Chapter 8

After Renok completely disappeared, the old man tidied up the body of Taylor Evans that he had left behind.

He took photos, collected genetic information, sealed it, and then passed it on to Achilles' intermediary.

The process would incur additional fees, but what could he do?

In this line of work, it was impossible to talk about costs without including fees.

Beside him, Jenny, who had been resting her chin and watching the old man's movements, said, "A customer looking for both narcotics and health supplements at the same time, isn't that strange?"

"Wasn't that the wizard you mentioned earlier?"

"Yeah. If I were a merchant, I would have wondered if he was crazy. I can't understand what wizards think, just like geniuses."

Jenny seemed to be ready to laugh it off, but Jordan had a different thought.

He continued to tidy up the counter and slowly spoke, "I found out something interesting by bypassing the Scavenger network."

Upon hearing Jordan's words, Jenny immediately frowned.

"Old man, are you still observing that cesspool? It's too expensive to pay the Mirror Divers to spy on those brats' network."

The Mirror Divers are one of the criminal organizations based in Balkan, a group of hackers who control part of the city's network and sell the byproducts that come out of it.

They have a significant number of magitech engineers and programmers, and their technology is quite advanced, making it relatively easier to use the network in this area through them, even if it belongs to another organization.

However, Jordan responded without losing his composure.

"It seems they obtained photos of Taylor Evans at the time of his death. The magic he used is captured, so would you like to check it out? He might be a much better customer than you think."

"What?"

She immediately turned on the computer under the counter and accessed the data Jordan mentioned.

The criminal organization Scavenger, while overwhelming other organizations and clans in terms of scale, has a relatively low level of its members, making their actual combat power quite low.

Except for the core leadership, the rest could be called a gang of street thugs, but there is one thing they do that helps the organization—

"I found it. Here it is. Anyway, these guys are everywhere."

Because they are scattered like trash throughout the city, they can report on almost any incident that occurs in the area.

Of course, the level of their eyewitness accounts is no different from that of ordinary people, but sometimes it can be quite helpful, so Jordan occasionally creates a backdoor to the network used by the Scavengers.

"......Wow."

It was a short 3-second video, but the content was extraordinary.

The sight of a bolt of blue lightning striking and burning the ground, tearing through the dry sky, was not something you see every day.

Jenny, who had lost her words and was rewinding the video, laughed bitterly.

"So, this is what that guy did earlier?"

"He said he was a lightning mage, didn't he? It's almost certain."

Even if they couldn't actually handle magic, having knowledge about it was a given in this line of work.

Both of them knew very well how difficult it was to make lightning strike a clear sky.

Elemental magic, which involves using pure will and mana without a specific medium, is known for its high difficulty.

It is closer to traditional magic that has been used for a long time rather than modern magic, which has been improved for user convenience, and it takes a very long time to become practical.

It takes a long time to manifest a specific element centered on oneself, and it requires a tremendous amount of time and talent to manifest a phenomenon by spreading mana and drawing will in the empty air.

Jenny muttered as she continued to watch the video.

"Even at the lowest estimate, he seems to be at least level 4."

A level 4 positional mage. This refers to mages who have reached a level of mastery through complete understanding, beyond just learning and using magic.

Mages of this rank can perform their role in modern firepower battles and are recognized as researchers, surpassing the stage of being just a mage.

It is the minimum hierarchy to gain the potential to grow by researching and improving the magic system they have learned on their own.

Level 4 mages under the management of the Balkan City Hall can receive the city's pension whenever they want and receive performance bonuses by submitting their research results.

"He might be level 5 or higher."

"No way. Why would a genius like that work here and give up a bounty? He could get a position anywhere just by showing his magic once."

Jordan shook his head at Jenny's words.

"Maybe not, but I have a hunch about where he might be from, if he's from the lightning school."

"......You mean that guy is from the 'Thorven' school?"

She said this in disbelief, but she recalled the words Renok had muttered. He had clearly said he had only been in the city for a short time.

"Who knows? But if he really is one of those war entrepreneurs... he could be a very good partner."

Jordan said this while putting Taylor Evans' body back into a bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

His eyes, heading towards the incinerator in the basement, were faintly glowing.

Renok immediately left Jenny's bar and headed to the orchard she had told him about.

The story she told him along the way piqued his interest.

There are over a dozen areas in the giant city of Balkan, but the atmosphere of each area is distinctly different depending on the order in which they were created as the city expanded.

The administrative district, which is responsible for the core operations and economy of the city, is located in the 0-9 area.

The 10s area, with its forest of buildings, is home to various business entities, including dinosaur corporations.

The 20s area, where most of the bustling areas where citizens of Balkan live and work are located.

The 30s area, where large facilities such as amusement parks and ports are concentrated.

The 40s area, where unauthorized organizations have taken advantage of the chaos of new development, and the 50s area, where undeveloped areas are filled with vagrants and all kinds of criminals.

Among these, the orchard Jenny mentioned is located in the 31st area.

Plumber's botanical garden, the largest in scale in Balkan.

In the 30s area, which has lower numbers, facilities that families often visit are located, and the botanical garden is one of the facilities arranged in the 31st area.

He bought a ticket at the ticket booth, which is built like a huge stadium, and entered.

Although 10,000 cells were deducted for the ticket, his pockets were full from the bounty he had just received, so it wasn't a burden.

Inside the botanical garden, a vast jungle made up only of plants formed under the artificial sun.

Plants with massive peaks that could easily crush several people and flowers that simultaneously contain hundreds of colors were so unique and beautiful that Renok stopped to admire them for a moment.

Trees that walk across the plains like living animals and seeds that float in the air like umbrellas with thin membranes also caught his eye.

However, Renok quickly regained his composure and started walking in the direction Jenny had told him.

After walking for a while, a deep fatigue began to weigh heavily on his entire body.

A souvenir shop located on the way out after a full tour of the huge botanical garden.

A huge shop selling dolls, keychains, and glass crystals preserving petals that symbolize good luck for children.

If you go down the long stairs through a small side door marked "No Entry for Non-Staff" behind the display case with all kinds of plant models, a different, pungent smell begins to assault your nose, different from the fragrance of the shop.

When he turned his head after reaching the bottom of the stairs, he saw a faint purple smoke filling the area.

Instead of pushing through the smoke and walking beyond it, Renok stopped in front of the stairs and spoke.

"I came here on Jenny's recommendation."

"Jenny?"

A response came, and the smoke quickly cleared, revealing the figure beyond.

A wall of wooden drawers densely packed on one side of a large room. The number of drawers easily exceeded several thousand.

An old man was standing with his back to the huge drawer, staring at him with a pipe in his mouth.

"Are you talking about the woman who runs a bar in the 49th area?"

Renok nodded, and the old man's face suddenly twisted.

"I don't remember giving her the right to recommend customers."

"......"

Unable to respond, Renok hesitated, but the old man chuckled and shook his head.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm not rich enough to pick my customers. I just take money from those who want the goods. So, what are you looking for in my orchard?"

For a moment, Renok wondered whether to use formal or informal language, but decided to go with the latter.

"......Why is there an orchard inside a botanical garden?"

The items sold are close to various narcotics, yet the shop's name is an orchard, and it's located inside the city's largest botanical garden, which is quite ironic.

The old man laughed, showing his yellowed teeth.

"Because the fruits that ripen from cooking those plants are right here. They are the fruits that will send us to heaven."

It was an irrelevant question and an equally irrelevant answer.

Renok immediately took out all the remaining cigarettes from his pocket and placed them in front of the old man.

"I'm looking for items with similar effects to these. Can I find them here?"

"Let's see...."

"I'd prefer something with fewer side effects, even if it's a bit more expensive."

The old man took out a magnifying glass and began examining the cigarettes Renok had placed.

"Inhaling smoke is faster than taking pills and slower than injections. But it's the most convenient, and the taste makes it hard to quit."

He muttered to himself, took out a knife, and cut the cigarette lengthwise.

The packaging was peeled off, revealing the contents.

The old man nodded, holding the contents with tweezers and examining them with his naked eye.

"Hmm.... I don't know who made it, but it's a complete piece of trash."

"......"

"From the ingredients inside to the refining, drying, and packaging, there's nothing I like. Why were you smoking this crap?"

Renok, who had heard the same words from Jenny and the old man, replied dejectedly.

"...I had no choice."

"It's a substandard product with impurities deliberately mixed in to lower the price and increase the addiction. The psychotropic effect is somewhat useful, but it's just to make you think the drug is effective. It's definitely not a product I would recommend for long-term use."

The old man said this and immediately threw the disassembled cigarette into the trash can next to him.

"You said you want something with fewer side effects, even if it's a bit more expensive. How much are you willing to pay?"

Renok thought for a moment.

The drugs he was buying now were like a minimum investment for his future plans.

To move his weak body like a normal person, he needed a drug that would reliably make him forget pain and fatigue while working.

However, reducing side effects while using such drugs was very important to Renok.

If severe side effects accompanied each use, his body would not last long.

This was not the time to be frugal.

"....2 million cells."

2.7 million cells from the bounty. He would invest all of it here, leaving only the amount needed for living expenses.

"Hmm."

The old man nodded, got up, and started rummaging through the shelves at the back.

After a while, he returned with several sealed packs in his hand. When he opened them, long, slightly thicker cigarettes than what Renok had been smoking spilled out.

He weighed each one and said, "If you just wanted drugs, you couldn't get them with such a small amount of money."

"......"

"But what you're looking for seems to be more of a pharmaceutical product than a drug. Such items can be found on the edge of the recreational category."

The old man placed about thirty of the cigarettes he had weighed on the scale in front of Renok.

"Cashburn-C107. Strong pain relief, doping, and stimulant effects for about 6 hours. Some mental elevation. Dizziness and pain relief immediately after taking it. Headache, convulsions, and vomiting after the effects wear off. Low probability of nosebleeds. It's a very clean product."

To Renok, the side effects didn't seem very clean, but the old man didn't stop explaining.

"It's not the least toxic, but it has low addiction potential and doesn't accumulate much in the body over the long term. It's possible because it's a modified pharmaceutical product."

"Is that a small side effect?"

"It's the smallest side effect you can get with the money you have."

The old man stated firmly.

"The price skyrockets as the side effects are reduced. If you want something better than this, you might not even get twenty with that money, and one thing you should know is that I don't sell less than ten at a time."

In other words, there are items that cost hundreds of thousands to millions per piece.

Renok, with a complex expression, shook his head and picked up the cigarettes called Cashburn that the old man had handed over.

A simple calculation put the price at just under 70,000 cells per piece. By price alone, this was not cheap.

For Renok, who had never bought a pack of cigarettes on Earth, it was a price that made his hands tremble.

But he had no choice.

This was an investment he had to make to earn money in the future.

In the end, Renok paid the money and took the cigarettes the old man handed over.

"Come back. All those who use my orchard end up doing the same."

The old man, sitting crookedly and nodding, quickly disappeared in the smoke.

Renok immediately left the botanical garden and headed to the hotel where he was staying.

Thirty cigarettes for 2 million cells.

He couldn't use them in real situations without testing their effects first.

Rest

"Hmm....."

Back at the hotel, Renok sat in the middle of the bed and focused on smoking the cigarette.

As the old man said, inhaling smoke is naturally less effective than injections.

There's no more efficient way than injecting drugs directly into the bloodstream.

But it's hard to carry disposable syringes every time he goes out, and the cigarette doesn't draw much attention when held in the mouth.

Moreover, the sensation of inhaling smoke wasn't particularly unpleasant.

"Definitely... different."

While the cigarettes he had stolen from the factory dulled his senses and woke him up with a dull thud at the back of his head, the new ones he had bought had a strong effect of invigorating his entire body without fatigue.

It was a much-needed effect for Renok, who needed to reduce the fatigue of his weak body more than the mental pleasure.

His body felt much more energetic and powerful than before.

It wasn't that he actually had more strength, but rather that his body was artificially stimulated, which seemed sufficient to move without much difficulty while the drug was in effect.

Renok already knew he had reached a fairly good level as a mage, but actual combat was a different matter.

When he faced sudden gunfire like when he caught Taylor Evans, his weak body and stamina should not hold him back.

Satisfied with the drug's effects, Renok lay down on the bed, exhaling smoke while thinking about what he needed to do next.

'I need to replenish my bullets.'

He had no complaints about the gun he had stolen from the supervisor, but he only had four bullets left.

Since awakening his magic, Renok had never doubted his magical abilities, but he believed that physical armament should not be neglected.

Despite his powerful talent, his body was fragile and precarious.

Starting to work in the 49th area to earn money was inevitable, but preparing for all possible dangers was a given.

'Once I earn some money, I need to think about getting a fake ID. I can't keep living as an identity-less vagrant....'

Renok, looking at the cigarette in his hand with a reluctant eye, struggled to stub it out in the ashtray.

One cigarette for 70,000 cells. By price alone, this cigarette was more expensive than the room he was staying in.

He wanted to chew the filter as well, but for now, he needed to get some sleep.

Renok took the sleeping pills from the bedside table and lay down.

During the week he spent researching public magic, he had been taking sleeping pills, and his supply was now depleted.

It seemed that the 700,000 cells he had left were already allocated.

Before long, Renok fell into a deep sleep.

An incurable insomnia. A body that struggles every day.

The sleeping pills and cigarettes he took every day would eventually build up a tolerance, and Renok would have to keep searching for stronger drugs, but

At least at this moment, his expression looked incredibly peaceful.

Another day had passed.

In the giant city of Balkan, it was the day Renok started earning money for the first time.