Chapter 1464

<Chapter 1464> 1464. Darkmoon

E Zone.

A place that could be compared to Myeong-dong in Seoul, Korea.

An endless stream of tourists and wealthy customers can be seen here. In particular, this area is frequented by noble shoppers.

One must be cautious not to stare at the nobles directly. If eye contact happens, it might lead to an awkward “How dare a commoner look at me?” situation. When observing nobles, one should act disinterested and glance casually. Ideally, pretend they don’t exist entirely.

Even in the most sophisticated downtown area of Neo London, darkness lingers. Amidst its dazzling lights, there’s a particularly shadowy street known as Ayla Street.

Once established by descendants of Ayla, Neo London’s former hero, this street still enjoys subtle favors from the nobility who respect Ayla’s legacy. Though realistically, it’s merely because dirty noble money is tied up here, so they choose to leave it alone.

The moment I stepped onto Ayla Street, eyes began to prick from all directions—eyes filled with suspicion.

Here, you mustn’t shrink under those gazes. Even if it’s just bravado, you need to appear strong. Otherwise, trouble will surely find you.

“Hey, punk! Strutting around like you’re drenched in money… Are you trying to tempt us?”

Three black men approached, snickering. Their arms or legs were mechanical prosthetics.

“…”

I raised my hand to stroke my face. I hadn’t expected trouble to find me less than a minute after arriving on Ayla Street.

‘Does my face really look that punk-like? And I wasn’t even hiding my power…’

I glanced around.

The mercenaries nearby were looking at the black men with pity—they recognized the strength I possessed.

‘So these guys are just ignorant morons, huh?’

As I remained silent, they assumed I was intimidated and grew even more aggressive.

“We’re in a tight spot right now. We drank too much, and the bar bill was ridiculous.”

“F*ck, it’s your fault for calling that girl over!”

“And we couldn’t even get her into bed.”

“Shut up, dipsh*ts. Anyway, here’s the deal: we need cash. Lend us 100,000 credits, and we’ll call it even.”

Kill them?

I could obliterate them instantly.

But too many eyes were watching. Nobody seemed inclined to help; instead, they watched eagerly, treating this as entertainment.

‘Why isn’t anyone calling the cops? Is this really E Zone? This feels more like X Zone.’

‘Killing them is absolutely out of the question. There are too many witnesses. As much as this place sucks, this *is* E Zone. Murder would cross a line.’

Still, I couldn’t ignore them and run away either.

What kind of mercenary runs from punks like these? Not only would it damage my pride, but my reputation would suffer. Who would hire someone who flees from such lowlifes?

“What’s wrong with this guy? Is he retarded? Why isn’t he talking?”

“Is asking for money that hard?”

“Maybe I should knock some sense into his head. Last time I hit my TV, it worked fine afterward.”

Uuuuung.

Mana stirred. A magic circle appeared before my hand. The men’s eyes widened in terror.

“Holy sh*t!”

“It’s a mage!”

“Save us!!”

At the sight of the magic circle, the three men bolted in different directions, scattering like frightened rats.


Seems like they’ve been through this a few times already.

I retracted my magic. This is Zone E, and there are plenty of prying eyes around. I need to hold back.

“Such weak little brats. I thought you’d at least pass the time in good spirits…”

“Back in my day, whether it was a wizard or a knight, we’d draw our guns first. These days, kids are just…”

“Hmph! You were the one groveling on your knees in front of a knight back then.”

“You little… Stop pretending you weren’t!”

The gathered crowd began to disperse. Maybe because they confirmed I’m a wizard, some of the wary looks disappeared.

“What’s a spellcaster doing around here?”

As I walked down the street, the shop owner selling shashlik called out to me. He was a middle-aged man.

“Do I have to report to you now?”

“I get that you’re upset about what just happened, but don’t be so prickly. I’m trying to help you here; it’s your first time in this area, right? Do you know the streets well?”

“…I’m looking for Gomez Clinic.”

“A wizard looking for Gomez Clinic? Figures. Guess your mana pathways must be messed up, huh? Still, impressive that you managed to cast magic. What happened to you?”

“Don’t cross the line.”

“Just curious, that’s all. If you tell me, I’ll give you a free shashlik. Even a rough story will do.”

“……Had a run-in with some punk and ended up like this.”

“Personal revenge?”

I nodded.

He chuckled softly and handed me a skewer of shashlik.

“Gomez Clinic is straight down this road—you’ll see a blue pillar. Turn right after that, and you’ll find a building marked as ‘Gomez Clinic.'”

“I already know that. Did you really think I came here without knowing anything? Your shashlik tastes like crap.”

“Hmm. Shashlik with plum sauce doesn’t seem too great, huh… Developing new menu items is hard.”

I threw the shashlik I was holding back at him and headed toward Gomez Clinic. This guy probably sells information too. He was likely trying to sell my info to an informant. Not sure how much they’d pay for such trivial info though.

I arrived at Gomez Clinic. At the counter sat a woman with a bright smile.

“Welcome, customer. Is this your first time here?”

“I want to see Lanna Gomez.”

“The director? I’m sorry, customer, but the director only sees special guests.”

“I’m a 5th-grade wizard.”

“……A very special guest indeed. I’ve sent a message to the director. Oh, she happens to be available right now. Please head to the 4th floor.”

I took the elevator to the 4th floor.

I sniffed. That distinct hospital smell lingered in the air. I knocked on the door to the director’s office.

“Come in.”

I opened the door.

At the desk sat a woman. She looked to be in her 60s—old, but not worn out. With sharp features, she adjusted her glasses as she spoke to me.

“The exorcist has arrived. Please sit.”

“……Exorcist?”

“Didn’t you wipe out all the ghosts from a village two days ago when the Dark Moon appeared?”

“The rumors have spread already….”

That night, I hunted down every ghost I could find until dawn. Initially, it was just annoying how they kept charging at me, but halfway through, I got into the groove while testing out some spells. The whole thing was caught on CCTV, and by afternoon, I received a 500,000 credit bounty from London Guard.

“It’s your mana pathways, isn’t it? Wizards who come to me are always like this.”

“Looks like you came prepared.”

“Let me cut to the chase. We’re missing ingredients for mana restoration. Everything else is ready, but Blue Distortion is the issue. It only blooms during the Dark Moon, so the supply is limited.”

“The Dark Moon appeared two days ago.”

“Blue Distortion isn’t something you can easily grab just because the Dark Moon showed up. It can’t even be cultivated. Do you really think there’d be many people out collecting flowers on those nights?”

“Still, supplies trickle in bit by bit. There are others who came before you waiting patiently, so just sign up for an appointment and check-up, and go home. I’ll contact you when it’s your turn. Depending on the situation, it might take more than three months. If you’re impatient, try another shop.”

I reached into the inner pocket of my coat. The air tensed instantly. Her hand moved toward the underside of her desk.

“I’m not here to fight. No threats either.”

“Then what?”

“Blue Distortion. I have it.”

I pulled out a box and placed it on the desk.


She did it. She opened the box lid and was utterly shocked.

“Petals of Blue Distortion! You’ve gathered this many? There’s no way this is less than 5,000!”

“Let’s make a deal. I need my mana restored immediately. In return, I’ll give you 500 petals of Blue Distortion.”

“You’re worse than a highway robber. You actually think I’d restore your mana for just 500 petals? Restoring one mana conduit costs 50 million credits!”

“The 500 petals are for boosting my rank. I want to pay the rest of the restoration fee with what’s left.”

“…How many conduits are broken?”

“Sixteen.”

“Sixteen conduits destroyed… and you’re still this calm? You should be clinging to my legs begging for help by now.”

“Spare me the lecture. What about the deal?”

“This deal is a loss for me. Sixteen conduits mean 800 million credits. With that much, you could buy 20,000 petals of Blue Distortion.”

“If only it were that easy.”

Since it’s so hard to get Blue Distortion, I gathered them myself.

“…There’s a condition.”

“What is it?”

“I want you to take out a gang. Not one based in Neo London. They’ve been intercepting shipments on the northern road of Neo London.”

“Isn’t that something the London Guard should handle?”

“The London Guard is so sluggish that Heaven knows, Earth knows, even the beggars know. Deal with those guys and retrieve the items stolen from my daughter. Otherwise… find another restorer.”

Lana Gomez’s expression was resolute.

I sighed.

I had no choice but to accept this request since she was the most skilled and trustworthy restorer in Neo London right now.

“…We’ll look into the details of this gang.”

“There’s no backing force. The gang consists of about 30 members, all cyborgs.”

“…Are you hiring me because I’m an electrical mage?”

“With your 100% success rate, I judged you as someone competent.”

“In any case, we’ll conduct our own investigation and let you know whether we’ll take the job or not.”

“Fine. But I can’t wait long. Contact me within three days. Enter the diagnostic machine. Let me check the state of your mana conduits.”

Lana Gomez pointed at the diagnostic machine, which looked like a clunky fridge. I sighed and walked toward it.

“Do I have to strip too?”

“I have no interest in your nudity.”

I stepped inside the machine. A cold chill poured down from above.

‘…This really isn’t a fridge, right?’

The door opened after 30 seconds. As I stepped out, I approached her, who was glaring at the monitor.

A silhouette of a person hovered against a black background. The head glowed white, and blue lines extended throughout the body.

“Is this my Astral form and mana conduits?”

“Yeah. Your Astral form is in good shape… and the quality of your mana conduits is excellent. All 34 of your conduits are fully circulating.”

“Isn’t it normal for mana conduits to circulate?”

“That’s normal. But more than half of most mages’ conduits don’t circulate. Making them do so is part of my job… Hm. Did you undergo some kind of procedure? Your body is disgustingly clean.”

She marveled. It must be thanks to the mana shower.

“Does being clean or not even matter?”

“Are you, a mage, asking me this? How absurd.”

“…I learned magic through self-study.”

“A fifth-class mage who’s self-taught? I’ve heard of such cases, but this is the first time I’m seeing one in person. Mana conduits are literally paths. The cleaner and smoother they are, the faster mana can flow. In that sense, your 34 conduits are all in top condition. It’s like a superhighway made for recklessly flooring the gas pedal.”

“What about the other sixteen?”

“They’re in a state that barely qualifies as paths. Blocked, severed, burned. Looks like you overworked your mana conduits somewhere.”

“I used a bit of force killing some bastards. Is restoration possible?”

“I’ve restored conduits in far worse condition than these. No problem.”

“Thank goodness.”

I stood up.

“I’ll contact you within three days.”

“Got it.”

She answered without taking her eyes off the monitor.