The Pickpocket Mage Morian
Suhyun had been pickpocketed for the first time and was now chasing the thief. If the pickpocket had some unavoidable reason—like a starving sibling or family, or being forced into it by thugs, the kind of backstory you see in novels—he'd planned to forgive them. But unfortunately for the thief, none of that applied.
Pickpockets targeting mages like Suhyun were mostly master craftsmen. Hard to believe, but pickpocketing had ranks. The lowest was just grabbing and running—mostly done by orphan kids who snatched wallets while sprinting and kept going. Success rate was the lowest, and if caught, they'd get beaten half to death. Many died at this stage, with survival under 30%. It was routine for one to drop dead daily.
Those who survived and honed their skills with iron will moved to the next rank: sleight-of-hand experts who rifled pockets in a flash. They'd slice pouches with a sharp blade while brushing past or subtly lift them from inside clothing. Victims wouldn't notice unless they reached for their coin purse later. At this level, thugs acknowledged them as technicians—the dream realm for aspiring orphan pickpockets.
The top tier: master craftsmen. Their thefts had a mystical edge—from turning nearly invisible to extracting items without slashing the pouch. They showed just how far fantasy pickpockets could go. And those challenging a mage's pouch did it for honor over coin.
"Honor?"
Lucy, trailing Suhyun, sounded incredulous at his explanation. Pickpocketing for honor? What kinda goblin angel nonsense was that?
"Criminals have their own leagues. Fame rises with how much you steal and from whom. Mages are the ultimate target."
"For real?" Lucy's eyes screamed disbelief.
"The thirteen who've tried me all said the same."
"World's full of weirdos."
Lucy followed Suhyun but couldn't spot the shadow mage cloaked in darkness. Using the invisibility spell on the robe Suhyun gifted her, she squinted at his pointed directions. Occasionally, something twitched in the shadows—but without his word, she'd dismiss it as a rat or bug. The movement was that subtle.
Only after entering an alley off the central road did she gasp. From a building's empty shadow, a figure emerged. A black-haired, black-clad beastkin grumbled while opening Suhyun's coin pouch.
"Damn, all gold coins. Exchange fees are killer—don't mages carry silver?"
Lucy shot Suhyun a what-the-hell look at the thief's gall, but he explained casually, "They exchange gold to silver to avoid detection. But pickpocket exchangers charge a premium."
"How do you know all this?"
"From the ones I've caught."
Suhyun watched the thief enter a nearby building, then slip into the alley. He followed into the shop—a tidy place for a back-alley joint. A hulking bald brute blocked him.
"Who're you?"
Suhyun stayed cool. "Here for my money."
"Black Dog newbie?"
Despite his obvious mage robes, Suhyun's perception-distortion spell made the brute see a collector. He squinted. "Nah, that gold the pickpocket brought? Mine. Hand it over."
"Keh heh, lost your wallet? Stay quiet next time—instead you wanna get stripped bare!"
Fantasy races varied wildly in physique. Suhyun trained hard for his lean muscle, but the brute's arms were triple the girth. Unthinkable in a starving medieval world without steroids, yet common here with mixed bloodlines. Big guys born tall and twice as thick—some became squire-knights, others thugs like this.
The brute lunged for Suhyun's collar, confident in his double-human strength. He yanked to lift and intimidate—like always. But something was off. Suhyun wouldn't budge.
"Weak grip."
Suhyun gripped the brute's wrist—his hand barely half-covered it. Or so it seemed.
"Gaaak!"
Like slaughtering a pig, the wrist crushed under Suhyun's grip, bones pulverized. The brute's hand fit fully now. As he screamed, an older man behind the counter—who'd been mocking Suhyun—spun to flee.
"Where to?"
Suhyun wiggled his free fingers; the door slammed shut. The man pounded futilely.
Dragging the howling brute by his mangled wrist, Suhyun approached. The brute crawled on knees and good hand. The elder made the smart call.
"Haha, the gold! Of course we'll return it."
He pulled Suhyun's pouch from under the counter. Suhyun smirked sourly. "Short."
"Pardon?"
"Missing coins."
"But that's all the kid brought..."
"Ears clogged? I said it's short."
His soft whisper weighed like lead. The elder hunched, sweat beading, then emptied the safe into the pouch—more than before. Suhyun grinned, released the wrist.
Buying Lucy's catalyst and refilling casually, he exited. Lucy, stunned and worried, asked, "Won't this cause trouble?"
She wasn't naive. Ignored the "honor" bit, but knew crime syndicates had backers.
"Nah, we're not staying long. And if they come..." Suhyun flashed his wand from its leather holster. "Pocket money."
He fished gold from the bulging pouch, using gold leaf arts to place it in her palm unseen. Lucy marveled at the sleight—magic or not?—then tried returning it, shocked. He refused with a laugh.
"Mages need cash."
He plunged into tangled alleys. Lucy hiked her robe to avoid filth, asking, "Where to?"
The city's maze outdid labyrinths: unplanned shacks of scrap—wood base, wood upper? Gaps roofed crudely, front boarded as "homes." Locals got lost without frequent visits, but Suhyun navigated flawlessly.
"Catch that pickpocket."
"Huh? Didn't we get the money back?"
"Money retrieved, now punish the thief."
Using mana to track post-sight, Suhyun explained. Lucy quit calculating distances—it defied logic.
They reached a ramshackle brick-and-rotting-wood hut.
"Pardon the intrusion."
Scrap lock with magic? Tape to Suhyun. He pushed; it creaked, spell shattered, lock clattered. A boy inside yelped.
"Sis!"
His pre-pubescent shout boomed. A dark shape lunged from the gloom.
Dark Blade
A bone knife wrapped in shadow mana, evading perception to stab—a plain knight would've been skewered. But Suhyun was top mage and warrior. The honed blade left no mark on his palm.
Shadow Thorn
Spikes erupted from shadows at Suhyun's feet, aiming low.
"Not there."
Suhyun mana-interfered, reversing the spell toward the shadow figure.
"Eek!"
She fought to reclaim control—futile.
"Lousy at combat sans pickpocketing."
'Suhyun's just busted.' Lucy lacked confidence against this shadow mage. Even piercing shadows, those blind-spot thorns? No counter. Seeing control stolen, she pitied her foe.
Snap!
Suhyun snapped; light flooded the dark.
"Kuh!"
Dark-adapted eyes burned. Shadow mage and kids shielded, fleeing—but Suhyun's spell nabbed all.
"Oh my!"
Light stripped her shadow cloak, revealing a young beastkin—black ears, tail, face babyish. Lucy thought short race; nah, just a kid. Smaller than expected.
Mages needed mana, mystery, knowledge. Mystery struck uninvited or via toil. Baker's daughter Lucy glimpsed flame mystery in oven embers, apprenticed to Lutisat—but mastering took ages. Stuffing mana via mana-foods, meditating on hearths sleeplessly for knowledge, she barely handled fire. This kid? Too young for lore.
"Geniuses exist—wielding magic sans study."
"Let the kids go. You want me."
Resistance crumbled as kids got caught. She slumped.
"Kids? You're a kid calling kids kids?"
Suhyun flicked her forehead; she glared, then deflated. He released them all.
"Stolen coin's short from exchange, but unused..."
"Don't sweat it—I reclaimed the exchanged gold."
"?"
Showing the pouch—fatter now—she gawked, horrified.
"You robbed 'em getting it back? Insane?"
"Tough killing those types, right?"
"Boss is Quasi-Knight!"
"So?"
"We're screwed—run! They obsessed, skinned a pickpocket lieutenant over months!"
"Too late. One tailed us, saw me enter."
"Eh? For real?"
"Take guards outside Nautilus."
To oblivious Lucy, Suhyun warned gravely.
"No joke! Even mages struggle sans frontliner vs Quasi-Knight!"
She panicked; Suhyun cool: "Three choices. One: Confess to lord as pickpocket mage, negotiate. Two: Get caught, pegged my accomplice. Three: Join me."
She realized she'd been played like a casino mark—mocking suckers daily, now her. Despair mixed calculation, till Suhyun added, "Now two: Accomplice or subordinate."
Black Dog goons encircled. Glancing at trembling siblings, she steeled.
"Protect my sibs—or die fighting, no deal."
"Deal. Name?"
"Morian."
"Morian, you're Lucy's junior from now."
Suhyun grinned, drew wand.
"You from the exchange..."
Paralysis Blade
Dull yellow blade grew from wand, grazing approaching Black Dog beastkin and encirclement. All collapsed like puppets cut.
The swaggering "Quasi-Knight" boss face-planted in muck, paralyzed.
"Quasi-Knight? Way too weak."
Morian sighed in relief and resignation at the effortless takedown.