READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 25
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Yujin looked at Ines, who was extending her hand, and thought.
‘A professor…’
This was honestly a situation Yujin hadn’t expected, but it wasn’t entirely unbelievable either.
Yujin was a mage who had established Space-Time Magic. In fact, no one else knew about it. In the realm of Space-Time, he was a pioneer and the only expert.
Of course, while dragons were the original source of all magic, Yujin was a dragon now and had refined the magic to a level that even mortals could use, so technically, calling him a pioneer wasn’t wrong.
Anyway, being a pioneer in a specific field implies that there is no one else greater in that field. From the Academy’s perspective, he couldn’t be more suitable for a professorship.
However…
“I have no intention of releasing Space-Time Magic into the world just yet. I’ve already made that clear in my lecture, so I trust the President understands, but… does that mean you still want to offer me a professorship?”
Yujin was not planning to disclose Space-Time Magic. In other words, he had no intention of teaching his specialty.
Hadn’t he emphasized that Space-Time Magic was too premature for humanity, and he would only teach it to those who truly sought the answers?
Yet Ines had still proposed the professorship to Yujin.
“Or are you taking my statements lightly?”
Was he going to ignore his refusal to teach Space-Time Magic and still push him to do it at the Academy?
The President shook his head.
“No, that’s not it. My apologies. I must have been too brief and lacked proper explanation.”
Ines added more explanation.
“First of all… Yujin, I perfectly understand what you said during the lecture. I’m not asking for you to directly teach Space-Time Magic at the Academy.”
“So you mean not directly?”
“Right, not directly.”
With that, Ines opened a Space Pocket and pulled something out. It was…
“My published paper.”
“Yes. I also read the paper you released to the association.”
Ines casually turned the pages of the paper.
“This theory I’ve never heard of, with concepts so mysterious they seem otherworldly, and a Magic Circle like nothing we’ve seen before… To be honest, I couldn’t wrap my head around it.”
“……”
“But as I read, it occurred to me: perhaps this is content that can’t be properly understood without background knowledge? For the author, it might seem like common sense, but for us, there seem to be hidden concepts like innovations.”
Hearing that, Yujin felt a surge of admiration. He hadn’t thought anyone could perceive that.
In reality, Yujin had written his paper in a structure that could not be completely understood without not only modern scientific principles about Space-Time but also the Space-Time Magic knowledge directly handed down by Tiamat, and insights he gained from his own draconic sense.
Originally, Yujin had written the paper to stifle the association and free himself from their interference, not because he wished humanity to understand and utilize Space-Time Magic.
As mentioned before, technology is neutral, but goodness and evil exist in the users of that technology.
He didn’t want the Space-Time Magic he established to be misused. So, he thought it would be better not to reveal it at all.
Yet the President before him had somewhat pierced through that intent. There had been mentions in the game about having great insight, and it seemed to be true.
“As a mage, I deeply resonate with your statement, ‘A mage should explore to find value.’”
“……”
“However, the knowledge you’ve presented feels extremely foreign… almost from another world. So, I have to ask. Can’t you help future sprouts interpret this, even if it’s not Space-Time Magic?”
Regardless of being one of the strongest mortals or the President of the Academy, Ines was asking politely.
Seeing that, Yujin felt a slight tug at his heart.
While he had no plans to release Space-Time Magic into the world, that didn’t mean his statements during the lecture were insincere.
He believed that those who pursued knowledge and truth should possess proper ethics and morals, with no sense of vanity or entitlement.
In Yujin’s eyes, an ideal mage in this world was one who genuinely contributed to society, unlike himself, who had risen from the depths by slaughtering monsters and unintentionally stumbled upon a chance for growth.
If he could nurture such individuals with his own hands, wouldn’t he feel a sense of pride in that?
Above all, isn’t a person’s value defined and proven through work? Yujin had no intention of living a life of idleness, having gained wealth from Tiamat’s Tomb.
Being a professor wouldn’t be a bad thing, since it was a valuable pursuit.
But…
‘I have a contract with Tiamat first.’
According to his agreement with Tiamat, he was obliged to free the Dragons of the Maze and restore dragons’ status to its former glory.
There was no way to know how long that would take, making it impossible to focus solely on his professorship at the moment.
Just as he was about to refuse…
『…Yujin, do you want to try being a professor for humans?』
‘…Pardon?’
Tiamat, who had been quiet since meeting Ines, suddenly spoke up.
『I just read your thoughts. You seem interested in being a professor.』
‘…That’s true.’
Yujin was momentarily at a loss for words, but then he spoke to Tiamat.
‘But I have to fulfill my contract with Tiamat first.’
『Hmm? There’s no need to fulfill the contract right away, you know?』
‘Pardon?’
In response to Yujin’s questioning look, Tiamat continued.
『Of course, it would be good to fulfill it as soon as possible… but the contract doesn’t specify when it must be completed.』
‘That’s… true, I suppose.’
『More importantly, you’re still like a newly hatched hatchling as a dragon. Your spirit is quite high for a hatchling, but I was willing to wait for you to grow further. The Maze was created as a prison by the gods, and it’s not something just an average Transcendent can easily handle, so preparation is also needed.』
‘Ah…’
『Of course, retrieving a few of my children isn’t something too difficult for you right now… but still, there’s no rush, so take your time and do the things you want to do while you prepare. I will wait.』
As Tiamat said that with a gentle smile, she truly looked like a benevolent mother.
Yujin felt a warmth at that moment but still asked with concern.
‘But the other dragons trapped in the maze are waiting, right?’
『Those kids will probably just be sleeping for a thousand years, so there’s no big problem.』
‘…I see.’
He had briefly underestimated the sense of time of dragons. Tiamat, without a physical body, couldn’t sleep, but dragons apparently could sleep in thousand-year increments.
‘…Still, I’ll need to check first.’
However, Yujin didn’t want to postpone his contract with Tiamat.
So he turned to Ines.
“May I ask a question?”
“I’ll listen.”
Ines nodded readily, so Yujin asked.
“Will I have enough time to explore the maze while working as a professor?”
“Ah, is that what you’re concerned about? It seems you have a great interest in the Maze.”
Ines responded swiftly after that remark.
“As a professor, you’re free to do anything outside of teaching. Whether it’s research or exploring the Maze, the Academy will fully support you. You could even skip procedures related to maze exploration and team up with other faculty members to go down together. Plus, you don’t have to worry about a lack of lecture time. Basically, time flows faster in the maze the deeper you go.”
“Is that so?”
That was new information for him. Yujin was still a newbie in the Maze Academy game, so there were indeed things he didn’t know.
‘…Though I think I felt that the flow of time felt different.’
While Yujin pondered, Ines continued.
“A day on the first layer equates to 12 hours in reality, from the 11th to the 20th layers it’s 6 hours, and from the 21st to the 30th layers it’s just 3 hours… time speeds up by double every ten layers.”
“Oh…”
“Also, the Maze remembers each challenger’s progression. If a challenger has reached layer 10 before, they can be transported there immediately.”
He already knew that.
Anyway, that solved a significant worry. If time flowed quickly in the maze, Yujin wouldn’t have to worry…
‘And with Dragon Language, I could warp to the lower layers immediately.’
It meant there wouldn’t be a huge problem in fulfilling his contract with Tiamat now.
However, one puzzling point was that, based on Tiamat’s standards during the great war, it was believed that it occurred thousands of years ago, while on the surface it was also perceived to have happened thousands of years ago…
『Ah, the rapid passage of time applies to mortals, not to Transcendents. There’s an absolute standard of time for us Transcendents. You adapted to the flow of mortal time, but once you fully unleash your sense as a Transcendent, you’ll understand.』
“Ah, I see.”
Tiamat resolved the questions Yujin had within. Anyway…
“And… you know that there are many places that want you. By attaching yourself to the Academy, you won’t have to worry about them bothering you.”
“That’s certainly true.”
Above all, he resonated with the President’s words the most: if he already had an affiliation, those who might annoy him wouldn’t be a concern.
“Of course, I also won’t bother you about Space-Time Magic. All I’d need is for you to teach a few lectures at the Academy.”
“…Is that so?”
“What do you think?”
After seeming to contemplate, Yujin smiled and took Ines’ outstretched hand.
“Alright. Then I’ll accept the offer for the professorship at the Academy.”
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