Chapter 43
“Usagi-nim said she wanted to know if a Psychokinetic Community existed. She was also curious if Max-nim was a member there.”
A Psychokinetic Community? What is that minor group?
It was a group Max had never heard of in his life.
“Do Ninjas have their own Community or something?”
Usagi must have asked through Meredith because Meredith wanted something. But he couldn’t even grasp what her purpose was.
Was it some kind of prejudice born from the closed-off image unique to Mages?
Max scratched his head in perplexity and asked back.
“…Are you asking for information within the scope of what I know?”
“Yes. Usagi-nim said she wanted to ask Max-nim. Psychokinetic Mages aren’t common, and finding a Mage who has reached the 4th Tier like Max-nim is even harder.”
“Hmm.”
Meredith had relayed the message to Max according to Usagi’s request.
And she proceeded with the same procedure as always.
“Before you give your answer, I would like to negotiate the request fee. Since Usagi-nim mentioned she wanted to haggle over the phone, I, Meredith, will sit in as a mediator──.”
“No. I have no intention of accepting this as a request, and I don’t need a reward. This is just… the information is too trivial to accept as a request, so let’s just say she owes me a meal if we meet on a request later.”
“Pardon?”
“It seems Usagi is misunderstanding something about Mages. I won’t deny the possibility that a Psychokinetic Community might exist somewhere, but at the very least, I am not a member, nor have I ever heard of it.”
Max expressed his refusal of Usagi’s request while still providing a sufficient answer.
He even added a follow-up remark to save the Association’s face.
“For the Bohemian Mercenary Association, wouldn’t a piece of information that might lead somewhere be a more profitable trade than a few pennies of negligible commission fees?”
“…It is as Max-nim says.”
From the perspective of the Association, which generated profit by taking a cut of the commission, Max’s refusal and actions were not a welcome sight.
However, just as the Association President had mentioned, Meredith placed more value on forming amicable relationships between core Mercenaries than on the commission fees.
“Our Association has not learned anything about a Psychokinetic Community either.”
“You must have wondered if there was one after hearing Usagi’s request.”
“They say the Association’s eyes are spread throughout Haze, but there are always unseen blind spots.”
Max took a sip of his coffee and asked subtly.
“From the way Usagi is asking, it seems there’s a Psychokinetic she’s urgently looking for.”
“I didn’t ask for the detailed Background. It’s rare for Mercenaries to confide their private lives to the Association in the first place, and Usagi-nim is a Person of very few words.”
“It’s a shame I can’t be of help, but I hope it gets resolved well.”
“I will properly convey what Max-nim has said.”
And then came the main point Max had been waiting for.
Meredith unlocked the bag she was carrying. She rotated it toward Max, revealing the contents.
“This is an item manufactured by Genesis Bio, called Angel’s Feather.”
It was a slender white crystal about 15cm long. The way it floated gently inside the transparent Container truly looked like an Angel’s Feather.
The name written on the storage case was Seraph Plume.
Angel’s Feather was just a simple nickname, and it seemed Seraph’s Plume was its real name.
‘It’s highly concentrated energy. How did they compress this much power?’
The aura it gave off was one thing.
Its form also didn’t fall short of its grandiose name.
“…This is an item I’m seeing for the first time. To think Genesis Bio had a product like this.”
Max had even purchased Genesis Bio’s solutions through a Broker.
But this was his first time seeing a product called Angel’s Feather. He hadn’t even heard rumors about it.
“Angel’s Feather is not an officially sold item. I heard the production process is incredibly demanding, making it unsuitable to be released as a product.”
Max had experience working at Cheonmyeong Pharmaceuticals, which was comparable to Genesis Bio.
Listening to the explanation, he could figure it out.
“Usually, items like this are the matrices that are born during the development of a technology.”
This meant there was a high probability it was a byproduct created through repeated implementations to perfect a specific technology.
In truth, it was a story Unrelated to Max.
As long as it could increase his magic power, anything was fine.
“Do I just eat it? I can’t even get a sense of how to use it.”
“You can just consume it. It has been determined that it is harmless to ingest and will increase your magic power capacity.”
“It seems it wasn’t originally intended for consumption.”
Meredith neither confirmed nor denied it.
Thanks to that, the perception that Angel’s Feather was the byproduct of a specific technology became clear.
‘It doesn’t matter what it is. I don’t feel any harmful aura from it either.’
Max held the Container and observed the Angel’s Feather.
While he was doing so, a sudden question came to mind.
“If Genesis Bio says the production process is demanding, it must be a precious item… Can this be covered by the request fee of a 4th-Tier Mercenary?”
“The Client heard the news and made up the difference. They said they were extremely satisfied with the results of this District 41 request.”
“Oho, then I won’t refuse and will gratefully accept it.”
Max expressed his gratitude while racking his brain.
He didn’t know who the Client was, but the Client probably didn’t just add money; the Client likely helped procure the item as well.
Objectively speaking, the Association President’s status wasn’t high enough to obtain a not-for-sale item from Genesis Bio.
“Not asking about this is the right answer.”
He quietly pocketed the item and changed the subject to avoid further discussion.
“Ah, I also have a favor to ask of Meredith-nim.”
“Is it a request like Usagi-nim’s, Max-nim?”
“Haha! Unfortunately, no. It’s because there are some documents I need to get issued.”
Max briefly informed her of the current situation at his office.
“It’s becoming increasingly difficult to reach a Request Agreement within the district due to unit price issues. I am planning an Office Relocation.”
“Since your tier has risen at a rapid pace, that is entirely possible. Have you decided on the district you will relocate your office to?”
“I’m thinking of the District 10s. I’ve narrowed down the candidates, so I plan to do some legwork myself and decide.”
“Understood. The Association will prepare the necessary documents.”
“Thank you.”
“Usagi-nim will be waiting for the news, so I will take my leave now. Thank you for your time.”
Having finished her business, Meredith packed the case that had held the Angel’s Feather and hurried to prepare for her departure.
Lastly, she conveyed that Usagi and Bivol had agreed to the disposal of the Cheongrin Family’s sword and the Steiger Family’s firearm without issue, and then left the office.
“…”
Max blankly observed the Container in the quieted office.
Angel’s Feather, something grandiose beyond his expectations, had arrived.
‘There’s no reason to drag this out. Shall I get right to it?’
Max locked the office door and entered his Personal Space.
Pop!
He tilted the opened Container and opened his mouth.
It drifted down gently like a feather falling from the sky.
“Hmm?”
It didn’t have any taste. The texture was somewhat like jelly.
He swallowed it whole, trying to chew it as little as possible.
“Fascinating.”
The sensation of it passing down his throat was distinct, like that of drinking high-proof liquor.
Because of that, he could feel the feather, which was slowly plummeting into his body, being drawn toward his heart, his Magic Core.
The subtle substance that was neither solid nor liquid dissolved into a mush.
Instead of falling downward, it crept toward his heart.
Since it couldn’t approach the heart directly in its current state, the energy then transformed like a gas.
It gently permeated the walls.
“Oh.”
A coolness spread throughout his entire body, like the sensation of inhaling after eating a peppermint candy.
And then, it converged on his heart.
Max took a deep Breath and raised his concentration.
‘This amount of magic power is more than enough. Even after reaching the 5th Tier, I’ll still have quite a bit of magic power left over.’
The energy condensed in the feather was incredible.
He didn’t know what technology they were trying to implement to produce this byproduct, but the compression power was immense. He couldn’t help but marvel at Genesis Bio’s technological prowess.
“The beginning is…”
Max traced back his memories.
Using the energy bestowed by the Angel’s Feather as a foundation, he began to boldly refine his circuits.
The 5th Tier is where one comes to possess Unique Magic.
In truth, this sentence was backward.
One reaches the 5th Tier because one can construct the clear imagery and foundational circuits to wield one’s own Unique Magic.
This wasn’t a story limited solely to the existence of Mages.
“Impact, Severing, and Psychokinesis.”
He incorporated these three types into his circuits.
Vwoooom - !!!
A bead of sweat that started on his forehead and was about to drip down his chin reversed course, unable to reach the floor.
The objects in Max’s room floated into the air. Some were crumpled, and others were cut.
It was due to the influence of the leaking magic power.
Had about ten minutes passed like that?
The floating objects returned to their places all at once.
Max opened his eyes.
“Haa…”
The insanely refreshing feeling one could experience the moment one succeeded in advancing.
Even the sensation of breathing was different.
Finally, the 5th Tier.
Max stood at his original starting point.