The Wizard Has A Biochip

The commotion around my stall seemed to grow with every passing second.

Voices overlapped.

Acolytes argued.

Some tried to get a look at the piercing that was still in the girl’s hand, while others had already begun calculating how much they could offer.

The man in the black robe, Edal, realized that the situation was about to get out of control.

He slowly turned around and swept his eyes over the crowd.

— All right, let’s stop making so much noise.

— It’s extremely rare to find a Recovery Piercing around here.

— We all know you would like to get your hands on it, but let’s find out who will be lucky enough to become its owner in the end.

Then, everyone gathered around my stall.

I observed the three leaders.

Their eyes were fixed on the small piercing in the Acolyte’s hands.

They looked like three predators watching their prey.

The girl, who apparently belonged to the broad-sword man’s team, became extremely excited.

Her eyebrows trembled with satisfaction.

— Micraclou, you really have sharp eyes! the burly man said.

— So?

— Can you buy that piercing?

— If you don’t have enough magic crystals, I can gather more.

— You need to buy it no matter what!

The man in the blue robe and Edal frowned simultaneously.

Micraclou seemed a little embarrassed.

— But he doesn’t want to sell it!

— He only wants to trade it for something else!

The three leaders fell silent.

Then they looked at one another.

— Trade?

— For what?

— With what?

Micraclou replied:

— He wants to trade it for a magical item of the Light element.

Silence.

The three of them became completely motionless.

After all...

This was Kar-Dur Tower at the entrance to the Subterranean World.

Materials related to the Light element were extremely rare in this region.

Consequently, any magical item of this element was treated as a precious commodity.

Even so, those three clearly weren’t people who would give up easily.

One after another, they began trying to negotiate with me through Mana Whispers.

I rejected them all.

There was no need to accept just anything simply because some people were desperate.

If I really wanted to get rid of that piercing, I would rather receive something that was useful to me.

While the three leaders began summoning their respective companions to search for magical items of the Light element, I took advantage of the distraction to approach Narkou.

— Narkou.

— Hm?

— Why is this piercing so sought after?

The fat man looked at me as if I had just asked an extremely obvious question.

Then he sighed.

— You really don’t know?

— If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking.

Narkou scratched his head.

— All right.

—I’ll explain.

He discreetly pointed toward the various groups scattered around the hall.

— For most Level 2 and 3 Acolytes here, the resources found in the Subterranean Cave are extremely valuable.

— The problem is that obtaining those resources also involves enormous risks.

I nodded.

That made sense.

— That’s why most of their training takes place in the Kar-Dur Forest. Capturing demonic beasts, gathering magical herbs, exploring secret places...

Narkou began counting on his fingers.

— All of that involves unpredictable dangers.

He then pointed toward the piercing.

— Now imagine that a team has someone capable of providing healing during those expeditions.

My gaze became more attentive.

— That would greatly increase their chances of survival.

— Exactly!

Narkou slapped his hand against his own belly.

— If they rely only on ordinary healing potions, the cost will consume a huge portion of their profits. The more injured people there are, the more potions will be used.

— But an item capable of providing continuous healing...

— Can save a fortune.

He smiled.

— And this piercing has another advantage.

— After the energy of the wind element inside it is depleted, all you have to do is place it in a region where the concentration of the wind element is high.

— A forest, a mountain, places like that.

— After some time, it automatically recovers its energy.

I stared at the piercing.

Then I understood.

— That explains a lot.

— It’s not over yet.

Narkou raised a finger.

— There’s one more thing you haven’t understood.

— What?

— Its classification.

— The Level 3 classification?

— Exactly.

He took a deep breath before explaining.

— When we say that an item is Level 1, 2, or 3 for Acolytes, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it belongs to an Acolyte of that level. It is a classification based on the amount of energy that the item can produce or store in its effect.

— Items capable of producing between one and four points of mana in effect are considered Level 1 Acolyte magical items. Most of the small decorative accessories made by Acolytes belong to this category.

He raised another finger.

— Between four and nine points, we have Level 2 Acolyte magical items. Some high-quality equipment produced by Acolytes can reach this level.

Then he raised his third finger.

— Level 3 magical items, on the other hand, can produce between ten and twenty points of mana in effect.

My eyes widened slightly.

— Ten to twenty?

— That’s right.

Narkou nodded.

— Most of these items are created by Official Mages, usually during their studies of alchemy, magical engineering, or other fields.

— When they end up in the hands of an Acolyte, they become true trump cards capable of considerably increasing their combat power.

I finally understood why everyone was so interested.

But then a doubt arose.

— That can’t be right.

Narkou looked at me.

— What?

— I tested this piercing myself.

— It could only provide me with, at most, 5 points of mana. This can’t be a Level 3 Acolyte magical item.

Narkou stared at me.

Then he slapped my shoulder.

— Don’t tell me you were using your own energy to test it?

— Yes.

— Ah...

He closed his eyes for a moment.

— Now everything makes sense.

— What?

— To activate the maximum recovery effect of this piercing, there are two conditions.

— First, you need to be in an environment with a high concentration of the Wind element. A forest, a mountain, or some similar region.

— Right.

— Second, the user needs to be an Acolyte attuned to the Wind element.

I blinked.

— Then...

— You are an Acolyte of the Light element.

Narkou pointed at me.

— Naturally, the effect would be reduced.

I fell silent.

It was as if someone had just slapped me on the head.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

It was no wonder the effect had been so weak when I tested it.

I looked at the girl again.

She had used her own energy to activate it.

And even during an extremely brief test, the piercing had emitted that intense glow.

Then...

It really was a Level 3 magical item.

— I understand...

I ran a hand over my face.

I had completely underestimated that object.

Narkou observed the crowd and shook his head.

— This has turned into a mess...

He had barely finished the sentence.

— Make way!

A new commotion erupted.

Two figures pushed through the crowd.

They were two Level 3 Acolytes wearing yellow uniforms.

They quickly advanced toward our position.

The young man leading the two had a fierce expression.

As soon as he reached the stall, he looked around.

— Who is this?

No one answered.

He then raised his voice.

— Who dared to sell a Level 3 Acolyte magical item in this place?

Some Acolytes began to murmur.

The young man continued:

— Who gave you the audacity?

— Don’t you know that magical items and equipment of Level 2 or higher can only be traded through us, the Sidrel Association?

His gaze immediately fell on Narkou.

— It’s you again, of course!

Narkou froze.

— Narkou! How dare you?

The fat man turned red.

— Medivo, you’d better not speak without knowing the truth!

He pointed at the piercing.

— This doesn’t belong to me!

— No matter how blind you are, you can’t just frame an innocent person!

Medivo narrowed his eyes.

Then he turned his gaze away from Narkou.

That was when his eyes met mine.

I was sitting calmly.

My expression didn’t change.

Medivo seemed to hesitate.

He clearly knew many of the Acolytes in that Tower.

He knew who possessed strength and who led teams.

He even knew who had access to good equipment.

But he had never seen me before.

And that probably raised a question in his mind.

How had an unknown person obtained a Level 3 Acolyte magical item?

Medivo walked toward me.

He puffed out his chest and tried to assume an intimidating posture.

— Boy, I think you probably don’t know the rules of this place.

...

1426 Words

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