Chapter 36 - Choice and Investment (1/2)
Choice and Investment
“Why are they looking for us?”
“If I go there, they’ll make me do something strange again,” Ghost replied. “Just tell them you haven’t seen me today.”
Ghost gave him a high-five and disappeared, leaving Il-hyun scratching his head.
Il-hyun took the elevator on the left building and went down to the basement where the research facilities were located.
Inside the spacious facility, hundreds of researchers were busy working, and all kinds of high-tech equipment and computers were lined up.
It was too wide and complex that he had to stop a passing employee and ask for directions.
“Sorry, I heard you were looking for me?” he said.
The employee recognized him immediately. “Oh, yeah. The boss is over there,” the employee pointed.
Il-hyun followed the direction the employee pointed him to and found a familiar face.
It was Choi Eun-chae, head of research at Aegis.
She wore a white gown and was accompanied by four other researchers.
“Oh!” Choi Eun-chae greeted the approaching Il-hyun. “You’re here!”
The other researchers who were reporting to her left the room.
Choi Eun-chae and Il-hyun greeted each other in a friendly manner. They have met a few times at Aegis after their first impressive meeting.
When Il-hyun asked why she called for him, she smiled confidently.
“I have some good news.”
“Good news…?”
“Yeah! Well… But where is the Ghost?”
“He can’t come… he’s sick.” Il-hyun quickly made a rough excuse.
However, Cho Eun-chae saw through it at once. What is this fool thinking he could deceive her?
“Hyung, tell him that if he doesn’t come until tomorrow, I’ll blow an EMP shot in his face.”
Il-hyun burst into laughter.
“Anyway,” Choi Eun-chae continued as she walked ahead, Il-hyun following close behind. “Let’s get to it.”
The two walked a little distance, into a large, curtained area.
Among the many complex installations and items in the research lab, he found a dazzling object that looked very familiar to him.
At first glance, it looked like a tall, thin glass rod emitting white light and shining brightly.
Il-hyun immediately recognized what it is.
“This…”
“Yes. Core fragments.”
A fragment of ether core that Il-hyun handed over every once in a while when the research time asked him.
The elongated rod was made of core debris, and the core inside it was shining brightly.
“In the past, it was a fact that the core was an object that could not be physically broken. That changed when you appeared. Seriously, I don’t know how you made it possible, but anyway, these broken core fragments lose a lot of their internal holding power and become easily deformed… but the external power… would you like to try it with your sword?”
Il-hyun nodded at Cho Eun-chae’s words, but he hesitated a little bit.
“Would it break?”
“Try it.”
Il-hyun pulled his sword and raised it high before bringing it down heavily.
Caen!
“What?!”
The mighty swing didn’t even scratch the slender rod.
His sword, which could easily slice through tough monster skin, did not work.
Rather, it was Il-hyun’s hand that shook from the impact.
Cho Eun-chae looked proud.
“Amazing, isn’t it? The more ether it contained, the harder the reaction is. It has excellent shock absorption, and its strength is superior than any other material ever found.”
“This… that’s great!” Il-hyun admired it sincerely.
It was a huge discovery.
Honestly, when he took it to the research team for the first time, he thought it had no practical value. They were just fragments, after all.
However, the team found a practical use for it. In such a short time, too.
After all, he couldn’t expect less from the best research team in the industry.
Choi Eun-chae continued speaking.
“But there is still a long way to go. The fragments are unstable; they cannot hold ether as before. If you store core in it for a while, the rod will soon explode. It’s like pouring water into a broken jar,” she explained calmly.
It was a great looking discovery, but there were still many problems.
The full-form core can contain a large amount of ether, but a container made of broken pieces could not.