Osian and Lorraine return to Violet Fox after successfully completing their mission.
Ronan greets them, and Lorraine explains the events of the day.
Carl Jackson's escape due to Blossom Tear's interference, the arrival of Elise Denarova and their conflict with Blossom Tier.
"I see. You've been through a lot."
"I didn't do anything. He did most of it."
Lorraine nudged Osian, and he shook his head.
"It was nothing."
No bravado or condescension, just the kind of answer that comes from the heart.
Lorraine looked at Ronan with a "so what?" look.
Ronan shook his head and opened his mouth."First of all, for Blossom Tear missing information, I'm going to make sure I get a good bargain on your compensation, and since you've handed it over, I'll probably be able to squeeze at least a few millions more out of them if I do it right."
"That much?"
"Of course, that amount will go entirely to Mr. Osian's remuneration, congratulations. It's a rare thing in this business to make that much on a second assignment."
Osian wondered if it was that rare.
After all, Carl Jackson had been a much weaker opponent than he'd expected.
‘It's not that Carl Jackson was dangerous, it's that the trade secrets he ran off with were worth a lot.’
But there was something that piqued Osian's interest.
The existence of an expendable object that Carl Jackson had used in his escape.
When he asks about it, Ronan is quick to answer.
"You mean the capsule."
"Is that what you call a capsule?"
"Yes. If you're from outside, you might not recognize them. Magic has been revolutionized over the years, and now it's easier and faster to use."
"And this thing called a capsule makes that possible."
"Yes. It's a way of solidifying the ether water and then imprinting magic into it. We put it in a metal capsule, and when we need it, we just pick it up and toss it around to unleash the magic."
It's a more portable scroll, if you will.
For the effort of making one scroll, he could make more than 10 capsules.
Scrolls are also difficult to make unless you're a very good mage.
Even the most talented mages had a pretty high chance of failure but with capsules, the odds were much lower.
Similarly, they could not be mass-produced, and they were not cheap but compared to scrolls, it was a century of progress.
A commoner could now use magic by simply holding one.
I was even tempted to grab a few out of curiosity.
'I see. So much for the advancement of science.’
The existence of capsules was the second most surprising thing I heard today.
The first?
The Warlock Academy, of course.
‘Nowadays, not only are warlocks coming to sunny places and practicing proudly, but I never thought there would even be an educational institution that teaches them.’
Even though it was a world I had only played in games, I was immersed in it.
I thought I was a wandering knight traveling the world.
For Osian, the change in the way warlocks were treated came as a shock.
"More than that, Mr. Osian, what will you do first when you are paid?"
"Hmm?"
"Yes. The seventy million Renes, including the five million Renes you've already received, is not a small sum by any means. It's not enough to live on for the rest of your life, of course, but it's a lot of money for a fleeting touch."
"Hmm."
Osian agreed with that part.
Now that he had money, he had to think about spending it.
When he'd first landed here, he was worried about buying alcohol, but now he didn't have to.
It was an unintentional extra expense.
Ronan, noticing Osian's pondering, offered an alternative.
"If you don't have any immediate use for it, why don't you make yourself some identification?"
"Identification?"
"Yes. You may have seen it then, the ID I handed you to go to the 40th District."
"Oh."
Tirna is such a huge city that each neighborhood has its own level of sophistication.
Since the districts were divided by number, there was naturally a military presence at the intersection of the districts.
The 40th District gate, in particular, was one of the most heavily guarded gateways due to the deteriorating security and lawlessness.
"Identification is very important in the city. It's a sign that you're a Tirna city resident, so you don't get ignored. And the better the ID, the better you can move around the city."
Osian recalled being stopped by the guards.
The ID doubles as a passport.
Naturally, the better the ID, the more unrestricted you'll be wherever you go.
Osian stroked his chin.
If he had a good ID, he wouldn't be stopped by the guards just for wearing a sword.
If he was going to be traveling around the city in the future, identification was essential to avoid hassles.
"I understand. But how do I get one?"
"Normally you'd have to apply at the government office where the officials work, but there are companies that do it for you. The government employees in Tirna are a pain in the ass."
In other words, there was a subcontractor who issued IDs on behalf of government officials.
It wasn't illegal since it was officially authorized by the city of Tirna.
"How much money do you need?"
"It depends on the level of the ID, but you need at least 50 million for something you can use without any inconvenience."
"That's a lot more expensive than I thought. Does it cost that much to make an ID?"
"Yes. But it's a high grade, so once you have it, you'll be able to keep it, and it'll give you free access to the 25th District."
An ID card that gives you free access to the 25th District but in other words, there were areas that even 50 million couldn't get you in.
‘The Industrial Revolution and extreme capitalism, what a society we've become.’
If you want to go to a higher zone, you need more money.
Osian nodded in understanding.
"Okay. I'll make one."
"Yes. In that case, I can recommend a good place for you."
*
I headed back to the hostel.
I had finished the request sooner than I had expected, but I hadn't had time to go make an ID.
‘So much has happened.’
I sat in a chair by the window and looked out at the scene outside.
Instead of horse-drawn carriages, the streets were now filled with cars, belching white steam.
As I closed my eyes and strained my senses, the sounds I'd been trying to block out flooded in like a tidal wave.
Blaring car horns, drunks shouting, laborers stumbling along, water running through pipes, and the noisy ticking of barometers.
The eardrum-piercing noise began to spread beyond this house.
I opened my closed eyes and shook my head.
The noise subsided as my sharpened senses dulled once more.
'Any more of this and I'll go deaf.’
The wandering knight senses were deceptively sharp.
I checked for something else.
As I concentrated, I could feel the passage of time slowing.
[Battle Time] had been triggered but since it wasn't a real battle, the time that unfolded was only a moment.
'At least I can use the basic skills.’
[Sword's Will] increases accuracy and critical hit correction when swinging a sword.
[Enhanced Shield] increases the reduction rate of damage blocked by a shield.
[Battle Time] makes time pass slowly during combat.
[Unwavering Spirit] greatly increases resistance to mental control, illusion, and fascination, etc.
I found that skills unlocked in the early stages like [Sword Will] and [Battle Time] could be used without too much trouble.
The problem came next.
'Full-fledged [specialized skills] aren't available yet.’
Skills in the game are divided into [Basic Skills] and [Specialized Skills].
In the case of [Basic Skills], they're naturally given by default.
However, as is often the case in games, most classes have cool skills with fancy effects, these are the [Specialized Skills].
In order to learn [Specialized Skills] for each class, you had to level up and unlock talents.
You could do quests, have NPCs of other classes teach you skills, or buy them.
‘Of course, since I was a max-level knight, all [specialized skills] should have been unlocked.’
The stats were imported, but apparently the skills weren't unlocked.
Or maybe I just didn't realize it.
In the game, I could just press a keyboard button and the skill would unlock, but in the real world, that's not the case.
Considering that I was able to use skills like [Battle Time] naturally meant that some skills weren't unlocked yet.
In that case, there would be conditions for unlocking but there was no way to know what those conditions were in this situation.
‘Leveling up...... is a no-no. How can a character that’s already max-level level up more?’
What about job quests?
That's also impossible because there are no wandering knights in this world.
Naturally, there are no quests for knights. It's also impossible to get a skill taught by a knight NPC.
So, is there really no way?
No, there is.
My instincts were whispering differently.
There's a way to unlock skills.
‘I just need to know what it is.’
All humans are born with [traits] that set them on a path of growth.
In gaming terms, it's called a tech tree.
This is the case with the warlock I met today.
Warlocks are divided into several techs: command, dark magic, curse, and corruption.
Wizards are also divided into different schools of elemental magic.
Wandering Knights, of course, have these skills as well.
‘If I can unlock specialized skills, my life will be much easier.’
For now, I can get by with my physical abilities, but there are definitely limits.
I'm not overconfident in my strength but I can't live off this body forever.
‘Besides, I need to find out what brought me to this world.’
When I awoke, I found myself in a huge city called Tirna.
Could it be a coincidence?
Perhaps, deep within this city, there were secrets I didn't know about.
To do so, I needed a higher status, and to get it, I needed to earn more money.
‘I have a long way to go.’
I stood up and flopped down on my bed.
Tomorrow, I would have to get my ID card first thing in the morning, so it would be better to sleep early.
I closed my eyes, and my languid mind immediately drifted into a deep sleep.
When I opened my eyes I saw an endless meadow and a beautiful night sky.
It was a beautiful starry night.
On a not-so-dark sheet of indigo-blue drawing paper were a whole bunch of sparkling dots of different colors.
The cool night breeze glided across the grass and tickled my cheeks.
I'm mesmerized by the vivid colors of the Milky Way across the sky.
I don't even wonder why I'm here right now but I walked slowly, as if drawn by something.
I'm wearing a plain shirt and cotton pants, the kind you wear to bed, and, of course, no shoes.
The feel of the grass against my bare feet with each step is unfamiliar but I realize that it's pleasant.
After a while, I saw a mound so I climbed to the top of it.
The higher ground gave me a better view of the surrounding landscape.
It was a vast meadow with no trees, just grass and at the end of it, stretching all the way to the horizon, was the Milky Way.
I looked up at the stars, and in that moment, the stars whispered to me.
[Guide.]
It seemed to be a man or a woman or a child, or an old man, or an unknown voice.
[Wanderer of the world, wedge of the world, opponent of the law.]
There was a ripple on the calm waters like an echo echoing up a mountain's spine.
The voice came to me like a tide and went away like an ebb.
[You. Build up your karma.]