The True Identity of D

<Lala>

Forlun had guessed that the true identity of D was "Dominant." The total sum of dissonant chords was the key to calculating Karma Points. But somehow, the pieces still didn’t quite fit.

All registered macro-magic is logged in the Ministry of Magic’s database and made publicly available.

And yet, no measurement magic for "Dominant" exists in that list. Forlun also considered "Desire" as a possible meaning for D, but that wasn’t registered either.

They had no idea what D truly was. If only they could figure that out!

“Damn it—dopamine’s flooding my brain! Garnet Prince might give you power, but it’s hell on your body!”

“Huh…?”

Who was that just now? Peeking at the side monitor, they saw Sharp appear on the surveillance camera. It looked like he was just about to arrive at the room.

But more importantly—dopamine. Dopamine is a crucial neurotransmitter that governs human motivation.

And there is brain chemical measurement magic that exists in the natural world. If that’s the answer…

“Serotonin, the comfort hormone. Oxytocin, the love hormone. If I can integrate both into the formula—!”

The more dopamine is released, the more exciting the world becomes. That’s not necessarily wrong. But if society is driven by dopamine alone, people lose their inner peace, and it's no wonder they start hurting each other. So, what if we could balance it with other essential hormones?

There was one concern. While the intermediate database seemed to have data on dopamine, there was no guarantee that data on other hormones existed.

In fact, most magic engineers would avoid intermediate calculations for unnecessary data to maintain processing speed. But if these other hormones were already being calculated, what kind of scenario would explain that?

What if this Karma Point formula was designed with future expansion in mind—specifically to incorporate other hormones? What if the nameless engineer who created the formula had already prepared for that?

What if this macro-magic wasn't born from malice at all, but was created out of a wish for hope and happiness in the future?

It was all just wishful thinking. But I wanted to believe. That someone who could write such a beautiful program couldn't possibly be evil.

Before modification:SUM(TMP.D)
After modification:SUM(POWER(TMP.D * TMP.O * TMP.S, 1.0/3))

I quickly rewrote the script to incorporate the three hormones: D, O, and S. I located the trigger for the unit-test spell, made the minimal necessary edits, and began chanting.

If the other hormones had indeed been prepared in advance, it should execute without error. All I could do now was pray that the developer had left behind a fragment of a technician’s conscience.

“Test passed! Yes! Oxytocin and serotonin were really there! I just hope it’s not dummy data!”

I couldn’t help but cry out in joy.

“What does that mean?”

“Once the final three choruses are complete, the Karma Point will be reborn as an index of happiness.”

The two nodded silently.

“Not so fast!

A deep, gruff voice echoed through the empty space. It didn’t sound like something a bunny should have—but I recognized it.