Money, Money, Money! Why Does Everything Cost Money?! (5k)

After seeing Makley off, Tylen stretched his stiff neck.

As a series of crisp cracks sounded, that familiar feeling washed over him again, as if the whole world had slowed down.

[Slacker Saint Body] passively activated.

With thirty times the learning and thinking efficiency, his mind was now as clear as a precision supercomputer.

He turned to look at the two Skeleton Soldiers standing quietly in the corner.

"Mentor left without a fuss, and then Slacker Saint Body activated just like that!"

Tylen narrowed his eyes and carefully sensed the area.

"So they weren't implanted with any spells to spy on me. They were simply left here as helpers—and as homework."

"That makes things much easier!"

After confirming there truly wasn't a third pair of eyes around, Tylen let out a long breath, dropped into the rickety old chair, and closed his eyes.

His consciousness sank deep into his mind.

The Grand Monthly Card panel, glowing with a pale golden light, appeared.

Today's tasks had gone quite smoothly.

There were five daily tasks: [Spend 6 points of Mental Power], [Complete one full meditation], [Complete 2 magic practice sessions], [Collect 3 corpses], and [Perform one spell-formula deduction].

He had completed the first four and earned 1,200 experience points.

Adding the 1,500 experience points from the sudden [Don't Bully the Young and Poor!] task just now—

The Grand Monthly Card's level progress bar had shot forward like a rocket. He had smoothly reached Level 4 and was only 500 experience points away from Level 5.

"Once I perform one more spell-formula deduction, I'll get the last 300 daily experience points. Add tomorrow's tasks, and leveling up will be just around the corner."

Tylen rubbed his hands together and opened the rewards screen.

He'd saved up the Level 2, 3, and 4 rewards without claiming them. Now he could finally enjoy them all at once.

Lv2:

[Obtained: Meditation Essential Oil x5]

[Obtained: Meditation Essence x5]

Lv3:

[Obtained: Magic Artifact Shard x100]

[Obtained: Magic Artifact Fragment x20]

Lv4:

[Obtained: Apprentice Experience Book x4]

[Obtained: Wizard Experience Book x1]

Looking at the pile of glittering rewards in his mindscape, Tylen felt like a dragon guarding its treasure.

Besides the usual Knowledge Crystals and experience books, the new items were what tempted him most.

First was a bottle larger than the ordinary Meditation Essential Oil, its contents a deep purple.

[Item Name: Meditation Essence]

[Effect: Increases meditation efficiency by 5% when consumed. Stacks up to 5 times and lasts for two hours.]

"Now that's good stuff!"

Tylen's eyes lit up. For Wizards, meditation efficiency was a lifeline.

A 5% boost might not seem like much, but five stacks meant 25%! Combined with Slacker Saint Body, it would be incredible.

Next, his gaze fell on two piles of transparent crystals, one large and one small, sparkling with starlight.

[Item Name: Magic Artifact Shard]

[Effect: Adds 50 energy to a magic artifact when reinforcing it.]

[Item Name: Magic Artifact Fragment]

[Effect: Adds 300 energy to a magic artifact when reinforcing it.]

Tylen's breathing grew a little ragged at the sight of the two items.

He'd seen these things at the market once. He'd only glanced at them from afar and hadn't looked closer because he didn't own a magic artifact.

A Wizard's magic artifact wasn't set in stone. It could be upgraded by infusing it with energy.

It was like reinforcing equipment to +1 or +2. Not only would it gain a sturdier structure, but it could also acquire special effects when it crossed certain thresholds.

Normally, reinforcing a magic artifact required another low-level artifact or precious magical materials.

Only when an artifact of master grade or higher was destroyed would it leave behind these pure energy crystals.

"A single Magic Artifact Shard usually goes for 20 Purple Gold Coins on the black market."

"And a Magic Artifact Fragment... costs at least 500 Purple Gold Coins!"

Tylen quickly did the math in his head.

One hundred shards came to 2,000 Purple Gold Coins, and twenty fragments came to 10,000!

"I'm rich..."

Tylen swallowed, forcing himself to resist the urge to sell them.

"No. These are strategic resources. I can't use them yet, but once I have my own magic artifact, they'll be the foundation of my survival."

"Most importantly, I can't explain where I got them!"

He was only a Level 0 apprentice with no way to conceal his identity.

And the Wizards of this world had terrifying tracking and identification abilities.

After carefully putting away all the rewards, Tylen didn't bask in his joy for long.

He was a man of action.

He quickly got up, grabbed a broom and a mop, and cleaned the Morgue from top to bottom in no time.

Then he went to the public cafeteria outside and forced himself to gulp down his dinner: watery, overcooked oatmeal with pickles, like pig slop.

Once he'd eaten his fill, he returned to the Morgue.

He locked the door and lit the dim oil lamp.

Tylen sat back down at the table and opened Detailed Explanation of Bone Domination Runes.

With the thirtyfold efficiency boost from Slacker Saint Body, his memory and comprehension had reached a terrifying level.

The sound of pages turning echoed through the silent room.

In just ten minutes, he had imprinted the entire book's contents into his mind, word for word.

The moment he closed the book, something miraculous happened.

The thin book began to disintegrate on its own, turning into countless motes of light that vanished into the air.

"A one-use knowledge carrier."

Tylen wasn't surprised.

In this Wizarding world, where knowledge was fiercely monopolized, every piece of arcane knowledge was priceless.

Knowledge of magic, rune formulas, alchemical recipes, ritual incantations, and other such subjects was all incredibly valuable.

To prevent leaks and piracy, disposable books that burned away after reading were quite common.

"Now that I've memorized it, I should practice."

Tylen rubbed his hands together, picked up a quill from the table, and eagerly prepared to draw a few runes to test them out.

But when he looked around, he froze.

"Where are the materials?"

He stared blankly at the empty tabletop.

The only thing he had on hand was a hundred sheets of high-quality rune paper.

But those were for the Fine Wine Gang's order!

They were the goods he had to deliver tomorrow! They belonged to someone else!

Runes were delicate things. They wouldn't work if you just drew a circle on the ground.

They needed a special medium, one that could conduct Mana reliably.

Ordinary paper couldn't withstand the infusion of Mana. It would catch fire instantly.

"Ugh..."

Tylen's excitement drained away, and he slumped back into his chair.

"Money, money, money! Why does everything cost money?!"

He threw his head back and groaned, looking utterly despondent.

"Rune paper costs money! Rune ink costs money! Carving knives cost money! Hell, even breathing the air in the Wizard Tower costs rent!"

At that moment, he felt like a martial arts hero with peerless skills, doomed to die of frustration because he couldn't afford a sword.

"Even the cleverest housewife can't cook without rice..."

Tylen shook his head helplessly.

But just sit there and do nothing?

Absolutely not!

The Bone Domination rune formula churned through his mind like a swarm of restless tadpoles.

If he didn't put it into practice and turn the theory into reality, he felt like ants were crawling all over him.

In silence, his gaze began to wander around the room.

It passed over the table and the walls, then finally landed on the two Skeleton Soldiers in the corner.

"Right! Bones!"

Tylen's eyes lit up as if a hungry wolf had spotted meat.

"Humans are born with spiritual properties, and their bones make excellent magic materials. If I don't have paper, then I'll try something more hardcore!"

He sprang into action.

Tylen leaped to his feet, rushed into the inner room, and yanked open the heavy trapdoor to the cellar.

A cold, damp gust of air hit him in the face.

By the light of the oil lamp, he could see piles of bones and bone fragments stacked throughout the cellar.

Arm bones, pelvic bones, spines, skulls...

These were scraps he'd collected from various corpses over the past six months.

Some were incomplete, some were riddled with holes, and others had been badly weathered.

To the lofty Official Wizards, they were worthless trash.

But to a penniless apprentice like Tylen, they were precious materials!

"When I saved these, I thought I might need them someday. I didn't expect that day to come so soon."

Tylen rummaged around the cellar for a while before pulling a skull split in half out of a pile of bones.

The skull had belonged to an unlucky mercenary.

During a gang brawl, someone had split his head open with a single slash, cleaving his skull in two.

Tylen still remembered the day he'd collected the body: red and white matter had splattered everywhere, and the stench had almost made him throw up the food from the night before.

He'd endured his nausea while watching out for bloodthirsty mercenaries who might come back to finish the job. With his heart pounding, he'd dragged the body onto a cart, then raced off as if he'd just committed a crime.

"You'll do."

Tylen picked up the half-skull and returned to the table.

He had his material. Now he needed a tool.

He didn't own one of those specialized rune carving knives that cost hundreds of Purple Gold Coins.

After a moment's thought, his gaze fell on the Bone-Cleaving Knife beside him, still stained with a little blood.

"This'll have to do."

Tylen picked up the Bone-Cleaving Knife and tested its edge against the skull.

But reality was harsh.

The skull was far harder than he'd expected, and its smooth curve made it even harder to work with. The Bone-Cleaving Knife couldn't pierce it at all.

When he pushed too hard, the blade slipped. Its tip scraped across his palm, nearly giving him a bloodletting treatment of his own.

"Yikes!"

Tylen sucked in a sharp breath and stared at the hard skull, stumped.

"I remember seeing other apprentices carve bones before. They had special carving knives made of white diamond. They were so sharp they cut through bone like tofu."

At the thought of that glittering White Diamond Carving Knife, Tylen's eyes filled with envy.

"But that thing... even the cheapest one costs 700 Purple Gold Coins!"

"Money again!"

Tylen sighed, feeling like the word "money" was about to drive him insane.

Still, poor people had their own ways.

If the knife wasn't sharp enough, he'd give it a buff!

An idea flashed through Tylen's mind. He summoned the last bit of Mental Power left inside him.

"Magic Thorn Art!"

Buzz!

A faint hum sounded.

A layer of high-frequency Mana vibrations instantly covered the Bone-Cleaving Knife's blade.

Tylen picked up the knife again and lightly sliced the skull.

Shk!

It was like a hot knife through butter.

The Bone-Cleaving Knife pierced the hard skull without resistance, leaving a deep groove.

"Success!"

Tylen was so excited he nearly jumped up. "I really am a fucking genius!"

But the next second...

Crack!

He was so excited that his hand trembled, and he misjudged the force.

A huge hole was driven straight through that half of the skull, and cracks instantly spread across it.

"..."

The smile froze on Tylen's face.

"Calm down! Calm down!"

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to settle down.

"Each casting of Magic Thorn Art lasts only five minutes. Time is short. I can't waste it!"

But though he told himself to stay calm, his hands refused to listen.

Bone wasn't paper, after all. Its internal structure was extremely complex.

Some parts were porous and loose, others dense and hard, and all kinds of bone fibers crisscrossed within it.

Carving complex runes into it was like embroidering on reinforced concrete.

One moment, the blade glided smoothly. The next, its tip struck a hard bone spur.

Tylen instinctively pressed down harder.

Crack!

He used too much force, and the bone surface split apart.

He tried another spot.

This time, he didn't press hard enough. The blade wouldn't cut in, and the rune lines came out broken and uneven.

When he reached a spot with inconsistent density, the tip slipped and drew a straight line across a corner, ruining the entire runic structure.

Five minutes later.

The effect of Magic Thorn Art wore off.

Tylen sat panting in his chair, his eyes bloodshot and the veins on his forehead bulging.

With the Slacker Saint Body's thirtyfold perception of time, those five minutes had felt like two and a half hours of torture!

And the result?

Nothing.

He hadn't managed to draw even one complete Runic Frame!

"Damn it!!!"

Tylen finally snapped.

He grabbed the piece of skull, now riddled with holes from his carving, and hurled it viciously toward the corner.

Smack!

The skull hit the wall and shattered.

"If I had rune paper—even the cheapest scrap paper—I'd have finished my basic practice by now!"

"Why should I struggle with this lousy bone?!"

"This is a complete waste of my life! It's slowing down my rise to power!"

Tylen's eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the neat stack of high-grade rune paper on the table.

Greed surged in his heart like wild weeds.

It wouldn't hurt to use a few sheets...

A voice tempted him from within:

I can just say they were damaged during production. That's normal waste... Besides, those louts in the Fine Wine Gang wouldn't know the difference.

And... I've already earned my mentor's favor and have an Official Wizard backing me. What do I have to fear from the Fine Wine Gang?

I could even use my status to hold back some of this shipment and resell it for a little extra money...

Tylen's trembling hand reached toward the stack of rune paper.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch its smooth surface—

Splash!

The sound of cold water splashing against his face.

Tylen plunged his head into the nearby basin.

The icy well water instantly engulfed his nose and mouth, making him shudder.

He held his breath underwater for a full minute, until his lungs burned with pain, then suddenly lifted his head.

"Haah! Haah!"

Water dripped down his cheeks, washing away that frenzied greed.

"No! Absolutely not!"

Tylen looked at his disheveled reflection in the mirror, his gaze clear and stern once more.

"A true gentleman remains cautious even when alone."

"If I want to earn people's genuine trust and respect, I must never break an agreement or overstep the line."

"Especially when I'm dealing with a gang of people who'll stop at nothing."

"Open rivalry is inferior; covert rivalry is superior. Don't grow arrogant over success, and don't be discouraged by failure."

Tylen closed his eyes and silently recited the maxims from the Classic of Power he had memorized in his previous life.

"Remember! Never let yourself appear too overbearing. And don't reveal your desires or impatience too easily."

"I have thirtyfold efficiency. I have far more room for error than other people."

"I mustn't rush things. I can't let my mentor or anyone else think I'm taking advantage of his favor and am a greedy, insatiable scoundrel."

"Failure doesn't matter. I've only spent five minutes so far."

"If I can become thoroughly skilled at drawing runes on bone this difficult... won't it be all the easier on paper?"

Years of struggling at the bottom had helped him regain his composure quickly.

Tylen wiped the water from his face, bent down, and quietly walked to the corner.

He picked up the pieces of the skull he had smashed, one by one, and tossed them into the trash.

Then he took another bone from the cellar.

This time, his gaze was as calm as still water.

No anger, no impatience—only an almost obsessive focus.

"It doesn't matter if I can't use Magic Thorn Art. I'll start by getting a feel for it."

That was Tylen.

A hyper-rational, hyper-disciplined grind addict.

Two hours later.

Tylen, feeling dizzy, had no choice but to stop working.

Although he still hadn't succeeded in drawing a complete rune, he could feel his hand slowly getting used to it.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, but didn't use the Meditation Essence he'd been awarded.

One bottle of essence lasted two hours. He had already completed one meditation session at noon, and if he used it for his remaining session today, one hour of its duration would be wasted.

He began his second deep meditation.

As his breathing gradually steadied, the free-floating energy particles around him began to stream eagerly into his body.

An hour later.

Tylen opened his eyes, a glint flashing in them.

His Mental Power had successfully risen from 3.5 to 3.6.

After recovering to full strength, he didn't rest. Instead, he took out the precious [Wizard Experience Book] and four [Apprentice Experience Books].

"Let's begin. Spell Model deduction."

Inside his consciousness space, countless streams of data began surging through at full speed.

Another two hours passed.

When Tylen opened his eyes again, the numbers on his status panel had updated.

[Spell Model Experience: 7666/100,000]

Seeing this auspicious number, Tylen's heart surged with excitement.

"Soon."

"I'm not far from becoming a true Level One Apprentice."