NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 13
After explaining the general flow of upcoming events to his younger sister at the cafe, the next place Myung-jun visited was the university he had attended before enlisting in the military. The next piece needed to complete Myung-jun’s plan was at that university. Inside the taxi on the way to the university, the Time Keeper, who had been dormant in Myung-jun’s right palm, woke up and asked,
<Is the place we’re heading to Cheongmyeong University, where you attended before your military service?>
‘Yes.’
<Who are you meeting?>
‘Han Soo-Jeong.’
<Han Soo-jeong? Who’s that?>
‘Couldn’t you read my memories? Yet you don’t know Han Soo-jeong?’
<Just because I can read memories doesn’t mean I’ve read them all. Nor does it mean our memories are synchronized. Re-reading is tedious, so explain.>
‘Have you read any memories about CTI?’
<Crystal Technology Industry (CTI)? I recall. It’s the rival company of the Gate Tech Laboratory where you were affiliated. They were in the second place.>
‘She’s the founder and key technician of that company, my senior from university. The company name not only signifies technology related to crystals but also refers to her name. If GCL (Gate Counter Lab) specialized in processing Monster materials, Soo-Jeong ‘s CTI was the pinnacle in crystal utilization. The skill panel device that displays an Awakener ability for others to see. A crystal spectrum analyser that discerns if a crystal is ordinary or a special one capable of awakening. A gasoline converter that turns water into eco-friendly fuel using crystals. The Infuse Limit, which explosively accelerates biological growth within a certain radius using crystal energy. The Regenerator, which can instantly heal someone on the brink of death. And the Power Armor, which allows even non-awakened individuals to face high-level Monsters if they have enough crystal energy. Equipment made by CTI, though imperfect in some parts, was powerful and helpful for human survival.’
<What do you mean by ‘imperfect’?>
‘The devices Soo-jeong made were technically impeccable, but some were impossible to realize with modern technology or physics. For instance, the early version of the Power Armor was fuelled by high-grade crystals but had terrible efficiency. Even using an 8th-grade crystal, it couldn’t operate for more than 50 seconds. Furthermore, finding and defeating a gate boss within 50 seconds was impossible due to its slow movement. It successfully defended against powerful attacks from Rank 8 Monster and protected the wearer, but it became heavier and bulkier in exchange for increased defense. Thus, CTI decided…’
<They commissioned GCL for a special material to complete the Power Armor, right?>
‘Exactly. I was the only one on Earth capable of producing a material that was lighter than titanium and had the desired physical properties sought by CTI. So, in a sense, while Soo-jeong was my rival, she was also my biggest client.’
<So, why do you need this rival client, Han Soo-jeong , after your regression? After all, isn’t her genius ability just another power that arose from awakening? There’s still time before the monsters make a full-blown appearance, so at this point, isn’t she just a regular person?
>‘No, it’s not like that.’
<Why?>
‘Soo-Jeong wasn’t an awakened individual.’
<What?!?!>
Hearing Time Keeper’s shocked cry, Myung-jun opened the taxi door. Staring at the main entrance of the university he used to attend, he muttered to himself,
‘Unlike me, who’s nothing without abilities, Soo-jeong was a genuine genius in her own right.’
With those words, Myung-jun started walking briskly towards a separate building inside Cheongmyeong University.
*********
“Are you asking about the workshop where Senior Soo-jeong works? Why do you want to go there? Wait, wait a moment. I don’t know what rumours you’ve heard, but the tale that Senior Soo-Jeong can make anything you want is just an exaggerated urban legend. In reality, what senior makes is merely a scrap heap with an incredibly complex interior. So, if you’re thinking of approaching her with high hopes, it might be better to give up.”
The response Myung-jun received after asking about Soo-jeong’s location in the Mechanical Engineering department was a rant from a junior student from the same department, belittling her abilities.
“Senior Soo-Jeong, right. Honestly, she barely attends classes, so I even wonder if calling her ‘senior’ is appropriate. However, she is indeed an interesting person. But if you’re thinking about collaborating with her, I’d suggest giving up. Though the title of the department’s beauty is a popular one, no man so far has confessed to Senior Soo-Jeong without being rejected. Even a senior from the idol aspiring songwriter course got turned down, you know?”
The second junior Myung-jun approached seemed to assume that Myung-jun was just another guy who had tried and failed with Soo-Jeong before.
“Han Soo-jeong? What do you want with that mad ‘scientist’? No, at least mad scientists produce something functional. Soo-jeong is even less than that. There are more than one or two seniors who sought her skills for their graduation projects and ended up failing, you know? She’s a bit… broken. Better not to get involved. Though, I admit, she looks good. But what’s the use of good appearance if the inside isn’t up to par?”
“People seem to give her high marks for her looks. Is she that pretty?”
“Well, given our department, it’s true we might be overly generous with our ratings for the few female peers we have. But even considering that, she’s genuinely beautiful. The problem is that with such a face, all she does all day is wear a welding mask.”
“I just need to know where Senior Soo-jeong is.”
“I’d like to stop you, but if you really want to find her, check the Mechanical Engineering storage shed behind the annex building. It’s originally for storing materials, but the professor let Soo-jeong use it, so it’s practically her personal workshop now. Oh, and when you go, you should use this.”
What the person who appeared to be Soo-jeong ‘s senior handed over was a gas mask, the kind you’d expect to see in a metal workshop.
“Usually, that place is filled with so much smoke and gas that you can hardly see anything. From welding fumes to the smoke that arises when grinding metal. It’s almost like being inside a sealed shipyard, so if you want to protect your lungs even a little, you should wear that.”
As Myung-jun took the gas mask and left the workshop, Time keeper spoke to him.
<He’s a good person. Is the technical term for that ‘Tsundere’?>
‘Isn’t that a geek term, not a technical one?’
<It’s the same thing.>
‘Anyway, now that I’ve figured out where she is, I’ll go right away.’
Myung-jun knew the place as the storage room for the Department of Mechanical Engineering, which was located quite far back, even beyond the annex. However, finding the place wasn’t difficult for Myung-jun. As soon as he walked around the building to the back, the distinct smell of burning metal wafted over. It was a familiar scent Myung-jun couldn’t forget even in his dreams, reminding him of the time before he returned to being stuck in a forge.
“Is this the place?”
Following the source of the smell, Myung-jun entered the dimly lit space and soon could hear the noisy sound of a grinder piercing through the walls of a small building. He also realized why the professor of the mechanical engineering department had recommended this quiet place for their beloved student to use as a storage room. If this storage had been even a bit closer to another building, there would’ve been endless complaints from students disturbed during their classes. Moreover, installing noise insulation would’ve been expensive.
Fortunately, unless you sought it out, this warehouse was so secluded it was hard to even know it existed. The dense trees around absorbed much of the noise efficiently.
Enjoying the ambiance, Myung-jun slowly opened the door from where the grinding sound emanated. But soon, he realized he had been mistaken.
“WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!”
-KAKAKAKAKAKAKAKAKANG!!! –
-TUTUTUTUTUTUTUTUTU!!! –
It wasn’t that this building lacked noise insulation. The noise was just so loud it pierced even the thick barrier walls. Amidst this deafening noise, Myung-jun painfully covered his ears and tried to locate Soo-jeong through the dense smoke.
“Why are there so many ventilation systems but the smoke isn’t clearing?! Senior Soo-jeong! Are you here?!”
His shout disappeared as if it was noise-cancelled, drowned out by the overwhelming noise. Moreover, even without the smoke, the vast space was filled with indescribable mechanical junk, making it hard to see.
Unable to get a clear view, Myung-jun relied on his memory to locate the door and started feeling his way towards the wall. Then, he found a power strip with numerous plugs and yanked it out.
-WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!-
Suddenly, the loud sounds of the metalworking equipment started fading, and a sharp voice echoed from behind the machinery.
“Hey! Who keeps unplugging my stuff?!”
Soon after, there was the sound of someone rummaging and a pile of metal collapsing. Along with it came some choice swear words. While Myung-jun feared she might have gotten buried while looking for a new plug, he patiently waited.
A moment later, amidst the dense smoke, a figure emerged.
“You look like a killer from a horror movie.”
The appearance of Soo-jeong was just as the Junior had described. A thick welding mask covered her entire small face. She wore a white gown, now so dirty it looked like a rag, and thick jeans more blackened by welding sparks than their original blue colour. All this made her look like a serial killer from a horror film.
She held a huge plug in one hand and an unidentifiable metal lump in the other.
“Huh? Who are you?”
She paused for a moment, seemingly processing the situation, then alternately looked at Myung-jun and the plug next to him.
“YOU?!?!”
“Wait a moment. There’s a reason…”
“Hey! Who are you to unplug my stuff? You want to die here?!”
“Wait, senior!”
Instead of a reply, what flew towards Myung-jun was the unknown metal lump she had been holding. And if it hit him right, it looked hefty enough to turn a person into a mere slab of meat.
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