Chapter 190: Wizard of Wizards (10)
Chapter 190: Wizard of Wizards (10)
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Morning in the sunny elf village.
Aldritch, true to his wizardly ways, woke up at his usual time, lamenting that among his many companions, there was not one who knew how to respect the elderly, as he stirred the iron pot. Far from anything culinary, what he was boiling was not food.
"Ugh. I can't remember how much of the finely ground Blyvin root I need to put in here If I had known, I would have studied alchemy a bit more."
A warlock is not a discipline where one can succeed just by dealing with magic like other mages.
To begin with, the essence of dark magic, undead summoning, requires not only embalming the corpses but also injecting various strengthening drugs to create stronger undead. Even summoning a death knight requires a thorough knowledge of the armor's structure, down to the smallest link, and since one cannot proudly buy ingredients in the market, one must either be overcharged in the black market or grow and gather the herbs themselves. Therefore, knowledge of herbs is also necessary
The fields that came to mind included alchemy, metallurgy, herbalism, and medicine. There were dozens more fields of study that had to be learned on the side, so it was much easier and more profitable, and socially recognized to turn to alchemy or herbalism than to struggle with dark magic.
Mainstreams have reasons for being mainstream.'
Of course, if one had an enormous amount of money to spend on all of that, it wouldn't matter, but how much could a group of warlocks living in the shadows have? It's not for nothing that warlocks collude with forces of evil. If one doesn't want to spend all day plowing fields, foraging in the mountains and fields for herbs, and stirring a large iron pot without time for magical research, one must do something profitable.
Those who learn curses and corruption magic are inherently evil, leading many to commit crimes. However, most others start as subsistence criminal mages and gradually become corrupted.
During his days as an apprentice to a warlock, Aldritch had to memorize herbalism and alchemy, which had nothing to do with the soul magic he pursued, until his head was about to burst. At least to meet the level of reagents his master wanted.
Blub- Plop!
Lost in distant memories while stirring the pot, the reagent was finally completed.
"Gwok. It's done. Woo woo, it seems to be done."
"Hehehe. Well done. See how the foam gently rises and then bursts stickily? This viscosity means it's well made."
Notum, his disciple, who was still a source of pride, and surely would be for the rest of his life.
In fact, Aldritch, a soul mage, did not need to make his disciples cultivate herbs and make alchemical potions for 12 hours in shifts like his old master, so he had resolved not to teach them this cursed laborious discipline.
However, his disciple was a bit special, so he thought this knowledge would be helpful and changed his mind.
Aldritch carefully lifted the thick potion in a small bowl. Despite having boiled fiercely just a moment ago, the grayish-white liquid felt only mildly warm.
"Ugh. The concentration and aroma are fine, but the color is a bit I'm also not a major in this area, so I feel a bit insecure. Notum, as I've always told you, the most important thing in practicing alchemy is safety. If you have even a slight doubt about something you've made, you must be brave enough to discard it."
With those words, Aldritch turned away from Ottman and toward Professor.
"GwokOld ghostly mentor? Wasn't that supposed to be discarded? Why would you?"
"A mage must also know how to save on materials. Now, Professor, come to your senses for a moment."
Slap, slap!
"Uh."
"Wake up, man! Wake up!"
"Cough! Um, yes! What is it?"
Professor, who had woken up some time ago but had remained dazed in bed, flustered at the loud voice of Aldritch ringing in his ears.
"Try drinking this."
"Ugh What is this?"
"It's a potion to clear your mind. I've been making it since dawn."
"Ugh Thank you. Damn elf kids, if it was a tea with calming ingredients, they should have told me"
"I think it wasn't intentional. They couldn't shake off the shock of their first meeting and have been following you with anxious faces for 24 hours. In their eyes, you seemed like a poor human struggling with aggression control', so they probably wanted to offer you a calming tea."
"No wonder it tasted more like a concentrate of leaves Ugh, I'll drink it well."
Though Professor's body had awoken from sleep, his mind was still drowsy, caught in a stupor, as he gulped down the grayish-white potion Aldritch had handed him.
Gulp- Gulp-
Click.
As he swallowed, he immediately felt a strong mint flavor. The thick but smoothly flowing liquid enveloped his consciousness in a comforting cloud, whisking it away like cool morning fog.
"Wow! This is really effective, isn't it? If I ever drink again, I could use this to prevent hangovers"
Woosh!
"Hangover, uh, um Somehow, my stomach feels Cough!"
Woosh!
"Ah, Aldritch? I feel strange Is it supposed to feel like this Cough, cough!"
Woosh!
Gurgle!
The thick liquid in his stomach began to churn, and the clear morning mist that had been refreshing his mind turned into the biting frost of the tundra, violently thrashing both his body and mind.
"Hmm? It seems I got the dose wrong. Notum! Add about two cadence pills to the potion boiling there. When a concoction fails and its effects become unbalanced like this, adding ingredients with the opposite properties can neutralize it."
"Gwok Is that okay? Big small human, steam is coming out of his mouth."
Ah? Ah, yes. He'll be fine. His stomach might be a bit cold, but as a water mage, he shouldnt have much to worry about. These types usually handle the cold well. Ive even seen him get up briskly after an arrow struck his head. Hmm, yes, that's the right color. Milky, just like this. Here, Ottman, try drinking this. It might help you.
"Cough, cough! Ugh, this dark mage. Notum, help, help me Its too cold"
As Aldritch carefully fed the potion to Ottman and watched the vitality return to his eyes, Notum was reflecting on what she had learned from her master.
"Gwok Neutralize it with opposite properties"
Gurgle, gurgle!
Listening to Professor's stomach churning, Notum took out a small berry she had just added to the pot and split it in half.
"Cadence. Eat this. It neutralizes the cold."
"Thanks."
The spicy and pungent aroma brushed against Professor's cold lips.
Gulp.
.
.
.
.
.
"Ottman. Are you coming to your senses now?"
"Ugh. It feels lighter. Thanks, Aldritch. But, Professor what exactly is he doing on the floor?"
"Ah, it's nothing serious. It's customary for a disciple to not shy away from harsh tasks for their master. Hes just fulfilling his duties as your disciple."
What met the eyes of Magician Ottman, who had successfully emerged from a long daze, was the sight of Professor rolling on the wooden floor making animal-like noises, while Notum alternated between stuffing small roots and berries into his mouth and scratching her head.
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..
Gwok.
.Go away.
Gwok. I meant no harm.
Thats what makes it scarier, so go away, you brute.
Professor, his lips swollen, applied a gentle tree sap (brought by the exasperated Idrasil who had come running at the commotion) while muttering irritably.
How did the innocent and good-hearted Notum get so close to becoming a wizard'?
When you think about it, including himself, Aldritch, and Ottman, three out of the six in the party were wizardsit was inevitable that she would be dragged into this terrible party of wizards. Professor felt heartbroken, as if he had thrown the era's most talented hero unit into a tar pit called a group of wizards.'
Thanks to the commotion Aldritch caused from morning, his stomach froze like a frozen patty and then thawed repeatedly, but thanks to this, he managed to wake up with a clear mind, free from the effects of the tranquillizers the elves had smilingly handed over.
"Let's see. Since the video is uploaded daily, they must have read the message I sent yesterday outside, right?"
The first thing that came to his mind when he regained consciousness. How much would his friends from the 47th chatroom, who were close to being human sloths, have lived up to his expectations?
With an excited heart, Professor reached out his finger to the notification window.
Ding-!
[There are '14' messages from authorized players.]
[Speedwagon: It's me. I've prioritized and prepared only the materials that can be used according to the current situation and environment as you requested. The files are a bit too large for a personal message, so I posted it on the community board; you can check there. Let me know if you need more in the same way. And, um fortunately, I was able to get some help. There's a lot of data, so I recommend dividing it by category. Uh hang in there. I'm always watching.]
First, the heartwarming message from Dana. Although she had lost all her information collection lines due to the past incident, the expertise of a professional informant doesn't just disappear. Honestly, the information she organized and sent by herself might be more valuable than all those in the 47th chatroom combined.
Hmm, my nose is tingling. I wonder if this is what it feels like to receive a letter from a girlfriend at boot camp.
Next.
[noru_is_druig: I knew you always find an extraordinary breakthrough, but this time it was epic. If it were Dana, I'd give her 10,000 out of 10,000 points.]
Huh?'
The next message is a nutritionless human message. What nonsense is this? I haven't done anything yet, what good have I done. Whatever Dana did.
Next.
[HeungAnMandu: Thank you. I just realized that I've been living with my eyes closed up till now.]
This one is also trash.
[HighwayNachoMan: I did not know you well, sir! I don't know how you persuaded her, but thank you for persuading that fortress! As expected of the era's greatest tongue'!]
This one too. Well, they're all messages from the 47th, but they all say thank you, you're the light and salt of this era. Its like they're missing the same subject.
I feel uneasy. I have a weird feeling.
Ding-!
[Jokass: What have you done, you fiend.]
A message with no equivalent in ominousness.
"What? Did I spout nonsense on the community during the two months I can't remember? What the heck is causing all this fuss."
Feeling uneasy about the incomprehensible messages, Professor logged into the community board to find the materials Dana had mentioned.
The answer to his questions was there.
* [Blue Line Mountains and Eastern Imperial Region Strategy Data (42GB)]
A massive 42GB of text and images packed tightly, an amount so vast that it would be impossible for the people in our chatroom to rush in as soon as they checked my video, all without a single video file.
And then
* Trending now! [Frail Beauty Dana~ Creating an Official GG Strategy Guide Broadcast!]
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.
.
"Uh, uh, uhuhuh."
"Whaaat?"
"Uhh, uhuhuh"
"Big small human?"
"No, Notum? Was there some kind of hallucinogenic in that medicine we took this morning?"
"Gwok? No."
"Really? Man, why am I suddenly seeing things?"
It's strange. The Dana I know is gentle, introverted, and not one to favor outdoor activities.
Why is Dana's face appearing in the live broadcast list? Is this a dream? Did the elves' concentrated painkillers seep into my marrow?
[Rank 27: Speedwagon]
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Bambini: My goodness.
lepolo3397: To think the information broker Speedwagon was such a cold beauty. The world after the apocalypse truly is legendary.
Gorgon33: I'm in my second year of alchemy play. [file: The Relationship between Blue Line Ley Lines and Mana-Based Plants] I'm attaching this.
Speedwagon: Thank you for the data.
noru_is_druig: Oh, oh my goddess My five-year-old rice cooker, this, this Ah, Dana, auntie's heart can't take it.
NurungjiSpecialSet: Hmm. I came here thinking some baseless person was making a strategy guide after seeing the broadcast title. If its Speedwagon, its worth mentioning official. The Last Nerd' alliance will support this broadcast. I'll send you the data we've been organizing.
Speedwagon: Thank you for the data.
Pigeon: I've scraped together a strategy guide for the named undead that inhabit the Blue Line. [+attached file]
Speedwagon: Thank you for the data.
Jaminis: If it's data related to the Blue Line and the adjacent imperial regions. Do you want records of local inns and bard ranks? The imperial bards are known for their unique expressive power, so I've been compiling and searching for them.
Speedwagon: Thank you for the data.
Seok Norris: Is this a broadcast bot made in Dome? It only scribbles on paper and only replies with thank you for the data.'
Speedwagon: I am not a robot.
Seok Norris: Uh. that just makes you sound more suspicious.
nous77: Its suspicious! Try clicking on the image that includes the bus!
DangnangGeocheol: No way such a perfect woman exists in this world today!
OvertheRain: Explain yourself!
AeminaINem: Explain yourself!
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Shh-shh
"I'm not a robot I'm a person."
As the chat reactions intensified, Dana, buried in a pile of documents, peeked her head out slightly and moved her small lips.
It was really her. Dana had started broadcasting from outside. And not just any broadcast hidden behind anonymity, but a public one, openly interacting with people like the human Rabbit.
"What exactly What happened outside? Could it be because of the data I asked for Dana?"
"Gwok. Old ghostly master. It seems we really need to go check on this. The big small human's face has turned corpse-like."
"Uuumm. This isn't good. Has the medicine effect completely worn off?"
While Professor was shocked to realize how far and what his small message had caused, the party was merely puzzled by Professor's suddenly pale face.
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