"Hey, have you heard? Joseph has advanced from a junior mage to an intermediate mage." In a tavern, one man said to another.
"What!!! Joseph actually advanced? That's incredible!" the other man exclaimed when he heard.
His voice was so loud that everyone in the noisy tavern turned to look.
Many people had no idea who Joseph was.
Someone nearby immediately asked on their behalf.
"Who exactly is this Joseph? Is he some big shot?"
"Not really. He's a junior mage.
But he'd been stuck at that level for more than ten years and couldn't advance.
Everyone had judged that he'd never be able to advance in his lifetime.
But apparently, he'd mastered some method that could help people advance, and recently he'd actually succeeded." The first man explained.
Most people who heard that a mere junior mage had advanced were only slightly interested. Since they lived far away and didn't know him, they soon stopped paying attention.
But some people took note. Similar conversations were happening in towns and cities of all sizes around Lincoln Town.
News of Joseph's advancement spread like wildfire. Many people even learned who Joseph was, and his renown grew considerably.
Drew had paid people to spread these stories deliberately. He'd built up the atmosphere enough, and now all he had to do was wait for someone to come knocking.
Unfortunately, the people Drew was waiting for wouldn't arrive so soon. They were still watching from the sidelines, while an unexpected visitor had already arrived.
"Boss, have you heard? Apparently, a junior mage in that town advanced to intermediate mage. That means the town now has three intermediate-level professionals," said a greasy-looking little man with a mustache.
Across from him sat a hulking man two meters tall, with a gleaming bald head as round as a lightbulb.
Below his bald head were two sword-thick eyebrows, and beneath them, his eyes were closed.
His nose was high-bridged, and below it was a gaping mouth. A voice came from that mouth.
"What's the rush? He's just a rookie who's only just advanced to intermediate.
He was a good-for-nothing who couldn't advance for more than ten years. Even after advancing, he's still a good-for-nothing. What's there to worry about?
Even if they have three intermediate-level professionals, we have five.
Relax. Don't disturb my rest."
That day, Joseph hurried over to Drew's place, interrupting his alchemy experiment. "What's the rush?" Drew asked, displeased at being interrupted.
"I heard something. The Hurricane Bandits are going to pass through our area." Joseph was so focused on his news that he didn't notice Drew's displeasure.
"Oh? Will we be their target?"
"Maybe not before. Our town is small, and there's not much to take.
But now, thanks to you, the town has amassed a great deal of wealth.
We could very well become their target."
"Are they strong?"
"They're one of the ten strongest bandit groups in the country."
"Do they have any high-level professionals?"
"I heard their leader is a high-level professional, but he rarely shows up."
"Good. I understand," Drew replied.
"So what should we do?" Joseph asked anxiously.
Drew had only said he understood. He hadn't said how they should respond.
Joseph didn't know what to do.
"First, find someone—or pay some mercenaries—to scout the Hurricane Bandits and find out where they are and how large their force is.
Once we have that information, I'll figure out a way to assess their strength.
Also, do you know where I can find a magic crystal?" Drew replied calmly.
Karen's equipment was still with him, so Drew could use it.
But the equipment needed magic crystals to power it.
Karen's space ring was inaccessible, so Drew had to find another way to get some magic crystals.
After all, the other side might have a high-level professional. Drew figured he couldn't beat one himself. But if he could use the equipment, he could utterly crush a high-level professional.
"Magic crystals are only used by advanced mages and above. I was only a junior mage before, so I never had anything like that. It's way out of my league.
But I think I heard the mayor has a magic crystal in his collection." Drew's calm confidence soothed Joseph's anxiety.
"Good. I'll go see the mayor. You go take care of what you need to do," Drew instructed.
"All right."
After giving Joseph his instructions, Drew headed to the mayor's house.
He knocked on the mayor's door. A servant opened it and looked surprised to see Drew, who rarely left home.
Fortunately, although Drew seldom visited the mayor's house, he had dealt with the mayor often enough.
The servant recognized him at once, led him inside, and notified the mayor. The mayor was also surprised to see Drew.
He knew Drew rarely went out. Apart from handling matters related to the school, he'd had almost no social activities.
If Drew had come to see him, it must have been important. Drew usually didn't hurry over even when it came to the alchemy shop.
He normally waited until Deke came by to collect potions before telling him anything.
There had to be something important going on. The mayor knew Drew's temperament, so he got straight to the point.
"Did you come here to tell me something?"
"Do you know about the Hurricane Bandits?" Drew asked.
"I do. A caravan already told me about them. I've been worrying about this. Do you have a way to deal with them?" The mayor assumed Drew must have come to talk to him because he had a solution.
"Because if he were only worried, Drew wouldn't have come in person." The mayor's heart leaped with joy, and he asked, "Do you?"
"Yes. If they don't have a high-level professional, I can deal with them.
But I heard there's a high-level professional among them."
"Yes, their leader is a high-level professional, but he hasn't appeared in many years."
"But he could still show up, right?
I need something. With it, I can handle even a high-level professional if one comes. I heard you have one."
"What is it? If I have it, you can have it."
"If no high-level professional appears, I'll return it to you.
If one does appear and I use it, I'll make it up to you."
"No, no. As mayor, protecting the town is my responsibility.
I've been worrying about this. You're helping me solve the problem, and I can't thank you enough. How could I ask you to compensate me?
Tell me, what is it?"
"A magic crystal. Do you have one? If not, can you get one?"
"Oh, that. It's an item only advanced mages can use.
I do have two. They were left behind by my ancestors.
They're just decorations in my hands, so take them if you need them.
Are two enough? If not, I can ask around in the larger towns."
"That's enough. Then I'm much obliged, Mayor."
"Good. I'll go get them for you now."
After leaving the mayor's house, Drew felt much more at ease. With two magic crystals, he could face what was coming.
There weren't many, but Drew wasn't like Karen.
Karen had the habits of a rich person and treated magic crystals like ordinary currency.
Drew was a system. He could use them precisely and save them for the crucial moment. Besides, he didn't need to kill his opponent—only make them realize they couldn't win and back down. That wouldn't take much, so two would be enough.
Drew returned, satisfied. He still had to make some preparations before the bandits arrived, especially potions.
Once Joseph found out where the bandits were, it would be Drew's turn to take action. He had a large stock of high-quality Shadow Potions.
With the system's powerful scanning and analysis abilities, gathering intelligence was simple for Drew.
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