"It's genuine. You've worked hard."

Colin completed a light confirmation process and recovered the Blade Knuckle.

That item would now rot for the rest of its life in the Mage Tower's storage.

The future where it would gain notoriety as Buggy Vile's weapon was gone.

It would never show its face to the world again.

'It's a bit of a shame, but it's better than it falling into someone else's hands.'

The ability of the Blade Knuckle of Ainsipal was that dangerous.

A decisive weapon that shattered the enemy's aura upon impact.

It was more than enough to be called the nightmare of the battlefield.

Unless I was going to use it, it was better to seal it.

"The item and you are fine, so that's good. Then what happened to the Madhouse mercenary?"

"I defeated him."

Colin's jaw dropped.

"...You killed him? That monster? You?"

"I didn't say I killed him."

Recalling it, I clicked my tongue in regret without realizing it.

The opportunity to aim for the life of an unguarded person would not come easily.

My stomach churned at having missed a golden opportunity.

"Because he's a guy who doesn't die."

He's probably going crazy and rampaging even now.

I left a bullet as a gift, but... that wasn't enough.

"He doesn't die?"

"Yes, do you know about immortals?"

"I know of them."

A person who doesn't die.

It was an absurd story.

However, what made it convincingly acceptable was the name value of Madhouse.

"He's the closest thing to it."

Madhouse doesn't accept mere beasts with only strong power.

The reason Madhouse's mad dog is scary is not his overwhelming physical specs, nor his beastly instincts.

"Because he revives even if he dies. Stronger."

It was easy to imagine if you thought of the mid-bosses in many games.

A multi-phase gimmick where you revive and become stronger when you die.

It was his innate ability.

***

"Ahem."

The shadow empress of Madhouse, Bianca Melbric, was in a good mood.

Her cat-like eyes, which were usually raised, were gently lowered, and her thin lips drew a fine arc.

Her footsteps, kicking off the ground, bounced.

"My cute babies. You've finally found your real owner."

In her hand, which was a clump of black smoke, various items appeared and disappeared repeatedly.

The items changing in the smoke were not of the same kind.

They were the auction items stolen from the Auction.

It was a collection that was pleasing just to look at.

"But why isn't he contacting me?"

Her elated mood, which seemed to pierce the sky, soon subsided when she thought of her companion.

His status as a rookie, and his personality of being called a mad dog.

The lack of contact only brought anxiety.

"There's no way he failed."

It was an easy job that would be over after cleaning up a few bugs.

Even if a Mage Tower tracker had followed him, it would only add to the trouble.

But why was he so late?

Bianca headed to the transaction location.

If he had caused an accident, unable to overcome his nature, it was to track his traces.

"...What is he doing?"

The chase ended in an instant.

There was no need to use her keen eyes; he was just visible in front of her.

"Is he really crazy?"

The surroundings were a mess.

The street was carved out like a rugged mountain slope, and the storm originating from a human body did not allow outsiders to enter.

Her companion, Buggy Vile, was rampaging.

It was a slugfest with a killing intent that made one's skin tingle.

His skills were indeed worth acknowledging.

The fact that his opponent was empty air was a flaw.

"It looks like he's on drugs."

Bloodshot eyes, drooling lips, and incomprehensible actions.

It was a sight she had often seen in her other Madhouse companions.

"There's no way he would do something like that."

He was a guy who took terrible care of his own body.

Something about having to be in optimal condition for battle at all times.

Given Buggy Vile's characteristic of trusting and cherishing his own body more than anyone else, the possibility of him having done drugs was low.

"As for what happened..."

Bianca stared at him and snapped her fingers.

"...I can just ask him directly."

Thwack!

A shadow that shot up from Buggy's feet struck him on the back of the head.

At the unexpected blow, Buggy's body immediately collapsed.

"Keup."

"Are you feeling better now?"

Buggy got up, holding the back of his head.

His blurry eyes gradually began to focus.

He asked, wary of his surroundings.

"What the hell. Where did that bastard go?"

"I don't know who you're talking about, but you were the only one here."

"...What nonsense are you talking about? I was fighting with that bastard the whole time."

"I told you clearly that you were doing gymnastics in the moonlight alone. Or do you think I'm lying?"

There was a large gap in their perceptions.

Buggy, who had not yet escaped the afterglow of the battle, could not accept the other party's claim.

"Bullshit. I was fighting until you hit me on the back of the head!"

"Then where did he go?"

"...Who knows. He's unlucky, but he's a guy with many tricks, so maybe he ran away when he saw you?"

"Make some sense."

Bianca, who had snorted, crossed her arms and thought for a long time.

Although not as much as Buggy, she was also terrible at using her head.

Still, after racking her brain, it wasn't like she had no idea.

"You were drugged. You look like it."

"Drugs?"

"I didn't see the moment you were hit, so I don't know what kind of drug it was. It seems to be a hallucination, auditory hallucination, and sensory disturbance type. So the enemy ran away early on, and you were rampaging alone."

"No, there was no time for that. That guy's senses were good, but his body was weak. If he had pricked me with something like a needle, I would have known right away."

"Then maybe you were hit with some kind of mental magic? If he had that kind of skill, he would be at the level of a Mage Tower dean."

As the wind blew, there was something stuck to her shoe.

A bunch of red petals. Could it be related?

The moment Bianca's brow furrowed, Buggy muttered in a hollow voice.

"...Ha, so you're saying I wasn't fighting with that guy, but was just making a fool of myself alone?"

"That's right. And you probably lost the Blade Knuckle in the meantime. You got screwed over."

To summarize, that's what happened.

Buggy, his pride wounded, contorted his face and raised his fist, then collapsed.

"...Ah, damn it."

"What's wrong?"

"This son of a bitch left me a present."

Buggy dug into his temple.

A crushed bullet was pulled out from between his two fingers along with blood.

"I've lost too much blood. I think I'm going to die."

Contrary to the grim content, a laugh flowed from between his parted lips.

His vision was blurry.

This time, it wasn't like drugs.

His skin, which was originally pale, had turned deathly white, and cold sweat was pouring down.

How many hours had he been moving alone?

Two hours? Three hours?

The rest were scratches, but the gunshot wound on his temple was bleeding profusely.

Even with a monster-like body, there was no answer to a lack of blood.

"That's a shame. Should I bury you and go?"

"Shut up and wait a minute."

Buggy replied curtly and closed his eyes.

Bianca could feel his heart stop.

"Oh my."

It was the moment she was thinking of burying him in the ground to play a prank.

A change occurred in Buggy's body.

It was like watching time fast-forwarded.

His short limbs lengthened as if someone had pulled them, and his muscles wriggled and swelled up firmly.

His androgynous impression became angular, transforming into a masculine young man.

When Buggy opened his eyes again, he had become a completely new person.

"Ugh, how old am I this time? I can't get used to being so lanky all of a sudden."

Buggy moved his body as if a machine were creaking, as if his senses were strange.

"I couldn't attend the entrance test, so I only heard about it, but it's amazing to see it in person. Is it like magic?"

"It's my constitution."

"You've already lost two, right? Once during the entrance test, and again now. Your life isn't infinite, so what are you going to do about the waste?"

"Hehe, a waste."

Not long after, Buggy, who had adapted to his grown body, got up from his spot.

"My previous body was starting to feel its limits. I just have to repay the debt of my life."

"Did you say you killed the former member who was in charge of the entrance test? You should have gone easy on him. He was a normal person who was at least reasonable."

"If he killed me, he had to die too. Don't you know about equivalent exchange?"

Buggy slammed his two fists together in front of his chest.

The air pressure from the fists colliding spread out in a concentric circle, raising sand and dust.

"So I'm going to kill that bastard who killed me today. Definitely."

***

The request was completed safely.

The payment was scheduled to be deposited into my account through the broker.

By succeeding in the request against the formidable enemy of Madhouse, my relationship with the Mage Tower was further enhanced.

In all these gains, there was a large share from someone other than me.

"Thanks to the artifact you made, things went well. Thank you."

"It was nothing."

They say praise makes even a whale dance.

Sage turned her head and pinched her cheek.

It was an action to hide her grinning lips.

"More importantly, what's that in your hand, mister?"

Sage barely managed to suppress her laughter and changed the subject.

"It's a stone."

"A stone?"

It was a reaction of incomprehension, just like Colin's.

"That, collecting stones? Is that your hobby?"

"No, I have a use for it."

"Is that a setting?"

"...A setting?"

"It's okay, I don't care what kind of hobby you have, mister."

What was she talking about?

Sage nodded as if she knew everything.

It was vaguely unpleasant.

“Hobby?”

"An old lady in my neighborhood used to feed and water a stone and talk to it. Isn't that the hobby?"

"...You're bringing up a very extreme example."

That's not a hobby, that's a mental illness.

I shook my head and headed to the World Tree's vegetable garden.

The lush green grass welcomed me.

The diverse colors, a departure from the gray cityscape, were pleasing just to look at.

It was time to give these kids a gift.

With what others perceived as useless stones.

[Luminous Stone is placed in the World Tree's vegetable garden!]

[The insufficient amount of light in the vegetable garden is supplemented!]

[Crop growth rate increases!]

[Moist Stone is placed in the World Tree's vegetable garden!]

[The insufficient amount of moisture in the vegetable garden is supplemented!]

[Crop health is improved!]

[Storage Stone is placed in the World Tree's vegetable garden!]

[A faint electric current flows through the vegetable garden!]

[Crops gain resistance to pests and diseases!]

[More than three structures have been placed!]

[As a reward, you are guaranteed to harvest a special crop for the next 1 time!]

As expected.

'Among the messages that passed, it said that structures could be placed in the vegetable garden.'

It was a kind of decoration function.

I happened to find what kind of structures could be placed in the vegetable garden at the auction and put it into action.

'So that's why it was treated as a junk item in the game.'

It was a stone for placing in a vegetable garden.

Since its use was unclear, it could only be used for collecting stones.

"Hmm, it seems like something has changed."

The vegetable garden was also a playground for the spirits.

The spirits danced with joy at the changed environment.

Sage had a strange expression, as if she had sensed the movement of mana.

"But there were more things delivered besides these, right?"

"There were."

In fact, the highlight was that.

"Bring it."

Kee-eeek!

"Ah!"

The Sentinel Hawk was summoned from the tattoo on my chest and flew up.

Sage was startled and pointed at it.

"Where did he come from?"

"My chest. He usually lives on my body as a tattoo."

"I thought you kicked him out of the house because he was noisy."

"No way."

I wondered why she didn't ask about his whereabouts, and she had been making such a grim assumption.

Kyak!

A moment later, the Sentinel Hawk returned with two plant roots in its two feet.

"Long time no see."

Sage greeted him bluntly.

The Sentinel Hawk went one step further.

It just glanced at her, snorted, and returned to the tattoo.

"That thing!"

I gave a bitter smile and handed her the item I had received.

"It's a gift."

"...A gift?"

"It's the item I mentioned before that would help you."

"What is this?"

"An elixir."

"Heok!"

Hwayangcho and Sueumcho.

Each had good effects, but they were elixirs that allowed one to absorb even purer mana when taken together.

The startled Sage glanced at me and just wriggled her fingers in front of her chest.

She was doing that because she knew the value of the elixir.

In fact, my pocket, which I had filled by catching a sucker at the gambling den, had become empty because of this.

"It's also a reward for this request, so don't refuse."

"...Yes, yes."

When I urged her again, Sage no longer hid her joy.

I could feel the warm body temperature from her clasped hands.

Her flushed cheeks were expressing her emotions outwardly, unable to control them.

"Wh-what should I do with this?"

"Just chew and swallow it. Be careful, it's bitter."

Even without any special processing, her talent would allow her to absorb it well.

Sage placed her hand on her chest and tried to calm her excitement.

Looking at her, I felt a sense of regret for some reason.

Why am I suddenly like this?

Is it because I gave her two when I could have taken one for myself?

Or...

"Ah."

"Wh-why?"

I grabbed Sage.

"Can you give it back?"

"...Yes."

Sage, having misunderstood something, looked sullen and held out her hand with a dark expression.

"No, that's not it."

I'm not trying to take it away with a mean heart.

"I'm going to plant these in the vegetable garden and grow them again."

"...What?"

I realized what was bothering me.

The harvest of a special crop.

It was the reward for placing the structures.

(End of Chapter)