“We’ve found Boss Ched and his gang in the underground mine where the Lord sent the scouts! It seems they were all hiding there!”
“Oh! Were they really in the place the Lord mentioned?”
“Yes! The place the Lord mentioned was spot on. The Ilami underground mine was their hideout!”
All eyes from Rakis and the soldiers turned to me. The underground mine was a place I often visited back in my days with <Paradiso> when tracking down a suddenly vanished crime organization. The mine is very secluded, making it an ideal hideout for criminal groups and a hub for illegal gambling.
Though it was a guess based on past experiences, the soldiers and Rakis seemed to see it as my sharp insight and wisdom. I encouraged the soldiers.
“Everyone, move to the Ilami underground mine! Let’s seize this chance to wipe out Ched’s gang completely! For the Krivia territory!”
“We will follow your orders! For the territory! For the Lord!”
Under the brave soldiers’ shouts, we began our march. They were the mighty soldiers united under my name.
We reached the underground mine just as the sun was about to dip below the western horizon. I instructed everyone to wait until the sun had completely set to ensure the right timing. The thugs guarding the mine entrance usually head inside to drink heavily as soon as it gets dark.
During the brief wait, I made sure the soldiers were well-fed and checked on the magic power increase trick I’d been practicing for the past month.
‘Magic circulation bug. A method to accelerate the circulation of magic power within my body by absorbing my own magic power back into myself!’
The trick I used for a month to increase my magic power was known as the magic circulation bug in <Paradiso>. The principle is simple: release your magic power through your hands and then reabsorb it into your body. By repeating this process consistently, you can increase your magic power by 2 each day.
Of course, for ordinary people, reabsorbing magic power is impossible. If your body isn’t ready to accept magic, it will bounce off like hitting a wall. But I used acupuncture every day, so my body was ready to explosively absorb the power of the four elements. It was a win-win since I needed to keep infusing magic power to maximize the effect of the fat-burning acupuncture!
Rakis, watching with interest as I rubbed my belly and infused magic power, said, “Lord, it’s always a comforting sight. It reminds me of when my grandmother used to rub my belly as a remedy when I was a child.”
Since the magic power was absorbed directly into my abdomen without any escaping, Rakis didn’t know I was infusing magic power.
“It seems to help with digestion and losing some weight,” I said casually. There was no point in explaining the bug or anything like that to him, as he wouldn’t understand it anyway. And there was no need to explain it.
“By the way, you seem to have lost a lot of weight. You’re already impressive, but you’re looking more and more like a proper lord!”
“Hahaha, thank you.” I chuckled at Rakis’s clever way of telling me to keep losing weight while still being polite. I knew that losing weight would improve both my appearance and my body’s condition. I decided to take his advice to heart.
‘I’ve increased my magic power by 60 in a month. Just by carefully infusing magic power, I’ve effectively leveled up 12 times, so this bug is definitely a bug!’
When a level goes up by 1, the user gets 5 stat points to distribute. So, by easily gaining 60 magic power through the bug, I had essentially reached level 13.
Compared to my current level, I could hold my own in a fight against Rakis, who was level 14. If it’s just the level of a security captain, I can handle it myself.
‘Well, the developers said it was more of a training method than a bug, but anyone can see it’s a bug.’
Thanks to this training method—read as a bug—my magic power reached 135. A 1st-class spell uses 1 magic power, a 2nd-class uses 10, a 3rd-class uses 20, and a 4th-class uses 40. With an increase of 60 magic power, my repertoire of magic spells had indeed become much more varied than before.
‘Great. The more I accelerate the circulation bug, the more magic power accumulates, so let’s focus even more.’
I decided to continue with my current training method of rubbing my belly and infusing magic power, even if it looked a bit silly. Right now, it’s 2 magic power a day, but later it will rise to 3, 4, and beyond, according to the accumulated level.
Before the battle, I checked my stats one last time.
[Jared – Lv. 1]
[Strength: 5]
[Stamina: 5]
[Magic Power: 135]
[Wisdom: 15]
[Agility: 5]
[Charm: 5]
[Physical Defense: 5]
[Magic Defense: 5]
[Remaining Stats: 0]
[*Warning: You are currently in a ‘Severe Obesity’ state. If you reach ‘Morbid Obesity,’ your charm will be fixed at 0. Please be cautious.]
‘Good. The morbid obesity warning is gone. My charm is back to 5.’
It was an achievement made in just one month.
[A strong stimulus from mana is activated. 500g of fat has been immediately broken down and expelled!]
A little extra weight loss during the break! The diet trick and magic power increase bug were going smoothly.
‘I’ll need to have my clothes resized.’
With a significant amount of fat gone, I felt a bit slimmer. I thought I’d have Hayes tailor new clothes as soon as I returned to the mansion.
- Give me back my insight! Give me back my eyes!
“Isabella, aren’t you tired of this?”
“Pardon? Lord, what’s the matter?”
Startled by Isabella’s sudden loud outburst, I snapped irritably, and Rakis knelt before me in surprise. If she kept bothering me, I’d ignore her, but she yelled in my ear just when I was about to forget, which was stressful! Of course, compared to gaining insight, this stress was manageable.
“No, nothing. It’s completely dark now, so let’s move. The guards will be more relaxed now. The underground mine starts its day at night, opposite to our world.”
“You are indeed wise, Lord.”
It seemed like Rakis had praise built into him as a passive skill. He was always loyal to me. It’s a shame Rakis wasn’t born an S-rank warrior, but I could train him to a certain level.
“Everyone, move out!”
I led the way, followed by Rakis and the soldiers of the security team. Everyone’s morale was at its peak. With me, a 4th-class mage, leading the charge, today would be the end for the criminals in the underground mine.
‘Am I going to be sold to some unknown person, defiled, and then die?’
The expression of 15-year-old Lena was beyond dark, it was gloomy. Just a month ago, she was an ordinary girl living in an orphanage. She had many friends and no issues with her life at the orphanage. She was old enough to help out with the orphanage’s work and played a significant role.
But one day, the head of the orphanage told Lena that she could live in a much better environment. She said a famous noble family known for their politeness and dignity wanted to take her in as a maid. It seemed a bit off, but she thought, why would they lie? So she followed the person who came to pick her up, trusting the head of the orphanage who had taken care of her. She didn’t want to doubt them.
But the place she arrived at was not a noble’s mansion but an underground mine filled with despair. This place was an open black market for slave trading. It was a completely illegal place where slaves not officially recognized by the state or territory were traded.
Many of the girls brought here before her had been sold to old men with obviously impure intentions. The same was true for young boys, who screamed and begged for help as they were dragged away.
‘I don’t want to be sold as a slave and live like this forever. This isn’t what I wanted!’
Lena shook her head violently. She wanted to fight back somehow, but she was unarmed. She missed having a shield and sword in her hands.
Next to the orphanage where Lena lived, there was a mercenary group. She always watched their training from over the wall. Although she hadn’t been taught directly, she had learned quite a bit by watching. Shield defense and swordsmanship were very interesting to her. Especially the defense techniques, which were fascinating just to watch.
Lena believed that even though she was a girl, she could become a great soldier regardless of her gender. If she could be more ambitious, she wanted to become a swordsman who could protect her allies.
But that dream was about to be shattered. Everyone who came to this mine, whether buyers or sellers, were all human trash. If she was sold, she’d be lucky to keep her life, and she might be defiled endlessly before being killed.
Just then, as the slave trade was about to begin and the entire underground mine was about to become chaotic, a fireball flew in a parabola from the entrance and covered the stage in the center of the mine.
“Ahhh! It’s on fire! Ahh!”
“F-fire! Ahh! My arm!”
“Ugh.”
The fireball that flew in from the entrance engulfed the stage where the illegal auction was about to take place, instantly killing the two auctioneers. Five others nearby were covered in flames, screaming and running around in panic.
“Rescue all the captives and slaughter every criminal here! Leave no one alive!”
At that moment, a man on horseback charged in bravely from the entrance. Though his body was somewhat plump, he had a powerful voice. Not only that, but he was casting dazzling spells, taking down the criminals charging at him. He was a mage.
“Ah…”
Lena’s gaze was fixed on that man. Her future, which she thought was doomed, was dramatically changing. A savior had appeared!
‘Great. Let’s wipe out these guys all at once and boost the loyalty of the territory’s people with a quest completion bonus!’
I was sweeping through the entire mine with a purpose, punishing the criminals with all my might. Considering my past life as an ordinary person, I had quite a useful talent now—magic.
Those below level 5, the ‘small fry,’ weren’t even a match for me. Their magic defense was so pathetically low that they couldn’t avoid my spells and were severely injured just from a glancing blow.
The only one who seemed like a worthy opponent was the leader of the crime organization, Ched.
[Ched – Lv. 11]
[Strength: 36]
[Stamina: 35]
[Magic Power: 2]
[Wisdom: 3]
[Agility: 11]
[Charm: 3]
[Physical Defense: 3]
[Magic Defense: 0]
[Special Trait: None]
[General Traits: Lust, Greed]
[*Warning: Excessive alcohol consumption. Vision is blurred, and judgment is significantly impaired.]
‘Drunk too? Today’s the perfect day for you to die.’
The insight I gained from scanning Ched was useful. He had no magic defense, and his judgment was impaired due to heavy drinking. A swift and relentless magical assault was the best choice since he was half out of it.
I immediately jumped off my horse. With a thud, the ground shook quite a bit as I landed.
‘Embarrassing.’
But I quickly shook off the embarrassment and blocked Ched’s escape.
“Ched, I’ve come to take you down.”
“Who would have thought it’d be our Lord? Shouldn’t you be back at the mansion stuffing yourself with greasy meat? What’s this nonsense?”
Ched shouted angrily. It seemed the territory’s management had been a mess in the past. Even the leader of a crime organization didn’t think much of the Lord.
“I’m here to capture you. No, to kill you.”
“You pig, I, Lord Ched, won’t die to you!”
“…Pig?”
It was a fact, but not one I wanted to hear. The words struck like a cold, sharp dagger.
End of Part 10