WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Magic-Eating Wizard ◈
Chapter 11: No More Freebies
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Though it was still early autumn, the northern wind was cold enough to cut through flesh.
The difference felt even sharper because Moria, where they had been until recently, was a resort city in the Empire’s southeast.
“You can really tell we’re in another country.”
“Hmph. Just like northern barbarians, their buildings and clothes are all hopelessly tacky.”
As Rim looked around in wonder, Ruska sneered beside them.
Though Ruska came from a collateral branch little different from commoners, Ruska was still imperial blood. The judgment carried a twisted pride in Ruska’s homeland.
Haren gave Ruska a serious warning.
“Ruska, I’d rather you didn’t say things like that just because people here can’t understand Imperial. You might pick a needless fight, and even if you don’t, it would feel bad if you put yourself in their place.”
Cardin, who was walking ahead, glanced back at the two boys.
The Ruska Cardin knew would surely have scoffed or gotten angry at such a reprimand. Ruska was arrogant and hot-tempered to begin with, and had only recently reached the second rank.
Yet, contrary to expectations, Ruska fell silent for a moment and gave a slight nod.
Ruska looked like a younger sibling being scolded by an older brother after showing off.
“...I’ll watch myself.”
When they escaped Moria, Haren had led his fellow disciples and ended the life of Voras, a third-rank wizard.
The judgment, composure, and courage Haren had shown were enough to earn Ruska’s respect.
If someone Ruska did not acknowledge had said the same thing, Ruska would have reacted defensively, asking who they were to lecture Ruska.
“Huh.”
Noticing this change in the relationship between the disciples, Cardin laughed with interest.
After studying Haren once more, Cardin spoke as if he had not heard their conversation.
“Let’s find lodgings first and stay together. There’s somewhere I want to take you right away.”
“Where? I’m hungry.”
“You’ll see when we get there. I guarantee you’ll all like it.”
Cardin gave a meaningful smile at Nasrel’s question.
A little later, after leaving their luggage at an inn, the young wizards followed Cardin like ducklings toward a market street on the outskirts of the city.
“This place feels creepy...”
Rim muttered timidly while looking around.
There were no merchants enthusiastically shouting to draw in customers here.
In air thick with harsh tobacco smoke and the smell of unknown medicines, people haggled in low, sinister voices.
The goods being traded included specimens of unknown creatures, medicines in glass bottles, and old antiques.
Animal cries could also be heard somewhere in the distance.
Haren spoke quietly to Cardin, who was walking ahead.
“This is a market dealing in alchemists’ goods. Probably illegal kinds...”
“Correct. This is why Berman is so nice! It’s troublesome to find places like this in the Empire. Inspections are strict, the market isn’t open every day, and sometimes you can only get in through an introduction.”
Cardin nodded and explained in detail.
Normally, buying strategic supplies such as magical potions, rather than everyday products like medicine or hair-loss treatments, required special status.
For example, one had to be a soldier, an employee of a magic-related institute, or a member of a school or family.
It was only natural that black markets would arise for unofficial wizards who belonged to none of those groups.
Berman’s black market was unusual because the country contained the world’s largest habitat for magical creatures.
As civilization developed and the population grew, many magical creatures lost their homes and vanished. Yet the vast northern conifer forests remained full of powerful and rare magical creatures of every sort.
And because Berman’s territory was vast and its workforce scarce, it struggled to control disasters caused by magical creatures.
These factors combined to form a symbiotic relationship. Wizard poachers came from all over the world to hunt, while the Berman government profited from refining and distributing the byproducts.
In other words, the alchemy black market in this country was a gray area tolerated by the state.
“Everyone, watch out for pickpockets. The people who come and go from places like this tend to be rough.”
That advice did not mean much to Haren, at least.
Surely they could not be more vicious than the residents of Elmin Street.
After looking around for a while, Cardin chose a shop with gloomy green lighting and went inside.
It was the largest building in the black market, but strangely, it had few customers.
The proprietor was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties with a prosthetic leg.
Sitting in a rocking chair, the man stared blankly into space as if he could not care less whether customers entered.
Kadin watched for a moment, then turned to the disciples.
“Now that you’ve seen real combat and become adults, choose potions that suit you yourselves. Consider what you lacked in the last battle and what you need. That should help.”
Haren and the others were surprised by the unexpected instruction, but also greatly interested.
Until now, they had always drunk the potions Cardin gave them. Even for Ruska, this was the first time choosing one personally.
The four young wizards immediately began chatting among themselves as they examined the back of the shop.
* * *
“What’s this?”
“It says it’s powder made by grinding Needle Mole quills. I guess it’s used as potion material.”
“Will it taste good?”
Rim, who had been explaining it to Nasrel, made an awkward expression.
Haren smiled at the sight, then turned serious and examined the potions displayed in the shop one by one.
‘There are more interesting things here than I expected...’
Simply checking the main ingredients and effects written beneath the potions revealed many facts Haren had not known.
For example, even when made from the same creature, the effects could differ depending on what part was used.
A Fire Lizard’s brain increased fire affinity and control, its heart increased total mana, and only a potion containing its air sac could imprint Flame Spray magic.
In general, potions containing more byproducts had stronger effects, but they were more expensive and carried a greater risk of contamination side effects.
Some potions that lacked specific parts could not imprint new magic even when drunk.
Such cheap potions had fewer contamination side effects, so they were mainly used to awaken non-wizards. Even so, the death rate was said to exceed half.
‘Come to think of it, surviving really was a miracle.’
The Fire Lizard Potion Haren had first drunk had been a top-quality one containing the air sac, brain, and heart.
Considering that even consuming one of those parts carried more than a fifty percent chance of death, there was a reason people said it was normal to die after drinking one.
After that, Haren carefully went around the shop several times while choosing potions.
Flame Arrow, Hammer of Light, Earth Wall Creation, Gentle Breeze...
Haren wanted every kind of magic, but had to choose only a few carefully.
Even if the Meditation Method digested them, there was a limit to the essence a spiritual body could accept.
If Haren learned every unnecessary basic spell, there would be no room left later for high-level magic.
If Haren were a game character, a poorly built character could simply be deleted and remade. But Haren only had one body.
‘There’s too much to think about.’
Haren had already imprinted magic from three attributes and confirmed affinity with two of them, so there could be only one unconfirmed inborn attribute at most.
Since it was more common to have only one or two inborn attributes, Haren might already have found them all.
If so, it would be advantageous to learn more fire or light magic, whose affinities had been clearly identified, for a quick increase in combat strength.
In the long term, it would also help Haren learn high-level fire magic, light magic, or sun magic, which combined the two attributes.
But abandoning the other attributes was not the answer either, since attribute affinities could also be developed later.
If Haren did not train them steadily from now on, even after becoming a powerful wizard, Haren would have to waste time on basic magic.
‘And I need to consider how roles are divided within the team...’
Ruska, a shooter born with Omniaffinity, was an artillery battery who could wield offensive magic of many attributes.
Nasrel, who possessed Great Strength, could hold back or break through enemies at the front.
Rim, an Adept with wind and lightning affinities and a Prophet, was agile and had sharp instincts, making Rim suited to scouting.
Haren needed to secure a role of Haren’s own while also being able to handle many situations alone.
There might be times when Haren had to act alone, and there was no guarantee Haren would remain with these companions forever.
“Ruska, don’t choose Lightning Strike.”
“Why? Are you scared I’ll use it to kill you?”
“It’s magic that can only be imprinted after reaching the third rank. If you drink that now, you’ll die.”
“Tch.”
Using Ruska and Cardin’s argument as background noise, Haren thought until his head felt ready to burst and finally selected two potions.
The first was Concealment, a basic darkness-attribute spell.
It reduced Haren’s presence, helping Haren escape other creatures’ perception.
It was almost useless against an alert opponent on guard, but it would be a great help when ambushing an enemy focused elsewhere during battle or an unguarded target.
The second was Leap, a basic earth-attribute spell.
It maximized the rebound force returning from the ground when the caster stepped on it, using that force as propulsion.
It helped the caster accelerate suddenly or leap higher and farther to overcome terrain.
Ruska checked Haren’s choices and muttered as if dumbfounded.
“What? Neither of them is offensive magic.”
“Yeah. I think Flame Spray alone will be enough for now. I have to choose one of these, but it isn’t easy...”
During the previous battle, Haren had reassessed the potential of Serpent’s Baptism, the martial art Cardin had taught.
An ambush attack supported by a mana field had dealt a fatal wound even to a third-rank wizard.
Of course, that wizard had been unguarded and weakened after taking a severe beating. Still, considering the gap in their strength, it was an impressive result.
So Haren calculated that relying on martial arts in close combat, Flame Spray at medium range, and a firearm acquired separately at long range would provide enough firepower for now.
After hearing the explanation, Ruska nodded with a thoughtful hum.
“What did you choose?”
“Magic that can smash anyone to pieces.”
Ruska confidently showed them a potion made from a Heatwave Beetle, capable of imprinting the spell Fireball.
The spell exploded a sphere of flame to produce heat and impact. It required both fire and wind attributes.
Rim and Nasrel had chosen Sprint and Hardening, respectively.
Sprint used wind to push the body and increase running speed. Compared to Leap, it was less capable of overcoming terrain but better for long-distance running.
Hardening was a life-attribute spell that temporarily crystallized part of the body, sacrificing flexibility to increase defense.
“Mobility and defense. Not bad.”
It seemed everyone had chosen to maximize their strengths rather than compensate for their weaknesses.
That was more a matter of personal preference than right or wrong.
While Haren was reconsidering the choices after seeing everyone’s potions, Cardin spoke from behind.
“Why not choose both?”
“Would that be all right? But everyone else is choosing only one, so it wouldn’t feel fair if I alone chose two.”
“You are still the youngest, so you have fewer spells, and your essence-digestion speed is quite fast. I believe you can keep pace with the others.”
Ruska had currently digested eleven essences, Rim eight, and Nasrel six.
Haren had only reached the third, so Haren needed to work harder to catch up.
Fortunately, Haren’s double spiritual body greatly helped digest essence.
If Haren had not adjusted the digestion speed to keep Cardin from noticing Haren’s peculiarity, Haren could have learned one more spell by now.
“I’m embarrassed to receive such praise.”
“There is no need to be modest. Your contamination resistance and digestion speed rank among the top five of anyone I’ve seen. That is a talent far more meaningful than most blessings.”
Cardin praised Haren, then dropped a bombshell.
“Ah, I nearly forgot to mention this. From now on, I will not buy potions for you for free.”
“...What?”
“Now that you have become proper wizards, shouldn’t master and disciples keep strict accounts between themselves?”
It was a reasonable argument, but not something Haren wanted to hear from a villain holding their lives in his hands.
Who would have thought ordering them to choose their own potions earlier had been foreshadowing?
Rim spoke beside Haren with a blank expression.
“But... we don’t have any money.”
“I’ll pay this time and put it on your debt. Don’t worry! I won’t charge interest.”
While everyone was flustered, Ruska sneered.
“Do what you want. I already felt sick every time I took something from you.”
“Then I needn’t buy you that Fireball Potion?”
When no answer came, Cardin chuckled, carefully inspected the potions they had chosen, and brought them to the proprietor.
“If you’re paying in rants, it’ll be 2,400 rants.”
The proprietor spoke bluntly as he took the money.
Perhaps because this was a city near the Empire, the shop accepted Imperial currency rather than only Kingdom of Berman money.
In Moria, ordinary day laborers earned around five to ten rants a week. Even accounting for food and lodging, it was a vast sum that would be difficult to save over half a lifetime.
‘We’re buried in debt in an instant...’
Haren sighed inwardly.
* * *
After returning to the lodgings, Haren drank Concealment first out of the two potions selected at the shop.
It seemed easier to practice because it did not require a wide space.
The other three also drank their own potions and spent the day in the lodgings, digesting the essence through the Meditation Method.
The next morning, after washing up, Haren noticed that Ruska’s complexion was visibly poor.
“Are you all right?”
“My head’s throbbing. Damn it...”
The Fireball Potion Ruska had taken was the most expensive, which meant the magic within was powerful and the effects of contamination severe.
If Ruska had still been at the first rank, Ruska would have been unable to digest it properly and suffered a serious problem.
Not long after all the fellow disciples emerged, Haren realized Cardin had already left the lodgings.
A letter and an envelope containing Kingdom of Berman currency had been left on the bed.
[I have something to do, so I will be away for a while. Even at the shortest estimate, it will likely take several months.
Until I return, freely find work, earn money, live, and devote yourselves to training.
Personally, I recommend poaching. It is a little dangerous, but it pays well and gives you practical experience.
Of course, you may do other work if you wish. But do not forget to earn the money to repay your debt before I return.
P.S. Please do not leave the Kingdom of Berman. It would be bothersome to go looking far away.]
“W-what do we do now?”
When Rim muttered in alarm after reading the letter, Ruska spoke as if this was for the best.
“We’ll have no problem surviving without that bastard.”
Nasrel said nothing, but the corner of Nasrel’s mouth curled upward slightly.
“Well... I guess we have no choice but to do as he said and become poachers.”
Haren said this, tore up the letter, threw it into the wastebasket, and slipped the envelope of money into his clothes.
“Can we really do it?”
“As the letter says, there aren’t many jobs better than that among the work we can do. It’s not like we can become assassins or thugs.”
Cardin’s intention was obvious with a little thought.
They had visibly grown after facing real combat without Cardin’s protection, so Cardin likely intended to test them once more.
Skipping the troublesome training process as if it were automatic hunting would be an added benefit.
Cardin’s sudden decision yesterday to charge them for potions was surely not because Cardin truly hated spending money, but because Cardin wanted to motivate them.
Nasrel and Rim in particular had simply accepted whatever they were given, without realizing its value.
If they had to digest essences bought with their own money, they could not remain as leisurely as before.
They had suddenly been pushed into earning a living, but this was welcome news for Haren as well.
Cardin’s supervision was gone, and Haren had gained an opening to connect with magical society.
If Haren earned money and accumulated knowledge, Haren could gather information about the Mark of Subordination.
Haren had seen books containing magical knowledge being traded in the black market yesterday.
The goods circulating in such a place would naturally be of poor quality and questionable authenticity, but even that was desperately needed now.
In the end, this was a contest between whether Kadin could completely control them by some means, or whether they could find a way to escape first.
“Let’s go out for a meal first, then get moving right away.”
Haren made this suggestion because they did not have much money left.
Rather than sitting around and wasting it, they needed to establish a foundation and find a source of income while they still had enough capital.
“All right.”
Ruska immediately nodded at Haren, who seemed to have a clear goal.
Ruska had acted tough, but was just as lost about what to do next. Ruska wanted to follow someone who could at least point out a direction.
After having a simple breakfast of bread with butter and ham at a nearby restaurant, the four headed to the black market they had visited the day before.
When they entered the shop with the green lighting, the proprietor with the prosthetic leg was still sitting blankly in the rocking chair.
“Sir.”
“What is it? No refunds. Every potion was properly made. They’re exactly the same as the ones sold by the Alchemists’ Association.”
Recognizing them as the customers from yesterday, the proprietor got ahead of them.
“No, it’s not that. We came because we’d like to work as suppliers of potion materials. We were wondering if you could connect us with someone.”
“Hm? Why all of a sudden?”
The proprietor looked puzzled by the unexpected proposal.
It was suspicious for children with a master who bought and gave them several potions without hesitation to suddenly seek work as poachers.
Haren smiled smoothly and made an excuse.
“Well... you could call it a kind of traditional rite. We have to earn money through our own work.”
“I see. That is quite similar to the way of Harkan Monastery. There are people like that from time to time.”
Muttering to himself, the proprietor tapped the armrest of the rocking chair with a finger.
“So why should I do such troublesome work for you?”
“The shorter the distribution process, the better, isn’t it? If you clear the way for us, we’ll naturally supply you at the lowest price. If there’s something you urgently need, you can commission us to obtain it as well.”
“Do you have the skill for that?”
“This friend is a second-rank wizard. And the four of us have hunted a third-rank wizard together. There aren’t many poachers of the fourth rank or higher anyway, are there?”
“You’re that capable? I find that hard to believe...”
Haren used his fluent Berman language skills to negotiate intensely with the old man.
As Haren brought up every possible justification and practical benefit, discussing profit shares, the other three stood behind Haren with blank expressions and watched.
Before long, the proprietor snorted and nodded.
“Fine. I’ll ask a few of those who bring goods here often. A squad of four wizards may prove useful someday.”
They were young, but if they were wizards, they would be more capable than ordinary adult men. And since the proprietor was only introducing them, there was no material loss to speak of.
If it went well, good. If it did not, the proprietor could simply brush it off as unfortunate and be done with it.
Once the deal was made, Haren smiled and bowed politely.
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