Chapter 009… A New Wizard (3)
The gate that Shinwoo thought still had more monsters had already been cleared.
After pondering for a moment, he came to a conclusion.
“Ah, luckily, there weren’t that many harpies.”
Come to think of it, there could be up to 60, but fewer could appear. The number of monsters coming out of a gate wasn’t fixed.
“Wow… how much is all this worth?”
He quickly checked the market.
“Let’s see… the current price for low-grade magic stones… wait, 300,000?!”
For a moment, he thought the site had an error and refreshed the page, but it still showed that each low-grade magic stone was trading for 300,000 won.
The last time Shinwoo remembered, the price was in the low 200,000s, so this was a huge jump.
Looking into the reason:
Following the news that the Oseong Group used magic stones to develop new semiconductors, FutureCorp announced the development of magic bikes—
If there was a Gold Rush in the 19th century, then there is a Magic Stone Rush in the 21st century? The race of those with dreams!
According to a famous economic analyst, the current price of magic stones is the result of excessive expectations for the future—
“Wow…”
With the New Year just around the corner, expectations for the future seemed to have greatly influenced magic stone prices.
Shinwoo quickly wiped the fingerprints off the stones with his clothes.
“Haah—”
Scrub, scrub.
They were precious items. He floated each stone with telekinesis to inspect every corner, just in case they had been scratched.
“Good, all clean.”
The magic stones, now proven spotless, were carefully wrapped in the cloth Kim Madam had given him for side dishes. The golden cloth made them look even more luxurious.
Adding the medium-to-low-grade magic stones he had obtained from hunting the Steel Predator made the collection even more satisfying.
“Ah, just looking at this makes me full.”
Who needed dried fish? This was the age of magic stones. Even looking at them was enough to fill a bowl of rice.
“Heh, maybe I was a little over the top.”
Shinwoo chuckled at himself, realizing he had never held this much money in his life, so he couldn’t contain his joy.
But being happy was one thing; there was still work to be done.
“Let’s see… Oh! All the wizards are in good condition.”
Until now, there had never been a time when monsters were hunted without someone suffering from mana overload. But this time, no one had any negative effects. Two were better than one, after all.
“So wake up and get to work, Wizard A.”
Shinwoo awakened A, who had been put in the meditation chamber to protect him from the harpies’ song. The magic circle on the floor slowly faded as A opened his eyes.
Then…
[Eureka! Wizard A organizes mystical energy during meditation.]
[「Magic Bolt Lv.1→Lv.2」]
[「Ignition Lv.2→Lv.3」]
[「Flight Lv.1→Lv.2」]
[「Element Control Lv.1→Lv.2」]
[「Telekinesis Lv.1→Lv.2」]
The levels of A’s spells had increased across the board. And a wizard’s growth meant Shinwoo’s growth too!
[Acquired 「Magic Bolt Lv.2」]
[Acquired 「Telekinesis Lv.2」]
Shinwoo couldn’t help but quietly exclaim at the mystical knowledge filling his mind.
“…This is insane.”
It was a strong word, but it reflected the depth of Shinwoo’s awe. Even his status window confirmed it.
「Seong Shinwoo」
Class: Tower Master (EX)
Class Skill: 「Tower’s Master Lv.1」
Skills:
「Magic Bolt Lv.2」, 「Ignition Lv.3」, 「Flight Lv.1」, 「Telekinesis Lv.2」, 「Element Control Lv.2」, 「Water Creation Lv.1」, 「Cooling Lv.2」, 「Frozen Armament Lv.1」
“Wow!”
Shinwoo’s status screen alone was enough to impress.
“This… doesn’t even look like the stats of an awakened without a Hunter license.”
Only the early gate-hunting veterans could have stats like this. Compared to legendary figures, he was still a minor, but just looking at the status screen and magic stones made him feel full—two bowls of rice full.
“…But I can’t be full just yet.”
He still hadn’t obtained the main goal of this hunt: the materials to reinforce his facilities, the harpy feathers. He would have to explore the gate to get them.
“Hmm… who should I send?”
First, the reliable A. True to his name, he had shown results beyond expectations. But such a capable wizard was needed in many places.
“Enchant research can’t be put on hold forever…”
On the other hand, B had developed Frozen Armament and shown overwhelming combat power, proving his worth. But whether he could handle gate exploration was unknown. B’s strengths were clearly combat-focused.
“Surely there must be a weak spot somewhere.”
Even if this was just Shinwoo’s personal observation, he needed to test it. Not assigning the task because it wasn’t verified would be silly.
“Go, B!”
[Wizard B dispatched to 「Nest of Illusions (E)」]
[Estimated time: 6 hours]
B bowed deeply and disappeared beyond the gate, perhaps eager to prove himself.
“A, make sure you don’t fall behind the rookie.”
[Wizard A resumes research on 「Ancestor’s Staff」]
[Estimated time: 3 hours]
Shinwoo, forgetting his joy over A’s skill growth, pushed him to work even harder. A typical ruthless boss mindset, but Shinwoo felt proud using his subordinates strategically.
Thud—
“Ouch.”
Stretching after monitoring the tower all this time, Shinwoo groaned. He considered lying down, but he needed to be ready to send items at any moment.
‘Accidents happen if you relax too much.’
After loosening up, he prepared to go out. He had been avoiding going out since the Steel Predator incident and that annoying Santa in Suwon, but he couldn’t resist magic stones.
“I’ll sell some at a time… too many to sell all at once.”
He packed several low-grade stones into a paper bag with clothes as padding. Then he glanced at the radiant medium-to-low-grade stones and decided:
“I’ll keep these.”
Considering his enchantment research and their rarity, it was a smart choice. Low-grade stones could be earned with effort, but medium-to-low-grade stones weren’t easy to obtain.
With a smile, Shinwoo stepped out into the world.
He sold the magic stones. The money he got had already increased to nearly 20 million won.
Without a Hunter license, the process was complicated, but the payout more than compensated for it.
“Seeing my bank account alert after a long time feels good.”
Instead of going home, he wanted to enjoy this high-spirited feeling a bit longer.
“Maybe I’ll watch a movie like last time…”
But he wasn’t really interested in movies, so he wandered around to think.
[Great Shelter]
“Oh.”
The large sign of Great Shelter caught his eye. A famous overseas company dealing in Hunter-related goods, some items were available for general public purchase.
He’d heard it felt like visiting a modern magical shop, so he decided to check it out.
“Welcome to G Shelter!”
“Hello.”
“Welcome, sir. Are you looking for anything specific?”
“No, I just want to look around.”
“In that case, please refer to this pamphlet. Areas outside the living quarters require a Hunter license.”
“Ah, thank you.”
The staff were friendly—maybe because today was Shinwoo’s last day of work?
「Kim Bitna (-)」
Description: Every office worker carries a resignation letter in their heart. With a future Hunter fiancé, she achieves this great dream today.
Special: Happiness
Weakness: Lectures on divorce rates among married Hunters…
‘Who made this pamphlet? Trying to ruin someone’s happiness!’
Shinwoo, with no desire to ruin anyone’s happiness, entered the store. The pamphlet showed Great Shelter divided into three areas:
〈Living Quarters〉, 〈Hunting Section〉, 〈War Section〉
Hunting and War sections required a Hunter license, so he could only explore the Living Quarters. But even that had plenty to see.
“Oh, they have wristwatches too.”
The pamphlet explained:
「Tea Time (C+)」
Description: A collaboration between the British brand ‘Miles’ and enchanter ‘Kim Namgil’. Meant to watch over you like enjoying tea in extraordinary moments.
Enchant: 「Shield Lv.4」
Elegant design, simple functions—tempting to buy. The price, however, was far beyond his current funds.
Looking at other items, he found:
「Memory (E)」
Description: Hug this doll when you need warmth or when your heart aches. You may hear a familiar voice.
Enchant: 「Mental Stability Lv.1」
Customers could try it in-store. A man hugged it and rushed to the restroom with tears in his eyes. Shinwoo, however, felt no effect.
“Did I break it?”
“No, your mana resistance is high, sir. If we mass-produce it, the skill level would be lower.”
Relieved, he continued exploring.
Ding!
[Wizard A discovers mystical knowledge during research on 「Ancestor’s Staff」.]
[Acquired 「Enchant Lv.1」.]
[Learned how to imprint magic onto objects.]
[Tip! The more knowledge you acquire, the more information you gain as 「Tower’s Master」.]
‘Humans are greedy by nature!’
Desire drives progress. Mystical knowledge filled Shinwoo’s mind. He looked instinctively at the nearest 「Memory」 item.
「Memory (E)」
Description: A bear doll with mental stability magic stones engraved in its heart and eyes.
Special: 「Mental Stability Lv.1」
Improvement: ‘Does it really need just one heart?’
Even suggesting improvements was impressive. Then, a message appeared:
[This is a magic-infused item.]
[Send it to the Tower for research?]
“!!”
At that moment, Shinwoo saw G Shelter as a gigantic treasure trove.
