Chapter 19: Cliché (1)
In any era and in any world, there exists one eternal, unchanging law:
Money is always right.
It may sound materialistic, but what can you do? It’s a truth that no one can dispute.
With a satisfied grin, I looked at the item resting in my hand.
A pill that shimmered with silvery radiance. This was an item that also made its appearance in the previous work.
I hadn’t received it as a reward for a quest, nor did I acquire it by conquering a dungeon. The reason this item was in my possession was quite simple.
Miss Rubia bought it for me.
Does she have some kind of “kind-hearted complex”?
It’s astounding how someone can be so genuinely kind.
If I ask for money, she gives it to me,
even without me specifying what I’m going to use it for, she readily hands it over.
In fact, I should have been the one paying for the repairs after wrecking her mansion, yet here I was, receiving her support instead.
Furthermore, she generously let me stay at the mansion.
It seemed like I could stay as long as I wanted.
Honestly, it would have been polite to refuse such an offer… but I couldn’t resist the temptation.
It seemed only natural.
Starting off as a slave in the mines, then camping out while shuttling back and forth to distant mountains; where was the time for a peaceful rest?
But this place? It was an absolute paradise.
When it comes to facilities alone, this place far surpasses the home I used to live in.
In terms of design and scale, it’s overwhelmingly superior, and the amenities are all implemented through something known as magic engineering.
Setting aside everything else, I hadn’t been able to take a proper shower in months. How could I possibly refuse such a sweet offer?
In the end, I had no choice but to accept Miss Rubia’s proposal.
After all, everything is challenging at first, but once you overcome it, the hesitation fades the next time around.
I boldly started using Miss Rubia’s wealth as if it were my own.
…Looking at it again, I do appear quite despicable.
But really, what can you do?
I’m not just doing this for my own good.
It’s all about saving the world, in the name of everyone’s lives—I’m just slightly setting my conscience aside.
Such actions deserve praise, don’t they?
Besides, if I later introduce some lucrative opportunities using my insights from the previous work, it’ll be a win-win situation.
With that self-justification in mind, I stared once more at the little pill in my hand.
The item description wasn’t popping up—as if the status window was on the fritz—but that didn’t matter.
Who hasn’t blanked on an item description in a game?
Since this was a drug from the last work, I had a rough idea of its effects memorized.
“Magic +1, Physical Condition +0.5”
Of course, this isn’t the kind of potion that would instantly turn me into a grand mage just by consuming one.
But still, it’s a noticeable boost that can definitely be felt.
I quickly gulped down the pill.
In an instant, I felt something wriggling inside. The energy from the pill was stirring up my insides like mad.
I tried to stabilize the energy quickly… but failed. I sensed the energy hopelessly dissipate.
Well, that was to be expected.
I’m no martial artist here.
How much experience could I possibly have with drinking spiritual elixirs?
“It’s a bit of a waste.”
In the previous work, taking spiritual elixirs was portrayed as a mini-game.
It was a straightforward process of just clicking at the right moment. But now that it’s reality, the difficulty level skyrocketed.
I probably didn’t even fully enjoy half of the drug’s efficacy.
“But still…”
What does it matter?
I simply picked up the next pill and swallowed it. And then again, and again, many times over.
These elixirs—worth enough to buy a building if you had two—were abundant; I had well over fifty, so no need to be stingy.
Money is indeed wonderful.
Why even bother searching for hidden treasures? It’s much simpler to find yourself a generous benefactor and solve everything with a cash splash.
“Well, normally I wouldn’t resort to such tactics.”
It goes without saying.
After all, you can’t become infinitely strong just by downing these kinds of elixirs.
There’s a limit to how much one can consume. Exceed that limit and not only could your body suffer from the excess energy, but you could up and die.
But hey, I have what’s known as the “healthy body” passive.
Naturally, within the game’s mechanics, elixirs aren’t treated as poison.
Meaning, I can essentially shrug off any side effects thanks to sheer resilience.
It’s honestly a kind of loophole.
A smile naturally crept onto my lips. Which gamer would dislike such a cheat?
I continued devouring those elixirs as if I were snacking on popcorn.
The more I consumed, the more accustomed I became to controlling the energy. Eventually, I was able to absorb the effects without wasting a single drop.
“…This is.”
As soon as I finished, I could undoubtedly feel the changes in my body.
That was obvious.
After all, I was experiencing something called “magical power” for the first time ever.
I could feel the energy coursing through me, moving freely with my will.
With this, if I construct a magic spell, I’m sure I could genuinely perform magic.
As a gamer and an avid reader of web novels, who hasn’t fantasized about such a situation?
I found myself smiling at this romantic scenario, but then… I realized something.
“Why couldn’t I sense anything like this until now?”
Thinking it over, it seemed a bit odd.
Even if I were a low-level character with weak magical power, it shouldn’t have been completely absent.
I should’ve been able to feel at least a trace of that energy.
For the longest time, I thought my total lack of talent in magic control kept me from sensing the magic within me.
But if it works like this now, how could it have been impossible before?
“Was my magic power zero when my character was created?”
That seems a little hard to believe.
Every living being, especially humans, is born with some amount of magic power.
What in the world is going on here? I pondered for a moment, then checked the status window, only to receive the same automated response.
The path of fate is being reset.
And once again, I was brushed off.
When in the world will this annoying issue resolve itself? It might genuinely be better to not have it at all.
It’s utterly unhelpful for living life.
“Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter since I’m managing fine without the status window.”
I don’t really need clear goals or quests; I’m progressing well on my own.
I’ve made allies like Sien and Lien, gained the backing of Rubia, and managed to boost my stats all by myself.
Even so, swallowing fifty elixirs in a single day may have been a bit too much, as my body felt a bit tight.
Stretching my body, I eased the tension.
Black Market.
Three days until the underground market opens.
Fortunately, this time I have time to prepare.
So, let’s concentrate on bolstering my power in the meantime.
*
Rubia felt like she was about to go insane.
This was perhaps to be expected.
Her mansion, her cozy sanctuary, had been infiltrated by a secret organization.
And not just any organization, but the strongest one in the empire.
And somehow, Rubia had accidentally joined it too.
“That’s not the issue.”
Once she assessed the pros and cons, she realized there was certainly some merit in joining.
She didn’t regret her decision to join… that much.
But the real problem emerged afterward.
“Why are they all such monsters?!”
The girl with black hair, that Sien… just the thought alone was unsettling.
On that day, Sien had noted Rubia’s hesitance over the man’s proposal right up to the last moment and watched her with eyes full of murderous intent.
There’s a limit to just how twisted one’s thinking can get.
It was outrageous that Rubia didn’t graciously accept the leader’s proposal and dared to weigh its pros and cons.
She’s a lunatic who honestly believes the world should revolve around this Ian guy.
The girl with white hair is a little nicer.
But she’s the one who wrecked Rubia’s mansion.
And what’s even more disturbing, although she has a kind and gentle disposition, there’s something oddly chilling about her.
Just being around her makes you instinctively shrink away.
And finally, the leader.
He was the one who was driving Rubia to the brink of insanity.
On the outside, he appeared perfectly ordinary.
His speech was polite, and he always treated her courteously.
But she remembered.
—I was wondering whether I should kill them.
She recalled the man who said those words, wearing the world’s most beautiful smile as he contemplated her murder right in front of her.
Even the mere thought sent shivers down her spine.
Now, as she was heading toward the leader, Ian, this mysterious boy, the fear was even more palpable.
But she couldn’t just stop because she was scared.
“If this keeps up, I’ll genuinely go bankrupt!”
She had to plead with him somehow. To please cut back on spending. To not make unreasonable demands.
With those thoughts in her head, Rubia carefully opened the door.
And then… she was confronted with a completely incomprehensible sight.
The silver pill.
Rubia watched in disbelief as the man casually swallowed the top-grade elixir she had painstakingly obtained—a feat difficult enough to achieve just once.
Rubia’s jaw dropped automatically.
It was perhaps entirely expected.
Such a spiritual elixir is overwhelming to absorb even one properly in a day.
Yet, here he was, chomping on them like they were mere snacks, one after the other, in a manner that could easily land him in trouble.
In normal circumstances, this would be a recipe for disaster.
However, the man’s expression remained perfectly calm.
The situation told a simple truth.
…For him, this amount was hardly anything at all.
The energy from the elixir that would overwhelm anyone else was trivial compared to the incomprehensible power he possessed.
Rubia couldn’t help but be convinced.
This boy was no ordinary human.
He might not even be human at all.
No, it was quite certain he transcended humanity.
“Ah, do you need anything?”
The monster turned to speak to her.
Thoughts of explaining that it was impossible to secure a VIP ticket for the Black Market with only three days remaining, or begging him to consider her circumstances a bit—those words couldn’t even make it past her lips.
It was impossible for those sentences to escape.
Thus, Rubia, desperately holding back the tears welling in her eyes, managed to utter,
“No, it’s nothing…”
…If she wanted to survive, she had to secure an entrance ticket somehow.
