Ch 17
NEYMAR
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Chapter 17
“So, let me get this straight… You’re going to infiltrate the Aldeon Magic Tower as a student?”
“That’s right.”
“And you plan to gather information directly from the inside?”
“…Yes, that’s what I said.”
“Haaaah…” Rena sighed deeply, sweeping her hair back as she spoke.
“I’m still trying to get a read on you, so forgive me for asking… but are you being serious right now? This isn’t some kind of joke, is it?”
“I’m always serious.”
“…Sorry if I’m misunderstanding, but this sounds completely absurd to me. Becoming an undercover spy disguised as a student in the Magic Tower.”
Well, I could certainly understand Rena’s reaction.
It was, in fact, dangerous, and if things went wrong, the Request Office itself could become a target for Aldeon.
Before that, she was probably doubting whether I could even pass Aldeon’s selection test in the first place.
But this was simply a problem born from a gap in information.
I have two end-game level specs.
The Mythic-grade Trait, [Magical Genius], and the top-tier Spirit Imprint, [The Sword Saint's Former Master].
With these two on my side, it was safe to say there was no chance I’d fail the selection test.
Just as I had safely navigated the dangers of the plunderers’ hideout and the Vassal of Valefor.
This time would be no different.
“I know we just met today, but… trust me. You won’t be harmed in any way, I guarantee it. Not even if I get caught.”
“…”
“This is a great opportunity to raise the Request Office’s reputation and build trust between us. Wouldn’t it be a shame to let it pass?”
“…You’re the smug type, aren’t you?”
Huh? Is that how I sound?
I didn’t know why she was reacting like this when I was only stating facts.
Come to think of it, Keila used to call me smug day in and day out, too.
In any case.
“Well… I guess you’re not wrong. Alright. Give it a shot. Take the quest.”
To my relief, Rena agreed.
As expected of someone who runs a Request Office, she’s definitely a sharp woman.
“Mark my words. This quest has both of our necks on the line.”
“Of course.”
With Rena’s final, stern warning, I let out a deep, internal sigh of relief.
Phew, I almost lost out on that Sacred Power stat.
After returning to my room, I flopped onto the bed and reviewed the information I had organized with Rena.
There were a total of four pieces of information I needed to report back to the Request Office.
To put it simply:
One: The reason Aldeon is opening its Magic Tower and accepting students for the first time in 100 years.
Two: The results of the Light Magic research Aldeon has conducted during that time.
Three: The existence and current status of any Light-attribute Artifacts owned by Aldeon.
Four: The relationship between Aldeon and the demons.
None of them seemed particularly difficult to uncover.
Except for the last one.
“Why would they want me to find this out?”
From what I had learned myself in the game, the rumor that the Aldeon School was connected to ‘demons’ was definitely false.
Though secretive, they were a school that purely researched Light Magic.
They were far more likely to hunt demons than have any close relationship with them.
But something felt off.
…They wouldn’t have requested this information without a reason.
I had a persistent feeling that there had to be something more to it.
The kind of person who would offer a Heroic-grade Artifact as a reward wasn’t likely to do something so pointless.
Besides, this world was roughly 100 years in the future from the game’s timeline.
I couldn’t blindly trust the information I had about Aldeon.
There was no telling what changes the school might have undergone in that time.
Of course, this could all just be my own delusion, and it might be a quest thrown out there on a whim, just to see what sticks…
…Frankly, I hope that’s the case.
A school of Light Magic that colludes with demons? Could there be a more despairing thought?
Just imagining it was horrifying.
“Tsk… I’m just making my head spin for nothing.”
Worrying about it now wouldn’t change what I had to do.
I would find out when the time came.
With that, I quickly shifted my thoughts.
First… I should focus on the immediate tasks at hand.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I quietly extended my hand.
Fwoom!
Mana instantly rushed toward me.
A compressed sphere of blue mana materialized above my palm.
It was far more delicate and refined than when I had first created one.
However, it wasn’t much different from when I’d had my combat training with Barundel.
It's still only at the 2nd Circle level.
Of course, my growth hadn’t stopped.
I just needed a little more experience.
And that experience had been filled over the past few days through several battles.
Focus.
Wooooong—.
Maintaining the sphere above my palm, I once again drew in the surrounding mana.
All for the sake of creating magic that was more efficient and more powerful.
The genius within me was awakening.
-Magical computation is maximized.
The change occurred the moment I refined the complex flow of mana and settled its destination on my palm.
Fwoooosh—!
Behind the still-glowing blue sphere of mana, another one formed.
A powerful sense of elation washed over me.
…Multi-casting.
I had finally reached the 3rd Circle.
With this, I could now cast two different types of magic simultaneously.
Indeed, this talent was worthy of the title Mythic-grade.
To transcend a level on my own, without anyone’s help…
Even in the game, it had taken me a long time to get this far.
“Hoo…”
Sssss—.
I let out the breath I’d been holding and dispersed the spheres.
This level of magic should be more than enough to pass the selection test.
The urgent matter right now wasn’t my magic, but something else.
My gaze shifted from my tattered armor to a corner of the room, where a noticeably thick pouch lay.
—“Once I decide to invest, I tend to go all in.”
Remembering that I had said I needed funds, Rena had kindly handed me the pouch of gold coins.
It was money I’d have to pay back later, but…
Regardless, I planned to take it and head to the commercial district tomorrow.
“Tomorrow’s going to be another busy day.”
It was about time I got myself some proper equipment.
The Sector 6 commercial district. In other words, Dmitri Plaza.
It was the same place where Barundel’s training hall was located, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that all of Sector 6’s commerce was concentrated here.
As such, countless shops lined the streets, and the noise from merchants hawking their wares from mats on the ground was ceaseless.
“Come take a look at these quality Artifacts!”
“Selling my own special-made potions! Buy ten, get one free!”
“Come try your luck, one game of shell game!”
I had only ever stopped by a general store to buy potions; this was my first time truly looking around.
After carefully scanning the shops, I entered the one that looked the most promising.
“Welcome!”
The first thing to buy was, of course, the most expensive item: a weapon.
“What are you looking for today?”
I spoke firmly to the shopkeeper, whose eyes were gleaming with greed.
“I’ll just look around for a bit first.”
He might seem friendly at a glance, but from here on out, I had to be on high alert.
The shops in Sector 6 were the kind of places that would rip you off if you so much as blinked.
“Yes, yes! Take your time and look around!”
With the owner’s permission, I slowly examined the weapons displayed on the walls.
From well-maintained swords and blades that gleamed brightly to double-sided axes, maces, and longbows.
There were plenty of items that sparked a desire to buy just by looking at them, but I passed by without a second glance.
I finally arrived at the section where staves and wands were displayed.
“Oho, you must be a wizard?”
“Yes… something like that. What are the prices on these?”
“The staves start at 50 gold coins, and the wands at 20. They get more expensive as you go to the right.”
“Hmm…”
…I didn’t let it show, but I felt a cold sweat run down my back.
Why the hell do these crappy weapons cost tens of gold coins?
Swallowing my complaints, I opened the pouch of gold I was holding.
At most, I had about 50 coins.
I guess I have to give up on a staff…
A staff was the true flower of a wizard, but with my current funds, it was completely out of reach.
I had to buy armor as well as a weapon.
With no other choice, I began to carefully examine the cheaper wands.
“How much is this one?”
After some thought, I picked up a yellowish-brown wand from the middle of the display.
Seeing as there was no mana stone embedded in it, it wasn’t an Artifact, but the quality of the wood seemed decent enough.
“Oh, you have a good eye, sir. That’s a wand made from Ycave wood. Due to the material’s properties, it has excellent durability and mana conductivity, so it’s a favorite among many wizards. For someone just starting out in ma—”
The longer he talked, the more nervous I got.
“So how much is it?”
“Ah, yes. 50 gold coins.”
“Fifty gold coins?”
“Hehe, a great price, isn’t it?”
A great price, my ass.
I had no idea if that was cheap in this world, but in my eyes, it was anything but.
A pint of beer is half a gold coin, so fifty gold coins… is a hundred pints.
In modern terms, that was a price tag of around 500 dollars.
Five hundred dollars for a lump of wood that wasn’t even an Artifact? Absolutely not. I’d rather take the test without a weapon.
“…Tsk.”
It’s the way of the world that if you don’t have money, you must compromise again and again.
My gaze naturally drifted to the left.
The quality from here on was so poor that nothing caught my eye, but… huh? What’s this?
What captured my attention was the wand hanging at the far left end.
The cheapest weapon, one I hadn’t even bothered to look at.
“This one is…”
Before I could finish my question, the owner explained in a bitter tone.
“Ah… that’s the only troublesome item in my shop. I think it’s been over five years since I brought it in, but it just won’t sell. Well… you’ll understand if you look at its condition.”
Its condition was certainly terrible.
Unlike the other wands, its handle had no engravings, and you could see traces of what looked like insect damage in several spots.
At this point, it was closer to a rotten branch than a wand.
But, for some reason, it looked strangely familiar.
As if I had definitely seen it somewhere before…
Ah!
At that moment, something I had scribbled in my notes flashed through my mind.
Am I crazy…? How could I see this in person and not recognize it?
The vertical grooves carved intermittently.
The stain that covered more than half of it, as if it had been soaked in oil.
It was longer than I remembered, but there was no doubt.
This was none other than a piece of progression gear I had written down in my own build plan—a Heroic-grade Artifact!
The [Sacred Wand].
“Hoo…”
I tried to calm down, but it wasn’t easy.
To think I’d find this wand here, like this?
“You said it hasn’t sold in five years?”
“The fellow who set up the antique shop across the street arrived six years ago, so… yes, it’s been about that long.”
It made sense, honestly.
It looked even more pathetic than it did in the game.
Who would pay money for junk like this? Even I had almost passed it by without a second thought.
“Hmm.”
I composed myself as much as possible and asked nonchalantly.
If I showed any excitement, he might try to jack up the price.
“How much for this one?”
“What? You want to buy this?”
“Just tell me the price first.”
“Um… well, I originally listed it for 5 gold, but…”
Five gold!
At the groundbreaking price, I immediately started taking off my equipment.
Clank, clank.
“Uh… sir? What are you doing…?”
“Just a moment.”
I placed them on the counter: the [Wood Shield] that had been cracked during the fight with the guards, and the [Leather Armor] worn down from my training with Barundel.
They were items that would become useless to me once I bought new gear.
And the reason I was putting them on the counter now was…
“Would you be willing to trade these for that wand? They’re not badly damaged, so if you repair and sell them, you could get at least 10 gold for them.”
“A tr-trade?”
It was to save even those 5 gold coins.
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