Episode 7. Laying the Foundation (3)

The inside of the laboratory was so chaotic that the word “mess” didn’t even begin to describe it.

The smell of unknown chemicals and alchemy tools unpleasantly stabbed at my nose.

“Do you know what a Holy Mark is?”

Professor Jade, sitting on what could barely be called a chair (it was more like a moldy leather lump), suddenly asked me.

I looked around the lab for a place to sit, gave up, and opened my mouth.

“Isn’t it the blessing bestowed by the seven gods?”

“…A blessing, you say.”

Hehehe.

Professor Jade laughed, his shoulders shaking as if something was incredibly funny.

“Then what about Blessings?”

“They’re special abilities that only a very small number of people who have awakened their Holy Marks can manifest.”

“What do you think is the most notable characteristic of Blessings?”

The most notable characteristic of Blessings.

The answer to this question wasn’t too difficult.

It was something I had painfully felt over the past hundreds… no, perhaps thousands of years.

“Once manifested, they never disappear, no matter what.”

“Hoh.”

A glint appeared in Professor Jade’s eyes.

“That’s a unique answer.”

“What part of it is unique?”

“Usually, when people are asked about the most notable characteristic of Blessings, they mention ‘uniqueness.’ Unlike Holy Marks, Blessings manifest differently in each person.”

“……”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

Well.

As Professor Jade said, most people would consider the uniqueness of Blessings as their most notable feature.

After all, not many people would struggle to erase a Blessing they had worked so hard to obtain.

“Well, anyway, as you said, once a Blessing is manifested, it doesn’t change or disappear.”

Professor Jade continued his explanation with his arms crossed, speaking in a low voice.

The calm demeanor he displayed now was a far cry from the drooling, cackling madman I had first met.

‘This guy isn’t usually like this.’

The Professor Jade I remembered was eccentric, bizarre, and seemed like someone who was broken in some way.

Why is he suddenly acting so calm?

“Now, let’s return to the topic of Holy Marks.”

Tap tap.

His wrinkled fingers tapped on his left chest.

“Holy Marks usually awaken around the age of 10, but they can awaken as early as 3 or as late as 18.”

This was common knowledge.

“Which of the seven gods’ Holy Marks one awakens depends on various factors, but generally, children inherit the same Holy Marks as their parents.”

“Isn’t that something we learned in first-year basic education?”

Why is he explaining something even the backbenchers know in such detail?

“Inherited traits… a phenomenon that manifests at a specific age. Once manifested, it never disappears. Doesn’t that remind you of something?”

“I’m not sure.”

As I shook my head, Professor Jade opened his mouth with the most serious expression.

“Baldness.”

Huh?

“Logically speaking, heroes who have awakened their Holy Marks all experience a phenomenon similar to baldness.”

“No.”

What kind of nonsense is this guy spouting?

“Why, don’t you think it’s an apt comparison?”

“I don’t know if it’s apt, but it’s definitely the kind of comparison that would get you beaten up if the Holy Kingdom heard it.”

If Iris had heard what Professor Jade just said, she would have probably smashed his head with a holy book while smiling sweetly.

“Is that so?”

Professor Jade shrugged and continued with a calm expression.

“Then, judging by the fact that I’m still intact, you must not be from the Holy Kingdom.”

His calm gaze fixed on me.

“Nor are you from the Empire, where faith in the Seven Stars Religion is deeply rooted.”

That leaves only one place.

About five hundred years ago.

A country founded by ‘outsiders’ who came from another world during the Devil God War.

A country where faith in the Seven Stars Religion is relatively weak and ‘freedom’ is ostensibly the nation’s greatest ideology.

“You’re from the Republic.”

“……”

So that’s why he was spouting all that nonsense earlier.

“You could have just asked where I’m from.”

“The mouth always lies.”

As expected.

He’s the same eccentric professor I knew.

“By the way, what would you have done if I were from the Holy Kingdom?”

“Of course, I would have kicked you out immediately. I don’t want to get involved with Holy Kingdom folks.”

Well.

From the perspective of the Holy Kingdom, which believes in and follows the seven gods, Professor Jade’s research on artificially influencing Holy Marks would be close to blasphemy.

‘There are even rumors that the Holy Kingdom puts pressure on him every year to stop his research on Holy Marks.’

Looking at the state of this lab, those rumors are probably true.

The only reason Professor Jade hasn’t been kicked out of the school despite the Holy Kingdom’s pressure is that he is a descendant of Julius Bastian, one of the Five Great Heroes who sealed the Devil God and a legendary hero known as the ‘Great Sage.’

“So, you want to participate in the research on potions that affect Holy Marks?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry, but that might be difficult.”

“Is it because I’m from the Warrior Department? If that’s the case, you don’t need to worry…”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then why is it difficult?”

“The reason is simple.”

Professor Jade continued with his characteristic eccentric smile.

“There’s no research funding.”

“……”

Ah, that’s why.

‘Looking at the state of this lab… it doesn’t seem like there’s any funding.’

I sighed deeply as I looked around the lab, which resembled a haunted house.

Even so, for someone who is a descendant of the ‘Great Sage’ to have fallen so low that he doesn’t even have money for research…

‘The problem is that I don’t have a single penny either.’

As an orphan candidate with no parents, where would I get any money?

The only reason I can attend school now is because the Republic is covering my tuition.

“How much funding do you need?”

“Hmm. It depends on what we’re researching, but we’d need at least 1 million gold.”

“……”

1 million gold.

Converted to the Republic’s old currency, ‘won,’ that would be roughly 1 billion won.

‘Damn it.’

I never thought my plans would be thwarted by something like this.

‘I could just give up on the Holy Mark Amplifier.’

The problem is that Professor Jade’s value isn’t just in inventing the Holy Mark Amplifier.

Jade Bastian.

True to his name as a descendant of the ‘Great Sage,’ he possessed genius-level intelligence, sharp insight, and an unparalleled ability to develop things that others couldn’t even dream of.

‘Though for some reason, he’s a bit… off.’

Thinking about what he could create through his research in the future, it’s hard not to feel frustrated with the current situation.

‘If things continue like this… it’ll happen again.’

In my past life, Professor Jade developed the Holy Mark Amplifier, which led to victory in the war against the Mains, but shortly after, he took his own life.

The exact reason for his suicide was never known.

But if one of the reasons was that he was stuck in this trash heap of a lab with no funding, wasting his days…

‘Humanity will lose the descendant of the Great Sage once again.’

Both the Holy Mark Amplifier and Professor Jade were too valuable to lose like this.

“I’ll… find a way to get the funding.”

“Hehehe. How do you plan to do that?”

“By any means necessary.”

With those words, I turned and left the lab.

After being in the dim lab, the warm sunlight outside felt like emerging from an underground tunnel.

“Sigh.”

How on earth am I supposed to gather 1 million gold?

‘There are ways.’

But none of them are feasible as a candidate student.

‘I can’t drop out of school to make money.’

Without graduating, I wouldn’t get an official hero license, so whether I hunt monsters to sell magic stones or capture Mains for bounties, it would all have to be done through illegal means.

‘Dropping out of school is not an option.’

Moreover, my past life comrades are also at this school.

For the sake of reuniting with them, I can’t drop out.

“Ugh.”

As I continued to ponder, heading back to the dorm.

“Hey, Rug! Where are you going?”

A voice called out from afar.

By the way, ‘Rug’ is a derogatory nickname for me, as I consistently rank at the bottom in the comprehensive evaluations every semester.

‘That voice…?’

I turned my head towards the familiar voice and saw a blond male student smirking, with three female students huddled behind him.

“……”

What was that guy’s name again?

I can’t remember.

“Hey, look at this brat. When I call you, you should come running. What are you doing?”

The blond male student let out a hollow laugh and gestured for me to come quickly.

Seeing his cocky attitude, a memory suddenly flashed through my mind.

“Ah, I remember.”

Juliet Kang.

A fellow candidate from the Republic who often bullied me.

Since we didn’t cross paths after graduation, I had completely forgotten about him.

‘I never thought I’d meet him again like this.’

A wry smile escaped me at the unexpected encounter with an old… acquaintance?

“…Hey. I told you to come over. What are you grinning about? Huh? You wanna die?”

“Senior Juliet~ Is that the guy? The one who’s always last in the comprehensive evaluations?”

“And he’s an orphan, right? Ugh~ This is why this school is going downhill. Just having a Holy Mark gets trash like him admitted…”

“I think only people with solid backgrounds, like Senior Juliet, should be allowed to enroll!”

As Juliet made a show of his importance, the female students behind him squealed.

“…Sigh.”

I shook my head at the ridiculous scene and turned away.

I didn’t have the time to deal with such idiots.

I needed to think of a way to gather 1 million gold as soon as possible…

“Hey, you little brat. Did you lose your mind just because you got lucky and won one match in the non-magic duel? Huh?”

Juliet approached with a fierce expression.

“Oh yeah, I heard you were flirting with the Saintess? Tsk tsk. A lowly brat like you should know your place… Well, I can understand your feelings.”

Juliet continued in a low voice, so the female students behind him wouldn’t hear.

“Our Saintess’s ‘Blessing Pouch’ is… well, it’s a size no man could ignore, right?”

Hehehe.

Juliet smirked obscenely and made a crude gesture with his hands near his chest.

“……”

I stopped in my tracks.

“Wow~ Look at that angry face. Oh no~ I’m so scared. Why so serious, buddy? Huh? You wanna hit me?”

Juliet exaggeratedly trembled, mocking me.

I smiled faintly.

‘Now that I think about it.’

Another forgotten fact came to mind.

‘Juliet Kang’s family is definitely one of the top five wealthiest families in the Republic, right?’