NOVEL NEXT 13 - Rank 8 (3)
The vacation continued, but my life was busy every day.
The most important magic practice continued without stopping.
The method of practicing magic is quite simple.
Basically, it’s a power, and because it’s the kind that’s engraved in your mind, all the materials are prepared, so you just need to practice using the recipes you know well.
Of course, there are times when you don’t know the recipes for some magic, but for such cases, there were plenty of magic books to learn from.
Although I automatically learned Rank 9 magic, from Rank 8 onwards, it’s not automatically implanted in your mind, so I acquired it through reading magic books.
After repeating this for several days.
An employee from the merchant guild I had requested to make purchases came to visit.
She said that the purchase of the shining silver lily was completed, but the ghost’s heart hasn’t been purchased yet.
The problem wasn’t that they couldn’t buy it because the item wasn’t available, but that they failed to purchase it even though the item was there.
“Why? There shouldn’t be a lack of money.”
“Well, that’s…”
Listening to the explanation, it turns out the seller refused to sell.
Moreover, it’s hard to find another seller because there’s only one ghost’s heart on the market right now.
If I can’t get this, rising to Rank 8 will be far off.
Or I would have to prepare twenty human sacrifices and use 【Promotion Condition Relaxation】 on the ghost’s heart, but I can’t do such a thing.
Sighing, I picked up my broom.
“I’ll go there myself, just tell me the location.”
“There’s no need for you to go in person, Witch…!”
“I think this will be more comfortable for me.”
Of course, there was no way to stop me even if they tried to dissuade me.
After getting the address like that, I placed my next order.
“Here’s the list of necessary items.”
“This is…? Understood.”
They might wonder what all these unknown items I’m ordering are, but I’m buying them all because I need them.
Thanks to this, most of the budget was exhausted.
Although I had quite a large sum of money in my hands, when you start spending money on realm-related areas, it becomes woefully insufficient.
This is because you need to obtain rare things that are not easily available normally.
Still, I didn’t feel it was a waste.
It’s not my money anyway.
Checking the address in my hand, I mounted my broom and departed.
“I wonder who’s the arrogant one holding onto a ghost’s heart and refusing to sell it?”
As I flew up into the sky, I could see the wide view of the city.
The good thing about becoming a witch… there aren’t many, but if I had to pick just one, it would be the refreshing feeling given by this
While humans flew to the sky with mechanical devices modeled after birds, witches float in the air with just a thin broom.
As I decided to head in that direction, I shot off into the distance with a strong gust of wind.
**
Silver Wand is a being who has risen to the evil-aligned “Werewolf” rank.
Moreover, he’s reached Rank 8.
Why is such a being in the witches’ city, you ask?
It’s entirely due to his own actions.
“Ugh… why did I do that?”
He still regretted it even now.
There was an incident that made him angry, frustrated, and unable to sleep at night, so in a fit of rage, he stupidly got on a transfer array and moved.
Transfer arrays were useful means of transportation in this world where different realms are disconnected from each other.
The problem is that they’re extremely sensitive to coordinate adjustments, requiring at least a mid-rank being to adjust them, and without that, one often becomes lost in remote realms.
And Silver Wand was a werewolf who had committed a foolish act.
The only fortunate thing was that this place wasn’t a light-aligned realm.
If he had arrived in such a place, priests would have immediately invaded and crucified Silver Wand.
Of course, even if it’s an evil-aligned domain, it’s not necessarily good.
Only light-aligned realms have good relationships with each other; evil-aligned ones often try to kill each other.
He didn’t want to experience being flayed alive after catching a witch’s eye.
Moreover, witches have quite a bad reputation.
They’re known for evil deeds like eating people alive or bathing in their blood.
So Silver Wand kept a low profile as much as possible.
Without revealing that he was a ranked being, he quietly hunted monsters and disposed of the spoils.
As a result, he gradually came to stay in better houses and live a life that was affluent for a commoner, but he was still unsatisfied.
In the werewolf realm where he had stayed, he was a ruler and a superior bloodline, but not here.
But what could he do, there was no way to return.
However, even for him, fortune sometimes comes knocking.
This time, while hunting monsters alone in his wolf form, he acquired a ‘ghost’s heart’.
“Wow, to think I’d get such a precious thing here.”
The ‘ghost’s heart’ was one of the rare promotion materials for rising to Rank 8.
Something that must be purchased if it’s on the market.
Even in the werewolf realm, it held great value, and if this heart were sold, there would be spare change left even after enjoying a month of luxury and pleasure.
But surprisingly, no one was willing to pay the proper value for the ‘ghost’s heart’.
“Why not?!”
If there’s a circumstance he doesn’t know:
The Witch Society is quite a small domain, the entire domain is under witch control, and they don’t allow rank promotions for those not affiliated with their faction.
Therefore, they couldn’t know the value of the ‘ghost’s heart’, and even the Witch Society, which was the only buyer, had no reason to purchase it at full price.
Even if they offered an absurdly low price, he would have to sell it to them since there was nowhere else to sell.
But Silver Wand couldn’t possibly know this fact.
Having lived all his life in the large and vast werewolf realm, a realm where not just one but various ranks existed, he couldn’t easily adapt to this completely different environment.
Recently, the merchant guild said they would pay a large sum, but to his eyes, it was just scraps of paper not used anywhere else.
They weren’t really paying proper compensation.
While he was fuming in his room corner about no one paying the proper value for the ‘ghost’s heart’, someone knocked on the door.
“Ah, I’m not selling!”
Thinking it was the persistent merchant guild again, he immediately turned them away.
But the other party didn’t leave.
As his anger slowly rose, he stood up with ferocity in his eyes.
“How dare you insects look down on me?”
Those who have risen to evil ranks generally have a similar view of civilians who haven’t risen to a rank.
Insects, slaves, sacrifices, livestock.
You can think of it as having such concepts.
Silver Wand’s hands become hairy.
It’s the transformation ability possessed by werewolves.
At Rank 9, only complete transformation losing reason is possible, but from Rank 8, they could partially transform like this and wield powerful strength.
Silver Wand opened the door intending to tear apart the unpleasant visitor in one go, but.
Beyond was a girl.
Blue eyes, white hair as if made from fallen snowflakes catching the eye.
And a broom in her hand and a pointed hat on her head.
“You, you are?”
“Huh?”
They both couldn’t help but be surprised.
Silver Wand thought he was going to tear apart just an insect, but he didn’t expect a witch to barge in, and the witch Grace didn’t know there would be a werewolf here.
After all, only werewolves can create such black claws with nails sharper than swords.
**
I was a bit flustered.
Why is there a werewolf here?
Isn’t this the witches’ domain?
As it’s a small-scale domain, the entire domain is perfectly controlled by the Witch Society.
Therefore, it’s difficult for another rank to exist here.
Wherever you go, only witches exist.
Of course, in larger domains.
Or in continent-scale realms, various ranks do emerge.
Even if you have a huge force there, you can’t control all that vast land.
So the sudden encounter with a werewolf was quite unexpected.
Whether a werewolf or a priest stayed here didn’t matter to me though.
“Well, that’s not important, I want to buy the ghost’s heart, why won’t you sell it?”
To this, Silver Wand burst out in indignation.
“I can’t sell it for such a price!”
“Then, what do you want?”
“Do you think you can buy it with the currency here? Give me items or materials of equivalent value.”
Hearing such an answer was troublesome.
This would exceed the budget.
I did have items that were equivalent to or better than the ghost’s heart, but it was too precious to use here.
Originally, it’s a material that could be bought more cheaply, but unfortunately, a ranked being who knows its value happened to possess it.
While I was pondering, stroking my smooth chin, I realized I didn’t need to think anymore.
I asked the werewolf like this.
“You, what do you think of ordinary humans?”
“What? Why ask about those insects?”
“That’s what I thought.”
I raised my hand.
The werewolf, realizing the meaning, filled his eyes with ferocity.
“Ha, ha, you dare, a young witch who’s only Rank 9, to fight me?”
Of course, at the Rank 8 level, there’s no ability to judge another ranked being’s rank.
He just assumed I was only Rank 9 because I looked young.
It’s correct, and at the same time incorrect.
Swoosh-!
Claws that my dynamic vision couldn’t follow instantly shot towards my neck.
The attack launched by the werewolf partially transforming his body was truly threatening.
If there had been no way to prepare, it wouldn’t have been strange if I had died right there.
One way or another, witches are ranged spellcasters, and werewolves are melee warriors.
A fight between these two at extremely close range shouldn’t properly stand.
But special abilities make this possible.
A golden barrier blocked his attack.
No, not just blocked, but shattered his claws.
“?!!”
While he was perplexed, my magic was instantly completed.
[Dark Sphere]
The part that was just the white light werewolf’s grasp flew off entirely.
“….!!!”
Don’t they say you scream silently in terrible pain?
He rolled on the floor, clutching the part below his wrist that had been cut off.
Originally, I might have felt weak-hearted, but that guy is also an evil-aligned being who sees humans as mere insects.
Not a shred of mercy existed.
“How about it, now do you think…”
“Please spare me! I’ll give you the ghost’s heart. No, I’ll pledge my loyalty! If you tell me to crawl like a dog, I’ll crawl, if you tell me to lick, I’ll lick!”
“?”
But, isn’t he surrendering too easily?
The sight of him prostrating on the floor was truly ugly.
Being Rank 8, he should have some respect and pride, but does this guy have none of that?
“…Will, will you spare me?”
“No, what did you just say?”
“I said… I’ll crawl like a dog if you tell me to crawl, and lick if you tell me to lick… Shall I do it now?”
“Why would I want you to do something so disgusting?”
I shook my head in disbelief.
I was about to kill him right away, but seeing such an ugly sight made me feel like it wasn’t worth it anymore.
Besides, there is a need to keep him alive.
One way or another, if it’s a place where werewolves stay…
There’s only one place close to here.
“You came from the Twilight Realm, right?”
“!?”
“There’s only one way to come here from there, you drifted while using a transfer array, didn’t you?”
“…!”
He made an expression as if everything had been seen through.
Well, it’s obvious even without saying.
There’s only one way for a mere Rank 8 werewolf, not even Rank 5, to break through the realm and come here.
The werewolf’s eyes were mixed with awe and fear.
“You, who on earth are you?”
“How did I know, you ask? It’s obvious, isn’t it?”
I just smiled.
I’m just a user who played a lot of games.
The werewolf, seemingly falling into indescribable fear, bowed his head and submitted.
“I will follow you.”
I decided not to kill this guy.
A Rank 8 werewolf could be used effectively.
There’s a concern that he might betray me later, but.
In the witch’s realm, a lone wolf’s betrayal wouldn’t mean much.
As if showing a sign of submission, he raised the ghost’s heart while prostrating.
I took the heart in my hand with a smile in my eyes.
The promotion to Rank 8 was not far off.