The Cash Shop and a Broken Mana Orb
Where the hell is he?
A message window had suddenly appeared before my eyes. I paused for a moment and read it slowly. 'Points and cash shop?' Ever since I possessed this body, I'd never once received a reward like this. Judging from the message, it seemed to be given because the sub-story had ended.
'Hmm. So it doesn't matter even if the original story changes?'
I had no idea what was going on, but since they were giving me a reward, there was no reason for me to complain. More importantly, I figured I should check out the cash shop.
'I wonder what's in there.'
With a flutter of anticipation, I opened the cash shop. A blue holographic window immediately materialized in my field of vision.
'Hmm. It's exactly like the game.'
It was identical to the cash shop from the game. Just to be sure, I slowly scrolled down. And sure enough...
'Sigh. These fucking developers. Of course they did this.'
Every single item was disgustingly expensive. Well, back when I played the game, every player had said the same thing. These developers did everything they could to push microtransactions. And every single item was disgustingly overpriced. There was no way those cheap bastards would ever make the cash items affordable.
'I thought they might at least have a shred of conscience.'
It looked like I'd gotten my hopes up too high. I was the idiot for expecting anything. I glanced over at the two girls who'd passed out.
'Hmm. I should heal them right away, right?'
They'd ended up covered in blood because of me. Of course, they'd chosen to accept my suggestion and brought this on themselves, but that didn't mean I bore no responsibility.
I gently released my mana so as not to overwhelm them.
"Heal."
⟨ Recovery Magic ⟩
A soft wave of mana rippled out, completely different from before. A complex magical circuit appeared before my eyes. At the same time, the word -Heal- materialized, intertwining with the circuit. The next instant, the spell formula was fully completed. I slowly poured mana into the completed magic formula.
A gentle light bloomed. The two girls' wounds began to heal quietly. The visible bruises gradually faded. Their parched lips grew moist again.
A short while later...
“Ugh!”
“Nnngh...”
Whether the healing had worked properly or not, the two slowly opened their eyes. I immediately asked them a question.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“No, I was just... Huh? Why do I feel fine?”
“My body suddenly feels completely better.”
The two stared at their healed bodies in shock. From their reactions, it seemed their bodies had fully recovered.
“Looks like you're both fine now. In that case, I'll make the mana orb for you. Once you're done, just take it to the assistant and submit it.”
With those words, I released my mana once more.
When Taegi released his mana, the two girls instinctively flinched. However, unlike before, they felt no oppressive pressure. So they simply watched as he crafted the mana orb.
-Form-
The next moment, a word made of pure mana appeared before his eyes. The mana control was impossibly precise. How could a person manipulate mana with such perfection? It wasn't just her who was shocked—her classmate beside her was also staring with wide eyes.
-Vrrr-
The word he created transformed into a circuit. Countless lines intertwined with one another. Even at a glance, it was clear that this was an incredibly complex magical formula.
But...
'It's different.'
It was complex, yes, but it felt entirely different from any circuit she'd seen before. It was as intricate as those used in grand magic, yet simply looking at it gave her a strange sense of enlightenment. She couldn't tear her eyes away. The longer she stared, the more it felt like she would gain something from it.
The mana circuit gradually took on a spherical shape. And then...
“There. It's done.”
Taegi finally completed the mana orb. The two girls let out disappointed sighs.
“Ah...”
“Hmm? What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and take it.”
“Ah, yes.”
Nell unconsciously answered in her usual tone and nodded.
“Assistant.”
At that moment, Lucyd called out to him in a serious voice. Taegi tilted his head and replied.
“Yes? What is it?”
“Um, this might sound strange, but... you really are just an assistant, right? You're not actually a professor or anything?”
“Pardon...?”
He stared at her blankly, as if wondering what she was talking about. Lucyd's face flushed red with embarrassment at his reaction.
“N-no! It's just that for an assistant, your magic and mana control are way too outstanding!”
“Yeah. Totally. No way he's an assistant.”
Nell nodded in agreement. Taegi scratched his cheek at their interrogation.
“Uh, well... I'm sorry, but I really am just an assistant.”
“No way.”
“Liar.”
“Even if you two say that, the fact that I'm an assistant doesn't change. Anyway, the exam is almost over, so please head back quickly.”
Taegi waved his hands as if shooing away flies, hurriedly driving the two girls away. Upon hearing his words, they quickly ran off. After all, if they submitted it too late, they might end up failing.
Once the class placement exam had ended, the assistants were finally able to take a break. Among them, the most senior assistant, Kyle, was resting in his room.
“Haa... No matter how many years I do this, I just can't get used to the entrance ceremony.”
He sighed and was about to lie down on the bed when...
“Hm?”
He felt something hard in his pocket. Wondering what it was, he pulled it out.
“Ah. I forgot to take a break and hand these in.”
It was the mana orb that the Hero and Nell had returned. Normally, he was supposed to deliver it to Professor Melson, who had created it. After all, crafting a mana orb consumed quite a lot of time and power. That's why they weren't single-use items but could be used for quite a long time.
'Some nobles even try to buy them just because they're pretty.'
The moment Kyle looked at the glowing mana orb before him...
The orb began emitting an intense light.
“Ugh! What the—?!”
The mana orb suddenly started radiating light. Normally, this would be a sign that the mana density had grown too high and it was about to shatter. But since it hadn't happened in days rather than mere hours, the chances of that were low.
However...
-Crack!
“Crack?”
An unexpected sound rang in his ears. Kyle slowly opened his eyes. And then...
“What?!”
Contrary to his expectations, the shattered remains of the mana orb filled his vision. The orb that had been perfectly fine until now had broken apart. Since Kyle had no idea that Taegi had been the one to make it, he was utterly at a loss.
His face turned deathly pale as he muttered.
“This thing is expensive as hell...”
He had a terrible feeling that Professor Melson was going to chew him out.
One week before the academy's entrance ceremony.
In the Demon Lord's castle, a woman was waiting for a certain report. It was none other than Liris, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
She kept shaking her leg restlessly as she waited. She hadn't slept at all for several days. Dark circles were clearly visible in the mirror. But compared to what Taegi had gone through, this was nothing. In a way, he must have suffered even more than this.
'Anyway, when is it coming? It should be about time, right?'
It had been roughly a day since she'd ordered her subordinates. They should be contacting her around now. She bit her nails anxiously.
Then, at that moment...
-Vrrr.
A call finally came through the communication crystal. Liris answered without a moment's hesitation. The next instant...
-Hmm?
You're answering right away. How unexpected, Liris.
A sickeningly sweet voice she didn't want to hear echoed in her ear. It was none other than Van, who was aiming to become the next Demon Lord.
-You wanted to talk to me so badly—
“Shut up before I rip your mouth off.”
She was already irritated to death, and now this bastard was spouting nonsense. Liris snapped irritably and cut the call without hesitation. At the same time...
“Haa...”
She let out a sigh so deep it felt like the ground would collapse.
'Why isn't any contact coming?'
An ominous feeling crept over her. What if they hadn't found him?
As she grew anxious in the heavy silence of fear, the communication crystal rang once more.
-Vrrr!
'That fucking bastard, seriously.'
She was already dying from exhaustion, yet Van kept calling. He'd gone around preaching that once he became Demon Lord everything would change, but nothing had. Looking at him like this made her want to lose her mind. At this point, she was starting to genuinely respect the fact that Taegi hadn't killed him.
'I'd love to kill him if I could.'
But if she killed the next Demon Lord candidate, the entire Demon Lord's army would collapse. Liris endured with all her might and answered the call. Then, with a voice full of moisture and irritation, she said,
“If you keep contacting me with useless bullshit, I'll kill you.”
-...Pardon? Huh?
Liris tilted her head at the unexpected voice. The moment she realized it wasn't Van calling, she asked urgently.
“Is... is this the report?”
-Ah, yes. This is a report regarding the investigation into former Demon Lord's Army executive Kim Taegi.
In an instant, Liris's face brightened dramatically. She was finally about to get the information she wanted. Doing her best to calm her racing heart, she asked carefully.
“S-so? Did you find him?”
-Ah, well... Even after searching the entire Demon Realm, there wasn't a single person who claimed to have seen him.
“Huh...?”
-We haven't searched every corner of the Demon Realm yet, but it seems we'll need to keep looking.
“I... I see. Understood.”
With those words, Liris completely cut the connection. She'd thought she would hear good news. But contrary to her expectations, they still hadn't found Taegi.
Liris covered her face with both hands and quietly muttered.
“Where on earth are you, Taegi?”
She recalled the face he had shown her that day—the one where he smiled at her—and sobbed quietly, consumed by guilt.