Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: First Commission
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After leaving the training camp, the place I headed to was the tavern in the bustling street in front of my lodging.
It was the spot where I'd been digging up information every night.
But today's purpose wasn't intel.
"My money's all run out."
Between my spending so far and the effects of inflation, I'd burned through most of the gold coins I'd grabbed from the hideout.
What was left wouldn't even cover the stuff I needed to buy today.
In short, I was flat broke.
I'd stopped by today to sort this out before heading to the magic tower.
"Still open, as expected."
The claim of 24-hour service was legit. Even in this early evening hour, light was leaking from inside the tavern.
I stepped right in, and the owner greeted me familiarly.
"You're early today."
It was usually packed, but right now, I was the only customer.
I took a seat at the bar, and he brought over the menu while asking,
"Beer?"
I waved him off instead of ordering and said,
"Not here to drink today."
"Oh? Then?"
"What you mentioned a few days ago."
"A few days ago? Ah..."
The owner put on a deliberately serious face and spoke.
"You've decided to go for it?"
"Yes."
"...Good choice. I had a feeling we'd end up connected like this. Follow me."
The owner stood in front of the display rack lined with expensive liquors.
I wondered why here, but soon found out.
Rumble rumble rumble.
Pushing the rack aside revealed a hidden open space.
'Didn't know this was here.'
The entrance had a barrier to prevent intruders, and inside led stairs descending underground.
Most places set up separate facilities outside, but this one was in the shop basement.
Soon, the owner handed me a scrap of bronze paper and said,
"It's a permit. Looks like this, but it'll get you through the barrier here."
"So, an artifact."
"Exactly. Take it down there, pass a simple test, and you can do the work you want. Ready?"
"Of course."
As I nodded and turned to enter, he tossed out casually,
"Oh, and word is the folks already there are pretty rough with newcomers. Steel yourself."
"Ah, hazing..."
No big deal.
That kind of thing happens everywhere anyway.
"Don't worry."
The owner nodded, and I resumed walking.
As he said, I passed the barrier without any real resistance.
Soundproofing magic must've been on it, because noisy sounds started filtering up from below.
They were already having a drinking party.
Soon, a wide-open interior appeared, the noise cut off abruptly, and all eyes turned to me.
"What the hell? That scrawny punk."
"How'd he get in?"
Definitely not a welcoming vibe.
Annoyed glares.
But I couldn't shrink back in a place like this.
I met their stares calmly, pretending to casually check out the surroundings.
Same size as the tavern above, similar interior.
The differences: no windows, and purple lighting making it a bit darker.
"...New face."
The one who spoke to me calmly was a woman with deep black hair and tanned skin.
She seemed reasonable, so I replied,
"Came for work."
"Permit?"
I shook the bronze paper scrap from the owner.
She nodded slightly and patted the seat next to her.
"Sit here for now."
Once seated, she poured me a whiskey.
I didn't touch the glass, so she spoke first.
"Impressive. It's rare for Rior to recommend someone directly."
"...Rior?"
"The tavern owner upstairs."
"Ah."
"What's your secret?"
"...No real trick."
"Yeah?"
Glug glug.
She topped off her own glass, took a sip, and continued.
"What we do falls into two main types. Simply put, one is bounty hunting, the other is gathering info. What do you want?"
"No strong preference, but if I have to pick, bounty hunting."
"Bounty work needs the skills to back it up..."
"No problem."
"Hmm, confident, huh?"
"Enough to not die."
"Good."
She pushed her glass aside, leaned forward, and said,
"But even with Rior's recommendation, you can't start right away. Need some verification first. That cool?"
"Verification?"
"Nothing too tough."
This must be the simple test the owner mentioned.
I nodded like it was fine, and she handed me a paper.
It was a wanted poster with a sketch of a man in a bowler hat.
"Name's Shane. Famous for turning into a rabid dog when he drinks. Wanted for murder three months ago."
"You want me to catch this guy?"
"As best you can. Bring him in if possible, or just get info if that's smarter. Key thing is don't get caught by the patrols. That'd be a real hassle."
"What's this different from regular work?"
Then.
"Hey, kid."
One of the guys who'd been listening from behind sat next to me and butted in.
A man whose face was half-covered in stubbly beard.
The scar on his forehead made him look even fiercer.
"You seriously comparing that to catching street punks? This is life-or-death stakes here. Not a game for lightweights."
"..."
"You know how many cocky punks like you came in fearless and vanished without a trace? Value your life and scram nice. Don't get greedy."
Laughter snickered from behind as he finished.
Felt like getting bullied.
From experience, best to push back hard in these cases.
"Felix, enough."
The black-haired woman was reining him in when.
"Shut the hell up."
"...What'd you say?"
I pulled in ambient mana without a word.
Willed it in.
The image I conjured: electric current.
Crackle!
Sparks lit up the dim interior.
That was all I did.
No further action, no words.
But it was enough.
"Uh... uh...?"
"M-mage?"
"Fuck... a mage? That twig?"
The guy next to me gaped blankly, and the ones behind stammered in shock.
Seemed settled enough, so I asked the woman again.
"Where do I bring the guy?"
"Huh? Oh... through that back door to our shop."
"Anything for tracking?"
"...Here, some of his hair. Fresh request, so you'll have to get the rest yourself."
I took the well-sealed hair and stood right up.
Naturally locked eyes with the ones who'd been laughing behind me.
Their gazes were totally different now.
Hit me again just how revered mages were in this world.
I flashed a slight smile and left.
***
In the game, the [Request Office] system was straightforward.
It took requests from other NPCs, handed them to players, and ran on the cut it got.
Like a [Guild], but the difference was that [Request Offices] were illegal in the world lore.
In return, they gave players a bigger share of the rewards.
'Perfect for someone like me who needs cash fast.'
Unlike [Guilds] that graded you picky on status, fame, skills, and all that, [Request Offices] only cared about 'ability.'
Simple: the better you were, the better quests and pay you got.
That made this moment pretty crucial.
This first request, under the guise of verification, would set my position going forward.
Had to make an impact.
"...Solve it as fast as possible."
My approach: leave a good impression on the 'time' front.
The quicker, the better it proved my skill.
That's why.
"..."
My gold pouch hit rock bottom.
I'd dumped all my remaining coins to solve it fast.
"...Think positive. This is an investment."
What I'd bought in the market with my gold was this.
Artifact, [Path of Tracking].
One-use item that uses the user's mana to track a target.
Sucks it's disposable, but for early-game tracking, nothing beat it.
I laid the scroll-shaped [Path of Tracking] on the ground and placed the hair on top.
Poured in mana.
Whummm.
It reacted to my mana, then vibrated hard.
Soon, a thin wisp rose from the wanted man's hair.
Sss.
The shimmering wisp stretched out, pointing somewhere.
Leading to the owner of the hair, the fugitive Shane.
I'd seen it often in-game, but experiencing it live felt different.
"Let's go."
I brushed off and followed the wisp.
About an hour later.
I reached the end of the wisp and spotted the man I figured was Shane.
He was puffing a cigarette in a dark alley corner.
I kept my distance and observed first.
"Hoo... why the hell do I have to hide like this? Killing one piece of trash ain't a big deal."
His face showed through the swirling smoke.
Bushy hair, gray pupils, sagging jowls, stubby nose.
Perfect match for the sketch.
Crackle!
I wrapped myself in current magic.
Legs swelled, and I closed the gap in a flash.
"Wha—?!"
Splat!
"Gahk!"
He doubled over puking from the gut punch.
After a bit, he lifted his head.
"F-fuck... who the hell are you?"
Eyes glaring like he wanted to kill me.
But fear lingered underneath.
I said flatly,
"What else? Here for the bounty."
"Bounty hunter...?"
No need to drag it out.
Loaded current into my right hand blade and chopped his nape.
"Urk!"
Eyes rolled back as he crumpled.
I slung the fallen guy over my shoulder and bolted.
Full speed with current magic.
An hour and a half since leaving the office.
Everything was going to plan.
***
After Yoo Han left, the Athis Request Office buzzed back to life.
Of course, the gossip had shifted.
"You see that? Looked at us like bugs."
"Fuck, he's a mage."
"Mages are always such assholes."
"You wanna chat now? He's gonna cut into our livelihoods."
All eyes turned to one man.
The one who'd yapped next to Yoo Han earlier, Felix.
"What're you on about?"
Felix glanced at the questioner and continued.
"You all saw that magic. No way he's some amateur."
"Hmm... no mana rings, but yeah, looked legit."
"Bet he's skilled too. He'll hog all the good requests from now on. You just gonna watch?"
"...What do we do?"
"Teach him a lesson. All together."
"What...?"
The unexpected words stunned the listeners, but Felix pressed on firmly.
"Either he goes or we do. Might as well try something."
"Got a plan?"
"Mage or not, what can he do against numbers? Just rush and beat his ass."
"Hmm."
Even his longtime buddies hesitated to answer quick.
Fighting a mage was that unappealing.
Then, one guy tentatively raised a hand.
"I'm in. Wait till he gets back from verification. He'll be worn out."
"Good, Gerrun."
That kicked it off, and the fence-sitters started raising hands one by one.
"...Me too. How've we survived here, just to let one mage stir shit up?"
"Sigh... fine, let's do it. Not like it'll kill us."
"Tch, guess that drags me in too."
"Alright! That's my crew!"
Felix grinned, raising his glass to the rallied group.
They clinked glasses, vowing to humble the arrogant mage prick.
That's when.
Knock knock knock.
Someone rapped on the back door.