Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 63

Episode 63: The Magical Nuclear (2)

White hair and a bushy beard. Eyes that are distorted and squinted.

An old man in a worn-out brown robe looked at Verden's face from side to side.

“Are you that guy named Asher?”

“Yes.”

“He’s handsome. It reminds me of when I was younger. My first impression isn’t bad.”

The old man nodded and stroked his beard.

“As you may have heard, my name is Lito Barslan. I am a genius alchemist who has escaped the prison of society. Come inside.”

His speech is frivolous yet serious, and his gestures are light yet dignified.

It was the first time I had ever seen someone display such contradictory attitudes at the same time. Even though we only had a brief conversation, I felt that he was a completely different person from the people I had met before.

'He's definitely a bit eccentric.'

Verden entered the cabin.

I followed Rito to the living room. Starting with the finest still, various alchemy tools, including mortars, cauldrons, and magic water, were scattered everywhere.

It was so disorganized that it felt like a child had thrown his toys around.

“It may look a little dirty, but I organized it in my own way, so don’t touch it. Well, since you’re a sorcerer yourself, you’ll understand.”

Woof woof woof.

Rito swept away all the clutter on the desk and dropped it on the floor. Then he pulled up a chair and sat down.

“Have you heard about me from Pale?”

“I heard briefly. He is the best alchemist in the duchy.”

“Kekekekeke, that’s right. And Pale must have been a quirky old man. But knowing that, you came to me instead of other alchemists, so I guess you want to ask for something special? Here, let me see. Take it out of that little space bag.”

Verden took out the materials he had purchased from Pale from the space bag hanging on his waist.

Rito looked around at all the materials, including the highest grade magic stone, Jordan's claws, Rootmill's hand, and the roots and petals of the magic flower, and laughed in vain.

“Huh, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen this component. Does that mean you brought it with you?”

“Here it is.”

Mandrake extract.

I put it on the desk and Rito quickly snatched it up. He opened the lid and took a long sniff.

“Oh, this is definitely the real deal. This is something that even I have a hard time getting my hands on. Where on earth did you get this? Are you a duke or royalty?”

“Should I tell you?”

“No, I don’t need it. What’s important is that the Mandrake extract is right in front of me. It’s the magic core! I can’t believe I’m making this again after all these years. You never know what’s going to happen in this world.”

Rito hummed and laughed heartily. He seemed genuinely happy.

'I'm glad you're interested.'

So, instead of providing production costs, I won't make any ridiculous demands. If Verden refuses by any chance, the opportunity to manufacture the magic core will disappear.

“And there’s one more thing.”

“Huh? One more?”

This time I took out the salamander's heart.

Even though the heart had been removed for a long time, it was still beating faintly.

“Even salamanders? Wow, these are really hard to find items. So, what do you want to make with them?”

“I want to make a potion.”

The owner of this heart is Gluttony.

You can kill the giant and erase his tracks, thus cutting off his pursuit, but you can't show it to others. If you make a weapon out of this and get caught, there's a high chance you'll get caught.

'So, eat it and get rid of it.'

That way it ends neatly.

Whoever comes will never find something that has already been digested in the stomach.

“Potion. It would be a waste to make a recovery potion that is far inferior to divine power… I think a nutritious tonic would be better.”

“Then please take care of that.”

“Nothing else? Oh, a vitality potion made from the heart of a salamander and a magic core. I guess I’ll show off my skills after a long time. But before that!”

Rito pointed to Verden.

“The production cost is paid in advance.”

“How much is it?”

“I don’t plan on receiving money. Even though I live frugally like this, I have accumulated a lot of wealth. Of course, you’ve already heard about it from Pale.”

“Then what should I give you?”

Well, what do you need?

Rito stroked his beard sinisterly.

“Asher, you’re a 4th-tier wizard, but Pale keeps saying that your skills are even better than that. Is that true?”

“It's true.”

There was no need to be particularly humble.

That's true. I've even won against many of the 4th tier wizards of Black Hour with ease.

Rito chuckled at the confident yet obvious answer.

“What great confidence. Is it pride? Arrogance? Or arrogance?”

“None of the three.”

“I see. Hmm, I guess I have a rough idea of what kind of wizard you are. You’re a wizard who is confident in your own abilities, so unlike the ones these days, you’re quite a bit more advanced.”

Slurp.

Rito was choking on the unidentified car nearby. Then he looked at Verden and said.

“My requirement is simple: companionship.”

Accompanying?

“There’s a place called the Spider Forest behind there. There’s a rare material I’ve barely found beyond there, but I can’t possibly get it by myself. It’s also dangerous to go to the Spider Forest often. I was planning on asking Pale to find someone I can trust, and you came at a good time.”

“Can I escort you until you get the ingredients and come back?”

“And including companions along the way.”

If that's all, it's not bad at all. In fact, it's good.

This means saving production costs equivalent to at least hundreds of millions of Elk. Furthermore, since it eliminates external threats, it means actively utilizing Verden's specialty, magic.

I couldn't refuse these good terms.

“Okay, I’ll go with you.”

“Okay! Then shall we leave right away? There’s still a lot of time before the sun sets.”

Rito gathered his equipment one by one.

There were various potions hanging from his waist. They were self-defense potions to protect his body. Rito, who was carrying a space bag larger than Verden on his back, smiled brightly.

“Okay, let’s go quickly and come back quickly.”

* * *

Spider forest.

As the name suggested by Rito suggests, there were spider webs hanging all over the forest. Perhaps because it was morning, the dew on the spider webs sparkled in the sunlight.

“Contrary to what you see, it’s a nice forest to take a walk in sometimes. I don’t like the idea of huge spiders scurrying around. Do you like insects?

“Spiders are not insects.”

Spiders are arthropods.

Broadly speaking, it can be called a bug, but it is by no means an insect.

Rito frowned.

“Ugh, it’s a joke I often use, but I fell for it. There are many people in this world who don’t know whether a spider is an insect or a bug. It’s useless to find out. So when people call spiders insects, my hobby is to laugh at their absurdity… but you took that away from me.”

“It’s so ignorant to not know that…….”

“Yeah, that was a bit too much. That’s why most people who heard that joke were offended.”

Rito walked forward, dragging his feet.

The conversation was so rambling that it was impossible to make any sense of it, but Verden sensed something different.

'You're free.'

His gestures and speech are full of leisure.

Just like Pale said, he was aloof. A person who only cared about what made him happy, regardless of money or anything else. He was the kind of person you wouldn't see in the Magic Tower or the Duchy.

“But Asher, why do you want to create a magic core? Is it to enhance your magical abilities like other wizards?”

“……Should I answer?”

“If you don’t want to do it, then don’t do it. Well, if you do that, then you’ll be breaking our promise to be your companion, and I’ll have no reason to make the magic core. I might add something weird during the production. Why? Because you broke your promise.”

“…….”

Verden was momentarily speechless at Rito's logic. He soon opened his mouth.

“You are right. It is for my growth.”

“Why? Because my dream is to become a great wizard?”

Of course there is that too.

Being recognized by the world as a wizard has been a dream I've had since I was a child.

But for now, it's just one of the stepping stones to the goal.

To trample on the Bohemian Tower Lord Balok Vesias in front of everyone with pure magic without any tricks and to lower the status of the tower built with blood.

For that, Verden must become stronger.

Of course, I had no intention of revealing my true feelings of hatred and revenge to Rito. Verden answered with a smile.

“Yes.”

"okay?"

Rito stared intently into Verden's eyes. He scratched his beard and spoke softly.

“Then let me ask you one more question. What do you plan to do when you become a great wizard? Have you ever thought about what you will dream after achieving your dream?”

"that……."

If the day of revenge comes, and if it succeeds.

‘… … What should I do?’

Now that I think about it, I never thought about it. No, it would be more correct to say that I didn't have the time to do so.

The goal was so lofty that I was simply focused on climbing the stairs to the sky. I couldn't imagine the sky beyond the sky.

Verden was silent.

At that silence, Rito clicked his tongue.

“I knew it. People, past or present, dream of their own ideals. Most of them become frustrated and compromise with reality, and only a very small number of people achieve their dreams. And do you know what they do after that?”

“…….”

“They are all different. Some live a lustful life, seducing women, while others raise disciples and educate their students. Some live greedily, wielding great power, while others live altruistically, helping others. It is also common to create families and raise children. Do you know what they all have in common? They all have a new dream.”

But if you can't dream a new dream.

“You lose the will to live. You either just live until you die, or you become apathetic, lose your emotions, become pessimistic, and commit suicide. Humans are beings who should always have dreams. Asher, do you know why I’m suddenly saying this to you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Your eyes were burning brightly when you spoke of your dreams. Just getting near them would burn you to death. You must have a very strong desire to make your dreams come true.”

but.

“If the fire’s light is too bright, you won’t be able to see what’s around you. And it won’t burn anything you don’t want, and it won’t go out without a trace…… Hehe, I’ve talked about this so much that my throat is burning.”

Rito took out a bottle of cool water and quenched his thirst.

I smiled at the silent Verden.

“Kekekekeke, you’ve become quite the honey-eating chick. Did what I said really hit the nail on the head?”

“It did make me think about it a bit.”

“That’s a good thing. Well, there’s no need to rush. You’re young, so you have a lot of time to think. Try to take it easy a little more. Then, you can enjoy a free retirement like me, right?”

Rito finished his speech jokingly.

Verden thought.

What he said just now… … Those words definitely caught Verden off guard. It was a completely different appearance from when they first met. Perhaps that was the true nature of the alchemist named Lito Barslan.

At that moment, Rito stopped walking.

“Oh, but did I say that?”

“……?”

“There is an owner in the Spider Forest. A giant spider as big as a house is the owner of this forest. Its children are as big as average people. In many ways, it is best to avoid meeting it as much as possible.”

“But why are you suddenly saying that…?”

“I made a mistake. I was talking and ended up entering his territory.”

what?

Clang. Countless sounds passed through Verden's senses.