Chapter 107
I looked at the monitor.
He bought booze with the gold pieces I gave him.
I can see a man at home staring fixedly at the letter.
Kingjjang Evil Spirit : This is seriously legendary lol
Kingjjang Evil Spirit : Buying booze with the newbie's gold pieces first thing isn't the behavior of an ordinary loafer, is it??
ㄴDIP: Is this guy the real deal...?
ㄴDIP: I thought something was off ever since he kicked that begging little kid's tin can
ㄴDIP: At this point, even the Ant Queen would hit a wall, wouldn't she??
ㄴAnt Queen : Hehe;;
ㄴAnt Queen : I'm not doing it just to feel superior, though;;
ㄴGolem King : Those human trash who've already given up on life really do move on a different level lol
ㄴGolem King : I thought the people who've come into the dungeon so far were the most MS-like, but the real MS is that guy...
Magic Hero : Mr. Newbie
Magic Hero : By any chance, why did you target that person...?
Magic Hero : There are plenty of capable mages besides that useless human trash...
His name was definitely Nordel, right.
He wasn't a human living a normal life.
A so-called deadweight, I guess.
He was the most hopeless person I'd met in this world.
ㄴNewbie : Just because I wanted to give him a chance to make a fresh start?
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : Beep! Beep! Wee-woo!
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : Newbie lie radar has detected a signal!
Huh?
Love, what kind of gimmick are you going for now, seriously.
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : Speaking as the authority on Newbie psychology, I, this Human-Loving Dog, dare to say that if Newbie had wanted to help someone in hard times, he would probably have helped some other good person instead of a guy like that!
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : In my opinion, you see? (adjusts glasses)
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : If, by some slim chance, that jamming bomb were discovered by some other clever intruder and it came to light that there was a collaborator tied to the 'Dungeon Master,' then just for having made the bomb, someone could get screwed over... The odds are low, of course, but since it's not 0%, Newbie targeted human trash!
Hmm, not bad.
That's a reasonable suspicion.
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : If you object, you'll end up getting a minion like the Ant Queen. Sucks to be you.
ㄴCowhead : You fucking bitch.
ㄴTV Head : There are things you can say and things you can't, damn it.
ㄴSquinty-Eyed Character : I won't object.
ㄴWhaleWhaleYeah : Is this actually real...
ㄴAnt Queen : ^^?
Still, though.
When people do things, how could their intentions only ever be one thing?
What I'd said to Mahiro wasn't a lie.
I really did plan to give him a reward if he followed the letter's instructions, and this time there really was no bizarre phenomenon or anything.
So the contents of the letter were true.
This was truly a chance for him to change his life.
"Malang, do a little more work for me."
-Ugh.
Of course, whether he made use of it was up to him.
***
"Who on earth sent this to me?"
Nordel tipped back the bottle.
No matter how much he drank, he didn't feel drunk.
If anything, his mind felt razor-sharp.
As clear as when he used to study magic with genuine passion.
"My parents are already dead, and that bitch I split up with last time would never give me this much money. What the hell is this, really?"
For the first time in ages, his wallet had gotten thick.
He thought he could probably get by for a week with this.
「Do you think you're living a life where no matter how hard you try, you never get rewarded?」
「For such people, we are providing a chance to change their lives in a paradise of dreams and hope.」
A paradise of dreams and hope, huh. What are they after?
No matter how he thought about it, Nordel couldn't reach a conclusion, and it made him restless.
Still, one thing was certain.
The person who sent this letter had given him money.
「Solve this problem correctly and we will give you a prize.」
Nordel thought.
The problem was simple. It was about magic.
Even a first-tier mage could probably solve it easily.
Honestly, there was no reason not to do it.
It was free money, and he didn't even have to lift a finger.
「Please bring the answer to the problem and go to the meeting place at the time written below.」
Of course, all of this only held if the contents of the letter were true.
He might just end up with nothing to show for it.
But Nordel needed money.
At the very least, he needed quite a lot of it to enjoy this boring, stale life.
Let's go.
First, let's check whether it's true.
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"Here?"
The location mentioned in the letter wasn't that far from the Barony of Roberta.
The place was reachable in about half a day on foot, and Nordel stood on a snow-white plain.
"The tree marked with an X... there it is."
Plod, plod.
Leaving footprints behind, he walked on.
He waited beneath the tree.
It was about time for the appointment.
He was curious what the face of the person who'd sent him a letter like this looked like.
He'd be able to see it soon enough.
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.
However, what was about to happen was different from Nordel's expectations.
The wind blew.
Snowflakes swirled, obscuring his vision.
That was when it happened.
Thud.
A gold ingot split in half fell from the sky.
"W-what?"
Looking down at the gold ingot at his feet, Nordel was thoroughly flustered.
What the hell had just happened?
There was no mana reaction.
Then that meant what had just happened wasn't magic.
Nordel used detection magic.
Even so, there was nothing around him.
That meant there was no one here but me.
"How in the world did this happen...?"
His blood ran cold.
Goosebumps rose along his spine.
That was only natural.
When humans encountered an incomprehensible phenomenon, fear was only natural.
"Could the God of Oblivion have passed by...?"
Nordel picked up the split gold ingot.
He bit it, and teeth marks were left behind. It really was gold.
His panic lasted only a moment before delight spread across his face.
The value of this half of a gold ingot was considerable.
It was enough money to let him loaf around for three years.
"Hahaha."
This was an incredible stroke of luck.
He returned to the domain with a spring in his step.
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He got enough sleep for the first time in a long while.
Enough money bought him breathing room.
When he saw his reflection in the mirror, the dark circles under his eyes had faded.
Wondering if maybe it was a dream, he turned his gaze to the desk.
Half of a gold ingot was there.
This wasn't a dream.
It was reality.
"Hahaha."
He laughed.
Apparently in a very good mood today, he hummed to himself as he went outside.
"Wait a second."
Before going to the shopping district to buy liquor, he checked the mailbox.
Then there was another shabby letter inside.
His heart pounded.
Both hands gripping the letter trembled violently.
「This time, if you look at this blueprint and make the corresponding item, we'll give you a prize.」
「Please take the item and go to the meeting place at the time written below.」
Even a mere second-tier mage could tell.
That this blueprint was perfect, as if it had been carved by the God of Magic.
"A jamming bomb... It's definitely something I've never seen before, but this is doable."
It was even easy to make.
The moment he saw the blueprint, he thought even at his level he could make it.
The materials needed were expensive and somewhat hard to procure, though.
But all of them were things he could easily obtain through merchants.
And right now, he even had half a gold ingot.
"A prize..."
Is God giving me a chance?
It was definitely harder than last time, but if he couldn't do this, he was a fool.
A host of fantasies swirled through Nordel's head.
Could this letter keep coming to me?
Could I make money without even having to work?
Even if I couldn't leave my mark on the world like the great mages could.
As long as I ended up with more than the money those mages who looked down on me earned by working like dogs, that was enough, wasn't it?
After all, aside from a few geniuses, most mages became mages to make money; if that was the case, I was above them.
The power money held was terrifying.
If the sum was large enough, you could even buy a poor noble's status, so there were few things in this world as capable of creating possibilities as money.
…….
Nordel made the item and headed to the meeting place.
Then he obtained one gold ingot.
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Nordel exchanged the gold ingot for cash.
In all his life, he'd never handled this much money except when he liquidated his parents' inheritance.
Even after buying expensive liquor from the market and fine-looking clothes, the money still didn't run dry.
'Come to think of it, I was behind on rent. Was it three months' worth?'
Nordel headed to the landlord's house.
It was the house right next to the shabby brick house Nordel lived in.
Knock, knock.
When he knocked, the door opened.
With a self-satisfied expression, Nordel held out a bulging sack.
The old man who came out to the doorway frowned and opened his mouth.
"Don't tell me you killed someone?"
"Huh?"
"You paid off the back rent and even the tab you ran up at that shop over there, and you bought expensive clothes too—where in the world did you get that much money?"
The old man stared at Nordel.
He had deep ties to Nordel's parents, who had lived like complete scoundrels, and would usually turn a blind eye and let Nordel slide on the rent.
"Nordel..."
The old man looked as though he feared Nordel might have crossed the line.
He seemed worried.
"The landlord just needs the rent. What does it matter how I earn my money? And it isn't money earned in the way you're thinking, old man, so stop meddling in things you don't need to meddle in."
"Then..."
"Geez, you're persistent. I said it's not like that. It's money I made with magic."
"Is that really true?"
"Do you really think I'd go around robbing people just because I'm short on cash?"
Nordel didn't cross the line.
That wasn't because he was virtuous, but because he knew his own limits.
"How much did you make?"
"Why do you ask?"
"You need to live like a person. How long are you going to keep renting and living here? You should buy your own house, get married, and start a family. Your dead mother and father would want that desperately too... From now on, hand over the money you earn to me."
Nordel clicked his tongue.
He hated that old man, who was already over forty and still treated him like a child.
"I'll handle it myself, so don't interfere."
"......"
"You don't need to be that nosy, old man. I'll live a life far more splendid and flashy than the one you just described."
Nordel left.
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Nordel thought.
Yeah.
Maybe the old man's words were right.
He couldn't keep living in a shabby hovel while paying rent forever.
Rather than spending money recklessly, maybe it would be better to save it and prepare for later.
After all, there was no telling how long these letters in his hands would keep coming.
But still.
"What made you call us out for once?"
"You always leech off us saying you're broke, so why bring us to such an expensive place?"
"This time my project succeeded. I made a lot of money. Today I'm treating, so eat and drink whatever you want."
"Whoa, seriously?"
"You said you were always holed up in your room researching every day, and you actually succeeded?"
Maybe it was okay to enjoy the moment a little.
"Honestly, I thought you were just goofing off. Sorry for underestimating you."
"How could a mere commoner ever understand a genius's mind? Then you'll rise through the ranks and ride a success streak at the mage tower, huh?"
"I don't really want to succeed at the mage tower. Those bastards didn't know my potential."
Those who usually didn't show it but thought of me like a bug now looked up at me.
I had stepped into places I'd never dared go before, and women who had once seemed like paintings were pouring me drinks.
"Sir, are you a mage?"
"Yeah."
"No wonder, I like intelligent people."
Nordel chatted with the woman while looking at the letter.
This time, it said to make three items.
Naturally, there was also information about the reward.
…….
So.
Let's enjoy this a little longer.
Because this moment is far too sweet.