Deal

In a hazy gray void, dozens upon dozens of pure white stone pillars bobbed up and down.

When Isaac opened his eyes, he found himself standing on one of them. He tapped the pillar beneath his feet but could not tell what it was made of.

He looked around. A figure stood on each of the surrounding pillars, all wearing wizard robes of different colors and large Wizard Hats, just like him. Their faces were impossible to make out.

Once they drew closer, though, he could see them clearly.

After all, everyone here was still only a Formal Wizard, even if their methods were stronger and their nerve greater than most. Their robes offered limited concealment—certainly not enough to fool the others present.

Not that there was much reason to hide. The Mad Witches came from all over, perhaps not even from the same world.

After looking around, Isaac felt a little disappointed. The Mad Witch Society had forty-three Formal Wizards, but only thirteen had come. Far too few.

Formal Wizards rarely had anything good to begin with. With so few people here, what was there even to trade?

As for exchanging ideas about wizardry?

They were all novices. What they needed now was not discussion, but exchange.

They needed to trade wizardries, build up their foundations, and speed through the Magic Power boiling period.

But trading wizardries...

Isaac had his doubts. Unlike arcane spells, wizardries were not neatly divided into self-contained spells.

A wizardry usually came with a mountain of research, as with Demonic Heart Transplant Surgery and Totem Creation.

That was why few wizards learned large numbers of wizardries. Most delved into a related field, continually refining what they did best. Isaac's Flesh Lair was one example, though he had taken a shortcut with the power of a Demon God. Normally, such progress required slow research.

Whether he could trade for a wizardry would depend on finding a Mad Witch whose field was close to his own.

No wonder so few attended these small gatherings. They had little to offer, so no one came; because no one came, they had little to offer...

A vicious cycle.

While Isaac was thinking, the thirteen occupied pillars drifted together into a circle.

He glanced around. Most of the others were young, around seventeen or eighteen—the very picture of prodigies. How many would survive was another question. Outer Gods were not easy to fool.

"Ahem." A young man in a black robe cleared his throat, and his pillar floated into the center. "It's been a while, everyone. You know the rules, so I'll get straight to it."

He glanced at Isaac, a trace of hope in his eyes. He had failed to trade for any wizardry at the last two gatherings, and his research had begun to slow. Naturally, he had hopes for the newcomer.

But he said nothing more to Isaac. He did not even introduce himself.

Mad Witches might all be prodigies, but they were mad as well. Outer Gods were dangerous. Any one of them might be consumed by an Outer God for their greed someday, so there was little point in making friends yet.

He got straight to the point. "I specialize in Black Wizardry. I have five Black Wizardries: Soul-Reaping Curse, Life Drain, Blood Curse Kill, Flying Head Technique, and the Advanced Magic Spell Flesh Mutation. I want another Black Wizardry, or an Advanced Magic Spell that deals direct damage."

Hm? Isaac gave the black-robed young man a surprised look. He specialized in Black Wizardry and even had an Advanced Magic Spell. No less than Isaac should expect from the Mad Witch Society. Still...

"Would you trade one of your Black Wizardries for a wizardry in biological modification?" Isaac asked when no one else spoke up.

He was interested in both the Black Wizardries and the Advanced Magic Spell, but he could never afford the latter. Even if he could, he might not make the trade. Advanced Magic Spells that dealt direct damage were the most valuable kind. People usually kept them rather than trading them away.

The Black Wizardries, though, were worth a try.

Black Wizardry was made for combat. Any method was acceptable as long as it killed the enemy, which made it a rare and valuable branch of wizardry.

Unfortunately...

The black-robed young man looked at Isaac regretfully, then shook his head.

He could not help it. Biological modification was one of the more complex branches of wizardry. It required vast amounts of specialized knowledge and experimental data. Research that demanded so much time and patience did not suit him.

After turning Isaac down and receiving no other offers, the young man sighed and returned to his place.

That was how these small gatherings worked. Finding what you needed came down to luck.

Eight more people took their turns after him. Many of the wizardries they offered interested Isaac, but he could not trade for a single one...

No one was interested in his wizardries.

They backed away as soon as they heard "biological modification," before he could even list what he had.

"...I'm looking for puppet wizardries. No biological modification!"

Isaac: "..."

With that avenue firmly closed, Isaac felt helpless. He had not expected medicine to be so difficult even in another world. Would telling someone to study it earn a bolt of lightning here too?

Isaac had no idea, but he soon adjusted his expectations. If no one wanted to trade, so be it. He could still broaden his horizons. Learning the names of so many wizardries made the trip worthwhile.

"I specialize in making magic puppets. I have designs for four kinds: two conventional mechanical puppets, one made entirely of flesh, and one that combines flesh and machinery. I'm looking for puppet designs or biological-modification wizardries."

The Witch in the center turned toward Isaac.

Hm? Isaac blinked. He had not expected anyone to address him. Puppets, though?

That was fine. He was interested in them too!

"I currently know how to make demonic hearts and perform God Seed Creation..." Isaac stopped mid-sentence and spread his hands helplessly. "Uh, that's it. Just those two."

He also had Flesh Lair and the Blood Essence Potion. But the former was his Talent Wizardry; anyone else could only learn the Demon God version, which came with a nasty trap. Another Mad Witch would certainly refuse it, and offering it might even cause offense. As for the latter...

It was so commonplace that mentioning it would only embarrass him.

"Hm?" The Witch's eyes widened. Had she heard him right? God Seed Creation? She blinked. "The God Research Handbook?"

"Hm? You have it too?" Isaac was startled. "Mine is the Anatomy Chapter. Which chapter do you have?"

"The Divinity Chapter. Want to trade?" The Witch blinked again. She had never imagined that she would find another part of a fragmentary wizardry manuscript she had acquired by chance. What luck...

"Sure!" Isaac was surprised too. "Where did you get your part?"

"Someone gave it to me, but as far as I know, it came from the Wildlands. What about yours?" She took a roll of parchment from her sleeve and tossed it to Isaac, then caught the section he tossed her.

"The original?" The Witch looked at Isaac in surprise. Her research had revealed nothing unusual about the parchment, but she had still given him a handwritten copy. What if there was something she had missed?

What if she simply was not skilled enough to see it?

She had not expected Isaac to be so generous.

In truth, Isaac was at a loss. He had never planned to trade the manuscript. Who could have guessed he would find a second part of the God Research Handbook here?

Fortunately, he had memorized its contents completely, and all its data was recorded on his panel. It was not much of a problem.

"Yes, but don't get your hopes up. I couldn't find anything special about it."

Isaac was telling the truth. He had tried using it as a ritual offering, but his Golden Finger judged it worthless.

The Witch nodded, then hesitated before asking, "That demonic heart technique you mentioned... is it Heart Replacement Surgery?"

"Yes. It began as Heart Replacement Surgery, but I've expanded it somewhat. It can cultivate demonic hearts and has some effect on purifying and strengthening monster bloodlines. It's still fairly crude overall, though. You want it?" Isaac was surprised.

Demonic Heart Transplant Surgery was much like the Blood Essence Potion: commonplace. The surgery in particular was ancient and outdated. Only Isaac's additions had made it presentable enough to offer.

The Witch nodded. "Other than the hybrid puppet, which design would you like?"

Basic Heart Replacement Surgery would not be worth it, but an expanded version was different. Neither of them expected the other to survive to the end, but that did not mean they looked down on each other.

Anyone who could bargain with an Outer God as a Formal Wizard needed more than madness. It took ability to draw an Outer God's will down at all. Everyone here was undoubtedly a prodigy.

And a prodigy's research was bound to have value.

"The flesh puppet." After a moment's thought, Isaac tossed her a manuscript and caught the roll of designs she threw him.

With that, their trade was done.

The others watched the two of them with envy, but none spoke up. They were interested in the God Research Handbook, yet none wanted to make an offer.

Wizardries involving the Divine Domain were powerful, no question. But this one concerned biological modification, not their fields.

Spending time learning it would not be worth the cost.

Isaac had already listed what he had during his trade with the Witch, so he did not take a turn in the center. No one else was interested anyway. As for the Dragon Lizard...

After seeing how meager the gathering was, he had abandoned the idea of trading it. These paupers could never afford a Dragon Lizard!

Under the usual schedule, a discussion of magical knowledge would follow the trades. But everyone here was a Formal Wizard. They were all novices with little knowledge to share, and they studied different fields besides. None felt inclined to discuss anything.

So the gathering ended as soon as the trading was done.

When Isaac saw the others leave, he left too.

Before going, though, he exchanged names with the Witch. Their fields of research were the closest, and they could share more in the future.

If she—or he—was still alive by then.

Isaac blinked, leaving the Mad Witch Society's special dimension and returning to the basement. Looking at the two wizardry manuscripts in his hands, he smiled faintly.

They had come at just the right time. He had finished learning everything else he had on hand.

There was still plenty of room to research both his demonic heart technique and Divine Species, but why struggle through it alone when learning from someone else was so much faster?

Back in the laboratory, Isaac looked at the flesh puppet first, rather than the Divinity Chapter.

The Demon Rat still needed time before it could condense a divine spell, so the Divinity Chapter could wait. Right now, the puppet interested him more.

Or rather, puppets had always interested him.

Magic puppets were much easier to sell than Potsions.

The flesh puppet design he had received from the Witch was nothing advanced. It was a basic puppet called Flesh Mimicry.

Isaac was not surprised. Puppet designs generally cost far more than wizardries of the same level. Without his improvements, Heart Replacement Surgery would not even have qualified for a trade.

Flesh Mimicry was a semi-independent puppet with two modes. In independent mode, it moved and fought on its own in a form resembling a slime. In attachment mode, it became flesh armor that aided its wearer in battle.

There was little to say about independent mode. It was a slime, after all. Its only real advantage was its flexibility, which let it fight across all sorts of strange terrain. As for its combat strength...

Best not to expect much. It could not even beat a Quasi-Knight one-on-one.

Attachment mode was the puppet's real purpose. Besides improving its wearer's physical abilities and Magic Power, it could grant different spell-like abilities based on the monster form it mimicked.

Of its three basic forms, the bear greatly increased strength and could cast Fossil to Mud once. The Wind Rabbit greatly increased movement speed and could cast Wind Blade once. The Ironclad Turtle improved defense and could cast Iron Block once to bolster it further.

In short, it had plenty of uses.

The monster forms it mimicked could also be modified to grant different abilities.

That was not something Isaac needed to consider yet. He did not have the ability. For now, he would learn to make one first.

"Tch. This looks tricky."

Isaac shook his head at the dense writing and lines covering the designs. He had a great deal to learn. The probability boost from his Golden Finger seemed useless here—a puppet would either be completed or it would not. But its ability to point out mistakes and omissions remained as helpful as ever.

"Time to study."

Isaac sighed, spread the designs across his desk, and began examining them closely. If he mastered this, he might make a fortune!

After all, Flesh Mimicry required only one material: demonic flesh.