Seraphina was an anomaly, even within the elite ranks of the Prime Division. She wasn't a warrior. She rarely entered dungeons. Her power wasn't destructive; it was creative. She was an Alchemist of unparalleled genius, and her entire world revolved around the massive, heavily fortified alchemy workshop she occupied two floors above Jin Park's suite.
Muyeong had spent the past week studying her, just as he had studied all the other residents of the Spire. While others trained in combat, she spent her days in quiet, intense focus, surrounded by bubbling cauldrons and intricate arrays of glass tubing. Her talent was the stuff of legend on campus, a source of both awe and immense frustration for her professors.
It was called System Weaver (Mythical).
It was a talent that gave her an intuitive, almost instinctual understanding of the world's underlying rules. She could perceive the "system" behind alchemy, allowing her to modify and create recipes that defied conventional theory. She could craft potions that produced impossible effects and transmute materials others deemed immutable.
But Muyeong coveted her primary skill even more. It was a skill that seemed tailor-made for a manipulator, a planner, a chef who saw the entire world as a set of ingredients to be combined. It was called Material Synthesis (Unique). It allowed her to break down two different materials and combine their fundamental properties into a new, singular substance.
Imagine combining the toughness of a monster's hide with the lightness of a specific wood to create a new form of armor. Imagine merging the restorative properties of one herb with the energizing effects of another to create a super-herb. For a chef, the possibilities were intoxicating.
The problem, as always, was contact. Seraphina was a recluse. She rarely left her workshop, having her meals and materials delivered directly to her door. She was utterly absorbed in her work.
Jin Park knew a direct approach was out of the question. He couldn't just knock on the door of a third-year prodigy. He needed a pretext, a key to unlock her fortress. He found it not in strength or intimidation, but in his own, officially recognized genius.
He returned to his lab and spent the next two days in a flurry of focused activity. He used his knowledge from his past life—a life where he had collaborated with the world's top food scientists—and combined it with his new understanding of this world's magical ingredients. He created something no one in Zenith Academy had ever seen before.
He took his creation, placed it in a simple, elegant container, and ascended to Seraphina's floor. He stood before her door, #12, and knocked.
There was no answer. He could hear the faint bubbling and hissing of alchemical equipment inside. He knocked again, louder this time.
After a long moment, a female voice, laced with extreme annoyance, called out. "I am in the middle of a critical reaction! Go away!"
"My name is Jin Park, from the Culinary Division," he said, his voice calm and polite. "I apologize for the disturbance. I have created something I believe may be of interest to a fellow creator, specifically regarding thermal stabilization in volatile mana-based solutions."
The alchemical sounds inside stopped abruptly. The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken interest. The term "thermal stabilization" was a highly technical one, a problem that plagued alchemists working with high-energy ingredients. For a first-year chef to use it was unheard of.
After another tense moment, the seamless door dissolved into light.
Seraphina stood there. She was a girl with brilliant, intelligent eyes that seemed to see the world as a series of complex equations. Her hair was a chaotic mess, and her face was smudged with soot. She looked at Jin Park with piercing scrutiny.
"What did you just say?" she asked, her voice sharp.
"I brought you a gift," Jin Park said, extending the container. "As a gesture of respect from a new junior to a senior in the Prime Division."
Seraphina's eyes narrowed with suspicion, but her curiosity won out. She took the container, opened it, and looked inside.
It contained a perfectly clear, gelatinous cube. Suspended in the exact center of the cube was a single, flawless "Sun-Kissed Berry," an ingredient known for its highly volatile, heat-based mana. The berry should have been reacting with the gel, discoloring it, releasing heat. But it was perfectly stable, held in perfect stasis.
"This is impossible," she whispered, her alchemist's mind reeling. "The cellular structure of the berry should be degrading. What is this gel? It has no mana signature, yet it's completely neutralizing the berry's thermal output."
"It's a culinary technique from my past... studies," Jin Park said smoothly. "It's an organic polymer derived from a specific type of deep-sea kelp, processed at a precise, low temperature to create a perfectly neutral suspension medium. It's completely edible."
Seraphina looked from the impossible cube to the plain-faced boy in front of her. The respect in her eyes was genuine now. He wasn't just a cook; he was a scientist, a fellow innovator who spoke her language.
"This... this could solve the volatility issue I've been having with Phoenix Blood reactions," she mused, her mind already racing. She looked at him, her previous annoyance gone. "Thank you, Jin Park. This is an incredible gift." She gestured inside her lab. "Would you... like to come in? To discuss the principles behind this?"
The invitation was offered. The door was open.
"I would be honored," Jin Park said with a humble smile.
He stepped across the threshold. As he walked past her, he "accidentally" lost his footing for a fraction of a second, his hand brushing against hers as he steadied himself.
The contact was brief. It was excused with a quick apology. It went completely unnoticed.
But in that infinitesimal moment, a silent, golden nova ignited in his soul.
[Physical Contact Confirmed. Divine Copy Activated.]
[Target: Seraphina, Prime Division - Alchemy]
[Copying Talent... Success.]
[Talent Acquired: System Weaver (Mythical) - Lv. 1]
> Description: A passive talent that grants an intuitive understanding of the world's underlying rules and systems, dramatically increasing proficiency and innovation in crafting professions (Alchemy, Cooking, Blacksmithing, etc.).
[Copying Skill... Success.]
[Skill Acquired: Material Synthesis (Unique) - Lv. 1]
> Description: An active skill. Allows the user to break down two different materials to their base components and fuse them into a new, unique substance that combines their properties.
[Cooldown Initiated. Time Remaining: 30 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes.]
Jin Park walked into the alchemist's workshop, his face a perfect mask of polite interest. But inside, his mind was reeling with the sheer, world-altering potential of the two new god-tier tools he had just stolen. The hunt was over. And a new era of creation had just begun.