Chapter 42
‘It worked.’
Fire Arrow.
Now that my body had memorized the operational method for this spell, casting it a second time would be overwhelmingly easier than the first.
It had always been this way.
If I added the intricacies of the original copy to this, I could potentially enhance its power even further.
After extinguishing the spell,
I glanced at my empty right hand and smirked.
There were still countless 2nd Circle spells left to work on besides this one.
The first spells I planned to refine were those representing the four elements.
Fire, water, wind, earth.
Since each attribute had its own strengths and weaknesses, it was best to utilize all four.
With that thought in mind, I began to focus.
***
One day.
That was how long it took to create hybrid operational methods for the 2nd Circle spells representing each attribute.
For water-based magic, Ice Fog.
For wind-based magic, Wind Fist.
And for earth-based magic, Earth Wall.
Creating hybrid operational methods for these three spells wasn’t too difficult.
That was because I had already raised my understanding of them to 100%.
‘My attribute affinity seems to be balanced too.’
Attribute Affinity.
Every mage naturally had attributes they resonated with and those they struggled with. Usually, they were proficient in one or two attributes.
But I was different.
All four attributes showed decent compatibility with me.
‘This Kyle fellow.’
His body turned out to be surprisingly useful.
To be precise, I should say that the mana retention in this body was extraordinary.
After refining the spells to a satisfactory level, I immediately called Leonhardt and Erciel.
“Do you both have some time?”
“Do we have somewhere to go?”
“Yes. Something just came to mind. I plan to visit Prinus.”
At my words, the escort knight’s expression darkened slightly.
I could guess the reason.
Prinus.
This was a medium-sized city located right next to Trastan, and to describe it in one phrase:
‘The city of luxury and indulgence.’
It was a place perfect for revelry.
Especially for wealthy heirs like Kyle, it was practically a paradise.
Naturally, during the time when this body was still a delinquent, frequent visits to Prinus were a part of daily life.
That was likely why Leonhardt’s expression soured.
I smirked at him.
“I’m not going there to party like before, so don’t worry too much.”
“Then why…?”
“There’s someone I need to find.”
The 298th year of the Imperial Calendar, early May.
Around this time, the protagonist of this game would be desperately struggling.
Right in the middle of an illegal arena where slaves were gathered.
And yes, the keyword here was illegal.
Illegal Arena.
It was the starting point when players first selected the protagonist.
The protagonist of this game.
I didn’t know if he would actually be there.
But if there was even a 1% chance, it was worth checking.
That guy, as a protagonist, was an absolute prodigy.
‘Two talents were randomly assigned to him in the early game.’
And every one of those talents was extraordinary.
In about a month, he would attempt to escape from the arena.
If the game followed the storyline I knew.
Where he would go after that, even I didn’t know.
Since the game offered a high degree of freedom, there were no predetermined routes after the early arena stage.
Which is why,
‘I need to find him before he leaves.’
And naturally, I planned to make him one of my subordinates.
***
The illegal arena where the protagonist was located.
It was in Prinus, the city right next to Trastan.
‘The location is perfect.’
It was close enough to reach within a day by magic carriage.
‘Wasn’t it managed by Viscount Remington?’
Being a medium-sized city, the noble overseeing it wasn’t of particularly high status.
Then again, being a viscount still carried a fair amount of influence.
When you considered things, I’d say we were on roughly the same level.
Though he was a viscount, Viscount Remington didn’t hold much sway compared to others of the same rank.
This was why lineage mattered.
Especially in a society structured around nobility.
Simply because I was the youngest son of a prestigious family, I could stand on an equal footing with a viscount.
The illegal arena was essentially under Viscount Remington’s jurisdiction.
If it weren’t, there was no way such rampant illegal activities would operate so openly.
The arena’s manager was likely paying hefty bribes to the viscount.
‘It’ll be easy to gain entry.’
Kyle Seltarion.
This guy was one of Prinus’s VVIP customers, a prized patron.
In a city of luxury and indulgence, he was someone whose visits were entirely expected.
Thus, the viscount would likely welcome me without a second thought.
‘Any rumors of change about me would be dismissed as nonsense.’
People only believe what they see with their own eyes.
Though my appearance had changed since overcoming Hermemu, at first glance, they’d just think I was the same as before.
If I showed even a hint of my delinquent side, they’d quickly conclude that my nature hadn’t changed.
After putting them at ease, I planned to ask about thrilling, bloody entertainment.
Surely, they’d eagerly direct me to the illegal arena.
Why would they refuse a patron ready to spend gold freely?
They’d probably prepare the finest seats for me.
Once inside the arena, all that remained would be to find the protagonist.
‘Once I find him.’
My first plan would be to purchase him.
It was common practice to buy and sell slave gladiators.
However, there was one variable.
‘He must have talents, but I don’t know what they are.’
Gladiators.
In the arena, gladiators were typically categorized into five tiers:
Lowest, Low, Intermediate, High, and Top.
The classification criteria were simple.
How well could they fight in a bloody spectacle?
And how much could they excite the audience?
Those were the primary factors for determining their rank.
If this guy had talent as a knight, he would have already reached a high rank by now.
If they offered a reasonable price, I’d just buy him outright.
‘But they probably won’t give me a fair deal.’
They’d definitely think they’ve caught a golden goose and quote an exorbitantly high price.
Or worse, they might refuse to sell him altogether.
If they had a gladiator with real talent, it would naturally attract more customers. So, it might be an understandable decision.
‘In that case, I’ll just wipe them out.’
If the protagonist is there,
I’ll destroy everyone at the illegal arena if I must to ensure he ends up in my hands.
With Leonhardt, Erciel, and my own strength combined, crushing those thugs wouldn’t be difficult.
The illegal arena.
Just hearing its name evoked a foul stench, and the people who operated there were likely the scum of the earth.
Murder, drugs, kidnapping, human trafficking.
Those things were their everyday business.
So, I wouldn’t feel even a shred of guilt.
The only thing that might be a concern was any potential retaliation from the viscount.
‘But the viscount won’t be able to act so easily.’
There’s a reason the word “illegal” precedes the arena’s name. If such a place were destroyed and the viscount openly retaliated, it could prompt an investigation, and the imperial judiciary would likely crack down hard.
Direct intervention would be impossible.
Doing so would be tantamount to admitting they had been backing the illegal arena.
At most, they might send masked agents to launch a street ambush.
If I could secure the protagonist,
‘That much is fine.’
I could handle that with a smile.
After all, once I visited this place, I had no intention of ever returning to Prinus.
‘Ideally, I’d just pay for him and leave cleanly.’
If not, there was no other choice but to bring down the hammer of justice.
If the protagonist was indeed there, now was the best chance to turn him into one of my own.
If I waited too long, his talents would let him soar to even greater heights.
‘That would be unacceptable.’
It would only make it exponentially harder to bring him under my wing.
People are most grateful when they’re helped during their hardest times.
The perfect moment to extend a warm, helping hand was now.
After finalizing my thoughts, I sent Leonhardt to Abel with a request.
The goal was to borrow platinum coins.
Just seventeen of them.
Considering the entrance fee and tips, I’d need about thirty gold coins to throw around.
In modern terms, this was about 30 million won.
It was absurdly expensive for mere entry and tips, but given that this was a venue where all sorts of high-ranking nobles gathered, it was practically mandatory.
Like how modern-day heirs to corporate empires spent lavishly on entertainment, this place wasn’t much different.
If anything, during this centralized imperial era, such extravagance was likely even worse than in modern times.
Fortunately, I had just enough to cover it.
‘Seventeen platinum coins.’
This was the absolute maximum I could offer to the thugs.
If I needed more, I’d have to borrow heavily from Abel, which I’d feel bad about.
And asking the marquess for money was out of the question.
After all, I had already acquired the mana stone.
‘Hopefully, he hasn’t become a top-tier gladiator.’
At best, he’d be high-tier.
If so, this amount should suffice for the purchase.
As long as the thugs didn’t try to inflate the price.
1.7 billion won.
For a single gladiator, this was an astronomical price.
‘If they gouge me…’
Then I’d simply stick to the plan.
After Leonhardt returned with the funds,
and I informed the marquess that I was heading to the neighboring city, I immediately boarded the magic carriage and set off for Prinus.
***
A day.
That’s how long it took the magic carriage to reach Prinus.
After presenting my identification and passing a brief inspection, I took a moment to glance around the city.
As I did, knights began to approach me.
Their message was simple.
Viscount Remington wanted to meet me.
Considering how much money I used to throw around during my visits here, this wasn’t surprising.
It was likely that they wanted to provide special treatment for the visit of a VVIP guest.
“Is the viscount busy right now? I’d like to meet him immediately.”
Before I had even finished speaking, the knights nodded.
“Not at all. Then, let us…”
“Lead the way immediately.”
I interrupted mid-sentence, speaking with a condescending tone and looking at them with a belittling gaze.
Even cutting off their words.
It was the same behavior I had shown in the past when I was a delinquent.
The knights’ brows furrowed slightly, as expected.
Of course.
Their expressions said it all.
If I kept behaving like this, gaining entry to the illegal arena wouldn’t be a problem.
After all, wasn’t it the perfect place for someone as unruly as me?
I had already informed Leonhardt and Erciel of my plan to act this way, so my sudden shift in demeanor didn’t faze them.
With that, we moved toward the inner city.
After a brief wait, Viscount Remington appeared.
His face was glistening with oil.
And his belly bulged with fat.
He was the very image of a greedy noble.
The pig greeted me warmly.
“Oh! Sir Kyle! It has been far too long. You look better than ever!”
The man examined my face carefully.
A faint trace of caution flickered in his eyes.
He was probably curious to know if my personality had changed along with my appearance.
Now was the time to meet his expectations.
“Haha! Isn’t it Viscount Remington? My goodness. It was so hard to get out of that wretched annex. To think it’s been this long since I’ve been able to visit this delightful city… I’ve missed it so much.”
“Hoho. I heard you were under house arrest. The marquess was too harsh. To confine such a fine young man like Sir Kyle for so long.”
“Exactly! And I’ve had my allowance cut off this entire time. Living has been so difficult. Honestly, even if he’s my father, isn’t that going too far?”
“Hah! Sir Kyle, I fully understand your feelings.”
When I responded with a bit of irritation, the pig visibly relaxed.
The attitude I was displaying now wasn’t any different from how I had acted in the past.
When I casually propped my feet up on his desk, the pig roared with laughter.
“Hoho! As expected! Sir Kyle, your boldness remains the same as ever!”
“Well, I’ve always been consistent. I live as though today is my last. That’s my creed.”
“Hah! That’s how a real man should live. Sir Kyle, you are truly a man among men!”
Satisfied with his reaction, I sent him a confident smile.
“To be honest, without your manor, where could I possibly feel this comfortable? My goodness. I can’t even rest properly in my own home.”
“You must have had such a hard time. Feel free to relax as much as you like. Would you care for a drink?”
With that, the viscount poured me a glass of whiskey.
“Of course! How could you know that I love drinking? You’re truly one of a kind, Viscount. Now, hand it over.”
Since I had already broken through the barrier near my crown, I could use mana to dispel any hangover that might reach my head.
As we exchanged whiskey and drank,
the viscount’s expression softened as he grew intoxicated.
“I must admit, I was a bit worried when I heard rumors about Sir Kyle.”
“Worried? About what?”
“There were so many rumors about you having changed. Honestly, I always liked you just the way you were. I was worried I might lose a good friend.”
Friend, my foot.
He was just afraid of losing a golden goose.
Kyle’s level of spending made him one of the top twenty VVIP customers in this city of indulgence.
“Haha! What choice did I have in that cursed annex? If I hadn’t pretended to change, I’d have been stuck there forever.”
“Hoho… Is that so?”
As the viscount chuckled contentedly,
I pretended to relax into the intoxication and let my face loosen.
Showing a disheveled expression, I grinned at the viscount.
Now, it was time to show him what being a true delinquent was all about.
—
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