I Became a Magical Genius After Regression

Chapter 8

Randel checked the money pouch and tucked it into his bosom.

Then Randel headed towards the center of the lord’s castle.

In fact, Randel had not come to the lord’s castle just to sell herbs.

The herb sales money was a kind of seed money.

And with that seed money, he would grow it.

‘I need to reach the 2nd circle.’

But he didn’t plan to just reach it. He intended to do it more innovatively and quickly than others.

For that, he needed a few materials, which was the reason Randel visited the lord’s castle.

‘If my memory serves me right… it should be around here.’

Randel, who had arrived near the square, looked around.

Then he saw a sign with a picture of a short sword and a bow crossed in an alley next to him.

Randel read the words written below it.

“Mercenary Guild, Endis Branch. I’ve found it.”

Randel went directly opposite the Mercenary Guild.

It was a place where anyone coming out of the Mercenary Guild could see him immediately.

Flap.

Randell, who had laid a black cloth on the floor, sat on it and pulled his robe deep over his head.

Then he set up a sign in front of him.

[Buying damaged lowest-grade magic stones.]

[Artifact appraisal. 1 silver each.]

What Randell was aiming for was none other than magic stones.

Of course, it was difficult to buy ordinary magic stones.

Even the lowest-grade ones were not cheap, so 50 silvers wouldn’t buy many.

But damaged ones were different.

If a magic stone had a large flaw or was broken into several pieces, its value plummeted.

This was because it was difficult to make artifacts from them.

So, even if you took damaged magic stones to the wizard guilds, you wouldn’t get much money for them.

Randell planned to buy such magic stones for a bit more than what they would fetch there.

‘And the appraisal…’

He was talking about artifact appraisal.

Artifacts usually referred to items imbued with magic.

Just hearing the word might make them sound very expensive, but low-grade artifacts were surprisingly common.

If you discovered a good ruin, thousands of low-grade artifacts could pour out.

There were also cases where items possessed by monsters became artifacts as mana flowed into them.

Of course, the majority were artifacts roughly made and distributed by the wizard guilds.

They were mostly failed works made by apprentice wizards practicing their skills, sold off in bulk.

‘Those kinds of equipment are just… random.’

Since they were sold in bulk, they didn’t even tell you what kind of magic was on them.

Appraising artifacts was much harder than making them.

So, if you were lucky, you could get a usable artifact, but if you were unlucky, you could end up with junk.

Examples included a longsword that emitted light or leather armor that stained less.

‘Most mercenaries just carry artifacts around thinking there must be something useful about them.’

If you offered to appraise them for 1 silver, the mercenaries wouldn’t be at a loss.

‘Learning artifact appraisal in the past is turning out to be quite profitable.’

Although Randell was slow at casting, he had quite a knack for learning new things.

However, once he reached the intermediate level, his learning speed slowed down significantly.

Would it be the opposite of “great things take time”?

The same applied to artifact appraisal.

He couldn’t appraise anything extraordinary, but he could handle the basics.

It would be enough to appraise the artifacts used by the mercenaries of this remote territory.

“Oh, what? You’re offering to appraise equipment?”

At that moment, a mercenary who had just left the mercenary guild spotted Randel.

He approached curiously, intrigued by the sign.

Randel lowered his voice and asked him,

“Do you want it done?”

“Well, I do have one. …Are you really a wizard?”

The mercenary asked with a doubtful expression.

It was only natural. What kind of crazy wizard would do this on the street?

Instead of answering, Randel said,

“1 silver.”

“How do I know you’re a wizard? If you’re a fraud, I’ll just be wasting my money.”

At those words, Randel closed his eyes.

About ten seconds later, he extended his hand and murmured,

“…Light.”

Then, a sphere of light floated above Randel’s palm.

Even though it was broad daylight, the sphere of light was clearly visible.

“Y-you’re real. I apologize. I never thought I’d meet a wizard on the street…”

“……”

Randel extended his hand again without a word.

Despite wearing a thick robe, his small stature and build were evident.

To avoid trouble from those who might pick a fight if they knew his age, he decided to act like a grumpy wizard.

“Well, then…”

After a moment of hesitation, the mercenary drew a dagger from his waist.

He then placed it on Randel’s hand.

“I bought this from the wizard guild a while ago. But I don’t really know what it does. They said it would be useful in combat, though…”

“Wait.”

Randel pushed mana into the dagger. Then, a familiar feeling was transmitted from the slight resistance.

Randel analyzed that feeling in detail.

It was the feeling of a magic he had used many times before.

“A sliding spell is cast on it.”

“Sliding? Do you mean the kind that slides smoothly on ice?”

“Is there any other kind?”

“No! Why would anyone cast such a spell on a dagger? Do they have an excess of magic stones?”

“No. When you stab with a knife, the muscles contract, making it hard to pull out. But with a sliding spell?”

The mercenary, who had been grumbling thinking he had bought a defective product, brightened up.

“Oh! So that’s what it’s for.”

“Yes, that’s why there are no long grooves on the blade to make it easier to pull out.”

“Aha!”

The mercenary happily tried to hand over 1 silver.

But Randel shook his head and said,

“Since you’re my first customer, no need for money. Just spread the word that there’s a mage who can appraise items.”

“That’s easy!”

“And add that it’s okay to pay with defective magic stones instead of 1 silver.”

“Understood!”

The mercenary nodded and immediately turned around and went back into the mercenary guild.

“Hey, guys! Gather around. This gentleman has good news! Over there, the artifact—”

Soon, a loud shout was heard from inside.

Randel smiled contentedly as he listened to the sound.

* * *

Late afternoon.

Randel was looking into a pot.

Randel, who had turned the pot over and over, spoke to the mercenary.

“Hmm, this has… a water spell cast on it.”

“So this is a real artifact. How do you use it?”

“Do you see this small hole? Insert the lowest grade magic stone here and say the activation word.”

“Then what happens?”

“The pot will fill with water.”

“Seriously, using a magic stone just to get water?”

“You’ll miss this if you end up in the desert!”

As Randel and the mercenary were having a brief conversation, a voice of irritation came from behind.

It was the mercenaries waiting in line.

“Ah! Can you hurry up?”

“Can’t you see people are standing here?”

“Humans, I swear. Sorry about that.”

The mercenary scratched his head at the people’s fierce complaints.

Then he asked Randel.

“I heard you also accept broken magic stones…”

“That’s right.”

“How about this one?”

What the mercenary handed over was a magic stone the size of a bean.

Randel wiped the magic stone with his sleeve and examined it.

A magic stone with a deep crack in the middle.

More than half of its mana had already dissipated, making it difficult to get its full value.

“This is a bit of a loss for me… but I’ll take it.”

“Thank you!”

Randel continued to appraise the mercenaries’ items.

“What is this?”

“Oh! This has a healing spell on it.”

“Healing? You mean recovery magic?”

“That’s right. In an emergency, completely cover this necklace with one hand and recite the activation word. It’s expensive, but you’re lucky.”

“Th-thank you. Here’s the magic stone.”

“Alright, next!”

“I have this longsword. I bought it because I heard it has a spell that improves stamina, but it’s just…”

“This doesn’t have any magic on it.”

“No way. I bought it from a close friend, it can’t be.”

“You got scammed. There’s no such thing as a spell that improves stamina in the first place. Next!”

The mercenary grumbled and handed over a small magic stone.

Randell’s feelings continued for a while.

“Phew, it’s finally over.”

It was two hours later when all the waiting mercenaries had disappeared.

The alley, once filled with mercenaries, was now empty.

Since it was a remote area, there weren’t that many mercenaries.

If you go further into the mountains from here, there’s a castle where most of the mercenaries gathered.

The castle served as a forward base to block monsters, so there was plenty of work and money.

‘If I go there now, I’ll surely die.’

Monsters were dangerous, but mercenaries who had seen blood for several days were especially dangerous.

Maybe later, but no matter how fast the casting was, it was impossible with a 1-circle.

‘Then… let’s see.’

Randell opened his pocket with an expectant expression.

It was time for the long-awaited settlement.

“Oh, quite a lot.”

Inside the pocket were about 20 silver coins and 50 defective magic stones.

It was the result of appraisals and occasionally buying magic stones with money.

They were so small that even when gathered, they were only about a handful.

Still, the subtle green light emanating from the magic stones, visible only to the wizard’s eyes, was something that made him feel satisfied just by looking at it.

‘Now I only need to gather about one-third more.’

Randell smiled contentedly and was about to tidy up his stall.

But then.

“Excuse me… Wizard.”

Randell looked up at the voice calling him.

In front of him stood a middle-aged man of small stature, who had appeared out of nowhere.

With worn-out clothes and a face full of wrinkles from all sorts of hardships, he didn’t look like a mercenary at all.

“Hmm, what is it?”

“Um, can I get an appraisal even if I’m not a mercenary?”

“Of course. As long as you pay the fee.”

“Then, could you appraise this…”

The middle-aged man said so and handed over an old ring.

“This is… a copper ring.”

“Yes, yes, it’s a cheap ring. My grandfather’s grandfather received it for helping a great wizard, just in case…”

“Ah, I see.”

It was a common story.

But unfortunately, the ring didn’t have even a grain of mana.

It meant it wasn’t an artifact.

‘No, wait… not even a grain of mana?’

Randel suddenly felt a sense of incongruity.

Mana existed everywhere in the world.

Naturally, there was a small amount of mana floating around Randel, even in the air.

But there wasn’t a single grain of mana around the ring?

This meant the ring was absorbing mana.

And… as far as Randel knew.

There was only one type of artifact like this.

‘Crazy! This… this has spatial magic on it!?’

Spatial magic was literally a separate space.

Depending on the creator’s ability, it was usually large enough to hold about five carts of goods.

The owner of the artifact could put in and take out that amount of goods at any time.

Through the ring.

It sounded like an artifact optimized for smuggling, but not many people had it.

Because.

‘You need to be at least a grand wizard to make it…’

In other words, the person who made this was at least a 7th circle wizard, and one who specialized in artifact creation.

Randel looked back and forth between the ring and the man in front of him.

The shabby clothes and lifeless eyes clearly showed he was a complete stranger to magic.

If he mixed in a bit of lies, getting this ring would be a piece of cake…

Randel started to ponder.

How should he lie?

No.

‘Should I tell this man the truth?’

If he didn’t know that this was a subspace ring, there would be no problem. He could just continue living as he was now.

But if he found out?

Would this man be safe afterward?

After pondering, Randel decided to leave the choice to the man.

“Have you been worried about something lately?”

“Yes? Ah… Do you know me? Have you heard about my situation…?”

“No, you just don’t look very well.”

“Actually, my daughter is a bit sick. The medical bills…”

Nodding, Randel glanced around.

After confirming that no one was around, he gestured.

“Come closer for a moment.”

“…?”

The middle-aged man approached, puzzled.

“Mister, this is indeed an artifact.”

The sudden formality and the unexpectedly young voice startled the middle-aged man.

But more than that, the word ‘artifact’ made him swallow hard.

“Ah, an artifact?”

“Yes, it has subspace magic.”

“Subspace… What kind of magic is that?”

“Think of it as a large warehouse inside this ring. When you infuse mana into the ring, a spacious area appears where you can store items.”

“Oh! I think I’ve heard of that.”

“This is worth at least 100,000 gold. So, don’t tell anyone… and handle it well.”

Only then did the middle-aged man understand Randel’s words.

And why Randel was whispering.

“Ma, Magician…! Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing. Since you’ve seen a good artifact, I won’t charge you for the appraisal. Take care.”

With those words, Randel returned the ring.

The middle-aged man bowed his head several times in gratitude.

Then he hurriedly disappeared into the darkness.

Randell muttered as he watched the man walk away.

“True luck comes when you’re barely hanging on the edge of a cliff.”

And also when the villain kicks you.

* * *

Another day passed.

“Looks like everyone who was supposed to come is here now.”

Randell muttered as he looked at the deserted stall.

Over the past two days, at least 50 mercenaries had come and gone.

With that number, it was safe to say that every mercenary in the vicinity had gathered.

“Sigh, let’s go home now.”

Randell stood up and stretched.

Sitting all day was a torment, and he couldn’t help but groan.

He rolled up the cloth that served as his stall and tucked it under his arm, then headed back to the inn to collect his belongings.

As he started walking, his direction was a bit peculiar.

To return to the village, he should have exited through the north gate he had entered.

But Randell was taking a long detour through a secluded alley.

He arrived at a deserted clearing between the alleys.

Randell stopped abruptly and muttered.

“Those b*stards… they’re damn persistent.”

Crack, crack.

Randell cracked his neck and loosened up, then looked back at the alley behind him and spoke.

“Come out.”