Deciding to Become a Mage
The day after the settlement, I headed straight to the Hunter Guild to greet the revived Hwa-ryeong.
“How does it feel to be back among the living?”
“The best. So good I’d like to experience it again.”
“That might be a bit…”
“Haha, I’m only joking.”
When Hwa-ryeong said things like that, they didn’t sound like jokes at all. I welcomed the revived swordsman with a wry smile, and she expressed her gratitude.
“I heard you paid the revival fee in my place.”
“Ah. Since I covered the cost of the holy water for you, it was the least I could do.”
“No. The value of a life and the value of equipment cannot be weighed the same. Since you paid the price for my life, I shall repay the price for yours in turn.”
“It’s best if a situation like that never comes up.”
“Haha. True enough.”
After exchanging such pleasantries, Hwa-ryeong held out her phone so we could swap contact information.
“We didn’t manage to exchange numbers last time. How about we do it now?”
“Sounds good. We’ll probably be seeing a lot of each other from now on anyway.”
In my eyes, Hwa-ryeong possessed at least 4-Star combat power—maybe even higher. There was no downside to getting close to someone like that. The only problem was that I still couldn’t figure out why she was being so friendly with me.
“Now then, about the reward…”
I brought up the reward while watching her with tension. Distributing payment always made me more nervous than carrying out the actual request. Maybe it was because I’d seen too many hunters fight over splits at this exact moment. I was worrying about what I’d do if Hwa-ryeong expressed dissatisfaction, but she simply waved her hands.
“Ah. I have no need for any reward.”
“You don’t need a reward?”
“Correct. I never took the request with the intention of receiving payment in the first place.”
She hadn’t been thinking about getting paid at all?
“Then why take this request? You knew it was a trap.”
“Indeed. That is… well…”
At my question, Hwa-ryeong hesitated briefly before answering.
“Because it was dangerous. That is why I accepted it.”
“You took it because it was dangerous?”
“Yes.”
She accepted it because it was dangerous. She wasn’t some battle-crazed maniac who only sought out fights. At least, that wasn’t the impression I’d gotten of Hwa-ryeong so far.
“You sound like someone who’s gone mad and is actively looking to die.”
“Haha. Well. Perhaps that is the case.”
“What?”
“In any case. If another good request comes up next time, call for me! I will come anytime!”
Hwa-ryeong’s attitude left me with plenty of questions I still wanted to ask, but she departed without giving me the chance. Her stance made it clear she had no desire to be probed any further. So she really wasn’t taking any of the reward?
“…This is quite a sum, you know?”
The transparent magic stones still filled nearly half my bag. Selling all of them would easily cover several months of living expenses. But since she’d refused, there was nothing I could do. I’d have to treat her to a good meal later at least. Or was I counting my chickens before the settlement was even finished?
“Right. First things first—settlement.”
Muttering to myself, I made my way to the Hunter Guild’s magic stone purchasing center. The area not far from the lobby looked like some kind of stock exchange floor. Real-time fluctuating prices for magic stones were displayed everywhere; it seemed people really did trade them like stocks.
“Wish a sudden gate would pop somewhere…”
“You shorted again? Where’d you put it this time?”
“The gate detection device Reverse developed this time announced that a sudden gate would open soon. That’s why I shorted it.”
“You actually believe that? That thing’s no different from a weather forecast.”
“This time will be different, you’ll see.”
I left the people chatting about magic stone trades behind and walked straight to the reception desk. A guild employee greeted me warmly.
“Are you here to sell magic stones?”
“Yes. Where do I go for that?”
“We can appraise and purchase them right here for you.”
“Hmm. There’s quite a lot—will that be okay?”
“How much are we talking about?”
“About half a bag’s worth.”
“Ah. That’s fine. You can show them here.”
“Alright then.”
Following the guild employee’s instructions, I took the transparent magic stones out of my bag and placed them on the counter. The lively atmosphere of the magic stone exchange froze instantly.
“Don’t tell me everything in that bag is…?”
“Yes. They’re all transparent magic stones.”
“J-just a moment please. This is the first time we’ve seen a case like this. Please wait a little!”
“Ah, sure.”
Was it too much volume for a single employee to handle? The guild worker hurried inside, and while I waited for their return, whispers drifted from behind me.
“Hey, did you see that?”
“All from clearing? Insane.”
“If that much volume hits the market…”
They were reacting this strongly to just half a bag of transparent magic stones? While I stood there slightly bewildered by everyone’s reactions, a few people quietly rose from their seats and slipped away. Were they actually going to short the market because of this? As I let out a hollow laugh, a high-ranking guild employee emerged from inside and greeted me.
“You are Hunter Lee Seong-hyun, correct?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“I’m afraid we cannot purchase the magic stones you’ve brought. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.”
“What? You can’t purchase them?”
The Hunter Guild couldn’t buy these stones? As I tilted my head in confusion, the guild employee gave a bitter smile and explained the details.
“Transparent magic stones above a certain purity level can only be handled at government-designated exchanges. The purity of the stones you brought is too high for us to purchase.”
“Ah. I see.”
“Yes. There is a government-certified exchange on Central Street. I recommend visiting there. I’ll send you the location.”
Only handled at the government-certified exchange. So I had no choice but to go there? As I was thinking that—
“…That is our official position, at least.”
“Pardon?”
“The government exchange receives quite a lot of bad reviews. The biggest complaint is that their commission fees are much higher than other exchanges.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. That’s why some people would rather sell on the black market than pay those fees. Now, I’m not suggesting you use the black market, Hunter Lee Seong-hyun. I simply wanted to inform you that such people exist.”
“Hmm…”
No matter how I looked at it, this was clearly a suggestion to use the black market instead of the government exchange.
“The black markets these days are clever—they operate while pretending to be government-affiliated exchanges. To keep you from falling for such places, I’d like to point out a few spots you should avoid.”
“I’m curious. Where’s the most dangerous?”
“From what I hear, they’re located on Night Street. If you take this business card with you, some friendly associates will make sure you aren’t deceived.”
“Ah, thank you.”
I carefully pocketed the business card the guild employee gave me and left the Hunter Guild building. So there was also the option of using the black market. Since it was a place guaranteed by the Hunter Guild, I wouldn’t have to worry about being scammed, but still. No matter what, it wouldn’t be as safe as trading in Central Street.
“…Black market on hold for now.”
Besides, considering the origin of these magic stones was Styx, it could be even riskier. There was no way Styx had purchased the stones from the government. The black markets would have some connection to Styx one way or another, and trading Styx’s goods in a place like that seemed dangerous. Dying was one thing, but I could easily end up losing the money entirely. Even if I had to pay a little commission, dealing through the government side seemed wiser.
With that decision made, I followed the map the guild had sent and stepped back into the government district. Unlike the flashy Hunter Guild magic stone exchange, a rather old and shabby building greeted me. It felt like some outdated community service center. As I cautiously looked around the building, a familiar voice called out.
“Oh? Isn’t that Helper?”
“…Oxy? What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean, what am I doing here? This is my workplace. Did you come to eat like I mentioned before?”
This was Oxy’s workplace?
“This is your job? Isn’t this a magic stone exchange?”
“Ah. I handle that too. It used to be in a separate building, but they merged the offices due to low usage rates.”
“……”
Now I understood why Oxy had welcomed me so enthusiastically. The public facility had been consolidated because of poor conditions—she must have been incredibly grateful to someone who actually bought citizenship.
“Anyway. You came to sell magic stones? I’ll guide you!”
“Thank you.”
“Come on. This way, this way.”
I followed Oxy into the community-center-like building. Inside was a space that felt like a small bank. So this was the official government magic stone exchange? Unlike the Hunter Guild’s, it really seemed to exist solely for buying and selling magic stones. Just how high were the fees here that the guild had tried so hard to dissuade me?
As I looked around with that thought, I spotted a poster listing the commission rates.
“…60% for colored magic stones, 50% for achromatic, 50% for transparent?”
“Ah. Those rates apply to non-citizens.”
“What about citizens?”
“Only 5%! We take just 5%!”
Five percent. That was far lower than the Hunter Guild’s eight percent. In that case, it would make more sense for me to keep using this place. While I was thinking that, Oxy led me to the sales counter and woke up a dozing sheep beastman.
“Dolly! Wake up! We have a customer!”
“Uh, yes? Customer? Oh, it’s real?”
“Yes. And a citizen, no less.”
“Ah. The one you mentioned last time… Hello, citizen. How may I assist you today?”
“Um. I’d like to sell some transparent magic stones.”
“Transparent magic stones! Please place them here. We’ll appraise them and calculate the sale price.”
Following the sheep beastman named Dolly’s instructions, I poured the magic stones onto the tray on the counter. Dolly’s eyes widened as if she hadn’t expected so many to come tumbling out, but she quickly began the measurement process.
“Let’s see… Total weight 24.7 kilograms. You’ve brought quite a lot…”
“It just turned out that way.”
“Purity is… Huh?”
While measuring the stones, Dolly checked their purity and muttered in disbelief.
“Purity over 90%? This many top-grade magic stones…?”
“So. How much?”
“J-just a moment. For top-grade magic stones…”
Dolly hurriedly flipped through a reference book and continued the calculations.
“Top-grade magic stones are currently trading at 3.31 million credits per 100 grams, so… total…”
“Total sum…”
“817,570,000 credits…”
817.57 million credits? The price far exceeded my imagination and left my mouth hanging open. Dolly wasn’t finished yet and proceeded with the additional calculations.
“After deducting the 5% commission, the final amount comes to 776,691,500 credits.”
776,691,500 credits. Even after subtracting the 150 million for citizenship, I’d still have 620 million left. Magic stones were this expensive? I let out a hollow laugh at the absurd figure, and Dolly beamed brightly as she congratulated me.
“I heard you haven’t been in Shion very long, but your skills are incredible!”
“I just got lucky.”
“The settlement will take a little time, so could you wait for a bit?”
“Sure.”
776,691,500. 776,691,500. 776,691,500.
While waiting as Dolly had asked, the amount I’d just earned refused to leave my head. So this was why everyone wanted to become a hunter and come to Shion. In a single transaction I had earned more than all the money I’d made in my entire previous life. It really didn’t make sense. As I stood there thinking, Oxy quietly approached and offered her congratulations.
“Congrats on the huge haul!”
“Ah. Thanks.”
I bowed my head in acknowledgment, and Oxy asked carefully.
“…Did you earn this from that trap request?”
“Yeah. A lot happened, but it worked out.”
“Wow… I can’t believe it actually succeeded. That’s amazing.”
“You said you’d buy me a meal, but with this, shouldn’t I be the one treating?”
“No, no. That won’t do. I can’t let a citizen buy me food! I’m a public servant of Shion, after all.”
Oxy nodded as if thoroughly satisfied with her own logic.
“Still, knowing you crushed those filthy mages makes me feel good. All the dirty mages need to be cleaned up.”
“You really hate mages?”
“I do. I hate them a lot. No matter how much you clean, they keep popping up endlessly, so I can’t help it.”
“Are there that many mages? I always thought they were a minority.”
When I answered Oxy’s mage hatred that way, she snorted.
“Hmph. That might be true outside, but not here. More accurately, their numbers have exploded recently.”
“Recently?”
“Ever since the Magic Tower developed magic implantation surgery, mages have been overflowing everywhere. They learn magic, get all excited, and mess up the streets every single day. It’s so annoying I could die.”
“Magic implantation surgery…”
“Power gained so easily comes with zero sense of responsibility. They just wear the label of ‘mage’ and strut around like they own the place. They have no idea how long this city has maintained its current state or how precious this peace is. If it were up to me, I’d hang the entire Magic Tower from the top of that Babel Tower. They’re the main culprits ruining Shion!”
Watching Oxy vent her hatred for mages, I could tell it wasn’t just because she was a public servant—she genuinely loved the streets of Shion.
“You must really like the city of Shion.”
“Huh? Of course I do. Yes, I like it. I don’t know about others, but for us it’s hope itself.”
“Hope?”
It didn’t sound like simple fondness for a city. When I tilted my head in confusion, Oxy gave a bitter smile and revealed her past.
“…Before coming to Shion, I was just an ordinary slime. No intelligence or personality—just a normal monster.”
“Eh, really?”
“Yes. All my colleagues here were originally things that couldn’t be called people. Monsters, beasts, livestock. Things like that. But it’s different here. Here we can exist as humans, as people. That’s why I love this city.”
Now I understood why Oxy took such pride in being a public servant. She simply didn’t want to return to her old life.
“……”
I could somewhat understand that feeling. Now that I had hope I might be able to save my sister, I had no desire to return to those hopeless days either. The difference between Oxy and me was that I hated this city called Shion.
“Anyway. Don’t forget to clean up every mage you see!”
“I won’t forget. Cleaning is a citizen’s duty, after all.”
“I like that. Cleaning is a citizen’s duty! Keep the streets clean!”
“Um… The settlement is finished…”
While I was having this silly conversation with Oxy, Dolly announced that the settlement was complete. Following her guidance, I approached the counter and received the payment for the magic stones.
776,691,500 credits have been deposited.
Leaving behind the message announcing that this enormous sum had entered my account, I exited the magic stone exchange.
“See you next time!”
“Yes. Take care!”
After parting with Oxy, I walked through the alleyways and recalled our recent conversation. Magic implantation surgery, huh?
“Hmm…”
I’d decided. I knew exactly what to spend this overflowing money on. It was time for me to try becoming a mage too.