Demon-Hunting Genius Mage

Chapter 18

Dmitri Square.

A full-length mirror in front of a casual clothing store.

I couldn\'t help but laugh at my reflection.

"Hehehehe..."

Other people stare at me like I\'m crazy, but I couldn\'t care less.

"Hehehe... Yes, this is what a mage looks like."

My upper and lower body were clad in the [Hard Leather Armor] set, an upgrade in defense from my previous gear.

Various joints were protected by [Minion Leather Guards].

In my right hand, the Heroic-Grade artifact [Holy Staff], which I obtained for free through sheer persistence.

And even the black robe could be seen as a symbol of a mage.

With all this, purchased using the gold coins Lena gave me, I now look every bit the mage to anyone who sees me.

I\'ve finally achieved the complete mage aesthetic.

"Even if the wand looks like a rotten twig..."

This was something that could be resolved by simply achieving the conditions for releasing the [Holy Staff].

By then, it will have an appearance worthy of the Heroic Grade.

"Hehehehe!"

"What\'s wrong with that guy?"

"I don\'t know, he\'s been like that for a while now. It\'s been over 30 minutes... Maybe he\'s on drugs or something?"

"...Uh, I think he heard us. He\'s looking this way. Let\'s go."

...Hmm, did I overdo it? I\'m starting to become aware of the stares around me.

To others, I must have looked completely insane.

"...Ahem, shall we get moving?"

I finally decided it was time to stop indulging and start walking.

I\'m already wanted, so it would be troublesome if someone reported me to the city guards.

My destination was the Library.

The reason I came here... well, it\'s because I spent all my money and this is the only place I can go for free.

Still, my steps were light as I approached.

"I can also gather information about what\'s changed in the last 100 years... not bad at all."

Beep!

There was an identity check device at the entrance, so I confidently swiped my wooden ID tag and walked in.

I was immediately in awe of the library\'s unexpectedly massive scale.

\'Wow, all these books can be read for free?\'

I had visited the Central Library of Sector 6 a few times while playing the game, but it seemed they had rebuilt it since then, as it was now even larger and more extensive than I remembered.

As expected, 100 years in the future, the library had developed accordingly.

After a moment of admiration, I picked out the thickest book I could find in the history section and looked for a place to sit.

That\'s when I noticed him.

\'Huh?\'

I noticed a young man reading in the center of the library.

He looked about 20 years old.

What drew my attention was his attire.

\'Damn, how much did all that cost?\'

The young man, exuding the aura of a mage, was decked out in loose-fitting clothes and all sorts of accessories. Upon closer inspection, they were all luxury items.

\'That\'s the [Ashtar Ring], and that\'s definitely... the [Recovery Pendant]... Wait, even his robe is an artifact?\'

It wouldn\'t be an exaggeration to say he was covered in gold coins from head to toe.

The combined price of all that would easily exceed 10,000 gold coins.

\'Is he the son of some Duke or something...?\'

As I pondered this, I reflexively lowered my gaze.

Suddenly, my own equipment started to look shabby in comparison.

\'Sigh... And here I was, giggling about getting my gear for just 50 gold coins.\'

It felt like my shoulders suddenly slumped.

\'...No matter the world, money really is everything. It\'s all futile. All of it.\'

I took a deep breath and sat down in the most secluded spot I could find.

There was no need to make myself a point of comparison by sitting near that guy.

It was when I was blankly turning the pages in such a gloomy state.

"Excuse me... are you a mage?"

I suddenly turned around when I heard a sound.

He was the rich young man I saw earlier.

I nodded silently, and he continued speaking.

"Oh, to meet a mage here... I\'m Roan Vilgef, a student at the Academy."

"And?"

"Ah, may I sit beside you for a moment?"

"...Sure, whatever."

I replied curtly without meaning to, but Roan didn\'t seem to mind at all as he pulled up a chair and sat down.

"This is great. I was just starting to get bored and was looking for someone to talk about magic with."

"Talk about magic?"

"Yes. What do you think about the traditional methods of mana manipulation? Oh, and have you read the recent paper on mana theory? Wow, when I read that, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head, you know?"

"..."

I was at a loss for words.

What is this guy babbling about out of nowhere? Is he an attention seeker?

"...Ah, yes."

Flip- flip-.

Ignoring him seemed like the best approach, so I answered with disinterest and continued flipping through my book.

But the young man showed no signs of stopping.

"When you think about it, it was quite strange. The mana within our bodies and the mana floating in nature. They\'re both the same mana, yet their applications are different. If what\'s written in that paper is true..."

...He sure talks a lot. And I can\'t understand a word of it.

I had no choice but to close the book I was reading and stand up to him.

"Have you forgotten that this is a library? Everyone around us is-"

That\'s when it happened.

"Ah, my mistake. I got too excited and forgot about that."

The young man smiled leisurely and lightly extended his hand. In an instant, the surrounding mana gathered.

\'An ambush?\'

I tried to react immediately, but seeing that my instincts were not warning, it didn\'t seem to be an attack.

Chiiing-

As I stayed still, an opaque barrier soon formed around me and the young man.

It was a spell I recognized.

[Silence Barrier] - a utility spell that completely blocks sound from escaping.

\'...Would you look at that?\'

The important thing is, this is actually an advanced spell.

One that requires at least reaching the 4th Circle to cast alone.

In other words, this young man had already reached the 4th Circle...

Not only is he rich, but he\'s talented too?

"How\'s that? This should be fine, right?"

...Ah, why is this guy so annoyingly smug?

***

The evening sun stained the twilight yellow.

A golden-haired young man, whose presence stood out even in the twilight, stretched with a carefree expression.

"Ahh, that was fun."

Roan Vilgef.

He was a member of the Asternon Society and the top student at the Academy.

Simultaneously, he was a young man hailed as a once-in-a-generation genius mage.

"Lord Roan."

Roan turned his head slightly at the voice calling him.

An attendant who was assigned by the Society for his comfort was bowing his head respectfully.

Roan waved his hand with a welcoming face.

"Oh, Jeff. Perfect timing?"

"...Since there was no word about when you\'d come out, I\'ve been waiting here the whole time."

"What? So you\'ve been... standing here for 7 hours? That must have been tough."

"Not at all. It\'s simply my duty."

"Well, if you say so... Anyway, let\'s get going."

"Yes, this way."

Guided by Jeff, Roan boarded the carriage first, followed by Jeff.

After about 10 minutes of travel.

Seeing Roan\'s contented smile as he gazed out the window, Jeff cautiously asked.

"Did something good happen, perhaps?"

"Oh, was it that obvious?"

Roan, speaking as if he hadn\'t realized it himself, chuckled and said.

"Jeff. You\'ve heard that my eyes are a bit special, right?"

"Yes, I\'m aware. You have the ability to read others\' mana..."

"Oh, you know it right? That\'s right, I can read mana. To be precise, I read the properties of mana. The funny thing is, these mana properties resemble their owner."

"Resemble their owner...?"

"Simply put, if the owner is rough, the mana\'s nature is rough, and if the owner is gentle, so is their mana."

"So you\'re saying you can tell someone\'s personality just from their mana...?"

"Personality, yes, but more than that. I can deduce their social status, fighting style, potential... things like that."

"Wow..."

Were all geniuses born that way?

Jeff was impressed by this ability he\'d never heard of before and suddenly tilted his head.

"But how does that...?"

He couldn\'t understand why Roan was suddenly talking about this.

Just then, Roan, his lips curling up once more, spoke with an excited voice.

"Well, I saw a really interesting fellow at the library earlier."

"...An interesting fellow?"

"Yes. He looked about my age... but he had very unusual mana."

"Unusual mana...? Like, a different color or behaving erratically?"

"No, that would be too common. That guy\'s mana..."

As Jeff swallowed hard with mounting curiosity, Roan continued.

"It was completely still. As if it could take any form."

"...Really?"

"Yes! I\'ve never seen mana like that in my life! Hehehe."

"Wow... that is interesting. Mana that even you haven\'t seen before, Lord Roan. Does that mean he\'s a genius like you?"

"I thought so too, so I immediately went to check. Had a bit of a chat with him as well."

"How was it?"

"Want to know?"

Roan\'s smile grew wider.

But his face quickly cooled, as if he\'d lost interest.

"Unfortunately, he turned out to be nothing special. He didn\'t even notice when I was about to cast a spell."

"Ah..."

Jeff\'s expectations deflated, and he nodded in understanding.

"I suppose... there wouldn\'t be another genius like you in this world, Lord Roan. Just as there can\'t be two suns in the sky at once."

"Haha, you think so?"

"Of course. Ah, we\'ve arrived."

"Oh, already? The Society\'s carriages are indeed fast."

Roan stepped out of the carriage and looked up at their destination.

A gray tower so tall its top was out of sight.

"Aldeon... So this is where I\'ll be entering."

It was the Aldeon Magic Tower.

"Now you\'ll spread your wings of light and soar high. As befits the one true sun."

Roan nodded at Jeff\'s words.

"Indeed... That\'s what both the Society and I desire."

But for some reason,

Roan\'s interest seemed to be focused elsewhere.

His cool gaze once again filled with expectation.

"Still, I hope the evaluation will be fun. Meeting other geniuses like me."

Whoosh!

Roan muttered this as he pressed his ID tag against the tower\'s barrier.

He was earnestly looking forward to the upcoming Aldeon selection evaluation.

Roan\'s desire to meet a worthy opponent was more genuine than anyone else\'s.

***

Meanwhile, at the main hall of the Artis Request Office.

Bang bang bang!

Lena, who was leisurely sipping whiskey after finishing all her work, was startled by the sound of someone pounding on the back door.

"W-what\'s going on?"

Even though Lena had been doing this job for over 5 years now, such occurrences were rare.

The few times it had happened, it was always for something bad.

Lena hurriedly ran to open the door.

And there stood...

"Huff... huff...!"

Yuhan was drenched in sweat as if he\'d been running for a long time.

Yuhan who always appeared calm and collected.

Could there have been an accident?

"Lena...! Do you have any requests I can take on right now?"

"W-what\'s going on? Didn\'t you say you were going to rest until before the Magic Tower request?"

Yuhan answered Lena\'s worried question.

"I need more gold coins!"

"...Gold coins?"

"That smug blond bastard, I\'ll crush him with money someday, I swear!"

"..."

While still unsure of what was going on, one thing was certain at this moment.

Seeing this unexpected side of Yuhan, Lena harbored a new doubt.

The doubt of \'Can I really trust this guy...?\'

This was a matter where the future of the Artis Request Office hinged on the success or failure of the request.

Lena thought that perhaps she should have been a bit more cautious.