

"It's not a torture device, it's a killing device."

"?"

"My study methods only begin when your life is truly on the line."

"...."

Go Ryuwon's face twitched, as if dying to let out a string of curses.

Ignoring his reaction, Kim Dojun calmly took out a box with a number lock and handed it over.

"The method is the same as the bomb necklace. Solve the problems, get the right answers, and you'll be able to pull out the key to remove the helmet. If you fail...."

Watching him thoughtfully, Kim Dojun continued:
"It might not be so bad...?"

"?"

"If the bomb exploded and your head flew off, cleanup would be messier, but if you just die like this, your skin just goes bluish, so after a cremation you could probably pass for having died of cardiac arrest or something, right?"

Kim Dojun began pondering this seriously.

Once again, go Ryuwon realized the man wasn't in his right mind, and looked down at his open textbook and problem workbook, frantically starting to study.

About two hours after Kim Dojun's "tutoring" began—

"Gah—koff—koff—!"

With water entering his mouth and making him suffer, go Ryuwon struggled, but found that he'd been able to solve advanced sorcery comprehension problems he'd thought impossible.

'My study method really is the best.'

Kim Dojun smiled.

Meanwhile, go Ryuwon, desperately solving problems while gulping down water,

'Save... me...'

teared up at the new device, which, if anything, was even harsher than the bomb necklace, and at the same time,

'It can't go on like this...!'

He began to steel his resolve for something.

####

After finishing the session with Go Ryuwon, Kim Dojun arrived at Choi Yuroun's traditional-style mansion.

'... Why did he ask to meet Jowhasu?'

After a brief greeting, as she led Kim Dojun to the room where Jowhasu was before his battle with Baekgwi, Choi Yuroun found herself musing on the question.

Jowhasu (調和水).

The shikigami, which took a water-like form and constantly shifted shape, was obtained by Choi Yuroun from the spirit zone in China, and its grade had yet to be determined.

In other words, it was a rare type of shikigami.

But the reason Choi Yuroun was obsessed with Jowhasu was not simply because it was rare.

After all, jowhasu was merely unusual; it wasn't actually a combat-type shikigami.

There was only one reason she kept it around despite being unable to form a contract with it.

'To reach Special Grade.'

Special Grade.

In most circles, S-Grade was considered the highest level for a sorcerer, with Special Grade treated as a sort of non-existent rank.

But that was because Special Grade sorcerers were even rarer than S-Grade, and in the past several decades—almost a whole century—not a single one had appeared.

Still, since the rank of Special Grade definitively existed, she set it as her target.

She'd read in an old tome that for a shikigami user to become Special Grade, jowhasu was absolutely essential.

It was a book whose author wasn't even known, with no clear date written, but it was the only clue that described a path for a shikigami user to reach Special Grade, so Choi Yuroun kept Jowhasu around, contract or not.

"Hoo...."

Already four years with Jowhasu, Choi Yuroun was starting to give up hope of forming a contract.

Over the last four years, she'd tried absolutely everything.

She'd spent astronomical sums buying things that shikigami liked and offering them as gifts.

She'd lived for days at a time with Jowhasu, talking with it.

She even wondered if the problem was with herself and introduced it to other shikigami users.

Besides that, she'd done all sorts of things anyone else would call bizarre, all in the hopes of forming a contract with Jowhasu. But in all those four years, never once did she succeed.

Not only did she fail, she hadn't even exchanged a single word with Jowhasu, despite her many efforts over four years!

That was why she introduced Jowhasu to Kim Dojun with half a sense of resignation.

If this was right after she'd just brought Jowhasu and found the mention in the tome, she would have been more guarded—but four years of failure had convinced her that Jowhasu was simply out of reach. Plus—

'I don't know why he wants to meet Jowhasu, but it's a cheap price to pay.'

No matter what, if letting Kim Dojun meet Jowhasu got her what she wanted, she was satisfied enough.

"This is it. Go through this door and you can meet Jowhasu."

With that thought, she led Kim Dojun to the room, and standing before the door, said,

"And just to be clear, our deal ends here, got it? Don't try to change it later."

She warned him repeatedly.

Hearing this, Kim Dojun looked at Choi Yuroun.

'... Even in-game, I thought her costume design was really unique.'

He thought that while looking at the masks hanging all over her outfit, then simply nodded.

"Understood."

With that, he entered the room.

And then, Kim Dojun saw it.

In the darkness, the only shining thing was a massive entity made of water swimming through the air.

But, to be more precise, it wasn't a snake—it had the shape of a dragon.

A dragon-shaped entity floating in midair, made of water.

'So this is Choi Yuroun's serendipity.'

Staring at the sight, Kim Dojun couldn't help but think this.

Actually, jowhasu is not the protagonist's fateful opportunity, but the opportunity of the character "Baek-shik-shin Choi Yuroun" from Sorcery Killing Technique.

In the game, after she contracts with Jowhasu, she goes from already powerful S-Grade to becoming even more formidable.

With a few more fortuitous encounters, Choi Yuroun is eventually able to transcend S-Grade.

... Judging by how the game depicted it, it's more like she reached the border of Special Grade than fully achieving it, but still.

... Anyway, in short, this was someone one else's opportunity.

'Well, considering its properties, it wouldn't hurt to share some of it.'

Recalling Jowhasu's traits from the game, Kim Dojun smiled and pulled out the Ring of Command he carried.

----
Ring of Command
Grade: Top-tier.
Effect: Allows the wearer to comprehend all languages known by the sorcerer "Chu Hyeoja," who crafted the ring.
----

That log floated up in his mind.

'I got this just for this moment.'

Although the Ring of Command had other uses, Kim Dojun specifically acquired it to share in Choi Yuroun's opportunity at this very moment. He smiled as he slipped it onto his finger.

As soon as he put on the ring, a strange ringing echoed in his ears, and he frowned for a moment.

[Oh—]

A deep voice resonated in his ear, where until now there had been only silence, making him smile involuntarily as he realized the ring's effect was working.

[A young man... Hm, this is... tempting.]

"?"

Hearing that, Kim Dojun involuntarily raised a question mark above his head.