Chapter 3

Chapter 3

3. Drawing Cards (3)

The man was flustered.

One of the reasons was precisely ‘casting speed’.

‘This guy seems like a fire-type mage too··· why is his casting speed so fast?’

Characteristics of a fire-type mage.

If it’s the same rank magic, the fire type is overwhelmingly stronger!

However, the problem is that casting is slow. Extremely so.

Being strong is the advantage, slow casting is the disadvantage.

That’s the characteristic of a fire-type mage, but···.

‘At this level, it’s the casting speed of a lightning-type mage!’

It was that fast.

No, is something like this even possible, fuck?

But he couldn’t not believe it.

Because he saw it with his own two eyes!

‘But what is this question again?’

That guy asked him a question.

Is there a way to obtain a lot of mana stones?

‘What kind of complete beginner question is this···.’

“Ah, just tell me quickly. Is there?”

“Th-there is. No, there is! R-receiving requests!”

His informal speech naturally switched to polite.

Showing this crazy casting speed, of course it had to be that way. He would naturally be higher than himself, who was 2nd rank.

“Right? That’s it, right? I picked it up somewhere too.”

“······?”

This was hard to understand again.

At this level, his rank should be quite high, but from the way he spoke, he seemed like a complete beginner who had just started learning magic.

‘That can’t be···.’

“Let me ask one more. Do they give multiple requests to someone doing it for the first time too?”

“···M-multiple requests?”

What is this saying now.

Why receive multiple requests?

You receive one by one and clear them, right?

“Yeah, multiple requests. Is it possible?”

“Of-of course! It is possible! This area is quite short on manpower. Even things that aren’t a big deal, outsiders don’t try to help much, so many people ask the request offices. They’ll actually like it. The problem is, due to the nature of the fire type······.”

Ah, so it is possible?

They might think it would take a long time because of the slow casting of the fire type, but···.

‘This guy is ridiculously fast?’

* * *

The next morning.

A call came from the police station.

-The criminal you handed over yesterday has been processed. Upon investigation, it was really as the bastard said. We were able to find the body. Thank you again for the tip.

He couldn’t just leave the guy he met in the alley.

After getting the information he needed, he reported to the police.

He made the bastard confess everything he had done smoothly.

Anyway···.

‘Then first, let’s take a request.’

I need to get mana stones.

That’s how I’ll learn more magic, right.

The only way to get them right now is through requests.

So he immediately wandered around the neighborhood.

He hadn’t known before, but there were surprisingly many.

Roughly checking the locations the bastard told him, five or six places came up.

He entered one of them.

The first floor of a four-story old commercial building.

The sign said laundry shop, but they also gave requests here.

Ding—.

The sound of a bell as the door opened.

A flickering fluorescent light greeted him first.

“Here to drop off clothes?”

At the sound of the bell, a middle-aged man who had been inside came out.

A man in his mid-50s wearing an old vest.

“No, I’m here to take a request.”

“···Request? A face I haven’t seen before?”

“Yes. I’m thinking of starting request work from today.”

“Oh oh, a complete beginner. Can you use magic?”

“I can use fire magic.”

Nod, nod.

The request office owner nodded his head.

Then he opened a drawer under the desk and took out some ledger.

The man wearing glasses kept flipping pages as he opened his mouth.

“Since it’s your first time, I need to know your level a bit. So I’ll hand over something simple first. Let’s see··· what would be good···.”

Swoosh, swoosh.

He wet his finger with saliva and swoosh, swoosh.

“Hmm, it’s ambiguous. It’s not that there are no requests, but there’s nothing you can do.”

“Something I can do?”

“Yeah, that’s right. You said you can use fire magic, right? Something like this?”

Then he stopped at one page of the ledger and turned it to show him.

[Sillim 3-ga Warehouse = Mana Pest Extermination Request]

“See? Mana pests appeared in the warehouse. You probably know too, those mana pest things aren’t a big deal. Especially for a fire type like you, even more so. But the problem is···.”

The owner trailed off for a moment.

“What do you think is the reason they specifically entrusted this to us? These guys are tiny and extremely fast. Damn fast, really. So what? You’re fire magic, right? If you hit them they’ll burn brightly, but? They’ll run away before you even cast.”

He understood what he was saying.

Simply put···.

‘It’s just nothing special, but a shitty request.’

Especially for a fire-type mage.

But for me, there was no problem.

“Yes, I’ll try that. But by any chance, the reward···?”

“Yeah, you’re going to do this? You clearly said you use fire-type magic, right? It won’t work?”

“As long as I complete it no matter how long it takes, that’s fine, right?”

“That’s true. But are you going to stick to this for a week, a month?”

It could be like that.

But what else could I do right now.

“Yes, I’ll try it. But is the compensation paid in cash?”

“You’ll try it? Yeah, whatever, it’s good for me. Compensation is of course cash. If you get the request completion certificate from the client and bring it, I’ll shoot it straight to your magic account.”

Cash.

Cash is good too, but what’s important to me right now isn’t that.

“By any chance, is mana stone not possible separately?”

“Mana stone? Well, it is possible. But you know well too, right? If this gets caught, it’s a big problem. Not long ago, one guy got caught too?”

“Because I’ll use it right away anyway.”

“Hm, yeah. This is also a kind of trust between you and me or something, isn’t it? If you do this request well, I’ll match the reward with mana stones somehow.”

Okay, done.

It went smoother than expected.

“Take care. These days there are many requests asking for help from here and there, but no one to do them. If you’re a person from here, you know, right? It’s a real mess. But do outsiders try to help? So let’s do well.”

Yeah, it was simpler than expected.

He had heard that proper places had quite complicated procedures for complete beginners like him.

‘Because it’s here, it’s rather simple.’

It worked out well for me.

Anyway, he received the first request.

But this wasn’t the end.

‘Octopus-style request reception!’

He had to use this side’s situation.

He planned to take as many as possible.

He would process those requests all at once, and receive a lot of mana stones at once.

* * *

1 PM.

He went around several request offices.

Most situations were similar to the laundry shop.

It seemed there really was a shortage of people to process them.

‘Let’s see, the things I have to process···.’

The requests he received were a total of three.

The first one received, [Mana Pest Extermination].

And [Mana Clump Removal], [Ice Removal].

All requests that suited him who used the fire type.

And at the same time, somewhat shitty requests.

First, he headed to the first location.

An old house inside the alley of Sillim 3-ga.

When he entered, a grandfather who looked to be in his 60s came out.

“Are you the one sent by Mr. Park from the laundry shop?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Those things are in there. They started appearing one by one from some point, and now it’s become unmanageable. I need to take out the things inside, but if I go in wrong they suck mana, so I can’t go.”

Complaints as soon as he saw me.

This was the reason these guys were avoided.

Transparent bodies the size of a fingernail.

They have wings and are quite fast too.

Such guys stick here and there and suck something like mosquitoes, and that is sucking people’s mana.

‘In a world like these days, without mana it’s quite inconvenient···.’

They don’t entrust requests for no reason.

“Yes, I’ll take a look.”

“Okay. I heard it takes quite a bit of time, so if it’s hard, come out and rest.”

Screech.

He opened the firmly closed basement door.

Metal stairs leading down were visible.

Step, step.

As he slowly went down through the stairs, various smells stinging the nose.

The unique smell of mana, the smell of old oil, etc.

And···.

Shaaaaaak—.

Mana pests flying around here and there quickly were visible.

Now then, shall I try.

He simply imagined the image.

Fwoosh!

Flames rising on the palm.

The method to catch the guys is simple.

Whoosh.

Fwoosh!

-Shaaaaaak!

Whoosh.

Fwoosh!

-Shaaaaak!

Light the fire, and throw it.

Then they burn very well in the flames.

These guys are very vulnerable to fire.

Soon the smell of burning vibrated here and there.

He wondered how many times he threw.

Sizzle.

They all died.

‘It didn’t even take 10 minutes···.’

Normally it takes several hours.

Because all the time goes to casting.

Fast casting is convenient.

Screech.

He opened the basement door and went out.

The grandfather who had been watering the flowerpot glanced at him.

“There are quite a lot, right? Actually, several people came before too, but they said the work time would take too long and just left. Well, I understand. What can you do. Other people······.”

“Ah, it’s all done. Please take a look.”

“···Yes? Already?”

A reaction of what does that mean.

The grandfather tilted his head, then soon headed to the basement.

“It’s true? But looking at the scorch marks here and there, you seem to be a fire-type mage, aren’t you?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

“You’re right? No, but how already··· well, that’s not what’s important. Haa, thinking about the hardship because of those guys, hehe. Anyway, thank you! Please wait a moment! I’ll give you the completion certificate!”

The request was easy.

* * *

He came to the second location.

A multi-family house that looked about 30 years old.

This request’s goal was [Mana Clump Removal].

Usually a phenomenon where mana leaks from aging magic devices and forms like mold.

If processed early there’s no big problem, but if left alone, a substance that continues to grow like mold.

The processing method is also simple.

You just scorch it with fire.

Fwoosh!

After casting [Fireball], scorch.

Repeat this several times.

As expected, a request where casting is the problem.

Simple but has to be repeated, so a shitty request that takes a long time.

But for me, there was no problem.

The third request was the same.

The location was an entertainment bar in Sillim-dong, and one of the customers didn’t like a woman and froze everything and left.

Because it was ice created by magic, it didn’t melt, and it was difficult to melt without firepower made by the same magic.

Of course, for me it was still easy.

“Phew.”

In half a day, he finished all three requests.

Then he should go receive the rewards, right?

He headed to the closest laundry shop first.

Rattle.

“Welcome··· ah, it’s you?”

Mr. Park greeted him while ironing.

The iron was moving by itself and rubbing the clothes.

“How was it when you went? Unlike the initial spirit, did you not feel like doing it? It would be like that. Those things are really nothing special, but for a fire-type mage it’s a bit cumbersome. I sent other people a few times too······.”

“No, I finished it.”

Swoosh.

He showed the request confirmation certificate.

Seeing that, Mr. Park looked back and forth between the certificate and his face.

“Eh? Strange?”

Immediately the uncle called somewhere.

“Eh, it’s me. Is it really finished? Right? Hehe, I see.”

Click.

The uncle who hung up the phone laughed hehehe.

“Even if it’s not difficult, it’s not a request that can be finished so quickly? If it was this level, you should have said so earlier! At this level I can trust and entrust. How about it, will you try others too?”

“Then of course it’s good for me.”

“Hehehe, good. Then first I should give what I have to give. Here! This is what you said.”

Swoosh.

The uncle took out something from below and handed it over.

It was the mana stone he had mentioned.

‘The size is smaller than the one I used. That one was about the size of a finger joint, but this is only the size of a fingernail?’

The one he used before was a lower-grade mana stone.

The one received here now was a lowest-grade mana stone.

“Now, this time it was a request of this grade, and if you want a bigger one, you have to do a request that matches it. Leave your phone number here. I’ll look into something appropriate and contact you.”

“Ah, okay.”

Even this is something.

After the first request, he received a mana stone.

He also left contact information separately.

Like that, he went around the remaining two places too.

As expected, he obtained mana stones of similar size.

With this, he now had three mana stones.

Then, shall I try?

Wooooong—.

He held the three mana stones and sucked them in at once.

A considerable amount of mana entered steadily.

Then.

[Leveled up.]

[Leveled up.]

[Leveled up.]

The level rose steadily.

[Please select a reward.]

At the same time, in front of his eyes···.

Whirrrrrrr.

A total of nine cards spun round and round.

[Please select three cards.]

As many as three among these!

But···.

“Huh?”

The color of one card is a bit strange.

Why is only this one shining gold?

The grade attached next to it···.

‘Legendary?’

© Jeongkim#1mtau