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Surprising as it was, it was a reasonable question. If the professor had known about the safety-net the whole time, the lost expression on his face would have been out of place. But if the student was the one who came up with the solution…

If the professor had known about it, his response to the question could have been to make an additional point, furthering the point this student had made. But the professor seemed to be in a state of shock.

Professor Phil-Doo looked over at the judges.

It was good Min-Hyuk had stepped in and saved the presentation. But how embarrassing to be outshone by your own student on this prestigious stage in front of all of your peers and idols!

He could think of nothing to say. Better to accept Min-Hyuk’s brilliant answer in awe than to pretend to know something he clearly did not.

The professor looked over at Min-Hyuk.

He said, “It’s true. Min-Hyuk thought of it.”

Professor Phil-Doo wanted fame, but he did not want it so badly that he let it cloud his vision. He knew if he took credit for Min-Hyuk’s idea after so obviously being surprised by the idea, he would have looked bad, and the presentation and research they had been doing would have ended on a sour note. So he gave his student his due credit.

Min-Hyuk tried to hide his sheer joy.

John Wesley looked at him.

Min-Hyuk said, “I came to the conclusion by assisting with the professor’s research.”

“How old are you?” John Wesley asked.

“17,” Min-Hyuk shrugged.

“Huh,” John Wesley seemed amazed.

Finally, the audience stopped holding their breath and burst into applause and admiration.

17 years old.

A mere student, at an age where you are usually being taught what to think, not participating in research and presenting at the conference. And not only that, but presenting on such extraordinary topics as well! Usually, even seasoned wizards avoid such difficult, seemingly-impossible, dangerous topics! But somehow, this 17-year-old Academy student had presented a solution.

The auditorium became loud, excited murmurs becoming a roar.

“When I was 17, I was busy learning Second Circle Magic—this kid is amazing!”

“The Academy has fostered such a talented kid!”

“He must be some kind of genius.”

“That’s it—he’s a genius!”

John Wesley held up a hand to quiet the crowd and said, “The Department of Magic has surely made a remarkable and admirable presentation. We have a talented young Wizard among us today.”

Professor Phil-Doo tried to jump in, “Min-Hyuk is really a remarkable student, and I feel proud to have recognized that in him! As a matter of fact, including a first-year student in a research study was the gossip of the school, but I believed in him.”

Phil-Doo wanted partial credit after all.

John Wesley, however, paid Phil-Doo no mind, and announced the presentation was finished. On to the next one…but first, John Wesley had an explanation:

“There are no restrictions on who can participate in the Magic Conference, as long as you are a member of an organization that is officially recognized by the World Magic Association. Every group can pick their own presenters, and it is expected that they announce their intention to present at the Magic Conference. Reckless participation with poorly chosen presenters can seem to muck up the prestige of the conference, but it actually allows for surprising and exceptional talents like Min-Hyuk to become known to Wizards. This is why we keep the tradition, even if it takes decades to provide fruitful new Wizards.”

When Min-Hyuk took the stage, he feared the harsh rejection of a hostile crowd simply because of his age. But when he stepped down off the platform, he was met with applause and enthusiasm.

He was pleased the first presentation had gone well.

***

It was time for the next presentation.

Donald Butler began to make the announcement but began to sputter mid-way through.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” he said, “The next presentation will be made by Professor Lee Hak-beom and his student—who we just saw leave the stage a moment ago after a remarkable presentation—Kang Min-hyuk! Please come up to the stage.”

The murmurs started again.

“What?”

“Is this right? Can it be true?”

“He’s presenting again?”

Kang Min-hyuk.

The 17-year-old who had just impressed the whole room with his impossible research would now present again? It was unbelievable.

The judges hurriedly flipped through their lists of presentations.

“Really? Who the hell is this kid?”

Usually, the list of presenters highlighted each group’s representative and all others were listed behind. This made Min-Hyuk’s name forgettable when first glancing over the docket. But now that the judged knew who he was…

There it was, listed again.

All eyes were on the stage.

There he was—the 17-year-old student, accompanied by a professor. But wait…why was the student holding the microphone?

There was a strange tension in the room.

Donald Butler asked the question on everyone’s mind:

“Professor Hak-Boem, is Kang Min-hyuk leading the presentation?”

It was a very important question. Whoever presented the information was assumed to have been the lead on the research in the lab as well. A student participating in research was one thing, but leading it? Unthinkable!

Professor Hak-Beom stepped forward on the stage and took the microphone from his student. He said, “Yes. I had intended to lead the presentation myself, but the fact of the matter is Min-Hyuk completed over 90% of the research. I’m sure you would agree that the research should be presented by the individual who understands it best, regardless of age or status. Min-Hyuk will lead our presentation. I will be his assistant.”

He handed the microphone back to Min-Hyuk.

This had not been the original plan. Hak-Boem had every intention of doing the presentation himself until earlier that same day. He and Min-Hyuk had been talking about the future of the research they had completed together.

Min-Hyuk had said something strange.

He said, “Professor, in the future, I hope to build a tower to continue researching Double Casting, Shape Change, and other problems Wizards in this world have not solved. It is my plan to study and develop this research and bring it to light for Wizards everywhere. But Professor, I cannot do it alone. I will need someone to assist me. Someone with a great respect and reverence for Magic and its advancement. I would like that person to be you.”

Coming from anyone else, this would have been an unbelievable proposal. A Magic tower dedicated to topics so far out of the mainstream? Magic was already underfunded because it was practiced by such a small minority of people. And to ask a professor to be the assistant! The nerve! But coming from Min-Hyuk, the proposal didn’t seem so strange. In fact, after researching with Min-Hyuk, this proposal not only was believable, but it was inspiring, and in fact, unrefusable.

The professor had to accept this deal.

He trembled as he took Min-Hyuk’s hand and nodded solemnly.

“You are making an offer that I, as a scholar, cannot refuse. I pledge all of my working life to you and to making this research Tower a reality.”

The professor added, “You should present our work today.”

The deal they had just struck made this all the more clear, although the professor had been thinking about how to broach the subject of the presentation all morning. It was the right thing to do, for the research, and for this promising young Wizard.

And now it was time for this student to start the presentation.

***

The judges had been suspicious of this topic when reviewing the docket the previous day. Double Casting? Impossible. It had to be a misleading title. It must be about something related to Double Casting and not the act of Double Casting itself. Right?

It was a topic that had eluded even the best Wizards for decades. Some of the very best had tried and failed, over and over again. It seemed completely unfeasible—especially when the presentation slated was to be given by the Academy, and the team was composed of some unknown professor and his student. If it had been a topic selected by some well-renowned Wizards like the French Magic Association, maybe the topic would have seemed less laughable. But now…after that last presentation…

The judges were tense.

After that last presentation, this 17-year-old student did not seem like an ordinary Wizard.

Min-Hyuk cleared his throat and began:

“As I was conducting research on Double Casting, I had a thought. In order to realize the full potential of Double Casting, one must be able to access both Magics at the same time unaided by other objects. If this is the case, then the solution must lie in the Wizard himself! In past research cases documenting Double Casting, it has been the goal to attempt to simplify each Magic to be able to perform it simultaneously with another Magic. But this seems to limit the power of either spell.”

Min-Hyuk was young, but he had spoken well and had the crowd’s full attention. The pressure may have intimidated others, but, being the son of a great warrior, it felt familiar to Min-Hyuk to be in front of a crowd.

He continued, “Casting one spell alone is time consuming and takes great concentration—so how can casting two spells happen this way? It is difficult and might even be impossible. Of course, it would limit the strength of either spell as the Wizard’s attention is so divided. But what if there was another way? After a great deal of thought and consideration, I think I have found that way.”

The screen behind Min-Hyuk lit up with his research.

A solution to Double Casting? Was it possible? It was unprecedented.

Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath.

Min-Hyuk said, “The key is Mana. Mana has a tendency to return to its original place. It has memory. We used synthetic Mana to jumpstart our Magic, use less of our own energy, and make us stronger, faster. But Mana remembers where it came from—it remembers its home. So that synthetic Mana always eventually leaves our bodies and is returned to the Circle. Mana has memory.”

The screen behind him played a video of a Wizard using the same spell over and over again…

“What about repeatedly using Magic? Mana remembers form. After Mana is consumed, it returns to the Circle. So let me ask you this: can the memory of Mana be changed? Can the Mana that has returned to the Circle remember a spell that it has been a part of over and over and over again?”

Min-Hyuk was met with a deep silence. He was not hoping for an answer.

“I believe that it can.”

The video changed. The Wizard stopped casting the spell, but the Mana continued to move by itself, repeating the path it had taken with the Wizard’s guidance moments before.

“Mana has memory and it can remember the path that it has taken, even without the help of a Wizard. This is the start to Double Casting.”

The audience was stunned.

The evidence was clear.

“What I have shown you today is proof that Double Casting is not only possible, but that it can be practiced and learned. You don’t have to be born into it, as previously thought. Mana has memory. And that is the key to Double Casting.”

He was finished speaking.

The audience had no reaction.

Everyone just stared at Min-Hyuk in amazed silence.