Ch. 51.1 - Academic Conference (3)
The two prepared whiteboards were of different sizes according to Maizen’s request.
Maizen’s whiteboard was incredibly large, while Alterisha’s was only about a quarter of its size.
Maizen had four researchers assisting him, while Baek Yu-Seol did nothing and stayed slightly apart.
"Well, how interesting. Let's get started, shall we? Do we have any beer?"
"Master Beaurock Stoneforge, please maintain your dignity."
"Enough, let's begin!"
With Beaurock Stoneforge’s shout, Alterisha and Maizen each took out a marker for their respective whiteboards.
Alterisha’s marker was a multicolored magical pen prepared by Baek Yu-Seol’s ideas, which were derived from his future knowledge.
"Hmm? What's that pen?"
"The magical pen is not a ballpoint pen, and yet it has colors. Can you change the colors with a button?"
"That... would be quite expensive."
As some entrepreneurs’s eyes sparkled with excitement, alchemists held their breath and focused on the work of the two alchemists.
The moment the breathtaking confrontation began, a man sitting in the corner of the audience instinctively took out a cigarette from his pocket.
Then the woman sitting next to him slapped his hand.
"Director Kaen, it’s a no smoking zone!"
… That was how it went.
"Ah, I can't help it, seriously."
Kaen gathered his cigarette back in his pocket and concentrated on the conference. Even though his original mission was not to attend the conference, this confrontation was so thrilling and interesting that it made him forget his original task.
"Really, is this kind of thing fun?"
Looking at the Director like that, Grace shook her head.
Grace Steele was deputy commander of the 13th Shadowblade Division under the umbrella of the Manwol Tower.
She was the elite among the elites of the world's greatest magical warrior institution, the Magic Circle Assembly, which even had the qualifications to judge the peak of the world's mages and operated in the hidden corners of the world.
Furthermore, Kaen, who was sitting next to her, was her superior. She had hunted down countless dark mages at Danger Level 6 under his command, and had completed hundreds of successful missions.
Once again, she has been dispatched here to search for dark mages lurking in society. However, of all places, it happend to be this dreadfully boring alchemists' conference.
"So boring! Alchemy is nothing more than what I learned during my time at the magic academy, studying under Aureliu and others."
She glanced at Professor Maizen Tyren. This time, the target they were monitoring was exceptionally unique, as it was none other than a professor from the esteemed Stella Academy; a prestigious institution for elite magical warriors.
"Does this even make sense?"
Stella Academy, the Stella Academy itself. Even the name alone was self-explanatory, describing a perfectly crafted space.
And now, one of their professors might be involved in the process of "dark mage corruption."
Anyway, if the director ordered something from the Manwol Tower, she blindly trusted it 100%.
"Hmm? Hmm?"
Amidst that, something... something changed in the atmosphere of the room.
The alchemists, who had been holding their breath while observing the solution, began to waver.
"That is..."
"It's similar, but interpreted from a slightly different perspective."
"But..."
One alchemist was about to express their opinion but stopped. Perhaps everyone in this room might be thinking the same thing.
Because…
"The assistant's interpretation is simpler and clearer than Professor Maizen’s, isn't it?"
Moreover, there was a slight difference in the final answer.
Finally, they moved on to the solution of the second problem.
Around this time, a few alchemists murmured quietly.
"That is...!"
"We have seen various interpretations for the solution to the second puzzle, but... this is something new..."
It wasn't directed towards Professor Maizen since his solution was not much different from the solutions they had seen so far in other puzzles.
However, Alterisha’s solution was completely different.
It was as if she was looking at it from a different dimension.
There were no minimum conditions or rules for combining the magic circle with the material itself.
The second difficulty was known to require the theorem of coupling for 4-dimensional crystalline substances.
It was also known that it was possible to solve it only after writing at least 200 lines.
But, Alterisha solved it in just 19 lines.
"Well, well. I may be a magic engineer and a novice in alchemy, but it seems that she has aced it."
Scholars realized why Alterisha started with such a small whiteboard.
It was because she had the confidence to solve all the five puzzles within that small space.
As the solution to the third puzzle began, the atmosphere gradually shifted. Professor Maizen Tyren’s explanation was undoubtedly remarkable. From the third puzzle onwards, there was not a single person who had solved it even once in reverse thinking.
Yes, impressive.
Professor Maizen was undoubtedly impressive, but…
"... Alterisha is even more impressive."
Someone unintentionally blurted out their inner thoughts.
However, no one reprimanded him because they themselves were thinking the same thing.
Professor Maizen wiped off cold sweat with a bewildered expression.
"This can't be happening...?
‘What is this solution that I've never seen or even thought of? It's similar to mine but slightly different.’
The reason for such a distinct difference was actually obvious.
Baek Yu-Seol had divulged formulas from a distant future to Alterisha.
It was a formula from a world far ahead in time. Alterisha modified it according to her own taste, and after using her own technique.
In other words, the solution completed by Maizen was good, while the one done by Alterisha could be described as 'perfection'.
With such a solution being presented by the current Alterisha, how could it be compared to an unfinished thesis?
Finally, the fourth solution began, and Professor Maizen could no longer remain silent.
The whiteboard was not enough. Even though he used a whiteboard four times larger than Alterisha’s, it was still insufficient.
He requested an additional whiteboard, but amidst that, Alterisha continued to write formulas on her small whiteboard without pause.
Around that time, the alchemists, one by one, realized something and either jumped up from their seats screaming or clamped their mouths shut.
"I see...! The reason Professor Maizen couldn't complete the Delta Augmentation Formula was finally revealed there!"
Even the most stoic alchemist burst into laughter upon realizing something.
So far, the senior alchemists had approached the "Five Puzzles" as separate problems with various interpretations.
Professor Maizen Tyren was no exception.
But, Alterisha’s approach was different.
She approached all five puzzles as a unified whole, integrating them and progressing with the solution!
A few exceptionally brilliant alchemists were even able to anticipate the solution to the final fifth puzzle to some extent.
And their anticipation was accurate.
Alterisha successfully intertwined all five puzzles into one, achieving a harmonious combination.
"How did she establish multidimensional thermodynamics based on Ernest's theorem and achieve the reflection of Chronical!"
"If that's the case, we can prove the hypothesis of a 3.8-fold amplification of the angular magical rotation."
Thump!