The Genius Composer Starts Again - Chapter 58

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[ SYSTEM – V1.0 ]

 

> Using skill ‘Gem Appraisal (D)’

 

> Recognition system is switching.

 

My vision flashed and turned upside down.

 

In an instant, the lecture hall I knew disappeared, and instead another world made of light unfolded.

 

The entire space sparkled as if made of transparent crystal. Light rippled along the outlines of people.

 

I couldn’t see their proper expressions, but the ‘light of talent’ emanating from them was vivid.

 

‘Wow.’

 

I almost let out an exclamation without realizing it.

 

It was a similar sensation to when I had used ‘Inspiration Acquisition’ before. The feeling of glimpsing something not of this world.

 

The textures of light overlapped with each other, creating a beautiful spectacle.

 

Among them, some were mixed up chaotically like discord, and others flickered dimly.

 

Most had light of a mediocre level.

 

Then, I held my breath.

 

‘…What is this?’

 

When I turned my gaze to the side, the first thing that caught my eye was Cho Yun-je.

 

I could tell immediately because he was sitting right next to me.

 

The moment I turned my head, a light incomparably brighter than anything else entered my vision.

 

The well-refined blue light that spread out regularly was so intense it was hard to look at directly.

 

The ripples that spread out gracefully like waves were beautiful enough to be mesmerizing, and when I looked at the center, a boiling radiance bloomed.

 

In an instant, my entire field of vision was dyed blue.

 

‘This is on a completely different level.’

 

Is this what it takes to be called a genius?

 

I squeezed my eyes shut at the brilliance that I couldn’t dare reach for, that seemed like it would burn me up in an instant.

 

My eyes hurt from the brightness, so I quickly turned my head the other way.

 

Mun Ah-rin’s light, sitting on the opposite side, came into view.

 

‘Ah.’

 

It was flickering unstably. It was a pitiful light that seemed like it would go out if you blew on it.

 

The outside shone brilliantly, but if you paid a little attention, you could tell that the inside was completely empty.

 

At first glance it seemed to shine brightly, but it was on a different dimension from Cho Yun-je’s, which shone brightly on its own.

 

‘It’s just like a mirror.’

 

A mirror that reflects other people’s light.

 

It was the kind of appearance that wrapped around others’ talents as if they were one’s own, without any shame.

 

‘It does feel different from the other students though.’

 

If most students had dim lights like embers, quietly burning but not lasting long.

 

Cho Yun-je and Mun Ah-rin had talent lights that were differentiated from others, whether in a good or bad sense.

 

‘Can I see my own too?’

 

I looked down at my palm, but I couldn’t see anything.

 

It seems I myself don’t apply.

 

‘So this is how it feels.’

 

[ – The artistic talent grade of the observed person is displayed as a dim light. ]

 

Now I understood the first line of the skill description.

 

Then what about the second line?

 

[ – 1.5% chance to discover undiscovered talent early. ]

 

‘1.5%. It’s a slim probability, but if I use the skill about 100 times, I should be able to find about one person, right?’

 

I clenched my fist tightly.

 

‘If I find talented people with this and make them my people, it’ll definitely be a big help later.’

 

Composing can be done alone, but when working as a composer, moving as a single person is very inefficient.

 

Even Min Chan-hyeok has his crew members, doesn’t he?

 

Among them would be various people including excellent composers, lyricists, session musicians, mixing specialists, and so on.

 

‘Even if not to that extent, I need people with various talents too.’

 

I can manage composing somehow. But for other fields, I need exceptional people.

 

Last time I was helping with Min Chan-hyeok’s work, so I could borrow their strength too, but if I want to work independently, I need to form my own team.

 

‘End skill.’

 

When I closed and opened my eyes, the alien world of light disappeared, and the ordinary lecture hall scenery came into view.

 

At the same time, fatigue rushed over me.

 

My eyes were sore, and my body felt languid as if I had been running for a long time.

 

‘It consumes quite a lot of stamina.’

 

Instead of having cooldown or usage limits, it seems to have this kind of restriction.

 

‘The vision is too alien to keep it on all the time, so it would take time to adapt. And probably the longer I use it, the greater the fatigue that comes later, right?’

 

I’d have to experiment, but I had a feeling that would be the case.

 

‘I should make the most of this skill and start by finding decent talent. The standard is… right.’

 

I glanced at Cho Yun-je.

 

‘Let’s try to find someone with light about as bright as Cho Yun-je’s.’

 

As soon as class ended, I planned to go to a large cafe in the busy district. If I sat there and observed the passersby, wouldn’t I stumble upon at least one person?

 

Thinking this, I grinned.

 

I was already excited about what kind of colleague I would find.

 

***

 

‘I couldn’t find anyone…’

 

I rubbed my throbbing temples.

 

Yesterday I sat by the cafe window and used the skill for hours, but I couldn’t find anyone with light as bright as Cho Yun-je’s, let alone Mun Ah-rin’s level.

 

‘Has our country run so dry of geniuses?’

 

Well, if they were common, they wouldn’t be geniuses. Even so, isn’t this too much?

 

‘Occasionally the 1.5% probability triggered and I discovered undiscovered talent though.’

 

[ SYSTEM – V1.0 ]

 

> Undiscovered talent found!

 

> Discovered talent: Crude Vocal Ability (D)

 

> With proper refinement, could become an average-level singer.

 

[ SYSTEM – V1.0 ]

 

> Undiscovered talent found!

 

> Discovered talent: Average Composition (B)

 

> With proper refinement, could become a fairly decent-level composer.

 

Most were like this.

 

‘So not all undiscovered talents are geniuses.’

 

It literally discovers talents that the person themselves haven’t realized, but that doesn’t mean they’re high-level talents.

 

Well, if I discovered the possibility of an ordinary office worker becoming an ‘average-level singer,’ that would be an amazing discovery in its own way.

 

But at least that’s not what I wanted.

 

‘Maybe it’s because I used the skill too much yesterday. I’m incredibly tired even though I slept well.’

 

My limbs drooped like waterlogged cotton. My body was also shivering with cold, and it seemed like I was getting body aches from overexertion.

 

‘I should rest well today without using the skill.’

 

It was the moment I was making that resolution to myself.

 

Suddenly, I noticed there were many students around.

 

‘What’s going on?’

 

The class I was attending was none other than Professor Cha Moon-ho’s lecture.

 

Since he had declared from the beginning that students ‘didn’t need to attend class,’ only a very small number actually listened.

 

Thanks to that, we had been using the lecture hall quite spaciously, but today it was packed with students.

 

‘Is something happening?’

 

This had never happened except during midterm exams. While I was tilting my head in confusion, Cha Moon-ho opened the door and entered.

 

“Nice to see you all~.”

 

As usual, he had that strange appearance wearing a faded khaki coat and fedora hat.

 

The weather was getting quite hot now. Was that the only outfit he had?

 

“There are quite a lot of students today.”

 

Cha Moon-ho swept his gaze across the lecture hall. Then he said this with a strange expression.

 

“They must be students who are dissatisfied with their midterm grades, right?”

 

Huh?

 

‘Oh, come to think of it. The grades came out.’

 

Since I wasn’t the type to care much about grades, I hadn’t really noticed.

 

“Around this time, I get so many emails from students requesting grade corrections that it’s difficult to check them all individually. So I did tell them to come directly to lecture time to raise objections… Hmm. I should make this today’s lecture topic.”

 

So that’s what it was.

 

“Let me tell you in advance, as I mentioned on the very first day, attendance and assignment scores were not reflected at all. I graded based solely on midterm exam scores.”

 

Cha Moon-ho spoke as if he were singing.

 

“As for the scores, all I can tell you is that you deserved the score you received.”

 

For so many students to personally come for grade corrections like this. I could roughly guess how disastrous the grades Cha Moon-ho had handed out must have been.

 

Usually professors would try to give the best grades possible within the limits of relative grading for their students’ sake. But Cha Moon-ho seemed to not care about such things at all.

 

“Still, there must be students who can’t accept it, right? I understand.”

 

After saying this, Cha Moon-ho looked directly at me.

 

“Student Seol. Please stand up.”

 

“…?”

 

I stood up from my seat in bewilderment.

 

“This is the only student I gave an A+ to.”

 

What?

 

I could feel the gazes of the surrounding students pouring onto me.

 

I could tell immediately.

 

With Cha Moon-ho’s single statement, I had become public enemy number one.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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