GWTM 08

Time passed quickly.

Renok confirmed that the side effects of the newly purchased tobacco were much less than the previous one, and he spent several days resting deeply. There was a lot he could do while resting. Now that he could control Mana, he could research magic while lying in bed, and his rapidly growing talent gave him ample time to focus on it.

As he continued to research, his casting time shortened, and the number of applicable spells increased. Combining a few new Electric-type spells he knew could create new magic. Completely engrossed in the fun he couldn’t even attempt in the original WORLD game, Renok researched magic and stabilized his body without anyone’s interruption.

Once he felt somewhat recuperated, he stopped resting and went out to work again. He repeated the process of visiting Jenny’s bar and picking up wanted criminals. Jenny might have chosen this work simply to test Renok’s abilities, but from Renok’s perspective, who desperately needed every penny, it was a quite decent income.

As long as he had the fugitive’s blood, tracking was not difficult, and subduing them was even easier. While there weren’t many jobs that guaranteed the same pay as the first one with Taylor, it was undeniably a considerable income for a day’s work.

By the time he brought in the third fugitive alive, Jenny seemed subtly ready to assign Renok different tasks, but Renok continued to focus on chasing bounties. He would smoke a stick of tobacco before starting work, catch the fugitive, and hand them over to Jorden. He would take the bounty, return to the hotel, and sleep like the dead for the day. He would rest for three days, research magic, stabilize his body, and then go out to work again.

By repeating this process, Renok soon amassed nearly 10 million Cell. In the process, the name Van seemed to have become known in several places, but it was irrelevant as long as he wasn’t directly implicated. Renok actually thought it wasn’t a bad thing to be known as a capable bounty hunter.

One day, about a month after he began researching magic and earning money:

“………”

Renok opened his eyes, receiving the sunlight streaming through the window on his bare face. He gripped his throbbing head and sat up. The two sticks of tobacco he had smoked consecutively while chasing a fugitive the day before were still tormenting him.

He filled a container with water from the fountain and drank the whole thing, then washed his sweaty body. Renok was so accustomed to this life that he could find the towel on the rack with his eyes closed.

After showering, Renok’s gaze fell on the corner of the hotel room. The 10 million Cell bounty he had earned from catching fugitives was piled up there. Hundreds of 10,000 and 100,000 Cell banknotes. It was a lot of money, but it was certainly not appropriate to pile it up conspicuously in the corner of the room and request cleaning service. Consequently, Renok hadn’t been able to change his bed sheets for over a week. It was quite bothersome, but perhaps it was better than openly showing 10 million Cell to a complete stranger.

“I need to create a bank account…”

There was no other way than to create an account to store the money, but it was absurd for Renok, who had no proper identification, to go to a commercial bank. There was an anonymous bank for people in similar circumstances to Renok in Sector 49, but Renok had given up on it long ago due to the exorbitant fees that even beggars would cringe at.

Ultimately, Renok had only one option. He had to buy a new identity with money. He would buy the identity of a missing person and completely rewrite all the information. The cost required to meet and transact with the dealer who sold forged IDs was 20 million Cell. He owed Jenny quite a bit, as he was told it would have cost 10 million Cell more without her mediation. Renok especially realized recently how inconvenient it was to lack a legal identity, so he planned to create a new one as soon as he had the funds.

After lying down for a full half-day due to the lingering aftereffects of the drug, Renok finally got up, painfully got dressed, and went outside.

“Phew…!”

Without reaching for the tobacco, even walking out of the hotel was incredibly difficult. This weak body would break out in cold sweats from prolonged sun exposure, and walking for too long would raise his body temperature and cause headaches. Renok himself couldn’t understand how he had managed to endure three days in the factory and escape.

His hand instinctively reached for the tobacco stub in his pocket, but touching it on a non-working day would not only waste money but also drain his body. Even though he had purchased a drug with fewer side effects, it didn’t mean it didn’t strain Renok’s weak body.

The place he sought, leading his unsteady steps, was a small market near a residential area. Despite the intense heat of midday, it was crowded with people setting up tents and trading all sorts of new ingredients. The reason he sought out this local market instead of buying from a large supermarket or store was, naturally, the price. The ingredients might be slightly less fresh or well-preserved, but most were directly sourced or produced by the vendors. Moreover, the prices were relatively lower than stores that went through distribution companies, which was perfect for Renok.

Of course, when he first arrived and didn’t know anything, Renok was often ripped off for hundreds of thousands of Cell for hotel breakfast and was a soft target at expensive restaurants because he didn’t know the prices. But now it was different. After realizing that this world’s civilization was only a slightly more advanced version of Earth’s, he significantly reduced such money waste. He bought disposable lunch boxes at convenience stores and occasionally chose cheap fast food.

But lately, Renok had been focusing on visiting markets like this to buy ingredients and cook for himself. The state of his body was completely different from before. He had to smoke the drug to work, but reducing the resulting side effects and regulating his basic nutritional status was something Renok could definitely do. It was incredibly important to take care of his health and manage his body to prevent it from deteriorating, as much as possible. Just yesterday, Renok had squeezed his meager budget to order a set of comprehensive nutritional supplements online for the first time.

“Ma’am, two Gabi onions, five Senil scallions, and six bell peppers, please.”

Having been to the market once or twice, Renok skillfully selected the ingredients he wanted and asked the vendor. Although the ingredients had distinctly different appearances and names from those on Earth, it was unthinkable for Renok’s mind not to memorize their names.

“That will be 34,000 Cell.”

“Hmm?”

Renok looked up at the vendor, surprised by the calm voice, completely different from the one he remembered. A woman with jet-black, bobbed hair was staring intently at him.

“Who are you?”

“The owner of this store.”

Could this roughly set-up tent near the market even be called a store?

“…..Where is the old lady?”

“The person I hired.”

“Then what are all these vegetables?”

“A hobby.”

All these vegetables piled high enough to fill one side of the stall? It was an excessively large scale to call a hobby. Renok finally looked closely at the woman who was talking to him. Calm eyes and an expressionless face. A beauty with a small but defined nose and red lips that stood out. She was wearing a loose bomber jacket and jeans and was crouching down, but her unique composed atmosphere was impressive. She was certainly an outlier among people buying and selling fruits and vegetables.

“You must be very rich to grow this much as a hobby.”

“That’s right. I earn well.”

“……”

Renok silently paid her 34,000 Cell and took the bag in his hand. Renok couldn’t tell if her words were the truth or a boast. But if she did all this as a hobby, she must be truly wealthy. Renok had no intention of paying her any more attention until she spoke to him one more time as he was about to return to the hotel.

“Unusual Mana.”

“…..Excuse me?”

“Why is a mage like you in a place like this?”

“I don’t understand what you mean…”

“A pattern that precise should be remembered, even in my memory. Have you not been in Valcan for long?”

Renok felt a chill run down his spine at her expressionless muttering.

.

A New Job

She wasn’t just aware that Renok was a mage; she was openly talking about his Mana pattern. Renok’s rapidly spinning mind instantly found the answer.

‘….The barrier was the problem.’

After gaining the ability to use various Common Magic spells, Renok had the habit of constantly casting a permanent Barrier spell whenever he went out, and the Mana pattern leaking from it seemed to have caught her eye. Was it even possible to read a Mana pattern from a spell, beyond just noticing that he was using magic? She was doing something that the police could only achieve with a measuring device. This was impossible unless she possessed a natural ability or was a powerful mage. Either way, she was not a welcome encounter for Renok.

Renok’s hand moved toward the tobacco in his pocket, and he replied calmly.

“That’s right. I haven’t been in this city for long.”

“I knew it.”

“But how did you know that?”

“Huh? Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s part of my job.”

“……..”

As soon as her curiosity was satisfied, she seemed to lose interest in Renok and lightly shook her head. Then she subtly started recommending an onion-like vegetable to another customer who approached from behind him. Renok stared at her for a moment with a bewildered expression before leaving the market.

“Phew….”

The city was vast, and there were many unusual people. He never imagined he would feel a shiver down his spine just by going out to buy ingredients.

“I need to pay more attention to my magic.”

The more he used magic, the more his Mana quantity increased, and his casting speed constantly accelerated. It was true that he had been neglecting his magical learning recently, as his skill grew without much effort. He thought he lacked nothing since he could use almost all the Common Magic spells he knew, but he was just exposed by a woman he had never met before.

Even if it was impossible to master a new spell right away, there was still room for Renok to use magic more efficiently in terms of technique.

Back at the hotel, Renok wiped his sweat and put the ingredients down in the kitchen. He took a moment to catch his breath from the fatigue of being outside, washed all the purchased ingredients, and stored them in the refrigerator. Then he took out just the necessary ingredients, placed them on the cutting board, and began to cook.

“One spoon of misutgaru… two spoons of sugar….”

Next to the cutting board was a memo with the cooking instructions. It was a copy from a cookbook he got at the library. He often stopped by the library on days he didn’t visit Jenny’s bar. Personal entry was free, there was a vast collection of books and data, and he could even use the computers if necessary. Renok was steadily building up his knowledge of this world and magic whenever he had the time, and this time, he had borrowed a cookbook related to health foods.

It was the first time he had ever attempted cooking, but Renok’s face was extremely serious. Renok understood very well that it required above-average effort to maintain his body in a decent state. Not only the poor physical ability stats he chose when creating his character, but the various penalties he incurred to raise his magical talent were constantly eroding his mind and body. While he couldn’t directly address those penalties immediately, there had to be a way in a place where magic existed.

He must not rush. Renok gently maneuvered the kitchen knife in his hand, admonishing himself.

‘First, focus on creating a proper identity and bank account.’

The vegetable resembling a zucchini on the cutting board was being sliced crookedly, but Renok didn’t care. He couldn’t expect any talent in any physical activity anyway.

‘It won’t be too late even after I create a safe channel to store money. Collecting money and finding a solution comes next.’

The road ahead was long, and there was much to be done. But he had to tread carefully and cautiously. The environment surrounding him was still unfamiliar, dangerous, and precarious. To live, beyond just surviving, he had to be prepared for many things.

And Renok believed he was ready for that.

With that desperate will to survive firmly set, Renok reached for the third vegetable with his knife. It was on an evening as the sun was setting.