The Witch's Cauldron
Pop!
A small explosion erupted inside the tiny cauldron.
Briel peered cautiously into it.
It was an item called the Witch's Cauldron.
Briel had gone to great lengths to acquire it at the Dokkaebi Market. It boosted success rates by a whopping twenty percent.
Her expectations had been sky-high, but the result was a catastrophic failure.
Instead of golden liquid, the cauldron held a thick, pitch-black sludge.
Briel clutched her head with both hands and screamed.
“Arrrgh! Another failure? This is bullshit! It was supposed to raise my success rate by twenty percent—why the hell did it fail? That scamming old bastard! He must've sold me a fake. There's no other explanation!”
After throwing her tantrum for a good while, Briel huffed and jammed her conical hat onto her head.
She was heading off to find the merchant who'd sold her the Witch's Cauldron.
“Hyap!”
Briel launched herself out the window.
A gust of wind caught her plummeting body, cradling it gently.
Thanks to that, she landed safely.
Briel made a beeline for the Dokkaebi Market.
She visited once a day without fail, so she could find it with her eyes closed by now.
Once inside the Dokkaebi Market, Briel stormed into the shop that had sold her the cauldron.
“You scamming geezer!”
“Well, if it isn't our VIP lady?”
The strawberry-nosed old man welcomed the fuming Briel with open arms.
He was Kowin, the shop's owner.
Kowin was one of the market's old-timers, having collected countless items over the years.
The Witch's Cauldron was one such acquisition.
Briel yelled,
“I used the Witch's Cauldron and it failed! It's a fake, right?”
“Aw, alchemy didn't go your way, huh? Poor little missy!”
“You sold me a fake!”
“Now, now, don't get mad. Sit down here. Failures are par for the course in alchemy.”
“Ugh! I bought it because it boosts success by twenty percent!”
“Statistically, yeah, but who succeeds on the first try? 'Failure is the mother of success,' right?”
“How the hell is failure a mom?”
“It's just a saying. Heh heh!”
Kowin gazed at Briel with the warm expression and eyes of a grandfather doting on his granddaughter.
His look softened her anger a bit.
“Sit here and have some hot cocoa. It'll soothe you.”
“Who said I came for cocoa?”
“I know! You came to complain. But have some cocoa first.”
Ignoring her protests, Kowin brewed the cocoa.
The sweet aroma tickled her nose, and Briel swallowed involuntarily.
“Here, try it! Fresh from Neo Seoul—should be delicious.”
“Tch!”
Briel wrinkled her nose but took the cup.
Kowin watched her sip it with a gentle smile.
Her mood lifted in no time; she kicked her feet happily as she drank.
“Good?”
“Yeah!”
“I'll pack some extra for you to take home.”
“Yeah!”
Briel nodded.
The notion that the cauldron was fake had already vanished from her mind.
That had just been an excuse.
Whenever she came here, Kowin always treated her to warm cocoa.
It was the only place in the slums where she could have it.
Kowin asked,
“Where's Zeon?”
“Hasn't come back yet.”
“Aw, must be boring.”
“Nah! I can just work on alchemy.”
“Not worried?”
“Nope! I know he's safe.”
Briel replied with utter confidence.
Through their soul oath, they were bound by an invisible thread.
Zeon might not realize it, but as a high elf, Briel could sense his condition to some degree.
That's why she never worried, no matter how long they were apart.
“Impressive, our VIP missy!”
“Heh!”
Kowin smiled even as Briel's nose shot up to the sky.
He had no family.
Decades ago, he'd lost his son and daughter-in-law to monsters, and he'd lived alone ever since.
Briel's occasional visits were a tremendous joy.
That's why he'd sold her the priceless Witch's Cauldron for peanuts. Now he was pondering what else to give her.
Kowin said to Briel,
“Want this too?”
＊＊＊
“Hm-hm! Hm-hmm!”
Briel strolled down the street, humming cheerfully.
Kowin had given her some precious materials, lifting her spirits.
Of course, it wasn't free.
Briel believed there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, so she'd paid up.
Just that the discount was insanely generous.
Briel muttered to herself,
'Now I can open a subspace too.'
Magic-type Awakeners who could open a subspace were exceedingly rare.
Even among the same rank, some could while others never would in a lifetime.
Most magic-types fell into the latter category.
Luckily, Briel wasn't human, so she could.
Hers wasn't huge—just the size of a small room.
But that was plenty for her.
She stored all her reagents and rare materials there, with room left over for Kowin's gifts.
The thought of heading home to resume alchemy thrilled her.
But a voice shattered her joy.
“Hey! Kid.”
Briel whipped around at the nasty tone.
Shady-looking men in the alley were beckoning her.
“Me?”
“Yeah, you! Kid, come here a sec.”
“Why should I?”
“Fuck! Chatty little shit. Big brothers wanna see your face up close.”
The men spoke crudely.
Briel sized them up.
“New faces. From another district?”
“Ah! Fuckin' bitch! Yeah, we're new in Shinchon today.”
“Oh, gotcha.”
Briel nodded.
No Awakener or guy in Shinchon would touch her.
They knew Zeon was her protector.
Even Iton, Shinchon's ruler, had ordered his men not to bother her.
That's why she could wander the dangerous slums alone unscathed.
The men appraised her.
“Fix her up a bit and we could sell her for top coin.”
“Fuck! Ditch that damn conical hat and she'd be usable.”
“Before selling... what if we...?”
They exchanged glances.
They were Awakeners from another district.
All F-rank, but still far stronger than normals.
That's how they'd survived committing crimes while hopping districts.
This time, their target was Briel.
There was a solid buyer base for young, frail girls like her.
Hand her over, and they'd rake in cash.
Shing!
“Come here nice-like before I carve up that face with this blade.”
One drew his sword, threatening her.
He thought his glare was scary, but it didn't faze Briel.
She specialized in alchemy, but knew plenty of other magic.
These small fries were no match.
“Hah.”
As Briel sighed and prepared a spell,
“Outta the way! Don't block the road.”
A heavy voice boomed from behind the men.
“What?”
“Fuck! Which bastard...”
The men spat curses and turned.
A man approached from the opposite end of the alley.
He wore a mustang coat of unknown monster hide.
Fur lined the collar in abundance, making him look even bulkier.
And he was already huge.
Short-cropped hair, golden-yellow eyes like molten gold, and a massive scar across his right cheek gave him a mysterious, intimidating air.
The yellow-eyed man said coldly,
“I said move.”
“This fucker's talking to who...?”
“Beat his ass!”
“Kill him!”
The men charged in rage.
Weapons in hand, true to their martial-type Awakening, they closed in instantly, aiming for vitals.
The moment their weapons neared his body,
Ferocity flashed in the man's eyes.
“Vermin like you...”
Flash!
A blinding surge of lightning erupted from his body.
The powerful bolt struck the attackers' bodies in an instant.
“Gaaah!”
“Aaaack!”
“Ughhh!”
Screams were their last; their bodies charred black in seconds.
The alley filled with the stench of burning flesh.
Despite the foul smell, Briel didn't grimace.
Tension etched her face as she stared at the man.
'He's strong.'
Lightning-type among magic-types—rare even there.
And high-rank at that.
Lightning's destructive power ranked among the top two in all magic-types.
The issue: immense power but hard to control range.
Even at minimum output, lightning and fire skills razed areas.
Places hit by them were always left in ruins.
Yet this alley was pristine—no scorch marks.
Only the attackers were reduced to char precisely.
He'd output just enough to kill.
Briel knew that was far harder than raw power.
The man eyed the charred corpses.
“Slum's full of trash everywhere, as expected. This is why I avoid coming here.”
Just breathing the air felt like filthy sludge invading his body.
He turned to Briel.
“Normally, you'd thank someone for the save, right?”
“Hmph! I didn't need your help.”
“You're an Awakener too, huh?”
“Least I can protect myself from trash like that.”
“Then I stuck my nose in for nothing. Still, it was a good deed on my part.”
“Well, it helped a little. Saved me getting my hands dirty. Thanks for that.”
“Polite for an elf.”
“Elf? How'd you know?”
Briel leaped back, on guard.
Only Zeon and Levin knew she was an elf.
Everyone else thought her human.
Yet this stranger saw right through her.
She had to be wary.
“With that distinctive scent wafting off you? Even mixed with a bit of rot, it doesn't change your essence.”
His golden eyes burned intensely, piercing her.
Under that gaze, Briel felt utterly exposed.
She gathered mana in her hands.
“Who are you?”
“No need to tense up, little elf. If you were my target, you'd be dead already.”
“Who are you?!”
“My name is Lee Ji-ryeong.”
“Lee Ji-ryeong?”
“Where's Zeon?”
The man—Lee Ji-ryeong—approached Briel.
Terror crossed her face as she backed away.
At that moment, a calm voice sounded right behind her.
“Right here.”