Chapter 107
[How could something like that happen? Before challenging a new floor, everyone would check a guide first....]
[Even now that was true, but back then there were very few people who had climbed past Floor 40.]
[In Korea, I was the only one.]
[Of course, there were far fewer observed patterns, and information sharing wasn't as smooth as it is now.]
[Didn't other people know this?]
[Only a tiny handful of people know exactly what happens inside the Tower.]
[Once the media started covering it, it was obvious they wouldn't be able to handle it.]
[That was one of the few things the government and I could do for them.]
“Phew….”
I let out a sigh.
A true tragedy.
There was nothing I could say.
It was a little too heavy for me to bear.
[After that day, she stopped using magic.]
[She avoids people. And adults like me even more.]
[Maybe if it were someone closest to her age, like you, she'd be able to meet them?]
[She'd also shown signs that she wanted to meet you normally too.... So I'm only telling you this.]
But Kim Suho seemed to want me to look into this issue.
To be honest, I was worried about Shin Seha too.
Even though I'd only ever seen her through a monitor, I'd grown surprisingly attached to her without even realizing it.
“First, maybe I should find out how to get there....”
I searched the internet for the address of Shin Seha I had just learned.
For some reason, a post from some gallery was sitting at the top of the search results.
[Title: My neighborhood suddenly lost power, what the hell is this?]
[I'm in promotion matches right now, wtf???]
ㄴ Not '됬,' but '됐.'
ㄴ Why won't it work?
I checked the date the post was uploaded.
It was the same day I left my last comment on pkkatju's post.
My comment asking for a review of the shield.
One picture clicked into place in my head.
“... Was it while testing the shield?”
Seha must have used magic to answer my question.
The magic she had been trying not to use anymore.
There must have been some kind of control issue, naturally.
And as a result, lightning must have exploded all over the building, even causing a blackout.
“That must have triggered her trauma pretty badly....”
Using lightning on a shield, with the failure's aftermath devastating the surrounding area.
Of course, that would have brought back the terrible memory of that day.
Clearly, this wasn't my responsibility or my fault.
And yet, something kept stabbing at my heart.
It was uncomfortable enough that I couldn't sit still.
“…….”
Suddenly, I remembered when Kim Suho had been devastated.
The memory of banding together with the people from Mage Gallery to help Kim Suho.
The joy I first felt from human connection when I saw Kim Suho overcome his ordeal.
It was a much warmer, fuller feeling than the dopamine rush from hanging out on the forum.
Mage Gallery was no longer just an internet community to me.
There were only five mages in all of South Korea.
A special group that only they belonged to.
Helping one of its members was, in a way, only natural.
“... For some reason, I felt a sense of kinship too.”
Shin Seha and I had a lot in common in many ways.
The difference was the trauma caused by an accident.
And that was purely a matter of luck.
I could easily have ended up like that too.
“Okay.”
I steeled myself.
“I'll help her.”
***
I'd decided to help Shin Seha, but when it came time to figure out what I should actually do, I was at a loss.
I sat lost in thought in front of the monitor.
First, I needed to figure out exactly what problem Seha was dealing with.
I went back over what Kim Suho had said.
A friendly-fire wipeout caused by magic reflection.
Loss of control caused by that trauma.
Flashbacks caused by the loss of control.
A vicious feedback loop was already in motion.
“This isn't something simple counseling would solve.”
Of course, counseling would help.
But Seha, who didn't even go outside, didn't seem like she'd get counseling like that.
Even so, I couldn't introduce her to a counselor, or become one myself.
“I wish there were a more certain, more physical way to help....”
But I couldn't think of any suitable method.
The more I worried, the worse my head hurt.
To clear my head, I mindlessly went online again.
[Title: Can you charge your phone with a lightning rod??]
[I was thinking, if you stood on the roof with your phone on a day when lightning is striking, wouldn't free electricity be totally possible??]
ㄴ Do it for sure, lol. Mom'll cheer our boy on too.
ㄴ That's some seriously cursed advice, lol.
ㄴ But why wouldn't it work?
ㄴ Can you heat your place with fireworks?
ㄴㄴ I don't understand what you're saying?
ㄴㄴ It's a burst of intense energy, so you can't really use it.
ㄴㄴ It's easy to understand once you get it.
I snorted and was about to scroll down.
But at that moment, one thought flashed through my mind.
“Wait, a lightning rod?”
I stopped scrolling and read the post again.
I opened Notepad and started writing down the scattered thoughts that had just come to mind.
Lightning rod. Lightning. Battery. Charging.
If a lightning rod could guide lightning that veered off course?
If I could gather the lightning back into one place again—meaning, back into the caster's own body?
Then she wouldn't have to fear her own magic hurting the people around her anymore.
Not only that, but it would also save far more mana.
“That's it!”
I shot up from my seat.
I had found the key to a solution.
The problem was how to make such an item, but I had a way.
The Legendary Ring: Memory of Fire.
An item that contained all of the dwarves' crafting techniques.
“Let's see, an item related to magic absorption....”
I searched diligently through the blue book made of mana.
Most of them were equipment for giant siege weapons or city power sources.
What I wanted wasn't something that grand.
A small, personal item—something closer to an accessory.
“Found it.”
After searching for a long time, I was able to find the item I wanted.
[Magic Guidance Ring (Low)]
[A ring that guides a specific attribute of magic into the wearer's body.]
[Highly recommended for tanks.]
[Do not gift this to someone you have a grudge against.]
[An item regulated under Dwarven Grudge Law.]
“It's a little different, but this should be fine.”
Even the materials didn't require that much.
Just a small amount of mithril and mana stones.
I quickly prepared the materials and got to work.
Clang!
After a few hammer blows, the ring's band took shape in an instant.
I was already used to making round bands like this.
Because I'd put in the grind to level up my crafting skill.
I carved intricate patterns into the finished piece with a small chisel.
With every stroke, a large amount of mana was sucked into the ring.
“Phew....”
I wiped the sweat from my forehead.
At last, a small silver ring appeared in my palm.
But it still wasn't complete.
The final step remained.
“I have to infuse it with the magic of the desired attribute?”
Maybe because it wasn't a top-grade item, it could only guide one type of magic.
But for Seha, that was actually better.
What I wanted was only to recover lightning magic.
If other magic got guided too, that would be dangerous for someone who wasn't a tank.
“Looks like I can do this myself.”
I smiled in satisfaction and tried slipping the ring on and off my finger.
With just this, it should help a lot in overcoming the trauma.
That way, Seha wouldn't have to fear her own power anymore.
All that was left now was to pass the ring on naturally.
“Should I just show up out of nowhere?”
I imagined suddenly appearing in front of Seha's house and knocking on the door.
‘Hello, pkkatju-nim. I heard about your trauma. Would you like to try this? I made it specially for you?’
“Yeah, definitely not.”
It was an awful thought.
Seha would definitely see me as a threat.
In the worst case, Seha might completely shut herself off and never show up on Mage Gallery again.
If that happened, it really would be the worst possible outcome.
“Hmm.... Seha is still checking the gallery, right?”
Seha was, after all, a hardcore gallery addict.
I was certain that even if Seha were mentally crushed, she wouldn't stop lurking on the gallery.
I thought of one method.
[Title: Made some rings from the leftover materials after making the shield.]
[Author: Anon(444.444)]
Pretending it was an event for everyone.
That was my choice.
ㄴFridge: Are you seriously trying to switch careers to blacksmithing??
ㄴAnon(444.444): I said I'm going to start a company, okay?
ㄴFridge: I really want to stop you from starting a business....
ㄴMagicIsFirepower: If it fails, I'll take you in, so don't worry.
The atmosphere was the same as always.
But the person I was waiting for never appeared.
“Should I have just told her directly?”
I scrolled all the way down.
I found a post pkkatju had written a few days earlier.
An ordinary nonsense post from before the blackout incident.
I carefully left a comment on that post.
ㄴAnon(444.444): You should take a ring too. It'd suit a lightning mage even better, wouldn't it?
A comment notification would have appeared on pkkatju's phone.
There was no way to know whether she'd read this comment and reply at this point.
But I kept the comments going, like I was talking to myself.
ㄴAnon(444.444): It's basically the principle of recovering the magic you cast, you know?
ㄴAnon(444.444): It's an item that improves magic precision and reduces mana consumption.
ㄴAnon(444.444): Just try it once.
I left out words like trauma or loss of control.
I framed it as nothing more than an item that simply improved performance.
My goal was to arouse her curiosity without poking the wound.
I left the comment and sat motionless in front of the computer, waiting.
5 minutes, 10 minutes... the longer time passed, the more anxious I became.
“Was it too much after all?”
Maybe she wasn't even looking at the gallery anymore.
Just as I was thinking I might have to give up and think of another way...
A reply came in.
ㄴpkkatju: What do you mean by recovering magic?
It was pkkatju.
Seeing even her usual speech style break down, she looked to be in bad shape.
I took a deep breath and continued as calmly as possible.
This was the real beginning.
ㄴAnon(444.444): It's like a magic boomerang. You can recover the spell you cast back into the ring.
ㄴAnon(444.444): Even if the magic goes off course, you can recover it again, so you save a lot more mana too.
I added the most important condition at the end.
ㄴAnon(444.444): But it does require registering the user's personal magic. So we'd have to meet in person once to do it.
Would she really accept this proposal?
I swallowed hard and stared at the monitor.