novelraw Chapter 19 : Chapter 19
Chapter 19 : Chapter 19
Chapter 19. The Pharmacist
[Sense Sharing]
The master shares the senses of sight, hearing, and touch that the golem experiences.
[Magic Transmission]
The act of using magic through the golem.
These two were the golem's most core functions.
And Riman had confirmed that both of these functions were working properly.
On top of that, he had also taken care of the thugs who were robbing people near his hotel.
It was a pretty satisfying result for a first golem demonstration.
“Let’s see…”
Riman once again surveyed the situation in the alley through Saya.
The three thugs had already stopped breathing.
The only ones left in the alley were the three Intestine Hunters and the middle-aged man.
Riman spoke to them through Saya.
“Take care of things and get going.”
Swoosh!
Riman called Saya back.
As Saya disappeared from view, one of the Intestine Hunters muttered.
“…Has drone technology really developed that much?”
He couldn't even imagine that it was a golem.
No, in the first place, there wasn't a single person in this alley who knew of the existence of golems.
That's how unfamiliar ordinary people were with the magic of this world.
In any case.
The Intestine Hunter asked the middle-aged man.
“Hey.”
“Yes?!”
“Do you have any intention of donating your organs to us?”
“Of-of course not!”
“Then get lost. We’re about to start working.”
“Yes, yes!”
The middle-aged man hurriedly grabbed his bag and wallet and left the alley.
The Intestine Hunters looked down at the thugs' corpses and muttered.
“These guys didn’t lie. They’re very fresh.”
Screech-
They took out knives from their bags and muttered.
Swoosh-
Saya flew in through the open window.
Riman stroked Saya's head(?) and said,
“Good job.”
Upon hearing those words, Saya flapped its wings excitedly and rolled around on the floor.
‘This thing only looks like a golem, its behavior is like a dog.’
In any case, it seemed that he could use Saya sufficiently in a real battle.
For the past four days, Riman had been holed up in his hotel room for this training.
Except for when he briefly went out to buy water and groceries.
He didn't go to catch any escapees, nor did he take on any separate requests.
Instead, he continuously practiced [Sense Sharing] and [Magic Transmission] through Saya.
It was a task that required controlling not only his own body but also a separate entity called a golem, so it took considerable effort to get used to it.
And that wasn't all he did.
Riman also tested the magic he could wield with this body from time to time.
He had to fully understand what was possible and impossible with this body to be able to exert his maximum capacity in a real battle.
And the results were surprising.
He could use almost all the magic classified as natural elemental systems.
A typical magician could only use one main system, but Riman was different.
However, there was one natural elemental system that even Riman could not use.
Light.
Magic classified as the so-called ‘brilliance’ system.
This was the only one Riman couldn't use.
It wasn't that it was difficult to use, it just wouldn't activate at all.
In fact, if he thought about it, it was only natural.
All the magic that Riman cast was manifested in ‘black’.
Black lightning, black flame, black ice.
Even wind magic had a faint black tint.
But he couldn't create ‘black light’.
Black is darkness.
But light exists as the opposite of darkness, and the same goes for darkness.
Darkness is established by the absence of light, and light reveals its existence by the disappearance of darkness.
Black and light were incompatible from a fundamental conceptual level.
A complete contradiction.
That was why he couldn't create ‘black light’.
…is how he concluded his reasoning for now.
Well, there was nothing more he could do beyond speculation.
Riman had memorized all the magic-related settings of this world, but he had never formally learned magic at a Magic Tower.
So, for now, he had finished everything he could do.
Now it was time to go out into the world again.
Of course, before that…
“I need to get this treated first.”
Riman looked down at his palm.
At the spot where Saya had bitten him four days ago.
Ji Byeong-seo.
A genius pharmacist of the era, and the one who would be called the King of Medicine in the future.
But his current appearance was nothing more than a recluse cowering in his room.
“When on earth will my pharmacist license be approved…”
To manufacture and sell potions in this city, one had to obtain a license from the ‘Pharmacist Association’.
If one dared to manufacture and sell potions without a license, a considerable level of punishment would be imposed.
A punishment that could even be life-threatening.
Ji Byeong-seo had not yet received this license because it hadn't been long since he had come to the city.
Of course, he had submitted his application.
But it was a well-known fact that the Pharmacist Association's work process was slow and picky.
As a result, the money he had saved up was starting to run out.
“Is Mr. Ji Byeong-seo here?”
Just then, Riman knocked on his door.
“Oh, Mr. Leman? What is it?”
“How have you been? I’d like to get some treatment.”
“Treatment?! Are you hurt?!”
Riman held up his palm.
After confirming the wound on his palm, Ji Byeong-seo let out a sigh of relief.
“It's not a big wound. But it definitely needs to be disinfected.”
“Please.”
It wasn't a fatal wound, but the reason he had come all this way for treatment.
It was because the area bitten by Saya had started to fester.
Well, it wasn't on the level of the flesh rotting or anything like that.
But he had come because it was a wound that would become quite troublesome if left to his natural healing ability.
It was like a canker sore.
A wound that wasn't life-threatening but would become endlessly troublesome if left alone.
“Give me your hand.”
Ji Byeong-seo said as he applied disinfectant to Riman's hand.
“What were you bitten by?”
“You knew right away that I was bitten?”
“Yes. This lesion is caused by a biotoxin.”
“Biotoxin? Like snake venom?”
“Well, that's also a type of biotoxin, but all living things have some kind of toxin, however faint. For example, if I were to bite you, Mr. Leman, a biotoxin would be injected. Saliva, the bacteria living in the oral cavity, a collaboration of things like that is what a biotoxin is.”
“I see…”
So, this meant that the wound could only be left by being bitten by a living creature.
And that was indeed the case.
This was a wound from being bitten by a dragon's egg.
Riman lightly glared at Saya, who was sitting on his shoulder.
Saya, as if feeling guilty, avoided Riman's gaze.
Seeing this, Ji Byeong-seo asked.
“By the way, what’s that on your shoulder?”
“The one that bit my hand.”
“What?”
Just then.
BANG!
Someone threw the front door open and came inside.
“Hey, Byeong-seo!! The license is approved!!”
The person who came in was a man in his early twenties, around the same age as Ji Byeong-seo.
Hearing his shout, Ji Byeong-seo's face lit up.
“The license is approved? Really?!”
“Yeah! I told you I'd get it for you, didn't I?”
“Finally…!”
The Pharmacist Association had granted Ji Byeong-seo a pharmaceutical license.
“By the way, who are you?”
The man soon shifted his gaze to Riman.
Ji Byeong-seo answered for him.
“Mr. Leman. He’s the person I told you about last time.”
“Ah! You’re the one who saved my pushover friend at the used car dealership!”
The man approached Riman, offered a handshake, and said.
“I’m Bart Sinel!”
“Leman White.”
“Leman! I've heard a lot about you. You saved my friend from a difficult situation.”
“Just did what I had to do.”
Bart Sinel.
Ji Byeong-seo's close friend.
And the one who had noticed Ji Byeong-seo's pharmaceutical skills while he was living as an herb gatherer in the mountains and had brought him to the city.
Bart offered Riman his business card and said.
“Anyway, if there’s something you want to do in this city but don’t know how, just give me a call. I'll take responsibility and connect you with the right person or institution.”
“I see…”
Bart Sinel, his profession was a broker.
He connected problem-solvers with clients, thieves with fences, found sales channels for smugglers, and handled complicated administrative procedures on their behalf.
A profession that mediated between the light and shadow of this city, that was a broker.
And among such people, Bart was quite competent.
He was well-connected, smart, and diligent.
But despite that, Riman couldn't look at him favorably.
Because in the future, it was Bart Sinel who would betray Ji Byeong-seo and sell him to a pharmaceutical company.
As a result, Ji Byeong-seo would fall from being the King of Medicine to the King of Poison.
So, the moment Riman met Bart, this thought came to his mind.
‘Should I kill him?’
But after a little thought, he realized it was a foolish thing to do.
Bart was Ji Byeong-seo's closest friend.
And his only support in this harsh city life.
The moment Bart died, whether by accident or murder, Ji Byeong-seo's mental state would collapse.
So Riman thought.
‘Let’s keep him alive for now. It won't be too late to deal with him when he’s about to betray him.’
And…
‘Let’s use him as much as possible. There’s almost no broker more competent than this guy, Bart Sinel.’
This was Riman's conclusion.
Just as Riman was having these thoughts.
Bart was talking with Ji Byeong-seo again.
“Hey Byeong-seo, did you know there’s a big commotion going on right now?”
“What is it?”
“Ah, you probably don’t know since it hasn’t been reported. Demonic Beasts escaped from an Ork Corporation research lab and a slum was completely devastated.”
“Really?!”
The escape of Demonic Beasts.
The moment that phrase came out, Riman's ears perked up.
‘Demonic Beasts escaped? Could it be that bastard’s doing?’
Riman had a hunch.
Of course, it could have been a simple mistake by the Ork Corporation researchers.
But if not, there was only one person who would do such a thing.
‘If this goes well, I might be able to get the bounty for the Demonic Beast hunt and the bounty for the escapee.’
“Anyway, that’s why Ork Corporation is recruiting hunters right now. 10 million Credits per beast. They also asked me to send any competent hunters I know.”
“Mr. Bart.”
Bart, who was chattering excitedly, turned his gaze to Riman.
“Yes, Mr. Leman?”
“Could I possibly join in on that?”
“You, Mr. Leman…?”
Bart's eyes narrowed slightly.
“This is a pretty dangerous request…”
“I don't mind. As long as they pay well.”
“Hmm… but you see, for me to recommend you as a hunter, Mr. Leman, I need to verify your skills. If you happen to be a superhuman or an enhanced human…”
“I'm a magician.”
“Oh, I see. Then may I ask which Magic Tower you're from…”
“I’m self-taught.”
“Oh, is that so?”
A thick sarcasm and a hint of suspicion laced the end of his words.
He didn't believe a word Riman said.
In fact, it was understandable.
In this world, almost half of the magicians were from Magic Towers.
There was no reason for Bart to believe a magician who couldn't even name his affiliated Magic Tower.
But that was Bart's problem.
It was also true that Riman's mood had soured due to Bart's disrespectful attitude.
In the end, Riman decided.
To just show him with his own eyes.
“Mr. Bart.”
“Yes?”
Just see for yourself.
Riman held out his hand and cast a spell.
[Ignition]
Fwoosh!
A black flame erupted on Riman's palm.
It was huge.
But it was exquisitely controlled to the point that it didn't burn anything in the room.
The moment the flame engulfed the room, Bart was completely overwhelmed.
Moreover, it wasn't just any fire.
It was a black flame that could never exist in the natural world.
Even superhumans with the ability of ignition couldn't create such a fire.
Meaning, this fire was proof of magic in itself.
Bart said.
“…Mr. Leman?”
“Yes.”
“Let's make a contract.”
As if he had completely forgotten how he had mocked Riman just moments ago, Bart extended his hand to Riman.
How could a person change his attitude like flipping a palm in such a short moment?
Riman was inwardly amazed by his brazen attitude.
If there was an expert in treachery, would this be what they looked like?
So Riman smiled and said to him.
“I don't want to.”