GWTM 06
Since escaping the factory, Renok had been constantly thinking about his finances. He was lucky to have stolen the foremen’s money, but it was impossible to keep going on that alone.
Ultimately, he needed to find a way to earn money, but with no knowledge of this world and a naturally weak body, Renok had few options. He had no choice but to use the magical talent he possessed.
It was impossible for Renok, with no identity, to find a respectable job in the open. His only option was to head back to Sector 49, where that gloomy Mana flowed.
‘I made sure to get directions from that man just in case of something like this.’
Recalling the way the man he had saved from the thugs told him, Renok twisted through the alleyways and headed down to the basement of a shabby gambling den. There was a small bar there, dimly lit even at dawn.
When Renok entered the bar, his face had somehow changed to that of a young man with a languid look. Since it was the time when night was ending and dawn was breaking, there were less than three customers left in the bar. A solemn old man was slowly mixing drinks behind the bar.
Renok sat slightly away from the old man and ordered a cocktail. The old man didn’t ask further and mixed something suitable, then set it down.
Only after the old man set down the glass did Renok speak.
“I’m looking for a job that a mage can do.”
The underground employment agency. This was the place the man had told him about to find work. Since they arranged jobs even for the elderly man who was beaten senseless by the thugs, it shouldn’t be too dangerous for Renok either.
The old man paused at Renok’s words, then silently tapped the cocktail glass four times.
Silence ensued, and someone walked out from the back of the bar, yawning.
“Haa…. Hey. Closing time is over. What’re you doing when I was just about to fall asleep?”
A woman with sharp features, brushing back hair that looked damp, glared at Renok. Dressed in a loosely unbuttoned shirt and black leather pants, she exuded a languid yet fierce aura. She was not a suitable bar staff member, to say the least.
The old man standing next to her spoke for the first time.
“He says he’s a mage.”
“…..You’re a mage?”
In Renok’s experience, the treatment mages received in this world was not bad. Her thoughts seemed similar, as her expression shifted from annoyance to doubt.
“Hmm, you look more like a patient than a mage… You’re not an escaped test subject from some lab, are you?”
It seemed Renok’s complexion didn’t look good even in the dim light. When he didn’t respond, she seemed to accept it on her own and perched on the opposite side of the bar.
“Well, fine. That’s not important. You can never have too many skilled mages. I’m Jenny. You?”
He couldn’t use his real name. Renok planned to use this magically created face and a new identity for his work here. After deliberation, he gave the name of the man who had first spoken to him at the factory.
“……Van.”
“Alright, Van. I don’t know who told you, but it’s not a big secret that our bar arranges all sorts of work, so let’s move on. You’re looking for work suitable for a mage, right?”
“Yes.”
Renok kept his answers brief on purpose. He judged that giving away information before figuring out what kind of person Jenny was could be risky.
Hearing Renok’s answer, her eyes narrowed.
“Then I need to know what level of mage you are. That way we can find work that matches your skill level, right?”
“My level?”
“Well, you don’t have to reveal which Unique Magic system you’ve mastered, but we need to know what elemental affiliation you have.”
“……..”
Perhaps misunderstanding his silence, Jenny’s expression instantly turned cold.
“It couldn’t be… If you’re calling yourself a mage after only learning Common Magic, that won’t be fun.”
Renok silently let go of the glass he was holding and spread both his fingers. He strongly visualized the image and drew up his Mana.
Simultaneously with the bright magical light illuminating the three people’s faces, Renok’s magic manifested.
Fzzzt!!
“…..So you’re an Electric-type mage. My apologies.”
Seeing the vivid blue electricity sparking between Renok’s palms, Jenny said awkwardly. Elemental magic is powerful and intuitive but is known for its high difficulty compared to its symbolism, as it takes a long time to learn and is difficult to apply. Renok had just used magic without any incantation or hand signs. Only a seasoned orthodox mage who had devoted decades to the field could do something like this without chanting.
Even the old man next to her was nodding quietly, but Renok had no intention of stopping there. While he had to refrain from showing his full capabilities, he needed to prove his exceptional skill among the many workers who would frequent this bar.
He concentrated and gently moved the Mana flowing through his hands. The moment Renok twitched his fingers, the expressions of both the old man and Jenny changed dramatically.
“……!!!”
The current flowing along his fingers split into five strands and moved gracefully, beginning to draw a small pentagram. A feat that was impossible to attempt without microscopic Mana control ability, down to the centimeter. Both of them seemed to know this well, as their gazes towards Renok quickly changed.
Only then did Renok extinguish the Mana and pick up his cocktail glass again.
“As you can see, I’m quite confident in my ability, so I hope you can introduce me to some decent work.”
“….You’re a pretty good client for someone who showed up at the crack of dawn. I like it.”
Jenny grinned and replied.
“But we can’t immediately entrust you with important work either. We need to work together a few times and establish mutual trust before we can connect you with good clients. In that sense, the work you can do for the time being will be limited. Is that okay?”
“I understand.”
“Good. Then let’s write up a contract.”
Once the two agreed, the process proceeded rapidly. After writing a superficial employment contract that stated they weren’t bound by each other’s freedom and responsibility, Jenny brought out a thick file binder from behind the bar.
“Shall we start? Since you crawled all the way here, I trust you won’t be picky about the work.”
“As long as it doesn’t involve civilians.”
He wanted to avoid being chased by the police or military for harming innocent people. Jenny shook her head as if to dismiss the thought.
“Don’t worry, that rarely happens. Now, look at this.”
She opened the file binder and pushed the documents inside toward Renok. Papers with various profiles recorded on them. Dozens of photos of men and women of all ages were attached to each page, with large, unknown numbers printed in the center.
Renok stared at them for a moment before realizing the meaning of the numbers.
“….Bounty?”
“It’s accessible, the results are easy to verify, and the payment is immediate. There’s a reason Bounty Hunters exist.”
Jenny said this as she pulled out one sheet of paper and presented it to Renok.
“It’s the perfect screening process to weed out the riff-raff. Interested?”
“I haven’t been in the city for long…. I’m not in a position to be picky.”
Renok said this, looking closely at the face in the photo. A young man with rough skin and a nervous expression. He had faded brown hair cut into an asymmetrical style and was smoking a cigarette.
“His name is Taylor Evans. He’s a Scavenger, suspected of attempting to seize Achilles Corp.’s security equipmentbeing transported at Pier 31 three days ago.”
.
The Chase
“Does that mean it ended in failure?”
“There’s no way trash wandering the gutters could breach Achilles’ security. The other Scavengers who planned the crime were all killed, and only this guy managed to escape. Achilles has since washed their hands of it and left the garbage disposal to us.”
From her words, the power gap between the corporation named Achilles and the organization named Scavengers seemed immense.
“The Scavenger branch he belonged to has long since abandoned him, so there won’t be any problem if you get a little rough.”
“Hmm….”
“The bounty is 3 million Cell. It’s not a huge amount, but it’s not bad for catching one rat. What do you say?”
3 million. An absurdly large sum for Renok, who was struggling for a few tens of thousands of Cell a week ago, but he hesitated to accept it immediately.
‘It’s too vague.’
Having spent a week in this city, Renok roughly knew how vast and diverse the populace was. Even this Sector 49, where the entertainment district was located, was a completely different world from the busy area where the library was. Finding a person with just one photo in a place like this seemed too labor-intensive. Renok rummaged through the file looking for useful information and pointed to something he found.
“It says here that a blood sample was collected.”
“Oh? Well…. we do have it.”
“Can I have it?”
“We can give it to you… but it won’t be very useful.”
Jenny, with a dubious expression, had the old man retrieve the sample from behind the bar. It was a torn piece of cloth stained with blood.
As Renok put it in his pocket and stood up, she asked.
“What are you going to do?”
“It will help.”
“Forget about finding a Blood Mage. They’re money-grubbers who charge at least 5 million Cell per job, so you won’t even break even. But otherwise, that sample is only good for identity checks.”
Ignoring Jenny, who shrugged as if to say Achilles hadn’t handed it over for no reason, Renok walked out of the bar.
She mentioned Blood Mages, but Renok had no intention of seeking help from them. He knew a little about the Blood Magic Unique System. It was a powerful system with a simplified preparation process for spells, but the recoil was strong, and its practitioners constantly lived with the risk of shortened lifespans. It was no problem in a game, but a completely different story in reality.
Since it was magic used at the cost of life force, he understood why Blood Mages were expensive. However, there was simply no reason to enlist their help just to catch a thief.
Finding a suitably secluded spot away from prying eyes, Renok crouched down and placed the torn cloth on the ground.
“…..[Bloody Chase].”
As he poured his will and Mana into the cloth, a magic circle about 1 meter in diameter began to be engraved on the floor around the cloth.
Vwoom!!
The magic circle, glowing bright red, sucked up all the bloodstains on the cloth. It then vibrated gently, transforming into a single thread of crimson light that began to crawl along the ground like a snake.
Renok stood up, watching the thread, and followed it.
This Common Magic was favored by Hunter-type classes who used magic, primarily used to locate or track down missed prey. Its duration wasn’t long, it couldn’t track properly if the trail was mixed with other bloodstains, and it only indicated direction rather than distance. It could also be nullified by simple interference magic, but his target didn’t seem to have such means.
Walking for a while in the direction the thread pointed, the crowds thinned, and the air changed faintly. Next to a nameless construction site where the smell of people was fading, an abandoned railway section came into view.
On the heavily rusted rails, instead of trains, people in shabby rags lay sleeping. None of them had a normal complexion, and a strange odor, as they relieved themselves carelessly nearby, penetrated his senses. It looked like a place where outcasts, unwelcome in both the light and shadow of the city, sought rest.
The thread fixed on a man leaning against a wall in a corner of the railway. Renok slowly walked and stood before him.
“Taylor Evans?”
“………”
Renok sighed, looking down at the man who was motionless as if dead. Maintaining a safe distance, he pulled out the cutter he had taken from the thugs.
They had said it was a modified Dike Corp. product. Pressing the two buttons on the front and back of the handle simultaneously, a bluish light source jutted out from the cutter.
“Oh, this is…..”
It looked like a small lightsaber.
As Renok quietly marveled and positioned himself to plunge the beam into the man’s thigh—the man, who had been completely still, suddenly twisted sideways and began to run away like a madman.
“……..”
Renok shook his head, watching Taylor flee without looking back. He had been fully prepared to counter an attack, but he hadn’t expected him to run without resistance. Despite looking scrawny, he was running quite fast and seemed about to escape Renok’s sight.
In a short amount of time, Renok’s mind spun rapidly. The initiative in the situation was completely with Renok, and he had many options. He could chase him directly, or he could cast Silence magic like before and shoot him. But running with this body would require the help of the tobacco, and he wasn’t confident he could hit a target that far away with the pistol.
Therefore, Renok chose the third method.
He drew up Mana, causing it to ripple greatly, and then slashed it into the air. With a clear thought and strong will, a cloudy ripple spread outward from his left hand.
[Sound Wave]
Pang!!
Along with Renok’s incantation, an invisible shockwave spread forward like a wave through the medium of air. The speed at which it traveled was the speed of sound. The invisible shockwave, extending with terrifying momentum, caught up to the fugitive instantly.
Thump!
It took less than 3 seconds for Taylor, who was running madly, to lose his balance and collapse.
Renok slowly walked toward where he had fallen. He had walked for quite a while since leaving Jenny’s bar, and his stamina was starting to flag. If he didn’t regulate his breathing properly, he would have to rely on the tobacco again. After chain-smoking while researching magic, he only had less than five sticks left. He figured he would have to ask Jenny how to get more of these items after the job was done.
Taylor Evans was trembling and convulsing, covering both ears with his hands. Bright red blood was streaming between his fingers.
The Common Magic [Sound Wave]. It was magic primarily used to search the surroundings like a bat using sound wave vibrations, but increasing the output could generate this kind of power. As a Magnum Shooter, he could only use it in the prescribed way, but with Renok’s talent, simply materializing the image when using the magic was enough.
He likely had his eardrums and cochlea completely shattered. He wouldn’t be able to hear anything, let alone walk properly.
“Hmm.”
Renok was lost in thought, looking down at Taylor, who was completely subdued and trembling. The first thing Renok thought about after finishing his Common Magic research was to protect his own body. He knew how important it was to shield himself not just from physical attacks but from various attempts that might endanger his safety through different routes. If he couldn’t properly protect his senses, Renok could suffer the same fate as Taylor. His fragile body wouldn’t endure even a single such attack.
Thinking this, he grabbed the fallen Taylor’s ankle and turned him over.
Bang!!
A gunshot rang out, and a Mana barrier flashed and shattered around Renok. The Barrier-type magic Renok had prepared in advance had reacted to a gunshot fired from somewhere. It was a barrier that could be applied constantly with a single casting, so it was fragile enough to be destroyed by a single bullet.
But it was more than enough to buy Renok a moment to react to the attack. The moment the barrier burst, Renok’s thoughts and Mana moved simultaneously to construct a new field. It took only an instant to complete a wall dozens of times stronger than the previous one. This could withstand a rocket-propelled grenade for a moment.
As soon as he felt secure, Renok immediately lit the tobacco and spread his Mana in all directions to locate a presence. He instantly forgot the fatigue that had been slowly accumulating in his body, and his body felt much lighter. Despite being sniped in the blink of an eye, Renok’s mind was extremely calm. His complex thoughts about the future and his life immediately chilled in the face of a life-threatening situation. Emotion and fear were pushed aside, and the reason and powerful mental fortitude of a mage rose to the surface, filling Renok.
‘There’s nothing.’
He had fully deployed the increased Mana, sweeping an area of a 1-kilometer radius, but he felt nothing but the vagrants. Either the sniper carried out the attack from beyond that range, or they used a good method to conceal their presencethat simple Mana sensing couldn’t detect. Either way, it was a hassle.
But did the man trembling with his ears covered have that much value?
Renok’s eyes, which had been circling the fallen Taylor, suddenly fixed on his head.
‘Come to think of it, the shot was aimed at the lower part of the barrier. At first, I thought it was just to subdue me…’
What if it was actually aimed precisely at someone’s head?
The moment he set up a rational hypothesis, the deduction immediately followed. The conclusion was reached instantly.
‘They were trying to silence Taylor Evans.’
It was probably the Scavengers organization. Was there some untold story that shouldn’t reach Achilles Corp.’s ears hidden somewhere in his head?
If so, it made sense that the sniping occurred after Renok found Taylor. If a target is eliminated while being pursued by a bounty hunter, most hunters would simply take the body and boast of their achievement. The secret the Scavengers were trying to bury would also be gone forever.
But Renok had no intention of letting the sniper who openly attempted to shoot him get away. From the moment he took on this job, his process had to be decisive, and his actions had to be ruthless. At least, Renok intended to establish the persona of ‘Van’ that way. The more he was known as a cruel and cold-hearted man, the fewer people would interfere with his moneymaking.
As soon as he made up his mind, Renok immediately pulled out his pistol and shot Taylor in the head.
Bang!!
Taylor, who was twitching, died instantly with a rough gunshot. Jenny preferred him captured alive, but that also meant there was no strict need for him to be alive. Of course, this meant the ‘untold story’ inside Taylor’s head would be buried forever, but Renok wasn’t interested in such secrets. What was important to him right now was finding and punishing the sniper who had aimed a gun at him. All of this was just a step in the process for that.
‘Found it.’
The faint wave of agitation that arose the moment Renok killed Taylor. Renok didn’t miss the corresponding surge of Mana.
.
The Report
The distance was approximately 600 meters. Renok’s guess that they were using some special method to evade detection rather than maintaining a distance of over 1 kilometer had been correct.
The moment he pinpointed the location, Renok immediately drew up Mana and rotated it around his right hand.
Vwoom!!
With a strange sensation, as if the space was flipping, the Mana soared into the sky. He knew about it conceptually but was using it for the first time.
An advanced application of Electric-type magic, symbolic of the element, boasting power that ranked among the top few Common Magic spells.
[Thunder Calling]
The moment he felt a brilliant blue magical flash in the air, a bolt of lightning descended through the dry sky and struck the target.
Lightning Strike (落雷).
KABOOOOM!!
The ground-shaking vibration. Along with the belated sound of thunder, a fierce blue light flashed. Renok watched the scene with interest. It felt different when he saw other mages use it in the game, but watching a lightning strike manifest in reality gave him a strange sense of excitement. It was beyond his expectations. It seemed more than enough to call himself an Electric-type mage.
Was he dead? If the sniper hadn’t noticed and run the moment Renok targeted them, they couldn’t have avoided it.
Renok immediately headed to the spot where the lightning had struck, but he found no trace of a corpse, only a crater about 2 meters in diameter. Had they fled the moment the Mana was drawn up?
Renok considered pursuing the sniper further but eventually stopped. This was sufficient warning for anyone else secretly watching this area. It was enough to establish the name of ‘Van,’ the Electric-type mage.
He didn’t want much. It was enough if the useless checks and interference he experienced now stopped. Of course, acting this way would lead to more people trying to investigate him, but wasn’t that why he had put on this new face?
Renok trusted his magical talent. A heaven-defying talent created by trading his lifespan. No matter how excellent the mages in this world were, Renok’s talent would never be insufficient. He couldn’t do anything without that belief.
Suppressing his faint unease with firm rationality, Renok collected Taylor’s body, put it in a sack he had prepared, and slung it over his shoulder. He felt little strain, perhaps because he had smoked the tobacco in preparation for a potential close-quarters fight.
Of course, he might suffer muscle pain once the effect of the smoke wore off, but he would not use Mana to strengthen his muscles. To him, Mana was his most powerful weapon and his last resort. He needed to conserve it as much as possible, only using it when facing an enemy.
He returned the way he came, heading back to Sector 49. Blood was dripping from inside the sack, but not a single passerby in the vicinity was sensitive enough to care about it.
He arrived at Jenny’s bar, which was located inside the area, but the shutter was closed. Renok hesitated for a moment, then banged loudly on the closed shutter.
After a short while, an elderly voice called out from inside.
“Operating hours are from 8 PM.”
“I caught Taylor Evans.”
There was a moment of silence. The old man, understanding the meaning of the words a little late, sighed and said.
“…..There’s a back door behind the building. Come through there.”
As the old man said, a small side door was indeed located behind the building. When Renok opened the door and stepped inside, a scene similar yet different from the bar unfolded. The old man was staring at him across a counter divided by a pane of glass.
Seeing Renok enter with the sack over his shoulder, the old man spoke.
“Please use this side when discussing work in the future. I should have told you when you first came, but both Jenny and I mistakenly forgot.”
“Understood. Let’s verify this first.”
Renok replied, placing the sack he was carrying onto the table.
Thump!
“It’s Taylor Evans himself.”
“Wait a moment.”
The old man hummed, put on gloves from beneath the counter, and began to examine the inside of the sack. Seeing him inspect the corpse without his expression wavering, he was clearly no ordinary person.
“Cause of death is a gunshot wound. He hasn’t been dead for an hour. There are signs of ear damage before the head injury, and given his poor nutritional state, he hasn’t eaten in days. There’s no magical tampering, and all organs are intact, so it’s him.”
Renok was impressed by the old man, who could deduce so much just from the crumpled body in the sack.
“Were you a medical examiner?”
“I did similar work. Do you want to receive the reward now?”
When Renok nodded, the old man immediately pulled out cash and placed it on the counter.
“That’s 2.7 million Cell, excluding a 10% commission. If you want to receive it in another way, there’ll be an additional fee.”
“In another way?”
“There are various options. Some want a deposit into a shell account, some require money laundering for more complex matters, and sometimes it’s exchanged in the form of bonds or stocks.”
Did the financial sector in Valcan operate similarly to Earth? As Renok filed away the various pieces of information the old man had mentioned, someone walked out from behind the black curtain behind the old man.
“Oh? You’re here already?”
Jenny, with a tired face, yawned as she brushed back her greasy hair.
“Huuu-aahhm…. I wondered who the guest was at this hour. Were you that desperate for money?”
Renok simply nodded at Jenny’s crooked smile.
“I just did it because I could.”
“Well, you’ve got good talent, as expected of a mage lord.”
Jenny pulled up a chair next to the old man, rested her chin on her hand, and asked.
“Usually, this kind of bounty hunting takes much longer to find than to kill. What’s your trick, Mr. Van, to catch a rat so quickly?”
“Good luck.”
Jenny chuckled at Renok’s obvious remark. She didn’t seem to expect a real answer and immediately changed the subject.
“Bringing results in half a day means you can take care of yourself. I think we can continue working with you.”
“I don’t mind arranging another job right now.”
He’d have to visit Sector 49 again anyway to get work. He wanted to avoid making two trips, but Jenny immediately shook her head.
“No chance. You should go back for now. We need to hand over the results of this job to Achilles Corp.’s representative, check the Scavenger’s movements, and then wrap things up.”
“One job isn’t enough?”
“You catch on quickly. We need to wait and see how well Mr. Van performs. Only then can we always arrange suitable deals for you, right?”
“Hmm…..”
‘I doubt that’s the only reason.’
Jenny’s words flowed smoothly, as if her tongue was oiled, but Renok didn’t take them at face value. The reasons she gave sounded plausible, but often such seemingly reasonable explanations meant nothing at all.
However, instead of dwelling on her words, Renok simply accepted the cash the old man offered.
“Then I’ll see you next time.”
“…..Wait, I have one thing to ask.”
“What?”
He was wondering where to find similar items, and she might have a good answer. Renok turned and took out the tobacco from his pocket, placing it in front of her.
“I’m looking for a place that sells items similar to this. They don’t have to be in the form of a cigarette, but I’d like to see a variety of products.”
“…….”
She didn’t say anything, but Renok didn’t miss the quick glance exchanged between Jenny and the old man.
Jenny slowly picked up the tobacco and began to cautiously examine it. She looked as if Renok had handed her a bomb. She slowly observed its appearance, then carefully brought it to her nose and smelled it. Her head twitched for a moment but quickly returned to a calm expression.
Only then did Jenny let out a sigh of relief, putting down the tobacco.
“Haa… I thought for a moment it was some newly developed electronic drug.”
“Do you know what this is?”
Jenny nodded at his question.
“It’s just a common indulgence. I don’t know the product name, but I generally know the ingredients. Melodis and Alpinia leaves crushed and mixed with vegetable oil.”
Jenny returned the tobacco to him and said.
“But aren’t you too fond of such a cheap product for a mage? Smoking this for a long time will mess up your head.”
“My head?”
“Yeah. The recipe is simple as hell, and the poor scent clearly shows it’s garbage. I understand that a mage lord like you might like this kind of thing, but if you’re going to smoke something, you should buy the expensive stuff to avoid side effects.”
“…….”
Indeed, the item he was holding came from a factory foreman’s pocket. It wouldn’t be surprising if it was a product with reliable effects for a low price but with severe side effects.
“Anyway, if you like this kind of thing, go to Plumber’s Orchard. They specialize in selling a whole table spread for smokers like you, Mr. Van. You might find something you like there.”
With that, she gave him the general location of the ‘Orchard’. Renok nodded, having heard the explanation of which district it was in.
“Thank you for the information. I’ll come back later then.”
“Sure. See you.”
Renok, walking away with his back to the waving Jenny, suddenly stopped.
“Wait, one more thing I want to ask.”
“What?”
“Can I get a similar explanation for health supplements?”
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