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Chapter 80

I returned to Sector 6 after escaping the academy.

There it was, the information broker\'s shop, tucked away in a dark corner.

Still hidden from plain sight, with no signboard.

How did I even end up going in there in the first place?

I thought I was pretty lucky.

"Anyone there?"

"Ah, Mr. Crazy Mage."

A man dressed in black from head to toe, with small glasses perched on his nose.

He was dressed the same as before and waved his hand in greeting.

"Long time no see? How have you been?"

"Well, so-so. More importantly, what about what I asked for?"

"Ah, that. I finished it a while ago. Here."

The information broker slid a piece of paper across the table.

A paper full of what appeared to be names.

It was the list of Light Magic researchers I had requested earlier.

"I\'d like to see it without those related to the Aldeon Academy."

"Really? Let me see."

The man took back the paper he had handed me.

And then...

Swipe, swipe...

He scanned it and drew lines through the names one by one.

The list was gradually filled with lines.

\'Should have asked him to take them out from the start. I got my hopes up for nothing.\'

I was excited to see so many names on the list, but it turned out they were all related to the Aldeon Academy.

In other words, they were either prisoners or fugitives.

I couldn\'t learn Light Magic from those obsessed with such bizarre ideas.

It was a bit of a shame, though.

How long did I wait?

"Here."

The information broker handed me the completed list.

A whopping three-quarters of it had been crossed out, leaving it quite bare.

Still, it was a relief.

Because there were still some people left.

"Hmm."

I looked at the names on the list one by one.

Three people had survived the man\'s elimination:

[Ani Persson]

[Diablka Zamet]

[Adam Michael]

Naturally, they were all names I had never heard of before.

I pointed to each name in turn and asked for information.

The man opened his mouth as if he had memorized everything.

"Ani Persson, a man living in Sector 3, I hear he\'s been immersed in Light Magic research for over 20 years. He\'s the most ordinary man among them."

"A man... So you\'re saying he\'s not a mage?"

"From the information I\'ve gathered, that\'s right. They say he can\'t handle a single speck of mana."

"That\'s a shame."

If he had been studying light for 20 years, it meant he was quite an expert in this field.

However, the fact that he wasn\'t a mage was a huge flaw.

Magic is an ability that cannot be truly grasped without using it, no matter how much you read about it or research it, so it couldn\'t be helped that I felt it was a shame.

Surely his perspective on Light Magic would be different from mine.

Therefore, although he was a reasonable option... I\'ll pass for now.

"What about this person?"

I pointed to the second name on the list.

I was curious.

The man had said that Ani Persson was the most ordinary of the three.

That meant the others weren\'t.

Why would he say that?

"Diablka Zamet. A 7th Circle Royal Mage. Light Magic is his main attribute."

"..."

Hearing that, I understood why he phrased it like that.

\'A Royal Mage isn\'t exactly an ordinary person.\'

Since the royal family held the most power in Asternon, the position of Royal Mage wasn\'t something just anyone could attain.

Surely, they would have proven themselves through magic and fierce competition.

\'Or maybe they have royal blood.\'

Either way, as a 7th Circle Mage, his skill was definitely guaranteed.

However.

\'Still, it\'s not possible.\'

No matter how urgent the situation was or how desperate I was to grow stronger, I couldn\'t ask a Royal Mage to teach me Light Magic.

It was clear that they saw people as tools, just like in the war command room, so who knows what they might do to me if I went there?

More than anything, I doubted they would teach me even if I asked.

An arrogant Royal Mage, teaching me?

As if they would.

So, I\'ll pass on this one too.

"...What about this person?"

This was already the last person.

Adam Michael.

Somehow, just looking at the name, it reminded me of an angel...

"Adam Michael. This person is also a 7th Circle Mage, but notably, he has a criminal record."

"...A criminal record?"

"I hear he used to be a Dark Mage. He surrendered, saying he wanted to walk a new path, and after finishing his sentence, he truly devoted himself to Light Magic."

"..."

An angel, my foot.

He was actually quite the opposite.

Besides, it was strange enough to find a former Dark Mage on the list of people researching light, but he even surrendered?

What kind of wind blew him over?

He was a completely unpredictable and unique case.

"He resides in Sector 4. So, what do you think? Interested?"

"...No way."

Whatever the reason, there was a high probability that he wasn\'t normal.

In the end, I had to pass on this person too...

"Tsk."

Even if I wanted to see more, there was no one left.

As expected, it was difficult to find the right person in Asternon, where an entire Light Magic school had vanished.

\'Should I just go back?\'

I had three options.

One was to give up on everything and research Light Magic on my own.

Another was to leave Asternon and search for someone new elsewhere.

And the last one was...

[Ani Persson]

To settle for Ani Persson, the expert in theory, and seek him out.

It didn\'t take me long to decide.

\'Let\'s go find him first.\'

I could always research on my own later.

The same went for searching in a new place.

Since I already got the information, I figured it wouldn\'t hurt to pay him a visit.

After all, I had nothing to lose, right?

If I didn\'t like him, I could simply choose not to learn from him.

Anyway.

"Alright. Then I\'ll give you additional information about this person."

The information broker rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a document.

It was clearly a profile with Ani Persson\'s information.

Just as I was about to take it...

"Oops!"

With an exaggerated gesture, the information broker spilled the water cup next to him.

Fizzle

And at the same time, the letters vanished.

Perhaps it was some special paper used only at the information broker\'s shop, but all the contents written inside were erased.

"Oh dear, what to do? All the information I gathered has disappeared?"

Contrary to his words, the man didn\'t look fazed at all.

It meant it wasn\'t a mistake.

"What was that about?"

"Well, well, it seems I have no choice but to tell you from memory."

His tone was incredibly nonchalant.

If nonchalance were a person, this would be it.

There was only one reason for him to act this way.

"So you\'re saying there\'s an extra charge..."

"..."

He wanted more money.

This guy was so predictable.

Why couldn\'t he just ask directly? Why did he have to be so obvious about it? Honestly, it was getting a bit pathetic.

Of course, he was a hundred times better than those with unreadable intentions, like Barus or Roan.

"Here you go."

"Haha. Thank you, customer."

I handed him all the money I had left, and he bowed his head.

He immediately became serious and began explaining the information he knew.

From the exact address to the evaluations of the people around him, his likes, his past, and so on...

It was quite detailed information, and as expected, he didn\'t disappoint.

\'It would have been perfect if he wasn\'t so obsessed with money...\'

Well, what could I do?

I had to just accept it, thinking, \'Well, he\'s just dedicated to his job.\'

Anyway, after jotting down all the information I had heard, I asked one more thing.

"Do you happen to know about the black market?"

It was information about the black market.

Nothing major, I just wanted to ask if it was open.

"Of course! We know everything, Mage customer. However... you know, right?"

But then he immediately hinted that I should pay.

I didn\'t bother with him any further and got up from my seat.

"Oh my. Are you leaving already?"

"I\'m out. Not a penny left."

It was true.

I had already poured out all my assets when I went hunting.

Of course, I had the gold coins I received as a reward from Lena, but I had thoroughly set those aside to purchase Barundel\'s weapons.

I hadn\'t even received the rest yet.

"Hmm..."

Perhaps he sensed my sincerity.

The information broker, who had been examining my face, suddenly nodded.

"Alright, I\'ll tell you this one for free. As a service."

"...What\'s gotten into you?"

"Just attracting regular customers, I guess. It\'s not really that big of a deal anyway."

He chuckled and gestured for me to sit down.

Soon, a wealth of information about the black market began pouring out.

As expected, this was a place I couldn\'t give up on, even if it was expensive.

***

After leaving the information broker\'s shop.

"Asking for money as soon as we meet, honestly..."

"Haha... Thank you."

Upon hearing that the black market was open, I immediately went to Lena and borrowed some gold coins.

Thus, I had 1,000 gold coins in my possession.

\'This should be enough.\'

According to the information broker, to enter the black market, I had to purchase a ticket, which cost a whopping 100 gold coins.

Moreover, I needed to buy any cheap and useful items I found inside...

So, I had no choice but to borrow the gold coins.

Well, to be precise, it wasn\'t borrowing, but rather receiving some of the artifacts I was scheduled to receive in advance in the form of gold coins.

Anyway.

"Is this the place?"

I arrived at the entrance to the black market that the information broker had mentioned.

It was a shabby tavern in a deserted alley in Sector 6.

From the outside, it looked completely ordinary, arousing no suspicion.

With a mixture of doubt and anticipation, I entered.

"Welcome!"

A staff member with a bright voice greeted me with a cheerful face.

He seemed too cheerful to be managing the entrance to a black market.

However, after carefully observing my surroundings...

"This is the place."

I could sense that this was no ordinary place.

This was because there were five employees in this empty place with no customers.

Except for the woman who greeted me, all of them were burly men the size of Thompson.

"Excuse me? What do you mean...?"

I tilted my head at the female employee, pretending to be clueless.

"One Black Cocktail, please."

Then...

"Money?"

As if she had never been friendly, the woman\'s face hardened.

The way her expression changed in an instant was bizarre.

Perhaps this was her true self.

"Here."

I handed her the pouch with 100 gold coins that I had prepared in advance, and she took it nonchalantly.

Then, she handed me a stiff black paper.

"This is your entry ticket. The entrance is that way."

Thump, thump, thump.

As soon as she finished speaking, one of the men who had been waiting nearby approached.

"Follow me."

The man led me to a corner.

He tapped on the wall.

Rumble!

Suddenly, the floor opened, revealing a hidden space.

It was a staircase leading underground... Judging by the size inside, it seemed like a space expansion spell had been cast on it.

This was definitely the black market.

"Go straight down. There will be a separate exit inside."

"Ah, okay."

Following the man\'s guidance, I took one step at a time down into the basement.

This was my first time visiting a black market since I came to this world.

I used them often in the game... I wonder what it\'s like now?

I was quite excited.