NOVEL WEB Chapter 6
My eyes naturally opened to the warm light that warmed my body. I could see the sun rising outside the window. Is it morning?
My body was stiff and unmovable. I must’ve overdone it with the drinking yesterday. My mind was awake, but my body still sunk endlessly into dreams. It was probably because of the nightmare. I’ve heard those who drink nightmares end up like this. I kept my composure and circulated my magic. The power seeped into my stiff body.
I forced my body into movement using that magic. The body that had been slumped against the wall sprang upright. With a creak, a wave of pain washed over me. I began some simple stretching, enduring the pain. My still half-asleep body screamed in protest. But there was no mercy. It was already well past time.
I had to open the shop quickly. I needed to make money. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to take the exam next year.
Next year’s exam. Damn, this is really bad. I tried moving my body, hoping to forget the thought of the exam amidst the pain. But I couldn’t shake it off. The wounds of my heart loomed larger than the pain of my body.
This was the tenth time. I never expected I’d be stuck taking exams for so long.
For the first entrance exam, I, who thought I was a genius, was confident. I assumed I’d pass without question. And then I was eliminated at lightning speed.
“Hmm, the gates of the university are indeed high.”
I was showing off, but I was utterly flustered. No, how on earth do I pass this?
Then came the second. Another fail. A genius, huh?
“It’s just because my level is still immature. Let’s raise my level and challenge again.”
As I said, the level I had achieved in sprouting only produced seeds; it wasn’t enough magic to take all the tests. So I raised my level and produced young shoots. To elevate the status of a tree all at once. I really am a genius. Confident in my success, I went for my third attempt.
I failed.
Fail, fail.
Before I knew it, five years had passed since I first attempted the exam. I realized I am not a genius.
Like the other mages living on these streets, I was just a commoner desperate to step foot at the university.
And so, ten years went by.
I’m still begging on these streets.
Now, today marks the start of my eleventh-year challenge.
Damn.
I moved my body to open the shop. A refreshing breeze rolled in with a musty smell. Time to make money, money. My body was finally waking up a bit, strength returning slowly. Stretching out, I surveyed my surroundings. The familiar scenery greeted me.
Most of the buildings were half-collapsed, and in the alleys lay what looked like corpses sprawled out. Just another ordinary morning where people roll around like garbage.
Ah, that’s a real corpse. Looks like someone froze to death overnight. I casually tossed a bug doll to take a peek at it. It seemed like it had already been robbed, as not a trace of magic remained. I thought I might’ve found easy cash in the morning, but what a waste.
I pushed the corpse deeper into the alley. If I leave it like this, those who need a corpse will take care of it themselves.
There’s something I need to do to start the day off right.
First, I need to deal with that jerk. That cursed booze peddler. This is why I can’t trust the dream merchants.
How dare he sell me beer mixed with nightmares? I can’t let this slide. Before more innocent victims like me emerge, I’m going to smash him! I needed magic anyway, so this is perfect.
I locked the shop and headed out. What time is it? He must be holed up underground selling drinks. I walked toward a cluster of buildings that seemed somewhat intact amid all the ruins.
As I got closer, I started to see more mages moving about. This was the hub of the slums that somewhat had a hint of life. Sure, people still rolled around like garbage, but at least I wouldn’t have to see corpses here. They kick the dying out.
I headed for the largest building. A man with a sword attached to his waist leaned against the wall, chewing on a leaf of tobacco. He belonged to the gang that ruled this street. I could faintly sense magic emanating from his sword. He seemed to be the doorman.
I hate those swordsmen the most. Any mage would. They’re nuts who grow swords instead of magic. They may live short lives, but they’re incredibly strong. It was a swordsman who robbed me of all my dolls in the last exam.
The memory of that nightmare twisted my face. I walked past him and headed inside the building. As I brushed past, the distinct scent of metal assaulted my nose. Ugh, gross. I pinched my nose and wrapped myself in magic. This is why I hate them even more. They flaunt their magic like it’s nothing. No class, no class.
The inside was buzzing with people. Everyone was a mage. Anyone living in this area had to stop by here. This was a request brokerage managed by the gang. I often visited too, as it was easier to find materials I needed for my doll-making.
Right. My doll was nearly wrecked, so I needed to make a new one. I jotted down a few familiar materials and hung them up on a sign. I wrote my shop’s location, and they should find me. I exchanged nods with some familiar faces and headed toward the stairs tucked in the corner of the building. The stairs plunged deep underground. After a long descent, I arrived at a large open field.
There were even more people milling around the open field than above. It was a makeshift underground market created to avoid the monsters. Trading magic-infused items naturally attracted monsters, so they dug into the ground to prepare for them. If it were inside the castle walls, there would be no need to trade like this in hiding.
There he is.
The peddler stood out like a sore thumb. A baldy was polishing his shiny head while dealing with customers. His drink was piled high around him—it looked like he was marketing his own brew. If I got closer, I was sure the smell of the alcohol would be overwhelming. I, too, fell victim and bought a few bottles at an inflated price.
I pulled a few bug dolls from my pocket. When I infused them with magic, their hearts started beating and they flew into the air. The bugs silently vanished, lying in wait near him. I moved my feet as well.
“Hey, look at me.”
I kicked a bottle of his booze. The drinks toppled like dominoes. He approached with an incredibly frowning face. That glinting head of his was really irritating.
“What are you trying to ruin my sales for, baldie?”
“Why are you trying to undermine my business, doll maker?”
“Doll maker? Are you really the one with the gall to speak after jamming your own drinks?”
His face went pale.
“Wh-what are you talking about? When did I ever do that?”
He stuttered. The people around turned their heads with disapproving looks. They had been eyeing the drinks and began putting them down.
“It’s a misunderstanding! I didn’t do anything!”
He hurriedly tried to call back the customers, but those who were already rubbed the wrong way began leaving with disgusted expressions. His anger was palpable, making his already ugly face even more monstrous. He stepped closer and lowered his voice.
“You promised not to say anything! I even gave you a magic stone for hush money.”
Right. That was about two years ago, wasn’t it? I caught him red-handed back then. It was shockingly disturbing. The memory threatened to churn my stomach again. I steadied my upset stomach, burying that memory deep down again. I wouldn’t think of it again.
“If you had kept your promise, I would’ve stayed quiet. Oh, that magic you brewed? Claims it grants happy dreams, right? I nearly died after drinking that last night, you bastard.”
I slapped his head. As he rubbed the hurt spot, he stood there dazed, startled.
“Seems like you remembered. I bought that drink about three years ago. The one where I gave you ten magic stones in exchange. I clearly warned you back then. If there’s something weird mixed in, I’d kill you.”
He took a half-step back. Trying to run away? Dream on. The bugs had surrounded him thoroughly. The hidden bugs began to flap their wings. Several explosion spells layered on their backs began to flutter up. If he tried to run, he’d be turned to ash along with the dolls.
He stared at the dolls and slowly sat down. The bugs settled back down with him. Given this hint, I wouldn’t hesitate to set them off next time.
“Still using that disgusting doll…”
“What?”
Disgusting? From the moment I escaped that island, they’ve been my lifeline. Without these self-destructing bugs, I wouldn’t have survived this long. How could I let someone say such harsh words about these adorable creatures?
I stuck six or so bugs onto his back. If they burst, his upper body would disappear along with it. As the bugs started to flap, beads of sweat began to pour from him.
“Our little cuties are hurt by your words.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I must have misspoken about how great they are! Ah, hahaha!”
He awkwardly laughed and shouted. I halted the bugs’ movement. Taking the chance while he’d loosened his tension, I stomped fiercely on his leg to immobilize him.
“So, what did you mix in?”
“Cough, I have no idea what you’re talking about…”
“If you don’t know, you should die.”
I gave the command for self-destruction to the bugs. The buzzing sound began to amplify.
“I mixed it! Just a little!”
He shouted in a panic. How could this idiot have no learning ability? Even knowing why I was here, he pretended not to. This was just a simple problem of intelligence.
“Well, it tasted just like a nightmare. How much did you mix in?”
“Just a bit of nightmare. The rest was genuine happy dreams, I swear! I thought I only mixed it in enough to be undetectable, but how could that…”
“Oh please, it was clearly detectable. I was dragged into a nightmare the moment I drank it.”
I slammed my palm down on his head again. A loud smack resonated and left a crimson mark on his head. For a dream merchant, it was probably the first time I saw someone bald. Other dream merchants looked just fine—why did he have to end up like this? I couldn’t believe he was only twenty.
Continually hitting his head, the color turned bright red like he was dyed. Yet I didn’t stop. No matter how much I hit, my frustration didn’t fade. I faced him, who wore a face of almost crying.
“Here’s the deal: I’m giving you two choices.”
I held up two fingers.
“One is to give me your body. I only need one hand. I could use your hand to make gloves from the dreams I need.”
His face went deathly pale. His head was flushed with redness, and yet his face was ashen—quite the sight. Seeing him about to speak, I wiggled my fingers. The waiting bugs flew in to cover his mouth.
“You better listen to the other option too.”
I folded a finger and shook it.
“You’ll donate a part of your wood to me. Not enough to cause significant damage—just enough for me to work with. That way, I can cultivate a dreamer doll.”
His face turned completely white. As I removed the bugs from his mouth, he started glancing around, looking for an escape.
“Ah, if you try to escape, I’ll take both.”
He slumped down. Anyone who cheated me repaid tenfold. That was my rule since I came to this city. If the drink he sold had been fine, he might have had a chance to sell me another bottle. But he deceived me and dragged me into nightmares. They say one in a thousand who enter a nightmare comes back. What a perilous chance that is.
“I’ll give you ten seconds. If you don’t choose by then, I’m taking both.”
“I’ll take the wood! I’ll do it!”
He shouted. I gestured to him to start right away. The baldy, once again despairing, closed his eyes and began to manipulate his magic. The distinctive ashy-gray magic of a dream merchant began to waver, and he spit out a gray vine.
I pulled out a magic bottle and snatched it right up. The liquefied magic settled slowly inside. It was a fragment of a sprout yet to become a seedling. It definitely felt different from a regular human magic.
“Usually, someone would give up their body in a situation like this. Interesting.”
I said, tucking it away. If you were to ask any other mage, they’d definitely choose to give up their body. The wood is everything to a mage. But it seemed his body was more precious to him. Is it because he’s a dream merchant?
“I can regrow wood; I can’t regrow my hands. This is my livelihood.”
He grumbled. I had taken everything I needed, so I released him. I signaled to the bugs, and they burrowed into the ample folds of his robe. The bald man fell back, sighing.
“No wonder my head has been throbbing today.”
He cracked open a bottle of liquor right there. A delicious scent wafted up, but I paid it no mind as I got up. Am I crazy enough to drink his booze again? I stretched out luxuriously. Ah, refreshing. It’s like I instinctively knew to take care of things immediately. Now that I’ve done my morning exercise, today is definitely going to be an energetic one!
As I turned to do a round of the market, I realized that even just glancing around, it was filled with worthless items. I’d need to come back later, maybe when an auction is held.
I exited the market and climbed the stairs leading to the ground. Now I should get back to my shop and get to work.
There’s a lot to do. Since I left the shop to take the exam, requests have piled up, and I need to repair all the dolls I smashed during the exam. Busy, busy.