Chapter 9
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Deal (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The moment we opened the front door and stepped inside, the two of us collapsed straight onto the floor as if we'd planned it. My dress was drenched in sweat, soaked through like it'd been caught in the rain.
"Huff... huff..."
The narrow entrance was completely blocked by the massive greatsword the goblin chieftain had left behind, lying there diagonally like a giant hunk of metal.
"......How the hell did I drag that thing all the way here?"
A sigh escaped me first as I stared at the iron slab that didn't even leave room to take off my shoes. I could hardly believe I'd managed to haul it this far myself.
I wanted to cash it in right then and there, but my brain refused to cooperate.
"Ah...... Screw it. Let's just sleep."
I practically crawled my way to the bed.
The instant my face sank into the soft pillow, a cool, gentle sensation washed over me, and all the tension drained from my body.
I passed out just like that.
The next day at noon.
The moment I opened my eyes, every muscle in my body screamed in protest. Clutching my aching back, I barely made it to the computer. I couldn't just leave that hunk of metal sprawled across the entrance forever.
I planned to find the same shady dealer who'd handled my last haul.
The second I logged in, message notifications came flooding in like an artillery barrage.
The inbox for the account I'd made for illicit deals was buried under a mountain of messages.
"......What the hell is all this?"
I clicked cautiously. The sender was 'Black.' The content was shocking.
The mana stone I'd sold them was actually a 'deep mana stone'—a priceless gem with over ten times the mana density of a regular one.
The sender introduced himself as the boss of their organization.
The boss politely apologized, saying his underlings had messed around in the middle of it all and that he'd already dealt with them.
I was floored.
Outrage boiled up inside me. But the next part cooled my anger a bit.
He promised to pay back the full difference from our last deal. And he begged—if I had any more goods, to please sell them to him directly.
"They screwed me over, which pisses me off, but......"
They were coming clean and even offering extra cash. No reason to turn that down.
Especially since these guys groveling at my feet were perfect for offloading the mana stones from the 5th floor and that hero-grade greatsword.
I thought it over for a moment, then sent a reply.
[I see. Well, I've got some mana stones and an item I want to sell this time...... Possible?]
The response came almost instantly.
Gratitude for forgiving them, promises of the best terms in the business if I'd deal with them again—it went on and on.
Seeing someone calling himself 'boss' bow and scrape like that almost made me laugh.
I checked my inventory.
There was the 1.5kg of mana stones from the 5th floor yesterday, plus the 700g pouch from the 4th.
Total: 2.2kg.
Just thinking about the price having an extra zero tacked on made my eyes spin, even if I didn't want to calculate it.
'......200 million?'
I swallowed hard. A number I'd never even dreamed of in my life. My hands trembled faintly.
But I had to snap out of it.
Money mattered, but mana stones could be farmed again as I climbed the tower. Getting blinded by this pittance(?) and halting my summon's growth would be idiotic.
I hadn't forgotten that hopelessness in the 5th-floor boss fight.
'Yeah, prioritize leveling up Little One first. This much should hit level 3.'
I called out to Little One, still curled up asleep on the bed.
"Hey, Little One. Wake up. Time to eat."
At my voice, Little One cracked its eyes open and squirmed. It must've overexerted itself yesterday too—muscle soreness had it struggling to rise with silent whimpers.
I left about 200g spare and dumped the remaining 2kg in front of Little One.
Seeing the pile of purple gems, Little One shot its stubby arms up in a cheer.
It snatched a mana stone and tossed it into its mouth like candy. Crunch. The light sound of it casually pulverizing the stone echoed through the room.
Crunch.
The cheerful crunch of mana stones being crushed like candy.
As it absorbed them, color returned to Little One's pallid face.
Its hands moved faster. 2kg was a massive amount, but that tiny mouth sucked them in like a black hole.
Before I knew it, not even dust remained on the floor.
Little One flopped onto the bed with its belly sticking out, spread-eagled, and let out a burp. With a satisfied smile, I opened its status window, heart pounding.
"......Telekinesis?"
I traced the words on the status window with my eyes.
Memories of yesterday's ordeal dragging that greatsword across the 5th floor flashed by. I could feel in my bones just how valuable this skill was.
Sensing my gaze, Little One sat up. It glanced at the empty mana stone pouch and flicked its index finger.
Whoosh.
The heavy pouch floated up light as a feather.
Little One's eyes sparkled with wonder as it spun the pouch around in circles, like a kid with a new toy.
'......This is way more useful than I thought.'
I fired off a quick reply in the messages.
[Got the hero greatsword and about 200g of mana stones.]
The response was immediate.
[Shall we meet at the same spot as last time?]
[No, the sword's too conspicuous, so let's meet at dawn in the park near Cheonan Tower.]
[Got it. See you there.]
The park near Cheonan Tower. Close to home and usually deserted—a perfect spot.
The place I lived now was right by the tower, so the rent was dirt cheap due to the 'dangerous location.'
Before awakening, I'd sometimes lie awake anxious about it, but these days, I couldn't think of a better spot.
With the meetup set, I turned back to the computer screen.
'Mana.'
Back in the 5th-floor dungeon, I hadn't been able to handle mana properly and couldn't summon the knight commander.
I'd gotten lucky and scraped by, but I couldn't rely on luck forever. I needed real study.
But the internet was full of crap.
Videos promising 'Become S-rank in a day' that just played meditation music, or lunatic hunters ranting that mana was bullshit and to just build muscle.
My scrolling finger was on the verge of cramping amid the flood of garbage info.
Is there seriously nothing legit? How?
While digging through videos, one weird channel caught my eye.
[Wizard's #1 Hit Instructor]
The thumbnail screamed old-school, like something paired with ssanghwacha tea.
Video length: a whopping 30 minutes.
Normally I'd skip it without a second thought, but mana info was so scarce I clicked anyway, figuring what the hell.
A woman in a knit sweater stood with her face obscured. Even the clothes couldn't hide her curves, stealing my attention, but the content was surprisingly serious.
"......This person's the real deal?"
It wasn't just theory. She explained mana flow and the subtle sensations only wizards feel in concrete detail.
Mesmerized, I checked the comments. Total chaos.
Almost no one focused on the lecture. Just blatant ogling of the instructor's body or mocking jeers calling it a scam.
I sat cross-legged on the bed as instructed.
Closed my eyes and focused on the flow inside me.
10 minutes, 20...
At first, nothing. Like plain water.
My legs went numb, pins and needles. 'Do I have no talent?' Anxiety crept in.
I rewatched the video, ruminating on her advice, struggling for two hours.
"......Found it."
Suddenly, the sensation of channels opening up inside me sharpened crystal clear.
Not the forced squeeze like when summoning the knight commander. A natural, circulating warmth.
Not energy, but an alien pulse that tricked you into thinking lost vitality was refilling.
This was mana.
Proof I'd stepped beyond ordinary humanity.
The tingle of mana gathering at my fingertips was electric. I wanted to test a skill right away but held back.
I clenched my trembling hands and ended the meditation.
Thanks to the mana, my muscle aches were gone like they'd been washed away.
Time to get ready to head out. I shook Little One, sprawled on the bed.
"Hey, wake up. Time to go to work."
Little One rubbed its sleepy eyes and whined,
but when I dangled the prepped 200g mana stone pouch, its eyes lit up and it hopped up.
We stood before the hero greatsword blocking the entrance.
"Alright, Little One. Show me what you can do."
The words barely left my mouth before Little One reached out.
Hummm.
The hunk of metal ignored gravity and floated lightly.
No more sweating and scraping it across the floor like yesterday.
Little One manipulated the airborne greatsword as easily as a balloon and took the lead. I followed, slipping my hand into the pouch.
The dawn air was chilly, but the mana circulating through me brought a pleasant tension. We pierced the morning silence and headed for the park.