Chapter 18

[Error occurred during new spell recording process.]

[Incorrect information detected.]

[Would you like to begin analysis and correction?]

Do-Jin blinked at the message floating in front of him.

What the hell?

No, scratch that. He already knew what this was. It was The Grimoire of Truth pulling its usual overpowered bullshit again. Without giving it any more thought, he quickly accepted.

The near-vanished black smoke, which had been fading into nothingness, suddenly reversed course, rushing into his Magic Circuits. A brief sting followed, like needles pricking under his skin.

[Logical errors detected in the spell “Wraith Creation.” Errors have been corrected.]

[Based on the revised theory, the spell will now be recorded.]

[New spell “Wraith Creation” has been successfully recorded.]

Do-Jin clenched his fist tightly as his heart pounded with excitement.

Now this is the kind of RNG I signed up for!

In LOST, every class had rare, powerful spells and skills they could acquire through chance. But for most people, it didn’t matter how many times they rolled the die. Ninety-nine out of a hundred attempts ended in failure, and that last one was sheer dumb luck. Do-Jin had been just like every other unlucky schmuck a few minutes ago.

So what? Luck meant nothing in the face of rigged odds. What just happened wasn’t RNG, but the Grimoire of Truth blatantly cheating on his behalf. That half-assed spellbook, dead and useless just moments ago, had been resurrected and forced to cough up its prize.

Do-Jin silently marveled at the sheer absurdity of its power. Of course, he had been careful to sneak off and use the spellbook in a corner, away from Sisala’s prying eyes. If he made too big a deal out of it, she’d realize he’d just pocketed something incredibly rare without telling her, and he wasn’t about to let that happen.

Smirking to himself, Do-Jin decided to wrap up his exploration of the lab, thoroughly satisfied with his haul. When he turned around, he spotted Sisala wedged under a cramped workbench, struggling to get something out.

“Hey, Sisala,” he called out casually. “You can have everything here.”

Her movements froze mid-scramble.

“What... what did you just say?” she asked, crawling backward with some difficulty. When she finally managed to emerge, she was covered in dust from head to toe, looking utterly confused.

“I said you can take all of this,” Do-Jin repeated. “None of it is useful to me anyway.”

To Do-Jin, it was no big deal. He’d already looted everything worth a damn and was tossing her the scraps. But from Sisala’s perspective, this was more than generous. It was downright absurd.

“Th-these alone are worth a fortune!” Her trembling hand pointed at the piles of mana stones, rare reagents, and specialized tools for crafting and experiments scattered around the lab. “And these documents here! Do you even realize what you’re giving away? They’re priceless!”

She was referring to the records and research notes left behind by the workshop’s previous owner. They were gruesome but undeniably rare, and Do-Jin understood their worth.

Selling them could easily net him a significant amount of gold, but he believed the long-term investment in Sisala’s growth as a creator was far more valuable. Supporting her development now could pay off massively in the future.

“I know exactly what this stuff is. They’re experiments involving human lives as materials, which makes them rare as hell... Disgusting, sure, but rare all the same.”

“And you’re seriously giving it all to me? Not even splitting it?”

Do-Jin shrugged. “After seeing the mana stone bomb you whipped up earlier, I figured you might have a knack for creating things. Most of this stuff is crafting-related, so why not give it a shot? Might as well find out if that’s where your talents lie.”

“But... isn’t this way too much? The equipment alone is worth a fortune, not to mention how rare the materials and documents are!”

“Take it anyway. If you end up doing well, you can pay me back later, right?”

He wasn’t just throwing her a lifeline but laying down a path for her to walk. By handing over the resources and tools she’d need to grow, Do-Jin was giving her everything she needed to carve out her future. And if he could accelerate her rise to prominence by funding her research and fostering her growth, then so be it.

Boosting a useful chess piece so it could hit its peak faster? That was more strategy than empathy. And in this game, strategy was everything.

***

Two days after returning to Zeron, Do-Jin found himself standing with Sisala on the outskirts of the city, saying their goodbyes.

“Thanks for everything over the past few days,” Do-Jin said sincerely.

But Sisala shook her head. “What are you talking about? Compared to everything you gave me, what I did was nothing.”

Do-Jin just smiled without a word.

Their time in the dungeon had drawn them closer, and Sisala, who had once been stiff and formal, now displayed a wide range of expressions.

Well, it made sense. His Favorability with Sisala Omen was sitting at a solid 57. Considering the NPC favorability cap was typically 70 unless triggered by a special event, it was a pretty damn good number. They’d gone from mere acquaintances to trusted companions.

“I should get going. If I stick around any longer, I’ll probably end up sleeping on the street,” Do-Jin said with a smirk.

Maybe that was why Sisala seemed so reluctant about parting ways.

Her lips curled into a bittersweet smile as she said, “There’s so much I want to say, but it’s all too sappy, and I’ll just cringe if I think about it later. Still, there’s one thing I have to tell you. Thank you. Because of you, I feel like I can go further as a mage. I’ll train hard with everything you gave me and show you how much I’ve improved the next time we meet.”

“No need to thank me. I’ll just collect what you owe me later.”

“Sure, sure. With interest, right? Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Neither am I,” she shot back, grinning.

Their banter ended with a firm handshake, held just a bit longer than usual.

“Take care,” he said.

“And may luck be on your side for the rest of your journey,” Sisala replied.

With that, Do-Jin left the city of mages behind.

***

After finishing the dungeon run, Do-Jin had spent an extra two days in Zeron learning some new magic.

As he cast one of his newly acquired spells, Discharge, a crackling blue spark danced in his hand. He had been killing time on his walk by trying out his new spells one by one. Unfortunately, the one he was most excited to use, Wraith Creation, was a Tier 4 spell so it was way out of his current league.

“Huh. Am I already here?” Do-Jin said in surprise.

The trip had been a few hours’ walk, but messing around with magic had made the time fly by. What stood before him now wasn’t the dimensional gate he’d passed through earlier but a checkpoint with a massive iron gate between regions where traffic and goods were inspected.

The road had been quiet during his journey, but the closer he got to the checkpoint, the busier it became. All the different paths leading here funneled into one spot, creating a long, unmoving line of travelers waiting for their turn.

Do-Jin joined the back of the line and took in the scene. Ahead of him was a crowd of merchants hauling bundles, farmers trying to calm cranky horses hitched to rickety carts, and scruffy mercenaries whose faces practically screamed trouble.

He was idly watching the line crawl forward when a loud, angry voice cut through the noise. “What’s your excuse for crossing the gate at this hour? Looks like you’re hiding something in that cart. Trying to smuggle goods, huh?”

Do-Jin craned his neck to see what was going on. Up at the front, a soldier with a mean scowl was yelling at a middle-aged man and his daughter.

“Please, sir! What do you mean by smuggling? We’re absolutely not!” the man stammered, bowing his head repeatedly.

“Hey, Rogan,” the soldier barked. “Check the back of the cart. Bet you’ll find something fishy.”

“Yes, Sergeant,” replied another soldier, flashing a nasty grin as he headed toward the cart.

The hinges on the cart’s storage compartment were flimsy at best, and it only took a few hard swings with the pommel of his sword before it broke off entirely.

“Let’s see what we’ve got here!”

The cart was loaded to the brim with sacks of grain.

“Do you seriously expect me to believe this? That’s way too much for someone just going back to the village. You’re definitely hiding something,” Rogan sneered, jabbing his sword into one of the sacks.

The fabric tore easily, spilling grain all over the ground.

“Sir, please! I swear it’s just grain! The villagers pooled their money to buy this so we could all eat!” the man begged desperately.

“Yeah, right,” the sergeant scoffed. “Rogan, keep cutting. There’s bound to be something else in there.”

The sergeant shoved the farmer hard enough to send him sprawling to the ground, drawing a pained cry.

The man’s daughter immediately rushed to his side, shielding him with her body as she sobbed. “It’s true! It’s for the whole village! We bought it together! Please believe us!”

“

Pfft

. For the whole village, huh? What is it, a village of ten people? That little bit wouldn’t feed a real village. This just makes you look even more suspicious.”

Too much grain? Suspicious. Not enough grain? Also suspicious. This was more like a shakedown than an inspection. Anyone with half a brain could see the soldiers were just looking for an excuse to throw their weight around.

“Those bastards.”

Do-Jin heard the harsh curse from behind him, completely at odds with the young, girlish voice it came from. Turning around, he saw a bold-looking little girl who barely came up to his chest, her small fists clenched tightly in anger.

“Does this happen often?” Do-Jin asked her.

The girl nodded and opened her mouth to reply, but before she could get a word out, a voice interrupted from behind her. “Oh, my apologies, sir!”

A large man suddenly scooped the girl up and pulled her back. His eyes darted nervously between the scene unfolding at the front of the line and his own cart before landing on his daughter talking to a stranger. His expression instantly shifted to panic.

“There’s nothing to apologize for! I didn’t do anything wrong!” the girl shouted, squirming in his grip.

“

Shh

! I don’t care if I wasn’t paying attention. I clearly heard you say

‘bastards’!” the man hissed. “Sophie, how many times do I have to tell you? You’re only supposed to say that about the village kids!”

Still glaring at his daughter, the man repeatedly bowed his head toward Do-Jin, clearly desperate to apologize. “I’m terribly sorry, sir. My daughter is... not very well-mannered. It’s my fault for being a poor parent. Please, forgive her rudeness.”

His behavior made sense given Do-Jin’s appearance. In the eyes of commoners, someone with no visible weapons, an aura of mystery, and a robe that seemed to radiate otherworldly energy practically screamed “mage.”

“It’s fine. She wasn’t insulting me. Her words were directed at the soldiers up front,” Do-Jin reassured him.

“Exactly! I didn’t call this mage brother a bastard!” the girl chimed in.

“Sophie! If you keep this up, I’m telling your mother!”

The rebellious girl fell silent immediately, her lips pressed tightly. It looked like even this bold little troublemaker knew when to back down. Do-Jin noticed the girl’s eyes brimming with tears as she struggled to suppress her emotions.

Her voice trembled as she finally managed to speak. “I... I just...! I only did it because Uncle Maxim and Sister Asha were being bullied...”

Before the man could scold her again, Do-Jin cut in. “Do you know the people up there?”

Sophie, who had been choking back sobs, nodded. “Yes, they live in the same village as us, in Gulak Village.”

“Gulak? There’s a village on Gulak Mountain?”

As the girl nodded again, Do-Jin’s thoughts began to churn.

There shouldn’t be any village on Gulak Mountain.

Beyond that lay the Wasteland, a massive monster-infested region. The mountain itself was crawling with monsters spilling over from the Wasteland. It was one of the worst places imaginable to live. In Do-Jin’s memory, Gulak Mountain was home to a single fortress built to stop monster hordes, not a village.

“But Gulak Mountain is crawling with monsters. How can anyone live there?”

“Well, uh...” The man scratched his head. “It’s true there are monsters, but not so many that it’s unlivable. There’s a big nest of bugs beyond the mountain, sure, but they don’t usually cross into the mountain itself.”

“So your village is near the Gulak Fortress, then?”

“Fortress?” The man said, looking as if he genuinely had no idea what Do-Jin was talking about. “No, no... There’s nothing near us. The mountain doesn’t have much to offer, and our village is the only thing around. Even then, we barely scrape by, gathering mana grass and herbs just to survive.”

As Do-Jin listened to the explanation, he realized that Gulak Mountain was different from the place he knew.

It seems the Gulak Mountain I know isn’t here yet, and the fortress isn’t even been built. It’s a bummer I can’t use that as a base, but it’s not like I can’t hunt here... Might even be better this way, since fewer people means less competition.

The massive monster nesting grounds beyond the mountain were still the same, but it seemed the monsters hadn’t yet started spilling into the mountain itself.

With this new intel in hand, Do-Jin began adjusting his plans.

Starting the game three years after launch meant some discrepancies in his knowledge were inevitable. Still, he was well-prepared, having stocked up on enough food, water, and potions to last him through any inconvenience.

“Next time, I won’t let you off so easily, so don’t push your luck!” one of the soldiers said.

“Y-yes, sir! Of course not! We’d never even think of it, I swear!”

“Shut up and get the hell out of here! Unless you want me to tear through the rest of your bags, too!”

“R-right! We’re leaving right now!”

The shouting up ahead snapped Do-Jin out of his thoughts. He watched as the soldiers gleefully sliced open bags of grain and potatoes like overgrown bullies before finally letting the father and daughter pass.

“What’s gotten into those assholes today? They’re letting them go without taking a bribe. They must’ve woken up on the wrong side of the barracks.”

A few people in line muttered their complaints but immediately shrank into themselves like turtles when the soldiers glanced their way. Even though they were too far away to hear the whispers, the soldiers’ sharp glares were enough to cow the more timid travelers.

“

Whew

... Food shortages we can deal with by eating less, but firewood? If we don’t have enough of that, people might freeze to death...”

The worried murmur of a nearby man clued Do-Jin into what was happening. These villagers were pooling their meager funds to buy supplies in bulk, scraping together enough to keep their entire community afloat.

“If those bastards are holding out for a bribe, I’ll just pay it myself,” Do-Jin said to Sophie’s father.

“W-what? Sir, why would you—”

“In exchange, how about giving me a ride to Gulak Village? My destination is on the far side of the mountain.”

The farmer’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re heading to the Wasteland? Through that monster-infested hellhole?”

His voice was half awe, half terror, as he nervously glanced between Do-Jin, the soldiers, and his firewood-laden cart. His pupils darted like they were debating whether to agree or not. Traveling with someone who looked like a mage could prove to be more troublesome than it was worth.

After a long moment, he made his choice. “Well... I’d be honored to accept your help.”

“Dad! Is the mage guy coming with us?” Sophie piped up, poking her head out from behind her father.

“Sophie! You little brat! Stop interrupting!”

“

Hmph

! If you keep yelling at me, I’ll tell Mom you’ve been peeking at pretty ladies!”

“W-what did you just say?!”

As the father and daughter bickered, the line inched forward, and their turn at the checkpoint came up. Do-Jin had planned to hand over the small bribe needed to smooth things over, but what happened next caught him off guard.

The moment the soldiers laid eyes on his jet-black robe, their entire demeanor shifted. The hostility and arrogance they’d shown everyone else melted away, replaced by something approaching caution, maybe even respect.

“Sir, may I see some identification?”

Without a word, Do-Jin reached into his pocket and handed over his adventurer’s pendant.

“Hm, a Tier 10 adventurer... and a mage, no less.”

“Is the fact that I’m a mage a problem?” Do-Jin asked the soldier.

“No, not at all. Just curious, where are you headed?”

“Beyond Gulak Mountain.”

At that, the soldier flinched. “Beyond there...?”

“Is it strange for an adventurer to go where the monsters are?”

“N-no, of course not.”

The way the soldier avoided his gaze made it painfully obvious that he was uneasy about dealing with a mage. It was typical that a guy who couldn’t even hold his nerve around someone stronger than him had somehow ended up in a position where he could bully the weak. It was pathetic, and Do-Jin didn’t bother to hide the disgust on his face as he snatched his pendant back.

If it was just a regular Tier 10 adventurer, they might’ve had the guts to throw their weight around, but messing with someone who looked like a mage would leave them feeling uneasy for days.

“These people are traveling with me. Do you need to inspect them separately?” Do-Jin asked the soldier.

“Looks like they’re stocking up on firewood for the winter. They’re free to pass,” the soldier replied reluctantly, gesturing them through with a jerk of his chin.

Looking like he’d just been handed a miracle, Sophie’s father nodded so vigorously it was a wonder his head didn’t fall off. Without wasting a second, he hurried the cart forward, clearly worried the soldier might change his mind.

“You too. Hurry up and move along. Can’t you see you’re holding up the line?” The soldier’s tone was curt, and his impatient hand gestures made it clear he couldn’t wait to get rid of Do-Jin.

He found it annoying to watch someone cling to what little power they had, desperately trying to wield it over others like it was worth anything. However, it was just how they acted around here, and Do-Jin knew better than to play the hero. Standing up to these soldiers would only make them more vicious, and their next victims would inevitably be the people even lower on the food chain.

With that in mind, he quietly passed through the checkpoint and made his way to Sophie’s father, who was waiting anxiously by the cart.

“Sir, thank you so much! Because of you, we got through without any trouble,” the man said, bowing his head in gratitude.

“I didn’t really do anything,” Do-Jin replied, brushing it off.

“Oh, no. If you hadn’t spoken up, those bastards would’ve taken half our firewood, at least,” the man muttered bitterly.

He glanced at the setting sun and jolted in alarm. “Ah! We need to hurry. If we don’t get moving, it’ll be pitch dark before we arrive. Please, hop on. I’ll get us there as quickly as I can.”

“I’m sitting next to mage brother!” Sophie piped up, darting to the cart.

“Sophie!” her father snapped, glaring at her.

Do-Jin chuckled and waved a hand. “It’s fine.”

He climbed into the empty seat in the cart’s bed, and Sophie scampered over, plopping herself down beside him despite her father’s disapproving stare. She was a lively, cheerful kid, full of energy and curiosity.

“I’m Sophie, and I’m fifteen. That’s my dad, Hanolz, and my mom’s name is Jenny. What about you, mage brother?”

“Do-Jin.”

“Huh? That’s such a weird name! But since you’re a mage, you can do magic, right? Can you show me something?”

Her chatter was endless as it blended with the steady clatter of the cart’s wheels and the rhythmic clip-clop of the horse’s hooves. Knowing this would be a very long ride, the father let out a weary sigh and rubbed his temples.