The request was completed safely.
Hak In-bo and the other wanderers returned safely.
An Won-myeong, the original target of the request, also returned safely.
Except for the minor problem of An Won-myeong mentioning Il-hyang and throwing a tantrum, demanding to have that fellow as his subordinate.
The request produced results beyond what had been expected.
“This is a request that would have failed if not for you.”
Hak In-bo and the other wanderers were conscientious fellows.
They praised Il-hyang for returning safely after facing the monsters of the Mansi Sect.
And readily yielded half of the amount they had been set to receive upon completing the request.
In addition, they also yielded half of the completion reward posted at the Vagabond Association.
CLINK—
A pouch that looked fairly heavy.
It was a money pouch larger than Il-hyang’s head.
“There is no need for you to go this far, but I will not insist on refusing.”
RUSTLE—
As Il-hyang tucked the heavy money pouch into his bosom, he smiled brightly.
Perhaps not later.
But at the present point in time, money was extremely important.
That was why Il-hyang obediently accepted the wanderers’ goodwill.
‘Seven hundred and fifty silver coins from a single request.’
It had not been long since he had started as a wanderer, yet for a beginner, he had earned far too large a sum all at once.
“You are taking fair payment for the work you did, so there is no need to feel burdened. Still, requests of this scale are not usually common, so consider yourself lucky.”
“Thank you.”
Among the wanderers of Giyang County, this matter became a major topic as well.
The fact that the hidden son of the County Magistrate of Giyang County had been revealed caused plenty of noise.
But more than that, the fact that the name Mansi Sect had been mentioned was significant.
After all, the weight carried by the name Mansi Sect was immense.
“By the way……”
Il-hyang pretended to put the money into the luggage he had brought, while secretly slipping the silver pieces into his Storage Bag.
And.
Right now, Il-hyang predicted the question they would throw at him and answered in advance.
“I do not know the identities of the people I entrusted to the physician. And even if I did know, I could not tell you.”
“Mm. So that is how it is, after all……”
The five Murim men covered in scars from head to toe who had returned to Giyang County with Il-hyang.
Their injuries were too severe, so they were immediately entrusted to a physician.
“That said, they are not related to the Mansi Sect. I can guarantee that.”
“Well, then that’s enough. The Vagabond Association was worried too.”
As he brought Cloud Moon Pavilion’s Sinking Snow Tea to his lips.
Il-hyang took in the sight of the well-tended garden beyond the window.
As he did, he suddenly recalled what had happened when he returned to Giyang County.
‘The Namgung Clan…….’
Why had an expert of the Namgung Clan been at that place, at that particular time?
If they had come to suppress the Mansi Sect, their combat strength had looked far too lacking.
‘Should I have questioned them to the end?’
Honestly, had he made up his mind back then.
He could have beaten all of them, who were half-dead already, until he found out.
‘There didn’t seem to be any need to go that far.’
There were several reasons he had vaguely let it pass.
And the most important reason was that those fellows looked useful.
‘If it’s the Namgung Clan, they’re a clan that carries quite a bit of weight in the martial world.’
It was difficult to understand, but.
One could see the Namgung Clan as a regional lord possessing military strength on the scale of a frontier count or a duke.
‘It is truly absurd that a single clan, and one without even an official government post at that, possesses that level of power.’
The Greatest Clan Under Heaven.
As great as its reputation was, the Namgung Clan truly possessed that level of strength, so if he placed the clan somewhat in his debt.
He thought it might become a little easier to obtain the resources he needed later.
‘Though it was somewhat strange that those fellows listened so obediently.’
In truth, Il-hyang found this part strangely bothersome.
His body, from the outside, looked like that of a child barely around ten years old.
And yet the men who had identified themselves as warriors of the Namgung Clan.
From the moment they met his face.
Had spoken with excessive obedience, even using respectful speech, and followed his words far too well.
‘Was it because I killed that mage of the Mansi Sect for them?’
For that, their faces had looked far too frightened.
Il-hyang stroked the soft flesh of his chin and tilted his head, but soon pushed the thought aside.
Because such things were not important right now.
‘In any case, I will secure resources with the funds I obtained this time.’
After looking into it, he learned that things equivalent to mana crystals and Elixirs—spirit stones and Elixirs—existed in this world too , existed here as well.
Naturally, they were being traded at extremely high prices.
‘Money is one thing, but I don’t have a channel to buy them.’
At first, he had tried to purchase them through the Vagabond Association.
But the Vagabond Association showed difficulty.
“We cannot purchase or sell such high-grade goods.”
“Why not?”
Giyang County branch of the Vagabond Association.
Mak Chung, the reception desk manager, sighed and said, “Because the Merchants’ Association would never allow such a thing. The Vagabond Association respects their territory.”
He said they respected their territory, but his expression looked as if something did not sit well with him.
Mm, it seemed this world had its own complicated circumstances behind the scenes.
‘They did introduce a merchant group to me, though.’
He needed to verify it.
He would be trading fairly expensive goods from now on.
It was only right to test a stone bridge before crossing it.
So Il-hyang set down his teacup and asked, “Great Hero Hak. Do you happen to know of the Cheonghwa Merchant Group?”
“The Cheonghwa Merchant Group? If it is the Cheonghwa Merchant Group…… Do you mean the merchant group based in the Ming Province capital? I have met the branch manager here in Giyang County a few times.”
Fortunately, it seemed to be a famous place.
And from what he had heard, it also seemed to have some scale.
“Is it a trustworthy place?”
“Mm…… That place is decent. They calculate request fees to the coin too.”
Go An-jeok, the torn-eared wanderer sitting beside him, answered readily.
Looking at the expressions of the other wanderers as well, their evaluation did not seem bad.
Perhaps because they were quite satisfied with this request.
They treated Il-hyang rather warmly.
Layman Yu.
Yu Jeong-ui adjusted the blue Scholar’s robe he had newly had made this time and asked, “It seems Young Hero Il needs something.”
“Yes. I am thinking of buying some Elixirs.”
Yu Jeong-ui nodded.
Indeed, carrying around a sudden large sum could draw flies for no reason, so it was right to spend it quickly.
At that moment, Three Fingers.
Gyeong Hap-gi, who had been keeping silent while quietly sipping tea, answered in his characteristically heavy bass voice.
“If it is the Cheonghwa Merchant Group, it should be suitable. Their prices are on the somewhat high side, but at least they do not play tricks with the goods.”
Il-hyang smiled gently at the wanderers.
This was fortunate.
Because that was exactly what he had wanted to hear.
***
“That will be six hundred and eighty silver coins in total.”
“……Is this price correct?”
When Il-hyang heard the price, his face unconsciously twisted for an instant.
He had come with an introduction from the Vagabond Association.
But because he looked far too young, he wondered whether he was being treated like a sucker.
Then the clerk of the Cheonghwa Merchant Group answered with a troubled face.
“The price of Elixirs has risen greatly recently. Since many people are looking for them, as one might expect. To be honest, you can buy them a little cheaper than this. If you go to Cheonjung City, they should be roughly ten percent cheaper.”
The clerk with the warm impression was quite kind.
And if he was saying this much, then it seemed this really was the market price.
In the end, Il-hyang took the small medicine bottle in his hand and came outside with a sigh.
‘This feels like being scammed with my eyes open.’
Nine-Ring True Pill.
The lowest-grade Elixir commonly traded on the market. It increased one’s inner arts by roughly five to ten years.
‘Five hundred silver coins for one.’
And on top of that.
Once he added medicinal ingredients said to increase the absorption rate of the Elixir.
Six hundred and eighty silver coins vanished into thin air in an instant.
What was even more surprising was that this was with a discount through acquaintances.
‘Fine. I just have to earn more.’
Why earn money if not to spend it?
He earned it to use it on things like this.
After buying the Elixir and coming out, Il-hyang tried to cover his aching heart.
He returned to Manseok Inn and consumed it at once.
The moment he placed the red pill in his mouth and poured in the auxiliary medicinal ingredients one after another.
A single strand of dense mana was absorbed into the Circle of his heart.
THUMP—
Along with a stiff pain near his heart, a sharp taste of blood filled his mouth.
This sensation was quite familiar.
So despite how long it had been, he was able to focus immediately.
‘I have to absorb all of it without wasting a single bit.’
Just how much had this cost?
He had heard that even if one consumed auxiliary medicinal ingredients alongside it, close to half the inner arts would be lost.
But Il-hyang had no intention of allowing that.
‘Add rotational force to the mana circuit and prevent mana from leaking outside.’
Il-hyang sat cross-legged like that for nearly one double-hour (2 hours).
In the end, he absorbed all of the mana contained within the Elixir without losing even a single bit.
Then.
CRRACK—
The muscles throughout his body loosened and tightened minutely.
And his body’s mana circuit became a little sturdier.
At the same time, two Circles rotated around his heart.
“……Mm.”
Il-hyang opened his eyes and spread his palm.
Honestly, that had been a close call just now.
As the clerk of the Cheonghwa Merchant Group had warned.
If about half of the inner arts in the Elixir he consumed had been lost, the 2nd Circle would have been out of the question.
“But I succeeded.”
Two Circles crossing and rotating around his heart.
He had reached the 2nd Circle.
The rotations of the Circles were clearly faster than before.
And the absolute amount of mana he could use had increased to twice the previous amount.
“My growth speed is certainly fast, but…….”
From Il-hyang’s perspective, as someone who had already achieved the 9th Circle in his previous life, the growth speed could not help but feel somewhat disappointing.
“I have to reach the 3rd Circle as quickly as possible.”
The 4th Circle had the first high wall, so it would be difficult to cross over as easily as he was doing now.
But up to the 3rd Circle, he could reach it simply by increasing his amount of mana.
Il-hyang made a complicated, subtle expression, then rose from the bed and brought the teacup on the table to his mouth.
As he drank the cheap leaf tea exclusive to Manseok Inn, Il-hyang smirked.
‘Still, let’s not rush too much. I can climb up step by step.’
Thinking about it, there was no need to feel impatient.
After all, compared to his previous life, he still had a great deal of time left.
And now.
He was strongly convinced that this world was full of mysteries even Il-hyang himself had not known.
‘Will the Mansi Sect fellows come again?’
Looking back, he had always received good gifts whenever he met the Mansi Sect fellows.
They were dangerous fellows, but the rewards were just as great.
TAP—
Il-hyang set the teacup he had emptied in one go down on the table and lay on the bed.
Then he closed his eyes and drew the scene from several days ago in his mind.
‘Its compression was quite decent.’
He had truly seen something good this time.
Though it had been a limited space.
He had encountered a mage capable of creating her own “domain.”
‘A purple thorn-flower field. How romantic.’
Il-hyang lay on the bed and curled up the corners of his mouth.
That little girl of the Mansi Sect.
The magic she had deployed had been quite destructive, yet aesthetically beautiful enough.
It was a sight that the old mages of the Mage Tower would probably have given plenty of artistic points to if they saw it.
However, it was regrettable that the shapes of the flowers were not distinct, and the effective scale where its effect applied was not actually very large.
‘If it had been me, I would have focused it in one place before deploying it.’
That little brat had seemed incapable of operating it with that level of flexibility.
Besides, it did not seem to be magic she had created herself.
If he had to guess, it was probably the secret magic of the group she belonged to.
Like that, Il-hyang drew the scene from that time in his head and sank into deep sleep.
And from the next day onward.
The letters teacher Gong Chu, whom he had contacted in advance, came to visit.
Through him, Il-hyang focused on studying letters once more while taking requests.
Like that, one month passed quickly.
***
“The next stage of study no longer seems necessary.”
“Mm…… That is truly regrettable. With your vessel, you would be more than capable of challenging the provincial examination…… Do you truly have no intention of taking it?”
“I have no interest in government office.”
“Regrettable…… Truly regrettable.”
The letters teacher Gong Chu had taught Il-hyang, whose learning ability was incredible, and aside from money, he burned with pure passion.
Receiving that passionate teaching, Il-hyang studied silently for a month while carrying out minor requests alongside it.
In the end, he succeeded in creating the 3rd Circle, which had been his first goal.
It was an achievement far faster than his initial prediction.
As he thought carefully about the reason, one possibility came to mind.
‘It must be because this young body is more filled with talent than I expected.’
For an instant, a very disloyal thought arose in his mind.
Would it not have been fine even if he had not bought and consumed an Elixir?
……But.
Il-hyang hurriedly erased that thought from his head.
There was no guarantee that he would have been fine without the Elixir, after all.
In any case, around early autumn.
After fully finishing his studies with Gong Chu.
Il-hyang decided to move to a new base.
He decided to go out to a somewhat larger city.