As the conversation continued, the other students perked up their ears with interest. Professor Seo smiled and took a bite of a piece of fried chicken.
“I ended up lecturing you during the meal. I’m sorry for making you lose your appetite. I’ll start from the basics for our young student, Yoo-shin-ssi. If you get bored, you can take a nap.”
With a joke, she continued her explanation in a way that even non-major In Yoo-shin could easily understand.
Gate studies(Gateology), which began 60 years ago with the appearance of the first gate, was a fairly comprehensive field of study. It included not only gates and dungeons, but also the abilities of the Awakeners and various byproducts such as crystal stones. Recently, as the theory of parallel worlds was established, it has come to cover even the fragmentary history and culture.
“Dr. Kang conducted research on Awakeners. What kind of research do you think it was? The hint is that It's a minor area of study. Want to take a guess? Oh, and don't go searching for any papers on this.”
“Oh, professor. How am I supposed to guess with just the hint that it's a minor study on Awakeners? Can’t you give us more hints?"
"Um, alright. I’ll be generous to give one more hint. The second hint is a hidden attribute."
The students who heard the second hint looked even more puzzled. Park Seung-gi also tilted his head.
"Hidden attributes are already rare…………………"
“He’s a person who delves into a very minor area of research, even among rare things.”
“By any chance………………… is it special attribute?”
“Oh! The answer came right away? Who is it?”
Professor Seo and the students’ eyes widened. The one who cautiously raised his hand was In-Yoo Shin, the only non-major in the room.
“Is it the intuition of the Awakener? Yoo-shin-ssi, have you ever thought about studying Gatekeeping? Since Gatekeeping is such a new field, only about 60 years old, intuition is really important. If you’re an Awakener and have a good sense, that’s the best.”
Professor Seo gave a thumbs-up and praised him, but In Yoo-sin forced a smile. He had casually thrown out the question about being related to Hyeon Gyu-ha and researching hidden traits, just to see if it would be true. The fact that it was correct made him even more uneasy.
<Well, I killed all the guys I knew a long time ago.>
<And 14 years ago, he was killed by Hyeon Gyu-ha.>
Gong Tae-seong’s words were becoming more and more believable.
“If it’s an attribute, it’s the rare Centaur attribute, the Durahan attribute, or something like that?”
“That’s right. For Koreans, something familiar would be the Guseondae trait, too.”
The attribute was usually related to the mystery of the old stories that were passed down in the form of tales or myths, but it did not display any special abilities. Just because you have the Centaur attribute, you are not half-human and half-horse, and just because you have the Durahan attribute, you cannot carry around a cut-off head.
Just like Hyeon Gyu-ha, who has the vampire attribute, does not suck human blood or turn into a bat.
In Yoo-shin put down the bowl of Jajangmyeon that he had not even eaten and just fiddled with his chopsticks. Meanwhile, Professor Seo continued his explanation.
“Dr. Kang hypothesized that the attribute may not have been manifested as an ability, but may have been imprinted in the genes of humans. Should we call it a kind of missing link? In the past, Dr. Kang’s claims would have been ignored as crazy.”
However, humans saw the Gate, and they also encountered the legendary mystery that sometimes appeared as a boss or hidden boss at the Gate. That was why Hyeon Gyu-ha had predicted that Minan, a hero from a myth, would be the hidden boss.
"Just half a year ago, a dungeon with a Jirisan Mountain setting opened in Algeria, and the hidden boss there was the baby warrior Uturi from our Korean folktales. But the background of the Uturi tale is estimated to be around the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods. That's the problem. What could this mean?" (Uturi is a character from Korean folklore, known for his superhuman strength.) A Korean folktale character appearing in an Algerian dungeon set in the present day is illogical.
"During the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods in our Earth's history, didn't supernatural beings with extraordinary powers no longer exist?"
“Correct. Until 60 years ago, all of that was just legends, not history. But after the gate opened, voila. The mysteries that we only heard of as legends are real? It’s like a parallel world? But why was it considered a legend on our Earth?”
“…….”
“Perhaps we can assume this? The beginning of humanity began with mysteries, but at some point, the parallel world where things like nine-tailed foxes, wolves, humans, and fairies continued to exist split into our Earth where they all disappeared. At that ‘point,’ mysteries other than humans died out, but the information remained in their genes, and it may have been implemented as the characteristics of the Awakened. That was Dr. Kang’s research.”
Of course, I wasn't sure from the beginning that the mysterious being who appeared as a boss inside the gate actually existed. I just thought that the world inside the gate was distorted, so the legend perceived by humans could be realized.
The research began under the assumption that it existed only after the parallel world theory was established. Kang Seok-woo was a scholar who had been arguing for parallel worlds and focusing on traits even before that.
"It wasn't something that got much attention in the academic world. Even during Dr. Kang's lifetime, the parallel world theory wasn't accepted. You could say that he was ahead of his time."
"But, professor."
Park Seung-gi asked with a puzzled expression.
"Isn't the research on attributes almost dead now? I don't think I've ever heard of it. The theory of parallel worlds has been established, so why isn't there anyone doing research like Dr. Kang? Is it because there are so few awakened people with attributes?"
"That's one reason. There are some researchers abroad, but it's a bit difficult in Korea. Hmm, this is a bit deep................."
Professor Seo, who had drained another glass of soju, put it down on the table with a loud thud. She hesitated with a red face due to the intoxication, but soon made up her mind and moved her lips.
"If you're not a child and interested in this, you'll understand someday, so I'll explain. To cut to the chase, I can't do it because I have to watch out for the conglomerates."
“What are you talking about?”
“Exactly. Research requires money, and if you’re on the bad side of a conglomerate, how much more difficult would it be? If they wanted to, it wouldn’t be a problem to cut off the funding of a single research lab.”
Professor Seo made a bitter smile and poured herself some soju.
“Yangsa Group.”
“Huh?”
“The chaebol that sponsored Dr. Kang. Dr. Kang was a senior researcher at a prestigious research institute with a guild that was connected to him. However, 14 years ago, he suddenly died in an accident, and not long after that, people from Yangsa also started dying one after another.”
It was a famous incident that is still occasionally mentioned even now, even though it happened 14 years ago. From the chairman of Yangsa Group, a large corporation ranked in the top 10 in the business world, to his nephew and niece, only the men died one after another.
Because of this, Yangsa, which insisted on the eldest son’s succession, the deceased chairman’s wife took over as the new chairman, and the only daughter who had been excluded was scheduled to take over the chairmanship. She is also Gong Tae-seong’s ex-wife.
“Since the cause of death has not been revealed, there are theories that he was cursed or killed by a sorcerer, but, considering the timing of the events immediately following Dr. Kang's death, it's quite a coincidence.”
“Then, could it be because of Dr. Kang’s grudge(resentment)………………?”
A student, weak when it comes to ghost stories and spooky tales, shuddered and trembled their shoulders.
“This is just a rumor, so don’t take it seriously. I heard that Dr. Kang conducted research on immortality for the deceased former chairman. If there’s an attribute that could be related to immortality………………. Hmm, what’s it?”
“Mermaid?”
“Hey, they say you have to eat mermaid meat to become immortal.”
“Ahasberus (a cursed Jewish person who wanders forever) and Utnapishtim (an immortal in Sumerian mythology) are not races, so they won’t be implemented as attributes……………….”
“In cases like those two, which gate would they be the boss of? When I meet them, I want to ask if they are truly immortal.”
“Hey, you should get your thesis paper approved first.”
The students who had something to discuss soon became noisy. Next to Professor Seo, who was happily watching the scene, In Yoo-shin bowed his pale face alone.
If there were legendary beings that were immortal, wouldn’t there be a representative race?
Someone said as if they had read his mind.
“Like vampires.”
After dinner, Professor Seo and the students went out for a second round, but In Yoo-shin said goodbye there. It was a bit odd to follow him to the bar, but more than anything, it didn’t seem like the alcohol would go down.
‘I shouldn’t have said that.......’
A belated regret came flooding back. Even though I knew that it wasn’t something I should know deeply about since I had no relationship with him, Gong Tae-seong’s words were still on my mind.
Why? Why?
The question that had no answer, like the ring on his left ring finger, dragged his ankle.
At that moment, the name on the phone screen that had called seemed to be reproaching him, so In Yoo-shin hesitated for a while and then picked up the phone.
“………………Yes, Gyu-ha-ssi.”
- Did you eat dinner?
“The professor took us to a Chinese restaurant.”
- The Chinese restaurant in front of the school is delicious. When will does it finish? I’ll pick you up.
“Oh, I just came out a little while ago…………………….”
- The gate department is close to the back gate, right? I’ll go there now, so it’s nearby.
The call was cut off before he could even answer. His fingers, which were about to call to tell him that he didn’t have to come, hesitated and wandered through the air before getting caught inside.
In Yoo-shin put his phone in his pocket and looked down. The tips of his sneakers tapping the floor felt cold for some reason.
"Yoo-shin-ssi."
The exhaust sound of the bike stopped in front of him, and a friendly voice caught his attention. He knew why he couldn't help but ask who Kang Seok-woo was from the bright smile that was delighted even though they had only been away for a couple of hours.
In Yoo-shin was scared.
------
Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor/Proofreader: eteryl
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