Chapter 104 - Magic Money

"Our class was not scheduled for today, so I imagine you have a good reason to make me come here," said the Hunter as he met Eun Ha, on a street in the capital known for its beautiful shop windows and high-end luxury products. 

"Yes, this place does me good," Eun Ha said simply, pretending not to notice that her tutor was looking bad: stubble, hair in need of a good cut, and deep dark circles around his s.e.xy eyes. At least his clothes were clean. 'When we're dating, I'll fix this!' she made up her mind, and looked at a shop window as they walked. Eun Ha didn't want to look at him like that, she would rather remember the night at the Octagon, when they kissed and he was handsome. And s.e.xy. And angry at her!

Se decided to appease his proverbial bad mood from the start,

"Professor, although you haven't answered the basic questions I've been asking, I imagine it's for a good reason. Since you're the seasoned fairy, I can't complain and I won't rebel. About the werewolf, about the devourer… It looks like it's Hunter's affairs, so the Professor doesn't want to talk about them. Okay. I get it."

In response, Shin pulled his sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on, with his usual blasé expression. Eun Ha turned around,

"Is it all right?"

"Hmm. But, do you want another class? Now?"

'Aish, what a mercenary! Why is he always talking about our deal?' Eun Ha was annoyed, but stopped to admire the items in another shop window, "It's not quite a class, it's a favor. Advice, in fact."

"Advice is free, and I don't give it," he looked up at the sky, as if gauging the weather for a walk. And began to move away from the fashion designer, clearly dismissing the matter.

"Wait, wait Professor! What are you doing?! I'm not done yet," the fairy girl rushed to catch up, and the Hunter without slowing or turning, said,

"Somehow I feel that you are not paying attention to the things I teach you. About magic. Looks like you're focused on other things, like…"

Like…?" she repeated hopefully that he would talk about the kiss. And just thinking about the KISS made Eun Ha melt.

"… About your protégé and your weird plans to stop the prophecy."

Eun Ha stopped, gaping, "OH! Teacher, is this your gift or can I train it too?"

The Hunter turned around, his expression puzzled and a little petulant as he realizes he is being trapped, but can't help it,

"Train what, Jung?"

"Guessing so well! Is it a divination technique? And yes, indeed, something happened to Ye Rim. Trying to help her with the man in pink, that is, get rid of him, I ended up… causing…"

The Hunter lowered his sunglasses for a moment, to face her with a judgmental glare, and Eun Ha was getting increasingly intimidated.

"I know she's not hurt because otherwise, you wouldn't be beating around the bush. So what happened?" he asked sharply, and Eun Ha finally told him everything. During all the time of her long report, the Hunter had an expression of stoic suffering from having to hear how her silly plans unfolded.

"What should I do?" the young fairy finally asked, after her narrative. 

"Isn't that obvious?"

"No…?"

"Pay, of course. You must repay the debt you got for your donsaeng."

"But Professor, I have no money!"

"Do you want me to lend you money? Is that what you called me here for?"

Eun Ha didn't need to look twice to know that just by her tutor's expression he would never lend her money.

Not that the Hunter seemed to have much anyway.

"It's just… I was wondering… I could pay the debt with some magic money, right? What's the secret to doing that?"

Her Professor sighed, and said,

"You really need a class today, and it's urgent. Come with me."

Eun Ha dutifully followed, trying to imagine what was going on in her teacher's head, but failing miserably. The Hunter made her wait outside a real estate, and then left with an apartment key.

"Let's go. It's only a few blocks ahead."

"But, Professor, is this a real key? Did you pay the deposit with real money or magic money? And after all, what are we going to do?"

He didn't answer, and opening the door of the unfurnished apartment said,

"Use your magic. Create a gold bar out of nowhere in the middle of the room."

They were still at the door of the apartment, which had no furniture in sight other than kitchen appliances. Eun Ha promptly pulled out her magic wand and pointed to the living room floor, concentrating,

"Gold bar, here we go!"

The fairy, who had now begun to become more aware of her magic, definitely realized that it was different from using her magic to cause events. It seemed to require more energy. Her arm went a little numb after the usual tingle, but here was a beautiful gold bar gleaming in the middle of the room, after a minute or so.

"It was fast!" said the Hunter, so impressed that he didn't even hide the 'compliment'.

"You mean I did well?" Eun Ha was suddenly vain and happy with the result, no doubt quite different from that first-lesson fiasco.

"Yes, you did. Now let's go downstairs and have some coffee, then we'll be back later, so you can train more."

"Can I get my gold bar now?" the fashion designer asked, already heading for the valuable object. But the Hunter scolded her,

"Leave it there and come with me."

'Aigoo, always being so hard on me…' she had no choice but to follow him again. Sometimes Eun Ha thought she looked like a duckling after her duck-mother, as Shin the Hunter walked fast and didn't care how she would follow him.

At the cafeteria, after a sip of his drink, he told her,

"Jung, continuing our last 'lesson', the chi that acc.u.mulates in a fairy can belong to one of the two types, regarding accessibility. We usually refer to these two types as anchored magic and floating magic. And it's important to know how you can use this energy and how it interferes with the creation of spells. Whether objects or events."

Eun Ha sucked hard on her straw, completely intent on her tutor's words. As his student asked no questions, the Hunter continued,

"Well, as I said before, we capture the quintessence of the environment, and it stores itself in us. However, over time, unused magical energy does not dissipate but acc.u.mulates 'away from the surface.'

"This energy is harder to access. "Floating" energy, on the other hand, is the most recently acquired chi, or quintessence, and is easier to consume on magic."

"No, I don't know if I understand. Do we spend the newest first, and then the oldest?"

"Well, I'll try to explain further," he shifted in his chair, took another sip of coffee, and resumed,

"Remember Jung, the fairies can't control the quintessence they capture. The only way to do that is by trying to be and surround yourself with elements that produce the 'good' quintessence, and immerse in it. Because fairies pick up quintessential energy and transmute it into their bodies, the kind of quintessence that they capture also affects their bodies, and vice versa. So, when it's out in the air, so to speak, we can classify them in three types. But when it's inside a fairy, it is transmuted and receives the influence of the fairy energy. 

The energies a fairy can attract are, basically:

Number 1, Yang, White Energy. Or Good, if you prefer to call it that. As I said before, it is the chi of good intentions, happy and pleasant environments, sacred and blessed. Environments full of pure and high feelings; as gratitude, affection, kindness, mercy, love, peace, harmony, joy, fascination and many others.

"Number 2, Black Energy, Yin, or as you can imagine, 'Bad Energy', is the energy of evil intent; from toxic and unpleasant environments; damn, corrupted, dirty, full of low and vile feelings; such as envy, greed, l.u.s.t, corruption, anger, contempt, disgust, hatred, violence, horror, etc."

"Number 3, the Neutral Energy, Yinyang. This is rarest and the type that will not bring direct benefits to the fairy or the environment. It can be used for any kind of magic, and it can be transmuted into both energies. It is found in places where the other two types of energy cancel each other out, or in special situations that I will detail later.

"As I said, Energy, chi or quintessence, is stored in a fairy on two levels: floating and anchored."

"Floating "energy: it is the "shallow" energy just picked up. It is easier to access, and the first source to consume normally. For younger or inexperienced fairies, it is the only energy to be used, practically."

"The 'anchored' energy, in turn, has been with the fairy for a long time without use. It is a kind of energy reserve and is usually quite imbued with the fairy's personality. Also, when consumed, usually leave sequels in the health of the fairy. Consuming the anchored energy is never advisable, but it's the most potent energy of a fairy."

"Do you understand?" he asked, and Eun Ha nodded vehemently. In fact, she was impressed that her teacher had greatly improved his teaching today.

"I understand that like yin and yang the energies are polarized, but it is also possible to find neutral yin-yang energy in some cases. Chi, when absorbed, brings information and energetic charges with its primordial characteristics, and therefore influences the fairy.  An acc.u.mulation of chi is called anchored magic. Anchored magic has characteristics of its new owner's personality, and are not yin or yang anymore. Depending on the fairy's pool of anchored magic, it turns yin or yang. Anchored magic is difficult to access and when used exhausts the fairy," Eun Ha struggled to give her version and show to have absorbed so much knowledge that it would become anchored magic.

To Eun Ha's surprise, the Hunter beamed beautifully at her.