Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Granada and the Wasp
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The Free City of Granada.
An independent city that had established its autonomy without allegiance to any nation, it was a corporate city of sorts.
From the city's administration to its security, economy, and legal system—everything was controlled by corporations.
Of course, being an independent city, it had a mayor and public officials, but since the appointment process was manipulated by the corporations, it was merely a formality.
That's why the citizens often called this place Gold City.
A place built by money, run by money, and where guilt or innocence was decided by money.
That was Granada.
“Granada… I don’t know whether to call this familiar or strange.”
Having left the forest on the outskirts of the city where the Pit Labyrinth was located, Lee Si-woo arrived in Granada and was overcome with a contradictory impression of the cityscape.
The forest of skyscrapers and the sea of concrete buildings were familiar sights from Earth, but the elements woven into them were anything but ordinary.
“You idiot! Get out of the way! You’re blocking the skyway!”
“Idiot? I think that word is more fitting for a moron like you who doesn’t even have eyes to see a traffic light.”
Witches on flying broomsticks zipped through the forest of buildings, hurling insults at each other.
Watching them weave between buildings with holographic crosswalks and traffic lights, delivery boxes dangling from the bristles of their brooms, reminded him of the common courier services back on Earth.
Not only that, but the ground was filled with passenger cars that Lee Si-woo was used to seeing.
Lee Si-woo let out a dry laugh as he saw motorcycles and various sedans spewing exhaust as they sped down the concrete roads.
“Even cars? Wow… they really have everything, don’t they?”
Thanks to the Common Sense Pill, he was adapting to this world more easily than expected, but knowing something and seeing it were two different things.
He had expected to feel a great sense of disconnect between civilizations upon arriving in the city, but that wasn't the case.
It was strangely familiar, as if a fantasy skin had been draped over his original world.
“Of course, hyung. This is the Main Dimension. It’s safe to say that everything in the outer dimensions exists here too.”
As Lee Si-woo watched a sports car whiz past him with envious eyes, Jin pouted and grumbled.
“Hyung, don’t be envious of those ground-crawlers. Who drives cars these days? It’s so tacky. Only the have-nots ride those things to feel special.”
Lee Si-woo pointed to the griffins, wyverns, and other monstrous beasts leisurely navigating between the busy witch couriers and said.
“So, to not be tacky, do I have to ride one of those?”
Pleased to have a chance to explain, Jin grinned widely and said.
“Yeah, a flying beast at least gets you to the level of ‘Oh, this guy knows how to show off a little.’ The upkeep is insane. But don’t be too impressed; it’s not the class we’d be riding. They’re just toys for the nouveau riche.”
Lee Si-woo stared blankly at the wealthy individuals having a drinking party on a giant saddle atop a wyvern and remarked.
“They’re the most enviable nobodies in the world, then.”
“Hmph, hyung. Nothing to be envious of. In our Demon Country, unless it’s a dragon or a mythical beast, it’s not even considered a proper mount.”
Lee Si-woo looked at the arrogant Jin bluntly and asked.
“You really were rich, weren’t you?”
“Yeah, I was super rich!”
“So? Do you still have some of that money now?”
“...”
“Don’t tell me you’re a penniless beggar running your mouth off so arrogantly?”
Jin pouted and stomped his feet.
“Grr, hyung! I’m sad about being broke too, you know? But what can I do! I spent all my secret funds on the Circle potion and buying the Pit Labyrinth!”
“You said your family has a lot of money, right? Can’t you use that? Or how about selling the labyrinth? It’s real estate, isn’t it?”
“I was thinking of putting the labyrinth on the market anyway… but don’t get your hopes up. It’ll probably sell for dirt cheap since there’s nothing alive inside. And as for the family funds, I could use them if I really tried, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Why?”
“Because of you, of course. My siblings are already dying to slit my throat. It would be a real problem if they found out about you. They’re desperate to find any weakness I have.”
At those words, Lee Si-woo stroked his chin and raised an eyebrow. Jin flinched involuntarily at his narrowed gaze.
“What, so hanging out with you is incredibly dangerous?”
Momentarily taken aback, Jin started rubbing his hands together like a sycophant and tried to act cute.
“Aww, hyung, don’t say that. I’m so useful, you have no idea. There are a lot of conveniences that come with having me around. You can even borrow the halo of my family name. It’s no joke.”
“You said we can’t use your family’s funds, but borrowing the family name is fine?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll just borrow the name of one of my siblings.”
“Hmm, that sounds even riskier.”
“Nah, the risk is minimal. We’ll use the name of the youngest, who I already sent to the afterlife. Of course, my other siblings don’t know that. Hehe, the little one had a bit of a wanderlust anyway, so even if his movements are reported to the family, they won’t be too suspicious.”
As Jin casually suggested using the identity of a sibling he had killed with his own hands, Lee Si-woo felt his blood run cold.
It was at times like this that the word ‘demon,’ which Jin often tossed around jokingly, felt chillingly real.
“...So if we use that identity, they’ll think it’s the youngest, not you. Is that it?”
“Exactly! Oh, and don’t worry about money either. It’s hard to pull any strings now because Granada is located in such a remote region, but things will open up once we get closer to the central continent.”
“Alright. Setting that aside… I was thinking we should get some identification first. What do you think?”
“Identification? Maybe for the old you, but for you now, getting an ID is a piece of cake. Who would dare question the credibility of a magician?”
“I know that, but I want to make it as hard to trace as possible. As you know…”
“Ah, because of that old magician bastard, Harman?”
Lee Si-woo nodded.
“Right. By tomorrow, that old man will realize I’ve left the Pit, and he’ll start tracking me immediately. Besides, as a summoner’s direct magician, he’ll have considerable influence in this city.”
“Don’t worry about that. If he’s in Granada, he’s 100% a low-ranking summoner, and a magician serving someone like that would be a nobody. I bet he couldn’t even dream of meddling with Granada’s public authority.”
The Free City of Granada had no national affiliation and therefore no state religion, so naturally, summoners were rare.
Summoners were, by definition, agents of gods, so there was little merit in staying in a city without a state religion.
Thus, the summoners in this city mostly belonged to gods of the Lower Heaven class; there wasn't a single mid-ranking summoner serving a god of the Middle Heaven class or higher.
Recalling that the summoner Elim had used a Rainbow Ticket to summon him, Lee Si-woo asked Jin.
“Jin, can a low-ranking summoner use a Rainbow Ticket?”
“A Rainbow Ticket is the highest-grade ticket, but there are no restrictions on using it. It’s just that the odds are crap and it’s ridiculously expensive. That summoner probably blew most of his fortune on it.”
Remembering the summoner’s resentful face from his first day in this world, Lee Si-woo chuckled and said.
“Then there’s no chance Harman is a high-ranking magician either.”
“Yeah, so you don’t have to be so scared. Heh heh… I bet he’s wagging his tail, trying to get some time off from that nobody summoner.”
“Jin, still, our situation isn’t great, so don’t let your guard down. I’m just a 1st-Circle apprentice magician, and you’re powerless because of some poison or whatever, right?”
“Tch, it’s not my style to be scared of a bug like that… but if you say so, hyung. Right, you wanted to get an ID? Then Wasp is perfect.”
Lee Si-woo rummaged through the memories injected by the Common Sense Pill and spoke.
“Wasp… that’s a private military company, isn’t it?”
Wasp.
The largest private company engaged in various military activities on the remote continent where Granada was located.
“Yeah, on this continent, they’re the best in that field.”
“You’re not telling me to work as a security guard… a mercenary?”
“Exactly. A Wasp mercenary license solves everything—identity, credibility, all of it.”
“If I become a mercenary, don’t I have to belong to or be tied to that organization?”
“Come on, I know your goal is the Magic Tower. Do you think I’d suggest a long-term contract? You’re right, a typical mercenary would have to be affiliated with Wasp, but it’s different for magicians. You can join as an independent and just use a Wasp agent. That’s all.”
“So, a freelancer?”
“Right. Besides, there’s one more reason to become a mercenary. You know you have to pass a selection test to get into a Magic Tower, right?”
“I know.”
“But… honestly, at your current skill level, it’s impossible. So you need to power up your specs.”
“Power up? How?”
“You need some decent magic. A pretty good spell, even among those a 1st-Circle magician can use.”
Lee Si-woo’s eyes sparkled. The way Jin brought it up made him think he knew how to get one.
“You know where to get a spellbook, don’t you?”
“That’s right. That’s why I suggested Wasp. But to get there easily, we need to use a portal, and for that, you need a mercenary license.”
“Where exactly is this place?”
Jin grinned, a look on his face that said, ‘You’ll see.’
“Lair.”
***
Harman, who had been deep in meditation, snapped his eyes open.
A sapphire necklace swung like a pendulum beneath his chin.
Soon, the string of the sapphire necklace, which had been spinning furiously like a leaf caught in a gust of wind, snapped with a *ping* and fell to the floor.
“...Who is it? Who broke the ‘Fate Binding’ I placed on him?”
The specialized fields of magic a magician can handle are largely divided into six categories, depending on their aptitude.
These are the six major schools: Elemental, Radiance, Darkness, Arcane, Spatial, and Summoning.
Harman was from the Arcane school and was proficient in arcane magic such as divination and illusion, which was why he had endured the seven-day wait with little stress.
He had been certain that the spell he cast on Lee Si-woo, the Fate Binding, would lead the man to him.
‘Since I had linked Lee Si-woo’s fate with my own through the Fate Binding, our meeting was foretold, no matter how much he struggled. But… someone unknown interfered, and my Fate Binding shattered to pieces.’
Frowning, Harman pondered for a long moment before taking pearl powder from his pocket and sprinkling it on the floor.
After drawing the number 7, signifying good fortune, and the number 4, signifying ill omen, on the floor with the pearl powder, Harman took a ruby necklace from his robes.
Harman grasped the ruby necklace tightly in both hands, bowed his head, and chanted an incantation before shaking it.
*Woooong—*
The string of the ruby necklace, which had been vibrating faintly and swaying from side to side, snapped with a *ping* and fell onto the number 4.
Seeing the ruby necklace rolling over and over on the number 4, Harman shut his eyes tightly and lamented.
“Pursuing him is an unwise choice...? But my greed has taken root too deeply to give up now.”
While divination in the arcane arts was wondrous, foreseeing the future was ultimately the domain of the gods.
Therefore, the result of gem divination was merely a game of probability.
Yes, no matter how ominous the fortune, it only meant a slightly higher probability of misfortune, not a predestined future.
“Lee Si-woo, I don’t know what fortunate encounter you’ve had… but don’t waste your effort. You are still in the palm of my hand.”
Harman got to his feet.
The situation had changed; he had to move as quickly as possible.
Even if it meant resigning instead of taking a vacation.
***
As Lee Si-woo and Jin emerged from a massive building over thirty stories tall, a middle-aged employee in a suit saw them off.
“Here is the Black Card you applied for.”
Lee Si-woo took the card and asked.
“Is this all I need for identification?”
“Yes. Wasp will guarantee your identity, so you may use it freely. However, please be aware that this guarantee is limited to Granada.”
“So it can’t be used in other cities.”
“That is correct. We have also opened a VIP-exclusive account linked to the card, and the proceeds from the sale of the World Tree branches and beastman teeth you requested have been deposited.”
Lee Si-woo was amazed to hear that the ten World Tree branches and some of the beastman teeth he had stored in his inventory before giving them to Rei had already been processed.
Just as expected of a major corporation, their work was swift and precise.
“Thank you.”
The middle-aged employee took a black smartphone from his jacket and handed it to Lee Si-woo.
“For details, you can check the manual application I have installed on this smartphone. And as requested by Mr. Alma, we have assigned ‘Gray Fox’ as your agent.”
Alma was the identity Jin was currently using—the name of his youngest brother.
Gray Fox was the alias of a Fox-kin agent that Jin had insisted they work with.
“You’ve done well.”
“Not at all. It is an honor just to have a VIP visit our Wasp Granada branch. Should you have any inconveniences later on, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will do my best to assist in any way I can.”
Watching the employee re-enter the building after a polite bow, Lee Si-woo let out a dry laugh as he looked at Jin, who was beaming with a ‘Aren’t I great?’ expression.
“Heh… your family must be something special. To see a team leader from a major corporation like Wasp act so deferentially.”
“Wasp is only a major corporation on this remote continent where Granada is. In the central continent, the center of the world and the playground of the great powers, they’re just another run-of-the-mill small but strong company. That’s why he’s so eager to please. He’s trying to establish a connection with our family. A meaningless gesture, though.”
Unfortunately, Jin’s triumphant boasting was cut short. A Fox-kin man approached them, his fox tail swishing as he spoke.
“Good day. I am Gray Fox. I heard a VIP specifically requested me, so I came right away… but might I ask which of you is my client?”
Annoyed that the man had interrupted his rare moment to brag, Jin pointed at Lee Si-woo with pouted lips.
Lee Si-woo stepped forward and offered Gray Fox a handshake.
“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Lee Si-woo.”
Gray Fox, who had the face of a cute fox cub but the body of a muscular man, secretly scanned Lee Si-woo from head to toe.
For a moment, his expression twisted almost imperceptibly.
It seemed he wasn't pleased that his client was a human.
But, remembering that Lee Si-woo was a VIP, he hid his inner thoughts with an affable smile and asked.
“It’s a pleasure, Mr. Lee Si-woo. Um, if you don’t mind my asking, may I inquire as to why you specifically requested me?”