As for the attack power Gru had mentioned, it was a standard measure in the Wizard World. Elemental wizards relied mainly on mental power for their attacks, and ordinary elemental wizard apprentices could unleash attacks equal to ten times their mental power.
Body Refinement Wizards relied on strength. Once Body Refinement Wizard Apprentices reached the advanced apprentice stage, they could also unleash attacks equal to ten times their strength.
Leo had yet to learn how many times the attack power of Official Wizards could be multiplied. In any case, whenever Gru trained with him, he always looked afraid that using just a little more strength would kill him.
Leo had learned a little about attack power. As he understood it, the humans of Earth were all trash with a combat power of five, and even the strongest would not exceed ten points.
Even firearms, the weapons humanity used to dominate Earth, rarely had an attack power exceeding a hundred points.
Of course, weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear weapons definitely had an attack power beyond four digits. As for exactly how much, Leo had no concept of things on that level yet.
Yet he could already unleash more than two hundred points of attack power after less than a year of cultivation. Never mind the humans of Earth—even throughout the Purple Flame Wizard Academy, almost no one could progress that fast. No wonder Gru was satisfied with his performance.
"Well? Cultivate using the method I taught you, and your progress will exceed everyone's imagination. You'll become a genius who draws everyone's attention. You'll gain every honor."
The voice from deep within him belonged to the "old grandpa," his golden finger, who had been teaching Leo to cultivate the power of his shadow bloodline all along. Clearly, Leo's performance today had also greatly satisfied the old grandpa who had been teaching him in secret.
"I have you to thank, old grandpa. Without you, who knows how many years it would have taken me to reach this level?" Words of thanks cost nothing, and Leo poured them out without restraint.
"No need to thank me. Under our agreement, you must help me find Liquid of Origin."
"No problem. I already have a lead."
A month earlier, the "old grandpa" deep within him had made his first request of Leo: to look for Liquid of Origin. Leo had no idea what it was, but asking around and going through the motions was no problem.
Green Cottage,
was a major merchant group with a presence throughout the Wizard World, and it had a branch at the Purple Flame Wizard Academy as well.
"Lord Leo."
A pale, fat man greeted Leo with a smile when he saw him. Who at the Purple Flame Academy did not know Leo, the only person in an elemental wizard academy to follow the path of a Body Refinement Wizard?
"Toronto, have you prepared what I need?" Leo asked.
Leo had visited Green Cottage many times. He had bought those twenty-odd short blades here and was very familiar with the shopkeeper, Toronto.
"Lord Leo, the weapons from Earth you requested are ready. They aren't worth much, so I can give them to you as a complimentary gift. You'll just have to cover the teleportation fee yourself."
Toronto pointed toward the small room at the back of the shop. It was already packed with multibarreled weapons, along with mountain-like piles of ammunition crates.
Weapons classified as instruments of mass destruction on Earth were actually nothing more than complimentary gifts in the Wizard World.
"As for the Liquid of Origin you asked about, I found some information too. The Purple Gold Flower Merchant Group's headquarters has it, but it's very expensive."
Toronto was the only information broker Leo had access to. For matters concerning the "old grandpa" deep within him, he could only turn to Toronto.
"How much?" Leo asked.
"One milligram costs a million wizard coins, and it's out of stock year-round."
Toronto shrugged regretfully. Such a treasure was not something a wizard apprentice should have anything to do with. Even many first- and second-level Official Wizards had never heard its name.
If not for Leo's mysterious background, Toronto would never have rashly inquired about Liquid of Origin on behalf of a wizard apprentice.
"All right, understood. How much altogether?"
"Five thousand wizard coins. Four thousand for the information, and one thousand for teleportation."
Leo paid with a pang. Of the ten thousand wizard coins the academy had given him as compensation, fewer than two hundred remained. No matter the world, there was never enough money to spend.
As for ways to earn money, Leo had none at all. Every wizard coin he spent was one less in his pocket. What irritated him even more was that he had no choice but to spend this money.
Wizards valued equivalent exchange. There was no such thing as a free lunch. To obtain something, one had to give something in return.
Leo had nothing but himself. What could he offer in exchange? Surely he could not sell himself?
More importantly, at his apprentice-level strength, no wizard would buy him anyway!
Three months later, in Gru's courtyard, Leo lay sprawled on the ground, panting heavily. Clearly, Gru had just finished brutally battering him.
"Your body can handle a Gravity Rune Array now. You can find an elemental wizard to inscribe one."
After the hellish training, Gru eagerly moved on to the next stage of the regimen.
"But I'm out of wizard coins."
After some hesitation, Leo still told Gru about his predicament. He held on to a one-in-ten-thousand hope that Gru might lend him some wizard coins. Leo firmly believed that as long as he advanced a little further, he would be able to find a way to make money.
"I see."
Gru rubbed his chin. Under Leo's faintly hopeful gaze, he looked at him with ill intent and said, "A loan is out of the question. I don't have any money either. Those elemental wizards like hiring apprentices as assistants. You can learn a bit and earn some wizard coins too. I think you'd be a good fit."
"Could I do it? Surely no wizard would want an assistant like me who doesn't know anything?"
Gru's refusal to lend him money was within Leo's expectations. That was perfectly normal.
But Gru's suggestion left Leo bewildered. Working as an assistant to an Official Wizard was a job so good that countless wizard apprentices did not even dare dream of it. Countless advanced wizard apprentices lined up to be selected.
Leo did not think any wizard would accept a complete novice like him, who did not even know how to draw a rune.
Rather than hire someone like him as an assistant, they would be better off closing their eyes and pointing at anyone in the academy. Who there was not better than him?
"Of course you couldn't. But you've got me, haven't you?"
Gru gave a savage grin, his crude, unreasonable expression somehow utterly self-righteous.
Sure enough, less than a day later, Gru took Leo to a four-story tower and pounded roughly on its door.
"Gavarci, you old bastard, get out here and welcome me! If you don't come out, I'll smash your door to pieces!"
"Gru, why aren't you teaching your student instead of coming here?"
The one who opened the door was an old, resigned-looking wizard. A large frog sat on his head, staring curiously at Leo with bulging eyes.
"Gavarci, this student of mine is so poor he's run out of wizard coins. I've brought him here to be your assistant today. I have just one condition: as long as you don't kill him, do whatever you like."
Gru was as blunt and brutal as ever. From his words, Leo felt as though he could already see his future: utter darkness without a glimmer of light.
At first, hearing that Gru wanted to introduce Leo as his assistant filled Gavarci with aversion and disdain. An apprentice who knew nothing was less useful than Lilith. Lilith was the frog on his head, a female.
But when he heard that he could do whatever he liked as long as he did not kill him, Gavarci's disdainful expression brightened. His earlier disdain turned into an appraising look as he studied Leo from head to toe. The frog named Lilith studied Leo as well.
Their gazes, which seemed to see right through to his bones, made Leo's hair stand on end.
This was no job as a laboratory assistant. Gru had clearly sold him to Gavarci as experimental material.
The good news was that he would not die. The bad news was that it would definitely be worse than death.
Leo had no idea what agreement Gavarci and Gru eventually reached. In any case, Gavarci promised to inscribe the Gravity Rune Array on Leo first. The price was that, until Leo fully adapted to triple gravity, his freedom belonged to Gavarci.
The length of time was entirely in Leo's hands. It all depended on when he could adapt to triple gravity.
"Kid, stop looking like your dad just died. This is an opportunity countless apprentices couldn't get even if they paid for it. Make the most of it."
Gru slapped Leo's shoulder roughly and left Gavarci's tower with a hearty laugh, leaving only Leo's thin figure to be swallowed by the tower.
Gavarci's tower was filled with all kinds of experimental equipment. Limbs from creatures Leo could not identify occupied an entire floor.
"Kid, although I promised Gru I wouldn't perform any lethal experiments on you, you need to understand that experiments are full of unknowns. If you happen to die on the laboratory table, that has nothing to do with me."
"So if you want to stay alive, you must cooperate with my experiments without reservation."
The wrinkles covering Gavarci's face seemed filled with inhuman cruelty and the wails of countless souls. Together with the occasional croaking of Lilith the frog, they made Leo feel as though his soul had already fled his body. This was even more terrifying than Gru's training.
"Don't look at me like I'm a murderer. Within a month, I'll teach you basic experimental knowledge, and I'll inscribe the Gravity Rune Array on you first as well. There aren't many wizards like me who pay in advance these days."
Gavarci did exactly as he had said. At the beginning, he put his full effort into teaching Leo basic experimental knowledge, ensuring that Leo could accurately describe the conditions and data in the experiments that followed.
Leo found the feeling strange. He was clearly experimental material, yet he still had to study experimental knowledge to ensure he could accurately communicate what he felt to Gavarci. Wasn't that just masochism?
While Leo studied experimental knowledge, Gavarci had already begun tailoring the inscription of the Gravity Rune Array to his physical condition.
Over their extended time together and through their conversations, Leo also learned that Gavarci's primary field of research was actually poison—all kinds of bizarre poisons.
In Gavarci's own words, although he was merely a Level One Elemental Wizard, and one who had lived a thousand years and was nearing death from old age at that, killing an entire small world would still be effortless for him.
Leo: "..."