The Shopper from the Darkness part I
Part 1
In a special room of the central hospital in Juris Prime, the capital of the Juris Kingdom, a young man lay recuperating.
He had been in a coma for a long time due to infections and numerous complications, narrowly escaping death several times.
Without the combined efforts of specialists in medical science and magical healing, he might well had died.
Although he had passed the critical danger, his body had become significantly emaciated due to the injuries both external and internal.
His skin and lips were dry and cracked, and even his hair was kinked and bent, illustrating the severe impact of the injuries on his body.
Finally, the young man opened his eyes, although only slightly, as his eyelids were so heavy that it was almost impossible to lift them, but he was conscious.
“Where is this…?”
“Hmm?
Awake now, are you, Paraven?”
Paraven tried to focus his eyes toward the source of the voice.
At first, everything was too blurry to distinguish, but after a moment, he could see that the person sitting on a chair in the corner of the room was Garris, the director of Ejis Academy, who the students often called Professor Garris.
Garris got up from his chair, picked up a pitcher of water from a nearby table, poured some into a glass, and then helped Paraven sit up to drink and quench his thirst.
After swallowing the water with some difficulty, Paraven thanked Garris and asked,
“Mister Garris…
have you been watching over me all this time?”
“Yes, for several reasons.
The authorities want an explanation of what happened as soon as possible, so I volunteered to come and gather the information myself.”
Paraven knew Garris well; he was a leader who always cared deeply for his subordinates.
Although he mentioned he was waiting to gather information, the truth was he did not need to stay by the bedside; waiting for a call once Paraven woke up would have sufficed.
His caring nature earned Garris great respect from his subordinates.
“I’m…
sorry…”
“It’s not your fault.
We all fell for its deception.
It blatantly launched an attack to draw our main forces to one place, while it sneaked into the academy.
Then it escalated the attacks to prevent us from returning to assist those in the academy.
We were completely outmaneuvered…”
Paraven’s face darkened further as he remembered that night.
He thought the academy had to suffered significant losses.
“How many died…?”
“You might not believe it, but none at all.
The most seriously injured was only you.”
“What?…”
“That one clearly held back, using only low-level minions to stall for time.
Although the numbers weren’t large, as soon as one was killed, another would immediately take its place.
Judging by the number of minions eliminated, that one probably had more than three hundred minions.
But it didn’t summon them all at once to crush us—just kept stalling for time.”
When Garris heard a slight cough from Paraven, he poured another glass of water for him to drink before continuing the conversation.
“Being targeted heavily by that creature means you must have troubled it considerably, huh?”
“Actually…
my abilities didn’t affect it at all…
My two finishing moves had no effect on it whatsoever…”
Paraven was an A-ranked adventurer who worked for the Peace Keepers.
His skills were only second to the ‘Peace Makers,’ who were mostly S-ranked adventurers.
Thus, he was quite confident in his abilities, but his confidence was utterly shattered in the battle against the skull sorcerer at Ejis Academy.
In duels, Paraven had faced many S-ranked adventurers.
Although he had never won, he had never been defeated so completely as he was now.
Despite his bruised pride, Paraven had to admit that he was far outmatched by that sorcerer.
“Um…
this is something we need to check too.
That one might have been using a very strong protective magic, or perhaps it had some artifact that provided protection…
Right, what about you?
Did you have any protection at the time?”
“I…
Although I used almost all my power in the attack…
I still had ‘Combat Spirit’ to protect my body, and my armor had level three magic resistance…”
‘Combat Spirit’ was another type of energy used by warriors, differing from the magical power of mages.
In offense, warriors used Combat Spirit as the primary force to attack, like slashing with a sword to create an energy blade to strike at enemies, by compressing the Combat Spirit into the desired form and properties.
For defense, warriors could transform Combat Spirit into a thin energy shield that covered their bodies to block attacks or reduce damage.
The higher the warrior’s level, the more power they possessed, the stronger the protective Combat Spirit.
However, since Combat Spirit was primarily a physical property, it did not resist magical damage very well.
Therefore, warriors often wore armor or gear that enhanced their magic resistance, like Paraven’s adventurer gear, which had level three magic resistance, reducing the effects of magic attacks by up to 30%, depending on the type of magic and the caster’s ability.
“Um…
Just your armor alone should have reduced the destructive power to some extent, plus the academy zone itself boosts protection with a magical circle from the academy, adding another layer.
Together, these should have reduced the magical attack power by more than half, but still, you sustained such severe injuries…”
“That beam, it must have been ‘Death Sentence’ from the practitioners of dark arts…”
“Um…
But the magical sciences unit, from the residual energy they analyzed, found that it was ‘Enfeeble’ actually…”
“What?…”
‘Enfeeble’ was a spell that reduced both the physical and magical defenses of the target.
If a normal person were struck, even their body’s immune system would be weakened to the point of non-existence, making infections and complications likely to occur easily.
This was what Paraven had been facing throughout his treatment.
However, the Enfeeble spell itself did not cause any direct damage.
If met with protective magic or high-resistance gear, it could only slightly reduce the target’s magic resistance.
‘Death Sentence,’ mentioned by Paraven, was a high-level attack spell of the dark element that could fire intense dark energy like a laser beam.
It was a spell with high penetration and destructive power but did not cause any side effects other than injury.
Thus, the spell analysis that Garris shared with Paraven surprised him greatly.
The simple Enfeeble magic should not have penetrated his magical resistance, but Death Sentence should not had weakened his immunity to cause the complications he experienced either.
“Is it possible that the skull sorcerer had such strong magical power that he could enhance Enfeeble to this level of destructiveness?
Or could he have used two spells at once…”
“That’s impossible, and the analysis also found only one type of magical residue on the wounds.”
Although Paraven was a Spellsword, he lacked deep knowledge of the structural basics of magic, so Garris explained it to him.
Some might think that the more powerful the sorcerer, the more intense the spells they could cast.
However, this was a misconception.
Transferring magical power in casting spells was like fueling an engine; even if you overflowed the tank, an engine that could only reach a maximum speed of two hundred kilometers per hour could not exceed that speed.
The structure of a magic circle was similar.
Even if you overloaded it with magical power, the destructive power remained unchanged because the structure of the circle remained the same.
It used and released the same amount of energy at the same rate.
Any excess energy added was just wasted.
The structure of magic determined how much power was used, what effects were produced, in which direction, and at what rate the energy was released per second.
If everything was not synchronized, the operation of the spell could be distorted, fail, or even backfire.
For example, if you forcibly adjusted a spell to take unlimited power, you might not be able to determine the direction of the spell, or the energy released could become so scattered that its effectiveness was reduced.
In the worst case, it could explode in the caster’s face.
Simply put, the structure of an attack spell was like a cannon.
If you only loaded more gunpowder without reinforcing the cannon to withstand that destructive power, when fired, it could explode and kill the shooter.
Thus, using a highly destructive spell not only required significant magical power but also a robust magical structure capable of controlling that power.
The more destructive the spell, the more complex the required magical structure, which was not something anyone could achieve.
As Paraven listened to Garris’s explanation, he began to understand what the other was trying to convey.
“That means…”
it’s a new type of spell we haven’t encountered before.
An ‘Enfeeble’ that has the destructive and penetrative power comparable to ‘Death Sentence’…”
Paraven felt a sudden chill.
Advancing the structure of a spell to such a high level of power required extensive development and research, often taking many years to achieve results.
Even in the field of primary elemental magic—earth, water, air, fire—which was the most continuously developed and advanced, advancing a spell by one level might take decades.
This presented two possibilities: either the practitioners of dark arts had advanced their magic to this extent without outsiders knowing, or the individual he faced was a genius among dark art practitioners, capable of crafting such a spell.
Either scenario was profoundly alarming.
Another concern troubling Paraven was that he had never encountered any sorcerer who could cast spells so swiftly and seamlessly before.
Because higher-level magic involved complex magical structures and required immense magical power to cast, it normally could not be released without first creating a magical circle or gathering energy.
Yet, he was attacked instantly without any perceptible spell casting or gathering of magical energy.
This made Paraven realize that the skull sorcerer he faced was exceptionally skilled, possibly even surpassing the level of the Peace Makers.
Silence enveloped the room as both men pondered the magnitude of the threat they had faced until Garris spoke again.
“As for its target…
it’s Zalaras, isn’t it?
Did it give any hints?”
“No, sir.
It only compelled Zalaras to follow…”
“And was Zalaras taken before or after the school’s magic was destroyed?”
“After, sir…”
“Is that so…
That’s really bad…”
Garris sighed deeply and paused, lost in thought.
Paraven, still weak and short of words, just waited silently, until after a while, Garris spoke to him again.
“Paraven…
please write in the report that Zalaras was taken before the magic was destroyed.
And speak the same during the investigation as well.”
Garris’s request surprised Paraven greatly, as Garris was usually a straightforward person who seldom manipulated reports like this.
“Eh…?
But…
why…?”
“If the higher-ups find out that Zalaras knows the truth, the goal might shift from retrieval to elimination…”
“You might not like me saying this, Mr.
Garris, but…
if that kid joins the other side, he really could become a real threat to the world…
Especially since the person who took him is that sorcerer…”
“I don’t think that kid could easily harbor ill intentions against others.
We need to find him before he’s truly led astray.
What’s important is that we leave a way open for him to return.
Please consider this a personal request, Paraven.”
Garris bowed his head in an appeal that disregarded any dignity or rank.
Even if he had not gone to such lengths, a mere request from Garris would have sufficed for Paraven, who always respected and admired him.
The young man quickly agreed without any further objections.
“That child…
must be very important to you, sir…”
“He’s the son of an old friend…
Friend…
and student…
If I had been more aware, their fates might not have been so tragic…”
Although Paraven did not fully understand what Garris meant, he did not ask any further questions.
He closed his eyes to rest from the conversation and soon fell asleep truly.
Part 2
In the town of Eston, a medium-sized town on the eastern side of the Ejis Mountains, a young woman and a boy were the center of attention in the market, especially among the young men.
This was because the woman had a face so beautiful that it was captivating.
Even though her gaze and expression appeared cold, it had a different kind of allure, causing even women to turn their heads in admiration.
“I think you should keep your hood on like before.”
“Trying to hide your face in public will make it more noticeable…
It’s more natural to keep it open like this…”
“But that makes you a target for everyone’s eyes!
Don’t you see?”
“…Jealous?…”
“Huh~~!?!?”
Sandro observed Zal’s reaction to this comment with an emotionless face, and upon seeing that the other party was just frowning in irritation, she looked away.
She walked on with a composed demeanor as if nothing had happened, while Zal, confused by her incomprehensible words, followed with heavy steps as a way to vent his frustration.
Sandro intended to stock up on supplies and necessities in large quantities, but to avoid suspicion, she spread her purchases out, shopping a little at each store.
This required her to roam almost the entire market.
The items she chose were mainly foodstuffs, including pork, beef, chicken, lamb, fish, rice, flour, and various ingredients for cooking both savory and sweet dishes.
Although she said she was only buying a little at each store, the amounts were still significant; just the purchases from one store could feed a family of four for seven or eight meals.
Zal thought that the total amount could probably feed an army.
“Isn’t this enough yet?
How far are we traveling?”
“I would prefer to enter towns as little as possible…
for reasons of time and safety…
Oh…”
While talking, Sandro walked into a store sign, the third time she had collided with a hanging sign while shopping.
“Hey, are you okay?
Why do you keep bumping into things?”
“The truth is…
my vision isn’t very good…”
“What??”
Zal was quite surprised and stepped closer to Sandro to whisper.
“So, a form like this has bad vision too?
It isn’t a human form, right?”
“Actually, my vision was fine normally…
but for some reason, since I got this body, it has deteriorated…
It’s not all the time though…”
“There’s something like this too, huh…
Usually, a magical form like this shouldn’t have any physical flaws.”
“That’s how dark magic is…
Some aspects are imperfect…
Some have side effects…
I’ll just have to find a way to fix it gradually…”
“Why don’t you try glasses?
They might help.”
“…It wouldn’t really suit me…
Imagine…
a skeleton wearing glasses…
It would look ridiculous, right…?
Anyone who saw would laugh…”
Zal furrowed his brows again at her strange logic.
“If people saw a talking skeleton walking around, they’d run away anyway…
They wouldn’t care if it wore glasses or not…
And now that you’re not a skeleton anymore, wearing glasses as a human wouldn’t be a problem.”
“You’re wrong…
As a human, I shouldn’t wear them even more…”
“Huh?
Why?”
“These days, eyesight issues can be resolved in many ways…
either through medical surgery or by using magic…
People who still wear glasses are seen as trying to attract a certain type of attention, catering to those who fetishize glasses…”
“Wait a minute, what are you talking about?”
Sandro had read about it in ‘Records of the Old World,’ which mentioned a time when medical advancements had made glasses unnecessary.
However, due to the fetishization of glasses, a movement called ‘Bring Glasses Back to the People’ emerged, prompting women to wear glasses again.
Women of the old world were split into groups, some despised it, while others tried to fulfill these desires, but those who did were not seen in a good light.
In this new world, while glasses were no longer necessary for correcting vision, people still used them for other functionalities thanks to advanced science.
‘Smart Glasses’ had been developed, capable of various functions like telescopic vision, cameras, phones, data searching, and much more, depending on the model.
They had became a utility device.
“Nowadays, people wear glasses not just for vision but as functional accessories…
Where have you been?”
“…Oh, so you like girls with glasses…”
“What!?”
Because Sandro often spoke in confusing ways or deliberately annoyed him, Zal always found himself irritated during their conversations.
This dynamic, combined with their less-than-pleasant encounters, made Zal reluctant to respect Sandro much, thinking Sandro acted immaturely.
However, to outsiders, they seemed more like close siblings.
The two continued shopping around the market, visiting nearly every store.
The supplies Sandro bought could last two people for months, but since they were stored in a dimensional space right after purchase, they could shop comfortably without having to carry anything around.
After securing all the necessary items in satisfying quantities, Sandro headed to a carriage shop.
Although it looked like a small row of shops from the outside, which could be mistaken for a carriage station, inside was a large hall displaying dozens of carriages for customers to choose from.
The reason for this was because the carriage shop used Dungeon technology for construction.
The owner only rented a small building for the storefront and connected the entrance to the shop created using the same method as a dimensional dungeon.
Thus, the interior appeared much larger and more grandiose than what one might expect from the outside.
Sandro carefully inspected each carriage while the shop attendant stood at a distance, smiling.
The shop’s staff did not disturb the browsing until the customer signaled for assistance, at which point they approached to provide the necessary information or conducted the sale.
After browsing for a while, Sandro stopped at a large black carriage and examined it closely.
The carriage was quite large, with a cabin two meters wide and three meters long, requiring four horses to pull.
The seats, upholstered in plush crimson velvet, could be unfolded into a bed for sleeping.
The carriage was enclosed and primarily made of metal, with beautifully polished wooden panels that enhanced its sturdy appearance.
“Um…
I’ll take this one then…”
Although Sandro spoke in a normal tone without turning towards the attendant, the distant shop worker quickly approached to facilitate the sale, as if possessing a merchant’s instinct.
“Would you like to choose horses as well?
We have a promotion right now—buy three, get one free!”
“No…
we already have horses…”
Sandro declined the offer and proceeded to pay.
Zal peeked over and saw that the carriage was priced at one hundred and fifty gold coins, which was quite expensive.
He was surprised, not realizing before that Sandro had such wealth, and wondered how a practitioner of the dark arts, leading a life of secrecy, could possess such significant funds.
After receiving the receipt, Sandro stored the carriage in a dimensional space and then led Zal out of the shop to continue their journey.
Once they had walked far enough from the town to be out of sight, Sandro summoned the carriage again.
“Hm?
What about the horses?”
Without responding to the question, Sandro turned to the empty ground in front of the carriage and waved her hand.
Suddenly, four magic circles appeared on the ground, and four black horses emerged from them.
Their eyes glowed green, and their almost entirely black bodies had manes and tails that shimmered green, fluttering constantly like flames.
The sight left Zal agape.
“What…
this!?”
“Nightmares…
cool, right…?”
Sandro upheld two fingers and gave Zal a proud peace sign, a slight smile curling at the corner of her mouth.
Although her eyes remained cold and indifferent, it gave her smile a rather sinister appearance.
Nightmares were high-level minions that resembled black horses capable of running on both land and air.
They could attack by charging ferociously and could breathe out various elemental breaths to assault enemies.
The element of a Nightmare corresponded to the color of the mane and tail, which resembled flames.
The group that Sandro summoned possessed the poison element, hence their green color.
“Awesome, my ass!
Using these to pull the carriage?
It’s incredibly eye-catching!
What about those green glowing eyes!?
And the mane that looks like flames!
And doesn’t the ground catch fire where they step!?”
Zal pointed to the ground where the horses had trodden, which left burnt horseshoe marks with green flames blazing at each spot where their hooves had touched.
Sandro looked between the ground and the horses for a moment, then seemed about to say something when interrupted.
“Don’t even start with ‘uh-oh’!
It’s pretty obvious!
How have you managed to avoid the Peace Keepers’ notice for so long!?”
“Normally, I don’t travel during the day…
The sunlight isn’t good for my skin…
and it’s also hot…
At night, I rely on flying…”
“Why would a skeleton worry about skin damage?”
“Well, if bones get too much sun, they can turn yellow…
which looks dirty…
There’s actually a cosmetic shop for bone care that sells fine sand for whitening bones…
but they say using it too much can thin the bones…
so I’d rather not use it…”
Zal was speechless, unsure what to say next because Sandro’s statements were so erroneous that he found himself unable to order what he should address first thus, he simply swallowed his irritation in silence.
As he tried to calm himself, Sandro gathered the four horses and adjusted the magical formation to alter their appearance.
Soon, she re-summoned them, and now they looked like ordinary horses.
Although their eyes were still green, they no longer emitted any light, and the mane and tail turned completely black, with no fire on the ground where they stepped.
“Alright…
let’s go…”
After saying this, she opened the carriage door and prepared to step inside.
“…Wouldn’t it look odd without a driver?”
“Oh…”
Sandro then stepped back down, summoned a man in a wide-brimmed hat and cloak to be the coachman, and then climbed back into the carriage once again.
Zal kept his irritation to himself and followed her in.
He thought to himself how Sandro seemed so astute during their noon discussion about the Peace Keepers but now seemed so absentminded.
There was a rumor that becoming a lich required sacrificing many things to pass the test and attain this immortal form—perhaps Sandro had sacrificed common sense, turning somewhat foolish.
Was it really a good idea to collaborate with someone like this in their quest to conquer the world?
Zal pondered quietly, occasionally glancing at Sandro as the carriage rolled on.
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