The Mysterious Black Magician

*Ting!* A sound of warning about a visitor coming from the outside was heard from the inside of the smithing shop.

"It's you. Welcome back." The man sitting on his usual spot greeted his visitor.

Yman did not reply through words but nodded his head slightly.

"I'm here for the item I ordered yesterday, Mister Smith."

He said directly his main reason for coming. Actually, just yesterday he found out that this man was the blacksmith Sar Smith himself, the owner of this smithing shop.

"Ah that. Don't worry it's finished.. It's here. Now, where is that crystal?"

Yman got excited when he heard his reply and saw the item on top of the glass table in between them. He then handed the Magic Cryst to him.

Sar Smith took it and pointed against the light and meticulously checked on it against the pinch of his fingers.

The Magic Cryst was seemingly alive as it twinkled when Yman took it from his Cyber Storage and handed it to the smith. It was in bright red color and sparkled whenever the smith rotated it slowly.

After checking on it for a couple of seconds. He glanced at Yman with a little doubt. Then he opened his mouth, "Really. How did you even able to acquire such a valuable item?"

Yman's lips extended to one side. Probably the smith didn't mean bad at his words. So he smiled with a smug.

After another couple of seconds, Sar Smith took it in the next room together with the item.

*Gluggglug!* *Clang!* *Bzzzzzzzt!*

<Partner, what are those noises?> Sistela who was sitting on his left shoulder asked him in doubt. The two of them heard some scraping noises from the next room where Sar Smith went to with his Magic Cryst and the item.

"He must be peeling the Cryst," Yman replied.

<Peeling?>

"It was a skimming process of peeling the outer layer of the Magic Cryst in order to inlay it to the equipment of choice."

<I mean, why it needed to be skimmed!>

"Ah, that? It is because the outer part of the Magic Cryst is just a normal crystalline. The real Magic Cryst was the core of it."

<Core? Is that so?>

"Mhm."

<Then how big is the real Magic Cryst?>

"How big, huh. Hmm, I think..... half as big as the nail on my shortest finger." Yman replied and lifted his left hand to show Sistela his fingers.

Sistela glanced at Yman's shortest finger then she glanced at his nail and shouted, <So tiny!>

"Ahaha, right."

After an hour and a half of waiting, the smith Sar Smith finally returned.

Yman and Sistela noticed a box in Sar Smith's hands.

"It's been ages since I last inlay such a rare crystal in a piece of equipment."

Mister Smith said while wiping the remains of sweat on his forehead using his left arm. The eye patch on his eye made a slight movement when his arm unintentionally touched it.

Yman noticed a bluish glow in it. He wondered what it was.

Sar Smith handed the rectangular box to Yman.

Yman grinned in excitement and asked for the total price.

"Hmm... 5,000 GP for the equipment and 300 GP for the labor."

Upon hearing his reply, Yman's eyes slightly widened but he already expected it. After all, the materials he chose yesterday for making the equipment was of rare materials.

And if he's not been mistaken. The actual item was made at the tailoring shop then delivered here to attach other materials. And today for skimming and inlaying the actual Magic Cryst, or the core of it.

Yman paid the total price through a trading system after checking the item. It was made of good materials from the high ranking beast. It was colored in black and a small chip on its back in red color sparkled when hit by the light. The tiny chip on it was no doubt the core of the Magic Cryst.

Yman caressed the crystal chips and felt the smooth and chill on it. Like touching the water surface of the tranquil swamp.

Yman excitedly wore it on his right hand and his five fingers went through each hole of the glove, not so tight and not loose. It fitted well on his hand.

A kind of joy when a kid received a new toy from his/her parents. But at this moment, he was unaware of that expression he was wearing on his face.

He repeatedly closed and opened his hand. Checking if it's comfortable on his hand. After realizing that there was no issue. He smiled in appreciation to Sar Smith.

Suddenly, he felt a surge of power from it. Like, his strength increases a little. For certain, with this item, he had the feeling that he could dispatch those rats a little bit easier than before.

In truth, his first choice was to inlay the Cryst in the weapon. But after appraising the Magic Cryst, Yman and Sar Smith found out that it was in a strengthening category.

Then Sar Smith recommended him to inlay it in a glove while saying that it would be a waste to inlay it in a weapon if the one who used that weapon was not proficient with it.

Yman was surprised that Sar Smith knew that he was not proficient in any weapon. But he thought that maybe he was found out based on the equipment he bought the other day.

Since a man who was proficient in swords probably stared at the sword only when buying a weapon. While him, he bought different kinds of weapons.

The second reason why Sar Smith recommended him the glove and not armor or anything else is that gloves can be used in both offense and defense.

The Cryst he got was looted from a rank D+ beast, so it increases his strength for a certain percent only.

After Yman and Sistela left the shop, he checked his money and noticed that he had 200.50 GP left on his Wallet Section. He sighed then checked his mission status:

Current Quest:

Title: Gross Evil Rats!

Quest rank: Bronze

Details: Kill 5 Evil Rats within 1 week.

Rewards: 100 GP

Status: ongoing...

Progress: 1/5 killed

Remaining Time: 102hr: 22min: 49sec

He still had much time left to complete his mission but he needed money so he had to do it now. So that he could acquire another mission with much higher rewards.

Before he proceeded, Yman suddenly stopped on his feet. He remembered that Almina invited him yesterday. And it seems around this time that the open forum in the auditorium will start. He wanted to message her but then again, he doesn't have her IDA or Identification address. So he could not contact her.

Yman exhaled and thought, probably, Almina just pitying him. She must be thinking that he could not find a group because he was hated by most trainees in the academy. Regardless, there was a high chance for him to be suspended in the academy, so it was useless now for him to join a group. It's better to finish his mission first so that he could keep enough money when the time comes that he has to leave.

After that, he would start to find another job in this world until the higher-ups on the Outerworld decide to pull him out here.

Hmm... maybe he goes and travels to some places in this world too together with Yana and Sistela. It's a waste to just leave in this world without seeing what's beyond that horizon. Yman thought as he looked at the distance where his eyes landed on the far away shade where the sky meets the mountains.

One and a half hour had passed,

Keeeeeek, keeeeeek!

Two Evil Rats rushed towards him in a zig-zag movement.

Yman threw a dagger. The first rat evaded it by jumping to his left but the one behind had no way but to retreat in order to dodge. Yman rushed immediately. Seeing the person in front rushing towards them, the first rat increased its speed and leaped to bite the person.

However, the person suddenly twisted his body to the right in a hasty motion. The rat's eyes followed the person but his body was late to react.

Next second, the rat felt someone rudely grabbed his tail. Then the world seemingly became hazy and blurred as the rat felt he was spinning.

A second later, Bang! The Evil Rat felt excruciating pain when its body bumped into something. The Evil Rat coughed muddy black blood in its mouth.

It forcefully rotated its body that was laying back-first on the cold and dirty pavement ground. The rat was able to stand in difficulty, then he noticed another rat laying beside him while twitching his body. The Evil Rat came into the realization that he was thrown to the other rat by that person.

Before the rat was able to get rid of the dizziness it felt, it widened its eyes when it suddenly felt something was piercing its head. The same thing also happened to the other one.

[Mission update: Killed ⅖ Evil Rats]!

[Mission update: Killed ⅗ Evil Rats]!

Before the rat lost its consciousness, it heard the person saying this line, "Phew! That's 3 out of 5, huh!" After it, the rat's consciousness traveled into the darkness when it finally stopped its breathing.

<2 more to go!>

"This glove did a good job."

<Yeah!>

"Not only it increases my strength, but it also increases my attack."

<Mhm! Mhm! And my appraisal ability becomes more powerful!>

"Right. Then, let's proceed."

< Lets go!>

The two of them were cheerful with their new equipment. Yman and Sistela continued their hunts.

After his breakthrough to level 2, his movements became swifter than before.

He even grabbed a rat sometimes and smacked them onto the ground or to the other rats.

Even his accuracy became sharper.

He sent two daggers flying towards the two Evil Bats that were hanging on the ceiling. At a distance of 7 meters away, the two daggers travel the space and pierced through their bodies. The two Evil Bats shrilled in agony before they dropped dead on the ground. Yman took the daggers back and wiped the muddy blood on it before storing it back to his Cyber Storage.

Currently, his CE is 12%/100%. Yman also checked on his mission status:

Current Quest:

Title: Gross Evil Rats!

Quest rank: Bronze

Details: Kill 5 Evil Rats within 1 week.

Rewards: 100 GP

Status: Return the quest before the time limit!

Progress: 5/5 killed.

Remaining Time: 100hr: 10min: 48sec

"Finally."

*Sigh!*

<Yeah, congratulations to us! lets go?>

Before he replied to her, Yman glanced at the deeper part of the underground channel. All he could see was darkness. But, in some weird cases, he felt something weird beyond it. Also, the atmosphere seemed to be abnormal. It was way colder, and he almost could not stand the rigidness it brought.

<It's weird.> Suddenly Sistela voices out.

"Have you felt it too?" He asked her while thinking that Sistela might be feeling weird also as he does.

<I mean it's weird that you didn't feel scared today, unlike when we first came here.>

Yman was helpless when he heard her reply and said with a laugh, "Ah-ahaha. Must be because of my breakthrough last night."

<...Hmm... that must be the reason. Hehe!>

"Mhm."

After he nodded to her, Yman glanced again at the deeper part and thought, |I have to investigate this place.|