Chapter 129
“Ugh, I'm tired....”
As soon as I got home, I flopped onto the bed.
Maybe because of the rocking ship, I felt twice as tired at sea as I did on land.
But tired or not, I had things to do. I headed straight for the fridge.
The black mage in the plastic bottle responded by scrunching up his eyeball.
[… I'm sick of hearing how cold it is.]
“Hang on. Once I sort out this story, I'll really move you then.”
I told the black mage what had happened during this climb.
The ghost fleet, the ghost captain's helm, and the lantern.
The black mage's eyeball scrunched up as he listened.
[You seem to have more talent for piracy than for being a mage.]
“Who're you calling arrogant?”
[A-ah, so you're a mage with a talent for fieldwork. That's an attitude rarely seen in young mages these days. Very commendable.]
“You should've said that sooner.”
[So, why did you call for this body?]
I took out the two items I'd won after beating the black mage on the 40th Floor.
[Necromancer's Wand]
[Grade: Epic]
[Mana +50]
[Black Magic Power +200%]
[The curse of the dead will follow you.]
[Memento Mori]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Can raise the dead.]
[Warning: This item is cursed.]
[You are always exposed to the threat of death.]
[Luck: -200]
They had options so impractical I couldn't use them directly, and since Chohogi kept trying to touch them, I'd hidden them away.
When I laid the items out in front of the bottle, the black mage's eyes widened.
[Th-this is.... Isn't this this body's property?]
“How is that yours? It's mine.”
[…As expected, you suit piracy.]
“Why were you even carrying garbage like this in the first place? You said you were that strong.”
I voiced the question I'd had since I first obtained these items.
[You insolent brat, calling them trash.... If I equipped every spare body with items, I'd go bankrupt. And they're all good value items.]
“Aren't the penalties too severe?”
[Those things don't matter to a black mage. A curse of the dead, a threat of death—it's all laughable.]
“Aha, so it's like a distressed property.”
Houses with ghosts, or where someone died, tend to get cheap.
Of course, ordinary people wouldn't move into a place like that no matter how cheap it was. But to some people, it's just a cheap house.
One is someone so insensitive they can't see ghosts; the other is an exorcist. The black mage is closer to the latter.
Even a self-proclaimed great mage has to choose items based on cost-effectiveness. It stung to realize that this was a world where money mattered more than strength.
“So even a great mage has to work to make a living.”
[What on earth are you thinking....]
“Anyway, I was wondering if these items might work together with the ghost ship.”
[Not a bad idea. Those are all artifacts specialized for necromancy, after all. And a ghost ship could even be called the very crystallization of necromancy.]
“So?”
[In theory, it would create quite the synergy. Debuffs like curses and threats of death would turn into buffs.]
The black mage rolled his eyeball around.
[Of course, that's only in theory. You'll only know for sure if you actually try them.]
“I'll have to bring them along next time.”
[The lantern is the same. In this body's opinion, the ghosts trapped inside it must have some use somewhere too.]
“Like what?”
[Well, the simplest would be to use them like fuel. As power for the ghost ship.]
As expected, an expert's advice was on a different level.
I nodded and jotted down the black mage's advice.
The only problem was who would use these items. I definitely couldn't use them myself.
'I already have a robe and staff.'
And I couldn't wear another layer of clothes under my outfit like Guan Yu.
“Could a black mage do a side job too?”
[As if! Black magic is a power that toys with the natural flow.... The moment you learn it, the world will hate you. You might as well assume you won't be able to use any other magic.]
“Black magic really is trash.”
[Don't underestimate black magic....]
It seemed I should lend them to someone trustworthy besides me, someone who could retrieve the items at any time.
'Teach really is the right one, huh?'
We'd only climbed three floors so far, but Teach's performance had been impressive.
And since his own strength wasn't all that great, I didn't have to worry about him betraying me later.
“I'd have to make sure he didn't die from the curse.”
Still, if tangerines can cure him, maybe he'd shrug off a curse pretty easily too?
“All right, let's call this the consultation fee.”
I opened the shipping box beside me. It was the fish tank I'd ordered earlier.
A full-option fish tank with transparent tempered glass, gleaming LED lights, and even a filter.
It still looked a little bare, so I added a few aquatic plants and the coral from the 41st Floor reward.
It was a compact size that would be packed if two or three goldfish went in, but for a 1.5-liter black mage, it was just the right size.
The black mage's eyes sparkled too.
[So I'm finally escaping that cold place…!]
“Right, let's move you in.”
I opened the plastic bottle cap and poured the black mage into the fish tank.
Gush, gush, gush.
The black liquid spread through the tank. Along with the one eyeball still floating around.
[Spacious and comfortable. So this is freedom....]
“I haven't even filled it with water yet.”
In case he somehow revived and found a body, I was planning to pour in water that would suppress magic.
[I hate tap water. It smells like disinfectant. Fill it with hexagonal water.]
“You believe that stuff? There's no such thing as hexagonal water.”
[What are you talking about? Hexagonal water is basic common sense.]
What the...? He was so confidently insisting on it that I started to doubt myself. Could there actually be real hexagonal water in the black mage's world?
My interest piqued, I asked for a more detailed explanation.
[It's water whose molecules form a perfect hexagonal structure. It's the best water there is—mana-friendly and brimming with vitality.]
"... That's pseudoscience."
I snorted. The hexagonal-water marketing fad that had once been popular.
Wasn't it just a scam that talked about water molecule structures and sold ordinary water at a markup?
[Ignorant fool, to not know the benefits of hexagonal water.]
The black mage bristled.
[Hexagonal water remembers information. A hexagonal structure is the most perfect form for containing the universe's energy! Do you know why ice forms hexagonal crystals? Because that's the form closest to the essence of water!]
He began to launch into a passionate speech.
[In my homeland, only hexagonal water was recognized as true water. If you're a mage, of course you should care about even the water you drink!]
"...."
The more I listened, the more strangely convincing it sounded. Could hexagonal water actually be real?
Surely a mage of that caliber wouldn't be fooled by a con artist.
More than anything, in the fantasy world he came from, real hexagonal water might actually exist.
I nodded blankly.
“Maybe I should try to find some later.”
Of course, I had no intention of giving it to this guy. If I got something that precious, I'd put it on Chohogi's head, so why would I give it to him?
“For now, this will have to do.”
I took out a small water bottle. It was seawater I'd scooped up from the 40th Floor seas.
[What kind of water is this?]
“Deep ocean water. It's rich in minerals.”
[Hmm, if it's that much, it's not bad.]
I remembered how I could barely use any magic in the seawater around the 40th Floor and poured the water into the tank.
Gush, gush, gush.
The black mage trembled for a moment.
[Salty....]
Salt repels evil.
But it seemed that seawater filled with lots of that salt wasn't enough to make the black mage melt away or anything.
But soon, a strange phenomenon occurred.
The spread-out black liquid began clumping together, then turned into a round ball.
It looked like a sea urchin or a marimo. The only difference was that an eyeball was embedded in the center.
[M-my body...?]
“What's wrong?”
[This water is strange. My body is clumping up and won't come apart!]
It floated around in the seawater, panicking.
It seemed my guess had been at least partly right.
“It actually looks pretty cute like this.”
I poked the black mage, now clumped into a round ball, with my finger.
It felt springy and bouncy.
Cute enough for me to understand why people keep marimo as pets.
[To be reduced to such a humiliating form.... Just kill me instead....]
I smiled in satisfaction and closed the fish tank lid. Now it would be hard for him to get any funny ideas, escape, or use magic.
I placed the tank in the middle of the living room, somewhere easy to see. With the LED lights on, the black marimo glowed even more beautifully in the blue light.
It was perfect as a decor piece. It was almost too nice to keep to myself.
I immediately took a few photos and went online.
It had nothing to do with hunters, but I posted it on Hunter Gallery anyway. That place was the internet's trash can, so it didn't matter.
[❗+❗+It's❗+❗+my❗+❗+❗+turn to perform❗+❗]
[A Hunter bro picked up a pet in the tower....]
[♿️+♿️Why did you ban me?♿️+♿️]
“What the hell?”
Of all places, Hunter Gallery was currently being hit with a sudden protest.
My post was completely hidden by the flashy protest threads.
Naturally, the response was disappointing. Even if I refreshed, not only were there no comments, the view count wouldn't go up either.
“What are the mods doing? Why aren't they banning the trolls?”
Upstanding users like me are getting hurt in real time, and they're doing nothing? I was so mad I almost wanted to join the protest myself.
It was embarrassing to leave a post with such low views sitting there.
I deleted the post and went off to find another gallery that might pay attention to me.
“There should be a fish-related gallery....”
I searched for Fish Gallery and went in first. But Fish Gallery was a dead gallery that hadn't seen a new post in months.
“These days there are too many galleries for a single topic.”
With no choice, I searched around for the most active gallery. Fortunately, thanks to the 'related galleries' system, I found it quickly.
Fish Gallery.
It turned out the original Fish Gallery had been ruined by trolls, so everyone had moved here en masse.
[I've uploaded some photos from the past. Take a look.]
[Why does the aquatic plant grow while lying down?]
[I picked up a fish someone abandoned today.]
“What's with this vibe?”
The vibe was starkly different from the galleries I'd usually seen. It reminded me of the old Plant Gallery.
"... Is it okay to post here?"
I posted on Fish Gallery for the first time in my life, feeling a faint sense of guilt.
[I adopted a newbie fish, so please rate it.]
[ㅇㅇ(33Y.3Y3)]
[I found it on the street and I'm going to keep it now.]
[I named it Kkammuk-i.]
Maybe because there weren't many people there, the comments came in slowly.
But the advantage of a low-traffic board was that everyone read every post. Before long, I had collected plenty of comments.
ㄴ You decorated the tank beautifully ^^
ㄴ The coral and lighting look great too.
ㄴ But what kind of creature is that? A sea urchin?
ㄴ (OP): It's a marimo.
ㄴ For a marimo, it looks a little fierce.
ㄴ The fish'll all run away lol.
ㄴ It looks like it has an eyeball?? Isn't this a monster larva?
“Are these people angels?”
The wholesomeness was unlike anything I'd seen before, and I even teared up. It felt like the darkness in my heart was being washed away.
Feeling satisfied, I closed the gallery, thinking I might have to move my main gallery over here.
And then, a little while later.
When I absentmindedly went into Hunter Gallery, I couldn't believe my eyes.
[What is a Tower anon doing here?]
My Fish Gallery post and all the comments had been captured as screenshots and were sitting on Hunter Gallery's best posts.