Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 129

# 130

A City Hiding Madness 1

Legion felt his heart pounding.

He was so happy that he had to bite his tongue to keep from showing it. Showing too much excitement meant he’d have to give up a lot.

Of course, the thing in front of him was something he’d give anything for, but right now, he needed to act like he didn’t care, like he didn’t need it.

Damn it, Lactorerium here of all places!

Mark’s scan revealed it was surprisingly high-grade Lactorerium. The only downside was that it had already been processed once. According to the scan, about 60 percent of it was mixed with unknown minerals.

That meant about 40 percent was Lactorerium.

Heh heh heh…….

High-grade Lactorerium… I’m so happy I could die.

“How much would this be worth in a trade?”

Heinz asked with a grin.

He already knew everything. Of course, he would. This much Lactorerium was worth at least 1 million gold…….

That was the minimum value if sold.

He could quit magic, buy a fief as a baron, and live off his wealth for three generations.

Legion stared at him silently.

How can I get this for free?

“You want books?”

“Something like that.”

Heinz said smoothly.

“How about 30 books, the entire collection?”

“Hmm…….”

Legion nodded slowly.

Then, he reached into his subspace pocket and stacked books next to him. One book, two books, three books… twenty-nine books. Heinz’s eyes gleamed brighter with each book.

Legion placed five small crystals next to them.

“Add a lemonade.”

A homely waitress quickly brought a cold lemonade. Legion took a sip and handed one of the crystals to Heinz.

“Eat it.”

“What is this?”

“Eat one first, then we can talk about the trade. One is a gift. Though it’s a bit of a waste.”

Heinz carefully took it and looked at Legion.

It didn’t seem to be poison. The guys with Legion were drooling as they stared at the crystal with truly admiring eyes.

Heinz cautiously put it in his mouth.

And then, he was shocked.

-Ding ding! Intelligence has increased by 1.

“Th, this can’t be! How can this be…….”

“Alright, stop being so happy and sit down.”

Heinz sat down with a much more humble posture than before. He was still in disbelief. Intelligence increased? Just by eating that? Then what is the value of that thing?

Legion crossed his legs and asked.

“So? Shall we continue the trade?”

* * *

Ah! I’m so excited!

Legion felt like he was flying.

Honestly, he would have given all the books, even Mammon, to get it, but to get Lactorerium for just five crystals and five books! It was the best deal ever.

Moreover, high-grade Lactorerium.

He was so excited to see what effects it would have when disassembled.

-But… are you really going to disassemble it?

Mark asked.

Don’t ask obvious questions.

-Isn’t it a waste?

Not at all!

-Think about it carefully.

I don’t really want to think about it, friend.

-Stop joking around.

You’re the one joking around, Mark.

Wow! You’ve grown a lot. Our master. As your intelligence increases, it becomes harder to deal with you. The effort required for persuasion is increasing, which is also a bit tiring… Should I find a way to lower your intelligence?

-Okay, listen carefully.

Mark took a deep breath, even though he didn’t have lungs.

-You’ve already learned one way to increase your height to over 180 centimeters [approximately 5’11”]. That’s why we’re going to meet the dark elves. Right?

That’s right. So?

-If the dark elves increase your height, the ‘Explosion of Coolness’ passive skill will automatically activate, and you’ll naturally be able to use twice as much magic power as you do now. Isn’t that right?

Yeah, that’s right.

-Then there’s no need to disassemble the Lactorerium, right?

Oh?

-Okay, listen again.

Mark took another deep breath with his non-existent lungs.

-That Lactorerium isn’t going anywhere, right? It’s still in your subspace pocket. That means, if you can’t meet the dark elves, or if you meet them but they don’t know how to do it, or if your height increases but the ‘Explosion of Coolness’ skill doesn’t activate, or… if a really dangerous moment suddenly arises, you can just eat it! Okay?

Okay.

-In other words, you now have perfect insurance for ‘Explosion of Coolness.’ By the end of this journey, you’ll definitely be a handsome man with a height of 185 centimeters [approximately 6’1″] and overflowing coolness. You don’t even have to worry about dieting!

Wow! Good!

-Yes! So, even if it’s a little difficult, endure it and head towards the Demon Forest!

Let’s go!

Legion marched forward vigorously.

The new recruits couldn’t understand why the boss, who hadn’t acquired any items unlike them, was so excited.

* * *

Ahhhhh-!

I’ve never been so happy in my life!

Heinz put a crystal in his mouth. His intelligence increased again. Now his intelligence was 142. He ate another one. Intelligence 143. He ate one more, and this time it increased by 60%. So he ate another one, and it became 144.

It only increased by 4…….

The world looks different.

The level of understanding of books, concentration, and especially memorization has changed.

He glanced at the second book and understood and memorized more than half of it.

“This is truly amazing.”

So that’s why people call them geniuses.

When he was young, he often heard that he was a genius in his neighborhood, but when he came out into the world, there were too many geniuses, and he was just a little smart, not in the category of genius.

So he thought this was his limit…….

“Geniuses see the world like this.”

Heinz became even more immersed in Mammon’s books. He stayed up for two nights and completely mastered one book, and after another three days, he almost understood the second book. His mana began to stabilize, and he began to understand the subtle mana flowing around him.

After another five days, he had mastered up to the fourth book.

Then he began to get a sense of how high the wall of the 6th Circle was.

He didn’t know when he couldn’t see it, but once he saw the wall, he began to feel confident that he could overcome it.

At this rate, he would enter the 6th Circle in a year at the earliest, or two years at the latest.

If Legion helps?

He might enter the 6th Circle within half a year.

Finally, the stopped time is moving. Tears well up in his eyes. How can I repay this?

I think I’ll have to break into the underground treasure room after getting permission from the Count.

If I find something good there… maybe I can get another crystal?

* * *

Legion arrived at the territory ruled by Baron Signal.

It was said to be the largest of the villages located in the southeast… and it was indeed quite large. Not quite the size of a county, but still impressive.

“Then, can we go back now?”

The large man bowed in front of Legion.

His face was a mess. He was very frightened, and his eyes were lifeless. He couldn’t even make eye contact with Legion.

“Oh, yeah. Here.”

Legion gave him 1 gold as a reward for his hard work.

“Ah, no, it’s okay.”

“No, take it. It’s my gratitude.”

“Then I’ll gratefully accept it. C, can I really go back?”

“Yeah, go back and do what you were doing.”

“Th, thank you. Always take care.”

“Take care of my back?”

“Ah, no, not at all. I just meant take care of yourself and I hope everything goes well.”

“Yeah, I got it. Thanks. Then go quickly. Good work.”

“Yes, I’ll be going.”

The large man bowed several times and disappeared from the sight of Legion and the new recruits.

Mizsett was dumbfounded.

It sounded like a conversation between an employer and an employee.

But in reality? Not at all.

That man is a bandit.

A boss, no less.

The process is too long and complicated to explain.

Simply put, Legion spotted a bandit village on the way. It’s truly unbelievable. How could he find a bandit village so easily?

Legion attacked the peacefully existing bandit village.

It’s hard to tell who the bandits really are.

Legion shouted, ‘Aren’t you afraid of the heavens, you bastards!’ and unleashed lightning, turning the bandit village into a wasteland.

The village became a scene of utter chaos.

It was a bandit village with about 100 residents, but that size was far from enough to stop Legion.

They were stripped of every last silver, and even the bandit boss was dragged out to guide the way.

Thanks to that, they arrived comfortably…….

She felt sorry for the bandits.

“Boss.”

Mizsett stuck to Legion’s side.

“Yeah, what is it, Ms. Mi.”

Ms. Mi. The nuance is really terrible. After calling him Mr. Le a few times, he now calls the employees like that.

Ms. He, Ms. Seu, Ms. Buh.

Please, I wish he wouldn’t call them that.

“Weren’t you… a little too harsh on the bandits?”

Legion looked at Mizsett with genuine surprise.

“I was harsh on the bandits?”

“Huh? Th, that’s…….”

Thinking about it, it seems like the combination of words doesn’t quite fit. Whether the word ‘bandit’ is suitable for those who are being harassed is a question that requires some deep consideration.

“Ms. Mi, you’re a bit narrow-minded. Have you ever thought about why bandits are bandits? Are bandits good guys or bad guys? If you think about the profession of bandit, you can easily see that they are on the bad side from a general perspective, even with your limited experience. You’re still young, but you need to see the world more broadly.”

Wow! Crazy… I’m much older than the boss.

“If I hadn’t raided the bandits’ village, many people would have been harmed. Right?”

“That’s probably true.”

“They would have killed a lot of people. They would have sold a lot of women too.”

“That might be the case.”

“It’s not ‘might be,’ it’s certain. They’re bandits. As the lord of the Alexander Territory, I’ve subjugated the vicious bandits on the mountain path. What a great achievement this is!”

I don’t know about that part.

If he hadn’t stolen their money… it would have seemed more credible.

Clearly, the bandits were hurt, but they didn’t die, and they were only robbed of all their possessions…….

“So, let’s go get something to eat.”

* * *

As he turned the corner, someone collided head-on with Legion.

Usually, both sides would receive the same impact, but Legion didn’t feel anything. Due to his powerful defense, the other person was thrown back 10 meters upon impact.

“Keuheuk. Wh, what.”

Rene gasped for breath and staggered to his feet.

He barely escaped from the drug guild, and he can’t get caught here.

If he gets caught, his life will be over in an instant.

If he’s lucky, he’ll be sold to the slave market, and if he’s unlucky, he might be subjected to organ trafficking.

This is an urgent moment, but he made such a mistake.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Rene quickly got up and bowed his head.

And he was about to quickly move his steps again.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?”

He already heard a familiar voice from behind. At the same time, three or four shadows jumped down from the wall in front of him.

Despair washed over Rene’s face.

He barely escaped from being sold at a high price in the slave market, but he was caught in a place like this after all.

“Damn it!”

Rene pulled out the item he had habitually stolen from the fat man he had collided with earlier. It was a sharp dagger.

“Everyone back away! Or I’ll kill this pig!”

This is not a place where the law rules.

It is ruled by the madness of Signal, the crazy lord. There was nowhere to turn for help. The only way to survive was to escape to the Demon Forest where his kin were.

This place is already a city addicted to drugs.

Everyone is in cahoots [conspiring together].

He had to get out somehow and inform his kin. The number of hunters has increased exponentially these days. They are targeting our dark elves. He was sure of it. He had to convey what they were thinking to his kin.

Legion smirked.

“Hey, do you know me? I don’t know them.”

Rene was a little flustered.

“Then they probably don’t know me either? That means I have no value as a hostage to them.”

One of the men who had surrounded him chuckled and said.

“The pig is quite perceptive. Yeah, what does it matter if you die? Right?”

“See, I’m right? So, put down the knife. Haimo.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Legion gestured with his chin and said.

“Bring that bastard who called me a pig over here.”

“Yes!”

And at the same time as the answer, he flew and grabbed the man’s hair, dragged him in front of Legion, and slammed him to the ground.

“Argh!”

By the time the men who seemed to be his companions were flustered and drew their weapons, Mizsett’s electric magic, Heiler’s arrows, and Steel’s daggers were all aiming for their necks.

“So, how about it? Will you put down the knife first? Well, of course, I don’t really care about a knife like that.”

Rene felt the strength in his grip naturally loosening.

At that moment-

A noose flew from somewhere, grabbed Rene’s neck, and yanked him away.

“Keuheok!”

Rene’s pupils widened greatly.

He almost broke his neck. He really heard a cracking sound from his neck as it dislocated.