Kindness, isn't something that he even expected to be given so easily when he remembered how things always were in his world. Even before Gates appeared, charity wasn’t without strings attached to them. But here, having a free ride on one of those transit railway trains to the heritage conservatories of Avanthal has likely expended all of his fortune accumulated, and it will be all adversity from here onward.
“Don’t mind too much about it since I have to be on the way there eventually”. Karim said as he is also onboard of the train.
After their initial meeting on the streets of Avanthal, Karim had insisted on treating Jihoon to a light meal while gleaning more about this curious traveler's background. Though wary of revealing too much about his interdimensional origins, Jihoon was able to spin a plausible tale about journeying from a distant, music-starved land where danger coming out of the thin air in search of greater artistic enlightenment. Knowing the fantastical nature of this world, it is probably acceptable.
Karim, being a merchant with a keen ear for untapped business opportunities, immediately sensed potential in aiding this skilled but financially destitute minstrel. He proposed connecting Jihoon with Avanthal's prestigious conservatory circles, where his talents could be given proper evaluation and training. In return, the merchant hoped to secure a small courtship fee from any prospective nobility or patrons who may take the young artist under their wing. Jihoon doesn't even feel estranged or confused because any business relationship has to start with trust much like he did back when he was a full-time composer/musician.
However, upon learning that Jihoon currently possessed little more than the clothes on his back and his beloved guitar, Karim's mercantile instincts were quickly outweighed by an uncharacteristic pang of empathy. He found himself moved by the lengths this passionate musician had journeyed, enduring untold hardships, all in stalwart pursuit of his artistic calling.
Thus, the canny merchant had unexpectedly offered to sponsor Jihoon's transitfare to the storied conservatories residing in Avanthal's central district, no strings attached. Karim reasoned that currying a modest amount of goodwill by enabling the lad's dreams could beget him more fortunes down the road than any short-sighted profiteering scheme.
So it was that the two dissimilar individuals now found themselves aboard one of Absence's elaborate public transit railways. Jihoon marveled at the sophisticated, quasi-organic designs gracing the high-speed conveyance as it soared through sweeping viaduct arches and tunneled thoroughfares. All the while, Karim good-naturedly deflected the newcomer's awkward gratitude, insisting his aid was but a modest investment in cultivating new wonders for Absence's cultural landscape to bloom.
"Fine... I suppose that the initial is the make-or-break of every grand plan either way". Jihoon thought in his mind as he observes the sight outside the high-speed transit railway.
If there's any constant that Jihoon noticed in the vast expanse that is the metropolis of Absence, it is the massive towering spire in the distance that is penetrating through the cloud line effortlessly with just a third of its own height alone. From his own inspection, he could see it from anywhere in Absence. Obviously knowing very little about this world, Jihoon asked Karim about the gigantic spire that stood out from the rest of everything else.
"I see that massive spire over there caught your interest. The Citadel that you saw is the heart of the entirety of this metropolis.". Karim made his explanation as a resident of this metropolis. If you live to see such a thing in sight anywhere you go, you are bound to learn something about it regardless of how much you want to avoid it.
"The ancestral residence and governing seat of the Absence's Harpies, the winged overseers that you just see one of them earlier".
The merchant remained his neutrality but can't exactly hide the revering expression in his tone. As if begrudgingly accept that Absence's prosperity wouldn't have been possible without them.
"Probably a few hundreds year ago, Absence was merely an outpost at the edge of the known world at the time. But with the help of the Harpies, this place slowly becoming the place of dream that so many come to make their own become true. Before you would have known it, from a mere backwater place turned into this massive sprawling metropolis that is the place where millions of threads of fate intertwines". Karim said as his hand gestured outside the transit car.
At the direction of his gesture, indicating the dizzying network of aerial bridges and elevated transit-ways crisscrossing between the Citadel and Absence's innumerable towers and districts.
"From those privileged Heights, the Harpies coordinate all major administrative and logistical operations keeping our metropolis functioning in harmony. They may lack any formalized caste hierarchy, yet those winged ones' ancestral devotion to overseeing Absence's interests remains an unquestioned fact of our existence."
The merchant stroked his chin contemplatively. "Mind you, I've no experience traveling the The Citadel's uppermost sanctums myself. But it's said the atmospheres grow increasingly aetheric the higher one ascends. Entire cloudborne ecosystems and paradisial fieldscapes thriving amidst channeled elemental streams only traversable by our winged overseers."
His expression grew tinged with wistful melancholy. "We groundbound folk can only gaze upon such uplifted wonders from afar, I'm afraid. Still, the Harpies have ever proven benevolent custodians, ensuring their grace continues nourishing the lands as much as their own empyreal demesnes."
Jihoon nodded thoughtfully as Karim described the Harpies' role as custodians of Absence. Though a lingering question still nagged at him from his own world's mythologies portrayal of the Harpies. "If you don't mind my asking, are the Harpies an entirely female race, much like the legends of my homeland portray?"
Karim smiled knowingly. "A perspicacious inquiry. Yes, the Harpies are indeed an all-female lineage, inheritors of an unbroken matriarchal legacy stretching back to the genesis itself, let alone Absence at all. Their winged forms have become iconic representations of feminine grace and empyreal sovereignty over the ages."
"While rare, it is not unheard of for a mortal man to be chosen as a Harpy's consort," Karim went on. "However, such unions require far more than just wealth or social standing as a dowry. The suitor must prove himself possessed of exceptional merits of character, intellect, and spiritual purity to be deemed worthy of joining an ancient bloodline steeped in celestial mystique."
The merchant's expression took on a teasing glint. "And yet, any daughters produced by such exalted pairings are inevitably born bearing the winged splendor of their Harpy mother. The same cannot be said for any sons, I'm afraid. A certainly cruel trick of genetics which preserves the ascendant feminine lineage in perpetuity."
Karim chuckled lightly. "Still, mere mortal men receiving such an honor remain vanishingly rare at least by statistic since the Harpies have to maintain their numbers somehow. Most can only admire the elevated glories of the Harpies from the perspectives of humbler perspectives, as I'm sure you've already gathered during your brief stay thus far."
Though as Jihoon ponders about the connection and the power that the Harpies wield, that the quality as a consort sought by a Harpy is determined as such makes him wonder if one day, he would receive such an opportunity at all. Of course, casting away from such thought because he simply know that such a thing can't just occur out of nowhere to someone who just arrive at this place.
Turning his gaze toward the outside once more to take in the scenery for the journey is still long. As much as Jihoon wished that this trip remains uneventful, his trained senses as a Hunter still remained as he could feel an inquisitive gaze finding its place upon him. Unable to just bear it any longer, he turned his look directly toward the culprit responsible for the irk he felt.
The only human that Jihoon met so far in this world, an old man dressed in black suit and hat. Has a huge body frame and with his white beard speaking of his seniority. By his side is a massive case of... something... but it was large enough to contain a compact piano if Jihoon estimated the size. It doesn't take long for him that this man means real business and if Jihoon can use his world's terminology to describe, he looks like a Russian Godfather.
"He's a musician, yeah... a musician who carries around a literal compact piano just for the authenticity". Jihoon tries to deflect his own thought from going down a dangerous road. And how he also missed such a conspicuous sight initially at all is beyond him even though everything is new to him here.
"Hey, Karim, do you know who that old man in black behind me is?" Jihoon asked as he doesn't feel particularly comfortable with such a menace looking at his back intensely.
The elvish merchant simply shrugged as although being merchant required him to remember a lot people and contacts, this old man was simply new for him.
Trying to distract his mind from the accumulating dread, Jihoon posed a hypothetical question. "So if there were suddenly to be, say, a music duel on this train, would that be breaking any rules or causing a disturbance? Not that I'm expecting one to take place, but I didn't get the chance to look over the transit bylaws."
Karim raised an eyebrow at Jihoon's hypothetical query. "Impromptu musical performances aren't exactly prohibited on public transit," he replied thoughtfully. "However, they are strongly discouraged unless one has proper permits and makes prior arrangements, lest it disrupt the efficient flow of commuters."
The merchant eyed Jihoon's guitar case. "I gather you were not anticipating putting on any unplanned concerts during our voyage at least?" He chuckled lightly.
Little did Jihoon know, his path was determined to cross with that of the imposing old man regardless of Karim's answer. Then standing up on his own seat, the old man approaches Jihoon as his menacing figure cast its shadow over him.
"Hey, kid... You're a musician?" The old musician in black asked him as if a fateful confrontation is about to take place.
Jihoon remained silence for a while. Not because he was in fear or something but because of a certain someone has nudged him toward a decision already.
______-----{////\\\\}-----______
A Sudden Challenge
Difficulty: D+
You have come across someone who is interest about your capability as a musician.
To prove your skill as a worthy musician, prove that the confidence and trust that you have isn't misplaced.
Objective:
-Successfully earn the audiences' recognition in the music duel against the old man.
Time limit: 1 hours.
Reward: 4,000 EXP
------_____{\\\\////}_____------
It seems that a musical duel is about to take place. And if the little goddess believed in his capability then he won't disappoint her. Since he has nowhere to run either way, might as well face his fear head-on.
"You have permit to perform or else?" Jihoon said with all mustered confidence against the initial dread. Both of their thoughts aligned briefly.
Taking out what seemed to be this world's version of a smartphone, the old man displayed a record of conversation granting him permission to perform virtually anywhere, by virtue of his evident renown.
A hush fell over the railcar as the other passengers picked up on the palpable tension between the two musicians. Excited murmurs rippled through the crowd as they realized an impromptu duel was about to commence before their eyes. Some shifted in their seats, eager for the unexpected entertainment, while others looked on with trepidation, uncertain of the mystical melodic forces about to be unleashed. These people are all carrying some innate spiritual quality thus they know that they're in for a good performance.
Jihoon's mind raced as he assessed his grizzled opponent. The old man carried himself with a gravity that spoke volumes of his mastery and experience. He could sense an almost overwhelming reserve of magical energy simmering beneath that wizened exterior, like a banked furnace awaiting the bellows' stoke. All that attribute points he dumped into MAG did its work in his ability to detect magic.
As the musician's gargantuan case unlatched, Jihoon's eyes widened. Instead of a single instrument, the container revealed an entire portable arsenal within. A multitude of woodwinds, strings, percussion instruments and more, more than Jihoon could easily identify. This was no mere musical novelty, but a mystical repository enabling the old man to channel a virtual orchestra's worth of melodies and harmonies.
He knew that picked a fight with a very difficult opponent but if the listed difficulty doesn't lie then his ability complete the quest isn't low either.
Steeling himself, Jihoon reached for his sole conventional instrument, the beautifully aged acoustic guitar Jin had bequeathed him. Yet his other hand still hovered inside his guitar case, fingertips brushing the sleek polymer body of his electric guitar. His music theory foundations as a composer were hardly lacking, and he knew combining the tonal ranges of both string instruments could unlock stacking advantages.
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There would be no retreating from this pivotal crossroads, no ducking his head against the evaluation of a true master. The little goddess had spurred him onto this path, and Jihoon would not disappoint her mandate. With a steadying breath, he grasped both guitar necks and stepped forward, ready to let his fingers weave their first audition upon this world's stage.
The first instrument that the old musician took out seems to be a piano to Jihoon and its size is any standard electronic piano that he knows in his world. Him playing a introductory refrain of suspenseful melody to set the stage for this very duel. Then, by the very command of his mind, the few assorted instrument moved telekinetically on their own as they assist in reinforcing the atmosphere of the duel even further. The chime of the bell, the rumble of the drum followed his command.
By the few refrains into the duel, the violin then also joined despite there's only one man behind the entire orchestra. As the volume become increasingly greater and the crashing force of the orchestra battered into Jihoon. The combined melody that the old man played moved into crescendo phase as it already make him presented as an overwhelming foe that has no perceivable way of surpassing..
Then, just as abruptly, the symphonic swell tapered off into a brooding lull. His eyes boring into Jihoon as if testing whether the young upstart still possessed the fortitude to persist against such staggering odds.
Karim watched the unfolding confrontation with a mixture of awe and trepidation. As a merchant more attuned to the commerce than of magic, he could still feel the fundamental forces being manipulated through pure musical weaving due to his innate being. The air itself seemed to tremor with the old duelist's opening sonata, rife with portents of savage grandeur yet to be fully unleashed.
The elvish merchant's gaze flitted between the two musicians, his nerves steeling in anticipation of Jihoon's response. While impressed by the young man's confidence thus far, Karim could not deny the vast delta in evident mastery between the pair. He knew a decisive counterattack would be required to keep this duel from ending as a lopsided rout.
Around them, the other passengers' expressions ranged from wonderstruck exhilaration to outright apprehension. Some leaned forward, eyes rapt with strings, while others recoiled as if the very nature of reality was straining against the old man's onslaught. All knew they were witnessing something far beyond a mere musical performance - a pitched battle of wills in which the loser's dignity as a musician could be forfeit.
For his part, Jihoon stood resolute, both guitar necks gripped tightly as the echoes of that fleeting orchestral tempest faded to a near silence.
Then, he strummed his guitar with persistence melody, slowly building up to the climax that is needed to overcome the orchestra that the old musician established. As the chord progression moved with consistency, the old man played the flute personally while the violin still played to keep the oppressive atmosphere going, the sound of flute which supposed to be soothing turned full of tension which proves that he is at very least Late-Intermediate as a musician.
As Jihoon's mind driven into hyper-focus as he tried to process the impromptu melody that he supposed to keep up against. With too little to go off on, he could only maintain a defensive hold at the very moment. His heart was beating very fast and he could feel the adrenaline rushing in his veins, all seemingly on the last leg as the old musician perceived his state of desperation as his weakness.
With a sigh, the old man moved into full-offensive as he played on the piano keyboard with focus, adding more pressure to Jihoon than already is. The background instruments adding on to the onslaught that seemingly is going to end this entire duel with Jihoon's completely rout. Then, moving into suspense state as the orchestra on his side lulled briefly like the calm before the storm. While Jihoon still maintain the melody of his acoustic against the relentless offense.
To the spellbound audience, it appeared the duel's conclusion was now simply a formality. Karim watched with scarcely concealed awe as the old duelist's fingers arched for one final, triumphant flourish. Surely no neophyte, no matter how tenaciously they clung to desperate hopes, could withstand the onslaught that is about to be unleashed.
Like sealing his demise, the old man's hands surged into furious motion as it slides across the ivory keys of the piano. The background instruments prepare to unleash like rolling thunder. Then the climax chorus played into crashing concordance as the horn and bagpipe played the first refrain of the psychedelic climax while his fingers dancing on the piano, then the trumpet followed up as it played the refrain again loudly in triumphant as if declaring his sweeping victory.
To the enraptured passengers, fixated upon the seasoned veteran's apparent mastery, it was all but over. Yet as Karim's eyes flitted between the duelists, he realized Jihoon's acoustic had never faltered but the young upstart's fingers still playing those humble strings with grim determination. A spark kindled in the merchant's expression as he realized the climactic turnabout had not yet been fully consummated after all.
Despite all evidence to the contrary, Jihoon had not surrendered. Somehow, amidst relenting lesser musicians to outright capitulation, this defiant upstart had formulated his counterattack even as the crowd wrongly presumed the contest's decisive conclusion. A smirk appeared on Jihoon's face as the old musician's triumphant climax was what given him the necessary key to overcome this gross disadvantage between them until now.
The old musician's brow furrowed as he realized Jihoon's acoustic guitar had not surrendered to his thunderous orchestral barrage. Even as the triumphant chorus proclaimed his apparent victory, that lone, resolute melody persisted in defiant counterpoint. The wizened duelist's tense flute refrains took on a questioning lilt, as if struggling to comprehend what desperate gambit this upstart possibly had left to unleash.
In that singular moment of overconfidence and questioning, Jihoon made his move. Suddenly abandoning the acoustic, he seized his electric guitar and broke into a blistering reverie of sound. The triumphant riffs erupted as scorching tributes to the old man's climactic melody. But where that symphonic cadence had portrayed finality, Jihoon's take reimagined it like the spark lighting a fuse.
Jihoon immediately switched to high-gear as he played the electric guitar with doubled down fury. The climax melody that he played is in fact the triumphant chord that the old musician has played. But instead of just outright copying it, he elaborated on its melodic structure, all climbing continuously as high as possible that the electric guitar could physically carry. The electric guitar's searing leads ascended in soaring waves, transcending the grounded refrains as if clawing their way up towards the empyrean through sheer, mortal exertion.
What had begun as an echoing rejoinder built inexorably into a rapturous ascension, each blistering arpeggio dragging the original melody into greater height beyond what can be written on music sheet. Jihoon's impassioned performance transformed the old man's culminating cadence from a declaration of victory into the overture for something far more transcendent.
As the audience looked on in stupefied awe, Karim's mercantile eyes rapidly reassessed the unfolding paradigm. The old duelist's earlier dominance had indeed set the stage for a reckoning to be carved into the annals of memory. But contrary to all assumptions, it was the young upstart busker, not the venerated master, who had ultimately shaped that crescendo into a true conclusion of his own.
The spellbound passengers could only gape as Jihoon's frenzied yet impossibly sublime fingerwork of his. With each transcendent surge across the fretboard, they swear that they can heard the angels cry.
The old man could only gaze on, utterly transfixed, as his once dominating symphonic armada was rendered into mere ambient accompaniment, a prelude honoring Jihoon's ultimate climax in this very railcar itself. As the final, earth-shattering crescendo reached its terminal apogee, Karim reflexively gape as he himself can't believe the melodic that Jihoon displayed by his own musical virtue. Even without any theoretical learning, he still know just how outstanding Jihoon's comeback really is.
The triumphant melody on Jihoon's side ended as only the strumming of his acoustic returned. Everyone left baffled and unclear which was the victor. But there was one thing undeniable is that Jihoon's ultimate climax was so sublime that everything else preceding it doesn't matter anymore.
Both the old man's orchestra and Jihoon's acoustic come to terminal silence. Within the eternal few breathes that has taken, the old man too come to an admittance that what Jihoon did is something that he couldn't imagine himself committing to despite all the years of seniority ahead. With his approval, the quest that the System given is completed with flying color. Lifting his hand up for a handshake, Jihoon looked at him with weariness but knew that this is respect between musicians themselves.
Jihoon reached out to the hand of the old musician and grasp it firmly.
______-----{////\\\\}-----______
Sudden Quest completed!
A Sudden Challenge
Difficulty: D+
Despite the impromptu and meager preparation that you were given. You have successfully
overcome great odds with your own effort and determination combined your brilliant creativity
and intellect in the heat of the duel.
Objective:
-Successfully earn the audiences' recognition in the music duel against the old man. (Completed)
Reward: 4,000 EXP
------_____{\\\\////}_____------
You have leveled up! x5
______-----{////\\\\}-----______
Name: Jihoon Hyunwoon
Level: 21
EXP: 240/344
Class: None
+Physical Attributes:
-STR: 6
-END: 6
-AGI: 6
-DEX: 6
+Non-physical Attributes:
-INT: 5.2
-CHA: 4
-MAG: 15
Attribute Points: 7
+Musical Prowess: Late-Intermediate
+Skill:
-Doppelganger.
+Song Magic:
-Forgotten Melody
-Glint of Cold Steel
-Belief
-Exceed!
------_____{\\\\////}_____------
The stunned silence was then immediately be shattered by the passengers' thunderous roars of applause and cheers. Many leapt to their feet, eyes bright with awe and utterly captivated by the artistic musical duel that taken place. Karim meanwhile looked on with a prideful grin on his face, reassured in his faith that throwing a little modest support behind this prodigy of a musical talent would prove to be the most fortuitous investment he did so far, and it wasn't even his main profession in the first place.
As the ovation continued to swell, the old musician raised a hand to quiet the exuberant crowd. He fixed Jihoon with an appraising look, any traces of his former arrogance banished by the upstart's sublime performance. "You have thoroughly bested me on my own stage, young minstrel," he rumbled with grudging respect. "In fact, I was so enraptured that I took the liberty of documenting our entire duel for posterity." He patted the enchanted recording device at his side. "We must give a name to the unique collaborative opus you have made on this day through sheer passion and ingenuity."
Jihoon blinked, caught off guard by the request to title their spontaneous artistic creation. Delaying the answer as long as he can because this is likely what going to be remembered in this world for a very long while as he stay in this place, it would better be something that both good and thematically fitting. At his own wit's end, Jihoon accidentally dropped his transit train ticket on the floor as he reached out to pick the thing up.
Then, he looked at the train's serial ID, RiET-949. Then, it just immediately click on him of a suitable name. Without any further hesitation, he just spoke it out loud although that seems to be reflexive action than a conscious choice. It matters little to the old musician though.
"Then let this piece be forever known as 'Rhapsody in Ether Transit 949' - a commemorative inscription encapsulating the singular time and place where our fated duel unfolded." The old musician said as he accepted the name without a shred of doubt.
______-----{////\\\\}-----______
RiET-949
Classification: Song Magic
Rank: Intermediate
Effect (MAG 15):
-+50% to all Physical Attributes of self.
The closer the song is to the end, the stronger the effect. (Max: 300%)
--------____{\\\\////}_____--------
The System pop-up that is only perceivable to him. Showing that it has recorded the song composed between the two as a valid Song Magic. Jihoon felt like his own knees are going to collapse on the floor at any moment from the intense stress as he return to his seat. And suddenly, all the commotion before ceased to be as if the trip was going normally and that the duel has never taken place. The old musician returned to his seat, indifferent as always but the air around felt changed like usual.
"Do you think that I have become a celebrity too early?". Jihoon asked as he doesn't feel like having his daily life surrounded by too many rabid fans of his own.
Karim let out a hearty chuckle at Jihoon's remark about premature celebrity. "Fear not, my friend. While your singular talents have certainly turned more than a few heads today, Absence's artistic circles run unfathomably deep. Unless you proceed to actively court the limelight from here on, this impressive debut will remain merely a whispered legend relegated to the transit-line's veteran commuters for now."
The merchant's expression turned contemplative. "However, if gaining recognition as an officially sanctioned musician of Avanthal is your goal, then some formal registration and sponsorship will be required. The heritage conservatories guard their admission criteria quite stringently against dilettantes seeking easy fame and fortune."
Karim stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Fortunately, I've an acquaintance who oversees the music faculty at the Scholium Academy - one of the most prestigious developmental institutions for promising artistic talents. If you'd permit me to convey some recordings of today's...inspired happenstance, I could likely secure you an audition opportunity on their hallowed stages. From there, the scope of Absence's musical world would lie before you to navigate at your own daring."
The merchant fixed Jihoon with an expectant look. "The choice is yours, of course. But after witnessing your sublime skills first-hand, I would be remiss not to extend whatever meager assistance I can to welcome a new virtuoso into our fair city's artistic embrace."
Jihoon makes his thoughtful pondering before making the decision to release some partial truth of his reasoning to be here. Finding like-minded individuals that together forming the greatest ensemble ever seen by anyone. So that together, they can share the passion for music unimpeded with one another with their truest self.
A faint smile played across Karim's features as he regarded the young man's idealistic fervor.
"An admirable dream, to be sure," Karim said at length. "Though I suspect the path toward realizing such grand aspirations will be fraught with no small number of challenges to overcome."
He stroked his chin contemplatively. "Avanthal's conservatories are highly exclusive havens, each do fiercely guards their own insular artistic traditions against perceived encroachments from outside methodologies. Uniting disparate musical philosophies into a singular, cohesive artistic vision? It would require not only supreme talent, but an ability to transcend long-fostered cultural divides through the language of music itself."
Karim's expression took on a sly glint. "Though if your ambitions toward forming the ultimate ensemble are sincere, might I hazard a guess as to the first collaborator you'd seek to recruit?" He leaned back with an exaggerated look of innocence. "Surely an inquiring minstrel of your determination must have had his eyes upon enlisting one of our peerless Harpy overseers into such a lineup that he had in mind?"
Jihoon can't exactly deny it. When he saw one for himself, he was thought was immediately captured by their majestic appearance and beauty that transcend words. While hiding his momentary stunned surprise, Karim simply chuckled.
"Why so stunned? Tales of the Harpies' ancestral mastery over the ethereal wind-streams have echoed through Absence's lore since time immemorial. What better foundation for an ensemble aspiring toward unity of natural energies and mystical harmonies than to include their empyreal vocalists and woodwinds from its inception?"
Karim's mirth faded somewhat as pragmatism reasserted itself. "Of course, gaining an audience with any singular Harpy, let alone proposing such an audacious collaboration, would likely prove a herculean endeavor even for one of Absence's established luminaries. For an untried prospect just beginning to ascend our fair city's vaunted artistic ranks?" He shrugged helplessly. "I hesitate to even contemplate the sheer improbability of such an overture finding success. The Harpies' detached stewardship of Absence is unquestioned, but their cloister from our world's yearnings remains all but inviolable as well."
Despite his skeptical cautions, Karim's eyes betrayed a glint of wry respect. "Then again, if today's stunning debut taught me anything, it is to never underestimate the tenacity of those blessed with true artistic genius. Who can truly say what unified grandeurs may one day be possible through sheer, impassioned resolve toward achieving the improbable?" He extended his hand toward Jihoon in an amiable gesture. "At the very least, you can count me as amenable toward supporting whatever grand ambitions may blossom once you've found firm footings among our esteemed conservatory circles, my friend."
Jihoon smiled with confidence that there's someone who believe in him in this strange world that he landed in. That alone is enough reassurance.
The rest of the journey goes as uneventful as anyone has guessed.